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Church-based health promotion interventions: evidence and lessons learned.

Church-based health promotion (CBHP) interventions can reach broad populations and have great potential for reducing health disparities. From a socioecological perspective, churches and other religious organizations can influence members' behaviors at multiple levels of change. Formative research is essential to determine appropriate strategies and messages for diverse groups and denominations. A collaborative partnership approach utilizing principles of community-based participatory research, and involving churches in program design and delivery, is essential for recruitment, participation, and sustainability. For African Americans, health interventions that incorporate spiritual and cultural contextualization have been effective. Evidence indicates that CBHP programs have produced significant impacts on a variety of health behaviors. Key elements of CBHP are described with illustrations from the authors' research projects.

Black or African American↗

Comprehensive case management in the private sector for patients with severe mental illness.

Intensive case management for severely psychiatrically ill patients is a relatively new phenomenon in the private sector. The authors describe a comprehensive case management program designed at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to meet the needs of the most severely ill psychiatric patients in a private managed care environment. The case management program emphasizes involvement of patients in creating comprehensive treatment plans; development of a relationship between case managers, patients and their families, and providers; and clinical coordination between the public and private sectors to create individualized treatment plans. The program's case managers are able to flex the benefit limitations of a managed care or indemnity plan to integrate public and private services and can enlist providers outside a managed care network. The paper describes service utilization by the first 33 patients who participated in the program for one year.

Adolescent↗

A diabetes management program for African American women with type 2 diabetes.

PURPOSE: This paper describes a clinic- and community-based diabetes intervention program designed to improve dietary, physical activity, and self-care behaviors of older African American women with type 2 diabetes. It also describes the study to evaluate this program and baseline characteristics of participants. METHODS: The New Leaf ... Choices for Healthy Living With Diabetes program consists of 4 clinic-based health counselor visits, a community intervention with 12 monthly phone calls from peer counselors, and 3 group sessions. A randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention is described. RESULTS: Seventeen focus groups of African American women were used to assessed the cultural relevance/acceptability of the intervention and measurement instruments. For the randomized trial, 200 African American women with type 2 diabetes were recruited from 7 practices in central North Carolina. Mean age was 59, mean diabetes duration was 10 years, and participants were markedly overweight and physically inactive. CONCLUSIONS: Participants found this program to be culturally relevant and acceptable. Its effects on diet, physical activity, and self-care behaviors will be assessed in a randomized trial.

Adult↗

The effectiveness of a hospital-based strategy to reduce the cost of total joint implants.

Our hospital implemented an integrated cost-containment program designed to address the increasing disparity between the cost of orthopaedic implants used for total joint replacements and the amount of hospital reimbursement provided for these procedures. This program was divided into four phases: (1) the analysis of the specific usage of total hip and total knee implants at our institution, (2) the development of surgeons' awareness of the problem and the enlistment of their participation in the process of cost containment, (3) the initiation of a competitive bidding system to select standard prostheses that would be available for general use within the institution, and (4) the establishment of a prosthesis-utilization committee to monitor the process and to make decisions concerning the use of non-standard prostheses. Using this cost-containment program, our hospital greatly reduced the number of vendors and implant systems used; all implants were purchased on a consignment basis, which minimized the cost of implant inventory. The average cost reductions in the first year were 14 per cent for total hip implants and 24 per cent for total knee implants. Over-all implant costs were reduced by an estimated $706,477, or 23 per cent of the budget for implants for the previous year.

Competitive Bidding↗

Outcome of a cooperatively funded children's day-treatment program.

Emotionally disturbed children participated in a cooperatively funded day-treatment program. The philosophy of the program, designed to facilitate understanding and cooperation among the three funding agencies, the parents, and interdisciplinary team members, was a variant of social learning theory. In this article the program is described, as well as the results of a follow-up study which indicated successful therapeutic intervention. Finally, a discussion of the success, problems, and dissolution of the program is presented. A suggestion is made that future programs which are funded cooperatively include a buffer fund to allow the program to survive temporary financial shortfalls.

Analysis of Variance↗

Duration of breast milk expression among working mothers enrolled in an employer-sponsored lactation program.

