Reported Health Behaviors Research Articles

Women’s reported health behaviours before and during pregnancy: A retrospective study

Objective: This study aimed to determine women’s reported health behaviours (physical activity, diet, weight management) before and during pregnancy, and to identify sources of health information. Design: Retrospective study incorporating quantitative (a self-completed survey) and qualitative (one-on-one interviews) methods. Methodology: Participants were women aged 18 or over; had no pre-existing medical condition that might be exacerbated during pregnancy (e.g. diabetes, heart condition); and had given birth in the last 12 months. Nineteen women agreed to one-on-one interviews and 100 women agreed to complete a mailed questionnaire. Qualitative data and quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive qualitative methodology and by using McNemar’s test for correlated proportions, respectively. Results: Participants reported a significant reduction in their level of physical activity during pregnancy; a significant increase in consumption of fruit, vegetables and fibre, and a decrease in fast food consumption (all p < 0.05). Medical practitioners are the preferred source of health information but seem to provide insufficient information about health behaviours during pregnancy in relation to physical activity, diet and weight management. Conclusion: Women reported eating a healthier diet and reducing their level of physical activity during the antenatal period, compared to pre-pregnancy. There is a need to improve the provision of health information on physical activity, diet and weight management in the antenatal period.

Prevalence and correlates of perceived oral malodor among adolescents in Temeke District, Dar Es Salaam

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of perceived oral malodor and its correlates in terms of self assessed oral health status and reported health behaviors (oral hygiene practice, dental attendance, tobacco use and alcohol consumption) among adolescents in secondary schools in Temeke district, Dar es Salaam. Cross-sectional survey data were used. The sample consisted of adolescents (n= 400) 13 years old and above attending secondary schools in Temeke district. Eight schools were selected randomly from the sampling frame of all schools in the district (N=63). Self-administered questionnaires used to collect information from the adolescents included questions on socio-demographic details; perceived oral malodor; self rated oral health status and oral health related behavior (dental attendance, brushing, smoking and alcohol consumption). Data entry and analysis were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 13.0 .Chi-square and multiple logistic regressions were performed. Seventy two percents of the adolescents perceived oral malodor. More boys (62%) than girls (51%) rated their oral health to be poor. Almost all adolescents (97.5%) reported to brush their teeth; tongue brushing was 62% and 76% for boys and girls respectively. The percentage of adolescents who never attended to a dentist was 57% and 54% for boys and girls, respectively. Bleeding gums on brushing was reported by 64% of boys while in girls the percentage was 63%. Tobacco use was 23% and 16% for boys and girls, respectively and alcohol was consumed by 48% of boys and 31% of girls. Unadjusted logistic regressions revealed that subjects who perceived oral malodor were more likely to report having poor oral health status (OR = 1.5; CL= 1.1-2.3) and bleeding gums during brushing (OR = 1.8; CL = 1.1-2.3). Regarding oral health related behaviors, tongue brushing (OR=0.5; CI = 0.3-0.7), and alcohol consumption (OR = 0.6; CI = 0.4-0.9) did not vary in the expected direction as perceived oral malodor. Smoking habit (OR=0.7; C1=0.4-1.2) did not show a significant correlation with perceived oral malodor among adolescents in the selected schools of Temeke district. Oral malodor is prevalent among adolescents in Temeke district in Dar es Salaam. Information about perceived oral malodor and the factors associated with it might help in planning effective strategies to promote oral health and general health among this group of population

The Preventive Health Behaviors of Long-Term Survivors of Cancer and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Compared with Matched Controls

