bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patellar Tendon or Semitendinosus Tendon Autografts for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Liden Mattias , Ejerhed Lars , Sernert Ninni , Laxdal Gauti , Kartus Jüri 
Published: February 2007

Background The aim of the study was to compare the results after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using central-third bone—patellar tendon—bone (BTB) autografts and triple/quadruple semitendinosus (ST) autografts. Hypothesis In the long-term, ACL reconstruction using BTB autografts will render more donor-site problems than ST autografts. Study Design Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods A randomized series of 71 patients (22 women and 49 men) with a unilateral ACL rupture who underwent reconstructive surgery were included in the study. The BTB graft was used in 34 patients (BTB group) and the ST-tendon graft was used in 37 patients (ST group). The patients were examined a median of 86 months (range, 68 to 114 months) after the reconstruction. Results Sixty-eight of 71 patients (96%) were examined at follow-up. The clinical assessments at follow-up revealed no significant differences between the BTB group and the ST group in terms of the Lysholm score, Tegner activity level, International Knee Documentation Committee evaluation system, 1-legged hop test, KT-1000 arthrometer laxity measurements, manual Lachman test, and range of motion. A significant improvement was seen in both groups compared with the preoperative values in terms of most clinical assessments. Donor-site morbidity in the form of knee-walking ability, kneeling ability, and area of disturbed anterior knee sensitivity revealed no significant differences between the groups. Conclusion Seven years after ACL reconstruction, the subjective and objective outcomes were similar after using the central-third BTB autograft and triple/quadruple ST autograft. Furthermore, no difference in terms of donor-site morbidity was found between the 2 groups.
The Role of Health Education in Public Policy Development
Authors: Steckler Allan , Dawson Leonard 
Published: February 2007

Health educators should view policy development as a unit of professional practice analogous to the individual, the small group, the community, and the organization. The impact of policy on other units of practice and on people served by health educators is too great and the competition for scarce resources for health and human services is too keen to be disregarded. An increasingly active role in the policy process is, therefore, vital to the profession. Unfortunately, many health educators find an active role strange and lack guidelines for effective policy intervention. This paper attempts to mediate that situation. First a conceptual framework is offered. Operational definitions of important terms are given, including policy, public policy, social policy, health policy, and health education policy. A model of the policy development process is presented, detailing the purpose and dynamics of several steps: establishing problem awareness, setting goals and objectives, selecting a course of action, designing alternative courses of action, analyzing policy, assigning implementation responsibility, implementing, and evaluating. Then five categories of intervention strategies encompassing 16 individual suggested roles ranging from indirect influence to direct political involvement are presented. The categories are: acting as a source of policy information, providing technical assistance, organizing, influencing policymakers, and taking direct political action.
The Application of Health Education Principles to Automobile Child Restraint Programs
Authors: Eriksen Michael P. , Gielen Andrea C. 
Published: February 2007

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in the United States for children over the age of one, killing 1,500 children under 5 years of age and injuring approximately 70,000 in 1980. The most effective preventive strategy for this problem is the proper and consistent use of child auto restraints. However, this behavior is practiced by less than 10% of parents. Even with educational efforts, loaner programs, and legislated mandates, the majority of children ride unprotected. The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of health education principles to the problem of childhood motor vehicle-related morbidity and mortality. This paper illustrates the use of the PRECEDE model for planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive child restraint education and loaner program in Maryland. The educational diagnosis was based on a review of the child restraint-related literature as well as on an analysis of Maryland accident and safety data. The design and development of educational programs and materials to increase the proper and consistent use of car safety seats is described. In addition, program evaluation activities are outlined which will provide documentation of changes in car seat usage rates and trends in childhood morbidity and mortality from motor vehicle accidents in Maryland.
Community Organization Influence on Local Public Health Care Policy: A General Research Model and Comparative Case Study
Authors: Brown E. Richard 
Published: February 2007

The community organization literature consists mainly of case descriptions and analyses, on the one hand, and integrative works that prescribe or classify community organization methods or attempt to develop more theoretical models. There is a need for an intermediate level of empirical research that will generate comparable data on several cases, analyze factors that influence community organization, test hy potheses, and help develop an empirically grounded and more rigorous community organization theory. This article presents a research model developed to study community organization influence on local public health care policy. The model is applied in a comparative case study of such community organization experiences in seven California counties. Findings from the study are prsented and analyzed, and several factors are identified that were important in the success or failure of these community organization efforts.
Illness Attributions and The Health Belief Model
Authors: King Jennifer B. 
Published: February 2007

