measured-response

125 new PubMed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

("Soc Sci Med."[Journal])

These PubMed results were generated on 2006/11/06

PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, includes over 15 million citations for biomedical articles back to the 1950's. These citations are from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.

Item response modeling: an evaluation of the children's fruit and vegetable self-efficacy questionnaire.

Health Educ Res. 2006 Oct 31;

Authors: Watson K, Baranowski T, Thompson D

Perceived self-efficacy (SE) for eating fruit and vegetables (FV) is a key variable mediating FV change in interventions. This study applies item response modeling (IRM) to a fruit, juice and vegetable self-efficacy questionnaire (FVSEQ) previously validated with classical test theory (CTT) procedures. The 24-item (five-point Likert scale) FVSEQ was administered to 1578 fourth graders from 26 Houston schools. The IRM partial credit model indicated the five-point response options were not fully utilized. The questionnaire exhibited acceptable (>0.70) reliability except at the extremes of the SE scale. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses revealed no response bias due to gender. However, DIF was detected by ethnic groups in 10 items. IRM of this scale expanded what was known from CTT methods in three ways: (i) areas of the scale were identified that were not as reliable, (ii) limitations were found in the response format and (c) areas of the SE scale levels were not measured. The FVSEQ can be improved by including items at the extreme levels of difficulty. DIF analyses identified areas where IRM can be useful to improve the functioning of measures.

PMID: 17077167 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Does participation in an intervention affect responses on self-report questionnaires?

Health Educ Res. 2006 Oct 23;

Authors: Baranowski T, Allen DD, Mâsse LC, Wilson M

There has been some concern that participation in an intervention and exposure to a measurement instrument can change participants' interpretation of the items on a self-report questionnaire thereby distorting subsequent responses and biasing results. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis using item response modeling can ascertain possible differences in item interpretation by testing for differences in item location between groups. The DIF for treatment versus control group differences at post-intervention assessment and the Time 1 and Time 2 differences in a control group were analyzed using data from a dietary change intervention trial for Boy Scouts. The measures included fruit and vegetable (FV) frequency of consumption, preferences and self-efficacy. Treatment-control group DIF at post-intervention assessment was detected in a higher percentage of items for FV frequency than for preference or self-efficacy. Time 1 to Time 2 differences in items for the control group were detected in one item for each of the three scales. Further research will need to clarify whether the obtained DIFs reflected true changes in frequency, preference or self-efficacy or some reinterpretation of items by participants following an intervention or merely after previous exposure to the measure.

PMID: 17060350 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Social desirability is associated with some physical activity, psychosocial variables and sedentary behavior but not self-reported physical activity among adolescent males.

Health Educ Res. 2006 Sep 20;

Authors: Jago R, Baranowski T, Baranowski JC, Cullen KW, Thompson DI

This study examined whether controlling for social desirability improved the association between self-reported and objectively measured physical activity among adolescent males and the extent that psychosocial variables predict physical activity after controlling for social desirability. Participants (n = 447) were 10- to 14-year old Houston Boy Scouts. Participants completed self-reports of physical activity, sedentary behavior, preferences, self-efficacy and social desirability and wore an MTI accelerometer for 3 days. Correlations were conducted among variables. Regression models were performed to examine the relationships between objectively measured (accelerometer) and self-reported physical activity, objectively measured physical activity and psychosocial variables and self-reports of physical activity and psychosocial variables. All models controlled for social desirability. There were weak associations between self-reported and objectively measured physical activity measures that were slightly improved after controlling for social desirability. Psychosocial variables were strongly associated with self-reports of physical activity, but weakly associated with accelerometer physical activity. Social desirability was positively associated with physical activity preferences (r = 0.169) and self-efficacy (r = 0.118) and negatively associated (r = -0.158) with self-reported sedentary behavior. Differences in the strength of relationships between self-reported and objectively measured physical activity and psychosocial variables were not a function of social desirability.

PMID: 16987942 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Related Articles

Crisis and chaos in behavioral nutrition and physical activity.

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2006;3:27

Authors: Baranowski T

ABSTRACT: Resnicow & Vaughn challenged the field of behavioral nutrition and physical activity to conduct research in new ways. They challenged the predictiveness of our models, sensitivity to initial conditions, factors predisposing to change and measurement procedures. While the predictiveness of our models will reflect the sophistication of our thinking and research, and the sensitivity to initial conditions is subsumed under the sophistication of our models, research on conditions predisposing to change (e.g. epiphanies), more longitudinal designs, refined measurement procedures and testing of critical issues can only enhance the quality of our research. Improved research quality should lead to enhanced efficacy and effectiveness of our interventions, and thereby our making meaningful contributions to mitigating the chaos in our field and the crisis from the rising epidemic of obesity.

