Explaining educational differences in mortality: the role of behavioral and material factors.
(17/6426)
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the role of behavioral and material factors in explaining educational differences in all-cause mortality, taking into account the overlap between both types of factors. METHODS: Prospective data were used on 15,451 participants in a Dutch longitudinal study. Relative hazards of all-cause mortality by educational level were calculated before and after adjustment for behavioral factors (alcohol intake, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, dietary habits) and material factors (financial problems, neighborhood conditions, housing conditions, crowding, employment status, a proxy of income). RESULTS: Mortality was higher in lower educational groups. Four behavioral factors (alcohol, smoking, body mass index, physical activity) and 3 material factors (financial problems, employment status, income proxy) explained part of the educational differences in mortality. With the overlap between both types of factors accounted for, material factors were more important than behavioral factors in explaining mortality differences by educational level. CONCLUSIONS: The association between educational level and mortality can be largely explained by material factors. Thus, improving the material situation of people might substantially reduce educational differences in mortality. (+info)
The prevalence and health burden of self-reported diabetes in older Mexican Americans: findings from the Hispanic established populations for epidemiologic studies of the elderly.
(18/6426)
OBJECTIVES: The prevalence and health burden of self-reported adult-onset diabetes mellitus were examined in older Mexican Americans. METHODS: Data from the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly were used to assess the prevalence of self-reported diabetes and its association with other chronic conditions, disability, sensory impairments, health behaviors, and health service use in 3050 community-dwelling Mexican Americans 65 years and older. RESULTS: The prevalence of self-reported diabetes in this sample was 22%, and there were high rates of obesity, diabetes-related complications, and diabetic medication use. Myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension, angina, and cancer were significantly more common in diabetics than in nondiabetics, as were high levels of depressive symptoms, low perceived health status, disability, incontinence, vision impairment, and health service use. Many of the rate differences found in this sample of older Mexican Americans were higher than those reported among other groups of older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the prevalence and health burden of diabetes are greater in older Mexican Americans than in older non-Hispanic Whites and African Americans, particularly among elderly men. (+info)
Pathways family intervention for third-grade American Indian children.
(19/6426)
The goal of the feasibility phase of the Pathways family intervention was to work with families of third-grade American Indian children to reinforce health behaviors being promoted by the curriculum, food service, and physical activity components of this school-based obesity prevention intervention. Family behaviors regarding food choices and physical activity were identified and ranked according to priority by using formative assessment and a literature review of school-based programs that included a family component. The family intervention involved 3 primary strategies designed to create an informed home environment supportive of behavioral change: 1) giving the children "family packs" containing worksheets, interactive assignments, healthful snacks, and low-fat tips and recipes to take home to share with their families; 2) implementing family events at the school to provide a fun atmosphere in which health education concepts could be introduced and reinforced; and 3) forming school-based family advisory councils composed of family members and community volunteers who provided feedback on Pathways strategies, helped negotiate barriers, and explored ideas for continued family participation. For strategy 2, a kick-off Family Fun Night provided a series of learning booths that presented the healthful behaviors taught by Pathways. At an end-of-year Family Celebration, a healthy meal was served, students demonstrated newly learned Pathways activities, and certificates were presented in recognition of completion of the Pathways curriculum. Based on evaluation forms and attendance rosters, strategies 1 and 2 were more easily implemented and better received than strategy 3. Implications for developing family involvement strategies for intervention programs are discussed. (+info)
Socioeconomic differences in weight gain and determinants and consequences of coronary risk factors.
(20/6426)
BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity is a major public health concern in many developed countries. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe socioeconomic differences in change in body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) from age 25 y, assess possible factors behind these differences, and study whether socioeconomic differences in a variety of coronary risk factors can be accounted for by change in BMI. DESIGN: The data come from a cohort study of London-based civil servants (Whitehall II), who participated in the first (1985-1988) and third (1991-1993) phases of the study and were 35-55-y old at phase 1: altogether there were 5507 men and 2466 women. Both study phases included a questionnaire and a screening examination. RESULTS: In men and women, employment grade--the measure of socioeconomic status used in this cohort--was strongly related to BMI gain from age 25 y to phase 3 (25 y apart on average). The lower the grade the larger the gain in BMI. Adjustment for health behaviors reduced the grade differences in BMI gain by approximately 20%. A substantial part of the grade differences in diastolic and systolic blood pressure and plasma triacylglycerol concentrations could be accounted for by BMI change from age 25 y. CONCLUSIONS: Grade differences in BMI change are evident, but many of the determinants of these differences remain unknown. If lower-status persons continue to gain weight more rapidly than higher-status persons, overweight is likely to be of growing importance as a pathway to social inequalities in ill health. (+info)
Measurement of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis prescription adherence using a novel approach.
