Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L A Jason

Publications and source records attributed to L A Jason.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Effects of a televised smoking cessation intervention among low-income and minority smokers.

In November 1985, a television smoking cessation program was broadcast for 20 days on the noon and 9 p.m. news. Smokers in West Garfield Park, an inner-city impoverished area of Chicago, were randomly assigned either to a comprehensive intervention or to a no-intervention control condition. Although 100,000 self-help manuals had been distributed throughout Chicago, none of the controls in this low-income area had obtained a manual. The intervention consisted of providing the smokers a self-help manual, the televised broadcast, weekly support meetings, and supportive phone calls. At a 4-month follow-up, 20% of treatment participants were abstinent compared to 9% of controls. The results indicated that intensive supplementary opportunities enhanced participation by low-income smokers in a media smoking cessation program.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Experimental evaluation of public policy: the case of state legislation for child passenger safety.

Observations of children in automobiles were made in seven states before and after implementation of legislation requiring use of child passenger safety devices. Increases in safe seating for children covered by state laws and children under 1 year old were observed in three of the five states implementing legislation during this study. Decreases in safe seating for these age groups were observed in two states, however. Increases in safe seating for children from 1 to 5 years old were observed in four of these five states. Although methodological limitations require cautious interpretation, these data suggest the impact child safety seat laws may have on compliance. Implications of this research for policies on child passenger safety and the importance of exploiting naturally occurring public experiments are discussed.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1987

Work site group meetings and the effectiveness of a televised smoking cessation intervention.

At the work site, smoking accounts for increased health care expenses and worker absenteeism due to smoking-related illness and reduced productivity and lost wages. Developing comprehensive and accessible smoking cessation programs at the work site is an important objective for health care professionals. In this study, employees of 43 corporations participated in a televised smoking cessation program accompanied by self-help manuals. The media component involved presenting a smoking cessation program on a network television affiliate station during the 4:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. news for 20 days. Employees at half the corporations also had access to semiweekly self-help group meetings. Adding self-help support groups to a program involving self-help manuals and the media reports was found to significantly increase abstinence and its maintenance over time. The implications of using the media, self-help groups, and work site locations in large-scale community-based interventions are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Behavioral approaches in increasing blood donations.

In the United States, as well as other countries, there is a constant and pressing need for increasing the number of people who donate blood. Medical procedures require donated blood, and when shortages occur in different regions, the lives of numerous patients are endangered. Behavioral strategies, which include use of incentives, competition, and raffles, and the like, might be effective methods for motivating individuals to donate blood. This study examined the use of a variety of these types of strategies used by workers at United Blood Services. Organizations that had employed behavioral strategies were compared with other organizations that had not used these approaches. Significantly higher rates of donations were obtained in organizations that had used behavioral strategies. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1985

The effects of a personal phone call prompt on blood donor commitment.

There is a need to investigate procedures that can motivate individuals to attend blood drives. Low rates of attendance are partly due to the failure of many to fulfill their pledges to donate blood. This study examined the use of personal phone calls to prompt college-age blood donors to fulfill their commitments. The results indicated that a remainder call was effective in prompting pledged donors to attend a college drive. The phone call prompt might have been effective because of the social pressure which the recruiter exerted on the donors. Implications of these findings for blood donor recruitment efforts as well as the field of community psychology are discussed.

Blood Donors↗
PubMed1985

Using a token-actuated timer to reduce television viewing.

A child watching an excessive amount of T.V. was provided a behavioral program featuring a token-actuated timer. Earned tokens were used to activate the T.V. for thirty-minute periods. The token-exchange system effectively reduced T.V. viewing and the reductions were maintained at two follow-up points. The principal contribution of the study is the development and evaluation of an electronically controlled device that was used to check the accuracy of parent-reported data.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1985

Altering contingencies to facilitate compliance with traffic light systems.

The effects of altering light pattern sequences on driver compliance at a busy, urban intersection were explored. The baseline light timing sequences resulted in only 46.8% of drivers stopping at the yellow or red lights. Using an A-B-C design, we altered light pattern sequences that increased the probability of drivers stopping at the signals to 88.8% and 98.8%. These findings indicate that traffic light contingencies have potent effects in influencing driver behaviors at busy intersections. Following completion of the study, the traffic engineer approved the permanence of the light timing pattern that increased traffic rule compliance. Accident data collected before and after the light timing changes indicated a reduction in automobile accidents.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1984

Behavioral community psychology: an introduction to the special issue.

An overview of this special issue, and of behavioral community psychology, is provided, beginning with a summary of terminology and history. Five dimensions on which behavioral community interventions may be classified are then described: (a) subject matter/target behavior, (b) behavioral procedures used, (c) experimental design, (d) intervention level, and (e) time focus. The studies composing this special issue serve as illustrations of these dimensions. This is followed by a discussion of issues important in designing and implementing behavioral community projects. Finally, challenges facing the field are noted.

Behaviorism↗
PubMed1984

The development and validation of a behavior rating scale for blood sampling with children.

This article describes the development of a behavior rating scale, which was designed to measure children's behaviors during a blood sampling procedure. Trained observers were able to reliably use the behavior rating scale while observing children's behaviors during blood sampling in a pediatric hospital. Evidence of the instrument's validity was found in a treatment study. In that experiment, youngsters were prepared for the blood sampling procedures by viewing films. Those watching coping or mastery models before blood sampling evidenced significantly higher adaptive responses on the behavior rating scale than those who watched a control film. The behavior rating scale was also significantly related to a global rating and a self-report measure, but not to a physiologic index of anxiety. In summary, the constructed behavior rating scale appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for assessing children's behavior during blood sampling procedures.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1983

Training of interns and practicum students at community mental health centers.

This study assessed training experiences offered to interns and graduate students at 464 federally funded community mental health centers. Doctoral level internship programs existed at 128 centers, and practicum training was offered at 240 settings. Questionnaires filled out by directors reveal that although the majority of training programs are not as yet APA-approved, they have become an important component in the training network in terms of the number of students being trained. Training and exceptional areas of training are still in traditional clinical areas. However, there has been an evolution of training in community mental health/community psychology areas which is still gaining momentum. Data are presented on consultation settings, orientations to consultation, and the availability of training in consultation. The need for directing effort at obtaining financial support for training is indicated.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1983

An evaluation of two visiting programs for elderly community residents.

While many researchers have asserted that social participation enhances psychological well-being among the elderly, few empirical investigations have studied this relationship by systematically enhancing activities and developing supports for the isolated elderly. In the present study, elderly community residents participated in a network-building visiting program, which reinforced and encouraged involvement in community settings; in a relationship-oriented visiting program, which emphasized empathy and concern; or in a nonequivalent control group. All three groups were administered pre- and postpoint scales on life satisfaction, health, depression, I-E, current and desired social networks, telephone calls, and visitors. Weekly activities and biweekly quality-of-life-ratings were collected on the two experimental groups. At the program's end, the network-building group exhibited directionally higher means on most variables; however, few significant differences were found. Prepoint correlates of current and desired networks emerged as central factors affecting the psychological well-being of participants in this study.

Aged↗