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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Prenatal care utilization in rural areas and urban areas of Haiti.

OBJECTIVES: This study is based on the 2000 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in Haiti. Using the DHS information on women aged 15 to 49 who had given birth during the three years preceding the survey interview, this study was intended to: (1) examine the determinants of the likelihood of the women using prenatal care in the rural areas and in the urban areas of the country and (2) for the women who made at least one prenatal care visit, examine the determinants of the number of prenatal visits in the rural areas and the urban areas. METHODS: The multivariate analysis used logistic models to identify which factors explained the decision to seek prenatal care, and negative binomial models were used to determine how many prenatal visits were conducted by the subgroup of women who did make prenatal care visits. RESULTS: Estimated at the mean values of the control variables, the expected probability of using prenatal care services in rural Haiti was 77.16%, compared to 85.83% in urban Haiti. Among users of prenatal care services, mothers in rural areas made an expected number of 3.78 prenatal care visits, compared to 5.06 visits for the women in urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial percentage of pregnant women have access to prenatal care services in Haiti, but mothers in rural areas who decided to seek care still fell slightly below the four visits recommended by the World Health Organization. The education levels of both mothers and their partners is a dominant predictor of prenatal care use. Longer travel times and greater distances to health centers in rural areas constituted barriers to repeated visits. Policymakers and health care providers need to take these findings into consideration as they decide on the delivery and management of health care services in Haiti.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Birth weight patterns in a commercial farming area, rural area and urban area of Karoi District, Zimbabwe.

Birth weight patterns were studied in three different socio-economic areas, i.e. commercial farming area (CFA), rural area (RA), and urban area (UA), in a community-based (n = 684) and hospital-based (n = 314) fashion. Mean weight and low birth weight proportions were similar in all three areas, although 17 per cent of all babies were premature in the CFA compared with 7 per cent in the RA (P = 0.005). In the community the mean birth weight was 3.0 +/- 0.1 kg and 2.97 +/- 0.09 kg in hospital. The proportion of newborns weighing less than 2.5 kg was 9 per cent in the community and 15 per cent in hospital (P = 0.006), whereas 18 and 16 per cent were smaller than or equal to 2.5 kg, respectively (P = 0.48).

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection and preventive effects of mass treatment among children in rural and urban areas, and children in orphanages].

An epidemiological study and mass treatments of Enterobius vermicularis infection among children near Wonju area of Kangwon province were carried out. The children were divided into 4 groups according to their residing localities; children in the mountainous area, rural area, urban area and in orphanage. They were examined by adhesive cellotape anal swab technique, and egg positive rates were obtained. The rates of egg reduction and re-infection rates after repeated mass treatments were also observed. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The overall egg positive rate of E. vermicularis in the first screening was 19.9% (251 out of 1,262 examinees; 19.7% in males and 20.1% in females). The positive rates were 13.0% in the mountainous area, 11.9% in the rural area, 15.1% in the urban (medium-sized) area and 61.9% in orphanages. 2. The highest positive rates were observed in the kindergarten children, and 1st and 2nd grade children of primary schools (26.2-32.2%), and the lowest rate (13.6%) in 6-year grade children of primary schools. 3. Cumulative detection rates from 3 repeated anal swabs at 4-5 days interval were higher (70.8%) than those from single anal swabs (50.0-59.2%). 4. Out of the examinees who showed the highest cumulative positive rate (70.8%), about 39.2% were consecutively positive in 3 anal swabs. Among different groups of children, the higher the total egg detection rates (87.5%), the higher the consecutive positive rates (71.9%). 5. A total of 2,609 (male: female = 1:12.4) worms were collected from 17 egg-positive cases treated with anthelmintics. The mean number of worms per child was 153 (range: 4-824).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Child↗
PubMed1996

PARATI--a dynamic model for radiological assessments in urban areas. Part I. Modelling of urban areas, their contamination and radiation fields.

The structure and mathematical model of PARATI, a detailed computer programme developed for the assessment of the radiological consequences of an accidental contamination of urban areas, is described with respect to the scenarios used for the estimation of exposure fields in a village or town, the models for the initial and secondary contamination with the radionuclide 137Cs, the concepts for calculating the resulting radiation exposures and the changes with time of the contamination and radiation fields. Kerma rates at various locations in tropical urban areas are given, and the contribution of different contaminated surfaces to these rates after dry or wet deposition are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Value to wildlife of urban-agricultural parks: a case study from Rome urban area.

