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PubMed1997

Predicting developmental shifts in perceptual weighting schemes.

Recent models of developmental changes in speech perception suggest that the weights assigned to acoustic properties change as children gain experience with a native language. Empirical evidence supports this position, but few suggestions have been offered as to what guides this shift. These three experiments were designed to improve our ability to predict how perceptual weighting schemes change with development. The specific hypothesis explored was twofold: (1) the weight assigned by adults to any one acoustic property differs across phonetic environments according to how informative that property is in each environment; and (2) the weight assigned by children to any one acoustic property differs less across phonetic environments because children have not fully learned the patterns of covariation between phonetic informativeness and environment for each property. Experiment 1 replicated previous findings of age-related differences in the weights assigned to noise spectra and formant transitions in labeling of syllable-initial fricatives (/s/ or /[symbol: see text]/). In experiment 2 the variation in F3-onset frequency associated with place of fricative constriction was eliminated. This property differs more (i.e., is more informative) in /u/ than in /a/. Accordingly adults' transition effect was reduced more for /u/ than for /a/ from experiment 1. Children's transition effect was similarly reduced across vowel environments. In experiment 3, F3-onset frequency was appropriately manipulated for both vowels, and adults transition effect increased more for /u/ than for /a/ from experiment 2. The increase in children's transition effect was more similar across vowels. We conclude that the children had not fully learned how information provided by F3 transitions varies across /a/ and /u/ environments, and suggest that developmental weighting shifts may be guided by children learning the relation between phonetic informativeness and environment.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Correlates and predictors of weight loss in young adults: the CARDIA study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine associations of sociodemographic characteristics, behaviors, attitudes and medical factors with weight loss in a population-based biracial cohort of young adults. DESIGN: Two-year longitudinal observation study. SUBJECTS: 4278 black and white men and women aged 18-30 years in 1985-1986. MEASUREMENTS: Weight, height, education, income, subscapular skinfold thickness, waist and hip circumferences, medical history, smoking, physical activity, dietary energy, fat and alcohol intake, physical fitness measured by treadmill testing, self-reported dieting, history of weight loss and regain, perception of body size and belief in health consequences of overweight. RESULTS: Weight loss, defined as reduction of 5% or more of baseline weight, occurred in 8.9% of the cohort, ranging from 4.9% among white men who were not overweight at baseline to 21.5% among white women who were overweight. Weight loss was more common in women than men and in overweight white women than overweight black women. Although findings differed among the four race-sex groups, weight loss was generally associated with greater baseline fatness, lower baseline physical fitness level, self-perception of being overweight, dieting and previous weight loss and regain. Greater baseline fatness, a perception of being overweight and dieting were also associated with weight gain. Among the overweight, low baseline fitness and an increase in physical activity were the factors most consistently associated with weight loss. CONCLUSION: Weight loss in young adults varies by race, sex and body weight and is associated with a variety of behaviors and attitudes, some of which are also associated with weight gain and, thus, may be associated with weight fluctuation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Physical activity, aerobic fitness, self-perception, and dietary intake in at risk of overweight and normal weight children.

Differences in physical activity, aerobic fitness, self-perception, and dietary intake were examined in a sample of six- to ten-year-olds at risk of overweight, and in normal weight boys and girls. Participants (n=20 at risk of overweight [BMI > or =85th percentile]; n=115 normal weight [BMI <85th percentile]; n=68 boys; n=67 girls) had anthropometric, physical activity, aerobic fitness, self-perception, and dietary intake measurements at zero, three, six, and 12 months. Over the 12-month period, normal weight children were more physically active (F=4.1, p<0.05) and aerobically fit (F=14.3, p<0.001), and possessed higher self-perceptions of social acceptance (F=7.3, p<0.01) than their at risk of overweight peers. Fitness differences between the sexes were not apparent at baseline, but emerged over the long term (F=7.9, p<0.01). Overall, boys consumed more total energy, fat, carbohydrate, and protein than did girls, while the entire sample consumed diets low in vegetables and fruits and meat and alternatives, and high in "other" foods. These observations highlight key disparities in lifestyle-related behaviours and perceptions between groups of children according to overweight status and sex. The findings underscore the importance of longitudinal studies in youth because cross-sectional studies may reflect transient differences.

