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Mail Survey (mail + survey)
Kinds of Mail Survey Selected AbstractsLANGUAGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ESTIMATION: EVIDENCE FROM A MAIL SURVEYCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 1 2008XIAOLIN REN In contingent valuation studies, failing to accommodate populations with limited language skills might yield biased estimates. In the United States, there are many residents primarily fluent in Spanish. This study uses conditional logit models applied to data from a bilingual (English and Spanish) conjoint choice mail survey to evaluate the effects of language proficiency on estimates of the economic benefits of contaminated site cleanup. Results indicate that language does have significant effects on welfare estimates. The results suggest that mail surveys addressing environmental issues that may affect a linguistically diverse population should be designed at the outset with multiple languages in mind. (JEL Q51, J19) [source] Association Between Cognitive Function and Social Support with Glycemic Control in Adults with Diabetes MellitusJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 10 2009Toru Okura MD OBJECTIVES: To examine whether cognitive impairment in adults with diabetes mellitus is associated with worse glycemic control and to assess whether level of social support for diabetes mellitus care modifies this relationship. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: The 2003 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Mail Survey on Diabetes and the 2004 wave of the HRS. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 50 and older with diabetes mellitus in the United States (N=1,097, mean age 69.2). MEASUREMENTS: Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level; cognitive function, measured with the 35-point HRS cognitive scale (HRS-cog); sociodemographic variables; duration of diabetes mellitus; depressed mood; social support for diabetes mellitus care; self-reported knowledge of diabetes mellitus; treatments for diabetes mellitus; components of the Total Illness Burden Index related to diabetes mellitus; and functional limitations. RESULTS: In an ordered logistic regression model for the three ordinal levels of HbA1c (<7.0, 7.0,7.9, ,8.0 mg/dL), respondents with HRS-cog scores in the lowest quartile had significantly higher HbA1c levels than those in the highest cognitive quartile (adjusted odds ratio=1.80, 95% confidence interval=1.11,2.92). A high level of social support for diabetes mellitus care modified this association; for respondents in the lowest cognitive quartile, those with high levels of support had significantly lower odds of having higher HbA1c than those with low levels of support (1.11 vs 2.87, P=.02). CONCLUSION: Although cognitive impairment was associated with worse glycemic control, higher levels of social support for diabetes mellitus care ameliorated this negative relationship. Identifying the level of social support available to cognitively impaired adults with diabetes mellitus may help to target interventions for better glycemic control. [source] The psychological determinants of low-rate daily smokingADDICTION, Issue 10 2004Jean-François Etter ABSTRACT Aims To compare low-rate daily smokers (one to five cigarettes/day) with other daily smokers, using the Transtheoretical Model of Change as a framework. Design Mail survey with a follow-up after 7 months. Setting A randomly selected population sample in French-speaking Switzerland, in 1998. Participants A total of 2338 daily smokers aged 25 + years, including 95 smokers of one to five cigarettes/day, 324 smokers of six to 10 cigarettes/day, 399 smokers of 11,15 cigarettes/day and 1520 smokers of 16 + cigarettes/day, and 1765 people (75% of 2338) at 7-month follow-up. Findings Compared with smokers of 16 + cigarettes/day, low-rate smokers of one to five cigarettes/day included more women (67% versus 46%, P < 0.001), were 4 years younger (P < 0.001), were less motivated to quit smoking (62% versus 37% in the ,precontemplation' stage of change, P < 0.001), thought that quitting would be easier (,3.4 points on a 0,10 scale, P < 0.001) and were less bothered by the risk of smoking. Low-rate smokers were taking control more actively over their smoking, e.g. they more often stayed away from places where people smoked, sat in the no-smoking sections in public places and tried to delay as much as they could their first cigarette of the day. Only 45% of low-rate smokers were still in the same category 7 months later. Conclusions For many smokers, low-rate smoking may result from a conscious effort to limit their cigarette consumption. Being a low-rate smoker was a temporary condition for most people. Low-rate smokers should be considered as a specific, although heterogeneous group. [source] Optimum survey methods when interviewing employed womenAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2009Kari Dunning PhD Abstract Background While survey studies have examined bias much is unknown regarding specific subpopulations, especially women workers. Methods A population based phone, Internet, and mail survey of workplace falls during pregnancy was undertaken. Participation by industry and occupation and survey approach and bias, reliability, and incomplete data were examined. Results Of the 3,997 women surveyed, 71% were employed during their pregnancy. Internet responders were most likely to be employed while pregnant and to report a workplace fall at 8.8% compared to 5.8% and 6.1% for mail and phone respondents. Internet responders had the most missing employment data with company name missing for 17.9% compared to 1.3% for phone responders. Mail surveys were best for recruiting those employed in eight of nine industries, and this was especially true for service occupations. Conclusions To decrease bias and increase participation, mixed approaches may be useful with particular attention for collecting occupational data. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:105,112, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] LANGUAGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ESTIMATION: EVIDENCE FROM A MAIL SURVEYCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 1 2008XIAOLIN REN In contingent valuation studies, failing to accommodate populations with limited language skills might yield biased estimates. In the United States, there are many residents primarily fluent in Spanish. This study uses conditional logit models applied to data from a bilingual (English and Spanish) conjoint choice mail survey to evaluate the effects of language proficiency on estimates of the economic benefits of contaminated site cleanup. Results indicate that language does have significant effects on welfare estimates. The results suggest that mail surveys addressing environmental issues that may affect a linguistically diverse population should be designed at the outset with multiple languages in mind. (JEL Q51, J19) [source] Procedural skills quality assurance among Australasian College for Emergency Medicine fellows and traineesEMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA, Issue 3 2006David McD Taylor Abstract Objective: Presently, no objective quality control mechanism exists for monitoring procedural skills among Australasian College for Emergency Medicine trainees. The present study examined trainee and fellow procedural experience and perceived competency, participation in accredited training courses and support for a procedural logbook. Methods: A cross-sectional mail survey of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine advanced trainees and fellows was performed. Experience and perceived competency in 23 common and important ED procedures were examined. Results: In total, 202 fellows and 264 trainees responded (overall response rate 39.0%). Overall, fellow procedural experience and perceived competency were reasonable. However, some fellows had never performed a number of procedures including some common procedures (e.g. nasal packing, fracture reduction) and there were reports of ,very poor' competency for 17 (73.9%) procedures. Trainee experience and perceived competency were less than the fellows but showed similar patterns. Perceived numbers of each procedure required to achieve competency varied considerably between the procedures and among the respondents. However, there were no significant differences in the perceived numbers reported by the trainees and the fellows (P > 0.05). Variable proportions of trainees and fellows had undertaken courses that incorporated procedural skills training. More fellows (75.7%, 95% confidence interval 69.1,81.4) than trainees (59.9%, 95% confidence interval 53.6,65.8) supported the use of a procedural logbook (P = 0.003). Conclusions: Lack of experience in some procedures among some fellows, especially commonly performed procedures, might represent a deficiency in existing quality assurance mechanisms for procedural skills training. Greater participation in skills courses, to improve experience in difficult and uncommonly encountered procedures, is recommended. Improved quality assurance mechanisms, including a procedural logbook, should be considered. [source] Evaluating Paramedic Comfort with Field Pronouncement: Development and Validation of an Outcome MeasureACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 6 2003Laurie J. Morrison MD Abstract Objectives: Interventions designed to improve cardiac resuscitation and the quality of field pronouncement need to consider outcomes on paramedic providers. The authors developed and evaluated the reliability and validity of a survey instrument measuring paramedic comfort with field pronouncement. Methods: A mail survey of 120 paramedics (EMT-Ps) was performed using the Modified Dillman survey methodology. Questions were sorted for analysis into subgroups assessing psychological comfort and technical skills. Sixty-five respondents were retested within two weeks. Results: The overall response rate was 96% (115). Respondents had an average age of 36 years (SD ± 5), with 5.2 years (SD ± 3.8) of out-of-hospital experience as an EMT-P, and were involved in a median of ten field pronouncements annually (range = 2,60). The face and content validity of the survey instrument was consistent with a content matrix derived by a focus group. The Cronbach's alpha for the survey instrument was 0.91. The retest response rate was 76% (46). The test,retest reliability coefficient was 0.84. Conclusions: This survey is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the paramedic psychological comfort with field pronouncement. The high response rate and intrareliability support its generalizability. This outcome measure may be helpful in evaluating the psychological impact of changes to emergency medical services (EMS) policy with respect to termination of resuscitation promoted by the National Association of EMS Physicians. [source] Employers' Attitudes to Employment of People with Epilepsy: Still the Same Old Story?EPILEPSIA, Issue 12 2005Ann Jacoby Summary:,Purpose: One area of life quality known to be compromised by having epilepsy is employment, and one factor contributing to the employment problems of people with epilepsy (PWE) is employer attitudes. Much research on this topic is now outdated and given the changing legal, medical, and social contexts in which PWE live, we therefore reexamined employer attitudes in the united Kingdom. Method: A mail survey of a random sample of U.K. companies selected to be representative of the 14 U.K. economic regions and proportional to the number of employees. Findings: The overall response rate was 41% (n = 204). Twenty-six percent of respondents reported having experience of employing PWE. Sixteen percent considered that there were no jobs in their company suitable for PWE; 21% thought employing PWE would be "a major issue." Employers were uniformly of the view that PWE, even when in remission, should disclose their condition to