Urban-agricultural parks could have some advantages to wildlife because of less intensive agricultural procedures, absence of hunting pressure, and reduced human disturbance. In this study, the breeding and wintering bird communities and the small mammal community in an urban-agricultural park of Rome were compared to those of a close urban park and a close agricultural area just outside the city. The aim was to assess the best destination and management of wildlife in natural areas at the urban-rural interface. Richness and diversity of bird communities were higher in the urban-agricultural park. Due to habitat features and probably human disturbances, but not to urbanization, predation, and competition factors, the urban park drastically reduces the abundance of decreasing open-land bird species. Abundance of these species was not significantly different in the urban-agricultural park and in the agricultural area. In the urban-agricultural and urban park, bird and mammal pest species were more abundant than they were in the agricultural area. Regarding decreasing abundance of small mammal species, no significant difference among the study areas was observed. Urban-agricultural park is a better choice than urban park for wildlife. Thus, a higher number of preserved urban natural areas should be devoted to urban-agricultural parks. However, to increase the abundance of open-land species and in general wildlife, a less intensive management of cultivated and pasture patches is necessary.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2006

Therapeutic itineraries in rural and urban areas: a Portuguese study.

INTRODUCTION: When people become ill they use strategies to solve their problem that include existing therapeutic resources in the community. Their choices are guided by the beliefs of local communities regarding the body, health and illness, and the therapeutic resources available. This study compares the uses of alternative and traditional treatments in a rural area and an urban area of the north of Portugal, investigating the differences and similarities in the behaviour of people when they become ill. METHODS: This descriptive study provides interviews with two groups of adults, in a rural area (Alfandega da Fe and Miranda do Douro) and in an urban area (city of Porto), Portugal), with the aim of understanding the knowledge and uses of alternative and traditional therapists and treatments. RESULTS: Approximately half of those in the urban area and almost all of those in the rural area knew of alternative therapists and treatments, the most known being bonesetters, acupuncturists and herbanarias (shops where people sell medicinal plants for teas) in the urban areas; and bonesetters, sorcerers (bruxos) and local healers (curandeiros) in rural areas. In relation to the use of these therapists and treatments, approximately 25% in the urban area and 75% in the rural area reported that they used such treatments. Bonesetters were the most used in both areas, followed by sorcerers and teas in the rural areas, and acupuncturists and teas in the urban areas. When asked about the reasons for using these therapists and treatments, the majority reported pain in the bones, muscle and joints, followed by psychological complaints in urban areas; and traditional diagnostics in rural areas for leaned souls (almas encostadas), fears or anxieties and visions etc. Most of the people who had used these treatments had not spoken to their family doctor about them because they believed 'doctors do not accept these medicines'. Approximately 80% in the two studied groups said they have been totally or partially satisfied with the treatments and the main reason was their effectiveness. The majority did not consider these treatments expensive. CONCLUSIONS: We found differences in the use of the alternative and traditional diagnostics and therapeutic resources in the urban and rural areas studied. However, we also found similarities between the two areas, such as the use of bonesetters to deal with problem of muscular and joint pains, and the use of teas.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Informing environmental health policy in urban areas: the HEADLAMP approach.

Urban areas represent complex environments in which to protect health. Accurate and highly resolved information is thus a prerequisite for effective environmental health policy. The HEADLAMP approach is designed to improve decision-making by providing indicators, based on sound science, to all relevant stakeholders, in an appropriate and usable form. The approach comprises three linked stages: categorization of the issues to be addressed, construction of relevant indicators, and policy formulation and implementation. Nevertheless, the application of this approach faces many challenges. The environment-health chain is both lengthy and complex, so that a wide range of indicators is needed from different points in this chain. The DPSEEA framework provides a useful, though limited, structure to help define and organize these indicators. This complexity also means that the indicators have to be linked, so that problems can be tracked from cause to effect and the effectiveness of actions at different points in the DPSEEA chain can be evaluated. Indicators also have to be designed in ways reflecting the spatial and temporal complexity of urban areas--namely, the rapid rates of change in urban environments and the marked spatial variations in environmental and sociodemographic conditions. Effective methods of participation are equally essential if the indicators are to represent the concerns of the stakeholders involved, and if decisions are to be made on a collective basis. Good indicators thus must be designed to fit many different and varying purposes. The challenge is to devise indicators that serve these purposes by representing the intricacies that are inherent in urban areas, rather than by hiding that complexity.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2006

From point to areal rainfall: linking the different approaches for the frequency characterisation of rainfalls in urban areas.

