Community Awareness (community + awareness)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences


Selected Abstracts


Organizational networks of collaboration for community-based living

NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 3 2008
Dennis L. Poole
This exploratory study of the Texas Community Awareness and Relocation Services (CARS) Project examines organizational networks of collaboration for community-based living. A high degree of collaboration in these networks is needed to help nursing facility residents negotiate the complex process of moving to community-based settings. Social network analysis reveals considerable variations in local organizational networks of collaboration among lead nonprofit providers before and after implementation of the CARS Project in five test sites. These variations probably affected their collaborative capacity of each site and, ultimately, the project's outcomes. [source]


Therapy of other viral infections: herpes to hepatitis

DERMATOLOGIC THERAPY, Issue 6 2004
Arun Chakrabarty
ABSTRACT:, Over the past several years, there has been an increase in knowledge pertaining to the diagnosis and management strategies for the herpes family (Types 1,8), the pox viruses, mumps, measles, rubella, and parvovirus B19 as well as the viral etiologies of hepatitis. Various antiviral treatments, such as nucleoside analogs and interferon therapy, have been available to reduce the signs and symptoms of these common viral infections. This article summarizes the preferred treatment strategies to be employed for each of the viruses for reducing severity, duration, recurrences (notably in the herpes family), transmission rates, as well as preventive alternatives. The majority of the therapeutic options attenuate the course of disease. Treatment decisions are driven by knowledge of the natural history and often are tailored to incorporate clinical circumstances for individual patients. Promotion of community awareness and the development of vaccines should be emphasized in the battle against these common viruses, particularly the herpes simplex viruses, the pox viruses, and hepatitis B. [source]


Life expectancy among people with cerebral palsy in Western Australia

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2001
E Blair PhD
This report describes trends, predictors, and causes of mortality in persons with cerebral palsy (CP)using individuals identified by the Western Australian Cerebral Palsy Register and born between 1958 and 1994. Two thousand and fourteen people were identified (1154 males, 860 females), of whom 225 had died by 1 June 1997. Using date-of-death data, crude and standardized mortality rates were estimated and predictors of mortality sought using survival analysis stratified by decade of birth, description of impairments, and demographic and perinatal variables. For those born after 1967, the cause of death profile was examined over time. Mortality exceeded 1% per annum in the first 5 years and declined to age 15 years after which it remained steady at about 0.35% for the next 20 years. The strongest single predictor was intellectual disability, but all forms of disability contributed to decreased life expectancy. Half of those with IQ/DQ score <20 survived to adulthood, increasing to 76% with IQ/DQ score 20,34, and exceeding 92% for higher scores. Severe motor impairment primarily increased the risk of early mortality. Despite there being 72 persons aged from 25 to 41 years with severe motor impairment in our data set, none had died after the age of 25 years. Infants born after more than 32 weeks'gestation were at significantly higher risk of mortality than very preterm infants, accounted for by their higher rates of intellectual disability. No improvements in survival of persons with CP were seen over the study period despite advances in medical care, improved community awareness, and the increasing proportion of very preterm births among people with CP. This may be the result of improved neonatal care enabling the survival of infants with increasingly severe disabilities. [source]


Determinants of coverage in Community-based Therapeutic Care programmes: towards a joint quantitative and qualitative analysis

DISASTERS, Issue 2 2010
Saśl Guerrero
One of the most important elements behind the success of Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) programmes for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition has been their ability to achieve high levels of coverage. In CTC, coverage is measured using the Centric System Area Sampling (CSAS) method, which provides accurate and reliable estimates of programme coverage as well as information on the primary reasons for non-attendance. Another important feature of CTC programmes is their use of socio-cultural assessments to determine potential barriers to access and to develop context-specific responses. By analysing data on non-attendance provided by CSAS surveys, in conjunction with data from socio-cultural assessments, it is possible to identify common factors responsible for failures in programme coverage. This paper focuses on an analysis of data from 12 CTC programmes across five African countries. It pinpoints three common factors (distance to sites, community awareness of the programme, and the way in which rejections are handled at the sites) that, together, account for approximately 75 per cent of non-attendance. [source]