Anthropometry↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Attitudes and perceptions of body image in postpartum African American women. Does weight make a difference?

PURPOSE: To describe the attitudes and perceptions of body image of African American postpartum women, and the differences in these measures when body mass index (BMI) was considered. DESIGN: Descriptive comparative. METHODOLOGY: Secondary analysis of a larger study. The sample was 45 African American women. Body image was assessed using the Attitude to Body Image Scale (ABIS) and the topographic device. Participants were grouped according to BMI categories. Body image differences by BMI category were determined using ANOVA. RESULTS: The mean ABIS score for the total sample was 2.8 (range = 1.0-5.8). Although not statistically significantly different, the mean ABIS score for the overweight/obese group was 3.4 (SD = 0.42), for the normal weight group the mean score was 2.8 (SD = 0.22) and for the underweight group it was 2.6 (SD = 0.24). The mean amount of perceived space occupied was 30.0 while the mean amount of actual space occupied was 21.0 in (N = 45). When the perceptual component was assessed, all women, irrespective of size, considered themselves larger than they actually were. However, perceptions did not differ by body mass category. IMPLICATIONS: Nurses can use this information to plan culturally sensitive postpartum care relative to body image and weight. Healthcare providers may wish to develop interventions that foster healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as healthy eating habits, based on health promotion rather than on weight loss. With this caveat in mind, performing a 24-hr recall of foods eaten would be an appropriate assessment strategy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

The influence of density and material on oral perception of ball size with and without palatal coverage.

The size of a bolus determines how it will be manipulated in the mouth and swallowed. Ten healthy individuals assessed the size of ball bearings of five sizes (4-11 mm diameter) and four materials with different densities in order to investigate the effect of weight on oral size perception. To study the role of the tongue and palate, the experiment was performed with and without a custom-made plastic palate. The results revealed that size itself determines size perception, and that material and weight are negligible factors. An illusional effect in the direction of under-estimation was found for the ball bearings, especially for the small sizes up to 8 mm diameter. While wearing a plastic palate a significant improvement (P<0.05) occurred; the participants performed better and there was less under-estimation. An explanation for this could be that only a minor part of the total area of the ball bearing touches the palate and is hence detected, while the tongue alone is more compliant and thereby able to sense the ball's whole size.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Visual size cues in the programming of manipulative forces during precision grip.

A size-weight illusion was used to examine the role of visual cues in the programming of manipulative forces during the lifting of test objects utilizing the precision grip. Three different boxes of equal weight and unequal size were lifted. These were equipped with an instrumented grip handle to measure the employed grip force, load force (vertical lifting force), force rates and vertical movement. All fifteen subjects participating in the study reported that the smallest box was the heaviest, which is consistent with size-weight illusion predictions. However, the rate of increase of the isometric grip and load forces initially during the lift, the peaks of the grip and load force and the vertical acceleration were all found to increase with the box size. Thus, despite the conscious perception indicating a heavier weight for the small object, the motor program was scaled for a lighter weight. Yet, no differences were found in grip force during the static phase of the lift, where weight related information was apparently available via sensory feedback. Previous studies have reported that the programming of the precision grip is based on somatosensory information gained during previous lifts (Johansson and Westling 1984, 1988a, b). The present study suggests that visual cues are integrated in the programming of manipulative forces during precision grip.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Prevalence of overweight and childhood obesity in Feira de Santana-BA: family detection vs. clinical diagnosis].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children attending public and private schools in the urban area of Feira de Santana-BA; to evaluate both the perception of excessive weight gain by guardians and the prevalence of treatment of those children. METHOD: Cross-sectional study with 699 children, whose age ranged from 5 to 9 years old, attending public and private schools of Feira de Santana-BA in 2001. Overweight was defined as body mass index (BMI)> or =85th percentile and obesity as BMI > or =95th percentile both for age and gender. The level of perception of children's excessive weight gain by guardians was evaluated by means of individual interviews. RESULTS: Total prevalence rates were 9.3% for overweight and 4.4% for obesity, without statistically significant difference among age and gender. White ethnic group was related only to overweight. Prevalence for overweight and obesity was, respectively, 6.5% and 2.7% for public schools and 13.4% and 7.0% for private ones. Guardians suspected that 11.7% of the children presented excessive weight gain. Only 11.1% of them were submitted to treatment. A percentage of 22.2% of these treatments were performed by specialized professionals. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was high and similar to some studies in Brazil; even though excessive weight gain can be recognized by children's guardians, they are not aware of the necessity of treatment.

