76 FR 8846 - Proposed Information Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires-Group 1) Activity: Comment...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-15

... Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires--Group 1) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... Lymphatic Conditions, Including Leukemia Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960B-2. b. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960C-2. c...

76 FR 33029 - Agency Information Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires-Group 1) Under OMB Review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-07

... Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires--Group 1) Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960B-2. b. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960C-2. c. Peripheral Nerve Conditions (Not Including Diabetic...

76 FR 35950 - Agency Information Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires-Group 3) Activity Under OMB Review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-20

... Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires--Group 3) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960C-5. b. Headaches (Including Migraine Headaches), Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960C-8. c. Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21...

76 FR 33417 - Agency Information Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires-Group 2) Activity Under OMB Review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-08

... Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires--Group 2) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960A-2. b. Hypertension Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21- 0960A-3. c. Non-ischemic Heart Disease (including Arrhythmias and Surgery, Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA...

The Classroom Environment Questionnaire (CEQ): Development and preliminary structural validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Carissa; Brown, Ted; Bourke-Taylor, Helen

2018-04-16

Occupational therapists offer a unique perspective regarding the contribution of the environment to occupational performance. Therefore, a scale that measures the unique characteristics of the primary school classroom environment where children complete their daily schoolwork occupations is needed. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate a new teacher-report questionnaire that measures a number of environmental characteristics of primary school classrooms. Participants (N = 117) completed the Classroom Environment Questionnaire (CEQ), which utilises a 4-point Likert scale where teachers rate 51 environmental characteristics of their classroom. Teachers also rate the extent to which they believe the physical, social, temporal, institutional and cultural classroom environmental domains contribute to students' schoolwork performance using a 10-point scale. The structural validity of the CEQ was examined using principal component analysis (PCA). Inter-item correlations were examined using Pearson r correlations, while the internal consistency of the CEQ was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. PCA revealed the CEQ to be multidimensional, with 31 items loading onto nine viable factors, representing the unique nature of classroom environments. Based on the PCA results, 20 items were removed from the CEQ. Cronbach's alpha and correlation analysis indicated that most CEQ subsections had acceptable internal consistency (alpha range 0.70-0.82), with four subsections demonstrating a lower level of internal consistency (alpha range 0.55-0.69). Preliminary structural validity and internal consistency analysis findings confirm that the CEQ has potential to be a useful scale for professionals wishing to examine the unique characteristics of primary school classrooms that influence the occupational performance of students. Ongoing analyses will be undertaken to further explore the CEQ's validity and reliability. © 2018 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Questionnaire survey report on measurement of radioactivity in working environment of radioisotopes facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawano, Takao; Nomura, Kiyoshi

2008-01-01

To look over the current measurement of radioactivity concentration in working environment of many radioisotopes facilities, a questionnaire survey was carried out under the auspices of the Planning Committee of the Japan Society of Radiation Safety Management. 64 responses were obtained in 128 radiation facilities, which the questionnaires were sent to. The main results were obtained by aggregate analysis of the answers for questionnaires as the followings. Major nuclides subject to measurement were 3 H, 14 C, 32 P and 125 I Sampling of radioisotopes in air was mainly performed using collectors like dust samplers and HC-collectors. Liquid scintillation counters and gamma counters were used to measure β and γ radioactivity contained in airborne particles or gas samples. Contamination by radioactivity was not detected in 55% facilities surveyed, but in 40% facilities at the same level as or at lower levels than a hundredth part of the regulated concentration limit of each nuclide. Almost all facilities is found to consider that the measurement of radioactivity concentration in working environments is not always necessary. (author)

Psychometric Properties of the Croatian Language Version of the Dental Environment Stress Questionnaire on Dental Medicine Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Laktić, Martina; Kuftinec, Krešimir; Čelebić, Asja; Kovačić, Ines; Alhajj, Mohamed Nasser; Kiršić, Sanja Peršić

2017-09-01

To develop the Croatian version of the 41-item Dental Environment Stress questionnaire (DES) for stress assessment of dental students in both, preclinical and clinical years of study and to test its psychometric properties in Croatian dental student population. The English version of the 41-Item DES questionnaire was first translated into the Croatian language. Subsequently, it was set on the google drive and filled out by a total of 202 students from the School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb and 30 additional students from other Faculties. Students also assessed their overall level of stress on the Likert scale (1=no stress, 5=highest level of stress). Internal consistency was tested on 202 dental students; test-retest reliability on 30 dental students who filled out the same questionnaire twice; convergent validity on 202 dental students; and divergent validity on 202 dental students and 30 students from faculties not belonging to the biomedicine group. Internal consistency showed high Cronbach alpha coefficient (0.9) and test-retest reliability showed no significant difference (P>0.05) within the period of 14 days when stress level had not changed (vacation). Convergent validity was confirmed by the significant association between the DES summary scores and the self- perceived level of stress (Spearman's rho=0.881; P <0.001). Divergent validity was confirmed by significantly lower DES summary scores in students not belonging to the Biomedicine group (t=7.5, P<0.001). Excellent psychometric properties of the Croatian version of the DES questionnaire enable its utilization for assessment of stress level in Croatian dental students.

76 FR 61149 - Agency Information Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires-Group 4) Activity Under OMB Review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-03

... Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires--Group 4) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... INFORMATION: Titles: Cranial Nerve Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21- 0960C3. Narcolepsy Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960C6. Fibromyalgia Disability Benefits...

Virtual reality sickness questionnaire (VRSQ): Motion sickness measurement index in a virtual reality environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun K; Park, Jaehyun; Choi, Yeongcheol; Choe, Mungyeong

2018-05-01

This study aims to develop a motion sickness measurement index in a virtual reality (VR) environment. The VR market is in an early stage of market formation and technological development, and thus, research on the side effects of VR devices such as simulator motion sickness is lacking. In this study, we used the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ), which has been traditionally used for simulator motion sickness measurement. To measure the motion sickness in a VR environment, 24 users performed target selection tasks using a VR device. The SSQ was administered immediately after each task, and the order of work was determined using the Latin square design. The existing SSQ was revised to develop a VR sickness questionnaire, which is used as the measurement index in a VR environment. In addition, the target selection method and button size were found to be significant factors that affect motion sickness in a VR environment. The results of this study are expected to be used for measuring and designing simulator sickness using VR devices in future studies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychometric Properties of the Croatian Language Version of the Dental Environment Stress Questionnaire on Dental Medicine Students

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Martina Laktić

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To develop the Croatian version of the 41-item Dental Environment Stress questionnaire (DES for stress assessment of dental students in both, preclinical and clinical years of study and to test its psychometric properties in Croatian dental student population. Materials and Methods: The English version of the 41-Item DES questionnaire was first translated into the Croatian language. Subsequently, it was set on the google drive and filled out by a total of 202 students from the School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb and 30 additional students from other Faculties. Students also assessed their overall level of stress on the Likert scale (1=no stress, 5=highest level of stress. Internal consistency was tested on 202 dental students; test-retest reliability on 30 dental students who filled out the same questionnaire twice; convergent validity on 202 dental students; and divergent validity on 202 dental students and 30 students from faculties not belonging to the biomedicine group. Results: Internal consistency showed high Cronbach alpha coefficient (0.9 and test-retest reliability showed no significant difference (P>0.05 within the period of 14 days when stress level had not changed (vacation. Convergent validity was confirmed by the significant association between the DES summary scores and the self- perceived level of stress (Spearman’s rho=0.881; P<0.001. Divergent validity was confirmed by significantly lower DES summary scores in students not belonging to the Biomedicine group (t=7.5, P<0.001. Conclusion: Excellent psychometric properties of the Croatian version of the DES questionnaire enable its utilization for assessment of stress level in Croatian dental students.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Ambulatory Care Learning Educational Environment Measure (ACLEEM) questionnaire, Shiraz, Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Parvizi, Mohammad Mahdi; Amini, Mitra; Dehghani, Mohammad Reza; Jafari, Peyman; Parvizi, Zahra

2016-01-01

Evaluation is the main component in design and implementation of educational activities and rapid growth of educational institution programs. Outpatient medical education and clinical training environment is one of the most important parts of training of medical residents. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of Ambulatory Care Learning Educational Environment Measure (ACLEEM) questionnaire, as an instrument for assessment of educational environments in residency medical clinics. This study was performed on 180 residents in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, in 2014-2015. The questionnaire designers' electronic permission (by email) and the residents' verbal consent were obtained before distributing the questionnaires. The study data were gathered using ACLEEM questionnaire developed by Arnoldo Riquelme in 2013. The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software, version 14, and MedCalc ® software. Then, the construct validity, including convergent and discriminant validities, of the Persian version of ACLEEM questionnaire was assessed. Its internal consistency was also checked by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Five team members who were experts in medical education were consulted to test the cultural adaptation, linguistic equivalency, and content validity of the Persian version of the questionnaire. Content validity indexes were >0.9 in all items. In factor analysis of the instrument, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index was 0.928 and Barlett's sphericity test yielded the following results: X 2 =6,717.551, df =1,225, and P ≤0.001. Besides, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of ACLEEM questionnaire was 0.964. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were also >0.80 in all the three domains of the questionnaire. Overall, the Persian version of ACLEEM showed excellent convergent validity and acceptable discriminant validity, except for the clinical training domain. According to the results, the Persian version of

Translation and adaptation of a questionnaire to assess the group processes of rehabilitation team conferences

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roelofsen, E.E.; Lankhorst, G.J.; Bouter, L.M.

2001-01-01

Objective: To investigate the internal consistency, the domain structure and the influence of social desirability with regard to a questionnaire translated and adapted to assess the quality of rehabilitation team conferences in the Netherlands. Study design: A questionnaire to determine group

FOCUS-GROUP AND ITS IMPACT IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE OF MARKETING RESEARCH ON THE ROMANIAN CAR MARKET

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MANEA Constantin

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Designing a questionnaire is the most profound activity which makes an impact on a research in marketing. The investigation instrument finally determines the quality of this type of research. Never will a market research be able to exceed its questionnaire in point of quality. The present contribution succinctly itemizes a research project for the Romanian car market, emphasizing the importance of focus group, and appends, at the end, the concrete result, applied to the Romanian car market. The first part describes the hypotheses and sets out the objectives of the research, focusing on the market leader, i.e. Automobile Dacia Renault. The second section describes the practical process of designing the questionnaire, with a special stress laid on the impact of focus-group in the final version. The synthesis of focus group is materialized through a number of final remarks on the manner of concretely writing the questionnaire, which was put to practical use on the Romanian car market.

Psychometric analyses and internal consistency of the PHEEM questionnaire to measure the clinical learning environment in the clerkship of a Medical School in Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

Riquelme, Arnoldo; Herrera, Cristian; Aranis, Carolina; Oporto, Jorge; Padilla, Oslando

2009-06-01

The Spanish version of the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) was evaluated in this study to determine its psychometric properties, validity and internal consistency to measure the clinical learning environment in the hospital setting of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Medical School's Internship. The 40-item PHEEM questionnaire was translated from English to Spanish and retranslated to English. Content validity was tested by a focus group and minor differences in meaning were adjusted. The PHEEM was administered to clerks in years 6 and 7. Construct validity was carried out using exploratory factor analysis followed by a Varimax rotation. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha. A total of 125 out of 220 students responded to the PHEEM. The overall response rate was 56.8% and compliances with each item ranged from 99.2% to 100%. Analyses indicate that five factors instrument accounting for 58% of the variance and internal consistency of the 40-item questionnaire is 0.955 (Cronbach's alpha). The 40-item questionnaire had a mean score of 98.21 +/- 21.2 (maximum score of 160). The Spanish version of PHEEM is a multidimensional, valid and highly reliable instrument measuring the educational environment among undergraduate medical students working in hospital-based clerkships.

Systematic review on measurement properties of questionnaires assessing the neighbourhood environment in the context of youth physical activity behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Reimers, Anne K; Mess, Filip; Bucksch, Jens; Jekauc, Darko; Woll, Alexander

2013-05-11

High-quality measurement instruments for assessing the neighbourhood environment are a prerequisite for identifying associations between the neighbourhood environment and a person's physical activity. The aim of this systematic review was to identify reliable and valid questionnaires assessing neighbourhood environmental attributes in the context of physical activity behaviours in children and adolescents. In addition, current gaps and best practice models in instrumentation and their evaluation are discussed. We conducted a systematic literature search using six databases (Web of Science, Medline, TRID, SportDISCUS, PsycARTICLES and PsycINFO). Two independent reviewers screened the identified English-language peer-reviewed journal articles. Only studies examining the measurement properties of self- or proxy-report questionnaires on any aspects of the neighbourhood environment in children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the COSMIN checklists. We identified 13 questionnaires on attributes of the neighbourhood environment. Most of these studies were conducted in the United States (n = 7). Eight studies evaluated self-report measures, two studies evaluated parent-report measures and three studies included both administration types. While eight studies had poor methodological quality, we identified three questionnaires with substantial test-retest reliability and two questionnaires with acceptable convergent validity based on sufficient evidential basis. Based on the results of this review, we recommend that cross-culturally adapted questionnaires should be used and that existing questionnaires should be evaluated especially in diverse samples and in countries other than the United States. Further, high-quality studies on measurement properties should be promoted and measurement models (formative vs. reflexive) should be specified to ensure that appropriate methods for psychometric

Group Modeling in Social Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Stankov, Slavomir; Glavinic, Vlado; Krpan, Divna

2012-01-01

Students' collaboration while learning could provide better learning environments. Collaboration assumes social interactions which occur in student groups. Social theories emphasize positive influence of such interactions on learning. In order to create an appropriate learning environment that enables social interactions, it is important to…

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Ambulatory Care Learning Educational Environment Measure (ACLEEM questionnaire, Shiraz, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parvizi MM

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Mohammad Mahdi Parvizi,1,2 Mitra Amini,2 Mohammad Reza Dehghani,2 Peyman Jafari,3 Zahra Parvizi,1 1Health Policy Research Center, 2Quality Improvement in Clinical Education Research Center, 3Department of Biostatistics, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Fars, Iran Purpose: Evaluation is the main component in design and implementation of educational activities and rapid growth of educational institution programs. Outpatient medical education and clinical training environment is one of the most important parts of training of medical residents. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of Ambulatory Care Learning Educational Environment Measure (ACLEEM questionnaire, as an instrument for assessment of educational environments in residency medical clinics. Materials and methods: This study was performed on 180 residents in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, in 2014–2015. The questionnaire designers’ electronic permission (by email and the residents’ verbal consent were obtained before distributing the questionnaires. The study data were gathered using ACLEEM questionnaire developed by Arnoldo Riquelme in 2013. The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software, version 14, and MedCalc® software. Then, the construct validity, including convergent and discriminant validities, of the Persian version of ACLEEM questionnaire was assessed. Its internal consistency was also checked by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results: Five team members who were experts in medical education were consulted to test the cultural adaptation, linguistic equivalency, and content validity of the Persian version of the questionnaire. Content validity indexes were >0.9 in all items. In factor analysis of the instrument, the ­Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin index was 0.928 and Barlett’s sphericity test yielded the following results: X 2=6,717.551, df =1,225, and P ≤0.001. Besides, Cronbach�

WWW-based environments for collaborative group work

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Collis, Betty

1998-01-01

Since 1994, we have been involved in the design and use of a series of WWW-based environments to support collaborative group work for students in a technical university in The Netherlands. These environments, and the course re-design that accompanies each new environment, began in April 1994 and

Walking for Well-Being: Are Group Walks in Certain Types of Natural Environments Better for Well-Being than Group Walks in Urban Environments?

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Sara L. Warber

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The benefits of walking in natural environments for well-being are increasingly understood. However, less well known are the impacts different types of natural environments have on psychological and emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study investigated whether group walks in specific types of natural environments were associated with greater psychological and emotional well-being compared to group walks in urban environments. Individuals who frequently attended a walking group once a week or more (n = 708 were surveyed on mental well-being (Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, depression (Major Depressive Inventory, perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale and emotional well-being (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Compared to group walks in urban environments, group walks in farmland were significantly associated with less perceived stress and negative affect, and greater mental well-being. Group walks in green corridors were significantly associated with less perceived stress and negative affect. There were no significant differences between the effect of any environment types on depression or positive affect. Outdoor walking group programs could be endorsed through “green prescriptions” to improve psychological and emotional well-being, as well as physical activity.

The Parenting Questionnaire: An Inventory for Assessing Outcomes of Adlerian Parent Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiffany, Jeanne; Tollefson, Nona

This study field tests and evaluates the Parenting Questionnaire, an instrument designed to assess parental attitudes and behavior, based on the child-raising theories of Dreikurs and Dinkmeyer and the Adlerian model for parent study groups. Dreikurs and Adler stress the purposive nature of children's behavior or misbehavior, and teach parents to…

Dioxins: validation of food frequency questionnaire and intake in a group of adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Zając, Joanna; Skop-Lewandowska, Agata; Helbin, Jadwiga; Potocki, Artur

2017-09-21

A lot of has been heard about dioxins and dioxins-like compounds. These molecules are typically connected in public awareness with affairs. The main source of dioxins for humans is food (90% of typical exposition); thus, assessment of dioxins intake and monitoring of levels of dioxins in food remain an important issue. The aim of the presented work was checking the reproducibility of the authors' semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, focusing on products that may contain dioxins and related compounds among adolescents. The uptake of these compounds was also assessed using obtained data. For survey purposes, an album of food products from the questionnaire was constructed. A modified semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was constructed and distributed twice in a 2-week time span among 55, 15-year-old, students of secondary schools. The correlation coefficient for both declared frequencies and assessed amounts in the case of the majority of food items was above 0.70. The average assessed intake of dioxins and related compounds was 1.57pgWHO-TEQ/kg body weight per day, and 1.85 pgWHO-TEQ/kg body weight per day, during test and retest, respectively. The modified semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire is a reproducible tool that can be used for adolescents. Average intake in the analyzed group was lower than the Tolerable Daily Intake, but in contrast to other countries remains one of the highest intakes in a comparable age group. The main sources of dioxins exposition were fish (38%), and meat products.

Management of infection during chemotherapy for acute leukemia in Japan: a nationwide questionnaire-based survey by the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, Shun-Ichi; Fujita, Hiroyuki; Kato, Hideaki; Hiramoto, Nobuhiro; Hosono, Naoko; Takahashi, Tsutomu; Shigeno, Kazuyuki; Hatsumi, Naoko; Minamiguchi, Hitoshi; Miyatake, Junichi; Handa, Hiroshi; Akiyama, Nobu; Kanda, Yoshinobu; Yoshida, Minoru; Kiyoi, Hitoshi; Miyazaki, Yasushi; Naoe, Tomoki

2017-11-01

We performed a nationwide questionnaire-based survey to evaluate the current clinical practices of infectious complications during chemotherapy for acute leukemia in Japan. We e-mailed a questionnaire to member institutions of the Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group in September, 2013. The questionnaire consisted of 50 multiple-choice questions covering therapeutic environment, antimicrobial prophylaxis, screening test during neutropenia, empirical therapy for febrile neutropenia, and the use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. The results were compared to those of previous surveys conducted in 2001 and 2007, and also to the recommendations described in the guidelines. Usable responses were received from 141 out of 222 (63.5%) institutions. Chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia was performed in protective environment in 90% of the institutions, which increased compared to previous survey (76%). Fluoroquinolones and fluconazole were the most commonly used antimicrobial agents for antibacterial and antifungal prophylaxis, followed by sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and itraconazole, respectively. In empirical therapy for febrile neutropenia, monotherapy with β-lactum antibiotics was the first-line therapy in most of the institutions. While empirical antifungal therapy was adopted for persistent fever in more than half of the institutions, preemptive/presumptive therapy was also used in approximately 40% of the institutions. Most of the clinicians were reluctant to use granulocyte-colony stimulating factor routinely in chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. This study clarified the current clinical practices of infectious complications during chemotherapy for acute leukemia and would provide important information for the development of a suitable guideline in Japan.

Active Mobility and Environment: A Pilot Qualitative Study for the Design of a New Questionnaire.

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Franck Hess

Full Text Available It is generally accepted that active mobility, mainly walking and cycling, contributes to people's physical and mental health. One of the current challenges is to improve our understanding of this type of behaviour. This study aims to identify factors from the daily-life environment that may be related to active mobility behaviours, in order to design a new questionnaire for a quantitative study of a large adult population. The new questionnaire obtained through this pilot study combines information from interviews with existing questionnaires materials in order to introduce new factors while retaining the factors already assessed. This approach comprises three stages. The first was a content analysis (Reinert method of interviews with a sample of participants about daily living activities as well as mobility. This stage led to a typology of factors suggested by interviews. The second was a scoping review of the literature in order to identify the active mobility questionnaires currently used in international literature. The last stage was a cross-tabulation of the factors resulting from the written interviews and the questionnaires. A table of the inter-relationships between the interview-based typology and the questionnaires shows discrepancies between factors considered by the existing questionnaires, and factors coming from individual interviews. Independent factors which were ignored in or absent from the questionnaires are the housing situation within the urban structure, overall consideration of the activity space beyond the limits of the residential neighbourhood, the perception of all the transportation modes, and the time scheduling impacting the modes actually used. Our new questionnaire integrates both the usual factors and the new factors that may be related to active mobility behaviours.

Active Mobility and Environment: A Pilot Qualitative Study for the Design of a New Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Franck; Salze, Paul; Weber, Christiane; Feuillet, Thierry; Charreire, Hélène; Menai, Mehdi; Perchoux, Camille; Nazare, Julie-Anne; Simon, Chantal; Oppert, Jean-Michel; Enaux, Christophe

2017-01-01

It is generally accepted that active mobility, mainly walking and cycling, contributes to people's physical and mental health. One of the current challenges is to improve our understanding of this type of behaviour. This study aims to identify factors from the daily-life environment that may be related to active mobility behaviours, in order to design a new questionnaire for a quantitative study of a large adult population. The new questionnaire obtained through this pilot study combines information from interviews with existing questionnaires materials in order to introduce new factors while retaining the factors already assessed. This approach comprises three stages. The first was a content analysis (Reinert method) of interviews with a sample of participants about daily living activities as well as mobility. This stage led to a typology of factors suggested by interviews. The second was a scoping review of the literature in order to identify the active mobility questionnaires currently used in international literature. The last stage was a cross-tabulation of the factors resulting from the written interviews and the questionnaires. A table of the inter-relationships between the interview-based typology and the questionnaires shows discrepancies between factors considered by the existing questionnaires, and factors coming from individual interviews. Independent factors which were ignored in or absent from the questionnaires are the housing situation within the urban structure, overall consideration of the activity space beyond the limits of the residential neighbourhood, the perception of all the transportation modes, and the time scheduling impacting the modes actually used. Our new questionnaire integrates both the usual factors and the new factors that may be related to active mobility behaviours.

Nepalese undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of the clinical learning environment, supervision and nurse teachers: A questionnaire survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Nepal, Bijeta; Taketomi, Kikuko; Ito, Yoichi M; Kohanawa, Masashi; Kawabata, Hidenobu; Tanaka, Michiko; Otaki, Junji

2016-04-01

Clinical practice enables nursing students to acquire essential professional skills, but little is known about nursing students' perceptions of the clinical learning environment (CLE) in Nepal. To examine Nepalese nursing students' perceptions regarding the CLE and supervision. A cross-sectional questionnaire design was used. Government and private hospitals in Nepal where the undergraduate nursing college students undertook their clinical practice. Students with clinical practice experience were recruited from years 2-4 of the B.Sc. nursing program in Nepal (n=350). The final sample comprised 263 students. A self-administered questionnaire including demographic characteristics, latest clinical practice site, and general satisfaction was administered February-March 2014. The previously validated Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher evaluation scale was used in the questionnaire. The analytical approach used exploratory factor analysis, assessments of the scale and sub-dimension reliability, correlations of factors between scale sub-dimensions, and multiple regression analysis. Students' practicum satisfaction level at government hospitals was significantly higher than those at private hospitals (prelationship between satisfaction and pedagogical atmosphere (ppedagogical atmosphere. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validity test of the IPD-Work consortium approach for creating comparable job strain groups between Job Content Questionnaire and Demand-Control Questionnaire

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Bongkyoo Choi

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This study aims to test the validity of the IPD-Work Consortium approach for creating comparable job strain groups between the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ and the Demand-Control Questionnaire (DCQ. Material and Methods: A random population sample (N = 682 of all middle-aged Malmö males and females was given a questionnaire with the 14-item JCQ and 11-item DCQ for the job control and job demands. The JCQ job control and job demands scores were calculated in 3 different ways: using the 14-item JCQ standard scale formulas (method 1; dropping 3 job control items and using the 11-item JCQ standard scale formulas with additional scale weights (method 2; and the approach of the IPD Group (method 3, dropping 3 job control items, but using the simple 11-item summation-based scale formulas. The high job strain was defined as a combination of high demands and low control. Results: Between the 2 questionnaires, false negatives for the high job strain were much greater than false positives (37–49% vs. 7–13%. When the method 3 was applied, the sensitivity of the JCQ for the high job strain against the DCQ was lowest (0.51 vs. 0.60–0.63 when the methods 1 and 2 were applied, although the specificity was highest (0.93 vs. 0.87–0.89 when the methods 1 and 2 were applied. The prevalence of the high job strain with the JCQ (the method 3 was applied was considerably lower (4–7% than with the JCQ (the methods 1 and 2 were applied and the DCQ. The number of congruent cases for the high job strain between the 2 questionnaires was smallest when the method 3 was applied. Conclusions: The IPD-Work Consortium approach showed 2 major weaknesses to be used for epidemiological studies on the high job strain and health outcomes as compared to the standard JCQ methods: the greater misclassification of the high job strain and lower prevalence of the high job strain.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of the Educational Learning Environment in Pediatric and Maternity Courses Using DREEM Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Abusaad, Fawzia El Sayed; Mohamed, Hanan El-Sayed; El-Gilany, Abdel-Hady

2015-01-01

Background: Educational surroundings is one of the most vital factors in figuring out the fulfillment of an powerful curriculum and gaining of knowledge. Aim: To compare students' perceptions of the academic learning environment in Pediatric and Maternity courses using DREEM Questionnaire. Design: This is a comparative study. Subjects: Five…

Validação do Questionário de Ambiente de Grupo (GEQ para a língua portuguesa Validation of the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ for Portuguese language

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José Roberto Andrade do Nascimento Junior

2012-12-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste estudo foi traduzir o Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ para a língua portuguesa e verificar sua validade por meio da análise fatorial confirmatória, consistência interna e fidedignidade teste-reteste. Participaram do estudo sete profissionais (quatro tradutores e três professores doutores em Psicologia do Esporte e 502 atletas de modalidades coletivas do estado do Paraná. A versão na língua portuguesa foi obtida por meio do método de tradução cross-cultural. Para a análise dos dados, utilizaram-se a análise fatorial confirmatória, o alfa de Cronbach e o coeficiente de correlação intraclasses. Os resultados evidenciaram que a versão para a língua portuguesa contém questões claras e pertinentes, apresentando o Coeficiente de Validade de Conteúdo (CVCt > 0,70; apresenta consistência interna satisfatória (r>0,70 e fidedignidade teste-reteste aceitável (r > 0,80. A análise fatorial confirmatória demonstrou que os itens 2 ("Eu estou feliz com a quantidade de tempo que tenho jogado" e 5 ("Alguns dos meus melhores amigos estão nesta equipe" não apresentaram confiabilidade individual aceitável, sendo assim excluídos. O modelo com 16 itens apresentou índices de ajustamento satisfatórios de validade fatorial confirmatória. Concluiu-se que a versão brasileira do GEQ demonstrou boas características psicométricas e se mostrou válida para avaliar a coesão de grupo em equipes esportivas.This study aimed to translate the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ to the Portuguese language and check its validity by validating the items through confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of this version. The subjects were seven professionals (four translators and three doctors in Sport Psychology and 502 athletes of different kinds of collective sports of the state of Paraná. The Portuguese version was obtained from the method of cross-cultural translation. For data analysis

Parental child-care practices of Slovenian preschoolers' mothers and fathers: The Family Environment Questionnaire

OpenAIRE

Maja Zupančič; Anja Podlesek; Tina Kavčič

2004-01-01

The paper reviews evidence on the construct validity and reliability of the newly developed Family Environment Questionnaire (FEQ), and presents data on the structure of socialisation practices the Slovenian parents use in daily interactions with their three-year-old children. The FEQ is a parent report measure designed to provide an assessment of individual differences in parental practices that are representative among the parents of preschool children in the given cultural community. Facto...

Validity test of the IPD-Work consortium approach for creating comparable job strain groups between Job Content Questionnaire and Demand-Control Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Bongkyoo; Ko, Sangbaek; Ostergren, Per-Olof

2015-01-01

This study aims to test the validity of the IPD-Work Consortium approach for creating comparable job strain groups between the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Demand-Control Questionnaire (DCQ). A random population sample (N = 682) of all middle-aged Malmö males and females was given a questionnaire with the 14-item JCQ and 11-item DCQ for the job control and job demands. The JCQ job control and job demands scores were calculated in 3 different ways: using the 14-item JCQ standard scale formulas (method 1); dropping 3 job control items and using the 11-item JCQ standard scale formulas with additional scale weights (method 2); and the approach of the IPD Group (method 3), dropping 3 job control items, but using the simple 11-item summation-based scale formulas. The high job strain was defined as a combination of high demands and low control. Between the 2 questionnaires, false negatives for the high job strain were much greater than false positives (37-49% vs. 7-13%). When the method 3 was applied, the sensitivity of the JCQ for the high job strain against the DCQ was lowest (0.51 vs. 0.60-0.63 when the methods 1 and 2 were applied), although the specificity was highest (0.93 vs. 0.87-0.89 when the methods 1 and 2 were applied). The prevalence of the high job strain with the JCQ (the method 3 was applied) was considerably lower (4-7%) than with the JCQ (the methods 1 and 2 were applied) and the DCQ. The number of congruent cases for the high job strain between the 2 questionnaires was smallest when the method 3 was applied. The IPD-Work Consortium approach showed 2 major weaknesses to be used for epidemiological studies on the high job strain and health outcomes as compared to the standard JCQ methods: the greater misclassification of the high job strain and lower prevalence of the high job strain. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Factor Validity of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) in Asynchronous Online Learning Environments (AOLE)

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Moon-Heum; Summers, Jessica

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor validity of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) in asynchronous online learning environments. In order to check the factor validity, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with 193 cases. Using CFA, it was found that the original measurement model fit for…

DREEM and beyond; studies of the educational environment as a means for its enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Whittle, S R; Whelan, B; Murdoch-Eaton, D G

2007-05-01

Educational environment makes an important contribution to student learning. The DREEM (Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure) questionnaire is a validated instrument for assessing educational environment, but used alone it has little value for identifying means of remediation of poor aspects of environment. This study used qualitative analysis, in association with the DREEM questionnaire, to evaluate the educational environment across all five years of a large undergraduate medical school, and identify areas for change to enhance student experience. The DREEM questionnaire was administered to 968 undergraduate students, together with an open question asking for suggested changes to current medical school practices. Items of concern highlighted by this study were further defined through qualitative analysis, using focus groups, email questionnaires and introduction of Stressful Incident reporting. Through responses to the open question, two items with low scores on the DREEM questionnaire were identified as requiring remediation. Focus groups and email questionnaires were used to define the underlying causes of poor scores, which varied by student year group. Stress resulting from experiences on clinical placement was highlighted by some students, but on closer investigation found to be rare. Remedial steps to improve student support are described. The qualitative data have substantially enhanced questionnaire interpretation, and allowed actions to address common causes for student dissatisfaction to be undertaken. This combined methodology is recommended to other institutions wishing to improve the educational environment, and thus the overall quality of educational provision.

Grouping of Items in Mobile Web Questionnaires

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Mavletova, Aigul; Couper, Mick P.

2016-01-01

There is some evidence that a scrolling design may reduce breakoffs in mobile web surveys compared to a paging design, but there is little empirical evidence to guide the choice of the optimal number of items per page. We investigate the effect of the number of items presented on a page on data quality in two types of questionnaires: with or…

Measurement Equivalence across Racial/Ethnic Groups of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for Childhood Depression

Science.gov (United States)

Banh, My K.; Crane, Paul K.; Rhew, Isaac; Gudmundsen, Gretchen; Stoep, Ann Vander; Lyon, Aaron; McCauley, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

As research continues to document differences in the prevalence of mental health problems such as depression across racial/ethnic groups, the issue of measurement equivalence becomes increasingly important to address. The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) is a widely used screening tool for child and adolescent depression. This study applied a…

The physical environment of positive places: Exploring differences between age groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Laatikainen, Tiina E; Broberg, Anna; Kyttä, Marketta

2017-02-01

Features of the physical environment have an impact on the human behaviour. Thus, planners and policymakers around the world should aim at providing environments that are perceived as being of good quality, in which the residents enjoy spending time and moving around in. It is widely acknowledged that urban environmental quality associates with well-being, but there is currently very little research examining which features of urban environments people of different ages perceive as appealing in their living environments. Individuals experience different age-related developmental environments throughout their life course. Thus, the usage and perceptions of different spaces can also differ between various age groups. Public Participation GIS datasets collected in 2009 and 2011 in Helsinki Metropolitan Area were used to study places perceived as being positive by adults (n=3119) and children (n=672). Participants marked points on a map that were overlaid with GIS data to study whether the physical environment of positive places of different age groups differed. The results demonstrated that the physical environment differs significantly in the positive places of different age groups. The places of adult age groups were characterized by green, blue and commercial spaces, whereas sports, residential and commercial spaces characterize children's and adolescents' places. Older adults' places were found to be closest to home, while adolescents' places were the most distant. Providing appealing environments for all age groups in one setting remains problematic but should nevertheless be strived for, especially in the urban context where a constant competition over different usages of space occurs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Responses to task 1 questionnaire of INFCE Working Group 6 supplied by participating states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Responses to Task 1 Questionnaire of INFCE Working Group 6 supplied by participating states (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USSR, United Kingdom, United States, Yugoslavia). Data and information are given on nuclear power forecast, spent fuel requirements for AR and AFR storage, current programmes for storage, future spent fuel disposition plans and transport

The Loneliness Questionnaire: Establishing Measurement Invariance Across Ethnic Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchwood, Tiarney D; Ebesutani, Chad K; Chin, Eu Gene; Young, John

2017-09-01

A state of loneliness describes an individual's perception of having dissatisfying social connections to others. Though it is notable across the life span, it may have particularly deleterious effects in childhood and adolescence, leading to increased risk of emotional impairment. The current study evaluates a widely used test of loneliness, the Loneliness Questionnaire, for measurement invariance across ethnic groups in a large, representative sample of youth in the 2nd to 12th grades ( N = 12,344; 41% African American) in Mississippi. Analyses were conducted using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis following a published, sequential method to examine invariance in form, factor loadings, and item intercepts. Overall, our results indicated that the instrument was invariant across ethnicities, suggesting that youth with equivalent manifest scores can be discerned as having comparable levels of latent loneliness. The loneliness scores also corresponded significantly with depression and anxiety scores for most subsamples, with one exception. These findings are discussed in the context of previous results comparing levels of loneliness across ethnicities. Additionally, the broader context of the need to expand invariance studies in instrumentation work is highlighted.

Reliability and validity of child/adolescent food frequency questionnaires that assess foods and/or food groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolodziejczyk, Julia K; Merchant, Gina; Norman, Gregory J

2012-07-01

Summarize the validity and reliability of child/adolescent food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) that assess food and/or food groups. We performed a systematic review of child/adolescent (6-18 years) FFQ studies published between January 2001 and December 2010 using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Main inclusion criteria were peer reviewed, written in English, and reported reliability or validity of questionnaires that assessed intake of food/food groups. Studies were excluded that focused on diseased people or used a combined dietary assessment method. Two authors independently selected the articles and extracted questionnaire characteristics such as number of items, portion size information, time span, category intake frequencies, and method of administration. Validity and reliability coefficients were extracted and reported for food categories and averaged across food categories for each study. Twenty-one studies were selected from 873, 18 included validity data, and 14 included test-retest reliability data. Publications were from the United States, Europe, Africa, Brazil, and the south Pacific. Validity correlations ranged from 0.01 to 0.80, and reliability correlations ranged from 0.05 to 0.88. The highest average validity correlations were obtained when the questionnaire did not assess portion size, measured a shorter time span (ie, previous day/week), was of medium length (ie, ≈ 20-60 items), and was not administered to the child's parents. There are design and administration features of child/adolescent FFQs that should be considered to obtain reliable and valid estimates of dietary intake in this population.

Moving beyond green: exploring the relationship of environment type and indicators of perceived environmental quality on emotional well-being following group walks.

Science.gov (United States)

Marselle, Melissa R; Irvine, Katherine N; Lorenzo-Arribas, Altea; Warber, Sara L

2014-12-23

Against the backdrop of increasing interest in the relationship between Nature and health, this study examined the effect of perceived environment type and indicators of perceived environmental quality on short-term emotional well-being following outdoor group walks. Participants (n = 127) of a national group walk program completed pre- and post-walk questionnaires for each walk attended (n = 1009) within a 13-week study period. Multilevel linear modelling was used to examine the main and moderation effects. To isolate the environmental from the physical activity elements, analyses controlled for walk duration and perceived intensity. Analyses revealed that perceived restorativeness and perceived walk intensity predicted greater positive affect and happiness following an outdoor group walk. Perceived restorativeness and perceived bird biodiversity predicted post-walk negative affect. Perceived restorativeness moderated the relationship between perceived naturalness and positive affect. Results suggest that restorative quality of an environment may be an important element for enhancing well-being, and that perceived restorativeness and naturalness of an environment may interact to amplify positive affect. These findings highlight the importance of further research on the contribution of environment type and quality on well-being, and the need to control for effects of physical activity in green exercise research.

Moving beyond Green: Exploring the Relationship of Environment Type and Indicators of Perceived Environmental Quality on Emotional Well-Being following Group Walks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa R. Marselle

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Against the backdrop of increasing interest in the relationship between Nature and health, this study examined the effect of perceived environment type and indicators of perceived environmental quality on short-term emotional well-being following outdoor group walks. Participants (n = 127 of a national group walk program completed pre- and post-walk questionnaires for each walk attended (n = 1009 within a 13-week study period. Multilevel linear modelling was used to examine the main and moderation effects. To isolate the environmental from the physical activity elements, analyses controlled for walk duration and perceived intensity. Analyses revealed that perceived restorativeness and perceived walk intensity predicted greater positive affect and happiness following an outdoor group walk. Perceived restorativeness and perceived bird biodiversity predicted post-walk negative affect. Perceived restorativeness moderated the relationship between perceived naturalness and positive affect. Results suggest that restorative quality of an environment may be an important element for enhancing well-being, and that perceived restorativeness and naturalness of an environment may interact to amplify positive affect. These findings highlight the importance of further research on the contribution of environment type and quality on well-being, and the need to control for effects of physical activity in green exercise research.

Moving beyond Green: Exploring the Relationship of Environment Type and Indicators of Perceived Environmental Quality on Emotional Well-Being following Group Walks

Science.gov (United States)

Marselle, Melissa R.; Irvine, Katherine N.; Lorenzo-Arribas, Altea; Warber, Sara L.

2014-01-01

Against the backdrop of increasing interest in the relationship between Nature and health, this study examined the effect of perceived environment type and indicators of perceived environmental quality on short-term emotional well-being following outdoor group walks. Participants (n = 127) of a national group walk program completed pre- and post-walk questionnaires for each walk attended (n = 1009) within a 13-week study period. Multilevel linear modelling was used to examine the main and moderation effects. To isolate the environmental from the physical activity elements, analyses controlled for walk duration and perceived intensity. Analyses revealed that perceived restorativeness and perceived walk intensity predicted greater positive affect and happiness following an outdoor group walk. Perceived restorativeness and perceived bird biodiversity predicted post-walk negative affect. Perceived restorativeness moderated the relationship between perceived naturalness and positive affect. Results suggest that restorative quality of an environment may be an important element for enhancing well-being, and that perceived restorativeness and naturalness of an environment may interact to amplify positive affect. These findings highlight the importance of further research on the contribution of environment type and quality on well-being, and the need to control for effects of physical activity in green exercise research. PMID:25546275

Psychometric properties of the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire with Chinese talented athletes.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chunxiao; Martindale, Russell; Wu, Yandan; Si, Gangyan

2018-01-01

The development of talented athletes is a priority for many countries across the world, including China. A validated Chinese 5-factor Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ-5) would go some way in helping researchers and practitioners investigate talent development systems within China from an evidence-based perspective. For this purpose, the 25-item English TDEQ-5 was translated to Chinese through a standardised process. The translated scale was then administered to 538 talented Chinese youth athletes. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed adequate model fit of the scale. The internal reliability, concurrent and discriminant validity, and test-retest reliability of the scale were adequately supported. The scale was also invariant across gender. It is recommended that the Chinese TDEQ-5 can be used with confidence in both applied and research settings.

Can the job content questionnaire be used to assess structural and organizational properties of the work environment?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, Roger; Hansen, Åse Marie; Garde, Anne Helene

2012-01-01

The theory behind the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) presumes that the "objective" social environment is measurable via self-report inventories such as the JCQ. Hence, it is expected that workers in identical work will respond highly similar. However, since no studies have evaluated this basic...... assumption, we decided to investigate whether workers performing highly similar work also responded similarly to the JCQ....

Measuring Group Care Worker Interventions in Residential Youth Care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bastiaanssen, I.L.W.; Kroes, G.; Nijhof, K.S.; Delsing, M.J.M.H.; Engels, R.C.M.E.; Veerman, J.W.

2012-01-01

Background By interacting with children, group care workers shape daily living environments to influence treatment. Current literature provides little knowledge about the content of youth residential care. Objective In this study, a questionnaire called the Group care worker Intervention

Cogema and the environment. Environmental policy. The Cogema group in the environment service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

This document presents the organization of the environmental policy at Cogema facilities. The first part presents the environmental policy of the group: integration of environment management at all levels, reduction of effluents and control of their environmental impact, integrating environment protection at the design stage of facilities, quality and improvement policy, expenses devoted to environment protection (investments, R and D, funds), public information. The second part concerns the transfer of Cogema's know-how in environmental engineering towards other industrial sectors: radioactivity measurements, mine and quarry sites rehabilitation, industrial wastes and effluents processing, decontamination and rehabilitation of ancient polluted industrial sites, foreign activities (rehabilitation of US-DOE military sites, aid to Eastern countries. (J.S.)

Assessment of environmental correlates of physical activity: development of a European questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oja Pekka

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Research on the influence of the physical environment on physical activity is rapidly expanding and different measures of environmental perceptions have been developed, mostly in the US and Australia. The purpose of this paper is to (i provide a literature review of measures of environmental perceptions recently used in European studies and (ii develop a questionnaire for population monitoring purposes in the European countries. Methods This study was done within the framework of the EU-funded project 'Instruments for Assessing Levels of Physical Activity and Fitness (ALPHA', which aims to propose standardised instruments for physical activity and fitness monitoring across Europe. Quantitative studies published from 1990 up to November 2007 were systematically searched in Pubmed, Web of Science, TRIS and Geobase. In addition a survey was conducted among members of the European network for the promotion of Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA Europe and European members of the International Physical Activity and Environment Network (IPEN to identify published or ongoing studies. Studies were included if they were conducted among European general adult population (18+y and used a questionnaire to assess perceptions of the physical environment. A consensus meeting with an international expert group was organised to discuss the development of a European environmental questionnaire. Results The literature search resulted in 23 European studies, 15 published and 8 unpublished. In these studies, 13 different environmental questionnaires were used. Most of these studies used adapted versions of questionnaires that were developed outside Europe and that focused only on the walkability construct: The Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS, the abbreviated version of the NEWS (ANEWS and the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study (NQLS questionnaire have been most commonly used. Based on the results of the literature review and

An Application of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction and College and University Classroom Environment Inventory in a Multicultural Tertiary Context

Science.gov (United States)

Coll, Richard K.; Taylor, Neil; Fisher, Darrell L.

2002-02-01

The research reported in this inquiry consisted of the application of two classroom learning environment questionnaires developed in a Western context to a culturally diverse context, namely, the Pacific Islands. The College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) instruments were administered to intact classes of first- and second-year science students ( n= 257) at a regional university in the Pacific Islands, containing a total of 12 ethnicities. The data reveal that the QTI instrument holds good reliability for all scales, whereas the CUCEI holds reliability for only two scales. This may be due to the simple nature of the questions on the QTI whereas the questions on the CUCEI require more interpretation, the latter exacerbated by the fact that English is a second or third language for most participants. Surprisingly, there were few differences in perceptions of teacher student interaction based on ethnicity, but substantial differences based on gender. As reported in previous classroom environment research at the secondary school level, in this study, females perceived their environment more favourably than males. The data for the QTI reveal that the students perceive their classrooms to be highly teacher dominated, consistent with previous naturalistic studies of secondary schools and exploratory studies at the tertiary level in Fiji. Since almost all the graduates from this institution become science teachers, a cycle is completed.

Web Environments for Group-Based Project Work in Higher Education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andernach, J.A.; van Diepen, N.M.; Collis, Betty; Andernach, Toine

1997-01-01

We discuss problems confronting the use of group-based project work as an instructional strategy in higher education and describe two courses in which course-specific World Wide Web (Web) environments have evolved over a series of course sequences and are used both as tool environments for

Evaluation of life quality associated with health of girls aged 13–14 in groups with menstrual disorders and no disorders in health and development in the light of the questionnaire KIDSCREEN-52

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ewa Zięba

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Quality of life is a multidimensional and interdisciplinary concept, combining a number of important areas of life. In terms of sociology, it is the degree of satisfying the essential human needs, while in terms of psychology it is psychological well-being. The most common understanding of life quality, accepted by the World Health Organization, is as follows: quality of life is how individuals perceive their status in life in terms of culture and value system in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and interests. Aim of the research : To compare two groups of girls, aged 13–14, with menstrual disorders and no disorders in health and development from urban and rural environments in the light of the questionnaire KIDSCREEN-52 with respect to individual dimensions. Material and methods : We examined 122 girls with menstrual disorders and 240 girls without any disorders in health and development from primary and lower secondary schools from urban and rural environments. The study included girls attending primary and lower secondary schools at the age of 13–14. In the study we applied the standardized tool KIDSCREEN-52 Health Related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children and Young People, in the Polish version of the questionnaire, to test the quality of life related to health of children and adolescents. Results : Lower results with respect to all dimensions were obtained in the group of girls with menstrual disorders compared to girls without disorders in health and development in particular dimensions of the questionnaire KIDSCREEN-52. Conclusions : Dissemination of activities which raise the quality of life, with particular emphasis on girls with menstrual disorders, is likely to affect significantly the health and quality of life in the future.

Group Dynamics in the Interior Design Studio: Student Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Caroline

2008-01-01

This article presents the findings of a study measuring the classroom climates in collegiate interior design studios and considers these findings within the group dynamics theory framework. Three groups of students completed the College Classroom Environment Scales (CCES) questionnaire. Five of the six CCES subscale F ratios were statistically…

THE ADAPTATION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE POSITIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE FAMILY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilona Skuja

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In order to be able to correct the asocial behaviour of adolescents, several factors that can have POSITIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE FAMILY an effect on the issue must be understood, these being biological, social, and psychological, as well as understanding the context of the situation itself. Various methods were used to research valuable adolescent family environments, including the questionnaire entitled Positive and Destructive Family, which was developed by Russian authors (Опросник “Конструктивно-деструктивная семья” (КДС, Эйдемиллер, Юстицкис. Since this methodology was not available to researchers in Latvian, the first step to be taken was to adapt this method to the cultural environment of Latvia. (The author’s consent has been received for the use of the questionnaire in scientific work. The adaptation of the method allows the following steps to be implemented (Hambleton & Patsula, 1998; 1999; 2000; Van de Vijver & Hambleton, 1996: the translation and backward translation of questionnaire observing the context of the cultural environment; empirical verification of the translated questionnaire, thereby establishing its reliability and validity in accordance with the psychometric indicators used to provide a validity check on the factors illustrated in the source survey; the administration of the survey in the new cultural environment; documentation showing the adaptation of the questionnaire and the development of the interpretation of the survey’s values. To date, only some of the aforementioned steps have been implemented and presented. Respondents from sixty families participated in the survey (all of whom were aged in group of 31-68, and who included 42 women and eighteen men. The survey consists of twenty statements to which respondents will reply either positively or negatively (this being the dichotomy scale. Further tasks are related to the complete adaptation and

Healthy work environment--a challenge?

Science.gov (United States)

Jansson von Vultée, Pia Hannele

2015-01-01

In Sweden, leave due to sickness was high during the 1990s. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency was able to decrease sick days in the period between 2000 and 2010 but sick days are rising again in Sweden, mostly due to psychological problems among women and partly due to their work environment. It is important to find methods to identify poor work settings to prevent absenteeism due to sickness. The paper aims to discuss these issues. The authors created a web questionnaire focusing on the organizational setting and its impact on employee wellbeing--reported as mental energy, work-related exhaustion and work satisfaction. The questionnaire measures good and poor work environment factors to help managers improve organizational settings. The questionnaire was validated qualitatively and quantitatively. It is possible to measure individual wellbeing in an organizational context at an early stage. The authors followed a company undergoing organizational change and identified groups at risk of developing illness. Managers uncertain about employee mental status can measure employee wellbeing easily and cost effectively to prevent illness. The authors created a method, statistically evaluated, to proactively identify good and poor work environments to promote healthy co-workers.

Can a Virtual Design Environment Enhance Group Creativity and the Use of Stimuli?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elias, Ed; Chamakiotis, Petros; Howard, Thomas J.

2011-01-01

of generating idea in such a fashion. This paper puts together three ways of improving the group brainstorming session; working in nominal groups, using stimuli and working in a virtual team. The final sections sets out recommendations for a future virtual design environment capable of supporting group......It is a common perception that creativity for design is best performed in a collaborative, group environment. Group idea generation and brainstorm sessions are of widespread practice across industries. This technique remains popular despite numerous studies highlighting the inefficiencies...

Virtual Team Work : Group Decision Making in 3D Virtual Environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, A.P.; van den Hooff, B.; Feldberg, F.

2016-01-01

This study investigates how three-dimensional virtual environments (3DVEs) support shared understanding and group decision making. Based on media synchronicity theory, we pose that the shared environment and avatar-based interaction allowed by 3DVEs aid convergence processes in teams working on a

Virtual Team Work : Group Decision Making in 3D Virtual Environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, Alexander P.; van den Hooff, Bart; Feldberg, Frans

This study investigates how three-dimensional virtual environments (3DVEs) support shared understanding and group decision making. Based on media synchronicity theory, we pose that the shared environment and avatar-based interaction allowed by 3DVEs aid convergence processes in teams working on a

The health effects of a forest environment on subclinical cardiovascular disease and heath-related quality of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsao, Tsung-Ming; Tsai, Ming-Jer; Wang, Ya-Nan; Lin, Heng-Lun; Wu, Chang-Fu; Hwang, Jing-Shiang; Hsu, Sandy-H J; Chao, Hsing; Chuang, Kai-Jen; Chou, Charles-C K; Su, Ta-Chen

2014-01-01

Assessment of health effects of a forest environment is an important emerging area of public health and environmental sciences. To demonstrate the long-term health effects of living in a forest environment on subclinical cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) compared with that in an urban environment. This study included the detailed health examination and questionnaire assessment of 107 forest staff members (FSM) and 114 urban staff members (USM) to investigate the long-term health effects of a forest environment. Air quality monitoring between the forest and urban environments was compared. In addition, work-related factors and HRQOL were evaluated. Levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting glucose in the USM group were significantly higher than those in the FSM group. Furthermore, a significantly higher intima-media thickness of the internal carotid artery was found in the USM group compared with that in the FSM group. Concentrations of air pollutants, such as NO, NO2, NOx, SO2, CO, PM2.5, and PM10 in the forest environment were significantly lower compared with those in the outdoor urban environment. Working hours were longer in the FSM group; however, the work stress evaluation as assessed by the job content questionnaire revealed no significant differences between FSM and USM. HRQOL evaluated by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire showed FSM had better HRQOL scores in the physical health domain. This study provides evidence of the potential beneficial effects of forest environments on CVDs and HRQOL.

The health effects of a forest environment on subclinical cardiovascular disease and heath-related quality of life.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsung-Ming Tsao

Full Text Available Assessment of health effects of a forest environment is an important emerging area of public health and environmental sciences.To demonstrate the long-term health effects of living in a forest environment on subclinical cardiovascular diseases (CVDs and health-related quality of life (HRQOL compared with that in an urban environment.This study included the detailed health examination and questionnaire assessment of 107 forest staff members (FSM and 114 urban staff members (USM to investigate the long-term health effects of a forest environment. Air quality monitoring between the forest and urban environments was compared. In addition, work-related factors and HRQOL were evaluated.Levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting glucose in the USM group were significantly higher than those in the FSM group. Furthermore, a significantly higher intima-media thickness of the internal carotid artery was found in the USM group compared with that in the FSM group. Concentrations of air pollutants, such as NO, NO2, NOx, SO2, CO, PM2.5, and PM10 in the forest environment were significantly lower compared with those in the outdoor urban environment. Working hours were longer in the FSM group; however, the work stress evaluation as assessed by the job content questionnaire revealed no significant differences between FSM and USM. HRQOL evaluated by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire showed FSM had better HRQOL scores in the physical health domain.This study provides evidence of the potential beneficial effects of forest environments on CVDs and HRQOL.

The Health Effects of a Forest Environment on Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease and Heath-Related Quality of Life

Science.gov (United States)

Tsao, Tsung-Ming; Wang, Ya-Nan; Lin, Heng-Lun; Wu, Chang-Fu; Hwang, Jing-Shiang; Hsu, Sandy-H.J.; Chao, Hsing; Chuang, Kai-Jen; Chou, Charles- CK.

