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PubMedDate not supplied

The quality of life of seniors living in the community: a conceptualization with implications for public health practice.

Maintaining and improving the quality of life (QOL) of seniors in the community is an increasingly important goal of public health planning and programming. To provide authentic assessments of seniors' quality of life, a partnership of public health workers and university researchers, working closely with seniors in the community, developed the Quality of Life Profile: Seniors Version (QOLPSV). Administration of the QOLPSV to a wide range of North York, Ontario seniors (n = 205) participating in community-based healthful living programs provided evidence of the instrument's psychometric integrity. Additionally, results indicated specific areas of need among seniors, suggesting shifts in emphasis in program delivery. Additional public health applications of a quality of life perspective are outlined.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Development of monogenean communities on the gills of roach fry (Rutilus rutilus).

The formation and development of monogenean communities on the gills of roach fry was followed in 1992 from early June to October (size range 9 to 47 mm). Roach fry (n = 291) were sampled weekly from the small, humic River Rutajoki in central Finland. A further 209 roach fry were reared in a fish farm supplied by water from the river. Four Dactylogyrus species were found: D. nanus, D. crucifer, D. micracanthus and D. suecicus. Other species found on the gills were Gyrodactylus sp. and Paradiplozoon homoion. The first Dactylogyrus juvenile occurred on a 12 mm long fish fry in late June and the first adult (D. nanus) 1 week later in Tank 1. D. nanus was also the most common parasite in the river. Young fry had high numbers of Gyrodactylus sp. on the gills compared with adult roach in previous studies. Signs of site preference were found; D. nanus and D. micracanthus preferred the 2nd gill-arch and Dactylogyrus juveniles the outmost one. Abundances of monogenean infracommunities increased until the middle of August when, on average, 1.9 species and 3.7 worms per fry were noted and decreased then as the water temperatures fell. A lack of competition between species is suggested; for example, D. crucifer appeared on the gills at that time when abundance of D. nanus was at its highest. The roach fry hatched and reared in the fish farm revealed that larvae of the most common dactylogyrid species were able to disseminate and colonize over 120 m from the river to the farm. Influence of change colonization events was shown by the appearance and development of Gyrodactylus sp. population on roach fry in only 1 of the 2 tanks at the farm.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[An epidemic of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome at the therapeutic community for treatment of psychoactive drug dependence in Ivanovac].

GOAL: The outbreak of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) at the Ivanovac Drug Therapeutic Community near Nova Gradiska was analyzed. The major epidemiologic, clinical and serologic findings are presented. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During the HFRS outbreak, serum samples were obtained from 31 men from the Community and analyzed by ELISA IgM and IgG tests for Puumala (PUUV) and Dobrava (DOBV) viruses. The main epidemiologic and clinical data were analyzed. RESULTS: At the beginning of March 2002, a-30-year-old male from the Community developed severe clinical picture of HFRS with fulminant systemic hemorrhage, acute renal failure and consecutive death. IgM antibodies to DOBV were detected. HFRS was serologically confirmed in 15 subjects in total. All others were infected with PUUV. During the mild and dry winter, the Community members cut bushes, collected trash, branches and dry leaves near the beech-wood forest border to prepare that part of the field as a garden. They observed a number of rodents, their nests and holes. Most of the patients developed mild to moderate clinical picture with fever, headache, backache, myalgia, abdominal pain, melena, oliguria, polyuria, epistaxis, and conjunctival injection. Hepatitis B (HBV) and/or C (HCV) infection was recorded in 58.1% of Community members. Interestingly, 86.7% of the HFRS patients were HBV and/or HCV positive. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first HFRS outbreak described among drug addicts in Europe, mostly caused by PUUV. Further studies are needed to identify additional risk factors that may contribute to hantavirus infection among drug addicts in HFRS endemic regions in Croatia as well as in Europe.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

[Development of bacterial community in faeces of weaning piglets as revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis].

PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were used to monitor the development of bacterial community in faeces of 12 weaning piglets. The regions V6 to V8 of the 16S rDNA of faecal bacteria were amplified. DGGE profiles of the PCR amplicons were compared by similarity analysis. Results revealed simple DGGE profiles for faecal samples from piglets on the first day of weaning and piglets from the same sow showed similar DGGE profiles. After weaning as the piglets grew DGGE profiles became complicated and diverse. Each individual piglet had its unique DGGE profile, with low similarity between piglets. The source of sow and the diet showed no apparent effect on the DGGE profiles. For the piglets fed a diet containing oliogofructose, DGGE similarity analysis showed bacterial community in the faeces developed fast during the first week and relatively slow later after weaning.

