Amy McKeever - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Amy McKeever

Research paper thumbnail of Qualitative Descriptive Study of Childbirth Educators’ Perspectives on Prenatal Education for Women With Physical Disability

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

Research paper thumbnail of O33 Healthy Eating Perspectives and Food Literacy Needs of Parents Living with Food Insecurity

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2021

Background A healthy home depends on parents' health behaviors, nutrition knowledge, food lit... more Background A healthy home depends on parents' health behaviors, nutrition knowledge, food literacy skills, and confidence in making healthy choices. Parents who lack these foundational skills are ill-equipped to model and encourage healthy family habits. Additionally, when parents also face economic barriers that limit food access while struggling with foundational food knowledge and skills, the ability to create a healthy home is diminished even further. Therefore, parental nutrition education programs delivered within an emergency food pantry (EFP) are valuable in targeting food insecure populations. Despite the value of nutrition education programs, little is known about parents' perspectives and barriers that influence their understanding and application of nutrition education to successfully provide a healthful home food environment. Objective To explore the barriers to, perspectives on, and nutrition education needs to support healthy eating identified by food-insecure...

Research paper thumbnail of Perinatal Nurse Home Visiting and Rates of Diabetes and Hypertension Among Child-Bearing Mothers

Research paper thumbnail of Addressing the National Opioid Crisis by Developing and Implementing Undergraduate Nursing Curricula

Summary: The Opioid Epidemic, an undergraduate nursing course to assist students in the entry int... more Summary: The Opioid Epidemic, an undergraduate nursing course to assist students in the entry into the healthcare system with an overview of substance use disorder. A review of the history of the crisis, screening, assessment, management and referral as well as options for chronic pain management and trauma informed care. Content Outline: 1. Discuss the opioid crisis in the America 2. Discuss the impact of diversities and its impact on SUD specific to opioids 3. Evaluate the historical perspectives in treatment of addiction, specifically as it relates to opioids and current treatment options 4. Examine the ethical and legal issues of SUD with the opioid crisis 5. Discuss new clinical practice guidelines for opioid prescribing and impacts on patient care 6. Analyze the relationship between mental health disorders/issues with opioid addiction 7. Discuss the Health and Human Services 5 point agenda 8. Discuss the review of the development and implementation of the course First Primary ...

Research paper thumbnail of Substance Use Disorder in Pregnancy: A Forgotten Population

Research paper thumbnail of The Development and Incorporation of Combined Maternal-Child and Pediatric Global Learning Experiences Undergraduate Nursing Students

Research paper thumbnail of Low-Income Pregnant Women's Experiences With Prenatal Care Education

Research paper thumbnail of Relationships Among Neighborhood Poverty, Access to Healthy Food, and Diabetes Self-Management in Women Who Received Perinatal Nurse Home Visits

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 2021

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationships among neighborhood poverty, access to healthy food, and di... more OBJECTIVE To examine the relationships among neighborhood poverty, access to healthy food, and diabetes self-management in pregnant women in an urban setting who received perinatal nurse home visits. DESIGN Exploratory descriptive secondary analysis of existing individual-level and neighborhood-level data. SETTING Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. PARTICIPANTS Women who were pregnant, had diabetes, and were enrolled in the citywide perinatal nurse home visiting program because of their diabetes (N = 264). METHODS We retrieved neighborhood-level aggregated data on poverty and access to healthy food from PolicyMap, a geographic information system. We retrieved individual-level data from a clinical research database. Access to healthy food was operationalized at the individual level by reported use of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). We operationalized diabetes self-management as good or poor glycemic control. We conducted descriptive and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS We found no relationship between neighborhood-level poverty and neighborhood-level access to healthy food with women's glycemic control. However, at the individual level, use of the WIC program was associated with glycemic control (p = .034). Participants who reported not using this program were two times more likely to have poor glycemic control than those who did (OR = 2.045, 95% confidence interval [1.003, 2.045]). CONCLUSION It is important to understand how the complex interplay between neighborhoods and individual factors of poverty and access to healthy food influences health outcomes among pregnant women. The WIC program may mediate neighborhood influence on diabetes self-management. Future research is warranted on how this program and nurse home visiting services can optimize maternal health outcomes among women who have diabetes during pregnancy.

Research paper thumbnail of P75 Successes and Challenges of Using a Peer Mentor Model for Nutrition Education Within a Food Pantry: A Qualitative Study

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2020

Background Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and... more Background Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and sustainable approach to target the food insecure and underserved populations. However, little is known about using a peer mentor model, “Community Cooks,” as a modality to deliver nutrition education within this setting. Objective This research aimed to identify the successes and challenges of using a peer mentor model within an EFP to better understand the best approaches to deliver nutrition education among community residents. Study Design, Setting, Participants In spring 2018, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 peer mentors after they delivered a series of nutrition workshops to community members of the EFP. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results All peer mentors were women over 40 years-of-age, recruited from the EFP community; most were high school graduates and received some form of federal nutrition assistance. All peer mentors reported that the “Community Cooks” nutrition education program offered many benefits. Key successes of the program included the use of nutrition education sessions that were appropriately tailored to a food insecure population, recipes included ingredients often found at the EFP, and serving as a peer mentor was an empowering experience. Peer mentors reported a sense of community, purpose, and camaraderie. Key challenges of the program were the lack of community member engagement in the nutrition education workshops. Conclusions Challenges continue to exist when delivering nutrition education within a community EFP setting. While the use of peer mentors to deliver nutrition education messages is promising, more research is needed to quantify the impact of using a peer mentor model in underserved and food insecure communities.

Research paper thumbnail of P75 Successes and Challenges of Using a Peer Mentor Model for Nutrition Education Within a Food Pantry: A Qualitative Study

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2020

Background Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and... more Background Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and sustainable approach to target the food insecure and underserved populations. However, little is known about using a peer mentor model, “Community Cooks,” as a modality to deliver nutrition education within this setting. Objective This research aimed to identify the successes and challenges of using a peer mentor model within an EFP to better understand the best approaches to deliver nutrition education among community residents. Study Design, Setting, Participants In spring 2018, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 peer mentors after they delivered a series of nutrition workshops to community members of the EFP. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results All peer mentors were women over 40 years-of-age, recruited from the EFP community; most were high school graduates and received some form of federal nutrition assistance. All peer mentors reported that the “Community Cooks” nutrition education program offered many benefits. Key successes of the program included the use of nutrition education sessions that were appropriately tailored to a food insecure population, recipes included ingredients often found at the EFP, and serving as a peer mentor was an empowering experience. Peer mentors reported a sense of community, purpose, and camaraderie. Key challenges of the program were the lack of community member engagement in the nutrition education workshops. Conclusions Challenges continue to exist when delivering nutrition education within a community EFP setting. While the use of peer mentors to deliver nutrition education messages is promising, more research is needed to quantify the impact of using a peer mentor model in underserved and food insecure communities.

Research paper thumbnail of Successes and Challenges of Using a Peer Mentor Model for Nutrition Education within a Food Pantry: A Qualitative Study

Background: Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable an... more Background: Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and sustainable approach to target food insecure and underserved populations. However, little is known about using a peer mentor model, “ Community Cooks,” as a modality to deliver nutrition education within this setting. This research aimed to identify the successes and challenges of using a peer mentor model within an EFP to better understand the best approaches to deliver nutrition education among community residents. Methods: In spring 2018, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven peer mentors after they delivered a series of nutrition workshops to community members of the EFP. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: All peer mentors were women over 40 years-of-age, were recruited from the EFP community; most were high school graduates and currently received some form of federal nutrition...

Research paper thumbnail of Barriers to Healthy Eating in a Community That Relies on an Emergency Food Pantry

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2019

OBJECTIVE To explore perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community that r... more OBJECTIVE To explore perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community that relies on an emergency food pantry. METHODS A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using focus groups within an emergency food pantry located in southeastern Pennsylvania. Eleven female participants were recruited from the food pantry to serve as focus group participants and key community informants. Focus group transcripts were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a constant comparative method. RESULTS Four themes regarding perceived barriers to healthy eating were identified: (1) knowledge, (2) resources, (3) special dietary needs, and (4) culture and family influences. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Emergent themes from the focus groups identified the perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community. These findings may be essential for informing the development of future nutrition education programs and for promoting health in low-income communities.

Research paper thumbnail of A Novel Peer Mentor Model for Nutrition Education within a Food Pantry

Background: Food insecurity disproportionately affects groups of Americans and is a social determ... more Background: Food insecurity disproportionately affects groups of Americans and is a social determinant of health that deems one at risk for comorbidities. Food insecurity is defined as reduced access to a sufficient quantity and quality of food, which limits the variety or desirability of one’s diet. Unfortunately, this hidden and silent epidemic in the United States continues to rise and is at an all-time high rate, with one in six children being affected, 13 million children and a total of 41.2 million Americans. As a result, emergency food pantries (EFPs) are challenged with the dual role of providing food to combat hunger, but also being conscious of the health concerns of their clients such as chronic illness and obesity. Methods: “Community Cooks” was a peer mentor model program implemented to deliver nutrition education, skills in basic cooking techniques, healthy eating principles, and easily prepared recipes relying on foods available within an EFP. Eleven peer mentors were...

