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PubMed1997

Health beliefs of blue collar workers. Increasing self efficacy and removing barriers.

The study compared the health beliefs of participants and non-participants in a blood pressure and cholesterol screening held at the worksite. A cross sectional, ex-post facto design was used. Questionnaires measuring health beliefs related to cardiac screening and prevention of cardiac problems were distributed to a convenience sample of 200 blue-collar workers in a large manufacturing plant in the Midwest. One hundred fifty-one (75.5%) completed questionnaires were returned, of which 45 had participated in cardiac worksite screening in the past month. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze data. Participants perceived significantly fewer barriers to cardiac screening and scored significantly higher on self efficacy than non-participants. These findings concur with other studies identifying barriers and self efficacy as important predictors of health behavior. Occupational health nurses' efforts are warranted to reduce barriers and improve self efficacy by advertising screenings, scheduling them at convenient times and locations, assuring privacy, and keeping time inconvenience to a minimum.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Determinants of health-promoting behavior among women ages 65 and above living in the community.

This study utilized Pender's Health Promotion Model to investigate through canonical correlation analysis the role that select cognitive-perceptual factors (health self-determinism, learned helplessness, self-esteem, and perceived health) and modifying factors (age, race, marital status, education, and income) play in understanding participation of community-living older adult women (age > or = 65) in the health-promoting behaviors of health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, interpersonal relations, and stress management. These were measured by the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II in a convenience sample of 107 community-living older adult women (mean age 76.7 years). Gender-specific benefits and barriers to participating in health-promoting behaviors were also explored using open-ended questions. Two significant canonical variates were demonstrated. These indicated that age, marital status, race, education, and self-esteem and the two health-related factors of perceived health and health self-determinism made statistically significant contributions to the health-promoting behaviors of physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, and interpersonal relations. Benefits identified included better psychological well-being, coping with the general issues of aging, social interaction, improved function, and management of existing health problems. Internal barriers focused on perceived physical difficulties with all types of health-promoting behaviors; external barriers included aspects of the activity itself, lack of support from others and structural barriers. Study results suggest that older adult women (age > or = 65) participate in health-promoting behaviors for both health enhancement and health management reasons and that barriers may be a more important determinant of older women's health-promoting lifestyle behaviors than previously described in the model.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

[Changes of both knowledge levels and health-related behaviors of preventing cardio-cerebro-vascular diseases in population after intervention].

Comprehensive intervention measures for preventing cardio-cerebro-vascular diseases of community population were carried out in Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha urban areas, and then was evaluated to its effects on knowledge, attitude and behavior (KAB) levels and health-related behaviors of population by quasi-trial designation. Results showed that the net KAB leveling were separately 9.89 in 1995, 4.74 in 1997 and 10.66 in 2000 in comparison with base investigation, and statistically significant difference was found. Of 6 health-related behaviors, caring to health knowledge, being influenced by health knowledge and exercising were significantly influenced, next controlling salt consumption. No change of smoking and alcohol drinking was found. Among different target population, these changes among women were higher than man as well as at home or retired than at work, and hypertension than normtension. As aging and education time decreasing, both absolute and relative effects of health education were better. It suggests that comprehensive intervention with health education as its main measure promote KAB levels and transfer health-related behaviors of population. It is great important to preventing cardio-cerebro-vascular diseases of community population.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Health related behaviors and cancer screening of lesbians: results of the Boston Lesbian Health Project II.

This paper reports data on health related behaviors and cancer screening from the Boston Lesbian Health Project II (BLHP II), a replication of a national survey of lesbians on a variety of health-related variables completed in 1987. The findings suggest that lesbians have increased their use of primary care, including routine physical examinations, pap smear screening for cervical cancer, and mammography for breast cancer, but that rates continue to be lower than would be expected for women in general. Younger lesbians in this sample smoked at high rates. Smoking rates continue to be of concern in other age groups, although they are lower than national data from women in general. BLHP II data confirm other findings that lesbians are more likely to drink alcohol and to drink more heavily than other women. Implications for health care of lesbians and future research with this population are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

[Disparities in the Israeli oral healthcare delivery system].

