Petros Kolovos

Patients’ perceptions and preferences of participation in nursing care

The aim of this study was to investigate patients’ perceptions and preferences of their participation in nursing care during hospitalisation in Greece. The sample consisted of medical and surgical patients (n = 300). A questionnaire was developed to measure patients’ perception of participation, including an open question and the control preference scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for quantitative data analysis and content analysis for qualitative data. Participation was described as ‘information receiving and responsibility’ and ‘ability to influence’. One-third of the respondents preferred a collaborative role with the nurses, while 77.2% rationalised patient participation with the themes ‘strengthening patient’s role’, ‘improve hospitalisation’ and ‘collaborative relationship’. The meaning of participation seems to support shared information, patient responsibility and motivation during nursing care. Patients were aware of the positive effects of their involvement in care and were willing to assume, at least to some extent, an active role in their own care. Changes in nursing care organisation, nurses’ communication skills and additional educational strategies need to be developed and implemented in clinical practice to optimise patient participation.

The Effect of Nutrition and Sleep Habits on Predisposition for Metabolic Syndrome in Greek Children

Purpose: To investigate the effect of lifestyle habits in childhood Metabolic Syndrome (MTS). Design and Methods: Descriptive correlation study with 480 participants (5–12years old) using a specially designed questionnaire was conducted. Anthropometric and biochemical analyses were performed. Results: Fifteen percent of children exhibited predisposition for MTS. Regarding sleep habits, logistic regression analysis (LRA) showed that hour of sleep ‐before 22:00‐ was associated with decreased waist circumference (WC%) (p=.026). Midday siesta was negatively correlated with systolic (SBP) (p=.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (p=.046). In children without MTS, lack of sleep and night time sleep was positively correlated with DBP (p=.044) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) (p=.005). Regarding nutrition habits, fast food consumption was positively correlated with SBP (p=.006) and meat consumption was positively correlated with both Body Mass Index% (BMI%) (p=.038) and WC% (p=.023). LRA showed that fruit (p=.001) and legume (p=.040) consumption was associated with decreased FBG; fish consumption with decreased Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (p=.031), vegetable (p=.054) and cereal consumption (p=.012) with decreased DBP. In children with MTS, fruits were associated with increased FBG (p=.034). In children without MTS, meat consumption was associated with increased LDL (p=.024), cereal with increased WC% (p=.002) and olive products with increased High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and BMI% (p=.037). Conclusions: The adoption of both balanced diet and sleep habits seemed to be crucial for the prevention of MTS. Practice Implications: Clinical health nurses could develop and implement preventive intervention programs in order to avoid metabolic complications in adulthood. HIGHLIGHTSThe prevalence of predisposition for metabolic syndrome is significantly high for children of the studied population.The adoption of balanced diet, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, could be beneficial for childrens metabolism.Balanced sleep habits are equally important for childrens metabolism.Beneficial lifestyle habits could be more effective for children without predisposition for metabolic syndrome.

Sport Participation and Ageing: Evidence from Marathon Events

The purpose of this research is to study expectations regarding ageing (ERA) among individuals who participate in running events as well as to explore personality and demographic features as potential variables that influence ERA values. A quantitative questionnaire was selected as the predominant means of collecting the data and 196 successfully completed questionnaires were analyzed by means of the SPSS. Results indicate a positive correlation between ERA values and Change Seeker Index in our sample. Moreover gender and frequency of exercise found to have no significant effect on ERA score. Finally, ERA was examined among three generational cohorts and differences were noticed to physical subscale.