Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Healthy lifestyle choices'

Background: Statin-use and the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices are important components of cardiovascular disease prevention. The nature of the relationship between the former and the latter, and the influence of personal and social factors on this relationship remains unclear. Aim: This research aimed to examine whether statin-use influences the adoption of healthy dietary and exercise choices by changing the way people think of high cholesterol as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the context of their social world. Methods: Questionnaires were used to compare the dietary and exercise behaviours; perceptions of high cholesterol; and perceived future risk of cardiovascular disease of statin users and non-statin users recruited in Nigeria and in the UK. In-depth interviews were conducted in each country to explore between group differences and the influence of social factors on statin-use, adoption of a healthy lifestyle choices; perceptions of high cholesterol, future cardiovascular disease risk and availability of social support. Results: A similar proportion of the 148 participants recruited from Nigeria and the 89 participants recruited from the UK reportedly adopted a low-fat diet, 69% and 70% respectively. Reported adoption of healthy exercise behaviours was much lower and notably different between the country samples, 16% and 32% respectively. Statin-use was found to influence the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices in 3 ways: it was found to encourage, hinder, and work alongside the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices. The adoption of healthy lifestyle choices was also influenced by cause-control perceptions, gender, and social factors such as location, preferences and demands of other people, and societal norms such as body image ideals. Conclusion: Statin-use influenced the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices in 3 different ways. Dietary changes were preferred to exercise changes. Illness perceptions and preferences of the individual and their social world influenced statin-use and the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices.

Research findings indicate that in comparison with the general population, people with an intellectual disability experience higher rates of chronic health problems. Also, females with a mild intellectual disability and living independently or with family are more likely to be obese than others with intellectual disabilities. Mobile technology use has become a significant factor in engaging people in, and marketing, healthy lifestyle programmes. Research findings also indicate that women more than men are likely to use smartphones and health apps as part of a healthy lifestyle. The aims of this research were to explore if women with an intellectual disability use mobile technologies, how they use them, and if these mobile technologies play a role in facilitating healthy lifestyle choices among these women. Twenty-six female students of a specialist training and support service agreed to participate in this study. Following on from findings in focus group discussions indicating that parents play a significant role in daughters’ lives, parents of participants were invited to participate. Five parents agreed to attend. Parents of non-participants were also invited to participate and two parents agreed but only one was able to attend for interview. Findings from thematic analysis of the data based on the COM-B model of behaviour indicated that students are knowledgeable about mobile technology and are aware of and sometimes use apps and sites that are useful in making healthy lifestyle choices. Students were vocal about health issues that matter to them and about how these issues impact on health behaviours. The role of parents as protectors/advisors was also highlighted as significant in influencing students’ opportunities and choice. What is unique about this study is that it adds participants’ experiences and opinions on how useful mobile technologies are, or can be, in facilitating healthy lifestyle choices among females with an intellectual disability. Recommendations based on these findings were made with respect to further exploring the role of mobile technologies in areas such as health promotion, in education and training, and of parents as protectors/advisors in the lives of daughters’ with an intellectual disability. The following recommendations were made: A public health intervention be put in place through the Health Research Board (an agency supporting and funding health research under the aegis of the Department of Health in Ireland) to encourage researchers develop user-centred mobile health apps to support people with an intellectual disability in making healthy lifestyle choices. That further exploration is undertaken of the parent/daughter relationship with an emphasis on how the role of parent as protector/advisor impacts on daughters’ health behaviours. That further research is undertaken on the role of mobile technologies in supporting progression in education and training for students with an intellectual disability, with an emphasis on the area of self-determination.

Background: Strong evidence has been provided by several researchers on the influence that structure and social factors have on health. However, there is relatively little information about the mechanisms by which the structure shapes health-related practices and the place there is for agency in this process. Therefore, this thesis explores the mechanisms through which the structure influences the space for agency that men and women from different social groups have over their health-related practices in their daily lives in a strongly neoliberal economically high-income country such as Chile. Design and objectives: Following a critical realist approach, this thesis uses mixed methods to answer the research question. The contextual analysis aims to comprehend the wider political and economic forces related to the Chilean neoliberal regime that underlie people’s health-related practices. It is based on a bibliographical review and quantitative analysis of secondary data. The extensive analysis focuses on the extension of health-related practices and their statistical association with structural variables. Finally, the intensive analysis explores the meanings and values people give to health and to their health-related practices. It is based on the analysis of fifty-seven in-depth interviews conducted with twenty-nine people living in Santiago de Chile. Results and conclusions: By combining intensive and extensive approaches with a contextual analysis of Chilean society, this thesis concludes that there are different mechanisms through which the structure influences the space for agency that people have over their health-related practices in Chile. These mechanisms affect people differently according to their socioeconomic level and gender. They are related to people’s economic, social and cultural capital, all of which are unequally distributed in Chile. The analysis shows that these mechanisms are a consequence of a structure with high levels of inequalities consolidated by the Chilean neoliberal policy regime.

