English-speaking Respondents Research Articles

TOURIST CHARACTERISTICS AND THEIR INTEREST IN ATTENDING FESTIVALS AND EVENTS: AN ANGLOPHONE/FRANCOPHONE CASE STUDY OF NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA

In 2001, the Province of New Brunswick, Canada, undertook a survey of 4990 tourists. Among those, 1101 (22%) were interested in participating in local festivals and special events. Using the data provided in this survey, the purpose of this article was to examine the other interests and travel motivations and behaviors of this group and to outline any differences between French- and English-speaking respondents. The proportion of Francophones interested in local festivals and special events was 19% compared with 23% for their Anglophone counterparts. With regards to travel behavior, both Francophones and Anglophones put ``customer service'' as their top priority. While there were differences in the motivation and behavior between the two groups, this was marginal. The article suggests that we require a greater understanding of tourists as attendees of festivals and events and that recognizing the cultural backgrounds of the audience is increasingly important.

Measuring Population Health: Correlates of the Health Utilities Index Among English and French Canadians

This study used cross-sectional data from the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) in Canada. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between several established correlates of health status in the general population and the Health Utilities Index (HUI), a multi-dimensional, preference-based measure of health status. Analyses were carried out separately for the English-speaking (n = 9,853) and French-speaking (n = 1,519) respondents. The index correlated strongly with self-ratings of health status and functional disability and varied as expected according to age, sex, and income. Subjects classified to different categories of chronic conditions reported different levels of health, as predicted. The HUI was also associated with the use of drugs and recent history of hospitalization. No major differences in the findings were observed between the two cultural groups. The results should be treated with caution due to the cross-sectional design and other methodological limitations of the study.

Cross-Cultural Comparisons of the Content of SF-36 Translations across 10 Countries: Results from the IQOLA Project

Increasingly, translated and culturally adapted health-related quality of life measures are being used in cross-cultural research. To assess comparability of results, researchers need to know the comparability of the content of the questionnaires used in different countries. Based on an item-by-item discussion among International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) investigators of the content of the translated versions of the SF-36 in 10 countries, we discuss the difficulties that arose in translating the SF-36. We also review the solutions identified by IQOLA investigators to translate items and response choices so that they are appropriate within each country as well as comparable across countries. We relate problems and solutions to ratings of difficulty and conceptual equivalence for each item. The most difficult items to translate were physical functioning items that refer to activities not common outside the United States and items that use colloquial expressions in the source version. Identifying the origin of the source items, their meaning to American English-speaking respondents and American English synonyms, in response to country-specific translation issues, greatly helped the translation process. This comparison of the content of translated SF-36 items suggests that the translations are culturally appropriate and comparable in their content.

Beliefs About Sexual Behavior and Other Predictors of Papanicolaou Smear Screening Among Latinas and Anglo Women

Latinas use cervical cancer prevention services less often than Anglo women. To assess whether beliefs about cervical cancer influence the use of Papanicolaou (Pap) smears among Latinas and Anglo women in Orange County, California. We conducted a telephone survey using the computer-assisted telephone interview system, randomdigit dialing, and an instrument adapted from national surveys and a previous ethnographic study. Participants included 1225 noninstitutionalized Spanish- or English-speaking respondents 18 years or older-803 Latinas (533 immigrants and 270 US born) and 422 Anglo women. Latina immigrants were more likely than US-born Latinas or Anglo women to believe that a variety of behaviors were risk factors for this disease. These behaviors included medically accepted risk factors such as early initiation of sexual intercourse (53% vs 41% vs 39%; P < .01) as well as unaccepted factors such as having sex during menstruation (56% vs 10% vs 3%; P < .01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that Latinas who held such beliefs were significantly less likely than others to report receiving a Pap smear within the past 3 years. Other independent predictors of Pap smear use included health insurance status, martial status, and acculturation. Latinas have culturally based beliefs about cervical cancer that reflect the moral framework within which they interpret diseases and that may influence their use of Pap smears. These beliefs are most prevalent among Latina immigrants. Because the known risk factors for cervical cancer are primarily related to sexual activities and because such activities are private and sensitive for many Latinas, physicians should be cautious when counseling these patients about the cause of this disease. Indeed, stressing the sexual transmission of cervical cancer could even discourage Latina immigrants from obtaining appropriate Pap smear screening.

