This study analyzed the passing rates on five health-related fitness items on the Brockport Physical Fitness Test of youths aged 10–17 with visual impairments. It found that the youths had low passing rates on upper-body strength, cardiovascular endurance, and body composition.

Kerr, Colangelo, and Gaeth (1988) assessed gifted adolescents' perceptions of their own and others' views of and reactions to their giftedness in personal, academic, and social areas through an open-ended questionnaire. Their results showed that the gifted adolescents' "views of their giftedness were not unidimensional" (p. 245). The purpose of the present study was to further Kerr et al. 's (1988) investigation by tailoring the questions to individuals' experiences and expanding the scoring scheme within response type. Results show that views of the gifted label and its effects are multifaceted, varying in ways different from those previously noted. Gifted adolescents may be coming to realize that there are positive and negative aspects to almost all social roles, statuses, and labels.Kerr, C'c>I~uu;~~le, and Cacth (1988) assessed gifted adolescents perceptions of their own and others' views of and reactions to their gifll'dness in j><>rsonal, academic, and social areas through an opcm-eoded questionnaire. Their results showed that the gifted adolescents' &dquo;views of their giftedness were not ill (p. 245), but mixed. They believed that others reacted to their giftedness more negatively than they themselves did and that although their giftedness negatively affected thcii-social relations, it positively affected their pers<>iic4 growth and academic performance. The purpose of the present study was to partially replicate Kerr et al.'s (1988) investigation mf gifted adotescents' attitudes by tailoring the questions to tdividuols experiences and expanding the scoring scheme for greater specificity within response type. This stuck' emphasizes attitudes toward one own giftedot one own gifted situation rather than the general status of being gifted. Although this studv, like the Kerr et al. (l9bS) stud'... asked for tlre best/worst thing about being gifted, the Kerr et al. (1988) study asked &dquo;what gifted means&dquo; and this study asks what &dquo;the term gifted means to you. Ken et al. ()988) did not directly report the responses to the items '! was happiest/unhappiest about being gifted&dquo; and&dquo;How did you fcel when you teamed you were gifted? The instrument used in this study emphasized a personal perspective. the ways &dquo;you&dquo; (the gifted student) are like or unlike other students. whether and how &dquo;you' see yourself as gifted, how &dquo;you fcml about that. and whether and how particular others treat )[1' ditterent)y because of &dquo;your&dquo; special abilities. Method ParticipantsThe sample was 144 (56% male, 44% female) gifted and talented students from counties across the state of Texas attending a summer Governor's School program conducted on the campus of a major southwestern state university. The students were 15 (28%) and 16 (72%) years old. (Sixteen was also the modal age of the Kerr et al. sample of participants in a gifted and talented program at a major midwestern state university.)Ninety-eight percent of the students in this study were in 10th grade. The participants comple...

In the absence of empirical literature from the resident perspective, this study provided a first assessment of smoking history, knowledge of the risks of smoking, the risks of environmental tobacco exposure, and the benefits of quitting among older (age 50+) nursing home unit residents, as well as readiness to quit, barriers to quitting, frequency of cessation advice by healthcare givers, and quit-attempt history of residents who smoke. Subjects were 25 smokers and 70 non-smokers housed on long-term nursing home units in a county hospital. Results indicated that smoking status for the majority of residents was similar to when they were admitted, although smokers smoked fewer cigarettes (M = 11.6, SD = 9.2) than prior to admission (M = 18.6, SD = 11.8). Smokers were less likely than non-smokers to agree that smoking is harmful to their health. Both smokers and non-smokers were not well informed of the dangers of passive smoke exposure. The majority of smokers were in precontemplation (no interest in quitting within the next 6 months). Fewer than half of residents who smoked reported receiving cessation advice from physicians (40%) or nurses (36%), and no in-house cessation programs were available. These results suggest gaps in knowledge and resources for smoking cessation in this setting and an opportunity for intervention. This study begins to build an evidence base from the residents' perspective that can be used by healthcare providers, administrators, and policy makers in addressing smoking in the nursing home.

Objective: To use a qualitative exploration to evaluate whether ‘Something to Smile About’ (STSA), an oral health intervention, had increased the oral health capacity of staff working with homeless people. Setting: A National Health Service board area in Scotland. Method: A purposive sample of 14 staff members from STSA-participating organizations took part in the evaluation. Three focus groups were held and the participants were encouraged to speak freely about their views on the intervention. The qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. Results: The majority of participants stated they were able to use their newly-acquired oral health knowledge and pass it to their homeless clients. STSA appeared to be less successful with regard to assisting clients to change their oral health behaviours. Staff felt that oral health considerations were a low priority compared to the need for shelter, food, clothing and money. In addition, they stated that the level of success with clients was influenced by the homeless person’s specific and complex needs. Conclusion: STSA was successful in building staff oral health capacity; however, for STSA to be successful with clients, and for clients to achieve adherence with oral health messages, the complex needs and current life circumstances of homeless client groups must be incorporated into STSA.

The objective of this study was to provide a first assessment of (a) long-term care staffs' prevalence of and attitudes toward giving smoking cessation advice to residents and (b) predictors of advice giving. Results of a survey (N = 115) found that 54.8% of licensed nurses and 34.6% of nursing assistants reported ever advising. Advising was associated with job classification and believing that residents' problem lists should include smoking. Not advising was associated with believing advice is the physicians' responsibility. Staff somewhat endorsed risks of smoking and benefits of cessation for residents, smoking as a right and pleasure, and that some residents cannot make decisions about smoking. Staff moderately endorsed safety concerns: 36% wanted policy changes. Lack of institutional support and perceived residents' cessation disinterest were key barriers. The findings suggest that staff may be missing intervention opportunities and that institutional support of advising cessation may facilitate maintenance and improvement of nursing home residents' health.