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International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2019Prior research has investigated various strategies to improve health, wellbeing and the job-related outcomes of nurses. However, the scope of this evidence is not clear...
BACKGROUND
Prior research has investigated various strategies to improve health, wellbeing and the job-related outcomes of nurses. However, the scope of this evidence is not clear and the types of intervention most likely to have positive outcomes are unknown.
OBJECTIVE
To provide an overview and synthesis of the effectiveness of interventions conducted with the goal of improving health, wellbeing and the job-related outcomes of nurses.
METHODS
A systematic database search was conducted from January 2000 to December 2018, with pre-defined criteria (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; MEDLINE and PubMed; EMBASE; CINAHL; PsycINFO; and BioMed Central). In total, 136 intervention studies with a total sample of 16,129 participants (range 9-3381) were included and evaluated. Data extraction, quality assessment and risk of bias analyses were performed.
RESULTS
Studies included randomised controlled trials (RCTs; n = 52, 38%), randomised crossover design studies (n = 2, 1.5%) and non-randomised pre-post studies with a control group (n = 31, 23%) and without a control group (n = 51, 37.5%). The majority of interventions focused on education, physical activity, mindfulness, or relaxation. Thirty-seven (27%) studies had a multimodal intervention approach. On average, studies had relatively small samples (median = 61; mode = 30) and were conducted predominantly in North America (USA/Canada, n = 53). The findings were mixed overall, with some studies reporting benefits and others finding no effects. Dietary habits was the most successfully improved outcome (8/9), followed by indices of body composition (20/24), physical activity (PA) (11/14), and stress (49/66), with >70% of relevant studies in each of these categories reporting improvements. The lowest success rate was for work-related outcomes (16/32). Separate analysis of RCTs indicated that interventions that focus solely on education might be less likely to result in positive outcomes than interventions targeting behavioural change.
CONCLUSIONS
Interventions targeting diet, body composition, PA, or stress are most likely to have positive outcomes for nurses' health and/or wellbeing. The methodologically strongest evidence (RCTs) is available for body composition and stress. Interventions relying solely on educational approaches are least likely to be effective. Organisational outcomes appear to be more challenging to change with lifestyle intervention, likely requiring more complex solutions including changes to the work environment. There is a need for more high-quality evidence since many studies had moderate or high risk of bias and low reporting quality.
Topics: Adult; Exercise; Female; Health Promotion; Humans; Life Style; Male; Middle Aged; Mindfulness; Nurses; Relaxation
PubMed: 31861367
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17010017 -
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia E... May 2021To investigate in the literature the studies on the benefits of music therapy interventions among pregnant women in the prenatal, delivery and postpartum periods.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate in the literature the studies on the benefits of music therapy interventions among pregnant women in the prenatal, delivery and postpartum periods.
DATA SOURCES
The search for articles was carried out in the following electronic databases: VHL, LILACS, SciELO, Portal CAPES, PsycINFO, ERIC, PubMed/Medline, and journals specialized in this field: ("Brazilian Journal of Music Therapy") and .
STUDY SELECTION
Descriptors in Portuguese (, , , ), English (, , , ) and Spanish (a, , , were used. The search was delimited between January 2009 and June 2019. The process of selection and evaluation of the articles was performed through peer review.
DATA COLLECTION
The following data were extracted: article title, year of publication, journal, author(s), database, country and date of collection, purpose of the study, sample size, type of care, intervention, instruments used, results, and conclusion. The data were organized in chronological order based on the year of publication of the study.
SUMMARY OF THE DATA
In total, 146 articles were identified, and only 23 studies were included in this systematic review. The articles found indicate among their results relaxation, decreased levels of anxiety, psychosocial stress and depression, decreased pain, increase in the maternal bond, improvement in the quality of sleep, control of the fetal heart rate and maternal blood pressure, and decreased intake of drugs in the postoperative period.
CONCLUSION
Music therapy during the prenatal, delivery and postpartum periods can provide benefits to pregnant women and newborns, thus justifying its importance in this field.
Topics: Female; Humans; Music; Music Therapy; Parturition; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Pregnant Women; Prenatal Care; Quality of Life; Relaxation; Women's Health
PubMed: 34182584
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731924 -
PloS One 2020The need to control for the potential influence of menstrual cycle phase on resting metabolism (RMR) places a burden on research participants who must self-report onset... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
The need to control for the potential influence of menstrual cycle phase on resting metabolism (RMR) places a burden on research participants who must self-report onset of menstruation and researchers who must schedule metabolic testing accordingly.
PURPOSE
To systematically review and analyze existing research to determine the effect of menstrual cycle on RMR.
