Lifestyles and Health-Related Outcomes of U.S. Hospital Nurses: A Systematic Review

Background

Nurses’ modifiable lifestyles have important health-related consequences.

Impact of school-based health promotion interventions aimed at different behavioral domains: a systematic review

Objective

Given that lifestyleshave similar determinants and that school-based interventions are usually targeted at all the risks that affect adolescents, the objective of this systematic review was to summarize the characteristics and effects of school-based interventions acting on different behavioral domains of adolescent health promotion.

Methods

The review process was conducted by two independent reviewers who searched PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases for experimental or observational studies with at least two measures of results published from 2007 to 2011, given that the research information available doubles every 5 years. Methodological quality was assessed with a standardized tool.

Results

Information was extracted from 35 studies aiming to prevent risk behaviors and promote healthy nutrition, physical activity, and mental and holistic health. Activities were based on theoretical models and were classified into interactive lessons, peer mediation, environmental changes, parents’ and community activities, and tailored messages by computer-assisted training or other resources, usually including multiple components. In some cases, we identified some moderate to large, short- and long-term effects on behavioral and intermediate variable.

Conclusions

This exhaustive review found that well-implemented interventions can promote adolescent health. These findings are consistent with recent reviews. Implications for practice, public health, and research are discussed.     

Ghrelin levels are associated with hunger as measured by the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire in healthy young adults

Weight gain and appetite regulation are complex interplays between internal and external cues. Our aim was to investigate the association of eating behaviors with ghrelin taking into account lifestyle. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in a sample of first-year university students at the Université de Sherbrooke. We collected medical history, anthropometric measurements, vital signs, fitness index, and fasting blood samples. Questionnaires included a lifestyle questionnaire and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) estimating dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger. We recruited 308 participants aged 20.7 ± 3.2 years and a mean BMI of 23.3 ± 3.4 kg/m². Hunger score was significantly associated with ghrelin levels (r = 0.11, P < 0.05). In women, this association was independent of age, BMI, dietary and lifestyle factors (P = 0.02). The association between ghrelin level and hunger score was observable in leaner individuals (r = 0.28, p < 0.0001) but not in heavier individuals (r = − 0.08, p = 0.34; stratified by BMI < vs > 22.6 kg/m²). Restraint (R) and disinhibition (D) were not associated with ghrelin levels. The three eating behaviors demonstrated expected correlations with lifestyle supporting the validity of the TFEQ in this cohort. In conclusion, we demonstrated that ghrelin, a biological marker, is associated with self-reported perception of hunger, independently of anthropometric measures and lifestyle.     

Heterogeneity of income and lifestyle determinants of body weight among adult women in Mexico, 2006

In Mexico, the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity among Mexican women increased from 64% in 2000 to 72% in 2006. In this paper, we report our findings on the relation of women's body mass index (BMI) with income and lifestyles choices using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2006. The two following approaches were executed. First, we estimated a two-stage least-squares regression to control for the potential endogeneity of income stratified by urban or rural residency. The second approach was aimed at exploring whether the determinants of weight varied among different weight levels using latent class models. Our findings from the two-stage least-squares regression show a positive non-significant association between income and BMI in the overall and urban samples but a significant positive relationship among rural women. Our results suggest that one unit increase in income is associated with 4.1% increase in body weight in rural areas. Estimates from the latent class model (LCM) show a positive but marginally significant association between income and BMI in the overall sample only in the class where there is a greater likelihood that women have normal weight or overweight compared to the class with a higher probability of being obese, but we also found a large association in rural areas for both classes. Lifestyle choices were associated with BMI. Results from the two-stage least-squares regressions reveal that more hours sitting per day and a higher percentage of expenditures in sugary beverages were associated with higher BMI levels. In the LCM, for women who eventually belong to the higher body weight class, lifestyles seem to matter more. Findings from this research suggest that policies to tackle the obesity epidemic among adult women should be different for women living in urban and rural areas and women with different weight levels.     

Young Diabetics: Memories,Current Lifestyles and Attitudes

Eighty-six subjects aged 22.3 ± 2.3 years (mean ± S.D.), who attended one clinic as diabetic children, filled in a questionnaire designed to evaluate their present health and lifestyles, as well as discover their childhood memories. About two-thirds (66.3%) had unhappy recollections particularly of such irritating routines as urine testing, injections, and special food programmes. Only 6% complained that future complications were not discussed with the child at the appropriate time, but with the exception of blindness, childhood knowledge of diabetic complications was poor. Around two-thirds (66.4%) left school with some examination result; 44.2% went into further education, while 19.8% entered into a trade. These attainments were comparable to those of local school leavers. As young diabetic adults, 62.8% were employed; 22.1% were students or housewives with no other occupations.     

Dynamic weight status changes and peer lifestyles in early adolescence: A social network analysis on a longitudinal cohort of Taiwanese youth

BackgroundFriendship networks are relevant to adolescent weight status and lifestyle, but little is known about their relationship in an East Asian setting. Using a longitudinal cohort of Taiwanese adolescents, we studied how weight status and lifestyles might influence friendship. Simultaneously considering the influence of friendship networks, we further examined the effects of peers’ lifestyles on the body weight status of adolescents.MethodsData were retrieved from the first three waves of the Taiwan Youth Project (N = 2409; 51 % boys). Participants were asked to nominate their friends at school and to report their lifestyle factors (e.g. sleep habits, internet use, and athletic performance). Weight status was proxied by body mass index calculated from self-reported weight and height. Stochastic actor-based modeling was used for the friendship network analyses.ResultsConsidering network structure, adolescents selected friends based on similarities in weight status (β = 0.147 [standard error = 0.044], p < 0.001) and lifestyle factors, such as athletic performance (β = 0.181 [0.034], p < 0.001), internet use (β = 0.156 [0.039], p < 0.001), and social jetlag (β = 0.055 [ ± 0.022], p < 0.05). In the behavior dynamics model, we did not observe any peer influence on changes in adolescents’ weight status.ConclusionThese findings suggest a pervasive homophilic friendship selection explained by weight and lifestyle-based similarities, despite no evidence of peer influence on weight status. Stakeholders and care providers of adolescent health should be aware of the social network processes that underlie weight problems.     

Insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) levels in a general adult population: curves percentile by gender and age. The EPIRCE study

Aims

To describe the distribution of HOMA-IR levels in a general nondiabetic population and its relationships with metabolic and lifestyles characteristics.

Methods

Cross-sectional study. Data from 2246 nondiabetic adults in a random Spanish population sample, stratified by age and gender, were analyzed. Assessments included a structured interview, physical examination, and blood sampling. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to assess the effect of lifestyle habits and clinical and demographic measurements on HOMA-IR. Multivariate GAMs and quantile regression analyses of HOMA-IR were carried out separately in men and women.

Results

This study shows refined estimations of HOMA-IR levels by age, body mass index, and waist circumference in men and women. HOMA-IR levels were higher in men (2.06) than women (1.95) (P = 0.047). In women, but not men, HOMA-IR and age showed a significant nonlinear association (P = 0.006), with increased levels above fifty years of age. We estimated HOMA-IR curves percentile in men and women.

Conclusions

Age- and gender-adjusted HOMA-IR levels are reported in a representative Spanish adult non-diabetic population. There are gender-specific differences, with increased levels in women over fifty years of age that may be related with changes in body fat distribution after menopause.