Implementation of a Menopause Toolkit at an Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic

D.N.P.D.N.P. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 201

EXAMINING ACADEMIC RESILIENCE FACTORS AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Public school systems in America continue to show unequal learning outcomes for African American students. This investigation seeks to understand salient factors that are critical and essential to the process of increasing the probability of academic resilience (success) among African American students. Academic resilience is defined as the process of an individual who has been academically successful, despite the presence of risk factors (i.e., single parent family, low future aspirations, and low teacher expectation) that normally lead to low academic performance (Morales & Trotman, 2011, p.1). Using the baseline data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS: 2002), a multilevel logistic model was developed that aimed to identify individual and collective characteristics of African American students who were academically resilient. The multilevel logistic model revealed five statistically significant student-level variables. When comparing two African American high school students one unit apart in SES, for the student with the lower family SES, one unit increase in their academic expectation would make the student 3.21 times more likely to be academically resilient; whereas for the student with the higher SES, one unit increase in their academic expectation would make the student 2.48 times more likely to be academically resilient. Consider two African American high school students one unit apart in terms of teacher expectation, the one with higher teacher expectation was 1.67 times more likely to be academically resilient than the one with lower teacher expectation. Spending one more hour in homework per week was 1.12 times more likely to make an African American high school student academically resilient. Lastly, when comparing two African American high school students one activity apart in terms of school involvement (e.g., band, chorus, sports, or academic clubs), the student with the higher number of school involvement activities was 1.67 times more likely to be academically resilient than the student with the lower school involvement activities. The multilevel logistic model also revealed two statistically significant school-level factors. Specifically, when comparing two high schools one unit apart in school academic climate, African American students in the high school with higher academic climate were 7.44 times more likely to be academically resilient than African American students in the high school with lower academic climate. When comparing two high schools one unit apart in school remedial efforts, African American students in the high school with lower school remediation efforts were 4.54 times more likely to be academically resilient than African American students in the high school with higher school remediation efforts

Effect of Book Selection and Independent Reading Time on Fourth-Grade Students\u27 Reading Comprehension

The problem addressed through this study was the low levels of reading comprehension of literary and informational texts among fourth-grade students statewide. The reading workshop model and the guided reading approach are two different instructional methods used to teach reading to fourth-grade students at two school districts in Texas. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the difference in reading comprehension scores between fourth-grade students who participated in the reading workshop model and those who were taught using the guided reading approach for 1 academic year. Two research questions comparing reading comprehension scores on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness between fourth-grade students who were taught using the reading workshop model and those who were taught using the guided reading approach guided this study. The theoretical framework comprised Wigfield and Eccles’s expectancy-value theory and their concept of achievement motivation. Reading comprehension scores on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness for fourth-grade students from two different school districts were analyzed using an independent-samples t test. The results indicated statistically significant differences in student scores on subtests of analysis of literary and informational texts such that students taught using the reading workshop model scored significantly better than those taught using the guided reading approach. This study may benefit elementary instructional leaders by providing them with information regarding a program with the potential to increase students’ intrinsic reading motivation and improve their reading comprehension, setting them on a path to academic success

Addressing female genital mutilation in Europe: a scoping review of approaches to participation, prevention, protection, and provision of services.

BACKGROUND: Public and policy attention to female genital mutilation (FGM) in diaspora communities has increased in Europe, but research remains limited and misinformation abounds. As a first step to addressing these issues, this study explored FGM prevention and response interventions in Europe, using a scoping literature review and key informant interviews. METHODS: A scoping study design was selected, using Arksey and O'Malley's six-stage scoping framework to review identified sources. Key informant interviews were used to inform and add depth to literature findings. Findings were summarised thematically, guided by the Scottish Government's '4Ps' framework for tackling violence against women (i.e. participation, prevention, protection, providing services). RESULTS: Seventy literature sources, of 1095 screened, plus 16 individual and 3 group interview sources were included. Several countries have developed promising interventions supporting FGM resistance and recovery. However, gaps remain including community participation, professional knowledge and linkages, and evaluation of approaches. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review is an initial attempt to describe available primary evidence on European initiatives responding to FGM. Further research is required to determine whether interventions are effective, while policy and practice development must be shaped and driven by the experiences, needs, and views of affected communities

Missing from the debate? A qualitative study exploring the role of communities within interventions to address female genital mutilation in Europe.

