Lifestyle-related attitudes: do they explain self-rated health and life-satisfaction?

Background

Strategies to improve public health may benefit from targeting specific lifestyles associated with poor health behaviors and outcomes. The aim of this study was to characterize and examine the relationship between health and lifestyle-related attitudes (HLAs) and self-rated health and life-satisfaction.

Methods

Secondary analyses were conducted on data from a 2012 community wellness survey in Kirklees, UK. Using a validated HLA tool, respondents (n?=?9130) were categorized into five segments: health conscious realists (33%), balanced compensators (14%), live-for-todays (18%), hedonistic immortals (10%), and unconfident fatalists (25%). Multivariate regression was used to examine whether HLAs could explain self-rated health using the EQ-5D visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) and life-satisfaction. Health conscious realists served as the reference group.

Results

Self-rated health differed by HLA, with adjusted mean EQ-VAS scores being significantly higher (better) among balanced compensators (1.15, 95% CI 0.27, 2.03) and lower scores among unconfident fatalists (??9.02, 95% CI ??9.85, ??8.21) and live-for-todays (??1.96, 95% CI ??2.80, ??1.14). Balanced compensators were less likely to report low life-satisfaction (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.62, 0.90), while unconfident fatalists were most likely to have low life-satisfaction (OR 3.51, 95% CI 2.92, 4.23).

Significance

Segmentation by HLA explained differences in self-rated health and life-satisfaction,with unconfident fatalists being a distinct segment with significantly worse healthperceptions and life-satisfaction. Health promotion efforts may benefit from considering the HLAsegment that predominates a patient group, especially unconfident fatalists.

     

Mothers' perceptions of their adolescents' weight status: are they accurate?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of mothers' perceptions of adolescents' weight status. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Parent interviews and adolescent surveys (755) were conducted in an ethnically diverse sample from Project EAT (Eating among Teens). RESULTS: Adolescent weight status was accurately assessed by 60% of mothers, underestimated by 35% of mothers, and overestimated by 5% of mothers. In multivariate analyses, mothers of female adolescents were about half as likely to underestimate their adolescent's weight status as mothers of male adolescents. Nonoverweight mothers were about half as likely as overweight mothers to underestimate their adolescent's weight status. DISCUSSION: Most mothers are able to accurately assess their adolescent's weight status; however, adolescent gender and mothers' weight status are related to accuracy. Mothers were more likely to underestimate their sons' weights than their daughters' weights, and overweight mothers were more likely to be inaccurate in their assessments than nonoverweight mothers. Findings suggest that the majority of parents do not need to be told that their children are overweight; instead, messages to parents of overweight teens should focus on how to provide support for healthy weight management.     

Household smoking bans: which households have them and do they work?

BACKGROUND: This study characterized Oregon households according to type and degree of restrictions on smoking and explored whether smoking restrictions are associated with decreased environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. METHODS: A population-based, random-digit-dialed cross-sectional telephone survey of 6,199 adult Oregonians was performed in 1997 to provide baseline data on tobacco use in Oregon. RESULTS: Seventy percent of Oregon households were composed of nonsmokers only, and 85% of those had a full ban on smoking inside the home. Of the households containing one or more smokers, 38% had a full household ban on smoking. Among respondents with a full ban in place, 99% of nonsmoker-only households reported that no one smoked in the home in the previous month, compared with 91% of households with at least one smoker. In both nonsmoker-only households and those with at least one smoker, full bans were strongly associated with awareness of the harm of ETS (OR = 12.8, 95% CI 7.3-22.3, and OR = 6.6, 95% CI 3.6-12.3, respectively). The presence of children in the household was also closely associated with full bans in the two types of households (OR = 4.6, 95% CI 2.8-7.6, and OR = 3.0, 95% CI 2.1-4.4, respectively). Nevertheless, 50% of households with children and a smoker present did not have a full ban in place. CONCLUSIONS: While the prevalence of household smoking restrictions is high in Oregon, there remains room for improvement, since 50% of households with a smoker and a child present do not have a full ban on indoor smoking. Public health messages that focus on household smoking restrictions may help protect nonsmokers from exposure to ETS.     

Adolescents and genetic testing: what do they think about it?

