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The original purpose of this investigation was to determine if soccer players who performed an agility training program in a specialized training shoe would have a lower incidence of acute ankle sprains as compared to controls. Two elite male college soccer teams participated in the study. The experimental team performed an agility training program two to three days per week over a three month period wearing the Nike Free Trainer. Data on ankle sprain incidence throughout the season was collected, as well as scores on tests of ankle strength, static balance, dynamic balance, agility and self-reports of ankle function. These scores were compared to those of the control team. Statistical analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental team members in the anteromedial reach direction of the dynamic balance test (p=0.001). This group also showed positive trends in ankle strength ratio and five of the eight other reach directions of the dynamic balance test. Unfortunately, pre-test, post-test statistical analysis was possible for only half of the experimental team subjects. Post-test data was not generated for the other half of these subjects due to unrelated injury or subject noncompliance. Lack of pre-test data due to subject non-compliance in the control team hindered between group statistical comparisons. This study uncovered promising trends as to the potential for gains in dynamic balance as a result of agility training with Nike Free Trainer. This study also established the reliability of three clinical tests of ankle strength, static balance and dynamic balance. Future well-designed studies are recommended to research this area further to discern the effect of this agility training program on dynamic balance and establish its’ effect on ankle sprain incidence.

Despite the wealth of information on suicide prevention issues and the widespread implementation of suicide prevention strategies, program evaluation efforts have been limited. Lack of sound program evaluation remains one of the most significant barriers to identification and implementation of effective intervention and prevention strategies. The purpose of this study was two-fold: to conduct a summative evaluation of the gatekeeper suicide prevention program implemented at the Toronto Transit Commission, and to concomitantly, appraise the efficacy and effectiveness of the Kirkpatrick evaluation model as an analytical framework to guide suicide prevention program evaluations. The study used a two-phase, sequential mixed-method approach of converging quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The quantitative study employed a repeated measures design and examined the immediate and long-term effects of the gatekeeper program on attitudes, knowledge, intervention abilities. The qualitative study consisted of semi-structured interviews and explored participants’ effective and utility reactions to the gatekeeper training program. The results of this study indicated safeTALK and suicideAWARE training programs increased participants’ knowledge of suicide and suicidal behaviour, enhanced positive attitudes toward the suicidal individual, suicide intervention, and improved intervention skills. The empirical findings from this study support the premise that the Kirkpatrick evaluation model could be adapted for use in gatekeeper program evaluations. The model provides a highly relevant, well-rounded, rigorous approach to suicide prevention program evaluations.

Bakgrund: Studier visar att trycksår är ett stort problem eftersom det påverkar patienterna då det innebär ett lidande och dessutom kostar det samhället mycket pengar. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva upplevelser hos patienter med trycksår med avseende på trycksårets uppkomst, hur det dagliga livet påverkas samt deras syn på hur trycksåret skulle kunna ha förebyggts. Metod: Kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer användes. Åtta informanter med trycksårskategori 2-4 valdes ut genom ett bekvämlighetsurval på ett universitetssjukhus i mellansverige under hösten 2013. Resultat: Den främsta orsaken till att trycksår hade uppstått berodde enligt informanterna främst på inaktivitet. Trycksår påverkar de flesta informanternas dagliga liv avsevärt. Att leva med ett trycksår innebär ett stort lidande då det begränsar det sociala livet. Smärta visade sig vara besvärande och gjorde informanter inaktiv, orolig och gav störd sömn. Flertalet informanter förklarade att de inte hade fått någon information om riskfaktorer, förebyggande och åtgärder gällande trycksår eller varför det uppstår. Få informanter hade kunskap om trycksårsförebyggande åtgärder och för de som hade kunskap var den otillräcklig. Informanterna syn på hur personalen hade kunnat göra för att förebygga trycksårets uppkomst skiljde sig. Slutsats: Att leva med ett trycksår innebär ett stort lidande hos patienten. Det begränsar det sociala livet och är tidskrävande. Kunskapen hos patienterna gällande trycksårsförebyggande åtgärder var bristfällig och de hade inte fått information om förebyggande åtgärder. För att minska prevalensen av trycksår krävs det att sjukvårdspersonalen involverar patienten mer i det preventiva arbetet mot trycksår.

