scholarly journals Raising Our Voices: The Impact of a Dementia Choir on Well-Being and Quality of Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 829-830
Author(s):  
Debra Sheets ◽  
Stuart MacDonald ◽  
Andre Smith

Abstract Stigma represents one of the biggest barriers to living well with dementia following diagnosis. Social isolation is common as roles, friendships and opportunities to participate in the broader community disappear. An intergenerational dementia choir is a joyful activity that offers opportunities for learning, friendships and purposeful engagement towards common goals (e.g., regular social engagement, public concerts at season’s end). Data collection involved surveys and interviews with 32 dyads comprised of persons with dementia (PwD) and caregivers, as well as focus groups with 29 high school students. Results illustrate the development of a choir community across weeks of participation with far reaching benefits. Both caregivers and PwD experienced reductions in health risks and improvements in quality of life. Students’ understanding of dementia became more positive over time and new friendships developed. The discussion focuses on the need for meaningful and inclusive community activities for PwD and their caregivers.

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (13) ◽  
pp. 2130-2139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Martyr ◽  
Sharon M. Nelis ◽  
Catherine Quinn ◽  
Yu-Tzu Wu ◽  
Ruth A. Lamont ◽  
...  

AbstractCurrent policy emphasises the importance of ‘living well’ with dementia, but there has been no comprehensive synthesis of the factors related to quality of life (QoL), subjective well-being or life satisfaction in people with dementia. We examined the available evidence in a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched electronic databases until 7 January 2016 for observational studies investigating factors associated with QoL, well-being and life satisfaction in people with dementia. Articles had to provide quantitative data and include ⩾75% people with dementia of any type or severity. We included 198 QoL studies taken from 272 articles in the meta-analysis. The analysis focused on 43 factors with sufficient data, relating to 37639 people with dementia. Generally, these factors were significantly associated with QoL, but effect sizes were often small (0.1–0.29) or negligible (<0.09). Factors reflecting relationships, social engagement and functional ability were associated with better QoL. Factors indicative of poorer physical and mental health (including depression and other neuropsychiatric symptoms) and poorer carer well-being were associated with poorer QoL. Longitudinal evidence about predictors of QoL was limited. There was a considerable between-study heterogeneity. The pattern of numerous predominantly small associations with QoL suggests a need to reconsider approaches to understanding and assessing living well with dementia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-552
Author(s):  
Vasko Tišma ◽  
Renata Barić ◽  
Matea Karlović Vragolov

The aim of this study was to examine gender and body-mass index differences in quality of life and exercise motives of adolescents. The sample consisted of 744 first-year high school students from the City of Zagreb. Quality of life was measured with an adapted version of the Kidscreen-27, and exercise motivation with the EMI-2. The results suggest that adolescents experience positive quality of life and their exercise motivation derives from intrinsic and extrinsic motives. Higher levels of male adolescents' quality of life, compared to females', predominantly result from a greater sense of physical well-being, more pleasant emotions and moods, more positive school and family environment, and the ability to plan and spend leisure time. Normal-weight adolescents are more satisfied with their physical activity and health than overweight ones. Male adolescents are more driven by enjoyment, challenge, competition, strength, and social motives (belonging, pressure, and recognition), unlike females, who exercise more because of weight control. Normal-weight adolescents are more motivated for exercise by enjoyment than overweight ones, who are more driven by weight control. The implications of these findings were discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-110
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Broďáni ◽  
Natália Kováčová ◽  
Monika Czaková

Summary This article demonstrates the gender differences between the physical activity (PA), the joy of physical activity (PACES) and quality of life areas of boys and girls from high schools with different sports level and in the different ages. In this survey participated 630 boys and 672 girls from high schools in the age from 16 to 19 years. The quality of life is measured by the SQUALA survey, joy of the movement by the PACES survey, and the level of physical activity per week in hours by PAQ survey. The level of sports performance is defined by levels (occasional, active and registered sportsman). The data are presented by descriptive characteristics (n, M, SD) and the significance of differences and the relations are measure by non-parametric methods (W, rs). Differences in the PA, PACES, SQUALA levels at the group of boys and girls in the different age and sports level are rare. Different load of physical activity relates to sport level. It was not proven that with the increasing sports level, the joy of the physical activity also rises. The interactions between indicators of PA, PACES, and SQUALA in boys and girls in the different age and sports level were proven sporadically with a predominance of negative correlations. In most cases, the positive interactions of PA with PACES and areas of physical well-being was not proven. The higher appearance of positive correlations of PA with areas of SQUALA prevails in 18-years old girls. Boys show the higher number of interactions of PACES with areas of SQUALA. The joy of the movement positively correlates with spiritual well-being in groups of 18-19 years old boys, which perform physical activities in all sports levels. The gender differences between monitored indicators show that the gender factor is very important in this study. The age and sport level factor contributed significantly in the differentiated results of high school boys and girls.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31
Author(s):  
Josipa Erdeši ◽  
Željka Mendek Ocelić ◽  
Gorka Vuletić