BACKGROUND: Maternal employment has been one of the greatest barriers to breastfeeding. Women are increasingly solving this problem by expressing milk at work and taking it home to their infants. PURPOSE: The objective was to determine duration of breast milk expression among working mothers enrolled in an employer-sponsored lactation program. DESIGN AND METHODS: Retrospective reviews were conducted on the lactation records of 462 women employed by 5 corporations in order to describe and characterize their experiences. The lactation program included the employees' choice of (a) a class on the benefits of breastfeeding; (b) services of a certified lactation consultant (CLC); and (c) private room in the workplace with equipment for pumping. RESULTS: Breastfeeding was initiated by 97.5% of the participants, with 57.8% continuing for at least 6 months. Of the 435 (94.2%) who returned to work after giving birth, 343 (78.9%) attempted pumping milk at work, and 336 (98%) were successful. They expressed milk in the workplace for a mean of 6.3 months (SD = 3.9, range 2 weeks to 21 months). The mean age of infants when the mothers stopped pumping at work was 9.1 months (SD = 4.1, range 1.9 to 25 months). Most of the women who pumped their milk at work were working full time (84.2%). The mean postnatal maternity leave was 2.8 months. The proportion of women who chose to pump at work was higher among women who were salaried than among those who were paid hourly wages (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Company-sponsored lactation programs can enable employed mothers to provide breast milk for their infants as long as they wish, thus helping the nation attain the Healthy People 2010 goals of 50% of mothers breastfeeding until their infants are 6-months-old.

Breast Feeding↗

Evaluating the impact of a hypertension program for African Americans.

Although hypertension affects all racial and ethnic groups, its prevalence is highest in the African-American community. The goal of Healthy People 2010 is to reduce hypertension among African Americans from 40% to 16%. Although current levels remain high, culturally sensitive, community-based clinical projects might be helpful in addressing this problem. The goal of this study was to assess whether a community-based clinic's program was effective in improving blood pressure control among a sample of 134 African-American adults. The program design involved health education and physical fitness classes offered over a nine-month period, with blood pressure checks being conducted pre- and postphases to determine whether the program was effective in controlling high blood pressure. Health questionnaires were also administered pre- and posttest to assess whether health behaviors and perceived health status were influenced by the project. Two-thirds (70%) of the sample had high blood pressure at baseline and 43% at program conclusion. This was a statistically significant difference (p=0.003). Overall self-reported health survey results indicated improved health behaviors and health status changes. Findings suggest that culturally sensitive, community-based clinic programs that incorporate both health education and physical fitness might be effective in reducing hypertension among African Americans.

Adult↗

Freedom from fat: a contemporary multi-component weight loss program for the general population of obese adults.

This report summarizes results for the first 2,037 participants in the Freedom from Fat (FFF) weight loss program. FFF combined nutrition education, a low-fat dietary pattern, exercise, behavioral self-management, and social support in a program designed to serve the general population of overweight and obese adults. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 84 and from ideal weight to massively obese. After enrolling, program participants attended professionally led weekly meetings as long as they wished. Participants were encouraged to keep daily food diaries, to reduce the proportion of calories from fat to 30% or less, to exercise at moderate intensity for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week, to keep graphic records of weight change and exercise, and to display their graphs at each weekly group meeting. Attrition rates were comparatively low for a large-scale program, with half of the participants still active in the fifth month and 22% still active after 1 year. Mean weight loss for obese participants (BMI 30 or greater) at 6 months was 7.3 kg (16.2 lb) for men and 5.3 kg (11.6 lb) for women. The best predictors of weight loss at 6 months were number of days per week in which food diaries were kept, baseline body mass index, number of minutes of exercise per week, and age.

Adult↗

The Waianae Diet Program: a culturally sensitive, community-based obesity and clinical intervention program for the Native Hawaiian population.

The Waianae Diet Program (WDP) is a community-based program designed at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center in response to the high rates of obesity and chronic disease among Native Hawaiians. Its foundation is a 3-week program of traditional Hawaiian diet and cultural teachings. It employs 8 innovations in clinical nutrition and health promotion theory: 1. Non-calorie restricted weight loss protocol, 2. Dietary clinical intervention, 3. Cultural sensitivity, 4. Transition diet, 5. Whole-person approach, 6. Group ohana (family) support, 7. Community intervention, and 8. Role modeling. It has demonstrated significant weight loss with no calorie restriction, improvement in blood pressure, serum glucose, and serum lipids. It appears to have wide acceptance in the Hawaiian community. More studies are warranted to determine the long-term effect of this program.

Community Health Services↗

Evaluating the outcomes of parent-child family life education.

