Health values最新文献

American Catholic nuns represent a distinct segment of American women, yet little is known about their health practices. Assessment of health-related activities of these women was conducted by means of a self-report survey which was completed by 345 nuns in the midwestern United States. Although 53% had a complete physical examination in the last year, 11% had not had one for more than seven years, and 44% had not had a recent breast or pelvic examination. Thirty-seven percent did monthly breast self-examination (BSE), 37% examined themselves rarely, and 26% never performed BSE. Nuns performing BSE were more likely to have been examined by a health care provider in the past year (p less than .05). Nuns reporting a more positive health status said they got an adequate amount of sleep and participated in regular exercise, yet reported themselves to be overweight (p less than .05). Stress was reported by 74%, and an inverse relationship between perceived relaxation time and perceived stress level was noted (p less than .05). Overall, data reflected certain health educational and behavioral deficits. Because nuns comprise a chronologically older cohort than their secular counterparts, efforts that enable adoption of wellness practices and facilitate improved health care among these women seem to be warranted.

Data from the 1982 National Access to Medical Care Survey were examined to answer questions on preventive health care received by children in families with one or two working parents and possible differences among their various regular sources of care. Evidence supports the general and expected conclusion that children of single female workers are most at risk. Children from these non-traditional families appeared to benefit most from care given in the offices and clinics of private physicians, while those of such families enrolled in health maintenance organizations benefitted least. When compared with HMO enrollees from the other two types of families (those where men were working and women stayed home, or where both parents worked), children of single parents were least likely to have received tine tests or DPT inoculations. Finding implications are discussed with suggestions for further research including investigating the effects of modifying hours of service and the provision of institutional supports for working parents.

Numerous researchers stress the importance of health promotion and disease prevention programs as a means of helping people to foster positive health and lifestyle habits. Typically, health promotion and disease prevention programs strive to educate the public about risks involved in health abuses and the impact of lifestyle upon health status. Research, however, also reveals that health promotion and disease programs are often poorly designed. In response to the problem, a course model for teaching future health professionals how to strategically plan health promotion and disease prevention programs is presented.

This paper provides the rationale, design, description, and evaluation of a unique comprehensive health promotion model, wherein an interdisciplinary group of professionals from three organizations--a medical school, university, and community collaborated to implement a cardiovascular (CV) health project entitled "Heart Smart" on a total school environment (K-6). Preliminary program findings are reported. Major lessons learned are also discussed which suggest a number of recommendations for the successful adoption of a school-based CV health intervention. The expertise and interaction of a multidisciplinary group of health care, research, and educational professionals has been a successful endeavor which has greatly enhanced the quality of the health promotion model for "Heart Smart." More comprehensive models such as "Heart Smart," which intervene on a total school environment, are vital to the reduction of CV disease in the United States and abroad.

Health promotion and education efforts often are designed to promote behavior changes among clients, students, or participants. The primary emphasis of health promotion has been the initial behavior change process, with little attention directed to follow-up or after-care. The relapse prevention model (RP) presents a strategy to enhance the likelihood of maintaining a behavior change using methods clearly rooted in social learning theory. This article provides an overview of the RP model and examples of the implication of RP for health promotion and education programs.

Adolescence is often viewed as a period of development fraught with "problems" that need to be prevented. Problem-oriented health education often fails to serve the developmental needs of young people, thereby compromising program effectiveness. This article describes some important developmental tasks of adolescence from a wellness perspective. The effectiveness of many programs can be improved by a shift in focus from "problem prevention" to wellness promotion.

A primary goal of prenatal care has been to decrease morbidity and mortality rates of newborns. Although much emphasis has been given to the need for early prenatal care and for intensive care for high risk newborns, even more progress could be made if risks were reduced prior to pregnancy. Two critical areas where changes could strongly impact newborn health are environmental influences and lifestyle behaviors. Nurse practitioners especially are in a key position to identify and encourage women to adopt behaviors which will promote an optimal state of health before becoming pregnant.

This study examined the current status of health fairs throughout the United States. Surveys were sent to all program heads of University Health Education Departments identified in the Eta Sigma Gamma Directory 1985. Information such as number of participating agencies, location of health fairs, and the goals of the health fairs was requested. The results identified 89 health fairs. The majority were held in shopping malls (57%), with schools hosting approximately 21%. The average number of participants consisted of 31 agencies, and the average number of individuals from the community attending the fair was 3000. The average length of health fairs was 1.5 days, with over 88% of identified fairs being held annually. Providing accurate health information and health screenings were ranked as the most important goals for health fairs. Health educators need to become involved with health fairs if such goals are to be realized.

This study was conducted to assess the relationship of length of time in the caregiving role, amount of care provided, participation in health promotion activities, selected demographic variables, and caregivers' perceptions of their own health. Subjects were 120 adults who were primary caregivers for a frail elder at home. Data were analyzed using frequency statistics, correlational statistics, and multiple regression analysis. Overall, subjects had at least a high school education and were Caucasian. Perceptions of health were negatively associated with amount of care rendered by caregivers, but were not associated with length of time in the caregiving role. Participation in health promotion activities was associated with positive assessments of health. Daughters were most frequently caregivers, but least likely to participate in health promotion activities. Regression analysis revealed that two variables, amount of care given and participation in health promotion activities, accounted for 13% of the variance in perceptions of health; three variables, age, education, and time in the caregiving role, accounted for 18% of the variance in participation in health promotion activities.