This research comprises an in-depth study to construct a strategic framework for research in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) is a young academic discipline in South Africa. Internationally, the status, training, research and level of service delivery in SEM are spread out over a broad spectrum, from a well established and highly specialised medical specialty in certain countries, down to relative obscurity with lack of recognition in mainstream medicine and without specialty status in others. Research is the ideal focus area which will advance the status and recognition of SEM in South Africa and elsewhere, as well as increase the evidence base for SEM, both locally and internationally. A need for relevant research in SEM in South Africa has been recognized. The University of the Free State (UFS) has a young SEM programme, which needs to grow and gain local, national and, eventually, international recognition to make a meaningful contribution to the discipline of SEM. Furthermore, the UFS has embarked on a journey to increase its research outputs and status considerably over the next five to ten years. These conditions provide a golden opportunity to establish a research programme of excellence in SEM at the UFS. Against this background, the problem that was addressed is a lack of co-ordinated, publishable research in the Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) disciplines at the UFS, despite many opportunities that are presented. In addition, a relative need for strategic research planning in sport sciences in South Africa and internationally has been recognized. The overall goal of the study was therefore to facilitate high quality, published research in SEM with the view to improve the scientific grounding of the discipline. In order to achieve this goal, the specific aim of the study was to do a critical situation-based analysis of Sport and Exercise Medicine and relevant factors in research and research management, with the view to compile a strategic framework for the development of a research programme in SEM at the UFS. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were utilised in the study and used in complementary fashion. The methods comprised a literature review, semi-structured interviews and a Delphi survey to determine the key components of the eventual strategic framework. All respondents in the empirical part of the study gave informed consent to participate. Pre-testing of the interview guide and the Delphi questionnaire were done by means of pilot studies. These processes were followed to ensure scientific validity, reliability and trustworthiness of the study. The literature review provided relevant insights into aspects of SEM and SEM research; leadership, management and strategic planning; academic research management; principles of research; as well as strategies and policies influencing research at the UFS. With the literature review as foundation, semi-structured interviews were conducted with current academic role players in SEM at the UFS, as well as with research managers at the UFS, to investigate the practical applications of theory and policy in research at the UFS, to identify challenges in research at the UFS, and to obtain the views of current role players on aspects of a multidisciplinary research framework in SEM at the UFS. Thirteen participants were selected for the semi-structured interviews by means of purposive and sequential sampling methods. The questions in the semi-structured interviews comprised seven categories, namely the status, role and place of SEM at the UFS; stakeholders in SEM research; research strategy; challenges in research; skills, knowledge and status of researchers and research leaders; suggested components of a strategic framework in SEM research; and an open category which invited any further relevant comments. Due to their semi-structured nature, the data obtained from interviews were mostly qualitative, but with quantitative elements. The results of the semi-structured interviews were categorised, analysed and collated in tables. These results were used in the context of the literature review, to construct a Delphi questionnaire which was used in a Delphi process with a panel of national and international experts in SEM research and in research management. The Delphi technique is a method for the collection of opinion on a particular topic, particularly the opinions of experts on the topic at hand. It was therefore chosen as an appropriate tool to test the results of interviews with local experts as interpreted according to the literature, on a panel of experts. The participants in the Delphi process were carefully selected to include national and international experts in SEM education and research, as well as policy-makers, leaders and managers in research. The selected international experts were globally representative. The panel consisted of ten experts. The Delphi questionnaire was constructed in accordance with the semi-structured interviews, but categorised in the sequence of the program logic model of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, on which the final strategic framework was developed. The categories comprised strategic foundations of a research framework in SEM; the role, place and character of research in SEM at a university; inputs and processes required, challenges expected and outputs envisaged; as well as the expected impact or significance of a research programme in SEM at the UFS and possible ways to measure the progress of the programme. The results of the Delphi survey were analysed and the findings presented and discussed. The final outcome of the study, a strategic framework for research in SEM at the UFS, was created by triangulation of the critical analysis of SEM research and other relevant themes in the literature review, the results of the semi-structured interviews, and the results of the Delphi survey. In the final product, the premises, principles, points of departure and required resources for the development of a strategic framework for a research programme in SEM at the UFS were presented. Detailed formulations of inputs, processes and outputs of the programme were put forward, to culminate in a sustainable research programme. In conclusion of the study, final conclusions were drawn, limitations of the study addressed and recommendations made. The researcher believes that this study will make a unique contribution to the research, further development, and ultimately the status of Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of the Free State and in South Africa. The challenges identified in the study and the complexities of research development have not gone unnoticed. These challenges will be addressed with passion and determination towards the attainment of the ultimate goal which inspired the study.

