Exploring Lithuanian social workers' attitudes towards individuals with alcohol usage problems.

Aim: Social workers are at the front line of helping individuals experiencing alcohol usage, due to their professional duties, ideology and values that underpin it. In Lithuania, where social work still continues to develop in both practice and education, it is crucial to supplement with relevant information to strengthen social work's response to issues with alcohol usage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore social workers' attitudes towards individuals with alcohol usage problems. Methods: In total, 149 Lithuanian social workers completed a web survey that gathered information about education, work experience and workplace, and filled in the Short Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire (SAAPPQ) to measure their attitude towards individuals with alcohol usage problems. Results: The social workers showed a positive attitude towards individuals with alcohol usage problems (mean 35.81 [SD 4.8]). Attitude domain analysis revealed Role Legitimacy (91.3% above the midpoint) to reflect the most positive attitudes and Work Satisfaction (24.2% above the midpoint) to reflect the least positive attitudes. Those with master's degrees scored higher on the total SAAPPQ (t = -2.44, p = 0.016) and its subscales Work Satisfaction (t = -2.52, p = 0.013) and Therapeutic Commitment (t = -2.21, p = 0.029). Having 6-13 years of work experience (mean SAAPPQ = 37.02 [SD 5.11]) was associated with a more positive attitude compared to those with less than 5 years of experience (mean SAAPPQ = 34.08 [SD 3.87]). Conclusion: Although social workers understand their professional responsibility to work with individuals with alcohol usage problems, their dedication to work, motivation and task-specific self-esteem are low. The results also support education, as those with master's degrees showed more positive attitudes. This study further encourages support for social workers just beginning their career, who might report lower attitudes towards individuals with alcohol usage problems.

Cardiovascular health behavior and cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents: a longitudinal study.

Cardiorespiratory fitness has been substantially associated with health status. However, longitudinal studies on cardiorespiratory fitness and ideal cardiovascular health behavior (ICHB) in adolescents are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal association between ICHB (at baseline) and cardiorespiratory fitness (at follow-up). This is a 2-year prospective analysis of 445 adolescents (232 girls) aged 12-18 years. The ICHB was developed by the American Heart Association as meeting the ideal health behaviors for a healthy diet, physical activity, smoking status, and body mass index. ANCOVAS adjusted by age, sex, pubertal stage, socioeconomic status, and cardiorespiratory fitness showed that the higher the number of ICHB metrics accumulated at baseline (from 1 to 4), the higher the cardiorespiratory fitness levels over a 2-year period (p = 0.038). In logistic regressions, after adjusting for potential confounders, the odds ratios for having high cardiorespiratory fitness at follow-up was 4.9 (95% CI, 1.2-20.1, p = 0.02) for those who accumulated all four metrics of ICHB, when compared to those with 1 or less metrics of ICHB. In addition, the higher the number of ICHB metrics accumulated, the higher the likelihood of having a high cardiorespiratory fitness level over a 2-year period (p for trend = 0.01). CONCLUSION:  We identified a significant association between ICBH and cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents. Therefore, improving ICBH in adolescence is likely to benefit the cardiorespiratory fitness. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Smoking status, body mass index, physical activity, and diet are associated to cardiorespiratory fitness in adulthood. • Lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, smoking, body weight, and healthy diet are individually linked with cardiorespiratory fitness and, however, have not been examined jointly, as combined health behaviors. WHAT IS NEW: • Accumulation of cardiovascular health behavior metrics was positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness at a 2-year follow-up, in adolescents. • Meeting all the four metrics of ideal cardiovascular health behavior seems important for healthy cardiorespiratory fitness during adolescence.

Is the Leptin/Adiponectin Ratio a Better Diagnostic Biomarker for Insulin Resistance than Leptin or Adiponectin Alone in Adolescents?

Background: Recently, the leptin/adiponectin (L/A) ratio has been suggested as a novel predictor of cardio-metabolic and other chronic diseases. Aim: To evaluate the ability of leptin (L), adiponectin (A), and the L/A ratio in identifying high risk of insulin resistance IR in adolescents, adjusted by cardiorespiratory fitness, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and body fat percentage. Subjects and methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis with 529 adolescents aged 12−18 years-old. Blood samples were taken to analyze glucose, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin levels. IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was estimated from fasting serum insulin and glucose). Results: Adiponectin, leptin, and L/A ratio were accurate to predict IR among adolescents. The optimal L/A cut-off value to indicate risk of IR development was >0.35 in boys and >0.97 in girls. Logistic analyses showed that the suggested cut-off points for adiponectin (girls: OR: 2.87 (1.26−6.53); p = 0.012); leptin (boys: OR: 5.23 (1.16−7.14) p = 0.006; girls: OR: 2.99 (1.10−8.09) p = 0.031), and the L/A ratio (boys: OR: 8.38 (2.6−26.8) p < 0.001; girls: OR: 6.1 (2.1−17.0) p < 0.001), were significant predictors of IR, after adjustments for age, pubertal stage, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body fat percentage. Conclusion: Leptin and L/A ratio were associated with IR risk, after adjustments for confounders in both sexes and adiponectin in girls. The L/A ratio seems to have a higher diagnostic accuracy to identify IR risk than adiponectin or leptin, in both sexes.

