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Health Educators (health + educator)
Selected AbstractsMotivation and patch treatment for HIV+ smokers: a randomized controlled trialADDICTION, Issue 11 2009Elizabeth E. Lloyd-Richardson ABSTRACT Aims To test the efficacy of two smoking cessation interventions in a HIV positive (HIV+) sample: standard care (SC) treatment plus nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) versus more intensive motivationally enhanced (ME) treatment plus NRT. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting HIV+ smoker referrals from eight immunology clinics in the northeastern United States. Participants A total of 444 participants enrolled in the study (mean age = 42.07 years; 63.28% male; 51.80% European American; mean cigarettes/day = 18.27). Interventions SC participants received two brief sessions with a health educator. Those setting a quit date received self-help quitting materials and NRT. ME participants received four sessions of motivational counseling and a quit-day counseling call. All ME intervention materials were tailored to the needs of HIV+ individuals. Measurements Biochemically verified 7-day abstinence rates at 2-month, 4-month and 6-month follow-ups. Findings Intent-to-treat (ITT) abstinence rates at 2-month, 4-month and 6-month follow-ups were 12%, 9% and 9%, respectively, in the ME condition, and 13%, 10% and 10%, respectively, in the SC condition, indicating no between-group differences. Among 412 participants with treatment utilization data, 6-month ITT abstinence rates were associated positively with low nicotine dependence (P = 0.02), high motivation to quit (P = 0.04) and Hispanic American race/ethnicity (P = 0.02). Adjusting for these variables, each additional NRT contact improved the odds of smoking abstinence by a third (odds ratio = 1.32, 95% confidence interval = 0.99,1.75). Conclusions Motivationally enhanced treatment plus NRT did not improve cessation rates over and above standard care treatment plus NRT in this HIV+ sample of smokers. Providers offering brief support and encouraging use of nicotine replacement may be able to help HIV+ patients to quit smoking. [source] Pilot Test of an Attribution Retraining Intervention to Raise Walking Levels in Sedentary Older AdultsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2007Catherine A. Sarkisian MD OBJECTIVES: To pilot test a new behavioral intervention to increase walking in sedentary older adults. DESIGN: Pre,post community-based pilot study. SETTING: Three senior centers in greater Los Angeles. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-six sedentary adults aged 65 and older. INTERVENTION: At four weekly 1-hour group sessions held at the senior centers, a trained health educator applied a theoretically grounded, standardized "attribution retraining" curriculum developed by a multidisciplinary team of investigators. Participants were taught that becoming sedentary is not inevitable with aging and that older adults should attribute being sedentary to modifiable attributes rather than to old age. A 1-hour exercise class including strength, endurance, and flexibility training followed each weekly attribution retraining session. MEASUREMENTS: Change from baseline in steps per week recorded using a digital pedometer was measured after 7 weeks. Age expectations (measured using the Expectations Regarding Aging-38 survey, a previously tested instrument on which higher scores indicate that the participant expects high functioning with aging and lower scores indicate that the participant expects physical and mental decline) and health-related quality of life were measured using in-person interviews. RESULTS: Mean steps per week increased from 24,749 to 30,707, a 24% increase,equivalent to 2.5 miles (2-sided t -test P=.002). Age expectation scores increased 30% (P<.001), and the changes in age expectations and steps per week correlated (correlation coefficient=0.39, P=.01). Participants experienced improved mental health,related quality of life (P=.049) and reported less difficulty with activities of daily living (P=.04). More than 50% of participants reported improvements in pain, energy level, and sleep quality. CONCLUSION: In this small pre,post community-based pilot study, a structured attribution retraining curriculum accompanied by a weekly exercise class was associated with increased walking levels and improved quality of life in sedentary older adults. Attribution retraining deserves further investigation as a potential means of increasing physical activity in sedentary older adults. [source] Improving clinical assessment: evaluating students' ability to identify and apply clinical criteriaEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2010C. Redwood Abstract Aim:, There is ongoing concern by health educators over the inability of professionals to accurately self-assess their clinical behaviour and standards, resulting in doubts over a key expectation of effective self-regulation in the health professions. Participation by students in the assessment process has been shown to increase the understanding of assessment criteria in written assessment tasks. How this might transfer to the clinical setting is the focus of this study. This paper is part of an ongoing investigation of the impact on learning of a series of activities that provides students with opportunities to discuss and apply criteria and standards associated with self-assessment in clinical dentistry. Our aim was to evaluate whether participation in these assessment activities improved the ability of first-year dental students to recognise behaviours