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PubMed2005

Hospital pharmacists' awareness of a new antibiotic guideline in the UK: implications for practice.

OBJECTIVES: Pharmacists play an important role in the review of local hospital guidelines. British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines for the management of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) were updated in 2001, and it is important that individual hospital recommendations are based upon this national guidance. The aim of this study was to identify UK Chief Pharmacists' awareness of these updated guidelines one year after their publication. Secondary aims were to identify whether pharmacists had subsequently initiated revision of institutional CAP guidelines, and what roles different professional staff had performed in this process. METHOD: A self-completion postal questionnaire was sent to the Chief Pharmacist (or their nominated staff) in 253 UK NHS hospitals in November 2002. This aimed to identify issues relating to their awareness of the 2001 BTS guidelines and subsequent revision of their hospital's guidelines. RESULTS: 188 questionnaires were returned (a response rate of 74%), of which 164 hospitals had local antibiotic prescribing guidelines. Respondents in 29% of these hospitals were unaware of the 2001 BTS publication and institutional guidelines had been revised in only 51% of hospitals where the Chief Pharmacist was purportedly aware of the new BTS guidance. Generally, more staff types were involved in revising guidelines than initiating revision. CONCLUSIONS: Variability existed in both Chief Pharmacists' awareness of new national guidance and subsequent review processes operating in individual hospitals. A lack of proactive reaction to new national guidance was identified in some hospitals, and it is hoped that the establishment of specialist "infectious diseases pharmacists" will facilitate the review of institutional antibiotic prescribing guidelines in the future.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1984

Relativity of chronological age and level of awareness in crystallization of choice of career among Nigerian undergraduates.

This study attempts to assess the relative influence of chronological age and level of awareness on the crystallization of choice of discipline or career among Nigerian University undergraduates. Crystallization is defined as the ability to know or choose a discipline or vocational environment with characteristics congruent with one's personality or implementing one's vocational self-concept in the appropriate vocational environment. Level of awareness is the amount of information or data one has about a discipline. Seventy-six freshers of the University of Jos, Nigeria in two categories of disciplines--old/professional disciplines (medicine and law) and new disciplines (sociology and psychology) with different levels of awareness about them in Nigerian society were used. It was hypothesized that students in the old/professional disciplines of law and medicine would have better crystallization about their disciplines than students in the newer disciplines of psychology and sociology. This hypothesis was supported at P less than 0.01. Also supported was the hypothesis that crystallization would not increase with chronological age. In conclusion, it is suggested that level of awareness as against chronological age is a more potent determiner of crystallization of career choice in Nigeria.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Factitious disorder by proxy: awareness among mental health practitioners.

Factitious disorder by proxy (FDP) is a form of abuse in which a caregiver surreptitiously simulates or induces illnesses in a person for whom he or she cares. Typically, a mother is the perpetrator and at least one of her children is victimized. FDP has a high morbidity and mortality rate, and a knowledgeable health team increases the primary physician's confidence in making this difficult diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of awareness of FDP among mental health practitioners and their sources of information. Anonymous questionnaires were sent to 687 primary care physicians and mental health practitioners. Psychiatrists (89%) and psychologists (69%) were more aware of the disorder than were social workers (42%). Years in practice were not associated with awareness of FDP. Psychiatrists were more likely than psychologists or social workers to have had exposure through an actual case or through their professional journals. These findings were statistically significant. Awareness of FDP varies significantly among mental health professionals and may reflect the availability of information during training and in journals. Since social workers and psychologists often have earlier and broader opportunities than psychiatrists to interface with families, enhancements in training and the professional literature in these disciplines are needed if FDP is to be consistently considered and identified.

Alabama↗
PubMed1991

Perception of personal dental appearance in young adults: relationship between occlusion, awareness, and satisfaction.

