4. Risk factors

2020 ◽  
pp. 74-104
Author(s):  
Kathleen Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Blood Sugar ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Physiological Factors ◽  
Cause And Effect ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Brain

Would everyone get dementia if we lived long enough? ‘Risk factors’ focuses on the genetic, environmental, and physiological factors that makes dementia more or less likely to affect us. The media often distorts scientific findings with false correlations. We must be aware of these ourselves, particularly in relation to cause and effect; a factor that we may see as a cause of dementia might be a symptom. Risk factors include age, overall poor physical and mental health, blood sugar, blood and brain function, inflammation, and not using the brain. Many of these can be modified, even the effects of ageing, but there is no single cause or one-size-fits-all solution.

Loneliness, social isolation and cardiovascular risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackson Alun ◽  
Barbara Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Premature Death ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cardiac Events ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Traditional Risk Factors

Loneliness and social isolation are increasingly being acknowledged as risk factors for both physical and mental health problems. Recent statistics demonstrate that loneliness and isolation are on the rise internationally, to the point of being classed as an epidemic. In this paper, the authors outline some of the recent research linking loneliness and isolation to significant chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes; mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression; cognitive disorders and dementia. Isolation has also been shown to compromise recovery after acute cardiac events, being associated with increased hospital readmission and premature death. Indeed, isolation has now been identified as a risk factor equivalent in effect to traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension and obesity. While distinguishing between objective and subjective indicators of isolation, the authors highlight the complexity of this phenomenon, both in terms of definition and measurement, as well as the interplay between subjective and objective indicators. Important clinical implications for health professionals working with cardiac patients are also proposed, in terms of screening for isolation, and possible interventions to support patients at risk of isolation. The aim of the current article is to emphasise the importance of acknowledging loneliness and isolation as key risk factors requiring urgent attention, both in research and in clinical practice.

scholarly journals Physical and mental health factors associated with work engagement among Finnish female municipal employees: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e017303
Author(s):  
Veera Veromaa ◽  
Hannu Kautiainen ◽  
Päivi Elina Korhonen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Psychosocial Risk Factors ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Psychosocial Risk Factor ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mental Health Factors

ObjectivesWork engagement is related to mental health, but studies of physical health’s association with work engagement are scarce. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between physical health, psychosocial risk factors and work engagement among Finnish women in municipal work units.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 among 726 female employees from 10 municipal work units of the city of Pori, Finland. Work engagement was assessed with the nine-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The American Heart Association’s concept of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) was used to define physical health (non-smoking, body mass index <25.0 kg/m2, physical activity at goal, healthy diet, total cholesterol <5.18mmol/L, blood pressure <120/80 mm Hg, normal glucose tolerance). Psychosocial risk factors (social isolation, stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, hostility and type D personality) were included as core questions suggested by 2012 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention.ResultsOf the study subjects, 25.2% had favourable 5–7 CVH metrics. The sum of CVH metrics, healthy diet and physical activity at goal were positively associated with work engagement. In subjects without psychosocial risk factors (36.7%), work engagement was high and stable. Presence of even one psychosocial risk factor was associated with a lower level of work engagement regardless of the sum of ideal CVH metrics.ConclusionsBoth physical and mental health factors have a positive relationship with work engagement, whereas the presence of even one psychosocial risk factor has a negative association regardless of the level of classic cardiovascular risk factors.

scholarly journals What is Interoception and Why is it Important?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Barker ◽  
Rebecca Brewer ◽  
Jennifer Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Heart Beating ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Brain

What is the word for the sense of signals that come from inside your body, such as feeling your heart beating and your breathing, or knowing when you are hungry? This is called interoception. Interoception is one of our senses, like vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. In this article, we talk about what interoception is and how information about these feelings is sent from the body to the brain. We will also talk a little about how interoception is measured and the different types of interoception. Finally, we will discuss why interoception might be important for things like recognising emotions in ourselves and in other people, our physical and mental health, and why understanding how interoception changes throughout our lives might help us to understand where differences in interoception across different people come from.

scholarly journals Beta Inflated Regression Models on the Physical and Mental Health of Nigerian Stroke Survivors

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-312
Author(s):  
KS Oritogun ◽  
OO Oyewole
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Stroke Survivors ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Health Risk Factors

Background: Stroke is one of the major public health problems worldwide. Physical and mental health data of stroke survivors are often expressed in proportions. Therefore, the Beta Regression models family for data between zero and one will be appropriate. Objectives: To identify a suitable model and the likely risk factors of physical and mental health of stroke survivors. Method: Secondary data of stroke survivors from two tertiary health Institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria, were analysed. Inflated Beta (BEINF) and Inflated-at-one-Beta (BEINF1) models were compared using Deviance (DEV), Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC) for model selection. The model with minimum DEV, AIC and BIC was considered to be better. Results: The deviance (-86.0604,), AIC (-46.0604) and BIC (6.4391) values of the BEINF1 model for physical health and the deviance (-20.1217), AIC (19.8783) and BIC (72.3778) values of BEINF1 model for mental health were smaller than BEINF models. Therefore, BEINF1 was the better model to identify the health risk factors of stroke survivors. Age, marital status, diastolic blood pressure, disability duration and systolic blood pressure had a significant association with physical health, while BMI had a significant positive association with mental health.  Conclusion: The beta-inflated-at-one (BEINF1) model is suitable for identifying health risk factors of stroke survivors when the outcome variable is a proportion. Both demographic and clinical characteristics were significantly associated with the health of stroke survivors. This study would assist researchers in knowing the appropriate model for analysing proportion or percentage response variables.