This dissertation examines the effects of healthy lifestyle of auditors in public accounting as a mitigating influence between role stress and job outcomes (performance, satisfaction, and turnover). Based on coping and self-determination theories, the study was designed to investigate the impact of healthy lifestyle as a coping measure that is within the control of the individual, regardless of firm policies or the firm's work environment.To address the research issues, a survey was conducted of professional auditors employed by a large national public accounting firm with offices located throughout the United States. The sample included 1,026 auditors from various regions of the United States and at various levels in the firm. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the causal effects of role stressors and healthy lifestyle in a fully-mediated model on job outcomes of performance, satisfaction and turnover intentions.The hypothesized model demonstrated acceptable fit statistics and, generally, the hypotheses were supported. The results indicate that role stress as mediated by job burnout and its effect on psychological well-being will have a negative impact on job outcomes. However, the negative effects of role stress and job burnout can be mitigated by a healthy lifestyle which, mediated by its effect on vitality and psychological wellbeing, is positively related to job outcomes.

Contemporary commercial music (CCM) singers may be at a high risk for voice damage due to their increased vocal demands and the chronic exposure to chemical irritants associated with unhealthy lifestyle choices. Continuous mechanical damage, confounded with chemical trauma, has detrimental effects on the biomechanical properties of the vocal folds. Prior research on CCM singers has been limited, with efforts focused on physiologic aspects of voice production. The objective of the study was to report on the lifestyle choices of CCM singers and evaluate their vocal abilities according to healthy vs. unhealthy profile status via acoustic analyses as well as auditory perceptual assessments. The second objective was to evaluate if there were differences in lung volume associated with healthy vs. unhealthy lifestyle profiles.

Thirteen CCM singers participated in the study where they were assigned to either a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle vocal profile. Acoustic analyses of sound pressure level (SPL), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), fundamental frequency (F0), and jitter/shimmer were collected during a prolonged singing /i/ in isolation as well as a singing /i/ in context of the “Star Spangled Banner” at three different vocal intensities (low, comfortable, high). Lung volume was recorded via a vital capacity maneuver. Voice recordings were then rated via an auditory perceptual assessment (CAPE-V). Results were compared with a Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

Differences with regard to group trends were observed across all dependent measures. SNR median values for unhealthy singers were significantly lower in both singing tasks during low vocal intensity (p<0.05), with differences approaching significance found during prolonged singing /i/ in isolation at comfortable vocal intensity (p<0.10). F0 analysis noted significantly lower median values for unhealthy singers during isolated /i/ productions at low vocal intensity (p<0.05). Jitter analysis among unhealthy singers showed significantly higher median values during isolated /i/ productions at comfortable vocal intensity (p<0.05), with differences approaching significance found during singing /i/ in context at low vocal intensity (p<0.10). Shimmer analysis among unhealthy singers showed significantly higher median values during isolated /i/ productions at low and comfortable vocal intensity (p<0.05), with differences approaching significance found during singing /i/ in context at low vocal intensity (p<0.10). Unhealthy singers showed lower vital capacity as compared to healthy singers, however results were nonsignificant (p>0.05). Auditory perceptual assessment of voice was perceived to be essentially normal for all participants regardless of healthy versus unhealthy profile status.

The findings provide a descriptive profile of contemporary commercial music singers and contribute to the existing literature on the harmful effects of exposure to cigarette smoke on voice production. Unhealthy singers displayed significant acoustic differences most often observed in low vocal intensity conditions, which suggest a decreased vocal ability. This may be explained by their repeated exposure to chemical irritants (i.e. cigarette smoke) and possible phonotrauma, causing changes in the biomechanical properties of the vocal folds. Given the disparity between acoustic measures and auditory perceptual assessment, it was concluded that the biomechanical changes might be in the early onset and suggest future voice difficulties.