In urban water design and management, many hydrologic problems involve the frequency characterisation of rainfalls. Hydrologists are commonly asked to evaluate rainfall intensities for given recurrence frequencies or to indicate how rare an observed event is by estimating its return period. This study aims to improve the characterisation of rainfall hazard over a city by linking point to areal rainfall frequency analysis. We use a stochastic rainfall field generator based on the turning-bands method directly to assess areal rainfall distributions and to illustrate the link between different approaches. The simulating algorithm is applied to rainfall data from the city of Marseilles. The frequency analysis of simulated fields provides the elements to deal with the notions of return period and severity of observed storm events. The study concludes on the importance of a unified approach to assess rainfall better.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

Differences in risk of mortality under 1 year of age between rural and urban areas: an ecological study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in risk of categories and causes of death before 1 year of age between rural and urban areas. METHODS: Population-based ecological study using Poisson regression analysis of data from all enumeration districts in Wales. Data included all 243,223 registrable births to women resident in Wales, 809 therapeutic and spontaneous abortions, 1302 stillbirths and 1418 infant deaths occurring between 1993 and 1999. MAIN RESULTS: The relative risk of mortality in rural areas compared with urban areas for all deaths before 1 year of age was 0.89 (95% confidence interval 0.82, 0.98, P=0.02). The risk of mortality in rural areas was significantly lower than in urban areas for all categories of deaths occurring after 7 days of life. The relative risk of death due to infection was significantly lower in rural areas compared with urban areas (P=0.04), with similar results for deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome (P=0.03). After adjusting for social deprivation, there were no significant differences in the risk of death between rural and urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: While there were significant differences in crude risk between rural and urban enumeration districts for some causes and age groups before 1 year, after adjusting for social deprivation, these differences were not significant. The lack of significant interaction between rurality and deprivation indicated that the relationship between social deprivation and death before 1 year of age was not significantly different in rural areas compared with urban areas. Collaborative public health programmes to tackle deprivation are necessary in both rural and urban areas.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2000

[Tuberculosis control of urban areas in Japan].

