Effect of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on death anxiety in university students.

A sample of 440 undergraduate university students completed the Templer Death Anxiety Scale 2 wk. prior to and 2 wk. after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Women comprised 66% of the sample, and 79% of the sample identified themselves as 18 to 21 years of age and either freshmen or sophomores. There was no significant mean difference in the pre- and postterrorist attack Death Anxiety scores. Differences were found on two individual scale items.

Adolescents' perceptions of relative weight and self-reported weight-loss activities: analysis of 1990 YRBS (Youth Risk behavior Survey) national data.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine, among public high school students across the United States, perceptions of relative weight-loss and its relationship to physical activity levels, time spent viewing television, and efforts to lose weight. METHODS: Self-reported data from the 1990 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) were used to analyze these relationships. The YRBS was developed and administered by the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to assess important health behaviors which contribute significantly to adverse health outcomes among American youth. A total of 10,870 black, Hispanic, and white respondents were included in this analysis. RESULTS: From this sample, 24.8% perceived themselves as being "too fat." Of that group, 76.4% were trying to lose weight. Females comprised 74.4% of those reporting that they were "too fat" and trying to lose weight. Gender differences in weight perceptions were significant (p < .001), with females (34.6%) being more likely than males (14.4%) to report being "too fat." Whites (26.0%) reported being "too fat" more often than did Hispanics (23.9%) and blacks (17.2%) (p < .001). Skipping meals and exercise were the most commonly reported weight loss strategies. Hispanics were most likely to skip meals, followed by whites and blacks. Whites were more likely than the other groups to use exercise as a means of losing weight. Adolescents who perceived themselves as "too fat" reported fewer days of strenuous activity (p < .001), fewer hours of strenuous exercise in physical education class (p < .001), and more hours spent viewing television on school days (p < .001) than others. CONCLUSIONS: One quarter of U.S. high school students perceive themselves as overweight; three-quarters of these students are trying to lose weight. Adolescents who perceive themselves as overweight are less physically active and spend more time viewing television than those who do not perceive themselves as overweight.

Sunbathing: college students' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of risks.

This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of college students regarding intentional sun exposure (sunbathing). Results are based on responses of 296 Caucasian students to the Sun and Skin Inventory. Frequent sunbathers were more likely than infrequent sunbathers to be women and to report fewer self-perceived risk factors, and were less likely to use sunscreen. They were also more likely to believe that they look better with a tan, that suntanned skin is more attractive, and that suntans look healthy. Forty-three percent of the female respondents and 61% of the men rarely, if ever, used sunscreens, and only 9% of all respondents reported they used sunscreens with every intentional sun exposure of 30 minutes or longer. These results suggest that concern with attractiveness appears to be a major motivation for frequent intentional sun exposure. Consequently, educational strategies that stress health outcomes only may be less effective than those that also stress photoaging, the detrimental cumulative effect to appearance of suntanning.

Drug use and suicide ideation and behavior among North Carolina public school students.

We used data from 3064 respondents to the 1990 North Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey to examine the relationship between adolescent drug use and suicide ideation and behavior. Principal components analysis followed by varimax rotation was performed separately on the drug use and suicide items. Correlation coefficients computed between the two sets of factor scores and comparison of mean drug use factor scores revealed that drug use, particularly of crack/cocaine, was related to increased suicide ideation and behavior.

The impact on factory workers of health risk appraisal and counseling in health promotion.

One hundred thirty-six subjects employed at a textile plant in eastern North Carolina participated in a voluntary health risk appraisal (HRA) administration and health screening at the work site. The subjects consisted of 74 whites (73% women and 27% men) and 62 blacks (98% women and 2% men). Six weeks after the HRA administration and health screening, participants received their results at individual counseling sessions conducted by health educators and registered nurses, who presented prevention recommendations derived from HRA and screening results related to select physiological indices and lifestyle behaviors. Six months following the initial intervention, we conducted an identical follow-up screening. Eight months following the initial intervention, we administered a health behavior questionnaire designed to determine the impact of the HRA on select health-related behaviors and subjects' recall level of HRA recommendations. Results of this study indicate that changes in subjects' self-reported health behaviors were related to recommendations presented at counseling sessions. The majority of the subjects accurately recalled HRA recommendations eight months after HRA administration. Ninety-three percent of the employees indicated making at least one positive lifestyle behavioral change, and 50% of the subjects who were referred to a doctor or health professional based on HRA recommendations reported doing so. Risk age did not appear to influence the individual's likelihood of attending the second health screening. Ninety-eight percent of the subjects indicated that they would like a yearly HRA or health screening conducted at the work site, and 88% of the subjects indicated that the HRA results encouraged them to continue practicing healthy behaviors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Relationship between ratings of perceived exertion and exercise-induced decrease in state anxiety.

