Digital Commons Network^™

Ethnic Minorities And Mental Health: Ethical Concerns In Counseling Immigrants And Culturally-Diverse Groups, Gemima M. Remy

Trotter Review

Between 1980 and 1990 nearly 9 million foreign-born individuals migrated to the United States. In 1993, the Immigration and Naturalization Service recorded the entry of over 900,000 immigrants and refugees. This figure is believed to be higher given the estimated 1.5 to 2.5 million people who enter this country illegally each year. Currently, ethnic minority groups make up one-fourth of the United States population. It is estimated that by the year 2000, one-third of the U.S. population will be comprised of ethnic minorities. As the population of the United States becomes increasingly diverse, considerable attention is being directed to a …

A National Minority Organ/Tissue Transplant Education Program: The First Step In The Evolution Of A National Minority Strategy And Minority Transplant Equity In The Usa, Clive O. Callender, Alvina S. Bey, Patrice V. Miles, Curtis L. Yeager

Trotter Review

In 1978, members of the Southeastern Organ Procurement Foundation approached us concerning the disparity between the large number of African American patients, 50% to 70% of all patients on dialysis (artificial kidney machines), and the small number of African American donors (3%), and asked us why and what could be done about it? From my perspective as an African American transplant surgeon at Howard University, these observations piqued my curiosity and I agreed to investigate them. Our investigation took us into three areas: 1. An evaluation of the data regarding transplantation in patients at the Howard University Hospital Transplant Center …

The Multicultural Mental Health Research Center (Mmhrc), Castellano Turner

Trotter Review

African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and Native Americans have had relatively less access to the resources of society compared to white Americans. These resources include such things as educational and employment opportunities, political and economic power, and the goods and services that a prosperous society can produce. Health care is an important resource to which access is not equal for all groups. African Americans and other ethnic minority groups are, by most indices of health care access and utilization, underserved. Mental health services, in particular, have been shown to be less available to ethnic minority populations. Jones and Korchin, …

Factors Associated With Successful Long-Term Weight Loss Maintenance In Women, Renie Del Ponte

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Abundant literature exist on interventions for weight loss documenting the existence of a weight loss maintenance problem (Wadden & Bell, 1990; Kay man et al., 1990; Wadden et al., 1989). Very few individuals are successful at maintaining their weight loss for at least two years for reasons that are not clearly understood. This retrospective study examined factors, identified in a review of the scientific literature, shown to be associated with weight loss maintenance. A screening questionnaire was presented to all female patients (n=271) entering physician offices for routine health maintenance care from February 1, 1994 through June 30, 1994. Fifty-three …

Identification Of Variables Influencing Women's Breast Cancer Detection, Sherri Duckworth Kemp

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the variables influencing women's breast cancer detection behavior. Using social learning theory as an organizing framework. factors influencing women's decisions to seek breast cancer detection and the respondent's personal demographics were examined for their contribution to explaining women's decisions to seek breast cancer detection.

A [convience] sample from a university medical center provided data for the study. Data were gathered with a voluntary questionnaire. A total of 25 employees from the medical center participated in the study during the winter quarter of 1994.

The findings of the study provide insight into some of the variables affecting women's …

Patient Satisfaction Among Users Of The After Hours Program, Helen L. Larocco

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The problem of increasing health care costs and decreasing access to health care services is a major crisis in the U.S. today. One factor contributing to the rising cost of health care is the inappropriate use of emergency rooms, (ERs). In response to escalating costs a local health care corporation implemented a telephone triage program called the After Hours Program, (AHP). The goal of the program was to reduce inappropriate utilization of emergency rooms, and to educate patients to recognize and treat specific health problems independently, i.e., home treatment.

A program evaluation was completed in which different dimensions of patient …

Ua66/13/3 Health Link, Vol. 1, No. 1, Wku Public Health

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the WKU Public Health department.

