Health Education Experience Research Articles

Foot health education for people with rheumatoid arthritis - some patient perspectives.

BackgroundPatient education is an important component of foot health management for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The content and strategies for delivery require investigation in relation to the patients’ needs. This study explores patients’ experiences of foot health education, to inform how the patients’ needs could be identified in clinical practice and inform effective education delivery.MethodA focus group was used to collect data. The dialogue was recorded digitally, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a structured thematic approach. Member checking and peer review added to credibility of the data.Six themes emerged; (i) content and purpose of patient education – what it should be, (ii) content of patient education – what it should not be, (iii) timing of information on foot health, (iv) method of delivery, (v) ability to engage with foot health education and (vi) the patient/practitioner relationship.ConclusionsThis study identified aspects of patient education considered important by this group of patients in relation to content, timing and delivery, forming the basis for further research on clinical and patient focussed outcomes of patient education.Identifying health education needs and provision of supportive verbal and written information can foster an effective therapeutic relationship, supporting effective foot health education for people with RA.

Study of health education competence of nursing interns

Objective To explore heahh education competence and relevant factors of nursing interns in order to provide basis for teaching innovation to improve health education competence of nursing students.Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out. 164 nursing interns in three teaching hospitals of Fujian Medical University completed the questionnaires in January 2010. Results The average score was ( 138.6 ±14.6) points out of 190 points. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the factors affecting health education competence were : duration of internship ( t = 4. 520, P < 0. 05 ), experience of health education ( t =4. 201 ,P <0. 01 ), health education training ( t = 3. 918, P < 0. 01 ) and internship in ICU ( t = 3. 256, P <0. 05). Conclusions Health education competence of nursing interns is not optimistic and calls for systematic training and practicing. Key words: Student,Nursing; Clinical clerkship; Health education; Competence

‘The view from inside’: understanding service user involvement in health and social care education

Service users are increasingly involved in health and social care education, whilst the government is committed to increasing access to employment for people with mental health needs. The benefits of involving service users in social work education have been identified, including increasing skills, confidence, and building capacity; yet there is little research that reflects on the personal costs of involvement. An understanding of the social model of disability underpinned by the recovery approach enables us to conceptualise more equal involvement of experts by experience in health and social care education. This enables us to respect their inclusion by noting that it is our non‐disabled environment which disables and excludes people from the work place, whilst an understanding of recovery requires us to accept that people with mental distress may have to manage the limitations of their distress in the work place rather than live a life completely free of symptoms.

The world of malaria: a health educational experience in the Colombian Pacific coast

Objective: To describe the design, validation, and implementation of the education material The world of malaria: let´s learn to handle it in the community. Methods: The development of the educational material was carried out in the urban area of Buenaventura (main city in the Colombian Pacific coast) in 1995. The design was based on the results of a knowledge, beliefs, and practices study in the city. By using the PRECEDE- PROCEED MODEL strategy, community groups were brought together with the research team to design the materials. Results: The educational materials were designed according to cultural and ethnographic characteristics of the population studied. These materials are table games, comics, videotapes and cassettes, magazines, altogether in a black bag called «The world of malaria: let´s learn to handle it in the community». Conclusions: This innovative educational material shows that interventions in public health should be based on results from scientific projects, because control strategies are based on local realities.

Perceptions of breast health awareness in Black British women

PurposeBreast cancer is a global concern. Published studies indicate that 43% of Black and ethnic minority women interviewed have reported that they did not practice breast awareness because they did not know the relevant breast changes that occur in breast cancer. Black women are also more likely to receive a diagnosis of breast cancer when it is in an advanced stage. This pilot study aimed to address the views of Black British women on breast health awareness and breast health screening practices. Methods and sampleIn this qualitative study I used semi-structured interviews were used to investigate breast health perceptions, practices and education in a pilot sample of ten women. Key ResultsWomen held numerous perceptions of breast cancer which ranged from no knowledge to well informed through receiving extensive education. Two out of ten women were relatively uneducated with regard to breast self examination (BSE). The remaining eight women participated in a variety of screening routines which varied from undertaking BSE everyday to once every few months. Women’s experience of breast health education was also variable. One woman, younger woman, had not received any health education advice in relation to breast health awareness or BSE. The remaining nine women had received some health advice following visit to their General Practitioners, Medical consultant, media information or as a result of participating in mammographic screening. ConclusionsBlack British women require health education that focuses on breast cancer and its associated risk factors, technique of BSE, and national breast cancer screening recommendations.

