Effect of a weight-loss program on mental stress-induced cardiovascular responses and recovery

Objective: We assessed the effect of weight loss on blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate during rest, psychological stress, and recovery after stress.Methods: Two groups of men completed two mental stress tests 12 wk apart. The control group continued their usual diet, whereas the weight-loss group underwent a dietary weight-loss program in which they were randomized to a high-fruit/vegetable and low-fat dairy diet or a low-fat diet.Results: Fifty-five men with a baseline BP of 125.9 &plusmn; 6.9/83.6 &plusmn; 7.1 mmHg (mean &plusmn; SD) completed the study (weight-loss group, n = 28; control group, n = 27). The weight-loss group lost weight (mean &plusmn; SEM, &minus;4.3 &plusmn; 0.3 versus +0.4 &plusmn; 0.4 kg, P = 0.001) compared with controls and had a significant decrease in resting systolic BP (SBP; &minus;2.0 &plusmn; 1.1% versus +2.0 &plusmn; 1.1%, P &lt; 0.05). There was a greater decrease in SBP (P &lt; 0.05) and pulse rate (P &lt; 0.05) at all time points during the stress test in the weight loss compared with the control group. At week 12, SBP in 23 (82%) subjects in the weight-loss group and 24 (89%) in the control group returned to resting levels, with recovering levels in the weight-loss group returning to resting levels 6.1 &plusmn; 2.6 min earlier than in the control group (P &lt; 0.05). There was an overall greater decrease in diastolic BP (DBP; P &lt; 0.05) and DBP during recovery up to 27 min after stress (P &lt; 0.05) in the high-fruit/vegetable and low-fat dairy diet group (n = 14) compared with the low-fat diet group (n = 14).Conclusion: A 5% loss of weight decreased BP during rest and returned SBP to resting levels faster, thus decreasing the period of increased BP as a result of mental stress, which is likely to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term.<br /

Relationship between stress, eating behavior and obesity

Stress is thought to influence human eating behavior and has been examined in animal and human studies. Our understanding of the stress-eating relation is confounded by limitations inherent in the study designs; however, we can make some tentative conclusions that support the notion that stress can influence eating patterns in humans. Stress appears to alter overall food intake in two ways, resulting in under- or overeating, which may be influenced by stressor severity. Chronic life stress seems to be associated with a greater preference for energy- and nutrient-dense foods, namely those that are high in sugar and fat. Evidence from longitudinal studies suggests that chronic life stress may be causally linked to weight gain, with a greater effect seen in men. Stress-induced eating may be one factor contributing to the development of obesity. Future studies that measure biological markers of stress will assist our understanding of the physiologic mechanism underlying the stress-eating relation and how stress might be linked to neurotransmitters and hormones that control appetite.<br /

Depression And Perceived Stress as Mediators Between Racial Microaggressions and Somatic Symptoms in College Students of Color

The current study examined the ability of mental health indicators, namely depression and perceived stress, to mediate the relationship between racial microaggressions and health among a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 467 college students of color. Consistent with what was hypothesized, the main findings revealed that depression and perceived stress mediated the relationships between types of racial microaggressions, specifically low-achieving, invisibility, and criminality, and somatic symptoms. The study results suggest that there may be multiple pathways by which specific racial microaggressions might be associated with psychological and somatic health indicators

Counting Is Not Enough: Investing in Qualitative Case Reviews for Practice Improvement in Child Welfare

Outlines the value of quality case service reviews in child welfare systems, requirements for building and sustaining a robust process and adapting it under limited state budgets, and recommendations for jurisdictions, initiators, and national leadership

Reducing psychological distress and obesity in Australian farmers by promoting physical activity

