Biomedical subjects

Sharon A Brown

Publications and source records attributed to Sharon A Brown.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

A framework for developing a coding scheme for meta-analysis.

The prominence of systematic reviews as bases for evidence-based practice is increasingly recognized and has significance for practice disciplines such as nursing. Synthesizing research findings is key to informing the clinical care of individuals burdened with health problems. A major issue in conducting such reviews involves developing reliable and valid coding procedures for extracting data from the research literature. A formalized process is described for developing coding instruments that have been used in five separate studies. Initial instrument development for a diabetes self-management education meta-analysis is described, followed by a discussion of adapting the instruments for subsequent meta-analytic studies of self-management interventions in diabetes care and of interventions to reduce caregiver burden of individuals with Alzheimer's disease dementia. Although time and effort are required for development of coding processes for research synthesis, these instrument development activities are one of the critical elements of producing reliable and clinically useful information.

Humans↗

PubMed2002

Measuring health beliefs in Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes: adapting an existing instrument.

Mexican Americans bear a disproportionate burden of type 2 diabetes, and although clinicians and researchers are beginning to develop culturally competent interventions, few instruments are available for measuring variables relevant to health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of a diabetes-related health belief instrument translated for use with Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans. Three hundred and twenty-six Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans from Starr County, a Texas-Mexico border community, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes participated in the study. Factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the instrument, and reliability testing was conducted to determine the internal consistency of the resulting factors. The final instrument had 25 items with four subscales-Barriers, Social Support for Diet, Impact of Job on Therapy, and Benefits of Therapy-and one item to measure, Control. Internal consistency coefficients for these subscales were .56, .62, .86, and .90, respectively. The translated instrument needs to be tested over time with other Hispanic populations.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2002

Reaching underserved populations and cultural competence in diabetes education.

Diabetes self-management education has gained in importance over the past decade as research has documented the benefits of such interventions in improving glucose control and reducing diabetes-related complications. Although minority populations bear a disproportionate burden of diabetes, past strategies have not addressed cultural characteristics of groups typically underrepresented in diabetes research. Recent research literature on the development of culturally competent diabetes self-management is summarized and an example of a culturally competent intervention designed for Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans is presented. Recent research is laying the foundation for future intervention development to meet the cultural needs of racial/ethnic groups.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2002

Culturally competent diabetes self-management education for Mexican Americans: the Starr County border health initiative.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a culturally competent diabetes self-management intervention in Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective, randomized, repeated measures study was conducted on the Texas-Mexico border in Starr County. A total of 256 randomly selected individuals with type 2 diabetes between 35 and 70 years of age, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after 35 years of age, and accompanied by a family member or friend were included. The intervention consisted of 52 contact hours over 12 months and was provided by bilingual Mexican American nurses, dietitians, and community workers. The intervention involved 3 months of weekly instructional sessions on nutrition, self-monitoring of blood glucose, exercise, and other self-care topics and 6 months of biweekly support group sessions to promote behavior changes. The approach was culturally competent in terms of language, diet, social emphasis, family participation, and incorporation of cultural health beliefs. Outcomes included indicators of metabolic control (HbA(1c) and fasting blood glucose), diabetes knowledge, and diabetes-related health beliefs. RESULTS: Experimental groups showed significantly lower levels of HbA(1c) and fasting blood glucose at 6 and 12 months and higher diabetes knowledge scores. At 6 months, the mean HbA(1c) of the experimental subjects was 1.4% below the mean of the control group; however, the mean level of the experimental subjects was still high (>10%). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the effectiveness of culturally competent diabetes self-management education on improving health outcomes of Mexican Americans, particularly for those individuals with HbA(1c) levels >10%.

Adult↗