Digital Commons Network^™

The Feasibility Of Computer-Assisted Survey Interviewing In Africa: Experience From Two Rural Districts In Kenya, Paul C. Hewett, Annabel Erulkar, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper explores the use of an audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (audio-CASI) methodology in a household survey of adolescents in two districts of Kenya. Computer software was developed as part of a research project comparing audio-CASI with traditional methods of interviewing about sensitive behaviors, including sexual initiation, risky sexual behavior, coerced sex, and drug and alcohol use. The paper describes the experience of carrying out a household-based study using computers and explores the technical challenges faced by the data collection teams. Few problems emerged with the computer hardware and software, despite the difficult interviewing conditions. The adolescent respondents easily adapted to …

Évaluation Interlaboratoire De Gants Destinés À Réduire L'Exposition Aux Vibrations Main-Bras, Paul-Émile Boileau, Jérôme Boutin

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cette étude présente les résultats d’évaluation de 4 types de gants dans 3 différents laboratoires en appliquant la méthodologie décrite dans la norme internationale ISO 10819 :1996. Les objectifs visés par cette étude consistaient à identifier les sources de variation liées à l’application de cette méthode d’essai et proposer des pistes de solution visant à simplifier la méthode, tout en acroissant la fiabilité et la reproductibilité des résultats. Les résultats des essais interlaboratoires ont établi qu’il pouvait y avoir des différences considérables sur les facteurs de transmission globale pondérée rapportés par les différents laboratoires, ces différences pouvant être plus importantes …

Développement Exploratoire D'Une Approche Pour L'Évaluation Des Amines En Milieu De Travail Et Documentation Des Procédés Industriels Utilisant Ces Substances, Claude Ostiguy, Sylvain Tranchand, Jacques Lesage, Huu Van Tra

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Le règlement sur la qualité du milieu de travail contient des normes pour quarante-quatre amines différentes. Les risques à la santé de l’exposition à ces substances sont très diversifiés allant de l’irritation cutanée au cancer alors que plusieurs sont allergènes cutanés ou respiratoires et que d’autres peuvent causer divers problèmes, dont plusieurs d’ordre pulmonaires. La présente activité a permis d’identifier les activités industrielles mettant en oeuvre l’une ou l’autre de ces amines de même que de répertorier celles qui sont les plus susceptibles d’être rencontrées dans les entreprises québécoises. Globalement, l’industrie chimique, l’industrie des peintures et adhésifs et l’industrie des …

Logiciel D'Analyse Et De Gestion Du Bruit Ouie2000. Phase 2 : Intégration De Mesures Expérimentales Et Évaluation De Puissance Acoustique Type, André L'Espérance

Rapports de recherche scientifique

En janvier 2000, l’Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, ALCAN et Soft dB inc. ont combiné leurs efforts pour développer le Logiciel d’analyse et de gestion du bruit OUIE2000. Ce travail a notamment compris la conception et l’intégration d’un modèle d’acoustique prévisionnelle novateur et d’une interface graphique conviviale (voir le rapport de recherche R-271 « Logiciel d’analyse et de gestion du bruit OUIE2000, Développement et intégration d’un modèle d’acoustique prévisionnelle » ¹).

L’utilisation du logiciel et les réflexions subséquentes du comité d’évaluation ont permis d’identifier quatre nouvelles fonctionnalités pour faciliter l’utilisation et l’appropriation …

Évaluation Des Activités D'Ouverture Et De Fermeture De Couvercles De Puits D'Aqueducs Et D'Égouts, Daniel Imbeau, Bruno Farbos, Raymond Bélanger, Serge Massé

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L'ouverture de tampons d'aqueducs et d'égouts sanitaires ainsi que de grilles d'égouts pluviaux implique des efforts physiques parfois importants, particulièrement pour le dos et les membres supérieurs de l’opérateur. Depuis ces dernières années, les réseaux d’égouts et d’aqueducs ont toutefois été améliorés par l’introduction de nouveaux couvercles dotés de « pattes-guides ». Ces dernières constituent une innovation importante. Néanmoins, l’apport et la diversité de ces nouveaux couvercles donnent lieu à certaines contreparties, notamment celle d’une modification de l’activité de l’opérateur. En réponse aux plaintes exprimées par ces opérateurs sur leur difficulté à ouvrir ces nouveaux types de couvercles (couvercles à …

