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PubMed2005

Gender of the care environment: influence on recovery in women with heart disease.

UNLABELLED: Women experience higher levels of distress than men (depression, anxiety, poor quality of life) after a first myocardial infarction. Sex differences in distress are not present in predominantly female diseases such as arthritis. This study explored the possibility that the predominantly male treatment environment for heart disease accounted for some of the sex differences in distress. METHODS: Men and women who had experienced a first-MI were asked to complete the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), a modified version of the Moos Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS) and measures of illness intrusiveness, depression, anxiety and quality of life. Gender syntony was defined as a match between patient gender (BSRI) and the perceived gender of the treatment environment (WAS). RESULTS: Women experienced higher levels of distress than men and were more likely to experience discordance between their gender and the perceived gender of the care environment (73% of women versus 32% of men). The presence of gender dystony (a mismatch between gender and treatment environment) was related to higher levels of illness intrusiveness and overall distress. CONCLUSIONS: Modification of the heart disease treatment environment so that it better meets the needs of women may reduce sex differences in distress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Residents' perceptions of work environment during their postgraduate medical training in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: In Pakistan, there is a lack of information about the work environment of residency programs. This lack is a major impediment in their improvement. One of the approaches for improvement in these programs can be directed through the residents' own perception of their working conditions. Therefore, we collected data which would reflect working conditions of residents. AIM: To assess the perceived status of "work environment" in different specialities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in four teaching hospitals of Karachi from July 1999 to January 2000. Residents from selected programs were grouped into four broad groups: specialist, medical, surgical and multidisciplinary. Responses of residents were obtained on a Likert scale of 0 to 4. Indices were formed for two components of work environment: academic and mistreatment. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Differences between residents' groups were assessed through analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% significance. RESULTS: A total of 341 registered residents responded (response rate: 75%). Surgical residents were working more than 80 h/week and this was more than the other three groups. Medical residents were spending the highest actual time on research and teaching activities (10% and 14%, respectively). Academic index score was highest for surgical group (15.81, SD = 4.69) and lowest for multidisciplinary group (11.82, SD = 4.80). Medical group had the highest perceived mistreatment index score (5.56, SD = 4.57). CONCLUSIONS: In a study of work environment of residency programs, differential impact was found for the four groups on work environment perceptions. Most of the residents recognized undergraduate teaching, grand rounds, patient rounds and seminars or workshops as contributing to their academic learning. Reporting of sexual harassment was low, indicating either underreporting or cultural dynamics of our setting.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Selection and inbreeding depression: effects of inbreeding rate and inbreeding environment.

The magnitude of inbreeding depression in small populations may depend on the effectiveness with which natural selection purges deleterious recessive alleles from populations during inbreeding. The effectiveness of this purging process, however, may be influenced by the rate of inbreeding and the environment in which inbreeding occurs. Although some experimental studies have examined these factors individually, no study has examined their joint effect or potential interaction. In the present study, therefore, we performed an experiment in which 180 lineages of Drosophila melanogaster were inbred at slow and fast inbreeding rates within each of three inbreeding environments (benign, high temperature, and competitive). The fitness of all lineages was then measured in a common benign environment. Although slow inbreeding reduced inbreeding depression in lineages inbred under high temperature stress, a similar reduction was not observed with respect to the benign or competitive treatments. Overall, therefore, the effect of inbreeding rate was nonsignificant. The inbreeding environment, in contrast, had a larger and more consistent effect on inbreeding depression. Under both slow and fast rates of inbreeding, inbreeding depression was significantly reduced in lineages inbred in the presence of a competitor D. melanogaster strain. A similar reduction of inbreeding depression occurred in lineages inbred under high temperature stress at a slow inbreeding rate. Overall, our findings show that inbreeding depression is reduced when inbreeding takes place in a stressful environment, possibly due to more effective purging under such conditions.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Staff perceptions of their work environment before and six months after an organizational change.

The Insel and Moos' Work Environment Scale (WES) was used to assess the impact that an organizational change would have on the nursing staff perceptions of the work environment. A comparison of before and after the supervisory change indicated that middle management supervisors have little influence on the work environment, since there was essentially no change in any of the WES scales. The working environment showed little cohesion among staff members, the focus on autonomy and self-sufficiency was average, but there was strong pressure to keep up with the never-ending work load, the staff perceived the setting as poorly organized and inefficient, they were unclear as to expectations about rules and procedures, and there was a high degree of control over the workers. An organizational change may not be the answer to the problems if the problems have more to do with the corporate philosophy. It may be time to look at mechanisms that create working environments in which employees actually feel their work is an important contribution to the organization.

