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Nutrition behavior change among EFNEP participants is higher at sites that are well managed and whose front-line nutrition educators value the program.

Effective programs to promote improved dietary practices among low-income families depend on the motivation and performance of front-line nutrition educators, yet little is known about the work context experienced by nutrition workers or how their perceptions of work context relate to program effectiveness. This research examined the perceived work context of nutrition educators, a multidimensional construct developed through formative research, in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in New York State. We proposed that work context, program management, and program and educator characteristics would be related to program effectiveness (reported behavior change among participants). A state-wide survey of paraprofessional Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) in 30 program sites was conducted and analyzed in relation to program monitoring data. Greater behavior change was reported by participants in sites whose CNEs gave positive ratings to the value of EFNEP (P < 0.02) and to the managerial practices of their supervisors (P < 0.001). To our knowledge, this is the first time that an association was demonstrated between perceived work context at the front lines and effectiveness of a nutrition program. Higher behavior change scores were also reported at sites in which a greater proportion of participants received individual rather than group instruction (P < 0.001). Associations between participants' reported behavior change and CNEs' perceptions of program value and program management suggest that improvements in these areas could enhance nutrition program success.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Injury prevention program in primary care: process evaluation and surveillance.

OBJECTIVES: To carry out process evaluation and surveillance in a community oriented primary care program for injury prevention among children 0-2 years old (n = 306). SETTING: Mother and child health clinic in a defined area of Western Jerusalem. METHODS: An injury prevention program was integrated into the routines of the mother and child health clinic. The program consisted of injury surveillance and counselling using a developmental approach, regarding car safety and the prevention of falls, burns, suffocation, poisonings, cuts, drowning, and electrocution. Process evaluation and surveillance were based on records integrated into the child's personal file in the clinic. RESULTS: Process evaluation indicated that counselling coverage was 73% in the 0-5 month age group and decreased to 48% in the second year of life. The mean number of topics discussed with the parents was 6.6 (out of nine) for the 0-5 months age group, 13.6 (out of 18) for the 6-11 month group, and 15.7 (out of 18) for those 1-2 years old. Injury surveillance activities were complete for 66% of the children, incomplete in 32%, and not done in 2%. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that it is feasible to integrate an injury prevention program into primary care, and that process evaluation is important in detecting problems and improving performance of the program's activities.

Accident Prevention↗

Comment on the utility of the ADDGS evaluation for policy and practice.

This article comments on the policy and practice implications of findings from research on the Administration on Aging's Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grants to States program. Evaluation of fifteen state grantees has produced extensive knowledge about diverse patterns of service use, factors related to service use a nd satisfaction, mechanisms for developing home- and community-based services appropriate for various cultural groups, and ways to adapt established programs and integrate new services into existing systems and networks. Utilizing the general lessons from the Alzheimer's Demonstration program evaluation in program and policy development in aging is discussed.

Alzheimer Disease↗

An overview of long-term care.

Long-term care (LTC) refers to health, social, and residential services provided to chronically disabled persons over an extended period of time. Especially during the last 20 years, State and Federal Governments have played an increasing role in the financing of long-term care. The aging of the population underlines the future importance of this topic. This article provides background data on need, supply, and expenditures; discusses government financing programs; and addresses quality of care concerns and options for LTC reform.

Aged↗

Surviving cancer.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗

NTP-CERHR monograph on the potential human reproductive and developmental effects of amphetamines.