PMID: 16972998 [PubMed - in process]

14 new PubMed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

("Ann Behav Med."[Journal])

These PubMed results were generated on 2006/10/09

PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, includes over 15 million citations for biomedical articles back to the 1950's. These citations are from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.

Observed, GIS, and self-reported environmental features and adolescent physical activity.

Am J Health Promot. 2006 Jul-Aug;20(6):422-8

Authors: Jago R, Baranowski T, Baranowski JC

PURPOSE: Examine associations among observed, self-reported, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environmental features and physical activity among adolescent males. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Boy Scout troops and neighborhoods in Houston, Texas. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and ten 10- to 14-year-old Boy Scouts. MEASURES: Accelerometry to obtain minutes of sedentary, light, and moderate to vigorous activity per day. GIS sources were used to identify the numbers of parks, gymnasiums, trails, bus stops, grocery stores, and restaurants within a 1-mile radius of participant residences as well as residential density, connectivity, and crime. Participants provided a self-report of their environment. ANALYSIS: Principal component analysis was used to reduce the number of GIS and self-reported items. Four factors were previously obtained from direct observations of the neighborhoods. Correlations were conducted among factors and physical activity. Regression models were run in which minutes of sedentary behavior, light, or moderate to vigorous physical activity were the dependent variables and environmental factors were the independent variables. Nonsignificant variables were removed in a backward deletion process. RESULTS: Three GIS factors, Parks, Crime, and Gyms, were obtained as were two self-reported factors: difficulty and access and safety. Factor scores were interrelated and associated with the four observed factors. Only observed sidewalk characteristics were correlated with physical activity and were retained in the regression models. CONCLUSION: Environmental factors were interrelated. Only sidewalk characteristics were associated with sedentary behavior and light intensity physical activity.

PMID: 16871822 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Related Articles

The emergence of overweight as a disease entity: Measuring up normality.

Soc Sci Med. 2006 Jul 15;

Authors: Jutel A

As Charles Rosenberg [(2002). The tyranny of diagnosis. The Milbank Quarterly, 80, 237-260] has recently written, clinical diagnosis contributes to imposing structure on cultural reality in a manner which is not unproblematic. A social power resides in the process of naming diseases-one, which legitimises concerns, explains reality, naturalises deviance and imposes status. But clinical entities are not static, as both the concerns of society, and the technological ability of practitioners change (what Rosenberg refers to as the "iatrogenesis of nosology"), so too do the range of labels available for identifying disease. In this paper, I argue that being "overweight," once predominantly an adjectival descriptor of corpulence, a physical sign or a symptom, and even, in some cultures, a sign of wealth and status, is undergoing the transformation to disease entity. I suggest that evidence of this is present in both the frequency and the way in which the term is being used by the media, the medical establishment and the laity. I argue that this change stems from the convergence of two particular phenomena. The first is the belief in the neutrality of quantification, and the objectivity that measurement brings to qualitative description. The second is the importance attributed to normative appearance in health. I discuss some of the implications of this evolution and its impact on health practices, including the exploitation of this purported disease state for commercial benefit.

PMID: 16846671 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

135 new PubMed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

("Soc Sci Med."[Journal])

These PubMed results were generated on 2006/07/18

PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, includes over 15 million citations for biomedical articles back to the 1950's. These citations are from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.

A telephone-delivered coping improvement group intervention for middle-aged and older adults living with HIV/AIDS.

Ann Behav Med. 2006 Aug;32(1):27-38

Authors: Heckman TG, Barcikowski R, Ogles B, Suhr J, Carlson B, Holroyd K, Garske J

