Older African American women's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors about breast cancer.

Breast cancer poses a greater risk for African American than Caucasian women due to persistent health disparities. To reduce mortality risk, culturally specific knowledge is needed to support and encourage regular breast cancer screening and risk-reduction behaviors in older African American women. The specific aims of this study were to identify social, cultural, and behavioral factors associated with regular participation in breast cancer screening and risk-reduction behaviors; examine health beliefs that may influence regular participation in breast cancer screening and risk-reduction behaviors; and identify perceived facilitators and barriers to regular breast cancer screening and risk-reduction behaviors.

African Americans with cancer: the relationships among self-esteem, locus of control, and health perception.

The purpose of this study was to describe and examine the relationships among self-esteem, locus of control, and perceived health status in African Americans with cancer and to identify predictors of perceived health status. A convenience sample of 95 oncology outpatients at two large medical facilities completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and the Cantril Ladder, a measurement of perceived health. In an audiotaped interview two open-ended questions were used to clarify participants' Cantril Ladder scores.

Community assessment: a church community and the parish nurse.

In central Massachusetts a large urban parish asked the University of Massachusetts, Amherst School of Nursing to conduct a community assessment for the church and newly employed parish nurse. The aims of the assessment were: to determine the health status of parishioners, identify their perceived health needs and perceived barriers in meeting those needs, and to assist the church and parish nurse in developing a health program for their faith community. Findings of the assessment are based on questionnaire and focus group data.

Arrhythmias and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

We report two patients with severe Guillain-Barre syndrome who had serious cardiac arrhythmias. One patient died of asystolic cardiac arrest; the other patient survived with conservative management. The association between the syndrome and arrhythmias, and the difficulties in the management of the latter, are reviewed.