MS

thesisAs the physiological effects of smoking cigarettes constitute major health-related disease, researchers must continue to investigate and evaluate programs that attempt to decrease the adaptation of the habit. The school-based education program was conducted in a local Salt Lake City high school with a known higher incidence of smoking behavior. The intervention program was designed specifically for the adolescent with two main objectives: 1. To demonstrate the immediate negative physiological effects of smoking, and 2. To both increase awareness of the social pressures present that encourage adaptation of the smoking behavior and ways to more effectively cope with these pressures. Using the Health Belief Model as the conceptual framework, it was hypothesized that by increasing perceptions of seriousness and susceptibility to the health hazards associated with smoking, the adolescent would decide to take recommended health promotion action, not to adopt the cigarette smoking habit, and/or alter current smoking behavior. This study was divided into two equally important parts. Part I investigated the relationships between the Health Belief Model and the adolescent's smoking-related attitudes and behavior while Part II evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention program on the participant's health beliefs, smoking-related attitudes and smoking behavior. Implementing a quasiexperimental design, pre- and posttesting were administered to both the control and experimental groups. In Part I, relationships were analyzed using a Spearman Rho correlation analysis to determine association between four variables: 2) demographic data, b) perceived susceptibility, c) perceived seriousness, and d) self-esteem, as well as smoking-related attitudes and behaviors. In Part II, using an analysis of variance (ANOVA), the efficacy of the intervention upon the subjects' health beliefs (perceived seriousness and perceived susceptibility), smoking-related attitude and smoking behaviors were measured. The finding as related to Part I revealed two demographic items of importance. Significant associations between employment status and grade in school were found. Both variables correlated positively with an increase in smoking behavior. Items measuring perceived susceptibility and perceived seriousness tended to correlate together especially with reference to the physiological effects of smoking in relationship to the adolescent and his/her environment. Also, lower scores of self-esteem correlated with a higher incidence of smoking behavior. The F-statistic was found to be insignificant with respect to the significance of the intervention. Although the findings (with respect to the intervention) did not reveal statistical significance, there is clinical meaningfulness. Continued research is clearly indicated in an effort to develop smoking education programs, especially designed to meet the unique needs of the adolescent. The adaptation of the Health Belief Model as a useful clinical tool in the development of such a programs is evident

Interfacing African American Churches with Agencies and Institutions: An Expanding Continuum of Care with Partial Answers to Welfare Reform

It is unrealistic to presume that churches and other private charities can fill the void resulting from welfare reform (Sider,1995; Conniff, 1997); yet there are ways to structure an effective church- and community-based continuum of care that will help to do so. In this article African-American churches are viewed as major players. An explanation of the systems theory of isomorphic replication provides a key to understanding the success of this collaborative model, which addresses issues facing communities while building on their strengths and assets and reckoning with the challenges of working collaboratively. Recurring issues of race, culture, trust, and control are studied in various dimensions of the collaborative process, providing insight that can turn stumbling blocks into a map for creative systemic change

Exploring Students’ Perceptions and Understanding of Life-Altering Suffering: An Interview Project

Learning how to respond to others’ suffering is a significant challenge for undergraduate students in caregiving professions. An interprofessional-directed interview project related to suffering was implemented. Students (N = 247) completed a post project survey. Descriptive statistics indicated that students rated their interview-based learning experiences highly. Narrative theme analyses generated 4 main themes: a) developing self-awareness, b) expanding views of suffering, c) grasping spiritual aspects of suffering, and d) learning compassionate and supportive presence. From these preliminary findings has emerged a potential pedagogical model of suffering to prepare students to compassionately support those who suffer

Final Report: A Comparison of Three Evaluative Techniques for Validating Maintenance Documentation

Surveys and interviews reveal that general aviation manufacturers rely on user[s] to identify problems in maintenance documentation with corrections typically initiated in response to users-reported problems found in the manual;. This investigation compares techniques that manufacturers can use to improve the quality of the maintenance documentation developed by technical writing groups. The techniques, User Performance and Cognitive Walkthrough, were used to identify problems in aircraft maintenance documentation

