Proper Stress Management Research Articles

Stress Detection for Employee’s using Image Processing and Text Mining

The major goal of this study is to use vivid Machine Learning and Image Processing methods to identify stress in the human body. Our system is an upgraded version of previous stress detection systems that did not include live detection or personal counselling, but this system includes live detection and periodic analysis of employees, as well as detecting physical and mental stress levels in them and providing proper stress management remedies via a survey form. Our method is primarily focused on stress management and creating a healthy and spontaneous work environment for workers in order to get the most out of them during working hours

An Assessment of Stress Management Skills and Teachers’ Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Benin Metropolis

The study aimed to determine the level of stress management skills and teachers’ performance in public secondary schools in the Benin metropolis. The dimensions of stress studied included physical stress, mental stress, emotional stress and social stress. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey design using a sample of 171 teachers and school administrators randomly drawn from six secondary schools in Benin City, Edo State Nigeria. The secondary schools were selected from the three local government areas that make up Benin City (Egor, Oredo and Ikpoba-Okha). Using a convenient sampling technique, a self-developed instrument titled: Stress Management Skills and Teachers’ Performance (SMSTP) was used to collect data for the study. The data were analysed using simple percentages. Underpinned by the psychological stress theory of Lazarus, the results showed that public secondary school teachers had a high level of stress and that there are no proper stress management techniques for them in the Benin metropolis. The findings equally revealed that stress has a direct relationship with teachers’ productivity that invariably affects students’ academic performance. Consequently, the study recommended that the same attention given to stress management by corporate organizations which are on the increase should be extended to the education industry.

Ethyl pyruvate prevents long-term stress-induced cognitive decline and modulates Akt/GSK-3β signaling

Stress is an inevitable part of life and, simultaneously, a stimulus that can trigger various neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, proper stress management is essential for maintaining a healthy life. In this study, we investigated the suppression of stress-induced cognitive deficit by controlling changes in synaptic plasticity caused by stress and confirmed that ethyl pyruvate (EP) has such an effect. Corticosterone, a stress hormone, suppresses long-term potentiation (LTP) in mouse acute hippocampal slices. EP blocked the LTP inhibitory effect of corticosterone by regulating GSK-3β function. Restraint stress for 2 weeks increased the anxiety levels and caused the cognitive decline in the experimental animals. Administration of EP for 14 days did not affect the increase in anxiety caused by stress but improved cognitive decline caused by stress. In addition, the decrease in neurogenesis and synaptic function deficits in the hippocampus, which cause of cognitive decline due to stress, were improved by EP administration. These effects appear via regulation of Akt/GSK-3β signaling, as in in vitro studies. These results suggest that EP prevents stress-induced cognitive decline through the modulation of Akt/GSK-3β-mediated synaptic regulation.

We are the Champions: Towards Athlete Achievement, Sports Promotion, and Sports Stress Management

With no proper stress management, there will be a worse effect towards the athletes e.g. physical and/or mental disorder. Yet, this study discloses that there is a lack of body of knowledge and less literature in explaining the mediating role of stress management effect on such disorders of the professional athletes. As such, this study aims to apply a quantitative research method in explaining the mediating effect of stress management on the relationships between stress and the athletes' achievement and sports organization performance through the use of partial least square statistical test. This study has 96 over 217 samples which consist of the athletes who are officially registered and active in either public or private sports organization. The findings of this study for theoretical contribution disclose and recommend that the athlete's stress is vital and it needs to be coped accurately through the proper technique of stress management. The result of the application of effective stress management technique also leads the athletes to improve their performance as well as achievement. This later directly or indirectly increases the organization performance. For example, it will be easy to promote sports organization product/ service in attracting potential young talents, prospective financial sponsorships, etc.. The contribution for practical implications will also be explained in detail within a particular section of this paper.

