Jane H. Lassetter

The Impact of Migration on the Health of Voluntary Migrants in Western Societies A Review of the Literature

The authors reviewed literature on the health of voluntary migrants to Western societies and factors affecting their health. Health indicators include mortality rates and life expectancy, birth outcomes, risk of illness, patterns of deteriorating health, cardiovascular disease, body mass index, hypertension, and depression. Multiple factors explain variability, including length of residence and acculturation, disease exposure, life style and living conditions, risky behaviors, healthy habits, social support networks, cultural and linguistic barriers, experiences with racism, and levels of awareness of cultural health practices among health care providers. Evidence exists for superior health among many migrants to Western countries relative to native-born persons, but the differential disappears over time. Migration is a dynamic, extended process with effects occurring years after physical relocation. Systemic change is required, including health policies that ensure equity for migrants, culturally appropriate health promotion, and routine assessment of migration history, cultural health practices, and disease exposure.

Successfully incorporating Writing Across the Curriculum with advanced writing in nursing.

The purpose of this article is to explain the concepts of Writing Across the Curriculum, Writing in the Disciplines, and Writing to Learn, and to describe the incorporation of advanced writing into a baccalaureate nursing program and provide suggestions for accessing resources and promoting success. The goals of incorporating Writing Across the Curriculum, Writing in the Disciplines, and Writing to Learn concepts into nursing curriculum are to assist nursing students to achieve competence in clinically relevant writing assignments; to demonstrate critical thinking and communication skills, both oral and written; to execute useful literature searches; to read and understand research reports; and to encourage the incorporation of evidence into clinical practice. With a strong and established writing foundation, nursing students will be more successful in written and oral communication during their nursing program and throughout their nursing career.

Giving birth: The voices of Russian women.

PurposeTo gain an understanding of the meaning of childbirth to women living in St. Petersburg, the Russian Federation. Study Design and MethodTwenty-four Russian women who had given birth in the past 6 months participated in this phenomenological study and were interviewed and audio-taped about the meaning of childbirth. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently. ResultsThe Russian sociocultural context of childbirth was identified in specific themes: (1) adhering to cultural traditions, (2) accessing information, (3) maintaining a healthy lifestyle, (4) articulating the spiritual and emotional meaning of giving birth, and (5) transforming as a mother and a person. Study participants reported reading extensively during pregnancy as well as accessing Web-based information about childbirth. Women chose to give their newborns traditional Slavic names and have their infants christened. Clinical ImplicationsThe findings of qualitative studies can be used to guide clinical practice, because they provide rich data about essential life events and reactions associated with them. Women from Russia are emigrating to countries all over the world, and thus, their cultural views of childbirth are essential knowledge for the provision of appropriate nursing care. With dramatic socioeconomic and political changes occurring over the past 15 years, along with major changes in healthcare delivery systems, listening to the voices of Russian childbearing women giving birth is vital information for nurses working in maternal-child health settings.

Integrating Advanced Writing Content into a Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing Course

Since there are few data examining methods to help students learn to write in a scholarly manner, the purposes of this project were to (1) evaluate students’ learning of writing content integrated into a Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing course by examining differences in scores on a writing assessment taken at the beginning and end of the course; and (2) examine student confidence ratings relative to writing to see if it improved during the course. After obtaining IRB approval and informed consent, the CLIPS pre and post assessment mean scores of 82 students in a Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing course were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Confidence ratings in formal and informal writing were also obtained from a subsample of 47 students. Mean scores improved in 12 out of 26 assessment categories related to punctuation, correct usage of words, and sentence construction. Student mean confidence ratings increased each month.

The effectiveness of complementary therapies on the pain experience of hospitalized children.

Pain is a complex phenomenon for children, and the concepts of hospitalization and pain are often linked in the minds of children. Despite best-practice guidelines and standards related to pain management, many hospitalized children continue to have unrelieved pain. This suggests that analgesics alone do not sufficiently relieve their discomfort. Complementary therapies may have an important role in holistic pediatric pain management. This review of literature evaluates available evidence related to the use and effectiveness of complementary therapies on the pain experience of children in hospital settings. Thirteen recent research articles relative to this topic were located and included in this review. A variety of complementary therapies, including relaxation, distraction, hypnosis, art therapies, and imagery, are included. Results of the research are mixed, and further investigation is required.

