SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Group Interviews”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources

PubMed1995

Kindergarten students' food preferences are not consistent with their knowledge of the Dietary Guidelines.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate kindergarten students' understanding of the concepts and terminology in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; to determine whether kindergarteners could name food sources of fat, salt, and sugar; and to find out how well they understood the relationship between diet, exercise, body fat, and health. Additionally, food preference information was collected so that kindergarteners' knowledge about the Dietary Guidelines could be compared with their food choices. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Focus-group interviews were conducted in two elementary schools with 12 groups of about five students each (n = 62). Four classrooms were self-selected depending on the teacher's willingness to facilitate student participation; the sample was not random. RESULTS: Students understood the general relationship between food choices, exercise, body fat, and health. They were able to name foods high in salt, fat, and sugar and thought consumption of sugary or fatty foods should be limited. Nevertheless, their food preferences were not consistent with recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines to moderate foods high in these nutrients. APPLICATIONS: Nutrition educators should be aware that young children might not understand terms frequently used such as animal sources of foods or variety. Students know what to eat, but their practices are inconsistent with their knowledge. Providing information about what to do is not enough. To help students transfer factual information to personal dietary practices, nutrition educators need to teach them how to apply the Dietary Guidelines within their food environment while maintaining acceptability in regard to taste.

Body Image↗

PubMed2000

Environmental risk perception and well-being: effects of the landfill siting process in two southern Ontario communities.

In the context of siting (environmentally) noxious land uses, recent research suggests that the well-being of individuals and communities is impacted as much by the decision-making process as the outcome itself. The study results presented in this paper stem from an ongoing, two-stage quantitative/qualitative investigation of impacts on individual and community well-being associated with the environmental assessment process in Ontario, Canada. This research uses a parallel case-study design to investigate two proposed landfill sites in southern Ontario. Qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 36), conducted across a variety of stakeholder groups, were used to address the following objectives: to explore the nature of concerns experienced by individuals faced with a local landfill site proposal; to explore the effects of the siting process on individuals and communities; and to examine the coping strategies employed by individuals in response to impacts experienced. The work attempts to apply theories of risk society (as conceptualised by Beck and Giddens) at a community scale. In so doing, we build on the work of health geographers attempting to link the social and contextual with the medical. Overall, substantial impacts on individual and community well-being were reported across all stakeholder groups interviewed: these included stress, disempowerment, hostility and divisions within the community. The experience of psychosocial impacts and effectiveness of coping strategies is shaped by certain factors associated with the site and the siting process (including uncertainty and the perceived lack of meaningful participation). The links between risk, process and impacts are theorized using a conceptual framework which incorporates site and process factors, effects on daily life (e.g. feelings of losing control, mistrust), and Gidden's conception of 'ontological security'. These findings have implications for environmental decision-making, as they suggest a need to locate the delicate balance point between community involvement and an expedient decision-making process within variable community contexts.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Making the most of learning in the operating theatre: student strategies and curricular initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Students in medical programmes around the world are required to attend with their patient in the operating theatre, yet little is known about this area of medical education. Most of the published literature on the operating theatre is normative in character, written from the perspective of the surgeon as teacher. This paper, in contrast, reports the student's perspective as learner. It is an interpretive case study conducted in the department of surgery at an Australian university. METHODS: Research approaches were combined in a multi-method strategy which included in-depth interviews with students and surgeons, observations in operating theatres, group interviews and a student survey. The aim was to understand the student's experience of the theatre as a learning environment, with a view to improving teaching and learning in this setting. FINDINGS: The operating theatre is a challenging place in which to learn. The challenges are conceptualized in this paper around three key domains: the challenge posed by the physical environment and the emotional impact of surgery as work; the challenge of the educational task, and the challenge of managing the social relations of work in the operating theatre. CONCLUSION: Students who report finding the operating theatre a useful experience are those who adopt active strategies to successfully manage their learning across the three domains. The paper describes curricular initiatives that have been introduced in a department of surgery to help more students make the most of their learning in theatres, and goes on to discuss the wider implications of the findings for surgical education beyond this case study.

Australia↗

PubMed1998

Attachment/detachment: forces influencing care of the dying in long-term care.