DEVELOPMENT OF A MOBILE APPLICATION BASED SPECIFIC STRESS SCALE FOR GESTATIONAL DIABETES MELLITUS

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the type of diabetes that occurs in women at the time of gestation or pregnancy. Prevalence of GDM is increasing worldwide. Yearly 21 million new cases are reported. A normal pregnancy itself is linked with unique physical and psychological challenges and which is documented by medical fraternity. But no mention is made on psychological complaints specific to pregnant women diagnosed to have diabetes. It is well documented that diabetes is linked with significant distress level because it demands many lifestyle changes and pregnancy itself is a challenging condition. It stands to reason that a diabetic pregnancy will be linked with significant stress. Maternal exposure to stress can adversely affect the health of both foetus and mother. Stress can also affect diabetic management by influencing diet compliance, medication adherence and blood glucose monitoring. Studies also stated that stress can cause hyperglycaemia by altering hormone balance in body. Therefore any action plan for GDM must include proper stress management to obtain a desired outcome. Customised scales are available to measure the stress related to diabetes and normal pregnancy. But there was no specific scale available to measure GDM related stress scale. This study was undertaken to develop a mobile application based specific stress scale for GDM. A new scale called Gestational Diabetes Stress Scale (GDSS) was developed and introduced through a mobile application. This is a 16 item scale. GDSS gives total score and four subscale scores. A mean item score greater than or equal to 3 indicates the need of clinical attention. The total score is used to measure the overall stress level in patient. And the four subscale scores are to identify the possible sources of stress, which means whether the stress is due to emotional burden and/or medication related and/or health care set up and/or due to any economic or social relationship related and thus it allows the health care professional to manage the stress accordingly, thereby the gap in measuring gestational diabetes mellitus related stress was bridged and through the mobile application all the needed patients and health care providers can use it.

Exposure to cold temperatures differentially modulates neural plasticity and stress responses in post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The transfer success of farmed post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to sea-cages rely on neural adaptions to promote stress resilience. As low temperatures impact physiology, this suggests that off-season transfer to cold waters may be challenging. To address this, post-smolts reared at 13 °C seawater were abruptly transferred to 10 °C, 7 °C, and 4 °C, then acclimated to these respective temperatures for 58-days followed by an acute challenge test (ACT) using confinement stress. Plasma and brain samples were collected after i) the abrupt temperature transfer at 1-h and 1-day, ii) 58-days of acclimation, and iii) 1-h post ACT. In tandem to measuring plasma cortisol levels, the expression of key genes involved in telencephalic regulation (crf, crfbp, mr, gr1, gr2 and hsd11b2) and neural plasticity (neurod, bdnf, pcna, and cfos) were analyzed. Post-smolts exposed to the 7 °C and 4 °C displayed the largest alteration in telencephalic functions, differentially regulating mr and gr1, to elevate the mr/g1 ratio for downregulating Gr1, proposing an elevated stress loads. After acclimation, these coincided with blunted stress responses capacities to ACTs for both cortisol and telencephalic neural activity (cfos), suggesting a continuation of challenges and reduced the capacity to mount a stress response. Concomitantly, these telencephalic alterations in CRs coincided with a differential modulation in neural plasticity, measured as elevated bdnf and neurod during the abrupt transfer period (acute) and after acclimation (prolonged), respectively, revealing neural responses are still robustly maintained to retain a degree of stress resilience. However, exposure of post-smolts to 4 °C clearly induced the most adverse and suppressive effects in telencephalic functions, cued by a suppression in pcna and stress response capacities, downregulation in the CRF system, and largest elevation in the mr/g1 ratio. Conversely, acclimating post-smolts to 7 °C elevated 11hsdb2 proposing a greater inhibition of cortisol action that may point to still adequate maintenance of CR and neural processes. Taken together, these findings show that cold temperatures alter key neural processes required for maintaining proper stress management, providing an alternative explanation for reductions in fish stress reactivity commonly observed with declining temperature. Therefore, exposing post-smolts at 13 °C to temperature reductions of 6 °C or greater should be avoided in aquaculture.

Dysbiosis and Restoration Dynamics of the Gut Microbiome Following Therapeutic Exposure to Florfenicol in Snubnose Pompano (Trachinotus blochii) to Aid in Sustainable Aquaculture Production Strategies.

