Rita L. Ailinger

Women's Knowledge of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis affects one in four women over the age of 65 and is a major cause of hip fractures that place women in nursing homes. In this study of 247 women, their knowledge of osteoporosis was assessed with the Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz. The instrument measured their responses to questions about self-care practices related to risk factors and preventive behavior associated with osteoporosis. Respondents came from occupational and primary health care settings and a health fair. The women ranged in age from 22 to 84 years. Findings indicated that the majority of women had inadequate knowledge of osteoporosis risk factors and preventive behavior.

Bone up on osteoporosis. Development of the Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz.

PURPOSE To describe the development of an instrument to measure womens knowledge of osteoporosis based on Orems self-care theory and the latest clinical research on osteoporosis. SAMPLE One hundred and four women from four groups including graduate and undergraduate nursing students, sociology students, and a community sample, completed the instrument. METHODS Items for the instrument were developed from three objectives related to osteoporosis risk factors, known facts and preventive behaviors. There were 34 items on the original instrument. It was content validated by experts and subjected to item analysis. The report contains a copy of the instrument with the theoretical classification and item analysis. FINDINGS The Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz had a content validity index of .92, a reliability of .83 and a reading level of sixth grade. Item difficulty and item discrimination were used to delete items. The final instrument contains 25 items. CONCLUSION The quiz is a simple, inexpensive measure that can be used in various settings by nurses to assess womens knowledge of self-care in osteoporosis.

Revision of the Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz.

BackgroundFew instruments exist that measure knowledge of osteoporosis, a health risk for 28 million Americans. The original Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz (FOOQ), which was theoretically informed by Orem’s (1995) Self-Care Theory, was published in 1998. In 2000, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) held a consensus conference on osteoporosis in which previous knowledge was modified based on current science. ObjectivesThe goal was to update the original instrument based on the latest scientific evidence and to determine its psychometric properties. MethodThe quiz content was validated by osteoporosis experts and is theoretically informed by Orem’s (2001) Self-Care Theory. An iterative process was used to design an instrument with an acceptable reading level. Reliability, item discrimination, and item difficulty were assessed in a convenience sample of 256 participants. ResultsThe revised quiz, content-based on the 2000 NIH osteoporosis consensus conference, includes 20 questions. The quiz has a content validity index of .87, an internal consistency reliability of .76 and a 6th grade reading level. Item difficulty and item discrimination are also reported. ConclusionsThe revised version of the FOOQ provides a valid, reliable, and theoretically informed instrument with acceptable psychometric properties.

Factors influencing osteoporosis knowledge: a community study.

According to the 2004 Surgeon Generals report, more than 10 million people in the United States have osteoporosis, and another 34 million are at risk of developing this crippling disease that affects the quality of life. Efforts must be made to stem this disease that may be largely prevented with lifestyle changes. To engage in self-care to prevent osteoporosis, people need to have knowledge of risks and preventive behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing osteoporosis knowledge in 255 people in a university community. The Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz (Ailinger, Lasus, & Braun, 2003) was used to measure osteoporosis knowledge. Findings indicated that respondents had inadequate knowledge about osteoporosis. Age was positively correlated with knowledge (r = .27, p < .000), but education was not. There were marked differences in mean scores among ethnic groups. The findings suggest topics that community health nurses need to focus on in their osteoporosis educational interventions.

Contributions of qualitative research to evidence-based practice in nursing

OBJETIVO: Este artigo objetiva identificar as contribuicoes da pesquisa qualitativa para a pratica de enfermagem baseada em evidencias. HISTORICO: A pesquisa qualitativa foi estimulada especialmente a partir dos anos 20 e 30 do seculo 20, quando antropologos e sociologicos passaram a usar metodos qualitativos para estudar o fenomeno humano em ambientes naturais e a partir de ponto de vista holistico. Posteriormente, outras ciencias, inclusive a enfermagem, adotaram metodos qualitativos para responder as suas perguntas de pesquisa. A reestruturacao da atencao a saude na ultima decada resultou em uma maior confiabilidade atribuida a pesquisa em enfermagem. A pratica baseada em evidencias favoreceu este processo. METODO: O metodo utilizado foi a pesquisa no banco de dados Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature de 1999 ate o presente. A pesquisa resultou em 61 citacoes da pratica baseada em evidencias relacionada a pesquisa em Enfermagem. Todavia, apenas 5 delas focava a pratica baseada em evidencias e a pesquisa qualitativa. ACHADOS: Os achados revelarem seis contribuicoes da pesquisa qualitativa para a pratica baseada em evidencias: geracao de hipoteses, desenvolvimento e validacao de instrumentos, possibilidade de um contexto para availacao, desenvolvimento das intervencoes de enfermagem, desenvolvimento de novas perguntas de pesquisa e aplicacao da analise do resultado qualitativo. CONCLUSAO: A pesquisa qualitativa resulta em importanes contribuicoes para a qualidade da pratica baseada em evidencias.

