The Key to Changing Individual Health Behaviors: Change the Environments That Give Rise to Them

HPHR Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad Stulberg
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Past ◽  
Individual Health ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Lifestyle Diseases

Over the past four decades, the United States has faced steadily rising rates of obesity and associated chronic conditions. Many of these chronic conditions are rooted in nutrition and physical activity behaviors, and are often referred to as lifestyle diseases. Historically, the prevention of lifestyle diseases has focused on changes in individual behavior and personal choices, and personal responsibilities. However, a growing body of research has demonstrated the strong influence of physical and social surroundings on individuals’ actions.

scholarly journals Review of Cases of E-Cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) and Brief Review of the Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Amr Essa ◽  
Jeffrey Macaraeg ◽  
Nikhil Jagan ◽  
Daniel Kwon ◽  
Saboor Randhawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Lung Injury ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
The Past ◽  
Product Use ◽  
Vitamin E Acetate ◽  
Pathologic Features ◽  
Growing Body

Since the appearance of the E-Cigarette in the early 2000s, its industry, popularity, and prevalence have risen dramatically. In the past, E-Cigarette use with the vaping of nicotine or cannabis products had been associated with a few reported cases of lung injury. However, in 2019, thousands of cases of E-Cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) were reported in the United States. Evidence linked this outbreak with vaping of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). We report two confirmed cases of EVALI and their associated clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features. This report supports the growing body of information regarding EVALI. It also discusses various substances, particularly vitamin E acetate, which has been suggested as a causative agent.

scholarly journals Surveillance of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among Youth and Adults in the United States: History and Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S6-S24 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Omura ◽  
Geoffrey P. Whitfield ◽  
Tiffany J. Chen ◽  
Eric T. Hyde ◽  
Emily N. Ussery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
National Surveillance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Activity Measures ◽  
State And Local

Background: Surveillance is a core function of public health, and approaches to national surveillance of physical activity and sedentary behavior have evolved over the past 2 decades. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of surveillance of physical activity and sedentary behavior in the United States over the past 2 decades, along with related challenges and emerging opportunities. Methods: The authors reviewed key national surveillance systems for the assessment of physical activity and sedentary behavior among youth and adults in the United States between 2000 and 2019. Results: Over the past 20 years, 8 surveillance systems have assessed physical activity, and 5 of those have assessed sedentary behavior. Three of the 8 originated in nonpublic health agencies. Most systems have assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior via surveys. However, survey questions varied over time within and also across systems, resulting in a wide array of available data. Conclusion: The evolving nature of physical activity surveillance in the United States has resulted in both broad challenges (eg, balancing content with survey space; providing data at the national, state, and local level; adapting traditional physical activity measures and survey designs; and addressing variation across surveillance systems) and related opportunities.

Testing a Theoretical Model of Immigration Transition and Physical Activity

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Ju Chang ◽  
Eun-Ok Im
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Hispanic Women ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
Country Of Birth ◽  
Level Of Acculturation

The purposes of the study were to develop a theoretical model to explain the relationships between immigration transition and midlife women’s physical activity and test the relationships among the major variables of the model. A theoretical model, which was developed based on transitions theory and the midlife women’s attitudes toward physical activity theory, consists of 4 major variables, including length of stay in the United States, country of birth, level of acculturation, and midlife women’s physical activity. To test the theoretical model, a secondary analysis with data from 127 Hispanic women and 123 non-Hispanic (NH) Asian women in a national Internet study was used. Among the major variables of the model, length of stay in the United States was negatively associated with physical activity in Hispanic women. Level of acculturation in NH Asian women was positively correlated with women’s physical activity. Country of birth and level of acculturation were significant factors that influenced physical activity in both Hispanic and NH Asian women. The findings support the theoretical model that was developed to examine relationships between immigration transition and physical activity; it shows that immigration transition can play an essential role in influencing health behaviors of immigrant populations in the United States. The NH theoretical model can be widely used in nursing practice and research that focus on immigrant women and their health behaviors. Health care providers need to consider the influences of immigration transition to promote immigrant women’s physical activity.

scholarly journals Physical activity in working mothers: Running low impacts quality of life

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 174550652092916
Author(s):  
Christine A Limbers ◽  
Christina McCollum ◽  
Kelly R Ylitalo ◽  
Mikki Hebl
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Working Mothers ◽  
Work Productivity ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Past ◽  
Recommended Guidelines

