Hong Kong nurses' health-related behaviours: implications for nurses' role in health promotion

The health-related behaviors of a random sample (n = 92) of Hong Kong nurses were assessed by a questionnaire written either in English or in English and Chinese. Hong Kong nurses reported negligible smoking or alcohol use, low levels of breast self-examination, cervical screening behaviour and regular exercising, seat belt use and driving within the speed limit. The sample reported high levels of making efforts to avoid foods high in cholesterol, eating foods high in fibre and eating fruit daily. Dental hygiene was reported to be high. Just over half the sample reported sleeping 7-8 hours each night and eating breakfast daily. Most nurses reported maintaining their body weight at a healthy level and eating snacks between meals. The English language version of the questionnaire produced a slightly better response rate than the bilingual questionnaire. The results are discussed with reference to previous studies of females' health-related behaviours in Hong Kong and elsewhere. The implications for Hong Kong nurses' role in health promotion is discussed.     

Immunocytochemical detection of advanced glycated end products in rat renal tissue as a function of age and diabetes

Lifestyle practices and the health promoting environment of hospital nurses This paper examined the lifestyle practices of hospital nurses and the impact of specific interventions in the hospital environment. The perception of nurse as health promoter and as carer of AIDS patients was also examined. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data at two different time periods. The sample represented 729 nurses (at pre- and post-time periods), both qualified and student nurses. Qualified nurses reported the highest stress levels while student nurses reported more negative lifestyle practices such as smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use. A greater number of current smokers (29%) consumed alcohol and used drugs than non-smokers. The impact of intervention strategies around compliance with smoking policy and work-site walk routes reduced exposure to passive smoking at work for qualified nurses and increased exercise participation for both groups of nurses. Workplace was identified as the main source of stress which included relationships at work and demands of the job. Hospital nurses experiencing high work stress were more likely to use professional support and personal coping (discuss problems with friends/family, have a good cry and eat more) than others. Nurses believed in the importance of health promotion as part of their work; however, qualified nurses felt more confident and gave more health related information than student nurses. Student nurses perceived a lower risk of contacting AIDS through work and a higher concern/worry in caring for AIDS patients than qualified nurses.     

Preventive behaviours in the Hutterite community following a nurse-managed cholesterol screening program

In this study we examined the effect of a nurse-managed cholesterol screening program on the preventive health behaviours (e.g., diet changes, weight loss, medical surveillance) of 534 Hutterites. Hutterites are the largest single rural ethnic group in Canada and they have been found to be at high risk for heart disease. Eighty-one percent of the participants engaged in at least one preventive behaviour. Ongoing cholesterol surveillance was reported by 34.5% of the participants. Weight loss and dietary fat reduction were reported by 31% and 62% of the respondents, respectively. Seven percent of the respondents began lipid-lowering pharmacologic therapy. Screening cholesterol levels and age were significantly related to all of the outcomes except weight loss. This study provides evidence that community-based screening accompanied by counselling and referral by nurses can positively affect preventive behaviours.     

Transcultural nursing practice described by registered nurses and baccalaureate nursing students

Using Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality as a framework, this research examined transcultural practices of nurses and students. A survey was administered to a convenience sample of registered nurses and senior baccalaureate students with 767 usable questionnaires returned. Neither group expressed confidence in their ability to care for culturally-diverse patients. Registered nurses (RNs) reported assessing cultural factors and modifying practices more frequently than did students. Respondents reported their beliefs about transcultural nursing were influenced by being with people of other cultures, their own personal values, and education. Analysis of the open-ended questions revealed two major themes. First, both nurses and students perceive an overwhelming need for transcultural nursing. Second, nurses and students respond to cultural challenges by modifying their care. Modifications are based on language and communication, pain perception and relief, religious and spiritual dimensions, gender and family roles, and other values. Results suggest that nurses and students are aware of culture, recognize that culture influences the care they provide, and modify their health teaching and nursing care based on culture. The use of a conceptual framework to help make modifications in care was not mentioned.     

Exercise and diet therapy: Psychotherapists' beliefs and practices.

Two hundred thirty-two members of Division 29 of the American Psychological Association (46.4% of those randomly sampled) responded to a survey concerning their assessment and recommendation practices relating to nutrition and to exercise and physical fitness. Respondents reported assessing and recommending diet and exercise practices less frequently than other health behaviors, but many indicated conditions amenable to exercise and diet recommendations. Few therapists had received education in exercise and nutrition, but more than half believed that diet and exercise should be required as a component of the graduate school curriculum. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Angiomyolipoma of kidney

This secondary analysis of data from a large study of memory perceptions among the elderly examined gender differences in control, coping, health, and metamemory and explored the influence of these factors on anxiety and depression in the elderly. Adults 55 years of age and older, 128 female and 41 males, were recruited from continuing education programs in two Southern states. Females were older than males and reported that their memories were better overall than males. There were no differences between the groups in depression, health, or memory control variables. Females had significantly greater state anxiety than males but no differences were seen in domain-specific memory anxiety or other metamemory domains. Females scored higher than males on help-seeking, existential growth, religiosity, and total coping strategies. In the two regression models the set of study variables predicted 79% of the variance in depression and 15% of the variance in memory anxiety. The addition of perceived health status to each model substantially changed each of their predictive values.     

