Currently, nutritional labelling is difficult to interpret and time-consuming to read. This is a major problem as many consumers are overweight and resort to eating readymade meals and snacks. These are likely to be energy-dense food and beverages that are high in fat, sugar and artificial preservatives. Simplifying nutritional labels could help stem rising obesity rates. Front-of-pack labels are a tool to help overcome this problem by providing consumers with understandable, visible information to aid them into making healthier food choices. This study expands on past research by evaluating 7 separate pre-existing, proposed and fictitious front-of-pack nutritional labels. It includes Information, Image or a combination of both Information and Image based labels. Plus No label, which is a control variable to determine the effectiveness of each label. The nutritional labels were placed on a chicken salad sandwich which was kept consistent for all 14 manipulations. The nutritional components were altered to reflect either an Unhealthy or Healthy sandwich. The design of this experiment is a 2 (nutritional level: Healthy, Unhealthy) X7 (labelling system: Traffic Light, Star, Running, Walking, Third Party, Daily Intake, Caloric, None) between subjects design. The results provide evidence of the urgent need to communicate nutritional information more effectively. Images, simplicity, colour and reliability, are determining label elements that influence consumption behaviour. The results from this study help to understand behaviours associated to labels. This study draws differences between those who partake in health behaviours and those who do not. This information could help to trigger support for a new, more effective front-of-pack labelling system to be put in place globally to guide consumers in making healthier food choices.

Smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and exercise are sources of risk for many chronic diseases and the need to change unhealthy behaviours is now a key aspect of health promotion policies. Interventions to change adult behaviours have been unsuccessful despite, or perhaps because of, rather dramatic secular changes. Health behaviour is usually understood in terms of three different motivating forces for action, which can be categorised as individual utility, social structure and agency (i.e. engagement in a specific social and temporal context). The first two of these have been relatively well studied. The role of individual utility has been explored using a variety of expectancy-value models that relate individual psychological attributes (attitudes, beliefs and suchlike) to health behaviour. The role of social structure has been explored by studying how behaviour varies with economic circumstances (such as income or tenure) and social relationships (such as family and neighbourhood). Less well studied has been the role of agency. This thesis develops Giddens's concept of self-identity and Simmel's ideas on fashion, to provide an operationalisation of agency. The concept of image is used to link the individual's presentation of self and the appearance of an activity, in terms of underlying attributes such as conformity, gender-identity, sociability and asceticism. Considerations of image provide a potential explanation as to why some people might be more attracted to one activity than another. The concept of status seeking is used to explore why some people are motivated to follow new trends more quickly than others. This operationalisation of the role of agency in health behaviour is tested by exploring the relationship between all these potential motivating forces (individual utility, social structure and agency) and the initiation of and change in 4 specific health behaviours (smoking, drinking, diet and exercise), using data from the 1946 national birth cohort. The 1946 cohort provides a unique opportunity to explore these relationships because it provides the historical specificity necessary to delineate the changing public image of these health behaviours. It covers a period (1946-1989) during which advice about and the public image of the 4 health behaviours changed considerably, and it has data on the cohort's health habits and self images. Results indicate that people's views of themselves in relation to public images do indeed relate to these 4 health behaviours along with the other motivating forces. Understanding how all these motivating forces operate offers the possibility of predicting future behaviour and designing strategies to promote healthy choices.

