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Results for “Life Style--changes”

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PubMed1992

The effects of nonpharmacologic interventions on blood pressure of persons with high normal levels. Results of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention, Phase I.

OBJECTIVE: To test the short-term feasibility and efficacy of seven nonpharmacologic interventions in persons with high normal diastolic blood pressure. DESIGN: Randomized control multicenter trials. SETTING: Volunteers recruited from the community, treated and followed up at special clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Of 16,821 screenees, 2182 men and women, aged 30 through 54 years, with diastolic blood pressure from 80 through 89 mm Hg were selected. Of these, 50 did not return for follow-up blood pressure measurements. INTERVENTIONS: Three life-style change groups (weight reduction, sodium reduction, and stress management) were each compared with unmasked nonintervention controls over 18 months. Four nutritional supplement groups (calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fish oil) were each compared singly, in double-blind fashion, with placebo controls over 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary: change in diastolic blood pressure from baseline to final follow-up, measured by blinded observers. Secondary: changes in systolic blood pressure and intervention compliance measures. RESULTS: Weight reduction intervention produced weight loss of 3.9 kg (P less than .01), diastolic blood pressure change of -2.3 mm Hg (P less than .01), and systolic blood pressure change of -2.9 mm Hg (P less than .01). Sodium reduction interventions lowered urinary sodium excretion by 44 mmol/24 h (P less than .01), diastolic blood pressure by 0.9 mm Hg (P less than .05), and systolic blood pressure by 1.7 mm Hg (P less than .01). Despite good compliance, neither stress management nor nutritional supplements reduced diastolic blood pressure or systolic blood pressure significantly (P greater than .05). CONCLUSIONS: Weight reduction is the most effective of the strategies tested for reducing blood pressure in normotensive persons. Sodium reduction is also effective. The long-term effects of weight reduction and sodium reduction, alone and in combination, require further evaluation.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Prevention of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus by diet and physical exercise. The 6-year Malmö feasibility study.

From a previously reported 5-year screening programme of 6,956 47-49-year-old Malmö males, a series of 41 subjects with early-stage Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and 181 subjects with impaired glucose tolerance were selected for prospective study and to test the feasibility aspect of long-term intervention with an emphasis on life-style changes. A 5-year protocol, including an initial 6-months (randomised) pilot study, consisting of dietary treatment and/or increase of physical activity or training with annual check-ups, was completed by 90% of subjects. Body weight was reduced by 2.3-3.7% among participants, whereas values increased by 0.5-1.7% in non-intervened subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and in normal control subjects (p less than 0.0001); maximal oxygen uptake (ml.min-1.kg-1) was increased by 10-14% vs decreased by 5-9%, respectively (p less than 0.0001). Glucose tolerance was normalized in greater than 50% of subjects with impaired glucose tolerance, the accumulated incidence of diabetes was 10.6%, and more than 50% of the diabetic patients were in remission after a mean follow-up of 6 years. Blood pressure, lipids, and hyperinsulinaemia were reduced and early insulin responsiveness to glucose loading preserved. Improvement in glucose tolerance was correlated to weight reduction (r = 0.19, p less than 0.02) and increased fitness (r = 0.22, p less than 0.02). Treatment was safe, and mortality was low (in fact 33% lower than in the remainder of the cohort).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Glucose↗

PubMed1992

The influence of dietary change on hemostatic risk variables.

