scholarly journals Health Educators as Problem Solvers/Policy Advocates

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy DeBarr
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Health Educators ◽  
Psychological Pain ◽  
Television Programming ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Problem Solvers

In the United States many children are malnourished. We very rarely think of over-nutrition as malnutrition, but it is. Furthermore, our children are suffering because of it. No one would tell their child to go play in the street, because imminent harm and perhaps death would ensue. Yet we fail to recognize the threats posed by overweight and obesity. Not only is one’s quality of life greatly diminished, but morbidity and premature mortality from Type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease are the consequences. Obese persons are the subject of ridicule in television programming and the motion picture industry. This negative attention contributes to the stigma and resulting psychological pain endured by adults and children alike. Health educators must actively pursue resolution of the obesity crisis, not only through education, but through policy advocacy for PE standards, recess, school vending machine policies, nutrition education, and improved nutrition within our schools. Individual intervention has not proven effective, and it is time to address the environmental forces at work.

Psychosocial Consequences of Body Weight and Obesity

2018 ◽  
pp. 274-286
Author(s):  
Deborah Carr ◽  
Vera K. Tsenkova
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Integrative Health ◽  
Psychosocial Consequences ◽  
Adults And Children

The body weight of U.S. adults and children has risen markedly over the past three decades. The physical health consequences of obesity are widely documented, and emerging research from the Midlife in the United States study and other large-scale surveys reveals the harmful impact of obesity on adults’ psychosocial and interpersonal well-being. This chapter synthesizes recent research on the psychosocial implications of body weight, with attention to explanatory mechanisms and subgroup differences in these patterns. A brief statistical portrait of body weight is provided, documenting rates and correlates of obesity, with a focus on race, gender, and socioeconomic status disparities. The consequences of body weight for three main outcomes are described: institutional and everyday discrimination, interpersonal relationships, and psychological well-being. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the ways that recent integrative health research on the psychosocial consequences of overweight and obesity inform our understanding of population health.

scholarly journals Perception of change in living conditions and diet among rural Latino immigrants

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-112
Author(s):  
Maroly Hermosa ◽  
María Tineo ◽  
Yesid Aranda ◽  
Germán Posada
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
The United States ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Us

Thirteen percent of the total population of the United States (US) is composed of immigrants. Mexicans accounted for about three-quarters of the increase in the Hispanic population from 2000 to 2010. The social and economic problems facing this population in their countries of origin are fueling migration to the US, in search of new opportunities. The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the changes in living conditions (housing, health, education) and the dietary intake (ex - ante and ex - post) of the Latino immigrant population that emigrated from rural areas in Mexico. The participants were attendees of the Purdue Extension Learning Network of Clinton County, who filled out a questionnaire with open and closed questions. The results evidenced the perception of improved quality of life variables related to housing, access to utilities and education, and a change with a tendency for increases in their consumption of fast food, processed food and soda, generating negative effects in terms of an increase in being overweight and obesity, and particularly a lowered consumption of products from their traditional diet.

scholarly journals COMPARATIVE ASSESSEMENT OF THE ELDERLY FEMALES BEFORE TOTAL HIP OR KNEE REPLACEMENTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 1621-1632
Author(s):  
Iwona Morawik ◽  
Alina Jurewicz ◽  
Marian Jędrych ◽  
Aneta Zarębska ◽  
Mirosław Jabłoński
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Knee Joint ◽  
General Health ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Knee Oa ◽  
Significant Difference

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common and burdensome illness in the elderly patients. It is the main cause of locomotor impairment and disability resulting in significant decrease of the quality of life (QL) in highly developed countries. Sf-36v2 questionnaire was standardized in the United States by J.E. Ware et al. in the years 1985-1992 and at present SF-36v2 is the most commonly used questionnaire for investigations in patients with various conditions. The aim: To compare two cohorts of post-menopausal female patients with the predominantly clinically active one-site advanced osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joint prior to the replacement surgery. Material and methods: Two cohorts of fifty female postmenopausal patients aged from sixty to eighty were investigated. The inclusion criteria relied on sex, age and clinically single joint predominant OA disease prior to hip and knee joint replacement. The Polish version of SF-36v2 for the quality of life was accomplished by the patient under direct supervision of a trained nurse. The sets of obtained data were analyzed with the use of Statistica 10.0 (Shapiro-Wilk test, U - Mann-Whitney test, Spearmann, Kruskall-Wallis, Friedmann’s ANOVA and Chi 2 Pearson). P<0.05 was regarded as significant. Results: It was found that patients with advanced knee OA demonstrated significantly lower QL than these with hip OA in Vitality (p=0,004), Functioning in Social Roles (p=0,0001), General Health (p<0,000001) and Pain (p<0,000001). No significant differences within the cohorts were observed as the other scales were concerned (p>0,05). In the general assessment as for the QL in the Physical domain significant difference was found with lower scoring in the knee group (p=0.00001). In the assessment of the general QL two domains were considered -Physical and Mental Health. Highly significant difference was recorded for the Physical better in regard for hip OA (p<0,00001). In the Mental Health domain no significant difference was found (p=0,09). Conclusions: 1. Quality of life of postmenopausal women with hip OA is predominantly lowered by the local disease whereas lower quality of life of these females with knee OA is related to the general poor health, low index of vitality and decrease of function in social functioning resulting from co-existence of chronic illnesses due to overweight and obesity. 2. Reduction of overweight or obesity in the group of patients with knee arthritis could improve their quality of life and general health.