Bullying and Health Related Quality of Life among Adolescents-A Systematic Review.

Health-related quality of life is among global health goals not only in adulthood but also in childhood and adolescence. Being a multi-component construct, health-related quality of life covers various domains, such as physical and psychological wellbeing and social and environmental areas. Bullying might significantly influence those domains especially in adolescence, a period of life when numerous personal and interpersonal transformations are experienced. Therefore, the aim of the current systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship of bullying with the health-related quality of adolescents' lives. An electronic literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, and 3621 full-text articles were identified. After a selection process, 12 studies covering diagnosis, prevention and treatment for each of the three sections "adolescents", "health related quality of life" and "bullying" were reviewed. An overall reduction in health-related quality of life in regard to bullying appeared from the studies analyzed, as well as a decline in adolescent mental health. Different bullying types were identified as causing harm to various adolescents' health-related quality of life domains. These findings may contribute to effective bullying management in schools and/or societal settings, and inform intervention strategies for maintaining the quality of life of adolescents being bullied.

Cardiovascular health behavior and blood pressure in adolescents: A longitudinal analysis.

BACKGROUND: The ideal cardiovascular health behaviors (ICHB) have been associated with a subsequent positive health status in adults. However, evidence regarding blood pressure (BP) and ICHB in adolescents is scarce. The aim of this prospective cohort was to evaluate the impact of accumulation of ICHB on BP values in adolescents over two years. METHODS: This is a longitudinal analysis with 445 adolescents (232 girls) aged 12-18 years old. Resting blood pressure was measured at baseline and 2 years later, and ICHBs at baseline according to standard procedures. Based on the American Heart Association definition, the ICHB index was defined as a sum of meeting the ICHBs (from 0 to 4, where 4 would be the healthiest profile of all ICHBs) for a healthy diet, physical activity, smoking status and body mass index. RESULTS: Adjusted means values (ANCOVA) of BP parameters through achievement of a greater number of (between 1-4) the ICHBs (adjusting for potential confounders, age, sex, pubertal stage and socioeconomic status) showed that, as increase the number of ICHB accumulated as a lower the BP levels [ICHB and SBP (F3.435) = 4.501, p = 0.004), DBP (F(3.435) = 2.725, p = 0.044), pulse pressure (F(3.435) = 4.004, p = 0.008), and rate pressure product (F(3.435) = 2.866, p = 0.036)] over two years. CONCLUSION: A lower number of ICHB (smoking status, body mass index, physical activity, and diet) during adolescence play a key role on blood pressure over two years. A higher number of ICHB is seen to be associated with a lower risk of short-term, hypertension.

Dance/Movement Therapy as an Intervention in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.

AIM: In this paper, we systematically review the evidence looking at the effect of dance/movement therapy (DMT) and mental health outcomes and quality of life in breast cancer patients. METHOD: The literature search was done with the databases PubMed (MEDLINE), EBSCO, and Cochrane Central by using the following search words: "dancing/dance/movement therapy," "breast cancer/neoplasms/carcinoma/tumour" or "mammary cancer," "mental health," and "quality of life." Ninety-four articles were found. Only empirical interventional studies (N = 6) were selected for the review: randomised controlled trials (RCT) (n = 5) and non-RCT (n = 1). PRISMA guidelines were used. RESULTS: Data from 6 studies including 385 participants who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, were of an average age of 55.7 years, and had participated in DMT programmes for 3-24 weeks were analysed. In each study, the main outcomes that were measured were quality of life, physical activity, stress, and emotional and social well-being. Different questionnaires were used for the evaluation of outcomes. The mental health of the participants who received DMT intervention improved: they reported a better quality of life and decreased stress, symptoms, and fatigue. CONCLUSION: We found only six studies for review, and some had a small number of participants. However, our findings indicate that DMT could be successfully used as a complimentary therapy in addition to standard cancer treatment for improving the quality of life and mental health of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. More research is needed to evaluate the complexity of the impact of complimentary therapies. It is possible that DMT could be more effective if used with other therapies.

