Biomedical subjects

Patricia E McDonald

Publications and source records attributed to Patricia E McDonald.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Perceived health status and health-promoting behaviors of African-American and White informal caregivers of impaired elders.

Caregiving and its consequences are major concerns for nurses. Many studies have examined health-promoting behaviors in general (Duffy, 1993; Walker, Volkan, Sechrist, & Pender, 1988), but few studies have explored health-promoting behaviors of caregivers. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of age, gender, race, and length of caregiving on perceived health status and health-promoting behaviors of African-American and White informal caregivers of impaired elders. Data from a larger study was used to examine a conceptual model linking perceived health status and health-promoting behavior. A sample of 136 (n = 136) African-American and 257 (n = 257) White caregivers was recruited from northeastern Ohio through random digit dialing and interviewed face to face. English-speaking caregivers were selected for study who provided unpaid assistance or care for a minimum of five hours a week to an impaired person 60 years of age or older living in the community. The Health-Promoting Behavior Questionnaire, perceived health status, and a demographic profile were used to measure the study variables. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Findings from this study suggest that the overall fit of the conceptual model was significant, and that moreover, the relationship found between perceived health status and health-promoting behaviors supported Pender's model of health promotion (Pender, 1987). The relationship between perceived health status and health-promoting behaviors has not been documented in prior studies of caregivers, or in studies comparing the two racial groups of African-Americans and Whites.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Testing a conceptual framework for diabetes self-care management.

Diabetes is a major source of morbidity, mortality, and economic expense in the United States. The majority of researchers and clinicians believe that diabetes is a self-care management disease, and that patients should be reliable, capable, and sufficiently responsible to take care of themselves. However, individuals with diabetes may or may not have diabetes knowledge, social support, self-care agency (an individual's capability to perform self-care actions), and self-efficacy (an individual's beliefs in his or her capability to perform self-care actions) that would help them to engage in diabetes self-care management. Therefore, this study examined the relationship among those factors using a cross-sectional model testing design. A convenient sample of 141 insulin-requiring individuals with either diabetes type 1 or type 2, 21 years old and over, was recruited from an outpatient diabetes care center located in a Southeast region of the United States. Simple linear regression, multiple standard regression, and multiple hierarchical regression were used to analyze the data. Individuals with greater diabetes knowledge had greater self-care agency and self-efficacy. Those with a higher score in social support had greater self-care agency and better diabetes self-care management, and those with greater self-efficacy had better diabetes self-care management. In addition, self-care agency mediated the effects of diabetes knowledge on self-efficacy and the effects of social support on diabetes self-care management. Self-efficacy mediated the effects of self-care agency on diabetes self-care management. Furthermore, the linear combination of diabetes knowledge, social support, self-care agency, and self-efficacy, taken together, positively affected diabetes self-care management. Enhancing an individual's diabetes knowledge, social support, self-care agency, and self-efficacy may be a strategy which can promote better engagement in diabetes self-care.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Predictors of health-promoting behavior of African-American and white caregivers of impaired elders.

Several longitudinal studies have examined declines in health of caregivers, but few have explored the health-promoting behavior Because caregivers neglect their health, they are at risk for developing a number of physical and psychological problems. What is not well known are the factors that contribute to increased health-promoting behavior ultimately preventing poor health and premature death. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the predictors and the change in predictors of health-promoting behavior in African-American and White caregivers over a 3-year period. Pender, Murdaugh, and Parsons' (2002) health promotion model guided the study. This present study is a secondary data analysis of a larger study aimed at examining predictors of health-promoting behavior among 66 African-American (n=66) and 110 (n=110) and White caregivers of impaired older adults recruited primarily through random digit dialing. The larger data set consisted of 391 (N=391) subjects (n=136 African-American; n=255 White). The larger prospective study was based on face-to-face interviews. In the original study, trained interviewers collected data on depression, psychological distress, self-perceived health, religiosity, number of chronic conditions, and demographic characteristics using well-established instruments. Data in this present study were collected at three time points over a three-year period with one-year intervals at Time1 (T1), Time2 (T2), and Time3 (T3). Analysis of the data in this present study suggested that, although, the number of health-promoting behaviors significantly differed for African-American and White caregivers at T1, T2, and T3, no predictors were significantly associated with a change in health-promoting behavior over time. Nonetheless, this finding suggests that nurses can develop useful information in helping to focus more attention on the health of caregivers in the future.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Acceptance, cognitions, and resourcefulness in women with diabetes.

The coexistence of diabetes and depression occurs frequently among young and middle-age women. Unless one is resourceful, simultaneous management of the symptoms of both conditions is especially challenging. Skills constituting resourcefulness are learned throughout life and are important for the optimal performance of daily activities. Little is known about specific factors that influence resourcefulness. In this study contextual factors (diabetic and depressive symptoms) and cognitive factors (positive cognitions and acceptance of diabetes) were examined as antecedents of learned resourcefulness in 82 women with type 2 diabetes. Regression analyses showed that depressive symptoms and positive cognitions were significant antecedents of learned resourcefulness: Positive cognitions mediated the effects of depressive symptoms on learned resourcefulness. The findings suggest the need for interventions thatfocus on development of positive cognitions to better promote resourcefulness in women with type 2 diabetes who are at risk for depression.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Predictors of social support, acceptance, health-promoting behaviors, and glycemic control in African-Americans with type 2 diabetes.

Chronic illness is particularly important in older African-Americans because this population comprises the fastest growing segment of that ethnic group. This study explored relationships among personal factors (education and co-morbidity), mental health, and physical functioning on social support, social support on acceptance and health-promoting behaviors, acceptance on health-promoting behaviors, and health-promoting behaviors on HgbA1c. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a convenience sample of 63 African-Americans from a community clinic. Participants were asked their highest level of education and to indicate their chronic conditions. Other instruments used were: Health Survey (SF-36), Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ-85), Revised (IAD-R) scale (Acceptance), and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Glycemic control was measured using glycosylated hemoglobin. Physical functioning was the only significant predictor of social support (beta = .30, p = .03). In turn, social support predicted acceptance (beta = .32, p = .01) and health behaviors beta = .39, p = .002).

Black or African American↗

PubMed2002

Breastfeeding in African-American women.

Currently, a disparity in breastfeeding exists between White, Hispanic, and African-American women. When education and income level are similar in women of these populations, the disparity is minimized. Until similar education and incomes are more fully realized, the disparity in breastfeeding may be reduced by provision of culturally competent care. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide data supporting the disparity in breastfeeding, define culture, and relate how one provides culturally competent care in relation to breastfeeding. Cultural points such as kinship, religion, matriarchy, characteristics of males and adolescents in this group, as well as early introduction of cereal feedings are reviewed. Interventions based on cultural points and characteristics that have been found to or may promote breastfeeding in African-American women are presented.

Adolescent↗