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PubMed1989

Nursing knowledge: women's knowledge. A sociological perspective.

As nurses approach the 21st century questions are being raised regarding the direction in which the profession is moving. The majority of leaders and educators in the field of nursing have, to this point, stressed the importance of defining nursing as a science and of developing a scientific knowledge base. Recently, however, there has been a move among some researchers and theorists in the field of nursing to question the ability of science and the scientific method to deal with nursing concerns. Using a variety of perspectives, including feminist theory, they are critiquing many of the basic assumptions about science, scientific method and scientific knowledge. This paper uses sociological and feminist theory to support the idea that nursing, as a discipline, has a distinct knowledge base which is not grounded in empirico-analytic science and its methodology but which stems from the lived experiences of nurses as women and as nurses involved in caring relationships with their clients.

Education, Nursing↗

PubMed1986

[Status of drug knowledge in the population].

In the 'Self-Medication' NFP-8 Study (National Research Programme No.8: 'Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Swiss Health Service') an attempt has been made to assess the population's basic knowledge about the proper way of dealing with drugs. The study shows that nearly a third of the adult population has insufficient knowledge. Women and better educated people have above average knowledge whereas old people and, paradoxically, those belonging to specific risk groups (e.g. diabetics, hypertensive persons, regular consumers of alcoholic drinks etc.) tend to underestimate the potential dangers of self medication. The study further suggests that a greater knowledge of drugs promotes a more active attitude to information. On the other hand a comparison with the results of other surveys leads to the conclusion that the existing basic knowledge about the risks of self-medication is often not translated into the appropriate attitude. This is why it is considered all the more important to develop strategies specific to consumer groups which are geared to motivating individual drug consumers to adopt the proper attitude to the problem.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Wisdom-related knowledge in a life review task: age differences and the role of professional specialization.

The study adopts life review as an avenue to access wisdom-related knowledge and examines the contribution of age and type of professional specialization to individual differences in wisdom-related knowledge. Women from 2 age groups/cohorts (young, M = 32 years; old, M = 71 years) and different professional specializations (human services vs. nonhuman services) were asked to think aloud about the life review of a fictitious woman who was either young or old. Verbal protocols were scored on 5 wisdom-related criteria: factual and procedural knowledge about life, life-span contextualism, relativism of values, recognition, and management of uncertainty. Three major findings emerged. First, human-services professionals outperformed the control group. Second, old adults performed as well as young adults. Third, for older adults wisdom-related performance was enhanced by the match between their own age and the age of the fictitious character.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1994

Dental health knowledge and attitudes among the middle-aged and the elderly in Hong Kong.

Previous studies on adult Hong Kong Chinese have indicated that their level of knowledge of and attitudes toward dental health might be a potential barrier to effective oral preventive efforts. The knowledge and attitudes of elderly Chinese have not previously been studied. The objectives of this study were to describe Hong Kong adults' knowledge of the causes of the two main oral diseases, caries and periodontal disease, and possible preventive measures, and to analyse possible relationships between knowledge and attitudes and selected sociodemographic and utilization variables. Two populations aged 35-44 yr (n = 398) and 65-74 yr (n = 559) were selected for the study, which was conducted as structured interviews. A knowledge score was constructed from questions on caries and periodontal disease development and prevention. Attitudes were measured in the younger group by beliefs and evaluations of those beliefs according to the theory of reasoned action (the higher the score, the more positive the attitude). Knowledge scores were almost normally distributed in the younger respondents, but were heavily skewed toward 0 in the older group. In both age groups, increased level of education and regularity or recency of dental visits were strongly associated with dental knowledge. Women, regular dental care users, and prevention-oriented respondents had higher attitude scores. There was no correlation between knowledge and attitudes. Some improvement in knowledge seems to have taken place, especially on the cause of caries, with fewer 35-44-yr-old respondents claiming lack of knowledge of the causes of caries and gum disease than in a previous study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Factors associated with safe preparation and home use of sugar-salt solution.

