This study explores the effectiveness of “In-Sight”, a holistic recovery-based group training for people with bipolar disorder. Drawn from professional therapies and lived experience of the user-researcher who is diagnosed with having the illness, the training was delivered over 12 weekly sessions. Within a case study approach, an experimental design incorporated pilot (eight participants), main study (five) and control groups (six). Participants with a wide range of DSM-IV bipolar disorders were sought. Three non-bipolar participants experiencing severe mood swings were maintained in the pilot. One bipolar pilot participant later trained as the main study group co-facilitator in delivering the training. Self-report scales measured mood, coping, empowerment and quality of life pre-, post- and six months post-training. Semi-structured interviews noted individual change within the same time frame. Mental health professional interviews, medical note analysis and user-researcher observations also informed the study. Findings from self-report questionnaires indicated promising evidence that participants experienced improved mood stability, symptom severity, coping and quality of life and greater empowerment. A model has emerged to illustrate the various course components that appeared to benefit participants (user-led approach, self-help iii group format, illness management techniques, interpersonal skills development, healthy lifestyle, structure and planning, and intellectual change of perspective). The model illustrates how these components appeared to impact upon coping strategies, in turn leading to greater mood stability, maintaining wellness and personal development resulting in greater empowerment, improved outlook on self and the future and improved quality of life over time. The three non-bipolar pilot participants also appeared to benefit from the training compared to controls albeit to a lesser degree than the bipolar participants. The co-facilitator showed evidence of the greatest improvement. Four controls indicated evidence of continued use of poor coping and risk of further deterioration in illness, of whom two experienced major episodes with psychosis. Two controls indicated slight improvements. The “In-Sight” training is proposed as a step towards a more comprehensive approach for recovery from bipolar disorder informing the development of a new Expert Patients Programme in the UK.

Aim: The aim of the study is to explore the relationships between an adolescent’s weight and parenting style, emotional eating, and emotional regulation and lifestyle behaviours to further develop the understanding of the factors that contribute to the current epidemic of childhood obesity. Design: A cross sectional survey design was used. Method: 112 adolescents, aged between 16 and 18 from three secondary schools in Scotland completed a self-report questionnaire on their mother and father’s parenting style, their own emotional regulation strategies, emotional eating and lifestyle behaviours. Their height and weight was measured by the researcher and used to calculate the adolescents’ BMI. Results: Overall, this study did not find that adolescent’s healthy food habits, exercise and emotional eating predicted BMI. There were no significant relationships found between BMI and parenting style, emotional eating and emotional regulation. Conclusion: These findings suggest that parenting style, emotional eating, emotional regulation and lifestyle behaviours are not related to adolescent weight.

