The Anthropologist as AIDS Activist

1993 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Kalka

By recounting my personal involvement with AIDS activism in Israel, I wish to highlight certain issues regarding the fight against AIDS in this country. As an active member of one voluntary association, my contribution was only indirectly related to anthropology. I promoted the association's cause, adding academic argumentation and complementing the work of other activists. I wrote grant proposals and applied for resources from funding sources such as the World Health Organization and voluntary associations abroad. In addition, I was used as a public relations figure, for reasons which I shall soon spell out. While my work in the association was not explicitly anthropological, my background in anthropology helped me understand the problems faced by AIDS activists in Israel and propose strategies for alleviating those problems.

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-27
Author(s):  
Yen-Fu Chen

Despite being one of Asia’s major economies with a population of over 23 million, Taiwan has been mostly excluded from the World Health Assembly/World Health Organization (wha/who) since 1972, due to China’s objection. While this has not stopped Taiwan from developing a comprehensive healthcare system and being an active member of international health community, the lack of membership in the world’s leading health authority undermines global health and presents perverse, and yet often neglected, inequality faced by Taiwanese people. This article aims to provide contextual information concerning the impacts of Taiwan’s exclusion from wha/who by: (1) enumerating health-related areas where Taiwan has rich knowledge and experiences that would have been cascaded much more widely and efficiently to those in need around the world had it been allowed to participate; and (2) highlighting difficulties faced by Taiwanese people and potential threats to international health arising from the exclusion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1099-1099
Author(s):  
Kyly Whitfield ◽  
Kathleen Chan

Abstract Objectives Although the World Health Organization recommends continued breastfeeding for 2 years and beyond, adherence rates are low in Canada and the United States. One major barrier to following this recommendation is an unsupportive culture and social stigma around breastfeeding. Our objective was to assess attitudes towards photographs of breastfeeding children of varying ages and locations among the general population in Nova Scotia, Canada. Methods In a self-administered questionnaire, participants recruited in public spaces were asked to react to six photographs depicting women breastfeeding children aged 2 weeks, 13 months and 30 months in both private (e.g., home) and public (e.g., store) locations. Participants self-rated their comfort levels using a visual analog scale (VAS; scale from 0 [not at all comfortable] to 10 [very comfortable]), and also provided open-ended qualitative reactions to the images. Sociodemographic information was also collected. Results We surveyed 229 participants (60% women, 40% men). Mean age was 44 years (range 19–95 years), 73% self-identified as white, and 77% were born in Canada. The majority of participants were parents (69%), and 69% of parents reported that their children were breastfed. Mean (95% CI) self-rated comfort differed significantly by location and child age. VAS scores indicated higher comfort for images in private locations (7.9, 7.7–8.1) compared to public locations (7.3, 7.0–7.5; P = 0.001), and for images of younger (8.5, 8.3–8.7) compared to older children (6.9, 6.6–7.2; P < 0.001). Women and parents had higher comfort with all images compared to men and non-parents (P < 0.05). Younger participants (19–29 years) were less comfortable with images of public breastfeeding compared to older participants (P < 0.05). Text-based reactions suggest lower approval of images of public breastfeeding and increased child age, but varied highly, including comments from “nurturing” to “indecent”. Conclusions Comfort and acceptance of breastfeeding among adults in Nova Scotia is influenced by location and child age. Negative perceptions of public breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding into young childhood may affect adherence to global breastfeeding recommendations. Funding Sources Mount Saint Vincent University New Scholars Grant, CN Student Research Internship.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Macnab ◽  
Arabat Kasangaki ◽  
Faith Gagnon

The World Health Organization conceived “health-promoting schools” as a means of providing the information and support systems necessary for the worldwide changes in behavior that are needed to improve health globally and decrease health care costs. We developed and evaluated a model of progressively implementing health-promoting schools with support from university medical school trainees in Canada and Uganda. The model uses oral health as a medium for establishing rapport and success around a topic with little stigma. The evaluation involved questionnaires of the Canadian trainees about practice intentions before and after involvement in the health-promoting schools to determine whether community-based learning in health-promoting schools resulted in more trainees planning to work in rural areas or underserved countries. We found that Canadian medical trainees cited their personal involvement and perceived ability to effect significant and identifiable positive change in both the school children and the community as reasons why they were more willing to practice in rural or under-served areas.


