Culture, but more than culture: an exploratory study of the HIV vulnerability of Indian immigrants in Canada.

Explanations of immigrant health that ascribe to culture a fundamental causal role neglect the broader structural and contextual factors with which culture intersects. Based on a qualitative study of Indian immigrants' vulnerability to HIV in Canada, this paper presents a contextualised understanding of these individuals' understanding of, perceptions about, and responses to the HIV risk in their post-immigration lives. The study reveals that although culture - both traditional values and the norms of the diaspora community - appears to have constrained Indian immigrants' capacities to respond to the risk, this effect can be properly understood only by situating such constraint in the context of the settlement process that has shaped participants' living conditions, including their relationship with the diasporic community in Canada.

The experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS and of their direct informal caregivers in a resource-poor setting.

Background: HIV/AIDS is a critical concern in South Africa, where extreme poverty and gender issues are major determinants of health. A comprehensive home-based care programme is needed to lessen the burden placed on the caregivers of those suffering from HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the challenges faced by people who are living with HIV/AIDS and by their caregivers in resource-poor, remote South African villages.

Evaluation of a cultural competence educational programme.

Aim: This paper reports a study, which evaluated the effectiveness of a cultural competence educational programme to increase Public Health Nurses' cultural knowledge.

Background: Cultural competence has great significance for practising nurses and has become a priority and commitment of the Nursing profession. Public Health Nurses interact regularly with clients from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds.

Community-based HIV education and prevention workers respond to a changing environment.

The purpose of this study was to understand the culture, values, skills and activities of staff involved in education and prevention activities in community-based AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) in Ontario, Canada, and to understand the role of evaluation research in their prevention programming. In this qualitative study, 33 staff members from 11 ASOs participated in semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using the grounded theory approach. ASO staff experience tension between a historical grassroots organizational culture characterized by responsiveness and relevance and a more recent culture of professionalization.

Medical and nursing students' knowledge and attitudes toward violence against women in India.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge and attitudes towards violence against women among fourth (final) year baccalaureate nursing students and fifth (final) year medical students from two distinct educational institutions in India.

Methods: Data were collected from 440 students using two questionnaires: the Student Exposure to Woman Abuse Questionnaire (SEWAQ), and the Inventory of Beliefs about Wife Beating (IBWB). Results were analysed based on gender, profession, and educational institution.

The KwaZulu-Natal health promotion model.

Purpose: To describe a health promotion model aimed at assisting primary health care nurses to incorporate health promotion into their practice. ORGANIZING STRUCTURE: The model is based on empowering people through a systematic, planned, needs-driven curriculum with comprehensive content, using interactive teaching in small groups, and linking the groups with external resources. The process involves identifying and engaging partners, planning the project, implementing it, and then disengaging.

Effects of cultural sensitivity training on health care provider attitudes and patient outcomes.

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of cultural sensitivity training on the knowledge and attitudes of health care providers, and to assess the satisfaction and health outcomes of patients from different minority groups with health care providers who received training.

Design: In this randomised controlled trial, 114 health care providers (nurses and homecare workers) and 133 patients (from two community agencies and one hospital) were randomly assigned to experimental (training) and control groups, and were followed for 18 months.

Methods: Providers completed the Cultural Awareness Questionnaire and the Dogmatism Scale.

An exploration of socioeconomic, spiritual, and family support among HIV-positive women in India.

Through in-depth, tape-recorded interviews, this qualitative pilot study explored the feelings and concerns of 10 HIV-positive women, aged 18 to 70 years, and the socioeconomic, spiritual, and family support available to them in Kolkata, India. A qualitative approach of continuous comparative analysis of themes revealed that although heterosexual contact was the main source of infection, poverty and sexual violence were indirect social factors. These women experienced markedly less socioeconomic, spiritual, and family support after contracting the disease.

Community-based, culturally sensitive HIV/AIDS education for Aboriginal adolescents: implications for nursing practice.

Research is an essential component of effective, evidence-based nursing practice. Limited scientific data have been published on Canadian Aboriginals, and even less information is available on HIV prevention efforts aimed at Aboriginal youth. The need for more research on HIV and AIDS among Aboriginals, and especially Aboriginal youth, is highlighted throughout the article as a means to improving prevention interventions for this vulnerable population.

Effective/efficient mental health programs for school-age children: a synthesis of reviews.

The prevalence of mental health problems, some of which seem to be occurring among younger cohorts, leads researchers and policy-makers to search for practical solutions to reduce the burden of suffering on children and their families, and the costs to society both immediate and long term. Numerous programs are in place to reduce or alleviate problem behaviour or disorders and/or assist positive youth development. Evaluated results are dispersed throughout the literature.

Comparison of Self- and Faculty-Directed Learning of Psychomotor Skills.

This randomized controlled trial compared the effectiveness of self-directed learning (SDL) and faculty directed, demonstration-return-demonstration learning (DRD) for psychomotor clinical nursing skills and level of knowledge of second year baccalaureate nursing students. The self-directed learning approach of a university was compared to a community college's approach of tutor demonstration-student return demonstration for students from the University. Data were collected using questionnaires measuring academic outcomes after the students were exposed to the different learning approaches.