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Moderators and mediators of behaviour change in a lifestyle program for treated hypertensives: a randomized controlled trial (ADAPT)
Burke, V., Beilin, L. J., Cutt, H. E., Mansour, J., Mori, T. A. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
We aimed to examine moderators and mediators of behaviour change in a cognitive lifestyle program for drug-treated overweight hypertensives in Perth, Australia. We collected data at baseline, 4 months (post-intervention) and 1-year follow-up in a randomized controlled trial of a program that focused on weight loss, diet, and exercise. Mediation analysis used regression models that estimate indirect effects with bootstrapped confidence limits. Outcomes examined were saturated fat intake (% energy) and physical activity (hours per week). In total, 90/118 individuals randomized to usual care and 102/123 to the program-completed follow-up. Sex was a moderator of response post-intervention for diet and physical activity, with a greater response among women with usual care and among men with the program. Change in self-efficacy was a mediator of dietary change post-intervention [effect size (ES) –0.055, 95% confidence interval (CI) –0.125, –0.005] and at follow-up (ES 0.054, 95% CI –0.127, –0.005), and in physical activity post-intervention (ES 0.059, 95% CI 0.003, 0.147). These findings highlight different responses of men and women to the program, and the importance of self-efficacy as a mediator. Mediators for physical activity in the longer term should be investigated in other models, with appropriate cognitive measurements, in future trials.
Storage of household firearms: an examination of the attitudes and beliefs of married women with children
Johnson, R. M., Runyan, C. W., Coyne-Beasley, T., Lewis, M. A., Bowling, J. M. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Although safe firearm storage is a promising injury prevention strategy, many parents do not keep their firearms unloaded and locked up. Using the theory of planned behavior as a guiding conceptual framework, this study examines factors associated with safe storage among married women with children and who have firearms in their homes. Data come from a national telephone survey (n = 185). We examined beliefs about defensive firearm use, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and firearm storage practices. A Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test was conducted to assess associations between psychosocial factors and firearm storage practices. Women were highly motivated to keep firearms stored safely. Those reporting safe storage practices had more favorable attitudes, more supportive subjective norms and higher perceptions of behavioral control than those without safe storage. One-fourth believed a firearm would prevent a family member from being hurt in case of a break-in, 58% believed a firearm could scare off a burglar. Some 63% said they leave decisions about firearm storage to their husbands. Women were highly motivated to store firearms safely as evidenced by favorable attitudes, supportive subjective norms and high perceptions of behavioral control. This was especially true for those reporting safer storage practices.
Will patients agree to have their literacy skills assessed in clinical practice?
Ryan, J. G., Leguen, F., Weiss, B. D., Albury, S., Jennings, T., Velez, F., Salibi, N. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
If health providers are aware of their patients' literacy skills, they can more appropriately tailor their communication with patients. Few providers, however, assess patient's literacy skills for fear of offending patients, but no research has ever determined if patients object to such assessments. Our objectives were to determine the percentage of patients seen for routine health care that would agree to undergo literacy assessment and if satisfaction of patients differs in practices that perform literacy assessments versus practices that do not. We randomized 20 private and public medical practices to an intervention group that implemented literacy assessments with the Newest Vital Sign and a control group that did not. For intervention practices, we noted the percentage of patients agreeing to undergo the assessment. For both intervention and control practices, we assessed patient satisfaction. Of 289 patients asked to undergo literacy assessment in the intervention practices, 284 (98.3%) agreed to do so, including 125 (46.1%) with low or possibly low literacy skills. There was no difference in satisfaction between the intervention group and the control group. We conclude that patients are willing to undergo literacy assessments during routine office visits and performing such assessments does not decrease patient satisfaction.
Public Health News From Medical News Today
Arizona Hospital Offers Culturally Tailored Care, Services To Navajo Indian Patients
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0700
USA Today on Monday examined how "traditional Navajo healing is merging with modern medicine" at the Page, Ariz.-based Banner Page Hospital. About 50% of the patients at the hospital come from a nearby Navajo reservation.
North Carolina Physicians Raise Concern Over Undocumented Immigrants' Lack Of Trust In Medical System
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0700
Some North Carolina doctors have raised concern that fear over their immigration status and a lack of trust in the health system could prevent some undocumented immigrants from seeking medical care and thus contribute to a rise in infectious diseases, infant mortality and emergency health costs, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Dallas Morning News Examines Differences Between McCain, Obama Health Plans
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700
The Dallas Morning News on Saturday examined how, although "Democratic health care proposals may have gotten more attention during the primaries," the plan proposed by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) "just might be more revolutionary.
