Lynda Harrison

An examination of sociocultural factors associated with health and health care seeking among latina immigrants

The purpose of this study was to examine the sociocultural factors associated with health maintenance and health care seeking among Latina immigrants. Data were collected from eight focus groups with 54 Latina immigrants between the ages of 19 and 62 (M=29.3±9.34). The PEN-3 model provided the framework for the study. Most of the participants came from Mexico; 46% had not completed high school; 85.2% had been in the United States for less than 7 years, and 73.6% reported not having health insurance coverage. Participants identified both positive and negative perceptions, enablers, and nurturers associated with health maintenance and health care seeking. Participants acknowledged the importance of physical, mental, and spiritual health and what they should do to be healthy. Despite such knowledge, they tended to engage in unhealthy behaviors due to a variety of nonstructural barriers such as lack of time, “tradition,” and procrastination. They tended to use alternative/complementary medicine first, and then seek medical help if these practices are not effective. Many women believe that they do not have control over their own health attributing this lack of control to the “system.” Participants also mentioned structural barriers to seeking health care such as lack of transportation, lack of proper documentation, lack of health insurance, language barriers, long waiting time at the clinics, and lack of knowledge on where to go for affordable care. Our study suggests that there are important structural and nonstructural barriers that hinder health maintenance and care seeking. The findings also lend support to the PEN-3 model, and suggest that positive perceptions, enablers, and nurturers associated with health maintenance and health care seeking, if properly reinforced, can counterbalance negative perceptions, enablers and nurturers in this population.

COMPETENCIAS EN INVESTIGACIÓN PARA DIFERENTES NIVELES DE FORMACION DE ENFERMERAS: UNA PERSPECTIVA LATINOAMERICANA

The purpose of this study was to identify the research competencies needed by nurses with bachelor, master and doctoral education. Method: Cross-sectional descriptive design; a survey was sent by email to 200 nurses with a 26% response rate. The instrument contains 33 items listing research competencies in the areas of knowledge, analysis, and application. Each item is rated on a scale with four levels that indicate the extent to which the respondents believe that the competency is needed by each level of formation. Content validity was assessed by experts in the subject area. Test-retest reliability was calculated using the percentage agreement method. Results: The greatest percentage of responses was obtained from Chile, followed by Mexico. A total of 82% of the responses were provided by nurses who were research professors or who guided theses. Competencies considered essential for nurses prepared at the bachelor level included knowledge of the steps of the research process and ability to conduct literature reviews. The main differences identified among the different levels of education were related to items about knowledge of the evolution and trends in nursing research, organizations that fund

Relações entre modelos de pais e comportamentos de risco na saúde do adolescente: uma revisão integrativa da literatura

Pesquisas realizadas durante os ultimos 20 anos sugerem que a qualidade da relacao entre pais e adolescentes tem obtido impacto significante no desenvolvimento de comportamentos de risco a saude dos adolescentes. A finalidade deste estudo e apresentar uma revisao bibliografica de estudos publicados entre o ano de 1996 e 2007, que analisam relacoes especificas entre modelos de pais e seis principais comportamentos de risco em adolescentes. Os adolescentes crescidos sob disciplina autoritaria demonstraram consistentemente mais comportamentos seguros e menos comportamentos de risco comparados a adolescentes vindos de familias nao autoritarias. O modelo dos pais e comportamentos relacionados a afetividade, comunicacao familiar e praticas disciplinares, predizem importantes mediadores na formacao do adolescente, incluindo o desenvolvimento academico e o ajuste psico-social. Avaliacoes cuidadosas de modelos padroes de pais em diversas populacoes, sera uma proxima etapa critica no desenvolvimento de intervencoes eficazes e culturalmente adaptadas, na promocao de saude a adolescentes.Research over the past 20 years suggests that the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship significantly affects the development of risk behaviors in adolescent health. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of studies published between 1996-2007 that address specific relationships between parenting styles and six priority adolescent risk behaviors. The review supports the substantial influence of parenting style on adolescent development. Adolescents raised in authoritative households consistently demonstrate higher protective and fewer risk behaviors than adolescents from non-authoritative families. There is also considerable evidence to show that parenting styles and behaviors related to warmth, communication and disciplinary practices predict important mediators, including academic achievement and psychosocial adjustment. Careful examination of parenting style patterns in diverse populations, particularly with respect to physical activity and unintentional injury, will be a critical next step in the development of efficacious, culturally tailored adolescent health promotion interventions.Research over the past 20 years suggests that the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship significantly affects the development of risk behaviors in adolescent health. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of studies published between 1996-2007 that address specific relationships between parenting styles and six priority adolescent risk behaviors. The review supports the substantial influence of parenting style on adolescent development. Adolescents raised in authoritative households consistently demonstrate higher protective and fewer risk behaviors than adolescents from non-authoritative families. There is also considerable evidence to show that parenting styles and behaviors related to warmth, communication and disciplinary practices predict important mediators, including academic achievement and psychosocial adjustment. Careful examination of parenting style patterns in diverse populations, particularly with respect to physical activity and unintentional injury, will be a critical next step in the development of efficacious, culturally tailored adolescent health promotion interventions.

