Psychometric Testing of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire for Children.

Background and Purpose: This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire for Children (DEBQ-C) among 6-8-year-old Black girls. Methods: Investigators of this cross-sectional online survey of 112 Black mother-daughter dyads used principal component analysis (PCA) to assess evidence of the DEBQ-C's construct validity. Pearson's product-moment correlations were also used to compare the DEBQ-C's subscale scores to an independent measure of eating behaviors. A comparison of the subscale scores between participants with favorable and unfavorable eating behaviors was used to evaluate discriminant validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient examined the DEBQ-C's internal consistency reliability. Results: PCA established evidence of validity with three subscales. Significant correlations were found between the independent measure of eating behavior and the emotional (r = -.25, p = .01) and external subscales (r = -.31, p = .001). Participants increased emotional (t = 2.53; df = 76; p = .007) and external (t = 3.98; df = 99; p < .001) eating scores had unfavorable eating behavior scores. Conclusions: Psychometric results demonstrate questionable support for the construct validity of two of the DEBQ-C subscales (emotional and restrained eating) and the reliability of the DEBQ-C questionnaire among 6-8-year-old Black girls. The questionnaire's three subscales, emotional, external, and restrained eating, can be used to examine eating behaviors.

Views of Obesity in Black Women from a Cultural Perspective.

This article conveys the authors' perspectives and insights gained during the development and implementation of their experience with a community-based intervention designed to address obesity among Black women. The reader gets a look at the authors' personal weight struggles, as the intervention they designed to help others transformed their lives as well as the participants. The authors also shared their perspectives on the impact of religion and spirituality on healthy lifestyles.

Shaping the Conversation: A Secondary Analysis of Reproductive Decision-Making Among Black Mothers with HIV.

The purpose of this qualitative secondary data analysis is to examine the major influencers on mothers with HIV in their childbearing decisions, as well as how those influencers shape conversations with clinicians and health-care providers regarding HIV treatment and prevention. The original study gained insight into the reproductive decision-making of mothers with HIV. By analyzing a subsample of 15 interviews from an original cohort of 25 participants in the earlier study, three major themes were identified as follows: (1) family members, not health-care providers, influence reproductive decisions; (2) negative attitudes toward subsequent pregnancies are mainly due to HIV transmission; and (3) birth control decisions were predominately supported by family members, while health-care providers were not consulted.

Scholarly perspectives on obesity among black women.

There are a disproportionate number of Black women who are either overweight or obese. Health professionals who are overweight or obese were found to have less confidence in weight management practice. Studies show that overweight and obese nurses avoid the topic of obesity with their overweight and obese patients. This article describes the biological, psychological, social and cultural factors which may influence obesity in Black women. Specifically, this synthesis of the literature raises the question whether Black nurses with relevant health knowledge have different rates of obesity when compared to Black women that are not registered nurses.

School nurses and childhood obesity: an investigation of knowledge and practice among school nurses as they relate to childhood obesity.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity has escalated to an alarming proportion in the last twenty years. It is currently the most preventable nutritional disease of the 21(st) century. Anecdotal literature suggests that school nurses play a pivotal role in the fight against the escalating incidence of childhood obesity. However, research has not clearly shown that school nurses engage in health promotion behaviors that combat childhood obesity. METHODS: A convenience sample of 103 New Jersey school nurses who attended county school nurses association meetings were surveyed. A 55-item tool was used to measure school nurses' knowledge and practice regarding childhood obesity. RESULTS: While ninety-nine percent of the nurses are aware that childhood obesity is becoming more prevalent, more than 35% of the school nurses reported a lack of competence in recommending weight-loss programs for children. More than 65% rated using age-specific BMI to calculate childhood obesity "sometimes," "rarely," or "never." CONCLUSIONS: Data from this study indicates that New Jersey school nurses are knowledgeable regarding childhood obesity, yet many do not report levels of competence in recommending weight-loss treatment to promote healthy lifestyle choices for their students. Further research is needed to understand the barriers to health promotion practices among school nurses.

Nurses of African descent and career advancement.

The purpose of this article is to evaluate a leadership institute designed to promote career advancement and leadership in administration, education, and research among nurses of African descent. Government reports indicate that Black Americans receive lower quality health care than other racial groups even when insurance and income are equal. Moreover, the literature suggests that less than 10% of practicing professional nurses in America are Black-and of these, less than 1% are in senior executive leadership positions. However, the literature lacks detailed discussion of the effectiveness of leadership programs. This article provides an in-depth look at a leadership institute for Black nurses and outlines the impact of the program.

Why women want children: defining the meaning of desire for children and the construction of an index.

Many people view procreation as a purpose in life, justifying this idea by pointing towards a woman's natural biological characteristics. However, much of the literature supporting this position is void of studies that examine African-American women's desire for children. Therefore, the primary aims of this article are: 1) to review the literature on parenthood motivation; and 2) to describe the development, validation and reliability of the Modified Index of Parenthood Motivation. Within the first sample of 31 Black women, who served to confirm the Modified Index of Parenthood Motivation (MIPM), Wesley reported a reliability alpha coefficient of .765 for the MIPM. The second sample showed an alpha coefficient of.792, among a sample of 98 Black women of childbearing age. The MIPM offers investigators an opportunity to examine desire for children among women of African descent. Further research is needed to understand the impact of desire for children better among women with chronic illnesses such as HIV.

Reduce stress: a stress reduction project for pregnant black women.

Approximately 12% of pregnant Black women deliver prematurely regardless of their age, education, income, or marital status. Stress has been indicated as a cause of preterm labor. This article reports on a project that evaluated the effectiveness of a community-based project designed to decrease stress among pregnant Black women. The program evaluation revealed that 86 pregnant Black women of various ages as well as educational and income levels had significant (p = .003) reduction in perceived stress, and their mean post-intervention salivary cortisol (a biological indicator of stress) did not show the expected 50% increase. Lessons learned from this community-based project suggest that three one-on-one educational sessions can reduce stress in this population.

Desire for children among women living with HIV.

Desire for children (DFC) within the context of HIV may be seen as posing a threat to women, children, and society. This study analyzed the effects of age, length of time since HIV diagnosis, and children living at home on DFC, general self-efficacy (GSE) & self-esteem (SE) among 52 Black mothers with HIV infection. Findings indicate that self-esteem is higher among HIV infected women with children at home than those who have no children at home.

Desire for children among black women with and without HIV infection.

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship among self-esteem, self-efficacy, and desire for children, and to contrast these concepts between Black women with and without HIV infection. DESIGN: Correlational analysis. METHOD: A nonrandom sample of 98 Black women, 52 HIV positive and 46 HIV negative, recruited from an American inner-city health center, completed four questionnaires: the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Subscale, a modified Index of Parenthood Motivation, and a background information sheet. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, zero-order correlations, and multiple regression techniques. FINDINGS: Increased self-esteem and self-efficacy were positively correlated with desire for children in both HIV infected and uninfected Black women. No significant difference in the intensity of desire for children was found between uninfected Black women and HIV-infected Black women. The combination of age, number of previous abortions, and strength of religious belief was a better predictor of desire for children than was self-esteem and self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Variables other than HIV status were significantly correlated with desire for children among these low-income Black women with and without HIV infection.