This paper proposes an attributional approach to the traditional Health Belief Model (HBM). It is argued that this approach has two purposes: (1) health beliefs might themselves be determined by attribution and (2) the prediction of health behavior might be sig nificantly improved by combining health beliefs with illness attribu tions. The theoretical framework for this approach is adapted from models of causal attribution and relevant literature on illness attribu tions is reviewed. Two empirical studies are described testing the plausibility of an attributional approach to health behavior. A preliminary study investi gates the relationship between health beliefs and illness attributions of heart patients. Health beliefs were found to be significantly related to causal explanations of heart disease. The main study is a prospective investigation of the impact of attributions and health beliefs on health behavior—in this case attendance at screening for high blood pressure. Discriminant analysis revealed a combination of health beliefs and at tributions of high blood pressure that produced a highly significant prediction of the decision to participate in the screening. The final discussion is devoted to the theoretical and practical im plications of an attributional approach for health and medical educa tion, particularly within the medical consultation.
Social Ties and Health Status: An Examination of Moderating Factors
Authors: Hibbard Judith H. 
Published: February 2007

The goals of the study are to assess the relationship between social ties and health status and to determine if factors that may inhibit or enhance the mobilization of resources available in social ties specify this relationship. Two factors which may influence the effective use of social network resources perceived control and trusting others, are examined as possible moderating factors. The study population includes 2,603 adults, who were randomly selected from among the enrollees of a large health maintenance organization. The subjects were part of a large household interview survey. Medical record data covering seven years of outpatient services were linked with the survey data on the respondents. The findings indicate that having more social ties, being more trustful of others and perceiving more control are all related to having better health. Perceived control does specify the relationship between social ties and health status. The findings suffest that a larger social network is more important for those less able to utilize the resources available in their networks effectively, while among those more able to mobilize support from their networks, size is less important. The implications for health education research and practice are discussed.
Tobacco Industry Response to Public Health Concern: A Content Analysis of Cigarette Ads
Authors: Warner Kenneth E. 
Published: February 2007

Public awareness of the health hazards of smoking intensified when the subject received national publicity. To assess tobacco industry tactics to counter adverse publicity, we performed a content analysis of cigarette ads in selected issues of Time magazine, for selected years from 1929-84. The analysis showed direct responses to health concerns in all of the years of major smoking-and-health "events," with the possible exception of 1964, the year of the first Surgeon General's report. During these years large percentages of ads emphasized health themes instead of the conventional cigarette ad imagery. On average, health-theme ads have a higher verbal content than the more pictorial traditional ads. Correspondingly, they employ many fewer models. Health-theme ads tend to emphasize the "technological fix," such as the scientifically designed filter and the low-tar cigarette. Subtle changes in cigarette advertising include the elimination of visible smoke from ads. A decade's concentration on standard health themes, prompted by the "tar wars" of the 1970s, appears to have ended in the 1980s. Advertisers seem to have reverted to the "good times" nonhealth imagery of a bygone era, though possibly to deliver a subtle implicit health message. Understanding industry advertising tactics can assist public health professionals in developing insights into the promotion of smoking and in formulating smoking control strategies. Though highly exploratory and tentative in nature, this study is offered in the spirit of increasing such understanding.
Diaphragm Method Contraceptors: Implications for Service Organization and Delivery
Authors: Zapka Jane G. , Pastides Harris , Rudenberg Elizabeth 
Published: February 2007

Despite dissemination of modem contraceptive techniques among college women, unplanned pregnancy and pregnancy termination rates remain a major health issue.1 An investigation of 495 college women who use the diaphragm method of contraception was conducted in order to estimate pregnancy occurrence, to better understand factors related to successful use, and to profile service utilization patterns. Data were collected by medical record audit and client survey. Fifteen percent of the diaphragm clients reported a diaphragm-related pregnancy: clinical ef fectiveness was estimated to be 88% with a rate of 9.75 pregnancies per 100 woman years of diaphragm use. A variety of demographic, personal history, and behavioral variables were found to be related to three dependent variables: pregnancy, consistent diaphragm use, and accurate diaphragm use. Review of clinic service utilization for this group of patients demonstrated considerable resource use, including frequent switching of prescription contraception methods. Considering all pregnancies, diaphragm related or not, 27% of the study subjects reported at least one unplanned pregnancy. Abortion was elected in 98% of these cases. There is general agreement about the need to focus on education, information, and service measures to reduce the incidence of unintended fertility. Many universities have family planning services available, yet unsuccessful outcome continues to be a concern. Specific and practical protocols for service implementation need clearer definition. Thus, the implications of this research for the content and organization of clinic services are discussed with reference to counseling and education and other systems strategies.
Utilizing the Health Belief Model to Predict Dieting and Exercising Behavior of Obese and Nonobese Adolescents
Authors: O'Connell Janelle K. , Price James H. , Roberts Stephen M. , Jurs Stephen G. , McKinley Robert 
Published: February 2007

