scholarly journals Faith Communities as a Social Immune System: Recommendations for COVID-19 Response and Recovery

2021 ◽  
pp. 097325862098335
Author(s):  
Gary Gunderson ◽  
Teresa Cutts
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Leadership Capacity ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Domains ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health Assets

This article describes how faith communities often function like an organic social immune system during times of crisis, particularly our current COVID-19 pandemic. We share the strengths of faith communities pertaining to healthcare and public health, as well as name the religious health assets with which faith communities and other health partnerships have to work. These religious health assets have helped the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Academies of Science (NAS), imagine substantive and sustained partnerships in diverse contexts across many presenting conditions. We share how COVID-19 has affected these faith assets and offer a case study in how the Leading Causes of Life (LCL) and Positive Deviance (PD) frameworks have been implemented in faith partnerships to impact health and racial disparities in the past and now, during the pandemic. We offer recommendations on how the CDC might frame a comprehensive recovery strategy, including faith-based assets in an appropriate and sustained manner to move us towards health and well-being, focusing on leadership capacity of both faith and health domains. Finally, we suggest what not to do as part of a COVID-19 response and recovery in these partnerships.

Preventing Premature Weaning: Management Options for Common Lactation Conditions, Including OMT

2020 ◽  
pp. 20-25
Author(s):  
Denise Sackett ◽  
Tala Dajani ◽  
David Shoup ◽  
Uzoma Ikonne
Keyword(s):  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Family Physician ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
World Health ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Pharmacological Management ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Lactational Mastitis ◽  
One Year ◽  
Health Organization

The benefits of breastfeeding are well established. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that mothers breastfeed infants for at least one year, but most children are not breastfed that long because of many factors. Breastfeeding mothers face many challenges to continued breastfeeding, including medical conditions that arise during this period, such as postpartum depression and lactational mastitis. Because of a perceived lack of consistent guidance on medication safety, it can be difficult for the family physician to treat these conditions while encouraging mothers to continue breastfeeding. The purpose of the current review is to summarize and clarify treatment options for the osteopathic family physician treating lactating mothers. We specifically focus on the pharmacological management of contraception, postpartum depression, and lactational mastitis.

Study the Anatomy and Physiology of Body's Urinary System and Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) for the Design an Intelligent Alarm System for Monitoring of FMS

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-81
Author(s):  
Hamidreza Shirzadfar ◽  
Narsis Gordoghli
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
International Association ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
World Health ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Health Organization

In recent years, chronic medical problems have become increasingly prevalent. Chronic ‎illnesses challenge the view of life as a regular and continuous process, a challenge that has ‎important psychological consequences. The long duration of people suffering from these ‎diseases, the long process of treatment and the fact that there is no proper and definitive ‎treatment for most of these diseases and their associated complications have made chronic ‎diseases a detrimental factor in public health. According to the World Health Organization ‎‎(2006), the prevalence of chronic and non-communicable diseases is increasing in all countries, ‎especially developing countries, so that the major challenge for the health system in the present ‎century, is not living people, but better adapted to chronic illnesses and maintaining their ‎mental and social health and well-being Ed's life-threatening chronic physical illness.‎ Chronic pain is a pain that lasts longer than usual, and according to the criteria of the ‎International Association of Pain, this time is defined as at least 3 months to 6 months. Chronic ‎pain is such that not only faced the sick person whit the pressure of the pain but also with many ‎other pressure that affect different parts of her life. Fibromyalgia is one of the most rheumatologic disorders and one of the most resistant chronic ‎pain syndromes. Fibromyalgia is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in adults ‎and chronic pain is one of the most common complaints in this group of patients.

scholarly journals How Loud and Clear Rung the Alarm Bell: The Communication Efforts of WHO on the Beginning of COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
pp. 002073142110249
Author(s):  
Huriye Toker
Keyword(s):  
Risk Communication ◽  
International Development ◽  
International Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
News Releases ◽  
The Media ◽  
Credible Information ◽  
Health Organization

As seen clearly from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health is an important foreign policy and diplomatic issue connected with security, economic well-being, and international development. According to risk communication researchers, effective, transparent, and timely information sharing is the most important tool after vaccines for responding to pandemics. This study aims to start a scholarly discussion on the risk communication efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO) during the COVID-19 outbreak. We analyzed WHO’s communication efforts during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the leading international health organization, WHO was responsible for providing rapid, up-to-date, and credible information for the public and the media. The selected research items were 42 news releases and statements provided by WHO between December 31, 2019, and March 30, 2020. These were subjected to qualitative and quantitative content analyses using the NVivo 12 qualitative analysis software program for coding. The data were coded under 6 variables (date of publication, topics, frequency, wording of the COVID-19 outbreak, sourcing, and themes of the releases). While 54.7% of WHO's communications were devoted to the COVID-19 outbreak, more than half were not issued until March. That is, instead of early risk communication and clear warnings about the outbreak, WHO acted overcautiously, preferring messages related to solidarity and cooperation during the most devastating pandemic of the 21st century.