Family status and self-reported health in West Germany

This paper describes an active learning-based education tool which enables dental students to learn preventive techniques relevant to patient dental health behaviour. 2 studies were conducted involving 33, 2nd year (study 1) and 9, 3rd year (study 2) undergraduate dental students. In study 1, snacking behaviour and its antecedents were analysed from detailed 3-day diet diaries completed by the students. Study 2 entailed the students changing one aspect of their sugar/diet behaviour using self-management techniques. It is concluded that dental students can successfully (a) identify antecedents to sugar snacking behaviours on several levels, i.e., cognitive, emotional and situational, (b) set goals and use behaviour change techniques to modify these behaviours, and (c) appreciate that this experience is relevant to similar preventive techniques that they will use in clinical practice. Training in the application of these skills to their own maladaptive behaviours provides a strong educational tool based on psycho-educational theories.     

Discordant prolongation of the refractory period and repolarization time by a class III agent, E4031, in the healing phase of myocardial infarction

One hundred and ninety-eight adolescents and their mothers (N = 189) and fathers (N = 136) participated in a 4-year longitudinal study. Adolescent problem behaviour was assessed by the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). In addition, parental stress and marital adjustment were determined. Results showed that mothers and fathers showed high agreement, especially about their daughters, whereas parents and adolescents showed little agreement. Agreement was higher for internalising than for externalising behaviours. In general, adolescents reported more symptomatology than their parents did. However, mothers' ratings of their children's behaviours were significantly correlated with adolescents' self-ratings, but fathers' ratings were not. Statistical tests of correlations showed that mothers experiencing stress caused by marital problems perceived more problem behaviours in their children. Fathers' perceptions were relatively unaffected by personal adjustment. However, poor marital adjustment perceived by both parents showed a significant negative relation to adolescent externalising problem behaviour.     

Individual variation in male vocal traits and female mating preferences in Bufo americanus

We investigated the amount of variation in mating behaviour between and within individual male and female American toads, because both sources of trait variation can influence the course of sexual selection. Males varied in all four call parameters investigated (dominant call frequency, pulse rate, call rate and call duration). Individual males lowered the dominant frequency of their call when they interacted vocally with nearby males. Dominant call frequency was more highly correlated with body size in vocally interacting males than in non-interacting males. Pulse rate of calls primarily varied with water temperature. Call rate and call duration showed the most variation of the four call properties, but this variation was unrelated to male morphology or social interactions. Females varied in three aspects of mating behaviour: two measures of pair formation and their preference for dominant frequency of male calls. The body size of paired males varied between females both in pairings initiated by either sex and in pairings initiated only by females. Males chosen by females were usually larger than average, although age and prior breeding experience of females did not affect mate choice. Playback experiments indicated that female preference for calls of low dominant frequency depended on the temporal patterning of alternative calls presented. Each of the four male vocal properties showed significant repeatability, but only one of the three aspects of female mating behaviour was repeatable. We discuss how different degrees of repeatability in sexual traits of males and females may influence the action and detection of sexual selection in this and other species. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

Understanding gender differences in adolescent sexuality

More than 1,800 junior high school students were surveyed regarding sexual activity. It was found that females were less likely to have "ever had sex" but among nonvirgins there was little gender difference in frequency or recency. Items measuring sexual values indicated greater commitment to abstinence and less permissive sexual attitudes among females. Females also saw sexual activity as more detrimental to future goal attainment. They viewed parents as less approving, but were more likely to discuss sex and dating practices with them. They reported parents as having more rules and were more likely to believe that they were unfair, and that they had gone against the parents' rules. Females perceived less peer pressure for sex and more support for waiting. However, more males anticipated partner pressure for sex and believed they might "have sex" before marriage. Males and females reported no difference in the importance of parenthood, but more females saw teen parenthood as a problem. No gender differences were found for smoking or drinking. Significantly more males had experienced petting behavior. Females were more likely to believe that sexual urges can be controlled. It was concluded that understanding these differences can help in the design of sex education and social programs to address problems associated with adolescent sexuality.     