Animals↗
PubMed1969

Impact of community-orientated psychiatry on marriage and fertility of psychotic women.

A large representative sample of psychotic women of reproductive age was selected from patients admitted to a London mental hospital during 1955-63 and followed up during the years of developing community care. Before first admission the probability of marriage of schizophrenics was three-quarters of that of corresponding normal women, and after admission it was just over one-third of normal. Fertility of schizophrenics was slightly reduced both before and after illness, and much of this reduction remains due to their being in hospital. The probability of marriage and fertility of women suffering from severe affective disorders was very similar to that found in the corresponding general population. Despite a lessening of differentials between patients and normal women since the impact of community care the probability of marriage of schizophrenics with abnormal personalities is still significantly reduced.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Literacy and health research in Canada: where have we been and where should we go?

This article reviews current literature and research on literacy and health and identifies priorities for research on this topic in Canada. Information sources included documents found through an environmental scan, the Alpha Plus collection and a computer search of recent documents. The information was analyzed using a conceptual framework. The review found that low literacy has direct and indirect impacts on health. Families are at risk due to difficulty reading medication prescriptions, baby formula instructions and health and safety education materials. People with lower levels of literacy tend to live and work in less healthy environments. They have more difficulties obtaining employment and income security. Determinants of literacy include: education, early childhood development, aging, living and working conditions, personal capacity/genetics, gender and culture. Action is needed to improve literacy and health through a combination of health communication, education and training, community development, organizational development, and policy development. There is some evidence that such interventions can have a positive effect on health, particularly when combined with one another. Further program and policy development requires greater evidence and evaluation of existing initiatives, more cost/benefit analyses, more culturally specific studies, and greater attention to current social trends and needs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The role of baccalaureate nursing students in the matrix of health promotion.

The Declaration of Alma Ata in 1978 put primary health care into the forefront of government health agendas around the world. The Ottawa Charter followed in 1986, emphasizing the role of health promotion for enhancing the wellness of populations and the potential cost savings related to illness care. The findings from research and evaluation in health promotion indicate that multiple approaches, such as mass media campaigns, school-based education, community education, community development, environmental initiatives, and implementation of legislation, are most likely to bring about sustained change (Garrard, 1990). Health education is a component of health promotion and is directed toward enhancing the skills of individuals, families, and communities to change behavior. Behavior change, however, will not be achieved by isolated health education campaigns but by a combination of strategies, methods, and activities at a local, state, and federal level. The type of campaigns that are implemented by nursing students is one intervention that forms part of the matrix of health promotion. This article describes the experience of a School of Nursing in the application of health education by students in a variety of settings in the community. These campaigns help the students to connect theory to nursing practice in a creative way that provides immediate and long-term benefits and may enhance the health of the community.

Community Health Nursing↗
PubMed2004

Distribution of different mycorrhizal classes on Mount Koma, northern Japan.

To investigate the role of mycorrhizae in nutrient-poor primary successional volcanic ecosystems, we surveyed mycorrhizal frequencies on the volcano Mount Koma (42 degrees 04'N, 140 degrees 42'E, 1,140 m elevation) in northern Japan. After the 1929 eruptions, plant community development started at the base of the volcano. Ammonia and nitrate levels, along with plant cover, decreased with increasing elevation, whereas phosphorus did not. In total, 305 individuals of 56 seed plant species were investigated in three elevational zones (550-600 m, 650-700 m, and 750-800 m). Five mycorrhizal classes were classified based on morphological traits: ecto- (ECM), arbuscular (AM), arbutoid, ericoid, and orchid mycorrhiza. All plant species were mycorrhizal to at least some extent, with most widespread tree species being heavily ectomycorrhizal. In addition, of 16 tree species collected in all three zones, 6 differed in the frequencies of ECM on roots between elevational zones, and 3 of these 6 species increased in frequency with increasing elevation. These results suggest that ECM colonization in some tree species is related to establishment in nutrient-poor habitats. All species of Ericaceae and Pyrolaceae had ericoid mycorrhizae, and an Orchidaceae species had orchid mycorrhizae. Herbaceous species, except for the low mycorrhizal frequency of Carex oxyandra and two Polygonaceae species, and ericoid and orchid mycorrhizal species, were generally AM. Of herbaceous species, Anaphalis margaritacea var. angustior increased AM frequency and decreased ECM frequency with increasing elevation, and Hieracium umbellatum increased ECM frequency. In total, the establishment of herbaceous species was not sufficiently explained by AM colonization on roots. Tree individuals developed 2-3 classes of mycorrhizae more than herbs at each elevational zone. We conclude that the symbiosis between seed plants and mycorrhizae, ECM in particular, greatly influences plant community structures on Mount Koma. Not only a single mycorrhizal class, but combinations of mycorrhizal classes should be studied to clarify effects on plant community dynamics.

