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PubMed2003

TPL-KATS-card sort: a tool for assessing structural knowledge.

The study of how individuals organize knowledge has been a popular endeavor for several decades. As a result, techniques have been developed to assess how individuals represent and organize knowledge internally. Although several conceptual knowledge elicitation methods have been developed and used to assess the organization of knowledge, their use is often labor intensive and time consuming. Presented here is a software tool that was developed to reduce the problems associated with manually administering the conceptual knowledge elicitation technique, or card sorting. The TPL-KATS-card sort software not only simplifies the administration of the task, but also adds features to the card-sorting task such as media insertion, time stamping, and instructorless administration. In the present article, an introduction to the card-sorting technique is provided, the new software tool is described, and the advantages of the software are detailed.

Concept Formation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Knowledge and awareness concerning chemical and biological terrorism: continuing education implications.

BACKGROUND: A survey on knowledge and awareness concerning chemical and biological terrorism was used to assess the knowledge base of health care providers at an urban medical center in preparation for developing a workshop on domestic terrorism preparedness. A second survey assessing domestic terrorism preparedness of infection control personnel and nurse educators also was conducted. METHOD: A total of 291 nurses, physicians, nursing students, and medical students completed the knowledge and awareness survey. A total of 24 infection control personnel and nurse educators completed the second survey on domestic terrorism preparedness. FINDINGS: The knowledge scores of the respondents were low, with less than one fourth of the knowledge questions answered correctly. In addition, less than 23% of the respondents reported confidence to provide health care in a hypothetical chemical terrorism situation. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate a need for nurses in continuing education and staff development to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative domestic terrorism preparedness programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

[Knowledge, health belief, and self-efficacy related to osteoporosis].

PURPOSE: This research was conducted to examine the relationship of knowledge, health beliefs, and self-efficacy on osteoporosis. METHOD: The design of this study was a correlative design. The subjects were 1,615 Korean adults over the age of 20 registered in a new town and participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire developed by Kim, Horan & Gendler (1991), translated into Korean. RESULTS: 1) The subjects recorded an average score of 11.10 on osteoporosis knowledge. The average scores on the osteoporosis health beliefs was 15.68 for perceived susceptibility and the respondents recorded an average score of 40.40 for osteoporosis self-efficacy. 2) There were statistically significant differences in the degree of osteoporosis knowledge, self-efficacy and health belief according to gender, age, scholastic achievement, marital state, and jobs. 3) There were statistically significant positive correlations between osteoporosis knowledge and self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: According to these results, an osteoporosis education program improving not only knowledge but also self-efficacy and health beliefs should be developed and applied to decrease the perception of barriers to exercise and intake of calcium.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Primigravidae's knowledge about obstetric complications in an urban health centre in Malawi.

