Afrcan Americans experience a disproportionate burden of illness. According to the Centers for Di... more Afrcan Americans experience a disproportionate burden of illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes are the most common causes of mortality among African Americans. Data were gathered from 1,055 African-American women to gain their perspectives of the most serious health problems affecting African-American women and their related knowledge, attitudes and health promoting behaviors. Women listed CDC's top four causes of mortality as their top four most senous health threats. Cancer was reported as a serous health threat by 81% of the participants, whereas heart disease, the most common cause of mortality and a disease amenable to prevention and early intervention, was mentioned by only 31% of the women. Diabetes was reported by 59% of the women and cerebrovascular disease by 52%. As the Health Belief and other theoretical models would predict, awareness of the seriousness of these four disease groups among African-American women was associated with a greater likelihood of adherence for several of the recommended behaviors. Many opportunities exist for raising women's awareness of these four diseases and linking women's growing health awareness with those health promoting behaviors known to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Clustered within the nomenclature of Asian American are numerous subgroups, each with their own e... more Clustered within the nomenclature of Asian American are numerous subgroups, each with their own ethnic heritage, cultural, and linguistic characteristics. An understanding of the prevailing health knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors of these subgroups is essential for creating population-specific health promotion programs. Korean American women (123) completed baseline surveys of breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors as part of an Asian grocery store-based breast cancer education program evaluation. Follow-up telephone surveys, initiated two weeks later, were completed by 93 women. Low adherence to the American Cancer Society's breast cancer screening guidelines and insufficient breast cancer knowledge were reported. Participants' receptiveness to the grocery store-based breast cancer education program underscores the importance of finding ways to reach Korean women with breast cancer early detection information and repeated cues for screening...
Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education, 2002
Prostate cancer, the most common cancer in American men, may increase the risk of emotional distr... more Prostate cancer, the most common cancer in American men, may increase the risk of emotional distress in patients and their spouses. Problem-solving skills may be related to the emotional distress of the spouses. Thirty-two spouses of prostate cancer patients completed measures of problem-solving skills and emotional distress. Proactive problem-solving skills were related to less emotional distress in spouses. Subtypes of problem-solving skills were differentially related to emotional distress. Enhancement of problem-solving skills may contribute to improved health-related quality of life of spouses of prostate cancer patients.
Dyadic adjustment and coping styles have been shown to predict levels of psychological distress f... more Dyadic adjustment and coping styles have been shown to predict levels of psychological distress following cancer diagnoses. This study examined the relationship between coping and distress in couples faced with prostate cancer, considering dyadic functioning as a third variable that potentially moderated or mediated the relationship. To investigate its influence on the success of patients' and spouses' coping efforts, both moderational and mediational models were tested using couples' composite dyadic adjustment scores. Only the moderational model was supported for patients: dyadic strength moderated the effects of avoidant coping and intrusive thinking on mood disturbance. Despite maladaptive coping, patients that were members of stronger dyads reported less distress than those in more dysfunctional relationships. Findings suggest that the relationship between coping and distress depends on the quality of dyadic functioning. Being part of a strong dyad may serve as a bu...
Members of the Deaf community face communication barriers to accessing health information. To res... more Members of the Deaf community face communication barriers to accessing health information. To resolve these inequalities, educational programs must be designed in the appropriate format and language to meet their needs. Deaf men (102) were surveyed before, immediately following, and two months after viewing a 52-minute prostate and testicular cancer video in American Sign Language (ASL) with open text captioning and voice overlay. To provide the Deaf community with information equivalent to that available to the hearing community, the video addressed two cancer topics in depth. While the inclusion of two cancer topics lengthened the video, it was anticipated to reduce redundancy and encourage men of diverse ages to learn in a supportive, culturally aligned environment while also covering more topics within the partnership's limited budget. Survey data were analyzed to evaluate the video's impact on viewers' pre- and post-intervention understanding of prostate and testicu...
Little is known regarding the cardiovascular disease risk factors among Chamorros residing in the... more Little is known regarding the cardiovascular disease risk factors among Chamorros residing in the United States. The Chamorro Directory International and the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Questionnaire (BRFSS) were used to assess the health related practices and needs of a random sample of 228 Chamorros. Inactivity, hypertension, elevated cholesterol and diabetes mellitus were more prevalent in this Chamorro sample compared to the US average. Participants who were 50-and-older or unemployed were more likely to report hypertension, diabetes and inactivity, but they were also more likely to consume more fruits and vegetables than their younger and employed counterparts. Women were more likely to report hypertension and diabetes, whereas men were more likely to have elevated BMI and to have never had their blood cholesterol checked. The study provides data that will help healthcare providers, public health workers and community leaders identify where to focus the...
