Variations in Pastors’ Perceptions of the Etiology of Depression By Race and Religious Affiliation

Depression is a major, preventable problem in the United States, yet relatively few individuals seek care in traditional mental health settings. Instead, many choose to confide in friends, family, or clergy. Thus, it is important to discover how clergy perceive the definition of and etiology of depression. The author conducted a survey with 204 Protestant pastors in California. Multinomial logistic regression revealed a statistically significant difference in how depression is perceived based on race. Caucasian American pastors more readily agreed with the statement that depression was a biological mood disorder, while African American pastors more readily agreed that depression was a moment of weakness when dealing with trials and tribulations. Also, mainline Protestants more frequently disagreed with statements about spiritual causes of depression than Pentecostals and non-denominational pastors. The findings suggest that racial and religious affiliational influences shape how pastors view, and ultimately intervene, in the area of depression

Evaluating real-time internet therapy and online self-help for problematic alcohol consumers: a three-arm RCT protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Only a minority of all alcohol- and drug abusers is receiving professional care. In an attempt to narrow this treatment gap, treatment facilities experiment with online healthcare. Therefore, it is important to test the (cost-)effectiveness of online health interventions in a randomized clinical trial.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This paper presents the protocol of a three-arm randomized clinical trial to test the (cost-) effectiveness of online treatment for problem drinkers. Self-help online, therapy online and a waiting list are tested against each other. Primary outcome is change in alcohol consumption. Secondary outcome measures include quality of life and working ability. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for self-help online alcohol and therapy online alcohol will be calculated. The predictive validity of participant characteristics on treatment adherence and outcome will be explored.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>To our best knowledge, this randomized clinical trial will be the first to test the effectiveness of therapy online against both self-help online and a waiting-list. It will provide evidence on (cost-) effectiveness of online treatment for problem drinkers and investigate outcome predictors.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>This trial is registered in the Dutch Trialregister (Cochrane Collaboration) and traceable as NTR-TC1155.</p

Selective laser trabeculoplasty: past, present, and future

Over the past two decades, selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has increasingly become an established laser treatment used to lower intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertensive patients. In this review we trace the origins of SLT from previous argon laser trabeculoplasty and review the current role it has in clinical practice. We outline future directions of SLT research and introduce emerging technologies that are further developing this intervention in the treatment paradigm of glaucoma.Eye advance online publication, 5 January 2018; doi:10.1038/eye.2017.273

Anthropometric relationships between parents and children throughout childhood: the Fleurbaix-Laventie Ville Santé Study.

BACKGROUND: The study of parent-child anthropometric relationships and their evolution over time may help to better understand familial risk factors for childhood obesity. METHODS: In a population-based cohort of 124 nuclear families (Fleurbaix-Laventie Ville Sant?tudy (FLVS) I and II), various anthropometric parameters were measured in both parents and their children, first when the children were prepubescent and again at the end of puberty. Troncular adiposity repartition was estimated by calculating troncular to peripheral skinfolds ratio and waist-to-hip circumferences ratio. Birth and infancy heights and weights were also obtained from the children's health booklets. Parent-child correlations were estimated in infancy, before and at the end of the child's puberty. A prospective analysis was performed to predict the changes in the children's measurements over puberty according to their parents' corresponding baseline values. RESULTS: BMI and weight correlations at birth were high (>0.30) with the mother and low (<0.10) with the father, then they converged to an intermediate level at 2 y and remained between 0.2 and 0.3 thereafter. Correlations for waist circumference were already present at the prepubertal period and persisted on the same level at the postpubertal period, whereas correlations for subcutaneous adiposity - measured by four skinfolds - and for adiposity distribution - measured by ratios - were higher at the postpubertal period. Moreover, the prospective approach showed that mother's BMI predicted the evolution of her children's BMI over puberty, whereas this relationship was observed more specifically with the father concerning adiposity distribution parameters. CONCLUSION: Maternal adiposity may act early in life on the adiposity of the child. Maternal and paternal adiposities seem to have quite distinct effects at two key periods of the child's adiposity development such as the prenatal and pubertal periods

Using Market-Based Instruments to Enhance Climate Resilience

Each chapter will address one specific sub-theme out of the population of themes covered in the Major Reference Work: Water, Energy, Agriculture and Food Built environment and Infrastructure, Transport, Human health, Society, and Disaster