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The current study identified the factors related to exercisers' self-talk and exercise adherence. Hardy (2006) defined self-talk as "(a) verbalizations or statements addressed to the self; (b) multidimensional in nature; (c) having interpretive elements associate[d] with the content of statements employed; (d) is somewhat dynamic; and (e) serving at least two functions; instructional and motivational, for the athlete," or in this case, the exerciser (p. 84). The purpose was to discover an individual's exercise self-talk and what thoughts may be preventing, or encouraging, him or her to regularly exercise. Specifically, the participants were asked questions about their exercise participation, their use of and frequency of self-talk during exercise, their beliefs about the perceived benefits and barriers to exercise, and their confidence levels related to exercising. Participants from three fitness locations volunteered to complete an online survey. There were 146 participants who completed the questionnaires. There were 91 defined adherers and 55 non-adherers. The results indicated that the adherers perceived more benefits to exercise, as well as had higher exercise self-efficacy. The results of the open-ended responses indicated that the most important factors appeared to be the type of self-talk that was used during the exercise (positive/motivational was the most common response across both adherers and non-adherers), and at what point during the exercise session the self-talk was used (20% of adherers reported using during difficult points in the session). The conclusions from the study can also be used to provide an indication of how self-talk could be use to encourage initiation and maintenance of exercise. / Kinesiology

Imperfect patient adherence to treatment leads to adverse individual and social outcomes: it has negative effect on patient health and, consequently, it increases health care costs. The adherence is low particularly in chronically ill patients with complex regimen, such as hemodialysis. This thesis provides an in-depth study of the phenomenon and presents a survey targeted at hemodialysis patients in the Czech Republic. The survey assesses prevalence of nonadherence, identifies predictors of nonadherence, and analyzes patients' attitude to a hypothetical incentive program to promote adherence. Then, an optimal design of an intervention to promote adherence is discussed. Results show that 72% of patients do not adhere to one or more areas of hemodialysis treatment. Prevalence of nonadherence is highest for following fluid restrictions (62.8%) and diet guidelines (55.7%). On the contrary, medication and appointment nonadherence is not frequent. Strongest predictors for nonadherence are: young age, male sex, treatment for depression, number of prescribed pills, and length of dialysis treatment. Most of patients (83%) indicated that they would change their behavior when involved in an incentive program to promote adherence. With regard to broad prevalence of nonadherence, an intervention targeted at...

Thesis (M.Sc.) -- University of the North, 1982 / Refer to the document

Pharmaceutical drugs are one of the most socially important heath care products. They are part of many individuals' everyday lives, from the eradicating of diseases at birth to treating patients at the end of life. However, for many patients access is prevented due to expensive cost. This study explored cost-related non-adherence (CRN) and researched if reimportation of pharmaceutical drugs from other countries could increase patient drug adherence. The perceptions of 10 patients and 10 providers in Maine were assessed. Maine is the only state that allowed its citizens to purchase prescription drugs from abroad. The research questions addressed (a) how reimportation drugs could contribute to drug adherence, (b) the perceptions of patients, and (c) the perceptions of key providers of reimportation. This study was guided by a theoretical framework utilizing Kurt Lewin's theory of organizational change. Participants answered 15 open-ended questions. The study utilized a qualitative grounded theory approach; data were analyzed inductively. The research demonstrated that patients and healthcare providers had positive perceptions for a reimportation policy. Future research of other regions for this topic should prevail. Member checking was used to validate the emerging theories of increased long term drug adherence incentivized by affordable drug cost, which contributes to perception of competence, better management of current disease, and decreased safety concerns. Positive social change implications can be achieved through savings to the health-care industry by creating a pathway to affordable drugs that will bring more drugs to market and create a competitive structure that can drive down pricing.

Heart failure (HF) is a debilitating chronic illness that afflicts millions of Americans and carries a poor prognosis, likely due to insufficient medication and low-salt diet adherence, which exacerbates HF symptoms and leads to frequent rehospitalizations. Specific reasons underlying non-adherence among HF patients are unclear. Studies investigating reasons for adherence among HF patients have shown that correlates of poor adherence include demographic (i.e., age, income), functional (i.e., NYHA), and psychosocial (i.e., social support, depression) variables. Research studies among individuals with chronic diseases suggest that an individual’s beliefs about medicines may explain adherence, but this research is limited among HF patients. The purpose of this study was to examine how psychosocial variables and beliefs about medicines are related to self-reported medication and low-salt diet adherence among individuals with HF, while controlling for demographic and physical functioning variables. This study had three aims: 1) To examine the relationships between psychosocial variables (e.g., depression, hostility, social support) and adherence; 2) To examine the relationship between beliefs about medicines and adherence; and 3) To investigate whether beliefs about medicines moderate the relationship between psychosocial variables and adherence. An ethnically-diverse sample of 105 HF patients completed several measures assessing depressive symptoms, level of hostility, perceived social support, beliefs about medicines, and medication and low-salt diet adherence. Structural equation modeling revealed that higher depression, higher hostility, and a stronger belief that medications are harmful and/or overused by doctors were significantly related to worse medication adherence. Further, participants who believed that medicines are necessary and had few concerns about them were more likely to adhere to a low-salt diet. Age, income, and number of co-morbid illness also were significantly related to low-salt diet adherence beyond contributions of beliefs about medicines scales and psychosocial variables. Thus, overall it appears that different beliefs about medicines differentially influence medication versus low-salt diet adherence, and psychological disposition may not underlie low-salt diet adherence. These results can inform interventions of health care practitioners in addressing adherence issues with HF patients.

<p>In the era of AIDS, food and nutrition are becoming more of a priority for many households and communities. This is more so now that treatment is available for people infected with HIV and AIDS. Food and nutrition are fundamentally intertwined with HIV transmission and the impacts of AIDS. Evidence of the ways in which food insecurity and malnutrition may interfere with the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy is well documented. Aim: The purpose of the study was to inform improvements in food security interventions for PLWHA through an investigation of existing food security interventions in the Khomas Region, Namibia.</p>

<p>Background: HIV/AIDS affects the health of millions of people world wide. According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS], the number of people living with HIV globally has risen from 26 million in 2001 to 33.2 million in 2007. It is estimated that 2.5 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2007. The introduction of anti-retroviral therapy [ART] has brought hope to millions of people living with HIV and AIDS. More recently, the increased availability of treatment in many countries including Namibia has dramatically improved survival rates and lowered the incidence of opportunistic infections among HIV patients. Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a fundamental attribute of excellent clinical HIV care and a key aspect in determining the effectiveness of treatment. Strict adherence to ART is vital to maintain low viral load and to prevent the development of drug resistant virus. Poor adherence is one of the key obstacles to successful ART for HIV positive patients. Literature has shown that there are various factors that hinder adherence to ART such as patient, service, community, family, socio-economic and work-related factors. Aim: This study aimed to describe the experiences of patients in the ART programme at Katutura State Hospital, Communicable Disease Clinic (CDC), in the Khomas region of Namibia and to explore factors that contribute to poor adherence.</p>