Rachel Casiday | Samford University (original) (raw)
Papers by Rachel Casiday
Vaccine 2006 Vol 24 Pp 177 184 Peer Reviewed Journal, 2006
Contested reports associating the MMR vaccine with autism have resulted in diminished confidence ... more Contested reports associating the MMR vaccine with autism have resulted in diminished confidence and uptake of the vaccine in the UK. This postal survey of parent's decisions, attitudes and use of information about MMR immunisation was constructed from questions derived from in-depth qualitative work. The setting was a Primary Care Trust in northeast England (N = 996). Both MMR-accepting and refusing parents were supportive of immunisation, yet the high level of concern about the safety of the vaccine expressed even by parents who had immunised their children is worrying in its implications for public confidence and trust in health care. The findings suggest that the ability of practitioners to provide effective professional advice about MMR vaccine could be undermined if a government were to directly promote the vaccine to parents. Practitioners should continue to provide parents with accurate information, while communicating respect for parents' intentions to protect their children's health.
Fam Pract, 2008
Inconsistencies in doctors' views about causes and treatment of irritable... more Inconsistencies in doctors' views about causes and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) lead to frustration for doctors and in doctor-patient interactions. Diagnosis by GPs does not correspond well to established diagnostic criteria. To understand GPs' explanatory models (EMs) and management strategies for IBS. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 30 GPs (15 from the UK and 15 from The Netherlands). Diagnosing IBS in primary care is a complex process, involving symptoms, tests, history and risk calculation. GPs were uncertain about the aetiology of IBS, but often viewed it as a consequence of disordered bowel activity in response to stress, which was viewed as a function of people's responses to their environment. GPs tend to diagnose IBS by exclusion, rather than with formal diagnostic criteria. They endeavoured to present the IBS diagnosis to their patients in a way that they would accept, fearing that many would not be satisfied with a diagnosis that had no apparent physical cause. GPs focused on managing symptoms and reassuring patients. Many GPs felt that patients needed to take the responsibility for managing their IBS and for minimizing its impact on their daily lives. However, the GPs had limited awareness of the extent to which IBS affected their patients' daily lives. GPs' diagnostic procedures and EMs for IBS are at odds with patient expectations and current guidelines. Shared discussion of what patients believe to be triggers for symptoms, ways of coping with symptoms and the role of medication may be helpful.
A systematic review was undertaken to ascertain the health effects of volunteering on volunteers ... more A systematic review was undertaken to ascertain the health effects of volunteering on volunteers and health service users. 24,966 articles were identified from database searches, of which 87 papers were included. The review identified qualified evidence that volunteering can deliver health benefits both to volunteers and to health service users. Volunteering was shown to decrease mortality and to improve self-rated health, mental health, life satisfaction, social interaction, healthy behaviours and coping ability. There was also evidence that volunteers can make a difference to the health and well-being of service users, including increased self esteem, disease management and acceptance, parenting skills, mental health, survival time, healthy behaviours and improved relationships with health professionals. Volunteering programmes were highly context-dependent, and further research on the training and management of volunteers in healthcare settings is needed.
Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association, 2006
Uncertainty about the likelihood of a particular child coming to harm is a chief concern for pare... more Uncertainty about the likelihood of a particular child coming to harm is a chief concern for parents making decisions about the MMR vaccine, but little attention has been given to the ways that parents cope with this uncertainty. Social science frameworks may help practitioners to understand parental decision making and its implications for community practice. In focus groups and interviews involving 87 parents, three distinct strategies for dealing with uncertainty emerged: reducing complexity through trust, compromise strategies that embrace ambivalence and identifying vulnerable groups. Community practitioners should seek to understand how parents may be using these strategies in order to appropriately tailor their information provision and foster trusting relationships in the communities they serve.
