Creating Persuasive Health Messages: Consideration of Future Consequences and Intention to Pursue Vaccination Against Human Papillomavirus

The present study examined the responses of traditional aged college women to health messages about human papillomavirus (HPV) and the new preventative HPV vaccine, Gardasil. These health messages were temporally framed and it was hypothesized that response (i.e. intention to get vaccinated, information-seeking, and thoughts following the message) would be connected with a woman's level of consideration of future consequences (CFC) and the type of temporal frame to which she was exposed. The possible role of attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control, as defined by the Theory of Planned Behavior and Reasoned Action, as mediating factors between CFC and intention to get vaccinated was also examined. The temporal frame of a message was not found to moderate the effect of CFC on the dependent variables. While attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control did not mediate between CFC and intention to get vaccinated, these variables did significantly contribute to intention, providing support for the Theory of Planned Behavior and Reasoned Action as a useful model for predicting college women's response to health messages about the HPV vaccine. Additional analyses concerning demographic information, risk factors, knowledge about HPV and the vaccine, and responses to qualitative questions were also conducted

Factors Contributing to the Development of Posttraumatic Growth in Spouses of Breast Cancer Survivors

Factors related to the posttraumatic growth experiences of spouses of breast cancer survivors, including optimism, self-mastery, coping styles, marital satisfaction, and social support, were examined. Results indicated the existence of a positive relationship between posttraumatic growth and optimism, social support, and several coping styles, including problem-solving, reframing, seeking support, and New Directions. Posttraumatic growth was negatively related to avoidance coping. A curvilinear relationship existed between self-mastery and posttraumatic growth. The New Directions coping style and the interaction between social support and time since wife's diagnosis were also found to significantly predict posttraumatic growth. These findings contribute to a growing body of knowledge about positive growth after trauma and may have implications for future research and practice

The puzzle of non-party actors in party democracy: Independents in Ireland

It is an accepted truth that parties are the central political actors in all liberal democracies. This dominance of parties is often considered the logical outcome of rational politicians’ attempts to maximize their utility in terms of votes and policy influence. However, the last twenty years have seen a number of significant Independent (i.e. non-party) actors emerge in more than a few political systems. From an actor-centred point of view, party affiliation can, depending on the particular environment, be rather a liability than an advantage, which has significant implications for the role of non-party actors in face of weakening party democracies. To demonstrate this point, we deliver an account of the rise of Independents in the Irish political system, opposed to the dominant scholarly perspective that tends to consider Independents as an idiosyncrasy. We show that the choice of organizational independence over party affiliation represents a reaction to incentives inherent in the electoral, parliamentary and governmental stages that can disfavour party as the most efficient vehicle for individual goal attainment. This becomes evident when avoiding the misleading comparison between parties as collective bodies with that of Independents as individuals, instead focussing on the respective strategic positions of the individual MPs

Hospital mealtimes: action research for change

Poor nutritional care within the hospital setting continues despite decades of work chronicling--and measuring the problems. To address the problem changes in practice have been attempted--to improve the patients experience of mealtimes. In order to implement patient-centred mealtimes for older patients by changing the focus from institutional convenience to one that focuses on the requirements of the patients, an action research approach has been used that focuses on action and change, and thus appears to have much to offer those who seek to change practice. The present paper focuses on the first two phases in a three-phase approach. In phase--one the nature of everyday mealtime care and the wider context are explored using focus groups, interviews and observations. The data fall into three main themes that all impact on patients experiences of mealtimes: institutional and organisational constraints; mealtime care and nursing priorities; eating environment. Following feedback of phase 1 findings to staff and identification of areas of concern a model of practice development was selected to guide the change process of the second phase. Changes to mealtime nursing practice and the ward environment have been made, indicating that action research has the potential to improve the mealtime care of patients

A simulated single ventilator/dual patient ventilation strategy for acute respiratory distress syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic

The potential for acute shortages of ventilators at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised the possibility of needing to support two patients from a single ventilator. To provide a system for understanding and prototyping designs, we have developed a mathematical model of two patients supported by a mechanical ventilator. We propose a standard set-up where we simulate the introduction of T-splitters to supply air to two patients and a modified set-up where we introduce a variable resistance in each inhalation pathway and one-way valves in each exhalation pathway. Using the standard set-up, we demonstrate that ventilating two patients with mismatched lung compliances from a single ventilator will lead to clinically significant reductions in tidal volume in the patient with the lowest respiratory compliance. Using the modified set-up, we demonstrate that it could be possible to achieve the same tidal volumes in two patients with mismatched lung compliances, and we show that the tidal volume of one patient can be manipulated independently of the other. The results indicate that, with appropriate modifications, two patients could be supported from a single ventilator with independent control of tidal volumes