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W A Reh,
E A Maga,
N M B Collette, A Moyer,
J S Conrad-Brink,
S J Taylor,
E J DePeters,
S Oppenheim,
J D Rowe,
R H BonDurant,
G B Anderson,
J D Murray
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ABSTRACT: Stearoyl-CoA desaturase enzyme converts specific medium- and long-chain saturated fatty acids to their monounsaturated form. Transgenic goats expressing a bovine beta-lactoglobulin promoter-rat stearoyl-CoA desaturase cDNA construct in mammary gland epithelial cells were produced by pronuclear microinjection. The fatty acid composition of milk from 4 female transgenic founders was analyzed on d 7, 14, and 30 of their first lactation. In 2 animals, the expression of the transgene changed the overall fatty acid composition of the resulting milk fat to a less saturated and more monounsaturated fatty acid profile at d 7 of lactation; however, this effect diminished by d 30. In addition, one animal had an increased proportion of the rumen-derived monounsaturated fatty acid C18:1 trans11 converted by stearoyl-CoA desaturase to the conjugated linoleic acid isomer C18:2 cis9 trans11. Milk that has higher proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid may have benefits for human cardiovascular health.
Journal of Dairy Science 11/2004; 87(10):3510-4. · 2.56 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: One of the important implications of a population health perspective in public health is an increase in the need for transdisciplinary ways of working. The Community Health Research Unit (CHRU) is presented as an example of an environment where psychology and psychologists work with other disciplines to conduct applied research in population health. Research activities were examined to identify how the disciplines collaborate and to provide evidence of successful interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches which incorporate health psychology. The strengths and challenges of multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary approaches were examined through a poll of CHRU members. Further, members' views about the contributions of psychology to their work were gathered. Issues of working with different disciplines in a transdisciplinary approach are highlighted and future directions are suggested.
Journal of Health Psychology 03/2000; 5(2):173-81. · 1.22 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: As the focus of health promotion moves from individuals to organizations, communities and broader social policy, the models that guide public health program planning and development need reexamination. Public health nurses are gaining experience in strengthening and supporting the ability of communities to grow and change. This study aimed to illuminate the process. Data, gathered as part of an action research project to develop individual and community-based strategies to decrease isolation in frail older adults, provided a rich source of qualitative data. Analysis was directed toward identifying the factors and processes of capacity-building. The emerging model was clarified and partially validated with academics and practitioners from health promotion programs across the age span. Four stages of building collective capacity were identified: identifying common ground, working cooperatively, working in partnership, and working across the community. At each stage, processes of relationship building, project management and capacity-building resulted in stage specific products. A model of building collective capacity, grounded in community health practice and supported by the literature provides a base for developing practice indicators, and practice guidelines which will strengthen the ability to reach health goals.
Public Health Nursing 07/1999; 16(3):205-14. · 0.72 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We conducted a study to elucidate factors influencing women's decisions regarding prenatal genetic screening for and diagnosis of chromosomal disorders and to learn about their experiences with these tests and with the medical system. Using focus group interviews and questionnaire assessments, we obtained detailed impressions of a diverse group of 75 pregnant women. Participants varied with respect to race/ethnicity, religious background, and reproductive history, as well as in their decisions about use of prenatal screening and diagnostic testing. Substantial variation surfaced in attitudes toward testing. Factors influencing women's views included available resources, feelings about having a child with Down syndrome, moral beliefs, family and social influences, perceptions of one's own health, the difficulty of becoming pregnant, and willingness to put the fetus at elevated miscarriage risk. Such findings indicate that age-based policies regarding access to prenatal diagnoses that, among other reasons, are based on the balance of risks between bearing a child with a chromosomal abnormality versus procedure-related loss are incompatible with the range of concerns that women bring to this decision and the weight individual women may assign to the outcomes.
Journal of Women s Health & Gender-Based Medicine 06/1999; 8(4):521-31.
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ABSTRACT: This investigation sought to understand previous well-cited and worrisome findings that women treated for breast cancer with breast-conserving surgery compared to mastectomy experience less social support and more mood disturbance, and that social support from significant others erodes over time. Ninety-three women with breast cancer and a subset of their partners completed assessments at the time of surgical treatment and at 3 and 13 months post-treatment. Contrary to the previous findings, type of surgical treatment was not related to perceptions of social support or psychological functioning. Perceptions of social support and psychological distress decreased over time, and the discrepancy between recipients' and providers' judgments of available support increased over time. Low levels of physical functioning led to relative increases in social support, whereas high levels of psychological distress led to relative decreases in social support. Social support as rated by patients (but not their partners) was a significant predictor of changes in psychological distress.