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A pre-test, post-test, randomized control study (n=78) was conducted to test whether participation in Stay on Your Feet (SOYF), a falls prevention program for community-dwelling older adults, improved participants’ falls-related self-efficacy and balance. The Activities Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale (Powell & Myers, 1995) was used to measure falls-related self-efficacy and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (Podsiadlo & Richardson, 1991) was used to measure balance. Participants in both the intervention and control groups scored at the higher end of the ABC Scale (range 0-100) at baseline (mean 76.78 ± 18.91 and 82.46 ± 18.27 respectively) and at follow-up (mean 75.01 ± 19.51 and 84.10 ± 12.49 respectively), suggesting participants in this study were already fairly confident in their ability to manage daily activities without losing their balance. TUG times at baseline and follow-up testing were low suggesting participants had good balance. The SOYF program did not meet its intended objectives of improving falls-related self-efficacy and balance for participants who received the program. Recommendations for changes to future SOYF programming include targeting older adults with a history of falls or identified falls risk factors. The SOYF program was not effective for this study group; however, it may work for older adults at higher-risk for falls. / Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 19:47:26.195

Family physician (FP) knowledge regarding breast cancer risk assessment and prevention strategies such as chemoprevention are important in ensuring that women at high risk for breast cancer are identified and receive proper preventive care. There are many factors which can moderately increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, such as short-term hormone replacement therapy use and being nulliparous over the age of 30 years. Some factors increase a woman’s risk to such an extent that she is deemed “high risk” for breast cancer development, including having a family history of breast cancer or having a personal history of atypical benign breast disease. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of a stratified random sample of 2500 family physicians selected from across Canada to examine breast cancer risk assessment knowledge and practices, chemoprevention knowledge and prescribing practices, attitudes towards breast cancer chemoprevention, and barriers towards its utilization in Canadian FPs. We found that while the majority of physicians identified a woman with a family history of breast cancer (97%) as being high risk, a large proportion of physicians (40%) underestimated the risk associated with having a personal history of atypical benign breast disease. Physicians also tended to overestimate the risk associated with hormone replacement therapy use (70%) and the risk associated with nulliparity over the age of 30 years (50%). We also found that less than 15% of our sample had knowledge about chemoprevention and less than 7% had ever prescribed breast cancer chemoprevention (i.e. tamoxoifen or raloxifene) for primary prevention. Possible predictors of both knowledge of risk assessment and chemoprevention and prescription of chemoprevention were examined. Using multiple logistic regression, we found that several variables significantly predicted physician knowledge of these risk factors and prescription practices including patient load, medical experience and sex. The results of this study indicate that family physicians may need to become more aware about breast cancer prevention methods and risk factors for breast cancer, and in particular those that place a woman at high risk for breast cancer development. / Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-19 13:11:22.899

In 2004 the Ontario Ministry of Education created the Safe Schools Action Team (SSAT) to advise on the development of a comprehensive approach to bullying prevention. When four years later in 2008 the SSAT re-engaged in order to review the issues of gender-based violence, homophobia, sexual harassment, and inappropriate sexual behaviour, recommendations were made for addressing these issues (Ministry of Education, 2008). One of the most significant dimensions of the SSAT report was their statement that the most effective method to learn about healthy relationships is through school curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2008). Taking the SSAT recommendation that the most effective method for educating adolescents on healthy relationships is through curriculum, the current study seeks to describe, from the teacher’s perspective, experiences with and motivations for using curriculum advocating healthy relationships, specifically dating violence prevention programming. The purpose of this thesis is to examine four female Ontario Physical and Health Education teachers’ personal and professional experience with teen dating violence and their knowledge about and use of dating violence prevention curriculum that has been approved by the Ontario Ministry of Education. The participants related their experiences with dating violence within their school communities and discussed how they approached these issues within their own classroom. The results of this study indicate that dating violence continues to be a prevalent issue for Ontario secondary schools, and there is a need for continued research into how to teach dating violence prevention in meaningful ways. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-04-25 10:00:15.681

No description available.