Journal of Health Psychology

Reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke significantly reduces lung cancer risk. We used family communication patterns theory and the theory of planned behavior to examine whether perceived norms and lung cancer worry more strongly influenced intentions to avoid environmental tobacco smoke in families higher in conformity and conversation orientations. Results from 52 individuals in 17 high-risk lung cancer families showed injunctive norms were positively related to intentions when families conformed and conversed more. Lung cancer worry was positively related to intentions in high conformity families and negatively related to intentions in low conformity families. Findings can benefit interventions to reduce environmental tobacco smoke exposure.

Mexican American women are disproportionately affected by overweight/obesity and the health complications accompanying them, but weight loss treatments are less successful in this ethnic group. High levels of familism, a value reflecting obligation to family that supersedes attention to oneself, interfere with weight loss for Mexican American women. This mixed methods study investigated overweight Mexican American women’s beliefs about how familism, and Mexican American culture, might hinder weight loss success, and how treatments might be culturally adapted. Results suggest a need to support women in their commitment to family while also helping them make changes. Recommendations for culturally adapted treatments are made.

This qualitative study aimed to explore home haemodialysis and in-centre haemodialysis patients’ experience, to illuminate barriers and facilitators in the uptake and maintenance of home haemodialysis. Thirty-two semi-structured interviews with patients receiving home haemodialysis or in-centre haemodialysis were analysed using framework analysis. Four themes emerged: ‘perceptions of self’; ‘impact of haemodialysis on family’; ‘perceived advantages and disadvantages of home haemodialysis and in-centre haemodialysis’ and ‘practical issues and negotiating haemodialysis’. The lived experience of home haemodialysis was in contrast to the lived experience of in-centre haemodialysis and to the anticipated experience of home haemodialysis, highlighting patient factors that contributed to under-usage of home haemodialysis.

We review 20 studies that examined persuasive processing and outcomes of health messages using neurocognitive measures. The results suggest that cognitive processes and neural activity in regions thought to reflect self-related processing may be more prominent in the persuasive process of self-relevant messages. Furthermore, activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the superior temporal gyrus and the middle frontal gyrus were identified as predictors of message effectiveness, with the medial prefrontal cortex accounting for additional variance in behaviour change beyond that accounted for by self-report measures. Incorporating neurocognitive measures may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the processing and outcomes of health messages.

In Uganda, increasing male involvement in reproductive health services may improve women’s access to care. The purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing male support for women’s reproductive health services and to elicit suggestions for strategies to increase male involvement. In 2008–2009, focus groups (N = 76) were conducted with men and women in a rural hospital in Uganda. A content analysis approach was used for data analysis. Our findings point to the need for multi-level approaches that educate and mobilize men, while improving quality of care at the facility level to increase male involvement in reproductive health services.

This brief report tests the mediating effect of self-esteem in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and symptoms of depression and anxiety. A sample of 409 adolescents (females = 58.4%) aged between 14 and 18 years completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Overall, results for the indirect effects analysis were significant for both anxiety and depression, which confirmed the mediating role of self-esteem. Thus, a negative perception of one’s body image has the effect of lowering self-esteem, which in turn increases psychological distress.

This study investigated the effects of illness perceptions and coping with disease on health-related quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Therefore, participants (N = 444) completed online questionnaires assessing illness severity (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease stage), Illness Perceptions Questionnaire, coping with disease (Essener Coping Questionnaire), and health-related quality of life (short form-12). Hierarchical regression and moderation analyses were conducted. The results showed that health-related quality of life was predicted by illness perceptions and several aspects of coping with disease. The association between illness perceptions and health-related quality of life was mediated by the corresponding coping with disease subscales. It is concluded that in order to prevent decreasing health-related quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, treatment may be adjusted by promoting coping with disease and functional illness perceptions.

The purpose of this survey study was to evaluate a model of body image influences on indoor tanning behavior. Participants were 823 young adult women recruited from a probability-based web panel in the United States. Consistent with our hypothesized model, tanning-related sociocultural experiences were indirectly associated with lifetime indoor tanning use and intentions to tan as mediated through tan surveillance and tan dissatisfaction. Findings suggest the need for targeting body image constructs as mechanisms of behavior change in indoor tanning behavioral interventions.

This article explores the experiences of a small group of Nairobi women caring for a family cancer patient at home. On the basis of literature on women as caregivers in Africa, and on other literature more broadly, it was anticipated that issues around generational roles, gender and women’s cultural role would be relevant. Seven women participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews, while thirteen women participated in four mini focus groups. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings underscore the socio-cultural complexities of caregiving as a basis for evidence-based culturally appropriate structures to support family caregivers.

We aimed to study sleep problems in hospitalized chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and assess the relationship of sleep quality with mental health and demographics of patients. Our study sample consisted of 850 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients hospitalized in Masih Daneshvari Hospital. Demographic data were collected and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality and mental health questionnaires were filled out for patients. The results showed that 5.9 percent were suffering from severe sleep problems, while 4.7 percent had severe mental problems. A strong positive correlation was found between the total scores of mental health and sleep quality (p < 0.01). The prevalence of sleep and mental health problems was higher in females compared to males. Mental health and sleep quality play important roles in quality of life of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

This study collates existing evidence regarding weight loss among overweight but otherwise healthy adults who use commercial weight-loss programs. Systematic search of 3 databases identified 11 randomized controlled trials and 14 observational studies of commercial meal-replacement, calorie-counting, or pre-packaged meal programs which met inclusion criteria. In meta-analysis using intention-to-treat data, 57 percent of individuals who commenced a commercial weight program lost less than 5 percent of their initial body weight. One in two (49%) studies reported attrition ≥30 percent. A second meta-analysis found that 37 percent of program completers lost less than 5 percent of initial body weight. We conclude that commercial weight-loss programs frequently fail to produce modest but clinically meaningful weight loss with high rates of attrition suggesting that many consumers find dietary changes required by these programs unsustainable.