Death occurs among older adults in institutions more often than at home with family and friends. The older people are, the more likely they are to die in a nursing home. The purpose of this study was to describe staff and administrator's perspectives on death and dying in long-term care and to explore problems in providing humane care to dying residents that fosters gentle closure to life. Using focus group interviews as the primary data collection method, 22 focus group sessions were conducted in 11 nursing homes. Separate group sessions were held for staff and administrators in the nursing homes. The core variable identified in this study was the attachment of staff to residents in long term care. Attachment enhanced the quality of terminal care and fostered a gentle closure to life. Mediating forces influencing the process of attachment were identified as individual forces, as well as forces internal and external to the nursing home.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Insurance case managers' perception of quality in back pain programs: a focus study group.

OBJECTIVES: Insurance case managers commonly interact with physiatrists and rehabilitation programs. They influence referrals and patients' decision making. This study was designed to determine which factors affect case managers' perception of back pain program quality. DESIGN: Repeated focus group interview in a neutral facility in an urban Midwestern United States community. Subjects were two groups (n = 12 and 11) of insurance case managers employed by case management firms (large and small), insurers, and self-insured employers. Outcome measures included group and individual responses to a pre-scripted interview and were collected on tape, transcribed, and interpreted by two different persons: the independent expert interviewer and a pain psychologist. RESULTS: There was substantial agreement between the two interpreters. Both groups overwhelmingly chose physiatrists over other specialists. They emphasized timeliness, communication, functionally oriented programs, concrete program goals and time frames, physician knowledge of the legal aspects of disability, and rapid communication of patient noncompliance. CONCLUSIONS: Rehabilitation programs may strive to meet many of these qualities but, in doing so, should be aware that the legal and ethical roles of case managers differ from that of clinicians.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2002

Priorities in information desire about unknown risks.

Research on risk perception aims to explain how people perceive risks in order to better communicate about them. Most of this research has tended to view people as passive risk perceivers. However, if confronted with an unknown risk, people can also actively seek information. The main purpose of this study was to investigate what kind of risk information people desire when confronted with an unknown risk and how this desire for information relates to the main dimensions underlying risk perception. Nine focus-group interviews were conducted. The main results of the focus groups were backed up by a paper-and-pencil questionnaire that was distributed among a random sample of 500 households in the Netherlands. Overall, people desire information with which they can determine the personal relevance of the risk confronting them. This pattern is similar to appraisal steps described by health behavior models. The focus-group results provide a dynamic picture of the way risk aspects might interact to create a final risk judgment.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Candy cigarettes: do they encourage children's smoking?

Candy and bubble gum cigarettes are packaged to resemble cigarette brands, and so they may encourage young children to smoke. Two studies of the role of these products in the development of children's attitudes and behaviors toward smoking were conducted. In the first study, six focus group interviews were conducted with 25 children in three age groups (4 through 5, 6 through 8, and 9 through 11 years old). Children in each group were shown five candy and snack foods and asked about their opinions and experiences with each item. In the second study, 195 seventh-grade students in a southeastern city school system were surveyed about their cigarette smoking and candy cigarette use. In the focus groups, candy cigarettes were recognized by most children. Young children played with the candy cigarettes more than with other candy or snack items and made general references to smoking behaviors. Older children made favorable references to smoking behavior; most knew which stores sold candy cigarettes, and many had chosen to buy and use these items, despite parental disapproval. Candy cigarettes may play a role in the development of children's attitudes toward smoking as an acceptable, favorable, or normative behavior. Elimination of these products should be part of efforts to prevent initiation of smoking by children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Factors impacting self-care for urinary incontinence.

INTRODUCTION: Behavioral strategies such as pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME), bladder retraining, and dietary modifications are generally considered to be the first line of treatment for urinary incontinence (UI). Yet little is understood about the client's abilities/motivation to manage their UI in the home setting. Self-care, the ability of clients to act on their own behalf to achieve and maintain health, is a fundamental component of these strategies. Despite the frequently chronic nature of UI, there is growing evidence that such maintenance of behavioral therapies is sporadic at best. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to enhance understanding of self-care strategies that individuals with UI employ, the perceived benefits of these strategies, the factors that influence their self-care choices, and the factors that impede or facilitate maintenance of behavioral therapies. METHOD: In this qualitative descriptive study, individual and focus group interviews with community-dwelling participants were conducted to enhance understanding regarding the participants' management of UI at home and why they maintain certain strategies and not others. Data were collected via loosely constructed individual (n=25) and focus group (n=3) interviews to facilitate open discussion of participants' perceptions. RESULTS: Thirty-eight individuals (33 women and 5 men) participated in the study. Analysis of data resulted in a major category of self-care strategies related to UI that was further subcategorized into factors that facilitated PFME and barriers to PFME performance. Factors that facilitated PFME included: (a) realistic goals and expectation, (b) positive affirmation, (c) follow up, and (d) maintaining an exercise routine. Barriers noted were: (a) insufficient information, (b) characteristics of the exercises, (c) competing interests, (d) financial cost, and (e) minor psychosocial impact. CONCLUSIONS: This study described the self-care strategies that participants with UI had initiated and maintained and additionally explored the perceived facilitators and barriers to self-care choices. Two major themes emerged: (a) self-care efforts were motivated by desire for a normal daily lifestyle and (b) participants were motivated to maintain strategies by the ability to visualize progress and by knowledge that they were progressing. These findings support the need for client-focused teaching that is grounded in the individual's daily realities and goals.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