Little is known about the health promotion, prevention, and disease screening behaviors of cancer survivors treated with hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), who undergo arduous treatment and may be at particular risk for late effects and secondary malignancies. The purposes of this study were to examine the current health and secondary prevention behaviors of long-term HCT survivors compared with matched controls without cancer, and to identify sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with appropriate preventive practices. HCT survivors (n = 662) were drawn from 40 North American transplantation centers. Peer-nominated acquaintances of survivors matched on sex, age, education, and marital status served as controls (n = 158). Data were collected a mean of 6.7 years post-HCT (range, 1.8-22.6 years). Despite a greater frequency of physical exams, the HCT survivors had similar health and screening behaviors as the matched controls. Sociodemographic factors were associated with health prevention behaviors in expected ways. Some differences between disease group and type of transplant were found, with survivors of acute leukemia less likely to report regular exercise, autologous transplant survivors more likely than allogeneic transplant survivors to report screenings for breast and cervical cancer, and allogeneic transplant survivors more likely than autologous transplant survivors to report undergoing a skin exam in the previous year. Despite higher levels of engagement with health care providers, HCT survivors had similar health behaviors as matched controls and comparable to those reported by cancer survivors who did not undergo HCT. There remains considerable room for improvement. These findings support the need for further education of both HCT survivors and health practitioners.

Attitudes towards the male contraceptive pill in men and women in casual and stable sexual relationships

Background and methodologyMen's and women's attitudes towards the male contraceptive pill and their trust in the effective use of the male pill were investigated, as well as the associated variables...

Hypertension awareness, control and treatment in rural Mississippi: Morton Have-A-Heart Project

Mississippi leads the nation in cardiovascular disease mortality rates as well as rates for several risk factors. One of the major modifiable risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease is high blood pressure. The prevalence of hypertension in the Morton Have-A-Heart Project, a community participatory cardiovascular risk reduction study, is much higher than nationally reported rates. In this population, hypertension rates approximate 40%, almost 10% higher than national rates. These results are even more significant considering all national data includes ages 20 and greater while the Morton Project includes ages 12 and greater. The purpose of this study is to analyze blood pressure data, medication histories, and reported health behaviors in the 1300 participants in the Morton Have-A-Heart Project and compare this to national data. Diuretics have been recommended first line treatment for hypertension for many years. Despite these recommendations and the socioeconomic barriers in rural Mississippi, diuretics are underutilized in this population and blood pressure is less than adequately treated and controlled.

Relationships between anxiety, coping and diagnosis at initial attendance at a genito-urinary medicine clinic

Measures of state anxiety, patterns of coping, perceived difficulties in coping and reported health behaviours were taken during the attendance of a sample of seventy-one patients at a Genito-Urinary Medicine clinic for initial assessment of sexual transmitted diseases (STD) and relationships between these variables investigated. One third of the sample reported difficulty in coping with concerns or anxieties about their recent sexual health. State anxiety of the sample was high, and comparable to that of women having just received an abnormal foetal screening test result. There was no significant difference between state anxiety for individuals who could be given a definite diagnosis at appointment, compared with those who would need to wait for the results of further testing before diagnosis. Individuals expressing difficulty in coping had significantly higher state anxiety than those not reporting such difficulty. Patterns of coping behaviours (COPE) and reported health behaviours were not significantly different from data for non-clinical groups, but there was some evidence of different cognitive - affective responses for individuals who were expressing difficulty in coping. Research issues concerning cause and effect relationships and the value of further clarifying illness perceptions and other cognitions among individuals in this setting are explored.

Reported health behaviors long-term after coronary artery bypass surgery compared with the general population

Reported health behaviors long-term after coronary artery bypass surgery compared with the general population

Academic stress, self-efficacy, social support, and health behaviours in female Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) students