Les Simulations Centrées Sur L'Activité Au Cours De L'Accompagnement Ergonomique Des Projets Industriels : Deux Cas De Conception De Cabines De Véhicule Dans L'Industrie Métallurgique, Marie Bellemare, Sylvie Beaugrand, Micheline Marier, Christian Larue, Steve Vezeau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Depuis les dernières décennies, les ergonomes sont appelés à non seulement réaliser des diagnostics, mais aussi à contribuer à l’implantation des recommandations qui en sont issues. Les ergonomes sont également de plus en plus nombreux à accompagner des projets d’entreprise : projets de construction de bâtiments, projets de réaménagement d’atelier, projets d’implantation de nouvelles technologies. Cette évolution de la pratique d’intervention se traduit par des développements théoriques et méthodologiques autour de la question suivante : comment intervenir dès la conception, afin de produire des situations de travail qui, tout en répondant à des critères de production, respectent la santé de …

Iso 9000 Et Après : Impact Sur La Performance En Sst Dans L'Entreprise Manufacturière, Jacqueline Dionne-Proulx, Jean-Bernard Carrière, Yves Beauchamp

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’objectif de cette recherche est double. Premièrement, il s'agit d’analyser si et en quoi le processus d’implantation d’ISO a un impact sur la performance en SST d’une entreprise. Deuxièmement, l'étude tente d’établir un profil comparatif des similarités et des différences dans les objectifs, les motifs ainsi que les modalités stratégiques d’implantation d’ISO selon le niveau de performance en SST, de façon à mettre en évidence les meilleures pratiques actuelles en ce domaine.

Ce projet de recherche est à caractère empirique; à partir d’un échantillon contrôle (ISO/NON-ISO) de 317 entreprises, 230 entrevues téléphoniques ont été réalisées, complétées par des 28 entrevues …

Troubles Musculo-Squelettiques Et Bureautique : Impact Du Mobilier De Bureau Sur La Posture Et La Sollicitation Musculaire Du Membre Supérieur, Alain Delisle, Christian Larivière, André Plamondon, Daniel Imbeau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Click here for the English version of this report

La présente étude avait pour objectif de déterminer si l'utilisation d'un mobilier de bureau ajustable en hauteur offrant un appui au niveau des avant-bras sur la surface de travail permet de réduire la sollicitation musculaire tout en minimisant l’impact sur la posture du membre supérieur. Dix-huit sujets ont effectué une tâche de travail à l’ordinateur de 20 minutes impliquant du travail alterné entre le clavier et la souris, avec trois mobiliers de bureau différents : un mobilier à surface unique avec support-écran indépendant, entièrement ajustable en hauteur, permettant l'appui des avant-bras …

Modélisation D'Un Chariot Élévateur Et De Son Cariste Pour Améliorer La Sécurité Lors De Renversements Latéraux, Michel Gou, Carl-Éric Aubin, Maria Olteanu, René Benoit, Marina Koutchouk

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Ce projet de recherche financé par l’IRSST fait suite à une problématique industrielle des traumatismes subis par le cariste lors du renversement latéral de son chariot élévateur. L’objectif général de cette étude a été de concevoir CARISSIMO, un logiciel d’aide à la conception des chariots élévateurs, pouvant tester différents dispositifs de sécurité dans différentes conditions d’accidents.

De façon plus précise, un modèle paramétré de chariot élévateur a été développé à l’aide du logiciel de modélisation MADYMO (TNO). Ce modèle permet de représenter la plupart des chariots à fourche en porte-à-faux et contrepoids, d’une capacité nominale de 2000 à 3000 kg, …

L'Intégration De La Prévention Sst Au Management Des Normes Iso 9000 Par La Macroergonomie : Une Recension Des Écrits Suivie D'Un Projet Pilote, Georges Toulouse

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les répercussions des normes ISO 9000 sur la santé et sécurité du travail sont perçues de façon contradictoire par les chercheurs et les praticiens. Pour certains, les normes ISO 9000 introduisent des éléments de management qui peuvent avoir des effets bénéfiques sur la sécurité; pour d’autres, les normes ISO 9000 auraient des effets négatifs accroissant les prescriptions et la charge de travail. Le présent rapport vise à clarifier cette problématique, et plus particulièrement à cerner avec plus de précision les facteurs favorisant ou limitant l’intégration de la SST aux normes ISO 9000 : 1994 (version 1994). La première partie du …

My Father Didn't Think This Way': Nigerian Boys Contemplate Gender Equality, Françoise Girard

