Carlene Wilson

Obesity-related behaviors in adolescent friendship networks

This study examines obesity-related behaviors within adolescent friendship networks, because adolescent peers have been identified as being important determinants of many health behaviors. We applied ERGM selection models for single network observations to determine if close adolescent friends engage in similar behaviors and to explore associations between behavior and popularity. Same-sex friends were found to be similar on measures of organized physical activity in two out of three school-based friendship networks. Female friends were found to engage in similar screen-based behaviors, and male friends tended to be similar in their consumption of high-calorie foods. Popularity (receiving ties) was also associated with some behaviors, although these effects were gender specific and differed across networks.

Long-term effects of a very low-carbohydrate diet and a low-fat diet on mood and cognitive function

BACKGROUND Very low-carbohydrate (LC) diets are often used to promote weight loss, but the long-term effects on psychological function remain unknown. METHODS A total of 106 overweight and obese participants (mean [SE] age, 50.0 [0.8] years; mean [SE] body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 33.7 [0.4]) were randomly assigned either to an energy-restricted (approximately 1433-1672 kcal [to convert to kilojoules, multiply by 4.186]), planned isocaloric, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LC) diet or to a high-carbohydrate, low-fat (LF) diet for 1 year. Changes in body weight, psychological mood and well-being (Profile of Mood States, Beck Depression Inventory, and Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory scores), and cognitive functioning (working memory and speed of processing) were assessed. RESULTS By 1 year, the overall mean (SE) weight loss was 13.7 (1.8) kg, with no significant difference between groups (P = .26). Over the course of the study, there were significant time x diet interactions for Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Profile of Mood States scores for total mood disturbance, anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment, and depression-dejection (P < .05) as a result of greater improvements in these psychological mood states for the LF diet compared with the LC diet. Working memory improved by 1 year (P < .001 for time), but speed of processing remained largely unchanged, with no effect of diet composition on either cognitive domain. CONCLUSIONS Over 1 year, there was a favorable effect of an energy-restricted LF diet compared with an isocaloric LC diet on mood state and affect in overweight and obese individuals. Both diets had similar effects on working memory and speed of processing. Trial Registration anzctr.org.au Identifier: 12606000203550.

Improving nutrition and physical activity in the workplace: a meta-analysis of intervention studies

A comprehensive search of the literature for studies examining physical activity or nutrition interventions in the workplace, published between 1999 and March 2009, was conducted. This search identified 29 relevant studies. Interventions were grouped according to the theoretical framework on which the interventions were based (e.g. education, cognitive-behavioural, motivation enhancement, social influence, exercise). Weighted Cohens d effect sizes, percentage overlap statistics, confidence intervals and fail safe Ns were calculated. Most theoretical approaches were associated with small effects. However, large effects were found for some measures of interventions using motivation enhancement. Effect sizes were larger for studies focusing on one health behaviour and for randomized controlled trials. The workplace is a suitable environment for making modest changes in the physical activity, nutrition and health of employees. Further research is necessary to determine whether these changes can be maintained in the long term.

A meta-analysis of the effects of chemotherapy on cognition in patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess whether chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment is consistently observed in cancer patients and to identify the areas of cognition affected. METHODS The meta-analysis included 13 studies and examined the effects of chemotherapy on seven different cognitive domains, across five cancer types. It was the intention of this meta-analysis to stringently exclude many studies, allowing for examination of cognition in carefully selected studies of chemotherapy recipients who do not have current mood or anxiety diagnoses (or psychiatric or substance abuse histories), without brain cancer and who have not had radiotherapy or hormone treatment. A moderator analysis examined whether patient age, treatment duration and time since treatment end significantly contributed to chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment. RESULTS Evidence for the presence of cognitive impairment following cancer treatment was established for executive function and memory. No relationship was found between cognitive impairment and time since treatment cessation but a significant negative relationship was found for treatment duration. Age had no impact on treatment-related cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS Future research must be conducted on chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment in cancer types such as lymphoma and leukaemia, which have received a moderate amount of attention and colorectal cancer, which has received little attention. This would enable us to determine the extent to which chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment is a universal phenomenon associated with the cancer experience and its treatment regardless of cancer type.

The Incidence of Criminal Victimisation of Individuals With an Intellectual Disability

The extent of criminal victimisation of individuals with an intellectual disability was compared to the nondisabled population. The results indicated significantly higher levels of victimisation in regard to both personal and property offences. Victimisation rates varied between organisations that provided services to individuals with different levels of disability. The mildly-moderately disabled clients of one organisation were particularly susceptible to both personal and property crimes. The organisation dealing with the more severely disabled cohort was faced with very high personal victimisation rates, but relatively low property victimisation rates. In addition, risk of victimisation varied with residential situation, the greatest risk experienced when living alone or with other disabled individuals. Examination of the extent of crime reporting indicated that while police were likely to become aware of the crime, it was unlikely to be the disabled victim who did the reporting.

An advance notification letter increases participation in colorectal cancer screening.