METHODS
We searched PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus databases using the search terms "menstrual cycle and metabolic rate" and "menstrual cycle and energy expenditure." Eligibility criteria were English language, single-group repeated measures design, and RMR as either a primary or secondary outcome. Risk of bias was assessed based on study sample, measurement, and control of confounders. Differences between the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle were analyzed using the standardized mean difference in effect size.
RESULTS
Thirty English-language studies published between 1930 and December 2019 were included in the systematic review, and 26 studies involving 318 women were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, there was a small but significant effect favoring increased RMR in the luteal phase (ES = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.49, p < 0.001).
DISCUSSION
Limitations include risk of bias regarding measurement of both menstrual cycle and RMR. Sample sizes were small and studies did not report control of potential confounders. Sub-group analysis demonstrated that in more recent studies published since 2000, the effect of menstrual phase was reduced and not statistically significant (ES = 0.23; 95% CI = -0.00, 0.47; p = 0.055). Until larger and better designed studies are available, based on our current findings, researchers should be aware of the potential confounding influence of the menstrual cycle and control for it by testing consistently in one phase of the cycle when measuring RMR in pre-menopausal women.
Topics: Basal Metabolism; Female; Humans; Menstrual Cycle; Rest
PubMed: 32658929
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236025 -
Radiologia 2022
Topics: Respect; Rest; Time Factors
PubMed: 36243438
DOI: 10.1016/j.rxeng.2022.09.003 -
British Journal of Anaesthesia Jun 2016The term 'brain relaxation' is routinely used to describe the size and firmness of the brain tissue during craniotomy. The status of brain relaxation is an important... (Review)
Review
The term 'brain relaxation' is routinely used to describe the size and firmness of the brain tissue during craniotomy. The status of brain relaxation is an important aspect of neuroanaesthesia practice and is relevant to the operating conditions, retraction injury, and likely patient outcomes. Brain relaxation is determined by the relationship between the volume of the intracranial contents and the capacity of the intracranial space (i.e. a content-space relationship). It is a concept related to, but distinct from, intracranial pressure. The evaluation of brain relaxation should be standardized to facilitate clinical communication and research collaboration. Both advantageous and disadvantageous effects of the various interventions for brain relaxation should be taken into account in patient care. The outcomes that matter the most to patients should be emphasized in defining, evaluating, and managing brain relaxation. To date, brain relaxation has not been reviewed specifically, and the aim of this manuscript is to discuss the current approaches to the definition, evaluation, and management of brain relaxation, knowledge gaps, and targets for future research.
Topics: Craniotomy; Humans; Intracranial Pressure; Intraoperative Care; Relaxation
PubMed: 27121854
DOI: 10.1093/bja/aew096 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2020In this paper the scientific literature on the association between forests, stress relief and relaxation is reviewed with the purpose to understand common patterns of... (Review)
Review
In this paper the scientific literature on the association between forests, stress relief and relaxation is reviewed with the purpose to understand common patterns of research, the main techniques used for analysis, findings relevant to forest-therapy-oriented management, and knowledge gaps. The database of studies was collected with a keyword search on the Web, which returned a set of 32 studies that were included in the analysis. The main findings and patterns were identified with a text mining analysis of the abstract to search for keyword patterns across studies. The analysis indicates that most studies compared rest and relaxation performances across urban and forest environments and used a combination of self-reported measure of stress or rest collected with validate scales, e.g., the Profile of Mood of States (POMS) and the Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS), and a minority-only set of these two groups of indicators. Results of this review indicate that primary studies identified a positive association between forest exposure and mental well-being, in particular when compared to urban environments, thus suggesting that forest are effective in lowering stress levels. This study found that, to date, the characteristics of forests and characteristics of the visit are little investigated in the literature. For this reason, more research with a focus on forest variables such as tree species composition, tree density and other variables affecting forest landscape should be further investigated to inform forest management. Similarly, the characteristics of the visits (e.g., length of visit and frequency) should be further explored to provide robust forest therapy guidelines.
Topics: Forests; Mental Health; Recreation; Relaxation; Relaxation Therapy; Stress, Physiological; Stress, Psychological; Trees
PubMed: 32842490
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176125 -
Health Economics Dec 2017Better management by individuals of their long-term conditions is promoted to improve health and reduce healthcare expenditure. However, there is limited evidence on the...
