Previous research has shown that expert physicians' diagnostic performance improves when contextual information about a patient is available, while the performance of novices is not influenced by this source of information. These results are explained by supposing that experts' knowledge is organized in illness-scripts. This study examined this…

Two studies investigated the utility of a Cognitive-Behavior Change model in predicting adolescents' health behavior changes. The intervention specifically aimed at increasing students' knowledge of heart healthy habits, strengthening their beliefs, attitudes, and confidence regarding their ability to improve their health habits, and providing…

Although caregiving has become a major gerontological focus, less attention has been paid to differences in family responses to the elder's impairment depending on whether the disability is physical or mental and to the effects on family members beyond the primary caregiver. Data for this study were taken from in-person interviews with a subsample…

Research on family relationships has indicated that the family is the primary basis of security for adults in later life. To explore the family environment and interactional experience of multigenerational families in which the elderly grandparent is chronically ill, 12 families (12 grandparents, 13 adult children, and 11 grandchildren) completed…

Although a connection between physical health and emotional well-being has long been recognized, health caregivers have only recently begun to focus on the influence of illness or disability on attitudes and behaviors. Groups have been organized for therapeutic, supportive, or orientational purposes with general medical-surgical patients. Group…

Research has shown a generally positive correlation between a person's propensity for illness and certain psychological variables. To investigate the relationship between an individual's age, sex, and degree of subscription to each of Albert Ellis' 10 irrational beliefs and their frequency and type of illness, 122 adults completed the Irrational…

This study demonstrated the feasibility of joint parent-child education to change the behaviors known to be associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Earlier studies have shown that parents who are at increased risk of coronary heart disease can be identified by studying certain factors in the children. Utilizing a combined risk…

This article reviews the scope and dynamics of heart, lung, and blood diseases and explains the need for research on primary prevention programs for children. Suggestions for school health education programs that contribute to disease prevention are delineated. (Author/DF)

This conference paper discusses seven trends with implications for pharmacy: changing demographics (to a more elderly population), setting limits (health care costs), wellness and health promotion, organizational and structural changes in the health care industry, driving diseases (mental health, heart disease, AIDS), driving discoveries, and…

Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores of 216 elderly Alzheimer's Disease patients based on 3 sets of recent age-extended norms were compared. Results demonstrate the importance of reporting the normative sample on which IQ scores for older adults are based and provide guidelines for selecting a set of age-related norms. (SLD)

Presents a comparison of human population and pathologic models. Builds support for a hypothesis that the human population is a planetary cancer by establishing the following: (1) features of human populations; (2) characteristics of human populations and other biological communities; (3) models of pathologic processes; and (4) malignant…

This pilot study examined the relational-behavior model (RBM) as an HIV/AIDS assessment tool for at-risk college populations. Based on this theory, a survey was constructed to assess the six areas associated with HIV/AIDS prevention: personal awareness, knowledge deficiency, relational skills, HIV/STD stigmatization, community awareness, and…

Assessing higher cerebral functions in patients with known or suspected dementia requires sampling numerous abilities quickly and accurately. This paper reports on the performance of 20 patients with probable dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) on the BNI Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions (BNI Screen). These patients' performances were…

This research examined whether a multicomponent program consisting of individual and family counseling intervention for spouse caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients can affect caregiver depression. Self-referred spouse caregivers (N=52) completed an intensive assessment battery on their perception of patient and personal status at entry into…

This study examined knowledge of AIDS transmission, attitudes toward interacting with people who have AIDS, and concerns about being personally affected by AIDS in childhood and adolescence. Subjects were 188 children and adolescents ranging from 6 to 18 years old. An open-ended interview covering a wide range of AIDS-related topics was conducted…