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

One of the lessons emerging from adolescent programs around the world is the need to create settings where young men can question things that are often seen as unquestionable, such as what it means to be a man. This issue explores the Conscientizing Male Adolescents (CMA) program in Nigeria which, unlike many programs targeting adolescent boys that emphasize short-term activities aimed at preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy, is a long-term program focusing on sexism and critical-thinking skills. An initial evaluation indicates that such programs affirm that we do know how to engage young men, and that historically reinforced gender attitudes …

« Mon Père Pensait Autrement » : Des Garçons Nigérians Réfléchissent À L'Égalité Entre Les Sexes, Françoise Girard

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’une des leçons émergeant des programmes pour adolescents dans le monde entier concerne la nécessité de créer des cadres où les jeunes hommes peuvent remettre en question ce qui est souvent considéré comme incontestable, par exemple ce que signifie « être un homme ». Ce numéro décrit le programme nigérian « Conscientiser les adolescents de sexe masculin » (CMA, Conscientizing Male Adolescents). Contrairement à beaucoup de programmes visant les adolescents de sexe masculin, qui mettent l’accent sur des activités à court terme destinées à prévenir la maladie et les grossesses non désirées, le modèle proposé par CMA est un programme …

Population Policy: A Concise Summary, Paul Demeny

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Population policies are deliberately constructed or modified institutional arrangements and/or specific programs through which governments influence, directly or indirectly, demographic change. For any given country, the aim of population policy may be narrowly construed as bringing about quantitative changes in the membership of the territorially circumscribed population under the government’s jurisdiction. Governments’ concern with population matters can also extend beyond the borders of their own jurisdictions. Thus, international aspects of population policy have become increasingly salient in the contemporary world. Additions to the population are primarily the result of individual decisions concerning childbearing. Within the constraints of their social milieu, …

Women's Denial Of Having Experienced Female Genital Cutting In Northern Ghana: Explanatory Factors And Consequences For Analysis Of Survey Data, Elizabeth F. Jackson, Patricia Akweongo, Evelyn Sakeah, Abraham Hodgson, Rofina Asuru, James F. Phillips

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Although many cross-sectional social surveys have included questions about female genital cutting status and correlated personal characteristics, no longitudinal studies have been launched that permit investigation of response biases associated with such surveys. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of women aged 15 to 49 in rural northern Ghana. The self-reported circumcision status of women interviewed in 1995 was compared with the status they reported when they were interviewed again in 2000 after the government began enforcing a law banning the practice and public information campaigns against it were launched. In all, 13 percent of respondents who reported in …

Availability And Acceptability Of Iuds In Guatemala, Carlos Brambila, Berta Taracena

Reproductive Health

The purpose of this study was to identify the reasons for the low use of the IUD in Guatemala and to explore the reasons why other reversible methods are selected more frequently than IUDs. The study aimed to determine the availability and acceptability of IUDs as a contraceptive option within the Ministry of Health, the Guatemalan Social Security Institute, and APROFAM. Results indicated that service providers do not take into consideration women’s reproductive needs or intentions when they provide family planning counseling. There are several demand-side factors that affect the use of the IUD, including lack of knowledge about the …

One-Year Client Impacts Of Quality Of Care Improvements Achieved In Peru, Federico R. Leon, Santiago Roca, Alex Rios, Adriana Zumaran, Ana Rosa Feijoo

Reproductive Health

This report presents a one-year assessment of quality-of-care improvements in Peru, following provider training on the job aids–assisted Balanced Counseling Strategy. Results showed significant enhancement of quality of care, an increase in session length, and improved client knowledge of the method chosen when this was an IUD or hormonal method. Correlational findings suggested that better impacts can be achieved in provincial primary health facilities than in larger settings like clinics or hospitals in capital cities. The results are important because: 1) other studies have failed to show significant impacts of controlled quality-of-care improvements on the use of contraception; and 2) …

Policy And Program Implications Of The Matching Grants Program In The Philippines, Marilou Palabrica-Costello, Nimfa Ogena, Alejandro N. Herrin

Reproductive Health

In 1999, the Philippines Department of Health, with support from USAID and technical assistance from Management Sciences for Health (MSH), implemented the matching grants program (MGP) as a component of the local government performance program. The MGP aims to improve the capability of municipalities and component cities to expand service delivery, and to achieve significant increases in rates of fully immunized children, vitamin A supplementation, tetanus toxoid immunization for women, as well as in the use of family planning methods, especially modern methods. Upon the request of the USAID Mission, the Frontiers in Reproductive Health program worked closely with MSH …

