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Biomedical subjects

C M Kennedy

Publications and source records attributed to C M Kennedy.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Risk taking in young Hispanic children.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to examine risk taking and daring behavior in preschool-age Hispanic children. The study sought to describe aspects of children's personality, behavior, and culture that may inform us of their propensity to take risks that lead to injuries. METHOD: Forty-five children (4 to 5 years of age) and their parents, drawn from a primary care practice, participated in the study. Instruments completed by the families included the Acculturation Scale. Child Shyness Report, Injury Report, and the Injury Behavior Checklist. Children were interviewed about risk taking and daring behavior using a projective technique (Child Sensation Seeking Profile). RESULTS: These children, irrespective of gender and socioeconomic status, reported similar rates of daring and risk taking behavior. Injury behaviors were not predicted by personality profiles of shyness or the child's self-report of risk taking and daring behavior. Actual injuries increased with higher levels of acculturation, but children's injury behaviors reported by parents were low in comparison with other populations. Discrepancies were observed between parental perception and report of children's injury behavior and children's expressed preferences in some domains of daring and risky behavior. DISCUSSION: Primary care providers must consider ethnic differences in rates and causes of injury when developing interventions and injury prevention programs. PNPs can use these findings to better meet the health promotion goals of Healthy Children 2000.

Attitude to Health↗

Clinical utility of the CERAD word list memory test.

The word list memory test from the Consortium to establish a registry for Alzheimer's disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery (Morris et al. 1989) was administered to 230 psychiatric outpatients. Performance of a selected, age-matched psychiatric group and normal controls was compared using an ANCOVA design with education as a covariate. Results indicated that controls performed better than psychiatric patients on most learning and recall indices. The exception to this was the savings index that has been found to be sensitive to the effects of progressive dementias. The current data are compared and integrated with published CERAD data for Alzheimer's disease patients. The CERAD list memory test is recommended as a brief, efficient, and sensitive memory measure that can be used with a range of difficult patients.

Journal Article↗

Television and young Hispanic children's health behaviors.

Television viewing patterns in preschool age Hispanic children were studied in order to explore the role of TV in the establishment of early childhood health behaviors. The television viewing habits and patterns of children and parents and parental coviewing, regulation, and encouragement practices were examined. Using the dimensions of regulation and encouragement, four parental typologies were established: laissez-faire, restrictive, promotive, and selective. Children in this study watched television 3-4 hours a day, half of which consisted of viewing adult shows. This amount of time is significantly higher than the guideline of less than 2 hours a day suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Relationships between television viewing, injury behaviors, risk taking, and acculturation were established and implications for primary care, school, and community health care nursing are discussed.

Child, Preschool↗

Experience in the design and use of isolator systems for sterility testing.

The use of isolator systems for sterility testing is on the increase. Prior to installation and validation careful consideration must be given to the type of barrier to be used, and the design of the facility which will house the barrier system. The validation of these systems requires development and testing of the sterilization cycle. Vapor phase hydrogen peroxide has proven to be efficacious in this application, and examples of sterilization cycle development are presented in this paper. Also of concern is the penetration of sterilant into test articles, media and supplies.

Equipment Design↗

Are children's early emotions antecedents to risk taking?

PURPOSE: To explore the processes by which early emotional experiences affect behavior and to investigate the use of basic development characteristics to guide primary care. METHOD: A randomized cohort of 74 children from a wide range of socio-economic classes were followed from infancy until 54 months of age. Children were assessed at 2 days, 12, 18 and 54 months by laboratory tests and maternal report. RESULTS: The personality characteristic of inhibition/shyness appeared to be an enduring trait from infancy through the preschool years. However, findings did not support the view that early personality variables (e.g., avidity, shyness, security) alone predict risk taking during later years. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses offering safety counseling about risk taking in order to minimize injuries during early childhood should consider personality concepts to be multi-dimensional. Infant and toddler profiles should not be considered solely predictive of later behavior.

Child Behavior↗