scholarly journals Distribution of health anxiety in a general adult population and associations with demographic and social network characteristics

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Anja Davis Norbye ◽  
Birgit Abelsen ◽  
Olav Helge Førde ◽  
Unni Ringberg

Abstract Background Health anxiety (HA) is associated with increased risk of disability, increased health care utilization and reduced quality of life. However, there is no consensus on which factors are important for the level of HA. The aim of this study was to explore the distribution of HA in a general adult population and to investigate whether demographic and social factors were associated with HA. Methods This study used cross-sectional data from the seventh Tromsø study. A total of 18 064 participants aged 40 years or older were included in the analysis. The six-item Whiteley Index (WI-6) with a 5-point Likert scale was used to measure HA. Sociodemographic factors included age, sex, education, household income, quality of friendship and participation in an organized activity. Results HA showed an exponential distribution among the participants with a median score of 2 points out of 24 points. In total, 75% had a total score of 5 points or less, whereas 1% had a score >14 points. Education, household income, quality of friendship and participation in organized activity were significantly associated with HA. The variable quality of friendship demonstrated the strongest association with HA. Conclusion Our study showed an exponential distribution of HA in a general adult population. There was no evident cut-off point to distinguish participants with severe HA based on their WI-6 score, indicating the importance of analysing HA as a complex, continuous construct. HA demonstrated strong associations with quality of friendship and participation in an organized activity.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiën N. Belle ◽  
Angeline Chatelan ◽  
Rahel Kasteler ◽  
Idris Guessous ◽  
Maja Beck Popovic ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackgroundChildhood cancer survivors (CCSs) are at increased risk of developing chronic health conditions, which may be reduced by following a healthy lifestyle including a good diet.ObjectivesThis study compared the dietary intake and quality of CCSs and the general population.DesignAs part of the Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, we sent a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to CCSs who had a median age of 34 years (IQR: 29-40 years) and a median of 26 years (20-31 years) postdiagnosis at the time of survey. We compared dietary intake and quality of CCSs and three comparison groups representing the general adult population using FFQ and 24h recall data (24HDR). We evaluated whether mean individual intake met national dietary recommendations and used the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) to estimate diet quality.ResultsThe 774 CCSs in our study were compared to 8964 participants in the Bus Santé study, 1276 participants in the CoLaus study, and 1134 participants in the Swiss National Nutrition Survey. Dietary intake was equally poor in CCSs and the general Swiss population. CCSs consumed inadequate amounts of vitamin D, fiber, carbohydrates, iron, vitamin A, and calcium (12%, 41%, 72%, 72%, 79%, and 89% of the recommended intakes, respectively), and excessive amounts of saturated fat, protein, cholesterol, and total fat (137%, 126%, 114%, and 107% of the recommended intakes). The mean AHEI score in CCSs was low at 48.0 (men: 45.0, women: 50.9) out of a maximum score of 100. The general population, assessed by 24HDR, scored lower overall than CCSs (41.5; men: 38.7, women: 43.8). Clinical characteristics were not associated with diet quality in CCSs.ConclusionLong-term CCSs and the general adult population have similarly poor dietary intake and quality in Switzerland, which suggests population-based interventions for everyone.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Dehghani Firouzabadi ◽  
Ahmad Jayedi ◽  
Elaheh Asgari ◽  
Zahra Akbarzadeh ◽  
Nasim Janbozorgi ◽  
...  

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the association between the dietary and lifestyle inflammation score (DLIS) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in a sample of Iranian adults.Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.Setting: General adult population living in Tehran, Iran.Subjects: We included 827 adult men and women with an age range of 18–59 years who were referred to health centers in different districts of Tehran, Iran. Dietary intake was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire with 168 items. The DLIS was calculated based on four components, including dietary inflammation score, physical activity, cigarette smoking, and general obesity. Higher DLIS represents a more proinflammatory diet and lifestyle. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the MetS across quartiles of the DLIS was calculated by using logistic regression analysis, controlling for age, sex, energy intake, marital status, education status, and occupation.Results: A total of 827 participants (31% men) were included, with a mean age of 44.7 ± 10.7 years. The prevalence of the MetS was 30.5%. The DLIS ranged between −2.35 and +3.19 (mean ± SD: 0.54 ± 1.09). There was a significant positive association between the DLIS and odds of MetS (OR fourthvs.thefirstquartile: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.01–2.45) in the fully adjusted model.Conclusion: Our results showed a significant positive association between the DLIS and odds of MetS. The results of the present crosssectional study suggested that having a more proinflammatory lifestyle can be associated with MetS. More prospective studies are needed to confirm the findings.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 780-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Gude ◽  
Pablo Díaz-Vidal ◽  
Cintia Rúa-Pérez ◽  
Manuela Alonso-Sampedro ◽  
Carmen Fernández-Merino ◽  
...  