The rates of tuberculosis remain high in urban areas. The declining speed of tuberculosis incidence rate in urban areas has been slower than other areas. Efforts and resources to tuberculosis control must be concentrated on urban locations to eradicate tuberculosis in Japan. 1. Tuberculosis control in a public health center of urban area: Teru OGURA and Chiyo INOGUCHI (Toshima City, Ikebukuro Public Health Center, Tokyo Metropolitan) A wide range of TB control measures is implemented by public health centers, such as a patient registration, home-visit guidance, contact examination in urban areas. Directors of every health center have the direct responsibility for tuberculosis control measures in their jurisdiction. Ikebukuro is urban areas where there are many offices, shopping and amusement facilities. Urban people is often on the move looking for job, so public health centers are often not easy to carry out contact examinations as planned. In recent years, homelessness has been recognized as a growing urban social problem. Their incidence of tuberculosis is high. Special TB control program must be carried out in urban areas. 2. Tuberculosis Control in Tokyo Metropolitan: Kazumasa MATSUKI (Department of Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis, Bureau of Public Health, Tokyo Metropolitan) There has been a steady decline in the TB wards. The beds for TB patients are running short and even smear positive TB cases cannot be put in a hospital without waiting several days. Staffs of an urban emergency department must protect tuberculosis infection by environmental controls of emergency room. Tokyo Metropolitan government supports the engineering improvements of emergency room to hospitals. Directly observed therapy for tuberculosis patients at a district has been implemented to complete their therapy. On DOT, a trained health worker observes the patient take anti-TB medication. 3. Usefulness of Molecular Epidemiologic approach on Tuberculosis Control: Atsushi HASE (Osaka City Institute Laboratory of Health and Environment) DNA fingerprinting establishes the genetic relatedness of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates and has become a powerful tool in tuberculosis epidemiology. To use DNA fingerprinting to assess the efficacy of current tuberculosis infection-control practices. Combining conventional epidemiologic techniques with DNA fingerprinting of M. tuberculosis can improve the understanding of how tuberculosis is transmitted. Patients were assigned to clusters based on mycobacterial isolates with identical DNA fingerprints. Clusters were assumed to have arisen from recent transmission. We analyzed M. tuberculosis isolates from patients reported to the tuberculosis registry by RFLP techniques. These results were interpreted along with demographic data. Patients infected with the same strains were identified according to their RFLP patterns, and patients with identical patterns were grouped in clusters. RFLP patterns of high incidence districts have more variations than other areas. This suggests that the source of tuberculosis infection are quite diverse and complicated. Tuberculosis patients may accumulate to high incidence districts from other places after infection. 4. Structure of High Incidence of Tuberculosis and Control Plan in Osaka City: Yoichi TATSUMI (Bureau of Infection Control, Osaka City Office) The case notification rate in Osaka City is the highest in Japan. That of all TB cases and smear positive TB cases was 1573 and 216 per 100,000 population in 1997 at Airin District in Osaka City. The main reason for this highest incidence rate is that there are many homeless people and it is a mobile population. Most of residents are daily laborers. They come from all over Japan and stay there, mainly in rented rooms, to look for jobs. Thousands of homeless people also live in tents on streets or in parks. We are making to new strategic plan to intensify tuberculosis control measures throughout the city. Osaka city government h

Ill-Housed Persons↗
PubMed2005

Fatal motor vehicle crashes in rural and urban areas: decomposing rates into contributing factors.

OBJECTIVES: Motor vehicle crash fatality rates have been consistently higher in rural areas than in urban areas. However, the explanations for these differences are less clear. In this study the decomposition method was used to explore the factors associated with increased fatal crash involvement rates in rural communities. DESIGN: Using national databases, the fatal crash incidence density was decomposed into the product of three factors: the injury fatality rate, the crash injury rate, and the crash incidence density. RESULTS: As expected, the fatal crash incidence density was more than two times higher in rural than in urban areas. This was driven primarily by the injury fatality rate, which was almost three times higher in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: Further research should examine the relative roles of crash severity and the timely receipt of definitive medical care after a crash.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2005

Epidemiology of intestinal nematodes in school-age children of the Kumba Urban Area, south west Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: The urban slums, poorly disposed garbage and inadequate toilet facilities in many homes, coupled with the high temperatures, rainfall and humidity that characterise the Kumba urban area, favour the development and transmission of helminth parasites in the area. School-age children are particularly at risk of infection. OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern of soil-transmitted nematode infections in the Kumba urban area as affected by seasonal changes. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: Ten primary schools in the Kumba urban area. SUBJECTS: Five hundred and eighty seven randomly selected pupils aged between four and fifteen years of both sexes. RESULTS: Significantly (P<0.005) more children were infected towards the end (69%) than in the early months (38.3%) of the rainy season. The infection rate recorded in December/January (dry season) was significantly reduced in April/May (early months of the rainy season) in male and female (P<0.01) children of different age groups (P<0.005) and classes (P<0.05). Then after, the rate increased significantly (P<0.005) in all the groups to reach a peak in October/November (last months of the rainy season). The intensity of infection more or less followed the same pattern as prevalence, except in hookworms where prevalence increased progressively and significantly (P>0.05) from 10.7% in December/January to 19.4% in October/November, while the worm load decreased. Single and mixed species infections constituted 50.8% and 49.2% respectively of the infections investigated, with Ascaris lumbricoides accounting for the highest number of infections. The most common combination of mixed species infections was Ascaris/Trichuris. CONCLUSION: The study has revealed that, in general, progressively more school-age children are infected with soil-transmitted nematodes in the course of the rainy season while acquisition of infections in the dry season progressively reduce to the low levels observed in the early months of the rainy season.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Health risks associated with animals in different types of urban areas: present status and new ecological conditions due to urbanization.

For different reasons urban areas are colonized by numerous animal groups. From the aspect of the incidence of zoonoses the following animal groups are primarily significant: 1) food-producing animals; 2) pets; 3) synanthropic mammals; 4) synanthropic birds; 5) synanthropic arthropods. Certain species live in central parts of urban areas which the A. attempts to classify, and particularly in suburban areas which serve for recreation of town inhabitants. From the aspect of the occurrence of different animal species the A. points out the significance of various parts of urban agglomerations.

Animal Population Groups↗
PubMed1982

[Frequency of inhalation allergies in children of rural areas as compared to urban areas].

The morbidity of inhalation allergies which was proved to exist on the basis of a screening test involving schoolchildren in a big city (Vienna) in 1979 was compared to that in school children in a rural area (Wiener Neustadt region). The study involved 651 children aged 8, 12 and 15-16 who were examined under the same conditions as the Vienna school children had been examined previously. Case histories were prepared with the help of questionnaires and each child was subjected to a skin test against grass species, pollen and the house-dust mite. If one of the two criteria was positive, blood samples were taken for specific serum-IgE determination by means of RAST and whole-blood IgE-level by means of PRIST. In the group of Wiener Neustadt schoolchildren aged 8, 8% suffered from manifest allergies (7% in Vienna) and 5% from latent allergies (7% in Vienna). In the group of 12 year old children, 11% suffered from manifest allergies (11% in Vienna) and 8.5% from latent allergies (8% in Vienna). A definite conclusion concerning the group of children aged 15-16 cannot be drawn, since the samples were not comparable. Since the results obtained in Wiener Neustadt and Vienna were largely identical, this proves 1. the reliability of the results concerning the percentages of allergic children; 2. that the number of allergies increases with the age of the children; 3. that there is no statistical difference in the allergy distribution between children coming from rural areas or from big cities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Atmospheric mercury in the Lake Michigan basin: influence of the Chicago/Gary urban area.

The relative importance of the Chicago/Gay urban area was investigated to determine its impact on atmospheric mercury (Hg) concentrations and wet deposition in the Lake Michigan basin. Event wet-only precipitation, total particulate, and vapor phase samples were collected for Hg, and trace element determinations from five sites around Lake Michigan from July 1994 through October 1995 as part of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study (LMMBS). In addition, intensive over-water measurements were conducted aboard the EPA research vessel Lake Guardian during the summer of 1994 and the winter of 1995 as part of the Atmospheric Exchange Over Lakes and Oceans Study. Atmospheric Hg concentrations were found to be significantly higher in the Chicago/Gary urban area than surrounding sites: Hg in precipitation was a factor of 2 and particulate Hg was a factor of 6 times higher. Overwater measurements found elevated Hg concentrations 19 km off shore of Chicago/Gary suggesting an enhanced near field atmospheric deposition to Lake Michigan. Meteorological transport analyses also determined that local sources in the Chicago/Gary urban area significantly impacted all of the LMMBS sites indicating a broad impact to the entire Lake Michigan basin.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2000

Differences between burns in rural and in urban areas: implications for prevention.

This study aimed to identify typical features of burns in rural areas and to improve their prevention by comparing the characteristics of burnt patients and their burns in rural and urban areas. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 19 of the 23 French burns units over one year, using a structured questionnaire. We analysed the resulting database. Of the 1422 patients, excluding 188 burnt in unclassified areas, 420 (34%) were burnt in rural areas. Burns were more frequent in rural than in urban areas. Occupational burns were more frequent in rural than in urban areas. The characteristics of patients and burns did not differ between the areas. Patients burnt during everyday activities were older and more frequently had predisposing factors in rural than in urban areas. Burns occurred outdoors more often in rural than in urban areas and were frequently due to flames or explosions or to the use of barbecues or open fires. The hands and perineum were burnt more frequently in rural than in urban areas. Rural burns were more severe than urban burns: they were deeper, involved a larger body surface area and caused more deaths. Preventive measures in rural areas should take into account occupation and everyday activities. They should be specifically adapted to the profiles of burnt patients.

Accidents↗