An exploratory study of health behaviors and the risks for triple H (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia) in young adults with disabilities between 20 and 39 years of age

Effects of Different Bud Thinning Methods on Nutritional Quality and Antioxidant Activities of Fruiting Bodies of Pleurotus eryngii

The cultivation of Pleurotus eryngii was studied by different methods, such as puncturing and fixed-point mushroom production, shading treatment at the top of the bag, and pulling the top of the bag. The agronomic characters, yield, nutritional components, and antioxidant activities in vitro of fruiting bodies of P. eryngii were determined. The results showed that the number of buds in the perforated treatment was less than that in the production method of traditional fruiting bodies to a certain extent. When a circular hole with a diameter of 1.5 cm was drilled in the perforated treatment, the number of buds was 5, which was less than that in the control group. The efficiency of artificial removal of buds was significantly higher than that of the control group, but the harvesting date was longer than that of other methods. The number of buds in shading treatment and bag opening treatment was significantly less than that in the control group, which could effectively control the number of buds and reduce the cost of manpower and material resources. In terms of nutritional components, the A3 treatment group with a hole diameter of 1.0 cm and a quantity of one had the highest crude protein content of 151.34 g, and a significant difference was observed in crude fiber content compared with other treatments. The extraction rate of B5 crude polysaccharide was the highest, and the extraction rate was 12.90%. The antioxidant activities in vitro increased with the increase of crude polysaccharide concentration. Using A3 treatment to cultivate fruiting bodies is conducive to meeting people's requirements for improving quality of life.

Physical self-concept and body dissatisfaction among Special Olympics athletes: A comparison between sex, weight status, and culture

BACKGROUND

Little research has looked at the associations between sex, weight status and culture, and the physical self-perceptions and body dissatisfaction of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) involved in Special Olympics (SO) sports.

AIMS

To examine sex- (male vs female), weight status- (non-overweight/obese vs. overweight/obese), and culture-based (North American vs. Asian) differences in physical self-concept and body dissatisfaction among SO athletes.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

A total of 139 SO athletes (aged 12-30 years) with ID participated in this study and completed measures of physical self-perceptions and body dissatisfaction. Differences according to sex, weight status, culture, and their interactions were examined.

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS

Males SO athletes presented higher levels of self-perceived physical strength and ideal body shape than females. Additionally, non-overweight/obese SO athletes presented higher levels of self-perceived physical appearance and physical condition than their overweight/obese counterparts, as well as lower actual body shape perceptions and body dissatisfaction. Moreover, North-American SO athletes presented higher levels of self-perceived physical appearance and sport competence than their Asians counterparts, as well as lower actual body shapes perceptions and body dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

This study reveals substantial sex-, weight status-, and culture-based differences in the physical self-concept and body dissatisfaction of SO athletes.

Screening for glucose intolerance and development of a lifestyle education programme for prevention of type 2 diabetes in a population with intellectual disabilities: the STOP Diabetes research project

Background

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is believed to be higher among people with intellectual disability (ID) than in the general population. However, research on prevalence and prevention in this population is limited.

Objectives

The objectives of this programme of work were to establish a programme of research that would significantly enhance the knowledge and understanding of impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and T2DM in people with ID; to test strategies for the early identification of IGR and T2DM in people with ID; and to develop a lifestyle education programme and educator training protocol to promote behaviour change in a population with ID and IGR (or at a high risk of T2DM/CVD).

Setting

Leicestershire, UK.

Participants

Adults with ID were recruited from community settings, including residential homes and family homes. Adults with mild to moderate ID who had an elevated body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 25 kg/m2and/or IGR were invited to take part in the education programme.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome of the screening programme was the prevalence of screen-detected T2DM and IGR. The uptake, feasibility and acceptability of the intervention were assessed.

Data sources

Participants were recruited from general practices, specialist ID services and clinics, and through direct contact.

Results

A total of 930 people with ID were recruited to the screening programme: 58% were male, 80% were white and 68% were overweight or obese. The mean age of participants was 43.3 years (standard deviation 14.2 years). Bloods were obtained for 675 participants (73%). The prevalence of previously undiagnosed T2DM was 1.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5% to 2%] and of IGR was 5% (95% CI 4% to 7%). Abnormal IGR was more common in those of non-white ethnicity; those with a first-degree family history of diabetes; those with increasing weight, waist circumference, BMI, diastolic blood pressure or triglycerides; and those with lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. We developed a lifestyle educational programme for people with ID, informed by findings from qualitative stakeholder interviews (health-care professionals,n = 14; people with ID,n = 7) and evidence reviews. Subsequently, 11 people with ID (and carers) participated in pilot education sessions (two groups) and five people attended education for the feasibility stage (one group). We found that it was feasible to collect primary outcome measures on physical activity and sedentary behaviour using wrist-worn accelerometers. We found that the programme was relatively costly, meaning that large changes in activity or diet (or a reduction in programme costs) would be necessary for the programme to be cost-effective. We also developed a quality development process for assessing intervention fidelity.

Limitations

We were able to screen only around 30% of the population and involved only a small number in the piloting and feasibility work.

Conclusions

The results from this programme of work have significantly enhanced the existing knowledge and understanding of T2DM and IGR in people with ID. We have developed a lifestyle education programme and educator training protocol to promote behaviour change in this population.

Future work

Further work is needed to evaluate the STOP Diabetes intervention to identify cost-effective strategies for its implementation.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02513277.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme and will be published in full inHealth Research Programme Grants for Applied Research; Vol. 5, No. 11. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Comorbidities among Hypertensive Patients in China

Hypertension is a severe threat to human being's health due to its association with many comorbidities. Many research works have explored hypertension's prevalence and treatment. However, few considered impact of patient's socioeconomic status and geographical disparities. We intended to fulfill that research gap by analyzing the association of the prevalence of hypertension and three important comorbidities with various socioeconomic and geographical factors. We also investigated the prevalence of those comorbidities if the patient has been diagnosed with hypertension. We obtained a large collection of medical records from 29 hospitals across China. We utilized Bayes' Theorem, Pearson's chi-squared test, univariate and multivariate regression methods and geographical detector methods to analyze the association between disease prevalence and risk factors. We first attempted to quantified and analyzed the spatial stratified heterogeneity of the prevalence of hypertension comorbidities by q-statistic using geographical detector methods. We found that the demographic and socioeconomic factors, and hospital class and geographical factors would have an enhanced interactive influence on the prevalence of hypertension comorbidities. Our findings can be leveraged by public health policy makers to allocate medical resources more effectively. Healthcare practitioners can also be benefited by our analysis to offer customized disease prevention for populations with different socioeconomic status.