Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Protocol For A Randomised Clinical Trial Investigating The Clinical Effectiveness And Cost Benefit Of A Lifestyle Intervention Targeting Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Linda Cloete, Brett G. Mitchell, Darren Morton

Darren Morton

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Sense Of Coherence, Spirituality, Social Support And Health Perception On Breast Cancer Screening Motivation And Behaviors In African American Women, Regina Conway-Phillips, Linda W. Janusek

Regina Conway-Phillips

Despite formidable barriers, some African American women (AAW) engage in breast cancer screening (BCS) behaviors. Understanding individual characteristics that allow AAW to overcome barriers to BCS is critical to reduce breast cancer mortality among AAW. A salutogenic model of health was used to evaluate the influence of sense of coherence, social support, spirituality and health perception on BCS motivation and behaviors in AAW, and to determine differences in these factors in AAW who participate in free BCS programs compared to AAW who do not. Findings revealed that greater levels of spirituality were significantly associated with greater motivation to practice BCS. …

Situational And Financial Barriers To Prenatal Care In A Sample Of Low-Income, Inner-City Women, P. St Clair, V. Smeriglio, C. Alexander, F. Connell, Jennifer Niebyl

Jennifer R Niebyl

The relationship between the use of prenatal care and factors that may impede access to care was examined in a sample of low-income, inner-city women. Situational and financial barriers to care were not important correlates of utilization. In unadjusted analyses, only insurance status and employment status were associated with utilization. Of the sociodemographic characteristics studied, only parity was strongly associated with the use of prenatal care. When the apparent associations between utilization and insurance status and utilization and employment were analyzed controlling for parity, the estimated strength and statistical significance of these relationships diminished considerably. Multiparous women who were more …

Accessing Asthma Care: A Case Study Of Urban Children, Andrea Wallace

Andrea S. Wallace

The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive study was to identify factors that facilitate or impede the use of health care resources by urban children with asthma. Using an embedded case study design, the study considered the issue of health care access for urban children with asthma by focusing on attributes that impede and facilitate these children's access to health care resources. Interview, demographic, survey, and medical records data were analyzed for 34 parent-child dyads accessing asthma care in one metropolitan health care system. Interview data from 14 health care professionals were also analyzed. These findings were then compared with utilization …

Guiding Inpatient Quality Improvement: A Systematic Review Of Lean And Six Sigma, Justin Glasgow, Jill Scott-Caziewell, Peter Kaboli

Jill Scott-Cawiezell

Background: Two popular quality improvement (QI) approaches in health care are Lean and Six Sigma. Hospitals continue to adopt these QI approaches -- or the hybrid Lean Sigma approach -- with little knowledge on how well they produce sustainable improvements. A systematic literature review was conducted to determine whether Lean, Six Sigma, or Lean Sigma have been effectively used to create and sustain improvements in the acute care setting. Methods: Databases were searched for articles published in the health care, business, and engineering literatures. Study inclusion criteria required identification of a Six Sigma, Lean, or Lean Sigma project; QI efforts …

President's Message. Crystal Ball Gazing, Patricia Clinton

Patricia K. Clinton

No abstract provided.

The Health Of Caregiving Grandmothers: A Rural-Urban Comparison, Jeri Bigbee, Carol Musil, Diane Kenski

Jeri L. Bigbee

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of rural versus urban caregiving grandmothers along with their physical and mental health status.

Methods: A secondary analysis of data produced from the first wave of a longitudinal study of 485 Ohio grandmothers was conducted. Health status was measured using the SF-36 Health Survey and the 20-item CES-D depression scale. Rural-urban classification was made using Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes based on resident ZIP codes, identifying 97 rural and 388 urban grandmothers in the sample.

Findings: The rural and urban grandmothers were similar in age, educational level and …

Embodied Work: Insider Perspectives On The Work Of Hiv/Aids Peer Counselors, D.K. Messias, L Moneyham, M. Vyavaharkar, C. Murdaugh, Kenneth D. Phillips

Kenneth D. Phillips

Our aim in this study was to explore HIV/AIDS peer counseling from the perspective of women actively engaged in this work within the context of a community-based program in rural areas of the southeastern United States. Based on this research we suggest that the embodied work of HIV/AIDS peer counselors is constructed around their personal identities and experiences. This work involves gaining entry to other HIV-positive women’s lives, building relationships, drawing on personal experiences, facing issues of fear and stigma, tailoring peer counseling for diversity, balancing risks and benefits, and terminating relationships. Peer counselors recognize the personal and collective value …

Relationships Among Perceived Stress, Trait Anger, Modes Of Anger Expression And Health Status Of College Men And Women, Sandra Thomas, R.L. Williams

Sandra Thomas

Relationships among perceived stress, trait anger (general propensity to become angry), modes of anger expression, and health status were examined in a sample of 720 college students, using Caplan's conceptualization of stress as the study's framework. Propensity toward anger was assessed by the 10-item form of the Trait Anger Scale (Spielberger et al.), modes of anger expression were assessed by the Framingham Anger Scales, perceived stress was operationalized by the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck, and Mermelstein), and current health status was assessed by Ware's 9-item Current Health Scale. As hypothesized, stress was a positive correlate of trait anger and …