Altitude↗
PubMed1998

Computer-mediated social support: single young mothers as a model system.

Forty-two single mothers with young infants were given access to a computer-mediated social support (CMSS) network concerned with parenting issues. The network operated 24 hours per day over a period of 6 months. It permitted public message exchanges, private e-mail, and text-based teleconferencing for as many as 8 participants at any one time. During the 6 month intervention, the 42 women accessed the network over 16,670 times. Individual differences in participation were significantly associated with indices of social isolation from peers. A descriptive analyses of the messages exchanged on the network disclosed that 98% of the replies to concerns posted in the public forum provided positive social support. The majority of the supportive replies fell into the category of emotional support, followed in order by informational and tangible support. Both the self-report data following the intervention, and qualitative data extracted from online discussions indicated that close personal relationships and a sense of community developed in this novel social environment. Finally, an analysis of pretest-posttest changes in the level of parenting stress revealed that mothers who participated regularly in this CMSS community were more likely to report a decrease in parenting stress following the intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Identifying and recruiting Mexican American partners and sustaining community partnerships.

In this article, how community partners were identified and recruited and how community partnerships have been sustained during a current program of study designed to eliminate health and use disparities are described. Hispanic elders use in-home community services less often than do Anglo elders. The critical social paradigm, community development theories, and participatory research methods have guided a partnership with Mexican American elders and their care-givers during five research studies. Although the process of partnering with communities evolves within specific contexts and cannot be precisely predicted, strategies can be transferred to research and transcultural nursing practice to improve preventive care and sustainability of healthful changes in vulnerable populations.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Mechanisms responsible for the development of periphyton community structure during seasonal succession: the role of interspecies competition and plankton sedimentation].

The development of periphyton community structure by exchange of organisms between substratum and water column (noninteractive mechanism) and by interspecific competition for surface (interactive mechanism) was studied during seasonal succession in Akulovsky water supply channel (the Upper Volga basin). The influence of exchange was assumed by similarity between the species composition of plankton and periphyton. At early stages of succession when the diatoms dominated in periphyton the community was formed mainly by phytoplankton sedimentation, while the competition for substratum didn't result in decrease of species diversity because the poor competitors were partly displaced by new colonists from the water column. Later when the green filamentous algae abundantly developed in periphyton, their numbers were probably controlled by factors not related to exchange of propagules. At the same time, the species structure of secondary periphyton cover developing on the thallus of filamentous algae depended mainly on the plankton sedimentation. At the last stages of seasonal succession when periphyton was represented by colonies of cyanobacteria and diatoms closely covering the substratum, the exchange of organisms between substratum and water column was not so important as interspecific competition for surface. As one could suppose, increase in biomass in this period resulted in the decrease of specificity as it was predicted by hypothesis of interactive community. In such a way, both mechanisms (interactive and noninteractive ones) took part in development of periphyton structure. Their relative influence changed in the course of seasonal succession.

Biomass↗
PubMed2000

An application of a community psychology approach to dealing with farm stress.

Community psychology arose in the 1960s, in the United States, as a response to: (a) pressure to move toward more community based mental health services, and (b) clinical psychologists asking themselves why they were individually treating and conceptualizing large numbers of people who had similar presenting problems. They realized that the social context of their clients' lives was paramount in determining their emotional health. In 1990, I brought a community psychology perspective to designing and implementing a farm stress program in Saskatchewan. I describe how community psychology values and practices, community development, and mental health promotion are applied to this program. I discuss the value of conceptualizing mental health issues, such as farm stress, from the perspective of individuals-in-communities and discuss considerations for future applications of a community psychology approach to similar and other mental health issues.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1996

Learning with the community for staff development.

Staff development, or inservice education, has been a part of the nursing work environment for many decades. Recently, our public health unit in British Columbia introduced an innovative and exciting approach to staff development. This fresh approach involves community participation and health promotion, the principles of primary health care, as well as participatory research--today's vital influences on nursing and health care generally.

Community-Institutional Relations↗
PubMed1999

Phylogenetic Composition, Spatial Structure, and Dynamics of Lotic Bacterial Biofilms Investigated by Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy.