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) conducted an evaluation of the potential for amphetamines to cause adverse effects on reproduction and development in humans. Amphetamines evaluated were D- and D,L-amphetamine and methamphetamine. Amphetamine is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in persons over 3 years of age and narcolepsy; methamphetamine is approved for the treatment of ADHD in persons 6 years of age and older and for short-term treatment of obesity. Amphetamines were selected for evaluation because of 1) widespread usage in children, 2) availability of developmental studies in children and experimental animals, and 3) public concern about the effect of this stimulant on child development. The results of this evaluation on amphetamines are published in an NTP-CERHR monograph which includes: 1) the NTP Brief, 2) the Expert Panel Report on the Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity of Methylphenidate, and 3) public comments received on the Expert Panel Report. As stated in the NTP Brief, the NTP reached the following conclusions regarding the possible effects of exposure to methylphenidate on human development and reproduction. First, there is some concern for developmental effects, specifically for potential neurobehavioral alterations, from prenatal amphetamine exposure in humans both in therapeutic and non-therapeutic settings. After prenatal exposure to therapeutic doses of amphetamine, rat pups demonstrated neurobehavioral alterations. Data from human and animal studies were judged insufficient for an evaluation of the effect of amphetamine exposure on growth and other related developmental effects. Second, there is concern for methamphetamine-induced adverse developmental effects, specifically on growth and neurobehavioral development, in therapeutic and non-therapeutic settings. This conclusion is based on evidence from studies in experimental animals that prenatal and postnatal exposures to methamphetamine produce neurobehavioral alterations, small litter size, and low birth weight. Results from studies in humans suggest that methamphetamine may cause low birth weight and shortened gestation, but study confounders such as possible multiple drug usage prevent a definite conclusion. NTP-CERHR monographs are transmitted to federal and state agencies, interested parties, and the public and are available in electronic PDF format on the CERHR web site (http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov) and in printed text or CD-ROM from the CERHR (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, P.O. Box 12233, MD EC-32, Research Triangle Park, NC; fax: 919-316-4511).

Amphetamine↗

Assessment of faculty development program outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: More and better research is needed about the effectiveness of faculty development programs. Increasingly, government leaders in Congress and the Administration expect comprehensive outcome and impact evaluation as justification for federal finding. This paper summarizes outcomes reported and methods used in published studies of faculty development programs since 1980.

Education↗

Ensuring a public health impact of programs to reduce HIV transmission from mothers to infants: the place of voluntary counseling and testing.

Since 1999, many African governments have launched programs to offer short-course antiretroviral drug regimens to reduce mother-to child transmission of HIV. HIV testing in prenatal care is the gateway to these antiretroviral regimens. Pilot projects in Africa show an uptake of antiretroviral drugs in 8% to 50% of pregnant women presumed to be HIV infected; often, a minority of eligible women in care received these regimens. Use of lay counselors and rapid onsite HIV testing may alleviate health service barriers. Community education to promote voluntary counseling and testing, which involves men, is the long-term solution. In the short term, possibilities to enhance delivery of an effective intervention include group pretest counseling, universal offer of testing with women having the right to "opt out," universal treatment (mass treatment for those whose HIV status is not determined by voluntary counseling and testing), universal testing with women having the right to "opt out" of learning their test results, and mass treatment for all without testing.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

The Työhön Job Search Program in Finland: benefits for the unemployed with risk of depression or discouragement.

The impact of preventive interventions for the unemployed may vary depending on the context of the labor policies and benefit systems of the country where it is implemented. The Työhön Job Search Program was based on a method developed in the United States for recently unemployed workers. This study examined outcomes of the intervention in the context of the European labor market for participants who had been unemployed for a longer period. A total of 1,261 unemployed Finnish job seekers participated in a randomized field study. At the 6-month follow-up, the program had a beneficial impact on the quality of reemployment, especially among those who had been unemployed for a moderate time period. The program also significantly decreased psychological distress.

Adult↗

Association of the California Tobacco Control Program with declines in cigarette consumption and mortality from heart disease.

BACKGROUND: The California Tobacco Control Program, a large, aggressive antitobacco program implemented in 1989 and funded by a voter-enacted cigarette surtax, accelerated the decline in cigarette consumption and in the prevalence of smoking in California. Since the excess risk of heart disease falls rapidly after the cessation of smoking, we tested the hypothesis that this program was associated with lower rates of death from heart disease. METHODS: Data on per capita cigarette consumption and age-adjusted rates of death from heart disease in California and the United States from 1980 to 1997 were fitted in multiple regression analyses. The regression analyses included the rates in the rest of the United States and variables that allowed for changes in the rates after 1988, when the tobacco-control program was approved, and after 1992, when the program was cut back. RESULTS: Between 1989 and 1992, the rates of decline in per capita cigarette consumption and mortality from heart disease in California, relative to the rest of the United States, were significantly greater than the pre-1989 rates, by 2.72 packs per year per year (P = 0.001) and by 2.93 deaths per year per 100,000 population per year (P<0.001). These rates of decline were reduced (by 2.05 packs per year per year, [P=0.04], and by 1.71 deaths per year per 100,000 population per year, [P=0.031) when the program was cut back, beginning in 1992. Despite these problems, the program was associated with 33,300 fewer deaths from heart disease between 1989 and 1997 than the number that would have been expected if the earlier trend in mortality from heart disease in California relative to the rest of the United States had continued. The diminished effectiveness of the program after 1992 was associated with 8300 more deaths than would have been expected had its initial effectiveness been maintained. CONCLUSIONS: A large and aggressive tobacco-control program is associated with a reduction in deaths from heart disease in the short run.