The aim of this paper is to test the impact of the implementation of gratitude development program on the quality of life and happiness of sixth, seventh and eighth grade elementary school students. The total of 79 students of one elementary school from a rural part of Eastern Croatia participated in the research, divided into experimental (N = 39) and control (N = 40) groups. The gratitude development program was conducted once a day for a period of four weeks. The Personal Well-Being Index for School Children and the Subjective Happiness Scale were administered before and after the program. The results were processed by a two-way analysis of variance with repeated measurements on the first factor. There was a significant increase in the level of overall quality of life and specific quality of life domains in the experimental group in comparison to the control group. There were no significant changes in happiness level in the experimental group after the program. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship of gratitude, the quality of life and the experience of happiness. Also, the results indicate the importance of using psychological interventions that can improve the quality of life of students in the educational context. The paper extensively discusses the usefulness of this research and its implications for future research.


Author(s):  
Mikel Vaquero-Solís ◽  
Miguel Angel Tapia-Serrano ◽  
David Hortigüela-Alcalá ◽  
Manuel Jacob Sierra-Díaz ◽  
Pedro Antonio Sánchez-Miguel

Adolescence is a critical period for the acquisition of health-related behaviors that will transcend later psychological well-being in adulthood. The present study presents a theoretical model whose objective is to analyze how physical activity predicts an adequate quality of life through self-concept and subjective happiness among adolescents. A total of 452 students aged 12 to 15 (M = 13.8; SD = 0.77) from four Compulsory Secondary Education institutes of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura participated, including boys (n = 258) and girls (n = 194). The students reported information on the following variables: physical activity, body mass index, self-concept, subjective happiness, and quality of life. The results show acceptable fit indices for the proposed theoretical model, which showed the importance of physical activity through self-concept and subjective happiness in quality of life: MRLχ2 = 67.533, p < 0.05, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.90, SRMR = 0.05, and RMSA = 0.07. Likewise, the model presented a better fit index for males than females. This study draws conclusions on the importance of physical activity as a predictor of quality of life mediated by the perception of self-concept and mood in adolescents.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy A. McGuine ◽  
Kevin Biese ◽  
Scott J. Hetzel ◽  
Allison Schwarz ◽  
Claudia L. Reardon ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTContextDuring the fall of 2020, some high schools across the US allowed their students to participate in interscholastic sports while others cancelled or postponed their sport programs due to concerns regarding CoVID19 transmission. It is unknown what effect this has had on the physical and mental health of student athletes.ObjectiveIdentify the impact of playing a sport during the CoVID19 pandemic on the health of student athletes.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingSample recruited via email.Patients or Other Participants559 Wisconsin high school athletes (age=15.7+1.2 yrs., female=44%) from 44 high schools completed an online survey in October 2020. A total of 171 (31%) athletes played (PLY) a fall sport, while 388 (69%) did not play (DNP).Main Outcome Measure(s)Demographics included: sex, grade and sports played. Assessments included the General Anxiety Disorder-7 Item (GAD-7) for anxiety, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9) for depression, the Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale (PFABS) for physical activity, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL) for quality of life. Univariable comparisons between the two groups were made via t-tests or chi-square tests. Means for each continuous outcome measure were compared between the groups by ANOVA models that controlled for Age, Sex, Teaching method (Virtual, Hybrid, or In-person), and the % of students eligible for free lunch.RESULTSPLY group participants were less likely to report moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety (PLY=6.6%, DNP=44.1%, p<0.001) and depression (PLY=18.2%, DNP=40.4%, p<0.001). PLY athletes reported higher (better) PFABS scores (mean: [95%CI]), (PLY=23.2[22.0,24.5], DNP=16.4[15.0,17.8], p <0.001) and higher (better) PedsQL total scores (PLY=88.4[85.9,90.9], DNP=79.6[76.8,82.4], p <0.001).CONCLUSIONSAdolescent athletes who played a sport during the CoVID19 pandemic reported fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as higher physical activity and quality of life scores compared to adolescent athletes who did not play a sport.Key pointsHigh school students who played a sport during the CoVID-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020 were less likely to report anxiety and depression symptoms than athletes who did not play a sport.High school students who played a sport during the CoVID-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020 reported higher physical activity and quality of life scores compared to high school athletes who did not play a sport.Participation in high school sports may have significant physical and mental health benefits for US adolescent athletes during the CoVID-19 pandemic.


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