> Abstract The phylogenetic composition, three-dimensional structure and dynamics of bacterial communities in river biofilms generated in a rotating annular reactor system were studied by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Biofilms grew on independently removable polycarbonate slides exposed in the reactor system with natural river water as inoculum and sole nutrient and carbon source. The microbial biofilm community developed from attached single cells and distinct microcolonies via a more confluent structure characterized by various filamentous bacteria to a mature biofilm rich in polymeric material with fewer cells on a per-area basis after 56 days. During the different stages of biofilm development, characteristic microcolonies and cell morphotypes could be identified as typical features of the investigated lotic biofilms. In situ analysis using a comprehensive suite of rRNA-targeted probes visualized individual cells within the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-Proteobacteria as well as the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium group as major parts of the attached community. The relative abundance of these major groups was determined by using digital image analysis to measure specific cell numbers as well as specific cell area after in situ probing. Within the lotic biofilm community, 87% of the whole bacterial cell area and 79% of the total cell counts hybridized with a Bacteria specific probe. During initial biofilm development, beta-Proteobacteria dominated the bacterial population. This was followed by a rapid increase of alpha-Proteobacteria and bacteria affiliated to the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium group. In mature biofilms, alpha-Proteobacteria and Cytophaga-Flavobacteria continued to be the prevalent bacterial groups. Beta-Proteobacteria constituted the morphologically most diverse group within the biofilm communities, and more narrow phylogenetic staining revealed the importance of distinct phylotypes within the beta1-Proteobacteria for the composition of the microbial community. The presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria affiliated to the Desulfovibrionaceae and Desulfobacteriaceae confirmed the range of metabolic potential within the lotic biofilms.http://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/00248/bibs/37n4p225.html

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Impact of long-term conventional and organic farming on the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Previous work has shown considerably enhanced soil fertility in agroecosystems managed by organic farming as compared to conventional farming. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in nutrient acquisition and soil fertility. The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity of AMF in the context of a long-term study in which replicated field plots, at a single site in Central Europe, had been cultivated for 22 years according to two "organic" and two "conventional" farming systems. In the 23rd year, the field plots, carrying an 18-month-old grass-clover stand, were examined in two ways with respect to AMF diversity. Firstly, AMF spores were isolated and morphologically identified from soil samples. The study revealed that the AMF spore abundance and species diversity was significantly higher in the organic than in the conventional systems. Furthermore, the AMF community differed in the conventional and organic systems: Glomus species were similarly abundant in all systems but spores of Acaulospora and Scutellospora species were more abundant in the organic systems. Secondly, the soils were used to establish AMF-trap cultures using a consortium of Plantago lanceolata, Trifolium pratense and Lolium perenne as host plants. The AMF spore community developing in the trap cultures differed: after 12 months, two species of the Acaulosporaceae (A. paulinae and A. longula) were consistently found to account for a large part of the spore community in the trap cultures from the organic systems but were found rarely in the ones from the conventional systems. The findings show that some AMF species present in natural ecosystems are maintained under organic farming but severely depressed under conventional farming, indicating a potentially severe loss of ecosystem function under conventional farming.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2006

Process evaluation for community participation.

This review provides a synthesis of published public health and social science literature to determine how process evaluation has been used to examine community participation and its intermediary role in health and social change outcomes. Community participation is defined, and its relationship to other community-development principles and evaluation and research methods is described. Then, case studies and research initiatives help answer questions such as who participates and why? What are the benefits and challenges of community participation? What qualitative and quantitative methods are used in process evaluations to measure community participation? What measures are used to help define the influence of community participation in community-based interventions? A better understanding of these issues is needed to ensure that community participation is valued and used effectively to plan and implement health-promotion initiatives and evaluate their processes and outcomes.

Behavioral Research↗
PubMed1995

The development of a consumer guide on the quality of obstetrical services: the Missouri experience.

Missouri published a consumer guide on obstetric in the spring of 1994. This article describes the events and processes that led to the publication of the guide. The guide provided obstetrical quality-of-care indicators on structure, process, and outcomes for each facility doing deliveries. The article describes the principles followed in developing the guide, how the indicators were chosen, how the guide was constructed, and what data sources were used. Several lessons were learned including: a guide opens communication within the provider community, development of a guide is a long process, an advisory committee and preliminary review of findings by providers are necessary, and strong technical expertise is essential.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pattern of dietary behaviour and obesity in Ahwaz, Islamic Republic of Iran.

To study behavioural factors associated with diet and to investigate body mass index distribution, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in Ahwaz. A composite dietary behaviour score obtained from self-reported responses to a 24-item food-frequency questionnaire was used to categorize eating habits as more/less healthy. Responders were 1600 heads of households from 150,000 randomly selected residences. Less healthy diets were shown to be associated with age and economic status, and greater obesity with women and age (reversed after ages > 65 years). Interventions targeted at less healthy eaters need to be evidence-based, and further research into factors determining access to healthy diets in developing communities is required.

Adolescent↗