Experiential Features of Culinary Nutrition Education That Drive Behavior Change: Frameworks for Research and Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Fredericks ◽  
Pamela A. Koch ◽  
Ao (Alicia) Liu ◽  
Leah Galitzdorfer ◽  
Alyssa Costa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Change ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Educators ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Health Promotion Programs ◽  
Nutrition Educators ◽  
Motivate Behavior

Evidence of the benefits of culinary nutrition education is growing in the literature. Culinary nutrition education programs are naturally experiential, social, skills-based, and effective in improving nutrition-related beliefs, knowledge, and behaviors. In this article, we explore a set of motivational experiences in culinary nutrition education that have been identified as “drivers” of behavior change. These drivers emerged from 20 years of implementation and evaluation of hands-on cooking programs across the life span in more than 30 states within the United States. From these drivers, we developed a framework to guide both new and existing programs that can be best designed to motivate behavior change. These frameworks add value to the work of culinary nutrition educators and will inform and support future culinary nutrition education programs. In future research, health educators implementing skills-based health promotion programs in diverse settings can test the application of this framework to determine its relevance in broader areas.

scholarly journals Mending Disconnects in Cancer Care: Setting an Agenda for Research, Practice, and Policy

2020 ◽  
pp. 539-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Alfano ◽  
Deborah K. Mayer ◽  
Ellen Beckjord ◽  
David K. Ahern ◽  
Michele Galioto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Systems ◽  
Prescriptive Analytics ◽  
The Future ◽  
Functional Learning ◽  
Lost Work Time ◽  
Care Costs

Cancer in the United States accounts for $600 billion in health care costs, lost work time and productivity, reduced quality of life, and premature mortality. The future of oncology delivery must mend disconnects to equitably improve patient outcomes while constraining costs and burden on patients, caregivers, and care teams. Embedding learning health systems into oncology can connect care, engaging patients and providers in fully interoperable data systems that remotely monitor patients; generate predictive and prescriptive analytics to facilitate appropriate, timely referrals; and extend the reach of clinicians beyond clinic walls. Incorporating functional learning systems into the future of oncology and follow-up care requires coordinated national attention to 4 synergistic strategies: (1) galvanize and shape public discourse to develop and adopt these systems, (2) demonstrate their value, (3) test and evaluate their use, and (4) reform policy to incentivize and regulate their use.

scholarly journals Reflections Regarding the Social Ecological Model to Address Obesity in Southern California Youth

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 64-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany A. Lemus ◽  
Faviola Mercado ◽  
Tracy Bryars ◽  
Michele Mouttapa ◽  
Tracy Conkey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Ecological Model ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social

Childhood overweight and obesity has been a significant public health concern in the United States for decades. School-based obesity prevention programs have been one strategy to address this issue. This article describes the implementation of a knowledge-based, healthy eating intervention delivered to 4th and 5th graders in a southern California school district. Trained graduate students implemented a nutrition education curriculum, consisting of three monthly lessons that would eventually be utilized and sustained by the schools’ Physical Education (PE) teachers in the following school year. As such, the intervention drew upon the Social Ecological Model (SEM) to describe how nutrition education could be implemented in a sustainable way to future generations of youth. Students were assessed on their knowledge and dietary behaviors at pre-test and after the final lesson. Students’ overall nutritional knowledge significantly increased from pre-test to post-test; however their self-reported eating behaviors (e.g., low fruit and vegetable consumption, and high consumption of chips, soda, and sweets) largely remained the same. Although the findings of this study were largely non-significant, we conclude that future interventions, which creatively address different levels of the target population’s environment, may have promise if they are sufficiently dosed.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in never treated mood disordered patientss

2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Valerie Taylor ◽  
Glenda M. MacQueen
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Mood Disorders ◽  
Population Attributable Risk ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Visceral Obesity ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
The Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Bipolar Patients

Bipolar disorder and major depression are life-shortening illnesses. Unnatural causes such as suicide and accidents account for only a portion of this premature mortality1 Research is beginning to identify that mood disordered patients have a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome, an illness characterized by dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension and obesity.2 Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk for a variety of physical illnesses. Hypothesis: Never treated patients with mood disorders have preexisting elevations in the prevalence of the component variables of metabolic syndrome. Central obesity will be especially elevated, predicting increased premature mortality. Methods: We assessed never treated patients with mood disorders for metabolic syndrome and its component variables. Patients were assessed at baseline and followed up at 6-month intervals. All psychiatric pharmacotherapy was documented. Body mass index (BMI) was also obtained and the percentage of deaths attributable to overweight and obesity was calculated using the population attributable risk (PAR). [PAR= ∑[P (RR-1)/RR] Results: Prior to the initiation of treatment, patients did not differ from population norms with respect to metabolic syndrome or BMI. At 2-year follow-up, BMI had increased for unipolar patients 2.02 points and 1.92 points for bipolar patients. (p < .001) This increase in BMI predicted an increase in mortality of 19.4%. Conclusion: An increase in visceral obesity is often the first component of metabolic syndrome to appear and may indicate the initiation of this disease process prematurely in this group. The increase in BMI places patients with mood disorders at risk for premature mortality and indicates a need for early intervention. References 1.Osby U, Brandt L, Correia N, Ekbom A & Sparen P. Excess mortability in bipolar and Unipolar disorder rin Sweden. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2001;58: 844-850 2.Toalson P, Saeeduddin A, Hardy T & Kabinoff G. The metabolic syndrome in patients with severe mental illness. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2004; 6(4): 152-158

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