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PubMed2001

Current-events knowledge in adults: an investigation of age, intelligence, and nonability determinants.

This study expanded the scope of knowledge typically included in intellectual assessment to incorporate domains of current-events knowledge from the 1930s to the 1990s across the areas of art/humanities, politics/economics, popular culture, and nature/science/technology. Results indicated that age of participants was significantly and positively related to knowledge about current events. Moreover, fluid intelligence was a less effective predictor of knowledge levels than was crystallized intelligence. Personality (i.e. Openness to Experience) and self-concept were also positively related to current-events knowledge. The results are consistent with an investment theory of adult intellect, which views development as an ongoing outcome of the combined influences of intelligence-as-process, personality, and interests, leading to intelligence-as-knowledge (P. L. Ackerman, 1996b).

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Dental hygienists' knowledge, opinions, and practices related to oral and pharyngeal cancer risk assessment.

METHODS: A pre-tested, validated 62-item survey was mailed to a 1% national random sample of licensed dental hygienists, (n = 960). Four complete mailings of the instrument resulted in a 74.4% percent return rate of which 65% percent were usable (n = 464). Respondents provided information on their knowledge of oral cancer risk assessment factors, their use of health history questions to assess patients' oral cancer risks, how they conduct oral cancer examinations, and their beliefs about their oral cancer training. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and evaluated at a significance level of p < or = 0.05. RESULTS: Based on responses to 14 questions, the average score on knowledge of oral cancer risk factors was 7.92, with a significant difference found among age groups and year of graduation, (p = 0.006). On average, dental hygienists assessed five of eight risk assessment items with "use of alcohol" receiving the least attention. Although nearly 100% percent agreed that oral cancer examinations for adults 40 years of age or older should be provided annually, only 66% percent reported doing so for patients on their initial appointment. Seventy-four percent believed they were adequately trained to provide oral cancer examinations, while only 27 percent agreed that they were prepared to provide tobacco cessation counseling. There was no significant correlation between knowledge of oral cancer risk factors and probing these risk factors when conducting a health history. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study indicate that interventions are needed to increase dental hygienists' knowledge of oral cancer risk factors, correct misinformation, and close the gap between their knowledge and its application in providing prevention and early detection services. The majority believed that they are not as knowledgeable as they could be and are interested in attending an oral cancer continuing education (CE) course.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Expertise and estimating what other people know: the influence of professional experience and type of knowledge.

There is ample evidence that estimations of what other people know are often biased in the direction of one's own knowledge. Yet, it is still unclear if this bias is influenced by expertise. In Study 1, computer experts estimated the distribution of Internet concepts and general knowledge concepts among students. These estimations were compared with norm values and with estimations obtained from a sample of laypersons. Laypersons showed a stronger bias than experts. Study 2 revealed that knowledge estimations can be influenced by labeling knowledge items as specialist knowledge. The results are suggestive of ways in which communication between experts and laypersons could be enhanced. Especially in asynchronous communication situations, as for example in the use of e-mail based hot lines, if experts are to communicate effectively, they must make accurate assumptions about laypersons' knowledge of the topic.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Urbanisation and health related knowledge and attitudes of South Asian children.

OBJECTIVE: To study the differences in health related knowledge and attitudes of less and more urbanised 10-12 year old South Asian school children. METHOD: A total of 589 Asian children living in UK and in Pakistan were studied. Three groups of children were recruited from Punjab, Pakistan: rural (RrP, n = 100), middle income urban (MUP, n = 148) and high income urban (HUP, n = 159) and they were assigned urbanization rank (UR) 1, 2 and 3. Another two groups of children were recruited from Slough, UK: British Pakistani (BrP, n = 110) and British Indian (Brl, n = 71) and they were assigned urbanization rank 4 and 5 respectively. Information about Cardiovascular Health (CVH) related knowledge, Health Locus of Control (HLC), smoking behaviour, self-perception of bodyweight and self-perception of activity level was collected through questionnaire. Actual weight status was judged by measuring body height and weight. Actual Physical Activity Level (PAL) was calculated from three day activity records kept by children. RESULTS: In general health related knowledge improved with urbanisation status. In all groups girls scored better on knowledge test than boys from the same group. HLC scores increased (indicate higher level of internal locus of control) steadily with urbanisation from UR 1-3. In most groups girls had slightly lower HLC scores. Smoking intentions were not related to UR. Validity of perceptions slightly improved with urbanisation rank only for activity level. CONCLUSION: Due to lack of knowledge and belief in external health locus of control, behaviour modification is likely to harder in less urbanized Pakistani groups. For the prevention of disease, efforts are required not only to increase the children's knowledge about health but also to increase awareness and understanding of healthy body weight, physical activity, hazards of smoking and to inculate belief in internal control over own health.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Prevalence of community-oriented primary care knowledge, training, and practice.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recent recommendations requiring resident training in community-oriented primary care (COPC) indicate a continued interest among family medicine educators. This study examines COPC-related aspects of training and practice and whether or not respondents report COPC knowledge. The study also compares residency program and physician responses. METHODS: A total of 400 randomly selected practicing physicians and 470 residency directors were asked about COPC curricular and practice experiences. Physicians were asked if they practice COPC. Programs were asked if they taught COPC. Both were asked if they were knowledgeable about COPC. RESULTS: Response rates for practicing physicians and programs were 58.4% and 71.8%, respectively; 38.8% of programs teach COPC, and 6.7% of physicians reported that they practice COPC. Sixty-seven percent of programs and 19% of physicians reported COPC knowledge. Programs with knowledge of COPC conducted more COPC-related activities than those without such knowledge. This relationship was not seen among practicing physicians. CONCLUSIONS: Aspects of COPC exist in training and in practice environments. Knowledge about COPC is associated with differences in programs' COPC activities but not in the COPC activities of practicing physicians. Programs and physicians differ in COPC implementation in training and practice.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2002