Humans↗

PubMed1991

Social environment and vulnerability of low birth weight children: a social-epidemiological perspective.

This study examined the impact of low birth weight on children's health and assessed the influence of the social environment on various aspects of health in low birth weight and normal birth weight children. Data on 8661 children aged 2 through 11 from the 1981 Child Health Supplement of the National Health Interview Survey provided strong evidence for two major conclusions: (1) Low birth weight children in high-risk social environments are at increased for poor health outcomes compared with comparable normal birth weight children. This vulnerability was found across all age groups, suggesting that the effects of low birth weight are long-lasting. The poor health outcomes for low birth weight children in high-risk social environments were found for all seven aspects of child health status studied: excessive bed days, restricted-activity days, and school-loss days; school failure, low school-ranking, behavior problems, and maternal perception of child health status as fair/poor. (2) The mechanism of risk was complex and differed by birth weight group. Whereas certain combinations of individual risk factors protected normal birth weight children from several adverse outcomes, none for low birth weight children were identified. However, low birth weight children in low- or moderate-risk social environments were not at greater risk for poor outcomes compared with comparable normal birth weight children. This study underscores the importance of a healthy social environment for children who are already at high risk for poor health outcomes by virtue of being low birth weight.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1989

Responses to the change in the environment in pairs of male rats genetically selected for activity level.

Laboratory Wistar strain rats were genetically selected for high (+A) and low (-A) activity level. In thirteen pairs of adult males of the 23rd filial generation reactions to changes in the external environment were studied. The animals were housed in breeding cages four each. Two parallel studies were conducted: in pairs simultaneously placed into a novel environment (NOV), empty cages of the same dimensions as the home cage (HC), in the second, behaviour of the second pair that remained in the HC, after removal of two cage-mates, was tested. Once a minute, for a period of one hour, the type of activity was recorded and noted whether it was an element effected in contact with the partner or without any contact. The animals +A and -A differed in the frequency of various types of activity and immobility, in the ratio between behavioural manifestations shown in or without contact as well as in the response to the type of modified environment. To changes in the situation, whether removed cage-mates from the HC or placed into NOV +A animals reacted with a high wave of environment exploration which gradually habituated. -A rats equally responded with exploration but on a lower level. In +rats we recorded more frequently exploration without contact with the partner in HC and NOV in comparison with -A, more frequent grooming, less immobility in contact and with no contact. Between +A partners there was a greater number of contacts in NOV than in HC whereas in the -A group the incidence of contact did not differ between HC and NOV. ANOVA revealed the influence of factors of genetics and environment and interaction in several behavioural categories. The simple and in time economical method demonstrated the possibility of use for the detection of differences between +A and -A lines even at relatively small changes in the external stimulatory situation.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

[Compared dynamics of Triatoma infestans cohorts in residential environment].

Triatoma infestans is an insect with a high colonization capacity, capable of maintaining populations near saturation levels in different environments. However, it has a great lability in its population parameters when exposed to variable environmental conditions. The aim of this work was to explore the response of two cohorts with 4 initial egg densities, in two environmental conditions ("shelter" at 24 +/- 2.7 degrees C and 73 +/- 7% of relative humidity and "room" at 16.9 +/- 2.1 degrees C and 69.8 +/- 5% of relative humidity), similar to those commonly found in houses at Santiago, Chile. The proportion of fertile egg was higher in shelter conditions (93.7 vs 74.6%). Survival curves were similar in both environments and mortality was not influenced by density or maturity of individuals. Maturation was retarded in both environment, specially in the colder one, compared to constant environments. It is concluded that maturation of T infestans is the most affected parameter in the unprotected environment. Even though, considering the insect's longevity, its reproductive function is probably accomplished. The great lability of T. infestans population parameters, suggests that the finding of favorable microenvironments is essential for their survival.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Patient-environment interactions in critical care.

This article examines patient-environment interactions in critical care from the perspective of chronobiology. Critically ill patients have reduced control over an environment that they cannot leave voluntarily. These patients have endogenous biologic rhythms that were synchronized to their prehospitalization environment. They exhibit transient physiologic responses to environmental stimuli, and their biologic rhythms may be re-entrained by patterns of stimuli that are different from their customary environment. Nursing interventions based on principles of chronobiology may optimize patient-environment interactions in critical care settings.

