Health-promoting behavior among lawyers and judges

Attitudes and Health Behavior of Lawyers in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

The aim of the study is to evaluate the differences in the behavior and attitudes of male and female lawyers regarding their lifestyles and health habits. Lawyers were randomly chosen. Data was obtained through a structured questionnaire distributed among the lawyers of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu. Lawyers are found to have unfavorable health practices related to use of tobacco and alcohol, exercise, diet, sleeping habits, and stress. This resulted in obesity, depression, and blood pressure. Many lawyers reported use of alcohol regularly, even as often as every day, and nearly half of them smoked. Many of the lawyers had poor feeding habit of skipping meals and eating snacks as breakfast. Most lawyers considered stressful situations to be unavoidable. Thus identifying individual lawyers with poor health behaviors and providing medical help are essential.

Social position, psychological stress, and obesity: a systematic review

This review presents a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between social position and obesity, focusing on stress as a contributing factor. Through a systematic review of the literature, the studies that assess associations between social position, stress levels, dietary behaviors, and obesity risk in human beings were identified. Fourteen studies were retained based upon a priori inclusion/exclusion criteria. Across studies, individuals in higher status positions tended to have lower stress levels, healthier eating patterns, and lower body weight. Higher stress was associated with less healthy dietary behaviors and with higher body weight. These patterns were more pronounced in women than in men. The nature of the stress-eating-obesity relationship is complicated, and this literature must be developed further, because its advancement may be instrumental in identifying successful stress management techniques that can be used by food and nutrition practitioners to improve nutrition-related outcomes.