Latino Immigrants' Explanatory Models of Tuberculosis Infection

One third of the worlds population is infected with the tuberculosis (TB) bacillus, and the disease accounts for more than

Folk beliefs about high blood pressure in Hispanic immigrants.

700 million annual U.S. health care expenditures. Only about 3% of that amount is spent on preventive therapy. The major problem with preventive therapy is lack of adherence among high-risk groups, such as Latino immigrants. To improve adherence, public health professionals need a better understanding of the meaning of tuberculosis infection to Latino immigrants. In this study, Kleinmans frame-work for eliciting an explanatory model was used in interviews with 65 Latino immigrants enrolled in preventive therapy in a county health department. The focus of the interview was their beliefs concerning the cause of their infection, their fears about it, and the results they hoped to achieve in preventive therapy. Among other findings, the study indicated that most of the immigrants did not know the cause of their infection.

Nursing research in Latin America: 1988-1998

High blood pressure (HBP) is a major public health problem in the United States and affects nearly 60 million people. Among Hispanics the prevalence rate for HBP is about 18% (Ailinger, 1984; Leonard, Igra, & Hawthorne, 1981). Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the United States, and it is estimated that by the next decade they will be the largest minority (Giachello, Bell, Aday, & Anderson, 1983). There are several reasons that it is imperative that nurses learn about HBP and other health threats to this minority. First, folk beliefs about HBP are important, because the beliefs may determine when the individual client defines something as an illness. Second, folk beliefs about contributing factors in HBP may determine when the client goes for treatment. Third, folk beliefs may suggest who the client goes to for HBP therapy. Finally, folk beliefs may determine which preventive measures are perceived as appropriate. According to Tripp-Reimer, Brink, and Saunders (1984), nurses need to identify beliefs that influence a health problem. The purpose of this study was to describe the folk beliefs about HBP found in a community study of over 300 Hispanic immigrants. During the last 10 years there have been a number of articles in the health literature on general folk beliefs of Hispanic patient populations in the United States. Hispanics is the broad term that includes MexicanAmericans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central Americans, and South Americans. Most of these studies focused on Mexican-Americans (Anthony-Tkach, 1981; Chesney, Thompson, Guevara, Vela, & Schottstaedt, 1980; Gonzales-Swafford & Gutierrez, 1983; Kay, 1977; Mull & Mull, 1981; Murillo-Rhode, 1980; Sandler & Chan, 1978; Trotter, 1981), Puerto Ricans (Delgado, 1979), or Central Americans and South Americans (Cohen, 1979). While all of these investigators studied folk beliefs, none focused on a particular health problem such as HBP.

Herbal remedies in a Nicaraguan barrio.

O objetivo do presente artigo e oferecer um panorama da pesquisa em enfermagem na America Latina realizada durante a decada de 1988 a 1998. A informacao reunida nos Coloquios Pan-Americanos de Pesquisa em Enfermagem, organizados a cada dois anos, foi submetida a analise secundaria. Descobrimos que a maior parte das pesquisas foi produzida no Brasil, o unico pais com um programa de doutorado em enfermagem nos anos noventa. Os temas de pesquisa incluem topicos de saude publica, estudos clinicos (normalmente de adultos), estudos do processo de assistencia de enfermagem, comunicacao terapeutica e assuntos administrativos, tais como normas de cuidado e qualidade. O desenho mais comum foi o estudo quantitativo descritivo, mas tambem encontramos varios estudos qualitativos. A analise oferece direcoes para futuras pesquisas e indica areas de preocupacao, especialmente a necessidade de pesquisas de enfermagem com fundamentacao teorica.The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of nursing research in Latin America during the decade from 1988 to 1998. Data from the bi-annual Pan American Colloquia in Nursing Research from 1988 to 1998 were subject to secondary analysis. Findings indicate that most of the research emanated from Brazil, the only country with a doctoral program in nursing in the 1990s. Research topics included: public health issues, clinical studies (usually of adults), nursing care studies of process, therapeutic communication, and administrative issues such as standards of care and quality. The most common design was descriptive quantitative, although there were several qualitative studies. The analysis provides directions for future research and indicates areas of concern, especially the need for theory based nursing research.

Health and Illness Concepts Among Lower Income Nicaraguan Women

To become more culturally competent, nurses need to increase their knowledge of the health practices of their immigrant clients. With the growing Latino immigrant community, it is imperative that nurses learn more about the cultures from which the immigrants come. This article examines the use of herbal remedies in treating common illnesses in a barrio in Managua, Nicaragua. Data were collected in a random sample of households in an impoverished community of more than 1,600 persons. The use of herbal remedies occurred in 78% of the households. Herbal remedies were used for a variety of symptoms. There was no difference in herbal remedy use based on age or education. The discussion focuses on the availability and functionality of these herbal remedies for this vulnerable population. Implications are addressed for incorporating this information into nursing practice with Central American immigrants, thereby increasing cultural competence.