The use of oral rehydration salts is frustratingly low, mostly because one must visit a health care provider to procure the packets. Mothers are advised to use sugar-salt solution (SSS) and other home-based fluids as first fluid replacement during diarrhoea. However, the use rate of SSS is also not encouraging and few mothers can prepare it correctly. We conducted an observation study on mothers who reported to the diarrhoea treatment centre of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh during September 1990 through to December 1992. At quarterly intervals, 240 mothers were recruited randomly to elicit their knowledge and ability to prepare SSS. Most (94.6%) of the mothers knew about the solution, but only 62% of them used the solution at home. The use rate was higher when mothers came to know about the solution through interpersonal communication (e.g. community health workers, doctors, friends, neighbours and relatives) and from multiple sources (72%) than when they learned about it from the media or from a single source (54%). As many as 85.4% of the mothers could prepare the solution within the safe limits of sodium concentrations (30 to 100 mmol/l). The figure rose to 95.8% after practical instruction as to how to prepare the solution. This improvement was dependent neither on the literacy level of mothers nor on their knowledge and use of the solution earlier. To increase interpersonal communication and to improve mothers' behaviour in using and correctly preparing SSS, every contact with health care providers should be utilised for organising sessions on the use and preparation of the solution.

Bangladesh↗

PubMed1994

Gender-related differences in the impact of tropical diseases on women: what do we know?

This paper explores the importance of gender differences in the impact of tropical diseases on women. Malaria and schistosomiasis are used as examples but most of the observations also apply to other diseases endemic to developing countries. The distinction between sex and gender is discussed and evidence of sex and gender differences in the determinants and consequences of malaria and schistosomiasis, particularly their economic, social and personal dimensions, is reviewed. Issues on which research and intervention studies are needed are identified.

Developing Countries↗

PubMed1996

AIDS prevention in high-risk African American women: behavioral, psychological, and gender issues.

A three-year longitudinal intervention study was implemented to reduce high-risk drug and sexual behaviors in methadone-dependent African American women. Participants were recruited from four inner-city methadone maintenance programs and randomly assigned either to an eight-week peer counseling and leadership training group or to a control group. The 107 trainees and 97 controls completed pretests and posttests at two, four, and seven months. This paper focuses on final data related to the subjects' sexual beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors that put them at risk for HIV/AIDS. Reasons for not using condoms are categorized and discussed. Despite the women's awareness of the seriousness of AIDS, perceived powerlessness to negotiate condom use, negative attitudes about the use of condoms, influence of drugs, and unavailablility of condoms interfered with safer sex practices. The inability of education alone to prevent many high-risk sexual behaviors suggests that more serious consideration be given to expanded distribution of condoms as well as needle exchange programs and legalization of illicit drugs.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1990

Use of contraceptives by women of upper socioeconomic status.

This was a descriptive correlational study of the contraceptive knowledge, methods, and consistency of contraceptive use by women of upper socioeconomic class. Socioeconomic class was determined using Hollingshead's Four-Factor Index of Social Status (1975) and was based on the woman's own educational and occupational status. The mean socioeconomic score for participants in this study (N = 83) was high in the second of five socioeconomic classes. Study participants were found to be consistent users of their contraceptive method and had fewer unplanned pregnancies in their history than the general population. They were more knowledgeable about contraceptives and reproduction than others tested with the same contraceptive knowledge instrument. They used barrier methods predominantly, with the use of less theoretically effective methods correlating significantly with a greater number of contraceptive methods used in the past.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Patterns of contraceptive use among urban women in Taiwan.

Patterns of contraceptive use among married urban women in Taiwan were investigated. A convenience sample of 150 women attending health clinics for reasons other than contraceptive care were interviewed about their contraceptive use. The most prevalent contraceptive method used by these women was the intrauterine device, followed by the condom and birth-control pills. Participants had used only one or two contraceptive methods throughout their contraceptive careers, and many stated they were satisfied with their current method. Many participants were able to name the methods of birth control promoted by the Taiwan family-planning promotion program. Knowledge of alternative methods did not significantly relate to current method in use or to desire to change methods.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Women, health, and knowledge: travels through and beyond foreign parts.

The meanings of health for women as a social group are discussed. It is argued that women's perspectives on health give central importance to the concepts of self-determination, coping, power, and control. Health for women is bound up with their experiences in everyday life. Women are also primary health care providers. Medicine, however, dominates women's bodies in ways that conflict with women's own perspectives on their health: In "developed" societies, medical intervention now poses a major threat to women's health. By concentrating on quantitative methodology, most researchers studying women's health have ignored these important meanings of health to women.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1991

Weight gain variation in infants of an impoverished community: Bellanse, Haiti.

