This study examined the associations between eating or skipping breakfast and the quality of breakfast eaten on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), perceived stress and depression in 527 Spanish ...adolescents. Results showed differences in stress and two domains of HRQOL; Moods and Emotions and Parent Relations and Home Life between adolescent breakfast skippers and eaters, those having breakfast showing higher levels of stress and poor HRQOL. When breakfast quality was analyzed in breakfast eaters, adolescents who ate a good quality breakfast showed better HRQOL and lower levels of stress and depression than those who ate a poor or very poor quality breakfast. Further, breakfast skippers showed better HRQOL and lower levels of stress and depression than breakfast eaters who ate a poor or very poor quality breakfast. These findings indicate the importance of eating a good quality breakfast, rather than just having or not having breakfast. The conclusions of the present study are especially relevant for clinicians and nutritional educators, given the significant impact of breakfast quality on health-related quality of life, stress and depression observed in the adolescents studied.
SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infection is still under study today, mainly because of its long-term effects. This study aims to analyse health status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in survivors ...of coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) who have developed pulmonary sequelae. Prospective observational study of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia between February and May 2020. Reviews were conducted at 3 and 12 months after hospital discharge. HRQoL was assessed by administration of the SF-36 questionnaire and data related to medical records and physical examination were also collected. In addition, chest X-ray, computed tomography and pulmonary function test were included as additional tests. 305 patients were admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia of which 130 (42.6%) completed follow-up. The mean age of the enrolled group was 55.9 ± 15.9 years. The most prevalent persistent symptoms were dyspnea (37.3%) and asthenia (36.9%). Pulmonary sequelae were detected in 20.8% of participants. The most frequent alteration was ground ground glass opacities (GGO) (88.9%), with mild extension. Fibrotic changes were found in only 2% of cases. When comparing the two groups, at 3 and 12 months of evolution, lower scores in the vitality (VT) and mental health (MH) domains were found only in the group without sequelae. Days of hospitalisation and Charlson index acted as influential factors on HRQoL. Minimal or mild pulmonary sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 do not cause further deterioration of HRQoL. Repeated medical care and pulmonary rehabilitation are effective tools to improve HRQoL.
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) has previously been related to better quality of life in the general population. Further, children and adolescents have obtained better health outcomes when ...they have shown high adherence to the MD in recent studies. Nevertheless, the association between the adherence to this type of diet and subjective happiness have not been previously analysed in this population. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between MD adherence, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and subjective happiness in a sample of 527 Spanish adolescents. Results obtained show positive associations of MD adherence with higher levels of subjective happiness and better HRQOL. Moreover, mediation analyses showed a full mediation effect of some components of HRQOL, namely, emotional well-being, mood and emotions, financial resources and social acceptance, in the association between MD adherence and subjective happiness. This study advances our understanding of the association of MD and levels of happiness in the general population, specifically in adolescents, through the positive effects of specific components of HRQOL. Future studies should evaluate other variables that could influence or also mediate this relationship, evaluating specific groups of adolescents, such as clinical samples.
Caring for a relative with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entails being under chronic stress that could alter body homeostasis. Electrodermal activity (EDA) is an index of the sympathetic activity of ...the autonomic nervous system related to emotionality and homeostasis. This study compares EDA in response to acute stress in the laboratory between parents of people with (n = 30) and without (n = 34) ASD (caregivers and non-caregivers, respectively). Caregivers showed lower EDA in response to acute stress than non-caregivers. They also presented higher trait anxiety, anger, depression, and somatic symptoms than non-caregivers. Higher EDA was related to a worse mood and more severe somatic symptoms only in caregivers. These results could reflect an adaptive habituation to stress and establish that high EDA in response to acute stress depends on caregivers’ health.
Background: Sensory processing has been described as the ability to register, modulate, and organize sensory information to respond to environmental demands. Different theoretical approaches have ...studied the differential characteristics of sensory processing, such as Dunn’s model. From this framework, high sensitivity in sensory processing has been described as responses to stimuli from environment quite often due to a rapid activation of the central nervous system. It should be noted that the association between high sensitivity in sensory processing and health outcomes obtained in different studies are not homogeneous, so it is necessary to develop a review of this research in order to clarify the relationship between sensory processing and quality of life. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the relevant studies using the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and ProQuest databases to assess how sensory processing patterns are related to quality of life. Results: Fourteen studies concerning sensory processing and quality of life were included in the review. Some studies indicate negative, moderate, and significant correlations between these variables in which high sensitivity is related to a poor quality of life in the population studied. Conclusions: High sensitivity in sensory processing could have a negative impact on quality of life, thereby facilitating a fluctuation in well-being, daily functioning, and health.