The Integral Role of Food in Native Hawaiian Migrants’ Perceptions of Health and Well-Being

Purpose: Obesity is prevalent among Native Hawaiians, but the relationship between food and perceptions of health and well-being is not well understood. The purpose was to explore the role of food in Native Hawaiians’ perceptions of health and well-being. Design: A qualitative descriptive design was used. Twenty-seven Native Hawaiian participants in Las Vegas took part in semistructured interviews. Results: Participants expressed that food can be dangerous to health. However, eating Hawaiian food seems to relieve homesickness, and they occasionally indulge in binge overeating. Conclusions: Hawaiian food plays an important role in participants’ health and well-being. Participants’ concurrent attraction to Hawaiian-style food and desire to avoid unhealthy food create a challenging struggle. Implications for Practice: To support cultural connectedness, Native Hawaiians can be encouraged to expend consumed calories in physical activity as their ancestors did. Discussing nutrition from a family framework might be helpful to Native Hawaiians.

Consulting with children in the development of self-efficacy and recall tools related to nutrition and physical activity.

PURPOSE This article chronicles our efforts to develop an instrument with and for children-complete with insights, multiple iterations, and missteps along the way. The instruments we developed assess childrens self-efficacy and recall related to healthy eating and physical activity. DESIGN AND METHODS Five focus groups were held with 39 children to discuss the evolving instrument. RESULTS A nine-item self-efficacy instrument and a 10-item recall instrument were developed with Flesch-Kincaid grade levels of 1.8 and 4.0, respectively, which fifth graders can complete in less than 5 min. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS When assessing children in clinical practice or research, we should use instruments that have been developed with childrens feedback and are child-centered. Without that assurance, assessment results can be questionable.

Perceptions of health and well-being held by Native Hawaiian migrants.

Background and Purpose: Migration is often a challenging process. Native Hawaiians migrate from Hawaii to Las Vegas at an impressive rate, but no research has explored how migration affects their health and well-being. The purpose was to describe how Native Hawaiians in Las Vegas perceive their health and well-being and any changes therein since migrating. Design: Using a qualitative descriptive design, 27 participants took part in semistructured interviews. Findings/Results: Most participants perceived no changes in health and minor changes in well-being. Many maintained their well-being by adapting valued activities to their new circumstances. However, 5 participants were deeply burdened by life in Las Vegas or longing for Hawaii, and their well-being suffered. They tended to identify barriers to well-being rather than ways to foster it. Conclusion: Health care providers can help Native Hawaiian migrants by encouraging early access to the health care system in their new location and facilitating participation in helpful, adaptive behaviors.

The Relationship Between Select Demographic Characteristics and Body Mass Index Among Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Caregiving Adults

Purpose: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (NHOPIs) have the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the world. We identified the proportion of our NHOPI sample in each body mass index (BMI) category and explored relationships between BMI and demographic characteristics. Design/Method: Our descriptive correlational study included 364 NHOPI caregiver adults in Utah (n = 155) and Hawaii (n = 209). We gathered demographic information with a questionnaire. Height and weight were measured for BMI calculations. Results: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s BMI categories, 84.3% of our sample was overweight or obese. Participants in Utah had significantly higher BMIs than participants in Hawaii. Educational attainment was inversely related with BMI; however, age, gender, and income were not significantly related with BMI. Discussion: NHOPIs on the U.S. mainland may be at greater risk for obesity than those in Hawaii; food price differences between locations may help explain this. NHOPIs in early adulthood had high BMIs; overtime this situation could worsen without intervention. Implications for practice: NHOPIs with low education levels or in areas of low food prices are at increased risk for obesity. Future research should focus on culturally sensitive interventions to reduce NHOPI obesity and associated risks.

Psychometric testing of the healthy eating and physical activity self-efficacy questionnaire and the healthy eating and physical activity behavior recall questionnaire for children

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the psychometric properties for two related questionnaires: the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Self‐Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (HEPASEQ‐C) and the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Behavior Recall Questionnaire for Children (HEPABRQ‐C). Design and Methods HEPASEQ‐C and HEPABRQ‐C were administered to 517 participating children with 492 completing. Data were analyzed to evaluate for reliability and validity of the questionnaires. Results Content validity was established through a 10‐person expert panel. For the HEPASEQ‐C, item content validity index (CVI) ranged from 0.80 to 1.00. The CVI for the total questionnaire was 1.0. All HEPASEQ‐C items loaded on a single factor. Cronbachs alpha was deemed acceptable (.749). For the HEPABRQ‐C, item CVI ranged from 0.88 to 1.00. CVI for the total questionnaire was 1.0. Pearson product moment correlation between HEPASEQ‐C and HEPABRQ‐C scores was significant (r = .501, p = .000). Practice Implications The HEPASEQ‐C and HEPABRQ‐C are easily administered and provide helpful insights into childrens self‐efficacy and behavior recall. They are easy to use and applicable for upper elementary school settings, in clinical settings for individual patients, and in health promotion settings.