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There is an appropriate increasing focus on the need to ensure the voices of people with intellectual disability are captured as part of assessing individuals' quality of life; however, there remains a lack of a consensus on ways to achieve this. This article describes the development of a self-report measure of quality of life for people with intellectual disability, the 'Mini-MANS-LD', based on the concepts of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Following use with 33 individuals with intellectual disability, the Mini-MANS-LD was found to have acceptable psychometric properties, including moderate congruent validity and acceptable internal consistency. Administrators' feedback suggested good acceptability and feasibility, and the measure was relatively quick to administer, easy to use and acceptable to service users. Despite a small sample size, this initial study suggests that the Mini-MANS-LD may present a conceptually relevant, feasible and acceptable self-report measure of quality of life for people with intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Integrating age appropriate injury prevention messages during a well-child visit is challenging in the face of competing demands. Purpose. To describe a 7-month pilot using technology to facilitate injury prevention risk assessment and education integration. Methods. We prospectively tracked responses to the computer-based injury prevention self-assessment tool, safety product distribution, and any subsequent contact with the local hospital system for related unintentional injuries. Results. A total of 2091 eligible visits by 1368 unique patients were assessed. Eight hundred forty-three unique patients completed the Safe N’ Sound assessment and 7 were subsequently injured, with an injury related to a Safe N’ Sound target area. Conclusions. A kiosk-based tailored injury assessment tool can be successfully integrated into a busy pediatric practice. Unintentional injury outcomes can be linked to the tailored anticipatory guidance and can identify the effectiveness of this electronic integration of injury prevention messaging into well-child examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study identified behavioral and organizational barriers and facilitators related to the implementation of a clinic-based pediatric injury prevention program. Safe N’ Sound (SNS), an evidence-based tailored injury prevention program designed for pediatric primary care, was implemented in five pediatric clinics in North Carolina. Office managers participated in structured interviews; health care providers participated in focus groups. Waiting room observations were conducted in participating clinics. Qualitative data captured perceptions of program implementation, including experience in integrating the program into clinical practice, usage by parents and providers, and recommendations for improving implementation. Reported facilitators of program use included usefulness and likeability of customized materials by parents and physicians and alignment with clinic priorities for injury prevention. Barriers included perceived staff burden despite the program’s low staff requirements. Consequently, practices experienced difficulty integrating the program into the waiting room environment and within existing staff roles. Recommendations included formalizing staff roles in implementation. Waiting room observations supported greater technology maintenance and staff involvement. Findings suggest a dynamic relationship between program implementation and the adopting organization. In addition to considering characteristics of the intervention, environment, and personnel in intervention development, implementation may require customization to the organization’s capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Injuries involving motor vehicles continue to be the biggest threat to the safety of children. Although child safety seats (CSS) have been established as a central countermeasure in decreasing injury risk, the majority of parents do not use the correct car seat correctly. There are many challenges in promoting correct car seat use, which itself is a complex behavior. To advance this critical protective behavior, the public health community would benefit from clarifying CSS messaging, communicating clearly, and addressing the conflicting recommendations of product use. In this article, we present current challenges in promoting CSS use and draw on health communication and other fields to offer recommendations for future work in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is mounting evidence to suggest that psychosocial factors, including anger proneness, depression and social isolation, are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, evidence relating these factors to peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication remains sparse. Using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, we analyzed the relationship of psychosocial variables (Spielberger anger score, depression score from the Maastricht questionnaire, and a perceived social support scale) at study visit 2 with incident PAD (ankle-brachial index ≤0.9; a hospital discharge diagnosis of PAD, leg amputation, or leg revascularization procedures; or intermittent claudication). In 12 965 middle-aged adults with no prior history of PAD, 854 developed PAD over a mean follow-up time of 9.7 years, yielding an incidence rate of 6.8 per 1000 person years. A modest, monotonic dose–response, positive association between anger proneness and incident PAD was observed in a multivariable model: relative risk (RR) = 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.99–1.38) in the moderate anger group and RR = 1.38 (95% CI 1.08–1.76) in the high anger group, compared with the low anger group. When compared with a low level of depressive symptoms, moderate and high levels of depressive symptoms were also associated with greater incident PAD, with multivariable RRs of 1.20 (95% CI 0.99–1.45) and 1.44 (95% CI 1.19–1.74) respectively. There was no association of perceived level of social support with the occurrence of PAD. Anger proneness and depressive symptoms may be associated with the occurrence of PAD, as for other atherosclerotic syndromes. These findings may warrant confirmation in further studies and, if causal, could serve as a unique target for a PAD prevention trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many marketing departments have experienced decreasing enrollments in marketing courses and difficulty recruiting students into the marketing major. This article examines and validates the Principles of Marketing class as significantly influencing students' overall perceptions of and attitudes toward marketing and the pursuit of marketing as their major or minor field of study. Contrary to expectations, the authors find that students leave the typical Principles of Marketing class with lowered perceptions and attitudes regarding the marketing discipline. A straightforward pedagogical approach to reversing this outcome is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates empirical clusters of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scale T scores for men and women involuntarily committed to a chemical dependency unit of a psychiatric ward. Use of Ward's method; Average profiles in terms of treatment planning; Features of MMPI profiles; Confirmation of non unitary chemically dependent personality.

