Associations between health-related quality of life and health behaviors in Australian nursing students

Mediating effect of respiratory symptoms on the association between residential distance and the quality of life among residents living near waste incineration plants in Dongguan, Southern China

BACKGROUND

Living near waste incineration plants (WIPs) may have adverse effects on health associated with quality of life (QOL) among local residents. This study was undertaken to measure the QOL of residents living near WIPs in China, identify the association between residential distance from the WIPs and QOL, and assess the mediating effect of respiratory symptoms on the association between residential distance and QOL.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in communities surrounding three municipal WIPs in Dongguan, China. The QOL using the WHOQOL-BREF and respiratory symptoms using the Medical Research Council Questionnaire (MRCQ) on Respiratory Symptoms were measured in 881 residents (454 living 3 km of their local WIP vs. 427 living 3-8 km from the WIP). Differences in respiratory symptoms and QOL in two separate items and four domains were analyzed. The associations of distance with respiratory symptoms and QOL were evaluated by multiple linear regression and logistic regression, respectively. Mediating effect of respiratory symptoms on the association between distance and QOL were tested using mediation analysis.

RESULTS

Compared with the 3-8 km group, residents in the 0-3 km group had significantly lower scores in the physical health domain (β= - 2.02, p = 0.027), social relationships domain (β= - 2.47, p = 0.016) and environment domain (β= - 3.55, p < 0.001). There were no significant associations between distance and psychological domain, overall QOL, and satisfaction with health after adjusting for other variables. Residents in the 0-3 km group were more likely to report respiratory symptoms than residents in the 3-8 km group (OR = 1.46, 95%CI 1.09-1.96, p = 0.011). Respiratory symptoms had a significant effect on physical health (β= - 7.48, p < 0.001), social relationships (β= - 5.02, p < 0.001) and environment domains (β= - 7.28, p < 0.001). Respiratory symptoms fully mediated the association of residential distance on physical health (31.7%), and partially mediated the associations of residential distance on social relationships (18.8%) and environment domains (17.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

Residential distance from a WIP was significantly associated with QOL, and the association between residential distance and QOL was mediated by respiratory symptoms. Future longitudinal studies on adverse respiratory health effects of exposure to WIP emissions are required using objective assessments.

Do nutritional habits and supplement use affect health-related quality of life during social isolation period in the community of North Cyprus?

The aim of study was to comprehensively investigate the effect of nutritional habits and supplement use on health-related quality of life during social isolation period. This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 418 participants (73.4% were women and 26.6% were men) participated in this study. Participants' demographic information, nutritional habits, and quality of life were questioned, and anthropometric measurements were obtained. A significant difference was found in the main meal skipping status of individuals by age group. The consumption of milk, yoghurt, ayran, legumes, cereal products other than bread, vegetables, fruits, oilseeds, and snack foods was similar in both periods. Furthermore, frequencies of multivitamins, multiminerals, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, calcium, omega-3, and probiotics were similar during and before the pandemic. A significant difference was found in scores obtained on the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) by age group. There was a significant difference in the quality of life scores by body mass index (BMI) groups. It was concluded that quality of life decreased due to the increase in body weight during pandemic period. The social isolation period did not make a clear difference in the nutritional habits of individuals and the use of nutritional supplements. When the main meal skipping situations were evaluated within the scope of nutritional habits, those who did not skip their main meal received the highest score on the QOLS.

Health-related behaviors and symptoms of anxiety and depression in Spanish nursing students: an observational study

Background

Symptoms of anxiety and depression are prevalent among young adults and are a significant public health issue. College students are at a higher risk of experiencing poor mental health than other young people due to several factors, including moving away from home, financial pressures, heavy workload, poor time management skills, competitivity, new processes of socialization and insufficient coping mechanisms, among others. In addition, nursing students' mental and physical health may also be affected by unhealthy lifestyle habits and health-related behaviors.

Aim

To determine the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety, and the association between these symptoms and health-related behaviors, in a population of Spanish student nurses.

Methods

Cross-sectional study on a sample of 339 nursing students. We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short form, the Spanish Healthy Eating Index and an "ad hoc" questionnaire for sociodemographic variables. The association between psychological symptoms and health-related behaviors was analyzed through binary logistic regression models.

Results

The prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety was 3.8% and 24.5%, respectively. Negative health-related behaviors were frequent, namely tobacco and alcohol consumption, suboptimal physical activity and diet. Moderate physical activity was associated with a lower probability of experiencing depressive symptoms. Symptoms of anxiety were related to a low level of physical activity, an unhealthy diet and alcohol consumption ≥2 times a week.

Conclusion

Student nurses could benefit from the implementation of both physical and mental health promotion initiatives.

Determination of Quality of Life and Related Factors in Overweight Women Living in Rural Areas

Background

Obesity is more common among women living in rural areas of Türkiye and being overweight affects the quality of life of women.

Aim

Through this study, we aimed to determine the quality of life and related factors of overweight women living in rural areas.

Materials and Methods

This is a descriptive correlational study. The data were collected using the Personal Information Form and the Scale of Quality-of-Life Overweight Women (SMQLOW) between April and June 2020. The study sample comprised women with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 and above.

Results

The study included 201 women, 41.8% of the participants were in the 36-51 age group and 50.2% had a BMI between 30 and 49.2 (obese). It was determined that the quality of life of women was at a moderate level. The difference between the total SMQLOW score with respect to age, educational status, economic status, occupation of the spouse, general health status, and BMI were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). We examined the correlation of some variables with the total scale score of overweight women. A significant positive and weak correlation was found between weight and the SMQLOW total score (r = 0.390, P = 0.001). There was a positively weak and highly significant, correlation between waist circumference and SMQLOW total score (r = 0.277, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Preventing obesity may improve the quality of life among rural women in the study Population.

Health-related quality of life in Chinese medical staff: a latent profile analysis

Objective

To investigate subgroups of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the Chinese medical staff and identify the demographic factors associated with these profiles.

Methods

574 Chinese medical staff were surveyed online. HRQoL was measured by using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Version 2. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify the profiles of HRQoL. The associations between HRQoL profiles and covariates were assessed using multinomial logistic regression.

Results

Three HRQoL profiles were developed: low HRQoL at 15.6%, moderate HRQoL at 46.9%, and high HRQoL at 37.6%. Multinomial logistic regression showed night shift times, aerobic exercise conditioning, and personality type significantly predicted the profile membership.

Conclusion

Our findings develop earlier approaches that only used total scores to evaluate this group's HRQoL and help them with tailored interventions to promote better HRQoL.