<p> Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) exhibit low motivation to participate in educational leisure activities at Clubhouses accredited by Clubhouse International (CI). This correlational study examined the relationship between each of 4 motives, intellectual, social, competence-mastery, and stimulus-avoidance, to engage in leisure activities, and the perception of recovery from SMI. Knowles&rsquo;s theory of andragogy supported the concept of informal self-directed learning, which occurs with leisure activities. Literature indicates that participating in leisure activities such as those offered at Clubhouses aids in the recovery from SMI. Quantitative data were collected from a convenience sample of 75 individuals at 4 CI clubhouses using 2 Likert-scale instruments, the Leisure Motivational Scale (LMS) and the Recovery Assessment Scale &ndash; Domains and Stages (RAS-DS). Pearson correlation coefficients indicated significant moderate positive correlations between each of 4 motives, intellectual, social, competence-mastery, and stimulus-avoidance, to engage in leisure activities, and the perception of recovery from SMI. These findings were used to design a professional development program on motivation to teach the staff at a Clubhouse about how to engage members in leisure activities. The study has the potential to inspire positive social change by motivating members to improve their quality of life, learn social and work skills, develop friendships and a support system, reengage with society, and to become employed.</p>

This investigation was to determine if rural origin adversely influenced access to a medical education for rural Kentuckians who applied to Kentucky medical schools. An ancillary purpose of the study was to determine the need for an affirmative action program for rural medical school applicants as a means to improve the distribution of physicians in rural areas. / The sample population was limited to applicants to Kentucky's two medical schools who had graduated from a Kentucky high school. Applicants' county of high school graduation was classified by rural or urban status, population and a defined socioeconomic level that was used to compare accepted and rejected applicants' demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, academic scores and their choices of undergraduate institutions and majors. / Applicants from the less populated and lower socioeconomic counties were disproportionately representative of the population of those counties. Urban applicants attending out-of-state institutions and urban applicants majoring in mathematics-engineering or physical sciences were accepted for admission to a medical school at significantly higher rates than for all other categories. Applicants' overall and science undergraduate grade-point averages, their overall and science Medical College Admission Test scores and accept or reject status were not found to be statistically independent of the population and socioeconomic level of their home counties (p = 0.0001). Discriminant analysis correctly classified 83 percent of the accepted and rejected applicants using four academic and one demographic indices. / It was concluded that academic achievement and access to a medical education were influenced by the demographic and socioeconomic background of Kentucky medical school applicants. Applicants from the more rural and the less affluent counties experienced inequality in access to a medical education. / The findings support legislation enacted by the 1980 Kentucky General Assembly establishing programs designed to increase both the number of rural medical school applicants and acceptees. Further, they imply that other states with large rural areas and persistent medical shortages should examine access to a medical education for their rural residents. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-07, Section: B, page: 2152. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

A study of nursing and medical technology students in baccalaureate programs in eight universities and medical centers was conducted to attempt to explain the difference in field mode between students and practitioners of allied health. An earlier pilot study reveals that the majority of nursing and medical technology students are field dependent while the majority of practitioners in these areas are field independent. With alpha set at .05, chi-square analysis of the pilot study results reveals the field mode difference to be significant at a p less than .001. / The work of previous investigators indicates that stress producing situations debilitate the recall of learned material for field dependent subjects. Subsequent research was conducted to determine the interactions of field mode according to Witkin's model, general mental ability, and test construction in the evaluation of learning of allied health students. Students were assessed by the Group Embedded Figures Test to determine if they are perceptually field dependent or independent and then classified into high and low mental ability groups based on the total of their Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. Students in each of the resulting four groups were then randomly assigned a general biology examination in either a complex multiple choice format or a short answer free response format. Students also responded to a survey form which assessed their preference for various modes of evaluation and instruction. / With an alpha set at .05, analysis of variance of the subsequent research data reveals a significantly higher performance of high mental ability students than low mental ability students on the general biology examination at a p less than .001. Interactions between field mode, mental ability, and test construction are not significant. Individualized testing formats for allied health students on the basis of field mode or mental ability does not appear to be justified by the subsequent research results. The field mode difference between students and practitioners of allied health may possibly be explained by the fact that students change their field mode from dependent to independent due to exposure to complex testing formats or that through self selection processes, field dependent practitioners may tend to go into less stressful, nontechnical positions. Further research should investigate such possible explanations. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: B, page: 0882. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 37-07, Section: B, page: 3342. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1976.

