ijerph-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Health Behavior, Body Posture and Public Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (6 February 2023) | Viewed by 20131

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Medical College, Institute of Health Sciences, University of Rzeszow, 35-310 Rzeszow, Poland
Interests: health prevention; healthy lifestyles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Health behaviors are shaped from early childhood, and are influenced by various factors and personal models in the home, kindergarten, school, peer groups, and media. Body posture is a vital static–dynamic component of the human motor system, whose overall functionality is determined by a diversity of factors. Modern man is threatened by diseases of civilization which, in many cases are caused by living a fast-paced life, an excess of duties, and accumulation of incentives and information, situations in everyday life which increase psychophysical tension, stress, nervousness, and frustrations. This illustrates a need for further action to prevent the influence of negative factors on the health and comfort of modern man. 

Given the overall gravity and sheer scale of these issues, any reports would contribute to greater awareness of these concerns, while at the same time granting them due prominence in scientific research. 

The focus of this Special Issue is on broadening the knowledge of the impact of physical activity and health habits on the physical health and body posture of children, adolescents, and adults. I invite you to contribute to this Special Issue devoted to the assessment of body posture, foot structure, postural stability, physical activity, and health behaviors in people of different ages and from different social environments.

Dr. Ewa Puszczalowska-Lizis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • health behaviors
  • body posture
  • foot structure
  • postural stability
  • physical activity

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 395 KiB  
Article
Factors Associated with Body Image and Self-Esteem in Mastectomized Breast Cancer Survivors
by Sergio Álvarez-Pardo, José Antonio De Paz, Ena Montserrat Romero-Pérez, Kora Mónica Portilla-Cueto, Mario A. Horta-Gim, Jerónimo J. González-Bernal, Jessica Fernández-Solana, Juan Mielgo-Ayuso, Adrián García-Valverde and Josefa González-Santos
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 5154; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065154 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3279
Abstract
Body image (BI) and self-esteem (SE) are two fundamental aspects in the evolution of breast cancer (BC), mainly due to surgery, treatment, and the patient’s conception of BI. A dissatisfaction with BI and low SE decreases the subject’s quality of life and increases [...] Read more.
Body image (BI) and self-esteem (SE) are two fundamental aspects in the evolution of breast cancer (BC), mainly due to surgery, treatment, and the patient’s conception of BI. A dissatisfaction with BI and low SE decreases the subject’s quality of life and increases the risk of recurrence and mortality by BC. The aim of this study is to find out if there is any degree of association between the sociodemographic data of the sample and their BI and SE. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted with 198 women diagnosed with BC, aged 30–80 years, in Mexico. Women’s BI and SE were assessed using two questionnaires, Hopwood Body Image Scale (S-BIS) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The results show significant differences in several items when the variable sense of humor is taken into account, indicating that women with a sense of humor report higher satisfaction with their BI and higher SE. The age also indicates a significantly better BI in women over 50 years of age, as well as the education level variable, where those women who had studied up to secondary reported higher satisfaction with their BI; the family history shows that those women without a family history report better SE. All these data are supported by stepwise regression, which shows that educational level and sense of humor are predictors of BI, and family history along with breast reconstruction and sense of humor are predictors as of SE. In conclusion, it is important to take into account the characteristics of women with BC, particularly age and sense of humor, in order to reduce the impact of the disease on their BI and SE with the help of a multidisciplinary team. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior, Body Posture and Public Health)
10 pages, 641 KiB  
Article
Foot Structure of Girls and Boys in the Final Stage of Early Childhood Taking into Account the Half-Yearly Age Ranges
by Ewa Puszczalowska-Lizis and Sabina Lizis
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010629 - 30 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1534
Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of foot structure in girls and boys in the final stage of early childhood, taking into account the half-yearly age ranges. The study was carried out among 800 children aged 3. The research [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of foot structure in girls and boys in the final stage of early childhood, taking into account the half-yearly age ranges. The study was carried out among 800 children aged 3. The research tool was the podoscope CQ-ST. The collected research results were analyzed with the use of Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Statistically significant sex differences in the length of the right and left foot, the width of the right and left foot and Clarke’s angle of the right and left foot in each of the identified age groups were found. There were statistically significant differences in the length of the right and left foot, the width of the right and left foot, and the Clarke’s angle of the right and left foot were noted separately in girls and boys. Sexual dimorphism in foot length, foot width, and Clarke’s angle occurs in 3-year-old children. In each of the age groups, boys are characterized by longer and wider, and lower arched right and left foot. Characteristic features differentiating children in the 1st and 2nd age group are foot length, foot width and Clarke’s angle. Girls and boys in the 2nd age group have longer and wider, and higher arched right and left feet. This indicates a high dynamic of increases in the value of these features. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior, Body Posture and Public Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3446 KiB  
Article
Physical Performance Tests in Adult Neck Pain Patients with and without Clinical Myelopathic Signs: A Matched Case-Control Study
by Mon Mon Hnin Lwin, Rungthip Puntumetakul, Surachai Sae-Jung, Weerasak Tapanya, Uraiwan Chatchawan and Thiwaphon Chatprem
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10331; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610331 - 19 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1821
Abstract
Patients with neck pain may experience cervical myelopathy, this may be detected by clinical myelopathic signs, although they did not have any symptom of myelopathy, except having neck pain. Decreasing physical performance is one symptom of cervical myelopathy that can lead to reduced [...] Read more.
Patients with neck pain may experience cervical myelopathy, this may be detected by clinical myelopathic signs, although they did not have any symptom of myelopathy, except having neck pain. Decreasing physical performance is one symptom of cervical myelopathy that can lead to reduced quality of life in the elderly, however, in adult neck pain with clinical myelopathic signs have not been evaluated. Therefore, this research aimed to compare physical performance in two groups of adult patients with neck pain: those with and without clinical myelopathic signs. A total of 52 participants, gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) matched were allocated into 2 groups of 26 subjects with neck pain, those with, and without, clinical myelopathic signs. The grip and release test, nine-hole peg test, ten second step test and foot-tapping test were evaluated. The group of neck pain participants with clinical myelopathic signs exhibited greater impairment in all the tests than the group without clinical myelopathic signs (p < 0.001). Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were grip and release test: 2.031, nine-hole peg test: 1.143, ten second step test: 1.329, and foot-tapping test: 0.798. Neck pain participants with clinical myelopathic signs demonstrated reduced physical performance. Physical performance tests may need to assessed in adult patients with neck pain who had clinical myelopathic signs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior, Body Posture and Public Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1197 KiB  
Article
Field Study of Postural Characteristics of Standing and Seated Smartphone Use
by Yi-Lang Chen, Kuan-Hsiang Chen, Yu-Cheng Cheng and Chien-Ching Chang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4583; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084583 - 11 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3388
Abstract
Prior investigations have been primarily conducted in a laboratory to examine the effects of the smartphone use on the neck and head positions, whether these results are applicable to actual conditions is still unknown. This field survey thus analyzed the neck flexion (NF), [...] Read more.
Prior investigations have been primarily conducted in a laboratory to examine the effects of the smartphone use on the neck and head positions, whether these results are applicable to actual conditions is still unknown. This field survey thus analyzed the neck flexion (NF), head flexion (HF), gaze angle (GA), and viewing distance (VD) of smartphone users in public areas in Taipei, Taiwan. Six hundred smartphone users (300 men and 300 women) were photographed sagittally in standing, supported sitting, or unsupported sitting postures while using a smartphone. Results showed that women had significantly less NF and HF and shorter VDs than male users. Regardless of gender, higher NF was observed for standing than for sitting. Women had similar NF and HF while sitting supported and unsupported, but both were significantly lower than those while standing. By contrast, male users had higher NF and HF during unsupported sitting than during supported sitting. The NF (45°–50°) was much greater than the recommended maximum safe NF of 15°. Women may be at higher risk of visual strain because of shorter VD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior, Body Posture and Public Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

