Determining minimum number of valid days for accurate estimation of sedentary behaviour and awake-time movement behaviours using the ActivPAL3 in nursing home residents.

INTRODUCTION: Scarce evidence is available about the minimum number of valid days wearing the activPAL3 to obtain a precise estimate of sedentary behaviour (SB) and awake-time movement behaviours (ATMB) in nursing home (NH) residents. The study aimed to determine the minimum number of valid days required for accurately estimate SB and ATMB using the activPAL3 device in NH residents. It also investigated how the starting point of a day (the 24-h period) impacted reliability. METHODS: Participants wore an activPAL3 for 7 consecutive days. The data was classified in two-time blocks (00:00 Ante Meridiem (AM)-00:00 AM midnight vs 12:00 Post Meridiam (PM) -12:00 PM midday) and the sample was stratified into two groups according to their capacity to stand and walk, to examine if timing of sampling or physical functioning affected minimum wear time. SB, ATMB, sociodemographic, and health-related variables were collected. Sensitivity of the time-blocks were tested through the dispersion frequencies and differences between blocks through Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality; parametric variables through two-related means T-test and Wilcoxon test for non-parametric data. Reliability was assessed with the Cronbach's Alpha and the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), using a one-factor model estimating the reliability for each measurement day loading in the same latent factor. RESULTS: Ninety-five NH residents (81.1% women; age = 85.8 ± 7.2 years) were included. The midnight block had higher reliability, sensitivity and no statistically significant differences between days were found. At least three consecutive days of monitoring were necessary to achieve a reliability of ICC ≥ 0.8 for those NH residents able to stand and walk and six days for those unable. CONCLUSIONS: NH residents who are able to stand and walk require a minimum of three consecutive days wearing the device, while those who are unable require at least six days due to their highly homogenous daily routines and sensitivity to PA events. Regardless of the activPAL3 recording start time, data processing should reference the midnight time block.

Information-Seeking Strategies of People with Multiple Sclerosis in Spain: The INFOSEEK-MS Study.

PURPOSE: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are increasingly demanding access to reliable information regarding their disease. The objective of the INFOSEEK-MS study was to assess what are the strategies people with MS use when searching for information on their disease, including sources, frequency, reliability, and preferred content. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A non-interventional, cross-sectional study was conducted. Patients with a diagnosis of MS according to the 2010 McDonald criteria were included. The InfoSeek questionnaire was used to assess patients' strategies when seeking information about the disease. Clinical characteristics and other variables, including disability, quality of life, fatigue, cognition, anxiety and depression, were analysed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29), 5-item Modified Fatigue Scale (MFIS-5), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively. RESULTS: Three hundred and two patients were studied (mean age: 42.3 ± 10 years, 64% female, mean disease duration: 9.6 ± 7.0 years, 90% with relapsing-remitting MS, and mean EDSS score: 2.6 ± 1.9). The internet (either via mobile or computer) is a frequently reported source of information. Lifestyle-related information (67.2%), research and emerging treatments (63.6%), symptom control (49.7%), sharing experiences with other patients (46.4%), and disease prognosis (46.4%) were the most searched topics. Neurologists and nurses were the most trusted source of information. Younger patients and higher SDMT scores were associated with all search resources (M = 37.7 and M = 49.97, respectively). The frequency of searches was related to the number of relapses (R2 = 0.07), EDSS (R2 = 0.14), MSIS-29 physical and psychological components (R2 = 0.132) and inversely with depression (R2 = 0.132). CONCLUSION: Although healthcare professionals are considered the most reliable source of information for people with MS, searching for information on the Internet is very frequent. An individualized information strategy considering the different factors involved is needed.

[Adaptation to the Mexican population of the "Questionnaire of habits related to overweight and obesity"]. / Adaptación a la población mexicana del "Cuestionario de hábitos relacionados con el sobrepeso y la obesidad".

INTRODUCTION: the "Questionnaire of habits related to overweight and obesity" was created and validated in Spanish population, and it allows to describe and quantify five dimensions related to overweight and obesity: diet caloric content, eating for psychological well-being, physical exercise, healthy eating, and alcohol consumption. OBJECTIVE: to adapt the questionnaire in Mexican population, assess their psychometric properties, and compare them with those of the Spanish version. METHOD: the original questionnaire was administered to a sample of 493 Mexican patients with overweight or obesity, and different statistical tools have been applied (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis) to know the psychometric properties of the Mexican version and its degree of similarity to the original version. RESULTS: the questionnaire adapted to the Mexican population exhibits the same dimensions as those obtained in the Spanish population (caloric content of the diet, eating for psychological well-being, physical exercise, alcohol consumption and healthy eating), and their psychometric properties are very similar to those obtained for the original questionnaire. CONCLUSION: as a consequence of the adaptation process, a questionnaire with good psychometric properties suitable to measure the lifestyle habits related to overweight and obesity is now available.

Introducción: el "Cuestionario de hábitos relacionados con el sobrepeso y la obesidad" es un cuestionario creado y validado para la población española que permite describir y cuantificar varias dimensiones relacionadas con el sobrepeso y la obesidad: contenido calórico de la dieta, comer por bienestar psicológico, ejercicio físico, alimentación saludable y consumo de alcohol.Objetivo: adaptar el cuestionario a la población mexicana, analizar sus propiedades psicométricas y compararlas con las de la versión española.Método: se ha administrado el cuestionario original a una muestra de 493 pacientes mexicanos con sobrepeso u obesidad y se han aplicado diferentes herramientas estadísticas (análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio, análisis de fiabilidad) para conocer las propiedades psicométricas de la versión mexicana y su grado de parecido con la versión original.Resultados: las dimensiones del cuestionario adaptado a la población mexicana son las mismas que las obtenidas en la población española y sus propiedades psicométricas son muy parecidas a las del cuestionario original.Conclusión: como consecuencia del proceso de adaptación, disponemos de un cuestionario con buenas propiedades psicométricas apropiado para medir los hábitos de vida relacionados con el sobrepeso y la obesidad.

