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ABSTRACT: This study compared consistency of age- and gender-specific self-reported height and weight and calculated body mass index among a sample of high school students in Taipei County, Taiwan to reference values for Taiwanese school-aged youth obtained through national studies. Taipei high school students provided self-reports of height and weight that were similar to national reference values. Use of self-reported height and weight in this sample appeared warranted and may reliably be used to calculate aggregate indices of body mass, overweight, and obesity. This study compared prevalence of overweight and obesity in the current sample with other adolescent populations using international criteria (International TaskForce on Obesity). Using these criteria, 17.6% of boys and 9.4% of girls met the definition of overweight and 3.7% of boys and 1.6% of girls met the definition of obesity. While use of self-reported height and weight appears justified in this sample, researchers should not assume self-report measures will always be accurate. Researchers considering use of self-reported height and weight should compare their results to normative reference values when possible to increase confidence in using self-report measures of height and weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine suicide attempts and the influencing factors among Taiwanese lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults during the 2018 Taiwanese referendum on same‐sex issues. Research design and methods: The 2018 Taiwanese referendum was held on November 24. A cross‐sectional online survey was conducted between October 2018 and February 2019. A total of 1012 self‐identified LGBT adults were included in the final sample. Results: Among the 1012 Taiwanese LGBT adults, the rates of suicide attempts ranged from 9.1% to 24.4%. A younger age, being a student, having low income, having mental health issues, and having a high level of depressive symptoms were associated with a significantly higher risk of suicide attempts in the participants. Conversely, having a postgraduate degree, having high self‐esteem, and perceiving support from friends and family were associated with a lower risk of suicide attempts. Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate suicide attempts among LGBT individuals and the influencing factors within the context of a same‐sex marriage referendum in an Asian country. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of suicide prevention measures for the LGBT community, particularly during times of increased social stress and conflict between social groups with diverse sexual and gender identities. Clinical relevance: The results of this study suggest that nurses' and health‐care providers' sensitivity toward LGBT patients and their knowledge and skills in providing culturally competent care are key factors in suicide prevention for LGBT adults. Therefore, nurses and health‐care providers must be provided with training courses on culturally competent care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the health status and quality of life of middle‐aged and older sexual and gender minority adults in Taiwan. Research Design and Methods: A cross‐sectional online survey was conducted between May and December 2019. A total of 535 self‐identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) men and women ≥40 years of age were included in the final sample. An online questionnaire, which included the following three sections, was used to collect data in this study: (a) demographics, (b) the World Health Organization Quality of Life‐Brief Taiwan version, and (c) physical and psychological health status. Results: Middle‐aged and older Taiwanese LGBT adults who were single, were unemployed, and earned monthly incomes of <20,000 New Taiwan Dollars reported poorer quality of life. Participants with one or more physical or psychological health problems also reported poorer quality of life than those who had no health problems. In addition, singlehood, unemployment, and poor quality of life and health were positively associated with mental health issues. Conclusions: It is important to attenuate health disparities and mitigate discrimination within Taiwanese society to enhance the quality of life and mental health of middle‐aged and older Taiwanese LGBT adults. Clinical Relevance: Healthcare providers should be attuned to and knowledgeable about the health issues and specific healthcare needs of middle‐aged and older LGBT adults, and they should also provide culturally competent care to reduce health disparities of the LGBT adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess Taiwanese nurses' attitudes toward and knowledge about sexual minorities, and their awareness and behavior of providing care to sexual minority patients. Design: A cross‐sectional descriptive design was employed. Methods: A total of 323 Taiwanese nurses 20 years of age or older completed an online questionnaire between September and November 2019. It included five sections: demographics, the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale, Knowledge About Homosexuality Questionnaire, Gay Affirmative Practice Scale, and nurses' needs for promoting culturally competent care. Results: Taiwanese nurses held positive attitudes, and demonstrated high levels of awareness and behaviors of providing care to sexual minority patients. However, they had limited knowledge regarding homosexuality. More so, nurses who were older, self‐identified as heterosexuals, were married, had more than 10 years' work experience, and were Buddhists had poor knowledge about homosexuality. Nurses reported that for providing culturally competent care they required knowledge about sexual minorities' physical and mental health issues; the populations' social and welfare resources; communication skills training; privacy; and safe space. Conclusions: Information on homosexuality and health issues among sexual minority populations, communication skills training, privacy, and safe space should be provided to Taiwanese nurses to improve their abilities to provide culturally competent care and to reduce health inequalities among sexual minorities. Clinical Relevance: This study's results could be used as evidence for designing and providing training programs for nurses regarding culturally competent care, and thus promote quality nursing care and decrease difficulties of accessing healthcare services among sexual minority patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The views of butch‐ and femme‐identified lesbians toward their own breasts, breast cancer, breast cancer screenings, and their behavior and intentions toward breast health care were examined and compared in this study. Methods: A total of 208 Taiwanese lesbians (134 butch‐identified lesbians and 78 femme‐identified lesbians) completed an online survey. Results: Butch‐identified lesbians were more likely to hold negative views regarding their own breasts, which were found to be significantly and negatively associated with their actions in performing breast self‐examinations when compared with femme‐identified lesbians. Conclusions: Healthcare providers should be aware of and provide culturally competent care to lesbians with different identities. Clinical Relevance: The results can be employed as evidence for promoting lesbians' breast health, particularly butch‐identified lesbians. Healthcare providers should provide a supportive environment in order to promote a positive body image and improve breast health among lesbians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the present study, we examined patterns of benzodiazepine (BZD) use in nurses, and compared the characteristics of frequent users with those of infrequent users. Data on all nurses enrolled in the study were derived from the reimbursement claim records in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database for the period 2004–2008. The case group comprised 33 588 nurses with BZD use, and the control group was exactly matched to each case according to age and sex. The patterns of occasional, frequent, and daily BZD use demonstrated an increasing trend from 2004 to 2008. This trend was observed for most of the BZD with a short or intermediate half‐life. Older nurses (>45 years) and those with greater experience (≥5 years) were more likely to use BZD frequently. Moreover, the risk of frequent BZD use increased significantly when nurses exhibited comorbid depression (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.58), anxiety (aOR: 1.78), or sleep disorders (aOR: 2.29) compared with infrequent BZD use. The results indicated that nurses with BZD use had comorbidities of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. The increasing trend of patterns of BZD use and its association with sleep disorders, depression, and anxiety can be used as references for stress and sleep management in nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the effects of home‐based music intervention (HBMI) on symptom severity, pain intensity and perceived fatigue among patients with breast cancer. In this randomised controlled trial, patients with breast cancer were randomly assigned into an HBMI or control group. The HBMI group was administered 24‐week HBMI involving five 30‐min sessions per week. The primary outcome was symptom severity; the secondary outcomes were pain and fatigue. A generalised estimating equation was employed to compare the effects after 6, 12 and 24 weeks of intervention between the two groups. A total of 60 patients were recruited. After 6, 12 and 24 weeks, HBMI significantly reduced symptom severity, pain intensity, overall fatigue, general fatigue, emotional fatigue and vigour (p < 0.05). Additionally, HBMI significantly reduced physical fatigue after 6 (p = 0.003) and 12 (p = 0.013) weeks and mental fatigue after 6 weeks (p = 0.001). After 6, 12 and 24 weeks, HBMI reduced symptom severity, pain intensity and overall fatigue. Furthermore, HBMI instantaneously reduced physical and mental fatigue. We recommend that HBMI be administered to patients with breast cancer to reduce their negative thoughts associated with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]