An Introduction to Life at a U.S. University: A Pre-departure orientation for Thai students going to the U.S. to Study

An Orientation to Life at a US University is a six-week pre-departure orientation designed for Thai students at The Human Development Foundation (HDF). The youth are preparing to study abroad in the United States at a four-year accredited institution. HDF is an international non-profit, founded in 1973, with its headquarters based in Bangkok, Thailand. The organization’s headquarters, settled in Bangkok’s largest slum area of Klong Toey, is known as The Mercy Centre, often affectionately shortened to Mercy. The organization grew from a one-baht-per-day preschool for children of all religions in the slums, to a Foundation with over 25 slum preschools, having educated over 50,000 slum children. HDF has continued to grow and expand to encompass four major programs: providing resources for children in need, education, HIV/AIDS programs and community services. The Mercy Centre is home to all administrative offices for HDF, but also houses over 180 abandoned, orphaned and trafficked children, as well as children with HIV, in one of Mercy’s six children’s homes. All the homes and offices in Bangkok are a part of the Mercy Centre. Some of the youth whom have grown up at Mercy and others from the community who excel academically have been given the opportunity to study internationally on scholarship. The orientation’s curriculum was developed based on the data collected from a needs assessment in the form of typed questionnaires. HDF’s Executive Director, Senior Advisor and six of Mercy’s students participated in the assessment. The program includes sections on logistics, health and safety, academic norms, culture, time management and US/World news, tailored specifically for Mercy’s Thai students. The orientation is ready for delivery with a step-by-step implementation guide for the facilitator, along with all necessary handouts and worksheets

The effects of using morphophonic faces as a method for teaching sight words to low-performing kindergartners

Five kindergarten subjects who had no known disabilities, but were identified as low beginning readers received intervention using both Plain Word Cards (PWC) and pictured word cards, termed MorphoPhonic Faces (MPF). A group of eight words were presented as printed word cards and a comparable group of eight words were presented as MPF. Results revealed that MPF did not hold an advantage for learning and retaining sight words compared to the plain print words. Improvements in sight word training corresponded in time with improved skills underlying the alphabetic principle, including phonological awareness skills and letter-sound learning, as well as emerging decoding skills for two subjects. These findings suggest that working on larger units such as words with a focus on initial sounds and word patterns has a positive (and probably reciprocal effect) on phoneme and grapheme level skills

The environmental impact of community caries prevention - part 1: fluoride varnish application

BACKGROUND: Healthcare is a significant contributor to climate change and planetary health. Prevention of oral disease, such as caries, is an important part of any mechanism to improve sustainability. Caries prevention includes community schemes such as water fluoridation, toothbrushing, or fluoride varnish (FV) application. The aim of this study was to quantify the environmental impact of FV application. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to quantify the environmental impact of a five-year-old child receiving two FV applications in a one-year period in schools and in dental practice. RESULTS: FV application in dental practice during an existing appointment had the lowest environmental impact in all 16 categories, followed by FV application in schools. FV application at a separate dental practice appointment had the highest impact in all categories, with a majority of the impact resulting from the patient travel into dental practice. DISCUSSION: FV application while a child is already attending dental practice (for example, at routine recall) is the most sustainable way to deliver FV. School FV programmes are an alternative, equitable way to reach all children who may not access routine care in dental practice

Assessing the in vivo data on low/no-calorie sweeteners and the gut microbiota

Low/no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) are continually under the spotlight in terms of their safety and benefits; in 2014 a study was published linking LNCS to an enhanced risk of glucose intolerance through modulation of the gut microbiota. In response, an in-depth review of the literature was undertaken to evaluate the major contributors to potential changes in the gut microbiota and their corresponding sequelae, and to determine if consuming LNCS (e.g., acesulfame K, aspartame, cyclamate, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, steviol glycosides) contributes to changes in the microbiome based on the data reported in human and animal studies. A few rodent studies with saccharin have reported changes in the gut microbiome, but primarily at high doses that bear no relevance to human consumption. This and other studies suggesting an effect of LNCS on the gut microbiota were found to show no evidence of an actual adverse effect on human health. The sum of the data provides clear evidence that changes in the diet unrelated to LNCS consumption are likely the major determinants of change in gut microbiota numbers and phyla, confirming the viewpoint supported by all the major international food safety and health regulatory authorities that LNCS are safe at currently approved levels

