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Objectives:: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) may be more common in people with schizophrenia compared to the general population, but the relative prevalence is unknown. Here, we determine the relative prevalence of severe OSA in a cohort of men with schizophrenia compared to representative general population controls, and investigate the contribution of age and body mass index (BMI) to differences in prevalence.Methods:: Rates of severe OSA (apnoea-hypopnoea index > 30) were compared between male patients with schizophrenia and controls from a representative general population study of OSA.Results:: The prevalence of severe OSA was 25% in the schizophrenia group and 12.3% in the general population group. In subgroups matched by age, the relative risk of severe OSA was 2.9 ( p = 0.05) in the schizophrenia subjects, but when adjusted for age and BMI, the relative risk dropped to 1.7 and became non-significant ( p = 0.17).Conclusions:: OSA is prevalent in men with schizophrenia. Obesity may be an important contributing factor to the increased rate of OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individual-level health outcomes are shaped by environmental risk conditions. Norms figure prominently in socio-behavioural theories yet spatial variations in health-related norms have rarely been investigated as environmental risk conditions. This study assessed: 1) the contributions of local descriptive norms for overweight/obesity and dietary behaviour to 10-year change in glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), accounting for food resource availability; and 2) whether associations between local descriptive norms and HbA1c were moderated by food resource availability.Methods: HbA1c, representing cardiometabolic risk, was measured three times over 10 years for a population-based biomedical cohort of adults in Adelaide, South Australia. Residential environmental exposures were defined using 1600 m participant-centred road-network buffers. Local descriptive norms for overweight/obesity and insufficient fruit intake (proportion of residents with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 [n = 1890] or fruit intake of <2 serves/day [n = 1945], respectively) were aggregated from responses to a separate geocoded population survey. Fast-food and healthful food resource availability (counts) were extracted from a retail database. Separate sets of multilevel models included different predictors, one local descriptive norm and either fast-food or healthful food resource availability, with area-level education and individual-level covariates (age, sex, employment status, education, marital status, and smoking status). Interactions between local descriptive norms and food resource availability were tested.Results: HbA1c concentration rose over time. Local descriptive norms for overweight/obesity and insufficient fruit intake predicted greater rates of increase in HbA1c. Neither fast-food nor healthful food resource availability were associated with change in HbA1c. Greater healthful food resource availability reduced the rate of increase in HbA1c concentration attributed to the overweight/obesity norm.Conclusions: Local descriptive health-related norms, not food resource availability, predicted 10-year change in HbA1c. Null findings for food resource availability may reflect a sufficiency or minimum threshold level of resources such that availability poses no barrier to obtaining healthful or unhealthful foods for this region. However, the influence of local descriptive norms varied according to food resource availability in effects on HbA1c. Local descriptive health-related norms have received little attention thus far but are important influences on individual cardiometabolic risk. Further research is needed to explore how local descriptive norms contribute to chronic disease risk and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Identify factors associated with changes to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in baby boomers. Methods: Panel data were collected on baby boomers at two time points, 2000-2002 and 2004-2006. A fixed-effects model was used to identify associations between changes in the dependent variable (SF-36 summary scales) and changes in independent variables (health indicators/employment status). Results: Mental health problems, being out of labor force, sedentary behavior, and severe lung disease were associated with deterioration in physical and mental HRQoL. Obesity was associated with deterioration in physical HRQoL whereas cardiovascular disease was associated with deterioration in mental HRQoL. Unemployment, full-time employment, and absence of lung disease symptoms were associated with improvements in physical and mental HRQoL. Discussion: If we are to maximize the future labor participation, and HRQoL, of this cohort, it will be necessary to reduce obesity and sedentary behavior and to further investigate the association between health and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS), which represents a longitudinal study of 4060 adults ages 18 years and above at the time of recruitment. The goal of this study is to provide data to assist in maximising the effectiveness of strategies being used to prevent, detect and manage chronic conditions. It notes that this study formed the basis for the Nutrition, Obesity, Lifestyle & Environment (NOBLE) Study.