African American women have disproportionately higher rates of breast cancer mortality than all o... more African American women have disproportionately higher rates of breast cancer mortality than all other ethnic groups, thus highlighting the importance of promoting early detection. African American women (N = 984) from San Diego, California, participated in a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of breast cancer education sessions offered in beauty salons. Cosmetologists received ongoing support, training, and additional culturally aligned educational materials to help them engage their clients in dialogues about the importance of breast cancer early detection. Posters and literature about breast cancer early detection were displayed throughout the salons and cosmetologists used synthetic breast models to show their clients how breast cancer lumps might feel. Participants in the control group received a comparable diabetes education program. Baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys were administered to evaluate changes in women's breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and ...
Filipino Americans are the fastest growing Asian minority group in the United States. There is li... more Filipino Americans are the fastest growing Asian minority group in the United States. There is limited knowledge about their breast cancer knowledge, screening practices and attitudes. As part of the evaluation of the Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program, 248 Filipino American women completed baseline and follow-up surveys, while an additional 58 took part in focus groups. Compliance with annual clinical breast exam guidelines among women 40 to 49 years old was 43%, and annual mammography use among women 50 and over was 56%. The Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program and complementary focus group study identified multiple barriers that hindered women from attending education programs, with time as the most frequently reported barrier. The Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program was reported to be a culturally acceptable and effective way of disseminating breast cancer information and one that addressed the women's most frequently reported bar...
African Americans experience a disproportionate burden of illness. According to the Centers for D... more African Americans experience a disproportionate burden of illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes are the most common causes of mortality among African Americans. Data were gathered from 1,055 African-American women to gain their perspectives of the most serious health problems affecting African-American women and their related knowledge, attitudes and health promoting behaviors. Women listed CDC's top four causes of mortality as their top four most serious health threats. Cancer was reported as a serious health threat by 81% of the participants, whereas heart disease, the most common cause of mortality and a disease amenable to prevention and early intervention, was mentioned by only 31% of the women. Diabetes was reported by 59% of the women and cerebrovascular disease by 52%. As the Health Belief and other theoretical models would predict, awareness of the seriousness of these four...
A study eliciting Chinese Women's Attitudes and behaviors toward breast cancer screening to ident... more A study eliciting Chinese Women's Attitudes and behaviors toward breast cancer screening to identify and overcome barriers to providing access to health promotion information.
his study evaluated several factors that were thought to contribute to African American women&... more his study evaluated several factors that were thought to contribute to African American women's disproportionate incidence and sequelae of diabetes. African American women (1055) living in San Diego County completed surveys about diabetes-related beliefs, screening behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes. Participants' ages ranged from 20 to 94 years, and 33.7% of the women reported completing college. Most of the women (59%) perceived diabetes to be a serious health threat to African American women. Thirty-two percent of the total sample and 37% of the high-risk group reported having been screened for diabetes within the past year. Nearly 37% reported never having been screened for diabetes, and 31% of those at above-average risk of developing diabetes could not recall ever having been screened. Women had a limited knowledge of the symptoms of diabetes, ways to decrease the risk factors and the sequelae of diabetes. Higher-risk women showed greater diabetes knowledge. Most participants reported that diabetes was a significant threat to their health but lacked sufficient knowledge to protect themselves from the disease. A focused, aggressive education campaign could yield better health outcomes.
Goals of work: Prostate cancer, the most common lifethreatening cancer among American men, increa... more Goals of work: Prostate cancer, the most common lifethreatening cancer among American men, increases risk of psychosocial distress and negatively impacts quality of life for both patients and their spouses. To date, most studies have examined the relationship between patient coping and distress; however, it is also likely that what the spouse does to cope, and ultimately how the spouse adjusts, will affect the patient's adjustment and quality of life. The present study examined the relationships of spouse problemsolving coping, distress levels and patient distress in the context of prostate cancer. The following mediational model was tested: Spouses' problem-solving coping will be significantly inversely related to patients' levels of distress, but this relationship will be mediated by spouses' distress levels. Patients and methods: One hundred seventy-one patients with prostate cancer and their spousal caregivers were assessed for mood; spouses were assessed for problem-solving coping skills. Structural equation modeling was used to test model fit.
