Biomedical subjects

D A Williamson

Publications and source records attributed to D A Williamson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Association of depression with Body Mass Index, sedentary behavior, and maladaptive eating attitudes and behaviors in 11 to 13-year old children.

We examined the relation of different behavioral dimensions of depression with weight-related variables (BMI percentile, sedentary behavior, eating attitudes, and weight control behaviors) in children aged 11 to 13 years. Depression was assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Sedentary behavior was measured in 45 sixth grade students (23 boys and 22 girls) using a validated 24-hour recall instrument, the Self-Administered Physical Activity Checklist. BMI was calculated directly from measured height and weight (kg/m2). The Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) was used to measure eating attitudes and weight control behaviors. There were not significant gender differences in reported minutes (142 vs. 91 minutes for boys vs. girls; p=0.25) of sedentary behavior (i.e., television watching and video game playing). The major finding of this study was that certain aspects of depression (i.e., interpersonal problems and feelings of ineffectiveness) were correlated with higher levels of sedentary behavior in children aged 11 to 13. A factor analysis of the study variables indicated that most dimensions of depression, sedentary behavior, and body size represent distinct but correlated behavioral dimensions. This study provides support for a link between specific aspects of depression (i.e., interpersonal problems and feelings of ineffectiveness) and sedentary behavior in children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Association of body size estimation and age in African-American females.

This cross-sectional research study tested the hypothesis that body image estimates of African-American females differ as a function of age. To test this hypothesis, body image estimates of 379 African-American females, ranging in age from 16 to 96 years, were contrasted as a function of age group, while statistically controlling body mass index. Three body size estimates, current body size, ideal body size, and reasonable body size were measured using the Body Image Assessment for Obesity. The discrepancies between current and ideal body size estimates and between current and reasonable body size estimates were also analyzed to assess for differences in body size dissatisfaction. The study found that younger African-American women (16 to 35 years) differed from older African-American women (>35 years) on measures of body size dissatisfaction. Women in the age range of 26 to 35 years reported higher estimates of current body size in comparison to women older than 35 years. The youngest age group (16 to 25 years) reported thinner ideal body size goals in comparison to women who were slightly older (26 to 35 years) and women who were older than 75 years. The pattern of body image estimates across a large age range suggests that younger African-American women, in comparison to older African-American women, may have body images that may make them more susceptible to eating disorders.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Health and appearance concerns in young Caucasian and African-American women.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to examine the health- and appearance-related concerns of young African-American and Caucasian females. RESEARCH METHODS: Participants were twenty Caucasian and twenty African-American college women, who were matched on age and BMI. All participants were administered the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), a demographics instrument, and a short inventory to assess concerns about health, appearance, and weight management, in a single testing session; height and weight data were self-reported. RESULTS: African-American women and Caucasian women were not significantly different in their level of health consciousness or perception of health; however, African-American women were significantly more satisfied with their physical appearance in comparison to Caucasian women. Among African-American women, perception of health and level of health consciousness were highly related; this relationship was not found in Caucasian women. In addition, perception of health was related to satisfaction with appearance in both groups, although the relationship was stronger among African-Americans. Among Caucasian women, satisfaction with physical appearance was highly correlated with perception of weight status (from underweight to very overweight); this relationship was not found among African-American females. An inverse relationship between body mass index (BMI) and appearance evaluation was found only for Caucasian females. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that, on the whole, young African-American and Caucasian college females report similar evaluations of health and values placed on appearance and health, and differ primarily in terms of satisfaction with physical appearance.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Efficacy of an internet-based behavioral weight loss program for overweight adolescent African-American girls.

OBJECTIVE: This randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of an internet-based lifestyle behavior modification program for weight management in African-American girls. DESIGN: African-American girls were randomly assigned to an interactive behavioral internet program or an internet health education program, the control condition. The behavioral intervention included internet counseling and was highly interactive. The control intervention was a passive (non-interactive) educational program. Parents were also participants in the study. Participants in both treatment groups met in face-to-face sessions on four occasions over the first 12 weeks of a 6-month intervention. SUBJECTS: The study enrolled 57 African-American adolescent girls (ages 11 to 15 years) who were overweight or obese and had at least one biological parent who was obese [body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2]. Of the 57 participants, 50 (88%) completed the 6-month trial. MEASUREMENTS: Outcome data, including BMI, body weight, body composition, dietary intake, and weight loss behaviors were collected at baseline and 6-months later. A computer server tracked utilization of the websites. Participation in the program was measured by number of "hits" on the website. RESULTS: Compared to the control condition, adolescents in the behavioral treatment lost more body fat (group difference =1.6% body fat) and parents lost significantly more body weight (group difference =2.1 kg). Utilization of the behavioral website by adolescents and parents was associated with positive outcome. Dietary fat intake was lowered for adolescents and parents in the behavioral treatment group. CONCLUSION: An internet-based behavioral intervention was superior to internet-based health education and yielded decreased body fat for adolescent girls and decreased body weight for parents.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2004

