Health promoting schools in England--a way forward in development.
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Schools are identified as a key setting for health promotion in the UK Government's consultation report on the public health strategy for England. The concept of the 'healthy' or 'health promoting school' provides the basis for a broad settings approach to health promotion in schools. The approach extends beyond the formal health education curriculum to include a consideration of the physical and social environment of schools and their links and partnerships with parents and the wider community, in pursuit of better health. There is growing evidence that the health promoting school approach is effective in influencing outcomes related to health and education. Initiatives in the form of projects and schemes are commonly used by Health Promotion Specialist services and health partnerships, to stimulate and support the adoption of the approach by schools. A national healthy school scheme is to be launched alongside these local initiatives in 1999. The paper reviews research and practice in this area and makes recommendations to inform the future development of schools as health promoting organizations. (+info)
Status of health promotion programme implementation in small-scale enterprises in Japan.
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This study was conducted to determine the status of the implementation of health promotion programmes (HPPs) in Japanese small-scale enterprises (SSEs). A survey was conducted in 1996 using a questionnaire mailed to all the member construction companies (n = 772) of a health insurance society, and a response rate of 84% was obtained. Health examination was most frequently conducted (90%), followed by exercise/fitness programmes (17%), smoking measures (12%), health guidance (11%) and nutrition education (6%). Mental health programmes and the government-advocated Total Health Promotion Plan (THP) were implemented at less than 2% of SSEs. The implementation rates for these programmes, except for smoking measures and the THP, were higher at large enterprises than at SSEs. The employment rate for occupational physicians (OPs) was 9% and 49% at SSEs and large enterprises, respectively. The activity most frequently conducted by OPs was health examination, followed by curative services and health education. Advising employees to undergo re-examination or more valid examination after the annual health examination was most frequently conducted by non-health professionals. (+info)
Workers' right-to-know legislation: does it work?
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Workers' right-to-know (WRTK) laws and regulations were established to empower workers to protect their health by providing them with information about the hazards to which they are exposed while at work. The present study was conducted to examine the implementation of WRTK regulations in Israel. We interviewed 552 workers and 33 safety officers from a random sample employed at 50 industrial plants. The workers' questionnaire included items on awareness and self-management of workplace hazards, and the safety officers answered questions about job experience and hazards communications to workers. In 36% of cases workers and their safety officers disagreed about the existence of hazards in the workplace (p < 0.001). Most (78%) of the workers' knowledge about work hazards was based on informal sources, i.e., not those stipulated by the regulations. There were also discrepancies between worker and safety officer reports regarding the provision of safety training upon employment (p < 0.001), recent instructions about special risks and distribution of relevant printed material. We found that more than 5% of workers were unable to read the language in which the hazards material was written and 22% had levels of education below that required to comprehend the technical terms used. There are serious problems in the implementation of WRTK regulations in Israel. We recommend that employers be made aware of the importance of these laws and of their proactive duty to comply with them and that the material distributed to workers be written in simpler terms and/or explained orally in a language they understand. These findings have important implications for all countries with similar legislation and should form the basis for further and more comprehensive studies world-wide. (+info)
Risk factors for Plasmodium vivax infection in the Lacandon forest, southern Mexico.
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A study was conducted to characterize the risk of Plasmodium vivax infection in the Lacandon forest, southern Mexico. Blood samples and questionnaire data were collected in 1992. Malaria cases (n = 137) were identified by the presence of symptoms and a positive thick blood smear. The control group included individuals with negative antibody titres and no history of malaria (n = 4994). From 7628 individuals studied, 1006 had anti-P. vivax antibodies. Seroprevalence increased with age. Risk factors associated with infection included: place of birth outside the village of residence (odds ratio, OR 11.67; 95% CI 5.21-26.11); no use of medical services (OR 4.69, 95% CI 3.01-7.29), never using bed-nets (OR 3.98, 95 % CI 1.23-12.86) and poor knowledge of malaria transmission, prevention and treatment (OR 2.30, 95 % CI 1.30-4.07). Health education represents the best recommendation for controlling the disease in the area. (+info)
Randomized trial testing the effect of peer education at increasing fruit and vegetable intake.