Factors Which Predict The Initiation And Use Of Alcohol In Rural Adolescents, Charlotte Swint

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this research was to determine whether a selected group of factors are significant when trying to predict the use of alcohol by adolescents who live in rural areas. This research is important because most of the studies concerning drug and alcohol use in adolescents have focused on adolescents who live in urban areas. The results of such studies may not be generalizable to rural populations. The factors investigated included the following: availability of alcohol, peer influence, parental influence, tobacco use, gender, and grade level. These factors were chosen based on their inclusion in four prominent theories regarding …

A Comparison Of The Utilization Of Health Services In The Presence Or Absence Of Prescriptive Drug Insurance In A Managed Care Environment, Martha Groblewski

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study tested if the availability of third party payment for prescriptive drugs as part of employer sponsored health insurance was associated with a change in the utilization of four types of health services in an independent practice association (IPA). The study employed the individual determinants component of the Andersen-Newman theoretical framework for health services utilization. Groups of employees in companies that offered health insurance identical in all ways except for the presence or absence of the prescriptive rider were included in the study which resulted in a population of 122 companies (89 with prescriptive rider insurance and 33 without …

The Aids Project Newsline, Vol.7, No.3 (March 1995), Eve Cimmel, The Aids Project

AIDS Project Newsline (1991-1996)

No abstract provided.

Prevalence And Disability Outcome Of Secondary Conditions Experienced By Adults With Disabilities Living In A Rural State: Validation Of A Surveillance Instrument, Tom Seekins Ph.D., Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., Kaye Norris Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

Objectives. People with disabilities can lead healthy lives but may be at risk for secondary conditions. This study investigated prevalence rates and disability outcome of secondary conditions using the Secondary Conditions Surveillance Instrument (SCSI). The reliability and validity of the SCSI for measuring self-reported limitation due to secondary conditions was also investigated. Methods. Three-hundred-fifty-four handicapped parking permit holders and 22 non-disabled undergraduate students completed the SCSI. Eighteen people with spinal cords injuries completed the SCSI twice approximately 3 years apart. Results. Respondents reported experiencing an average of 14 secondary conditions during the past year with 73% experiencing more than 10 …

Skilled Nursing Facility Based Rehabilitation Outcomes Of The Geriatric Stroke Patient, Sheila Bernadette Andrews

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

An Overview Of The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Hiv Prevention Programs, D. R. Holtgrave, Noreen L. Qualls, J. W. Curran, Ronald O. Valdiserri, Mary Guinan, William C. Parra

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Because of the enormity of the HIV-AIDS epidemic and the urgency for preventing transmission, HIV prevention programs are a high priority for careful and timely evaluations. Information on program effectiveness and efficiency is needed for decision-making about future HIV prevention priorities. General characteristics of successful HIV prevention programs, programs empirically evaluated and found to change (or not change) high-risk behaviors or in need of further empirical study, and economic evaluations of certain programs are described and summarized with attention limited to programs that have a behavioral basis. HIV prevention programs have an impact on averting or reducing risk behaviors, particularly …

Exercise And Dietary Habits Of High School, Health Science Students, Lorri Castro Aguilera

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Methodological Issues In Occupational-Stress Research: Research In One Occupational Group And Its Wider Applications, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Jaesoon Rhee, Fang Xia

Publications and Research

The chapter addresses a number of important methodologic issues that are relevant to occupational-stress researchers. The issues addressed have arisen in the context of an ongoing research program involving cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of stress in teachers; the issues, however, apply to occupational research in general. The first issue involves measurement strategies required in operationalizing the stress process. The focal concern is the reduction of confounding in measures of the work environment. The second issue encompasses the question of whether to sample new or veteran workers. The third issue applies to types of job stressors. The chapter describes a …

Perceived Stress And Health-Promoting Behaviors In Nursing Students Using Pender's Health Promotion Model, Gail E. Dunham

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to add support to the literature that there is a relationship between the perceived stress (Student Stress Inventory) that nursing students report and their practice of health-promoting behaviors (Health Promoting Lifestyle Inventory). A convenience sample of 36 first-year associate degree nursing students was obtained. The conceptual framework used was Pender's Health Promotion Model. No relationships were found between demographic variables and perceived stress. Results indicated that subjects reported they engaged in health-promoting behaviors more than sometimes and they perceived themselves overall as slightly stressed. A negative correlation between perceived stress and health-promoting …

Suicide In The Elderly: A Study Of Physicians Education, Training, And Resources, Garrett Glen Wood

Theses

In the United States, the suicide rate is highest among the elderly community. Moreover, studies have concluded that elderly individuals who commit suicide see a physician 75% of the time within a month of committing the act. Therefore, it is important for physicians to be aware of the high rate of suicide among this age group.

