Disposition toward privacy and information disclosure in the context of emerging health technologies.

ObjectiveWe sought to present a model of privacy disposition and its development based on qualitative research on privacy considerations in the context of emerging health technologies.Materials and methodsWe spoke to 108 participants across 44 interviews and 9 focus groups to understand the range of ways in which individuals value (or do not value) control over their health information. Transcripts of interviews and focus groups were systematically coded and analyzed in ATLAS.ti for privacy considerations expressed by respondents.ResultsThree key findings from the qualitative data suggest a model of privacy disposition. First, participants described privacy related behavior as both contextual and habitual. Second, there are motivations for and deterrents to sharing personal information that do not fit into the analytical categories of risks and benefits. Third, philosophies of privacy, often described as attitudes toward privacy, should be classified as a subtype of motivation or deterrent.DiscussionThis qualitative analysis suggests a simple but potentially powerful conceptual model of privacy disposition, or what makes a person more or less private. Components of privacy disposition are identifiable and measurable through self-report and therefore amenable to operationalization and further quantitative inquiry.ConclusionsWe propose this model as the basis for a psychometric instrument that can be used to identify types of privacy dispositions, with potential applications in research, clinical practice, system design, and policy

Secondary Education Teacher Preparation Programs Should Differentiate Curriculum and Instruction for Traditional and Nontraditional Preservice Teachers

Much demand remains for teacher education programs to produce highly qualified teachers. Current trends show that almost half of today\u27s preservice teachers are considered nontraditional in terms of age and life experience. The purpose of this study was to determine whether secondary education teacher preparation programs should differentiate curriculum and instruction for traditional and nontraditional preservice teachers. Research questions incorporated four variables of professional demeanor, teaching and learning, interpersonal skills, and time management. Data was collected through a presurvey at the beginning of the student teaching semester and a postsurvey at the end of the semester, as well as an analysis of student teachers\u27 Student Teaching Assessments. Forty-three preservice student teachers responded to the presurvey; of those forty three, twenty-two responded to the postsurvey. Of those twenty-two respondents, fourteen allowed access to their Student Teaching Assessments. About half of the respondents were considered nontraditional according to their birthdates. Data was averaged and then compared using a two-sample t-test. While the sample was very small, differences between the two groups did emerge. The nontraditional group performed better on the teaching and learning part of their evaluations than the traditional group. In addition, the nontraditional group had less trouble with classroom management than the traditional group. Interestingly, while the nontraditional group managed their time better than the traditional group, they underestimated the amount of time they would spend on student-teaching tasks outside the school. Implications for future research include a retest to attempt a larger sample size, a test of elementary preservice teachers, and a test at another teacher education program. Additionally, the nontraditional group can be investigated more closely to determine whether further differentiation would be beneficial for preservice teachers who are parents or had served in the military

Perceptions of molecular epidemiology studies of HIV among stakeholders

Background: Advances in viral sequence analysis make it possible to track the spread of infectious pathogens, such as HIV, within a population. When used to study HIV, these analyses (i.e., molecular epidemiology) potentially allow inference of the identity of individual research subjects. Current privacy standards are likely insufficient for this type of public health research. To address this challenge, it will be important to understand how stakeholders feel about the benefits and risks of such research. Design and Methods: To better understand perceived benefits and risks of these research methods, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with HIV-infected individuals, individuals at high-risk for contracting HIV, and professionals in HIV care and prevention. To gather additional perspectives, attendees to a public lecture on molecular epidemiology were asked to complete an informal questionnaire. Results: Among those interviewed and polled, there was near unanimous support for using molecular epidemiology to study HIV. Questionnaires showed strong agreement about benefits of molecular epidemiology, but diverse attitudes regarding risks. Interviewees acknowledged several risks, including privacy breaches and provocation of anti-gay sentiment. The interviews also demonstrated a possibility that misunderstandings about molecular epidemiology may affect how risks and benefits are evaluated. Conclusions: While nearly all study participants agree that the benefits of HIV molecular epidemiology outweigh the risks, concerns about privacy must be addressed to ensure continued trust in research institutions and willingness to participate in research

The Discourse of Diet Books

Diet and weight loss books are perhaps the most mainstream type of self-improvement literature. They offer the possibility of improving quality of life through changing a daily activity that is both mundane and vital: eating. Today, diet books are not just for the morbidly obese, they are for anyone who would like to feel better, healthier, or more energetic. And who couldn't stand to feel better? In the last 40 years, Americans have become increasingly obsessed with healthy living and disease prevention. It is no surprise that diet books should be attractive to the general public of "scientific" information of diet and nutrition. Since the scientific revolution, popular culture has frequently co-opted and reproduced science in order to create and justify social trends. In this thesis, the author explores how people use science to make sense of daily activity. Diet books provide the reader with an opportunity to bring science into their lives and transform the common act of eating into a personal innovation based on a new technology. These books are written primarily for a certain group of people who are interested in using scientific knowledge to better themselves and their lives

Prosthetic Promises : : How Bodies, Technologies, and Selves Contribute to Amputee Identity

This dissertation is about the role of objects in social life, specifically, in the social interactions that create identity. I take a close look at the experiences of people who use prosthetic legs to delve into the details of how technological objects and bodies participate in these interactions. I argue that objects and bodies contribute to human identities and take on their own kind of object- identity in the process. This analysis also reveals changes in popular attitudes toward amputation and prosthetic technology over the last three decades. I suggest that these changes reflect wider shifts in the meaning of bodies and disability in the U.S. These changes highlight a weakness in theories of identity as a basis for inequality that is focused on stigma and deviation from cultural norms. Instead of describing norms and identities as relatively static or as arising from interactions among humans, my approach bases identity in interactions between humans and objects (including bodies), thereby accounting for the role of materiality in the construction of social identity without resorting to technological or biological determinism. Prosthetic limbs are a particularly good case to study when sorting out the role of the body in social identity. Prosthetic legs replace lost legs aesthetically and functionally, but also require daily management. These obvious and intimate interactions between humans and devices are an occasion to see how self, technology, and body relate. By taking seriously the roles of humans and non-humans, my analysis keeps sight of the ways interacting with one's own body takes wor