Evaluating Rehabilitation Student Attitudes Toward Health Promotion Interventions for Individuals Who Are Aging and Living With Functional Limitations

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Garrett E. Huck ◽  
Lorie Kramer ◽  
Melisa Naylor
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health Promotion Interventions

By 2030, the population of individuals living in the United States aged 65 or older is estimated to reach 71.88 million people. In turn, rehabilitation professionals will be tasked with meeting increased levels of need. One approach for promoting health and well-being is physical activity (PA) which holds potential for reducing secondary health conditions and disability. This article examined (a) student attitudes toward PA interventions for aging individuals living with functional limitations, and (b) how student attitudes toward PA interventions might change following a service learning activity. A pre-test/post-test design was utilized. Results indicated that students tended to hold favorable attitudes regarding PA as a health promoting intervention. As a class cohort, no significant changes in student attitudes were observed. However, when evaluated by major, evidence for the value of experiential learning was noted, in addition to interesting changes in the attitudes of non-rehabilitation and human services majors.

scholarly journals Perceived Sensory Dimensions of Green Areas: An Experimental Study on Stress Recovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5419
Author(s):  
Sanaz Memari ◽  
Mahdieh Pazhouhanfar ◽  
Patrik Grahn
Keyword(s):  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Film Clip ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health And Well Being

Natural environments have been shown to promote health, and are, therefore, important for achieving social sustainability in cities. As cities grow and become denser, it is important to develop knowledge about the characteristics of natural environments that work to promote health. Perceived Sensory Dimensions (PSDs) is a tool that defines eight different cultural ecosystem services. They correspond to different human needs (rest, exercise, socialising, pleasure, or security) resulting in rehabilitation and health and well-being promotion. An experiment was conducted to study the potential of PSDs to restore people who experienced stressful accidents. One hundred and fifty-seven participants were recruited and asked first to watch a film clip of serious accidents, then to look at the pictures, depicting one particular type of PSDs, while listening to its respective audio recording. Their stress levels were measured before exposure to the stressor (baseline), after exposure to the stressor (pre-test), and after exposure to a particular type of PSDs (post-test). The results show that all eight PSDs effectively provide mental recovery, but there are statistical differences in their potentials. As such, it is proposed that the combined potential of the PSDs is needed, and should be used to increase the capacity and supply of health-promoting urban green areas.

scholarly journals Transitions in Loneliness Among Older Adults: A 5-Year Follow-Up in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise C. Hawkley ◽  
Masha Kocherginsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Functional Factors ◽  
Older Adult Population ◽  
Health And Well Being

A substantial portion of the older adult population suffers from frequent feelings of loneliness, but a large proportion remains relatively unscathed by loneliness. To date, research examining both protective and risk factors for loneliness has not included data from the United States. The present study used the first two waves of data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project to examine sociodemographic, structural, and functional factors thought to be associated with loneliness in older adults. Functional limitations and low family support were associated with an increase in loneliness frequency (as were more strained friendships) and with transitioning from nonlonely to lonely status. Better self-rated health, higher levels of socializing frequency, and lower family strain were associated with transitioning from lonely to nonlonely status. Interventions that target these factors may be effective in preventing and reducing loneliness and its effects on health and well-being in older adults.

scholarly journals Advancing the Health of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers in the United States: Identifying Gaps in the Existing Literature, 2021

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110333
Author(s):  
Jamie E. Bloss ◽  
Catherine E. LePrevost ◽  
Abdul G. Zahra ◽  
Gina C. Firnhaber ◽  
Leslie E. Cofie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Special Populations ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Seasonal Farmworkers ◽  
Mapping Review ◽  
Health Promotion Interventions

There are profound health inequities for agricultural workers. We sought to assess the literature on migrant and seasonal farmworker health with an eye toward health promotion interventions, special populations, use of community health workers (CHWs), and technology. We conducted a systematic mapping review by searching five databases in March 2021. Using quantitative content analysis after establishing interrater reliability, we coded titles and abstracts to assess 13 topics and six characteristics of the research such as its focus on health promotion, use of technology, and inclusion of CHWs. We identified 1,083 records. Just 8.2% of records described or evaluated a health promotion effort to intervene in farmworker well-being and even fewer (4.2%) examined unique populations of farmworkers such as indigenous farmworkers ( n = 11) or sexual minority farmworkers ( n = 1). A small body of literature focused on the role of CHWs or promotores most frequently described their role in implementing health interventions. The literature on farmworker health has gaps regarding health promotion interventions, special populations, and integration of CHWs into research projects. We offer suggestions to fill in identified gaps in the literature.