Digital photography: a new method for estimating food intake in cafeteria settings.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to test the comparability of digital photography and visual estimation procedures for estimating food intake. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The study sample included 71 breakfast meals and 59 lunch meals eaten in a university cafeteria during a single day. A total of 66 different foods were employed as test foods that could be selected by the students. Food selections and plate waste, as estimated by digital photography and visual estimation, were compared. For digital photography, three observers independently estimated portion sizes of each food item based upon digital photographs. One observer estimated portion sizes in the cafeteria setting, using visual estimation, a method that has been validated in other studies. RESULTS: To test the accuracy of the two procedures for measuring food intake, the estimates of food weights derived from both procedures were compared using Bland-Altman regression. In comparison to visual estimation, the digital photography method yielded comparable estimates of food selections, plate waste, and total food intake for seven of nine comparisons. The two methods of estimating food portions yielded comparable results for most (78%) types of foods. The two methods also yielded similar variability. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that the digital photography method is an alternative to the traditional method of estimating food intake via direct observation.

Energy Intake↗

PubMed2003

Racial/ethnic differences in weight concerns: protective and risk factors for the development of eating disorders and obesity among adolescent females.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared African American and Caucasian adolescent girls on measures of appearance concerns, body-contingent self-esteem, pressures for thinness, and dieting behaviour. Also, correlations among these measures were contrasted across the two ethnic groups. METHOD: African American (n = 32) and Caucasian (n = 29) adolescent girls completed a series of self-report measures concerning dieting behaviour, perceived pressures for thinness, self-esteem, and perceptions of physical appearance. RESULTS: Across all measures, Caucasian girls endorsed more disturbed eating behaviors and beliefs about body shape and weight. Dieting among Caucasian girls was correlated with preoccupation with body shape. Among African American girls dieting behaviour was unrelated to concerns about body shape. DISCUSSION: These findings support the hypothesis that in comparison to Caucasian girls, African American girls may be at lessened risk for developing eating disorders but may be at greater risk for developing obesity. This conclusion is based upon the findings of higher levels of eating disorder symptoms among Caucasian girls and the relative absence of significant correlations between dieting and body shape and appearance concerns among African American girls.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Health risks, past usage, and intention to use weight loss products in normal weight women with high and low body dysphoria.

OBJECTIVE: There are many health risks involved with the use of weight loss products by normal weight women. The mass media may compound this problem through the promotion of weight loss products and a thin body size. This study tested women's perceptions of different weight loss product ads to determine if body dysphoria (i.e., an over concern with body size and shape in normal weight people) was associated with risk beliefs, past behaviors, and intention toward using weight loss products. METHOD: Normal weight women (age range = 18-41 yr), who were classified as either high (n=45) or low (n=43) on a measure of body dysphoria, rated different weight loss products according to their perception of health risks, past behavior, and their intention to consume the products. These products were a dietary fat substitute (olestra), a prescription obesity medication (sibutramine), and an over-the-counter appetite suppressant (phenylpropanolamine). RESULTS: High body dysphoric women reported higher intentions to use the products as well as increased prior use of two of the three weight loss products. High body dysphoric women did not believe that these weight loss products were harmless. They recognized potential health risks associated with using such products, but nonetheless, expressed intention to use these weight loss products at a higher frequency. Also, several variables related to body image were found to effectively discriminate normal weight women at risk for abusing weight loss products. DISCUSSION: This study found that women who do not need to lose weight but have significant body image concerns were willing to use potentially harmful weight loss products despite the knowledge that such products might pose significant health risks. Techniques utilized by advertising regulatory agencies such as warning labels did not have a strong deterrent effect for stated intentions to use the products. Implications of these findings for public health policy issues were discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Problems with HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in Togo, West Africa: professional caregivers' perspectives.

