Low-Sodium Dietary Perceptions and Experiences of African-American Women with Hypertension.

African-Americans are disproportionately affected by hypertension with lower rates of blood pressure control in comparison to the general population (Brennan et al., 2010). Low-sodium dietary intake is one of the most important lifestyle changes that can help control hypertension (Zhang et al., 2013). This qualitative study aimed to explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of low-sodium dietary practices among African-American women with hypertension. The study used a single-category focus group design. The findings suggest that African-American women are attempting to follow a low-sodium diet; however, they are influenced by personal and environmental factors and lack a clear understanding of what a low-sodium diet entails. Therefore, nurses must understand the factors that influence African-American women's ability to follow a low-sodium diet so that effective interventions can be implemented to improve adherence in this population.

Addressing Food Insecurity and Overweight/Obesity in Hospitalized Low-Income Latino Patients.

Food insecurity (FI), the limited or unreliable availability of safe and nutritious food, is a pressing public health concern affecting millions of U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, FI tends to impact those who are most vulnerable (e.g., low-income minorities) and potentially increases obesity risks, diet-sensitive disease risks (e.g., hypertension and type 2 diabetes), and hospital utilization. Low-income Latino patients may be particularly sensitive to adverse outcomes based on unaddressed socioeconomic needs. Nurses are in a prime position to assess and address FI in these patients. Our article will discuss how nurses can be advocates in combating FI in Latino patients with overweight/obesity.

The Lived Experience of African-American Informal Caregivers of Family Members with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the lived experience of African-American informal caregivers of family members with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in a home environment. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, a purposive sample of 16 African-American informal caregivers completed an in-depth interview that lasted from 30 to 60 minutes. Four themes emerged: (a) a sense of obligation, (b) an arduous journey, (c) sentinel events, and (d) faith in God. Findings indicated that caregivers needed to be well-informed concerning the demands of caregiving and needed more assistance with the task of delivering care. Informal caregivers lacked support, knowledge, and guidance. Implications for the discipline of nursing include emphasis on family assessment, teaching, awareness of resources, and collaboration with healthcare teams.

Intra-family stressors among adult siblings sharing caregiving for parents.

AIM: The aim of this study was to describe a Neuman Systems Model-guided study of perceptions of family stressors experienced by adult siblings who share caregiving for their parents and the influence of these stressors on adult siblings' relationships. BACKGROUND: The task of providing informal care for disabled parents is often shared by adult siblings. Family stressors experienced as part of caregiving may affect the sibling relationship. DESIGN: A mixed-method study design was used. METHODS: Data were collected during 2013-2014 from 84 adult sibling caregivers. Seventy-two caregivers provided quantitative data for the Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale and the Zarit Burden Scale and 79 provided qualitative data for the open-ended question. RESULTS: Adult siblings experienced mild-to-moderate levels of burden from family stressors when they share parental caregiving. The amount of burden from intra-family stressors was negatively related to the adult sibling relationship. Beneficial and noxious stressors were evident in the participants' responses to an open-ended question. CONCLUSION: The health of the parents affected the lives of adult siblings in both negative and positive ways. Although the majority of the adult siblings expressed a willingness to care for their parent(s) in an attempt to reciprocate the care, they had received from them, challenges emerged from dealing with family stressors.

African American Wives and Perceived Stressful Experiences: Providing Care for Stroke Survivor Spouses.

This research used a quantitative design to explore perceived stress experiences of African American wives in the care of spouses who are stroke survivors. The wives as caregivers (44.7%) were participants from rural communities in the southeastern region of North Carolina. These wives, although many had employment outside of the home, provided duties including activities of daily living (ADL) and all other domestic tasks. They were forced into the caregiving role, although many were often not prepared, and experienced much stress related to a lack of knowledge, training and minimum assistance from other family members. A nursing implication must include extensive discharge planning with an emphasis on education and training prior to discharge. More research in reference to African American wives as caregivers is needed to provide an adequate knowledge base in not only caring for their spouses, but also themselves.

Coping strategies of family members of hospitalized psychiatric patients.

This exploratory research paper investigated the coping strategies of families of hospitalized psychiatric patients and identified their positive and negative coping strategies. In this paper, the coping strategies of 45 family members were examined using a descriptive, correlational, mixed method research approach. Guided by the Neuman Systems Model and using the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales and semistructured interviews, this paper found that these family members used more emotion-focused coping strategies than problem-focused coping strategies. The common coping strategies used by family members were communicating with immediate family, acceptance of their situation, passive appraisal, avoidance, and spirituality. The family members also utilized resources and support systems, such as their immediate families, mental health care professionals, and their churches.

Correlation of the experience of peer relational aggression victimization and depression among African American adolescent females.

PROBLEM: This study aimed to examine if the experience of peer relational aggression victimization (PRAV) can be linked to feelings of depression in the African American adolescent female population. METHODS: The sample included 241 college-age African American adolescent females assessed for PRAV and depression. Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the relationship between the variables. FINDINGS: PRAV in this study population does exist as a detrimental phenomenon, whereby PRAV significantly correlates with depression, r (214) = 0.29, p < .01. CONCLUSION: Nurses can assist the adolescent clients experiencing relational aggression by becoming knowledgeable on the presentation and manifestations of this experience.