In the 1970s in the Diet-Antismoking Trial, of the Oslo Study, colleagues and I found that the majority of high-risk men with elevated serum cholesterol and elevated triglyceride concentrations had impaired fibrinolytic capacity. Later on, both our group and others found a similar negative correlation between serum triglyceride levels and fibrinolytic capacity. Furthermore, in a prospective study of dietary intervention in individuals with both elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels, we found that dietary lowering of serum triglyceride levels was significantly and positively correlated with an improvement in fibrinolytic capacity. In another study, we made the same observation for the coagulation factor VII-phospholipid complex: the more the triglycerides were reduced by diet, the greater was the change in factor VII complex. This correlation was highly significant and independent of changes in serum cholesterol. Platelet function is also influenced by dietary habits, but except for the effects of a fish oil-enriched diet, few data are available about the dietary effects on platelet function. It seems, however, that in individuals with elevated lipid levels and elevated blood pressure, increased platelet reactivity is a highly prevalent finding. Many of the hemostatic risk variables are associated with the so-called "metabolic risk syndrome" characterized by an increase in serum insulin level, together with increased relative body weight, mild hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and physical inactivity. This syndrome can often be influenced favorably by life-style changes. A controlled study with interventions in diet and activity level has just been started by our group.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Caring for patients after coronary intervention. Follow-up tips for primary care physicians.

Primary care physicians may be faced with assessing patients after their return home from percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or other coronary intervention. Familiarity with possible vascular, renal, and hematologic complications is important, and an open line of communication with the cardiologist who performed the procedure is essential. Restenosis can usually be identified by the return of symptoms or with exercise imaging studies. When restenosis is suspected, referral for consideration of a second PTCA is appropriate. Most patients enjoy an excellent long-term result after PTCA and can return to an active life-style. Primary care physicians play an important role in instituting and reinforcing plans for life-style changes that promote reduction in coronary atherosclerosis.

Anemia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Opioid addiction treatment modalities and some guidelines to their optimal use.

Opioid addiction treatment consists of a broad range of treatment modalities, with each playing a valuable role within the overall network of treatment alternatives. Therapeutic communities are often the treatment of choice for addicts who are under legal contingencies and amenable to a rigorous process of life-style change. Methadone maintenance offers the most widely available treatment and is a modality that is compatible with the needs of many injecting heroin users. Outpatient drug-free models offer structure and support to detoxified opioid addicts and nonaddicted opioid abusers. New pharmacotherapies, including clonidine, LAAM, naltrexone and buprenorphine, provide promise for addressing the needs of many opioid abusers who are not currently accessing the treatment system. Furthermore, the treatment system could be better utilized if treatment planning was based more on the needs of the addict than on the ideological bias of the clinician; training efforts could be useful in facilitating change in clinician attitudes.

Humans↗

PubMed1991

Behavioural contracting as a tool to help patients achieve better health.

Behavioural contracting is an intervention technique in which a client signs an agreement to make certain behaviour changes within a specified time, usually with explicitly defined rewards for adherence or success. Contracting is being increasingly used by health professionals to assist patients in making beneficial life style changes. This paper presents data on the outcome of behavioural contracting interventions to lower serum cholesterol and to increase exercise activity. Of 223 primary care patients enrolled in a health promotion programme, 179 met with the project health educator to improve their cardiovascular risk profile; 144 of these were classified as having 'high cholesterol' and 51 signed contracts to adopt the American Heart Association guidelines diet within a 3-month period. Everyone was encouraged to sign a contract to engage in aerobic exercise three times per week; 96 did so. The results indicate that contractors achieved greater beneficial health changes than non-contractors, and that the group which fully met their contract obligations experienced the greatest health benefit of all (either a lowering of cholesterol or a decreased exercising heart rate).

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Nutrition goals for older adults: a review.

Elderly people are generally identified as being at particular risk of poor dietary intake and nutritional problems and are thus a high-priority target group for nutrition education. In this paper, specific goals of nutrition education for older adults and high-risk groups within the elderly population are discussed through a review of three crucial areas: (1) current knowledge of the eating patterns, nutrient intake, and supplement use of older adults; (2) existing information on the multiple influences (physical, behavioral, and socioeconomic) on the eating habits of older adults; and (3) the potential benefits and likely efficacy of dietary and life-style changes in this age group.

Aged↗

PubMed1992

Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between high density lipoprotein cholesterol and women's employment.

