Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Community”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Differences between respondents and nonrespondents in a multicenter community-based study vary by gender ethnicity. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators.

This study provides data on differences between respondents and nonrespondents by gender and ethnicity in a multicenter community-based study that is rarely collected and that may be useful for estimating bias in prevalence estimates in other studies. Demographic, general health, and cardiovascular risk factors were examined in black and white respondents and nonrespondents to the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, a prospective study investigating cardiovascular risk factors in approximately 16,000 adults that was initiated in 1986 in four U.S. communities. In one of the communities (Jackson, MS) black participants were recruited exclusively; in another (Forsyth County, NC) 12% of the eligible sample were black, whereas the samples in Washington County, MD and the northwestern suburbs of Minneapolis, MN were almost all white. Demographic and health characteristics were collected during a home interview. Subjects who subsequently agreed to complete a clinical examination were defined as respondents, while eligible participants who only took part in the home interview were considered to be nonrespondents. Approximately 75% of age-eligible individuals (45-64 years) in each community completed the home interview. In three of the communities 86-88% of those who took part in the home interview also completed the clinic examination, whereas only 65% did so in Jackson. Among white participants, response rates were similar in men and women and between communities. Among black participants, the response rates were considerably lower, particularly in men. White male respondents reported a higher socioeconomic status, better general health and a lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors than white male nonrespondents. The difference between white respondents and nonrespondents were greater for men than women despite similar response rates. Among black participants, respondent/nonrespondent difference were usually of smaller magnitude or absent, particularly in women. General health status and recent hospitalization rates were almost identical in black respondents and nonrespondents. Low response rates can bias estimates of prevalence in community-based studies although differences between respondents and nonrespondents tend to exaggerate real differences between respondents and the eligible population sampled. For example, among white males 25% of respondents and 44% of nonrespondents were current smokers, yet the estimated community prevalence of smoking was 31%. In conclusion, difference observed between respondents and nonrespondents were in the expected direction, but were greater for men than women and for whites than blacks.

Bias↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Characterization of spirometric function in residents of three comparison communities and of three communities located near waste incinerators in North Carolina.

Waste incinerators are an increasingly common means of solid waste disposal. However, little is documented about the physical health of community members who live close to incinerators. During a 3-yr epidemiological study, spirometric lung function was tested once annually among residents from 3 communities surrounding a hazardous waste, biomedical, or municipal incinerator and among residents in 3 comparison communities. A total of 1,016 nonsmoking individuals, aged 8-80 yr, participated during at least 1 of the 3 yr of the study; 358 individuals participated all 3 yr. Daily air-quality sampling was done for 1 mo/yr in all 6 communities. The average monthly concentrations of particulate matter with diameters of 2.5 microns and less (PM2.5 [range = 14.6-31.5 micrograms/m3]) in all communities were similar during the 3 yr of study. The mean daily PM2.5 concentrations were significantly less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's allowable 24-hr standard of 65 micrograms/m3. Individual incinerators contributed less than 2.5% of the areas' total PM2.5 levels. There was no difference in percent predicted forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, or forced expiratory flow rate over the middle 50% of the forced vital capacity among members of the incinerator communities, compared with nonincinerator communities, and there were no significant differences in lung function within the 3 sets of communities. There was no evidence from this study that an association existed between residence in these 3 waste incinerator areas, which met state and federal emissions regulations, and average spirometric pulmonary function of nonsmoking community members.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Consumer satisfaction in two small rural communities: a quick methodology to empower rural communities to assess their own healthcare needs.

This study was designed to develop a quick methodology to assess the healthcare needs of a rural community and to determine what factors make these communities 'happy' or 'unhappy' with respect to medical service provision. Two rural shires of approximately 4000 people each were chosen from different health regions of Western Australia. The methodology consisted of interviews with healthcare providers and key community informants as well as a community questionnaire. The interviewing process showed that key community informants offered no new information in addition to that already provided by the healthcare providers. Furthermore, all key points would have been covered by interviewing approximately 60% of all healthcare providers in each community. Hand delivery of the community questionnaire yielded the highest response rate. The level of community satisfaction with general practitioner (GP) and hospital services determines whether a community is medically 'happy' or 'unhappy'.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed2006

Community structure analyses are more sensitive to differences in soil bacterial communities than anonymous diversity indices.

