The purpose of this study was to determine salient demographic characteristics of women who exhibited prompt or self-delay behavior for treatment of breast cancer symptoms. The population for this study consisted of 224 adult females between the ages of 25 and 82, residents of Arizona, who were participants in the Self Help Intervention Project: Breast Cancer Treatment Study conducted at The University of Arizona, College of Nursing. The instrument used in this study was the Demographic Data form devised by Carrie Jo Braden, Ph.D., R.N. Women who sought prompt follow up treatment for breast cancer symptoms showed significant differences from those who did not seek prompt help in age, employment, social support, and ethnicity. Significant differences for women who self-delayed treatment from those who did not self-delay were age, education, and ethnicity.

<p> Nurses assume preceptor responsibilities in addition to usual nursing duties and most have minimal pedagogical preparation for the role. However, preceptors influence the competence of new staff through their instruction. The development of self-efficacy is vital to patient outcomes and safety. Using Bandura's (1997) framework of self-efficacy, ten proficient preceptors participated in an action research study that included individual interviews and focus groups related to the research question: What do proficient nurse preceptors report about the development of their preceptor self-efficacy for the purpose of recommending ongoing professional development and best practices within a hospital setting? </p><p> Preceptors identified thirteen best practices for ongoing professional development within their hospital. These practices include areas of Instruction, Preceptor Support and Professionalism. The largest number of findings were within Instruction. Preceptors are the first teachers of new hires within hospitals. Effective instruction was predicated upon the existence of role support and inculcation of professionalism within the preceptor culture. </p><p> Recommendations for practice include adoption of these best practices into ongoing professional development curricula. A monthly preceptor forum, to facilitate preceptor networking and sharing, is recommended. Future research might examine teaching strategies utilized by preceptors and the timing of these strategies when engaged in precepting. A comparative study using a self-efficacy tool for assessment could be conducted to ascertain whether the preceptor forum was building self-efficacy among the preceptors in comparison to another non-participating group of preceptors.</p>

<p> When children are engaged in school gardens, they aren&rsquo;t just digging in the dirt. School gardens have been shown to help improve student health by impacting food preferences and physical activity; to enhance learning in many subject areas; to encourage critical thinking skills by utilizing inquiry-based learning; and to engender a positive association with nature. Children from disadvantaged environments disproportionately may miss out on each of these important experiences. School gardens can serve as venues to enhance social justice by helping marginalized students access these advantageous experiences they otherwise might not have. Given the evidence that school gardens improve the educational experiences of students, this study explored how they can expand across varied schools and classes so that more students can enjoy their benefits. The research question posed was: What are the opportunities for and barriers to the expansion of the school garden and cooking program of Grow Pittsburgh, called Edible Schoolyard Pittsburgh (ESY)? As an evaluator, I worked collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, convening focus groups and discussions with staff, parents and guardians, classroom teachers, and principals. Incorporating feedback from stakeholders, and using a mixed methods design, I developed four instruments to investigate the research question: a survey of parents and guardians, student interviews, principal interviews, and a principal survey. In addition, an extant student survey concerning willingness to taste and try a new vegetable was used. An analysis of seven Likert scale and two yes-no questions found no significant differences between the parent and guardian responses of two schools surveyed, suggesting the program was implemented equally reliably in both schools. The Parent/Guardian Survey enjoyed a strong return rate of 65.5%. Comprised of two open-ended questions, it generated 768 individual comments, which were transcribed and grouped thematically. The general findings suggest areas of positive impacts in students&rsquo; willingness to try fruits and vegetables, students&rsquo; comfort in nature, and parents&rsquo; and guardians&rsquo; connection to their child&rsquo;s school. These observations merit further study. Barriers as identified by principals, teachers, and parents and guardians included limited instructional time, limited number of grades served, and limited curricula connection to subjects other than science. Opportunities which emerged from the data included overall robust stakeholder commitment, capacity, and confidence (3Cs), including principals choosing to pay for the program from their own budgets, parents and guardians showing strong confidence, and, in some schools, parent-teacher groups raising half the cost of the program. Recommendations of the study for successful scaling include implementing an intentional Improvement Inquiry and measuring and tracking of stakeholder 3Cs. Researchers and practitioners should continue to evaluate impacts of school gardens on students in academics, ecoliteracy, and health.</p>

<p> This business plan proposes a health promotion center to help educate low-income families in Compton suffering from obesity on how to begin and maintain weight loss. Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in adults and children. By creating a family and community-based center that provides individualized and group nutrition and fitness services, the rate of obesity can be significantly reduced. </p><p> The center which will be located in east Compton will operate as a non-profit organization. It will offer nutrition and fitness services through certified nutritionist and fitness specialist with emphasis placed on gradual weight loss. Meal planning, label reading and training, and grocery store tours are some of the nutrition services that will be offered, while aerobic training and weight training will be part of the fitness service. There will be a life coach and an on-site daycare at the center. The life coach will help potential families establish their weight loss needs, while the on-site day care will provide care for children while families exercise. Services will be offered at reduced prices, and payment will only be made out-of pocket.</p>

