Angela Colantonio

Bio: Angela Colantonio is an academic researcher from University of Toronto. The author has contributed to research in topics: Poison control & Population. The author has an hindex of 43, co-authored 275 publications receiving 7761 citations. Previous affiliations of Angela Colantonio include University of Pittsburgh & University Health Network.

Positive aspects of caregiving: rounding out the caregiver experience.

Abstract: Objectives To identify positive aspects of caregiving and examine how they are associated with caregiver outcomes. Method This study used a national sample of caregivers derived from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging (part 2). Two hundred and eighty-nine caregivers caring for seniors living in the community were questioned about their experience of caregiving. Caregivers were asked whether they could identify any positive aspects related to their role, the type of positive aspects and to rate their feelings about caring. Using a conceptual model developed by Noonan and Tennstedt (1997), a staged stepwise multiple regression approach was used factoring the background/contextual variables, stressor variables (3 MS score, ADL limitations), mediator variables (positive aspects of caregiving, number of services used) and outcome variables (depression, burden and self-assessed health measures) into the model. Results Two hundred and eleven caregivers (73%) could identify at least one specific positive aspect of caregiving. An additional 20 (6.9%) could identify more than one positive aspect. Positive feelings about caring were associated with lower CES-D scores ( p Conclusion Clinicians should inquire about the positive aspects of caregiving if they are to fully comprehend the caregiver experience and identify risk factors for negative caregiver outcomes.

Factors associated with perceived quality of life many years after traumatic brain injury.

Abstract: Objectives To explore factors associated with perceived quality of life (QOL) 8 to 24 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design Retrospective cohort study. Participants Two hundred seventy-five individuals who sustained moderate to severe TBI who were discharged from a rehabilitation hospital participated in this study. We interviewed consenting participants up to 24 years after injury. Outcome measures Self-rated Quality of Life Scale. Results Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that perceived mental health, self-rated health, gender (women rating QOL higher), participation in work and leisure, and the availability of emotional support were significantly associated with QOL (P Conclusion The importance of designing ongoing support programs to further reintegrate TBI survivors several years after injury is discussed.

Long-term outcomes after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

Abstract: Objective: This research examined the long-term outcomes of rehabilitation patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).Design: Retrospective cohort study.Setting and subjects: We ...

A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents.

Abstract: SALLIS, J. F., J. J. PROCHASKA, and W. C. TAYLOR. A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 32, No. 5, pp. 963‐975, 2000. Background: Understanding the factors that influence physical activity can aid the design of more effective interventions. Previous reviews of correlates of youth physical activity have produced conflicting results. Methods: A comprehensive review of correlates of physical activity was conducted, and semiquantitative results were summarized separately for children (ages 3‐12) and adolescents (ages 13‐18). The 108 studies evaluated 40 variables for children and 48 variables for adolescents. Results: About 60% of all reported associations with physical activity were statistically significant. Variables that were consistently associated with children’s physical activity were sex (male), parental overweight status, physical activity preferences, intention to be active, perceived barriers (inverse), previous physical activity, healthy diet, program/facility access, and time spent outdoors. Variables that were consistently associated with adolescents’ physical activity were sex (male), ethnicity (white), age (inverse), perceived activity competence, intentions, depression (inverse), previous physical activity, community sports, sensation seeking, sedentary after school and on weekends (inverse), parent support, support from others, sibling physical activity, direct help from parents, and opportunities to exercise. Conclusion: These consistently related variables should be confirmed in prospective

Habit and intention in everyday life: The multiple processes by which past behavior predicts future behavior.

Abstract: Past behavior guides future responses through 2 processes. Well-practiced behaviors in constant contexts recur because the processing that initiates and controls their performance becomes automatic. Frequency of past behavior then reflects habit strength and has a direct effect on future performance. Alternately, when behaviors are not well learned or when they are performed in unstable or difficult contexts, conscious decision making is likely to be necessary to initiate and carry out the behavior. Under these conditions, past behavior (along with attitudes and subjective norms) may contribute to intentions, and behavior is guided by intentions. These relations between past behavior and future behavior are substantiated in a meta-analytic synthesis of prior research on behavior prediction and in a primary research investigation. In everyday explanations of behavior, habits denote one's customary ways of behaving. Claiming that one performed a behavior because of habit provides an understandable explanation for an act that otherwise might seem irrational or even harmful. Habits also are featured in the popular psychology literature in the form of self-help books designed to identify readers' existing habits, evaluate habits' effectiveness in meeting goals, and establish more desirable habits. Habits are not, however, important constructs in most contemporary social psychological models of human behavior. Early in their careers, most psychology graduate students learn that frequency of past behavior, a standard indicator of habit strength (Triandis, 1977, 1980), is the best predictor of

Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Review and Avenues for Further Research

Abstract: This paper describes and reviews the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The focus is on evidence supporting the further extension of the TPB in various ways. Empirical and theoretical evidence to support the addition of 6 variables to the TPB is reviewed: belief salience measures, past behaviodhabit, perceived behavioral control (PBC) vs. selfefficacy, moral norms, self-identity, and affective beliefs. In each case there appears to be growing empirical evidence to support their addition to the TPB and some understanding of the processes by which they may be related to other TPB variables, intentions, and behavior. Two avenues for expansion of the TPB are presented. First, the possibility of incorporating the TPB into a dual-process model of attitude-behavior relationships is reviewed. Second, the expansion of the TPB to include consideration of the volitional processes determining how goal intentions may lead to goal achievement is discussed.