Increasingly adolescents are making unhealthy choices concerning their lifestyle. Behaviour patterns develop which are often carried into adulthood and become an established lifestyle pattern. Examples of these are the abuse of drugs, smoking, alcohol, irresponsible and hazardous sexual behaviour and so forth. It is also reported that young people increasingly contemplate and attempt suicide. It is important to find the reasons for such behaviours. During the last century, spirituality was not regarded as being important in the everyday lives of people. There are however many voices today calling for a reintegration of spirituality into education, health and various other areas of life. The movement of Health Promoting Schools could serve as a basis for reintegrating spirituality into the curriculum. Spirituality can be described as providing primarily meaning, relationship with God and people, a feeling of transcendence and the acquisition of values. These facets of life, neglected and considered unscientific in the positivistic modem era, are now seen as necessary within our post-modem society. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible correlation between the lifestyle choices adolescents make and their spiritual well-being. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to investigate the above mentioned correlation. Quantitative results indicated a significant positive correlation between measures of spiritual well-being and risk behaviours. The qualitative analysis indicated that adolescents believe that spiritual values are important when considering meaning in life as well as lifestyle choices. It was concluded that the construct spirituality remains salient in the lives of most adolescents. A possible rationale for integrating spirituality into the practice of Health Promoting Schools was proposed.
Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Research examining the relationship between psychological distress and health behaviors is limited, as most of these studies examine one type of psychological distress and relate it to one type of health behavior. To address this limitation, an exploratory study was conducted that included online self-report measures of a wide range of positive health behaviors (Health Behavior Checklist; HBC) and a wide range of different types of psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory; BSI). Participants were 762 undergraduate students from the University of Central Florida (55% female). Results revealed that the total BSI score showed statistically significant negative correlations with the HBC total score and all four HBC subscales. Thus, participants reporting more overall psychological distress reported that they engaged in fewer positive health behaviors, across all health behavior subtypes. Stepwise regressions that examined the nine BSI subscales and their relationship with the HBC total score revealed that the Hostility subscale of the BSI was the strongest and most consistent predictor of positive health behaviors (in a negative direction). Stepwise regressions also revealed additional relationships of the BSI subscales of Depression and Phobia to particular HBC subscales. The results of this exploratory study provide an initial model on the relationships of particular types of psychological distress that are related to particular types of health behaviors, which will inform future studies on this important topic area.
B.S.
Bachelors
Sciences
Psychology

Vi påverkas av allt runt omkring oss vilket direkt eller indirekt styr våra beslut av matval. Tidigare studier indikerar vikten av en balanserad kosthållning med ett likvärdigt intag av animalisk och växtbaserad protein för en hälsofrämjande livshållning. Studiens syfte var att ta del av allmänhetens kunskap och val kring proteiner. En webbaserad enkätundersökning delades ut via sociala medier för ett bredare urval. Bland de 105 respondenterna fanns en överrepresentation inom åldrarna 18-32 år och majoriteten var högutbildade. De främsta skälen till deras val av proteiner var pris, smak och djurhållning. Trots hög andel med universitetsutbildning var kunskapsnivån bristande kring proteiner och dess ändamål. Slutsatsen av studien pekar på vikten av kontinuerlig och uppdaterad information för att rätt kunskap ska erhållas av individerna. Detta är något som hälsovägledare kan bidra med.
Humans are affected from their surrounding which may control our choices when it comes to food intake. Previous studies highlights the importance of a balanced nutrition which contains equal intake of animal and plant-based protein for the health outcome. The aim of this study is to find out people's knowledge and options of proteins. A web-based survey was sent out via social media in order to gain a wide ranging variety in participants. Amongst the participants, there was a preponderance amongst persons between the ages of 18-32 and people with higher education. The foremost reasons the respondents gave about their choices were costs (price), taste and animal agriculture. Although mainly were highly educated, the results of the study showed lack of knowledge about protein and its purpose. This leaves us to the conclusion that the profession as health promoters is needed to provide continuously and updated information to the public in order to maintain a state of good health.

The thesis provides a comprehensive overview of key issues affecting practice, policy and patients, in current efforts for colorectal cancer (CRC) disease control. The global burden of CRC is expected to increase by 60% to more than 2.2 million new cases and 1.1 million deaths by 2030. CRC incidence and mortality rates vary up to 10-fold worldwide, which is thought to reflect variation in lifestyles, especially diet. Better primary prevention, and more effective early detection, in screening and surveillance, are needed to reduce the number of patients with CRC in future1. The risk factors for CRC development include genetic, behavioural, environmental and socio-economic factors. Changes to surveillance, which offer non-invasive testing and provide primary prevention interventions represent promising opportunities to improve outcomes and personalise care in those at risk of CRC. By systematic review of the literature, I highlight the gaps in comparative effectiveness analyses of post-polypectomy surveillance. Using micro-simulation methods I assess the role of non-invasive, faecal immunochemical testing in surveillance programmes, to optimise post-polypectomy surveillance programmes, and in an accompanying sub-study, I explore the value of adding an adjunct diet and lifestyle intervention. The acceptability of such revisions is exposed to patient preference evaluation by discrete choice experiment methods. These preferences are accompanied by evidence generated from the prospective evaluation of the health literacy, numeracy, sedentary behaviour levels, body mass index (BMI) and information provision about cancer risk factors, to highlight the potential opportunities for personalisation and optimisation of surveillance. Additional analysis examines the optimisation of a screening programme facing colonoscopy constraints, highlighting the attendant potential to reduce costs and save lives within current capacity.

