Beyond Bandaids: Understanding the Role of School Nurses in NSW: Summary Report

The World Health Organisation (1992) suggests that people’s health behaviours are determined by the context in which they live their everyday lives. This would include the settings in which people live, work and seek leisure. Given the substantial time children and young people spend at school, it is realistic to assume that schools play a major role in determining such health behaviours. In support of this, Stewart-Brown (2006) presented research findings which indicate that school based health promotion is an effective means of promoting youth health. Schools have been found to have a major protective influence across a number of health issues, including mental health, healthy eating and physical activity (Stewart-Brown, 2006). Good health has also been correlated with more successful learning (NSW Health Department, 2000); again indicating the importance of ensuring good health during childhood and adolescence. School nursing plays a vital role in providing this health promotion within schools

ACM SAC'03 Special Track on Software Engineering: Applications, Practices, and Tools

The brief letter gives an overview of the topics of the conference track organised by us. Twelve Papers have been selected about Formal Semantics, Design Patterns, UML, Java, Software Testing, etc. The Conference Proceeding containing those papers is published by the ACM

Rapid assessment of avoidable blindness in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

BACKGROUND: There are no recent data on the prevalence and causes of blindness in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment in the population aged 50 years and above in the Occupied Palestinian Territories using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) survey method. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Clusters of 40 people who were 50 years and above were selected with probability proportionate to size using a multistage cluster random sampling method. Participants received a comprehensive ophthalmic examination in their homes, including visual acuity testing by one of three experienced ophthalmologists. The principal cause for visual loss was determined by an experienced ophthalmologist using portable diagnostic instruments. Information about previous cataract surgery, satisfaction with surgery and barriers to cataract surgery were collected. The prevalence of self-reported diabetes was also determined. The prevalence of bilateral blindness (VAor=3/60 and or=6/60 and or=6/18), 23.2% had a borderline outcome (VAor=6/60) and 22.3% had a poor outcome (VAor=50 year age group was 26.4% (95% CI: 24.9-27.9). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of blindness suggests that significant numbers of people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories exist who do not access eye care - predominantly women and those residing in Gaza. Programmes need to focus on maximizing the use of current services by these excluded groups