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Biomedical subjects

R D Froman

Publications and source records attributed to R D Froman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Preferences for care near the end of life: scale development and validation.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument, the Preferences for Care near the End of Life (PCEOL) scale. Following a literature review and using the domain-referenced approach and a test grid, a large pool of items was generated to reflect five dimensions of preferences for care near the end of life. These were reviewed for relevance and clarity by an expert panel. A convenience sample of 198 adults was secured to provide data for the study of the psychometric properties of the scale. Data screening and item analysis resulted in a final sample of 43 items. A principal factor analysis (PFA) resulted in an interpretable, meaningful five-factor solution. Reliability estimates (internal consistency) for the factors on the multidimensional instrument ranged from.68 to.91. Retest stability estimates for the PCEOL showed correlations of.80 to.94 for factor scores over a 2-week interval.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Measuring attitudes toward persons with AIDS: the AAS-G as an alternate form of the AAS.

For most of the score of years that the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been with us, we have been concerned with the care of and attitudes toward AIDS patients. As the treatment and face of AIDS changes, not all of those suffering with the disease are considered patients. Many are active community members, young and old, male and female. The AIDS Attitude Scale (AAS) is a widely used measure of health professionals' attitudes toward persons with AIDS who are patients. That scale was developed with the intended audience of respondents being nurses or others dealing directly with AIDS patients. This research details the development and validation of an alternate form of the AAS, the AAS-G, intended for use with the general public. The AAS-G may be completed by lay members of the community and is not limited to assessing attitudes toward patients alone. Reliability and validity information, Classical Test Theory estimates and Generalizability Theory estimates for psychometrics on the AAS-G are reported. These estimates are compared to the same estimates available for the AAS in order to make informed decisions about the utility of the new AAS-G. The AAS-G appears to be a promising, efficient instrument for measuring the attitudes of lay individuals toward persons with AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1999

American and Korean adolescents' physical and mental health self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy beliefs are thought to have causal influence on behavior, helping to explain what tasks people approach, persevere at, or abandon. Few cross-cultural studies of adolescents' self-efficacy beliefs have been conducted or reported. We compared physical and mental health self-efficacy beliefs of Korean and American high school students. A Korean translation of the English language School Health Efficacy Questionnaire (SHEQ) was used in data collection. The translated version of the SHEQ showed psychometric estimates similar to the original English language version. Sizable age and culturally related differences were found on both physical and emotional health self-efficacy perceptions between the two groups of adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Development and evaluation of the Osteoporosis Self-Efficacy Scale.

The Osteoporosis Self-Efficacy Scale was developed as a measure of self-efficacy, or confidence, for behaviors related to physical activity and calcium intake. An item pool of 21 statements, responded to on a visual analog self-report format, was reviewed by a panel of expert judges. The revised item stems were tested with a sample of 201 women, ages 35 to 95. Concurrent data on sport, leisure, and exercise activity and calcium in diet and dietary supplements were collected from the respondents. Factor analysis of responses to the self-efficacy items revealed a logical, theoretically meaningful two-factor structure, one for physical activity and one for calcium intake. Internal consistency estimates for each of the two factors were in the .90s. Convergent and discriminant validity analyses as well as hierarchical regression analyses to explain self-reports of physical activity and calcium intake were supportive. The final version of the brief, psychometrically sound scale contains items reflecting initiation, maintenance, and persistence at osteoporosis preventive behaviors; thus, the Osteoporosis Self-Efficacy Scale is a potentially beneficial research instrument.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

Uses and abuses of the analysis of covariance.

