This research is based on a case study of young people's identities, practices and discourses, and takes sexuality as a focus for interrogation. It aims to reveal the issues and processes that impact on young people's conceptions of self (both current and future) by looking at private and public realms of experience. In so doing, social lives, home lives and schooling (particularly sex education), are explored to reveal how far they operate in young people's interest. Lack of acknowledgement of young people's authentic lives in mainstream debates and practice forms a main focus of my critique. I adopt a qualitative methodology that is congruent with feminist principles for research, and am committed to exposing the knowledge creation process. Data are deployed from observations and interviews with 15 - 16 year old, African-Caribbean, Pakistani, Somali and white, secondary school students. Data from other sites provides corroboration and comparison. The thesis challenges the various critiques and representations of youth and argues for a dynamic model of understanding based on appreciating the connectedness between 'concrete' and 'generalised' constructs of identity and practice. The theoretical base is provided through a reading of Foucault, Giddens, Smith, Habermas, and Benhabib. Concepts of 'expert systems', 'colonisation' (Habermas 1986, 1987), 'fabrication' (Ball 1997), and 'fateful episodes' (Giddens 1991) have been given specific scrutiny. The resulting analysis is used to make recommendations for practice, policy and research in sex education.

<p> Clinical reasoning is the cognitive process and strategies used to understand the significant patient data to identify and diagnose actual or potential problems in order to make competent clinical decisions that will affect patient outcomes (Fonteyn &amp; Ritter, 2000). The purpose of the study was to determine if implementing the Outcome-Present State Test Model of Clinical Reasoning with guided reflection activities was an effective method to improve clinical reasoning skills in senior nursing students at a large southeastern university. The overall research questions involve comparing participants Health Sciences Reasoning Test scores before and after implementation of the OPT Model as clinical paperwork, secondly the experimental group was given a guided reflection activity to complete in conjunction with use of the OPT Model during clinical experience. </p><p> Kolb&rsquo;s Experiential Learning Theory is the theoretical framework used throughout this study. Nursing education has historically blended didactic learning with clinical experiences to transfer knowledge. The OPT offers a frame to organize thoughts and guides the learner to decide what data is important to each patient situation. </p><p> This study reports the findings for 62 senior nursing students that completed the HSRT prior to implementation of the OPT Model and a guided reflection activity. Clinical instructor&rsquo;s scored participants using the Lasater&rsquo;s Clinical Judgment Rubric each week. There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group. The only statistically significant difference that was identified was in the Lasater&rsquo;s Clinical Judgment Rubric scores between week one and week 2, and week 3 and week 4.</p><p>

<p>Tobacco use among veterans is significantly higher than among members of the general population. The purpose of this quality-improvement project was to increase acute care staff members? knowledge and confidence in using tobacco cessation interventions to increase quit rates among the inpatients of a veterans? hospital in the midwestern region of the United States. An evidence-based, standardized Tobacco Tactics Toolkit was developed and implemented, and a 6 sigma method guided the quality improvement process to define, measure, analyze, improve, and control the tobacco-cessation education initiative. The reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance framework was used to ensure that evidence-based interventions were applicable to practice. The transtheoretical model was also used to understand the changing behavior of individuals addicted to tobacco and explain the phenomena of nicotine dependence. A convenience sample method was used, and a 10-question pre- and posttest was administered to 12 staff members. Results showed a 60% increase in posttest scores indicating a significant improvement in staff confidence, knowledge, and willingness to implement tobacco-cessation interventions. The Tobacco Tactics Toolkit has the potential to positively impact social change by increasing quit rates, decreasing admissions, and improving quality of life among veterans.

<p> <i>Background:</i> With the increasing variety of snack foods containing probiotics infiltrating the market, it is important that consumers become more aware and knowledgeable about these products. <i>Purpose: </i> The aim of this study was to investigate consumer behaviors by assessing frequently consumed snacks, knowledge about probiotics, and awareness of snack foods containing probiotics among students across various disciplines within a university setting. <i>Methods:</i> There were 125 college students (<i>n</i> = 34 male, <i>n</i> = 91 female) recruited, all 18 years and older, and evaluated via a 19-item questionnaire using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Gabriel&rsquo;s post hoc test. Level of significance was set at <i>p</i> &le; 0.05. <i>Results:</i> There was a statistically significant difference in knowledge about probiotics among the colleges, <i>p</i> = 0.012. Specifically, students in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) were statistically significantly more knowledgeable than those in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) college, <i>p</i> = 0.010. There was no statistically significant difference in awareness of snack foods containing probiotics, <i>p</i> = 0.262. On average, participant&rsquo;s knowledge about probiotics was low (48.1%) and awareness of snack foods containing probiotics was very low (2.5%), though, a majority of participants (94.1%) were aware that yogurt contained probiotics. <i> Conclusion:</i> Overall, these findings should guide food product developers and marketers to create products that are relevant and messages that enhance consumer&rsquo;s knowledge and awareness to the existence of the probiotics in that product.</p><p>