Body Mass Index↗
PubMed2003

Weighing the care: patients' perceptions of physician care as a function of gender and weight.

OBJECTIVE: To examine patients' reports of the level of care that they receive from their physicians, and determine the influence of weight and gender in these reports. DESIGN: : In a four-cell design, male and female, overweight and nonoverweight patients reported on the medical care that they received immediately following their appointment. SUBJECTS: A total of 125 patients affiliated to one of four large clinics in the Texas Medical Center of Houston completed this study. MEASUREMENTS: Patients reported the positivity of the care that they received, the time that physicians spent with them, and the extent to which physicians discussed weight-related topics with them. RESULTS: Overweight patients, as a whole, did not report poorer levels of care than did their thinner counterparts. Rather, the weight and gender of the patient significantly interacted across each of the measures to reveal some divergence between male and female patients' weight-based experiences. When significant differences in reported perceptions emerged, overweight men reported deficits in care relative to average weight men (eg, physicians spent less time), whereas overweight women reported enhanced care relative to average weight women (eg, better levels of care, more topics discussed). CONCLUSION: Based on patients' reports, this study reveals that physician care may not be as influenced by patient weight as previously thought. Yet, there is a discernable impact of patients' weight on physician behavior. Overweight men, who may comprise the most at-risk population, indicate that less time is spent with them than that indicated by average weight men. While this may be alarming, overweight women do not report reductions in care. We propose that not only might physicians respond to them differently, but overweight female patients may also be engaging in denial strategies or compensatory behaviors that assure them of quality care.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Profile of overweight and obese people in a Mediterranean region.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of excess weight (obesity and overweight) and the related environmental risk factors in a Mediterranean population. Self-perception of body weight, attitudes toward weight-control behaviors, and the associated factors were also examined. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A cross-sectional nutritional survey was carried out in the Balearic Islands between 1999 and 2000. A random sample (n = 1200) of the adult population (20 to 60 years old) was interviewed. Dietary questionnaires and a global questionnaire incorporating questions related to sociodemographic and lifestyle variables were utilized. Anthropometric measurements were also obtained. RESULTS: Nearly one-half of the population of the Balearic Islands is above the normal weight range (BMI > 25). The predictors of overweight and obesity in the Balearic Islands are to be over 40 years old, to be married, to form part of the lowest educational levels, and to have a sedentary lifestyle. A large percentage of excess-weight individuals tend to underestimate their BMI, are not concerned about their weight status, tend to snack more often, and have never dieted. DISCUSSION: Although the likely causes of the rise in obesity prevalence are difficult to elucidate from this study, we have identified the profile of individuals with excess weight in the Balearic Islands as well as their attitudes toward their body image.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Obesity in inner-city African Americans.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity, a risk factor for chronic diseases, has a high prevalence in African Americans and low-income individuals. However, little is known about perceptions of overweight, attempts to lose weight, and strategies used to lose weight among African Americans in inner cities. DESIGN: A 1990 cross-sectional telephone survey (n = 1445) of north St Louis and central Kansas City, USA. RESULTS: Obesity was common (44%) in this sample of inner-city African Americans. The obese perceived themselves as overweight (70%) and were trying to lose weight (66%). The majority of the obese (68%) were both dieting and exercising to lose weight. Smoking prevalence was not higher among the obese or those trying to lose weight. Many of the obese had received medical advice recently on low-fat diets (51%) and had been advised to lose weight (40%). Factors independently associated with perception, attempts to lose weight and medical advice differed, but included degree of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: These results corroborate US national data that obesity is a public health problem in this population and that obese inner-city African Americans perceive themselves as overweight and are trying to lose weight, especially as degree of obesity increases. It also appears that smoking is not being used as a weight loss strategy and that the obese, as a group, are receiving some medical advice on low-fat diets. This information is critical for designing culturally sensitive weight-control programmes.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Students' perceptions of values emphasized in three medical schools.