Background: Studies have confirmed that the rate of mental illness is no higher in rural Australians than that of urban Australians. However, the rate of poor mental health outcomes, and in particular suicide, is significantly raised in rural populations. This is thought to be due to lack of early diagnosis, health service access, the distance-decay effect, poor physical health determinants and access to firearms. Research conducted by the National Centre for Farmer Health between 2004 and 2009 reveals that there is a correlation between obesity and psychological distress among the farming community where suicide rates are recognised as high. Chronic stress overstimulates the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that is associated with abdominal obesity. Increasing physical activity may block negative thoughts, increase social contact, positively influence brain chemistry and improve both physical and mental health. This paper describes the design of the Farming Fit study that aims to identify the effect of physical activity on psychological distress, obesity and health behaviours such as diet patterns and smoking in farm men and women.Methods/Design: For this quasi-experimental (convenience sample) control-intervention study, overweight (Body Mass Index &ge;25 kg/m2) farm men and women will be recruited from Sustainable Farm Families&trade; (SFF) programs held across Victoria, Australia. Baseline demographic data, health data, depression anxiety stress scale (DASS) scores, dietary information, physical activity data, anthropometric data, blood pressure and biochemical analysis of plasma and salivary cortisol levels will be collected. The intervention group will receive an exercise program and regular phone coaching in order to increase their physical activity. Analysis will evaluate the impact of the intervention by longitudinal data (baseline and post intervention) comparison of intervention and control groups.Discussion: This study is designed to examine the effect of physical activity on psychological health and other comorbidities such as obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension and dyslipidaemia within a high-risk cohort. The outcomes of this research will be relevant to further research and service delivery programs, in particular those tailored to rural communities.<br /

Working With Faith-Based Communities to Develop an Education Tool kit on Relationships, Sexuality, and Contraception

Communities disproportionately affected from higher rates of unplanned teen births are in need of sustainable approaches to prevention strategies. One approach is to build the capacity of faith-based communities (FBCs) to address the sexual health needs of the surrounding community. However there is a need for comprehensive, user-friendly resources designed for FBCs that provide critical decision-making information related to pregnancy prevention inclusive of contraception. Using community-based, theoretical and practice-informed strategies, we developed a user-friendly sexuality education tool kit in five phases: (1) building relationships with faith leaders; (2) piloting educational sessions within churches; (3) gaining insight from participating faith leaders; (4) creating the tool kit; and (5) collecting feedback from training and implementation. Our findings suggest faith leaders remained motivated to overcome perceived barriers by their mission to serve their communities. A sexuality education tool kit that is respectful and guided by the input of FBCs can be a viable and innovative approach to address teen pregnancy

Direct patient contacts of dietetic students during their final clinical placement

Direct student-patient contacts, during the professional clinical placement of a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics course, were collected and analysed for the first time using a computerised method. In the final eight-week hospital placement, 26 dietetic students submitted data on direct patient contacts which included: dietetic activities (e.g. assessing, counselling and reviewing); the primary nutritional condition of the patient (e.g. type 2 diabetes and liver disease); and the time spent in contact with patients. The most common dietetic activities were reviews, followed by collection of dietary information and counselling. The most common nutritional condition encountered by students was an inadequate nutrient intake, followed by patients receiving enteral nutrition. Contact time with patients increased over the placement, with proportionately more time spent by students seeing patients independently than when being observed by supervising dietitians. The data collected provided valuable informa tion on the amount of time spent by students in direct patient contacts, the range of dietetic activities undertaken and the amount of time student activities were directly observed. This information will be useful in the development of benchmarks for clinical skill development, hospital and university staff planning and the assessment of the impact of any changes to the format of student placement experience in the clinical setting.<br /

Mediators of the relationship between sedentary behavior and depressive symptoms amongst disadvantaged women

Statement of problemAssociations between sedentary behavior (e.g. time spent sitting watching TV/using the computer) and physical health have been well documented, however, studies are increasingly reporting a positive relationship between certain sedentary behaviors and poor mental health (e.g. depression). Little is known about the underlying factors that may explain the link between sedentary behavior and likelihood of depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of selected intra-personal and social factors as potential mediators of the relationship between sedentary behavior and depressive symptoms among women from disadvantaged neighborhoods.MethodCross-sectional survey data were provided by 4065 women (aged 18&ndash;45) living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Women self-reported their sedentary behavior (total sitting time and screen time), depressive symptoms (CES-D 10), as well as a number of intra-personal (leisure-time physical activity, diet quality, weight status) and social (social cohesion, interpersonal trust, club membership) factors.ResultsMediating analyses, controlling for confounders, showed that women\u27s leisure-time physical activity partly mediated the relationship between total sitting time and increased likelihood of depressive symptoms. Women\u27s diet quality, and social cohesion partly mediated the relationship between screen time and increased likelihood of depressive symptoms.ConclusionsAcknowledging the cross-sectional study design, findings suggest that there may be several factors that explain the increased likelihood of depressive symptoms associated with greater sedentary time. Although future studies should test the mediating relationships longitudinally, these findings may help inform interventions aimed at reducing the likelihood of depression in disadvantaged women with high sitting time