This study was undertaken to explain dieting and exercising behavior of obese and nonobese adolescents as measured by the elements of the Health Belief Model (HBM). An elicitation questionnaire was used to determine salient beliefs about dieting, exercising, and obesity for each of the major components of the HBM. The Health Belief Model questionnaire, developed from the elicited salicnt beliefs, contained items employed to measure attitudes towards obesity and exercise, knowledge of obesity and exercise, weight locus of control, and beliefs and evaluations about obesity and exercise. Discriminant analysis and stepwise discriminant analysis were employed in the data analysis of the 69 obese and 100 nonobese HBM respondents to determine the relative importance of the investigated factors in predicting obesity. It was found that benefits of dieting was the most powerful predictor of dieting behavior for the obese adolescents, whereas susceptibility to the causes of obesity best explained present dieting behavior of nonobese adolescents. Exercising behavior of obese teenagers was best explained by cues to exercising. No HBM variables were significant in predicting exercising behavior of nonobese adolescents.
Seat Belt Use Laws: The Influence of Data on Public Opinion
Authors: Schenck Anna P. , Runyan Carol W. , Earp Jo Anne L. 
Published: February 2007

Motor vehicle crashes are a major public health problem. Mandatory seat belt use laws capable of lessening the highway death and injury toll have recently received a great deal of public attention.Public opinions toward such laws were assessed in a representative sample of 410 North Carolina drivers. In our experimental design, subjects were randomly assigned to receive one of six types of data expressing the effectiveness of the proposed mandatory and the current voluntary policies. A comparison group received no data. Exposure to data about the effec tiveness of the proposed seat belt law was strongly predictive of policy preferences, though the specific type of data did not appear to have an influence. Additional characteristics predictive of policy preferences included attitudes toward other government regulations, beliefs about the effectiveness of seat belts, and personal seat belt use. The findings suggest that health educators need to continue to provide the public with data about potential safety regulations. Furthermore, health educators, to be more effective, should target information toward certain critical beliefs such as those about the relative effectiveness of a particular policy.
Patient Medication Instruction and Provider Interactions: Effects on Knowledge and Attitudes
Authors: De Tullio Pamela L. , Eraker Stephen A. , Jepson Christopher , Becker Marshall H. , Fujimoto Elaine , Diaz Cindy L. , Loveland Robert B. , Strecher Victor J. 
Published: February 2007

This prospective study examines whether a patient medication instruction sheet (PMI) given to clinic patients by their health care provider affects knowledge and/or attitudes with thiazide diuretic use as part of an antihypertensive regimen. Adult male patients ( N = 285) in a general medicine clinic were assigned to groups receiving the American Medical Association PMI describing their diuretic. Patients getting the PMI obtained it either directly from their provider or at the pharmacy dispensing window. All patients were surveyed by phone 1 week following the clinic visit with regard to the PMI, knowledge of medication use, and attitudes toward drug use. Results indicate that a provider-dispensed PMI results in higher levels of drug knowledge and greater patient satisfaction with their knowledge than a pharmacy-dispensed PMI. In addition, the PMIs educational value may be lessened by an incomplete verbal consult. This study demonstrates that the AMA PMI is an effective educational tool when distributed by a provider and can promote better understanding and use of prescribed medications.
The Short-Term Effects of Competition and Rewards in an Adolescent Smoking Prevention Program
Authors: Burke Julie A. , Naughton Michelle J. , Becker Samuel L. , Arbogast Rebecca , Lauer Ronald M. , Krohn Marvin D. 
Published: February 2007

