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Audie A Atienza

Publications and source records attributed to Audie A Atienza.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Employer and healthcare policy interventions aimed at adult obesity.

BACKGROUND: Increasing rates of obesity in the population have made prevention a high public health priority. Policy strategies for curtailing obesity have been recommended, yet there has been little research on the degree of public support for policy-level interventions. METHODS: Participants for this study included 1139 respondents who were surveyed as part of the Research Triangle Institute Obesity Telephone Survey conducted in September 2004. Participants were asked to indicate to what degree they favor specific healthcare and work policy strategies for treating and preventing adult obesity. Participants were also asked about their beliefs regarding the causes of obesity. RESULTS: A majority (85%) favored a policy change strategy that offered employers tax breaks if they provided adequate exercise facilities in the workplace. Seventy-three percent favored a move by healthcare companies to require obesity treatment and prevention. The same proportion (72%) favored beneficiary discounts by employers or healthcare companies to motivate individuals to maintain or move toward a healthy weight. Majorities endorsed a lack of willpower and the cost of healthy food as causes. Nearly two thirds did not believe genes or lack of knowledge was related to obesity in society, and the sample was split with regard to the belief that obesity is caused by society. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that there is strong support for healthcare and employment policies in obesity prevention and treatment. These findings may be important to policymakers in developing population-based strategies to prevent obesity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Identifying sedentary subgroups: the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey.

BACKGROUND: Developing effective interventions for the 24% to 28% of U.S. adults who are sedentary requires a better understanding of the factors related to sedentary lifestyles as well as the communication channels to reach various subgroups. This study identified key sociodemographic and health communication characteristics of various subgroups with high rates of inactivity using signal detection methodology. METHODS: The sample from the nationally representative Health Information National Trends Survey 2003 (n=6369) was randomly split into two samples. Exploratory analyses (conducted 2004 and 2005) were employed on the first sample to identify various subgroups, and the stability of inactivity rates in those subgroups was examined in the second sample. RESULTS: Eight subgroups with varying levels of inactivity were identified. Three subgroups had inactivity levels of 40% or higher, while the lowest subgroup had a level of less than 15%. The highest inactivity subgroup consisted of individuals with at least some college education who were in fair/poor health and who watched 4 or more hours of television per day. The second-highest inactivity subgroup was composed of those without a college education who tended not to use or attend to many communication channels. The third highest inactive subgroup consisted of those without a college education who read the newspaper and were obese. Levels of inactivity in the second independent sample subgroups were not significantly different from those found in the exploratory sample. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified empirically based, physically inactive subgroups that differed on sociodemographic and health communication characteristics. This information should be useful in creating future evidence-based, targeted, and tailored intervention strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Awareness of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service: results from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).

Established in 1975, the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service (CIS) is a national information and education network that serves the nation by providing the latest scientific cancer information to the American public. The purpose of this study was to determine the public's awareness of the CIS and other national cancer and health organizations by analyzing data from the NCI's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 2003). This study also examined sociodemographic, health, and communication correlates of awareness of CIS and other national health organizations: American Cancer Society (ACS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NCI. Results indicated that awareness of the CIS was low (32.8%). Some subgroups were more likely to be aware of the CIS than others. When comparing awareness levels of the four national health organizations, marked differences in patterns of awareness among specific subgroups emerged for many sociodemographic variables. For example, minority groups were significantly more aware of the CIS than Whites; however, for all three other organizations a greater percentage of Whites were aware of each organization. For the NIH, NCI, and ACS, respondents in the highest income group were most aware of each organization and, as income level increased awareness also increased. The CIS, respondents with the lowest income levels, however, were more aware of the CIS compared with middle- and high-income groups. A similar pattern was found for other sociodemographic variables. Results of this study will guide the development of a targeted promotional campaign for the CIS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Influence of maternal stress on successful participation in a physical activity intervention: the IMPACT Project.

Few studies have examined the impact of motherhood on successful participation in physical activity (PA) interventions. The current study focused on mothers in the Increasing Motivation for Physical Activity or IMPACT study, which aimed to promote PA in sedentary, low-income, ethnically diverse women (74% Latina). The aim of this study was to determine whether certain maternal variables (e.g., number of children, number and intensity of maternal stressors) influenced successful participation in an 8-week, class-based, PA intervention. PA consisted of accumulating 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity activities (e.g., walking) five or more days a week. Sixty-eight mothers (average age = 32 years) were assessed at baseline and 10 weeks. Paired comparison t-tests demonstrated a significant increase in PA-related energy expenditure from baseline to 10 weeks (p < 0.05). Furthermore, this increase in PA was significantly associated with a decrease in the number of maternal stressors reported over this time period (p < 0.01). Simultaneous regression analyses indicated that (1) having a higher number of maternal stressors at baseline was associated with lower class attendance (p <or= 0.05) and (2) rating these maternal stressors (e.g., unable to control children's behavior) as being more stressful at baseline was associated with lower levels of PA at 10 weeks (p <or= 0.01), independent of the number of children at home. These results suggest that the number and intensity of perceived maternal stressors may negatively impact attempts to become more physically active. Interventions should address such stressors.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Intervention-related cognitive versus social mediators of exercise adherence in the elderly.

CONTEXT: Participation in regular physical activity is recognized as one of the most important health behaviors associated with the prevention of chronic disease and the promotion of health and well-being among the elderly. Although a number of cross-sectional studies have reported predictors of physical activity participation, few studies have assessed changes in intervention-related mediators associated with physical activity adherence in the elderly. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the relative abilities of cognitive mediating variables (i.e., self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancies/realizations) versus a social mediating variable (i.e., exercise-related social support) to examine mediators of a telephone-based, exercise-counseling intervention on exercise adherence during months 7 to 12 of an exercise intervention. METHOD: Participants were 103 community-dwelling, healthy, sedentary, older adults (67 women and 36 men). Self-efficacy for exercise, outcome expectancies/realizations, and social support for exercise were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Participants received telephone-based exercise counseling to promote exercise adherence during the course of two 12-month exercise programs (i.e., aerobic/strength or flexibility exercises). RESULTS: Changes in cognitive mediators (i.e., self-efficacy and fitness outcome realizations) were associated with 7- to 12-month exercise adherence while exercise-related social support was not. CONCLUSION: Attention should be given to increasing confidence in the elderly to overcome barriers to exercise and achieve relevant fitness outcomes in exercise programs.

Aged↗