Bakgrund Hjärtinfarkt är en vanligt förekommande sjukdom där livsstil påverkar risken att drabbas. Med livsstilsförändring inom områdena tobaksbruk, kostvanor, motion och alkoholkonsumtion kan en stor del av insjuknande i hjärtinfarkt förebyggas. Patientens attityd kan vara avgörande i arbetet med livsstilsförändringen. Syfte Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva vilka faktorer som påverkar patienters attityder till eventuell livsstilsförändring efter hjärtinfarkt. Metod Studien är gjord som en litteraturöversikt baserad på 14 vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ, kvantitativ och blandad ansats. Resultat Det framkom tio kategorier som enskilt eller tillsammans påverkade patientens attityd till livsstilsförändring. Faktorerna var rädsla, medvetenhet, stöd, självdisciplin, egna prioriteringar, fysiska hinder, tidsperspektiv, erfarenheter hämtade från omgivningen, vilja att återgå till tidigare fysisk kapacitet och livsåskådning. Slutsats Deltagarnas attityder påverkades tydligt av de framkomna faktorerna. En deltagare som fick stöd, hade medvetenhet om sitt tillstånd, viljan att återgå till tidigare fysisk kapacitet och hade god självdisciplin hade ökad motivation till att genomföra en livsstilsförändring efter hjärtinfarkten. I motsats till detta fanns fysiska hinder och tidsperspektiv som påverkade attityden negativt till att genomföra livsstilsförändring. Rädsla, egna prioriteringar och livsåskådning kunde påverka attityden till livsstilsförändring i både positiv och negativ riktning. / Background Myocardial infarction is a common disorder in which lifestyle affects risk. With lifestyle changes within physical activity, diets, tobacco use and alcohol consumption a great amount of myocardial infarction can be prevented. Patients´ attitudes can be crucial in the process of lifestyle change. Aim The aim of the study was to describe the factors that influence patients´ attitudes to potential lifestyle change after myocardial infarction. Method The study is designed as a literature review based on 14 scientific articles with qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Results Ten factors emerged that separately or together affected patients´ attitudes to lifestyle change. The factors were fear, awareness, support, self-discipline, own priorities, physical obstacles, perspective of time, experience collected from the entourage, desire to return to past physical capacity and conception of life. Conclusion The participants’ attitudes were clearly affected by the emerged factors. A participant who had support, awareness, desire to return to past physical capacity and had self-discipline had increased motivation to implement lifestyle change after myocardial infarction. In contrast physical obstacles and perspective of time affected the attitude negatively to implement lifestyle change. Fear, own priorities and conception of life could affect attitudes to lifestyle change in both positive and negative direction.

The promotion of an active lifestyle has become a priority in Western societies and school plays a dominant role. The primary objectives of this thesis were i) to examine the lifestyle and physical activity (PA) patterns of a sample of Greek children and ii) to examine the applicability of a school based intervention programme in promoting PA and sport participation. For the purposes of this study the Physical Activity and Lifestyle Questionnaire (PALQ) was developed and examined for its validity and reliability to assess habitual PA of Greek students. Afterwards, a need analysis was carried out in a) a cross sectional sample of 911 students from an urban area (11, 14 and 17 years olds, b) 103 elementary and secondary PE teachers, and c) 17 schools. The students answered the PALQ in order to depict a profile of their lifestyle and PA patterns. The teachers answered a questionnaire in order to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy towards teaching health related exercise (HRE). A checklist has been used in order to establish the nature and extent of PA promotion in a sample of elementary and secondary schools. The results showed that: a) a large proportion of students adopted a sedentary lifestyle and were inadequately active to obtain health benefits, b) teachers' had limited ability in promoting effectively HR issues, and c) schools provided limited sport programmes and facilities. The overall finding of the need analysis justified the need for intervention and advocated the adoption of an ecological approach to promote PA Based on the Active School initiative (Almond & McGeorge, 1995), a school based intervention programme has been set up in order to a) promote students' participation in physical activity and sport and to enhance their knowledge on health related (HR) issues, b) increase teachers' knowledge and effectiveness on teaching HR exercise. The decisions about the intervention contents and priorities were based on the findings of the need analysis taking into consideration the cost and the resources. The intervention strategy and the implementation process focused on: a) the teachers' training, b) the creation and the provision of the necessary resources (PE curriculum, a handbook and a CD-Rom for the teachers and two books for the students), c) the creation of a positive and enjoyable learning PE environment, and d) the co-operation between school and out of school health and sport alliances. The intervention programme was applied in 9 elementary and 5 secondary schools for a period of six months and involved 15 PE teachers. A quasi-experimental design with a control group was applied (experimental group N1=699 and control group N2=213). A number of different parameters were estimated at the beginning, during and at the end of the program. The intervention process was monitored on a weekly basis by the author and the school teachers. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated in terms of: a) students' behaviour, fitness, self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, intentions, and attitudes related to PA, b) teachers' knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy on teaching HR issues, and c) the broader impact of the programme on the school ethos. The intervention implementation and effectiveness was also assessed by an external evaluator. The overall purpose of the intervention was to examine the applicability of promoting PA throughout school environment by creating an innovative and realistic framework for school physical education lesson. The findings of this thesis were very encouraging. Significant differences have been observed in most of the evaluated variables both, for students (fitness, attitudes, self-efficacy, PA level), for teachers (knowledge) and schools' ethos. However, this pioneer study revealed a number of key considerations and issues in designing intervention programmes to promote PA throughout schools in urban areas.

