Well-Being and Help-Seeking Among Assemblies of God Ministers in the USA

COVID-19 is a serious coronavirus disease that is spreading all over the world. As of the date of this publication, 2.834.134 people have been infected with COVID-19 and 197.924 deaths have been recorded in 185 countries (John Hopkins Corona Resource Center, 25th April 2020) [1]. This overwhelming mortality rate requires intensive research activities around the world. To date, the number of deaths per day in the United States is still killing, indicating an uncontrollable state of infection spread. SARS-CoV-2 binds to the angiotensin II receptor in various tissues of the human body, particularly in the oral cavity and tongue. SARS-CoV-2 requires the cheerful TMPRSS2 to activate this inertia. SARS-CoV-2 uses the ACE2 receptor as a gateway to the lungs. The SARS-CoV-2 virus binds with the spike protein to the ACE2 receptor. COVID-19 is more common among African Americans in the USA (Science 10th April 2020). The comfort and the emotional loading capacity of the employees in the health service are key components for the maintenance of the essential health services during the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus) [2,3]. Hence, it will be important to anticipate the charges linked with this work and to release support for employees in the health service. The supervision and assessment of the psychic health and the well-being of the employees in the health service will be important, just as the efforts to guarantee a successful reunion with colleagues if they are infected.

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Evidence-Based Landscape Architecture for Human Health and Well-Being

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12041360 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 1360 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robert D. Brown ◽

Robert C. Corry

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Architectural Design ◽

Landscape Architecture ◽

Well Being ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Natural Environments ◽

The People ◽

Outdoor Environments ◽

The Usa ◽

Health And Well Being

More than 80% of the people in the USA and Canada live in cities. Urban development replaces natural environments with built environments resulting in limited access to outdoor environments which are critical to human health and well-being. In addition, many urban open spaces are unused because of poor design. This paper describes case studies where traditional landscape architectural design approaches would have compromised design success, while evidence-based landscape architecture (EBLA) resulted in a successful product. Examples range from school-yard design that provides safe levels of solar radiation for children, to neighborhood parks and sidewalks that encourage people to walk and enjoy nearby nature. Common characteristics for integrating EBLA into private, public, and academic landscape architecture practice are outlined along with a discussion of some of the opportunities and barriers to implementation.

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Supporting the Mental Health and Well-Being of First Responders from Career to Retirement: A Scoping Review

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x21000431 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Erin Smith ◽

Greg Dean ◽

Lisa Holmes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Help Seeking ◽

First Responders ◽

Well Being ◽

First Responder ◽

Help Seeking Behaviors ◽

Holistic Approaches ◽

Pubmed Database ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Introduction: First responders are at greater risk of mental ill health and compromised well-being compared to the general population. It is important to identify strategies that will be effective in supporting mental health, both during and after the first responder’s career. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the PubMed database (1966 to October 1, 2020) and the Google Scholar database (October 1, 2020) using relevant search terms, truncation symbols, and Boolean combination functions. The reference lists of all relevant publications were also reviewed to identify further publications. Results: A total of 172 publications were retrieved by the combined search strategies. Of these, 56 met the inclusion criteria and informed the results of this overview paper. These publications identified that strategies supporting first responder mental health and well-being need to break down stigma and build resilience. Normalizing conversations around mental health is integral for increasing help-seeking behaviors, both during a first responder’s career and in retirement. Organizations should consider the implementation of both pre-retirement and post-retirement support strategies to improve mental health and well-being. Conclusion: Strategies for supporting mental health and well-being need to be implemented early in the first responder career and reinforced throughout and into retirement. They should utilize holistic approaches which encourage “reaching in” rather than placing an onus on first responders to “reach out” when they are in crisis.

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Feasibility of using a biofeedback device in mindfulness training - a pilot randomized controlled trial

Pilot and Feasibility Studies ◽

10.1186/s40814-021-00807-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Brenna Lin ◽

Christopher Prickett ◽

Steven Woltering

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Mindfulness Meditation ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Well Being ◽

