Self-assessment Research Articles

Unhealthy behaviours and mental health among Italian adolescents

Introduction A great number of studies describe reciprocal associations between unhealthy behaviours, such as poor sleep and nutrition and lack of physical activity, and mental health problems. Aims To investigate the relationship between unhealthy behaviours and depression, anxiety and well-being among Italian adolescents. Methods The sample comprised 1195 high-school pupils (mean age 15.3±0.6; 68% females) participating to the SEYLE (Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe) study, a randomized controlled trial, co-funded by the EU. Depression, anxiety and well-being were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory II, the Zung Self-Assessment Anxiety Scale and the WHO-5 index. Unhealthy behaviours, such as short or long sleep, physical inactivity, skipping breakfast and not eating fruit and vegetables were also investigated. Results Controlling for age and gender, the unhealthy behaviours, with the exception of not eating fruit and vegetables, were all associated with poor level of well-being ( P P P Conclusions Unhealthy behaviours are often established early in life and are likely to be maintained during adulthood implying negative consequences for both physical and psychological well-being. Early combined health and mental health promotion programme should be implemented in order to boost their effectiveness.

Self-assessment

Self-assessment

The Construct and Predictive Validity of a Self-Assessment Scale

Guided by the theory of interpretive validity argument, this study investigated the plausibility and accuracy of five sets of warrants which were deemed crucial to the validity of a self-assessment (SA) scale designed and used in a local EFL context. Methodologically, this study utilized both the Rasch measurement theory and structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the five warrants and their respective rebuttals. Results from Rasch analysis indicated that the scale could reliably distinguish students at different proficiency levels. Among the 26 can-do statements in the SA scale, only one statement failed to fit the expectations of the Rasch model. Furthermore, each category was found to function as intended, though the first category was somewhat underused. Confirmatory factor analysis of the SA data supported the tenability of the Higher-Order Factor model which is consistent with the current view of L2 ability. Structural regression analysis revealed that the association between students’ self-assessments and their scores on a standardized proficiency test was moderately strong. The multiple strands of evidence generated by various quantitative analyses of the SA data generally supported the validity of the SA scale. Future research, however, is warranted to examine other inferences in the validity argument structure, particularly in relation to the utility of the SA scale in English teaching and learning.

Abdominal Radiology: a new name for an evolutionary change

This first issue of Abdominal Radiology marks the continued evolution of the Journal to meet the professional needs of the Abdominal Radiologist. With this change in title from Abdominal Imaging, the inclusion and welcoming of interventional radiology manuscripts into the Journal is formalized. Many abdominal radiologists have had an active interventional practice for years, but without a central academic home for their education and publications. As the official journal of the Society of Abdominal Radiologists (SAR) that is inclusive of interventional radiologists, it is only fitting to expand the vision of the journal to include these important components of our practice. Readers should look for a growing presence of interventional articles in the future, and authors should consider sending us their interventional manuscripts for consideration. Beginning in 2016, Abdominal Radiology will become a monthly publication, secondary to your strong support of submitting many high quality manuscripts for consideration. Please continue to send us your best work. Original articles that advance the science and have wide readership appeal will continue to be encouraged and are the centerpiece of Journal activity. Special focus sections, review articles, classics in Radiology, and practice related articles will also continue. Continuing medical education (CME) credits with self assessment (SA) will be offered with each issue—allowing our readers to record credit for their educational effort and learning in support of maintenance of certification. We will strive to continue to earn the respect of our international readers as we have now affiliated with the Asian Society of Abdominal Radiology (ASAR) and the European Society of Gastrointestinal Radiology. We strive to increase international contributions and collaboration. A special thanks to the enormous volunteer efforts that makes this Journal possible. An army of associate editors, reviewers and editorial board members around the world are all working hard to find the best articles, and to ensure the scientific integrity of these publications. These individuals truly value learning, science, and selfless dedication to the cause of advancing patient care. I am indebted to all of them. I hope you will find professional satisfaction and assistance as you become regular monthly readers of this new Journal. I would welcome your input and suggestions as we continue to strive for ongoing improvements. Editor-in-Chief

Self-Assessment Quiz: Answers, Critiques, and References.

Self-Assessment Quiz: Answers, Critiques, and References.

