scholarly journals Food, diet and the pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-57
Author(s):  
Kate Bayliss ◽  
Ben Fine
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
The Past ◽  
Poor Diet ◽  
Land Grabs ◽  
Corporate Interests ◽  
Global Systems

This article is concerned with the ways that diet-related health outcomes (including increased incidence and severity of Covid-19) are linked to the system of provision for food. Worldwide obesity has tripled in the past three decades, creating an immense strain on health services, with poor diet associated with 22 per cent of global deaths in 2017. We show that neoliberal and financialised global systems of food production have intensified dysfunctional practices such as land grabs and price speculation. Moreover, capitalist expansion of production inevitably creates pressures to increase consumption such that malnutrition from overeating runs neck and neck with undernutrition on a global scale. It is shown how food corporates (producers, retailers, and so on) are instrumental in creating avenues to affect our diets in ways that are far more effective than government campaigns to promote healthy eating. It is these powerful systemic corporate interests that need to be addressed in order to improve diets and consequent health outcomes.

scholarly journals Mental health services designed for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnics (BAME) in the UK: a scoping review of case studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-95
Author(s):  
Mariam Vahdaninia ◽  
Bibha Simkhada ◽  
Edwin van Teijlingen ◽  
Hannah Blunt ◽  
Alan Mercel-Sanca
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Mental health disparities exist among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnics (BAME) populations. This paper aims to provide an overview of mental health services designed for the BAME population in the UK, both established BAME communities and refugee/asylum-seekers. Design/methodology/approach A range of electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies conducted within the past decade in the UK. Using the Arksey and O’Malley methodology, data were extracted, analysed and summarised. Findings A total of 13 papers were identified, mostly non-randomised community-based. Studies were very heterogeneous in terms of their sample and service provided. After the initial appraisal, the authors presented a narrative synthesis. Overall, all studies reported positive mental health outcomes and beneficial effects. Research limitations/implications Because of the time limitations and quality of the papers, the authors only included peer-reviewed journal papers. Practical implications Mental health services provided for BAME people, both established and refugee/asylum-seekers are feasible and improve engagement with the services and mental health outcomes. Initiatives are required to facilitate the integration of these targeted services within mental health and community services for BAME in the UK. Originality/value This scoping review is a snapshot of the mental health services designed for BAME people in the UK, either established or refugee/asylum-seekers in the past 10 years and adds to the evidence-based knowledge from these studies.

Waterlogging and Salinity in the Indus Plain : Some Basic Consideration

1965 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Dorfam
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Water Development ◽  
The Past

It takes more than ordinary population for a group of strangers to recommends changes in the efforts of a great nation to contend with a problem that goes that goes to the very roofs of its social structure and its livelihood. Yet we did just that in our Report on Land and Water Development in the Indus Plain[l]. We hoped our recommendations would be considered sympathetically and debated fully, that our sound suggestions would be adopted and our unsound ones forgiven. All this has been granted us, and more. The months since the Panel's report was prepared have been eventful for the economic development of West Pakistan. It is hard to cast our minds back to the gloom that filled the atmosphere when the Panel was convened. Food production had been stagnant for the past several years, sem and thur were spreading through the most productive portions of the Plain, expensive efforts to control these twin menaces had been baffled. WAPDA knew, of course, that in principle tubswells could do the job, but there were more failures to report than successes

Impact of Globalisation on Pandemics: A comparative study on SARS and Covid-19 (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johann Johann And Devika
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
Close Relationship

BACKGROUND Since November 2019, Covid - 19 has spread across the globe costing people their lives and countries their economic stability. The world has become more interconnected over the past few decades owing to globalisation and such pandemics as the Covid -19 are cons of that. This paper attempts to gain deeper understanding into the correlation between globalisation and pandemics. It is a descriptive analysis on how one of the factors that was responsible for the spread of this virus on a global scale is globalisation. OBJECTIVE - To understand the close relationship that globalisation and pandemics share. - To understand the scale of the spread of viruses on a global scale though a comparison between SARS and Covid -19. - To understand the sale of globalisation present during SARS and Covid - 19. METHODS A descriptive qualitative comparative analysis was used throughout this research. RESULTS Globalisation does play a significant role in the spread of pandemics on a global level. CONCLUSIONS - SARS and Covid - 19 were varied in terms of severity and spread. - The scale of globalisation was different during the time of SARS and Covid - 19. - Globalisation can be the reason for the faster spread in Pandemics.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yana van der Meulen Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Restrictive Legislation

Chapter 7 concludes by highlighting the three biggest messages from the analysis presented in this book: (1) the global gag rule has failed to achieve its goal of reducing abortions; (2) restrictive legislation is associated with more unsafe abortions; and (3) the expanded global gag rule is likely to have negative repercussions across a range of health outcomes for women, children, and men. They are simple but powerful messages that should be heard by policymakers over the voices calling for an ideologically based policy that fails to achieve its desired outcome. The chapter closes with a more constructive and cost-effective approach for US family-planning assistance that targets integrated reproductive health services.

