Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “HABIT”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Indicators of poor dietary habits in a high risk population.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine whether individuals attending an urban outpatient clinic met the National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention nutritional objectives and to assess factors associated with poor dietary habits. METHODS: Individuals who attended the general medicine outpatient clinic at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse were interviewed using an expanded version of the Health Habits and History Questionnaire. Usual dietary intake, medical history, occupation, stress, physical activity, tobacco use and other life-style factors were recorded. Of particular interest were the percentage of calories from fat in the diet and whether individuals consumed the daily requirements of the base-foods in the USDA Pyramid (grains, vegetables and fruits). Unconditional logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals for variables associated with high fat consumption and low consumption of vegetables, fruit and high-fiber grains. RESULTS: None of the patients met the minimal recommended daily servings for the three base-food categories combined (grains, vegetables and fruits) and 84% of subjects had fat intakes which constituted over 30% of daily energy intake. Individuals with less education, who were disabled or unemployed, and who participated in little physical activity were twice as likely to have poor dietary habits (i.e. low consumption of vegetables, fruit, and/or high-fiber grains) as other subjects (p < 0.05). Younger patients (20-49 years of age), especially those who were nonsmokers and who reported little physical activity were more likely to consume fat and less likely to consume fruit than older patients (> or = 50 years of age). Nonwhite subjects were less likely to consume high-fiber grains and whole-wheat breads than white patients (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional screening should be considered for all patients attending similar inner-city general medicine clinics, regardless of the primary diagnosis in order to provide early dietary intervention. In particular, young adults, the unemployed, and the disabled should not be overlooked.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychological and sexual well-being, philosophical/spiritual views, and health habits of long-term cancer survivors.

The results of a survey on various aspects of quality of life for 191 women who were long-term cancer survivors are presented. We explored six areas--somatic concerns, health habits, psychological state, sexual satisfaction, social/emotional support giving, and philosophical/spiritual view--and whether differences existed in them among the women on the basis of age, educational level, income level, length of survival, location of residence (urban, suburban, or rural), cancer site, and whether a recurrence of the cancer had been experienced. Generally, the women reported good psychological states and relative satisfaction with their sexual lives. However, women who had experienced a recurrence of their cancer, were longer term survivors, or suffered from breast cancer all reported higher levels of somatic concerns. Women with higher levels of education or income and those who had had a recurrence of their cancer indicated a greater willingness to provide social and emotional support to other women newly diagnosed with cancer. Women who had a positive philosophical/spiritual outlook were more likely to have good health habits and be supportive of others. There was no statistically significant variation among the women in either health habits or psychological state for any of the factors considered.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Morning-evening preference: sleep pattern spectrum and lifestyle habits among Japanese junior high school pupils.

We surveyed the sleep-wake patterns and lifestyle habits in a sample of Japanese first to third year junior high school children (n=638, age 12 to 15 yrs), of whom 29.3% were evening type, 64.1% intermediate type, and 6.6% morning type in preference. The morningness-eveningness (M-E) score was lower (more evening typed), 16.1 vs. 15.4 in first compared to third year students. There were significant gender differences, with girls showing a greater evening preference. Evening preference was associated with longer sleep latency, shortened sleep duration during schooldays and weekends, bad morning feeling, and episodes of daytime sleepiness. In contrast, morning preference was associated with higher sleep drive and better sleep-wake parameters and lifestyle habits. Our results suggest the morning preference should be promoted among junior high school children to increase the likelihood of more regular sleep-wake patterns and lifestyle habits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

A link between hostility and disease: poor health habits?

The Cook and Medley Hostility (Ho) Scale has been found to predict the occurrence of coronary heart disease, as well as total mortality, and to be related to the severity of coronary artery disease. It has been proposed that the relationship between Ho scores and health status is mediated by an unhealthy psychosocial risk profile. The present study investigated the health habits of 202 young adults; it used a shortened version of TestWell, a self-report inventory of health behaviors. Subjects were classified as high or low scorers on the Ho scale and their overall TestWell scores and those of four subscales were compared. High scorers reported poorer health habits overall (p = .003) and on three of the four subscales (Physical Fitness, p = .04; Self-Care, p = .04; Drugs and Driving, p = .0001). These results suggest that the poor health habits of individuals with high hostility scores may be an additional explanation of the link between hostility and subsequent disease to the psychosocial risk profile explanation recently proposed.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2000

Stable isotope ratios and uric acid preservation in termites belonging to three feeding habits in Thailand.

Nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios and uric acid concentrations in termites sampled from a dry evergreen forest in Thailand, were determined across three kinds of feeding habits. Feeding habits of Microcerotermes crassus, which is an abundant wood-feeder, and Dicuspiditermes makhamensis, a common soil-feeding termite, were confirmed by isotopic signatures. Lichen feeding termites (Hospitalitermes birmanicus, H. bicolor and H. ataramensis) were characterized by low delta15N values, suggesting that they assimilated nitrogen deposited from the atmosphere. There was also a significant difference in uric acid concentrations between termites representing different feeding habits. No significant relationships were found between uric acid concentrations and delta15N or delta13C in Hospitalitermes. However, delta15N values were correlated with C/N ratios in H. birmanicus, except in one colony of H. ataramensis. delta13C values in both species were negatively correlated with C/N ratios.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Crystal habit modifications of ibuprofen and their physicomechanical characteristics.

Ibuprofen was crystallized from methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and hexane at similar conditions. Marked differences in crystal habit of the samples obtained from these solvents were observed. The samples crystallized from methanol and ethanol had a polyhedral crystal habit, while those from hexane were needlelike. Those from isopropanol were elongated crystals. X-ray powder diffraction (XPD) and diferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies confirmed that these samples were structurally similar, therefore, polymorphic modifications were ruled out. The results showed that crystal habit modification had a great influence on the mechanical properties (compressibility, flow rate, and bulk density) of ibuprofen crystals. Samples obtained from methanol and ethanol exhibited the highest bulk density and the best flow rate, while those from hexane showed the lowest bulk density and the worst flow rate. The samples obtained from ethanol exhibited the best compression force/hardness profiles, and those obtained from hexane produced the softest tablets.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗
PubMed2005

Herbicide application timing in preharvest desiccation of soybean cultivars with different growth habits.

In order to evaluate the ideal time of herbicide applications to desiccate soybean cultivars with determinate and indeterminate growth habits in preharvest, an experiment was carried out at the University of Ponta Grossa (PR), during 2002--2003. The experimental design used was a randomized blocks arranged in a factorial scheme 4 x 5 (herbicides and time of application), with three replications, using four soybean cultivars: Spring, V-Max, BR-16, and BRS-133. The herbicides glufosinate, diquat, and paraquat were used at the rate of 400 g ha(-1), when soybean was at stage of R6.0, R6.5, R7.0, R7.5, and R8.0. The assessments included yield, as well as yield components, considering each cultivar separately. The results show that desiccation should be done on cultivars with determinate growth habit at stages between R7.0 and R7.5, independent of herbicide used. For indeterminate growth habit cultivars, desiccation should be done later, because those pods formed after R6.5 stage are important to define yield; although herbicides have different mode of action, yield results were similar. In cultivars, desiccation should start when all pods in the middle of plants become yellow and grains are not held by fibers.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2002

Alcoholic beverage preference, diet, and health habits in the UNC Alumni Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: Moderate alcohol intake is related to better health, and additional benefits may be associated with wine. However, beverage preference may be confounded by lifestyle factors related to health. OBJECTIVE: The goal was to describe the associations between alcoholic-beverage preferences and indicators of a healthy diet and other health habits. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study included data from 2864 men and 1571 women enrolled in the UNC Alumni Heart Study. Self-reports of drinking habits were used as predictors of health behaviors and of intakes of nutrients and food groups. RESULTS: Subjects who preferred wine had healthier diets than did those who preferred beer or spirits or had no preference. Wine drinkers reported eating more servings of fruit and vegetables and fewer servings of red or fried meats. The diets of wine drinkers contained less cholesterol, saturated fat, and alcohol and more fiber. Wine drinkers were less likely to smoke. Compared with all drinkers, those who drank no alcohol consumed fewer vegetables but more fiber. Nondrinkers were less likely to exercise regularly and had a higher mean body mass index. Controlling for income and education had little effect on these associations. CONCLUSIONS: The apparent health benefits of wine compared with other alcoholic beverages, as described by others, may be a result of confounding by dietary habits and other lifestyle factors. Confounding by lifestyle variables could also be a factor in the previously observed health differences between drinkers and nondrinkers, although the evidence for this association is not as strong.