Presents the study about the validity of the Inverse Scree test for cluster analysis. Purpose and methodology of the study; Results of the study; Discussion regarding the result of the study.

Using the social marketing principle of audience segmentation, a Hispanic audience was disaggregated to examine heterogeneous behaviors and lifestyles that could guide planning for public information campaigns designed to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Signal detection analysis resulted in six mutually exclusive subgroups, based on self-reported behavioral changes to improve health. Subgroups differed significantly in communication, behavioral, psychological, and demographic dimensions, indicating they may require unique campaign planning strategies. To determine whether subgroups were meaningful relative to external health-related criteria, they were compared as to health knowledge and status on cardiovascular disease risk factors. The results showed significant differences among audience subgroups in plasma high-density lipoprotein levels and hypertensive status. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for campaign planning and the need for public health campaigns to diversify strategies when targeting Hispanic audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study developed a numerical taxonomy of evaluation theory and evaluation practice. Fourteen leading evaluators responded to a two-page questionnaire concerning: (1) the similarity of their theories to the theories of the other evaluators, and (2) their actual evaluation practices. These responses were analyzed with a multidimensional scaling technique, which provided maps of both areas of interest. The results indicated that differences between evaluation theories are more complex and more divisive than are differences in evaluation practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Evaluators are often concerned with selecting the best possible test instrument for a site-specific application. These instruments should be selected on the basis of both theoretical and psychometric criteria. A small scale, site-specific field test was completed to illustrate some of the psychometric procedures that might be used in assessing the applicability of two different test instruments. The mathematical procedures used in this study illustrate the procedures that an evaluator might use in determining an empirical basis for subsequent instrument selection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A Monte Carlo study to determine the shape of the Inverse Scree test with various numbers of true groups and under different conditions of both distribution shape and sample size. Six distributions of 3000 computer "subjects" each and a seventh (Low N) distribution of 1500 computer "subjects" were created using a random number generator. Fifty Ward hierarchical cluster analyses were completed on each distribution and medians and 96% confidence intervals were computed for clustering steps 1 through 8. The results indicated that the graphic Inverse Scree test may be distribution-independent, N-independent, and modestly curvilinear. Inferences for additional studies and guidelines for Scree analysts were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a Monte Carlo study which explores the reliability of the inverse scree test for cluster analysis. Two sets of distributions were generated, and 6000 "computer subjects" were cluster analyzed and graphed. Three raters were then asked to detect the critical point at which the inverse scree line showed a marked break. Results indicated that the inverse scree may be a useful and reliable cluster analytic technique for determining the number of true groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Loneliness has been defined as a dissatisfaction with one's social relationships. It is not clear, however, if loneliness is associated with having fewer close friends or fewer friends in general. Furthermore, this loneliness may be expressed either as a lack of relationships or as a lack of closeness in relationships. Finally, the lack of intimacy may be perceived only by the lonely person and may not reflect how the relationship appears to the partner. A total of 22 female and 20 male freshmen filled out a loneliness scale and social network questionnaire. Friends of the female subjects were also asked to fill out the social network questionnaire. Lonely persons listed as many best friends as nonlonely persons and were equally likely to have this choice reciprocated. Lonely subjects, however, did perceive a significantly lower level of intimacy in these relationship than did nonlonely subjects, and their "best friends" validated this perception. Lonely subjects did not differ in the number of friends in general that they listed, but their "friends" were significantly less likely to return this friendship choice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Examines the predictors of cigarette smoking among adolescents in South Carolina. Interrelationship of risk factors; Conduction of standard multiple regression to predict cigarette use.