Parker, Marilyn

Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of risk factors that are precursors to
diabetes and cardiovascular disease. More women than men are diagnosed with metabolic
syndrome. Emphasis on diagnosis of pre-diabetes has resulted in further interest in
metabolic syndrome and the need for weight reduction. Advanced practice nurses care for
women with overweight and obesity in the primary care setting; however there is a lack
of evidence to support the effectiveness of nursing interventions to assist women with
metabolic syndrome lose weight.
Based on Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory, this study investigated the
use of a specific supportive-educative nursing intervention to assist individuals make
healthy lifestyle choices to reduce body weight. A pre-test post-test, two group
experimental design was used. It was hypothesized that women given individualized support, education, and guidance about lifestyle modification, which included
carbohydrate counting, would lose more weight and have greater self-care ability than
women given general support and education.
The sample included 51 pre-menopausal women between ages 19 and 55 who had
been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Body weight and perceived self-care, using the
Self-as-Carer inventory, were measured at the onset of the study and again three months
later. The two groups did not differ significantly as to weight or perceived self-care at
baseline or at conclusion of the study. A repeated measures analysis of variance for
weight loss and perception of self care was calculated and the results indicated that there
was no significant difference in weight loss (p=.13) or perception of self care (p=.85)
between the two groups.
The use of a supportive-educative individualized nursing intervention enhanced
participant awareness of healthy lifestyle choices. Further research is needed to determine
the effectiveness of the intervention with a larger, more ethnically diverse sample and
with participants diagnosed with other metabolic disorders.

The purpose of this study was to evolve a description of values of nurses who were recent graduates of associate degree nursing programs. Six new nurses who were employed in hospitals were asked for illustrations of nursing situations that described values important to their practice. Giorgi's method of interpretation for phenomenological studies was utilized for data analysis. Caring was the value that emerged as central to nursing. New graduates expressed this value as caring promoting growth. Subsumed within the value of caring for new nurses are hope, conscience, courage, honesty, humility, empathy and human connectedness.

Childhood obesity is the number one nutritional health problem in the United States is complex and multifaceted in both assessment and in effective interventions. The goals of Healthy People 2010 call for action to combat childhood obesity. A mother's recognition that her child is at risk is the first step in assisting a mother to move to action. To date the majority of research monies and effort concentrate on interventions after obesity exists. The literature supports a need to facilitate mothers in identifying their four-year-old child's body shape as an initial point of concentration. The Lester Body Shape Models (LBSM) are one method proposed to assist mothers across ethnicities and cultures to accurately identify her four-year-old child's body shape utilizing comparison as a tool. Although in this study, there was no statistical significance in the mothers' ability to identify the child's weight status or body shape (X 2 = .250, p = .617) using the CDC graphs and the LBSM as tools. However, the LBSM may be an alternative method to mothers' accurately identifying their child's body shape and weight status. Descriptors from the mothers' comments and the mothers' positive response to the visualization and comparison method using age specific models may be another technique to educate mothers' to the health related risks of childhood obesity.

The purpose of this study was to describe the values identified by nurses in middle management positions at a Florida for profit hospital. Latent content analysis was the method used to describe values identified by ten nurses in middle management positions. The analysis revealed a total of eight value themes. Two themes emerged as overarching: the value of economics and the value of caring. Six other value themes were interwoven into the overarching themes and consisted of commitment, compassion, competence, patience, respect for the other and technology.

The purpose of this study was to describe caring attributes of nursing staff as rated by nursing students. A convenience sample of 166 second year associate degree nursing students was asked to rate caring attributes of nursing staff using the Nyberg Caring Assessment Scale, a twenty item 5-point Likert scale instrument. One hundred and thirty-seven nursing students volunteered to participate in the study. The caring attribute "communicate a helping, trusting attitude toward others" was rated as extremely important by the participants. The participants rated "remains committed to a continuing relationship" and "considers relationship before rules" as slightly important. The remaining items were rated as somewhat important to very important. The study adds to the literature of caring in nursing education and practice.

The purpose of this study was to examine nursing values as expressed in the practice of nurses pursuing the Master of Science Degree in Nursing. Two stories representing nursing situations reflective of nurses' values guiding practice were chosen for analysis. Content analysis was the method used to study the stories to identify values guiding the practice of nursing. The analysis revealed the following nursing values guiding practice: compassion, respect for the other, competence, commitment, inner harmony, patience, hope, courage, humility, and trust. Caring was identified as the central value of nursing.

The purpose of this study was to examine nursing's values as they are lived day-to-day in nursing practice. A nurse's story, a reflective remembrance of a nursing situation, was explored for the illumination of nursing's values embedded in the service activities of the nurse. Using qualitative descriptive content analysis, the story was studied for significant statements depicting activities of the nurse and for the values guiding those activities. The analysis revealed three transcendent values, reflected in every activity: Caring, respect for the dignity of the other, and inner harmony. The analysis further revealed eight actualizing values, individually embodying the transcendent values: compassion, competence, courage, humility, honesty, commitment, trust and hope. The wholeness of the inquiry is presented using metaphor to illuminate the meaning of nursing's values in nursing practice.

The purpose of this study was to describe how nurses in middle-management positions rate caring attributes of nursing staff. A convenience sample of 99 nurses from three acute-care hospitals was asked to rate caring attributes of nursing staff using the Nyberg Caring Assessment Scale, a 20 item 5-point Likert scale instrument. Fifty-nine nurses in the sample volunteered to participate in the study. Participants rated the attribute communicating a helping, trusting attitude toward others as extremely important, and the attribute consider relationships before rules as somewhat important. The remaining eighteen items were rated very important caring attributes to be exhibited by nursing staff in relations with patients and others in acute-care facilities. The study adds to the literature on caring and contributes to the nursing profession by expanding information about caring-based practice.

The purpose for this research was to study the meaning of the lived experience of excellence in nursing practice as described by registered nurses. The phenomenon of excellence in practice is a commonly cited goal of individual nurses, as well as of organized departments of nursing service and nursing education. Ray's phenomenological method was used to describe and identify themes and to construct the meaning of excellence in nursing practice experience as used in the language by nurses. Registered nurses were interviewed by using an open-ended question technique. In addition, audiotape was employed, and the interviews were transcribed to text. The phenomenological analytic method of dwelling with and describing the data was used to identify emergent themes. The themes allowed for the emergence of a unity of meaning of the lived experience of excellence in nursing practice. Relationships with and visions for nursing were presented.