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Health Knowledge (health + knowledge)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	92%

Selected Abstracts

Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge in Cystic Fibrosis Female Patients and Their Parents

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2009
Aleksandra Korzeniewska MD
ABSTRACT Introduction., The changing outcomes for young cystic fibrosis (CF) patients means that reproductive health issues have become an integral part of CF management. Aim., The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and experiences of reproductive and sexual health issues in women with CF and to investigate the knowledge and reproductive health attitudes of their parents. Main Outcome Measures., Assessment of reproductive and sexual health knowledge in female CF patients and their parents. Methods., A questionnaire study directed to 120 Polish women with CF aged 16 years and older and their parents. Results., Sixty-four patients and their parents responded to the questionnaire. Sixty-eight percent of the patients started sexual intercourse at a mean age of 19.2 years. Eighty-four percent of all sexually active women reported that they did not use any form of contraception. Only 32.8% of women understood the problems connected with their own and male fertility in CF. Popular scientific publications and other CF patients were identified as the most important source of information. Only 23% of parents understood the problems connected with female fertility in CF; 44% of parents thought that man with CF had normal fertility. Seventy-five percent of the women and 40% of the parents felt that sexual health discussions should begin between age 12 and 14 years with a CF doctor and the mother. Conclusions., Our study showed that significant knowledge gaps exist regarding fertility issues in both CF patients and CF parents. Women with CF have some general knowledge about sexual issues but insufficient knowledge to have a safe sexual life. The results helped us to develop the educational program for CF patients. Korzeniewska A, Grzelewski T, Jerzy,ska J, Majak P, So,oniewicz A, Stelmach W, and Stelmach I. Sexual and reproductive health knowledge in cystic fibrosis female patients and their parents. J Sex Med 2009;6:770,776. [source]

Health Promotion and Risk Reduction in Malawi, Africa, Village Women

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 2 2001
FAAN, Susan Gennaro RN
Objective: A train-the-trainer intervention was evaluated in which village leaders in Malawi, Africa, taught other villagers how to improve their health. Design: Health knowledge and reported health practices were compared before and after the educational intervention in 15 villages in Chimutu, Malawi, Africa. Setting: Surveys were completed by trained data gatherers in the village setting. Patients/Participants: All men and women of childbearing age who were present in the village when data collection occurred were asked to participate. There were 187 participants in the preintervention survey and 175 participants in the postintervention survey. Intervention: Seveniy-six village women were trained, using low literacy techniques, to provide content on health promotion and risk reduction in pregnancy. Over 20,000 persons have received at least one health teaching session from the village trainers. Results: The intervention resulted in reported changes in prenatal and postpartum care and in more births occurring in the hospital or clinic. Some positive nutritional changes were reported, although few changes in beliefs about use of herbal medicines or about the use of witchcraft were reported. Conclusions: A train-the-trainer approach is a sustainable intervention that appears to have positive benefits on the health of village women living in Malawi, Africa. [source]

Childhood leukaemia: experiences of children and attitudes of parents on dental care

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 3 2008
Ç.E. ÇUBUKÇU phd
Parental perceptions in the importance of dental care and preferences with regard to its provision while profiling the level of dental health knowledge of parents of leukaemic children were elicited. The setting was the Paediatric Dental Care Unit located in Medical Faculty. Data were collected by means of a structured interview, employing a questionnaire. Level of knowledge on both dental facts and preventive dentistry of the participants was insufficient. Major source of dental care was the resident paediatric dentist both in prior to (78.2%) and following (100%) diagnosis. Tooth extraction (17.6%) was the only treatment provided prior to diagnosis. Following diagnosis, 60 (69%) of these children had received operative dental treatment. The source of preventive advice was inconsistent. Parents appeared to place a high level of importance on their children's dental care and the preference for this to be provided within the hospitals in which the child has been treated. There is clearly a need to establish dental care units in hospitals in which treatment of childhood malignancy is provided. The provision for the future should be the continuous education of dentists, physicians and nurses who work in hospitals and public health services. [source]

Self-reported prevalence and awareness of metabolic syndrome: findings from SHIELD

