scholarly journals Psycho-Social Determinants of Obesity

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansi Chadha ◽  
Esha Basak ◽  
Pragyendu ◽  
Dr. Mahesh Darolia

In modern India, Obesity is a prevailing health condition among the youngsters. It is a state where an individual has an excess accumulation of fat in his/her body. Overeating and physical inactivity are the major purported causes of obesity. Obesity is largely affected by eating patterns, sleeping patterns, lack of exercise, addictions, etc. This study examined the relationship between personal eating habits, family & neighbourhood food environment and obesity. For the objective of the study, a survey in form of scales was randomly carried on 180 college going students aged between 18 to 25 years belonging to different economic status about their personal habits and food environment (family and neighbourhood). Demographic variables like gender, age and type of family of the respondent was also taken into account. Data was analysed and it was found that socio-economic status had a significant effect on Personal Eating Habits, Family Food Environment, Neighbourhood Food Environment and BMI. Gender had a significant effect only on BMI. Obesity was positively related to unhealthy personal eating habits and unhealthy neighbourhood food environment. Healthy Family Food Environment had a negative impact on obesity. The potential influence of psychological & social factors affecting physical inactivity on obesity warrants further study.

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
Amber J. Hammons ◽  
Ryan Robart

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, with its cyclical lockdown restrictions and school closures, has influenced family life. The home, work, and school environments have collided and merged to form a new normal for many families. This merging extends into the family food environment, and little is known about how families are currently navigating this landscape. The objective of the present study was to describe families’ adaptations in the family food environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Parents participated in one of 14 virtual focus groups (conducted in English and Spanish between December 2020 and February 2021). Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. Results: Forty-eight parents (81% Hispanic and SES diverse) participated. Five themes and one subtheme were identified around changes in eating habits and mealtime frequency, increases in snacking, family connectedness at mealtimes, and use of screens at meals. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the family food environment. Families shared how their eating habits have changed and that device usage increased at mealtimes. Some changes (e.g., weight gain) may have lasting health implications for both children and parents. Public health officials, pediatricians, and schools should work with families to resume healthy habits post pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 218
Author(s):  
José Oliveira ◽  
Tânia Santos ◽  
Marlene Sousa ◽  
João M. Lopes ◽  
Sofia Gomes ◽  
...  

The present research aims to analyze the habits observed in the perception of the general physical health condition of Portuguese food consumers in the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation is focused on indicators such as weight, physical activity, and consumption habits through the adoption of healthy and not healthy food. Centered on a quantitative approach, the research is based on the application of a questionnaire to a sample of 741 Portuguese consumers, between November 2020 and February 2021, a period during which the most severe measures of social isolation were imposed by the Portuguese government, since the beginning of the pandemic. Moreover, the questionnaire was applied to consumers over 18 years old. According to this population, and considering a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 4%, the sample has a minimum of 601 responses. Being so, the results of this research are representative for the Portuguese food consumers. The theoretical model was estimated using Partial Least Squares (PLS) in the Smart PLS 3.0 software. The obtained results allowed us to conclude that the Portuguese perception of their weight did not change in the pandemic, despite showing that in general, the pandemic had a negative impact on their physical condition. On the other hand, the results show that the Portuguese associate the practice of physical exercise with physical well-being. Respondents also confirm a positive relationship between “positive eating behaviors (such as consumption of fruits and vegetables, low saturated foods and rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats” and water consumption) and “the perception of physical health in general”. On the contrary, respondents’ perception of the choice of negative eating behaviors (measured by the consumption of products with a high content of salt and sugar, snacks, and processed frozen and pre-cooked foods) have a negative impact on the “assessment of physical health, in the COVID-19 pandemic”. Hence, it was concluded that the Portuguese consider that an eventual increase in weight does not necessarily correspond to a perception of worse physical health; the practice of physical exercise and good eating habits corresponds to a perception of better physical health; the adoption of bad eating habits corresponds to the perception of bad physical health.