You get what you measure: Assessing and reporting student satisfaction with their health and social care educational experience

Higher education institutions (HEIs) and national bodies are increasingly monitoring the satisfaction of their students with their educational experiences. Quantitative satisfaction surveys are often used, where HEI students rate the questionnaire items using Likert scale formats to express their perceived satisfaction. However, the literature shows considerable variations in how satisfaction has been gauged based on students' responses to such questionnaires. It is important to ascertain that methods used to gauge student satisfaction are appropriate. We explored the associations between the method employed in calculating the levels of student satisfaction with their educational experience and the emergent level of satisfaction. We employed data comprising 2650 module satisfaction questionnaires (18 items) from a University in the UK. Five common choices of satisfaction summary measures were tested: three different count summary measures; a sum summary measure; and a ratio summary measure. The 5 measures were correlated, but levels of student satisfaction varied widely according to the summary measure that was used. The behaviour of some satisfaction summary measures suggested that they might lack the ability to discriminate effectively between different levels of student satisfaction. We recommend the use of two summary measures and discuss the implications for research and practice.

Advising the Newest Faces of Public Health: A Perspective on the Undergraduate Student

In the 20th century, public health education in the United States existed as a professional degree program, with training at the masters (MPH) and doctoral (PhD, DrPH, and ScD) levels. Today, the system is rapidly evolving as undergraduate majors, minors, and concentrations are establishing themselves around the country. This new focus of public health education, rooted in a liberal arts environment, is distinct from the professional training of graduate school. As such, undergraduate public health students have unique characteristics and needs that should be considered as part of the advisors' responsibility to provide meaningful, relevant advising. The perspective and comments presented here are largely based on the authors' nearly 30 years of combined experience in undergraduate public health education.

보육교사의 구강보건교육경험 인지도에 따른 구강보건지식의 관련성

보육교사들의 구강보건경험과 인지도 및 필요성에 따라 구강보건지식정도를 파악하고 관련성이 있는지 조사하고자, 경남지역에 소재한 37개 어린이집에 있는 보육교사 267명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였다. 교육유무에 따른 구강보건지식을 살펴보면 교육경험이 있는 경우가 교육경험이 없는 경우보다 높게 나타났다. 교육장소별에 따른 구강보건지식을 살펴보면 보건소에서 가장 높게 나타났다. 교육필요 요구별에 따른 치주질환, 불소, 자일리톨의 구강보건지식에서 교육이 필요하다고 응답하였다. 교육참석 필요성에 따른 치주질환, 자일리톨의 구강보건지식에서 교육에 참석한다고 응답한 경우가 높게 나타났다. 교육의 필요성과 교육참석 필요성은 높은 상관관계(r=0.874)를 보였고, 치주질환 지식항목과 구강보건교육 참석도는 낮은 상관관계를 나타냈다(r=0.345). 보육교사의 구강보건교육경험과 인지도 및 필요성은 구강보건 지식에 관련성이 있었고, 아이들의 구강 보건을 효과적으로 관리하기 위해서는 보육교사에게 체계적이고 규칙적인 구강보건교육 프로그램이 필요할 것으로 사료되었다. This study was conducted to examine the influence of the experience of childcare teachers about oral health education on oral health knowledge. Questionnaires to be self-filled up on the experience of oral health education were applied to 267 childcare teachers who are working in a nursery schools in Kyoungnam province. The data were analysed using the SPSS 12.0 program. The obtained result were as follows: The oral health knowledge was higher in the case with oral health education than without it. A public health center would provide the highest oral health knowledge to nursery teachers. The educations about peridontal disease, oral health effect of fluorine and Xylitol were the most demanding among the some items. When the education topics are related with peridontal disease and Xylitol, the most respondents are willing to participate in the education course. The high correlation (r=0.874) was shown in the necessity of the education and the necessity of attending the course. Also there was a low correlation (r=0.345) between the knowledge items of peridontal disease and the participation in the oral health education. The relationship of oral health knowledge with experience and recognizance of oral health education appeared. Therefore systematic and regular program for the oral health education would be required.

Construção de saberes em primeiros socorros: promoção da saúde e cidadania

Objective: to build, along with teachers and students, moments of reflection and exchange of knowledge about behaviors and skills in the management of rescue base in order to assist in the training of multipliers of actions for the preservation of life and to raise awareness of the importance of supportive care in the construction of citizenship. Methodology: this is a report of experience in health education, conducted with the students in the eighth grade of elementary school, and teachers in public schools located in a municipality of northwestern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul/BR, in 2006. The proposal is guided in working in groups, whereas the environmental group promotes the exchange of ideas between the subject and awareness of the potential of this group for social transformation. Results: the activities involved an exchange of knowledge and experience from the problematization of everyday situations to find solutions to possible problems ahead that require conduct of emergency, respecting previous knowledge and is facilitating the seizure of new knowledge. Conclusion: it is believed that education for the supportive care is a strategy for citizen training and processing, as it involves social actors in the production and preservation of individual and collective health and allows the creation of healthy environments. Descriptors: education health; first aid; health promotion.

Views of hypertension among young African Americans who vary in their risk of developing hypertension.

To describe beliefs about hypertension and health education of young African American adults varying in their hypertension risk status. Fifty-eight African American young adults (17-20 years) were selected based on low and high risk criteria for hypertension assessed in earlier investigations of hemodynamic responses to stress. The sample included 15 high risk males, 13 low risk males, 14 high risk females, and 16 low risk females who were interviewed indepth about their hypertension beliefs and health education experiences. Variable-based matrices identified participants with similar responses. Overall, participants had a limited understanding of hypertension. For example, they linked the condition to eating a diet high in pork and fat and having a positive family history of hypertension with little acknowledgement of weight, smoking, race and sex as key contributors to hypertension onset. Distinctions were found between risk categories and along sex lines. Most high risk participants believed stress could cause hypertension. High risk females believed that they were at risk for developing hypertension but lacked prevention strategies. High risk males were generally uninformed about risk or prevention. More low risk females believed in prevention compared to few low risk males. Participants reported little formal health education about hypertension and recommended that hypertension education be improved through more effective and relevant approaches in high school health education classes. These findings support the need for comprehensive and revitalized hypertension prevention programs for young African Americans. Participant views varied with hypertension risk status and gender suggesting that targeted educational efforts should reflect these differences.

Health promotion services for lifestyle development within a UK hospital – Patients' experiences and views

BackgroundUK public health policy requires hospitals to have in place health promotion services which enable patients to improve their health through adopting healthy behaviours, i.e. health education. This study investigated hospitalised patients' experiences of health education for smoking, alcohol use, diet, physical activity, and weight, and their views concerning the appropriateness of hospitals as a setting for the delivery of health education services.MethodsRecently discharged adult hospital patients (n = 322) were sent a questionnaire asking about their smoking, alcohol use, diet, physical activity, and weight. For each of these risk factors, participants were asked whether they agreed with screening for the risk factor, whether they received health education, whether it was "helpful", and if they wanted to change their behaviour. Participants were also asked a set of general questions concerning health education within hospitals.Results190 patients responded (59%). Over 80% agreed with screening for all risk factors. 80% of smokers, 52% consuming alcohol above recommended limits, 86% of obese, 66% consuming less than five fruit and vegetables a day, and 61% of physically inactive participants wanted to change their respective behaviour. However only a third reported receiving health education. While over 60% of patients wanted health education around discharge, the majority of those receiving health education did so at admission. The majority agreed that "hospital is a good place for patients to receive" health education (87%) and that "the hospital should provide patients with details of community organisations that provide" health education (83%). Only a minority (31%) reported a preference for health education from their GP instead of hospital.ConclusionWhile the delivery of health education to patients within hospital was poor, hospitals are viewed by patients as an appropriate, and in some cases preferred setting for the screening of risk factors and delivery of health education.

