Cheri Ann Hernandez

Choosing and Using Theories in Diabetes Education Research

Diabetes educators use theories all the time, even if they are not aware of it. To teach, one must have some assumptions about how people learn and what constitutes effective teaching. The purpose of this article is to help diabetes educators interested in research and evaluation choose appropriate theories. The article will review the 4 purposes of theories, that is, description, explanation, prediction, and control, as well as the degree to which a theory has been articulated and elaborated. The importance of a theory’s personal resonance, its explanatory power, and its utility will also be examined. The article will also review how to use 1 or more theories at each stage of a research or evaluation project.

Choosing and using citation and bibliographic database software (BDS).

The diabetes educator/researcher is faced with a proliferation of diabetes articles in various journals, both online and in print. Keeping track of cited references and remembering how to cite the references in text and the bibliography can be a daunting task for the new researcher and a tedious task for the experienced researcher. The challenge is to find and use a technology, such as bibliographic database software (BDS), which can help to manage this information overload. This article focuses on the use of BDS for the diabetes educator who is undertaking research. BDS can help researchers access and organize literature and make literature searches more efficient and less time consuming. Moreover, the use of such programs tends to reduce errors associated with the complexity of bibliographic citations and can increase the productivity of scholarly publications. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of BDS currently available, describe how it can be used to aid researchers in their work, and highlight the features of different programs. It is important for diabetes educators and researchers to explore the many benefits of such BDS programs and consider their use to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of accessing and citing references of their research work and publications. Armed with this knowledge, researchers will be able to make informed decisions about selecting BDS which will meet their usage requirements.

Integration: A Phenomenon to Explore in Chronic Nonmalignant Pain (CNP)

The concept of integration has been identified as an ongoing process occurring between a diagnosis of illness and subsequent physical and emotional healing. Integration has been explored in a variety of illness populations, such as Crohn disease, diabetes, and cardiac rehabilitation. It has also been posited as a useful concept to investigate in other chronic conditions, such as mental illness and weight management. However, integration has not been explored in the field of chronic pain. The purpose of this paper was to provide an overview of the strategies taken to examine the utility of integration as a concept in the field of chronic nonmalignant pain (CNP). Various comparisons were conducted between published qualitative studies examining the lived experiences of individuals with CNP and the theory of integration. These comparisons affirmed the significance of integration as a concept to be explored in the field of CNP. The resulting recommendation is for the continued investigation of the integration process, including development of a valid and reliable tool to measure CNP integration.

The experience of weight management in normal weight adults

BACKGROUND No prior research has been done with normal weight persons specific to their experience of weight management. PURPOSE The purpose of this research was to discover the experience of weight management in normal weight individuals. METHOD Glaserian grounded theory was used. Qualitative data (focus group) and quantitative data (food diary, study questionnaire, and anthropometric measures) were collected. DISCUSSION Weight management was an ongoing process of trying to focus on living (family, work, and social), while maintaining their normal weight targets through five consciously and unconsciously used strategies. Despite maintaining normal weights, the nutritional composition of foods eaten was grossly inadequate. CONCLUSIONS These five strategies can be used to develop new weight management strategies that could be integrated into existing weight management programs, or could be developed into novel weight management interventions. Surprisingly, normal weight individuals require dietary assessment and nutrition education to prevent future negative health consequences.