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It is increasingly essential for medical researchers to be literate in statistics, but the requisite degree of literacy is not the same for every statistical competency in translational research. Statistical competency can range from ‘fundamental’ (necessary for all) to ‘specialized’ (necessary for only some). In this study, we determine the degree to which each competency is fundamental or specialized.
We surveyed members of 4 professional organizations, targeting doctorally trained biostatisticians and epidemiologists who taught statistics to medical research learners in the past 5 years. Respondents rated 24 educational competencies on a 5-point Likert scale anchored by ‘fundamental’ and ‘specialized.’
There were 112 responses. Nineteen of 24 competencies were fundamental. The competencies considered most fundamental were assessing sources of bias and variation (95%), recognizing one’s own limits with regard to statistics (93%), identifying the strengths, and limitations of study designs (93%). The least endorsed items were meta-analysis (34%) and stopping rules (18%).
We have identified the statistical competencies needed by all medical researchers. These competencies should be considered when designing statistical curricula for medical researchers and should inform which topics are taught in graduate programs and evidence-based medicine courses where learners need to read and understand the medical research literature.
Introduction: Despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day, African American smokers have greater difficulty quitting compared to Caucasian smokers. Further elucidating the impact of smoking motivations on smoking behaviour would contribute to understanding the factors that maintain smoking.
Aims: This study examined the factor structure of a brief assessment examining smoking dependence motives among a sample of African American light smokers.
Methods: Data from a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised smoking cessation trial involving 540 participants. Results were analysed using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a randomly split EFA.
Results/Findings: Findings from the initial EFA analysis produced an eight-factor model, explaining 69% of the variation in responses. The overall Measure of Sampling Adequacy (MSA) was 0.88 with item level MSA ranging 0.68–0.94 across the 30 items. Results from the randomly split EFA replicated the findings of the original EFA; with the exception of the item ‘I smoke within the first 30 minutes of awakening in the morning’.
Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis of a multidimensional approach to conceptualising nicotine dependence, and provide information regarding characteristics of nicotine dependence in African American light smokers which may be helpful in identifying targets for cessation treatment in this population of smokers.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether counselor adherence to Motivational Interviewing (MI) principles was associated with more productive within-session client behavior in a smoking cessation trial for African American smokers. For these analyses 89 baseline counseling sessions of the trial were audiotaped and coded using the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code (MISC). Counselor adherence indicators included a global subjective rating of MI adherence and the frequency of MI-consistent and MI-inconsistent counselor behaviors described in the MISC. Indicators of productive client behaviors included global subjective ratings of within-session client functioning and counselor-client interaction, as well as the frequency of statements by the client favorable toward changing behavior (“change talk”) and resistant regarding changing behavior (“resist-change talk”). Results provided support for the principles of MI. Counselor adherence indexed by both the global subjective rating and MI-consistent behavior frequency was significantly positively associated with global ratings of within-session client functioning and counselor-client interaction, as well as more change talk.
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