The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) is a powerful analytic tool, but there continue to be abuses of the method. We review assumptions and illustrate legitimate uses of ANCOVA, and summarize statistical packages' approach to the method. Finally, we consider how ANCOVA is used in contemporary nursing research.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1998

Predictors of referral to cardiac rehabilitation and cardiac exercise self-efficacy.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has known benefits after myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Yet, only a small percentage of patients are referred for outpatient CR after hospital discharge. This study investigates patient characteristics related to referral to CR and cardiac exercise self-efficacy, a salient predictor of health behavior change and maintenance. Two hundred nineteen patients enrolled in the study. Of the 185 patients who were CR candidates, 74 were referred to CR. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify variables related to CR referral. Results indicate that patient characteristics of having had fewer MIs or CABGs, having attended CR in the past, and being less physically active during leisure time are related to an increased likelihood of being referred to CR. Multiple regression analysis indicates that leisure physical activity is a predictor of cardiac exercise self-efficacy. Implications for nurses who recruit patients for CR are discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

Measurement characteristics of the levels of institutionalization scales: examining reliability and validity.

The Level of Institutionalization (LoIn) scales were developed to assess the extent to which a health promotion program has become integrated into a health care organization. The instrument was designed specifically to measure the amount of routinization and niche saturation of four subsystems (production, maintenance, supportive, and managerial) believed to make up an organization. In this study, the LoIn scales were completed for diabetes programs in 102 general hospitals and 30 home health agencies in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Reliability estimates across the four subsystems for routines (alpha = .61) and for niche saturation (alpha = .44) were substandard. Average correlation among the four subsystems for routines was .67, and among the four subsystems for niche saturation was .38, indicating moderate to large amounts of shared variance among subsystems and challenging claims of discriminant validity. Given these large correlations and a poor fit when testing the eight-factor model, higher-order confirmatory factor analyses were carried out. Results supported the existence of two second-order factors. When collapsed into two factors, the reliabilities were adequate (routines alpha = .90; niche saturation alpha = .80). Criterion-related validity also was found between length of program existence and the routine factor.

Diabetes Mellitus↗
PubMed1997

Further validation of the AIDS Attitude Scale.

The AIDS Attitude Scale (AAS) is a self-report measure of attitude toward persons with AIDS. Since its introduction in 1992, the AAS has been used in over 30 research studies. Initial psychometric estimates of reliability and validity for the scale were supportive. This report summarizes emerging psychometric data from a broad range of samples. These data offer additional support for the internal consistency and stability of the two dimensions underlying the scale, as well as documenting the factorial and construct validity of the AAS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1997

Refinement of the Habitual Physical Activity Index for use with American adults.

The relationship between physical activity and health outcomes makes the assessment of physical activity important to many health professionals. Numerous physical activity questionnaires exist but none is tailored to the assessment of physical activity in cardiac patients. Ideally, a questionnaire should be appropriate for both healthy individuals and those with cardiac disease to allow comparison of epidemiologic and intervention research. The purpose of this research is to adapt and validate an existing physical activity questionnaire for use with healthy individuals and those with coronary artery disease. The Habitual Physical Activity Index (HPAI) is an easy to administer questionnaire developed in the Netherlands by Baecke, Burema, and Frijters (1982). The factorial validity and alpha internal consistency of the HPAI were examined to evaluate its potential for use in assessing physical activity of hospitalized cardiac patients in the U.S. The sample was 213 cardiac patients. A factor analysis produced a meaningful two-factor solution that differed from the original Dutch results. This suggested the HPAI should be modified for use with American adults with cardiac disease. New items were generated and added to the HPAI. The modified HPAI was tested using classical testing theory and generalizability theory. Stability estimates are high and relative generalizability acceptable. However, the absolute generalizability estimates indicate that the addition of new items to the HPAI could improve its use for absolute decision making.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Blood pressure measurement during pregnancy: auscultatory versus oscillatory methods.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the equivalence of auscultatory and oscillatory blood pressure measurements. SETTING: Inner-city prenatal clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-one women in their 2nd to 9th month of pregnancy. DESIGN: Participants were assessed for systolic and diastolic blood pressures on left and right arms using auscultatory (manual) and oscillatory (electronic) methods. A correlational study design was used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences in pressures related to arm and method of measurement. RESULTS: The oscillatory method produced consistently higher readings for both systolic (F[1,80] = 45.9, p < 0.001) and diastolic (F[1,80] = 25.79, p < 0.001) pressure readings. Correlations between estimates generally treated as substitutable all fell below the recommended level of 0.80 for measurement equivalence. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the need for caution when interpreting blood pressure estimates as interchangeable. This is particularly important when patients move from clinic settings, where auscultatory methods predominate, to inpatient settings, where oscillatory methods of measurement are used.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Preliminary validation of a measure of life support preferences.

