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Biomedical subjects

M Dignan

Publications and source records attributed to M Dignan.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Implementation of mass media community health education: the Forsyth County Cervical Cancer Prevention Project.

The Forsyth County Cervical Cancer Prevention Project (FCP) is a community-based health education project funded by the National Cancer Institute. The target population includes around 25 000 black women age 18 and older who reside in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The overall goal of the program is to prevent mortality from cervical cancer by promoting Pap smears and return for follow-up care when needed. Based on the principles of social marketing, a plan to reach the target population with mass media educational messages through electronic and print channels was developed. Guided by marketing objectives, the target population was divided into relatively discrete segments. The segments included church attenders, patients in waiting rooms of public and selected health providers, female students at local colleges, shoppers, viewers of radio and television, newspaper readers, and business owners and managers. Introduction of the program was based on strategies developed for reaching the target population in each segment with television, radio and print mass media messages. Qualitative assessment of the mass media developed by the program indicated that all forms of communication helped to increase awareness of the program.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The role of focus groups in health education for cervical cancer among minority women.

Focus groups were used in the development of community-based public health education designed to reduce mortality from cervical cancer among black women in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The educational goals of this National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded project were to increase the proportion of black women, age 18 and older, who obtain Pap smears on a regular basis and return for followup care when necessary. A series of four focus groups were conducted to help develop the conceptual basis for designing educational messages and materials. The groups were led by a black, female professional focus group moderator, and explored a variety of health-related topics ranging from general, ordinary concerns of daily living to knowledge and attitudes about cancer screening. The group discussions suggested that health is regarded as very important to the target population, particularly when related to family functioning. Regarding the Pap smear, most women knew about the test, but had little awareness of its role in the early detection of cervical cancer. Fear and fatalism were clearly the dominant, top-of-mind reactions to cancer, and there was little differentiation among sites or types of cancer. Despite the overall pessimism, the groups agreed that early diagnosis and treatment provide the best hope for good outcomes with cancer.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1989

Helping students respond to stressful interactions with cancer patients and their families: a pilot program.

This pilot program was designed to help medical students improve their ability to respond to the psychological needs of cancer patients and their families. Third-year students on the hematology/oncology rotation were offered a series of seminars dealing with the psychological and social impact of cancer on patients and their families. The goal of these seminars was to help the students develop working knowledge, understanding, and skills for dealing with cancer patients and families. The seminars used didactic input, videotaped interactions, and guided discussion. Experienced counselors, with the help of an oncologist, led the seminars. Findings from this pilot program suggest that medical students can benefit from specific training in the psychosocial aspects of cancer.

Communication↗
PubMed1986

Locus of control and smokeless tobacco use among adolescents.

Seventh-grade students from two school districts in rural North Carolina were surveyed to determine the prevalence and correlates of smokeless tobacco use. The survey was carried out as part of a larger project intended to study prevalence of "risky" behaviors, specifically alcohol and tobacco use. Data were collected from 322 students: 49% male, 36.6% nonwhite. Of those reporting use of smokeless tobacco (11.4%), virtually all were male; most reported weekly use, with a small proportion (1.3%) reporting daily use. Locus of control of "occasional" users was significantly more internal than those reporting "regular" use (p less than .05).

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease among exercising versus non-exercising women.

As expected, overall, women who exercised had lower body weights, BMIs, and lower risk blood profiles than did those who did not exercise, with exceptions occurring only in the 40 to 49 age group for total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure differences were small between exercisers and nonexercisers, but significant overall. Women who exercised perceived their health, feelings of well-being, and energy to accomplish daily tasks as higher and they missed fewer days of work than did their nonexercising counterparts.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Teaching clinical epidemiology: a controlled trial of two methods.

The teaching of clinical epidemiology to second-year students at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine is carried out using journal articles to illustrate concepts. Because of the need for discussion, the instructors believed that the concepts of epidemiology might best be learned by, and that greater satisfaction with the learning process might be derived from, small group discussions rather than large lecture sessions. To test these hypotheses, students were randomized into either one of two discussion groups or a larger lecture group. The course handouts and text were identical, and the three instructors presented the same material successively to each group. In the final examination, all three groups answered approximately 26 of 36 questions correctly. Seventy percent of students responded to a questionnaire at the end of the course. There were no significant differences between the discussion and lecture groups in their ability to read and understand medical articles. However, the discussion group students were more favorable in their assessment of the success of the teaching method and in their perception of the importance and overall quality of the course. While there may be little difference in the short-term retention of epidemiological principles between the two teaching methods, the greater satisfaction reported by the students in the small groups will stimulate us to try to provide that type of learning environment in the future.

Curriculum↗