Producing an information leaflet to help patients access high quality drug information on the Internet: a local study

Objectives: To develop a patient information leaflet (PIL) to help local patients meet their drug information needs using the Internet, and to perform a preliminary evaluation of this tool. Methods: Development—a cross‐sectional survey of the drug information needs of local patients using a semi‐structured questionnaire; assessment of websites offering free, consumer‐orientated medicines information using set criteria; identification of consensus criteria to evaluate the quality of health‐related on‐line information; evaluation—views on a draft patient information leaflet from a focus group. Results: Those surveyed felt that being directed to high‐quality websites and being provided with assessment criteria for on‐line information would be useful. The three websites fulfilling most of the set quality criteria were Surgery Door ( www.surgerydoor.co.uk ), InteliHealth ( www.intelihealth.com ) and medline plus ( www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus ). The six most frequently cited assessment criteria were currency, authorship, commerciality, relevance, links and attribution. A draft leaflet was constructed listing the above three websites and six criteria along with tips on how to search the Internet effectively. A focus group reacted favourably. Conclusion: The Internet is a source of drug information—an information leaflet may help to guide local patients through its variable information quality.     

The effect of two different 18-week walking programmes on aerobic fitness, selected blood lipids and factor XIIa

Forty-nine previously sedentary or low active individuals aged 40-71 years were allocated to three groups. The long walking group participated in an 18-week walking programme which consisted of walks lasting 20-40 min; the repetitive short walking group completed walks of between 10 and 15 min, up to three times a day, with no less than 120 min between each walk; and the control group maintained their low level of activity. Both walking programmes began at a prescribed 60 min x week(-1), which increased steadily up to 200 min x week(-1) by week 12. During the study, the long walking group walked for an estimated 2514 min (139 min x week(-1)), expending an estimated 67.5 MJ (3.72 MJ x week(-1)) at an estimated 73% of their age-predicted maximum heart rate and 68% of their estimated VO2max. The repetitive short walking group walked for an estimated 2476 min (135 min x week(-1)), expending an estimated 58.5 MJ (3.17 MJ x week(-1)) at an estimated 71% of their age-predicted maximum heart rate and 65% of their estimated VO2max. The results showed a statistically significant reduction in heart rate during a standardized step test (pre- vs post-intervention) in both walking groups, indicating an improvement in aerobic fitness, although the control group showed a higher average heart rate during the post-intervention test, indicating reduced fitness. When compared with the male subjects pre-intervention, the females possessed more favourable levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (P< 0.001), apolipoprotein (apo) AI (P < 0.001) and ratios of total cholesterol:HDL cholesterol (P< 0.02) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol: HDL cholesterol (P< 0.02). Compared with the controls post-intervention, the walking groups showed no statistically significant changes in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, apo AI, apo AII, apo B, or the ratios of total cholesterol: HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol: HDL cholesterol, apo AI: apo B or apo AI: apo AII (P > 0.05). Relative to the walking groups, factor XIIa increased in the control group (P < 0.05). We conclude that, although both walking programmes appeared to improve aerobic fitness, there was no evidence of improvements in the blood lipids or associated apolipoproteins of the walking groups. Further analysis indicated that this apparent lack of change may have been related to the subjects' relatively good pre-intervention blood lipid profiles, which restricted the potential for change. The implications of the observed changes in the coagulation/fibrinolytic factors remain unclear.     

Science in Action: How Middle School Students Are Changing Their World Through STEM Service-Learning Projects

The purpose of Science in Action (SIA) was to examine the relationship between implementing quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) service-learning (SL) projects and the effect on students' academic engagement in middle school science, civic responsibility, and resilience to at-risk behaviors. The innovative project funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) included 6,000+ middle school at-risk students (eligible for at least 50% free or reduced-cost lunch), 126 science teachers who integrated STEM problem-based SL pedagogy into science instruction to teach students to solve real problems in schools and communities. The project involved 20 schools and communities with assistance from 120 community partners. Participants completed pre- and post-SL surveys on academic engagement, civic responsibility, and resilience; qualitative data were collected from journals, interviews, focus groups, observations, and field notes. Results highlight exemplary SL projects that demonstrated increased student academic engagement and achievement for students living in high poverty areas with potential at-risk behavior. Implications for future research and educational practices are discussed.     

Effects of Headings on Text Summarization

A summarization task was used to study whether headings influence readers' representations of the topic structure of a text. College students (Experiments 1-3) and sixth- and eighth-graders (Experiment 3) summarized a multiple topic text that (a) included headings introducing every new subtopic, (b) included headings introducing half of the new subtopics, or (c) included no headings. In all experiments, topics were more likely to be included in a summary if they were signaled than if they were not signaled. This effect was magnified when the text was only half signaled: Signaled topics were more likely to appear in a summary if only half the text topics were signaled than if all of the topics were signaled; however, unsignaled topics were less likely to appear in a summary if half of the text topics were signaled than if none of the text topics were signaled. The findings demonstrate that readers rely heavily on headings in a task that emphasizes attention to a text's topic structure. It is suggested that previously observed signaling effects on text recall are mediated by effects on how readers represent a text's topic structure. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Elementary Science Teaching With Professional Learning Communities

Emerging from Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, this study of in-service elementary school teachers examined the effects of sustained Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) on self-efficacy in science teaching. Based on mixed research methods, and a non-equivalent control group experimental design, the investigation explored changes in personal self-efficacy and outcome expectancy among teachers engaged in PLCs that featured Demonstration Laboratories, Lesson Study, and annual Summer Institutes. Significant changes favoring the experimental group were found on all quantitative measures of self-efficacy. Structured clinical interviews revealed that observed changes were largely attributable to a wide range of direct (mastery) and vicarious experiences, as well as emotional reinforcement and social persuasion.     

Early years,low status? Early years teachers' perceptions of their occupational status

Using survey and interview data from the Teacher Status Project, this paper explores early years teachers' sense of status and compares it with primary and secondary teachers' perceived status. If, as Hoyle has suggested, working with children is an intractable barrier to enhanced status in the eyes of the public, early years teachers are faced with the greatest challenge. At the same time, their closer links with parents and community affords them more opportunity to enhance the esteem in which they are held through the way that they do their work. The data seem to support this view, but it is argued that whilst curriculum guidance, and the recognition of the Foundation Stage have enhanced these teachers' sense of status in the public eye, the effects of the ten‐year strategy could undermine this progress unless an emphasis is placed on the teaching, pedagogical element of their specialist expertise.