EP Europace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Parisis ◽  
A Bouletis ◽  
K Chatzidimitriou ◽  
D Palla ◽  
P Makri ◽  
...  

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the main issues worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. It is strongly believed that the implementation of "Kids Save Lives" project in schools can change this situation. The World Health Organization endorsed the ‘Kids Save Lives’ project in 2015 in order to reduce mortality. On the other hand the use of automatic external defibrillators (AED) is associated with higher survival rate after a cardiac arrest. Purpose Τo evaluate the level and the improvement of theoretical knowledge of secondary school students on the subject of AEDs  before and after the "Kids Save Lives" respectively. Material – Method: Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 and was performed in secondary schools. A total of 5562 students participated on the "Kids save Lives" program according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. A 12 point questionnaire was answered by the students before and after the "kids saves lives" program. Among other questions, there was one which investigate the knowledge of students in the usage of AEDs and another one asked students to refer a place, where somebody can find an AED. Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding the usage of AEDs, with the percentage of correct answers being 49 % and 85,9%, before and after the  course respectively (p < 0.001).  Moreover, only 19,8% of the students knew a place, where somebody can find an AED before  the course and 77,2% after the course (p < 0,001) Conclusions The overall results strongly depict the benefits of "Kids Save Lives" program by improving the theoretical knowledge on the subject of AEDs. Further research is needed to identify the times a student must follow the program to maximize its effectiveness and more action must take place in order to make students familiar with AEDs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erlyn Rachelle King Macarayan ◽  
Justin Vincent Tan

BACKGROUND Digital technologies such as chatbots have been widely used during the pandemic. However, the use of such technologies has both benefits and risks. OBJECTIVE An updated review of COVID-19 chatbots is needed to determine how such technologies can be used to provide maximum health benefits, especially during a pandemic METHODS In this study, we reviewed the literature on the use of chatbots during the COVID-19 pandemic, and identifies any issues and gaps in the literature, so the results can inform future scholars on chatbot and emergency response design and evaluation. RESULTS : The results indicate that chatbots have been widely used at both small and national levels across countries. Known uses of chatbots during the pandemic were in population surveillance, case identification, contact tracing, disease management, and general public communication. Although chatbots have offered ease of use and scalability, concerns have been raised, particularly about how chatbots will ensure data privacy and cybersecurity, bias due to limited user representation, and the risks of misinformation. Thus, we highlight both the benefits and risks of chatbots that provide COVID-related information. We found that chatbots offer speed, scalability, accessibility, personalization, and quickness support for self-care while also reducing hospital load and stigma. Despite these benefits, chatbots have some risks and issues to address, including issues pertaining to the actual effectiveness of chatbots, data privacy, cybersecurity, safety risks, and misinformation. There is also a need for a solid infrastructure, guidance, and representative user groups and engagement. Beyond outlining the key benefits and risks of using chatbots during the COVID-19 pandemic, we also highlighted the best practices from the literature and strategies recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations to address the key issues in the use of chatbots for pandemic preparedness and response. We also determined the different chatbot strategies used by the WHO to address COVID-19 that are critical in guiding future pandemic preparedness and response efforts worldwide. We found specific use cases showing how interfaces across various sectors, as well as support from different funding sources, are critical to reaching and engaging additional chatbot users and ensuring high chatbot quality. CONCLUSIONS Health systems in the future will likely become digital. Additional guidelines and research must be done in the evaluation and use of new technologies, such as chatbots, in emergency preparedness and response. Collaborations across multiple actors are needed to the ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the use of chatbots in the healthcare system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Steele ◽  
Crystal Karakochuk ◽  
Hou Kroeun

Abstract Objectives Our aim was to assess serum NTBI concentrations in non-pregnant Cambodian women who received daily iron supplements (60 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulfate) in accordance with the 2016 global World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Methods Serum NTBI concentration was measured with the use of the FeROS™ eLPI assay (Afferix Ltd., Israel) in fasting venous blood samples collected during a 2015 supplementation trial among predominantly anemic Cambodian women (18–45 years). Samples were randomly selected from sub-groups of women who received 60 mg daily elemental iron as ferrous sulfate (n = 50) or a placebo (n = 50) for 12-weeks. Results Overall, n = 17/100 (17%) of women had an elevated serum NTBI concentration (≥0.1 μmol/L) at 12-weeks; n = 9 in the Fe group and n = 8 in the placebo group. Of the n = 100 women, a total of 82% of the women were iron-replete (n = 82/100, inflammation-adjusted ferritin >15 µg/L) and 67% (n = 67/100) had some form of a hemoglobinopathy (namely, Hb E variants or α-thalassemia). Elevated serum NTBI concentration was not associated with age, iron supplementation, transferrin saturation or severe hemoglobinopathies (P >0.05). Conclusions In this population of Cambodian women with a high prevalence of hemoglobinopathies, we found that daily iron supplementation was not associated with elevated serum NTBI concentrations at 12-weeks, as compared to placebo. Funding Sources International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) North America.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiemeziem Njoku