Facilitation as a teaching strategy: the experiences of nursing students.

This study was undertaken to assess the needs/problems of students of nursing regarding facilitation as a teaching/learning method. Facilitation as a teaching and learning strategy was uncommon and innovative in nature and presented a challenge to the students as it was a new way of learning. Focus group interviews were conducted. The sample study consisted of eight (8) groups of learners from four universities engaged in this curriculum. To answer the research question a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design was used and the students were selected purposively. Data analysis using transcribed focus interviews, was based on the combined approaches of Tesch (1990) in Cresswell (1994:153-155) and the basic steps of Giorgi (1970) as quoted by Omery (1983:49-63). The themes identified were about the experiences of the facilitation process and problems with the facilitators. All the students experienced the facilitation of learning negatively in the beginning but became more positive later when they adapted to this method of learning.

Attitude↗

PubMed2001

Adolescents' perceptions of a health survey using multimedia computer-assisted self-administered interview.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain young people's perceptions of an adolescent health survey when administered by multimedia computer assisted self-administered Interview (M-CASI) through analysis of (1) questionnaire item responses and (2) focus group interviews. METHODOLOGY SETTING: Auckland, New Zealand, 1999. STUDY TYPE: Pilot testing of a 488-item branching questionnaire delivered using a youth-oriented and user-friendly M-CASI interface in a variety of settings using both desktop and laptop computers. Post pilot focus groups of participants identifying their perceptions and experiences of the survey. SAMPLE: 110 school students aged 12 to 18 years. RESULTS: The mean number of questions answered by participants was 316 with the median time to completion being 48 minutes. On average 65% of the total number of questions were seen and of these 1.5% were deliberately not answered. A high level of acceptability and enjoyment of M-CASI was found in the analysis of focus group responses and agreed with the item responses relating to M-CASI within the questionnaire itself. Participants identified privacy and confidentiality as being particularly important for the honesty of their responses. The passive matrix screens of the computers were popular as they could only be viewed from in front. CONCLUSIONS: M-CASI is an acceptable instrument for the administration of a youth health survey. Laptop computers with passive matrix screens are able to enhance perceptions of privacy and confidentiality, which may improve honesty of responses. IMPLICATIONS: M-CASI is now feasible and offers advantages in health surveying.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Examining child restraint use and barriers to their use: lessons from a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the suitability of four research methods to measure the rate of child restraint device (CRD) use and incorrect use in New Zealand and obtain data on barriers to CRD use. DESIGN AND SETTING: To assess the rates of CRD use among vehicles carrying children 8 years of age and under, two methods were piloted-namely, an unobtrusive observational survey and a short interview and close inspection. A self administered questionnaire and focus group interviews were also piloted to assess CRD use, reasons for use and non-use, and to obtain information on barriers to their use. Respondents to all methods except the focus groups were approached in supermarket car park sites at randomly selected times. Focus groups were established with parents identified through early childhood organisations. All methods were assessed on criteria related to efficiency, representativeness, and ability to obtain the necessary data. RESULTS: The observational survey provided a simple method for identifying rates of CRD use, while the self administered questionnaire obtained data on demographic characteristics and reported the installation and use/non-use of CRDs. The interview/inspection addressed all the questions of both the above methods and enabled incorrect CRD use to be examined. The focus groups provided the most meaningful information of all methods on barriers to CRD use. DISCUSSION: and conclusion: Advantages and limitations of these methods are discussed and some refinements of the original instruments are proposed. The interview/inspection and focus group methods were identified as being more appropriate for efficiently obtaining reliable data on CRD use and identification of barriers to CRD use.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2006

Young people of minority ethnic origin in England and early parenthood: views from young parents and service providers.

