SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Health Behavior”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 649 records · Page 36Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Health behavior change among women with recent familial diagnosis of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although first-degree female relatives (FDFR) of women with breast cancer are at increased risk for the disease, little is understood about how familial diagnosis impacts health behaviors and what personal factors predict such changes. METHODS: Six hundred women, ages 18 and over with a FDFR recently diagnosed with breast cancer, were interviewed after the diagnosis and again in 6 months. Participants self-reported changes in physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, fat consumption, alcohol and tobacco use. The effect of baseline demographics, health status, perceptions of relative's disease severity, personal risk, control over the disease and the effect of lifestyle behaviors on risk was assessed in relation to behavior changes. RESULTS: Forty-two percent reported improving one or more behaviors. Perception that the behavior was a risk factor for breast cancer was positively associated with change for all behaviors except smoking. Poor health status, obesity and perception of control over breast cancer were associated with improvements in physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption and fat consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of breast cancer in a first-degree relative can provide motivation to improve health behavior. Educational interventions highlighting the importance of these behaviors in reducing breast cancer risk and promoting health in general may be effective in this population.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Television and young Hispanic children's health behaviors.

Television viewing patterns in preschool age Hispanic children were studied in order to explore the role of TV in the establishment of early childhood health behaviors. The television viewing habits and patterns of children and parents and parental coviewing, regulation, and encouragement practices were examined. Using the dimensions of regulation and encouragement, four parental typologies were established: laissez-faire, restrictive, promotive, and selective. Children in this study watched television 3-4 hours a day, half of which consisted of viewing adult shows. This amount of time is significantly higher than the guideline of less than 2 hours a day suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Relationships between television viewing, injury behaviors, risk taking, and acculturation were established and implications for primary care, school, and community health care nursing are discussed.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed1993

Marketing guidelines for providers of mental health and chemical dependency services--responding to changes in the packaging and purchase of behavioral health benefits.

In summary, the mental health and chemical dependency market has changed to the point that providers and programs of any type can no longer survey financially without well-developed marketing strategies--including a conscious decision about target markets and niches within those markets. Behavioral health providers and programs need to thoroughly evaluate their internal resources, along with possible market niches, in order to develop these strategies.

Guidelines as Topic↗

PubMed1999

Health behavior change models and their socio-cultural relevance for breast cancer screening in African American women.

Models of health behavior provide the conceptual bases for most of the breast cancer screening intervention studies. These models were not designed for and have not been adequately tested with African American women. The models discussed in this paper are: The Health Belief Model, the Theory of Reasoned Action/Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Transtheoretical Model. This paper will examine the socio-cultural relevance of these health behavior models, and discuss specific socio-cultural dimensions that are not accounted for by these paradigms. It is critical that researchers include socio-cultural dimensions, such as interconnectedness, health socialization, ecological factors and health care system factors into their intervention models with African American women. Comprehensive and socio-culturally based investigations are necessary to guide the scientific and policy challenge for reducing breast cancer mortality in African American women.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2004

Physician screening for multiple behavioral health risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Screening rates in primary care for single behavioral health risk factors are widely documented. However, such risk factors cluster in individuals and populations. This article examines the number and types of behavioral risk factors that U.S. adults reported, and reported having been screened for in their last routine medical checkup. METHODS: The sample consisted of 16,818 adults from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey who reported having a routine checkup in the past year. Respondents completed questions regarding four behavioral risk factors (physical inactivity, overweight, cigarette smoking, risky drinking), and provider screening for behaviors related to these risk factors. RESULTS: Half of the sample (52.0%) reported having two or more of the four risk factors, and more than half (59.4%) were screened for two or more risk behaviors during their last routine checkup, although 28.6% reported being screened for none of them. Respondents reporting at least one risk factor were screened for an average of 57.7% of their own risk factors. Women, adults with lower levels of income and education, and those aged 65 and older, reported being screened for fewer of their risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: While guidelines for risk factor screening and intervention typically focus on single behavioral risk factors, most primary care patients present with, and are screened for, more than one. Behavioral risk factor screening tools and interventions must be expanded to cover multiple risks. Additionally, efforts are needed to reduce the substantial missed opportunities for screening, and to eliminate demographic disparities in screening practices and accuracy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Implementing information technology in a behavioral health setting.

