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This article reports data collected from a national survey of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education’s (AGHE) member institutions conducted in 1998. The purpose was to explore current usage of distance learning in gerontological education. The findings suggest that distance learning is being implemented within various programs throughout the country with many others showing an interest. The strengths and limitations of using distance learning in gerontological education are discussed. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: <getinfo@haworthpressinc.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com>]. © 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

SUMMARY: Practice with working-class gay and bisexual men draws upon an ecological framework with a strengths perspective, which emphasizes the roles of culture, values, social class, social identity development, social categorization, social comparison, oppression and power, diversity, and stigma. This practice is based upon a process of developing an assessment and selecting a range of human service interventions. Ethnographic studies were conducted throughout the United States and Canada using a broad-based sample of working-class men to enhance our understanding of their needs and effective ways of helping. © 2001, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization. Paralleling the recent advances made through supported housing, supported employment, and supported education, this approach seeks to increase the involvement of individuals with psychiatric disabilities in naturally occurring social and recreational activities in community settings of their choice. After a review of social relationships and psychiatric disability, we describe the Partnership Project and present findings from a series of qualitative interviews conducted with a subsample of participants. We then discuss the implications of these findings for the community integration of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.

“The Role of Readability in Today's Classrooms” emphasizes the importance of providing students with materials on the appropriate level of challenge. Major readability formulas and leveling systems that might be used to assess the difficulty level of materials are reviewed. Because formulas are restricted to objective factors and leveling systems rely too heavily on subjective judgment, this article recommends using both objective and subjective factors when estimating readability levels. This article also recommends using readability/leveling systems as a way of noting textual difficulties that might need instructional intervention.

Women are often faced with the primary role of providing care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study explored women caregiver's perceptions of caregiving through the use of Cognitive Mapping (CM), a qualitative research method. Volunteers were recruited from caregiver support groups to construct maps of their experience of "caregiving for someone with AD." Maps were analyzed for commonly identified concepts and relationships. Twelve participants identified 280 concepts, 206 of which were unduplicated. Concepts were collapsed into 17 categories; the largest concepts being "friends and family," "sad," "frustration," and "time." The maps produced by the sample in this study were unique, providing evidence that the experience of AD caregiving varies significantly among caregivers. CM appears to be effective for identifying caregiver stressors and needed support services.

Surveys estimate that 3-6% of the patients seen by physicians are gay or lesbian. There are unique health risks of gays and lesbians that are important to the clinician in determining an accurate diagnosis, providing patient education, and arriving at an appropriate treatment plan. One of the most significant medical risks of these populations includes avoidance of routine health care and dissatisfaction with healthcare. Many of these healthcare risks are not addressed because of lack of communication based on a number of common assumptions including the assumption that the patient is heterosexual. This article includes a summary of the medical literature through computerized searches to March 2002 in MEDLINE, PsychInfo, HEALTHSTAR, and bibliographies in articles on health care with gay and lesbian patients. The search strategy included health care of gays and lesbians and clinician-patient communication, partner and family issues. Secondly, it will examine common communication barriers and provide strategies for enhancing communication with patients in a gender-neutral, non-judgmental manner including suggestions for enlisting the inclusion of patients' families. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding the barriers to antiretroviral adherence is a critical step in improving the effectiveness of HIV treatment and saving lives. We sought to assess, qualitatively, the experiences of HIV-positive persons taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) in North Carolina. Twenty-four people participated in one of six focus groups. A structured interview script included three questions (two open-ended) and eight probes. Each discussion was taped, transcribed, and content-analyzed. Three distinct themes emerged. First, many participants believed that taking ART was lifesaving but missed doses because they feared that taking them in public would reveal their HIV status. Second, as a result, participants often found it difficult to integrate their regimens into the most basic daily activities. Finally, participants stressed the importance of having open, ongoing dialogues about their treatment plans and privacy needs with a wide range of health care workers. Multidimensional, tailored interventions may help persons living with HIV overcome the stigma and other complex barriers they face in taking antiretroviral therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine if sexual behaviors, orgasm, tampon use, and douching during menstruation modify the risk of endometriosis., METHODS: A case-control study was conducted. Subjects (n = 2,012) consisted of members of the Endometriosis Association and friends not affiliated with the organization who completed mailed surveys. Data were analyzed using chi(2), Fisher's exact test, t test, and regression analyses., RESULTS: There was no difference between study groups concerning douching practices. However, cases were less likely than controls to report sometimes or often engaging in sexual behaviors during menstruation (p = 0.002, OR = 1.5), and sexual behaviors during menstruation that included orgasm (p = 0.001, OR = 1.5). Cases were also less likely than controls to report using only tampons (p < 0.0001, OR = 2.6)., CONCLUSION: Sexual activity, orgasm, and tampon use during menstruation may confer protection against endometriosis. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

The Enhancing Data Utilization Skills through Information Technology (EDUSIT) project trained Maternal and Child Health professionals to collect, analyze and interpret data via a year-long web-based course. The overall goal of the project was to strengthen the technology and analytic skills of the public health workforce. This article describes and analyzes a web-based module for training public health professionals to use qualitative research and evaluation methods that was one of six offered within the EDUSIT project. The qualitative module consisted of six units: overview of qualitative methods, planning qualitative studies, conducting field observations, qualitative interviewing, analyzing qualitative data and presenting qualitative findings. Evaluation results found no statistically significant changes in specific knowledge or beliefs about qualitative methods. However, the change in participants' self-efficacy was statistically significant. Participants' self-reports also showed significant changes in perceived skill levels in `collecting qualitative data through an interview' and `analyzing and interpreting qualitative data'. Most participants rated each lesson within the qualitative methods module as valuable, and most found the teaching methods used satisfactory, emphasizing the value of both the didactic teaching and the practical exercises and team project. The most common difficulty reported was finding the time to complete the module requirements while also working full-time. Implications of these findings for web-based teaching of public health professionals are discussed.

Correlates of sexual satisfaction were identified in a sample of older married women. A 70-item questionnaire was mailed to an age-stratified sample of 5,000 married persons, including 1,000 married women over the age of 50. Usable questionnaires were received from 148 participants (14.8% return rate). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis, using sexual satisfaction as the dependent variable, yield ed five predictor variables that accounted for a significant portion of the variation in sexual satisfaction (Cumulative R-2 = .73). These results serve as a reminder that sexual interactions cannot be compartmentalized but must be considered within the context of the overall marriage relationship. Given the low return rate, interpretations should be limited until replication with an adequate sample has been completed.

Occupational segregation by race and gender, though less common now than in the past, continues to be the norm rather than the exception in the sport industry. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, occupational segregation on the baseball playing field, often referred to as stacking, was discussed in light of human capital and social closure theories. Second, an attempt was made to replicate and extend a multivariate analysis of stacking by Margolis and Piliavin (1999) that challenges the dominant social science paradigm for explaining stacking. The present study uses more recent data than the Margolis and Piliavin study, as well as multinomial logistic regression analysis. The results reveal that stacking persists in Major League Baseball. They also reveal that the effect of race/ethnicity on assignments to playing positions is reduced when one controls for skills and physical characteristics such as speed and power hitting. The implications of this finding for sport management are examined.