Conducted in diverse sociocultural communities in Los Angeles County, the project implemented and evaluated a family life education program designed to prevent the negative outcomes of risky sexual behavior. A sample of 251 male and female early adolescents 9 through 14 years of age participated with their parents in this abstinence-based adolescent pregnancy prevention program. The project sought to improve parent-child communications and delay the onset of sex-related behaviors through direct involvement of parents in the education process. Naturally occurring community groups were randomly assigned by site to treatment or delayed treatment conditions in a longitudinal quasi-experimental evaluation design. The evaluation demonstrated significant improvements in communication between parents and children immediately following the intervention; however, these improvements were no longer present 12 months postintervention. The process and outcome evaluation methods employed in the study triangulated qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis procedures. This combination provided other sources of data than the traditional outcome measures used in most evaluation studies, thus addressing some of the gaps in present program evaluations. Descriptions of the process evaluation, integrated with the outcome data, are intended to heighten nurses' awareness of the importance of this component of research and the rich qualitative data it may yield. The qualitative process components in the project captured the experience of the investigators when they encountered many of the complex challenges that confront researchers who implement and evaluate family life education programs among early adolescents. This experience provided the basis for suggested strategies that nurse clinicians and researchers can use in their work with early adolescents and their parents in clinical-, school-, and community-based settings.

Adolescent↗

AIDS prevention: legislative options.

This article reviews legislative options to prevent the transmission of HIV infection. It distinguishes between pre-exposure measures designed to prevent initial exposure, and post-exposure measures aimed at preventing infected individuals from exposing others. Part I identifies education as the key component of a comprehensive prevention program, and reviews options for pre-exposure education programs designed to avoid or minimize exposure. Part II reviews post-exposure prevention measures, focusing on reporting and contact tracing provisions. Mandatory reporting by name of individuals testing HIV positive and mandatory contact tracing are opposed as counterproductive prevention measures; voluntary partner notification is supported. Part III examines various prevention efforts for settings where there may be either a real or perceived risk of transmission of HIV infection. Part IV sets out conclusions.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Reforming China's urban health insurance system.

China's urban health insurance system is mainly consisted of labor insurance schemes (LIS) and government employee insurance scheme (GIS). LIS is a work unit-based self-insurance system that covers medical costs for the workers and often their dependents as well. GIS covers employees of the State institutions, is financed by general revenues. Since 1980s, China has implemented series of health insurance system reforms, culminating in the government's major policy decision in December of 1998 to establish a social insurance program for urban workers. Compared with the old insurance systems under LIS and GIS, the new system expands coverage to private sector employees and provides a more stable financing with its risk pool at the city level. Despite of these advantages, implementation of China's health insurance reform program is faced with several major challenges, including risk transfer from work units to municipal governments, diverse need and demand for health insurance benefits, incongruent roles of the central and regional governments. These challenges may reflect practical difficulties in policy implementation as well as some deficiencies in the original program design.

China↗

Prospects, problems, and prerequisites for national health examination surveys in developing countries.

Design options for the development of health information systems are evaluated. The health examination survey is found to be an appropriate method for meeting data needs for health planning, program design, and evaluation activities in developing countries. The model proposed is a national cross-sectional prevalence survey employing both interviews and physical examinations to produce a health status profile of a countries population. Examination data are objective, internationally comparable, and not dependent upon reports of clinical encounters in the population. Limitations inherent to health examination surveys are reviewed in reference to their potential in developing countries. Not all countries may be able to conduct health examination surveys; criteria are presented to assist in evaluation of the feasibility of application in specific countries.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

A spreadsheet program for brachytherapy planning.

A computer program (brachy-spread) which allows spreadsheet-like interactive adjustment of the loading of any brachytherapy application has been implemented. Sources are collected into objects, each assigned an activity and duration of implant. Activities and times may be adjusted by moving a cursor to the datum to be edited and entering a new value from the keyboard. Alternatively, the desired total dose to a given calculation point may be edited resulting in a recalculation of the time for all objects. For each of a set of calculation points, dose rates, total doses, and the percent contribution of each object to the point are displayed and instantly updated as the times and activities are adjusted. The program design includes rapidly updated display of isodose curves in previously selected arbitrary planes. A strategy for providing rapid dose display involving precalculation of fractional dose tables is used. The program has significantly reduced the time required to determine the appropriate loading of GYN applications and of implants which involve a combination of line sources and seeds.

