The authors present a reformulation of empowerment based upon historical and current perspectives of empowerment and a synthesis of existing literature and Rogerian thought. Reformulation of non-Rogerian concepts familiar to nurses is proposed as a strategy to accelerate the mainstreaming of Rogerian thought into nursing practice and research. The reformulation of empowerment as a participatory process of well-being inherent among human beings may provide nurses with new insights for practice. This paper may also serve as a model for reformulating other non-Rogerian concepts and theories for wider dissemination across the discipline.
There has been much discussion regarding the need to empower older adults to make informed health decisions and to test interventions targeting empowerment to promote health among older adults. It has been suggested that an empowerment approach may nurture an older adult's participation in health care decisions and promote positive health outcomes. The purpose of this article is to report the findings of a critical review of published empowerment intervention studies with community-dwelling older adults. A descriptive literature review was conducted to examine how empowerment is conceptualized across interventions, the guiding theoretical frameworks, the outcomes measured, as well as the health outcomes of these interventions. Based on the findings from this review, recommendations for future empowerment intervention research with older adults as well as implications for practice are proposed.
The purpose of this research was to explore college students' attitudes about heart disease risks and preventive strategies. The survey population consisted of students enrolled in selected lecture courses at Arizona State University. A total of 1481 surveys were used in data analysis. Respondents indicated a lower perception of heart disease risk for women than for men, and a majority of students incorrectly believed that breast cancer is a more significant health concern for women than heart disease. Respondents in most ethnic groups believed that whites are most at risk for developing heart disease. Students overall had relatively low levels of knowledge about heart disease and its risk factors compared to other health issues, such as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and psychological disorders. The results suggest that educational intervention is necessary to increase college students' knowledge about heart disease; and, in particular, efforts need to be made to raise awareness about heart disease among women and minorities. Guidelines for future educational intervention must address common misconceptions about which demographic groups are at risk for developing heart disease and address gaps in knowledge that young people have regarding heart disease prevention.
Given the aging of women and their increased risk for health problems, it is important to explicate factors that may foster health promotion. While social support has been a concept of interest in predicting health promotion in women, the concept has been inconsistently defined and poorly explicated. A qualitative study was conducted to describe the types and processes of social support for health promotion in older women. Focus group interviews with 51 women, aged 55-93, were held. Data were analyzed using open coding to categorize data with attention to consistency and variance. Data explicated aspects of social support unique to health promotion in community-dwelling older women. Broad categories identified included connectedness and collectivism. Findings validate existing conceptualizations and provide an expanded perspective of social support by demonstrating aspects of support unique to the social context of older, community-dwelling women. Findings also provide a basis for development of socially relevant interventions designed to promote health and optimize health outcomes in older women.
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