Continuing the journey of leadership: song of degrees.

The author discusses how her experiences at Project LEAD have improved her ability to be an effective administrator and faculty member through her "songs of degrees." She discusses her journey as an African American leader and how the principles learned in Project LEAD impacted her leadership style and ability to collaborate with peers and colleagues. Leaders who spoke during workshops provided blueprints for mentoring and discussed the journeys of notable leaders, which provided attendees with insights into the successes and challenges of leadership. During Project LEAD, Dr. Hattie Bessent focused upon five leadership principles and applied Structural, Human Resource, Political, and Symbolic Frames. The author determined she primarily used the Structural and Political Frames after studying the frames of Bolman and Deal (2003) discussed by Dr. Bessent. The Project LEAD model focused allowed her to grow as a mentor and guided mentees to the successful completion of projects.

Racial segregation and differential outcomes in hospital care.

This exploratory study of patients in Pennsylvania (PA) and Virginia (VA) hospitals in 1998-1999 measures the segregation of care for Black patients receiving inpatient care for specific medical and surgical conditions. It also examined inpatient mortality risk for Black patients and the impact of treatment in heavily segregated hospitals on mortality for Blacks and non-Blacks. Segregation of hospital care was found across both states but was more pronounced in PA. Blacks did not experience higher mortality rates than non-Blacks either before or after controls for clinical risk factors in either state and for certain admission types had lower mortality. Both Black and non-Black surgical, heart failure, and lung disease patients treated in VA hospitals with more Black patients had poorer outcomes. Future research should examine how access, patient choice, hospital organization, processes of care, and factors related to nursing care might influence hospital outcomes for patients from different racial backgrounds.

From idea to graduation: the evolution of the first PhD program in a HBCU.

Hampton University has the distinction of being the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to fully implement a PhD in Nursing program. This was history making for our campus as the charter was changed to accommodate doctoral education. The PhD in Physics was the first doctoral program on campus, and Nursing was one of three doctoral programs that followed. Hampton University enrolled its first class of four students in the PhD in Nursing program in the fall of 1999. The major goal of the Hampton University PhD program in Nursing is the preparation of nurse scholars and researchers who can advance scientific knowledge and influence the development of effective health care policies and practices. This journey describes steps Hampton University has taken in addressing the demand for doctorally prepared nurses, especially minority nurses. Training more minority nurses impacts all communities, especially medically undeserved communities and minority populations.

Coping among African-American daughters caring for aging parents.

BACKGROUND: A higher proportion of African-American caregivers reported having suffered physical and mental problems because of caregiving (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2005). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the coping strategies of African-American daughters who have functioned as caregivers. The Neuman Systems model was utilized as the framework for this study. METHOD: An exploratory design utilizing qualitative and quantitative methodologies was conducted in two phases. Phase I (N = 44) consisted of a series of focus groups sessions and Phase II (N = 106) participants completed the Basic Interview Schedule Survey. DISCUSSION: Findings revealed than other groups to report dementia and stroke in their care recipients that daughters who attended support groups had increased family involvement, were religious and coped better with caregiving. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that religion gave most participants a strong tolerance for the caregiving situation and served to mediate the caregiving strain.

Evaluation of Blackboard as a platform for distance education delivery.

The Hampton University School of Nursing has implemented a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Distance Education Program that utilizes the Blackboard Learning System, which was designed to transform the Internet into a powerful environment for the educational experience. The Interne, however, may be a new learning environment for many nurses seeking a graduate degree. The Blackboard platform allows for synchronous, real-time activities such as chat rooms, and asynchronous, delayed, activities such as discussion boards and digital drop boxes that can be used for student-to-instructor and instructor-to-student document transfer. This article focuses on the skills and challenges of navigating a course on the Internet using Blackboard. Recommendations for improving the teaching-learning process using a Web-based environment are included.

Evaluating nursing outcomes: a mixed-methods approach.

Being overweight is regarded as the most common nutritional disorder of children and adolescents in the United States. The escalating problem of being overweight or being obese in our society indicates the need for treatment strategies that encompass an all-inclusive approach. Moreover, these strategies need to be comprehensively evaluated for their effectiveness. Nurses are in an excellent position to ensure that this occurs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether using a mixed-methods approach was an efficacious way to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the behavior modification benefits of a weight loss/weight management nursing intervention in African-American adolescent girls (13-17 years of age). The overall effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated by analyzing pre- and post-program measures of weight, body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure, self-esteem, depression, and body image (quantitative data); conducting focus groups with mothers of the participants; and administering open-ended, written questionnaires to the participants (qualitative data). Findings from the quantitative data indicated favorable outcomes in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, self-esteem, and body image, indicating that progress had been made over the course of the program. Furthermore, qualitative data indicated that mothers of the participants observed positive behavioral changes related to eating and exercise patterns and participants demonstrated perception of these changes as well.