INTRODUCTION: Public attention on female genital mutilation (FGM) in diaspora communities is increasing in Europe, as health and social welfare implications become better understood. This study explored the role of potentially affected communities within interventions to address FGM in Europe, examining current practices, promising interventions and remaining gaps. METHODS: A qualitative study design incorporated 18 individual key informant interviews and five semistructured group interviews with policy-makers, service providers and community representatives. Data were analysed thematically, guided by the Scottish Government '4Ps' framework for addressing violence against women and girls, that is, prevention, protection, provision of services and participation. RESULTS: Participants emphasised both the importance of community participation and the lack of consistent engagement by policy-makers and practitioners. All indicated that communities had a key role, though most interventions focused on awareness-raising rather than community empowerment, behaviour change or influence on the design, delivery and/or evaluation of interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Despite clear consensus around the need to engage, support and empower potentially affected communities and several examples of meaningful community participation in addressing FGM (eg, REPLACE, REPLACE 2, Ketenaapak, Tackling FGM Initiative), the role of communities remains inconsistent and further engagement efforts are necessary

Understanding the role of scientific evidence in consumer evaluation of natural health products for osteoarthritis an application of the means end chain approach

BACKGROUND: Over 30% of individuals use natural health products (NHPs) for osteoarthritis-related pain. The Deficit Model for the Public Understanding of Science suggests that if individuals are given more information (especially about scientific evidence) they will make better health-related decisions. In contrast, the Contextual Model argues that scientific evidence is one of many factors that explain how consumers make health-related decisions. The primary objective was to investigate how the level of scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of NHPs impacts consumer decision-making in the self-selection of NHPs by individuals with osteoarthritis. METHODS: The means-end chain approach to product evaluation was used to compare laddering interviews with two groups of community-dwelling Canadian seniors who had used NHPs to treat their osteoarthritis. Group 1 (n=13) had used only NHPs (glucosamine and/or chondroitin) with “high” scientific evidence of efficacy. Group 2 (n=12) had used NHPs (methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and/or bromelain) with little or no scientific evidence supporting efficacy. Content analysis and generation of hierarchical value maps facilitated the identification of similarities and differences between the two groups. RESULTS: The dominant decision-making chains for participants in the two scientific evidence categories were similar. Scientific evidence was an important decision-making factor but not as important as the advice from health care providers, friends and family. Most participants learned about scientific evidence via indirect sources from health care providers and the media. CONCLUSIONS: The Contextual Model of the public understanding of science helps to explain why our participants believed scientific evidence is not the most important factor in their decision to use NHPs to help manage their osteoarthritis

Deepening pre-service teachers' understandings of race and ethnicity through intergroup dialogue

This qualitative study examined the participation of undergraduate pre-service teachers in an intergroup dialogue course. Intergroup dialogue (IGD) is one model of organizing a critical dialogue about race and ethnicity (Nagda & Zúñiga, 2003). This study was used as an intervention with pre-service teachers to explore whether the participation in an intergroup dialogue course influenced their understanding of their racial and ethnic identities, racial attitudes, and the experiences of others. It also explored whether the course influenced how they thought about their future teaching. Data analysis included recorded dialogue sessions and weekly written reflections that asked pre-service teachers to reflect on their racial and ethnic identities, to consider how privilege or oppression have impacted their lives, and to examine race policies and practices in their school placements. Five case study interviews were conducted at the start of the dialogue experience and again four months after the dialogue experience. Findings from this study suggest that intergroup dialogue was a useful intervention to help pre-service teachers develop more race-conscious attitudes and see the impact of race and racism in society and, more specifically, in schools. Participants reported a greater understanding of race, privilege, and oppression, conveyed a greater understanding of racial identity, developed a comfort level talking about race related issues; also they gained useful facilitation skills to talk about critical issues in their future classrooms. This is important given that the teaching force is predominantly white, whereas students of color are increasingly changing the racial makeup of schools. This intervention provided these pre-service teachers a better lens into lived racial experiences of students they will one day teach as well as tools and skills to facilitate dialogue with their own students