2014-01-01

Background Assessment of health effects of a forest environment is an important emerging area of public health and environmental sciences. Purpose To demonstrate the long-term health effects of living in a forest environment on subclinical cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) compared with that in an urban environment. Materials and Methods This study included the detailed health examination and questionnaire assessment of 107 forest staff members (FSM) and 114 urban staff members (USM) to investigate the long-term health effects of a forest environment. Air quality monitoring between the forest and urban environments was compared. In addition, work-related factors and HRQOL were evaluated. Results Levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting glucose in the USM group were significantly higher than those in the FSM group. Furthermore, a significantly higher intima-media thickness of the internal carotid artery was found in the USM group compared with that in the FSM group. Concentrations of air pollutants, such as NO, NO2, NOx, SO2, CO, PM2.5, and PM10 in the forest environment were significantly lower compared with those in the outdoor urban environment. Working hours were longer in the FSM group; however, the work stress evaluation as assessed by the job content questionnaire revealed no significant differences between FSM and USM. HRQOL evaluated by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire showed FSM had better HRQOL scores in the physical health domain. Conclusions This study provides evidence of the potential beneficial effects of forest environments on CVDs and HRQOL. PMID:25068265

Simulating The Dynamical Evolution Of Galaxies In Group And Cluster Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Vijayaraghavan, Rukmani

2015-07-01

Galaxy clusters are harsh environments for their constituent galaxies. A variety of physical processes effective in these dense environments transform gas-rich, spiral, star-forming galaxies to elliptical or spheroidal galaxies with very little gas and therefore minimal star formation. The consequences of these processes are well understood observationally. Galaxies in progressively denser environments have systematically declining star formation rates and gas content. However, a theoretical understanding of of where, when, and how these processes act, and the interplay between the various galaxy transformation mechanisms in clusters remains elusive. In this dissertation, I use numerical simulations of cluster mergers as well as galaxies evolving in quiescent environments to develop a theoretical framework to understand some of the physics of galaxy transformation in cluster environments. Galaxies can be transformed in smaller groups before they are accreted by their eventual massive cluster environments, an effect termed `pre-processing'. Galaxy cluster mergers themselves can accelerate many galaxy transformation mechanisms, including tidal and ram pressure stripping of galaxies and galaxy-galaxy collisions and mergers that result in reassemblies of galaxies' stars and gas. Observationally, cluster mergers have distinct velocity and phase-space signatures depending on the observer's line of sight with respect to the merger direction. Using dark matter only as well as hydrodynamic simulations of cluster mergers with random ensembles of particles tagged with galaxy models, I quantify the effects of cluster mergers on galaxy evolution before, during, and after the mergers. Based on my theoretical predictions of the dynamical signatures of these mergers in combination with galaxy transformation signatures, one can observationally identify remnants of mergers and quantify the effect of the environment on galaxies in dense group and cluster environments. The presence of

Nursing leadership style and psychosocial work environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Malloy, Terry; Penprase, Barbara

2010-09-01

This study examines the relationship between leadership style and the psychosocial work environment of registered nurses. Research consistently supports the positive relationship between transformational leadership style and job satisfaction. There is less evidence, which identifies the relationship between leadership style and psychosocial work environment. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5× was used to identify the leadership style. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was used to measure psychosocial work environment dimensions. Statistical analysis included Pearson's r correlation between leadership style and psychosocial work environment and anova to analyse group means. There is a significant correlation between leadership style and 22 out of the 37 dimensions of the psychosocial work environment. This correlation was significant ranging from r = 0.88, P leadership scores of the immediate supervisor report significant differences in their psychosocial work environment. This study supports the significant correlation between leadership style and psychosocial work environment for registered nurses. The results of this study suggest that there would be an improvement in the nursing psychosocial work environment by implementation of transformational and contingent reward leadership behaviours. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The Dutch version of the Oxford Ankle and Foot Questionnaire for Children: Useful for evaluation of pediatric foot problems in groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Elise; Selles, Ruud; van Nieuwkasteele, Shelly; Bessems, Gert; Pollet, Virginie; Hovius, Steven; van Nieuwenhoven, Christianne

2017-11-04

The purpose of this study is to develop a Dutch version of the Oxford Ankle and Foot Questionnaire for Children (OxAFQ-c) to allow evaluation of pediatric foot care. The OxAFQ-c was translated into Dutch, according to the ISPOR-guidelines. Children with different foot and ankle complaints completed the OxAFQ-c at baseline, after two weeks, and after 4-6 months. Measurement properties were assessed in terms of reliability, responsiveness, and construct validity. Test-retest reliability showed moderate intraclass correlation coefficients. Bland-Altman plots showed wide limits of agreement. After 4-6 months, the group that experienced improvement also showed improved questionnaire outcomes, indicating responsiveness. Moderate correlation between the OxAFQ-c and the Kidscreen and foot-specific VAS-scores were observed, indicating moderate construct validity. The Dutch OxAFQ-c showed moderate to good measurement properties. However, because we observed limited sensitivity to changes and wide limits of agreement in individual patients, we think the questionnaire should only be used in groups. Copyright © 2017 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differences between food group reports of low energy reporters and non-low energy reporters on a food frequency questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Millen, Amy E.; Tooze, Janet A.; Subar, Amy F.; Kahle, Lisa L.; Schatzkin, Arthur; Krebs-Smith, Susan M.

2013-01-01

Background Low-energy reporters (LERs) and non-LERs differ with respect to a number of characteristics, including self-reported intake of foods. Limited data exists investigating food intake differences with LERs identified using doubly labeled water (DLW). Objective In the Observing Protein and Energy Nutrition Study (September, 1999-March, 2000), differences were examined between food group reports of LERs and non-LERs on a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (n=440). Design LERs were identified using DLW. LERs' (n=220) and non-LERs' (n=220) reports of 43 food groups on the FFQ were examined in three ways: whether they reported consuming a food group (yes/no), how frequently they reported consuming it (times/day), and the reported portion size (small, medium, or large). Analyses were adjusted for total energy expenditure from DLW. Results LERs compared to non-LERs were less likely to report consumption for one food group among women (soft drinks/regular) and no food groups among men. Reported mean daily frequency of consumption was lower in LERs compared to non-LERs for 23 food groups among women and 24 food groups among men (18 food groups were similar in men and women). Additionally, reported mean portion sizes were smaller for LERs compared to non-LERs for 6 food groups among women and 5 food groups among men (3 food groups were similar in men and women). Results varied minimally by sex and body mass index (BMI). Conclusions LERs as compared to non-LERs were more likely to differ regarding their reported frequency of consumption of food groups than their reported consumption (yes/no) of the food groups or the food groups' reported portion sizes. Results did not vary greatly by sex or BMI. It still remains to be known whether improvement in questionnaire design or additional tools or methods would lead to a decrease in differential reporting due to LER status on an FFQ. PMID:19559136

Validation of the Spine Oncology Study Group-Outcomes Questionnaire to assess quality of life in patients with metastatic spine disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen, Stein J; Teunis, Teun; van Dijk, Eva; Ferrone, Marco L; Shin, John H; Hornicek, Francis; Schwab, Joseph H

2017-06-01

General questionnaires are often used to assess quality of life in patients with spine metastases, although a disease-specific survey did not exist until recently. The Spine Oncology Study Group has developed an outcomes questionnaire (SOSG-OQ) to measure quality of life in these patients. However, a scoring system was not developed, and the questionnaire was not validated in a group of patients, nor was it compared with other general quality of life questionnaires such as the EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire. Our primary null hypothesis is that there is no association between the SOSG-OQ and EQ-5D. Our secondary null hypothesis is that there is no difference in coverage and internal consistency between the SOSG-OQ and EQ-5D. We also assess coverage, consistency, and validity of the domains within the SOSG-OQ. A survey study from a tertiary care spine referral center was used for this study. The patient sample consisted of 82 patients with spine metastases, myeloma, or lymphoma. The SOSG-OQ (27 questions, 6 domains) score ranges from 0 to 80, with a higher score indicating worse quality of life. The EQ-5D (5 questions, 5 domains) index score ranges from 0 to 1, with a higher score indicating better quality of life. The association between the SOSG-OQ and EQ-5D index score was assessed using the Spearman rank correlation. Instrument coverage and precision were assessed by determining item completion rate, median score with range, and floor and ceiling effect. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach alpha. Multitrait analysis and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyze properties of the individual domains in the SOSG-OQ. The Spearman rank correlation between the SOSG-OQ and EQ-5D questionnaire was high (r=-0.83, pquality of life in patients with metastatic spine disease. The SOSG-OQ is superior to the EQ-5D in terms of coverage and internal consistency but consists of more questions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a Questionnaire to Assess Nursing Competencies for the Care of People with Psychiatric Disabilities in a Hospital Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Danjun; Li, Hongyao; Meng, Lu; Zhong, Gengkun

2018-02-19

The recovery of people with psychiatric disabilities requires high-quality nursing care. However, the existing research on the nursing competencies needed for caring for people with psychiatric disabilities have been based on a narrow competency framework. By adopting a broader competency framework, this study aimed to find the competencies needed for the nursing care of people with psychiatric disabilities in a hospital environment. Accordingly, a questionnaire will be developed to measure these competences. First, a literature review and interviews with psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and people with psychiatric disabilities were conducted to develop the pool of competency items. Second, a pilot study was conducted to review the initial pool of items. Finally, a survey of 581 psychiatric nurses was used to conduct a series of principal component analyses to explore the structure of the questionnaire. The 17-item questionnaire included 5 factors, which accounted for 68.60% of the total variance: sense of responsibility, vocational identification, agreeableness, cooperation capacity, and carefulness; the Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.85, 0.85, 0.74, 0.80, and 0.77, respectively. Most of the competencies belonged to attitudes, values, and traits, which were overlooked in previous studies. The questionnaire has satisfactory internal reliability and structural validity, and could contribute some to the selection of the psychiatric workforce.

Surveys and questionnaires in nursing research.

Science.gov (United States)

Timmins, Fiona

2015-06-17

Surveys and questionnaires are often used in nursing research to elicit the views of large groups of people to develop the nursing knowledge base. This article provides an overview of survey and questionnaire use in nursing research, clarifies the place of the questionnaire as a data collection tool in quantitative research design and provides information and advice about best practice in the development of quantitative surveys and questionnaires.

Questionnaire use among nordic neuropsychologists

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egeland, Jens; Norup, Anne; Persson, Bengt A.

2017-01-01

The core method of neuropsychologists has been to collect structured samples of behavior through standardized tests. Information that cannot be elicited through tests may be gathered by questionnaires asking questions about behavior. Tests may deconstruct cognitive function precisely, but lack...... the ecological validity of questionnaires. Thus, many neuropsychologists have advocated more use of questionnaires, but it is not known whether professional practice has changed. Until recently, personality instruments were the only widespread questionnaires in frequent use among neuropsychologists. We studied...... the inventory use of 702 Nordic neuropsychologists. The most used questionnaires are listed, and differences between countries are analyzed. In addition, the questionnaires are grouped with regard to whether they map cognition, behavior not observable during consultations, emotional symptoms, personality...

Technip. Group dynamics and activities. Competitive environment and strategic perspectives. Release - February 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-02-01

After a synthesis which notably proposes a SWOT analysis of the Technip group, this report proposes a presentation of the Technip Group (general overview, presentation of activities per department, human resources, stock market data, and competitive environment). It gives an overview of the Technip group dynamics and of its activities through a presentation of an environment analysis (world oil demand and production, hydrocarbon prices), a presentation of the group activity (turnover, order takings, performance per activity pole, turnover per geographical area, operational income). It addresses important events and development axes: strategic axes, group restructuring, widening of service provision, R and D investments. Financial data are presented along with the main economic and financial indicators. Important statistical data are provided

Chemistry of complexing molecules and environment. Report of the working group of the Cea ''mission environment''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petit, J.C.

1998-01-01

The Working group 'Chemistry of Complexing Molecules and Environment' of the Mission Environment (AG/ENV) identified themes for an original positioning of CEA on important issues of environmental research if a sufficiently strong demand appears. The research of CEA on the environment should be complementary to actions undertaken by other partners (official institutions, research organizations and industrial firms). The themes suggested are: the synthesis of new chelating molecules and new materials having specific properties, with the support of theoretical chemistry and modeling, analytical physical chemistry and speciation of species in relation to their eco-toxicity and their biogeochemical mobility in the natural environment. These themes, illustrated by examples of actions in progress at CEA or likely to be launched quickly, draw largely from recognized competences of the teams, generally developed for finalized nuclear applications: experimental, theoretical and instrumental competences. (author)

Expert Group Meeting on Population, Environment and Development.

Science.gov (United States)

1993-01-01

As part of the preparation for the up-coming International Conference on Population and Development, an expert group met at UN headquarters on January 20-24, 1992. The group noted that the momentum of population growth was expected to add 3 billion people to the global population between 1985 and 2025, with more than 90% of the growth occurring in the developing countries which are least able to respond to the attendant resource and environmental demands. The expert group discussed the interaction of population and resources, specifically the impact of population growth on the environment and carrying capacity. The meeting then focused on environmental discontinuities and uncertainties and on environmental degradation, specifically the loss of agricultural land, the destruction of tropical forests, fresh-water resource, the loss of biological diversify, and climate change. Following their deliberations, the expert group drafted 18 recommendations addressed to governments, social institutions, and international organizations. The group urged that governments establish or strengthen the integration of environmental and population concerns into development policy-making and planning and support technologies to achieve sustained economic growth and development while striving to replace the use of fossil fuels with renewable resources. Areas of the environment subject to acute population pressure should be identified and policies devised to reduce that pressure. Ecologically helpful labor-intensive projects should be implemented for their dual benefits. Women should be included in these activities, and their status in society, therefore, should be improved through improved education and participatory opportunities. The uses of water should be optimized to acknowledge its scarcity. The delivery of service to alleviate poverty should proceed in a manner that invites community participation, which, along with education, will be vital to institute these changes. Adequate

[Questionnaire for the mobbing risk: CDL2.0].

Science.gov (United States)

Gilioli, R; Cassitto, M G; Campanini, P; Punzi, S; Consonni, D; Rengo, C; Fattorini, E; Foá, V

2005-01-01

The aim of the study is to develop and validate a questionnaire able to evaluate the risk of mobbing at the workplace. A multiple-choice questionnaire has been developed which contains, among the different items, only one revealing a mobbing situation. The questionnaire has been administered to two groups (group A--243 subjects in a mobbing situation and group B--63 subjects without exposure to mobbing) and the differences in the scores obtained have been analysed. The questionnaire has proved to be valid and reliable. The results show that the presence of five mobbing actions is sufficient to define the workplace situation as potentially at risk for mobbing. The study reveals some limits in the selection of the two samples thus needing some adjustment. However, the questionnaire, also in the present form, can be considered a tool able to detect the mobbing situations.

Creating a Supportive Environment : Peer Support Groups for Psychotic Disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castelein, Stynke; Bruggeman, Richard; Davidson, Larry; van der Gaag, Mark

People with psychotic disorders frequently experience significant mental and social limitations that may result in persisting social isolation. Research has shown that a supportive social environment is crucial for the process of personal recovery. Peer support groups can provide an opportunity to

Creating a Supportive Environment: Peer Support Groups for Psychotic Disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castelein, S.; Bruggeman, R.; Davidson, L.; van der Gaag, M.

2015-01-01

People with psychotic disorders frequently experience significant mental and social limitations that may result in persisting social isolation. Research has shown that a supportive social environment is crucial for the process of personal recovery. Peer support groups can provide an opportunity to

Validation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess food group intake by pregnant women.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbieri, P; Crivellenti, L C; Nishimura, R Y; Sartorelli, D S

2015-01-01

Previous studies conducted among pregnant women to test the accuracy of food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) for estimating food group intake were restricted to one specific trimester of pregnancy. The present study aimed to validate a FFQ for assessing the intake of food groups throughout pregnancy. In total, 75 adult pregnant Brazilian women were evaluated. Dietary intake was assessed by the FFQ (completed at the third trimester of pregnancy) and by three 24-h dietary recalls; one in each trimester of pregnancy. The food items were classified into 20 groups. Adequate deatenuatted Pearson correlation coefficients (>0.4) were observed for the intake of bread/cake, butter/margarine; milk/dairy products; soft drinks/artificial juices; coffee/tea; and pastries/sandwiches. The FFQ served poorly for estimating fruit and vegetable intake. A high percentage (>70%) of women were classified into the same or adjacent quartiles for estimates of cookies/crackers, butter/margarine, milk/dairy products, fruit juices, soft drinks/artificial juices, coffee/tea, roots, rice, beans, meat/chicken/sausages, fried foods, fish, eggs, sweets/sugars, and pastries/sandwiches. Nevertheless, the agreement of joint classification between the dietary methods was mostly into adjacent quartiles, rather than in the same quartile, and low values of kappa were found. The data reported in the present study suggest that the FFQ might not be an appropriate dietary method for evaluating food group intake throughout pregnancy. The joint classification between methods by categories of intake of food groups was mostly into adjacent quartiles, which could lead to attenuated associations when investigating diet-disease relationships during pregnancy. © 2014 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

Learners’ views about cloud computing-based group activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yildirim Serkan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Thanks to its use independently of time and place during the process of software development and by making it easier to access to information with mobile technologies, cloud based environments attracted the attention of education world and this technology started to be used in various activities. In this study, for programming education, the effects of extracurricular group assignments in cloud based environments on learners were evaluated in terms of group work satisfaction, ease of use and user satisfaction. Within the scope of computer programming education lasting eight weeks, a total of 100 students participated in the study including 34 men and 66 women. Participants were divided into groups of at least three people considering the advantages of cooperative learning in programming education. In this study carried out in both conventional and cloud based environments, between groups factorial design was used as research design. The data collected by questionnaires of opinions of group work were examined with quantitative analysis method. According to the study results extracurricular learning activities as group activity created satisfaction. However, perceptions of easy use of the environment and user satisfaction were partly positive. Despite the similar understandings; male participants were easier to perceive use of cloud computing based environments. Some variables such as class level, satisfaction, computer and internet usage time do not have any effect on satisfaction and perceptions of ease of use. Evening class students stated that they found it easy to use cloud based learning environments and became more satisfied with using these environments besides being happier with group work than daytime students.

Reproducibility and relative validity of food group intake in a food frequency questionnaire developed for Nepalese diet.

Science.gov (United States)

Shrestha, Archana; Koju, Rajendra Prasad; Beresford, Shirley A A; Chan, Kwun Chuen Gary; Connell, Frederik A; Karmacharya, Biraj Man; Shrestha, Pramita; Fitzpatrick, Annette L

2017-08-01

We developed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) designed to measure the dietary practices of adult Nepalese. The present study examined the validity and reproducibility of the FFQ. To evaluate the reproducibility of the FFQ, 116 subjects completed two 115-item FFQ across a four-month interval. Six 24-h dietary recalls were collected (1 each month) to assess the validity of the FFQ. Seven major food groups and 23 subgroups were clustered from the FFQ based on macronutrient composition. Spearman correlation coefficients evaluating reproducibility for all food groups were greater than 0.5, with the exceptions of oil. The correlations varied from 0.41 (oil) to 0.81 (vegetables). All crude spearman coefficients for validity were greater than 0.5 except for dairy products, pizzas/pastas and sausage/burgers. The FFQ was found to be reliable and valid for ranking the intake of food groups for Nepalese dietary intake.

Methodological Validation of Quality of Life Questionnaire for Coal Mining Groups-Indian Scenario

Science.gov (United States)

Sen, Sayanti; Sen, Goutam; Tewary, B. K.

2012-01-01

Maslow's hierarchy-of-needs theory has been used to predict development of Quality of Life (QOL) in countries over time. In this paper an attempt has been taken to derive a methodological validation of quality of life questionnaire which have been prepared for the study area. The objective of the study is to standardize a questionnaire tool to…

Questionnaire Based Assessment of Risk Factors for Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Science.gov (United States)

Lammert, Craig; Nguyen, Douglas L.; Juran, Brian D.; Schlicht, Erik; Larson, Joseph J.; Atkinson, Elizabeth J.; Lazaridis, Konstantinos N.

2013-01-01

Background Primary Biliary Cirrhosis is a cholestatic liver disease characterized by immune-mediated destruction of bile ducts. Its pathogenesis is largely unknown, although complex interactions between environment and genetic predisposition are proposed. Aims Identify disease risk factors using a detailed patient questionnaire and compare study findings to 3 published reports. Methods Questionnaire data were prospectively collected from 522 cases and 616 controls of the Mayo Clinic Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Genetic Epidemiology Registry. Case and control responses were compared using logistic regression, adjusting for recruitment age, sex, and education level. Results Cases reported ever regularly smoking cigarettes more frequently than controls (P < 0.001). History of urinary tract infection (UTI) was similar between groups; however, cases reported multiple UTIs more commonly than controls (P < 0.001). Frequency of other autoimmune disease was higher in cases than controls (P < 0.001). As well, prevalence of primary biliary cirrhosis among first-degree relatives was higher in case families than control families (P < 0.001). Conclusions Our study confirms prior reported risk factors associated with disease risk. Given the potential importance of gene and environment interactions, further examination of environmental risk factors considering genetic background may provide new insight into primary biliary cirrhosis pathogenesis. PMID:23490343

Total. Group dynamics and activities. Competitive environment and strategic perspectives. Release - July 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-07-01

After a synthesis which notably proposes a SWOT analysis of the Total group, this report proposes a presentation of the Total Group (general overview, presentation of activities, human resources, shareholder structure and stock market data, competitive environment). It gives an overview of the Total group dynamics and of its activities through a presentation of an environment analysis (world oil demand, refining-chemistry activity, hydrocarbon prices), a presentation of the group activity (turnover, turnover per segment, operational income and financial results of competitors). It comments important events and development axes: four strategic orientations, strengthening of the upstream pole, restructuring of refining and chemical activities, widening of the energy provision, consolidation of positions in the marketing and services sector. Financial data are presented along with the main economic and financial indicators. Important statistical data are provided

Areva. Group dynamics and activities. Competitive environment and strategic perspectives. Release - October 2016

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-10-01

After a synthesis which notably proposes a SWOT analysis of the Areva group, this report proposes a presentation of the Areva Group (general overview, mining, upstream and downstream poles, shareholder structure and stock market data, competitive environment). It gives an overview of the Areva group dynamics and of its activities through a presentation of an environment analysis (world electric power production, uranium production and consumption, operated nuclear plants in the world), a presentation of the group activity (turnover and order backlog, turnover per segment and per geographical area, operational and net income). It indicates important events and comments development axes: strategic orientations, new partnership with EDF, stronger presence in China, asset disposal, and organisation optimisation. Financial data are presented along with the main economic and financial indicators. Important statistical data are provided

Do psychosocial work environment factors measured with scales from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire predict register-based sickness absence of 3 weeks or more in Denmark?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rugulies, Reiner; Aust, Birgit; Pejtersen, Jan Hyld

2010-01-01

AIMS: To analyse the predictive validity of 18 psychosocial work environment scales from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire version II (COPSOQ II) with regard to risk of sickness absence. METHODS: The study population consisted of 3188 wage earners (52% women) from a representative sample ...

Alien Species and the Water Framework Directive - Questionnaire Results

OpenAIRE

VANDEKERKHOVE JOCHEN; CARDOSO Ana

2010-01-01

Alien species constitute a major pressure in aquatic environments, both ecologically and economically. This recognition has initiated a debate on the role of alien species in ecological status classifications. We distributed a questionnaire to review how EU Member States (MSs) deal with alien species in their national status assessments under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The questionnaire was filled and returned by 23 EU MSs and Norway. Analysis of the questionnaire returns and referr...

Assessing the relationship between the Driver Behavior Questionnaire and the Driver Skill Inventory: Revealing sub-groups of drivers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Martinussen, Laila Marianne; Møller, Mette; Prato, Carlo Giacomo

2014-01-01

The Driver Behavior Questionnaire and the Driver Skill Inventory are two of the most frequently used measures of self-reported driving style and driving skill. The motivation behind the present study was to identify sub-groups of drivers that potentially act dangerously in traffic (as measured...... self-reported driving skills and whether the reported skill level was reflected in the reported aberrant driving behaviors. 3908 drivers aged 18–84 participated in the survey. K-means cluster analysis revealed four distinct sub-groups that differed in driving skills and frequency of aberrant driving...... by frequency of aberrant driving behaviors and level of driving skills), as well as to test whether the sub-groups differ in characteristics such as age, gender, annual mileage and accident involvement. Furthermore, the joint analysis of the two instruments was used to test drivers’ assessment of their own...

Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jane E. Brindley

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Collaborative learning in an online classroom can take the form of discussion among the whole class or within smaller groups. This paper addresses the latter, examining first whether assessment makes a difference to the level of learner participation and then considering other factors involved in creating effective collaborative learning groups. Data collected over a three year period (15 cohorts from the Foundations course in the Master of Distance Education (MDE program offered jointly by University of Maryland University College (UMUC and the University of Oldenburg does not support the authors’ original hypothesis that assessment makes a significant difference to learner participation levels in small group learning projects and leads them to question how much emphasis should be placed on grading work completed in study groups to the exclusion of other strategies. Drawing on observations of two MDE courses, including the Foundations course, their extensive online teaching experience, and a review of the literature, the authors identify factors other than grading that contribute positively to the effectiveness of small collaborative learning groups in the online environment. In particular, the paper focuses on specific instructional strategies that facilitate learner participation in small group projects, which result in an enhanced sense of community, increased skill acquisition, and better learning outcomes.

Comparison of the COPD Population Screener and International Primary Care Airway Group questionnaires in a general Japanese population: the Hisayama study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukuya, Go; Samukawa, Takuya; Matsumoto, Koichiro; Fukuyama, Satoru; Kumamoto, Tomohiro; Uchida, Akifumi; Koriyama, Chihaya; Ninomiya, Toshiharu; Inoue, Hiromasa

2016-01-01

The incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing worldwide. In Japan and other countries, epidemiological studies have found that many patients with COPD are underdiagnosed and untreated, and thus, early detection and treatment of COPD has been emphasized. Screening questionnaires may have utility in the initial detection of COPD. This study aimed to validate and compare the COPD Population Screener (COPD-PS) and the International Primary Care Airway Group (IPAG) questionnaires in a general Japanese population. Eligible subjects 40 years of age and older living in the town of Hisayama were solicited to participate in a health checkup in 2012. All subjects 40-79 years of age without physician-diagnosed asthma or lung resection were recruited, and 2,336 subjects who fully completed both questionnaires and who had valid spirometry measurements were analyzed. Persistent airflow obstruction (AO) was defined by a postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity questionnaires to discriminate between subjects with and without AO. The overall area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the COPD-PS questionnaire was 0.747 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.707-0.788) and for the IPAG was 0.775 (95% CI, 0.735-0.816), with no significant difference (P=0.09). The net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement were -0.107 (95% CI, -0.273-0.058; P=0.203) and -0.014 (95% CI, -0.033-0.006; P=0.182), respectively. The five-item COPD-PS questionnaire was comparable to the eight-item IPAG for discriminating between subjects with and without AO. The COPD-PS is a simple and useful screening questionnaire for persistent AO.

Assessment of psychometric properties of a modified PHEEM questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Gooneratne, I K; Munasinghe, S R; Siriwardena, C; Olupeliyawa, A M; Karunathilake, I

2008-12-01

An effective tool in analysing the learning environment, customised to the Sri Lankan setting, is vital for the assessment and delivery of quality healthcare training of preregistration house officers. Such a tool should be reliable and valid. We assessed psychometric properties such as internal reliability and construct validity of a modified version of the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM). A modified PHEEM questionnaire customised to the Sri Lankan context was developed in accordance to the Sri Lanka Medical Council guidelines. The questionnaire was distributed to all interns at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo North Teaching Hospital and Wathupitiwala Base Hospital during a calendar year (n = 100, response rate = 86%). Internal reliability and construct validity of the inventory were assessed by using Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analysis respectively as statistical methods. PHEEM consists of 3 subscales: perceptions of autonomy, social support and teaching, which are factors perceived to be influencing the educational environment. This administration demonstrated high internal reliability as reflected by a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.84. Exploratory factor analysis identified 12 factors with eigenvalue >1. However, the first factor had an eigenvalue of 6.7 (accounting for 19.7% of variance), while the rest had eigenvalues internal reliability in assessing the educational environment of intern doctors in Sri Lanka. It is possible that the clinical educational environment is collectively represented as a single dimension. This may be due to the complex interplay between individual items in the questionnaire. Therefore the psychometric properties do not justify the interpretation of the educational environment through specified subscales.

Creating neighbourhood groupings based on built environment features to facilitate health promotion activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Schopflocher, Donald; VanSpronsen, Eric; Spence, John C; Vallianatos, Helen; Raine, Kim D; Plotnikoff, Ronald C; Nykiforuk, Candace I J

2012-07-26

Detailed assessments of the built environment often resist data reduction and summarization. This project sought to develop a method of reducing built environment data to an extent that they can be effectively communicated to researchers and community stakeholders. We aim to help in an understanding of how these data can be used to create neighbourhood groupings based on built environment characteristics and how the process of discussing these neighbourhoods with community stakeholders can result in the development of community-informed health promotion interventions. We used the Irvine Minnesota Inventory (IMI) to assess 296 segments of a semi-rural community in Alberta. Expert raters "created" neighbourhoods by examining the data. Then, a consensus grouping was developed using cluster analysis, and the number of IMI variables to characterize the neighbourhoods was reduced by multiple discriminant function analysis. The 296 segments were reduced to a consensus set of 10 neighbourhoods, which could be separated from each other by 9 functions constructed from 24 IMI variables. Biplots of these functions were an effective means of summarizing and presenting the results of the community assessment, and stimulated community action. It is possible to use principled quantitative methods to reduce large amounts of information about the built environment into meaningful summaries. These summaries, or built environment neighbourhoods, were useful in catalyzing action with community stakeholders and led to the development of health-promoting built environment interventions.

Students' perception of the educational environment in medical college: a study based on DREEM questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, Asmita Ashok; Chaudhari, Vijaya Laxman

2016-09-01

The educational environment (EE) plays a very important role in effective student learning. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is a validated tool to assess the EE. This study aimed to collect baseline information about our medical student's perception of the EE, and to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses as well as scope for improvements in the current EE. Medical students and interns were included in this cross-sectional study. The DREEM questionnaire was used to measure students' perceptions about the EE, which has five domains: students' perceptions of learning; students' perceptions of teachers; students' academic self-perceptions; students' perceptions of atmosphere; and students' social self-perceptions. Students were asked to respond using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Data was analyzed using suitable tests and statistical significance was set at plearning (28.99/48), while their social self-perception (17.48/28) was not too bad and perception of teachers (26.71/44) moved in the right direction. The fifth semester students perceived EE more positively than other semester students. The present study revealed that all students perceived their EE positively. The positive points were that teachers were knowledgeable, that students had good friends, and they were confident about passing their exams. Problem areas observed were authoritarian teachers, overemphasis on factual learning, overly teacher-centered teaching, teachers getting angry, and the need for a support system for stressed students.

WAYFINDING STUDY IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS: THE ELDERLY VS. THE YOUNGER-AGED GROUPS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seunghae Lee

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This study aims to examine the impact of architectural wayfinding aids on wayfinding performances in comparison of the elderly group and the younger aged group. An ambulatory healthcare facility was simulated using Virtual Reality (VR to develop two levels of wayfinding aids for the same environments. The base model included minimal wayfinding aids, and the design model included more wayfinding aids. The VR environment was presented in the form of video in order to test wayfinding performances at three different wayfinding decision points. Results showed that age and wayfinding aids impacted wayfinding performances. The younger-aged group performed wayfinding better compared to the elderly group. Participants who were tested in the design model were more successful in wayfinding compared to the elderly group. The elderly group reported that more salient wayfinding aids such as a big logo and paint colors helped their wayfinding while the younger-aged group reported less salient aids such as door designs as helpful wayfinding aids. When there were minimal wayfinding aids, the elderly participants needed to rely mostly on memory recall by remembering turns or paying close attention. When participants felt that the wayfinding test was difficult, their performances were less successful. Findings in this study suggest that wayfinding design for the elderly should consider the limited ability of recall and therefore, design wayfinding aids more frequently with more salient aids to avoid confusion. The elderly group needed to rely on their limited cognitive ability when there were not enough wayfinding aids, which make them experience difficulties in wayfinding.

The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire : A multidimensional instrument of multicultural effectiveness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Zee, KI; Van Oudenhoven, JP

2000-01-01

In today's global business environment, executive work is becoming more international in orientation. Several skills and traits may underlie executive success in an inter national environment. The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire was developed as a multidimensional instrument aimed at

Polish Adaptation of Wrist Evaluation Questionnaires.

Science.gov (United States)

Czarnecki, Piotr; Wawrzyniak-Bielęda, Anna; Romanowski, Leszek

2015-01-01

Questionnaires evaluating hand and wrist function are a very useful tool allowing for objective and systematic recording of symptoms reported by the patients. Most questionnaires generally accepted in clinical practice are available in English and need to be appropriately adapted in translation and undergo subsequent validation before they can be used in another culture and language. The process of translation of the questionnaires was based on the generally accepted guidelines of the International Quality of Life Assessment Project (IQOLA). First, the questionnaires were translated from English into Polish by two independent translators. Then, a joint version of the translation was prepared collectively and translated back into English. Each stage was followed by a written report. The translated questionnaires were then evaluated by a group of patients. We selected 31 patients with wrist problems and asked them to complete the PRWE, Mayo, Michigan and DASH questionnaires twice at intervals of 3-10 days. The results were submitted for statistical analysis. We found a statistically significant (pquestionnaires. A comparison of the PRWE and Mayo questionnaires with the DASH questionnaire also showed a statistically significant correlation (pquestionnaires was successful and that the questionnaires may be used in clinical practice.

Work group I: Measures of the food and physical activity environment: instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Saelens, Brian E; Glanz, Karen

2009-04-01

A work group was convened to identify the core challenges, content gaps, and corresponding possible solutions for improving food- and physical activity-environment instrumentation. Identified challenges included instrument proliferation, the scaling or grain of instruments and appropriate aggregation to the neighborhood or community level, and unknown sensitivity to change of most instruments. Solutions for addressing these challenges included establishing an interactive and real-time instrument repository, developing and enforcing high standards for instrument reporting, increasing community-researcher collaborations, and implementing surveillance of food and physical activity environment. Solid instrumentation will accelerate a better understanding of food- and physical activity-environment effects on eating and physical activity behaviors.

[The virtual environment of a research group: the tutors' perspective].

Science.gov (United States)

Prado, Cláudia; Casteli, Christiane Pereira Martins; Lopes, Tania Oliveira; Kobayashi, Rika M; Peres, Heloísa Helena Ciqueto; Leite, Maria Madalena Januário

2012-02-01

The Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas de Tecnologia da Informação nos Processos de Trabalho em Enfermagem (Study and Research Group for Information Technology in the Nursing Working Processes, GEPETE) has the purpose of producing and socializing knowledge in information technology and health and nursing communication, making associations with research groups in this field and promoting student participation. This study was performed by the group tutors with the objective to report on the development of the virtual learning environment (VLE) and the tutors' experience as mediators of a research group using the Moodle platform. To do this, a VLE was developed and pedagogical mediation was performed following the theme of mentoring. An initial diagnosis was made of the difficulties in using this technology in interaction and communication, which permitted the proposal of continuing to use the platform as a resource to support research activities, offer lead researchers the mechanisms to socialize projects and offer the possibility of giving advice at a distance.

Group Awareness of Social and Cognitive Behavior in a CSCL Environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Phielix, Chris; Prins, Frans; Kirschner, Paul A.

2011-01-01

Phielix, C., Prins, F. J., & Kirschner, P. A. (2010). Group awareness of social and cognitive behavior in a CSCL environment. In K. Gomez, L. Lyons, & J. Radinsky (Eds.), Learning in the Disciplines: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2010): Volume 1 (pp.

Physiotherapy Questionnaires App to Deliver Main Musculoskeletal Assessment Questionnaires: Development and Validation Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira Neto, Nestor Cavalcante; Lima, Yuri Lopes; Almeida, Gabriel Peixoto Leão; Bezerra, Márcio Almeida; Lima, Pedro Olavo De Paula; de Oliveira, Rodrigo Ribeiro

2018-02-23

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) translate subjective outcomes into objective data that can be quantified and analyzed. Nevertheless, the use of PROs in their traditional paper format is not practical for clinical practice due to limitations associated with the analysis and management of the data. To address the need for a viable way to group and utilize the main functioning assessment tools in the field of musculoskeletal disorders, the Physiotherapy Questionnaires app was developed. This study aims to explain the development of the app, to validate it using two questionnaires, and to analyze whether participants prefer to use the app or the paper version of the questionnaires. In the first stage, the app for an Android operational system was developed. In the second stage, the aim was to select questionnaires that were most often used in musculoskeletal clinical practice and research. The Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) questionnaire were selected to validate the app. In total, 50 participants completed the paper and app versions of the AOFAS and 50 completed the FAOS. The study's outcomes were the correlation of the data between the paper and app versions as well as the preference of the participants between the two versions. The app was approved by experts after the adaptations of the layout for mobile phones and a total of 18 questionnaires were included in the app. Moreover, the app allows the generation of PDF and Excel files with the patients' data. In regards to validity, the mean of the total scores of the FAOS were 91.54% (SD 8.86%) for the paper version and 91.74% (SD 9.20%) for the app. There was no statistically significant differences in the means of the total scores or the subscales (P=.11-.94). The mean total scores for the AOFAS were 93.94 (SD 8.47) for the paper version and 93.96 (SD 8.48) for the app. No statistically significant differences were found for the total scores for the AOFAS

Can a structured questionnaire identify patients with reduced renal function?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Azzouz, Manal; Rømsing, Janne; Thomsen, Henrik

2014-01-01

To evaluate a structured questionnaire in identifying outpatients with renal dysfunction before MRI or CT in various age groups.......To evaluate a structured questionnaire in identifying outpatients with renal dysfunction before MRI or CT in various age groups....

Construction and characteristics of questionnaire for the assessment of defense mechanisms: MOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Džamonja-Ignjatović Tamara

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Defense mechanisms are psychological constructs of key importance for the assessment of personality and planning therapeutic process. Their assessment is mainly based on interview, observation and projective techniques. Questionnaires, as the self-assessment techniques, apparently are not suitable method for unconscious processes such as defense mechanisms. The paper presents the results of construction of the questionnaire for the assessment of defense mechanisms, abbreviated called MOD (Mechanisms of Defense, which represents an attempt to clarify conceptualization and operationalization of these constructs through a variety of behavioral and emotional manifestations, personal attitudes and beliefs, patterns of interpersonal relationships and feedback from environment. Research objectives included testing of metric characteristics and the factor structure of the questionnaire, as well as its validity for differentiating subjects from clinical and non-clinical populations. The questionnaire has 110 items assessed at the 5-point Likert scale for evaluation of 20 defense mechanisms. The sample consisted of 194 subjects of both sexes, of which 136 students of psychology and social work and 58 nonpsychotic patients from clinical populations. The results showed that the reliability of the scale varies from high to unsatisfactory (Cronbach alpha .82- .35, although for most subscales is around .65-.70. The most of defense mechanisms has one factor structure, whereas from about a third of the subscales two principal components were isolated. Analysis of the structure of mature defense mechanisms clearly derived out four factors corresponding to the presumed mechanisms of defense, while for the groups of neurotic and immature mechanisms were not obtained pure solutions. The questionnaire successfully differentiate clinical from non-clinical sample, based on higher scores on mature and lower scores on immature mechanisms, while the groups did not differ

Designing and Determining Psychometric Properties of the Domestic Elder Abuse Questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Heravi-Karimooi

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The purpose of this methodological study was to design and determine the psychometric properties of a new and specific questionnaire for assessing domestic elder abuse in the context of Iranian culture. Methods & Materials: This study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, phenomenology was applied to explore the meaning of domestic elder abuse phenomenon. In the second phase, a questionnaire was compiled, using the results of the qualitative research implemented in the first phase, in conjunction with the inductions from the expert panel. In the third phase, the psychometric properties including face validity, content validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and test- retest reliability were measured. 325 elderly people who were selected randomly participated in the last stage. Results: The initial 78 item questionnaire designed using the results of first and second phases of study, reduced to 49 items in the process of determining the face and content validity. The result of exploratory factor analysis showed that this questionnaire contains 8 factors including care neglect, psychological abuse, physical abuse, financial abuse, curtailment of personal autonomy, abandonment, financial neglect and emotional neglect. These 8 factors explained nearly 79.93% of the variance. The results of known groups' comparisons showed that this questionnaire could successfully discriminate between subgroups of elderly people in the indexes of re-hospitalization and functional status. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.90–0.975. Test-retest reliability (ICC of the questionnaire with interval time of two weeks was 0.98 (P<0.001. Conclusion: We concluded that the Domestic Elder Abuse questionnaire with 49 items appears to be a promising tool, providing reliable and valid data helping to detect abuse among elders in different settings such as clinical settings, homes and research environments by health care

Stress at work: development of the Stress Perception Questionnaire of Rome (SPQR), an ad hoc questionnaire for multidimensional assessment of work related stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Cinti, M E; Cannavò, M; Fioravanti, M

2017-01-01

Stress is an emotional condition, mostly experienced as negative, initially identified and defined by Selye in the mid-thirties of the last Century. Since the first definition, stress concerns the adaptation pro- cess mostly related to environmental changes. An application of stress focuses on the evaluation of its interference on work conditions, and the scientific evidence on work related stress is very ample and rich. We are proposing a new ad hoc questionnaire for the multidimensional assessment of work related stress, called Stress Perception Question- naire of Rome (SPQR) composed of 50 items. The development of this questionnaire is based on a multi-step process: a) Identification of all the relevant topics to work related stress and areas in the scientific evidence and their transformation on specific contents of 60 tentative items; b) Exploratory factor analysis aimed to identify the best items (50) which could guarantee the maximum convergence on single scales (8), and the minimum redundancy between scales; c) Validation of the 8 scales' structure by a confirmatory factor analysis (fully achieved); d) Factor analysis for a second level factor resulting in a single factor identified as the questionnaire total score (Stress Score); d) Reliability analysis of the questionnaire total score and the single scale scores (at optimum level); e) Validation by external criteria of work related stress identified in the presence of personal violence episodes experienced by a group of health workers with different professional profiles and from two different hospitals in Rome. Our results show that the SPQR is a useful and sensitive tool for assessing the presence of emotional stress related problems identifiable in a work environment. The advantage of this questionnaire is that it allows for a multidimensional description of the different components of this problematic area besides its ability to quantify the overall stress level of those who have been administered

FOCAL GROUPS ON-LINE: FROM THE CONCEPTUAL REFLECTIONS TO THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT APPLICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sônia M. Guedes Gondim

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Communication technologies have a renovating role in contemporaneity with regard to human interaction. One can however highlight their influence on other everyday aspects, like their influence in research. The objective of this paper is to describe and discuss the aspects that involve the application of focal groups in a virtual environment, denominated on-line focal groups, with the aim of highlighting factors that can guide their use in research, especially for research which is geared towards investigating opinions and perceptions of social players. The aspects broached in this paper are based in part on the application experience of the players, with a view to elaborating a doctorate thesis. The theoretical fundamentals of presential focal groups and their migration to the virtual environment are also broached. Finally some suggestions are presented to those who are interested in this research strategy, based on the results obtained through this experience.

Validation of a maternal questionnaire on correlates of physical activity in preschool children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inskip Hazel M

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Valid measures of physical activity correlates in preschool children are lacking. This study aimed to assess the validity, factor structure and internal consistency of a maternal questionnaire on potential correlates of four-year-old children's physical activity. Methods The questionnaire was designed to measure the following constructs: child personal factors; parental support and self-efficacy for providing support; parental rules and restrictions; maternal attitudes and perceptions; maternal behaviour; barriers to physical activity; and the home and local environments. Two separate studies were conducted. Study I included 24 mothers of four-year-old children who completed the questionnaire then participated in a telephone interview covering similar items to the questionnaire. To assess validity, the agreement between interview and questionnaire responses was assessed using Cohen's kappa and percentage agreement. Study II involved 398 mothers of four-year-old children participating in the Southampton Women's Survey. In this study, principal components analysis was used to explore the factor structure of the questionnaire to aid future analyses with these data. The internal consistency of the factors identified was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Results Kappa scores showed 30% of items to have moderate agreement or above, 23% to have fair agreement and 47% to have slight or poor agreement. However, 89% of items had fair agreement as assessed by percentage agreement (≥ 66%. Limited variation in responses to variables is likely to have contributed to some of the low kappa values. Six questions had a low kappa and low percentage agreement (defined as poor validity; these included questions from the child personal factors, maternal self-efficacy, rules and restrictions, and local environment domains. The principal components analysis identified eleven factors and found several variables to stand alone. Eight of the composite

Israeli nurse practice environment characteristics, retention, and job satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Dekeyser Ganz, Freda; Toren, Orly

2014-02-24

There is an international nursing shortage. Improving the practice environment has been shown to be a successful strategy against this phenomenon, as the practice environment is associated with retention and job satisfaction. The Israeli nurse practice environment has not been measured. The purpose of this study was to measure practice environment characteristics, retention and job satisfaction and to evaluate the association between these variables. A demographic questionnaire, the Practice Environment Scale, and a Job Satisfaction Questionnaire were administered to Israeli acute and intensive care nurses working in 7 hospitals across the country. Retention was measured by intent to leave the organization and work experience. A convenience sample of registered nurses was obtained using a bi-phasic, stratified, cluster design. Data were collected based on the preferences of each unit, either distribution during various shifts or at staff meetings; or via staff mailboxes. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample and results of the questionnaires. Pearson Product Moment Correlations were used to determine significant associations among the variables. A multiple regression model was designed where the criterion variable was the practice environment. Analyses of variance determined differences between groups on nurse practice environment characteristics. 610 nurses reported moderate levels of practice environment characteristics, where the lowest scoring characteristic was 'appropriate staffing and resources'. Approximately 9% of the sample reported their intention to leave and the level of job satisfaction was high. A statistically significant, negative, weak correlation was found between intention to leave and practice environment characteristics, with a moderate correlation between job satisfaction and practice environment characteristics. 'Appropriate staffing and resources' was the only characteristic found to be statistically different based on

The validity and reliability of a home environment preschool-age physical activity questionnaire (Pre-PAQ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peat Jennifer K

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a need for valid population level measures of physical activity in young children. The aim of this paper is to report the development, and the reliability and validity, of the Preschool-age Children's Physical Activity Questionnaire (Pre-PAQ which was designed to measure activity of preschool-age children in the home environment in population studies. Methods Pre-PAQ was completed by 103 families, and validated against accelerometry for 67 children (mean age 3.8 years, SD 0.74; males 53%. Pre-PAQ categorizes activity into five progressive levels (stationary no movement, stationary with limb or trunk movement, slow, medium, or fast-paced activity. Pre-PAQ Levels 1-2 (stationary activities were combined for analyses. Accelerometer data were categorized for stationary, sedentary (SED, non-sedentary (non-SED, light (LPA, moderate (MPA and vigorous (VPA physical activity using manufacturer's advice (stationary or the cut-points described by Sirard et al and Reilly et al. Bland-Altman methods were used to assess agreement between the questionnaire and the accelerometer measures for corresponding activity levels. Reliability of the Pre-PAQ over one week was determined using intraclass correlations (ICC or kappa (κ values and percentage of agreement of responses between the two questionnaire administrations. Results Pre-PAQ had good agreement with LPA (mean difference 1.9 mins.day-1 and VPA (mean difference -4.8 mins.day-1, was adequate for stationary activity (mean difference 7.6 mins.day-1 and poor for sedentary activity, whether defined using the cut-points of Sirard et al (mean difference -235.4 mins.day-1 or Reilly et al (mean difference -208.6 mins.day-1 cut-points. Mean difference between the measures for total activity (i.e. Reilly's non-sedentary or Sirard's LMVPA was 20.9 mins.day-1 and 45.2 mins.day-1. The limits of agreement were wide for all categories. The reliability of Pre-PAQ question responses ranged from

The validity and reliability of a home environment preschool-age physical activity questionnaire (Pre-PAQ).

Science.gov (United States)

Dwyer, Genevieve M; Hardy, Louise L; Peat, Jennifer K; Baur, Louise A

2011-08-04

There is a need for valid population level measures of physical activity in young children. The aim of this paper is to report the development, and the reliability and validity, of the Preschool-age Children's Physical Activity Questionnaire (Pre-PAQ) which was designed to measure activity of preschool-age children in the home environment in population studies. Pre-PAQ was completed by 103 families, and validated against accelerometry for 67 children (mean age 3.8 years, SD 0.74; males 53%). Pre-PAQ categorizes activity into five progressive levels (stationary no movement, stationary with limb or trunk movement, slow, medium, or fast-paced activity). Pre-PAQ Levels 1-2 (stationary activities) were combined for analyses. Accelerometer data were categorized for stationary, sedentary (SED), non-sedentary (non-SED), light (LPA), moderate (MPA) and vigorous (VPA) physical activity using manufacturer's advice (stationary) or the cut-points described by Sirard et al and Reilly et al. Bland-Altman methods were used to assess agreement between the questionnaire and the accelerometer measures for corresponding activity levels. Reliability of the Pre-PAQ over one week was determined using intraclass correlations (ICC) or kappa (κ) values and percentage of agreement of responses between the two questionnaire administrations. Pre-PAQ had good agreement with LPA (mean difference 1.9 mins.day⁻¹) and VPA (mean difference -4.8 mins.day⁻¹), was adequate for stationary activity (mean difference 7.6 mins.day⁻¹) and poor for sedentary activity, whether defined using the cut-points of Sirard et al (mean difference -235.4 mins.day⁻¹) or Reilly et al (mean difference -208.6 mins.day⁻¹) cut-points. Mean difference between the measures for total activity (i.e. Reilly's non-sedentary or Sirard's LMVPA) was 20.9 mins.day⁻¹ and 45.2 mins.day⁻¹. The limits of agreement were wide for all categories. The reliability of Pre-PAQ question responses ranged from 0.31-1.00 (ICC (2

A questionnaire survey on sleeping thermal environment and bedroom air conditioning in high-rise residences in Hong Kong

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Z. [Institute of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Gas Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai (China); Deng, S. [Department of Building Services Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR (China)

2006-07-01

This paper reports on the results of a questionnaire survey on sleeping thermal environment and bedroom air conditioning in high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong. The survey aimed at investigating the current situation of sleeping thermal environment and bedroom air conditioning, in order to gather relevant background information to develop strategies for bedroom air conditioning in the subtropics. It focused on the use patterns and types of bedroom air conditioning systems used, human factors such as the use of bedding and sleep wear during sleep, preference for indoor air temperature settings in bedrooms, ventilation control at nighttime with room air conditioner (RAC) turned on, etc. The results of the survey showed that most of the respondents would prefer a relatively low indoor air temperature at below 24 {sup o}C. Most of the respondents might however not be satisfied with the indoor air quality (IAQ) in bedrooms in Hong Kong. On the other hand, 68% of the respondents did not use any ventilation control intentionally during their sleep with their RACs turned on. A lack of knowledge of the ventilation control devices provided on window type room air conditioners (WRACs) indicated an urgent need for user education. (author)

Integrating a social network group with a 3D collaborative learning environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pourmirza, S.; Gardner, M.; Callaghan, V; Augusto, J.C.; Zhang, T.

2014-01-01

Although extensive research has been carried out on virtual learning environments and the role of groups and communities in social networks, few studies exist which adequately cover the relationship between these two domains. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating

Engie. Group dynamics and activities. Competitive environment and strategic perspectives. Release - October 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-09-01

After a synthesis, this report proposes a presentation of the Engie Group (general overview, activities in the different parts of the world, evolution of human resources, share-holding structure, stock market data, high management, competitive environment). It gives an overview of the Engie group dynamics and of its activities through a presentation of an environment analysis (world energy market, European gas and electricity market, gas consumption in France, regulated tariffs and spot prices, temperatures in France, regulatory evolutions), a presentation of the group activity (turnover in France, gas and electricity sales, turnover per area and market segment), a performance analysis (operating income), and a competitive analysis (comparison with the main European energy companies). It analyses the different development axes and discusses main events regarding Engie's strategy, the implementation of a large asset disposal, how Engie gets on the path of renewable energies, and the development of energy services. Financial data are presented along with the main economic and financial indicators. Important statistical data are provided

Evaluation of Intelligent Grouping Based on Learners' Collaboration Competence Level in Online Collaborative Learning Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Muuro, Maina Elizaphan; Oboko, Robert; Wagacha, Waiganjo Peter

2016-01-01

In this paper we explore the impact of an intelligent grouping algorithm based on learners' collaborative competency when compared with (a) instructor based Grade Point Average (GPA) method level and (b) random method, on group outcomes and group collaboration problems in an online collaborative learning environment. An intelligent grouping…

Environmental opportunities questionnaire: development of a measure of the environment supporting early motor development in the first year of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Doralp, Samantha; Bartlett, Doreen J

2013-09-01

The development and testing of a measure evaluating the quality and variability in the home environment as it relates to the motor development of infants during the first year of life. A sample of 112 boys and 95 girls with a mean age of 7.1 months (SD 1.8) and GA of 39.6 weeks (SD 1.5) participated in the study. The measurement development process was divided into three phases: measurement development (item generation or selection of items from existing measurement tools), pilot testing to determine acceptability and feasibility to parents, and exploratory factor analysis to organize items into meaningful concepts. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were also determined. The environmental opportunities questionnaire (EOQ) is a feasible 21-item measure comprised of three factors including opportunities in the play space, sensory variety and parental encouragement. Overall, test-retest reliability was 0.92 (CI 0.84-0.96) and the internal consistency is 0.79. The EOQ emphasizes quality of the environment and access to equipment and toys that have the potential to facilitate early motor development. The preliminary analyses reported here suggest more work could be done on the EOQ to strengthen its use for research or clinical purposes; however, it is adequate for use in its current form. Implications for Rehabilitation New and feasible 21-item questionnaire that enables identification of malleable environmental factors that serve as potential points of intervention for children that are not developing typically. Therapeutic tool for use by therapists to inform and guide discussions with caregivers about potential influences of environmental, social and attitudinal factors in their child's early development.

