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S Stachenko

Publications and source records attributed to S Stachenko.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Self-management teaching programs and morbidity of pediatric asthma: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Self-management teaching programs are becoming an important asset in the management of pediatric asthma. OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to evaluate the impact of self-management teaching programs on the morbidity of pediatric asthma. METHODS: The meta-analysis included randomized clinical trials, published between 1970 and 1991, addressing the outcome of morbidity. Studies were retrieved from searches of MEDLINE, American Journal of Nursing International Index, and Dissertation Abstracts Online Database. The quality of studies was assessed with the scale of Chalmers. The pooled effect size was calculated by the method of Hedges. RESULTS: The literature search retrieved 23 randomized clinical trials, but 12 studies had to be excluded. Global score of quality of studies (Chalmers' scale) was fair, 51.6% +/- 9.9%. As indicated by the effect size (ES) of the pooled studies, self-management teaching did not reduce school absenteeism (ES: 0.04 +/- 0.08), asthma attacks (ES: 0.09 +/- 0.14), hospitalizations (ES: 0.06 +/- 0.08), hospital days (ES: -0.11 +/- 0.08), or emergency visits (0.14 +/- 0.09). CONCLUSION: Self-management teaching programs do not seem to reduce morbidity, and future programs should focus more on intermediate outcomes such as behavior.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1994

Enhancing preventive practice.

Health professionals can play a major role in prevention. They are perceived as a reliable and credible source of health information and they have contact with a large percentage of the population every year. In Canada, a key development for the integration of prevention in clinical practice was the establishment of the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination. The Task Force has provided guidance on effective preventive interventions in the clinical setting over the past 15 years. The challenge lies in the implementation of these guidelines. We need to find innovative ways to disseminate and promote them. In this context, the creation of a National Partnership for Quality in Health is an important avenue for the coordination of practice guideline development and implementation in this country. An emerging concern in the delivery of preventive services is the coordination of activities of health professionals within the public health sector, with those of clinical care. In Canada, such a comprehensive and coordinated approach has been put into practice through the Canadian Heart Health Initiative.

Canada↗
PubMed1992

Multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors in Canadian adults. Canadian Heart Health Surveys Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and distribution of the coexistence of major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among Canadian adults. DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional surveys. SETTING: Nine Canadian provinces, from 1986 to 1990. PARTICIPANTS: A probability sample of 26,293 men and women, aged 18 to 74 years, was selected from provincial health insurance registries. For 20,582 of these participants, at least two blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken using a standardized technique. At a subsequent visit to a clinic, two additional BP readings, anthropometric measurements and a blood specimen for plasma lipid analysis were obtained. OUTCOME MEASURES: The percentage distribution of subjects by number of major risk factors (smoking, high BP and elevated blood cholesterol level) and by concomitant factors (body mass index [BMI], ratio of waist to hip circumference [WHR], physical activity, diabetes, awareness of CVD risk factors and education). MAIN RESULTS: Sixty-four percent of men and 63% of women had one or more of the major risk factors. Prevalence increased with age to reach 80% in men and 89% in women aged 65 to 74 years. Prevalence of two or three risk factors was highest among men in the 45-54 age group (34%) and in women in the 65-74 age group (37%). The most common associations were between smoking and high blood cholesterol level (10%) and between high BP and high blood cholesterol level (8%). Prevalence of high BP and elevated blood cholesterol, alone or in combination, increased with BMI and WHR. Smoking, elevated blood cholesterol, BMI and prevalence of one or more risk factors increased with lower level of education. Less than 48% of participants mentioned any single major risk factor as a cause of heart disease. Awareness was lowest in the group with fewest years of education. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study call for an approach to reduce CVD that stresses collaboration of the different health sectors to reach both the population as a whole and the individuals at high risk.

Adult↗