STRUCTURAL AND HIDDEN BARRIERS TO A LOCAL PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INFRASTRUCTURE: AUTONOMY, DECISIONS ABOUT PRIMARY HEALTH CARE, AND THE CENTRALITY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF POWER.

PubMed

Freed, Christopher R; Hansberry, Shantisha T; Arrieta, Martha I

2013-09-01

To examine a local primary health care infrastructure and the reality of primary health care from the perspective of residents of a small, urban community in the southern United States. Data derive from 13 semi-structured focus groups, plus three semi-structured interviews, and were analyzed inductively consistent with a grounded theory approach. Structural barriers to the local primary health care infrastructure include transportation, clinic and appointment wait time, and co-payments and health insurance. Hidden barriers consist of knowledge about local health care services, non-physician gatekeepers, and fear of medical care. Community residents have used home remedies and the emergency department at the local academic medical center to manage these structural and hidden barriers. Findings might not generalize to primary health care infrastructures in other communities, respondent perspectives can be biased, and the data are subject to various interpretations and conceptual and thematic frameworks. Nevertheless, the structural and hidden barriers to the local primary health care infrastructure have considerably diminished the autonomy community residents have been able to exercise over their decisions about primary health care, ultimately suggesting that efforts concerned with increasing the access of medically underserved groups to primary health care in local communities should recognize the centrality and significance of power. This study addresses a gap in the sociological literature regarding the impact of specific barriers to primary health care among medically underserved groups.

Community-made mobile videos as a mechanism for maternal, newborn and child health education in rural Uganda; a qualitative evaluation.

PubMed

Mutanda, Juliet Ntuulo; Waiswa, Peter; Namutamba, Sarah

2016-12-01

In Uganda, the maternal, newborn and child mortality is highest in rural areas, which are least served by health services and are also least reached by effective behavior change communication for health. Though maternal and child health related messages are available, they are still not culture and context specific for effective behaviour change. This study aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using locally made videos by local community groups in local languages as a channel for increasing knowledge, practices, demand and use of maternal and child health messages among women living in rural communities in Eastern Uganda. This paper describes the qualitative findings from a quasi experimental study targeting the rural semi-illiterate populations in hard to reach areas. Videos were developed and implemented based on Ministry of Health. Focus group discussions and KIs targeted pregnant and post natal mothers. Data transcription and content analysis was done. Local mobile community videos were effective in communicating knowledge about key maternal and child health messages to both women and their male partners. Locally made mobile community videos are effective in improving knowledge, attitudes, practices and use of maternal and child health messages among rural semi-illiterate communities.

Building Climate Literacy Through Strategic Partnerships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turrin, M.; Creyts, T. T.; Bell, R. E.; Meadows, C. A.

2012-12-01

One of the challenges of developing climate science literacy is establishing the relevance of both climate science and climate change at a local community level. By developing partnerships with community-based informal science education providers, we are able to build our climate science and climate change content into existing programs. Employing a systems science approach facilitates these partnerships as our systems science program links with a range of topics, demonstrating the multiple connections between climate, our communities and our daily lives. Merging hands on activities, collaborative projects, and new technology, we encourage learning through doing by engaging participants in active exploration of climate science concepts. Many informal education venues operating locally, from large science museums to small grass-roots community groups, provide ongoing opportunities to connect with students. Through our collaborations we have worked with various types and sizes of non-classroom science providers including: the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum "Greater Opportunities Advancing Leadership and Science" camps for high school girls, Hudson River Park Trust 'Science on the River' events, the annual New York City World Science Festival, and the AAUW's annual STEM Super Scholars Workshops among others. This range of venues has enabled us to reach various ages, backgrounds and interests advancing climate literacy in a number of forums. Major outcomes of these efforts are: (1) Building capacity with community groups: Many local organizations running community programs do not have in-house science expertise. Both science educators and local organization benefit from these collaborations. Science educators and scientists provide up to date climate science information to the community groups while these programs establish strong working relationships between our research and the local community. (2) Developing climate science literacy and lifelong learning: We have delivered climate science in a variety of ways, each designed to connect the participants with a fundamental science concept while building excitement for the topic and facilitating learning in a non-traditional setting. Our approaches range from launching teams of young people into experiments exploring glacial physics through free-choice inquiry opportunities, to enlisting undergraduate science students in working with the participants demonstrating glacial motion and measurement through engaging technology such as Kinect Xbox 360 sensors, to short single concept hands-on activities designed to deliver a specific climate 'take home' message. (3) Generating a local connection to climate science and impacts: Working with local informal education groups we connect climate topics to community-based issues and 'hot topics' such as sustainable planning, waterfront erosion, storm surge impacts, and local sea level rise projections. Partnering with community based informal education providers allows us to expand our offerings to reach a wider audience of young people, and to connect more directly with our local community. We are excited by the potential in these partnerships to connect students with climate science and develop not only a climate literate group of young people, but also lifelong science learners.

Metacommunity ecology meets biogeography: effects of geographical region, spatial dynamics and environmental filtering on community structure in aquatic organisms.

PubMed

Heino, Jani; Soininen, Janne; Alahuhta, Janne; Lappalainen, Jyrki; Virtanen, Risto

2017-01-01

Metacommunity patterns and underlying processes in aquatic organisms have typically been studied within a drainage basin. We examined variation in the composition of six freshwater organismal groups across various drainage basins in Finland. We first modelled spatial structures within each drainage basin using Moran eigenvector maps. Second, we partitioned variation in community structure among three groups of predictors using constrained ordination: (1) local environmental variables, (2) spatial variables, and (3) dummy variable drainage basin identity. Third, we examined turnover and nestedness components of multiple-site beta diversity, and tested the best fit patterns of our datasets using the "elements of metacommunity structure" analysis. Our results showed that basin identity and local environmental variables were significant predictors of community structure, whereas within-basin spatial effects were typically negligible. In half of the organismal groups (diatoms, bryophytes, zooplankton), basin identity was a slightly better predictor of community structure than local environmental variables, whereas the opposite was true for the remaining three organismal groups (insects, macrophytes, fish). Both pure basin and local environmental fractions were, however, significant after accounting for the effects of the other predictor variable sets. All organismal groups exhibited high levels of beta diversity, which was mostly attributable to the turnover component. Our results showed consistent Clementsian-type metacommunity structures, suggesting that subgroups of species responded similarly to environmental factors or drainage basin limits. We conclude that aquatic communities across large scales are mostly determined by environmental and basin effects, which leads to high beta diversity and prevalence of Clementsian community types.

Difference, Ambiguity and Potential for Learning--Local Communities Working in Partnership with Local Government.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blaxter, Loraine; Farnell, Richard; Watts, Jane

2003-01-01

An action learning project for neighborhood regeneration in Coventry, England, showed that differences of power and viewpoint were inevitable and essential. More open networks enabling communication among community groups were needed. Funding for community networking needed to go beyond short-term projects supported by the current policy agenda.…

The Accuracy of Perceptions of Education Finance Information: How Well Local Leaders Understand Local Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Luca, Barbara M.; Hinshaw, Steven A.; Ziswiler, Korrin

2013-01-01

The purpose for this research was to determine the accuracy of the perceptions of school administrators and community leaders regarding education finance information. School administrators and community leaders in this research project included members of three groups: public school administrators, other public school leaders, and leaders in the…

Protected area staff and local community viewpoints: A qualitative assessment of conservation relationships in Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Mutanga, Chiedza Ngonidzashe; Muboko, Never; Gandiwa, Edson

2017-01-01

With the increase in illegal resource harvesting in most protected areas (PAs), the need to understand the determinants and relationships between PAs and local communities to enhance wildlife conservation is increasingly becoming important. Using focus group discussions and interviews, we established the determinants of PA staff-community relationship from both PA staff and local communities' viewpoints, and assessedperceptions of their relationship with each other. The study was guided by the following main research question, 'What is the nature of the relationship between PA staff and local communities and what are the main factors influencing the relationship?' Data were collected through focus group discussions and interviews from four PAs and their adjacent communities in Zimbabwe between July 2013 and February 2014. Our results showed that a total of seven determinants were identified as influencing PA staff-community relationship, i.e., benefit-sharing, human-wildlife conflict, compensation for losses from wildlife attacks, communication between PA staff and local communities, community participation in the management of CAMPFIRE projects, lack of community participation in tourism in PAs, and community perceptions of PA staff or PA staff perceptions of the community. Of the seven, only one determinant, benefit-sharing, was recorded as the main factor that differentially influencesthe perceptions of community and PA staff on their relationship. Furthermore, both the communities and PA staff reported mixed perceptions on their relationship with each other. We conclude that both communities' and PA staff's views on determinants are largely similar in all studied PAs irrespective of PA ownership, management and/or land use. Our findings could be relevant in policy making especially in developing countries in developing PA-community relationship framework in natural resource conservation.

Asthma Prevention and Management for Aboriginal People: Lessons From Mi’kmaq Communities, Unama’ki, Canada, 2012

PubMed Central

Watson, Robert; Bennett, Ella; Masuda, Jeffrey; King, Malcolm; Stewart, Miriam

2016-01-01

Background Asthma affects at least 10% of Aboriginal children (aged 11 or younger) in Canada, making it the second most common chronic disease suffered by this demographic group; yet asthma support strategies specific to Aboriginal peoples have only begun to be identified. Community Context This research builds on earlier phases of a recent study focused on identifying the support needs and intervention preferences of Aboriginal children with asthma and their parents or caregivers. Here, we seek to identify the implications of our initial findings for asthma programs, policies, and practices in an Aboriginal context and to determine strategies for implementing prevention programs in Aboriginal communities. Methods Five focus groups were conducted with 22 recruited community health care professionals and school personnel in 5 Mi’kmaq communities in Unama’ki (Cape Breton), Nova Scotia, Canada, through a community-based participatory research design. Each focus group was first introduced to findings from a local “social support for asthma” intervention, and then the groups explored issues associated with implementing social support from their respective professional positions. Outcome Thematic analysis revealed 3 key areas of opportunity and challenges for implementing asthma prevention and management initiatives in Mi’kmaq communities in terms of 1) professional awareness, 2) local school issues, and 3) community health centers. Interpretation Culturally relevant support initiatives are feasible and effective community-driven ways of improving asthma support in Mi’kmaq communities; however, ongoing assistance from the local leadership (ie, chief and council), community health directors, and school administrators, in addition to partnerships with respiratory health service organizations, is needed. PMID:26766847

Implementation of a quality assurance process for non-therapeutic infant male circumcision providers in North West England.

PubMed

Whittaker, P J; Gollins, H J; Roaf, E J

2014-03-01

Infant male circumcision is practised by many groups for religious and cultural reasons. Prompted by a desire to minimize the complication rate and to help parents identify good quality providers, a quality assurance (QA) process for infant male circumcision providers has been developed in Greater Manchester. Local stakeholders agreed a set of minimum standards, and providers were invited to submit evidence of their practice in relation to these standards. In participation with parents, community groups, faith groups, healthcare staff and safeguarding partners, an information leaflet for parents was produced. Engagement work with local community groups, faith groups, providers and healthcare staff was vital to ensure that the resources are accessible to parents and that providers continue to engage in the process. Providers that met the QA standards have been listed on a local website. Details of the website are included in the information leaflet distributed by maternity services, health visitors, primary care and community and faith groups. The leaflet is available in seven languages. Local QA processes can be used to encourage and identify good practice and to support parents who need to access services outside the remit of the National Health Service.

Improving Small Community Wastewater Treatment: Extension Trains Local Officials to Survey Residents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mancl, Karen

1993-01-01

A study was conducted in 1989 and 1990 to determine whether local officials would be an appropriate group to conduct surveys of community residents regarding their home sewage system and attitudes toward the public wastewater treatment. Responses from 578 people indicated that trained local officials can collect information effectively using…

Community Resilience and the Fulfilment of Child Rights in the Family, School and Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tintor, Arijana Mataga

2013-01-01

The present paper presents the experience of researching the resilience of the local community and the fulfilment of the rights of the child. The aim of research was to place the assessment of the rights of the child in the function of local community resilience, focusing on one particular group of rights: the right to participate. This concept is…

Crossing Boundaries between Cultures and Disciplines: Using Geography and Creative Arts to Build Bridges with Community Groups in One School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Ruth; Lane, Sue

2009-01-01

In an attempt to develop tolerance and acceptance of other cultural groups, teacher educators from the University of Newcastle worked with members of the local African community and teachers from a local school to develop a Creative Arts and Geography program for young school children (aged 7-9 years). The program developed put together the…

Eco-bio-social research on dengue in Asia: a multicountry study on ecosystem and community-based approaches for the control of dengue vectors in urban and peri-urban Asia.

PubMed

Sommerfeld, Johannes; Kroeger, Axel

2012-12-01

This article provides an overview of methods and cross-site insights of a 5-year research and capacity building initiative conducted between 2006 and 2011 in six countries of South Asia (India, Sri Lanka) and South-East Asia (Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand).The initiative managed an interdisciplinary investigation of ecological, biological, and social (i.e., eco-bio-social) dimensions of dengue in urban and peri-urban areas, and developed community-based interventions aimed at reducing dengue vector breeding and viral transmission. The multicountry study comprised interdisciplinary research groups from six leading Asian research institutions. The groups conducted a detailed situation analysis to identify and characterize local eco-bio-social conditions, and formed a community-of-practice for EcoHealth research where group partners disseminated results and collaboratively developed site-specific intervention tools for vector-borne diseases. In sites where water containers produced more than 70% of Aedes pupae, interventions ranged from mechanical lid covers for containers to biological control. Where small discarded containers presented the main problem, groups experimented with solid waste management, composting and recycling schemes. Many intervention tools were locally produced and all tools were implemented through community partnership strategies. All sites developed socially and culturally appropriate health education materials. The study also mobilised and empowered women's, students' and community groups and at several sites organized new volunteer groups for environmental health. The initiative's programmes showed significant impact on vector densities in some sites. Other sites showed varying effect - partially attributable to the 'contamination' of control groups - yet led to significant outcomes at the community level where local groups united around broad interests in environmental hygiene and sanitation. The programme's findings are relevant for defining efficient, effective and ecologically sound vector control interventions based on local evidence and in accordance with WHO's strategy for integrated vector management.

Eco-bio-social research on dengue in Asia: a multicountry study on ecosystem and community-based approaches for the control of dengue vectors in urban and peri-urban Asia

PubMed Central

Sommerfeld, Johannes; Kroeger, Axel

2012-01-01

This article provides an overview of methods and cross-site insights of a 5-year research and capacity building initiative conducted between 2006 and 2011 in six countries of South Asia (India, Sri Lanka) and South-East Asia (Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand).The initiative managed an interdisciplinary investigation of ecological, biological, and social (i.e., eco-bio-social) dimensions of dengue in urban and peri-urban areas, and developed community-based interventions aimed at reducing dengue vector breeding and viral transmission. The multicountry study comprised interdisciplinary research groups from six leading Asian research institutions. The groups conducted a detailed situation analysis to identify and characterize local eco-bio-social conditions, and formed a community-of-practice for EcoHealth research where group partners disseminated results and collaboratively developed site-specific intervention tools for vector-borne diseases. In sites where water containers produced more than 70% of Aedes pupae, interventions ranged from mechanical lid covers for containers to biological control. Where small discarded containers presented the main problem, groups experimented with solid waste management, composting and recycling schemes. Many intervention tools were locally produced and all tools were implemented through community partnership strategies. All sites developed socially and culturally appropriate health education materials. The study also mobilised and empowered women’s, students’ and community groups and at several sites organized new volunteer groups for environmental health. The initiative’s programmes showed significant impact on vector densities in some sites. Other sites showed varying effect — partially attributable to the ‘contamination’ of control groups — yet led to significant outcomes at the community level where local groups united around broad interests in environmental hygiene and sanitation. The programme’s findings are relevant for defining efficient, effective and ecologically sound vector control interventions based on local evidence and in accordance with WHO’s strategy for integrated vector management. PMID:23318234

Community Action for Recreation Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christiansen, Rudolph A.; And Others

Examples of projects, notably those using watersheds, that local community action groups can promote in planning and developing needed recreational facilities are discussed in this study report. Objectives of the report are to create an awareness of group action in obtaining recreational development, to emphasize that community action is important…

OA39 Digging a hole… planting a seed… water it and watch it start to grow, grow, grow.

PubMed

Lloyd, Rebecca; McLoughlin, Kathleen; McGloughlin, Carmelia; Macken, Caroline; Richardson, Marie; Rhatigan, Jim

2015-04-01

Milford Care Centre's Compassionate Communities Project uses a seed grant scheme to engage with communities around illness, dying, death and bereavement. The scheme, now in it's 3(rd) cycle strives to inspire and support the work of local groups, organisations and individuals who wish to mark in some tangible way their response to the universal realities of death, dying, loss and care as lived and experienced by those living within their communities. A key requirement for the receipt of a grant is that the level of funding must be matched either in cash or in kind. This presentation will report on the projects supported, describing the short and medium term impact they have had on the local community. A short film will showcase the projects. Qualitative interviews were conducted with all grant recipients to determine the impact of the seed grant at a community level. Seed grants were used in a variety of ways, for example: Supporting a community group to develop a reflection space Supporting a youth project to explore what death, dying, loss and care means to service users through the creative arts. Supporting a library to develop a bereavement information 'resource'. Supporting local groups to run a community event aimed at increasing awareness and knowledge about 'healthy' ways of coping with loss and grief. Supporting those seeking practical ways of providing support to other living with illness and loss. The seed grant scheme offers a low cost, high impact approach to working with communities. © 2015, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Protected area staff and local community viewpoints: A qualitative assessment of conservation relationships in Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

Mutanga, Chiedza Ngonidzashe; Muboko, Never; Gandiwa, Edson

2017-01-01

With the increase in illegal resource harvesting in most protected areas (PAs), the need to understand the determinants and relationships between PAs and local communities to enhance wildlife conservation is increasingly becoming important. Using focus group discussions and interviews, we established the determinants of PA staff-community relationship from both PA staff and local communities’ viewpoints, and assessedperceptions of their relationship with each other. The study was guided by the following main research question, ‘What is the nature of the relationship between PA staff and local communities and what are the main factors influencing the relationship?’ Data were collected through focus group discussions and interviews from four PAs and their adjacent communities in Zimbabwe between July 2013 and February 2014. Our results showed that a total of seven determinants were identified as influencing PA staff-community relationship, i.e., benefit-sharing, human-wildlife conflict, compensation for losses from wildlife attacks, communication between PA staff and local communities, community participation in the management of CAMPFIRE projects, lack of community participation in tourism in PAs, and community perceptions of PA staff or PA staff perceptions of the community. Of the seven, only one determinant, benefit-sharing, was recorded as the main factor that differentially influencesthe perceptions of community and PA staff on their relationship. Furthermore, both the communities and PA staff reported mixed perceptions on their relationship with each other. We conclude that both communities’ and PA staff’s views on determinants are largely similar in all studied PAs irrespective of PA ownership, management and/or land use. Our findings could be relevant in policy making especially in developing countries in developing PA-community relationship framework in natural resource conservation. PMID:28542185

Using local culture and gender roles to improve male involvement in maternal health in southern Nigeria.

PubMed

Adeleye, Omokhoa Adedayo; Aldoory, Linda; Parakoyi, Dauda Bayo

2011-11-01

Group health talks were conducted in Ekiadolor, Southern Nigeria, to improve male attitudes and practices regarding their involvement in prenatal care and family planning. Intervention planners highlight the importance of embedding local cultural norms along with co-opting gendered beliefs for purposes of planning and implementing the group talks. The authors facilitated 9 groups of adult males mostly from the traditional hierarchy of the community. Using gender theory as an analytical lens along with the application of local cultural beliefs and norms, a useful communication intervention was developed that increased the possibility of positive male engagement in maternal health in 1 Nigerian community.

External collaboration and performance: North Carolina local public health departments, 1996.

PubMed

Lovelace, K

2000-01-01

This study examined the extent to which local public health departments in North Carolina collaborated with other groups and organizations, the health problems on which they worked together, and the effect of external collaboration on health departments' performance on core public health functions. The author mailed a questionnaire asking about interactions with city and county government agencies, boards of health, schools, nonprofits, physicians/private clinics, community health centers/migrant clinics, community members, citizens' groups, state and federal agencies, and universities to all of the directors of local public health departments in North Carolina. Sixty-four directors returned the questionnaire, for a response rate of 74.4%. Local public health departments most frequently interacted with boards of health, state agencies, community members, schools, city and county government agencies, and nonprofit agencies. Large majorities reported productive relationships with boards of health, state agencies, city and county government agencies, schools, nonprofit agencies, and hospitals. Greater frequency of interaction with several types of partners was associated with better performance. While questions exist about whether performance on core functions improves the community's health status, the results suggest that it is important for local public health departments to continue to build relationships with other organizations in the community.

From hypothetical scenario to tragic reality: A salutary lesson in risk communication and the Victorian 2009 bushfires.

PubMed

Burns, Robin; Robinson, Priscilla; Smith, Penelope

2010-02-01

To investigate the ways that the risk of a bushfire emergency and communication strategies are perceived by different community segments. A brief questionnaire preceded focus group discussion of a bushfire scenario with four communications from different sources. Groups were recruited to represent different community segments within a bushfire-prone peri-urban Shire in Victoria. Four groups (28 participants) were recruited. Bushfire experience was highest in the over 40-year-olds, who would use a variety of information sources, preferred to receive information from trusted local sources, such as emergency services and the council, and were more likely to be a member of a local organisation than the under 40s. Younger people used television, local papers, and friends, family and neighbours as information sources. Young parents felt disempowered through lack of local knowledge, and trusted government departments less than older residents. All wanted clear, current, specific local information about ground conditions and actions to be taken during a fire outbreak. Knowledge of and preparedness for bushfire is unequally spread throughout a bushfire community. There is a need in public health risk and emergency situations to focus on community development, information and consultation. © 2010 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2010 Public Health Association of Australia.

Give Water a Hand. Community Site Action Guide. Organizing Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention Service Projects in Your Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Coll. of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Students grades 4-8 can use this guide to explore the topics of water, and water conservation within a community, while conducting an environmental community service project. Youth groups, led by a group leader, work with local experts from business, government, or environmental organizations to complete the project. Nine activity sections involve…

Teaching Writing for the "Real World": Community and Workplace Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Michelle; Ortmeier-Hooper, Christina; Tirabassi, Katherine E.

2009-01-01

In this article, the authors offer an approach to teaching that can help students prepare to write for the workplace and in the community: a case study of community-based writing. In this case-study project, students work in groups to study the writing needs and practices of a community-based group or organization, such as a local public library,…

Community detection in networks with unequal groups.

PubMed

Zhang, Pan; Moore, Cristopher; Newman, M E J

2016-01-01

Recently, a phase transition has been discovered in the network community detection problem below which no algorithm can tell which nodes belong to which communities with success any better than a random guess. This result has, however, so far been limited to the case where the communities have the same size or the same average degree. Here we consider the case where the sizes or average degrees differ. This asymmetry allows us to assign nodes to communities with better-than-random success by examining their local neighborhoods. Using the cavity method, we show that this removes the detectability transition completely for networks with four groups or fewer, while for more than four groups the transition persists up to a critical amount of asymmetry but not beyond. The critical point in the latter case coincides with the point at which local information percolates, causing a global transition from a less-accurate solution to a more-accurate one.

Local Governance in Multi-Ethnic Communities of Central and Eastern Europe: A Skills Exchange Workshop (Romania, April 4-7, 1997). Workshop Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minority Rights Group, London (England).

This report describes a skills exchange workshop, co-organized by Minority Rights Group International (MRG) and the Liga Pro Europa, on local governance in multi-ethnic communities in Central and Eastern Europe. Civil servants, members of minority communities, non-governmental organization (NGO) activists, and public officials from Bulgaria,…

Transgressive Local Act: Tackling Domestic Violence with Forum and Popular Theatre in "Sisterhood Bound as Yuan Ze Flowers"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Wan-Jung

2010-01-01

This paper examines a community theatre project in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan that aimed to tackle domestic violence through a collaboration between local community female elders and the facilitator. The paper investigates how an outside facilitator could unfix the assumed community identities which tend to exclude outsiders or sub-groups, in this…

A history of the working group to address Los Alamos community health concerns - A case study of community involvement and risk communication

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harry Otway; Jon Johnson

2000-01-01

In May 1991, at a Department of Energy (DOE) public hearing at Los Alamos, New Mexico, a local artist claimed there had been a recent brain tumor cluster in a small Los Alamos neighborhood. He suggested the cause was radiation from past operations of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Data from the Laboratory's extensive environmental monitoring program gave no reason to believe this charge to be true but also could not prove it false. These allegations, reported in the local and regional media, alarmed the community and revealed an unsuspected lack of trust in the Laboratory. Having no immediate and definitivemore » response, the Laboratory offered to collaborate with the community to address this concern. The Los Alamos community accepted this offer and a joint Community-Laboratory Working Group met for the first time 29 days later. The working group set as its primary goal the search for possible carcinogens in the local environment. Meanwhile, the DOE announced its intention to fund the New Mexico Department of Health to perform a separate and independent epidemiological study of all Los Alamos cancer rates. In early 1994, after commissioning 17 environmental studies and meeting 34 times, the working group decided that the public health concerns had been resolved to the satisfaction of the community and voted to disband. This paper tells the story of the artist and the working group, and how the media covered their story. It summarizes the environmental studies directed by the working group and briefly reviews the main findings of the epidemiology study. An epilogue records the present-day recollections of some of the key players in this environmental drama.« less

A community-driven hypertension treatment group in rural Honduras.

PubMed

Reiger, Sheridan; Harris, Jeffrey R; Chan, Kwun Chuen Gary; Oqueli, Hector Lopez; Kohn, Marlana

2015-01-01

We formed a self-funded hypertension treatment group in a resource-poor community in rural Honduras. After training community health workers and creating protocols for standardized treatment, we used group membership fees to maintain the group, purchase generic medications in bulk on the local market, and hire a physician to manage treatment. We then assessed whether participation in the group improved treatment, medication adherence, and hypertension control. This is a program evaluation using quasi-experimental design and no control group. Using data from the 86 members of the hypertension treatment group, we analyzed baseline and follow-up surveys of members, along with 30 months of clinical records of treatment, medication adherence, and blood pressure readings. Our initial hypertension needs assessment revealed that at baseline, community hypertensives relied on the local Ministry of Health clinic as their source of anti-hypertensive medications and reported that irregular supply interfered with medication adherence. At baseline, hypertension group members were mainly female, overweight or obese, physically active, non-smoking, and non-drinking. After 30 months of managing the treatment group, we found a significant increase in medication adherence, from 54.8 to 76.2% (p<0.01), and hypertension control (<140/90 mmHg), from 31.4 to 54.7% (p<0.01). We also found a mean monthly decrease of 0.39 mmHg in systolic blood pressure (p<0.01). At the end of the 30-month observation period, the local Ministry of Health system had increased provision of low-cost anti-hypertensive medications and adopted the hypertension treatment group's treatment protocols. Formation of a self-funded, community-based hypertension treatment group in a rural, resource-poor community is feasible, and group participation may improve treatment, medication adherence, and hypertension control and can serve as a political driver for improving hypertension treatment services provided by the public system.

A community-driven hypertension treatment group in rural Honduras

PubMed Central

Reiger, Sheridan; Harris, Jeffrey R.; Chan, Kwun Chuen Gary; Oqueli, Hector Lopez; Kohn, Marlana

2015-01-01

Background We formed a self-funded hypertension treatment group in a resource-poor community in rural Honduras. After training community health workers and creating protocols for standardized treatment, we used group membership fees to maintain the group, purchase generic medications in bulk on the local market, and hire a physician to manage treatment. We then assessed whether participation in the group improved treatment, medication adherence, and hypertension control. Design This is a program evaluation using quasi-experimental design and no control group. Using data from the 86 members of the hypertension treatment group, we analyzed baseline and follow-up surveys of members, along with 30 months of clinical records of treatment, medication adherence, and blood pressure readings. Results Our initial hypertension needs assessment revealed that at baseline, community hypertensives relied on the local Ministry of Health clinic as their source of anti-hypertensive medications and reported that irregular supply interfered with medication adherence. At baseline, hypertension group members were mainly female, overweight or obese, physically active, non-smoking, and non-drinking. After 30 months of managing the treatment group, we found a significant increase in medication adherence, from 54.8 to 76.2% (p<0.01), and hypertension control (<140/90 mmHg), from 31.4 to 54.7% (p<0.01). We also found a mean monthly decrease of 0.39 mmHg in systolic blood pressure (p<0.01). At the end of the 30-month observation period, the local Ministry of Health system had increased provision of low-cost anti-hypertensive medications and adopted the hypertension treatment group's treatment protocols. Conclusions Formation of a self-funded, community-based hypertension treatment group in a rural, resource-poor community is feasible, and group participation may improve treatment, medication adherence, and hypertension control and can serve as a political driver for improving hypertension treatment services provided by the public system. PMID:26362420

Differences in perceived causes of childhood obesity between migrant and local communities in China: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Li, Bai; Lin, Rong; Liu, Wei; Chen, Jingyi; Liu, Weijia; Cheng, KarKeung; Pallan, Miranda; Adab, Peymane; Jones, Laura

2017-01-01

In developing countries, obesity traditionally affectsmore affluent children, butis spreading to a wider social group. Understanding the perceivedcontributors can provide valuable insights to plan preventive interventions. We exploreddifferences in the perceived causes of childhood obesity between local and migrant communities in a major Chinese city. We conducted 20 focus groups (137 parents, grandparents, school teachers) and 11semi-structured interviews with school Principals from migrant and local communities in Guangzhou. Data were transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach. We found that Lack of influence from grandparents, who were perceived to promote obesogenic behaviorin local children, fewer opportunities for unhealthy snacking and less pressure for academic attainment leading to moreactive play were interpreted as potential "protective" factors among migrant children. Nevertheless, two perceived causes of obesity were more pronounced in migrant than local children: lack of parental monitoring after-school andunsafe neighborhoods limiting physical-activity. Two barriers that restricted child physical activity were only found in the migrant community: limited home space, and cultural differences, inhabitinginteractive play with local children. Future interventions should consider uniquedeterminants of obesity in children from different social backgrounds, with tailored strategies to prevent further rise of the epidemic.

Coastal Community Group for Coastal Resilient in Timbulsloko Village, Sayung, Demak Regency, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purnaweni, Hartuti; Kismartini; Hadi, Sudharto P.; Soraya, Ike

2018-02-01

Coastal areas are very dynamic and fragile environment, demanding for policies to preserve these areas as materialized in the Resilient Coastal Development Program (PKPT) by the Indonesian government. Amongst the targeted area was Timbulsloko Village in Sayung District, Demak Regency, which coastal areas is severely damaged by erosion. This article analyzed the development of the Coastal Community Group (CCG) related to the PKPT program in Timbulsloko village, especially in how the group is empowered to increase the community's resilient in facing the disaster. This study, applied an analytical descriptive method, used the development of the CCG as phenomenon. Primary data was collected through observation and in-depth interviews with stakeholders, accompanying the secondary data. The result shows that the PKPT funding was mostly spent on infrastructure development and used for project management, not for optimizing local economic empowerment. After the completion of the PKPT, there are no actions or following programs to keep the physical results constructed by the CCG. Accordingly, the orientation towards the CCG building capacity for Timbulsloko community's ecological resilience had not been optimally implemented. This study recommended a "putting the last first" policy approach to preparing the local community. The government must play a stronger role in encouraging a self-help local group for strong human development

Evidence for a contribution of the community response to HIV decline in eastern Zimbabwe?

PubMed Central

Gregson, S.; Nyamukapa, C.; Schumacher, C.; Magutshwa-Zitha, S.; Skovdal, M.; Yekeye, R.; Sherr, L.; Campbell, C.

2013-01-01

Membership of indigenous local community groups was protective against HIV for women, but not for men, in eastern Zimbabwe during the period of greatest risk reduction (1999–2004). We use four rounds of data from a population cohort to investigate: (1) the effects of membership of multiple community groups during this period; (2) the effects of group membership in the following five years; and (3) the effects of characteristics of groups hypothesised to determine their effect on HIV risk. HIV incidence from 1998 to 2003 was 1.18% (95% CI: 0.78–1.79%), 0.48% (0.20–1.16%) and 1.13% (0.57–2.27%), in women participating in one, two and three or more community groups at baseline versus 2.19% (1.75–2.75%) in other women. In 2003–2005, 36.5% (versus 43% in 1998–2000) of women were members of community groups, 50% and 56% of which discussed HIV prevention and met with other groups, respectively; the corresponding figures for men were 24% (versus 28% in 1998–2000), 51% and 58%. From 2003 to 2008, prior membership of community groups was no longer protective against HIV for women (1.13% versus 1.29%, aIRR = 1.25;p = 0.23). However, membership of groups that provided social spaces for dialogue about HIV prevention (0.62% versus 1.01%, aIRR = 0.54; p = 0.28) and groups that interacted with other groups (0.65% versus 1.01%, aIRR = 0.51; p = 0.19) showed non-significant protective effects. For women, membership of a group with external sponsorship showed a non-significant increase in HIV risk compared to membership of unsponsored groups (adjusted odds ratio = 1.63, p = 0.48). Between 2003 and 2008, membership of community groups showed a non-significant tendency towards higher HIV risk for men (1.47% versus 0.94%, p = 0.23). Community responses contributed to HIV decline in eastern Zimbabwe. Sensitive engagement and support for local groups (including non-AIDS groups) to encourage dialogue on positive local responses to HIV and to challenge harmful social norms and incorrect information could enhance HIV prevention. PMID:23745635

Strengthening community participation in reducing GHG emission from forest and peatland fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thoha, A. S.; Saharjo, B. H.; Boer, R.; Ardiansyah, M.

2018-02-01

Strengthening community participation is needed to find solutions to encourage community more participate in reducing Green House Gas (GHG) from forest and peatland fire. This research aimed to identify stakeholders that have the role in forest and peatland fire control and to formulate strengthening model of community participation through community-based early warning fire. Stakeholder mapping and action research were used to determine stakeholders that had potential influence and interest and to formulate strengthening model of community participation in reducing GHG from forest and peatland fire. There was found that position of key players in the mapping of stakeholders came from the government institution. The existence of community-based fire control group can strengthen government institution through collaborating with stakeholders having strong interest and influence. Moreover, it was found several local knowledge in Kapuas District about how communities predict drought that have potential value for developing the community-based early warning fire system. Formulated institutional model in this research also can be further developed as a model institution in the preservation of natural resources based on local knowledge. In conclusion, local knowledge and community-based fire groups can be integrated within strengthening model of community participation in reducing GHG from forest and peatland fire.

The role of community conversations in facilitating local HIV competence: case study from rural Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background This paper examines the potential for community conversations to strengthen positive responses to HIV in resource-poor environments. Community conversations are an intervention method through which local people work with a facilitator to collectively identify local strengths and challenges and brainstorm potential strategies for solving local problems. Methods We conducted 18 community conversations (with six groups at three points in time) with a total of 77 participants in rural Zimbabwe (20% HIV positive). Participants were invited to reflect on how they were responding to the challenges of HIV, both as individuals and in community groups, and to think of ways to better support openness about HIV, kindness towards people living with HIV and greater community uptake of HIV prevention and treatment. Results Community conversations contributed to local HIV competence through (1) enabling participants to brainstorm concrete action plans for responding to HIV, (2) providing a forum to develop a sense of common purpose in relation to implementing these, (3) encouraging and challenging participants to overcome fear, denial and passivity, (4) providing an opportunity for participants to move from seeing themselves as passive recipients of information to active problem solvers, and (5) reducing silence and stigma surrounding HIV. Conclusions Our discussion cautions that community conversations, while holding great potential to help communities recognize their potential strengths and capacities for responding more effectively to HIV, are not a magic bullet. Poverty, poor harvests and political instability frustrated and limited many participants’ efforts to put their plans into action. On the other hand, support from outside the community, in this case the increasing availability of antiretroviral treatment, played a vital role in enabling communities to challenge stigma and envision new, more positive, ways of responding to the epidemic. PMID:23590640

The role of community conversations in facilitating local HIV competence: case study from rural Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Campbell, Catherine; Nhamo, Mercy; Scott, Kerry; Madanhire, Claudius; Nyamukapa, Constance; Skovdal, Morten; Gregson, Simon

2013-04-17

This paper examines the potential for community conversations to strengthen positive responses to HIV in resource-poor environments. Community conversations are an intervention method through which local people work with a facilitator to collectively identify local strengths and challenges and brainstorm potential strategies for solving local problems. We conducted 18 community conversations (with six groups at three points in time) with a total of 77 participants in rural Zimbabwe (20% HIV positive). Participants were invited to reflect on how they were responding to the challenges of HIV, both as individuals and in community groups, and to think of ways to better support openness about HIV, kindness towards people living with HIV and greater community uptake of HIV prevention and treatment. Community conversations contributed to local HIV competence through (1) enabling participants to brainstorm concrete action plans for responding to HIV, (2) providing a forum to develop a sense of common purpose in relation to implementing these, (3) encouraging and challenging participants to overcome fear, denial and passivity, (4) providing an opportunity for participants to move from seeing themselves as passive recipients of information to active problem solvers, and (5) reducing silence and stigma surrounding HIV. Our discussion cautions that community conversations, while holding great potential to help communities recognize their potential strengths and capacities for responding more effectively to HIV, are not a magic bullet. Poverty, poor harvests and political instability frustrated and limited many participants' efforts to put their plans into action. On the other hand, support from outside the community, in this case the increasing availability of antiretroviral treatment, played a vital role in enabling communities to challenge stigma and envision new, more positive, ways of responding to the epidemic.

Social capital and HIV Competent Communities: The role of community groups in managing HIV/AIDS in rural Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

Campbell, Catherine; Scott, Kerry; Nhamo, Mercy; Nyamukapa, Constance; Madanhire, Claudius; Skovdal, Morten; Sherr, Lorraine; Gregson, Simon

2013-01-01

Community involvement is increasingly identified as a “critical enabler” of an effective HIV/AIDS response. We explore pathways between community participation and HIV prevention, treatment and impact mitigation in Zimbabwe, reviewing six qualitative studies in Manicaland. These find that community group membership is often (not always) associated with decreased HIV incidence, reduced stigma and improved access to some services, particularly amongst women. Participation in formal community groups (e.g., church or women's groups) and informal local networks (e.g., neighbours, families) provides opportunities for critical dialogue about HIV/AIDS, often facilitating renegotiation of harmful social norms, sharing of previously hidden personal experiences of HIV/AIDS, formulation of positive action plans and solidarity to action them. However, implementation of new plans and insights is constrained by poverty, social uncertainty and poor service delivery. Furthermore, dialogue may have negative effects, spreading false information and entrenching negative norms. The extent that formal groups and informal networks facilitate externally imposed HIV/AIDS interventions varies. They potentially provide vital practical and emotional support, facilitating service access, treatment adherence and AIDS care. However, they may sometimes play a negative role in prevention activities, challenging stereotypes about sexuality or gender. There is an urgent need for greater recognition of the role of indigenous community groups and networks, and the inclusion of “strengthening local responses” as a key element of interventions and policy. Such efforts require great sensitivity. Heavy-handed external interference in complex indigenous relationships risks undermining the localism and bottom-up initiative and activism that might be central to their effectiveness. Cautious efforts might seek to enhance the potentially beneficial effects of groups, especially for women, and limit potentially damaging ones, especially for men. Efforts should be made to facilitate contexts that enable groups to have beneficial effects, through nesting them within wider comprehensive responses, and supporting them through strong partnerships with service providers. PMID:23745625

Social capital and HIV competent communities: the role of community groups in managing HIV/AIDS in rural Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Campbell, Catherine; Scott, Kerry; Nhamo, Mercy; Nyamukapa, Constance; Madanhire, Claudius; Skovdal, Morten; Sherr, Lorraine; Gregson, Simon

2013-01-01

Community involvement is increasingly identified as a "critical enabler" of an effective HIV/AIDS response. We explore pathways between community participation and HIV prevention, treatment and impact mitigation in Zimbabwe, reviewing six qualitative studies in Manicaland. These find that community group membership is often (not always) associated with decreased HIV incidence, reduced stigma and improved access to some services, particularly amongst women. Participation in formal community groups (e.g., church or women's groups) and informal local networks (e.g., neighbours, families) provides opportunities for critical dialogue about HIV/AIDS, often facilitating renegotiation of harmful social norms, sharing of previously hidden personal experiences of HIV/AIDS, formulation of positive action plans and solidarity to action them. However, implementation of new plans and insights is constrained by poverty, social uncertainty and poor service delivery. Furthermore, dialogue may have negative effects, spreading false information and entrenching negative norms. The extent that formal groups and informal networks facilitate externally imposed HIV/AIDS interventions varies. They potentially provide vital practical and emotional support, facilitating service access, treatment adherence and AIDS care. However, they may sometimes play a negative role in prevention activities, challenging stereotypes about sexuality or gender. There is an urgent need for greater recognition of the role of indigenous community groups and networks, and the inclusion of "strengthening local responses" as a key element of interventions and policy. Such efforts require great sensitivity. Heavy-handed external interference in complex indigenous relationships risks undermining the localism and bottom-up initiative and activism that might be central to their effectiveness. Cautious efforts might seek to enhance the potentially beneficial effects of groups, especially for women, and limit potentially damaging ones, especially for men. Efforts should be made to facilitate contexts that enable groups to have beneficial effects, through nesting them within wider comprehensive responses, and supporting them through strong partnerships with service providers.