BACKGROUND: By 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that 50% of all cases of HIV/AIDS in the United States will be in persons 50 years of age or older. PURPOSE: This pilot research tested whether a 12-session, coping improvement group intervention delivered via teleconference technology could improve life quality in 90 middle-age and older adults living with HIV/AIDS. METHOD: This research used a lagged-treatment control group design. Forty-four HIV-infected persons 50-plus years of age participated in a coping improvement group intervention immediately after study enrollment, whereas 46 individuals received the intervention after their time-matched immediate treatment participants completed the intervention. Participants completed self-administered surveys that assessed depressive and psychological symptoms, life-stressor burden, ways of coping, coping self-efficacy, and loneliness. RESULTS: Outcome analyses indicated that, compared to their delayed treatment counterparts, immediate treatment participants reported fewer psychological symptoms, lower levels of life-stressor burden, increased coping self-efficacy, and less frequent use of avoidance coping. After receiving the intervention, delayed treatment participants reported greater coping self-efficacy and less psychological symptomatology, life-stressor burden, and loneliness. However, the intervention demonstrated little ability to reduce depressive symptoms in this sample of HIV-infected older adults diagnosed with depression. CONCLUSIONS: Although findings from this research suggest that telephone-delivered, coping improvement group interventions have potential to facilitate the adjustment efforts of HIV-infected older adults, more rigorous evaluations of this intervention modality for this group are needed.

PMID: 16827627 [PubMed - in process]

Are there demonstrable effects of distant intercessory prayer? A meta-analytic review.

Ann Behav Med. 2006 Aug;32(1):21-6

Authors: Masters KS, Spielmans GI, Goodson JT

BACKGROUND: The use of alternative treatments for illness is common in the United States. Practitioners of these interventions find them compatible with personal philosophies. Consequently, distant intercessory prayer (IP) for healing is one of the most commonly practiced alternative interventions and has recently become the topic of scientific scrutiny. PURPOSE: This study was designed to provide a current meta-analytic review of the effects of IP and to assess the impact of potential moderator variables. METHODS: A random effects model was adopted. Outcomes across dependent measures within each study were pooled to arrive at one omnibus effect size. These were combined to generate the overall effect size. A test of homogeneity and examination of several potential moderator variables was conducted. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included in the meta-analysis yielding an overall effect size of g = .100 that did not differ from zero. When one controversial study was removed, the effect size reduced to g = .012. No moderator variables significantly influenced results. CONCLUSIONS: There is no scientifically discernable effect for IP as assessed in controlled studies. Given that the IP literature lacks a theoretical or theological base and has failed to produce significant findings in controlled trials, we recommend that further resources not be allocated to this line of research.

PMID: 16827626 [PubMed - in process]

Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for smoking cessation in patients with coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ann Behav Med. 2006 Aug;32(1):10-20

Authors: Barth J, Critchley J, Bengel J

BACKGROUND: Quitting smoking improves prognosis after a cardiac event. Therefore smoking cessation is highly recommended for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), but many patients continue to smoke, and improved cessation aids are urgently required. PURPOSE: The objective was to conduct a systematic review of the efficacy of psychosocial interventions to quit smoking in patients with CHD. METHODS: Seven electronic databases were searched from the start of the database to August 2003. Search terms were coronary or cardio or heart or cvd or chd and smok* and cessation or absti*. Results were supplemented by cross-checking references. More than 2,000 papers were screened in a first step. Eligibility of studies was assessed (by reviewer Jürgen Barth) and reasons for exclusion were coded. Abstinence rates were computed both according to an intention to treat analysis, and based on follow-up results only. RESULTS: We found 19 randomized controlled trials, comparing a specific psychosocial intervention with "usual care," with a minimum of 6-month follow-up. Interventions consist of behavioral therapeutic approaches, telephone support, and self-help material. The trials mostly included older male patients with CHD, predominantly myocardial infarction. Overall results found a positive effect of interventions on abstinence after 6 to 12 months (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.24-2.21), but substantial heterogeneity between trials. Clustering the trials by type of intervention reduced heterogeneity, although many trials used more than one type of intervention. Trials involving behavioral therapies or telephone contact were little different from self-help techniques (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.28-2.13 for behavioral therapies; OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.26-1.98 for telephone support; OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.10-1.97 for self-help). Treatment intensity was associated with study outcome. More intense interventions showed increased quit rates (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.61-2.35) whereas interventions of low intensity did not appear effective (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.70-1.22). Studies with validated assessment of smoking status at follow-up had lower efficacy than nonvalidated trials. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking cessation interventions are effective in promoting abstinence up to 1 year, provided they are of sufficient intensity with a minimum length of 1 month. Further studies should compare different psychosocial intervention strategies, or the combination of a psychosocial intervention strategy with nicotine replacement therapy or bupropion compared with nicotine replacement or bupropion alone.

PMID: 16827625 [PubMed - in process]

Interactive effects of perceived racism and coping responses predict a school-based assessment of blood pressure in black youth.