Public Health News Headlines from Johns Hopkins
De Beers African Health Scholars Named
nwoodwri@jhsph.edu (Office of Communications) Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:00:00 -0400
De Beers African Health Scholars Named
Older Patients More Satisfied with Care When Accompanied to Medical Visits
paffairs@jhsph.edu (Office of Communications) Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:30:00 -0400
A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that 38 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are accompanied to routine medical visits. These accompanied beneficiaries tended to be older, sicker and less educated but more satisfied with their health care provider compared to unaccompanied patients. The study is published in the July 14 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Hand Washing Saves Newborn Lives
paffairs@jhsph.edu (Office of Communications) Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:30:00 -0400
Washing hands with soap and water in preparation for delivery significantly reduced the risk of death for infants within the first month of life, according to a study in Nepal conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study found a 19 percent lower risk of death among newborns born at home in rural Nepal when the birth attendant washed their hands before delivery. The study also found a 44 percent reduction in risk of death if mothers washed their hands prior to handling their newborn infant. The findings are published in the July 2008 edition of the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
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Moderators and mediators of behaviour change in a lifestyle program for treated hypertensives: a randomized controlled trial (ADAPT)
Burke, V., Beilin, L. J., Cutt, H. E., Mansour, J., Mori, T. A. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
We aimed to examine moderators and mediators of behaviour change in a cognitive lifestyle program for drug-treated overweight hypertensives in Perth, Australia. We collected data at baseline, 4 months (post-intervention) and 1-year follow-up in a randomized controlled trial of a program that focused on weight loss, diet, and exercise. Mediation analysis used regression models that estimate indirect effects with bootstrapped confidence limits. Outcomes examined were saturated fat intake (% energy) and physical activity (hours per week). In total, 90/118 individuals randomized to usual care and 102/123 to the program-completed follow-up. Sex was a moderator of response post-intervention for diet and physical activity, with a greater response among women with usual care and among men with the program. Change in self-efficacy was a mediator of dietary change post-intervention [effect size (ES) –0.055, 95% confidence interval (CI) –0.125, –0.005] and at follow-up (ES 0.054, 95% CI –0.127, –0.005), and in physical activity post-intervention (ES 0.059, 95% CI 0.003, 0.147). These findings highlight different responses of men and women to the program, and the importance of self-efficacy as a mediator. Mediators for physical activity in the longer term should be investigated in other models, with appropriate cognitive measurements, in future trials.
Storage of household firearms: an examination of the attitudes and beliefs of married women with children
Johnson, R. M., Runyan, C. W., Coyne-Beasley, T., Lewis, M. A., Bowling, J. M. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Although safe firearm storage is a promising injury prevention strategy, many parents do not keep their firearms unloaded and locked up. Using the theory of planned behavior as a guiding conceptual framework, this study examines factors associated with safe storage among married women with children and who have firearms in their homes. Data come from a national telephone survey (n = 185). We examined beliefs about defensive firearm use, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and firearm storage practices. A Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test was conducted to assess associations between psychosocial factors and firearm storage practices. Women were highly motivated to keep firearms stored safely. Those reporting safe storage practices had more favorable attitudes, more supportive subjective norms and higher perceptions of behavioral control than those without safe storage. One-fourth believed a firearm would prevent a family member from being hurt in case of a break-in, 58% believed a firearm could scare off a burglar. Some 63% said they leave decisions about firearm storage to their husbands. Women were highly motivated to store firearms safely as evidenced by favorable attitudes, supportive subjective norms and high perceptions of behavioral control. This was especially true for those reporting safer storage practices.
Will patients agree to have their literacy skills assessed in clinical practice?
Ryan, J. G., Leguen, F., Weiss, B. D., Albury, S., Jennings, T., Velez, F., Salibi, N. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
If health providers are aware of their patients' literacy skills, they can more appropriately tailor their communication with patients. Few providers, however, assess patient's literacy skills for fear of offending patients, but no research has ever determined if patients object to such assessments. Our objectives were to determine the percentage of patients seen for routine health care that would agree to undergo literacy assessment and if satisfaction of patients differs in practices that perform literacy assessments versus practices that do not. We randomized 20 private and public medical practices to an intervention group that implemented literacy assessments with the Newest Vital Sign and a control group that did not. For intervention practices, we noted the percentage of patients agreeing to undergo the assessment. For both intervention and control practices, we assessed patient satisfaction. Of 289 patients asked to undergo literacy assessment in the intervention practices, 284 (98.3%) agreed to do so, including 125 (46.1%) with low or possibly low literacy skills. There was no difference in satisfaction between the intervention group and the control group. We conclude that patients are willing to undergo literacy assessments during routine office visits and performing such assessments does not decrease patient satisfaction.