New positions have recently become available in the military and will eventually lead to increases in the number of female veterans in America. These women are influenced by adverse childhood events (ACE), post-traumatic stress disorder, and other life-altering incidents. Some female veterans show positive mental health status, resiliency, and lead healthy lives, while others female veterans battle high rates of alcohol abuse, substance abuse, homelessness, and suicide. Uncovering factors that lead to a positive mental health status is a critical component towards implementing gender-specific strategies to help female veterans build resiliency and coping mechanisms. An analysis of the ACE module included from the 2011 and 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) was used to build multiple linear regression models, Page 118 2016 Appalachian Student Research Forum and evaluate prevalence of three ACE events. These negative sexual events included being touched sexually by another, being forced to touch another sexually, or being forced to have sex as a child. Female veterans show higher prevalence of negative sexual ACE events when compared to civilian women. The biggest difference was being touched sexually prior to the age of 18 with 19% of veterans reporting this experience, compared to 14% of civilian women. The multiple linear regression model analyzed self-reported mentally healthy days of women within the last 30 days. Female veterans had 0.59 (p = 0.044) fewer mentally unhealthy days than civilian women during a 30-day period. The three sexual ACE variables significantly predicted unhealthy days for female veterans and civilians. Women forced to have sex had 2.5 (p = 0.000) more mentally unhealthy days and 1.9 (p = 0.000) more mentally unhealthy days when forced to touch another sexually. Older age, additional education, and increased income were significant and lowered the number of mentally unhealthy days, while marriage led to an increase of 0.18 (p = 0.005) unhealthy days. Results indicated that female veterans had1.35 (p = 0.002) fewer physically unhealthy days. It is noteworthy that female veterans are reporting a significant increase in mentally healthy days compared to their civilian counterparts, despite the higher prevalence of negative sexual ACEs. Further investigation is needed to discover the mental, behavioral, and demographic features that help some female veterans overcome the typical dose-response relationship between negative ACEs and unhealthy days. Evidence -based resiliency programs can then better assist female veterans who are struggling to survive.

Nas atividades típicas de empresas de mineração que produzem pedra britada para construção civil, conhecidas como pedreiras, é comum a exposição dos empregados a diversos fatores de risco à saúde ou integridade física, exposição que, no Brasil, confere a estes empregados o direito a adicionais de insalubridade ou periculosidade sobre o salário, definidos em lei a partir de diferentes parâmetros técnicos. As controvérsias acerca do pagamento ou não destes adicionais entre os empregadores e os empregados, a exemplo dos demais conflitos entre capital e trabalho, são solucionados no Brasil pela Justiça do Trabalho, sendo a perícia técnica uma das principais ferramentas da qual lançam mão os seus juízes, visando a apuração da efetiva ocorrência da insalubridade ou periculosidade nos ambientes de trabalho. No presente estudo foi realizada a caracterização da insalubridade e periculosidade em pedreiras sob o enfoque pericial, abordando-se para tanto os conceitos e a tipificação legal afeitos ao tema, bem como os principais aspectos da prova pericial técnica e sua contextualização no processo judicial, com o levantamento e análise das características dos ambientes de trabalho e das atividades desenvolvidas pelos empregados neste tipo de mineração. Como resultado, constatou-se a potencial ocorrência de insalubridade e/ou periculosidade em diversas das funções desenvolvidas pelos funcionários de pedreiras, pelo que foram discutidas as possíveis formas de gerenciamento da insalubridade e periculosidade no âmbito da gestão global de segurança destes empreendimentos, culminando na proposta de utilização voluntária e sistemática, por parte das empresas de mineração, das técnicas de levantamento e análise pericial, de forma a contribuir para uma melhor concepção e execução dos diversos programas de segurança e medicina do trabalho exigidos pela legislação brasileira, bem como para a redução dos custos relacionados. / In the typical activities of mining companies that produce crushed stone for civil construction, known as \"quarries\", employees exposition to diverse risk factors, to the health or physical integrity, is common. This kind of exposition, in Brazil, gives to these employees unhealthy or hazard adds on the wage, defined in law from different technical parameters. The controversies concerning the payment of these adds between the employers and the employees, like the other conflicts between capital and labor, are solved in Brazil by the labor justice, and the forensic expert survey is one of the main tools used by the judges for the verification of the effective occurrence of the unhealthy or hazardous situations in labor activities. The present study focus the unhealthy or hazardous situations in quarries under the forensic expert survey, approaching the concepts and the legal definitions of the unhealthy or hazardous situations in labor activities, the main aspects of the expert evidence technique and the judicial proceeding, and the survey and analysis of the typical characteristics of work environments and quarries employees activities. The possible forms of management of the unhealthy or hazardous situations were also discussed, in the scope of the global safety management in quarries, as well as the contribution of raised data in forensic expert survey for the conception of security and health programs, equally demanded for the brazilian legislation.

Background: Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance in the United States. Public approval of marijuana has driven its legalization in twenty states and the District of Columbia for medical use; and, this year alone (2013), two states have legalized recreational use of the drug. Despite the nation’s growing trend towards marijuana acceptance, the evidence regarding the health effects of its use remains vague. This study was designed to evaluate the health profile of marijuana users by determining the association of marijuana use with quality of life, defined in terms of perceived overall health and as self-reported medical conditions. Methods: The 2007-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data was used to evaluate the health profile and quality of life of marijuana smokers. Chi-square and one-way ANOVA analyses were respectively used to compare prevalence and mean differences of select characteristics across different categories grouped by marijuana use. Logistic regression analyses were then performed to determine the association between the reported number of unhealthy days or medical conditions and marijuana use in the past month. All analyses were performed with SAS 9.2 software using weighted data, while 95% confidence intervals were used to determine statistical significance. Results: In total, 7716 cases were included in the study analysis. The prevalence of lifetime marijuana use was 59% (N = 3632), while the prevalence of current (past month) marijuana use was 12.6% (N = 861). Current marijuana users differed significantly from never users with respect to age, gender, income-to-poverty ratio, cigarette smoking, and alcohol and drug use. Current marijuana users also reported more unhealthy days per month, but less frequently reported diagnosis of a medical condition. Results of logistic regression analysis demonstrated that after controlling for confounders, there was no significant association between unhealthy days and current marijuana use, but there was an inverse association with reporting 3+ medical conditions and current marijuana use. Conclusions: This study shows that marijuana users are more likely to engage in health risk behaviors, and report lower quality of life when compared to individuals who have never used marijuana. However, after controlling for confounders, marijuana use was not found to be associated with poor health outcomes.

Nas atividades típicas de empresas de mineração que produzem pedra britada para construção civil, conhecidas como pedreiras, é comum a exposição dos empregados a diversos fatores de risco à saúde ou integridade física, exposição que, no Brasil, confere a estes empregados o direito a adicionais de insalubridade ou periculosidade sobre o salário, definidos em lei a partir de diferentes parâmetros técnicos. As controvérsias acerca do pagamento ou não destes adicionais entre os empregadores e os empregados, a exemplo dos demais conflitos entre capital e trabalho, são solucionados no Brasil pela Justiça do Trabalho, sendo a perícia técnica uma das principais ferramentas da qual lançam mão os seus juízes, visando a apuração da efetiva ocorrência da insalubridade ou periculosidade nos ambientes de trabalho. No presente estudo foi realizada a caracterização da insalubridade e periculosidade em pedreiras sob o enfoque pericial, abordando-se para tanto os conceitos e a tipificação legal afeitos ao tema, bem como os principais aspectos da prova pericial técnica e sua contextualização no processo judicial, com o levantamento e análise das características dos ambientes de trabalho e das atividades desenvolvidas pelos empregados neste tipo de mineração. Como resultado, constatou-se a potencial ocorrência de insalubridade e/ou periculosidade em diversas das funções desenvolvidas pelos funcionários de pedreiras, pelo que foram discutidas as possíveis formas de gerenciamento da insalubridade e periculosidade no âmbito da gestão global de segurança destes empreendimentos, culminando na proposta de utilização voluntária e sistemática, por parte das empresas de mineração, das técnicas de levantamento e análise pericial, de forma a contribuir para uma melhor concepção e execução dos diversos programas de segurança e medicina do trabalho exigidos pela legislação brasileira, bem como para a redução dos custos relacionados. / In the typical activities of mining companies that produce crushed stone for civil construction, known as \"quarries\", employees exposition to diverse risk factors, to the health or physical integrity, is common. This kind of exposition, in Brazil, gives to these employees unhealthy or hazard adds on the wage, defined in law from different technical parameters. The controversies concerning the payment of these adds between the employers and the employees, like the other conflicts between capital and labor, are solved in Brazil by the labor justice, and the forensic expert survey is one of the main tools used by the judges for the verification of the effective occurrence of the unhealthy or hazardous situations in labor activities. The present study focus the unhealthy or hazardous situations in quarries under the forensic expert survey, approaching the concepts and the legal definitions of the unhealthy or hazardous situations in labor activities, the main aspects of the expert evidence technique and the judicial proceeding, and the survey and analysis of the typical characteristics of work environments and quarries employees activities. The possible forms of management of the unhealthy or hazardous situations were also discussed, in the scope of the global safety management in quarries, as well as the contribution of raised data in forensic expert survey for the conception of security and health programs, equally demanded for the brazilian legislation.