The art and practice of nursing in today's health care arena is becoming increasingly complex. One of the newest challenges in the field of behavioral health is the integration of quality health care with information technology. The authors of this paper examine four emerging aspects of information technology: the electronic medical record, automated medication distribution systems, computerized charting, and hand-held computers. The benefits, costs, uses of these technologies, and the potential problems they can provide in the field of behavioral health are discussed. Implications for nursing practice also are explored.

Behavioral Medicine↗

PubMed1988

Health behavior as goal-directed action.

The perceived relationship of different health-related activities to a number of goals, including that of staying healthy, was examined by means of a postal questionnaire completed by 403 members of the general public. Other questions concerned subjects' own health behavior, intentions for behavior change, and vulnerability to specific conditions. The results showed that the extent to which subjects would value and engage in different behaviors (smoking, drinking, exercising, eating, and relaxing) was related to how far such behaviors were seen to facilitate the attainment of different goals. However, the value subjects placed on "staying healthy" was at best a partial predictor of their health habits and intentions.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Migration history, health behaviors, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in overweight Mexican-American women.

PURPOSE: This research examined whether the migration history of overweight Mexican-American women had an independent effect on cardiovascular risk factors, or whether it was mediated by health behavior changes. DATA AND METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 390 overweight, non-diabetic Mexican-American women (aged 18 to 65 years), all recruited from Starr County, Texas, were used for this analysis. Migration history was inferred from birthplaces of subjects and relatives, and length of residence in the United States. Health behaviors included tobacco and alcohol use, sleeping, exercise, and dietary practices. The cardiovascular disease risk factor variables (CDRFVs) studied were plasma glucose, abdominal obesity, blood pressures, and blood lipids. A migration history score (MHS) was developed from factor analysis, almost equally contributed to by the 9 migration history variables. Healthy habits were defined by 6 variables, and 3 factors (blood pressures, lipids/glucose, and body fat/glucose) were used for the CDRFVs. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: MHS was correlated positively with socioeconomic status, and negatively with family stress. Older women had healthier drinking and sleeping habits. Women with a higher migration history score exhibited poorer exercise habits, and increased blood pressures. After adjusting for the effect of healthy exercise habits on blood pressures, the impact of migration history on blood pressures became non-significant (P>.05), leading to the conclusion that healthy exercise behaviors mediated the negative relationship of MHS with blood pressures. Age was independently positively correlated with all CDRFVs. Age also weakly moderated the negative relationship of MHS and healthy exercise habits.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Descriptive study of nosocomial infections in a short-term inpatient behavioral health setting.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance methods for nosocomial infections, with the use of a sound epidemiologic foundation, have not been published for behavioral healthcare settings. METHODS: Nosocomial infection rates in a behavioral health care setting were quantified by integrating the following: (1) rounds/review of selected charts, (2) microbiology reports, and (3) records of antimicrobials dispensed. Incidence density rates were calculated with 1000 patient-days as the denominator. RESULTS: The incidence of nosocomial infections of all types among all patients was 3.9 infections per 1000 patient-days. Rates among specific groups of behavioral patients ranged from children (6.4 infections per 1000 patient-days) to adults (3.9 infections per 1000 patient-days) to adolescents (3.2 infections per 1000 patient-days). Adult substance-abuse patients had a rate of 1.9 infections per 1000 patient-days. The most frequently diagnosed nosocomial infection among adult substance-abuse and behavioral patients was bronchitis at 0.5 and 0.6 infections per 1000 patient-days, respectively. The most frequently diagnosed nosocomial infection among adolescents and children was cellulitis at 0.6 and 1.3 infections per 1000 patient-days, respectively. Female patients experienced significantly more nosocomial infections than male patients, except among adult substance-abuse patients. Nosocomial infections usually occurred in patients who were hospitalized longer than the average length of stay, except among children. CONCLUSION: Nosocomial infections occur in behavioral health settings. Surveillance methods, with a sound epidemiologic foundation, must be developed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Managed behavioral health care: an instrument to characterize critical elements of public sector programs.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an instrument to characterize public sector managed behavioral health care arrangements to capture key differences between managed and "unmanaged" care and among managed care arrangements. STUDY DESIGN: The instrument was developed by a multi-institutional group of collaborators with participation of an expert panel. Included are six domains predicted to have an impact on access, service utilization, costs, and quality. The domains are: characteristics of the managed care plan, enrolled population, benefit design, payment and risk arrangements, composition of provider networks, and accountability. Data are collected at three levels: managed care organization, subcontractor, and network of service providers. DATA COLLECTION METHODS: Data are collected through contract abstraction and key informant interviews. A multilevel coding scheme is used to organize the data into a matrix along key domains, which is then reviewed and verified by the key informants. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This instrument can usefully differentiate between and among Medicaid fee-for-service programs and Medicaid managed care plans along key domains of interest. Beyond documenting basic features of the plans and providing contextual information, these data will support the refinement and testing of hypotheses about the impact of public sector managed care on access, quality, costs, and outcomes of care. CONCLUSIONS: If managed behavioral health care research is to advance beyond simple case study comparisons, a well-conceptualized set of instruments is necessary.