Socio-economic determinants of knowledge and attitudes about tuberculosis among the general population of Metro Manila, Philippines.

SETTING: Five urban communities in Metro Manila with different socio-economic status. OBJECTIVE: To investigate general knowledge about tuberculosis (TB) and intended health-seeking behaviour for TB symptoms among the general population of Metro Manila, and how they are determined by socioeconomic factors. DESIGN AND METHOD: Subjects aged 18 years and over were interviewed in a cross-sectional survey. Data on TB knowledge and intended health-seeking behaviour were stratified by sex, age, educational background, occupation, average family income and place of residence. A TB knowledge score was constructed based on 10 selected questions. Multivariate analysis with standard logistic regression showed those factors that were independently correlated to understanding of the disease, and to attitudes in case of TB symptoms. The TB knowledge score was also analysed by TB information source. RESULTS: Completed surveys were obtained from 3970 subjects. They scored low in general knowledge about TB (3.64 +/- 1.67, range 0-10). A higher score was independently associated with college education (OR = 4.35, 95%CI 6.60-2.87, P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in TB knowledge acquired through several sources. No intention of seeking health care and intention to self-treat in case of TB disease were significantly correlated to low family monthly income (OR = 7.10, 95%CI 8.25-6.11, P < 0.0001 and OR = 1.74, 95%CI 2.06-1.46, P < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Socio-economic factors should be taken into account in the design of TB information campaigns and in prioritising public health interventions about TB.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of homeless African-American adolescents: implications for HIV/AIDS prevention.

The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the knowledge of HIV/AIDS, attitudes about condom use, and the sexual behavior of African-American adolescents who reside in a children's emergency homeless shelter. The Attitudes Toward Condom Usage Questionnaire, the AIDS Knowledge and Attitude Survey, and a Perceived Risk of HIV/AIDS Scale were modified and administered to 37 African-American male and female adolescents who reside in an emergency shelter. HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes about condoms among these respondents were comparable to those of other adolescents described in the literature in that there was a strong knowledge of HIV/AIDS, although sexual behavior and attitudes toward condoms were not consistent with this knowledge. Significant differences between male and female respondents were only found on three items of the Attitudes Toward Condom Usage Questionnaire and on the Perceived Risk of HIV/AIDS Scale at the 0.05 level. The knowledge, attitudes, and sexual behavior of homeless, African-American adolescents should be examined to develop and implement appropriate programs to address the specific needs of this population. Further research should focus on this population and expand on this preliminary data.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oral and pharyngeal cancer: knowledge and opinions of dentists in British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