Information on unintended effects of therapeutic exposure of antibiotics on the fish gut microbiome is a vital prerequisite for ensuring fish and environmental health during sustainable aquaculture production strategies. The present study forms the first report on the impact of florfenicol (FFC), a recommended antibiotic for aquaculture, on the gut microbiome of snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii), a high-value marine aquaculture candidate. Both culture-dependent and independent techniques were applied to identify the possible dysbiosis and restoration dynamics, pointing out the probable risks to the host and environment health. The results revealed the critical transient dysbiotic events in the taxonomic and functional metagenomic profiles and significant reductions in the bacterial load and diversity measures. More importantly, there was a complete restoration of gut microbiome density, diversity, functional metagenomic profiles, and taxonomic composition (up to class level) within 10–15 days of antibiotic withdrawal, establishing the required period for applying proper management measures to ensure animal and environment health, following FFC treatment. The observed transient increase in the relative abundance of opportunistic pathogens suggested the need to apply proper stress management measures and probiotics during the period. Simultaneously, the results demonstrated the inhibitory potential of FFC against marine pathogens (vibrios) and ampicillin-resistant microbes. The study pointed out the possible microbial signatures of stress in fish and possible probiotic microbes (Serratia sp., Methanobrevibacter sp., Acinetobacter sp., and Bacillus sp.) that can be explored to design fish health improvisation strategies. Strikingly, the therapeutic exposure of FFC neither caused any irreversible increase in antibiotic resistance nor promoted the FFC resistant microbes in the gut. The significant transient increase in the numbers of kanamycin-resistant bacteria and abundance of two multidrug resistance encoding genes (K03327 and K03585) in the treated fish gut during the initial 10 days post-withdrawal suggested the need for implementing proper aquaculture effluent processing measures during the period, thus, helps to reduce the spillover of antibiotic-resistant microbes from the gut of the treated fish to the environment. In brief, the paper generates interesting and first-hand insights on the implications of FFC treatment in the gut microbiome of a marine aquaculture candidate targeting its safe and efficient application in unavoidable circumstances. Implementation of mitigation strategies against the identified risks during the initial 15 days of withdrawal period is warranted to ensure cleaner and sustainable aquaculture production from aquatic animal and ecosystem health perspectives.

Covid 19 and Stress among Students

In today's culture, there are numerous factors that may act as a stress catalyst, making stress a big aspect of one's life. Covid-19 has wrought tremendous havoc all over the planet. Stress isn't just an issue for adults; it's also growing more common among children of all ages. Proper stress management is incredibly difficult to achieve since parents do not have the time to adequately care for their children. Most people assume that stress can only be caused by a traumatic event, but the fact is that tension may also be caused by a good experience. There are numerous causes of student stress that can lead to stress in a student's life, including misbehavior between the student and the teacher, which can lead to increased tension and stress. A lack of parental engagement also led in attacks on all pupils. Children in general do not pay attention to their eating habits, making them more vulnerable to stress in general. Inadequate sleep is also a source of stress, and students all over the world suffer as a result. Students' capacity to manage stress is hit or miss.

Covid 19 and Stress among Students

In today's culture, there are numerous factors that may act as a stress catalyst, making stress a big aspect of one's life. Covid-19 has wrought tremendous havoc all over the planet. Stress isn't just an issue for adults; it's also growing more common among children of all ages. Proper stress management is incredibly difficult to achieve since parents do not have the time to adequately care for their children. Most people assume that stress can only be caused by a traumatic event, but the fact is that tension may also be caused by a good experience. There are numerous causes of student stress that can lead to stress in a student's life, including misbehavior between the student and the teacher, which can lead to increased tension and stress. A lack of parental engagement also led in attacks on all pupils. Children in general do not pay attention to their eating habits, making them more vulnerable to stress in general. Inadequate sleep is also a source of stress, and students all over the world suffer as a result. Students' capacity to manage stress is hit or miss.

Prevalence and Predictors of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among International Medical Students in China During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The rapid spread of Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) infection has been the most important public health crisis across the globe since the end of 2019. Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems among people during the pandemic, and many studies have reported anxiety and depressive symptoms in college students. However, information on the mental health status of international medical students during this critical period of time has been scarce, which hinders the efforts in making proper policy or strategies to help these students. The present study aims to explore the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in international medical students in China and to find out the factors that have potential predictive value for anxiety and depressive symptoms.Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out for international medical students during November 2020 at China Medical University in Shenyang, China. Five hundred and nineteen international students were interviewed with questionnaires containing demographic variables, Stressors in school, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) and Resilience Scale-14 (RS-14). Univariate logistic regression and stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted where appropriate to explore the predictive factors of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms.Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms in the sample population was 28.5% (148/519) and 31.6% (164/519), respectively. Stressors in school (β = 0.176, OR = 1.192, CI: 1.102–1.289), negative coping style (β = 0.639, OR = 1.894, CI: 1.287–2.788) and perceived stress (β = 0.230, OR = 1.258, CI: 1.184–1.337) were found to be the predictors of anxiety symptoms among the international medical students; while gender (β = −0.594, OR = 0.552, CI: 0.315–0.968), stay up late (β = 0.828, OR = 2.288, CI: 1.182–4.431), current place of residence (β = 1.082, OR = 2.951, CI: 1.256–6.931), stressors in the school (β = 0.303, OR = 1.354, CI: 1.266–1.496), negative coping style (β = 0.866, OR = 2.377, CI: 1.516–3.725), perceived stress (β = 0.233, OR = 1.262, CI: 1.180–1.351) were found to be predictors of depressive symptoms.Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms was moderate among international medical students in China. The communal predictors of anxiety and depressive symptoms were stressors in school, negative coping style and perceived stress; while demographic factors such as gender (male), stay up late at night and current place of residence were found associated with depressive symptoms. These results suggest that proper stress management and specific interventions are needed to help students maintain their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