PURPOSE: To examine adolescents' attitudes toward screening for hereditary disorders. METHODS: A survey was distributed among 672 students in grades 10 to 12 attending a public suburban high school. The first part of the survey consisted of information about three diseases: familial breast cancer, Tay-Sachs disease, and hypercholesterolemia. The second part was a questionnaire developed by the authors, which explored students' attitudes toward testing for these diseases. Comparisons between and within groups were performed using X2 analysis. RESULTS: Out of the 672 surveys distributed, 361 were returned (54% response rate). Mean age of participants was 17 +/- 1 years. Most girls (67%) wanted to be tested for familial breast cancer. Girls were significantly more willing than boys to be tested for Tay-Sachs disease (23% vs. 13%, p <.002) and for hypercholesterolemia (54% vs. 39%, p <.001). Girls who had a relative with breast cancer were significantly more willing to be tested than other girls (p <.05). Individuals in the ethnic risk groups for Tay-Sachs disease were significantly more willing to be tested than those not in the ethnic risk groups (p <.001). However, only 33% of those in the ethnic risk groups for Tay-Sachs disease stated that they would either "definitely" or "probably" wish to be tested. Students who had a family history of high cholesterol were significantly more willing to be tested than those without a family history (70% vs. 34%, p <.0001). About 81% of the students with a family history of high cholesterol had never been referred for cholesterol testing. Only about 25% of participants stated that their attitude toward genetic testing was affected by concerns that genetic information might be misused by insurance companies/employers. CONCLUSIONS: The main motivator for genetic testing is having someone in the family affected by the disease in question. Adolescent girls are more willing to be tested for genetic diseases than are boys.     

What do mothers feed their children and why?

Health education interventions aimed at changing children's diets often target their mothers. However, little is known about what factors influence mothers' food choice for themselves and how this is related to their choice of food for their children. The present study aimed to examine the types of foods mothers eat themselves and their motivations for doing so in comparison with their choices for their primary school age children. In addition, the study aimed to assess whether the mother's dieting behaviour affected these differences. A questionnaire was completed by 218 (response rate 52%) mothers of children aged between 5 and 11 asking them about their behaviour and motivations for themselves and on behalf of their children. The results showed that mothers tend to feed their children in a less healthy way than they feed themselves. Specifically, they feed their children more sweet products, and more unhealthy breads and dairy products. However, whereas they are motivated more by practicality (e.g. availability, cost) and calories when choosing food for themselves, they state that health (e.g. nutritional value, long-term health) is more important when choosing for their children. In terms of the role of the mothers' dieting behaviour, dieters appeared to be more self-prioritizing than non-dieters in their differentiation between themselves and their children. The results are discussed in terms of the role of knowledge and cognitions in explaining the gaps between motivations and behaviour and the mothers' decisions for themselves and for their children. In addition, the implications for interventions are considered. In particular, it is suggested that changing a mother's own motivations and behaviour may not necessarily result in an improvement in their child's diet. Further, encouraging mothers to diet may be detrimental to their children's long-term health.     

What do young children dream about?

Young children's dreams can be a way for teachers and caregivers to share with children and an opportunity for children to describe and even draw dreams. In two different preschool settings, in two different geographical locales, 94 children, aged 3–5 years, shared 266 dreams with a trusted, familiar teacher. Dreams were coded anonymously. The number of words in a dream varied from 3 to 157. Younger preschoolers reported significantly shorter dreams. Three-year-olds, contrary to previous research, were able to report dreams. Over 80% of the preschoolers' dreams included specific actions, and over a third of the dreams included three or more actions. More than 36% of the dreamers encountered and struggled with a ‘monster’ protagonist. Family members, human strangers, TV/movie characters, and friends were prevalent in the dreams of young children. Scenarios differed by gender. Girls dreamed more frequently of family members. Boys reported more fighting and chasing. Dream themes of boys, compared with girls, were twice as likely to include monsters, wild animals, pets, and curiosity. Power themes were four times more prevalent in boys' dreams. Girls were twice as likely as boys to report joyful dreams.     

Fitness awards: do they accomplish their intended objectives?

Abstract Considerable attention has recently been focused on awards as a means of motivating children and youth to take fitness tests and to become physically active. This research was conducted to determine the number of youth who actually achieve standards for earning the various fitness awards, the extent to which award earners are successful in achieving other recognition for physical performance, and the relative contribution of various fitness components to earning fitness awards. A total of 1, 774 youths (1,227 males and 547 females) ranging in age from 14 to 17 served as subjects in the study. Subjects completed items commonly included in national fitness test batteries, as well as a questionnaire indicating the extent of their athletic accomplishments. Results indicate that very few subjects met criteria for earning fitness awards, and those who did meet these criteria also received recognition for success in athletics. Further, those subjects who met award criteria had discriminant function profiles characterized by power, agility, and speed. These profiles were effective in classifying, and thus predicting, which subjects would be successful in earning awards. Questions should be raised about the motivational effectiveness of awards based on exclusive normative standards since these awards go primarily to those with athletic prowess and motor fitness.     