Changes in the diversity and structure of soil microbial communities may offer a key to understanding the impact of environmental factors on soil quality in agriculturally managed systems. Twenty-five years of biodynamic, bio-organic, or conventional management in the DOK long-term experiment in Switzerland significantly altered soil bacterial community structures, as assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. To evaluate these results, the relation between bacterial diversity and bacterial community structures and their discrimination potential were investigated by sequence and T-RFLP analyses of 1,904 bacterial 16S rRNA gene clones derived from the DOK soils. Standard anonymous diversity indices such as Shannon, Chao1, and ACE or rarefaction analysis did not allow detection of management-dependent influences on the soil bacterial community. Bacterial community structures determined by sequence and T-RFLP analyses of the three gene libraries substantiated changes previously observed by soil bacterial community level T-RFLP profiling. This supported the value of high-throughput monitoring tools such as T-RFLP analysis for assessment of differences in soil microbial communities. The gene library approach also allowed identification of potential management-specific indicator taxa, which were derived from nine different bacterial phyla. These results clearly demonstrate the advantages of community structure analyses over those based on anonymous diversity indices when analyzing complex soil microbial communities.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1998

Outcomes of homeless mentally ill chemical abusers in community residences and a therapeutic community.

OBJECTIVES: The feasibility and effectiveness of treating homeless mentally ill chemical abusers in community residences compared with a therapeutic community were evaluated. METHODS: A total of 694 homeless mentally ill chemical abusers were randomly referred to two community residences or a therapeutic community. All programs were enhanced to treat persons with dual diagnoses. Subjects' attrition, substance use, and psychopathology were measured at two, six, and 12 months. RESULTS: Forty-two percent of the 694 referred subjects were admitted to their assigned program and showed up for treatment, and 13 percent completed 12 months or more. Clients retained at both types of program showed reductions in substance use and psychopathology, but reductions were greater at the therapeutic community. Compared with subjects in the community residences, those in the therapeutic community were more likely to be drug free, as measured by urine analysis and self-reports, and showed greater improvement in psychiatric symptoms, as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies--Depression Scale and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Their functioning also improved, as measured by the Global Assessment of Functioning scale. CONCLUSIONS: Homeless mentally ill chemical abusers who are retained in community-based residential programs, especially in therapeutic communities, can be successfully treated.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Modeling of the plant community: individual oriented approach. II. A model of a community].

The individual-based approach to modeling of the plant cover dynamics is discussed. This approach takes into account that the cover consists of individual interacting plants, i.e., is a community. According to the principle of "minimal angle of viewing", this approach can be considered as approaching the object earlier considered from the energy standpoint (Monsi and Saeki, 1953; Khil'rni, 1957). An element of the model of community, balance model of plant dynamics, was considered in part I of the article. The community model is 2-D, i.e., it considers the growth and dying of plants in relation to their mutual geometrical arrangement in the community. Mechanisms of division and re-division of the territory among the plants of community are important elements of the community model. These mechanisms use the Voronoi mosaic. Some results of the development and analysis of the model of community are considered, such as the possibility of non-monotonous competition in homogeneous communities and -3/2 rule considered as "one of the most general principles of plant population biology" (White, 1980). The 2-D individual-based approach to modeling can be an effective tool for analysis of the influence of many "microscopic" features of the community structure on its macroscopic behavior.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

Perceptions of community participation and health gain in a community project for the South Asian population: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The new public health rejects old individualist attempts at improving health and embraces community-based approaches in reducing health inequalities. Primary Care Trusts in England face the challenge of converting community participation in health into reality. This study explores differences in perception of participation between lay and professional stakeholders of a community health project for a South Asian population in Greater Manchester. METHODS: In-depth interviews and focus groups were used to explore the views of professional and lay stakeholders. All data were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed for emerging themes using a qualitative framework. RESULTS: Professionals talked of working in partnership with the community but lay stakeholders did not feel that they had control over the project. There were problems in engaging the community and local health professionals in the project. Lack of cultural awareness hampered participation in the project. There was agreement that the project improved the self-confidence of participants and created a more informed population. However, there was little support for claims of improvements in social cohesion and changes in lifestyle directly as a result of the project. CONCLUSION: Converting the rhetoric of community participation in health into reality is a greater challenge than was envisaged by policy makers. Marginalized communities may not be willing participants and issues of language and cultural sensitivity are important. Project outcomes need to be agreed to ensure projects are evaluated appropriately. Projects with South Asian communities should not be seen to be dealing with all 'ethnic health' issues without addressing changes in statutory organizations and other wider social determinants of health.

Asia↗
PubMed1988

Community participation in the Mamre Community Health Project.

From the outset, community participation has been a working principle of the Mamre Community Health Project. The health planning approach was the predominant one used in Mamre. Attempts at improving community participation include the involvement of a steering committee elected by community members, the use of local people as interviewers and the feedback of results to the community in an accessible way. The process of negotiation of entry into the community was concluded. While consent and passive participation of the community were achieved, active participation remains a challenge for the future. Means of realistically evaluating community participation need to be developed.