This paper used accounts of professional caregivers to HIV/AIDS patients in Lomé, Togo, West Africa to explore the impacts of cultural, institutional and socio-economic factors in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Thirteen health professionals and 17 non-health professionals who work with people living with HIV/AIDS were interviewed in June and July 2002 in Lomé, Togo. The study found that, in Togo there are some cultural, socio-economic and institutional practices that put Togolese at risk of contracting HIV and complicate the care of those who become infected. People with HIV/AIDS face socio-economic, emotional and psychological battles as they attempt to deal with their physical health and the social reactions to such a stigmatizing disease. Thus, in order to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS, people living with HIV/AIDS, family caregivers, traditional healers as well as the public must be educated about the importance of preventing the disease and how each group can help achieve success in its control. Interventions in prevention and care should be designed with an awareness of these structural factors that contribute to the spread of AIDS and compromise the quality of care given to those who become infected.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2002

Psychological adjustment in the children of mothers with a history of eating disorders.

In order to test the impact of mothers' eating disorders (EDs) on their children's psychological adjustment, we recruited mothers belonging to three different populations: women with eating disorders, women with depression, and normal controls. The parents responded to self-report inventories relating to psychological adjustment of the parent and child. The study found that the psychological adjustment of the children of mothers with a history of ED was not different from that of the children of mothers in the normal control group, although mothers described significant pregnancy and birth complications, parenting stress, and symptoms of clinical depression. The children of mothers with a history of depression had significantly greater psychological problems in comparison with those of the children of mothers in the other two groups. The results are interpreted in the context of the protective factors that may have buffered the effects of maternal psychopathology in children of mothers with a history of ED.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2001

Anxiety, depression, and the content of worries.

Worry content as assessed by using a modified Worry Domains Questionnaire (WDQ) was compared among participants diagnosed with a depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and both a depressive disorder and GAD. A discriminant function analysis of worry domains yielded two significant functions. The worry domains Lack of Confidence, Aimless Future, Relationships, and Financial Concerns loaded significantly on Function 1, which was termed "Depressive Worries." The worry domain Loss of Control loaded significantly on Function 2, which was termed "Anxious Worries." The three participant groups differed in their pattern of worries in a way that lends support to the content-specificity hypothesis for both depression and anxiety. In addition, multiple regression analysis indicated that WDQ domain scores (in particular the Aimless Future domain) predicted the severity of depressive symptoms even after the variance contributed by anxiety symptoms was removed from the analysis. These findings suggest that the content of a person's worries may be significantly associated with the presence of depression, anxiety, or comorbid depression and anxiety.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Prognostic value of duration of illness and early intervention in bulimia nervosa: a systematic review of the outcome literature.

OBJECTIVE: Early intervention is often regarded as an important step for the prevention of a chronic eating disorder. The primary aim of this review was to systematically evaluate the outcome literature and to better describe the effects of early intervention on the course of bulimia nervosa. METHOD: Twenty-four follow-up studies were subjected to nine "best-evidence" criteria for methodological soundness. Of these 24 studies, 5 met all methodological criteria and were considered in more detail. RESULTS: Only one of these five studies found a significant association between duration of illness and outcome. These studies were re-examined to exclude studies that included patients who were not first admissions in order to distinguish between the effect of duration of illness versus early intervention. This re-examination excluded four of the five studies, and the remaining study provided no data regarding prior treatment. DISCUSSION: Based on this selection of studies, it was concluded that there is no consistent evidence to support that early intervention necessarily implies a better long-term outcome. Due to the multiple methodological problems that plague follow-up studies, future research would be improved by employing designs that directly test the impact of early versus late intervention.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Psychosocial variables associated with binge eating in obese males and females.

OBJECTIVE: This study tested a psychosocial model of binge eating symptoms in obese men and women. Predictor variables included depression, dietary restraint, self-esteem, weight cycling, history of teasing, body dissatisfaction, and neuroticism. METHOD: Participants (N = 808) completed a packet of self-report questionnaires. RESULTS: Weight cycling, teasing about weight and shape, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, and dietary restraint comprised the best fitting models (original and cross-validation) for binge eating in women and men. These variables explained 61-72% of the variance in symptoms of binge eating in the samples of men and 70% of the variance in the samples of women. Although the male and female models were mostly similar, notable differences between them were found. DISCUSSION: The variables that comprise these etiological models should be considered in the development of prevention programs for obese binge eaters. Longitudinal studies, however, are needed to examine these etiological paths and to test for causal relationships.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Impact of altering DSM-IV criteria for anorexia and bulimia nervosa on the base rates of eating disorder diagnoses.