This study was conducted to determine if a worksite health promotion program could affect work stress, fitness, and anxiety among employees at a state institution serving the mentally handicapped. Work stress is becoming a problem as it has been linked to cardiovascular disease, poor morale, and absenteeism. The human service field is a stressful one, especially in the institutional setting where care givers provide 24 hour services and are responsible for the welfare of others. / The subjects of this study were state employees at Landmark Learning Center, in Miami, Florida. A majority were at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to lack of exercise, obesity, and stressful working conditions. A high percentage of employees were black and female, a group considered at high risk for CVD. / Two experimental treatments were employed: exercise and relaxation training. Both have become popular components of worksite health promotion programs. There were ninety subjects divided equally into three groups. Participants volunteered for an exercise group or a relaxation training group. A waiting list was selected from these volunteers to form the control group. / Exercise consisted of aerobic walking. The relaxation training consisted of muscle relaxation. The control group received no treatment. The study used a pre/post experimental design. The following measures were taken: physical fitness (Rockport Walking Test, weight, heart rate, and blood pressure); work stress (Work Stress Inventory); anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). Both treatment groups lasted eight weeks. / All pre/post measures were converted to percent change scores. Analysis consisted of these statistical tests: Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA); Analysis of Variance (ANOVA); and the Duncan Multiple Range Test. Results indicated that the walking group demonstrated significant changes in improved physical fitness and reductions in work stress. The relaxation training group demonstrated reductions in work stress, but they were not statistically significant. The relaxation group demonstrated statistically significant reductions in trait anxiety, while the walking group did not. / Findings revealed that a worksite walking program can reduce work stress and improve physical fitness in a relatively short time. Relaxation training was associated with reduced anxiety levels. These results will be valuable to policy makers, particularly in state government, who can make decisions on the future of worksite health promotion programs. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-12, Section: A, page: 3590. / Major Professor: Irwin Jahns. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

The purpose of this study was to determine if an eight week exercise program would affect indices of bone integrity in postmenopausal women. Sixteen healthy, Caucasian, postmenopausal women, ages 51-74, participated in this study. All subjects were nonsmokers and had not engaged in regular physical activity for a minimum of three months. Eight subjects were assigned to the experimental group and participated in an eight week, three days per week, supervised exercise program and the remaining eight subjects remained inactive and served as the control group. All subjects maintained a constant self-selected diet which was analyzed for calcium, phosphorus, protein, fiber, and fat. Fitness evaluations based on one mile walk times and exercise heart rates were conducted prior to, and at the conclusion of, the eight week experimental period. Three indices of bone homeostasis, urinary calcium and hydroxyproline, and serum alkaline phosphatase, were used. Serum concentrations of calcium, ionized calcium, phosphorus, and creatinine, and urine concentrations of phosphorus and creatinine were also measured. Results showed the active experimental group had a significant (p $<$.01) improvement in predicted maximal oxygen consumption. The control group had a significant (p $<$.05) reduction in urine calcium and a nonsignificant reduction in urine hydroxyproline. The experimental group had nonsignificant increases in urine calcium and hydroxyproline. No significant changes were found for either group for serum alkaline phosphatase. The control group results (urine calcium decrease from pre to posttesting), when analyzed for other factors, showed a significant (p $<$.05) relationship to subjects taking medication for arthritis. Interference with intestinal calcium absorption from certain medications may have caused these unanticipated results. It was concluded that (1) / changes in calcium absorption need to be carefully monitored, (2) 8 weeks may be insufficient to produce significant changes in indices of bone formation (serum alkaline phosphatase), (3) the experimental group trends may indicate early changes in bone turnover leading to increases in bone formation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: B, page: 0653. / Major Professor: Emily Haymes. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Gender in physiotherapy education is somewhat ambiguous. Physiotherapy is historically a women’s profession, yet in recent decades there has been a growing proportion of men. The mass media portrays a masculine sporty image of physiotherapy, which notably ignores the presence of women. Previous research in physiotherapy education has shown gender differences in student preferences for work and career pathways. Gender differences in attainment in practice components of the course have also been demonstrated, with men doing less well than women and more likely to fail. As a physiotherapy educator faced with these issues, the aim of this study is to explore the significance of gender in students’ constructions of identity. Social constructionism was adopted as an underpinning theory in this professional practice research involving students from one cohort of undergraduate physiotherapy students at a university in the south east of England. Nine male and female participants were interviewed at the beginning of their second year and were asked to record stories about their experiences both on and off campus throughout the academic year using a digital recording device. Data from the interviews and audio-diary narratives were analysed using Judith Butler’s theorisation of gender as ‘performative’ to understand how gender identities were constructed. Foucauldian and critical pedagogical perspectives were employed to further interrogate the gender discourses that emerged. The findings indicate that gender was rarely explicitly discussed; yet participants’ gender identities were constantly negotiated through relationships that were not limited to the university and clinical settings. A range of discourses of masculinity and femininity were identified illustrating a profound gender orthodoxy in physiotherapy education that simultaneously demanded acceptance, assimilation or resistance. As a consequence, students in this study used a number of discursive strategies in the struggle to be recognised within physiotherapy education and practice. The implications from these findings raise questions about gender tensions and contradictions in the physiotherapy programme under scrutiny and about the pedagogic practices that reinforce them. In this context, there is a need to raise awareness amongst peers and managers of the possible sites of gender inequalities within this curriculum. Also, gender needs to come ‘out of the closet’ and be debated within the classroom and the wider social spaces inhabited by students in order to develop more nuanced understandings of gender within physiotherapy and healthcare. Finally this research indicates the need to provide more inclusive spaces within the curriculum for reflecting on the complexity of identity construction and for challenging its institutional forms.