California↗

Local government workers' health and safety programs.

Public sector workers are denied the broad legal protections of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970. The OSH Act provides incentives for states to operate a State OSHA Plan, but they must cover private and non-Federal public sector workers. Public sector workers in states not operating a State OSHA Plan are not protected by the OSH Act. A review of enforcement activities by State OSHA Plans suggests preferential treatment for public employers compared to private. Public sector safety and health programs vary widely in the 27 states without State OSHA Plans. The Department of Labor determined that the majority of these states operate unacceptable programs. Regardless of program type, public sector workersí injuries and illnesses frequently exceed those found in the private sector.

Accidents, Occupational↗

The National Access to Antiretroviral Program for PHA (NAPHA) in Thailand.

To describe the development, components, initial results and lessons learned from Thailand's National Access to Antiretroviral Program for People living with HIV/AIDS (NAPHA), a historical review was conducted and program monitoring was analyzed. The national antiretroviral therapy program at different levels of the public health system was implemented with all major program components; ARV protocol development, health care professional training, drug supply chain management, laboratory network formation, monitoring and evaluation, and multi-sector and PHA involvement since 2001, which was based on elements of research, pilot projects, training, national guideline development, experiences and policy making. A national monitoring system was developed to monitor the progress of the program. From February 2001 to December 2004, the monitoring reports received from implementing hospitals showed that 58,133 cases had received antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 85% (49,477) of them were continuing to take ARV drugs. In conclusion, the NAPHA was implemented nationwide with comprehensive systems. The reports indicate achievement of expansion of the ART program. Lessons learned from the program initiation and scaling up show local leadership, comprehensive training, adherence, and coordination are essential to program effectiveness and sustainability.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Point-of-care testing: an introduction.

OBJECTIVE: To review available literature and provide perspective on point-of-care testing, focusing on the impact it has on treatment outcomes in patient care, the impact it has on the costs of patient care, and the role it has in the delivery of pharmaceutical care. DATA SOURCES: Information was retrieved from MEDLINE English literature searches using PubMed (1965-August 2003) and included search terms of point-of-care testing, near patient testing, pharmaceutical care, pharmacists, outcomes, and economics. Additionally, references from retrieved articles were reviewed to identify literature not detected by literature searches. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Comparative studies, demonstration project reports, and systematic reviews were selected. Other related resources, such as government documents, relevant legislation, and government regulations, were included. Emphasis was placed on comparative studies and demonstration project reports. In the absence of these data, other resources were included. DATA SYNTHESIS: Point-of-care testing devices and technology are increasingly used in the delivery of care and therapeutic decision making. No studies have evaluated the impact of point-of-care testing, by itself, on patient care and outcomes. All studies have incorporated point-of-care testing with changes in the way patient care is delivered and have shown significant improvements when this approach is taken. The cost of point-of-care testing is greater than traditional laboratory testing, but the increased cost may be offset by improvements in the management of patient care, improvements in patient outcomes, and decreased utilization of the healthcare system. Point-of-care testing has been used successfully by pharmacists in disease management programs. Various government regulations and legislation impact the use of point-of-care testing. CONCLUSIONS: Limited data indicate that point-of-care testing, when combined with changes in healthcare delivery systems, may improve patient outcomes and decrease the overall cost of health care. Pharmacists have used point-of-care testing in programs designed to improve patient care but must carefully consider regulations and laws that govern the use of these devices. There is a great need for additional investigation into the use of point-of-care testing in patient care.

Delivery of Health Care↗

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children participation and infants' growth and health: a multisite surveillance study.