The purpose of the study presented here was to assess medical students' perceptions of the weight given to scientific and humanistic values in their learning environment and to determine whether students' perceptions in a given school vary according to their level of medical training and personal characteristics. The study was conducted in 1979 via a mail questionnaire sent to a sample of 713 freshmen, juniors, and graduates from three U.S. medical schools; 82.2 percent responded. The results indicated that the students' perceptions of school values varied little according to the students' personal characteristics, such as sociodemographic and educational background, interests before medical training, and expected specialty choice. However, important differences were observed in students' perceptions of values emphasized to them at different schools. Preclinical and clinical students' perceptions of the importance given to scientific values were similar. As for humanistic values, significantly lower ratings were given by clinical students than preclinical students in two of the schools.

Humanism↗
PubMed2000

Management of obesity: attitudes and practices of Australian dietitians.

OBJECTIVE: To document attitudes and current practices of Australian dietitians in the management of overweight and obesity, and to examine their training needs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional postal survey of a randomly selected sample of members of the Dietitians Association of Australia. SUBJECTS: 400 dietitians (66% of those surveyed). MEASURES: Questionnaire-based measures of dietitian's views of obesity, education and training in weight management, definitions and perceptions of success, professional preparedness, approaches to weight management, strategies recommended for weight management, and problems and frustrations experienced. RESULTS: Dietitians viewed themselves as potential leaders in the field of weight management, and saw this area as an important part of their role. While they considered themselves to be the best-trained professionals in this area, many felt that their training was poor and many were pessimistic about intervention outcomes. Despite this, most dietitians held views that were current, and regularly employed many of the elements of known best practice in management. However, important areas of weakness included: providing opportunities for long-term follow-up; providing a range of management interventions; promoting self-monitoring of diet and exercise; and promoting opportunities for social support. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that training in and advocacy for the management and prevention of overweight and obesity are priority areas for dietitians, and that formal studies to evaluate dietitians' effectiveness in management should be undertaken.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The size-weight illusion in 2-D nonlinear psychophysics.

An extension of unidimensional nonlinear psychophysics is postulated by using forms of cross-coupling between the parameters of the two single-channel recursions, which have already been shown to model some perceptual phenomena. The size-weight illusion is shown to be reproducible in the topology of its relations, and it is suggested that some so-called illusions are in fact the natural consequences of nonlinear cross-coupling. The conditions that produce the illusion involve partially compensating the cross-coupling of sensory dimensions, and a second equilibrium with no cross-coupling, resembling simpler veridical perception, also exists in the behavior of some subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Participants' evaluation of a weight-loss program.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate participants' perceptions of the weight-loss intervention used in a hypertension prevention clinical trial. DESIGN: A total of 308 overweight and moderately obese subjects participated in the weight-management intervention. After the 18-month program, 281 participants completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate their perceptions of the program's effectiveness. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Adult participants (224 men and 84 women) in the weight-loss modality of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention Phase I, surveyed in 1991. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: chi 2 Analyses were used to test for statistical significance of group differences. RESULTS: Intervention components that were most useful are presented. Older participants (older than 50 years) were most likely to attend sessions and women were most likely to identify stress and frustration because of disappointing results. Successful participants were more likely to incorporate exercise into their daily activities, exercise regularly, and use self-monitoring strategies. Few participants found group exercise to be useful. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that interventionists in weight-loss programs need to find flexible and creative ways to maintain contact with participants, continue to develop better methods of self-monitoring, obtain the skills needed to recognize frustration and provide timely support, continue to couple the message of diet and exercise, and emphasize helping participants develop their problem-solving skills. This may require training outside the traditional field of dietetics.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Covariations of unhealthy weight loss behaviors and other high-risk behaviors among adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if unhealthy weight loss methods are associated with other health-compromising behaviors among adolescents and to examine covariation patterns across gender and age groups. STUDY DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The study sample was drawn from a larger population of 123 132 adolescents in the 6th, 9th, and 12th grades in Minnesota who completed a statewide school-based survey. The index group included all adolescents who used unhealthy weight loss methods (n=4514), and the comparison group comprised a random sample of 4514 adolescents who did not use these methods and who were matched for gender, ethnicity, and grade. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Unhealthy weight loss methods included vomiting and use of laxatives, diuretics, and diet pills. Other health-compromising behaviors that were assessed included suicide attempts; delinquency; tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use; unprotected sexual intercourse; and multiple sexual partners. RESULTS: Adolescents who used unhealthy weight loss methods were more likely to engage in other health-compromising behaviors. Odds ratios ranged from 1.9 to 14.8, and odds ratios were all highly significant among boys and girls in early, middle, and late adolescence. Among the girls, a monotonic decrease in the strength of all associations was found with increased age. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents who engage in unhealthy weight loss methods are more likely to engage in a range of other health-compromising behaviors. Different perceptions of unhealthy weight loss behaviors (eg, normative vs problematic) may in part explain the differences in the strengths of associations between different grade and gender groups. Our results suggest that screening and counseling of adolescents who engage in unhealthy weight loss methods should be comprehensive and intervention programs aimed at the secondary prevention of disordered eating need to address other problematic behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Body-esteem in Swedish 10-year-old children.