Risk factor reduction behaviours in coronary angioplasty and myocardial infarction patients

A recent study asked percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) patients in Saskatchewan (n = 210) to identify specific information surrounding their rehabilitation behaviours and motivation to change lifestyle. The scale used to elicit this information was developed and previously used to determine patient risk factor knowledge and lifestyle change behaviours among myocardial infarction (MI) patients during rehabilitation phases. The purpose of this article is to discuss the results of PTCA patients' responses and compare these findings to previously obtained data from MI patients. Risk factors most frequently reported by both PTCA and MI patients as causative factors of their heart problems included diet, job stress, low levels of exercise, and other patient-perceived factors. When asked about lifestyle restrictions post-hospitalization, PTCA patients reported more lifestyle restrictions in activities of daily living (recreation, job, social life, sexual activity and driving) following hospitalization than MI patients. Both groups of patients reported high levels of dietary changes made post-hospitalization but findings reflected that MI patients had initiated more modifiable risk factor changes overall than PTCA patients. Comparative results showed that MI patients were more likely to initiate risk factor reduction behaviours for modifiable factors such as smoking, weight reduction, job/family stress, and exercise than PTCA patients. These findings offer insight into differences between PTCA and MI patients with respect to cardiac rehabilitation behaviours and may suggest the need for different teaching-learning approaches and/or more focused patient education for PTCA patients. A goal of cardiac rehabilitation is to encourage patient initiation and maintenance of lifestyle modification behaviours based on identified risk factors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Health care utilization as a function of subjective health status, job satisfaction and gender among health care workers in Guangzhou, southern China

Job satisfaction, subjective health and health care utilization was studied on 72 doctors and 127 nurses working at two hospitals in Guangzhou in the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.), along with medication use and consultations with physicians over the 14 days preceding data collection. Female doctors were, on average, ten years older than male doctors. Nurses (all female) were comparable to male doctors in terms of age. Current and general subjective health, and job satisfaction differed between doctors and nurses. Nurses were less satisfied than doctors and reported poorer perceived health, until gender and age were controlled. Female doctors had poorer ratings of general and current subjective health and lower job satisfaction than their male colleagues. Path analysis tested whether lower job satisfaction leads to decrements in perceived current health which in turn increased consultation with a physician and medication use. When male and female subjects were examined separately, job satisfaction was inversely related to consultation behaviour among males and positively related to perceived current health in both genders. Among females job satisfaction and consultation behaviour related to current perceived health but were not related to each other. The hypothesized path was upheld for nurses. Lack of power prevented the same path being significant for male or female doctors. In combination, doctors showed significant relationships between the four main variables studied.     

Employment, unemployment, and the job search in psychology.

Data from over 7,000 members of the American Psychological Association imply the following: (a) PhDs fare better in the labor market than MAs. (b) Females (unless they are single) report more part-time employment, more underemployment, and more unemployment than do males. (c) The employment situation for minority groups differs little from that for Whites. (d) Females make less use of many methods to seek work than do males and also tend more often to limit their search to their locality. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevalence estimates and adolescent risk behavior: Cross-cultural differences in social influence.

Prevalence estimates and prototype perceptions related to health risk behaviors were assessed in comparable samples of Danish and American adolescents (ages 13–15 years). Partly on the basis of observation and previous research, the assumption was made that the American sample would report more self-enhancement tendencies than would the Danish sample. Consistent with this assumption, which was supported by the data, 2 hypotheses were tested: (a) The Americans would overestimate the prevalence of the various risk behaviors (among their peers) more so than would the Danes and (b) those estimates would be more closely linked to their own risk behaviors for the American sample. Results supported both hypotheses; motivational explanations were proposed for both effects. In addition, perceptions of the prototypes associated with particular risk behaviors were assessed and were found to predict smoking behavior and willingness to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse for both samples. Implications for the study of adolescent risk behavior are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in perception of risk associated with alcohol and drug use among college students

Gender differences in perception of risk associated with use of alcohol and other drugs were assessed among a sample of 1,244 undergraduates at a major Pacific Northwest university. Reexamination of data from a self-administered questionnaire revealed that females were more likely than males to perceive greater risk with use of alcohol and other drugs. In particular, female perceptions of risk were significantly different from males (P < .001) for most levels of alcohol use and for perception of risk for occasional use of psychedelics, heroin, and diet pills. Our findings suggest the need for continued gender-specific research (and health education) in substance abuse prevention.     

Nurses who work in general medical practices: a Victorian survey

A questionnaire survey of 452 general medical practices in Victoria attracted responses from 277 practices, many of which did not employ nurses. The 93 respondents from 85 practices who were nurses reported that they enjoyed flexible working hours and stable employment. While their main reason for working in GPs' rooms was convenience, the most important aspect of their work was interaction with patients and fellow workers. Sixtyseven percent of nurses thought continuing education in specific skills was necessary for their work, 43% thought a post-registration qualification in community health nursing would be desirable and 47% thought a special interest group of nurses working in medical practices would be useful.     

A randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary advice by practice nurses in lowering diet-related coronary heart disease risk

BACKGROUND: Dietary factors are an important contribution to the high rates of coronary heart disease in the UK. One approach to achieving change is health-promoting advice in primary care. AIM: To compare the effectiveness of structured dietary advice by practice nurses with standard health education in changing serum cholesterol, weight and diet. METHOD: Randomized, controlled trial within eight general practices in England and Wales allocated within matched geographical pairs to 'dietary advice' or 'usual care'. Men and women aged 35-59 years, recruited opportunistically by their GPs, underwent health checks. In 'dietary advice' practices, subjects received dietary advice from specially trained nurses based on negotiated change principles, reinforced at follow up. In 'usual care' practices, subjects were only given standard health education materials. RESULTS: A total of 956 patients were recruited: 473 in 'dietary advice' practices and 483 in 'usual care' practices. Compliance with annual follow up was 80%. Compared with 'usual care' practices, there was a mean 0.20 mmol/l lower serum cholesterol (95% CI -0.38 to -0.03 at 1 year) in 'dietary advice' practices. There was a small fall in weight of 0.56 kg (95% CI -1.04 to -0.07) and reductions in total and saturated fat. Factor VII coagulant activity fell by a mean of 6.7% of the standard (95% CI -15.4 to +2.0). CONCLUSION: Provision of standard health education material alone as part of a health check had no effect on coronary heart disease risk factors. There were modest changes in diet and associated risk factors when a more intensive and individual approach to dietary advice was given by practice nurses. This is, however, probably an ineffective use of resources, except in those at high risk of coronary heart disease. Whole-population strategies to achieve dietary change are required.     

The educational activities of the European Academy of Anaesthesiology

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible relationships between parental rearing practices and problem behaviours in a sample of male delinquent adolescents versus controls. A total of 133 subjects from a juvenile correction centre and 108 matched school-children in the Arkhangelsk region, Russia, were assessed by means of the EMBU questionnaire and Youth Self-Report. Delinquents were more severely treated by parents and had more pronounced problem scores. Furthermore, problem scores were found to be highly correlated with parental rejection and lack of emotional warmth in both delinquents and controls. Parental rearing practices may influence the development of problem behaviours. The implications of these findings with regard to preventive measures are discussed.     

The roles of respect for parental authority and parenting practices in parent-child conflict among African American, Latino, and European American families.

In this study, the authors examined whether parent-child conflict during the middle childhood years varied among families characterized as having different cultural traditions regarding issues of respect for parental authority and parenting practices. The sample included 133 African American, European American, and Latina girls (M age = 8.41 years) and their mothers. African American and Latina girls showed significantly more respect for parental authority than did European American girls. Furthermore, African American and Latina mothers reported significantly more intense arguments when respect was low than did European American mothers. Higher levels of discipline and better communication by mothers were both associated with reports of lower frequency of conflict; ethnicity did not moderate this association. Thus, respect for authority was most salient to group differences in conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

HIV risk behaviour and HIV testing of psychiatric patients in Melbourne

OBJECTIVES: Patients with chronic mental illnesses constitute an important risk group for HIV infection overseas. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of risk behaviours associated with HIV transmission and factors associated with HIV testing in psychiatric patients in Melbourne. METHODS: Inpatients and outpatients completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire which covered demographics, psychiatric diagnosis, risk behaviour, and HIV education and testing. RESULTS: Of 145 participants, 60% were male and 55.2% had schizophrenia. Injecting drug use (IDU) was reported by 15.9%, a figure approximately 10 times that found in other population surveys. Most patients reported sex in the last decade and over 20% had multiple sexual partners in the last year. Of males, 12.6% reported sex with another male (9.2% anal sex); 19.0% of females reported sex with a bisexual male. Nearly half of the males reported sex with a prostitute, 2.5 times that in a population sample. Only 15.9% reported ever having someone talk to them specifically about HIV and its transmission, although one-third had been tested for HIV. In multivariate analysis, male-male sex, paying for sex, and IDU were associated with HIV testing, but those whose primary language was not English were less likely to be tested. Those who had received HIV education were more likely to have used a condom last time they had sex (OR 4.52, 95%CI 1.49-14.0). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that those with serious mental illness in Victoria have higher rates of participation in risk behaviour for HIV infection than those in the general community. Attention to HIV education and prevention in this group has been inappropriately scant; strategies to encourage safer behaviour are urgently needed.