Trends in Contraceptive Use Among Catholics in the United States: 1988-1995

National surveys to determine trends in contraceptive use in the United States have occurred every 6 to 10 years since 1955.1,2,3 Since that time, there has been a rapid decline in the use of natural methods of family planning; a sharp rise and slow decline in the use of oral contraceptives and, in the past ten years, a major reliance on surgical sterilization for contraception. Information from these national surveys has provided useful information for contraceptive providers, policy makers, and religious groups. The method of avoiding and achieving pregnancy that is promoted and encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church is natural family planning. Since natural methods are the only methods sanctioned by the Catholic Church, an assumption could be made that contraceptive practices among Roman Catholics in the United States would substantially differ from contraceptive use by the general population. The purpose of this article is to describe the use of contraceptives by Roman Catholic women between 1988 and 1995 and to compare contraceptive use by Catholics with national trends. Information on trends in contraceptive use among Catholic women is of interest to Catholic health care providers and policy makers, natural family planning service providers, Catholic Church officials and leaders in church policy and teaching. Of note is that the authors of this article do not view methods of natural family planning as being contraceptives. Contraceptive methods, such as the pill, condoms, IUD, etc., work by either suppressing, blocking, or destroying a person\u27s fertility, or in some cases aborting the early human embryo. Methods of natural family planning, on the other hand, do not interfere with fertility, but rather utilize natural biological indicators that tell a woman when she is fertile or not. Methods of natural family planning can be used to both achieve or to avoid pregnancy

Background and Method of the Striving to be Strong Study a RCT Testing the Efficacy of a M-health Self-management Intervention

Background Osteoporosis is a prevalent and debilitating condition affecting \u3e50% of post-menopausal women. Yet, a low percentage of women regularly engage in health promoting behaviors associated with osteoporosis prevention. Complex, multidimensional, m-Health interventions hold promise to effect engagement in health behavior change related to calcium and vitamin D intake, balance, core and leg strength, and physical activity. Methods Striving to be Strong study (R01NR013913-01) tests the efficacy of a research and theory based, patient centered, dynamically tailored intervention delivered via smart phone apps. Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs) enhance immediate feedback and complement traditional measures. The desired outcomes are the maintenance of osteoporosis self-management behaviors and a decrease in the loss of bone density over time. The Individual and Family Self-management Theory provided the conceptual foundation for the study. The sample consists of 290 healthy women between the ages of 40 and 60 with an anticipated attrition of 33%. This three group repeated measures Randomized Clinical Trial spans a 12-month time period. Data collected occurs via web site, smart-phone app, self-report, observation, and measures. Proximal (engagement in osteoporosis health behaviors) and distal (serum vitamin D, DXA, and body composition) outcomes are collected for testing of the efficacy of the intervention and theory evaluation. Discussion Active and rigorous quality management processes continually evaluate enrollment and retention goals, functionality of the automated intervention delivery and data collection systems, EMAs, and dispersion of incentives

Effects of the Serial Trial Intervention on discomfort and behavior of nursing home residents with dementia

This study tested the effectiveness of the Serial Trial Intervention (STI), an innovative clinical protocol for assessment and management of unmet needs in people with late-stage dementia. A double-blinded randomized experiment was conducted in 14 nursing homes with 114 subjects. The treatment group had significantly less discomfort than the control group at posttesting and more frequently had behavioral symptoms return to baseline. The group of nurses using the STI also showed more persistence in assessing and intervening than control group nurses did. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in the use of pharmacological, but not nonpharmacological, comfort treatments. Results suggest that the STI is effective and that effective treatment of discomfort is possible for people with late-stage dementia