AbstractThis study examined academic stress in female Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) students in terms of somatic symptoms and mood disturbance before, during, and after the midyear examination period and also examined the role of self-efficacy, number of social supports, social support satisfaction, and health behaviours in mediating the effects of stress on symptoms and mood disturbance. It was hypothesised that (a) student would report increased somatic symptoms and mood disturbance during the examination period and that (b) self-efficacy, social support (number and satisfaction), and health behaviours would account for a significant proportion of variance for somatic symptoms and mood disturbance before, during, and after the exam period. The participants were 51 VCE students from a large Catholic girls’secondary college in Melbourne. Four weeks before the exam period, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Reported Health Behaviours Checklist, Short Form Social Support Questionnaire, Symptoms Checklist, and Profile of Mood States were administered.The Symptoms Checklist and Profile of Mood States were administered again during the exam week and four weeks after the exam period. Statistical analyses showed that the VCE examination period was associated with significantly increased self-reports of somatic symptoms and mood disturbances that were strongly indicative of high levels of stress. Self-efficacy was found to have a weak role in mediating the stress response during the exam week. Social support did not account for any of the variation in academic stress. Health behaviours accounted for a small but significant proportion of the variance in stress after the exam period. It was concluded that there is a need to study other factors that may attenuate the academic stress response in adolescent secondary school students. The perceptual and cognitive appraisal of academic stressors is suggested as an area that may be worthy of examination.The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of the impact that academic stress may have on adolescents’ health during this critical period of development.

`Top-of-the-Head' Descriptions of Baby and Self: Links to Reported Health Behaviors and Social Context in Early Pregnancy

This research investigated pregnant women's spontaneous descriptions of their babies and themselves as mothers early in pregnancy as related to prenatal health behaviors, family background characteristics and women's work status. In semi-structured interviews, 59 married women in their 4th month of pregnancy described the fetus, the baby after birth, and themselves as mothers to the expected child. Consistent with construct accessibility theory and recent representation based models of parenting, the amount and kinds of content that women used to describe their babies and themselves as mothers varied systematically as a function of women's prenatal health behaviors, parity and marital adjustment. Suggestive evidence also was found for a relationship between the content of women's descriptions of themselves as mothers and women's work status. The authors discuss clinical and methodological implications of the findings.

Depressive symptoms: associations with health perceptions and health behaviors.

The association of depressive symptoms with health behaviors and perceptions was determined for 876 patients seeing family physicians. Correlational analyses revealed stress, pain, and overall health status were moderately related to depression for males and females. Smoking was positively related to depressive symptoms in women (r = .19, P < 0.01), and drinking was inversely related to depressive symptoms in men (r = -.16, P < .01). Multiple regression analyses indicated stress, poor health, smoking, and drinking were significant predictors of depressive symptoms in women; stress, poor health, and drinking were significant in men. Health perceptions appear to be better predictors of depressive symptoms than reported health behaviors.

Health-related possible selves in young and middle adulthood.

The construct of possible selves was used to examine when, in the adult life span, health-related goals become dominant. It was predicted that by middle age most adults would have health-related possible selves and that the strength of self-regulatory variables associated with health-related possible selves would be related to reported health behaviors. Data collected from 171 young and middle-aged adults showed that health-related possible selves become predominant in midlife. In addition, both young and middle-aged adults reported more feared than hoped-for selves in the realm of health. Perceived self-efficacy and number of goal-oriented activities to avoid feared health-relevant selves were significant predictors of health behaviors. Results are discussed in relation to theoretical perspectives on self and health processes over the life span.

A Multicomponent Minimal Intervention Health Promotion Program: Preliminary Results

This article reports two preliminary studies examining whether a minimal intervention cardiac risk education program incorporating behavioral components to enhance self-efficacy could effectively change health behaviors. The first study utilized a quasi-experimental design in evaluating workshop outcome among 131 AFL-CIO union members. A MANCOVA performed on self-report and physiological outcome measures suggested a significant difference between treatment and waiting list control groups, primarily in the area of nutrition. In the second true experimental study, participants were 307 "at-risk" employees of a local school system. A MANCOVA at a four month follow-up revealed significant differences in several reported health behaviors including Type A behavior, smoking, and nutrition. Results also showed the program's effectiveness was consistent across sex, age, and severity of participants' health risk. Implications for further research on the cost-effectiveness of brief health promotion interventions are discussed in light of the observed impact and the high level (80%) of employee interest and participation.