The environmental impact of community caries prevention - part 2: toothbrushing programmes

Introduction Community-level caries prevention programmes includes supervised toothbrushing in schools and the provision of toothbrushes and toothpaste. The environmental impact of these interventions is an important factor to consider when commissioning these services.Materials and methods A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to quantify the environmental impact of a five-year-old child receiving one of two toothbrushing programmes over a one-year period; supervised toothbrushing in school, or the provision of toothbrushes and toothpaste.Results Supervised toothbrushing had a lower environmental impact than provision of toothbrushes and toothpaste in all 16 impact categories measured. The water use needed for children to brush their teeth was the greatest contributing factor to the provision of toothbrushes and toothpaste, accounting for an average of 48.65% of the impact results.Discussion All community-level caries prevention programmes have an associated environmental cost. LCA is one way to quantify the environmental impact of healthcare services and can be used along with cost and clinical effectives data to inform public healthcare policy. Organisations responsible for these programmes could use the results of this study to consider ways to reduce the environmental impact of their services

Views of pregnant women and clinicians regarding discussion of exposure to phthalate plasticizers

Objective. This study explores the views of pregnant women and clinicians regarding discussion of exposure to phthalate plasticizers during pregnancy, subsequent to the 2011 Health Canada ban of certain phthalates at a concentration greater than 1000 mg/kg in baby toys. This occurred with no regulation of products to which pregnant women are exposed, such as food packaging and cosmetics. Methods. Pregnant women, physicians and midwives were recruited through posters and pamphlets in prenatal clinics in Southwestern Ontario for a semi-structured interview. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and subjected to rigorous qualitative analysis through a grounded theory approach, supported by NVIVO™ software. Themes emerged from line by line, open, and axial coding in an iterative manner. Results: Theoretical sufficiency was reached after 23 pregnant women and 11 clinicians had been interviewed. The themes (and subthemes from which they arose) were: Theme I-Information Provision (IA-Sources of Information, IB-Standardization, IC-Constraints, ID-Role of Government); Theme II-Risk (IIA-Significant Risk, IIB-Perceived Relevance, IIC-Reconciliation); and Theme III- Factors Influencing Level of Concern (IIIA-Current Knowledge, IIIB-Demographic Factors). Conclusion: To respond to the increasing media and research attention regarding risk of phthalates to women, and pregnant women in particular, national professional organizations should provide patient information. This could include pamphlets on what a pregnant woman should know about phthalates and how they can be avoided, as well as information to clinicians to facilitate this discussion. © 2014 Sharma et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Eating disorder symptoms and control-seeking behavior

OBJECTIVE: Eating disorders (EDs) are a heterogenous group of disorders characterized by disturbed eating patterns. Links have been made between ED symptoms and control-seeking behaviors, which may cause relief from distress. However, whether direct behavioral measures of control-seeking behavior correlate with ED symptoms has not been directly tested. Additionally, existing paradigms may conflate control-seeking behavior with uncertainty-reducing behavior. METHOD: A general population sample of 183 participants completed part in an online behavioral task, in which participants rolled a die in order to obtain/avoid a set of numbers. Prior to each roll, participants could choose to change arbitrary features of the task (such as the color of their die) or view additional information (such as the current trial number). Selecting these Control Options could cost participants points or not (Cost/No-Cost conditions). Each participant completed all four conditions, each with 15 trials, followed by a series of questionnaires, including the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R). RESULTS: A Spearman's rank test indicated no significant correlation between total EAT-26 score and total number of Control Options selected, with only elevated scores on a measure of obsessions and compulsivity (OCI-R) correlating with the total number of Control Options selected (rs  = .155, p = .036). DISCUSSION: In our novel paradigm, we find no relationship between EAT-26 score and control-seeking. However, we do find some evidence that this behavior may be present in other disorders that often coincide with ED diagnosis, which may indicate that transdiagnostic factors such as compulsivity are important to control-seeking