Online self-report questionnaire on computer work-related exposure (OSCWE): validity and internal consistency.

Science.gov (United States)

Mekhora, Keerin; Jalayondeja, Wattana; Jalayondeja, Chutima; Bhuanantanondh, Petcharatana; Dusadiisariyavong, Asadang; Upiriyasakul, Rujiret; Anuraktam, Khajornyod

2014-07-01

To develop an online, self-report questionnaire on computer work-related exposure (OSCWE) and to determine the internal consistency, face and content validity of the questionnaire. The online, self-report questionnaire was developed to determine the risk factors related to musculoskeletal disorders in computer users. It comprised five domains: personal, work-related, work environment, physical health and psychosocial factors. The questionnaire's content was validated by an occupational medical doctor and three physical therapy lecturers involved in ergonomic teaching. Twenty-five lay people examined the feasibility of computer-administered and the user-friendly language. The item correlation in each domain was analyzed by the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha; alpha). The content of the questionnaire was considered congruent with the testing purposes. Eight hundred and thirty-five computer users at the PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited registered to the online self-report questionnaire. The internal consistency of the five domains was: personal (alpha = 0.58), work-related (alpha = 0.348), work environment (alpha = 0.72), physical health (alpha = 0.68) and psychosocial factor (alpha = 0.93). The findings suggested that the OSCWE had acceptable internal consistency for work environment and psychosocial factors. The OSCWE is available to use in population-based survey research among computer office workers.

Summary of presentation for research on social structure, agreement, and conflict in groups in extreme and isolated environments

Science.gov (United States)

1990-01-01

Despite a vast amount of research, little is known concerning the effect of group structure, and individuals' understanding of that structure, on conflict in Antarctic groups. The overall objective of the research discussed is to determine the interrelationships of group structure, social cognition, and group function and conflict in isolated and extreme environments. In the two decades following WWII, a large body of research focused on the physiological, psychological, and social psychological factors affecting the functioning of individuals and groups in a variety of extreme and isolated environments in both the Arctic and Antarctic. There are two primary reasons for further research of this type. First, Antarctic polar stations are considered to be natural laboratories for the social and behavioral sciences and provide an opportunity to address certain theoretical and empirical questions concerned with agreement and conflict in social groups in general and group behavior in extreme, isolated environments in particular. Recent advances in the analysis of social networks and intracultural variation have improved the methods and have shifted the theoretical questions. The research is motivated by three classes of questions: (1) What are the characteristics of the social relations among individuals working and living together in extreme and isolated environments?; (2) What do individuals understand about their group, how does that understanding develop, and how is it socially distributed?; and (3) What is the relationship between that understanding and the functioning of the social group? Answers to these questions are important if we are to advance our knowledge of how individuals and groups adapt to extreme environments. Second, although Antarctic winter-over candidates may be evaluated as qualified on the basis of individual characteristics, they may fail to adapt because of certain characteristics of the social group. Consequently, the ability of winter-over-groups

76 FR 21429 - Proposed Information Collection (Disability Benefits Questionnaires-Group 3) Activity: Comment...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-15

...) (Including Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Diverticulitis) Disability Benefits Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0960G-3. g. Intestines Surgical and/or Infectious Intestinal Disorders...

Chemistry of complexing molecules and environment. Report of the working group of the Cea ''mission environment''; Chimie des complexants en environnements. Rapport du groupe de travail de la mission environnement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petit, J C

1998-07-01

The Working group 'Chemistry of Complexing Molecules and Environment' of the Mission Environment (AG/ENV) identified themes for an original positioning of CEA on important issues of environmental research if a sufficiently strong demand appears. The research of CEA on the environment should be complementary to actions undertaken by other partners (official institutions, research organizations and industrial firms). The themes suggested are: the synthesis of new chelating molecules and new materials having specific properties, with the support of theoretical chemistry and modeling, analytical physical chemistry and speciation of species in relation to their eco-toxicity and their biogeochemical mobility in the natural environment. These themes, illustrated by examples of actions in progress at CEA or likely to be launched quickly, draw largely from recognized competences of the teams, generally developed for finalized nuclear applications: experimental, theoretical and instrumental competences. (author)

Interplay between Individual Creativity and Group Creativity in Problem and Project-Based Learning (PBL) Environment in Engineering Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Chunfang; Kolmos, Anette

2013-01-01

Recent studies regard Problem and Project Based Learning (PBL) as providing a learning environment which fosters both individual and group creativity. This paper focuses on the question: In a PBL environment, how do students perceive the interplay between individual and group creativity? Empirica...

Reliability and relative validity of a child nutrition questionnaire to simultaneously assess dietary patterns associated with positive energy balance and food behaviours, attitudes, knowledge and environments associated with healthy eating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magarey Anthea M

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Food behaviours, attitudes, environments and knowledge are relevant to professionals in childhood obesity prevention, as are dietary patterns which promote positive energy balance. There is a lack of valid and reliable tools to measure these parameters. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and relative validity of a child nutrition questionnaire assessing all of these parameters, used in the evaluation of a community-based childhood obesity prevention project. Methods The development of the 14-item questionnaire was informed by the aims of the obesity prevention project. A sub-sample of children aged 10–12 years from primary schools involved in the intervention was recruited at the project's baseline data collection (Test 1. Questionnaires were readministered (Test 2 following which students completed a 7-day food diary designed to reflect the questionnaire. Twelve scores were derived to assess consumption of fruit, vegetables, water, noncore foods and sweetened beverages plus food knowledge, behaviours, attitudes and environments. Reliability was assessed using (a the intra class correlation coefficient (ICC and 95% confidence intervals to compare scores from Tests 1 and 2 (test-retest reliability and (b Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency. Validity was assessed with Spearman correlations, bias and limits of agreement between scores from Test 1 and the 7-day diaries. The Wilcoxon signed rank test checked for significant differences between mean scores. Results One hundred and forty one students consented to the study. Test 2 (n = 134 occurred between eight and 36 days after Test 1. For 10/12 scores ICCs ranged from 0.47–0.66 (p 0.05 for 10/12 (test-retest reliability and 3/7 (validity scores. Conclusion This child nutrition questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool to simultaneously assess dietary patterns associated with positive energy balance, and food behaviours, attitudes and environments in

Using a Virtual Learning Environment to Manage Group Projects: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cleary, Yvonne; Marcus-Quinn, Ann

2008-01-01

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are increasingly used by Higher Education Institutions to manage and enhance teaching and learning, and research. Discussion, chat, scheduling, and other collaboration tools make VLEs especially useful systems for designing and managing complex group projects. In the spring semester of 2006, students at the…

Meals in Our Household: reliability and initial validation of a questionnaire to assess child mealtime behaviors and family mealtime environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Sarah E; Must, Aviva; Curtin, Carol; Bandini, Linda G

2012-02-01

Mealtimes in families with young children are increasingly of interest to nutrition and public health researchers, yet assessment tools are limited. Meals in Our Household is a new parent-report questionnaire that measures six domains: 1) structure of family meals, 2) problematic child mealtime behaviors, 3) use of food as reward, 4) parental concern about child diet, 5) spousal stress related to child's mealtime behavior, and 6) influence of child's food preferences on what other family members eat. Reliability and initial face, construct, and discriminant validity of the questionnaire were evaluated between January 2007 and December 2009 in two cross-sectional studies comprising a total of 305 parents of 3- to 11-year-old children (including 53 children with autism spectrum disorders). Internal consistencies (Cronbach's α) for the six domains averaged .77 across both studies. Test-retest reliability, assessed among a subsample of 44 parents who repeated the questionnaire after between 10 and 30 days, was excellent (Spearman correlations for the domain scores between two administrations ranged from 0.80 to 0.95). Initial construct validity of the instrument was supported by observation of hypothesized inter-relationships between domain scores that were of the same direction and similar magnitude in both studies. Consistent with discriminant validity, children with autism spectrum disorders had statistically significantly (Pchild mealtime behaviors, use of food as reward, parental concern about child diet, and spousal stress, as compared to typically developing children. Meals in Our Household may be a useful tool for researchers studying family mealtime environments and children's mealtime behaviors.

Use of questionnaires and an expert panel to judge the environmental consequences of chemical spills for the development of an environment-accident index.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersson, Asa Scott; Stjernström, Olof; Fängmark, Ingrid

2005-05-01

Assessing the environmental consequences of a chemical accident is a complex task. To date, the methods used to evaluate the environmental effects of an acute release of a chemical have often been based on measurements of chemical and physical variables deemed to be important, such as the concentration of the chemical. However, a broader strategy is needed to predict the environmental consequences of potential accidents during the planning process. An Environment-Accident Index (EAI), a simple tool based on such a strategy, has been developed to facilitate the consideration of a multitude of influential variables. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether questionnaire-based expert panel's judgements could provide useful data on the environmental consequences of chemical spills, and an effective basis for further development of the EAI. As expected, the judgements did not agree perfectly, but they do give rough indications of the environmental effects, and highlight consistent trends that should be useful inputs for planning, prevention and decontamination processes. The different accidents were also judged to have caused everything from minor to very major effects in the environment, implying that a wide range of accident scenarios were represented in the material and covered by the EAI. Therefore, questionnaires and expert panel judgements can be used to collect useful data for estimating the likely environmental consequences of chemical accidents and for further development of the EAI.

A comparison of hospital- and community-based mental health nurses: perceptions of their work environment and psychological health.

Science.gov (United States)

Fielding, J; Weaver, S M

1994-06-01

This study compares hospital- (n = 67) and community-based (n = 55) mental health nurses in relation to their perceptions of the work environment and also their psychological health. Measures include: the General Health Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Work Environment Scale. The data, obtained from self-returned questionnaires, show that community nurses rated their work environments higher for the dimensions of Involvement, Supervisor Support, Autonomy, Innovation and Work Pressure. Hospital nurses saw their environments as being higher in (managerial) Control. There were no differences between the groups for the dimensions of Peer Cohesion, Task Orientation, Clarity or (physical) Comfort. Furthermore, there were no overall differences between the two groups in relation to psychological health, although the pattern of factors associated with emotional well-being differed. Finally, analyses of the community data revealed that those nurses with 'flexitime' arrangements evaluated their work environments less positively and showed higher levels of psychological strain than did those working 'fixed-time' schedules. The findings suggest that the hospital and community environments make different demands on nursing staff, and that this should be considered when organizing nursing services if stress is to be avoided.

Evaluate Stochastikon Magister by Questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaomin Zhai

2011-03-01

Full Text Available This paper is the continuation of the work of articles “Strategies for Teaching a Novel Approach to Handling Uncertainty Scientifically via Internet”, “A Graphical Tool for Visualizing Bernoulli Stochastics” and “Empirical Evaluation of Stochastikon Magister”. In this paper we evaluate the usability and learnability of the virtual classroom – Stochastikon Magister by questionnaire. The result shows that more than 70% of the teacher candidates, who selected Magister E-Learning programme to learn Bernoulli Stochastics, feel satisfactory with both Magister learning environment and Bernoulli Stochastics teaching content. Besides, most of the participants hold positive attitudes toward the possibility of using E-Learning systems as a replacement of classroom teaching for educating other subjects of mathematics and natural science. The response to the questionnaire is identical with another empirical evaluation of Stochastikon Magister.

Student nurses' experiences of the clinical learning environment in relation to the organization of supervision: a questionnaire survey.

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Sundler, Annelie J; Björk, Maria; Bisholt, Birgitta; Ohlsson, Ulla; Engström, Agneta Kullén; Gustafsson, Margareta

2014-04-01

The aim was to investigate student nurses' experiences of the clinical learning environment in relation to how the supervision was organized. The clinical environment plays an essential part in student nurses' learning. Even though different models for supervision have been previously set forth, it has been stressed that there is a need both of further empirical studies on the role of preceptorship in undergraduate nursing education and of studies comparing different models. A cross-sectional study with comparative design was carried out with a mixed method approach. Data were collected from student nurses in the final term of the nursing programme at three universities in Sweden by means of a questionnaire. In general the students had positive experiences of the clinical learning environment with respect to pedagogical atmosphere, leadership style of the ward manager, premises of nursing, supervisory relationship, and role of the nurse preceptor and nurse teacher. However, there were significant differences in their ratings of the supervisory relationship (ppedagogical atmosphere (p 0.025) depending on how the supervision was organized. Students who had the same preceptor all the time were more satisfied with the supervisory relationship than were those who had different preceptors each day. Students' comments on the supervision confirmed the significance of the preceptor and the supervisory relationship. The organization of the supervision was of significance with regard to the pedagogical atmosphere and the students' relation to preceptors. Students with the same preceptor throughout were more positive concerning the supervisory relationship and the pedagogical atmosphere. © 2013.

Referent group proximity, social norms, and context: alcohol use in a low-use environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Jared M; Bates, Scott C

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived normative use of alcohol and reported consumption in an environment where relatively little alcohol use occurs. A total of 585 undergraduate students completed an online survey on alcohol use in March 2006. Participants reported personal alcohol use and perceptions of use by "friends," "the average student," and "the average student who drinks." Due to the large number of students reporting zero alcohol use, zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to analyze the data. Results showed that perceptions of use and beliefs about the acceptability of use by proximal groups were strongly and positively correlated with personal alcohol use. Perceptions of distal groups were either not correlated or were correlated negatively with personal use. These findings suggest that the use of distal referent groups for a social norms campaign in a low-use environment may have paradoxical effects.

Validity of the international consultation on incontinence questionnaire-pediatric lower urinary tract symptoms: a screening questionnaire for children.

Science.gov (United States)

De Gennaro, Mario; Niero, Mauro; Capitanucci, Maria Luisa; von Gontard, Alexander; Woodward, Mark; Tubaro, Andrea; Abrams, Paul

2010-10-01

Lower urinary tract symptoms are common in pediatric patients. To our knowledge no validated instruments properly designed to screen lower urinary tract symptoms in the pediatric population have been published to date. In the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Committee the psychometric properties of a screening questionnaire for pediatric lower urinary tract symptoms were assessed. The 12-item International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Pediatric Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms was developed in child and parent self-administered versions, and produced in English, Italian and German using a standard cross-cultural adaptation process. The questionnaire was self-administered to children 5 to 18 years old and their parents presenting for lower urinary tract symptoms (cases) or to pediatric/urological clinics for other reasons (controls). A case report form included history, urinalysis, bladder diary, flowmetry/post-void residual urine volume and clinician judgment on whether each child did or did not have lower urinary tract symptoms. Questionnaire psychometric properties were evaluated and data were stratified into 3 age groups, including 5 to 9, 10 to 13 and 14 to 18 years. A total of 345 questionnaires were completed, of which 147 were negative and 198 were positive for lower urinary tract symptoms. A mean of 1.67% and 2.10% of items were missing in the child and parent versions, respectively. Reliability (Cronbach's α) was unacceptable in only the 5 to 9-year-old group. The high ICC of 0.847 suggested fair child/parent equivalence. Sensitivity and specificity were 89% and 76% in the child version, and 91% and 73.5% in the parent version, respectively. The questionnaire is an acceptable, reliable tool with high sensitivity and specificity to screen for lower urinary tract symptoms in pediatric practice. Problems related to literacy suggest use of the child versions for patients older than 9 years. In research this questionnaire

Exploring Environment-Intervention Fit: A Study of a Work Environment Intervention Program for the Care Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Aust, Birgit; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann

2015-01-01

Targeting occupational health and safety interventions to different groups of employees and sectors is important. The aim of this study was to explore the environment-intervention fit of a Danish psychosocial work environment intervention program for the residential and home care sector. Focus group interviews with employees and interviews with mangers were conducted at 12 selected workplaces and a questionnaire survey was conducted with managers at all 115 workplaces. The interventions enhanced the probability of employees experiencing more “good” work days, where they could make a difference to the lives of clients. The interventions may therefore be characterized as culturally compelling and having a good fit with the immediate work environment of employees. The interventions furthermore seemed to fit well with the wider organizational environment and with recent changes in the societal and economic context of workplaces. However, some workplaces had difficulties with involving all employees and adapting the interventions to the organization of work. The findings suggest that flexibility and a variety of strategies to involve all employees are important aspects, if interventions are to fit well with the care sector. The focus on employees' conceptualization of a “good” work day may be useful for intervention research in other sectors. PMID:26380356

Exploring Environment-Intervention Fit: A Study of a Work Environment Intervention Program for the Care Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louise Hardman Smith

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Targeting occupational health and safety interventions to different groups of employees and sectors is important. The aim of this study was to explore the environment-intervention fit of a Danish psychosocial work environment intervention program for the residential and home care sector. Focus group interviews with employees and interviews with mangers were conducted at 12 selected workplaces and a questionnaire survey was conducted with managers at all 115 workplaces. The interventions enhanced the probability of employees experiencing more “good” work days, where they could make a difference to the lives of clients. The interventions may therefore be characterized as culturally compelling and having a good fit with the immediate work environment of employees. The interventions furthermore seemed to fit well with the wider organizational environment and with recent changes in the societal and economic context of workplaces. However, some workplaces had difficulties with involving all employees and adapting the interventions to the organization of work. The findings suggest that flexibility and a variety of strategies to involve all employees are important aspects, if interventions are to fit well with the care sector. The focus on employees’ conceptualization of a “good” work day may be useful for intervention research in other sectors.

Reference values for anxiety questionnaires: the Leiden Routine Outcome Monitoring Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulte-van Maaren, Yvonne W M; Giltay, Erik J; van Hemert, Albert M; Zitman, Frans G; de Waal, Margot W M; Carlier, Ingrid V E

2013-09-25

The monitoring of patients with an anxiety disorder can benefit from Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM). As anxiety disorders differ in phenomenology, several anxiety questionnaires are included in ROM: Brief Scale for Anxiety (BSA), PADUA Inventory Revised (PI-R), Panic Appraisal Inventory (PAI), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), Worry Domains Questionnaire (WDQ), Social Interaction, Anxiety Scale (SIAS), Social Phobia Scale (SPS), and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). We aimed to generate reference values for both 'healthy' and 'clinically anxious' populations for these anxiety questionnaires. We included 1295 subjects from the general population (ROM reference-group) and 5066 psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with a specific anxiety disorder (ROM patient-group). The MINI was used as diagnostic device in both the ROM reference group and the ROM patient group. To define limits for one-sided reference intervals (95th percentile; P95) the outermost 5% of observations were used. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analyses were used to yield alternative cut-off values for the anxiety questionnaires. For the ROM reference-group the mean age was 40.3 years (SD=12.6), and for the ROM patient-group it was 36.5 years (SD=11.9). Females constituted 62.8% of the reference-group and 64.4% of the patient-group. P95 ROM reference group cut-off values for reference versus clinically anxious populations were 11 for the BSA, 43 for the PI-R, 37 for the PAI Anticipated Panic, 47 for the PAI Perceived Consequences, 65 for the PAI Perceived Self-efficacy, 66 for the PSWQ, 74 for the WDQ, 32 for the SIAS, 19 for the SPS, and 36 for IES-R. ROC analyses yielded slightly lower reference values. The discriminative power of all eight anxiety questionnaires was very high. Substantial non-response and limited generalizability. For eight anxiety questionnaires a comprehensive set of reference values was provided. Reference values were generally higher in women than in men

[Humor at Work Questionnaire - Polish adaptation of Humor Climate Questionnaire (HCQ)].

Science.gov (United States)

Stańczak, Aleksander; Drabek, Marcin

2018-03-09

The aim of the paper is to present the Polish adaptation of the Humor Climate Questionnaire (HCQ), designed to measure humor as organizational climate feature. The authors employed back-translation and independent judges method to choose the best version of the translated items. The psychometric properties of HCQ were estimated on the basis of 2 samples: the basic group of employees (N = 217) and the group of employees who had completed the survey twice (N = 55). The results of statistical analyses proved that HCQ is a reliable tool. Explorative Factor Analysis supported the 4-factor structure of the original method's theoretical model. The validity of the subscales is high, Cronbach's α varied from 0.8 to 0.9. The directions and values of intercorrelations between subscales were similar to those of the English version. The Humor Climate Questionnaire is a relatively time-stable tool (r = 0.44-0.74). Polish adaptation is reliable and applicable for cross-sectional studies. The obtained results are comparable to the characteristics of the original version. However, the results of factor analysis show that the data do not fully fit the theoretical model. Med Pr 2018;69(2):143-152. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Extending the validity of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire

OpenAIRE

Jansen, Elena; Mallan, Kimberley M.; Daniels, Lynne A.

2015-01-01

Background Feeding practices are commonly examined as potentially modifiable determinants of children?s eating behaviours and weight status. Although a variety of questionnaires exist to assess different feeding aspects, many lack thorough reliability and validity testing. The Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) is a tool designed to measure early feeding practices related to non-responsive feeding and structure of the meal environment. Face validity, factorial validity, inte...

A survey of influence of work environment on temporomandibular disorders-related symptoms in Japan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nishiyama Akira

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction This study aimed at identifying the factors that influence the incidence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD-related symptoms (TRS in a Japanese working population. Methods Our study subjects comprised of 1,969 employees from the same Japanese company. The subjects were assessed using a questionnaire that covered both TRS and the work environment. TRS were measured from 4 items on the questionnaire. The work environment factors recorded were the daily mean duration of personal computer use, driving, precise work, commuting, time spent at home before going to bed, sleeping, attending business meetings, and performing physical labor. Statistical analysis was performed using t-tests, Chi-square tests, and logistic regression analyses. A result with P  Results The median total score on the 4 items used to assess TRS was 5 (25% = 4, 75% = 7. Two groups were defined such that the participants scoring ≤7 were assigned to the low-TRS group and those scoring ≥8, to the high-TRS group. The high-TRS group constituted 22.6% of the subjects. Logistic regression analyses indicated that female gender and extended periods of computer use were significant contributors to the manifestation of TRS. Conclusion This questionnaire-based study showed that gender and computer use time was associated with the prevalence of TRS in this working population. Thus, evaluation of ergonomics is suggested for TMD patients.

Perceived quality in Day Surgery Units Proposal of an enquiry postoperative questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Palumbo, Piergaspare; Perotti, Bruno; Amatucci, Chiara; Pangrazi, Maria Pia; Leuzzi, Barbara; Vietri, Francesco; Illuminati, Giulio

2016-01-01

Assessing patient satisfaction could be particularly useful in Day Surgery Units, as it helps maintaining and increasing medical care demand. Moreover, it provides feedback that turns out useful for improving quality in departments, and for assessing competence and skill of the whole staff. Background and aim - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality perceived in a day surgery unit through a questionnaire, covering the 10 main aspects of the care pathway. The results of a questionnaire filled by patients undergoing Day Surgery between January 2007 and December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients undergoing surgery between 2007 and 2009 filled up the questionnaire at the time of the discharge, whereas those operated on between 2009 and 2012 filled up the same questionnaire 30 days after discharge. The results were good in terms of number of returned questionnaires, underlining its comprehensibility and suitability to be filled out. The questionnaires' scores were good in both groups, although quality perceived by the group that completed it in 30 days after surgery were lightly better than the other group's. The advantages of the questionnaire consisted of an overall improvement of the quality of care, whereas limitations consisted of the difficulty in setting up the questionnaire accurately, interpreting patients' answers correctly, and dispensing the questionnaire in a timely fashion, in order to evaluate the quality perceived by the patients without any bias related to delay, pain and anxiety. Day Surgery, Nursing, Questionnaire, Quality.

Investigating the relationship between leader behaviours and group cohesion within women's walking groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Caperchione, Cristina; Mummery, W Kerry; Duncan, Mitch

2011-07-01

Early research has shown that leadership behaviour is viewed as a crucial factor in successfully developing team cohesion, effectively resulting in greater team satisfaction and more positive team outcomes. However, little is understood if these same factors have an impact on physical activity groups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between leader behaviours and group cohesiveness within women's physical activity groups. Participants (N = 95) included a sub-sample of adult women who were previously involved in a women's physical activity/walking program. Participants assessed their groups' leader behaviour using items pertaining to enthusiasm, motivation, instruction and availability, and their groups' cohesiveness using the Physical Activity Group Environment Questionnaire (PAGEQ). Canonical correlation analysis was used to determine the strength of association between the four concepts of group cohesion (ATG-T, ATG-S, GI-T and GI-S) and the four items pertaining to leadership behaviour. A significant multivariate relationship was revealed between group cohesion and leadership behaviour, Wilks' lambda = 0.43, F(16,170) = 5.16, p cohesion. Although a cause-effect relationship cannot be determined, the current study can serve as a valuable template in guiding future research in examining potential mechanisms that may assist with physical activity sustainability. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screening of patients for cochlear implant through a questionnaire online. GroupProfile of patients pre-and peri lingual not summoned

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leal, Aquiles Figueiredo

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Facilitating access to specialized centers and properly screen patients seeking cochlear implants are critical steps for proper rehabilitation. Objective: To describe the group of patients pre-and peri-lingual is not called for in a service evaluation of cochlear implants. Method: A retrospective study analyzed 401 questionnaires of patients pre-and peri-lingual Web site registered in the Central Brazilian cochlear implant. For the failure to call these patients were used as criteria applied some variables: age, use of hearing aids, speech therapy, duration of deafness, type of progression of hearing loss and type of communication used by the patient. Results: The group of patients with pre-and peri-lingual deafness accounted for 34% of total questionnaires completed during the period. The distribution by age found that 54% of patients were over 17 years, 30% between 9 and 17 years, and remaining less than 9 years. The duration of deafness was higher than 20 years in 50% of patients, between 10 and 20 years by 32% between 5 and 10 years in 9% and between 0 and 5 years in 9%. Regarding the performance of voice rehabilitation 58% of patients had performed and 42% did not. Regarding the mode of communication 49% had global communication, 18% LIBRAS, 6% oral communication, 26% no communication. Conclusion: Advanced age, duration of deafness high, so mostly no oral communication and lack of voice rehabilitation were crucial to the failure to call these patients.

Questionnaire on the measurement condition of distribution coefficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takebe, Shinichi; Kimura, Hideo; Matsuzuru, Hideo

2001-05-01

The distribution coefficient is used for various transport models to evaluate the migration behavior of radionuclides in the environment and is very important parameter in environmental impact assessment of nuclear facility. The questionnaire was carried out for the purpose of utilizing for the proposal of the standard measuring method of distribution coefficient. This report is summarized the result of questionnairing on the sampling methods and storage condition, the pretreatment methods, the analysis items in the physical/chemical characteristics of the sample, and the distribution coefficient measuring method and the measurement conditions in the research institutes within country. (author)

Teachers’ voice use in teaching environment. Aspects on speakers’ comfort

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyberg-Åhlander, Viveka; Rydell, Roland; Löfqvist, Anders

2015-01-01

use and prevalence of voice problems in teachers and to explore their ratings of vocally loading aspects of their working environment. Method: A questionnaire-survey in 467 teachers aiming to explore the prevalence of voice problems in teaching staff identified teachers with voice problems and vocally...... in the teaching environment and aspects of the classroom environment were also measured. Results: Teachers with voice problems were more affected by any loading factor in the work-environment and were more perceptive of the room acoustics. Differences between the groups were found during field......-measurements of the voice, while there were no differences in the findings from the clinical examinations of larynx and voice. Conclusion: Teachers suffering from voice problems react stronger to loading factors in the teaching environment. It is in the interplay between the individual and the work environment that voice...

EXAMINING THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENT IN A COMPREHENSIVE SAMPLE OF COMPACT GROUPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, Lisa May; Johnson, Kelsey E.; Gallagher, Sarah C.; Charlton, Jane C.; Hornschemeier, Ann E.; Hibbard, John E.

2012-01-01

Compact groups, with their high number densities, small velocity dispersions, and an interstellar medium that has not been fully processed, provide a local analog to conditions of galaxy interactions in the earlier universe. The frequent and prolonged gravitational encounters that occur in compact groups affect the evolution of the constituent galaxies in a myriad of ways, for example, gas processing and star formation. Recently, a statistically significant 'gap' has been discovered in the mid-infrared (MIR: 3.6-8 μm) IRAC color space of compact group galaxies. This gap is not seen in field samples and is a new example of how the compact group environment may affect the evolution of member galaxies. In order to investigate the origin and nature of this gap, we have compiled a larger sample of 37 compact groups in addition to the original 12 groups studied by Johnson et al. (yielding 174 individual galaxies with reliable MIR photometry). We find that a statistically significant deficit of galaxies in this gap region of IRAC color space is persistent in the full sample, lending support to the hypothesis that the compact group environment inhibits moderate specific star formation rates. Using this expanded sample, we have more fully characterized the distribution of galaxies in this color space and quantified the low-density region more fully with respect to MIR bluer and MIR redder colors. We note a curvature in the color-space distribution, which is fully consistent with increasing dust temperature as the activity in a galaxy increases. This full sample of 49 compact groups allows us to subdivide the data according to physical properties of the groups. An analysis of these subsamples indicates that neither projected physical diameter nor density shows a trend in color space within the values represented by this sample. We hypothesize that the apparent lack of a trend is due to the relatively small range of properties in this sample, whose groups have already been

Examining the Role of Environment in a Comprehensive Sample of Compact Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Lisa May; Johnson, Kelsey E.; Gallagher, Sarah C.; Charlton, Jane C.; Hornschemeier, Ann E.; Hibbard, John E.

2012-03-01

Compact groups, with their high number densities, small velocity dispersions, and an interstellar medium that has not been fully processed, provide a local analog to conditions of galaxy interactions in the earlier universe. The frequent and prolonged gravitational encounters that occur in compact groups affect the evolution of the constituent galaxies in a myriad of ways, for example, gas processing and star formation. Recently, a statistically significant "gap" has been discovered in the mid-infrared (MIR: 3.6-8 μm) IRAC color space of compact group galaxies. This gap is not seen in field samples and is a new example of how the compact group environment may affect the evolution of member galaxies. In order to investigate the origin and nature of this gap, we have compiled a larger sample of 37 compact groups in addition to the original 12 groups studied by Johnson et al. (yielding 174 individual galaxies with reliable MIR photometry). We find that a statistically significant deficit of galaxies in this gap region of IRAC color space is persistent in the full sample, lending support to the hypothesis that the compact group environment inhibits moderate specific star formation rates. Using this expanded sample, we have more fully characterized the distribution of galaxies in this color space and quantified the low-density region more fully with respect to MIR bluer and MIR redder colors. We note a curvature in the color-space distribution, which is fully consistent with increasing dust temperature as the activity in a galaxy increases. This full sample of 49 compact groups allows us to subdivide the data according to physical properties of the groups. An analysis of these subsamples indicates that neither projected physical diameter nor density shows a trend in color space within the values represented by this sample. We hypothesize that the apparent lack of a trend is due to the relatively small range of properties in this sample, whose groups have already been

The use of focus groups in the development of the KIDSCREEN HRQL questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Detmar, S.B.; Bruil, J.; Ravens-Sieberer, U.; Gosch, A.; Bisegger, C.

2006-01-01

There is increasing interest in the public health sector in the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of healthy children. However, most HRQL instruments are developed for children with a chronic illness. In addition, existing questionnaires are mostly based on expert opinion about what constitutes

Dietary Differences in Male Workers among Smaller Occupational Groups within Large Occupational Categories: Findings from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Rie; Tsuji, Mayumi; Senju, Ayako; Kusuhara, Koichi; Kawamoto, Toshihiro

2018-05-11

Studies examining workers' diet according to smaller occupational groups within "large occupational categories" are sparse. The aim of this study was to examine the potential differences in workers' diets based on the classification of workers into smaller occupational groups that comprise "large occupational categories". The subjects of this study were working fathers who had participated in the Japan Environment and Children's Study (N = 38,656). Energy and nutrient intake were calculated based on data collected from the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Occupations were classified according to the Japanese Standard Occupational Classification. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the adherence to current dietary recommendations within smaller occupational groups. In particular, significant differences were observed among the categorical groups of "professional and engineering workers", "service workers", and "agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers". In "professional and engineering workers", teachers showed higher odds of adherence to calcium intake recommendations compared with nurses (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 2.02⁻3.14; p < 0.001). In "agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers", agriculture workers showed higher odds of adherence to calcium (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.46⁻3.15; p < 0.001) and vitamin C (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.31⁻2.74, p = 0.001) intake recommendations compared with forestry and fishery workers. These findings may be beneficial from a research perspective as well as in the development of more effective techniques to improve workers' diet and health.

The importance of group activities for quality of life of women in postmenopause

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Calazans Negrão

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the quality of life of postmenopausal women who participate in different activities groups for elderly. Methods: We selected 59 women, divided as follows: hydrotherapy group (n = 15, physical activity and bingo group (n = 15, and a control group(n = 29. Data collection was done through a questionnaire evaluating the Quality of Life(WHOQOL-Bref, the Blatt and Kupperman Menopausal Index and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS. The assessments were conducted in two stages with an interval of two monthsbetween each one. Results: There was an improvement in quality of life of women participants in activities groups with respect to the control group, and in all domains of quality of life questionnaire, the control group had lower values. Significant differences occurred in the environment domain, in comparing the hydrotherapy group and physical activity/bingo groups, of which the latter showed better responses. Conclusion: The activities groups were positive for improving quality of life of postmenopausal women, emphasizing the importance of encouraging the practice of not only physical activities, but also those that stimulate the social and psychological profile of these women.

Individual Traits, Personal Values, and Conflict Resolution in an Isolated, Confined, Extreme Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Corneliussen, Jesper G; Leon, Gloria R; Kjærgaard, Anders; Fink, Birgit A; Venables, Noah C

2017-06-01

The study of personality traits, personal values, and the emergence of conflicts within groups performing in an isolated, confined, and extreme environment (ICE) may provide insights helpful for the composition and support of space crews for long duration missions. Studied pre/post and over the 2-yr period of the investigation were 10 Danish military personnel deployed to stations in Greenland on a 26-mo staggered rotation. Subjects completed the NEO PI-R, Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, and Portrait Values Questionnaire, and participated in structured interviews. During deployment, questionnaires were completed biweekly and a cognitive function test once a month. Personality findings indicated a generally well-adjusted group, above average in positive personality traits [Conscientiousness T-score = 59.4 (11.41); Agreeableness T-score = 54.4 (9.36)] and boldness. Personal values of benevolence and self-direction were highly rated. The decision when to "pick sides" and intervene during disagreements between group members was viewed as an important component of conflict resolution. There were no changes in positive/negative affect or cognitive function over the annual light/dark cycle. The personal values of group members appear highly compatible for living in a small group ICE environment for an extended period. Disagreements between group members impact the functioning of the entire group, particularly in regard to decisions whether to support one of the individuals or let the argument run its course. Extended training in strategies for conflict resolution are needed in planning for future long duration missions to avoid fault lines forming within the group.Corneliussen JG, Leon GR, Kjærgaard A, Fink BA, Venables NC. Individual traits, personal values, and conflict resolution in an isolated, confined, extreme environment. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(6):535-543.

Measuring the food and built environments in urban centres

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pomerleau, Joceline; Knai, Cecile; McKee, M

2013-01-01

Objectives: The authors designed an instrument to measure objectively aspects of the built and food environments in urban areas, the EURO-PREVOB Community Questionnaire, within the EU-funded project ‘Tackling the social and economic determinants of nutrition and physical activity for the prevention...... of obesity across Europe’ (EURO-PREVOB). This paper describes its development, reliability, validity, feasibility and relevance to public health and obesity research. Study design: The Community Questionnaire is designed to measure key aspects of the food and built environments in urban areas of varying...... levels of affluence or deprivation, within different countries. The questionnaire assesses (1) the food environment and (2) the built environment. Methods: Pilot tests of the EURO-PREVOB Community Questionnaire were conducted in five to 10 purposively sampled urban areas of different socio...

Using Facebook as an informal learning environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Cain, Jeff; Policastri, Anne

2011-12-15

To create, implement, and assess the effectiveness of an optional Facebook activity intended to expose students to contemporary business issues not covered in the core content of a pharmacy management and leadership course and to perspectives of experts and thought leaders external to their university. An informal learning strategy was used to create a Facebook group page and guest experts were identified and invited to submit posts pertaining to business-related topics. Students were given instructions for joining the Facebook group but informed that participation was optional. A mixed-methods approach using a student questionnaire, results on examination questions, and a student focus group was used to assess this activity. The informal design with no posting guidelines and no participation requirement was well received by students, who appreciated the unique learning environment and exposure to external experts. Facebook provides an informal learning environment for presenting contemporary topics and the thoughts of guest experts not affiliated with a college or school, thereby exposing students to relevant "real world" issues.

Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas fluorescens Species Group Recovery from Human Homes Varies Seasonally and by Environment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanna K Remold

Full Text Available By shedding light on variation in time as well as in space, long-term biogeographic studies can help us define organisms' distribution patterns and understand their underlying drivers. Here we examine distributions of Pseudomonas in and around 15 human homes, focusing on the P. putida and P. fluorescens species groups. We describe recovery from 10,941 samples collected during up to 8 visits per home, occurring on average 2.6 times per year. We collected a mean of 141 samples per visit, from sites in most rooms of the house, from the surrounding yards, and from human and pet occupants. We recovered Pseudomonas in 9.7% of samples, with the majority of isolates being from the P. putida and P. fluorescens species groups (approximately 62% and 23% of Pseudomonas samples recovered respectively. Although representatives of both groups were recovered from every season, every house, and every type of environment sampled, recovery was highly variable across houses and samplings. Whereas recovery of P. putida group was higher in summer and fall than in winter and spring, P. fluorescens group isolates were most often recovered in spring. P. putida group recovery from soils was substantially higher than its recovery from all other environment types, while higher P. fluorescens group recovery from soils than from other sites was much less pronounced. Both species groups were recovered from skin and upper respiratory tract samples from healthy humans and pets, although this occurred infrequently. This study indicates that even species that are able to survive under a broad range of conditions can be rare and variable in their distributions in space and in time. For such groups, determining patterns and causes of stochastic and seasonal variability may be more important for understanding the processes driving their biogeography than the identity of the types of environments in which they can be found.

Use of a Latent Topic Model for Characteristic Extraction from Health Checkup Questionnaire Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Hatakeyama, Y; Miyano, I; Kataoka, H; Nakajima, N; Watabe, T; Yasuda, N; Okuhara, Y

2015-01-01

When patients complete questionnaires during health checkups, many of their responses are subjective, making topic extraction difficult. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a model capable of extracting appropriate topics from subjective data in questionnaires conducted during health checkups. We employed a latent topic model to group the lifestyle habits of the study participants and represented their responses to items on health checkup questionnaires as a probability model. For the probability model, we used latent Dirichlet allocation to extract 30 topics from the questionnaires. According to the model parameters, a total of 4381 study participants were then divided into groups based on these topics. Results from laboratory tests, including blood glucose level, triglycerides, and estimated glomerular filtration rate, were compared between each group, and these results were then compared with those obtained by hierarchical clustering. If a significant (p topic model and hierarchical clustering grouping revealed that, in the latent topic model method, a small group of participants who reported having subjective signs of urinary disorder were allocated to a single group. The latent topic model is useful for extracting characteristics from a small number of groups from questionnaires with a large number of items. These results show that, in addition to chief complaints and history of past illness, questionnaire data obtained during medical checkups can serve as useful judgment criteria for assessing the conditions of patients.

Privacy enhanced group communication in clinical environment

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingyan; Narayanan, Sreeram; Poovendran, Radha

2005-04-01

Privacy protection of medical records has always been an important issue and is mandated by the recent Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards. In this paper, we propose security architectures for a tele-referring system that allows electronic group communication among professionals for better quality treatments, while protecting patient privacy against unauthorized access. Although DICOM defines the much-needed guidelines for confidentiality of medical data during transmission, there is no provision in the existing medical security systems to guarantee patient privacy once the data has been received. In our design, we address this issue by enabling tracing back to the recipient whose received data is disclosed to outsiders, using watermarking technique. We present security architecture design of a tele-referring system using a distributed approach and a centralized web-based approach. The resulting tele-referring system (i) provides confidentiality during the transmission and ensures integrity and authenticity of the received data, (ii) allows tracing of the recipient who has either distributed the data to outsiders or whose system has been compromised, (iii) provides proof of receipt or origin, and (iv) can be easy to use and low-cost to employ in clinical environment.

Deriving guidelines for designing interactive questionnaires for low-literate persons : Development of a health assessment questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cremers, A.H.M.; Welbie, M.; Kranenborg, K.; Wittink, H.

2017-01-01

Large groups in society, in particular people with low literacy, lack the necessary proactivity and problem-solving skills to be self-reliant. One omnipresent problem area where these skills are relevant regards filling in forms and questionnaires. These problems could be potentially alleviated by

Ambient versus traditional environment in pediatric emergency department.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Patricia S; Green, Jeanette

2015-01-01

We sought to examine the effect of exposure to an ambient environment in a pediatric emergency department. We hypothesized that passive distraction from ambient lighting in an emergency department would lead to reduction in patient pain and anxiety and increased caregiver satisfaction with services. Passive distraction has been associated with lower anxiety and pain in patients and affects perception of wait time. A pediatric ED was designed that optimized passive distraction techniques using colorful ambient lighting. Participants were nonrandomly assigned to either an ambient ED environment or a traditional ED environment. Entry and exit questionnaires assessed caregiver expectations and experiences. Pain ratings were obtained with age-appropriate scales, and wait times were recorded. A total of 70 participants were assessed across conditions, that is, 40 in the ambient ED group and 30 in the traditional ED group. Caregivers in the traditional ED group expected a longer wait, had higher anxiety pretreatment, and felt more scared than those in the ambient ED group. Caregivers in the ambient ED group felt more included in the care of their child and rated quality of care higher than caregivers in the traditional ED group. Pain ratings and administrations of pain medication were lower in the ambient ED group. Mean scores for the ambient ED group were in the expected direction on several items measuring satisfaction with ED experiences. Results were suggestive of less stress in caregivers, less pain in patients, and higher satisfaction levels in the ambient ED group. © The Author(s) 2015.

Playing the Indicator Game: Reflections on Strategies to Position an STS Group in a Multi-disciplinary Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roland Bal

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Roland Bal analyzes the strategies his research group developed to deal with the interlinked dynamics of research evaluation in a multi-disciplinary institutional environment characteristic of much STS research. Scholars in such environments constantly need to navigate and negotiate the standards of evaluation, in complex choreographies of cooperation and competition with other disciplinary groups. Bal describes strategies his group has successfully used, and how these strategies have both shifted the way research quality is assessed within the department as well as changed the way his group works and publishes. In conclusion, he describes performance management systems and research practices as co-constituted and calls for a debate on which forms of evaluation infrastructures allow for better ways of doing research in STS.

A standardised questionnaire for evaluating hospital-based rotations in general practice vocational training.

Science.gov (United States)

Viniol, Annika; Lommler-Thamer, Martina; Baum, Erika; Banzhoff, Norbert Donner

2015-05-01

The residency period of vocational training is a fundamental component for a general practitioner's (GP's) qualification. During the residency, teaching is given by consultants and staff from different medical disciplines who do not necessarily know the GP registrar's training objectives. To develop a standardised feedback questionnaire to evaluate residency attachments and enable GP registrars and their supervisors to discuss the actual training environment and areas for improvement. A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess GP registrars' ratings of items preselected by an expert group to reflect important elements in high-quality vocational training. We recruited GP registrars in Germany via mailing lists and online discussion forums and used the importance-severity-score method to score the content and importance of the selected items. On the basis of these ratings, we eliminated 74 items. This version of the questionnaire then underwent an intra-observer-reliability evaluation by the same GP registrars after eight weeks. Items with a correlation of less than 0.4 (Pearson correlation coefficient) were dropped or rephrased. Our initial questionnaire featured 117 potential items. We reduced this to 43 items after the first study; two additional items were dropped following the reliability test. To our knowledge, this is the first standardised feedback questionnaire evaluating the residency period of vocational training. We hope our work will improve the quality of GPs' vocational training. The importance-severity-score method is a fast and efficient method for developing instruments using personal judgement to evaluate constructs.

Parental child-care practices of Slovenian preschoolers' mothers and fathers: The Family Environment Questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maja Zupančič

2004-09-01

Full Text Available The paper reviews evidence on the construct validity and reliability of the newly developed Family Environment Questionnaire (FEQ, and presents data on the structure of socialisation practices the Slovenian parents use in daily interactions with their three-year-old children. The FEQ is a parent report measure designed to provide an assessment of individual differences in parental practices that are representative among the parents of preschool children in the given cultural community. Factor analysis of the 63 items reliably recovered a four-component solution in both, maternal and paternal self-reports indicating the following broad-band parenting practices: Authoritative Parenting, Ineffective Control, Power Assertion, and Stimulation. Variables loading high on more than one component and those that did not load on the same factor obtained from maternal and paternal data were excluded from further analyses. The 51 items that were retained and corresponded to the four factors demonstrate adequate internal consistency for both samples of respondents. In addition, parental stimulation was positively linked to authoritative parenting, while it was negatively related to ineffective control and power assertion. The mothers perceived themselves to be more authoritative and stimulative than did fathers, who described themselves as more power assertive and ineffective in control. The parent-pairs were also found to share, at least to some extent, similar parenting practices, whereas their self-perceived expression of these practices was not dependent on their child's gender.

Playing the Indicator Game : Reflections on Strategies to Position an STS Group in a Multi-disciplinary Environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.A. Bal (Roland)

2017-01-01

markdownabstractRoland Bal analyzes the strategies his research group developed to deal with the interlinked dynamics of research evaluation in a multi-disciplinary institutional environment characteristic of much STS research. Scholars in such environments constantly need to navigate and

The Integral Theory System Questionnaire: an anatomically directed questionnaire to determine pelvic floor dysfunctions in women.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagenlehner, Florian Martin Erich; Fröhlich, Oliver; Bschleipfer, Thomas; Weidner, Wolfgang; Perletti, Gianpaolo

2014-06-01

Anatomical damage to pelvic floor structures may cause multiple symptoms. The Integral Theory System Questionnaire (ITSQ) is a holistic questionnaire that uses symptoms to help locate damage in specific connective tissue structures as a guide to reconstructive surgery. It is based on the integral theory, which states that pelvic floor symptoms and prolapse are both caused by lax suspensory ligaments. The aim of the present study was to psychometrically validate the ITSQ. Established psychometric properties including validity, reliability, and responsiveness were considered for evaluation. Criterion validity was assessed in a cohort of 110 women with pelvic floor dysfunctions by analyzing the correlation of questionnaire responses with objective clinical data. Test-retest was performed with questionnaires from 47 patients. Cronbach's alpha and "split-half" reliability coefficients were calculated for inner consistency analysis. Psychometric properties of ITSQ were comparable to the ones of previously validated Pelvic Floor Questionnaires. Face validity and content validity were approved by an expert group of the International Collaboration of Pelvic Floor surgeons. Convergent validity assessed using Bayesian method was at least as accurate as the expert assessment of anatomical defects. Objective data measurement in patients demonstrated significant correlations with ITSQ domains fulfilling criterion validity. Internal consistency values ranked from 0.85 to 0.89 in different scenarios. The ITSQ proofed accurate and is able to serve as a holistic Pelvic Floor Questionnaire directing symptoms to site-specific pelvic floor reconstructive surgery.

Development and validation of the Nursing Workplace Satisfaction Questionnaire (NWSQ).

Science.gov (United States)

Fairbrother, Greg; Jones, Aaron; Rivas, Ketty

A nursing job satisfaction questionnaire was designed by a project group of nurses seeking a suitable job satisfaction measure to track as an outcome in a large Sydney hospital-wide models of nursing care project. Existing tools were rejected by the group as overly lengthy, US-biased and over-using respondent assessment of the character of the work environment as a proxy for job satisfaction, or happiness at work. A one-page, 14-item tool was developed after instrument reviewing and facilitated groupwork. The tool reduces to three measurable domains: intrinsic, extrinsic and relational job satisfaction. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 220 responses) confirmed the validity of this 'three-way' conceptualisation of nursing job satisfaction. Internal consistency analysis on a larger sample of responses (n = 459) yielded high Cronbach's Alpha values for all three domains and for the total overall, suggesting a stable and reliable measure. The NWSQ is short, one page, sensibly worded for Australian conditions and yields scoring against three validated domains. It holds significant potential utility as a standard metric for prospective ward-based or institution-wide performance trending.

Unveiling Collaborative Group Identities in Social Synthetic Environments from Interaction Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grappiolo, Corrado

used to simulate aspects of real-life, yet by maintaining a customisable level of control of the phenomena under investigation. Examples of social synthetic environments are theoretical games and cooperative computer games. The proposed framework is composed of two pipelined modules. The first one....... This dissertation successfully leverages on the hypothesis that it is possible to infer the existence of group structures by solely focusing on the ongoing interactions. The limitations of the approach and possible strategies to overcome them are also proposed....

Task group of international union of radioecology 'ecosystem approach to environment protection'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuma, Shoichi

2011-01-01

An ecosystem approach is a holistic (i.e., top-down) strategy for protection of ecosystem structures and functions from perturbations. A task group of International Union of Radioecology 'Ecosystem Approach to Environment Protection' was launched in April, 2010. This task group is preparing a report on the following topics: (1) goals of environmental protection; (2) legislation about environmental protection; (3) assessment of the Reference Animals and Plants (RAP) concept in the general context of environmental protection; (4) limitations and uncertainties of the RAPs concept; (5) justification and merits of the ecosystem approach; (6) assessing the feasibility of the ecosystem approach; (7) research and development required for the ecosystem approach; and (8) recommendations with respect to radiation protection. The topics 1, 3, 4 and 5 have been almost completely prepared, and demonstrate that the ecosystem approach is required for radiation protection of the environment. On the other hand, methods of the ecosystem approach which should be adopted for radiation protection of the environment are not clear in the current draft report. They should be specified by reviewing the Convention on Biological Diversity, fish stock management and other activities where the ecosystem approach is already adopted. (author)

[French version of screening questionnaire for high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome in adolescent: Autism Spectrum Quotient, Empathy Quotient and Systemizing Quotient. Protocol and questionnaire translation].

Science.gov (United States)

Sonié, Sandrine; Kassai, Behrouz; Pirat, Elodie; Masson, Sandrine; Bain, Paul; Robinson, Janine; Reboul, Anne; Wicker, Bruno; Chevallier, Coralie; Beaude-Chervet, Véronique; Deleage, Marie-Hélène; Charvet, Dorothée; Barthélémy, Catherine; Rochet, Thierry; Tatou, Mohamed; Arnaud, Valérie; Manificat, Sabine

2011-04-01

No tools are currently available in France, for the detection of autism without mental retardation (high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome here referred as TED SDI). Use of screening tests by first-line clinicians would allow better detection of children who are likely to display such difficulties and to improve patients' care. In England, 3 questionnaires have been evaluated: Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Empathy Quotient (EQ), and Systemizing Quotient (SQ). This is the translation and evaluation of 3 questionnaires in France for TED SDI and control adolescents. The translation of the questionnaires into French required two simultaneous translations, two back-translations and two consensus meetings. This is a cross-sectional study comparing scores obtained with the three AQ, EQ and SQ questionnaires. These questionnaires were completed by the parents of four groups of adolescents 11-18 years: 100 TED SDI adolescents (50 with IQ ≥ 85 and 50 with 70≤IQ<85), 50 adolescents with another psychiatric disorder (TP) and 200 control adolescents (T). 580 questionnaires have been sent to 40 recruiting centres. By the 28th of February, 2010, 277 completed questionnaires were received completed (TED SDI: 70 (70%); TP: 25 (50%) et T: 182 (91%)). In the control group, 92 girls (mean 14.4±1.7 years) and 66 boys (14.5±1.7 years) were recruited. In the TED SDI group, 4 girls (14.3±2.4 years) and 42 boys (14.5±1.7 years) were recruited. One girl (81) and 6 boys (72.2±7.7) have an IQ between 70 and 85, and 3 girls (95.3±4.2) and 36 boys (102.9±12) have an IQ higher than 85. In the TP group, 9 girls (15.9±1.7 years) and 4 boys (15.8±1.9 years) were recruited. The aim of this study is to make the AQ, EQ and SQ questionnaires available in French for French speaking clinicians. This study will allow a rigorous evaluation of the usefulness of the AQ questionnaire in the screening of TED SDI in adolescents. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Questionnaire issued by the Co-Chairmen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-03-01

This questionnaire has been designed to obtain information about national plans for the reprocessing of spent fuel, plutonium management and recycling in order to provide a statistical background and assist in the work of Working Group 4. The majority of the questions relate to Forecasts for the current date, 1985, 1990, 2000 and 2025, though there is some variation. Space has been allowed for high, low and reference estimates. The questions cover: Table 1 Forecast spent fuel arising from thermal reactors, Table 2 Forecast capacity and throughput of reprocessing plants in operation or planned, Table 3 Forecast of products separated from reprocessing fuel, Table 4 Forecast of plutonium storage, existing and planned, Table 5 Forecast of plutonium recycling in thermal reactors. In addition countries which had not previously completed a Working Group 1A/2A questionnaire on installed and projected nuclear electrical capacity were requested to complete an annex

Preschool children and relative analgesia: satisfaction grading through a verbal questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Arcari, S; Ferro, R

2008-03-01

The aim of the study was to assess 100 preschool children's satisfaction grading of relative analgesia (RA) after completing dental treatment by collecting their opinion on this technique through a verbal questionnaire. After completing dental care a simple verbal questionnaire (3 questions) was administered by the operator. The questionnaire investigated: 1) patient's satisfaction about the sedation treatment; 2) patient's agreement to re-experiment the technique and 3) patient's emotions while sedated. Moreover, following treatment, each child was invited to make a drawing on the experience. Data obtained were classified in 3 groups: group 1 (87% of children) appreciated RA and would agree to repeat the experience; group 2 (4% of the sample) did not answer the verbal questionnaire and group 3 (9%) did not enjoy the sedation technique. Only 15 children completed a drawing; conducting a psychological analysis through C.R. Rogers' theory of Person Centred Approach coupled with the handwriting analysis methodology defined by Girolamo Moretti, positive features were found in the majority of the drawings (13 out of 15). The majority (87%) of the sample appreciated to experience nitrous oxide inhalation sedation and would undergo a further appointment under RA.

