This study serves as a baseline for visiting nurse-driven case management for low-income patients with hypertension. Its findings suggest that visiting nurse-driven case management targeting the self management of BP can foster improved BP control for newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in low-income populations.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in the United States. This study examined the cardiovascular disease risk factors and health beliefs of workers for the purpose of developing a social network service (SNS)-based (e.g., Facebook and KakaoTalk) lifestyle-modification program for workers. Participants included 68 hospital workers (aged 25-60 years), with more than two metabolic syndrome or cardiovascular disease risk factors. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: SNS intervention group ( n = 23), education-only intervention group ( n = 19), or nonintervention group ( n = 26). Data were collected to compare changes in risk indicators according to the intervention method and time and analyzed using repeated-measures analyses of variance. Compared to the education and nonintervention groups, the SNS intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in waist circumference, body mass index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, health promotion behaviors, and self-efficacy. This type of program has potential for allowing occupational health professionals to work with workers to improve lifestyle behaviors that promote health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

No abstract

Tailored education effectively improved the patients' knowledge of diabetes and self-management. Therefore, regular, individually tailored education on a long-term basis by visiting nurses can provide essential education to low-income adult diabetic patients for maintaining self-management.

No abstract

When medication adherence was defined as taking warfarin according to medical advice (frequency, dosage, time, and precautions), 56 (27.5%) of 204 respondents were adherent. The adherent group had a greater understanding about warfarin than the nonadherent group as measured by 10 survey items (7.20 ± 1.70 vs 6.56 ± 1.84; P < .05) and had significantly higher self-efficacy (P < .000). However, medication adherence was not associated with good anticoagulation level as measured by INR. The results show that knowledge about warfarin and self-efficacy exert significant influence on medication adherence, and yet medication adherence did not predict therapeutic anticoagulation control. Further studies are needed to identify factors predicting favorable anticoagulation control in patients taking warfarin.

Prevention programs for the management of depression in immigrant women should include an evaluation of acculturative conflict and stress and should consider marital and family conditions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine validity and reliability of Webel and colleagues' HIV Self-Management Scale when used with a Korean sample. Methods: The original 20-item HIV Self-Management Scale was translated into Korean using translation and back-translation. Nine HIV nurse experts tested content validity. Principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of data from 203 patients was used to test construct validity. Concurrent validity was evaluated using correlation with patients' self-rating as a "smart patient" measured using a visual analogue scale. Internal consistency was tested by Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Results: All items were rated as having satisfactory content validity. Based on PCA and consideration of conceptual meaning, a three-factor solution was selected, explaining 48.76% of the variance. CFA demonstrated the adequacy of the three-domain structure of the construct HIV self-management: daily self-management health practices, social support and HIV self-management, and chronic nature of HIV self-management. Goodness-of-fit indices showed an acceptable fit overall with the full model ( χ 2 / df(164)=1.66, RMSEA=0.06, SRMR=0.05, TLI=0.91, and CFI= 0.92). The Korean version of the HIV Self-Management Scale (KHSMS) was significantly correlated with patients' self-rated smart patient (r=.41). The subscale Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from .78 to .81; alpha for the total scale was .89. Conclusion: The KHSMS provides a valid and reliable measure of self-management in Korean patients with HIV. Continued psychometric testing is recommended to provide further evidence of validity with this population.Key words: HIV, Self-management, Self-care, Reliability, Validity * This study was supported by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and Hallym University (7-2012-0333 If the original work is properly cited and retained without any modification or reproduction, it can be used and re-distributed in any format and medium.