Objectives: The transition to motherhood is associated with declines in physical activity in women. Working mothers may be particularly at-risk for low levels of physical activity, since they have to balance the competing interests of work and family life, and exercise often takes a backseat to more seemingly pressing concerns. The potential benefits working mothers can experience from physical activity are numerous. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the percentage of working mothers from the United States who met the World Health Organization’s and the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommended guidelines for weekly physical activity and investigate the associations between physical activity, quality of life, and self-rated work productivity in this sample of working mothers. Methods: Participants were 334 working mothers from the United States (mean age = 35.00 years; standard deviation (SD) = 5.85; 77.8% White) recruited from a Qualtrics research panel. To be eligible to participate in the study, a woman had to be 18 years or older with at least one child aged 5 years or younger, work at least 30 h per week at a job, live with her child(ren) at least 50% of the time, and have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Participants completed the Godin leisure time exercise questionnaire, the World Health Organization—five well-being index, a single-item indicator of self-rated work productivity, and a demographic questionnaire. Results: Of the working mothers in the sample, 45.5% met the recommended guidelines of at least 150 min of moderate exercise in the past week. Approximately 39% of working mothers reported engaging in no 30-min bouts of strenuous exercise in the past week. Non-white working mothers, working mothers with a higher singular annual income, and working mothers who obtained a higher educational level were more likely to meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity in the past week. Meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines in the past week was associated with better quality of life ( r = 0.39; p < 0.001) and self-rated work productivity ( r = 0.13; p < 0.05). Only the association between physical activity and quality of life remained significant in a multivariate analysis (standardized beta coefficient = 0.33; p < 0.001) after controlling for race/ethnicity, maternal singular annual income, and maternal highest level of education. Conclusion: Our findings highlight that working mothers in the United States are a group at risk for low levels of physical activity. Given the great benefits that these women do experience as a function of getting exercise, it is critically important we pay more attention to how individual, organizational, and societal-level interventions might assist them in attaining target levels of physical activity.

scholarly journals Social Distancing as a Health Behavior: County-level Movement in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic is Associated with Conventional Health Behaviors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle J. Bourassa ◽  
David Sbarra ◽  
Avshalom Caspi ◽  
Terrie Moffitt
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Health Behavior Change ◽  
The United States ◽  
Movement Behavior ◽  
County Level ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Social Distancing

Background: Social distancing—when people reduce their physical movement and limit social contacts beyond their immediate household—is a primary intervention available to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of social distancing is unlikely to change until effective treatments or vaccines become widely available. However, relatively little is known about how best to promote social distancing. Applying knowledge from social and behavioral research on conventional health behaviors (e.g., smoking, physical activity) to support social distancing public health efforts and research is promising, but empirical evidence supporting this approach is needed. Purpose: We examined whether one type of social distancing behavior—reductions in movement outside the home—was associated with conventional health behaviors. Method: We examined the association between GPS-derived movement behavior in 2,858 counties in United States from March 1st to April 7th, 2020 and the prevalence of county-level indicators influenced by residents’ conventional health behaviors. Results: Changes in movement were associated with conventional health behaviors, and the magnitude of these associations were similar to the associations among the conventional health behaviors. Counties with healthier behaviors—particularly less obesity and greater physical activity—evidenced greater decreases in movement outside the home during the initial phases of the pandemic in the United States. Conclusions: Social distancing, in the form of reduced movement outside the home, is associated with conventional health behaviors. Existing scientific literature on health behavior and health behavior change can be more confidently used to promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep Duration Among Youth With Chronic Health Conditions in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 505-511
Author(s):  
Sean Healy ◽  
John Foley ◽  
Justin A. Haegele
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Children With Chronic Conditions

Purpose: To compare the degree to which youth with and without chronic conditions in the United States met physical activity (PA), screen time, and sleep duration guidelines. Design: A cross-sectional study using data from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health. Participants: A total of 24 405 youth (aged 10-17 years) with and without 1 of 19 prevalent chronic health conditions who participated in the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health. Measures: Parents reported on the time spent by their children in PA, screen time, and sleep. Analysis: Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted to estimate and compare health behavior guideline adherence rates among children with and without chronic conditions. Results: Overall, 18.7% of children with chronic conditions did not meet any health behavior guidelines compared to 15.6% of children without chronic conditions. Children with hearing impairments, diabetes, and depression were most likely to not meet any health behavior guidelines (27.9%, 25.4%, and 21.7%, respectively). Of the 3 guidelines, children with and without chronic conditions were least likely to meet the PA guideline (18.6% and 21%, respectively). Conclusions: This study identifies specific groups of children with chronic conditions that are most at risk of not meeting health behavior guidelines. The findings highlight specific behaviors in most need of intervention for children with chronic conditions; PA was identified as the most frequently unmet guideline. Overall findings suggest a need for a more integrated, holistic view of health promotion for children with chronic conditions.

