[Comparison of Stages of Physical Activity Among Nurses, Physicians, and Allied Healthcare Professionals].

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that regular physical activity is known to improve physical health and reduce absenteeism and perceived job strain, healthcare professionals currently perform inadequate physical activity. PURPOSE: To understand and compare the differences in stages of physical activity among nurses, physicians, and allied healthcare professionals. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire was used to survey nurses, physicians, and allied healthcare professionals who worked at four branches of a hospital in Taiwan. Data were collected using the physical activity stage of change questionnire. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, Chi-square test of homogeneity of proportions and a posteriori comaparisons, and multinominal logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 3,260 questionnaires administrated, 2,001 valid questionnaires were returned for an effective response rate of 61.4%. In total, 1,497 (74.8%) of the nurses, 241 (12.0%) of the physicians, and 263 (13.1%) of the allied healthcare professionals completed the questionnaire. The results revealed that most of the physicans and allied healthcare professionals were in the preparation stage, while most of the nurses were in the precontemplation stage. Multinominal logistic regression analyses showed that, using the precontemplation stage as a reference value, the odds of being in the contemplation stage were lower among participants who were nurses or male or who had a master's or doctoral degree (p < .05). Further, the odds of being in the preparation stage were lower among nurses (p < .01). The odds of being in the maintenance stage were higher among participants that: lived in the Taitung area, were male, or were single (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings provide valuable references for future hospital leaders to develop effective individual physical activity programs for healthcare professionals.

Second-hand smoke exposure and the factors associated with avoidance behavior among the mothers of pre-school children: a school-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Second-hand Smoke (SHS) exposure is a significant public health problem that may be responsible for serious health hazards for child. This study aimed to examine the exposure status of SHS and the factors associated with SHS avoidance behavior among the mothers of pre-school children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was used to obtain a sample of the mothers of pre-school children (n = 1,020) in 30 registered kindergartens in eastern Taiwan. Overall, 919 (a response rate of 90%) completed the questionnaires. Regression models were used to identify factors with respect to the avoidance behavior of SHS. RESULTS: The prevalence of exposure to SHS was 70% and 50% for the mothers and their children, respectively. After adjusting for other variables, mothers who were current smokers (ß = -0.260, p < 0.001), had spouses who smoked (ß = -0.060, p < 0.05), SHS exposure (ß = -0.138, p < 0.001), and/or children with exposure to SHS (ß = -0.084, p < 0.05) were found to be less likely to avoid SHS, whereas mothers with a high knowledge score about SHS (ß = 0.082, p < 0.01), positive attitudes (ß = 0.274, p < 0.001) and a high self-efficacy level in regard to the avoidance of SHS (ß = 0.397, p < 0.001) were observed to be more likely to avoid SHS. Regression analyses confirmed that the significantly factors associated with the avoidance behavior of SHS were self-efficacy, being a current smoker, and the attitude toward the avoidance of SHS to be that of 55.5% of the total variance explained (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence rate of exposure to SHS for mothers and their children suggests that a well-designed future intervention program should be implemented in regard to pre-school children's mothers in order to prevent these mothers and their children from SHS exposure hazards, more particularly, to strengthen the knowledge base, to enhance self-efficacy and to foster a more positive attitude toward the avoidance of SHS in the mothers.

Factors related to tobacco use among adolescents in southern Taiwan.

Identifying the factors related to the initiation and continuance of smoking among youth has been regarded as a crucial step for school nurses and public health nurses to develop effective smoking prevention and cessation programs in schools and communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors related to adolescent tobacco use in southern Taiwan. A total of 4,500 study samples were selected at random from the students of all high schools located in Pingdong County. This process yielded 3,307 valid samples (a 73.5% response rate). Study results found 62.4% (n = 2,063) reported never having smoked before. Thirty-eight percent (n = 1,244) of participants had experience using tobacco, 59.3% (n = 738) reported being ex-smokers, and 40.7% (n = 506) were current smokers. This study found that having friends who offered cigarettes, academic achievement, father's educational level, perceived peer smoking behavior to be primary influences on smoking, attitude, and self-efficacy and significant predicators of adolescents' current smoking behaviors. Parents' marital status and having classmate who offered cigarettes were significant predictors of adolescent smoking behavior. Study findings can provide a basis for school and public health nurses to design effective smoking prevention and cessation programs in schools and community settings. This study suggests further experimental studies are necessary to test the effectiveness of tobacco control programs designed in reference to the findings of this study.

Relationships between professional commitment, job satisfaction, and work stress in public health nurses in Taiwan.

The purpose of this study was to assess both direct and indirect relationships between professional commitment, job satisfaction, and work stress in public health nurses (PHNs) in Taiwan. The two major questions addressed were as follows: What were the professional commitment, job satisfaction, and work stress among PHNs? What model accurately portrays the relationships between these three independent variables? Exploration of the causal pathways among these variables revealed a fitness model. A structured, self-administered questionnaire with three scales was distributed to the subjects. A total of 258 subjects completed the questionnaire, yielding a 90% response rate. Results demonstrate a significant, direct, and positive effect of professional commitment on job satisfaction, as well as a significant inverse influence of job satisfaction on work stress. An indirect effect of professional commitment on work stress through job satisfaction was also revealed in the findings. All paths in the model were significant (P < .05). The findings of the study can help show that professional commitment plays an antecedent role to job satisfaction and work stress of nurses. This study suggests that professional commitment is an important factor related to work stress and that health care institutions should be concerned with this issue.

Effectiveness of case management for community elderly with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia in Taiwan: a record review.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the effectiveness of case management for community elderly with hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia (HC) (the so-called three highs). DESIGN AND SETTING: Secondary data of the first and 3-month-after visiting records were extracted from 33 Public Health Centers in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred and sixty-six clients were selected who were at least 65 years old and had been diagnosed twice on the Case Management Record with at least one of the three highs. RESULTS: This sample had a mean age of 72.6 years, 59.7% were female. Approximately 74% of the clients had HT, 55% had diabetes, and 15% had HC. Each elderly revealed 1.4 highs of the three highs. The elderly with HT, and diabetes, their blood pressures (BP) and blood sugars significantly decreased after being managed by public health nurses. Males and the elderly living in urban areas had more decrease in systolic BP. Females had more decrease in fasting blood sugar. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that the case management of the three highs presented effectiveness on reducing the values of the three highs of the elderly in community.

[A conceptual analysis of professional commitment].

Professional Commitment is an attitude, and it is the core and spirit of professionalism. In addition to increasing personal stability in the profession, it also enables individuals to reach their professional goals in general. Because nurses usually have more opportunities than other health care professionals to be in contact with patients, patients receive most of their information about health care from nurses. If nurses accept professional commitment as early as possible, the quality of patient-care will be improved. That is the reason why professional commitment is regarded as the hallmark of quality in professional care. This paper will use the conceptual analysis framework developed by Walker and Avant (1995) to examine and analyze professional commitment and establish its relationship with nursing. The authors hope that it can provide nurses with the opportunity to understand this concept more fully, to support their own profession, to raise the position of the nursing profession and to guarantee the health of the general public.

The relationships among turnover intentions, professional commitment, and job satisfaction of hospital nurses.

This study investigated the relationships among turnover intentions, professional commitment, and job satisfaction of registered nurses. A structured, self-administered questionnaire, including the Professional Commitment Scale, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and demographic data, was distributed to 2,550 registered nurses. A total of 2,197 subjects completed the questionnaires with an 86.2 per cent response rate. All of the subjects were women. The mean age was 28.56 years. Seventy-two per cent of respondents had graduated with an associate's degree and 59 per cent were unmarried. There was a positive correlation between job satisfaction and professional commitment, intention to leave the organization, and between intention to leave the profession. The negative correlation was significant between professional commitment and turnover intentions, and between job satisfaction and turnover intentions. The discriminant analysis showed that 38.4 per cent of job satisfaction was correctly classified in predicting intention to leave the organization, and 30.5 per cent in predicting the intention to leave the profession. Thirty per cent of professional commitment was correctly classified in predicting intention to leave the organization, and 39.7 per cent in predicting the intention to leave the profession. The study suggests that there were different moderators that affect different turnover intentions of staff nurses.