More than 250 million of the world's children suffer from vitamin A deficiency. Nepal is one of 60 countries in which this deficiency constitutes a significant public health problem. Each year in Nepal, vitamin A ...
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More than 250 million of the world's children suffer from vitamin A deficiency. Nepal is one of 60 countries in which this deficiency constitutes a significant public health problem. Each year in Nepal, vitamin A deficiency is responsible for the deaths of 9000 children and for 2500 children becoming permanently blind. The Nepal National Vitamin A Program (NVAP) was begun in 1993 in eight of the country's 75 districts. By the end of 1997, the programme covered 32 districts, and by 2003 its coverage will be nationwide. The Nepal NVAP is considered by many to be a highly successful, model programme. It consists primarily of distributing high-dose vitamin A capsules to all children 6 to 60 months of age during twice-yearly campaigns. The capsule distribution is carried out by a previously existing network of Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) that has been reinvigorated by the highly visible and universally acclaimed success of the NVAP. An important strategy of the programme has been the empowerment of the FCHVs, which has been accomplished by organizing, training and motivating community workers and other representatives from education, agriculture and other sectors, as well as political representatives, to support the FCHVs. The annual cost of the NVAP is US$1.7 million. It costs $1.25 to deliver two vitamin A capsules to each participant. The cost per averted death is $327. The NVAP reduces the incidence and severity of diarrhoeal disease and measles, which in turn reduces the need for Ministry of Health services, thereby annually saving the Government of Nepal $1.5 million. Factoring in these cost savings, the net annual cost of the current NVAP is $167 000, and the net annual cost of the permanent, nationwide programme is estimated at $1.1 million. The NVAP is a highly cost-effective programme. The article concludes with a discussion of the sustainability and replicability of the programme.
PURPOSE Few culturally competent health programs have: been designed for Mexican Americans, a group that bears a. disproportionate burden of Type 2 diabetes. ln Starr County, a Texas-Mexico border community, investiga...
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PURPOSE Few culturally competent health programs have: been designed for Mexican Americans, a group that bears a. disproportionate burden of Type 2 diabetes. ln Starr County, a Texas-Mexico border community, investigators designed and tested a culturally competent intervention aimed at improving the health of this target population. The purpose of this article is to describe the development process of this diabetes education and support group intervention, METHODS The development stages were (1) community assessment, (2) intervention design, (3) selection or development of outcomes, (4) pilot-testing, and (5) a randomized clinical investigation. RESULTS Focus group participants identified knowledge deficits regarding diabetes and self-management strategies, and suggested characteristics of an effective intervention for Mexican Americans. Outcome measures included metabolic control indicators, a newly developed knowledge instrument, and an existing health belief instrument. Preliminary analyses indicated that the intervention was successful in significantly improving metabolic control in the target population. CONCLUSIONS Developing successful diabetes interventions for minority groups requires a number of stages, careful planning, assessment of cultural characteristics of the target population and a systematic approach to implementation.
In spite of improving epidemiological knowledge in relation to child health, the challenge of promoting the survival and quality of life of infants and children in most parts of the developing world remains an abiding...
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In spite of improving epidemiological knowledge in relation to child health, the challenge of promoting the survival and quality of life of infants and children in most parts of the developing world remains an abiding public health problem, for both the countries and the international agencies involved. Current infant and child health programmes largely reflect western style medical care, with emphasis placed on reducing mortality, and the preventive aspects confined mainly to immunisation, improved nutrition, provision of micronutrients, promotion of breast-feeding and birth spacing. In contrast, environmental and social factors which underpin the proliferation of disease agents are receiving minimal attention. This paper presents a critical review of current strategies for promoting child health in developing countries, and examines the environmental, social, and political factors that influence child health. Presenting a specific example of infant and childhood diarrhoea, the authors argue that in order for a real reduction in mortality, and improvements in quality of life to be sustained, attention needs to be focused equally on the environmental and social factors that underlie much of the childhood diseases in the developing world. This will involve the adoption of a broader strategy aimed at reducing childhood diarrhoea, using the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system in combination with other methods.
This interdisciplinary review focuses on strategies for implementing health and safety promotion activities in organizations. Theories are summarized in a checklist and illustrated by some practical examples from Swed...
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This interdisciplinary review focuses on strategies for implementing health and safety promotion activities in organizations. Theories are summarized in a checklist and illustrated by some practical examples from Sweden and abroad. The points illustrated appear obvious and logical, but they are seldom applied in practise.
This article assesses the validity and reliability of the approach used to measure community mobilization in the Seattle Minority Youth Health Project(MY Health), a neighborhood-based-program to prevent drug use, viol...
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This article assesses the validity and reliability of the approach used to measure community mobilization in the Seattle Minority Youth Health Project(MY Health), a neighborhood-based-program to prevent drug use, violence, teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Two constructs were measured: neighborhood cooperation in solving problems, and sense of pride and identification with the neighborhood. The convergent validity of the measurement approach was assessed by comparing several independent measures of community mobilization generated from surveys of hey neighborhood leaders, youth and parents. For the neighborhood cooperation construct, correlations were uniformly positive across measures from different surveys and statistically significant about a quarter of the time. The correlations for the neighborhood pride construct were weaker and generally not statistically significant. Interrater reliability was low for all of the surveys, possibly reflecting varying ideas about what community mobilization meant among survey respondents.
This article describes a nursing intervention called Teen Club that was designed to reduce risk-taking behavior and improve well-being in female African American adolescents. Participants were referred to Teen Club by...
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This article describes a nursing intervention called Teen Club that was designed to reduce risk-taking behavior and improve well-being in female African American adolescents. Participants were referred to Teen Club by their nurse practitioners, physicians, and a community health nurse who were working at an urban neighborhood health center's teen clinic. Referrals were based on factors such as parental substance abuse, lack of social and family support, and other characteristics thought to increase vulnerability to risk-taking behavior. The 2-year intervention included weekly group meetings co-led by a European American female community health nurse and a Latino American male community worker, supplemented by case management and home visits by both these persons. Findings from a retrospective group interview conducted with 11 of the 12 original participants are presented. This is the first step in a series of pilot studies designed to refine the Teen Club intervention in anticipation of a future prospective, randomized investigation of this health promotion and disease prevention model of nursing care.
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