Abstract Objectives Cassava carbohydrate has become an important source of energy, as it is a staple food for many of the 374 ethnic groups in Nigeria. Little is known of the variety grown and consumed in Ekowe community, Bayelsa State; as such specie “Accra” which is thought to belong to the variety of sweet cassava (manihot palmata). We will determine the processing effects and evaluate the nutrient and anti nutritional/toxic content of the various segments (epicarp, endocarp, mesocarp and the fermented pulp) of the cassava specie. Methods The researcher used atomic absorption spectrophotometric and alkaline picrate methods for the elemental and cyanide analysis respectively. Results The minerals; Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), and Iron(Fe), levels were low in all segments, and on the other the toxic chemicals components such as Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) and Cyanide (CN) content levels of the cassava segments were within the consumption level, recommended by the world health organization. There is no significant difference in the means at P < 0.05. Expectedly, the processing of the cassava pulp (endocarp) by fermentation appeared to lower the toxic levels of the samples. The mineral and chemical concentrations of the various segments in ppm are as follows: EPICARP: Mg 0.23 ± 0.00a; Ca 7.56 ± 0.06a; Fe 0.12 ± 0.01a; Pb 0.48 ± 0.01a and Cd 0.00 ± 0.00 ENDOCARP: Mg 0.24 ± 0.00a; Ca 6.98 ± 0.01a; Fe 0.09 ± 0.01a; Pb 0.00 ± 0.00 and Cd 0.00 ± 0.00 MESOCARP: Mg 0.06 ± 0.00a; Ca 0.00 ± 0.00; Fe 0.00 ± 0.00; Pb 0.23 ± 0.00a and Cd 0.00 ± 0.00 FERMENTED PULP: Mg 0.06 ± 0.00a; Ca 4.29 ± 0.01a; Fe 0.03 ± 0.00a; Pb 0.00 ± 0.00 and Cd 0.00 ± 0.00The cyanide concentration in ppm of the cassava segments (Accra specie) are as follows: EPICARP:1.23 ± 0.01cENDOCARP:1.88 ± 0.01cMESOCARP: 1.50 ± 0.01cFERMENTED PULP: 1.13 ± 0.01c KEY: Cd (cadmium); Fe (iron); Ca (calcium); Pb (lead); Mg (magnesium). Conclusions The segments have a nutrient content level below the recommended daily requirement prescribed by the world health organization (WHO). Because of the low content or even the near absence of the toxic chemicals such as Lead, Cadmium, and cyanide, and low content of mineral elements Accra cassava specie is recommended as safe for consumption. however, it should not be used as a nutrient supplement, but its products should be consumed along with other foods rich in magnesium, iron, and calcium. Funding Sources funding was done individually.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyesook Kim ◽  
Jo-Eun Lee ◽  
Saejong Park ◽  
You Jin Kim ◽  
Oran Kwon

Abstract Objectives This study hypothesized that a higher diet quality score is associated with a lower observance of symptoms of depression and anxiety and a higher QoL. Methods This study Evaluated 1295 adults (521 men; 774 women) aged 19–64 years, who participated in the 2014–2015 National Fitness Award Project. Diet quality was measured by the recommended food score (RFS), and mental health and QoL were assessed by the Beck depression inventory (BDI), Beck anxiety inventory (BAI), and the World Health Organization QoL–Brief (WHOQoL–BREF). Results After adjusting for covariates, the individuals with depression had a significantly lower RFS value compared to those without depression, and the good QoL group had a higher RFS value than the poor QoL group. These trends occurred in both men and women. Subjects in the highest tertile of RFS showed a lower odds of depression (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.29–0.68, P-trend = 0.0002) and poor QoL (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.26–0.47, P-trend <0.0001) than those in the lowest tertile. There was no association of the RFS with anxiety. Conclusions Our data suggest that improved diet quality is associated with lower ing depressive symptoms and a better QoL in Korean adults. Funding Sources This study was supported by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program funded by the Ministry of Science & ICT (2012M3A9C4048761) and Future Planning through the National Research Foundation (NRF) and Basic Science Research Program (NRF-2018R1C1B4A01023629) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning, Republic of Korea.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
I Davolos ◽  
J Franchella ◽  
D Iglesias ◽  
I Paz ◽  
G Sayavedra ◽  
...  

