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Results for “Health Behavior”

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At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Health behavior in a Cajun population.

To investigate the health behaviors of a unique population, Cajuns, in a way that their responses could be differentiated from their non-Cajun neighbors and also compared to the nation, select questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey were completed by 2,029 residents of central Louisiana. Of these, 537 self-identified as Cajun. In general, Cajuns behaved and felt less healthy than national respondents. Compared to non-Cajuns, Cajuns received less vaccinations and were more likely to use alcohol and tobacco. Despite their motto of "laissez les bon temps rouler," Cajuns may greatly benefit from social and health education intervention.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Religious attendance and the health behaviors of Texas adults.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to test whether religious involvement is associated with a broad range of health behaviors. METHOD: We employ data from the 2004 Survey of Texas Adults, a statewide probability sample of 1504 Texas adults. Using these data, we estimate a series of logistic regression models to assess the net effects of religious attendance on 12 health behaviors. RESULTS: Our results show that regular religious attendance (especially weekly attendance) is associated with a wide range of healthy behaviors, including preventive care use, vitamin use, infrequent bar attendance, seatbelt use, walking, strenuous exercise, sound sleep quality, never smoking, and moderate drinking. CONCLUSION: If religious involvement is associated with healthy behaviors, additional studies are needed to account for these associations. Future research might also consider health behaviors other than drinking and smoking as potential mechanisms through which religious involvement might benefit health and prolong life.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Sexual trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and health behavior.

The authors tested whether sexual traumatization is associated with poorer health behavior and also evaluated the role of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in this relationship. They mailed questionnaires to 419 women who had visited a San Diego Veterans Administration primary care clinic in 1998 and received 221 responses, a 56% return rate. They found that a history of sexual assault was associated with increased substance use, risky sexual behaviors, less vigorous exercise, and increased preventive healthcare. They then used regression-based techniques to test whether PTSD mediates the relationship between a history of sexual assault and health behaviors and discovered support for this hypothesis in relation to substance use. PTSD symptoms were also associated with less likelihood of conducting regular breast self-examinations. Findings from the study highlight the value of programs designed to (1) identify trauma victims, (2) screen for problematic behaviors, and (3) intervene to improve long-term health outcomes.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Time in the United States, social support and health behaviors during pregnancy among women of Mexican descent.

Among women of Mexican descent, increased acculturation in the US has been associated with poorer health behaviors during pregnancy. This study examined a population of low-income women of Mexican descent in an agricultural community to determine: whether social support patterns were associated with age at arrival in the US; whether social support was associated with pregnancy behaviors; and whether increased social support could prevent some of the negative pregnancy behaviors that accompany acculturation. Participants were 568 pregnant women enrolled in prenatal care in the Salinas Valley, California. Participants were predominantly Spanish speaking, born in Mexico, and from farmworker families. Information on social networks, social support, age at arrival in the US, and pregnancy health behaviors was gathered during interviews conducted during pregnancy and immediately after delivery. Poorer health behaviors were observed among women who had come to the US at a younger age. Social support during pregnancy was lowest among women who had come to the US at an older age. High parity, low education, and low income were also associated with low social support. Higher social support was associated with better quality of diet, increased likelihood of using prenatal vitamins, and decreased likelihood of smoking during pregnancy. High social support also appeared to prevent the negative impact of life in the US on diet quality. Women with intermediate or low levels of social support who had spent their childhoods in the US had significantly poorer diet quality than women who had spent their childhoods in Mexico. However, among women with high social support, there was no difference in diet quality according to country of childhood. Thus, in the case of diet quality, increased social support appears to prevent some of the negative pregnancy behaviors that accompany time in the US among women of Mexican descent.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2003

Organizational ethics in managed behavioral health care: perspectives from executives and leaders.

Managed behavioral health care (MBHC) is frequently criticized on ethical grounds for the way it undermines classical ideals of professionalism in mental health and addiction treatment. There is an implied assumption that practitioners who are executives and leaders in MBHC companies have moved away from clinical ethics to the adoption of business and financial models. This qualitative study explores perceptions of organizational ethical issues from the point of view of leaders working in MBHC settings and how their perspectives contribute to our current schemas for analyzing the ethical complexities of MBHC. Twenty-seven participants from across the United States were interviewed using an interview guide that relied on open-ended questions and probes. Inquiry findings present four major themes and describe participant material in a way that enhances sensitivity and understanding to organizational ethics in MBHC and behavioral health services and research.

