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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Responsibility For Disease Management On Rusinga Island: Reconciling The Limitations Of External Aid And The Role Of Community-Based Initiatives, Allyson Russell
Responsibility For Disease Management On Rusinga Island: Reconciling The Limitations Of External Aid And The Role Of Community-Based Initiatives, Allyson Russell
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Rusinga Island has been on the receiving end of many non-governmental and government-run health interventions. Though ample money has been invested in disease control, malaria and HIV/AIDS transmission and death rates remain higher than in any other location in Kenya. This study employs the use of interviews, both formal and informal, focus group discussions and observation in order to discover possible factors which have confounded the success of previous disease management programs. The study seeks the community's perspective on these programs as well as ideas for community-based, bottom-up strategies which might be able to curb the high rates of malaria …
Lamu Sensitive Aid: Barriers To Distribution, Acceptance, And Use Of Malaria Prevention In Lamu District, Kelan Stoy
Lamu Sensitive Aid: Barriers To Distribution, Acceptance, And Use Of Malaria Prevention In Lamu District, Kelan Stoy
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
his study examines how organizations work locally to distribute malaria aid and education for malaria prevention. Additionally, it analyzes the effectiveness this aid has in improving malaria preventative techniques used by the people of Lamu District. This effectiveness was compared in the contexts of several regions of the district to further understand differences in rural and urban settings. Information was gathered using a variety of interviews with organizations and prominent community leaders to gauge their ideas on malaria in Lamu and strategies used to prevent it, and informal field interviews to observe different communities’ perspectives on malaria and also their …
The Birds & The Bees Of The West Usambaras: Family Planning & Population Of Sagara & Kizanda Villages, Melissa Neville
The Birds & The Bees Of The West Usambaras: Family Planning & Population Of Sagara & Kizanda Villages, Melissa Neville
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
My study in the West Usambaras took place November 2009. The main objectives of the study were to identify the principle family planning methods of women in Sagara and Kizanda villages, why those specific methods were used, and how they may be changing over time. The study also focused on the population growth and fertility rates of the two villages. I predicted that fertility rates were high and constant, and that most women would use traditional methods of birth control, with only a few choosing to use medication available at the local health clinic or dispensary. My predictions turned out …
Conocimientos, Percepciones, Y Prácticas De Mujeres Jóvenes Acerca Del Papiloma Virus Humano, Michelle Marie Picón Ruiz
Conocimientos, Percepciones, Y Prácticas De Mujeres Jóvenes Acerca Del Papiloma Virus Humano, Michelle Marie Picón Ruiz
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Background: Efforts by the Chilean Ministry of Health to reduce the mortality rates due to cervical cancer by 40% during 2000 - 2010 have successfully impacted every age group except for young women between the ages of 20-24. Cervical cancer is caused by Human Papiloma Virus (HPV), the most common Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). Both are detected by the Papanicolaou test, or Pap smear. Cervical cancer found in older women most likely developed from an HPV infection contracted in their youth. This study aims to understand the knowledge, practices, and perceptions that young women in Arica, Chile have about their …
Voz De Los Internos: Atención De Salud En El Recinto Penal En Arica, Chile, Lily Hoffman
Voz De Los Internos: Atención De Salud En El Recinto Penal En Arica, Chile, Lily Hoffman
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
According to both international and Chilean laws, incarceration does not affect one’s right to healthcare. Despite this protection, the health of prisoners’ remains a controversial topic in many communities, which may contribute to the inconsistencies in the levels of access to, and quality of, healthcare services in jails/prisons. A voice that is commonly overlooked, despite its value, is that of the patients of healthcare systems in jails/prisons around the world. This project was conducted in the maximum security prison complex in Arica, Chile and includes interviews with twenty-two incarcerated individuals based on their experiences with healthcare services in prison. Sixty-eight …
El Rol De La Partera En La Provincia De Parinacota, Liana Langdon-Embry
El Rol De La Partera En La Provincia De Parinacota, Liana Langdon-Embry
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
For centuries, the Aymaran people of the Parinacota Province in Northern Chile have been deeply committed to ancestral practices, where a Cosmo vision rears a connection between human beings, the natural environment, and the spiritual world. The Aymaran medicinal practices replicate this relationship, with the indigenous medicine man and midwives historically holding a central role in the natural healing of community members. This study describes the present-day role of Señora Fausta Pairo Mollo, the midwife in the altiplano region of Parinacota. In particular, it examines how her practices has been integrated into the official medical system, while also investigating how …
How To Build A Health Clinic: Disease Burden, Health Seeking Behavior And Clinic Structures In The Kibera Slums, Samuel Mcgowan
How To Build A Health Clinic: Disease Burden, Health Seeking Behavior And Clinic Structures In The Kibera Slums, Samuel Mcgowan
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This study seeks to determine a model for a health clinic to be run by the Kibera School for Girls in the Katwekera village of Nairobi’s Kibera slums. The study examines the disease burden of the school’s initial target population, the health-seeking behavior of the community, and current clinic structures in Kibera. Using these methodological tactics, the study suggests the Kibera School for Girls should start a small, locally-run clinic that offers basic primary health care to a target population of about 5,000 Kibera residents.
