Oral health beliefs and behaviors of nurse and nurse practitioner students using the HU-DBI inventory: An opportunity for oral health vicarious learning

Background: Oral health access to care issues are resulting in curricular changes to train nursing students as oral health educators and providers. However, little data are available concerning their personal oral health beliefs/behaviors. The study purpose was to gather information from nurse and nurse practitioner students regarding their oral health beliefs and behaviors. Methods: Using the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI), survey data were gathered from nurse and nurse practitioner students as well as dental hygiene students as controls concerning their oral health beliefs and behaviors. Results: Mean HU-DBI scores were higher among nurse practitioner than nursing students, indicating more positive beliefs/behaviors, but both were lower than dental hygiene students. Both nurse and nurse practitioner students reported significantly fewer dental visits and some poorer hygiene practices than controls. Additionally, nursing students were more likely to believe that their teeth were worsening despite brushing. Conclusions: Assessment of personal oral health beliefs/behaviors should occur early in nursing education with mentoring so that optimal modeling can positively impact patients’ oral health. Oral health education opportunities within and among disciplines are discussed

Advising in a Multidisciplinary Master\u27s Program: An Evaluation

Multidisciplinary programs have begun to complement traditional models of graduate and professional education. The development of these programs has begun to reflect the change in graduate student advisement. Multidisciplinary programs necessitate the need for quality advisement approaches. This study assessed faculty satisfaction and commitment to advising graduate students in the Multidisciplinary Studies Individualized (MDSI) program at a metropolitan college in New York State. The intent was to examine faculty level of satisfaction, level of commitment and identify barriers to advising MDSI students. This quantitative study employed a paired samples t – test to compare faculty advising groups. The findings revealed MDSI graduate faculty experience lower levels of satisfaction and commitment compared to single disciplinary graduate faculty. Quotes obtained from faculty advising groups revealed academic advising and MDSI program structure as key barriers to advising MDSI students. Recommendations offer strategies for enhancing advising practices to benefit MDSI graduate faculty, students and the college

Identifying academic protective factors in gifted minority students

As the demographics of the United States continue to change rapidly, school psychologists will continue to play a role in meeting the needs of racially and ethnically diverse students. One major concern is the overrepresentation of certain ethnic minority groups (e.g., Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American) in special education, dropout rates, and school discipline and the underrepresentation of those same groups in gifted education programs. The purpose of the current study was to find what factors may be contributing to the academic success of gifted Black/African American students. The researcher conducted one on one interviews with nine Black/African American high school students who were identified as gifted in elementary school. The researcher asked questions about the participants’ early and current school experiences, experiences while enrolled in the gifted program, and personal and environmental factors that contributed to their success. The participants’ responses were transcribed and coded for common themes. The results suggested that students in the study were high achieving, had a lot of parental and teacher support, had hardworking parents and other adults in their homes, had a strong desire to go to college, and had a number of personality characteristics that contributed to their success. Implications for practice include school psychologists playing a role in fostering a school atmosphere that creates success for Black/African American students

The Effects of the Get Off Your Rocker Exercise Class on Balance for Patients following a CVA: A Case Study Approach

Background and Purpose: Cerebral vascular accident (CV A) is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in the United States. It is estimated that approximately 75% of people who have a stroke survive, many of whom live with some level of impairments that impact their activities of daily living and quality of life. One of the results of these impairments can be decreased balance. Limitations in balance may impact an individual\u27s risk of falls, ability to ambulate, and performance of functional activities. Exercises emphasizing balance training playa significant role in improving postural control. The purpose of this study is to determine if the six -week Get Off Your Rocker balance exercise class improves balance and quality of life in people who have had a CV A and who live in the community. If the Get Off Your Rocker exercise class is found to be effective for this population, it can be an additional tool for physical therapists in improving balance. Subjects: The two subjects who participated in the study had a neurological diagnosis of CVA. Both subjects were older than 20 years of age, lived in the community, and ambulated independently. Methods: Four measures were used to gather data regarding balance and quality of life. During the initial testing session, subjects completed the Timed Up and Go, Functional Reach, Berg Balance Measure, and Short Form 36 Health Survey. Subjects then participated in the Get Off Your Rocker balance exercise class three times a week for six consecutive weeks. Following the exercise class, the assessment measures were repeated. Results: Subjects demonstrated both quantitative and qualitative improvements. Both participants showed improvements on all four of the measures. Conclusion: Following participation in the six-week Get Off Your Rocker balance exercise class, we concluded that it was beneficial in improving balance for people following a CVA. This class can be an effective tool for balance training and increasing functional capacities leading to enhanced quality of life

A Multi-Directional Treadmill Training Program for Improving Gait, Balance, and Mobility in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Series

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(4): 372-384, 2015. Treadmill training is a commonly used intervention for improving gait in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, little is known about how treadmill training may also influence balance and other aspects of mobility. The purpose of this case series was to explore the feasibility and possible benefits of multi-directional treadmill training for individuals with PD. Four participants (62.3 ± 6.5 yrs, Hoehn & Yahr 2-4) performed 8 weeks of treadmill training 3 times per week. Weeks 1-4 included forward walking only, while weeks 5-8 included forward and multi-directional walking. Participants were tested every 4 weeks on 4 separate occasions. Outcome measures included the following: gait speed, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), instrumented Timed Up and Go, Four Square Step Test (FSST), Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), Activities Specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC) and the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Improvements were demonstrated for all gait and balance measures. Improvements exceeded minimal detectable change (MDC) and/or minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values for gait speed (3 participants), 6MWT (all 4 participants), and the Mini-BESTest (2 participants). Participants experienced greater relative improvements for most measures during the multi-directional walking portion of the program. Multi-directional treadmill training was feasible for 4 individuals with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease and may have additional benefits for gait, balance and mobility than forward walking alone. Further research may be warranted for this novel intervention

Establishing Privacy Advisory Commissions for the Regulation of Facial Recognition Systems at the Municipal Level

As facial recognition systems (FRS) become widely available, a growing number of local governing bodies across the country have adopted these technologies. Without regulating how and when these technologies are used, the adoption of FRS by municipal governments has the potential to violate civil liberties and disproportionately harm marginalized groups. FRS may be an invaluable tool for law enforcement; however, best practices must be adopted to curb their misuse, specifically at the municipal level. We propose that cities considering procurement of FRS create an independent privacy advisory commission with a clear mandate, guaranteed cooperation from local government, technology expertise, and community stakeholder input