Developing peer support in film for cancer self-management: what do men want other men to know?

PURPOSE: This study reports an innovative theory-driven approach for developing filmed peer support for cancer self-management. Peer support conventionally includes empathetic interaction between people with shared experiences. This unique study considers how to authentically communicate peer empathy in a one-way film narrative. METHODS: We co-created a film based on phenomenological interviews with seven men who had volunteered to support other men by sharing their experiences of coping with prostate cancer. The film contributed to successful engagement with self-management. Interpretative phenomenological analysis of the interview data was conducted to explore the components of experiential empathy that the men had communicated. RESULTS: Four themes were identified illustrating what men wanted other men to know about coping with prostate cancer: Going into the unknown, it was difficult but I got through highlighted trauma and the importance of having a determined attitude; Only you can do it illustrated the triumph of their journey and of regaining control; I haven't changed massively reflected the importance of a constant self; and Stay involved represented the overriding need to remain part of pre-cancer social environments. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a construct framework of experiential empathy for men with prostate cancer: Resilience, Regaining Control, Continuity-of-Self, and Social Connectedness. Filmed peer support that communicates these constructs will offer wide-ranging benefit to meet the needs of this group of men in both e-health and face-to-face self-management contexts. Further research could develop this theory-driven approach to filmed peer support for other cancer groups.

The impact of supportive nursing care on the needs of men with prostate cancer: a study across seven European countries.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is for many men a chronic disease with a long life expectancy after treatment. The impact of prostate cancer therapy on men has been well defined, however, explanation of the consequences of cancer treatment has not been modelled against the wider variables of long-term health-care provision. The aim of this study was to explore the parameters of unmet supportive care needs in men with prostate cancer in relation to the experience of nursing care. METHODS: A survey was conducted among a volunteer sample of 1001 men with prostate cancer living in seven European countries. RESULTS: At the time of the survey, 81% of the men had some unmet supportive care needs including psychological, sexual and health system and information needs. Logistic regression indicated that lack of post-treatment nursing care significantly predicted unmet need. Critically, men's contact with nurses and/or receipt of advice and support from nurses, for several different aspects of nursing care significantly had an impact on men's outcomes. CONCLUSION: Unmet need is related not only to disease and treatment factors but is also associated with the supportive care men received. Imperative to improving men's treatment outcomes is to also consider the access to nursing and the components of supportive care provided, especially after therapy.

An assay to screen bacterial adhesion to mucus biomolecules.

AIMS: To develop an assay for rapid screening of bacterial adhesion to various groups of biomolecules present in fish mucus. METHODS AND RESULTS: A novel assay was developed for investigation of bacterial adhesion to various groups of mucus biomolecules from fish. Lipid-, protein-, carbohydrate- and nucleic acid-rich constituents of mucus were separated using isopycnic density gradient centrifugation techniques. Separated mucus fractions were assayed for bacterial adhesion using a blotting apparatus. The assay was validated using Vibrio vulnificus and skin mucus from hybrid tilapia. CONCLUSIONS: A novel assay was developed for the screening of bacterial adhesion to major groups of mucus biomolecules. Adhesion of V. vulnificus MLT403 positively correlated with lipid- and protein-rich mucus constituents and negatively correlated with carbohydrate-rich mucus constituents. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The assay can be used as an initial approach in a systematic identification of mucus constituent(s) exhibiting the most favourable adhesion properties for bacteria.

A multicentre longitudinal observational study of changes in self reported health status in people with Parkinson's disease left untreated at diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: The issue of when to start treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains controversial. Some favour treatment at diagnosis while others opt for a "wait and watch" policy. The effect of the latter policy on the self reported health status of people with PD is unknown. AIMS: To record self reported health status through longitudinal use of a validated PD specific questionnaire (PDQ-39) in untreated PD patients in multiple centres in the UK. To compare patients who were left untreated with those who were offered treatment during follow-up. METHODS: A multicentre, prospective, "real life" observational audit based study addressing patient reported outcomes in relation to self reported health status and other sociodemographic details. RESULTS: 198 untreated PD were assessed over a mean period of 18 months. During two follow-up assessments, the self reported health status scores in all eight domains of the PDQ-39 and the overall PDQ-39 summary index worsened significantly (p<0.01) in patients left untreated. In a comparative group in whom treatment was initiated at or soon after diagnosis, there was a trend towards improvement in self reported health status scores after treatment was started. CONCLUSIONS: This study addresses for the first time self reported health status, an indicator of health related quality of life, in untreated PD. The findings may strengthen the call for re-evaluation of the policy to delay treatment in newly diagnosed patients with PD.

Measurement of transfer factor during constant exhalation.

BACKGROUND: Transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide (TLCO) was measured by a new method based on analysis of the ratio of the concentrations of carbon monoxide to an inert gas (methane) relative to lung volume during a constant exhalation. Since this new technique is based solely upon exhalation, anomalies associated with inspiration and breath holding do not affect results. Additionally, because prolonged breath holding is not required, measurements can readily be made in dyspnoeic patients. METHODS: Exhalation TLCO (TLCO,ex) was compared with the standard (Jones and Meade) 10 second breath holding TLCO (TLCO,bh) in 100 consecutive patients. Patients did not practise the exhalation manoeuvre prior to testing. RESULTS: The comparative results were very close; mean difference (bias) +/- standard deviation (precision) was 0.05 (0.84) mmol/min/kPa. The relation was equally strong in patients with severe pulmonary disease; for patients with FEV1 < 1.51 the mean difference was 0.21 (0.80) mmol/min/kPa. CONCLUSIONS: Since the results were essentially identical between the techniques, it seems that comparable pathophysiological factors affect TLCO during breath holding and constant exhalation. Constant exhalation may therefore be a useful alternative to the breath holding technique for clinical measurement of TLCO.

Applicability of the Parcel-Meyer Children's Health Locus of Control Scale.

Locus of control has emerged as an important outcome variable in many health education programs. This study evaluated one instrument designed to measure this construct. Responses to the Parcel-Meyer Children's Health Locus of Control Scale from two groups of sixth grade students were collected to consider fit of the items to the underlying theoretical model and invariance of the finding from different populations. Factor structures from the two groups did not match one another or Levenson's model. Several items did not have any major loadings. Lack of fit and variance of the results is discussed in terms of the items being inappropriate for this age group, since seven and nine of the 20 items had almost no item variance with 90% or more of students responding with the internal answer. Revision of the scale is recommended.

Effects of primary grades health curriculum project on student and parent smoking attitudes and behavior.

Family values regarding appropriate attitudes and behaviors are communicated to children from birth. Society's values begin to affect the child at an early age and as these change, so do children's beliefs and attitudes. A change in society's values toward smoking has been evidenced in the last decade by increased social sanctions against smoking and increased militancy of nonsmokers. This longitudinal Primary Grades Health Curriculum Project investigates the relationship between an activity-centered experiential health education program and: 1) positive health attitudes; 2) experimentation use and future expectancy to engage in cigarette smoking; and 3) changes in smoking behavior among the children's parents. Six hundred students in two New York school districts were pretested in their kindergarten year in 1977 on entry level of knowledge and attitudes about health. The results reported here from data collected at the end of third grade indicate that the experimental group possessed more positive attitudes about health, showed less exposure to experimentation with alcohol among their friends and less engagement in smoking cigarettes. A significant number of parents of experimental group students reported that they had changed their smoking habits since their child had entered school as a result of their children's health program.