Algorithms↗

The effectiveness and costs of comprehensive geriatric evaluation and management.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional interdisciplinary diagnostic process focused on determining a frail elderly person's medical, psychological, and functional capabilities in order to develop a coordinated and integrated plan for treatment and long-term follow-up. Geriatrics interventions building on CGA are defined from their historical emergence to the present day in a discussion of their complexity, goals and normative components. Through literature review, questions of the effectiveness and costs of these interventions are addressed. Evidence of effectiveness is derived from individual trials and, particularly, recent systematic reviews. While the trial evidence lends support to the proposition that geriatric interventions can be effective, the results have not been uniform. Review of meta-regression studies suggests that much of this outcome variability is related to identifiable program design parameters. In particular, targeting the frail, an interdisciplinary team structure with clinical control of care, and long-term follow-up, tend to be associated with effective programs. Answers to cost-effectiveness questions also vary and are more rare. With some exceptions, existing evidence as exists suggest that geriatrics interventions can be effective without raising total costs of care. Despite the attention given to these questions in recent years, there is still much room for clinical and scientific advance as we move to better understand what CGA interventions do well and in whom.

Aged↗

A survey to identify potential outcome indicators for a hospital blood glucose monitoring program.

OBJECTIVE: A survey of operators of a bedside blood glucose monitoring (BGM) program at a tertiary health care institution was performed to identify potential outcome indicators for our quality assurance program. DESIGN AND METHODS: 170 surveys were randomly distributed to each nursing unit. The survey consisted of 20 questions on 4 pages. At the time of the survey, the BGM program consisted of 514 operators and 33 blood glucose meters on 17 inpatient nursing units servicing a total of 445 hospital beds. RESULTS: Seventy-eight percent of surveys were returned. Seventy-one percent of operators used the glucose meter at least once a week, 17% used it less than once a week, and 12% used it less than once a month. When asked how often they thought operators should perform BGM to ensure reliability, 65% stated "at least monthly," 8% said "bimonthly," and 27% said "3 to 4 times a year." In the previous 3 months, 59% of operators recalled "never having to repeat a BGM measurement with the glucose meter." 56% recalled "never having to confirm a BGM result by sending a venous sample to the central laboratory," 38% recalled "sending a venous sample once or twice;" 4% recalled "three or four times;" and 2% recalled "more than four times." Fifty-two percent recalled having to perform a stat analysis "less than once per month," 37% recalled "once or twice per month," and 11% recalled "once or twice per week." CONCLUSIONS: Through this survey we obtained information from our operators about the current functioning of our BGM program. Based on this information, we were able to develop a list of potential outcome indicators that we encourage health care institutions with BGM programs to consider incorporating in their quality assurance (QA) program.

Blood Glucose↗

Analysis of postoperative glare and intraocular lens design.

PURPOSE: To assess the potential for reflected glare images from commonly used intraocular lens (IOL) materials and designs. SETTING: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. METHODS: The interaction of reflected light rays from 3 commonly used IOLs (Bausch & Lomb LI61U and P359UV; Alcon AcrySof(R) MA60BM) with different optic designs (equi-biconvex: 10.0 and 15.0 mm anterior radius of curvature; unequal biconvex: 32.0 mm anterior radius of curvature) and optic materials (silicone, poly[methyl methacrylate], and acrylic) were examined in an eye model using the Zemax optical design program. The potential of each IOL model to produce subjective glare was determined from the size of the defocused reflected glare image at the retina. RESULTS: The unequal biconvex design concentrated reflected light on a retinal area that was 60-fold smaller than that of the equi-biconvex design. Increasing the refractive index of the IOL material from 1.43 (silicone) to 1.55 (acrylic) increased the amount of reflected light 5-fold. Compared to an equi-biconvex design composed of a lower refractive index material, the unequal biconvex design with a higher refractive index material increased the relative intensity of reflected light at the retina 300-fold, and for eyes with low corneal power the intensity increased 3500-fold. Similarly, for external glare apparent to an outside observer, the intensity of reflected light increased 400-fold and for low corneal power it increased 6000-fold. CONCLUSION: An unequal biconvex IOL design (32.0 mm anterior radius of curvature) composed of a higher refractive index material increased the potential for postoperative glare and external reflections.

Computer Simulation↗

SMART--a program to measure SEM resolution and imaging performance.

It is important to be able to measure the parameters, such as spatial resolution, astigmastism, signal-to-noise ratio, and drift and instability, that characterize the performance of a scanning electron microscope. These quantities can be determined most reliably by a Fourier analysis of digital micrographs from the instrument, recorded under conditions of interest. A program designed to implement all of the necessary steps in an automated manner has been developed as a 'macro' for the popular, and freely available, NIH Image and SCION Image programs.

Journal Article↗