The purpose of the study was to identify, develop, and test a cost-factor analysis process that could be used to determine the comparative cost of graduating different ability students in associate degree nursing programs. The 1982-83 Fall Term entering nursing class at Polk Community College, Winter Haven, Florida, was used for the study, and data were gathered for the terms subjects attempted courses applicable to the nursing degree. On the basis of routine admissions criteria, five groups of subjects were formed according to the following generalizations: (a) highest ranked, (b) superior, (c) average, (d) low-average, and (e) marginal-risk. A sixth group was created for students entering the program using only ACT/SAT scores, nursing scholarship awards, or high school academic honors. / Subject's transcripts were collected and costs were assigned courses using the Community College Management Information System Cost Analysis for Polk Community College. Course costs and financial aid costs were summed according to the years activities occurred. Since 1984 was the expected class graduation year, sums were assigned 1984 cost value by indexing developed from the Consumer Price Index. After indexing, total cost per graduate group means were computed, and rates of attrition and repeated courses were determined for each group. / A random sample one-way analysis of variance formula and a chi-square test were used to test for significant difference among groups concerning the identified characteristics. The following levels of significant differences were discovered: (a) total cost per graduate, .005; (b) frequency of attrition, .05; and (c) frequency of course repetition, .01. Among the five groups using the routine admissions criteria, an inversive relationship was discovered between admissions ranking and total per graduate cost and attrition respectively. With the exception of the low-average group, the same inversive relationship was found for course repetition. Testing suggested that programs should make the cost-factor analysis a part of periodic evaluation and should investigate the refinement of predictive aspects of admissions criteria regarding marginal-risk and possibly other students. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-02, Section: A, page: 0311. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: B, page: 3440. Adviser: Manabu T. Nakamura. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-128) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> Nurse practitioners (NPs) have been undergoing a rapid transition in their entry-level degree, from Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). At this time, it is important to establish research evidence on the effects of doctoral education on NP practice. Therefore, a qualitative study of practicing NPs that have returned for the DNP degree was conducted. The purpose was to describe NPs' perceptions of their DNP education, and particularly its influence on their professionalism and patient care. A literature review and evidence synthesis process showed that the available body of research provides little insight into the question of how DNP education affects NP practice; therefore, qualitative description methodology was used to describe this phenomenon. The research questions that guided the study were: 1) What changes do practicing NPs describe about their clinical practice after the experience of completing a DNP?; and, 2) What are the NPs' perceptions of and concerns about the influences of their DNP educational experience on their clinical practice? Two published models and the DNP Essentials (AACN, 2006) informed and guided the data collection and analysis process. Purposive sampling and analyses continued concurrently until data saturation was achieved. Ten DNP prepared NPs were interviewed, and there was wide variation in the sample. The overarching theme <i>Growth into DNP Practice</i> summarizes the participants' perceptions of the changes that have occurred as a result of their DNP educational experience. Four major themes that support the overarching theme are: (a) <i>Broader Thinking and Work Focus</i>; (b) <i> New Knowledge and Interests</i>; (c) <i>New Opportunities</i>; and, (d) <i>"Doctor" Title an Asset</i>. Conceptual categories under each major theme are described. Participants were overwhelmingly positive about the influences of their DNP education on their practice, but the role of the DNP graduate in knowledge translation has yet to be fully operationalized. </p>