a prospective employer. Seizure severity, frequency, and controllability were all considered important features of epilepsy in the context of employment. Epilepsy created high concern to around half of employers, including the likelihood of it being linked to a work-related accident. Employers were willing to make accommodations for PWE, in particular job sharing, temporary reassignment of duties, and flexible working hours. Attitudes to employment of PWE were influenced by company size and type and previous experience of doing so. Conclusions: We conclude that it is still the same old story for employers' attitudes toward PWE, though happily for PWE, with some room for optimism. [source] Non-medical use of prescription stimulants among US college students: prevalence and correlates from a national surveyADDICTION, Issue 1 2005Sean Esteban McCabe ABSTRACT Aims To examine the prevalence rates and correlates of non-medical use of prescription stimulants (Ritalin, Dexedrine or Adderall) among US college students in terms of student and college characteristics. Design A self-administered mail survey. Setting One hundred and nineteen nationally representative 4-year colleges in the United States. Participants A representative sample of 10 904 randomly selected college students in 2001. Measurements Self-reports of non-medical use of prescription stimulants and other substance use behaviors. Findings The life-time prevalence of non-medical prescription stimulant use was 6.9%, past year prevalence was 4.1% and past month prevalence was 2.1%. Past year rates of non-medical use ranged from zero to 25% at individual colleges. Multivariate regression analyses indicated non-medical use was higher among college students who were male, white, members of fraternities and sororities and earned lower grade point averages. Rates were higher at colleges located in the north-eastern region of the US and colleges with more competitive admission standards. Non-medical prescription stimulant users were more likely to report use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and other risky behaviors. Conclusions The findings of the present study provide evidence that non-medical use of prescription stimulants is more prevalent among particular subgroups of US college students and types of colleges. The non-medical use of prescription stimulants represents a high-risk behavior that should be monitored further and intervention efforts are needed to curb this form of drug use. [source] Women in Academic Emergency MedicineACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2000Rita K. Cydulka MD Abstract. Objective: To evaluate the achievement gof women in academic emergency medicine (EM) relative to men. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional mail survey of all emergency physicians who were employed at three-fourths full-time equivalent or greater at the 105 EM residency programs in the United States from August 1997 to December 1997. The following information was obtained: demographics, training and practice issues, roles and responsibilities in academic EM, percentage of time spent per week in clinical practice, teaching, administrative and research activities, academic productivity, and funding. Results: Of the 1,575 self-administered questionnaires distributed by the office of the chairs, 1,197 (76%) were returned. Two hundred seventy-four (23%) of the respondents were women, and 923 (77%) were men. There was a significant difference noted between men and women in all demographic categories. The numbers of respondents who were nonwhite were extremely small in the sample and, therefore, the authors are hesitant to draw any conclusions based on race/ethnicity. There was no difference in training in EM between men and women (82% vs 82%, p = 0.288), but a significantly higher proportion of male respondents were board-certified in EM (84% vs 76%, p < 0.002). Women in academic EM were less likely to hold major leadership positions, spent a greater percentage of time in clinical and teaching activities, published less in peer-reviewed journals, and were less likely to achieve senior academic rank in their medical schools. Conclusions: These findings mirror those of most medical specialties: academic achievement of women in academic EM lags behind that of men. The paucity of minority physicians in academic EM didn't permit analysis of their academic achievements. [source] Internal audit, alternative internal audit structures and the level of misappropriation of assets fraudACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 4 2008Paul Coram M42 Abstract In recent years, the importance of good corporate governance has received significant public and regulatory attention. A crucial part of an entity's corporate governance is its internal audit function. At the same time, there has been significant public concern about the level of fraud within organizations. The purpose of this study is to assess whether organizations with an internal audit function are more likely to detect and self-report fraud than those without. In this study, we use a unique self-reported measure of misappropriation of assets fraud for the first time. The fraud data are from the 2004 KPMG Fraud Survey, which reported fraud from 491 organizations in the private and public sector across Australia and New Zealand. The internal audit data are from a separate mail survey sent to the respondents of the KPMG Fraud Survey. We find that organizations with an internal audit function are more likely than those without such a function to detect and self-report fraud. Furthermore, organizations that rely solely on outsourcing for their internal audit function are less likely to detect and self-report fraud than those that undertake at least part of their internal audit function themselves. These findings suggest that internal audit adds value through improving the control and monitoring environment within organizations to detect and self-report fraud. These results also suggest that