Community Health Services↗
PubMed2005

Using community readiness key informant assessments in a randomized group prevention trial: impact of a participatory community-media intervention.

This study examines the role of key informant community readiness assessments in a randomized group trial testing the impact of a participatory community-media intervention (which was also complemented by in-school efforts). These assessments were used to help match communities in random assignment, as a source of formative data about the community, as the basis for a coalition-building workshop, and as an evaluation tool, with a follow-up set of surveys approximately 2 years after the baseline survey. Results of the nested, random effects analysis indicated that the intervention influenced community knowledge of efforts and (at marginally significant levels) improved prevention leadership quality and community climate supportive of prevention efforts. There was evidence that the professional affiliation of informants in some cases had an effect on their assessments, which could be controlled in the analysis. The authors conclude that key informant community readiness assessments can usefully serve to supplement aggregated measures of individual attitudes and behavior (reported elsewhere for this study) in evaluating community-based interventions.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2003

Oppression and discrimination among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and Transgendered people and communities: a challenge for community psychology.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people continue to experience various forms of oppression and discrimination in North America and throughout the world, despite the social, legal, and political advances that have been launched in an attempt to grant LGBT people basic human rights. Even though LGBT people and communities have been actively engaged in community organizing and social action efforts since the early twentieth century, research on LGBT issues has been, for the most part, conspicuously absent within the very field of psychology that is explicitly focused on community research and action--Community Psychology. The psychological and social impact of oppression, rejection, discrimination, harassment, and violence on LGBT people is reviewed, and recent advances in the areas of LGBT health, public policy, and research are detailed. Recent advances within the field of Community Psychology with regard to LGBT research and action are highlighted, and a call to action is offered to integrate the knowledge and skills within LGBT communities with Community Psychology's models of intervention, prevention, and social change in order to build better theory and intervention for LGBT people and communities.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

Community science: bridging the gap between science and practice with community-centered models.

A major goal of community science is to improve the quality of life in our communities by improving the quality of the practice of treatment, prevention, health promotion, and education. Community science is an interdisciplinary field, which develops and researches community-centered models that enable communities to use evidence-based interventions more effectively and efficiently. In this article, the gap between science and practice and the need to bridge the gap with new models serve as an entry point and guide to the development of a community science. Therefore, the article describes (1) the "prevention science" model of bringing science to practice, (2) why this model is necessary but not sufficient for influencing the quality of interventions in our everyday world, (3) the gap between science and practice and the need to integrate "prevention science" models with community-centered models in order to bridge the gap, and (4) features of community science.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed2003

Community recruitment process by race, gender, and SES gradient: lessons learned from the Community Health and Stress Evaluation (CHASE) Study experience.

Recruitment of community participants for clinical research studies is a challenging task. When possible, community-based recruitment efforts should involve members of the targeted community in the planning, community preparation, and actual recruitment process. It becomes even more difficult to recruit study participants from the community when the research involves an invasive procedure, or when diverse target groups require that a variety of recruitment methods be used. The Community Health and Stress Evaluation (CHASE) Study was designed to determine the role of psychosocial and biobehavioral factors in the etiology of coronary heart disease. It involved both an invasive medical procedure (a spinal tap) and the collection of survey and medical information from Black and White persons in different socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Interestingly, we experienced the greatest difficulty in recruiting lower SES white persons, while groups that typically are "difficult to find" (such as Blacks) were actually easiest to recruit for the study. This paper describes the background of the CHASE study, the community recruitment methods used, and the results of the recruitment efforts by race, gender and SES gradient. We present an evaluation of the community recruitment component, why we think differences occurred, and the lessons learned from the experiences that may be applied to similar studies.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2001

Planning of a community-based approach to injury control and safety promotion in a rural community.

This paper describes the planning of a community-based approach to injury control and safety promotion, the Kolan Injury Prevention Program. The process involved the establishment of a local steering committee, 11 months of injury surveillance, a critical review of the evidence base, community consultations and assessment of community resources. There were 412 recorded injury cases during the surveillance period, with higher rates among men, manual workers, those aged 15-34 years, sport/leisure activities and around the home and farm. Salient issues for residents included a lack of access to safety information and skills, particularly with regard to first aid and bush fire for isolated residents and rurally inexperienced new residents. While injury prevention was identified as an important issue for the community, the rapidly changing size and nature of the community and its infrastructure made this a particularly challenging issue. Challenges included limited availability of volunteers from key sectors, lack of formal data collection systems, difficulties in mobilising support for a broad issue like injury, limited communication networks and the negative impact of distance and role uncertainty on community ownership of the program. This case study illustrates the steps involved in an effective community-based needs assessment addressing injury prevention. Such an approach, if carried out systematically, will help ensure that the strategies and programs developed will be both appropriate and likely to obtain the support of the local community.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Community-engaged scholarship: is faculty work in communities a true academic enterprise?

