Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Weight Stigma In Maternity Care: Women’S Experiences And Care Providers’ Attitudes, Kate Mulherin, Yvette D. Miller, Fiona Kate Barlow, Phillippa C. Diedrichs, Rachel Thompson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Weight stigma is pervasive in Western society and in healthcare settings, and has a negative impact on victims' psychological and physical health. In the context of an increasing focus on the management of overweight and obese women during and after pregnancy in research and clinical practice, the current studies aimed to examine the presence of weight stigma in maternity care. Addressing previous limitations in the weight stigma literature, this paper quantitatively explores the presence of weight stigma from both patient and care provider perspectives. Study One investigated associations between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and experiences of maternity care from …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of An Internet-Based Behavioral Program For Increasing Physical Activity With And Without A Behavioral Coach, Diego Alejandro Valbuena

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is a problem of vast social concern in the United States. One factor that has been linked to reduction in body fat and the health problems associated with obesity is increasing physical activity. Although in-person behavioral interventions have been shown effective at increasing physical activity, attention is now being placed on disseminating these interventions through the use of technology. Several internet-based interventions have been developed and are readily available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate "Fitbit," a web-based behavioral intervention for increasing physical activity and losing weight. Additionally, this study examined if the addition of contact from …

Contribution Of Behavioral Risk Factors And Obesity To Socioeconomic Differences In Colorectal Cancer Incidence, Chyke Doubeni, Jacqueline Major, Adeyinka Laiyemo, Mario Schootman, Ann Zauber, Albert Hollenbeck, Rashmi Sinha, Jeroan Allison

Chyke A. Doubeni

BACKGROUND:Health behaviors are known risk factors for colorectal cancer and are more common in low socioeconomic status (SES) populations. We evaluated the extent to which behavioral risk factors and body mass index (BMI) explain SES disparities in colorectal cancer incidence, overall and by tumor location.

METHODS: We analyzed prospective National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study data on 506 488 participants who were recruited in 1995-1996 from six US states and two metropolitan areas and followed through 2006. Detailed baseline data on risk factors for colorectal cancer, including health behaviors, were obtained using questionnaires. SES was measured by self-reported …

The Change Program: Comparing An Interactive Versus Prescriptive Telephone-Based Behavioural Intervention On The Psychological And Physiological Profiles Of University Students With Obesity, Erin S. Pearson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of the CHANGE (Coaching towards Healthy Actions Naturally through Goal-related Empowerment) Program was to compare the effectiveness of an interactive versus prescriptive 12-week telephone-based behavioural intervention on the psychological and physiological profiles of university students with obesity. Motivational Interviewing administered using Co-Active Life Coaching (MI-via-CALC) and a structured lifestyle treatment following the LEARN (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships, Nutrition) Program for Weight Management were examined.

Article 1 provided a methodological account of the CHANGE Program which included a detailed rationale for its development and a comprehensive description of the methods used. Because goal setting has been established as an …

A Study Of The Link Between Partial Sleep Deprivation And Obesity, Jennifer Pacheco

Honors College Theses

Obesity has become a major health problem with increasing prevalence and is related to multiple medical consequences, such as increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and cancer (Hasler et al., 2004). Due to the limited availability of effective treatment of weight problems, it is necessary to identify potential risk factors for obesity. One factor that has received increased attention is chronic partial sleep deprivation (<7 hours of sleep a night). The decrease in average sleep duration over the past three to four decades has occurred simultaneously with the increase in the prevalence of obesity. Chronic partial sleep deprivation could be a possible risk factor for obesity, but current understanding of the processes linking sleep deprivation to obesity is incomplete. The research will focus on examining the possible pathways through which partial sleep deprivation contributes to the development of obesity: alterations in metabolic pathways and waking behavior, including eating behavior and physical inactivity. The hypothesis behind the proposed study is that increasing sleep duration in obese individuals who experience partial sleep deprivation will lead to a decreased BMI. Research addressing the possible pathways and targeting the amount of sleep will benefit individuals in preventing and/or treating obesity.

Sleep Duration, Sleep Regularity, Body Weight, And Metabolic Homeostasis In School-Aged Children, Karen Spruyt, Dennis L. Molfese, David Gozal

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to explore the effects of duration and regularity of sleep schedules on BMI and the impact on metabolic regulation in children.

METHODS: Sleep patterns of 308 community-recruited children 4 to 10 years of age were assessed with wrist actigraphs for 1 week in a cross-sectional study, along with BMI assessment. Fasting morning plasma levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein also were measured for a subsample.

RESULTS: Children slept 8 hours per night, on average, regardless of their weight categorization. A nonlinear trend between sleep and weight emerged. For obese children, …

Predictors Of Depressive Symptoms And Obesity In African American Women Transitioning From Welfare To Work, Mayola Rowser

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Depression and obesity are significant public health problems that adversely affect the health and quality of life of women in the United States, particularly female African American welfare recipients transitioning to work. African American women are twice as likely to experience depressive symptoms as women of other races. Fifty percent of African American women are obese. The prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms and obesity is higher among African American women who receive welfare benefits. These health conditions jeopardize their health status, ability to work, and chances to become self-sufficient. To ensure the successful transition of recipients to work, health …

Economic Efficiency And Consumer Choice Theory In Nutritional Labeling, Michael Mccann

Law Faculty Scholarship

As more Americans consume fast food each year, more Americans are contracting serious diseases related to obesity. Considering that obesity ranks second behind tobacco use as the largest contributor to mortality rates in the United States, and also that it gives rise to greater publicly funded health care expenses than does tobacco, this phenomenon begs the obvious question: To what extent does the growing consumption of fast food contribute to the obesity epidemic and the incidence of disease? If the answer indicates a meaningful contribution, a natural follow-up question then emerges: In a sensible legal system, what instruments would best …

Causes Of Obesity, Barbara Brown

Honors Theses

The preoccupation with obesity finds expression in the popularity of books and articles dealing with dieting and weight control, the rapid growth of weight reduction groups such as Tops and Weight Watchers, as well as the full marketing of numerous low calorie and dietetic foods. Much of the interest in weight control is a consequence of the current standards of physical beauty in our society. But another more pressing reason for interest in weight control is the documented evidence relating obesity to various somatic disorders.