Ethics, Institutional↗

PubMed2000

Health behaviors of smokers, ex-smokers, and never smokers in an HMO.

BACKGROUND: The preponderance of evidence suggests that smokers do not engage in health-promoting lifestyles compared to nonsmokers. Few studies, however, have considered possible differences in health behaviors among smokers at different stages of intention to change. In this paper we examined the relationship of smoking stage of change to health behaviors in an HMO population. METHODS: Data were obtained from a baseline health status and preventive service evaluation survey mailed to 8000 HMO members over the age of 40. The sample was stratified based on the presence of one or more chronic diseases. Regression analyses were performed adjusting for covariates and weighting based on the stratification. RESULTS: Smokers appear to vary by stage of change in their practice of health-promoting behaviors. After controlling for age, gender, professional advice, chronic disease, and education, smokers classified in early stages of change demonstrated significantly fewer positive health practices compared to never smokers. A consistent pattern emerged across health behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Smokers in the earliest stages of change appear to have the most room for improvement compared to ex-smokers and never smokers. Behavior change other than smoking could be an opportunity to engage early stage smokers.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Theories and intervention approaches to health-behavior change in primary care.

CONTENT: Providers typically rely on health information and their professional status to convince patients to change. Health-behavior theories and models suggest more effective methods for accomplishing patient compliance and other behavior change related to treatment regimens. Behavior modification stresses the remediation of skill deficits or using positive and negative reinforcement to modify performance. Like behavior modification, the Health Belief Model stresses a reduction of environmental barriers to behavior. Social Learning Theory suggests that perceptions of skills and reinforcement may more directly determine behavior. Self-management models put the above theories into self-change actions. Social support theories prioritize reinforcement delivered through social networks, whereas the Theory of Reasoned Action emphasizes perceptions of social processes. Finally, the Transtheoretical Model speaks of the necessity to match interventions to cognitive-behavioral stages. Strategies derived from each of these theories are suggested herein.

Behavior Therapy↗

PubMed2004

Correlates of health insurance among persons with schizophrenia in a statewide behavioral health care system.

This study explored the demographic and service use correlates of insurance status among 539 persons with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders by using the administrative data set of a statewide behavioral health care system. Lack of health insurance was prevalent in the sample (20 percent) and was associated with younger age, Latino ethnicity, and male sex. Persons who did not have insurance were less likely to use a community-based service and more likely to use only crisis or emergency services than persons who had public or private insurance. The findings are consistent with the results of previous research demonstrating that lack of insurance is associated with decreased use of community-based services among persons with severe mental illness.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Oral health behavior patterns among Tanzanian university students: a repeat cross-sectional survey.

PURPOSE: This study examines oral health behavioral trends and the development of sociodemographic differences in oral health behaviors among Tanzanian students between 1999 and 2000. METHODS: The population targeted was students attending the Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted and a total of 635 and 981 students, respectively, completed questionnaires in 1999 and 2001. RESULTS: Cross-tabulation analyses revealed that in 1999, the rates of abstinence from tobacco use, and of soft drink consumption, regular dental checkups, and intake of chocolate/candy were 84%, 51%, 48%, and 12%, respectively, among students of urban origin and 83%, 29%, 37%, and 5% among their rural counterparts. The corresponding rates in 2001 were 87%, 56%, 50%, and 9% among urban students and 84%, 44%, 38%, and 4% among rural ones. Multiple logistic regression analyses controlling for sex, age, place of origin, educational level, year of survey, and their interaction terms revealed a significant increase in the rate of soft drink consumption, implementation of oral hygiene measures, and abstinence from tobacco use between 1999 and 2001. Social inequalities observed in 1999, with urban students being more likely than their rural counterparts to take soft drinks and go for regular dental checkups, had leveled off by 2001. CONCLUSION: This study provides initial evidence of oral health behavioral trends, that may be utilized in the planning of preventive programs among university students in Tanzania.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1994

The role of social support in compliance and other health behaviors for African Americans with chronic illnesses.