This study evaluated whether interventions involving competition and rewards would enhance a school-based educational curriculum on tobacco use. Written pre- and post-tests were used to assess the relevant knowledge of 1068 seventh grade students in three comparable communities. The students' smoking beliefs, intentions, and behavior were assessed by questionnaires before and after the educational unit. Students in two communities participated in interventions designed to enhance knowl edge acquisition, social activism, and non-use of tobacco; students in one community served as controls. Students in competitive and control communities did not differ prior to interven tion. The interventions influenced respondents' concern about their health and the health of their family and friends and increased the likelihood that they would asso ciate smoking with maturity and short-term bad effects, regardless of their pre-inter vention smoking behavior. Experimenters' and regular smokers' knowledge about smoking and its consequences, and concern about the amount of substance use in their town were increased by the competitions. The competitions were also more like ly to reduce their intentions to smoke. The interventions did not affect smoking be havior. Fortunately, competition losers and winners were not differentially affected by the interventions.
The Gatekeeping Funnel: Tracking a Major PSA Campaign from Distribution through Gatekeepers to Target Audience
Authors: Hammond Sharon Lee , Freimuth Vicki S. , Morrison William 
Published: February 2007

This article presents the gatekeeping funnel as a model of the process that a public service announcement (PSA) goes through from distribution until it reaches its target audience. Process measures such as bounceback postcards, the Broadcast Advertisers Report (BAR), and analysis of audience response are suggested as ways of monitoring this funneling process. The model is then applied to the National Cancer Institute's PSA campaign de signed to promote cancer prevention awareness. Three waves of PSAs were distributed between March 1984 and May 1985. Two of these waves of PSAs were targeted to the general public and the third wave was targeted to black audiences. Bounceback postcards, BAR data, and the Cancer Information Service (CIS) call data exemplify the gatekeeping funnel model described in the article. When the mes sages were distributed, they had the potential of reaching 170 million adults with tele visions. BAR data show that the gatekeeping function narrowed the number of people potentially exposed to the messages to 24 million, or 14% of the total. Yet only 144,000 people, or less than one-tenth of 1% responded to the messages by calling the CIS number and asking about cancer prevention. This analysis may help PSA campaign planners to develop more realistic expectations for message effects.
The Effect of a Structured Education Program on Knowledge and Psychomotor Skills of Patients Using Beclomethasone Dipropionate Aerosol for Steroid Dependent Asthma
Authors: Heringa Pat , Lawson Lauren , Reda Domenic 
Published: February 2007

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a structured education program on knowledge and psychomotor skills of subjects using inhaled beclometh asone dipropionate. The sample was comprised of 26 male outpatients with a mean age of sixty years (range 49 - 69 yrs) and mean educational level of 11 years (range 7 - 18 yrs). Subjects were tested to assess knowledge of drug action, self-administration, and side effects. Skill in self-administration was assessed by two independent raters who were blind to group assignment. Then, patients were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=13), who received a structured educational program, or a con trol group (n=13), who received no structured educational interventions. Patients were retested four weeks after randomization. Subjects in the experimental and control groups did not differ significantly with re spect to their initial mean knowledge and performance scores. The post-test mean knowledge score was significantly higher when compared to initial score for each group. Mean knowledge score at post-test did not differ significantly between groups. However, when comparing post-test performance scores to initial scores the experi mental group had a significantly greater increase in mean score than the control group. It is concluded that a structured patient education program is an effective method for improving the psychomotor skills necessary for proper use of beclomethasone dipro pionate aerosol.
Making Childhood Asthma Management Education Happen in the Community: Translating Health Behavioral Research into Local Programs
Authors: Krutzsch Christine B. , Bellicha Terry C. , Parker Sydney R. 
Published: February 2007

The public health benefits of research can be realized only if proven new techniques are translated into readily usable processes and materials and widely adopted by professionals and patients alike. To accomplish this, a systematic technology transfer process is needed. One recent outcome of health behavior research has been identification of the skills needed by children and parents to effectively manage childhood asthma. Methods for teaching these skills were tested on hundreds of families in a variety of health care settings. They were then packaged in program manuals that guide health professionals through the teaching process and provide all necessary materials for conducting sessions. The resulting four programs teach attack prevention and control skills. They also emphasize coping skills and help families come to terms with the behavioral factors that impinge on asthma management and affect compliance with medical advice. A technology transfer project for getting initial community adoption of these programs is described. The evolution of the project, including the development of the programs themselves, packaging considerations, establishment of a unique partnership for dissemination, development of a model workshop for stimulating health professionals, implementation of programs, and follow up and evaluation, is described. Successful elements are identified at each step.