(21/6426)
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to test a novel approach to monitoring the adherence of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients to their dialysis prescription. DESIGN: A descriptive observational study was done in which exchange behaviors were monitored over a 2-week period of time. SETTING: Patients were recruited from an outpatient dialysis center. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of patients undergoing CAPD at Piedmont Dialysis Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina was recruited for the study. Of 31 CAPD patients, 20 (64.5%) agreed to participate. MEASURES: Adherence of CAPD patients to their dialysis prescription was monitored using daily logs and an electronic monitoring device (the Medication Event Monitoring System, or MEMS; APREX, Menlo Park, California, U.S.A.). Patients recorded in their logs their exchange activities during the 2-week observation period. Concurrently, patients were instructed to deposit the pull tab from their dialysate bag into a MEMS bottle immediately after performing each exchange. The MEMS bottle was closed with a cap containing a computer chip that recorded the date and time each time the bottle was opened. RESULTS: One individual's MEMS device malfunctioned and thus the data presented in this report are based upon the remaining 19 patients. A significant discrepancy was found between log data and MEMS data, with MEMS data indicating a greater number and percentage of missed exchanges. MEMS data indicated that some patients concentrated their exchange activities during the day, with shortened dwell times between exchanges. Three indices were developed for this study: a measure of the average time spent in noncompliance, and indices of consistency in the timing of exchanges within and between days. Patients who were defined as consistent had lower scores on the noncompliance index compared to patients defined as inconsistent (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: This study describes a methodology that may be useful in assessing adherence to the peritoneal dialysis regimen. Of particular significance is the ability to assess the timing of exchanges over the course of a day. Clinical implications are limited due to issues of data reliability and validity, the short-term nature of the study, the small sample, and the fact that clinical outcomes were not considered in this methodology study. Additional research is needed to further develop this data-collection approach. (+info)
Status of the year 2000 health goals for physical activity and fitness.
(22/6426)
In Healthy People 2000, the national strategy for improving the health of the American people by the year 2000, lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity are major determinants of chronic disease and disability. Despite the documented benefits of exercise in enhancing health and reducing the risk of premature death, only 1 of the 13 physical activity and fitness objectives of Healthy People 2000 has been met or exceeded. Although progress toward 5 objectives for the year 2000 has been made, 3 objectives are actually farther from attainment. Coronary heart disease death rates (Objective 1.1) have declined, and the prevalence of overweight people (Objective 1.2) has increased. Overall physical activity in adults (Objectives 1.3 and 1.4) and strengthening and stretching activities in children (Objective 1.6) have increased, but reduction in the percentage of sedentary persons (Objective 1.5) has showed no change. The proportion of the population adopting sound dietary practices combined with regular physical activity to attain appropriate body weight (Objective 1.7) has declined. Even though participation in daily school physical education (Objective 1.8) has shown a decline during the past several years, students who are enrolled in physical education classes are spending more time performing physical activities (Objective 1.9). The proportion of work sites offering employer-sponsored physical activity and fitness programs (Objective 1.10) has increased substantially, surpassing the year 2000 goal. Data to update progress for increasing physical activity levels of children (Objectives 1.3-1.5), community exercise facilities (Objective 1.11), clinician counseling about physical activity (Objective 1.12), and improvement in personal self-care activities (Objective 1.13) are not yet available. (+info)
The role of medical problems and behavioral risks in explaining patterns of prenatal care use among high-risk women.
(23/6426)
OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between maternal medical conditions and behavioral risks and the patterns of prenatal care use among high-risk women. DATA SOURCE/STUDY DESIGN: Data on over 25,000 high-risk deliveries to African American and white women using multinomial logistic regression to predict the odds of adequate-plus care relative to three other categories of care. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Data were extracted from records maintained by the University of Florida/Shands Hospital maternity clinic on all deliveries between 1987 and 1994; records for white and for African American women were subset to examine racial differences in medical conditions, health behaviors, and patterns of prenatal care use. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Net of sociodemographic and fertility-related characteristics, African American and white women with late antepartum conditions and hypertension problems had significantly higher odds of receiving adequate-plus care, as well as no care or inadequate care, relative to adequate care. White women with gynecological disease and medical/surgical problems were significantly less likely to receive no care or inadequate care, as were African American women with gynecological disease. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal medical conditions explain much but not all of the adequate-plus prenatal care use. More than 13 percent of African American women and 20 percent of white women with no reported medical problems or behavioral risks used adequate-plus care. Additional research is needed to understand this excess use and its possibilities in mediating birth outcomes. (+info)
Demographic, dietary and lifestyle factors differentially explain variability in serum carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins: baseline results from the sentinel site of the Olestra Post-Marketing Surveillance Study.
(24/6426)
Biochemical measures of nutrients or other dietary constituents can be an important component of nutritional assessment and monitoring. However, accurate interpretation of the nutrient concentration is dependent on knowledge of the determinants of the body pool measured. The purpose of this study was to identify the determinants of serum carotenoid and fat-soluble vitamin concentrations in a large, community-based sample (n = 1042). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine effects of demographic characteristics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education), health-related behavior (exercise, sun exposure, smoking, alcohol consumption), and intake (diet, supplements) on serum retinol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, alpha-tocopherol, phylloquinone, and carotenoid concentrations. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, vitamin A intake, and alcohol consumption were found to be determinants of serum retinol concentration. Race/ethnicity, vitamin D intake, body mass index, smoking status, and sun exposure were determinants of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. Determinants of serum alpha-tocopherol were age, sex, race/ethnicity, alpha-tocopherol intake, serum cholesterol, percentage of energy from fat (inversely related), supplement use, and body mass index. Age, sex, phylloquinone intake, serum triglycerides, and supplement use were determinants of serum phylloquinone concentration. Primary determinants of serum carotenoids were age, sex, race/ethnicity, carotenoid intake, serum cholesterol, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and smoking status. Overall, the demographic, dietary, and other lifestyle factors explained little of the variability in serum concentrations of retinol (R2 = 0.20), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (R2 = 0.24), and the carotenoids (R2 = 0.15-0.26); only modest amounts of the variability in serum phylloquinone concentration (R2 = 0.40); and more substantial amounts of the variability in serum alpha-tocopherol concentration (R2 = 0.62). (+info)