Author(s):  
Elena Evgenevna Mashyanova ◽  
Elena Aleksandrovna Smirnova

In modern conditions of development, financial security is an integral part of the overall security of the region and is formed on the basis of the functioning of the financial system. The complication of relationships between key segments of international financial markets, as well as the limited ability to accurately predict future trends in the development of the global financial system, lead to a gradual increase in the risks that accompany the activities of economic entities, and an increase in the number and scale of internal and external threats that have a negative impact on the financial security of the state. This formulation of the issue requires generalization of approaches to determining the financial security of the region in order to further formalize this issue and determine the key factors affecting it. The article considers the types of financial security, as well as certain areas of ensuring the financial security of the region and their priority. In work the assessment of the level of socio-economic development of the region with a view to ensuring financial security on the basis of which offers the main activities and priority areas of implementation of the investment policy that will ensure financial security of the Republic of Crimea.


Author(s):  
Pinar Döner ◽  
Kadriye Şahin

Abstract Purpose: Reproductive health includes the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide. In this context, both women and men have rights. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the obstacles in using these rights and to describe perceptions on marriage and family planning (FP) of Syrian women and men and to increase awareness for developing new policies on the Primary Health Care. Methods: The study was conducted using qualitative method, consisting of in-depth interviews with 54 participants; 43 women and 11 men who had to emigrate from varied regions of Syria at different times since 2011. Syrian women living in Hatay, in the south of Turkey were identified from Primary Health Care Center. Most of the Syrian women had given birth to the first two children before the age of 20 years. The interviewees were selected by purposive and snowball sampling. Results: The result was examined under seven headings: knowledge about FP and contraceptive methods, hesitation about contraceptive methods, emotional pressure of family and fear of maintaining marriage, embarrassing of talking about sexuality and contraception, the effects of belief and culture on contraception, psychological reflections of war, and changes in the perception of health during the process of immigration. The most significant factors affecting the approaches to FP and contraceptive methods of the women in this study were determined to be education, traditions, economic status, and religious beliefs. The most important factors affecting participants’ FP and contraceptive method approaches are education, cultural beliefs, economic status, and religious beliefs. Conclusions: The primary healthcare centers are at a very strategical point for offering FP services to help address patients’ unmet contraceptive needs and improve pregnancy outcomes. More attention should be paid to social determinants that influence the access to reproductive health. Moreover, efforts can be done to address gender inequality that intercept FP. The most important strategy for primary health systems to follow the gender barriers that hinder access to FP services and men are empowered to share responsibility for FP.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-81
Author(s):  
Raquel P. F. Guiné ◽  
Sofia G. Florença ◽  
Ana Cristina Ferrão ◽  
Maša Černelič Bizjak ◽  
Blanka Vombergar ◽  
...  

Abstract The use of edible flowers (EF) in gastronomy is gaining popularity; however, there is still a lack of information about the factors that most contribute to the acceptance of this product. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the habits associated with the usage of EF in gastronomy in three different countries (Portugal, Slovenia, and Brazil) and also to evaluate the major determinants for those habits. In addition, the level of knowledge was also investigated, particularly with regard to the aspects such as perceived risks of toxicity and pesticides. For that, a questionnaire survey of self-response was carried out on a sample of 559 participants, from the above-mentioned countries. To analyse the data, basic descriptive statistical tools were used combined with crosstabs and chi-square tests. Finally, a tree classification was performed using the classification and regression trees algorithm. The results revealed that, regardless of the country, the participants were familiar with the use of EF in gastronomy. The participants had, in general, already consumed EF, and their use was more popular between the Portuguese participants, being the Brazilian those who used them less. Significant differences were found between the countries in the form of consumption of EF and also in the types of EF consumed. There were also significant differences regarding the reasons for eating EF. The classification analysis showed that the country and the level of education were the major determinants for the consuming habits and knowledge about EF. This study highlighted that eating habits are very dependent on the customs and traditions of each country and helped understanding the factors that most affect the participants’ attitudes towards the consumption and knowledge of EF.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maruša Levstek ◽  
Daniel Elliott ◽  
Robin Banerjee