The Effectiveness of Art Therapy in Reducing Internalizing and Externalizing Problems of Female Adolescents.

The internalizing and externalizing problems relating to childhood and adolescent have always been significant. Because there is special considerations in establishing communication with them and hence, the therapeutic methods for these problems must take into account these considerations. As establishing a therapeutic relationship is an important component of effective counseling, it seems that art therapy may help alleviate these problems. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of art therapy in reducing internalizing and externalizing problems of adolescent girls (14 - 18 years old). This is a semi-experimental study carried out in the form of a pre-test/post-test design with control group. The population of this study includes female students of Gole Laleh School of Art in district 3 of Tehran, Iran, out of which 30 students with internalizing problems and 30 individuals with externalizing problems were selected through targeted sampling. Students were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Experimental groups participated in 6 painting sessions designed based on Art therapy theories and previous studies. The material used for diagnosis of the problems in posttest and pretest was an Achenbach self-assessment form. Data were analyzed using a mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA). Our results showed that Art therapy significantly reduced internalizing problems (F = 17.61, P < 0.001); however, its effect in reducing externalizing problems was not significant (F = 3.93, P = 0.06). Art therapy as a practical therapeutic method can be used to improve internalizing problems. To reduce externalizing problems, more sessions may be needed. Thus, future studies are required to insure these findings.

Analysis of the relationship between the self-assessment and examination performance and test performance effect of test anxiety

Bu arastirma, kendini degerlendirme yontemini kullanarak oz yeterlik duzeyleri gozlemi yapmak ve sinav kaygisinin kendini degerlendirme performansi uzerine etkisini tespit etmek amaciyla yapilmistir. Bu arastirma, calgi egitiminde performansin degerlendirilmesi ile ogrencinin kendini degerlendirmesi arasindaki iliskiyi ve sinav kaygisinin sinav performansini yordama etkisini belirlemeyi amaclamaktadir. Calismanin arastirma grubunu 2014-2015 guz yariyilinda Muzik Ogretmenligi Bolumunde ogrenim goren keman ogrencileri olusturmustur. Veri toplama araci olarak sinav oncesi ve sinav sonrasi ogrenci performanslarinin degerlendirildigi arastirmaci tarafindan gelistirilen (2006) “Keman Dersi Performans Olcme Araci” ile Dalkiran, Sahin Baltaci, Karatas & Nacakci (2014) tarafindan gelistirilen “sinav kaygisi olcegi” kullanilmistir. Verilerin analizinde demografik ozellikler ile olcme formu ve kaygi olceginden alinan puanlar icin tanimlayici istatistik yontemlerinden; frekans, yuzde, aritmetik ortalama, standart sapma ve toplam puan kullanilmistir. Sinav oncesi ve sinav sonrasi performanslarin karsilastirilmasinda iliskili orneklemler icin t testi, ogrenciler ile ogretim elemaninin degerlendirme tutarliliginda basit korelasyon, sinav kaygisinin kendini degerlendirme performansini yordama iliskisi icin basit regresyon analizleri kullanilmistir. Analizler sonucunda ogrencilerin sinav oncesi ve sinav sonrasi kendini degerlendirme puanlarinin anlamli bir farklilik gosterdigi, ogrencilerin sinav oncesi ve sonrasi kendini degerlendirme notlari arasinda yuksek duzeyde, pozitif ve anlamli bir iliskinin oldugu (r = 0.798, p .050). Sonuc olarak sinav kaygisi, sinav oncesi kendini degerlendirme performansinin anlamli yordayicisi iken sinav sonrasi kendini degerlendirme performansinin anlamli yordayicisi olmadigi sonuclarina ulasilmistir.

