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Biomedical subjects

N J Pender

Publications and source records attributed to N J Pender.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Nurses with doctoral degrees: education and employment characteristics.

Selected education and employment characteristics of nurses with doctorates were examined. Data were obtained in late 1979 and 1980 about three time periods in the 1,964 respondents' careers: (a) doctoral study, (b) first position, and (c) current position if different from first position. Of the nurses studied, 76% completed doctoral programs in the 1970s. Education was the major field of study most frequently reported, followed by social/behavioral sciences and nursing; federal monies were the major source of financial support. Nurses with doctorates were hired in their first position primarily for teaching in baccalaureate and higher degree programs in nursing with a sizable shift to administrative roles in academia among those reporting current positions different from first positions, Only 6% to 8% of doctorally prepared nurses were hired primarily for the conduct of research in either first or current position.

Adult↗

Illness prevention and health promotion services provided by nurse practitioners: predicting potential consumers.

A cross-sectional survey of 388 residents of a northern Illinois county explored the relationships between psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of the population and intentions to use illness prevention and health promotion services provided by nurse practitioners. Results of the study indicated that 61 per cent of the respondents intended to use one or more of the nurse-provided services when they became available within the community. The best predictors of intention to use the services were: expressed interest in use of prevention and health promotion services for direct pay, education beyond high school, and a low level of life stress. Intentions to use the services did not differ significantly between individuals with a regular personal physician and those without a regular physician. These data were interpreted as indicating a need within the community for nurse practitioners to provide prevention and health promotion care. The findings also supported the complementary roles of nurses and physicians in providing health care to ambulatory populations.

Attitude to Health↗

Educating APNs for implementing the guidelines for adolescents in Bright futures: guidelines of health supervision of infants, children, and adolescents.

As the scope of what constitutes health and the range of determinants of health-promoting and compromising behaviors among adolescents are expanded, APNs must be well prepared to be powerful influences in the lives of all adolescents. The guidelines offered by Bright Futures challenge nurse educators to prepare APNs who possess the core competencies to knowledgeably address the health issues and concerns of all adolescents in multiple settings. The American Academy of Nursing Expert Panel's recommendations contained herein, if implemented, will further enhance the capabilities of graduate programs to prepare APNs to provide developmentally and culturally relevant disease prevention and health promotion care to adolescents and their families.

Adolescent↗

Predicting health-promoting lifestyles in the workplace.

A multivariate model proposed as explanatory and predictive of health-promoting lifestyles was evaluated in a sample of 589 employees enrolled in six employer-sponsored health-promotion programs. Perceived personal competence, definition of health, perceived health status, and perceived control of health accounted for 31% of the variance in health-promoting lifestyle patterns. Employees who reported more health-promoting lifestyles perceived themselves as competent in handling life situations, defined health as high-level wellness rather than merely the absence of illness, evaluated their health positively, and perceived their health as affected by significant others but not by chance or luck. Those who were female, older, and in the maintenance phase of the company fitness program also had healthier lifestyle patterns. These variables and the perception of health as internally controlled were predictive of health-promoting lifestyles three months later.

Attitude to Health↗

A Spanish language version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile.

The development and initial psychometric evaluation of a Spanish language version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) is described. The 48-item instrument was translated into Spanish and found to be culturally relevant and reliable in a pilot study. The Spanish version was then administered to a diverse but predominantly Mexican-American group of 485 Hispanics residing in metropolitan and surrounding rural areas. In a principal components factor analysis, all but one item loaded significantly on six factors similar to those isolated previously during psychometric assessment of the English language version. Those six dimensions comprise the HPLP subscales of self-actualization, health responsibility, exercise, nutrition, interpersonal support, and stress management. The six factors explained 45.9% of the variance in the measure. Second-order factor analysis yielded a single factor, interpreted as health-promoting lifestyle. The alpha reliability coefficient for the total scale was .93 and 2-week test-retest reliability was .86; alpha coefficients for the subscales ranged from .70 to .87.

Communication↗

Attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions to engage in health behaviors.

The theory of reasoned action was used as the conceptual framework for analyzing the relationships among attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions to exercise regularly, maintain/attain recommended weight, and avoid highly stressful life situations. The sample (N = 377) consisted of adults between the ages of 18 and 66 living in two midwestern communities. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire designed according to guidelines developed by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980). The theory was supported in part by study results. Attitudes were useful in explaining intentions to engage in all three health behaviors studied. Subjective norms contributed only to the explanation of intentions to engage in regular exercise. Three factors, attitudes, subjective norms, and weight, affected intentions to engage in regular exercise, R = .364, p less than .01. Attitudes, weight, and perceived health status were the principle determinants of intention to eat a diet consistent with weight control, R = .428, p less than .001. Of the variables studied, only attitude was associated with intention to manage stress, R = .271, p less than .01.

Adolescent↗