Postabortion Family Planning Operations Research Study In Perm, Russia, Irina Savelieva, John M. Pile, Inna Sacci, Ratha Loganathan

Reproductive Health

EngenderHealth, the Population Council’s FRONTIERS program, and the Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, with support from the Perm Health Departments, undertook an operations research study to test models for increasing contraceptive use and reducing the repeat abortion rate among abortion clients in Perm, Russia. The study also assessed the direct and indirect costs of abortion and contraceptive use incurred by women in the year following their index abortion (the abortion which took place the day of entry into the study). The findings of the study were significant for the training interventions …

Improving Quality Of Care For Family Planning Services In Uganda, Joel Okullo, Quinto Okello, Harriet Birungi, Ian Askew, Barbara Janowitz, Carmen Cuthbertson, Florence Ebanyat

Reproductive Health

The Regional Centre for Quality of Health Care at Makerere University, Uganda in collaboration with the Delivery of Improved Services for Health II Project, the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the Population Council’s FRONTIERS Program, conducted an operations research project to help the MOH improve the quality of family planning services with the aim of helping couples better attain their reproductive goals. The study developed a package of interventions (the Yellow Star Programme—YSP) that sought to increase the readiness of clinics to offer basic family planning services, to improve provider motivation, and to empower clients to request quality services. The …

Introducing Dmpa Injectable Contraceptives To Private Medical Practitioners In Urban Gujarat, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Many public, NGO, and private-sector service-delivery systems are suitably matched to the requirements of providing injectable contraceptives in India, including the ability to ensure choice and service delivery quality. This operations research study was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of providing injectable contraceptives in private medical practices and to contribute to the body of scientific literature on the acceptability of this method in India. DKT India and EngenderHealth formed a partnership with the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health program to conduct this study in Gujarat. The ability to generate recommendations is limited, however, by the special characteristics of the …

Replication Of The Tostan Programme In Burkina Faso: How 23 Villages Participated In A Human Rights-Based Education Programme And Abandoned The Practice Of Female Genital Cutting In Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching

Reproductive Health

This document is a summary of the process followed in implementing a community-based education program in Burkina Faso. The Population Council initiated a collaboration between two NGOs, Tostan in Senegal and Mwangaza Action in Burkina Faso, to replicate the program for improving women’s reproductive health and contributing to the end of female genital cutting (FGC). In Burkina Faso, the participants (men and women) held discussions to analyze the problems faced by their communities and to find appropriate solutions. Many positive changes occurred in the participating villages: the communities now promote reproductive health and human rights and work to improve public …

Cultural Norms And Behavior Regarding Vaginal Lubrication During Sex: Implications For The Acceptability Of Vaginal Microbicides For The Prevention Of Hiv/Stis, Sarah Braunstein, Janneke Van De Wijgert

Reproductive Health

This paper presents the results of an extensive review of the literature pertaining to the relationship between vaginal lubrication and the acceptability of microbicides, spermicides, and male and female condoms. The review highlights the need for research that better elucidates norms, preferences, and practices regarding lubrication during sex within and across countries. The second part of the report presents the results of the first phase of a qualitative study on lubrication during sex showing that diverse personal and cultural factors shape preferences and practices and may ultimately affect the acceptability of microbicides. The immediate challenge is to provide women with …

Changing Family Planning Scenario In India: An Overview Of Recent Evidence, K.G. Santhya

Reproductive Health

Over the decades, there has been a substantial increase in contraceptive use in India. The direction, emphasis and strategies of the Family Welfare Programme have changed over time. However, meeting the contraceptive needs of considerable proportions of women and men and improving the quality of family planning services continue to be a challenge. The 1990s witnessed a growing recognition of this, and several innovative policy and programme initiatives have been launched to address these issues. This paper reviews and synthesises evidence from surveys and studies conducted in the 1990s and thereafter on contraceptive use dynamics and the unmet need for …

Actions That Protect: Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health And Choice Among Young People In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Mary Philip Sebastian

Reproductive Health

This paper synthesises the evidence on the sexual and reproductive health situation of young people in India, and explores what we know about underlying factors that place them at risk of or protect them from unsafe and unwanted sexual and reproductive health experiences. The picture that emerges suggests that substantial proportions of young people experience risky or unwanted sexual activity, do not receive prompt or appropriate care, and experience adverse reproductive health outcomes. Contextual factors such as poverty, gender imbalances and lack of education or livelihood opportunities clearly increase the vulnerability of youth. Other factors at the family, community and …

