Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E E Kernohan

Publications and source records attributed to E E Kernohan.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Attitudes, beliefs and behaviour regarding the use of sunbeds amongst healthcare workers in Bradford.

Although cosmetic tanning and unprotected solar exposure are common, little is known about general attitudes, beliefs and behaviour regarding the use of sunbeds. We sought to determine the frequency of sunbeds use in a select sample and to assess the knowledge and beliefs regarding this behaviour. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 648 employees work for Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust. The questionnaire explored demographic information (including hair and skin type, family history with skin cancer), frequency of sunbeds use, knowledge about the risks of UV exposure and motivations for practising this behaviour. Four hundred and eighteen women and 52 men completed the questionnaire, making a response rate of 73%. Nearly half of respondents (207; 44%) reported using sunbeds to some extent; of those 12% reported frequent use. Appearance ('to look better') was the most popular reason given by respondents for using sunbeds, followed by 'feel healthy'. Frequency of using sunbeds was found to be negatively correlated with the age of respondents and the existence of family experience with skin cancer, and strongly associated with the opinion that it is safer to use a sunbed than subathing outdoors, the female sex and smoking. It is clear from this study that the psychological factors that influence sunbeds use are complex and that so far public education campaigns have had little impact on it. This study highlights some of these psychological factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation of a pilot study for breast and cervical cancer screening with Bradford's minority ethnic women; a community development approach, 1991-93.

The objectives were: to provide information about breast and cervical cancer and related screening services to minority ethnic women, to enable them to make well informed decisions and choices; to adopt a health education strategy based on a community development approach, augmented by a local publicity campaign; and to evaluate both the direct and indirect effects of this project. To this end a community development intervention study was made over 18 months from October 1991 to March 1993 in Bradford, a multicultural city with 87,000 residents from minority ethnic groups. The subjects of the study were 1,628 women from minority ethnic groups in three geographical areas of Bradford. A stratified sample of 1,000 women (670 South Asian, 163 African-Caribbean, 96 Eastern European and 71 other) was interviewed at the beginning of the project and six months after the health promotion intervention. Two specifically trained Health Promotion Facilitators from minority ethnic groups undertook community development work within three neighbourhoods in Bradford with the largest minority ethnic populations. There were group sessions in both formal and informal settings, which included health education about breast and cervical cancer and the associated screening programmes. These sessions were in the women's preferred languages and audio-visual material and a specially designed teaching pack were used. There were significant differences in the baseline levels of knowledge about cervical cancer and breast cancer across the different minority ethnic groups. The South Asian women had the lowest levels of knowledge and also showed the most significant improvements. Significant increases in attendance for cervical smear and breast cancer screening were self-reported. These were confirmed by anecdotal views of local health professionals. In addition, a local self-help group for South Asian women was established; also the contacts with other related organisations and professionals has helped to raise the issues of ethnically sensitive services within the voluntary and statutory sectors. A community development approach to health promotion is particularly valuable in communities with low levels of knowledge about a diseases or health service provision. Community development approaches often produce outcomes that had not been predicted. There is a need to conduct a definitive study in this area of health promotion for minority ethnic populations with emphasis on evaluation, cost-benefit analysis and opportunity costs.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Insulin resistance, diabetes, and risk markers for ischaemic heart disease in Asian men and non-Asian in Bradford.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the hypothesis, in a community not studied before, that insulin resistance associated with centralised adiposity is the mechanism underlying the predisposition of Asian immigrant communities to both ischaemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus. DESIGN: Cross sectional study within one socioeconomic stratum. SETTING: Two factories in the textile sector in Bradford, West Yorkshire. SUBJECTS: Male manual workers of Asian (110) and non-Asian origin (156) aged 20-65 years. RESULTS: Diabetes was almost three times more prevalent in the Asian group. Two hours after an oral glucose load Asian men had double the serum insulin concentrations of non-Asian men (p < 0.0001). Asian men also had significantly lower concentrations of plasma total cholesterol (p < 0.03), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (HDL2, p < 0.0001; HDL3, p < 0.0001), and apolipoprotein AI (p < 0.0001). Fasting plasma triglyceride concentrations were slightly higher (p = 0.072) in the Asian men; thus the ratio of triglyceride cholesterol was higher (p = 0.006). The inter-relation between serum insulin and plasma lipid concentrations indicated metabolic differences between the ethnic groups. Insulin concentrations were associated with cholesterol concentrations in the Asian men only and there was a lack of association between triglyceride, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol in this group. The risk marker profile in the Asian men was therefore quite different to that of their non-Asian counterparts and was associated with a greater tendency to centralised adiposity. CONCLUSION: These data support the insulin resistance hypothesis and thus have important implications for strategies for the prevention of heart disease in Asian communities in the United Kingdom.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

General practitioners' perceptions of Asian and non-Asian patients.

The literature on the health of the population of Asian origin contains little on their interaction with primary care services. This paper reports results of a postal survey of GPs' attitudes towards Asian and Non-Asian patients. The response rate was 78%-141 of the 182 GPs replied. Compared with non-Asian patients, GPs held less positive attitudes towards Asian origin patients who were thought to require longer for consultations, be less compliant, and make excessive and inappropriate use of health services. These perceptions have implications for patient care and the GP workload.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Patients' choice of general practitioner: importance of patients' and doctors' sex and ethnicity.

The relative importance of sex and ethnicity in patients' choice of doctor is not known. A total of 1633 consultations at a health centre in Bradford, with a mixed ethnic list, were examined over a four week period to test the relative importance of these variables. Patients had the choice to consult any one of: a male Asian, a male white or a female white doctor. Asian patients, irrespective of sex, were significantly (P less than 0.001) more likely to consult the Asian doctor then either of the other two doctors, though a greater proportion of Asian women than men consulted the female white doctor. Although the sex of the doctor was important in patients' choice, for Asian patients the doctor's culture and language were more important.

Asia↗
PubMed1989

Cross-cultural use of socio-medical indicators with British Asians.

Socio-medical measures of health are increasingly being used as adjuncts to traditional clinical and epidemiological investigations. Such instruments can potentially make a significant contribution to research on inequalities in health between different ethnic groups and in planning health service delivery. However, care must be taken to ensure that the cross-cultural adaptation has conceptual, semantic and linguistic equivalence with the original and cultural differences in the meanings of health and illness must be closely considered. The use of some such instruments with Britain's Asian populations is reviewed and issues in adapting the Nottingham Health Profile for use with these populations, and some preliminary results are discussed.

Asia↗
PubMed1989

Health of British Asians; a research review.

About 2.5 per cent of United Kingdom residents are of Asian (or Indian subcontinent) origin though the term 'Asian' hides their internal diversities of languages, religions and national origins. The research on the health of these populations is heavily concentrated in areas of rickets and osteomalacia, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, and mental health, and is mainly dependent on analysis of routinely available morbidity and mortality data. Little has been published on the use of primary care services, racism in health service delivery, quality of care and doctor-patient communication. Also, few of the studies have attempted to interpret their findings against the disadvantaged background of Asian communities. It is implied that differences in health status are due to linguistic and cultural factors alone. The research literature on the health of Asian populations is critically reviewed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Influence of ethnicity and unemployment on the perceived health of a sample of general practice attenders.

Published research shows people of Asian origin to be less healthy than the white population. Most of the studies have not taken account of differences in employment between populations of white and Asian origin. Also, little research has been carried out on the patients' perceived health. This study, based on 215 patients from an inner-city general practice in Bradford, looks at the influence of ethnicity and unemployment on the perceived health of the sample. The Nottingham Health Profile was used as the measure of perceived health. In the study population, twice as many Asians as white people were unemployed, and significant differences in perceived health were observed between the employed and the unemployed. After controlling for employment, Asian males had significantly better perceived health than white males in the 16-34 age group. Perceived health of Asian and white females was similar on most morbidity dimensions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Patients' choice of general practitioner: influence of patients' fluency in English and the ethnicity and sex of the doctor.

Asian patients' use of general practitioner services and, in particular, their interaction with doctors is not well researched. However, difficulty in communication and in the case of women, reluctance to be examined by a male doctor has been reported. This study, based on interviews with 241 Caucasian, Pakistani and Indian patients attending a general practice in Bradford, examined the relationship between choice of general practitioner and the patient's fluency in English and the general practitioner's ethnicity and sex. Both Pakistani and Indian patients, particularly women, had poor fluency in English and the use of interpreters was confined to women (11% of Pakistani women and 4% of Indian women). The linguistic and broad cultural concordance between the patient and the general practitioner was more important in the choice of doctor than the sex of the general practitioner. It was also found that while 62% of Pakistani women objected to being examined by a male doctor, this was true for only 21% of Indian women.

Asia↗