The long-term impact of weight cycling on health status, eating habits, physical activity and the lifestyle of former combat sports athletes is still insufficiently explored. Therefore, a novel questionnaire in English, Portuguese, Spanish and Croatian language was constructed. To determine the reliability and the content/face validity, a total of 110 participants filled the questionnaire on two occasions. With the majority of intra-class correlation coefficient values above 0·75, the questionnaire items were shown to be very stable. Additionally, according to κ values, the questionnaire has fair test–retest reliability, with only one coefficient being labelled as poor (Q40 in ESP). All questionnaire sub-scales showed moderate to very good internal consistency when the overall sample was observed (α ranging from 0·605 to 0·802). Poor α values were found only in Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire for CRO and ESP samples. Wilcoxon’s signed rank test showed significant differences only in the Mindful Eating Questionnaire sub-scale scores (overall: P = 0·002, effect size = −0·208 [moderate]; CRO: P = 0·005, effect size = 0·303 [moderate]). It can be concluded that the newly developed questionnaire had strong test–retest reliability. Further validity research in a larger sample of former combat sports athletes should be considered.

Older adults consistently report young subjective age and provide high ratings of their subjective health. The current research examined which social comparisons older adults make when they assess their subjective age and health, as well as the effects of experimentally manipulated social comparisons on these assessments. In Study 1, 146 participants (aged 60 and over) reported to whom they compared themselves when assessing their subjective age or health. In Study 2, 100 participants (aged 60 and over) reported their subjective age and health after receiving feedback that compared them to younger adults or to their peers. Study 1 shows that participants compared themselves primarily to their peer group. Yet, individuals who selected a younger comparison group when assessing subjective age reported a younger subjective age, better self-rated health and more positive expectations regarding ageing relative to those who selected their peers as a comparison group. No equivalent differences emerged in any of the measures when participants were divided by their selection of comparison group after providing their self-rated health ratings. In Study 2, feedback that emphasised the performance of younger people led to reports of younger subjective age relative to feedback that emphasised peer performance, with no equivalent difference for self-rated health. These findings help explain why older adults feel younger and healthier than they actually are. We suggest that older adults use social comparisons as a strategy that protects them from the negative effects of ageing on self-perception.

In the management of schizophrenia, mental health outcomes are the principal focus of treatment. The objective is to control the psychotic symptoms while minimising negative features of the illness, to achieve an overall improvement in the societal functioning of patients. Physical health is also important because if it is compromised, many of the benefits of improved mental health will be offset. Compared with the general population, schizophrenia patients are at increased risk of weight gain, abdominal obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. These physical health problems can contribute to the decreased quality of life, lowered self-esteem and reduced life expectancy commonly reported in schizophrenia. For these reasons there is a pressing need to improve both the monitoring and the management of physical health in patients with schizophrenia as a part of their overall care. A consensus for metabolic monitoring of patients receiving treatment with antipsychotic drugs is available. However, the practicing clinician requires guidance about management of physical health in routine clinical practice. This should include recommendations for measurements that have strong predictive value about physical health risks yet are easy to make, and about the use of medications that have the least effect on physical health parameters. This article will review the gravity of the physical health risks facing schizophrenia patients.