Education programs have been developed to promote adherence to recommended breast cancer screenin... more Education programs have been developed to promote adherence to recommended breast cancer screening guidelines. Few studies have assessed the degree to which ethnic subgroups are perceiving and acting on the proffered information. Such assessment is vital to the creation of efficient public health interventions. This paper describes the reported breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors of 194 American Asian Indian women. While monthly breast self exam adherence was low, only 40.7%, 61.3% of women 40 and older, and 70% of women 50 and older, reported having had a mammogram within the past 12 months. These rates for annual mammography screening are high relative to many other ethnic groups. While the results are encouraging, the respondents may not be representative of all Asian Indian women. The majority of these women reported that their breast cancer knowledge is inadequate. They were willing to be called upon to share with others any knowledge they gained. There is a clear opportunity for public health nurses to provide Asian Indian women with a more comprehensive understanding of breast health and disease. Those women can then share their health knowledge with other women within their ethnic group.
Cancer-related fatigue is associated with lower health-related quality of life and the majority o... more Cancer-related fatigue is associated with lower health-related quality of life and the majority of breast cancer survivors experience persistent fatigue after finishing treatment. The present study examines age, cancer stage, sleep quality and depressed mood as predictors of five dimensions of fatigue in 70 fatigued breast cancer survivors who no longer evidenced any signs of cancer and were finished with treatment. Discriminant function analyses were used to predict fatigue subgroup membership (higher, lower) from age, stage, mood and sleep for five subtypes: General, Mental, Emotional, and Physical fatigue, and Vigour. Significant discriminant functions were found for all subtypes. Findings suggest that age, staging, mood and sleep are all important predictors, but there are differential relationships when subtypes of fatigue are considered. Given current limitations in treating fatigue directly, interventions targeting mood and sleep should be considered as alternate approaches to reduce fatigue.
Serious and chronic illnesses occur within a family context, affecting not only the patient but t... more Serious and chronic illnesses occur within a family context, affecting not only the patient but the spouse/partner, children, and extended family network. Spouses/partners are likely to experience the greatest personal impact, and may influence patient adjustment. Also, the intimate relationship may be affected by the illness experience. This study examined whether dyadic concordance on characteristics of prostate cancer (PC) was related to health-related quality of life (HRQOL), psychological distress, and marital adjustment in PC patients and their female partners. Couples (N = 164) completed questionnaires on appraisals of PC, and individual and dyadic adjustment. Patient and partner PC appraisal ratings were positively correlated. There was a general pattern of patients and partners in concordant dyads, versus those in dyads in which spouses maximized or minimized PC characteristics, reporting significantly better individual HRQOL outcomes, although there were several exceptions. Patient-partner appraisal (dis)agreement generally did not significantly predict dyadic adjustment. Overall, results suggest that dyadic disagreement is associated with worse HRQOL in couples facing PC.
Fatigue is a contributor to decreased quality of life and one of the most common symptoms reporte... more Fatigue is a contributor to decreased quality of life and one of the most common symptoms reported by cancer survivors. Most assessment of fatigue has been retrospective and/or unidimensional. Single-item visual analogue scale ratings are commonly used, despite arguments that fatigue is better conceptualized as multidimensional. The relationships of daily to weekly ratings of fatigue, or of unidimensional to multidimensional assessments, have not been explored. Twenty-five breast cancer survivors provided daily ratings of fatigue and completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form weekly for one month. Using hierarchical linear modeling, stronger relationships of weekly ratings to average and peak rather than most recent daily ratings were found. Visual analogue scale ratings shared more variance with the General Fatigue subscale than with the other four fatigue dimensions measured. Findings suggest that different information is captured by daily versus weekly reports, and that although visual analogue scale ratings can provide a quick assessment of general fatigue, they do not capture other important dimensions.
Moores University of California, San Diego, Cancer Center&amp... more Moores University of California, San Diego, Cancer Center's Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program trained bilingual, bicultural student health educators to provide breast cancer information to Japanese American women. A subset consented to help evaluate the program by completing baseline and follow-up surveys. Study participants reported high adherence to mammography screening guidelines, but lower than optimal adherence to clinical breast examination (CBE) and monthly breast self-examination (BSE) guidelines. While less than half of the women felt they had enough knowledge about breast cancer, nearly all indicated that they would be willing to share any knowledge they gained with loved ones and that their loved ones would be receptive to their information. A limitation of the study is its small sample.