Behavioral Medicine↗

PubMed1990

Factors associated with smoking in low-income pregnant women: relationship to birth weight, stressful life events, social support, health behaviors and mental distress.

Since low-income women are at increased risk of having low birth weight infants, factors associated with birth weight among such groups have special relevance. Cigarette-smoking has emerged as an important predictor of low birth weight due to intrauterine growth retardation and pre-term delivery. After confirming the relation of smoking with birth weight, we examined the association of smoking with sociodemographic factors, attitudes towards pregnancy, health behaviors, stressful life events, social support, and symptoms of mental distress in a cohort of 458 Central Harlem women. We found that social support, stress and mental health were associated with smoking behavior but not directly with birth weight. These findings suggest that programs designed to modify health behaviors such as smoking during pregnancy must also take into account such characteristics of the women and their environments which may make behavioral change difficult. Moreover, programs aimed at fostering better health behaviors to improve pregnancy outcome may have to extend beyond the current pregnancy, as indicated by an association between prior adverse pregnancy outcome and smoking in the current pregnancy.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Healthy pregnancy program in a national managed care organization: evaluation of satisfaction and health behavior outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate satisfaction with the Healthy Pregnancy Program (HPP), which was developed to educate and coordinate the care of pregnant women in a managed care setting. STUDY DESIGN: Telephone survey. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A random sample of program participants at 3 large health plans were contacted by telephone to evaluate their satisfaction with the program overall and with its components, including an educational booklet and telephone contact with a HPP nurse as needed. Women also were asked about changes in health behaviors (smoking, alcohol use, diet, and stress) resulting directly from participation in the HPP. Of 1155 eligible women participating in HPP who delivered a baby from April 1997 through March 1998, 684 completed the survey. The response rate was 59%. RESULTS: Overall satisfaction with the HPP was reported by 96% of the women, and 76% reported the 2 highest ratings of satisfaction (completely or very satisfied). Reports of satisfaction were more likely for women who entered the program early in pregnancy, who read the booklet, and who had more telephone contacts. In general, at least half of the women in each behavior category reported improving their behavior, especially if they were younger, identified as high risk, or having their first child. Verbatim comments supported the high satisfaction levels. CONCLUSIONS: The HPP is an example of a program that was developed to improve healthcare delivery in a managed care setting and, when evaluated, was found to result in highly satisfied mothers likely to improve their health behaviors.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Evaluation of the Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior through the first decade of research.

The Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior was proposed in 1982 as a prescriptive nursing framework. The model is grounded in multidisciplinary perspectives, and early research suggests that the model may be useful for research and practice. The elements of client singularity and health outcomes have been the primary focus of research during the past decade. Statistical analyses have been exploratory. This article concludes that the model is ready for hypothesis testing with more rigorous statistical procedures, more diversity in samples, and more comprehensive use of the model, including the elements of client-professional interaction.

Bias↗

PubMed2005

Is family history related to preventive health behaviors and medical management in breast cancer patients?

