Betsy VanLeit

A Preliminary Study of the Effects of a Modified Mindfulness Intervention on Binge Eating

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of a modified mindfulness intervention for reducing binge eating. Participants (n = 25) were recruited from the general public for a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. The standard MBSR format was modified to include brief eating exercises. There was no control group. Participants completed the Binge Eating Scale and other self-report measures before and after the course. There was a decline in binge eating as well as state anxiety and depressive symptoms. Reduced binge eating was related to increased self-acceptance and reduced state anxiety. The results are discussed with regard to laying the foundation for future research on the effects of mindfulness on eating.

Health Extension in New Mexico: An Academic Health Center and the Social Determinants of Disease

The Agricultural Cooperative Extension Service model offers academic health centers methodologies for community engagement that can address the social determinants of disease. The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center developed Health Extension Rural Offices (HEROs) as a vehicle for its model of health extension. Health extension agents are located in rural communities across the state and are supported by regional coordinators and the Office of the Vice President for Community Health at the Health Sciences Center. The role of agents is to work with different sectors of the community in identifying high-priority health needs and linking those needs with university resources in education, clinical service and research. Community needs, interventions, and outcomes are monitored by county health report cards. The Health Sciences Center is a large and varied resource, the breadth and accessibility of which are mostly unknown to communities. Community health needs vary, and agents are able to tap into an array of existing health center resources to address those needs. Agents serve a broader purpose beyond immediate, strictly medical needs by addressing underlying social determinants of disease, such as school retention, food insecurity, and local economic development. Developing local capacity to address local needs has become an overriding concern. Community-based health extension agents can effectively bridge those needs with academic health center resources and extend those resources to address the underlying social determinants of disease.

Perceived Changes in Self-Image and Coping Strategies of Mothers of Children with Disabilities

Changes in the perceived self-images and coping strategies of mothers of children with special needs after they participated in a short-term occupational therapy intervention (Project Bien Estar) are discussed. We conducted focus groups to ascertain whether womens coping strategies and views of themselves had changed as a result of participation in the program. The results of this study found that participating in Project Bien Estar enabled participants to share their perceptions of their self-image such as feeling overwhelmed with their daily care routine, being socially isolated, losing their identity, and expecting less from their careers. Participants expressed that participating in the program helped them to feel strong, attractive, resilient, respected, and accepted. After participating in the program, they expressed they had gained coping skills such as increased ability to advocate for themselves and their child, more relaxed expectations about their responsibilities and what is needed to care well for their child, and increased self-care practices.

Occupational concerns of women who are homeless and have children: an occupational justice critique.

SUMMARY The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the occupational goals and concerns of women who are homeless with children. Twenty-seven women with children living in homeless shelters completed interviews using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Occupational issues and concerns were identified for each participant, and then they were pooled. A total of 169 occupational concerns were described and analyzed. The most common occupational issues identified by participants concerned finances, employment, education, transportation, housing, time for self, personal appearance, home management, and parenting. Analysis of identified occupational concerns suggests that the homeless women with children experienced a range of institutional and social barriers to occupational participation: essentially a form of occupational injustice. This study raises questions concerning the most effective roles for occupational therapists to facilitate empowerment so that women who are homeless may fully participate in the communities where they live.

Interdisciplinary health education and career choice in rural and underserved areas

Purpose  To assess the association between an educational rural health interdisciplinary programme (RHIP) and subsequent practice in US rural and underserved locations.

Time Use of Women with Children Living in an Emergency Homeless Shelter for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Time use patterns were systematically assessed in a sample of women with children living in a domestic violence shelter. A convenience sample of 23 women residing in a homeless shelter for women escaping domestic violence participated in this study. Time use patterns were obtained by the participants verbally reviewing a previous weekday and weekend day with the research team members. While staying at an emergency shelter for women fleeing violence, the women in this study spent significant amounts of time in sleep and rest activities, passive recreation, and socializing with other shelter residents. The daily activities engaged in by women with children living in an emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence reflect the complex housing and personal transitions they face. Their activity patterns reflect the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and conditions in this population and the crisis nature of surviving without stable housing in a shelter.

Using the ICF to address needs of people with disabilities in international development: Cambodian case study.

International development work is designed to help developing countries strengthen their economies, infrastructure, healthcare systems and educational systems in order to decrease poverty and to improve the quality of life for citizens. However, people with disabilities often miss out on the benefits of development efforts because international organizations and donors do not know how to include them. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) could serve as a model for understanding disability from a population perspective, and has the potential to guide disability mainstreaming in international development. To use the ICF as an operational tool for international development requires highlighting the relationship between specific categories of body function impairments and the environmental factors that serve as barriers or facilitators in order to identify needed accommodations on the regional or national level. In addition, accurate and complete national data are needed that use internationally accepted definitions of disability. This paper suggests a framework based on the ICF for analyzing relationships between particular impairments and environmental factors that impede or enable activity and participation. Specific examples are offered from the developing country of Cambodia to illustrate this population-based use of the ICF.

Adolescent Social Action Program: Involvement of Occupational Therapy Students in an Innovative Health Promotion Program

Health promotion is a promising but underutilized area of occupational therapy practice. In order for occupational therapy practitioners to increase their involvement in wellness and prevention programs, it is necessary for students to gain relevant fieldwork experience. This article describes the involvement of occupational therapy undergraduate students at the University of New Mexico in a health promotion program targeting youth. The program is based on an empowerment model emphasizing active learning methods and involvement of participants in all phases of the program. Specific examples of occupational therapy student projects are identified, and implications for future practice are discussed.

Influencing Health and Well-Being Internationally Using an Occupation-Based Perspective: Reflections From Cambodia

This article describes the experience of two occupational therapy educators who have spent time doing disability-related work in Cambodia, a country that is in the process of rebuilding its economic, education, and health infrastructure after years of war and turbulence. The authors describe their experiences, and reflect on important principles of working overseas including: setting aside assumptions and pre-laid plans; letting the reality on the ground guide decision-making and action; respecting local culture; creating strong programs through local participation and capacity-building; attending to systems issues; building bridges through attention to language and communication; and valuing the unique contributions that occupational therapy can make to international development efforts.

Addressing complex multi-dimensional health problems using interprofessional education.

ism (conflicts of interest versus opportunity; competency versus respect). Discussion of issues unique to the regional culture showed alignment with community norms and congruence with standards of professionalism and communication, for example, gender sensitivity and communication with veiled female practitioners. Faith-based practices, such as conducting prayers five times per day, were adapted in a manner where fulfilling patients’ needs emerged as a priority even if prayers were missed at designated times. Personal relationships and marriages among faculty staff and trainees did not follow standard professional codes and there was a consensus on the need for educational and training institutions to enforce regulations in this area. Drug company support for scientific activities was generally considered acceptable by trainees and was one of the topics in which the SPPA programme had a strong impact in altering common beliefs. Overall knowledge was assessed using a preand post-intervention test. Preliminary results showed a mean pretest score of 32.5% and a mean post-test score of 87.9%. What lessons were learned? The SPPA programme significantly increased awareness and knowledge among trainees of medical professionalism. It revealed a general alignment of faith and cultural practices with standard medical professionalism. However, some areas, such as those pertaining to personal relationships and drug company support, are to be regulated in order to adapt professional behaviour to culture-based norms. It is recommended that the SPPA programme be disseminated among students and trainees on a wider national and regional scale.