A rapid, easy to use instrument that provides illustrations of life support choices can enhance discussion of life support measures with patients. The goal of this preliminary study was to develop and validate an instrument, the Life Support Preferences Questionnaire (LSPQ). In a convenience sample of 116 healthy adults, the LSPQ showed a sturdy degree of internal consistency for a short measure. The 2-week stability evidence was supportive of respondents' consistent attitudes over time at both the item and scale level. Principal factor analyses give evidence there is one dominant theme underlying the items. Use of the LSPQ with hospitalized patients is being explored as a response to policy changes resulting from the 1991 Patient Self-Determination Act.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Development of a pediatric skill self-efficacy scale.

The Pediatric Skill Survey (PSS) is a self-report measure of self-efficacy for nursing skills needed when caring for patients under 18 years old. Potential item stems were derived from a frequency analysis of case presentations in an emergency department. Expert judges later assessed content sampling of items. Initial use of the PSS with 93 subjects showed an internal consistency estimate of .98 across 47 items. Significant known groups discrimination was found between three groups, from lay person to expert nurse, supporting validity. Subsequent study with a sample of 125 nurses showed significant positive correlations between knowledge of pediatric care, attitude toward pediatric patients, and PSS scores, offering further support for the construct validity of the scale.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Effects of position and mattress overlay on sacral and heel pressures in a clinical population.

A comparison of pressure reducing properties of alternating air, static air, and water mattress overlays was conducted with 57 patients in a surgical intensive care unit. Sacral and heel pressures in both recumbent and semi-Fowler's positions were tested for each surface using a repeated measures design. Mean pressures for the alternating air mattress were significantly higher than pressures with other surfaces, regardless of position or site. There were significant main effects for position and site, with higher pressures in the semi-Fowler's position and at the sacral site. A significant interaction between surface, site, and position was found. Pressure sores developed in eight patients, but the incidence was not significantly different across groups. A pressure measuring device constructed from available clinical materials proved to be both sensitive and reliable. The findings suggest alternating air overlays should be avoided, and that positioning and periodic position change to reduce sacral pressures for patients requiring prolonged upper body elevation is important.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Development of a measure of attitudes toward persons with AIDS.

This paper describes the development of a brief scale to measure attitudes toward persons with AIDS. Results from content validation, factor analysis, classical reliability estimation and generalizability analysis show the measure to have strong psychometric properties.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Mothers' and nurses' perceptions of infant care skills.

New mothers' confidence in their infant care skills are important concerns for maternity nurses. In this study, correlates of mothers' self-efficacy ratings on 52 infant care behaviors included in the Infant Care Scale were identified. Data on demographic variables and nurses' ratings of mothers' skill on five selected tasks were collected from 200 mothers and their nurses. Results from bivariate and multivariate analyses pointed to predictors of maternal feelings of efficacy and to discrepancies between mothers' and nurses' ratings. Maternal age, number of children, and nurses' ratings of mothers' skills were the strongest predictors of self-efficacy for infant care. Mothers of male infants showed slightly lower efficacy perceptions than did mothers of females. Implications for assessing mothers' educational needs before discharge and focusing teaching efforts are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Infant care self-efficacy.

As attention in health care turns to prevention and health promotion, identification of populations at risk for avoiding care becomes increasingly important. The Infant Care Survey (ICS) is a scale to assess self-efficacy expectations for infant care tasks. Reliability and validity estimates for the ICS are supportive. Descriptions of content, factorial, and construct validation are given. Finally, ongoing research is described, and suggestions for use of the ICS are offered.

Adolescent↗