Public Health News From Medical News Today
Arizona Hospital Offers Culturally Tailored Care, Services To Navajo Indian Patients
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0700
USA Today on Monday examined how "traditional Navajo healing is merging with modern medicine" at the Page, Ariz.-based Banner Page Hospital. About 50% of the patients at the hospital come from a nearby Navajo reservation.
North Carolina Physicians Raise Concern Over Undocumented Immigrants' Lack Of Trust In Medical System
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0700
Some North Carolina doctors have raised concern that fear over their immigration status and a lack of trust in the health system could prevent some undocumented immigrants from seeking medical care and thus contribute to a rise in infectious diseases, infant mortality and emergency health costs, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Dallas Morning News Examines Differences Between McCain, Obama Health Plans
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700
The Dallas Morning News on Saturday examined how, although "Democratic health care proposals may have gotten more attention during the primaries," the plan proposed by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) "just might be more revolutionary.
Public Health News Headlines from Johns Hopkins
De Beers African Health Scholars Named
nwoodwri@jhsph.edu (Office of Communications) Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:00:00 -0400
De Beers African Health Scholars Named
Older Patients More Satisfied with Care When Accompanied to Medical Visits
paffairs@jhsph.edu (Office of Communications) Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:30:00 -0400
A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that 38 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are accompanied to routine medical visits. These accompanied beneficiaries tended to be older, sicker and less educated but more satisfied with their health care provider compared to unaccompanied patients. The study is published in the July 14 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Hand Washing Saves Newborn Lives
paffairs@jhsph.edu (Office of Communications) Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:30:00 -0400
Washing hands with soap and water in preparation for delivery significantly reduced the risk of death for infants within the first month of life, according to a study in Nepal conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study found a 19 percent lower risk of death among newborns born at home in rural Nepal when the birth attendant washed their hands before delivery. The study also found a 44 percent reduction in risk of death if mothers washed their hands prior to handling their newborn infant. The findings are published in the July 2008 edition of the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
Sites:
AHRQ: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP): Largest all-payer collection of hospital inpatient care statistical information in the United States. Includes a national database and the database of 22 states.Bacterial Foodborne Disease: Medical Costs and Productivity Losses: Report from the US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. Microbial pathogens in food cause an estimated 6.5-33 million cases of human illness and up to 9,000 deaths in the United States each year.
CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System: The world's largest telephone survey, tracks health risks in the United States.
Compilation of Complementary/Alternative Healthcare Data: This manual attempts to facilitate efficient access to data from federally funded large-scale surveys which contain specific reference to chiropractic healthcare.
Country Health Profiles - Pan American Health Organization: Data and analysis on health and related sociological factors in the nations of the Americas.
Food Surveys Research Group: Information relating to food consumption surveys conducted by USDA
HCUPnet: A tool for identifying, tracking, analyzing, and comparing statistics on hospitals at the national, regional, and State level.
Kaiser Family Foundation's State Health Facts Online: The Kaiser Family Foundation presents statehealthfacts.org, an innovative resource for free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states.
National Center for Health Statistics: As the Nation’s principal health statistics agency, we compile statistical information to to improve health and guide actions and policies
National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics: Serves as the statutory public advisory body to the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the area of health data and statistics.
Resource Center Fast Facts: Compilations of statistics from federal sources, arranged by disease or geographic area. Includes links to more in-depth online resources. From the National Center for Health Statistics.
Safety and Health Statistics: The statistics unit provides information on workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities that occur in Connecticut.
Safety and Health Statistics: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports on the number of workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
SSBR: Health Statistics: An index of health care statistics provided by the National Center for Health Statistics
The National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems: Health information to enhance the public's health. FAQs discuss vital statistics and who is collecting and accessing them.
World Health Organization Statistical Information System: Health and health-related statistical information.
This directory is based on the Open Directory and may have been modified