Objectives: To determine the impact of novel invitation strategies on population participation in faecal immunochemical test (FIT)-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Setting A community screening programme in Adelaide, South Australia. Methods: In total, 2400 people aged 50–74 years were randomly allocated to one of four CRC screening invitation strategies: (a) Control: standard invitation-to-screen letter explaining risk of CRC and the concept, value and method of screening; (b) Risk: invitation with additional messages related to CRC risk; (c) Advocacy: invitation with additional messages related to advocacy for screening from previous screening programme participants and (d) Advance Notification: first, a letter introducing Control letter messages followed by the standard invitation-to-screen. Invitations included an FIT kit. Programme participation rates were determined for each strategy relative to control. Associations between participation and sociodemographic variables were explored. Results: At 12 weeks after invitation, participation was: Control: 237/600 (39.5%); Risk: 242/600 (40.3%); Advocacy: 216/600 (36.0%) and Advance Notification: 290/600 (48.3%). Participation was significantly greater than Control only in the Advance Notification group (Relative risk [RR] 1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.43). This effect was apparent as early as two weeks from date of offer; Advance Notification: 151/600 (25.2%) versus Control: 109/600 (18.2%, RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.11–1.73). Conclusions: Advance notification significantly increased screening participation. The effect may be due to a population shift in readiness to undertake screening, and is consistent with the Transtheoretical Model of behaviour change. Risk or lay advocacy strategies did not improve screening participation. Organized screening programmes should consider using advance notification letters to improve programme participation.

Is entrepreneurial competency and business success relationship contingent upon business environment?: A study of Malaysian SMEs

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effect of entrepreneurial competencies and the moderating effect of business environment on business success in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 212 Malaysian SME owner‐founders participated in this study. The structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure was used to test the proposed model.Findings – The results showed that entrepreneurial competencies were strong predictors of business success in SMEs in Malaysia. It was also found that the association between entrepreneurial competencies and business success was more strongly evident in hostile and dynamic environments than in more benign and stable environments.Research limitations/implications – Self‐report was used as the source of all data. This approach, even though criticised by some, was deemed necessary because of difficulties associated with the independent assessment of each of these variables. Nevertheless, future studies sh...

The Flynn Effect: Smarter Not Faster

Inspection time (IT) and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) scores from 75 school children aged 6–13 years in 2001 were compared with the performances of 70 children aged 6–13 years who had attended the same primary school in 1981 [J. Exp. Child Psychol. 40 (1985) 1.]. ITs for the 2001 sample were measured with the same four-field tachistoscope and identical computer-based procedures followed by Wilson in 1981. The 2001 sample completed two versions of PPVT concurrently: PPVT (1965, Form A) as used in 1981 and PPVT-III (1997, Form IIIA). Mean ITs from both samples, 20 years apart, were essentially the same (123±87 and 116±71 ms in 1981 and 2001, respectively). There was, therefore, no evidence that speed of processing had improved. Correlations between IT and raw PPVT scores were significant (P<.01) for both 1981 (r=−.43) and 2001 (r=−.31). Within the 2001 sample, concurrent PPVT scores correlated .68; however, means revealed a significant Flynn effect. Thus, scores for the 2001 cohort on the earlier PPVT were higher (M standardized IQ 118.52±16.62) than the recently restandardized PPVT-III (113.97±12.23), although, compared in terms of the most recent standardization sample, the 2001 cohort was equivalent to the 1981 sample (113.66±16.72). The Flynn effect has nothing to do with speed of processing as measured by IT, despite the effect being strongest for ability tests that earn bonus scores for quick performance. Because IT correlates with IQ but appears to be stable across 20 years, whereas IQ is not, IT may have promise as a useful biological marker for an important component of cognitive decline during old age.

Have we studied, should we study, and can we study the development of commitment? Methodological issues and the developmental study of work-related commitment

Abstract The study of developmental trajectories involves examining how and why a measure or index of behavior changes over time. Within the huge body of work devoted to different forms of work commitment, very little has directly and explicitly addressed developmental issues. Theory suggests that some forms of work commitment develop prior to actual experience of the focus of the commitment (e.g., normative commitment and work ethic). For affective and continuance commitment, however, it has been hypothesized that experience is essential. In most instances, this experience is gained after entry into the work force and, specifically, into an organization. Therefore, understanding how these types of commitment develop and highlighting the factors related to tenure that cause changes in commitment will not only fill a gap in the empirical work and strengthen commitment theory, but will help managers to optimize the commitment of their employees. This paper outlines the current understanding of changes in commitment with time and describes a research method, taken from the developmental psychology literature, that overcomes some of the problems inherent to the approaches most frequently used to imply developmental change in organizational psychology. It concludes with suggestions for future research incorporating this method.

Personal and lifestyle characteristics predictive of the consumption of fast foods in Australia.

OBJECTIVE To identify key predictors of fast-food consumption from a range of demographic, attitudinal, personality and lifestyle variables. METHODS We analysed data from a nationwide survey (n = 20 527) conducted in Australia by Nielsen Media Research. Items assessing frequency of fast-food consumption at (1) eat in and (2) take away were regressed onto 12 demographic, seven media consumption, and 23 psychological and lifestyle variables, the latter derived from factor analysis of responses to 107 attitudinal and behavioural items. RESULTS Stepwise multiple regression analyses explained 29.6% of the variance for frequency of take-away and 9.6% of the variance for frequency of eat-in consumption of fast foods. Predictors of more frequent consumption of fast food at take away (and, to a lesser extent, eat in) included lower age - especially under 45 years, relative indifference to health consequences of behaviour, greater household income, more exposure to advertising, greater receptiveness to advertising, lesser allocation of time for eating, and greater allocation of time to home entertainment. There were no effects for occupational status or education level. CONCLUSIONS The effects for age suggest that fast-food take-away consumption is associated with a general cultural shift in eating practices; individual differences in attitudinal and lifestyle characteristics constitute additional, cumulative, predictive factors. The role of advertising and the reasons for the lesser explanatory value of the eat-in models are important targets for further research.