At the beginning of 1995 Israel implemented a health reform. A new National Health Insurance Law came into effect, mandating compulsory health insurance for all Israeli citizens. However, while the individual's right to health services is grounded in law, the basket of services provided under this law includes no components that can contribute to oral health of the population. The country's oral health system has always had minimal government involvement and relies largely on private funding. As such, it can serve as an appropriate model for observing the impact of such policy on economically weak population groups, and on the extent of system equity. The research goals were to examine gaps among various populations in service accessibility, knowledge and attitudes, preventive health behaviors, and perceived health within this unique oral healthcare system. The study population consisted of residents of Israel aged 22+ and living in the community--approximately 4.5 million persons. The data were gathered through telephone interviews based on a random sampling of the computerized telephone directory of Israel's domestic telephone company. The response rate was 82%, with 1,067 respondents representing the adult population of Israel. The current study found significant gaps among income groups for knowledge, attitudes, preventive oral-health behaviors and perceived oral-health. The findings can serve as a red flag for over-reliance on private funding in the health system, and may indicate the need for rethinking about the current oral healthcare policy in Israel.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Influence of behavioral science research on oral health promotion.

To realize the benefits of advances in preventive and problem-focused dentistry, patients must carry out specific oral health behaviors. The behaviors range from seeking preventive care, to keeping appointments, to carrying out home-based self-care regimens. Unfortunately, rates of these behaviors are less than optimal and maximizing patient involvement in dental care is a major challenge facing dentistry. In fact, poor rates of patient adherence remains a significant problem in all areas of health care. Aspects of the treatment regimen itself as well as provider and patient actions impact these outcomes. Theoretical models grounded in the behavioral sciences provide useful frameworks for understanding the process of health behavior change that can be applied to patient care. Research in health promotion and disease prevention have identified a number of psychological, social, and environmental issues related to oral health behaviors and outcomes, including personal barriers, social support, stress and coping, health beliefs, and dental anxiety. These barriers are discussed, and examples of interventions that have incorporated theoretical models and behavioral outcomes and linking them to oral health are provided. Future directions of the expanding area of behavioral science and oral health promotion in clinical practice are discussed.

Behavioral Sciences↗

PubMed1996

Getting Black women to screen for cancer: incorporating health beliefs into practice.

Designing a culturally appropriate, user-friendly cancer screening and educational program is a challenge for nurse practitioners, particularly when working with populations having poor health promotion behaviors. Health beliefs have been identified as being influential in health promotion behaviors, particularly among African American women, making the understanding of specific health beliefs regarding cancer important for the nurse practitioner providing care. This paper presents a strategic plan to increase health promotion behaviors regarding cancer prevention and early detection among African American women by incorporating their health beliefs into clinical practice.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2006

Monitoring health risk behavior of Dutch adolescents and the development of health promoting policies and activities: the E-MOVO project.

This paper describes a new way of monitoring the health status of Dutch adolescents in order to stimulate the development of health policies at school and local levels and providing individual feedback using modern technology. The project is called E-MOVO that stands for Electronic Monitor and Health Education, in which seven Regional Health Authorities and the University of Maastricht collaborate. In this project, adolescents completed an electronic questionnaire via the Internet which measured topics related to demographics, school, physical health, mental health, well-being, lifestyle, criminality and leisure time activities. These data were used for feedback at three levels. On the basis of their answers, adolescents received tailored feedback on lifestyle in a personal 'E-MOVO score', including links to relevant websites or other tailored information. The aggregated data were used to provide schools and municipalities with information on the health and well-being of their adolescent population. These data were used to encourage the development of health promoting policies and activities at both levels. This project was evaluated and is now adapted to implement at a national level.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Questionnaire research into health-related behavior in the United Kingdom.

Health Education is concerned with more than medical health. It embraces the social context of the individual and is inseparable from personal and social development. A questionnaire developed in the United Kingdom to obtain health-related behavior profiles has been completed by 45,000 young people. The results are being used by schools to aid internal curriculum development, and they constitute an extensive data bank for further research. Cross-cultural use of the instrument may foster profitable exchanges of information both at the school and research levels.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Synthesis of cardiovascular behavioral research for youth health promotion.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has funded school and family-based research studies for more than a decade. The scientific background for focusing on the major cardiovascular health behaviors with youth is reviewed, as well as the importance of the components in the school health program as a framework for the multiple considerations in school health research. A synthesis of 10 NHLBI funded studies is presented including the sociodemographic characteristics of study populations, study designs, interventions, measures, and results. The studies address single or multiple behaviors, elementary and high school age groups, and multiple ethnic/racial groups, and test various combinations of curriculum, parental involvement, and environmental changes (including school food service).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Review of self-efficacy and locus of control for nutrition- and health-related behavior.

