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Spéciation Et Caractérisation De Poussières De Béryllium, Joseph Zayed, Gilles L'Espérance, Philippe Plamondon, Mathieu Rouleau, Suzanne Philippe

Rapports de recherche scientifique

La valeur limite pour l’exposition occupationnelle au Be est de 2,0 μg/m³. Or, exposés à des niveaux inférieurs à la norme actuelle de 2,0 μg/m³, des travailleurs peuvent développer des problèmes de santé (Eisenbud, 1998). Certaines études montrent que la spéciation du Be et la granulométrie jouent un rôle majeur au niveau de la toxicité. L’objectif de ce projet est de caractériser les particules riches en Be contenues dans des poussières recueillies en milieu industriel québécois.

Les techniques initialement prévues pour effectuer la caractérisation étaient la spectrométrie des électrons Auger ainsi que la spectrométrie de la …

Étude De Faisabilité En Vue D'Intégrer La Santé Et La Sécurité Du Travail Et L'Ergonomie À L'Approche Pva-Kaizen, Georges Toulouse, Iuliana Nastasia, Daniel Imbeau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’étude présentée dans ce rapport se situe dans le cadre des recherches menées depuis plusieurs années à l’IRSST en vue d’améliorer les interventions ergonomiques pour prévenir les troubles musculo-squelettiques (TMS). Les recherches ont principalement porté sur le développement d’outils et l’analyse de la démarche d’ergonomie participative (St-Vincent et al., 2000). Cette démarche avait été reprise par la Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) avec un programme d’intervention LATR (Lésion attribuable au travail répétitif). Ce programme a été appliqué à partir de l’année 1997 jusqu’à l’an 2000 dans plus d’une centaine d’entreprises. Le bilan des études …

Évaluation En Temps Réel De Vapeurs De Formaldéhyde, Brigitte Roberge, Rodrigue Gravel

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Certains agresseurs chimiques, tels le formaldéhyde, ont une valeur d’exposition admissible (VEA) à ne pas dépasser (valeur plafond). Or, la méthode d’évaluation couramment utilisée en hygiène du travail nécessite un grand volume et une longue durée de prélèvement sur un milieu collecteur. Elle est mieux adaptée pour évaluer une exposition de longue durée qu’une valeur plafond. Dans une telle situation, l’utilisation d’instruments à lecture directe permet une évaluation instantanée en temps réel. Par contre, l’interprétation des lectures exige beaucoup de vigilance, car la présence concomitante d’autres substances peut induire des lectures erronées.

Les caractéristiques physiques de certains instruments à lecture …

Importance De L’Organisation Du Travail Comme Soutien Aux Stratégies Protectrices Des Afs Et Des Infirmières Des Services De Soins Et De Maintien À Domicile, Esther Cloutier, Hélène David, Élise Ledoux, Madeleine Bourdouxhe, Catherine Teiger, Isabelle Gagnon, François Ouellet

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Comme l’a montré une étude exploratoire en 1998, les emplois d’auxiliaires (AFS) et d’infirmières sont les deux emplois les plus nombreux en termes d’effectifs dans les CLSC au Québec et ils présentent des risques importants pour la santé et la sécurité (SST). Cette étude exploratoire avait montré que l’organisation du travail peut soutenir de manière plus ou moins efficace les travailleuses par différentes mesures. Le secteur de la santé est en croissance, la main-d’œuvre y est vieillissante; plusieurs recrues devront être engagées et conservées. Une nouvelle recherche a donc été réalisée afin d’étudier le rôle de l’organisation du travail des …

Étude De La Problématique Santé Et Sécurité Du Travail Des Opérateurs Du Métro Et Des Possibilités De Réaménagement Des Loges De Conduite, Marie Bellemare, Sylvie Beaugrand, Danièle Champoux, Christian Larue, Paul Massicotte, Maud Gonella

Rapports de recherche scientifique

À la suite d’une demande des partenaires sociaux d’une grande entreprise de transport public, préoccupés par les niveaux vibratoires auxquels sont exposés les opérateurs de métro et par le siège inadéquat installé dans l’espace restreint de la loge de conduite, deux études ont été menées en parallèle. La première étude¹, objet du présent rapport, est une recherche exploratoire en deux volets : le premier vise à mieux définir la problématique de santé et de sécurité des opérateurs du métro alors que le second se concentre sur les possibilités d’améliorer le poste de conduite des trains construits il y …

