Emerging adult college women are at particular risk for developing unhealthy eating habits. Despite this, methods of intervention in this population are understudied. This study sought to test whether an implicit, cognitive retraining program could alter how women approach foods. Specifically, the researcher wanted to determine if the Behavioral Activation System (BAS), which encourages individuals to approach positive goals, and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS), which helps individuals avoid negative outcomes, could be manipulated. Thus, this study examined whether a dot-probe retraining program could significantly alter women’s approaches to healthy foods. Dot-probe programs present two pictures side-by-side; when the pictures disappear, a stimulus, in this case a “+”, appears where one of the pictures was previously located. In this project, participants assigned to an experimental training program would have the “+” located under healthy foods most of the time, in order to encourage BAS activation and approach behaviors. In addition, because it is imperative to understand how women’s families affect their thin ideal internalization (i.e., drive for thinness and restraint) and their approach/avoidance habits, the quality of past and current parent-daughter relationships were examined. Indeed, no known research has examined how the parent-child relationship may affect BAS/BIS usage. Forty emerging adult women were recruited; half were assigned to an experimental training group, while the other half completed a sham training group, in which they equally reacted to all foods. Participants were asked to complete five sessions on their own devices, in their chosen environment. By the final training sessions, those in the experimental group (n = 15) reacted to healthy foods two times faster than those in the sham group (n = 15). In addition, a series of moderation analyses found that, even when participants had high levels of thin ideal internalization, positive parenting characteristics such as a current high-quality mother-daughter relationship and past low paternal control improved participants’ reaction times to healthy foods. These findings suggest that a combination of both a biologically-based method of intervention and a family systems intervention may lead women to have healthier approaches to foods, thereby potentially preventing the development of unhealthy eating habits.

Falls are the most frequently reported incidents among hospitalized patients in the United States with at least 4 falls per 1,000 patient days occurring annually. Falls are related to high rates of mortality and morbidity and high hospital costs. The purpose of this project was to evaluate a fall prevention quality initiative to reduce falls in an acute care facility by educating staff on an evidence-based fall prevention protocol. The project sought to explore whether implementation of an evidence-based fall prevention initiative in educating nurses would affect the nurses’ professional knowledge and the number of patient fall incidences in the cardiac care unit. The theoretical framework supporting this project was Neuman’s systems theory. The Iowa model was used to guide this evidence-based project. An educational session was implemented to increase nurses’ awareness of fall prevention practices. Two sets of data were collected: the pretest and posttest results, and the number of falls on the unit. A total of 21 unit nurses participated in the pretest; 18 (86.0%) completed the posttest. The mean score on the pretest was 81.62%; the mean score was 85.89% for the posttest with a mean difference of 4.27%. A paired sample t-test revealed no statistically significant differences in scores after education. This project has implications for social change by supporting patient safety, decreased hospital stays, and reduced health care expenses to patients and health care organizations.

No abstract available / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Mercantile Law / unrestricted