This study examined the association between women's employment and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Subjects were 1.998 women aged 25-64 years who were sampled by the first MONICA Augsburg Survey (Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease). The women were sampled from the population of Augsburg, Federal Republic of Germany, in 1984-1985, were followed up for 3 years, and were reexamined in 1987-1988. In cross-sectional analysis (1984-1985), the mean HDL cholesterol level of employed women was 3.4 mg/dl higher than that of full-time homemakers (p less than 0.001). After adjustment for age, body mass, cigarette smoking, consumption of coffee and alcohol, use of sex hormones, leisure-time physical activity, and reproductive history, this difference decreased to 2.1 mg/dl and remained statistically significant (p less than 0.01). As was predicted from the cross-sectional findings, the mean HDL cholesterol levels of women who gave up employment and became full-time homemakers during the follow-up period decreased by 3.04 mg/dl (p less than 0.01), whereas homemakers who became employed showed no significant change in HDL cholesterol levels. The change in mean HDL cholesterol of employed women who had become homemakers could be explained in part by changes in alcohol consumption and in number of pregnancies. The authors conclude that giving up employment is related to life-style changes that are associated with a decrease in HDL cholesterol levels. Furthermore, the findings suggest that employment may exert a beneficial influence on coronary risk in women that is consistent with a positive association between employment and HDL cholesterol.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Nursing care of the patient with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A case study.

A patient's significant life events, such as the diagnosis of cancer, coupled with critical developmental milestones provide particular challenges to nurses caring for young adults. A case study format is used to identify nursing care priorities throughout the diagnosis and treatment of a young adult male with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Diagnosis and treatment protocols are discussed to provide a background for nursing assessment and interventions. Nursing implications related to the treatment protocol are incorporated as are implications based on the physical and psychological impact of the disease and necessary life-style changes. Stressors created by the disease and treatments are identified, and the support of patient coping strategies and continued achievement of developmental tasks are addressed.

Adult↗

PubMed1979

Prevention: rhetoric and reality.

No single strategy is capable of preventing untimely deaths and disabilities. In the United States in particular, the contribution of medical care is limited by inadequate provision of services (particularly to the poor), inappropriate training of physicians, and unnecessary costs. Lack of knowledge about disease universally limits medicine's effectiveness. Among nonmedical strategies, campaigns for life-style change are most likely to succeed in those with the lightest burden of illness. Efforts to increase individual responsibility might well reduce health expenditures, but at the same time the disparity in health between rich and poor will increase. Restrictions on the use of harmful substances and on the manufacture of toxic or hazardous products, along with humanization of the work process itself, would reduce deaths from cancer, heart disease, and violence; however, resistance to these changes is, and will remain, great. The socioeconomic and environmental changes that are necessary to afford each citizen an equal opportunity for optimal health will be adopted slowly, if at all. Considering the limited acceptability of these nonmedical strategies, the prospects for prevention are less than what has been promised. Despite its perfections, medical care can contribute to the prevention of early death and disability. Attempts to disparage it could delay the adoption of the changes needed to improve its effectiveness.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1992

Diabetes, exercise, and atherosclerosis.

Regular exercise may diminish the risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease in patients with non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetes and in the general population. The basis for this effect of exercise may be its ability to diminish or prevent hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and/or increases in intra-abdominal adipose mass. These abnormalities are associated with premature atherosclerotic vascular disease, essential hypertension, type II diabetes, and certain dyslipoproteinemias, and most likely precede them. They also have been implicated in the pathogenesis of these disorders. We propose that the high prevalence of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in individuals leading a western life-style accounts for the reported benefit of physical activity in preventing coronary heart disease in the general population. We also propose that exercise (and diet) are most likely to be effective when initiated in young individuals, before the onset of irreversible vascular alterations, and when life-style changes may be more acceptable. Early identification of such individuals may be possible on the basis of family history, the presence of components of the hyperinsulinemia-insulin resistance syndrome, and/or central obesity. One such group that may already have been identified is women with gestational diabetes.

