Association of Social Support and Depressive Symptoms Among African Americans

Depression affects over 120 million individuals worldwide; in the United States, depression is a leading cause of disability for individualsâ ages 15-44 years. Social support can affect both physical and depressive symptoms; therefore, most patients with heart failure (HF) need support from family and/or friends to effectively manage their health condition. This indicates family and/or friends are expected to be the core support system for long term care of those with HF. The purpose of this study was to determine whether social support contributes to depressive symptoms among African Americans with HF. The research questions examined the experience of different types of social support, its relationship to depressive symptoms, and its relationship with the change in depressive symptoms overtime among African Americans with HF. This cohort study analyzed secondary data from the Jackson Heart Study Exam 1 2000-2004 (N=287) and Exam 3 2009-2013 (N=254) periods. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted to test each of the research questions. The results of this study showed no significant relationships between social support and depressive symptoms. The findings from this study will assist with the enhancement of access to resources and services by providing additional knowledge regarding social support and depressive symptoms that will improve both mental and cardiovascular health among African Americans

A prospective investigation of injury incidence and risk factors among army recruits in combat engineer training

BACKGROUND: United States Army combat engineer (ENG) training is an intense 14-week course designed to introduce new recruits to basic soldiering activities, Army values and lifestyle, and engineering skills and knowledge. The present investigation examined injury rates and injury risk factors in ENG training. METHODS: At the start of their training, 1,633 male ENG recruits were administered a questionnaire containing items on date of birth, height, weight, tobacco use, prior physical activity, and injury history. Injuries during training were obtained from electronic medical records and the training units provided data on student graduation and attrition. Risk factors were identified using Cox regression. RESULTS: Ninety-two percent of the recruits successfully graduated from the course and 47% of the recruits experienced one or more injuries during training. Univariate Cox regression demonstrated that recruits were at higher injury risk if they reported that they were older, had a higher or lower body mass index, had smoked in the past, had performed less exercise (aerobic or muscle strength) or sports prior to ENG training, had experienced a previous time-loss lower limb injury (especially if they had not totally recovered from that injury), or had a lower educational level. CONCLUSIONS: The present investigation was the first to identify injury rates and identify specific factors increasing injury risk during ENG training. The identified risk factors provide a basis for recommending future prevention strategies