Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-176).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1985. / Typescript (photocopy). eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-50).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-102).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2007. / "Graduate Program in Public Health." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-133).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1996. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [97]-109).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1991. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-109).

Thesis (M. Med. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006.

Chronic nonadherence is the complete lack of adherence on the part of a patient to at least one aspect of their therapeutic regime for extended periods of time. Chronic nonadherence is similar to other forms of nonadherence in that it is a phenomena which is dangerous for patients, frustrating for practitioners, and costly to the health care system. However, unlike other forms of nonadherence, very little is known about this subject. In order to determine factors related to chronic nonadherence to a home exercise program, 15 male arthritis patients of varying ages underwent an in-depth structured interview. Eight of these patients were identified by the Arthritis Society as being chronic, treatment nonadherents. The other seven patients were randomly chosen from among the population of male arthritis patients in order to provide a comparison to the chronic nonadherent population. Ten variables were examined in this study in the hopes of determining factors related to chronic nonadherence. These variables were as follows: demographics, The Health Beliefs Model, patient's explanatory model, nature of the illness, satisfaction with practitioner attributes, shared responsibility, overall satisfaction, attitudes of significant others, use of unorthodox treatments, and problems with the home exercise program. Data analysis failed to produce any statistically significant findings, however the study did point to some interesting associations. One finding from this study is that nonadherence seems to be related to patient's Health Beliefs Models. Based on this finding the study then goes on to recommend an appropriate intervention which can be used by practitioners to enhance patient adherence. A second finding from this study is that a small number of the chronic nonadherent group were actually adherent to their home exercise programs. Several explanations have been provided as to how these patients might have been falsely labelled as chronic nonadherents. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Chronic kidney disease (CKD) places a high personal and economic burden globally on individuals, families, and society. Although kidney protective medications slow the progression of CKD to end stage kidney disease, adherence to these medications is inadequate. The primary purposes of this study are to: 1) describe the illness and treatment beliefs of CKD patients in stage 3 guided by the Common Sense M model (CSM); and 2) examine the relationship of those beliefs with adherence to renal protective medications, ACE-I. Secondary purposes of this study include determining adherence levels of ACE-I among patients with CKD stage 3; examining relationships between individual and clinical characteristics with patient beliefs and medication adherence with ACE-I; and examining the relationship between the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and the Medication Possession Ratio (MPR). Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, a convenience sample of 92 individuals with Stage 3 CKD was obtained from a Midwestern VA medical center. Data were collected through self-administered mailed surveys and medical record reviews. Data analyses were performed using descriptive statistics, correlation, t-tests and ANOVA. Seventeen symptoms experienced were perceived as related to CKD by at least one respondent with most reporting legs/feet swelling (n=31). Top perceived cause of CKD was aging (60%). Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) items were scored from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating perceptions of higher personal and treatment control of chronic, cyclical illness with serious consequences and negative emotional reactions. In this study, the CKD timeline was perceived as a long-term chronic rather than short-term acute condition (M = 3.8), with minimal cyclical exacerbations (M = 2.7), and moderate severity of consequences (M = 3.1). Respondents perceived having both, but more personal control than treatment control of CKD (M = 3.5 v 3.2). Participants did not perceive CKD as related to a great negative emotional response (M = 2.8). Illness Representations were not found to be significantly correlated with self-reported medication adherence. Medication adherence levels by self-report (M = 4.8 [5 = perfect adherence]) and pharmacy refill records (73% had perfect refill ratio of 1:1) reveal highly adherent levels among this sample.