Predicting urinary creatinine excretion and its usefulness to identify incomplete 24 h urine collections

Abstract Studies using 24 h urine collections need to incorporate ways to validate the completeness of the urine samples. Models to predict urinary creatinine excretion (UCE) have been developed for this purpose; however, information on their usefulness to identify incomplete urine collections is limited. We aimed to develop a model for predicting UCE and to assess the performance of a creatinine index using paraaminobenzoic acid (PABA) as a reference. Data were taken from the European Food Consumption Validation study comprising two nonconsecutive 24 h urine collections from 600 subjects in five European countries. Data from one collection were used to build a multiple linear regression model to predict UCE, and data from the other collection were used for performance testing of a creatinine indexbased strategy to identify incomplete collections. Multiple linear regression (n 458) of UCE showed a significant positive association for body weight (b ¼ 0·07), the interaction term sex £ weight (b ¼ 0·09, reference women) and protein intake (b ¼ 0·02). A significant negative association was found for age (b ¼ 20·09) and sex (b ¼ 23·14, reference women). An index of observed-to-predicted creatinine resulted in a sensitivity to identify incomplete collections of 0·06 (95 % CI 0·01, 0·20) and 0·11 (95 % CI 0·03, 0·22) in men and women, respectively. Specificity was 0·97 (95 % CI 0·97, 0·98) in men and 0·98 (95 % CI 0·98, 0·99) in women. The present study shows that UCE can be predicted from weight, age and sex. However, the results revealed that a creatinine index based on these predictions is not sufficiently sensitive to exclude incomplete 24 h urine collections

Patterns in sedentary and exercise behaviors and associations with overweight in 9–14-year-old boys and girls - a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Before starting interventions addressing energy-balance related behaviors, knowledge is needed about the prevalence of sedentary behaviors and low physical exercise, their interrelationships, possible gender differences. Therefore this study aimed to describe gender differences in sedentary and physical exercise behaviors and their association with overweight status in children from nine European countries. Additionally, to identify clusters of children sharing the same pattern regarding sedentary and physical exercise behavior and compare these groups regarding overweight status. METHODS: Cross-sectional study among 11-year-old children in nine countries (n = 12538). Self-administered questionnaires assessed the time spent on TV viewing during dinner and during the day, PC use and on physical exercise. The parents reported children's weight and height. Descriptive statistics, cluster analyses, and logistic regression analyses were used for data analyses. RESULTS: Boys spent more time on sedentary behaviors but also more on physical exercise than girls. High TV viewing and low exercise behavior independently increased the risk of being overweight. Based on the behaviors, five clusters were identified. Among boys, clear associations with being overweight were found, with the most unhealthy behavior pattern having the highest risks of being overweight. Among girls, high TV viewers and high PC users had increased risk of being overweight. In girls sedentary behaviors seemed more important than physical exercise with regard to overweight status. CONCLUSION: Despite selective non-response on BMI and reliance on self-reports, the associations between clusters and overweight in boys were clear, and differences between boys and girls regarding the behaviors and risks for overweight are noteworthy. These differences need to be considered when developing tailored intervention strategies for prevention of overweight

Self-efficacy en netwerkgedrag onder werkzoekenden: De rol van werkloosheidsstigma en het zoeken van hulpbronnen en uitdagingen

Deze studie onderzoekt de relatie tussen self-efficacy en de intensiteit van netwerkgedrag onder werkzoekenden. Specifiek wordt daarbij gekeken naar de rol van expansion-oriented reemployment crafting (EORC: het zoeken van hulpbronnen en uitdagingen) en van werkloosheidsstigma. Het onderzoeksdesign was cross-sectioneel: 170 werkzoekenden vulden eenmalig een online vragenlijst in. Resultaten laten zien dat self-efficacy positief gerelateerd is aan de intensiteit van netwerkgedrag via EORC. Daarnaast bleek, tegengesteld aan de verwachting, de positieve relatie tussen self-efficacy en EORC sterker te zijn onder werkzoekenden met een hoger (i.p.v. lager) niveau van werkloosheidsstigma. Dit onderzoek zet een eerste belangrijke stap in het onderzoeken van het belang van EORC in de relatie tussen self-efficacy en werkzoekgedrag (d.w.z. intensiteit van netwerkgedrag). Daarnaast is het een van de eerste onderzoeken die de relatie tussen werkloosheidsstigmatisering en werkzoekgedrag van werkzoekenden in kaart brengt

Day-level job crafting and service-oriented task performance: The mediating role of meaningful work and work engagement