Triggers for Late Twentieth Century Reform of Australian Coastal Management

GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2000
B. G. Thom
This paper identifies four triggers that underpinned the late 20th century reform of coastal management in Australia. These have operated across federal, state and local levels of government. The triggers are global environmental change, sustainable development, integrated resource management, and community awareness of management issues and participation in decision making. This reform has been driven by international and national forces. A number of inquiries into coastal management in Australia culminated in the production of a national coastal policy in 1995. This has led to fundamental changes in coastal management and to the recognition of the inevitability of changes in coastal systems. Federal policies and programs are being translated into action at the state and local government levels through a variety of funding mechanisms and programs. These involve capacity building, a memorandum of understanding between all levels of government, an enhanced role for state advisory or co-ordinating bodies, and an increased role for public participation. [source]


The influence of HIV/AIDS on the practice of primary care nurses in Jordan: Rhetoric and reality

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 5 2005
Hani Nawafleh PhD(Cand)
The role of nurses in raising community awareness about HIV/AIDS is well-reported. However, little is known about the practice of Jordanian nurses and the role they play in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. This interpretive ethnographic study sought to illuminate the role of primary care nurses and examine the influence of HIV/AIDS on their practice. The study was undertaken in Jordan in three rural and three urban primary health-care centres. Data collection included participant observation, key informant interviews and document analysis. These data informed the development of descriptive ethnographic accounts that allowed for the subsequent identification of common and divergent themes reflective of factors recognized as influencing the practice of the nurse participants. The findings indicate that the rhetoric offered by all levels of administration and endorsed in policy is not reflective of the reality of practice. Poor resources and educational preparation, a limited nursing skill mix and access to professional development, lack of nursing leadership and role models, cultural beliefs and geographic isolation are factors that reduced the capacity of the primary care nurses to raise awareness and, therefore, influence the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. [source]


Vulnerability related to oral health in early childhood: a concept analysis

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 9 2010
Deborah J. Mattheus
mattheus d.j. (2010) Vulnerability related to oral health in early childhood: concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(9), 2116,2125. Abstract Aim., This article is a report of the analysis of the concept of vulnerability and its relationship to oral health in early childhood. Background., Poor oral health is a continued problem for children worldwide. Vulnerability increases the probability of poor oral health outcomes. The lack of clarity of the concept of vulnerability creates difficulty in understanding this multi-factoral condition. Data sources., Data source included 34 articles covering the period 2000,2009 from a variety of disciplines, including nursing, dentistry, medicine and public health. Methods., The concept analysis was conducted using Rodgers' evolutionary method. The literature was analysed and a social ecology model was used to frame the discussion, recognizing family and community influences on children's oral health. Results., The context of oral health in early childhood contributes to the changes in the concept vulnerability. The attributes are closely related to family and community factors and identified as limited parental income, parental education, community-based services and fluoride; and exposure to poor parental habits, parental neglect and harmful toxins. The primary antecedent is identified as a form of limited protection from exposure to various circumstances. Conclusion., Children with limited protection have increased vulnerability and greater probability of poor health outcomes. Nurses who understand the concept of vulnerability related to oral health and can identify factors that create protection and are capable of decreasing vulnerability through parent education, community awareness and policy changes that support children and families. [source]