Self-assessment

Self-assessment

Self-Assessment Quiz

Self-Assessment Quiz

P-224: Self-assessment of the quality of the management of high blood pressure in Tunisian diabetic

Objectifs Le diabete est un probleme majeur de sante publique. Sa prise en charge doit etre precoce, globale portant aussi bien sur le diabete que sur les facteurs de risque associees. L'association Diabete hypertension arterielle (HTA) est frequente, elle augmente le risque cardio-vasculaire et accelere la survenue de complications degeneratives. L'objectif de notre etude est d'evaluer la qualite du suivi des diabetiques hypertendus pris en charge en ambulatoire en se referant aux recommandations actuelles des societes savantes. Methodes Ce travail a comporte deux parties : une enquete observationnelle aupres de 200 patients tires au sort, repondant a une grille d'evaluation comportant 6 items, et une partie retrospective analysant les donnees fournies par les dossiers medicaux. Resultats Les patients etaient repartis en 21,5 diabetique type 1 et 78,5 % diabetique type 2. L'âge moyen des patients etait de 52,08 ans. L'etude a porte sur 82 hommes et 118 femmes avec un sexe ratio egal a 0,69. 34,9 des diabetiques de type 1 et 56,7 des diabetiques de type 2 etaient suivis pour une HTA. L'anciennete de l'HTA etait de 7,2 + /- 6,3 ans. La PAS moyenne chez tous les diabetiques vus ce jour a la consultation etait de 136 mmHg. La PAD moyenne de 78,3 +/- 10,1 mmHg. Parmi les patients qui ont beneficie d'une prise en charge de la PA, 65,5 % avaient une PAS Conclusion Ce travail souligne qu'outre une prescription medicale conforme aux recommandations, les regles hyigieno-dietetiques ainsi qu'une bonne organisation des soins sont a considerer dans la prise en charge des diabetiques tunisiens hypertendus.

Self-Assessment dalam Kegiatan Diskusi Problem-Based Learning Fakultas Kedokteran: Kajian Naratif

Background: Student peformance assessment during problem-based learning (PBL) discussion is still debatable. One of the assessments that applies adult learning principle is self-assessment (SA). In fact, many medical schools prefer to use tutor assessment than SA because it is considered less accurate. Many studies have reported that the accuracy of SA is poor because of their own lack of knowledge and SA skills. This literature review aims to explore deeper in SA and its basic principles in designing SA instrument for PBL discussion in medical school.Method: This study was conducted using narrative review method. Ten articles were reviewed. Five articles were chosen from google search engine and the other five from medical education textbooks.Results: SA is the ability of a student to observe, analyze and assess his own performance based on the criteria and he determines a way to fix it. SA skills that have been practiced during PBL discussions will equip the students to become future health professionals who are competent in determining their own continuous professional development (CPD) programs. When designing a SA instrument, one needs to explore these five main issues, including acceptance, accuracy, power, feasibility and context.Conclusion: SA is the most effective assessment to assess a student’s achievement in PBL discussion if implemented properly. The completion of SA should be made in the normal context and one must explore the five main issues constantly so that SA can be done properly and well.

Effects of home-based six-minute walk test on self-management in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention

Objective To explore the effects of home-based 6-minute walk test on self-management in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods Eighty-four patients who admitted for PCI in the past five years in Cardiovascular Medicine of Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University were recruited from the three major communities and were divided into intervention group and control group by random digits table method with 42 cases each. The intervention group had the home-based 6-minute walk test and monthly telephone follow-up while the control group was followed up by telephone and keep daily activities. Six months after the intervention,the changes of chronic disease self-management inventory were compared. Results There were significant differences the overall health self-assessment, fatigue,chest pain, time of aerobic exercise, the increase of self-efficacy between intervention group and control group[(0.62±1.28) points vs. (0.20±1.71) points, (-0.84±3.27) points vs. (0.36±2.71) points, (0.04±3.56) points vs. (0.34±3.56) points, (30.47±123.29) min/week vs. (6.62±84.82) min/week, (0.42±3.01) points vs. (-0.29±2.94) points], and there were significant differences,F=9.15, 7.42, 5.24, 3.91, 12.18,P 0.05). Conclusions Home-based 6-minute walk test can be a simple self-assessment tool used at home for patients after PCI. Key words: Six-minute walk test; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Self-management

Self-Assessment Quiz

Self-Assessment Quiz

The relationship between bone mineral density and cardiovascular risk factors in elderly women with metabolic syndrome