This paper investigates the relationship between music qualification choice and academic performance in secondary education in England at Key Stage 4 (KS4; usually at age 15 and 16). We analysed data from 2257 pupils at 18 educational settings in a city in the southeast of England. Two regression analyses with clustered errors modelled KS4 music qualification choice and GCSE academic achievement in English, Mathematics, and other English Baccalaureate subjects, while controlling for a range of demographic, academic, and socio-economic variables. Choice of music as a subject at KS4 was positively associated with the total volume of KS4 qualifications entered for examination and was also predicted by coming from an affluent neighbourhood. Furthermore, this choice of music at KS4 was associated with greater academic performance on English Baccalaureate subjects above and beyond other significant predictors (gender, language, prior academic achievement, total volume of KS4 qualifications, and neighbourhood socio-economic status; local Cohen’s f-squared = .09). These results point to a small but significant additive effect of studying music at KS4 in relation to performance on core GCSE subjects. We also found that schools with KS4 music qualification choice greater than the national average were higher in overall academic attainment, in the proportion of pupils attending extra-curricular instrumental lessons, and in our composite measure of school’s engagement with a local music education hub. The results are interpreted in light of sociological theories of education in an attempt to better understand the underlying systemic factors affecting youth music engagement.


1976 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 413-417
Author(s):  
R H Michaels ◽  
C S Poziviak ◽  
F E Stonebraker ◽  
C W Norden

Over 1,300 children were studied in an analysis of factors that might affect pharyngeal colonization with Haemophilus influenzae type b. Our semiquantitative methods for the culture of H. influenzae type b, consisting of inoculation of 0.001 ml of throat swab fluid on antiserum agar plates and division of the results into three grades of intensity, showed agreement as to intensity of colonization in over 80% of repeat throat cultures. Our data also suggest that throat swabs are more efficient than nasopharyngeal swabs for detecting colonization, particularly for older children. All 17 H. influenzae type b carriers found with either method were detected with throat swabs, but six had negative nasopharyngeal cultures; four of these six were lightly colonized older children. Furthermore, colony counts were apt to be higher on plates inoculated with throat swab fluids. The frequency of pharyngeal H. influenzae type b colonization in children visiting health department clinics and pediatricians' offices was low during the first 6 months of life (0.7%) but averaged 3 to 5% throughout the rest of childhood. Approximately two-thirds of the carriers were colonized at an intensity too low to be detected by standard laboratory techniques. No influence on colonization rates was found for sex, race, season, economic status, or common childhood infectious diseases such as coryza or otitis media.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-310
Author(s):  
Vijay M Patil ◽  
Mridul Malhotra ◽  
Raees Tonse ◽  
Jayita Deodhar ◽  
Arun Chandrasekharan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Unaddressed high distress leads to noncompliance with treatment, negatively affects quality of life, and may also have a negative impact on the prognosis of cancer patients. Patients with brain tumors have higher levels of distress than the general population and hence we hypothesize that even routine visits during adjuvant treatment or follow-up are likely to be stressful. This analysis was performed to identify the incidence of distress and factors affecting it. Methods This was an audit of 84 consecutive patients seen in an adult neuro-medical oncology outpatient department who were either receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or were on follow-up. Distress screening with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) distress thermometer was performed. Patients in whom distress was scored as 4 or above were considered as having high distress. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify factors affecting distress. Results The median age of the cohort was 40 years (interquartile range, 28.3 to 50 years). Actionable distress defined as a distress score of 4 or more was seen in 52 patients (61.9%, 95% CI 51.2% to 71.5%). Presence of physical deficit (odds ratio [OR] = 3.412, P = .020) and treatment under the private category (OR = 5.273, P = .003) had higher odds of having high distress. Conclusion A high proportion of brain tumor patients either on adjuvant chemotherapy or on follow-up have high distress levels that need to be addressed even during follow-up.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-331
Author(s):  
Salyha Zulfiqar Ali Shah ◽  
Imran Sharif Chaudhry ◽  
Fatima Farooq

The Households having low socio-economic status possess less resource in term of wealth and income to resist against any kind of external shocks. Apart from heath shocks (physical and mental disabilities) there are numerous other factors that force them to follow subsistence life style having low per capita income. A primary level data has been collected to examine the socio economic status of households in Southern Punjab for the year 2019.The findings show that household size, occupation, dependency ratio, mental disability and physical disability are negatively affecting economic development across the region. However, age, education of the household head, own house, spouse ‘s participation, remittances, number of earners in the household and value of physical assets are increasing economic development in Southern Punjab. Developing strategies, adequate planning and their timely implementation is very crucial for the government to pursue the process of economic growth and development of the poor countries like Pakistan.


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