Consumer participation in mental health education for pharmacy students improves students' attitudes toward people with mental illness.

Objective To identify the factors influencing Australian community pharmacists' willingness to participate in research projects and their attitudes towards research. Method A mixed‐method survey instrument comprising demographics, previous participation in research, and perceptions about participation in research was mailed to 267 community pharmacists in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. An analysis of variance test was used to identify similarities and differences between research‐ and non‐research‐active respondents. Bivariate correlations and partial least squares (PLS) regression analyses were used to identify barriers and facilitators to research participation. Key findings The overall response rate to the survey was 40%. Of these, 70% were classified as previous research participants (PRP), and 30% were classified as non‐previous research participants (NPRP). Both groups had mostly favourable attitudes towards research; however, the results revealed several differences between the PRP and NPRP groups. Three items were identified as key facilitators to participation in research for both PRP and NPRP groups ‐ having an interest in the research topic; believing that the research will benefit the customer; and a belief that community pharmacy research is important. Lack of time, either real or perceived, was identified as a key barrier to participation in research for both the PRP and NPRP groups. Conclusion Researchers should take into account pharmacists' previous research experience when recruiting pharmacists into research projects. In the case of pharmacists with research experience, emphasis should be on promoting factors that facilitate participation. In the case of pharmacists with little research experience, emphasis should be on reducing barriers to participation.

Patients significantly lowered their cholesterol levels probably as a result of the service delivered by their pharmacists within the short study time frame of ~9 months.

This study investigated how color and flavor influences drink identification by children and adults. The children ranged in age from 2 to 18 years of age. Each subject tasted four drinks that differed in color and flavor. Each drink had an atypical color-flavor pairing (e.g., brown-pineapple) or a typical pairing (e.g., brown-chocolate). After tasting each drink, the subject chose which of four flavor names identified the drink. For the atypical drinks, the selection of color-associated names (e.g., chocolate for a brown drink) decreased, and the selection of flavor-associated names increased with age from the preschoolers to the adults. For the typical drinks, the selection of the correct name was greater than 80% for all ages. These results suggest that drink identification becomes more influenced by flavor as children get older because of an increase in the ability of children to focus on flavor as their perceptual-attentional skills mature.

Objectives. To compare longitudinal data with previous cross-sectional data regarding Australian undergraduate pharmacy students' approaches to learning, and explore the differences in approaches to learning between undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts. Methods. Longitudinal, repeated measures design using a validated self-report survey instrument were used to gather data. Results. Undergraduate students' preferences for meaning directed, undirected, and reproduction-directed approaches to learning displayed the same pattern across the 2 studies; however, application-directed scores increased significantly in the second half of the undergraduate degree program. Commencing postgraduate students' approaches to learning were similar to finishing undergraduate students, and this group was significantly more oriented towards meaning-directed learning compared to undergraduate students. Conclusions. Pharmacy students' maturation in approach to their learning was evident and this bodes well for pharmacists' engaging in life-long learning and capacity to work in increasingly complex health settings.