Background: HIV incidence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15-24 in sub-Saharan Africa remains exceptionally high. Evidence shows that no single HIV prevention strategy will be effective in controlling the HIV pandemic. Research in recent years demonstrates the need for combination HIV prevention efforts, including biomedical, behavioral, and structural interventions. Given the urgent need to identify strategies that effectively reduce HIV risk among AGYW, it is crucial to understand how best to maximize the impact of combination HIV prevention interventions. This qualitative study explored the perceived impacts of a combination HIV-prevention intervention on the lives of AGYW in South Africa. Methods: The study is based on the findings from a qualitative evaluation of the RISE Club Programme, one component of a combination HIV intervention for AGYW. Using 24 focus group discussions and 63 in-depth interviews with 237 AGYW, we explored participants' experiences and perceptions of participating in a combination HIV prevention intervention and how it was perceived to impact their lives. Results: From the perspectives of AGYW, the intervention was perceived to positively impact their ability to communicate and develop and maintain healthy relationships with family, peers and partners. The findings show that the intervention helped increase their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge which improved their sexual self efficacy while also encouraging positive behavioural choices such as contraceptive uptake. It was also perceived to improve AGYW lives and personal development, specifically their self confidence and self esteem. However, logistical challenges with the implementation of the intervention and unmet expectations, created frustration and negative perceptions of the intervention in some instances. Conclusions: Overall, the findings demonstrate that intervention recipients perceived mostly positive impacts on their lives as a result of participating in the RISE programme. Understanding the perspectives of AGYW, is helpful in order to assess the benefits and perceived impacts of such an intervention on the lived realities of intended beneficiaries. Taking these perspectives into consideration and understanding some of the unforeseen negative impacts of the intervention can help to inform the design and implementation of future combination HIV prevention interventions for a similar sub-group of the population.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand, 2004. / The present research investigated the attitudes and perceptions on condom-use among male and female students of the University of Zululand (main campus). The sample (N=100) consisted of male (N=68) and female (N=32) students, whose ages ranged from 17 to 44 years. The sample consisted of English, Sothor Tsonga, Swazi, Ndebele, and mainly Zulu speaking students (74%). Although a significant difference was found in perceptions of male and. female students on condom use on some items on sexual satisfaction, no significant differences were found in their perceptions on condom use in relation to health hazards and sexual interest.

Missbruk av alkohol och droger kan leda till stora sociala och relationella problem. Dessa problem kan i sin tur bli svåra att hantera för den enskilde människan och de kan leda till att han eller hon tappar impulskontrollen och begår självmord. Det är därför angeläget att samhället satsar mer på dessa områden för att preventivt kunna minska antalet människor som begår självmord. Undersökningar bör även göras för att få klarhet i vilka förebyggande insatser som finns och hur dessa insatser kan minska antalet självmord. Syftet var att belysa interventioner och dess effekter för prevention av självmord hos människor i alla åldrar. Metoden var en forskningsöversikt. Artikelsökningarna gjordes i databaserna PubMed, PsycInfo och SveMed. Totalt inkluderades 15 vetenskapliga artiklar från PubMed och PsycInfo i resultatet. Resultatet visade att det fanns olika hjälpmedel för att förhindra ett självmord, t ex genom att installera blå ljus i tågstationer eller att använda mobilbaserad psykoterapi. Vidare kunde självmord förhindras genom ett stabilt social nätverk av nära och kära, samhället, särskilda utbildningsprogram, mentalhälsovården och gatekeeper som t.ex. lärare, polis, politiker. För att förebygga självmord var det viktigt med information om vart en person som upplevde ensamhet eller nedstämdhet kunde vända sig. Vidare framkom det att det krävdes förebyggande åtgärder i form av utbildning av anhöriga och personal samt, adekvat diagnostik och rätt bedömning och lämplig behandling. Vid akuta krissituationer, akut självmordskris var det viktigt att ett ingripande påbörjades omedelbart för att hålla patienten vid liv. Ett säkert hem och offentliga sjukhusmiljöer var en viktig strategi vid självmordsprevention. Slutsatsen var att det går att förhindra självmord genom att införa självmordspreventionsprogram för till exempel skolan, universitetet, poliser, soldater och övriga utsatta grupper i samhället. Genom att lyssna till anhöriga och nära vänner samt skapa ett fungerande nätverk för självmordsbenägna patienter kan antalet människor som begår självmord minska.