Information about the individual perception of a patient's own occlusion is considered of importance in orthodontics. One hundred thirty young adults (mean age, 18.1 years) were clinically examined and interviewed with the purpose of relating self-awareness and satisfaction to the actual occlusal status and determining whether dissatisfaction is based on realistically perceived anomalies. From study casts taken at the time of examination, six anterior traits were recorded as either malocclusion, minor deviation, or near-ideal occlusion according to two sets of criteria. Self-awareness was assessed by analyzing agreement between the subjects' reports on the presence of the six traits and the corresponding recordings. Satisfaction was evaluated from three questions with fixed alternative answers. The majority of the young adults (63%) were characterized as having near-ideal occlusion or only minor deviations. Only mild and moderate malocclusions were present in the sample since severe malocclusions are routinely treated during childhood. The subjects were generally aware of anterior traits. Almost all the subjects (98%) with near-ideal occlusion or minor deviations expressed satisfaction. Malocclusion was present in 14 of the 16 subjects who were dissatisfied, and dissatisfaction was based on realistically perceived anomalies. However, traits rated as malocclusion were present in 30% of the satisfied subjects, which may in part be explained by the mild degree of malocclusion in the sample. Awareness of occlusal traits varied among the satisfied subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Trends and predictors of folic acid awareness and periconceptional use in pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe recent trends in folic acid awareness and use in the periconceptional period among pregnant women in relation to maternal sociodemographic and other relevant factors. STUDY DESIGN: From 1988 to 2002, 16,555 women from the Slone Epidemiology Center Birth Defects Study were interviewed about medication use before and during pregnancy (which included multivitamins and folic acid), about whether they were aware of any vitamins that might decrease the risk of birth defects, and about sociodemographic and medical factors. RESULTS: Awareness of folic acid benefits increased from 0 in 1988 to 50% in 1996 and thereafter. The use of folic acid in the periconceptional period increased from 15% in 1988 to 40% in the last few years. Maternal education was a strong independent predictor of both awareness and use as were ethnicity, whether the pregnancy was wanted, family income, and whether a health care provider was consulted before planning. CONCLUSION: Promoting the use of folic acid supplements, particularly among these disadvantaged groups, is essential to further decrease the prevalence of neural tube defects.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Hellas, Greece: the Hypertension Study in General Practice in Hellas (HYPERTENSHELL) national study.

BACKGROUND: The Hypertension Study in General Practice in Hellas (Hypertenshell) is a cross-sectional study (much like the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study) for assessing the prevalence, level of awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Greece. METHODS: The study was conducted with the collaboration of physicians in 98 Health Centers across Greece. Participants were interviewed about lifestyle, and blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken on two clinical visits for verification of diagnosis and control of hypertension. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP > or =140 mm Hg or diastolic BP > or =90 mm Hg, or current treatment with antihypertensive drugs; the same threshold was used for assessing control of hypertension. RESULTS: A total of 11,950 individuals participated and data for 11,540 were analyzed, comprising 0.1% of the Greek population. The prevalence of hypertension was 31.1% (men 33.6%, women 28.4%); among elderly individuals (>65 years) the prevalence was higher (65.4%). Of the hypertensive individuals, 39.8% did not know that had hypertension, yielding an awareness of 60.2%; in addition, 12.4% were aware but not treated (men 13.1%, women 11.8%). In all, 51.2% (1838) of hypertensive subjects were treated; 67.2% (1235) were treated but not controlled (men 66.7%, women 67.7%); and 32.8% (603) were treated and controlled (men 33.3%, women 32.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the Hypertenshell Study indicate that hypertension is a common risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the Greek population. Awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension are comparable to the best rates of control of hypertension given for the problem, but there is a considerable potential for further improvement in the control of this disease.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

Conscious awareness of flicker in humans involves frontal and parietal cortex.

Even when confined to the same spatial location, flickering and steady light evoke very different conscious experiences because of their distinct temporal patterns. The neural basis of such differences in subjective experience remains uncertain . Here, we used functional MRI in humans to examine the neural structures involved in awareness of flicker. Participants viewed a single point source of light that flickered at the critical flicker fusion (CFF) threshold, where the same stimulus is sometimes perceived as flickering and sometimes as steady (fused) . We were thus able to compare brain activity for conscious percepts that differed qualitatively (flickering or fused) but were evoked by identical physical stimuli. Greater brain activation was observed on flicker (versus fused) trials in regions of frontal and parietal cortex previously associated with visual awareness in tasks that did not require detection of temporal patterns . In contrast, greater activation was observed on fused (versus flicker) trials in occipital extrastriate cortex. Our findings indicate that activity of higher-level cortical areas is important for awareness of temporally distinct visual events in the context of a nonspatial task, and they thus suggest that frontal and parietal regions may play a general role in visual awareness.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Awareness of hormonal emergency contraception among married women in a Kuwaiti family social network.

