Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
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Mortality and morbidity statistics show that men on average die younger than women and are more prone to many nongendered illnesses. Social constructions of masculinity have been implicated in men's poorer health, although it is now recognized that masculinity is a complex, multifaceted entity, elements of which can prove health-promoting. ⋯ This special issue offers important insights on masculinities and health from methodologically diverse investigations, and highlights how masculinities can be deployed to improve the health of men across different contexts.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Short message service reduces dropout in childhood obesity treatment: a randomized controlled trial.
Lifestyle programs can reduce the level of overweight in children; however, maintenance results and adherence to treatment are difficult to achieve. New technologies, such as the Short Message Service (SMS), might be a promising tool for enhancing interventions. The effect of an SMS approach aimed at improving treatment results and reducing dropout rates in a pediatric lifestyle intervention, is explored. ⋯ These results indicate that SMSMT is effective in reducing dropout rates from a pediatric lifestyle intervention. Future research should examine the effectiveness of SMSMT on weight management and related psychosocial variables.
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The aims of the current study were to characterize daytime and nighttime sleep patterns of adolescents with chronic pain, and to compare their sleep patterns to a healthy age- and sex-matched cohort. ⋯ Although previous research using self-report methodology has indicated that adolescents with chronic pain commonly endorse poor sleep, findings from the current study suggest that these complaints may not be explained by differences in nighttime sleep patterns as measured by actigraphy. Use of multidimensional sleep assessment may help to understand the potential impact of sleep on chronic pain in adolescents.
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Sedentary (sitting) time is a newly identified risk factor for obesity and chronic diseases, which is behaviorally and physiologically distinct from lack of physical activity. To inform public health approaches to influencing sedentary behaviors, an understanding of correlates is required. ⋯ Neighborhood walkability was not related to total sedentary time but was related to two specific sedentary behaviors associated with risk for obesity-driving time and TV viewing time. Future research could examine how these prevalent and often prolonged sedentary behaviors mediate relationships between neighborhood walkability and overweight/obesity. Initiatives to reduce chronic disease risk among residents of both higher-and lower-income low-walkable neighborhoods should include a focus on reducing TV viewing time and other sedentary behaviors and enacting policies that can lead to the development or redevelopment of more-walkable neighborhoods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).
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The present study investigated parental attention and sensitivity to their child's pain and the moderating role of child's facial pain expressiveness and induced threat. ⋯ These findings attest to the importance of pain-related threat in understanding parent attention to child pain. Theoretical and clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.