Determination of the knowledge of e-waste disposal impacts on the environment among different gender and age groups in China, Laos, and Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Li; Sharp, Alice

2016-04-01

E-waste is the fastest growing waste in the solid waste stream in the urban environment. It has become a widely recognised social and environmental problem; therefore, proper management is vital to protecting the fragile environment from its improper disposal. Questionnaire surveys were conducted to determine the knowledge of environmental impacts of e-waste disposal as it relates to mobile phones among different gender and age groups in China, Laos, and Thailand. The results revealed that gender was positively correlated with their knowledge of the status of environmental conditions (P104) (r = 0.077, n = 1994, p environmental conditions (P105) (r = -0.067, n = 2037, p age was positively correlated with respondents' concern over the environmental conditions (P103) (r = 0.052, n = 2077, p environmental conditions than male respondents in the three countries. Knowledge gaps were detected in the respondents, at age ⩽17, in the three countries, and from age 18-22 to 36-45 or older from Thailand and China, on their knowledge of the existing e-waste-related laws. Thus, an effort to bridge the gaps through initiating proper educational programmes in these two countries is necessary. © The Author(s) 2016.

Influencing factors of dysmenorrhoea among hospital nurses: a questionnaire survey in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Min-Hui; Hsieh, Hsiu-Fen; Yang, Yi-Hsin; Chen, Huei-Mein; Hsu, Su-Chen; Wang, Hsiu-Hung

2017-12-19

Nurses are at high risk of dysmenorrhoea while working with patients. The study objectives were to: (1) describe the demographic and menstruation characteristics of dysmenorrhoea, knowledge about dysmenorrhoea and menstrual attitudes towards menstruation among dysmenorrhoeal and non-dysmenorrhoeal hospital nurses; (2) identify significant differences between the groups; and (3) examine factors influencing dysmenorrhoea. This cross-sectional survey used a structured questionnaire, administered at two hospitals in southern Taiwan. Participants included hospital nurses at least 18 years of age who agreed to participate. All participants were recruited through random sampling. The questionnaire included demographic data, the Dysmenorrhoea Knowledge Scale and Menstrual Attitude Scale (MAS). A total of 420 nurses completed the questionnaire. Among them, 297 (70.7%) had experienced dysmenorrhoea in the past 6 months and 123 (29.3%) had not. Significant differences in age (P<0.001), marital status (P<0.001), childbearing status (P<0.001), age at menarche (P<0.05) and rotating three shift ratio (P<0.05) were identified between the dysmenorrhoea and non-dysmenorrhoea groups. Analysis of the MAS results revealed significant differences between the groups regarding consideration of menstruation as a debilitating (P<0.001) or bothersome event (P<0.05), anticipation and prediction of menstruation onset (P<0.01) and denial of any effects from menstruation (P<0.001). Results of the multiple logistic regression showed that predictive factors included age <40 years (4.46 vs 1.00), working three shift rotations (2.07 vs 1.00), marital status (2.59 vs 1.00), acknowledging menstruation as a debilitating event (2.72 vs 1.00) and denial of effects from menstruation (2.59 vs 1.00). These findings could help nursing managers to create a caring and friendly work environment for hospital nurses at risk of dysmenorrhoea. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in

Work environment perceptions following relocation to open-plan offices: A twelve-month longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergström, Jessica; Miller, Michael; Horneij, Eva

2015-01-01

A workplace's design can have various positive or negative effects on the employees and since the 1970s the advantages and disadvantages of open-plan offices have been discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate perceived health, work environment and self-estimated productivity one month before and at three, six and twelve months after relocation from individual offices to an open-plan office environment. Employees from three departments within the same company group and who worked with relatively similar tasks and who were planned to be relocated from private offices to open-plan offices were invited to participate. Questionnaires comprising items from The Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale, The Work Experience Measurement Scale, the questionnaire by Brennan et al. about perceived performance and one question from the Work Ability Index were sent to participants one month before relocation (baseline) to open-plan offices and then at three, six and twelve months after relocation. At baseline, 82 questionnaires were sent out. The response rate was 85%. At the follow-ups 77-79 questionnaires were sent out and the response-rate was 70%-81%. At follow-ups, perceived health, job satisfaction and performance had generally deteriorated. The results of the study indicate that employees' perception of health, work environment and performance decreased during a 12 month period following relocation from individual offices to open-plan offices.

Learning Environments and Didactic Strategies for Vulnerable Groups in the Bolívar Province, Ecuador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Msc. M. Aroca-Pazmiño

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the study of vulnerable groups in different educational institutions from the Bolivar Province. The research is based on the social pedagogical approach. Some risks may influence negatively in some groups, and in the teaching-learning process. That´s why, we diagnosed the most vulnerable educational institutions in the main communities and analyzed the causes influencing in this problematic, so we applied a survey and an observational guide to gather information. As a result we detected some students with educational vulnerability caused by dysfunctional families, the great distances from their schools, migration, poverty, physical and learning disabilities, and the fact that the teachers do not know how to deal with these problems. From the analysis and interpretations of the results of the empirical and theoretical methods we are elaborating a Didactic Guide containing learning and teaching strategies aimed at integrating vulnerable groups into different learning environments. Keywords:  educational vulnerability, strategies, learning environment, Social Pedagogy.

Extending the validity of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Jansen, Elena; Mallan, Kimberley M; Daniels, Lynne A

2015-06-30

Feeding practices are commonly examined as potentially modifiable determinants of children's eating behaviours and weight status. Although a variety of questionnaires exist to assess different feeding aspects, many lack thorough reliability and validity testing. The Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) is a tool designed to measure early feeding practices related to non-responsive feeding and structure of the meal environment. Face validity, factorial validity, internal reliability and cross-sectional correlations with children's eating behaviours have been established in mothers with 2-year-old children. The aim of the present study was to further extend the validity of the FPSQ by examining factorial, construct and predictive validity, and stability. Participants were from the NOURISH randomised controlled trial which evaluated an intervention with first-time mothers designed to promote protective feeding practices. Maternal feeding practices (FP) and child eating behaviours were assessed when children were aged 2 years and 3.7 years (n = 388). Confirmatory Factor analysis, group differences, predictive relationships, and stability were tested. The original 9-factor structure was confirmed when children were aged 3.7 ± 0.3 years. Cronbach's alpha was above the recommended 0.70 cut-off for all factors except Structured Meal Timing, Over Restriction and Distrust in Appetite which were 0.58, 0.67 and 0.66 respectively. Allocated group differences reflected behaviour consistent with intervention content and all feeding practices were stable across both time points (range of r = 0.45-0.70). There was some evidence for the predictive validity of factors with 2 FP showing expected relationships, 2 FP showing expected and unexpected relationships and 5 FP showing no relationship. Reliability and validity was demonstrated for most subscales of the FPSQ. Future validation is warranted with culturally diverse samples and with fathers and

High School Students' Recommendations to Improve School Food Environments: Insights From a Critical Stakeholder Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Asada, Yuka; Hughes, Alejandro G; Read, Margaret; Schwartz, Marlene B; Chriqui, Jamie F

2017-11-01

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) directed the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise school meal standards. Students are most affected by efforts to improve the school food environment; yet, few studies directly include students. This study examined high school students' experiences of school meal reform to gain insight into implementation recommendations. We conducted 5 focus groups with high school students (N = 15) from high schools across 9 states. We also conducted follow-up interviews to further explore personal experiences. Focus groups and interview transcripts were coded and organized in Atlas.ti v7 by analysts, following principles of constant comparative analysis. Students reported overall positive perceptions of the revised school meal standards and supported continued efforts to improve the food environment. Recommendations to improve the food environment included engaging students, focusing on the quality and palatability of meal items, moving toward scratch-cooking, and addressing cafeteria infrastructure. Students' recommendations point to opportunities where school districts, as well as local, state, and federal organizations can work to improve the school food environment. Their insights are directly relevant to USDA's recently released Local School Wellness Policy final rule, of which school meal standards are one provision. © 2017, American School Health Association.

Comparison of student's satisfaction on school food service environment by the eating place and gender

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Jisook; Oh, Yu-jin

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare student's satisfaction with school food service environment to improve the quality of middle school meal service. A survey was conducted of 680 students (boys 246, girls 433) from 6 middle schools providing school meals from October to November 2007. The questionnaires were directly distributed to the subjects for comparison of satisfaction of school meals depending on the eating place. As for the quantity of food, classroom group (3.40) expressed significantly higher satisfaction than cafeteria group (3.16, P < 0.01), but as for the satisfaction on hygiene, classroom group (2.76) showed significantly lower satisfaction than cafeteria group (3.03, P < 0.01). About the satisfaction of school meal environment, classroom group showed more satisfaction on distribution time, eating place, eating atmosphere (P < 0.001). The classroom group showed higher satisfaction than cafeteria group in cases of quantity, diversity of types of soup, dessert, and the cost of school meal. To improve eating place and hygiene of school meal, sufficient cafeteria space and pleasant environment is needed to be established. PMID:20098582

Estimates of oil entering the marine environment in the past decade : GESAMP Working Group 32 project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Etkin, D.S.; Grey, C.; Wells, P.; Koefoed, J.; Nauke, M.; Meyer, T.; Campbell, J.; Reddy, S.

1998-01-01

A meeting of the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Protection (GESAMP), Working Group 32, was held to discuss a new approach for evaluating available data sources on the input of oil into the marine environment from sea-based activities. GESAMP Working Group on Estimates of Oil Entering the Marine Environment, Sea Based Activities (Working Group 32) will collect and analyze data on oil inputs over the last decade from shipping, offshore and coastal exploration and production, pipelines, atmospheric emissions from sea-based activities, coastal refineries and storage facilities, oil reception facilities, materials disposed of at sea, and natural seepage. The group will compare its oil input estimate model to estimates made by the National Research Council, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and GESAMP in previous decades, to evaluate the efficacy of IMO conventions and other pollution reduction efforts in the last 10 years. The group will also consider the amounts of oil entering the sea through operational and accidental spillage in relation to the quantities of oil transported by ship and through pipelines, and in relation to offshore and coastal oil production. 7 refs., 4 tabs

Validation of a Comprehensive Early Childhood Allergy Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Minasyan, Anna; Babajanyan, Arman; Campbell, Dianne E; Nanan, Ralph

2015-09-01

Parental questionnaires to assess incidence of pediatric allergic disease have been validated for use in school-aged children. Currently, there is no validated questionnaire-based assessment of food allergy, atopic dermatitis (AD), and asthma for infants and young children. The Comprehensive Early Childhood Allergy Questionnaire was designed for detecting AD, asthma, and IgE-mediated food allergies in children aged 1-5 years. A nested case-control design was applied. Parents of 150 children attending pediatric outpatient clinics completed the questionnaire before being clinically assessed by a pediatrician for allergies. Sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of the questionnaire were assessed. Seventy-seven children were diagnosed with one or more current allergic diseases. The questionnaire demonstrated high overall sensitivity of 0.93 (95% CI 0.86-0.98) with a specificity of 0.79 (95% CI 0.68-0.88). Questionnaire reproducibility was good with a kappa agreement rate for symptom-related questions of 0.45-0.90. Comprehensive Early Childhood Allergy Questionnaire accurately and reliably reflects the presence of allergies in children aged 1-5 years. Its use is warranted as a tool for determining prevalence of allergies in this pediatric age group. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Psychological changes in hundred-day remote Antarctic field groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, J; Lugg, D J; Hysong, S J; Harm, D L

1999-05-01

Psychological adaptation to extreme environments has been examined from several perspectives. In this study, two Australian teams, each consisting of six male crew members, completed computer-administered questionnaires twice weekly during 100-day traverses around the Lambert Glacier Basin, Antarctica. Only small trends were noted when data were aggregated at the group level, which is consistent with the findings of others. Data were then analyzed using pooled time-series regression. These analyses incorporated personality characteristics, environmental factors, and interpersonal factors as predictors of Group Tensions, Personal Morale, Emotional State, Cognitive Readiness, and the Team's Work Life. Most of the psychological discomfort and problems that occurred appeared to be within the individual or between individuals. They did not affect all members of the group equally.

Working environment conditions in rural areas according to psychosocial indices.

Science.gov (United States)

Thelin, A G

1998-01-01

The aim of this work was to study psychosocial working environment factors among farmers and other people living in rural areas. The study was carried out as a cross-section investigation. All persons visiting local occupational health service centres for a health check up have been asked to answer an inquiry which was based on the Karasek-Theorell questionnaire on job strain. Five extra items on worry about the future were added. The questionnaire was completed by over 3,800 persons. Three of four indices showed significant difference with respect to sex. Women experienced less stimulance at work, authority over work and had a greater fear of the future. Farmers had a significantly higher index for psychological demands, stimulance at work as well as authority over work than other occupational groups. The index for authority over work was very high in comparison with presented results for different occupations in other studies. With respect to worry about the future, the farmers had a significantly higher index than nearly all the other occupational groups. The low risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) among farmers reported in other studies can probably be related to good psychosocial working environment as measured by the indices in this study as well as other known life style factors.

Chemistry of complexing molecules and environment. Report of the working group of the Cea ''mission environment''; Chimie des complexants en environnements. Rapport du groupe de travail de la mission environnement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petit, J.C

1998-07-01

The Working group 'Chemistry of Complexing Molecules and Environment' of the Mission Environment (AG/ENV) identified themes for an original positioning of CEA on important issues of environmental research if a sufficiently strong demand appears. The research of CEA on the environment should be complementary to actions undertaken by other partners (official institutions, research organizations and industrial firms). The themes suggested are: the synthesis of new chelating molecules and new materials having specific properties, with the support of theoretical chemistry and modeling, analytical physical chemistry and speciation of species in relation to their eco-toxicity and their biogeochemical mobility in the natural environment. These themes, illustrated by examples of actions in progress at CEA or likely to be launched quickly, draw largely from recognized competences of the teams, generally developed for finalized nuclear applications: experimental, theoretical and instrumental competences. (author)

ANALYSIS OF VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT BENEFIT IN E-LEARNING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NOVÁK, Martin

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the virtual environment assets towards the e-learning process improvements is mentioned in this article. The virtual environment was created within the solution of the project ‘Virtualization’ at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Pardubice. The aim of this project was to eliminate the disproportion of free access to licensed software between groups of part-time and full-time students. The research was realized within selected subjects of the study program System Engineering and Informatics. The subjects were connected to the informatics, applied informatics, control and decision making. Student subject results, student feedback based on electronic questionnaire and data from log file of virtual server usage were compared and analysed. Based on analysis of virtualization possibilities the solution of virtual environment was implemented through Microsoft Terminal Server.

Measuring potential predictors of burnout and engagement among young veterinary professionals; construction of a customised questionnaire (the Vet-DRQ).

Science.gov (United States)

Mastenbroek, N J J M; Demerouti, E; van Beukelen, P; Muijtjens, A M M; Scherpbier, A J J A; Jaarsma, A D C

2014-02-15

The Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R model) was used as the theoretical basis of a tailormade questionnaire to measure the psychosocial work environment and personal resources of recently graduated veterinary professionals. According to the JD-R model, two broad categories of work characteristics that determine employee wellbeing can be distinguished: job demands and job resources. Recently, the JD-R model has been expanded by integrating personal resource measures into the model. Three semistructured group interviews with veterinarians active in different work domains were conducted to identify relevant job demands, job resources and personal resources. These demands and resources were organised in themes (constructs). For measurement purposes, a set of questions ('a priori scale') was selected from the literature for each theme. The full set of a priori scales was included in a questionnaire that was administered to 1760 veterinary professionals. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted to arrive at the final set of validated scales (final scales). 860 veterinarians (73 per cent females) participated. The final set of scales consisted of seven job demands scales (32 items), nine job resources scales (41 items), and six personal resources scales (26 items) which were considered to represent the most relevant potential predictors of work-related wellbeing in this occupational group. The procedure resulted in a tailormade questionnaire: the Veterinary Job Demands and Resources Questionnaire (Vet-DRQ). The use of valid theory and validated scales enhances opportunities for comparative national and international research.

Validation of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess food groups and nutrient intake.

Science.gov (United States)

Macedo-Ojeda, Gabriela; Vizmanos-Lamotte, Barbara; Márquez-Sandoval, Yolanda Fabiola; Rodríguez-Rocha, Norma Patricia; López-Uriarte, Patricia Josefina; Fernández-Ballart, Joan D

2013-11-01

Semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) analyze average food and nutrient intake over extended periods to associate habitual dietary intake with health problems and chronic diseases. A tool of this nature applicable to both women and men is not presently available in Mexico. To validate a FFQ for adult men and women. The study was conducted on 97 participants, 61% were women. Two FFQs were administered (with a one-year interval) to measure reproducibility. To assess validity, the second FFQ was compared against dietary record (DR) covering nine days. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC). The de-attenuation of the ICC resulting from intraindividual variability was controlled. The validity analysis was complemented by comparing the classification ability of FFQ to that of DR through concordance between intake categories and Bland-Altman plots. Reproducibility: ICC values for food groups ranged 0.42-0.87; the range for energy and nutrients was between 0.34 and 0.82. ICC values for food groups ranged 0.35-0.84; the range for energy and nutrients was between 0.36 and 0.77. Most subjects (56.7-76.3%) classified in the same or adjacent quintile for energy and nutrients using both methods. Extreme misclassification was <6.3% for all items. Bland-Altman plots reveal high concordance between FFQ and DR. FFQ produced sufficient levels of reproducibility and validity to determine average daily intake over one year. These results will enable the analysis of possible associations with chronic diseases and dietary diagnoses in adult populations of men and women. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2013. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Use of a patient completed iPad questionnaire to improve pre-operative assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, M; Hood, A J; Jayne, D G

2017-02-01

Developments in healthcare technology could improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs. There is a need to facilitate communication and increase efficiency in surgical pre-assessment clinics. This study aimed to develop an iPad application to deliver an electronic patient questionnaire, and to evaluate its use in the pre-assessment environment. Software was developed, MyOp, for a standard iPad that mirrored the paper-based pre-assessment system, with features designed for ease of patient use and remote data transfer. A case-control study was conducted, comparing use of MyOp with paper-based practice, to evaluate feasibility and patient preference. Patients were offered the use of MyOp or paper-based system. Outcomes measured included time to complete iPad questionnaire, consultation duration, and a patient preference questionnaire. MyOp cost £3500 to develop. 104 individuals participated in the study, 53 MyOp and 51 controls. MyOp reduced the median consultation duration by 5.00 min. A reduction was seen in all subgroups except those aged over 70 or urology patients. Patients preferred to complete the form independently, using a touchpad or computer but expressed concerns about data security. Use of an electronic patient questionnaire reduces consultation time delivering greater efficiency of pre-assessment nurse time. Preconceived ideas about the use of technology in older age groups are likely inaccurate and less of a barrier than previously thought. Electronic pre-assessments could be used routinely to reduce demands on healthcare facilities, improve patient care, and triage patients prior to clinic attendance.

Gene Environment Interactions and Predictors of Colorectal Cancer in Family-Based, Multi-Ethnic Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiao, S Pamela K; Grayson, James; Yu, Chong Ho; Wasek, Brandi; Bottiglieri, Teodoro

2018-02-16

For the personalization of polygenic/omics-based health care, the purpose of this study was to examine the gene-environment interactions and predictors of colorectal cancer (CRC) by including five key genes in the one-carbon metabolism pathways. In this proof-of-concept study, we included a total of 54 families and 108 participants, 54 CRC cases and 54 matched family friends representing four major racial ethnic groups in southern California (White, Asian, Hispanics, and Black). We used three phases of data analytics, including exploratory, family-based analyses adjusting for the dependence within the family for sharing genetic heritage, the ensemble method, and generalized regression models for predictive modeling with a machine learning validation procedure to validate the results for enhanced prediction and reproducibility. The results revealed that despite the family members sharing genetic heritage, the CRC group had greater combined gene polymorphism rates than the family controls ( p relation to gene-environment interactions in the prevention of CRC.

Questionnaire survey on factors influencing comfort with indoor environmental quality in Danish housing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frontczak, Monika Joanna; Andersen, Rune Vinther; Wargocki, Pawel

2012-01-01

. A total of 2499 questionnaires were sent to inhabitants of the most common types of housing in Denmark; 645 persons replied (response rate of 26%). The results show that the main indoor environmental parameters (visual, acoustic and thermal conditions, and air quality) are considered by occupants......A questionnaire survey in Danish homes investigated the factors that influence occupants’ comfort. The questionnaire contained questions on inhabitants’ behaviour, their knowledge as regards building systems designed for controlling the indoor environment and the ways in which they achieve comfort...

Translation and Validation of the Multidimensional Dyspnea-12 Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Amado Diago, Carlos Antonio; Puente Maestu, Luis; Abascal Bolado, Beatriz; Agüero Calvo, Juan; Hernando Hernando, Mercedes; Puente Bats, Irene; Agüero Balbín, Ramón

2018-02-01

Dyspnea is a multidimensional symptom, but this multidimensionality is not considered in most dyspnea questionnaires. The Dyspnea-12 takes a multidimensional approach to the assessment of dyspnea, specifically the sensory and the affective response. The objective of this study was to translate into Spanish and validate the Dyspnea-12 questionnaire. The original English version of the Dyspnea-12 questionnaire was translated into Spanish and backtranslated to analyze its equivalence. Comprehension of the text was verified by analyzing the responses of 10 patients. Reliability and validation of the questionnaire were studied in an independent group of COPD patients attending the pulmonology clinics of Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, diagnosed and categorized according to GOLD guidelines. The mean age of the group (n=51) was 65 years and mean FEV1 was 50%. All patients understood all questions of the translated version of Dyspnea-12. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was α=0.937 and intraclass correlation coefficient was=.969; P<.001. Statistically significant correlations were found with HADS (anxiety r=.608 and depression r=.615), mMRC dyspnea (r=.592), 6MWT (r=-0.445), FEV1 (r=-0.312), all dimensions of CRQ-SAS (dyspnea r=-0.626; fatigue r=-0.718; emotional function r=-0.663; mastery r=-0.740), CAT (r=0.669), and baseline dyspnea index (r=-0.615). Dyspnea-12 scores were 10.32 points higher in symptomatic GOLD groups (B and D) (P<.001). The Spanish version of Dyspnea-12 is a valid and reliable instrument to study the multidimensional nature of dyspnea. Copyright © 2017 SEPAR. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Platinum group elements in the environment: emissions and exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubiella-Jackowska, Aleksandra; Polkowska, Zaneta; Namieńnik, Jacek

2009-01-01

PGEs (Pt, Pd, Ru, Ir, and Os) are a relatively new group of anthropogenic pollutants. Specific useful properties of these metals (high resistance to chemical corrosion over a wide range of temperatures, high melting point, high mechanical resistance, and high plasticity) have fomented rapid growth of new and existing applications in various economic and industrial sectors. These metals are not only used in the chemical, petrochemical, electrical, and electronics industries but also PGE use, in various industries, has dramatically increased emissions of these metals to the environment; emissions from vehicle catalytic converters and hospital wastewater discharges are particularly significant. The environmental benefits of using PGEs in vehicle catalytic converters are clear. These metals catalyze the conversion of toxic constituents of exhaust fumes (CO, HCs, NOxs) to water, CO2, and molecular nitrogen. As a result of adverse physico-chemical and mechanical influences on the catalyst surface, PGEs are released from this layer and are emitted into the environment in exhaust fumes. Research results indicate that the levels of such emissions are rather low (ng km(-1)). However, recent data show that certain chemical forms of PGEs emitted from vehicles are, or may be, bioavailable. Hence, the potential for PGEs to bioaccumulate in different environmental compartments should be studied, and, if necessary, addressed. The use of Pt in anticancerous drug preparations also contributes to environmental burdens. Pt, when administered as a drug, is excreted in a patient's urine and, as a consequence, has been observed in hospital and communal wastewater discharges. Few studies have been published that address bioavailability, mode of penetration into live organisms, or environmental fate of PGEs. The toxic effect of these metals on living organisms, including humans, is still in dispute and incompletely elucidated. Contrary to some chlorine complexes of Pt, which most

Patient-centred improvements in health-care built environments: perspectives and design indicators.

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Calbert H; Douglas, Mary R

2005-09-01

To explore patients' perceptions of health-care built environments, to assess how they perceived health-care built facilities and designs. To develop a set of patient-centred indicators by which to appraise future health-care designs. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including futures group conferencing, autophotographic study, novice-expert exchanges and a questionnaire survey of a representative sample of past patients. The research was carried out at Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust (SRHT), Greater Manchester, UK, selected for the study because of planned comprehensive redevelopment based on the new NHS vision for hospital care and service delivery for the 21st century. Participants included 35 patients who took part in an autophotographic study, eight focus groups engaged in futures conferencing, a sample of past inpatients from the previous 12 months that returned 785 completed postal questionnaires. The futures group provided suggestions for radical improvements which were categorized into transport issues; accessibility and mobility; ground and landscape designs; social and public spaces; homeliness and assurance; cultural diversity; safety and security; personal space and access to outside. Patients' autophotographic study centred on: the quality of the ward design, human interactions, the state and quality of personal space, and facilities for recreation and leisure. The novices' suggestions were organized into categories of elemental factors representing patient-friendly designs. Experts from the architectural and surveying professions and staff at SRHT in turn considered these categories and respective subsets of factors. They agreed with the novices in terms of the headings but differed in prioritizing the elemental factors. The questionnaire survey of past patients provided opinions about ward designs that varied according to where they stayed, single room, bay ward or long open ward. The main concerns were limitation of private space

Assessing the Validity and Reproducibility of an Iron Dietary Intake Questionnaire Conducted in a Group of Young Polish Women

Science.gov (United States)

Głąbska, Dominika; Guzek, Dominika; Ślązak, Joanna; Włodarek, Dariusz

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was to analyse a designed brief iron dietary intake questionnaire based on a food frequency assessment (IRONIC-FFQ—IRON Intake Calculation-Food Frequency Questionnaire), including the assessment of validity and reproducibility in a group of 75 Polish women aged 20–30 years. Participants conducted 3-day dietary records and filled in the IRONIC-FFQ twice (FFQ1—directly after the dietary record and FFQ2—6 weeks later). The analysis included an assessment of validity (comparison with the results of the 3-day dietary record) and of reproducibility (comparison of the results obtained twice—FFQ1 and FFQ2). In the analysis of validity, the share of individuals correctly classified into tertiles was over 50% (weighted κ of 0.36), while analysis of correlation revealed correlation coefficients of almost 0.5. In the assessment of reproducibility, almost 80% of individuals were correctly classified and less than 3% were misclassified (weighted κ of 0.73), while a correlation coefficient higher than 0.85 was obtained. Both in the assessment of validity and of reproducibility, a Bland–Altman index of 6.7% was recorded (93.3% of compared pairs of results were in the acceptable range, attributed to differences within ± 2SD limit). Validation of the IRONIC-FFQ revealed a satisfactory level of validity and positively validated reproducibility. PMID:28264423

Taxonomy-based content analysis of sedentary behavior questionnaires: A systematic review

Science.gov (United States)

Rivière, Fabien; Aubert, Salomé; Omorou, Abdou Yacoubou; Ainsworth, Barbara E.

2018-01-01

Background Health effects of sedentary behaviors (SB) may vary depending on their characteristics such as type, purpose, duration, and intensity of the behavior. While a growing number of questionnaires assess sedentary behaviors, it is unclear which characteristics of SB are measured. The aim of this review was to examine the content of self-report SB questionnaires. Methods Three databases were searched for sedentary behavior questionnaires published before January 1st, 2016. Based on the inclusion criteria, 82 articles out of 1369 were retrieved for a total of 60 questionnaires. For each questionnaire, the sedentary behavior characteristics identified were reported and analyzed. Results Most of the questionnaires assessed the time (n = 60), posture (n = 54), purpose (n = 46) and the types (n = 45) of SB performed. Fewer questionnaires assessed the environment (n = 20) social context (n = 11), status (n = 2), and associated behaviors (n = 2) related to sedentary behaviors. All the questionnaires except two assessed time spent in SB with 17 assessing frequency and 6 assessing breaks in SB. The most frequent characteristics identified in the questionnaires were the categories of sitting (90%), a day (95%), watching television (65%) and using a computer (55%). Many characteristics of SB were not measured. Conclusions By knowing the breadth of SB included in questionnaires, this review provides support to shape the design of new questionnaires designed to reduce the gaps in measuring sedentary behaviors. PMID:29509791

Validation of a questionnaire of knowledge about asthma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez Martinez, Carlos; Sossa, Monica Patricia

2004-01-01

An educative intervention destined to increase the knowledge in asthma allows the children and/or its parents to acquire abilities that allow to prevent and/or to handle the asthmatic attacks, decreasing the morbidity produced by the disease, nevertheless we do not account with a validated instrument that allows us to quantify the level of asthma knowledge. The objective is to develop and to validate a questionnaire of knowledge about asthma to be filled out by the parents and/or people in charge of the care of the asthmatic pediatric patients. The 17 items that conform the questionnaire were obtained alter literature review, realization of focal groups the professional experience of the investigators and the realization of pilot studies. The face content and concurrent validity of the instrument was evaluated; we also determined the factor structure, test-retest reproducibility, and sensitivity to change of the questionnaire. We included 120 patients with average age of 4.5 %3.7 years the factor analysis demonstrated a probable structure of three factors that altogether explain 85% of the total variance of the results the face and content validity was based on the concept of a multi-disciplinary group of experts in the field the concurrent validity was demonstrated by the ability of the questionnaire to distinguish low from high knowledge parents. Test-retest reproducibility and sensitivity to change were demonstrated comparing scores of the questionnaire filled out in two different occasions. The questionnaire of knowledge of asthma developed in the study is a useful and reliable tool to quantify the basal level of asthma knowledge in parents of asthmatic children and to determine the effectiveness of an educative intervention destined to increase the knowledge and understanding of the disease

The eye-complaint questionnaire in a visual display unit work environment: Internal consistency and test-retest reliability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenstra, Ivan A.; Sluiter, Judith K.; Frings-Dresen, Monique H. W.

2009-01-01

The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of a 10-item eye-complaint questionnaire (ECQ) were examined within a sample of office workers. Repeated within-subjects measures were performed within a single day and over intervals of 1 and 7 d. Questionnaires were completed by 96 workers (70%

University Students' Attitudes towards Cell Phone Learning Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wafa' N. Muhanna

2009-10-01

Full Text Available This study aims at investigating Jordanian university undergraduate and graduate students' attitudes towards the learning environment where cell phones are used as learning tools in classroom. To achieve this goal, the researchers distributed two questionnaires among two groups of two different levels of randomly chosen university students at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Al-al-Bayt University. The first one addresses 30 undergraduate students, 12 male and 18 female. The other addresses 20 graduates, 7 male and 13 female. The study comprised two independent variables, level and gender, as covariates. The findings indicate that undergraduates are more favorable to cell phone environment than graduate students. The study also reveals that cell phone has more influence on male students than on female students.

How do the work environment and work safety differ between the dry and wet kitchen foodservice facilities?

OpenAIRE

Chang, Hye-Ja; Kim, Jeong-Won; Ju, Se-Young; Go, Eun-Sun

2012-01-01

In order to create a worker-friendly environment for institutional foodservice, facilities operating with a dry kitchen system have been recommended. This study was designed to compare the work safety and work environment of foodservice between wet and dry kitchen systems. Data were obtained using questionnaires with a target group of 303 staff at 57 foodservice operations. Dry kitchen facilities were constructed after 2006, which had a higher construction cost and more finishing floors with ...

The effect of postal questionnaire burden on response rate and answer patterns following admission to intensive care: a randomised controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Hatch

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The effects of postal questionnaire burden on return rates and answers given are unclear following treatment on an intensive care unit (ICU. We aimed to establish the effects of different postal questionnaire burdens on return rates and answers given. Methods Design: A parallel group randomised controlled trial. We assigned patients by computer-based randomisation to one of two questionnaire packs (Group A and Group B. Setting: Patients from 26 ICUs in the United Kingdom. Inclusion criteria: Patients who had received at least 24 h of level 3 care and were 16 years of age or older. Patients did not know that there were different questionnaire burdens. The study included 18,490 patients. 12,170 were eligible to be sent a questionnaire pack at 3 months. We sent 12,105 questionnaires (6112 to group A and 5993 to group B. Interventions: The Group A pack contained demographic and EuroQol group 5 Dimensions 3 level (EQ-5D-3 L questionnaires, making four questionnaire pages. The Group B pack also contained the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Check List-Civilian (PCL-C questionnaires, making eight questionnaire pages in total. Main outcome measure: Questionnaire return rate 3 months after ICU discharge by group. Results In group A, 2466/6112 (40.3% participants responded at 3 months. In group B 2315/ 5993 (38.6% participants responded (difference 1.7% CI for difference 0–3.5% p = 0.053. Group A reported better functionality than group B in the EQ-5D-3 L mobility (41% versus 37% reporting no problems p = 0.003 and anxiety/depression (59% versus 55% reporting no problems p = 0.017 domains. Conclusions In survivors of intensive care, questionnaire burden had no effect on return rates. However, questionnaire burden affected answers to the same questionnaire (EQ-5D-3 L. Trial registration ISRCTN69112866 (assigned 02/05/2006.

Coupled human-environment timelines of SWP small island societies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reenberg, Anette; Birch-Thomsen, Torben; Fog, Bjarne

2007-01-01

despite an increase in de facto population (47% from 1966-2006). A questionnaire survey of 48 households provide data on the entire household livelihood portfolio and reveal that the natural resources remains a widespread activity, yet increasingly supplemented by other income generating activities( ex....... shop keeping, private business, government employment). Group interviews have been employed to reveal how local farmers perceive cause-effect relationships between societal and ecological events and their individual and collective management of resources. The coupled human-environment timelines...

Paper to Electronic Questionnaires: Effects on Structured Questionnaire Forms

Science.gov (United States)

Trujillo, Anna C.

2009-01-01

With the use of computers, paper questionnaires are being replaced by electronic questionnaires. The formats of traditional paper questionnaires have been found to effect a subject's rating. Consequently, the transition from paper to electronic format can subtly change results. The research presented begins to determine how electronic questionnaire formats change subjective ratings. For formats where subjects used a flow chart to arrive at their rating, starting at the worst and middle ratings of the flow charts were the most accurate but subjects took slightly more time to arrive at their answers. Except for the electronic paper format, starting at the worst rating was the most preferred. The paper and electronic paper versions had the worst accuracy. Therefore, for flowchart type of questionnaires, flowcharts should start at the worst rating and work their way up to better ratings.

[Preliminary construction of a questionnaire about knowledge of HIV/AIDS in Colombian veterans].

Science.gov (United States)

Segura-Cardona, Angela; Berbesí-Fernández, Dedsy; Cardona-Arango, Doris; Ordóñez-Molina, Jaime

2011-01-01

In order to identify the level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS in Colombia veterans of war in the year 2009, a questionnaire was designed, built and validated, using a mixed design, for which three stages were followed: 1) Bibliographic review and construction of items of the questionnaire using a focus group, 2) Evaluation of content validity by a pannel of experts, 3) APLICACION of the final questionnaire, we selected non-randomly 323 people who were part of group of veterans in Colombia, and 4) Validation of the questionnaire through the evaluation of internal consistency and principal component analysis. We found that the questionnaire explored three factors: forms of infection, inadequate beliefs, and HIV prevention, which accounted for 52% of the variance. The survey showed adequate internal consistency values (Cronbach's α = 0.77). These results suggest the use of the questionnaire to assess knowledge level related to the form of infection, inaccurate beliefs and prevention of HIV-AIDS in this population.

Self-consistent embedding of density-matrix renormalization group wavefunctions in a density functional environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Dresselhaus, Thomas; Neugebauer, Johannes; Knecht, Stefan; Keller, Sebastian; Ma, Yingjin; Reiher, Markus

2015-01-28

We present the first implementation of a density matrix renormalization group algorithm embedded in an environment described by density functional theory. The frozen density embedding scheme is used with a freeze-and-thaw strategy for a self-consistent polarization of the orbital-optimized wavefunction and the environmental densities with respect to each other.

Validation of the Greek translation of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM).

Science.gov (United States)

Dimoliatis, I D K; Vasilaki, E; Anastassopoulos, P; Ioannidis, J P A; Roff, S

2010-04-01

The educational environment makes an important contribution to student learning. The DREEM questionnaire is a validated tool assessing the environment. To translate and validate the DREEM into Greek. Forward translations from English were produced by three independent Greek translators and then back translations by five independent bilingual translators. The Greek DREEM.v0 that was produced was administered to 831 undergraduate students from six Greek medical schools. Cronbach's alpha and test-retest correlation were used to evaluate reliability and factor analysis was used to assess validity. Questions that increased alpha if deleted and/or sorted unexpectedly in factor analysis were further checked through two focus groups. Questionnaires were returned by 487 respondents (59%), who were representative of all surveyed students by gender but not by year of study or medical school. The instrument's overall alpha was 0.90, and for the learning, teachers, academic, atmosphere and social subscales the alphas were 0.79 (expected 0.69), 0.78 (0.67), 0.69 (0.60), 0.68 (0.69), 0.48 (0.57), respectively. In a subset of the whole sample, test and retest alphas were both 0.90, and mean item scores highly correlated (peducation environment and for informing policy. Factor analysis and focus group input suggest it is a valid tool. Reasonable school differences suggest the instrument's sensitivity.

Investigating ethnic variations in reporting of psychotic symptoms: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis of the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Heuvelman, Hein; Nazroo, James; Rai, Dheeraj

2018-03-12

Epidemiological evidence suggests risk for psychosis varies with ethnicity in Western countries. However, there is little evidence to date on the cross-cultural validity of screening instruments used for such comparisons. Combining two existing UK population-based cohorts, we examined risk for reporting psychotic symptoms across White British (n = 3467), White Irish (n = 851), Caribbean (n = 1899), Indian (n = 2590), Pakistani (n = 1956) and Bangladeshi groups (n = 1248). We assessed the psychometric properties of the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire (PSQ) with a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis, assessing the equivalence of factor loadings, response thresholds and residual variances in an analysis of measurement non-invariance. Compared with prevalence among British Whites (5.4%), the prevalence of self-reported psychotic symptoms was greater in the Caribbean group (12.7%, adjusted OR = 2.38 [95% CI 1.84-3.07]). Prevalence was also increased among Pakistani individuals (8.3%, adjusted OR = 1.36 [1.01-1.84]) although this difference was driven by a greater likelihood of reporting paranoid symptoms. PSQ items for thought interference, strange experience and hallucination were measured in equivalent ways across ethnic groups. However, our measurement models suggested that paranoid symptoms were measured less reliably among ethnic minorities than among British Whites and appeared to exaggerate latent differences between Pakistani and White British groups when measurement non-invariance was not accounted for. Notwithstanding evidence for measurement non-invariance, the greater risk for reporting psychotic symptoms among Caribbean individuals is unlikely to be an artefact of measurement. Greater residual variance in the recording of paranoid symptoms among ethnic minority respondents warrants caution in using this item to investigate ethnic variation in psychosis risk.

Questionnaires that screen for multiple sleep disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Klingman, Karen J; Jungquist, Carla R; Perlis, Michael L

2017-04-01

The goal of this review was to identify, describe, and evaluate the existing multiple sleep disorders screening questionnaires for their comprehensiveness, brevity, and psychometric quality. A systematic review was conducted using Medline/PubMed, cumulative index to nursing & allied health literature, health and psychosocial instruments and the "grey literature". Search terms were "sleep disorders, screening, questionnaires, and psychometrics". The scope of the search was limited to English language articles for adult age groups from 1989 through 2015. Of the n = 2812 articles identified, most were assessment or treatment guideline reviews, topical reviews, and/or empirical articles. Seven of the articles described multiple sleep disorders screening instruments. Of the identified instruments, two questionnaires (the Holland sleep Disorders questionnaire and sleep-50) were evaluated as comprehensive and one questionnaire (the global sleep assessment questionnaire [GSAQ]) was judged to be both comprehensive and efficient. The GSAQ was found to cover four of the six core intrinsic disorders, sleep insufficiency, and daytime sequela with 11 questions. Accordingly, the GSAQ is the most suitable for application as a general sleep disorders screener. Additional work is required to validate this instrument in the context of primary care. Finally, the future development of multiple sleep disorders screening questionnaires should not only cover all six intrinsic sleep disorders but also acquire some basic demographic information (age, sex, body mass index, presence/absence of bed partner, work status and shift) and some limited data regarding sleep sufficiency and the daytime consequences of sleep disturbance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

European survey of diagnosis and management of the polycystic ovary syndrome: results of the ESE PCOS Special Interest Group's Questionnaire.

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Conway, Gerard; Dewailly, Didier; Diamanti-Kandarakis, Evanthia; Escobar-Morreale, Hector F; Franks, Steven; Gambineri, Alessandra; Kelestimur, Fahrettin; Macut, Djuro; Micic, Dragan; Pasquali, Renato; Pfeifer, Marija; Pignatelli, Duarte; Pugeat, Michel; Yildiz, Bulent

2014-10-01

There is evidence for differences between endocrinologists and other specialists in their approach to diagnosis and management of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A mailed survey consisting of a simple questionnaire aiming to understand current practice for diagnosis and management of the PCOS by specialists across Europe. The questionnaire consisted of 23 questions grouped to achieve information on i) the general characteristics of the respondents, ii) patients with PCOS seen by endocrinologists, iii) the main diagnostic criteria, iv) biochemical parameters used in the differential diagnosis of hyperandrogenism, v) long-term concerns, and, finally vi) treatment choices. A total of 357 questionnaires representing 13.3% of the members of European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) were available for final analysis; 93% of the respondents were endocrinologists In relation to the diagnostic criteria, respondents were most likely to select menstrual irregularity as the most frequent criteria used for the diagnosis of PCOS although very high rates were achieved for the use of hirsutism and biochemical hyperandrogenism. It therefore appears that the NIH criteria were followed by the majority of respondents. The most frequent biochemical parameters in the differential diagnosis of hyperandrogenism were total testosterone or free androgen index. Obesity and type 2 diabetes were regarded as the principal long-term concerns for PCOS. The most common treatments for patients with PCOS were metformin (33%), lifestyle modification (25%), and oral contraceptives (22%). More direct treatments of infertility include clomiphene citrate alone or in combination with metformin, prescribed by 9 and 23%, respectively, whereas only 6% used other methods for induction of ovulation. The survey produced by ESE is a good start for evaluating the perspective in the diagnosis and treatment of PCOS by endocrinologists in Europe. © 2014 European Society of Endocrinology.

Factor Stability of Primary Scales of the General Organization Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

1980-10-01

leadership , climate , and processes function optimally. The Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness Work Unit re- searches personal, small-group...the Litwin and Stringer (1968) Organizational Climate Questionnaire found a factor structure that was dif- ferent from the a priori structure...number) General Organization Questionnaire (GOQ) Organizational climate Organizational effectiveness 20. ATRACT (Cnm N eriwem7 d Iderntify by block numbst

Development and validation of a new questionnaire assessing quality of life in adults with hypopituitarism: Adult Hypopituitarism Questionnaire (AHQ).

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Ishii, Hitoshi; Shimatsu, Akira; Okimura, Yasuhiko; Tanaka, Toshiaki; Hizuka, Naomi; Kaji, Hidesuke; Hanew, Kunihiko; Oki, Yutaka; Yamashiro, Sayuri; Takano, Koji; Chihara, Kazuo

2012-01-01

To develop and validate the Adult Hypopituitarism Questionnaire (AHQ) as a disease-specific, self-administered questionnaire for evaluation of quality of life (QOL) in adult patients with hypopituitarism. We developed and validated this new questionnaire, using a standardized procedure which included item development, pilot-testing and psychometric validation. Of the patients who participated in psychometric validation, those whose clinical conditions were judged to be stable were asked to answer the survey questionnaire twice, in order to assess test-retest reliability. Content validity of the initial questionnaire was evaluated via two pilot tests. After these tests, we made minor revisions and finalized the initial version of the questionnaire. The questionnaire was constructed with two domains, one psycho-social and the other physical. For psychometric assessment, analyses were performed on the responses of 192 adult patients with various types of hypopituitarism. The intraclass correlations of the respective domains were 0.91 and 0.95, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.96 and 0.95, indicating adequate test-retest reliability and internal consistency for each domain. For known-group validity, patients with hypopituitarism due to hypothalamic disorder showed significantly lower scores in 11 out of 13 sub-domains compared to those who had hypopituitarism due to pituitary disorder. Regarding construct validity, the domain structure was found to be almost the same as that initially hypothesized. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 228) demonstrated that each domain consisted of six and seven sub-domains. The AHQ showed good reliability and validity for evaluating QOL in adult patients with hypopituitarism.

[Spatiotemporal succession of algae functional groups and the influence of environment change in a deep-water reservoir].

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Lu, Jin-Suo; Hu, Ya-Pan

2013-07-01

Algae functional group has become an important theory and method of algae research in recent years. In order to explore the spatiotemporal succession of algae functional groups and the influence of environment change, water samples were collected in August, 2011 from a deep-water reservoir in Northwest China. The research combined the methods of on-line monitoring and laboratory analysis. The results showed that there were 10 functional groups of algae in the reservoir. They were designated as B, D, P, X1, X3, F, G, J, L(M) and MP. Wherein, the groups B, P, F, X1, MP, D and J were comparatively common functional groups, and the groups X3, G and L(M) were less common. The populations of groups B, D, P, X1 and X3 were larger than those of the others. Besides, the analysis of changes in the environment factors suggested that temperature was the most important factor influencing the spatiotemporal succession of algae functional groups. The strategy of algal growth followed the law: R/CR in spring --> CR/C in late spring and early summer C/CR/R/CS/S in late summer and early autumn --> CR/R in late autumn and winter. The purpose of this article is to provide theoretical support for water withdrawal safety in deep-water reservoirs.

Reliability and validity of an adapted Arabic version of the Scoliosis Research Society-22r Questionnaire.

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Haidar, Rachid K; Kassak, Kassem; Masrouha, Karim; Ibrahim, Kamal; Mhaidli, Hani

2015-09-01

Cross-sectional validation and reliability assessment study of Arabic version of Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22r) Questionnaire. To develop and validate the Arabic version of the SRS-22r questionnaire. The diagnosis and treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis may influence patient quality of life. SRS-22r is an internationally validated questionnaire used to assess function/activity, pain, self-image, and mental health of patients with scoliosis. It has been translated into several languages but not into Arabic language. Therefore, a valid health-related quality-of-life outcome questionnaire for patients with spinal deformity is still lacking in Arabic language. The English version of SRS-22r questionnaire was translated, back-translated, and culturally adapted to Arabic language. Then, 81 patients with idiopathic adolescent scoliosis were allocated randomly into either the reliability testing group (group 1) or the validity testing group (group 2). Group 1 patients completed Arabic version of SRS-22r questionnaire twice with 1-week interval in-between. Cronbach α and intraclass correlation coefficient were measured to determine internal consistency and temporal reliability. Group 2 patients completed the Arabic version of SRS-22r questionnaire and the previously validated Arabic version of 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (Short Form-36) questionnaire concurrently, and Pearson correlation coefficient was obtained to assess validity. Content analysis, internal consistency reliability, test/retest reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient range: 0.82-0.90), and test of concurrent validity showed satisfactory results. Function/activity and satisfaction with management domains had a lower Cronbach α (0.58 and 0.44, respectively, vs. 0.71-0.85 range for others). Self-image/appearance and satisfaction with management had a lower correlation with domains of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. An Arabic version of the SRS-22r questionnaire has

Questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care in Spanish language.

Science.gov (United States)

Traverso, María Luz; Salamano, Mercedes; Botta, Carina; Colautti, Marisel; Palchik, Valeria; Pérez, Beatriz

2007-08-01

To develop and validate a questionnaire, in Spanish, for assessing patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care received in community pharmacies. Selection and translation of questionnaire's items; definition of response scale and demographic questions. Evaluation of face and content validity, feasibility, factor structure, reliability and construct validity. Forty-one community pharmacies of the province of Santa Fe. Argentina. Questionnaire administered to patients receiving pharmaceutical care or traditional pharmacy services. Pilot test to assess feasibility. Factor analysis used principal components and varimax rotation. Reliability established using internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity determined with extreme group method. A self-administered questionnaire with 27 items, 5-point Likert response scale and demographic questions was designed considering multidimensional structure of patient satisfaction. Questionnaire evaluates cumulative experience of patients with comprehensive pharmaceutical care practice in community pharmacies. Two hundred and seventy-four complete questionnaires were obtained. Factor analysis resulted in three factors: Managing therapy, Interpersonal relationship and General satisfaction, with a cumulative variance of 62.51%. Cronbach's alpha for the whole questionnaire was 0.96, and 0.95, 0.88 and 0.76 for the three factors, respectively. Mann-Whitney test for construct validity did not showed significant differences between pharmacies that provide pharmaceutical care and those that do not, however, 23 items showed significant differences between the two groups of pharmacies. The questionnaire developed can be a reliable and valid instrument to assess patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies in Spanish. Further research is needed to deepen the validation process.

Health status in patients with coexistent COPD and heart failure: a validation and comparison between the Clinical COPD Questionnaire and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Berkhof, Farida F; Metzemaekers, Leola; Uil, Steven M; Kerstjens, Huib A M; van den Berg, Jan W K

2014-01-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) are both common diseases that coexist frequently. Patients with both diseases have worse stable state health status when compared with patients with one of these diseases. In many outpatient clinics, health status is monitored routinely in COPD patients using the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) and in HF patients with the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF-Q). This study validated and compared which questionnaire, ie, the CCQ or the MLHF-Q, is suited best for patients with coexistent COPD and HF. Patients with both COPD and HF and aged ≥40 years were included. Construct validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and agreement were determined. The Short-Form 36 was used as the external criterion. All questionnaires were completed at baseline. The CCQ and MLHF-Q were repeated after 2 weeks, together with a global rating of change. Fifty-eight patients were included, of whom 50 completed the study. Construct validity was acceptable. Internal consistency was adequate for CCQ and MLHF-Q total and domain scores, with a Cronbach's alpha ≥0.70. Reliability was adequate for MLHF-Q and CCQ total and domain scores, and intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.70-0.90, except for the CCQ symptom score (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.42). The standard error of measurement on the group level was smaller than the minimal clinical important difference for both questionnaires. However, the standard error of measurement on the individual level was larger than the minimal clinical important difference. Agreement was acceptable on the group level and limited on the individual level. CCQ and MLHF-Q were both valid and reliable questionnaires for assessment of health status in patients with coexistent COPD and HF on the group level, and hence for research. However, in clinical practice, on the individual level, the characteristics of both questionnaires were not as good

CfDS attends the first meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Astronomy and Space Environment Group

Science.gov (United States)

Mizon, B.

1999-06-01

This group first met on March 11th, 1999, as 'a forum for discussion to further parliamentary interest in astronomy and the space environment affecting terrestrial life and its climate; and to increase awareness of the social, political and philosophical implications of present and future space technologies connected with exploring and understanding the cosmos'. CfDS coordinator Bob Mizon attended the first meeting of the group.

Validation of the FASH (Functional Assessment Scale for Acute Hamstring Injuries) questionnaire for German-speaking football players.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohrer, Heinz; Nauck, Tanja; Korakakis, Vasileios; Malliaropoulos, Nikos

2016-10-24

The FASH (Functional Assessment Scale for Acute Hamstring Injuries) questionnaire has been recently developed as a disease-specific self-administered questionnaire for use in Greek, English, and German languages. Its psychometric qualities (validity and reliability) were tested only in Greek-speaking patients mainly representing track and field athletes. As hamstring injuries represent the most common football injury, we tested the validity and reliability of the FASH-G (G = German version) questionnaire in German-speaking footballers suffering from acute hamstring injuries. The FASH-G questionnaire was tested for reliability and validity, in 16 footballers with hamstring injuries (patients' group), 77 asymptomatic footballers (healthy group), and 19 field hockey players (at-risk group). Known-group validity was tested by comparing the total FASH-G scores of the injured and non-injured groups. Reliability of the FASH-G questionnaire was analysed in 18 asymptomatic footballers using the intra-class coefficient. Known-group validity was demonstrated by significant differences between injured and non-injured participants (p hamstring injuries in German footballers.

Moderating effect of peer group environment on consumer predisposition towards premium promotions: A study on young urban consumers in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subhojit Banerjee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The role of peer-group environment as an influencing factor in purchase decisions is well established. This paper broadens the above premise and studies the influence of peer-group environment on an individual's promotional choice in the context of premium promotions or freebies. Two sets of college students with distinctive peer-group settings in terms of their academic pursuit and residential details have been considered for the study. Discriminant analysis shows that higher interaction and educational orientation of group members influence the customer's promotional preference. Students pursuing professionally oriented courses had a distinctively higher preference for premium-promotions that were hedonic.

[Experiences with the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R21 in young men].

Science.gov (United States)

Czeglédi, Edit

2017-09-01

Eating behaviours play a crucial role in the development of obesity. To conduct a psychometric analysis of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R21 and to investigate the correlates of obesogenic eating behaviours among males. Participants of the cross-sectional questionnaire-based study were male university students (n = 239, mean of age: 20.3 years, SD = 2.78 years). self-reported body weight and body height, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R21, Trait Anxiety Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results of confirmatory factor analysis supported the theoretical model of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R21 (χ 2 (186) = 366.1, peating behaviours, such as uncontrolled eating, cognitive restraint, and emotional eating. Results support the construct validity and reliability of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R21 among males and highlight the importance of taking psychological factors into account in the prevention of obesity. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(37): 1469-1477.

