American Journal of Health Promotion

To determine the stages of change for dietary fat and fruit and vegetable intake of cardiac patients entering a rehabilitation program.

A cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of newly admitted cardiac rehabilitation patients.

Department of Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Greensboro, North Carolina.

Subjects (n = 226) were predominantly men, Caucasian, married, smokers with 9 to 12 years of education, and with primary diagnoses of coronary artery bypass graft.

Stages of change and food frequency questionnaires were completed by subjects upon admission to cardiac rehabilitation.

Subjects in action and maintenance stages for dietary fat reduction comprised 78.7% of the population. Subjects' percentage of energy from fat decreased linearly from the precontemplation stage (38.8%) to the maintenance stage (30.9%). Eighty-one percent of subjects were in precontemplation/contemplation for increasing fruit and vegetable intake. Daily servings of fruits and vegetables ranged from 2.6 for precontemplation to 5.1 for maintenance subjects. Age, body mass index (BMI), education, and family history for coronary disease were unrelated to stage of change for the dependent variables.

Patients were in different stages of change for two nutritional behaviors linked to the same disease. Results support the need to assess patients for food behaviors and apply different educational interventions for each food behavior.

To examine the relationships between worksite interpersonal influences and smoking and quitting behavior among adolescent workers.

The cross-sectional survey assessed factors influencing tobacco use behavior.

During the fall of 1998, data were collected from 10 grocery stores in Massachusetts that were owned and managed by the same company.

Eligible participants included 474 working adolescents ages 15 to 18. Eighty-three percent of workers (n = 379) completed the survey.

The self-report questionnaire assessed social influences, social norms, social support, friendship networks, stage of smoking and quitting behavior, employment patterns, and demographic factors.

Thirty-five percent of respondents were never smokers, 21% experimental, 5% occasional, 18% regular, and 23% former smokers. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), results indicate that regular smokers were 30% more likely than experimental or occasional smokers to report coworker encouragement to quit (p = .0002). Compared with regular smokers, never smokers were 15% more likely to report greater nonacceptability of smoking (p = .01). χ² tests of association revealed no differences in friendship networks by stage of smoking.

These data provide evidence for the need to further explore social factors inside and outside the work environment that influence smoking and quitting behavior among working teens. Interpretations of the data are limited because of cross-sectional and self-report data collection methods used in one segment of the retail sector.

To determine if participation in a Wellness-Based Mindfulness Stress Reduction intervention decreases the effect of daily hassles, psychological distress, and medical symptoms.

A randomized controlled trial of a stress reduction intervention with a 3-month follow-up.

A university setting in West Virginia.

A total of 103 adults, with 59 in the intervention group and 44 in the control group. Eight-five percent of subjects completed the intervention. Fifty-nine percent and 61% of the intervention and control subjects completed the study, respectively.

The intervention consisted of an 8-week group stress reduction program in which subjects learned, practiced, and applied “mindfulness meditation” to daily life situations. The control group received educational materials and were encouraged to use community resources for stress management.

The Daily Stress Inventory assessed the effect of daily hassles, the Revised Hopkins Symptom Checklist measured psychological distress, the Medical Symptom Checklist measured number of medical symptoms, and a Follow-up Questionnaire measured program adherence.

Intervention subjects reported significant decreases from baseline in effect of daily hassles (24%), psychological distress, (44%), and medical symptoms (46%) that were maintained at the 3-month follow-up compared to control subjects (repeated measures analysis of variance [ANOVA]; p < .05).

Self-selected community residents can improve their mental and physical health by participating in a stress reduction intervention offered by a university wellness program.