Open Science ◽

Control Group ◽

Test Procedures ◽

The Usa ◽

Biofeedback Device

Abstract Background Stress can negatively impact an individual’s health and well-being and high levels of stress are noted to exist among college students today. While traditional treatment methods are plagued with stigma and transfer problems, newly developed wearable biofeedback devices may offer unexplored possibilities. Although these products are becoming commonplace and inexpensive, scientific evidence of the effectiveness of these products is scarce and their feasibility within research contexts are relatively unexplored. Conversely, companies are not required, and possibly reluctant, to release information on the efficacy of these products against their claims. Thus, in the present pilot, we assess the feasibility of using a real-time respiratory-based biofeedback device in preparation for a larger study. Our main aims were to assess device-adherence and collaboration with the company that develops and sells the device. Method Data were collected from 39 college students who self-identified as experiencing chronic stress at a Southwestern university in the USA. Students were randomized into either a mindfulness-only control group without a biofeedback device (n = 21), or an experimental group with biofeedback device (n = 18). Both groups received mindfulness meditation training. Pre-test and post-test procedures were conducted 2 weeks apart. Further, both participant compliance and company compliance were assessed and collaboration with the company was evaluated. Results Participant device-adherence as well as the company’s collaboration necessary for a full-scale study was determined to be low. This may also have affected our results which showed a strong main effect for time for all outcome variables, suggesting all groups showed improvement in their levels of stress after the intervention period. No group by time effects were identified, however, indicating no added benefit of the biofeedback device. Conclusions Our findings suggest feasibility of future studies requires full collaboration and detailed and agreed upon data sharing procedures with the biofeedback company. The particular device under investigation added no value to the intervention outcomes and it was not feasible to continue a larger-scale study. Further, as the technology sector is innovating faster than it can validate products, we urge for open science collaborations between public and private sectors to properly develop evidence-based regulations that can withstand technological innovation while maintaining product quality, safety, and effectiveness. Trial registration NCT02837016. Registered 19 July 2016.

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Validation of the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) assessment in a sample of nursing homes using Item Response Theory (IRT) methods

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045656 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. e045656

Author(s):

María Andrée López Gómez ◽

Daniel A Gundersen ◽

Leslie I Boden ◽

Glorian Sorensen ◽

Jeffrey N Katz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Item Response Theory ◽

Nursing Homes ◽

Item Response ◽

Well Being ◽

P Value ◽

Response Theory ◽

Health Safety ◽

Worker Health ◽

Safety And Health ◽

The Usa

ObjectivesTo validate and test the dimensionality of six constructs from the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) assessment, an instrument that assesses the extent to which organisations implement integrated systems approaches for protecting and promoting worker health, safety and well-being, in a sample of nursing homes in the USA.DesignValidation of an assessment scale using data from a cross-sectional survey.SettingNursing homes certified by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare services in three states of the USA: Ohio, California and Massachusetts.Participants569 directors of nursing from nursing homes serving adults and with more than 30 beds participated in the study.ResultsGraded response Item Response Theory (IRT) models showed that five out of six constructs were unidimensional based on balanced interpretation of model fit statistics—M2 or C2 with p value >0.05, Comparative Fit Index >0.95, lower bound of the root mean squared error of approximation 90% CI <0.06 and standardised root mean square residual <0.08. Overall measure and construct reliability ranged from acceptable to good. Category boundary location parameters indicated that items were most informative for respondents in lower range of latent scores (ie, β1, β2, β3 typically below 0). A few items were recommended to be dropped from future administrations of the instrument based on empirical and substantive interpretation.ConclusionsThe WISH instrument has utility to understand to what extent organisations integrate protection and promotion of worker health, safety and well-being; however, it is most informative in organisations that present lower scores.

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Defining a research agenda for youth sport specialisation in the USA: the AMSSM Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2020-102699 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 135-143

Author(s):

Stephanie A Kliethermes ◽

Stephen W Marshall ◽

Cynthia R LaBella ◽

Andrew M Watson ◽

Joel S Brenner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Research Agenda ◽

Sport Participation ◽

Youth Sport ◽

Well Being ◽

Medical Society ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Future Research ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Usa

Sport specialisation is becoming increasingly common among youth and adolescent athletes in the USA and many have raised concern about this trend. Although research on sport specialisation has grown significantly, numerous pressing questions remain pertaining to short-term and long-term effects of specialisation on the health and well-being of youth, including the increased risk of overuse injury and burnout. Many current elite athletes did not specialise at an early age. Methodological and study design limitations impact the quality of current literature, and researchers need to prioritise pressing research questions to promote safe and healthy youth sport participation. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine hosted a Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit in April 2019 with the goal of synthesising and reviewing current scientific knowledge and developing a research agenda to guide future research in the field based on the identified gaps in knowledge. This statement provides a broad summary of the existing literature, gaps and limitations in current evidence and identifies key research priorities to help guide researchers conducting research on youth sport specialisation. Our goals are to help improve the quality and relevance of research on youth sport specialisation and to ultimately assure that opportunities for healthy and safe sport participation continue for all youth.

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The utility of self-rated health in population surveys: the role of bodyweight

Population Health Metrics ◽

10.1186/s12963-021-00255-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Robert Bozick

Keyword(s):

Treatment Group ◽

Large Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Control Group ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Risk Of Mortality ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

The Usa ◽

Group Members ◽

Nationally Representative

Abstract Background Self-rated health (SRH) is one of the most commonly used summary measures of overall health and well-being available to population scientists due to its ease of administration in large-scale surveys and to its efficacy in predicting mortality. This paper assesses the extent to which SRH is affected by its placement before or after questions about bodyweight on a survey, and whether differences in placement on the questionnaire affects SRH’s predictive validity. Methods I assessed the validity of SRH in predicting the risk of mortality by comparing outcomes of sample members who were asked to rate their health before reporting on their bodyweight (the control group) and sample members who were asked to rate their health after reporting on their bodyweight (the treatment group). Both the control and treatment group were randomly assigned via an experiment administered as a module in a nationally representative sample of adults in the USA in 2019 (N = 2523). Results The odds of reporting a more favorable appraisal of health are 30% lower for sample members who were in the treatment group when compared with the control group. Additionally, the SRH of treatment group members is significantly associated with their risk of mortality, while the SRH of control group members is not. Conclusion The findings from this study suggest that for researchers to maximize the utility of SRH, closer attention needs to be paid to the context of the survey within which it asked. SRH is highly sensitive to the questions that precede it, and this sensitivity may in turn mischaracterize the true health of the population that the survey is intending to measure.