Oral and pharyngeal cancers are largely preventable and can be successfully treated when diagnosed at an early stage. Dentists in British Columbia and Nova Scotia were surveyed regarding their knowledge and opinions about oral and pharyngeal cancer. In February 1998 a pretested 41-item survey was mailed to a random sample of dentists in British Columbia and the population of dentists in Nova Scotia. A reminder postcard and one additional mailing were sent to nonrespondents. Of the 670 dentists supplying usable responses (response rate 55.2%) only 56.7% agreed that their knowledge of the subject was current. Most dentists correctly identified tobacco use (99.4%) and alcohol use (90.4%) as risk factors, but fewer correctly identified factors such as the use of spicy foods (57.0%) and poor oral hygiene (46.3%) as not being risk factors. Only 42.5% identified both erythroplakia and leukoplakia, in that order, as the conditions most likely associated with oral cancer. Indices of risk and diagnostic knowledge were constructed by summing the number of correct responses to items in each domain. On 16 risk factors the mean correct score was 9.2, and on 14 diagnostic procedures the mean correct score was 10.0. Only 38.5% of dentists had consistent levels of knowledge on both indices. Differences between the provinces were statistically significant (p < 0.01) for only 2 knowledge items. About three-quarters of all dentists (77.0%) were interested in taking continuing education courses. Dentists in British Columbia and Nova Scotia could benefit from undergraduate and continuing education courses to increase their knowledge of risk and diagnostic factors for oral cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Family practitioners' knowledge and attitudes towards various fields of non-conventional medicine].

BACKGROUND: The common feature of the different varieties of non-conventional medicine (NCM) is the lack of recognition, complete or partial, given to them by the institutions of conventional medicine. Treating all varieties in the same way can cause confusion. AIM: To investigate the knowledge and attitudes of family practitioners (FP) in the methods of NCM that are most commonly practiced in Israel. METHODS: Anonymous questionnaires were used that tested knowledge and probed attitudes about FP about acupuncture, homeopathy, shiatsu and reflexology. RESULTS: 130 FP participated in the study (response rate 91%). In-depth training of any one of the NCM methods was rare (3-7%). Overall, a very minimal level of knowledge of all four methods was found--58% did not manage to answer even one knowledge question correctly, and the best result was five correct answers out of eight. Most of the doctors recognized NCM as legitimate, and thought that conventional and non-conventional medicine should co-exist side by side. Over 30% saw the possibility of integrating all four NCM methods within the institutions of conventional medicine. No significant difference was found in the doctors' attitudes towards the different methods. Better knowledge was associated with more positive attitudes towards NCM (p < 0.05), and a greater likelihood of referring patients (p < 0.1). CONCLUSION: Since attitudes towards NCM seem to be shaped by knowledge to a certain extent, educators should consider teaching more about these treatments both in medical schools and as part of CME.

Acupressure↗
PubMed1992

[Knowledge and expectations of childbirth in primigravidas].

The primigravida's experience of childbirth is influenced by the knowledge and expectations she has of childbirth. Her expectations of childbirth are based on the information she got from the antenatal clinic, the nursing staff, her mother, friends and family. The purpose of this research was to determine the knowledge and expectations the primigravida has of childbirth. An exploratory, descriptive design was used within the context of an academic hospital in Johanneburg. The survey method was used. The method of research firstly consisted of a literature study of the primigravida's knowledge and expectations of childbirth. This was done in order to put the problem in perspective and also to serve as a theoretical framework for the study. Secondly, a structured questionnaire was used to make a survey of the primigravida's knowledge and expectations of childbirth. From this research it is clear that the respondents had insufficient knowledge of childbirth and the handling of pain during childbirth. This insufficient knowledge can mainly be attributed to the poor attendance of antenatal preparation classes, inadequate professional counselling and the mother of the primigravida as the primary source of information on childbirth. The respondents, however, had realistic expectations with regard to their handling of labour, as well as of the role of the midwife and the doctor. From this research it is clear that a large gap exists in the primigravida's preparation for childbirth. The group participating in this research is therefore not adequately prepared for childbirth to have realistic expectations. The group must rely on the support of the midwife in the labour ward.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[French-language adaptation of an evaluation test of knowledge meant for insulin-dependent children: methodology and value for research in clinical practice].

