Browsing by Author "Pickering, Barbara"
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- ItemOpen AccessEnvironmental Scan of Weight Bias Exposure in Primary Health Care Training Programs(Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2016-12-11) Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Nutter, Sarah; Alberga, Angela S.; Jelinski, Susan; Ball, Geoff D. C.; Edwards, Alun; Oddie, Scott; Sharma, Arya M.; Pickering, Barbara; Forhan, MaryNegative attitudes and beliefs about individuals with obesity (also known as weight bias) have negative consequences for physical and mental health for individuals with obesity and impact the quality of care provided by health professionals. A preliminary environmental scan of college and university training programs was conducted consisting of 67 degree and diploma granting programs from 22 institutions in Alberta, targeting programs training future health professionals. Publicly available online course descriptions were examined for weight-related keywords. Keyword frequency was used to determine the extent that coursework addressed weight-related issues. The results suggested that courses are structured to include learning about general health promotion as well as lifestyle factors that may contribute to obesity but may not systematically include learning about weight bias or its potential impact. Our findings highlight the need for further in-depth investigations as well as the need to enhance current curricula in higher education by including information related to weight, obesity and weight bias. Les attitudes et les croyances négatives concernant les personnes obèses (également connues comme partialité contre les obèses) ont des conséquences négatives sur la santé physique et mentale des personnes obèses et affectent la qualité des soins qui leur sont prodigués par les professionnels de la santé. Nous avons mené une étude environnementale préliminaire des programmes de formation universitaires et collégiaux qui a porté sur67 programmes menant à un certificat ou à un diplôme dans 22 établissements d’Alberta, et nous avons principalement visé les programmes de formation de futurs professionnels de la santé. Les descriptions de cours en ligne accessibles au grand public ont été examinées et les mots clés faisant référence aux problèmes de poids ont été identifiés. Les résultats suggèrent que les cours sont structurés de manière à inclure l’apprentissage de la promotion de la santé en général ainsi que les facteurs relatifs au style de vie qui peuvent contribuer à l’obésité mais ils n’incluent pas l’apprentissage systématique de la partialité contre les obèses ou ses effets potentiels. Nos résultats illustrent le besoin de mener des enquêtes approfondies ainsi que celui de renforcer les programmes de cours actuels en enseignement supérieur pour y inclure des informations relatives au poids, à l’obésité et à la partialité contre les obèses.
- ItemOpen AccessMindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) versus Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SET) for distressed breast cancer survivors: evaluating mindfulness and social support as mediators(Springer Nature, 2016-10-08) Schellekens, Melanie. P. J.; Carlson, Linda E.; Drysdale, Elaine; Stephen, Joanne; Speca, Michael; Labelle, Laura E.; Tamagawa, Rie; Savage, Linette Lawlor; Dirkse, Dale; Pickering, Barbara; Sample, SarahDespite growing evidence in support of mindfulness as an underlying mechanism of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), it has been suggested that nonspecific therapeutic factors, such as the experience of social support, may contribute to the positive effects of MBIs. In the present study, we examined whether change in mindfulness and/or social support mediated the effect of Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) compared to another active intervention (i.e. Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SET)), on change in mood disturbance, stress symptoms and quality of life. A secondary analysis was conducted of a multi-site randomized clinical trial investigating the impacts of MBCR and SET on distressed breast cancer survivors (MINDSET). We applied the causal steps approach with bootstrapping to test mediation, using pre- and post-intervention questionnaire data of the participants who were randomised to MBCR (n = 69) or SET (n = 70). MBCR participants improved significantly more on mood disturbance, stress symptoms and social support, but not on quality of life or mindfulness, compared to SET participants. Increased social support partially mediated the impact of MBCR versus SET on mood disturbance and stress symptoms. Because no group differences on mindfulness and quality of life were observed, no mediation analyses were performed on these variables. Findings showed that increased social support was related to more improvement in mood and stress after MBCR compared to support groups, whereas changes in mindfulness were not. This suggests a more important role for social support in enhancing outcomes in MBCR than previously thought.