What is already known on this topic? People with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are at higher-than-nor... more What is already known on this topic? People with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are at higher-than-normal risk for severe COVID-19 infection and its complications. What is added by this report? Highly educated and economically secure people with MetS reported less stress and greater food security during the pandemic but experienced more depressive symptoms, compared with a prepandemic baseline. Prepandemic vitality and mental health status contributed to psychological response among people with MetS. What are the implications for public health practice? Screening and assessing people with chronic diseases such as MetS for the psychosocial sequelae of the pandemic would benefit public health, even among people with personal, educational, and financial resources.
Background Eating Competence (EC) is associated with positive emotional, physical, and psychologi... more Background Eating Competence (EC) is associated with positive emotional, physical, and psychological features in healthy people, but the Satter EC framework (ecSatter) has not been examined in persons with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Objective Identify how ecSatter relates to socio-demographic, physical, and psychological measures in persons with MetS. Study Design, Setting, Participants Baseline biomedical measures and online survey of persons with MetS enrolled in a 2-year efficacy trial of a lifestyle intervention. Rigorous inclusion criteria addressed motivation, cognitive abilities, and comorbidity exclusion. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Patient Health Questionnaire-8, Cohen perceived stress scale, USDA 10-item Food Security Screener (FS); Satter Eating Competence Inventory (ecSI 2.0), SF-36 vitality and mental health scales, socioeconomic and demographic items. Pearson r, independent t-tests, and chi-square compared ecSI 2.0 scores and EC categories with survey findings and biom...
Humans have long been interested in relations among religion/spirituality (R/S), positive psychol... more Humans have long been interested in relations among religion/spirituality (R/S), positive psychological constructs, and physical health. Furthermore, many religions attempt to influence behavior through health-related prescriptions about food choices, sexual activity, substance use, and resting. Similarly, positive psychological constructs have been discussed in light of their presumed benefits on both mental and physical health (Ryff & Singer, 1998). However, R/S and positive psychological constructs have only recently become objects of scientific investigation of their associations with physical health.
The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) is a widely-used measure that assesses ordinary exper... more The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) is a widely-used measure that assesses ordinary experiences of connection with the transcendent in daily life. However, there are no published studies, to our knowledge, that provide a psychometric analysis of the checklist version of the DSES. This version is well-suited for use in intensive longitudinal designs, such as those using experience sampling methodologies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the checklist version of the DSES in two independent samples. Study 1 included a nationwide sample of adults (<i>N</i>=342) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and Study 2 included a sample of undergraduate students (<i>N</i>=120) from the University of Colorado Denver. The aim of Study 1 was to explore the factor structure, assess internal consistency, and evaluate the criterion-related validity of the DSES. The aim of Study 2 was to confirm the factor structure, reassess inter...
The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence regarding the acute effe... more The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence regarding the acute effects of interrupting/breaking up prolonged sedentary behavior (SB) on vascular health among individuals at elevated risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Searches of MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were conducted on April 7, 2020. Included studies: (1) examined the effect of breaking up prolonged SB in adults with or at elevated risk for T2D and (2) assessed a vascular health outcome, such as blood pressure (BP), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), pulse-wave velocity, or endothelin-1. A total of 20 articles (17 unique studies) were included. Only three studies reported adequate statistical power for the specified vascular outcome. The available evidence suggests that light and moderate intensity activity breaks are effective in acutely lowering BP when compared to prolonged sitting. The small number of studies that included FMD or other vascular outcomes prohibits con...
Purpose of Review We report on recent findings pertaining to the relationship of both negative an... more Purpose of Review We report on recent findings pertaining to the relationship of both negative and positive indicators of psychological functioning with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and briefly describe possible mechanistic pathways to account for these relationships. Recent Findings A body of observational literature suggests that (1) depression is predictive of CVD and is a consequence of CVD; (2) anxiety is related to CVD but the precise nature of this relationship remains unclear; and (3) negative affectivity and Type D personality are constructs that combine aspects of negative psychological functioning that have shown relationships with CVD and are worthy of future investigation. Positive psychological constructs of meaning/purpose and optimism predict better cardiovascular outcomes and other positive psychological constructs have received promising, but limited, attention in the literature. Summary Key remaining questions concern the magnitude and directionality of possible causal relationships as well as the mechanisms accounting for them.
Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 19
ABSTRACT There is evidence of a relation between religiosity and health. Some of the strongest su... more ABSTRACT There is evidence of a relation between religiosity and health. Some of the strongest support for this relationship is found among markers of cardiovascular functioning and related pathologies (e.g., primary hypertension). The specifi c behavioral, social, and psychophysiological mechanisms that infl uence this relationship have not been thoroughly tested in empirical studies. A general model of mechanisms through which religiosity and spirituality may infl uence health is presented followed by specifi c elu-cidation of the possible role of cardiovascular reactivity to stress as a link between religiosity and cardiovascular functioning. Preliminary supportive empirical evidence for this pathway is also pr ovided. Investigators are encouraged to use this model as a guide when conducting investigations on religion and health and to specifi cally explore how religion may infl uence psychological processes that in turn infl uence cardiovascular functioning as a response to varying stressors.
... response to an earlier version of the manuscript. Correspondence concerning this article shou... more ... response to an earlier version of the manuscript. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kevin S. Masters, Ph.D., ... published controlled trials of IP (Aviles et al., 2001; Byrd, 1988; Cha, Wirth &amp; Lobo, 2001; ...
Demonstrating health disparities related to race, age, and gender, older Black women (BW) are the... more Demonstrating health disparities related to race, age, and gender, older Black women (BW) are the most sedentary demographic group in the United States. Increasing PA in mid-life is important, as it improves health as BW age into their later years. Advancing our understanding of the exercise motives of BW triathletes presents a "reverse engineering" opportunity to identify motives that could influence sedentary mid-life BW to increase their activity. The purposes of this study were to: (a) utilize an innovative survey transformation method to adapt a measure developed primarily in Caucasian males, i.e., the Motivations of Marathoners Scale for Triathletes (MOMS-T) into a qualitative interview guide for use with BW triathletes; (b) use this interview guide to identify culturally based motives for triathlon participation among BW not previously addressed by the MOMS-T and; (c) interpret the novel motivational domains of the MOMS-T discovered, in order to gain understanding a...
The inability to produce sustainable lifestyle modifications (e.g., physical activity, healthy di... more The inability to produce sustainable lifestyle modifications (e.g., physical activity, healthy diet) remains a major barrier to reducing morbidity and mortality from prevalent, preventable conditions. The objective of this paper is to present a model that builds on and extends foundational theory and research to suggest novel approaches that may help to produce lasting behaviour change. The model aims to integrate factors not typically examined together in order to elucidate potential processes underlying a shift from behaviour initiation to long-term maintenance. The central premise of the Maintain IT model builds on approaches demonstrating that in-tact executive function (EF) is critical for health behaviour initiation, for more complex behaviours beyond initiation, and in unsupportive environments and circumstances, but successful recruitment of EF is effortful and prone to error. Enduring changes are more likely if the underlying cognitive processes can become less effortful (n...
The psychology of marathon running was studied by employing the cognitive strategies of associati... more The psychology of marathon running was studied by employing the cognitive strategies of association and dissociation (Morgan, 1978; Morgan & Pollock, 1977). Two shortcomings in the current literature were cited. These included the failure to study marathon runners in an actual race and the absence of an acceptable theory to explain the use of these strategies. In the present research, runners participating in a marathon were utilized and measures of dissociation, association, performance time, injury, and reasons for running a marathon were taken. The results indicated that motivations may have accounted for the use of cognitive strategies and that injury was not related to dissociation, as previously hypothesized. Additionally, runners overwhelmingly preferred to associate. A new theory regarding the use of these strategies was offered.