STRES DAN KECEMASAN PADA DOSEN YANG MELAKSANAKAN KULIAH DARING PADA MASA PANDEMI COVID-19

Online learning applied since March 2020, during 10 month passed, obstacle raised among students and lecturers which found during online learning, student had difficulties on phone signal especially students from island near Madura island, student poorly understood about the topic given by the lecturer. Problem faced by lecturer such as student didn’t pay attention during online learning, and some of lecturers clueless with online learning app. This will raise stress and anxiety for lecturers who was doing online learning. The aim of this study was to represent anxiety and stress level of lecturers during online learning for pandemic covid 19 period. The design of this study was descriptive design. The Population in this study were all of lecturers of Universitas Wiraraja as much as 168 lecturers with sample 63 lecturers. The result of this study showed that respondent mostly on medium level of anxiety were 33 people (52,4%) and the stress level of respondent mostly on medium level of stress werw 42 people (66,7 %). A lecturer expected to improve their coping mechanism in overcoming stress and anxiety during online learning for pandemic time. By proper stress management, it will increase lecturer work performances on this pandemic condition. Keywords: Anxiety, Stress, Covid 19, lecturers

The effect of job stress to employee performance: Case study of manufacturing industry in Indonesia

The manufacturing industry in Indonesia is proliferating, contributing almost a quarter of Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP). This development encourages companies engaging in the industry to increase production capacity. As a result, the employees are demanded to work harder as the manufacturing sector rises. Overwork can result in fatigue, stress and various health problems. However, work stress is a common problem faced in almost all industries and often affects employee performance. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of work stress on employee performance in the manufacturing industry in Indonesia. The sample of this research is 93 employees at the staff level who work in various manufacturing companies. This study uses partial structural data analysis techniques using SPSS version 20.0. These techniques are used to analyze the effect of work stress and work environment on employee performance. The results showed that work stress and work environment has a significant impact on employee performance with the value of R = 0.972. Based on the survey result, non-standard working hours and poor relationship with colleagues/superiors contribute to the creation of work stress which has an impact on low performance. Thus, this study suggests the organization to perform a proper stress management as a solution to work stress by implementing flexible working hours and holding discussion forums and meetings between employees. Therefore, employees will be more motivated to improve work productivity.

Covid 19 and stress among students

In today's culture, there are numerous factors that may act as a stress catalyst, making stress a big aspect of one's life. Covid-19 has wrought tremendous havoc all over the planet. Stress isn't just an issue for adults; it's also growing more common among children of all ages. Proper stress management is incredibly difficult to achieve since parents do not have the time to adequately care for their children. Most people assume that stress can only be caused by a traumatic event, but the fact is that tension may also be caused by a good experience. There are numerous causes of student stress that can lead to stress in a student's life, including misbehavior between the student and the teacher, which can lead to increased tension and stress. A lack of parental engagement also led in attacks on all pupils. Children in general do not pay attention to their eating habits, making them more vulnerable to stress in general. Inadequate sleep is also a source of stress, and students all over the world suffer as a result. Students' capacity to manage stress is hit or miss.

The Accumulation of Visceral Fat and Preventive Measures among the Elderly

Visceral fat is a specific fat that is produced in the body, transformed into cholesterol, and circulated in the blood to other parts of the body. The circulated cholesterol usually in the form of low-density lipoproteins forms plaque on the walls of the arteries, thereby constricting and blocking them and preventing the free flow of nutrients to various vital organs in the body. Visceral fat is deleterious to the health of elderly people because it is mostly found in the region of the abdomen that houses vital organs such as the pancreas, liver, and digestive tract, and it further affects the normal functioning of hormones in the body. Globally, 15 million people die of a noncommunicable disease (NCD) annually between the age of 30 years and the age of 69 years, and there is an increase in NCD morbidity among people older than 70 years. Accumulated visceral fat in elderly people could have deleterious health consequences, as it is a predisposing factor for many other NCDs and chronic health conditions. Sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating, stress, and inactivity are the major causes of excessive visceral fat. However, measures to prevent the accumulation of visceral fat are straightforward, and impressive results are achieved with regular physical exercise, healthy diet choices, and proper stress management.