A measure of knowledge level of diabetic patients is useful in evaluating their educational needs as well as the impact of the educational programs specifically designed for them. The lack of such scales in French, led us to translate and validate an existing knowledge scale for diabetic children, the Test of Diabetes Knowledge (TDK) (Johnson et al.). After several translations and back translations, the 33 item scale was submitted to the staff members of a pediatric diabetology unit, to establish its content validity. An assessment the questionnaire was performed in a group of 49 children, aged 7.9 to 12.8 years. The mean duration of diabetes was 4.6 +/- 2.9 years and their scholastic level varied from 1st to 6th grades. Time spent in filling out the questionnaires was 12 to 25 minutes. Few missing values were noted. The reliability of the scale was excellent as shown by Cronbach's alpha coefficient: 0.83 for the overall scale, 0.72 for the general knowledge subscale (20 items) and 0.70 for the problem solving subscale (13 items). The level of correct responses was correlated with age and scholastic level (p < 0.0001), but not with sex, duration of diabetes, or HbA1c levels. This study shows that the French version of the TDK is a valid and reliable tool for measuring the level of knowledge in children and adolescents with diabetes. This scale provides the researcher and clinician with a tool that facilitates the performance of an educational diagnosis and the evaluation of educational programs based on the transmission knowledge.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Prenatal patients' views of prenatal care services: a medical center-based assessment of knowledge and intent to use support services.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to ascertain the priority of prenatal support services from the perspective of high-risk patients. The relationship between patients' needs, and both knowledge of and intent to use services, was examined, while documenting factors associated with the intent to use available support services. METHODS: The authors of this study conducted a cross-sectional survey of 102 African-American women at a university-affiliated, urban-health center. Patients' priority support needs were compared to their knowledge of and intent to use support services using chi-square statistics. Logistic regression was used to determine factors independently associated with patients' intent to use 5 support services (substance abuse counseling, community referrals, health education, nutrition services, and social work services), while adjusting for potential socioeconomic confounding variables, knowledge, and need for services. RESULTS: Knowledge of existing services was independently associated with patient intent to use one or more support services (odds ratio 3.6; confidence interval 1.4-9.4). With each one-unit increase in parity, a 30% less odds (odds ratio 0.7; confidence interval 0.4-0.9) of using one or more support services occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should ensure prenatal patients' knowledge of support services at healthcare centers. Multiparity is inversely related to women's intent to use support services, independent of their knowledge of service availability.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

Knowledge of epilepsy and attitudes towards the condition among schoolteachers in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso).

Epilepsy is one of the stigmatising afflictions still common in Africa. The attitudes toward people with epilepsy are influenced by the degree of knowledge of the condition. This study was conducted to assess 260 teachers' knowledge and attitude towards epilepsy. They answered a semi-structured questionnaire in order to quantify their knowledge of and attitude towards epilepsy in Bobo-Dioulasso. Teachers were chosen at random. Almost all the teachers had heard about epilepsy, with 43.2% of them linking epilepsy to a central nervous system disturbance. Some teachers still thought that epilepsy was contagious or hereditary, and 15.4% objected to having epileptic children in their classes. Their knowledge of the clinical characteristics and first aid for a person during a seizure was unsatisfactory, and 56.5% of teachers who believed that epilepsy could be cured, thought that this disease should be treated by both modern and traditional medicines. The majority of teachers were interested in training involving clinical manifestations, aetiology of epilepsy and first aid procedures. Schools should offer some kind of information and assistance in health matters, and physicians should ensure that teachers have sufficient knowledge of epilepsy. More knowledge among primary school teachers should avoid discrimination against pupils with epilepsy.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Knowledge and attitudes towards antiretroviral therapy among factory workers participating in a cohort on HIV and AIDS, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This study investigates barriers that may pose a threat to a successful implementation of an antiretroviral treatment (ART) program in Ethiopia. As prelude to the provision of ART among factory workers participating in a cohort study on HIV and AIDS in Ethiopia, we measured knowledge and attitudes towards several aspects of ART and provided an educational intervention. The proportion of participants having good knowledge on issues concerning adherence was found reasonably good (67.7%), concerning the benefit of ART was intermediate (37.7%) and concerning eligibility was very low (16.8%). Knowledge concerning eligibility improved somewhat after the provision of the educational intervention. Only one third of HIV infected persons discloses their HIV status to their partner. Several aspects that could impact adherence to ART will be discussed, such as ART knowledge, social support, willingness to take ART, and disclosure of serostatus, taking the cohort study site into account. Results indicate a tremendous need to educate cohort participants before and during introduction of ART. Efforts to increase knowledge of ART, and especially knowledge of eligibility criteria to start ART, seem warranted, as well as encouragement to identify social support and disclose HIV serostatus, as these factors directly impact the success of an ART program.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Oral health of Polish three-year-olds and mothers' oral health-related knowledge.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the oral health of Polish three-year-olds, to investigate oral health-related knowledge, habits and educational levels of their mothers, and to determine whether mothers' health-related knowledge influenced caries severity in their children. DESIGN: A cross-sectional. nationwide oral health survey of three-year-olds was performed in 2002. Their mothers completed self-administered questionnaires. PARTICIPANTS: The oral health survey covered 1,114 three-year-olds chosen by stratified random sampling. OUTCOME MEASURES: Dental caries was recorded according to WHO criteria and methods. Questionnaires investigated demographic factors, mothers' and children's oral health-related habits and oral health knowledge. RESULTS: A total of 43.8% of three-year-olds were caries-free. Mean dmft was 2.9, with the greatest component being decayed teeth (2.8). Nearly two-thirds of mothers had never taken their child to a dentist; a similar proportion declared care of the deciduous teeth to be unnecessary. Mothers' opinions concerning their children's oral health was over-optimistic. A strong interdependence was found between oral health and mothers' level of oral health-related knowledge, and between mothers' level of knowledge and their level of education. CONCLUSION: The level of dental caries in Polish three-year-olds was alarmingly high, and was associated with a low level of oral health-related knowledge among mothers, suggesting an urgent need for the implementation of systematic oral health education and promotion for expectant mothers and mothers of small children.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2004