Arteriosclerosis↗

PubMed1992

Spouse adaptation to mate's CABG surgery: 1-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe spouses' life stressors, supports, perceptions of illness severity, role strain, physical and mental symptoms of stress, and marital quality 1 year after the mate's coronary artery bypass graft surgery. METHODS: This descriptive study was the third component of a longitudinal panel investigation. (The first component was a period within 48 hours of surgery, and the second was 6 weeks after discharge.) One year after the mate's surgery, spouses received the following instruments in the mail: the Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes, the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire, the Cantril Ladder Scale, the Strain Questionnaire, the Role Strain Scale and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Subjects were a convenience sample of 49 women whose husbands were alive 1 year after their first bypass surgery. Of the women in the sample (n = 49), 98% were white, and the mean age was 56 years. RESULTS: Social support was moderate and significantly less 1 year after surgery than during the first two components (48 hours and 6 weeks after surgery). Women still perceived their husbands to have some illness severity 1 year after surgery. They continued to have physical and mental symptoms of stress and had significantly greater role strain than during the first two periods. Marital quality was average. Spouses reported making several life-style changes. DISCUSSION: During the first year after the patient's bypass surgery, spouses experienced many changes. Although physical and mental symptoms of stress remained the same, role strain increased and social support decreased. The findings suggest testing of such interventions as stress management and time management techniques, support groups, and other psychoeducational interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Although the situation remains difficult for the spouse 1 year after the patient's surgery, nurses and physicians can foster and support spouses through many adjustments and changes.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1992

Personality disorders in obsessive compulsive disorder.

Standardized structured interview personality scales are now available that provide better reliability than clinician interview, but are still imperfect. These scales diagnose DSM III-R personality disorders, which are more illness-oriented than Freudian notions. Use of these scales has found that the majority of patients with OCD have at least one Axis II personality disorder, with most falling in cluster C. Obsessive compulsive personality disorder, as described in DSM-III-R, is, in most samples studied, present in the minority of patients with OCD, and is often less common than other personality disorders such as mixed, dependent, avoidant, and histrionic. The prevalence of this personality disorder as modified in DSM-III-R (making it easier for a patient to qualify for this personality disorder diagnosis) appears to be higher, although still present in a minority of patients with OCD. Obsessive compulsive personality disorder (along with the other cluster B and C personality disorders) has not been reported to have a consistent relation to treatment outcome. There is evidence that in some cases, obsessive compulsive personality disorder may be secondary to OCD. Swedo et al hypothesized that some children may develop compulsive personality traits as an adaptive mechanism to deal with OCD. This hypothesis is in accord with our finding that OCD often predates compulsive personality disorder and that mixed personality disorder may develop over time, possibly secondary to OCD. We found in our sample of 96 adult patients with OCD that the presence of mixed personality disorder was more likely with longer duration of OCD, suggesting that patients who do not have premorbid personality disorders may develop significant personality traits (especially avoidant, compulsive, and dependent), which may be related to behavioral and life-style changes that are secondary to OCD. This hypothesis is strengthened by our finding that patients with one of these personality disorders at baseline tended to no longer meet criteria for them following successful treatment of their OCD. It now appears that schizotypal personality disorder, which is thought to be related genetically to schizophrenia (e.g., in three male identical twin pairs concordant for OCD but discordant for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, the nonpsychotic co-twins all had schizotypal personality disorder), is the only consistent personality disorder predictor of poorer outcome in OCD. These traits may help explain other proposed poor predictors of treatment outcome such as overvalued beliefs, poor compliance, and chaotic family situations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Comorbidity↗

PubMed1992

[Economic aspects of therapy for lipid metabolism disorders].

The primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and, therefore, the therapy of hyperlipidemia is essential in strategies to lower morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD), the most relevant atherosclerosis-associated disease. These programs imply not only a medical but also an economic challenge to our health system. That is why all therapeutic measures have to be evaluated regarding their cost-effectiveness. A cost-effectiveness profile was calculated for all the therapies of hyperlipidemia (nutritional therapy, dietetic nutritionals, drugs and LDL-apheresis) with respect to the following parameters: total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. The daily costs of all interventional measures are compared to the success rate, whereby an index of daily therapy costs and 1% change per lipid parameter was calculated. Nutritional therapy is by far the cheapest, and LDL-apheresis the most expensive but also the most effective and reliable therapeutic measure. It has to be considered, however, that dietary intervention can be very successful in overnutrition while in rare cases of severe homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia there is no therapeutic alternative to LDL-apheresis. Life-style modifications, such as changing nutritional habits, may contribute towards reducing or removing one or more risk factor(s) (e.g. malnutrition is associated with overweight, hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP), hyperinsulinemia (syndrome X), hyperfibrinogenemia and hypertension). But neither health politicians nor the population seem to be conscious of the fact that life-style changes help to reduce medical expenditure. Considering the fact that nearly every medical service is getting more and more expensive, the need to introduce financial regulations is evident.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cholesterol↗

PubMed1992

Current trends in the pharmacotherapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Medical therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease should entail a multistep approach. After life-style changes, many patients will require histamine2 receptor antagonists in conventional doses with repeated therapeutic courses, if not continuous maintenance. Prokinetic agents are potentially useful in those patients with impaired motor function of the esophageal or gastric smooth muscle. Combination therapy with histamine2 receptor antagonists and prokinetic agents or sucralfate provides modest healing benefit, if any, over that by histamine2 receptor antagonists alone. For patients with more severe refractory disease, omeprazole has provided unequaled healing rates and accelerated symptomatic relief. High-dose (twofold or more standard dose) histamine2 receptor antagonist therapy may also heal high-grade esophagitis, but the reported experience is small. After healing is achieved, an attempt should generally be made to "step down" therapy to standard-dose histamine2 receptor antagonist as maintenance. Finding the least amount of drug to control symptoms and maintain the integrity of the esophageal mucosa would minimize cost and potential long-term risk.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

PubMed1992

The efficacy of inpatient education after myocardial infarction.

Nearly half a million Americans will survive an acute myocardial infarction (MI) this year. Nurses often question whether patients who have had an MI are able to absorb, retain, and use information given in the hospital. This review examines the research literature on inpatient education after MI published between 1975 and 1989 to determine (a) what information patients identify as most important, (b) whether inpatient education increases patients' knowledge, (c) whether anxiety prevents or diminishes learning in this setting, (d) whether inpatient education is able to produce lifestyle changes after discharge, and (e) which teaching methods are most effective. Patients identified risk factors as their primary concern. Most studies showed patients were able to learn new information, despite the presence of anxiety, particularly regarding activity after discharge. Inpatient education also stimulated some life-style change after discharge, most frequently in the areas of activity and smoking cessation. Several types of teaching methods were compared; audiovisual methods were found to be at least as effective as one-to-one patient teaching.

Health Behavior↗

PubMed1992

Community resources in obese care.

Community resources can augment care provided by physicians and dietitians for the obese. The well-distributed community resources in Florida are reviewed. They are well-established and provide emotional support, peer group dynamics, a variety of formats and prices, and information about food and life-style changes.

Humans↗

PubMed1979

The development and evaluation of a behavioral weight-reduction program.

The development of a comprehensive weight-reduction program and its implementation in the clinic are described. The program consisted of explicit instructions on food monitoring, stimulus control, chaining, exercise, and self-reinforcement. The results of pilot research indicated that the program produced reliable weight loss and that its implementation in a group format was more positive. A formal experiment evaluated the effectiveness of program components in a 2 x 2 factorial design after ten weeks of treatment and at three-month and one-year follow-ups. There was significant weight loss with no main or interaction effects. At follow-up, those exposed to exercise and/or contingency management better maintained their weight loss or continued to lose. Data on the implementation of the program in a clinical setting are presented and these results compare favorably with reports from other clinics using behavior modification. It is suggested that our more positive results may be related to an emphasis on activity and life-style change in addition to changing eating behavior.

Adolescent↗