Biomedical subjects

Beverly J McElmurry

Publications and source records attributed to Beverly J McElmurry.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Decreased bone mineral density and fractures in low-income Korean women.

Low-income Korean community women were assessed for factors relating to decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures in order to determine appropriate health promotion programs. Factors associated with decreased BMD were menopause (OR=3.30, p<0.01), menarchal age (OR=2.01, p<0.05), thyroxin (T(4); OR=11.32, p<0.05), age (OR=2.19, p<0.1), marital status (OR=0.56, p<.01), oral contraceptive use (OR=2.18, p<.01), and tubal ligation (OR=3.30, p<0.1). The risk factors for fractures were earlier menarchal age (OR=13.15, p<0.05), urban residency (OR=0.75, p<0.05), and T(4) abnormality (OR=64.29, p<0.1). The beneficial factor for decreased incidence of fractures was physical activity (OR=40.94, p<0.05). The strategy recommended for fracture risk reduction programs is focused on the prevention of both decreased BMD and fractures. Continuous physical activity should be encouraged as well as reduction of risk factors including associated risk behaviors.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2006

Comparisons between Thai adolescent voices and Thai adolescent health literature.

Thai adolescents are hesitant to openly talk to adults; however, they are avid users of the Internet. In 2002, faculty of the Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Nopparat Vajira, Thailand, established a webboard to reach out to high school students for questions and answers on adolescent health. Adolescents pose health questions, which are answered by nursing faculty and students. A total of 106 questions were selected for content analysis. Thai adolescent studies for the years 1992 to 2004 were identified from searches of CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases. The selection criteria required that chosen articles have a Thai adolescent health focus, be written in English, and be retrievable. Of the 68 citations identified, 23 studies met inclusion criteria. Content of the Thai adolescent webboard was compared with a content analysis of the retrieved Thai adolescent research. Physiological development, sexuality, and risky behaviors were common literature themes, whereas Thai adolescents expressed concerns about love and dating relationships. Parenting and parent-child relationships were discussed on the webboard but not in the literature. Analysis of the mental health revealed differences between the literature that covered psychosocial change, and the webboard questions concerned with body image, the need for emotional support, and satisfaction and conflicts of friendship. It is recommended that investigators consider incorporating adolescents as research team participants, particularly as they examine mental health promotion, adolescent and family relationships, and concerns of Thai adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Impact of peer group education on HIV prevention among women in Botswana.

A peer group HIV prevention intervention based on social-cognitive learning theory, gender inequality, and the primary health care model for community-based health promotion was developed for more than 300 urban employed women in Botswana. All women volunteered to participate in the intervention. To control for self-selection, matched workplaces were assigned to the intervention group or to the delayed control group. Compared with women in the delayed control group, women in the intervention group had significantly higher postintervention levels of knowledge of HIV transmission, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and HIV prevention behaviors; positive condom attitudes and confidence in condom use; personal safer sex behaviors; and positive attitudes toward persons living with HIV/AIDS and community HIV/AIDS-related activities. The peer group leaders have sustained the program for more than 5 years after the end of research funding. Peer groups are a low-cost and sustainable intervention that can change HIV prevention knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors for ordinary urban employed women in sub-Saharan Africa.

Botswana↗

PubMed2003

The nurse-community health advocate team for urban immigrant primary health care.

PURPOSE: To describe: (a) development and implementation of an urban outreach health program for Latino immigrants; (b) nurse-community-health advocate (CHA) partnership roles in primary health care delivery, and (c) lessons learned from these activities over 7 years in urban community settings. METHODS: Descriptive study of a community-based health project in a large Midwestern American city. Information was gathered from participants and staff, from observing staff, and from a variety of sources to describe the program and its individual, family, and community effects. FINDINGS: Major findings pertain to the project team's ability to address the health promotion needs of Latino immigrant families and to successfully incorporate CHAs in planning and implementing the program. CHAs were a "bridge" between health programs and the community, promoting cultural sensitivity. CHAs and nurses provided a range of services including health education and promotion, outreach through home visits, assessment of family needs for referrals to appropriate resources, and follow-up support. CONCLUSIONS: The nurse-CHA team was an effective strategy for promoting Latino immigrant families' access to needed health care. This framework allowed for flexibility in assisting clients of different cultural backgrounds to obtain appropriate health care.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2002

Primary and preferred sources for HIV/AIDS and sexual risk behavior information among adolescents in Swaziland, Southern Africa.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa poses a massive diffusion and persuasion challenge for health professionals. Individuals working with adolescents to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS must gain an understanding of adolescent's preference in obtaining information about HIV/AIDS and sexual behaviors. This study describes the primary and preferred sources of information regarding HIV/AIDS and sexual risk behavior in relation to several socio-demographic variables (n=941) in Swaziland, Southern Africa. Although print/broadcast media was the primary source for HIV/AIDS and sexual risk behavior information for the students, most participants preferred information from the healthcare workers. This study suggests a greater role for healthcare providers in providing HIV/AIDS and sexual risk information.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2002

Cultural and gender issues related to HIV/AIDS prevention in rural Swaziland: a focus group analysis.