A questionnaire developed by the researcher was sent to 200 practicing physicians associated with a health center located in a moderate sized midwestern suburb 30 miles from a large metropolitan city. The questionnaire was based on a Rockwell and O'Brien (1973) study. Therefore, the …

Violence In The Womb, Violence In The World: The Effects Of Fetal Exposure To Alcohol, Drugs, And Nicotine, Aileen R. Wynne

Theses

This project will focus on prenatal substance abuse and the long term adverse effects of birth defects in the offspring of these women. The focus will discuss a relationship between the drug exposed fetus as a predictor of later development of behavior problems , running along the continuum from antisocial behavior to aggression and violence.

Research will show that of the three leading contributors to birth defects , Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is number one, greater than Downs Syndrome and Spina Bifida. The risk factors of prenatal substance abuse will be described as use of alcohol , other drugs , and …

The Coletivo: A Feminist Sexuality And Health Collective In Brazil, Margarita Diaz, Debbie Rogow, Jose Barzelatto

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité tells the story of a group of Brazilian women who came together in 1981 with the shared belief—not as widely understood then as it is now—that conventional approaches to women's health and family planning services were overly medicalized, incapable of dealing with the relationship between sexuality and contraception, and disempowering to clients. They started the Coletivo which runs a clinic, a training institute, and a public education program that has “given voice” to thousands of women, provided leadership to the Brazilian government and women’s health movement, and has been active in research and international policy affairs. …

What We Do And Do Not Know About The Menstrual Cycle Or, Questions Scientists Could Be Asking, Sioban D. Harlow, Sara A. Ephross

Reproductive Health

The objective of this paper is to consider from a public health perspective the types of questions researchers might be asking about the relationship between menstrual function and women’s health, and to evaluate to the extent to which these questions have or have not been addressed by the scientific community. Based on the findings in this report, it is obvious that a comprehensive program of research is needed in order to begin filling the myriad gaps in scientific knowledge about the menstrual cycle. Given the lack of knowledge about many fundamental aspects of menstrual function and about linkages between the …

Sexual Coercion And Reproductive Health: A Focus On Research, Lori L. Heise, Kirsten Moore, Nahid Toubia

Reproductive Health

Gender-based violence is ignored or denied in most societies and neglected by health professionals and researchers, yet it persists in almost all societies, and, in some, it is on the increase. This report is aimed at those in the family planning/reproductive health field who desire to conduct research or implement programs to address sexual violence and its impact on women's reproductive health. Furthermore, it contributes to a better understanding of the context of sexual coercion as well as its causes and consequences. The ideas presented herein are derived largely from a two-day meeting jointly organized by the Ebert Program in …

A Qualitative Study Of Quality Of Care In Rural Karnataka, P.H. Reddy

Reproductive Health

The Third Five-Year Plan (1961–66) aimed at reducing the crude birth rate in India to 25 per 1,000 population by 1973, however this goal has not been achieved. Several other demographic goals were set later, to be achieved by specified years, but they were deferred or revised. One major reason for the failure to achieve these goals was thought to be the lack of adequate infrastructural facilities for the family welfare program, thus it was decided to improve the institution–population ratio. The primary objective of this study is to assess the quality of interaction between clients and providers, and the …

Lessons Learned From A Community-Based Distribution Programme In Rural Bihar, S. Parveen, M.E. Khan, John Townsend, Bella C. Patel