Organizational Responsibility for Age-Friendly Social Participation: Views of Australian Rural Community Stakeholders.

PubMed

Winterton, Rachel

2016-01-01

This qualitative study critically explores the barriers experienced by diverse rural community stakeholders in facilitating environments that enable age-friendly social participation. Twenty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted across two rural Australian communities with stakeholders from local government, health, social care, and community organizations. Findings identify that rural community stakeholders face significant difficulties in securing resources for groups and activities catering to older adults, which subsequently impacts their capacity to undertake outreach to older adults. However, in discussing these issues, questions were raised in relation to whose responsibility it is to provide resources for community groups and organizations providing social initiatives and whose responsibility it is to engage isolated seniors. These findings provide a much-needed critical perspective on current age-friendly research by acknowledging the responsibilities of various macro-level social structures-different community-level organizations, local government, and policy in fostering environments to enable participation of diverse rural older adults.

THE EDUCATIONAL PARK IN NEW YORK CITY, CONCEPT FOR DISCUSSION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY.

CLOSE AND THOROUGH INTEGRATION OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IS THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATIONAL PARKS. SOCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES ARE THUS MAXIMIZED. THREE ORGANIZATIONAL METHODS ARE DISCUSSED--HORIZONTAL, VERTICAL, AND PYRAMIDAL. THE HORIZONTAL ORGANIZATION WOULD GROUP SEVERAL SCHOOLS OF ONE LEVEL. A VERTICAL…

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN RESEARCH ETHICS IN LOW-INCOME SETTINGS: SELECTION AND PERCEPTIONS OF MEMBERS OF A NETWORK OF REPRESENTATIVES IN COASTAL KENYA

PubMed Central

Kamuya, Dorcas M; Marsh, Vicki; Kombe, Francis K; Geissler, P Wenzel; Molyneux, Sassy C

2013-01-01

There is wide agreement that community engagement is important for many research types and settings, often including interaction with ‘representatives’ of communities. There is relatively little published experience of community engagement in international research settings, with available information focusing on Community Advisory Boards or Groups (CAB/CAGs), or variants of these, where CAB/G members often advise researchers on behalf of the communities they represent. In this paper we describe a network of community members (‘KEMRI Community Representatives’, or ‘KCRs’) linked to a large multi-disciplinary research programme on the Kenyan Coast. Unlike many CAB/Gs, the intention with the KCR network has evolved to be for members to represent the geographical areas in which a diverse range of health studies are conducted through being typical of those communities. We draw on routine reports, self-administered questionnaires and interviews to: 1) document how typical KCR members are of the local communities in terms of basic characteristics, and 2) explore KCR's perceptions of their roles, and of the benefits and challenges of undertaking these roles. We conclude that this evolving network is a potentially valuable way of strengthening interactions between a research institution and a local geographic community, through contributing to meeting intrinsic ethical values such as showing respect, and instrumental values such as improving consent processes. However, there are numerous challenges involved. Other ways of interacting with members of local communities, including community leaders, and the most vulnerable groups least likely to be vocal in representative groups, have always been, and remain, essential. PMID:23433404

'Those were taken away and given money': power and reward expectations' influence in the selection of village health teams in rural Uganda.

PubMed

Turinawe, Emmanueil B

2016-01-01

With the renewed call for community participation in health interventions after the Alma Ata Declaration, interest has been raised in volunteer community health workers (CHWs) acting as representatives of local communities. The present study interrogates the dynamic interface between local communities and the government in the selection of CHW volunteers in a rural community. Data were collected through participant observation of community events, 35 in-depth interviews, 20 focus groups and 15 informal conversations. A review of documents about Luwero district was also an important source of data. Ambiguous national guidelines and poor supervision of the selection process enabled the powerful community leaders to influence the selection of village health teams (VHTs). Intended to achieve community involvement, the selection process produced a disconnect in the local community where many members saw the selected VHTs as having been 'taken away'. Community involvement in the selection of VHTs took a form that, instead of empowering the local community, reinforced the responsibility of those in power and thus maintained the asymmetrical status quo.

Citizen Groups and Scientific Decisionmaking: Does Public Participation Influence Environmental Outcomes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daley, Dorothy M.

2007-01-01

This paper explores the influence of local community groups on agency decisionmaking at hazardous waste sites nationwide. The central purpose of this research is to examine the relative influence of two forms of public participation at Superfund sites: Community Advisory Groups (CAGs) and Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs). When citizens mobilize…

Understanding the local context and its possible influences on shaping, implementing and running social accountability initiatives for maternal health services in rural Democratic Republic of the Congo: a contextual factor analysis.

PubMed

Mafuta, Eric M; Hogema, Lisanne; Mambu, Thérèse N M; Kiyimbi, Pontien B; Indebe, Berthys P; Kayembe, Patrick K; De Cock Buning, Tjard; Dieleman, Marjolein A

2016-11-09

Social accountability has to be configured according to the context in which it operates. This paper aimed to identify local contextual factors in two health zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and discuss their possible influences on shaping, implementing and running social accountability initiatives. Data on local socio-cultural characteristics, the governance context, and socio-economic conditions related to social accountability enabling factors were collected in the two health zones using semi-structured interviews and document reviews, and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The contexts of the two health zones were similar and characterized by the existence of several community groups, similarly structured and using similar decision-making processes. They were not involved in the health sector's activities and had no link with the health committee, even though they acknowledged its existence. They were not networked as they focused on their own activities and did not have enough capacity in terms of social mobilization or exerting pressure on public authorities or providers. Women were not perceived as marginalized as they often occupied other positions in the community besides carrying out domestic tasks and participated in community groups. However, they were still subject to the local male dominance culture, which restrains their involvement in decision-making, as they tend to be less educated, unemployed and suffer from a lack of resources or specific skills. The socio-economic context is characterized by subsistence activities and a low employment rate, which limits the community members' incomes and increases their dependence on external support. The governance context was characterized by imperfect implementation of political decentralization. Community groups advocating community rights are identified as "political" and are not welcomed. The community groups seemed not to be interested in the health center's information and had no access to media as it is non-existent. The local contexts in the two health zones seemed not to be supportive of the operation of social accountability initiatives. However, they offer starting points for social accountability initiatives if better use is made of existing contextual factors, for instance by making community groups work together and improving their capacities in terms of knowledge and information.

Local governance responses to social inclusion for older rural Victorians: building resources, opportunities and capabilities.

PubMed

Winterton, Rachel; Clune, Samantha; Warburton, Jeni; Martin, John

2014-09-01

To explore how local governance enables access to resources, creates opportunities and increases capability for older people in rural communities to experience social inclusion. Twenty-six semi-structured interviews were undertaken with community stakeholders across two rural communities in north-east Victoria. Stakeholders were drawn from local government, and a range of community groups and organisations, as identified in a scoping study. Through the provision of community resources (e.g. physical and human infrastructure, organisational partnerships), local services and supports offer social and productive environments for participation. They also build individual resources (e.g. health, skills, finances, networks) to enable older people to participate within these environments, and provide assistance to allow older people to use individual and community resources. Community resources are integral in facilitating the development of older people's individual resources, and opportunities and capabilities for participation. These enable greater choice in participation, and contribute to the sustainability of community resources serving ageing populations. © 2013 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing © 2013 ACOTA.

Building Communities: ACE, Lifelong Learning and Social Capital. An Anthology of Word Portraits Reporting Research Conducted for the Adult, Community and Further Education Board.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falk, Ian; Golding, Barry; Balatti, Josephine

The 10 portraits, or case studies, in this book are intended to show how locally-owned adult education turns everyday learning into social and economic well-being. Taken alone, each portrait tries to give a particular insight into the daily transformation of adults and their local communities. Together, the group portrait shows how strongly adult…

'Our shared responsibility': participation in ecological projects as a means of empowering communities to contribute to coastal management processes.

PubMed

Evans, Stewart M; Gebbels, Susan; Stockill, Joanna M

2008-01-01

The objective of this project was to empower people of Blyth Valley in Northumberland (northeast England) to contribute to the management of their coastal heritage. A group of volunteers, the Links Conservation Group, working in collaboration with the environmental managers (Blyth Valley Borough Council), scientists, local specialists and other volunteers, surveyed the biodiversity, social, cultural and industrial history and profiles of the dunes, as well as their perceived value to local residents. The Group used this information to develop management plans for the dunes. The recommendations have contributed to planning processes at three levels: (i) national coastal management plans; (ii) regional plans; and (iii) plans for further action at the local community level.

Local and Regional Determinants of an Uncommon Functional Group in Freshwater Lakes and Ponds

PubMed Central

McCann, Michael James

2015-01-01

A combination of local and regional factors and stochastic forces is expected to determine the occurrence of species and the structure of communities. However, in most cases, our understanding is incomplete, with large amounts of unexplained variation. Using functional groups rather than individual species may help explain the relationship between community composition and conditions. In this study, I used survey data from freshwater lakes and ponds to understand factors that determine the presence of the floating plant functional group in the northeast United States. Of the 176 water bodies surveyed, 104 (59.1%) did not contain any floating plant species. The occurrence of this functional group was largely determined by local abiotic conditions, which were spatially autocorrelated across the region. A model predicting the presence of the floating plant functional group performed similarly to the best species-specific models. Using a permutation test, I also found that the observed prevalence of floating plants is no different than expected by random assembly from a species pool of its size. These results suggest that the size of the species pool interacts with local conditions in determining the presence of a functional group. Nevertheless, a large amount of unexplained variation remains, attributable to either stochastic species occurrence or incomplete predictive models. The simple permutation approach in this study can be extended to test alternative models of community assembly. PMID:26121636

Community health information sources--a survey in three disparate communities.

PubMed

Dart, Jared; Gallois, Cindy; Yellowlees, Peter

2008-02-01

To determine the current utilisation, importance, trust and future preference for contemporary sources of health information in three different socioeconomic groups. A pilot study including key informant interviews and direct observation was conducted in a low socioeconomic community. From this work a survey questionnaire was designed and implemented across three different communities. Semi-structured key informant interviews and focus groups capturing 52 respondents. Paper-based surveys were left in community organisations and local health practices in a low socioeconomic (LSE) community on the outskirts of Ipswich, Queensland, a mid-high socioeconomic (MSE) community in the western suburbs of Brisbane, and at a local university. Rank of current and preferred future sources of health information, importance and trustworthiness of health information sources. Across all three communities the local doctor was the most currently used, important, trusted and preferred future source of health information. The most striking difference between the three communities related to the current use and preferred future use of the internet. The internet was a more currently used source of health information and more important source in the university population than the LSE or MSE populations. It was also a less preferred source of future health information in the LSE population than the MSE or university populations. Importantly, currently used sources of health information did not reflect community members' preferred sources of health information. People in different socioeconomic communities obtain health information from various sources. This may reflect access issues, education and awareness of the internet as a source of health information, less health information seeking as well as a reluctance by the e-health community to address the specific needs of this group.

Genetic affinity between diverse ethnoreligious communities of Tamil Nadu, India: a microsatellite study.

PubMed

Eaaswarkhanth, M; Vasulu, T S; Haque, Ikramul

2008-12-01

Historically, a number of local Hindu caste groups have converted to Islam and formed religious endogamous groups. Therefore the local caste groups and religious communities in a region are expected to show genetic relatedness. In this study we investigate the genetic relationship between Tamil-speaking (Dravidian language) Muslims (Sunni), six endogamous Hindu castes, and a tribal ethnic group (Irulars) using 13 CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) autosomal microsatellite markers. Muslims show the highest average heterozygosity (0.405) compared to the other groups. The neighbor-joining tree and the multidimensional-scaling plot show clustering of Tamil-speaking Muslims with three caste groups (Gounder, Paraiyar, and Vanniyar), whereas the Irular tribe is separated out of the cluster.

Climate for Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Sally

The time for local groups to pressure local broadcasters for better children's television is now. Federal Communications Commission guidelines encourage broadcasters to involve the community in program planning. And a growing number of groups across the country have been participating. The San Francisco Committee on Children's Television, founded…

Granting authority to a new policy. A community benefit services policy becomes part of the general business strategy.

PubMed

Karibo, J

1994-05-01

Bon Secours Health System's new strategic plan and community benefit services policy integrates the planning, budgeting, evaluating, and reporting of community benefit services into management processes at the same level of authority as other operational activities. The strategic plan of Bon Secours Health System, headquartered in Marriottsville, MD, documents the system's mission, operating principles, vision, and five goals, one of which is to improve the communities' health status. The community benefit services operating policy requires that the Bon Secours Health System chief executive officer (CEO) and each local system CEO and nursing home administrator form a multidisciplinary local work group to be responsible for community benefit services. Each local work group assesses the needs of its community within the framework of the annual planning process. Determining what services are needed and how to deliver them is relatively easy. The difficult task is determining which of the many needs to address. What a community lacks may be the result of poor or inadequate public policy. For example, its priority may not be healthcare. In these situations healthcare providers may be best able to serve the community by providing indirect support to social service providers or by advocating for change. The community benefit services operating policy provides a standard approach to match the community's priority needs with the institution's resources and produce a measurable improvement in health status.

Linking Knowledge and Action: PRI's Community Consultant.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Gregory P.

Within the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI), community consultants operate within three complex sets of relationships: client groups, the organizational structure of PRI, and the local operational base. Community consultants are responsible for developing and facilitating rural development and for providing assistance in community and…

Enhancing Sustainable Communities With Green Infrastructure

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This publication aims to help local governments, water utilities, nonprofit organizations, neighborhood groups, and other stakeholders integrate green infrastructure strategies into plans that can transform their communities.

Local Officials Guide to Defense Economic Adjustment

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

Fatigues and Sportswear . There are at least six other significant employ- ers in Burbank who have receive substantial defense contracts as a share of...economic adjust- ment is in community adjustment. Local officials are the keeper of the economic and social good of the entire community and can help...those in social work, employment and training, and finance. Non-profit groups, service organizations, and churches are all part of a community’s service

Community desires for an online health information strategy.

PubMed

Dart, Jared M; Gallois, Cindy

2010-11-01

To determine whether the community's attitudes to components of a community eHealth strategy differ across three different socioeconomic groups. A survey questionnaire was designed and implemented across three different communities. Paper-based surveys were left in community organisations and local health practices in a low socioeconomic community on the outskirts of Ipswich, Queensland (n = 262), a mid-high socioeconomic community in the western suburbs of Brisbane (n = 256) and at a local university (n = 200). Ascribed importance and comfort with proposed components of a community eHealth strategy. A community-oriented health website was perceived as useful in getting access to relevant health information. Those who were most comfortable with accessing online health information were those who were: experienced, had home internet access and were frequent internet users. The most important types of health information for the website were: information about the treatment of conditions, how to manage a chronic illness, how to stay healthy and patient clinical pathways. The low socioeconomic community had different information priorities – all categories were considered more important, particularly information about how the public system operates, local health support groups, and the roles of health professionals. Different communities have different information demands but there is a strong demand for information which empowers community members to take control of their own health and become active participants in their health care. Tools such as a community health portal and patient clinical pathways should become more available.

The Stage Life: Promoting the Inclusion of Young People through Participatory Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stickley, Theodore; Crosbie, Brian; Hui, Ada

2012-01-01

The Stage Life was a participatory arts programme for people attending a day services provision in Nottinghamshire. The uniqueness of this programme was that it was provided in a local disused cinema acquired by the local authority for community-based activities amongst disadvantaged groups. The Stage Life aimed to build the community arts…

Land-use intensification causes multitrophic homogenization of grassland communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gossner, Martin M.; Lewinsohn, Thomas M.; Kahl, Tiemo; Grassein, Fabrice; Boch, Steffen; Prati, Daniel; Birkhofer, Klaus; Renner, Swen C.; Sikorski, Johannes; Wubet, Tesfaye; Arndt, Hartmut; Baumgartner, Vanessa; Blaser, Stefan; Blüthgen, Nico; Börschig, Carmen; Buscot, Francois; Diekötter, Tim; Jorge, Leonardo Ré; Jung, Kirsten; Keyel, Alexander C.; Klein, Alexandra-Maria; Klemmer, Sandra; Krauss, Jochen; Lange, Markus; Müller, Jörg; Overmann, Jörg; Pašalić, Esther; Penone, Caterina; Perović, David J.; Purschke, Oliver; Schall, Peter; Socher, Stephanie A.; Sonnemann, Ilja; Tschapka, Marco; Tscharntke, Teja; Türke, Manfred; Venter, Paul Christiaan; Weiner, Christiane N.; Werner, Michael; Wolters, Volkmar; Wurst, Susanne; Westphal, Catrin; Fischer, Markus; Weisser, Wolfgang W.; Allan, Eric

2016-12-01

Land-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Alongside reductions in local species diversity, biotic homogenization at larger spatial scales is of great concern for conservation. Biotic homogenization means a decrease in β-diversity (the compositional dissimilarity between sites). Most studies have investigated losses in local (α)-diversity and neglected biodiversity loss at larger spatial scales. Studies addressing β-diversity have focused on single or a few organism groups (for example, ref. 4), and it is thus unknown whether land-use intensification homogenizes communities at different trophic levels, above- and belowground. Here we show that even moderate increases in local land-use intensity (LUI) cause biotic homogenization across microbial, plant and animal groups, both above- and belowground, and that this is largely independent of changes in α-diversity. We analysed a unique grassland biodiversity dataset, with abundances of more than 4,000 species belonging to 12 trophic groups. LUI, and, in particular, high mowing intensity, had consistent effects on β-diversity across groups, causing a homogenization of soil microbial, fungal pathogen, plant and arthropod communities. These effects were nonlinear and the strongest declines in β-diversity occurred in the transition from extensively managed to intermediate intensity grassland. LUI tended to reduce local α-diversity in aboveground groups, whereas the α-diversity increased in belowground groups. Correlations between the β-diversity of different groups, particularly between plants and their consumers, became weaker at high LUI. This suggests a loss of specialist species and is further evidence for biotic homogenization. The consistently negative effects of LUI on landscape-scale biodiversity underscore the high value of extensively managed grasslands for conserving multitrophic biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. Indeed, biotic homogenization rather than local diversity loss could prove to be the most substantial consequence of land-use intensification.

Land-use intensification causes multitrophic homogenization of grassland communities.

PubMed

Gossner, Martin M; Lewinsohn, Thomas M; Kahl, Tiemo; Grassein, Fabrice; Boch, Steffen; Prati, Daniel; Birkhofer, Klaus; Renner, Swen C; Sikorski, Johannes; Wubet, Tesfaye; Arndt, Hartmut; Baumgartner, Vanessa; Blaser, Stefan; Blüthgen, Nico; Börschig, Carmen; Buscot, Francois; Diekötter, Tim; Jorge, Leonardo Ré; Jung, Kirsten; Keyel, Alexander C; Klein, Alexandra-Maria; Klemmer, Sandra; Krauss, Jochen; Lange, Markus; Müller, Jörg; Overmann, Jörg; Pašalić, Esther; Penone, Caterina; Perović, David J; Purschke, Oliver; Schall, Peter; Socher, Stephanie A; Sonnemann, Ilja; Tschapka, Marco; Tscharntke, Teja; Türke, Manfred; Venter, Paul Christiaan; Weiner, Christiane N; Werner, Michael; Wolters, Volkmar; Wurst, Susanne; Westphal, Catrin; Fischer, Markus; Weisser, Wolfgang W; Allan, Eric

2016-12-08

Land-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Alongside reductions in local species diversity, biotic homogenization at larger spatial scales is of great concern for conservation. Biotic homogenization means a decrease in β-diversity (the compositional dissimilarity between sites). Most studies have investigated losses in local (α)-diversity and neglected biodiversity loss at larger spatial scales. Studies addressing β-diversity have focused on single or a few organism groups (for example, ref. 4), and it is thus unknown whether land-use intensification homogenizes communities at different trophic levels, above- and belowground. Here we show that even moderate increases in local land-use intensity (LUI) cause biotic homogenization across microbial, plant and animal groups, both above- and belowground, and that this is largely independent of changes in α-diversity. We analysed a unique grassland biodiversity dataset, with abundances of more than 4,000 species belonging to 12 trophic groups. LUI, and, in particular, high mowing intensity, had consistent effects on β-diversity across groups, causing a homogenization of soil microbial, fungal pathogen, plant and arthropod communities. These effects were nonlinear and the strongest declines in β-diversity occurred in the transition from extensively managed to intermediate intensity grassland. LUI tended to reduce local α-diversity in aboveground groups, whereas the α-diversity increased in belowground groups. Correlations between the β-diversity of different groups, particularly between plants and their consumers, became weaker at high LUI. This suggests a loss of specialist species and is further evidence for biotic homogenization. The consistently negative effects of LUI on landscape-scale biodiversity underscore the high value of extensively managed grasslands for conserving multitrophic biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. Indeed, biotic homogenization rather than local diversity loss could prove to be the most substantial consequence of land-use intensification.

From theory to practice: community health nursing in a public health neighborhood team.

PubMed

Westbrook, L O; Schultz, P R

2000-12-01

An interdisciplinary team in a local public health district tested its ability to implement the core public health functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance by changing its practice to a community-driven model of building partnerships for health with groups and communities in a designated locale. Evaluation of this innovation revealed that the public health nurse members of the team enacted their community health nursing knowledge to strengthen agency to cocreate health. Interdisciplinary collaboration was essential to the team's community mobilization efforts. Additional findings suggested that this organizational innovation was associated with developing a more participatory organizational climate, increasing system effectiveness, and building community capacity.

The Community School in the Nation. Community Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gittell, Marilyn

The major stimulus of the community school movement is a general dissatisfaction with the existing public education system, the greatest thrust having come from the minority groups. The two major difficulties appear to be the creation of independent schools or districts under local community control, and the development of adequate funding…

Community Problem Solving and Small/Rural Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeFoe, Bettye Haller

Because demographic and social changes in rural communities also affect small and rural school environments, schools must consider the impact of community change and plan accordingly. Rural school administrators, who are visible and respected, know how to work with groups, and understand the local community, are well qualified to provide their…

Community College Partnership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Marjorie

Community colleges must assume a proactive leadership role to develop strategies that establish and maintain partnerships with business and other community organizations. San Juan College (SJC) has forged partnerships with a variety of local organizations, including governmental, civic, business, educational, medical, and cultural groups.…

SmartRoads: training Indonesian workers to become road safety ambassadors in industrial and community settings.

PubMed

Montero, Kerry; Spencer, Graham; Ariens, Bernadette

2012-06-01

This paper reports on a programme to improve road safety awareness in an industrial community in the vicinity of Jakarta, in Indonesia. Adapting the model of a successful community and school-based programme in Victoria, in Australia, and using a peer education approach, 16 employees of a major manufacturing company were trained to implement road safety education programmes amongst their peers. Specific target groups for the educators were colleagues, schools and the local community. Over 2 days the employees, from areas as diverse as production, public relations, personnel services, administration and management, learned about road safety facts, causes of traffic casualties, prevention approaches and peer education strategies. They explored and developed strategies to use with their respective target groups and practised health education skills. The newly trained workers received certificates to acknowledge them as 'SmartRoads Ambassadors' and, with follow-up support and development, became road safety educators with a commitment and responsibility to deliver education to their respective work and local communities. This paper argues that the model has potential to provide an effective and locally relevant response to road safety issues in similar communities.

A macro-level fetal alcohol syndrome prevention program for Native Americans and Alaska Natives: description and evaluation.

PubMed

May, P A; Hymbaugh, K J

1989-11-01

Presented here are a detailed description and outcome evaluation of a comprehensive, macro-level Fetal Alcohol Syndrome prevention program for Native Americans and Alaska Natives. The program was designed to provide native communities throughout the United States with the knowledge, skills and strategies to initiate primary, secondary and tertiary prevention measures on their own. The key to the program was the training of a cadre of trainers/advocates in all local Native American and Alaska Native communities served by the Indian Health Service. These people were then supported and assisted in their efforts through a variety of means. Evaluation results of knowledge gained indicate that the local trainers had substantial success in imparting FAS information to a variety of audiences (prenatal groups, school children and community groups). Further, the evaluation samples also indicate that the knowledge was retained by the groups over time (2-4 months) and that there may have been some general diffusion of knowledge among peers in local communities. This program is presented in the hope that it will be replicated and improved upon by similar programs using this model as a base.

Collaborating with Communities and Higher Education to Address the Health-care Needs of Individuals with Disabilities in Ecuador.

PubMed

Cech, Donna J; Alvarado, Zully J

2017-01-01

Individuals with disabilities experience inequities in access to health care, education, employment, and social inclusion. Causes for Change International (CCI), a non-governmental Organization (NGO), using a community-based rehabilitation approach has worked for 20 years to build self-sufficiency, improve health-care services, and education for women, children, and persons with disabilities in Ecuador. CCI initially addressed health; advocacy for individuals with disabilities; and promoted educational opportunities for children with disabilities, starting in one rural community. CCI's outreach has expanded through Ecuador's coastal provinces, Andean provinces, and Galapagos Islands. CCI also focused on local health-care workforce development, developing employment skills for individuals with disabilities and social inclusion for this population. CCI collaborated with local organizations, government, and universities to provide resources, managed by local leadership. Key program elements of the CCI approach include (1) develop trust between CCI, local communities, local agencies, and government; (2) empower local groups to assume leadership and sustain programs; (3) support communities and groups invested in developing self-sufficiency; and (4) strengthen collaborations and partnerships between local and international organizations, universities, and government agencies. Key lessons learned by CCI are to be supportive of cultural differences; understand that limited financial and material resources may limit the program development; recognize that it is difficult not to foster dependent relationships with communities and appreciate the importance of working with and within the host country's governmental systems. CCI is expanding its service base to other regions of Ecuador and is focusing on development of the Ecuadorian health-care workforce and social inclusion opportunities for individuals with disability. The efforts of a small NGO have helped build community self-sufficiency in meeting the health care and rehabilitation needs of all Ecuadorian citizens and a greater awareness of the abilities and potential contributions of individuals with disabilities.

Collaborating with Communities and Higher Education to Address the Health-care Needs of Individuals with Disabilities in Ecuador

PubMed Central

Cech, Donna J.; Alvarado, Zully J.

2017-01-01

Individuals with disabilities experience inequities in access to health care, education, employment, and social inclusion. Causes for Change International (CCI), a non-governmental Organization (NGO), using a community-based rehabilitation approach has worked for 20 years to build self-sufficiency, improve health-care services, and education for women, children, and persons with disabilities in Ecuador. CCI initially addressed health; advocacy for individuals with disabilities; and promoted educational opportunities for children with disabilities, starting in one rural community. CCI’s outreach has expanded through Ecuador’s coastal provinces, Andean provinces, and Galapagos Islands. CCI also focused on local health-care workforce development, developing employment skills for individuals with disabilities and social inclusion for this population. CCI collaborated with local organizations, government, and universities to provide resources, managed by local leadership. Key program elements of the CCI approach include (1) develop trust between CCI, local communities, local agencies, and government; (2) empower local groups to assume leadership and sustain programs; (3) support communities and groups invested in developing self-sufficiency; and (4) strengthen collaborations and partnerships between local and international organizations, universities, and government agencies. Key lessons learned by CCI are to be supportive of cultural differences; understand that limited financial and material resources may limit the program development; recognize that it is difficult not to foster dependent relationships with communities and appreciate the importance of working with and within the host country’s governmental systems. CCI is expanding its service base to other regions of Ecuador and is focusing on development of the Ecuadorian health-care workforce and social inclusion opportunities for individuals with disability. The efforts of a small NGO have helped build community self-sufficiency in meeting the health care and rehabilitation needs of all Ecuadorian citizens and a greater awareness of the abilities and potential contributions of individuals with disabilities. PMID:28484696

An Institutional Community-Driven effort to Curate and Preserve Geospatial Data using GeoBlacklight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petters, J.; Coleman, S.; Andrea, O.

2016-12-01

A variety of geospatial data is produced or collected by both academic researchers and non-academic groups in the Virginia Tech community. In an effort to preserve, curate and make this geospatial data discoverable, the University Libraries have been building a local implementation of GeoBlacklight, a multi-institutional open-source collaborative project to improve the discoverability and sharing of geospatial data. We will discuss the local implementation of Geoblacklight at Virginia Tech, focusing on the efforts necessary to make it a sustainable resource for the institution and local community going forward. This includes technical challenges such as the development of uniform workflows for geospatial data produced within and outside the course of research, but organizational and economic barriers must be overcome as well. In spearheading this GeoBlacklight effort the Libraries have partnered with University Facilities and University IT. The IT group manages the storage and backup of geospatial data, allowing our group to focus on geospatial data collection and curation. Both IT and University Facilities are in possession of localized geospatial data of interest to Viriginia Tech researchers that all parties agreed should be made discoverable and accessible. The interest and involvement of these and other university stakeholders is key to establishing the sustainability of the infrastructure and the capabilities it can provide to the Virginia Tech community and beyond.

Brookings supports breastfeeding: using public deliberation as a community-engaged approach to dissemination of research.

PubMed

Anderson, Jenn; Kuehl, Rebecca A; Mehltretter Drury, Sara A; Tschetter, Lois; Schwaegerl, Mary; Yoder, Julia; Gullickson, Heidi; Lamp, Jamison; Bachman, Charlotte; Hildreth, Marilyn

2017-12-01

Empirical evidence demonstrates myriad benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child, along with benefits to businesses that support breastfeeding. Federal and state legislation requires workplace support for pumping and provides protections for public breastfeeding. Yet, many are unaware of these laws, and thus, support systems remain underdeveloped. We used a community-based approach to spread awareness about the evidence-based benefits of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support. We worked to improve breastfeeding support at the local hospital, among local employers, and throughout the broader community. Our coalition representing the hospital, the chamber of commerce, the university, and local lactation consultants used a public deliberation model for dissemination. We held focus groups, hosted a public conversation, spoke to local organizations, and promoted these efforts through local media. The hospital achieved Baby-Friendly status and opened a Baby Café. Breastfeeding support in the community improved through policies, designated pumping spaces, and signage that supports public breastfeeding at local businesses. Community awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support increased; the breastfeeding support coalition remains active. The public deliberation process for dissemination engaged the community with evidence-based promotion of breastfeeding support, increased agency, and produced sustainable results tailored to the community's unique needs.

Intervening to change the diets of low-income women.

PubMed

Davies, Jennifer A; Damani, P; Margetts, Barrie M

2009-05-01

Diet-related sources of ill health, including Fe-deficiency anaemia, are prevalent in the local South Asian population. This population also has a high prevalence of low-birth-weight babies. A need for preventative measures that take a holistic view to dietary change was identified in a South Asian community in Southampton, UK. A peer-led approach was used, training and developing a local workforce to become community food assistants. This workforce, drawn from local black and minority ethnic communities, ran practical 'hands-on' culturally-appropriate food-related activities within their communities that were successful in achieving long-term change in the diets of local women and their families. This model has the potential for achieving sustained behaviour change and is able to engage key target groups that can often be difficult to reach through more traditional routes.

Arizonans Criticize Government, but Know They Need It. AZ Views. Volume 1, Issue 5, October 2008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Arizona State University, 2008

2008-01-01

This report presents the findings of the Arizona Indicators Panel, a statewide representative sample of Arizonans conducted in May and July 2008. Arizonans think best of local hospitals and community parks among a group of government and community services. While they did not think particularly well of the responsiveness of local governments' to…

The relationship between species detection probability and local extinction probability

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alpizar-Jara, R.; Nichols, J.D.; Hines, J.E.; Sauer, J.R.; Pollock, K.H.; Rosenberry, C.S.

2004-01-01

In community-level ecological studies, generally not all species present in sampled areas are detected. Many authors have proposed the use of estimation methods that allow detection probabilities that are < 1 and that are heterogeneous among species. These methods can also be used to estimate community-dynamic parameters such as species local extinction probability and turnover rates (Nichols et al. Ecol Appl 8:1213-1225; Conserv Biol 12:1390-1398). Here, we present an ad hoc approach to estimating community-level vital rates in the presence of joint heterogeneity of detection probabilities and vital rates. The method consists of partitioning the number of species into two groups using the detection frequencies and then estimating vital rates (e.g., local extinction probabilities) for each group. Estimators from each group are combined in a weighted estimator of vital rates that accounts for the effect of heterogeneity. Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, we computed such estimates and tested the hypothesis that detection probabilities and local extinction probabilities were negatively related. Our analyses support the hypothesis that species detection probability covaries negatively with local probability of extinction and turnover rates. A simulation study was conducted to assess the performance of vital parameter estimators as well as other estimators relevant to questions about heterogeneity, such as coefficient of variation of detection probabilities and proportion of species in each group. Both the weighted estimator suggested in this paper and the original unweighted estimator for local extinction probability performed fairly well and provided no basis for preferring one to the other.

Kids in Communities Study (KiCS) study protocol: a cross-sectional mixed-methods approach to measuring community-level factors influencing early child development in Australia.

PubMed

Goldfeld, Sharon; Villanueva, Karen; Tanton, Robert; Katz, Ilan; Brinkman, Sally; Woolcock, Geoffrey; Giles-Corti, Billie

2017-03-13

Healthy childhood development in the early years is critical for later adult health and well-being. Early childhood development (ECD) research has focused primarily on individual, family and school factors, but largely ignored community factors. The Kids in Communities Study (KiCS) will test and investigate community-level influences on child development across Australia. Cross-sectional mixed-methods study exploring community-level effects in 25 Australian local communities; selection based on community socioeconomic status (SES) and ECD using the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), a population measure of child development, to create a local community 'diagonality type', that is, those performing better or worse (off-diagonal), or as expected (on-diagonal) on the AEDC relative to their SES. Data collection includes stakeholder interviews, parent and service provider focus groups, and surveys with general community residents and service providers, mapping of neighbourhood design and local amenities and services, analysis of policy documents, and the use of existing sociodemographic and early childhood education and care data. Quantitative data will be used to test associations between local community diagonality type, and ECD based on AEDC scores. Qualitative data will provide complementary and deeper exploration of these same associations. The Royal Children's Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee approved the study protocol (#30016). Further ethics approvals were obtained from State Education and Health departments and Catholic archdioceses where required. ECD community-level indicators will eventually be derived and made publically available. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals, community reports, websites and policy briefs to disseminate results to researchers, and key stakeholders including policymakers, practitioners and (most importantly) the communities involved. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Dementia-friendly communities: challenges and strategies for achieving stakeholder involvement.

PubMed

Heward, Michelle; Innes, Anthea; Cutler, Clare; Hambidge, Sarah

2017-05-01

Dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) are a UK policy initiative that aims to enable people with dementia to feel supported and included within their local community. Current approaches to DFC creation rely on stakeholder involvement, often requiring volunteer assistance. There is though a lack of evidence that examines the reality of achieving this. This paper critically assesses the challenges and strategies for achieving stakeholder involvement in DFCs. The evidence base is drawn from an inter-agency project funded by the National Health Service in the South of England where seven DFCs were developed by steering group partners and four part-time project workers (PWs). Data from the independent evaluation undertaken in the first year (2013-2014) of the project were analysed: 14 semi-structured interviews and a focus group examined PWs' experiences; while progress and key milestones are determined from monthly progress forms, good news stories, locality steering group minutes and press releases. Analysis was undertaken using a directed content analysis method, whereby data content for each locality was matched to the analytical framework that was drawn from Alzheimer's Society guidance. Challenges to achieving stakeholder involvement were identified as: establishing networks and including people representative of the local community; involving people affected by dementia; and gaining commitment from organisations. Strategies for achieving stakeholder involvement were recognised as: a sustainable approach; spreading the word; and sharing of ideas. By highlighting these challenges and the approaches that have been used within communities to overcome them, these findings form the foundation for the creation of DFC initiatives that will become embedded within communities. Stakeholder involvement is unpredictable and changeable; therefore, reliance on this approach questions the long-term sustainability of DFCs, and must be considered in future policies designed to enhance quality of life for people affected by dementia. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sex, lives and videotape.

PubMed

Meldrum, Julie; Pringle, Alan

2006-07-01

Various areas of the healthcare system are under pressure to find solutions to what are seen as the 'problems' of teenage pregnancy and the behaviours displayed by young people around sexual health issues. In many cases this has seen organizations such as Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Hospital Trusts charged with producing strategies and policies to influence the sexual behaviour of young people and to impact on the prominence of teenage pregnancy. It becomes clear, however, that any attempt to create policies or delivery systems to intervene in these areas will have a much greater chance of success if attempts are made to maximize the involvement of the young people in the process of constructing the delivery and content of health promotion approaches and service provision. This article outlines a process developed in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire whereby video interviews with community members, healthcare professionals and local young people formed the structure for focus groups. These were used to involve the community, and teenagers in particular, in the design of the service delivery. Videotaped interviews were conducted with local community members, local healthcare professionals and young people from the locality. The same interview schedule was used for each group but the responses showed marked differences of viewpoint between groups. Excerpts from the video interviews were used at externally facilitated focus groups firstly for young people, then for community members and then for healthcare professionals. A final large meeting brought the three groups together to discuss the important elements that a strategy should contain. The information gathered from the project influenced the development of the policy adopted by the PCT to engage with young people in the areas of teenage pregnancy and sexual health.

3 CFR 8500 - Proclamation 8500 of April 16, 2010. National Volunteer Week, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... day. Social entrepreneurs are pioneering innovative approaches to community service, and technology is... social innovation and volunteer management to give community groups the capacity to tackle local concerns...

The impact of gold mining and agricultural concessions on the tree cover and local communities in northern Myanmar.

