Paper
Thursday, 20 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Best Practices in Nursing Education
Advancing Nursing and Dietetics Education Through International Collaboration
Evelyn R. Hayes, PhD, APRN, BC, School of Nursing, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA and Leta P. Aljadir, MS, RD, Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Learning Objective #1: Describe the steps in preparation for international collaboration based on the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and University of Delaware experience.
Learning Objective #2: Discuss development of opportunities for student and faculty scholarly work in an international setting.
What makes an international research/education expedition successful? International collaboration endeavors build on prior experiences, common research interests, appreciation of another’s culture, and administrative support. The collaborative research on maternal-child health described here is an extension of the interaction with our International Visiting Scholar from Norway, who completed a state wide lecture series sharing his expertise in pediatric epidemiology. This project also integrated prior faculty research on tobacco use in teens and young adults in the U.S. and Norway. Norway was selected for the undergraduate research based on Norway’s dramatically lower infant mortality rate than the U.S. and lower incidence and prevalence of heart disease, cancer, other chronic diseases, and a longer life expectancy. Many of these health benefits can be attributed to diet and life style choices. The primary research activity for the students was to conduct a focus group with women of childbearing age in Trondheim, Norway to identify items and phrasing for a culturally sensitive tool for comparative studies on selected lifestyle behaviors of women to clarify these disparate infant mortality statistics. In addition, the students participated in secondary analysis of data from the Scandinavian Small for Gestational Age (SGA) Study. Additional research opportunities evolved through meeting with the chief physician of Trondheim and a Public Health Fellow, both of whom shared their current research initiatives and long term research plan with opportunities for students in interdisciplinary research. Both students and faculty experienced first hand, the integration of academic knowledge related to health care practices and policies with colleagues in an international setting, while laying the groundwork for further collaboration. Students shared their experiences with a wide variety of audiences. Their impressions of the influence of this research expedition on their global perspective and overall academic program immediately after and six months following the expedition will be presented.

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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)