Research paper thumbnail of Achieving Safe Motherhood Addressing the Healthcare and Education Needs of the Mothers with Comorbidities; Reenvisioning Prenatal Care and Education

Clinics in Mother and Child Health, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment and Care of Childbearing Women With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness

Nursing for women's health

Severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) refers to complex mood disorders that include major d... more Severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) refers to complex mood disorders that include major depressive disorder with or without psychosis; severe anxiety disorders resistant to treatment; affective psychotic disorders including bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder; and other nonaffective subtypes of schizophrenia. SPMIs affect 1 in 17 people and are among the leading causes of disability and impaired health-related quality of life in the United States. Caring for childbearing women with preexisting SPMI can be challenging for maternal-child health clinicians. This article provides an overview of SPMI during pregnancy and challenges for clinicians, including early identification, accuracy of diagnoses, and appropriate management through care coordination among an interdisciplinary team that includes obstetric providers, psychiatrists, nurses, and others.

Research paper thumbnail of Perinatal Nurse Home Visiting Referral Patterns Among Women With Diabetes and Hypertension in Philadelphia

Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN

To examine access to perinatal nurse home visiting services for high-risk pregnant women who have... more To examine access to perinatal nurse home visiting services for high-risk pregnant women who have diabetes or hypertension. Secondary data analysis. Philadelphia, PA. Pregnant women who had a live birth during 2012 and those referred to a community-based agency for perinatal nurse home visiting because of their diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension. Access to services was measured by examining referral information (dosage, diagnosis, gestational age at time of referral, and insurance type) retrieved from administrative logs of the community-based organization that provides perinatal home visiting to high-risk pregnant women. The population-based prevalence rates of hypertension and diabetes were calculated from birth record data provided by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. During 2012, 595 pregnant women were referred for perinatal nurse home visiting services. The mean gestational age when referred for services was 24.9 weeks (standard deviation = 8.5) with a mean numb...

Research paper thumbnail of Female college students' self-reported behavioral change after an educational intervention to reduce behaviors associated with cervical cancer risk

Research paper thumbnail of An innovative strategy to measure arab-muslim immigrant women's knowledge with consideration of cultural learning style

Background and Issues: Culturally, Arab-Muslims are collectivistic and learn best by group proces... more Background and Issues: Culturally, Arab-Muslims are collectivistic and learn best by group process. This cultural practice does not lend itself to typical American methods of measuring knowledge of individuals in a group learning setting. Data collected to measure knowledge may therefore not be valid when using traditional methods of measurement with collectivistic groups. Description: This paper addresses the adaptation of an existing reliable tool to evaluate knowledge of Arab-Muslim immigrant women who participated in a breast health education program. Process evaluation, including tool pilot testing and focus groups, was used to develop a valid tool. The evaluation revealed that participants' collectivistic learning style of group learning and sharing influenced responses on traditional tools. The revised tool relied on digital audience response system (clickers) technology that enabled assessment of knowledge with consideration of Arab-Muslim women's collectivistic lear...

Research paper thumbnail of An innovative strategy to measure arab-muslim immigrant women's knowledge with consideration of cultural learning style

Background and Issues: Culturally, Arab-Muslims are collectivistic and learn best by group proces... more Background and Issues: Culturally, Arab-Muslims are collectivistic and learn best by group process. This cultural practice does not lend itself to typical American methods of measuring knowledge of individuals in a group learning setting. Data collected to measure knowledge may therefore not be valid when using traditional methods of measurement with collectivistic groups. Description: This paper addresses the adaptation of an existing reliable tool to evaluate knowledge of Arab-Muslim immigrant women who participated in a breast health education program. Process evaluation, including tool pilot testing and focus groups, was used to develop a valid tool. The evaluation revealed that participants' collectivistic learning style of group learning and sharing influenced responses on traditional tools. The revised tool relied on digital audience response system (clickers) technology that enabled assessment of knowledge with consideration of Arab-Muslim women's collectivistic lear...