Food Addiction Mediates the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Body Mass Index in Taiwan Young Adults.

Perceived stress is the degree of stress experienced by an individual in the face of a stressor. Studies have shown that stress affects emotions, leads to behavioral changes, and is likely to trigger physical illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stress is classified as a health epidemic of the 21st century; in the meantime, the percentage of adults being overweight and with obesity has continued to grow after reaching 38.9% in 2016. Hence, it is unclear whether perceived stress has become a factor affecting progressive obesity and whether food addiction (FA) is an intermediate factor. The purposes of this study were to (1) investigate the FA prevalence among young adults in Taiwan, (2) understand correlations among perceived stress, FA, and the body mass index (BMI), and (3) determine the potential mediating effect of FA due to perceived stress on BMI. The study was conducted through an online questionnaire, composed of a basic data form, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). We received 1994 responses and analyzed 1780 valid samples. Results showed that 231 participants met the FA criteria, accounting for 12.98%. Perceived stress was positively correlated with BMI (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.013~0.088, p-value 7.8 × 10−3), and perceived stress was positively associated to FA (95% CI 1.099~1.154, p-value < 10−4), which was also positively correlated with BMI (95% CI 0.705~2.176, p-value 10−4). FA significantly mediated the relationship between PSS and BMI with an indirect effect size of 25.18% and 25.48% in the group that scored 31~40 on the PSS. The study concluded that among people seeking weight loss, proper stress management and screening for FA in order to apply related therapies may be an effective method for weight management.

Developing Stress Assessment forms for Thai Cancer Patients: The Thai Version of the Modified Symptoms of Stress Inventory (Modified SOSI)

Background: Cancer is a progressive illness that often has a prolonged treatment time and that severely impacts a person’s quality of life. In Thailand, approximately 113,000 new cancer patients are diagnosed each year. Furthermore, cancer patients also have a high mortality rate of 90%, indicating that cancer is a major health problem both in Thailand and around the world. Physical manifestations of cancer include pain in the organs where cancer has already spread and side effects of treatment, such as chemotherapy and radiation, which adversely impact the mental state of cancer patients. Increased stress often results in other subsequent health conditions. Thus, identifying stress quickly and promptly in cancer patients through proper stress management is important. Objective: To develop and monitor accurate stress evaluation according to the self-perceptions (Thai version of the Modified Symptoms of Stress Inventory, Modified SOSI) of cancer patients in Thailand. Research Methodology: This study consists of three steps according to the research guidelines of Wongwiwatthananukit, Newton, and Popovich (2002): (1) the process of creating and developing tools; (2) the process of reviewing questions concerning the tools by experts; and (3) testing procedures for the use of the tools. Results: Content consistency using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient from 30 samples were determined to be .906. Investigation of the construct validity of the SOSI found that the relationships indicated in stress consisted of physical, mental, and behavioral. Significant relationships between these three aspects were determined by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling as adequacy = 0.80, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity gave statistical significance at 0.05. The most important indicator was the physical, followed by the mental, while the behavioral had the least weight importance. Conclusion: The results of this study confirm that the Thai version of the Modified Symptoms of Stress Inventory (Modified SOSI), comprising 30 questions, was able to evaluate stress, including physical, mental and behavioral responses to stress. This inventory was considered concise and appropriate for cancer patients and can be used with other populations.

A cross-sectional study on BMI and eating habits among students in a medical college in Kerala

Background: Obesity and overweight is increasing nowadays among the medical students. Erratic eating habits and other lifestyle related risk factors are mainly implicated for this increasing burden, and research related to these risk factors is essential, considering their role as future physicians and role models in public health intervention programs. The present study was conducted to estimate the BMI values of medical students and to compare obesity among male and female students with their socio-demographic factors, eating habits and lifestyle.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students in a medical college in Kerala during 1st May 2018 to 30th July 2018. A total of 573 students out of 600 participated in the study. Using a structured questionnaire data was collected. BMI was calculated for 483 medical students with age group of 20 years and above including 173 males and 310 females. SPSS version 17 was used for statistical analysis.Results: Using WHO BMI classification 18.2% were overweight and 2.1% were obese. Using Asia- Pacific BMI classification 18.2% were overweight and 20.3% were obese. Male students were more obese than females. Skipping breakfast, eating full stomach, not knowing balanced nutrition, eating fatty foods and snacks, eating more under stress and drinking soft drinks were common unhealthy eating habits among obese students.Conclusions: Obesity and overweight is very prevalent among medical students. Improving their knowledge regarding balanced nutrition, regular eating habits, proper stress management and adoption of healthy lifestyle will result in proper body weight and prevent obesity complications.

