Policies and Programs to Promote the Well-being of Families in the Gulf Region

Author(s):  
Anis Ben Brik ◽  
Jennifer E. Lansford ◽  
Abdallah M. Badahdah

Author(s):  
Anne Galaurchi ◽  
Samuel T. Chatio ◽  
Paula Beeri ◽  
Abraham R. Oduro ◽  
Winfred Ofosu ◽  
...  

Optimizing nutrition in the preconception and 1000 days periods have long-term benefits such as higher economic productivity, reduced risk of related non-communicable diseases and increased health and well-being. Despite Ghana’s recent progress in reducing malnutrition, the situation is far from optimal. This qualitative study analyzed the maternal and child health nutrition policy framework in Ghana to identify the current barriers and facilitators to the implementation of nutrition policies and programs relating to the first 1000 days plus. Data analyzed included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions conducted in Ghana between March and April 2019. Participants were composed of experts from government agencies, civil society organizations, community-based organizations and international partners at national and subnational levels. Seven critical areas were identified: planning policy implementation, resources, leadership and stakeholders’ engagement, implementation guidance and ongoing communication, organizational culture, accountability and governance and coverage. The study showed that, to eradicate malnutrition in Ghana, priorities of individual stakeholders have to be merged and aligned into a single 1000 days plus nutrition policy framework. Furthermore, this study may support stakeholders in implementing successfully the 1000 days plus nutrition policy activities in Ghana.



2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (37) ◽  
pp. 9169-9174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Chen ◽  
Dana P. Goldman ◽  
Julie Zissimopoulos ◽  
John W. Rowe ◽  

As long-term changes in life expectancy and fertility drive the emergence of aging societies across the globe, individual countries vary widely in the development of age-relevant policies and programs. While failure to adapt to the demographic transformation carries not only important financial risks but also social risks, most efforts to gauge countries’ preparedness focus on economic indicators. Using data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other sources, we developed a multidimensional Aging Society Index that assesses the status of older populations across five specific domains, including productivity and engagement, well-being, equity, economic and physical security, and intergenerational cohesion. For 18 OECD countries, the results demonstrate substantial diversity in countries’ progress in adapting to aging. For any given domain, there are wide differences across countries, and within most countries, there is substantial variation across domains. Overall, Norway and Sweden rank first in adaptation to aging, followed by the United States, The Netherlands, and Japan. Central and eastern European countries rank at the bottom, with huge untapped potential for successful aging. The United States ranks best in productivity and engagement, in the top half for cohesion, and in the middle in well-being, but it ranks third from the bottom in equity. Only well-being and security showed significant between-domain correlation (r = 0.59, P = 0.011), strengthening the case for a multidimensional index. Examination of heterogeneity within and across domains of the index can be used to assess the need for, and effectiveness of, various programs and policies and facilitate successful adaptation to the demographic transition.



Author(s):  
Maria Cecília de Souza Minayo ◽  
Saul Franco

Violence is a problem that accompanies the trajectory of humanity, but it presents itself in different ways in each society and throughout its historical development. Despite having different meanings according to the field of knowledge from which it is addressed and the institutions that tackle it, there are some common elements in the definition of this phenomenon. It is acknowledged as the intentional use of force and power by individuals, groups, classes, or countries to impose themselves on others, causing harm and limiting or denying rights. Its most frequent and visible forms include homicides, suicides, war, and terrorism, but violence is also articulated and manifested in less visible forms, such as gender violence, domestic violence, and enforced disappearances. Although attention to the consequences of different forms of violence has always been part of health services, its formal and global inclusion in health sector policies and guidelines is very recent. It was only in 1996 that the World Health Organization acknowledged it as a priority in the health programs of all countries. Violence affects individual and collective health; causes deaths, injuries, and physical and mental trauma; decreases the quality of life; and impairs the well-being of people, communities, and nations. At the same time, violence poses problems for health researchers trying to understand the complexity of its causes, its dynamics, and the different ways of dealing with it. It also poses serious challenges to health systems and services for the care of victims and perpetrators and the formulation of interdisciplinary, multi-professional, inter-sectoral, and socially articulated confrontation and prevention policies and programs.



Author(s):  
Valire Carr Copeland ◽  
Daniel Hyung Jik Lee

Social reform efforts of the settlement-house movement have provided, in part, the foundation for today’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s policies, programs, and services. Planning, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs that affect the health and well-being of mothers and children require a multidisciplinary approach. Social workers, whose skills encompass direct services, advocacy, planning and research, community development, and administration, have a critical role to play in improving the health outcomes of maternal and child populations.



2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (S1) ◽  
pp. 37-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Krueger ◽  
Nathaniel Counts ◽  
Brigid Riley

This article discusses the relationship between stress, physical health, and well-being in cultural context, offers examples of laws, policies, and programs to promote mental health and well-being, and examines how collective impact supports mental health and well-being.