keeping the internal audit function within the organization is more effective than completely outsourcing that function. [source] Property Rights and Public Interests: A Wyoming Agricultural Lands StudyGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 1 2002Katherine Inman Rocky Mountain states have experienced unprecedented growth as agricultural land is converted to residences. Preservation efforts meet with protest from private landholders claiming public efforts undermine private property rights. This paper explores the degree to which respondents think management of agricultural lands is a public versus a private matter. Data are from a Sublette County, Wyoming, mail survey. Results are relevant to many western counties having public lands and high growth rates. They suggest that landowners, wage earners, college graduates, and those who value the county's rural community lifestyle support public management strategies. Well-established residents and those with economic reasons for living in the county support private management strategies. [source] Identification and management of women with inherited bleeding disorders: a survey of obstetricians and gynaecologists in the United KingdomHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 4 2006C. CHI Summary., A mail survey of members and fellows of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists was carried out to determine current practices of obstetricians and gynaecologists in the United Kingdom in the management of women with inherited bleeding disorders. In total, 3929 questionnaires were sent, 707 returned and analysis was limited to 545 valid questionnaires. In the past 5 years, 91% have managed women with inherited bleeding disorders. The majority (83%) considered inherited bleeding disorders to be under diagnosed in obstetrics and gynaecology. More than 80% considered the prevalence of von Willebrand's disease (VWD) to be <0.2% in the general population and <1% in women with menorrhagia and no gynaecological pathology, although the reported prevalence is 1% and 5,25% respectively. Twelve percent of the respondents would arrange testing for VWD when reviewing an 18-year-old with menorrhagia and no pelvic pathology, while only 2% would do the same for a 35-year-old with the same presentation. Twenty-one percent thought elective caesarean section is indicated in all fetuses known to be at risk of being affected by haemophilia. Eighty-four percent considered vacuum extraction unsafe in these cases, but 76% would consider the use of low forceps. In conclusion, obstetricians and gynaecologists underestimate inherited bleeding disorders as an underlying cause for menorrhagia. Increased awareness and management guidelines are essential in minimizing haemorrhagic complications and improving quality of care of these women. [source] An assessment of the proximity of clothing to self scale for older personsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 4 2010Young-A Lee Abstract Sontag and Lee developed the Proximity of Clothing to Self (PCS) Scale, an objective measure of the psychological closeness of clothing to the self, and validated a 4-factor, 24-item scale with adolescents. The research reported here extends their work by validating a 3-factor, 19-item PCS Scale for use with older persons, age 65 and over. A mail survey was sent to a national random sample of 1700 older persons in the United States resulting in 250 respondents in the final sample. Three analytical rounds of confirmatory factor analysis to test the construct validity of the PCS Scale were conducted by using a structural equation modelling programme. The validated three PCS dimensions (i.e. factors) are clothing in relation to: (1) self as structure , process; (2) self-esteem , evaluative and affective processes; and (3) body image and body cathexis. The researchers recommend using this 19-item PCS Scale for future consumer behaviour research on older persons when investigating the importance of dress, clothing needs or clothing involvement to meet basic human needs, self-esteem, life satisfaction and successful aging. [source] Cultural Influences on Immigrant Women's Labor Force Participation: The Arab-American Case,INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 1 2004Jen'nan Ghazal Read Research on the economic activity of immigrant women has flourished in recent years. The current study extends this literature to examine the labor force activity of Arab-American women, a group whose labor market experiences provide an exception to hitherto accepted theoretical explanations. The employment rates of Arab immigrant women rank among the lowest of any immigrant group, while the rates of native-born Arab-American women resemble those of U.S.-born white women. This study examines potential explanations for these differences using data from the U.S. Census and a national mail survey of Arab-American women. Contrary to findings for other immigrant groups, differences among Arab-American women cannot be explained by their human capital characteristics or family resources, but are almost entirely due to traditional cultural norms that prioritize women's family obligations over their economic activity, and to ethnic and religious social networks that encourage the maintenance of traditional gender roles. This study concludes by underscoring the need for additional research on the impact of culture on immigrant women's employment. [source] Relationship between the length of hospital stay after hip fracture surgery and ambulatory ability or mortality after discharge in JapanJAPAN JOURNAL OF NURSING SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Akiko KONDO Abstract Aim:, To examine whether the length of hospital stay after hip fracture surgery is related to patients' ambulatory ability or mortality after discharge. Methods:, This is a retrospective observational study of patients who had undergone hip fracture surgery at one of three hospitals in Japan. The medical records of patients who