Ann Behav Med. 2006 Aug;32(1):1-9

Authors: Clark R, Gochett P

BACKGROUND: Research indicates that perceived racism and coping responses are associated with basal blood pressure (BP) levels and BP reactivity in Black adults. No study could be found, however, that has explored the independent and interactive effects of perceived racism and coping responses in a cohort who probably has the greatest risk of developing primary hypertension--Black youth. PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship of perceived racism and coping responses to a continuous measure of BP and to a categorical measure of BP status (normal vs. high-normal or high). METHODS: The convenience sample consisted of 217 Black youth (M age = 11.4 years, SD = 1.3). Participants reported on perceived racism and coping responses (Accepting It, Self-Blame, Taking Action, and Talking to Someone). BP was assessed with an automated monitor in school. RESULTS: Approximately 32% of the sample had average BP levels that were high-normal or high. Hierarchical linear and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the predictive utility of perceived racism and the four coping responses to the continuous and categorical BP assessments. Although perceived racism and the coping response variables did not emerge as significant independent predictors in the linear or logistic regression analyses, perceived racism interacted with Accepting It (p = .009) in the linear regression analysis predicting systolic BP. Follow-up linear regression analyses indicated that perceived racism was not significantly associated with systolic BP among participants low in Accepting It but was inversely related to systolic BP among participants high in Accepting It. Perceived racism also interacted with Accepting It (p = .016) and Talking to Someone (p = .0009) in the logistic regression analysis predicting BP status. Follow-up logistic regression analyses revealed that (a) perceived racism was not significantly associated with BP status among participants low in Accepting It but was inversely related to BP status among participants high in Accepting It, and (b) perceived racism was inversely associated with BP status among participants low in Talking to Someone but was not significantly related to BP status among participants high in Talking to Someone. CONCLUSIONS: The contribution of environmental and psychosocial factors to hypertension risk should be considered when exploring correlates of continuous and categorical assessments of BP in Black youth.

PMID: 16827624 [PubMed - in process]

Body change stress for women with breast cancer: the Breast-Impact of Treatment Scale.

Ann Behav Med. 2006 Aug;32(1):77-81

Authors: Frierson GM, Thiel DL, Andersen BL

BACKGROUND: Body change stress refers to subjective psychological stress that accompanies women's negative and distressing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors resultant from breast cancer and breast surgeries. Body change stress is manifest with traumatic stress-like symptoms. PURPOSE: The development of the Breast-Impact of Treatment Scale (BITS) is described. The construct is assessed with 13 items that comprise a one-factor solution. METHODS AND RESULTS: Tests of convergent validity demonstrate the relationship, but not overlap, of the BITS with measures of stress, emotional distress, and sexuality. The BITS distinguishes between women receiving segmental mastectomy (lumpectomy) versus mastectomy. Incremental validity is shown with comparison to ratings of body satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: An early psychometric foundation enables use of the BITS to assess a common and distressing quality of life outcome for women with breast cancer.

PMID: 16827632 [PubMed - in process]

Leisure time physical activity in relation to depressive symptoms in the Black Women's Health Study.

Ann Behav Med. 2006 Aug;32(1):68-76

Authors: Wise LA, Adams-Campbell LL, Palmer JR, Rosenberg L

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests that physical activity might reduce the risk of depressive symptoms, but there are limited data on Black women. PURPOSE: The objective was to evaluate the association between leisure time physical activity and depressive symptoms in U.S. Black women. METHODS: Participants included 35,224 women ages 21 to 69 from the Black Women's Health Study, a follow-up study of African American women in which data are collected biennially by mail questionnaire. Women answered questions on past and current exercise levels at baseline (1995) and follow-up (1997). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to measure depressive symptoms in 1999. Women who reported a diagnosis of depression before 1999 were excluded. We used multivariate logistic regression models to compute odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for physical activity in relation to depressive symptoms (CES-D score > or = 16) with control for potential confounders. RESULTS: Adult vigorous physical activity was inversely associated with depressive symptoms. Women who reported vigorous exercise both in high school (> or = 5 hr per week) and adulthood (> or = 2 hr per week) had the lowest odds of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.71-0.82) relative to never active women; the OR was 0.90 for women who were active in high school but not adulthood (95% CI = 0.85-0.96) and 0.83 for women who were inactive in high school but became active in adulthood (95% CI = 0.77-0.91). Although walking for exercise was not associated with risk of depressive symptoms overall, there was evidence of a weak inverse relation among obese women (Body Mass Index > or = 30). CONCLUSIONS: Leisure time vigorous physical activity was associated with a reduced odds of depressive symptoms in U.S. Black women.

PMID: 16827631 [PubMed - in process]