The title of this study, Non-Civilian/Civilian, illustrates the paradoxical positioning of children of military personnel: Though dependants are not in the military, they are not entirely separate from it either. Many studies have addressed the lives of military families as a whole but few studies have focused on a Canadian context, and fewer have addressed the perspectives of adolescents from military families. Data collected through individual interviews recorded and assembled using a digital storytelling method afforded in-depth exploration of three participants’ recollections of growing up in military families. Focusing on the research question “What are the experiences of youth with parents in the Canadian Armed Forces, and how do they approach this unique lifestyle?” the research participants provided rich accounts of their lives as dependants in a Canadian Armed Forces family. Video interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify thematic patterns, commonalities, tensions, and gaps within and across the participants’ stories. Key findings that were consistent with existing research included repeated and ongoing parent separation adding stress to all aspects of family life; children’s fears about absent or deployed parent(s); high levels of mobility causing disruptions in education and relationships; and multiple losses and reconstruction of community after each relocation. Of particular note were themes of youth mental health and well-being and strained relationships with fathers as the participants became adolescents. These themes spoke to the centrality of the role played by the remaining parent and their ability to support normalcy, routine, and confidence within the family unit. Participants noted the imperative for the serving parent(s) or stepparent, specifically if the serving member is the father/stepfather, to attend to each individual relationship within the family unit in order to nurture familial closeness and a strong child-parent bond. Participants also highlighted the importance of identifying signs of negative coping behaviours, and a need to follow through with professional consultation when necessary. This study contributes to current research by offering a Canadian youth perspective on everyday life for members of the Armed Forces and their families, and provides insight as to how the military lifestyle affects children/youth within a family unit. Study findings provide targeted areas for further research and will be relevant for both military and civilian educators, mental health care workers, and other professionals who work with youth of military families. / Graduate

This descriptive, correlational study was based on Pender's Health Promotion Model (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2002). The purpose was to examine factors influencing health status in community-dwelling, older white and black adults. The following research question was addressed by the study: What are the relationships among the individual characteristics (age, gender, race, education, and income); the behavior-specific cognitions and affect (perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and interpersonal influences); and the behavioral outcomes (health-promoting behaviors), and health status in community-dwelling whites and blacks 65 years of age and older? The convenience sample of 113 participants from four congregate meal sites in Central Virginia represented 46% of the young-old (aged 65 to 74 years); 83% females, 76% blacks, and 43% less than high school educated. Twenty-one percent had an annual household income of $4,999 or less, and 31% reported having an income between $10,000 and $14,999. The demographic questionnaire, the Perceived Health Competence Scale, the Barriers Scale, the Health promoting Lifestyle Profile-11, the Lubben Social Network Scale, and the Short Form-120®, Version 2 Health Survey were used to collect data.These participants reported high perceived self-efficacy (Mean = 37.35, SD = 6.76), which was positively related to a health-promoting lifestyle (r = 0.20, p2 = 0.15, F = 8.03, p = 0.01). Perceived self-efficacy and perceived barriers were the predictors of mental health (R2 = 0.29, F = 18.74, p = 0.01).

Type 1 diabetes and associated hypoglycemia can result in verbal memory difficulties, yet the role of memory in daily diabetes self-care has not been evaluated for young adults. Subtests from two well-standardized memory measures were administered to 34 young adults with type 1 diabetes, aged 18-29, in this pilot study. Self-care behaviors were assessed through 24-hour diabetes care interviews, while HbAlc indicated metabolic control. Verbal associative memory uniquely accounted for 12% of the variance in blood glucose testing frequency (p p p p = .06. Single-trial verbal memory uniquely predicted 10% of the variance in metabolic control (p p < .05. Importantly, memory was the only significant predictor in each model, which indicates memory, rather than overall cognitive capacity or financial/educational resources, relates to self-care behaviors/health status. Memory, a novel factor not previously evaluated in the quest to better understand daily disease management for young adults with diabetes, is significantly related to central self-care behaviors and metabolic control. Memory predictors likely warrant additional research and clinical attention such that eventually, intervention studies might identify strategies or compensatory aids that could improve young adults' self-care behaviors and health status through facilitating better memory functioning.

