Factor structure and internal reliability of an exercise health belief model scale in a Mexican population.

BACKGROUND: Mexico is one of the countries with the highest rates of overweight and obesity around the world, with 68.8% of men and 73% of women reporting both. This is a public health problem since there are several health related consequences of not exercising, like having cardiovascular diseases or some types of cancers. All of these problems can be prevented by promoting exercise, so it is important to evaluate models of health behaviors to achieve this goal. Among several models the Health Belief Model is one of the most studied models to promote health related behaviors. This study validates the first exercise scale based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) in Mexicans with the objective of studying and analyzing this model in Mexico. METHODS: Items for the scale called the Exercise Health Belief Model Scale (EHBMS) were developed by a health research team, then the items were applied to a sample of 746 participants, male and female, from five cities in Mexico. The factor structure of the items was analyzed with an exploratory factor analysis and the internal reliability with Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analysis reported the expected factor structure based in the HBM. The KMO index (0.92) and the Barlett's sphericity test (p < 0.01) indicated an adequate and normally distributed sample. Items had adequate factor loadings, ranging from 0.31 to 0.92, and the internal consistencies of the factors were also acceptable, with alpha values ranging from 0.67 to 0.91. CONCLUSIONS: The EHBMS is a validated scale that can be used to measure exercise based on the HBM in Mexican populations.

Calidad de vida y estrategias de afrontamiento en personas VIH positivas con lipodistrofia / Quality of life and coping strategies in HIV positive people with lipodystrophy

Los objetivos de este estudio fueron dos: 1) Observar si el síndrome de lipodistrofia en personas VIH positivas se relaciona con su calidad de vida, 2) conocer qué estrategias de afrontamiento utilizan las personas con lipodistrofia y analizar si existe alguna relación entre el tipo de estrategia utilizada y la calidad de vida. Se evaluaron a 134 personas infectadas con el VIH que posteriormente se dividieron en dos grupos: sujetos sin lipodistrofia (n=73,54%) y sujetos con lipodistrofia (n=61, 46%). Al comparar la calidad de vida entre los dos grupos, se encontró una diferencia significativa (p=042) en la subescala “malestar emocional” del cuestionario. Los sujetos con lipodistrofia utilizan distintas estrategias de afrontamiento tanto positivas como negativas frente a sus problemas de salud, entre las que predominan “no buscar ayuda en los demás”, “seguir las prescripciones médicas”, “pensar en superarlo uno mismo”, y “mantener la esperanza y sentirse optimista”. Se hallaron relaciones significativas entre las estrategias de afrontamiento utilizadas y todos los niveles de calidad de vida (síntomas, autonomía personal, satisfacción familiar y social y, estado emocional) analizamos mediante las correspondientes subescalas del cuestionario de calidad de vida. En conclusión, la lipodistrofia puede disminuir la calidad de vida a nivel emocional, ante la presencia de determinadas estrategias de afrontamiento

The aims of this study were two: 1) To observe if lipodystrophy syndrome in HIV positive people is related to their quality of life, and 2) to analyze the coping strategies used by people with lipodystrophy and is these have any connection with their quality of life. One hundred and thirty four people infected with HIV were assessed and divided into two groups; subjects without lipodystrophy (n=73, 54%) and subject with lipodystrophy (n=61, 46%). When comparing the two groups quality of life, a significant difference (p=042) in the subscale “emotional discomfort” of the questionnaire was found. When dealing with health problems, subjects with lipodystrophy use different coping strategies, both positive and negative. The most common are “not requesting help from other”, “following the doctor´s prescription”, “think about overcoming it on your own”, and “feeling hopeful and optimistic”. Significant relations were found between the coping strategies used and all the quality of life questionnaire subscales in summary, lipodystrophy may reduce quality of life at an emotional level when certain coping strategies are adopted