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Three models for the regulation of polygenic scores in reproduction

Journal of Medical Ethics ◽

10.1136/medethics-2020-106588 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. medethics-2020-106588

Author(s):

Sarah Munday ◽

Julian Savulescu

Keyword(s):

Human Genetics ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Well Being ◽

Embryo Selection ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Regulatory Regime ◽

Polygenic Scores ◽

The Usa ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

The past few years have brought significant breakthroughs in understanding human genetics. This knowledge has been used to develop ‘polygenic scores’ (or ‘polygenic risk scores’) which provide probabilistic information about the development of polygenic conditions such as diabetes or schizophrenia. They are already being used in reproduction to select for embryos at lower risk of developing disease. Currently, the use of polygenic scores for embryo selection is subject to existing regulations concerning embryo testing and selection. Existing regulatory approaches include ‘disease-based' models which limit embryo selection to avoiding disease characteristics (employed in various formats in Australia, the UK, Italy, Switzerland and France, among others), and 'laissez-faire' or 'libertarian' models, under which embryo testing and selection remain unregulated (as in the USA). We introduce a novel 'Welfarist Model' which limits embryo selection according to the impact of the predicted trait on well-being. We compare the strengths and weaknesses of each model as a way of regulating polygenic scores. Polygenic scores create the potential for existing embryo selection technologies to be used to select for a wider range of predicted genetically influenced characteristics including continuous traits. Indeed, polygenic scores exist to predict future intelligence, and there have been suggestions that they will be used to make predictions within the normal range in the USA in embryo selection. We examine how these three models would apply to the prediction of non-disease traits such as intelligence. The genetics of intelligence remains controversial both scientifically and ethically. This paper does not attempt to resolve these issues. However, as with many biomedical advances, an effective regulatory regime must be in place as soon as the technology is available. If there is no regulation in place, then the market effectively decides ethical issues.

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Depression and Suicidality in Gay Men: Implications for Health Care Providers

American Journal of Men s Health ◽

10.1177/1557988316685492 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 910-919 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Carrie Lee ◽

John L. Oliffe ◽

Mary T. Kelly ◽

Olivier Ferlatte

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Gay Men ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Adult Population ◽

Well Being ◽

Sexual Practices ◽

Care Providers ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Prevalence Of Depression

Gay men are a subgroup vulnerable to depression and suicidality. The prevalence of depression among gay men is three times higher than the general adult population. Because depression is a known risk factor for suicide, gay men are also at high risk for suicidality. Despite the high prevalence of depression and suicidality, health researchers and health care providers have tended to focus on sexual health issues, most often human immunodeficiency virus in gay men. Related to this, gay men’s health has often been defined by sexual practices, and poorly understood are the intersections of gay men’s physical and mental health with social determinants of health including ethnicity, locale, education level, and socioeconomic status. In the current article summated is literature addressing risk factors for depression and suicidality among gay men including family acceptance of their sexual identities, social cohesion and belonging, internalized stigma, and victimization. Barriers to gay men’s help seeking are also discussed in detailing how health care providers might advance the well-being of this underserved subgroup by effectively addressing depression and suicidality.

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An Analysis of the First Dental Visits in a Federally Qualified Health Center in a Socio Economically Deprived Area

Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry ◽

10.17796/jcpd.33.3.j3u27630r7965p73 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 265-268 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gayatri Malik-Kotru ◽

Les Kirchner ◽

Lance Kisby

Keyword(s):

Health Center ◽

Well Being ◽

Pediatric Dentistry ◽

Dental Visit ◽

Design Data ◽

Preventive Dental Care ◽

Common Chronic Disease ◽

Federally Qualified Health Center ◽

Economically Deprived ◽

The Usa

Dental caries is the single most common chronic disease affecting children in the USA. Approximately 20-25% children are affected. This not only has serious implications for a child's long term health and well being but also has serious financial implications. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry advocates early intervention with the first dental visit by 12 months of age. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the first dental visit for children living in a socio economically deprived area in Connecticut. This study was conducted at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Connecticut. Study Design: Data was collected prospectively on the children between January to December 2004. Results: We found that the mean age for the first visit was 4 years. The recommendation is that community health programs should emphasize the importance of preventive dental care by assuring the first dental visit be by age 1 year.

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