A Comparison of Attitudes Toward Persons with Mental Retardation in Three Age Groups

This study is an attempt to compare attitudes toward persons with mental retardation in different age groups. It attempts to determine if public attitudes toward adults and elderly persons with mental retardation are more negative than attitudes toward children with mental retardation, and if attitudes toward elderly persons with mental retardation are more negative than attitudes toward adults with mental retardation. The instrument used in this study was a set of three semantic differential scales. The scales measured attitudes toward three concepts: mentally retarded child, mentally retarded young adult, and mentally retarded elderly person. A stratified sampling procedure was used to select the subjects for this study. The instrument was distributed to 142 individuals. These subjects completed all three scales - one for each age group. The group responses to each concept were then compared using three t -tests, and significant differences were found between each of the three paired groups

Improving Cervical Cancer Screening and HPV Vaccination Rates among Ghanaians in Ghana, and Ghanaian Immigrants Living in Georgia, U.S.A

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the most common type of HPV- associated cancer, disproportionately affecting minority women worldwide. Various strains of the human papillomavirus have been linked to the incidence of this disease. The gradual development of cervical cancer makes it one of the most preventable female cancers, as malignant cell changes can take up to two decades to occur. Regular Pap smears lead to early detection of persistent HPV infection. Together with HPV vaccination, Pap smears are effective in controlling cervical cancer incidence. Although these preventative programs are readily available in the U.S., screening, and vaccination rates have been consistently suboptimal among immigrants. Previous studies have examined the enablers as well as the challenges experienced by immigrants in accessing cervical cancer prevention services. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the attitudes, barriers, and sociocultural factors that facilitate the uptake of cervical cancer preventative services among Ghanaians in Ghana, and Ghanaian immigrants living in Georgia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in two parts; (a) a preliminary study in Ghana with 35 females and 15 males, and (b) the main study in Georgia, U.S.A. among Ghanaian immigrants, with 17 females and 10 males. Nvivo 12 was used to code the interview transcriptions, from which emerging themes and sub-themes were identified. The Social Ecological Model and the Theory of Reasoned Action were applied to examine the impact of personal and contextual influences on the participants’ decision to access prevention programs. Results: Barriers to screening and vaccination included the lack of knowledge, fear of cervical cancer, fear of the side effects of the HPV vaccine, embarrassment with a physical examination, and cost. Facilitators to screening and vaccination included increased knowledge of and access to cervical cancer prevention programs, health insurance, and encouragement from healthcare providers to utilize these services. Immigration, improved knowledge, and access to Pap smear and HPV vaccines were the strongest influences of change. Conclusion: The study results show that health education and social support could significantly improve the willingness of Ghanaian immigrants to access Pap smear and HPV vaccination. These findings could serve as an outline for the implementation of related programs in Georgia, and other locations with similar high-risk populations

Rearranging equations: (concepts – misconceptions) × peer discussion

Transposition of formulae (also known as rearranging equations and changing the subject) is a skill vital for professionals in many fields of science and engineering. It is however a topic with which many students, and particularly students of weaker algebraic competency, struggle and often do not master sufficiently. This paper proposes an intervention strategy for improved teaching and learning of transposition of formulae at third level. The intervention aims to address three key issues thought to inhibit students’ understanding of the topic: (1) a lack of conceptual understanding of equations and equality, (2) prior misconceptions and (3) a fast paced learning environment that does not account for diversity in knowledge and aptitude. The strategy consists of three hour-long lesson plans that emphasise conceptual understanding while also dispelling the relevant misconceptions, using a peer discussion teaching model as a vehicle for consolidating and propagating the right concepts. To account for diversity in prior knowledge and aptitude an online tutorial on the topic of transposition has been developed using an online e-assessment platform that allows students to practice at their own pace and receive instant feedback as they progress

Role Of Digital Health Wearables In The Wellbeing And Quality Of Life Of Older People And Carers