Recent debates in the United Kingdom about the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and its a... more Recent debates in the United Kingdom about the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and its alleged link with autism have centred on contested notions of risk. This paper presents findings from 87 parents' focus group and interview discussions of their decision-making about the vaccine in light of three streams of theoretical literature on risk (cultural theory, risk society, psychometric models of risk perception) and models of vaccination acceptance and resistance. In addition to the risks of infectious disease and autism, parents balanced other risk concerns-both biological and social-in making their decisions. Such decisions, made on behalf of children unable to choose for themselves, and in the midst of contradictory information and uncertainty, symbolised what it means to be a 'good parent'. To cope with uncertainty, parents sought explanations for why some children seem to be more vulnerable to adverse outcomes than others. Debates about children's risks may need special theoretical consideration beyond that offered by the current risk literature. Specific aspects of the MMR debate, namely, selecting between potentially competing risks, making risk judgements on behalf of dependent others, and tensions between private and public good, provide a platform for exploring how social theories of risk might be adapted for children's health controversies.
Risk Communication and Public Health, 2010
Vaccine, 2006
Contested reports associating the MMR vaccine with autism have resulted in diminished confidence ... more Contested reports associating the MMR vaccine with autism have resulted in diminished confidence and uptake of the vaccine in the UK. This postal survey of parent's decisions, attitudes and use of information about MMR immunisation was constructed from questions derived from in-depth qualitative work. The setting was a Primary Care Trust in northeast England (N = 996). Both MMR-accepting and refusing parents were supportive of immunisation, yet the high level of concern about the safety of the vaccine expressed even by parents who had immunised their children is worrying in its implications for public confidence and trust in health care. The findings suggest that the ability of practitioners to provide effective professional advice about MMR vaccine could be undermined if a government were to directly promote the vaccine to parents. Practitioners should continue to provide parents with accurate information, while communicating respect for parents' intentions to protect their children's health.
Social Science & Medicine, 2009
The purpose of this paper is to analyse household decision-making regarding resource allocation i... more The purpose of this paper is to analyse household decision-making regarding resource allocation in the aftermath of a food crisis in rural Niger. International attention had resulted in humanitarian agencies launching emergency nutrition programmes to alleviate persistently high levels of acute child malnutrition. We conducted participant observation, 93 in-depth interviews, 15 focus groups, 44 feeding and illness histories for children under 5, and debriefing sessions with local humanitarian staff. The impetus for this study came from observations of marked intra-household differences in child growth and health status, despite the caregivers' ethos of treating children equally. Egalitarian input, however, does not always result in equal outcomes: vulnerable children become "victims of non-discrimination" through a form of benign neglect engendered by pervasive poverty. The ethos and practices of equal investment in children are rooted in a need to balance the perceived risks to children with the preservation of long-term livelihoods. We discuss the mismatch of views between external interventions, which focus on saving individual children's lives, and local priorities, aimed at spreading risk. This mismatch is rooted in the different ways in which humanitarian agencies and local communities weigh up risks and vulnerabilities in matters of child health.
Journal of Chemical Education, 2005
... The tutorial design is also intended to fos-ter students' understanding of chemical conc... more ... The tutorial design is also intended to fos-ter students' understanding of chemical concepts and ... that applica-tion-oriented teaching materials can improve students' attitudes about chemistry. ...Experimental group students have more positive attitudes about chemistry than do the ...
Journal of Chemical Education, 2001
... edited by James P. Birk Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287 ... They discover that the p... more ... edited by James P. Birk Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287 ... They discover that the polar channels are lined with amino acids whose polar side chains face the inside of the channel, whereas the nonpolar chan-nels are lined with amino acids having corresponding ...
Journal of Biosocial Science, 2004
Family Practice, 2008
Inconsistencies in doctors' views about causes and treatment of irritable... more Inconsistencies in doctors' views about causes and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) lead to frustration for doctors and in doctor-patient interactions. Diagnosis by GPs does not correspond well to established diagnostic criteria. To understand GPs' explanatory models (EMs) and management strategies for IBS. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 30 GPs (15 from the UK and 15 from The Netherlands). Diagnosing IBS in primary care is a complex process, involving symptoms, tests, history and risk calculation. GPs were uncertain about the aetiology of IBS, but often viewed it as a consequence of disordered bowel activity in response to stress, which was viewed as a function of people's responses to their environment. GPs tend to diagnose IBS by exclusion, rather than with formal diagnostic criteria. They endeavoured to present the IBS diagnosis to their patients in a way that they would accept, fearing that many would not be satisfied with a diagnosis that had no apparent physical cause. GPs focused on managing symptoms and reassuring patients. Many GPs felt that patients needed to take the responsibility for managing their IBS and for minimizing its impact on their daily lives. However, the GPs had limited awareness of the extent to which IBS affected their patients' daily lives. GPs' diagnostic procedures and EMs for IBS are at odds with patient expectations and current guidelines. Shared discussion of what patients believe to be triggers for symptoms, ways of coping with symptoms and the role of medication may be helpful.
Family Practice, 2008
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition associated with no certain organic cause, th... more Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition associated with no certain organic cause, though diet and stress are widely implicated. The condition is frustrating for both sufferers and doctors, and there are problems in diagnosing and treating the condition. Eliciting explanatory models (EMs) is a useful tool for understanding how individuals relate to their illnesses and their expectations for treatment, particularly for illnesses with uncertain aetiology like IBS. To understand the EMs, experiences and expectations for management of patients with IBS. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 primary care patients (31 in the UK, 20 in The Netherlands) meeting the Rome II diagnostic criteria for IBS. Although IBS often had a significant dampening effect on daily life, IBS patients made great efforts not to allow the condition to take over their lives. Triggers of symptoms were more important to patients than understanding the underlying aetiology of IBS. Diet and stress were both recognized as important triggers, but views about which foods were problematic and the extent to which stress was modifiable were inconsistent. Diagnosis and treatment were often a confusing and frustrating process, and patients often expected more diagnostic tests than they were offered before receiving a diagnosis of IBS. However, the often poor outcome of medical interventions does not, in general, appear to have a negative impact on the patient-doctor relationship. Clinicians should be aware of the extensive impact of IBS on sufferers' daily life and the frustration that results from repeatedly trying treatments with little effect. Clearly explaining the guidelines for diagnosing IBS and the range of treatment options may help patients to make sense of the diagnostic and treatment processes. The personal EM should be addressed during the consultation with the IBS patient, ensuring that any successive medical interventions match with the patients' disease perception.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004
191 334 0242 Fax: +44 (0)191 334 6175 25
Disasters, 2009
Brick, C. (2009) 'The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger's rec... more Brick, C. (2009) 'The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger's recent food crisis.', Disasters., 33 (1). pp. 132-151.
Child: Care, Health and Development, 2007
Vaccine 2006 Vol 24 Pp 177 184 Peer Reviewed Journal, 2006
Contested reports associating the MMR vaccine with autism have resulted in diminished confidence ... more Contested reports associating the MMR vaccine with autism have resulted in diminished confidence and uptake of the vaccine in the UK. This postal survey of parent's decisions, attitudes and use of information about MMR immunisation was constructed from questions derived from in-depth qualitative work. The setting was a Primary Care Trust in northeast England (N = 996). Both MMR-accepting and refusing parents were supportive of immunisation, yet the high level of concern about the safety of the vaccine expressed even by parents who had immunised their children is worrying in its implications for public confidence and trust in health care. The findings suggest that the ability of practitioners to provide effective professional advice about MMR vaccine could be undermined if a government were to directly promote the vaccine to parents. Practitioners should continue to provide parents with accurate information, while communicating respect for parents' intentions to protect their children's health.
Fam Pract, 2008
Inconsistencies in doctors' views about causes and treatment of irritable... more Inconsistencies in doctors' views about causes and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) lead to frustration for doctors and in doctor-patient interactions. Diagnosis by GPs does not correspond well to established diagnostic criteria. To understand GPs' explanatory models (EMs) and management strategies for IBS. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 30 GPs (15 from the UK and 15 from The Netherlands). Diagnosing IBS in primary care is a complex process, involving symptoms, tests, history and risk calculation. GPs were uncertain about the aetiology of IBS, but often viewed it as a consequence of disordered bowel activity in response to stress, which was viewed as a function of people's responses to their environment. GPs tend to diagnose IBS by exclusion, rather than with formal diagnostic criteria. They endeavoured to present the IBS diagnosis to their patients in a way that they would accept, fearing that many would not be satisfied with a diagnosis that had no apparent physical cause. GPs focused on managing symptoms and reassuring patients. Many GPs felt that patients needed to take the responsibility for managing their IBS and for minimizing its impact on their daily lives. However, the GPs had limited awareness of the extent to which IBS affected their patients' daily lives. GPs' diagnostic procedures and EMs for IBS are at odds with patient expectations and current guidelines. Shared discussion of what patients believe to be triggers for symptoms, ways of coping with symptoms and the role of medication may be helpful.