Développement D’Une Banque De Données De Facteurs De Friction De Ventilation Pour Les Mines Québécoises, Charles Gagnon, Kostas Fytas

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Ce rapport est une synthèse des résultats obtenus dans le cadre d’une campagne de cueillette de facteurs de friction « K » dans les mines métalliques souterraines québécoises. L’objectif principal de ce projet était la mise sur pied d’une banque de données détaillée des facteurs K calculés lors de cette campagne et d’y inclure l’ensemble des facteurs K qui ont été publiés dans le passé ailleurs dans le monde. De ce fait, 137 facteurs K ont été mesurés dans 10 mines métalliques du Québec : Beaufor (Val-Senneville), Bell-Allard (Matagami), Bouchard- Hébert (Rouyn-Noranda), Doyon, (Rouyn-Noranda), Laronde (Cadillac), Louvicourt (Louvicourt), Géant-Dormant (Amos), …

Réduction Du Bruit Dans Les Centres De La Petite Enfance Par La Réduction Du Temps De Réverbération : Analyses Et Études De Cas, André L'Espérance, Alex Boudreau, François Gariépy, Philippe Bacon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Click here for the English version of this report

Selon différentes études, les niveaux de bruit dans les locaux et les aires de jeu des Centres de la petite enfance (CPE) sont parfois élevés et peuvent avoir des répercussions sur la santé. La fatigue auditive et le stress sont les deux principaux effets négatifs. De plus, les niveaux de bruit élevés peuvent entraîner de l’irritabilité, un inconfort de communication, une réduction de l’intelligibilité de la parole et même un ralentissement de l’apprentissage verbal chez les enfants.

Plusieurs solutions ont déjà été identifiées et mises en place pour réduire le bruit …

Commerce De Détail. Phase Ii : Analyse Ergonomique Des Activités De Manutention Et De Service À La Clientèle Dans Des Magasins-Entrepôts De Grande Surface, Marie St-Vincent, Denys Denis, Roselyne Trudeau, Daniel Imbeau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cette étude constitue la suite d’une première recherche visant à mieux comprendre le travail et les risques qui en découlent de même que les avenues de solutions possibles dans les magasins-entrepôts de grande surface.

Des questionnaires visant à décrire les symptômes de stress et de TMS ont d’abord été adressés aux travailleurs (n=116) et aux directeurs (n=28) de six succursales d’une importante chaîne de magasins-entrepôts d’articles de bureau. La population de travailleurs présente les caractéristiques suivantes : 88 % sont des hommes, 64 % ont moins de 25 ans, 65 % sont à temps partiel et 50 % ont moins …

Childhood And Adolescent Obesity: Nationwide Pediatric Healthcare Provider Practices And Their Role In Treatment And Prevention Of The Obesity Epidemic, Alison Farley

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research is to explore screening and treatment patterns as well as the underlying provider confidence in their decision-making related to the overweight and obese child and adolescent patient. The screening and treatment of obesity in the child and adolescent population are affected by complex social implications and physical side effects. Without a clear consensus on screening, diagnosis and alternative treatment plans, healthcare providers will not maximize the opportunity to provide primary and secondary prevention to the growing epidemic.

Statistical analysis of secondary survey data was conducted to explore screening and treatment patterns as well as the …

A Legal Remedy For Homophobia: Finding A Cure In The International Right To Health, Michael Boucai

Journal Articles

This article argues that the international right to health obligates governments to combat homophobia. Part One presents the powerful evidence that stigma, prejudice, and violence directed toward lesbian and gay people drastically endanger their physical and mental well-being. Part Two defends an expansive interpretation of the international right to health. Applying this interpretation, Part Three proposes that gay men and lesbians are entitled to demand that their governments to eliminate all public and much private discrimination against gay men and lesbians, and requires them to combat homophobia through education and other positive efforts. Acknowledging that this obligation is unlikely to …

Women's Participation In Disaster Relief And Recovery, Ayse Yonder, Sengul Akcar, Prema Gopalan

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Too little attention has been given to the gender-differentiated effects of natural disasters, that is, women’s losses relative to men’s, how women’s work time and conditions change (both in terms of care-giving and income-generating work), or how disaster-related aid and entitlement programs include or marginalize affected women. The detailed case studies from three earthquake-stricken areas in India and Turkey that are contained in this issue of SEEDS help fill this information gap. They provide examples of how low-income women who have lost everything can form groups and become active participants in the relief and recovery process. Readers learn how women …

