Determinants of Diabetic Knowledge and Self-Efficacy and Their Associations with Diabetic Management in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Diabetic management and education are inadequate in Saudi Arabia. Diabetic knowledge and self-efficacy are believed to mediate the impact of diabetic education. The objective was to examine the association of diabetic knowledge and self-efficacy and their associations with diabetic self-management behaviors and control outcomes.  METHOD: A cross-sectional study among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) receiving care at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh. Patients were interviewed using a detailed questionnaire covering sociodemographics, knowledge (29 questions), self-efficacy (16 questions), and diabetic self-management behaviors and outcomes. Scores corrected to 100-point scale for both knowledge and self-efficacy were calculated. Glycemic control has been abstracted from the patient chart. RESULTS: A total 160 patients gave consent and completed the study. Patients were 56.2% females with an average age of 49.9±14.7 years. The overall average (±SD) knowledge and self-efficacy scores were 65.4%±16.4% and 57.9±17.1%. There was a significant moderate positive correlation between overall knowledge and self-efficacy scores (r=0.486, p<0.001). Both knowledge and self-efficacy scores were associated with better self-monitoring of blood glucose, frequent checkup, controlled 2-hour blood glucose level, adherence to diabetic medications, appropriate diabetic diet, and doing regular exercise. CONCLUSION: The levels of knowledge and self-efficacy scores were moderate among a sample of Saudi patients with T2D. The current findings show the positive impact of and the need to better improve knowledge and self-efficacy among Saudi patients with T2D. Diabetic education offered to patients with T2D should focus more on self-efficacy. Keywords: Type 2 diabetes, self-efficacy, knowledge, management, Saudi Arabi

Health Assessment Tool for Undergraduate Nursing Students and Novice Instructors; Validity, Reliability and User Satisfaction

BACKGROUND: Available tools for health assessment course lack guidance to novice instructors, detailed performance checklists, and domain-specific information that takes into consideration the limited health experience and tight schedule of undergraduate nursing students. The researcher developed a health assessment tool, including student’s manual and instructor’s guide to help both students and novice instructors. OBJECTIVES: To assess the validity and reliability of the newly developed tool and to measure tool-related satisfaction among recently graduated nursing students and novice instructors. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was utilized in 2014. Face and content validity were assessed by experts (N=21). The reliability was examined by comparing the students’ marks (N=63) for health assessment skills, as assessed by two different experienced raters. The satisfactions of both students and novice instructors (N=7) were measured using two-different questionnaires that covered different aspects of the relevant manual. RESULTS: Experts had 90.8% positive score for face and content validity for the tool including laboratory evaluation. The tool was highly reliable in assessing of students’ skills during laboratory evaluation, with intraclass correlation of 0.99. Both students and novice instructors had high satisfaction level with their respective version of the tool (83% versus 91%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The developed tool for health assessment course is highly valid, reliable, and satisfying both student and instructor expectations. Future studies are required to examine the effectiveness of the newly developed tool in improving the health assessment skills of the students and to assess how much of these skills are actually retained and practiced after clinical placement. Keywords: Health Assessment, manual, undergraduate education, Nursing, Validity, Saudi Arabi

Shuttle/spacelab MMAP/electromagnetic environment experiment phase B definition study

Progress made during the first five months of the Phase B definition study for the MMAP/Electromagnetic Environment Experiment (EEE) was described. An antenna/receiver assembly has been defined and sized for stowing in a three pallet bay area in the shuttle. Six scanning modes for the assembly are analyzed and footprints for various antenna sizes are plotted. Mission profiles have been outlined for a 400 km height, 57 deg inclination angle, circular orbit. Viewing time over 7 geographical areas are listed. Shuttle interfaces have been studied to determine what configuration the antenna assembly must have to be shared with other experiments of the Microwave Multi-Applications Payload (MMAP) and to be stowed in the shuttle bay. Other results reported include a frequency plan, a proposed antenna subsystem design, a proposed receiver design, preliminary outlines of the experiment controls and an analysis of on-board and ground data processing schemes

Some genetic aspects in two strains of chicken and their crosses

International audienc

Thermomechanical force application

The present work conducted in Summer 1987 continues investigations on Thermal Components for 1.8 K Space Cryogenics (Grant NAG 1-412 of 1986). The topics addressed are plug characterization efforts in a small pore size regime of sintered metal plugs, characterization in the nonlinear regime, temperature profiles in a heat supply unit for a fountain effect pump and modeling efforts

Utilization of FEP energetics

The research and development work on Fountain Effect Pump Systems (FEP systems) has been of interest in the competition between mechanical pumps for He II and FEP units. The latter do not have moving parts. In the course of the work, the energetics have been addressed using one part of a simple four-changes-of-state cycle. One option is the FEP ideal change of state at constant chemical potential (mu). The other option is the two-state sequence mu-P with a d mu=0 state change followed by an isobar. Questions of pump behavior, of flow rate response to temperature difference at the hot end, and related questions of thermodynamic cycle completion and heat transfer have been addressed. Porous media data obtained elucidate differences between vapor-liquid phase separation (VLPS) and Zero Net Mass Transfer (ZNMF)

Evaluation of sex differences in health-related quality of life outcomes associated with child abuse: Results from the Ontario Child Health Study

Aims. Despite the advances in child maltreatment research, there is still the need for comprehensive information about how abuse affects a broad range of categories of young adult functioning, and the extent to which these vary by sex. We examined the associations between child physical abuse (PA) and sexual abuse (SA) and six areas of functioning (mental health, physical health, life satisfaction, illegal substance use, alcohol problems and daily smoking). Methods. Data were obtained from the 1983 Ontario Child Health Study and follow-up in 2000/2001 (n = 1893). Multilevel regression estimated the adjusted associations for PA (with severity) and SA with each of the outcomes. Estimates with an entire sample were presented with sex-by-abuse interactions to examine sex differences and then presented separately by sex. Results. In the adjusted model, severe PA and SA were associated with impairment in mental health, and both forms of PA (severe and non-severe) and SA were associated with low life satisfaction. In addition, severe PA was associated with illegal substance use. Child abuse variables were not associated with poor physical health, alcohol problems or smoking. Although sex-stratified analyses revealed different patterns, there was no significant sex difference in the integrated sample. Conclusions. This is among the first community-based studies to show a strong association between child PA and SA and low life satisfaction in young adults. The abuse effects were similar for both sexes

Peristaltic Transport of a Physiological Fluid in an Asymmetric Porous Channel in the Presence of an External Magnetic Field

The paper deals with a theoretical investigation of the peristaltic transport of a physiological fluid in a porous asymmetric channel under the action of a magnetic field. The stream function, pressure gradient and axial velocity are studied by using appropriate analytical and numerical techniques. Effects of different physical parameters such as permeability, phase difference, wave amplitude and magnetic parameter on the velocity, pumping characteristics, streamline pattern and trapping are investigated with particular emphasis. The computational results are presented in graphical form. The results are found to be in perfect agreement with those of a previous study carried out for a non-porous channel in the absence of a magnetic field