A systematic review was undertaken to ascertain the health effects of volunteering on volunteers ... more A systematic review was undertaken to ascertain the health effects of volunteering on volunteers and health service users. 24,966 articles were identified from database searches, of which 87 papers were included. The review identified qualified evidence that volunteering can deliver health benefits both to volunteers and to health service users. Volunteering was shown to decrease mortality and to improve self-rated health, mental health, life satisfaction, social interaction, healthy behaviours and coping ability. There was also evidence that volunteers can make a difference to the health and well-being of service users, including increased self esteem, disease management and acceptance, parenting skills, mental health, survival time, healthy behaviours and improved relationships with health professionals. Volunteering programmes were highly context-dependent, and further research on the training and management of volunteers in healthcare settings is needed.
Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association, 2006
Uncertainty about the likelihood of a particular child coming to harm is a chief concern for pare... more Uncertainty about the likelihood of a particular child coming to harm is a chief concern for parents making decisions about the MMR vaccine, but little attention has been given to the ways that parents cope with this uncertainty. Social science frameworks may help practitioners to understand parental decision making and its implications for community practice. In focus groups and interviews involving 87 parents, three distinct strategies for dealing with uncertainty emerged: reducing complexity through trust, compromise strategies that embrace ambivalence and identifying vulnerable groups. Community practitioners should seek to understand how parents may be using these strategies in order to appropriately tailor their information provision and foster trusting relationships in the communities they serve.
Recent debates in the United Kingdom about the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and its a... more Recent debates in the United Kingdom about the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and its alleged link with autism have centred on contested notions of risk. This paper presents findings from 87 parents' focus group and interview discussions of their decision-making about the vaccine in light of three streams of theoretical literature on risk (cultural theory, risk society, psychometric models of risk perception) and models of vaccination acceptance and resistance. In addition to the risks of infectious disease and autism, parents balanced other risk concerns-both biological and social-in making their decisions. Such decisions, made on behalf of children unable to choose for themselves, and in the midst of contradictory information and uncertainty, symbolised what it means to be a 'good parent'. To cope with uncertainty, parents sought explanations for why some children seem to be more vulnerable to adverse outcomes than others. Debates about children's risks may need special theoretical consideration beyond that offered by the current risk literature. Specific aspects of the MMR debate, namely, selecting between potentially competing risks, making risk judgements on behalf of dependent others, and tensions between private and public good, provide a platform for exploring how social theories of risk might be adapted for children's health controversies.
Risk Communication and Public Health, 2010
Vaccine, 2006
Contested reports associating the MMR vaccine with autism have resulted in diminished confidence ... more Contested reports associating the MMR vaccine with autism have resulted in diminished confidence and uptake of the vaccine in the UK. This postal survey of parent's decisions, attitudes and use of information about MMR immunisation was constructed from questions derived from in-depth qualitative work. The setting was a Primary Care Trust in northeast England (N = 996). Both MMR-accepting and refusing parents were supportive of immunisation, yet the high level of concern about the safety of the vaccine expressed even by parents who had immunised their children is worrying in its implications for public confidence and trust in health care. The findings suggest that the ability of practitioners to provide effective professional advice about MMR vaccine could be undermined if a government were to directly promote the vaccine to parents. Practitioners should continue to provide parents with accurate information, while communicating respect for parents' intentions to protect their children's health.
Social Science & Medicine, 2009
The purpose of this paper is to analyse household decision-making regarding resource allocation i... more The purpose of this paper is to analyse household decision-making regarding resource allocation in the aftermath of a food crisis in rural Niger. International attention had resulted in humanitarian agencies launching emergency nutrition programmes to alleviate persistently high levels of acute child malnutrition. We conducted participant observation, 93 in-depth interviews, 15 focus groups, 44 feeding and illness histories for children under 5, and debriefing sessions with local humanitarian staff. The impetus for this study came from observations of marked intra-household differences in child growth and health status, despite the caregivers' ethos of treating children equally. Egalitarian input, however, does not always result in equal outcomes: vulnerable children become "victims of non-discrimination" through a form of benign neglect engendered by pervasive poverty. The ethos and practices of equal investment in children are rooted in a need to balance the perceived risks to children with the preservation of long-term livelihoods. We discuss the mismatch of views between external interventions, which focus on saving individual children's lives, and local priorities, aimed at spreading risk. This mismatch is rooted in the different ways in which humanitarian agencies and local communities weigh up risks and vulnerabilities in matters of child health.
Journal of Chemical Education, 2005
... The tutorial design is also intended to fos-ter students' understanding of chemical conc... more ... The tutorial design is also intended to fos-ter students' understanding of chemical concepts and ... that applica-tion-oriented teaching materials can improve students' attitudes about chemistry. ...Experimental group students have more positive attitudes about chemistry than do the ...
Journal of Chemical Education, 2001
... edited by James P. Birk Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287 ... They discover that the p... more ... edited by James P. Birk Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287 ... They discover that the polar channels are lined with amino acids whose polar side chains face the inside of the channel, whereas the nonpolar chan-nels are lined with amino acids having corresponding ...
Journal of Biosocial Science, 2004
Family Practice, 2008
Inconsistencies in doctors' views about causes and treatment of irritable... more Inconsistencies in doctors' views about causes and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) lead to frustration for doctors and in doctor-patient interactions. Diagnosis by GPs does not correspond well to established diagnostic criteria. To understand GPs' explanatory models (EMs) and management strategies for IBS. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 30 GPs (15 from the UK and 15 from The Netherlands). Diagnosing IBS in primary care is a complex process, involving symptoms, tests, history and risk calculation. GPs were uncertain about the aetiology of IBS, but often viewed it as a consequence of disordered bowel activity in response to stress, which was viewed as a function of people's responses to their environment. GPs tend to diagnose IBS by exclusion, rather than with formal diagnostic criteria. They endeavoured to present the IBS diagnosis to their patients in a way that they would accept, fearing that many would not be satisfied with a diagnosis that had no apparent physical cause. GPs focused on managing symptoms and reassuring patients. Many GPs felt that patients needed to take the responsibility for managing their IBS and for minimizing its impact on their daily lives. However, the GPs had limited awareness of the extent to which IBS affected their patients' daily lives. GPs' diagnostic procedures and EMs for IBS are at odds with patient expectations and current guidelines. Shared discussion of what patients believe to be triggers for symptoms, ways of coping with symptoms and the role of medication may be helpful.
Family Practice, 2008
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition associated with no certain organic cause, th... more Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition associated with no certain organic cause, though diet and stress are widely implicated. The condition is frustrating for both sufferers and doctors, and there are problems in diagnosing and treating the condition. Eliciting explanatory models (EMs) is a useful tool for understanding how individuals relate to their illnesses and their expectations for treatment, particularly for illnesses with uncertain aetiology like IBS. To understand the EMs, experiences and expectations for management of patients with IBS. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 primary care patients (31 in the UK, 20 in The Netherlands) meeting the Rome II diagnostic criteria for IBS. Although IBS often had a significant dampening effect on daily life, IBS patients made great efforts not to allow the condition to take over their lives. Triggers of symptoms were more important to patients than understanding the underlying aetiology of IBS. Diet and stress were both recognized as important triggers, but views about which foods were problematic and the extent to which stress was modifiable were inconsistent. Diagnosis and treatment were often a confusing and frustrating process, and patients often expected more diagnostic tests than they were offered before receiving a diagnosis of IBS. However, the often poor outcome of medical interventions does not, in general, appear to have a negative impact on the patient-doctor relationship. Clinicians should be aware of the extensive impact of IBS on sufferers' daily life and the frustration that results from repeatedly trying treatments with little effect. Clearly explaining the guidelines for diagnosing IBS and the range of treatment options may help patients to make sense of the diagnostic and treatment processes. The personal EM should be addressed during the consultation with the IBS patient, ensuring that any successive medical interventions match with the patients' disease perception.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004
191 334 0242 Fax: +44 (0)191 334 6175 25
Disasters, 2009
Brick, C. (2009) 'The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger's rec... more Brick, C. (2009) 'The social context of childcare practices and child malnutrition in Niger's recent food crisis.', Disasters., 33 (1). pp. 132-151.
Child: Care, Health and Development, 2007