Biomedical subjects

Sarah Havens

Publications and source records attributed to Sarah Havens.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Functional fitness, disease and independence in community-dwelling older adults in western Wisconsin.

OBJECTIVE: Older adults are at higher risk for developing chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis. Despite the aging process, maintaining independence is a major goal for older adults. Functional fitness has been found to be predictive of one's ability to perform necessary everyday activities needed to maintain independence. We conducted functional fitness assessments with community-dwelling older adults and correlated the findings to other participant characteristics. METHODS: Participants completed 6 functional fitness tests and a health-screening questionnaire. Test performance was compared across demographic, behavioral, chronic illness, and activities of daily living categories. RESULTS: One hundred sixty nine adults over age 50 completed the tests. Thirty-seven percent performed at or above the population norm on all tests. There was a significant positive correlation between test performance and activities of daily living (r=0.3520, P=0.0001). In multivariate analysis, the best model to predict test performance included education, self-rated health, obesity, diabetes, and activities of daily living. CONCLUSIONS: An objective test, such as the one reported here, may be helpful in predicting loss of independence. However, health care providers, using a few questions based on this study's key findings, may be able to screen for patients with poor functional status that are at risk of losing independence.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

Is knowing enough? Increasing physical activity by wearing a pedometer.

OBJECTIVE: Physical inactivity is a health concern in the United States with nearly 70% of the population getting inadequate amounts of exercise. We set out to determine if wearing a pedometer could significantly increase awareness and amount of physical activity among female employees at a large health care setting. METHODS: Employees purchased a pedometer, completed a survey, and were encouraged to walk 10,000 steps daily. Eight weeks later, they completed a follow-up survey. RESULTS: Initially, 510 employees initially participated. Results from 400 women are reported. Setting daily step goals, keeping a log of steps walked, and wearing the pedometer all the time were the indicators most likely to predict significant improvements in level of awareness and amount of physical activity, self-efficacy, and other physical improvements (increased energy, ill less often, and weight loss). A majority (71%) indicated they would continue to wear the pedometer after the study ended. CONCLUSIONS: Wearing a pedometer is a simple, non-invasive way for women to increase awareness of daily activity and does lead to increased physical activity. Maximum results in improved activity and improvement in health occurred in women who were most compliant with the intervention.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

A smoking cessation clinic with a 57% success rate: what makes it work?

OBJECTIVE: To describe an outpatient smoking cessation clinic, and what predicts participant success. METHODS: In 1999, a 12-week smoking cessation clinic was begun. In 2000, the duration was expanded to include an additional 12 weeks of relapse prevention. Participants completed surveys at the beginning and end of their clinic. All participants, even those who dropped out, were surveyed to determine current status. If they were not reached, they were assumed to be smoking. RESULTS: Eleven clinics have been completed thus far, with 117 people enrolling. Of all participants, 57% were not smoking at their last contact (average length of follow-up was 14 months). Age, baseline smoking rate, and presence of a non-smoking support person were the best predictors of abstinence. CONCLUSIONS: A 57% abstinence rate was achieved in this outpatient clinic, serving a mix of rural and non-rural patients.

Adult↗