Reinhard Fuchs

Patterns of physical activity among German adolescents: The Berlin—Bremen study☆

Patterns of leisure-time physical activity among 932 West German boys and girls from two distinct socioeconomic groups were examined longitudinally over a 2-year period beginning with seventh to eighth grade students. Activity indices reflect the weekly time spent in activities, the weekly frequency of participation, and the average duration per activity episode. The indices refer to all activities, to moderate or vigorous activities, or to each individual activity. The average seventh to eighth grade student spent 10.1 hr/week engaged in all of the activities measured. Overall, the time devoted to these activities declined by 10% during the 2-year study period, with the relative decrease being larger for vigorous than for moderate activities. The decline in time spent in vigorous activity was due to a decreased frequency of participation; whereas the decline in moderate activity was primarily attributable to the decreased average duration per episode. Boys spent about 3 hr/week more in all activities than girls, with the difference largely being due to the boys greater participation in vigorous activities. Weekly activity time among girls did not vary substantially with socioeconomic status. However, compared with boys of higher socioeconomic status, boys in the lower socioeconomic grouping were 2-3 hr/wk more active because they devoted more time to moderate activities. The results indicate that the identified activity patterns in the population strongly depend on the activity dimensions on which the measure focuses.

Adolescent smoking from a functional perspective: The Berlin-Bremen Study.

Longitudinal data from the «Berlin-Bremen Study on Health Behavior» are used to investigate smoking transitions between different stages of smoking. 1357 seventh and eighth graders were asked about their smoking behavior, their expectations with regard to smoking, smoking in their environment, and their self-image in Fall, 1983. 86% and 81% participated again one and two years later, respectively. Analyses of carbon monoxide and serum thiocyanate levels revealed adequate validity for self-reported smoking behavior. Rates of smoking were dramatically different for different educational strata. Direct and indirect functions of smoking are distinguished. The «indirect» function refers to smoking as a means of obtaining access to peer groups, thus increasing one’s psychological well-being. Direct functions refer to social and affective effects of smoking such as looking older or calming down. In line with expectations, indirect functions were found to be more important for younger adolescents and for smoking onset. In contrast, direct functions were better predictors of the smoking behavior of older adolescents and of the transition to regular smoking.RésuméUne étude longitudinale, la «Berlin-Bremen Study on Health Behavior» a permis d’analyser les transitions entre différents stades de l’usage du tabac. 1357 élèves de septième et huitième degrés ont été questionnés, à l’automne 1983, sur leurs attentes et habitudes relatives au tabac, les habitudes de leur environnement et leur image de soi. 86% d’entre-eux ont pu être suivis pendant un an et 81% pendant deux ans. Des analyses du monoxide de carbone et du thiocyanate sérique ont permis de conclure à une bonne validité de leurs déclarations. La fréquence d’usage du tabac s’est avérée très différente selon les types de scolarité, liés eux-mêmes à l’appartenance socio-familiale des élèves. L’usage du tabac s’est avéré par ailleurs avoir deux types de fonctions: directes et indirectes. Le fait de fumer a des «fonctions indirectes» d’intégration dans les groupes de pairs et d’accroissement du sentiment de bien- être qui en découle. Les «fonctions directes» sont d’ordre social et affectif: paraître plus âgé et se tranquilliser. L’analyse des attentes concernant le tabac a montré que les fonctions indirectes sont plus importantes pour les adolescents les plus jeunes et ceux qui commencent à fumer. A l’inverse, les fonctions directes sont plutôt celles recherchées par les fumeurs adolescents plus âgés et ceux qui commencent à fumer régulièrement.

Physical exercise and anxiety as moderators of the stress-illness relationship

Abstract This study examines the interplay of unemployment stress, trait anxiety and physical exercise in the development of physical health. Longitudinal data were taken from a sample of East German migrants (N = 330) who were confronted with the potentially stressful demand of finding a job in the Western society. Unemployment stress was found to exert a main effect on illness level. Trait anxiety was a moderator of the stress-illness relationship, but exercise was not. As indicated by a three-way interaction involving exercise, anxiety, and stress, exercise was most beneficial among high-anxious subjects who were not exposed to unemployment stress. Results of this study suggest that exercise may not buffer the deleterious effects of stressful situational conditions (unemployment), but may effectively mitigate the health-damaging consequences of lacking personal resources, such as high dispositional anxiety.