INTRODUCTION: Women diagnosed with breast cancer who also have a family history of the disease are at increased risk of developing additional primary breast or ovarian cancers. We investigated whether a relationship exists between family history and health behaviors in a cross-sectional study of breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Participants in the Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Study (a randomized trial designed to test the effect of a plant-based diet on breast cancer recurrence) completed baseline questionnaires about their family history and health behaviors. Medical records and self-reports provided treatment data. Participants were defined as having a family history (FH+) if they met specific family history criteria (n=195), and were compared with women having no family history (FH-) of breast cancer (n=1736). RESULTS: The mean age of breast cancer diagnosis was 51.2 years for both groups, but FH+ women were more likely to be diagnosed before age 40. FH+ and FH- women had similar dietary patterns, alcohol intake, exercise patterns, body mass index and smoking histories. However, FH+ women were more likely to have undergone prophylactic contralateral mastectomy (OR=3.6, 95% CI=2.2 - 6.2) and bilateral oophorectomy (OR=1.6; 95% CI=1.0 - 2.3) following diagnosis, adjusted for age and time since diagnosis. The FH+ and FH- groups had similar patterns of use of anti-estrogen medications and frequency of medical follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer survivors with a strong family history of breast cancer are more likely to undergo surgical preventive measures to reduce their risk of additional cancer, but do not report undertaking more preventive lifestyle behaviors compared to breast cancer survivors without a family history.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Health plans respond to parity: managing behavioral health care in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

The government often uses the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program as a model for both public and private health policy choices. In 2001, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) implemented full parity, requiring that FEHB carriers offer mental health and substance abuse benefits equal to general medical benefits. OPM instructed carriers to alter their benefit design but permitted them to determine whether they would manage care and what structures or processes they would use. This article reports on the experience of 156 carriers and the government-wide BlueCross and BlueShield Service Benefit Plan. Carriers dropped cost-restraining benefit limits. A smaller percentage also changed the management of the benefit, but these changes affected the care of many enrollees, making the overall parity effect noteworthy.

Behavioral Medicine↗

PubMed2004

The future of health behavior change research: what is needed to improve translation of research into health promotion practice?

BACKGROUND: It is well documented that the results of most behavioral and health promotion studies have not been translated into practice. PURPOSE: In this article, reasons for this gap, focusing on study design characteristics as a central contributing barrier, are discussed. METHODS: Four reviews of recent controlled studies in work sites, health care, school, and community settings are briefly discussed and summarized. Their implications for future research and for closing the gap between research and practice are then discussed. RESULTS: These reviews come to consistent conclusions regarding key internal and external validity factors that have and have not been reported. It is very clear that moderating variables and generalization issues have not been included or reported in the majority of investigations, and that as a consequence little is known about the representatives or the robustness of results from current studies. CONCLUSIONS: To significantly improve the current state of affairs, substantial changes will be required on the part of researchers, funding agencies, and review and editorial boards. In conclusion, recommendations for each of these entities are provided.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1999

The three leading causes of death in African Americans: barriers to reducing excess disparity and to improving health behaviors.

African Americans suffer disproportionately from several major health problems associated with high morbidity and mortality. The 1985 DHHS Secretary's Task Force Report on Blacks and Other Minorities identified six major disease categories of excess deaths for African Americans compared with whites by applying the lower death rate for whites to the American population. The report provided a stimulus for public and private action to begin to address the health disparities between minority and nonminority populations. This article examines three of the leading causes of death for African Americans and assesses the extent to which the health disparity between African Americans and whites has been reduced. The three leading causes of death for African American males are diseases of the heart, cancer, and HIV infection/AIDS. The conditions are the same for African American females except stroke replaces HIV infection. Three health outcomes measures are discussed: life expectancy, excess death rates, and years of potential life lost. A widening of the gap between the races was found for diseases of the heart and HIV infection for males and for cancer for females. An extensive list of barriers to reducing the disparity are presented from the scientific literature and strategies for reducing the three health problems are recommended.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

American Indian and Alaska Native health behavior: findings from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 1992-1995.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences between American Indian and white adults in behavioral risk factors for chronic disease and injury. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 1992-1995 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing telephone survey of health behaviors of adults. Prevalence estimates by sex were calculated for American Indian and white respondents in 15 states and the significance of their differences evaluated by chi-square tests. RESULTS: American Indians were found to be at significantly higher risk than whites for fair to poor general health status, medical cost difficulties, binge drinking, cigarette smoking, not always using safety belts, being diagnosed as diabetic, and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the gap in behavioral risk factors between American Indians and whites, more resources need to be dedicated to American Indian health. Note. The term "American Indian" henceforth refers to those who identify themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native.

Adolescent↗