Reciprocal Effects Of Health And Economic Well-Being Among Older Adults In Taiwan And Beijing, Kristine R. Baker, Mary Beth Ofstedal, Zachary Zimmer, Zhe Tang, Yi-Li Chuang

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The objectives of this Population Council study are threefold: 1) to examine whether socioeconomic status disparities in health are found in non-Western settings; 2) to assess whether socioeconomic status gradients in health endure into older ages; and 3) to evaluate the direction of causality between health and socioeconomic status. Findings provide evidence for reciprocal effects of economic well-being and health among older adults in both Taiwan and Beijing. Those with higher levels of economic well-being have lower levels of functional limitation over time, and those with higher levels of functional limitation have lower levels of economic well-being over time. Consistent …

The Impact Of Childhood Mortality On Fertility In Six Rural Thanas Of Bangladesh, Mian Bazle Hossain, James F. Phillips, Thomas K. Legrand

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper examines the causal structure of the relationship between child mortality events and subsequent fertility during a time of rapid decline in fertility in Bangladesh. Results lend support to the hypothesis of an insurance effect, while demonstrating that its demographic significance is likely to be less prominent than that of replacement behavior. Findings indicate that the insurance motive remains intact even after total fertility declined to fewer than three children per woman. The well-documented role of gender bias as a determinant of child health and survival is also a factor in child-replacement decisionmaking. Although the rapid …

The Changing Context Of Sexual Initiation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Barbara Mensch, Monica J. Grant, Ann K. Blanc

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This working paper investigates the links between changing age at marriage and premarital sexual behavior in 27 sub-Saharan African countries in which Demographic and Health Surveys were conducted between 1994 and 2003. Using multiple-decrement life tables to examine the competing risks of premarital sex and marriage without prior sexual experience, we answer the largely unaddressed question of how reductions in the prevalence of early marriage have affected the likelihood of initiating premarital sex. Our analysis reveals that although the age of first sexual activity has either remained the same or increased, a shift in the context of sexual debut from …

Kutibu Majeraha, Kutia Matumaini: Ushirikiano Wa Watanzania Dhidi Ya Fistula Obstetrikia, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité describes a partnership formed to combat obstetric fistula in Tanzania. The Bugando Medical Center, the Women’s Dignity Project, the Tanzania Midwives Association, and the government cooperated on an extensive program for surgical repair, prevention, and policy research and activities. Lessons learned: 1) Fistula programs need to address social as well as medical issues. 2) Most repairs are successful, making an enormous difference in women’s lives. 3) Relatively little funding is necessary to start up a fistula program. 4) Fistula programs are vehicles for broader conversations about gender and poverty.

How Many Years Of Life Could Be Saved If Malaria Were Eliminated From A Hyperendemic Area Of Northern Ghana?, Ayaga A. Bawah, Fred N. Binka

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

For some time, Chinese government policies have treated rural and urban areas very differently, and a by-product of China’s rapid development seems to be an even greater differentiation between urban and rural social and economic life. Over the next several decades, in part because of rapid fertility declines and in part as a result of mortality declines at older ages, China and other developing countries will experience enormous increases in the proportion of older adults and the proportion of the “oldest-old.” It is reasonable to expect that these age structure changes will alter the provision of health care, making an …

Transferring Ghana's System Of Evidence-Based Health Program Development: Program For An Initial Exchange With Sierra Leone And Burkina Faso, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Ghana’s Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) experiment demonstrated that mobilizing community volunteerism, in combination with retraining and redeploying nurses to village-based locations reduced childhood mortality rates in that country. Thus, CHPS has become the government’s primary strategy for realizing universal access to health care. This report provides a description of an initial exchange organized by the Ghana Health Service, the Navrongo Health Research Centre, and the Population Council to explore ways of transferring and adapting these evidence-based strategies to other countries in the region. The exchange included representatives from the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation and the …

Cross-Cultural Adaptation Of Reproductive Health Services In Bolivia, Fernando Gonzales Salguero, Antonieta Martin, Rosario Perez Mendoza, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