Therapeutic efficacy of a therapeutic cooking group from the patients' perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Kimberly H; O'Brien, Kimberly A; Yurt, Roger W

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the cooking group from the burn survivors' perspective. By incorporating concepts of kitchen skills, energy conservation, and desensitization techniques, the cooking group can assist patients with the functional use of their hands, standing tolerance, return to former vocational activities, and socialization with other patients. A questionnaire was developed based on commonly expressed benefits of cooking group. Areas of interest included decreasing anxiety in the kitchen, distraction from their burns, socializing with other burn survivors, and the physical benefits of participating in the group. The results of this study indicate that participants regard the therapeutic cooking group as a valuable treatment modality that effectively combines functional activities with socialization to decrease burn related anxiety and increase motion in a supportive environment for patients with burns.

Toward a Green, Clean, and Resilient World for All : A World Bank Group Environment Strategy 2012 - 2022

OpenAIRE

World Bank Group

2012-01-01

The new environment strategy for the World Bank Group lays out an ambitious action agenda that seeks to respond to calls from our client countries for a new kind of development path, one that supports growth while focusing more on sustainability and ensuring that the environment is a key enabler for green, more-inclusive growth. This strategy recognizes the importance of our convening powe...

The Construction and Validation of Opium Attitude Questionnaire among Guidance and High School Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Mohammad Rezaee

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: The study was aimed to determine the validity and reliability of opium attitudes questionnaire. Method: 6108 of guidance school (3th grades and high school students filled the opium attitude questionnaire in all of the country. The validity of questionnaire assessed by group discrimination and confirmatory factor analysis method. Results: the results of group discrimination showed that the questions can be discriminated of past and current opium addicts and normal groups. On the basis of factor analysis results 5 factors extracted. These factors with consideration of literature review and loaded items content named: interest to consume, attitude to dangers, attitude to physiological effects, attitude to psychic effects, attitude to social effects to opium. Reliability of subscales examined by Cronbakh’s alpha. The minimum measure of reliability was 0.77 and maximum was 0.86. Altogether, the validity and reliability of questionnaire were satisfied. Conclusion: On the basis of present research results, opium attitude questionnaire is appropriate for assessing of students’ attitude to opium among guidance and high school students.

[Psychosocial stress environment and health workers in public health: Differences between primary and hospital care].

Science.gov (United States)

García-Rodríguez, Antonio; Gutiérrez-Bedmar, Mario; Bellón-Saameño, Juan Ángel; Muñoz-Bravo, Carlos; Fernández-Crehuet Navajas, Joaquín

2015-01-01

To describe the psychosocial environment of health professionals in public health in primary and hospital care, and compare it with that of the general Spanish working population, as well as to evaluate the effect of psychosocial risk factors on symptoms related to perceived stress. Cross-sectional study with stratified random sampling. Health care workers in the province of Granada, distributed in 5 hospitals and 4 health districts. A total of 738 employees (medical and nursing staff) of the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) were invited to take part. CopSoQ/Istas21 questionnaire developed for the multidimensional analysis of the psychosocial work environment. Stress symptoms were measured with the Stress Profile questionnaire. The response rate was 67.5%. Compared with the Spanish workforce, our sample showed high cognitive, emotional, and sensory psychological demands, possibilities for development and sense of direction in their work. Primary care physicians were the group with a worse psychosocial work environment. All the groups studied showed high levels of stress symptoms. Multivariate analysis showed that variables associated with high levels of stress symptom were younger and with possibilities for social relations, role conflict, and higher emotional demands, and insecurity at work. Our findings support that the psychosocial work environment of health workers differs from that of the Spanish working population, being more unfavorable in general practitioners. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Parliamentarians and environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boy, D.

2004-01-01

The data presented in this report come from an inquiry carried out by Sofres between March 5 and April 23, 2003, with a sample of 200 parliamentarians (122 deputies and 78 senators) who explained their attitude with respect to the question of environment. The questionnaire comprises 5 main dimensions dealing with: the relative importance of the environment stake, the attitudes with respect to past, present and future environment policies, the attitude with respect to specific stakes (energy, wastes), the attitude with respect to some problems of conservation of the natural heritage, and the attitude with respect to the participation of the public to some environment-related decisions. (J.S.)

Inter-Group and Intra-Group Assertiveness: Adolescents' Social Skills Following Cultural Transition

Science.gov (United States)

Korem, Anat; Horenczyk, Gabriel; Tatar, Moshe

2012-01-01

The goals of this study were to examine intra-group and inter-group assertiveness among adolescents, and to compare these two domains of assertiveness between cultural groups in Israel. Measures of intra-group and inter-group assertiveness were developed, and questionnaires were administrated to 441 immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU),…

Design and validation of a comprehensive fecal incontinence questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Macmillan, Alexandra K; Merrie, Arend E H; Marshall, Roger J; Parry, Bryan R

2008-10-01

Fecal incontinence can have a profound effect on quality of life. Its prevalence remains uncertain because of stigma, lack of consistent definition, and dearth of validated measures. This study was designed to develop a valid clinical and epidemiologic questionnaire, building on current literature and expertise. Patients and experts undertook face validity testing. Construct validity, criterion validity, and test-retest reliability was undertaken. Construct validity comprised factor analysis and internal consistency of the quality of life scale. The validity of known groups was tested against 77 control subjects by using regression models. Questionnaire results were compared with a stool diary for criterion validity. Test-retest reliability was calculated from repeated questionnaire completion. The questionnaire achieved good face validity. It was completed by 104 patients. The quality of life scale had four underlying traits (factor analysis) and high internal consistency (overall Cronbach alpha = 0.97). Patients and control subjects answered the questionnaire significantly differently (P validity testing. Criterion validity assessment found mean differences close to zero. Median reliability for the whole questionnaire was 0.79 (range, 0.35-1). This questionnaire compares favorably with other available instruments, although the interpretation of stool consistency requires further research. Its sensitivity to treatment still needs to be investigated.

Family environment and psychopathology in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Phoebe; Hawes, David J; Hunt, Caroline; Frankland, Andrew; Roberts, Gloria; Wright, Adam; Costa, Daniel S J; Mitchell, Philip B

2018-01-15

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between family environment (cohesion and parental bonding), high-risk status, and psychopathology (internalizing and externalizing problems) among offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD), from the perspective of both offspring and their parents. We further tested if family environment mediated the relationship between bipolar risk status and internalizing and externalizing problems. High-risk (n = 90) BD offspring and control (n = 56) offspring aged 12-21 years old, and their parents, completed questionnaires on family cohesion and offspring internalizing and externalizing problems. Offspring also completed a parental bonding questionnaire. Group differences were examined, followed by multi-level mediation analysis with maximum likelihood and robust standard errors. Both offspring and parents in the high-risk group reported higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems than controls. According to offspring reports, high-risk status, lower maternal and paternal care in parental bonding, was independently associated with internalizing problems. Lower maternal care alone predicted externalizing problems. Family environment did not mediate the relationship between bipolar risk status, and offspring problems. Due to rates of missing data from parent reports of offspring psychopathology, mediation analysis was completed using offspring reports. The offspring-report data presented indicate that low parental warmth and connection were associated with internalizing and externalizing problems as an independent risk factor, in addition to bipolar risk status. The parent-child relationship therefore warrants attention as a potential target for prevention strategies with such families. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of questionnaires in the assessment of asthma control.

Science.gov (United States)

Przybyszowski, Marek; Bochenek, Grażyna

2015-01-01

The achievement and the maintenance of asthma control is currently considered the main goal of asthma treatment. Recent guidelines recommend regular assessment of asthma control and indicate questionnaires as important tools that can facilitate its evaluation. Questionnaires relate to GINA or NAEPP guidelines. Questionnaires constitute complex numerical or categorical scales and consist of several to over a dozen questions relating to the patient's symptoms of asthma, limitations in daily activities and usage of rescue medications within a period of time. Each questionnaire is characterized by the features that affect its reliability and usefulness. In the following paper we discuss most of the questionnaires which assess asthma control. We focus on the items they include and present the results of studies that prove the effectiveness of individual questionnaires in assessment of asthma control. Attention was drawn to the patient groups to which the questionnaires are addressed. We list the features of the questionnaire which should be considered before choosing a test, so that it satisfies both the doctor's and the patient's needs. The role of questionnaires as the easy-to-use tools is growing steadily. Unfortunately, not all are available in Polish language. Conducting appropriate validation studies may allow to use many of them in Polish conditions.

EDF. Group dynamics and activities. Competitive environment and strategic perspectives. Release - October 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-10-01

After a synthesis, this report proposes a presentation of the EDF Group (general overview, activities, human resources, share-holding structure, stock market data). It gives an overview of the EDF Group dynamics and of its activities: environment analysis (world electric power production, power consumption in France, regulated and spot prices, turnover in France and per area and market segment), performance analysis, and competitive analysis (comparison with the main European energy companies). It analyses the different development axes and discusses main events regarding the consolidation of nuclear activities, investments in renewable energies, withdrawal from coal and fuel, diversification in energy services, and financial consolidation. Financial data are presented along with the main economic and financial indicators. Important statistical data are provided

Development and initial validation of the Bristol Impact of Hypermobility questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, S; Cramp, F; Lewis, R; Gould, G; Clark, E M

2017-06-01

Stage 1 - to identify the impact of joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) on adults; Stage 2 - to develop a questionnaire to assess the impact of JHS; and Stage 3 - to undertake item reduction and establish the questionnaire's concurrent validity. A mixed methods study employing qualitative focus groups and interviews (Stage 1); a working group of patients, clinicians and researchers, and 'think aloud' interviews (Stage 2); and quantitative analysis of questionnaire responses (Stage 3). Stages 1 and 2 took place in one secondary care hospital in the UK. Members of a UK-wide patient organisation were recruited in Stage 3. In total, 15, four and 615 participants took part in Stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥18 years; diagnosis of JHS; no other conditions affecting physical function; able to give informed consent; and able to understand and communicate in English. None. The development of a questionnaire to assess the impact of JHS. Stage 1 identified a wide range of impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions In Stage 2, a draft questionnaire was developed and refined following 'think aloud' analysis, leaving 94 scored items. In Stage 3, items were removed on the basis of low severity and/or high correlation with other items. The final Bristol Impact of Hypermobility (BIoH) questionnaire had 55 scored items, and correlated well with the physical component score of the Short Form 36 health questionnaire (r=-0.725). The BIoH questionnaire demonstrated good concurrent validity. Further psychometric properties need to be established. Copyright © 2016 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between learning environment characteristics and academic engagement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Opdenakker, Marie-Christine; Minnaert, Alexander

The relationship between learning environment characteristics and academic engagement of 777 Grade 6 children located in 41 learning environments was explored. Questionnaires were used to tap learning environment perceptions of children, their academic engagement, and their ethnic-cultural

A study on the development of an infographic designer questionnaire and designer opinions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yıldırım Serkan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Technological developments and changes in how learning is understood have not only changed learning environments, but also how educational materials are developed. Infographics, one of the materials that are becoming increasingly more popular in learning environments, have nowadays become quite commonplace. Demonstrating the understanding of those who design such instructional materials is important with respect to the organisation of learning processes. In this study, we devised a questionnaire that aims to demonstrate the understanding infographic designers have of infographic design. A total of 94 students from the Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Education of the Kazım Karabekir Faculty of Education took part in this study conducted during the fall semester of the 2013–2014 academic year. The participants were given a questionnaire consisting of 41 items that enquired about the readers’ views regarding infographic design. The collected data were assessed using Principal Component Analysis. Based on the analysis results, a questionnaire form consisting of 27 items and 8 factors (Understanding of Design, Design Process, Copyrights, Introduction, Readability, Sharing, References, Development was developed.

Application of summative content analysis to a postal questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Thomas Howard

2016-01-01

Content analysis of replies to closed questions in questionnaires can be undertaken to understand remarks that may explain the responses, provide illustrative examples of issues raised in the questionnaire, define new issues or issues of importance that were not covered in the questionnaire and inform the design of new questions in future surveys. To discuss the usefulness of summative content analysis to free text in postal questionnaires. Content analysis provides useful comparative insights between two respondent groups in the case example provided. Five themes emerged: poor understanding of the concept of 'patient lateral transfer work technique' and the direct instrument nursing observation (DINO) instrument's key directions; outcomes of patient transfer; positive responses; manual handling risk; and poor translation into English of DINO. Respondents need an opportunity to clarify their responses to questionnaires using free text, to provide insight into their understanding of the question being asked, understanding of the concept or construct being discussed, and data triangulation through the confirmation of item responses and free-text comments. Responses to questions in a postal questionnaire and the opportunity for free-text commentary by respondents enable the identification of hidden meanings behind tickbox responses to questions.

Postgraduate residents' perception of the clinical learning environment; use of postgraduate hospital educational environment measure (PHEEM) in Pakistani context.

Science.gov (United States)

Bari, Attia; Khan, Rehan Ahmed; Rathore, Ahsan Waheed

2018-03-01

To evaluate the perception of postgraduate residents about the clinical educational environment and to investigate the association of their perception with different specialities and years of residency. The study was conducted in August 2016 at The Children's Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised postgraduate residents who were asked to complete postgraduate hospital educational environment measure questionnaire. The residents' individual perception scores were calculated and the means of both individual domain and global score of the questionnaire were compared by different specialities and different levels of residency training year. SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis. Of the 160 residents who completed the questionnaire, 114(71.3%) were related to paediatric medicine. The residents perceived their educational environment positive with a global mean score of 88.16±14.18. Autonomy and teaching were rated most highly by paediatric diagnostic residents, i.e. 32.23±8.148 and 36.23±9.010, respectively. Social support was rated the highest by paediatric surgery residents 24.36±4.653. There was no significant difference of perception between different specialities (p=0.876) or different years of residency (p=0.474). Postgraduate hospital educational environment measure can be used to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses in a hospital environment. Educational environment of study site was more positive than negative.

Development and validation of a questionnaire to evaluate infection control in oral radiology

Science.gov (United States)

Pinelli, Camila; da Silva Tagliaferro, Elaine P; Corrente, José E; Ambrosano, Glaucia M B

2017-01-01

Objectives: To create and validate a questionnaire to evaluate infection control in oral radiology. Methods: The questionnaire was developed after review of the literature, which included published articles and the biosafety protocols available from healthcare agencies. The initial version of the questionnaire was composed of 14 multiple choice questions and was divided into 3 domains on handwashing, disinfection/protection of surfaces and disinfectant used. Content validity was assessed by two expert committees, which reviewed the content and scope of the questionnaire and the relevance of each item, respectively. Reliability was evaluated using test–retest and internal consistency methods with 115 undergraduate dentistry students. Construct validity was assessed using the known-groups technique and factor analysis. The known-groups technique involved 641 undergraduate dentistry students, 20 PhD students and 15 oral radiology professors. In the factor analysis, 3 radiology technicians also participated in addition to the 641 undergraduates, 20 PhD students and 15 oral radiology professors. Results: The content validity results were found to be satisfactory to excellent for the ordinal variables (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.722–1.000) and good to great for the yes/no questions (kappa = 0.662–0.913) in terms of reliability and good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88). After a factor analysis, some questions were excluded, and the questions were grouped into new domains. Significant differences were observed between answers from different groups. The final version of the questionnaire was composed of nine domains. Conclusions: The questionnaire created was found to exhibit good psychometric properties for assessing infection control in oral radiology. PMID:28112553

Perceived stressors of oral hygiene students in the dental environment

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Chrisleen Rayner

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background. University students are exposed to a multitude of stressors that may impact on their performance. The nature of health sciences education generally involves early engagement with patients and communities, which may add to the stressors inherent to university life. There is sparse information on stressors in the oral hygiene educational environment. Objective. To determine perceived stressors and the level of burnout among oral hygiene students at the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. Method. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used. The study sample included all students in the Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH degree during 2012 (N=89. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data. Three parameters were measured, i.e. (i demographic characteristics; (ii perceived sources of stress, using a modified Dental Environment Stress (DES questionnaire; and (iii burnout, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI. Results. Respondents were mostly female (74% and primarily in the 18 - 25-year age group (92%. First- and 2nd-year students identified fear of failing and study load as major stressors. Stressors related to a lack of basic needs were identified as major stressors by 25% of 1st-year students. Third-year students identified clinical quotas, supervision and patients being late as major stressors. MBI scores indicated that students were not at risk for burnout; however, most students (66.2% scored high on emotional exhaustion (EE. Conclusion. Oral hygiene students identified stressors in their learning environment. There was a progressive increase in EE across academic years. The results suggest that interventions should be tailored for specific academic year groups.

[ISMP-Spain questionnaire and strategy for improving good medication practices in the Andalusian health system].

Science.gov (United States)

Padilla-Marín, V; Corral-Baena, S; Domínguez-Guerrero, F; Santos-Rubio, M D; Santana-López, V; Moreno-Campoy, E

2012-01-01

To describe the strategy employed by Andalusian public health service hospitals to foster safe medication use. The self-evaluation questionnaire on drug system safety in hospitals, adapted by the Spanish Institute for Safe Medication Practices was used as a fundamental tool to that end. The strategy is developed in several phases. We analyse the report evaluating drug system safety in Andalusian public hospitals published by the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumption in 2008 and establish a grading system to assess safe medication practices in Andalusian hospitals and prioritise areas needing improvement. We developed a catalogue of best practices available in the web environment belonging to the Andalusian health care quality agency's patient safety observatory. We publicised the strategy through training seminars and implemented a system allowing hospitals to evaluate the degree of compliance for each of the best practices, and based on that system, we were able to draw up a map of centres of reference. We found areas for improvement among several of the questionnaire's fundamental criteria. These areas for improvement were related to normal medication procedures in daily clinical practice. We therefore wrote 7 best practice guides that provide a cross-section of the assessment components of the questionnaire related to the clinical process needing improvement. The self-evaluation questionnaire adapted by ISMP-Spain is a good tool for designing a systematic, rational intervention to promote safe medication practices and intended for a group of hospitals that share the same values. Copyright © 2011 SEFH. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Authentic leadership, group cohesion and group identification in security and emergency teams.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Guiu López, Carlos; Molero Alonso, Fernando; Moya Morales, Miguel; Moriano León, Juan Antonio

2015-01-01

Authentic leadership (AL) is a kind of leadership that inspires and promotes positive psychological capacities, underlining the moral and ethical component of behavior. The proposed investigation studies the relations among AL, cohesion, and group identification in security and emergency teams. A cross-sectional research design was conducted in which participated 221 members from 26 fire departments and operative teams from the local police of three Spanish provinces. The following questionnaires were administered: Authentic Leadership (ALQ), Group Cohesion (GEQ), and Mael and Ashford's Group Identification Questionnaire. A direct and positive relation was found between AL, cohesion, and group identification. An indirect relation was also found between AL and group cohesion through group identification, indicating the existence of partial mediation. The utility of the proposed model based on AL is considered; this model can be employed by those in charge of the fire departments and operative groups in organizations to improve workteams' cohesion. Both AL and group identification help to explain group cohesion in organizations committed to security and emergencies.

Validation of the Child Sport Cohesion Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Luc J.; Carron, Albert V.; Eys, Mark A.; Loughead, Todd

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to test the validity evidence of the Child Sport Cohesion Questionnaire (CSCQ). To accomplish this task, convergent, discriminant, and known-group difference validity were examined, along with factorial validity via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Child athletes (N = 290, M[subscript age] = 10.73 plus or…

[The influence of caregivers' anxiety and the home environment on child abuse. A study of children attending child-care centers].

Science.gov (United States)

Mochizuki, Yukiko; Tanaka, Emiko; Shinohara, Ryoji; Sugisawa, Yuka; Tomisaki, Etsuko; Watanabe, Taeko; Tokutake, Kentaro; Matsumoto, Misako; Sugita, Chihiro; Anme, Tokie

2014-01-01

The prevalence of child abuse is increasing in Japan. Therefore, we need appropriate and practical approaches for implementing feasible prevention, early detection, and support services for abused children. The purpose of this study was to examine child-rearing anxieties and the home environment as factors affecting caregivers of suspected abused children who attend child-care centers . First, we applied the millennium edition of the Japan Child and Family Research Institute (JCFRI) Child Rearing Support Questionnaire, and the Index of Child Care Environment (ICCE), for 1,801 caregivers whose children were enrolled in child-care centers based in City A. The millennium edition of the JCFRI Child Rearing Support Questionnaire measures difficulties in childcare for caregivers in terms of feelings, anxiety, and tendencies toward depression. The ICCE measures the quality and frequency of involvement of caregivers with their children and the child-care environment. Next, we interviewed the directors and child-care professionals in the centers to collect information on child abuse. The children were divided into two groups: abused and non-abused. The "abused group" consisted of the children whom the directors and professionals of the child-care centers suspected of being "possibly abused" and so had been placed under the protection of the center; furthermore, the center exchanged information with the City A Municipality "City A municipal government" about these children. We conducted Fisher's exact test to examine the relationship between the "abused group" and the "non-abused group," in relation to child-rearing anxiety and the children's home environments. Questionnaire scores from the two groups were assessed. We calculated odds ratios to examine the significant factors related to child abuse. Our dependent variable was child abuse, our main independent variables were items related to child-care difficulties and the child-care environment, and the moderating variables

Factors influencing the effectiveness of clinical learning environment in nursing education

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Elena Gurková

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of the cross-sectional descriptive study was to investigate how nursing students evaluate particular factors of clinical learning environment during their professional placement in hospitals. We explored which factors of clinical environment contribute significantly to students' evaluation of it. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: The sample included 503 nursing students in their second or third year of study at six Slovak universities. A valid and reliable questionnaire, the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher evaluation scale (CLES+T, was used to evaluate the student nurses' experiences and clinical placement. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square test, multifactorial ANOVA procedure and Pearsons' correlations, and p-value < 0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance for all comparisons. Results: A significant proportion of students experienced a traditional model of group supervision. Supervision method, supervisory session frequency, and duration of clinical placement had a significant impact on their evaluation of clinical environments. Conclusion: Supervision methods are a significant factor influencing student evaluation of their clinical placement environment. Compared to other European studies, we found a less frequent application of individual supervision and that the Slovak university setting is dominated by a traditional group model of supervision. The study offers a valuable insight into the analysis of factors contributing to improvements in clinical learning environment and models of clinical or workplace training.

Physical therapists' perception of workplace ethics in an evolving health-care delivery environment: a cross-sectional survey.

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Cantu, Roberto

2018-03-30

Physical therapists are trained and obligated to deliver optimal health care and put patients first above all else. In the changing health-care environment, health-care organizations are grappling with controlling cost and increasing revenues. Moral distress may be created when physical therapists' desire to provide optimal care conflicts with their organization's goals to remain financially viable or profitable. Moral distress has been associated with low perception of ethical environment, professional burnout, and high turnover in organizations. This study identified groups who may be vulnerable to low perception of organizational ethical environment and identified self-reported strategies to remedy these perceptions. An ethics environment questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 1200 physical therapists in Georgia. Respondents (n = 340) were analyzed by age, workplace setting, and position in organization. Therapists working in skilled nursing/assisted living environments scored the lowest on the questionnaire and voiced concerns regarding their ethical work environments. Owners and executives perceived their organizations to be more ethical than front-line clinicians. Respondent concerns included high productivity standards, aggressive coding/billing policies, decreased reimbursement, and increased insurance regulation. Possible solutions included more frequent communication between management and clinicians about ethics, greater professional autonomy, and increased training in business ethics and finance.

Workplace nutrition knowledge questionnaire: psychometric validation and application.

Science.gov (United States)

Guadagnin, Simone C; Nakano, Eduardo Y; Dutra, Eliane S; de Carvalho, Kênia M B; Ito, Marina K

2016-11-01

Workplace dietary intervention studies in low- and middle-income countries using psychometrically sound measures are scarce. This study aimed to validate a nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NQ) and its utility in evaluating the changes in knowledge among participants of a Nutrition Education Program (NEP) conducted at the workplace. A NQ was tested for construct validity, internal consistency and discriminant validity. It was applied in a NEP conducted at six workplaces, in order to evaluate the effect of an interactive or a lecture-based education programme on nutrition knowledge. Four knowledge domains comprising twenty-three items were extracted in the final version of the NQ. Internal consistency of each domain was significant, with Kuder-Richardson formula values>0·60. These four domains presented a good fit in the confirmatory factor analysis. In the discriminant validity test, both the Expert and Lay groups scored>0·52, but the Expert group scores were significantly higher than those of the Lay group in all domains. When the NQ was applied in the NEP, the overall questionnaire scores increased significantly because of the NEP intervention, in both groups (Pnutrition knowledge among participants of NEP at the workplace. According to the NQ, an interactive nutrition education had a higher impact on nutrition knowledge than a lecture programme.

The Influence of Social Environment on Smoking Behavior Among Adolescents in Iran

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Angela Scriven

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Background:Research suggests that factors in the environment are major determinants of health behavior for populations. This cross-sectional study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to determine the prevalence of smoking and identify the possible associations between smoking and environmental variables among school pupils in Iran. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was administrated and collected data from 2200, students15-18 from 100 high schools who agreed to take part in the research. The sample was selected from the Iranian Education System Database using a two-stage cluster sample based on a random sample of schools and pupils as a representative sample of this population. Almost 90% of respondents had completed the questionnaires. Examination of the test-retest answers over all questions among 70 students in two weeks interval revealed reliability coefficient ranges 0.72 to 0.98. The Adjusted Enter Logistic Regression Models were applied to significant variables identified through Chi square tests. In addition, 40 of the sample took part in focus groups exploring the facilitators and barriers to smoking behavior. Content analysis was also used to extract themes from the focus group discussions. Results: The effects of social environment variables including peers', mothers', and sisters' smoking on cigarette consumption among young people were explored in this study. Levels of cigarette availability and exposure, effects of parents' attitudes and supervision, legislation on tobacco control, expanding life opportunities and more options for leisure activities perceived as influencing factors on adolescent smoking were all highlighted in the focus group discussions. Conclusion: The qualitative and quantitative findings revealed the impact of social environment on smoking behavior among young people. This study provides strong evidence to support environmentally oriented smoking prevention

Mode of delivery affected questionnaire response rates in a birth cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bray, Isabelle; Noble, Sian; Robinson, Ross; Molloy, Lynn; Tilling, Kate

2017-01-01

Cohort studies must collect data from their participants as economically as possible, while maintaining response rates. This randomized controlled trial investigated whether offering a choice of online or paper questionnaires resulted in improved response rates compared with offering online first. Eligible participants were young people in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) study (born April 1, 1991, to December 31, 1992, in the Avon area). After exclusions, 8,795 participants were randomized. The "online first" group were invited to complete the questionnaire online. The "choice" group were also sent a paper questionnaire and offered a choice of completion method. The trial was embedded within routine data collection. The main outcome measure was the number of questionnaires returned. Data on costs were also collected. Those in the "online first" arm of the trial were less likely to return a questionnaire [adjusted odds ratio: 0.90; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82, 0.99]. The "choice" arm was more expensive (mean difference per participant £0.71; 95% CI: £0.65, £0.76). It cost an extra £47 to have one extra person to complete the questionnaire in the "choice" arm. Offering a choice of completion methods (paper or online) for questionnaires in ALSPAC increased response rates but was more expensive than offering online first. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Game Experience Questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

IJsselsteijn, W.A.; de Kort, Y.A.W.; Poels, K.

2013-01-01

This document contains the English version of the Game Experience Questionnaire. The development and testing of the Game Experience Questionnaire is described in project Deliverable 3.3. The Game Experience Questionnaire has a modular structure and consists of : 1. The core questionnaire 2. The

The Effect of the Equatorial Environment on Oxo-Group Silylation of the Uranyl Dication: A Computational Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yahia, A.; Maron, L.; Yahia, A.; Arnold, P.L.; Love, J.B.

2010-01-01

A theoretical investigation of the reductive oxo-group silylation reaction of the uranyl dication held in a Pacman macrocyclic environment has been carried out. The effect of the modeling of the Pacman ligand on the reaction profiles is found to be important, with the dipotassiation of a single oxo group identified as a key component in promoting the reaction between the Si-X and uranium-oxo bonds. This reductive silylation reaction is also proposed to occur in an aqueous environment but was found not to operate on bare ions; in this latter case, substitution of a ligand in the equatorial plane was the most likely reaction. These results demonstrate the importance of the presence but not the identity of the equatorial ligands upon the silylation of the uranyl U-O bond. (authors)

A Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents (SIQYA): Reliability and Validity Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Anne C.; And Others

1984-01-01

The Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents (SIQYA), an adaptation of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ), designed to measure aspects of self-image among young adolescents, was administered to two groups of sixth graders. The development of the SIQYA is described and reliability and validity results are presented. (EGS)

A psychometric evaluation of the University of Auckland General Practice Report of Educational Environment: UAGREE.

Science.gov (United States)

Eggleton, Kyle; Goodyear-Smith, Felicity; Henning, Marcus; Jones, Rhys; Shulruf, Boaz

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to develop an instrument (University of Auckland General Practice Report of Educational Environment: UAGREE) with robust psychometric properties that measured the educational environment of undergraduate primary care. The questions were designed to incorporate measurements of the teaching of cultural competence. Following a structured consensus process and an initial pilot, a list of 55 questions was developed. All Year 5 and 6 students completing a primary care attachment at Auckland University were invited to complete the questionnaire. The results were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis resulting in a 16-item instrument. Three factors were identified explaining 53% of the variance. The items' reliability within the factors were high (Learning: 0.894; Teaching: 0.871; Cultural competence: 0.857). Multiple groups analysis by gender; and separately across ethnic groups did not find significant differences between groups. UAGREE is a specific instrument measuring the undergraduate primary care educational environment. Its questions fit within established theoretical educational environment frameworks and the incorporation of cultural competence questions reflects the importance of teaching cultural competence within medicine. The psychometric properties of UAGREE suggest that it is a reliable and valid measure of the primary care education environment.

Practice environment as perceived by nurses in acute care hospitals in Sharjah and North Emirates.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Maaitah, Rowaida; AbuAlRub, Raeda F; Al Blooshi, Sumaya

2018-04-01

To explore nurses' perceptions of their practice environment in acute care hospitals in Sharjah and North Emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The health of the environment in which registered nurses' work is critical to nursing outcomes. The interest to examine the practice environment extended to the Gulf area which has a complex healthcare system including the UAE. The study used an exploratory descriptive design with a qualitative part using two focus group interviews. The sample size was 450 nurses selected through a random sampling method. A self-administered questionnaire including the Practice Environment Scale of Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) was used. In addition, semi-structured interviews for two focus groups were done. The results showed that UAE practicing nurses reported favorable perceptions of most aspects of their practice environment. Unfavorable perceptions were only reported for Staffing and Resource Adequacy. The analysis of focus group discussions resulted in different emerged themes such as Lack of Recognition and Career Promotion, and Nurses' Workload due to Paper and Administrative Work. The findings of this study suggest that strategic interventions are needed to secure adequate staff and resources and implement an effective system for evaluation of performance. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The development of a bridging social capital questionnaire for use in population health research

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E. Villalonga-Olives

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Bridging social capital is defined as the connections between individuals who are dissimilar with respect to socioeconomic and other characteristics. There is an important gap in the literature related to its measurement. We describe the development and validation of a questionnaire to measure bridging social capital. We focused the development of the questionnaire to be suitable for use in Latino immigrant populations in the U.S. The structure of the questionnaire comprised the following: Socialization in the job place (5 items; Membership in community activities (16 items; Participation in community activities (5 items; Contact with similar/different people (7 items; Assistance (17 items; Trust of institutions, corporations and other people(14 items; and Trust of intimate people (3 items. First, we used focus groups (N=17 participants to establish content validity with an inductive thematic analysis to identify themes and subthemes. Changes were made to the questionnaire based on difficulty, redundancy, length and semantic equivalence. Second, we analyzed the questionnaire's psychometric properties (N=138. We tested internal consistency with Cronbach alpha and construct validity with a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA for each sub-scale to test theoretical unity; discriminant validity to observe differences between participants from high and low SES backgrounds and different language; and content validity with an independent expert panel. Cronbach alphas ranged from 0.80 (Assistance to 0.92 (Trust. CFA results indicated that CFI and TLI were higher than 0.90 in almost all the scales, with high factor loadings. The Wilcoxon tests indicated that there were statistically significant mean differences between SES and language groups (p<0.00. The independent expert panel determined that the questionnaire had good content validity. This is the first demonstration of a psychometrically validated questionnaire to measure bridging social capital in an

Improving the Psychosocial Work Environment at Multi-Ethnic Workplaces: A Multi-Component Intervention Strategy in the Cleaning Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mari-Ann Flyvholm

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Global labour migration has increased in recent years and immigrant workers are often recruited into low status and low paid jobs such as cleaning. Research in a Danish context shows that immigrants working in the cleaning industry often form social networks based on shared languages and backgrounds, and that conflict between different ethnic groups may occur. This paper evaluates the impact of a multi-component intervention on the psychosocial work environment at a multi-ethnic Danish workplace in the cleaning sector. The intervention included Danish lessons, vocational training courses, and activities to improve collaboration across different groups of cleaners. Interviews about the outcome of the intervention were conducted with the cleaners and their supervisor. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was used as a supplement to the interviews. The results suggest that the psychosocial work environment had improved after the intervention. According to the interviews with the cleaners, the intervention had led to improved communication, trust, and collaboration. These findings are supported by the questionnaire where social support from supervisor and colleagues, social community, trust, and teamwork seem to have improved together with meaning of work, rewards, and emotional demands. The design of the intervention may provide inspiration for future psychosocial work environment interventions at multi-ethnic work places.

Improving the psychosocial work environment at multi-ethnic workplaces: a multi-component intervention strategy in the cleaning industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Louise Hardman; Hviid, Kirsten; Frydendall, Karen Bo; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann

2013-10-14

Global labour migration has increased in recent years and immigrant workers are often recruited into low status and low paid jobs such as cleaning. Research in a Danish context shows that immigrants working in the cleaning industry often form social networks based on shared languages and backgrounds, and that conflict between different ethnic groups may occur. This paper evaluates the impact of a multi-component intervention on the psychosocial work environment at a multi-ethnic Danish workplace in the cleaning sector. The intervention included Danish lessons, vocational training courses, and activities to improve collaboration across different groups of cleaners. Interviews about the outcome of the intervention were conducted with the cleaners and their supervisor. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was used as a supplement to the interviews. The results suggest that the psychosocial work environment had improved after the intervention. According to the interviews with the cleaners, the intervention had led to improved communication, trust, and collaboration. These findings are supported by the questionnaire where social support from supervisor and colleagues, social community, trust, and teamwork seem to have improved together with meaning of work, rewards, and emotional demands. The design of the intervention may provide inspiration for future psychosocial work environment interventions at multi-ethnic work places.

Quality of life and discriminating power of two questionnaires in fibromyalgia patients: Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Assumpção, Ana; Pagano, Tatiana; Matsutani, Luciana A; Ferreira, Elizabeth A G; Pereira, Carlos A B; Marques, Amélia P

2010-01-01

Fibromyalgia is a painful syndrome characterized by widespread chronic pain and associated symptoms with a negative impact on quality of life. Considering the subjectivity of quality of life measurements, the aim of this study was to verify the discriminating power of two quality of life questionnaires in patients with fibromyalgia: the generic Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the specific Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). A cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 participants divided into Fibromyalgia Group (FG) and Control Group (CG) (n=75 in each group). The participants were evaluated using the SF-36 and the FIQ. The data were analyzed by the Student t-test (α=0.05) and inferential analysis using the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) Curve--sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC). The significance level was 0.05. The sample was similar for age (CG: 47.8 ± 8.1; FG: 47.0 ± 7.7 years). A significant difference was observed in quality of life assessment in all aspects of both questionnaires (pquality of life in fibromyalgia patients, and we suggest that both should be used in parallel because they evaluate relevant and complementary aspects of quality of life.

A new tool for converting food frequency questionnaire data into nutrient and food group values: FETA research methods and availability.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulligan, Angela A; Luben, Robert N; Bhaniani, Amit; Parry-Smith, David J; O'Connor, Laura; Khawaja, Anthony P; Forouhi, Nita G; Khaw, Kay-Tee

2014-03-27

To describe the research methods for the development of a new open source, cross-platform tool which processes data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Norfolk Food Frequency Questionnaire (EPIC-Norfolk FFQ). A further aim was to compare nutrient and food group values derived from the current tool (FETA, FFQ EPIC Tool for Analysis) with the previously validated but less accessible tool, CAFÉ (Compositional Analyses from Frequency Estimates). The effect of text matching on intake data was also investigated. Cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study-EPIC-Norfolk. East England population (city of Norwich and its surrounding small towns and rural areas). Complete FFQ data from 11 250 men and 13 602 women (mean age 59 years; range 40-79 years). Nutrient and food group intakes derived from FETA and CAFÉ analyses of EPIC-Norfolk FFQ data. Nutrient outputs from FETA and CAFÉ were similar; mean (SD) energy intake from FETA was 9222 kJ (2633) in men, 8113 kJ (2296) in women, compared with CAFÉ intakes of 9175 kJ (2630) in men, 8091 kJ (2298) in women. The majority of differences resulted in one or less quintile change (98.7%). Only mean daily fruit and vegetable food group intakes were higher in women than in men (278 vs 212 and 284 vs 255 g, respectively). Quintile changes were evident for all nutrients, with the exception of alcohol, when text matching was not executed; however, only the cereals food group was affected. FETA produces similar nutrient and food group values to the previously validated CAFÉ but has the advantages of being open source, cross-platform and complete with a data-entry form directly compatible with the software. The tool will facilitate research using the EPIC-Norfolk FFQ, and can be customised for different study populations.

Organizational culture, climate and person-environment fit: Relationships with employment outcomes for mental health consumers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirsh, Bonnie

2000-01-01

Although the effects of organizational culture, climate and person-environment fit have been widely studied in the general population, little research exists in this area regarding consumers of mental health services. This research focuses on organizational culture, climate and person-environment fit and their relationship to employment outcomes for mental health consumers. It also examines specific components of organizational culture which are both desired and perceived by mental health consumers. Thirty-six (N=36) consumers were recruited into one of two groups: individuals who were employed at the time of the study and those who had recently left their jobs. Instruments used were the Workplace Climate Questionnaire (WCQ) and the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP). Significant differences were found between groups along the dimensions of organizational culture/climate and person-environment fit. Although few differences were found between groups with regards to desired workplace characteristics, many differences in perceived characteristics were found. The findings point to the importance of assessing the organizational culture/climate and its congruence with individuals' value systems as part of the work integration process.

Resilience of primary healthcare professionals working in challenging environments: a focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Matheson, Catriona; Robertson, Helen D; Elliott, Alison M; Iversen, Lisa; Murchie, Peter

2016-07-01

The modern primary healthcare workforce needs to be resilient. Early research framed professional resilience as avoiding 'burnout'; however, more recent literature has introduced the concept of positive adaptation to professional challenges, which results in individuals thriving in their role. To explore what primary health professionals working in challenging environments consider to be characteristics of resilience and what promotes or challenges professional resilience. A qualitative focus group in north east Scotland. Five focus groups were held with 20 health professionals (six GPs, nine nurses, four pharmacists, and a practice manager) based in rural or deprived city areas in the north east of Scotland. Inductive thematic analysis identified emerging themes. Personal resilience characteristics identified were optimism, flexibility and adaptability, initiative, tolerance, organisational skills, being a team worker, keeping within professional boundaries, assertiveness, humour, and a sense of self-worth. Workplace challenges were workload, information overload, time pressures, poor communication, challenging patients, and environmental factors (rural location). Promoters of professional resilience were strong management support, teamwork, workplace buffers, and social factors such as friends, family, and leisure activities. A model of health professional resilience is proposed that concurs with existing literature but adds the concept of personal traits being synergistic with workplace features and social networks. These facilitate adaptability and enable individual health professionals to cope with adversity that is inevitably part of the everyday experience of those working in challenging healthcare environments. © British Journal of General Practice 2016.

TIDAL INTERACTION AS THE ORIGIN OF EARLY-TYPE DWARF GALAXIES IN GROUP ENVIRONMENTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paudel, Sanjaya; Ree, Chang H.

2014-01-01

We present a sample of dwarf galaxies that suffer ongoing disruption by the tidal forces of nearby massive galaxies. By analyzing structural and stellar population properties using the archival imaging and spectroscopic data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we find that they are likely a ''smoking gun'' example of the formation through tidal stirring of early-type dwarf galaxies (dEs) in the galaxy group environment. The inner cores of these galaxies are fairly intact and the observed light profiles are well fit by the Sérsic functions while the tidally stretched stellar halos are prominent in the outer parts. They are all located within a sky-projected distance of 50 kpc from the centers of the host galaxies and no dwarf galaxies have relative line-of-sight velocities larger than 205 km s –1 to their hosts. We derive the Composite Stellar Population properties of these galaxies by fitting the SDSS optical spectra to a multiple-burst composite stellar population model. We find that these galaxies accumulate a significant fraction of stellar mass within the last 1 Gyr and contain a majority stellar population with an intermediate age of 2 to 4 Gyr. Based on this evidence, we argue that tidal stirring, particularly through the galaxy-galaxy interaction, might have an important role in the formation and evolution of dEs in the group environment where the influence of other gas stripping mechanism might be limited

THE ZURICH ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY OF GALAXIES IN GROUPS ALONG THE COSMIC WEB. I. WHICH ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS GALAXY EVOLUTION?

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Carollo, C. Marcella; Cibinel, Anna; Lilly, Simon J.; Miniati, Francesco; Cameron, Ewan; Peng, Yingjie; Pipino, Antonio; Rudick, Craig S. [Institute for Astronomy, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Norberg, Peder [Department of Physics, Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Silverman, John D. [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8583 (Japan); Van Gorkom, Jacqueline [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Finoguenov, Alexis, E-mail: marcella@phys.ethz.ch [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, D-84571 Garching (Germany)

2013-10-20

The Zurich Environmental Study (ZENS) is based on a sample of ∼1500 galaxy members of 141 groups in the mass range ∼10{sup 12.5-14.5} M{sub ☉} within the narrow redshift range 0.05 < z < 0.0585. ZENS adopts novel approaches, described here, to quantify four different galactic environments, namely: (1) the mass of the host group halo; (2) the projected halo-centric distance; (3) the rank of galaxies as central or satellites within their group halos; and (4) the filamentary large-scale structure density. No self-consistent identification of a central galaxy is found in ∼40% of <10{sup 13.5} M{sub ☉} groups, from which we estimate that ∼15% of groups at these masses are dynamically unrelaxed systems. Central galaxies in relaxed and unrelaxed groups generally have similar properties, suggesting that centrals are regulated by their mass and not by their environment. Centrals in relaxed groups have, however, ∼30% larger sizes than in unrelaxed groups, possibly due to accretion of small satellites in virialized group halos. At M > 10{sup 10} M{sub ☉}, satellite galaxies in relaxed and unrelaxed groups have similar size, color, and (specific) star formation rate distributions; at lower galaxy masses, satellites are marginally redder in relaxed relative to unrelaxed groups, suggesting quenching of star formation in low-mass satellites by physical processes active in relaxed halos. Overall, relaxed and unrelaxed groups show similar stellar mass populations, likely indicating similar stellar mass conversion efficiencies. In the enclosed ZENS catalog, we publish all environmental diagnostics as well as the galaxy structural and photometric measurements described in companion ZENS papers II and III.

Development and Evaluation of an Automated, Home-Based, Electronic Questionnaire for Detecting COPD Exacerbations

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Francisco de B. Velazquez-Peña

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Collaboration between patients and their medical and technical experts enabled the development of an automated questionnaire for the early detection of COPD exacerbations (AQCE. The questionnaire consisted of fourteen questions and was implemented on a computer system for use by patients at home in an un-supervised environment. Psychometric evaluation was conducted after a 6-month field trial. Fifty-two patients were involved in the development of the questionnaire. Reproducibility was studied using 19 patients (ICC = 0.94. Sixteen out of the 19 subjects started the 6 month-field trial with the computer application. Cronbach’s alpha of 0.81 was achieved. In the concurrent validity analysis, a correlation of 0.80 (p = 0.002 with the CCQ was reported. The results suggest that AQCE is a valid and reliable questionnaire, showing that an automated home-based electronic questionnaire may enable early detection of exacerbations of COPD.

Validation of the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ

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Edyta Suliga

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction : The results of many studies confirm the positive effect of physical activity during pregnancy on the health of both mother and child. Due to this, it is important to use standardised methods of its assessment. In 2004, Chasan-Taber et al. developed the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ, taking into account household/caregiving activities, occupational activities, sports/exercise activities, transportation activities, and inactivity. Aim of the research : The validation of the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ by determination of its reproducibility. Material and methods : The questionnaire was validated from June 2014 to February 2015 among 164 women. The respondents were surveyed twice in a 2-week interval. The repeatability of the questionnaire was verified by determining the Pearson correlation coefficient between the results obtained for the same people in the first and second interview, thus determining the intra-subject variability. Inter-subject variability was analysed by comparing the average values of physical activity for the whole group using the Student’s t-test for dependent samples. Results : For all levels of physical activity, a high correlation between the results obtained in both interviews was found. The correlation coefficient for total physical activity was r = 0.96. The reproducibility of the results obtained from PPAQ questionnaire was the highest for inactivity and moderate activity (r = 0.96. The analysis according to the type of activity showed that the reproducibility was the highest for occupational activity (r = 0.98. Conclusions : High reproducibility of results obtained using PPAQ questionnaire was found. This allows the assessed questionnaire to be considered as an accurate measurement tool that can be a source of reliable information about physical activity in pregnant women.

Comparative assessment of study groups of elderly female computer users from four European countries: questionnaires used in the NEW study

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Sandsjö, L; Larsman, P; Vollenbroek-Hutten, M M R

2006-01-01

There is a lack of consistent and comprehensive questionnaire forms for the studies of factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders at the European level. One of the results of the EU-funded project, neuromuscular assessment in the elderly worker (NEW), is a set of questionnaires...... for the screening of musculoskeletal status and the studies of factors that are believed to affect musculoskeletal health. The questionnaires have been used among elderly women (45+) in different occupations and organisations in Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. The aim of this short communication...... is to present the questionnaires used in the NEW study and to evaluate the appropriateness of pooling data gathered in each participating country into a common database. It is concluded that although differences exist among the study samples, these are not of such a magnitude or pattern that data from the four...

Questionnaire Evaluating Teaching Competencies in the University Environment. Evaluation of Teaching Competencies in the University

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Moreno-Murcia, Juan Antonio; Silveira Torregrosa, Yolanda; Belando Pedreño, Noelia

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to design and validate a measuring instrument to evaluate the performance of university professors. The Evaluation of Teaching Performance (CEID [Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Docentes (Center for Teaching Studies and Research)]) questionnaire was administered to 1297 university students. Various factor…

Development of a self-administered questionnaire to screen patients for cervical myelopathy

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Sekiguchi Yasufumi

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In primary care, it is often difficult to diagnose cervical myelopathy. However, a delay in treatment could cause irreversible aftereffects. With a brief and effective self-administered questionnaire for cervical myelopathy, cervical myelopathy may be screened more easily and oversight may be avoided. As there is presently no screening tool for cervical myelopathy, the aim of this study was to develop a self-administered questionnaire for the screening of cervical myelopathy. Methods A case-control study was performed with the following two groups at our university hospital from February 2006 to September 2008. Sixty-two patients (48 men, 14 women with cervical myelopathy who underwent operative treatment were included in the myelopathy group. In the control group, 49 patients (20 men, 29 women with symptoms that could be distinguished from those of cervical myelopathy, such as numbness, pain in the upper extremities, and manual clumsiness, were included. The underlying conditions were diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome, diabetes mellitus neuropathy, cervical radiculopathy, and neuralgic amyotrophy. Twenty items for a questionnaire in this study were chosen from the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire, which is a new self-administered questionnaire, as an outcome measure for patients with cervical myelopathy. Data were analyzed by univariate analysis using the chi-square test and by multiple logistic regression analysis. According to the resulting odds ratio, β-coefficients, and p value, items were chosen and assigned a score. Results Eight items were chosen by univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses and assigned a score. The Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic showed p = 0.805. The area under the receiver operation characteristic curve was 0.86. The developed questionnaire had a sensitivity of 93.5% and a

The English version of the four-dimensional symptom questionnaire (4DSQ) measures the same as the original Dutch questionnaire: a validation study.

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Terluin, Berend; Smits, Niels; Miedema, Baukje

2014-12-01

Translations of questionnaires need to be carefully validated to assure that the translation measures the same construct(s) as the original questionnaire. The four-dimensional symptom questionnaire (4DSQ) is a Dutch self-report questionnaire measuring distress, depression, anxiety and somatization. To evaluate the equivalence of the English version of the 4DSQ. 4DSQ data of English and Dutch speaking general practice attendees were analysed and compared. The English speaking group consisted of 205 attendees, aged 18-64 years, in general practice, in Canada whereas the Dutch group consisted of 302 general practice attendees in the Netherlands. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis was conducted using the Mantel-Haenszel method and ordinal logistic regression. Differential test functioning (DTF; i.e., the scale impact of DIF) was evaluated using linear regression analysis. DIF was detected in 2/16 distress items, 2/6 depression items, 2/12 anxiety items, and 1/16 somatization items. With respect to mean scale scores, the impact of DIF on the scale level was negligible for all scales. On the anxiety scale DIF caused the English speaking patients with moderate to severe anxiety to score about one point lower than Dutch patients with the same anxiety level. The English 4DSQ measures the same constructs like the original Dutch 4DSQ. The distress, depression and somatization scales can employ the same cut-off points as the corresponding Dutch scales. However, cut-off points of the English 4DSQ anxiety scale should be lowered by one point to retain the same meaning as the Dutch anxiety cut-off points.

Kindergarten Students' and Parents' Perceptions of Science Classroom Environments: Achievement and Attitudes

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Robinson, Esther; Fraser, Barry J.

2013-01-01

This study, involving the modification, validation and use of a learning environment questionnaire for both kindergarten students and their parents, is significant because prior learning environment research has normally involved neither parents nor such young students. A questionnaire, which was based on the What Is Happening In this Class? and…

The importance of group activities for quality of life of women in postmenopause - doi:10.5020/18061230.2011.p376

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Renata Aparecida Calazans Negrão

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the quality of life of postmenopausal women who participate in different activities groups for elderly. Methods: We selected 59 women, divided as follows: hydrotherapy group (n = 15, physical activity and bingo group (n = 15, and a control group (n = 29. Data collection was done through a questionnaire evaluating the Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref, the Blatt and Kupperman Menopausal Index and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS. The assessments were conducted in two stages with an interval of two months between each one. Results: There was an improvement in quality of life of women participants in activities groups with respect to the control group, and in all domains of quality of life questionnaire, the control group had lower values. Significant differences occurred in the environment domain, in comparing the hydrotherapy group and physical activity/bingo groups, of which the latter showed better responses. Conclusion: The activities groups were positive for improving quality of life of postmenopausal women, emphasizing the importance of encouraging the practice of not only physical activities, but also those that stimulate the social and psychological profile of these women.

Validity of three asthma-specific quality of life questionnaires: the patients' perspective

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Jones, Christina J; Frew, Anthony; Smith, Helen

2016-01-01

Objectives It is not known which of the many asthma-specific quality of life (QoL) questionnaires best capture the lived experience of people with asthma. The objective of this study was to explore patients' views of three commonly used asthma-specific QoL questionnaires. Design Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Setting Primary and secondary care in Brighton and Hove, UK. Participants 30 adult people with a physician-diagnosis of asthma who were asked to complete the Juniper Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ-J), the Sydney Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ-S) and the Living with Asthma Questionnaire (LWAQ) to elicit their views on the content validity of these. Results Thematic content analysis revealed a lack of congruence between the concerns of people with asthma and the questionnaire content in terms of missing (eg, allergies) and irrelevant (eg, smoky restaurants) content. The AQLQ-J was perceived as a ‘narrow’, ‘medical’ questionnaire focused on symptoms, the environment and functional ability. In contrast, the LWAQ and the AQLQ-S were perceived to be ‘non-medical’. The LWAQ was described as a ‘test’ and as a wide-ranging, embracing and holistic questionnaire. Its strong emotional focus was irritating to some. The AQLQ-S was described as a simple, quick and easy questionnaire, although there was a perception that it was lacking in depth. Conclusions Patient interviews highlighted strengths and shortcomings in the content validity of these three asthma-specific questionnaires. For patients, the AQLQ-S content seemed to be the most pertinent in its adequacy of coverage of medical, social and emotional aspects of health-related QoL in asthma. PMID:28007706

Quality of life and swallowing questionnaire for individuals with Parkinson's disease: development and validation.

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Diniz, Juliana Garcia; da Silva, Alfredo Carlos; Nóbrega, Ana Caline

2018-05-21

Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) may exhibit some degree of change in swallowing dynamics during the course of the disease. These changes can affect their physical, functional and emotional quality of life. To develop a quality of life and swallowing questionnaire for individuals with PD. The first version of the questionnaire comprised 29 items taken from the accounts of 50 patients treated over a 2-month period at Sarah Hospital in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. A committee of 10 experts in the field analyzed the content and reduced the questionnaire to 28 questions. The questionnaire was then administered to 140 PD patients and 47 healthy individuals. A factor analysis of the items guided the drafting of the final questionnaire, which consisted of 19 items grouped into four factors, encompassing physical, functional and emotional aspects. A test-retest assessment was conducted with 44 individuals with PD. The internal consistency, estimated by the mean of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, varied between 0.71 (domain 3) and 0.94 (domain 1) in the test and between 0.69 (domain 3) and 0.95 (domain 1) in the retest. The correlation coefficient in the test/retest comparison was high and significant, demonstrating that the measurement was stable. A significant difference was observed between the PD group and the comparison group. The questionnaire developed is a valid, statistically appropriate and clinically effective self-administered instrument for individuals with PD. © 2018 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Diet History Questionnaire II and Canadian Diet History Questionnaire II: Coding Guidelines

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A questionnaire data file is an ASCII text file containing data from completed Diet History Questionnaires. If using paper forms, this file can be created by a scanner or a data entry system. If using DHQ*Web, the questionnaire data file is created automatically.