scholarly journals Enhancing Community Engagement by Schools and Programs of Public Health in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mindi B. Levin ◽  
Janice V. Bowie ◽  
Steven K. Ragsdale ◽  
Amy L. Gawad ◽  
Lisa A. Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Control And Prevention

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define community engagement as “the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people” in order to improve their health and well-being. Central to the field of public health, community engagement should also be at the core of the work of schools and programs of public health. This article reviews best practices and emerging innovations in community engagement for education, for research, and for practice, including critical service-learning, community-based participatory research, and collective impact. Leadership, infrastructure, and culture are key institutional facilitators of successful academic efforts. Major challenges to overcome include mistrust by community members, imbalance of power, and unequal sharing of credit. Success in this work will advance equity and improve health in communities all around the world. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 42 is April 1, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

548 Predicting Perceived Functional Limitation in Midlife and Older Adulthood: The Role of Sleep and Perceived Control

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A216-A216
Author(s):  
Claire Williams ◽  
Sarah Ghose ◽  
Morgan Reid ◽  
Sahar Sabet ◽  
Ashley MacPherson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Functional Limitation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Beliefs ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality

Abstract Introduction Functional limitations become increasingly common and debilitating as individuals age, potentially impacting several facets of well-being. As such, it is important to understand malleable factors that may potentially impact functional limitation outcomes. Both sleep and perceived control have been linked to the development of functional limitation. The current study sought to clarify the unique contributions of both sleep quality and perceived control to functional limitation status in middle-aged and older adults. Methods Data from the second wave of the Midlife in the United States study were used for the current study. Participants included 527 participants (59.9% female, Mage=59.83 years, SD=9.75 years) who completed measures of functional limitation levels (Functional Status Questionnaire), subjective sleep quality (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index), and perceived control (MIDI Sense of Control Scales). A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine sleep quality and perceived control as predictors in a unique model for predicting functional limitation. Demographic variables of age, gender, and race were used as covariates in study analyses. Results The overall model predicted 19.0% of the variance in functional limitation levels. Sleep quality was significantly associated with self-reported functional limitation (β=-.27, p<.001) over and above perceived control (β=.20, p<.001). Specifically, findings indicate that worse sleep quality is associated with increased functional limitation, while higher levels of perceived control are associated with lower levels of functional limitation. Conclusion Though perceived control is known to be associated with functional limitation status, the present study suggests a unique effect of sleep quality on functional limitation even after accounting for perceived control. Due to the potential for negative effects of functional limitation in middle-aged to older adults, it is important to identify and target constructs for research and intervention related to the development of these limitations. Care models for individuals who report experiencing functional limitations may benefit from targeting sleep health and control beliefs in intervention and assessment. Support (if any):

scholarly journals Evaluating Service-Learning with Older Adults on Undergraduate College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 943-944
Author(s):  
Sharon Merkin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Mean Differences ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction: Students in the Frontiers in Human Aging course at UCLA participate in service-learning (SL) with older adults. In 2020, completion of SL coincided with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the impact of SL on student attitudes on aging and community service in the context of the pandemic. Methods: Students were assigned to senior residential and daycare programs for 18-20 hours of SL. A retrospective pretest-posttest survey asked about attitudes and interests before and after SL and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected these perceptions; 73 (of 103) students responded. Mean differences before and after SL were tested and differences were assessed within groups reporting COVID-19 effects. Results: SL improved students’ attitudes and ability to engage with older adults, knowledge about aging concepts, interest in future work with older adults, attitudes on community service, social well-being and feelings of usefulness (p<0.001). There was no significant change in overall anxiety about aging (p=0.1), however, students showed increased anxiety about losing independence and finances when older (p<0.05). At least 50% of students reported that the COVID-19 pandemic increased their awareness of needs of older adults (81.9%) and decreased connection to their peers (50.7%); the impact of SL remained unchanged by these effects. Conclusion: Despite the overall benefits of SL, increased anxiety about aspects of aging suggests the need to address these concerns. While the COVID-19 pandemic did not seem to affect the impact of SL, this event did seem to influence perceptions about aging and social integration.

scholarly journals Not Seeing Double: Discordance in Disease, Function, and Their Longitudinal Associations in Monozygotic Twins

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 756-756
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Teas ◽  
Olivia Robertson ◽  
Kristine Marceau ◽  
Elliot Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Monozygotic Twins ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Monozygotic Twin ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Multi Level