The number of adults aged 65 and over has increased by 2% across Europe in the past 15 years, and in Northern Ireland by 22% between 2003-2013. The proportion of the population in this age group is projected to increase by 63% to just under 0.5 million by 2033 – which will be a quarter of the population in Northern Ireland. Given Northern Ireland’s Active Ageing Strategy (2015-2021), there is an increasing focus on encouraging physical activity as we get older to preserve mobility and motor skills, and to enjoy the benefits of living longer and to minimise health problems associated with ageing. Over the last two years, we have been investigating the role of wearable activity tracking technologies in self-monitoring of activity by people aged over 55. Example technologies include activity trackers from Fitbit, Garmin and Samsung, and smart watches. Typically, these devices record steps walked, sleep patterns, calories expended and heart rate. Based on empirical investigations, this policy paper describes the benefits of activity monitors for people aged over 55 for self-monitoring of physical activity, for adopting healthy lifestyles, and for increasing or maintaining physical activity as a way to avoid high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and other medical conditions associated with weight or lower physical activity. It outlines the role of activity trackers in post-operative monitoring of mobility during rehabilitation, in caring, and for possible use of the data for diagnosis and medical interventions. It then discusses the challenges for adoption of these technologies, given currently, off-the-shelf devices are designed and calibrated for use by physically fit (typically young active people) with unrealistic fitness targets for the older generation

Do Catholics have an external locus of evaluation? Inauthentic experiences of Catholic guilt in the pursuit of self-forgiveness

This two-part mixed methods study investigated emotional response to transgression and selffor-giveness in Catholic individuals in concert with locus of evaluation orientation following a hypothe-sis that Catholics may be particularly unable to find self-forgiveness in the teachings of their reli-gion. Study 1 was a qualitative semi-structured interview with a sample of 20 practicing Catholic participants. Questions focused on the emotive experiences of selfforgiveness and transgressions and the contribution that Catholic practices (prayer and reconciliation) make to the process. Data were analysed using thematic analysis which supported evidence of Catholic guilt but suggested that there may be some inauthenticity and insincerity with which penitents' approach reconciliato-ry practices. Study 2 used a sample of 239 Christian participants in groups of Catholics and Christian non-Catholics. Participants responded to two psychometric questionnaires: the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, and the Locus of Evaluation Inventory. Followed by two additional questions pertaining to self-forgiveness experiences, and one question requiring participants to prioritise types of forgiveness. The results found no difference between Catholics and non-Catholics in their response to self-forgiveness or locus of evaluation orientation. However, in non-Catholic Christians but not in Catholics, the frequency of religious practice correlated with higher total forgiveness and its subscales (including self-forgiveness), with more internal locus of evaluation, and with lower self-regard, suggesting that church attendance does not relate to the propensity for self-forgiveness in Catholic individuals

Interaction strengths and net effects in food web models

Understanding how dynamic ecological communities respond to anthropogenic drivers of change such as habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change and the introduction of alien species requires that there is a theoretical framework able to predict community dynamics. At present there is a lack of empirical data that can be used to inform and test predictive models, which means that much of our knowledge regarding the response of ecological communities to perturbations is obtained from theoretical analyses and simulations. This thesis is composed of two strands of research: an empirical experiment conducted to inform the scaling of intraspecific and interspecific interaction strengths in a three species food chain and a series of theoretical analyses on the changes to equilibrium biomass abundances following press perturbations. The empirical experiment is a consequence of the difficulties faced when parameterising the intraspecific interaction strengths in a Lotka-Volterra model. A modification of the dynamic index is used alongside the original dynamic index to estimate intraspecific interactions and interspecific interaction strengths in a three species food. The theoretical analyses focused on the effect of press perturbations to focal species on the equilibrium biomass densities of all species in the community; these perturbations allow for the quantification of a species total net effect. It was found that there is a strong and consistent positive relationship between a species body size and its total net effect for a set of 97 synthetic food webs and also for the Ythan Estuary and Tuesday Lake food webs (empirically described food webs). It is shown that ecological constraints (due to allometric scaling) on the magnitude of entries in the community matrix cause the patterns observed in the inverse community matrix and thus explain the relationship between a species body mass and its total net effect in a community