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Biomedical subjects

J Sobal

Publications and source records attributed to J Sobal.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

The influence of change in marital status on weight change over one year.

Marital status is an influence on body weight. Changes in marital status and body weight were examined in the National Survey of Personal Health Practices and Consequences, a telephone survey of 2,436 adults interviewed twice approximately 1 year apart. Two statistical methods for analyzing weight change were compared, and both produced similar results: regression analysis of weight change and regression analysis of weight at follow-up controlling for baseline weight. The findings revealed that women who entered marriage had greater weight change than women who remained married. Analysis of weight gain and weight loss separately showed that women who became married lost less weight than those who remained married. For men, there were no statistically significant relationships between marital change and weight change over a 1-year period. These findings support other literature showing that marital status plays a role in body weight changes. The results suggest gender differences may exist in the rate of body weight change after marriage, with more immediate changes in women than men.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Ten-year changes in the obesity, abdominal adiposity, and serum lipoprotein cholesterol measures of Western Samoan men.

Previously reported associations between abdominal adiposity and coronary heart disease (CHD) may be mediated through serum lipids. In the present longitudinal study, 43 Western Samoan men who participated in a 1982 study were recontacted for a second determination of anthropometric and serum lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The men showed dramatic increases in weight (mean change +/- SD: 10.5 +/- 8.8 kg), abdominal circumference (10.0 +/- 7.6 cm), total cholesterol (49.5 +/- 26.4 mg/dl), and non-HDL cholesterol (53.1 +/- 26.6 mg/dl). A new indicator was used to estimate changes in abdominal adiposity: the residual from the regression of change in the abdominal circumference on change in body weight (the AR). The AR was significantly correlated with changes in total (r = 0.38) and non-HDL cholesterol (r = 0.39). Changes in HDL cholesterol were correlated with changes in weight only (r = -0.37). These bivariate relations remained significant in multiple linear regression analyses. These longitudinal results are the first to suggest changes in abdominal adiposity are related to changes in total and non-HDL cholesterol levels.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1995

Family medicine residents' knowledge and attitudes about drug-nutrient interactions.

OBJECTIVE: The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requires that health professionals recognize the importance of drug-nutrient interactions and educate patients to prevent adverse effects. Drug-nutrient interactions are an important issue in medical practice, but it is not clear how or if physicians are trained in this issue. METHODS: This investigation was a needs assessment that examined attitudes and knowledge about drug-nutrient interactions that was examined in a national sample of 834 family medicine residents in 56 residency programs. RESULTS: Most reported they had little or no formal training in drug-nutrient interactions in medical school (83%) or residency (80%). However, 79% believed it was the physician's responsibility to inform patients about drug-nutrient interactions, although many thought pharmacists (75%) and dietitians (66%) share this responsibility. Overall, residents correctly answered 61% +/- 19 of fourteen drug-nutrient interaction knowledge items. There was a slight increase in drug-nutrient knowledge as year of residency increased. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians' knowledge of drug-nutrient interactions may be improved by including nutrition education in the topics taught by physicians, nutritionists, and pharmacists using several educational strategies. Nutrition educators in particular can play a role in curriculum development about drug-nutrient interactions by developing, refining, and evaluating materials and educational tools. Nutrition educators need to provide this information in academic settings for the training of all health professionals as well as in patient education settings such as hospitals and public health clinics.

Education, Medical↗
PubMed1995

Attitudes about overweight and dating among secondary school students.

OBJECTIVE: To understand social preferences for thinness and the stigmatization of obesity, this study examined attitudes of adolescents towards dating (courtship) of overweight people. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was performed in upper class high school students at a public and private school. MEASUREMENTS: A written questionnaire that included questions assessing attitudes about dating overweight individuals, including a Guttman Dating Overweight Partners Scale (DOPS), was completed by 786 students. RESULTS: Women were more concerned than men about their own body weights, while men emphasized thinness in partners more than did women. The DOPS scale revealed low comfort in engaging, in dating activities with very overweight partners, moreso by men than by women. CONCLUSION: Stigmatization of overweight students in dating activities may be an important influence on desires of adolescents to be thin to be attractive.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Relations of body fat and fat distribution to the serum lipid, apolipoprotein and insulin concentrations of Samoan men and women.