Maintaining adequate growth remains one of the most difficult tasks for infants in developing countries. A cohort of rural infants (n = 354), median age four months, were weighed every 6-7 weeks over an 18-month period. Some 179 infants (51%) with weight information over at least 12 months were included in the study. The association between weight gain up to 6 months of age, and between 6 and 23 months of age, and factors amenable to prevention were assessed using weighted multiple linear regression. Infants whose mothers understood the 'Road to Health' chart had a weight gain that was 123 g/month (95% confidence interval (CI): 2-245) higher up to six months of age and 31 g/month (95% CI: 6-57) higher between 6 and 23 months of age compared to infants whose mothers did not seem to understand the chart. The weight gain between 6 and 23 months was also 28 g/month (95% CI: 3-54) higher for infants fully vaccinated at 11 months compared to not fully vaccinated children. It was 47 g/month (95% CI: 16-78) higher for infants living in two-parent families compared to children of a single-parent family. The results of the study suggest that maternal comprehension of the 'Road to Health' chart may contribute to more adequate weight gain.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Impact of a clinic-based growth monitoring programme on maternal nutrition knowledge in Lesotho.

An evaluation of the impact of a nationwide clinic-based growth monitoring (GM) programme was done in Lesotho to determine if clinic attendance was associated with improved maternal knowledge of weaning practices and diarrhoea. A total of 907 mothers from eight clinics were included in the study. Our results showed that mothers who had attended the clinics knew more about the appropriate timing for introducing animal protein-rich foods in the child's diet and about the use of oral rehydration salts for diarrhoea, than those who had not. The difference in knowledge between previous clinic attendants and new attendants was particularly marked among mothers with less than secondary schooling and mothers with young babies (less than 6 months). From observation in the clinics, we believe that group nutrition education, although it was not integrated with growth monitoring, was probably responsible for the positive association between clinic attendance and maternal knowledge. Prior clinic attendance was not specifically associated with improved knowledge about feeding during diarrhoea or the need to stop breastfeeding gradually. These need to be better incorporated into present clinic nutrition education. Whether improvements in growth monitoring would further significantly improve nutrition education remains to be seen.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Growth charts only marginally improved maternal learning from nutrition education and growth monitoring in Lesotho.

A study done in Lesotho in 1985-1986 assessed whether growth charts increased the impact of nutrition education and growth monitoring on maternal learning about weaning practices and diarrhea. Seven hundred and seventy six mothers were given three monthly sessions of group nutrition education along with growth monitoring of children and individual counseling. Growth charts, which were taught to one of two groups, fostered learning but only on issues related to diarrhea and only among new clinic attendants, mothers with less than secondary schooling and mothers of malnourished children. These benefits, however, were small (differences less than 10%) compared with the overall impact of the nutrition education and growth monitoring intervention (increases between baseline and post-intervention were greater than 50% for some questions). Our findings suggest that well-designed clinic-based nutrition education and growth monitoring can have a significant impact on maternal nutrition knowledge. Teaching growth charts to mothers may not be necessary for obtaining such results in programs conducted under ideal conditions. More research is needed to determine under what circumstances, for what purposes and for whom growth charts may be beneficial.

Audiovisual Aids↗

PubMed1991

Knowledge, attitudes, and perceived risk of AIDS among urban Rwandan women: relationship to HIV infection and behavior change.

We examined factors associated with perceived risk of AIDS, behavior change, and HIV infection in a representative sample of 1458 child-bearing urban women in Rwanda, central Africa. Although 68% of women reported only one lifetime partner, and the majority (87%) lived with a husband or steady partner, the prevalence of HIV antibodies was still high (32%). Before receiving their HIV test results, the women completed a questionnaire about AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Knowledge about HIV transmission was high, with 96-98% of women correctly identifying the three primary routes of infection. However, only 16% of women reported taking any action to avoid AIDS in the previous year, and most (11%) had done so merely by asking their male partners to change their behavior. Only 7% of women had ever tried condoms, and many (68%) thought they could be dangerous to use. Women who perceived themselves at risk of AIDS (57%) were more likely to report changing behavior; they were also more likely to be infected with HIV. Other factors associated with behavior change included having known someone with AIDS, having discussed AIDS with a male partner, and believing that condoms are not dangerous. Future interventions should enhance perception of risk, encourage male sexual partners to reduce risky behavior, and increase familiarity with condoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Impact of health education on mothers' knowledge of preventive health practices.

