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Deals with a study which investigated whether the less psychologically focused care provided by health professionals in a rehabilitation setting increases patients' perceived positivity of illness. Changes in positive perceptions of illness following rehabilitation; Analysis on the perceptions of patients with cardiac and pulmonary illnesses; Effects of age on levels of positivity.

Focuses on a study which examined the positive consequences of illness and its implications to the concept and measurement of quality of life. Methodology; Results and discussion on the findings of the study.

This study assessed the contribution of lifestyle variables (diet, exercise, bed-time, television watching) to tiredness in school children. Eight hundred and sixty-five boys at a statefunded grammar school completed a questionnaire about lifestyle and perceived tiredness in five contexts (in lessons, before school, in break times, in the early evening, and at weekends). Lifestyle was more strongly associated with tiredness in lessons compared with tiredness in other contexts. In a multiple regression, tiredness in lessons was independently related to diet, age, bed-time and television watching. Diet contributed most of all measured lifestyle variables, and there were independent positive associations (snack foods) and negative associations (vegetables, fish, mashed/boiled potatoes) with tiredness in lessons. Overall, 11% of the variance of tiredness in lessons was explained by age and lifestyle, but there was evidence of a U-shaped relationship between level of food intake and tiredness in the case of some foods, and between perceived fitness and tiredness. The causal direction between lifestyle and tiredness in lessons can only be inferred from these cross-sectional data. However, it seems likely that lower consumption of healthy food, later bed-time and more television watching (in order of contribution) are causing greater tiredness in lessons. The association between snack foods and tiredness in lessons may be because the former causes the latter or vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between lifestyle (diet, medicines and vitamins) and minor health complaints was investigated in a sample of 595 students. Factor analysis of the odds ratios of association between lifestyle and health complaints indicated two clusters of health complaints where lifestyle predictors were consistent within clusters but different between clusters. The first cluster was a mixture of psychological and somatic complaints, namely, accidents, anxiety, colds, depression, migraines, mouth ulcers, sleeping badly, tiredness and wheeze. Lifestyle features most associated with health complaints in the first cluster included sugar and sweets, chocolate, bread, canned drinks, and frequent antibiotic use, and least associated features were blue cheese, green vegetables, yoghurt, peas, beans and lentils. The second cluster consisted of somatic complaints, namely, constipation, dandruff, diarrhoea, heartburn and thrush. Lifestyle features most associated were tea, raw mushrooms, sugar and sweets, and dental fillings, and least associated were canned drinks, beer, oranges and bread. The data are interpreted as supporting a systems version of the dysfunctional gut syndrome as a cause of health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the statistical association between minor health complaints and the dysfunctional gut syndrome. Methodology of the study; Indepth look at the results of the study which included statistical information.