Journal of Health Psychology 03/1999; 4(2):177-91. · 1.22 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: An ageing population has implications for community-based health promotion and disease prevention. There is concern about older people who do not fit into existing programmes and services yet need minimal support to maintain independence. A study was designed to develop approaches to gain access to this hard to reach population, assess needs and design and test interventions to integrate them into the community. The study, informed by theories of health promotion and social support, used action research methods. Participant observation documented in field notes, together with case notes and clinical assessments, provided a rich source of qualitative and quantitative data. This article discusses the needs assessment. Over a 3-year period, public health nurses linked with community groups in a predominantly francophone, urban community to identify the target group. Key characteristics of the target group included limitations with instrumental activities of daily living and low levels of social support combined with stressful life situations that challenged adaptation. Three patterns of inadequate support were identified.
Journal of Clinical Nursing 02/1999; 8(1):103-11. · 1.12 Impact Factor
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Journal of Nursing Education 03/1998; 37(3):139-41. · 0.86 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: An evaluation of a midwife-operated community birthing center was conducted to identify whether it would be safe, cost-effective, and psychologically and socially satisfying for Inuit women in one community in the Northwest Territories. Two nurse-midwives provided antenatal and postnatal care to all pregnant women and delivered those designated as 'low risk' for complications. Another community similar in size but with no community birthing was used for comparison of the three indices. Data were gathered on reproductive histories and pregnancy risk profiles of all women giving birth in a one-year period. The financial costs were calculated for those women transferred out to hospital for delivery and compared with those who stayed in the community. Pregnant women and their partners in both communities, health staff, and community members were interviewed for their feelings and concerns about the birthing services. Preliminary findings suggest that with experienced midwives community births are safe. A minimum of 25 births is required in the community for this project to be cost effective. The women who had their infants in the community expressed satisfaction for a number of reasons.
International journal of circumpolar health 02/1998; 57 Suppl 1:116-20. · 1.06 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Women in the early stages of breast cancer can be treated effectively with either modified radical mastectomy or tumor excision plus postoperative radiation therapy. Thus, breast cancer patients may be given a choice between these two modes of treatment. In some states, physician disclosure of such treatment alternatives for breast cancer is mandated by law. Despite the belief that patient participation in decision making is beneficial, the evidence is preliminary, although generally supportive. This study examined the extent to which patient participation in the choice of surgical options was related to psychological functioning, fear of cancer recurrence, and aspects of treatment satisfaction 3 and 13 months postoperatively. Few associations with degree of participation in treatment decision making or type of surgical treatment emerged after 3 months. After 13 months, however, women with greater levels of input into their treatment plan were more satisfied with their medical care, although they were not better off in terms of psychological functioning or fear of cancer recurrence. The positive effects of shared treatment decision making may be more closely related to aspects of longer term treatment satisfaction rather than a buffer against psychological distress resulting from breast cancer.
Women's health (Hillsdale, N.J.) 02/1998; 4(2):103-16.
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ABSTRACT: Denial represents an important area of study in individuals with cancer. It may be related to recognizing symptoms, seeking medical help, psychological adjustment to diagnosis and illness, and perhaps progression of the disease. However, denial has been defined theoretically and measured in a variety of ways. These differences are due to a lack of consensus as to whether denial is unconscious versus conscious, a trait versus a state, an indication of psychological disturbance versus a normal response to a life-threatening disease, or a broad versus a narrow concept. In addition, there is a lack of congruence between theoretical definitions and the operational definitions used in empirical studies investigating denial in the context of cancer. This inconsistency may be responsible for the mixed findings concerning the importance and function of denial in individuals with cancer. In this article, the ways in which denial has been conceptualized and operationalized are examined, and an overview of the research examining denial in cancer patients is provided. We recommend that future studies provide explicit definitions of denial, use multiple measures assessing different modalities and outcomes, measure denial at several times over the course of illness, and take into account aspects of the individual's situation to ensure that denial is not identified erroneously.
Annals of Behavioral Medicine 02/1998; 20(3):149-60. · 4.20 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Patients diagnosed with cancer are frequently prescribed radiation therapy. The treatment is a source of much anxiety and worry for patients and their families. Support, a highly valued intervention strategy in nursing, is believed to assist patients to adjust to stressful experiences. A qualitative study was conducted to determine patients' experiences of support while receiving radiotherapy. Data from 12 patients were analysed using the procedures and techniques of grounded theory. A substantive theory of support emerged which showed that support is an interpersonal process embedded in an array of social exchanges which involves encountering support, recognising support and feeling supported. Three main types of support are encountered: being there, giving help and giving information. It is a multifaceted concept and all types of support are seen as important. Actions are interpreted within the norms and expectations of a relationship and labelled as supportive by the recipient. Family and friends are the principal sources of all types of support. Professional support is mainly informational. The findings raise many questions, one of which is should there be a rethinking of the concept of support in nursing?