Social support plays a positive role in compliance and other health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of social support in compliance and other health behaviors for patients with sickle cell disease and diabetes. Subjects consisted of 49 patients with sickle cell disease and 78 patients with diabetes attending outpatient clinics at an urban hospital. Subjects were given questionnaires which assessed their appointment-keeping behavior, adherence to health activities, and social support. The results indicated that social support was significantly associated with appointment-keeping behavior and adherence to health activities in both the sickle cell and the diabetic sample. Implications of the study findings for improving compliance by increasing social support are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2007

Examination of the analytic quality of behavioral health randomized clinical trials.

Adoption of evidence-based practice (EBP) policy has implications for clinicians and researchers alike. In fields that have already adopted EBP, evidence-based practice guidelines derive from systematic reviews of research evidence. Ultimately, such guidelines serve as tools used by practitioners. Systematic reviews of treatment efficacy and effectiveness reserve their strongest endorsements for treatments that are supported by high-quality randomized clinical trials (RCTs). It is unknown how well RCTs reported in behavioral science journals fare compared to quality standards set forth in fields that pioneered the evidence-based movement. We compared analytic quality features of all behavioral health RCTs (n = 73) published in three leading behavioral journals and two leading medical journals between January 2000 and July 2003. A behavioral health trial was operationalized as one employing a behavioral treatment modality to prevent or treat an acute or chronic physical disease or condition. Findings revealed areas of weakness in analytic aspects of the behavioral health RCTs reported in both sets of journals. Weaknesses were more pronounced in behavioral journals. The authors offer recommendations for improving the analytic quality of behavioral health RCTs to ensure that evidence about behavioral treatments is highly weighted in systematic reviews.

Behavioral Medicine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of mental distress on women's preventive health behaviors.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between mental distress and preventive health behaviors (i.e., mammograms, pap tests, physical exams) among women. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was employed. The sample consisted of 426 women from the Appalachian region in the United States who completed a comprehensive health survey. Mental distress was assessed by the 5-item Mental Health Index (MHI). Logistic regression was used to specify the models allowing for the control of covariates (i.e., marital status, education, recipient of Medicaid). RESULTS: Women who reported high mental distress were more likely to not get timely pap tests [OR = 1.64; 95% CI (1.10, 2.45); p < .05] or physical exams [OR = 1.68; 95% CI (1.07, 2.65); p < .05] than women who did not report being mentally distressed. A similar but less robust relationship was found between mental distress and timely mammograms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that mental distress affects the likelihood of engagement in preventive health behaviors.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Attitudes and health behavior in diverse populations: drunk driving. Alcohol use, binge eating, marijuana use, and cigarette use.

Five different health behaviors (cigarette use, alcohol use, binge eating, illicit drug use, and drunk driving) were studied prospectively in 5 different groups of subjects. Associations between attitudes toward these behaviors and the behaviors themselves were investigated over at least 2 waves of measurement. Findings revealed that attitudes predicted behavior nonspuriously in 2 instances: alcohol use and marijuana use. Attitudes did not predict drunk driving, binge eating, or smoking behaviors. Past behavior predicted attitude in the domains of binge eating and smoking, but not in the domains of alcohol use, drunk driving, or marijuana use. The results are discussed in terms of several alternative approaches that have implications for interventions that attempt to influence health behavior through attitude change.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Research collaboratories: their potential for health behavior researchers.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss how online collaboratories can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of research conducted in multiple sites. METHODS: We describe how online collaboratories offer a flexible infrastructure for health behavior researchers, and describe the strengths and weaknesses of such tools and the lessons learned from several systems. RESULTS: Although virtual collaboration requires a technology infrastructure achieved at some cost, including access, connectedness, bandwidth, and technology literacy, the potential benefits to health behavior researchers are extensive. CONCLUSIONS: The range of technical skills and level of comfort with technology are variable in most groups. However, technology tools are just one aspect of the fully realized collaboratory. Ultimately it is the human skills for collaboration rather than the technical excellence of the infrastructure that signals the potential for success.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed2006

Temperament and pain reactivity predict health behavior seven years later.