abstract: Salad bars are promoted as a means to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among school-age children; however, no study has assessed barriers to having salad bars. Further, it is not known if barriers differ across school level. This cross-sectional study investigated the barriers to having salad bars across school level among schools without salad bars in Arizona (n=177). Multivariate binominal regression models were used to determine differences between the barriers and school level, adjusting for years at current job, enrollment of school, free-reduced eligibility rate and district level clustering. The top five barriers were not enough staff (51.4%), lack of space for salad bars (49.7%), food waste concerns (37.9%), sanitation/food safety concerns (31.3%), and time to get through the lines (28.3%) Adjusted analyses indicated two significant differences between barriers across school level: time to get through lines (p=0.040) and outside caterer/vendor (p=0.018) with time to get through lines reported more often by elementary and middle school nutrition managers and outside caterer/vendor reported most often by high school nutrition managers. There were several key barriers reported and results indicate that having an outside vendor/caterer for their meal programs and time to get through the service lines varied across school level. High schools report a higher percent of the barrier outside caterer/vendors and elementary and middle schools report a higher percent of the barrier time to get through the lines. Results indicate that research determining the approximate time it takes students to get through salad bar lines will need to be considered. More research is needed to determine if the barrier time to get through the service lines is due to selection of food items or if it is due to the enrollment size of the lunch period. Future research interventions may consider investigating food safety and sanitation concerns of middle school nutrition managers. Findings may be used to guide ways to decrease barriers in schools without salad bars. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Nutrition 2016

abstract: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, is a rare autoimmune disease in which the antibodies that are formed in the body attack healthy tissues and organs. The most prevalent physical manifestation of the illness is fatigue. Fatigue often plagues patients with no warning and without leaving a trace of measurable evidence. The issue of fatigue’s invisibility and the difficulties of communicating the experience of fatigue has been shown to impact relationships with friends, family, and physicians. It is important for patients to understand their condition in order to better identify their own triggers, manage their condition, and communicate their symptoms to friends, families, and other medical professionals. The study sought to explore the lived experience of women who have lupus, describe the impact of symptom invisibility on social support and patient-doctor relationships, identify effective strategies in communicating and managing the condition, and describe the broad range of life changes associated with the disease. The study utilized in-depth, semi-structured interviews to gather detailed information from eleven women with lupus. Six overarching themes emerged from the data: difficulties with diagnosis, discovering lupus is a process, managing lupus, social impact of lupus, communicating the experience, and limitations of the healthcare system. Symptom invisibility was not frequently cited as the cause of any interpersonal problems faced by the participants. Rather, the results suggest that the current healthcare system in the United States may not be equipped to adequately care for patients with lupus. This study provides insight for recommendations to patients with lupus and may inform cultural and policy changes necessary to improve healthcare delivery. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2016

<p> Low-income populations in the United States consume less healthful diets than higher-income populations, specifically relating to fruit and vegetable consumption. The supplemental nutrition program Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is intended to bridge this gap by providing nutrition education and vouchers for nutritious foods. The purpose of this study was to determine if the 2009 WIC food package revisions impacted fruit and green vegetable consumption in 18 to 24-year-old females in California. Using the social ecological model as a guide, a population of WIC (<i>N</i> = 115) and non-WIC (<i>N</i> = 276) participants from the California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey were analyzed for trends on daily fruit and green vegetable consumption over the period of years 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015. ANCOVA analysis showed that WIC and non-WIC populations did not consume significantly different amounts of green vegetables, but did consume significantly different amounts of fruits, <i>p</i> = .120 and <i> p</i> = .028 respectively. Additionally, WIC participant fruit consumption did not significantly increase over the years, <i>p</i> = .376. However, a decrease of .031 (95% CI [.019, .584], <i>p</i> = .037) was identified in green vegetable consumption between 2009 and 2015. Due to mean differences between samples and years it is evident that there are influencing factors driving fruit and vegetable consumption outside of income barriers, such as possible social or environmental factors. This study adds to the literature regarding the WIC food package revisions and may promote positive social change by encouraging future researchers to identify barriers to healthful diets in WIC populations and determine if additional food package revisions may be needed to increase healthful diets in low-income populations. </p><p>