scholarly journals Online Training in Specific Meditation Practices Improves Gratitude, Well-Being, Self-Compassion, and Confidence in Providing Compassionate Care Among Health Professionals

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Rao ◽  
Kathi J. Kemper
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Online Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Compassionate Care ◽  
Clinician Training ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Compassion Meditation ◽  
Health Organization

Mind-body practices that intentionally generate positive emotion could improve health professionals’ well-being and compassion. However, the feasibility and impact of clinician training in these practices is unknown. Data were analyzed from 3 online modules offered to health professionals: ( a) Gratitude, ( b) Positive Word, and ( c) Loving-kindness/Compassion meditation. Paired t tests were used to assess pre- to posttraining changes in gratitude (Gratitude Questionnaire), well-being (World Health Organization Well-Being Index), self-compassion (Neff’s Self-Compassion Scale), and confidence in providing compassionate care (Confidence in Providing Calm, Compassionate Care Scale). The 177 enrollees included diverse practitioners (nurses, physicians, social workers, and others). Training was associated with statistically significant improvements in gratitude (38.3 ± 4.6 to 39.5 ± 3.3), well-being (16.4 ± 4.0 to 17.9 ± 4.2), self-compassion (39.5 ± 8.1 to 43.1 ± 7.6), and confidence in providing compassionate care (73.3 ± 16.4 to 80.9 ± 13.8; P < .001 for all comparisons). Brief, online training appeals to diverse health professionals and improves their gratitude, well-being, self-compassion, and confidence in providing compassionate care.

Identification and Management of Psychosocial and Developmental Problems in Community-Based, Primary Care Pediatric Practices

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 480-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah McCue Horwitz ◽  
Philip J. Leaf ◽  
John M. Leventhal ◽  
Brian Forsyth ◽  
Kathy Nixon Speechley
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Developmental Problems ◽  
Active Intervention ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
New Morbidity

The importance of psychological and social issues for children's well-being has long been recognized and their importance in the practice of pediatrics is well documented. However, many of the studies looking at this issue have emphasized psychiatric problems rather than issues commonly referred to as the new morbidity. The goal of this research was to refocus interest on the problems of the new morbidity. This study examined the rates and predictors of psychological problems in 19 of 23 randomly chosen pediatric practices in the greater New Haven area. Families of all 4- to 8-year-old children were invited to participate and to complete the Child Behavior Checklist prior to seeing a clinician. Clinicians completed a 13-category checklist of psychosocial and developmental problems based on a World Health Organization-sponsored primary care, child-oriented classification system. Of the 2006 eligible families, 1886 (94%) participated. Clinicians identified at least one psychosocial or developmental problem in 515 children (27.3%). Thirty-one percent of the children with problems received no active intervention, 40% received intervention by the clinician, and 16% were referred to specialty services. Not surprisingly, children whose problems were rated as moderate or severe were twice as likely to be referred compared with children with mild problems. Recognition of a problem was related to four characteristics: if the visit was for well child rather than acute care; if the clinician felt he or she knew a child well; if the child was male; and if the child had unmarried parents (all P ≤ .05). The data suggest that, when asked to use a taxonomy appropriate for primary care, clinicians recognize problems in many 4- to 8-year-old children (515/1886; 27.3%). This rate is considerably higher than the rates previously reported. Further, many children with identified problems (56%) were reported by their clinicians to receive some form of active intervention. Characteristics of the visit (type of visit, clinician's knowledge of a child) that influence the recognition of problems were also identified. These results suggest that investigators must define what types of problems they are interested in and under what circumstances to determine accurately what pediatric practitioners know about psychosocial and developmental problems in their young patients and families.

International Conference on Child Day-Care Health: Opening Remarks

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 987-987
Author(s):  
Hu Ching-Li
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
World Health ◽  
Child Day Care ◽  
Infant And Young Child ◽  
The Family ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Organization

It is important to recall the definition of health embodied in the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) over 45 years ago: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic, or social condition." Among the Organization's mandated functions is "to promote maternal and child health and welfare and to foster the ability to live harmoniously in a changing total environment." The challenge of that task is no less today than it was then. Historically, societies have evolved various patterns of family structure for social and economic functions. In preindustrial societies there evolved a great concordance between these functions, with many of the health, developmental, and socialization functions taking place first within the family and then within the immediate community. The rapid social changes of both the industrial and information revolutions have changed drastically the functions of the family, and have shifted many of the health, developmental, and social functions to nonfamily institutions, from which families are often excluded or marginally involved. Much of the international attention to child health in this last decade has been directed at simple interventions to prevent the nearly 13 million deaths each year of children under 5: universal child immunization; the control of diarrheal and acute respiratory diseases; and infant and young child nutrition, particularly breast-feeding.

Fatmisia and Clinical Counseling Decision-Making in Master’s-Level Counselor Trainees

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 336-353
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn M. Forristal ◽  
John M. Laux ◽  
Madeline Clark ◽  
Jennifer L. Reynolds ◽  
Taylor M. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Short Form ◽  
Counselor Trainees ◽  
World Health ◽  
Master's Level ◽  
Clinical Counseling ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Weight Bias Internalization ◽  
Fat Phobia ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Relationship

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have documented an increase in fat people in recent decades, which is being met with a backlash of anti-fat biases, or fatmisia. Fatmisia is prevalent in most aspects of society, especially among fat people who have internalized fatmisia. Utilizing a diagnostic questionnaire in combination with the Fat Phobia Scale–Short Form and the Weight Bias Internalization Scale, this study explored the relationship between client body size, the presence of a major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis, and if applicable, the severity of MDD symptoms assigned by counselor trainees (N = 113). Results were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and covariance. This sample (N = 113) significantly differed in diagnoses assigned to obese clients by assigning more severe MDD. Study limitations and implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Impact of External Quality Assurance on the Quality of Xpert MTB/RIF Testing in Viet Nam

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidyanidhi Gumma ◽  
Kyle DeGruy ◽  
Davara Bennett ◽  
Thanh Nguyen Thi Kim ◽  
Heidi Albert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Control Program ◽  
External Quality Assurance ◽  
World Health ◽  
External Quality ◽  
National Tuberculosis ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Health Organization

ABSTRACT Following the endorsement of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2010, Viet Nam’s National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) began using GeneXpert instruments in NTP laboratories. In 2013, Viet Nam’s NTP implemented an Xpert MTB/RIF external quality assurance (EQA) program in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). Proficiency-testing (PT) panels comprising five dried tube specimens (DTS) were sent to participating sites approximately twice a year from October 2013 to July 2016. The number of enrolled laboratories increased from 22 to 39 during the study period. Testing accuracy was assessed by comparing reported and expected results; percentage scores were assigned; and feedback reports were provided to sites. On-site evaluation (OSE) was conducted for underperforming laboratories. The results from the first five rounds demonstrate the positive impact of PT and targeted OSE visits on testing quality. On average, for every additional round of feedback, the odds of achieving PT scores of ≥80% increased 2.04-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.39- to 3.00-fold). Future work will include scaling up PT to all sites and maintaining the performance of participating laboratories while developing local panel production capacity.

scholarly journals The health effects of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic

Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-527
Author(s):  
Maryam Feiz Arefi ◽  
Amin Babaei-Pouya ◽  
Mohsen Poursadeqiyan
Keyword(s):  
Health Effects ◽  
World Health ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Social Hygiene ◽  
Social Communications ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Made In

BACKGROUND: Quarantine is considered as an effective solution in the early stages of an epidemic. In the case of the coronavirus epidemic, quarantine was also recommended and implemented as a significant guideline to prevent the disease. However, despite the benefits of quarantine, there are also complications and problems. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the health effects of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study was conducted as a literature review through searching the databases Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct for papers published before July 2020. The research was conducted based on the keywords “Coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” and “quarantine.” The references of the papers were also reviewed to find the ones not found in the databases. The guidelines published by reputable organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were used in this study. RESULTS: Although quarantine is applied as an important and primary solution in the outbreak of epidemics, in cases of pandemics, it may not be free of negative effects on individuals and public health. However, because of the need to reopen and restart social and economic activities, some changes should be made in lifestyles and work activities. Using cyberspace and telework can be helpful. As the findings showed, COVID-19 bubbles can be used to restore social communications. CONCLUSION: Using masks, avoiding unnecessary gatherings, complying with personal and social hygiene, and respecting social distancing can be valuable solutions that, if implemented properly, can decrease the rate of the disease significantly. It is also emphasized that quarantine is still necessary and important as the best solution for sick people and individuals who are suspected carriers of the disease.

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