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BACKGROUND: The National Cancer Institute recommends that Americans eat at least five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. National strategies to increase consumption may not reach minority and lower socioeconomic populations. In a randomized trial, peer education was tested for effectiveness at increasing fruit and vegetable intake among lower socioeconomic, multicultural labor and trades employees. METHODS: Employees (n = 2091) completed a baseline survey and received an 18-month intervention program through standard communication channels (e.g., workplace mail, cafeteria promotions, and speakers). Ninety-three social networks (cliques) of employees were identified, which were pair matched on intake. At an interim survey (during months 8 and 9), 11 cliques no longer existed and 41 matched pairs of cliques containing 905 employees remained, with one clique per pair being randomly assigned to the peer education intervention. Employees who were central in the communication flow of the peer intervention cliques served as peer educators during the last 9 months of the intervention program. Fruit and vegetable intake was measured with 24-hour intake recall and with food-frequency questions in baseline, outcome (i.e., at 18 months), and 6-month follow-up surveys. All P values are two-sided. RESULTS: By use of multiple regression, statistically significant overall effects of the peer education program were seen in the intake recall (increase of 0.77 total daily servings; P<.0001) and the food-frequency (increase of 0.46 total daily servings; P =.002) questions at the outcome survey. The effect on the total number of servings persisted at the 6-month follow-up survey when measured by the intake recall (increase of 0.41 total daily servings; P =.034) but not the food-frequency (decrease of 0.04 total daily servings; P =.743) questions. CONCLUSIONS: Peer education appears to be an effective means of achieving an increase in fruit and vegetable intake among lower socioeconomic, multicultural adult employees. (+info)
The Abuela Project: safe cheese workshops to reduce the incidence of Salmonella typhimurium from consumption of raw-milk fresh cheese.
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OBJECTIVES: A multiagency intervention was implemented in Yakima County, Wash, to reduce the incidence of Salmonella serotype Typhimurium infections resulting from eating queso fresco (fresh cheese) made from raw milk, a traditional food in the Hispanic diet. METHODS: A pasteurized-milk queso fresco recipe with taste and texture acceptable to the Hispanic community was developed. Trained Hispanic volunteers conducted safe cheese workshops, which were attended by more than 225 persons. RESULTS: Workshop participants' acceptance of the new recipe was excellent and positive behavior changes were maintained over 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Educational interventions in Hispanic communities can reduce the incidence of Salmonella Typhimurium associated with eating queso fresco. (+info)
Assessing the quality of newspaper medical advice columns for elderly readers.
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BACKGROUND: Medical advice columns in newspapers can provide a valuable service by educating the general public about important health-related issues. However, these columns may be harmful if the advice or information given in them is incomplete, inappropriate or misleading. The objective of this study was to assess the safety and appropriateness of advice given to elderly readers of newspapers in medical advice columns. METHODS: Medical advice columns published in Canadian newspapers in 1995 were identified from a CD-ROM database. The articles that were selected were published in English and contained medical advice pertinent to elderly people about topics that could be found in a textbook of geriatric medicine. Fifty articles, randomly selected from the 109 articles that met these criteria, were independently assessed by 5 geriatricians. A scoring system was used to rate the ability to determine to which population the article applied, how well fact was distinguished from opinion, the degree to which critical issues were addressed, the safety and the appropriateness of the advice. When the kappa statistic for inter-rater agreement was 0.74 or less, a 2-stage Delphi process was used in an attempt to reach consensus. RESULTS: Agreement (kappa > 0.74) was eventually achieved for 232 (92.8%) of the 250 ratings. In 4 (8%) of the articles there was a high probability that the advice given could be applied to the wrong patient population; in 7 (14%) there was a high probability that opinion might be interpreted as fact; and in 11 (22%) the major critical issues were not identified. Of greatest concern, however, the advice in 25 (50%) of the articles was judged to be inappropriate, and in 14 (28%) advice may have been dangerous and potentially life-threatening. INTERPRETATION: Although medical advice columns have the potential to improve the health of elderly readers, a significant percentage of these articles contain inappropriate or even potentially dangerous advice. (+info)
Dispelling the stigma of schizophrenia: II. The impact of information on dangerousness.
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This study addressed a relatively neglected topic in schizophrenia: identifying methods to reduce stigma directed toward individuals with this disorder. The study investigated whether presentation of information describing the association between violent behavior and schizophrenia could affect subjects' impressions of the dangerousness of both a target person with schizophrenia and individuals with mental illness in general. Subjects with and without previous contact with individuals with a mental illness were administered one of four "information sheets" with varying information about schizophrenia and its association with violent behavior. Subjects then read a brief vignette of a male or female target individual with schizophrenia. Results showed that subjects who reported previous contact with individuals with a mental illness rated the male target individual and individuals with mental illness in general as less dangerous than did subjects without previous contact. Subjects who received information summarizing the prevalence rates of violent behavior among individuals with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders (e.g., substance abuse) rated individuals with a mental illness as less dangerous than did subjects who did not receive this information. Implications of the findings for public education are discussed. (+info)