Beer↗
PubMed2005

Poor nutritional habits are predictors of poor outcome in very old hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is prevalent in elderly populations. Recommended methods of nutritional screening are often too complicated and time-consuming for routine application in frail, very old, hospitalized patients. OBJECTIVE: Our aims were to identify risk factors for development of malnutrition in very old hospitalized patients and to evaluate the total Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score and MNA subscores as predictors of in-hospital and long-term mortality. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study of patients aged > or =75 y was conducted in a geriatric hospital. Assessment included demographic, clinical, and laboratory data and cognitive, functional, and nutritional status. Follow-up was conducted for < or =2.7 y. RESULTS: Of the 414 patients studied, only 73 (17.6%) were well-nourished. Low serum albumin and phosphorus concentrations, dementia, and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) were significant risk factors for malnutrition. Survival was significantly lower in malnourished patients and patients at risk of malnutrition than in well-nourished patients (P < 0.0001). Low MNA-3 subscores (dietary habits) were significantly correlated with laboratory indexes of malnutrition and were significantly lower in patients with infections, malignancy, pressure ulcers, dementia, recent orthopedic surgery, and CVA. Multivariate analysis showed that a low MNA-3 score was an independent predictor of mortality; scores <7.5 increased the risk of death 2.05-fold. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of malnutrition was high in elderly hospitalized patients. Dietary habits were significant predictors of poor hospitalization outcome. A questionnaire on dietary habits can serve as a useful tool in assessing nutritional status and prognosis in elderly patients.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Do interviewers' health beliefs and habits modify responses to sensitive questions? A study using data Collected from pregnant women by means of computer-assisted telephone interviews.

If interviewers' personal habits or attitudes influence respondents' answers to given questions, this may lead to bias, which should be taken into consideration when analyzing data. The authors examined a potential interviewer effect in a study of pregnant women in which exposure data were obtained through computer-assisted telephone interviews. The authors compared interviewer characteristics for 34 interviewers with the responses they obtained in 12,910 interviews carried out for the Danish National Birth Cohort Study. Response data on smoking and alcohol consumption in the first trimester of pregnancy were collected during the time period October 1, 1997-February 1, 1999. Overall, the authors found little evidence to suggest that interviewers' personal habits or attitudes toward smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy had consequences for the responses they obtained; neither did the interviewers' education, age, or parity correlate with the answers they obtained. In these data gathered through computer-assisted telephone interviews, interviewer effects arising from variations in interviewers' health beliefs and personal habits were found to be negligible. Thorough training of the interviewers and continuous supervision may have contributed to this finding.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Sister chromatid exchange frequencies in lymphocytes of oral cancer patients seem to be influenced by drinking habits.

Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) values were determined in the lymphocytes of 24 oral cancer patients before therapy and in the lymphocytes of 24 control persons standardized with respect to sex, age and smoking habits. Oral cancer patients showed significantly elevated SCE values (mean 7.82 versus 6.42). In both groups the highest SCE values were found in the subgroups with the highest alcohol consumption. A significant correlation between SCE and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) values by Spearman correlation analysis was detected in the combined group (cancer patients and control persons) (n = 32, r = 0.40, P = 0.023). The SCE values in the oral cancer patients were weakly correlated (Pearson) to DNA adduct levels (n = 22, r = 0.39, P = 0.068) and DNA single-strand breakage frequencies (n = 12, r = 0.56, P = 0.054) in lymphocytes. The correlation (Pearson) between SCE values and DNA strand breakage values in lymphocytes was significant (n = 10, r = 0.67, P = 0.036) in smoking cancer patients. The increase of SCE values with respect to alcohol drinking habits underlines epidemiologic findings that alcohol is an important co-carcinogen in many cancers, especially in oral cancers. Because of the influences on SCE and adduct levels in lymphocytes, alcohol drinking habits should be controlled as broadly as possible in biomarker studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Smoking habits and risk of benign breast disease.