demonstrated by ,peers' in videos of clinical scenarios and to relate these to the assessment criteria. Materials and methods:, A series of three workshops in conjunction with weekly clinical assessment activities in Semesters 1 and 2 were use to support first-year students' learning of clinical assessment criteria. The design of the workshops was based on the principles of social constructivist theories of learning and the concept of tacit knowledge. Accordingly workshop activities were planned around videos that were specifically constructed to illustrate procedures and behaviours typical of those observed by staff and tutors in the first year of the dental course at The University of Adelaide, Australia. First-year students viewed the videos prior to and after the workshops and recorded observed behaviours that related to the assessment criteria that were used in their clinical practice course. Student learning outcomes were assessed 10,14 weeks after the initial workshop and again up to 42 weeks later. To check whether learning resulted from repeated viewing of the videos without formal discussion, a reference group of third-year students who did not attend the workshops also viewed the videos two times, separated by 12 weeks, and recorded observations in the same way. Results:, There was no consistent evidence that repeat viewing of the videos in isolation resulted in improved recognition of ,peer' behaviours by third-year dental students. Results for the first-year students indicated that the workshops and clinical assessment activities had a significantly positive effect on the ability of students to identify ,peer' behaviours related to the criteria used for clinical assessment. In particular, students' recognition in others of knowledge and professional behaviours improved significantly. This improvement was retained over the year and students were able to recognise these behaviours in other scenarios relevant to their year level. Conclusions:, This early exposure to the process of clinical assessment, coupled with ongoing self-assessment and tutor feedback throughout first year, improved the ability of first-year students to identify and apply some key assessment criteria to observed ,peer' behaviour, and this ability was retained over time. [source] The state of consumer health information: an overviewHEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009Sarah Smith Background:, Consumer health information is becoming increasingly important and health policy in the UK is beginning to reflect this. This has implications for information producers, providers and users, with the move towards a more patient-centred health service. Objectives:, This review aims to provide a broad overview of the current state of consumer health information in the UK. It examines the changing roles of information producers, providers and users, exploring the impact of health literacy and new technologies. It features some of the current library and consumer health information projects taking place in the UK and discusses the role that libraries may play in the future. Methods:, The article focuses on consumer health information in a policy context. It is based on the experiences of the authors' work for the Patient Information Forum and knowledge of consumer health information. A number of library and information professionals were consulted regarding the library and information projects. Conclusions:, Communication between health professionals and patients, and between health educators and the public, is key in order for consumer health information to have the ability to improve health outcomes. Further, especially local, investment into the production, distribution and delivery of consumer health information is recommended. [source] Programs-That-Work: CDC's Guide to Effective Programs That Reduce Health-Risk Behavior of YouthJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 3 2002Janet Collins ABSTRACT: In response to requests from educators for effective programs that reduce health-risk behavior among youth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiated "Programs-That-Work" (PTW) in 1992 to identify health education programs with credible evidence of effectiveness, CDC identified as PTW two programs to reduce tobacco use and eight programs to reduce sexual risk behaviors. Eligible programs undergo a two-step external review to examine quality of the research evidence and the extent to which the programs are practical for use by health educators. If CDC identifies a program as a PTW on the basis of external review, the program is packaged and made available for dissemination to education and youth agencies. Communities ultimately make the decision about adopting a program, and CDC does not require their use. Thousands of educators have sought information about PTW through the CDC web site, informational brochures, and training. (J Sch Health, 2002;72(3):93,99) [source] Health Educators' Role in Promoting Health Literacy and Advocacy for the 21st CenturyJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 10 2001Marlene K. Tappe PhD ABSTRACT: This article discusses the relationship between health literacy and advocacy for health and health education, cites achievement of advocacy as a critical outcome of health education, and identifies health advocacy competencies for both students and health educators. The paper also delineates a role for health education in developing health-literate citizens and in training health educators to advocate for health and health education. The article draws on recent initiatives in comprehensive school health education and coordinated