Smoking patterns of low-income ethnoculturally diverse pregnant women: are we casting the net wide enough?

Cigarette smoking poses significant risk to mother and infant during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Recruitment of pregnant smokers to intervention studies has often been reactive and has excluded certain subgroups of women, such as those who have recently quit smoking. In this study, we examined smoking patterns among a proactively recruited sample of women presenting to six urban community maternity clinics.

Transtheoretical model: applications in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

In summary, the transtheoretical model may help guide the choice of the best intervention approach to use when working to change behavior that is important in the prevention and treatment of cancer. In using this model, it is important to identify the person's stage of readiness for change as well as each of the other key constructs of the model, including confidence and temptations, perception of pros and cons, and use of the processes of change. Knowledge of these factors will guide the choice of the best stage-matched interventions to help move the individual forward through the stages of change to achieve long-term maintenance of the desired behavior.

Diabetes self-management. Self-reported recommendations and patterns in a large population.

Objective: Diabetes self-management is the cornerstone of overall diabetes management. Yet many questions concerning self-management remain unanswered. The current study was designed to examine several questions about diabetes self-management: 1) What do individuals report being told to do? 2) What are their self-reported levels and patterns of self-care? 3) Are there differences on self-reported self-management recommendations and levels across various subgroups?

Research Design And Methods: Mailed surveys were returned by 2,056 individuals (73.

Quality of life and associated characteristics in a large national sample of adults with diabetes.

Objective: This study investigated the quality of life and the demographic, medical-history, and self-management characteristics associated with it.

Research Design And Methods: A diabetes self-management survey was sent to 2,800 adults with diabetes throughout the U.S.

Personal-model beliefs and social-environmental barriers related to diabetes self-management.

Objective: The specific aims of the present study were to report on the level of personal beliefs and social and environmental barriers across different regimen areas and patient subgroups and on the relationship of personal models and perceived barriers to the level of self-management.

Research Design And Methods: This study focused on several issues related to personal models (representations of illness) and perceived barriers to diabetes self-management among a large heterogeneous survey sample of 2,056 adults throughout the U.S.

Maintenance of weight loss: a needs assessment.

This study identified facilitators and obstacles to maintenance of weight loss following a very-low-calorie-diet and behavior modification program. A survey was mailed to a random sample of 178 program completers and received a 61% response rate; the most frequent follow-up period was more than 2 years. Twenty-nine percent reported weighing the same (within 10 lbs) or less than the end of their participation in the treatment program (maintainers), while 71% reported their present weight was a mean of 65% higher than their initial weight loss (regainers).

Self-reported compliance with diabetes self-management during pregnancy.

Objective: The current study examined regimen compliance in pregnant women with pre-existing (overt) diabetes across multiple self-care tasks at three times during the pregnancy: mid-second, early third, and late third trimesters.

Method: Forty-nine pregnant women with Type I (68%) or Type II (32%) diabetes completed measures to assess compliance with the diabetic regimen, major and minor life stressors, and social support for the diabetic regimen.

Results: Pregnant women with overt diabetes generally reported being compliant with their self-care regimen.

Gonadal function after allogenic bone marrow transplantation for thalassaemia.

Thirty prepubertal patients with thalassaemia major (15 boys and 15 girls) aged from 9.3 to 17.2 years (mean 12.

Magnetic resonance (MR) evaluation of bone marrow in vertebral bodies.

Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging was used to examine the hematopoietic bone marrow in the vertebral bodies of eight healthy subjects, and of 35 cancer patients who had been previously treated with radiation therapy. MR was instrumental in distinguishing viable hematopoietic tissue (red marrow) from adipose tissue (yellow marrow), whose presence reflected the extent of radiation-induced bone marrow injury. Different water content in proliferating hematopoietic tissue and adipose tissue enabled clear distinction of the two components even inside the same vertebral body.

Accuracy of blood glucose estimates in adolescents with diabetes mellitus.

Although self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is an integral part of the daily self-care regimen for the effective management of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), compliance with this task remains a significant problem, particularly for adolescents. Research should be focused on identifying other management approaches which may supplement SMBG. One potential approach involves placing greater reliance on the patient's own ability to estimate glucose levels.

Screening measure to assess knowledge of diabetes in pregnancy.

The purpose of this study was to develop a brief measure to assess knowledge regarding diabetes in pregnancy (Diabetes in Pregnancy Knowledge Screen [DPKS]). A test-retest design was used for subjects enrolled in a diabetes in pregnancy program at a university hospital. There were 58 women with overt diabetes (OD; insulin dependent and non-insulin dependent) and 67 women with gestational diabetes (GD).

Impact of social support and stress on compliance in women with gestational diabetes.

Compliance with medical recommendations is especially important for women with gestational diabetes because of the health implications for both mother and fetus. This study examined compliance with two daily self-management tasks, diet and insulin administration, in 98 women with gestational diabetes. Furthermore, the influence of stress and regimen-related social support on compliance was investigated.

Psychological impact of the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

The psychological impact of the diagnosis of gestational diabetes was examined in 68 pregnant women. No differences between the women with gestational diabetes and 50 non-diabetic pregnant controls, matched for gestational age, were found on the Profile of Mood States--Bipolar Form. Contrary to clinical lore, the prescription of insulin was not found to have an adverse effect on the emotional status of women with gestational diabetes.

Forbidden Food Survey: measure of bulimic's anticipated emotional reactions to specific foods.

The Forbidden Food Survey is an instrument that was designed for use with eating disordered individuals. The first experiment in this study includes a description of the Forbidden Food Survey and the reliability and internal consistency of its scales. The second investigation examined the discriminant validity of the Forbidden Food Survey by comparing the responses of three groups: bulimic binge-purgers, bulimic binge-eaters, and normals.

Assessment of depression in childhood and adolescence: an evaluation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC).

Psychometric characteristics of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) were evaluated with 148 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were adequate. Principal components analysis identified three distinct factors: behavioral and cognitive components of depression and a happiness dimension.

Prevalence of DSM-III conduct and adjustment disorders for adolescent psychiatric inpatients.

The prevalence of DSM-III conduct and adjustment disorders in two adolescent psychiatric facilities, both located near large U.S. cities, was investigated.

Heparin effect on plasma fibrinogen in the thrombophilic syndrome.

The effects of heparin were studied in a group of 42 patients with preinfarction angina (PA) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) whose plasma fibrinogen was increased. Plasma fibrinogen was measured by the turbidimetric method in timol turbidimetric units. Statistically significant results proved that heparin reduces the plasma fibrinogen progressively over a treatment period of 6 weeks.