HIV: knowledge and sexual practices amongst students of a school of communnity health in Lagos, Nigeria.

A cross sectional study was conducted amongst students of a school of health technology in Yaba. Lagos. Nigeria to determine their knowledge about HIV/AIDS and their sexual practices. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Two hundred and thirty-six students out of 250 participated in the study (94% response rate). The mean age was 24.7+5.2 years, 167 (71%) respondents were females while 69 (29%) were males. One hundred and seventy-seven (75%) students were single and 59 (25%) were married. Knowledge on HIV was graded using twenty-nine items on the questionnaire, each scored one mark. A maximum score of 29 was obtainable and respondents with scores greater than 50% were classified as having a satisfactory level of knowledge. Ninety-nine percent had heard about HIV/AIDS through several sources. Knowledge of symptoms, methods of transmission and prevention were generally satisfactory. One hundred and seventy one (72%) students were sexually active, 48% engaged in casual sex and 9% had multiple partners. Of the 171 who were in sexual relationship with a primary partner, 49 (29%) used condoms all the time. One hundred and fourteen (48%) admitted to having casual sex but 60 (53%) used condoms all the time during casual sex. Partner and personal dislike as well as reduction in sexual pleasure were reasons for non-use of condoms. A significantly higher proportion of students in the higher classes (74/94, 79%) possessed a higher level of knowledge than those in the lower class (78/142, 55%, p=0.0003). One hundred and fifty-two (64%) students possessed a satisfactory level of knowledge on the subject, but many engaged in risky behaviour.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Survey of knowledge of HIV infection among senior secondary school 3 (SSS3) students in Port Harcourt.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this paper is to study the knowledge of the students on Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Deficiency Disease (HIV/AIDS) among third year senior secondary school (SSS3) students in Port Harcourt metropolis. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional survey involving 1800 SSS3 students from thirteen secondary schools in Port Harcourt metropolis, selected by a two-stage stratified sampling technique, using a self administered structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty one percent, 14.4%, 9.1% and 8% of the students studied identified sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, mother to child (vertical) transmission and intravenous drug use, respectively, as modes of transmission of HIV infection. Only 7.1% identified all the listed four modes of transmission of HIV whilst 0.7% of the students identified all the listed preventive methods. The level of knowledge of the students on HIV did not significantly increase with age (p = 0.745). Students from Federal school demonstrated more knowledge than students from state and private schools. Similarly, students from all-male school had more knowledge than students from all-female and co-educational schools. Students from high social class demonstrated more knowledge than those from middle and low social class. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the knowledge of the students on the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS is poor. There is need to intensify HIV/AIDS education programmes among adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Is education a determinant of knowledge about malaria among Indian tribal population?

Malaria is a major public health problem in tribal villages of India, where 8% of the country's population lives. Literacy level among tribal population is very low. This study aims to examine the relation between education status and knowledge about malaria among Indian tribal communities. 125 randomly selected tribal respondents from one tribal village each of 17 states were administered a close ended questionnaire by trained interviewers to assess their knowledge about various aspects of malaria. Effect of educational status on the level of knowledge was analyzed using chi square test. Stratified analysis was performed using Mantel Haenszel chi square test to eliminate gender bias. 2125 respondents', randomly selected from 17 tribal villages in as many states, findings were analyzed. Fifty seven percent male and 72% female respondents were illiterate. Only 2% respondents had college level education. Educated females were more knowledgeable than their male counterparts. Mantel Haenszel chi square analysis showed that educated respondents were more knowledgeable than the illiterates, after adjusting for sex of respondents. However, there was gross lack of knowledge regarding diagnosis and treatment of malaria and use of insecticides irrespective of gender and educational status. Improvement in literacy status of tribal population will help in increasing awareness about malaria. Opportunities for disseminating information about various aspects of malaria should be utilized during treatment of malaria cases by health workers.

Adolescent↗