Reproductive Health

The state of Bihar in North India ranks near the bottom of the Indian states in terms of its demographic situation. The infant mortality rate as of 1991 was 69 per 1,000, and the contraceptive prevalence rate as of 1990 was 26 percent. Bihar ranks near the bottom among other states of India in almost all indicators of social and economic development. One reason for its low performance is weak management. Besides poverty, a poor communications network and lack of proper infrastructure further make the implementation of programs difficult. Workers have misconceptions about FP methods, and educational activities are poorly …

Improving The Counseling And Medical Care Of Postabortion Patients In Egypt, Population Council, Egyptian Fertility Care Society

Reproductive Health

This pilot study conducted in Cairo and Minya examined the effects of improving the medical care and counseling of post-abortion patients in Egypt. A pre-test/post-test, no control group study design was used to measure the effects of an intervention that upgraded physicians' clinical and interpersonal communication skills for the care of post-abortion patients, including counseling and family planning (FP). The study's surveys utilized direct interviews with staff working in the OB/GYN wards, structured observations of treatment procedures and counseling of post-abortion patients, and interviews with patients prior to discharge. Changes in the clinical management of post-abortion patients were introduced through …

An Exploratory Study Of The Psycho-Social Stress Associated With Abortions In Egypt, Dale Huntington, Laila Nawar, Dalia Abdel Hady

Reproductive Health

An operations research study was conducted to investigate the concerns of postabortion patients in Egypt to improve counseling that women receive. A corollary use of the study results is the development of sensitive survey research questions for measuring incidence of induced abortion. This study utilized qualitative research methods by conducting in-depth interviews with postabortion patients in El Galaa and El Menia University Hospitals and focus group discussions with family planning clients and noncontracepting women. For all types of postabortion patients the most salient issue was physical survival of an extremely painful experience. All postabortion patients were acutely concerned about their …

A Study Of User Perspectives On The Diaphragm In An Urban Indian Setting, T.K. Sundari Ravindran

Reproductive Health

This study attempted to examine user perspectives regarding the desirability of the diaphragm as a contraceptive method when included among other methods distributed freely through a family planning (FP) clinic. It sought to introduce on an experimental basis, the diaphragm into an ongoing and well-established FP clinic to increase contraceptive choice. This was primarily a qualitative study aimed at understanding women's perceptions about the risks and benefits, the reasons for use of the diaphragm, and the practical difficulties of using it effectively. It also studied the influence of service delivery factors in acceptance of this method. The study was part …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Practice Of The Dmpa Injectable Contraceptive: Data From Focus Group Discussions, Maria Carmela Patron, Marilou P. Costello

Reproductive Health

This report is based on data from 12 focus group discussions conducted throughout the Philippines as part of the DMPA Monitoring and Follow-up Studies. The DMPA Monitoring and Follow-up Studies are part of a technical assistance project undertaken by the Population Council in support of the Department of Health’s DMPA Reintroduction Program. The project provides data on DMPA (depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate) acceptance and continuation rates as well profiles of DMPA users and dropouts to serve as bases for decisions and policies that will ensure quality services. The project draws information from several sources including a 15-month monitoring of DMPA acceptors; surveys …

Domestic Violence & Partner Notification: Implications For Treatment And Counseling Of Women With Hiv, Karen H. Rothenberg, Stephen Paskey, Melissa M. Reuland, Sheryl Itkin Zimmerman, Richard L. North

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

The Risk Of Domestic Violence And Women With Hiv Infection: Implications For Partner Notification, Public Policy, And The Law, Karen H. Rothenberg, Stephen Paskey

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of An Interdisciplinary Chronic Low Back Pain Program Based On Return To Work Outcome, John R. Bromfield, Deborah A. Knowles, Stacie M. Schoenberg

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Midwestern Hospital's Interdisciplinary Outpatient Chronic Low Back Pain program. Rate of return to work was selected as the outcome measure for effectiveness. For purposes of discussion, the percentage of patients who were compliant with home exercise, who were involved in a vocational rehabilitation program, and who consulted a physician since discharge were analyzed. There were 118 male and female subjects, average age of 43; who successfully completed the 8 week chronic low back pain program between 1992 and 1994. Subjects were then sent questionnaires at 1, 3, 6, …