Cultural Competency in Capacity Building

Discusses different capacity building approaches to improving cultural competency that are informed by community participation and multicultural organizational development

The knowledge and attitude of graphical warning signs on tobacco among males working in the Sri Lanka Railway Department.

Background: Cigarette smoking has now become a major health burden in Sri Lanka. Government introduced graphical warning signs displaying eight pictures in 2012. Regardless of global studies done on this issue, none have been conducted in the local context. Hence, this study was done with the intention of furnishing this discontinuity.Objectives: To determine the knowledge and attitude of graphical warning signs on tobacco among males working in the Sri Lanka Railway Department.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study with a cluster sampling method was carried out among 110 male workers aged between 20-60 years. A self-administered questionnaire was used. The significance was tested using the Chi-Square test at a 5% significance level. Results were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: The overall response rate was 100%. Participants were aware of the diseases depicted in the graphical warning signs (67.9%, n=72) than the ones that were not (29.2%, n=31), and there was a significance difference in this observation (p<0.0001). Out of the displayed diseases, lung cancer was the most widely known disease (89.6%, n=95) and conversely diseases in children were the least known (26.4%, n=28). The people who hadn’t appreciated the warning signs (n=16)stated the pictures being unpleasant to look at (68.8%, n=11) and letters being too small (31%,n=9) as the reasons. From the smokers, 84% (n=42) believed cigarette packets should carry graphical warnings and it should cover 50-100% of the package. The pictures with oral cancer had the best response when the effectiveness and health message was considered while the pictures containing children were rated low in conveying the relevant message.Conclusions: Graphical warnings have captured the attention of the majority and, both smokers and non-smokers had positive attitudes regarding them. From the eight pictures that are currently been used, five had conveyed the health message to the public more effectively than the other three

Dose-modified lenalidomide induces sustained hematological response in patients with intermediate to high risk myelodysplasia

No Abstract Availabl

Obesity, Food Insecurity, and Depression among Females

Background: Nutritional psychiatry is an emerging field of research and it is currently exploring the impact of nutrition and obesity on brain function and mental illness. Prior studies links between obesity, nutrition and depression among women. However, less is known how food insecurity may moderate that relationship. Methods: Data were employed from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), 2001-2003. Two logistic regression models were Logistic regression was used to determine the association between obesity, gender, food insecurity, and past year Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). We then stratified by gender, and tested the association between obesity and past year MDD, and if food insecurity moderated the association. Results: Obesity was associated with an increased risk for past year Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) among females (AOR = 1.35; 95% CI 1.17-1.55) and was not associated among males (AOR = 1.07; 95% CI, 0.86-1.32). Women who reported that reported both obesity and food insecurity reported higher odds of past year MDD episode (AOR = 3.16; 95% CI, 2.36-4.21, than women who did not report food insecurity (AOR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.38). Conclusion: With rising rates of mental health problems, females should be closely monitored to understand how poor diets, food insecurity, and obesity play a role in mental health outcomes. It is recommended that clinicians and treatment providers consider the patient\u27s diet and access to nutritious foods when conducting their assessment

What’s Buzzing on your Feed? Health Authorities’ Use of Facebook to Combat Zika in Singapore

In 2016, Singapore grappled with one of the largest Zika outbreaks in Southeast Asia. This study examines the use of Facebook for Zika-related outreach and engagement by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environmental Agency (NEA) from March 1, 2015 to September 19, 2016. Despite nearly equivalent outreach, MOH’s Facebook posts received more likes (µ=3.49) and shares (µ=30.11), whereas NEA’s posts received more comments (µ=4.55), with NEA posting mostly on prevention (N=30) and MOH on situational updates (N=24). Thematic analyses identified prevention-related posts as garnering the most likes (N=1277), while update-related posts were most shared (N=1,059) and commented upon (N=220). Outreach briefly ceased for two months after Singapore’s first imported case of Zika, but increased following the outbreak of locally-transmitted cases in August 2016. Public engagement was significantly higher during Zika, compared with prior Haze and Dengue outbreak. The results indicate the value of Facebook as a tool for rapid outreach during infectious disease outbreaks, and as a ‘listening’ platform for those managing the situation. We discuss implications for public health communication and research

A critical study of the Sinhala works of Jacome Gonsalves (1676-1742).

Abstract Not Provided