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- ItemThe 1999 Mallard fire: Lessons learned(The Faculty of Health Sciences - The University of Lethbridge, 2010) Kulig, Judith Celene; Kimmel, A.; Gullacher, A.; Reimer, B.; Townshend, Ivan; Edge, Dana; Lightfoot, Nancy; McKay, M.; Barnett, M.; Clague, J.; Coghlan, A.La Ronge is located in northern Saskatchewan on the shore of Lac La Ronge. It is adjacent to the Lac La Ronge Indian band and the northern village of Air Ronge. La Ronge is the largest community in northern Saskatchewan with over 2700 people residing in the town, 2000 people on the adjacent First Nations lands of the Lac la Ronge Indian band, and approximately 1000 people residing in the bordering Métis settlement of Air Ronge. La Ronge acts as the service centre for almost all of Northern Saskatchewan. Firefighters battled the Mallard Fire that caused the evacuation of the entire community of La Ronge on May 27, 1999. The fire, which was started by lightning, stretched over a distance of 8 kilometres and it took one week, 248 firefighters, and several water bombers to extinguish it. The damage included the destruction of 8 homes in Eagle Point, 1 trailer on Riese Drive and 1 bush home. Some commer-cial buildings were also destroyed within the town boundaries; however, no injuries were reported.
- ItemAboriginal nurses: Insights from a national study(The Canadian Nurse, 2006) Kulig, Judith Celene; Stewart, Norma; Morgan, Debra; Andrews, Mary Ellen; MacLeod, Martha; Pitblado, Roger;Aboriginal registered nurses have been identified as an essential group in the delivery of health services in First Nations communities. Despite this, there is a lack of information about this group of nurses in Canada. This article presents information about this group taken from two components of a national study, The Nature of Nursing Practice In Rural and Remote Canada: documentary analysis and a national survey of nurses. The Aboriginal nurse participants were predominantly female, between the ages of 40 and 49, diploma prepared and with licensure for less than 10 years. The survey data showed 41.4 per cent returned to their home communities to work. The participants noted how they enjoyed the challenges of rural and remote nursing and wanted to raise their families in these small communities. They have been able to create supportive work environments, particularly with their nursing colleagues. The nurses are committed to working in rural and remote communities.
- ItemAboriginal Science Symposium: Enabling Aboriginal student success in post-secondary institutions(Rural and Remote Health Online, 2010) Kulig, Judith Celene; Duke, Michelle; Solowoniuk, Jason; Weaselfat, Roy; Shade, Cam; Wojtowicz, Bernadine; Lamb, MarilynContext: Research in the sciences is now beginning to acknowledge what many Aboriginal educators and students have experienced or witnessed in educational curricula, a general dismissal of Indigenous knowledge as being considered scientifically ‘worthy’. This is the result of educational institutions’, and the systems within which they are placed, failure to teach from broad cultural orientations. Aboriginal persons are under-represented in post-secondary education programs, with a similar disparity in the limited number of Aboriginal persons holding careers in health, science and engineering occupations. Issues: The University of Lethbridge is attempting to increase the number of Aboriginal students who successfully complete programs in a variety of areas. To that end, the Support Program for Aboriginal Nursing Students (SPANS) commenced in Fall 2007 in order to increase the numbers of Aboriginal students who enter and complete the 4 year nursing program. At one time there were as few as 2–3 Aboriginal nursing students across the 4 years of the program. Since SPANS began there are now 34 students of Aboriginal background across all 4 years of the nursing program. This is noteworthy because statistically there are only 1200 Aboriginal Registered Nurses in Canada, a daunting statistic that is alarming low. One of the objectives of SPANS is to enhance the nursing faculty and clinical instructors’ understanding of Aboriginal science so that it can be integrated into the current curriculum. With this aim, an Aboriginal Science Symposium was held in May 2009 to bring nursing faculty together with other University faculty and experts in Aboriginal science. The symposium attempted to highlight the links between programs in nursing and health sciences and the need for integration with Aboriginal science. The 3 specific symposium objectives were to: (1) generate an understanding of traditional scientific knowledge; (2) bridge Aboriginal and Western scientific thought, toward and; (3) understand ways of implementing and raising awareness of how Aboriginal knowledge and understanding of science can be applied to help inform and improve teaching in all educational science settings. Lessons learned: From keynote addresses, panel group discussions, and breakout sessions, participant responses to the symposium objectives coalesced into 4 themes: (1) Aboriginal ways of knowing: informing Western science curricula; (2) Elders and community, enhancing science education; (3) Aboriginal student experience in the science classroom; and (4) strategies and advice to meet the needs of the Aboriginal science student.
- ItemAdapting the Reno Model for Alberta(Final Report submitted to the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, 2005-06-01) el-Guebaly, Nady; Currie, Shawn; Hodgins, David C.; Smith, Garry J.; Williams, Robert J.Blaszczynski et al. (2004) are to be complemented for recognizing the need for a globally relevant and comprehensive responsible gambling game plan. Though not yet used in any jurisdiction, the Reno Model has created interest and debate among researchers, regulators and problem gambling service providers. The Reno Model authors have stressed that they do not view their creation as a finished product, only a launch pad for furthering responsible gambling initiatives. With this cooperative spirit in mind, we probe the Reno Model and consider its suitability for use in Alberta.
- ItemAddiction: a runaway phenomenon of our time?(SciTechnol, 2012) Lee, Bonnie K.An editorial that promotes research on therapy and rehabilitation for behavioral addictions. Addiction has become a worldwide problem, spreading beyond drugs and alcohol to encompass behaviors such as eating, gambling and shopping. An interdisciplinary approach is critical for understanding the wide scope of addictions and the processes of recovery and rehabilitation.
- ItemAdolescent health: A rural community's approach(Journal of Rural and Remote Health, 2005) Harrowing, Jean N.; Miller, N.K.; Cooper, Natalie R.; Brown, S.; Hagen, Brad F.Introduction: Significant health problems encountered in adulthood often have their roots in health behaviours initiated during adolescence. In order to reverse this trend, school and health personnel, as well as parents and other community members working with high school students, need to be aware of the health-related beliefs and choices that guide the behaviours of teenagers. Although a wide variety of research has been conducted on this topic among urban adolescents, less is known about the health beliefs and behaviors of adolescents residing in rural areas, particularly in Canada. In general, rural Canadians are less healthy than their urban counterparts. Building on the knowledge and understanding of their own community, key stakeholders were invited to engage in the design and implementation of a participatory action research project aimed at understanding and improving the health of rural adolescents. Methods: A group of parents, teachers, students, school administrators and public health nurses engaged in a participatory action research project to better understand determinants of the health of rural adolescents at a high school in Western Canada. Group members developed and administered a health survey to 288 students from a small rural high school, in an effort to identify areas of concern and interest regarding health practices and beliefs of rural adolescents, and to take action on these identified concerns. Results: Results indicated some interesting but potentially worrying trends in this population. For example, while frequent involvement in a physical activity was noted by 75.9% of participants, close to half of the females (48%) described their body image as ‘a little overweight’ or ‘definitely overweight’, and approximately 25.8% of respondents noted that they skipped meals most of the time. Differences between the genders were apparent in several categories. For example, more girls smoked (16.2%) than boys (12.3%), and more males (55.0%) than females (41%) had tried illegal drugs. Participants indicated awareness of other health-compromising behaviours, including unsafe driving habits and high stress levels, and acknowledged several steps they wanted to take to improve their health, as well as the barriers to taking those steps. Students identified improved nutrition, stress reduction, and increased levels of physical activity as particular important health goals. Students also recommended ways in which information and support could be provided within the school environment to enable them to achieve their health-related goals. Several activities developed in collaboration with students have incorporated the recommendations, and have spawned other activities in response to the ongoing identification of new concerns. Conclusions: The process of including the rural community in the identification of health assets and needs from the perspective of students - as well as the planning and implementation of appropriate strategies to address those needs - demonstrates the strengths inherent within a small rural population. Community members’ awareness of the need to create a healthy environment for youth is reflected in their willingness to participate in activities leading to improved health. Greater awareness of the health needs of rural adolescents, and of the influence of gender in some aspects of health behaviors, will help researchers to explore ways in which the unique culture of rural communities can be harnessed to help shape health-focused interventions.
- ItemAdolescent health: A rural community's approach(The International Electronic Journal of Rural and Remote Health Research, Education, Practice and Policy, 2005) Groft, Jean N.; Hagen, Brad F.; Miller, Nancy K.; Cooper, Natalie R.; Brown, S.Introduction: Significant health problems encountered in adulthood often have their roots in health behaviours initiated during adolescence. In order to reverse this trend, school and health personnel, as well as parents and other community members working with high school students, need to be aware of the health-related beliefs and choices that guide the behaviours of teenagers. Although a wide variety of research has been conducted on this topic among urban adolescents, less is known about the health beliefs and behaviors of adolescents residing in rural areas, particularly in Canada. In general, rural Canadians are less healthy than their urban counterparts. Building on the knowledge and understanding of their own community, key stakeholders were invited to engage in the design and implementation of a participatory action research project aimed at understanding and improving the health of rural adolescents. Methods: A group of parents, teachers, students, school administrators and public health nurses engaged in a participatory action research project to better understand determinants of the health of rural adolescents at a high school in Western Canada. Group members developed and administered a health survey to 288 students from a small rural high school, in an effort to identify areas of concern and interest regarding health practices and beliefs of rural adolescents, and to take action on these identified concerns. Results: Results indicated some interesting but potentially worrying trends in this population. For example, while frequent involvement in a physical activity was noted by 75.9% of participants, close to half of the females (48%) described their body image as ‘a little overweight’ or ‘definitely overweight’, and approximately 25.8% of respondents noted that they skipped meals most of the time. Differences between the genders were apparent in several categories. For example, more girls smoked (16.2%) than boys (12.3%), and more males (55.0%) than females (41%) had tried illegal drugs. Participants indicated awareness of other health-compromising behaviours, including unsafe driving habits and high stress levels, and acknowledged several steps they wanted to take to improve their health, as well as the barriers to taking those steps. Students identified improved nutrition, stress reduction, and increased levels of physical activity as particular important health goals. Students also recommended ways in which information and support could be provided within the school environment to enable them to achieve their health-related goals. Several activities developed in collaboration with students have incorporated the recommendations, and have spawned other activities in response to the ongoing identification of new concerns. Conclusions: The process of including the rural community in the identification of health assets and needs from the perspective of students - as well as the planning and implementation of appropriate strategies to address those needs - demonstrates the strengths inherent within a small rural population. Community members’ awareness of the need to create a healthy environment for youth is reflected in their willingness to participate in activities leading to improved health. Greater awareness of the health needs of rural adolescents, and of the influence of gender in some aspects of health behaviors, will help researchers to explore ways in which the unique culture of rural communities can be harnessed to help shape health-focused interventions.
- ItemAdolescents negotiating romantic relationships in a culturally diverse, urban community(University of Victoria, 2017) Cameron, Catherine A.; Luft, Toupey M.; Dmytro, Dana; Kubiliene, Neringa; Chou, WinniIn this study we examined the negotiation of romantic relationships by urban youth, as discussed in focus groups, in a multicultural community. We compared these urban-student findings for an emergent fit with previously reported findings from more homogeneous groups of rural students. The unifying category, wrestling with gender expectations, which was identified in the rural studies, also emerged in the present study. A new unifying category represented urban participants’ balancing cultural expectations in the contexts of their families and social groups. Three categories from the former rural studies emerged in the present urban study: making sacrifices, showing respect, and standing up for oneself; and a new category emerged: communicating. While the rural students identified media as critical contextual conditions for romantic relationships, the current urban teens identified digital and social media as crucial contextual conditions in dating relationships. Together, these findings suggest the importance of considering cultural and contextual aspects of youths’ dating processes for developing a grounded theory that reflects aspects of teens’ relational lives. Implications of this emergent theory are explored, and directions for future research are suggested.
- ItemAgainst the odds : aboriginal nursing / National Task Force on Recruitment and Retention Strategies(Health Canada, 2002-06-04) Gregory, David M.; Wasekeesikaw, Fjola Hart; Macrae, Amanda; Wood, Rebecca; Amaral, NicoleHealth Canada and First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) are committed to increasing the presence and participation of Aboriginal registered nurses within their respective organizations. Aboriginal communities, the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada, and the “Royal Commission on Aboriginal People” (1996) have also expressed the need for more nurses of Aboriginal ancestry. To this end, Health Canada approached the Canadian Association of University Schools of Nursing (CAUSN) to facilitate a national task force on this matter.
- ItemAgainst the Odds: An Update on Aboriginal Nursing in Canada(School of Health Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 2007-04-16) Gregory, David M.In 2002, Health Canada (First Nations and Inuit Health Branch) funded the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) to facilitate a national task force on Aboriginal nursing. The task force was co-chaired by Dr. David Gregory and Professor Fjola Hart Wasekeesikaw. Recommendations from this task force centered on five thematic areas: preparation; recruitment; admission, nursing access and bridging programs; student progression; and, post-graduation recruitment and retention. Against the Odds: An Update on Aboriginal Nursing in Canada provides a “snapshot” picture of progress made during the past five years.
- ItemAge of addiction(Lethbridge Herald, 2011) Lee, Bonnie K.The Public Professor is written by faculty at the University of Lethbridge. It runs Saturdays.
- ItemAlgorithm for Appropriate Use of Neuroleptics in Dementia(2002) Hagen, Brad F.; Neuroleptic Study Steering CommitteeA two-page flowchart that provides recommendations for the appropriate use of neuroleptics in dementia.
- ItemAn exploratory cohort study of serum estradiol, testosterone, osteoprotegerin, interleukin-6, calcium, and magnesium as potential biomarkers of cervical spondylosis(Springer, 2023) Igwe, Augustine A.; Onyeso, Ogochukwu K.; Adandom, Israel; Onyeso, Kelechi M.; Anyachukwu, Canice C.; Awosoga, Olu A.; Ezema, Charles I.; Okoye, Goddy C.Background: Exploration of biomarkers for debilitating diseases such as cervical spondylosis is important to revolutionize clinical diagnosis and management of such conditions. The study aimed to determine the correlation between neck pain and disability and serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), osteoprotegerin (OPG), estradiol (E2), testosterone (TES), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) among individuals with symptomatic cervical spondylosis. Methods: This study was a cohort design. The participants were new referrals to two Nigerian physical therapy clinics. Participants’ neck pain intensity (PI), neck disability index (NDI), IL-6, OPG, E2, TES, Ca, and Mg were measured at baseline and after 13 weeks of follow-up. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t test, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results: Forty individuals aged 52.40 ± 8.60 years participated in the study. Women had significantly higher levels of IL-6 (t = − 2.392, p = 0.026), OPG (t = − 3.235, p = 0.005), E2 (t = − 6.841, p = 0.001), but lower TES (t = 17.776, p = 0.001). There were no significant sex differences in PI and NDI. There were significant correlations between PI and OPG (r = 0.385, p < 0.001), NDI and OPG (r = 0.402, p < 0.001), and IL-6 (r = 0.235, p = 0.036). Significant predictors of PI were OPG (β = 0.442, p < 0.001) and E2 (β = − 0.285, p = 0.011), and NDI were OPG (β = 0.453, p < 0.001), E2 (β = − 0.292, p = 0.005), and IL-6 (β = 0.225, p = 0.024). Conclusion: High serum levels of IL-6 and OPG were associated with cervical spondylosis severity. However, high serum levels of E2 and TES correlated with lesser severity. Moreover, TES inversely correlated with the proinflammatory cytokines.
- ItemAnalogous systems principles and concepts of traditional Chinese medicine and congruence couple therapy(Wolters Kluwer, 2020) Lee, Bonnie K.This article explicates the analogous principles and concepts between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and congruence couple therapy (CCT). Although originating out of vastly different times and places, TCM and CCT share a view of health based on systems understanding to facilitate the interconnections of the parts of an organism rather than focusing on eliminating symptoms. Both approaches aim to release Qi（气） and vitality by removing blockages through adjusting the interactions, adaptation, and balance of multiple elements and Yin-Yang energies. The goal is to liberate the Qi or life force through improved holistic balance and cooperation. While TCM focuses on interventions at the level of the body, CCT focuses on the attention, awareness, acknowledgement, and alignment of the four human dimensions consisting of the intrapsychic, interpersonal, intergenerational, and universal-spiritual. In light of the current trend toward increasing mental, substance use, and neurological disorders, in particular among countries of middle and low income, dialogue to explore these compatibilities between TCM and CCT is conducive to the continuous evolution of TCM and Western therapies to address not only physical health but also the exigencies of contemporary addiction and mental health care within a mind–body relationship matrix.
- ItemAn archetypal inquiry into the gambler's counterfeit quest for wholeness : a phenomenological-hermeneutics investigation(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2006, 2006) Solowoniuk, Jason; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Nixon, Gary; Gunn, ThelmaA phenomenological-hermeneutic method of study was employed to ascertain whether archetypal psychology could contribute to the biopsychosocial model's understanding of gambling pathology. After analysis, four-stage process was brought to light, consisting of 16 themes. These themes chronologically illustrated the journey of becoming and recovering from pathological gambling disorder from inception to the present day. Equally, these themes illustrated developmental aspects of the individuation process and displayed how the archetypes' manifestation and integration helped to restore ego functioning leading to an established and sustained recovery process. In all, these stages demonstrate and suggest that archetypal psychology can make a viable contribution to the biopsychosocial model's understanding of gambling pathology. Therefore, the study's findings may support further study between archetypal psychology and gambling pathology, as this perspective may have important insights toward helping pathological gamblers gain a foothold on their addictive process leading to a meaningful and purposive future.
- ItemArt therapy for chronic pain: applications and future directions(Graduate Programs in Educational Psychology, University of Calgary, 2011) Angheluta, Anne-Marie; Lee, Bonnie K.Chronic pain is acknowledged as a phenomenological experience resulting from biological, psychological, and social interactions. Consequently, treatment for this complex and debilitating health phenomenon is often approached from multidisciplinary and biopsychosocial perspectives. One approach to treating chronic pain involves implementing mind-body treatments such as art therapy. Art therapy for chronic pain is a nascent area of study, and this literature review endeavours to (a) evaluate the quality of literature investigating this area, (b) discuss how art therapy and other creative arts therapies treated the biopsychosocial dimensions of chronic pain, and (c) identify challenges and future directions for research on this topic.
- ItemAssociation between sociodemographic factors and mobility limitation among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol(BioMed Central, 2023) Onyeso, Ogochukwu K.; Odole, Adesola C.; Scott, David R.; Akinrolie, Olayinka; Kalu, Michael E.; Awosoga, Olu A.Background Mobility is an independent predictor of physical functionality, healthy ageing, and quality of life. Various literatures have associated mobility limitation in older adulthood with demographic and socioeconomic factors. Hence, we propose a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesise the association between sociodemographic factors and mobility limitations in older adults. Methods and analyses This protocol was written according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. We will perform a comprehensive search of all observational studies that assessed the relationship between age, gender, race, place, education, income, occupation, social status, and walking distance, time, or speed. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL, AgeLine, and SPORTDiscus) will be searched from inception to 28 February 2023. We will supplement the database search by manually searching the reference lists of all identified and relevant full-text articles. Two independent reviewers will be responsible for screening articles, data extraction, and assessment of bias. We will appraise the study quality and risk of bias using the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST). A meta-analysis will be considered if data from the selected studies are homogeneous, otherwise, a narrative synthesis of the extracted data will be presented. Discussion Mobility limitation leads to frequent falls, dependency, morbidity, and death among older adults. This review is necessary, to identify and prioritise important sociodemographic factors during older adults’ clinical assessment and policy development. It is the first phase of a multi-methods study seeking to develop a prognostic mobility trajectory for community-dwelling older adults.
- ItemAwareness of the Response After Feedback Training for Changes in Heart Rate and Sudomotor Laterality(American Psychological Association, 1984) Roberts, Larry E.; Williams, Robert J.; Marlin, Richard G.; Farrell, Therese; Imiolo, DanielWhat is the relation between (a) the ability to control visceral responding on a biofeedback task and (b) the ability to report behaviors actually contributing to this performance? Subjects received biofeedback training for unidentified visceral responses and then gave written reports about what they had done to control the feedback displays. Independent judges were given these reports and, on the basis of knowledge about activities known to contribute to visceral activity, were asked to determine the visceral responses for which the subjects had been trained. The reports of subjects who succeeded at bidirectional control of heart rate (Experiment 1) or sudomotor laterality (Experiment 2) showed awareness of behaviors related to feedback as assessed by this procedure, whereas the reports of subjects who failed at bidirectional control did not. Subsequent experiments indicated that these results did not depend on a learning strategy that might have been specific to the initial studies. These findings call into question the view that people are unaware of what they have done to produce the response after training on biofeedback tasks. Earlier studies reporting lack of awareness in biofeedback are discussed in light of factors that affect the measurement of biofeedback learning and response awareness.
- ItemBeing a woman: Perspectives of Low German-Speaking Mennonite women(Health Care for Women International, 2009) Kulig, Judith Celene; Babcock, Ruth C. A.; Wall, Margaret; Hill, S.Understanding the beliefs and knowledge related to women’s sexuality is important when working with unique religious groups in order to provide culturally appropriate care. An exploratory, descriptive qualitative study generated knowledge, beliefs and practices related to menstruation, ovulation and family planning among Low German-speaking Mennonite women (n = 38). There is a pervasive silence that surrounds sexuality among this group with limited understanding of the physiological changes they experience. Honoring religious principles and family and community expectations through acceptable female behavior is essential. Adherence to religious principles varies by family but is not shared with the group to avoid disfavor.
- Item"Being the Best," One Man's Experience with Steroids: An Interview with Josh(2008) Bernes, Kerry B.; Bardick, Angela D.; Nixon, GaryThis article describes one man’s experience with weight lifting and steroid use. Men may engage in heavy weight lifting and steroid use in order to change their bodies, possibly developing behaviours associated with eating disorders and muscle dysmorphia. Previous research has examined the risks associated with steroid use and exercise abuse, however, very little research has used qualitative methodologies to investigate men’s actual lived experience with this phenomenon. The purpose of this article is to present the transcript of an interview with a man who is currently weight lifting and using steroids to gain an insiders perspective into his lived experience, and demonstrate how a qualitative methodology may add depth and richness to our understanding of this phenomenon.