Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine dietary patterns and cardiovascular risk factors in Hispanic adults living in Southwest Detroit. A descriptive design was used. Self‐report baseline data were collected using The Rate Your Plate and Personal Health Risk Assessment questionnaires. A nonrandom sample of 32 Mexican American adults was recruited from a large Roman Catholic Church in Southwest Detroit. Participants were selected if they were enrolled in the larger parent research study to test the effects of a lay health educator intervention and planned to participate in the nutrition education portion of the intervention. Unhealthy eating patterns outnumbered heart healthy eating practices. The majority used higher fat salad dressings; ate fried foods, sweets, and high fat snacks; consumed greater than the desired amounts of regular cheese; drank whole milk; and ate few fruits and vegetables. Lack of physical activity, being overweight, and exposure to second‐hand smoke were the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors. The data suggest that effective community‐based heart disease prevention programs that emphasize risk factor screening and cardiovascular risk reduction through heart healthy eating are needed.
Burgeoning technology has created numerous alternatives for even the most mundane aspect of research, that is, data entry. Our research team is conducting a large NIH NINR clinical trial, and data entry and management are important aspects of this study. Our research team needed to decide whether to use manual data entry or a scannable form of data entry. This article describes some of the advantages and disadvantages related to our decision to use scannable data entry Teleform™.
BACKGROUND: This study assessed the association between amount of physical activity and body mass index (BMI) percentile among middle and high school children. Total daily physical activity needs to include both in and out of school physical activity. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was performed on 1306 children drawn from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement (CDS III, 2007). The dependent variable in this study was BMI percentile, while the independent variable was physical activity. The multinomial logistic regression model was used to assess the associations between physical activity and BMI percentile controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, parental income, and neighborhood safety. RESULTS: Children who engaged in low daily physical activity levels had 1.8 times the odds of being obese versus normal weight than those who engaged in moderate levels [odds ratio (OR) = 1.80, confidence interval (CI) = 1.31, 2.48]. African‐American children had 1.6 times the odds of being obese than normal weight (OR = 1.55, CI = 0.99, 2.43) and Hispanic children had approximately 1.8 times the odds of being obese than normal weight in comparison to non‐Hispanic white children (OR = 1.79, CI = 1.00, 3.21). Females had about 1.5 times the odds of being overweight than normal weight than males (OR = 1.49, CI = 1.04, 2.13). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the accumulation of 30 minutes or more of daily physical activity may be effective in decreasing obesity prevalence among middle and high school‐aged children.
Background: Pre-diabetes is a condition that usually has no symptoms, which can lead to decreased awareness of its presence. Like other chronic diseases, pre-diabetes disproportionately affects Hispanic/Latinos populations and places them at greater risk for severe consequences. Latinos are not fully aware of what pre-diabetes is or how it differs from diabetes. This represents a healthcare disparity that requires engagement with the Latino population to address it. Complications of diabetes could be dramatically reduced by increasing awareness of pre-diabetes through engagement with Latinos, health care providers, and pre-diabetes awareness for Latinos. Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand how effective the use of a targeted social media campaign could increase awareness of prediabetes. Design and sample: A two-week long Facebook campaign was conducted with four ads targeted to Idahoans aged 18 plus. These messages involved awareness of prediabetes. The amount of engagement was tracked including shares, reactions, and views. Paid boosts were used to evaluate the natural reach of the messages versus reach with a paid boost. Results: Combined reach of all four posts was 36,578. Organic reach was 7,416 or 20.2% of views while paid reach comprised 29,162 or 79.7% of views. Total reactions totaled 627 with 538 or 85.8% being “like.” The second highest reaction was sad with 37 or 6.7%; all the sad reactions were limited to post one and post three. Conclusion: Use of Facebook appears appropriate to reach individuals with health-related messages, though it is clear that the use of paid boosts improves reach.
