scholarly journals Epidemiology of constipation in adults: Why estimates of prevalence differ

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Barry Werth

This review of over 80 articles published in the last 30 years shows that estimates of the prevalence of chronic constipation in community-dwelling adults varied widely from 2.4% to 39.6% in general adult populations and from 4% to 25.8% in older adult populations. Estimates of the prevalence of any constipation (including both chronic and sporadic constipation) also varied widely from 2.6% to 31.0% in general adult populations and from 4.4% to 44.5% in older adult populations. Apart from any country or regional differences, this wide range of estimated prevalence may be attributed to different definitions used for both chronic and any constipation as well as different data collection methods and sampling differences. Sampling issues include sample size, representativeness and age range of populations sampled. Further research is required to examine the impact of different definitions on prevalence estimates to help determine the best definitions for use in future epidemiological studies. If standard definitions can be universally agreed and used, along with appropriate sampling and data collection methods, more precise estimates of constipation prevalence should be attained. This would allow more meaningful comparisons between countries and may also provide the ability to pool results.

BIODIK ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Ervan Johan Wicaksana ◽  
Pramana Atmadja

This analytic descriptive study aims to determine the impact of the accompanying teacher of the SM3T program towards on the learning interest of the students in biology subject at SMKN 1 Kintamani, Bangli, Province of Bali. Data collection methods with observation, questionnaires and interviews. Data were analyzed by quantitative descriptive. The results of the regression analysis between the presence of the accompanying teacher and the learning interest of the students in Biology subject get a determination value of 0.28. These data indicate that 28% of the learning interest of students at SMK 1 Kintamani is influenced by the presence of a companion biology teacher in the Direktorat PSMK program.   Abstrak. Penelitian deskriptif analitik ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dampak program guru pendamping Direktorat PSMK (Program SM3T) terhadap animo belajar peserta didik pada mata pelajaran biologi di SMKN 1 Kintamani, kabupaten Bangli, Propinsi Bali. Metode pengumpulan data dengan observasi, angket dan wawancara. Data dianalisis dengan deskriptif kuantitatif. Hasil analisis regresi antara adanya guru pendamping dengan animo belajar peserta didik pada mata pelajaran Biologi mendapatkan nilai determinasi sebesar 0,28. Data tersebut menenuntukkan bahwa 28% animo belajar peserta didik di SMKN 1 Kintamani dipengaruhi oleh adanya guru biologi pendamping pada program Direktorat PSMK.   Kata Kunci: Guru Pendamping, Program Direktorat PSMK, Animo Belajar


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-221
Author(s):  
Muhammad Saerozi

The Covid-19 pandemic that has hit Indonesia since March 2109 has an impact on all aspects of life, including in this study the impact on mosque cash. This study aims to analyze the trend of obtaining mosque cash funds at the Istiqomah Ungaran Grand Mosque before and during the covid-19 pandemic, if there is a decline then what causes the decline to occur and what philanthropic strategies are made by mosque administrators to optimize the mosque's cash funds. This research was completed by using a mixed method qualitative and quantitative with data collection methods through observation, interviews, documentation and group discussion forums (FGD). This study found that a significant decrease occurred in the cash fund of the Great Mosque of Istiqomah Ungaran due to the reduced activities organized by the mosque. The strategy made by the administrators of the Istiqomah Grand Mosque in Ungaran is with online recitations as well as infaq payments and online Istiqomah RA and SD Istiqomah tuition payments.  


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Boeltzig-Brown ◽  
Allison R. Fleming ◽  
Miriam Heyman ◽  
Martha Gauthier ◽  
Julisa Cully ◽  
...  

Purpose:To conduct a systematic review (SR) of 550 studies produced between 1970 and 2008 that focus on programs and/or services provided by state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies believed to impact client and/or program outcomes.Method:Authors used a 5-step SR protocol to evaluate and summarize study content and outcomes, study design, and data collection methods.Results:Results indicate that the VR research base is highly varied in terms of the research focus with respect to programs and services, populations, and outcomes and that it spans across a wide range of research designs and data collection methods.Conclusions:The majority of the studies included in this review relied on administrative data, particularly Rehabilitation Services Administration data, and surveys. Only a small number of studies employed some type of experimental design, suggesting a lack of application of this type of research design. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Jamie West ◽  
Jennifer Atherton ◽  
Seán J Costelloe ◽  
Ghazaleh Pourmahram ◽  
Adam Stretton ◽  
...  

Preanalytical errors have previously been shown to contribute a significant proportion of errors in laboratory processes and contribute to a number of patient safety risks. Accreditation against ISO 15189:2012 requires that laboratory Quality Management Systems consider the impact of preanalytical processes in areas such as the identification and control of non-conformances, continual improvement, internal audit and quality indicators. Previous studies have shown that there is a wide variation in the definition, repertoire and collection methods for preanalytical quality indicators. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry Working Group on Laboratory Errors and Patient Safety has defined a number of quality indicators for the preanalytical stage, and the adoption of harmonized definitions will support interlaboratory comparisons and continual improvement. There are a variety of data collection methods, including audit, manual recording processes, incident reporting mechanisms and laboratory information systems. Quality management processes such as benchmarking, statistical process control, Pareto analysis and failure mode and effect analysis can be used to review data and should be incorporated into clinical governance mechanisms. In this paper, The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine PreAnalytical Specialist Interest Group review the various data collection methods available. Our recommendation is the use of the laboratory information management systems as a recording mechanism for preanalytical errors as this provides the easiest and most standardized mechanism of data capture.


Author(s):  
Tara Cataldo ◽  
◽  
Amy Buhler ◽  
Ixchel Faniel ◽  
Britanny Brannon ◽  
...  

Introduction. A multi-institutional, grant-funded project employed mixed methods to study 175 fourth-grade through graduate school students’ point-of-selection behaviour. The method features the use of simulated search engine results pages to facilitate data collection. Method. Student participants used simulated Google results pages to select resources for a hypothetical school project. Quantitative data on participants’ selection behaviour and qualitative data from their think-aloud protocols were collected. A questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data on participants’ backgrounds and online research experiences. Analysis. This paper reflects on the data collection methods and highlights opportunities for data analysis. The ability to analyse data both qualitatively and quantitatively increases the rigor and depth of findings. Results. The simulation created a realistic yet controlled environment that ensures the comparability of data within and across a wide range of educational stages. Combining data on participants’ behaviour, thoughts and characteristics provides a more complete picture of factors influencing online resource selection. Conclusions. Using simulated results pages in combination with multiple data collection methods enables analyses that create deeper knowledge of participants' information behaviour. Such a complicated research design requires extensive time, expertise and coordination to execute.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire McCallum ◽  
John Rooksby ◽  
Cindy M Gray

BACKGROUND Although many smartphone apps and wearables have been designed to improve physical activity, their rapidly evolving nature and complexity present challenges for evaluating their impact. Traditional methodologies, such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs), can be slow. To keep pace with rapid technological development, evaluations of mobile health technologies must be efficient. Rapid alternative research designs have been proposed, and efficient in-app data collection methods, including in-device sensors and device-generated logs, are available. Along with effectiveness, it is important to measure engagement (ie, users’ interaction and usage behavior) and acceptability (ie, users’ subjective perceptions and experiences) to help explain how and why apps and wearables work. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to (1) explore the extent to which evaluations of physical activity apps and wearables: employ rapid research designs; assess engagement, acceptability, as well as effectiveness; use efficient data collection methods; and (2) describe which dimensions of engagement and acceptability are assessed. METHOD An interdisciplinary scoping review using 8 databases from health and computing sciences. Included studies measured physical activity, and evaluated physical activity apps or wearables that provided sensor-based feedback. Results were analyzed using descriptive numerical summaries, chi-square testing, and qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS A total of 1829 abstracts were screened, and 858 articles read in full. Of 111 included studies, 61 (55.0%) were published between 2015 and 2017. Most (55.0%, 61/111) were RCTs, and only 2 studies (1.8%) used rapid research designs: 1 single-case design and 1 multiphase optimization strategy. Other research designs included 23 (22.5%) repeated measures designs, 11 (9.9%) nonrandomized group designs, 10 (9.0%) case studies, and 4 (3.6%) observational studies. Less than one-third of the studies (32.0%, 35/111) investigated effectiveness, engagement, and acceptability together. To measure physical activity, most studies (90.1%, 101/111) employed sensors (either in-device [67.6%, 75/111] or external [23.4%, 26/111]). RCTs were more likely to employ external sensors (accelerometers: P=.005). Studies that assessed engagement (52.3%, 58/111) mostly used device-generated logs (91%, 53/58) to measure the frequency, depth, and length of engagement. Studies that assessed acceptability (57.7%, 64/111) most often used questionnaires (64%, 42/64) and/or qualitative methods (53%, 34/64) to explore appreciation, perceived effectiveness and usefulness, satisfaction, intention to continue use, and social acceptability. Some studies (14.4%, 16/111) assessed dimensions more closely related to usability (ie, burden of sensor wear and use, interface complexity, and perceived technical performance). CONCLUSIONS The rapid increase of research into the impact of physical activity apps and wearables means that evaluation guidelines are urgently needed to promote efficiency through the use of rapid research designs, in-device sensors and user-logs to assess effectiveness, engagement, and acceptability. Screening articles was time-consuming because reporting across health and computing sciences lacked standardization. Reporting guidelines are therefore needed to facilitate the synthesis of evidence across disciplines.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desia Bacon ◽  
Haley Weaver ◽  
Jenny Saffran

Online data collection methods pose unique challenges and opportunities for infant researchers. Looking-time measures require relative timing precision to link eye-gaze behavior to stimulus presentation, particularly for tasks that require visual stimuli to be temporally linked to auditory stimuli, which may be disrupted when studies are delivered online. Concurrently, by widening potential geographic recruitment areas, online data collection may also provide an opportunity to diversify participant samples that are not possible given in-lab data collection. To date, there is limited information about these potential challenges and opportunities. In Study 1, twenty-one 23- to 26-month-olds participated in an experimenter-moderated looking-time paradigm that was administered via the video conferencing platform Zoom, attempting to recreate in-lab data collection using a looking-while-listening paradigm. Data collected virtually approximated results from in-lab samples of familiar word recognition, after minimal corrections to account for timing variability. We also found that the procedures were robust to a wide range of internet speeds, increasing the range of potential participants. However, despite the use of an online task, the participants in Study 1 were demographically unrepresentative, as typically observed with in-person studies in our geographic area. The potentially wider reach of online data collection methods presents an opportunity to recruit larger, more representative samples than those traditionally found in lab-based infant research, which is crucial for conducting generalizable human-subjects research. In Study 2, microtargeted Facebook advertisements for online studies were directed at two geographic locations that are comparable in population size but vary widely in demographic and socioeconomic factors. We successfully elicited sign-up responses from caregivers in neighborhoods that are far more diverse than the local University community in which we conduct our in-person studies. The current studies provide a framework for infancy researchers to conduct remote eye-gaze studies by identifying best practices for recruitment, design, and analysis. Moderated online data collection can provide considerable benefits to the diversification of infant research, with minimal impact on the timing precision and usability of the resultant data.


1975 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter A. Henry ◽  
Robert V. Stumpf

The impact of stimulus set size and data collection methods on response accuracy and response time were investigated in an empirical study. Anchor Point collection techniques proved superior in reducing respondent time with no sacrifice in accuracy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inga Gruß ◽  
Arwen Bunce ◽  
James Davis ◽  
Rachel Gold

Abstract Background Qualitative data are crucial for capturing implementation processes, and thus necessary for understanding implementation trial outcomes. Typical methods for capturing such data include observations, focus groups, and interviews. Yet little consideration has been given to how such methods create interactions between researchers and study participants, which may affect participants’ engagement, and thus implementation activities and study outcomes. In the context of a clinical trial, we assessed whether and how ongoing telephone check-ins to collect data about implementation activities impacted the quality of collected data, and participants’ engagement in study activities. Methods Researchers conducted regular phone check-ins with clinic staff serving as implementers in an implementation study. Approximately 1 year into this trial, 19 of these study implementers were queried about the impact of these calls on study engagement and implementation activities. The two researchers who collected implementation process data through phone check-ins with the study implementers were also interviewed about their perceptions of the impact of the check-ins. Results Study implementers’ assessment of the check-ins’ impact fell into three categories: (1) the check-ins had no effect on implementation activities, (2) the check-ins served as a reminder about study participation (without relating a clear impact on implementation activities), and (3) the check-ins caused changes in implementation activities. The researchers similarly perceived that the phone check-ins served as reminders and encouraged some implementers’ engagement in implementation activities; their ongoing nature also created personal connections with study implementers that may have impacted implementation activities. Among some study implementers, anticipation of the check-in calls also improved their ability to recount implementation activities and positively affected quality of the data collected. Conclusion These results illustrate the potential impact of qualitative data collection on implementation activities during implementation science trials. Mitigating such effects may prove challenging, but acknowledging these consequences—or even embracing them, perhaps by designing data collection methods as implementation strategies—could enhance scientific rigor. This work is presented to stimulate debate about the complexities involved in capturing data on implementation processes using common qualitative data collection methods. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02325531. Registered 15 December 2014.


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