Objective To investigate the relationship between bone mineral density and cardiovascular risk factors in elderly women with metabolic syndrome. Methods We analyzed the clinical data of 168 female with metabolic syndrome aged 71-91 years. All the participants were divided into 3 groups: osteoporosis group (MO group, n=68), osteopenia group (ML group, n=70), normal mineral density group (MN group, n=30). Blood pressure, blood glucose, serum lipid and bone metabolism-related biochemical indicators were determined. The bone mineral density of lumbar spine and hip joint were detected by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results The height, weight, body mass index (BMI), Osteoporosis self-assessment tool for Asians(OSTA) index, pulse pressure, fasting blood glucose (FBG), uric acid (UA), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), N-MID osteocalcin (N-MIDOs), serum beta-collagen degradation (β-CROSS), total N-terminal pro-peptide of type Ⅰcollagen (T-PⅠNP) had significantly statistical differences among MO, ML and MN groups (all P<0.05). Compared with MN group, the pulse pressure, FPG, HbA1c, LDL-C, N-MIDOs, β-CROSS, and T-PⅠNP were significantly increased (all P<0.05), and weight, BMI, and TC were significantly decreased (all P<0.05) in ML group. The pulse pressure, FPG, TG, LDL-C, N-MIDOs, β-CROSS, and T-PⅠNP were higher in MO group than in ML group (all P<0.05), while the weight and UA were lower in MO group than in ML group (both P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that bone mineral density of lumber spine was positively correlated with UA, weight and BMI(r=0.45, 0.40, 0.42, respectively, all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with pulse pressure, FPG, HbA1c, LDL-C, N-MIDOs, β-CROSS, and T-PⅠNP (r=-0.19, -0.25, -0.25, -0.39, -0.22, -0.25, -0.27, respectively, all P<0.05). The bone mineral density of hip joint had a positive correlation with UA, weight, BMI, and TG (r=0.35, 0.35, 0.34, 0.15, respectively, all P<0.05), while had a negative correlation with pulse pressure, FPG, HbA1c, LDL-C, N-MIDOs, β-CROSS, and T-PⅠNP (r=-0.28, -0.19, -0.23, -0.29, -0.28, -0.22, -0.29, respectively, all P<0.05). Conclusions The bone mineral density in elderly women with metabolic syndrome is closely correlated with BMI, blood pressure, blood glucose, and serum lipid. The reasonable control of cardiovascular risk factors is in favor of the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Key words: Metabolic syndrome X; Risk factor; Bone density

Self-Assessment Quiz

Self-Assessment Quiz

A Surveys on clinical interns' mastery and understanding status of medical core systems

Objective To investigate clinical interns' mastery and understanding status of medical core systems in order to provide reference for formulating training programs. Methods The questionnaires including medical core systems trained and self-assessment and test paper were de-signed. Then survey was carried out among 188 clinical interns of Grade 2009 of Zunyi Medical College at the end of training. All data were obtained, collected and analyzed with Excel and a SPSS 17.0.The result was described with percentage. Results ①78/41.34% and 117/62.33% clinical interns accepted training of medical core systems respectively before or during clinic training. 74/39.43% hos-pitals or 70/37.30% departments were systematically trained by medical core systems and the propor-tion of teachers who systematically or non-systematically explained medical core systems for clinical interns was 42/22.29% and 61/32.37% respectively. ②The clinical interns who mastered first diagnosis responsibility systems, patient communication system, and systems of discussing difficult cases were 178/94.68%, 178/90.43% or 168/89.36%. The clinical interns who mastered rescue systems in critically ill patients, surgical classification management systems and audit system in clinical blood transfusion were 84/44.68%, 67/35.64% or 34/18.28% respectively. ③8/6.90% interns fully grasped the core system of the medical situation. 165/87.71% and 165/83.43% clinical interns believed medical core systems should be mastered and 157 interns (83.43%) thought that mastering medical core system can help them better adapt to clinical medical work. Conclusion Systematic training of medical core system should be enhanced for clinical interns and mastering medical core systems is better for their future. Key words: Clinical medicine internship; Interns; Medical core systems; Systematic training

Influence of nursing self-adjustment theory plan on chemotherapy compliance in patients with gynecologic cancer

