PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Bagnall

Publications and source records attributed to G Bagnall.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

A study to investigate women's experiences of radiation enteritis following radiotherapy for cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy remains the standard treatment for cervical cancer, especially for more advanced disease. It is estimated that the prevalence of chronic radiation enteritis (CRE) post-radiotherapy is in the region of 5-15%. However, preliminary studies at the study hospital suggest the problem to be more widespread (C. Israel, unpublished data). AIM: This qualitative study of 10 cervical cancer patients investigates experiences of CRE and its impact on quality of life. METHODS: Informed volunteers participated in one-to-one tape-recorded in-depth interviews exploring experiences following treatment. These interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using NUD*IST Nvivo. RESULTS: The majority of women reported side-effects from radiotherapy, predominantly diarrhoea. CRE had a significant impact upon the physical, psychological and social aspects of life of sufferers, enforcing some to be virtually housebound. Other sufferers were managing their symptoms with regular medication and/or self-imposed restricted diets. Few of these women had ever sought professional help in dealing with their problems because of embarrassment or reluctance to complain. CONCLUSIONS: If untreated the side-effects of CRE have a disabling affect on sufferers, who may be reluctant to seek help about their symptoms. Health professionals need to be more pro-active in identifying and caring for sufferers of CRE.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The incidence of dieting amongst adolescent girls: a question of interpretation?

AIM: It is the intention of this study establish the extent of dieting practices amongst adolescent girls and identify their perceptions with regard to 'dieting' and 'healthy eating'. METHODS: A total of 140 girls, aged 12-13 years, were recruited from two schools. A self-reported questionnaire, which determined the incidence of dieting and sought to identify the girls' perceptions of 'dieting' and 'healthy eating', was used to collect data. RESULTS: Out of the total group, 33.6% reported that they had dieted at some time and 15.8% were presently dieting. The most popular definition of dieting amongst the dieters was 'eating less/cutting down'; however, the second most popular answer was 'eating healthy food' which was the most popular answer amongst the non-dieters. The most popular definition of healthy eating was 'increasing fruit/ veg/salads', which is similar to how many girls perceived dieting, i.e. eating healthy food (fruit/veg/salads). CONCLUSION: Establishing the actual incidence of dieting amongst adolescent girls is not a clear-cut issue as it can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on the perceptions of the individual. The results of this study showed that in many cases 'dieting' and 'healthy eating' were perceived in a similar light, concluding that the dietary intake of dieters may be similar to that of non-dieters with both groups being at risk from any related health problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

A framework for developing excellence as a clinical educator.

The current emphasis on providing quality undergraduate and postgraduate medical education has focused attention on the educational responsibilities of all doctors. There is a greater awareness of the need to train doctors as educators and courses have been set up to satisfy this need. Some courses, such as those on how to conduct appraisal, are specific to one task facing a medical educator. Other courses take a broader view and relate educational theory to practice. In this paper we describe an outcome-based approach in which competence in teaching is defined in terms of 12 learning outcomes. The framework provides a holistic approach to the roles of the teacher and supports the professionalism of teaching. Such a framework provides the basis for the development of a curriculum for teaching excellence. It helps to define important competences for different categories of teachers, communicate the areas to be addressed in a course, identify gaps in course provision, evaluate courses, assist in staff planning and allow individuals to assess their personal learning needs. The framework is presented to encourage wider debate.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1998

Development and evaluation of the use of the Internet as an educational tool in occupational and environmental health and medicine.

The Internet, and specifically the World Wide Web (WWW), has an important role as a method of learning in occupational and environmental health and medicine. This paper provides a systematic overview of the demands and merits of this approach to learning in a range of higher education courses in these disciplines. Drawing on a relevant theoretical framework for understanding how students learn, it describes the design and evaluation of specific resources developed for students to learn using the WWW. The occupational and environmental health or medicine components of two undergraduate degree courses and of two postgraduate courses were reviewed to determine what learning objectives would be achievable by adapting extant conventional material, or by developing new teaching and learning resources for the WWW. Depending on the objectives, various learning resource formats were developed including descriptive, interactive (such as case study or data-based), reference and self-assessment. One WWW based tutorial consisting of an interactive resource with defined objectives, linked to constantly updated, in-house information and external links, was chosen as a representative for detailed evaluation. Process evaluation was based on student feedback, and outcome evaluation on group reports submitted on completion of the tutorial. Twelve of the 13 students who completed the tutorial returned the feedback questionnaire. All but one student rated it as 'good' or 'very good', with the majority of students reporting that it was easy to follow. Open-ended comments suggested that students valued the flexibility, timeliness, efficiency and breadth of access to relevant information offered by the WWW. The outcome evaluation showed that all the main learning objectives had been achieved. This work indicates that the WWW can be a valuable learning resource for occupational and environmental health and medicine.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗
PubMed1991

HIV/AIDS risks, alcohol and illicit drug use among young adults in areas of high and low rates of HIV infection.

