Comparison of Health-Promoting Behaviors of Nursing Students From Different Racial/Ethnic Groups.

Background: Despite the known benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in preventing many health-related issues, few nursing students practice health-promoting behaviors (HPB).

Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study included 866 undergraduate nursing students who were members of the National Student Nurses' Association.

Results: The difference in mean Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II scores between White people and Asian Americans was statistically significant (F [4, 861]) = 2.

African American women's perceptions of the meaning of support groups for improving adherence to hypertension treatment: a conceptual model.

Aim: To investigate the meaning of support groups and the features of these groups that African American (AA) women view as improving adherence to high blood pressure (HBP) treatment. The study generated a conceptual model to illuminate features of these groups that influence adherence of AA women to HBP treatment.

Design: Qualitative research.

The Facilitators of and Barriers to Adherence to Hypertension Treatment Scale.

Background: Lack of adherence to recommended regimens is a major cause of uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) among African/Black American (AA) women. The national initiative to increase BP control among AAs by 50% makes clear the need for culturally appropriate instruments to assess facilitators of adherence to treatment of hypertension (high BP [HBP]).

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a culturally sensitive measure of facilitators of and barriers to adherence to hypertension treatment regimens for AA women.

Differential item functioning by survey language among older Hispanics enrolled in Medicare managed care: a new method for anchor item selection.

Objective: To propose a permutation-based approach of anchor item detection and evaluate differential item functioning (DIF) related to language of administration (English vs. Spanish) for 9 questions assessing patients' perceptions of their providers from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Medicare 2.0 survey.

Readability estimates for commonly used health-related quality of life surveys.

Purpose: To estimate readability of seven commonly used health-related quality of life instruments: SF-36, HUI, EQ-5D, QWB-SA, HALex, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), and the NEI-VFQ-25.

Methods: The Flesch-Kincaid (F-K) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulae were used to estimate readability for every item in each measure.

Results: The percentage of items that require more than 5 years of formal schooling according to F-K was 50 for the EQ-5D, 53 for the SF-36, 80 for the VFQ-25, 85 for the QWB-SA, 100 for the HUI, HALex, and the MLHFQ.

Reports and ratings of care: black and white Medicare enrollees.

Purpose: This study compared African American/Black and White Medicare enrollees' perceptions of care.

Design And Methods: Analyses of the 2002 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) 3.0 survey of 101,189 (White) and 8,791 (Black) Medicare enrollees (82% response rate) randomly sampled from 321 health plans, with data collected via mail (84%) and telephone (16%).

Adherence treatment factors in hypertensive African American women.

Background: Hypertension among African American women is of epidemic proportions. Nonadherence to treatment contributes to uncontrolled blood pressure in this population. Factors associated with adherence to treatment in African American women are unknown.

Language and regional differences in evaluations of Medicare managed care by Hispanics.

Objectives: This study uses the Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS((R))) survey to examine the experiences of Hispanics enrolled in Medicare managed care. Evaluations of care are examined in relationship to primary language (English or Spanish) and region of the country.

Data Sources: CAHPS 3.

Quality indicator themes among African Americans, Latinos, and Whites.

Elimination of racial/ethnic disparities requires cross-cultural knowledge about quality of care among vulnerable populations. This study used 3 existing data sets to identify quality indicator themes relating to healthcare concerns of African Americans, Latinos, and whites. Using a quality-of-care framework to organize and compare the themes across racial/ethnic groups, we found several unique and 9 common themes.

Community-based approaches to strengthen cultural competency in nursing education and practice.

This article explores existing informal as well as formal approaches that address health disparities in the communities where they occur, enhancing the opportunity to strengthen the cultural competency of providers, students, and faculty. A particular focus centers on the community-based participatory research approaches that involve community members, providing opportunities to develop mutually respectful, trusting relationships through co-teaching and co-learning experiences. With community-based participatory research approaches to community involvement in place, the stage is set for partnerships between communities and schools of nursing to collaboratively design, implement, and integrate informal and formal cultural competence components in nursing curricula.

Psychometric characteristics of a patient satisfaction instrument tailored to the concerns of African Americans.

The national initiative to eliminate health disparities by 2010 makes clear the need for culturally appropriate patient-reported outcome measures. The objective of the study was to refine and augment an existing comprehensive patient satisfaction instrument, the Group Health Association of America (GHAA) survey, to capture the health care concerns of African Americans from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Modifications of GHAA items included splitting, rewording, substituting, and adding items.

Comparison of data quality for reports and ratings of ambulatory care by African American and White Medicare managed care enrollees.

Objective: Compare missing data and reliability of health care evaluations between African Americans and Whites in Medicare managed care health plans.

Method: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) 3.0 health plan survey data collected from 109,980 Medicare managed care enrollees (101,189 Whites, 8,791 African Americans) in 321 plans.

Adherence to treatment factors in hypertensive African American women.

Hypertension (HTN) is a major public health problem in African American women. The disproportionate rate of HTN in African American women makes it a high-priority national health objective. Lack of access to a regular continuous source of care may be particularly significant among African American women because such a source of care is a prerequisite to early diagnosis and successful treatment.

The effectiveness of an advance notice letter on the recruitment of African Americans and Whites for a mailed patient satisfaction survey.

Objective: Evaluate an advance notice letter for enhancing patient satisfaction survey response rates in African Americans and Whites.

Methods: Randomized trial of an advance notice letter (versus no letter) mailed two weeks prior to a mail satisfaction survey in a random sample of 600 African American and White patients ages 50 and older, stratified by ethnicity, sex, and age.

Results: The advance letter was independently associated with a completed survey in Whites (odds ratio = 2.

International health care perspectives: the Cameroon example.

The purpose of this article is to describe the health care system in the West African country of Cameroon and to make recommendations for quality improvement. The Cameroon health care system, used here as an example of the type of system often encountered in developing countries, is described in terms of factors influencing its operation with subsequent health outcomes. International assistance and collaboration with developed countries to improve the Cameroon health care system and health status of the Cameroon people are recommended.

Overview of themes identified from African American discourse on quality of care.

The article reports on an exploratory descriptive study conducted to establish quality-of-care dimensions from African Americans' perspective, using a combined focus group interview and modified Delphi process. Descriptors of quality, which were identified using participants' vocabulary and thinking patterns, were used to establish quality-of-care dimensions; they were then examined in terms of an adapted quality-of-care framework. Themes and issues related to quality of care also were identified.