scholarly journals Formative Research on Acceptability of Pearl Millet in Rural Eastern Kenya – A Pilot Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mueni H. Ndiku ◽  
Eddy Jara ◽  
Joan Sabate
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Formative Research ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Nutritional Content ◽  
Daily Diet

<p class="Style1">This study explored the acceptability of pearl millet grain in rural Eastern Kenya. Ninety seven households accepted to plant pearl millet. These were the 37 who were part of the study and other 60 who were not part of the study. When requested to barter 2 kg pearl millet with maize, 33 (85%) out of 39bartered with maize, 2 (5%) with sorghum, 2 (5%) with chicken and 2 (5%) with money. The average score for skill attainment was 88% with 92.5% mothers readily gaining the skill to prepare and incorporate pearl millet into the daily diet of children. Children liked pearl millet when given with a low of 77.8% and a high of 93.2%. These findings suggest that policies or programs to promote cultivation, bartering, and consumption of pearl millet grain could be well acceptable in rural Eastern Kenya which could add to the nutritional content of local diets.</p>

71. Are video interviews a good alternative to in person interviews in assessing international applicants' skills?

2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
M. Alameddine ◽  
K. Imrie ◽  
S. Akers ◽  
S. Verma
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Education ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Psychological Treatment ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Global Rating ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Global Satisfaction ◽  
Personal Connection

We developed and administered two questionnaires to assess the interview experience of both interviewers and applicants during postgraduate medical selection interviews. Using a 5 point likert scale, the questionnaires assessed three areas (1) ability to show/assess communication, interpersonal and problem solving skills; (2) ability to know the other side well and (3) level of comfort with the interview. Interviewers and applicants were asked to provide a global rating for the interview. The questionnaires were administered to both candidates and applicants from 6 departments in 18 in-person and 12 video interviews. 30 applicant and 87 interviewer survey forms were collected and analyzed. T-tests were used to compare the means of the two groups and significance levels were analyzed. Both interviewers and applicants had a higher average global satisfaction for video interviews compared to in person interviews. No difference was indicated in the ability of interviewers to assess the applicants’ skills between the two types of interviews. For both interviewers and applicants, video interviews, compared to in person interview, had a lower average score for connecting personally & establishing rapport and for satisfaction with administrative arrangements. Video interviewed applicants had a 50% probability of getting accepted in a program compared to 22% of in person interviewed candidates. We conclude that video interviews appear to be a valuable alternative to in-person interviews, with some sacrifice in personal connection and rapport. Video interviews result in significant time and cost savings for international applicants and have potential implications for the CaRMS process as well. Sackett KM, Campbell-Heider N, Blyth JB. The evolution and evaluation of videoconferencing technology for graduate nursing education. Comput Inform Nurs. 2004 (Mar-Apr); 22(2):101-6. Shepherd L, Goldstein D, Whitford H, Thewes B, Brummell V, Hicks M. The utility of videoconferencing to provide innovative delivery of psychological treatment for rural cancer patients: results of a pilot study. J Pain Symptom Manage 2006 (Nov); 32(5):453-61. Arena J, Dennis N, Devineni T, Maclean R, Meador K. A pilot study of feasibility and efficacy of telemedicine-delivered psychophysiological treatment for vascular headache. Telemed J E Health 2004 (Winter); 10(4):449-54.

scholarly journals Work-related stress in specialists in occupational health in Croatia: a pilot study

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-380
Author(s):  
Azra Huršidić Radulović ◽  
Ana Marija Varošanec
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
High Level

AbstractThe aim of this study was to assess psychosocial stress-related risks in 70 specialists in occupational health (SOHs) who answered the questionnaire designed in 2016 by the Croatian Institute of Public Health – Department of Occupational Health. The average score of 119.7 points (±28.9; range: 38–175) of maximum 275 points revealed medium level of stress. Eighteen respondents had a high level of stress (>135 points). The most prominent and the only stressor with high stress scores was pressure at work, paperwork and multitasking items in particular. After having grouped the SOHs into three groups by type of organisation in which they work, our results singled out SOHs working in public institutions as having the highest levels of stress (average of 143 points). They reported high pressure at work, work overload, and poor relationship with superiors (in terms of communication and support). SOHs working in healthcare centres and private outpatient clinics also reported higher pressure at work, but the latter had no problems with relationship with superiors, while healthcare centre SOHs complained of work underload and advancement constraints. Differences in relationship with superiors, disagreement/conflicts at work and advancement constraints reflect different organisation of work, which was confirmed by later analysis of subgroups. The findings of this pilot study could be of value for SOHs who are engaged in training programmes as examiners and educators, yet they call for further improvement of the questionnaire and for continued investigation that could give a better insight into the role of various stressors in work efficiency and satisfaction among SOHs.

