American Journal of Health Promotion

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which participation in a weight training intervention was associated with changes in the emotional well-being and body image of females compared to non-weight trainers. An ancillary objective was to study the extent to which psychological, physical, and demographic factors accounted for changes in emotional well-being and body image.

The experimental group consisted of 60 females, and a comparison group was comprised of 92 females. Experimental subjects participated in a 15-week, two-day-per-week weight training intervention, while subjects in the comparison group did not participate in any weight training activities. Subjects were pre- and posttested on the General Well-Being Schedule and the Body Cathexis Scale. Experimental subjects were also tested in muscular strength and three skinfold measurements.

With pretest scores controlled, the weight trainers had significantly higher General Well-Being and Body Cathexis posttest scores than the comparison group. Weight trainers also showed significant increases in muscular strength, and significant decreases in skinfold thickness. Four variables predicted 38.8% of the variance of those who improved most in General Well-Being: lower pretest General Well-Being, lower parental income, greater loss of body weight, and lower posttest skinfold. Five variables predicted 61.5% of the variance of those women who improved most in Body Cathexis: lower pretest Body Cathexis, greater body weight at the outset, shorter in height, less involvement in non-weight training exercise, and lower posttest skinfold.

Cause-and-effect conclusions are not warranted given the use of intact groups, and the long-term effect of weight training on the emotional well-being of women was not discernible given the 15-week length of this study.

This critical review presents an overview of the development in the field of mind-body medicine over the last 10 years and has taken tentative steps toward suggesting the components of a new model of health based on psychoneuroimmunology. While documenting the major shortcomings of present research design, methodology, data analysis, and subsequent hypotheses, this article points out areas of sufficient promise for practical and responsible clinical applications of the research.

A thorough review of the clinical and experimental medical literature related to the interaction between mind and body is presented, and the new and complex research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology is analyzed.

Despite the mixed and sometimes conflicting findings in current research, there is an increasingly compelling body of scientific evidence indicating that mind-body interactions are at the root of both health and disease. Research demonstrates that psychological factors seem to play a causal role in the onset and course of many chronic disorders and that psychological, emotional, psychosocial, and behavioral interventions have at least as much proof of effectiveness as many purely medical treatments.

There is a substantial growing body of scientific and clinical knowledge which demonstrates an inextricable interaction between mind and body. Such an approach empowers individuals and organizations to assume greater responsibility for health as a basis for the development of a true health care system.

Despite a long history of work organizations supplying health-oriented written materials to employees, little was known about the underlying factors contributing to their use. Earlier findings suggested that demographics might play a role in this process. Therefore, this research attempted to define user profiles of four basic written materials commonly found in worksite programs; medical self-care guide, newsletter, health risk appraisal (HRA), and HRA individual report.

The results of a post-program questionnaire were collected from 10 work organizations using a commercial health promotion program (N >= 5,167; 29.8%). After defining a user for each piece, chi-square and logistic regression determined proportional differences between users and nonusers by selected demographics.

After controlling for variable interactions, the most likely user of the medical self-care guide was a non-white, lower educated female over age 40; the newsletter, a female over age 40; the HRA, a higher job rated female, and the HRA report, a female over age 40.

Written materials may have a different use pattern than other program offerings, or different than what might have been suspected intuitively. Other than female gender, most demographic variables either offered insignificant or unexpected contributions to prediction models. These results suggest that written materials may have a wider appeal than previously recognized.

Health promotion programs are increasingly important components of health care in an era of predominantly chronic illness preceded by identified health risk behaviors. We report a large and relatively long experience with a low-cost intervention delivered through the mail and using sequential time-oriented risk appraisal and personalized recommendations, each six months, together with self-management materials.

We performed a prospective, longitudinal, observational study of 103,937 consecutive program participants observed for at least six months and up to 30 months. The primary study endpoint is overall health risk score, with secondary analysis of individual risk behaviors. A concurrent comparison group utilizes the initial scores of new participants by calendar time over the study period.

Strong overall positive effects were observed, with improvement in computed health risk scores over 18 months of 14.7% (p < .0001) in those 65 and over and 18.4% (p < .0001) in those under 65. At 30 months, improvement was 18.8% (p < .0001) and 25.7% (p < .0001), respectively. There was improvement in self-report scores for all targeted health risk behaviors, except for pounds over ideal weight, including smoking; dietary fat, salt, and fiber; alcohol; exercise; cholesterol; and reported stress. There was progressive improvement approximating 5% each six-month period. Results were consistent across age groups 16–35, 36–50, 51–65, and over 65 and over different educational level. Results could not be accounted for by sequential changes in initial health habits of participants over time.

Low-cost health promotion programs may be practically applied to large populations with positive effects which continue to improve with time in program. Changes in senior populations are as great as in younger persons. Effects in those in lower socioeconomic classes appear as great as those in higher classes.