12 pages, 2868 KiB  
Review
Effects of Corrective Exercises on Lumbar Lordotic Angle Correction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Vanja Dimitrijević, Tijana Šćepanović, Vukadin Milankov, Miroslav Milankov and Patrik Drid
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4906; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084906 - 18 Apr 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 8503
Abstract
Lumbar lordosis is one of the most important parts of the spine, which is of special importance due to its unique position and direct contact with the pelvis. The aim of this study was to combine the results of several studies and to [...] Read more.
Lumbar lordosis is one of the most important parts of the spine, which is of special importance due to its unique position and direct contact with the pelvis. The aim of this study was to combine the results of several studies and to evaluate the magnitude of the effect of different Lumbar lordotic angle correction programs through meta-analysis. This study has been developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement. Four databases were searched for articles collection: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The key search terms were: “Lumbar Lordotic angle”, “Lordosis”, “Hyperlordosis”, “Corrective exercise”, and “Low back pain. “The articles included in our study were limited to original articles written only in English that met the following inclusion criteria: (1) participants with lumbar lordosis or hyperlordosis or low back pain; (2) different programs of corrective exercises were applied; (3) Lumbar lordotic angle used as outcome measures. Ten studies are included in our systematic review and meta-analysis. The effect size for the Lumbar lordotic angle outcome was (SMD = 0.550, p ˂ 0.001, moderate effect size). Subgroup analysis for Lumbar lordotic angle: Subgroup Younger group (SMD = 0.640, p ˂ 0.001), Subgroup Older group, (SMD = 0.520, p ˂ 0.001). Subgroup Treatment (SMD = 0.527, p ˂ 0.001), Subgroup No treatment (SMD = 0.577, p = 0.002). This was the only outcome assessed in our analysis. The current meta-analysis indicates that different correction methods have a positive effect on subjects with lumbar lordosis or hyperlordosis. In the following research, we should try to determine which corrective methods have the best effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior, Body Posture and Public Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop