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    Marilyn Frenn

    This study examined gender and developmental differences in exercise-related beliefs and exercise behaviors of 286 racially diverse youth and explored factors predictive of exercise. Compared to males, females reported less prior and... more
    This study examined gender and developmental differences in exercise-related beliefs and exercise behaviors of 286 racially diverse youth and explored factors predictive of exercise. Compared to males, females reported less prior and current exercise, lower self-esteem, poorer health status, and lower exercise self-schema. Adolescents, in contrast to pre-adolescents, reported less social support for exercise and fewer exercise role models. In a path model, gender, the benefits/barriers differential, and access to exercise facilities and programs directly predicted exercise. Effects of grade, perceived health status, exercise self-efficacy, social support for exercise, and social norms for exercise on exercise behavior, were mediated through the benefits/barriers differential. Effect of race on exercise was mediated by access to exercise facilities and programs. Continued exploration of gender and developmental differences in variables influencing physical activity can yield valuable information for tailoring exercise promotion interventions to the unique needs of youth.
    ABSTRACT: This study examined gender and developmental differences in exercise‐related beliefs and exercise behaviors of 286 racially diverse youth and explored factors predictive of exercise. Compared to males, females reported less... more
    ABSTRACT: This study examined gender and developmental differences in exercise‐related beliefs and exercise behaviors of 286 racially diverse youth and explored factors predictive of exercise. Compared to males, females reported less prior and current exercise, lower self‐esteem, poorer health status, and lower exercise self‐schema. Adolescents, in contrast to pre‐adolescents, reported less social support for exercise and fewer exercise role models. In a path model, gender, the benefits/barriers differential, and access to exercise facilities and programs directly predicted exercise. Effects of grade, perceived health status, exercise self‐efficacy, social support for exercise, and social norms for exercise on exercise behavior, were mediated through the benefits/barriers differential. Effect of race on exercise was mediated by access to exercise facilities and programs. Continued exploration of gender and developmental differences in variables influencing physical activity can yield valuable information for tailoring exercise promotion interventions to the unique needs of youth.
    SummaryDespite decades of research and a multitude of prevention and treatment efforts, childhood obesity in the United States continues to affect nearly 1 in 5 (19.3%) children, with significantly higher rates among Black, Indigenous,... more
    SummaryDespite decades of research and a multitude of prevention and treatment efforts, childhood obesity in the United States continues to affect nearly 1 in 5 (19.3%) children, with significantly higher rates among Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities. This narrative review presents social foundations of structural racism that exacerbate inequity and disparity in the context of childhood obesity. The National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities' Research Framework guides the explication of structurally racist mechanisms that influence health disparities and contribute to childhood obesity: biologic and genetic, health behaviours, chronic toxic stress, the built environment, race and cultural identity, and the health care system. Strategies and interventions to combat structural racism and its effects on children and their families are reviewed along with strategies for research and implications for policy change. From our critical review and refl...
    Where should people go with health problems related to spiritual distress? What if you were suffering from stress related to an inadequate spiritual outlook? Where can healthy people go for advice on how to stay healthy? Where can... more
    Where should people go with health problems related to spiritual distress? What if you were suffering from stress related to an inadequate spiritual outlook? Where can healthy people go for advice on how to stay healthy? Where can physicians send patients with chronic pain related to psychological stress who don’t want to go to psychiatrists or psychologists? Our answer is a church-based, nurse-managed wellness resource center. Several years ago Granger Westberg, a Lutheran minister, proposed that nurses become health ministers in churches.1 Nurses, he said, could work closely with pastors, identifying parishioners ' health needs and providing health promotion services. They could also help people cope with chronic health problems, get into the health care system, and care for sick family members in their homes. Westberg believed churches would be a perfect site for nursing services. Since churches already address spiritual care, they could be bases for wholistic nursing care. ...
    NOT THE PUBLISHED VERSION; this is the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript. The published version may be accessed by following the link in the citation at the bottom of the page.
    The use of nursing diagnosis contributes to health promotion by helping nurses define and organize knowledge for community practice. When community nurses assess clients' responses to life and health events,... more
    The use of nursing diagnosis contributes to health promotion by helping nurses define and organize knowledge for community practice. When community nurses assess clients' responses to life and health events, clinical judgment frequently requires formulation of both positive and problem-oriented nursing diagnoses. Clinical examples and research findings are used to illustrate the use of nursing diagnoses for health promotion in community practice.

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