Since Ernest Boyer's landmark 1990 report, Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate, leaders in higher education, including academic medicine, have advocated that faculty members apply their expertise in new and creative ways in partnership with communities. Such community engagement can take many forms, including community-based teaching, research, clinical care, and service. There continues to be a gap, however, between the rhetoric of this idea and the reality of how promotion and tenure actually work in health professions schools. The Commission on Community-Engaged Scholarship in the Health Professions was established in October 2003 with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to take a leadership role in creating a more supportive culture and reward system for community-engaged faculty in the nation's health professions schools. The authors prepared this article to inform the commission's deliberations and to stimulate discussion among educators in the health professions. The authors define the work that faculty engage in with communities, consider whether all work by faculty in community-based settings is actually scholarship, and propose a framework for documenting and assessing community-engaged scholarship for promotion and tenure decisions. They conclude with recommendations for change in academic health centers and health professions schools.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1989

Community participation or community manipulation? A case study of the Illawarra Cancer Appeal-a-thon.

Fashion parades, balls, raffles, and weekly deductions from thousands of workers' pay packets were integral to success of the Cancer Appeal-a-thon in the Illawarra region. In 1986-87 the Illawarra community was induced to contribute $1.5 million in order to purchase a linear accelerator for the Wollongong Hospital. The community agreed that a radiotherapy machine was the number one health service priority for the region. Or did it? Application of Alford's structural interests framework to this case-study reveals how failure to examine power relations between medical monopolizers, health care rationalizers and community participants results in an inability to recognise that alternative community needs--for cancer prevention, domiciliary care, or alternative therapies--might be unarticulated or unobservable, and in an inability to ask whether the community may be mistaken about, or unaware of, its own health needs. Specifically, the paper argues that, 'community needs' are easily manipulated or distorted by powerful interest groups and that the political context within which community needs are recognized, articulated and mobilized is the most important issue for community participation in the health policy-making process.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2005

Research without consent: community perspectives from the Community VOICES Study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore community attitudes toward the federal regulations that allow investigators to conduct emergency research without obtaining informed consent from participants. METHODS: Focus-group participants were recruited from residential sites in New York City that were enrolled in the Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) Trial. The PAD Trial, a National Institutes of Health-funded, randomized trial in which laypersons were trained to treat cardiac arrest, was granted an exception from informed consent under these rules. Community residents and those who had been trained as lay responders in the PAD Trial were asked about the ethical issues raised by the conduct of research without consent (RWC), their definition of community, and appropriate methods of community consultation regarding RWC studies. Grounded theory content analyses were conducted on focus-group data. RESULTS: Seventeen (40%) men and 25 (60%) women from 15 buildings participated in six focus groups: four in English; two in Spanish. Definitions of "community" varied widely among and across groups; no strategy for community consultation was consistently endorsed by the participants. There were significant support and occasional adamant opposition to conducting RWC; participants often recounted specific personal experiences as the basis for both positive and negative opinions. Individuals with negative attitudes toward RWC often voiced strong support for specific RWC scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: There is no consensus regarding the definition of "community" or appropriate methods of consultation. Community members' attitudes toward RWC are often shaped by their personal experiences, and their general attitudes often differ from their reactions to specific RWC protocols.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2005

How does pre-admission community service compare with community service during medical school?

BACKGROUND: Little research has examined the link between premedical community service and subsequent community service undertaken in medical school. PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship between applicants' community service history with reported community service experiences during medical school. METHODS: Admission files were retrospectively reviewed and community service hours during medical school were totaled for 2003 graduates at the study institution. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regressions. RESULTS: Applicants who were women, had volunteered with multiple types of organizations, and volunteered more than 2 years were all significantly more likely, chi2 p < .05, to have provided greater community service hours during medical school than others. CONCLUSIONS: Aspects of applicants' community service histories, particularly the number of different types of organizations served and length of service, appear related to their subsequent community service involvement in medical school. Admissions committees may wish to provide additional consideration to such applicants.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Community nurses' understanding of the community stoma care nurse.

The aim of this research was to explore community nursing staff's understanding and perception of the role of the community stoma care nurse and make recommendations to develop a closer working relationship. Prior to this research it was assumed that community nursing staff had little understanding of the community stoma care nurse role and saw the role as one that deskilled community nurses. Findings of this research revealed that community nursing staff have a good understanding of the role and view it as a valuable resource that supports patients and nursing staff and offers an expert service. Recommendations based on this study are that, even though community staff have a good understanding of the community stoma care nurse role, both still need to improve communication so that the teams work more effectively and efficiently for the benefit of patients.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