PubMed

Papworth, Sarah; Rao, Madhu; Oo, Myint Myint; Latt, Kyaw Thinn; Tizard, Robert; Pienkowski, Thomas; Carrasco, L Roman

2017-04-24

Myanmar offers unique opportunities for both biodiversity conservation and foreign direct investment due to projected economic growth linked to natural resource exploitation. Industrial-scale development introduces new land uses into the landscape, with unknown repercussions for local communities and biodiversity conservation. We use participatory mapping of 31 communities, focus groups in 28 communities, and analyses of forest cover change during 2000-2010 using MODIS vegetation continuous fields images, to understand the social and environmental impacts of gold mining and agricultural concessions in Myanmar's Hukaung Valley (~21,800 km 2 ). Local communities, particularly the poorest households, benefit from work and trade opportunities offered by gold mining and agricultural companies but continue to depend on forests for house construction materials, food, and income from the sale of forest resources. However, gold mining and agricultural concessions reduce tree cover, potentially reducing access to forest resources and further marginalizing these households. Our analyses do not provide evidence that long-term resident communities contributed to forest cover loss between 2000 and 2010. We argue that landscape management, which recognizes local community rights to customary community use areas, and appropriate zoning for commercial land uses and protected areas could contribute to both local livelihoods and protect biodiversity throughout Myanmar during economic growth.

The impact of gold mining and agricultural concessions on the tree cover and local communities in northern Myanmar

PubMed Central

Papworth, Sarah; Rao, Madhu; Oo, Myint Myint; Latt, Kyaw Thinn; Tizard, Robert; Pienkowski, Thomas; Carrasco, L. Roman

2017-01-01

Myanmar offers unique opportunities for both biodiversity conservation and foreign direct investment due to projected economic growth linked to natural resource exploitation. Industrial-scale development introduces new land uses into the landscape, with unknown repercussions for local communities and biodiversity conservation. We use participatory mapping of 31 communities, focus groups in 28 communities, and analyses of forest cover change during 2000–2010 using MODIS vegetation continuous fields images, to understand the social and environmental impacts of gold mining and agricultural concessions in Myanmar’s Hukaung Valley (~21,800 km2). Local communities, particularly the poorest households, benefit from work and trade opportunities offered by gold mining and agricultural companies but continue to depend on forests for house construction materials, food, and income from the sale of forest resources. However, gold mining and agricultural concessions reduce tree cover, potentially reducing access to forest resources and further marginalizing these households. Our analyses do not provide evidence that long-term resident communities contributed to forest cover loss between 2000 and 2010. We argue that landscape management, which recognizes local community rights to customary community use areas, and appropriate zoning for commercial land uses and protected areas could contribute to both local livelihoods and protect biodiversity throughout Myanmar during economic growth. PMID:28436455

Locating Structural Centers: A Density-Based Clustering Method for Community Detection

PubMed Central

Liu, Gongshen; Li, Jianhua; Nees, Jan P.

2017-01-01

Uncovering underlying community structures in complex networks has received considerable attention because of its importance in understanding structural attributes and group characteristics of networks. The algorithmic identification of such structures is a significant challenge. Local expanding methods have proven to be efficient and effective in community detection, but most methods are sensitive to initial seeds and built-in parameters. In this paper, we present a local expansion method by density-based clustering, which aims to uncover the intrinsic network communities by locating the structural centers of communities based on a proposed structural centrality. The structural centrality takes into account local density of nodes and relative distance between nodes. The proposed algorithm expands a community from the structural center to the border with a single local search procedure. The local expanding procedure follows a heuristic strategy as allowing it to find complete community structures. Moreover, it can identify different node roles (cores and outliers) in communities by defining a border region. The experiments involve both on real-world and artificial networks, and give a comparison view to evaluate the proposed method. The result of these experiments shows that the proposed method performs more efficiently with a comparative clustering performance than current state of the art methods. PMID:28046030

Local Health Department Capacity for Community Engagement and Its Implications for Disaster Resilience

PubMed Central

Sell, Tara Kirk; Morhard, Ryan

2013-01-01

Over the past decade, community engagement has become a central tenet of US federal doctrine on public health emergency preparedness. Little is known, however, about how the vision of a ready, aware, and involved populace has translated into local practice, or which conditions thus far have advanced community involvement in what is typically considered the province of government authorities and emergency professionals. In 2011-12, to help close that knowledge gap, investigators carried out semistructured qualitative interviews with practitioners (N=25) from 7 local health departments about which conditions have advanced or inhibited community engagement in public health emergency preparedness. Among the organizational factors identified as enabling local health departments' involvement of community residents and groups in emergency preparedness were a supportive agency leadership and culture, sufficient staffing and programmatic funding, interested and willing partners, and external triggers such as federal grants and disaster experiences that spotlighted the importance of community relationships to effective response. Facing budget and staff cuts, local health departments feel increasingly constrained in efforts to build trusted and lasting preparedness ties with community partners. At the same time, some progress in preparedness partnerships may be possible in the context of agency leadership, culture, and climate that affirms the value of collaboration with the community. PMID:23718765

Experiences of a Community-Based Lymphedema Management Program for Lymphatic Filariasis in Odisha State, India: An Analysis of Focus Group Discussions with Patients, Families, Community Members and Program Volunteers.

PubMed

Cassidy, Tali; Worrell, Caitlin M; Little, Kristen; Prakash, Aishya; Patra, Inakhi; Rout, Jonathan; Fox, LeAnne M

2016-02-01

Globally 68 million people are infected with lymphatic filariasis (LF), 17 million of whom have lymphedema. This study explores the effects of a lymphedema management program in Odisha State, India on morbidity and psychosocial effects associated with lymphedema. Focus groups were held with patients (eight groups, separated by gender), their family members (eight groups), community members (four groups) and program volunteers (four groups) who had participated in a lymphedema management program for the past three years. Significant social, physical, and economic difficulties were described by patients and family members, including marriageability, social stigma, and lost workdays. However, the positive impact of the lymphedema management program was also emphasized, and many family and community members indicated that community members were accepting of patients and had some improved understanding of the etiology of the disease. Program volunteers and community members stressed the role that the program had played in educating people, though interestingly, local explanations and treatments appear to coexist with knowledge of biomedical treatments and the mosquito vector. Local and biomedical understandings of disease can co-exist and do not preclude individuals from participating in biomedical interventions, specifically lymphedema management for those with lymphatic filariasis. There is a continued need for gender-specific psychosocial support groups to address issues particular to men and women as well as a continued need for improved economic opportunities for LF-affected patients. There is an urgent need to scale up LF-related morbidity management programs to reduce the suffering of people affected by LF.

Group Projects and Civic Engagement in a Quantitative Literacy Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewar, Jacqueline; Larson, Suzanne; Zachariah, Thomas

2011-01-01

We describe our approach to incorporating a civic engagement component into a quantitative literacy (QL) course and the resulting gains in student learning, confidence, and awareness of local civic issues. We revised the existing QL course by including semester-long group projects involving local community issues that students could investigate…

Marketing Your Day Camp.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, George

1997-01-01

Marketing strategies for day camps include encouraging camp staff to get involved in organizations involving children, families, and communities; holding camp fairs; offering the use of camp facilities to outside groups; hosting sport leagues and local youth outings; planning community fairs; and otherwise involving the camp in the community. (LP)

Local Food Policies Can Help Promote Local Foods and Improve Health: A Case Study from the Federated States of Micronesia

PubMed Central

Lorens, Adelino; Pretrick, Moses; Tara, Mona J; Johnson, Emihner

2011-01-01

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and other countries throughout the Pacific are facing an epidemic of non-communicable disease health problems. These are directly related to the increased consumption of unhealthy imported processed foods, the neglect of traditional food systems, and lifestyle changes, including decreased physical activity. The FSM faces the double burden of malnutrition with both non-communicable diseases and micronutrient deficiencies, including vitamin A deficiency and anemia. To help increase the use of traditional island foods and improve health, the Island Food Community of Pohnpei has initiated a program in the FSM to support and promote local food policies, along with its Go Local awareness campaign. Such local food policies are defined broadly and include individual and family commitments, community group local food policies and policies established by government, including presidential proclamations and increased taxation on soft drinks. The aim of this paper is to describe this work. An inter-agency, community- and research-based, participatory and media approach was used. Partners are both non-governmental and governmental. The use of continuing awareness work along with local food policy establishment and the acknowledgement of the individuals and groups involved are essential. The work is still in the preliminary stage but ad hoc examples show that this approach has had success in increased awareness on health issues and improving dietary intake on both an individual and group basis. This indicates that further use of local food policies could have an instrumental impact in FSM as well as other Pacific Island countries in promoting local foods and improving dietary intake and health, including the control of non-communicable diseases and other dietary-related health problems. PMID:22235156

Local food policies can help promote local foods and improve health: a case study from the Federated States of Micronesia.

PubMed

Englberger, Lois; Lorens, Adelino; Pretrick, Moses; Tara, Mona J; Johnson, Emihner

2011-11-01

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and other countries throughout the Pacific are facing an epidemic of non-communicable disease health problems. These are directly related to the increased consumption of unhealthy imported processed foods, the neglect of traditional food systems, and lifestyle changes, including decreased physical activity. The FSM faces the double burden of malnutrition with both non-communicable diseases and micronutrient deficiencies, including vitamin A deficiency and anemia. To help increase the use of traditional island foods and improve health, the Island Food Community of Pohnpei has initiated a program in the FSM to support and promote local food policies, along with its Go Local awareness campaign. Such local food policies are defined broadly and include individual and family commitments, community group local food policies and policies established by government, including presidential proclamations and increased taxation on soft drinks. The aim of this paper is to describe this work. An inter-agency, community- and research-based, participatory and media approach was used. Partners are both non-governmental and governmental. The use of continuing awareness work along with local food policy establishment and the acknowledgement of the individuals and groups involved are essential. The work is still in the preliminary stage but ad hoc examples show that this approach has had success in increased awareness on health issues and improving dietary intake on both an individual and group basis. This indicates that further use of local food policies could have an instrumental impact in FSM as well as other Pacific Island countries in promoting local foods and improving dietary intake and health, including the control of non-communicable diseases and other dietary-related health problems.

Local Community Advocacy for the Thirty Meter Telescope on the Big Island of Hawai’i

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currie, Thayne; Ha, Richard; Imai-Hong, Amber; Silva, Jasmin; Stark, Chris; Naea Stevens, Dashiel

2018-01-01

The Thirty Meter Telescope project is a next-generation ground-based optical/infrared telescope planned for construction on Mauna Kea. It is also a prominent social issue in Hawai’i, touching upon a wide range of island-specific issues, including economic/educational opportunities and justice, Hawaii’s long and proud history of astronomy/navigation, the cultural significance of Mauna Kea to some Hawaiians, and Hawaiian sovereignty. In this talk, we describe local community outreach carried out by Hawai’i island resident members of our group, Yes2TMT, and also by the pro-TMT Hawaiian group P.U.E.O based in Hilo. We have cultivated a substantial social media community and persistent on-the-ground advocacy that addresses the many misconceptions about TMT while providing an outlet for concerns from our neighbors. Since early 2016 and thanks to the efforts of many on Hawai’i, support for TMT has increased, especially from the Hawaiian community: the project is now favored by at least 70% of Hawaii’s residents. Our goal is to help bring TMT to Hawai’i under conditions deemed acceptable by the vast majority of the local community.

Mobilizing cross-sector community partnerships to address the needs of criminal justice-involved older adults: a framework for action.

PubMed

Metzger, Lia; Ahalt, Cyrus; Kushel, Margot; Riker, Alissa; Williams, Brie

2017-09-11

Purpose The rapidly increasing number of older adults cycling through local criminal justice systems (jails, probation, and parole) suggests a need for greater collaboration among a diverse group of local stakeholders including professionals from healthcare delivery, public health, and criminal justice and directly affected individuals, their families, and advocates. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that local communities can use to understand and begin to address the needs of criminal justice-involved older adults. Design/methodology/approach The framework included solicit input from community stakeholders to identify pressing challenges facing criminal justice-involved older adults, conduct needs assessments of criminal justice-involved older adults and professionals working with them; implement quick-response interventions based on needs assessments; share findings with community stakeholders and generate public feedback; engage interdisciplinary group to develop an action plan to optimize services. Findings A five-step framework for creating an interdisciplinary community response is an effective approach to action planning and broad stakeholder engagement on behalf of older adults cycling through the criminal justice system. Originality/value This study proposes the Criminal Justice Involved Older Adults in Need of Treatment Initiative Framework for establishing an interdisciplinary community response to the growing population of medically and socially vulnerable criminal justice-involved older adults.

Evaluation of community provision of a preventive cardiovascular programme - the National Health Service Health Check in reaching the under-served groups by primary care in England: cross sectional observational study.

PubMed

Woringer, Maria; Cecil, Elizabeth; Watt, Hillary; Chang, Kiara; Hamid, Fozia; Khunti, Kamlesh; Dubois, Elizabeth; Evason, Julie; Majeed, Azeem; Soljak, Michael

2017-06-14

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of premature mortality and a major contributor of health inequalities in England. Compared to more affluent and white counterparts, deprived people and ethnic minorities tend to die younger due to preventable CVD associated with lifestyle. In addition, deprived, ethnic minorities and younger people are less likely to be served by CVD prevention services. This study assessed the effectiveness of community-based outreach providers in delivering England's National Health Services (NHS) Health Check programme, a CVD preventive programme to under-served groups. Between January 2008 and October 2013, community outreach providers delivered a preventive CVD programme to 50,573 individuals, in their local communities, in a single consultation without prescheduled appointments. Community outreach providers operated on evenings and weekends as well as during regular business hours in venues accessible to the general public. After exclusion criteria, we analysed and compared socio-demographic data of 43,177 Health Check attendees with the general population across 38 local authorities (LAs). We assessed variation between local authorities in terms of age, sex, deprivation and ethnicity structures using two sample t-tests and within local authority variation in terms of ethnicity and deprivation using Chi squared tests and two sample t-tests respectively. Using Index of Multiple Deprivation, the mean deprivation score of the population reached by community outreach providers was 6.01 higher (p < 0.05) than the general population. Screened populations in 29 of 38 LAs were significantly more deprived (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference among ethnic minority groups was observed between LAs. Nonetheless some LAs - namely Leicester, Thurrock, Sutton, South Tyneside, Portsmouth and Gateshead were very successful in recruiting ethnic minority groups. The mean proportion of men screened was 11.39% lower (p < 0.001) and mean proportion of 40-49 and 50-59 year olds was 9.98% and 3.58% higher (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.01 respectively) than the general population across 38 LAs. Community-based outreach providers effectively reach under-served groups by delivering preventive CVD services to younger, more deprived populations, and a representative proportion of ethnic minority groups. If the programme is successful in motivating the under-served groups to improve lifestyle, it may reduce health inequalities therein.

Horticultural therapy as a measure for recovery support of regional community in the disaster area: a preliminary experiment for forty five women who living certain region in the coastal area of Miyagi Prefecture.

PubMed

Kotozaki, Yuka

2014-01-01

Three years have passed since the earthquake, in the coastal areas in the disaster area, by population transfer or the like from the temporary housing, the importance of the regeneration and revitalization of the local community has been pointed out. This study performed a preliminary study to aim at the psychological inspection about an effect of the horticultural therapy as the means of the local community reproduction support of the disaster area. Forty five women who are living in the coastal area of Miyagi Prefecture participated in this study. They experienced the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011 and suffered some kind of damage caused by the earthquake. The participants were assigned to two groups, the intervention group and the control group, via a random draw using a computer. The HI group attended the horticultural therapy intervention (HT intervention) sessions for 16 weeks. The HT intervention was designed in collaboration with a horticultural therapist and clinical psychologists. This intervention comprised a total of 16 weekly sessions (120 min each) at the community center and 15 minutes per day at participants' homes. We used five psychological measures for an intervention evaluation. The HI group showed a significant increase in post- intervention SCI-2 total scores, post- intervention SCI-2 membership scores, post-intervention SCI-2 influence scores, post- intervention SCI-2 meeting needs scores, post- intervention SCI-2 shared emotional connection scores, and post- intervention RSES score. We believe that these results suggest the effectiveness of the horticultural therapy as the means of the local community reproduction.

Focus Group Evaluation of Customized Family Health History Education Materials in a North Carolina Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Karen; Edelson, Vaughn; O'Leary, James; Christianson, Carol; Henrich, Vincent

2011-01-01

The "Does It Run In The Family?" booklets provide educational materials about family health history (FHH) and basic genetics to readers of all levels and are customizable for local communities. Purpose: The booklets were customized and provided to focus groups to evaluate their usefulness in conveying health information at a low reading…

A University-Community Partnership in Teacher Education from the Perspectives of Community-Based Teacher Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guillen, Lorena; Zeichner, Ken

2018-01-01

This article examines the experiences of a group of nine community-based mentors of teacher candidates who partnered for several years through a local, community-based organization with the graduate elementary and secondary teacher education programs at a research university in the Pacific Northwest. Following a brief discussion of the history of…

What Rural Women Want the Public Health Community to Know About Access to Healthful Food: A Qualitative Study, 2011.

PubMed

Carnahan, Leslie R; Zimmermann, Kristine; Peacock, Nadine R

2016-04-28

Living in a rural food desert has been linked to poor dietary habits. Understanding community perspectives about available resources and feasible solutions may inform strategies to improve food access in rural food deserts. The objective of our study was to identify resources and solutions to the food access problems of women in rural, southernmost Illinois. Fourteen focus groups with women (n = 110 participants) in 4 age groups were conducted in a 7-county region as part of a community assessment focused on women's health. We used content analysis with inductive and deductive approaches to explore food access barriers and facilitators. Similar to participants in previous studies, participants in our study reported insufficient local food sources, which they believe contributed to poor dietary habits, high food prices, and the need to travel for healthful food. Participants identified existing local activities and resources that help to increase access, such as home and community gardens, food pantries, and public transportation, as well as local solutions, such as improving nutrition education and public transportation options. Multilevel and collaborative strategies and policies are needed to address food access barriers in rural communities. At the individual level, education may help residents navigate geographic and economic barriers. Community solutions include collaborative strategies to increase availability of healthful foods through traditional and nontraditional food sources. Policy change is needed to promote local agriculture and distribution of privately grown food. Understanding needs and strengths in rural communities will ensure responsive and effective strategies to improve the rural food environment.

What Rural Women Want the Public Health Community to Know About Access to Healthful Food: A Qualitative Study, 2011

PubMed Central

Zimmermann, Kristine; Peacock, Nadine R.

2016-01-01

Introduction Living in a rural food desert has been linked to poor dietary habits. Understanding community perspectives about available resources and feasible solutions may inform strategies to improve food access in rural food deserts. The objective of our study was to identify resources and solutions to the food access problems of women in rural, southernmost Illinois. Methods Fourteen focus groups with women (n = 110 participants) in 4 age groups were conducted in a 7-county region as part of a community assessment focused on women’s health. We used content analysis with inductive and deductive approaches to explore food access barriers and facilitators. Results Similar to participants in previous studies, participants in our study reported insufficient local food sources, which they believe contributed to poor dietary habits, high food prices, and the need to travel for healthful food. Participants identified existing local activities and resources that help to increase access, such as home and community gardens, food pantries, and public transportation, as well as local solutions, such as improving nutrition education and public transportation options. Conclusion Multilevel and collaborative strategies and policies are needed to address food access barriers in rural communities. At the individual level, education may help residents navigate geographic and economic barriers. Community solutions include collaborative strategies to increase availability of healthful foods through traditional and nontraditional food sources. Policy change is needed to promote local agriculture and distribution of privately grown food. Understanding needs and strengths in rural communities will ensure responsive and effective strategies to improve the rural food environment. PMID:27126555

Know Your Monkey: Identifying Primate Conservation Challenges in an Indigenous Kichwa Community Using an Ethnoprimatological Approach.

PubMed

Stafford, Ciara A; Alarcon-Valenzuela, Javiera; Patiño, Javier; Preziosi, Richard F; Sellers, William I

2016-01-01

Increasing pressure on tropical forests is continually highlighting the need to find new solutions that mitigate the impact of human populations on biodiversity. However, developing solutions that can tackle the drivers of anthropogenic pressure, or at least take them into account, hinges upon building a good understanding of the culture and perceptions of local people. This study aims to provide an overview of the ethnoprimatology of an indigenous Kichwa community in the Ecuadorian Amazon that maintains a traditional lifestyle but also has good access to markets. We examine whether primates are seen as a distinctive group and their relative importance as sources of bushmeat and as household pets. Pile-sorting exercises revealed that although locals generally group members of the order Primates together, tree-dwelling non-primates including sloths, coatis, kinkajous and tamanduas are also frequently classified as 'monkeys'. The perceived importance of primates to the forest and the community lay more in their potential as bushmeat, and only 1 respondent identified an ecological role for the group in terms of seed dispersal. Gaining a better understanding of local perceptions will allow for better-informed conservation decisions that are more aware of potential impacts and are more likely to gain community support. © 2016 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Community forestry as perceived by local people around Cross River National Park, Nigeria.

PubMed

Ezebilo, Eugene E

2012-01-01

The prior identification of local people's preferences for conservation-development projects will help gear nature-conservation strategies toward the needs of different groups of local people. This will help policy-makers in designing a more acceptable and effective conservation strategy. This article reports a study of local perceptions of a community forestry project that aims to help improve the design as well as local acceptance of the project. The data originated from personal interviews conducted in communities around Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park in southeast Nigeria and were analysed using ordered logit and binary logit models. The results showed that >50% of the respondents were satisfied with the community forestry project. The respondents' perceptions were mainly influenced by education, age, gender, and willingness to contribute money to tourism as well as the contributions of cocoa, banana, and afang (Gnetum africanum) to the respondents' income. The results from this study have important implications for nature conservation in Nigeria and potentially other conservation contexts across the developing world.

Community Forestry as Perceived by Local People Around Cross River National Park, Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ezebilo, Eugene E.

2012-01-01

The prior identification of local people's preferences for conservation-development projects will help gear nature-conservation strategies toward the needs of different groups of local people. This will help policy-makers in designing a more acceptable and effective conservation strategy. This article reports a study of local perceptions of a community forestry project that aims to help improve the design as well as local acceptance of the project. The data originated from personal interviews conducted in communities around Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park in southeast Nigeria and were analysed using ordered logit and binary logit models. The results showed that >50% of the respondents were satisfied with the community forestry project. The respondents' perceptions were mainly influenced by education, age, gender, and willingness to contribute money to tourism as well as the contributions of cocoa, banana, and afang ( Gnetum africanum) to the respondents' income. The results from this study have important implications for nature conservation in Nigeria and potentially other conservation contexts across the developing world.

Creating a Literate Society: College-Business-Community Partnerships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeiss, Tony, Ed.

Brief descriptions are provided of 16 model literacy initiatives undertaken by community colleges in conjunction with local businesses or community groups. Following introductory comments by Barbara Bush, Tony Zeiss, H. James Owen, and Roy Romer, "Literacy: America's Great Deficit," by Earnestine Thomas-Wilson-Robertson and Tony Zeiss, reviews…

Community-based preventive activities in the Public Dental Service in Norway.

PubMed

Widström, E; Tillberg, A; Byrkjeflot, L I; Stein, L; Skudutyte-Rysstad, R

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to describe community-based preventive interventions undertaken by the dental team outside the dental clinics in Norway, from the dental hygienists' and the dentists' perspective, with the main focus on target groups and existing guidelines and routines for these activities. A secondary aim was to identify the personnel responsible for developing the local guidelines and the knowledge sources for the guidelines. With the assistance of the Chief Dental Officers in 15 Public Dental Service (PDS) regions, questionnaires were emailed to the local clinics (n = 421). In each, the most experienced dental hygienist and dentist were asked to respond; 215 dentists and 166 and dental hygienists responded (60%). Almost 40% of the respondents reported that their clinic had guidelines on community-based activities conducted outside the clinics. Dental hygienists and local chief dentists were responsible for planning them. The main target groups were young children and the dependent elderly; the majority of the activities were carried out at child welfare centres and for personnel at nursing homes or for home care nurses. At the regional and local level, a more strategic and coordinated approach to the provision of community-based activities is needed, including assessment of oral health needs among population groups. Continuous documentation and evaluation of results are necessary for optimal use of available resources and to facilitate an evidence-based approach. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Community Solar | State, Local, and Tribal Governments | NREL

Science.gov Websites

distributed generation owners for the power that their systems contribute to the grid. Community solar generation from an offsite solar system. Some form of VNM must exist for community solar to work properly so Electric Power Association. Community Solar: NREL's Working Group on Community Solar Gardens meeting

Whole Community Resilience: Engaging Multiple Sectors with the Coastal Community Resilience Index and the Climate and Resilience Community of Practice in the Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sempier, T.

2017-12-01

Communicating risk due to flooding, sea level rise, storm surge, and other natural hazards is a complex task when attempting to build resilience in coastal communities. There are a number of challenges related to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from coastal storms. Successful resilience planning must include a wide range of sectors including, but not limited to local government, business, non-profit, religious, academia, and healthcare. Years of experience working with communities in the Gulf of Mexico has helped create a process that is both inclusive and effective at bringing the right people to the table and gaining momentum towards resilience efforts. The Coastal Community Resilience Index (CRI), a self-assessment for community leaders, has been implemented in 54 Gulf communities with funding that provides small grant awards to help communities take action to address gaps and vulnerabilities identified in the assessment process. To maintain momentum with resilience actions, the Gulf Climate and Resilience Community of Practice (CoP) encourages local municipality participants to share lessons learned and best practices from their implementation projects in an annual symposium. Recently, both graduate and undergraduate students have been exposed to the CRI and CoP as avenues to work through solutions to complex problems at the local level. In addition, a new generation of high school students has been introduced to the CRI. Their engagement in the process is building a more informed citizenry that will take on the leadership and decision-making roles in the future. Investing in multiple age groups and sectors through the CRI and CoP is building capacity for whole community resilience in the Gulf of Mexico. This presentation will focus on methods that have been successful in the Gulf of Mexico for creating effective change in local municipalities towards resilience actions. Discussion will include decision support tools for engaging local municipalities, methods for communicating risk, and approaches for involving a wide range of age groups in the decision-making process.

Community views and public health priority setting: how do health department priorities, community views, and health indicator data compare?

PubMed

Earle-Richardson, Giulia; Scribani, Melissa; Wyckoff, Lynae; Strogatz, David; May, John; Jenkins, Paul

2015-01-01

New York, like many other states, provides county-level health statistics for use in local priority settings but does not provide any data on public views about priority health issues. This study assessed whether health department priorities are notably different from community concerns about health, and how both groups' priorities compare with local health statistics. Data from a 2009 rural survey on community health concerns were compared to priorities named by the seven area county health departments, and to local health indicator data. Health care/insurance cost (60%), obesity (53%), and prescription cost (41%) were leading community concerns, regardless of age, education, sex, or Internet in the home. Six of seven county health departments selected access to quality health care (which includes health care/insurance cost) as a leading public health priority, but only three identified obesity. The following leading local health issues were suggested by health indicators: Physical activity and nutrition, Smoking, and Unintentional injury. Health departments diverged from community priorities, from health indicator data, and from one another in choosing priorities. Adding a question about community health priorities to existing state telephone surveys on health behavior and lifestyle would provide an important tool to local health departments. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

24 CFR 597.200 - Nominations by State and local governments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... groups, health and social service groups, environmental groups, religious organizations, the private and...: (1) Indicate and briefly describe the specific groups, organizations, and individuals participating in the production of the plan and describe the history of these groups in the community; (2) Explain...

Lessons Learned: Cultural and linguistic enhancement of surveys through community-based participatory research

PubMed Central

Formea, Christine M.; Mohamed, Ahmed A.; Hassan, Abdullahi; Osman, Ahmed; Weis, Jennifer A.; Sia, Irene G.; Wieland, Mark L.

2014-01-01

Background Surveys are frequently implemented in community-based participatory research (CBPR), but adaptation and translation of surveys can be logistically and methodologically challenging when working with immigrant and refugee populations. Objective To describe a process of participatory survey adaptation and translation. Methods Within an established CBPR partnership, a survey about diabetes was adapted for health literacy and local relevance and then translated through a process of forward translation, group deliberation, and back translation. Lessons Learned The group deliberation process was the most time-intensive and important component of the process. The process enhanced community ownership of the larger project while maximizing local applicability of the product. Conclusions A participatory process of survey adaptation and translation resulted in significant revisions to approximate semantic, cultural, and conceptual equivalence with the original surveys. This approach is likely to enhance community acceptance of the survey instrument during the implementation phase. PMID:25435559

Gay Men's Book Clubs versus Wisconsin's Public Libraries: Political Perceptions in the Absence of Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pruitt, John

2010-01-01

Because of an absence of dialogue, a tense relationship appears to exist between Wisconsin's gay men's book discussion groups and their local public libraries. Public library directors express interest in accommodating these groups if approached but face budget restrictions and local communities that may oppose these gatherings; gay men's book…

Collaborating With Alaska Native Communities to Design a Cultural Food Intervention to Address Nutrition Transition.

PubMed

Nu, Jennifer; Bersamin, Andrea

2017-01-01

To address changing dietary patterns and declining dietary quality in indigenous communities, there is growing interest in implementing interventions that promote nutrient-dense, culturally important foods. To describe formative research and an ongoing collaborative process to design a multilevel nutrition inter vention-Neqa Elicarvigmun or the Fish-to-School (F2S) Program-that reconnects students to their local food system in a remote Yup'ik community in Western Alaska. Qualitative data that explored the connection between salmon and well-being were collected and collaboratively reviewed with a community work group and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings were used to co-design the nutrition intervention. Formative research Thndings and ongoing collaboration between academic and community partners informed the Thnal intervention design. Because people's behaviors and interactions with culturally signiThcant foods are embedded in cultural perceptions and local contexts, it is important for nutrition interventions to address local perceptions of these foods.

Community perspectives on barriers and strategies for promoting locally grown produce from an urban agriculture farm.

PubMed

Hu, Alice; Acosta, Angela; McDaniel, Abigail; Gittelsohn, Joel

2013-01-01

Although much is understood about barriers to healthy food consumption in low-income, urban communities, knowledge regarding the crucial next step of building feasible, community-supported approaches to address those barriers remains limited. This qualitative study used in-depth interviews (n = 20), focus groups (n = 2), and participant observations (n = 3) to identify strategies to promote locally grown produce from an urban food security project, Produce From the Park (PFP), an urban farm. Informants included community organization representatives and residents from low-income neighborhoods in a mid-Atlantic city. Informants identified structural and cultural barriers to purchasing healthy food, including price, location, food culture, and lack of interest. Participants proposed a number of strategies, such as distribution through mobile food carts and farm stands, marketing new foods through taste tests and cooking demonstrations, and youth mentorship. Informants also described their perceptions of the local urban farm and suggested ways to increase community buy-in. Strategies mentioned were inexpensive and incorporated cultural norms and local assets. These community perspectives can provide insights for those promoting healthy eating in urban African American communities through urban food security projects.

Finding Community: A Guide to Community Research and Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, W. Ron; And Others

For those concerned with contemporary social problems, whether as students, members of community groups, or individual citizens, this book attempts not only to describe the issues, but also to offer some starting points for local research and action. As an educational tool, it is based on the belief that a good way to learn about a community is to…

Mobilizing women's groups for improved maternal and newborn health: evidence for impact, and challenges for sustainability and scale up.

PubMed

Nair, Nirmala; Tripathy, Prasanta; Costello, Anthony; Prost, Audrey

2012-10-01

Research conducted over the past decade has shown that community-based interventions can improve the survival and health of mothers and newborns in low- and middle-income countries. Interventions engaging women's groups in participatory learning and action meetings and other group activities, for example, have led to substantial increases in neonatal survival in high-mortality settings. Participatory interventions with women's groups work by providing a forum for communities to develop a common understanding of maternal and neonatal problems, as well as locally acceptable and sustainable strategies to address these. Potential partners for scaling up interventions with women's groups include government community health workers and volunteers, as well as organizations working with self-help groups. It is important to tailor scale-up efforts to local contexts, while retaining fidelity to the intervention, by ensuring that the mobilization of women's groups complements other local programs (e.g. home visits), and by providing capacity building for participatory learning and action methods across a range of nongovernmental organizations and government stakeholders. Research into scale-up mechanisms and effectiveness is needed to inform further implementation, and prospective surveillance of maternal and neonatal mortality in key scale-up sites can provide valuable data for measuring impact and for advocacy. There is a need for further research into the role of participatory interventions with women's groups to improve the quality of health services, health, and nutrition beyond the perinatal period, as well as the role of groups in influencing non-health issues, such as women's decision-making power. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Give Water a Hand. Home Site Action Guide. Organizing Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention Service Projects in Your Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Coll. of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Students grades 4-8 can use this guide to explore the topics of water and water conservation within the home while conducting an environmental community service project. Youth groups, led by a group leader, work with local experts from business, government, or environmental organizations to complete the project. Nine activity sections involve…

Experiences of a Community-Based Lymphedema Management Program for Lymphatic Filariasis in Odisha State, India: An Analysis of Focus Group Discussions with Patients, Families, Community Members and Program Volunteers

PubMed Central

Cassidy, Tali; Worrell, Caitlin M.; Little, Kristen; Prakash, Aishya; Patra, Inakhi; Rout, Jonathan; Fox, LeAnne M.

2016-01-01

Background Globally 68 million people are infected with lymphatic filariasis (LF), 17 million of whom have lymphedema. This study explores the effects of a lymphedema management program in Odisha State, India on morbidity and psychosocial effects associated with lymphedema. Methodology/Principal Findings Focus groups were held with patients (eight groups, separated by gender), their family members (eight groups), community members (four groups) and program volunteers (four groups) who had participated in a lymphedema management program for the past three years. Significant social, physical, and economic difficulties were described by patients and family members, including marriageability, social stigma, and lost workdays. However, the positive impact of the lymphedema management program was also emphasized, and many family and community members indicated that community members were accepting of patients and had some improved understanding of the etiology of the disease. Program volunteers and community members stressed the role that the program had played in educating people, though interestingly, local explanations and treatments appear to coexist with knowledge of biomedical treatments and the mosquito vector. Conclusions/Significance Local and biomedical understandings of disease can co-exist and do not preclude individuals from participating in biomedical interventions, specifically lymphedema management for those with lymphatic filariasis. There is a continued need for gender-specific psychosocial support groups to address issues particular to men and women as well as a continued need for improved economic opportunities for LF-affected patients. There is an urgent need to scale up LF-related morbidity management programs to reduce the suffering of people affected by LF. PMID:26849126

Cable Television: A Summary Overview for Local Decisionmaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baer, Walter S.

Addressed to citizen groups, local government officials, and others concerned with the development of cable television in their communities, this report summarizes briefly some of the major issues surrounding local decisionmaking for cable television. This summary presents some of the more detailed information found in the companion publication,…

Using the collaborative intervention planning framework to adapt a health-care manager intervention to a new population and provider group to improve the health of people with serious mental illness.

PubMed

Cabassa, Leopoldo J; Gomes, Arminda P; Meyreles, Quisqueya; Capitelli, Lucia; Younge, Richard; Dragatsi, Dianna; Alvarez, Juana; Manrique, Yamira; Lewis-Fernández, Roberto

2014-11-30

Health-care manager interventions improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness (SMI) and could be widely implemented in public mental health clinics. Local adaptations and customization may be needed to increase the reach of these interventions in the public mental health system and across different racial and ethnic communities. In this study, we describe how we used the collaborative intervention planning framework to customize an existing health-care manager intervention to a new patient population (Hispanics with SMI) and provider group (social workers) to increase its fit with our local community. The study was conducted in partnership with a public mental health clinic that serves predominantly Hispanic clients. A community advisory board (CAB) composed of researchers and potential implementers (e.g., social workers, primary care physicians) used the collaborative intervention planning framework, an approach that combines community-based participatory research principles and intervention mapping (IM) procedures, to inform intervention adaptations. The adaptation process included four steps: fostering collaborations between CAB members; understanding the needs of the local population through a mixed-methods needs assessment, literature reviews, and group discussions; reviewing intervention objectives to identify targets for adaptation; and developing the adapted intervention. The application of this approach enabled the CAB to identify a series of cultural and provider level-adaptations without compromising the core elements of the original health-care manager intervention. Reducing health disparities in people with SMI requires community engagement, particularly when preparing existing interventions to be used with new communities, provider groups, and practice settings. Our study illustrates one approach that can be used to involve community stakeholders in the intervention adaptation process from the very beginning to enhance the transportability of a health-care manager intervention in order to improve the health of people with SMI.

The research group, the conference programme and academic training in safety promotion - a report of the activities at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.

PubMed

Hörte, Lars-Gunnar; Jansson, Bjarne; Svanström, Leif

2012-01-01

The research group was established in 1967 at Lund University and moved to Karolinska Institutet in 1980. Work began with epidemiological studies of all injuries in the local community in support of various experimental local interventions. An important element was the creation of 'surveillance systems' in healthcare. The work resulted in the establishment of a WHO Collaborating Centre and an international safety-building programme called 'Safe Communities'. In parallel, training at both master's and doctoral level and the building of a conference programme were embarked upon. The research group consists of three sections. Specific efforts are being made by some countries to address their own injury problems.

Colleges at the Heart of Local Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Margaret

2011-01-01

This article discusses the findings of the commission set up jointly by NIACE, the Association of Colleges (AoC) and the 157 Group to investigate the role of colleges in their communities. The commission learned that: (1) further education colleges are, often, already embedded in their communities; (2) although there has been some simplification,…

Building Collaborative Health Promotion Partnerships: The Jackson Heart Study

PubMed Central

Addison, Clifton C.; Campbell Jenkins, Brenda W.; Odom, Darcel; Fortenberry, Marty; Wilson, Gregory; Young, Lavon; Antoine-LaVigne, Donna

2015-01-01

Building Collaborative Health Promotion Partnerships: The Jackson Heart Study. Background: Building a collaborative health promotion partnership that effectively employs principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) involves many dimensions. To ensure that changes would be long-lasting, it is imperative that partnerships be configured to include groups of diverse community representatives who can develop a vision for long-term change. This project sought to enumerate processes used by the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) Community Outreach Center (CORC) to create strong, viable partnerships that produce lasting change. Methods: JHS CORC joined with community representatives to initiate programs that evolved into comprehensive strategies for addressing health disparities and the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This collaboration was made possible by first promoting an understanding of the need for combined effort, the desire to interact with other community partners, and the vision to establish an effective governance structure. Results: The partnership between JHS CORC and the community has empowered and inspired community members to provide leadership to other health promotion projects. Conclusion: Academic institutions must reach out to local community groups and together address local health issues that affect the community. When a community understands the need for change to respond to negative health conditions, formalizing this type of collaboration is a step in the right direction. PMID:26703681

Building Collaborative Health Promotion Partnerships: The Jackson Heart Study.

PubMed

Addison, Clifton C; Campbell Jenkins, Brenda W; Odom, Darcel; Fortenberry, Marty; Wilson, Gregory; Young, Lavon; Antoine-LaVigne, Donna

2015-12-22

Building Collaborative Health Promotion Partnerships: The Jackson Heart Study. Building a collaborative health promotion partnership that effectively employs principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) involves many dimensions. To ensure that changes would be long-lasting, it is imperative that partnerships be configured to include groups of diverse community representatives who can develop a vision for long-term change. This project sought to enumerate processes used by the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) Community Outreach Center (CORC) to create strong, viable partnerships that produce lasting change. JHS CORC joined with community representatives to initiate programs that evolved into comprehensive strategies for addressing health disparities and the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This collaboration was made possible by first promoting an understanding of the need for combined effort, the desire to interact with other community partners, and the vision to establish an effective governance structure. The partnership between JHS CORC and the community has empowered and inspired community members to provide leadership to other health promotion projects. Academic institutions must reach out to local community groups and together address local health issues that affect the community. When a community understands the need for change to respond to negative health conditions, formalizing this type of collaboration is a step in the right direction.

Exchanging environmental information and decision making: developing the local Pilot Environmental Virtual Observatory with stakeholder communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackay, E.; Beven, K.; Brewer, P.; M, Haygarth, P.; Macklin, M.; Marshall, K.; Quinn, P.; Stutter, M.; Thomas, N.; Wilkinson, M.