This article reviews several cognitive predictors of health- and diet-related behaviors commonly used in theories and models of nutrition and health behavior change. Constructs such as self-efficacy, self-esteem, outcome expectancies, health value, and locus of control are examined. Self-efficacy has repeatedly been a good predictor of health behavior, sometimes explaining more than 50% of variability. Research on locus of control and other predictive factors has been less conclusive. The take-home message is threefold: (a) task specificity of self-efficacy and domain specificity of locus of control are crucial for unraveling their effects on behavior; (b) careful segmentation of different population groups under study may explain the inconsistencies in previous research; and (c) especially when studying dietary behavior, these predictors of behavior change should not be used alone or in place of one another but should be used simultaneously to explain complex food and diet-related behaviors. We recommend that nutritionists systematically integrate available theories and models and explore new areas for studying human behavior, such as sociology and anthropology, to form a more powerful, comprehensive model for behavior change.

Feeding Behavior↗

PubMed2003

Breast and gynecologic health-screening behaviors among 191 women with spinal cord injuries.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to advance the understanding of preventive health behaviors of women with spinal cord injury (SCI) by comparing the frequency of preventive health behaviors (a) between women with SCI and women in the general population, and (b) among women with SCI as a function of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). DESIGN: Telephone interviews. PARTICIPANTS: 191 women with SCI who had been treated at 1 of 4 Model SCI Systems hospitals. The sample included 66 white women, 59 African American women, 22 American Indian women, and 44 Hispanic women. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. RESULTS: Study participants reported significant differences in their frequency of either mammograms or Pap smears when compared with the general population. However, no significant differences were found among study participants when rates were compared by race/ethnicity to the general population. Also, no differences were found among the women with SCI as a function of race/ethnicity or income level. CONCLUSION: The results are encouraging, because no deficits in preventive health care were identified among women with SCI as a function of race/ethnicity or SES.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

How injection drug users coped with testing HIV-seropositive: implications for subsequent health-related behaviors.

At entry into methadone maintenance treatment, 94 HIV-positive injection drug users (IDUs) completed the Coping Reponses Inventory, which asked them to "describe your feelings and experiences when you first learned you were HIV positive." Controlling for time since HIV testing, a reliance on avoidance coping following HIV testing was correlated with high levels of recent HIV risk behavior and poor health at entry into the study. The use of any coping strategy, particularly approach strategies, was related to medication adherence. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that avoidance coping accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in recent HIV risk behavior over and above that accounted for by the other variables. Other independent predictors of continued risk behavior were poor health, lack of social support, and low levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge. The need for interventions to help injection drug users (IDUs) cope subsequent to testing HIV seropositive is discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2002

A cross-sectional study of health-related behaviors in rural eastern China.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the status of health-related behaviors among rural residents and the factors influencing the practice of such behaviors. METHODS: One thousand and ninety subjects aged 15 years or over in a rural community, Anhui Province, China were surveyed. A questionnaire was used to collect information on the health knowledge, attitude and behavior of the subjects. Information on health behavior included smoking, drinking, dietary habits, regular exercises, sleeping pattern and oral health behavior. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking and drinking in the male subjects was 46.5% and 46.9%, respectively. There was a positive significant association between smoking and drinking. Only 8.3% of all subjects ate three regular meals a day regularly. Among subjects who ate two meals a day, 89.7% did not have breakfast. Only 1.7% of subjects took part in regular exercise. About 85% of subjects slept 6 to 8 h per day. Only 38.4% of the respondents had the habit of hand washing before eating and after using the lavatory. 79.3% of the subjects brushed their teeth every day, and among them, only 10.6 percent brushed their teeth twice a day. Further analyses showed that 64.8% of subjects had 3-5 items of positive health behaviors out of 8 items and only 16.9% had six or more items. Logistical regression analyses suggested that better health behavior was affected by sex, age, years of education, income and health knowledge. CONCLUSION: The status of health behaviors among rural residents was generally poor. It is thus urgent to reinforce health education in rural communities in China.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Health promotion behavior in low income black and Latino women.

Health promotion behaviors were examined in a sample of low-income, Black and Latino women. Latino women were more likely than Black women to eat a daily breakfast; sleep 7-8 hours per night and abstain from alcohol and tobacco use. Black women were more likely to be eating vegetables on a regular basis and exercising at least once per week. The results suggest that low-income Latino women may need to increase their consumption of vegetables and frequency of exercise. Among Black women, a wider range of healthy lifestyle behaviors such as sleeping eight hours per night, eating a daily breakfast and decreasing alcohol and tobacco consumption may need to be emphasized.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Acculturation and interrelationships between problem and health-promoting behaviors among Latino adolescents.