Can children teach their parents about asthma?

The Open Airways for Schools (OAS) program has been shown to improve the self-management skills and health outcomes of students with asthma in Grades 3 to 5. This report examines the impact of OAS on students' parents. Because pilot studies showed that parental attendance at school-based sessions was low, the authors held six sessions at school for children and gave children homework assignments to complete with parents at home to teach parents about asthma and build support for children's self-management efforts. Analysis of 1-year follow-up data showed that children's participation in OAS was a significant predictor of parental self-management skills (p <.03) and that OAS children's communication was more strongly associated than controls' with parents' self-management (p = .05). The findings show that health education activities brought home from school by children can positively influence parents' self-management of a complex chronic disease such as asthma.     

Do smoking and health education influence student nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior?

BACKGROUND: Student nurses are an important target group for smoking prevention. This study analyzes (a) the relation between student nurses' smoking behavior and their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior toward smoking prevention and (b) the effect of targeted health education in improving student nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behavior. METHODS: A controlled trial was performed with school classes as the randomization unit. One hundred fifty-five first-year students from a school in nursing in Copenhagen, Denmark, participated in a baseline study and a follow-up study 7 weeks later. The intervention included eight lectures on the health consequences of smoking. RESULTS: About 40% of student nurses in both the intervention and the control groups were smokers, and this percentage did not change during follow-up. Compared with nonsmokers, smokers had less favorable attitudes and behavior toward smoking prevention. Student nurses' knowledge about the health consequences of smoking improved during the study period in both groups, but the change was larger in the intervention group. This difference was not present in multivariate analyses that controlled for age and smoking status. During follow-up the attitude improved in the intervention classes, while it deteriorated in the controls, revealing a significant difference, which persisted after multivariate adjustment. The amount of education had no effect on student nurse's preventive behavior. CONCLUSION: Targeted health education improves knowledge and attitudes toward smoking prevention in first-year student nurses.     

Thin adolescents: Who are they? What do they do? Socio-demographic and use-of-time characteristics

ObjectivesExamine: (1) the anthropometric, socio-demographic and use-of-time characteristics of thin adolescents, and (2) compare these characteristics to other weight status categories.MethodsData were from the 2007 National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey which collected data on a random sample of 2200 9 to 16 year old Australians from February to August 2007. Seven socio-demographic variables, anthropometric data (height and weight were measured) and nine use-of-time variables were used, and compared across the weight status categories. Physical activity was measured using pedometers and the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults.Results5.3% of adolescents were classified as thin, a percentage which did not significantly vary by age, sex, indigenous status, household income, education level or family structure. Relative to other adolescents, thin adolescents were shorter and lighter. Thin adolescents were less active than their normal weight peers, but walked further and accumulated significantly less screen and TV time than obese adolescents.ConclusionThin adolescents were found in similar proportions across all socio-demographic bands. Thin adolescents recorded similar physical activity levels to their normal weight peers, but were more active than obese adolescents. The findings from the study support in part the theory of thinness related developmental delay.     

Do women's attitudes towards abortion and contraceptive methods influence their option for sterilization?

This paper analyzes the attitudes of low-income women towards abortion and contraception. A survey was conducted in 1992 with a total of 3,149 childbearing-age women living on the outskirts of the Greater Metropolitan S?o Paulo Area. The study focuses on a sub-sample of 583 women. Attitudes of sterilized and non-sterilized women are compared. Women, especially those sterilized, found the most important attribute of a contraceptive method to be its effectiveness. Women currently taking the pill were less likely than those sterilized to agree that sterilization was the best method because of its effectiveness. Sterilized women were less likely than non-sterilized women to trust the pill. Sterilized women were more likely than non-sterilized to have reported adverse effects from the pill. Most women found abortion unacceptable except in the case of risk to the woman's life. Women using more effective methods showed stronger negative attitudes towards abortion. The tendency to be sterilized while still young was associated with more negative attitudes towards abortion. Family planning activities in basic health care services should include individual counseling for contraceptive use.