The association between serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels and job-related stress among female nurses.

BackgroundDehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) is an endogenous steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. DHEAS has been suggested to play a protective role against psychosocial stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between job-related stress and blood concentrations of DHEAS according to occupational stress factors among female nurses.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 118 premenopausal nurses from 4 departments (operating room, emergency room [ER], intensive care unit, and ward) of a university hospital. Participants were all rotating night shift workers who have worked for over a year and mean age of 33.5 ± 4.8 years. Data from structured questionnaires including the Korean Occupational Stress Score, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used.ResultsIn the high job-related stressor group, scores of BDI, BAI, and PSQI were significantly higher than low-stressor group. ER nurses had relatively more work-burden related stressors, but they had significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression than other groups. And, ER nurses showed higher levels of DHEAS than the other department nurses. The differences were significant (p = 0.003). Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference even after adjusting for factors that could affect level of DHEAS, such as age, body mass index, drinking, and physical activity (p = 0.039).ConclusionsThis result suggests the possibility that DHEAS may play a role as a marker of proper stress management. The capacity to secrete DHEAS is not simply due to workload or job stressor but could be determined depending on how individuals and groups deal with and resolve stress. Proper resolution of stress may affect positive hormone secretion.

The Prevalence of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in the Korean Military Compared with the General Population.

BackgroundObesity and related metabolic disorders are growing health challenges worldwide and individuals at military service are not exceptions. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) in the Korean military and to compare with the general population.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study of 4,803 young military participants who underwent a corporal health-screening program between October 2013 and October 2014. The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria was used to identify MS. We also sampled 1,108 men aged 19–29 years from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from 2010 to 2013 to compare with their military counterparts.ResultsThe mean age of military participants was 20.8 ± 1.1 years, and 20.6% (n = 988) were obese. The prevalence of MS was 0.8% in military participants, while 7.9% in general population. The risk factors of MS were less prominent among military participants relative to civilians, with the exception of high blood pressure, of which prevalence was higher among military participants (21.5% vs. 18.2%, respectively). In multiple logistic analysis, high physical activity conferred lower odds of MS and obesity in military participants (odds ratios, 0.19 and 0.81, respectively). Age older than 25 years increased risk of most components of MS among civilians.ConclusionThe prevalence of obesity and MS is lower in military participants compared with civilians of similar age. Monitoring of high blood pressure and proper stress management are warranted in those at military service.

Evaluación de la efectividad de una intervención interactiva para el manejo del estrés en profesionales de la salud

Resumen Antecedentes. Los efectos del estrés dependen de la percepción de los estresores y de las habilidades para afrontar situaciones estresantes. Objetivo. Evaluar una intervención interactiva para desarrollar recursos y habilidades para un manejo adecuado del estrés en profesionales de la salud. Método. Esta intervención se probó utilizando un Cédula diseñada para evaluar componentes de Conocimientos, Habilidades y Actitudes sobre manejo del estrés, conformada por 17 afirmaciones para dimensión de Conocimientos, 11 sobre Habilidades para manejo del estrés; y 20 sobre Actitudes para reaccionar ante el estrés. Participaron 165 profesionales y pasantes de carreras afines. Se hicieron análisis estadísticos para comparar los puntajes de los tres componentes antes y después de la intervención utilizando la prueba t de Student, se aplicó la prueba de McNemar para comparar los resultados. Resultados. Sobre la efectividad de la intervención, en los análisis de comparación de los puntajes, se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas a favor de la intervención en los tres componentes: Conocimientos (t=-9.77, gl=164, p=.000), Habilidades (t=-10.19, gl=164, p=.000) y Actitudes (t=-4.80, gl=164, p=.000).Los análisis por reactivo mostraron incrementos estadísticamente significativos en el número de respuestas correctas después de la intervención en los tres componentes. Discusión y conclusión. Los resultados de esta intervención interactiva fueron estadísticamente significativos en Conocimientos, Habilidades y Actitudes para manejo del estrés. Además de ser una intervención innovadora, breve, basada en la traslación del conocimiento (4 semanas), y disponible en Internet, la evidencia de su efectividad hace que se perfile como una herramienta válida para el manejo adecuado del estrés.