BACKGROUND: Co-occurrence of risk behaviors (RBs) substantially increases the risk of disease. This study examines the co-occurrence of four health risk behaviors (i.e., smoking, high-fat diet, sedentariness, and high-risk drinking) and demographic and psychosocial variables associated with number of RBs in a sample of members of a health maintenance organization who participated in the Seasonal Variation in Cholesterol (Seasons) study. METHODS: Seasons study baseline data were used. Subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire packet containing questions on demographics, smoking history, and leisure-time physical activity, a 7-day dietary recall instrument, and various psychosocial measures. Results presented here are based on 496 subjects with complete data on all RBs. RESULTS: Forty-three percent of participants had > or = two RBs. The most prevalent RB combination was high-fat diet/sedentariness, with 30% of subjects reporting both RBs. Associations between RBs were observed. A greater number of RBs were observed among younger and less-educated subjects, those with higher depression scores, and subjects who perceived their health as poor. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of designing and evaluating primary care-based screening programs and interventions for multiple RBs. Copyright 2001 American Health Foundation and Elsevier Science.
BACKGROUND: Co-occurrence of risk behaviors (RBs) substantially increases the risk of disease. This study examines the co-occurrence of four health risk behaviors (i.e., smoking, high-fat diet, sedentariness, and high-risk drinking) and demographic and psychosocial variables associated with number of RBs in a sample of members of a health maintenance organization who participated in the Seasonal Variation in Cholesterol (Seasons) study. METHODS: Seasons study baseline data were used. Subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire packet containing questions on demographics, smoking history, and leisure-time physical activity, a 7-day dietary recall instrument, and various psychosocial measures. Results presented here are based on 496 subjects with complete data on all RBs. RESULTS: Forty-three percent of participants had > or = two RBs. The most prevalent RB combination was high-fat diet/sedentariness, with 30% of subjects reporting both RBs. Associations between RBs were observed. A greater number of RBs were observed among younger and less-educated subjects, those with higher depression scores, and subjects who perceived their health as poor. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of designing and evaluating primary care-based screening programs and interventions for multiple RBs. Copyright 2001 American Health Foundation and Elsevier Science.
Authors: Guadalupe X Ayala; India Ornelas; Scott D Rhodes; James W Amell; Janice M Dodds; Elvira Mebane; Earl Horton; Jaime Montano; Janelle Armstrong-Brown; Eugenia Eng Journal: Am J Mens Health Date: 2008-05-19