The paper explores the phenomenon of early parenthood in minority ethnic communities in England. The data were collected using focus group interviews, in-depth semi-structured interviews and a telephone survey. The sample consisted of 139 participants (41 service providers, 10 grandmothers, 88 young parents). The findings map out the complexity and diversity of experience of early parenthood amongst young people of minority ethnic origin, not least the multiple attachments many experience in relation to their social groups, religious affiliations and the traditional patterns of parenting within their immediate and extended family. Both the young parents and professionals in this study constructed early parenthood in more positive terms than is currently portrayed in the contemporary policy. The findings are analysed and discussed in relation to ethnic identity, social inclusion and exclusion. We explore participants' attempts to counter negative 'deficit' models of early parenthood with reference to perspectives on youth, parenthood and contemporary strategic policy. In conclusion, we suggest an unambiguous focus on the reduction of pregnancy is not a credible message when teenage pregnancy is a social norm for a particular ethnic or cultural group. For young parents of Muslim faith in particular, teenage parenting within marriage is not necessarily considered a 'problem' or seen as a distinctive event. Most participants did not view early parenthood as a barrier to re-establishing career and educational aspirations. A wide diversity of experience amongst young parents is evidenced in the communities studied; this needs to be reflected more comprehensively both in UK policy and in support services.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Women's experiences of breastfeeding in a bottle-feeding culture.

Focus group interviews were used to explore the breastfeeding attitudes and experiences of a group of low-income Scottish women who were breastfeeding in an environment where bottle-feeding was the cultural norm. The majority of women interviewed had no prior exposure to breastfeeding and received little or no support or advice for breastfeeding from family or friends. All women were participants in a breastfeeding peer-support project, and for most the peer volunteers represented their only source of support and guidance, outside of that provided by health professionals. Women often went to great lengths to avoid having to breastfeed in public, and the majority preferred to breastfeed away from the public gaze. Despite reported increases in breastfeeding rates, bottle-feeding remains the cultural norm in the more deprived areas of Glasgow. Those women who do breastfeed in these areas demonstrate a high level of commitment to breastfeeding that sets them apart from their social peers.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

[Assessment of patients' expectations before admission to a tertiary-care center].

BACKGROUND: The customer's final satisfaction with health services depends to some extent, on the relationship between expectancy and perceived quality. Focus groups technique helps in the knowledge of those attributes that patients identified as perceived quality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was performed in the Hospital Clínic i Provincial of Barcelona (HCPB), Spain, by selecting a sample of patient's included in the admission's waiting list (1994) of three common procedures: lens extraction, abdominal hernia repair and routine pregnancy control. The patients were distributed in 12 different semi-structured interview groups (focus groups) and video-taped. From the analysis of those tapes, the main concerns and aspects highlighted by consumers were identified, following a common set of rules: wording, context, internal consistency, precision/vagueness of answers and basic ideas. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients attend the interview. Patients with loss of visual acuity underscore the contribution of quality of life improvement expected from the procedure (technical quality of the surgical procedure, physical improvement and final outcomes). Patient's with abdominal hernia repair highlight the appearance and comfort of hospital setting as the most important item. Pregnant women emphasize the importance of a good follow-up process after delivery, as well as the need for individual services (dignity and intimate). CONCLUSION: The semi-structured interview method (focus group) could be applied in the context of our hospitals, and contribute to improve quality management at our institutions, making effective the patient participation.

Cataract Extraction↗

PubMed2000

Promoting effective practice in secondary care.

BACKGROUND: This qualitative study aimed to explore the views of key stakeholders regarding the role that public health professionals have or should have in the provision of effective health care within the National Health Service. METHODS: A national (England) questionnaire survey generated a sample for qualitative telephone interviews and two site case studies. The interviews were conducted in three stages: first, 27 interviews were based on assessed reported levels of organizational activity, including non-respondents; next, views in six areas were consolidated by extra interviews; finally, two extra areas were visited for individual and group interviews. The interviews were analysed for salient themes. RESULTS: There was a widespread view that public health had not delivered its potential. Many Trusts currently wanted public health to have influence over commissioning, provide health needs assessments and epidemiological skills, and provide a strategic focus and unbiased advice. Evaluation of actual activity varied widely; local history and congruent personalities seemed to be associated with perceived success. In some cases there was mutual suspicion between Health Authorities and Trusts. Public health was often perceived by Trusts to have been marginalized. This perception was not shared by Public Health Consultants, who highlighted lack of resources as a reason for lack of involvement. The contribution of public health professionals working in Trusts was highly regarded. Barriers included overcoming initial prejudice and combating isolation within Trusts. There were four categories of response in respect of the potential future role for public health in implementing effective health care: no role; collaborative working between Health Authority Public Health Departments and Trusts; deployment of public health workers within Trusts, and an undecided group. Overall, the skills of public health, especially strategic vision and population perspectives, were seen as valuable but as yet unrealized. CONCLUSIONS: Public health skills (but not necessarily professionals) may be valuable in implementing effective health care in Trusts. However, public health professionals must refocus and market their skills to Trusts if the discipline is to play a key role in this task.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2002