Research paper thumbnail of The author responds

Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing

Research paper thumbnail of Qualitative Descriptive Study of Childbirth Educators’ Perspectives on Prenatal Education for Women With Physical Disability

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

Research paper thumbnail of O33 Healthy Eating Perspectives and Food Literacy Needs of Parents Living with Food Insecurity

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2021

Background A healthy home depends on parents' health behaviors, nutrition knowledge, food lit... more Background A healthy home depends on parents' health behaviors, nutrition knowledge, food literacy skills, and confidence in making healthy choices. Parents who lack these foundational skills are ill-equipped to model and encourage healthy family habits. Additionally, when parents also face economic barriers that limit food access while struggling with foundational food knowledge and skills, the ability to create a healthy home is diminished even further. Therefore, parental nutrition education programs delivered within an emergency food pantry (EFP) are valuable in targeting food insecure populations. Despite the value of nutrition education programs, little is known about parents' perspectives and barriers that influence their understanding and application of nutrition education to successfully provide a healthful home food environment. Objective To explore the barriers to, perspectives on, and nutrition education needs to support healthy eating identified by food-insecure...

Research paper thumbnail of Perinatal Nurse Home Visiting and Rates of Diabetes and Hypertension Among Child-Bearing Mothers

Research paper thumbnail of Addressing the National Opioid Crisis by Developing and Implementing Undergraduate Nursing Curricula

Summary: The Opioid Epidemic, an undergraduate nursing course to assist students in the entry int... more Summary: The Opioid Epidemic, an undergraduate nursing course to assist students in the entry into the healthcare system with an overview of substance use disorder. A review of the history of the crisis, screening, assessment, management and referral as well as options for chronic pain management and trauma informed care. Content Outline: 1. Discuss the opioid crisis in the America 2. Discuss the impact of diversities and its impact on SUD specific to opioids 3. Evaluate the historical perspectives in treatment of addiction, specifically as it relates to opioids and current treatment options 4. Examine the ethical and legal issues of SUD with the opioid crisis 5. Discuss new clinical practice guidelines for opioid prescribing and impacts on patient care 6. Analyze the relationship between mental health disorders/issues with opioid addiction 7. Discuss the Health and Human Services 5 point agenda 8. Discuss the review of the development and implementation of the course First Primary ...

Research paper thumbnail of Substance Use Disorder in Pregnancy: A Forgotten Population

Research paper thumbnail of The Development and Incorporation of Combined Maternal-Child and Pediatric Global Learning Experiences Undergraduate Nursing Students

Research paper thumbnail of Low-Income Pregnant Women's Experiences With Prenatal Care Education

Research paper thumbnail of Relationships Among Neighborhood Poverty, Access to Healthy Food, and Diabetes Self-Management in Women Who Received Perinatal Nurse Home Visits

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 2021

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationships among neighborhood poverty, access to healthy food, and di... more OBJECTIVE To examine the relationships among neighborhood poverty, access to healthy food, and diabetes self-management in pregnant women in an urban setting who received perinatal nurse home visits. DESIGN Exploratory descriptive secondary analysis of existing individual-level and neighborhood-level data. SETTING Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. PARTICIPANTS Women who were pregnant, had diabetes, and were enrolled in the citywide perinatal nurse home visiting program because of their diabetes (N = 264). METHODS We retrieved neighborhood-level aggregated data on poverty and access to healthy food from PolicyMap, a geographic information system. We retrieved individual-level data from a clinical research database. Access to healthy food was operationalized at the individual level by reported use of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). We operationalized diabetes self-management as good or poor glycemic control. We conducted descriptive and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS We found no relationship between neighborhood-level poverty and neighborhood-level access to healthy food with women's glycemic control. However, at the individual level, use of the WIC program was associated with glycemic control (p = .034). Participants who reported not using this program were two times more likely to have poor glycemic control than those who did (OR = 2.045, 95% confidence interval [1.003, 2.045]). CONCLUSION It is important to understand how the complex interplay between neighborhoods and individual factors of poverty and access to healthy food influences health outcomes among pregnant women. The WIC program may mediate neighborhood influence on diabetes self-management. Future research is warranted on how this program and nurse home visiting services can optimize maternal health outcomes among women who have diabetes during pregnancy.