Kibera Community Unconscious Of The Silent Disease: Sti, Sindhya Rajeev
Kibera Community Unconscious Of The Silent Disease: Sti, Sindhya Rajeev
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The objective of this study was to conduct a Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Awareness Survey that explores knowledge about STIs and attitude towards them, and thereafter, institute and implement an educational intervention in the Kibera slum, of Nairobi. The survey included 120 participants from the 12 villages of Kibera. It revealed that, of those interviewed, 34% are unable to name an STI other than HIV/AIDS and 99% are unaware of any of the syndromes associated with STIs. This demonstrated a clear need for STI Awareness and education, and thus an informative brochure on STIs was created, to be distributed during …
The Impact Of Brazil’S Bolsa Familia Program On Food Security In Santo Antônio De Jesus, Bahia, Mario Felipe Dest
The Impact Of Brazil’S Bolsa Familia Program On Food Security In Santo Antônio De Jesus, Bahia, Mario Felipe Dest
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The purpose of this research project is to evaluate the impact that the Bolsa Família Program has on the level of food security within an impoverished community of Santo Antônio de Jesus. The issue of food security is important because a person’s overall health worsens as a result of not having access to a healthy and well balanced diet. As a result of these negative health aspects, one’s capacity to do work, learn, and take care of one’s family are all affected. This relationship between nutrition and social situations is the focus of this study, which will be used to …
Breastfeeding: A Landmark In Global Public Health, Melissa Tinling
Breastfeeding: A Landmark In Global Public Health, Melissa Tinling
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
In the study of public health and the discipline of global health, what is the meaning of the term “global public health”? The author, Melissa Tinling, defines the concept and gives an illustration through the model of the global effort to increase breastfeeding prevalence. Using the WHO and UNICEF joint Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding as the central framework, the responsibilities of the global, international, national, and local levels are depicted within the context of Geneva, Switzerland. The author identifies the ethical considerations implicated in the application of the global public health strategy to breastfeeding.
“Edutainment”: The Role Of Mass Media In The Development Of An Effective Hiv/Aids Youth Awareness Campaign In Viet Nam, Carmin Smoot
“Edutainment”: The Role Of Mass Media In The Development Of An Effective Hiv/Aids Youth Awareness Campaign In Viet Nam, Carmin Smoot
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Since the first reported case of HIV in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in the year 1990, more than 300,000 people have contracted the disease. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has made considerable progress since that time in disseminating information on HIV/AIDS to the public, utilizing various forms of media. Yet in the rudimentary stages of this national effort, a “social evils” campaign was launched by the government; an emphasis was placed on informing the public as to why individuals contract HIV/AIDS, and which negative individual behaviors, or “social evils,” influence the proliferation of the disease. As more of the …
“I Didn’T Feel Like Living”: The Prevalence, Perceptions, And Prevention Of Hiv/Aids Among Tibetan Refugees In Kathmandu, Caitlin Macleod-Bluver
“I Didn’T Feel Like Living”: The Prevalence, Perceptions, And Prevention Of Hiv/Aids Among Tibetan Refugees In Kathmandu, Caitlin Macleod-Bluver
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The fight against HIV/AIDS is a global one, a concern that is addressed by both the Nepali government and the Tibetan government in exile. Both governments have taken measures to prevent the further spread of the epidemic among their populations, increase knowledge and awareness about the disease, and provide better treatment and care to those living with HIV/AIDS. However, there is a gap between these efforts, particularly within the Tibetan refugee community. As a result of Tibetan’s refugee status in Nepal, fewer resources have been allocated for dealing with and understanding the risk factors for Tibetans in exile in Nepal. …
Tuberculosis Por Los Ojos De La Vida Aymara: La Correlación Entre Estilo De Vida Y Tuberculosis En Los Aymara Del Norte De Chile, Sam Percy
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Background: Explanations for disparities in health between groups of people are complex, and based in differences in genetics, environment, access to medical care, socioeconomic, educational, and cultural factors. In short a person’s lifestyle is inextricably related to a person’s health and their propensity to contract disease. Members of the indigenous group Aymara who live in Arica, Chile have 6 times the rate of morbidity from Tuberculosis (TB) as non-Aymara and 9 times the rate of mortality from the disease. This study examined if there was a link between the rate of TB amongst the Aymaran people and the way Aymarans …
La Calidad Del Agua Potable En Arica, Con Respecto A La Salud, Emily Lubell
La Calidad Del Agua Potable En Arica, Con Respecto A La Salud, Emily Lubell