Chronobiology Phenomena↗

PubMed1995

Influences of genes and shared family environment on adult body mass index assessed in an adoption study by a comprehensive path model.

The aim of this work was to explore the influences of the shared familial environment and the nonshared individual environment on body mass index in light of convincing evidence for genetic influence. A cross-sectional adoption design was used, including information on adult adoptees and their biological fathers and mothers, biological full siblings and paternal and maternal half siblings, and adoptive fathers and mothers. Body mass index (weight/height2) was derived from reported height and weight. A model of familial resemblance based on path analysis is used to test for effects of genetic influence and for effects of the environment shared among family members: transmission from the adoptive father and adoptive mother to the adoptee, from biological father and biological mother to biological children they reared, from the biological father to maternal half-siblings, from the biological mother to paternal half-siblings, and among biological siblings who may have lived together. The model also incorporates effects of assortative mating of the biological parents and of the adoptive parents, of shared preadoptive environmental influences between the biological mother and the adoptee, and of selective placement of the adoptee. The estimated heritability was 0.34 (standard error 0.03). No parameter indicating effects of shared familial environment either before or after adoption, assortative mating, or selective placement was significant. There was strong evidence for genetic effects, and no evidence for any effects related to the shared family environment--all familial resemblance in adults can be attributed to genetic influences. However, more than half of the interindividual differences in body mass index is due to nonshared individual environmental influences.

Adoption↗

PubMed1995

Genetic influences on perceptions of childhood family environment: a reared apart twin study.

This study estimates the extent to which heredity influences perceptions of childhood family environment in a sample of 58 monozygotic and 46 dizygotic pairs of adult twins who were reared apart. The measures used to assess family environments were the Family Environment Scale (FES) and Block Environmental Questionnaire (BEQ). A principal component factor analysis with a VARIMAX rotation of the FES and BEQ yielded 2 major factors--Support, and Organization and Cultural Orientation. Single and multiple indicator model-fitting techniques were applied to the reared apart twin data on the 2 factors. Perceived support in childhood family environments was fitted best by a model incorporating additive genetic and unshared environmental factors. Perceived organization was fitted most adequately by a model which includes only unshared environmental factors. Maximum-likelihood estimates of heritability from model-fitting analyses suggest that genetic factors explain 44% of the variance of perceptions of support dimension in childhood family environments.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

The relationship of gender and family environment to eating disorder risk in adolescents.

Incidence and prevalence rates of both anorexia nervosa and bulimia among adolescents have steadily increased during the past decade. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of gender and family environment to the risk of developing anorexia nervosa or bulimia in adolescents. The Family Environment Scale (FES; Moos & Moos, 1981) and the Setting Conditions for Anorexia Nervosa Scale (SCANS; Slade, Phil, & Dewey, 1986) were used to measure select components of family environment and risk of developing anorexia nervosa or bulimia, respectively. Data were collected from 393 students attending a private secondary boarding school located in central New Jersey. Subjects represented 35 states and 25 countries, had a mean age of 16.3 years, were predominantly Caucasian (75.6%) with a Catholic (27.5%) or Protestant (26.5%) affiliation, and reported a family income in excess of $50,000 (63.9%). Multiple regression using a unique approach revealed a significant relationship between family environment and the risk of developing anorexia nervosa or bulimia in adolescents (p < .01). The FES subscale of expressiveness was the only subscale found to have a significant relationship with the risk of developing anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Female subjects displayed a greater risk than did males (p < .01). Finally, no significant interaction was found between family environment and gender on the risk of developing anorexia nervosa or bulimia in adolescents. Simple correlation of the FES subscales was conducted by means of Pearson product moment and results indicated that lower cohesion, expressiveness, and organization were significantly associated with greater eating disorder risk (p < .01). Lower independence was significantly associated with increased eating disorder risk, but to a lesser degree (p < .05). Greater conflict (p < .01) and control (p < .05) were significantly associated with greater eating disorder risk.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Effects of thermal environment on response to acute peripheral lipopolysaccharide challenge exposure in neonatal pigs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effects of thermal environment on response to acute peripheral lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge exposure in neonatal pigs. ANIMALS: 26 neonatal pigs. PROCEDURE: Pigs were assigned to the following treatment groups: 1 warm environment/LPS; 2 warm environment/saline solution; 3 cool environment/LPS; and 4 cool environment/saline solution. For each pig given LPS, 1 littermate of the same sex was given saline solution. Sows with baby pigs were housed in a warm (32 C) or cool (21 C) thermal environment. At 28 days of age, pigs were given 150 micrograms/kg of body weight of Escherichia coli LPS or saline solution intraperitonealy as a control. Rectal temperature and signs of sickness were monitored for 3 hours after LPS administration, when pigs were euthanatized and blood samples were collected to determine serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha and cortisol. To determine in vitro production of TNF alpha, alveolar macrophages were collected by tracheal lavage and incubated for 24 hours at 37 or 41 C, with or without LPS (10 micrograms/ml). RESULTS: Thermal environment had a significant (P = 0.0004) effect on rectal temperature; LPS administration induced a febrile response (P = 0.0007) only in pigs in the warm environment. All LPS-injected pigs developed signs of endotoxemia; serum TNF alpha and cortisol concentrations were significantly increased (TNF alpha, P = 0.003; cortisol, P = 0.0001); there was no significant in vivo thermal effect on serum TNF alpha and cortisol concentrations. LPS-stimulated alveolar macrophages produced significantly less (P = 0.0086) TNF alpha when incubated at 41 C. CONCLUSIONS: Thermal environment can have a significant impact on the response of neonatal pigs exposed to bacterial endotoxins.

