Biomedical subjects

R Sanson-Fisher

Publications and source records attributed to R Sanson-Fisher.

78 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

How valid is adolescents' self-report as a way of assessing sun protection practices?

BACKGROUND: The accurate assessment of sun protective behaviors can assist in the effective targeting of preventive strategies. METHODS: This study explored the validity of self-report by adolescents in relation to parental/guardian reports using a scale to determine whether adolescents were accurately classified as adequately protected or not during the preceding weekend. The study sample was drawn from a school population and provided 53 matched adolescent and parental/guardian responses from 115 subjects (consent rate 46%). The validity of self-reports in relation to the level of protection afforded to a range of body parts (face, neck, shoulders, torso, etc.) was calculated. Calculations of sensitivity, which represented the proportion of cases in which the body part was classified as adequately protected by both the criterion reference and the self-report, and specificity, in which inadequate protection was confirmed by both the criterion reference and the self-report, were completed. In instances in which fewer than five observations fell into a cell, thereby limiting the accuracy of results, no measures were calculated. RESULTS: Measures of sensitivity for the use of sun protection were legs (59%), neck (79%), feet (79%), face (92%), and shoulders, torso, and upper arms (98%). In contrast measures of specificity were face (61%), legs (80%), and neck (87%). CONCLUSIONS: Although further studies of self-report methodologies with larger samples are required to verify these findings, the results suggest that adolescent self-report of solar protection is relatively valid and has the potential to be utilized with a degree of confidence to assess behavior.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The prevalence and predictors of solar protection use among adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence has been identified as a critical period in the etiology of subsequent melanoma and nonmelanocytic skin cancer. This study examines the prevalence and predictors of solar protection use among adolescents. METHODS: A total of 3,642 adolescents between the ages of 11 and 16 years were recruited from a random sample of 27 schools in an Australian state. The participants completed a validated survey that provided information on a range of demographic, knowledge, attitudinal, and behavioral factors. Sun protection practices adopted during the preceding weekend were assessed using a validated self-report diary. A formula that quantifies protection status was then employed to categorize adolescents into those who were using adequate versus low levels of solar protection. RESULTS: Overall 54% of males and 44% of females were classified as adequately protected during the preceding weekend. Logistic regression analyses identified the following as significant predictors of having an adequate level of sun protection--gender (males more likely to be protected), age (11 to 13 year olds more likely to be protected than 14 to 16 years olds), ownership of a broad-brimmed hat or cap, attitudes relating to the discomfort associated with wearing a hat, image to peers, "hassle" associated with the use of sun protective measures, school attended, and sun protective policies of the school. CONCLUSIONS: Implications of these findings for future preventive strategies are discussed and include improved targeting of sun protection programs to non-adopters, modification of attitudes relating to suntans and image to peers, reducing the level of perceived difficulty associated with utilizing sunscreen, and the potential role that schools may play in fostering sun protection.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Factors affecting nonadherence with antibiotics.

Nonadherence with antibiotic therapy has profound implications both for patient health and the health care system that bears the financial costs incurred. Significant levels of nonadherence with antibiotic prescriptions have been demonstrated. Of the many proposed variables involved, those that are potentially modifiable relate to aspects of the doctor-patient interaction and drug regimen. Despite the potential for intervention with these variables, there have been very few methodologically sound studies examining their effect on adherence with either medications generally or antibiotics specifically. Only two studies were located that had tested the effectiveness of reduced complexity of antibiotic dosage schedules. The results suggest that the less complex the schedule, the greater is the adherence. Both practitioners and patients must be encouraged to use and accept simpler dosage schedules, preferably once-daily schedules wherever possible. The paucity of well-controlled studies to date highlights the need for further research evaluating intervention strategies that utilize variations in dosage schedule and elements of the doctor-patient interaction to improve adherence with antibiotic medications.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Smoking status in pregnant women assessment of self-report against carbon monoxide (CO).

Smoking according to self-report and to carbon monoxide (CO) were examined in 7,405 pregnant women who agreed to complete a breath test and questionnaire. The sensitivity and specificity of self-report against CO, and predictors of a high CO among reported nonsmokers, were examined. The prevalence of reported smoking was 23% (95% CI: 19.4-26.4), and 20% had a CO of 9 or more (95% CI: 17.0-23.1). The sensitivity and specificity against CO were 87% (95% CI: 83.1-91.6) and 93% (95% CI: 91.9-94.6). The positive predictive value was 76% (95% CI: 73.2-79.8), reflecting CO's inability to detect light smoking. The negative predictive value was 97% (95% CI: 95.6-97.8). The best predictors of high CO among reported nonsmokers were being divorced/separated (9.8% had high CO), quitting during pregnancy (8.5% had high CO), being third trimester, and high passive exposure. Some pregnant women may report inaccurately despite validation. Difficulties remain in determining the contributions of passive exposure and inaccurate report to inconsistencies between biochemical and self-report measures.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Basic concepts of behavior therapy: an experiment involving disturbed adolescent girls.

This paper attempts to summarize some of the basic principles and approaches of behavior therapy that occupational therapists may find useful for application in many areas of practice. It attempts to do this by describing an experimental application of the behavioral modification approach within a treatment unit for disturbed adolescent girls. Two social skills, compliance and social greeting, are dealt with in this article. These skills are two of the many behaviors labeled "performance survival skills" shown in recent studies to be necessary for successful community adjustment.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence and detection of HIV risk behavior in primary care: implications for clinical preventive services.

Despite their potential to reduce the incidence of HIV infection through primary prevention, family physicians report low levels of routine identification of patients at risk and counseling. This may reflect perceptions that few of their patients are at risk, that patients at risk will self-disclose during consultations, or that a physician-initiated approach is unacceptable to patients presenting for non-HIV-related problems. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of risk factors for HIV infection and HIV testing among patients in general practice, the acceptability to patients of opportunistic identification of risk during routine consultations and the accuracy of general practitioners' assessment of HIV risk. Our setting included randomly selected general practitioners' surgeries in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. We conducted a self-administered survey about risk factors in a consecutive sample of patients 18-50 years of age and compared it to a checklist about patient's risk factors completed by general practitioners unaware of the patients' answers. Of 1,030 patients, 43 (4%) were at risk of HIV infection having received blood transfusions between 1980 and 1985 and seven (1%) had injected intravenous drugs in the previous 12 months. In the previous 12 months, 133 (21%) female and 110 (28%) male patients had been in nonmutually monogamous heterosexual relationships. Only 26% always used condoms. While the majority of patients indicated they were heterosexual, 42 (4%) were homosexual and 23 (2%) bisexual. Of those men who had had sex with other men, 39% always used condoms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