Alison Scott

Obesity in sub-Saharan Africa: development of an ecological theoretical framework

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). There is a need for theoretical frameworks to catalyze further research and to inform the development of multi-level, context-appropriate interventions. In this commentary, we propose a preliminary ecological theoretical framework to conceptualize factors that contribute to increases in overweight and obesity in SSA. The framework is based on a Causality Continuum model [Coreil et al. Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks] that considers distant, intermediate and proximate influences. The influences incorporated in the model include globalization and urbanization as distant factors; occupation, social relationships, built environment and cultural perceptions of weight as intermediate factors and caloric intake, physical inactivity and genetics as proximate factors. The model illustrates the interaction of factors along a continuum, from the individual to the global marketplace, in shaping trends in overweight and obesity in SSA. The framework will be presented, each influence elucidated and implications for research and intervention development discussed. There is a tremendous need for further research on obesity in SSA. An improved evidence base will serve to validate and develop the proposed framework further.

What Do Older Adults Seek in Their Potential Romantic Partners? Evidence from Online Personal Ads

Because of the dearth of available partners, older women looking to date may have to relax their dating standards to find a dating partner, perhaps accepting a life situation that is not what they had hoped for. However older women may be reluctant to sacrifice an often recently-gained lifestyle free of caregiving obligations. Older men, on the other hand, have a large pool of potential dating partners and do not face the same dilemma. We compared Internet dating profiles for 100 older adults and 100 younger adults, and found that older adults (and especially older women) were more selective than younger adults when it came to the age, race, religion, income, and height of a prospective dating partner. However, older adults were willing to travel substantially farther than younger adults to meet the right partner. These findings paint a clear picture of older Internet daters as eager to meet the right person, but not desperate to meet just anyone.

HIV and housing assistance in four U.S. cities: variations in local experience.

This paper provides an account of how young, HIV-positive women manage their lives on limited budgets in four United States cities: New York City, New Orleans, Miami, and Chicago. The study findings elucidate city-to-city variability in housing assistance, and how this manifests in locality specific differences in the experience of HIV. Our research suggests that the receipt of housing assistance has ramifications for women’s engagement in care, and for their health. Women not receiving aid often move frequently in and out of homelessness, or “double up” with others in complex household arrangements to share costs. Women with long-term housing assistance, while still struggling financially, possess a stable base from which to approach daily life and HIV care. This account suggests a need for empirical research assessing the impact of local variations in housing assistance on specific health outcomes for those with HIV. It also highlights the importance of understanding local contexts when designing housing interventions at both the individual and structural levels.

A case study of the design and evaluation of a persuasive healthy lifestyle assistance technology: challenges and design guidelines

Technology can be used as an intervention of unhealthy lifestyles, but designing such a technology is challenging - usability as well as the ability of changing the users behavior needs to be considered. The design and evaluation process of a future generation persuasive healthy lifestyle assistance technology which involves physiology, environment monitoring, and automation was studied in this paper.Several challenges were identified and design guidelines were developed for designing such a technology which is used as an intervention of the users unhealthy lifestyle.

Experiences of Students in Recovery on a Rural College Campus: Social Identity and Stigma

A growing number of college (postsecondary) students are in recovery from addiction to drugs or alcohol. In this article, we discuss the experiences of students returning to a university campus after long-term addiction treatment. We also explore the role of a Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) in providing support, and in helping the students develop post-addiction identities that will sustain them. To do so, we draw on Goffman’s ideas related to stigma, as well as conceptualizations of identity reconstruction as a practiced, lived experience. Students interviewed faced a double bind; they sought to escape the stigmatized identity of “addict,” but could not identify as typical students because of their abstinence from alcohol and drugs. The CRP helped them manage the transition to student life, provided a safe haven on campus, and provided an alternate and positive identity: a student in recovery.

The Southeast Telehealth Network: using technology to overcome the barriers to rural public health practice.

Georgia’s Southeast Public Health District (SEPHD), like many rural public health districts, is struggling to cope with drastic cuts in funding and staff. Furthermore, like many rural public health districts, the SEPHD covers a vast geographic area. Effective communication and administration are ongoing challenges. A staff meeting or training may require practitioners to drive hundreds of miles. Besides being inefficient, this is unsustainable and environmentally unsound. In response to these challenges, the SEPHD has implemented a program that harnesses telehealth technology to connect SEPHD health departments and has been able to eliminate most administrative travel. To our knowledge, this is the first evaluated use of telehealth technology for this purpose. An evaluation showed that, each month, telehealth saves the SEPHD roughly

Willingness to Date across Race: Differences among Gay and Heterosexual Men and Women

31 500 in mileage reimbursements and salary, SEPHD staff spends 650 fewer hours on the road, and 35 000 miles of driving are avoided.

Mindful Eating and Its Relationship to Body Mass Index and Physical Activity Among University Students

Willingness to date members of other races was examined among 200 men with same-sex dating preference (n = 100) and opposite-sex dating preference (n = 100), and 200 women with same-sex dating preference (n = 100) and opposite-sex dating preference (n = 100) who were randomly selected from an Internet dating web site. Overall, results indicated a greater willingness among gay participants than heterosexual participants to date people of other races. A 2 (Sex) × 2 (Sexual Orientation) analysis of variance showed an interaction, with lesbian women more willing to date other races than gay men, while among heterosexual participants men were more willing than women to date other races. The role of mate selection theory, and the importance of the status afforded various races in U.S. society, were applied to interpret peoples willingness to date other races.