Acute-Phase Reaction↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Impact of changes in the environment on vector-transmitted diseases].

We have defined the relationship between infectious diseases and environmental conditions and considered the development of this relationship to its current situation, where human intervention is occurring more often and is becoming more aggressive. The increase in the transport of freight and passengers by air has allowed parasite vectors to spread quickly and easily over large distances. Every country can now be reached from any other country within a couple of days. Usually, foreign species are unable to establish themselves and to persist in the new environment; but the recent arrival of Aedes albopictus in Albania, Italy and the Americas is a cause for concern. Demographic pressure has increased the need for land and the exploitation of new areas leads to large changes in the vegetation. The classic example of this man-made damage is the destruction of tropical forest in Western Africa, but the destruction of herbaceous vegetation, such as papyrus, in East Africa, could also have serious epidemiological consequences. Streams and rivers have been managed for power production and irrigation. The use of dams, both large and small, and the culture of rice in paddy-fields produces large expanses of water which are suitable breeding grounds for mosquitoes and snails, the vectors of human diseases such as malaria and schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. They are, however, of lesser importance in Asia and the Americas. Urbanization imposes a set of very similar structures on a specific rural environment. The effect of these two factors on each other determines the pathologies associated with each town. The suburban area is a specific environment where both urban and rural diseases occur and are made worse by poor hygiene conditions (waste, sewage, etc.). However, not all man-made changes to the environment cause a deterioration in public health. Urban and agricultural development projects must consider these issues and should use medical and environmental studies to avoid causing epidemic-prone conditions or spreading endemic diseases. Currently, most studies are limited to listing the specific diseases in the target area and very few attempt to assess the possible consequences of changing the environment. Forecasting the consequences of changes in environmental management is of great importance, but it requires the development of multi-disciplinary teams in the field who must be involved in the planning and implementation of the projects.

Aedes↗

PubMed1998

Role of cognitively stimulating home environment in children's academic intrinsic motivation: a longitudinal study.

The short- and long-term, and direct and indirect, relations between cognitively stimulating home environment and academic intrinsic motivation were investigated in a longitudinal study from childhood through early adolescence. Structural equations modeling was used to test the hypothesis that home environment positively predicts academic intrinsic motivation over this period. It was also hypothesized that home environmental processes would positively predict motivation controlling for socioeconomic status (SES). When children were age 8, home environment (comprising both direct observations and parent report) and SES were measured. Academic intrinsic motivation was assessed at ages 9, 10, and 13. Results supported the hypotheses. Home environment had statistically positive and significant, direct and indirect paths to academic intrinsic motivation from childhood through early adolescence, indicating both short- and long-term effects across these ages. Moreover, home environment was significant above and beyond SES. The findings revealed that children whose homes had a greater emphasis on learning opportunities and activities were more academically intrinsically motivated.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2026

Impact of Physical Environment of Pediatric Inpatient Wards on Children: A Systematic Literature Review.