Pregnant women\u27s navigation of information on everyday household chemicals: Phthalates as a case study

Background: Current developments in science and the media have now placed pregnant women in a precarious situation as they are charged with the responsibility to navigate through information sources to make the best decisions for her pregnancy. Yet little is known regarding how pregnant women want to receive and use health information in general, let alone information regarding the uncertain risks to pregnancy in everyday household products such as phthalates found in cosmetics and canned food liners. Using phthalates as an example, this study investigated how pregnant women obtain, evaluate, and act on information regarding their pregnancy. Methods: Pregnant women were recruited using pamphlets and posters distributed in prenatal clinics, prenatal fairs and physician offices in Southwestern Ontario Canada. Research participants were engaged in 20 to 40 min semi-structured interviews regarding their use of information sources in pregnancy, particularly regarding phthalates in cosmetics and canned food liners. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory techniques supported by NVivo 9™ software. Results: Theoretical sufficiency was reached after 23 pregnant women were interviewed and their transcripts analyzed. Three overlapping themes resulted from the co-constructed analysis: I-Strength of Information Sources; II-Value Modifiers; and III-Deciding to Control Exposure. The research participants reported receiving information from a wide range of sources that they perceived varying in strength or believability. They then described the strategies employed to increase the validity of the message in order to avoid risk exposure. Pregnant women preferred a strong source of information such as physician, government but frequently used weak sources such as the internet or the opinions of friends. A model was developed from the relationship between themes that describes how pregnant women navigate the multiple sources of information available to them. Conclusion: Our study provides insight into how pregnant women receive, appraise, and act on information regarding everyday household chemicals. Clinicians and their professional organizations should produce specific educational materials to assist women in understanding exposure to everyday products in pregnancy

Pregnant women\u27s navigation of information on everyday household chemicals: Phthalates as a case study

Background: Current developments in science and the media have now placed pregnant women in a precarious situation as they are charged with the responsibility to navigate through information sources to make the best decisions for her pregnancy. Yet little is known regarding how pregnant women want to receive and use health information in general, let alone information regarding the uncertain risks to pregnancy in everyday household products such as phthalates found in cosmetics and canned food liners. Using phthalates as an example, this study investigated how pregnant women obtain, evaluate, and act on information regarding their pregnancy. Methods: Pregnant women were recruited using pamphlets and posters distributed in prenatal clinics, prenatal fairs and physician offices in Southwestern Ontario Canada. Research participants were engaged in 20 to 40 min semi-structured interviews regarding their use of information sources in pregnancy, particularly regarding phthalates in cosmetics and canned food liners. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory techniques supported by NVivo 9™ software. Results: Theoretical sufficiency was reached after 23 pregnant women were interviewed and their transcripts analyzed. Three overlapping themes resulted from the co-constructed analysis: I-Strength of Information Sources; II-Value Modifiers; and III-Deciding to Control Exposure. The research participants reported receiving information from a wide range of sources that they perceived varying in strength or believability. They then described the strategies employed to increase the validity of the message in order to avoid risk exposure. Pregnant women preferred a strong source of information such as physician, government but frequently used weak sources such as the internet or the opinions of friends. A model was developed from the relationship between themes that describes how pregnant women navigate the multiple sources of information available to them. Conclusion: Our study provides insight into how pregnant women receive, appraise, and act on information regarding everyday household chemicals. Clinicians and their professional organizations should produce specific educational materials to assist women in understanding exposure to everyday products in pregnancy