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. OnBehalf Exercise Cardiology Council Background. Large number of studies confirm benefits of physical activity (PA) to improve health. Recommendation guidelines lack tools for health professionals training in PA prescription. Purpose. To show cardiologists knowledge degree and attitude regarding existing recommendations on PA. Methods. Observational and cross-sectional study. n = 299. A virtual survey describes cardiologist profile, knowledge degree, planning and satisfaction while making PA recommendation. Results. Cardiologists profile in Table 1. Mean age 47.27 (SD 11.92). Sedentary lifestyle is considered a cardiovascular risk factor (CVRF) by 93.24%. 70% report performing PA complying with the recommendations of world health organization. 98.99% recommend PA while 80.74% also prescribe it. Prescribing PA, cardiologists self-rating is adequate-very adequate in 83%. Instruments used are guidelines (57.33%), self-perception (32%), expert opinion (25.33%). Most suggested mode of exercise is walking or jogging. Only 25.67% combine resistance and strength exercises. Only 13% choose to combine four parameters (heart rate, time, mode, intensity). Only 31.85% have undergone postgraduate training or education on PA prescription.  Conclusions. Approximately 25% of cardiologists use valid or formal indicators to prescribe PA. Cardiologist with CVRF perform less PA than the rest. It is observed that PA prescription is influenced by PA degree performed by the physician. Lack of training seems to be the biggest obstacle to PA prescription generalization. n % Cardiologists 299 100 MaleFemale 195104 65,2234,78 Sector Private 172 58,11 Public 26 8,78 Both 98 33,11 Cardiovascular risk factors Hypertension 61 20,33 Dyslipidemia 59 19,67 Diabetes 15 5,00 Smoking 23 7,67 Overweight 84 28 Coronary heart disease 11 3,67


Author(s):  
Antonio Leal-Jimenez

Suicide is a complex phenomenon that has attracted attention throughout the times of humanity. Since ancient times, its history has been approached in a general way. Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations already considered it the product of a melancholic state of mind. Virtually all religions agree in their rejection as a means of ending life. The common basis for this rejection is that it is God who gives life and He is the only one capable of taking it away. Most writers agree when considering it as the result of an act resulting from a distressing situation. Carrying out this study is justified since it is a topic that draws attention worldwide, due to the increase in the registration of cases, becoming a Public Health problem. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, 1.53 million people will die from suicide, one death every twenty seconds, and the number of attempts will be between ten and twenty times higher. Due to its seriousness, it requires our attention, although unfortunately, the large number of psychoeducational programs that exist for its prevention and control is not an easy task. With this work, we intend to understand its current reach in the young population and make known to what extent Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Neurocommunication with appropriate content on social networks could be applied to the management of Public Relations, to help alleviate, to a large extent, the envisaged attempts on the population concerned. Artificial Intelligence can be used to take advantage of real-time data to help us make more optimized and informed decisions. The advances made today in the field of advanced analytical techniques and statistical algorithms, to identify and obtain a better evaluation of what may happen in the future, processing data to identify patterns of behavior, managing with the media of communication, the issues derived from strategic consulting, academic research, can bring in various ways, great benefits in their application to Public Relations. This will increase the capacities that add value and can be considered as a prevention tool. New ways of acting that increase the efficiency between the sender and the receiver are necessary, through the contributions of neuroscience and the techniques of Public Relations so that their actions are more effective when the messages are directed towards reward systems of the brain. The new discipline of Neurocommunication as a meeting point between neurosciences and communication, tries to know the brain processes to carry out better strategies, in this case, of Public Relations, that allow decision-making in the adoption behaviour in various situations. In-depth knowledge of the processes of the human brain as a decision system in which individuals interpret their realities, depends on the way each subject decodes it, since there is a connection between how we act and the brain system. All this makes us foresee that its application in the field of Public Relations will be essential to mitigate the reality, in this case studied, in the affected groups.


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