Objective To explore the influence of the nursing plan of self-adjustment on chemotherapy compliance in patients with gynecologic cancer. Methods A total of 82 patients with gynecologic cancer, who accepted chemotherapy from January 2011 to June 2014, were divided into observation group (nursing interventions design based on self-adjustment theory) and control group (routine nursing). Results Before interventions, the scores of SCL-90 had no statistical significance between two groups (P>0.05). After interventions, the each chemotherapy compliance level and self assessment of chemotherapy compliance in the observation group were better than those of the control group (P<0.05). After interventions, the anxiety and depression scores of observation group were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions The utilization of nursing self-adjustment theory plan benefits the formulation of nurse-patient participation treatment model, enhances the medical compliance and chemotherapy compliance in patients with gynecologic cancer and the patients′ treatment confidence, and relieves the negative emotion and psychological problems. Key words: Gynecologic cancer; Chemotherapy; Compliance; Self-adjustment; Negative emotion

Self-assessment

Self-assessment

Present situation and influencing factors of discrimination against hepatitis B patients and carriers among rural adults in three eastern provinces in China

To analyze the present situation and influencing factors of discrimination against hepatitis B patients and carriers among rural adults in three eastern provinces in China. By using the method of probability proportionate to size (PPS), we involved a sample of 9 269 rural adults aged above 18 years old from 22 villages of 7 counties in Beijing, Hebei, Shandong in 2011 and 2012. We used a self-designed interview questionnaire with questions about the individual and household characteristics, attitudes toward hepatitis B patients and carriers, individual HBV vaccination history, etc. We analyzed the hepatitis B discrimination score and its distribution, and we also created a multinomial logistic regression model to analyze the influencing factors of discrimination. Of all the participants, 51.15% (4 741) were afraid of being infected with HBV when getting on with hepatitis B patients or carriers; 51.29% (4 754), 61.14% (5 667) and 52.22% (4 841) of them were not willing to accept gifts from hepatitis B patients or carriers, have dinner with them, or hug and shake hands with them, respectively; 73.92% (6 852) were unwilling to their children's playing with kids whose parents were hepatitis B patients or carriers, and 86.68% (8 034) were unwilling to their children's marrying hepatitis B patients or carriers. Of all the participants, only 0.88% (82) were totally discrimination-free (discrimination score = 0); mild or without discrimination (< 0 discrimination score ≤ 5) accounted for 23.70% (2 197/9 269); severe discrimination (discrimination score ≥ 6) accounted for 76.30% (7 072). The multiple multinomial logistic regression showed that migratory workers, other occupations like technician, civil servants and village doctors were less likely to show severe HBV-related discrimination compared with farmers, with OR (95% CI) 0.86 (0.75-0.98), 0.77 (0.67-0.87), 0.57 (0.41-0.79), respectively. Compared with the lowest income group (< 10 000 RMB/year per person), and the highest income group (> 40 000 RMB/year per person) had an OR (95% CI) of 0.57 (0.46-0.70). People with higher education tended to show less severe discrimination. The high education group had an OR (95% CI) of 0.64 (0.51-0.80) based on the low education group. And compared with people whose self-assessment of health status was very good, those who assessed their health status as very poor showed less severe discrimination, with an OR (95% CI) of 0.41 (0.25-0.67). The situation of discrimination against hepatitis B patients and carriers among rural adults in three eastern provinces was serious. It is of great urgency to eliminate the discrimination. Work on eliminating hepatitis B discrimination should focus on farmers, people with low incomes, and people with low educational level.

Current status and influencing factors of sub-health among nurses in class A grade three general hospitals in Changchun

Objective To probe into the current status and influencing factors of sub-health among nurses in class A grade three hospitals in Changchun, and explore the strategies and corresponding measures for preventing nurses′ sub-health. Methods A total of 500 nurses were chosen from June to August 2014 by cluster methods and investigated their basic information and status of sub-health in 4 class A grade three hospitals in Changchun. Results Ultimate 416 people completed questionnaires. A total 74.6% of 416 investigators had sub-health, and the highest self assessment score for nurses was social sub-health (28.35±4.55), the lowest one physiology sub-health (25.57±5.16). The times of excise each week and the amount of water in-taking each day were important protective factors from sub-health, but the length of working experience as nurse, occupational title, life stress, family stress, degree of tense relationship with colleagues and work overtime were risk factors. Conclusions Nursing staffs maintain a high level of sub-health in Changchun class A grade three hospitals, which indicates the status of nursing staffs is pessimistic for their healthy status. Hospital administrators should make corresponding measures to prevent the sub-health of nursing staffs. Key words: Nurses; Hospital, public; Sub-health; Influencing factors