UNLABELLED: Pregnant women in Malawi receive information about pregnancy, labour and delivery during routine antenatal visits. This study aimed to explore knowledge of obstetric complications amongst primigravidae attending an urban health centre in Blantyre, Malawi. A descriptive study design was used. Recognition of obstetric complications in pregnancy, during labour and after delivery and actions that participants would take if they developed any complications in pregnancy and after delivery were explored. Actions that women would take for complications that occur during labour were not probed, as women have little control over actions taken when complications arise during labour. METHODS: Participants were selected by means of purposive sampling from a population of pregnant women who fitted defined criteria and who were attending antenatal clinic at a health centre. Forty-five primigravidae from the urban setting with a gestation period between 28 and 42 weeks were interviewed. Data were analysed manually. RESULTS: The findings showed that participants were more aware of obstetric complications that could occur in pregnancy than of complications that may occur during and after delivery. Sixty percent of the participants were knowledgeable about obstetric complications in pregnancy. The majority of the participants, 73% and 82.2% did not know of any problems that could occur during and after the birth of the baby respectively. Participants had limited knowledge of complications that may need immediate treatment during all three periods. Fifty-eight percent (95% ci: 43; 73) of the primigravidae had some knowledge and could make an informed decision to go to a health facility with pregnancy complications. However, only 24% (95% ci: 11; 38) of the primigravidae had some knowledge and could make an informed decision to go to a health facility with complications after delivery. These findings suggest a critical need for provision of information on obstetric complications especially those that may occur during and after birth with emphasis on those obstetric complications that require immediate treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of dietary knowledge, practices and control in type 2 diabetes in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: In spite of the importance of diet in the management of diabetes mellitus (DM), diabetics are often unaware of its place in ensuring good glycaemic control. Consequently, compliance and adherence with dietary advice remain poor among diabetics. The standard of practice of dietary therapy for DM among physicians is also low. The aim of this study therefore was to assess the dietary knowledge, practices and control of type 2 DM in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals' Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. METHOD: All 33 type 2 diabetes patients that attended the hospital over a three month period were studied to assess knowledge of DM, dietary practice and control. Percentage perceived, correct and accurate knowledge as well as practice were used for comparative analysis. RESULTS: All 33 subjects had truncal obesity and needed to lose weight. This was moderately severe in 60% of subjects. About 52% received dietary advice. The latter had a significantly higher mean dietary knowledge score than those without dietary advice. Significantly higher mean knowledge scores seemed to be associated with better dietary practices and better glycaemic control. Overall, dietary practices improved significantly following diagnosis and counselling. A significant proportion of subjects increased their use of food with low glycaemic index (legumes 48.5%, cereals 90.9%) following diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The findings further emphasize the importance of structured dietary advice and dietary control in Type 2 diabetes. In settings where dieticians are scarce, physicians managing diabetic patients must be skilled in the dietary management of the condition and show commitment to it.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Knowledge of healthy diets among adolescents in eastern Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Bad dietary habits, such as eating high-fat/high-energy food, can contribute to obesity in adolescents, which tends to persist into adulthood. The objective of this study was to determine the level and sources of knowledge about foods and healthy diets among male and female adolescents. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of a sample of male (n=1240) and female (n=1331) adolescents from third grade, intermediate and all three grades of secondary school students in the Al-Khobar Area, eastern province of Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information. RESULTS: Approximately 51% of the male and 65% of the female students recognized unsaturated fats as healthy foods. However, 10% of the males and 8% of females reported saturated fats as healthy food items. About 49% of the males and 66% of the females correctly defined cholesterol. Dietary knowledge of both male and female students on the dangers of unhealthy foods and the benefits of fiber-rich diets was found to be unsatisfactory. The main sources of knowledge about health and disease reported by the male and female respondents were television (58% and 61%, respectively), magazines (31% and 39%) and daily newspaper (33% and 34%). Primary health care centers (PHCCs) staff were the least source of knowledge (17% and 16%). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of healthy diets among school students was inadequate. It is recommended that health education and information about healthy eating habits and lifestyle be included in school curricula.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Development of a questionnaire to assess worker knowledge, attitudes and perceptions underlying dermal exposure.

OBJECTIVES: Workers' behavior is identified as an important determinant of dermal exposure and is influenced by knowledge, attitudes, and risk perceptions. Because behavior may be a significant predictor of exposure, its assessment provides a means for examining exposure and designing strategies and incentives that encourage worker protective behavior. Currently, there are no psychosocial instruments examining worker knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions with respect to dermal hazards. Accordingly, a questionnaire was developed and tested to provide an instrument for measuring worker knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions. METHODS: The questionnaire was developed on the basis of a literature review and expert consultation. Scales were constructed based on standard methods. Two worker focus groups were used to evaluate worker understanding and content validity of the KAP (knowledge, attitudes, perceptions) questionnaire. The resulting 115-item questionnaire that included scales for knowledge (N=13), attitudes (N=27), perceptions (N=15), behavior (N=8), behavioral intentions (N=15), barriers (N=13), and facilitators (N=5) was tested on 89 workers from 19 facilities. RESULTS: The concepts identified in the focus groups included worker perception of higher risk due to a poor fit and replacement frequency for personal protective equipment and cross-contamination by workers moving into work zones. Field testing of the questionnaire (N=89) yielded Cronbach's alpha reliability scores ranging from 0.87 for the self-efficacy personal protective equipment scale to 0.92 for the overall belief scale, indicating high internal reliability. CONCLUSIONS: Although further testing and refinement is needed, this survey instrument provides an initial and conceptually unique means for evaluating behavioral determinants of worker dermal exposure.