were ,65 years and who had hip fracture surgery within the past 2.5 years were reviewed regarding the demographics, treatments, and health outcomes during the hospital stay. A mail survey, asking about health outcomes after discharge, was sent to the study participants and/or their family members. The response rate of the survey was 70% (n = 149). Results:, The patients who were discharged between 30 and 39 days after surgery had significantly lower current ambulatory ability, compared to the patients who stayed for ,40 days, after adjusting for patient characteristics, treatments, and hospital. The patients who were discharged within 2 weeks after surgery and the patients who were discharged between 30 and 39 days after surgery had a significantly higher risk of mortality, compared to the patients who stayed in the hospital for ,40 days, after adjustments were made. Conclusions:, If patients are discharged to a rehabilitation hospital before they are totally recovered from surgery, the emphasis might be on their rehabilitation without adequate management of their comorbidities. Additional prospective studies are needed to determine the effects of a shorter length of hospital stay after hip fracture surgery on patient outcomes. [source] Potential for Alcohol and Prescription Drug Interactions in Older PeopleJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2005Kristine E. Pringle PhD Objectives: To examine the patterns and prevalence of concomitant alcohol and alcohol-interactive (AI) drug use in older people. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of survey and prescription claims data. Setting: The Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PA-PACE) program, a state-funded program providing prescription benefits to older people with low to moderate incomes. Participants: A total of 83,321 PA-PACE cardholders (age range 65,106) who were using any prescription medications at the time of survey completion. Measurements: All AI drugs were identified using a database of medication warning labels obtained from First DataBank. Prescription drug claims were used to characterize AI drug exposure according to therapeutic class of prescription drug use. A mail survey of PA-PACE cardholders was used to examine alcohol use, as well as sociodemographic and health factors associated with concomitant use of alcohol and AI drugs. Results: Seventy-seven percent of all prescription drug users were exposed to AI medications, with significant variation in exposure and concomitant alcohol use according to therapeutic class. Overall, 19% of AI drug users reported concomitant alcohol use, compared with 26% of non-AI drug users (P<.001). Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that certain groups of older people, including younger older people, men, and those with higher educational levels, were at greater risk for concomitant exposure to alcohol and AI drugs. Conclusion: Many older people use alcohol in combination with AI prescription drugs. Clinicians should warn every patient who is prescribed an AI drug about alcohol,drug interactions, especially those at high risk for concomitant exposure. [source] Members' perception of their participation in the governance of cooperatives: the key to trust and commitment in agricultural cooperativesAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Peter Österberg This study explores the extent to which members' assessment of their cooperatives' degree of success is related to various member attributes, notably the members' perception of their participation in the governance of the cooperatives. Three categories of member attributes are identified: satisfaction with the profitability of farm operations, age of the member, and experience from board work. The cooperatives' degree of success is measured as members' commitment towards cooperatives, and members' trust in the board of directors. The data originate from a mail survey among 2,250 Swedish farmers. The results indicate differences in members' commitment and their trust towards directors to be due to farm profitability, the members' age and experience as directors. After adding members' perception of their participation in the governance as a covariate, most of the other differences are explained by this variable. Age is still partly associated with trust towards directors; older farmers have less trust. [EconLit Classifications: Q13, D23, D72]. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Risk-learning process in forming willingness-to-pay for egg safetyAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2004Atsushi Maruyama Using data obtained from a mail survey on consumers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) and risk beliefs for reducing the risk of salmonella contamination of eggs, we have examined the risk-learning process through which individuals form their WTP. The results of estimation of the WTP function support the hypothesis that respondents follow an adaptive learning process, in which they establish their posterior risk belief in a rational manner by adapting their prior risk belief as they are supplied with new risk information. We find that the weight of the prior risk belief is slightly smaller than that of new risk information in forming the posterior risk belief for three out of four estimation models. Knowledge of how consumers form their risk beliefs and who evaluates egg safety enables us to clearly specify targets for effective campaigns to enhance public awareness at a household level about health and food safety issues. [EconLit citations: D120, Q260.] © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 20: 167,179, 2004. [source] Survey of endoscopic ultrasonographic practice and training in the Asia-Pacific regionJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 8 2006Khek Yu Ho Abstract Background:, Little is known about the current status of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) training in the Asia,Pacific region. The aim of the present study was to