Biomedical subjects

S S Kegeles

Publications and source records attributed to S S Kegeles.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1990

Effects of decisional control and work orientation on persistence in preventive health behavior.

Examined persistence in the daily use of fluoride mouthrinse among adolescents as a function of an induced-choice manipulation concerning self-management strategies and freedom to participate in the program. Seventh-grade boys and girls from urban and suburban schools were randomly assigned to a series of either high- or low-choice decisional control manipulations; their daily, home use of fluoride was monitored over a 20-week period. In order to ameliorate the relatively lower persistence rates found previously among suburban (vs. urban) students, all students were given self-management and action instructions as per previous studies. Although suburban students still declined in persistence relative to urban students, female students who received high choice persisted at a higher rate than girls who received low choice. Boys, for the most part, were unaffected by the manipulation. In addition, students' self-reported work orientation was also positively associated with persistence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Practicing dentist and smokeless tobacco.

During the past 10 years, it has been noted that a number of children and adolescents are using smokeless tobacco in the form of oral snuff and chewing tobacco. The sale of these products has increased dramatically in the last decade, with more than 15 million people in the United States estimated to use snuff or chewing tobacco. This article describes the distribution of smokeless tobacco use, its health consequences, and how and why the dentist is an appropriate health professional to reduce its use.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Cigarette and smokeless tobacco use among Connecticut adolescents.

Despite data that the rate of boys' cigarette use has declined nationwide, boys' total tobacco use may actually have remained high because of their substantial use of smokeless tobacco. We surveyed anonymously a random sample of entire classes of grade 7-12 boys and girls from 59 Connecticut towns concerning tobacco use. Despite girls' higher daily cigarette use, boys' total daily tobacco use was higher than that of girls in grades 7-9, and only slightly lower in grades 10-12.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Education for breast self-examination: why, who, what, and how?

Analysis of the continuing controversy about the value and effectiveness of breast self-examination is provided and suggestions are made about the kinds of data needed to establish it's effectiveness. Research data about characteristics of women who perform breast self-examination regularly and those who do not and about the usefulness of mass communication, group efforts, and individual approaches to obtain regular and correct self-examination are assessed. Research and educational efforts focusing on six activities are needed: (a) obtaining regular and correct breast self-examination practice by women, (b) reducing delay by women after suspicious findings, (c) teaching physicians to do correct breast examinations, (d) reducing delay by physicians in referring suspicious cases to surgeons, (e) reducing women's delay after referral, and (f) teaching surgeons to do breast examinations correctly and reducing their delay in beginning treatment. Most of the research reported deals with regularity of breast self-exam, while some deals with correctness. The only intraindividual variables that have differentiated consistently among regular and less-regular BSE practitioners have been knowledge and confidence of ability. Very little research has been carried out on the other five activities and is therefore sorely needed. Suggestions for desirable educational efforts in each of these six areas are made.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1984

Adolescents' health beliefs and acceptance of a novel preventive dental activity: a further note.

As part of two new school-based experiments, the dental health beliefs of adolescents were measured by questionnaires that emphasized personal and vicarious dental experiences. Premeasured beliefs showed zero order or negative relationships with adherence to at-home mouthrinsing in both a 1-year experiment and in the first year of a 2-year experiment; neither premeasured beliefs, nor new measures of beliefs obtained at the end of the first year, predicted adherence in the second year of the 2-year program. Behavior in the first year was inversely related to beliefs obtained at the end of that year. These new data, along with those collected as part of two earlier experiments which measured beliefs in a different manner, representing a total population of over 1500 subjects, cast doubt on the value of the Health Belief Model in either predicting or helping to explain behavior of adolescents in novel disease preventive programs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1984

Rewards and adolescent health behavior.

Research has indicated that contingent rewards can increase students' acceptance of novel preventive health activities. In the current research on adolescents' use of a fluoride rinse over two school years, however, the rinse habit tended to end when reward contingencies were withdrawn. Although participation in the rinse program was higher with a saturated schedule of reward contingencies in effect, the comparison partial schedule of rewards showed less immediate attrition when the reward contingencies were withdrawn. As a result, the long-term effects of the two schedules were largely equivalent. Other major findings included higher participation levels for girls compared to boys and for urban compared to suburban students. Self-management instruction, a strategy intended to compensate for the withdrawal of tangible rewards, worked temporarily among urban students but at the same time resulted in lower levels of post-reward rinsing among suburban students. This study confirmed the efficacy of contingent rewards for initiating new health habits among adolescents, but neither a partial schedule of reward nor instruction in self-management was sufficient to establish long-term continuation of the behavior. Implications of these findings for health psychologists and public health professionals are discussed briefly.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1983

Who volunteers for a breast self-examination program? Evaluating the bases for self-selection.

Interest in a free breast self-examination (BSE) teaching program offered to a patient population (n = 1590) was assessed, and a follow-up survey of refusers undertaken to determine difference between participants and refusers. Fifty-one percent of the known, eligible women patients expressed interest in the program and 24% ultimately had the teaching. Participants differed from refusers most notably in terms of less previous experience with BSE, more family history of cancer, a longer relationship with their physicians, and different health beliefs. They state more confidence in the effectiveness of breast cancer detection and treatment, less fear and embarrassment, and more personal and physician responsibility for health outcomes, as measured by the Health Locus of Control Scales. Self-selection thus seems rationally based on the kind of program and the needs of the women. Such self-selection can be cost-effective in delivering health education to the people most in need of it and most likely to benefit from it.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1983

Differences in dental experiences, practices, and beliefs of inner-city and suburban adolescents.

Inner-city and suburban students' dental experiences, current practices, beliefs, and compliance with two school-based preventive programs were examined. Striking differences were found in the students' dental experiences, practices, and beliefs, but few in their compliance. These findings challenge the notion that inner-city students are poor compliers and suggest ways in which practitioners and public health officials might utilize the differing practices of these populations to plan preventive programs for adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982