Childhood autism spectrum disorder in the Barwon region: A community based study

JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 12 2004
F Icasiano
Objective: To establish a community database for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to determine prevalence and identify subgroups based on key intellectual, clinical and family parameters. Methods: Data were collected for children previously diagnosed with an ASD in the Barwon region using parental interview and review of the child's paediatric and psychological records. Preschool diagnoses were typically made by specialist psychologists and school-age diagnoses made by a multidisciplinary team. Results: One hundred and seventy-seven children in the Barwon region were identified as having ASD (82% response rate). The prevalence of ASD was one per 255 children aged two to 17 years. The prevalence increased 10 fold over a 16-year period and this increase was relatively even across all levels of child intellectual functioning. Forty-two percent of children were intellectually disabled (IQ < 70) and performance IQ was significantly higher than verbal IQ but typical block design-comprehension subtest patterns were not common. Nine sibling pair families were identified, 24% were labelled as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 6% had epilepsy, and 18.3% were macrocephalic where data were available. Family difficulty was associated with the degree of obsessions/rituals, frequency and intensity of anger/aggression, and ADHD but overall was not associated with the child's intellectual status. Conclusions: The relatively rapid increase in prevalence is consistent with overseas studies and suggests significant changes in diagnostic criteria, increasing community awareness and the need for support at all levels of intellectual functioning. Increased occurrence in siblings and relatives gives further evidence for a genetic cause. [source]


Children Who Have Been Traumatized: One Court's Response

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008
Judge Michael L. Howard
ABSTRACT A court that is trauma-informed can assist with the process of identifying children in need of trauma-focused services and can provide education and direction to families frustrated by prior treatment failures. The unique role of the juvenile court judge as a community convener offers an opportunity to increase community awareness about the impact of trauma, and to promote the adoption of evidence-based treatment for trauma victims. This article outlines the way that increased trauma awareness and trauma screening within a family court system mobilized the development of effective resources for children and families affected by trauma. [source]


ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS: COMMUNITY-BASED STRATEGIES TO COMBAT HUNGER

ANNALS OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL PRACTICE, Issue 1 2009
Miriam S. Chaiken
Anthropologists have long recognized the value of community participation in development planning and project implementation, and this paper discusses a new strategy to engage communities to monitor conditions of food insecurity and vulnerability, and to develop strategies for mitigation against shocks. Community based early warning programs (CEWS) complement existing hunger early warning systems that rely on satellite and agroclimatic data by collecting and monitoring data in rural communities. These strategies build on existing community awareness of local conditions, provide support for locally identified mitigation activities, and foster community participation. Examples from programs in Mozambique illustrate the potential of the CEWS strategies for effecting sustainable change and combating chronic food insecurity and vulnerability. [source]


Treatment disparities in Parkinson's disease,

ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Nabila Dahodwala MD
We sought to identify racial disparities in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). We identified 307 incident PD cases using Pennsylvania State Medicaid claims, and extracted claims for medications, physical therapy, and healthcare visits for the 6 months after diagnosis. After controlling for age, sex, and geography, African-Americans were four times less likely than whites to receive any PD treatment (odds ratio, 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.09,0.64), especially indicated medications. In a group with the same healthcare insurance, disparities in PD treatment exist. Physician and community awareness of these racial differences in PD treatment is the first step in addressing healthcare disparities. Ann Neurol 2009;66:142,145 [source]


The Introduction of Choice of Superannuation Fund: Results to Date

AUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 40 2006
ROSS CLARE
Commonwealth legislation providing for choice of superannuation fund has now been in operation since 1 July 2005. This paper explores the extent to which employees have exercised choice in the period immediately following the implementation of fund choice. The data available suggest that choice of fund has had only a modest impact. However, while community awareness of superannuation has increased and the level of member attachment to the main superannuation fund has increased, a downturn in investment returns, and subsequently in member sentiment, could have a significant impact on member preparedness to choose another fund [source]


THE PATIENT TRANSIT ASSISTANCE SCHEME: A CONSUMER'S PERSPECTIVE

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2000
Pam McGrath
ABSTRACT: This article presents findings from State-wide research in Queensland on experiences with the Patient Transit Assistance Scheme (PTAS) from the point of view of patients with a haematological malignancy who travelled for specialist treatment. The findings indicate that the PTAS is of crucial importance to patients and their families and goes some way to buffering the financial hardship incurred from relocation. However, there are also strong indications that there is insufficient community awareness of the scheme, with the consequence that it is not appropriately accessed by those in need. The results confirm previous research that points to the hardship, both financial and emotional, associated with the experience of relocation for specialist treatment. [source]