A Study on Health Promotion Behavior and Contraception in Married Immigrant Women

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify health promotion behavior and contraception in married immigrant women. Method: Seventy-three immigrant women who were married with Korean men were recruited in October 2008. Data was collected by using questionnaires through a personal interview. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, t-test, and ANOVA. Result: The lowest scoring part among health promotion behaviors was exercise. Stress management, eating habits and personal relationships followed. Health promotion behaviors were influenced by the age at marriage, frequency of going out, and health education experiences. Only 35.6% of subjects used contraception. The popular contraceptive methods were IUD, condom, and coitus interruptus. Most subjects got information about contraception from family and friends. 18.1% of subjects had no source of information. The women's education level had a significant influence on their contraceptive knowledge. Conclusion: Programs for exercise and contraception are needed to improve health promotion behaviors in married immigrant women. Nurses are an important part in health promotion. The role of nurses must be expanded in all communities through various intervention programs.

Food pyramids, keeping clean and sex talks: pre-service teachers' experiences and perceptions of school health education

This paper reports findings from the first stage of an anticipated four-stage research project investigating the effectiveness of teacher education in health education. Prior to receiving any teacher education in health education, pre-service teachers (student teachers) were surveyed for their experiences of secondary school health education, and their beliefs about and attitudes towards the subject. Data were collected from questionnaire surveys (n = 295) and focus group interviews (n = 61). Results showed that student teachers had more exposure to school health education than had been assumed and had more positive attitudes towards the subject area than indicated by other studies into school health education. Many reported having had sexuality education and drug and alcohol programmes, but these were commonly described in contexts of safety rules and risk avoidance behaviours. Participants had greater understanding of and more exposure to mental health education than had been predicted. Those aged 20 years and younger reported significantly greater exposure to a range of school health education topics than did those aged 21-30 years or 30+ years. This difference is attributed to the younger participants receiving health education based on the Health and Physical Education in the New Zealand Curriculum, introduced into schools in 1999.

Popular education for health as a possibility of increasing social control in the health area

This paper reports and analyzes an experience of communitarian health education carried out by the Health Movement ofthe Eastern Region of Sao Paulo City (MSZL) to train health counselors from 1980 to 1990. The research techniques used were documentanalysis and in-depth individual interviews with key respondents, technical team members and former participants of courses. The coursecontents, methodology and educational techniques were consistent with communitarian education principles and met the expectationsof the participants. Communitarian health education showed to meet the objectives established for MSZL political training courses andto increase social control in the health sector.

Educator Preparedness to Teach Health Education in British Columbia

Background: To date, few studies have been conducted to investigate the preparedness of health educators in Canadian school systems. Purpose: This study assessed practicing and preservice teachers' self-perceptions of preparedness to teach health education in British Columbia K-12 classrooms. It also investigated factors related to their preparedness. Methods: In 2006, 166 practicing teachers and 78 preservice teachers participated in a self-designed questionnaire. Results: Significant positive relationships were found between preservice teachers' knowledge, skill, preparedness, beliefs toward health education, and satisfaction with the provincial health curricula in assisting them to teach health education. Practicing teachers with more experiences in health education reported higher levels of knowledge, skill, and preparedness, as well as more positive beliefs toward health education, but their satisfaction with the curriculum was negatively associated with those variables. They also reported higher levels of skill and satisfaction and more positive beliefs than the preservice group. Discussion: In light of these results, further explorations are needed to understand current contexts within Canadian school health education. Translation to Health Education Practice: Findings support the need for training and implementation of health-related programs into the education system, particularly the deliberation on how to transform curricula into a more supportive vehicle for health education programming.