Within the diploma thesis the following features have been implemented - summarized data about health and healthy lifestyle specialized age bracked collage students. There are also listed correct catering habits, healthy nutrition, drinkable mode, sleep and moving activity. Further there are summarized determinants the most damage health, like a smoke, excessive alcohol consumption, drug abusing, excessive mental load and risk sexual behavior. In the practical part of the thesis there is investigation of questionnaire located healthy lifestyle level of collage students on different universities in Prague. For evaluation my investigation of questionnaire I evolved my own method with own graduated scale for healthy lifestyle. The reason to develop my own method was that I did not find any sufficient scale or method in any publication focused on lifestyle that would globally cover all topics of my questionnaire. Results are illustrated in graphs and confronted among each other at first in particular areas healthy lifestyle and then globally evaluated according to norm of healthy lifestyle. Attachments of this thesis is questionary exploited during investigation of questionnaire on four universities in Prague.

Class of 2006 Abstract / Objectives: To determine if Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) patients treated with lifestyle changes and metformin resulted in ovulation after six months of treatment. Methods: A retrospective chart review of initial patient visits at an infertility clinic were obtained. Patients that were given a diagnosis of PCOS were further reviewed for age at initial diagnosis, weight, height, ovarian cysts, lifestyle recommendations (diet, exercise, and vitamin use), metformin recommendations and usage, and if ovulation occurred after six months of treatment. Results: A total of 1011 charts were reviewed. At the initial office visit, 206 (20.38%) of these patients were classified as having PCOS. Of PCOS patients, 113 (54.85%) patients ovulated after six months of treatment. In the average initial weight, ovulators averaged slightly less weight than did non-ovulators (171.77 pounds ± 44.26 vs. 188.65 pounds ± 51.37, p=0.0121). This also follows true for the initial BMI of ovulators vs. non-ovulators (29.53 kg/m2 ± 10.14 vs. 32.69 kg/m2 ± 13.03, p=0.0521). There was a significant difference in metformin use between ovulators and non-ovulators (90.27% vs. 73.12%, p=0.0024). More ovulators were found to continue metformin treatment as compared to non-ovulators. Conclusions: In this specific infertility clinic setting, 20.3% of patients were diagnosed with PCOS at the initial office visit. Of these PCOS patients, treatment with lifestyle changes and metformin use resulted in 55% of patients achieving ovulation at six months. This study shows that weight loss, through lifestyle modification and metformin treatment, increases this population’s chances of ovulation within six months of therapy.

Title: Skateboarding - sport or lifestyle Objectives: The aim of the thesis is to examine connections, relationships and results, why are skateboarders prefering this activity and to describe them objectively within the majority culture to understand their thoughts. We will try to describe, what are the main differences between them and the rest of the society and how it is important to their own identity. Methods: We gained needed quantity of information from 6 skateboarders, with the aid of qualitative method - semi-structured interview. The data picking was taking place from April to July 2015. From the gained information we analysed behaviour patterns, motives, motivation and thought of the skateboarders. Results: Skateboarders never think about definitions, have no interest in somehow categorizing skateboarding. Some skateboarders immediately identify with the fact that skateboarding is their lifestyle, some of them gradually realize that skateboarding lifestyle can be for their way of life considered, others argue that they would skateboarding lifestyle imagine more intensive than how they do it. Nevertheless they admit, that their life can probably be closer to something that could be called the lifestyle of skateboarders. So that a man could confess lifestyle, activity must be operated...