The Environmental Theme in Representations and Practices of Family Health Professionals in the Municipality of Manaus - State of Amazonas/Brazil

There are abundant scientific evidences showing that the increased risk of exposure to diseases is a consequence of anthropogenic environmental changes. In the Family Health Strategy, tasks with a clear environmental focus are prescribed, indicating to the professional teams that they should consider these aspects in their health practices. The objective of this research was to study representations and practices of Family Health Professionals of Manaus - State of Amazonas, Northern Brazil - about environmental issues and their interface with public health. Data were collected by means of participant observation and semi-structured interviews, and the qualitative analysis was carried out through Content Analysis and Methodological Triangulation. The results showed that most professionals do not understand the environment in a systemic way, even though they recognize the great impact that environmental factors have on human health; as interventions, the educational practices follow traditional methodologies and focus on blaming the individual and on the simple transmission of knowledge; the professionals' relationship with the community is limited to personal and/or collective care. It is concluded that in order to the Family Health Strategy to contribute to restructure the system, it is essential to redirect this new health policy model so that it becomes effective as a social and environmental practice.

Rhetorics and Practices of Modernisation in Russian Industry: a Reflective Analysis of Organisational Cultures in Transition

This research was based on the results of a case study of a large confectionery factory in the Russian city of Samara. The concept of paternalism is clear in many features of the life of Russian enterprises, including the rhetoric and strategy of the management, relationships within the labour force and the stereotypical expectations of workers. The concept also has a much wider bearing, embracing the spheres of state policy, the social, and family relationships, that is every sphere of social life in which the patriarchal, communal, stereotyped way of thinking of the Soviet people is reproduced. A substantial proportion of the state's role in providing social protection for the population is carried out through enterprises. In spite of low salaries and the absence of career opportunities, female workers were as strongly attached to the enterprise as to their homes. Romanov's research showed how the development of capitalism in industries in Russia is destroying the cultural and social identities of female workers and is contributing to gender inequality. Interpersonal relations are becoming increasingly utilitarian and distant and the basic features of the patriarchal type of administrative control are becoming blurred. This control is becoming more subtle, but gender segregation is preserved in the new framework and indeed becoming more obvious, being reproduced both at the departmental level and in the hiring policy of the enterprise as a whole.

Short-term effects of hygiene education for preschool (kindergarten) children: a clinical study

AIM: To evaluate the outcomes of short (15 minutes) oral hygiene vs. hand hygiene education for preschool children 4 weeks after these interventions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-one preschool children (age range 4-6 years) attending four kindergarten classes participated in a 15-minute health education programme on the importance of body cleanliness for general health. In addition, specific instructions on oral hygiene were provided for two randomly selected classes (30 children), while the remaining two classes (31 children) were given instruction of hand and nail cleaning. The oral hygiene status was assessed usingthe plaque control record (PCR). The cleanliness of the hands and fingernails was determined using a hand hygiene index (HHI) and a nail hygiene index (NHI). All three parameters were assessed before the intervention as well as 4 weeks thereafter. RESULTS: Four weeks after education, the PCR had improved for all children from 79.95% to 72.35% (p < 0.001). The NHI had improved from 74.91% to 61.71% (p < 0.001). In addition, the mean PCR of the children given oral hygiene instruction decreased from 83.67% to 72.40%, while the mean PCR of the children given hand and nail cleaning instruction decreased from 76.23% to 72.29% (interaction effect 'time x type of instruction': p = 0.044). Girls' PCR improved significantly more than boys' PCR (Girls, 80.98 vs. 69.71; boys, 78.33 vs. 75.31; p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study show that even a short, school-based educational intervention at an early age may affect children's oral health promotion significantly. Teachers should, therefore, be encouraged to educate children from an early age about oral hygiene promotion.

An investigation of the pica practices of pregnant women in Houston and Prairie View, Texas

Pregnant African American women are at higher risk of having a preterm delivery and/or a low birthweight infant. Many factors are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes but a food habit that deserves further study in the causal process is pica, a craving for, and ingestion of, nonnutritive substances such as laundry starch, clay, dirt, or ice. This food habit is more common in the African American population but has not been adequately studied in relation to preterm and/or low birth weight infants.^ Mothers (n = 281) with infants less than one year of age who participated in the Special Supplementary Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at clinics in Houston and Prairie View, Texas were interviewed regarding pica practices during pregnancy, dietary practices, and some demographic indices. Hospital records were abstracted for health information on the mothers and infants, including birthweight and gestational age at birth of the infant.^ The subjects were 88.6% African American, 6.8% Hispanic, and 4.6% Caucasian. Overall prevalence of pica was 76.5%. Pica prevalence by substance(s) was as follows: ice 53.7%; ice and freezer frost 14.6%; other substances such as baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, laundry starch, and clay or dirt 8.2%; and 23.5% reported no pica. The women who reported ice/freezer frost pica had a higher percentage of illegal drug use and alcohol use during pregnancy. The women who reported other pica substances had the lowest mean educational level, highest gravidity, and a higher percentage smoked during pregnancy.^ There were no significant differences in nutrient intakes measured by the mean 24-hour dietary recalls between women who reported ice pica (n = 103) and women who denied pica (n = 50). The women who reported ice/freezer frost pica or other pica substances had more food cravings and food dislikes during pregnancy than those who reported ice pica or no pica.^ There were no differences in mean birthweight or mean gestational age at birth of infants born to mothers from the three pica groups and the no pica group but regression analyses revealed a possible relationship between pica, low maternal hemoglobin at delivery, and preterm birth. ^

Practices of pediatric oncology and hematology providers regarding fertility issues: A European survey.

BACKGROUND Fertility is impaired in many survivors of childhood cancer following treatment. Preservation of fertility after cancer has become a central survivorship concern. Nevertheless, several doctors, patients, and families do not discuss fertility and recommendations for fertility preservation in pediatrics are still lacking. Recommendations based on scientific evidence are needed and before their development we wanted to assess the practice patterns of fertility preservation in Europe. PROCEDURES On behalf of the PanCare network, we sent a questionnaire to pediatric onco-hematology institutions across Europe. The survey consisted of 21 questions assessing their usual practices around fertility preservation. RESULTS One hundred ninety-eight institutional representatives across Europe received the survey and 68 (response rate 34.3%) responded. Pre-treatment fertility counseling was offered by 64 institutions. Counseling was done by a pediatric onco-hematologist in 52% (33/64) and in 32% (20/64) by a team. The majority of institutions (53%) lacked recommendations for fertility preservation. All 64 centers offered sperm banking; eight offered testicular tissue cryopreservation for pre-pubertal males. For females, the possibility of preserving ovarian tissue was offered by 40 institutions. CONCLUSIONS There is a high level of interest in fertility preservation among European centers responding to our survey. However, while most recommended sperm cryopreservation, many also recommended technologies whose efficacy has not been shown. There is an urgent need for evidence-based European recommendations for fertility preservation to help survivors deal with the stressful topic of fertility. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;9999:1-5. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.