Focus Groups↗
PubMed2006

Reproductive health knowledge, beliefs and determinants of contraceptives use among women attending family planning clinics in Ibadan, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: In developing countries especially in Africa, reproductive ill health have been a great concern to many stakeholders as maternal mortality and morbidity are very high compared to developed world. Also reproductive health knowledge and access to quality of care maternal health services in Africa are poor with significant health consequences. Appropriate reproductive health knowledge, belief and will power of women to access quality family planning services (preventive and curative) are essential for improvement in reproductive health of women. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess reproductive health knowledge, beliefs and influential factors of contraceptives use among women attending family planning clinics in Ibadan, Nigeria. METHOD: The study was cross-sectional in nature involving 550 randomly selected respondents among women attending family planning clinics in Ibadan, Nigeria. The study instrument was a self-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS package. RESULTS: Only 56.0% of the respondents knew when pregnancy can occur, 31.5% believed that having sex once with a man will not result in pregnancy. Almost in all items, over 90.0% of respondents had knowledge of benefits of family planning. Consideration about personal health (86.0%) and husband's approval (74.9%) were major determinants of respondents use of contraceptives. CONCLUSION: Though respondents were knowledgeable about benefits of family planning, there is the need for continuous education of women about reproductive health issues and integration of men's participation in family planning programme to increase utilization of family planning services in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

An educational approach to leprosy control: an evaluation of knowledge, attitudes and practice in two poor localities in Bombay, India.

Based on the hypothesis that a systematic, carefully planned educational approach to leprosy would yield results in terms of knowledge, attitudes and case presentation superior to those of the established and traditional mass survey method, ALERT-India launched a programme in S ward of Bombay in February 1985, to compare the two. An intensive programme of health education, using trained teams, was carried out in one zone of this ward over a period of 12 months. Eight months later, mass survey work (as used routinely in previous years and on a country-wide basis) was carried out in an adjacent zone. In 1987, the Centre for Social and Technological Change in Bombay, in association with the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, was requested to evaluate the effect of the above educational approach in terms of knowledge, attitudes and practice in both the trial and control zones. Other aspects of this experimental approach, including its cost and effectiveness in identifying cases of leprosy, will be published separately. The design of the 'KAP' evaluation and the social and environmental controls introduced in the statistical analysis are described. The results pointed to a considerable degree of ignorance about leprosy as a disease (and its treatment) in both the study and the control zones. Knowledge about early symptoms was particularly weak and on all aspects scores for women were invariably lower than men. General education enhanced the absorption of specific knowledge, and the education of children compensated adequately for lack of parental education in this respect. Overall the evaluation indicated that the intensive educational approach was superior to the survey approach in terms of improving knowledge, attitudes and practice.

Educational Status↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing knowledge: defining new boundaries.