OBJECTIVE: Awareness and use of hormonal emergency contraception are not known in the Arab world. This study investigated awareness and perceptions of hormonal emergency contraception among women within a Kuwaiti extended family and their social contacts. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire which was distributed to 66 married women within a Kuwaiti family's social network. The questionnaire provided a short explanation of hormonal emergency contraception and then elicited the respondent's prior awareness, concerns and perception on future availability. RESULTS: The mean (S.D.) age of the respondents was 35.1 (6.3) years. Over 30% were currently using oral contraceptives; 28% were using no contraceptive method. Four women (6.1%) had heard of hormonal emergency contraception before, one had used it. Most respondents (65.2%) would not use or inform a friend about hormonal emergency contraception. Main concerns were risks to the health of the woman (83.3%) or the baby (54.5%) or that it was abortifacient (21.2%). However, 90.9% of respondents wanted hormonal emergency contraception to be available. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of hormonal emergency contraception is low among Kuwaiti women. Despite some concerns, they feel it should be made available. Health care providers and policymakers should address this situation.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Fish consumption, advisory awareness, and hair mercury levels among women of childbearing age.

The Wisconsin Division of Public Health and the State of Maine Bureau of Health collaborated on a 12 state mercury awareness project. The primary goals of this initiative were to evaluate mercury sport fishing advisory awareness among women of childbearing age and assess the methylmercury exposure among this subpopulation. The project, which was conducted between December 1998 and December 1999, involved a randomized telephone survey of 3015 women of childbearing age and hair mercury analyses for a subset of 414 women. While 92% of these women had consumed fish or shellfish during the past year, less than one third (29%) of them had eaten any sport-caught fish. More than two thirds of the women who consumed sportfish were not aware that their state had issued fish consumption guidelines to protect against methylmercury exposure. Hair mercury levels ranged from 0.005 to 4.62 ppm and were positively correlated with recent fish consumption rates (P<0.0001). Women who ate sport-caught fish did not have significantly higher hair mercury levels than others (mean 0.51 vs. 0.48 ppm). Among women who ate sportfish, advisory awareness had no effect on their mercury exposure. Demographic indicators associated with higher hair mercury levels included residence in northeastern USA, marital status of married, college education, annual household income greater than $75,000, and Asian race.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Dental patient awareness of smoking effects on oral health: Comparison of smokers and non-smokers.

OBJECTIVES: The negative effects of cigarette smoking on oral health are well established, yet few studies assessed patient awareness of such effects. The aim of this study was to examine differences in dental patient knowledge and awareness of the effects of smoking on oral health between smokers and non-smokers. METHODS: Adult patients from 12 dental centers in Kuwait were asked to complete a 14-point self-administered structured questionnaire on the effects of smoking on oral health in this cross-sectional survey. Significant associations between oral health knowledge, smoking status, and sociodemographic variables were examined with univariate analysis and logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 1012 subjects participated (response rate = 84.3%). The prevalence of smoking was 29.3%. Fewer smokers than non-smokers thought that oral health and smoking are related (92.2% vs. 95.8%; P = 0.020), and that smoking affected oral cancer (52.4% vs. 66.8%; P < 0.001), periodontal health (72% vs. 78%; P = 0.040), or tooth staining (86.1% vs. 90.9%; P = 0.018). Logistic regression analysis showed smokers to be significantly less aware of the oral health effects of smoking than non-smoking patients (OR=1.51; 95% CI: 1.05-2.16; P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Smoking dental patients are significantly less aware of the oral health effects of smoking than non-smokers. Comparative studies in other populations may be warranted to ascertain the validity of these results.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Testing the concurrent and predictive relations among articulation accuracy, speech perception, and phoneme awareness.

