Hydroxyproline index: an indicator of nutritional status. Study of Mississippi children.

The hydroxyproline index was used to evaluate nutritional status of four- to five year-old black children in two Mississippi counties. Positive partial regression coefficinets were highly significant for weight in both counties and significant for height in one. These data seem to confirm results of other workers that changes in the index may reflect change in body weight rather than in hydroxyproline; creatinine ratio. Eighty per cent of the children had high serum gamma globulin levels suggesting infection, which has been shown to cause a high degree of variability in hydroxyproline excretion. Results indicate that hydroxyproline index may not be a valid indicator of nutritional status for this popualtion group.

Nutritional status of black preschool children in Mississippi. Influence of income, mother's education, and food programs.

The nutritional status of 247 black preschoolers in two counties of Mississippi was studied by relating caloric and nutrient intakes and anthropometric measurements to homemaker's education, family income, and participation in Food Stamp and donated food programs..23AUTHOR Low intakes of calories, iron, calcium, vitamin A, and ascorbic acid were found in many of the children, regardless of the variable considered. These findings--in comparison with similar studies--imply that, as time passes, low education and income are having less impact on child nutrition. This ameliorating effect may be due to programs designed to educate parents and extend purchasing power of food dollars. Thus, it seems advisable to continue these programs.?23AUTHOR

Perceptions of older Latino adults regarding physical fitness, physical activity, and exercise.

Healthy People 2000 has identified the importance of physical activity for healthy aging, but little is known about what motivates older individuals, older Latino adults, in particular, to be physically active. The purpose of this research was to examine the perceptions of older Latino adults toward physical fitness, physical activity, and exercise. This study used a qualitative focus group design. The sample of Latino adults age 60 and older resided in Northeast Massachusetts and was recruited from community settings which serve older Latino adults. Three focus groups, consisting of four to eight individuals in each group, were conducted and audiotaped. Data analysis used a combination of open, axial, and selective coding procedures. Focus group participants viewed physical fitness as being able to do anything; the mind and body working together; and feeling "light," being healthy. Support was viewed as a motivator of physical activity and exercise and included community resources, group support, cultural unity, and health provider assistance Barriers of fear and a feeling of inappropriateness were identified by focus group participants. Although the study was exploratory and the sample size small, it provides useful cultural knowledge and information for community health and gerontological nurses. Knowledge about older Latino adults' perceptions of motivators and barriers to physical activity and exercise is a necessary first step for nurses to prescribe activities that will help improve functional independence and quality of life. Nurses can serve as links for older Latino adults in accessing community resources. Sociocultural factors that influence Latino adult perceptions must be assessed if health promotion program planning is to be tailored to meet individual and group needs.

Aging in the oldest old living in Scotland: a phenomenological study.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to uncover ways in which the oldest old living in a Scottish community view the experience of aging. The research was guided by Parse's theory and followed the van Kaam method to elicit a structural definition of the meaning of aging, as described by the oldest old. Through the processes of intuiting, analyzing, and describing, it was found that the experience of aging is intensifying engagements as transfigurations signify maturity tempering the unavoidable with buoyant serenity. Findings are discussed in light of meaning specified in other explorations of the aging experience. Conceptual expansion enhances understanding for practice and further research.

A guide for assessing caregiver needs: determining a health history database for family caregivers.

The complex issue of combining caregiving and employment requires an awareness on the part of primary care providers of the health and social impact these responsibilities have on clients. Failure to consider the psychosocial and health-related consequences of caregiving for individuals with dual roles could result in greater health care costs, jeopardize the health of the caregiver, and place the care recipient at risk of institutionalization. The purpose of this article is to offer a guide that can be used as part of a comprehensive health history to assess the caregiving situation and provide a database on which to establish a plan of action. The caregiver assessment guide can be inserted in the client's health record and periodically reviewed during primary care visits.

AAN working paper. Wellness and health promotion of the elderly.

One of the missions of the American Academy of Nursing is to formulate strategies for health policy. To arrive at these strategies, Academy members share their thoughts, knowledge, and imagination in working groups at Academy meetings. The Expert Panel on Older Adults, one of these working groups, asked for interested members to formulate a policy paper on wellness and health promotion of the elderly for presentation at the AAN meeting in Los Angeles last October. This was done, and AAN members at that meeting shared their views on the paper. Now, this draft is being published here to invite all Nursing Outlook readers to review and comment on the policy recommendations that have been formulated. We encourage feedback so your ideas can be considered in the development of the paper. The paper will be submitted for approval to the AAN Committee on Health Policy Reform.

Athletes' view of the preparticipation physical examination. Attitudes toward certain health screening questions.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the value student-athletes place on the preparticipation physical examination (PPE) in ensuring safe participation and to determine whether these athletes would accept a station-based PPE that emphasizes health-related issues. DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Athletic departments of 2 small southeastern colleges. PARTICIPANTS: Population of student-athletes enrolled in these colleges. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Athletes' views on the necessity of the PPE to ensure safe participation in athletics, willingness to pay a fee for the currently free examination, appropriateness of the PPE as a setting for counseling by physicians regarding age-specific health screening issues, and PPE as the only routine health maintenance contact with a physician during the year. RESULTS: A majority of athletes (66%) believed they could safely participate in athletics and avoid severe injuries or death and minor injuries without undergoing a PPE. Most athletes believed the PPE prevents or helps to prevent both major (89%) and minor (76%) injuries. Male and female respondents would not be uncomfortable with a physician or other health care provider asking questions regarding health-related issues. However, many athletes (especially women) believed that the PPE is not a place for specific questions (questions related to sexual activity and health, eating disorders, smoking, and personal and family use of alcohol). CONCLUSIONS: Most student-athletes do not see a value of the PPE in regard to safe athletic participation; most athletes believe that the PPE prevents or helps to prevent injuries when there is no clear evidence to support this assumption; and athletes are receptive to most preventive health screening, but do not feel comfortable with certain issues being raised (i.e., gynecologic health, eating disorders, and alcohol and nicotine use). With specific modifications aimed toward the needs and comfort level of the student-athlete, the PPE may provide an opportunity to present health-related education and counseling by means of unique and innovative materials to a group of adolescents and young adults.