2012-04-01

Public participation in the development of flood risk management and river basin management plans are explicit components of both the Water Framework and Floods Directives. At the local level, involving communities in land and water management has been found to (i) aid better environmental decision making, (ii) enhance social, economic and environmental benefits, and (iii) increase a sense of ownership. Facilitating the access and exchange of information on the local environment is an important part of this new approach to the land and water management process, which also includes local community stakeholders in decisions about the design and content of the information provided. As part of the Natural Environment Research Council's pilot Environment Virtual Observatory (EVO), the Local Level group are engaging with local community stakeholders in three different catchments in the UK (the rivers Eden, Tarland and Dyfi) to start the process of developing prototype visualisation tools to address the specific land and water management issues identified in each area. Through this local collaboration, we will provide novel visualisation tools through which to communicate complex catchment science outcomes and bring together different sources of environmental data in ways that better meet end-user needs as well as facilitate a far broader participatory approach in environmental decision making. The Local Landscape Visualisation Tools are being evolved iteratively during the project to reflect the needs, interests and capabilities of a wide range of stakeholders. The tools will use the latest concepts and technologies to communicate with and provide opportunities for the provision and exchange of information between the public, government agencies and scientists. This local toolkit will reside within a wider EVO platform that will include national datasets, models and state of the art cloud computer systems. As such, local stakeholder groups are assisting the EVO's development and participating in local decision making alongside policy makers, government agencies and scientists.

Improving healthcare for Aboriginal Australians through effective engagement between community and health services.

PubMed

Durey, Angela; McEvoy, Suzanne; Swift-Otero, Val; Taylor, Kate; Katzenellenbogen, Judith; Bessarab, Dawn

2016-07-07

Effectively addressing health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians is long overdue. Health services engaging Aboriginal communities in designing and delivering healthcare is one way to tackle the issue. This paper presents findings from evaluating a unique strategy of community engagement between local Aboriginal people and health providers across five districts in Perth, Western Australia. Local Aboriginal community members formed District Aboriginal Health Action Groups (DAHAGs) to collaborate with health providers in designing culturally-responsive healthcare. The purpose of the strategy was to improve local health service delivery for Aboriginal Australians. The evaluation aimed to identify whether the Aboriginal community considered the community engagement strategy effective in identifying their health service needs, translating them to action by local health services and increasing their trust in these health services. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Qualitative data was collected from Aboriginal participants and health service providers using semi-structured interviews or yarning circles that were recorded, transcribed and independently analysed by two senior non-Aboriginal researchers. Responses were coded for key themes, further analysed for similarities and differences between districts and cross-checked by the senior lead Aboriginal researcher to avoid bias and establish reliability in interpreting the data. Three ethics committees approved conducting the evaluation. Findings from 60 participants suggested the engagement process was effective: it was driven and owned by the Aboriginal community, captured a broad range of views and increased Aboriginal community participation in decisions about their healthcare. It built community capacity through regular community forums and established DAHAGs comprising local Aboriginal community members and health service representatives who met quarterly and were supported by the Aboriginal Health Team at the local Population Health Unit. Participants reported health services improved in community and hospital settings, leading to increased access and trust in local health services. The evaluation concluded that this process of actively engaging the Aboriginal community in decisions about their health care was a key element in improving local health services, increasing Aboriginal people's trust and access to care.

Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) Data

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The LEPC data set contains over 3000 listings, as of 2008, for name and location data identifying Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs). LEPCs are people responsible to develop an emergency response plan, review it at least annually, and provide information about chemicals in the community to citizens. Plans are developed by LEPCs with stakeholder participation. There is one LEPC for each of the more than 3,000 designated local emergency planning districts. The LEPC membership must include (at a minimum): Elected state and local officials; Police, fire, civil defense, and public health professionals; Environment, transportation, and hospital officials; Facility representatives; Representatives from community groups and the media.

Innovations in user-defined analysis: dynamic grouping and customized user datasets in VistaPHw.

PubMed

Solet, David; Glusker, Ann; Laurent, Amy; Yu, Tianji

2006-01-01

Flexible, ready access to community health assessment data is a feature of innovative Web-based data query systems. An example is VistaPHw, which provides access to Washington state data and statistics used in community health assessment. Because of its flexible analysis options, VistaPHw customizes local, population-based results to be relevant to public health decision-making. The advantages of two innovations, dynamic grouping and the Custom Data Module, are described. Dynamic grouping permits the creation of user-defined aggregations of geographic areas, age groups, race categories, and years. Standard VistaPHw measures such as rates, confidence intervals, and other statistics may then be calculated for the new groups. Dynamic grouping has provided data for major, successful grant proposals, building partnerships with local governments and organizations, and informing program planning for community organizations. The Custom Data Module allows users to prepare virtually any dataset so it may be analyzed in VistaPHw. Uses for this module may include datasets too sensitive to be placed on a Web server or datasets that are not standardized across the state. Limitations and other system needs are also discussed.

Implementation of CUAHSI-HIS Community Project Components in a Local Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muste, M.; Arnold, N.; Kim, D.

2008-12-01

The deployment of the eleven WATERS Network local observatories using CUAHSI-HIS project products showed that water observations data collected by academic investigators could be stored, published on the Internet, federated with water observations data published by water agencies, and searched using a concept framework that connects with variables in each individual data source. For many within the water resources community, the CUAHSI-HIS community project represents a new opportunity to approach the management, publication, and analysis of their data systematically - i.e., moving from collections of ASCII text or spreadsheet files to relational data models. This research describes the initial efforts carried out by a University of Iowa research group during the component implementation of a hydrologic community project in a local CI-based digital watershed (DW). The goal was to test what types of data query the DW can handle and see how it performs in use cases where data streams are coupled with models for continuous forecasting. This paper also discusses the general context for the DW development and summarizes the lessons learned by the group during this initial developmental stage. Given the uniform and scalable nature of the community project components, it is expected that the workflows presented herein are transferable to other users and other watersheds.

Exploratory Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Myocardial Infarction Hospitalizations in Calgary, Canada

PubMed Central

Liu, Xiaoxiao; Bertazzon, Stefania

2017-01-01

Spatial and temporal analyses are critical to understand the pattern of myocardial infarction (MI) hospitalizations over space and time, and to identify their underlying determinants. In this paper, we analyze MI hospitalizations in Calgary from 2004 to 2013, stratified by age and gender. First, a seasonal trend decomposition analyzes the seasonality; then a linear regression models the trend component. Moran’s I and hot spot analyses explore the spatial pattern. Though exploratory, results show that most age and gender groups feature a statistically significant decline over the 10 years, consistent with previous studies in Canada. Decline rates vary across ages and genders, with the slowest decline observed for younger males. Each gender exhibits a seasonal pattern with peaks in both winter and summer. Spatially, MI hot spots are identified in older communities, and in socioeconomically and environmentally disadvantaged communities. In the older communities, higher MI rates appear to be more highly associated with demographics. Conversely, worse air quality appears to be locally associated with higher MI incidence in younger age groups. The study helps identify areas of concern, where MI hot spots are identified for younger age groups, suggesting the need for localized public health policies to target local risk factors. PMID:29232910

Signs of the Land: Reaching Arctic Communities Facing Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Chase, M. J.; Demientieff, S.; Pfirman, S. L.; Brunacini, J.

2014-12-01

In July 2014, a diverse and intergenerational group of Alaskan Natives came together on Howard Luke's Galee'ya Camp by the Tanana River in Fairbanks, Alaska to talk about climate change and it's impacts on local communities. Over a period of four days, the Signs of the Land Climate Change Camp wove together traditional knowledge, local observations, Native language, and climate science through a mix of storytelling, presentations, dialogue, and hands-on, community-building activities. This camp adapted the model developed several years ago under the Association for Interior Native Educators (AINE)'s Elder Academy. Part of the Polar Learning and Responding Climate Change Education Partnership, the Signs of the Land Climate Change Camp was developed and conducted collaboratively with multiple partners to test a model for engaging indigenous communities in the co-production of climate change knowledge, communication tools, and solutions-building. Native Alaskans have strong subsistence and cultural connections to the land and its resources, and, in addition to being keen observers of their environment, have a long history of adapting to changing conditions. Participants in the camp included Elders, classroom teachers, local resource managers and planners, community members, and climate scientists. Based on their experiences during the camp, participants designed individualized outreach plans for bringing culturally-responsive climate learning to their communities and classrooms throughout the upcoming year. Plans included small group discussions, student projects, teacher training, and conference presentations.

Social Capital and Women's Reduced Vulnerability to HIV infection in Rural Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

GREGSON, SIMON; MUSHATI, PHYLLIS; GRUSIN, HARRY; NHAMO, MERCY; SCHUMACHER, CHRISTINA; SKOVDAL, MORTEN; NYAMUKAPA, CONSTANCE; CAMPBELL, CATHERINE

2012-01-01

Social capital - especially through its ‘network’ dimension (high levels of participation in local community groups) - is thought to be an important determinant of health in many contexts. We investigate its effect on HIV prevention, using prospective data from a general population cohort in eastern Zimbabwe spanning a period of extensive behaviour change (1998-2003). Almost half of the initially uninfected women interviewed were members of at least one community group. In an ecological analysis of 88 communities, those with higher levels of community group participation had lower incidence of new HIV infections and more had adopted safer behaviours, although these effects were largely accounted for by differences in socio-demographic composition. Individual women in community groups had lower HIV incidence and more extensive behaviour change, even after controlling for confounding factors. Community group membership was not associated with lower HIV incidence in men, possibly reflecting a propensity amongst men to participate in groups that allow them to develop and demonstrate their masculine identities – often at the expense of their health. Support for women’s community groups could be an effective HIV prevention strategy in countries with large-scale HIV epidemics. PMID:22066129

End-of-life conversations and care: an asset-based model for community engagement.

PubMed

Matthiesen, Mary; Froggatt, Katherine; Owen, Elaine; Ashton, John R

2014-09-01

Public awareness work regarding palliative and end-of-life care is increasingly promoted within national strategies for palliative care. Different approaches to undertaking this work are being used, often based upon broader educational principles, but little is known about how to undertake such initiatives in a way that equally engages both the health and social care sector and the local communities. An asset-based community engagement approach has been developed that facilitates community-led awareness initiatives concerning end-of-life conversations and care by identifying and connecting existing skills and expertise. (1) To describe the processes and features of an asset-based community engagement approach that facilitates community-led awareness initiatives with a focus on end-of-life conversations and care; and (2) to identify key community-identified priorities for sustainable community engagement processes. An asset-based model of community engagement specific to end-of-life issues using a four-step process is described (getting started, coming together, action planning and implementation). The use of this approach, in two regional community engagement programmes, based across rural and urban communities in the northwest of England, is described. The assets identified in the facilitated community engagement process encompassed people's talents and skills, community groups and networks, government and non-government agencies, physical and economic assets and community values and stories. Five priority areas were addressed to ensure active community engagement work: information, outreach, education, leadership and sustainability. A facilitated, asset-based approach of community engagement for end-of-life conversations and care can catalyse community-led awareness initiatives. This occurs through the involvement of community and local health and social care organisations as co-creators of this change across multiple sectors in a sustainable way. This approach provides a framework for other communities seeking to engage with public awareness in end-of-life issues. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Impartial institutions, pathogen stress and the expanding social network.

PubMed

Hruschka, Daniel; Efferson, Charles; Jiang, Ting; Falletta-Cowden, Ashlan; Sigurdsson, Sveinn; McNamara, Rita; Sands, Madeline; Munira, Shirajum; Slingerland, Edward; Henrich, Joseph

2014-12-01

Anthropologists have documented substantial cross-society variation in people's willingness to treat strangers with impartial, universal norms versus favoring members of their local community. Researchers have proposed several adaptive accounts for these differences. One variant of the pathogen stress hypothesis predicts that people will be more likely to favor local in-group members when they are under greater infectious disease threat. The material security hypothesis instead proposes that institutions that permit people to meet their basic needs through impartial interactions with strangers reinforce a tendency toward impartiality, whereas people lacking such institutions must rely on local community members to meet their basic needs. Some studies have examined these hypotheses using self-reported preferences, but not with behavioral measures. We conducted behavioral experiments in eight diverse societies that measure individuals' willingness to favor in-group members by ignoring an impartial rule. Consistent with the material security hypothesis, members of societies enjoying better-quality government services and food security show a stronger preference for following an impartial rule over investing in their local in-group. Our data show no support for the pathogen stress hypothesis as applied to favoring in-groups and instead suggest that favoring in-group members more closely reflects a general adaptive fit with social institutions that have arisen in each society.

Parent Group Spotlight

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parenting for High Potential, 2014

2014-01-01

This issue's "Parent Group Spotlight" features Deborah Simon, president of West Sound Gifted, Talented & Twice-Exceptional (WSGT2e), who started a parent group in Washington in 2013. In just one year, this small, but mighty group has held community forums, attended school board meetings, and helped influence local gifted programming.…

Give Water a Hand. Farm and Ranch Site Action Guide. Organizing Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention Service Projects in Your Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Coll. of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Students grades 4-8 can use this guide to explore the topics of water, and water conservation on a farm or ranch, while conducting an environmental community service project. Youth groups, led by a group leader, work with local experts from business, government, or environmental organizations to complete the project. Nine activity sections involve…

Give Water a Hand. School Site Action Guide. Organizing Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention Service Projects in Your Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Coll. of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Students grades 4-8 can use this guide to explore the topics of water, and water conservation at a school site, while conducting an environmental community service project. Youth groups, led by a group leader, work with local experts from business, government, or environmental organizations to complete the project. Nine activity sections involve…

Dentists' partnership of Michigan's Calhoun County: a care model for uninsured populations.

PubMed

Higbea, Raymond J; Palumbo, Charles H; Pearl, Samantha A; Byrne, Mary Jo; Wise, Jill

2013-09-01

Community leaders in Calhoun County, Michigan, identified access to dental care as an acute local need and in early 2007 organized Calhoun County Dentists' Partnership. A group of stakeholders developed a program centered on local dentists who donated a designated number of office visits per month to care for uninsured county residents. Residents enrolled in the program were required to attend an oral health class; receive a dental screening, cleaning, and dental x-rays by a dental hygienist; and complete a designated number of hours of community service before seeing a dentist. Since the program's 2007 inception, approximately 4,000 people have received dental services valued at approximately $510,000. In turn, program participants provided more than 57,000 hours of community service. The program is credited with reducing the number of patients presenting to a local hospital emergency department for dental pain by 70 percent between 2006 and 2012. Similar programs are now under way in thirteen other communities in the Midwest, which shows that such local initiatives, volunteerism, and community organization can address dental care access needs.

The role of non-governmental organizations in the mental health area: differences in understanding.

PubMed

Zupančič, Vesna; Pahor, Majda

2016-12-01

The contribution's aim is highlighting the differences in understanding non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) role in the mental health area within the public support network for patients with mental health problems from various viewpoints, in order to achieve progress in supporting patients with mental health problems in local communities. Qualitative data gathered as a part of a cross-sectional study of NGOs in the support network for patients with mental health problems in two Slovenian health regions (56 local communities), carried out in 2013 and 2014, were used. Qualitative analysis of interviews, focus groups and answers to an open survey question was performed. There are differences in understanding NGOs' role in the support network for patients with mental health problems, which stem from the roles of stakeholders (local community officials, experts, care providers, and patients) within this system and their experience. The actual differences need to be addressed and overcome in order to provide integrated community care. The importance of knowing the current state of NGOs in their life cycle and the socio-chronological context of the local community support network is evident.

Expressing collective voices on children's health: photovoice exploration with mothers of young children from the Indian Sundarbans.

PubMed

Ghosh, Upasona; Bose, Shibaji; Bramhachari, Rittika; Mandal, Sabyasachi

2016-11-15

The Indian Sundarbans is marked by inhospitable terrain and frequent climatic shocks which jointly hinder access to health care. Community members, and women in particular, have few means to communicate their concerns to local decision makers. Photovoice is one way in which communities can raise their local health challenges with decision makers. This study unlocks mothers' voices on the determinants of their children's health to inform local level decision-making on child health issues in the Indian Sundarbans. Photovoice action research was conducted in three blocks in the Sundarbans region of West Bengal, India. The project involved eight groups of eight to ten mothers who had at least one child below 6 years of age across four villages. The mothers received training on photo documentation and ethical concerns before taking two rounds of photographs within 6 months, interspersed by fortnightly group meetings facilitated by researchers. Photographs and key messages were communicated to local decision makers during block and village level interface sessions with the mothers and researchers. Mothers' photos focused on specific determinants of health, such as water and sanitation; health status, such as malnutrition and non-communicable diseases; service accessibility; climate conditions; and social issues such as early marriage and recurrent pregnancy. Some issues were not captured by photos but were discussed in group meetings, including domestic violence and the non-availability of medical practitioners. We found differences by mother's educational status, livelihood and caste identity in the extent and nature of photographs taken. As a result of the mother's interface with community decision makers, which included showcasing a selection of their photos, efforts to improve road infrastructure and human resource availability in the primary health centres and local government were realized. Photovoice has the potential to express the voices of vulnerable communities regarding their health needs and can help them dialogue with local decision makers to inform community health policy and planning. More needs to be done to understand how social differences among photovoice participants influences how they engage with the methodology.

Understanding and Addressing Socio-Cultural Barriers to Medical Male Circumcision in Traditionally Non-Circumcising Rural Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa

PubMed Central

Khumalo-Sakutukwa, Gertrude; Lane, Tim; van-Rooyen, Heidi; Chingono, Alfred; Humphries, Hilton; Timbe, Andrew; Fritz, Katherine; Chirowodza, Admire; Morin, Stephen F.

2013-01-01

Given the success of recent clinical trials establishing the safety and efficacy of adult medical male circumcision in Africa, attention has now shifted to barriers and facilitators to programmatic implementation in traditionally non-circumcising communities. In this study, we attempted to develop a fuller understanding of the role of cultural issues in the acceptance of adult circumcision. We conducted four focus group discussions with 28 participants in Mutoko in Zimbabwe, and 33 participants in Vulindlela, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, as well as 19 key informant interviews in both settings. We found the concept of male circumcision to be an alien practice, particularly as expressed in the context of local languages. Cultural barriers included local concepts of ethnicity, social groups, masculinity, and sexuality. On the other hand, we found that concerns about the impact of HIV on communities resulted in willingness to consider adult male circumcision as an option if it would result in lowering the local burden of the epidemic. Adult medical male circumcision promotional messages that create a synergy between understandings of both traditional and medical circumcision will be more successful in these communities. PMID:23815101

Involving local health departments in community health partnerships: evaluation results from the partnership for the public's health initiative.

PubMed

Cheadle, Allen; Hsu, Clarissa; Schwartz, Pamela M; Pearson, David; Greenwald, Howard P; Beery, William L; Flores, George; Casey, Maria Campbell

2008-03-01

Improving community health "from the ground up" entails a comprehensive ecological approach, deep involvement of community-based entities, and addressing social determinants of population health status. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Surgeon General, and other authorities have called for public health to be an "inter-sector" enterprise, few models have surfaced that feature local health departments as a key part of the collaborative model for effecting community-level change. This paper presents evaluation findings and lessons learned from the Partnership for the Public's Health (PPH), a comprehensive community initiative that featured a central role for local health departments with their community partners. Funded by The California Endowment, PPH provided technical and financial resources to 39 community partnerships in 14 local health department jurisdictions in California to promote community and health department capacity building and community-level policy and systems change designed to produce long-term improvements in population health. The evaluation used multiple data sources to create progress ratings for each partnership in five goal areas related to capacity building, community health improvement programs, and policy and systems change. Overall results were generally positive; in particular, of the 37 partnerships funded continuously throughout the 5 years of the initiative, between 25% and 40% were able to make a high level of progress in each of the Initiative's five goal areas. Factors associated with partnership success were also identified by local evaluators. These results showed that health departments able to work effectively with community groups had strong, committed leaders who used creative financing mechanisms, inclusive planning processes, organizational changes, and open communication to promote collaboration with the communities they served.

Creating Community–Academic Partnerships for Cancer Disparities Research and Health Promotion

PubMed Central

Meade, Cathy D.; Menard, Janelle M.; Luque, John S.; Martinez-Tyson, Dinorah; Gwede, Clement K.

2010-01-01

To effectively attenuate cancer disparities in multiethnic, medically underserved populations, interventions must be developed collaboratively through solid community–academic partnerships and driven by community-based participatory research (CBPR). The Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network (TBCCN) has been created to identify and implement interventions to address local cancer disparities in partnership with community-based nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, community health centers, local media, and adult literacy and education organizations. TBCCN activities and research efforts are geared toward addressing critical information and access issues related to cancer control and prevention in diverse communities in the Tampa Bay area. Such efforts include cross-cultural health promotion, screening, and awareness activities in addition to applied research projects that are rooted in communities and guided by CBPR methods. This article describes these activities as examples of partnership building to positively affect cancer disparities, promote community health, and set the stage for community-based research partnerships. PMID:19822724

Re-defining the characteristics of environmental volunteering: Creating a typology of community-scale green infrastructure.

PubMed

Jerome, Gemma; Mell, Ian; Shaw, Dave

2017-10-01

One way to engage people with green infrastructure (GI) is as environmental volunteers. Previous studies explored the nature of such groups/projects in terms of the benefits they deliver such as their impact on levels of social capital within a pre-defined community. However, existing literature contributes little to our understanding of the composition, characteristics and mechanisms used to form and maintain these groups. As such, it is difficult to establish the influencing factors determining the capacity of a group to sustain its provision over time. This paper serves to offer a more nuanced understanding of local-scale environmental stewardship by outlining the diversity of volunteer-led GI activities observed at the community-scale. Evidence presented from a desk-based examination of observable activity within The Mersey area Forest in North-West England represents a re-conceptualisation of existing definitions of Community-Scale GI (CSGI). Using thematic criteria, the paper clusters characteristics into key classification affecting group dynamics, composition and objectives. Initial findings identified the following categories as being significant descriptors for community-scale green infrastructure: status, location, timeframe, membership, activity focus, governance, resources and recognition, and communications. Thus, we classify four distinct types of group engaged in voluntary activity contributing to local level GI creation and long-term management: 'Formal Group (Active), Formal Group (Inactive), Formal Project and Informal Group. Creating a nuanced typology of CSGI provides further opportunities to analysis the creation and long-term management of GI at a site, neighbourhood and city-scale. In turn, this contributes to our understanding of how multiple actors remain engaged in the decision-making processes of GI management and maintenance. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Wildfire risk to residential structures in the Island Park Sustainable Fire Community: Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Treesearch

Don Helmbrecht; Julie Gilbertson-Day; Joe H. Scott; LaWen Hollingsworth

2016-01-01

The Island Park Sustainable Fire Community (IPSFC) Project is a collaborative working group of citizens, businesses, non-profit organizations, and local, state, and federal government agencies (www.islandparkfirecommunity.com) working to create fire-resilient ecosystems in and around the human communities of West Yellowstone, Montana and Island Park, Idaho....

Community College Centers for Contracted Programs: A Sequel to Shoulders to the Wheel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahoney, James R.

Based on a survey of 37 colleges, this booklet provides a summary of the characteristics of special community college centers that contract educational services to business, industry, government, and other groups in the local community. Following background information on the development and uses of the booklet and its special relevance to energy…

Building capacity in disadvantaged communities: development of the community advocacy and leadership program.

PubMed

Sharpe, Patricia A; Flint, Sylvia; Burroughs-Girardi, Ericka L; Pekuri, Linda; Wilcox, Sara; Forthofer, Melinda

2015-01-01

Successful community groups have the capacity to mobilize community assets to address needs. Capacity-building education is integral to building competent communities. A community-university team developed and pilot tested an education program for community advocates from disadvantaged neighborhoods with high chronic disease burden. The Community Advocacy and Leadership Program (CALP) included eight monthly workshops, a mini-grant opportunity, and technical assistance. A nominal group with community health practitioners, focus group with community advocates, and a literature search comprised a triangulated educational needs assessment. A participating pretest with 35 community health practitioners guided curriculum refinement. Seven representatives from three community groups in a medically underserved South Carolina county participated in pilot implementation and evaluation. Qualitative and quantitative data informed the process and impact evaluation. The mean knowledge score at 1 month after the program was 77% (range, 52%-96%). The mean score on post-program self-assessment of skills improvement was 3.8 out of a possible 4.0 (range, 3.6-4.0). Two groups submitted successful community mini-grant applications for playground improvements, and the third group successfully advocated for public funding of neighborhood park improvements. Participants reported favorable impressions and both personal and community benefits from participation. A community-university partnership successfully conducted a local educational needs assessment and developed and pilot tested a capacity development program within a CBPR partnership. Successes, challenges, and lessons learned will guide program refinement, replication, and dissemination.

Preventing Violence: A Public Health Participatory Approach to Homicide Reviews.

PubMed

O'Malley, Teagen L; Documét, Patricia I; Burke, Jessica G; Garland, Richard; Terry, Art; Slade, Roland L; Albert, Steven M

2018-05-01

Death review teams are a common method for assessing preventable deaths, yet they rarely review adult homicides and do not typically include community members. Academic-community partnerships can enhance public health research by encouraging translation of research into practice and support a data-driven approach to improve community health and well-being. We describe the Pittsburgh Homicide Review Group, a community-partnered initiative to prevent future homicides through data review and community dialogue. Group members reviewed all 42 Pittsburgh 2012 homicides informed by three primary data sources: publicly available data, local service databases, and community outreach resources. Thirty-two individuals representing relevant county agencies and community groups participated in eight reviews. Data sharing among partners resulted in a comprehensive understanding of the context of homicides. Review meetings supported a collective discussion around potential contributing factors to homicides, intervention implications, and recommendations. Academic-community homicide review partnerships are a productive approach to inform homicide prevention and interventions that are relevant to communities and should be implemented widely.

Training Paraprofessional Group Counseling Leaders in the Federal Prison System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riggs, Ronald C.; Meyer, Robert L.

1981-01-01

Reports a program in which in-service training in rational-behavioral group counseling was delivered to "front-line" Bureau of Prisons staff by institution psychologists and consultants from the local community. Training focused on conducting time-limited, structured groups. (Author)

How Local Landholder Groups Collectively Manage Weeds in South-Eastern Australia.

PubMed

Graham, Sonia; Rogers, Sarah

2017-09-01

For two decades researchers and policy makers have been arguing that community-based collective action is needed to effectively control weeds. Yet there has been little social research into the ways that collective weed control emerges at local scales. The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanisms through which three local landholder groups in south-eastern Australia collectively manage weeds and the measures they use to evaluate success. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of three Landcare groups-Jerrawa Creek/Upper Lachlan, MacLaughlin River and Towamba Valley-as well as government staff external to the groups. The results reveal that for all three groups collective weed control is about supporting individual weed control efforts as well as proactively engaging landholders with the worst infestations. The groups were seen to be successful because they focused on the common challenge that weeds pose to all landholders, thereby removing the shame associated with having weeds, and because they organised community events that were as much about building and maintaining social relationships as improving weed control. Groups were positive about what they had achieved as collectives of landholders, but also saw an important role for government in providing funding, engaging with landholders who were unwilling to engage directly with the group, and controlling weeds on public lands.

What are the health needs, familial and social problems of Thai migrants in a local community in Australia? A focus group study.

PubMed

Vatcharavongvan, Pasitpon; Hepworth, Julie; Lim, Joanne; Marley, John

2014-02-01

This study explored the health needs, familial and social problems of Thai migrants in a local community in Brisbane, Australia. Five focus groups with Thai migrants were conducted. The qualitative data were examined using thematic content analysis that is specifically designed for focus group analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) positive experiences in Australia, (2) physical health problems, (3) mental health problems, and (4) familial and social health problems. This study revealed key health needs related to chronic disease and mental health, major barriers to health service use, such as language skills, and facilitating factors, such as the Thai Temple. We concluded that because the health needs, familial and social problems of Thai migrants were complex and culture bound, the development of health and community services for Thai migrants needs to take account of the ways in which Thai culture both negatively impacts health and offer positive solutions to problems.

Forest conflict in Thailand: northern minorities in focus.

PubMed

Hares, Minna

2009-03-01

This paper aims at exploring the local background of and solutions to the forest conflict in upland areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, who are called hill tribes, in northern Thailand. A so-called hill tribe problem has been officially identified as a result of the slash-and-burn cultivation and other perceived problems, such as opium poppy cultivation, illegal immigration, and the suspicion of disloyalty to the state. This has created distrust and tension between the groups and authorities. The local conflict has recently been related to the dilemma of conserving the forest from all human interference, while many people live and make their livelihood within and adjacent to the protected areas. Furthermore, as the results imply, strictly protected areas and reforestation have also increased the competition over land and natural resources and, thereby, the likelihood of local conflicts. The scarcity and pollution of water, illegal logging, and poor fire control have contributed to the conflicts between local communities. The conflicts between the local communities and officials have been nourished by political and public discussions. Using definitions and terms with negative connotations and ignoring the heterogeneity between the groups or labeling some groups as malevolent have increased distrust and strengthened existing stereotypical images. Conflict resolution starts with efforts toward better mutual understanding, and changes in structures and attitudes are necessary. Local cooperation, utilization of traditional methods, and local institutions are central to conflict solving.

Forest Conflict in Thailand: Northern Minorities in Focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hares, Minna

2009-03-01

This paper aims at exploring the local background of and solutions to the forest conflict in upland areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, who are called hill tribes, in northern Thailand. A so-called hill tribe problem has been officially identified as a result of the slash-and-burn cultivation and other perceived problems, such as opium poppy cultivation, illegal immigration, and the suspicion of disloyalty to the state. This has created distrust and tension between the groups and authorities. The local conflict has recently been related to the dilemma of conserving the forest from all human interference, while many people live and make their livelihood within and adjacent to the protected areas. Furthermore, as the results imply, strictly protected areas and reforestation have also increased the competition over land and natural resources and, thereby, the likelihood of local conflicts. The scarcity and pollution of water, illegal logging, and poor fire control have contributed to the conflicts between local communities. The conflicts between the local communities and officials have been nourished by political and public discussions. Using definitions and terms with negative connotations and ignoring the heterogeneity between the groups or labeling some groups as malevolent have increased distrust and strengthened existing stereotypical images. Conflict resolution starts with efforts toward better mutual understanding, and changes in structures and attitudes are necessary. Local cooperation, utilization of traditional methods, and local institutions are central to conflict solving.

Local Reasons to Give Globally: Identity Extension and Global Cooperation.

PubMed

Buchan, Nancy R; Jeong, Sophia Soyoung; Ward, A K

2017-11-14

Recent political events across the world suggest a retrenchment from globalization and a possible increase in parochialism. This inward-looking threat from parochialism occurs just as the global community faces growing challenges that require trans-national cooperation. In this research, we question if strong identification with an in-group necessarily leads to parochialism and ultimately is detrimental to global cooperation. Building on research on global social identification, we explore whether strong local identification can expand in inclusiveness to global identification, and among whom this is likely to happen. The results of our global public goods study - conducted in South Korea and the United States - show that high levels of social identification with a local group can extend to the global collective, particularly for individuals who are also high in concern-for-others. Furthermore, this identification translates into behavior that benefits the global, anonymous group at a cost to oneself. These results shed light on how to avoid the trap of parochialism and instead engender cooperative behavior with the broader global community.

Community Organizing for School Reform in Philadelphia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mediratta, Kavitha; Fruchter, Norm; Gross, Barbara; Keller, Christine Donis; Bonilla, Mili

Pennsylvania's Philadelphia School District has a high percentage of minority, bilingual, and low-income students and suffers from low student achievement, chaotic instructional organization, teacher shortage, dilapidated school facilities, and lack of accountability. Six community organizing groups are working with parents and youth for local and…

Components of a Comprehensive Market Research Program for Commuter Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clagett, Cragi

1999-01-01

Describes and evaluates eight elements of a comprehensive market-research program for commuter colleges: secondary research with formal environmental scanning, local business community-needs assessment; adult community-member telephone survey, classroom survey, new student survey, focus groups, brainstorming sessions, and survey of college…

Context matters: where would you be the least worse off in the US if you were uninsured?

PubMed

Garcia, Carolyn; Pagán, José A; Hardeman, Rachel

2010-01-01

We examined the health care access, quality, and cost experienced by uninsured Latino mothers in two communities in Minnesota and Texas. These communities differ substantially by the size of the local population without health insurance coverage. Four focus groups were conducted with uninsured Latino mothers who were caring for at least one child in their household. Seventeen mothers participated in each community. All focus groups were conducted by the same trained staff from a non-profit, community-based research organization. Uninsured Latino mothers in Minnesota rated the quality of health care services in their community to be much higher than their Texas counterparts, but were more likely to emphasize the high costs of care and health insurance coverage. Participants in Texas also described having to go to Mexico to obtain health care services. Policies making provision for health care services to the uninsured are likely to be more effective when they take into account the context or composition of each specific local health care system as well as the financial and non-financial spillovers that these uninsurance-related contexts generate.

Habitat connectivity shapes urban arthropod communities: the key role of green roofs.

PubMed

Braaker, S; Ghazoul, J; Obrist, M K; Moretti, M

2014-04-01

The installation of green roofs, defined here as rooftops with a shallow soil cover and extensive vegetation, has been proposed as a possible measure to mitigate the loss of green space caused by the steady growth of cities. However, the effectiveness of green roofs in supporting arthropod communities, and the extent to which they facilitate connectivity of these communities within the urban environment is currently largely unknown. We investigated the variation of species community composition (beta diversity) of four arthropod groups with contrasting mobility (Carabidae, Araneae, Curculionidae, and Apidae) on 40 green roofs and 40 extensively managed green sites on the ground in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. With redundancy analysis and variation partitioning, we (1) disentangled the relative importance of local environmental conditions, the surrounding land cover composition, and habitat connectivity on species community composition, (2) searched for specific spatial scales of habitat connectivity for the different arthropod groups, and (3) discussed the ecological and functional value of green roofs in cities. Our study revealed that on green roofs community composition of high-mobility arthropod groups (bees and weevils) were mainly shaped by habitat connectivity, while low-mobility arthropod groups (carabids and spiders) were more influenced by local environmental conditions. A similar but less pronounced pattern was found for ground communities. The high importance of habitat connectivity in shaping high-mobility species community composition indicates that these green roof communities are substantially connected by the frequent exchange of individuals among surrounding green roofs. On the other hand, low-mobility species communities on green roofs are more likely connected to ground sites than to other green roofs. The integration of green roofs in urban spatial planning strategies has great potential to enable higher connectivity among green spaces, so that eventually even communities of low-mobility species become connected. Furthermore, improving the design of green roofs (composition and configuration of vegetation and soil types) could enhance the ecological value, particularly for low-mobility species.

Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Way Forward to Enhance National Health Security.

PubMed

Chandra, Anita; Acosta, Joie; Howard, Stefanie; Uscher-Pines, Lori; Williams, Malcolm; Yeung, Douglas; Garnett, Jeffrey; Meredith, Lisa S

2011-01-01

Community resilience, or the sustained ability of a community to withstand and recover from adversity, has become a key policy issue at federal, state, and local levels, including in the National Health Security Strategy. Because resources are limited in the wake of an emergency, it is increasingly recognized that resilience is critical to a community's ability to reduce long recovery periods after an emergency. This article shares details of a report that provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local leaders who are developing plans to enhance community resilience for health security threats and describes options for building community resilience in key areas. Based on findings from a literature review and a series of community and regional focus groups, the authors provide a definition of community resilience in the context of national health security and a set of eight levers and five core components for building resilience. They then describe suggested activities that communities are pursuing and may want to strengthen for community resilience, and they identify challenges to implementation.

Building Community Resilience to Disasters

PubMed Central

Chandra, Anita; Acosta, Joie; Howard, Stefanie; Uscher-Pines, Lori; Williams, Malcolm; Yeung, Douglas; Garnett, Jeffrey; Meredith, Lisa S.

2011-01-01

Abstract Community resilience, or the sustained ability of a community to withstand and recover from adversity, has become a key policy issue at federal, state, and local levels, including in the National Health Security Strategy. Because resources are limited in the wake of an emergency, it is increasingly recognized that resilience is critical to a community's ability to reduce long recovery periods after an emergency. This article shares details of a report that provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local leaders who are developing plans to enhance community resilience for health security threats and describes options for building community resilience in key areas. Based on findings from a literature review and a series of community and regional focus groups, the authors provide a definition of community resilience in the context of national health security and a set of eight levers and five core components for building resilience. They then describe suggested activities that communities are pursuing and may want to strengthen for community resilience, and they identify challenges to implementation. PMID:28083162

Unintended benefits: leadership skills and behavioral change among Guatemalan fieldworkers employed in a longitudinal household air pollution study.

PubMed

Kuo, Devina; Thompson, Lisa M; Lee, Amy; Romero, Carolina; Smith, Kirk R

2010-01-01

The RESPIRE and CRECER studies measured the effects of reduced household air pollution (HAP) from wood-fired cookstoves on respiratory health in rural highland Guatemala. This article examines behavior change and leadership skill development in local community members who were hired as fieldworkers to assist with research. Fieldworkers administered household questionnaires, shared functions similar to community health workers, and bridged health resources to communities. A mixed-methods design for data collection (in-depth interviews, focus groups, impact drawings, knowledge questionnaire, and retrospective pre-test) was used. Purposive sampling included 10 fieldworkers and 13 local service providers. Fieldworkers showed an increase in knowledge, positive attitudes, and practices around HAP. They developed new technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Fieldworkers played a crucial role in building confianza (trust) with the community, bridging resources, and improving outside researchers' relationships with locals. Recommendations for future researchers include inclusion of additional training courses and adoption of community participatory approaches.

UNINTENDED BENEFITS: LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGE AMONG GUATEMALAN FIELDWORKERS EMPLOYED IN A LONGITUDINAL HOUSEHOLD AIR POLLUTION STUDY*

PubMed Central

KUO, DEVINA; THOMPSON, LISA M.; LEE, AMY; ROMERO, CAROLINA; SMITH, KIRK R.

2015-01-01

The RESPIRE and CRECER studies measured the effects of reduced household air pollution (HAP) from wood-fired cookstoves on respiratory health in rural highland Guatemala. This article examines behavior change and leadership skill development in local community members who were hired as fieldworkers to assist with research. Fieldworkers administered household questionnaires, shared functions similar to community health workers, and bridged health resources to communities. A mixed-methods design for data collection (in-depth interviews, focus groups, impact drawings, knowledge questionnaire, and retrospective pre-test) was used. Purposive sampling included 10 fieldworkers and 13 local service providers. Fieldworkers showed an increase in knowledge, positive attitudes, and practices around HAP. They developed new technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Fieldworkers played a crucial role in building confianza (trust) with the community, bridging resources, and improving outside researchers’ relationships with locals. Recommendations for future researchers include inclusion of additional training courses and adoption of community participatory approaches. PMID:22192940

It's a goal!: Basing a community psychiatric nursing service in a local football stadium.

PubMed

Pringle, Alan; Sayers, Pete

2004-09-01

This paper describes the development of a community mental health project in a local football stadium. Funded for three years by the Laureus Foundation's 'Sport for Good' initiative, the project provides mental health promotion and mental health awareness input targeted initially at young men, a group who are often very difficult to engage in this type work. Using group interventions and utilising football as a metaphor, the project helps young men address issues around depression, self-esteem and inclusion, and addresses the subject of suicide which remains the second biggest cause of death in young men in Britain. The paper describes the development of the project, the structure of the groups and the evaluation of the first two groups to complete the process. The work takes place in the Moss Rose stadium, home of Macclesfield Town, a team in the English Football League.