The Bolivian Ministry of Health and Sports and the Integral Health Project, with the technical assistance of the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program (FRONTIERS), tested several strategies to make health services in Bolivia more culturally appropriate for the country’s indigenous peoples. The goal of the project was to increase women’s access to, use of, and satisfaction with health services in general, and reproductive health services in particular, through: a) enhanced understanding and acceptance of the “other” culture; b) improving communication skills; c) facilitating and promoting use of the Quechua language in clinics; d) systematically screening clients’ health service …

Operations Research To Improve Postabortion (Pac) Services In Three Public Hospitals, Bolivia, Fernando Gonzales Salguero, Mariel Loayza

Reproductive Health

In the last five years, Pathfinder Bolivia has provided technical assistance, training and equipment to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to implement postabortion care (PAC) services in eight hospitals. They invited Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) to provide the technical assistance and training for conducting operations research (OR) activities. This report describes the second stage of this collaborative effort as presented in a three-day workshop attended by providers and staff members of the participant hospitals. During the workshop, participants received OR training and developed draft OR proposals seeking to improve PAC service delivery problems identified during the first study. The …

Use Of Systematic Screening To Increase The Provision Of Reproductive Health Services In Bolivia, James R. Foreit, Ricardo Vernon, Patricia Riveros Hamel

Reproductive Health

The objective of this study was to determine if the use of a checklist to screen for unmet service needs could increase the number of services per visit provided to clients using rural Bolivian health facilities. Measurement included changes in services per visit before and after the introduction of the intervention, and a comparison of services received at screened and non-screened visits. Findings show that, to the degree that provider compliance can be secured, systematic screening of clients appears to be an effective method for reducing unmet health service needs. The findings of this study replicate those of other studies …

Willingness-To-Pay For Services Provided By The Clinical Services Improvement Project (Csi) In Egypt, John H. Bratt, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Magdi A. Ibrahim, Mohammed Edress

Reproductive Health

Willingness-to-pay (WTP) surveys are increasingly used in reproductive health programs to predict the impact of price changes on revenues, utilization, and client profile. The FRONTIERS program worked with the Clinical Services Improvement (CSI) project and the Cairo Demographic Center to carry out a WTP survey in six CSI clinics in Egypt. The survey found that most clients would be willing to pay higher prices for CSI services, and WTP did not vary much by client economic status. However, predictive validity was low when all reasons for client discontinuation were included. WTP surveys have the potential to be useful tools for …

An Assessment Of Trends In The Use Of The Iud In Ghana: National Results Dissemination And Utilization, Ivy Osei, John Gyapong, Monica Wanjiru, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

The overall aim of this study was to inform the Ghana Health Service, USAID, and other partners involved in providing family planning services in Ghana about future directions that could be taken to reinvigorate the IUD within the context of a family planning service based on the principles of free and informed choice. The Health Research Unit conducted the study, with technical assistance from FRONTIERS and funding from USAID. The findings showed that the declining interest in and use of the IUD as a family planning method could be attributed to several factors, including negative perceptions and false beliefs about …

Improving The Ghanaian Safe Motherhood Programme, Ivy Osei, Bertha Garshong, Gertrude Banahene, John Gyapong, Placide Tapsoba, Ian Askew, Clement Ahiadeke, Richard Killian, Edward Bonku, Perle Combary, William Sampson

Reproductive Health

Prior to the Ghana Ministry of Health scaling up the country’s Safe Motherhood program, they requested support from the Population Council’s USAID-funded Frontiers in Reproductive Health program to undertake an operations research study to evaluate and compare the cost-effectiveness of two training approaches and other performance improvement interventions. The study measured and compared changes in provider knowledge and skills and the costs of implementing a three-week residential vs. self-paced learning (SPL) approach. The SPL approach costs more per trainer than the traditional residential approach, both in financial costs alone and when opportunity costs are added, however, a cost-effectiveness analysis showed …

Improving Access To Long-Term Contraceptives In Rural Guatemala Through The Ministry Of Health, Edwin Montufar, Carlos Morales, Ricardo Vernon, Carlos Brambila, Jorge Solorzano

Reproductive Health

The purpose of this study was to test a model to train nurse auxiliaries at health centers and posts in Guatemala and to determine whether these providers could deliver adequate, cost-effective services. The training model consisted of: a) selection of nurse auxiliaries; b) two-day group training; c) on-the-job training, including work with actual clients at the trainees’ work centers; and d) certification of trainees who had conducted at least five quality insertions under supervision. This study has shown that nonprofessional health providers can effectively provide quality IUD services in Guatemala. The main recommendation derived from the project is to scale …