<p> Women who undergo immediate mastectomy for breast cancer experience tremendous anxiety when faced with breast reconstruction and are often conflicted regarding which type of breast reconstruction to choose. This pilot study aimed to analyze the impact of a decision aid, adapted from Stanford University Breast Center, on decisional conflict in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer seeking breast reconstruction. Twenty newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients seeking breast reconstruction at a large academic healthcare center were randomized into two groups. Comparisons were made between women who reviewed the standard educational materials prior to initial consultation, and women who reviewed these materials and then reviewed a decision aid brochure at initial consultation and two weeks post consultation, utilizing the Decisional Conflict Scale. Technical issues halted data collection after only nine participants completed the study. Although no reliable findings could be interpreted from such a small sample size, the results suggest the decision aid as a valuable tool for patient education. Nurses may gain increased awareness of the emotional conflicts faced by newly diagnosed breast cancer patients when making decisions for breast reconstruction.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an educational intervention on nurses&rsquo; knowledge of, beliefs about, and attitudes toward EBP, and their perceived ability to implement EBP. Also, the study was focused on examining the correlation between nurses&rsquo; knowledge of, beliefs about, and attitudes toward EBP and nurses&rsquo; perceived ability to implement EBP. A pretest/posttest quasi-experimental randomized design was used. Nineteen nurses employed in a county hospital in California participated in the study. Data were collected via a web-based survey. The knowledge and attitude subscales of the Evidence Based Practice Questionnaire, the Evidence Based Practice Beliefs Scale, and the Evidence Based Practice Implementation Scale were used to measure nurses&rsquo; knowledge of EBP, attitudes toward EBP, beliefs about EBP, and their perceived ability to implement EBP respectively. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon&rsquo;s signed rank test, and Pearson&rsquo;s correlation coefficient test. Within subject data analysis indicated that the EBP educational intervention significantly improved nurses&rsquo; beliefs about EBP, knowledge of EBP, and their perceived ability to implement EBP (<i>p</i> &lt; .05). Pearson&rsquo;s r test analysis indicated that there is no relationship between nurses&rsquo; knowledge of EBP, beliefs about and attitudes toward EBP, and their perceived ability to implement EBP (<i> p</i> > .05). The study results could encourage nurse leaders to promote teaching EBP in clinical settings and remove barriers to the application of evidence into nursing practice. The study served as a foundation for future studies on an educational intervention to help nurses adopt EBP.</p><p>

<p> The need for nurses to be collaborative and practice-ready upon entering the profession has never been more important than it is today. The Institute of Medicine has identified that teamwork and collaboration should be essential parts of the nursing curriculum to prepare nurses to be ready to manage patient care with a team-based approach. The literature supports the idea that by learning out of silos and bringing students together from all different pre-professional programs, the professional working environment can be mirrored and the processes of collaboration and communication within teams can start. </p><p> Transition into practice has been studied for decades regarding the &ldquo;burnout&rdquo; and &ldquo;reality shock&rdquo; that result from the experience. However, no literature has been uncovered that has investigated the nurses&rsquo; experiences of transitioning into practice after receiving an interprofessional education. The present study used Merleau-Ponty&rsquo;s phenomenological perspective and vanManen&rsquo;s phenomenological research method to illuminate the experiences of nurses transitioning into practice after having IPE. Ten practicing nurses who had received IPE were interviewed about their experiences transitioning into practice. Each participant shared stories about her transition period into professional practice. Through the process of reading and rereading transcripts, four essential themes emerged that shed light on the transition into practice after receiving IPE: (a) Understanding Team Dynamics, (b) Competent and Responsive Communicators, (c) Valuing Team Members, and (d) Recognized Self-Readiness. For this study, the lived experience of nurses who transitioned into practice after receiving an education with an IPE curriculum and practice is one of understanding team dynamics as competent and responsive communicators, valuing team members, and recognizing self-readiness. </p><p> Interprofessional education does not have to occur only with students in nursing, medicine, or other allied health programs. Being creative with multiple programs at any institution can enrich students&rsquo; education by developing their communication and collaboration skills and adding quality and scope to their education experiences while preparing them for the real-world environment.</p><p>