The diagnostic criteria used to define eating disorders have been the focus of debate for many years. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of altering DSM-IV diagnostic criteria upon the base rates of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Five controversial criteria were systematically modified and the impact of these changes on base rates of full-syndrome and partial-syndrome eating disorders was assessed in 193 patients referred to two specialty eating disorder clinics. Modification of a single criterion resulted in relatively small changes in base rates of AN and BN, whereas modification of the two severity criteria led to more substantial changes. These findings have significant implications for future modifications of the DSM classification.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Validity of test meals for determining binge eating.

Assessment of binge eating has been criticized because of serious doubts concerning the accuracy of self-report. This experiment tested the validity of a laboratory test meal as an indicator of binge eating. Eight individuals diagnosed with binge-eating disorder (BED), eight obese non-binge-eaters, and eight normal-weight non-binge-eaters ate a test meal under conditions designed to increase the likelihood of inducing a binge episode. Non-binge-eaters, regardless of weight, felt in control of their eating and ate a relatively small amount of the test meal, while participants with BED ate significantly more food and felt significantly more out of control. Eating behavior during test meals can be a useful indicator of BED diagnostic status and may be a useful method for objectively defining binge eating.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Body Morph Assessment: preliminary report on the development of a computerized measure of body image.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a prototype of the Body Morph Assessment (BMA), and to test the reliability and validity of this new measure of body image. The BMA is a realistic and relatively simple procedure that uses computer morphing for the assessment of body image. For the purposes of this preliminary study, a prototype of the BMA was developed for usage with white women ranging from very thin to obese. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A total of 72 subjects participated in tests of reliability, content, and convergent validity of the BMA. RESULTS: The reliability and validity of the BMA was supported by the results of this study. In a test of convergent validity, the measures of current, ideal, and reasonable body size were positively correlated with their equivalents from a similar body image assessment procedure. In addition, reliability coefficients were found to be satisfactory for all variables. Participants found the human figural stimuli to be realistic. DISCUSSION: These preliminary findings support the reliability and validity of the BMA with white women. Given these positive findings, we plan to extend the procedure to males and to other racial and ethnic groups.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Psychological and behavioral predictors of weight loss during drug treatment for obesity.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether baseline eating behavior, emotions, and body image were significant predictors of change in body mass index (BMI) over 6 month and 12 month time intervals for individuals enrolled in a weight loss program that combined appetite suppressant medications and behavior therapy for obesity. METHOD: Participants were asked to complete self-report questionnaires at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. In addition, their height and weight were measured and they were administered a body image assessment procedure at each time interval. RESULTS: At baseline, perceived hunger, dietary restraint, current body size, and trait anxiety were important components in a model for prediction of weight loss at 6 months. Perceived hunger, dietary restraint, and current body size as measured at baseline were important components in the prediction of weight loss at 12 months. These predictive variables, together with gender and initial BMI, accounted for 48.6% of the variance in weight loss at 6 months and 51.7% of the variance in weight loss at 12 months. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that scores on certain paper and pencil tests may be useful as predictors of success or failure for individuals entering a weight loss program using pharmacological and behavioral interventions.

Anxiety↗

PubMed2001

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Worry Domains Questionnaire.

The Worry Domains Questionnaire (WDQ) is a content-based measure of nonpathological worry. The current study investigates an adapted WDQ for clinical assessment. The WDQ was completed by 570 participants (286 clinical, 284 nonclinical). Internal consistency of the WDQ domains was found to be adequate. Clinical participants obtained significantly higher WDQ scores than control participants. WDQ scores were moderately correlated with several clinical self-report measures. A seven-factor structure and a higher order worry factor model were separately subjected to structural equation modeling in the clinical sample. The factor groupings originally outlined by the scale's authors (with minor revisions) provided the best description of the clinical data set. Evidence of differences in the worry factor structures of clinical and control samples did emerge. This study provides initial support of the psychometric suitability of the adapted WDQ for use in clinical populations.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Duration of illness predicts outcome for bulimia nervosa: a long-term follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate long-term outcome and prognosis in a bulimic and subthreshold bulimic sample. METHOD: In a follow-up study, 44 patients diagnosed with bulimia nervosa and subthreshold bulimia nervosa were contacted after an average follow-up period of 9 years. RESULTS: Results revealed that 72.7% (n = 32) of the participants were recovered at the time of follow-up. An investigation of prognostic variables showed that good outcome was associated with a shorter duration of illness, which was defined as the time between onset of symptoms and first treatment intervention. If participants were initially treated within the first few years of the illness, the probability of recovery was above 80%. However, if they were initially treated 15 years or more after the onset of the illness, the probability of recovery fell below 20%. DISCUSSION: This finding suggests that early identification of bulimia nervosa may be a very important factor in preventing a chronic eating disorder.

Adolescent↗