The relationship between smoking habits and the risk of benign breast disease (BBD) was analyzed using data from a case-control study conducted between 1981 and 1983 in the greater Milan area, Northern Italy. Cases (n = 288) were women with histologically confirmed BBD (203 dysplasia, 85 benign tumours) referred to the National Cancer Institute of Milan for biopsies. Controls were women (n = 291) seen on selected days for a cytological smear for cervical cancer in outpatient clinics of the same Institute. No consistent association emerged between various indicators of smoking habits (smoking status, number of cigarettes smoked per day, duration of smoking) and the risk of BBD. Compared with never smokers the relative risk (RR) of all BBD combined was 0.7 (95% confidence interval, Cl: 0.4-1.3) in exsmokers, 1.4 (95% Cl: 0.8-2.5) in smokers of less than 10 cigarettes per day, and 1.1 (95% Cl: 0.7-1.7) in smokers of 10 or more cigarettes per day. There was some suggestion that the risk may be below unity post-menopause, but the relative risks for smokers were not statistically different in pre- (RR = 1.2; 95% Cl: 0.8-1.8) and post-menopausal (RR = 0.6; 95% Cl: 0.2-1.7) women. The risk of benign tumours (chiefly fibradenoma) was higher in current smokers, but this finding was not statistically significant (RR = 1.5; 95% Cl: 0.9-2.6) and the highest risks were observed in the strata of lighter smokers and those with shorter duration of smoking. Overall these results fail to support a negative association between smoking habits and benign breast disease.

Adenofibroma↗
PubMed2002

Nine-year follow-up of a survey on smoking habits in Florence (Italy): higher mortality among non-responders.

BACKGROUND: Smoking prevalence is often assessed in random samples of a population. Non-response bias has been rarely investigated. METHODS: In 1989 a survey on smoking habits in Florence, Italy, was carried out (response rate: 85%). For responders and non-responders (3,621 subjects) the life status as of 1998 was assessed. Poisson regression models were fitted to estimate age-adjusted risks of death (RR) of non-responders for overall mortality and for the most important causes of death, taking the whole series of responders, postal responders and telephone responders as the reference in different analyses. This analysis included 2,071 subjects aged >/=45 years. RESULTS: Compared to the whole series of responders, mortality from all causes was significantly higher among non-responders in males (RR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.23-2.44) and females (RR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.79-3.29). The higher risk was seen for smoking-related and 'other' causes of death. Among females the difference was more evident for smoking-related causes (RR = 3.14; 95% CI: 1.66-5.93), among males the higher risk was similar for both groups of causes. The excess of mortality was less evident when telephone responders alone were taken as reference. CONCLUSIONS: The follow-up of subjects enrolled in a survey on smoking habits shows high mortality risks among non-responders. The data indirectly suggest that smoking was (or had been) more widespread among non-responders, in particular among females. Therefore, the prevalence of smokers assessed through this survey, focussed on smoking habit, may be underestimated. Telephone contact with non-responders to the postal questionnaire attenuated the selection bias of responders, but even with telephone back-up the response bias persisted.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Health status, health habits, utilization behaviour and health care utilization in an actively employed Japanese population.

Healthcare utilization data from 1 February 1986 to 31 January 1992 for 18,601 local public service employees were analysed in relation to data on their perceived health status, health habits, health care utilization behaviour and health-related worries which were obtained from a questionnaire survey conducted in 1988. The results showed health care utilization behaviour as defined by the questionnaire responses to be the most important predictor of health care utilization as defined by claim rate and group utilization rate, followed by perceived health status and certain health habits (ie caring about sleep, food and diet, watching body weight). Health-related worries, when used as a group variable, were not an independent predictor of utilization. The co-existence of 'active' utilization behaviour or the above-mentioned health habits with fair/poor perceived health status was associated with the highest health care utilization. The implication of these findings is that if utilization behaviour modification is incorporated into various worksite health programmes that aim at improving employee health and containing health care utilization and costs, greater reduction can be achieved in employee health care utilization and costs.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The reliability of questionnaire-derived historical dietary information and temporal stability of food habits in individuals.