A prospective community-based intervention study was conducted in a slum area of Karachi, Pakistan, with the objective of evaluating the impact of health education on the knowledge of mothers. One hundred and fifty households were studied in the intervention and the same in the non-intervention group. The post intervention knowledge scores of the mothers showed a significant difference of P < 0.05. Nearly 50.7% mothers in the intervention group knew of at least four diseases against which vaccination is given as compared to the non-intervention group (P < 0.05). Similarly, mothers in the intervention group were more aware about the advantages of breast feeding, signs of dehydration, measures for prevention of measles and tuberculosis as compared to the non-intervention group (P < 0.05). Finally, a comparison was made between the pre- and post-intervention scores between the two groups. The score in the non-intervention group changed from 11.5 to 16.1 (P > 0.05) as compared to the intervention group in which it changed from 10.2 to 32.2 (P < 0.05).

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Attitudes and knowledge about drinking: relationships with drinking behavior among pregnant teenagers.

Data were collected on the drinking behavior of 415 pregnant adolescents from 1990 to 1994. The relationships between knowledge and attitudes about drinking and drinking behavior were examined. Knowledge about drinking was not related to average daily volume of alcohol before or during pregnancy. Those with specific knowledge about fetal alcohol effects drank less before pregnancy, and in the first trimester, and were also less likely to drink to intoxication. Among drinkers, general knowledge about drinking was significantly related to a decrease in drinking between pre-pregnancy and first trimester, as well as between first and third trimesters. Those with more intolerant attitudes about drinking drank less before and during pregnancy. They had fewer episodes of binge drinking, intoxication, negative consequences, and problem drinking during pregnancy. They were more likely to decrease drinking from the first to third trimesters. These relationships are relevant to developing effective education programs for the high-risk group of pregnant teenagers who drink.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Factors affecting the use of immunization among urban settlement dwellers in Papua New Guinea.

This paper examines the importance of selected social factors in the acceptance of childhood immunization in urban settlements in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The study found that the provision of information to mothers on when to start immunization and how often the child should be immunized were key factors in determining immunization status. Maternal education was found to be positively associated with knowledge of immunization, but was not significantly associated with actual immunization practice. Over 70% of the women studied found out when to attend for immunization from the local maternal and child health (MCH) staff, hence emphasizing their importance in disseminating information. If coverage is to be increased further in urban settlements with mobile populations, maximal use must be made of local community organizations to disseminate the key immunization information and for follow-up of newborns and infants new to the community. Efforts to encourage mothers to deliver under supervision should also continue as this is an important point of first contact for immunization.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed1992

Diarrhoea and feeding practices of young children attending two selected urban clinics in Dhaka.

Data were collected from 150 mothers attending the outpatient departments (OPD) of one maternal-child health (MCH) clinic and one paediatric hospital in Dhaka for treatment of diarrhoea of their children during the period from March '90 to May '90. Feeding practices before and after occurrence of diarrhoea were evaluated to determine the knowledge and practice of changes in dietary patterns. The majority (58.67%) of children, who were all less than 5 years old, were in the younger age group (0-1 year) with slightly more occurrence in male children. The incidence rate was higher among children of low-income families and uneducated mothers. Among the children, 60.67% had 6-8 loose stools per day and 66% suffered from watery diarrhoea, which was mostly in the younger (0-1 year) age group (p < 0.001). The majority (60%) of mothers had incorrect knowledge about changing their children's diets; only 40% knew how to do it correctly, which was significantly (p < 0.001) related to the educational level. During diarrhoeal episodes among the 0-1 year age group, the number of mothers exclusively breastfeeding increased considerably (14.77% to 35.23%), and the number of mothers only partially breastfeeding decreased (62.5% to 43.18%), withholding (48.38%) or adding (9.68%) some items, or both (13.98%), showing significant change (p < 0.005) in diet with the education of mothers. "Some food items cause diarrhoea, others increase the frequency of loose motion, and withholding or adding some food cures it," they believed. The results of the study show that, through proper nutrition education, mothers can be helped to provide better home management of diarrhoea.

Bangladesh↗