Effects of Family Structure on Children's Use of Ambulatory Visits and Prescription Medications

To examine the effects of family structure, including number of parents, number of other children, and number and type of other adults, on office visits, emergency room visits, and use of prescription medications by children. The Household Component of the 1996-2001 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The study consisted of a nationally representative sample of children 0-17 years of age living in single-mother or two-parent families. We used negative binomial regression to model office visits and emergency room visits and logistic regression to model the likelihood of prescription medication use. Our analyses adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as well as measures of children's health and parental education and child-rearing experience. We combined 1996-2001 MEPS Full Year Consolidated Files and Medical Conditions Files. Descriptive data showed that children in single-mother families had fewer office visits than children in two-parent families; however, the effect of number of parents in the family on children's office visits or use of prescription medications was completely explained by other explanatory variables. By contrast, children living in families with many other children had fewer total and physician office visits and a lower likelihood of using a prescription medication than children living in families with no other children even after adjusting for other explanatory variables. Children who lived with other adults in addition to their parents also had fewer office visits and a lower likelihood of using a prescription medication than children who lived only with their parents. Children living in families with many other children or with other adults use less ambulatory care and prescription medications than their peers. Additional research is needed to determine whether these differences in utilization affect children's health.

A Study for Experience and Needs of Mental Health Education in Primary School Teachers

A Study for Experience and Needs of Mental Health Education in Primary School Teachers

Anthrax in New Jersey: A Health Education Experience in Bioterrorism Response and Preparedness

The anthrax attack in 2001 created new challenges to health educators working on the response effort in New Jersey. Never before had there been a need for educating a group of people who had been exposed to a biological weapon. Coming on the heels of the catastrophic World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services was entrenched in the response to, and management of, the anthrax attack that placed a heavy emphasis on educating the postal workers of the United States Postal Service Trenton Processing and Distribution Center. This article provides an account of the preparation and delivery of educational materials and activities in the midst of a biological emergency, emphasizes the role health educators play in responding to bioterrorism events, and encourages health educators to become involved in bioterrorism preparedness efforts.

Identifying, Recruiting, and Enrolling Adolescent Survivors of Childhood Cancer into a Randomized Controlled Trial of Health Promotion: Preliminary Experiences in the Survivor Health and Resilience Education (SHARE) Program

To report on the identification, recruitment, and enrollment of adolescent survivors of childhood cancer into an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) of health promotion. A total of 244 adolescents were contacted by mail and telephone to assess their trial eligibility. Data were collected with respect to each adolescent's demographics and trial recruitment efforts (frequency and intensity of telephone call contact); exclusion and randomization status were tracked throughout. Thirty-one percent of adolescents were ultimately randomized in the trial and 69% were excluded from randomization (13% were ineligible, 33% refused to participate, 22% were unreachable or nonresponsive, that is, did not respond to trial mailings or telephone calls, and less than 1% were withdrawn prior to randomization). Among all eligible adolescents, the trial's consent rate was 49%. Adolescents excluded owing to refusal resided the farthest away from the intervention site and experienced the least amount of telephone call contact time. The primary reasons for trial refusal were lack of interest in health promotion (28%) and lack of time to participate (23%). Health promotion RCTs among adolescent survivors of childhood cancer may help prevent and control the onset and severity cancer-treatment-related late effects. However, trial success may be contingent upon tracing nonresponsive adolescents and reducing and eliminating barriers to participation.

Assessment of the Training Needs of Kentucky Public Health Educators

A survey to identify the training needs of Kentucky public health educators was conducted during the spring of 2001. Questionnaire items assessed respondents' job title, years of experience in public health education, percentage of work time doing public health education, and educational background. Respondents were asked to rate their perceived level of mastery of 50 public health educator competencies and skills, desire for additional training in each of the competencies and skills, and preferred format for training. Surveys were mailed to 699 health department employees across the commonwealth. A total of 366 questionnaires were completed and returned. Results provide a descriptive profile of Kentucky public health educators and pinpoint competency deficiencies. Grant writing, budgeting, evaluation, managing controversy, and multicultural understanding were identified most frequently as competencies in which more training was needed. An overview of survey results and recommendations regarding the training of Kentucky public health educators is provided.