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English-speaking Countries (English-speak + country)
Selected AbstractsGender and alcohol consumption: patterns from the multinational GENACIS projectADDICTION, Issue 9 2009Richard W. Wilsnack ABSTRACT Aims To evaluate multinational patterns of gender- and age-specific alcohol consumption. Design and participants Large general-population surveys of men's and women's drinking behavior (n's > 900) in 35 countries in 1997,2007 used a standardized questionnaire (25 countries) or measures comparable to those in the standardized questionnaire. Measurements Data from men and women in three age groups (18,34, 35,49, 50,65) showed the prevalence of drinkers, former drinkers, and lifetime abstainers; and the prevalence of high-frequency, high-volume, and heavy episodic drinking among current drinkers. Analyses examined gender ratios for prevalence rates and the direction of changes in prevalence rates across age groups. Findings Drinking per se and high-volume drinking were consistently more prevalent among men than among women, but lifetime abstention from alcohol was consistently more prevalent among women. Among respondents who had ever been drinkers, women in all age groups were consistently more likely to have stopped drinking than men were. Among drinkers, the prevalence of high-frequency drinking was consistently greatest in the oldest age group, particularly among men. Unexpectedly, the prevalence of drinking per se did not decline consistently with increasing age, and declines in high-volume and heavy episodic drinking with increasing age were more typical in Europe and English-speaking countries. Conclusions As expected, men still exceed women in drinking and high-volume drinking, although gender ratios vary. Better explanations are needed for why more women than men quit drinking, and why aging does not consistently reduce drinking and heavy drinking outside Europe and English-speaking countries. [source] Nursing shortages and international nurse migrationINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 4 2005S. J. Ross mpa/id Background:, The United Kingdom and the United States are among several developed countries currently experiencing nursing shortages. While the USA has not yet implemented policies to encourage nurse immigration, nursing shortages will likely result in the growth of foreign nurse immigration to the USA. Understanding the factors that drive the migration of nurses is critical as the USA exerts more pull on the foreign nurse workforce. Aim:, To predict the international migration of nurses to the UK using widely available data on country characteristics. Method:, The Nursing and Midwifery Council serves as the source of data on foreign nurse registrations in the UK between 1998 and 2002. We develop and test a regression model that predicts the number of foreign nurse registrants in the UK based on source country characteristics. We collect country-level data from sources such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization. Results:, The shortage of nurses in the UK has been accompanied by massive and disproportionate growth in the number of foreign nurses from poor countries. Low-income, English-speaking countries that engage in high levels of bilateral trade experience greater losses of nurses to the UK. Conclusion:, Poor countries seeking economic growth through international trade expose themselves to the emigration of skilled labour. This tendency is currently exacerbated by nursing shortages in developed countries. Countries at risk for nurse emigration should adjust health sector planning to account for expected losses in personnel. Moreover, policy makers in host countries should address the impact of recruitment on source country health service delivery. [source] Preceptors' experiences of clinically educating and assessing undergraduate nursing students: an Irish contextJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2010BRIDIE MCCARTHY MSc mccarthy b. & murphy s. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management 18, 234,244 Preceptors' experiences of clinically educating and assessing undergraduate nursing students: an Irish context Aim, To explore preceptors' views and experiences of preceptoring undergraduate nursing students. Background, Undertaking a preceptoring role is acknowledged internationally as complex and challenging. With the introduction of the undergraduate degree programme in Ireland (2002), preceptors were assigned a more formal role in the teaching and assessing of students. As this was a new programme for students and an additional responsibility for preceptors, it was important to investigate how preceptors found this new experience. Methods, Data were collected using a mixed methods descriptive approach. Results, Many preceptors wanted to become a preceptor and enjoyed the role. The majority of preceptors found the role stressful and burdensome and did not feel adequately supported by their clinical managers. Preceptors expressed the need for protected time, support, feedback and recognition from management for undertaking this role. Conclusion, Findings validate problems experienced with preceptoring in other English-speaking countries and contribute further to building a case for vital change in this component of nursing education and nursing practice. Implications for nursing management, Managers should focus on the challenges expressed by preceptors in this study and identify appropriate strategies to carefully select, monitor and support preceptors in this complex role. [source] A case-control study of risk factors for asthma in New Zealand childrenAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2001Kristin Wickens Objective: As in other English-speaking countries, asthma is a major and