Abstract Prior research on the causality and directionality between disease and functional limitations is ambiguous. The current study used longitudinal monozygotic twin data to test both directions linking disease burden and functional limitations in middle-aged and older adults, controlling for genetic and familial factors. We also examined potential moderation by psychological well-being. The Twins sub-sample from the first two waves of the longitudinal Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study was used (Wave 1: 1995-1996, Wave 2: 2004-2006). Only monozygotic twins (N = 713) were included in analyses. In separate multi-level models, we examined disease burden at MIDUS 2 predicted by functional limitations at MIDUS 1 and MIDUS 2 functional limitations predicted by disease burden at MIDUS 1. Disease burden and functional limitations at MIDUS 2 varied substantially within families. There was no within-family association of earlier functional limitations with change in later disease burden (b = .40, p = .39), but there was a within-family association such that the twin with higher baseline disease burden had a greater increase in functional limitations than his/her co-twin (b = .06, p = .02). Well-being was not a moderator in either model. We found support for a potentially causal association between earlier disease burden and later increases in functional limitations, consistent with the Disablement Process Model. Sensitivity analyses confirm the detected within-family effect. Possible mechanisms linking disease burden and functional limitations are discussed as potential targets for future research.

A Model for Creating a Common Health Promoting School Environment

2021 ◽  
pp. 12-21
Author(s):  
SB Sokolova
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Comprehensive Schools ◽  
Health Promoting School ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health Promotion Interventions

Introduction: Deterioration of students’ health, the absence of scientific substantiation of consistent actions, key directions and indicators of work of comprehensive schools in the sphere of health protection of participants in the educational process determine the purpose of the study to give a rationale for the algorithm and model of creating a common health promoting school environment. Materials and methods: The study was carried out in four directions: 1) study of health promoting activities in modern schools; 2) analysis of indicators of socio-psychological climate of schools; 3) study of the lifestyle, work pressure and schedule, health status and psychological well-being of teachers; and 4) study of foreign instruments for assessing health promotion interventions at schools. The objects of the study included comprehensive schools, schoolchildren, teachers, and foreign instruments for assessing health promotion interventions at schools. The research materials were statistically processed by nonparametric methods using Statistica 13.3 software. Results: Most of the surveyed Russian schools are at the initial stages of developing health promoting frameworks. Based on the expert statistical analysis of health promotion interventions of Russian schools at different levels of development and having different achievements in the field of preventive activities, effective directions and specific indicators for assessing results at each stage of creating a common preventive environment in a comprehensive school were identified and substantiated. Conclusions: An algorithm and a model of a common preventive school environment consisting of seven components have been developed and a system for its monitoring by key indicators, the subjects and objects of which are students, their parents and teachers, has been substantiated. The results of health promoting activities at school include health improvement in schoolchildren and teachers, their emotional well-being, a decreased prevalence of behavioral risk factors, and improvement of knowledge and skills in relation to health and of the academic performance of students.

scholarly journals A Cultural Perspective on Functional Limitations and Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1378-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Ha Choi ◽  
Yuri Miyamoto ◽  
Carol D. Ryff
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Cross ◽  
And Control

Functional limitations—difficulty in carrying out activities of daily living—have been linked to poorer well-being in Western cultures. This might be partly due to the lower personal control associated with functional limitations. However, compared with the West, in Asian cultural contexts (e.g., Japan) where agency and control are based less predominantly on individual attributes, the link between functional limitations and well-being may be weaker. Using cross-sectional probability samples from the United States and Japan (Study 1), functional limitations were associated with lower well-being in both cultures, though the association was weaker in Japan than in the United States and personal control played a mediating role. Furthermore, analyses of longitudinal data (Study 2) showed the cross-cultural patterns generally consistent with the cross-sectional analyses of Study 1, though the cultural moderation was found for fewer well-being measures. Such findings enrich our understanding of how health status and well-being are related across cultures.

Older Lifelong Learners’ Motivations for Participating in Formal Volunteer Activities in Urban Communities

2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Erick B. López ◽  
Marta Soligo ◽  
Jennifer R. Keene
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lifelong Learners ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Learning Programs

In recent years, volunteering has received increasing attention as a unique form of learning, one which may complement lifelong learning programs for older adults. This study examined the underlying volunteer motivations as well as formal volunteer behaviors among older adult lifelong learners. Data from 277 members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in an urban community in the western part of the United States were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and binary logistic regression models. Results showed that generativity (i.e., a desire to help next generations or communities), personal development, and well-being are salient underlying volunteer motivators. However, only generativity was associated with actual volunteering among older lifelong learners (odds ratio = 1.55; standard error = .17; p < .05). These findings suggested that existing lifelong learning programs might consider incorporating volunteer-based service learning components into their curricula in order to further promote the benefits of lifelong learning among older adults.

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