school health programs to identify content and strategies for developing health advocacy skills among elementary, middle, and senior high school students. The article provides a variety of approaches and strategies for developing advocacy skills among preservice and inservice health educators. [source] Evaluation of HIV/AIDS Education in Russia Using a Video ApproachJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 6 2000Mohammad R. Torabi ABSTRACT: HIV/AIDS has intruded upon the geographic, political, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation of communities all over the world. As of April 1999, Russia has recorded approximately 13,532 cases of HIV infection. Since the costs of treatment are expensive for many countries, and especially for Russia, educational intervention appears to offer the most effective and affordable solution. A quasi-experimental design, with pre/post tests and intervention (through video education)/control groups, was used to study 20 public schools in St. Petersburg, Russia. Results confirmed the lack of HIV/AIDS education in schools and insufficient information sources from parents, friends, and public health education. ANCOVA statistics demonstrated that use of video education significantly improved students' scores on knowledge and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS prevention. Thus, health educators should consider video education as an effective and efficient tool to present facts to a young audience when they face constraints of shortage of funds, lack of trained teachers, and scarcity of related information. [source] International health electives: thematic results of student and professional interviewsMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 7 2010Andrew Petrosoniak Medical Education 2010: 44: 683,689 Objectives, The purpose of this study was to explore the complexities (including harms and benefits) of international health electives (IHEs) involving medical trainees. This exploration contributes to the ongoing debate about the goals and implications of IHEs for medical trainees. Methods, This qualitative study used anonymous, one-to-one, semi-structured interviews. All participants had previous international health experiences. Between September 2007 and March 2008, we interviewed a convenience sample of health care professionals (n = 10) and medical trainees (n = 10). Using a modified grounded theory methodology, we carried out cycles of data analysis in conjunction with data collection in an iterative and constant comparison process. The study's thematic structure was finalised when theme saturation was achieved. Results, Participants described IHEs in both negative and positive terms. IHEs were described as unsustained short-term contributions that lacked clear educational objectives and failed to address local community needs. Ethical dilemmas were described as IHE challenges. Participants reflected that many IHEs included aspects of medical tourism and the majority of participants described the IHE in negative terms. However, a few participants acknowledged the benefits of the IHE. Specifically, it was seen as an introduction to a career in global health and as a potential foundation for more sustainable projects with positive host community impacts. Finally, despite similar understandings among participants, self-awareness of medical tourism was low. Conclusions, International health electives may include potential harms and benefits for both the trainee and the host community. Educational institutions should encourage and support structured IHEs for trainee participation. We recommend that faculties of medicine and global health educators establish pre-departure training courses for trainees and that IHE opportunities have sufficient structures in place to mitigate the negative effects of medical tourism. We also recommend that trainees be provided with opportunities to conduct self-reflection and critically assess their IHE experiences. [source] Taking CHARGE: A self-management program for women following breast cancer treatmentPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 9 2005Bernadine Cimprich The purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate Taking CHARGE, a self-management intervention designed to facilitate successful transitions to survivorship after breast cancer treatment. The Taking CHARGE intervention involves a two-pronged approach building on self-regulation principles to (1) equip women with self-management skills to address concerns following breast cancer treatment, and (2) provide information about common survivorship topics. The program involved four intervention contacts, two small group meetings and two individualized telephone sessions, delivered by nurse/health educators. This paper focuses on the process evaluation findings from a preliminary test of the Taking CHARGE intervention conducted with 25 women, aged 34,66 years, completing breast cancer treatment, who were randomly assigned to the intervention group. The process evaluation was conducted to obtain systematic information about the relevance and usefulness of the self-regulation approach, informational aspects, and program delivery. The findings indicated that intervention group participants found the Taking CHARGE program to be timely, relevant, and to have high utility in dealing with concerns that exist following breast cancer treatment. The process evaluation findings provide early evidence of the usefulness of the Taking CHARGE intervention for successful transition to survivorship following breast cancer treatment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||