How Local Landholder Groups Collectively Manage Weeds in South-Eastern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, Sonia; Rogers, Sarah

2017-09-01

For two decades researchers and policy makers have been arguing that community-based collective action is needed to effectively control weeds. Yet there has been little social research into the ways that collective weed control emerges at local scales. The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanisms through which three local landholder groups in south-eastern Australia collectively manage weeds and the measures they use to evaluate success. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of three Landcare groups—Jerrawa Creek/Upper Lachlan, MacLaughlin River and Towamba Valley—as well as government staff external to the groups. The results reveal that for all three groups collective weed control is about supporting individual weed control efforts as well as proactively engaging landholders with the worst infestations. The groups were seen to be successful because they focused on the common challenge that weeds pose to all landholders, thereby removing the shame associated with having weeds, and because they organised community events that were as much about building and maintaining social relationships as improving weed control. Groups were positive about what they had achieved as collectives of landholders, but also saw an important role for government in providing funding, engaging with landholders who were unwilling to engage directly with the group, and controlling weeds on public lands.

The choice of alternatives to acute hospitalization: a descriptive study from Hallingdal, Norway

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Hallingdal is a rural region in southern Norway. General practitioners (GPs) refer acutely somatically ill patients to any of three levels of care: municipal nursing homes, the regional community hospital or the local general hospital. The objective of this paper is to describe the patterns of referrals to the three different somatic emergency service levels in Hallingdal and to elucidate possible explanations for the differences in referrals. Methods Quantitative methods were used to analyse local patient statistics and qualitative methods including focus group interviews were used to explore differences in referral rates between GPs. The acute somatic admissions from the six municipalities of Hallingdal were analysed for the two-year period 2010–11 (n = 1777). A focus group interview was held with the chief municipal medical officers of the six municipalities. The main outcome measure was the numbers of admissions to the three different levels of acute care in 2010–11. Reflections of the focus group members about the differences in admission patterns were also analysed. Results Acute admissions at a level lower than the local general hospital ranged from 9% to 29% between the municipalities. Foremost among the local factors affecting the individual doctor’s admission practice were the geographical distance to the different places of care and the GP’s working experience in the local community. Conclusion The experience from Hallingdal demonstrates that GPs use available alternatives to hospitalization but to varying degrees. This can be explained by socio-demographic factors and factors related to the medical reasons for admission. However, there are also important local factors related to the individual GP and the structural preparedness for alternatives in the community. PMID:23800090

Informing comprehensive HIV prevention: a situational analysis of the HIV prevention and care context, North West Province South Africa.

PubMed

Lippman, Sheri A; Treves-Kagan, Sarah; Gilvydis, Jennifer M; Naidoo, Evasen; Khumalo-Sakutukwa, Gertrude; Darbes, Lynae; Raphela, Elsie; Ntswane, Lebogang; Barnhart, Scott

2014-01-01

Building a successful combination prevention program requires understanding the community's local epidemiological profile, the social community norms that shape vulnerability to HIV and access to care, and the available community resources. We carried out a situational analysis in order to shape a comprehensive HIV prevention program that address local barriers to care at multiple contextual levels in the North West Province of South Africa. The situational analysis was conducted in two sub-districts in 2012 and guided by an adaptation of WHO's Strategic Approach, a predominantly qualitative method, including observation of service delivery points and in-depth interviews and focus groups with local leaders, providers, and community members, in order to recommend context-specific HIV prevention strategies. Analysis began during fieldwork with nightly discussions of findings and continued with coding original textual data from the fieldwork notebooks and a select number of recorded interviews. We conducted over 200 individual and group interviews and gleaned four principal social barriers to HIV prevention and care, including: HIV fatalism, traditional gender norms, HIV-related stigma, and challenges with communication around HIV, all of which fuel the HIV epidemic. At the different levels of response needed to stem the epidemic, we found evidence of national policies and programs that are mitigating the social risk factors but little community-based responses that address social risk factors to HIV. Understanding social and structural barriers to care helped shape our comprehensive HIV prevention program, which address the four 'themes' identified into each component of the program. Activities are underway to engage communities, offer community-based testing in high transmission areas, community stigma reduction, and a positive health, dignity and prevention program for stigma reduction and improve communication skills. The situational analysis process successfully shaped key programmatic decisions and cultivated a deeper collaboration with local stakeholders to support program implementation.

Network community structure and loop coefficient method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vragović, I.; Louis, E.

2006-07-01

A modular structure, in which groups of tightly connected nodes could be resolved as separate entities, is a property that can be found in many complex networks. In this paper, we propose a algorithm for identifying communities in networks. It is based on a local measure, so-called loop coefficient that is a generalization of the clustering coefficient. Nodes with a large loop coefficient tend to be core inner community nodes, while other vertices are usually peripheral sites at the borders of communities. Our method gives satisfactory results for both artificial and real-world graphs, if they have a relatively pronounced modular structure. This type of algorithm could open a way of interpreting the role of nodes in communities in terms of the local loop coefficient, and could be used as a complement to other methods.

Successful Community-Based Conservation: The Story of Millbank and Pterourus (Papilio) homerus

PubMed Central

Garraway, Eric; Parnell, John; Lewis, Delano S.

2017-01-01

The literature on community-based environmental management is very extensive and the discussion of the pros and cons is continuing. Presented here is an example of a successful interaction between university-based entomologists and a local rural community, detailing the change in the attitude of the town of Millbank, Jamaica, from a Giant Swallowtail Butterfly collecting site to a model for community protection of a species and its environment. A review of some of the research work on community-based conservation efforts is included. These linkages take a considerable time to establish and the efforts spent by scientific personnel, governmental representatives and eco-tourists are itemized to emphasize how specific conservation activities have inspired confidence in the local community, thus engendering trust and mutual respect between the two groups. Reviews of the developed legislative support from both international and state entities also must be in place, and these are included in chronological detail as much as possible. Finally, a review of the long-term funding of educational and other local programs providing a level of stability to the conservation effort, until the local community can take over the protection of the species and/or habitat, is provided. Of utmost importance is a comprehensive educational campaign to not only sensitize the community, but the larger society, so that there can be buy-in from all stakeholders. PMID:28708090

Successful Community-Based Conservation: The Story of Millbank and Pterourus (Papilio) homerus.

PubMed

Garraway, Eric; Parnell, John; Lewis, Delano S

2017-07-14

The literature on community-based environmental management is very extensive and the discussion of the pros and cons is continuing. Presented here is an example of a successful interaction between university-based entomologists and a local rural community, detailing the change in the attitude of the town of Millbank, Jamaica, from a Giant Swallowtail Butterfly collecting site to a model for community protection of a species and its environment. A review of some of the research work on community-based conservation efforts is included. These linkages take a considerable time to establish and the efforts spent by scientific personnel, governmental representatives and eco-tourists are itemized to emphasize how specific conservation activities have inspired confidence in the local community, thus engendering trust and mutual respect between the two groups. Reviews of the developed legislative support from both international and state entities also must be in place, and these are included in chronological detail as much as possible. Finally, a review of the long-term funding of educational and other local programs providing a level of stability to the conservation effort, until the local community can take over the protection of the species and/or habitat, is provided. Of utmost importance is a comprehensive educational campaign to not only sensitize the community, but the larger society, so that there can be buy-in from all stakeholders.

PlainTalk Starter Kit: A Practical Guide to Community-Based Programming To Reduce Teen Pregnancy, STDs and HIV/AIDS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Elaine

Plain Talk is a community-based initiative designed to assist neighborhood groups and residents in creating and implementing locally acceptable and effective strategies to protect sexually active youth from pregnancy. Plain Talk aims to affect individual, neighborhood, and community behavior through a process that focuses on helping adults develop…

Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military. Fiscal Year 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

crisis centers, hospitals, and law enforcement.  USN SARCs reported working with 12 schools, universities, and other civilian community groups on...alliances with other Navy and DoD SAPR stakeholders as well as community coalitions and networks (e.g. local Rape Crisis Centers, etc). SARCs report...MILITARY COMMUNITY .............................. 6 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION STRATEGY

Implications of Community Activism among Urban Minority Young People for Education for Engaged and Critical Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nam, Chaebong

2012-01-01

Citizenship is fundamentally defined by praxis--i.e., engagement in local and diverse forms of civic practices--rather than by a legal status tied to the nation-state (Tully, 2008). This study examined the participatory democracy practices of a community activist group that was organizing to resist gentrification in a Puerto Rican community in…

Improving hearing health for farming families.

PubMed

Lower, Tony; Fragar, Lyn; Depcynzksi, Julie; Challinor, Kathy; Mills, Jan; Williams, Warwick

2010-01-01

Occupational noise injury and hearing loss are common features of agricultural workforces internationally. Farmsafe Australia has identified hearing health as one of its 4 key priority goals and targets. Currently, approximately 60-70% of Australian farmers have measurable hearing loss, compared with 27% of those in the general Australian community. This article describes the findings of a community based demonstration project to address hearing health issues conducted in the Australian state of New South Wales. This program sought to implement local demonstration projects in 3 communities to identify what works well in hearing health promotion with farmers and what could be applied more broadly throughout Australia. Local advisory groups were established in each community to guide project development and implementation. Project implementation focused on 3 major aspects: (1) increasing awareness of priority noise injury prevention and hearing health practices; (2) improving access to hearing health services; and (3) networking services in local communities. Area-specific training was undertaken for stakeholders to maximize local information links. Service utilization data were monitored and analysed. There was variability among sites; however in general there was an increased awareness of hearing health issues by farming families and expanded opportunities for farmers to access screening services. Utilization rates of hearing services also increased markedly in one community. Local hearing health networks were strengthened by linkages to key stakeholders outside the health sector. Previously unidentified methods of promoting hearing health (eg using agricultural retail outlets that supply hearing protection equipment and are accepted by farmers as an information source) were identified and utilized. Hearing health promotion with farmers in local communities can be enhanced through utilization and strengthening of local networks. Integration of hearing health initiatives with other agencies already working with farming families will be important in developing and enhancing long-term sustainable outcomes. Continued work at a national level to assist in stimulating local action will be required to build on the potential gains in reducing noise injury in the farming community.

ASPIRE: A multi-site community-based participatory research project to increase understanding of the dynamics of violence against immigrant and refugee women in Australia.

PubMed

Vaughan, Cathy; Murdolo, Adele; Murray, Linda; Davis, Erin; Chen, Jasmin; Block, Karen; Quiazon, Regina; Warr, Deb

2015-12-23

One in three women around the world are or have been subjected to violence. This includes in Australia, where violence against women is an urgent public health and human rights issue. Immigrant and refugee women who have resettled in Australia are known to face barriers accessing services aimed at preventing and responding to family violence. However there is little evidence about the contexts, nature and dynamics of violence against immigrant and refugee women to inform appropriate responses to enhance their safety and well-being. The ASPIRE project will address this gap by identifying opportunities for the development of responsive local and community-based interventions for family violence against immigrant and refugee women, contributing to the currently limited Australian research in this area. This participatory research project will work with communities in eight geographic locations (two inner-city, three outer-suburban, and three regional) across two states (Victoria and Tasmania), to generate evidence about immigrant and refugee women's experiences in a range of settings. The project will engage stakeholders and communities through extensive consultation prior to data collection and by facilitating community members' participation in generating and analysing data. A mix of qualitative methods will be used to generate rich data about the family, cultural and place-based contexts that shape the prevalence and dynamics of violence against immigrant and refugee women; women's prevention and help-seeking efforts; and community attitudes about and responses to violence across a range of cultural groups. Methods include in-depth interviews with women who have experienced family violence, key informant interviews with local community service providers, focus group discussions with men and women from predominant cultural groups that have migrated to areas covered by the research sites, and Photovoice with community leaders. Bilingual health educators will contribute to development of the research approach, the collection and analysis of data, and the dissemination of findings. Findings from this two-year study will be disseminated to communities, service providers and policy-makers, providing evidence to inform culturally-appropriate prevention and support interventions, and building local communities' awareness and capacity to respond to violence against immigrant and refugee women.

Community-based grain banks using local foods for improved infant and young child feeding in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Roche, Marion L; Sako, Binta; Osendarp, Saskia J M; Adish, Abdul A; Tolossa, Azeb L

2017-04-01

The first thousand days of a child's life are critical for ensuring adequate nutrition to enable optimal health, development and growth. Inadequate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices likely contribute to Ethiopia's concerning malnutrition situation. Development partners in four regions of Ethiopia implemented community production of complementary food with women's groups processing local grains and legumes at grain banks to improve availability, accessibility, dietary diversity and timely introduction of complementary foods. The objective of this study was to establish the acceptability, perceived impact, feasibility and required inputs to sustain local grain bank interventions to improve IYCF. A subsidized barter system was used by mothers in the rural communities, and flour was sold in the semi-urban context. Purposive sampling guided the qualitative study design and selection of project stakeholders. A total of 51 key informant interviews and 33 focus group discussions (n = 237) were conducted. The grain bank flour was valued for its perceived diverse local ingredients; while the project was perceived as creating labour savings for women. The grain bank flour offered the potential to contribute to improved IYCF; however, further dietary modification or fortification is needed to improve the micronutrient content. Dependence upon external inputs to subsidize the barter model and the reliance on volunteer labour from women's groups in the rural context are the greatest risks to sustainability. This intervention illustrates how integrated agricultural and health interventions leveraging local production can appeal to diverse stakeholders as an acceptable approach to improve IYCF. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The last sea nomads of the Indonesian archipelago: genomic origins and dispersal

PubMed Central

Kusuma, Pradiptajati; Brucato, Nicolas; Cox, Murray P; Letellier, Thierry; Manan, Abdul; Nuraini, Chandra; Grangé, Philippe; Sudoyo, Herawati; Ricaut, François-Xavier

2017-01-01

The Bajo, the world’s largest remaining sea nomad group, are scattered across hundreds of recently settled communities in Island Southeast Asia, along the coasts of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. With a significant role in historical trading, the Bajo lived until recently as nomads, spending their entire lives on houseboats while moving long distances to fish and trade. Along the routes they traveled, the Bajo settled and intermarried with local land-based groups, leading to ‘maritime creolization’, a process whereby Bajo communities retained their culture, but assimilated – and frequently married into – local groups. The origins of the Bajo have remained unclear despite several hypotheses from oral tradition, culture and language, all currently without supporting genetic evidence. Here, we report genome-wide SNP analyses on 73 Bajo individuals from three communities across Indonesia – the Derawan of Northeast Borneo, the Kotabaru of Southeast Borneo and the Kendari of Southeast Sulawesi, with 87 new samples from three populations surrounding the area where these Bajo peoples live. The Bajo likely share a common connection with Southern Sulawesi, but crucially, each Bajo community also exhibits unique genetic contributions from neighboring populations. PMID:28513608

From guidelines to local realities: evaluation of oral rehydration therapy and zinc supplementation in Guatemala.

PubMed

Hall-Clifford, Rachel; Amerson, Roxanne

2017-04-20

Diarrhea remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for children in low- and middle-income countries throughout the Americas. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed guidelines on incorporating zinc supplementation (ZS) with traditional oral rehydration therapy (ORT) in order to shorten the duration of diarrheal episodes and to reduce poor health outcomes. Guatemala adopted these guidelines in 2011, but they have not yet been fully implemented at the community level. The objectives of this study were: (1) to co-design an ORT/ZS training program for community members with local health promoters that is appropriate to the local context and (2) to understand how attitudes and behaviors of community members changed after receiving training from the study promoters. In an observational study, community health promoters in rural Guatemala were trained according to WHO guidelines, and they worked collaboratively with the study team to develop a training curriculum to implement in their community. Community-based surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions were used to assess acceptability, accessibility, and availability of oral rehydration therapy and zinc supplementation. Use of ORT increased from 63% to 95% among community members following training by local health promoters. Satisfaction with the service offered by health promoters increased from 63% to 90% amongst community members trained by the study promoters. However, knowledge and use of zinc supplementation remained low, which was attributable to unavailability of zinc in the study community. Use of trained community health promoters is an effective way to translate WHO guidelines to local contexts and overcome sociocultural barriers to care. However, the health system's structure must support availability of essential medicines in order to effectively implement those guidelines.

Collaborative Educational Ethnography: Problems and Profits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Margaret A.

1985-01-01

The Punjabi Education Project was a collaborative research effort involving a Sikh community in California, a school district, a community organization, and an educational anthropologist. The project aimed to improve relations between the ethnic and mainstream groups at a local high school and simultaneously to improve educational performance…

Urban and nomadic isotopic niches reveal dietary connectivities along Central Asia's Silk Roads.

PubMed

Hermes, Taylor R; Frachetti, Michael D; Bullion, Elissa A; Maksudov, Farhod; Mustafokulov, Samariddin; Makarewicz, Cheryl A

2018-03-26

The ancient 'Silk Roads' formed a vast network of trade and exchange that facilitated the movement of commodities and agricultural products across medieval Central Asia via settled urban communities and mobile pastoralists. Considering food consumption patterns as an expression of socio-economic interaction, we analyse human remains for carbon and nitrogen isotopes in order to establish dietary intake, then model isotopic niches to characterize dietary diversity and infer connectivity among communities of urbanites and nomadic pastoralists. The combination of low isotopic variation visible within urban groups with isotopic distinction between urban communities irrespective of local environmental conditions strongly suggests localized food production systems provided primary subsistence rather than agricultural goods exchanged along trade routes. Nomadic communities, in contrast, experienced higher dietary diversity reflecting engagements with a wide assortment of foodstuffs typical for mobile communities. These data indicate tightly bound social connectivity in urban centres pointedly funnelled local food products and homogenized dietary intake within settled communities, whereas open and opportunistic systems of food production and circulation were possible through more mobile lifeways.

Coping with Loss and Grief through On-Line Support Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gary, Juneau Mahan; Remolino, Linda

On-line support groups provide an alternative to traditional support groups by linking grieving people who seek support, especially if support is not available in their local community. Furthermore, these groups can reduce the sense of isolation caused by geographical or physical/medical constraints and increase feelings of validations. Although…

Forest fragmentation and bird community dynamics: inference at regional scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boulinier, T.; Nichols, J.D.; Hines, J.E.; Sauer, J.R.; Flather, C.H.; Pollock, K.H.

2001-01-01

With increasing fragmentation of natural areas and a dramatic reduction of forest cover in several parts of the world, quantifying the impact of such changes on species richness and community dynamics has been a subject of much concern. Here, we tested whether in more fragmented landscapes there was a lower number of area-sensitive species and higher local extinction and turnover rates, which could explain higher temporal variability in species richness. To investigate such potential landscape effects at a regional scale, we merged two independent, large-scale monitoring efforts: the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the Land Use and Land Cover Classification data from the U.S. Geological Survey. We used methods that accounted for heterogeneity in the probability of detecting species to estimate species richness and temporal changes in the bird communities for BBS routes in three mid-Atlantic U.S. states. Forest breeding bird species were grouped prior to the analyses into area-sensitive and non-area-sensitive species according to previous studies. We tested predictions relating measures of forest structure at one point in time (1974) to species richness at that time and to parameters of forest bird community change over the following 22-yr-period (1975-1996). We used the mean size of forest patches to characterize landscape structure, as high correlations among landscape variables did not allow us to disentangle the relative roles of habitat fragmentation per se and habitat loss. As predicted, together with lower species richness for area-sensitive species on routes surrounded by landscapes with lower mean forest-patch size, we found higher mean year-to-year rates of local extinction. Moreover, the mean year-to-year rates of local turnover (proportion of locally new species) for area-sensitive species were also higher in landscapes with lower mean forest-patch size. These associations were not observed for the non-area-sensitive species group. These results suggest that landscape structure may influence forest bird communities at regional scales through its effects on the total number of species but also on the temporal rates of change in community composition. Evidence for higher rates of local extinction and turnover in more fragmented landscapes suggests that bird communities function as metapopulations at a regional scale, and points out the importance of colonizations and recolonizations from surrounding landscapes to local community dynamics. Further, our results illustrate that the methods used to estimate the community parameters can be a powerful statistical tool in addressing questions relative to the dynamics of communities.

Costs and effects of a 'healthy living' approach to community development in two deprived communities: findings from a mixed methods study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Inequalities in health have proved resistant to 'top down' approaches. It is increasingly recognised that health promotion initiatives are unlikely to succeed without strong local involvement at all stages of the process and many programmes now use grass roots approaches. A healthy living approach to community development (HLA) was developed as an innovative response to local concerns about a lack of appropriate services in two deprived communities in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. We sought to assess feasibility, costs, benefits and working relationships of this HLA. Methods The HLA intervention operated through existing community forums and focused on the whole community and its relationship with statutory and voluntary sectors. Local people were trained as community researchers and gathered views about local needs though resident interviews. Forums used interview results to write action plans, disseminated to commissioning organisations. The process was supported throughout through the project. The evaluation used a multi-method before and after study design including process and outcome formative and summative evaluation; data gathered through documentary evidence, diaries and reflective accounts, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and costing proformas. Main outcome measures were processes and timelines of implementation of HLA; self reported impact on communities and participants; community-agency processes of liaison; costs. Results Communities were able to produce and disseminate action plans based on locally-identified needs. The process was slower than anticipated: few community changes had occurred but expectations were high. Community participants gained skills and confidence. Cross-sector partnership working developed. The process had credibility within service provider organisations but mechanisms for refocusing commissioning were patchy. Intervention costs averaged £58,304 per community per annum. Conclusions The intervention was feasible and inexpensive, with indications of potential impact at individual, community and policy planning levels. However, it is a long term process which requires sustained investment and must be embedded in planning and service delivery processes. PMID:21223586

Kids in Communities Study (KiCS) study protocol: a cross-sectional mixed-methods approach to measuring community-level factors influencing early child development in Australia

PubMed Central

Goldfeld, Sharon; Villanueva, Karen; Tanton, Robert; Katz, Ilan; Brinkman, Sally; Woolcock, Geoffrey; Giles-Corti, Billie

2017-01-01

Introduction Healthy childhood development in the early years is critical for later adult health and well-being. Early childhood development (ECD) research has focused primarily on individual, family and school factors, but largely ignored community factors. The Kids in Communities Study (KiCS) will test and investigate community-level influences on child development across Australia. Methods and analysis Cross-sectional mixed-methods study exploring community-level effects in 25 Australian local communities; selection based on community socioeconomic status (SES) and ECD using the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), a population measure of child development, to create a local community ‘diagonality type’, that is, those performing better or worse (off-diagonal), or as expected (on-diagonal) on the AEDC relative to their SES. Data collection includes stakeholder interviews, parent and service provider focus groups, and surveys with general community residents and service providers, mapping of neighbourhood design and local amenities and services, analysis of policy documents, and the use of existing sociodemographic and early childhood education and care data. Quantitative data will be used to test associations between local community diagonality type, and ECD based on AEDC scores. Qualitative data will provide complementary and deeper exploration of these same associations. Ethics and dissemination The Royal Children's Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee approved the study protocol (#30016). Further ethics approvals were obtained from State Education and Health departments and Catholic archdioceses where required. ECD community-level indicators will eventually be derived and made publically available. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals, community reports, websites and policy briefs to disseminate results to researchers, and key stakeholders including policymakers, practitioners and (most importantly) the communities involved. PMID:28289049

New Zealand's new alcohol laws: protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation.

PubMed

Maclennan, Brett; Kypri, Kypros; Connor, Jennie; Potiki, Tuari; Room, Robin

2016-01-13

Alcohol consumption is a major cause of mortality and morbidity globally. In response to strong calls from the public for alcohol law reform, the New Zealand Government recently reduced the blood alcohol limit for driving and introduced the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act which aim to (1) improve community input into local decision-making on alcohol; (2) reduce the availability of alcohol; and (3) reduce hazardous drinking and alcohol-related harm. In this project we seek to evaluate the new laws in terms of these objectives. A policy evaluation framework is proposed to investigate the implementation and outcomes of the reforms. We will use quantitative and qualitative methods, employing a pre-post design. Participants include members of the public, local government staff, iwi (Māori tribal groups that function collectively to support their members) and community group representatives. Data will be collected via postal surveys, interviews and analysis of local government documents. Liquor licensing, police and hospital injury data will also be used. Community input into local government decision-making will be operationalised as: the number of objections per license application and the number of local governments adopting a local alcohol policy (LAP). Outcome measures will be the 'restrictiveness' of LAPs compared to previous policies, the number (per 1000 residents) and density (per square kilometre) of alcohol outlets throughout NZ, and the number of weekend late-night (i.e., post 10 pm) trading hours. For consumption and harm, outcomes will be the prevalence of hazardous drinking, harm from own and others' drinking, community amenity effects, rates of assault, and rates of alcohol-involved traffic crashes. Multiple regression will be used to model how the outcomes vary by local government area from before to after the law changes take effect. These measures will be complemented by qualitative analysis of LAP development and public participation in local decision-making on alcohol. The project will evaluate how well the reforms meet their explicit public health objectives.

Sexual selection affects local extinction and turnover in bird communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Doherty, P.F.; Sorci, G.; Royle, J. Andrew; Hines, J.E.; Nichols, J.D.; Boulinier, T.

2003-01-01

Predicting extinction risks has become a central goal for conservation and evolutionary biologists interested in population and community dynamics. Several factors have been put forward to explain risks of extinction, including ecological and life history characteristics of individuals. For instance, factors that affect the balance between natality and mortality can have profound effects on population persistence. Sexual selection has been identified as one such factor. Populations under strong sexual selection experience a number of costs ranging from increased predation and parasitism to enhanced sensitivity to environmental and demographic stochasticity. These findings have led to the prediction that local extinction rates should be higher for species/populations with intense sexual selection. We tested this prediction by analyzing the dynamics of natural bird communities at a continental scale over a period of 21 years (1975-1996), using relevant statistical tools. In agreement with the theoretical prediction, we found that sexual selection increased risks of local extinction (dichromatic birds had on average a 23% higher local extinction rate than monochromatic species). However, despite higher local extinction probabilities, the number of dichromatic species did not decrease over the period considered in this study. This pattern was caused by higher local turnover rates of dichromatic species, resulting in relatively stable communities for both groups of species. Our results suggest that these communities function as metacommunities, with frequent local extinctions followed by colonization. Anthropogenic factors impeding dispersal might therefore have a significant impact on the global persistence of sexually selected species.

Community detection using preference networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tasgin, Mursel; Bingol, Haluk O.

2018-04-01

Community detection is the task of identifying clusters or groups of nodes in a network where nodes within the same group are more connected with each other than with nodes in different groups. It has practical uses in identifying similar functions or roles of nodes in many biological, social and computer networks. With the availability of very large networks in recent years, performance and scalability of community detection algorithms become crucial, i.e. if time complexity of an algorithm is high, it cannot run on large networks. In this paper, we propose a new community detection algorithm, which has a local approach and is able to run on large networks. It has a simple and effective method; given a network, algorithm constructs a preference network of nodes where each node has a single outgoing edge showing its preferred node to be in the same community with. In such a preference network, each connected component is a community. Selection of the preferred node is performed using similarity based metrics of nodes. We use two alternatives for this purpose which can be calculated in 1-neighborhood of nodes, i.e. number of common neighbors of selector node and its neighbors and, the spread capability of neighbors around the selector node which is calculated by the gossip algorithm of Lind et.al. Our algorithm is tested on both computer generated LFR networks and real-life networks with ground-truth community structure. It can identify communities accurately in a fast way. It is local, scalable and suitable for distributed execution on large networks.

Imagined Community of Education: Voices from Refugees and Immigrants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Ye; Bettez, Silvia Cristina; Levin, Barbara B.

2017-01-01

To challenge deficit thinking concerning immigrants and refugees in urban schools, we engaged members of local immigrant and refugee communities from China, Mexico, Liberia, and Sudan in focus group discussions about their prior educational experiences, their hopes and aspirations for education, and the supports and challenges they encountered in…

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY LEADERS' PERSPECTIVES ON CHILD HEALTH AND MORTALITY AND INEQUITY ISSUES IN RURAL EASTERN INDONESIA.

PubMed

Pardosi, Jerico Franciscus; Parr, Nick; Muhidin, Salut

2017-01-01

Since 2001 a decentralization policy has increased the responsibility placed on local government for improving child health in Indonesia. This paper explores local government and community leaders' perspectives on child health in a rural district in Indonesia, using a qualitative approach. Focus group discussions were held in May 2013. The issues probed relate to health personnel skills and motivation, service availability, the influence of traditional beliefs, and health care and gender inequity. The participants identify weak leadership, inefficient health management and inadequate child health budgets as important issues. The lack of health staff in rural areas is seen as the reason for promoting the use of traditional birth attendants. Midwifery graduates and village midwives are perceived as lacking motivation to work in rural areas. Some local traditions are seen as detrimental to child health. Husbands provide little support to their wives. These results highlight the need for a harmonization and alignment of the efforts of local government agencies and local community leaders to address child health care and gender inequity issues.

In what ways do communities support optimal antiretroviral treatment in Zimbabwe?

PubMed

Scott, K; Campbell, C; Madanhire, C; Skovdal, M; Nyamukapa, C; Gregson, S

2014-12-01

Little research has been conducted on how pre-existing indigenous community resources, especially social networks, affect the success of externally imposed HIV interventions. Antiretroviral treatment (ART), an externally initiated biomedical intervention, is being rolled out across sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the ways in which community networks are working to facilitate optimal ART access and adherence will enable policymakers to better engage with and bolster these pre-existing resources. We conducted 67 interviews and eight focus group discussions with 127 people from three key population groups in Manicaland, eastern Zimbabwe: healthcare workers, adults on ART and carers of children on ART. We also observed over 100 h of HIV treatment sites at local clinics and hospitals. Our research sought to determine how indigenous resources were enabling people to achieve optimal ART access and adherence. We analysed data transcripts using thematic network technique, coding references to supportive community networks that enable local people to achieve ART access and adherence. People on ART or carers of children on ART in Zimbabwe report drawing support from a variety of social networks that enable them to overcome many obstacles to adherence. Key support networks include: HIV groups; food and income support networks; home-based care, church and women's groups; family networks; and relationships with healthcare providers. More attention to the community context in which HIV initiatives occur will help ensure that interventions work with and benefit from pre-existing social capital. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press.

In what ways do communities support optimal antiretroviral treatment in Zimbabwe?

PubMed Central

Scott, K.; Campbell, C.; Madanhire, C.; Skovdal, M.; Nyamukapa, C.; Gregson, S.

2014-01-01

Little research has been conducted on how pre-existing indigenous community resources, especially social networks, affect the success of externally imposed HIV interventions. Antiretroviral treatment (ART), an externally initiated biomedical intervention, is being rolled out across sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the ways in which community networks are working to facilitate optimal ART access and adherence will enable policymakers to better engage with and bolster these pre-existing resources. We conducted 67 interviews and eight focus group discussions with 127 people from three key population groups in Manicaland, eastern Zimbabwe: healthcare workers, adults on ART and carers of children on ART. We also observed over 100 h of HIV treatment sites at local clinics and hospitals. Our research sought to determine how indigenous resources were enabling people to achieve optimal ART access and adherence. We analysed data transcripts using thematic network technique, coding references to supportive community networks that enable local people to achieve ART access and adherence. People on ART or carers of children on ART in Zimbabwe report drawing support from a variety of social networks that enable them to overcome many obstacles to adherence. Key support networks include: HIV groups; food and income support networks; home-based care, church and women's groups; family networks; and relationships with healthcare providers. More attention to the community context in which HIV initiatives occur will help ensure that interventions work with and benefit from pre-existing social capital. PMID:23503291

Which green way: description of the intervention for mobilising against Aedes aegypti under difficult security conditions in southern Mexico.

PubMed

Morales-Perez, Arcadio; Nava-Aguilera, Elizabeth; Legorreta-Soberanis, José; Paredes-Solís, Sergio; Balanzar-Martínez, Alejandro; Serrano-de Los Santos, Felipe René; Ríos-Rivera, Claudia Erika; García-Leyva, Jaime; Ledogar, Robert J; Cockcroft, Anne; Andersson, Neil

2017-05-30

Community mobilisation for prevention requires engagement with and buy in from those communities. In the Mexico state of Guerrero, unprecedented social violence related to the narcotics trade has eroded most community structures. A recent randomised controlled trial in 90 coastal communities achieved sufficient mobilisation to reduce conventional vector density indicators, self-reported dengue illness and serologically proved dengue virus infection. The Camino Verde intervention was a participatory research protocol promoting local discussion of baseline evidence and co-design of vector control solutions. Training of facilitators emphasised community authorship rather than trying to convince communities to do specific activities. Several discussion groups in each intervention community generated a loose and evolving prevention plan. Facilitators trained brigadistas, the first wave of whom received a small monthly stipend. Increasing numbers of volunteers joined the effort without pay. All communities opted to work with schoolchildren and for house-to-house visits by brigadístas. Children joined the neighbourhood vector control movements where security conditions permitted. After 6 months, a peer evaluation involved brigadista visits between intervention communities to review and to share progress. Although most communities had no active social institutions at the outset, local action planning using survey data provided a starting point for community authorship. Well-known in their own communities, brigadistas faced little security risk compared with the facilitators who visited the communities, or with governmental programmes. We believe the training focus on evidence-based dialogue and a plural community ownership through multiple design groups were key to success under challenging security conditions. ISRCTN27581154 .

"In the Public Interest, Convenience, and Necessity"...The Broadcasting Industry Meets the People

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Everett C.

1972-01-01

Argues that action by community groups on the local level can help foster three concepts of better broadcasting: diversity, localism, and balance in dealing with news and controversial issues; illustrates this argument with the case of WLBT-TV, Jackson, Mississippi. (JM)

Give Water a Hand. Leader Guidebook. Youth Action Program. Promoting Good Water Management Practices at Home and in the Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Coll. of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Educators of students grades 4-8 can use this guide to lead a community service project using the "Give Water a Hand" youth action program. Youth groups investigate water and water conservation within the home, farm, ranch, school, or community, with the help of local experts. The guide contains six chapters that cover: (1) an…

Bringing the Community to Campus: An Oral History of Women's Week at Ball State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarrett, Courtney

2012-01-01

This dissertation examined the annual Women's Week events hosted by Ball State's Women's and Gender Studies Program. It served to paint a historical picture of how the local Muncie community has been linked with the academic community at Ball State through events about women's issues. The program began when a group of people wanting to broaden the…

Listening to the community: a first step in adapting Diabetes Today to the Pacific.

PubMed

Braun, Kathryn L; Kuhaulua, Rie L; Ichiho, Henry M; Aitaoto, Nia T

2002-09-01

Diabetes is a growing problem among Pacific Islanders, but few community-based groups in the Pacific are actively working on diabetes prevention and control. The Pacific Diabetes Today Resource Center (PDTRC) was established in 1998 to adapt the Diabetes Today (DT) curriculum for Pacific Island communities in Hawai'i, American Samoa, and Micronesia. To gather data to guide the development of the Pacific Diabetes Today (PDT) curriculum, a year was spent listening to Pacific communities. First, data were gathered from health professionals on how the DT curriculum should be modified. Second, health and community leaders in 11 sites were trained and supported to conduct discussion groups with people affected by diabetes. Third, site coordinators evaluated the discussion group process. A Pacific-wide Advisory Council (AC) was established to guide the project, and the AC used findings from the first year to generate guidelines for staff to follow in adapting the DT curriculum to the Pacific. These guidelines directed staff to: a) realize that Pacific communities need to build awareness about diabetes; b) train and support local community leaders as co-facilitators in the PDT curriculum, using a learn-by-doing approach, with the goal of developing them as independent trainers; c) encourage the involvement of a broad range of community members in PDT training, including the involvement of local physicians to counter medical misconceptions about diabetes; d) give the PDT curriculum a Pacific "look" and "feel;" and e) keep the training logistically flexible to accommodate differences in communities across the region. Other programs and agencies that want to develop training programs in the Pacific may find these listening strategies and guidelines helpful.

Community stress and social and technological change: a framework for interpreting the behavior of social movements and community action groups

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perry, R.W.; Schuller, C.R.; Lindell, M.K.

1980-06-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive examination of existing research on community organizations and community political systems. These findings will be integrated into a framework for understanding the variety of social and political responses which may be manifest in small communities facing the prospect of hosting a major nuclear facility. The principal focus is on the formation and behavior of social groups in communities, particularly politically oriented social movements or community action groups. This analysis is set on the context of a community experiencing social stress. Most of the discussion which follows is based on anmore » extrapolation from the large body of reseach literature on the topics in sociology, political science, and psychology. Chapter I examines the community political systems which are the arena in which local action groups will operate. Chapter II focuses on the internal conditions necessary for the formation and maintenance of community action groups. Chapter III reviews the research literature on the social environment of organizations in communities and the external conditions which are necessary to maintain organizations over time. Chapter IV develops a logic whereby the community consensus model can be adopted to particular social movement organizations and community actions groups. Chapter V examines changes in aspects of the environment which can be a function of the operation of movement organizations, and changes in the structure and tactics of movement organizations which appear to be a response to the environment.« less

Group treatment for parents of the adult mentally ill.

PubMed

McLean, C S; Greer, K; Scott, J; Beck, J C

1982-07-01

Support and education groups for the families of the mentally ill have been in existence for at least 20 years. The authors describe a group treatment program established in 1979 for parents of chronically mentally ill individuals living in the community. The goal was to help parents become less overprotective, critical, and hostile so that clients would relapse less frequently and improve their social functioning during their time in the community. The groups provided parents with information and support. Some of the results of the groups include the implementation of new hospital procedures, more effective parenting, and a parent-initiated alliance on behalf of the mentally ill in the locality.

Informing Comprehensive HIV Prevention: A Situational Analysis of the HIV Prevention and Care Context, North West Province South Africa

PubMed Central

Lippman, Sheri A.; Treves-Kagan, Sarah; Gilvydis, Jennifer M.; Naidoo, Evasen; Khumalo-Sakutukwa, Gertrude; Darbes, Lynae; Raphela, Elsie; Ntswane, Lebogang; Barnhart, Scott

2014-01-01

Objective Building a successful combination prevention program requires understanding the community’s local epidemiological profile, the social community norms that shape vulnerability to HIV and access to care, and the available community resources. We carried out a situational analysis in order to shape a comprehensive HIV prevention program that address local barriers to care at multiple contextual levels in the North West Province of South Africa. Method The situational analysis was conducted in two sub-districts in 2012 and guided by an adaptation of WHO’s Strategic Approach, a predominantly qualitative method, including observation of service delivery points and in-depth interviews and focus groups with local leaders, providers, and community members, in order to recommend context-specific HIV prevention strategies. Analysis began during fieldwork with nightly discussions of findings and continued with coding original textual data from the fieldwork notebooks and a select number of recorded interviews. Results We conducted over 200 individual and group interviews and gleaned four principal social barriers to HIV prevention and care, including: HIV fatalism, traditional gender norms, HIV-related stigma, and challenges with communication around HIV, all of which fuel the HIV epidemic. At the different levels of response needed to stem the epidemic, we found evidence of national policies and programs that are mitigating the social risk factors but little community-based responses that address social risk factors to HIV. Conclusions Understanding social and structural barriers to care helped shape our comprehensive HIV prevention program, which address the four ‘themes’ identified into each component of the program. Activities are underway to engage communities, offer community-based testing in high transmission areas, community stigma reduction, and a positive health, dignity and prevention program for stigma reduction and improve communication skills. The situational analysis process successfully shaped key programmatic decisions and cultivated a deeper collaboration with local stakeholders to support program implementation. PMID:25028976

Preserving the pot and water: a traditional concept of reproductive health in a Yoruba community, Nigeria.

PubMed

Adetunji, J A

1996-12-01

Within the background of the outcome of the 1994 Cairo Conference, this paper describes a traditional conceptualization of prenatal care in a Nigerian community and draws their implication for effective delivery of reproductive health services in the area. The data used were from qualitative interviews during 2 field trips to the community in 1988-89 and 1991. The finding of the study highlights a local metaphor that likened the risks of pregnancy and child birth to a group of women that trekked to a local brook to fetch water with their earthen pots: some fell, broke their pots; some missed steps and spilt their water but kept their pots, and others returned without any mishap. The first group represented cases of maternal mortality; the second group were cases of miscarriage, still-births or infant deaths, and the third group represented successful outcomes for both pregnancy and the resultant baby. Various steps that were traditionally taken to ensure that the mother neither lost her pot nor spilled her water are described. The implications of these findings for policy and research are discussed in the paper.