Spanish-Language Adaptation of Morgeson and Humphrey's Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ).

Since work organizations became the subject of scientific research, how to operationalize and measure dimensions of work design has been an issue, mainly due to concerns about internal consistency and factor structure. In response, Morgeson and Humphrey (2006) built the Work Design Questionnaire -WDQ-, an instrument that identifies and measures these dimensions in different work and organizational contexts. This paper presents the instruent's adaptation into Spanish using reliability and validity analysis and drawing on a sample of 1035 Spanish workers who hold various jobs in an array of occupational categories. The total instrument's internal consistency was Cronbach's alpha of .92 and the various scales' reliability ranged from .70 to .96, except for three dimensions. There was initially a difference in the comparative fit of the two versions' factor structures, but the model with 21 work characteristics (motivational -task and knowledge-, social, and work context) showed the highest goodness of fit of the various models tested, confirming previous results from the U.S. version as well as adaptations into other languages and contexts. CFA results indicated goodness of fit of factor configurations corresponding to each of the four major categories of work characteristics, with CFI and TLI around .90, as well as SRMR and RMSEA below .08. Thus it brings to the table a reliable, valid measure of work design with clear potential applications in research as well as professional practice, applications that could improve working conditions, boost productivity, and generate more personal and professional development opportunities for workers.

Precisión en la recuperación de parámetros, con datos ordinales, en el Análisis de Estructura de Covarianza y el Modelo de Rutas mediante Mínimos Cuadrados Parciales / Accuracy on Parameter Recovery, with Ordinals Data, of Structure Covariance Analysis and Partial Least Squares Path Modeling

Se compara la precisión en la recuperación de parámetros del Análisis de Estructura de Covarianza (ACOV) y el Modelo de Rutas mediante Mínimos Cuadrados Parciales (PLS-PM), en un modelo simple con variables manifiestas simuladas con escala ordinal de cinco puntos. Se utiliza un diseño experimental, manipulando el método de estimación, tamaño muestral, nivel de asimetría y tipo de especificación del modelo. Se valora la media de las diferencias absolutas para el modelo estructural. ACOV presenta estimaciones más precisas que PLS-PM, en distintas condiciones experimentales. Cuando se utiliza un tamaño muestral pequeño, ambas técnicas son igualmente precisas. Se sugiere utilizar ACOV frente a PLS-PM. Se desaconseja fundamentar la elección de PLS-PM frente a ACOV en la utilización de una muestra pequeña.

The accuracy on parameter recovery is compared between Structure Covariance Analysis (ACOV) and Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM), with simulated ordinals data with 5 points, in a simple model. An experimental design is used, controlling the estimation method, sample size, skewness level and model specification. Mean absolute differences are used to assess accuracy for the structural model. ACOV provided more accurate estimates of the structural parameters than PLS-PM in different experimental conditions. With a small sample size, both techniques are equally accurate. Using ACOV against PLS -PM is suggested. PLS choosing ACOV instead based on the use of a small sample size is not recommended.

[Effect of ingroup membership on organizational meta-representation]. / El efecto del grupo de pertenencia en la metarepresentación de la organización.

The present study considers the importance of analyzing what very powerful or influential people think about their employees. We assumed that belonging to a specific category has a differential effect on the perception of others' thoughts in the organization ("meta-representation"). Therefore, experts in organization and human resources from diverse organizations and institutions assessed seven dimensions which structure the organizational image (context, structure, organizational processes, working climate, culture, satisfaction and efficacy). The results showed that belonging to a group (managers or leaders, academicians, consultants, technicians or employees' representatives) modulated the meta-representation, as the experts' opinion about what they think that the employees consider important was related to their group. This was specifically the case for the managers' and leaders' representations, which differed from the other groups and especially from that of the technicians and employees' representatives. The implications of the present findings are discussed.

[A structural equation model for predictors of mental and physical health in women]. / Modelo estructural predictor de la salud mental y física en mujeres.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the extent to which stress, social support, and self-esteem are predictors of an individual's mental and physical health. Structural equations were integrated with previously-estimated partial models, which simplify the relationships among variables. METHODS: The study sample included 283 women with children. All of the participants resided in the municipality of General Escobedo, state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The surveys were carried out in the second semester of 2003, in the participants homes, using self-evaluation questionnaires to measure each of the variables included in the model. Each participant completed the questionnaire in one sitting. Results were analyzed with AMOS 5.0, employing the maximum likelihood method, often utilized in structural equation models. RESULTS: The results indicate an acceptable adjustment in the proposed model: (chi2/gl=3.03, goodness of fit (GFI)=0.894, adjusted goodness of fit (AGFI)=0.848, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.08, incremental fit index (IFI)=0.910). Variances were 31.9% with regard to stress, 27.4% with regard to physical health, and 72.1% with regard to mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Social support and self-esteem are predictors of stress; age and stress are predictors of physical health; and stress, self-esteem, and physical health are predictors of mental health.