Research paper thumbnail of P75 Successes and Challenges of Using a Peer Mentor Model for Nutrition Education Within a Food Pantry: A Qualitative Study

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2020

Background Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and... more Background Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and sustainable approach to target the food insecure and underserved populations. However, little is known about using a peer mentor model, “Community Cooks,” as a modality to deliver nutrition education within this setting. Objective This research aimed to identify the successes and challenges of using a peer mentor model within an EFP to better understand the best approaches to deliver nutrition education among community residents. Study Design, Setting, Participants In spring 2018, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 peer mentors after they delivered a series of nutrition workshops to community members of the EFP. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results All peer mentors were women over 40 years-of-age, recruited from the EFP community; most were high school graduates and received some form of federal nutrition assistance. All peer mentors reported that the “Community Cooks” nutrition education program offered many benefits. Key successes of the program included the use of nutrition education sessions that were appropriately tailored to a food insecure population, recipes included ingredients often found at the EFP, and serving as a peer mentor was an empowering experience. Peer mentors reported a sense of community, purpose, and camaraderie. Key challenges of the program were the lack of community member engagement in the nutrition education workshops. Conclusions Challenges continue to exist when delivering nutrition education within a community EFP setting. While the use of peer mentors to deliver nutrition education messages is promising, more research is needed to quantify the impact of using a peer mentor model in underserved and food insecure communities.

Research paper thumbnail of P75 Successes and Challenges of Using a Peer Mentor Model for Nutrition Education Within a Food Pantry: A Qualitative Study

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2020

Background Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and... more Background Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and sustainable approach to target the food insecure and underserved populations. However, little is known about using a peer mentor model, “Community Cooks,” as a modality to deliver nutrition education within this setting. Objective This research aimed to identify the successes and challenges of using a peer mentor model within an EFP to better understand the best approaches to deliver nutrition education among community residents. Study Design, Setting, Participants In spring 2018, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 peer mentors after they delivered a series of nutrition workshops to community members of the EFP. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results All peer mentors were women over 40 years-of-age, recruited from the EFP community; most were high school graduates and received some form of federal nutrition assistance. All peer mentors reported that the “Community Cooks” nutrition education program offered many benefits. Key successes of the program included the use of nutrition education sessions that were appropriately tailored to a food insecure population, recipes included ingredients often found at the EFP, and serving as a peer mentor was an empowering experience. Peer mentors reported a sense of community, purpose, and camaraderie. Key challenges of the program were the lack of community member engagement in the nutrition education workshops. Conclusions Challenges continue to exist when delivering nutrition education within a community EFP setting. While the use of peer mentors to deliver nutrition education messages is promising, more research is needed to quantify the impact of using a peer mentor model in underserved and food insecure communities.

Research paper thumbnail of Successes and Challenges of Using a Peer Mentor Model for Nutrition Education within a Food Pantry: A Qualitative Study

Background: Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable an... more Background: Delivering nutrition education within an emergency food pantry (EFP) is a valuable and sustainable approach to target food insecure and underserved populations. However, little is known about using a peer mentor model, “ Community Cooks,” as a modality to deliver nutrition education within this setting. This research aimed to identify the successes and challenges of using a peer mentor model within an EFP to better understand the best approaches to deliver nutrition education among community residents. Methods: In spring 2018, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven peer mentors after they delivered a series of nutrition workshops to community members of the EFP. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: All peer mentors were women over 40 years-of-age, were recruited from the EFP community; most were high school graduates and currently received some form of federal nutrition...

Research paper thumbnail of Barriers to Healthy Eating in a Community That Relies on an Emergency Food Pantry

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2019

OBJECTIVE To explore perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community that r... more OBJECTIVE To explore perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community that relies on an emergency food pantry. METHODS A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using focus groups within an emergency food pantry located in southeastern Pennsylvania. Eleven female participants were recruited from the food pantry to serve as focus group participants and key community informants. Focus group transcripts were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a constant comparative method. RESULTS Four themes regarding perceived barriers to healthy eating were identified: (1) knowledge, (2) resources, (3) special dietary needs, and (4) culture and family influences. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Emergent themes from the focus groups identified the perceived barriers to healthy eating within a food-insecure community. These findings may be essential for informing the development of future nutrition education programs and for promoting health in low-income communities.

Research paper thumbnail of A Novel Peer Mentor Model for Nutrition Education within a Food Pantry

Background: Food insecurity disproportionately affects groups of Americans and is a social determ... more Background: Food insecurity disproportionately affects groups of Americans and is a social determinant of health that deems one at risk for comorbidities. Food insecurity is defined as reduced access to a sufficient quantity and quality of food, which limits the variety or desirability of one’s diet. Unfortunately, this hidden and silent epidemic in the United States continues to rise and is at an all-time high rate, with one in six children being affected, 13 million children and a total of 41.2 million Americans. As a result, emergency food pantries (EFPs) are challenged with the dual role of providing food to combat hunger, but also being conscious of the health concerns of their clients such as chronic illness and obesity. Methods: “Community Cooks” was a peer mentor model program implemented to deliver nutrition education, skills in basic cooking techniques, healthy eating principles, and easily prepared recipes relying on foods available within an EFP. Eleven peer mentors were...

