People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be hospitalized as they age, regardless of their actual age or other demographic factors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
“How old you feel matters. Previous research has shown it can affect your well-being and other health-related factors, and now we know it can predict your likelihood of ending up in the hospital,” said the study’s lead author, Yannick Stephan, PhD, of the University of Montpellier in France. The research, which comprised more than 10,000 adults across the U.S., was published in the journal Health Psychology®.
Bariatic weight loss surgery can reduce the risk of developing serious health conditions such as heart attacks and type 2 diabetes, as well improve existing conditions, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine. The project is the largest comprehensive study of longer term outcomes post-bariatric surgery in the UK. It suggests that widening the availability of bariatric surgery could boost the health prospects for thousands of people who are morbidly obese body mass index of 40 kg/m2 or more. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens
People with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders are important targets for smoking cessation interventions. Mental health professionals (MHPs) are ideally placed to deliver interventions, but their attitudes may prevent this. This systematic review therefore aimed to identify and estimate quantitatively MHPs attitudes towards smoking and main barriers for providing smoking cessation support and to explore these attitudes in-depth through qualitative synthesis. Please contact the library to receive a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Should tobacco be banned? The answer depends largely on two further questions. How much are smokers benefitted by being made to stop, or to not start? And what is the moral cost of their being made to stop by their government, as opposed to stopping due to the influence of policies that fall short of coercion?
It is possible that participation in golf, which is a form of physical activity, may be associated with effects on longevity, the cardiovascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal systems, as well as on mental health and well-being. We outline our scoping review protocol to examine the relationships and effects of golf on physical and mental health. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
The report has attracted quite considerable criticism.
Some professionals, such as the professor of diet and population health at the University of Oxford, note the lack of systematic review methods and accuse the report of potentially cherry-picking studies to support its viewpoint.
Other studies presenting contradictory findings do not seem to have been included, they say.
The health and wellbeing team have collected top health and wellbeing tips in a series of 60 seconds podcasts from key people in leading NHS organisations.
The series consists of podcasts recorded and produced to provide advice on implementing a successful health and wellbeing strategy in your organisation.
The article examines the views of counselors on self-care in Great Britain. Topics covered include examples of professional self-care activities including supervision, peer support and personal therapy, examples of physical and psychological personal self-care such as exercising, seeing family and friends and reading and the opinion that childhood experiences and family background influence the view and practice of self-care. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
In general the new government advice on vitamin D has been reported accurately.
However, the Guardian's headline, "Tuck into tuna, salmon and eggs or take vitamin D pills – official health advice" is misleading. While it's important to eat these foods as good sources of vitamin D, the advice is to consider taking vitamin D supplements because it is difficult to get enough from food alone.
Meanwhile, the Express headline, "Everyone should take vitamin D: Health chiefs warn millions are at risk of deficiency," overstates the advice. Most people are simply being asked to consider taking supplements.
And, although roughly one in five people has low vitamin D levels, this is not the same as a vitamin D deficiency. It is not accurate to say that millions of people are at risk of deficiency.
Getting regular exercise can lower the risk of cognitive decline and can even change our brain structure and improve its functioning, according to a new evidence-based consensus statement issued today by the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), an independent collaboration of scientists, doctors, scholars and policy experts from around the world.
Smoking in the general population is on the decline. However, in people with severe mental disorders (SMDs) such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder the estimated smoking prevalence rate is anywhere between 50-80%. High rates of medical morbidity and severely reduced life expectancy are associated with increased prevalence rates in these individuals.
Pharmacological treatments for smoking cessation are effective in the general population. We have blogged extensively about the efficacy, tolerability and cost-effectiveness of the three main treatments; transdermal nicotine patches (TNP), varenicline and bupropion.
There is emerging evidence to suggest individuals with SMDs are often motivated to quit and pharmacological treatments in those with SMDs are similarly effective. Despite these promising findings, treatments are often under-utilised, with one study finding less than one third of clinicians advising patients about smoking cessation.
To compare the use of alternative nicotine products, smoking behavior and tobacco biomarker exposure in smokers unwilling to quit who were randomly assigned to normal nicotine content (NNC) cigarettes, or very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Historically, alcohol use and related harms are more prevalent in men than in women. However, emerging evidence suggests the epidemiology of alcohol use is changing in younger cohorts. The current study aimed to systematically summarise published literature on birth cohort changes in male-to-female ratios in indicators of alcohol use and related harms. Open Access Article
Food consumers in the western world face many complex issues that can impinge on their current and future health. The aim of this research was to identify areas of agreement regarding the basic food knowledge required by young adults for healthy living. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you requesting.
Chronic illness are responsible for 84% of all healthcare expenditure and are highly prevalent among the older population. Physical activity (PA) has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, physical function, pain and depressive symptoms. There is an urgent need to understand more about how to increase PA levels in older adults.
Aim
This study aimed to investigate the effect of interventions designed to increase PA behaviour among older adults. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
There is growing recognition of the influence of the workplace environment on the eating habits of the workforce, which in turn may contribute to increased overweight and obesity. Overweight and obesity exact enormous costs in terms of reduced well-being, worker productivity and increased risk of non-communicable diseases. The workplace is an ideal place to intervene and support healthy behaviours. This review aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to nurses’ healthy eating in the workplace. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Research shows that there are health risks are associated with spending more than 6–7 sedentary hours per day, independent of exercise time. (Patel et al, Am J Epidemiol, 2010;172(4):419–29) The aim was to identify which patients could benefit from reducing their sedentary time. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details