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PubMed1998

Personal smoking habit and attitude toward smoking among the health staff of a general hospital.

Tobacco smoke (TS) is the single most important cause of preventable death in industrialized countries. Health staff have great responsibility in its control, but the smoking habits of health staff may influence their attitude toward patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate: 1) the prevalence of smoking among health staff at different professional levels; 2) the knowledge of smoking-related damage; and 3) how personal smoking habits influence behaviour in the workplace. A questionnaire was sent to all health staff of the Morelli Hospital (Sondalo, Italy) asking information about age, activity, smoking habits and attitude toward smoking: the Fagerstrom test was also administered to smokers. A total of 959 valid questionnaires were collected (57% of the whole sample). Results were analyzed by means of Chi-squared and Student t-tests, where appropriate. The prevalence of smokers was 44% former smokers 24% and lifetime nonsmokers 32%. The highest prevalence of TS was found in nursing students and auxiliaries (47%) and the lowest among doctors (39%). A clear cohort-effect due to age was evidenced: the youngest age-group (< 30 yrs old) presents the highest prevalence of lifetime nonsmokers and of light smokers, and the lowest of heavy smokers; the oldest age-group (> 40 yrs old) presents the highest prevalence of quitters and of heavy smokers, and the lowest of smokers and lifetime nonsmokers; the intermediate age-group (31-40 yrs old) presents the highest prevalence of smokers. The knowledge of smoking-related damage was poor, with significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers and the different professional categories. Tobacco smoking proved to be common behaviour (even when on duty) among health staff. A minority of health staff seem fully aware of personal and social smoking related aspects. Smoking habits influence the attitude of health staff toward patient counselling about tobacco smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Can we rely on self-reported smoking habits?].

The reliability of self-reporting on smoking habits has been evaluated by comparing the reported smoking habits with the concentration of serum thiocyanate, which is higher in smokers than in non-smokers and increases with increasing cigarette consumption. When a smoker stops smoking, the level of serum thiocyanate decreases and falls to the level observed in non-smokers after about one month. When the questions asked about smoking were neutral, the reported smoking habits were generally reliable. However, in cases where the questions asked and the interview situation could be regarded as unpleasant, the reported smoking habits were not always correct. Some smokers underreported the number of cigarettes they smoked on a daily basis and some of them denied smoking altogether.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Oral habits of temporomandibular disorder patients with malocclusion.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between oral habits and symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder in patients who had sought orthodontic treatment by analyzing their present and past history. The subjects were 57 female patients (average age: 23 years and 6 months old) who had visited the "Temporomandibular Disorder Section" in our orthodontic department. Their chief complaints were the symptom of TMJ and the abnormalities of occlusion such as maxillary protrusion, open bite, crowding, mandibular protrusion, cross bite, deep bite, edge-to-edge bite, and spacing. Their present conditions and past histories were examined and evaluated. The most typical primary symptom was joint sound (23 patients, 40.0%). The second was joint sound and pain (15 patients, 26.3%). Of the symptoms present at the time of examination, the most prevalent were joint sound and pain (20 patients, 35.1%). The 48 patients (82.8%) had significant oral habits. Unilateral chewing was seen in 35 patients (72.9%), bruxism in 27 (56.3%), abnormality of posture in 14 (29.2%), habitual crunching in 10 (20.8%) and resting the check on the hand in 4 (8.3%), respectively. When comparing the primary symptoms to those at the time of examination, the patients with unilateral chewing and bruxism tended to have more complicated symptoms. In conclusion, the TMD symptoms of the patients with notable oral habits did not change or become worse during a period of about 5 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Development of a health habits scale.

The present study is based on the assumption that health habits assessment can make a significant contribution to our understanding of physical and psychological well-being. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop an easily administered, conceptually sound, and psychometrically adequate health habits scale for use in nursing and health research. A self-report scale consisting of 5 positive health items and 5 negative items was administered initially to a sample of more than 1500 American adults. Subsamples of this group were used in various psychometric evaluations of the scale. A second sample of more than 700 college and noncollege adults also completed the new health habits scale and a number of additional inventories thought to be related conceptually to the new scale. In general, the health scale showed high content validity, good agreement between self- and other-ratings, strong test-retest reliability, and consistent evidence of concurrent and divergent validity. The strengths of the scale are its inclusion of both disease-preventive and health-promoting behaviors, its brevity, and its psychometric development.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Associative learning, habit, and health behavior.