Abstract Aim To explore the experiences of recreational‐vehicle‐dwelling American nomads when seeking healthcare in the United States. Design This exploratory, qualitative study employed interpretive description design to maintain a disciplinary focus in nursing. Methods Twenty‐five participants were recruited from campgrounds in eight states. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted face‐to‐face. Thematic analysis was conducted using a phronetic iterative approach. Results Three overarching themes described participants' experiences seeking healthcare: overwhelming logistics, don't need healthcare, and orchestrating a web of care. Conclusion Recreational‐vehicle‐dwelling nomads in the United States face additional complexity when accessing healthcare related to seeking care in unfamiliar locations and policies that prevent the portability of healthcare across state lines. Implications More research is needed to evaluate solutions to improve healthcare access for recreational‐vehicle‐dwelling nomads. Nurses and policymakers should consider healthcare practices through the lens of nomads' lifestyle mobility. The impact of policy decisions on people who are geographically mobile should be considered, and barriers to healthcare portability should be addressed. Impact This was the first study focused on the healthcare experiences of recreational‐vehicle‐dwelling nomads in the United States. Nomads face additional complexity and barriers to healthcare access. Some nomads developed strategies to overcome barriers, while others disengaged from healthcare. The findings will impact researchers and nurses who study and care for nomads. Reporting Method The SRQR reporting guidelines were followed. Patient or Public Contribution Recreational‐vehicle‐dwelling nomads reviewed the recruitment flyer and interview guide and provided input on recruitment methods and sites.
Surveillance algorithms that predict patient decompensation are increasingly integrated with clinical workflows to help identify patients at risk of in-hospital deterioration. This scoping review aimed to identify the design features of the information displays, the types of algorithm that drive the display, and the effect of these displays on process and patient outcomes.
To determine if a small group life story nursing intervention can be beneficial to rural community dwelling older adults by decreasing depression scores and increasing perceived social support scores. This study employed a quasi-experimental one group pretest/posttest design. This study was conducted in thirteen rural senior facilities with a community population of less than 20,000 in two western states in the United States. 137 English-speaking volunteers over age 60 years from 13 senior centers were screened for dementia and depression to determine eligibility for the study. Eligibility was established by a negative dementia screen and a score of four or greater on the Geriatric Depression Scale short version. Of the 137 volunteers, 40 were eligible and asked to participate in intervention groups, three centers had the most participants willing to participate in intervention groups, these groups were composed of four volunteers each. This study utilized the Geriatric Depression Scale short version and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support for pre-and post-testing. The intervention consisted of four hourly group sessions involving storytelling about life events. No significant difference was noted between pretest and posttest scores based on the intervention. Participant evaluation of the small group activity indicated that increased social interaction was the greatest benefit derived from the intervention. The intervention did not significantly decrease depression scores or increase perceived social support scores; however, small group life story interventions may have utility in increasing social interaction and increasing social connections among rural older adults. It is recommended that future studies use a pre-existing support group for the small group intervention or members of a rural assisted living facility where depression rates can be high.
Sedentary behavior is a major public health problem for African American women. A qualitative study used focus groups to explore African American women's experiences with physical activity in their daily lives. Women aged 35–50 were recruited to participate in the focus groups. Transcripts from the focus groups were coded and analyzed. African American women's facilitators of physical activity were daily routine, practical and convenient activities, personal safety, child care, weight loss, stress reduction, knowledge and commitment, enjoyment, pets, family and peer support, home and work facilities, and daylight and climate conditions. Barriers to physical activity were lack of child care, no person to exercise with, competing responsibilities, lack of space in the home, inability to use exercise facilities at work, lack of motivation, fatigue, and unsafe neighborhood. This information will provide the basis for generating new strategies to increase physical activity for African American women in the community.
As nurses make the transition from acute care settings to home care, it is important to understand their learning needs so that effective orientation and staff-development programs can be planned. This study identifies the knowledge and skills most needed by home care nurses by surveying nurses who currently practice in the field.