The results are presented of a survey of HIV/AIDS related risks amongst young adults in two urban areas in Scotland. This exercise elicited data from random samples of those aged 16-30 in Muirhouse and Easterhouse. Muirhouse has a high rate of HIV infection, mainly related to intravenous drug use. Easterhouse has a much lower rate of recorded HIV infection. A total of 1,378 individuals were successfully interviewed. Levels of knowledge about risks of HIV infection were relatively high. Even so levels of condom use were low. Respondents in Muirhouse reported high levels of personal knowledge of HIV infected people. In addition 8% of those in Muirhouse and 3% of those in Easterhouse reported having had sex with a person who was HIV infected. Few of such encounters had involved condom use. The combination of alcohol consumption and sexual activity was reported by 82% of respondents. Twelve per cent had combined sexual activity and illicit drug use. Overall patterns of self-reported HIV/AIDS related risks in the two study areas were very similar.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Alcohol and drug use in a Scottish cohort: 10 years on.

This paper reports the findings from a survey which elicited detailed information on patterns of alcohol use amongst a cohort of young adults. It is the fourth wave of data collection in a longitudinal study which began in 1979 on a study group of 1036 15-16 year olds attending schools in the Lothian region of Scotland. The longitudinal analysis presented here suggests that for this cohort, patterns of alcohol use at age 15-16 bear little relation to those at age 24-25 years. These findings are discussed, and compared in detail with the more limited alcohol data from the larger-scale National Child Development Study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Alcohol, drugs and AIDS-related risks: results from a prospective study.

This paper examines the relationship between AIDS-related risks amongst a cohort of young adults and alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use. Data were elicited by standardized interview and self completed questionnaires from a non-random study group of 350 males and 428 females. Only a minority of respondents reported always using condoms during sexual activity. Over half the study group reported having had only one sexual partner in the past year. Levels of condom use were not significantly associated with general levels of alcohol-consumption or alcohol-related consequences. Experience of alcohol-related consequences by both males and females was associated with the perceived risk of their sexual behaviour. Respondents who reported a high frequency of combining alcohol and sex were seven times less likely than others to report always using condoms for vaginal intercourse.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Young people and drinking: results of an English national survey.

An account is presented of a survey of self-reported drinking habits and beliefs about alcohol amongst a national sample of teenagers in England. Fieldwork was conducted during 1988 and 1989 and involved 27 systematically selected state secondary (high) schools. Respondents were virtually all aged 14-16. The majority of teenagers reported drinking only moderate amounts of alcohol. Even so, a third of the males and nearly a fifth of the females reported having at some time consumed the equivalent of five and a half pints of beer on a single occasion. Factual knowledge about alcohol was not high and more than half of the study group supported a reduction in the legal minimum age at which alcohol may be purchased in licensed premises.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Teenage heavy drinkers: alcohol-related knowledge, beliefs, experiences, motivation and the social context of drinking.

During 1988 and 1989 a survey was conducted of the drinking habits and alcohol-related beliefs of a national sample of teenagers in England. Data were obtained from 6,244 respondents virtually all aged 14-16. Heavy drinkers were significantly more likely to report drinking in a mixed sex group than were other teenagers. They were also more likely than others to have drunk illegally in licensed premises, and were distinctive from other teenagers in relation to their self-reported reasons for drinking and their alcohol-related beliefs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Alcohol education for 13 year olds--does it work? Results from a controlled evaluation.

This paper presents the findings from a controlled prospective study of the effectiveness of a school-based alcohol education package for 13 year olds. The research had three phases: (1) baseline survey of alcohol-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour; (2) development and teaching of a short alcohol education package and (3) follow-up survey. The results indicate that the students who received the alcohol education knew more about alcohol than the controls. In addition, the educational intervention was found to have influenced the self-reported last consumption of alcohol and maximum consumption, with the 'educated' youngsters generally exhibiting more restrained behaviour. There has been little scientific evidence that past alcohol education has been effective in changing young people's drinking behaviour. The outcome of this research reinforces some recent studies which suggest the way forward may lie in an educational approach which takes account of social influences on substance use and misuse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs amongst 13-year-olds in three areas of Britain.

The survey described in this paper is the first stage of a study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based alcohol education for 13-year-olds. The results presented are from baseline data, collected before administration of an alcohol education package. Data have been collected from 1600 pupils in nine schools, three in Scotland, three in England and three in Wales. Although 96% of the study group had some experience of alcohol, the majority drank infrequently and usually only small amounts. However, occasional problems of intoxication were identified, with 20% having experienced a hangover. Gender differences in drinking habits are discussed along with the implications of the findings for school-based alcohol education.

Adolescent↗