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Biomedical subjects

E Eng

Publications and source records attributed to E Eng.

53 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Participation effect from water projects on EPI.

It has been hypothesized that in addition to the direct health and amenity benefits of an improved water supply, there are other, more subtle, benefits to communities who participate in community-based water supply projects. A detailed empirical comparison of villages with and without community-based water projects in Indonesia and Togo suggests that such indirect benefits are substantial. Between 25 and 30% more children are immunized in villages with community-based water projects than in comparison villages which either have benefitted from non-participatory water projects, or have had no water project. From a comparison between the activities of villagers and workers in external agencies involved in water projects in the two countries, it is concluded that successful participatory water projects are best characterized as a partnership between the community and the external agency. Such projects require substantial inputs of time, resources, skill and persistence from both the community and the external agency. These inputs must be sustained by both parties in all phases--planning, construction and maintenance--if this partnership is to result in lasting improvements in water supply and other aspects of community life.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1985

Institutionalizing social support through the church and into the community.

The positive influence of social support on such health related outcomes as patient adherence to medical regimens and stress reduction at the worksite has captured the attention of public health researchers and practitioners alike. Yet, the broader social outcome of building community competency to undertake and sustain health related solutions without constant intervention from professionals still remains elusive. The difficulty may lie with the need to uncover on each occasion the various roles and functions of social support structures that may or may not exist in a given community. The intent would then be to graft an intervention onto these existing roles and functions in order to mirror the naturally occurring social support structures. A conceptual framework that has been used to institutionalize health related activities through the role and function of the black Church, as a social unit of identity and solution for rural black communities in North Carolina, is put forth for consideration.

Black or African American↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of maternity services by pregnant women in a small Nigerian community.

Pregnancy is a time when women's health is placed at risk by a host of factors; however, professionals providing antenatal care can reduce that risk by monitoring women's health regularly and offering preventive services. Hygienic delivery services by a qualified attendant also help to reduce risks associated with childbearing. We explored these considerations in a rural Nigerian town by following 60 Yoruba women through pregnancy to childbirth. Although a functioning government maternity center in the community offered a full range of antenatal and delivery services, most of the women did not register for antenatal care until their sixth month of pregnancy or later, and 65% delivered at home. This behavior is explained in terms of (a) fees for delivery services, (b) level of income, (c) cultural beliefs, and (d) education. We conclude that provision of relatively accessible services does not guarantee their use and that other social and cultural considerations must be taken into account.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trust and collaboration in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

High rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are sustained in communities by a relatively small group of people, referred to as the core of transmission. Definitions of the core vary but inevitably include people who are socially marginalized and who distrust people in authority, such as public health practitioners and university researchers. Having an effect on a marginalized group usually depends on effective collaboration with people they trust. Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health developed a trust-based collaboration with community members of a rural county in North Carolina to implement an STD prevention program that, in turn, relied on trust in local social networks. As part of the STD prevention demonstration project, the research team established a community resource group made up of local African Americans who helped design, implement, and evaluate the intervention. The group identified 21 women to whom others in the community turned for advice on sex and STDs. These women were trained as lay health advisors to disseminate information and skills for preventing STDs among their social networks. Through face-to-face structured interviews before and after the intervention, the authors measured improvements in STD treatment and prevention behaviors. The proportion of people practicing each of the targeted behaviors improved during the evaluation period. In addition to disseminating information through their own social networks, the lay health advisors demonstrated new skills and a desire to interact with local care providers to influence the provision of care for STDs for low-income African Americans in this county. Each participant in the collaboration played a role in establishing or building upon trust with others. These trusting relationships were critical for empowering a marginalized group at high risk for STDs.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

STEP sisters, sex, and STDs: a process evaluation of the recruitment of lay health advisors.

Individual interviews, field observations, and group debriefings were used in this qualitative study that assessed the accuracy of the recruitment strategy used to identify natural helpers to assist African American women, aged 18-34, to prevent and seek care for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The study indicates that the recruitment strategy is effective when a list of natural helpers is generated by advisory groups from the same geographic community. Screening protocols used to interview potential natural helpers appear to reduce later barriers to advising on sensitive topics like STDs. The data suggest the importance of using community members to identify natural helpers and the importance of addressing sensitive topics early in the recruitment process.

Community Health Workers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Breast cancer screening in older African-American women: qualitative research findings.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the cultural meanings that shape the breast cancer screening behavior of older African-American women. DESIGN: Qualitative research methods elicited social and cultural themes related to breast cancer screening. SETTING: Focus group interviews were conducted in the natural settings (churches, etc.) of older African-American women. SUBJECTS: Interviews were conducted with 132 members from 14 social networks of older African-American women. MEASURES: A focus group guide asked about 1) perceived risk of breast cancer, 2) behavioral intentions about breast cancer screening, 3) health seeking behavior, and 4) social support. RESULTS: For older African-American women: other health concerns are of more concern than breast cancer; age is generally not recognized as a risk factor for breast cancer; fear of finding breast cancer and its social consequences are salient barriers to mammography; they tend to rely on breast self-exam rather than mammography to detect a breast problem; cost may be more an issue of competing priorities than cost per se; the tradition is to go to doctors for a problem, not prevention; and women in their own social networks are important sources of social support for health concerns. CONCLUSIONS: These data offer explanations for mammography screening in older African-American women and emphasize the strength of naturally existing sources of social support for designing interventions to increase breast cancer screening.

Black or African American↗