Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practice: A Survey of Current Practice Patterns and Perceived Importance.

AIMS: We investigated how instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are addressed and perceived, in comparison to activities of daily living (ADLs), across preschool (3-5 years), middle childhood (6-11 years), early adolescence (12-15 years), and older adolescence (16-21 years) age groups by pediatric occupational therapy (OT) practitioners. METHOD: 247 OT practitioners with at least 2 years of pediatric work experience in the U.S. completed an electronic survey assessing (a) type of IADLs most frequently addressed and (b) type of IADLs perceived as most important across the age groups. RESULTS: With increasing age of children and adolescents with disabilities, frequency and perceived importance of addressing IADLs increased in comparison to ADLs; there was a statistically significant relationship between the frequency and the perceived importance of addressing IADLs for all 12 activities across the age groups. CONCLUSION: The decision-making process in addressing IADLs in pediatric OT practice was significantly influenced by the practitioners' perceived importance of IADLs.

Practice, Knowledge and Needs of Occupational Therapy Practitioners Providing Services to Parents with Physical Impairments: A Pilot Study.

This survey study describes practice patterns, knowledge, skills, resources, and needs of occupational therapy practitioners providing services to parents with physical impairments. Participants (n = 51) primarily worked in outpatient rehabilitation (30%), inpatient rehabilitation (21%), and acute care (15%) settings. Participants reported evaluating and providing interventions for nine role-focused parenting activities. All participants agreed addressing the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) of parenting should be part of occupational therapy practice. Adaptive equipment and techniques were utilized to increase participation of parents with physical impairments in child rearing. Lack of resources for childcare equipment and need for more training were barriers. Ninety-eight percent of participants agreed advancing the role of occupational therapy for parents with physical impairments is needed.

Building the Network of Minority Health Research Investigators: A Novel Program to Enhance Leadership and Success of Underrepresented Minorities in Biomedical Research.

Background: To address the myriad of health problems and disparities that affect the United States (US) population, the mix of health care professionals and researchers must reflect the full diversity of the nation. There continues to be discrepancy between the number of trained scientists and biomedical researchers from underrepresented populations relative to the overall population. A scarcity of formal and informal networking opportunities for minority researchers and health care providers contribute to this lack of diversity. Objective: The purpose of this article is to report the outcomes of an established junior minority faculty mentoring program. The Network of Minority Health Research Investigators (NMRI) was established by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in 2002. We present outcome data from 2008 to the present. Methods: The Oversight and Planning Committees of the NMRI developed an 18-question survey. The NMRI program analyst conducted a pilot test of the survey and made modifications to ensure readability and understanding. From 2008 - 2018, we administered the survey in both paper and electronic versions to junior and senior members of NMRI. Descriptive results identified the participants. We used open coding to extrapolate recurring statements, words, and themes that were organized into four final categories: reasons for attending NMRI; mentoring; career development; and social support. Results: Participants were primarily post-doctoral researchers or assistant professors seeking promotion to instructor or associate professor with tenure (64%). Consistent reasons for participating in the Network included: career development; emotional support; mentorship for research; developing or refining skills for grant writing; lab management; poster presentations; and applying for tenure. Areas of research interest included diabetes, kidney diseases, nutrition, obesity, and bioinformatics. Conclusions: While the number of responses to the survey varied annually, the qualitative results suggest that career development and social support provided through the Network were the largest motivators for participation.

Behavior-Specific Influences for Physical Activity Among African American Women.

The purpose of this study was to describe physical activity (PA) behaviors and physical functioning of prehypertensive and Stage I hypertensive African American Women (AAW) and to examine the relationships between PA behavior, physical functioning, personal factors, and behavior-specific influences. Pender's Health Promotion Model was the conceptual framework for the study. A cross-sectional design and convenience sample were used. The PA domain where the greatest amount of time was spent was in work-related activity, followed by household, leisure time, and transportation activity. Personal factors most strongly correlated to lower PA were greater body mass index and waist circumference. AAW perceived moderate barriers to PA and minimal family and friend social support for PA. Future interventions need to focus on removing barriers to and improving social support for PA among AAW.

Influences of adult-onset diabetes on orofacial pain and related health behaviors.

OBJECTIVES: This study tested the hypothesis that persons with orofacial pain and comorbid adult-onset diabetes will experience greater functional and emotional impact than persons experiencing orofacial pain without diabetes. METHODS: A random-digit dialing sampling procedure was used for a disproportionate probability sample of 10,341 persons who were screened for orofacial pain in the past 6 months and diabetes. This paper reports on 1,767 individuals reporting toothache pain and 877 reporting painful oral sores. A structured telephone interview assessed diabetes history, orofacial pain characteristics, oral health-care behaviors, and emotional and functional impacts of orofacial pain. RESULTS: The 6-month point prevalence was 16.8 percent for toothache pain, 8.9 percent for painful oral sores, and 9.6 percent for adult-onset diabetes. Individuals with comorbid orofacial pain and adult-onset diabetes differed significantly on many of the pain characteristics and health behaviors compared with nondiabetic sufferers of orofacial pain. Diabetics were more likely than nondiabetics to have pain every day, to suffer negative emotions associated with pain, to experience disruption of daily activities and sleep, to make an emergency room visit for orofacial pain, and to report the current need for a pain-related health-care visit. CONCLUSIONS: Although diabetes is well known to be associated with neuropathic pain, these results indicate that the experience of nociceptive pain is exacerbated by diabetes. Findings have significance for the subjective experience of oral pain, dental-care outcomes, and health-related quality of life associated with oral-health outcomes among individuals with diabetes.

Variables associated with obesity among African-American women in Omaha.

Obesity is a health disparity related to environmental, social, and physical health issues, including ethnicity, education, and gender. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among obesity, age, education, and socioeconomic status and the relationship between obesity and depression among African-American women living in Omaha, Nebraska. A convenience sample of 378 African-American women completed the African-American Female Health Survey, which included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Body mass index (BMI) was used to measure obesity. Results indicated that 87% of the women were overweight; mean BMI was 32.78 with high cardiovascular disease risks. There was a statistically significant and positive relationship between depression and BMI (r = .201, p < .01). Occupational therapists may provide primary, secondary, and tertiary intervention through culturally relevant and meaningful health education programs.