Afrcan Americans experience a disproportionate burden of illness. According to the Centers for Di... more Afrcan Americans experience a disproportionate burden of illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes are the most common causes of mortality among African Americans. Data were gathered from 1,055 African-American women to gain their perspectives of the most serious health problems affecting African-American women and their related knowledge, attitudes and health promoting behaviors. Women listed CDC's top four causes of mortality as their top four most senous health threats. Cancer was reported as a serous health threat by 81% of the participants, whereas heart disease, the most common cause of mortality and a disease amenable to prevention and early intervention, was mentioned by only 31% of the women. Diabetes was reported by 59% of the women and cerebrovascular disease by 52%. As the Health Belief and other theoretical models would predict, awareness of the seriousness of these four disease groups among African-American women was associated with a greater likelihood of adherence for several of the recommended behaviors. Many opportunities exist for raising women's awareness of these four diseases and linking women's growing health awareness with those health promoting behaviors known to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Clustered within the nomenclature of Asian American are numerous subgroups, each with their own e... more Clustered within the nomenclature of Asian American are numerous subgroups, each with their own ethnic heritage, cultural, and linguistic characteristics. An understanding of the prevailing health knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors of these subgroups is essential for creating population-specific health promotion programs. Korean American women (123) completed baseline surveys of breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors as part of an Asian grocery store-based breast cancer education program evaluation. Follow-up telephone surveys, initiated two weeks later, were completed by 93 women. Low adherence to the American Cancer Society's breast cancer screening guidelines and insufficient breast cancer knowledge were reported. Participants' receptiveness to the grocery store-based breast cancer education program underscores the importance of finding ways to reach Korean women with breast cancer early detection information and repeated cues for screening...
Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education, 2002
Prostate cancer, the most common cancer in American men, may increase the risk of emotional distr... more Prostate cancer, the most common cancer in American men, may increase the risk of emotional distress in patients and their spouses. Problem-solving skills may be related to the emotional distress of the spouses. Thirty-two spouses of prostate cancer patients completed measures of problem-solving skills and emotional distress. Proactive problem-solving skills were related to less emotional distress in spouses. Subtypes of problem-solving skills were differentially related to emotional distress. Enhancement of problem-solving skills may contribute to improved health-related quality of life of spouses of prostate cancer patients.
Dyadic adjustment and coping styles have been shown to predict levels of psychological distress f... more Dyadic adjustment and coping styles have been shown to predict levels of psychological distress following cancer diagnoses. This study examined the relationship between coping and distress in couples faced with prostate cancer, considering dyadic functioning as a third variable that potentially moderated or mediated the relationship. To investigate its influence on the success of patients' and spouses' coping efforts, both moderational and mediational models were tested using couples' composite dyadic adjustment scores. Only the moderational model was supported for patients: dyadic strength moderated the effects of avoidant coping and intrusive thinking on mood disturbance. Despite maladaptive coping, patients that were members of stronger dyads reported less distress than those in more dysfunctional relationships. Findings suggest that the relationship between coping and distress depends on the quality of dyadic functioning. Being part of a strong dyad may serve as a bu...
Members of the Deaf community face communication barriers to accessing health information. To res... more Members of the Deaf community face communication barriers to accessing health information. To resolve these inequalities, educational programs must be designed in the appropriate format and language to meet their needs. Deaf men (102) were surveyed before, immediately following, and two months after viewing a 52-minute prostate and testicular cancer video in American Sign Language (ASL) with open text captioning and voice overlay. To provide the Deaf community with information equivalent to that available to the hearing community, the video addressed two cancer topics in depth. While the inclusion of two cancer topics lengthened the video, it was anticipated to reduce redundancy and encourage men of diverse ages to learn in a supportive, culturally aligned environment while also covering more topics within the partnership's limited budget. Survey data were analyzed to evaluate the video's impact on viewers' pre- and post-intervention understanding of prostate and testicu...
Little is known regarding the cardiovascular disease risk factors among Chamorros residing in the... more Little is known regarding the cardiovascular disease risk factors among Chamorros residing in the United States. The Chamorro Directory International and the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Questionnaire (BRFSS) were used to assess the health related practices and needs of a random sample of 228 Chamorros. Inactivity, hypertension, elevated cholesterol and diabetes mellitus were more prevalent in this Chamorro sample compared to the US average. Participants who were 50-and-older or unemployed were more likely to report hypertension, diabetes and inactivity, but they were also more likely to consume more fruits and vegetables than their younger and employed counterparts. Women were more likely to report hypertension and diabetes, whereas men were more likely to have elevated BMI and to have never had their blood cholesterol checked. The study provides data that will help healthcare providers, public health workers and community leaders identify where to focus the...
