Perspectives of Rural High School Students Involved in a Multi-Component, After-School Physical Activity Intervention.

After-school physical activity interventions can assist high school students in meeting physical activity recommendations; however, little is known about what kinds of programs work best for students in rural settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore rural high school students' perceptions of a multi-component, after-school physical activity intervention. Interviews were conducted with 10 students who had participated in a physical activity intervention.

Perceptions of families with adolescents utilizing augmentative and alternative communication technology: A qualitative approach.

Purpose: Although family involvement is critical to successful augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device utilization, little is known about how families adapt to technology. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore parent-reported factors contributing to family adaptation among families with adolescents diagnosed with autism and/or Down syndrome (DS) utilizing AAC technology. This study describes families' experiences related to several interacting variables of the Resiliency Model, including demand, type, appraisal, resources, and problem-solving/coping, that helped shape the outcome of adaptation to AAC technology.

Adaptation to Technology Use in Families of Children With Complex Communication Needs: An Integrative Review and Family Theory Application.

Families with children who have developmental disabilities and complex communication needs (CCNs) face challenging demands affecting family adaptation. Many children with CCNs use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices to support communication, yet little is known about family adaptation to such technology. To fill this gap, an integrative review, guided by the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptation was conducted to assess conceptual foundations and the state of the science of family adaptation among children utilizing AAC.

Systematic Review of Social Support on Psychological Symptoms and Self-Management Behaviors Among Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Purpose: The purpose was to determine the relationship between social support, psychological symptoms and self-management behaviors among adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and examine the influence of types of social support and patient age.

Design: This was a systematic review. PubMed, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, Communication and Mass Media Complete, and Communication Abstracts were searched.

Estimating health literacy in family medicine clinics in metropolitan Detroit: a MetroNet study.

Objective: Assessing health literacy during the clinical encounter is difficult. Many established instruments are lengthy and not practical for use in a busy practice setting. Our objective was to compare the performance of 3 health literacy screening questions against the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults (S-TOFHLA) in an urban, ethnically diverse primary care practice-based research network.

A food desert in Detroit: associations with food shopping and eating behaviours, dietary intakes and obesity.

Objective: Currently 67 % of the US population is overweight or obese and obesity is associated with several chronic medical conditions. Geographic areas where individuals lack access to healthy foods have been termed ‘food deserts’. The study aim was to examine if area of residence within Metro Detroit was associated with dietary intake, food and shopping behaviours, and BMI.

Persuading physicians to test their patients' level of kidney functioning: the effects of message frame and point of view.

A two-part field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of message frame (gain vs. loss) and point of view (personal vs. impersonal) on physicians' intentions and behavior to test their patients' level of kidney functioning.

Health literacy instrument in family medicine: the "newest vital sign" ease of use and correlates.

Background: Health literacy has been defined as the ability to obtain, process, and understand the basic information needed to make appropriate health decisions. Half of adults lack the health literacy skills needed for our complex health care environment. In 2005, Weiss et al introduced the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), an instrument that can be used to quickly assess health literacy.

Is seasonal variation another risk factor for postpartum depression?

Introduction: Postpartum depression (PPD) occurs in the first 6 months after delivery in 10% to 20% of mothers. Despite the availability of screening tools, there is a general consensus that PPD is under-diagnosed. A number of risk factors contributing to PPD have been investigated, but role of seasonal variability in PPD is unclear.

Primary care of overweight children: the importance of parent weight and attitudes about overweight: a MetroNet study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the association of parents' weight and attitude about their child's weight with the child's body mass index (BMI) status.

Design: Cross-sectional, clinic-based study in a practice-based research network.

Methods: One hundred seventy-one parents or adults accompanying children aged 5 to 17 years to a primary care visit in 4 family medicine centers completed a questionnaire.

Bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Objective: To review the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw associated with bisphosphonates.

Data Sources: A MEDLINE search (1966-January 2007) and a search of International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-January 2007) were conducted to identify relevant literature. Additional references were reviewed from selected articles.

Warfarin and its interactions with foods, herbs and other dietary supplements.

Despite its complex pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile, warfarin is still one of the most widely used oral anticoagulant agents. Attaining optimal anticoagulation with this agent is clinically challenging in view of its many food and drug interactions. Inappropriate anticoagulation control can expose patients to an increased risk of bleeding or thromboembolic complications, due to over and underanticoagulation, respectively.

Physical and psychological symptoms in emotionally abused and non-abused women.

Background: This brief report compares emotionally abused and non-abused female family practice patients on physical and emotional symptoms, alcohol use problems, and social support problems.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional, multicenter study of victimization of family practice patients. Forty-seven adult women meeting criteria for emotional abuse (within the past year) and no physical abuse were matched demographically with 47 non-abused women.

Correlation of same-visit HbA1c test with laboratory-based measurements: a MetroNet study.

Background: Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) results vary by analytical method. Use of same-visit HbA1c testing methodology holds the promise of more efficient patient care, and improved diabetes management. Our objective was to test the feasibility of introducing a same-visit HbA1c methodology into busy family practice centers (FPC) and to calculate the correlation between the same-visit HbA1c test and the laboratory method that the clinical site was currently using for HbA1c testing.

Pharyngitis clinical prediction rules: effect of interobserver agreement: a MetroNet study.

Objective: Pharyngitis clinical prediction rules improve Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) diagnosis and decrease unnecessary antibiotic use, yet few studies have addressed clinician variability in assessment of sore throat signs and symptoms.

Study Design And Setting: We conducted a cross-sectional study in which two clinicians examined each of 200 adult sore throat patients. Each patient had a rapid GABHS antigen test.

Herbal product use and menopause symptom relief in primary care patients: a MetroNet study.

Objectives: The four study objectives were to determine (1) the prevalence of use of four herbal product types promoted to reduce menopause symptoms (phytoestrogens, St. John's wort, Ginkgo biloba, and ginseng) among primary care patients approaching or in menopause, (2) the extent to which women who use these types of herbal products report menopause-related symptoms compared with herbal product nonusers, (3) the frequency of reported symptom reduction after use, and (4) if use was disclosed to their physicians.

Methods: A cross-section of ethnically diverse women 40-55 years of age (35.

Safety of COX-2 inhibitors in asthma patients with aspirin hypersensitivity.

Objective: To review the safety of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors in asthma patients with aspirin hypersensitivity.

Data Sources: Clinical studies were identified using MEDLINE (1966-September 2002). Key search terms included cyclooxygenase inhibitors, aspirin, asthma, and hypersensitivity.

Child fatality review: an international movement.

Objective: This article discusses the multidisciplinary Child Fatality Review process in the US, Canada, and Australia, including common patterns, unique programs, changes over time, impact on multiagency systems, and future directions.

Method: An open-ended survey was shared with teams listed in the directories of the Los Angeles County Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect National Center on Child Fatality Review (ICAN-NCFR). Responses were received from 58 state and local Child Fatality Review teams.

Real people. When hospital trustees speak, lawmakers listen to a community perspective.

Because they have no economic stake in the hospitals they serve, trustees can be most effective in bringing the community's health care perspective to their legislators' attention.