The Impact of Social Mobilization on Health Service Delivery and Health Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Giné ◽  
Salma Khalid ◽  
Mansuri Ghazala
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Child Health Outcomes ◽  
Rural Pakistan ◽  
Post Natal Care ◽  
The Impact

This chapter uses a randomized community development programme in rural Pakistan to assess the impact of citizen engagement on public service delivery and maternal and child health outcomes. The programme had a strong emphasis on organizing women, who also identified health services as a development priority at baseline. At midline, we find that the mobilization effort alone had a significant impact on the performance of village-based health providers. We detect economically large improvements in pregnancy and well-baby visits by female health workers, as well as increased utilization of pre- and post-natal care by pregnant women. In contrast, the quality of supra-village health services did not improve, underscoring the importance of community enforcement and monitoring capacity for improving service delivery.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of a Community-based Group Mindfulness Program tailored for Arabic and Bangla-speaking Migrants

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Blignault ◽  
Hend Saab ◽  
Lisa Woodland ◽  
Haider Mannan ◽  
Arshdeep Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Home Practice ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Mindfulness Skills ◽  
Arabic Speakers ◽  
Language Groups

Abstract Background Migrant communities are often underserved by mainstream mental health services resulting in high rates of untreated psychological distress. This collaborative study built on evidence that mindfulness-based interventions delivered in-language and culturally tailored were acceptable and clinically effective for Arabic speakers in Australia. It aimed to establish whether a group mindfulness program produced expected outcomes under normal operational conditions, and to test its scalability and its transferability to Bangla speakers. Methods A 5-week mindfulness program was delivered to 15 Arabic-speaking and 8 Bangla-speaking groups in community settings. The mixed-methods evaluation incorporated a pre-post study. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the socio-demographic data, group attendance and home practice. Differences in DASS 21 and K10 scores from pre to post-intervention were tested using the nonparametric sign test for paired samples (two-sided). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of selected sociodemographic variables, group attendance and home practice on clinical outcomes, based on intention to treat. Content analysis was used to examine the qualitative data. Results The program attracted 168 Arabic speakers and 103 Bangla speakers aged 16 years and over, mostly women. Cultural acceptability was evident in the overall 80% completion rate, with 78% of Arabic speakers and 84% of Bangla speakers retained. Both language groups showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in mental health outcomes on the DASS21 and K10. Thirty new referrals were made to mental health services. Participant feedback emphasised the benefits for their everyday lives. All but one participant reported sharing the mindfulness skills with others. Conclusions Across multiple and diverse groups of Arabic and Bangla speakers in Sydney, the community-based group mindfulness program was shown to have high levels of cultural acceptability and relevance. It resulted in clinically and statistically significant improvements in mental health outcomes, facilitated access to mental health care and boosted mental health literacy. This innovative, low-intensity, in-language mental health intervention that was originally developed for Arabic speakers is scalable. It is also transferable—with cultural tailoring—to Bangla speakers.

scholarly journals The challenges of donor engagement with faith-based organizations in Cameroon’s health sector: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibylle Herzig van Wees ◽  
Michael Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
International Development ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
The Past ◽  
Faith Based Organizations ◽  
The Government ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Substantial global advocacy efforts have been made over the past decade to encourage partnerships and funding of faith-based organizations in international development programmes in efforts to improve social and health outcomes. Whilst there is a wealth of knowledge on religion and development, including its controversies, less attention has been payed to the role that donors might play. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the engagement between donors and faith-based organizations in Cameroon’s health sector, following the implementation of the Cameroon Health Sector Partnership Strategy (2012). Forty-six in-depth interviews were conducted in selected regions in Cameroon. The findings show that global advocacy efforts to increase partnerships with faith-based organizations have created a space for increasing donor engagement of faith-based organizations following the implementation of the strategy. However, the policy was perceived as top down as it did not take into account some of the existing challenges. The policy arguably accentuated some of the existing tensions between the government and faith-based organizations, fed faith-controversies and complicated the health system landscape. Moreover, it provided donors with a framework for haphazard engagement with faith-based organizations. As such, putting the implications of donor engagement with FBOs on the research map acknowledges the limitations of efforts to collaborate with faith-based organizations and brings to the surface still-remaining blinkers and limited assumptions in donor definitions of faith-based organizations and in ways of collaborating with them.

scholarly journals Health literacy and health outcomes in China’s floating population: mediating effects of health service

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai-YanYu ◽  
Wei-Ling Wu ◽  
Lin-Wei Yu ◽  
Lei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Service Utilization ◽  
Health Service Utilization ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Floating Population ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Mediating Effects

Abstract Background The floating population in China consists primarily of internal immigrants and represents a typical health vulnerable group. Poor health literacy has recently become an obstacle in the accessibility and utilization of health services for the vulnerable population, leading to adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to examine whether health literacy affected health outcomes in China’s floating population and whether health service utilization had a mediating effect between health literacy and health outcomes. Method The current study utilized a cross-sectional stratified, multistage, proportional to scale (PPS) study in Zhejiang Province, China, in November and December 2019. In total, 657 valid self-reported questionnaires were recovered and used for data collection. Questionnaires included questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy, health outcomes, and health service utilization. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test questionnaire validity; descriptive statistics were used to understand the demographic characteristics of the floating population; and structural equation modeling was used to determine whether health service utilization mediated health literacy and health outcomes. Results We report positive correlations between health literacy, health service utilization, and health outcomes. Mediation analysis demonstrated that health service utilization had partial mediating effects between health literacy and health outcomes. In the relationship between health literacy and health outcomes, the indirect effects of health service utilization accounted for 6.6–8.7% of the total effects. Conclusion Complete health literacy, through health care literacy and health promotion literacy, affects the mobile population’s initiative to use health services, which, in turn, affects health outcomes. Thus, improving the health literacy of the floating population will help to improve health outcomes. Furthermore, health service providers should enhance the diversity of health service supply to ensure that the floating population has the external resources to improve personal health literacy.

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