Factors Associated with Vagal Tone Responses in Preterm Infants

The purpose of this study was to examine factors related to vagal tone (VNA) among preterm infants receiving a 10-minute gentle human touch (GHT) intervention three times daily for 10 days. VNA was measured continuously for 10 minutes before, during, and after each 10-minute GHT intervention. Findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between VNA and gestational age, although there were no relationships between VNA and measures of motor activity or behavioral distress. There was no difference in pattern of response to GHT or level of morbidity, average daily weight gain, or behavioral organization among infants with low, moderate, and high baseline VNA levels. There was no difference in VNA comparing infants in the GHT and control groups or during baseline, touch, and posttouch phases for infants in the GHT group. There is a need for further research to examine the usefulness of VNA as a measure of stress vulnerability among preterm infants.

Child health needs of rural Alabama Latino families.

Abstract This article presents findings from a study 1 that used focus group methodology to identify perceptions of Latino parents living in rural Alabama related to their childrens health needs. Sixteen focus groups were held with a total of 89 parents (54 mothers and 35 fathers). The groups were led by native Spanish speakers, and group meetings were tape recorded. The main themes that emerged related to (a) what children need to be healthy, (b) common childrens health problems, (c) what we do when children are ill, (d) barriers to receiving health care, (e) parenting issues and concerns, (f) experiences with childrens schools, and (g) services needed. The findings can be used to guide the development of culturally appropriate, community-based programs to address the priority health needs of the growing Latino community in rural areas of the United States. This study was funded by pilot study Grant U50OH07551–05 from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health through the Southern Agromedicine Institute at East Carolina University.

Use of individualized versus standard criteria to identify abnormal levels of heart rate or oxygen saturation in preterm infants

Preterm infants’ physiological indicators, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation levels, are routinely monitored by devices that can alert nurses to threatening changes in condition. Most Neonatal Intensive Care Units use standard criteria as alerting algorithms to determine when an alert should be issued, and these standard criteria have been adopted uncritically in studies of preterm infants. This article presents results from a study examining preterm infants’ physiological responses to a gentle human touch (GHT) intervention in which we compared the use of standard and individualized criteria to define the percentages of abnormally low and high heart rates (HRs) and abnormally low oxygen saturation (O2 sat) levels before, during, and after periods of GHT. Results indicated that there were no differences in the percentages of abnormal HRs or O2 sat values between periods using standard criteria. However, using individualized criteria, there were significantly greater percentages of abnormally low heart rates and O2 sat levels during and after GHT periods as compared to baseline periods. The findings suggest that standard criteria may not be sensitive enough to detect subtle physiological responses to environmental stimuli such as touch. Moreover, consistent with the recognition of the value of individualized developmental care, these results suggest that the clinical effectiveness of individualized criteria for setting monitor alert limits merits further investigation.