scholarly journals Implementing a Cooking and Dietary Management System Using RFID Technology

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pai-Hsun Chen ◽  
Ying-Hsin Liang ◽  
Tsung-Chi Lin
Keyword(s):  
Physiological Signals ◽  
Automatic Identification ◽  
Nutritional Content ◽  
Rfid Technology ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Meal Intake ◽  
Daily Diet ◽  
Diet Control ◽  
Essential Food ◽  
Control Purpose

The establishment of a database of nutritional ingredients with electronic scales feature provides chefs with conducted cooking; as long as the food category is selected and weighed by order, the nutritional content of the dish will be known. By RFID electronic scales and electronic plate function, the meal intake of nutrients and measurement of food nutrients per meal can reach a daily diet control purpose. The so-called RFID electronic plate is embedded into the chassis and aplate composed of a plurality of dishes to detect information in the chassis and the various subdishes through RFID reader. The chassis provides users with automatic identification such as physiological signals and doctor’s prescription as an individual dietary recommendation through dietary database. The dietary database, in addition to providing essential food nutrients, can be used to query using keywords and classification methods so as to quickly find the sum ingredients for cooking and ingredients. The chefs instantly know the meals nutrition during ingredients weighing by using RFID electronic scales. End users only need to place the allocated cooking dishes on electronic scales; they can easily know the total own meal intake nutrition.

scholarly journals Formative research for the development of baby water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions for young children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (REDUCE program)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Kuhl ◽  
Lucien Bisimwa ◽  
Elizabeth D. Thomas ◽  
Camille Williams ◽  
Joseph Ntakirutimana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Formative Research ◽  
Care Group ◽  
Enabling Technology ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Fecal Pathogens

Abstract Background Research exploring the unique exposure pathways to fecal pathogens for young children and innovative water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions for susceptible pediatric populations is needed to reduce the burden of diarrheal diseases and stunting globally. The Reducing Enteropathy, Diarrhea, Undernutrition, and Contamination in the Environment (REDUCE) program seeks to 1) identify exposure pathways to fecal pathogens that are significant contributors to morbidity for young children in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 2) develop and evaluate scalable interventions that reduce fecal contamination and exposure from these pathways. The formative research portion of the project sought to identify feasible and acceptable WASH interventions to modify behaviors found to be associated with diarrheal disease and impaired growth in our REDUCE cohort study. Methods Ninety-one semi-structured interviews, 6 focus group discussions, and a pilot study of 102 households were conducted during 24 months of formative research. Thirty-one interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted with caregivers, community health workers, and village leaders to explore existing WASH practices and to identify barriers and facilitators to WASH behaviors. Findings were organized using the Integrated Behavioral Model for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to facilitate interpretation and identify determinants to Baby WASH behaviors in this setting. Care Group modules and enabling technology were developed based on exploratory findings and then revised during a two-part, iterative pilot study. Sixty interviews were conducted with participants in a pilot study of the REDUCE Baby WASH Care Group modules to learn about their experiences with the intervention. Results Six REDUCE Baby WASH Care Group modules were developed based on formative research findings and covered the following topics: 1) living with animals; 2) child mouthing of fomites and feces; 3) composting animal feces; 4) child feces disposal; 5) handwashing with soap; and 6) water treatment. Conclusion This study took a theory-driven and evidence-based approach to formative research and the development of the REDUCE Baby WASH Care Group modules. Intervention design focused on interrupting the exposure routes for infants and young children to fecal pathogens in the environment and promoting low-cost, low-burden Baby WASH behavioral recommendations and enabling technology. These developed REDUCE Baby WASH Care Group modules are currently being rolled out to over 1,000,000 beneficiaries in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

scholarly journals Nutrition professionals' perception of the ‘healthiness’ of individual foods