Better management by individuals of their long-term conditions is promoted to improve health and reduce healthcare expenditure. However, there is limited evidence on the determinants and consequences of self-management activity. We investigate the determinants of two forms of self-management, exercise and relaxation, and their impact on the health and wellbeing of 3472 individuals with long-term health conditions over a 1-year period. We use simultaneous recursive trivariate models to estimate the effects of these two inputs on three health and wellbeing outcomes: the EuroQol five-dimensional (EQ-5D) score, self-assessed health and happiness. We reflect the opportunity cost of time and knowledge with employment status and education and find that employment reduces relaxation and education increases exercise. We find that neither exercise nor relaxation affects the EuroQol five-dimensional score, but exercise increases self-assessed health and relaxation increases happiness. Our findings show that individuals tailor their self-management activities to their economic constraints, with effects on different aspects of their utility. Interventions to encourage self-management should take account of heterogeneous effects and constraints. © 2017 The Authors. Health Economics Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Topics: Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnostic Self Evaluation; Exercise; Health Status; Humans; Models, Statistical; Quality of Life; Relaxation; Self-Management; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 28276112
DOI: 10.1002/hec.3477 -
Psychoneuroendocrinology Dec 2020Worry increases risk for long-term health issues by prolonging the physiological stress response. In contrast, relaxation may ameliorate the psychological and...
BACKGROUND
Worry increases risk for long-term health issues by prolonging the physiological stress response. In contrast, relaxation may ameliorate the psychological and physiological burden resulting from worry. This study examined the impact of experimentally induced worry and relaxation on cortisol, heart rate variability (HRV), and inflammation.
METHOD
Participants (N = 80) completed both a worry and relaxation induction (presented in a fixed order) while HRV was collected continuously. Three blood samples were taken (at baseline, after the worry induction, and after the relaxation induction) to measure IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α and serum cortisol.
RESULTS
There were significant changes in IL-6 (p < 0.001), IFN-γ (p < 0.01), HRV (p < .001), and cortisol (p < .001) but not in TNF-α (p = 0.65) across conditions. HRV decreased significantly from baseline to worry and then increased following relaxation. IL-6 was higher during relaxation compared to worry and baseline. Cortisol decreased significantly across conditions. Several patterns of covariance between inflammation and HRV and/or cortisol also emerged.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings offer novel insight into how worry influences the immune system and emphasize the utility of a multi-methods approach to understanding the impact of worry on physical health.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Cardiovascular System; Endocrine System; Female; Heart Rate; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Inflammation; Male; Relaxation; Saliva; Stress, Physiological; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 33010599
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104870 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2022Stress is ubiquitous in everyday life and hazardous for mental and physical health. To prevent or ameliorate stress-related disease, relaxation exercises aim to...
Stress is ubiquitous in everyday life and hazardous for mental and physical health. To prevent or ameliorate stress-related disease, relaxation exercises aim to counteract stress by inducing short-lasting states of relaxation on a regular basis. Critically, current assessments capture the mid- and long-term consequences of relaxation, however, cannot measure its short-term effects on an individual's momentary psychological state. To address this problem, we developed the Relaxation State Questionnaire (RSQ). We assessed the psychometric quality of the questionnaire by investigating its item properties, reliability, and validity in an online study with 92 participants. Construct validity was examined through correlations with the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ; Fliege in https://doi.org/10.23668/PSYCHARCHIVES.2889 , 2009). An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors capturing the momentary state of muscle tension, sleepiness, cardiovascular activity, and general relaxation. In a second online study with 99 participants, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis. Results revealed high item loadings (0.70-0.91), excellent reliability (α = 0.86) and excellent fit indices, and a good construct validity of the RSQ. These findings establish the RSQ as a tool to measure momentary states of relaxation. As such, the RSQ opens up research of the immediate subjective effects and the effectiveness of relaxation exercises.
Topics: Factor Analysis, Statistical; Humans; Psychometrics; Relaxation; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36175459
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20524-w -
Scientific Reports May 2021Articular cartilage heals poorly but experiences mechanically induced damage across a broad range of loading rates and matrix integrity. Because loading rates and matrix...
Articular cartilage heals poorly but experiences mechanically induced damage across a broad range of loading rates and matrix integrity. Because loading rates and matrix integrity affect cartilage mechanical responses due to poroviscoelastic relaxation mechanisms, their effects on cartilage failure are important for assessing and preventing failure. This paper investigated rate- and integrity-dependent crack nucleation in cartilage from pre- to post-relaxation timescales. Rate-dependent crack nucleation and relaxation responses were obtained as a function of matrix integrity through microindentation. Total work for crack nucleation increased with decreased matrix integrity, and with decreased loading rates. Critical energy release rate of intact cartilage was estimated as 2.39 ± 1.39 to 2.48 ± 1.26 kJ m in a pre-relaxation timescale. These findings showed that crack nucleation is delayed when cartilage can accommodate localized loading through poroviscoelastic relaxation mechanisms before fracture at a given loading rate and integrity state.
Topics: Animals; Cartilage, Articular; Elasticity; Fractures, Bone; Models, Biological; Relaxation; Swine
PubMed: 33947908
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88942-w