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Water is essential to sustain life, and the availability of safe drinking water is a concern throughout the world. This study examines the potential negative health effects related to drinking the potable water in Arica, Chile. It also looks at who has access to purified water. This study was implemented over a span of four weeks in which information was collected from different local resources including, the potable water distributor, private water vendors, professors, and public health service workers. In comparison with 2001, 2009 levels of boron, total hardness and total dissolved solids are higher in concentration. In both 2001 …
Constructions Of Disease In Mayo Village, Rachel Eades
Constructions Of Disease In Mayo Village, Rachel Eades
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Understanding how individuals and institutions negotiate illness and construct ideas about disease is important to public health efforts across the globe. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa suffer from a variety of health problems that many regions of the world have long since eradicated. Economic hardship, combined with high rates of communicable diseases, food poverty, lack of sanitation, and poor water quality make countries in sub-Saharan Africa some of the poorest and sickest in the world. Tanzania is a prime example. The purpose of this study was to explore how people in one rural, Tanzanian village construct ideas about disease – its …
Una Manera De Vida Diferente: Embarazos En Adolescentes Y Planificación Familiar En La Zona De Intag, Ecuador, Jennifer Dabrow
Una Manera De Vida Diferente: Embarazos En Adolescentes Y Planificación Familiar En La Zona De Intag, Ecuador, Jennifer Dabrow
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Lack of family planning and high rates of adolescent pregnancy plague the poorest regions of the world. Not only does this deficiency result in the deaths of infants and mothers as well as significantly depressing quality of life, but, as the human population expands, we risk destroying much of the environment and natural resources upon which we depend. In Intag, a rural network of communities in the cloud forest of Ecuador, adolescent pregnancy is the norm and women commonly have upwards of 7 children. Working in the Subcentro health clinic of Apuela, I interviewed 50 mothers regarding their age during …
“The Womb People” : Detection, Treatment, And Prevention Of Cervical Cancer With The Khayelitsha Cervical Cancer Screening Project In Khayelitsha, South Africa, Kirsten Lynch
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The current policy concerning cervical cancer screenings is not effectively addressing the specific needs of the female South African population. The program, as outlined by the South African Department of Health, is not sufficiently accessing women due to problems in availability, access, organization, and education. As women are living longer with HIV/AIDS, due to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, they are becoming more susceptible to opportunistic infections that can lead to cervical cancer, such as Human strains of the virus can be prevented with administration of an HPV vaccination and advancement of precancerous lesions can be detected and treated with current technology. …
Mitigating The Impact Of Aids On A Rural Community: Observations Of The Inner Workings Of A Rural Non-Governmental Organization, Kara Huselton
Mitigating The Impact Of Aids On A Rural Community: Observations Of The Inner Workings Of A Rural Non-Governmental Organization, Kara Huselton
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The purpose of this study project was to understand the impact of HIV/AIDS on a community and to assess the ability of a non-governmental organization to mitigate the negative effects of disease and poverty in the spaces where the government has failed to address community needs. The author observed employees at the Bhekuzulu Self Sufficient Project in rural KwaZulu Natal over a period of three and a half weeks in order to gain an understanding of the work done there. Secondary research was done to supplement these observations and better understand the social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS on a …
Mandatory Measles Vaccination Program: Is There A Place For One In Switzerland?, Anne Rushman
Mandatory Measles Vaccination Program: Is There A Place For One In Switzerland?, Anne Rushman
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The investigation of this topic began as a curiosity from the measles outbreak in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland in early 2009. As I began to gain a deeper knowledge of the subject of measles and measles vaccination in this community I saw the potential it held as a topic to explore my interests in the juncture of public policy and public health. As I approached the topic of measles vaccination from not only a public health perspective but also from that of political and ethical perspective I was able to make an analysis of potential changes in the health …
Public Health Ethics: Establishing “Durable Solutions” Within The Global Polio Eradication Initiative In Nigeria, Tiffany T. Mason
Public Health Ethics: Establishing “Durable Solutions” Within The Global Polio Eradication Initiative In Nigeria, Tiffany T. Mason
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Discussions on public health ethics often appeal to the same codes of conduct established in the field of bioethics. Principles of bioethics contribute to the morality of the study of public health—proposing an optimal code of conduct in the medical care and human research aspects of the field. For example, public health researchers are aware of their obligations to consider informed consent, confidentiality, and the equal distribution of risks and benefits in the implementation of their studies and interventions. However, public health practice extends far beyond medical care and human research. Thus, it is inappropriate to assume that codes established …