The inextricable bond between humans and the environment underscores the pivotal significance of environmental sensitivity. This innate trait encompasses a wide array of ways individuals perceive, ...process, and react to various internal and external stimuli. The evaluation of this trait in children is generally conducted by parents. However, little is known about the concordance of the parents reports with those conducted by others, such as teachers. Children's behavior assessment is a current and relevant issue and finding out more positive results could make improvements in different contexts, such as home, clinics and schools.
This study examines agreements and discrepancies between parents and teachers as raters of environmental sensitivity in Spanish children.
Participants were 124 parents and eight teachers of youngsters between 3 and 10 years, who completed a paper survey providing information about parental and school variables and environmental sensitivity.
Parents and teachers mostly differ when rating environmental sensitivity, being parents the raters who score higher levels of this trait than teachers. Also, poor intra-class coefficients of reliability are found in both the items of HSCS, the dimensions and the general factor of environmental sensitivity among the informants.
The present investigation provides novel findings related to inter-rater assessment on environmental sensitivity and how these different informants could affect in the report. This study also highlights the need of making and validating new and specific tools to assess environmental sensitivity for teachers.
SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infection and the course of its sequelae remain to be defined. The aim of this study is to analyze health status and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in a Spanish sample ...of survivors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Methods: Prospective observational study of patients who survived SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, between February 2020 and May 2020, with systematic evaluation at 3 and 12 months after the onset of the disease. The data were obtained by reviewing the clinical history and performing a physical examination, a chest X-ray, and a pulmonary function test on the patients. Additionally, the SF-36 questionnaire was administered for the HRQoL study. Results: In total, 130 patients aged 55.9 ± 15.9 years were included. Dyspnea (36.9%) and asthenia (36.2%) were the most frequent persistent symptoms. Fibrotic pulmonary changes were detected in 20.8% of the participants. Compared to the general population, significant deterioration was detected in all domains of the SF-36 questionnaire at 3 and 12 months post-COVID-19 infection. The greatest differences were in the physical role (RF) and in the emotional role (RE). Conclusions: COVID-19 pneumonia causes a long-term deterioration in HRQoL compared to the general population. Over time, a trend toward improvement is detected in most domains of the SF-36.
: Obesity is one of the most important health problems worldwide. The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in the last decades and is now recognized as a global epidemic. Given the ...dramatic consequences of obesity, new intervention approaches based on the potential of technologies have been developed.
: We conducted a systematic review of studies using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, and MedLine databases to assess how different types of technologies may play an important role on weight loss in obese patients.
: Forty-seven studies using different types of technologies including smartphones, app, websites, virtual reality and personal digital assistant were included in the review. About half of interventions (47%) found a significant effect of the technology-based interventions for weight lost in obese patients. The provision of feedback could also be effective as a complement to interventions carried out using technology to promote weight loss.
: The use of technologies can be effective to increase weight loss in patients with obesity improving treatment adherence through self-monitoring.
The Mediterranean Lifestyle (MLS) has been related to better health and quality of life. However, there is no consensus on how to assess this lifestyle. The main objective of this work was to ...systematically review the methodology used in different studies on the evaluation of the MLS. The specific objectives were (1) to analyze the MLS components evaluated in previous studies, (2) to explore the assessment instruments available for the analysis of the MLS, and (3) to identify the psychometric properties of these instruments. The search was carried out using the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases with the purpose of identifying those published articles in which the MLS was assessed. The review included 26 studies linked to the assessment of the MLS. Of these studies, only four exclusively used a tool to analyze MLS components globally. These studies included two questionnaires and three different indexes. None of them, however, evaluated all of the recognized MLS components, and food preparation was the least frequently evaluated component. Given the clear importance of analyzing MLS adherence and the lack of consensus in previous research, an evaluation tool needs to be created to comprehensively assess all of the MLS dimensions by means of appropriate psychometric properties.
The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has significantly increased in recent years. No specific instruments are available in Spanish for assessing health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in ...people with MCI. The aim of this study was to adapt transculturally and validate the mild cognitive impairment questionnaire (MCQ) in Spanish people with MCI. A standardized transcultural adaptation process was carried out, and the structural equivalence of the Spanish version of the scale was examined. In addition, we studied the reliability and construct validity of the instrument. The sample comprised 100 people with MCI, with a mean age of 79.5 years. In a confirmatory factor analysis, we found the instrument had a one‐factor structure and adequate internal consistency. Related to the construct validity, we found meaningful relationships with measures of HRQoL and depression. Our results indicate that the Spanish version of the MCQ is a reliable and valid tool for measuring HRQoL in Spanish patients with MCI. The availability of specific tools, such as the MCQ allows nurses to evaluate new intervention strategies to improve the HRQoL of these patients. Furthermore, this scale can be used by researchers and clinicians to improve the standards of care provided to this population.