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Scarborough ◽  
Mike Rayner ◽  
Lynn Stockley ◽  
Alison Black
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Nutritional Content ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Nutrient Profile ◽  
Master List ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Serving Size ◽  
Nutrition Professionals

AbstractObjectivesThis paper describes the development of an online questionnaire for testing nutrition professionals' perceptions of the ‘healthiness’ of individual foods and the results of administering that questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to produce a standard ranking of foods that can be used as a tool for testing nutrient profile models.DesignThe questionnaire asked respondents to categorise 40 foods (from a master list of 120) in one of six positions, ranging from less to more healthy. The 120 foods were selected to be representative of the British diet. The questionnaire was sent via email to nutrition professionals from the British Dietetic Association and the (British) Nutrition Society.ResultsEight hundred and fifty responses were received. These responses were used to rank the 120 foods by the average score which they received from the nutrition professionals. A regression analysis was also carried out to examine the relationship between the scores awarded by the nutrition professionals and various features of the foods: their nutritional content, their average serving size, their frequency of consumption, whether they were drinks or foods, etc. Nearly 50% of the variance in the average scores was explained by the nutritional content of the foods. When other variables were included in the analysis the percentage of variance that was explained increased to 64%.ConclusionsThe average scores of the foods produce a standard ranking, which can be used as a tool for validating and comparing nutrient profile models. The regression analysis provides some information about how nutrition professionals rank the ‘healthiness’ of individual foods.

scholarly journals Introduction to verification of the GOHAI instrument for measuring the oral health-related quality of life in patients with dentures using the Serbian preliminary version: A pilot study

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 1055-1062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeljka Popovic ◽  
Ivanka Gajic ◽  
Kosovka Obradovic-Djuricic ◽  
Dragoslav Milosevic
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Preliminary Version

Background/Aim. Quality of life related to health should be seen as a multidimensional concept that, in addition to the physical symptoms associated with a disease and treatment, should include physical, psychological and social functioning of a person. The primary objective of this study was to use the Serbian preliminary version of the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) questionnaire in oder to examine the consistency, reliability and stability, as well as an introduction to the verification tool. Methods. The GOHAI questionnaire with 6-level Likert scale, translated into Serbian, including the relevant oral health characteristics (oral hygiene, required dentures, number of teeth extracted), was filled by five specialists in prosthodontics for 30 randomly selected respondents, before and after the dental prosthetic treatment. Subsequently, in order to measure the reliability of the questionnaire, 27 patients were reinterviewed. Results. The value of Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient (Cr?) before the treatment was 0.878, and after the treatment it was 0.788 confirming the internal consistency and stability of the questionnaire. The validity of discriminatory properties of the GOHAI was confirmed by the Spearman's correlation coefficient (r), which was highly significantly associated with oral health characteristics, confirming the high reliability of the measurement. The results of test-retest analysis measured by the individual Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) were in the range of 0.34-0.97, and for the total score r was 0.927, while the Kappa coefficient was 0.63. The correlation analysis of the GOHAI score before the treatment showed that for 10 questions there was a statistically significant correlation of the score with the answers to the questions, and for 6 questions Spearman?s r was ? 0.7. After the treatment a highly significant correlation of the GOHAI was shown with the answers to 10 questions, while for 5 questions the Spearman?s r was > 0.6. The GOHAI average score before the treatment was 19.44 ? 11.12, and after the treatment 2.77 ? 3.83, where the lower value indicates better quality of life. Conclusion. The results of this pilot study confirm internal consistency and stability of the Serbian preliminary version of the GOHAI questionnaire and the causal relation between the quality of life and the characteristics of oral health of the patients with dentures. Accordingly, instrument verification is recommended.

scholarly journals IRON AND CALCIUM CONTENT OF EDIBLE PLANTS IN NON CONVENTIONAL FAMILY SOLANACEAE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (25) ◽  
pp. 30-36
Author(s):  
Cristiane MARANGON ◽  
Ivanise Maria RIZZATTI ◽  
Juliane Marques de SOUZA ◽  
Jordânia Gabriela Aires SANTANA ◽  
Bianca SCHVEITZRT
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Calcium Content ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Edible Plants ◽  
Nutritional Content ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Daily Diet ◽  
Physalis Angulata ◽  
Conventional Foods ◽  
Iron And Calcium