Teaching The Soft Skills: A Professional Development Curriculum To Enhance The Employability Skills Of Business Graduates

Todays business climate requires that management recruits not only know the technical aspects of their jobs, but also possess communication, teambuilding and leadership skills. Most business school curricula, however, focus only on technical skills, and do not address the soft skills in a formal setting or on a consistent basis. As graduates compete for fewer jobs, business schools must develop creative and innovative ways to give their graduates a competitive edge. Thus, the purpose of this article is to present a curriculum that has been implemented in the business program at South Carolina State University to enhance and balance students soft skills with their intellectual development

Relationship Between Parent Involvement and Attitudes of Parents of Preschool Handicapped Children

Applied Behavioral Studie

Hanover Street: An experiment to train women in welding and carpentry

The Hanover Street Project, formally known as the United Women’s Woodworking and Welding Project, is an experiment in training women for jobs usually held only by men. Begun in 1976, this was the first such program of the Jamaica Women\u27s Bureau, established by the government during International Women\u27s Year to ensure that women participate fully in Jamaica’s development. The project demonstrated that low-income women can learn non-traditional skills and can work together to improve their lives. Through trial and error, the project is providing the Women\u27s Bureau with a wealth of information about teaching technical skills, working with other government agencies, and establishing self-sufficient cooperative structures. The lessons from this experience extend beyond Jamaica and, hopefully, will be useful to people in other countries who are addressing similar problems

Hanover Street: Un experimento de capacitacion femenina en soladadura y carpinteria

El Proyecto de Hanover Street, conocido oficialmente como United Women\u27s Woodworking and Welding Project (Proyecto de Carpintería y Soldadura de la Unión Femenina), es un experimento destinado a capacitar a un grupo de mujeres en oficios que usualmente desempeñan los hombres. Se inició en 1976 y fue el primer proyecto de esta clase de la Oficina de la Mujer Jamaiquina, una dependencia creada por el Gobierno de Jamaica durante el Año Internacional de la Mujer, para garantizar la total participación femenina en el desarrollo del país. A pesar de encontrarse aún en una etapa de desarrollo, el proyecto ha demostrado ya que mujeres de ingresos bajos pueden aprender oficios que tradicionalmente se han dejado a los hombres, y trabajar juntas para mejorar su propia vida. Los logros negatives y positives del proyecto estan suministrandole a la Oficina de la Mujer valiosas informaciones sobre la enseñanza de capacitación técnica, sobre la forma de cooperar con otras oficinas del gobierno, y sobre el establecimiento de estructuras cooperativas autosuficientes. Las lecciones aprendidas allí no benefician exclusivamente a Jamaica; se espera que serán igualmente útiles a personas de otros países que traten de resolver problemas similares. The Hanover Street Project, formally known as the United Women’s Woodworking and Welding Project, is an experiment in training women for jobs usually held only by men. Begun in 1976, this was the first such program of the Jamaica Women\u27s Bureau, established by the government during International Women\u27s Year to ensure that women participate fully in Jamaica’s development. The project demonstrated that low-income women can learn non-traditional skills and can work together to improve their lives. Through trial and error, the project is providing the Women\u27s Bureau with a wealth of information about teaching technical skills, working with other government agencies, and establishing self-sufficient cooperative structures. The lessons from this experience extend beyond Jamaica and, hopefully, will be useful to people in other countries who are addressing similar problems

The Role of Organizational Change in Health System and Payment Reform

The Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) has awarded grants to 14 Maine health organizations to date to mitigate the increasing cost of health care in Maine through innovative delivery system and payment reform strategies that preserve access, improve quality, and offer better value. As part of the evaluation of this initiative, the University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service (Muskie School) is producing a series of issue briefs that capture common themes and challenges across grantees in achieving payment reform and health system delivery change to assess lessons learned. This is the first issue brief which describes our evaluation approach and presents an analysis of the role of organizational change among grantees engaged in delivery system and payment reform