Dissection versus Prosection: A Comparative Assessment of the Course Experiences, Approaches to Learning, and Academic Performance of Non-medical Undergraduate Students in Human Anatomy.

Many institutions rely upon prosection-based laboratories as more resource-efficient and time-effective alternatives to traditional cadaver dissection for human anatomy education. To facilitate growing enrollment numbers despite resource limitations, the University of Guelph (a non-medical institution) introduced a modified "stepwise" prosection-based laboratory cohort to supplement a dissection-based course. In this design, all students attended the same lectures, but those in the dissection-based cohort learned by performing regional dissections and students in the prosection-based cohort studied from those dissections. Prosection students thereby witnessed a "slow reveal" of structures throughout the course. This study compared the perceived course experiences, student approaches to learning, and academic performance between the two groups. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to isolate the effect of the laboratory environment on student approaches to learning and academic performance from demographic and situational covariates. Both groups reported positive course experience ratings and high average final grades that were not statistically dissimilar (P > 0.05), increased reliance on deep approaches to learning (P = 0.002), and decreased reliance on surface approaches to learning (P = 0.023). When controlling for covariates, participation in dissection had small but statistically significant positive associations with deep approaches to learning (P = 0.043), performance on laboratory oral assessments (P < 0.001), and average final grades (P = 0.039). Ultimately, both designs promoted meaningful learning and desirable performance outcomes, indicating that both dissection and stepwise prosection have the potential to facilitate high quality human anatomy instruction.

Perceptions and use of sources of health knowledge by young adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Understanding how adolescents acquire health knowledge and where they currently seek answers to health-related questions may facilitate the development of interventions that will be both engaging and effective, and may help to improve health over the short- and long-term. OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to investigate the perception and use of sources of health knowledge by young adolescents as stratified by gender. METHODS: Thirty 50-min long focus groups were conducted with 143 participants. Focus group questions were built around the following three main categories: sources of knowledge, including preferred sources, sources accessed for general health, and sources accessed for personal/sensitive health; health information and behaviour change, including characteristics of health knowledge presentation that have influenced behaviour change; and learning preferences to promote behaviour change. Content analysis of focus group transcripts was performed. RESULTS: The use of sources of health knowledge was similar between genders, with some differences noted between sources accessed for general as compared to personal health questions. As well, motivation appeared to be the primary influence of health behaviour change, with knowledge being reported as both as positive and neutral influence, most notably in the areas of diet and exercise. Lastly, adolescents reported several characteristics of health knowledge presentation that they felt would motivate positive behaviour change, including engaging and participatory activities. CONCLUSION: These results should be considered in the development of interventions to improve health-related behaviour in adolescents, although future research to quantify the use of sources of health knowledge by this population is recommended.

Direct quantitation of omega-3 fatty acid intake of Canadian residents of a long-term care facility.

An increased dietary intake of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA; >or=20 carbons, >or=3 carbon-carbon double bonds), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), is associated with the decreased risk and incidence of several morbidities afflicting the elderly, including cognitive decline, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, and macular degeneration. In this study, the dietary intake and blood levels of fatty acids were directly determined in residents of a retirement home or assisted living phase of a continuum of care facility for Canadian seniors. Finger-tip-prick blood samples, 3-day food duplicates, and 3-day food records were collected. The fatty acid composition of food duplicates and blood was determined by gas chromatography. Fifteen participants (7 male, 8 female; 87.1 +/- 4.8 years of age) completed the protocol. The daily intake of EPA and DHA combined, determined directly, was 70 mg (95% CI, 41-119) or 0.036% of total energy (95% CI, 0.022-0.058). In finger-tip-prick blood, the percent of n-3 HUFA in total HUFA of whole blood, a biomarker of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid status, was 28.8 +/- 5.2%. Correlations between daily n-3 HUFA intake and n-3 HUFA in blood were not significant (r = 0.14; n = 15), but became significant after the removal of 2 participants who appeared to consume fish irregularly (r = 0.59; n = 13). The n-3 HUFA intake and corresponding n-3 HUFA blood levels of Canadian long-term care residents are lower than levels estimated to prevent several morbidities associated with aging.