OBJECTIVE: Minor illnesses and major diseases are affected by individual, environmental, and social factors. We sought to determine if children's temperament and pain reactivity (individual response styles) measured in kindergarten are related to future health behavior. METHODS: Seven-year follow-up measures of health behavior were gathered in 42 children (mean age M = 11 years) who participated in a previous study of pain reactivity and somatization. Current health behavior was compared with children's pain reactivity and temperament measured in kindergarten. RESULTS: Pain reactivity in kindergarten was associated with children's self-reports of somatization 7 years later, independent of their temperament. Temperament was related to children's self-reports of somatization and to maternal reports of health care utilization and psychosocial health status. CONCLUSIONS: Early response styles (i.e., heightened pain reactivity and difficulty adjusting) may indicate risk for increased health care utilization and poorer health and well-being later in childhood.

Child↗

PubMed2003

Effects of a health-promotion program on cardiovascular risk factors, health behaviors, and life satisfaction in institutionalized elderly women.

This study applied a 3-month health-promotion program to institutionalized elderly people to examine changes in cardiovascular risk factors, health behaviors, and life satisfaction. Twenty-one elderly women with an average age of 77 years participated in the program consisting of cardiovascular risk assessments, Korean traditional dance movements (KTDMs), and health education/counseling. Paired t-tests revealed that the participants exhibited significant reductions in total risk score, improvements in health behaviors and life satisfaction at the end of the program. However, the positive effects tend to decrease at 3 months after the program ended. In conclusion, the health-promotion program using KTDM exercises was safely applicable and beneficial to institutionalized elderly women.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

An operational approach to long-duration mission behavioral health and performance factors.

NASA's participation in nearly 10 yr of long-duration mission (LDM) training and flight confirms that these missions remain a difficult challenge for astronauts and their medical care providers. The role of the astronaut's crew surgeon is to maximize the astronaut's health throughout all phases of the LDM: preflight, in flight, and postflight. In support of the crew surgeon, the NASA-Johnson Space Center Behavioral Health and Performance Group (JSC-BHPG) has focused on four key factors that can reduce the astronaut's behavioral health and performance. These factors are defined as: sleep and circadian factors; behavioral health factors; psychological adaptation factors; and human-to-system interface (the interface between the astronaut and the mission workplace) factors. Both the crew surgeon and the JSC-BHPG must earn the crewmember's trust preflight to encourage problem identification and problem solving in these four areas. Once on orbit, the crew medical officer becomes a valuable extension of the crew surgeon and BHPG on the ground due to the crew medical officer's constant interaction with crewmembers and preflight training in these four factors. However, the crew surgeon, BHPG, and the crew medical officer need tools that will help predict, prevent, monitor, and respond to developing problems. Objective data become essential when difficult mission termination decisions must be made. The need for behavioral health and performance tool development creates an environment rich for collaboration between operational healthcare providers and researchers. These tools are also a necessary step to safely complete future, more autonomous exploration-class space missions.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1995

The association between alcohol use and health behaviors related to the risk of cardiovascular disease: the South Carolina Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Project.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the relationship between alcohol use and health behaviors related to the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In particular, we examined the relationship between alcohol use and leisure time physical activity, participation in community physical activity programs and behaviors used for weight loss. Numerous studies have found a "protective" effect of moderate alcohol consumption on the risk of CVD. However, most of these studies have not adequately controlled for potential confounding by health behaviors associated with alcohol use. METHOD: We used descriptive and logistic regression analyses to examine cross-sectional survey data from 2,072 participants in the South Carolina Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Project. RESULTS: After controlling for age, race, education and preexisting CVD, moderate and heavy drinkers who do not smoke were more likely than nondrinkers to report engaging in regular leisure time physical activity. The relationship between other health behaviors and alcohol consumption was less clear. Among men, moderate and heavy drinkers were no more likely than nondrinkers to participate in community physical activity programs; among women, moderate and heavy drinkers were more likely than nondrinkers to report this activity. Moderate drinkers were more likely than nondrinkers to report that they were attempting to lose weight, however this difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that at least some of the apparent protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption found in other studies may be due to differences between nondrinkers and drinkers with respect to physical activity and other health practices.

Adolescent↗