<p> Climate change has become responsible for substantial mortality and morbidity around the world. These numbers are said to rise, as climate change will continue to have both direct and indirect effects on human health, as well as threaten the determinants of health. Some health effects include asthma, respiratory disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, health-related illness, human developmental effects, mental illness, neurological disease, vector-borne disease, waterborne disease, and more. Given the implications it carries on human health, climate change should be of fundamental relevance to doctors and future doctors alike. The aim of this thesis is to explore the importance of preparing doctors and student doctors for a climate-changing world. This includes developing skills and insights necessary in a clinical practice and a public health role. The research methods in this thesis is sought to identify if future doctors are being prepared and are willing to take action against climate change and the health implications it poses. The focus is also to identify the perceptions of doctors on climate change and its health risks, as little is known about this. Through theoretical and quantitative evidence, the goal is to provide insight on the role future doctors, who are both prepared and willing to take actions, can play in influencing patients to participate in climate change mitigation.</p><p>

Aim: The purpose of this in-vitro study was to look at the effectiveness of the ICON on prevention of caries on the smooth surface in comparison to resin based sealant. Methods: The study was an in-vitro study to compare the effectiveness of ICON and a sealant material in prevention of secondary demineralization. Sound teeth with no defects were cleaned and divided into 3 groups and lesions created. Both the groups were treated with respective materials (ICON and sealant), but the control group was left untreated. Once treated fresh demineralization solution was created and subject to deminralization cycles to see which material performed better in prevention of secondary demineralization. Results: In the present study, primary analysis was done using the quantitative light induced fluorescence technique. At the end of the secondary demineralization the results showed no statistically significant difference among the treatrment groups and the control group. However, the polarized light microscopy was done to assess the amont of infiltration of the material into the lesions. The ICON showed substantial penetration into the lesions where as the sealant material did not penetrate but formed resin tags on the surface of the lesion. Therefore, the ICON material did not fare any better than the sealant in prevention of secondary demineralization on smooth surface initial carious lesions.

Our study involved secondary analyses of the oral health-related quality of life data collected in the Iowa Fluoride Study at the 17-year time-point. Both adolescents and their parents filled out questionnaires related to the assessment of the OHRQoL of the adolescents. In addition, adolescents also underwent clinical examination to assess dental caries, dental fluorosis, orthodontic characteristics, and non-fluoride opacities. Dental casts were also made with the assent of the participants. These casts were later used to estimate the social acceptability of the participants' dental appearance and assess their malocclusion severity, using the Dental Aesthetic Index (Cons et al, 1978). This study assessed the relationships between the OHRQoL of Iowa adolescents and the presence of selected oral conditions, such as dental caries, dental fluorosis, and malocclusion. Based on the multivariable analyses, dental caries and malocclusion severity (reflected by DAI score) were the two oral conditions that were found to be significantly associated with poorer OHRQoL in adolescents. In addition, the influence of sex on adolescents' perceptions of OHRQoL was found to be statistically significant in our study and being female was associated with poorer OHRQoL. The findings of our study corroborate the results of other investigations that have demonstrated significant associations between: i) dental caries and OHRQoL (Arrow P, 2013; Barbosa et al, 2013; Bastos et al, 2012; Castro et al,2010; Do and Spencer, 2007; Martinis et al, 2012); ii) malocclusion and OHRQoL (Foster Page et al., 2005; Do and Spencer, 2007; Locker et al, 2007; Bernabe et al, 2008; Agou et al, 2008; O'Brien et al, 2006; Feu et al, 2010; Ukra et al, 2013); and iii) sex and OHRQoL (Foster Page et al, 2005; Calis et al, 2009; Bos et al, 2010; Barbosa et al, 2013; Ukra et al, 2013). Thus, oral conditions such as dental caries and malocclusion can be a source of stress and can have a negative impact on the life of an individual and can impede their ability to succeed. Females tend to be more sensitive to the negative impact of oral health conditions. Thus, in order to better understand the impact of oral health conditions, subjective measures should be used in conjunction with normative measures or clinical measures of assessing oral health. This can help in better treatment planning, and better allocation of resources, as oral health perceptions can vary for different individuals.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.