Age at First Intercourse in Canada: Some Recent Findings

Retrospective data from the 1990 Canadian Health Promotion Survey of 13792 persons aged 15 years and older were used to determine the effects of region gender and language on age at first intercourse. Regions with above average teenage fertility were expected to reflect earlier onset of coital activity and higher proportions having sex before the age of 20 years. Regional influence was expected to decline over time with greater modernization according to the convergence hypothesis. Persons with French or other non-English languages were expected to be less likely to report sexual activity in all the teenage years. The egalitarian sex role hypothesis predicted that under the double standard the gap in sexual activity between the sexes would reduce in magnitude and significance over time. Data by age were grouped as 15-16 17-19 and five-year age groups thereafter. Data were not available for the high teenage fertility provinces of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. 8% had first coitus by age 15 years and 27% by 16 years; 59% had first coitus under the age of 20 years. The male odds for first sexual intercourse occurring under age 20 years decreased over time. Regional patterns were inconsistent and gave little support to the hypotheses that teenage fertility varied with region over time or that regions converged. In Quebec there were even odds for having sexual intercourse by age 20 years and increased odds for those aged 20-34 and 35-44 years. Those aged 35-44 years were twice as likely to have had intercourse by the age of 16 years than the average. For the age group 55 years and older the odds decreased. Censoring could be impacting on the under 20 years of age data. There was no support for the subcultural hypothesis. Increased odds were apparent for English-speaking respondents aged 35-44 years; these respondents were 2.8 times more likely and 2.7 times more likely to have had coitus by ages 16 and 19 years respectively. The egalitarian sex role hypothesis appeared to have the strongest explanation for rising premarital activity in Canada.

A Content, Correlational, and Factor Analytic Study of Seven Questionnaire Measures of the Protestant Work Ethic

A review of the literature revealed seven, quite different self-report measures of the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE). This study set out to compare and contrast these different measures by content, correlational, and factor analysis. Over 1000 English-speaking respondents completed all seven scales. Content analyses revealed seven dimensions to the PWE measures, and correlational analyses confirmed this. Factor analyses yielded five readily interpretable factors. The results are discussed in terms of the multi-dimensional nature of the PWE beliefs, the psychometric evaluation of the different scales, and the difficulty of defining the PWE in current contexts.

Informal Support Networks of Hispanic Mothers

One hundred eighty-five pregnant and postpartum Hispanic mothers completed anonymous questionnaires regarding the composition, extent, and quality of their support networks. Mothers were found to provide the most support for the younger English-speaking respondents (12-20 years of age) and husbands for the older English-speaking respondents and all age groups in the Spanish-speaking subsample. The 18 to 20 year old respondents appeared to have the broadest based and most responsive support network.

Spending attitudes of consumers: Pilot studies in French and English Canada

Pilot studies of consumer spending attitudes were conducted in Vancouver in 1970 and Quebec City in 1973. Responses to a set of bi-polar scales designed after the semantic differential indicate a 50/50 split between modern and traditional spending attitudes for the French-speaking sample from Quebec City. English-speaking respondents in Vancouver showed a 60/40 split on the modern spending side. The strongest responses to the modern end of the scales for both camples were to the phrases: “I love to spend money” and “spending gives me a lift.” Two traditional phrases which received strong support were: “When I spend money I am very careful” and “I find it less painful to pay cash than to charge it.” More modern spending attitudes were found to be associated with higher social class, more education and, to some extent, more optimism about future financial prospects in both samples. Lower incomes and lower status occupations were related to more traditional spending attitudes in the French-speaking sample. Age, family life cycle stage, marital status and sex did not seem to differentiate spending attitudes.

Taal en Geslag as 'n faktor in die Beinvloeding van Sosiale Afstand teenoor immigrante

Abstract Numerous indicators in South African society suggest the existence of attitudes of prejudice towards immigrants, especially non-Protestanis and those coming from countries other than White South Africa's traditional countries of origin. It would appear that the Afrikaans- and English-speaking communities differ in the social distance expressed towards immigrants. This paper deals with a survey in Pretoria to determine the social distance expressed towards Britishers, Germans, Greeks, Italians, the Dutch and the Portugese, by a number of adult White South African citizens. A modified Bogardus social distance test was used to determine the attitudes of 1.020 respondents who were found to be representative of the population in respect of sex, language, religious affiliation, marital status and age composition. Contrary to the hypothesis it was found that the Afrikaans-speaking sample was not Closer in social distance to the Dutch and Germans than were the English-speaking respondents. The hypothesis...