Journal of Advanced Nursing 09/1997; 26(2):371-9. · 1.48 Impact Factor
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A Moyer
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ABSTRACT: Effective breast-conserving surgical techniques for early-stage disease were developed to improve breast cancer patients' quality of life. The literature comparing the psychosocial sequelae of these newer treatments with mastectomy is ambiguous and shows an unexpected lack of substantial benefits. To clarify these inconsistencies, meta-analytic methods were used to summarize the findings of 40 investigations. Mean weighted effect sizes were calculated for 6 psychosocial outcomes. Modest advantages for breast-conserving surgery were identified for psychological, marital-sexual, and social adjustment; body/self-image; and cancer-related fears and concerns. Method of assignment to treatment and timing of assessment were relevant for some outcomes.
Health Psychology 06/1997; 16(3):284-98. · 3.87 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This experiment compared the effectiveness of gain-versus loss-framed messages to persuade women to obtain mammography screening. One hundred and thirty-three women 40 years and older and not adhering to current guidelines for obtaining mammography screening were assigned randomly to view either gain-framed (emphasizing the benefits of obtaining mammography) or loss-framed (emphasizing the risks of not obtaining mammography) persuasive videos that were factually equivalent. Attitudes and beliefs were measured before and immediately following the intervention. Mammography utilization was assessed 6 and 12 months later. Consistent with predictions based on prospect theory, women who viewed the loss-framed message were more likely to have obtained a mammogram within 12 months of the intervention. These findings suggest that loss-framed messages may have an advantage in the promotion of detection behaviors such as mammography.
Health Psychology 04/1995; 14(2):178-84. · 3.87 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cephalic phase secretions are associated with the sight, smell, and taste of food, as opposed to its postingestional consequences. These secretions are thought to influence metabolism and eating behavior. Cephalic phase insulin release (CPIR), in particular, might be related to hunger and overeating. It was hypothesized that bulimics, who often show endocrine abnormalities, may have an altered CPIR that, in turn, might be related to the precipitation and maintenance of binges. This study investigated whether (1) the profile or magnitude of the CPIR in bulimics differs from that of non-eating disordered controls, (2) food ingestion alters subsequent CPIR, and (3) mood and desire to binge are related to CPIR. Findings indicated little abnormality in bulimics' profile of insulin secretion. Although biological variables were not related to hunger or desire to binge, for bulimics, dysphoric moods were. The results may suggest more complex determinants of binge eating than physiological state alone.
International Journal of Eating Disorders 12/1993; 14(3):331-9. · 2.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Numerous studies have linked stress and negative states to adverse health outcomes. However, in addition to engendering negative states, stress may impair capacities to experience positive states. Such failure to experience positive states may represent a risk factor for poor health in and of itself. The research reported here examines a brief, easily repeated measure of positive states of mind (PSOM) including: focused attention, productivity, responsible caretaking, restful repose, sharing, sensuous nonsexual pleasure, and sensuous sexual pleasure.
The PSOM Scale and measures of psychological distress, stress, and physical symptoms were administered in four independent samples: two samples of college students and two samples of pregnant women, one undergoing a potentially stressful medical procedure (amniocentesis). The relationship between PSOM scores and several conceptually related, but distinct, psychological variables was examined, controlling for the effect of social desirability where necessary.
The range of scores on the items of the PSOM indicated that impairments of ability to have the relevant experiences did occur in the subjects who were experiencing stress. The overall PSOM Scale score consistently showed an inverse relationship with anxiety and with indicators of stress. In addition, lower scores on the PSOM Scale were associated with more somatic symptomatology.
The results provide evidence that positive states of mind are linked to negative psychological states and are responsive to stressful events. The PSOM scale provides a useful, brief measure for research in stress and health.
Psychosomatic Medicine 60(1):26-32. · 3.97 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Program planning and evaluation are critical steps in using a population health approach. This paper outlines how logic models have been adapted within a health promotion framework to guide public health programs and facilitate program description. It is important that we take the time to describe clearly what we are doing, reflect on practice and elaborate the conceptual base for the new public health programs so that we can evaluate the impact of our work. Ongoing research is required to identify appropriate and measurable indicators that capture the process, as well as the outcome, of population-based health promotion.
Canadian journal of public health. Revue canadienne de santé publique 88(2):95-8. · 1.02 Impact Factor