Expanding Access To Vasectomy Services In The Ministry Of Health Of Guatemala, Blanca De Rodriguez, Ricardo Vernon, Jorge Solorzano

Reproductive Health

This project tested the effectiveness of a systemic model for introducing vasectomy in service delivery units of the Guatemalan Ministry of Health (MOH), which has four basic components: a) the self-selection of health units according to their response to an invitation to participate in the project; b) the development of a counseling and information model for potential clients; c) training and sensitizing of health teams; and d) on-site training of surgeons. The report concludes that the introduction model for vasectomy in the MOH centers was successful. A high proportion of hospitals that identified vasectomy candidates finished the process, and the …

Systematic Screening As A Strategy To Increase Services Integration And Revenues In Honduras, Ricardo Vernon, James R. Foreit, Fiorella Mancini, Suyapa Pavon, Jheisy Torres

Reproductive Health

This operations research study, undertaken by the Honduras Family Planning Association (Asociación Hondureña de Planificación de Familia—ASHONPLAFA), tested the effectiveness of systematic screening to increase the number of services and revenue per visit in a reproductive health program. Despite monitoring plans, provider compliance with the intervention was low; the overall proportion of clients screened was less than 11 percent, and the frequency of screening varied greatly by clinic contact point. Although the study did not show an increase in the mean number of services per client, the negative results could reasonably be attributed to lack of implementation of the intervention. …

Systematic Screening To Integrate Reproductive Health Services In India, N.P. Das, Urvi Shah, Varsha Chitania, Pratibha Patel, M.E. Khan, Anurag Mishra, James R. Foreit

Reproductive Health

This study, conducted in large public clinics and small health posts in the city of Vadodara, India, tested the effectiveness of a systematic screening technique in integrating reproductive health services at the provider level. The objective was to determine if women screened during clinic visits received more services, appointments, and referrals per visit than women who were not screened. Results show that in experimental group clinics the number of services per visit increased while control clinics experienced a slight decrease; the effect of systematic screening was smaller in health posts than in clinics. In experimental posts, services per visit increased …

Nursing Staff Dynamics And Implications For Maternal Health Provision In Public Health Facilities In The Context Of Hiv/Aids, Loveday Penn-Kekana, Duane Blaauw, Khin San Tint, Desiree Monareng, Jane Chege

Reproductive Health

This study, carried out in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa, aimed to document nursing staff dynamics in maternal health services, and to explore the factors associated with these dynamics. The study found that a high percentage of nursing staff working in public facilities were demotivated, burnt out, and were considering leaving the facility where they were working. A range of factors, both financial and nonfinancial, were associated with nurses considering going overseas: inadequate pay, poor promotion, feeling unsupported by management, and having bad relationships at work were all associated with lack of organizational commitment. As a result …

Feasibility Of Introducing A Comprehensive Package Of Antenatal Care Services In Rural Public Clinics In South Africa, Jane Chege, Ian Askew, Nzwakie Mosery, Mbali Ndube-Nxumalo, Busi Kunene, Mags Beksinska, Janet Dalton, Ester Snyman, Wilem Sturm, Preshny Moodley

Reproductive Health

The Maternal, Child and Women’s Health Unit, in collaboration with the Population Council’s FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program, the Reproductive Health Research Unit of the University of Witwatersrand, and the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases of the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, University of Natal, developed and then pilot-tested this revised model in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The project’s objective was to develop and test an improved and integrated antenatal care program for public-sector clinics that would increase the range and quality of services received by pregnant women and improve their reproductive health behavior and status. Various problems, …

Using Systematic Screening To Increase Integration Of Reproductive Health Services Delivery In Senegal, Diouratie Sanogo, Ricardo Vernon, James R. Foreit, Awa M. Coll-Seck, Colonel Adama Adoye, Laty G. Ndoye, Cheikh Bamba Diop, Balla Mbacke Mboup, Omar Sarr

Reproductive Health

This study tested the systematic screening technique to increase the integration of reproductive health services in Senegal. The study took place in four urban health posts in the city of Dakar and three rural health posts in the district of Kebemer. A before and after design tested the hypothesis that the use of the systematic screening tool would result in more services received per client visit. In Dakar, services per visit increased significantly by 20 percent, while in Kebemer, services per visit also increased significantly by 35 percent. The study also examined several techniques to improve provider compliance with the …