Research paper thumbnail of Achieving Safe Motherhood Addressing the Healthcare and Education Needs of the Mothers with Comorbidities; Reenvisioning Prenatal Care and Education

Clinics in Mother and Child Health, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment and Care of Childbearing Women With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness

Nursing for women's health

Severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) refers to complex mood disorders that include major d... more Severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) refers to complex mood disorders that include major depressive disorder with or without psychosis; severe anxiety disorders resistant to treatment; affective psychotic disorders including bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder; and other nonaffective subtypes of schizophrenia. SPMIs affect 1 in 17 people and are among the leading causes of disability and impaired health-related quality of life in the United States. Caring for childbearing women with preexisting SPMI can be challenging for maternal-child health clinicians. This article provides an overview of SPMI during pregnancy and challenges for clinicians, including early identification, accuracy of diagnoses, and appropriate management through care coordination among an interdisciplinary team that includes obstetric providers, psychiatrists, nurses, and others.

Research paper thumbnail of Perinatal Nurse Home Visiting Referral Patterns Among Women With Diabetes and Hypertension in Philadelphia

Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN

To examine access to perinatal nurse home visiting services for high-risk pregnant women who have... more To examine access to perinatal nurse home visiting services for high-risk pregnant women who have diabetes or hypertension. Secondary data analysis. Philadelphia, PA. Pregnant women who had a live birth during 2012 and those referred to a community-based agency for perinatal nurse home visiting because of their diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension. Access to services was measured by examining referral information (dosage, diagnosis, gestational age at time of referral, and insurance type) retrieved from administrative logs of the community-based organization that provides perinatal home visiting to high-risk pregnant women. The population-based prevalence rates of hypertension and diabetes were calculated from birth record data provided by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. During 2012, 595 pregnant women were referred for perinatal nurse home visiting services. The mean gestational age when referred for services was 24.9 weeks (standard deviation = 8.5) with a mean numb...

Research paper thumbnail of Female college students' self-reported behavioral change after an educational intervention to reduce behaviors associated with cervical cancer risk

Research paper thumbnail of An innovative strategy to measure arab-muslim immigrant women's knowledge with consideration of cultural learning style

Background and Issues: Culturally, Arab-Muslims are collectivistic and learn best by group proces... more Background and Issues: Culturally, Arab-Muslims are collectivistic and learn best by group process. This cultural practice does not lend itself to typical American methods of measuring knowledge of individuals in a group learning setting. Data collected to measure knowledge may therefore not be valid when using traditional methods of measurement with collectivistic groups. Description: This paper addresses the adaptation of an existing reliable tool to evaluate knowledge of Arab-Muslim immigrant women who participated in a breast health education program. Process evaluation, including tool pilot testing and focus groups, was used to develop a valid tool. The evaluation revealed that participants' collectivistic learning style of group learning and sharing influenced responses on traditional tools. The revised tool relied on digital audience response system (clickers) technology that enabled assessment of knowledge with consideration of Arab-Muslim women's collectivistic lear...

Research paper thumbnail of An innovative strategy to measure arab-muslim immigrant women's knowledge with consideration of cultural learning style

Background and Issues: Culturally, Arab-Muslims are collectivistic and learn best by group proces... more Background and Issues: Culturally, Arab-Muslims are collectivistic and learn best by group process. This cultural practice does not lend itself to typical American methods of measuring knowledge of individuals in a group learning setting. Data collected to measure knowledge may therefore not be valid when using traditional methods of measurement with collectivistic groups. Description: This paper addresses the adaptation of an existing reliable tool to evaluate knowledge of Arab-Muslim immigrant women who participated in a breast health education program. Process evaluation, including tool pilot testing and focus groups, was used to develop a valid tool. The evaluation revealed that participants' collectivistic learning style of group learning and sharing influenced responses on traditional tools. The revised tool relied on digital audience response system (clickers) technology that enabled assessment of knowledge with consideration of Arab-Muslim women's collectivistic lear...

Research paper thumbnail of The author responds

Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing