Obesity and Children
Dr. Diane TylerProfessorUniversity of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
Tyler's teaching and research projects involve promoting good health and preventing disease. Her research, funded by National Institutes of Health, is focused on helping overweight children lead healthier lifestyles.
"Preventive care with early intervention is the logical approach to helping overweight children, especially because there is evidence that once an individual is obese, it is very difficult to lose and maintain weight loss," Tyler said.
http://www.utexas.edu/features/2006/childhood/index.html
Bullying
Dr. Nina FredlandAssistant ProfessorUniversity of Texas at Austin, School of Nursing
Fredland is currently collaborating with community agencies and schools in Central Texas to increase understanding related to youth violence including bullying and dating violence. Exposures and experiences, especially when cumulative, affect physical and mental health as well as behavioral outcomes including school performance. Her current project is a primary prevention intervention using interactive theater to nurture healthy relationships in middle school-age youth.
"Nurses and nurse practitioners are well positioned in a variety of settings such as schools, ambulatory clinics, family practice sites and camps to identify unhealthy situations and to intervene in timely and appropriate ways," said Fredland, who also is a nurse practitioner. "Nurses often are the ones who are confided in, consulted with and have opportunities to influence school health curricula," she said, adding that hurtful teasing and bullying have been associated with negative health outcomes such as sleep disturbances, anxiety issues, breathing problems, poor appetite and physical illness. Other manifestations include sadness, moodiness, loneliness, decreased self-confidence, poor body image and friendship issues. Thoughts of suicide and suicide acts have been linked with bullying as well.
https://www.utexas.edu/features/2010/11/01/bullying/
Improving Memory
Dr. Graham J McDougall ProfessorUniversity of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
McDougall specializes in memory loss in older adults and conducted a National Institutes of Health funded study to find out whether memory training affects memory performance. He found that it did. The goals of the study were to improve participants’ memory performance, increase memory confidence and reduce anxiety. But the underlying objective was to improve their ability to perform day-to-day operations like using the phone, paying bills and taking medications properly. "People can take some control over their own destinies and remain mentally fit with constant self-education and putting themselves in mentally challenging environments, said McDougall. “You don’t have to accept memory loss as you get older. Don’t be passive—take action.”
http://www.utexas.edu/features/2007/memory/
Type 2 Diabetes
Dr. Sharon BrownProfessor, Dolores V. Sands Chair in Nursing ResearchUniversity of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
Brown's research specializations are in health promotion interventions for people with Type 2 diabetes, particularly minority populations, and in meta-analysis research methodology. In her research, she leads an interdisciplinary team of nurses, geneticists, physicians, biometrists, dietitians and community workers in a clinical trial of diabetes interventions for Mexican Americans funded by the National Institutes of Health. The work is being conducted in an impoverished Texas-Mexico border community of 40,000; 50 percent of the adults residing in this community are affected by diabetes. "Type 2 diabetes affects more than 23.6 million Americans or 8 percent of the U.S. population," said Brown. "As a growing global epidemic, diabetes may be the No. 1 health problem of this generation. Plausible explanations for low rates of glycemic control are depression, side effects of diabetes treatments, including medications, and the complexities of self-managemen — all of which may negatively impact one's quality of life," she said. "With the need to control health care costs associated with the rapidly growing worldwide diabetes epidemic, efficient approaches must be identified or the majority of persons with diabetes will remain in poor glycemic control."
http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/10/20/nursing_brown_diabetes/http://www.utexas.edu/features/archive/2002/diabetes.html
Heart Disease
Dr. Angela ClarkAssociate ProfessorUniversity of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
Clark specializes in chronic heart failure, diabetes, healthy attitudes and cardiovascular health. An estimated one-third to one-half of hospital re-admissions for chronic heart failure could be prevented with better education about symptoms, medications and diet, said Clark, who conducted a National Institutes of Health-funded study to help those living with the disease.
“Chronic heart failure is the most expensive medical diagnosis in America,” Clark said. "Annual health care costs for heart failure are now $28 billion in the United States, thus, challenging health care providers, patients and families to see better outcomes for treatment. It is the only major cardiovascular condition still on the rise and a primary diagnosis in almost one million hospitalizations a year in the country. There also is a vicious cycle of repetitive rehospitalizations for symptom relief." The study’s in-home teaching sessions included education on diet, possible side effects and schedules of medications, symptom management, management of emergencies (when to call for help), stress management, exercise, healthy attitudes and positive thinking.
http://www.utexas.edu/news/?s=angela+clark
Breast Cancer Screening
Dr. Mary Lou AdamsAssociate ProfessorUniversity of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
Adams focuses on increasing African American women's participation in breast cancer screenings.
"The death rate for African American women with breast cancer is 32 percent higher than for white women," Adams said. “This constitutes a health care disparity. The work that I’ve been doing is trying to reduce the disparities in breast cancer detection among women, particularly in the state of Texas. When considering breast cancer today, early detection and intervention are key words."
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