Beverly W. Henry

An Aging Game Simulation Activity for Allied Health Students

The Aging Game, a simulation activity, has been used successfully with medical students in the development of empathetic attitudes toward older adults. To date, the Aging Game has not been used extensively with allied health students. It has been viewed as too costly, time-consuming and labor-intensive. The purpose of this study was to examine the administrative feasibility of implementing a modified version of the Aging Game for use with allied health students. The study showed that the Aging Game can be easily modified for use with allied health students, and it can deliver positive results for improving empathetic attitudes toward older adults.

Evaluation of the FOCUS (Feedback on Counseling Using Simulation) Instrument for Assessment of Client-centered Nutrition Counseling Behaviors

OBJECTIVE To develop an instrument to assess client-centered counseling behaviors (skills) of student-counselors in a standardized patient (SP) exercise. METHODS Descriptive study of the accuracy and utility of a newly developed counseling evaluation instrument. Study participants included 11 female student-counselors at a Midwestern university-10 Caucasian, 1 African-American-for the simulated counseling sessions, in which the Feedback on Counseling Using Simulation (FOCUS) instrument was applied in 2 SP scenarios (cardiovascular disease and diabetes). FOCUS ratings of student-counselors by 4 SPs during 22 sessions were compared with ratings from a 3-member panel of experts who independently viewed the 22 videotaped sessions. Quantitative analysis of instrument validity included inter-rater reliability by computing generalizability coefficients, Pearson correlations, and Spearman rank-order correlations. RESULTS FOCUS criteria encompassed relevant dimensions of nutrition counseling based in a client-centered perspective. The critical points of information gathering and counseling behaviors showed internal consistency overall and good inter-rater reliability with the cardiovascular disease scenario. For both scenarios, pooled ratings of 3 experts agreed with ratings carried out by SPs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Initial findings suggest that the FOCUS instrument with client-centered criteria may enhance evaluation of counseling skills in SP exercises, meriting further study with larger groups.

Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Knowledge of Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices for Preschoolers: Instrument Development and Validation.

Childhood obesity remains a problem in the United States. Preschool teachers can help to attenuate it but need to have the confidence or self-efficacy to provide healthy practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (a) develop and validate a preschool teacher self-efficacy tool to examine teachers’ confidence in addressing the nutrition and physical activity needs of children in their care and (b) examine relationships between teachers’ self-efficacy and knowledge of healthy nutrition and physical activity practices. Instrument design included examination of related literature and review by 12 subject matter experts. Two hundred seventy-three early childhood professionals submitted a 58-item questionnaire with 48 self-efficacy items in four domains of healthy practices for the preschool classroom; the remaining 10 items reflected knowledge of healthy practices. Two hundred fourteen professionals completed the questionnaire. A principle components factor analysis supported a five-factor self-efficacy scale (three of the original domains and one domain split into two factors) with 46 items. Knowledge of healthy practices and age of the professionals predicted overall self-efficacy. Results indicated evidence of validity for this new assessment tool to assess early childhood professionals’ self-efficacy toward healthy practices in preschool classrooms.

What Employers and Health Care Providers Can Do to Support Breastfeeding in the Workplace: Aiming to Match Positive Attitudes With Action

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to support breastfeeding reaches out to businesses to provide support to working moms. The purpose of this study was to explore what employers of low-income, fu...

An Exploratory Look at Teacher Perceptions of School Food Environment and Wellness Policies

Many factors affect wellness efforts in schools, including food services, health policies, and a lack of systematic support. The purpose of this study was to explore teacher perceptions of the scho...

Preliminary report on dietitians' views and confidence related to nutrition care for eating disorders.

Evidence suggests that nutrition professionals have gaps in knowledge and skills related to prevention and treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating, thus inhibiting effective interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore registered dietitians’ (RDs’) views and confidence levels regarding nutrition care across the spectrum of eating disorders. An online survey management tool was used to collect data from a convenience sample of RDs (N = 291) participating in Pedi-RD list servs and dietetic practice groups including the Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group. Participants answered closed- and open-ended questions about their knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to eating disorders and disordered eating. On average, participants responded that genetics was least important in the development of eating disorders and that psychological issues and obsession with food were most important. Participants indicated that working with a multidisciplinary team was most important to improve the RDs...

Coaching, Mentoring, and Supervision for Workplace Learning

From their review of the literature on the professional curriculum, the authors confirm that teaching and learning situations vary considerably and instructors in workplace settings are constantly challenged to identify and apply appropriate methods that will help preprofessional students reach their learning goals. With education theory and research showing the complexity of teaching and learning processes in the workplace, the authors of this chapter present research related to teaching methods and strategies that best support learning in the workplace for students pursuing careers in the four professions that are featured in this volume. In addition, the authors discuss areas where teaching methods overlap across the professions and present suggestions to meet the challenges of teaching in the workplace.