assess EUS practice and training in the Asia,Pacific region and seek to identify areas where the development of EUS expertise could be further enhanced. Methods:, A direct mail survey was sent out to 87 practising endosonographers in various parts of the Asia,Pacific region outside of Japan. They were asked to report on their prior training, utilization of EUS, and EUS training in their country. Results:, The respondents (n = 71) were mostly young (median age 40 years), male (97%), practising in academia (36.6%) or public hospitals (50.7%) and fairly experienced (median 5 years) in EUS practices; they had performed a median of 500 procedures in their career. Among them, 49.3% were self-taught. Only 22.5% and 21.1% had undergone formal overseas fellowship lasting ,6 months, and local gastrointestinal fellowships of various durations, respectively. Fifty-six percent were currently involved in EUS teaching. Most (90%) thought that a formal EUS training fellowship is necessary for acquiring acceptable competence and there should be a minimum number (median 100) of supervised procedures performed and minimum amount of time (median 6 months) spent on training. Conclusions:, Although EUS practitioners in the Asia,Pacific region were not behind their European or US counterparts in hands-on experience, the lack of formal EUS training programs and opportunities remains an area of concern. For the region to increase EUS utilization, the current shortage of training opportunities needs to be addressed. [source] Canadian dietitians' views and practices regarding obesity and weight managementJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 6 2004S. I. Barr Abstract Objective To provide insight into Canadian dietitians' attitudes and practices regarding obesity and weight management. Design Cross-sectional mail survey of a stratified random sample of members of Canadian dietetic associations. Subjects A total of 514 dietitians (74% of those surveyed), 350 (69%) of whom actively counselled overweight/obese clients. Measurements Participants received a questionnaire to assess dietitians' attitudes regarding obesity and overweight, views regarding their role in weight management, counselling practices, and the criteria used to judge success. Demographic variables were collected. Results Most dietitians believed that obesity contributes to morbidity and mortality, and that small weight losses produced important health benefits. However, 80% agreed that health indicators other than weight loss should be the focus of obesity management, and 55% specifically recommended that clients not weigh themselves. Instead, weight management was promoted by recommending healthy eating and increased physical activity. Three-quarters agreed that they are the profession best trained to manage obesity but two-thirds believed their time would be better spent preventing rather than managing obesity. Dietitians most valued education received from on-the-job support and mentoring from other dietitians. Participants reported wanting to learn more about motivational and behavioural modification counselling techniques. Conclusions Canadian dietitians follow a lifestyle approach to weight management. Studies are required to formally assess the effectiveness of various aspects of this approach. [source] Creativity Defined: Implicit Theories in the Professions of Interior Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and EngineeringJOURNAL OF INTERIOR DESIGN, Issue 1 2002Margaret Portillo Ph.D. ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine implicit theories of creativity in related fields through a mail survey of 3 1 3 professors randomly selected from accredited programs in interior design, architecture, landscape architecture, and engineering. To describe a highly creative practitioner in their respective fields, the respondents completed the Gough Adjective Check List (ACL), scored with the Domino creativity scale (Cr). The interior design professors generated a profile of the creative practitioner that obtained a significantly higher mean score than did the architecture or engineering groups on the ACL-Cr scale. No other significant differences on the creativity scale appeared between groups. Exploratory analyses of individual ACL-Cr items found considerable agreement as to what constituted creativeness in implicit theories. At least 75 percent of the respondents in each group described the creative practitioner in their respective fields as imaginative, inventive, and adventurous. Disciplinary differences among groups surfaced in 21 traits on the ACL-Cr scale that were statistically significant in areas of artistic creativity, scientific creativity, intelligence, self-confidence, and task orientation. Further, the creative interior design practitioner was perceived as significantly more individualistic and original than in the other three fields, and sixteen other traits significantly differentiated interior design profiles from those posited in architecture, landscape architecture, or engineering. By promoting a scholarship of integration, findings reveal perceived traits of the creative practitioner in allied fields and advance interdisciplinary understanding. Design educators are encouraged to reflect on their own implicit theories of creativity and those of their students to acknowledge underlying assumptions about creativity that can influence innovation and collaboration. [source] Nurse and resident satisfaction in magnet long-term care organizations: do high involvement approaches matter?JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2006KENT V. RONDEAU PhD Aim, This study examines the association of high involvement nursing work practices with employer-of-choice (magnet) status in a sample of Canadian nursing homes. Background, In response to a severe shortage of registered nursing personnel, it is imperative for health care organizations to more effectively recruit and retain nursing personnel. Some long-term care organizations are developing