Habit is defined as a firmly established behavior pattern marked by increasing automaticity, decreasing awareness, and partial independence from reinforcement. Reinforcement is viewed as of primary importance in the acquisition of behavior, whereas principles of associative learning enter to complement reinforcement in the maintenance of behavior. Habit is seen as a mechanism for short-circuiting the reinforcement process to avoid its overload and for providing the organism with speed and stability of response instead of the variability offered by reinforcement. The implications of this definition of habit for acquisition and alteration of health behavior are discussed; examples include smoking, obesity, alcoholism, and coronary-prone (type A) behavior.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2006

A population-based study on bowel habits in a Korean community: prevalence of functional constipation and self-reported constipation.

Most studies of bowel habits have been conducted in Western countries. This study was conducted to estimate the epidemiology of constipation and the discrepancy between self-reported constipation and bowel habits in Koreans. Telephone interviews regarding bowel habits were conducted with a total of 1029 individuals in Korea, 15 years of age or older. Subjects were given a questionnaire which asked about bowel symptoms, sociodemographic associations, laxative use, and physician visits. Of all subjects 95.6% had a defecation frequency of between three per week and three per day. The prevalence was 16.5% for self-reported constipation, 9.2% for functional constipation (FC), and 3.9% for constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C). Of subjects' self-reporting constipation, proportions of FC and IBS-C were 21.8% and 23.5%, respectively. Of subjects excluding self-reported constipation, the proportion of FC was 6.8%. Prevalences of self-reported constipation and IBS-C were higher in females than in males (P < 0.001). Of subjects' self-reporting constipation, 8.2% used laxatives. We conclude that constipation is a common problem in the general Korean population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Habit reversal: a review of applications and variations.

Research is reviewed on habit reversal treatment of tics and other nervous habits, and on the components of such treatment. Awareness training and the use of a competing response are found to be its essential components. Studies which evaluate the habit reversal procedure and its variations in the treatment of stuttering are also reviewed.

Awareness↗
PubMed2006

The effect of norms, attitudes and habits on speeding behavior: scale development and model building and estimation.

In a quota sample of 334 Belgian individuals, reliable and valid scales are developed, that measure subjective, personal, normative and descriptive norms, personal identity, attitude components, perceived behavioral control, habit formation, behavioral intention and behavior with respect to speeding. A speeding behavior model is built in which the relevance of personal, descriptive and normative norms, the cognitive and affective attitude towards speeding, the affective attitude towards speed limits, and habit formation is assessed. Habit formation and the attitude towards speeding influence the intention towards speeding and self-reported speeding. Personal and to a lesser extent subjective and descriptive norms have a significant effect on attitudes towards speeding and on self-reported speeding. Recommendations for more effective and efficient anti-speeding campaigns are formulated.

Acceleration↗
PubMed2004

Study habits of surgery residents and performance on American Board of Surgery In-Training examinations.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the study habits (SHs) of surgery residents preparing for the annual American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE). METHODS: A validated instrument developed to assess SHs in college students, the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA), was modified slightly for use with residents. The modified SSHA contains 2 subscale scores, work methods and delay avoidance, and a combined overall study habit score. A total of 59 residents from 2 academic general surgical residency programs were administered the modified SSHA. The SSHA scores were correlated to performance on the in-training examination. RESULTS: There was a small but significant correlation between scores on the modified SSHA instrument and performance on the ABSITE overall (r = 0.29; P < .05; r2 = 0.0841). Linear-regression analysis showed that the clinical component and overall performance on the ABSITE were significantly predicted by the total SH scores. Overall total ABSITE percent correct scores were significantly predicted by residency levels of training and the overall SSHA scales (delay avoidance and work methods). Together they predicted 63% of the total variance in the overall performance scores. Residency level was the strongest predictor. SH performance accounted for 5.9% of the total variance beyond that contributed by residency level of training. CONCLUSIONS: The correlations of surgical resident ABSITE performance with SSHA scores were on the same order of magnitude as those of college students and academic performance with the original SSHA. Although SH in this study accounted for a measurable yet small contribution to ABSITE performance, this contribution was not enough to consider using the SSHA instrument in its current modified form as a diagnostic and counseling tool. Published instruments not specifically designed for residents may not be tailored enough to measure residents' unique SH.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome, influence of lifestyle factors and bowel habits in Korean college students.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is considered to be prevalent in the general population, but there are little data on bowel habits and IBS in Korea. Because nurses are frequently called on to help this patient population with IBS and help manage their symptoms, it is very necessary to get some practical information about patients' experiences and to outline a multifaceted approach to the practical management of patient with IBS. So this study aims to describe the bowel habits and the prevalence of IBS in young university students in Korea and to investigate the influence of lifestyle factors, including dietary habits, on IBS prevalence. Finally, we discuss the nursing needs for an holistic approach. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, using the self-reported questionnaire based on previous studies done abroad and the Rome alpha criteria was applied with 1717 young university students. RESULTS: The answers of 747 men and 970 women were included in the study. The prevalence of IBS, as defined by the Rome alpha criteria, was 5.7% of the subjects. The proportion of women (70.7%) was significantly higher than the proportion of men in the IBS group as compared to that in the non-IBS group (odds ratio 2.07, 95% CI 1.2-3.7). Residential type (odds ratio 1.27, 95% 1.06-1.5) and frequency of meals (odds ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.2-2.5) significantly differed between the IBS group and non-IBS group. There was a trend towards the higher prevalence of IBS with fewer hours of exercise (odds ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.95-1.04). 90.6% of respondents reported stool frequencies between three times per day and three times per week. Characteristics of defecation differed significantly between men and women (p<0.05, to p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of IBS in healthy young people of Korea was lower compared with those reported in the West. This study shows that proportionately more women suffered from IBS than men and dietary factors and lifestyle were significantly related to IBS. From our study results, we found that there are multifaceted nursing aspects required to reduce symptoms, such as dietary education and encouragement to change lifestyle aimed at controlling stress.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Childhood habit cough treated with self-hypnosis.