African American women have disproportionately higher rates of breast cancer mortality than all o... more African American women have disproportionately higher rates of breast cancer mortality than all other ethnic groups, thus highlighting the importance of promoting early detection. African American women (N = 984) from San Diego, California, participated in a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of breast cancer education sessions offered in beauty salons. Cosmetologists received ongoing support, training, and additional culturally aligned educational materials to help them engage their clients in dialogues about the importance of breast cancer early detection. Posters and literature about breast cancer early detection were displayed throughout the salons and cosmetologists used synthetic breast models to show their clients how breast cancer lumps might feel. Participants in the control group received a comparable diabetes education program. Baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys were administered to evaluate changes in women's breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and ...
Filipino Americans are the fastest growing Asian minority group in the United States. There is li... more Filipino Americans are the fastest growing Asian minority group in the United States. There is limited knowledge about their breast cancer knowledge, screening practices and attitudes. As part of the evaluation of the Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program, 248 Filipino American women completed baseline and follow-up surveys, while an additional 58 took part in focus groups. Compliance with annual clinical breast exam guidelines among women 40 to 49 years old was 43%, and annual mammography use among women 50 and over was 56%. The Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program and complementary focus group study identified multiple barriers that hindered women from attending education programs, with time as the most frequently reported barrier. The Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program was reported to be a culturally acceptable and effective way of disseminating breast cancer information and one that addressed the women's most frequently reported bar...
African Americans experience a disproportionate burden of illness. According to the Centers for D... more African Americans experience a disproportionate burden of illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes are the most common causes of mortality among African Americans. Data were gathered from 1,055 African-American women to gain their perspectives of the most serious health problems affecting African-American women and their related knowledge, attitudes and health promoting behaviors. Women listed CDC's top four causes of mortality as their top four most serious health threats. Cancer was reported as a serious health threat by 81% of the participants, whereas heart disease, the most common cause of mortality and a disease amenable to prevention and early intervention, was mentioned by only 31% of the women. Diabetes was reported by 59% of the women and cerebrovascular disease by 52%. As the Health Belief and other theoretical models would predict, awareness of the seriousness of these four...
A study eliciting Chinese Women's Attitudes and behaviors toward breast cancer screening to ident... more A study eliciting Chinese Women's Attitudes and behaviors toward breast cancer screening to identify and overcome barriers to providing access to health promotion information.
his study evaluated several factors that were thought to contribute to African American women&... more his study evaluated several factors that were thought to contribute to African American women's disproportionate incidence and sequelae of diabetes. African American women (1055) living in San Diego County completed surveys about diabetes-related beliefs, screening behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes. Participants' ages ranged from 20 to 94 years, and 33.7% of the women reported completing college. Most of the women (59%) perceived diabetes to be a serious health threat to African American women. Thirty-two percent of the total sample and 37% of the high-risk group reported having been screened for diabetes within the past year. Nearly 37% reported never having been screened for diabetes, and 31% of those at above-average risk of developing diabetes could not recall ever having been screened. Women had a limited knowledge of the symptoms of diabetes, ways to decrease the risk factors and the sequelae of diabetes. Higher-risk women showed greater diabetes knowledge. Most participants reported that diabetes was a significant threat to their health but lacked sufficient knowledge to protect themselves from the disease. A focused, aggressive education campaign could yield better health outcomes.
Goals of work: Prostate cancer, the most common lifethreatening cancer among American men, increa... more Goals of work: Prostate cancer, the most common lifethreatening cancer among American men, increases risk of psychosocial distress and negatively impacts quality of life for both patients and their spouses. To date, most studies have examined the relationship between patient coping and distress; however, it is also likely that what the spouse does to cope, and ultimately how the spouse adjusts, will affect the patient's adjustment and quality of life. The present study examined the relationships of spouse problemsolving coping, distress levels and patient distress in the context of prostate cancer. The following mediational model was tested: Spouses' problem-solving coping will be significantly inversely related to patients' levels of distress, but this relationship will be mediated by spouses' distress levels. Patients and methods: One hundred seventy-one patients with prostate cancer and their spousal caregivers were assessed for mood; spouses were assessed for problem-solving coping skills. Structural equation modeling was used to test model fit.