The aim of this essay is to examine the legal regulation of the Labour laws regarding the psychosocial work environment for employees, as well as the responsibility that the employer has regarding this. The essay also aims to examine how, in the future, the new regulation from the Swedish Work Authority regarding the organization and social work environment can change the responsibility of the employer. The methodology of the study includes a juridical and a legal sociology method to analyze the material. This, in turn, will answer the research questions. The laws of the work environment act are based on the directive from the EU about the work laws. Besides there are regulations complementing this stating the responsibility of the employers regarding the employees. Throughout the essay, the aim continues to examine what changes the new regulation can make. It also continues to examine how this could change women’s psychological health. The analysis of the essay points out the different ways of how the new relegation can change the laws and secondly, the outcome of the work environment today. The analysis discusses how this can change the responsibility of the employer in regard to the work environment laws. The conclusions are that there is a regulation through the work environment law regarding the psychosocial environment. What there are not are examples of different concrete measures for the Employer to take action, in order for it to improve. There may be changes in the future regarding the psychosocial environment, especially for women. But before the new regulation is made valid, and because there are not any cases of this to date, it is hard to make a solid conclusion.

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Early detection of faults in the vehicle operating systems is a research domain of high significance to sustain full control of the systems since anomalous behaviors usually result in performance loss for a long time before detecting them as critical failures. In other words, operating systems exhibit degradation when failure begins to occur. Indeed, multiple presences of the failures in the system performance are not only anomalous behavior signals but also show that taking maintenance actions to keep the system performance is vital. Maintaining the systems in the nominal performance for the lifetime with the lowest maintenance cost is extremely challenging and it is important to be aware of imminent failure before it arises and implement the best countermeasures to avoid extra losses. In this context, the timely anomaly detection of the performance of the operating system is worthy of investigation. Early detection of imminent anomalous behaviors of the operating system is difficult without appropriate modeling, prediction, and analysis of the time series records of the system. Data based technologies have prepared a great foundation to develop advanced methods for modeling and prediction of time series data streams. In this research, we propose novel methodologies to predict the patterns of multivariate time series operational data of the vehicle and recognize the second-wise unhealthy states. These approaches help with the early detection of abnormalities in the behavior of the vehicle based on multiple data channels whose second-wise records for different functional working groups in the operating systems of the vehicle. Furthermore, a real case study data set is used to validate the accuracy of the proposed prediction and anomaly detection methodologies.

Introduction: Weight dissatisfaction and misperception are widespread problems in the United States as are unhealthy weight loss practices. These negative body image issues can lead to eating disorders which have serious health and quality of life consequences. Objective: To evaluate the extent to which the prevalence of distorted body image and unhealthy dieting tactics exist in adults in the US and how these are related. Methods: Data from NHANES 2000-20006 on adults aged 20-59 was used. Weight perception was assessed with the physical exam measurements of weight status and the weight history questionnaire item asking if the person considered him or herself to be underweight, normal weight or overweight. Weight loss techniques were assessed with the weight history questionnaire items asking what methods they used if they tried to lose weight. Respondents were classified as having a weight perception discord if their perception was greater than actual weight status, and as having a concord in all other cases. Results: The total sample was 6,022. 10% had a perception discord and 15% used unhealthy weight loss practices. After adjustment, a significant relationship between a perception discord and behaviors was not found--this held true for both men and women. Discussion and Conclusion: Our results were similar overall to past studies; our inability to find a relationship could have been hampered by stigma associated with the subject matter. There are clearly other factors related to the adoption of unhealthy weight loss behaviors, which need to be determined.