Health literacy affects caregivers' ability to engage in preventive health care behaviors for themselves and their children. Studies suggest that health literacy among low income families needs improvement, and this possibly contributes to disparities in preventive health care rates. Additionally, parents and caregivers may not be able to provide or seek preventive health care for their children because of lack of knowledge and skills to do so effectively. This study designed and piloted an intervention that delivered to parents of young children, 1) health literacy information in an experiential manner, and 2) practical skills to engage their families in healthy lifestyle choices, with the decisions for healthy lifestyle choices being based on the health knowledge provided in the intervention. Specifically, the intervention focused on diet/nutrition, physical activity, sleep hygiene, parenting skills, and mental wellness. The intervention was successful at improving diet/nutrition knowledge at least one month post-intervention and more immediate changes were found for participants' overall beliefs about diet/nutrition, children's vegetable consumption, and parents' fruits and vegetable consumption. Immediate improvements were also found for factual knowledge about physical activity, sleep, and the relationship between mental health and stress. Additionally, the intervention was successful at improving general knowledge and beliefs about sleep, knowledge about the relationship between sleep and health, and knowledge about common childhood sleep problems at least one month post-intervention. The intervention also reduced participants' bedtime interactions with children that are indicative of sleep problems at least one month post-intervention. Future research should conceptualize the intervention as a multiple health behavior intervention and reflect this in the evaluation.

This thesis is a subset of a larger “parent” project under the direction of my supervisor, Dr. Cecilia Benoit. The purpose of the larger project is to seize an unique research opportunity that has emerged with the development and implementation of the HerWay Home (HWH) program, a community-based initiative for pregnant and early parenting women who face substance use and other challenges in the Greater Victoria Area. My research has capitalized on the pre-implementation phase of the HWH program between 2010-2011. Thirteen in-person semi-structured interviews were conducted with women who would likely be clients for the HWH program, based on their pregnancy experiences, substance use concerns and other life challenges. The goal of this research has been to explore these women’s pregnancy and postpartum narratives and investigate what, in their view, should be crucial components of the HWH intervention in the short and longterm. My findings indicate that, consistent with the literature on pregnant and early parenting women facing substance use and other life challenges, a range of complex, intertwined disadvantages exist in their lives that translate into multiple barriers to accessing continuous health and social care during their pregnancy and after the birth of their child. An adapted model of the Health Lifestyle Theory is used to frame the analysis of the data collected from this research. The results from this research support the argument that the life choices of the participants are constrained by structural life chances and socially determined inequities that systematically disadvantage and disempower them. The findings also reveal an implicit sense of agency in the women’s narratives, as well as key specifics about what they view as the main gaps in care and their desired program services. The findings will be relayed to HWH organizers, and used to inform the development and implementation of the program’s services.
Graduate

This study investigates, within the current health care situation, the interrelationship of the user, resources and tool in the design of a prototype WELLNESS database-driven web site. A shift has taken place in health care, in which the base of conventional medicine has broadened to integrate other systems, practices and worldviews. These include complementary and alternative medicine, health promotion, disease prevention and wellness. Emphasis is placed on the need to take personal responsibility for one's own health and wellness. The global burden of chronic disease, reaching epidemic proportions, is increasingly linked to risk factors resulting from personal lifestyle choices. The growing evidence of the user's need to make personal, informed, lifestyle choices and their reliance on the Web for health information, required investigation. WELLNESS, a specific orientation to health and wellness, formed the framework within which the user and resources were defined and the tool designed. The user was profiled as the WELLNESS health information seeker, hereby contributing significantly to an understanding of the user in this new context. The user profile informed the establishment of resource selection criteria and tool design. The identification of WELLNESS content selection criteria, within a five-dimensional model, was required to ensure quality, relevant and credible resources. The tool is comprised of the WELLNESS thesaurus and WELLNESS database-driven web site. The WELLNESS thesaurus was constructed based on a combination of relevant thesauri. It will be used as an indexing tool. An investigation of existing health information web sites highlighted the importance of designing a specific WELLNESS database-driven web site. A database host was identified against which the original study's conceptual schema was assessed. A low-fidelity prototype web site was designed as the interface between the WELLNESS health information seeker and the database of WELLNESS health information resources. This study has epidemiological, philosophical, epistemological, sociological and psychological relevance. The provision of access to WELLNESS health information resources, made available in the WELLNESS database-driven web site, for personal, informed lifestyle choice by the WELLNESS health information seeker could potentially contribute to the reduction of the global burden of chronic disease.
Information Science
D.Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)