employee-centred cultures that allow them to effectively enhance nurse and resident satisfaction. At the same time, many nursing homes have adopted progressive nursing workplace practices (high involvement work practices) that emphasize greater employee empowerment, participation and commitment. Method, A mail survey was sent to the director of nursing in 300 nursing homes in western Canada. In total, 125 useable questionnaires were returned and constituted the data set for this study. Separate ordinary least squares regressions are performed with magnet strength, nurse satisfaction and resident satisfaction used as dependent variables. Results, Nursing homes that demonstrate strong magnet (employer-of-choice) characteristics are more likely to have higher levels of nurse and patient satisfaction, even after controlling for a number of significant factors at the establishment level. Magnet nursing homes are more likely to have progressive participatory decision-making cultures and much more likely to spend considerable resources on job-related training for their nursing staff. The presence of high involvement work practices is not found to be a significant predictor in magnet strength, nurse or resident satisfaction. Conclusion, Merely adopting more high involvement nursing work practices may be insufficient for nursing homes, which desire to become ,employers-of-choice' in their marketplaces, especially if these practices are adopted without a concomitant investment in nurse training or an enhanced commitment to establishing a more democratic and participatory decision-making style involving all nursing staff. [source] Interfirm Alliances in the Small Business: The Role of Social NetworksJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2002Anat BarNir In light of the increasing importance of strategic alliances in shaping competition, this study explored whether the social network of small firm executives can be leveraged to facilitate the establishment of interfirm alliances. Analyses are based on a mail survey of 149 small manufacturing firms in the northeast United States. Results indicate that the social networks of senior executives account for 11,22 percent of the variance in the degree to which firms engage in alliances, depending on the type of alliance. Results also show that the number of interfirm alliances is positively related to several networking properties (propensity to network, strength of ties, and network prestige). Findings are discussed in the context of network theory, social embeddedness, and the overall implications for management researchers and practitioners. [source] A Contingency Perspective of Communication, Conflict Resolution and Buyer Search Effort in Buyer-Supplier RelationshipsJOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2004Cindy Claycomb SUMMARY This study investigates the moderating effects of buying context on the relationship between communication elements and the effort buyers exert while searching for new suppliers throughout a buyer-supplier relationship development process. A mail survey of members of the Institute for Supply ManagementÔ was conducted and the data were analyzed using moderated regression. The results suggest that company size, buyer experience, relationship duration and relationship importance affect the association between a buyer's search effort and the communication elements. Interestingly, the buying context affects the relationship between search effort and the communication elements in different ways and to a different extent in each stage of the relationship development process. [source] Offering Incentives for New Development: The Role of City Social Status, Politics, and Local Growth ExperiencesJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 2 2002Paul G. Lewis The propensity of municipal governments to offer incentives for new development is empirically examined, drawing upon both the literature on local economic development policy and studies of local residential restrictions. The data are from a 1998 mail survey of city managers in California in which officials assessed the likelihood that their local governments would offer financial assistance or zoning changes to various types of new business and residential land uses in their communities. Multivariate analysis indicates that local conditions resulting from past growth patterns,commuting times, job/population balance, and housing affordability,play an important role in shaping respondents' assessments as to whether their cities are likely to grant incentives. Such factors deserve an important role in explaining local government growth orientations, alongside measures of community status, political institutions, and the strength of progrowth coalitions. [source] Critical factors in career decision making for women medical graduatesMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2003Joanna Lawrence Background, Within the next 30 years there will be equal numbers of women and men in the medical workforce. Indications are that women are increasing their participation in specialties other than general practice, although at a slower rate than their participation in the workforce as a whole. To inform those involved in training and employment of medical women, this study investigated the influencing factors in career decision making for female medical graduates. Methods, A total of 305 women medical graduates from the University of Auckland responded to a mail survey (73% response rate) which examined influences on decision making, in both qualitative and quantitative ways, as part of a larger survey. Results, Most women were satisfied with their careers. The principal component analysis of the influencing factors identified four distinct factors important in career choice , interest, flexibility, women friendliness and job security, although the first two of these were rated more highly than the others. Conclusions, Barriers to full participation by medical women in training and employment need to