increasing health problem in New Zealand. This study examined the risk factors for asthma in children aged 7,9. Methods: Cases and controls were randomly selected from participants in the Wellington arm of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Cases were children with a previous diagnosis of asthma and current medication use (n=233), and controls were children with no history of wheezing and no diagnosis of asthma (n=241). Results: After controlling for confounders, factors significantly associated with asthma were maternal (OR=3.36, 95% Cl 1.88,5.99) and paternal asthma (OR=2.67, 95% Cl 1.42,5.02), and male sex (OR=1.81, 95% Cl 1.17,2.81). Children from social classes 5 and 6 or with unemployed parents (OR=2.32, 95% Cl 1.22,4.44) were significantly more likely to have asthma than children in social classes 1 and 2. There was no significant association between having polio vaccination (OR=2.48, 95% Cl 0.83,7.41), hepatitis B vaccination (OR=0.66, 95% Cl 0.42,1.04) or measles/mumps/rubella vaccination (OR=1.43, 95% Cl 0.85,2.41) and asthma. Conclusions: This study has confirmed the associations of family history and lower socio-economic status with current asthma in 7,9 year old children. The role of vaccinations requires further research. [source] Exploration of Australian and New Zealand indigenous people's spirituality and mental healthAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 3 2005Samson Tse Background:,Spirituality has been defined as an overarching construct that involves personal beliefs or values that provide a sense of meaning and unity with self, people, nature and universe. Spirituality may be experienced within or outside formal religion. At least in English-speaking countries, therapists reported discussing spiritual issues with service users more frequently than before. In the literature, there continues to be debate regarding definitions of spirituality and how spirituality fits with occupational therapy practice models. Methods and Results:,To advance the discussion, we explore the concept of spirituality among indigenous people of Australia and New Zealand, and use mental health as a practice setting to suggest how occupational therapists can address the spiritual needs of individuals recovering from mental health problems. Conclusion:,The implications for assessment and interventions to improve coping skills, social support, self-esteem and instil hope of recovery from mental illness are considered. [source] Representing children's views and best interests in court: an international comparisonCHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 4 2005Andy Bilson Abstract This paper provides a comparison of a number of alternative models of international practice in relation to the appointment and organization of guardians ad litem and other children's representatives in child care and family proceedings. The paper notes that, in their attempts to address the need for children to have representation in matters affecting their welfare, English-speaking countries have tended to conflate the two salient Articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, that is, Article 3, which deals with the child's best interests, and Article 12, which deals with their right to express their wishes and feelings. Where systems other than ,stand alone' legal representation have been put in place, the child's representative is charged with both assessing their best interests and, often as a secondary duty, communicating their views. The paper concludes that for some groups of children in public or private law proceedings, an advocate (rather than a best interest oriented guardian, and where necessary in addition to a legal representative) may enable better representation of the child in the courts and greater participation by children in legal proceedings, an increased role for children as citizens and a fuller implementation of their rights. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The role of paracetamol in the pathogenesis of asthmaCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 1 2010H. Farquhar Summary Paracetamol use represents a putative risk factor for the development of asthma. There is convincing epidemiological evidence that the risk of asthma may be increased with exposure to paracetamol in the intrauterine environment, infancy, later childhood and adult life. A dose-dependent association has also been observed in these different age groups in different populations world-wide. An association has also been shown between paracetamol use in both rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema. There is biological plausibility with paracetamol use leading to decreased glutathione levels resulting in increased oxidant-induced inflammation and potentially enhanced T-helper type 2 responses. At the population level, patterns of paracetamol use might explain, to some extent, the world-wide variation in the prevalence of asthma and related disorders, particularly the high rates in English-speaking countries, which have high per capita prescription and over-the-counter use of paracetamol. A temporal association also exists between the international trends of increasing paracetamol use and increasing prevalence of asthma over recent decades. Further research is urgently required, in particular randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) into the long-term effects of frequent paracetamol use in childhood, to determine the magnitude and characteristics of any such risk. Importantly, RCTs will also enable evidence-based guidelines for the recommended use of paracetamol to be developed. Cite this as: H. Farquhar, A. Stewart, E. Mitchell, J. Crane, S. Eyers, M. Weatherall and R. Beasley, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 32,41. [source] | ||||||||||