Nursing knowledge covers those aspects of knowledge that are relevant to nursing. The types of knowledge in nursing are many and varied, the generation of knowledge therefore becomes complex. Nurses need to go beyond traditional ways of understanding nursing to redefine nursing knowledge. This could determine the nature of the profession in the 21st century. Nursing must explore new ways of thinking about and explaining the profession--there will always be new directions to take and new avenues to explore.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Knowledge and attitudes regarding AIDS among female commercial sex workers at Hyderabad City, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of knowledge and attitudes regarding AIDS among female commercial sex workers (FCSWs) in Hyderabad City, Sindh, Pakistan. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Red light area of Hyderabad City, Sindh, Pakistan, from March to July 2004. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A pre-designed questionnaire was administered to see the level of knowledge and attitudes regarding AIDs among FCSWs. In this regard, a total of 61 FCSWs were interviewed after getting informed consent. RESULTS: Mean age of the FCSWs was 27 years. Majority was uneducated and unmarried. All respondents had heard the word AIDS but no one knew about the word HIV as well as its meaning. All respondents believed that AIDS is a preventable disease and they knew some method of prevention. Television was most common source of knowledge. FCSWs had inadequate knowledge in terms of signs and symptoms and the treatment of disease. CONCLUSION: FCSWs of the Hyderabad city had insufficient knowledge and various misconceptions regarding AIDS. Therefore, there is a need for their education and improvement in socioeconomic status. There is also the need of further studies with substantial statistical work to generate more accurate data in this regard.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Nutritional practices, knowledge, and attitudes of psychiatric healthcare professionals: unexpected results.

This study investigated inter-relationships among nutrition knowledge, habits, and attitudes of psychiatric healthcare providers. Data of nutritional intake was compared with that of the general population of the state of South Carolina, obtained from a previous public health study. Nutritional habits were determined from both a 24-hour recall and a separate three-day recall of dietary intake. Nutrition knowledge and attitudes were determined by validated questionnaires. The knowledge questionnaire consisted of 50 multiple-choice questions. Attitudes were determined using a semantic differential instrument consisting of phrases of descriptive bipolar adjectives. Dietary intake was analyzed using the Food Processor software and compared with the RDAs and with the intake of the general population. Nutrition knowledge was measured by the number of correct responses. Nutrition attitudes were assigned numerical scores and measured by a Likert scale. Only 3 of the subjects met 70% of indicator nutrients (iron, calcium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C). No significant relationships were established among attitudes, habits, and knowledge. Sixty-three percent of subjects perceived themselves as role models to patients, yet 90% of them practiced poor nutrition habits as compared with 97% of the general population. The higher the education level, the more likely that subjects felt nutrition is important for health. A comprehensive nutrition education program is essential for health care providers to promote successful nutrition education for the patients they serve.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1998

Direct-to-consumer ads can influence behavior. Advertising increases consumer knowledge and prescription drug requests.

This study examines the impact of direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising on prescription drug knowledge and the requesting behavior of consumers. The authors developed and tested a conceptual model of prescription drug knowledge and requests. Consumers' belief that drug advertising can educate them was associated with a greater amount of drug knowledge, and the belief they would upset physicians by asking for specific drugs was associated with less knowledge. The belief that drug advertising reduces prices was associated with greater probability of drug requests, and the belief that physicians should be the sole source of drug information was associated with lesser probability of request. Preference for generic drugs was associated with a lesser likelihood of requesting a specific drug. Media exposure and drug advertising awareness were associated with higher drug knowledge and a greater probability of drug requesting.

Advertising↗
PubMed1999

Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices about HIV/AIDS in Kuwait.

This survey is aimed at assessing knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices in Kuwait regarding AIDS/HIV. Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted during the year 1995 on a sample of 2,219 subjects, aged 18 to 60, health professionals were excluded. The survey instrument included 26 questions on AIDS/HIV knowledge, 6 about attitudes and beliefs, and 6 about behavior and practice. The remaining 22 items dealt with sociodemographic characteristics, role of religion, source of information, and satisfaction about AIDS control programs. Two thirds of subjects had good knowledge about the main modes of HIV/AIDS transmission. Using a multiple regression model, the knowledge score was positively associated with level of education, age, years of hearing about AIDS, and socioeconomic status. The multiple logistic regression showed that subjects tend not to change their behavior related to AIDS if they were less than 40 years old, had low education, were females, single, had a lower socioeconomic status, had heard about AIDS for less than 3 years, and had a low level of knowledge about AIDS. More than half of the participants were satisfied with the government's action for AIDS prevention. The majority of subjects thought that religion was important in dealing with daily life problems. In conclusion, while most of the people in Kuwait were aware of the main modes of AIDS transmission, a gap existed about modes that did not transmit the disease. This was reflected in their attitudes and practice toward AIDS patients. The study calls for a greater role for medical professionals, mass media, and religion in AIDS prevention and control.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards HIV infection among family planning clinic attendees: changes between 1991 and 1997.