Objective: To determine whether dosage adjustment of enoxaparin during pregnancy, in order to maintain a peak anti-Xa of 1.0-1.2 U/ml, is safe for women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves (MPHV). Methods: This was a prospective observational study performed at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital from 2007 to 2009. 15 women with MPHVs were treated with enoxaparin with dosage adjustment throughout pregnancy to achieve a peak anti-Xa of 1.0-1.2 U/ml. Main outcomes measured were prosthetic valve thrombosis, bleeding and maternal mortality. Results: There was no maternal mortality. None of the women developed valvular thrombosis during pregnancy. Two women developed epistaxis and another developed spotting per vagina. There was no foetal mortality. Conclusion: Our data show that enoxaparin may be administered safely during pregnancy to pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves when there is dosage adjustment throughout pregnancy in order to maintain an anti-Xa of 1.0-1.2 U/ml.

Team Up for Healthy Living was a cluster-randomized trial to evaluate a cross-peer school-based obesity prevention program in Southern Appalachia. Undergraduate students from the disciplines of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Public Health were trained as peer facilitators to deliver an 8-week curriculum in high school Lifetime Wellness classes. The focus of the curriculum was on improving diet and physical activity with an additional emphasis on enhancing leadership and communication skills. Control group participants received their regularly scheduled Lifetime Wellness curriculum. The current article is about the experiences of an undergraduate kinesiology student participating as a peer-facilitator in the Team-Up for Healthy Living trial. A brief overview of the program and peer facilitator training is followed by this students reflections on both personal development and student outcomes.

A research report submitted to the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfilment for the requirements of the degree of Master of Medicine 4 June 2019 Descriptive study of Venous Thromboembolic Disease in the adult population admitted to Tshepong Hospital comparing the proportion of HIV and non-HIV infected patients / Background HIV and TB independently incur increased risk for venous thromboembolic disease (VTE): deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE). Data from high HIV and TB burden settings describing VTE is scarce. The Wells’ DVT and PE scores are widely used but their utility in these settings has not been reported on extensively. We therefore report clinical and treatment aspects of in-patients with newly diagnosed VTE to assess HIV and TB prevalence, and their Wells’ score. Setting Tshepong Hospital in the North West Province of South Africa. Methods A prospective cohort of adult in-patients with radiologically confirmed VTE were recruited. Demographics, presence of TB, HIV status, duration of treatment, CD4 count, viral load, VTE risk factors, and parameters to calculate the Wells’ score were collected. Results One hundred patients were recruited, of whom 59 were HIV-infected; 39 had TB disease and 32 were HIV/TB co-infected. Eighty -three patients had a DVT only; 11 patients had a PE, and six had both a DVT and PE. Eighteen of 42 patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) were on treatment for less than six months. Twenty patients of 39 were on TB treatment for less than one month. The median DVT and PE Wells’ score in all sub-groups was 3.0 (IQR: 1.0-4.0) and 3.0 (IQR: 2.5-4.5), respectively. There were nine deaths. Conclusion HIV /TB co-infection appear to confer a risk for VTE, especially early after ART and/or TB treatment, and therefore require careful monitoring for VTE and early initiation of thrombo-prophylaxis. / E.K. 2019

The adverse effects of exposure to unrealistic ideals in the media are well documented, however, this is the first study to explore the possibility that women may experience improvement in body image and affect via social comparison to women with realistic, non-ideal body shape and size. Using material from The Century Project©, the impact of exposure to nude, non-pornographic photographs of women of varied shape, size, age, and physical condition, and the photographed women's personal commentaries about how they successfully cope with body image concerns was tested using an experimental design. It was hypothesized that exposure to the photographs and their associated commentaries would lead to an improvement in body image, mood, and self-esteem, and that this effect would be moderated by preexisting levels of internalization of the thin ideal and strong core beliefs about the importance of appearance (schematicity). Women exposed to the photos and comments condition experienced significantly less appearance-related anxiety than those exposed to photo-only and comments-only conditions, and internalization, but not schematicity, moderated this effect. Findings suggest women who have a greater tendency to internalize sociocultural body image standards may be more receptive to positive changes in these standards when presented with a persuasive visual and cognitive stimulus. However, without both aspects (visual and commentary) high internalizers appear to experience greater negative reactions to these stimuli.