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 8 2008
S. J. Lewis
Summary Purpose:, This study assessed awareness of metabolic syndrome and evaluated health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of respondents at risk. Methods:, Study to Help Improve Early evaluation and management of risk factors Leading to Diabetes (SHIELD), a longitudinal US population-based survey initiated in 2004, included respondents, , 18 years of age, reporting a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was compared in SHIELD and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999,2002 survey. The proportion of SHIELD respondents who had heard of and/or understood metabolic syndrome was estimated. Respondents at high risk for metabolic syndrome were stratified into attitude-behaviour categories of ,Already Doing It', ,I Know I Should' and ,Don't Bother Me' and differences in attitudes and behaviours were evaluated with chi-square tests. Results:, Prevalence of reported metabolic syndrome was 0.6% in SHIELD screening questionnaire respondents (n = 211,097) vs. 25.9% in NHANES (n = 10,780). Less than 15% of SHIELD baseline questionnaire respondents (n = 22,001) had heard of or understood metabolic syndrome. Attitudes toward health status were more favourable in the ,Doing' group (27% reported fair/poor health) compared with those in the ,Should' (38%) and ,Don't' (54%) groups (p < 0.0001). The ,Don't' group was most likely to prefer medications to lifestyle change (13% vs. 2,4%) compared with ,Should' and ,Doing' groups (p < 0.0001). More ,Doing' respondents (79%) than ,Should' (59%) and ,Don't' (48%) respondents reported exercising regularly (p < 0.0001). Conclusions:, The lack of knowledge about metabolic syndrome reported in SHIELD indicates limited penetration of this concept into public awareness. With behaviour categories, respondents who report healthy attitudes are more likely to embrace lifestyle changes, while respondents who do not care may be more difficult to treat. [source]

A comparative study of oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour of first and final year dental students of Udaipur city, Rajasthan, India

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DENTAL HYGIENE, Issue 4 2008
AJ Sharda
Abstract:, Objective:, To assess and compare differences in oral health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour among first and final year dental students in Udaipur city, Rajasthan, India. Materials and methods:, In a cross-sectional study, 182 first year students (59 males and 123 females) and 157 final year students (75 males and 82 females) of the two dental colleges in Udaipur city; Rajasthan, were surveyed using a self-administered structured questionnaire including 37 multiple choice questions pretested through a pilot survey. The data was analysed using the spss version 10.0. The mean percentage scores, standard deviation and frequency distribution were calculated. The Student's t -test and anova test were used as test of significance. The linear regression analysis were used to assess the relation of knowledge, attitude and behaviour. Results:, The mean % score for oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour were significantly higher in final year students compared to first year students (P < 0.001). The linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant linear relationship of attitude with the knowledge (P < 0.001) and behaviour with the attitude (P < 0.001) of the students. Conclusion:, Besides the positive changes revealed in the oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour, among the students from first to final year of dental studies, preventive behaviour among the students could still be improved. [source]

Sexual health knowledge and risk behaviour in young people with first episode psychosis

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2005
Heather Shield
ABSTRACT:, The sexual health of clients has been poorly addressed by mental health service providers and sexually transmissible infection (STI) incidence rates are increasing among young people. A self-report questionnaire was used to gather information in order to describe and to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of sexual health knowledge, risk behaviour and STI screening history among young people who have experienced a first episode of psychosis, who present to community-based early psychosis programmes in south-eastern Sydney. STI knowledge was fair and sexual risk practice knowledge was poor regarding anal and oral sex. Women reported significantly more sexual partners than men. When those young people who had had unsafe sex attended for STI screens only, 5% received a complete screen. The survey result indicates a need for sexual health screening education to be conducted for clients. Against a background of escalating rates of HIV, STIs and high risk-taking behaviours among young people, it is essential that mental health staff are provided with the skills and education to address sexual health and harm minimization issues. [source]

Insights on Immunizations From Caregivers of Children Receiving Medicaid-Funded Services

JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN PEDIATRIC NURSING, Issue 4 2000
Deborah B. Evers
ISSUES AND PURPOSE. Despite numerous programs aimed at improving immunization rates among American children, under-immunization remains a significant problem. This study was conducted to gain insight into parents' /guardians' knowledge and attitudes regarding childhood immunizations. DESIGN AND METHODS. Thirteen African-American mothers and grandmothers participated in semistructured, audiotaped focus-group interviews. RESULTS. Four major themes emerged: health knowledge and beliefs about immunizations, system barriers that impede obtaining immunizations, facilitators that enhance obtaining immunizations, and suggestions for change. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Immunizations are one of the most important health advantages available to children. Therefore, nurses must become aware of the problem of underimmunization and work to address some of the concerns caregivers have identified in this study. The health and lives of the nation's children depend on it. [source]

