The purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study was to describe the relationships among demographic factors (age, gender, education, income), perceived severity of illness, perceived barriers to action, perceived self-efficacy, and interpersonal influences (social support) and health-promoting behaviors (HPB) and to identify predictors of HPB. A nonprobability sample of 110 participants with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) was recruited from the outpatient clinic of Burirum hospital and Surin hospital located in north-eastern Thailand. All participants were individually interviewed by the principal investigator in a private area within an outpatient clinic. Six variables were significantly correlated with the HPB. They were age, education, perceived severity of illness, perceived barriers to action, perceived self-efficacy and social support. According to the results from the analyses of demographic data and HPB, participants who were younger and had higher educational levels practiced more HPB. From the analyses of perceived severity of illness, perceived barriers to action, perceived self-efficacy, and social support and HPB, the results showed that participants with lower levels of perceived severity of illness and lower levels of perceived barriers to action reported better HPB. In contrast, the participants with higher levels of perceived self-efficacy and social support reported better HPB. By using a stepwise multiple regression analysis, two predictors were identified from 8 predictor variables, and those two accounted for 78.2% (p < 0.01) of the variance in HPB. Two variables that contributed significantly to the variance in the HPB were perceived self-efficacy ([beta] =.769, p < 0.01), and social support ([beta] = .162, p < 0.01); whereas age, gender, income, educational level, perceived severity of illness, and perceived barriers did not contribute to the variance in the HPB. The study found that participants who experienced better perceived self-efficacy and social support reported better HPB. In contrast age, gender, income, educational level, perceived severity of illness, and perceived barriers did not enter as predictors in this stepwise regression equation. / text

Syftet med studien är att analysera och beskriva äldre personers (65 +) syn på hälsa och hälsobeteende. Studien avser också att undersöka huruvida kunskap om hälsofrämjande levnadsvanor styr deras hälsobeteende. Till sist görs jämförelsen om äldre personer (65 +) tänker och agerar på annat sätt än andra vuxna (18 - 64 år) när det gäller hälsa och hälsofrämjande levnadsvanor. Mixad metod har använts för att analysera enkäter och strukturerade intervjuer från studien ”Hälsa och Ansvar”, som utgick från Jönköpings universitet 2011 - 2012. Resultatet visar att möjlighet att fungera i vardagen blir en viktig hälsofaktor för äldre personer men att äldre och andra vuxna inte beskriver hälsa på annat sätt i övrigt. Äldre personer lägger större vikt vid hur de mår än om de har sjukdomar när de bedömer sin hälsa. Det ser inte ut att finnas något samband mellan hur hälsofrämjande levnadsvanor beskrivs och hur kunskapen används i det dagliga livet i någon av åldersgrupperna. Slutsatser: det föreligger en liten skillnad mellan hur äldre och andra vuxna ser på hälsa. Kunskap om hälsofrämjande levnadsvanor ser inte ut att styra hälsobeteende i det dagliga livet. / The purpose of the study is to analyze and describe how elderly people (65+) perceive health and health behaviors. The study also intends to explore whether knowledge about healthy living habits controls their health behaviors. Finally, a comparison is made between how elderly people (65+) think and act as opposed to younger adults (18 - 64 years old) in terms of health and healthy lifestyles. The Mixed Method has been used to analyze the questionnaires and structured interviews from the study "Health and Responsibility" which emanated from the Jönköping University 2011 - 2012. The results show that the ability to function in everyday life becomes an important health factor for elderly people, but elderly and younger adults do not otherwise describe health differently. When assessing their health, the elderly put more emphasis on how they feel than whether they suffer from any diseases.  There does not appear to be any correlation between how healthy lifestyles are described and how the knowledge is used in daily life in any of the age groups. Conclusions: there is a slight difference between how younger and older adults describe health. Knowledge of healthy lifestyles does not seem to control health behavior in daily life.

Insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes in Mexican American adolescents living along the United States (US)-Mexico border are linked to genetics, poverty, developmental characteristics, and psychological attributes. Understanding relationships among psychological attributes, health promoting behaviors (HPB) and IR markers addresses gaps in health promotion science that test relationships between lifestyle and biological outcomes.Hendricks' Perceptual Health Promotion Determinants Model provided theoretical underpinnings. The aims were to test the predictive ability of HPB and IR using psychological attributes (self-esteem, self-efficacy, and hope). Biological markers for IR included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and Homeostasis Mathematical Assessment Model for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR).Forty five Mexican American adolescents (62% female; 16.4 [&plusmn;1.27] mean years) participated. The majority (60%) were obese (BMI &ge; 95th percentile) with 40% overweight (BMI &ge; 85th percentile), 45% with WC &ge; 95th percentile, and 76% with HOMA-IR &ge; 3.16.With self-efficacy for physical activity, 38% (R<super>2<super> = 0.3771; F = 8.27, df = 3; p < 0.002) of variance in HPB was explained by hope. With self-efficacy for nutrition fats/sodium, 44% (R<super>2<super> = 0.4382; F = 10.66; df = 3; p < .0001) of variance in HPB was explained by self-efficacy for nutrition fats/sodium and hope. With self-efficacy for nutrition fruits/vegetables, 49% (R<super>2<super> = 0.4894; F = 13.10; df = 3; p <.0001) of variance in HPB was explained by self-efficacy for nutrition fruits/vegetables and hope.Additionally, with IR reflected as WC, 21% (R<super>2<super> = 0.2129; F = 2.71; df = 4; p = 0.0437) of variance was explained by self-esteem and self-efficacy for physical activity. With IR reflected as HOMA-IR, 22% (R<super>2<super> = 0.2214; F = 2.84; df = 4; p = 0.0364) of variance was explained by self-efficacy for physical activity and 23% (R<super>2<super> = 0.2254; F = 2.91; df = 4; p = 0.0333) of variance was explained by self-efficacy for nutrition fruits/vegetables. Evidence supports using hope and self-efficacy to test interventions to increase HPB and decrease IR in adolescents residing along the US-Mexico border region.

Hypertension is a global public health issue affecting many people in the United States. African American women remain the highest in percentage by race and ethnicity for developing hypertension with poor risk awareness. Hypertension has costly implications for the health care system. Through lifestyle modifications in the form of a nutrition plan called Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension and increased physical activity, hypertension could be prevented. Among African Americans, the incidence of hypertension increases in their late thirties. The purpose of the project was to develop a toolkit of resources for African American women between the ages of 20 to 45 years as a reference guide to reduce the risk of developing hypertension through lifestyle modifications. The clinical question for the project examined the effectiveness of a lifestyle modification toolkit as an evidence-based strategy to prevent and manage hypertension among African America women. Pender's health promotion model guided the planning and development of the project. The readability of the toolkit was at a 5th grade level for easy comprehension. A 5-item survey was given to 2 content experts and 3 members from the target population to evaluate the toolkit. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to obtain a content validity index score of 1.00. Findings suggested universal agreement on the content of the toolkit which was developed as a resource tool to provide culturally-based educational materials from scholarly literature. This toolkit will promote positive social change by improving the outcomes of African American women with hypertension.

Anyone who understands MI as a process may spontaneously think that five weeks of MI conversations may be a little short of time to be able to see a clear effect. At least that was my spontaneous thought. This was precisely the starting point of the study, which further led to the purpose of the study, i.e. to evaluate MI as a conversation method and see how effective the method is over a five-week period in a health and lifestyle-related behavior change. The aim is further specified by two questions: How has the health-related behavior changed during five weeks of MI-sessions based on the transtheoretical model? How has motivation changed over five weeks of MI-sessions? In order to answer the purpose and questions, MI- sessions with four female clients have been conducted over five weeks. In order to measure the effect of the MI-sessions, the clients during their first and last call answered scale questions intended to measure the client's motivation. In addition, each conversation has been documented in writing by me as conversation leader, where the most essential parts of the conversation have been noted to make it possible to follow the client's development in the transtheoretical model. The result showed that MI contributed to a strengthened intrinsic motivation as well as progress in the transtheoretical model as a result of a five-week period of MI-sessions. Through the study, it can be concluded that five weeks of MI-sessions are enough to strengthen the inner motivation and develop in the transtheoretical model. / Den som är införstådd i MI som process kanske spontant tänker att fem veckor av MI-samtal kan vara lite kort om tid för att kunna se en klar effekt. Det var åtminstone min spontana tanke. Just detta blev studiens utgångpunkt som vidare ledde fram till syftet med studien d.v.s. att utvärdera MI som samtalsmetod och se hur effektiv metoden är under en femveckorsperiod vid en hälso- och livsstilsrelaterad beteendeförändring. Syftet specificeras vidare av två frågeställningar: Hur har det hälsorelaterade beteendet förändrats under fem veckor av MI- samtal utifrån den transteoretiska modellen? Hur har motivationen förändrats under fem veckor av MI-samtal? För att besvara syftet och frågeställningarna har MI-samtal med fyra kvinnliga klienter genomförts under fem veckor. För att mäta effekten av MI-samtalen har klienterna under sitt första och sista samtal besvarat skalfrågor som avser mäta klientens motivation. Dessutom har varje samtal dokumenterats i skrift av mig som samtalsledare där samtalets mest väsentliga delar noterats för att göra det möjligt att följa klientens utveckling i den transteoretiska modellen. Resultatet visade att MI bidrog till en stärkt inre motivation samt framsteg i den transteoretiska modellen till följd av en femveckorsperiod av MI-samtal. Genom studien kan man dra slutsatsen att fem veckor av MI-samtal räcker gott för att stärka den inre motivationen samt utvecklas i den transteoretiska modellen.