scholarly journals Effect of depression on health behavior among myocardial infarction survivors in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 222-231
Author(s):  
Brooke Nicholson ◽  
Shawn Morse ◽  
Terra Lundgren ◽  
Nina Vadiei ◽  
Sandipan Bhattacharjee
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
Blood Cholesterol ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of depression on health behavior among myocardial infarction (MI) survivors. Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional study used publicly available 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. Our study sample includes adults aged 50 years or older who completed the 2015 BRFSS survey and reported having MI. The BRFSS participants with a yes response to the question, Has a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional ever told you that you had a heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction? were identified as MI survivors. The presence or absence of depression among MI survivors was identified using a similar question. Health behaviors, the dependent variable of this study, included physical activity, smoking status, alcohol use, body mass index, last flu immunization, last physical checkup, last blood cholesterol check, heavy drinking, and vegetable and fruit consumption. Univariate (χ2 tests) and multivariable (binomial logistic regression) analyses were used to assess the differences in health behaviors between MI survivors with or without depression. Results Our final study sample consists of 20 483 older adults with MI among whom 5343 (26.19%) reported having depression. Multivariable analyses reveal MI survivors with depression are more overweight, have less physical activity, and have higher likelihood of smoking but less odds of consuming alcohol compared to MI survivors without depression. Discussion In this nationally representative sample of adults aged over 50 years in the United States, MI survivors with depression exhibited poorer health behaviors compared to those without depression.

International Research and Variation in Views of Ethnicity

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-72
Author(s):  
Ella Inglebret ◽  
Amy Skinder-Meredith ◽  
Shana Bailey ◽  
Carla Jones ◽  
Ashley France
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Classification System ◽  
International Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
The Past ◽  
International Scale ◽  
Publication Patterns

The authors in this article first identify the extent to which research articles published in three American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) journals included participants, age birth to 18 years, from international backgrounds (i.e., residence outside of the United States), and go on to describe associated publication patterns over the past 12 years. These patterns then provide a context for examining variation in the conceptualization of ethnicity on an international scale. Further, the authors examine terminology and categories used by 11 countries where research participants resided. Each country uses a unique classification system. Thus, it can be expected that descriptions of the ethnic characteristics of international participants involved in research published in ASHA journal articles will widely vary.

Proportion of Individuals With Past-Year Suicidal Ideation Who Attempted Suicide Over the Past 10 Years in the United States, and the Influence of Age and Sex

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Shannon Lange ◽  
Courtney Bagge ◽  
Charlotte Probst ◽  
Jürgen Rehm
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Random Effects ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Past ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Age Category

Abstract. Background: In recent years, the rate of death by suicide has been increasing disproportionately among females and young adults in the United States. Presumably this trend has been mirrored by the proportion of individuals with suicidal ideation who attempted suicide. Aim: We aimed to investigate whether the proportion of individuals in the United States with suicidal ideation who attempted suicide differed by age and/or sex, and whether this proportion has increased over time. Method: Individual-level data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2008–2017, were used to estimate the year-, age category-, and sex-specific proportion of individuals with past-year suicidal ideation who attempted suicide. We then determined whether this proportion differed by age category, sex, and across years using random-effects meta-regression. Overall, age category- and sex-specific proportions across survey years were estimated using random-effects meta-analyses. Results: Although the proportion was found to be significantly higher among females and those aged 18–25 years, it had not significantly increased over the past 10 years. Limitations: Data were self-reported and restricted to past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Conclusion: The increase in the death by suicide rate in the United States over the past 10 years was not mirrored by the proportion of individuals with past-year suicidal ideation who attempted suicide during this period.

EDITORIAL: Migration and competitiveness: Japan and the United States

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Philip L. Martin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Variable Cost ◽  
Fixed Cost ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
The Past ◽  
Past Half Century ◽  
Key Sectors ◽  
Past Half

Japan and the United States, the world’s largest economies for most of the past half century, have very different immigration policies. Japan is the G7 economy most closed to immigrants, while the United States is the large economy most open to immigrants. Both Japan and the United States are debating how immigrants are and can con-tribute to the competitiveness of their economies in the 21st centuries. The papers in this special issue review the employment of and impacts of immigrants in some of the key sectors of the Japanese and US economies, including agriculture, health care, science and engineering, and construction and manufacturing. For example, in Japanese agriculture migrant trainees are a fixed cost to farmers during the three years they are in Japan, while US farmers who hire mostly unauthorized migrants hire and lay off workers as needed, making labour a variable cost.

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