Some Characteristics of Employees as Risk Factors for Presenteeism

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-55
Author(s):  
Petra Mlakar ◽  
Janez Stare
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Job Security ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Sickness Absenteeism ◽  
The World ◽  
Employee Characteristics ◽  
Absence From Work ◽  
The Impact

Presenteeism, or the act of attending work while sick or despite feeling unwell, is a relatively new concept in the sphere of work. It is a phenomenon that has begun to be monitored more intensively around the world in the last decade. Presenteeism can affect an employee’s work in various ways and its consequences mean that it is already a problem in itself. Employers devote too little attention to it or are frequently not even aware of it. The majority of employers are in fact too often focused on the growing problem of absence from work because of sickness (absenteeism) and on eliminating the negative consequences of absenteeism, and do not (yet) see presenteeism as a problem. The research presented in this article deals with the question of the impact of employee characteristics on the phenomenon of presenteeism. The characteristics considered included ambition, financial worries, job security, sick leave and the physical and mental health of employees.

scholarly journals An integrative overview of the cannabinergic system and mental health

Salud Mental ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-128
Author(s):  
Oscar E Prospéro García ◽  
◽  
Pavel E Rueda Orozco ◽  
Octavio Amancio Belmont ◽  
Alejandra E Ruiz Contreras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Endocannabinoid System ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Synaptic Membranes ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Nervous System Function ◽  
The Brain

Background. The endocannabinoid system (eCBs) is one of the modulatory systems widely expressed in the brain. It consists of receptors expressed in the cytoplasmic (CB1 and CB2), the mitochondrial membrane (CB1), and the endogenous ligands known as endocannabinoids, such as anandamide, 2AG and oleamide. CB1 has been found in excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the pre- and post-synaptic membranes. It is expressed in several brain areas such as the hippocampus, dorsal, and ventral striatum, amygdala and prefrontal cortex. The eCBs has been involved in the regulation of learning and memory, mood, energy balance, sleep, and drug addiction. Objective. Integrate existing information about the eCBs and its role in brain function and mental health. Method. Review of the information of basic and clinical relevance obtained from indexed scientific journals (PubMed/Medline, Scopus). Results. Basic and clinical research on eCBs related to central nervous system function is described. Discussion and conclusion. At present, the study of eCBs is of importance. The development of drugs that affect this system may be clinically useful to control different debilitating diseases. This is an area of interest to the scientific community and health care providers.

scholarly journals Diet, Stress and Mental Health

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2428 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Douglas Bremner ◽  
Kasra Moazzami ◽  
Matthew T. Wittbrodt ◽  
Jonathon A. Nye ◽  
Bruno B. Lima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Causal Pathways ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fats ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Acute Changes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain

Introduction: There has long been an interest in the effects of diet on mental health, and the interaction of the two with stress; however, the nature of these relationships is not well understood. Although associations between diet, obesity and the related metabolic syndrome (MetS), stress, and mental disorders exist, causal pathways have not been established. Methods: We reviewed the literature on the relationship between diet, stress, obesity and psychiatric disorders related to stress. Results: Diet and obesity can affect mood through direct effects, or stress-related mental disorders could lead to changes in diet habits that affect weight. Alternatively, common factors such as stress or predisposition could lead to both obesity and stress-related mental disorders, such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specific aspects of diet can lead to acute changes in mood as well as stimulate inflammation, which has led to efforts to assess polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) as a treatment for depression. Bidirectional relationships between these different factors are also likely. Finally, there has been increased attention recently on the relationship between the gut and the brain, with the realization that the gut microbiome has an influence on brain function and probably also mood and behavior, introducing another way diet can influence mental health and disorders. Brain areas and neurotransmitters and neuropeptides that are involved in both mood and appetite likely play a role in mediating this relationship. Conclusions: Understanding the relationship between diet, stress and mood and behavior could have important implications for the treatment of both stress-related mental disorders and obesity.

Some Experiments in the Chemistry of Normal Sleep

1966 ◽  
Vol 112 (485) ◽  
pp. 391-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Oswald ◽  
G. W. Ashcroft ◽  
R. J. Berger ◽  
D. Eccleston ◽  
J. I. Evans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Stem ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Reticular Activating System ◽  
Normal Sleep ◽  
Biochemical State ◽  
The Brain

Sleep is essential for physical and mental health. In the last 15 years there has grown up the concept of the brain stem reticular activating system. Electroencephalographic studies have shown two qualitatively different and alternating kinds of sleep, the orthodox (“slow wave”, or “forebrain“) and the paradoxical (”hind-brain“, “rapid eye movement”, “activated“, or “dreaming”) phases (Akert et al., 1965). It may be predicted that in the next decade attention will turn increasingly to the chemical basis of sleep. If a man is deprived of sleep for 100 hours, it is extremely difficult to keep him awake and one may suppose that an abnormal biochemical state exists within his central nervous system.

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