PURPOSE: To examine: (a) the effects of acculturation on a healthy lifestyle including problem behaviors (substance use and sex acts) and health-promoting behaviors (e.g., seat belt use, vitamin intake, hours of sleep per night) and (b) the interrelationships among problem and health-promoting behaviors among Latino adolescents. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with Latino adolescents (n = 609) with questions covering the following areas: acculturation, sociodemographics, problem behaviors, and health-promoting behaviors. The participants ranged in age from 11 to 19 (mean = 15) years. Bivariate correlations and factor analyses were used to examine the relationship between problem and health-promoting behaviors. A combination of one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs), Chi-square tests, and Student's t-tests were used to analyze the effects of acculturation on problem and health-promoting behaviors. RESULTS: Higher levels of acculturation were associated with an increased likelihood of exhibiting problem behaviors and a decreased likelihood of exhibiting certain health-promoting behaviors. Foreign-born Latinos were significantly less likely to engage in problem behaviors. Problem behaviors were likely to co-occur; however, the co-occurrence of health-promoting behaviors was not evident. The results also revealed the co-occurrence of problem behaviors with selected health-promoting behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Among Latino adolescents, there seems to be evidence that problem behaviors and certain health-promoting behaviors do co-occur. To the extent that "healthy lifestyles" are conceptualized as the presence of health-promoting behaviors and the absence of problem behaviors, less acculturated Latino adolescents seem to fare better than those that are more acculturated. Interventions to promote "healthy lifestyles" among Latino adolescents should be tailored to take into consideration the effect of acculturation.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2006

Health literacy and health risk behaviors among older adults.

BACKGROUND: Limited health literacy is associated with poorer physical and mental health, although the causal pathways are not entirely clear. In this study, the association between health literacy and the prevalence of health risk behaviors was examined among older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 2923 new Medicare, managed-care enrollees was conducted in four U.S. metropolitan areas (Cleveland OH; Houston TX; Tampa FL; Fort Lauderdale-Miami FL). Health literacy was measured using the short form of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Behaviors investigated included self-reported cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, body mass index, and seat belt use. RESULTS: Individuals with inadequate health literacy were more likely to have never smoked (46.7% vs. 38.6, p =0.01); to completely abstain from alcohol (75.6% vs. 57.9, p <0.001); and to report a sedentary lifestyle (38.2% vs. 21.6%, p <0.001) compared to those with adequate health literacy. No significant differences were noted by mean body mass index or seat belt use. In multinomial logistic regression models that adjusted for relevant covariates, inadequate health literacy was not found to be significantly associated with any of the health risk behaviors investigated. CONCLUSIONS: Among community-dwelling elderly, limited health literacy was not independently associated with health risk behaviors after controlling for relevant covariates.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Longitudinal changes in lifestyle behaviors and health status in colon cancer survivors.

Lifestyle changes in persons diagnosed with cancer are important because they may impact prognosis, co-morbidities, and survival. This report describes longitudinal changes in lifestyle behaviors and health status among colon cancer survivors (n = 278) and population-based controls (n = 459) in North Carolina (39% African American), and examines demographic and psychosocial correlates of healthy lifestyle changes following a colon cancer diagnosis. Data are from surveys of a population-based cohort of colon cancer patients on diagnosis (the North Carolina Colon Cancer Study, NCCCS) and approximately 2 years post-diagnosis [the North Carolina Strategies to Improve Diet, Exercise, and Screening Study (NC STRIDES)], and population-based controls. Both studies collected information on demographic/lifestyle characteristics and medical history. The NCCCS reflects pre-diagnosis or pre-interview patterns, whereas NC STRIDES queried on current practices. Between the NCCCS and NC STRIDES, colon cancer survivors reported significant increases in vegetable intake, physical activity, and supplement use (all P <0.01) and a non-statistically significant increase in fruit/juice consumption (0.1 serving), with larger fruit/vegetable changes in African Americans than Whites. Controls increased physical activity and supplement use and fewer reported arthritic symptoms (P < 0.05). Survivors who were older and female had an almost 3 times higher likelihood of having used at least one new dietary supplement post-diagnosis, whereas being retired correlated with increased vegetable intake, all P < 0.05. Having more barriers to increasing fruit/vegetable intake was inversely associated with taking a new supplement (P < 0.05 only in controls). Colon cancer survivors reported making significant improvements in multiple health-related behaviors. Health care providers should communicate with persons diagnosed with colon cancer to ensure that they are making healthy lifestyle changes.

Adenocarcinoma↗