Effects of Yoga on Musculoskeletal Pain.

Purpose: Musculoskeletal pain has been associated with work stress and a shortened career in the dental hygiene profession. The purpose of this study was to determine if participating in two yoga sessions per week would reduce the musculoskeletal pain reported by dental hygiene students and or impact body composition.Methods: A convenience sample of 77 dental hygiene students self-selected into treatment (yoga) and control groups. Students in the yoga group participated in bi-weekly, 60-minute yoga sessions for 13 consecutive weeks. Students completed a questionnaire and a Comparative Pain Scale evaluation prior to and immediately following the study period to assess musculoskeletal pain. Additionally, the Omron HBF-514C Full Body Composition Sensing Monitor and Scale was used to measure body mass index (BMI), body fat, and muscle prior to and upon completion of the study. Paired sample t-tests and independent t-tests were used to analyze the data.Results: Thirty-eight dental hygiene students, with an average age of 23.9 years, participated in the yoga group and 39 were assigned to the control group. The majority of the participants were Caucasian (63.6%) females (90.9%). Participants in both groups were of similar age, ethnicity, and had comparable pre-study Harich Comparative Pain Scale scores. After participating in the yoga sessions, the treatment group reported a significant decrease in musculoskeletal pain (p<0.001), while the control group reported no significant decrease in musculoskeletal pain (p=0.881). The yoga sessions did not significantly impact the BMI scores for the yoga treatment group (p=.984) or the control group (p=.901).Conclusion: This research supports the practice of bi-weekly yoga sessions as beneficial in decreasing musculoskeletal pain in dental hygiene students. Yoga can be considered a viable complementary health approach to incorporate into student schedules as a means of increasing the health and longevity of a dental hygiene career.

Hookah Smoking: Assessing College Students' Behaviors, Attitudes, and Knowledge.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess college students' behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge regarding hookah smoking.Methods: A convenience sample of 200 students from various majors, including allied health and nursing students, was used to conduct this study at a university located in the Midwestern United States. Respondents were asked about any past, current, and future hookah smoking behaviors. Likert-scale questions were used to assess attitudes regarding hookah smoking. Respondents were also asked ten questions regarding the history of and health effects of hookah smoking. A knowledge score was calculated based on the number of questions answered correctly. Survey data were analyzed using independent sample t-tests and a one-way ANOVA test at a significance level of p<0.05.Results: A total of 200 out of 204 surveys were returned, yielding an overall response rate of 98%. Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported having participated in hookah smoking, with time of first-time use ranging from 14 to 21 years of age. About one third of the respondents (32%) reported participating in hookah smoking in the previous 30 days. The majority (68%)of respondents estimated that they would not participate in hookah smoking in five years time. Over half of the respondents reported that it is socially acceptable to participate in hookah smoking and 43% reported that hookah smoking has relaxation benefits. The overall mean knowledge score regarding the health effects of hookah usage was 4.4 questions correct out of 10. There was a significant difference (p=.038) in the mean knowledge scores between hookah users (4.70) and non-users (3.81). When comparing the knowledge of allied health and nursing majors to all other majors, the allied health and nursing group scored significantly higher (p=.017) than the non-allied health and nursing majors, with mean scores of 4.80 and 3.81, respectively. Thirty-nine percent of the respondents were unaware that hookah tobacco and related smoke can cause oral cancer.Conclusion: Based on the high rates of college student use and the low knowledge scores, this study supports need for more education about hookah smoking and its health consequences.