Purpose This study examines whether job crafting is related to service-oriented task performance (i.e. performance aimed at providing high-quality services) through meaningful work and work engagement. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 156 employees of a Dutch unemployment agency (4 days, 531 observations). Multilevel SEM was used to analyze the data. Findings Results showed that job crafting was related to service-oriented task performance via meaningful work and work engagement. Specifically, seeking resources and seeking challenges were positively related to service-oriented task performance via meaningful work and work engagement, whereas reducing demands was negatively related to service-oriented task performance via meaningful work and work engagement. Originality/value The study concludes that seeking resources and seeking challenges are beneficial for service-oriented task performance

Reemployment crafting: proactively shaping one's job search

This article introduces the concept of reemployment crafting: the proactive, self-initiated behaviors undertaken by the unemployed to shape the environmental conditions of their job search in a way that enhances the person-environment (P-E) fit during the job search process. Using 2 longitudinal studies (Study 1: 3-wave study over a 3-month period, N = 153; Study 2: 4-day diary study, N = 189, days = 627), we investigated whether the manner in which the unemployed craft their job search is similar to the way employees craft their job. We examined whether reemployment crafting was positively related to job search performance (i.e., environmental exploration and networking behavior) and reemployment chances. Moreover, we examined whether contingency factors (i.e., social support and subjective goal attainment) affected the effectiveness of reemployment crafting. Results from both samples confirmed that the way the unemployed craft their job searches is similar to the way that employees craft their jobs. Reemployment crafting was positively related to job search performance, both within a 3-month period and within days. Moreover, reemployment crafting was especially beneficial for environmental exploration on days when social support and goal attainment were low. Last, environmental exploration was related to networking behavior, which in turn was predictive of reemployment chances. Specifically, in the diary study networking quality was related to reemployment status, while within the 3-month period, networking intensity seemed more effective. We conclude that reemployment crafting seems a promising way to enhance job search performance and ultimately the chances of finding reemploymen

Providing services during times of change: can employees maintain their levels of empowerment, work engagement and service quality through a job crafting intervention?

By means of a quasi-experimental study, the effects of a tailor-made job crafting intervention for employees of a Dutch unemployment agency were evaluated. The intervention was designed to prevent a decrease in employee empowerment, work engagement and employee performance (i.e., the provision of services) due to organizational changes. Seventy-four employees received a 1-day training in which they set four job crafting goals for the subsequent weeks. After 6 weeks a reflection session was organized. Repeated measures ANOVA’s showed that the intervention prevented a decrease in employees’ feelings of empowerment. Furthermore, pre-post comparison tests showed that the control group (N = 89) experienced a significant decrease in work engagement, whereas the intervention group did not. Results showed no effect on customer-rated employee service quality. However, 1 year after the intervention, customer ratings of employee service quality were significantly higher for the intervention group compared to the control group. Although further research is needed, our results demonstrate that a job crafting intervention may be a promising tool to combat a decline in employee empowerment and work engagement during times of organizational change

A job search demands-resources intervention among the unemployed: effects on well-being, job search behavior and reemployment chances

In this article, we evaluate the effects of a 3-day training intervention among unemployed individuals that focused on enhancing levels of reemployment crafting and psychological capital in order to increase well-being, job search behavior, and reemployment chances. A total of 146 unemployed individuals participated in a 3-day training intervention. The control group consisted of 275 unemployed individuals. General linear modeling results showed that the intervention indeed did enhance participants’ levels of reemployment crafting (seeking resources and seeking challenges) and psychological capital. Moreover, the intervention had a significant and positive effect on job search behavior and goal setting, whereas a significant but protective effect was found for well-being. However, we found no significant effect of the intervention on reemployment status within 6 months after the intervention. Therefore, we conclude that the intervention seems to be a promising tool to enhance job search behavior and preserve well-being among the unemployed

Exploring meaning in life through a brief photo-ethnographic intervention using Instagram: a Bayesian growth modelling approach

The 4th Industrial Revolution has provided several digital platforms through which to disseminate scalable and cost-effective interventions (e.g. Apps and Social media). Instagram, a popular visual-ethnographic social media platform, could be employed to implement and scale interventions aimed at aiding individuals in discovering meaning in life and gratitude through capturing and reflecting upon photographs of meaningful moments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a brief photo-ethnographic meaningful-moments intervention aimed at enhancing wellbeing (life satisfaction) and managing common mental health problems (stress/depression/anxiety) through Instagram. A 4 × 1 treatment-only intervention design was used to assess the immediate and long-term changes in meaning, gratitude, life satisfaction, and depression/stress/anxiety. Within-person development on the subscales was evaluated with Bayesian level and shape models. The results showed significant improvements in all factors directly after the intervention. Over the long term, significant changes with baseline measures for the presence of meaning, appreciation for others, and life satisfaction was found. Participants also reported a significant but small change in depression over the long term. Instagram could therefore be an interesting tool to consider when the aim is to enhance wellbeing and manage common mental health problems in the short-, medium- and long-term