Rotavirus disease is a common cause of health care utilization and almost all children are affected by the age of 5 years. In Canada, at the time of this survey (2008-09), immunization rates for rotavirus were <20%. We assessed the determinants of a parent's acceptance to have their child immunized against rotavirus. The survey instruments were based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Data were collected in two phases. In all, 413 and 394 parents completed the first and second interviews, respectively (retention rate 95%). Most parents (67%) intended to immunize their child against rotavirus. Factors significantly associated with parental intentions (Phase 1) were as follows: perception of the moral correctness of having their child immunized (personal normative belief) and perception that significant others will approve of the immunization behavior (subjective norm), perceived capability of having their child immunized (perceived behavioral control) and household income. At Phase 2, 165 parents (42%) reported that their child was immunized against rotavirus. The main determinant of vaccination behavior was parental intention to have their child vaccinated, whereas personal normative beliefs influenced both intention and behavior. The acceptability of the rotavirus vaccine will be higher if health promotion addresses parental knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding the disease and the vaccine.

Purpose. The goal of this study was to describe the salient perceived barriers to exercise in three different groups and to examine the perceived barriers characterizing individuals with a high or a low intention to exercise in the context of the theory of planned behavior. Design. Cross-sectional studies relating perceived barriers and intention to exercise were utilized. Subjects. Three independent samples were used: general population (n=349), individuals who have suffered from coronary heart disease (n=162), and pregnant women (n=139). Measures. Firstly, standard elicitation procedures were applied to identify the particular perceived barriers characterizing each population. Then, three self-administered questionnaires, one per sample, were used to measure perceived barriers and intention to exercise. Results. MANOVA analyses contrasting high and low intenders indicated a significant difference in perceived barriers to exercise in two of the three samples: general population (F5,343=6.37, p<.001) and individuals suffering from coronary heart disease (F9,152=2.28, p<.05). Conclusion. The results indicate not only that each population has specific salient perceived barriers to exercise, but also that within each group high and low intenders differ on a number of these perceived barriers. Therefore, it is recommended that the study of perceived barriers to exercise in any population should be based upon a standardized method of measuring these barriers such as the method adopted in the present study.

This paper reports the observed difference between two measures of compliance in wearing an orthopedic brace among teenagers affected by idiopathic scoliosis. The first measure was obtained with a small device called a "compli-o-meter" that was developed specifically for this purpose. When fastened to an orthopedic brace, this instrument determines the brace's actual wearing time. The second compliance measure was derived from a questionnaire-interview administered to the participants. The subjects were 40 female teenagers aged between 10 and 16 years who had been wearing an orthopedic brace for 18 months or less. While the compliance rate reported by the participants averaged 88%, the actual rate measured by the compli-o-meter was only 33%. Pearson's correlation was r = .33, with a significance of p < .05 between these two measurements. Care should be exerted in assessing the therapeutic efficiency of an orthopedic brace based exclusively on a patient's reported compliance level. In particular, basing a recommendation to change the brace based solely on this information may result in erroneous and serious therapeutic actions. The efficiency of orthopedic braces should be assessed on objective measures of the actual compliance rate wherever possible.

The aim of the present study was to identify and characterize the stages in the process of adherence to exercise among a sample of 347 adults randomly recruited from the general population. Combining a behavioral (habit of exercising in the past 3 months) and a motivational (intention to exercise in the next 6 months) dimension allowed the formation of five stages, on a continuum varying from a sedentary stage (stage 1) to a very active stage (stage 5). The psychosocial factors studied were derived from a social cognitive theory [attitude, perceived control (self-efficacy), and subjective social norms]. Subjects were visited at home by trained interviewers for baseline data colleclion and behavior was self-reported 6 months later. ANOVA indicated that there was a significant difference in exercising behavior between the stages (p < .0001) and trend analysis showed this relationship to be linear (p < ,001).MANOVA indicated that there was an overall significant difference in the psychosocial variables between the stages (p < .0001); pairwise comparisons identified multiple significant differences. In particular, perceived control (self-efficacy) was involved in every difference identified between the stages, having a negative value at stage 3. The results indicated that stage 2 is a very critical stage and provides a possible explanation for the 50% dropout rate from exercise programs typically observed during the first 3 to 6 months.