The relations among articulation accuracy, speech perception, and phoneme awareness were examined in a sample of 97 typically developing children ages 48 to 66 months. Of these 97 children, 46 were assessed twice at ages 4 and 5 years. Children completed two tasks for each of the three skills, assessing these abilities for the target phoneme /r/ and the control phoneme /m/ in the word-initial position. Concurrent analyses revealed that phoneme-specific relations existed among articulation, awareness, and perception. Articulation accuracy of /r/ predicted speech perception and phoneme awareness for /r/ after controlling for age, vocabulary, letter-word knowledge, and speech perception or phoneme awareness for the control phoneme /m/. The longitudinal analyses confirmed the pattern of relations. The findings are consistent with a model whereby children's articulation accuracy affects preexisting differences in phonological representations and, consequently, affects how children perceive, discriminate, and manipulate speech sounds.

Child↗
PubMed2006

Awareness of warning symptoms and risk factors of stroke in the general population and in survivors stroke.

Awareness among the general population of the risk factors and warning symptoms of stroke is essential for preventative purposes and for immediate effective treatment. The aim of the present study was to assess the awareness, among the general population and stroke survivors, of the risk factors and warning symptoms of stroke, to develop an educational strategy for its prevention and immediate effective treatment. Six hundred and sixty stroke patients (370 male, 290 female) and 4000 people from the general population who accompanied the patients (2800 male, 1200 female) were interviewed, using three sets of questionnaires, on the risk factors and warning symptoms of stroke. Poor knowledge or awareness of the risk factors and warning symptoms of stroke was found in both groups. Both groups suggested educational programs for stroke using printed information, audiovisual programs and community survey programs using simple and understandable information for the prevention and immediate effective treatment of stroke. Poor awareness of stroke contributes to a delay in the arrival of patients in hospital emergency departments for immediate effective treatment. Multifaceted programs regarding stroke, including printed information, audiovisual programs and stroke service programs, are advocated by both patients and the general population to improve stoke treatment and prevention.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Organ donation and transplantation in Brazil: university students' awareness and opinions.

This study was aimed at assessing university students' awareness and opinions about aspects of the law no. 10.221/01. This exploratory study was performed among students at the São Paulo Federal University-UNIFESP, from 2001 to July 2002, including 1284 undergraduates in the following courses: nursing, medicine, speech and language therapy, biomedicine, and ophthalmic technology. That data show that 47.7% (333) of undergraduates are aware of the kind of donation established by the new law. Among the adolescents of first and second grades, and courses, there was a difference on the awareness about the kind of donation (P =.000). Most undergraduates (57.6%, 402) agree with consented donation. However, the high percentage--35.1% (245)--that chose the alternative "I don't know" is remarkable. Results show that many undergraduates are unaware of the specifications of the technical files for transplants; only 48.3% (337) of them chose the correct answer, and 79.4% (554) do not believe that the order in the waiting list for transplants is respected. The conclusion is that it is worth emphasizing is that there are different opinions and levels of awareness among students, considering age, religion and religious practice, and course and level at school. In spite of unawareness and lack of belief in the principles of distribution of organs and tissue, most students are willing to be donors (68.2%).

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The development of phonological awareness: effects of spoken language experience and orthography.

Phonological awareness, the ability to analyze spoken language into small sound units, has been shown to be affected by the individual's early orthographic experience (alphabetic vs. non-alphabetic). Past studies, however, have not differentiated the effect of script alphabeticity from that of spoken language experience, which covaries strongly with the phonological properties of the language. The present study compares younger, pre-reading to older, literate children from different linguistic backgrounds on their phonological awareness. Hong Kong and Guangzhou subjects both spoke Cantonese. The latter subjects had early experience with Pinyin (alphabetic) in addition to their logographic Chinese reading; the former read only logographic Chinese. New Zealand subjects spoke English and read the Roman alphabet. Results showed that: (1) the Hong Kong and Guangzhou pre-readers performed very similarly at all levels of phonological awareness; (2) the New Zealand pre-readers outperformed their Hong Kong and Guangzhou counterparts on onset, rime, and coda analyses; (3) the Guangzhou reading children outperformed their Hong Kong counterparts on onset and coda analyses. Whereas finding (3) reflects an effect of alphabeticity in the first learned script, finding (2) in combination with finding (1) indicates an effect of early spoken language experience independent of orthography. The fact that orthographic and spoken language experience both impact on the development of phonological skills implies a mediating function of phonological awareness in integrating sound information derived from reading and perceiving speech.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2003