Author(s):  
José Adalberto da Silva Filho ◽  
Sayonara Costa de Araújo ◽  
Virgínia de Fátima Bezerra Nogueira

<p>The water supply is a key factor for the development of the population in a region. The mapping areas that are not supplied with drinking water is an important mechanism, once the vulnerable locations are identified, which leads to establish policies and programs to mitigate the problem. Thus, this paper aims at examining areas that present vulnerability in access to water in the municipality of Cajazeiras, Paraíba State, Brazil. In order to carry this research out, data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics were analyzed. The results indicate a disproportion in access to water between rural and urban areas, with the first being very vulnerable to contamination factors. It is necessary environmental education programs for sustainable water use, the development of technologies to ensure good quality water and the well being of the people, by the high risk of water-related diseases caused by the contamination that may occur in capture, transport and storage of water.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p align="center"><strong><em>Diagnóstico do abastecimento de água no município de Cajazeiras – PB, Brasil</em></strong></p><p><strong>Resumo</strong><strong>: </strong>O abastecimento de água é um fator determinante para o desenvolvimento da população em uma região. O mapeamento de zonas que não são abastecidos com água potável é um mecanismo importante, uma vez que são identificadas as localidades que apresentam vulnerabilidade, sendo assim possível estabelecer políticas e programas que amenizem a problemática. Dessa forma, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar as zonas que apresentam vulnerabilidade no acesso à água no município de Cajazeiras - PB, por meio de dados obtidos junto ao Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Os resultados indicam uma desproporcionalidade no acesso à água entre as zonas rurais e urbanas, sendo a primeira muito vulnerável a fatores de contaminação. Dessa forma, faz-se necessário programas de educação ambiental para o uso sustentável da água, como também o desenvolvimento de tecnologias que garantam a segurança hídrica e o bem-estar das populações que residem nessas áreas, tendo em vista o alto risco de ocorrência de surtos de doenças de veiculação hídrica devido a contaminação que pode ocorrer na captação, transporte e armazenamento. </p>



2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 153-158
Author(s):  
Michael A. Rodríguez ◽  
Michael G. Marmot ◽  
V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder ◽  
Luis A.C. Galvão ◽  
Ximena Avellaneda ◽  
...  

Health inequities across the Americas are avoidable and unjust yet continue to persist. Systemic social determinants of health, which could be addressed at the policy level, are root causes of many inequities and prevent marginalized individuals and at-risk populations from reaching optimal health and well-being. In this article, we describe our approach to promote health equity through the intersectoral partner­ships that were forged, and strategies that were shared, during the convening entitled “Summit 2017: Health Equity in the Americas” and the resulting emergence of the Health Equity Network of the Americas (HENA). We illustrate how this international network will raise awareness of policies and programs to inform decision makers about actions they can take to put an end to the unjust, persistent and mostly avoid­able health inequities facing the Americas today.Ethn Dis. 2019;29(Suppl 1):153-158; doi:10.18865/ed.29.S1.153.



Author(s):  
Michael Kevane

Development is a process that transforms societies. Despite considerable variation across world regions and over time, one commonality of development has been that the initial phase, from 1950 to 1975, likely led to growing inequality between men and women in both opportunities and well-being. The first decades of planning and promotion of development largely excluded women, partly as a result of unequal gender relations in many societies as development began: the slave trade, colonial indifference to women’s rights, and missionary activities may have worsened the status of women. More importantly, the men who controlled the late colonial and early post-independence state saw little reason to promote a pro-woman agenda in development. The initial phase of development thus reinforced male privilege. After 1975, national and international social movements arose to pressure governments and institutions to undo the legacies of gender inequality. Women-centered development flourished in the 2000s. There have been uncertainties, however, over the cost-effectiveness of some of the various policies and programs implemented as a result of the movements to include women in development.



2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zeng ◽  
Ke Shen

Objective. We aim to investigate whether centenarians are significantly more resilient than younger elders and whether resilience significantly contributes to exceptional longevity.Data. We use a unique dataset from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey with the largest sample to date of centenarians, nonagenarians, octogenarians, and a compatible group of young old aged 65–79.Methods and Results. Logistic regressions based on the cross-sectional sample show that after controlling for various confounders, including physical health and cognitive status, centenarians are significantly more resilient than any other old-age group. Logistic regression analyses based on the longitudinal data show that nonagenarians aged 94–98 with better resilience have a 43.1% higher likelihood of becoming a centenarian compared to nonagenarians with lower resilience.Conclusions. Resilience significantly contributes to longevity at all ages, and it becomes even more profound at very advanced ages. These findings indicate that policies and programs to promote resilience would have long-term and positive effects on the well-being and longevity for senior citizens and their families.



2020 ◽  
pp. 162-189
Author(s):  
Jeff Levin

Chapter 8 details the long-standing history in the United States of official position statements by religious institutions and organizations regarding medical and healthcare issues, legislation, and policies that impact the health and well-being of the broader population. This history is highlighted by the recent national debate on healthcare reform, which was influenced by advocacy reports for or against features of proposed legislation issued by denominations and faith-based organizations across the religious spectrum. This chapter also provides perspectives on the contentious subject of federal faith-based initiatives since the passage of legislation authorizing charitable choice, under President Bill Clinton, which led to establishment of a White House faith-based office in the subsequent three administrations. Programmatic and policy successes of this initiative are described, especially in the areas of community and global health, an example being PEPFAR, the most successful program ever established to address AIDS in the developing world.



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