ObjectiveThe study aimed to examine empirical studies published between 2003 and 2025 to identify elements of physical environments influencing health outcomes and experiences of children and families.BackgroundIn the past 40 years, research has shown that the physical environment influences the health and well-being of patients in the healthcare environment. However, similar research in the context of "pediatric inpatient wards" remains underexplored.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were used to identify relevant articles. All extracted articles underwent a three-step screening process using PRISMA. A total of 30 eligible articles were used for the analysis. The protocol is registered at PROSPERO (CRD42023408997).ResultsKey findings reveal positive and negative impacts of identified elements. Positive-effect elements include play spaces, space for parents, natural light, connections with nature, and so on, which promote comfort, healing, and emotional resilience. Conversely, negative-effect elements, such as noise, artificial lighting, uncomfortable temperature, and so on, contribute to stress and disrupted sleep. Mixed effects were observed for elements like art and television, which underscore the complexity of designing environments that address the diverse needs of different age groups and genders.ConclusionsThe review findings highlight significant knowledge gaps. The study also tries to bridge existing gaps between research and practice by systematically identifying environmental elements, offering actionable insights to architects, designers, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Future research must adopt rigorous, culturally inclusive approaches to advance the field of pediatric healthcare design and ensure equitable care across diverse sociocultural contexts.

Humans↗

PubMed1997

Secondary structure induction in aqueous vs membrane-like environments.

The conformational propensity of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids was determined in aqueous 3-[N-morpholino]propane-sulfonic acid (MOPS) buffer, protein interior-like [nonmicellar sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)] and membrane-like environments (micellar SDS and lysophosphatidylglycerol/lysophosphatidylcholine micelles) using a single "guest" position in a polyalanine-based model host peptide (Ac-KYA13K-NH2). This model system allows the intrinsic alpha-helical or beta-sheet propensity of the amino acids to be determined without intra- and interchain side chain interactions. The overall environment dependence observed for the conformational propensity for the amino acids studied confirms the importance of determining propensity in lipidic environments to better elucidate the biological functions of proteins. The hydrophobic interactions between peptide side chains and lipids appeared to be the primary forces driving the conformational induction in lipidic environments of the model peptides studied. Finally, when comparing the results of these studies with those reported in the literature, the local environment was found to highly influence 65% of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed2000

Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure and postnatal environment on child development.

Studies on the long-term developmental effects of in utero cocaine exposure are few and the small number of studies published do not consider the postnatal environment. The present investigation was conducted to quantify the role that postnatal environment played compared to prenatal exposure. Four groups of 25 infants, each assessed at 12 months of age, were included in the study design: 1) noncocaine-exposed children residing with their biological parents in low socioeconomic environments, 2) cocaine-exposed children living with their biological parents in low socioeconomic environments, 3) noncocaine-exposed children adopted at birth in middle to upper-middle socioeconomic environments, and 4) cocaine-exposed children adopted at birth. Infants were assessed by the Uzgiris-Hunt Ordinal Scales of Infant Psychological Development, the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence, and the Infant Monitoring Questionnaire. Height and head circumference were measured. Gender and ethnicity were controlled statistically. Significant differences were found in cognitive functioning, in fine motor development, and in physical growth between control and prenatally cocaine-exposed children. Adoption enhanced cognitive functioning and fine motor skills among infants not exposed to cocaine prenatally, but had no apparent effect on infants prenatally exposed to cocaine. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:417-428, 2000. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1993

Family environment of eating disordered and depressed adolescents.

We designed this study to replicate previous findings which suggest a relationship between the qualities found in family environments and specific eating disorders through the examination of subjects' reports of family environments. We also attempted to refine previous findings of such relationships by adding an additional psychiatric contrast group. Subjects included patients with the following diagnoses: (1) Anorexia nervosa, restrictor type; (2) anorexia nervosa with bulimic features; (3) normal weight bulimia; and, as a psychiatric control population (4) major depression. In contrast to previous findings, subjects in each diagnostic group do not differ statistically either from each other or from a normative population with regard to reported family environments. However, when we grouped subjects by self-reported level of depression, those with a high level of depression described family environments that are significantly different, independent of the severity of illnesses or diagnoses. We discuss the use of self-report instruments in measuring such complex phenomena as family environment.

Adolescent↗