be systematically examined and removed. This is not only to allow women themselves to reach their full potential, but for workforce and socio-economic reasons. Initiatives that allow and value more flexible training and work practices, particularly through the years of child raising, are necessary for women and the health care workforce at large. [source] A stochastic evaluation of the decision to specialize in orthodonticsORTHODONTICS & CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2003SR Straja Structured Abstract Authors , Straja SR, Klatte KJ, Montgomery GL, Tuncay OC Objective , The objective of this paper is to identify under different scenarios, and from a financial point of view, the conditions required to successfully switch from the general dentistry practice to orthodontics. Study Design , A mail survey was used to collect the data from the practicing orthodontists. They estimated the income, at certain points, in the working life of an orthodontist. The general practitioner data were taken from the American Dental Association figures. Subsequently, a stochastic model was constructed. Results and Conclusion , Those who decide to buy an existing practice expect higher profits in the near future, and therefore the required minimum number of remaining years of practice is lower than for those deciding to start a new practice. For both scenarios, the 3-year residency will delay the profits compared with a 2-year residency. Thus, an increased number of remaining years of practice is required. There must be more than 10 working years left in the practitioner's life to make the switch profitable. [source] Using commercial telephone directories to obtain a population-based sample for mail survey of women of reproductive agePAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 3 2003Danelle T. Lobdell Summary In the United States, sampling women of reproductive age from the general population for research purposes is a challenge. Even more difficult is conducting a population-based study of couples attempting pregnancy to assess fecundity and fertility or related impairments. To address the problem of obtaining representative samples from the population in order to study such health-related issues, a commercially and readily available CD-ROM telephone directory was used and tested as a sampling framework for studies aimed at enrolling gravid women aged 18,44 years. A self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) was mailed to a stratified random sample of 10 005 (3%) households in Erie County, NY, USA. Overall, 17% of the questionnaires were undeliverable despite updating all addresses with residential software before mailing. Thirteen per cent (n = 1089) of the households returned completed questionnaires, of which 35% (n = 377) were completed by women aged 18,44 years. Using 1990 census information for zip code, respondents were more likely to be white and to have higher median household incomes than non-respondents. Of the 377 women who completed the questionnaire, 79% had been pregnant at least once, 5% reported being unable to become pregnant, and 16% reporting never trying to become pregnant. Despite the overall low response to the SAQ, the sampling framework captured a diverse group of women of reproductive age who reported various fecundity and fertility outcomes. The use of low-cost commercially available software linked to census data for selecting samples of women or couples for reproductive and perinatal research may be possible; however, oversampling of households, use of incentives and follow-up of non-respondents is needed to ensure adequate sample sizes. [source] Moral reasoning among physical therapists: results of the defining issues testPHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2010Laura Lee Swisher Abstract Background and Purpose.,Although there is extensive literature in other health care fields about the ability to make ethical judgements (moral reasoning), there is a paucity of research addressing the moral reasoning of practising physical therapists. The purposes of this research were to 1) identify the types of moral reasoning used by practising physical therapists as measured by the Defining Issues Test; 2) identify differences in moral reasoning among physical therapists based on educational background, demographic variables, clinical experience, practice setting or expertise in ethics; and 3) compare the moral reasoning of physical therapists with that of other professional groups.,Methods.,The Defining Issues Test of James Rest was used to evaluate moral reasoning. Five hundred thirty-seven physical therapists responded to a mail survey sent to a random sample of 2,000 American Physical Therapy Association members. Twelve physical therapists with expertise in ethics or professionalism completed the same survey.,Results.,The mean postconventional score for the random sample was 41.93. This score was lower than the mean scores of physicians, nurses, medical students, nursing students and dental students established in previous research. Females, ethics experts and those in academic settings had higher postconventional scores.,Conclusions.,Physical therapists scored lower in postconventional moral reasoning than some other professional groups with similar educational background. Factors that may inhibit or enhance the development of moral reasoning among physical therapists and possible consequences of high or low moral reasoning scores in physical therapy require further research. These findings may raise concerns about the entry-level educational curriculum and professional development opportunities in the area of ethics and moral reasoning. Results of this research may also highlight the challenges of evaluation, scholarship and research in physical therapy ethics. Further research and theory development is needed to address the relationships between moral theory and descriptive or empirical research within physical therapy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||