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Browsing by Author "Walker, Kimberly K."
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Item Midwestern Latino caregivers’ knowledge, attitudes and sense making of the oral health etiology, prevention and barriers that inhibit their children’s oral health: a CBPR approach(BioMed Central, 2017) Walker, Kimberly K.; Martínez-Mier, E. Angeles; Soto-Rojas, Armando E.; Jackson, Richard D.; Stelzner, Sarah M.; Galvez, Lorena C.; Smith, Gabriela J.; Acevedo, Miriam; Dandelet, Laura; Vega, Dulce; Department of Cariology and Opperative Dentistry, IU School of DentistryUsing community-based participatory research, the Health Protection Model was used to understand the cultural experiences, attitudes, knowledge and behaviors surrounding caries etiology, its prevention and barriers to accessing oral health care for children of Latino parents residing in Central Indiana.Item Oral health beliefs and behaviors of nurse and nurse practitioner students using the HU-DBI inventory: An opportunity for oral health vicarious learning(Sciedu, 2017) Walker, Kimberly K.; Jackson, Richard D.; Cariology, Operative Dentistry and Dental Public Health, School of DentistryBackground: Oral health access to care issues are resulting in curricular changes to train nursing students as oral health educators and providers. However, little data are available concerning their personal oral health beliefs/behaviors. The study purpose was to gather information from nurse and nurse practitioner students regarding their oral health beliefs and behaviors. Methods: Using the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI), survey data were gathered from nurse and nurse practitioner students as well as dental hygiene students as controls concerning their oral health beliefs and behaviors. Results: Mean HU-DBI scores were higher among nurse practitioner than nursing students, indicating more positive beliefs/behaviors, but both were lower than dental hygiene students. Both nurse and nurse practitioner students reported significantly fewer dental visits and some poorer hygiene practices than controls. Additionally, nursing students were more likely to believe that their teeth were worsening despite brushing. Conclusions: Assessment of personal oral health beliefs/behaviors should occur early in nursing education with mentoring so that optimal modeling can positively impact patients’ oral health. Oral health education opportunities within and among disciplines are discussed.Item A qualitative study exploring the relationship between mothers' vaccine hesitancy and health beliefs with COVID-19 vaccination intention and prevention during the early pandemic months(Taylor & Francis, 2021) Walker, Kimberly K.; Head, Katharine J.; Owens, Heather; Zimet, Gregory D.; Communication Studies, School of Liberal ArtsVaccine hesitancy is a top ten global health threat that can negatively impact COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It is assumed that vaccine refusers hold deep, negative beliefs, while acceptors hold strong, positive beliefs. However, vaccine hesitancy exists along a continuum and is multidimensional, varying by time, place, vaccine, subgroup, and person. Guided by the Health Belief Model and vaccine hesitancy frameworks, the study purpose was to qualitatively explore maternal COVID-19 threat perceptions and willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine in light of their expressed vaccine hesitancy toward past school required and routinely recommended vaccines and the HPV vaccine for their children. Researchers conducted twenty-five interviews with US Midwestern mothers during the early COVID-19 pandemic months. Mothers were grouped by vaccine hesitancy categories and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data within and across categories. Results showed that prior vaccine hesitancy attitudes and behavior did not fully capture maternal acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine or perception of COVID-19 threat. Perceptions of COVID-19 threat did influence mothers' decisions about COVID-19 protective behaviors (e.g., handwashing, mask wearing, and distancing). However, mothers were hesitant to accept the COVID-19 vaccine across vaccine hesitancy categories, primarily citing concerns about safety, efficacy, and confusion over conflicting information as barriers to immediate COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Findings indicate that mothers cannot be grouped together based on hesitancy about, or acceptance of, other vaccines for purposes of assuming COVID-19 preventive behavior adherence or anticipated COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.Item The role of the media on maternal confidence in provider HPV recommendation(BMC, 2020) Walker, Kimberly K.; Owens, Heather; Zimet, Gregory; Pediatrics, School of MedicineBackground Despite a growing understanding of the importance of provider HPV recommendation on parental acceptance, U.S. HPV vaccination rates remain suboptimal. Given the prevalence and use of the media for health decisions, this study examined the relationship between the media and provider HPV recommendation on maternal HPV vaccine hesitancy. Methods Thirty individual interviews with HPV vaccine-accepting mothers in the Midwest U.S. were conducted to examine their feelings of hesitancy around the decision to accept HPV vaccination at the time of provider recommendation and their suggestions for improving the recommendation experience by addressing media concerns. Results Media exposure was an antecedent to hesitancy for three main vaccination concerns: safety, protection/efficacy and sexual stigma. Although mothers accepted vaccination, they continued to feel confused and hesitant about HPV vaccination. They had several recommendations for how providers could combat hesitancy to improve confidence in HPV vaccine acceptance. Conclusions Providers’ approach to HPV vaccination recommendation must consider concerns reported in the media with delivery techniques modified to adjust to maternal fears absorbed from adverse media information.Item “We fear the unknown”: Emergence, route and transfer of hesitancy and misinformation among HPV vaccine accepting mothers(Elsevier, 2020) Walker, Kimberly K.; Owens, Heather; Zimet, Gregory; Pediatrics, School of MedicineAlthough licensed since 2006, US HPV vaccination rates remain suboptimal. Since mothers are decision-makers for young adults’ vaccination, assessing ongoing knowledge deficits and misunderstanding among parents is important for determining the content and mode of interventions to reach parents. Guided by the social-ecological model and health belief model, 30 interviews with vaccine accepting mothers in the U.S. Midwest were conducted from January through June 2020. Researchers examined ecological determinants of acceptance, perceptions of vaccination barriers, and perceived cues to action for empowering other mothers to vaccinate their children. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results found vaccine accepting mothers exhibited ongoing misconceptions and negative attitudes toward HPV vaccine. Physicians, peers and the media were identified as primary pro-HPV vaccine sources, yet hesitancy and misinformation occurred with each source. Trust in provider recommendation was the primary source for decision-making, yet trust was still lacking. While mothers looked to the media for HPV information, the media were identified as the main source of confusion and distrust. Results show that parents who accept the HPV vaccine can still be hesitant. Thus, mothers who have vaccinated their children for HPV may still need attitudinal and educational training prior to establishing them as role models in interventions for empowering other parents to vaccinate their children. Results showing that the media sow confusion and hesitancy also call for more attention to social media policies to guard against misinformation about the HPV vaccine.