Browsing by Subject "health behaviors"
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Item CHANGING HEALTH BEHAVIORS IN FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS: A PRE- AND POST- ANALYSIS(2014-03) Stone, Chelsea K.; Trammell, Randall H.; Smith, Michael L.; Fulda, KimberlyPurpose (a): First year medical students begin their classroom studies with ideals of providing healthcare while exemplifying the healthy habits they wish to impart to their patients. The reality is that this high pressure educational environment followed by 3-8 years of post-doctoral training has great potential to lead students down the path of poor health behaviors. Ample research supports a correlation between high stress situations and declining self-care behaviors. A trending cause of concern is the recent surge in energy drink consumption. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate first year medical students’ health habits, their perception of stress and its relationship with energy drink consumption. We hypothesize that first year medical students energy drink consumption is associated with less positive health behaviors upon reassessment during medical school. Methods (b): This study involved administration of two surveys to the incoming class of UNTHSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. The pre-survey, distributed during orientation week, was completed by 221 first year medical students. Subjects were recruited with a brief oral speech provided by the principal investigator informing them that their participation was voluntary. Near the conclusion of the first semester, the survey was re-administered and 123 students completed the survey. Comparative analyses included only those subjects who completed both the pre and post surveys (n=123), consisting of 58 males and 65 females ranging from ages 21-41 with a mean age of 24+3 years. Frequency analysis were run on each of the variable categories based on the ranges listed on the survey. A dependent samples T-test was used to compare the Perceived Stress Scale between pre and post surveys. Nonparametric McNemar Tests were used to compare pre and post variables of typical hours per sleep in a 24- hour day, days per week exercised and whether the subject consumed energy drinks within the past month. An alpha of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results (c): The Perceived Stress Scale increased from a mean score of 12.9+5.8 to 18.2+6.5 (p<0.01). The pre-test report of sleep duration was 26.8% slept ≤ 6 hours and 73.2% slept 7 hours or more. The post- test indicated a significant decrease (p<0.01) in sleep with 53.7% sleeping 6 hours or less and 46.3% sleeping 7 hours or more. Similarly, with the pre-test, 36.9% reported exercising less than 2 days per week, 44.3% 3-4 times per week, 16.4% 5-6 times per week and 2.5% 7 days per week, and these rates shifted to 61.9% reported exercising less than 2 days per week, 27.4% 3-4 days per week, 8.8% 5-6 days per week and 1.8% 7 days per week. Finally, energy drink consumption increased from 29.3% at pre-test to 40.7% in the post-test analysis (p< 0.01). Conclusions (d): Subject responses regarding the changes in health behaviors during the first semester of medical school show significant differences when compared to the data gathered before the semester began. Decreased sleep and exercise, as well as an increase in perceived stress and energy drink consumption support our hypothesis that increased energy drink consumption is associated with less positive health behaviors.Item DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH BEHAVIORS BETWEEN MEDICAL SCHOOL FACULTY AND STAFF(2014-03) Ake, Stephen; Nejtek, Vicki A.; Talari, Deepika; Lovell, Andrew J.; Filipetto, FrankThe 2012 National Gallup-Healthways survey found that physicians and nurses are healthier than other workers. However, objective data to adequately describe the health status in clinicians versus non-clinicians is lacking. We measured and compared physiological health indices and behaviors between medical school faculty and staff. Purpose (a): The 2012 National Gallup-Healthways survey using self-report phone interviews found that physicians and nurses are healthier than other workers. However, objective data to adequately describe the health status in clinicians versus non-clinicians is lacking. Here, we objectively measured and compared physiological health indices and behaviors between medical school faculty and staff. Methods (b): A prospective, cross-sectional pilot study was conducted to compare routine health and well-being between faculty and non-faculty medical school employees (n=69). Information about routine preventative health behaviors, inoculations, exercise, daily stress levels, and general life enjoyment were obtained. Subjects received $1 for completing all assessments. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 19) and included analysis of variance to compare quantifiable variables and chi-square for categorical variables. All analyses were conducted using a 95% confidence level and an alpha level of 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance. Results (c): There were no statistically significant group differences between faculty and non-faculty staff in weekly exercise, daily stress levels, and general life enjoyment. 53% of staff exercised > 3 times/week than 25% of the faculty (p = 0.009). Based on the total population, 24% of combined faculty and staff did not receive a flu shot during the past 12-months (p = 0.026). More concerning was 25% of faculty and 78.6% of staff had not been TB tested in the past year. Significant differences emerged in faculty reporting higher levels of daily stress (p = 0.048), and lower overall levels of general life enjoyment than in non-faculty staff (p = 0.023). Conclusions (d): These data suggest that medical school faculty do not have better health outcomes or behaviors than non-faculty staff. Conversely, staff are significantly happier in life, exercise more often, and report less daily stress than faculty members. The data suggest that while faculty may take good care of others, they seem to put themselves at a higher risk for poor health outcomes. Further investigation is warranted.Item Food Choice Priorities Change Over Time and Predict Dietary Intake at the End of the First Year of College Among Students in the U.S(MDPI, 2018-09-13) Vilaro, Melissa J.; Colby, Sarah E.; Riggsbee, Kristen; Zhou, Wenjun; Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol; Olfert, Melissa D.; Barnett, Tracey E.; Horacek, Tanya; Sowers, Morgan; Mathews, Anne E.This study assessed food choice priorities (FCP) and associations with consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV), fiber, added sugars from non-beverage sources, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among college students. Freshmen from eight U.S. universities (N = 1149) completed the Food Choice Priorities Survey, designed for college students to provide a way to determine the factors of greatest importance regarding food choices, and the NCI Dietary Screener Questionnaire. Changes in FCP and dietary intake from fall 2015 to spring 2016 were assessed. Multiple regression models examined associations between FCP and log-transformed dietary intake, controlling for sex, age, race, and BMI. Participant characteristics and FCP associations were also assessed. FCP importance changed across the freshmen year and significantly predicted dietary intake. The most important FCP were price, busy daily life and preferences, and healthy aesthetic. Students who endorsed healthy aesthetic factors (health, effect on physical appearance, freshness/quality/in season) as important for food choice, consumed more FV and fiber and less added sugar and SSB. Busy daily life and preferences (taste, convenience, routine, ability to feel full) predicted lower FV, higher added sugar, and higher SSB consumption. Price predicted lower FV, higher SSB, and more added sugar while the advertising environment was positively associated with SSB intake. FCP and demographic factors explained between 2%(-)17% of the variance in dietary intake across models. The strongest relationship was between healthy aesthetic factors and SSB (B = -0.37, p < 0.01). Self-rated importance of factors influencing food choice are related to dietary intake among students. Interventions that shift identified FCP may positively impact students' diet quality especially considering that some FCP increase in importance across the first year of college.Item The Use of Community Needs Assessment Data to Establish a High-Risk Profile for Negative Health Outcomes in the City of Fort Worth.(2008-12-01) Michael, SheniquaCommunity needs assessments are critical for targeting health care programs and public health policy. The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), health behaviors and health outcomes are explored, demonstrating the use of community needs assessment data to establish a local high-risk profile. The City of Fort Worth 2003 Community Needs Assessment data was analyzed to test these hypotheses: There is a unique local relationship between SES indicators and health status; and, there is a similar relationship between health behaviors and health status. Statistical analyses demonstrated a correlation between SES and health status; however, no correlation was shown between health behaviors and health status. Recommendations include development of more reliable measurement tools.