Health promotion

The purpose of this study was 1) to examine the significance of a patient’s active
or passive role in terms of his/her health management; 2) to determine if a relationship
exists between one’s active and passive scores and his/her self-directed learning
readiness, and 3) to identify if his/her view of one’s self as a patient (when diagnosed
with a chronic disease) impacted his/her own personal health management.
Utilizing the quantitative analysis of The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale
and the Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory, 81 individuals’ descriptive statistics
were analyzed. Self-directed learning was found to positively influence an individual’s
ability to be an active patient. The moderated demographic characteristics of age,
ethnicity, education level, and gender did not have a direct relationship between selfdirected
learning readiness and active/passive coping groups. Further, it was established that the majority of the participants within the study,
83.75%, considered themselves an active patient managing their lupus diagnosis.
However, 16.25% of the participants did not believe that they were actively managing
their illness.
Self-directed learning characteristics were examined through the responses to an
open-ended question. The two most prevalent themes pertained to active coping and
control. Characteristics of self-directed learning readiness appeared predominant amongst
the responses, particularly goal-orientation and accepting responsibility for learning.
Minimal themes regarding planning and enjoying learning were provided within the data.
These characteristics were identified throughout the study in hopes of further
research and program implementations that will help to develop leadership abilities and
activity levels of self-health management in chronically ill patients. This will enable
lupus patients to have a more positive outcome, it will help them successfully manage
their own health, and it will improve their overall quality of life.

This research focuses on obesity and other major risk factors for chronic diseases
such as Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Heart Disease, and Stroke. Worksite wellness
programs have been successful in this realm of health promotion and disease prevention
for heart disease and stroke, but their effectiveness in treating diabetes has been uncertain
partially due to poor patient compliance, lack of stress reduction strategies, poor diet and
lack of persuasive health education on the risk of being obese. Published peer-reviewed
articles were reviewed, coded and analyzed to determine best practices, using a modified
systematic review approach. The findings from these studies yield results that were used
to develop a new employer-sponsored wellness program that is in accordance with the
recently passed Affordable Care Act.

The phenomenon central to this study is "struggling in changing priorities," a universal lived experience of health. Parse's (1981, 1991) theory of human becoming was the lens through which all aspects of this study were seen. The participants were four young adults infected with the AIDS virus. Parse's research methodology consisting of the processes of participant selection, dialogical engagement, extraction-synthesis, and heuristic interpretation was used to uncover the structure of the lived experience. Struggling in changing priorities is inspiring new awareness while camouflaging the perilous evokes solace amid harmonizing opposing rhythms. When taken to a higher level of abstraction and linked with the major concepts of Parse's theory, the theoretical definition of struggling in changing priorities is imaging the revealing-concealing of transforming.

The turn of the century has been greeted with major health care changes. Society is striving toward goals of health-promotion and wellness, historically nursing education's domain. To promote health in a population of community college students, this pilot study implemented health-promoting curriculum at a local community college. The theoretical framework for this research was Nola J. Pender's Health-Promotion Model. This framework was operationalized by Pender and Walker (1987) in an instrument, "Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II" (HPLP II). This instrument evaluates health-promoting behavior. The HPLP II was administered to: (a) An experimental group of 50 nursing students and 67 non-nursing students, and (b) a control group of 24 nursing and 31 non-nursing students for base-line measurement. The experimental group attended a health-promotion continuing education curriculum incorporating Pender and Walker's health-promotion subscales. After completion of the continuing education program, a post-test of the HPLP II was given. Without intervention, the control group completed the HPLP II for comparison. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. One hundred and seventy-two participants responded to the HPLP II pre-test. One hundred and sixty students responded to the post-test HPLP II, yielding a 93 percent overall response rate. It was found that: (1) Univariate ANOVA testing demonstrated significant differences among the characteristics of the sample by age, gender, ethnic background, and religion. (2) ANOVA testing demonstrated that there was a difference in health-promoting practices on the nutrition subscale by religion. (3) Health promoting deficiencies occurred on all subscales, with mean scores ranging from 2.14 to 3.09. (4) ANOVA testing demonstrated that there was a difference in groups (i.e. control and experimental across program areas) pre and post test on the interpersonal relation subscale between groups. Recommendations to the nursing field should be geared toward educating faculty on curriculum design of health promotion education. Uniform health promotion education materials should be created and utilized in the classroom setting. Future research in health promotion and health promotion education should include larger, more diverse samples from a variety of community colleges in order to strengthen the research findings. The time frame for the research conducted should also be lengthened to strengthen the research findings. Finally, the specific teaching methodology utilized in the health promotion education curriculum should be examined so that individual learning styles are acknowledged.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an educational tobacco intervention impacted college students' perceptions relative to tobacco, self-efficacy, and perceived stress levels. The Health Belief Model (HBM) provided a theoretical framework to distinguish differences relative to tobacco between groups. Both the control (N=155) and intervention (N=184) group consisted of a convenience sample of students from a 2000-level health course. A pre- and post-test questionnaire was administered to both groups which included questions regarding demographics, tobacco use, HBM, self-efficacy, and perceived stress. Data analysis included frequency counts, confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and two-way ANOVA. Two-way ANOVA results indicated statistically significant differences for the Health Belief Model questions (p=0.002) and self-efficacy items (p=0.03). No statistical significance was found regarding perceived stress. These findings provide evidence an educational tobacco intervention administered at the college level can have a significant impact on students.

This study explored the work of nursing and the social influences of eugenic policies established during the Progressive Era (1890-1930) on the writing and passage of the Social Security Act of 1935. The research questions: "Did eugenic philosophy and practice influence the Social Security Act of 1935 in relation to Maternal Health Policy?" and 'What was nursing's influence on the Social Security Act of 1935?" required the social history research method. Data were evaluated with the conclusion that eugenic policies did influence the writing and passage of the Social Security Act. Also, that nurses, and other women, played a specific, important and constructive role in developing the Act. During the late 1800s and early 1900s prominent leaders of business, science, philanthropy, and social reform supported the eugenic agenda to assure the wellbeing of hard working "Anglo-Saxon" American citizens. Industrialization and scientific advances in medicine gave Americans the impression that the "production" of healthy, intelligent children could be controlled, efficient, and predictable. Better breeding as a means for social improvement, which fueled the eugenics movement's use of science to solve social problems through governmental involvement, had two sides. Positive eugenics increased information on health and illness prevention, and established well baby clinics; however, negative eugenics advocated controlled reproduction through sterilization of persons considered "unfit." By 1935, twenty-eight states had eugenic sterilization laws. Noted reformers during this time (Lillian Wald, Jane Addams, and Florence Kelley) worked with Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to establish the Federal Children's Bureau. The Bureau had a direct influence on the maternal and child health policy established by the Social Security Act of 1935.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of a pedometer-based intervention on physical activity and self-efficacy among community college students in wellness classes (N = 154). The intervention included a pretest/posttest physical activity questionnaire, pedometer use, weekly goal setting and self-report of step data via the web. The experimental group wore pedometers daily for ten weeks; the control group wore pedometers for one week at baseline and week ten. Average weekday physical activity increased 29% for the experimental group and decreased 16% for the control group. Data analysis demonstrated a statistically significant difference due to the treatment regarding step count, differences in mean scores for self-efficacy, and a main effect for treatment for BMI. These results support the effectiveness of pedometer use to increase physical activity and self-efficacy in conjunction with a community college health curriculum.