AIM: To detect changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards HIV infection amongst Family Planning Clinic attendees in Christchurch, New Zealand, between 1991 and 1997. METHODS: A voluntary, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was applied to consecutive subjects attending the Montreal Centre of the Family Planning Association in Christchurch, in 1991 and repeated in 1997. Results were compared to assess changes in demographic features, knowledge, attitudes and behaviour pertaining to HIV infection between these times. RESULTS: A 99% response rate was obtained in 1991 and 98% in 1997. Two hundred people in 1991 and 353 people in 1997 responded. These predominantly female heterosexual groups were demographically similar. Levels of knowledge pertaining to HIV infection were high and did not change significantly between 1991 and 1997, except for a rise in the proportion who felt donating blood was a high risk behaviour from 12.0% to 25.7% (p<0.001). HIV testing and discussion about HIV testing amongst couples was more common in 1997. However, the use of recreational intravenous drugs rose from 5.0% to 10.6% (p=0.025), condom use with every new partner fell from 65.1% to 42.1% (p=0.001) and the perceived risk of acquiring HIV in New Zealand and several Western Hemisphere countries fell, with 40.0% perceiving the South Island as a high-risk place in 1991 to 24.1% in 1997(p<0.001). This was paralleled by an apparent rise in known HIV testing. CONCLUSIONS: This predominantly heterosexual population appears to have maintained good levels of knowledge about HIV infection. However, this does not seem to be being translated into safer behaviour. This study detects alarming changes in behaviour in the face of adequate knowledge levels and increased testing for HIV which may provide pathways for entry of HIV into, and transmission within, the heterosexual population of New Zealand. Several aims of the New Zealand Strategy on HIV/AIDS 1990 need to be revisited in light of the evidence and resources directed appropriately.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[General knowledge of the performance of Mantoux-test procedure deemed inadequate].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether health care professionals have sufficient knowledge of the Mantoux test procedure. DESIGN: Descriptive. METHODS: The hospital pharmacy records of the Medisch Spectrum Twente, a large teaching hospital in Enschede (1034 beds), the Netherlands, were reviewed to determine which departments had performed Mantoux tests in 1996. The municipal health service and the industrial/occupational medicine department of the hospital were included in the investigation. Knowledge of the Mantoux test procedure was assessed in 44 randomly chosen health care professionals by means of a multiple-choice questionnaire. They were also asked how often they had performed Mantoux tests in 1996 and whether they thought themselves able to perform the total Mantoux test procedure correctly. RESULTS: The frequency of setting and/or reading the Mantoux test was generally low and varied per department. Ninety-three percent of the 44 subjects under investigation presumed themselves able to perform the Mantoux test correctly. From the questionnaire forty percent knew how to set a Mantoux test, while 15 of the 33 persons (45%) who had read a Mantoux reaction knew how to do this correctly. Nine of these 33 (27%) had sufficient knowledge to execute the whole Mantoux test procedure correctly. The knowledge of the correct Mantoux test procedure was significantly better among those who performed the Mantoux test more often. CONCLUSION: The theoretical knowledge regarding the Mantoux test is insufficient, especially among those health care professionals who rarely perform the test. It appears advisable to have the Mantoux tests performed by a few well-trained professionals.

Education, Professional↗
PubMed1999

[Tissue donation in nursing homes; a survey of the number of potential donors and the knowledge and attitude of nursing home doctors and directors].