Évaluation Des Indices De Contrainte Thermique En Mines Profondes, Pierre C. Dessureault, Mathieu Doucet

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’Association Minière du Québec a logé une demande à l’effet d’utiliser le Air Cooling Power (ACP) comme indice de contrainte thermique dans les mines souterraines. Cet indice est en fait une adaptation de l’approche analytique basée sur le calcul du bilan thermique entre l’homme et son environnement. L’objectif premier de cette étude est de déterminer si cette approche rationnelle est au moins équivalente ou encore plus appropriée aux conditions de travail en mine profonde que l’application de l’indice WBGT. Elle doit aussi vérifier que le niveau d’astreinte thermique des travailleurs soit en deçà des limites généralement acceptées sous l’un ou …

Cancer Mortality Among American Indians And Alaska Natives: Regional Differences, 1994-1998, D.K. Espey, R.E. Paisano, N. Cobb

Native Health Database Full Text

This monograph delineates cancer mortality rates among American Indians and Alaska Native within the different regions served by the Indian Health Service (IHS). The table and charts depict broader geographic regions than in previous IHS cancer mortality monographs. The estimated IHS service population for each region and the cancer mortality rates from 1994 to 1998 are presented. Comparisons are made to the general U.S. population for the same time period. The intention of this publication is to provide detailed information about thew impact of cancer among Native American peoples, with a focus on the regional variability of cancer incidence for …

Urinary Excretion Of Dithiocarbamates And Selfreported Cruciferous Vegetable Intake: Application Of The ‘Method Of Triads’ To A Foodspecific Biomarker, Jay H. Fowke, James R. Hébert, Jed W. Fahey

Faculty Publications

Objective: Greater intake of Cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli) may prevent cancer at several sites. Urinary excretion of isothiocyanate conjugates (dithiocarbamates, DTC) provides a specific biomarker of Cruciferous vegetable consumption suitable for epidemiological investigations. However, no gold-standard referent is available for evaluating urinary DTC levels as an estimator of Cruciferous vegetable consumption. We compared urinary DTC levels to intake as measured by two selfreported dietary assessment techniques. Design: Cruciferous vegetable consumption was measured before and after a behavioural dietary intervention using multiple 24-hour recalls (24HR), a foodcounting questionnaire (VFQ) and urinary DTC excretion levels. Analysis included a structural equation approach (Method …

Analysis Of Longitudinal Marginal Structural Models , Jennifer F. Bryan, Zhuo Yu, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

In this article we construct and study estimators of the causal effect of a time-dependent treatment on survival in longitudinal studies. We employ a particular marginal structural model (MSM), and follow a general methodology for constructing estimating functions in censored data models. The inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) estimator is used as an initial estimator and the corresponding treatment-orthogonalized, one-step estimator is consistent and asymptotically linear when the treatment mechanism is consistently estimated. We extend these methods to handle informative censoring. A simulation study demonstrates that the the treatment-orthogonalized, one-step estimator is superior to the IPTW estimator in terms …

U.S. Childhood Vaccine Availability: Legal, Regulatory, And Economic Complexities, Robin J. Strongin

National Health Policy Forum

Despite the vital role they play in public health, childhood vaccines travel a complicated road from laboratory to provider and patient. From the fall of 2000 until well into 2002, a combination of factors, including market dynamics, legal challenges, and regulatory hurdles, led to a shortage of some childhood vaccines. This paper examines each of these factors, focusing on the important roles of both the public and the private sectors.

Activity Patterns And Correlates Among Youth: Differences By Weight Status, Wendell C. Taylor, James F. Sallis, Marsha Dowda, Patty S. Freedson, Karen Eason, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

The purposes of the study were to assess differences in physical activity levels and correlates of physical activity among overweight (‡ 85th percentile of body mass index for their sex and age) and non-overweight (< 85th percentile) youth. The sample included 509 seventh through twelfth graders. Activity was measured by a 7-day, 46-item activity checklist. Overweight girls were more sedentary than non-overweight girls (p<.03), and non-overweight girls engaged in more vigorous physical activity than overweight girls (p<.03). For boys, there were no significant differences in activity. The regression analyses for vigorous activity yielded the largest total R²'s (R²=.049 for overweight and R²=.27 for non-overweight.) The significant factor for overweight youth was greater athletic coordination (p<.01). For non-overweight youth, the significant factors were greater family support (p<.05), greater peer support (p<.001), fewer barriers (p<.03), and greater athletic coordination (p<.01). Correlates of physical activity vary by weight status of young people.