Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D L Ronis

Publications and source records attributed to D L Ronis.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Health-promoting lifestyles of blue-collar, skilled trade, and white-collar workers.

The health-promoting lifestyles of blue-collar, skilled trade, and white-collar workers were examined. Specific purposes included determining differences in health-promoting behaviors, especially according to worker category, as well as ethnic identification, age, gender, education, and marital status. A convenience sample of 638 workers in a midwestern automotive components plant completed the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) and demographics questionnaire. In a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) including all demographic variables, significant differences were found in the mean scores on subscales of the HPLP by job category (2 subscales), age (3), gender (2), and education (4). Prior to including education in the MANOVA, significant differences were found by job category on 5 subscales of the HPLP. The effects of education eliminated the majority of the effects of job category.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Preventive oral health behaviors among Detroit-area residents.

PURPOSE: It has been recommended that adults brush and floss their teeth daily and have periodic oral health checkups. A study was conducted to determine if those recommendations are followed. METHODS: Data were collected during face-to-face interviews with a probability sample of 662 dentate adults residing in the Detroit metropolitan area from August to November 1989. Participants were asked how frequently they brushed, flossed, and had checkups. They were also asked about the thoroughness with which they brushed and flossed, and about the advantages and disadvantages of all three behaviors. Descriptive statistics were calculated. RESULTS: The response rate was 72%. While 97% of subjects reported brushing at least once a day and 32% reported flossing at least once a day, 13% indicated they did not brush all teeth or all parts of teeth, and one-third of those who said they flossed daily did not floss all teeth. Seventy-three percent of respondents reported getting dental checkups at least once a year. For brushing, insufficient thoroughness was more commonly a problem than insufficient frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Patient education efforts related to brushing will probably be more effective if they focus on thoroughness rather than frequency. Interventions to increase flossing should probably focus on overcoming skill deficits.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Test of the Health Promotion Model as a causal model of workers' use of hearing protection.

The Health Promotion Model (HPM) was tested as a causal model to predict workers' use of hearing protection (N = 645). Measures indicated an excellent fit of the theoretical model. The exploratory analyses found the same cognitive-perceptual factors most important in predicting use. However, in contrast to the theoretical model, two modifying factors (job category and situational factors) had direct effects on use. The hypothesized model accounted for 49.3% of variance and the exploratory models accounted for 50.7% to 52.7% of variance in hearing protection use. Results of testing the HPM are consistent with the recently proposed revision of the model by Pender, Walker, Frank-Stromborg, and Sechrist (1990a, 1990b). The strongest effects on behavior came from the behavior-specific influences and demographic characteristics. Situational factors had a direct effect on the health behavior.

Cognition↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Updating a measure of dental anxiety: reliability, validity, and norms.

PURPOSE: The Corah Dental Anxiety Scale was introduced in 1969. Since then, changes in dental practice and language usage have dated the scale. The purposes of this study were to (1) slightly modify the scale, (2) assess its reliability and validity, and (3) develop norms for the revised version. The scale modifications recognized the roles of dental hygienists and female dentists in the dental office. Two variations of the first item also were constructed. One asked about going to the dentist "for a checkup¿; the other asked about going "because of a toothache." METHODS: The revised instrument was included in face-to-face interviews with 662 dentate adults living in the Detroit, Michigan, area. Reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha. Validity was examined by correlating the revised scale with another measure of dental anxiety and measures of conceptually related variables. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.82 for the checkup version of the scale, 0.79 for the toothache version, and 0.82 for a scale including both variations of the first item, indicating adequate reliability. Dental anxiety correlated positively with history of dental problems (r = .13, .09, and .10 for the checkup, toothache, and combined versions, respectively), negatively with frequency of preventive dental visits (r = -.28, -.22, and -.25), and positively with another measure of dental anxiety (r = .61, .59, and .62), supporting the validity of the scales. CONCLUSIONS: The checkup version of the revised scale is recommended for future use. The Dental Anxiety Scale as modified continues to be a reliable and valid instrument 20 years after its introduction.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Equivalence of the original and revised dental anxiety scales.

PURPOSE: The Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) was introduced in 1969 as a brief, valid, and reliable instrument to measure anxiety about dental visits. Since then, changes in language usage and dental practice have rendered the scale outdated. In 1994, Ronis introduced the Dental Anxiety Scale-Revised (DAS-R), a version of the DAS revised to acknowledge the roles of dental hygienists and female dentists in the dental office. The current study was conducted to determine whether the original and revised scales are equivalent. METHODS: The study tested the equivalence of the two scales by including both in a questionnaire filled out by 141 male and female college students. Psychometric equivalence was examined by comparing the means, and reliabilities (alphas) of the two scales and by correlating the two scales with each other. RESULTS: Mean scores, variances, and reliabilities of the two versions of the scale did not differ. The Pearson correlation between the two scales was .98. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the DAS-R is psychometrically equivalent to the DAS and can be used in its place whenever more up-to-date wording is desired.

Adolescent↗