This study compares the amount of calcium and iron present in three species of Solanaceae, they are: Solanum paniculatum L., Solanum sessiflorum D. and Physalis angulata L., all considered unconventional food plants (PANC's) because they are unexplored by the general population. The three species were collected in riverine communities of the Lower Branco river, Roraima, and had its nutritional content compared with plants that are commonly used in the daily diet as well as the amount of daily nutrients recommended by ANVISA (National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance). As a result it was found that the nutritional content of these minerals is within what is recommended by the agency and figure as an alternative to nutritional replacement of riparian, once they usually have difficult to access conventional foods.

scholarly journals A structured program for teaching pancreatojejunostomy to surgical residents and fellows outside the operating room: a pilot study

BMC Surgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichi Oshiro ◽  
Kazuhiro Endo ◽  
Kazue Morishima ◽  
Yuji Kaneda ◽  
Masaru Koizumi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Operating Room ◽  
Simulation Training ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Surgical Residents ◽  
Resident Group ◽  
Structured Program

Abstract Background Pancreatojejunostomy (PJ) is one of the most difficult and challenging abdominal surgical procedures. There are no appropriate training systems available outside the operating room (OR). We developed a structured program for teaching PJ outside the OR. We describe its development and results of a pilot study. Methods We have created this structured program to help surgical residents and fellows acquire both didactic knowledge and technical skills to perform PJ. A manual was created to provide general knowledge about PJ and the specific PJ procedure used in our institution. Based on questionnaires completed by trainers and trainees, the procedure for PJ was divided into twelve steps and described in detail. After creating the manual, we developed organ models, needles and a frame box for simulation training. Three residents (PGY3-5) and three fellows (PGY6 or above) participated in a pilot study. Objective and subjective evaluations were performed. Results Trainees learn about PJ by reading the procedure manual, acquiring both general and specific knowledge. We conducted simulation training outside the OR using the training materials created for this system. They simulate the procedure with surgical instruments as both primary and assistant surgeon. In this pilot study, as objective assessments, the fellow-group took less time to complete one anastomosis (36 min vs 48 min) and had higher scores in the objective structured assessment of technical skill (average score: 4.1 vs 2.0) compared to the resident-group. As a subjective assessment, the confidence to perform a PJ anastomosis increased after simulation training (from 1.6 to 2.6). Participants considered that this structured teaching program is useful. Conclusion We developed a structured program for teaching PJ. By implementing this program, learning opportunities for surgical residents and fellows can be increased as a complement to training in the OR.

Views and Preferences of Low-Literate Hispanics Regarding Diabetes Education: Results of Formative Research

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 388-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milagros C. Rosal ◽  
Karin Valentine Goins ◽  
Elena T. Carbone ◽  
Dharma E. Cortes
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Diabetes Education ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Formative Research ◽  
Central American ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Diabetes Intervention ◽  
English Speaking

Hispanics are twice as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to have diabetes and are also at higher risk for diabetes-related complications and poorer outcomes. The prevalence of diabetes is inversely related to educational status. Low literacy is common, especially among older Hispanics. Little literature exists on formative research to create diabetes education materials for this audience. Two focus groups assessed views and preferences for diabetes education of low-literate, low-income, non-English-speaking urban Caribbean and Central American Hispanics with diabetes, as well as utility of materials developed specifically for this population, as part of the preliminary work for a pilot study of a diabetes intervention. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.

scholarly journals Chemical Literacy: Performance of First Year Chemistry Students on Chemical Kinetics

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muntholib Muntholib ◽  
Suhadi Ibnu ◽  
Sri Rahayu ◽  
Fauziatul Fajaroh ◽  
Sentot Kusairi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Chemical Kinetics ◽  
Average Score ◽  
First Year ◽  
Alpha Coefficient ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Test Instrument ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Literacy Performance

This study aims to (1) develop and validate a multiple choice chemical literacy test instrument (MC-CLTI) on chemical kinetics and (2) conduct a small survey on chemical literacy of first year chemistry students. The development of the instrument involved expert consultation and judgment, validation and two times pilot studies. The first pilot study involved 119 first year chemistry students while the second pilot study involved 197 second year chemistry students. The final form of MC-CLTI consists of 30 valid and reliable items (Cronbach's Alpha coefficient = 0.744). The survey showed that the average score of respondents' chemical literacy was 63.24. This score is in the range of the average scores reported by several previous studies.

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