Corrigendum to "The Effect of Art Therapy and Music Therapy on Breast Cancer Patients: What We Know and What We Need to Find Out-A Systematic Review".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2020/7390321.].

Evidence-Based Exercise Recommendations to Improve Mental Wellbeing in Women with Breast Cancer During Active Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Breast cancer was the most common cancer in women worldwide. The aims of the current systematic review and meta-analysis are: (i) to systematically examine the effects of exercise interventions on mental wellbeing; (ii) to examine the specific effect of the type of supervised exercise and its intensity, volume and frequency on mental wellbeing; and (iii) to explore which interventions are most effective in mental wellbeing among women with breast cancer during active treatment. An electronic literature search was performed using MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase (Ovid), and Web of Science, we identified 175 full-text articles. The 57 publications included data from 6988 participants, age ranging from 18 to 78 years (weighted mean: 50.85 years). Compared with the control conditions, exercise training programs were associated with significant reductions in anxiety (d = -0.22, I2 = 53.0%), depression (d = -0.24, I2 = 66.6%), and fatigue (d = -0.47, I2 = 69.8%), as well as increases in body image (d = 0.27, I2 = 69.2%) and quality of life (overall, d = 0.46, I2 = 71.6%; emotional function, d = 0.33, I2 = 65.7%; and FACT-B, d = 0.60, I2 = 76.2%). There were a variety of frequencies, intensities, and durations of supervised exercise programs reported in the included meta-analytic approach. In addition, we found that concomitant concurrent training, at moderate-to-vigorous intensity, and with a volume ≥50 min/week had benefits on a number of health outcomes, such as fatigue, depression, and quality of life measure by the FACT-B instrument. These findings have important implications for healthcare providers and multidisciplinary teams involved in mental health management in cancer patients during active treatment.

IDEAL CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH STATUS AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADOLESCENTS: THE LABMED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STUDY.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescent's ideal cardiovascular health index (ICVH) seems to be an important indicator of youth's lifestyles and cardiometabolic health with potential positive consequences for their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between the ICVH index and HRQoL in adolescents. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study based on secondary analyses from the LabMed Physical Activity Study (n=407 adolescents, 53% girls). ICVH, as defined by the American Heart Association, was determined as meeting ideal behaviors (physical activity, body mass index, smoking status, and diet intake) and health factors (blood pressure, total glucose, and cholesterol). HRQoL was measured with the Kidscreen-10 self-report questionnaire. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed a significant association between the accumulation of ideal cardiovascular health metrics and HRQoL (F(4,403)=4.160; p=0.003). In addition, the higher the number of ideal health behaviors accumulated, the higher the mean values of HRQoL (p-value for trend=0.001), after adjustments for age, sex, socioeconomic status and pubertal stage. CONCLUSIONS: ICVH index was positively associated with HRQoL in adolescents. Ideal health behaviors metrics seem to have a stronger association with HRQoL than the ideal health factors metrics in adolescents.

High levels of adiponectin attenuate the detrimental association of adiposity with insulin resistance in adolescents.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: This study aimed to: i) examine the differences in insulin resistance (IR) across adiposity levels; and ii) ascertain whether high levels of adiponectin attenuate the detrimental association of adiposity with IR in adolescents. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 529 adolescents aged 12-18 years participated in this cross-sectional study (267 girls). Anthropometry and body adiposity parameters [body mass index (BMI), sum of skinfolds, body fat percentage (BF %) by bio-impedance analysis and waist circumference (WC)], were measured according to standardized procedures and categorized into age- and sex-specific quartiles. Socioeconomic status, pubertal stage and lifestyle determinants (Mediterranean diet adherence and cardiorespiratory fitness) were gathered and used as confounders. Serum adiponectin and IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR] estimated from fasting serum insulin and glucose were assessed. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that HOMA-IR increased in a linear fashion throughout the quartiles of all adiposity measures (p < 0.001 for all), independently of age, sex, pubertal stage, socioeconomic status, adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cardiorespiratory fitness. Two-way ANCOVA showed that adolescents in the higher quartile of adiposity for BF%, BMI, WC and skinfolds sum (Q4) presented the highest adiponectin levels, and had 0.77 Standard Deviation (SD), 0.8 SD, 0.85 SD and 0.8 SD lower HOMA-IR, respectively (p < 0.01) than their low adiponectin group counterparts, after adjustments for potential confounders. CONCLUSION: Higher adiponectin levels may attenuate the detrimental association between adiposity and IR, particularly in subjects with higher adiposity.