Is a CCN degree the only way to develop children's nursing in the community?

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with convenience samples 10 CCN students completing a community children's nursing (CCN) degree programme and with five practice educators. In addition, focus group interviews were held with 28 child branch students who had undertaken community experience. The objective was to find out the perceived value of undertaking a community children's nursing degree. The overall aim of the study was to address practical questions of teachers who ran the CCN pathway within the community degree programme and inform programme development. The data confirmed ENB and UKCC views of the CCN role and supported the need for more flexible approaches to CCN education. Recommendations are made for changes, particularly in relation to the core community content of the programme which did not meet students' expectations for developing their child specialist role within a multi-agency team.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2004

Randomized trial of brief office-based interventions to reduce adolescent alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether office-based interventions change adolescents' alcohol beliefs and alcohol use. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Five managed care group practices in Washington, DC. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive 12- to 17-year-olds (N = 409) seeing primary care providers (N = 26) for general check-ups. Most of the adolescents (79%) were African American, 44% were male, and 16% currently drank. INTERVENTIONS: Usual care (Group I), adolescent priming with alcohol self-assessment just prior to check-up (Group II), adolescent priming and provider prompting with adolescent self-assessment and brochure (Group III). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adolescent alcohol beliefs at exit interview and self-reported behaviors at 6- and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: At exit interview, Groups II and III reported that less alcohol was needed for impaired thinking and a greater intent to drink alcohol in the next 3 months than Group I. At 6 months, Group III reported more resistance to peer pressure to drink, and Groups II and III reported more bingeing than Group I. At 1-year follow-up, controlling for baseline levels, Groups II (odds ratio [OR], 3.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.44-6.24) and III (OR, 2.86; CI, 1.13-7.26) reported more bingeing in the last 3 months than Group I. Group II reported more drinking in the last 30 days (OR, 2.31; CI, 1.31-4.07) and in the last 3 months (OR, 1.76; CI, 1.12-2.77) than Group I. CONCLUSION: Brief office-based interventions were ineffective in reducing adolescent alcohol use but may increase adolescent reporting of alcohol use.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Spirituality and well-being: an exploratory study of the patient perspective.

Spirituality has become a construct of interest in American health care: however, there remains a limited understanding of how patients themselves describe spirituality and view its impact on their health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe elements of patient-reported, health-related spirituality. A qualitative study utilized focus group interviews of 17 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 18 women with no self-identified illness. Purposeful sampling of participants who had prior experiences in healthcare settings, with or without a chronic illness, guided the sampling strategy. Editing analysis of the interview transcripts were coded into conceptual categories. Participant narratives were grouped into eight general categories: (1) change in functional status, (2) core beliefs, (3) medical/disease state information gathering and processing, (4) interpretation and understanding, (5) life scheme, (6) positive intentionality, (7) agency, and (8) subjective well-being. A change in functional status was the catalyst for two process-oriented categories; medical/disease state information gathering and processing, and the higher-order interpretation and understanding, or meaning making of life events. Core beliefs were sources that grounded and maintained an interpretative structure through which participants viewed their life events and positively framed their experiences. Life scheme described a heuristic framework through which all life events were viewed. Positive intentionality was participant belief in the capacity to execute a specific action that was required for a desired outcome. Participants tied the attitudes and practices of positive intentionality with agency, or the use or exertion of power through belief, practice, or community. Participants outlined both a positive affective and cognitive component of subjective well-being. Patients describe several interrelated elements and a process of events in their depiction of spirituality in healthcare settings. Patient-reported spirituality is predominantly a cognitive construct incorporating the domains of life scheme and positive intentionality.

Adult↗