Cultural Components, Cultural Universals, and Cultural Variations

Students will be able to describe the five main components of culture. Given an image, students will be able to differentiate between the components of culture. Students will be able to explain the difference between cultural universals and cultural variations. Students will be able to identify cultural universals and variations in cultures around the world, specifically between the United States and Chile. Students will recognize that although there are lots of differences amongst world cultures, cultures also share many similarities

Trajectories of illness perceptions in persons with chronic Illness: An explorative longitudinal study

Accurate illness perceptions are essential to the self-management of chronic illness. This study explored trajectories of illness perceptions in persons with morbid obesity (n = 53) and persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 52) following a patient education course. Participants completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire five times over a 1-year period. Repeated measures analysis of variance was employed. Over time, obese participants perceived shorter illness duration, fewer consequences, less emotional stress, and more personal control. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease participants had initial increases in personal control and understanding, but these changes were not maintained throughout the follow-up period

Trajectories of self-efficacy in persons with chronic illness: An explorative longitudinal study

Background: Self-efficacy is important for changing health behavior in persons with chronic illness. Longer-term trajectories have not been previously explored. Objective: This study’s objective was to explore the trajectories of self-efficacy in two different groups with chronic illnesses attending a patient education course. Design: The study design was a longitudinal, comparative cohort study with five time points during a one year follow-up, using repeated measures analysis of variance. Setting and participants: Persons with morbid obesity (n = 55) and persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n = 56) were recruited at the start of patient education courses in Norway and followed-up four times the following year. Main outcome measure: The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) was the main outcome. Results: Obese persons showed a linear pattern of increasing self-efficacy during the follow-up period, whereas persons with COPD had an initial increase followed by a decrease in self-efficacy. Having paid work was associated with a more positive self-efficacy trajectory. Conclusion: The results provide support for the currently employed patient education course for morbidly obese persons. In contrast, persons with COPD may need more extensive and/or more frequent support in order to increase and maintain self-efficacy across tim

Social Realities in Chile

Students will be able to identify differences in Chilean and American societies. Students will be able to explain why and how societies develop different laws and customs. Students will be able to debate the pros and cons to current Chilean societal situations

Using Reliable Sources in the Search for Statistics

Students will be able to locate specific information on the US Census and CIA World Factbook sites. Students will be able to create a visual of the statistical information by utilizing Microsoft Excel, Students will, in written form, be able to compare and contrast two U.S. cities and two world countries

Discovering Diffusion and Reformulation

Students will be able to define diffusion and reformulation and give examples of each. Students will be able to explain how certain everyday products have been diffused into the American culture. Students will be able to use Google Earth and its tagging feature to demonstrate to the class the origins of the product or process

A 1-year follow-up study exploring the associations between perception of Illness and health-related quality of life in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disease with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Its potential consequences, including reduced function and reduced social participation, are likely to be associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, illness perceptions and self-efficacy beliefs may also play a part in determining HRQoL in persons with COPD. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between illness perceptions, self-efficacy, and HRQoL in a sample of persons with COPD in a longitudinal perspective. The context of the study was a patient education course from which the participants were recruited. Data concerning sociodemographic variables, social support, physical activity, illness perceptions, general self-efficacy, and HRQoL were collected before the course started and 1 year after completion. Linear regression was used in the analyses. The results showed that less consequences and less symptoms (identity) were associated with higher physical HRQoL (PCS) at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Less emotional response was similarly associated with higher mental HRQoL (MCS) at both time points. Lower self-efficacy showed a borderline significant association with higher PCS at baseline, but was unrelated to MCS at both time points. Self-efficacy showed no influence on the associations between illness perceptions and HRQoL. In conclusion, the study showed that specific illness perceptions had a stable ability to predict HRQoL in persons with COPD, whereas self-efficacy did not. The associations between illness perceptions and HRQoL were not mediated by self-efficac

Rasch analysis of the Sense of Coherence scale in a sample of people with morbid obesity - A cross-sectional study

Background: The prevalence of morbid obesity is an increasing health problem in most parts of the world and is related to lower quality of life. Sense of coherence, or the perception that the world is meaningful and predictable, is considered a promising health resource for changing behaviour and adopting a healthier lifestyle. Thus, a valid and reliable instrument for measuring sense of coherence is needed to further research and clinical efforts in this area. The purpose of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the 13-item Sense of Coherence scale and its sub-dimensions (Comprehensibility, Manageability, and Meaningfulness) in a sample of people with morbid obesity using a Rasch analysis approach. Methods: Data were collected cross-sectionally in Norway in 2009 from 142 patients attending a mandatory patient education course for patients with morbid obesity on a waiting list for treatment. Participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and the 13-item Sense of Coherence scale at the beginning of the course. Evidence of rating scale functioning, internal scale validity, person-response validity, person-separation reliability and differential item functioning of the 13-item version were explored. The scale’s three sub-dimensions were also evaluated. Results: A 12-item version of the scale demonstrated the best fit to the Rasch model and increased the variance explained without reducing the separation index. The three sub-dimensions demonstrated good fit but lacked unidimensionality and person-separation reliability. The Meaningfulness sub-dimension showed better psychometric properties than the Comprehensibility and Manageability sub-dimensions. Conclusion: A 12-item version of the Sense of Coherence scale has better psychometric properties than the original 13-item version among persons with morbid obesity. Further studies should explore whether these questionable validity findings for the 13-item scale generalize to other populations and examine whether including other items from the longer 29-item version may improve the psychometric properties of an abbreviated Sense of Coherence measure