OBJECTIVES: To better understand factors associated with the development and persistence of habit cough and to report use of self-hypnosis for this condition. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review was performed for 56 children and adolescents with habit cough. Interested patients were instructed in self-hypnosis for relaxation and to help ignore the cough-triggering sensation. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 10.7 years. The cough was triggered by upper respiratory infections in 59%, asthma in 13%, exercise in 5%, and eating in 4%. Onset of the cough occurred as early as 2 years, and its average duration was 13 months (range, 2 weeks to 7 years). There was a high incidence of abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome in the 50% of the patients who missed more than 1 week of school because of their cough. Among the 51 patients who used hypnosis, the cough resolved during or immediately after the initial hypnosis instruction session in 78% and within 1 month in an additional 12%. CONCLUSIONS: Habit cough is triggered by various physiologic conditions, related frequently to other diagnoses, and it is associated with significant school absence. Self-hypnosis offers a safe efficient treatment.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2005

The Four Habits Coding Scheme: validation of an instrument to assess clinicians' communication behavior.

OBJECTIVE: To present preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the Four Habits Coding Scheme (4HCS), an instrument based on a teaching model used widely throughout Kaiser Permanente to improve clinicians' communication skills. METHODS: One hundred videotaped primary care visits were coded using the 4HCS, and the data were assessed against a previously available data set for these visits, including the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS), back channel responses, measures of nonverbal behavior, length of visit, and patients' post-visit assessments. RESULTS: Levels of inter-rater reliability were acceptable, and the distribution of ratings across items indicated that physicians' modal responses varied widely. Correlations between 4HCS ratings, RIAS, back channel responses, and non-verbal measures provided evidence of the instrument's construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: The Four Habits Coding Scheme, an instrument that combines both evaluative and descriptive elements of physician communication behavior and is derived from a conceptually based teaching model, has the potential to be of utility to researchers and evaluators as well as educators and clinicians. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The Four Habits Coding Scheme provides a template for both guiding and measuring physician communication behaviors.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2006

The influence of living habits and family relationships on element concentrations in human hair.

The paper discusses the content of elements in hair of subjects studied over several years. The study was performed on 5 subjects (N=28) that lived together or were family related. The elemental composition of hair of the studied subjects was compared with the average content of the population living in the same urban area (Wrocław city, south-west Poland), with the population of a non-industrialized area in Poland (Silesian Beskid), as well as with the population of north-east Sweden and Rio de Janeiro. When comparing the composition of hair from the studied subjects with the people living in the same city, it was found that the differences resulted mainly from different living habits (Na, Si, Co, Fe, Mn, Zn) and local exposure (Pb, Cd, Al). When comparing with the reference material for unexposed population, it was found that the studied subjects were exposed to Al. Time profile of element contents in hair of a given person showed that the level changed significantly (even several fold) with changes of living habits or environmental exposure. Also, it was found that there were similar tendencies in the accumulation of the majority of elements by people that lived together. The effect of living habits on the level of a given element was found to be stronger than the influence of either sex or family relationship. The paper also discusses inter-element interactions within the studied group. Statistically significant (p<0.05) correlations were found between elements that occur together: Ca-Mg, Fe-Mn, Na-K, Co-K, Au-Pt, Cd-Pb. In order to determine the influence of various elements on the content of another element, linear multiple regression was performed that revealed the following relationships: Ca=f(Mn, Sr), Na=f(K, Mn), K=f(V, Ti).