OBJECTIVE: To examine relations between obesity and serum concentrations of lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoproteins, triglycerides and insulin in American and Western Samoans. Associations are also described between these CHD risk factors and abdominal adiposity, and the potential mediating role of insulin in these relationships is examined. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, using a sub-sample from an observational epidemiological study of cardiovascular disease risk factors among Samoans. MEASUREMENT: Obesity is estimated by the body mass index (BMI), and fat distribution by the abdomen-hip circumference ratio (AHR). All biochemical parameters were measured in the fasted stated. SUBJECTS: The sub-sample is 178 men and 147 women who were free from hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. RESULTS: In multivariate linear regression analyses in men the BMI was positively associated with levels of total cholesterol, the total-HDL cholesterol ratio, apolipoprotein B, and the log of triglyceride and insulin concentrations, and negatively associated with HDL and HDL2 cholesterol. The quadratic term for BMI was also found to be significantly predictive of all metabolic parameters in men, except for the log of serum insulin concentrations. Among the women, in contrast, BMI levels were significantly associated only with concentrations of HDL2 cholesterol, triglyceride and insulin. In men, the associations between the AHR and the metabolic parameters were similar to those described for the BMI, but showed no indication of non-linearity. Addition of the log of insulin to these models had little effect on the relations between the AHR and the lipid parameters, with the exceptions of total cholesterol and triglycerides. As with BMI, the AHR was much les predictive of metabolic parameters in women than in men, with a significant relation existing only with the log of insulin concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: These cross sectional data indicate that overall and abdominal adiposity are important correlates of serum lipid parameters among Samoan men, though the associations with BMI are attenuated at higher levels. Neither anthropometric indicator has much relation with these CHD risk factors among the women, perhaps due to extremely high levels of obesity in this group.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Weight loss beliefs, practices and support systems for high school wrestlers.

PURPOSE: Wrestlers often engage in unhealthy practices to achieve a low body weight for competition. This study examined beliefs, practices, and potential support systems to promote safe weight loss among scholastic wrestlers. METHODS: A written questionnaire was developed and administered to all nine high school wrestling teams in one rural county. Responses were obtained from 197 wrestlers. RESULTS: Most wrestlers reported that "making weight" was very important. Increased activity and decreased food intake were the most frequent weight loss methods. Unsafe methods such as vomiting and use of laxatives were sometimes used, even though many wrestlers recognized these practices were unhealthy and decreased performance. Personal desire to win, coaches, and teammates were reported to be the greatest influences on weight loss efforts. Wrestlers believed that coaches and physicians were the most accurate sources of weight loss information. CONCLUSION: Nutrition counseling which goes beyond simply providing information about the risk of rapid weight loss among adolescent wrestlers is needed. Emphasis on motivating wrestlers to adopt healthy weight management strategies is important. Wrestlers perceive physicians as credible sources of information, and physicians should become more actively involved in educating both coaches and athletes about safe weight management.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Vitamin/mineral supplement use among athletes: a review of the literature.

Vitamin/mineral supplements are often used by athletes as ergogenic aids to improve performance. This paper reviews studies of the prevalence, patterns, and explanations for vitamin/mineral supplement use among athletes. Fifty-one studies provided quantitative prevalence data on 10,274 male and female athletes at several levels of athletic participation in over 15 sports. The overall mean prevalence of athletes' supplement use was 46%. Most studies reported that over half of the athletes used supplements (range 6% to 100%), and the larger investigations found lower prevalence levels. Elite athletes used supplements more than college or high school athletes. Women used supplements more often than men. Varying patterns existed by sport. Athletes appear to use supplements more than the general population, and some take high doses that may lead to nutritional problems. Sport nutritionists should include a vitamin/mineral supplement history as part of their dietary assessment so they can educate athletes about vitamin/mineral supplements and athletic performance.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Vitamin/mineral supplement use among high school athletes.

Vitamin/mineral supplements are consumed by adolescent athletes motivated both by general health concerns and a desire for improved athletic performance. Supplement use by high school athletes was examined using a questionnaire administered to 742 athletes at all nine schools in one rural county. A total of 38% used supplements, with supplement use not differing by gender or grade in school. Athletes with aspirations to participate in college sports more often consumed supplements. Healthy growth, treating illness, and sports performance were the most important reasons for supplement use, with parents, doctors, and coaches being the greatest influences on use. Most athletes (62%), especially boys, believed supplement consumption improved athletic performance. Supplement use by these adolescents appears to be motivated more by health reasons than sports performance. It is suggested that it may be useful to assess vitamin/mineral supplement use by adolescents and to provide education and counseling about diet, nutrition, and exercise for those who use them as ergogenic aids to improve athletic performance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Public beliefs about the amount of fiber in foods.

Despite the current interest in fiber in foods and dietary recommendations to increase fiber consumption, relatively little attention has been paid to public beliefs about fiber in foods. We used a mail questionnaire in a sample of 478 adults to assess public beliefs about the amount of fiber in 40 different foods and compared these beliefs with laboratory data about fiber content. Almost all respondents had heard of both fiber and roughage, and many (40%) believed that fiber and roughage were different concepts. Most respondents rated the amount of fiber in the 40 foods similarly to actual fiber content. Few differences in beliefs about fiber in foods existed among demographic groups. Factor analysis of the ratings of the 40 foods revealed three underlying dimensions: 1) fruits and vegetables, 2) animal products, including meat and dairy foods, and 3) grains, including breads and cereals. These findings reveal that some people believe that fiber differs from roughage, but their beliefs about the amount of fiber in foods matches fairly well with scientific data about fiber content. Nutritionists may benefit from assessing beliefs about concepts such as fiber and roughage before attempting to change food consumption behaviors.

Demography↗
PubMed1992

Marital status, fatness and obesity.

Marital status is related to morbidity and mortality, with married people healthier and at lower risk of death than those who are unmarried (especially among men). However, the relationship between marital status and obesity is not well established. Role theory suggests through a marital causation model that people in the marital role are more likely to be obese, and through a marital selection model that people in the marital role are less likely to be obese because of stigmatization. The martial causation model was examined using data from the National Survey of Personal Health Practices and Consequences, a cross-sectional national telephone survey of 3025 adults age 20-64 in the United States. Sequential regression analyses revealed that married men were significantly fatter and more likely to be obese than never married or previously married men, even when demographic, social, and physical variables were controlled. By contrast, marital status was not significantly associated with fatness or obesity among women when other variables were controlled. The marital role appears to influence fatness and obesity among men, but not women.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1992

Reliability of Budner's intolerance of ambiguity scale in medical students.

Intolerance of ambiguity is the perception of ambiguous situations as threatening. It has often been measured using Budner's 1962 intolerance of ambiguity scale in studies of medical students and physicians. To examine the test-retest reliability of the scale among that population, we administered it to all 171 entering medical students at one medical school immediately prior to beginning classes and readministered it to them six to nine weeks later with an 81% follow-up rate. The Pearson correlation between the first and second administrations was .64, showing moderate reliability during this stressful period in medical socialization. The internal reliability of the scale remained constant; the alpha was .64 at the first administration and .63 at follow-up. These data indicate moderate reliability of Budner's intolerance of ambiguity scale when respondents are medical students.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Dietary practices of ballet, jazz, and modern dancers.