HIV/AIDS is a serious public health problem in Swaziland, a small land-locked Southern African country. The epidemic affects all subpopulations, but women are increasingly at risk for contracting the disease. Focus groups were conducted in a rural area to obtain qualitative information on the rural dimensions of HIV/AIDS, vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, and sociocultural factors influencing the spread of AIDS. Five themes were identified from analyses of the focus groups that are relevant in developing an AIDS prevention program for this population in Swaziland. Implications for future research and health care practice focus on gender-sensitive cultural research (e.g., women and men's roles and responsibilities in rural Swaziland society) and how social, economic, and cultural factors impact the spread of AIDS. Recommendations include reorienting and allocating resources for health, education, and social services to address the relative neglect of rural areas and strengthening policies and programs to achieve the equal participation of all women in all aspects of society's decisions. Specifically, policies related to economic and food security should result in programs to improve local access by women to all resources.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ethical concerns in nurse migration.

International nurse migration is natural and to be expected. Recently, however, those who have fostered nurse migration believe that it will solve nursing shortages in developed countries and offer nurse migrants better working conditions and an improved quality of life. Whether natural or manipulated, migration flow patterns largely occur from developing to developed countries. In this article, nurse migration is examined using primary health care (PHC) as an ethical framework. The unmanaged flow of nurse migrants from developing to developed countries is inconsistent with "health for all" principles. Removing key health personnel from countries experiencing resource shortages is contrary to PHC equity. Often, nurse migrants are placed in vulnerable, inequitable work roles, and employing nurse migrants fails to address basic causes of nurse shortages in developed countries, such as dissatisfaction with work conditions and decreased funding for academic settings. Nurse migration policies and procedures can be developed to satisfy PHC ethics criteria if they (1) leave developing countries enhanced rather than depleted, (2) contribute to country health outcomes consistent with essential care for all people, (3) are based on community participation, (4) address common nursing labor issues, and (5) involve equitable and clear financial arrangements.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Approaching ethical reasoning in nursing research through a communitarian perspective.

Most nurse researchers are embedded in research ethics guidelines based predominantly on the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice. They are oriented toward protecting the rights of individual research participants. However, in cross-cultural, community-based, and international projects, further examination is required of community rights, as an entity in and of itself, to acknowledge and protect the community's rights. We suggest that communitarian philosophy is a perspective for the researcher to use in examining cross-cultural and international ethical questions. To show this assertion, dilemmas in community research are examined by using case studies and existing research ethics guidelines. Specific recommendations are offered for nursing scientists in practice, educational, and research settings seeking to balance the rights of the individual with those of the community.

Community Participation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Minority international research training program: global collaboration in nursing research.

In the current century, nurses, along with other health professionals, require preparation for their roles in international health. For faculty and students to practice and learn in this global community, they also will want to have added knowledge of economics, business, and public policy. To gain an immersion experience in global health, nursing faculty and students will need to spend time abroad collaborating with nursing colleagues in other countries. This report describes an academic-research training program (Minority International Research Program [MIRT]) established 7 years ago to enhance the international health experience of minority nursing students. Qualified undergraduate and graduate nursing students are recruited and paired with faculty mentors to conduct short-term research abroad for a period of 10 to 14 weeks. The purpose of international research experiences for minority nursing students is to develop leaders in nursing science and to increase collaboration in the resolution of global health issues. To date, 26 undergraduate students, 22 graduate students, 6 postdoctoral trainees, and 11 faculty mentors have participated and completed the program through research immersion experiences in 9 countries. The program is described in terms of its strengths, challenges, and lessons learned, as well as opportunities for future activities.

Chicago↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Becoming bicultural: Chinese American women and their development.

Ethnic and racial diversity in the United States has led to increasing interest in research on biculturalism, yet the meaning and underlying processes of biculturalism in the context of development in young adults are not well understood. Fifteen interviews were conducted with second-generation Chinese American women to explore how being bicultural fit into their lives. Data analysis yielded a developmental map that reflected their experiences throughout life as minority women. Findings suggest that biculturalism is more than being functionally competent in two cultures, it is both a behavioral and psychological orientation in life. From the findings of this study, we have increased our knowledge of Asian American women's development and provided a foundation for nursing research with minority women.

Acculturation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Global nurse leaders: lessons from the sages.

Globalization changes the benchmarking of excellence from national to "world class" standards. A synthesis of literature about global leadership was used to guide interviews with 17 nurse leaders from 8 countries in 5 continents. The leaders demonstrated leadership from early school years, learned from their mentors, had productive and sustained results in their work with peers and students, and realized their potential in becoming leaders in global health and nursing. The leadership development of future nurses requires formal and informal education, and training for global competencies, international experiences at home and abroad, and promoting and rewarding international work.

Adult↗