Designing a questionnaire on physical activity habits and lifestyle from the Delphi method

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Estefanía Castillo Viera

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Nowadays there are numerous questionnaires studying physical activity habits, lifestyle and health (IPAQ, SF-36, EQ-5D. The problem arises when trying to design a new tool for use in a specific population that has specific characteristics and which seeks to explore aspects related to the area in which it develops. The main objective of this study was to design a questionnaire on physical activity and lifestyle of the university population. To prepare this Delphi method was used, a procedure based on expert consultation through a steering group and a group of experts to cast their opinions on a cyclical basis of the topic until they reach a consensus. In our case, a questionnaire was developed with seven dimensions and 55 items. The results lead us to make a positive assessment of the use of the Delphi method to design the questionnaire and ensuring greater validity.Key words: Physical activity habits, lifestyle, Delphi method.

Transition to motherhood in type 1 diabetes: design of the pregnancy and postnatal well-being in transition questionnaires.

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Rasmussen, Bodil; Dunning, Trisha; Hendrieckx, Christel; Botti, Mari; Speight, Jane

2013-02-27

Life transitions are associated with high levels of stress affecting health behaviours among people with Type 1 diabetes. Transition to motherhood is a major transition with potential complications accelerated by pregnancy with risks of adverse childbirth outcomes and added anxiety and worries about pregnancy outcomes. Further, preparing and going through pregnancy requires vigilant attention to a diabetes management regimen and detailed planning of everyday activities with added stress on women. Psychological and social well-being during and after pregnancy are integral for good pregnancy outcomes for both mother and baby. The aim of this study is to establish the face and content validity of two novel measures assessing the well-being of women with type 1 diabetes in their transition to motherhood, 1) during pregnancy and 2) during the postnatal period. The approach to the development of the Pregnancy and Postnatal Well-being in T1DM Transition questionnaires was based on a four-stage pre-testing process; systematic overview of literature, items development, piloting testing of questionnaire and refinement of questionnaire. The questionnaire was reviewed at every stage by expert clinicians, researchers and representatives from consumer groups. The cognitive debriefing approach confirmed relevance of issues and identified additional items. The literature review and interviews identified three main areas impacting on the women's postnatal self-management; (1) psychological well-being; (2) social environment, (3) physical (maternal and fetal) well-being. The cognitive debriefing in pilot testing of the questionnaire identified that immediate postnatal period was difficult, particularly when the women were breastfeeding and felt depressed. The questionnaires fill an important gap by systematically assessing the psychosocial needs of women with type 1 diabetes during pregnancy and in the immediate postnatal period. The questionnaires can be used in larger data

Doing things differently: advantages and disadvantages of Web questionnaires.

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Jones, Steve; Murphy, Fiona; Edwards, Mark; James, Jane

2008-01-01

For this article, Steve Jones, Fiona Murphy, Mark Edwards and Jane James draw on experiences of delivering a questionnaire to a group of nursing students using the web. Although they encountered problems, this approach to data collection appears to have potential.

Distinguishing fibromyalgia from rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus in clinical questionnaires: an analysis of the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) and its variant, the Symptom Impact Questionnaire (SIQR), along with pain locations

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2011-01-01

Introduction The purpose of this study was to explore a data set of patients with fibromyalgia (FM), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who completed the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) and its variant, the Symptom Impact Questionnaire (SIQR), for discriminating features that could be used to differentiate FM from RA and SLE in clinical surveys. Methods The frequency and means of comparing FM, RA and SLE patients on all pain sites and SIQR variables were calculated. Multiple regression analysis was then conducted to identify the significant pain sites and SIQR predictors of group membership. Thereafter stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the order of variables in predicting their maximal statistical contribution to group membership. Partial correlations assessed their unique contribution, and, last, two-group discriminant analysis provided a classification table. Results The data set contained information on the SIQR and also pain locations in 202 FM, 31 RA and 20 SLE patients. As the SIQR and pain locations did not differ much between the RA and SLE patients, they were grouped together (RA/SLE) to provide a more robust analysis. The combination of eight SIQR items and seven pain sites correctly classified 99% of FM and 90% of RA/SLE patients in a two-group discriminant analysis. The largest reported SIQR differences (FM minus RA/SLE) were seen for the parameters "tenderness to touch," "difficulty cleaning floors" and "discomfort on sitting for 45 minutes." Combining the SIQR and pain locations in a stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the seven most important predictors of group membership were mid-lower back pain (29%; 79% vs. 16%), tenderness to touch (11.5%; 6.86 vs. 3.02), neck pain (6.8%; 91% vs. 39%), hand pain (5%; 64% vs. 77%), arm pain (3%; 69% vs. 18%), outer lower back pain (1.7%; 80% vs. 22%) and sitting for 45 minutes (1.4%; 5.56 vs. 1.49). Conclusions A

Development of the young spine questionnaire

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Henrik Hein; Hestbæk, Lise

2013-01-01

.7% (cervical pain today) and 97.9% (thoracic pain today). To improve the understanding of the spinal boundaries we added bony landmarks to the spinal drawings after pilot test I. This resulted in an improved sense of spinal boundary location in pilot test II. Correlations between the rFPS and the interview...... pain score ranged between 0.67 (cervical spine) and 0.79 (lumbar spine). Conclusions The Young Spine Questionnaire contains questions that assess spinal pain and its consequences. The items have been tested for content understanding and agreement between questionnaire scores and interview findings......Background Back pain in children is common and early onset of back pain has been shown to increase the risk of back pain significantly in adulthood. Consequently, preventive efforts must be targeted the young population but research relating to spinal problems in this age group is scarce. Focus has...

A questionnaire for screening the micronutrient intake of economically active South African adults.

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Senekal, Marjanne; Steyn, Nelia P; Nel, Johanna

2009-11-01

The aim of the present study was to develop (phase 1) and validate (phase 2) a screening questionnaire to assess the adequacy of micronutrient intake of economically active South African adults. For identification of indicator foods to be included in the screening questionnaire (phase 1), a comprehensive, eighty-six-item, quantified FFQ that reflected the food sources of thirteen selected micronutrients associated with the nutrition-related health status of South Africans was developed and completed by 554 adults of all four major ethnic groups. Resulting dietary data were subjected to stepwise regression analyses to identify indicator foods to be included in the final screening questionnaire. For validation of frequency of intake reporting of specific food items included in the screening questionnaire (phase 2), a sample of sixty-six African and eighty-four white adult volunteers of both genders completed a 7 d record as well as the screening questionnaire. The frequency of intake of specific food items derived from the two methods was then compared using Spearman correlation coefficients. Phase 1 identified thirty indicator foods that formed the basis of the screening questionnaire. In phase 2, significant correlations were found for the total group for twenty-two out of the thirty items in the questionnaire, with correlations being the best for white females and the poorest for African males and females. A screening questionnaire (thirty-item FFQ) that can be used by researchers and health professionals to assess an individual's risk of inadequate micronutrient intake was developed and validated.

Women's perceptions, expectations and satisfaction with induced labour--a questionnaire-based study.

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Shetty, Ashalatha; Burt, Rhona; Rice, Pat; Templeton, Allan

2005-11-01

To evaluate the understanding and expectations of women undergoing labour induction, to assess their actual experience of the process and to compare their satisfaction with labour to those labouring spontaneously. Four hundred and fifty women at term undergoing induction of labour and cervical ripening with prostaglandinE2 vaginal tablets and 450 women labouring spontaneously were recruited into the study. The induction group were requested to complete a questionnaire prior to the start of their induction process and another questionnaire post-delivery. The post-delivery questionnaire contained two sections, one pertaining to issues to do with the induction and the second with the actual labour process. The spontaneously labouring group was requested to complete a questionnaire post-delivery, which only contained the section pertaining to the actual labour process. The main outcome measures were satisfaction with labour, perception of pain and length of labour between the induced and spontaneous labour groups, and issues that the women might wish changed about their induction. In the induction group, 34.7% were not satisfied with the information they received about the induction prior to the procedure and 27.2% expected to deliver within 12h of the administration of the inducing agent. Post-induction, 40% of the women felt the most important aspect they would like to change about their induction were they to have another one, would be the speed of the induction, 13.6% felt they might wish to take the inducing agent orally, 7% to have fewer vaginal examinations and 9% to have fewer complications. Among the women who returned questionnaires, 26.3% had a caesarean delivery in the induction group and 21.4% in the spontaneous labour group. Significantly more women were satisfied with their labour in the spontaneous labour group 79.5% versus 70.4%, RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.8-0.96, P=0.006). Labour that is artificially induced does result in lower satisfaction rates as compared

Psychosocial aspects of hereditary cancer (PAHC) questionnaire: development and testing of a screening questionnaire for use in clinical cancer genetics.

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Eijzenga, W; Bleiker, E M A; Hahn, D E E; Kluijt, I; Sidharta, G N; Gundy, C; Aaronson, N K

2014-08-01

Up to three-quarters of individuals who undergo cancer genetic counseling and testing report psychosocial problems specifically related to that setting. The objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate the screening properties of a questionnaire designed to assess specific psychosocial problems related to cancer genetic counseling. We adopted the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Group guidelines to develop the Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer (PAHC) questionnaire, a 26-item questionnaire organized into six problem domains: genetics, practical issues, family, living with cancer, emotions, and children. The Distress Thermometer and a question per domain on the perceived need for extra psychosocial services were included as well. We administered the questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to 127 counselees at the time of genetic counseling and 3 weeks after DNA test disclosure. As a gold standard to evaluate the screening properties of the questionnaire, participants underwent a semi-structured interview with an experienced social worker who assessed the presence and severity of problems per domain. A cutoff score representing responses of 'quite a bit' or 'very much' to one or more items within a given problem domain yielded moderate to high sensitivity across domains. A cutoff of 4 on the Distress Thermometer yielded high sensitivity. The questions regarding the perceived need for extra psychosocial services yielded high specificity and negative predictive values. The Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer questionnaire in combination with the Distress Thermometer can be used as a first-line screener for psychosocial problems within the cancer genetic counseling setting. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Group climate in the voice therapy of patients with Parkinson's Disease.

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Diaféria, Giovana; Madazio, Glaucya; Pacheco, Claudia; Takaki, Patricia Barbarini; Behlau, Mara

2017-09-04

To verify the impact that group dynamics and coaching strategies have on the PD patients voice, speech and communication, as well as the group climate. 16 individuals with mild to moderate dysarthria due to the PD were divided into two groups: the CG (8 patients), submitted to traditional therapy with 12 regular therapy sessions plus 4 additional support sessions; and the EG (8 patients), submitted to traditional therapy with 12 regular therapy sessions plus 4 sessions with group dynamics and coaching strategies. The Living with Dysarthria questionnaire (LwD), the self-evaluation of voice, speech and communication, and the perceptual-auditory analysis of the vocal quality were assess in 3 moments: pre-traditional therapy (pre); post-traditional therapy (post 1); and post support sessions/coaching strategies (post 2); in post 1 and post 2 moments, the Group Climate Questionnaire (GCQ) was also applied. CG and EG showed an improvement in the LwD from pre to post 1 and post 2 moments. Voice self-evaluation was better for the EG - when pre was compared with post 2 and when post 1 was compared with post 2 - ranging from regular to very good; both groups presented improvement in the communication self-evaluation. The perceptual-auditory evaluation of the vocal quality was better for the EG in the post 1 moment. No difference was found for the GCQ; however, the EG presented lower avoidance scores in post 2. All patients showed improvement in the voice, speech and communication self-evaluation; EG showed lower avoidance scores, creating a more collaborative and propitious environment for speech therapy.

Grouping of Environments for Testing Navy Bean in Ethiopia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Kassaye

parametric Si(2) statistics measures the variance among the ranks over environments. Si(3) and Si(6) represent mean rank of each genotype. The lowest value for each of the ..... Polygon views of the GGE biplot based on symmetrical scaling for which-won-where pattern for genotypes and environments. for clustering ...

Measuring engagement with music: development of an informant-report questionnaire.

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Vanstone, Ashley D; Wolf, Michael; Poon, Tina; Cuddy, Lola L

2016-01-01

This study describes the development of the Music Engagement Questionnaire (MusEQ), a 35-item scale to measure engagement with music in daily life. Music has implications for well-being and for therapy, notably for individuals living with dementia. A number of excellent scales or questionnaires are now available to measure music engagement. Unlike these scales, the MusEQ may be completed by either the participant or an informant. Study 1 drew on a community-based sample of 391 participants. Exploratory factor analysis revealed six interpretable factors, which formed the basis for construction of six subscales. Study 2 applied the MusEQ to a group of participants with Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 16) as well as a group of neurotypical older adults (OA; n = 16). Informants completed the MusEQ, and the OA group also completed the self-report version of the MusEQ. Both groups had an interview in which they described the place music had in their lives. These interviews were scored by three independent raters. The MusEQ showed excellent internal consistency. Five of the factor-derived subscales showed good or excellent internal consistency. MusEQ scores were moderately correlated with a global rating of 'musicality' and with music education. There was strong agreement between self-report and informant-report data. MusEQ scores showed a significant positive relationship to independent ratings of music engagement. The MusEQ provides a meaningful and reliable option for measuring music engagement among participants who are unable to complete a self-report questionnaire.

Preliminary data on validity of the Drug Addiction Treatment Efficacy Questionnaire.

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Kastelic, Andrej; Mlakar, Janez; Pregelj, Peter

2013-09-01

This study describes the validation process for the Slovenian version of the Drug Addiction Treatment Efficacy Questionnaire (DATEQ). DATEQ was constructed from the questionnaires used at the Centre for the Treatment of Drug Addiction, Ljubljana University Psychiatric Hospital, and within the network of Centres for the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Addiction in Slovenia during the past 14 years. The Slovenian version of the DATEQ was translated to English using the 'forward-backward' procedure by its authors and their co-workers. The validation process included 100 male and female patients with established addiction to illicit drugs who had been prescribed opioid substitution therapy. The DATEQ questionnaire was used in the study, together with clinical evaluation to measure psychological state and to evaluate the efficacy of treatment in the last year. To determinate the validity of DATEQ the correlation with the clinical assessments of the outcome was calculated using one-way ANOVA. The F value was 44.4, p<0.001 (sum of squares: between groups 210.4, df=2, within groups 229.7, df=97, total 440.1, df=99). At the cut-off 4 the sensitivity is 81% and specificity 83%. The validation process for the Slovenian DATEQ version shows metric properties similar to those found in international studies of similar questionnaires, suggesting that it measures the same constructs, in the same way and as similar questionnaires. However, the relatively low sensitivity and specificity suggests caution when using DATEQ as the only measure of outcome.

Standardisation of Bull's Mental Skills Questionnaire in South Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The contemporary science of sport and exercise psychology requires the standardisation of mental skills questionnaires to facilitate accurate assessment of and intervention for individuals and groups in various health and sport related contexts. The study presents international research findings regarding the ...

Comparison between exercise performance in asthmatic children and healthy controls--Physical Activity Questionnaire application.

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Santos-Silva, Rita; Melo, Cláudia; Gonçalves, Daniel; Coelho, Janine; Carvalho, Fernanda

2014-01-01

The PAQ questionnaire (Physical Activity Questionnaire - Kowalski, Crocker, Donen) is a self-administered 7-day recall validated questionnaire that measures physical activity levels in young people. A final activity score is obtained (1 indicates low and 5 indicates high physical activity level). Our aim was to determine whether there was any difference between the level of physical activity of children with controlled allergic disease and healthy children. We used the PAQ questionnaire with a group of asthmatic children attending hospital outpatient clinic and a group of healthy children matched for age. 155 children with allergic disease (median age of 11 years; 63% males) and 158 healthy controls (median age of 10 years; 46% males) answered the questionnaire. There were no differences in the overall level of physical activity, estimated by PAQ score, between allergic and healthy children (2,40±0,7 vs 2,48±0,62; p=0,32). Performance in physical education classes and after school sports activity was found to be different between the study groups; healthy children were more active (p=0,011) and did more sports between 6 and 10 pm (p=0,036). No other statistically significant differences were found between the study groups. Despite the fact that a majority of the parents of allergic children stated that their child's disease was a barrier to physical activity, in our study there seems to be no difference between the level of physical activity of controlled asthmatic children and their healthy peers. Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Human factors questionnaire as a tool for risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Isaac J.A.L.; Grecco, Claudio H.S.; Carvalho, Paulo V.R.; Mol, Antonio C.A.; Oliveira, Mauro V.; Augusto, Silas C.

2009-01-01

The human factors engineering (HFE) as a discipline, and as a process, seeks to discover and to apply knowledge about human capabilities and limitations to system and equipment design, ensuring that the system design, human tasks and work environment are compatible with the sensory, perceptual, cognitive and physical attributes of the personnel who operates systems and equipment. Risk significance considers the magnitude of the consequences (loss of life, material damage, environmental degradation) and the frequency of occurrence of a particular adverse event. The questionnaire design was based on the following definitions: the score and the classification of the nuclear safety risk. The principal benefit of applying an approach based on the risk significance in the development of the questionnaire is to ensure the identification and evaluation of the features of the projects, related to human factors, which affect the nuclear safety risk, the human actions and the safety of the nuclear plant systems. The human factors questionnaire developed in this study will provide valuable support for risk assessment, making possible the identification of design problems that can influence the evaluation of the nuclear safety risk. (author)

Feng shui And Emotional Response in the Critical care Environment (FARCE) study.

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, R; Glover, S; Bauchmüller, K; Wood, D

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between nursing staff emotions and their surrounding environment, using the ancient system of feng shui. Two orientations of critical care bed spaces (wind and water groups, respectively) were mapped using a western bagua. Energy or 'chi' scores for nine emotions were calculated based on the positive or negative flow of chi in each of the two groups. During a two-week period, nursing staff were allocated to work in a bed space in either the wind or water groups; nursing staff who were not allocated to a study bed space acted as a control group. Participating nursing staff completed a questionnaire, ranking nine emotional states and their overall inner harmony, using a 11-point chi scale. In total, 108 questionnaires were completed. Critical bed space orientation according to feng shui principles was not related to nurse-reported chi scores or inner harmony (p > 0.05 for all measurements). There was also poor correlation between the bagua-predicted and reported chi scores for both the wind and water groups (R 2  = 0.338 and 0.093, respectively). The use of feng shui to guide the layout of critical care bed spaces does not improve the emotional well-being of nursing staff. © 2017 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

Adolescents and young adults with cancer: aspects of adherence – a questionnaire study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kleinke AM

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Anne Marie Kleinke, Carl Friedrich Classen Oncology and Hematology Unit, Children’s Hospital, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany Purpose: For adolescents and young adults (AYAs, a cancer diagnosis represents an extraordinary strike in a vulnerable phase of life. They have special needs that the medical system has to take into consideration, and they exhibit a lower degree of therapy adherence than both older and younger patients. The purpose of this study was first to analyze the adherence of AYAs with cancer compared to a group of older patients and, second, to determine correlated parameters, with focus on the psychosocial interaction between physicians and patients. Patients and methods: In 2012, a complete 1 year cohort of patients reported, by use of a questionnaire, to the Rostock clinical cancer registry, and a group of older patients were invited to answer a multi-item set of questionnaires on a volunteer basis, leading to a population-based cross-sectional analysis. This included a bias due to non-answering which is unavoidable in such a setting. The questionnaire consisted of well-established standard questionnaires, a questionnaire on adherence that has just recently been published, and a self-written questionnaire focusing on patient–physician relationship. The responses were analyzed for our current study. Results: Gender, religion, education, age, anxiety, family atmosphere, or physician–patient relationship were not significantly correlated to adherence in AYAs. However, markedly more AYAs, as compared to the older patients group, considered breaking off therapy and reported suboptimal communication with the physicians. Only the perceived physical illness could be identified as a factor related to adherence among the AYA group.Conclusion: Our findings confirm the need for more focused approaches to serve the special needs of AYAs, with particular attention on specific items that showed up discriminating AYAs from

The group environment of Seyfert galaxies. II. Spectrophotometry of galaxies in groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fricke, K.J.; Kollatschny, W.

1989-01-01

Medium-resolution spectrophotometric data of 104 galaxies have been obtained. These galaxies are members of 22 loose groups of < 1 Mpc size. Thirteen of these groups contain Seyfert galaxies. In this paper we present calibrated emission-line data and absolute optical spectra of the individual galaxies as well as plates of each group

Effect of questionnaire length, personalisation and reminder type on response rate to a complex postal survey: randomised controlled trial

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Minimising participant non-response in postal surveys helps to maximise the generalisability of the inferences made from the data collected. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of questionnaire length, personalisation and reminder type on postal survey response rate and quality and to compare the cost-effectiveness of the alternative survey strategies. Methods In a pilot study for a population study of travel behaviour, physical activity and the environment, 1000 participants sampled from the UK edited electoral register were randomly allocated using a 2 × 2 factorial design to receive one of four survey packs: a personally addressed long (24 page) questionnaire pack, a personally addressed short (15 page) questionnaire pack, a non-personally addressed long questionnaire pack or a non-personally addressed short questionnaire pack. Those who did not return a questionnaire were stratified by initial randomisation group and further randomised to receive either a full reminder pack or a reminder postcard. The effects of the survey design factors on response were examined using multivariate logistic regression. Results An overall response rate of 17% was achieved. Participants who received the short version of the questionnaire were more likely to respond (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.07). In those participants who received a reminder, personalisation of the survey pack and reminder also increased the odds of response (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.95). Item non-response was relatively low, but was significantly higher in the long questionnaire than the short (9.8% vs 5.8%; p = .04). The cost per additional usable questionnaire returned of issuing the reminder packs was £23.1 compared with £11.3 for the reminder postcards. Conclusions In contrast to some previous studies of shorter questionnaires, this trial found that shortening a relatively lengthy questionnaire significantly increased the response. Researchers should consider the trade off

Social support for healthy eating: development and validation of a questionnaire for the French-Canadian population.

Science.gov (United States)

Carbonneau, Elise; Bradette-Laplante, Maude; Lamarche, Benoît; Provencher, Véronique; Bégin, Catherine; Robitaille, Julie; Desroches, Sophie; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Corneau, Louise; Lemieux, Simone

2018-05-28

The present study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing social support for healthy eating in a French-Canadian population. A twenty-one-item questionnaire was developed. For each item, participants were asked to rate the frequency, in the past month, with which the actions described had been done by family and friends in two different environments: (i) at home and (ii) outside of home. The content was evaluated by an expert panel. A validation study sample was recruited and completed the questionnaire twice. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on items to assess the number of subscales. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's ɑ. Test-retest reliability was evaluated with intraclass correlations between scores of the two completions. Online survey. Men and women from the Québec City area (n 150). The content validity assessment led to a few changes, resulting in a twenty-two-item questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure for both environments, resulting in four subscales: supportive actions at home; non-supportive actions at home; supportive actions outside of home; and non-supportive actions outside of home. Two items were removed from the questionnaire due to low loadings. The four subscales were found to be reliable (Cronbach's ɑ=0·82-0·94; test-retest intraclass correlation=0·51-0·70). The Social Support for Healthy Eating Questionnaire was developed for a French-Canadian population and demonstrated good psychometric properties. This questionnaire will be useful to explore the role of social support and its interactions with other factors in predicting eating behaviours.

Ethics in practice: managed care and the changing health care environment: medicine as a profession managed care ethics working group statement.

Science.gov (United States)

Povar, Gail J; Blumen, Helen; Daniel, John; Daub, Suzanne; Evans, Lois; Holm, Richard P; Levkovich, Natalie; McCarter, Alice O; Sabin, James; Snyder, Lois; Sulmasy, Daniel; Vaughan, Peter; Wellikson, Laurence D; Campbell, Amy

2004-07-20

Cost pressures and changes in the health care environment pose ethical challenges and hard choices for patients, physicians, policymakers, and society. In 2000 and 2001, the American College of Physicians, with the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Ethics Program, convened a working group of stakeholders--patients, physicians, and managed care representatives, along with medical ethicists--to develop a statement of ethics for managed care. The group explored the impact of a changing health care environment on patient-physician relationships and how to best apply the principles of professionalism in this environment. The statement that emerged offers guidance on preserving the patient-clinician relationship, patient rights and responsibilities, confidentiality and privacy, resource allocation and stewardship, the obligation of health plans to foster an ethical environment for the delivery of care, and the clinician's responsibility to individual patients, the community, and the public health, among other issues.

Grouping of Environments for Testing Navy Bean in Ethiopia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Kassaye

bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) lines was tested in a multi-environment variety trial ... of methods available for the analysis of GEI and stability. .... parameters in the kth bilinear term are obtained as the kth component of the .... AMMI ANOVA of grain yield for 16 navy bean lines at fourteen environments during 2010 – 2011 main ...

Mediating effects of group cohesion on physical activity and diet in women of color: health is power.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Rebecca E; O'Connor, Daniel P; Smith-Ray, Renae; Mama, Scherezade K; Medina, Ashley V; Reese-Smith, Jacqueline Y; Banda, Jorge A; Layne, Charles S; Brosnan, Marcella; Cubbin, Catherine; McMillan, Tracy; Estabrooks, Paul A

2012-01-01

To determine the effects and mediating factors of a physical activity (PA) or vegetable and fruit (VF) group cohesion intervention. Longitudinal design. Harris County and Travis County, Texas. Community-dwelling African-American and Hispanic or Latina women. Three hundred ten women were randomized to a PA (n  =  204) or VF (n  =  106) intervention group. Women met in groups six times over the course of 6 months and were exposed to a group cohesion intervention to promote walking or to increase VF consumption. Women completed the International PA Questionnaire, National Cancer Institute VF and fat screeners, PA Group Environment Questionnaire, and 7-day accelerometer protocol at baseline and post-intervention. The direct and mediated effects of the intervention on outcomes were evaluated using a mediational chain model, controlling for baseline values and covariates using path analysis. Women were middle aged (mean  =  44.4 years) and overweight or obese (mean body mass index  =  34.0 kg/m(2)). PA increased and fat consumption decreased for both groups, whereas VF consumption increased for women in VF group only (all p psychological and physical health benefits for African-American and Hispanic or Latina women, but refinement of measures and intervention delivery is needed to determine whether hypothesized mediational pathways are valid.

Measuring the clinical learning environment in anaesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, N A; Castanelli, D J

2015-03-01

The learning environment describes the way that trainees perceive the culture of their workplace. We audited the learning environment for trainees throughout Australia and New Zealand in the early stages of curriculum reform. A questionnaire was developed and sent electronically to a large random sample of Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists trainees, with a 26% final response rate. This new instrument demonstrated good psychometric properties, with Cronbach's α ranging from 0.81 to 0.91 for each domain. The median score was equivalent to 78%, with the majority of trainees giving scores in the medium range. Introductory respondents scored their learning environment more highly than all other levels of respondents (P=0.001 for almost all comparisons). We present a simple questionnaire instrument that can be used to determine characteristics of the anaesthesia learning environment. The instrument can be used to help assess curricular change over time, alignment of the formal and informal curricula and strengths and weaknesses of individual departments.

Behavioral Assessment: Questionnaires.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, C. Chrisman

1980-01-01

This is a general discussion of the validity, reliability, function, and format of questionnaires designed to measure problem behavior, noncompliance, anxiety, social interaction, hyperactivity, drug use, and sexual behavior. Commonly used questionnaires are cited. (CP)

Effect of nurses' work environment on patient satisfaction: A cross-sectional study of four hospitals in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Tei-Tominaga, Maki; Sato, Fusako

2016-01-01

The Magnet Recognition Program is a system in the USA that recognizes a hospital as a magnet hospital for having a high retention rate of nurses and providing high quality patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of nurses' work environment with characteristics that are similar to those of magnet hospitals on patient satisfaction in Japan. The authors distributed anonymous self-administered questionnaires in August 2011 to all nurses via the directors of the nursing departments of four private hospitals. The response rates were 91% (n = 425) for nurses and 51% (n = 379) for patients. In the questionnaire for nurses, the items addressed basic attributes and a scale of work environment characteristics of a magnet hospital (the Japanese version of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index [PES-NWI]). The questionnaire for patients addressed basic attributes, information about their hospitalization, and items to assess patient satisfaction. To examine the effects of the PES-NWI subscales on patient satisfaction, the authors conducted multivariate logistic regression analysis for groups, which were dichotomized by 75 percentile of the scores of patient satisfaction. The result of model 1 in the multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that collegial nurse-physician relations showed significant relationships with low patient satisfaction (odds ratio = 0.144, P patient satisfaction in hospitals in Japan. © 2015 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

One in the Dance: Musical Correlates of Group Synchrony in a Real-World Club Environment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa Ellamil

Full Text Available Previous research on interpersonal synchrony has mainly investigated small groups in isolated laboratory settings, which may not fully reflect the complex and dynamic interactions of real-life social situations. The present study expands on this by examining group synchrony across a large number of individuals in a naturalistic environment. Smartphone acceleration measures were recorded from participants during a music set in a dance club and assessed to identify how group movement synchrony covaried with various features of the music. In an evaluation of different preprocessing and analysis methods, giving more weight to front-back movement provided the most sensitive and reliable measure of group synchrony. During the club music set, group synchrony of torso movement was most strongly associated with pulsations that approximate walking rhythm (100-150 beats per minute. Songs with higher real-world play counts were also correlated with greater group synchrony. Group synchrony thus appears to be constrained by familiarity of the movement (walking action and rhythm and of the music (song popularity. These findings from a real-world, large-scale social and musical setting can guide the development of methods for capturing and examining collective experiences in the laboratory and for effectively linking them to synchrony across people in daily life.

One in the Dance: Musical Correlates of Group Synchrony in a Real-World Club Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellamil, Melissa; Berson, Joshua; Wong, Jen; Buckley, Louis; Margulies, Daniel S

2016-01-01

Previous research on interpersonal synchrony has mainly investigated small groups in isolated laboratory settings, which may not fully reflect the complex and dynamic interactions of real-life social situations. The present study expands on this by examining group synchrony across a large number of individuals in a naturalistic environment. Smartphone acceleration measures were recorded from participants during a music set in a dance club and assessed to identify how group movement synchrony covaried with various features of the music. In an evaluation of different preprocessing and analysis methods, giving more weight to front-back movement provided the most sensitive and reliable measure of group synchrony. During the club music set, group synchrony of torso movement was most strongly associated with pulsations that approximate walking rhythm (100-150 beats per minute). Songs with higher real-world play counts were also correlated with greater group synchrony. Group synchrony thus appears to be constrained by familiarity of the movement (walking action and rhythm) and of the music (song popularity). These findings from a real-world, large-scale social and musical setting can guide the development of methods for capturing and examining collective experiences in the laboratory and for effectively linking them to synchrony across people in daily life.

Validation of Russian versions of questionnaires in patients with low back pain syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. V. Chernyshova

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To assess psychometric characteristics of Russian versions Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ, WOMAC and the brief form of a questionnaire of pain Me Gill at patients with a low back pain (LBP. Material and methods. It is surveyed 100 patients with the chronic syndrome LBP caused by an osteochondrosis of a backbone. Mean age of patients has made 45,69 ± 7,61 years, from them women (77 % prevailed. Average duration of disease was 10,20 ± 6,01 years, and duration of an aggravation - 4,04 ± 1,75 months. Among surveyed patients with II radiological stage (R prevailed. The assessment constructive validity questionnaires HAQ, WOMAC and the brief form of a questionnaire of pain Me Gill was carried out by the multifactorial analysis with allocation of the main components, a method of "known groups" on the basis of construction of hypotheses, the correlation analysis with external criteria and separate clinical-tool parameters. Reliability of questionnaires was estimated with the help of coefficient internal constancy a Kronbach, sensitivity - definition of the answer to therapy on the clinical data and self-estimations of patients, to calculation of index Gyatt. Results. Simultaneously with improvement of a condition of patients the positive authentic by criterion Mann- Whitney (Z dynamics of parameters under questionnaires HAQ, WOMAC and the brief form of a questionnaire of pain Me Gill was marked. In group of patients with LBP where the answer from therapy was absent, changes of parameters of investigated questionnaires did not occur, that testified to sensitivity of questionnaires. Other methods have shown sufficient validity and reliability of questionnaires WOMAC, the brief form of a questionnaire of pain Me Gill, questionnaire HAQ, except for his scales "force of a brush ” and "reception peep" which were less actual for patients with LBP. High correlation communications of size FDI (Functional Disability Index on HAQ, scales

Development of a brief questionnaire to assess contraceptive intent.

Science.gov (United States)

Raine-Bennett, Tina R; Rocca, Corinne H

2015-11-01

We sought to develop and validate an instrument that can enable providers to identify young women who may be at risk of contraceptive non-adherence. Item response theory based methods were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire, a 15-item self-administered questionnaire, based on theory and prior qualitative and quantitative research. The questionnaire was administered to 200 women aged 15-24 years who were initiating contraceptives. We assessed item fit to the item response model, internal consistency, internal structure validity, and differential item functioning. All items fit a one-dimensional model. The separation reliability coefficient was 0.73. Participants' overall scores covered the full range of the scale (0-15), and items appropriately matched the range of participants' contraceptive intent. Items met the criteria for internal structure validity and most items functioned similarly between groups of women. The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire appears to be a reliable and valid tool. Future testing is needed to assess predictive ability and clinical utility. The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire may serve as a valid tool to help providers identify women who may have problems with contraceptive adherence, as well as to pinpoint areas in which counseling may be directed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preclinical Medical Student Hematology/Oncology Education Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Zumberg, Marc S; Broudy, Virginia C; Bengtson, Elizabeth M; Gitlin, Scott D

2015-12-01

To better prepare medical students to care for patients in today's changing health-care environment as they transition to continuing their education as residents, many US medical schools have been reviewing and modifying their curricula and are considering integration of newer adult learning techniques, including team-based learning, flipped classrooms, and other active learning approaches (Assoc Am Med Coll. 2014). Directors of hematology/oncology (H/O) courses requested an assessment of today's H/O education environment to help them respond to the ongoing changes in the education content and environment that will be necessary to meet this goal. Several recommendations for the improvement of cancer education resulted from American Association for Cancer Education's (ACCE's) "Cancer Education Survey II" including a call for medical schools to evaluate the effectiveness of current teaching methods in achieving cancer education objectives (Chamberlain et al. J Cancer Educ 7(2):105-114.2014). To understand the current environment and resources used in medical student preclinical H/O courses, an Internet-based, Survey Monkey®-formatted, questionnaire focusing on nine topic areas was distributed to 130 United States Hematology/Oncology Course Directors (HOCDs). HOCDs represent a diverse group of individuals who work in variably supportive environments and who are variably satisfied with their position. Several aspects of these courses remain relatively unchanged from previous assessments, including a predominance of traditional lectures, small group sessions, and examinations that are either written or computer-based. Newer technology, including web-based reproduction of lectures, virtual microscopes, and availability of additional web-based content has been introduced into these courses. A variety of learner evaluation and course assessment approaches are used. The ultimate effectiveness and impact of these changes needs to be determined.

Lifestyle related to health and quality of life of girls at puberty in light of the KIDSCREEN-52 Questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grażyna Nowak-Starz

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction : The lifestyle of every human being, to a large extent, determines their health. Whatever young individuals do in their adult lives is extremely important for themselves and the next generations. Aim of the research : To investigate the relationship between health-related lifestyle and the quality of life of girls in light of the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire. Material and methods: The study involved 122 girls with menstrual disorders from rural and urban areas and 240 girls without any health or developmental disorders. It was conducted on patients of the Public Gynaecological Clinic for Girls in Kielce and girls attending primary and middle schools. A diagnostic survey was used including the following research tools: KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire, authors’ survey, body mass index, and Rohrer Index. Results: The quality of life and health of girls with menstrual disorders (group I and girls without any health or development disorders (group II both from rural and urban areas was assessed. Taking into account variables such as age and the living environment, it was stated that younger girls (13–14 years old from groups I and II generally perceive their health as worse (p < 0.001. Whereas, among older girls in both groups I and II (15–16 years old, a larger percentage of respondents perceive themselves in a positive way, which results in higher self-assessment in health. Conclusions : The application of subjective health indicators in the assessment of quality of life relating to adolescence allows us to determine disease and malpractice in the care of the population in developmental age.

Study of an integrated non-motor symptoms questionnaire for Parkinson's disease

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YU Bo; XIAO Zhi-ying; LI Jia-zhen; YUAN Jing; LIU Yi-ming

2010-01-01

Background Although the validity of non-motor symptoms screening questionnaire (NMSQuest) for Parkinson's disease has been verified in several recent researches, the specificity of the questionnaire is still in doubt. This study aimed to compare the non-motor symptoms (NMS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) with a medically ill control group.Methods In this study, the first comprehensive clinic-based NMS screening questionnaire for PD developed by the Parkinson's Disease Non-Motor Group (PDNMG) was used. Data from 90 PD patients and 270 sex-and age-matched control subjects, including stroke (n=90), heart disease (n=90) and diabetes (n=90) were analyzed.Results Compared with control group, NMS was more common in PD; on an average, most PD patients reported more than 12 non-motor items. There was a correlation of total NMS score in PD patients with Hoehn & Yahr Staging, but not with age, sex distribution, disease duration, or age at disease onset. Additionally, depression, constipation and impaired olfaction which occurred prior to the motor symptoms of PD were reported in this study.Conclusions NMS are more common in PD patients. There are some NMS that occurred at the preclinical stage of PD and might predict the onset of motor symptoms of PD patients.

Real-time continuous glucose monitoring systems in the classroom/school environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Benassi, Kari; Drobny, Jessica; Aye, Tandy

2013-05-01

Children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) spend 4-7 h/day in school with very little supervision of their diabetes management. Therefore, families have become more dependent on technology, such as use of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM), to provide increased supervision of their diabetes management. We sought to assess the impact of RT-CGM use in the classroom/school environment. Children with T1D using RT-CGM, their parents, and teachers completed a questionnaire about RT-CGM in the classroom/school environment. The RT-CGM was tolerated well in the classroom/school environment. Seventy percent of parents, 75% of students, and 51% of teachers found RT-CGM useful in the classroom/school environment. The students found the device to be more disruptive than did their parents and teachers. However, all three groups agreed that RT-CGM increased their comfort with diabetes management at school. Our study suggests that RT-CGM is useful and not disruptive in the classroom/school environment. The development of education materials for teachers could further increase its acceptance in the classroom/school environment.

Dynamic online peer evaluations to improve group assignments in nursing e-learning environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Adwan, Jehad

2016-06-01

skewed toward the higher end of the scale, suggesting an overall high performance group. However, analysis of the lower performing individuals showed consistent and statistically significant improvements in all areas of the evaluation criteria. Anonymous peer evaluation activities and timely faculty feedback in e-Learning environment can be a useful tool to faculty to improve group performance over time by engaging the learners within their groups. Peer evaluations provided real time view of group mid-semester formative evaluations that allowed the faculty to provide timely and tailored feedback on student performance which allowed for better outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validity and reliability of the South African health promoting schools monitoring questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Struthers, Patricia; Wegner, Lisa; de Koker, Petra; Lerebo, Wondwossen; Blignaut, Renette J

2017-04-01

Health promoting schools, as conceptualised by the World Health Organisation, have been developed in many countries to facilitate the health-education link. In 1994, the concept of health promoting schools was introduced in South Africa. In the process of becoming a health promoting school, it is important for schools to monitor and evaluate changes and developments taking place. The Health Promoting Schools (HPS) Monitoring Questionnaire was developed to obtain opinions of students about their school as a health promoting school. It comprises 138 questions in seven sections: socio-demographic information; General health promotion programmes; health related Skills and knowledge; Policies; Environment; Community-school links; and support Services. This paper reports on the reliability and face validity of the HPS Monitoring Questionnaire. Seven experts reviewed the questionnaire and agreed that it has satisfactory face validity. A test-retest reliability study was conducted with 83 students in three high schools in Cape Town, South Africa. The kappa-coefficients demonstrate mostly fair (κ-scores between 0.21 and 0.4) to moderate (κ-scores between 0.41 and 0.6) agreement between test-retest General and Environment items; poor (κ-scores up to 0.2) agreement between Skills and Community test-retest items, fair agreement between Policies items, and for most of the questions focussing on Services a fair agreement was found. The study is a first effort at providing a tool that may be used to monitor and evaluate students' opinions about changes in health promoting schools. Although the HPS Monitoring Questionnaire has face validity, the results of the reliability testing were inconclusive. Further research is warranted. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

[Gender-determinant factors in contraception: design and validation of a questionnaire].

Science.gov (United States)

Yago Simón, Teresa; Tomás Aznar, Concepción

2013-10-01

To design and validate a questionnaire for young women on gender-determinant factors in contraception. A questionnaire was developed from conversations with young women attending contraception clinic in the Health Promotion Municpal Centre, Zaragoza. A total of 200 young women between the ages of 13 and 24 self-completed the questionnaire, with only one no response. Several items were analysed: reliability, using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and construct validity by analysis of the main components with eigenvalues above 1, and Quartimax rotation with Kaiser normalisation. The questionnaire contained 36 items and took 10minutes to self-complete. There was good internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha 0,853. Twelve factors were established with an explanation of 61.42% variance, and three descriptive lines: relationship dimension («submissive attitude», «blind attitude», «let go due to affection», «dominant partner»), gender identity («maternity as identity», «non-idealised maternity», «traditional role», «insecurity», «shame») and caring. This questionnaire enabled gender determinant-factors that take part in contraception to be identified, and will be useful to find out how the different ways of relating between the sexes influence the problems of sexual and reproductive health in young women in our environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Making a good group decision (low risk) in Singapore under an environment that has time and cost constraints

OpenAIRE

Loo, Sok Hiang Candy

2014-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited Organizations in Singapore operate in a highly competitive and fast-paced work environment that presents decision-making challenges at the individual, group, and organization levels. A key problem is achieving good decision fitness within time and cost constraints. While many decision-making theories and processes address the fundamental decision-making process, there is limited research on improving the group decision-making framework...

Assessing Reflective Thinking in Solving Design Problems: The Development of a Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Yi-Chun; Choi, Ikseon

2015-01-01

Reflection is a critical factor in solving design problems. Using good methods to observe designers' reflection is essential to inform the design of the learning environments that support the development of design problem-solving skills. In this study, we have developed and validated a novel self-reporting questionnaire as an efficient instrument…

Gene Environment Interactions and Predictors of Colorectal Cancer in Family-Based, Multi-Ethnic Groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Pamela K. Shiao

2018-02-01

Full Text Available For the personalization of polygenic/omics-based health care, the purpose of this study was to examine the gene–environment interactions and predictors of colorectal cancer (CRC by including five key genes in the one-carbon metabolism pathways. In this proof-of-concept study, we included a total of 54 families and 108 participants, 54 CRC cases and 54 matched family friends representing four major racial ethnic groups in southern California (White, Asian, Hispanics, and Black. We used three phases of data analytics, including exploratory, family-based analyses adjusting for the dependence within the family for sharing genetic heritage, the ensemble method, and generalized regression models for predictive modeling with a machine learning validation procedure to validate the results for enhanced prediction and reproducibility. The results revealed that despite the family members sharing genetic heritage, the CRC group had greater combined gene polymorphism rates than the family controls (p < 0.05, on MTHFR C677T, MTR A2756G, MTRR A66G, and DHFR 19 bp except MTHFR A1298C. Four racial groups presented different polymorphism rates for four genes (all p < 0.05 except MTHFR A1298C. Following the ensemble method, the most influential factors were identified, and the best predictive models were generated by using the generalized regression models, with Akaike’s information criterion and leave-one-out cross validation methods. Body mass index (BMI and gender were consistent predictors of CRC for both models when individual genes versus total polymorphism counts were used, and alcohol use was interactive with BMI status. Body mass index status was also interactive with both gender and MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism, and the exposure to environmental pollutants was an additional predictor. These results point to the important roles of environmental and modifiable factors in relation to gene–environment interactions in the prevention of CRC.

Development and evaluation of a questionnaire to measure the perceived implementation of the mission statement of a competency based curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Rotthoff, Thomas; Ostapczuk, Martin Stefan; de Bruin, Judith; Kröncke, Klaus-Dietrich; Decking, Ulrich; Schneider, Matthias; Ritz-Timme, Stefanie

2012-11-07

A mission statement (MS) sets out the long-term goals of an institution and is supposed to be suited for studying learning environments. Yet, hardly any study has tested this issue so far. The aim of the present study was the development and psychometric evaluation of an MS-Questionnaire (MSQ) focusing on explicit competencies. We investigated to what extent the MSQ captures the construct of learning environment and how well a faculty is following--in its perception--a competency orientation in a competency-based curriculum. A questionnaire was derived from the MS "teaching" (Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf) which was based on (inter-) nationally accepted goals and recommendations for a competency based medical education. The MSQ was administered together with the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) to 1119 students and 258 teachers. Cronbach's alpha was used to analyze the internal consistency of the items. Explorative factor analyses were performed to analyze homogeneity of the items within subscales and factorial validity of the MSQ. Item discrimination was assessed by means of part-whole corrected discrimination indices, and convergent validity was analyzed with respect to DREEM. Demographic variations of the respondents were used to analyze the inter-group variations in their responses. Students and teachers perceived the MS implementation as "moderate" and on average, students differed significantly in their perception of the MS. They thought implementation of the MS was less successful than faculty did. Women had a more positive perception of educational climate than their male colleagues and clinical students perceived the implementation of the MS on all dimensions significantly worse than preclinical students. The psychometric properties of the MSQ were very satisfactory: Item discrimination was high. Similarly to DREEM, the MSQ was highly reliable among students (α = 0.92) and teachers (α = 0.93). In both groups

Design and validation of a questionnaire on nursing competence in the notification of medication incidents.

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Salcedo-Diego, Isabel; de Andrés-Gimeno, Begoña; Ruiz-Antorán, Belén; Layunta, Rocío; Serrano-Gallardo, Pilar

To design and perform a face and content validation of a questionnaire to measure the competence of hospital RN to report medication incidents. Content and face questionnaire validation descriptive study. A review of the literature was performed for the creation of ítems. A panel of six experts assessed the relevance of the inclusion of each ítem in the questionnaire by calculating the position index; ítems with position index >0.70 were selected. The questionnaire was piloted by 59 RN. Finally, a meeting was convened with experts, in order to reduce the length of the piloted questionnaire through review, discussion and decision by consensus on each item. From the literature review, a battery of 151 ítems grouped into three elements of competence: attitudes, knowledge and skills was created. 52.9% (n=80) of the ítems received a position index > 0.70. The response rate in the pilot study was 40.65%. The median time to complete the questionnaire was 23:35minutes. After reduction by the experts, the final questionnaire comprised 45 ítems grouped into 32 questions. The NORMA questionnaire, designed to explore the competence of hospital RN to report medication incidents, has adequate face and content validity and is easy to administer, enabling its institutional implementation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The construction of a questionnaire to measure social entrepreneurship in physical education

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Carlos Capella Peris

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This article aims to design and validate an instrument that measures the social entrepreneurship of a group of university students participating in service-learning programmes in the field of Physical Education. Firstly, a literature review was carried out to determine the characteristics that define the social entrepreneur, to latterly develop an initial questionnaire that assessed these traits. After that, a logical review was undertaken, submitting the aforesaid questionnaire to various experts. Following a thorough screening process, the pilot questionnaire on which the empirical review was carried was defined and the questionnaire was applied amongst a sample of 188 subjects. The results of the logical review highlighted the quality, relevance and understanding of the selected items, with only 2 of the 19 characteristics of social entrepreneurship proposed being eventually discarded. The results of the empirical review gave a positive record, highlighting a total average of 3.82 points out of a possible 5. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was evident as it obtained a score of 0.809 on Cronbach’s alpha, which suggest the inner strength of the questionnaire. In regard to factor analysis, the items were grouped into three broad categories, an issue which despite not coinciding fully with the initial approach, did not vary greatly. Thus, we conclude that the elaborated tool fulfilled its initial objective, and was still valid to measure social entrepreneurship. Its usefulness is based on the importance of promoting this competency within any field, especially in the educational domain.

Tablet, web-based, or paper questionnaires for measuring anxiety in patients suspected of breast cancer: patients' preferences and quality of collected data.

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Barentsz, Maarten W; Wessels, Hester; van Diest, Paul J; Pijnappel, Ruud M; Haaring, Cees; van der Pol, Carmen C; Witkamp, Arjen J; van den Bosch, Maurice A; Verkooijen, Helena M

2014-10-31

Electronic applications are increasingly being used in hospitals for numerous purposes. Our aim was to assess differences in the characteristics of patients who choose paper versus electronic questionnaires and to evaluate the data quality of both approaches. Between October 2012 and June 2013, 136 patients participated in a study on diagnosis-induced stress and anxiety. Patients were asked to fill out questionnaires at six different moments during the diagnostic phase. They were given the opportunity to fill out the questionnaires on paper or electronically (a combination of tablet and Web-based questionnaires). Demographic characteristics and completeness of returned data were compared between groups. Nearly two-thirds of patients (88/136, 64.7%) chose to fill out the questionnaires on paper, and just over a third (48/136, 35.3%) preferred the electronic option. Patients choosing electronic questionnaires were significantly younger (mean 47.3 years vs mean 53.5 in the paper group, P=.01) and higher educated (P=.004). There was significantly more missing information (ie, at least one question not answered) in the paper group during the diagnostic day compared to the electronic group (using a tablet) (28/88 vs 1/48, Pquestionnaires) compared to the paper group (41/48 vs 38/88, Pquestionnaires electronically. In the hospital, a tablet is an excellent medium for patients to fill out questionnaires with very little missing information. However, for filling out questionnaires at home, paper questionnaires resulted in a better response than Web-based questionnaires.

Nutrition Knowledge and Training Needs in the School Environment

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Jones, Anna Marie

The nutrition environment in schools can influence the risk for childhood overweight and obesity, which in turn can have life-long implications for risk of chronic disease. This dissertation aimed to examine the nutrition environment in primary public schools in California with regards to the amount of nutrition education provided in the classroom, the nutrition knowledge of teachers, and the training needs of school nutrition personnel. In order to determine nutrition knowledge of teachers, a valid and reliable questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge. The systematic process involved cognitive interviews, a mail-based pretest that utilized a random sample of addresses in California, and validity and reliability testing in a sample of university students. Results indicated that the questionnaire had adequate construct validity, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability. Following the validation of the knowledge questionnaire, it was used in a study of public school teachers in California to determine the relationship between demographic and classroom characteristics and nutrition knowledge, in addition to barriers to nutrition education and resources used to plan nutrition lessons. Nutrition knowledge was not found to be associated with teaching nutrition in the classroom, however it was associated with gender, identifying as Hispanic or Latino, and grade level grouping taught. The most common barriers to nutrition education were time, and unrelated subject matter. The most commonly used resources to plan nutrition lessons were Dairy Council of California educational materials. The school nutrition program was the second area of the school nutrition environment to be examined, and the primary focus was to determine the perceived training needs of California school nutrition personnel. Respondents indicated a need for training in topics related to: program management; the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010; nutrition, health and

Exploring the Role of the Food Environment on Food Shopping Patterns in Philadelphia, PA, USA: A Semiquantitative Comparison of Two Matched Neighborhood Groups

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Amy Hillier

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Increasing research has focused on the built food environment and nutrition-related outcomes, yet what constitutes a food environment and how this environment influences individual behavior still remain unclear. This study assesses whether travel mode and distance to food shopping venues differ among individuals in varying food environments and whether individual- and household-level factors are associated with food shopping patterns. Fifty neighbors who share a traditionally defined food environment (25 in an unfavorable environment and 25 in a favorable environment were surveyed using a mix of close- and open-ended survey questions. Food shopping patterns were mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS. Stores visited were beyond the 0.5-mile (805 meters radius traditionally used to represent the extent of an individual’s food environment in an urban area. We found no significant difference in shopping frequency or motivating factor behind store choice between the groups. No differences existed between the two groups for big food shopping trips. For small trips, individuals in the favorable food environment traveled shorter distances and were more likely to walk than drive. Socioeconomic status, including car ownership, education, and income influenced distance traveled. These findings highlight the complexities involved in the study and measurement of food environments.

Exploring the role of the food environment on food shopping patterns in Philadelphia, PA, USA: a semiquantitative comparison of two matched neighborhood groups.

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Hirsch, Jana A; Hillier, Amy

2013-01-14

Increasing research has focused on the built food environment and nutrition-related outcomes, yet what constitutes a food environment and how this environment influences individual behavior still remain unclear. This study assesses whether travel mode and distance to food shopping venues differ among individuals in varying food environments and whether individual- and household-level factors are associated with food shopping patterns. Fifty neighbors who share a traditionally defined food environment (25 in an unfavorable environment and 25 in a favorable environment) were surveyed using a mix of close- and open-ended survey questions. Food shopping patterns were mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Stores visited were beyond the 0.5-mile (805 meters) radius traditionally used to represent the extent of an individual's food environment in an urban area. We found no significant difference in shopping frequency or motivating factor behind store choice between the groups. No differences existed between the two groups for big food shopping trips. For small trips, individuals in the favorable food environment traveled shorter distances and were more likely to walk than drive. Socioeconomic status, including car ownership, education, and income influenced distance traveled. These findings highlight the complexities involved in the study and measurement of food environments.