CONTEXT: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is the largest food supplement program in the United States, serving almost 7 500 000 participants in 2002. Because the program is a grant program, rather than an entitlement program, Congress is not mandated to allocate funds to serve all eligible participants. Little is known about the effects of WIC on infant growth, health, and food security. OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between WIC participation and indicators of underweight, overweight, length, caregiver-perceived health, and household food security among infants < or =12 months of age, at 6 urban hospitals and clinics. DESIGN AND SETTING: A multisite study with cross-sectional surveys administered at urban medical centers in 5 states and Washington, DC, from August 1998 though December 2001. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5923 WIC-eligible caregivers of infants < or =12 months of age were interviewed at hospital clinics and emergency departments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Weight-for-age, length-for-age, weight-for-length, caregiver's perception of infant's health, and household food security. RESULTS: Ninety-one percent of WIC-eligible families were receiving WIC assistance. Of the eligible families not receiving WIC assistance, 64% reported access problems and 36% denied a need for WIC. The weight and length of WIC assistance recipients, adjusted for age and gender, were consistent with national normative values. With control for potential confounding family variables (site, housing subsidy, employment status, education, and receipt of food stamps or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and infant variables (race/ethnicity, birth weight, months breastfed, and age), infants who did not receive WIC assistance because of access problems were more likely to be underweight (weight-for-age z score = -0.23 vs 0.009), short (length-for-age z score = -0.23 vs -0.02), and perceived as having fair or poor health (adjusted odds ratio: 1.92; 95% confidence interval: 1.29-2.87), compared with WIC assistance recipients. Rates of overweight, based on weight-for-length of >95th percentile, varied from 7% to 9% and did not differ among the 3 groups but were higher than the 5% expected from national growth charts. Rates of food insecurity were consistent with national data for minority households with children. Families that did not receive WIC assistance because of access problems had higher rates of food insecurity (28%) than did WIC participants (23%), although differences were not significant after covariate control. Caregivers who did not perceive a need for WIC services had more economic and personal resources than did WIC participants and were less likely to be food-insecure, but there were no differences in infants' weight-for-age, perceived health, or overweight between families that did not perceive a need for WIC services and those that received WIC assistance. CONCLUSIONS: Infants < or =12 months of age benefit from WIC participation. Health care providers should promote WIC utilization for eligible families and advocate that WIC receive support to reduce waiting lists and eliminate barriers that interfere with access.

Body Height↗

[Positron emission tomography and the Hungarian PET program].

After a short introduction detailing the most basic features of the positron emission tomography (PET) the history of the preparation for the start of the Hungarian PET program is reviewed along with the results of the eight years activity of the Debrecen PET Centre.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

The maternal-to-zygotic transition is a critical window for PFOA-induced disruption of developmental programming.

Early embryogenesis is governed by precisely timed gene regulatory programs that coordinate cell fate specification, tissue patterning, and morphogenesis. The maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) represents a pivotal developmental milestone during which regulatory control shifts from maternally deposited transcripts to activation of the zygotic genome. Disruption of this transition has the potential to alter developmental trajectories with lasting consequences. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), environmentally persistent contaminants, have been linked to developmental abnormalities, yet their impact on core embryonic gene regulatory networks especially with exposure during MZT is not well understood. Using zebrafish (Danio rerio), a tractable vertebrate model and New Approach Methodology (NAM), we investigated how PFAS exposure during the MZT alters early developmental programming. Embryos were exposed starting at different times before and within the MZT time window and collected at 24&#xa0;h post-fertilization (hpf) for transcriptomic analysis. Targeted qRT-PCR revealed dysregulation of genes controlling transcriptional activation, lineage specification, proliferation, and differentiation. Whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) further identified widespread perturbations in gene networks governing transcriptional regulation, cell signaling, and embryonic morphogenesis. Temporal analysis revealed that exposure beginning at 3.5&#xa0;hpf, followed by 8&#xa0;hpf, corresponding to early zygotic genome activation and near completion of zygotic activation, respectively, resulted in the greatest differential gene expression changes at 24&#xa0;hpf. Consistent with these early gene regulatory perturbations, larvae exposed starting at 8&#xa0;hpf also exhibited altered behavior at 5&#xa0;days post-fertilization. Together, these findings demonstrate that PFAS exposure during MZT disrupts the establishment of embryonic gene regulatory networks, linking environmental toxicant exposure to altered developmental patterning and organismal outcomes. This work underscores the vulnerability of early developmental transitions to environmental perturbation and positions MZT as a critical window of susceptibility during development.

NAMs (new approach methodologies)↗