Objective: The objective was to investigate glycemic variability indices in relation to demographic factors and common environmental lifestyles in a general adult population. Methods: The A Estrada Glycation and Inflammation Study is a cross-sectional study covering 1516 participants selected by sampling of the population aged 18 years and over. A subsample of 622 individuals participated in the Glycation project, which included continuous glucose monitoring procedures. Five glycemic variability indices were analyzed, that is, SD, MAGE, MAG, CONGA1, and MODD. Results: Participants had a mean age of 48 years, 62% were females, and 12% had been previously diagnosed with diabetes. In the population without diabetes, index distributions were not normal but skewed to the right. Distributional regression models that adjusted for age, gender, BMI, alcohol intake, smoking status, and physical activity confirmed that all indices were positively and independently associated with fasting glucose levels and negatively with heavy drinking. SD, MAGE, and CONGA1 were positively associated with aging, and MAG was negatively associated with BMI. None of the GVI studied were influenced by physical activity. Age-group-specific reference values are given for the indices. Conclusions: This study yielded age-specific reference values for glucose variability indices in a general adult population. Significant increases were observed with aging. Heavy drinking of more than 140 g/week was associated with significant decreases in variability indices. No differences were found between males and females. These normative ranges provide a guide for clinical care, and may offer an alternative treatment target among persons with diabetes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celestin Mutuyimana ◽  
Vincent Sezibera ◽  
Epaphrodite Nsabimana ◽  
Lambert Mugabo ◽  
Cindi Cassady ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was a major traumatic event affecting nearly all Rwandans. Significant psychological sequels continue to occur in the population 25 years after, with a high prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found in women. Three groups are typically designated with regard to the Genocide against the Tutsi: those who were targeted and categorized as genocide “survivors,” those who were in the country during the genocide and were the “non-targeted” group, and those who were outside of the country, referred to as the “1959 returnees.” Each group experienced various traumatic events during and in the aftermath of the genocide. Offspring of the designated groups, currently exhibit symptoms of PTSD disregarding of being born in the years following the genocide. A number of studies have described the prevalence of PTSD in the general adult population. There is a lack of research comparing the prevalence of PTSD in women and their offspring among these three target groups, therefore, this study aimed to bridge the gap. Methods We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study with a sample of 432 mothers and 432 children in three categories: genocide survivors, in country non-targeted and 1959 returnees. Participant ages for children were between 14 to 22 years and for mothers, between the ages of 32 to 87 years. The UCLA-PTSD DSM-5, PTSD Check list-5 and Life events Checklist-5 were translated from English to Kinyarwanda and were used to assess exposure to trauma and the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in Rwandan mothers and their offspring. Results Key Results yield a PTSD rate of 18.8, 6.2, 5.2% within survivors, in country non-targeted, and returnees respectively with an average PTSD rate of 43.8% for parents, and 16.5% for offspring. Conclusion PTSD among the mothers’ groups and their offspring have been found, specifically in the offspring of genocide survivors. Considering these adolescents were not born at the time of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the results suggest future studies should explore the precipitating factors contributing to the PTSD symptoms within this specific group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Liu ◽  
G. C. Lee

AbstractPneumonia is one of the leading causes of hospitalisations among adults in the USA. Individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) have been associated with increased risk for pneumonia and complications including death. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare the prevalence and healthcare utilisation patterns for pneumonia in individuals with and without DM, and (2) identify risk factors for pneumonia in those with DM. We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of the US adult population using Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS) data from 2014. Overall, the data represented 24 million individuals with DM and 218 million without DM in the USA. The population-based rate for a pneumonia event was 34 per 1000 persons for individuals with DM and 19 per 1000 persons without DM. Compared to the non-DM group, individuals with DM were treated 1.8x, 2.6x and 1.4x more in the ED, hospital and outpatient, respectively. Furthermore, the average cost per pneumonia event was significantly higher among individuals with DM compared to non-DM in the inpatient setting ($11 931 vs. $7751; P < 0.001). Among individuals with DM, female sex, DM complications, smokers and administration of pneumococcal vaccines were significant factors associated with a pneumonia event.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Yang Xia ◽  
Yashu Liu ◽  
Shunming Zhang ◽  
Qing Zhang ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the associations between dietary fibre (DF) intake and depressive symptoms in a general adult population in Tianjin, China. A total of 24 306 participants (mean age 41 years; range 18–91 years) were enrolled. DF intake was assessed using a validated self-administered FFQ. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Self-Rating Depression Scale. Associations between DF intake and depressive symptoms were estimated using logistic regression analysis. Socio-demographic, behavioural, health status and dietary factors were adjusted. In men, compared with participants in the lowest quartiles for total, soluble, vegetable and soya DF, OR for depressive symptoms in the highest were 0·83 (95 % CI 0·69, 0·99), 0·74 (95 % CI 0·63, 0·87), 0·79 (95 % CI 0·65, 0·96) and 0·69 (95 % CI 0·60, 0·81), respectively. In women, compared with participants in the lowest quartiles for vegetable and soya DF, the OR for depressive symptoms in the highest were 0·77 (95 % CI 0·64, 0·93) and 0·82 (95 % CI 0·70, 0·95), respectively. No association was found between total or soluble DF intake and depressive symptoms in women. No association was found between insoluble, cereal, fruit or tuber DF intake and depressive symptoms in men and women. Linear associations between DF intake and depressive symptoms were only detected for soya DF (men, β = –0·148, P < 0·0001; women, β = –0·069, P = 0·04). Results suggest that intake of soluble, vegetable and soya DF was inversely associated with depressive symptoms. These results should be confirmed through prospective and interventional studies.


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