Stress and stress management at the workplace

Abstract Jobs provide an abundance of opportunities to experience personal satisfaction, growth and social acceptance. However, jobs also represent a common source of stress and can put a great deal of strain on our daily life. Stress can be caused by taxing demands at the workplace or by unfavorable conditions that accompany these challenges. On the other hand, the mere existence of a job can be considered a valuable resource, and the threat of losing it could be the most significant stressor. Challenge, threat, harm and loss are cognitive appraisals that are not only determined by the nature of aversive events or demands, but also by the available resources that can more or less protect the individual from stress or from its consequences. Coping competence and social support are seen as major resources that may buffer the experience of strain and help to readjust after the regular life course has been shattered. Longitudinal research is needed to identify the crucial variables that moderate or mediate b...

The role of family history of disease and personal morbidity in eating behavior

Abstract This study investigates the role of perceived personal morbidity and perceived family history of disease as possible determinants of eating habits. Two parallel models were examined: Model A focused on the effects of personal hypercholesterolemia and family history of heart disease on fat/cholesterol consumption; Model B focused on the effects of personal hypertension and family history of hypertension on salt intake. Using cross-sectional data, each model was tested in two age groups: 18-50 years (n ≉ 2400) and > 50 years (n ≉ 1500). In both models and in both age groups, analyses of covariance revealed a significant main effect of perceived personal morbidity (hypercholesterolemia, hypertension), but a nonsignificant main effect of perceived family history of disease (heart disease, hypertension). In both models, however, a significant interaction between family history and personal morbidity was noted among persons 18-50 years of age. Overall, the results suggest that perceived personal morbid...

Selbstwirksamkeit zu gesunder Ernährung: Erprobung eines Meßinstruments an Patienten mit Fettstoffwechselstörungen

ZusammenfassungDie Umstellung auf eine gesündere Ernährung erfordert einige psychologische Voraussetzungen. Eine wichtige Voraussetzung liegt in der subjektiven Überzeugung, die intendierte Verhaltensänderung auch wirklich ausführen zu können. Eine Skala zur Erfassung dieser spezifischen ernährungsbezogenen Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung wurde 144 Patienten vorgelegt, die wegen einer Fettstoffwechselstörung zu einer Ernährungsberatung überwiesen worden waren. Die psychometrischen Eigenschaften der Skala erwiesen sich als gut. Darüber hinaus gab es weitere Hinweise zur Validität, die durch ein Strukturmodell gewonnen wurden. Das Ernährungsverhalten zum zweiten Meßzeitpunkt ließ sich durch die Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung und die Verhaltensintention zum ersten Meßzeitpunkt vorhersagen, wobei der Zusammenhang zwischen den beiden Prädiktorvariablen am höchsten ausfiel. Prägnantere Befunde zeigten sich, wenn anstelle der abhängigen Variablen „Qualität des Ernährungsverhaltens” der Konsum einzelner Lebensmittel wie z.B. Schokolade oder Eier gewählt wurden.AbstractAdopting a healthier nutrition behavior can be facilitated by some psychological requirements. One requirement is the optimistic self-belief to be capable to execute such a behavior in spite of barriers. A psychometric scale that was designed to assess nutrition-specific perceived self-efficacy was given to 144 patients who were referred to nutrition counseling because of metabolic problems. The psychometric properties of the scale were found to be satisfactory. Moreover, there was evidence of validity on the basis of a structural model. Nutrition at the second point of measurement was predicted by self-efficacy and behavioral intention at the first point in time. The latter two variables intercorrelated more closely. More convincing results were found when specific foods, such as eggs or chocolate, were chosen as dependent variables, instead of the overall quality of nutrition.