Biomedical subjects

L Fredericks

Publications and source records attributed to L Fredericks.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

American Indian women's talking circle. A cervical cancer screening and prevention project.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is important to American Indian women due to high mortality and low survival rates compared with other ethnic groups. This article describes the development and implementation of a culturally acceptable cervical cancer screening program in urban and rural American Indian health clinics in California. METHODS: A team of researchers used social learning theory, research data, and focus groups to design a cervical cancer screening program. The major component of the program was the adaptation of a culturally acceptable mode of communication called Talking Circles. The American Indian Talking Circle project used the Talking Circle format, coupled with traditional Indian stories, as a vehicle to provide cancer education and to improve adherence to cancer screening. Eight American Indian clinics were randomly assigned into intervention and control sites (n = 400 women). The intervention was administered to 200 Indian women 18 years and older in four American Indian clinics; four additional American Indian clinics (n = 200 women) served as control sites. RESULTS: Preliminary results from the research show that American Indian women responded favorably to a culturally framed education project. Initial reports indicate that health-related information is accepted and acted on when it is coupled with cultural information that is presented in a sensitive manner. Final evaluation of the project is forthcoming. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing a culturally acceptable intervention has the potential to improve the health status of American Indian Women.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1996

Patient and smoking patterns in northern California American Indian Clinics. Urban and rural contrasts.

BACKGROUND: This article elaborates on an earlier article about a smoking cessation program conducted in Northern California Indian clinics. Whereas the previous article discussed Indian smoking rates in general, this article compares the smoking patterns of Indians who live in urban and rural settings. The differences between the two populations are described, and the implications of these differences for planning, policy, and education are discussed. METHODS: A self-report questionnaire was administered to 1369 adult Indians seeking health services at 18 American Indian health care clinics in Northern California. Data were collected on demographic characteristics; smoking behaviors; readiness to quit smoking; knowledge, behavior, and attitude; and a social support and "hassles" measures. RESULTS: Urban Indians were more mobile and reported higher smoking rates, a higher level of education, less social support, and more hassles than rural Indians. CONCLUSIONS: Indians living in urban areas continue to experience a high degree of stress. Long-term isolation from reservations and traditional homelands may have contributed to the breakdown of social support systems among urban Indians. These and several other factors should be considered when designing tobacco control programs.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Prevalence of smoking among adult American Indian clinic users in northern California.

BACKGROUND: The American Indian Cancer Control Project is a 5-year program funded by the National Cancer Institute designed to promote smoking cessation among adult Indians living in Northern California. This article describes the result of our smoking prevalence survey. Our Indian-specific program combines the physician's anti-smoking message with the efforts of Indian Community Health Representatives, who have access to the Indian patients' families and communities. The study sites consist of 4 urban and 14 rural American Indian clinics in Northern California. This article reports on the results of the smoking prevalence study conducted in the first phase of the project. METHODS: A total of 1,369 adult Northern California Indian patients at 18 Indian health clinics completed a questionnaire designed to assess smoking rates and patterns as well as health problems. Participants were adult American Indians attending 1 of 18 Indian health care clinics in Northern California during 1991. The participants included patients waiting for appointments with the clinic physician, dentist, and nurses. RESULTS: Forty percent (37.35, 42.64; 95% confidence interval) of the adult population in the sample smoke cigarettes; they hold lenient attitudes toward smoking and began smoking at an early age. These patients rate obesity as the No. 1 health problem, followed by high blood pressure, arthritis/rheumatism, and problems with alcohol. The survey also found that the highest smoking rate was among the Sioux (62%), a non-California tribe. This was followed by high rates among native California tribes: Maidu (46%), Pit River (39%), Pomo (38%), Hupa (37%), and Yurok (32%).

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Quantitative antimicrobial susceptibility test for Streptococcus pneumoniae using inoculum supplemented with whole defibrinated sheep blood.

The National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards recommends the use of lysed horse blood-supplemented Mueller-Hinton broth for determining the quantitative antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae. This procedure may be difficult for laboratories using previously prepared or commercial MIC systems. Therefore, a study was undertaken to determine whether previously prepared microdilution trays containing Mueller-Hinton broth without blood could be used for determining the antimicrobial susceptibility of S. pneumoniae by adding whole defibrinated sheep blood to the bacterial suspension used to inoculate the trays. The presence of alpha-hemolysis was used as an indicator of bacterial growth. One hundred isolates of S. pneumoniae selected to represent a distribution of susceptibility patterns were tested by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards method and the sheep blood-supplemented-inoculum method. Greater than 94% agreement between the two methods was achieved. The sheep-blood-supplemented-inoculum procedure was highly reproducible and easy to perform and provides an acceptable alternative for determining the MICs for S. pneumoniae for laboratories using previously prepared or commercial microdilution systems.

Culture Media↗