A Longitudinal Observational Study of Multimorbidity and Partner Support for Physical Activity Among People with Osteoarthritis.

Background: Physical activity can improve osteoarthritis-related symptoms; however, many people with osteoarthritis (PWOA) are insufficiently active. Social support for physical activity from an intimate partner can help PWOA increase activity, but managing multiple, chronic physical or mental health conditions (i.e.

The Role of Cohabitating Partner and Relationship Characteristics on Physical Activity among Individuals with Osteoarthritis.

Background: Most individuals with knee or hip osteoarthritis do not meet recommendations for physical activity. The Social Cognitive Theory suggests that the social environment (e.g.

Perceptions of Rural African American Adults About the Role of Family in Understanding and Addressing Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease.

Purpose: African Americans (AAs) in rural south and southeast regions of the United States have among the highest prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the country. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory study is to understand family influences on CVD-related knowledge and health-related behaviors among rural AA adults.

Design: Qualitative descriptive study design using a community-based participatory research approach.

Four Methods of Recruiting Couples Into a Longitudinal Study of Physical Activity in People With Osteoarthritis: Recruitment, Retention, and Lessons Learned.

Increases in physical activity can reduce joint pain among people with osteoarthritis (PWOA) who are insufficiently physically active. Because evidence suggests that social support from intimate partners may help PWOA become more active, researchers have been interested in recruiting couples to studies of physical activity interventions; however, little guidance exists describing efficient and effective strategies for engaging couples in research. We describe methods used to recruit couples and contrast methods in terms of the proportion of individuals enrolled, sample demographic composition, retention, and resources.

Family presence and participation during medical visits of heart failure patients: An analysis of survey and audiotaped communication data.

Objective: To describe the frequency, roles, and utility of family companion involvement in the care of patients with Heart Failure (HF) care and to examine the association between audiotaped patient, companion, and provider communication behaviors.

Methods: We collected survey data and audiotaped a single medical visit for 93 HF patients (36 brought a companion into the examination room) and their cardiology provider. Communication data was analyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System.

The Diabetic Health of African American Grandmothers Raising their Grandchildren.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the health of primary caregiving African American grandmothers with diabetes with African American women with diabetes who were not primary caregivers.

Design: Using a comparative, descriptive, cross-sectional design, 34 African American primary caregiving grandmothers were compared with 34 non-caregiving women with diabetes mellitus; women aged 55-75 years were recruited for this study throughout the central Arkansas.

Methods: To measure the overall health, data on blood pressure, body mass index measurements, HbA1c levels, total cholesterol, and urine protein and creatinine levels were collected from all the participants.

Adaptive Challenges Rising from the Life Context of African-American Caregiving Grandmothers with Diabetes: A Pilot Study.

To understand the challenges arising from the context within which diabetic African-American caregiving grandmothers self-manage their diabetes we used the Adaptive Leadership Framework. Additionally, challenges to retaining this population in a longitudinal study were examined. In this exploratory, longitudinal, qualitative pilot study, data were collected at five time-points over 18 months.

The effect of Teach One Reach One (TORO) on youth acceptance of couple violence.

This study evaluated the impact of the Teach One Reach One intervention, a community-based participatory research project designed to address the co-occurrence of adolescent risk behaviors on acceptance of teen dating violence. Data were derived from 331 rural African American youth between 10-14 years of age who participated in caregiver-youth dyads as either: 1) peer lay health advisor dyads, or Ambassadors, 2) caregiver-youth dyads recruited by Ambassadors, or Allies, or 3) comparison dyads. The following study focuses on participating youth only and our results indicated that: 1) Ambassadors and Allies reported less acceptance of couple violence than youth within the comparison group, and 2) less family cohesion, greater family conflict, and greater knowledge of healthy dating behaviors predicted greater acceptance of couple violence.

Adolescents and parental caregivers as lay health advisers in a community-based risk reduction intervention for youth: baseline data from Teach One, Reach One.

The purpose of the current study is to describe the demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial characteristics of adolescent and caregiver lay health advisers (LHAs) participating in an intervention designed to reduce risk behaviors among rural African-American adolescents. Teach One, Reach One integrates constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Cognitive Theory. It acknowledges that changing the sexual behaviors of African-American adolescents requires changing one's knowledge, attitudes, normative beliefs about the behavior of peers, and self-efficacy regarding adolescent sexual behavior, parent-teen communication about sex, and healthy dating relations among adolescents.

An experiential Cardiovascular Health Education Program for African American College Students.

Objective: To pilot test a culturally specific and developmentally appropriate curriculum for African-American college students that included self and family assessment to increase awareness of their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: Students were recruited from a historically Black university to participate in small group workshops focusing to increase their knowledge of their family history of CVD as well as reducing CVD risks. Focus groups were conducted to determine the effectiveness and ways to improve to the intervention.

The "invisible caregiver": multicaregiving among diabetic African-American grandmothers.

Purpose: To explore the multicaregiving roles African-American grandmothers assume while self-managing their diabetes.

Design & Methods: This longitudinal, qualitative pilot study explored the challenges of self-managing diabetes among six African-American caregiving grandmothers. Data were collected at 5 times points across 18 months.

Studying the clinical encounter with the Adaptive Leadership framework.

In this paper we discuss the concept of leadership as a personal capability, not contingent on one's position in a hierarchy. This type of leadership allows us to reframe both the care-giving and organizational roles of nurses and other front-line clinical staff. Little research has been done to explore what leadership means at the point of care, particularly in reference to the relationship between health care practitioners and patients and their family caregivers.

Examining the effectiveness of a case management program for custodial grandparent families.

Researchers have identified complex needs of custodial grandparent families and lack of access to needed resources such as housing, financial and legal assistance, and health care. Case management links these families with needed services while helping them develop skills to promote their health and well-being. This paper describes a case management program for custodial grandparent families using a nurse-social worker case management team.

"Give me some sugar!" the diabetes self-management activities of African-American primary caregiving grandmothers.

Purpose: To compare the diabetes self-management activities of African American primary caregiving grandmothers before and after the initiation of caregiving and to compare the diabetes self-management activities of African American primary caregiving grandmothers to diabetic women who were not caring for their grandchildren.

Design: Using a cross-sectional, descriptive design, 68 African American women 55 to 75 years of age were recruited as part of a larger study examining the impact of caregiving responsibilities on the diabetic health of African American primary caregiving grandmothers. Each participant was asked the frequency of their performance of six self-management activities.

An evaluation of standardized patients in improving clinical breast examinations for military women.

There is a need to improve the quality of clinical breast examination (CBE) and breast cancer screening for women. The purpose of this study was to determine whether instructions from a standardized patient to military healthcare providers would increase the quality of CBE and breast cancer screening for military women. The study used a 2-group pretest and posttest experimental design with random assignment by study site.