Veterans Health Administration's MOVE! Weight Management Program: Primary Care Clinicians' Perceptions of Program Implementation.

The Veterans Health Administration's MOVE! Program is the largest health care-delivered weight loss intervention in the United States. As a referring clinician's perceptions and knowledge of health programs may impact implementation, examining perceptions of MOVE! may inform improvements to this and other programs. This study investigated primary care clinician perceptions of MOVE! (n = 754, 50% nurses). Perceived effectiveness ratings were highest for groups with 11 to 25 group members (p < 0.01) and for a combined lecture and support group format (p = 0.026), though session length and several other aspects of delivery were not associated with perceptions of effectiveness. MOVE! staff also rated the program as more effective than did other clinicians (p < 0.01). Many respondents lacked knowledge about program specifics, especially those not involved with MOVE! delivery (vs. those directly involved; p < 0.01). These findings indicate that variety in group size and format is related to perceptions of MOVE! effectiveness. Also, clinicians not involved with MOVE! may lack knowledge about the program and underestimate its effectiveness, which could negatively affect referral likelihood or enthusiasm expressed to referred patients. Findings highlight opportunities for clarifying perceptions of a weight control program among clinicians in a large health care system.

Provider and staff perceptions of veterans' attrition from a national primary care weight management program.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are growing problems for primary care. Although effective weight management programs exist, these programs experience significant attrition, which limits effectiveness. OBJECTIVES: This study examined provider and staff perceptions of attrition from the Veterans Health Administration MOVE!(®) Weight Management Program as an initial step toward understanding attrition from primary care-based programs. PARTICIPANTS: MOVE!(®) clinicians, primary care providers, and other staff members who interacted with patients about participating in MOVE!(®) (n=754) from Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers throughout the United States. Respondents were predominantly female (80.8%), Caucasian (79.2%), and trained as nurses (L.P.N., R.N., or N.P.; 50%). MEASURE: Participants completed a web-mediated survey; items assessed agreement with personal and programmatic reasons for dropout, and allowed respondents to indicate the number one reason for dropout in an open-ended format. This survey was adapted from an existing tool designed to capture patient perceptions. RESULTS: Respondents indicated that veterans experienced practical barriers to attendance (eg, transportation and scheduling difficulties) and desire for additions to the program (eg, a live exercise component). Low motivation was the primary factor identified by respondents as associated with dropout, particularly as noted by MOVE!(®) clinicians (versus other providers/staff; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that programmatic changes, such as adding additional meeting times or in-session exercise time, may be of benefit to MOVE!(®). In addition, increasing the use of techniques such as Motivational Interviewing among providers who refer patients to MOVE!(®) may improve participant engagement in MOVE!(®) and other primary care-based weight management programs. Further research is needed to effectively identify those likely to withdraw from weight management programs before achieving their goals, and the reasons for withdrawal.

Chronic pain in the classroom: teachers' attributions about the causes of chronic pain.

BACKGROUND: School absenteeism and other impairments in school function are significant problems among children with chronic pain syndromes; yet, little is known about how chronic pain is perceived in the school setting. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' attributions about the causes of chronic pain in adolescent students. METHODS: Classroom teachers (n = 260) read vignettes describing a hypothetical student with limb pain. They were presented with a list of possible physical and psychological causes for the pain and asked to identify the causes to which they attributed the pain. Vignettes varied by the presence or absence of (1) documented medical evidence for the pain and (2) communication from the medical team. Teachers also responded to questions assessing their responses to the student in terms of support for academic accommodations and sympathy for the student. RESULTS: Teachers tended to endorse a dualistic (ie, either physical or psychological) model for pain rather than a biopsychosocial model. Documented medical evidence supporting the pain was the most influential factor affecting teachers' attributions about chronic pain. Teachers who attributed the pain to physical causes-either in isolation or in combination with psychological causes-responded more positively toward the student. CONCLUSIONS: Many teachers lack a biopsychosocial framework through which to understand chronic pain syndromes in students. How chronic pain is described to school personnel may affect how teachers understand the pain and respond to it.