Educating African-American men about prostate cancer: impact on awareness and knowledge.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether an education program on prostate cancer could improve awareness and knowledge among African-American men. African-American men have the world's highest incidence of prostate cancer and more than twice the mortality compared with white men. Screening programs for prostate cancer have not been successful in attracting African-American participation. One explanation is a poor awareness and knowledge about the disease among this high-risk population. METHODS: We surveyed 900 African-American adults attending prostate cancer education seminars in community settings throughout Illinois between March 1998 and January 2001. Participants were asked to complete a multiple-choice questionnaire on topics related to prostate cancer. The main outcome measures were a change in awareness and knowledge of prostate cancer after the 1-hour educational seminar. RESULTS: The mean survey score improved from 26.0% before the seminar to 73.3% after it (P <0.0001). Every multiple-choice question was answered correctly more often after the seminar than before it. Increasing levels of education and income were associated with higher before and after scores (P <0.001). Men achieved a significantly greater score improvement (mean 48.1%) compared with women (mean 41.1%; P = 0.006). Previous screening for prostate cancer was reported by 23% of the participants. Using logistic regression analyses, higher levels of education and income correlated with higher rates of screening. After the seminar, 63.1% stated the intention to undergo screening. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that prostate cancer awareness and knowledge can improve dramatically after a 1-hour seminar on the topic. Additional studies to evaluate the long-term retention of knowledge and impact on behavior are warranted.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Somatic awareness and coronary artery disease in women with chest pain.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there was a relationship between level of somatic awareness and coronary artery disease (CAD) in women with chest pain. DESIGN: Descriptive, correlational study. SETTING: Urban, university-affiliated, tertiary care hospital. SAMPLE: Fifty-five women without a previous history of heart disease admitted to the hospital for evaluation of chest pain. MEASURES: Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire (MSPQ); Patterson and Horowitz clinical criteria for classification of chest pain; Supplemented Rose Questionnaire for angina; age; and CAD risk factors. RESULTS: A small but significant inverse correlation was found between level of somatic awareness as measured by MSPQ scores and degree of CAD (r = 0.2932, p < 0.05). MSPQ scores significantly differed between women with CAD (lower scores) and women without CAD (higher scores) (p < 0.05). MSPQ score was the most important factor in a logistic regression model that modestly but significantly predicted presence or absence of CAD. CONCLUSIONS: Somatic awareness may be an important factor to consider in evaluating the awareness and response of women to symptoms of myocardial ischemia and to chest pain of both cardiac and noncardiac etiologies.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Domestic burns prevention and first aid awareness in and around Jamshedpur, India: strategies and impact.

This article highlights the strategy for awareness creation regarding burns prevention and first aid and its impact in and around the steel-producing city of Jamshedpur, India. This is a joint venture of the Burns Centre and the Medico Social Welfare Unit of the Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur in collaboration with the Social Service Division of Tata Steel and city schools. The first phase of 5 years has been devoted to general awareness building in the population through two main programmes, namely "Community Awareness Programmes" for the target group of ladies and teenage girls and "School Education Programmes" for the target group of school children of Standard 8 in the steel-producing city. These programmes include audio-visual presentations as well as face to face interactions regarding structure and arrangements in the kitchen, floor level cooking, clothing while cooking, careful use of electrical appliances, pressure stoves, etc. The discussions also include suicidal and homicidal burns prevention strategies. Various competitions for the target group provide feedback on programmes. The growing awareness about burns prevention among school children and community members, and steady increase in the number of patients who use water as first aid, speak about the success of the strategies.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1997

How to measure consumer awareness of mass-media campaigns for public health purposes.

Effectiveness of health promotion campaigns is often discussed. This paper deals with the effectiveness measure 'consumer awareness'. How should it be measured? On the basis of experience from seven evaluation studies including awareness measures of five mass-media campaigns run nationwide in Denmark for healthy eating, the paper discusses interpretation of differently phrased awareness questions. It identifies problem areas in the field and ends up by recommending steps to overcome some of the encountered problems. The purpose of the paper is to open a discussion of how to measure awareness based on practical experience rather than describing how it ought to be done based on the literature.

Attitude to Health↗