Outcome Effectiveness of Community Health Workers: An Integrative Literature Review

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 1 2002
Susan M. Swider Ph.D.
Community health workers (CHWs) are promoted as a mechanism to increase community involvement in health promotion efforts, despite little consensus about the role and its effectiveness. This article reviews the databased literature on CHW effectiveness, which indicates preliminary support for CHWs in increasing access to care, particularly in underserved populations. There are a smaller number of studies documenting outcomes in the areas of increased health knowledge, improved health status outcomes, and behavioral changes, with inconclusive results. Although CHWs show some promise as an intervention, the role can be doomed by overly high expectations, lack of a clear focus, and lack of documentation. Further research is required with an emphasis on stronger study design, documentation of CHW activities, and carefully defined target populations. [source]

Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge in Cystic Fibrosis Female Patients and Their Parents

Implications of Question Format in Emergency Department Preventive Health Knowledge Surveys

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 6 2007
Roland C. Merchant MD
Objectives:To determine if respondents differed by their demography (age group, race or ethnicity, and insurance status) in their tendency to correctly answer knowledge-based questions when they were in an agree-disagree instead of a multiple-choice format. Methods:Women aged 18,55 years seeking treatment in the emergency department completed surveys of preventive health knowledge on three cancer screening tests (Pap smears, breast self-examinations, and mammograms) and two contraceptive measures (birth control pills and emergency contraception) that contained paired versions of questions in two different formats (agree-disagree format and multiple-choice format). Linear and ordinal regressions were used to determine demographic correlates of correctly answering the agree-disagree questions more often than the corresponding multiple-choice questions. Results:Of the 570 women included in this analysis, 64.6% were younger than 35 years, 62.1% were white, and 54.8% had private health care insurance. Older, white, and privately insured women demonstrated greater comprehension of all topics. Younger women, nonwhite women, and women without private health care insurance were more likely to respond to items correctly when they were in an agree-disagree format compared with a multiple-choice format. Conclusions:This study demonstrated that survey responses are influenced by the format of the questions, particularly in certain demographic groups. Policy makers and researchers might draw false conclusions about the baseline knowledge and need for education of patients, especially in these populations. The use of agree-disagree format questions in preventive health knowledge surveys should be avoided whenever possible. [source]

What Makes a Good CAMHS Primary Mental Health Worker?

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2009
Sally Bradley
Background:, The role of primary mental health worker (PMHW) in CAMHS was established in 1995 although comparatively little research has explored the attributes required to successfully undertake this role. Method:, Qualitative interviews with PMHWs and staff working in primary care were conducted and thematic analysis was performed. Results:, In addition to clinical skills and mental health knowledge all respondents consistently emphasised the importance of inter-personal attributes such as general accessibility, flexibility, and self-motivation. Conclusions:, Both professional competencies and inter-personal skills are perceived as important characteristics for PMHWs. It therefore seems appropriate for these to be made more explicit in competency frameworks. [source]

Health preparations and travel-related morbidity of kidney transplant recipients traveling to developing countries

CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 4 2007
A.H.E. Roukens
Abstract:, A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among Dutch kidney transplant recipients to investigate travel health knowledge, attitudes and practices while staying abroad. A total of 290 individuals visiting the nephrology outpatient clinic completed the questionnaires. Thirty four percent of the responders had traveled outside Western Europe (WE) and Northern America (NA); 22% of these travelers did not seek pre-travel health advice. Transplant physicians were most frequently consulted for pre-travel advice (53%). Of the responders traveling outside WE and NA 29% were ill during their most recent journey. Diabetic transplant recipients were at the highest risk. Four of seventeen ill recipients (24%) were hospitalized, reflecting the high morbidity of travel-related disease in this patient group. Our data show that there is need for improvement of pre-travel healthcare, and suggest an important role for transplant physicians in providing adequate counseling. [source]