Does a monetary incentive improve the response to a postal questionnaire in a randomised controlled trial? The MINT incentive study

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Mt-Isa Shahrul

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Sending a monetary incentive with postal questionnaires has been found to improve the proportion of responders, in research in non-healthcare settings. However, there is little research on use of incentives to improve follow-up rates in clinical trials, and existing studies are inconclusive. We conducted a randomised trial among participants in the Managing Injuries of the Neck Trial (MINT to investigate the effects on the proportion of questionnaires returned and overall non-response of sending a £5 gift voucher with a follow-up questionnaire. Methods Participants in MINT were randomised to receive either: (a a £5 gift voucher (incentive group or (b no gift voucher (no incentive group, with their 4 month or 8 month follow-up questionnaire. We recorded, for each group, the number of questionnaires returned, the number returned without any chasing from the study office, the overall number of non-responders (after all chasing efforts by the study office, and the costs of following up each group. Results 2144 participants were randomised, 1070 to the incentive group and 1074 to the no incentive group. The proportion of questionnaires returned (RR 1.10 (95% CI 1.05, 1.16 and the proportion returned without chasing (RR 1.14 (95% CI 1.05, 1.24 were higher in the incentive group, and the overall non-response rate was lower (RR 0.68 (95% CI 0.53, 0.87. Adjustment for injury severity and hospital of recruitment to MINT made no difference to these results, and there were no differences in results between the 4-month and 8-month follow up questionnaires. Analysis of costs suggested a cost of £67.29 per additional questionnaire returned. Conclusion Monetary incentives may be an effective way to increase the proportion of postal questionnaires returned and minimise loss to follow-up in clinical trials. Trial registration number ISRCTN61305297

Relationship between group cohesion and anxiety in soccer.

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Borrego, Carla Chicau; Cid, Luis; Silva, Carlos

2012-10-01

Group cohesion in sport is a widely spread theme today. Research has found cohesion to be influenced by several individual and group components. Among the cognitive variables that relate to cohesion we found competitive anxiety. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between task cohesion (ATG-T, and GI-T) and competitive state anxiety (A-state), and also if there would be a relation between cohesion and self-confidence. Participants were 366 football players of both genders male and female, aged between 15 to 23 years old, from Portugal's championships. Cohesion was measured using the Portuguese version of the Group Environment Questionnaire, and to assess competitive anxiety, we used the Portuguese version of the Competition State Anxiety Inventory 2. Our results show that female athletes report experiencing more cognitive anxiety and less self-confidence than male athletes. Only cognitive anxiety relates in a significantly negative way with the perception of cohesion (GI-T e ATG-T) in the total number of participants and in male athletes. Relatively to the somatic anxiety, it only relates negatively with the perception of the integration of the group in the total number of participants and in the male gender.

End-of-life practices in Danish ICUs: development and validation of a questionnaire.

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Jensen, Hanne Irene; Ammentorp, Jette; Erlandsen, Mogens; Ording, Helle

2012-08-01

Practices for withholding or withdrawing therapy vary according to professional, cultural and religious differences. No Danish-validated questionnaire examining withholding and withdrawing practices exists, thus the aim of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire for surveying the views of intensive care nurses, intensivists, and primary physicians regarding collaboration and other aspects of withholding and withdrawing therapy in the ICU. A questionnaire was developed on the basis of literature, focus group interviews with intensive care nurses and intensivists, and individual interviews with primary physicians. The questionnaire was validated in the following 3 phases: a qualitative test with 17 participants; a quantitative pilot test with 60 participants; and a survey with 776 participants. The validation process included tests for face and content validity (by interviewing participants in the qualitative part of the pilot study), reliability (by assessing the distribution of responses within the individual response categories), agreement (by conducting a test-retest, evaluated by paired analyses), known groups' validity (as a surrogate test for responsiveness, by comparing two ICUs with a known difference in end-of-life practices), floor and ceiling effect, and missing data. Face and content validity were assessed as good by the participants in the qualitative pilot test; all considered the questions relevant and none of the participants found areas lacking. Almost all response categories were used by the participants, thus demonstrating the questionnaires ability to distinguish between different respondents, agreement was fair (the average test-retest agreement for the Likert scale responses was 0.54 (weighted kappa; range, 0.25-0.73), and known groups' validity was proved by finding significant differences in level of satisfaction with interdisciplinary collaboration and in experiences of withdrawal decisions being unnecessarily postponed. Floor

SATISFACTION LEVEL OF MEDICAL EDUCATORS WORKING IN TEACHING INSTITUTIONS : A QUESTIONNAIRE BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

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Sudeshna Chatterjee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In a resource-limited and high-burden disease setting, satisfied health professional is an asset in terms of maximized productivity, efficiency and quality health care. Job Satisfaction Index is a validated measure to identify the components that influence those issues. A multi-faceted structured questionnaire study was conducted upon a cross-section of medical educators (n=160 serving two tertiary care teaching institutions under different management set-up. Multiple demographic features were independent variables whereas three (3 critical areas of satisfaction index (SI were outcome variables. All participants were interviewed using 15 item Likert response-based, modified job satisfaction scale. It was observed that total SI scores among doctors representing the private group remained marginally higher (P<0.05 while compared to the other group. The comparative analysis of SI scores in critical areas like availability of academic supports and job security remained higher among the private doctors than that of the government ones though not significant. However the private doctors remained marginally satisfied in terms of working environment. The study outcome necessitates appropriate intervention measures at the organizational levels.

The influence of the cultural climate of the training environment on physicians' self-perception of competence and preparedness for practice

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Muskiet Fred D

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In current supervisory practice, the learning environment in which the training of specialist registrars (SpRs takes place is important. Examples of such learning environments are the hospital settings and/or geographical locations where training occurs. Our objective was to investigate whether the cultural climate of different learning environments influences physicians' perceived level of competence and preparedness for practice. Methods An electronic questionnaire was sent to an equal group of paediatricians who had trained in clinical settings located in Europe and the Caribbean. 30 items (Likert scale 1–4 = totally disagree-totally agree were used to measure the level of preparedness of the respondents in 7 physician competencies. Results 42 participants were included for analysis. The distribution of participants in both groups was comparable. The overall perception of preparedness in the Caribbean group was 2.93 (SD = 0.47 and 2.86 (SD = 0.72 in the European group. The European group felt less prepared in the competency as manager 1.81 (SD = 1.06 compared to their Caribbean counterparts 2.72 (SD = 0.66. The difference was significant (p = 0.006. Conclusion The training in the different environments was perceived as adequate and comparable in effect. The learning environment's cultural climate appeared to influence the physician's perception of their competencies and preparedness for clinical practice.

Development and Validation of the Bicultural Youth Acculturation Questionnaire.

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Kukaswadia, Atif; Janssen, Ian; Pickett, William; Bajwa, Jasmine; Georgiades, Katholiki; Lalonde, Richard N; Quon, Elizabeth C; Safdar, Saba; Pike, Ian

2016-01-01

Acculturation is a multidimensional process involving changes in behaviour and beliefs. Questionnaires developed to measure acculturation are typically designed for specific ethnic populations and adult experiences. This study developed a questionnaire that measures acculturation among ethnically diverse populations of youth that can be included as a module in population surveys. Questionnaires measuring acculturation in youth were identified in the literature. The importance of items from the existing questionnaires was determined using a Delphi process and this informed the development of our questionnaire. The questionnaire was then pilot tested using a sample of 248 Canadians aged 18-25 via an online system. Participants identified as East and South East Asian (27.8%), South Asian (17.7%) and Black (13.7%). The majority were 1st (33.5%) or 2nd generation immigrants (52.0%). After redundant items were eliminated, exploratory factor analysis grouped items into domains, and, for each domain, internal consistency, and convergent validity with immigrant generation then age at immigration estimated. A subset of participants re-completed the questionnaire for reliability estimation. The literature review yielded 117 articles that used 13 questionnaires with a total of 440 questions. The Delphi process reduced these to 32 questions. Pilot testing occurred in 248 Canadians aged 18-25. Following item reduction, 16 questions in three domains remained: dominant culture, heritage language, and heritage culture. All had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas > .75). The mean dominant domain score increased with immigrant generation (1st generation: 3.69 (95% CI: 3.49-3.89), 2nd: 4.13 (4.00-4.26), 3rd: 4.40 (4.19-4.61)), and mean heritage language score was higher among those who immigrated after age 12 than before (p = .0001), indicative of convergent validity. This Bicultural Youth Acculturation Questionnaire has demonstrated validity. It can be incorporated into

Development and Validation of the Bicultural Youth Acculturation Questionnaire

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Kukaswadia, Atif; Janssen, Ian; Pickett, William; Bajwa, Jasmine; Georgiades, Katholiki; Lalonde, Richard N.; Quon, Elizabeth C.; Safdar, Saba; Pike, Ian

2016-01-01

Objectives Acculturation is a multidimensional process involving changes in behaviour and beliefs. Questionnaires developed to measure acculturation are typically designed for specific ethnic populations and adult experiences. This study developed a questionnaire that measures acculturation among ethnically diverse populations of youth that can be included as a module in population surveys. Methods Questionnaires measuring acculturation in youth were identified in the literature. The importance of items from the existing questionnaires was determined using a Delphi process and this informed the development of our questionnaire. The questionnaire was then pilot tested using a sample of 248 Canadians aged 18–25 via an online system. Participants identified as East and South East Asian (27.8%), South Asian (17.7%) and Black (13.7%). The majority were 1st (33.5%) or 2nd generation immigrants (52.0%). After redundant items were eliminated, exploratory factor analysis grouped items into domains, and, for each domain, internal consistency, and convergent validity with immigrant generation then age at immigration estimated. A subset of participants re-completed the questionnaire for reliability estimation. Results The literature review yielded 117 articles that used 13 questionnaires with a total of 440 questions. The Delphi process reduced these to 32 questions. Pilot testing occurred in 248 Canadians aged 18–25. Following item reduction, 16 questions in three domains remained: dominant culture, heritage language, and heritage culture. All had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alphas > .75). The mean dominant domain score increased with immigrant generation (1st generation: 3.69 (95% CI: 3.49–3.89), 2nd: 4.13 (4.00–4.26), 3rd: 4.40 (4.19–4.61)), and mean heritage language score was higher among those who immigrated after age 12 than before (p = .0001), indicative of convergent validity. Conclusions This Bicultural Youth Acculturation Questionnaire has

[The CIS20R Questionnaire and its suitability for prolonged fatigue studies].

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Makowiec-Dabrowska, Teresa; Koszada-Włodarczyk, Wiesława

2006-01-01

The aim of the study was to validate the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS20R) questionnaire for the assessment of prolonged fatigue in workers and to define its psychometric properties and fatigue standards for the population of Poland. The questionnaire contains 20 statements, scored on a seven-point scale (1-7), reflecting four aspects of fatigue: subjective feeling of fatigue, reduction of concentration, reduction of motivation, and reduction of physical activity. The outcome yielded by the questionnaire is expressed by the sum of all points scored in responding to all statements and mean values of its components. The study was carried out in a group (325 men and 363 women) of workers employed in industrial plants, hypermarkets and municipal services; workers of research institutes (81 men and 205 women) and pregnant women (20 persons). Based on the calculated coefficients of correlation between responses to each statement and the total score, strong discriminative power of individual statements was observed. Crombach's alpha was used to assess the consistence of the questionnaire. The coefficient value for the total score was 0.912 and for the fatigue components it ranged from 0.611 to 0.879, which indicates satisfactory reliability of the method. In addition, norms were elaborated using a sten scale. The total value of 40 indicates the borderline between low and moderate and the value of 84 between medium and high level of fatigue. The level of the risk for chronic fatigue was estimated on the basis of investigations among industrial, trade and municipal services workers. In the group of men, the necessity of prolonged standing during work, high physical effort during work, lack of fitting to physical effort during work, and stress connected with responsibility (component of occupational stress) were the risk-increasing factors. In the group of women, they were: lack of fitting to physical effort during work, noise disturbing reasoning of speech and stress

Cyclic Soft Groups and Their Applications on Groups

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Hacı Aktaş

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In crisp environment the notions of order of group and cyclic group are well known due to many applications. In this paper, we introduce order of the soft groups, power of the soft sets, power of the soft groups, and cyclic soft group on a group. We also investigate the relationship between cyclic soft groups and classical groups.

Feasibility testing of smart tablet questionnaires compared to paper questionnaires in an amputee rehabilitation clinic.

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Payne, Michael; Janzen, Shannon; Earl, Eric; Deathe, Barry; Viana, Ricardo

2017-08-01

Capturing the variability that exists among patients attending an amputee clinic using standardized paper-based questionnaires is time-consuming and may not be practical for routine clinical use. Electronic questionnaires are a potential solution; however, the benefits are dependent on the feasibility and acceptance of this mode of data collection among patients. To determine the feasibility and patient preference/comfort in using a tablet-based questionnaire for data collection in an outpatient amputee rehabilitation clinic compared to a traditional paper-based questionnaire. Observational study. In all, 48 patients with major extremity amputations completed both tablet and paper questionnaires related to their amputation and prosthetic use. Both trials were timed; patients then completed a semi-structured questionnaire about their experience. In all, 20.5% of patients needed hands-on assistance completing the paper questionnaire compared to 20.8% for the tablet. The majority of participants (52.1%) indicated a preference for the tablet questionnaire; 64.6% of patients felt the tablet collected a more complete and accurate representation of their status and needs. In all, 70.8% of participants described themselves as comfortable using the tablet. Despite comorbidities, patients with amputations demonstrated excellent acceptance of the electronic tablet-based questionnaire. Tablet questionnaires have significant potential advantages over paper questionnaires and should be further explored. Clinical relevance A custom electronic questionnaire was found to be beneficial for routine clinic use and was well received by patients in an amputee rehabilitation clinic. Development of such questionnaires can provide an efficient mechanism to collect meaningful data that can be used for individual patient care and program quality improvement initiatives.

Psychosocial risks assessment at hospital: development of a French questionnaire.

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Finger, Vincent; Baumstarck, Karine; Boufercha, Rafika; Lehucher-Michel, Marie Pascale; Loundou, Anderson; Auquier, Pascal; Sari-Minodier, Irene

2016-09-26

In order to improve the well-being, health, and performance of hospital workers, it should be important to focus on the psychosocial risk (PSR) factors in the work environment and on job satisfaction. Although many epidemiological questionnaires are used to measure PSR among healthcare workers, no specific existing model can be applied to all categories of hospital workers. To develop a short French self-administered instrument for measuring the PSR for hospital workers: the PSRH questionnaire. The content of the PSRH questionnaire was partly derived from the well-known and standardized questionnaires (Karasek Job Content and Siegriest effort-reward imbalance questionnaires). The validation process was carried out in all the departments of a large public university hospital (Marseille, France). Eligible workers were adult employees present on the day of the assessment: healthcare, administrative, and technical workers. A total of 2203 subjects were included from September 2012 to October 2013. The PSRH contains 24 items describing 6 dimensions (Management, cooperation and hierarchical support; Requirements, constraints and autonomy related to work; Support and relationship with the team; Complexity of the work and unforeseen factors; Meaning of work and recognition; and Conciliation work - work out). The six-factor structure presented satisfactory internal consistency and scalability. All the scores showed significant correlations with a well-being score. Acceptability was high. The PSRH is a self-administered instrument assessing PSR at hospital that presents satisfactory psychometric properties. Future studies should identify factors that determine low- and high-risk workers in order to implement appropriate preventing strategies.

Calibrating Questionnaires by Psychometric Analysis to Evaluate Knowledge

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J. Manuel Gómez-Soberón

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The experience achieved using the tool “Questionnaires,” available inside the Virtual Campus of an architectural engineering school in northeast Spain, is presented. “Questionnaires” is a mechanism/tool adequate and simple to evaluate the knowledge level achieved by students. This work shows and identifies the control indices of adaptation for questionnaires, such as the Facility Index, the standard deviation, the Discrimination Index, and the Discrimination Coefficient. From these parameters, educational performance is inferred, identified, and predicted. The conclusions of this work will allow the modification of deficient knowledge-evaluation practices and the identification of needs for specific groups or for students with particular requirements, thus making it feasible to apply these parameters with a guarantee of success in similar evaluation processes.

The postgraduate hospital educational environment measure (PHEEM questionnaire identifies quality of instruction as a key factor predicting academic achievement

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Joaquim Edson Vieira

2008-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: This study analyzes the reliability of the PHEEM questionnaire translated into Portuguese. We present the results of PHEEM following distribution to doctors in three different medical residency programs at a university hospital in Brazil. INTRODUCTION: Efforts to understand environmental factors that foster effective learning resulted in the development of a questionnaire to measure medical residents' perceptions of the level of autonomy, teaching quality and social support in their programs. METHODS: The questionnaire was translated using the modified Brislin back-translation technique. Cronbach's alpha test was used to ensure good reliability and ANOVA was used to compare PHEEM results among residents from the Surgery, Anesthesiology and Internal Medicine departments. The Kappa coefficient was used as a measure of agreement, and factor analysis was employed to evaluate the construct strength of the three domains suggested by the original PHEEM questionnaire. RESULTS: The PHEEM survey was completed by 306 medical residents and the resulting Cronbach's alpha was 0.899. The weighted Kappa was showed excellent reliability. Autonomy was rated most highly by Internal Medicine residents (63.7% ± 13.6%. Teaching was rated highest in Anesthesiology (66.7% ± 15.4%. Residents across the three areas had similar perceptions of social support (59.0% ± 13.3% for Surgery; 60.5% ± 13.6% for Internal Medicine; 61.4% ± 14.4% for Anesthesiology. Factor analysis suggested that nine factors explained 58.9% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that PHEEM is a reliable instrument for measuring the quality of medical residency programs at a Brazilian teaching hospital. The results suggest that quality of teaching was the best indicator of overall response to the questionnaire.

Examining personal values in extreme environment contexts: Revisiting the question of generalizability

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Smith, N.; Sandal, G. M.; Leon, G. R.; Kjærgaard, A.

2017-08-01

Land-based extreme environments (e.g. polar expeditions, Antarctic research stations, confinement chambers) have often been used as analog settings for spaceflight. These settings share similarities with the conditions experienced during space missions, including confinement, isolation and limited possibilities for evacuation. To determine the utility of analog settings for understanding human spaceflight, researchers have examined the extent to which the individual characteristics (e.g., personality) of people operating in extreme environments can be generalized across contexts (Sandal, 2000) [1]. Building on previous work, and utilising new and pre-existing data, the present study examined the extent to which personal value motives could be generalized across extreme environments. Four populations were assessed; mountaineers (N =59), military personnel (N = 25), Antarctic over-winterers (N = 21) and Mars simulation participants (N = 12). All participants completed the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ; Schwartz; 2) capturing information on 10 personal values. Rank scores suggest that all groups identified Self-direction, Stimulation, Universalism and Benevolence as important values and acknowledged Power and Tradition as being low priorities. Results from difference testing suggest the extreme environment groups were most comparable on Self-direction, Stimulation, Benevolence, Tradition and Security. There were significant between-group differences on five of the ten values. Overall, findings pinpointed specific values that may be important for functioning in challenging environments. However, the differences that emerged on certain values highlight the importance of considering the specific population when comparing results across extreme settings. We recommend that further research examine the impact of personal value motives on indicators of adjustment, group working, and performance. Information from such studies could then be used to aid selection and

19 CFR 357.105 - Questionnaires.

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2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Questionnaires. 357.105 Section 357.105 Customs... Questionnaires. For reviews conducted under section 106(b)(2), the Secretary normally will send questionnaires to potential producers/suppliers of the product to determine whether it is in short supply. Questionnaires...

77 FR 9896 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Questionnaire To Support Review of Federal...

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2012-02-21

... environmental analysis be completed for all major Federal actions significantly affecting the environment. NEPA... simple tool to ensure that project and environmental information is obtained. The questionnaire applies... collection). Affected Public: Business or other for profit organizations; individuals or households; not-for...

75 FR 69047 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Questionnaire on Business-Related Visa Processes

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2010-11-10

... active in the global economy. The facilitation of business travel is a priority of Secretary's and very... Request; Questionnaire on Business-Related Visa Processes AGENCY: International Trade Administration... products, services, capital, and people create a positive business environment for their domestic firms...

Validation of Online Versions of Tinnitus Questionnaires Translated into Swedish

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Müller, Karolina; Edvall, Niklas K.; Idrizbegovic, Esma; Huhn, Robert; Cima, Rilana; Persson, Viktor; Leineweber, Constanze; Westerlund, Hugo; Langguth, Berthold; Schlee, Winfried; Canlon, Barbara; Cederroth, Christopher R.

2016-01-01

Background: Due to the lack of objective measures for assessing tinnitus, its clinical evaluation largely relies on the use of questionnaires and psychoacoustic tests. A global assessment of tinnitus burden would largely benefit from holistic approaches that not only incorporate measures of tinnitus but also take into account associated fears, emotional aspects (stress, anxiety, and depression), and quality of life. In Sweden, only a few instruments are available for assessing tinnitus, and the existing tools lack validation. Therefore, we translated a set of questionnaires into Swedish and evaluated their reliability and validity in a group of tinnitus subjects. Methods: We translated the English versions of the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), the Fear of Tinnitus Questionnaire (FTQ), the Tinnitus Catastrophizing Scale (TCS), the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-30), and the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire (TSCHQ) into Swedish. These translations were delivered via the internet with the already existing Swedish versions of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF). Psychometric properties were evaluated by means of internal consistency [Cronbach's alpha (α)] and test–retest reliability across a 9-week interval [Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Cohen's kappa] in order to establish construct as well as clinical validity using a sample of 260 subjects from a population-based cohort. Results: Internal consistency was acceptable for all questionnaires (α > 0.7) with the exception of the “social relationships” subscale of the WHOQoL-BREF. Test–retest reliability was generally acceptable (ICC > 0.70, Cohens kappa > 0.60) for the tinnitus-related questionnaires, except for the TFI “sense of control” subscale and 15 items of the TSCHQ. Spearmen rank correlations showed that

Validation of online versions of tinnitus questionnaires translated into Swedish

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karolina Müller

2016-11-01

Full Text Available BackgroundDue to the lack of objective measures for assessing tinnitus, its clinical evaluation largely relies on the use of questionnaires and psychoacoustic tests. A global assessment of tinnitus burden would largely benefit from holistic approaches that not only incorporate measures of tinnitus but also take into account associated fears, emotional aspects (stress, anxiety, and depression, and quality of life. In Sweden, only a few instruments are available for assessing tinnitus, and the existing tools lack validation. Therefore, we translated a set of questionnaires into Swedish and evaluated their reliability and validity in a group of tinnitus subjects. MethodsWe translated the English versions of the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI, the Fear of Tinnitus Questionnaire (FTQ, the Tinnitus Catastrophizing Scale (TCS, the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-30, and the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire (TSCHQ into Swedish. These translations were delivered via the internet with the already existing Swedish versions of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS, the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF. Psychometric properties were evaluated by means of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha α and test-retest reliability across a 9-week interval (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ICC, Cohen’s kappa in order to establish construct as well as clinical validity using a sample of 260 subjects from a population-based cohort.ResultsInternal consistency was acceptable for all questionnaires (α >0.7 with the exception of the ‘social relationships’ subscale of the WHOQoL-BREF. Test-retest reliability was generally acceptable (ICC >.70, Cohens Kappa >.60 for the tinnitus-related questionnaires, except for the TFI ‘sense of control’ subscale and 15 items of the TSCHQ. Spearmen rank correlations showed that almost all

Engineering subcultures and working environment in Danish enterprises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Broberg, Ole

2000-01-01

Engineers' role in the management of working environment has been studied in 20 Danish enterprises based on questionnaires to 680 engineers. In general, engineers are not aware that they may influence the working environment of other people through their decisions. It is suggested that engineering...... subcultures be examined in order to change engineers' attitudes toward the working environment of workers and users....

Psychometric properties of the impact on participation and autonomy questionnaire.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cardol, M.; Haan, R.J. de; Jong, B.A. de; Bos, G.A.M. van den; Groot, J.M. de

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To examine the homogenity, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and concurrent validity of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire (IPAQ). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with a test-retest subsample. PATIENTS: One hundred twenty-six persons from 5 diagnostic groups

Psychometric properties of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cardol, M.; de Haan, R. J.; de Jong, B. A.; van den Bos, G. A.; de Groot, I. J.

2001-01-01

To examine the homogeneity, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and concurrent validity of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire (IPAQ). Cross-sectional study with a test-retest subsample. One hundred twenty-six persons from 5 diagnostic groups recruited from the

Moral Intelligence in the Context of Its Questionnaire Psychometric Properties Verification and of Chosen Demographic Variables in the Slovak Environment

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Lada Kaliská

2014-07-01

caring about others (Kindness and Friendliness, p≤0,001 moral competences in favor of girls and in personal moral factors (Telling the truth (Honesty, Standing up for what is right (Courage and Keeping promises (Trustworthy, p≤0,01 in favor of older students (confirmed also by Cohen's effect size measure assessed by the Slovak version of MCI questionnaire with its sufficient reliability (test-retest result stability (0,591≤R≤0,745 and inner consistency of two extracted factors (0,70≤α. There were no significant differences between two groups of religious and non-religious ones in their moral competences, besides expected declared religious interest of believers in Recognizing spiritual needs (Faith and reverence factor (p≤0,001. The study is being considered as a pilot study for further psychometrical property verification of the MCI Slovak version by other validating researches to prove the legitimacy of this questionnaire usage for psychological diagnostic purposes.

SG1120-1202: Mass-quenching as Tracked by UV Emission in the Group Environment at z=0.37

Science.gov (United States)

Monroe, Jonathan T.; Tran, Kim-Vy H.; Gonzalez, Anthony H.

2017-02-01

We use the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain WFC3/F390W imaging of the supergroup SG1120-1202 at z=0.37, mapping the UV emission of 138 spectroscopically confirmed members. We measure total (F390W-F814W) colors and visually classify the UV morphology of individual galaxies as “clumpy” or “smooth.” Approximately 30% of the members have pockets of UV emission (clumpy) and we identify for the first time in the group environment galaxies with UV morphologies similar to the “jellyfish” galaxies observed in massive clusters. We stack the clumpy UV members and measure a shallow internal color gradient, which indicates that unobscured star formation is occurring throughout these galaxies. We also stack the four galaxy groups and measure a strong trend of decreasing UV emission with decreasing projected group distance ({R}{proj}). We find that the strong correlation between decreasing UV emission and increasing stellar mass can fully account for the observed trend in (F390W-F814W)-{R}{proj}, I.e., mass-quenching is the dominant mechanism for extinguishing UV emission in group galaxies. Our extensive multi-wavelength analysis of SG1120-1202 indicates that stellar mass is the primary predictor of UV emission, but that the increasing fraction of massive (red/smooth) galaxies at {R}{proj} ≲ 2 R 200 and existence of jellyfish candidates is due to the group environment.

Parental authority questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Buri, J R

1991-08-01

A questionnaire was developed for the purpose of measuring Baumrind's (1971) permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative parental authority prototypes. It consists of 30 items per parent and yields permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative scores for both the mother and the father; each of these scores is derived from the phenomenological appraisals of the parents' authority by their son or daughter. The results of several studies have supported the Parental Authority Questionnaire as a psychometrically sound and valid measure of Baumrind's parental authority prototypes, and they have suggested that this questionnaire has considerable potential as a valuable tool in the investigation of correlates of parental permissiveness, authoritarianism, and authoritativeness.

Sexual behavior in pregnancy: comparing between sexual education group and nonsexual education group.

Science.gov (United States)

Wannakosit, Salakjit; Phupong, Vorapong

2010-10-01

Sexuality usually decreases during pregnancy. To evaluate sexual behavior during pregnancy, comparing two groups. One had sexual education and the other had none. After randomizing two groups of pregnant women, they completed self-administered questionnaires regarding attitudes and sexual behavior before and during pregnancy. Sexual education was provided in one group and a second self-administered questionnaire was completed 12 weeks later. Responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. Comparison of change of sexual behavior between two groups was analyzed using chi-square and student t-tests. The change in frequency of coitus during pregnancy was compared between the sexual education group and the noneducation group. There was no statistically difference in changes of sexual behavior between the two groups. There was a reduction in frequency of coitus (90.6% vs. 94.9%, P>0.05) between the nonsexual education group and the sexual education group and no statistically significant change in mean reduction of sexual desire (8.9 vs. 4.4, P>0.05), sexual arousal (14.3 vs. 13.1, P>0.05), satisfaction from coitus (15.4 vs. 7.2, P>0.05), and orgasm from coitus (12.3 vs. 12.3, P>0.05). The change of sexual behavior during pregnancy in the sexual education group was not different from that in the nonsexual education group. © 2010 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

[Validation of a questionnaire to evaluate patient safety in clinical laboratories].

Science.gov (United States)

Giménez Marín, Ángeles; Rivas-Ruiz, Francisco

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to prepare, pilot and validate a questionnaire to evaluate patient safety in the specific context of clinical laboratories. A specific questionnaire on patient safety in the laboratory, with 62 items grouped into six areas, was developed, taking into consideration the diverse human and laboratory contextual factors which may contribute to producing errors. A pilot study of 30 interviews was carried out, including validity and reliability analyses using principal components factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. Subsequently, 240 questionnaires were sent to 21 hospitals, followed by a test-retest of 41 questionnaires with the definitive version. The sample analyzed was composed of 225 questionnaires (an overall response rate of 80%). Of the 62 items initially assessed, 17 were eliminated due to non-compliance with the criteria established before the principal components factor analysis was performed. For the 45 remaining items, 12 components were identified, with an cumulative variance of 69.5%. In seven of the 10 components with two or more items, Cronbach's alpha was higher than 0.7. The questionnaire items assessed in the test-retest were found to be stable. We present the first questionnaire with sufficiently proven validity and reliability for evaluating patient safety in the specific context of clinical laboratories. This questionnaire provides a useful instrument to perform a subsequent macrostudy of hospital clinical laboratories in Spain. The questionnaire can also be used to monitor and promote commitment to patient safety within the search for continuous quality improvement. Copyright © 2011 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Questionnaire for Assessing Preschoolers’ Organizational Abilities in Their Natural Environments: Development and Establishment of Validity and Reliability

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Gila Tubul-Lavy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the consensus in the literature regarding the importance of organizational abilities in performing daily tasks, currently there is no assessment that focuses exclusively on such abilities among young children. The study aims to develop a Questionnaire for Assessing Preschoolers’ Organizational Abilities (QAPOA, Parents’ and Teachers’ versions, and to examine their reliability and validity. QAPOA was distributed to preschool teachers and parents of 215 typically developing 4–5.6-year-old children. The teachers’ and parents’ versions demonstrated good internal consistency. Factor analysis performed to examine the tool’s content validity yielded two factors: motor-based and language-based OA. Furthermore, both versions of the questionnaire demonstrated significant differences between OA among boys and girls. Concurrent validity was demonstrated between the QAPOA total scores and the equivalent subscale of the BRIEF-P. Given these findings, different cut-off scores were established for identifying boys and girls with either motor-based and/or language-based OA. The results indicate that both the teachers’ and parents’ versions of the QAPOA are reliable and valid measures of children’s organizational abilities. The questionnaires can assess and identify risk for organizational disabilities as early as preschool age. Thus, it can contribute to the planning of appropriate intervention programs and the prevention of difficulties in the future.

Reliability and validity study of Persian modified version of MUSIC (musculoskeletal intervention center – Norrtalje questionnaire

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Jensen Irene

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs are a major health problem in the world. Self-reported questionnaires are a known method for estimating the prevalence of MSDs among the population. One of the studies concerning MSDs and their relation to work-related physical and psychosocial factors, as well as non-work-related factors, is the MUSIC-Norrtalje study in Sweden. In this study, the research group developed a questionnaire, which has been validated during its development process and is now considered a well-known instrument. The aim of this study is to validate the Persian version of this questionnaire. Methods The first step was to establish two expert panel groups in Iran and Sweden. The Focus Group Discussion (FGD method was used to detect questionnaire face and content validity. To detect questionnaire reliability, we used the test-retest method. Results Except for two items, all other questions that respondents had problems with in the focus group (20 of 297, had unclear translations; the ambiguity was related to the stem of the questions and the predicted answers were clear for the participants. The concepts of 'household/spare time' and 'physical activity in the workplace' were not understood by the participants of FGD; this has been solved by adding further descriptions to these phrases in the translation. In the test-retest study, the reliability coefficient was relatively high in most items (only 5 items out of 297 had an ICC or kappa below 0.7. Conclusion The findings from the present study provide evidence that the Persian version of the MUSIC questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument.

Scanning the Business External Environment for Information: Evidence from Greece

Science.gov (United States)

Kourteli, Liana

2005-01-01

Introduction: This paper examines the business external environment scanning theory for information in the context of Greece. Method. A questionnaire was developed to explore the relationships between general and task business environment, perceived uncertainty, scanning strategy, and sources of information with respect to type of environment,…

Questionnaire evaluating teaching competencies in the university environment. Evaluation of teaching competencies in the university

OpenAIRE

Juan Antonio Moreno-Murcia; Yolanda Silveira Torregrosa; Noelia Belando Pedreño

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to design and validate a measuring instrument to evaluate the performance of university professors. The Evaluation of Teaching Performance (CEID [Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Docentes (Center for Teaching Studies and Research)]) questionnaire was administered to 1297 university students. Various factor analyses were performed (exploratory and confirmatory), of the internal consistency, descriptive statistics, and correlation of all of the items. The dat...

The Internet and Computer User Profile: a questionnaire for determining intervention targets in occupational therapy at mental health vocational centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Regev, Sivan; Hadas-Lidor, Noami; Rosenberg, Limor

2016-08-01

In this study, the assessment tool "Internet and Computer User Profile" questionnaire (ICUP) is presented and validated. It was developed in order to gather information for setting intervention goals to meet current demands. Sixty-eight subjects aged 23-68 participated in the study. The study group (n = 28) was sampled from two vocational centers. The control group consisted of 40 participants from the general population that were sampled by convenience sampling based on the demographics of the study group. Subjects from both groups answered the ICUP questionnaire. Subjects of the study group answered the General Self- Efficacy (GSE) questionnaire and performed the Assessment of Computer Task Performance (ACTP) test in order to examine the convergent validity of the ICUP. Twenty subjects from both groups retook the ICUP questionnaire in order to obtain test-retest results. Differences between groups were tested using multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests. Pearson and Spearman's tests were used for calculating correlations. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and k equivalent were used to assess internal consistency. The results indicate that the questionnaire is valid and reliable. They emphasize that the layout of the ICUP items facilitates in making a comprehensive examination of the client's perception regarding his participation in computer and internet activities. Implications for Rehabiliation The assessment tool "Internet and Computer User Profile" (ICUP) questionnaire is a novel assessment tool that evaluates operative use and individual perception of computer activities. The questionnaire is valid and reliable for use with participants of vocational centers dealing with mental illness. It is essential to facilitate access to computers for people with mental illnesses, seeing that they express similar interest in computers and internet as people from the general population of the same age. Early intervention will be particularly effective for young

Factors affecting physical therapists' job satisfaction: questionnaire survey targeting first-year physical therapists.

Science.gov (United States)

Kota, Munetsugu; Kudo, Hiroyuki; Okita, Kazuhiko

2018-04-01

[Purpose] The survey aimed to clarify the factors that affect physiotherapists' job satisfaction. [Subjects and Methods] To examine factors affecting physical therapists' job satisfaction using a cross-sectional study with a questionnaire survey. Subjects were 193 first-year physical therapists who participated in a newcomer orientation at Hiroshima Prefectural Physical Therapy Association. The questionnaire comprised items concerning physical therapists' satisfaction with their work, motives for becoming physical therapists, education in school, internships, the workplace, and comfort in the workplace. [Results] Subjects were divided into two groups according to their satisfaction with their occupation. The "high satisfaction" group included 157 subjects, and the group "low satisfaction" group included 36 subjects. Using logistic regression analysis, items concerning comfort in the workplace, motives for becoming physical therapists, and learning in school were analysed. [Conclusion] Factors affecting physical therapists' job satisfaction were primarily influenced by previous experience and working conditions.

Psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics in adolescence: validity and reliability of a questionnaire across age-groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Klages, Ulrich; Erbe, Christina; Sandru, Sandra Dinca; Brüllman, Dan; Wehrbein, Heinrich

2015-02-01

Dental malocclusion is a highly prevalent health condition in adolescence. Patients seek treatment primarily for aesthetic reasons. Therapy benefits are regarded, in the first place, to be psychosocial in nature. Therefore, it is mandatory to consider the perspective of the patient in treatment planning and control using a dental-aesthetics-related quality of life measure. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) developed in adult samples including the subscales Dental Self-Confidence, Social Impact, Psychological Impact and Aesthetic Concern is also applicable in adolescents aged 11 years and above. The psychometric properties were examined across three age-groups (11-12, 13-14, 15-17 year olds) with respect to factorial invariance, internal consistency, temporal stability, discriminant validity and gender- or age-associated scale mean differences and item response bias. Participants were 1,112 adolescents recruited from 4 institutions: orthodontic and dental practices, schools, and youth clubs. They answered the 23 partially reformulated items of the PIDAQ. Subjective and dentist evaluations of dental occlusion were assessed using the Perception of Occlusion Scale and the Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need. Both indices were aggregated to one Malocclusion Index (MI-S and MI-D). The fit indices using confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the factor structure and factor loadings underlying the PIDAQ items were invariant across ages (comparative fit index = 0.91, root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.04). Internal consistency and temporal stability were adequate within the age-groupings (Alpha = 0.71-0.88; intra-class correlations = 0.82-0.96). Adolescents with severe compared to slight malocclusion according to both self-evaluation and dentist evaluation were found to differ in all PIDAQ subscales at a level of p < 0.001 for all ages. PIDAQ

Using web-based and paper-based questionnaires for collecting data on fertility issues among female childhood cancer survivors: differences in response characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Berg, Marleen H; Overbeek, Annelies; van der Pal, Helena J; Versluys, A Birgitta; Bresters, Dorine; van Leeuwen, Flora E; Lambalk, Cornelis B; Kaspers, Gertjan J L; van Dulmen-den Broeder, Eline

2011-09-29

Web-based questionnaires have become increasingly popular in health research. However, reported response rates vary and response bias may be introduced. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether sending a mixed invitation (paper-based together with Web-based questionnaire) rather than a Web-only invitation (Web-based questionnaire only) results in higher response and participation rates for female childhood cancer survivors filling out a questionnaire on fertility issues. In addition, differences in type of response and characteristics of the responders and nonresponders were investigated. Moreover, factors influencing preferences for either the Web- or paper-based version of the questionnaire were examined. This study is part of a nationwide study on reproductive function, ovarian reserve, and risk of premature menopause in female childhood cancer survivors. The Web-based version of the questionnaire was available for participants through the Internet by means of a personalized user name and password. Participants were randomly selected to receive either a mixed invitation (paper-based questionnaire together with log-in details for Web-based questionnaire, n = 137) or a Web-only invitation (log-in details only, n = 140). Furthermore, the latter group could request a paper-based version of the questionnaire by filling out a form. Overall response rates were comparable in both randomization groups (83% mixed invitation group vs 89% in Web-only invitation group, P = .20). In addition, participation rates appeared not to differ (66% or 90/137, mixed invitation group vs 59% or 83/140, Web-only invitation group, P =.27). However, in the mixed invitation group, significantly more respondents filled out the paper-based questionnaire compared with the Web-only invitation group (83% or 75/90 and 65% or 54/83, respectively, P = .01). The 44 women who filled out the Web-based version of the questionnaire had a higher educational level than the 129 women who filled out the

Methodological Issues in Questionnaire Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Youngshin; Son, Youn Jung; Oh, Doonam

2015-06-01

The process of designing a questionnaire is complicated. Many questionnaires on nursing phenomena have been developed and used by nursing researchers. The purpose of this paper was to discuss questionnaire design and factors that should be considered when using existing scales. Methodological issues were discussed, such as factors in the design of questions, steps in developing questionnaires, wording and formatting methods for items, and administrations methods. How to use existing scales, how to facilitate cultural adaptation, and how to prevent socially desirable responding were discussed. Moreover, the triangulation method in questionnaire development was introduced. Steps were recommended for designing questions such as appropriately operationalizing key concepts for the target population, clearly formatting response options, generating items and confirming final items through face or content validity, sufficiently piloting the questionnaire using item analysis, demonstrating reliability and validity, finalizing the scale, and training the administrator. Psychometric properties and cultural equivalence should be evaluated prior to administration when using an existing questionnaire and performing cultural adaptation. In the context of well-defined nursing phenomena, logical and systematic methods will contribute to the development of simple and precise questionnaires.

Health sciences students’ perception of the educational environment of KLE University, India as measured with the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohan A. Sunkad

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the educational environment of the health sciences programs of KLE University, Belgaum, Karnataka, India, to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and to suggest strategies to improve the educational environment to be on par with global standards. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM questionnaire, filled out by 914 of the 1,004 students (91.0% who were majoring in medicine, dentistry, nursing, physiotherapy, and public health. The data were analysed according to the DREEM guidelines. Responses were received from 914 students, of whom 34.03% were men and 65.9% were women. The majority (67.1% of students were 20-24 years of age. The mean overall DREEM score was 120.21±22.4 (maximum, 200 and approached the normal distribution (Lilliefors test, P<0.01. The DREEM scores of each group of students were as follows: dental, 125.0; medical, 122.4; public health, 121.0; physiotherapy, 117.0; and nursing, 116.3. Male students had more positive perceptions than female students (P<0.05, and postgraduate students had more positive perceptions than undergraduate students (P<0.05. The overall DREEM score (120.21 indicates that the educational environment was found to be more positive than negative.

Dynamic virtual fixture on the Euclidean group for admittance-type manipulator in deforming environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dongwen; Zhu, Qingsong; Xiong, Jing; Wang, Lei

2014-04-27

In a deforming anatomic environment, the motion of an instrument suffers from complex geometrical and dynamic constraints, robot assisted minimally invasive surgery therefore requires more sophisticated skills for surgeons. This paper proposes a novel dynamic virtual fixture (DVF) to enhance the surgical operation accuracy of admittance-type medical robotics in the deforming environment. A framework for DVF on the Euclidean Group SE(3) is presented, which unites rotation and translation in a compact form. First, we constructed the holonomic/non-holonomic constraints, and then searched for the corresponded reference to make a distinction between preferred and non-preferred directions. Second, different control strategies are employed to deal with the tasks along the distinguished directions. The desired spatial compliance matrix is synthesized from an allowable motion screw set to filter out the task unrelated components from manual input, the operator has complete control over the preferred directions; while the relative motion between the surgical instrument and the anatomy structures is actively tracked and cancelled, the deviation relative to the reference is compensated jointly by the operator and DVF controllers. The operator, haptic device, admittance-type proxy and virtual deforming environment are involved in a hardware-in-the-loop experiment, human-robot cooperation with the assistance of DVF controller is carried out on a deforming sphere to simulate beating heart surgery, performance of the proposed DVF on admittance-type proxy is evaluated, and both human factors and control parameters are analyzed. The DVF can improve the dynamic properties of human-robot cooperation in a low-frequency (0 ~ 40 rad/sec) deforming environment, and maintain synergy of orientation and translation during the operation. Statistical analysis reveals that the operator has intuitive control over the preferred directions, human and the DVF controller jointly control the

Factor analysis shows association between family activity environment and children's health behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrie, Gilly A; Coveney, John; Cox, David N

2011-12-01

To characterise the family activity environment in a questionnaire format, assess the questionnaire's reliability and describe its predictive ability by examining the relationships between the family activity environment and children's health behaviours - physical activity, screen time and fruit and vegetable intake. This paper describes the creation of a tool, based on previously validated scales, adapted from the food domain. Data are from 106 children and their parents (Adelaide, South Australia). Factor analysis was used to characterise factors within the family activity environment. Pearson-Product Moment correlations between the family environment and child outcomes, controlling for demographic variation, were examined. Three factors described the family activity environment - parental activity involvement, opportunity for role modelling and parental support for physical activity - and explained 37.6% of the variance. Controlling for demographic factors, the scale was significantly correlated with children's health behaviour - physical activity (r=0.27), screen time (r=-0.24) and fruit and vegetable intake (r=0.34). The family activity environment questionnaire shows high internal consistency and moderate predictive ability. This study has built on previous research by taking a more comprehensive approach to measuring the family activity environment. This research suggests the family activity environment should be considered in family-based health promotion interventions. © 2011 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2011 Public Health Association of Australia.

The Pan-STARRS1 Medium-deep Survey: Star Formation Quenching in Group and Cluster Environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jian, Hung-Yu; Lin, Lihwai; Lin, Kai-Yang; Chen, Chin-Wei [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 106, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. (China); Foucaud, Sebastien [Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, N.88, Tingzhou Road, Sec. 4, Taipei 11677, Taiwan, R.O.C. (China); Chiueh, Tzihong [Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, 106, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. (China); Bower, R. G.; Cole, Shaun; Draper, P. W.; Metcalfe, N. [Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Chen, Wen-Ping [Graduate Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Chung-Li 32054, Taiwan, R.O.C. (China); Burgett, W. S.; Flewelling, H.; Huber, M. E.; Kaiser, N.; Kudritzki, R.-P.; Magnier, E. A.; Wainscoat, R. J.; Waters, C., E-mail: hyjian@asiaa.sinica.edu.tw [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

2017-08-10

We make use of a catalog of 1600 Pan-STARRS1 groups produced by the probability friends-of-friends algorithm to explore how the galaxy properties, i.e., the specific star formation rate (SSFR) and quiescent fraction, depend on stellar mass and group-centric radius. The work is the extension of Lin et al. In this work, powered by a stacking technique plus a background subtraction for contamination removal, a finer correction and more precise results are obtained than in our previous work. We find that while the quiescent fraction increases with decreasing group-centric radius, the median SSFRs of star-forming galaxies in groups at fixed stellar mass drop slightly from the field toward the group center. This suggests that the main quenching process in groups is likely a fast mechanism. On the other hand, a reduction in SSFRs by ∼0.2 dex is seen inside clusters as opposed to the field galaxies. If the reduction is attributed to the slow quenching effect, the slow quenching process acts dominantly in clusters. In addition, we also examine the density–color relation, where the density is defined by using a sixth-nearest-neighbor approach. Comparing the quiescent fractions contributed from the density and radial effect, we find that the density effect dominates the massive group or cluster galaxies, and the radial effect becomes more effective in less massive galaxies. The results support mergers and/or starvation as the main quenching mechanisms in the group environment, while harassment and/or starvation dominate in clusters.

Questionnaire-based evaluation of everyday competence in older adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tobias Kalisch

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Tobias Kalisch1, Julia Richter3, Melanie Lenz1, Jan-Christoph Kattenstroth2, Izabela Kolankowska2, Martin Tegenthoff1, Hubert R Dinse21Department of Neurology, BG-Kliniken Bergmannsheil, 2Neural Plasticity Lab, Institute for Neuroinformatics, Department of Theoretical Biology, 3Faculty of Psychology, Department of Methods, Diagnostics and Evaluation, Ruhr-University Bochum, GermanyBackground: Gerontological research aims at understanding factors that are crucial for mediating “successful aging”. This term denotes the absence of significant disease and disabilities, maintenance of high levels of physical and cognitive function, and preservation of social and productive activities. Preservation of an active lifestyle is considered an effective means through which everyday competence can be attained. In this context, it is crucial to obtain ratings of modern day older adults’ everyday competence by means of appropriate assessments. Here, we introduce the Everyday Competence Questionnaire (ECQ, designed to assess healthy older adults' everyday competence.Methods: The ECQ includes 17 items, covering housekeeping, leisure activities, sports, daily routines, manual skills, subjective well-being, and general linguistic usage. The ECQ was administered to a population of 158 healthy subjects aged 60–91 years, who were divided into groups on the basis of their physical activity. These groups were community-dwelling subjects, those living independently and having a sedentary lifestyle, those living independently but characterized by a general lifestyle without any noteworthy physical activity, and those living independently and exercising regularly. Age, gender, and education levels were balanced between the groups.Results: Using the ECQ, we could identify and distinguish different everyday competence levels between the groups tested: Subjects characterized by an active lifestyle outperformed all other groups. Subjects characterized by a general

Validity and reliability of short form-12 questionnaire in Iranian hemodialysis patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pakpour, Amir H.; Nourozi, Saeedeh; Mølsted, Stig

2011-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to assess the validity and reliability of the SF-12 questionnaire in a sample of Iranian patients undergoing hemodialysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty-four hemodialysis patients were included from dialysis centers in Zanjan, Iran, and were...... asked to complete the SF-12 and SF-36 questionnaires. An initial test-retest reliability evaluation was performed on a sample of 70 patients from the total group, with a retest interval of 14 days. Reliability was estimated by internal consistency and validity was assessed using known-group comparisons...... and construct validity on the patient group as a whole. A linear regression analysis was used to assess any variation in the physical component summary and mental component summary scores of the SF-36 with the respective component summary scores of the SF-12. In addition, the factor structure...

Adolescents' and young adults' physical activity related to built environment

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Armando Cocca

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Objectives. This study aims to analyse physical activity (PA levels of high school and university students; to estimate their perception of built environment with regard to physical PA; and to assess the relation between PA and built environment. Methods. A sociological cross-sectional study with non-experimental design was applied. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Built Environment Characteristics Questionnaire were filled in by a sample of 1.862 students from high schools and the university in Granada, Spain. Results. High school students were significantly more active than university students, the latter reaching insufficient levels of PA. Nevertheless, they consider Granada as a good context for carrying out outdoor exercise. No relations were found between PA levels and built environment. Conclusion. The discrepant outcomes for PA levels and perceived built environment suggest the need of interventions focused on making youth aware of the possibilities that an environment provides to them for exercising. Consequently, environment could have an impact on their health at the same time as youth learn to respect it.

A questionnaire study to derive information on the working environment, clinical training, use of ancillary staff and optimization of patient radiation dose within UK dental practice.

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Orafi, I; Rushton, V E

2012-08-01

To evaluate the working environment of GDPs and Endodontists and the methods used to optimize patient radiation dose. A total of 857 GDPs and 170 specialist Endodontists were contacted. The responders, 603 of the former and 132 of the latter, completed a questionnaire covering practitioner demographics, pattern of practice, the use of radiographic techniques and the optimization of dose. Chi-squared tests were used to compare groups at the P=0.05 level of significance. For nonparametric data, the Mann-Whitney U-test was employed. A response rate of 73% was achieved. Overall, 79.5% of endodontic specialists used film holders compared with 65.9% of GDPs (P=0.001). One hundred and thirty (98.5%) endodontists and 581 (96.3%) GDPs reported that they were well prepared or adequately prepared in radiographically assessing the presence of apical pathosis. The study found significant differences (Pdental practitioners 167 (27.7%). Significant differences (P=0.004) were also observed in the use of rectangular collimation between endodontic specialists 55 (42%) and GDPs 223 (37%). With regard to the use of film holders in diagnostic radiography, 105 (79.5%) of endodontic specialists employed these devices compared with 396 (65.7%) GDPs; this finding was significant (P=0.005). For working length estimation, significant differences (P=0.001) were noted in the use of a film holder between endodontic specialists 105 (79.5%) and GDPs 386 (64%). Both Endodontists and GDPs demonstrated compliance with guidelines relating to radiation protection being more significant amongst those clinicians working within specialist clinical practice. © 2012 International Endodontic Journal.

Burnout and work environments of public health nurses involved in mental health care.

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Imai, H; Nakao, H; Tsuchiya, M; Kuroda, Y; Katoh, T

2004-09-01

(1) To examine whether prevalence of burnout is higher among community psychiatric nurses working under recently introduced job specific work systems than among public health nurses (PHNs) engaged in other public health services. (2) To identify work environment factors potentially contributing to burnout. Two groups were examined. The psychiatric group comprised 525 PHNs primarily engaged in public mental health services at public health centres (PHCs) that had adopted the job specific work system. The control group comprised 525 PHNs primarily engaged in other health services. Pines' Burnout Scale was used to measure burnout. Respondents were classified by burnout score into three groups: A (mentally stable, no burnout); B (positive signs, risk of burnout); and C (burnout present, action required). Groups B and C were considered representative of "burnout". A questionnaire was also prepared to investigate systems for supporting PHNs working at PHCs and to define emergency mental health service factors contributing to burnout. Final respondents comprised 785 PHNs. Prevalence of burnout was significantly higher in the psychiatric group (59.2%) than in the control group (51.5%). Responses indicating lack of job control and increased annual frequency of emergency overtime services were significantly correlated with prevalence of burnout in the psychiatric group, but not in the control group. Prevalence of burnout is significantly higher for community psychiatric nurses than for PHNs engaged in other services. Overwork in emergency services and lack of job control appear to represent work environment factors contributing to burnout.

SELF-ASSESSMENT, QUESTIONNAIRES AND MEMORY TESTS IN A SIMULATED DRIVING TASK

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Combe-Pangaud , Chantal; Jacquet-Andrieu , Armelle

2009-01-01

disponible sur : http://www.chalmers.se/safer/driverdistraction-en; International audience; This paper concerns the results of a memorizing test (visual recognition and hearing recall) during an experiment of simulated driving in a magneto-encephalographic environment. The memory tests (questionnaires) are adapted to the measurement of subjective self-assessment: "tiredness" and "facility" perceptions, corralled to simple (ST) and double task (ST/DT: hearing a radio broadcast). Each subject h...

Construct validity of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire.

OpenAIRE

Koopmans, L.; Bernaards, C.M.; Hildebrandt, V.H.; Vet, H.C.W. de; Beek, A.J. van der

2014-01-01

Objective: To examine the construct validity of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). Methods: A total of 1424 Dutch workers from three occupational sectors (blue, pink, and white collar) participated in the study. First, IWPQ scores were correlated with related constructs (convergent validity). Second, differences between known groups were tested (discriminative validity). Results: First, IWPQ scores correlated weakly to moderately with absolute and relative presenteeism, and...

Perception of orchestral musicians about work environment and conditions

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Clarissa Stefani Teixeira; Fausto Kothe; Luis Felipe Dias Lopes; Érico Felden Pereira

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the perception of 11 orchestral string (viola and violin) musicians of both genders with respect to their work environment and conditions. We applied a questionnaire with demographic information and the scale Profile of Work Environment and Working Conditions by Nahas et al. (2009), which analyzes the following components: physical environment, social environment, development and professional achievement, salary and benefits, and social relev...

Evaluation of the UNREST questionnaire for testing the social resistance framework.