Perceptions of prescribed burning in a local forest community in Victoria, Australia.

PubMed

Bell, Tina; Oliveras, Immaculada

2006-11-01

The general perceptions of prescribed burning were elicited from forest users for an area that has been subject to this form of land management for at least 20 years. The largest group consisted of local residents living in and around the Wombat State Forest with two smaller groups of students from a nearby university campus and local professional land managers. A questionnaire was given to each participant in order to explore how the forest was used, to determine the level of knowledge of burning in the targeted forest and Victoria and the perception of the appearance, effectiveness of protection, and accessibility to the forest after prescribed burning. Generally all groups had similar responses with community members having stronger views on the effectiveness and practicalities of prescribed burning, whereas students were more neutral in their opinions. All participants claimed knowledge of prescribed burning activities within Victoria, but fewer had experience of planned fires in the Wombat State Forest. All groups agreed that areas that had not been recently burned had a better appearance than those that had, but this result may have included a range of value judgments. Land managers had a greater understanding of the ecological importance of season and timing of burning; however, some students and community members were equally knowledgeable. Prescribed burning did not impede access to the forest, nor did smoke from prescribed burns pose any great problem. The majority of the participants felt that the amount of prescribed burning done in the forest was adequate for engendering a feeling of protection to life and property, yet many were still suspicious of this management practice. These initial findings indicate several areas in which further research would be useful including the efficacy of education programs for community members and improved communication of burn plans by land managers.

Resources for the Aging--An Action Handbook, a Catalogue of Federal Programs, Foundations and Trusts, and Voluntary Agencies that Assist Communities and Individuals to Meet the Needs of the Aging.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Economic Opportunity, Washington, DC. Community Action Program.

Published to stimulate local, state, and national groups to develop programs to assist the aged, this catalog presents information about federal grants-in-aid and basic service programs that serve the old, and about foundations and trusts, and national voluntary agencies supporting programs for the aged or willing to assist local groups organizing…

Start a Science Club

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bircher, Lisa; Sansenbaugher, Bonnie

2015-01-01

This article describes the benefits of high school science clubs, focusing on forging partnerships with local and regional organizations; the importance of a service-learning component; and how local science club activities bring students and community members together. The authors also address how educators can improve the work of the group to…

Centring and Marginalizing: The "Soft Middle" and Japanese Minority Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bondy, Christopher

2014-01-01

Examining the gap between national level minority education policies and local implementation in Japan, this paper considers this gap as a "soft middle" whereby local communities and schools have considerable leeway in how they implement policies. In particular, this paper focuses on Japan's largest minority group, the…

Keep New Mexico Beautiful, Recycling Project Successful

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickel, Victor R.

1975-01-01

Through the efforts of community groups, the support of local industries, and the state government, Keep New Mexico Beautiful, Inc. (KNMB) is now operating a large-scale recycling business. KNMB has been able to save tons of natural resources, provide local employment, and educate the public to this environmental concern. (MA)

Exploring the Links between Post-Industrial Landscape History and Ecology through Participatory Methods

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

There is increasing recognition of the importance for local biodiversity of post-mining sites, many of which lie near communities that have suffered significant social and economic deprivation as the result of mine closures. However, no studies to date have actively used the knowledge of local communities to relate the history and treatment of post-mining sites to their current ecological status. We report a study of two post-mining sites in the Yorkshire coalfield of the UK in which the local community were involved in developing site histories and assessing plant and invertebrate species composition. Site histories developed using participatory GIS revealed that the sites had a mixture of areas of spontaneous succession and technical reclamation, and identified that both planned management interventions and informal activities influenced habitat heterogeneity and ecological diversity. Two groups of informal activity were identified as being of particular importance. Firstly, there has been active protection by the community of flower-rich habitats of conservation value (e.g. calcareous grassland) and distinctive plant species (e.g. orchids) which has also provided important foraging resources for butterfly and bumblebee species. Secondly, disturbance by activities such as use of motorbikes, informal camping, and cutting of trees and shrubs for fuel, as well as planned management interventions such as spreading of brick rubble, has provided habitat for plant species of open waste ground and locally uncommon invertebrate species which require patches of bare ground. This study demonstrates the importance of informal, and often unrecorded, activities by the local community in providing diverse habitats and increased biodiversity within a post-mining site, and shows that active engagement with the local community and use of local knowledge can enhance ecological interpretation of such sites and provide a stronger basis for successful future management. PMID:26309041

Exploring the Links between Post-Industrial Landscape History and Ecology through Participatory Methods.

PubMed

Rich, Kevin J; Ridealgh, Michael; West, Sarah E; Cinderby, Steve; Ashmore, Mike

2015-01-01

There is increasing recognition of the importance for local biodiversity of post-mining sites, many of which lie near communities that have suffered significant social and economic deprivation as the result of mine closures. However, no studies to date have actively used the knowledge of local communities to relate the history and treatment of post-mining sites to their current ecological status. We report a study of two post-mining sites in the Yorkshire coalfield of the UK in which the local community were involved in developing site histories and assessing plant and invertebrate species composition. Site histories developed using participatory GIS revealed that the sites had a mixture of areas of spontaneous succession and technical reclamation, and identified that both planned management interventions and informal activities influenced habitat heterogeneity and ecological diversity. Two groups of informal activity were identified as being of particular importance. Firstly, there has been active protection by the community of flower-rich habitats of conservation value (e.g. calcareous grassland) and distinctive plant species (e.g. orchids) which has also provided important foraging resources for butterfly and bumblebee species. Secondly, disturbance by activities such as use of motorbikes, informal camping, and cutting of trees and shrubs for fuel, as well as planned management interventions such as spreading of brick rubble, has provided habitat for plant species of open waste ground and locally uncommon invertebrate species which require patches of bare ground. This study demonstrates the importance of informal, and often unrecorded, activities by the local community in providing diverse habitats and increased biodiversity within a post-mining site, and shows that active engagement with the local community and use of local knowledge can enhance ecological interpretation of such sites and provide a stronger basis for successful future management.

Community assembly processes underlying phytoplankton and bacterioplankton across a hydrologic change in a human-impacted river.

PubMed

Isabwe, Alain; Yang, Jun R; Wang, Yongming; Liu, Lemian; Chen, Huihuang; Yang, Jun

2018-07-15

Although the influence of microbial community assembly processes on aquatic ecosystem function and biodiversity is well known, the processes that govern planktonic communities in human-impacted rivers remain largely unstudied. Here, we used multivariate statistics and a null model approach to test the hypothesis that environmental conditions and obstructed dispersal opportunities, dictate a deterministic community assembly for phytoplankton and bacterioplankton across contrasting hydrographic conditions in a subtropical mid-sized river (Jiulong River, southeast China). Variation partitioning analysis showed that the explanatory power of local environmental variables was larger than that of the spatial variables for both plankton communities during the dry season. During the wet season, phytoplankton community variation was mainly explained by local environmental variables, whereas the variance in bacterioplankton was explained by both environmental and spatial predictors. The null model based on Raup-Crick coefficients for both planktonic groups suggested little evidences of the stochastic processes involving dispersal and random distribution. Our results showed that hydrological change and landscape structure act together to cause divergence in communities along the river channel, thereby dictating a deterministic assembly and that selection exceeds dispersal limitation during the dry season. Therefore, to protect the ecological integrity of human-impacted rivers, watershed managers should not only consider local environmental conditions but also dispersal routes to account for the effect of regional species pool on local communities. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigating local sustainable environmental perspectives of Kenyan community members and teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quigley, Cassie F.; Dogbey, James; Che, S. Megan; Hallo, Jeffrey

2015-09-01

Efforts to conserve and preserve the environment in developing or marginalized locales frequently involve a one-way transfer of knowledge and materials from a source in a more developed location. This situation often degenerates into a short-term donor project which risks little to no long-term impacts on local or indigenous relationships with the environment. This research study with educators in Narok, Kenya investigates the current perspectives of local key stakeholders on the environment and sustainability with the purpose of sharing these understandings among local groups to generate a locally constructed meaning of environmental conservation and sustainability. It is the researchers' aim that through locally constructed meanings of environmental hazards and conservation, the Maasai community will empower themselves to transform their relationship with their environment and begin to construct and enact sustainable alternatives to destructive environmental practices. The approach used in this study is a qualitative study of representative stakeholders' environmental perspectives called photovoice. Two major themes emerged during the data analysis: How do we co-habit? and How do we modernize? This community demonstrated a complex understandings including navigate traditional practices, made connections to a larger system, and describing positive ways in which humans influence our environment.

The health educator as a team leader in primary health care.

PubMed

Brieger, W R; Ramakrishna, J

1986-01-01

Health teams naturally vary in size and composition according to their goals and objectives. Leadership of these teams should also be based on these goals. The goals of community-based primary health care, local involvement, cultural relevance, effective use of local resources, imply an important leadership role for health educators. The experience in the Ibarapa Local Government Area in Nigeria shows that health educators can be effective leaders in guiding a primary health care work group through various stages of program development. The use of a flexible, contractual model of team formation fits in well with the health educator's abilities to coordinate various program inputs and serve as mediator between professionals and the communities they serve. The ultimate mark of the health educator's leadership skills is the incorporation of community members into the health team.

Contextual influences on participation in community organizing: a multilevel longitudinal study.

PubMed

Christens, Brian D; Speer, Paul W

2011-06-01

This article reports results from a study of contextual influences on participation among people involved in congregation-based community organizing. Data are drawn from 11,538 individual participants in 115 congregations taking part in one of five local organizing initiatives in different cities over a five-year period. Analyses used 3-level longitudinal models with binary indicators of participation/non-participation in group meetings each successive year as the criterion. Time-varying predictors at level-1 included prior participation in group meetings as a control, the types of group meetings that participants attended, the number of face-to-face meetings held between each participant and organizing staff of the local organizing initiatives, and a measure of the involvement of participants' affiliation networks. At level-2, demographic information was collected for a subset of participants (N = 461) and was included in a separate model. Neighborhood compositional characteristics were examined at level-3, including median income, economic heterogeneity, and residential stability. Study results found that characteristics of organizational settings (i.e., types of group meetings attended and frequency of face-to-face contact) predicted future participation in group meetings but that individual and neighborhood-level demographic characteristics were generally not predictive of future participation in community organizing activities.

Mothers' groups enrich diet and culture through promoting traditional Quichua foods.

PubMed

Roche, Marion L; Ambato, Lorena; Sarsoza, Julieta; Kuhnlein, Harriet V

2017-11-01

Indigenous Peoples in Latin America bear a disproportionate burden of undernutrition, yet traditional foods, including wild leafy greens, can contribute nutritional value to diets. As part of a community nutrition intervention using local foods in highland Tungurahua, Ecuador, mothers' groups promoted the consumption of wild leafy greens through community cooking clubs and recipe competitions at local fairs. The objective was to assess the social, cultural, and nutritional potential of a mothers' club intervention that promoted 2 indigenous greens (stinging nettle/Urtica dioica L. and round-leaved dock/Rumex obtusifolius L.) into children's diets. Key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted with 54 mothers and 16 elders to identify perceptions of the intervention and traditional foods. Social and cultural dimensions were identified through content analysis. The nutritional contribution of the leafy greens was estimated through semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires conducted with 160 participant mothers and 98 mothers living in comparison communities who had not been exposed to the intervention. The use of local foods generated pride for mothers and elders. Nonfood uses of the nettle proved an initial barrier to acceptance; however, peer support within mothers' groups enabled increased consumption. The greens were estimated to contribute an additional 8% vitamin A, 7% iron, 12% vitamin C, and 27% folate to children's recommended dietary intakes. By promoting wild leafy greens, mothers' groups improved food security and the cultural and nutritional value of their diets. Additionally, mothers' cooking clubs increased self-efficacy and cultural identity for Quichua women, offering a highly acceptable nutrition intervention model. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Perspectives on enhancing physical activity and diet for health promotion among at-risk urban UK South Asian communities: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Cross-Bardell, Laura; George, Tracey; Bhoday, Mandeep; Tuomainen, Helena; Qureshi, Nadeem; Kai, Joe

2015-02-27

To explore perspectives on enhancing physical activity and diet among South Asians in urban deprived communities at high risk of chronic disease and to inform development of culturally appropriate health promotion intervention. Qualitative study using semistructured one-to-one and family group interviews with thematic analysis of data. Urban disadvantaged communities in the East Midlands of the UK. 45 respondents, including 34 people of South Asian origin (16 at-risk individuals, six family groups involving 18 relatives), of mainly Pakistani and Indian origin, including 16 non-English speakers; and 11 health professionals working locally with communities of concern. South Asian participants underlined the challenges of requiring family members across generations to engage in modifying dietary behaviours, and the central role of communal eating of traditional 'Asian' food in their cultural lives. Barriers to increasing physical activity included cost, personal safety and lack of time outside of long working hours and carer commitments. However, increasing walking activity was regarded as feasible by both community and health professional participants. Respondents emphasised using a social approach for potential interventions, undertaking activity with family or friends and with bilingual community peers to facilitate engagement, motivation and support. Spoken content and delivery of interventions was favoured, including personal stories and multilingual audio-visual information; within local informal rather than provider settings, including the home; and aided by pedometers for self-monitoring. Focusing on physical activity by increasing walking may hold promise as health promotion in this deprived South Asian community context. Further intervention development, with exploration of feasibility and acceptability of the social approach and elements suggested, is merited. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

The perception of disability by community groups: Stories of local understanding, beliefs and challenges in a rural part of Kenya.

PubMed

Bunning, Karen; Gona, Joseph K; Newton, Charles R; Hartley, Sally

2017-01-01

Cultural narratives on disability have received much attention over the past few decades. In contexts of poverty, limited information and everyday challenges associated with having, or caring for someone with a disability, different understandings have emerged. A project was set up to promote disability awareness in neighborhood communities in a rural part of Kenya, using a process of reflection and education. This paper reports on the first aspect-reflection. The aim was to investigate local understanding of disability as a co-constructed concept. The research questions were: 1. What cultural beliefs shape local understanding of disability? 2. What challenges are perceived to be associated with disability? A phenomenological approach was adopted. Focus group discussions were conducted with twenty-one community groups involving 263 participants and audio-recorded. The data were transcribed and thematic analysis was carried out. Visual maps were created to illustrate any interconnections, before establishing the final conclusions. Local beliefs attributed disability to: human transgression of social conventions, particularly concerning inappropriate family relations, which invoked a curse; supernatural forces affecting the child; the will of God; unexplained events; and biomedical factors. Challenges associated with disability related to the burden of caregiving and perceived barriers to inclusion, with stress as a shared bi-product. Local understanding of disability in this rural part of Kenya demonstrated overlapping explanations and plurality of beliefs. Two possible interpretations are offered. Firstly, oscillation between explanatory lines demonstrated instability, affecting broader acceptance of disability. Secondly, and more positively, in the face of challenges, the desire to make sense of the existing situation, reflected a healthy pluralism.

The perception of disability by community groups: Stories of local understanding, beliefs and challenges in a rural part of Kenya

PubMed Central

Gona, Joseph K.; Newton, Charles R.; Hartley, Sally

2017-01-01

Cultural narratives on disability have received much attention over the past few decades. In contexts of poverty, limited information and everyday challenges associated with having, or caring for someone with a disability, different understandings have emerged. A project was set up to promote disability awareness in neighborhood communities in a rural part of Kenya, using a process of reflection and education. This paper reports on the first aspect–reflection. The aim was to investigate local understanding of disability as a co-constructed concept. The research questions were: 1. What cultural beliefs shape local understanding of disability? 2. What challenges are perceived to be associated with disability? A phenomenological approach was adopted. Focus group discussions were conducted with twenty-one community groups involving 263 participants and audio-recorded. The data were transcribed and thematic analysis was carried out. Visual maps were created to illustrate any interconnections, before establishing the final conclusions. Local beliefs attributed disability to: human transgression of social conventions, particularly concerning inappropriate family relations, which invoked a curse; supernatural forces affecting the child; the will of God; unexplained events; and biomedical factors. Challenges associated with disability related to the burden of caregiving and perceived barriers to inclusion, with stress as a shared bi-product. Local understanding of disability in this rural part of Kenya demonstrated overlapping explanations and plurality of beliefs. Two possible interpretations are offered. Firstly, oscillation between explanatory lines demonstrated instability, affecting broader acceptance of disability. Secondly, and more positively, in the face of challenges, the desire to make sense of the existing situation, reflected a healthy pluralism. PMID:28771637

African American community leaders' policy recommendations for reducing racial disparities in HIV infection, treatment, and care: results from a community-based participatory research project in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

PubMed

Nunn, Amy; Sanders, Julia; Carson, Lee; Thomas, Gladys; Cornwall, Alexandra; Towey, Caitlin; Lee, Hwajin; Tasco, Marian; Shabazz-El, Waheedah; Yolken, Annajane; Smith, Tyrone; Bell, Gary; Feller, Sophie; Smith, Erin; James, George; Shelton Dunston, Brenda; Green, Derek

2015-01-01

African Americans account for 45% of new HIV infections in the United States. Little empirical research investigates African American community leaders' normative recommendations for addressing these disparities. Philadelphia's HIV infection rate is 5 times the national average, nearly 70% of new infections are among African Americans, and 2% of African Americans in Philadelphia are living with HIV/AIDS. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we convened focus groups among 52 African American community leaders from diverse backgrounds to solicit normative recommendations for reducing Philadelphia's racial disparities in HIV infection. Leaders recommended that (a) Philadelphia's city government should raise awareness about HIV/AIDS with media campaigns featuring local leaders, (b) local HIV-prevention interventions should address social and structural factors influencing HIV risks rather than focus exclusively on mode of HIV transmission, (c) resources should be distributed to the most heavily affected neighborhoods of Philadelphia, and (d) faith institutions should play a critical role in HIV testing, treatment, and prevention efforts. We developed a policy memo highlighting these normative recommendations for how to enhance local HIV prevention policy. This policy memo led to Philadelphia City Council hearings about HIV/AIDS in October 2010 and subsequently informed local HIV/AIDS prevention policy and development of local HIV prevention interventions. This community-based participatory research case study offers important lessons for effectively engaging community leaders in research to promote HIV/AIDS policy change. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Utilization of Services Provided by Village-Based Ethnic Minority Midwives in Vietnam: Lessons From Implementation Research.

PubMed

Doan, Duong Thi Thuy; Mirzoev, Tolib; Nguyen, Canh Chuong; Bui, Ha Thi Thu

Global progress in reducing maternal mortality requires improving access to maternal and child health services for the most vulnerable groups. This article reports results of implementation research that aimed to increase the acceptability of village-based ethnic minority midwives (EMMs) by local communities in Vietnam through implementing an integrated interventions package. The study was carried out in 2 provinces in Vietnam, Dien Bien and Kon Tum. A quasi-experimental survey with pretest/posttest design was adopted, which included 6 months of intervention implementation. The interventions package included introductory "launch" meetings, monthly review meetings at community health centers, and 5-day refresher training for EMMs. A mixed-methods approach was used involving both quantitative and qualitative data. A structured questionnaire was used in the pre- and posttest surveys, complemented by in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with EMMs, relatives of pregnant women, community representatives, and health managers. Introductions of EMMs to their local communities by local authorities and supervision of performance of EMMs contributed to significant increases in utilization of services provided by EMMs, from 58.6% to 87.7%. Key facilitators included information on how to contact EMMs, awareness of services provided by EMMs, and trust in services provided by EMMs. The main barriers to utilization of EMM services, which may affect sustainability of the EMM scheme, were low self-esteem of EMMs and small allowances to EMMs, which also affected the recognition of EMMs in the community. Providing continuous support and integration of EMMs within frontline service provision and ensuring adequate local budget for monthly allowances are the key factors that should allow sustainability of the EMM scheme and continued improvement of access to maternal and child health care among poor ethnic minority people living in mountainous areas in Vietnam.

Investigating Indoor Air Quality Using a Community-based Participatory Research Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collier, A. M.; Ware, G. E.; Iwasaki, P. G.; Main, D.; Billingsley, L. R.; Pandya, R.; Hannigan, M.

2015-12-01

Our project seeks to expand scientific knowledge of air pollutant screening methods while also gathering data a community group can use to improve local health outcomes. Working with Taking Neighborhood Health to Heart (TNH2H), a Denver-based neighborhood group with significant experience doing community-based participatory research (CBPR) related to improving individual and community health, we designed a project to help residents test their homes for two contaminants of interest: radon and perchloroethylene. Radon is naturally occurring and commonly found across Colorado. Perchloroethylene contamination has been discovered in other parts of Denver and residents of Northeast Denver would like to learn more about its possible presence in their neighborhood. Additionally while radon is simple to test for, the same cannot be said for perchloroethylene. This project provides an opportunity to pilot a low-cost sampling method for perchloroethylene, apply TNH2H's CBPR model to an environmental health issue, adapt it for the geosciences, and engage the community in education around air quality issues. Data collected during the project will be shared with participating homes and the larger community. Community members will also participate in understanding and interpreting the data, and together community members and scientists will plan possible next steps, which may involve conducting further research, taking community action, or recommending changes in policy and practice. Beyond the local impacts, we are testing an air quality sampling method that could make sampling more accessible to a broader range of communities. We are also learning more about how communities and scientists can best work together and what additional resources can help facilitate and ensure successful implementation of these types of projects. Our partner, the Thriving Earth Exchange, will use what we learn to facilitate scientist-community partnerships like this in other communities around the world. We need to understand how to effectively engage in these partnerships because this model will allow us to collect and utilize much more data, particularly at the local level. This model of scientist-community collaboration is an important strategy for maximizing the public good that comes from geoscience research.

Facts for a Change: Citizen Action Research for Better Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burges, Bill

In an action research project, local citizens and community groups (often in collaboration with school professionals) investigate community-defined issues. Action research is geared to help people think clearly about an issue and find the resources they need to face it. In such a project, citizens develop skills in organizing, finding resources,…

Questions Industrial Prospects Most Often Ask about A Rural Community. Circular CRD-20.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, V. Wilson

Designed to help industrial development teams be prepared to promptly and accurately answer any questions industrial prospects might have, this publication provides a listing of 441 questions which industrial prospects might ask. The questions are grouped into 16 categories: community government (27), local services (18), population (18),…

Teaching the Teacher--Solar Energy in Your Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCabe, Joseph

1996-01-01

Details a program sponsored by the Potomac Region Solar Energy Association (PREA) that provides local high school students with access to photovoltaic kits and encourages them to learn more about photovoltaics through a design competition. The purpose of this article is to inspire groups in other communities to initiate similar projects. (DDR)

Brothers Grimm Bicentenntial: Blueprint for a Community Celebration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Novak, Sigrid Scholtz

Faculty at McNeese State University (Louisiana) and local civic, educational, and cultural groups encouraged their community to commemorate the anniversary of the births of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German scholars who recorded fairy tales, myths, legends, and folk songs that are now an important part of the western world's cultural heritage,…

A Professional Experience Learning Community for Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanagh, Michael S.; Garvey, Thomas

2012-01-01

This paper reports the development and implementation of a collaborative professional experience learning community for a group of nine pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. The pre-service teachers and their methods lecturer made 12 school visits over one academic year to a local secondary school. The pre-service teachers observed and…

Interweaving Youth Development, Community Development, and Social Change through Youth Organizing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christens, Brian D.; Dolan, Tom

2011-01-01

Community organizing groups that have built coalitions for local change over the past few decades are now involving young people as leaders in efforts to improve quality of life. The current study explores a particularly effective youth organizing initiative through review of organizational documents and collection and analysis of qualitative…

Sexual Violence in the Backlands: Toward a Macro-Level Understanding of Rural Sex Crimes.

PubMed

Braithwaite, Jeremy

2015-10-01

This research focuses on structural covariates of sex crimes in rural communities (using urban and urbanizing communities as comparison groups), with particular analysis on exploring how the magnitude and direction of such covariates differ with respect to type of sex crime. Using 2000 sex crime data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) for the population of reporting U.S. cities, negative binomial and logistic regression procedures were used to explore the relationship between resource disadvantage, local investment, and economic inequality and sex crime subtypes. For sex crimes that occurred almost exclusively in the home, urban and urbanizing community rates were largely influenced by resource disadvantage and local investment, while these measures did not reach significance for explaining rural rates. Conversely, local investment was a significant predictor of sex crimes that occurred outside the home in rural communities. This research indicates that a structural analysis of sexual victimization (widely absent from the scientific literature) does yield significant findings and that disaggregation of crime into subtypes allows for a more detailed differentiation between urban and rural communities. © The Author(s) 2014.

Impact of Housing and Community Conditions on Multidimensional Health among Middle- and Low-Income Groups in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Wang, Jionghua; Huang, Bo; Zhang, Ting; Wong, Hung; Huang, Yifan

2018-05-31

With decades of urbanization, housing and community problems (e.g., poor ventilation and lack of open public spaces) have become important social determinants of health that require increasing attention worldwide. Knowledge regarding the link between health and these problems can provide crucial evidence for building healthy communities. However, this link has heretofore not been identified in Hong Kong, and few studies have compared the health impact of housing and community conditions across different income groups. To overcome this gap, we hypothesize that the health impact of housing and community problems may vary across income groups and across health dimensions. We tested these hypotheses using cross-sectional survey data from Hong Kong. Several health outcomes, e.g., chronic diseases and the SF-12 v. 2 mental component summary scores, were correlated with a few types of housing and community problems, while other outcomes, such as the DASS-21⁻Stress scores, were sensitive to a broader range of problems. The middle- and low-income group was more severely affected by poor built environments. These results can be used to identify significant problems in the local built environment, especially amongst the middle- and low-income group.

Strengthening research capacity in the Pacific: an example from the Atoifi Health Research Group, Solomon Islands.

PubMed

MacLaren, David; Asugeni, James; Redman-MacLaren, Michelle

2015-12-01

To provide an example of one model of research capacity building for mental health from a remote setting in Solomon Islands. The Atoifi Health Research Group is building health research capacity with a health service on the remote east coast of Malaita, Solomon Islands. The group uses a 'learn-by-doing' approach embedded in health service and community-level health projects. The group is eclectic in nature and deliberately engages a variety of partners to discover culturally informed methods of collecting, analysing and disseminating research findings. Key successes of the Atoifi Health Research Group are: that it was initiated by Solomon Islanders with self-expressed desire to learn about research; the learn-by-doing model; inclusion of community people to inform questions and socio-cultural appropriateness; and commitment to ongoing support by international researchers. Given different social, cultural, economic, geographic, spiritual and service contexts across the Pacific, locally appropriate approaches need to be considered. Such approaches challenge the orthodox approach of centralized investment to replicate specialist driven approaches of funder nations. Increasing expertise at all levels through participatory capacity building models that define and address local problems may be more sustainable and responsive to local mental health contexts. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Relative importance of local- and large-scale drivers of alpine soil microarthropod communities.

PubMed

Mitchell, Ruth J; Urpeth, Hannah M; Britton, Andrea J; Black, Helaina; Taylor, Astrid R

2016-11-01

Nitrogen (N) deposition and climate are acknowledged drivers of change in biodiversity and ecosystem function at large scales. However, at a local scale, their impact on functions and community structure of organisms is filtered by drivers like habitat quality and food quality/availability. This study assesses the relative impact of large-scale factors, N deposition and climate (rainfall and temperature), versus local-scale factors of habitat quality and food quality/availability on soil fauna communities at 15 alpine moss-sedge heaths along an N deposition gradient in the UK. Habitat quality and food quality/availability were the primary drivers of microarthropod communities. No direct impacts of N deposition on the microarthropod community were observed, but induced changes in habitat quality (decline in moss cover and depth) and food quality (decreased vegetation C:N) associated with increased N deposition strongly suggest an indirect impact of N. Habitat quality and climate explained variation in the composition of the Oribatida, Mesostigmata, and Collembola communities, while only habitat quality significantly impacted the Prostigmata. Food quality and prey availability were important in explaining the composition of the oribatid and mesostigmatid mite communities, respectively. This study shows that, in alpine habitats, soil microarthropod community structure responds most strongly to local-scale variation in habitat quality and food availability rather than large-scale variation in climate and pollution. However, given the strong links between N deposition and the key habitat quality parameters, we conclude that N deposition indirectly drives changes in the soil microarthropod community, suggesting a mechanism by which large-scale drivers indirectly impacts these functionally important groups.

Developing community-based preventive interventions in Hong Kong: a description of the first phase of the family project.

PubMed

Stewart, Sunita M; Fabrizio, Cecilia S; Hirschmann, Malia R; Lam, Tai Hing

2012-02-07

This paper describes the development of culturally-appropriate family-based interventions and their relevant measures, to promote family health, happiness and harmony in Hong Kong. Programs were developed in the community, using a collaborative approach with community partners. The development process, challenges, and the lessons learned are described. This experience may be of interest to the scientific community as there is little information currently available about community-based development of brief interventions with local validity in cultures outside the West. The academic-community collaborative team each brought strengths to the development process and determined the targets for intervention (parent-child relationships). Information from expert advisors and stakeholder discussion groups was collected and utilized to define the sources of stress in parent-child relationships. Themes emerged from the literature and discussion groups that guided the content of the intervention. Projects emphasized features that were appropriate for this cultural group and promoted potential for sustainability, so that the programs might eventually be implemented at a population-wide level. Challenges included ensuring local direction, relevance and acceptability for the intervention content, engaging participants and enhancing motivation to make behavior changes after a brief program, measurement of behavior changes, and developing an equal partner relationship between academic and community staff. This work has public health significance because of the global importance of parent-child relationships as a risk-factor for many outcomes in adulthood, the need to develop interventions with strong evidence of effectiveness to populations outside the West, the potential application of our interventions to universal populations, and characteristics of the interventions that promote dissemination, including minimal additional costs for delivery by community agencies, and high acceptability to participants.

Attitudes of stakeholders towards the Podyji/Thaya River Basin National Park in the Czech Republic.

PubMed

Cihar, Martin; Stankova, Jindriska

2006-11-01

In August 2000, a survey of public opinion was carried out among visitors, local residents and representatives of local self-governments in the territory of the Podyji/Thaya River Basin National Park in the Czech Republic. The goal was to obtain stakeholders' opinions and attitudes towards nature conservation, the National Park and tourism within the territory which used to be closed to the public for 40 years due to the Iron Curtain. Without the knowledge of opinions of stakeholders it is not possible to manage nature conservation and development in the protected area properly. Using the method of direct interviews, 646 questionnaires where collected, of which 523 were from visitors and tourists, 115 from local residents and 8 from mayors of towns/villages. The questionnaires were analysed in order to detect differences in attitudes among the respondent groups in the following thematic areas: (a) the National Park, its environment and perception of it by respondents; (b) relationship of respondents to the territory; (c) tourism and attitudes towards recreational activities; (d) the Administration of the National Park and evaluation of its work; and (e) economic impact of tourism for local communities. One section of the study focused on comparing the attitudes between local inhabitants and mayors and the other section presents a collation of opinions from locals, mayors and tourists. Although a positive evaluation of the national park dominated the results, some negative attitudes and experiences were identified among locals. In addition, the situation also differed within communities. Results also indicated a relatively strong relationship to the territory by locals, but low job opportunities and income from tourism. The level of tourism intensity was perceived as an increasing and sometimes disturbing factor for local communities; motoring was observed as being the most negative activity for nature. The Administration of the Podyji/Thaya River Basin National Park was sometimes criticised and the communication with the community was not always evaluated satisfactorily. All groups of respondents identified waste management to be the most pressing issue. Identification of differences in attitudes of interviewed respondents may be effectively used in planning environmental management and sustainable tourism development in the area.

Healthy End of Life Project (HELP): a progress report on implementing community guidance on public health palliative care initiatives in Australia.

PubMed

Grindrod, Andrea; Rumbold, Bruce

2018-04-01

Contemporary end of life care policies propose increasing community capacity by developing sustainable skills, policies, structures, and resources to support members of a community in caring for each other at the end of life. Public health approaches to palliative care provide strategies to bring this about. Practical implementation can however be ineffective, principally due to failures to grasp the systemic nature of public health interventions, or to ensure that programs are managed and owned by community members, not the professionals who may have introduced them. This article outlines a comprehensive community development project that identifies local end of life needs and meets them through the efficient use of community resources. The project is the product of a three-phase enquiry. The first phase, carried out in a local community, examined carers' experiences of home-based dying, the networks that supported them during care, and broader community networks with the potential to extend care. Data were collected through in-depth research interviews, focus groups and consultation with a community research reference group. Findings were key issues to be targeted by a local community development strategy. In the second phase, these local findings were compared with other practice accounts to identify themes common to many contexts. A public health palliative care framework was then used to produce an evidence-informed community development model for end of life care. The third phase involves implementing and evaluating this model in different Australian contexts. A major theme emerging in phase one of the enquiry was the reluctance of carers to ask for, or even accept, offers of help from family, friends and community networks despite their evident need for support while providing end of life care at home. Others' willingness to provide support was thus hindered by uncertainty about what to offer, and concern about infringing on people's privacy. To develop community capacity for providing end of life care, these social norms need to change. Phase two brought public health strategies to bear on the themes identified in phase one to develop the Healthy End of Life Project (HELP), a strengths-based sustainable community development project. This provides evidence-based and research-informed resources that equip communities to work cooperatively with carers, family, friends and neighbors in support of residents wishing to receive end-of-life care in their home or a community setting. Services may initiate use of the framework, and will share their expertise on health and death matters, but communities are the experts to lead implementation in their local area. The third part of the article outlines current initiatives to implement and evaluate HELP in several Australian contexts. The substantive outcome of this enquiry is the 'Healthy End of Life Project (HELP); offering and providing, asking and accepting help'.

Using Photovoice as a Community Based Participatory Research Tool for Changing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Behaviours in Usoma, Kenya.

PubMed

Bisung, Elijah; Elliott, Susan J; Abudho, Bernard; Karanja, Diana M; Schuster-Wallace, Corinne J

2015-01-01

Recent years have witnessed an increase in the use of community based participatory research (CBPR) tools for understanding environment and health issues and facilitating social action. This paper explores the application and utility of photovoice for understanding water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviours and catalysing community led solutions to change behaviours. Between June and August 2013, photovoice was conducted with eight (8) women in Usoma, a lakeshore community in Western Kenya with a follow-up community meeting (baraza) in May 2014 to discuss findings with the community members and government officials. In the first part of the study, photovoice one-on-one interviews were used to explore local perceptions and practices around water-health linkages and how the ecological and socio-political environment shapes these perceptions and practices. This paper, which is the second component of the study, uses photovoice group discussions to explore participants' experiences with and (re)action to the photographs and the photovoice project. The findings illustrate that photovoice was an effective CBPR methodology for understanding behaviours, creating awareness, facilitating collective action, and engaging with local government and local health officials at the water-health nexus.

New Haven Conn. Group Awarded EPA Grant to Help Air and Water Issues

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A Connecticut organization working to address water and air pollution issues in New Haven was one of three groups in New England to receive an EPA grant award of $30,000 each, to help communities directly address local environmental concerns.

Design and integration of ethnography within an international behavior change HIV/sexually transmitted disease prevention trial

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

Objective To use a common ethnographic study protocol across five countries to provide data to confirm social and risk settings and risk behaviors, develop the assessment instruments, tailor the intervention, design a process evaluation of the intervention, and design an understandable informed consent process. Design Methods determined best for capturing the core data elements were selected. Standards for data collection methods were established to enable comparable implementation of the ethnographic study across the five countries. Methods The methods selected were participant observation, focus groups, open-ended interviews, and social mapping. Standards included adhering to core data elements, number of participants, mode of data collection, type of data collection instrument, number of data collectors at each type of activity, duration of each type of activity, and type of informed consent administered. Sites had discretion in selecting which methods to use to obtain specific data. Results The ethnographic studies provided input to the Trial’s methods for data collection, described social groups in the target communities, depicted sexual practices, and determined core opinion leader characteristics; thus providing information that drove the adaptation of the intervention and facilitated the selection of venues, behavioral outcomes, and community popular opinion leaders (C-POLs). Conclusion The described rapid ethnographic approach worked well across the five countries, where findings allowed local adaptation of the intervention. When introducing the C-POL intervention in new areas, local non-governmental and governmental community and health workers can use this rapid ethnographic approach to identify the communities, social groups, messages, and C-POLs best suited for local implementation. PMID:17413263

500 Women Scientists: Science Advocacy Through Community Action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohon, W.; Bartel, B. A.; Pendergrass, A. G.; Ramirez, K. S.; Vijayaraghavan, R.; Weintraub, S. R.; Zelikova, T. J.

2017-12-01

500 Women Scientists is a grassroots organization formed in late 2016 to empower women to grow to their full potential in science, increase scientific literacy through public engagement, and advocate for science and equality. Our organization is global but we focus on building community relationships through local action. Our "pods," or local chapters, focus on issues that resonate in their communities, rooted in our mission and values. Pod members meet regularly, develop a support network, make strategic plans, and take action. In less than a year, 500 Women Scientists has already formed important partnerships and begun to work on local, regional and national projects. Nationally, we partnered with The Cairn Project to raise money to support girls in science. In an effort led by the DC pod, our members sent postcards sharing stories of how the EPA protects their communities in the #OurEPA postcard campaign. Pods have also participated in marches, including the Women's March, the March for Science and the People's Climate March. The "Summer of Op-Ed" campaign catalyzed pods and individuals to write to their local newspapers to speak up for funding science, climate change action, and general science advocacy. We have organized "strike-teams" that are working on local issues like education, the environment, climate change, and equal access to science. Additionally, pod members serve as mentors, participate in local events, hold workshops and partner with local organizations. As women scientists, we are in the position to take action to increase diversity in science and to draw attention to unacknowledged structural biases that negatively impact historically under-represented groups. 500 Women Scientists enables women in science to embrace this advocacy role, both within our scientific system and within our local communities.

Gascoyne Growers Market: a sustainable health promotion activity developed in partnership with the community.

PubMed

Payet, Jennifer; Gilles, Marisa; Howat, Peter

2005-10-01

To explore the social, health and economic impact of a farmers' market on a small rural community in the north of Western Australia. Qualitative and quantitative research using a random structured intercept survey, and focus group interviews around four domains of social capital: economic impact, governance and capacity building, healthy public places and social and civic participation. The Gascoyne Growers Markets in Carnarvon. One hundred consumers and 28 market stallholders. Consumers demonstrated community pride and an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption since they commenced shopping at the markets. The stallholders appear to have gained economically, professionally and socially from the market experience. The Gascoyne Growers Markets demonstrate a sustainable health promotion activity developed in partnership with the community. It has contributed to the local economy, providing local quality fruit and vegetables directly to the community while also increasing social capital and creating a healthy public space.

The first mile: community experience of outbreak control during an Ebola outbreak in Luwero District, Uganda.