What is already known on this topic? People with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are at higher-than-nor... more What is already known on this topic? People with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are at higher-than-normal risk for severe COVID-19 infection and its complications. What is added by this report? Highly educated and economically secure people with MetS reported less stress and greater food security during the pandemic but experienced more depressive symptoms, compared with a prepandemic baseline. Prepandemic vitality and mental health status contributed to psychological response among people with MetS. What are the implications for public health practice? Screening and assessing people with chronic diseases such as MetS for the psychosocial sequelae of the pandemic would benefit public health, even among people with personal, educational, and financial resources.
Background Eating Competence (EC) is associated with positive emotional, physical, and psychologi... more Background Eating Competence (EC) is associated with positive emotional, physical, and psychological features in healthy people, but the Satter EC framework (ecSatter) has not been examined in persons with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Objective Identify how ecSatter relates to socio-demographic, physical, and psychological measures in persons with MetS. Study Design, Setting, Participants Baseline biomedical measures and online survey of persons with MetS enrolled in a 2-year efficacy trial of a lifestyle intervention. Rigorous inclusion criteria addressed motivation, cognitive abilities, and comorbidity exclusion. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Patient Health Questionnaire-8, Cohen perceived stress scale, USDA 10-item Food Security Screener (FS); Satter Eating Competence Inventory (ecSI 2.0), SF-36 vitality and mental health scales, socioeconomic and demographic items. Pearson r, independent t-tests, and chi-square compared ecSI 2.0 scores and EC categories with survey findings and biom...
Humans have long been interested in relations among religion/spirituality (R/S), positive psychol... more Humans have long been interested in relations among religion/spirituality (R/S), positive psychological constructs, and physical health. Furthermore, many religions attempt to influence behavior through health-related prescriptions about food choices, sexual activity, substance use, and resting. Similarly, positive psychological constructs have been discussed in light of their presumed benefits on both mental and physical health (Ryff & Singer, 1998). However, R/S and positive psychological constructs have only recently become objects of scientific investigation of their associations with physical health.
The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) is a widely-used measure that assesses ordinary exper... more The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) is a widely-used measure that assesses ordinary experiences of connection with the transcendent in daily life. However, there are no published studies, to our knowledge, that provide a psychometric analysis of the checklist version of the DSES. This version is well-suited for use in intensive longitudinal designs, such as those using experience sampling methodologies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the checklist version of the DSES in two independent samples. Study 1 included a nationwide sample of adults (<i>N</i>=342) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and Study 2 included a sample of undergraduate students (<i>N</i>=120) from the University of Colorado Denver. The aim of Study 1 was to explore the factor structure, assess internal consistency, and evaluate the criterion-related validity of the DSES. The aim of Study 2 was to confirm the factor structure, reassess inter...
The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence regarding the acute effe... more The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence regarding the acute effects of interrupting/breaking up prolonged sedentary behavior (SB) on vascular health among individuals at elevated risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Searches of MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were conducted on April 7, 2020. Included studies: (1) examined the effect of breaking up prolonged SB in adults with or at elevated risk for T2D and (2) assessed a vascular health outcome, such as blood pressure (BP), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), pulse-wave velocity, or endothelin-1. A total of 20 articles (17 unique studies) were included. Only three studies reported adequate statistical power for the specified vascular outcome. The available evidence suggests that light and moderate intensity activity breaks are effective in acutely lowering BP when compared to prolonged sitting. The small number of studies that included FMD or other vascular outcomes prohibits con...
Purpose of Review We report on recent findings pertaining to the relationship of both negative an... more Purpose of Review We report on recent findings pertaining to the relationship of both negative and positive indicators of psychological functioning with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and briefly describe possible mechanistic pathways to account for these relationships. Recent Findings A body of observational literature suggests that (1) depression is predictive of CVD and is a consequence of CVD; (2) anxiety is related to CVD but the precise nature of this relationship remains unclear; and (3) negative affectivity and Type D personality are constructs that combine aspects of negative psychological functioning that have shown relationships with CVD and are worthy of future investigation. Positive psychological constructs of meaning/purpose and optimism predict better cardiovascular outcomes and other positive psychological constructs have received promising, but limited, attention in the literature. Summary Key remaining questions concern the magnitude and directionality of possible causal relationships as well as the mechanisms accounting for them.
Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 19
ABSTRACT There is evidence of a relation between religiosity and health. Some of the strongest su... more ABSTRACT There is evidence of a relation between religiosity and health. Some of the strongest support for this relationship is found among markers of cardiovascular functioning and related pathologies (e.g., primary hypertension). The specifi c behavioral, social, and psychophysiological mechanisms that infl uence this relationship have not been thoroughly tested in empirical studies. A general model of mechanisms through which religiosity and spirituality may infl uence health is presented followed by specifi c elu-cidation of the possible role of cardiovascular reactivity to stress as a link between religiosity and cardiovascular functioning. Preliminary supportive empirical evidence for this pathway is also pr ovided. Investigators are encouraged to use this model as a guide when conducting investigations on religion and health and to specifi cally explore how religion may infl uence psychological processes that in turn infl uence cardiovascular functioning as a response to varying stressors.
... response to an earlier version of the manuscript. Correspondence concerning this article shou... more ... response to an earlier version of the manuscript. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kevin S. Masters, Ph.D., ... published controlled trials of IP (Aviles et al., 2001; Byrd, 1988; Cha, Wirth &amp; Lobo, 2001; ...
Demonstrating health disparities related to race, age, and gender, older Black women (BW) are the... more Demonstrating health disparities related to race, age, and gender, older Black women (BW) are the most sedentary demographic group in the United States. Increasing PA in mid-life is important, as it improves health as BW age into their later years. Advancing our understanding of the exercise motives of BW triathletes presents a "reverse engineering" opportunity to identify motives that could influence sedentary mid-life BW to increase their activity. The purposes of this study were to: (a) utilize an innovative survey transformation method to adapt a measure developed primarily in Caucasian males, i.e., the Motivations of Marathoners Scale for Triathletes (MOMS-T) into a qualitative interview guide for use with BW triathletes; (b) use this interview guide to identify culturally based motives for triathlon participation among BW not previously addressed by the MOMS-T and; (c) interpret the novel motivational domains of the MOMS-T discovered, in order to gain understanding a...
The inability to produce sustainable lifestyle modifications (e.g., physical activity, healthy di... more The inability to produce sustainable lifestyle modifications (e.g., physical activity, healthy diet) remains a major barrier to reducing morbidity and mortality from prevalent, preventable conditions. The objective of this paper is to present a model that builds on and extends foundational theory and research to suggest novel approaches that may help to produce lasting behaviour change. The model aims to integrate factors not typically examined together in order to elucidate potential processes underlying a shift from behaviour initiation to long-term maintenance. The central premise of the Maintain IT model builds on approaches demonstrating that in-tact executive function (EF) is critical for health behaviour initiation, for more complex behaviours beyond initiation, and in unsupportive environments and circumstances, but successful recruitment of EF is effortful and prone to error. Enduring changes are more likely if the underlying cognitive processes can become less effortful (n...
The psychology of marathon running was studied by employing the cognitive strategies of associati... more The psychology of marathon running was studied by employing the cognitive strategies of association and dissociation (Morgan, 1978; Morgan & Pollock, 1977). Two shortcomings in the current literature were cited. These included the failure to study marathon runners in an actual race and the absence of an acceptable theory to explain the use of these strategies. In the present research, runners participating in a marathon were utilized and measures of dissociation, association, performance time, injury, and reasons for running a marathon were taken. The results indicated that motivations may have accounted for the use of cognitive strategies and that injury was not related to dissociation, as previously hypothesized. Additionally, runners overwhelmingly preferred to associate. A new theory regarding the use of these strategies was offered.
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