24 females (aged 18 to 28 yr.) completed two 24-min., randomly ordered bicycle ergometer exercise bouts at workloads maintaining steady state at 30% and 60% heart-rate reserve. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded at 3-min. intervals from Minutes 9 to 24 of exercise. State anxiety was measured prior to, immediately following and 50 min, after cessation of exercise. Regression analysis indicated no relationship between RPE and the pre- to postexercise changes in state anxiety.

The economic impact of the rheumatic diseases in the United States.

We review the literature and analyze data from the National Health Interview Survey to provide estimates of the economic cost and social impacts of the rheumatic diseases in the United States. Rheumatic diseases had an economic impact in 1980 of 21 billion dollars due to expenditures for health care and lost wages, an amount equal to 1% of gross national product. These conditions are responsible for 5% of all hospital discharges, 10% of all hospital procedures, and 9% of all physician visits. They are also responsible for over 2 million persons being unable to do major activities, for 5 million being limited in other ways, and for at least 1 million being severely limited in the ability to perform activities of daily living. As great these impacts would appear to be, they are likely to grow since the aging of the population increases both the prevalence and severity of impact of the rheumatic diseases.

Estimates of the prevalence of selected arthritic and musculoskeletal diseases in the United States.

The National Arthritis Data Workgroup focused its studies primarily on joint disease with the addition of osteoporosis which is a frequently occurring musculoskeletal condition and public health problem. We used national data sets as well as published studies to estimate prevalence in the United States. We report on prevalence rather than incidence because of the difficulty in defining the point of onset and because primary national data sources currently available are concerned with disease prevalence.

Influence of aerobic fitness on ratings of perceived exertion during light to moderate exercise.

Based on scores from a maximal exercise test on a bicycle ergometer, 24 college-age women were classified into three aerobic-fitness groups. Each subject then completed two randomly ordered cycle exercise bouts at 1-wk. intervals. The exercise bouts required the subjects to pedal for 24 min. attaining and then maintaining a target heart rate of either 30% or 60% of heart-rate reserve. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were reported at the end of each third minute of the exercise period. Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated the RPE was significantly related to the exercise workload and duration of exercise. No main effect was found for fitness. Two-way interactions were detected for fitness x duration of exercise and for workload x duration of exercise.

Recovery of dynamic muscular endurance.

Recovery of the rate of dynamic muscular endurance was measured in two groups of college-aged males. Subjects were required to perform elbow flexion (between the angles of 70 and 170 degrees) for as long as possible at the rate of 38 contractions/min while loaded with 1/6 of their maximum isometric strength (MVC). The task was terminated when the subject fell four contractions behind the required cadence or failed to complete two successive contractions. Subsequent to the task the subject was given a predetermined rest period after which a second fatigue bout to failure was performed. The rest intervals for Gp I (n = 22) were 5, 15, 45, 135, 405, and 1215 seconds, while the rest intervals for Gp II (n = 17) were 10, 30, 90, 270, 810, and 2550 s. Each subject completed six recovery intervals with the order of administration assigned at random. The percentage of recovery was calculated by dividing the exercise time of the first bout into the time of the second bout. These normalized data for the two groups were combined for analysis providing a 12 point recovery curve. The percentage of recovery ranged from 15.4% after 5 s to 91.8% after 2550 s. Analysis of the data revealed that the recovery pattern of dynamic muscular endurance progressed very rapidly initially, reached 50% at approximately 2 min and 15 s and was slightly less than 90% complete at 20 min. Exponential analysis of these data yielded a three-component curve.

Exercise science and health enhancement: a curriculum imperative in professional preparation.

Exercise as a strategy to maintain and promote health continues to gain prominence because of increasing public participation in exercise programs and a growing body of literature supporting its efficacy. This paper addresses the need for including exercise science in the formal training of the health educator by 1) summarizing research concerning the effectiveness of exercise in health maintenance and enhancement, 2) presenting a rationale for including exercise science in the health educator's professional preparation curriculum, and 3) providing an outline for the course.

Taxonomies for application in rheumatic diseases: quests for uniformity.

The technologic explosion in computer science and communications has made possible the development of scientific databases for longterm use, and global applications are becoming feasible. The eventual achievement of maximal utility of such databases dictates the need for uniform terminologies and definitions. A number of prominent efforts toward such uniformity are identified and reviewed with respect to their potential applicability to the arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders.