Biomedical subjects

J H Price

Publications and source records attributed to J H Price.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

Training in firearm safety counseling in pediatric residency programs.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the status of formal training in pediatric residency programs with regard to firearm safety counseling. DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Pediatric residency programs of the coterminous United States (N = 209). PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: The population of pediatric residency program directors. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A national baseline assessment of the proportion of pediatric residency programs with formal training on firearm safety counseling. In addition, the content taught, methods of provision, barriers to offering such training, and resources that could increase the number of programs offering such training. RESULTS: The response rate of the residency directors was 77%. One third of the residency programs offered formal firearm safety counseling training. Sixty-five percent of the respondents strongly agreed that it is the pediatrician's responsibility to counsel on this topic. Few residency directors (19%) perceived that firearm safety counseling would be effective in reducing the number of accidental firearm injuries or deaths. The 3 resources most frequently identified that, if available, would increase the amount of time residencies would spend on training were video training programs (64%), patient education materials (62%), and a curriculum guide (55%). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians have a vested interest in preventing childhood firearm violence. Yet, fewer than half of the residency directors believed that firearm issues be given high priority in residency programs. The barriers to providing such training (eg, no trained personnel and lack of educational resources) should not be major impediments to resolving this health problem.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Sun protection counseling by pediatricians.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a national baseline regarding pediatricians' sun protection counseling perceptions and behaviors. INTERVENTIONS: A survey was mailed to a random sample of 600 pediatricians selected from the 1996 American Academy of Pediatrics Directory using a 3-wave mailing technique to maximize the response rate. The 3-wave mailing resulted in 414 returned surveys of 583 surveys (17 surveys were nondeliverable) (a 71% response rate). RESULTS: Most (60%) of the pediatricians lacked formal training on how to counsel parents and children about sun protection. Approximately 3 (78%) of 4 indicated that not enough time was spent in their residency program on how to educate parents and children about sun protection. Greater than half (60%) of the respondents indicated that they usually (47%) or always (13%) counseled about sun protection. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents indicated that pediatricians have a professional responsibility to counsel parents and children about sun protection. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this investigation suggest that most pediatricians surveyed believed that they had a professional responsibility to counsel about sun protection and that such counseling would be effective in decreasing skin cancer and the number of sunburns. Although most had not had training on sun protection counseling in their residency program, 6 of 10 indicated that they usually or always counseled about sun protection. Sun protection counseling training in residency programs can potentially extend pediatricians' knowledge of skin cancer and the importance of a broad spectrum of preventive measures, as well as increase their ability to counsel about such measures.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Training in firearm safety counseling in family practice residency programs.

The purpose of this study was to establish a national baseline regarding the prevalence of training of family practice residents regarding firearm safety counseling. A national survey of the residency directors at the 420 accredited family practice residency programs in the coterminous United States was used to assess the prevalence of training in firearm safety counseling, perceived effectiveness of such training, and perceived barriers to such counseling in residency programs. Program directors were sent a two-page questionnaire on firearm safety counseling activity in their programs and 71% responded. Few residencies (16%) had formal training in firearm safety counseling. The most common perceived barriers were no trained personnel (31%), too many other important issues (31%), not enough time (30%), and lack of educational resources (28%). Patient education materials (57%), video training programs (49%), and a curriculum guide (46%) were identified as resources that would be most helpful in implementing a firearm safety counseling program. The results showed that formal training in firearm safety counseling is virtually absent from family practice residency training programs. This finding is not surprising given that less than 14% of the directors perceived firearm safety counseling would be effective in reducing firearm-related injuries or deaths and that research on effectiveness of such counseling is very limited.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1997

Family practice physicians' firearm safety counseling beliefs and behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to identify family physicians' firearm safety counseling beliefs and behaviors. A survey was mailed to a random sample of 600 members of the American Academy of Family Physicians. A three wave mailing technique was used to maximize the response rate and yielded 271 usable surveys (55% response rate). Outcome measures included training experience in firearm safety counseling, the prevalence of firearm safety counseling by family physicians, and their perceptions regarding such counseling. The majority (78%) of family physicians lacked formal training on how to counsel patients about firearm safety and 49% believed more time should be spent in residency programs on firearm safety counseling. The majority (84%) of respondents never or rarely counseled patients on firearm safety and 50% believed firearm safety counseling should be a low priority in their delivery of primary care. The majority of respondents did not regularly counsel patients about firearm safety, did not believe firearm safety counseling should be a priority, and did not believe firearm safety counseling would be effective in reducing firearm-related trauma.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1997

A randomised controlled trial evaluating a novel cytotoxic drug delivery system for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of a novel method for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. A cytotoxic drug delivery system using a bilaminar bioadhesive polymeric film was applied directly to the cervix. This cytotoxic drug delivery system allowed the dose, the site and the duration of application of the cytotoxic drug (5-fluorouracil) to be controlled. DESIGN: A prospective, double-blind randomised controlled trial. SETTING: The Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Pathology of Belfast City Hospital and The Queen's University of Belfast, and the Department of Pharmacy of The Queen's University of Belfast. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and four patients who had been referred to the colposcopy outpatient clinic because of abnormal cervical cytology were recruited into the trial. They were assessed colposcopically and biopsies for histopathology were obtained. Only patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia lesions Grades 1 and 2 were recruited. INTERVENTIONS: All patients were re-assessed one, three, and six months after application of the cytotoxic drug delivery system by colposcopy. Clinical endpoints were noted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pre-treatment histopathological biopsy results were compared with those obtained after treatment. RESULTS: The cytotoxic drug delivery system fulfilled the requirements for treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia without causing any architechtural damage, but the chemotherapeutic agent, 5-fluorouracil, did not provide effective treatment of disease. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the delivery system was effective, and further studies using this mechanism are now possible.

Administration, Topical↗

PubMed1997

Evaluation of a third grade sexual abuse curriculum.

This paper presents results from a third grade sexual abuse prevention program. A 24-item questionnaire was administered as a pretest and post-test to an experimental group (n = 236) and a control group (n = 195) of third grade students. Those receiving the sexual abuse prevention program significantly increased their sexual abuse knowledge scores from pretest to post-test. In addition, differences in knowledge were significantly higher in the experimental compared to the control group. Students who received the sexual abuse curriculum significantly improved from pretest to post-test on their behavioral intention scores. Results from this evaluation indicated a modest improvement can be obtained through use of this two-hour sexual abuse prevention curriculum.

Child↗

PubMed1997

National assessment of early elementary teachers perceived self-efficacy for teaching tobacco prevention based on the CDC guidelines.

A national random sample of 505 early elementary school teachers completed a 47-item survey to determine their perceived self-efficacy for teaching tobacco prevention education based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for grades K-3, their training status on tobacco prevention, and their level of teaching about tobacco prevention. Results indicated most of the teachers were female, White, held a bachelor's or master's degree, never smoked, and had not received formal tobacco prevention training. The teachers' scores were high for efficacy expectations, and for outcome expectations. Conversely, for outcome value, teachers ranked tobacco prevention fifth out of six health topics, as the most important health topic to teach elementary students. Also, teachers trained in four tobacco areas or more had statistically significantly higher scores for efficacy expectations than those trained in three or fewer areas. Statistically significant positive associations were also found between years of teaching tobacco prevention and efficacy and outcome expectation scores, and between the amount of time that tobacco prevention was taught during the past school year and outcome value.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

The effect of a monetary incentive in increasing the return rate of a survey to family physicians.

The barrage of requests family physicians receive to complete mail surveys often results in physicians who are unwilling, or unable due to time constraints, to complete each survey they receive. Thus, to obtain an acceptable response rate, state-of-the-art mail survey techniques must be used. This article reports the results of the use of a modest ($1) monetary incentive to increase a survey response rate. A random sample of 600 American Academy of Family Physicians members were mailed a survey of firearm safety counseling; half received a $1 incentive whereas the remaining half served as a control group. The response rate in the incentive group was 63% compared to 45% in the control group [chi 2 (1, N = 251) = 16.0, p < .001]. Further, the use of the incentive appears to be more cost-effective than a third follow-up (postcard reminder) mailing.

Chi-Square Distribution↗

PubMed1997

A national assessment of secondary school principals' perceptions of violence in schools.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the perceptions of secondary school principals regarding violence and weapons in public and private schools in the United States. Student weapon carrying was most often reported in larger schools, schools with higher levels of violence in the school's neighborhood, and in schools with a higher percentage of low-socioeconomic (SES) students. Perceived as major etiological factors of violence were lack of parental supervision at home, lack of family involvement with school, and exposure to violence in the mass media. Perceived as the major reasons students in the principals' own school committed acts of violence were the student was provoked by others or was jealous of a girlfriend/boyfriend. Just over one-third of schools had already implemented some type of violence prevention program, and another reported they were planning to implement some type of violence prevention program. The most common barriers reported by the remaining principals were believing there was no need for a program in their school, being unsure which programs were needed, and being unsure of which programs were best.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Increasing return rates to a mail survey among health educators.

This study indicated a combination of methods increased the return rate (80%) in a national survey of health educators (n = 546). Also, use of a $1.00 bill incentive was not significantly more effective than no incentive, and the rate of double responses in this anonymous mail survey was very low (1%).

Adult↗

PubMed1997

An informational versus monetary incentive in increasing physicians' response rates.

This study examined return rates for a cancer prevention survey by pediatricians in relation to an informational booklet versus a monetary incentive in the first of a three-wave mailing. Of the 300 surveys sent which included an informational booklet incentive, 189 (64%) were returned. Of the 300 surveys sent which included a $1.00 incentive 227 (79%) were returned, indicating the $1.00 incentive was more effective than the informational incentive in increasing return rates in this sample of physicians.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1996

Accuracy of least squares designed spatial FIR filters for segmentation of images of fluorescence stained cell nuclei.

A method for accurate, real-time image segmentation is needed for the development of a fully automated image cytometer that combines the speed and case-of-use of flow cytometry with the detailed morphometry of imaging. Object intensity variation and inherent optical blur make real-time segmentation challenging. The best spatial finite impulse response (FIR) filter, implemented as a convolution, was tested for sharpening edges and creating the required contrast. The filter and threshold segmentation steps were treated as a two-category linear classifier. Best 3 x 3 through 25 x 25 filters were designed utilizing the perceptron criterion and nonlinear least squares, and tested on ten montage images of a combined 1,070 manually segmented DAPI stained cell nuclei. The resulting image contrast, or class separation, led to simple automatic thresholding via the histogram intermodal minimum. Image segmentation accuracy began to plateau at 7 x 7 filters and did not increase above 15 x 15. Little loss in accuracy occurred with application to the images not used for design. This segmentation method provides a systematic, fast and accurate means of creating binary object maps useful for subsequent measurement, processing and cell classification.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1996

Perceptions of cervical cancer and Pap smear screening behavior by women's sexual orientation.

This study examined 330 adult females' perceptions and practices regarding cervical cancer by sexual orientation. Ninety-four percent of respondents were unable to correctly identify all 5 risk factors associated with increased risk for cervical cancer (smoking, sexual intercourse with men, multiple male sexual partners, sexual intercourse before age 16, and having genital warts) regardless of sexual orientation. Furthermore, 20% were not able to identify any of the 5 risk factors for cervical cancer. Lesbians perceived themselves to be less susceptible to cervical cancer than heterosexuals or bisexuals even though 79% of lesbians had sexual intercourse with a male. Eight percent of the respondents believed that most women who develop cervical cancer die from the disease. The main barriers identified by non-regular Pap screeners (N = 127) were: no health insurance (33%), forgetting to get a pap test (32%), and not liking to get a Pap test (31%). Three-fourths (75%) have had a Pap test within the last 2 years and planned to continue having them on a regular basis. The results of this survey indicate that there is considerable room for improvement in knowledge, perceptions, and practices of all women, regardless of sexual orientation, regarding cervical cancer.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Developing cancer pamphlets for economically disadvantaged African Americans.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in African Americans. The relatively poor cancer survival prognosis in this population is a consequence of a group which is more likely to be less well educated and which composes one-fourth of the unemployed and one-third of the socioeconomically disadvantaged. While this paper describes the procedures used to create culturally appropriate cancer pamphlets specifically designed for low socioeconomic status African Americans, the same process could be used by health educators interested in developing pamphlets for less well educated populations on a myriad of other topics. Guidelines for collecting relevant educational information, deciding which information to include, formatting issues (e.g., readability and basic design principles), and distribution are discussed.

Black or African American↗

PubMed1996

Effects of an inservice workshop on the health teaching self-efficacy of elementary school teachers.

This study examined the effectiveness of a 30-hour health education inservice training for elementary school teachers. Effectiveness was assessed by measuring pretest to post-test (eight months apart) differences in health teaching self-efficacy, amount of time per week teaching health education, and amount of effort on specific health content areas. Workshop participants scored significantly higher than control teachers on efficacy expectations, outcome expectations, and outcome value subscales. Workshop participants also reported spending significantly more hours per week teaching health education and expending significantly more effort on a variety of specific health content areas than controls.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Race-specific versus general stamps on African-American women's survey return rates.

This study examined cancer survey return rates in relation to race-specific versus general stamps used on self-addressed stamped return envelopes. Of the 104 race-specific stamps sent 41 (39%) were returned. Of the 108 general stamps sent 41 (38%) were returned. Thus, race-specific stamps were not effective in increasing return rates in this sample of African-American women.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Knowledge, beliefs, and use of prescribed antibiotic medications among low-socioeconomic African Americans.

This study examined knowledge, beliefs, and use of prescribed oral antibiotics of 163 low-socioeconomic African-American adults in a large midwestern city. The effects of age, education, and gender on knowledge and use of antibiotics were examined. Slightly more than 65% of the subjects in this study preferred using brand-name antibiotics. Females were more likely to report using all of their prescribed antibiotics, while males and those in the older age category were more likely to report using antibiotics only until the problem stopped. Twenty-three percent of the males and 18% of the females reported sharing their antibiotics with someone. Less than half of the respondents reported using physicians (and other health professionals) as a major source of information on prescribed antibiotics. Respondents often incorrectly identified painkillers and other medications as antibiotics. Based on these results, it appears that more education is needed to improve patients' understanding of antibiotic regimens.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

African-American mothers' perceptions of cholesterol and its effects on their children.

This study examined African-American mothers' perceptions of cholesterol and its effects on their children. A random sample of middle- and upper-class women, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority members, 26 to 53 years of age, responded to a 42-item questionnaire. Fifty-nine percent knew their cholesterol level and 13% knew the cholesterol level of their children. Two thirds of the parents believed that all elementary school children should have their cholesterol levels checked. A total of 79% had made lifestyle changes to reduce their child's risk of hypercholesterolemia, including 22% of this group who had purchased food supplements for this activity. Parents were more likely to receive most of their cholesterol information from the mass media, magazines (74%), newspapers (64%), and television (52%). The results of this study imply that these parents may be in need of further nutritional guidance from physicians to help them establish a safe and nutritious approach to maintaining normal cholesterol levels for their children.

Adult↗