L'évaluation des campagnes de lutte contre le SIDA en Suisse : recherche scientifique rapide et expertise continue

Philippe Lehmann, Françoise Dubois-Arber, Dominique Hausser, Félix Gutzwiller: An evaluation of the AIDS prevention campaign in Switzerland; the rapidity of scientific research and the continuing expertise. Since 1985, the campaign for the prevention of AIDS, organised in Switzerland at a national level heve called for co-ordinated planning involving the mass-media. These campaigns which affect the population as a whole, as well as certain particular social groups, are continuously being assesed. The carrying out of this enterprise (tasks) not only creates problems as to the scientific validity of the results; but also these arising from the speed at which analyses are made, and their incorporation into the directing of future campaigns. The choices which are made are set out in this article as well as the main results.Résumé. Depuis 1985, les campagnes de prévention du SIDA mises en place en Suisse au niveau national, font appel à des stratégies coordonnées multi-médias. Ces campagnes qui touchent la population générale et des milieux particuliers, font l'objet d'un programme continu d'évaluation. Le suivi d'une telle entreprise pose des problèmes de validité scientifique mais aussi de rapidité des analyses et d'intégration des conclusions dans l'orientation des campagnes. Les options retenues sont présentées ainsi que les principaux résultats.Philippe Lehmann, Françoise Dubois-Arber, Dominique Hausser, Félix Gutzwiller : Evaluación de las campañas de lucha contra el SIDA en Suiza : investigación científica rápida y evaluación continua. Desde 1985 las campañas de prevención contra el SIDA puestas en práctica en Suiza a nivel nacional, recurren a estrategias coordinadas empleando los distintos medios de comunicación. Estas campañas que atañen a la población en gêneral y a sectores particulares, son sometidas a un programa continuo de evaluación. La supervisión de dicha empresa plantea problemas que conciemen tanto su validez científica como la rapidez de los análisis y de la integración de las conclusiones en la orientación de dichas campañas. Se presentan las opciones propuestas asi como los principales resultados.Lehmann Philippe, Dubois-Arber Françoise, Hausser Dominique, Gutzwiller Félix. L'évaluation des campagnes de lutte contre le SIDA en Suisse : recherche scientifique rapide et expertise continue. In: Sciences sociales et santé. Volume 7, n°1, 1989. Sociétés à l'épreuve du SIDA, sous la direction de Janine Pierret. pp. 141-161

SIDA: L'information comme outil de prévention

Objective information for the groups exposed to the disease and the public in general is the only step that is currently possible in the prevention of AIDS. A certain number of information and support actions have been developed as a consequence of the appearance of AIDS in Switzerland. The AIDS information hot-line at the CHUV is one of these actions with the aim of orienting the information according to demand and examining the utility of this means, we made a prospective evaluation of the calls (between 23 October 1985-inception of the line and 31 March 1986). Out of a total of 535 calls, 317 requests for appointments (tests, consultation) or written documentation, and 218 (41%) were transferred to the doctor; 39% of the calls came from people who were directly concerned (ill, with a positive test, exposed groups), 11% from health professionals, and 47% from the general public. 56% of the calls were concerned with transmission of the disease (sexual, blood, indirect), 22% with the meaning of the detection test, 22% referred to the symptoms of the disease. According to the doctor's estimate, although the standard of knowledge is satisfactory in 55% of the cases, a considerable number of false ideas, that generate irrational fear, still persist. This hot-line thus provides a sympathetic ear and individual support, particularly for the exposed groups, rather than information about the disease. The existence of this action, therefore, appears justified, but must be integrated into a global strategy of information promotion

Mesure des plis cutanés et masse adipeuse corporelle: une précision de l'excès de poids dans l'enquête épidémiologique?

By definition, obesity corresponds to the presence of a mass of fatty tissue that is excessive with respect to the body mass. Body fat can be calculated in terms of age and sex by measuring the skinfold thickness in several different places. During the MONICA project, the survey of cardiovascular risk factor prevalence enabled us to measure the thickness of four skinfolds (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac) in 263 inhabitants of Lausanne (125 men, 138 women). In men aged 25-34, 21 +/- 5% of the body mass was composed of fat, in women 29 +/- 4%. The proportion of fat increases to 31 +/- 7% in men and 41 +/- 6% in women aged 55-64. A robust regression allows body fat to be simply expressed in terms of the body mass index. This allows us to confirm the validity of this index for evaluating the degree of obesity during an epidemiological study