Education programs have been developed to promote adherence to recommended breast cancer screenin... more Education programs have been developed to promote adherence to recommended breast cancer screening guidelines. Few studies have assessed the degree to which ethnic subgroups are perceiving and acting on the proffered information. Such assessment is vital to the creation of efficient public health interventions. This paper describes the reported breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors of 194 American Asian Indian women. While monthly breast self exam adherence was low, only 40.7%, 61.3% of women 40 and older, and 70% of women 50 and older, reported having had a mammogram within the past 12 months. These rates for annual mammography screening are high relative to many other ethnic groups. While the results are encouraging, the respondents may not be representative of all Asian Indian women. The majority of these women reported that their breast cancer knowledge is inadequate. They were willing to be called upon to share with others any knowledge they gained. There is a clear opportunity for public health nurses to provide Asian Indian women with a more comprehensive understanding of breast health and disease. Those women can then share their health knowledge with other women within their ethnic group.
Cancer-related fatigue is associated with lower health-related quality of life and the majority o... more Cancer-related fatigue is associated with lower health-related quality of life and the majority of breast cancer survivors experience persistent fatigue after finishing treatment. The present study examines age, cancer stage, sleep quality and depressed mood as predictors of five dimensions of fatigue in 70 fatigued breast cancer survivors who no longer evidenced any signs of cancer and were finished with treatment. Discriminant function analyses were used to predict fatigue subgroup membership (higher, lower) from age, stage, mood and sleep for five subtypes: General, Mental, Emotional, and Physical fatigue, and Vigour. Significant discriminant functions were found for all subtypes. Findings suggest that age, staging, mood and sleep are all important predictors, but there are differential relationships when subtypes of fatigue are considered. Given current limitations in treating fatigue directly, interventions targeting mood and sleep should be considered as alternate approaches to reduce fatigue.
Serious and chronic illnesses occur within a family context, affecting not only the patient but t... more Serious and chronic illnesses occur within a family context, affecting not only the patient but the spouse/partner, children, and extended family network. Spouses/partners are likely to experience the greatest personal impact, and may influence patient adjustment. Also, the intimate relationship may be affected by the illness experience. This study examined whether dyadic concordance on characteristics of prostate cancer (PC) was related to health-related quality of life (HRQOL), psychological distress, and marital adjustment in PC patients and their female partners. Couples (N = 164) completed questionnaires on appraisals of PC, and individual and dyadic adjustment. Patient and partner PC appraisal ratings were positively correlated. There was a general pattern of patients and partners in concordant dyads, versus those in dyads in which spouses maximized or minimized PC characteristics, reporting significantly better individual HRQOL outcomes, although there were several exceptions. Patient-partner appraisal (dis)agreement generally did not significantly predict dyadic adjustment. Overall, results suggest that dyadic disagreement is associated with worse HRQOL in couples facing PC.
Fatigue is a contributor to decreased quality of life and one of the most common symptoms reporte... more Fatigue is a contributor to decreased quality of life and one of the most common symptoms reported by cancer survivors. Most assessment of fatigue has been retrospective and/or unidimensional. Single-item visual analogue scale ratings are commonly used, despite arguments that fatigue is better conceptualized as multidimensional. The relationships of daily to weekly ratings of fatigue, or of unidimensional to multidimensional assessments, have not been explored. Twenty-five breast cancer survivors provided daily ratings of fatigue and completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form weekly for one month. Using hierarchical linear modeling, stronger relationships of weekly ratings to average and peak rather than most recent daily ratings were found. Visual analogue scale ratings shared more variance with the General Fatigue subscale than with the other four fatigue dimensions measured. Findings suggest that different information is captured by daily versus weekly reports, and that although visual analogue scale ratings can provide a quick assessment of general fatigue, they do not capture other important dimensions.
Moores University of California, San Diego, Cancer Center&amp... more Moores University of California, San Diego, Cancer Center's Asian Grocery Store-Based Cancer Education Program trained bilingual, bicultural student health educators to provide breast cancer information to Japanese American women. A subset consented to help evaluate the program by completing baseline and follow-up surveys. Study participants reported high adherence to mammography screening guidelines, but lower than optimal adherence to clinical breast examination (CBE) and monthly breast self-examination (BSE) guidelines. While less than half of the women felt they had enough knowledge about breast cancer, nearly all indicated that they would be willing to share any knowledge they gained with loved ones and that their loved ones would be receptive to their information. A limitation of the study is its small sample.
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