This study examined body-esteem in 10-yr.-old children. The study group comprised 960 schoolchildren, 515 girls and 445 boys (M age= 10.4, SD=0.5). Analysis showed that girls who were overweight had more negative body-esteem on all dimensions (weight, appearance, and attribution). The overweight boys had more negative perceptions on only two dimensions (weight and appearance). Twice as many girls perceived themselves as too fat (20%) as too skinny (10%). Of the girls who perceived themselves as fat, only 31% were overweight; similarly only 33% of the boys who perceived themselves as fat were overweight. The children's perception of their weight seemed as important as their actual weight and was associated with their body-esteem in the same way. Although few children had dieted (7% of the girls and 5% of the boys), the ones who had dieted had more negative body-esteem than children who had not dieted.

Body Image↗
PubMed1996

Discriminability and perceptual weighting of some acoustic cues to speech perception by 3-year-olds.

Studies of children's speech perception have shown that young children process speech signals differently than adults. Specifically, the relative contributions made by various acoustic parameters to some linguistic decisions seem to differ for children and adults. Such findings have led to the hypothesis that there is a developmental shift in the perceptual weighting of acoustic parameters that results from experience with a native language (i.e., the Developmental Weighting Shift). This developmental shift eventually leads the child to adopt the optimal perceptual weighting strategy for the native language being learned (i.e., one that allows the listener to make accurate decisions about the phonemic structure or his or her native language). Although this proposal has intuitive appeal, there is at least one serious challenge that can be leveled against it: Perhaps age-related differences in speech perception can appropriately be explained by age-related differences in basic auditory-processing abilities. That is, perhaps children are not as sensitive as adults to subtle differences in acoustic structure and so make linguistic decisions based on the acoustic information that is most perceptually salient. The present study tested this hypothesis for the acoustic cues relevant to fricative identity in fricative-vowel syllables. Results indicated that 3-year-olds were not as sensitive to changes in these acoustic cues as adults are, but that these age-related differences in auditory sensitivity could not entirely account for age-related differences in perceptual weighting strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Some milestones in premature infants at 6 to 24 months.

The onset of 12 milestones that occur from 6 to 24 months of age was studied in premature and full-term infants. The milestones are: sitting, crawling, teething, walking, pursuit of a hidden sound-making object, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, "no" gesture, words, phrases, speech "no," and speech "yes." It was hypothesized that premature infants would show delay in acquiring milestones related to time separated from mother. Compared to full-terms, the prematures had no significant difference in the means for the onset of the milestones except for: sitting, crawling and walking related to maternal separation; and crawling and teething, related to birth weight.

Anxiety↗