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Factor, Roni; Kawachi, Ichiro; Williams, David R

2013-07-01

The recently developed social resistance framework addresses a widespread pattern whereby non-dominant minority groups, such as ethnic/racial minorities and people of low socioeconomic status, often engage in unhealthy and risky behaviours at higher rates compared with society at large. The framework suggests that power relations within society may encourage members of non-dominant minority groups to actively engage in acts of everyday resistance, which may include risky and unhealthy behaviours. The current paper develops and psychometrically evaluates a research tool to test this innovative framework. The UNREST questionnaire measures the key concepts of the framework, along with four high-risk and unhealthy behaviours, as well as demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. A pilot survey was conducted among representative subsamples of a non-dominant group (African-Americans) and a dominant group (Caucasians). Consistent with the general premises of the framework, the evaluation of the questionnaire produced six valid and reliable scales, which were significantly correlated with some criterion-related items as well as unhealthy and risky behaviours. The preliminary results of our pilot study suggest that the new tool may be useful for testing the framework. The results also provide support for the framework in general.

Estimation of Environment-Related Properties of Chemicals for Design of Sustainable Processes: Development of Group-Contribution+ (GC+) Property Models and Uncertainty Analysis

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The aim of this work is to develop group-contribution+ (GC+) method (combined group-contribution (GC) method and atom connectivity index (CI) method) based property models to provide reliable estimations of environment-related properties of organic chemicals together with uncert...

Questionnaire design and the recall of pharmacological treatments: a systematic review.

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Gama, Helena; Correia, Sofia; Lunet, Nuno

2009-03-01

We aimed to review systematically the published evidence regarding the effect of questionnaire design on the recall of pharmacological treatments. The electronic databases Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to October 2007, using the following search terms: drug utilization, pharmaceutical preparations, pharmacoepidemiology, validation studies, methods, epidemiologic methods, interviews, data collection, and questionnaires. Drug utilization studies comparing different types of questionnaire or methods of questionnaire administration were included. Backward and forward citation tracking were also conducted. Eight studies were included in the systematic review, comparing questions asking for specific drugs or indications with open-ended questions (n = 5), evaluating the use of memory aids (n = 1), or studying the influence of response order on recall (n = 2). The studies were heterogeneous, namely regarding the populations evaluated (e.g., pregnant women, hypertensive patients, general population), mode of questionnaire administration (e.g., personal or telephone interview, self-administered), recall period (e.g., current use, 1 week, previous episode of a disease), or drugs evaluated (e.g., analgesics, antimalarials, all medicines). Despite the lack of standardization in presentation of results, the prevalence of drug use may vary between 5 and 40% when drug names and indications or pictures are used as memory aids, or as a result of primacy effects in self-administered questionnaires. The yielding of the questionnaires depended on the pharmacological groups evaluated. Scientific work regarding methods for drug utilization data collection is scarce. The available evidence highlights the importance of knowing the questionnaire characteristics for a proper interpretation of results from drug utilization studies. (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exploring the measurement properties of the osteopathy clinical teaching questionnaire using Rasch analysis.

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Vaughan, Brett

2018-01-01

Clinical teaching evaluations are common in health profession education programs to ensure students are receiving a quality clinical education experience. Questionnaires students use to evaluate their clinical teachers have been developed in professions such as medicine and nursing. The development of a questionnaire that is specifically for the osteopathy on-campus, student-led clinic environment is warranted. Previous work developed the 30-item Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire. The current study utilised Rasch analysis to investigate the construct validity of the Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire and provide evidence for the validity argument through fit to the Rasch model. Senior osteopathy students at four institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom rated their clinical teachers using the Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire. Three hundred and ninety-nine valid responses were received and the data were evaluated for fit to the Rasch model. Reliability estimations (Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega) were also evaluated for the final model. The initial analysis demonstrated the data did not fit the Rasch model. Accordingly, modifications to the questionnaire were made including removing items, removing person responses, and rescoring one item. The final model contained 12 items and fit to the Rasch model was adequate. Support for unidimensionality was demonstrated through both the Principal Components Analysis/t-test, and the Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega reliability estimates. Analysis of the questionnaire using McDonald's omega hierarchical supported a general factor (quality of clinical teaching in osteopathy). The evidence for unidimensionality and the presence of a general factor support the calculation of a total score for the questionnaire as a sufficient statistic. Further work is now required to investigate the reliability of the 12-item Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire to provide evidence

A Study on Group Key Agreement in Sensor Network Environments Using Two-Dimensional Arrays

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Jang, Seung-Jae; Lee, Young-Gu; Lee, Kwang-Hyung; Kim, Tai-Hoon; Jun, Moon-Seog

2011-01-01

These days, with the emergence of the concept of ubiquitous computing, sensor networks that collect, analyze and process all the information through the sensors have become of huge interest. However, sensor network technology fundamentally has wireless communication infrastructure as its foundation and thus has security weakness and limitations such as low computing capacity, power supply limitations and price. In this paper, and considering the characteristics of the sensor network environment, we propose a group key agreement method using a keyset pre-distribution of two-dimension arrays that should minimize the exposure of key and personal information. The key collision problems are resolved by utilizing a polygonal shape’s center of gravity. The method shows that calculating a polygonal shape’s center of gravity only requires a very small amount of calculations from the users. The simple calculation not only increases the group key generation efficiency, but also enhances the sense of security by protecting information between nodes. PMID:22164072

A Study on Group Key Agreement in Sensor Network Environments Using Two-Dimensional Arrays

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Moon-Seog Jun

2011-08-01

Full Text Available These days, with the emergence of the concept of ubiquitous computing, sensor networks that collect, analyze and process all the information through the sensors have become of huge interest. However, sensor network technology fundamentally has wireless communication infrastructure as its foundation and thus has security weakness and limitations such as low computing capacity, power supply limitations and price. In this paper, and considering the characteristics of the sensor network environment, we propose a group key agreement method using a keyset pre-distribution of two-dimension arrays that should minimize the exposure of key and personal information. The key collision problems are resolved by utilizing a polygonal shape’s center of gravity. The method shows that calculating a polygonal shape’s center of gravity only requires a very small amount of calculations from the users. The simple calculation not only increases the group key generation efficiency, but also enhances the sense of security by protecting information between nodes.

Effects of a worker participatory program for improving work environments on job stressors and mental health among workers: a controlled trial.

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Kobayashi, Yuka; Kaneyoshi, Akiko; Yokota, Atsuko; Kawakami, Norito

2008-01-01

The Mental Health Action Checklist for a Better Workplace Environment (MHACL) is a tool for a worker participatory approach to improve work environments for worker mental health. The present study investigated the effects of an organizational intervention using the MHACL on reducing job stressors and the psychological distress of workers of a manufacturing enterprise in Japan with a controlled study design. Nine of 45 departments participated in a work environment improvement program, including planning workshops, implementation and monitoring, between July and December 2005 (intervention group, n=321). The remaining 36 departments served as the control group (n=750). Outcomes (job stressors, worksite support, psychological distress, etc.), measured using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, as well as sick leave days taken from the company record, were recorded before and six months after the program for both groups. Among women, skill underutilization, supervisor and coworker support, psychological distress, and job satisfaction changed more favorably in the intervention group than in the control group (pparticipation in the planning workshops and among departments with a 50% or higher rate of implemented vs. planned actions. A worker participatory organizational intervention using the MHACL seems effective for promoting mental health among Japanese white-collar women.

Which is the most useful patient-reported outcome in femoroacetabular impingement? Test-retest reliability of six questionnaires.

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Hinman, Rana S; Dobson, Fiona; Takla, Amir; O'Donnell, John; Bennell, Kim L

2014-03-01

The most reliable patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for people with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is unknown because there have been no direct comparisons of questionnaires. Thus, the aim was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of six existing PROs in a single cohort of young active people with hip/groin pain consistent with a clinical diagnosis of FAI. Young adults with clinical FAI completed six PRO questionnaires on two occasions, 1-2 weeks apart. The PROs were modified Harris Hip Score, Hip dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Score, Hip Outcome Score, Non-Arthritic Hip Score, International Hip Outcome Tool, Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score. 30 young adults (mean age 24 years, SD 4 years, range 18-30 years; 15 men) with stable symptoms participated. Intraclass correlation coefficient(3,1) values ranged from 0.73 to 0.93 (95% CI 0.38 to 0.98) indicating that most questionnaires reached minimal reliability benchmarks. Measurement error at the individual level was quite large for most questionnaires (minimal detectable change (MDC95) 12.4-35.6, 95% CI 8.7 to 54.0). In contrast, measurement error at the group level was quite small for most questionnaires (MDC95 2.2-7.3, 95% CI 1.6 to 11). The majority of the questionnaires were reliable and precise enough for use at the group level. Samples of only 23-30 individuals were required to achieve acceptable measurement variation at the group level. Further direct comparisons of these questionnaires are required to assess other measurement properties such as validity, responsiveness and meaningful change in young people with FAI.

The performance environment of the England youth soccer teams: a quantitative investigation.

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Pain, Matthew A; Harwood, Chris G

2008-09-01

We examined the performance environment of the England youth soccer teams. Using a conceptually grounded questionnaire developed from the themes identified by Pain and Harwood (2007), 82 players and 23 national coaches and support staff were surveyed directly following international tournaments regarding the factors that positively and negatively influenced performance. The survey enabled data to be captured regarding both the extent and magnitude of the impact of the factors comprising the performance environment. Overall, team and social factors were generally perceived to have the greatest positive impact, with players and staff showing high levels of consensus in their evaluations. Team leadership and strong team cohesion were identified by both groups as having the greatest positive impact. Overall, far fewer variables were perceived to have a negative impact on performance, especially for players. The main negatives common to both groups were players losing composure during games, player boredom, and a lack of available activities in the hotel. The major findings support those of Pain and Harwood (2007) and in using a larger sample helped to corroborate and strengthen the generalizability of the findings.

The development and validation of the On-the-job Learning Styles Questionnaire for the Nursing Profession.

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Berings, Marjolein G M C; Poell, Rob F; Simons, P Robert-Jan; van Veldhoven, Marc J P M

2007-06-01

This paper is a report of a study to develop and test the psychometric properties of the On-the-job Learning Style Questionnaire for the Nursing Profession. Although numerous questionnaires measuring learning styles have been developed, none are suitable for working environments. Existing instruments do not meet the requirements for use in workplace settings and tend to ignore the influence of different learning situations. The questionnaire was constructed using a situation-response design, measuring learning activities in different on-the-job learning situations. Content validity was ensured by basing the questionnaire on interview studies. The questionnaire was distributed to 912 Registered Nurses working in different departments of 13 general hospitals in the Netherlands at the end of 2005. The response rate was 41% (372 questionnaires). The internal factor structure of the questionnaire was partly based on the learning activities in which nurses participate and partly on the learning situation in which they are performed. The internal consistency was good. The situation-response design of the questionnaire demonstrated its added value. Construct validity was estimated using intercorrelations between the scales, and criterion validity was estimated based on the relationships of the scales with perceived professional competence. The On-the-job Learning Styles Questionnaire for the Nursing Profession is well suited to describing nurses' learning styles in on-the-job settings and has satisfactory psychometric properties.

The validation of the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire in selected organisations in South Africa

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Johanna H. Buitendach

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The objectives of this study were to assess the construct equivalence of the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ, and to investigate the manifestation of job satisfaction at selected organisations in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design with a random sample (N = 474 was used. The MSQ and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The results confirmed a two-factor model of job satisfaction, consisting of extrinsic job satisfaction and intrinsic job satisfaction. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations conf rmed the construct equivalence of scales for the black and white groups. The results obtained from comparing job satisfaction levels of various demographic groups showed that practically significant differences existed between the job satisfaction of different age and race groups.

Adjustment problems and residential care environment

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Jan Sebastian Novotný

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Problem: Residential care environment represents a specific social space that is associated with a number of negative consequences, covering most aspects of children and youth functioning. The paper analyzes of the presence of adjustment problems among adolescents from institutional care environment and compares this results with a population of adolescents who grew up in a family. Methods: The sample consisted of two groups of adolescents. The first group included 285 adolescents currently growing up in an residential care environment, aged 13 to 21 (M = 16.23, SD = 1.643. The second group consisted of 214 adolescents growing up in a family, aged 15 to 20 (M = 17.07, SD = 1.070. We used a questionnaire Youth Self Report. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and MANOVA. Results: Results showed that adolescents in residential care exhibit higher average values in all adjustment problems. Also, in the context of diagnostic categories are the residential care adolescents more frequently in non-normal range (borderline and clinical, primarily in the border range. The greatest differences were reflected in the Thought problems and Rule-breaking behavior. MANOVA showed a significant multivariate effect between groups of adolescents, Hotelling's T = .803, F(8, 490 = 49.202, p <.001, d = .445 (large effect. Univariate analysis further showed a significant effect for Withdrawn/depressed (p = .044, d = .089, small effect, Somatic complaints (p = .002, d = .139, medium effect, Social problems (p = 004, d = .127, a small effect, Thought problems (p <.001, d = .633, strong effect, Attention problems (p <.001, d = .320,strong effect, Rule-breaking behavior (p <.001 , d = .383, strong effect, and Aggressive behavior (p = 015, d = .110, small effect. Results for the dimension of Anxious/depressed were not significant (p = .159. Discussion: The results didn’t confirmed the assumption that more than 30% of residential care adolescents have adjustment

Web-Based Versus Traditional Paper Questionnaires: A Mixed-Mode Survey With a Nordic Perspective

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Lyshol, Heidi; Gissler, Mika; Jonsson, Stefan Hrafn; Petzold, Max; Obel, Carsten

2013-01-01

Background Survey response rates have been declining over the past decade. The more widespread use of the Internet and Web-based technologies among potential health survey participants suggests that Web-based questionnaires may be an alternative to paper questionnaires in future epidemiological studies. Objective To compare response rates in a population of parents by using 4 different modes of data collection for a questionnaire survey of which 1 involved a nonmonetary incentive. Methods A random sample of 3148 parents of Danish children aged 2-17 years were invited to participate in the Danish part of the NordChild 2011 survey on their children’s health and welfare. NordChild was conducted in 1984 and 1996 in collaboration with Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden using mailed paper questionnaires only. In 2011, all countries used conventional paper versions only except Denmark where the parents were randomized into 4 groups: (1) 789 received a paper questionnaire only (paper), (2) 786 received the paper questionnaire and a log-in code to the Web-based questionnaire (paper/Web), (3) 787 received a log-in code to the Web-based questionnaire (Web), and (4) 786 received log-in details to the Web-based questionnaire and were given an incentive consisting of a chance to win a tablet computer (Web/tablet). In connection with the first reminder, the nonresponders in the paper, paper/Web, and Web groups were also present with the opportunity to win a tablet computer as a means of motivation. Descriptive analysis was performed using chi-square tests. Odds ratios were used to estimate differences in response rates between the 4 modes. Results In 2011, 1704 of 3148 (54.13%) respondents answered the Danish questionnaire. The highest response rate was with the paper mode (n=443, 56.2%). The other groups had similar response rates: paper/Web (n=422, 53.7%), Web (n=420, 53.4%), and Web/tablet (n=419, 53.3%) modes. Compared to the paper mode, the odds for response rate in the

The relationship between hospital work environment and nurse outcomes in Guangdong, China: a nurse questionnaire survey.

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Liu, Ke; You, Li-Ming; Chen, Shao-Xian; Hao, Yuan-Tao; Zhu, Xiao-Wen; Zhang, Li-Feng; Aiken, Linda H

2012-05-01

This study examines the relationship between hospital work environments and job satisfaction, job-related burnout and intention to leave among nurses in Guangdong province, China. The nursing shortage is an urgent global problem and also of concern in China. Studies in Western countries have shown that better work environments are associated with higher nurse satisfaction and lower burnout, thereby improving retention and lowering turnover rates. However, there is little research on the relationship between nurse work environments and nurse outcomes in China. This is a cross-sectional study. Survey data were collected from 1104 bedside nurses in 89 medical, surgical and intensive care units in 21 hospitals across the Guangdong province in China. Stratified convenience sampling was used to select hospitals, and systematic sampling was used to select units. All staff nurses working on participating units were surveyed. The China Hospital Nurse Survey, including the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index and Maslach Burnout Inventory, was employed to collect data from nurses. Statistical significance level was set at 0·05. Thirty-seven per cent of the nurses experienced high burnout, and 54% were dissatisfied with their jobs. Improving nurses' work environments from poor to better was associated with a 50% decrease in job dissatisfaction and a 33% decrease in job-related burnout among nurses. Burnout and job dissatisfaction are high among hospital nurses in Guangdong province, China. Better work environments for nurses were associated with decreased job dissatisfaction and job-related burnout, which may successfully address the nursing shortage in China. The findings of this study indicate that improving work environments is essential to deal with the nursing shortage; the findings provide motivation for nurse managers and policy makers to improve work environments of hospital nurses in China. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Big Sib Students' Perceptions of the Educational Environment at the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, using Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) Inventory.

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Arzuman, Hafiza; Yusoff, Muhamad Saiful Bahri; Chit, Som Phong

2010-07-01

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among Big Sib students to explore their perceptions of the educational environment at the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and its weak areas using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) inventory. The DREEM inventory is a validated global instrument for measuring educational environments in undergraduate medical and health professional education. The English version of the DREEM inventory was administered to all Year 2 Big Sib students (n = 67) at a regular Big Sib session. The purpose of the study as well as confidentiality and ethical issues were explained to the students before the questionnaire was administered. The response rate was 62.7% (42 out of 67 students). The overall DREEM score was 117.9/200 (SD 14.6). The DREEM indicated that the Big Sib students' perception of educational environment of the medical school was more positive than negative. Nevertheless, the study also revealed some problem areas within the educational environment. This pilot study revealed that Big Sib students perceived a positive learning environment at the School of Medical Sciences, USM. It also identified some low-scored areas that require further exploration to pinpoint the exact problems. The relatively small study population selected from a particular group of students was the major limitation of the study. This small sample size also means that the study findings cannot be generalised.

Development and validation of a questionnaire to measure preferences and expectations of patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy: EXPECT questionnaire.

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Patil, V M; Chakraborty, S; Jithin, T K; Dessai, S; Sajith Babu, T P; Raghavan, V; Geetha, M; Kumar, T Shiva; Biji, M S; Bhattacharjee, A; Nair, C

2016-01-01

The objective was to design and validate the questionnaire for capturing palliative chemotherapy-related preferences and expectations. Single arm, unicentric, prospective observational study. EXPECT questionnaire was designed to capture preferences and expectations of patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy. This questionnaire underwent a linguistic validation and then was tested in patients. Ten patients are undergoing chemotherapy for solid tumors who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria self-administered the EXPECT questionnaire in regional language. After filling this questionnaire, they self-administered quick questionnaire-10 (QQ-10). SPSS version 16 (IBM New York) was used for analysis. Completion rate of EXPECT questionnaire was calculated. The feasibility, face validity, utility and time taken for completion of EXPECT questionnaire was also assessed. The completion rate of this questionnaire was 100%. All patients completed questionnaire within 5 min. The QQ-10 tool confirmed the feasibility, face validity and utility of the questionnaire. EXPECT questionnaire was validated in the regional language, and it's an effective tool for capturing patient's preferences and expectation from chemotherapy.

Quality of life of patients with asthma related to damp and moldy work environments.

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Karvala, Kirsi; Uitti, Jukka; Luukkonen, Ritva; Nordman, Henrik

2013-01-01

Long-term outcomes of asthma related to exposure to workplace dampness are not well known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of patients with asthma related to damp and moldy workplaces and characterize factors influencing QOL. Using a questionnaire, we followed 1267 patients previously examined for suspected occupational respiratory disease related to exposure to damp and moldy indoor environments. In addition to demographic and other background data, the questionnaire included sections on current employment status, QOL, anxiety and depression, somatization, hypochondria, and asthma medication. We compared the QOL of patients with occupational asthma (OA) with that of patients with work-exacerbated asthma (WEA) or symptoms without asthma. Impaired QOL was found among patients diagnosed with OA when they were compared with patients in corresponding environments with WEA or symptoms only. Not working and greater use of asthma medication were major determinants of worse QOL. Psychological factors did not explain the differences between the groups. OA induced by exposure to workplace moisture and molds is associated with QOL deterioration. The impairment is related to being unemployed (due to disability, retirement, job loss or other reasons) and the need for medication.

The heritability of Cluster B personality disorders assessed both by personal interview and questionnaire.

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Torgersen, Svenn; Myers, John; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted; Røysamb, Espen; Kubarych, Thomas S; Kendler, Kenneth S

2012-12-01

Whereas the heritability of common personality traits has been firmly established, the results of the few published studies on personality disorders (PDs) are highly divergent, with some studies finding high heredity and others very low. A problem with assessing personality disorders by means of interview is errors connected with interviewer bias. A way to overcome the problem is to use self-report questionnaires in addition to interviews. This study used both interview and questionnaire for assessing DSM-IV Cluster B personality disorders: antisocial personality disorder (APD), borderline (BPD), narcissistic (NPD), and histrionic (HPD). We assessed close to 2,800 twins from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Twin Panel using a self-report questionnaire and, a few years later, the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV). Items from the self-report questionnaire that best predicted the PDs captured by the interview were then selected. Measurement models combining questionnaire and interview information were applied and were fitted using Mx. Whereas the heritability of Cluster B PDs assessed by interview was around .30, and around .40-.50 when assessed by self-report questionnaire, the heritability of the convergent latent factor, including information from both interview and self-report questionnaire was .69 for APD, .67 for BPD, .71 for NPD, and .63 for HPD. As is usually found for personality, the effect of shared-in families (familial) environment was zero. In conclusion, when both interview and self-report questionnaire are taken into account, the heritability of Cluster B PD appears to be in the upper range of previous findings for mental disorders.

Reliability and Validity of Beliefs about Substance Use (BSU Questionnaire in Alcohol Dependent Patients.

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Selçuk ASLAN

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Beliefs About Substance Use Questionnaire (BSU which was originally developed by Wright (1993. Method: Seventy alcohol addicted inpatients, who were admitted to Ankara Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Education and Research Hospital Psychiatry Clinic, 31 healthy volunteers who had never used alcohol and 33 social drinkers were evaluated. For all groups, BSU and Craving Beliefs Questionnaire (CBQ, for the patient groups, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI, Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA, Dysfunctional Attitudes Questionnaire (DAS and Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ were used as the assessment tools. The correlations and differences between the questionnaires were studied. Results: Mean age of the addicted patients, healthy controls and social drinkers were 42,3± 7,0, 33,5± 9,9 and 33,2± 8,9, respectively. In patient group, mean BSU score was 46,4 ± 21,2. For alcohol addicts, internal reliability of BSU was found to be adequate (Cronbach alfa=0.91 and item-total score correlations were between 0.33 and 0.69. Basic component analysis showed one basic factor. A positive correlation has been found between BSU and CBQ, and ATQ scores. No correlations have been found between total and subscale scores of DAS and total scores of CIWA, BAI and BSU. In evaluation of validity, BSU mean scores of alcohol addicts were found to be significantly higher than healthy controls and social drinkers. Conclusion: Our findings support that Turkish version of BSU is an adequate tool that can be used to evaluate alcohol addicted patients` cognitive believes about alcohol use

Medical education and social environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasool, Ahsan; Qayum, Iftikhar; Ahmad, Ashfaq; Farooq, Umer; Shah, Awais Ali; Waqas, Muhammad; Rasool, Maleeha; Hameed, Sania; Kanwal, Rana; Azmat, Muneeba; Marwat, Saleem; Afridit, Faheem

2014-01-01

A positive learning environment and quality of course content have an imperative role in academic achievement of students. This study aims to assess students' point of view about the quality of education and social environment of a public sector medical college in Pakistan. Relative scarcity of data from students' perspective merited this study. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken at Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan, including 300 medical students from all five years of the MBBS course. Systematic random sampling was used with a kth interval of 4 for each class. Self-administered questionnaire was used and contained items related to academics, learning environment, learning resources, teaching methodologies and student-friendly activities. The data were analysed using SPSS-16. There were 265 respondents (88.3%) to the questionnaire with males accounting for 58.9% (n=156). In general students showed satisfaction with quality of content being taught; however there was discontent towards various academic and non- academic facilities provided to the students. Only 44.10% and 31.50% students reported provision of academic related facilities and interactive sessions as up to mark respectively; 83% students reported that undergraduate medical research was in need of improvement; 55.5% and 60.2% reported that facilities in hostel and recreational facilities needed improvement respectively; and 52.8% students stated presence of a healthy, student friendly, encouraging environment was not up to mark. Although course content and teaching methodologies are generally satisfactory, a healthy, student friendly, encouraging environment is vet to be created to help students foster their abilities completely.

Increasing response rates to follow-up questionnaires in health intervention research: Randomized controlled trial of a gift card prize incentive.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Amy J; Rapee, Ronald M; Bayer, Jordana K

2017-08-01

Background/aims Achieving a high response rate to follow-up questionnaires in randomized controlled trials of interventions is important for study validity. Few studies have tested the value of incentives in increasing response rates to online questionnaires in clinical trials of health interventions. This study evaluated the effect of a gift card prize-draw incentive on response rates to follow-up questionnaires within a trial of an online health intervention. Method The study was embedded in a host randomized controlled trial of an online parenting program for child anxiety. A total of 433 participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups: (1) being informed that they would enter a gift card prize-draw if they completed the final study questionnaire (24-week follow-up) and (2) not informed about the prize-draw. All participants had a 1 in 20 chance of winning an AUD50 gift card after they completed the online questionnaire. Results The odds of the informed group completing the follow-up questionnaire were significantly higher than the uninformed group, (79.6% vs 68.5%, odds ratio = 1.79, 95% confidence interval = 1.15-2.79). This response rate increase of 11.1% (95% confidence interval = 2.8-19.1) occurred in both intervention and control groups in the host randomized controlled trial. The incentive was also effective in increasing questionnaire commencement (84.6% vs 75.9%, odds ratio = 1.74, 95% confidence interval = 1.07-2.84) and reducing the delay in completing the questionnaire (19.9 vs 22.6 days, hazard ratio = 1.34, 95% confidence interval = 1.07-1.67). Conclusion This study adds to evidence for the effectiveness of incentives to increase response rates to follow-up questionnaires in health intervention trials.

A modified inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire and the Vaizey Incontinence questionnaire are more sensitive measures of acute gastrointestinal toxicity during pelvic radiotherapy than RTOG grading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalid, Usman; McGough, Camilla; Hackett, Claire; Blake, Peter; Harrington, Kevin J.; Khoo, Vincent S.; Tait, Diana; Norman, Andrew R.; Andreyev, H. Jervoise N.

2006-01-01

Purpose: Simple scales with greater sensitivity than Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grading to detect acute gastrointestinal toxicity during pelvic radiotherapy, could be clinically useful. Methods and Materials: Do questionnaires used in benign gastrointestinal diseases detect toxicity in patients undergoing radiotherapy? The patient-completed Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBDQ) and Vaizey Incontinence questionnaires were compared prospectively at baseline and at Week 5 to physician-completed RTOG grading. Results: A total of 107 patients, median age 63 years, were recruited. After 5 weeks of treatment, patients with gynecologic and gastrointestinal cancer were more symptomatic than urologic patients (p 0.012; p = 0.014). Overall, 94% had altered bowel habits, 80% loose stool, 74% frequency, 65% difficult gas, 60% pain, >48% distress, 44% tenesmus, >40% restrictions in daily activity, 39% urgency, 37% fecal incontinence, and 40% required antidiarrheal medication. The median RTOG score was 1 (range, 0-2), median IBDQ score 204.5 (range, 74-224), and median Vaizey score 5 (range, 0-20). Chemotherapy preceding radiotherapy increased fecal incontinence (p 0.002). RTOG scores stabilized after 3 weeks, IBDQ scores peaked at Week 4, and Vaizey scores worsened throughout treatment. IBDQ and Vaizey scores distinguished between groups with different RTOG scores. Conclusion: The IBDQ and Vaizey questionnaires are reliable and sensitive, offering greater insight into the severity and range of symptoms compared with RTOG grading

Evaluation of Traffic Accident Risk in In-City Bus Drivers: The Use of Berlin Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Ekren, Pervin Korkmaz; Uysal, Funda Elmas; Başoğlu, Özen K.

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVES Traffic accidents associated with high mortality rate may produce serious problems especially in highways. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with a high risk for traffic accidents due to excessive daytime sleepiness even in in-city drivers. In the present study, it was aimed to evaluate the rate of OSA symptoms and to identify risk factors associated with traffic accidents in in-city bus drivers. MATERIAL AND METHODS A self-administered questionnaire including demographic and anthropometric features, sleep and work schedules, Berlin questionnaire, Epworth sleepiness score (ESS), and history of traffic accidents was used. RESULTS The questionnaire was conducted for 1400 male bus drivers (mean age, 38.0±6.4 y, body mass index, 27.8±3.9 kg/m2). A total of 1058 (75.6%) drivers had one or more accidents while driving bus. According to the Berlin questionnaire, 176 (12.6%) drivers were found to have high OSA risk and the accident rate was 83.0% in high-risk group, whereas 74.5% of low-risk drivers had accidents (p=0.043). The drivers with a history of traffic accident were older (p=0.030), had higher ESS (p=0.019), and were more in the high-risk OSA group according to the Berlin questionnaire (p=0.015). In multivariate linear regression analysis, traffic accident was associated with only Berlin questionnaire (p=0.015). CONCLUSION The present results support that city bus drivers with high OSA risk according to Berlin questionnaire have increased accident rates. Therefore, we suggest using Berlin questionnaire for screening sleep apnea not only in highway drivers but also in in-city bus drivers. PMID:29755810

Report of short term research group on environment safety in nuclear fuel cycle, 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The research group on environment safety in nuclear fuel cycle was organized in fiscal 1979 as the research group in the range of the common utilization of Yayoi, and this is the third year since it developed into the short term research group in the Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory. The results obtained so far were summarized in three reports, UTNL-R110, 134 and 147. In this fiscal year, ''The chemistry of reprocessing'' is the subtheme, and this short term research is to be carried out. The meeting is held on March 23 and 24, 1984, in this Laboratory, and the following reports are presented. The conference on institutional stability and the disposal of nuclear and chemically toxic wastes held at MIT, the social scientific analysis of nuclear power development, the present status of reprocessing research in foreign countries, the problems based on the operation experience of actual plants, the chemistry of fuel dissolution, the chemistry of solvent extraction, reprocessing offgas treatment and problems, the chemistry of fixing Kr and I in zeolite, waste treatment in the Tokai Reprocessing Plant of Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., the chemistry of actinoids, denitration process and the chemistry of MOX production, and future reprocessing research. (Kako, I.)

Assessing motivation for work environment improvements: internal consistency, reliability and factorial structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Hedlund, Ann; Ateg, Mattias; Andersson, Ing-Marie; Rosén, Gunnar

2010-04-01

Workers' motivation to actively take part in improvements to the work environment is assumed to be important for the efficiency of investments for that purpose. That gives rise to the need for a tool to measure this motivation. A questionnaire to measure motivation for improvements to the work environment has been designed. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the domains of the questionnaire have been measured, and the factorial structure has been explored, from the answers of 113 employees. The internal consistency is high (0.94), as well as the correlation for the total score (0.84). Three factors are identified accounting for 61.6% of the total variance. The questionnaire can be a useful tool in improving intervention methods. The expectation is that the tool can be useful, particularly with the aim of improving efficiency of companies' investments for work environment improvements. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health-related quality of life of food allergic patients measured with generic and disease-specific questionnaires

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Flokstra-de Blok, B. M. J.; van der Velde, J. L.; Vlieg-Boerstra, B. J.; Oude Elberink, J. N. G.; DunnGalvin, A.; Hourihane, J. O.'B.; Duiverman, E. J.; Dubois, A. E. J.

2010-01-01

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) has never been measured with both generic and disease-specific questionnaires in the same group of food allergic patients. The aim of this study was to compare HRQL of food allergic patients as measured with generic and disease-specific questionnaires. Generic

Understanding neighborhood environment related to Hong Kong children's physical activity: a qualitative study using nominal group technique.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gang He

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Relationships between the neighborhood environment and children's physical activity have been well documented in Western countries but are less investigated in ultra-dense Asian cities. The aim of this study was to identify the environmental facilitators and barriers of physical activity behaviors among Hong Kong Chinese children using nominal group technique. METHODS: Five nominal groups were conducted among 34 children aged 10-11 years from four types of neighborhoods varying in socio-economic status and walkability in Hong Kong. Environmental factors were generated by children in response to the question "What neighborhood environments do you think would increase or decrease your willingness to do physical activity?" Factors were prioritized in order of their importance to children's physical activity. RESULTS: Sixteen unique environmental factors, which were perceived as the most important to children's physical activity, were identified. Factors perceived as physical activity-facilitators included "Sufficient lighting", "Bridge or tunnel", "Few cars on roads", "Convenient transportation", "Subway station", "Recreation grounds", "Shopping malls with air conditioning", "Fresh air", "Interesting animals", and "Perfume shop". Factors perceived as physical activity-barriers included "People who make me feel unsafe", "Crimes nearby", "Afraid of being taken or hurt at night", "Hard to find toilet in shopping mall", "Too much noise", and "Too many people in recreation grounds". CONCLUSIONS: Specific physical activity-related environmental facilitators and barriers, which are unique in an ultra-dense city, were identified by Hong Kong children. These initial findings can inform future examinations of the physical activity-environment relationship among children in Hong Kong and similar Asian cities.

Understanding neighborhood environment related to Hong Kong children's physical activity: a qualitative study using nominal group technique.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Gang; Cerin, Ester; Huang, Wendy Y; Wong, Stephen H

2014-01-01

Relationships between the neighborhood environment and children's physical activity have been well documented in Western countries but are less investigated in ultra-dense Asian cities. The aim of this study was to identify the environmental facilitators and barriers of physical activity behaviors among Hong Kong Chinese children using nominal group technique. Five nominal groups were conducted among 34 children aged 10-11 years from four types of neighborhoods varying in socio-economic status and walkability in Hong Kong. Environmental factors were generated by children in response to the question "What neighborhood environments do you think would increase or decrease your willingness to do physical activity?" Factors were prioritized in order of their importance to children's physical activity. Sixteen unique environmental factors, which were perceived as the most important to children's physical activity, were identified. Factors perceived as physical activity-facilitators included "Sufficient lighting", "Bridge or tunnel", "Few cars on roads", "Convenient transportation", "Subway station", "Recreation grounds", "Shopping malls with air conditioning", "Fresh air", "Interesting animals", and "Perfume shop". Factors perceived as physical activity-barriers included "People who make me feel unsafe", "Crimes nearby", "Afraid of being taken or hurt at night", "Hard to find toilet in shopping mall", "Too much noise", and "Too many people in recreation grounds". Specific physical activity-related environmental facilitators and barriers, which are unique in an ultra-dense city, were identified by Hong Kong children. These initial findings can inform future examinations of the physical activity-environment relationship among children in Hong Kong and similar Asian cities.

The Development of Three Questionnaires to Assess Beliefs about Green Exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Flowers, Elliott P; Freeman, Paul; Gladwell, Valerie F

2017-10-04

Green exercise is physical activity that takes place in the presence of natural environments. Despite the promising evidence of the benefits, little is known about how individuals' thoughts and feelings influence participation in green exercise and subsequent outcomes. The aim of the current research was to develop questionnaires using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a framework that could both directly and indirectly assess attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control, along with intention toward green exercise. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed that the indirect, direct, and intention measures all had good overall model fits when tested on a refinement (n = 253) and validation (n = 230) sample. The questionnaires will contribute towards helping to better understanding individuals' beliefs about green exercise, how these influence behaviour, and ultimately to enable the development of effective interventions promoting green exercise.

Adapting the Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire to the Portuguese Context

Science.gov (United States)

Marques-Quinteiro, Pedro; Curral, Luis Alberto; Passos, Ana Margarida

2012-01-01

This study aimed to adapt the Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire (RSLQ) (Houghton and Neck in J Manag Psychol 17(8):672-691, 2002) for the Portuguese population. 720 professionals, and university and post-graduate students participated in this study. The RSLQ factorial structure was accessed through exploratory and multi group confirmatory…

Virtual Learning Environment in Continuing Education for Nursing in Oncology: an Experimental Study.

Science.gov (United States)

das Graças Silva Matsubara, Maria; De Domenico, Edvane Birelo Lopes

2016-12-01

Nurses working in oncology require continuing education and nowadays distance education is a possibility. To compare learning outcomes of the professionals participating in classroom learning versus distance learning; describing the sociodemographic characteristics and digital fluency of participants; comparing learning outcomes with independent variables; assessing the adequacy of educational practices in Virtual Environment Moodle Learning through the constructivist online learning environment survey. An experimental, randomized controlled study; conducted at the A C Camargo Cancer Center, located in São Paulo, SP, Brazil. The study included 97 nurses, with average training of 1 to 2 years. A control group (n = 44) had face to face training and the experiment group (n = 53) had training by distance learning, both with identical program content. The dependent variable was the result of learning, measured by applying a pre-assessment questionnaire and post-intervention for both groups. The sociodemographic and digital fluency data were uniform among the groups. The performance of both groups was statistically significant (p 0.005), and the control group had a greater advantage (40.4 %). Distance education has proven to be an effective alternative for training nurses, especially when they have more complex knowledge, more experience in the area and institutional time. Distance Education may be a possibility for the training of nurses for work in oncology. The association of age, training time and the institution, and the experience in Oncology interfered in the performance of both groups.

Questionnaires for Measuring Refractive Surgery Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandel, Himal; Khadka, Jyoti; Lundström, Mats; Goggin, Michael; Pesudovs, Konrad

2017-06-01

To identify the questionnaires used to assess refractive surgery outcomes, assess the available questionnaires in regard to their psychometric properties, validity, and reliability, and evaluate the performance of the available questionnaires in measuring refractive surgery outcomes. An extensive literature search was done on PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases to identify articles that described or used at least one questionnaire to assess refractive surgery outcomes. The information on content quality, validity, reliability, responsiveness, and psychometric properties was extracted and analyzed based on an extensive set of quality criteria. Eighty-one articles describing 27 questionnaires (12 refractive error-specific, including 4 refractive surgery-specific, 7 vision-but-non-refractive, and 8 generic) were included in the review. Most articles (56, 69.1%) described refractive error-specific questionnaires. The Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction (QIRC), the Quality of Vision (QoV), and the Near Activity Visual Questionnaire (NAVQ) were originally constructed using Rasch analysis; others were developed using the Classical Test Theory. The National Eye Institute Refractive Quality of Life questionnaire was the most frequently used questionnaire, but it does not provide a valid measurement. The QoV, QIRC, and NAVQ are the three best existing questionnaires to assess visual symptoms, quality of life, and activity limitations, respectively. This review identified three superior quality questionnaires for measuring different aspects of quality of life in refractive surgery. Clinicians and researchers should choose a questionnaire based on the concept being measured with superior psychometric properties. [J Refract Surg. 2017;33(6):416-424.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Evaluation of the learning and teaching environment of the Faculty ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: The study aimed at evaluating the learning and teaching environment of undergraduate students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Nigeria. Methods: The study was a descriptive, cross‑sectional survey. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was ...

Virtual Learning Environments and Learning Forms -experiments in ICT-based learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helbo, Jan; Knudsen, Morten

2004-01-01

This paper report the main results of a three year experiment in ICT-based distance learning. The results are based on a full scale experiment in the education, Master of Industrial Information Technology (MII) and is one of many projects deeply rooted in the project Virtual Learning Environments...... didactic model has until now been a positive experience........ The main problem is that we do not find the same self regulatoring learning effect in the group work among the off-campus students as is the case for on-campus students. Based on feedback from evaluation questionnaires and discussions with the students didactic adjustments have been made. The revised...

How to score questionnaires

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofstee, W.K.B.; Ten Berge, J.M.F.; Hendriks, A.A.J.

The standard practice in scoring questionnaires consists of adding item scores and standardizing these sums. We present a set of alternative procedures, consisting of (a) correcting for the acquiescence variance that disturbs the structure of the questionnaire; (b) establishing item weights through

Improving access for patients – a practice manager questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brown James S

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The administrative and professional consequences of access targets for general practices, as detailed in the new GMS contract, are unknown. This study researched the effect of implementing the access targets of the new GP contract on general practice appointment systems, and practice manager satisfaction in a UK primary health care setting. Methods A four-part postal questionnaire was administered. The questionnaire was modified from previously validated questionnaires and the findings compared with data obtained from the Western Health and Social Services Board (WHSSB in N Ireland. Practice managers from the 59 general practices in the WHSSB responded to the questionnaire. Results There was a 94.9% response rate. Practice managers were generally satisfied with the introduction of access targets for patients. Some 57.1% of responding practices, most in deprived areas (Odds ratio 3.13 -95% CI 1.01 – 9.80, p = 0.0256 had modified their appointment systems. Less booking flexibility was reported among group practices (p = 0.006, urban practices (p Conclusion The findings demonstrated the ability of general practices within the WHSSB to adjust to a demanding component of the new GP contract. Issues relating to the flexibility of patient appointment booking systems, receptionists' training and the development of the primary care nursing role were highlighted by the study.

Discriminative validity of the Scoliosis Research Society 22 questionnaire among five curve-severity subgroups of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Berliner, Jonathan L; Verma, Kushagra; Lonner, Baron S; Penn, Phedra U; Bharucha, Neil J

2013-02-01

Previous studies of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) 22 discriminative validity have lacked sufficiently matched study groups and were limited to a comparison with three or fewer subgroups of disease severity. To evaluate the discriminative validity of SRS-22 by assessing the questionnaire's ability to discriminate among five groups of pretreatment adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients with increasing curve severity. Retrospective review of prospectively administered surveys. Two hundred eighty-six SRS-22 questionnaires were issued to two AIS pretreatment patient populations: 67 nonoperative and 219 preoperative. Study subjects were separated into five subgroups depending on the major Cobb angle (nonoperative 0°-19° and 20°-40° and preoperative 41°-50°, 51°-60°, and >60°). Each group (n=31) was matched for age (within 1 year) and sex (23 females and 8 males), resulting in a total of 155 study subjects. Analysis of variance was used to determine statistically significant differences (pself-image than all three preoperative groups. Both nonoperative groups' total scores were significantly higher than all three preoperative groups' scores, with the exception of the 20° to 40° subgroup versus the >60° subgroup. No significant differences were found between groups within the same planned treatment category. The SRS-22 questionnaire demonstrated good discriminative validity between small nonoperative curves and larger surgical curves within the pain, image, and total domains. However, SRS-22 lacked the ability to differentiate between small intervals of curve magnitude, suggesting a limitation to the questionnaire's discriminative capacity. The discriminative validity of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) 22 has not been clearly defined. Our analysis of 155 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients evaluates the instrument's discriminative validity among five age- and sex-matched curve-severity subgroups. The SRS-22 questionnaire lacked the

The Relationship between High School Mathematics Classroom Environment and Student Self-Handicapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Dorman, Jeffrey P.; Adams, Joan E.; Ferguson, Janet M.

Classroom environment research investigating the relationship between classroom environment and self-handicapping was conducted in Australian, Canadian, and British high schools. A sample of 3,602 students from 29 schools responded to a questionnaire that assessed student perceptions of classroom environment, self-handicapping, and academic…

EATING DISORDERS AND DIET MANAGEMENT IN CONTACT SPORTS; EAT-26 QUESTIONNAIRE DOES NOT SEEM APPROPRIATE TO EVALUATE EATING DISORDERS IN SPORTS.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez Rodríguez, Alejandro; Vicente Salar, Néstor; Montero Carretero, Carlos; Cervelló Gimeno, Eduardo; Roche Collado, Enrique

2015-10-01

there is a growing concern in the appearance of eating disorders in athletes, especially those that practice sports grouped into weight categories. This affects the way athletes eat, using frequently unhealthy strategies to control weight, especially during the pre-competition period. this study analyses the prevalence of contact sports athletes in developing eating disorders, and how a controlled diet plan can reduce this risk. At the same time, it evaluates the use of the EAT-26 questionnaire to detect such disorders. a randomized frequency study was performed on 244 athletes (158 men, 86 women), who were separated into two groups: those that followed a diet plan given by a nutritionist, and a control group on a free diet. The athletes completed an EAT-26 questionnaire while participating in the University-level National Championships. the free diet group scored significantly higher on the questionnaire. Also, the female athletes controlled diet group scored significantly higher than their male counterparts. the results of the questionnaire indicate that an adequate nutritional program circumvents the use of unhealthy habits to control body weight and therefore avoids developing particular eating disorders. EAT-26 questionnaire does not seem the most appropriate tool to detect these disorders. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Psychological factors of the readiness of teachers to ensure social security in the educational environment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shmeleva E.A.

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The negative sociocultural transformations that are taking place in modern society and the resulting psychological transformation of personality and mode of life strongly require searching for ways of providing social safety to the next generation, with teachers being the implementers of this process. Teachers’ professionalism is determined by their willingness to solve personal and socially relevant problems, including the willingness to provide social security for other people, to thwart social risks, and to build constructive interpersonal relationships. The aim of our research was to reveal and to analyze the psychological factors affecting the readiness of teachers to ensure social security in educational environments. The environmental factors of social risk have been theoretically characterized. It has been shown that the essential factor in ensuring students’ social security is providing a safe social environment in educational institutions; such an environment provides the learners and the teachers with sociopsychological security and psychosocial well-being. The empirical part of our study was devoted to identifying negative social phenomena in the schools in the Ivanovo region (with the help of a questionnaire administered to 700 students and to identifying the personally and professionally important qualities of the teachers and the subjective psychological factors of their readiness to ensure social security in the educational environment (through interviewing 300 teachers; the administration of the questionnaires and the interviewing were followed by an assessment of their significance (with the help of a questionnaire administered to 140 teachers. Using factor analysis we identified the relevant indicators and grouped them into six factors of the readiness of teachers to ensure a safe educational environment. Relevant personal and professional qualities of teachers were revealed; these are the subjective factors of the

Learning environments matter: Identifying influences on the motivation to learn science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salomé Schulze

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In the light of the poor academic achievement in science by secondary school students in South Africa, students' motivation for science learning should be enhanced. It is argued that this can only be achieved with insight into which motivational factors to target, with due consideration of the diversity in schools. The study therefore explored the impact of six motivational factors for science learning in a sample of 380 Grade Nine boys and girls from three racial groups, in both public and independent schools. The students completed the Student Motivation for Science Learning questionnaire. Significant differences were identified between different groups and school types. The study is important for identifying the key role of achievement goals, science learning values and science self-efficacies. The main finding emphasises the significant role played by science teachers in motivating students for science in terms of the learning environments that they create. This has important implications for future research, aimed at a better understanding of these environments. Such insights are needed to promote scientific literacy among the school students, and so contribute to the improvement of science achievement in South Africa.

Prominent attractive qualities of nurses' work in operating room departments: A questionnaire study.

Science.gov (United States)

Björn, Catrine; Josephson, Malin; Wadensten, Barbro; Rissén, Dag

2015-01-01

The shortage of nurses in operating room departments (ORs) in Sweden and other countries can lead to reduced capacity and quality in healthcare, as well as more intense work for those on the job. Little is known about what nurses in ORs perceive as crucial for their workplace to be attractive. To capture attractive qualities of nurses' work in Swedish ORs and take a first step in the process of adapting the Attractive Work Questionnaire for use in a health care context. The Attractive Work Questionnaire was completed by 147 (67% ) nurses in four Swedish ORs. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) were performed to determine the underlying structure of the data. Factors contributing to job attractiveness identified in the area "work conditions" were: relations, leadership, equipment, salary, organisation, physical work environment, location, and working hours; in the area "work content": mental work, autonomy and work rate; and in the area "job satisfaction": status and acknowledgement. The PCA showed consistency with the original Attractive Work Questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha varied between 0.57-0.90. Prominent attractive qualities for nurses' work in Swedish ORs were possible to identify through the Attractive Work Questionnaire and the results suggest that the questionnaire can be useful in a health care context.

The development and initial validation of a questionnaire to measure help-seeking behaviour in patients with new onset rheumatoid arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Stack, Rebecca J; Mallen, Christian D; Deighton, Chris; Kiely, Patrick; Shaw, Karen L; Booth, Alison; Kumar, Kanta; Thomas, Susan; Rowan, Ian; Horne, Rob; Nightingale, Peter; Herron-Marx, Sandy; Jinks, Clare; Raza, Karim

2015-12-01

Early treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is vital. However, people often delay in seeking help at symptom onset. An assessment of the reasons behind patient delay is necessary to develop interventions to promote rapid consultation. Using a mixed methods design, we aimed to develop and test a questionnaire to assess the barriers to help seeking at RA onset. Questionnaire items were extracted from previous qualitative studies. Fifteen people with a lived experience of arthritis participated in focus groups to enhance the questionnaire's face validity. The questionnaire was also reviewed by groups of multidisciplinary health-care professionals. A test-retest survey of 41 patients with newly presenting RA or unclassified arthritis assessed the questionnaire items' intraclass correlations. During focus groups, participants rephrased questions, added questions and deleted items not relevant to the questionnaire's aims. Participants organized items into themes: early symptom experience, initial reactions to symptoms, self-management behaviours, causal beliefs, involvement of significant others, pre-diagnosis knowledge about RA, direct barriers to seeking help and relationship with GP. The test-retest survey identified seven items (out of 79) with low intraclass correlations which were removed from the final questionnaire. The involvement of people with a lived experience of arthritis and multidisciplinary health-care professionals in the preliminary validation of the DELAY (delays in evaluating arthritis early) questionnaire has enriched its development. Preliminary assessment established its reliability. The DELAY questionnaire provides a tool for researchers to evaluate individual, cultural and health service barriers to help-seeking behaviour at RA onset. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Components of Non-Punitive Environment in Nursing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sepp Jaana

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In nursing homes, managers need to create work environment which considers patient’s and worker’s needs and helps the organization to respond to a complicated and changing environment. The aim of the study is to investigate the influence of working environment on care workers’ safe behavior. We used KIVA questionnaire (characterizes the wellbeing workers. Our study reveals that in order to create the blame-free culture and non-punitive environment, the managers should pay attention to several factors: commitment, communication, leadership, collaboration, teamwork and learning.

Stakeholder Groups of Public and Private Universities in the Czech Republic – Identification, Categorization and Prioritization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slabá Marie

2015-09-01

Full Text Available With regard to changes in the environment of tertiary education and tertiary educational systems, universities are now unlikely to succeed as ‘separated closed’ institutions that are unresponsive to their environment and stakeholders. Stakeholder analysis is considered as an important part of university management and marketing and universities have to take care of key stakeholder groups and build long term relationships with them. This paper focuses on the stakeholder analysis and adopts the stake-holder theory and analysis for the needs of the Czech market of tertiary education. This paper analyses results of the author’s online questionnaire that provided the input for data analysis deploying basic descriptive analysis and first steps of stakeholder analysis – identification, categorization and prioritization. Results of author’s research show that there are only slight differences between public and private universities and their perspective concerning generic stakeholder groups of universities. However the research revealed two controversial stakeholder groups – donors and competitors. In comparison with other stakeholder groups perception of these two stakeholder groups by public and private universities is very different. Stakeholder groups of public and private universities were categorized into four basic groups - primary internal stakeholder groups, primary external stakeholder groups, secondary internal stakeholder groups, and secondary external stakeholder groups. Primary internal and external stakeholder groups which are crucial for survival of universities are the most important stakeholder groups for universities. The author identified ten most important stakeholder groups for public and private universities separately, based on assigned priorities that will be used for further research.

A METHOD OF PREDICTING BREAST CANCER USING QUESTIONNAIRES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. N. Malashenko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Simplify and increase the accuracy of the questionnaire method of predicting breast cancer (BC for subsequent computer processing and Automated dispensary at risk without the doctor.Materials and methods. The work was based on statistical data obtained by surveying 305 women. The questionnaire included 63 items: 17 open-ended questions, 46 — with a choice of response. It was established multifactor model, the development of which, in addition to the survey data were used materials from the medical histories of patients and respondents data immuno-histochemical studies. Data analysis was performed using Statistica 10.0 and MedCalc 12.7.0 programs.Results. The ROC analysis was performas and the questionnaire data revealed 8 significant predictors of breast cancer. On their basis we created the formula for calculating the prognostic factor of risk of development of breast cancer with a sensitivity 83,12% and a specificity of 91,43%.Conclusions. The completed developments allow to create a computer program for automated processing of profiles on the formation of groups at risk of breast cancer and clinical supervision. The introduction of a screening questionnaire over the Internet with subsequent computer processing of the results, without the direct involvement of doctors, will increase the coverage of the female population of the Russian Federation activities related to the prevention of breast cancer. It can free up time for physicians to receive primary patients, as well as improve oncological vigilance of the female population of the Russian Federation.

The Heritability of Cluster B Personality Disorders Assessed both by Personal Interview and Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Torgersen, Svenn; Myers, John; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted; Røysamb, Espen; Kubarych, Thomas S.; Kendler, Kenneth S.

2013-01-01

Whereas the heritability of common personality traits has been firmly established, the results of the few published studies on personality disorders (PDs) are highly divergent, with some studies finding high heredity and others very low. A problem with assessing personality disorders by means of interview is errors connected with interviewer bias. A way to overcome the problem is to use self-report questionnaires in addition to interviews. This study used both interview and questionnaire for assessing DSM-IV Cluster B personality disorders: antisocial personality disorder (APD), borderline (BPD), narcissistic (NPD), and histrionic (HPD). We assessed close to 2,800 twins from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Twin Panel using a self-report questionnaire and, a few years later, the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV). Items from the self-report questionnaire that best predicted the PDs captured by the interview were then selected. Measurement models combining questionnaire and interview information were applied and were fitted using Mx. Whereas the heritability of Cluster B PDs assessed by interview was around .30, and around .40–.50 when assessed by self-report questionnaire, the heritability of the convergent latent factor, including information from both interview and self-report questionnaire was .69 for APD, .67 for BPD, .71 for NPD, and .63 for HPD. As is usually found for personality, the effect of shared-in families (familial) environment was zero. In conclusion, when both interview and self-report questionnaire are taken into account, the heritability of Cluster B PD appears to be in the upper range of previous findings for mental disorders. PMID:23281671