PubMed

de Vries, Daniel H; Rwemisisi, Jude T; Musinguzi, Laban K; Benoni, Turinawe E; Muhangi, Denis; de Groot, Marije; Kaawa-Mafigiri, David; Pool, Robert

2016-02-16

A major challenge to outbreak control lies in early detection of viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) in local community contexts during the critical initial stages of an epidemic, when risk of spreading is its highest ("the first mile"). In this paper we document how a major Ebola outbreak control effort in central Uganda in 2012 was experienced from the perspective of the community. We ask to what extent the community became a resource for early detection, and identify problems encountered with community health worker and social mobilization strategies. Analysis is based on first-hand ethnographic data from the center of a small Ebola outbreak in Luwero Country, Uganda, in 2012. Three of this paper's authors were engaged in an 18 month period of fieldwork on community health resources when the outbreak occurred. In total, 13 respondents from the outbreak site were interviewed, along with 21 key informants and 61 focus group respondents from nearby Kaguugo Parish. All informants were chosen through non-probability sampling sampling. Our data illustrate the lack of credibility, from an emic perspective, of biomedical explanations which ignore local understandings. These explanations were undermined by an insensitivity to local culture, a mismatch between information circulated and the local interpretative framework, and the inability of the emergency response team to take the time needed to listen and empathize with community needs. Stigmatization of the local community--in particular its belief in amayembe spirits--fuelled historical distrust of the external health system and engendered community-level resistance to early detection. Given the available anthropological knowledge of a previous outbreak in Northern Uganda, it is surprising that so little serious effort was made this time round to take local sensibilities and culture into account. The "first mile" problem is not only a question of using local resources for early detection, but also of making use of the contextual cultural knowledge that has already been collected and is readily available. Despite remarkable technological innovations, outbreak control remains contingent upon human interaction and openness to cultural difference.

The role of local environment and geographical distance in determining community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at the landscape scale.

PubMed

Hazard, Christina; Gosling, Paul; van der Gast, Christopher J; Mitchell, Derek T; Doohan, Fiona M; Bending, Gary D

2013-03-01

Arbuscular fungi have a major role in directing the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems yet little is known about their biogeographical distribution. The Baas-Becking hypothesis ('everything is everywhere, but, the environment selects') was tested by investigating the distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) at the landscape scale and the influence of environmental factors and geographical distance in determining community composition. AMF communities in Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne roots were assessed in 40 geographically dispersed sites in Ireland representing different land uses and soil types. Field sampling and laboratory bioassays were used, with AMF communities characterised using 18S rRNA terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Landscape-scale distribution of AMF was driven by the local environment. AMF community composition was influenced by abiotic variables (pH, rainfall and soil type), but not land use or geographical distance. Trifolium repens and L. perenne supported contrasting communities of AMF, and the communities colonising each plant species were consistent across pasture habitats and over distance. Furthermore, L. perenne AMF communities grouped by soil type within pasture habitats. This is the largest and most comprehensive study that has investigated the landscape-scale distribution of AMF. Our findings support the Baas-Becking hypothesis at the landscape scale and demonstrate the strong influence the local environment has on determining AMF community composition.

The role of local environment and geographical distance in determining community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at the landscape scale

PubMed Central

Hazard, Christina; Gosling, Paul; van der Gast, Christopher J; Mitchell, Derek T; Doohan, Fiona M; Bending, Gary D

2013-01-01

Arbuscular fungi have a major role in directing the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems yet little is known about their biogeographical distribution. The Baas-Becking hypothesis (‘everything is everywhere, but, the environment selects') was tested by investigating the distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) at the landscape scale and the influence of environmental factors and geographical distance in determining community composition. AMF communities in Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne roots were assessed in 40 geographically dispersed sites in Ireland representing different land uses and soil types. Field sampling and laboratory bioassays were used, with AMF communities characterised using 18S rRNA terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Landscape-scale distribution of AMF was driven by the local environment. AMF community composition was influenced by abiotic variables (pH, rainfall and soil type), but not land use or geographical distance. Trifolium repens and L. perenne supported contrasting communities of AMF, and the communities colonising each plant species were consistent across pasture habitats and over distance. Furthermore, L. perenne AMF communities grouped by soil type within pasture habitats. This is the largest and most comprehensive study that has investigated the landscape-scale distribution of AMF. Our findings support the Baas-Becking hypothesis at the landscape scale and demonstrate the strong influence the local environment has on determining AMF community composition. PMID:23096401

Community Engagement in a complex intervention to improve access to primary mental health care for hard-to-reach groups.

PubMed

Lamb, Jonathan; Dowrick, Christopher; Burroughs, Heather; Beatty, Susan; Edwards, Suzanne; Bristow, Kate; Clarke, Pam; Hammond, Jonathan; Waheed, Waquas; Gabbay, Mark; Gask, Linda

2015-12-01

Despite the availability of effective evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety, many 'harder-to-reach' social and patient groups experience difficulties accessing treatment. We developed a complex intervention, the AMP (Improving Access to Mental Health in Primary Care) programme, which combined community engagement (CE), tailored (individual and group) psychosocial interventions and primary care involvement. To develop and evaluate a model for community engagement component of the complex intervention. This paper focuses on the development of relationships between stakeholders, their engagement with the issue of access to mental health and with the programme through the CE model. Our evaluation draws on process data, qualitative interviews and focus groups, brought together through framework analysis to evaluate the issues and challenges encountered. A case study of the South Asian community project carried out in Longsight in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. Complex problems require multiple local stakeholders to work in concert. Assets based approaches implicitly make demands on scarce time and resources. Community development approaches have many benefits, but perceptions of open-ended investment are a barrier. The time-limited nature of a CE intervention provides an impetus to 'do it now', allowing stakeholders to negotiate their investment over time and accommodating their wider commitments. Both tangible outcomes and recognition of process benefits were vital in maintaining involvement. CE interventions can play a key role in improving accessibility and acceptability by engaging patients, the public and practitioners in research and in the local service ecology. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Desiring T, desiring self: "T-style" pop singers and lesbian culture in China.

PubMed

Kam, Lucetta Y L

2014-01-01

This article examines an emerging group of "T-style" female singers in the popular music scene in China. The expression "T," which is developed from the term "tomboy," refers to lesbians with masculine gender style. It is a widely used form of identification in local lesbian communities in China. The emergence of "T-style" female singers coincided with the rapid development of local lesbian communities in major cities in China. By exploring the intersections-or mutual modeling-of "T-style" singers and local lesbian gender culture, this article also analyzes the different receptions of "T-style" singers by local lesbian women, and explores whether "T-style" singers are seen as a "cultural resource" that aids the construction of lesbian gender and sexual identities.

Testing the Waters: Can You Involve Community Action in Your College Curriculum?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapp, Elizabeth P.; Harbor, David J.; Ginwalla, Zenobia F.

2003-01-01

Discusses the Maury River Alliance (MRA), a cooperative program developed at the Washington and Lee University that involved local colleges, high schools, government agencies, and conservation groups. Addresses the connection between land use and water quality with a creative merging of technical, social, and educational aspects of local watershed…

Math and Economics: Implementing Authentic Instruction in Grades K-5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Althauser, Krista; Harter, Cynthia

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to outline a partnership program that involved a local elementary school district, an institution of higher education, the local business community, and a state economic education advocacy group to integrate economics into math in grades K-5. The "Economics: Math in Real Life" program was provided in…

The role of community policies in defensible space compliance

Treesearch

Greg Winter; Sarah McCaffrey; Christine A. Vogt

2009-01-01

Recently enacted federal and state policies provide incentives, including financial assistance, for local jurisdictions to manage risks associated with wildland fire. This has led to an array of local-level policies designed to encourage homeowners to create fire-safe landscapes. This qualitative study collected data from focus group interviews with homeowners in three...

Investigating the over-representation of older persons in do-it-yourself home maintenance injury and barriers to prevention.

PubMed

Ashby, K; Ozanne-Smith, J; Fox, B

2007-10-01

To examine why older persons undertake high-risk do-it-yourself (DIY) home maintenance and under what circumstances, what constitutes acceptable low-risk alternatives to DIY, and to assess if alternatives are feasible in the current context. Exploratory qualitative study using focus-group methodology. Fifteen focus groups were conducted, involving 118 persons aged 60 years and older, in two Melbourne communities. Participants resided locally, participated in local seniors groups, or received treatment for a DIY injury at one of two public hospitals serving these communities. Older persons' involvement in DIY ranged from necessity to choice. A number chose DIY for general fitness enhancement, satisfaction and pride in a job well done, and giving meaning and enjoyment to daily tasks. However, some older, frailer seniors were forced into DIY because of difficulties in choosing appropriate alternatives; lack of knowledge of some available resources and services; the challenge of accessing cost-effective and reliable private service providers; and fear of vulnerability to overcharging, overservicing or their personal security. Preferred DIY alternatives were local government providers, local paper advertised services, recommendations to private service providers and family, friends or neighbors. Lack of knowledge of other existing alternatives was an impediment to preventing DIY injury, or accessing DIY alternatives. A number of potentially feasible alternatives to DIY were identified from our review. This research is an important first step in understanding issues facing community-dwelling seniors remaining at home, and provides a basis on which government agencies and other providers can develop services to meet increasing needs.

[Local groups as a tool for quality assurance of community health services].

PubMed

Mjell, J; Hjortdahl, P

2001-05-30

The aim of this study was to assess the use of local interprofessional or audit groups as a tool of quality enhancement. Fifty-six doctors, physiotherapists and nurses attended nine local interprofessional groups. The aim was to improve the quality of each professional's practice and to improve communication between the professions. The groups had a total of 62 meetings with each professional attending on average 5.7 meetings. All groups initiated quality enhancement projects. Initially the groups were very active and showed great initiative, but there were few final results. However, many groups reported improved communication and cooperation between the participating professionals. The experience from this project may be summarised as follows: The professionals within one and the same group should have more or less the same background and specialty. We recommend caution with organising interprofessional groups unless their participants work in the same practice. Interprofessional groups should spend adequate time for the members to get to know each other, and they should be guided by an experienced leader.

Effectiveness of an Ongoing, Community-Based Breast Cancer Prevention Program for Korean American Women.

PubMed

Koh, Eun; Choi, Ga-Young; Cho, Ji Young

2016-02-01

The study evaluates the effectiveness of an ongoing, community-based breast cancer prevention program offered by a local social services agency in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Korean American women who participated in this breast cancer prevention program were compared with those who did not participate in their knowledge, attitude, and screening behaviors. The study found that the intervention group was more knowledgeable on breast cancer and related services and reported more positive attitudes toward breast cancer screening services than the comparison group. The participants in the intervention group were also more likely to plan to receive a mammogram than those in the comparison group. However, significant differences were not observed in the two groups in their intention to receive a clinical breast examination. The study findings suggest that an ongoing, community-based breast cancer prevention program can be an effective method of addressing breast cancer prevention disparities observed among Korean American women.

Pediatric MS

MedlinePlus

... Disease T Cells d What Causes MS? Disproved Theories Viruses Clusters d Who Gets MS? Pediatric MS ... Community at MSconnection.org Join a Local Support Group Peer Connections: One-on-One Edward M. Dowd ...

Let your name be known. OB-GYN practice's marketing strategies keep it prominent in community.

PubMed

Schneck, Lisa H

2003-08-01

Take a large dose of innovation, add a dollop of shrewd business sense and a heaping measure of community awareness, mix well, and you get the marketing success enjoyed by San Dimas Medical Group Inc. of Bakersfield, Calif. The practice has established wide name recognition, become a community benefactor and positioned itself as the practice that local women want to visit for a wide range of health concerns.

Radioactive Seed Localization Versus Wire Localization for Nonpalpable Breast Lesions: A Two-Year Initial Experience at a Large Community Hospital.

PubMed

Stelle, Lacey; Schoenheit, Taylor; Brubaker, Allison; Tang, Xiwei; Qu, Peiyong; Cradock, Kimberly; Higham, Anna

2018-01-01

Radioactive seed localization (RSL) is a safe and effective alternative to wire localization (WL) for nonpalpable breast lesions. While several large academic institutions currently utilize RSL, few community hospitals have adopted this technique. The aim of this study was to examine the experience of RSL versus WL at a large community hospital. A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent RSL or WL for breast-conserving surgery from 1 November 2013 to 31 November 2015. The total number of lesions examined was 382. RSL was utilized in 205 (54%) lesions, with 187 undergoing single RSL, while WL was used in 155 (40%) lesions, with 109 undergoing single WL; both techniques were used in 22 (6%) lesions. Pathology was benign in 142 (48%) lesions, with 93 RSLs and 49 WLs. For malignant lesions, mean specimen size was 36.3 g for single RSL and 35.9 g for single WL (p = 0.904). Re-excision for margin clearance was required for 16 (17%) malignant lesions in the RSL group and 10 (17%) in the WL group (p = 0.954). For malignant lesions, mean operating room time was 86 min for single RSL versus 70 min for single WL (p = 0.014). The use of RSL is a viable option in the community setting, with several benefits over WL. While operative times were slightly longer with RSL, there was no difference in specimen size or re-excision rate for malignant lesions.

Innovative Strategies for Building Community Resilience: Lessons from the Frontlines of Climate Change Capacity-Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrash Walton, A.

2017-12-01

There is broad scientific consensus that climate change is occurring; however, there is limited implementation of measures to create resilient local communities (Abrash Walton, Simpson, Rhoades, & Daniels, 2016; Adger, Arnell, & Tompkins, 2005; Glavovic & Smith, 2014; Moser & Ekstrom, 2010; Picketts, Déry, & Curry, 2014). Communities that are considered climate leaders in the United States may have adopted climate change plans, yet few have actually implemented the policies, projects and recommendations in those plans. A range of innovative, education strategies have proven effective in building the capacity of local decision makers to strengthen community resilience. This presentation draws on the results of two years of original research regarding the information and support local decision makers require for effective action. Findings are based on information from four datasets, with more than 600 respondents from 48 U.S. states and 19 other countries working on local adaptation in a range of capacities. These research results can inform priority setting for public policy, budget setting, and action as well as private sector funding and investment. The presentation will focus, in particular, on methods and results of a pioneering Facilitated Community of Practice model (FCoP) for building climate preparedness and community resilience capacity, among local-level decision makers. The FCoP process includes group formation and shared capacity building experience. The process can also support collective objective setting and creation of structures and processes for ongoing sustainable collaboration. Results from two FCoPs - one fully online and the other hybrid - suggest that participants viewed the interpersonal and technical assistance elements of the FCoP as highly valuable. These findings suggest that there is an important need for facilitated networking and other relational aspects of building capacity among those advancing resilience at the local level.

Social capital and basic goods: the cautionary tale of drinking water in India.

PubMed

Motiram, Sripad; Osberg, Lars

2010-01-01

This study uses micro-data from the 1998-99 Indian Time Use Survey (ITUS; covering 77,593 persons in 18,591 households in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Orissa, and Haryana) to argue that time use data provides a natural metric for measuring "social capital" building activities and for distinguishing between the relative importance of "bonding" into groups or "bridging" within communities. The study examines the correlation between inequality in landownership, caste status, measures of local social capital, and whether or not a household will have to collect water. In India, the probability that a rural household fetches water is 4.8% and 9.1% lower in communities in which the average time spent on social interaction and community-based activities at the district-level doubles, but it is 18.9% greater when the time in group-based activities doubles. Inequalities in landownership and home ownership are associated with considerably larger differences in local tap water availability.

A Community of First-Year Teachers: Collaboration between Higher Education and Public Schools to Improve Teacher Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Good, Jennifer; Bennett, Joan

2005-01-01

Teacher retention is a critical problem in public education (Ingersoll, 2002), demanding collaboration between universities and local public school systems. Using veteran teacher mentors employed in a public school system to facilitate ongoing monthly support groups, communities of beginning teachers were formed, embedded within the public schools…

Caring Prescriptions: Comprehensive Health Care Strategies for Young Children in Poverty.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Karen N.; Simkin, Linda S.

This report examines how communities and groups can shape the content of health services to bring more comprehensive health services to poor children and families. The report is based on a study of 11 comprehensive primary care programs and systems some of which offer school-based services: 4 freestanding community-based programs, 4 local systems…

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: New Governance Issues in America's Rural Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garkovich, Lori; Irby, Jon

Control over a broad range of programs is being shifted back to state and local jurisdictions. Based on focus groups, interviews, and surveys of those who live in or represent organizations with a strong interest in rural America, this report highlights the concerns of rural communities towards these changing intergovernmental relations.…

Perceptions of Leadership Skills as an Indicator of a Community's Social Capital

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolton, Elizabeth B.

2004-01-01

The leaders of two local and regional organizations, Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and Workforce Development Board (WDB), were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the leadership skills of each other as an indicator of the social capital within the community. Results showed the majority of both groups did not know if their counterparts…

Diabetes Prevention and Management among Minority Ethnic Groups in Nicaragua: Findings from Phase 2 of a Community-Based Participatory Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newlin Lew, Kelley; Mitchell, Emma McKim; Mclean, Yolanda

2016-01-01

Objectives: To (1) describe barriers to diabetes prevention and self-management, (2) explore how religious beliefs inform diabetes prevention and self-management and (3) describe community action strategies to address the problem of diabetes locally. Design: Qualitative, descriptive design. Setting: Three Moravian Churches located, respectively,…

The Community Development Process: The Rediscovery of Local Initiative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biddle, William W.; Biddle, Loureide J.

The development process in two communities, a mining county in rural Appalachia and a deteriorating neighborhood in a northern industrial city, is presented in case-study form. Concepts and commonly used terms are defined; a process of development is identified that can be used in groups small enough to permit attention to the growth of persons.…

Libraries + Nonprofits Add up to Profitable Community Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puacz, Jeanne Holba

2005-01-01

About 18 months ago, we at the reference desk of the Vigo County Public Library (VCPL) in Terre Haute, Ind., noticed a troubling fact. Many of our small, local, nonprofit agencies did not have Web sites, making it difficult to locate and share information about these groups with the community. We began to ponder that if we, as information…

Modern Campuses, Local Connections and Unconventional Symbols: Promotional Practises in the Canadian Community College Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pizarro Milian, Roger

2016-01-01

Canadian community colleges operate within a trying market environment. They compete against a diversified group of post-secondary institutions, ranging from small and relatively unknown for-profit vocational colleges to larger and more prestigious public universities. To date, there has been no effort to empirically examine how Canadian community…

Associations between the local food environment and the severity of food insecurity among new families using community food security interventions in Montreal.

PubMed

Pérez, Elsury; Roncarolo, Federico; Potvin, Louise

2017-04-20

To examine the association between the local food environment and the severity of food insecurity among new families using community food security interventions in Montreal. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed baseline data from 785 adults aged 18-65 years enrolled in the evaluation of the effects of organizations delivering community food security interventions in Montreal. The dependent variable was household food insecurity, while the independent variable was the local food environment, assessed through: location of the most frequently used grocery store, distance between the participant's residence and the community organization used, mode of transportation, walking time to the most frequently used grocery store, satisfaction with the acceptability and affordability of food available at the most frequently used grocery store, and self-reported difficulties in accessing food. We used polytomous logistic regression to estimate the association between household food insecurity and the local food environment. In all the models, we coded food security status in three categories: food security, moderate food insecurity and severe food insecurity. The last group was used as a reference group. Our data suggest that compared to households with severe food insecurity, those with moderate food insecurity (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.28-0.62) and those with food security (OR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.06-0.26) were less likely to report difficulties in accessing food due to food affordability. Food-secure households also had lower odds of reporting difficulties in accessing food due to transportation constraints (OR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.06-0.55) compared with severe food-insecure households. Living a distance of between 1 and 2 km from the organization used was significantly correlated with moderate food insecurity (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.12-2.88). The local food environment is associated with severity of household food insecurity among new families using community food security interventions in Montreal. Future studies should study the relationship between the local food environment and food insecurity across all dimensions of food access.

General population and medical student perceptions of good and bad doctors in Mozambique.

PubMed

Pfeiffer, Annett; Noden, Bruce H; Walker, Zoë A; Aarts, Rembrant; Ferro, Josefo

2011-04-01

A key element of the doctor-patient relationship is to understand the patient's and doctor's perceptions of quality care. To assess the perceptions of good and bad doctors among first-year medical students and local community members in a semi-urban, African settings. Using open-ended and closed dichotomous questions, 115 first-year medical students in Beira, Mozambique were surveyed regarding their perceptions of a 'good' and 'bad' doctor. Students then surveyed 611 community members in a predominately poor, semi-urban neighbourhood. Answers to open-ended questions provided by both groups produced the same four most important positive characteristics, with good diagnostic and therapeutic skills and dedication ranked highest. Closed-ended questions revealed that local community members felt that being concerned/considerate and diagnosing well were equally important (19.5% and 17.5%, respectively) compared to students (17.5% and 41.2%, respectively). The most important negative characteristics to the open-ended question for both groups were discrimination and contemptuous behaviour: 29.3% for community members and 27.4% for medical students. The biggest difference between groups was poor attending skills: 17.3% by community members and 3.9% by medical students. This study highlights differences and similarities between the perceptions of medical students and community members concerning a 'good' and a 'bad' doctor. Our data suggest that perceptions are guided by the experiences and values of those interviewed. Results indicate that medical education in developing countries should focus on patient-centered care, including communication skills and attitudes, besides training knowledgeable doctors.

Nurses Taking the Lead: A Community Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Forum on Substance Abuse and Addiction in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

PubMed

Maina, Geoffrey; Mishak, Brenda; de Padua, Anthony; Strudwick, Gillian; Docabo, Angelica; Tahir, Hira

2017-01-01

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, is experiencing a substance use and addiction crisis with devastating consequences. To engage local stakeholders on substance use and addiction issues, nurse researchers at the University of Saskatchewan, Prince Albert Campus, planned and organized a one-day community engagement and knowledge exchange forum. The forum provided the opportunity for interested community groups, members and individuals to share their experiences and to explore novel ways to prevent and respond to the substance abuse and addiction challenges in the region. Participants included community leaders, people and families living with addiction, service providers, local stakeholders, health professionals, researchers and Indigenous Elders. This paper describes the process and outcomes of this event and describes the role of nurse scholars in leading these efforts. © 2017 Longwoods Publishing.

Disadvantaged persons' participation in health promotion projects: some structural dimensions.

PubMed

Boyce, W F

2001-05-01

A structural perspective was used in studying community participation of disadvantaged groups (poor women, street youth, and disabled persons) in health promotion projects. Five community projects in the Canadian Health Promotion Contribution Program were examined in a comparative case study utilizing in-depth interviews, documents, and secondary sources. Analysis revealed relatively low numbers and restricted range of participants, difficulties in recruiting and maintaining participants, declining rates of active participation over time, and limited target group influence and power. This paper reports on the relationship between various dimensions of structure (social-cultural, organizational, political-legal-economic) and the community participation process. Participation was influenced by structural factors such as bureaucratic rules and regulators, perceived minority group rights and relations, agency reputations and responsibilities, available resources, and organizational roles. Control of projects by target group members, rather than by service agencies, was an important overall organizational structural factor which allowed community members to achieve influence in projects. The study concludes that a conceptual model based on structural factors is useful in explaining how key factors from federal and local levels can restrict or facilitate the community participation process.

Comparison of the Microbial Community Structures of Untreated Wastewaters from Different Geographic Locales

PubMed Central

Shanks, Orin C.; Newton, Ryan J.; Kelty, Catherine A.; Huse, Susan M.; Sogin, Mitchell L.

2013-01-01

Microbial sewage communities consist of a combination of human fecal microorganisms and nonfecal microorganisms, which may be residents of urban sewer infrastructure or flowthrough originating from gray water or rainwater inputs. Together, these different microorganism sources form an identifiable community structure that may serve as a signature for sewage discharges and as candidates for alternative indicators specific for human fecal pollution. However, the structure and variability of this community across geographic space remains uncharacterized. We used massively parallel 454 pyrosequencing of the V6 region in 16S rRNA genes to profile microbial communities from 13 untreated sewage influent samples collected from a wide range of geographic locations in the United States. We obtained a total of 380,175 high-quality sequences for sequence-based clustering, taxonomic analyses, and profile comparisons. The sewage profile included a discernible core human fecal signature made up of several abundant taxonomic groups within Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria. DNA sequences were also classified into fecal, sewage infrastructure (i.e., nonfecal), and transient groups based on data comparisons with fecal samples. Across all sewage samples, an estimated 12.1% of sequences were fecal in origin, while 81.4% were consistently associated with the sewage infrastructure. The composition of feces-derived operational taxonomic units remained congruent across all sewage samples regardless of geographic locale; however, the sewage infrastructure community composition varied among cities, with city latitude best explaining this variation. Together, these results suggest that untreated sewage microbial communities harbor a core group of fecal bacteria across geographically dispersed wastewater sewage lines and that ambient water quality indicators targeting these select core microorganisms may perform well across the United States. PMID:23435885

Factors Influencing Latino Participation in Community-Based Diabetes Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francis, Sarah L.; Noterman, Amber; Litchfield, Ruth

2014-01-01

An Extension diabetes program (DP) was revised for Latinos; however, participation was limited. Factors influencing low participation rates were examined. Five Latinos interested in the DP participated in a focus group discussion. Transcripts were analyzed for themes. Preferred education programs were multi-session, local, group classes led by an…

Intercultural Education in Primary School: A Collaborative Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Marta; Araújo e Sá, Maria Helena; Simões, Ana Raquel

2014-01-01

In this article, we present and discuss a collaborative project on intercultural education developed by a group of educational partners. The group was made up of 12 people representing different institutions in the community, namely primary schools, cultural and social associations and the local council. The project takes an intercultural approach…

Forum, Changing Values: Where are We Going?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haney, Peggy H., Ed.; And Others

This issue of "Forum" magazine for adults and accompanying teaching units for use with students of all age levels deals with recent value trends. "Forum" is one of a group of educational publications and teaching units that JC Penney stores provide for local community groups and school consumer education programs. The magazine…

Conceptualizing and Managing Medical Emergencies Where No Formal Paramedical System Exists: Perspectives from a Remote Indigenous Community in Canada.

PubMed

Curran, Jeffrey; Ritchie, Stephen D; Beardy, Jackson; VanderBurgh, David; Born, Karen; Lewko, John; Orkin, Aaron M

2018-02-04

(1) Background: Remote communities in Canada lack an equitable emergency medical response capacity compared to other communities. Community-based emergency care (CBEC) training for laypeople is a model that has the potential to enhance the medical emergency response capacity in isolated and resource-limited contexts. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics of medical emergencies and to conceptualize and present a framework for what a medical emergency is for one remote Indigenous community in northwestern Ontario, in order to inform the development of CBEC training. (2) Methods: This study adhered to the principles of community-based participatory research and realist evaluation; it was an integrated component of the formative evaluation of the second Sachigo Lake Wilderness Emergency Response Education Initiative (SLWEREI) training course in 2012. Twelve members of Sachigo Lake First Nation participated in the training course, along with local nursing staff, police officers, community Elders, and course instructors (n = 24 total), who participated in interviews, focus groups, and a collaborative discussion of local health issues in the development of the SLWEREI. (3) Results: The qualitative results are organized into sections that describe the types of local health emergencies and the informal response system of community members in addressing these emergencies. Prominent themes of health adversity that emerged were an inability to manage chronic conditions and fears of exacerbations, the lack of capacity for addressing mental illness, and the high prevalence of injury for community members. (4) Discussion: A three-point framework of what constitutes local perceptions of an emergency emerged from the findings in this study: (1) a sense of isolation; (2) a condition with a potentially adverse outcome; and (3) a need for help.

Conceptualizing and Managing Medical Emergencies Where No Formal Paramedical System Exists: Perspectives from a Remote Indigenous Community in Canada

PubMed Central

Curran, Jeffrey; Ritchie, Stephen D.; Beardy, Jackson; VanderBurgh, David; Born, Karen; Lewko, John; Orkin, Aaron M.

2018-01-01

(1) Background: Remote communities in Canada lack an equitable emergency medical response capacity compared to other communities. Community-based emergency care (CBEC) training for laypeople is a model that has the potential to enhance the medical emergency response capacity in isolated and resource-limited contexts. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics of medical emergencies and to conceptualize and present a framework for what a medical emergency is for one remote Indigenous community in northwestern Ontario, in order to inform the development of CBEC training. (2) Methods: This study adhered to the principles of community-based participatory research and realist evaluation; it was an integrated component of the formative evaluation of the second Sachigo Lake Wilderness Emergency Response Education Initiative (SLWEREI) training course in 2012. Twelve members of Sachigo Lake First Nation participated in the training course, along with local nursing staff, police officers, community Elders, and course instructors (n = 24 total), who participated in interviews, focus groups, and a collaborative discussion of local health issues in the development of the SLWEREI. (3) Results: The qualitative results are organized into sections that describe the types of local health emergencies and the informal response system of community members in addressing these emergencies. Prominent themes of health adversity that emerged were an inability to manage chronic conditions and fears of exacerbations, the lack of capacity for addressing mental illness, and the high prevalence of injury for community members. (4) Discussion: A three-point framework of what constitutes local perceptions of an emergency emerged from the findings in this study: (1) a sense of isolation; (2) a condition with a potentially adverse outcome; and (3) a need for help. PMID:29401706

Organizing Asian Pacific Islanders in an urban community to reduce HIV risk: a case study.

PubMed

Loue, S; Lloyd, L S; Phoombour, E

1996-10-01

We present a case study of community organization efforts within the Asian Pacific Islander communities of San Diego County to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. We utilized a five-phase process to implement the strategies of locality development, social planning, and social action: community analysis, program design and initiation, program implementation, program maintenance and consolidation, and program reassessment. An evaluation of the process indicates that there were increases over time in the project's activities as well as in the levels of interagency connectedness. This is one of the few reported efforts to organize Asian Pacific Islander groups to address HIV transmission. Key elements that led to the successful organization of the original project into a tax-exempt nonprofit entity (the Asian Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project) were emphasis on community ownership, reliance on group consensus, use of "gatekeepers" to access communities, simultaneous multilevel programming, and service to the community as a "coordinating" entity.

Using community-based participatory research and organizational diagnosis to characterize relationships between community leaders and academic researchers.

PubMed

Wang, Karen H; Ray, Natasha J; Berg, David N; Greene, Ann T; Lucas, Georgina; Harris, Kenn; Carroll-Scott, Amy; Tinney, Barbara; Rosenthal, Marjorie S

2017-09-01

Sustaining collaborations between community-based organization leaders and academic researchers in community-engaged research (CEnR) in the service of decreasing health inequities necessitates understanding the collaborations from an inter-organizational perspective. We assessed the perspectives of community leaders and university-based researchers conducting community-engaged research in a medium-sized city with a history of community-university tension. Our research team, included experts in CEnR and organizational theory, used qualitative methods and purposeful, snowball sampling to recruit local participants and performed key informant interviews from July 2011-May 2012. A community-based researcher interviewed 11 community leaders, a university-based researcher interviewed 12 university-based researchers. We interviewed participants until we reached thematic saturation and performed analyses using the constant comparative method. Unifying themes characterizing community leaders and university-based researchers' relationships on the inter-organizational level include: 1) Both groups described that community-engaged university-based researchers are exceptions to typical university culture; 2) Both groups described that the interpersonal skills university-based researchers need for CEnR require a change in organizational culture and training; 3) Both groups described skepticism about the sustainability of a meaningful institutional commitment to community-engaged research 4) Both groups described the historical impact on research relationships of race, power, and privilege, but only community leaders described its persistent role and relevance in research relationships. Challenges to community-academic research partnerships include researcher interpersonal skills and different perceptions of the importance of organizational history. Solutions to improve research partnerships may include transforming university culture and community-university discussions on race, power, and privilege.

Camp Minden Dialogue

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Minden Dialogue Committee is made up of a group of individual volunteer citizens, community leaders, local and statewide organizations, scientists, elected officials and state representatives that will look at alternatives to address onsite materials.

Developing and Field Testing a Community Based Youth Initiative to Increase Tuberculosis Awareness in Remote Arctic Inuit Communities.

PubMed

Alvarez, Gonzalo G; Van Dyk, Deborah D; Colquhoun, Heather; Moreau, Katherine A; Mulpuru, Sunita; Graham, Ian D

2016-01-01

Inuit in Canada have the highest reported tuberculosis (TB) incidence rate in Canada, even higher than other Canadian Indigenous groups. The aim of this study was to increase TB awareness among Inuit youth and their communities by equipping those who can best reach this population with a community based, youth focused, education initiative built on interventions adapted from a previous TB awareness study. The Taima TB Youth Education Initiative was a field test case study of a knowledge translation (KT) strategy aimed at community members who provide health education in these communities. In the first stage of this study, interventions from a larger TB awareness campaign were adapted to focus on youth living in remote Inuit communities. During the second stage of the study, investigators field tested the initiative in two isolated Inuit communities. It was then applied by local implementation teams in two other communities. Evaluation criteria included feasibility, acceptability, knowledge uptake and health behavior change. Implementation of the adapted KT interventions resulted in participation of a total of 41 youth (19 females, 22 males) with an average age of 16 years (range 12-21 years) in four different communities in Nunavut. Community celebration events were attended by 271 community members where TB messaging were presented and discussed. All of the health care workers and community members surveyed reported that the adapted interventions were acceptable and a useful way of learning to some extent. Knowledge uptake measures indicated an average TB knowledge score of 64 out of 100. Local partners in all four communities indicated that they would use the Taima TB Youth Education Initiative again to raise awareness about TB among youth in their communities. The TB awareness interventions adapted for the Taima TB Youth Education Initiative were acceptable to the Inuit communities involved in the study. They resulted in uptake of knowledge among participants. Implementation by local implementation teams was feasible as evidenced by the participation and attendance of youth and community members in all communities. The ability to implement the interventions by local implementation teams indicates there is potential to scale up in other remote communities in the arctic setting.

Adaptive livelihood strategies for coping with water scarcity in the drylands of central Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liwenga, Emma T.

In this paper, it is argued that local knowledge for adapting to water scarcity is important for integrated resource management by taking into consideration both the natural and social constraints in a particular setting based on accumulated experience. The paper examines the relevance of local knowledge in sustaining agricultural production in the semiarid areas of central Tanzania. The paper specifically focuses on how water scarcity, as the major limiting factor, is addressed in the study area using local knowledge to sustain livelihoods of its people. The study was conducted in four villages; Mzula, Ilolo, Chanhumba and Ngahelezi, situation in Mvumi Division in Dodoma Region. The study mainly employed qualitative data collection techniques. Participatory methods provided a means of exploring perceptions and gaining deeper insights regarding natural resource utilization in terms of problems and opportunities. The main data sources drawn upon in this study were documentation, group interviews and field observations. Group interviews involved discussions with a group of 6-12 people selected on the basis of gender, age and socio-economic groups. Data analysis entailed structural and content analysis within the adaptive livelihood framework in relation to management of water scarcity using local knowledge. The findings confirm that rainfall is the main limiting factor for agricultural activities in the drylands of Central Tanzania. As such, local communities have developed, through time, indigenous knowledge to cope with such environments utilizing seasonality and diversity of landscapes. Use of this local knowledge is therefore effective in managing water scarcity by ensuring a continuous production of crops throughout the year. This practice implies increased food availability and accessibility through sales of such agricultural products. Local innovations for water management, such as cultivation in sandy rivers, appear to be very important means of accessing water in these dryland areas. It can therefore be concluded that utilization of local knowledge has wide impact on integrated water resource management. These implications are important considerations for development of adaptive water system innovations at community level.

Conservation and restoration of indigenous plants to improve community livelihoods: the Useful Plants Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulian, Tiziana; Sacandé, Moctar; Mattana, Efisio

2014-05-01

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank partnership (MSBP) is one of the largest ex situ plant conservation initiatives, which is focused on saving plants in and from regions most at risk, particularly in drylands. Seeds are collected and stored in seed banks in the country of origin and duplicated in the Millennium Seed Bank in the UK. The MSBP also strengthens the capacity of local communities to successfully conserve and sustainably use indigenous plants, which are important for their wellbeing. Since 2007, high quality seed collections and research information have been gathered on ca. 700 useful indigenous plant species that were selected by communities in Botswana, Kenya, Mali, Mexico and South Africa through Project MGU - The Useful Plants Project. These communities range from various farmer's groups and organisations to traditional healers, organic cotton/crop producers and primary schools. The information on seed conservation and plant propagation was used to train communities and to propagate ca. 200 species that were then planted in local gardens, and as species reintroduced for reforestation programmes and enriching village forests. Experimental plots have also been established to further investigate the field performance (plant survival and growth rate) of indigenous species, using low cost procedures. In addition, the activities support revenue generation for local communities directly through the sustainable use of plant products or indirectly through wider environmental and cultural services. This project has confirmed the potential of biodiversity conservation to improve food security and human health, enhance community livelihoods and strengthen the resilience of land and people to the changing climate. This approach of using indigenous species and having local communities play a central role from the selection of species to their planting and establishment, supported by complementary research, may represent a model for other regions of the world, where similarly biodiversity conservation and restoration should be integrated with improved human wellbeing. Keywords: Useful plants, Local communities, Seeds, Propagation, Vegetation reestablishment, Drylands.

Explaining ecological clusters of maternal depression in South Western Sydney.

PubMed

Eastwood ED, John; Kemp, Lynn; Jalaludin, Bin

2014-01-24

The aim of the qualitative study reported here was to: 1) explain the observed clustering of postnatal depressive symptoms in South Western Sydney; and 2) identify group-level mechanisms that would add to our understanding of the social determinants of maternal depression. Critical realism provided the methodological underpinning for the study. The setting was four local government areas in South Western Sydney, Australia. Child and Family practitioners and mothers in naturally occurring mothers groups were interviewed. Using an open coding approach to maximise emergence of patterns and relationships we have identified seven theoretical concepts that might explain the observed spatial clustering of maternal depression. The theoretical concepts identified were: Community-level social networks; Social Capital and Social Cohesion; "Depressed community"; Access to services at the group level; Ethnic segregation and diversity; Supportive social policy; and Big business. We postulate that these regional structural, economic, social and cultural mechanisms partially explain the pattern of maternal depression observed in families and communities within South Western Sydney. We further observe that powerful global economic and political forces are having an impact on the local situation. The challenge for policy and practice is to support mothers and their families within this adverse regional and global-economic context.

The impacts of community social capital on the life satisfaction of older adults in Hong Kong: the moderator role of intergenerational family capital.

PubMed

Lu, Nan; Lum, Terry Y S; Lou, Vivian W Q

2016-11-01

This study examined the moderator role of intergenerational family capital on the relationship between community social capital and life satisfaction of older Chinese adults. The data were derived from a quota sampling of 372 older adults aged 60 and above, who were interviewed at four districts in Hong Kong in 2011. Multiple group analysis was employed to examine the proposed model. For the low family capital group, community social capital was found to be a significant predictor of life satisfaction, even when the well-known covariates were controlled. However, the association between community social capital and life satisfaction was statistically non-significant among the high family capital group. The findings highlighted the interplay between community social capital and intergenerational family capital, which supported community social capital replacement theory in understanding the mechanism linking social capital to life satisfaction in older age in a Chinese context. Community social capital can play a compensatory role in maintaining the mental health of older people. It is particularly important for older adults who lack family support and/or suffer from social isolation and loneliness in local communities.

Community leader support for tobacco control activities & policies on Guam.

PubMed

Ehlert, Michael B; Gumataotao, AnneMarie P; Workman, Randall L; Albright, Cheryl L; David, Annette M

2006-09-01

Guam has the highest smoking rate in the United States. This study examined Guam community leaders' attitudes toward cigarette smoking and their interest in changing local tobacco control policies. Cross-sectional survey. Guam community leaders completed surveys while attending local professional conferences or meetings. Seventy-three percent of the respondents were female; the mean age was 46 years (SD = 15), and over 86% were from ethnic minority groups (47% Filipino, 28% Chamorro, 10% Asian, 2% other Pacific Island groups). About 30% reported being native Guamanian, and of those who immigrated to Guam had lived on Guam a mean of 17 years (SD = 11). Tobacco use was rated as a serious problem for Guam by 73% of the leaders surveyed, and a majority agreed that stricter tobacco control policies were needed on Guam. When asked to rate their preferences for tobacco control efforts on Guam, most (63%) preferred to focus on cessation efforts and 55% wanted to focus on smoke-free public places. This study provided critical insight about community leader support for stronger tobacco control measures on Guam, especially with respect to smoking cessation and smoke-free environments. Such a consensus of opinions could become a catalyst to promote community-wide tobacco control policies and programs. In addition, this study may provide a platform for future research on the structure and effectiveness of community leader support in a multicultural environment.