Trouble with the edTPA: Sliding from Teaching to Preparing for the Test

This paper was written by a group of instructors responsible for preparing 100 elementary/middle school licensure students for the edTPA portfolio assessment. It is an analysis of our experiences doing so in the pilot year. The edTPA is a performance assessment required for teacher licensure. We considered this assessment to have significant advantages over a multiple choice test and we debated for a year how best to implement it. Our plan was to integrate what they needed to know into our courses rather than to prepare them directly for the test. We approached this with a positive attitude but emerged with a skeptical one. We gradually slid from preparing students to be teachers, to preparing them for the test. Using a narrative self-study, we chronicle and analyze this unexpected trajectory

Father-child interactions at 3 months and 24 months: contributions to children's cognitive development at 24 months

The quality of father-child interactions has become a focus of increasing research in the field of child development. We examined the potential contribution of father-child interactions at both 3 months and 24 months to children's cognitive development at 24 months. Observational measures of father-child interactions at 3 and 24 months were used to assess the quality of fathers' parenting (n = 192). At 24 months, the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (N. Bayley, ) measured cognitive functioning. The association between interactions and cognitive development was examined using multiple linear regression analyses, adjusting for paternal age, education and depression, infant age, and maternal sensitivity. Children whose fathers displayed more withdrawn and depressive behaviors in father-infant interactions at 3 months scored lower on the MDI at 24 months. At 24 months, children whose fathers were more engaged and sensitive as well as those whose fathers were less controlling in their interactions scored higher on the MDI. These findings were independent of the effects of maternal sensitivity. Results indicate that father-child interactions, even from a very young age (i.e., 3 months) may influence children's cognitive development. They highlight the potential significance of interventions to promote positive parenting by fathers and policies that encourage fathers to spend more time with their young children.This research was supported by Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellowship No. 078434 to P.G.R

Оптимизация объемов производства и продажи продукции на рынке с использованием маркетинга в сети Интернет( на примере ОАО«Калинковичский мясокомбинат»)

Dengue is currently regarded globally as the most important mosquito-borne viral disease. A history of symptoms compatible with dengue can be traced back to the Chin Dynasty of 265-420 AD. The virus and its vectors have now become widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world, particularly over the last half-century. Significant geographic expansion has been coupled with rapid increases in incident cases, epidemics, and hyperendemicity, leading to the more severe forms of dengue. Transmission of dengue is now present in every World Health Organization (WHO) region of the world and more than 125 countries are known to be dengue endemic. The true impact of dengue globally is difficult to ascertain due to factors such as inadequate disease surveillance, misdiagnosis, and low levels of reporting. Currently available data likely grossly underestimates the social, economic, and disease burden. Estimates of the global incidence of dengue infections per year have ranged between 50 million and 200 million; however, recent estimates using cartographic approaches suggest this number is closer to almost 400 million. The expansion of dengue is expected to increase due to factors such as the modern dynamics of climate change, globalization, travel, trade, socioeconomics, settlement and also viral evolution. No vaccine or specific antiviral therapy currently exists to address the growing threat of dengue. Prompt case detection and appropriate clinical management can reduce the mortality from severe dengue. Effective vector control is the mainstay of dengue prevention and control. Surveillance and improved reporting of dengue cases is also essential to gauge the true global situation as indicated in the objectives of the WHO Global Strategy for Dengue Prevention and Control, 2012-2020. More accurate data will inform the prioritization of research, health policy, and financial resources toward reducing this poorly controlled disease. The objective of this paper is to review historical and current epidemiology of dengue worldwide and, additionally, reflect on some potential reasons for expansion of dengue into the future