Bon Appétit! A Process Evaluation of a Campus-Based Food Bank
The University of Ottawa Bon Appétit! food bank was established to protect students against food insecurity and hunger. The current study seeks to determine program outcomes through a review of services, initiatives, and activities offered to students. Surveys and semistructured interviews were used to collect information from the 3 levels of involvement: service recipients, program volunteers, and program coordinators. Results revealed adequate program satisfaction at all levels. However, insufficient communication of policy-related issues, poor dissemination of roles and responsibilities, and minimal documentation of best practices were also among the results found. Structural issues are discussed and recommendations are provided.
Food Insecurity in University Students Receiving Financial Aid
Purpose: To evaluate the adequacy of loans funding and the risk for food insecurity in students living away from home and receiving loans at the University of Alberta. Methods: A nutritious seven-day menu was developed. The menu was priced for skilled and unskilled shoppers at a grocery store near to campus and a discount-style grocery store further away. Results: The menu was more costly for males, unskilled shoppers and those students who shopped near to campus. The menu cost was as high as $296/month and often exceeded the $196 allocated by the Canada Student Loans Program for food each month. Conclusions: Based on the findings from this study, students reliant on financial assistance likely have insufficient money for a nutritionally adequate diet and are at risk for food insecurity. Shopping skills and budgeting, while important, would be insufficient to alleviate food insecurity for many students who require financial aid. Increased funding for food in student loans is necessary.
Nurse responsiveness to cancer patient expressions of emotion.
OBJECTIVE
This theoretically based study examined nurse responses to cancer patient expressions of emotion using a videotaped, simulated cancer patient.


METHODS
This study used an experimental crossover design with a videotaped patient expressing anger, sadness, and neutral emotion to elicit nurse responses. Seventy-four nurses from eight sites participated. Responses were coded using Roter interaction analysis system. Correlations explored relationships between variables that impact communication (age, gender, work experience, trait anxiety, work stress, self-efficacy). Regression models explored the effect of variables on nurse affective responsiveness.


RESULTS
Patient expressions of sadness elicited more affective responses than anger. Expressions of anger or neutral emotion elicited more instrumental behaviors than sadness. Variables such as age, work stress and work experience were significantly correlated. No variables predicted affective responsiveness to patient expressions of anger or sadness.


CONCLUSION
Nurse communication showed significant variation in response to patient emotional expressions. Understanding the relationships between demographic, personality, and work variables, and identification of new variables that influence nurse-patient communication, has implications for interventional studies.


PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
Over 90% of the participants indicated that the videotape simulation would be a useful method for teaching and practicing communication skills with patients expressing emotions.