34 research outputs found
Long-term effects of the Mediterranean lifestyle program: a randomized clinical trial for postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes
BACKGROUND: Multiple-risk-factor interventions offer a promising means for addressing the complex interactions between lifestyle behaviors, psychosocial factors, and the social environment. This report examines the long-term effects of a multiple-risk-factor intervention. METHODS: Postmenopausal women (N = 279) with type 2 diabetes participated in the Mediterranean Lifestyle Program (MLP), a randomized, comprehensive lifestyle intervention study. The intervention targeted healthful eating, physical activity, stress management, smoking cessation, and social support. Outcomes included lifestyle behaviors (i.e., dietary intake, physical activity, stress management, smoking cessation), psychosocial variables (e.g., social support, problem solving, self-efficacy, depression, quality of life), and cost analyses at baseline, and 6, 12, and 24 months. RESULTS: MLP participants showed significant 12- and 24-month improvements in all targeted lifestyle behaviors with one exception (there were too few smokers to analyze tobacco use effects), and in psychosocial measures of use of supportive resources, problem solving, self-efficacy, and quality of life. CONCLUSION: The MLP was more effective than usual care over 24 months in producing improvements on behavioral and psychosocial outcomes. Directions for future research include replication with other populations
Cardiovascular reactivity in a simulated job interview: the role of gender role self-concept
This study investigated the relation of gender role self-concept (G-SC) to cardiovascular
and emotional reactions to an ecologically relevant stressor in a sample of
graduating male and female university students. Thirty-seven men and 37 women
completed the Personal Attribute Questionnaire and worked on four tasks designed to
reflect common features of a job interview. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured
at baseline, during, and after each task; subjective stress was measured at baseline
and after each task. Subjective and objective stress scores were averaged across
tasks and analyzed by sex and G-SC (i.e., instrumentality, expressiveness). Results indicated
that women as a group demonstrated greater emotional reactivity, but did not
differ in their physiological reactions when compared to men. Regardless of sex, participants’
instrumentality scores contributed significantly to the variation in subjective
stress response: those scoring high on instrumentality reported less stress, but evidenced
greater blood pressure reactivity than those scoring low on instrumentality.
These results suggest that gender roles, particularly an instrumental self-concept,
may play an important role in both subjective and objective reactions to an ecologically
relevant stressor
The type A coronary-prone behavior pattern and the report of physical symptoms elicited by unpredictable events
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