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Health Functions (health + function)
Selected AbstractsEngaging the Community in Core Public Health FunctionsNATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW, Issue 4 2000Derek Okubo First page of article [source] Developing Political Competence: A Comparative Study Across DisciplinesPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2001Joanne W Rains D.N.S. Political activism is one way that nurses care for individuals and communities, and intervene in the broad range of socioeconomic factors influencing health. Though policy advocacy is a core public health function and a valuable nursing activity, the process of acquiring requisite skills and attitudes for political involvement is not often explored. What crucial experiences enfranchise nursing students toward future policy involvement? What is the student journey toward political competence? Do nursing students vary from students of other disciplines in this process? In-depth interviews were conducted with baccalaureate nursing students and political science students who were near graduation. Content analysis of interview transcripts revealed several themes. Despite rich examples of activism, nursing students viewed public policy as a barrier, and did not see connections between the personal, professional, and political. Nursing seemed grounded in application and service, demonstrating by involvement that they could "walk the walk." Political science involvement originated in theory, and resulted in more articulate discourse on the subject: they could "talk the talk." The data suggest a need for interdisciplinary dialogue, faculty modelling of political competence, opportunities for students to realize personal, professional, and political connections, and a concern of socialization in the context of global citizenship. [source] Fat stores in birds: an overlooked sink for carotenoid pigments?FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001J. J. Negro Summary 1,Carotenoids are responsible for the most striking colours in birds, but also play an important role as enhancers of the immune system. Consequently, a trade-off between the ornamental and health functions of carotenoids in birds has been proposed. 2,Although it is well known that birds can store carotenoids in different organs and tissues, including the fat stores, until now all field studies of the regulation of carotenoid stores have focused on plasma carotenoids. 3,Carotenoids in the fat of 44 wild Greylag Geese (Anser anser L.) wintering in south-western Spain were identified and quantified. In addition, the relationships between carotenoids and the size of the fat stores, as well as the sex and age of the geese, were analysed. 4,The major carotenoid in goose fat was lutein. This and related carotenoids are also the most prevalent pigments in bird plasma and secondary sexual characters. We also detected ,-cryptoxanthin, ,-carotene, neochrome and neoxanthin. Total carotenoid concentration was negatively correlated with the size of the fat stores. Males had higher concentrations of carotenoids than females. 5A possible explanation for these patterns is that male birds tend to have higher plasma carotenoids than females, a difference that could be transposed to fat if carotenoids diffused passively from the blood into adipose tissues. Carotenoids, however, may tend to remain in the fat stores. If this were true, fat would not be a reservoir of carotenoids, but a sink where a significant amount of these pigments would be sequestered, being no longer available for other functions. [source] Access to essential drugs in Guyana: a public health challenge,,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2010Enrique Seoane-Vazquez Abstract Guyana's pharmaceutical sector faces major challenges that limit access to essential drugs. This study analyzes Guyana's drug policy and regulation, public financing, and drug procurement and delivery. The study also identifies main barriers to drug access and proposes alternatives to strengthen the country's public health functions. Data were collected from the country's regulatory agencies, public procurement agency, pharmacies, wholesalers, and pharmaceutical companies. The information was supplemented with interviews with a convenient sample of Guyanese health authorities and stakeholders. Data were also compiled from scientific databases, and web pages of the country's Ministries of Health, Commerce and Finance, the Bureau of Statistics, and international organizations. Major barriers to drug access include: (1) lack of national drug policy and regulation, and limited role of the regulatory authority; (2) inefficient drug selection and irrational drug use; (3) insufficient financial resources and lack of drug pricing policy; (4) inefficient planning and managing public supply system; (5) deficient epidemiological and information systems; and (6) inadequate infrastructures and human resources shortage. Improving drug access in Guyana requires the strengthening of the country's public health functions and the implementation of a national drug policy and pricing policy, streamlining the drug financing, procurement, and planning and managing drug supply; and adequate infrastructures and human resources. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||