Ballet dancers have been shown to have nutrition problems and poor dietary practices. We asked dance instructors and dance directors to distribute a questionnaire to dancers involved in three dance types. Of the 106 dancers who completed the questionnaire, 71% participated in ballet, 60% in jazz, and 74% in modern dance; 31% participated in all three types of dance. The body mass index was similar for all types of dancers. More than half (60%) of the dancers used vitamin and mineral supplements, and 18% of the females reported irregular menstruation. Wide ranges existed in intake of foods from each of four food groups, caffeine, and alcohol. Printed media (magazines and books) were the primary sources of nutrition information. Dietitians may encounter many types of dancers and should be aware that dancers involved in ballet and other types of dance may have dietary practices that could improve with nutrition education and counseling.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Experiences and attitudes about faith healing among family physicians.

BACKGROUND: Recent media attention has focused on patients who use faith healers to care for their medical problems. Many people who use faith healers also consult physicians. This study was done to learn more about how often physicians see patients who are involved in faith healing, and to learn more about physicians' attitudes about, and experiences with, faith healing. METHODS: A 1-page questionnaire was mailed to 1025 family physicians in seven states; 594 participated, for a response rate of 59%. RESULTS: Approximately one half (52%) of the physicians were aware of at least one patient in their practice who had had a faith-healing experience. Most physicians came in contact with such patients no more frequently than once a year. Fifty-five percent agreed and 20% disagreed that reliance on faith healers often leads to serious medical problems. However, 44% thought that physicians and faith healers can work together to cure some patients, and 23% believed that faith healers divinely heal some people whom physicians cannot help. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that family physicians are infrequently aware of faith-healing beliefs and experiences among their patients. Family physicians were divided in their views about faith healing, with a majority expressing skepticism about faith healing and a sizeable minority favorable toward it.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Obesity and socioeconomic status: a framework for examining relationships between physical and social variables.

Fatness and obesity are body characteristics which are both ascribed and achieved for adults. Socioeconomic status (SES) is the ranking of individuals within complex societies. In traditional societies a direct relationship between SES and fatness exists, while in modern societies there is an inverse association between SES and obesity for adult women but mixed patterns for other age/sex groups. A framework recognizing the difference between variables on the physical and social level of analysis needs to be used to examine the relationship between fatness (a physical variable) and SES (a social variable). Different mechanisms are involved in the causal pathways where SES influences obesity and obesity influences SES. SES influences obesity by education, income, and occupation causing variations in behaviors which change energy consumption, energy expenditure and metabolism. Obesity influences SES when the perception of obesity is interpreted through prejudiced beliefs, with subsequent stigmatization and discrimination limiting access to higher SES roles.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Investigating whether medical students' intolerance of ambiguity is associated with their specialty selections.

At one medical school in 1982, 175 entering medical students indicated their medical specialty preferences, completed Budner's Intolerance of Ambiguity scale, and supplied demographic information. Most (91%) completed medical school, and their specialty choices at graduation from the National Resident Matching Program were recorded. Initial specialty preference was a poor predictor of later specialty choice (R2 = .11). The students' intolerance of ambiguity was not significantly associated with either their initial medical specialty preferences or their specialty choices at graduations. This finding supports previous studies showing that specialty preferences changed dramatically during medical school, but does not reveal any support for a relationship between students' initial intolerance of ambiguity and their specialty selections.

Attitude↗
PubMed1991

Smoking status and the practice of other unhealthy behaviors.

This study examined the relationship between smoking behavior and other unhealthy practices in the US. Data from the 1979 National Survey of Personal Health Practices and Consequences were used to compare alcohol use, sleep behavior, overweight status, physical activity, and skipping breakfast with smoking status. Compared with nonsmokers, smokers were more likely to sleep fewer than six hours per night, skip breakfast, not actively exercise, and drink heavily. Smokers were less likely to be significantly overweight than former smokers or those who never smoked. These associations were present for both men and women for sleep behavior, skipping breakfast, overweight status, and alcohol use, but not for physical activity. These findings may assist physicians in understanding the association between smoking and other practices that influence morbidity and mortality.

Adult↗