Descriptive analysis of the respiratory health status of persons exposed to Libby amphibole asbestos.

Objective: Describe respiratory health and quality of life in persons exposed to Libby amphibole asbestos (LAA) contaminated vermiculite.

Design: Cross-sectional descriptive.

Setting: Asbestos-related disease clinic in Libby, Montana USA.

Psychosocial health status of persons seeking treatment for exposure to libby amphibole asbestos.

A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted to describe the psychosocial health status of persons seeking health care for exposure to Libby amphibole asbestos (LAA). Health indicators including depression, stress, acceptance of illness, and satisfaction with access and financial aspects of care were obtained via electronic and paper-pencil survey. The exposure pathway and demographic data were gleaned from the health record.

Barriers and facilitators to the incorporation of environmental health into public health nursing practice.

Objectives: To describe the environmental health (EH) demands placed on public health nurses (PHNs) as well as the barriers and facilitators to incorporating EH into PHN practice.

Design And Sample: A cross-sectional multimode (Web and pencil/paper) survey was used to collect data from PHNs in 1 rural western state. Research participants included 141 PHNs from a total of 228 survey invitations (61% response).

Householder status and residence type as correlates of radon awareness and testing behaviors.

Objectives: The primary aim of this research was to assess radon awareness and testing across 2 housing types.

Design And Sample: Cross-sectional prevalence study with time trends. National, probabilistic sample of 18,138 and 29,632 respondents from the 1994 and 1998 National Health Interview Surveys, respectively.

Methylmercury risk and awareness among American Indian women of childbearing age living on an inland northwest reservation.

American Indian women and children may be the most overrepresented among the list of disparate populations exposed to methylmercury. American Indian people fish on home reservations where a state or tribal fishing license (a source of advisory messaging) is not required. The purpose of this study was to examine fish consumption, advisory awareness, and risk communication preferences among American Indian women of childbearing age living on an inland Northwest reservation.

Rural public health policy models to address an evolving environmental asbestos disaster.

The health-related dangers of asbestos exposure were recognized early in the 20th century when occupational exposure was found to be associated with excess pneumoconiosis among asbestos industry workers. Today, the epicenter for examining the public health effects and the human toll that this toxin has had on a population is located in the rural community of Libby, MT. Rurality and multideterminants of health frame both the history of asbestos-related disease and the service/policy challenges within a community dealing with chronic illness and designation as a Superfund clean-up site.

Negotiating three worlds: academia, nursing science, and tribal communities.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to use a cross-cultural model to guide the exploration of common issues and the dynamic interrelationships surrounding entrée to tribal communities as experienced by four nursing research teams.

Method: Members of four research teams discuss the primary lessons learned about successful strategies and challenges encountered during their projects' early stages.

Results: Understanding the cultural values of relationship and reciprocity is critical to the success of research projects conducted in Native American communities.

Rural women, technology, and self-management of chronic illness.

The objective of this study was to determine the differences in the psychosocial status of 3 groups of chronically ill rural women participating in a computer intervention. The 3 groups were: intense intervention, less-intense intervention, and control. At baseline and following the intervention, measures were taken for social support, self-esteem, empowerment, self-efficacy, depression, stress, and loneliness.

Does Dixon's Integrative Environmental Health Model inform an understanding of rural parents' perceptions of local environmental health risks?

A qualitative study of parents' perceptions of local environmental health risks was conducted to assess the fit between concepts from Dixon's Integrative Environmental Health Model (DIEH model) and field-generated data. This research was part of a prospective study addressing environmental exposures of rural low-income children. Home visit data from 11 parents were analyzed (1) thematically and (2) according to DIEH concepts.

Rural parents' perceptions of risks associated with their children's exposure to radon.

Objectives: To examine the level of awareness of radon issues, correlates of elective testing behaviors, and the accuracy of risk perception for radon exposures among rural residents receiving public health services.

Design: A cross-sectional design was used in which questionnaire data and household analytic data for radon levels were collected from a nonprobabilistic sample of rural households.

Sample: Thirty-one rural households with 71 adults and 60 children participated in the study.

Rural women with chronic illness: computer use and skill acquisition.

Chronically ill rural women must manage complex illness without easy access to health care resources including support and health information. The Women to Women project is a technology-based program with an overarching aim to assist rural women in the day-to-day management of their illnesses. An important aspect of the Women to Women program is teaching the women how to use the Internet to meet their support and informational needs.

An evaluation of an online intervention to provide social support and health education.

Managing chronic illness in the isolation of rural environments is challenging for women who lack access to personal sources of social support and health information. The Women to Women project was designed to provide chronically ill rural women access to support and health information via electronic means. This article reports on the acquisition of computer skills, the perceptions of importance of various aspects of the intervention, and an assessment of women's overall satisfaction with participation in the research project.