Elements↗
PubMed1996

Temporomandibular disorder: efficacy of an oral habit reversal treatment program.

Little attention has been directed at interventions that directly teach facial pain patients to detect, interrupt, and reverse the maladaptive oral habits and cognitions thought to be associated with muscle hyper-reactivity and pain. The present study tested a seven-session structured-group habit reversal treatment intervention for facial pain patients. Nine facial pain subjects participated in treatment groups and seven qualified subjects who did not participate in treatment served as a comparison group. Pre, post, and follow-up assessments included measures of pain and psychological functioning. Subjects in the treatment group improved on all measures of pain relative to those in the comparison group. These improvements were maintained or augmented at four month follow-up assessments suggesting that habit reversal training, particularly in a group format, may provide a cost-effective intervention for facial pain patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation of a cognitive-behavioural program for the management of chronic tic and habit disorders.

The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of a manualized cognitive-behavioural program based on habit reversal for the management of chronic tic disorder (CTD) and habit disorder (HD). Forty-seven CTD and 43 HD received a 4-month treatment program. Thirty-eight (22 CTD, 16 HD) were placed on a waitlist control group, which subsequently received treatment. The treatment approach combined awareness training, relaxation (including modification of a tension-producing style of action), and habit-reversal training, with more general cognitive restructuring of anticipations linked to ticcing. Sixty-five percent of completers reported between 75 and 100% control over the tic. At 2-year follow-up, 52% rated 75-100% control. There were also significant changes post-treatment in measures of self-esteem, anxiety, depression and style of planning action. Successful tic/habit modification was associated in CTD and HD groups with successful change in style of planning action. There were no consistent differences in any outcome measures between CTD and HD groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Oral habits. A behavioral approach.

Thumb-sucking, pacifier use, and other oral habits are not so harmful or beneficial to the child to justify ill-timed aggressive discontinuance. Indeed there is ample time to guide the child to forming desired behaviors. In nearly every case success in habit management depends on the child making a personal commitment to discontinue the habit. Control can be placed in the child's hands after that decision is made.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed2003

It could be habit forming: drugs of abuse and striatal synaptic plasticity.

Drug addiction can take control of the brain and behavior, activating behavioral patterns that are directed excessively and compulsively toward drug usage. Such patterns often involve the development of repetitive and nearly automatic behaviors that we call habits. The striatum, a subcortical brain region important for proper motor function as well as for the formation of behavioral habits, is a major target for drugs of abuse. Here, we review recent studies of long-term synaptic plasticity in the striatum, emphasizing that drugs of abuse can exert pronounced influences on these processes, both in the striatum and in the dopaminergic midbrain. Synaptic plasticity in the ventral striatum appears to play a prominent role in early stages of drug use, whereas dopamine- and endocannabinoid-dependent synaptic plasticity in the dorsal striatum could contribute to the formation of persistent drug-related habits when casual drug use progresses towards compulsive drug use and addiction.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Sitting habits in elementary schoolchildren: a traditional versus a "Moving school".

This study evaluated differences in sitting habits in the classroom between the project "Moving school" and a traditional school in 8-year-old children. Twenty-two children, since 1.5 years involved in the project were compared to 25 children in a traditional school. Making use of the Portable Ergonomic Observation (PEO) method, it was observed that children from a traditional school spend an average of 97% of the lesson time sitting statically, from which one-third with the trunk bend over 45 degrees. In the "Moving school" this posture was replaced by dynamic sitting (53%), standing (31%) and walking around (10%), while trunk flexion over 45 degrees was nearly not observed. Children from the "Moving school" also showed significantly less neck and trunk rotation. Additionally, accelerometric data showed significantly more physical activity in lessons of the "Moving school". Rates of self-reported back or neck pain did not differ significantly between both study groups. Results show that sitting habits are more favourable in a "Moving school". Further research is needed to study the impact of implementing "Moving school" concepts in traditional schools on sitting habits.

Acceleration↗