OBJECTIVE: To obtain an impression of the tissue donor potential in Dutch nursing homes and of the knowledge and the attitude of nursing home physicians and nursing home directors with regard to tissue donation. Also, to gain insight into the problems associated with activating tissue donation in nursing homes. DESIGN: Descriptive and inventory. METHOD: The donor potential was calculated from data derived from the National nursing home registration system (SIVIS) in 1995. A questionnaire on the knowledge and attitude with regard to organ/tissue donation was sent to 400 randomly chosen nursing home physicians and all 323 nursing home directors. RESULTS: Out of the 10,619 somatic patients deceased in nursing homes in 1995, 2670 (25%) would have been suitable for skin and/or cornea donation. Other patients had comorbidity regarded as a contraindication for donorship or were over 80 years of age. Of the 9771 deceased psychogeriatric patients, virtually none were suitable as tissue donors. The response to the questionnaire was 55% among nursing home physicians and 66% among nursing home directors. Both groups showed inadequate knowledge with regard to tissue donation. Most nursing home physicians (85%) took a neutral position on tissue donation in nursing homes; most directors (88%) would support tissue donation in their nursing home. The two problems that were mentioned most in having a negative influence on tissue donation in nursing homes, were: the lack of knowledge of physicians and the refusal of donation by patients. CONCLUSION: Some 2700 somatic nursing home patients annually would be suitable for tissue donation. Determination of their willingness is necessary. Activating of tissue donation in nursing homes requires solving of the lack of knowledge.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Sexual behavior, knowledge and attitudes to AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases of students at the University of Benin (Togo)].

Many studies have shown that in Africa, particularly in Togo, the 20- to 29-year-old age group is the age group most frequently affected by AIDS. This age group accounts for 84% of the students of the University of Benin. We studied students, most of the age group thought to be most at risk, investigating sexual behavior, knowledge and attitudes to AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The level of knowledge about the problems of AIDS and STDs was similar for both sexes and for all ages and levels of education of the students. Students had a reasonable knowledge of AIDS, particularly concerning the transmission of HIV (88.6% of students aware), risk behavior (80.8%), AIDS treatment (57.0%) and more general information about HIV (49.4%). They were poorly informed about the transmission (42.9%) and complications (0.69%) of other STDs. Most students had positive attitudes towards HIV issues, particularly the use of preventive measures (3.41 in 5) and the acceptance of infected individuals (3.98 in 5). However, few had seriously considered that AIDS and STDs might impact on their own sex lives (1. 84 in 5) and some were even fatalistic concerning HIV infection. The students were highly sexually active, having intercourse a mean of 31 times per year. Their sexual behavior depended on age and sex. The 15- to 19-year-olds preferred occasional partners. They had sexual intercourse 1 to 3 times per month and used condoms 10 to 20% of the time. The 20- to 29-year-olds had multiple partners. They had sexual intercourse 3 to 5 times per month and used condoms more than 30% of the time. Students over the age of 30 had many partners in addition to their regular partner. They had sexual intercourse 5 to 10 times per month and used condoms 0 to 20% of the time. Significantly more women than men had high-risk sexual behavior (40. 5% of men claimed to regularly use condoms, versus only 22.7% of the women and 11.9% of the women accepted anal penetration versus only 8. 4% of men). The general assumption is that students, who have a high level of education, should be well informed concerning AIDS and STDs and should therefore have positive attitudes and responsible sexual behavior. This study demonstrates that the assumption bears no resemblance to reality. The students were aware of the way in which HIV is transmitted and of what construes risky behavior, but there was nonetheless a high frequency of high-risk behavior (e.g. multiple sexual partners, anal and oral sex, homosexuality, intravenous drug use). The behavior of the students was not significantly different from that of young people living on the streets of Lomé. There were significant relationships between knowledge and attitudes and between some types of sexual behavior and knowledge. However, there was no correlation between attitudes and behavior. The education of young people should focus on both the prevention of AIDS and STDs and on facing up to these diseases.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