Thirty-four males and 45 females who participated in household surveys 15 or 25 years earlier in rural Denmark were interviewed in 1982 about present and past food habits. Comparison of the information from the survey and the two interviews indicates that recall of past diet is strongly influenced by present dietary habits. As the relative classification of individuals according to their food habits appears to have changed little over time, information on current diet, perhaps supplemented by information on particular changes, can provide useful classification of individuals for epidemiologic purposes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Body fat distribution in relation to physical activity and smoking habits in 38-year-old European men. The European Fat Distribution Study.

The authors studied 512 European men all born in 1950 from six different towns in the period October 1988 to May 1989. Anthropometric measurements were taken, including weight, height, and circumferences (waist, hip, thigh). Educational level, activity scores and information on smoking habits were obtained from a questionnaire. Higher educational level was associated with lower body mass index, waist/hip ratio, and waist/thigh ratio. The sports activity score was negatively related to waist/hip ratio (beta +/- standard error of the mean (SEM): -0.009 +/- 0.003) and waist/thigh ratio (-0.041 +/- 0.007), and this could be attributed to a negative relation with waist circumference and a positive relation to thigh circumference. Smoking habits were not related to body mass index but heavy smokers had larger waist circumferences (difference +/- SEM: 1.4 +/- 0.5 cm) as well as higher waist/hip ratios (difference +/- SEM: 0.014 +/- 0.005) and waist/thigh ratios (0.043 +/- 0.013) compared with men who never smoked. These associations between activity scores and smoking habits and fat distribution remained after adjustment for each other and for body mass index and educational level. The authors conclude that physical activity and smoking are independently related to indicators of fat distribution and may be potential confounders in the relations between fat distribution, risk factors, and disease.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1987

Differences in sleep-wake habits and EEG sleep variables between active morning and evening subjects.

This article is a survey study, followed by an experimental study, examining the differences of sleep-wake habits and sleep electroencephalographic (EEG) variables between morning and evening type subjects (Ss). In the survey study, the Japanese version of the Horne and Ostberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and Life Habits Inventory (LHI) were administered to approximately 1,500 university students. The survey results showed that the two types were significantly different from each other in terms of retiring and arising time, sleep latency, mood on arising, nap, adequate amount of sleep, number of times of staying awake all night, and variability in bedtime, arising time, and sleep length. These results suggested that evening type Ss had more irregular and/or flexible sleep-wake habits than morning type Ss. In the experimental study, 10 morning and 11 evening type Ss were selected from the population included in the survey study, and polysomnograms were obtained. The results showed that only in rapid eye movement (REM) latency did morning type Ss significantly differ from evening type Ss. REM latency might be related to personality factors, particularly to neuroticism and anxiety.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Improving handwashing habits in the newborn nurseries.

In five separate sessions over a 13-month period, the authors monitored the handwashing habits of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in the nursery. Compliance rates regarding three specific items related to handwashing prophylaxis were noted by a group of observers without the knowledge of the subjects involved. Good handwashing prophylaxis was carried out by the doctors only 37.5% prior to handling infants, and 29.2% after contact with inanimate objects, whereas for these items the nurses complied 53.9% and 29.2%, respectively. Wrist ornaments were removed prior to handwashing in 72.7% and 75.3% of contacts. The data for other healthcare professionals were generally similar. The information from this study was used for educational purposes, which seemed to have had an impact on handwashing habits. The compliance rates during the later part of the study for the first two items combined improved from 28.4% to 62.6% (p less than 0.001). The authors conclude that in the newborn units, the compliance with handwashing is generally poor. They believe that with continued monitoring and educational efforts, it may be possible to improve habits regarding handwashing prophylaxis.

Cross Infection↗