Driving When You Have Cataracts

MedlinePlus

... cabs; N shuttle buses or vans; and N public buses, trains and subways. I Also, senior centers, religious and other local service groups often offer transportation services for older adults in your community. Who ...

Camp Minden Fact Sheet February 2015

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On January 28, 2015, EPA announced the creation of a Dialogue Committee made up of a group of individual volunteer citizens, community leaders, local and statewide organizations, scientists, elected officials and state representatives.

Native Americans' Interest in Horticulture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Mary Hockenberry

1999-01-01

Focus groups arranged by local Native American Master Gardeners on two Minnesota reservations determined community interest in extension-horticulture programs. Topics of interest included food preservation and historical Native-American uses of plants. (SK)

'Bringing back respect': the role of participatory action research in transferring knowledge from an Aboriginal men's group to youth programs.

PubMed

McCalman, Janya; Tsey, Komla; Baird, Bradley; Connolly, Brian; Baird, Leslie; Jackson, Rita

2009-08-01

This case study describes the efforts of an Aboriginal men's group to facilitate and support the empowerment of young people in their community. It is part of a broader participatory action research (PAR) study of men's groups. Data was derived from quarterly reflective PAR sessions with men's and youth workers and steering committee members, interviews with workers, and focus groups with young people. The data was coded and categorized, with five themes identified. Key opportunities and challenges related to building staff capacity, engaging young people, giving voice to young people and reconciling diverse community views. Emerging outcomes included young people's definition of vision and values, social cohesion, personal achievements and recognition. The youth projects also resulted in local employment, improvements in workforce capacity and proposals to extend the empowerment model in Yarrabah and transfer it to another community. PAR frameworks provide a useful tool for facilitating and sustaining empowerment outcomes. They can be used to support the transfer of knowledge and skills from one Aboriginal community group to another.

Moving Forward in Fall Prevention: An Intervention to Improve Balance Among Older Adults in Real-World Settings

PubMed Central

Robitaille, Yvonne; Laforest, Sophie; Fournier, Michel; Gauvin, Lise; Parisien, Manon; Corriveau, Hélène; Trickey, Francine; Damestoy, Nicole

2005-01-01

Objectives. We investigated the effectiveness of a group-based exercise intervention to improve balancing ability among older adults delivered in natural settings by staff in local community organizations. Methods. The main component of the intervention consisted of biweekly group-based exercise sessions conducted over 12 weeks by a professional, coupled with home-based exercises. In a quasiexperimental design, 10 community organizations working with older adults offered the intervention to groups of 5 to 15 persons concerned about falls, while 7 organizations recruited similar groups to participate in the control arm of the study. Participants (98 experimental and 102 control) underwent balance assessments by a physiotherapist at registration and 3 months later. Results. Eighty-nine percent of participants attended the 3-month measurement session (n=177). A linear regression analysis showed that after adjusting for baseline levels of balance and demographic and health characteristics, the intervention significantly improved static balance and mobility. Conclusion. Structured, group-based exercise programs offered by community organizations in natural settings can successfully increase balancing ability among community-dwelling older adults concerned about falls. PMID:16195514

Community participation to refine measures of socio-economic status in urban slum settings in Kenya.

PubMed

Ngongo, Carrie Jane; Mathingau, Florence Alice; Burke, Heather; Brieger, William; Frick, Kevin; Chapman, Kimberly; Breiman, Robert

Ownership of household durable assets can be a useful proxy for determining relative socio-economic status in a community, but the assets that should be measured are not always unambiguous. Often the selection of asset variables has been ad hoc or not well explained in the literature. Although the benefits of conducting focus groups to design surveys are widely recognized, the use of focus groups to adapt community-specific asset indices has not previously been reported in Kenya. This article describes how focus group discussions can allow communities to express how residents value assets and distinguish relative wealth. Focus group discussions were conducted within the informal urban settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. Participants identified assets that distinguish between the poorest and the least poor in their community. They considered whether they would move away from the slum if they had the opportunity, and many would not, citing reasons ranging from loyalty to the community to greater living expenses on the outside. Local perceptions of relative poverty and mobility provide insight into how quality of life in this setting can be assessed and potentially improved. Moreover, a qualitative approach can lead to the adaptation of a community asset index for use in further research.

The Development of the Community University Movement in Taiwan: A Critical Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Ching-Jung

2004-01-01

The Community University (CU) movement in Taiwan arose from calls for education reform and social change in the country since the last decade. In 1998 the first CU, Wenshan CU, operated by local activists and grass-roots groups, was established in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, as an outgrowth of a popular rally for education reform in 1994.…

Local Area Network: Community Involvement, Social Capital, and Glocalization at NetU

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trevett-Smith, Matthew D.

2010-01-01

Ethnographic and interview data from a long-term study of "NetU," a wired community and college, are used to investigate the effects of computer-mediated communication on social relationships. During the course of this research "LAN" residents of NetU are compared with a similar group of non-LAN residents who lived in the same neighborhood, but…

Socio-Cultural Norms and Roles in the Use and Abuse of Alcohol among Members of a Rural Community in Southeast Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nwagu, E. N.; Dibia, S. I. C.; Odo, A. N.

2017-01-01

Social influences together with local cultural norms are central factors that can influence the use of alcohol. The study, therefore, identified socio-cultural norms and roles capable of influencing alcohol use among young people in an alcohol producing community, in Nigeria. We used qualitative technique--focused group discussions among selected…

Annual Conference on Drug-Free Schools and Communities Proceedings (4th, Falls Church, Virginia, June 11-15, 1990).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Washington, DC. School Improvement Programs.

This publication summarizes the presentations at individual and group sessions of a conference called to facilitate a broad exchange of concepts and experiences among those individuals and organizations most closely involved with Drug-Free Schools and Communities Programs at the national, state, and local levels. It is intended to highlight key…

Educating the medical community through a teratology newsletter.

PubMed Central

Guttmacher, A E; Allen, E F

1993-01-01

To educate a geographically and professionally diverse group of health care providers about teratology in an economic and efficient manner, we developed a locally written and distributed teratology newsletter. Response to the newsletter, from readers as well as from our staff and funding agencies, suggests that such a newsletter can be a valuable tool in educating medical communities about teratology. PMID:8434594

Reasons to Be Cheerful: The Story of One Community School and the New Labour Government

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Katy

2010-01-01

This article was originally presented at a seminar run by the Secondary Umbrella Group on the theme of "A Review of Labour's Achievement: Where next for secondary education?" It looks at the struggle of one secondary school and its local community to improve educational opportunities and life chances for its students. The author, a…

Learning from the experiences of others: four forest landowner cooperatives share their stories

Treesearch

Pamela Jakes

2006-01-01

For a community or group investigating the appropriateness of a cooperative as a means for organizing local landowners to accomplish forest management or marketing objectives, it is useful to hear about the experiences of other communities or cooperatives. For the conference, we put together a series of video case studies, summarizing the stories of four forest...

Factors Affecting Student Success in Distance Learning Courses at a Local California Community College: Joint Governance Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Luis A.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of staff and faculty regarding factors affecting student success in distance learning at a California community college (CCC). Participants were members of the leadership group known as the distance learning committee. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using open-ended…

A moveable feast: Contemporary relational food cultures emerging from local food networks.

PubMed

O'Kane, Gabrielle

2016-10-01

Although the globalised food system delivers unparalleled food variety and quantity to most in the developed world it also disconnects consumers from where, how and by whom food is grown. This change in the food system has resulted in an acceptance of an anonymous and homogeneous food supply, which has contributed to over-consumption and the rise in diet-related diseases. 'Nutritionism' responds to this issue by maintaining that a 'healthy diet' can be achieved by consuming the correct balance of energy and nutrients, but with limited success. Yet, some food cultures can moderate the effects of the environmental drivers of increasing global obesity rates. This paper draws on this premise and presents an alternative eco-dietetic response, exploring people's meaning-making of food and food culture through local food networks. This research used narrative inquiry methodology and purposive sampling to gather stories through focus group conversations. Twenty people attended focus groups comprised of food procurers from one of three local food networks in the Canberra region: community gardens, a modified Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and farmers' markets. The findings showed that those using local food networks enjoyed a 'contemporary relational food culture' that highlighted the importance of people, place and time, in their visceral experiences of food. The community gardeners made meaning of food through their connections to the earth and to others. The farmers' market and CSA food procurers valued the seasonal, local and ethical food produced by their beloved farmer(s). This paper provides qualitative evidence that local food networks enable people to enjoy multi-dimensional relationships to food. Further research is required to examine whether experiencing a contemporary relational food culture can lead to improved health outcomes for people and the planet. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forests of hope: Costa Rica. Restoring hope in the clouds.

PubMed

Bowen, L

1996-01-01

The rapid population growth in Central America has created pressure on the largest tract of cloud forest spanning the Talamanca Mountains in Costa Rica and Panama. Of immediate concern is restoring hope in the forest and improving the standard of living among local people. Such is the goal of the Amistad Conservation and Development (AMISCONDE) project in the communities of Cerro Punta, Panama, and San Rafael in Costa Rica. Through agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, environmental education, and community development, AMISCONDE aims to restore the degraded lands in the reserve's buffer zone and improve the income of the people. All the local people, the farmers, women and children have benefited from the project. Some of the activities carried out to meet its objectives include helping the farmers improve the productivity and marketability of their products by teaching them new technologies and giving agricultural credits to farmers, women, and youth groups. In addition, AMISCONDE conducts training courses to address the economic, social and educational needs of women and communities. It is assured that the community and the group will be prepared to continue on their own after the official AMISCONDE office is gone.

Earthquake risk communication as dialogue - insights from a workshop in Istanbul's urban renewal neighbourhoods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ickert, Johanna; Stewart, Iain S.

2016-05-01

An important paradox of hazard communication is that the more effectively a potential physical threat is made public by the scientist, the more readily the scientific message becomes normalized into the daily discourses of ordinary life. As a result, a heightened risk awareness does not necessarily motivate personal or collective preparedness. If geoscientists are to help at-risk communities adopt meaningful measures to protect themselves, new strategies are needed for public communication and community engagement. This paper outlines an attempt to develop a novel approach to train geoscientists, using doctoral and post-doctoral researchers in an EU integrated training network studying tectonic processes and geohazards in Turkey. An urban field visit to seismically vulnerable neighbourhoods in Istanbul allowed the researchers to meet with local residents facing the seismic threat. Those meetings exposed the complex social, political and cultural concerns among Istanbul's at-risk urban communities. These concerns were used to provoke subsequent focus group discussions among the group of geoscientists about roles, responsibilities and methods of communicating hazard information to the public. Through the direct testimony of local residents and geoscientists, we explore the form that new strategies for public communication and community engagement might take.

Rat Lungworm Disease in Hawai‘i: Community Outreach and Education on the Island of Hawai‘i (the ‘Big Island’)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Due to an increase in severity of cases of rat lungworm disease and increased media attention, community outreach efforts on the island of Hawai‘i (the Big Island) were revisited in 2009, to include an updated flier, radio interviews, and community presentations. The Puna district of the island has been impacted the greatest by rat lungworm disease. The biggest challenge in disseminating information was that residents could not accept that limited information, testing, and treatment options were available. Some people wanted basic information while others requested great detail. Some responded better to information in “pidgin” but others preferred English. Another challenge was to provide information to communities where residents did not read newspapers or watch television news. As a result, a community education group formed and assisted in disseminating information to these communities. But some residents never received information and there has been no decrease in cases. Information must be sent repeatedly and through different media, including free journals, local community newspapers, local television stations, and even social networking.

Sixth national stakeholder workshop summary report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

On June 17--18, 1998, the Department of Energy`s (DOE) Office of Worker and Community Transition convened its sixth National Stakeholder Workshop at the Ramada Plaza Hotel Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia. Approximately 325 stakeholders attended representing DOE headquarters and field offices, contractors, labor organizations, state and local government, education and community interest groups. The meeting addressed the progress made on the issues and challenges identified at the last stakeholder`s meeting in Oakland, California on April 9--11, 1997. Also discussed were the full range of the Department`s work force issues and creative solutions to the inherent challenges of simultaneously implementing themore » Department`s post Cold-War mission, work force restructuring guidance, contract reform objectives, asset disposition, performance-based management requirements, and business process improvement policies. The format of the Workshop included several plenary sessions and a number of small group discussion sessions. The small group sessions focused on topics related to labor issues, work force restructuring, work force planning, community transition, and employee concerns. The sessions provided a wide range of views on worker and community transition issues. The plenary sessions of the Workshop included presentations on the following topics: welcome and introductions; opening remarks; building a better labor-management relationship; keynote speech from Secretary of Energy Federico Pena; meeting tomorrow`s challenges (early site closures); harnessing the contracting process to encourage local growth; and, the British experience in economic conversion.« less

The necessary contradictions of 'community-led' health promotion: a case study of HIV prevention in an Indian red light district.

PubMed

Cornish, Flora; Ghosh, Riddhi

2007-01-01

Health promotion interventions with marginalised groups are increasingly expected to demonstrate genuine community participation in their design and delivery. However, ideals of egalitarian democratic participation are far removed from the starting point of the hierarchical and exploitative social relations that typically characterise marginalised communities. What scope is there for health promotion projects to implement ideals of community leadership within the realities of marginalisation and inequality? We examine how the Sonagachi Project, a successful sex-worker-led HIV prevention project in India, has engaged with the unequal social relations in which it is embedded. Our ethnographic study is based on observation of the Project's participatory activities and 39 interviews with a range of its stakeholders (including sex worker employees of the Project, non-sex-worker development professionals, brothel managers, sex workers' clients). The analysis shows that the project is deeply shaped by its relationships with non-sex-worker interest groups. In order to be permitted access to the red light district, it has had to accommodate the interests of local men's clubs and brothel managers. The economic and organisational capacity to run such a project has depended upon the direct input of development professionals and funding agencies. Thus, the 'community' that leads this project is much wider than a local grouping of marginalised sex workers. We argue that, given existing power relations, the engagement with other interest groups was necessary to the project's success. Moreover, as the project has developed, sex workers' interests and leadership have gained increasing prominence. We suggest that existing optimistic expectations of participation inhibit acknowledgement of the troubling work of balancing power relations. Rather than denying such power relations, projects should be expected to plan for them.

How to enhance public health service utilization in community pharmacy?: general public and health providers' perspectives.

PubMed

Saramunee, Kritsanee; Krska, Janet; Mackridge, Adam; Richards, Jacqueline; Suttajit, Siritree; Phillips-Howard, Penelope

2014-01-01

Community pharmacists (PHs) in England are increasingly providing a range of public health services. However, the general public view pharmacists as drug experts and not experts in health, and therefore, services may be underutilized. To explore experiences and views of 4 groups of participants, the general public, PHs, general practitioners (GPs), and other stakeholders (STs) on pharmacy-based public health services, and identify potential factors affecting service use. The study was undertaken in a locality of North West England. Three focus groups were conducted with the general public (n=16), grouped by socioeconomic status. Fourteen semistructured interviews were undertaken with PHs (n=9), GPs (n=2), and STs (n=3). Discussions/interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically. All 4 groups of participants agreed that community pharmacies are a good source of advice on medicines and minor ailments but were less supportive of public health services. Six factors were identified affecting utilization of pharmacy services: community pharmacy environment, pharmacist and support staff, service publicity, general public, GP services, and health care system and policies. Crucial obstacles that could inhibit service utilization are perceptions of both the general public and other health providers toward pharmacists' competencies, privacy and confidentiality in pharmacies, high dispensing workload, and inadequate financial support. Networking between local health professionals could enhance confidence in service delivery, general awareness, and thus utilization. Community pharmacy has the potential to deliver public health services, although the impact on public health may be limited. Addressing the factors identified could help to increase utilization and impact of pharmacy public health services. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differences in pollination success between local and foreign flower color phenotypes: a translocation experiment with Gentiana lutea (Gentianaceae).

PubMed

Guitián, Javier A; Sobral, Mar; Veiga, Tania; Losada, María; Guitián, Pablo; Guitián, José M

2017-01-01

The adaptive maintenance of flower color variation is frequently attributed to pollinators partly because they preferentially visit certain flower phenotypes. We tested whether Gentiana lutea -which shows a flower color variation (from orange to yellow) in the Cantabrian Mountains range (north of Spain)-is locally adapted to the pollinator community. We transplanted orange-flowering individuals to a population with yellow-flowering individuals and vice versa, in order to assess whether there is a pollination advantage in the local morph by comparing its visitation rate with the foreign morph. Our reciprocal transplant experiment did not show clear local morph advantage in overall visitation rate: local orange flowers received more visits than foreign yellow flowers in the orange population, while both local and foreign flowers received the same visits in the yellow population; thus, there is no evidence of local adaptation in Gentiana lutea to the pollinator assemblage. However, some floral visitor groups (such as Bombus pratorum , B. soroensis ancaricus and B. lapidarius decipiens ) consistently preferred the local morph to the foreign morph whereas others (such as Bombus terrestris ) consistently preferred the foreign morph. We concluded that there is no evidence of local adaptation to the pollinator community in each of the two G. lutea populations studied. The consequences for local adaptation to pollinator on G. lutea flower color would depend on the variation along the Cantabrian Mountains range in morph frequency and pollinator community composition.

Differences in pollination success between local and foreign flower color phenotypes: a translocation experiment with Gentiana lutea (Gentianaceae)

PubMed Central

Sobral, Mar; Veiga, Tania; Guitián, Pablo; Guitián, José M.

2017-01-01

Background The adaptive maintenance of flower color variation is frequently attributed to pollinators partly because they preferentially visit certain flower phenotypes. We tested whether Gentiana lutea—which shows a flower color variation (from orange to yellow) in the Cantabrian Mountains range (north of Spain)—is locally adapted to the pollinator community. Methods We transplanted orange-flowering individuals to a population with yellow-flowering individuals and vice versa, in order to assess whether there is a pollination advantage in the local morph by comparing its visitation rate with the foreign morph. Results Our reciprocal transplant experiment did not show clear local morph advantage in overall visitation rate: local orange flowers received more visits than foreign yellow flowers in the orange population, while both local and foreign flowers received the same visits in the yellow population; thus, there is no evidence of local adaptation in Gentiana lutea to the pollinator assemblage. However, some floral visitor groups (such as Bombus pratorum, B. soroensis ancaricus and B. lapidarius decipiens) consistently preferred the local morph to the foreign morph whereas others (such as Bombus terrestris) consistently preferred the foreign morph. Discussion We concluded that there is no evidence of local adaptation to the pollinator community in each of the two G. lutea populations studied. The consequences for local adaptation to pollinator on G. lutea flower color would depend on the variation along the Cantabrian Mountains range in morph frequency and pollinator community composition. PMID:28194308

Persuading, protesting and exchanging favours: strategies used by Indian sex workers to win local support for their HIV prevention programmes.

PubMed

Cornish, Flora; Shukla, Anuprita; Banerji, Riddhi

2010-01-01

Given that the communities which are most vulnerable to HIV often have little control over their own lives and their health-related behaviour, HIV prevention policies increasingly recommend that HIV prevention projects work to build relationships with powerful external groups (i.e., build "bridging social capital"). To aid conceptualisation of how community organisations may build such social capital, this paper outlines a typology of strategies for influencing local stakeholders. We present a study of two successful Indian sex workers' organisations, VAMP and DMSC, focusing on how the organisations have influenced three groups of stakeholders, namely police, politicians and local social organisations. Interviews with project employees (45), with representatives of the three groups of stakeholders (12) and fieldwork diaries recording 6 months of observation in each site provide the data. Three approaches emerged. "Persuading" refers to the practice of holding information-giving meetings with stakeholders and requesting their support. It appears to build "weak social ties". "Protesting" entails a collective confrontation with stakeholders, and appears to be useful when the stakeholder has a public image to protect that would be tarnished by protest, and when the protestors can stake a legitimate claim that their rights are being denied. In "exchanging favours", the sex workers' organisations find creative ways to position themselves as offering valued resources to their stakeholders (such as useful information on criminal activities for the police, a stage and audience for politicians or a celebration for local social organisations) as incentives for their support. In conclusion, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, the implications for social capital theorising and implications for community HIV prevention.

Engaging women from South Asian communities in cardiac rehabilitation.

PubMed

Vishram, S; Crosland, A; Unsworth, J; Long, S

2007-01-01

This study sought to describe experiences and perceptions of cardiac rehabilitation among a sample of women from South Asian communities. Data were collected via eight semi-structured interviews with staff and a focus group discussion with nine clients from a community-based, culturally sensitive cardiac rehabilitation service. A number of individual, cultural and practical barriers to participation were identified. Facilitators centred on whether the format and content of the sessions could be considered "appropriate". For example, a women's dance group proved to be successful through the selection of a familiar local venue, supportive session leader, and activity that was felt to be both enjoyable and beneficial. This study has shown that it is possible to engage hard-to-reach groups in cardiac rehabilitation and physical activity. Further work is needed to explore whether this research is applicable in other ethnic groups and whether the lessons learned could be successfully incorporated into mainstream health services.

Beliefs about feeding practices and nutrition for children with disabilities among families in Dharavi, Mumbai.

PubMed

Yousafzai, Aisha K; Pagedar, Sunita; Wirz, Sheila; Filteau, Suzanne

2003-03-01

Attitudes arise from specific experiences and emotions driven by cultural beliefs. An understanding of societal constructs regarding disability in a given culture contributes to developing strategies to meet the needs of children with disabilities by providing culturally competent services. In 1999, a series of focus-group discussions were conducted with families in a low-income community in Mumbai, India to collect qualitative information on the knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) regarding disability, feeding and nutrition to facilitate the development of an intervention to improve the nutritional well-being of children with disabilities. The KSA of this population of poor families has seldom been directly examined. The specific objectives of this study were (i) to describe the experiences of families with young disabled children in the local community; (ii) to identify the nutritional and feeding needs of children with disabilities; and (iii) to identify any service, environmental or attitudinal barriers to acquiring an adequate nutritional status. Content analysis of concepts in the focus groups identified four emerging themes: (i) acceptance of disability; (ii) services and needs; (iii) future; and (iv) food and nutrition. The focus-group findings enabled a broader understanding of attitudes towards disability within this population, which can have an impact on the care of the child. The findings provided insights into the content of the intervention to be helpful for local families incorporating an understanding of the cultural background of the local community that must be included alongside our understanding of the feeding impairment.

Evaluation of a community-based training to promote responsible self-medication in East Java, Indonesia.

PubMed

Setiadi, Adji P; Wibowo, Yosi; Setiawan, Eko; Presley, Bobby; Mulyono, Ika; Wardhani, Ari S; Sunderland, Bruce

2018-05-24

To explore pharmacist/pharmacy staff trainers' perspectives on conducting community-based training to promote responsible self-medication, and to evaluate knowledge gained among community representatives participating in the training. Training was conducted in four districts/cities in East Java, Indonesia in 2016. A pre-test/post-test study was used to evaluate the knowledge of 129 community representatives (participants) before/after the training; pre-test and post-test scores as well as absolute gain were determined. Four focus group discussions with 20 pharmacist/pharmacy staff (trainers) were conducted after the training, and the data were thematically analysed. Overall mean test scores for community representatives significantly improved from 14.11 to 15.70 after the training (P < 0.001). The average total absolute gain was 1.85 (95% CI 1.29 to 2.39). To reach local communities, trainers suggested improvements to the content and structure of the module, training aids, trainer competency, approach and time allocation. Community-based training provides a potential strategy to improve community knowledge of medications. Findings from this study should inform strategies for a broader uptake amongst local communities in Indonesia. © 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Reducing inequalities in health and access to health care in a rural Indian community: an India-Canada collaborative action research project.

PubMed

Haddad, Slim; Narayana, Delampady; Mohindra, Ks

2011-11-08

Inadequate public action in vulnerable communities is a major constraint for the health of poor and marginalized groups in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The south Indian state of Kerala, known for relatively equitable provision of public resources, is no exception to the marginalization of vulnerable communities. In Kerala, women's lives are constrained by gender-based inequalities and certain indigenous groups are marginalized such that their health and welfare lag behind other social groups. The goal of this socially-engaged, action-research initiative was to reduce social inequalities in access to health care in a rural community. Specific objectives were: 1) design and implement a community-based health insurance scheme to reduce financial barriers to health care, 2) strengthen local governance in monitoring and evidence-based decision-making, and 3) develop an evidence base for appropriate health interventions. Health and social inequities have been masked by Kerala's overall progress. Key findings illustrated large inequalities between different social groups. Particularly disadvantaged are lower-caste women and Paniyas (a marginalized indigenous group), for whom inequalities exist across education, employment status, landholdings, and health. The most vulnerable populations are the least likely to receive state support, which has broader implications for the entire country. A community based health solidarity scheme (SNEHA), under the leadership of local women, was developed and implemented yielding some benefits to health equity in the community-although inclusion of the Paniyas has been a challenge. The Canadian-Indian action research team has worked collaboratively for over a decade. An initial focus on surveys and data analysis has transformed into a focus on socially engaged, participatory action research. Adapting to unanticipated external forces, maintaining a strong team in the rural village, retaining human resources capable of analyzing the data, and encouraging Paniya participation in the health insurance scheme were challenges. Successes were at least partially enabled by the length of the funding (this was a two-phase project over an eight year period).

Community perspectives on the determinants of maternal health in rural southern Mozambique: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Firoz, Tabassum; Vidler, Marianne; Makanga, Prestige Tatenda; Boene, Helena; Chiaú, Rogério; Sevene, Esperança; Magee, Laura A; von Dadelszen, Peter; Munguambe, Khátia

2016-09-30

Mozambique has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The main influences on maternal health encompass social, economic, political, environmental and cultural determinants of health. To effectively address maternal mortality in the post-2015 agenda, interventions need to consider the determinants of health so that their delivery is not limited to the health sector. The objective of this exploratory qualitative study was to identify key community groups' perspectives on the perceived determinants of maternal health in rural areas of southern Mozambique. Eleven focus group discussions were conducted with women of reproductive age, pregnant women, matrons, male partners, community leaders and health workers. Participants were recruited using sampling techniques of convenience and snow balling. Focus groups had an average of nine participants each. The heads of 12 administrative posts were also interviewed to understand the local context. Data were coded and analysed thematically using NVivo software. A broad range of political, economic, socio-cultural and environmental determinants of maternal health were identified by community representatives. It was perceived that the civil war has resulted in local unemployment and poverty that had a number of downstream effects including lack of funds for accessing medical care and transport, and influence on socio-cultural determinants, particularly gender relations that disadvantaged women. Socio-cultural determinants included intimate partner violence toward women, and strained relationships with in-laws and co-spouses. Social relationships were complex as there were both negative and positive impacts on maternal health. Environmental determinants included natural disasters and poor access to roads and transport exacerbated by the wet season and subsequent flooding. In rural southern Mozambique, community perceptions of the determinants of maternal health included political, economic, socio-cultural and environmental factors. These determinants were closely linked with one another and highlight the importance of including the local history, context, culture and geography in the design of maternal health programs.

The “Bringing into Cultivation” Phase of the Plant Domestication Process and Its Contributions to In Situ Conservation of Genetic Resources in Benin

PubMed Central

Vodouhè, R.; Dansi, A.

2012-01-01

All over the world, plant domestication is continually being carried out by local communities to support their needs for food, fibre, medicine, building materials, etc. Using participatory rapid appraisal approach, 150 households were surveyed in 5 villages selected in five ethnic groups of Benin, to investigate the local communities' motivations for plant domestication and the contributions of this process to in situ conservation of genetic resources. The results indicated differences in plant domestication between agroecological zones and among ethnic groups. People in the humid zones give priority to herbs mainly for their leaves while those in dry area prefer trees mostly for their fruits. Local communities were motivated to undertake plant domestication for foods (80% of respondents), medicinal use (40% of respondents), income generation (20% of respondents) and cultural reasons (5% of respondents). 45% of the species recorded are still at early stage in domestication and only 2% are fully domesticated. Eleven factors related to the households surveyed and to the head of the household interviewed affect farmers' decision making in domesticating plant species. There is gender influence on the domestication: Women are keen in domesticating herbs while men give priority to trees. PMID:22693431

Experiences and perceptions of culturally and linguistically diverse family carers of people with dementia.

PubMed

Boughtwood, Desiree Leone; Adams, Jon; Shanley, Chris; Santalucia, Yvonne; Kyriazopoulos, Helena

2011-06-01

Dementia incidence rates are rapidly increasing among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australians, and there is very little local research to inform practice. In response, a qualitative study employing focus group methods was undertaken with carers from 4 CALD communities-Arabic-speaking, Chinese-speaking, Italian-speaking and, Spanish-speaking. The study examined the experiences and perceptions of these family carers with regard to their caregiving for a person living with dementia (PLWD). Analysis revealed that while considerable similarities exist across the experiences and perceptions of carers from all 4 CALD communities, there were nevertheless some important distinctions across the different groups. These study findings have significant implications for those working with CALD communities.

Community-centered responses to Ebola in urban Liberia: the view from below.

PubMed

Abramowitz, Sharon Alane; McLean, Kristen E; McKune, Sarah Lindley; Bardosh, Kevin Louis; Fallah, Mosoka; Monger, Josephine; Tehoungue, Kodjo; Omidian, Patricia A

2015-04-01

The West African Ebola epidemic has demonstrated that the existing range of medical and epidemiological responses to emerging disease outbreaks is insufficient, especially in post-conflict contexts with exceedingly poor healthcare infrastructures. In this context, community-based responses have proven vital for containing Ebola virus disease (EVD) and shifting the epidemic curve. Despite a surge in interest in local innovations that effectively contained the epidemic, the mechanisms for community-based response remain unclear. This study provides baseline information on community-based epidemic control priorities and identifies innovative local strategies for containing EVD in Liberia. This study was conducted in September 2014 in 15 communities in Monrovia and Montserrado County, Liberia--one of the epicenters of the Ebola outbreak. Findings from 15 focus group discussions with 386 community leaders identified strategies being undertaken and recommendations for what a community-based response to Ebola should look like under then-existing conditions. Data were collected on the following topics: prevention, surveillance, care-giving, community-based treatment and support, networks and hotlines, response teams, Ebola treatment units (ETUs) and hospitals, the management of corpses, quarantine and isolation, orphans, memorialization, and the need for community-based training and education. Findings have been presented as community-based strategies and recommendations for (1) prevention, (2) treatment and response, and (3) community sequelae and recovery. Several models for community-based management of the current Ebola outbreak were proposed. Additional findings indicate positive attitudes towards early Ebola survivors, and the need for community-based psychosocial support. Local communities' strategies and recommendations give insight into how urban Liberian communities contained the EVD outbreak while navigating the systemic failures of the initial state and international response. Communities in urban Liberia adapted to the epidemic using multiple coping strategies. In the absence of health, infrastructural and material supports, local people engaged in self-reliance in order to contain the epidemic at the micro-social level. These innovations were regarded as necessary, but as less desirable than a well-supported health-systems based response; and were seen as involving considerable individual, social, and public health costs, including heightened vulnerability to infection.

Primary socialization theory. The influence of the community on drug use and deviance. III.

PubMed

Oetting, E R; Donnermeyer, J F; Deffenbacher, J L

1998-06-01

Primary socialization theory states that drug use and deviance are social behaviors learned predominantly through three sources, the family, the school, and peer clusters. This paper shows that the theory provides a parsimonious explanation of how characteristics of both the local community and the larger extended community influence drug use and deviance. These characteristics affect deviance because they either strengthen or weaken bonding with the three primary socialization sources, or affect the norms that are transmitted through the primary socialization process. The paper considers the following social structure characteristics of the local neighborhood or community: physical characteristics, rurality, ethnicity, heterogeneity, occupational type, mobility, poverty, neighborhood deviance, and age distribution. It also examines how other secondary socialization sources, the extended family, associational groups, religion, the peer environment, and the media influence the primary socialization process and, in turn, drug use and deviance.

Community-Based Research among Marginalized HIV Populations: Issues of Support, Resources, and Empowerment

PubMed Central

Brondani, Mario; Moniri, Nardin R.; Kerston, R. Paul

2012-01-01

A research question was posed to us by a local HIV-resource organization interested in exploring the educational and service needs of those unreached. In order to properly address this inquiry, we developed a community-based participatory research by training peer-led volunteers to facilitate focus-group discussions within Aboriginal and refugees participants following an interview guide. We gathered Aboriginal people and refugees separated into three focus groups each, enrolling a total of 41 self-identified HIV-positive, 38 males. The discussions were tape recorded upon consent and lasted between 59 and 118 minutes. We analyzed the thematic information collected interactively through constant comparison. The qualitative data leading to categories, codes, and themes formed the basis for the spatial representation of a conceptual mapping. Both groups shared similar struggles in living with HIV and in properly accessing local nonmedical HIV resources and discussed their concerns towards the need for empowerment and support to take control of their health. PMID:22997513

Collaborative Public Health Investigation of Clenbuterol-Adulterated Heroin Outbreak-Richmond, Virginia, March-April 2015.

PubMed

Gleason, Brigette; West, Angela; Avula, Danny; Utah, Okey; Vogt, Marshall; Cumpston, Kirk; Kelly, Michael; Brasler, Paul; Wyatt, Shane; Forlano, Laurie

In March 2015, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) was alerted by the Virginia Poison Center of a 6-patient cluster treated for severe clinical presentations after using heroin. Patients' symptoms were atypical for heroin use, and concern existed that patients were exposed to heroin that had been adulterated with or replaced by another substance. To understand the extent and characterization of the outbreak and implement response measures to prevent further cases. The purpose of this report is to highlight the collaborative nature of a public health investigation among a diverse group of stakeholders. Active surveillance and retrospective case finding. Richmond metro area community and hospitals. Regional poison centers, the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, community partners, local law enforcement, and multiple VDH divisions. Outbreak investigation, communication to public health professionals, clinicians, and the community, and liaising with the local law enforcement. Outbreak control. Laboratory confirmation of clenbuterol in clinical specimens implicated it as the heroin adulterant. Thirteen patients met clinical and epidemiologic criteria for exposure to clenbuterol-adulterated heroin. All patients were associated with a localized area within Richmond, and patient interviews elucidated heroin supplier information. VDH collaborated with local law enforcement agents who investigated and arrested the supplier, leading to cessation of the outbreak. This outbreak highlights the value of policies and practices that support an integrated outbreak response among public health practitioners, poison center staff, laboratorians, clinicians, law enforcement agents, community groups, and other agencies. Collaboration enabled implementation of effective control measures-including those outside the purview of the health department-and should be standard practice in future outbreaks involving illicit substances.

Staff Handbook on Natural Gas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorges, H. A., Ed.; Raine, L. P., Ed.

The Department of Commerce created a Natural Gas Action Group early in the fall of 1975 to assist industrial firms and the communities they serve to cope with the effects of potentially severe and crippling curtailment situations. This action group was trained to assess a specific local situation, review the potential for remedial action and…

Fugitive and Codified Knowledge: Implications for Communities Struggling to Control the Meaning of Local Environmental Hazards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Robert

2004-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative research was to determine the ways that knowledge is constructed and used by emergent citizen's groups (ECGs are grassroots, action-oriented, problem-solving groups) engaged in environmental conflicts, and by a state government environmental regulatory agency that interfaced with them. Four…

Peer Perspective. Volume 5, Number 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Organization for Women, Washington, DC. Project on Equal Education Rights.

Concerned with the sex equity of college athletic programs, this newsletter focuses on (1) a large group of colleges lobbying against Title IX and seeking cutbacks on sports coverage, (2) the mobilization of community groups seeking sex equity in local schools in Michigan and North Carolina, (3) new guidelines for eliminating sex discrimination in…

Narratives of Violence, Pathology, and Empowerment: Mental Health Needs Assessment of Home-Based Female Sex Workers in Rural India.

PubMed

Sardana, Srishti; Marcus, Marina; Verdeli, Helen

2016-08-01

This study explores the narratives of psychological distress and resilience among a group of female sex workers who use residential spaces to attend to clients in rural India. The narratives reflect the lived experiences of these women. They describe the women's reasons for opting into sex work; guilt, shame, and stigma related to their sex worker status; experiences with intimate partner and domestic violence; health-related problems; communication with their family members about their sex worker status; mental health referral practices among the women; and elements of resilience and strength that they experience within themselves and within their community of fellow sex workers. The article also offers elements of our own experiences of recruiting the women to participate in the focus group, training local outreach workers in conducting focus group discussions, and forging a collaboration with a local community-based organization to highlight important barriers, challenges, and strategies for planning a group-based discussion to explore the mental health needs of home-based sex workers. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Local Environmental Factors Drive Divergent Grassland Soil Bacterial Communities in the Western Swiss Alps

PubMed Central

Pinto-Figueroa, Eric; Buri, Aline; Spangenberg, Jorge E.; Adatte, Thierry; Guisan, Antoine; van der Meer, Jan Roelof

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Mountain ecosystems are characterized by a diverse range of climatic and topographic conditions over short distances and are known to shelter a high biodiversity. Despite important progress, still little is known on bacterial diversity in mountain areas. Here, we investigated soil bacterial biogeography at more than 100 sampling sites randomly stratified across a 700-km2 area with 2,200-m elevation gradient in the western Swiss Alps. Bacterial grassland communities were highly diverse, with 12,741 total operational taxonomic units (OTUs) across 100 sites and an average of 2,918 OTUs per site. Bacterial community structure was correlated with local climatic, topographic, and soil physicochemical parameters with high statistical significance. We found pH (correlated with % CaO and % mineral carbon), hydrogen index (correlated with bulk gravimetric water content), and annual average number of frost days during the growing season to be among the groups of the most important environmental drivers of bacterial community structure. In contrast, bacterial community structure was only weakly stratified as a function of elevation. Contrasting patterns were discovered for individual bacterial taxa. Acidobacteria responded both positively and negatively to pH extremes. Various families within the Bacteroidetes responded to available phosphorus levels. Different verrucomicrobial groups responded to electrical conductivity, total organic carbon, water content, and mineral carbon contents. Alpine grassland bacterial communities are thus highly diverse, which is likely due to the large variety of different environmental conditions. These results shed new light on the biodiversity of mountain ecosystems, which were already identified as potentially fragile to anthropogenic influences and climate change. IMPORTANCE This article addresses the question of how microbial communities in alpine regions are dependent on local climatic and soil physicochemical variables. We benefit from a unique 700-km2 study region in the western Swiss Alps region, which has been exhaustively studied for macro-organismal and fungal ecology, and for topoclimatic modeling of future ecological trends, but without taking into account soil bacterial diversity. Here, we present an in-depth biogeographical characterization of the bacterial community diversity in this alpine region across 100 randomly stratified sites, using 56 environmental variables. Our exhaustive sampling ensured the detection of ecological trends with high statistical robustness. Our data both confirm previously observed general trends and show many new detailed trends for a wide range of bacterial taxonomic groups and environmental parameters. PMID:27542929

Eliciting Students' Understanding of a Local Socioscientific Issue through the Use of Critical Response Pedagogies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karahan, Engin; Andzenge, Senenge T.; Roehrig, Gillian

2017-01-01

This study introduces a critical response pedagogy (CRP), an arts-based critical technique to facilitate meaningful dialogue in focus group settings, to secondary school science education students to engage them in discussion about sediment and chemical load in their local river basin community. Using a holistic single case design, twenty-two 11th…

Words have power: (re)-defining serious emotional disturbance for American Indian and Alaska Native children and their families.

PubMed

Simmons, Teisha M; Novins, Douglas K; Allen, James

2004-08-12

Circles of Care grantees were provided the opportunity to develop a locally relevant definition of serious emotional disturbance that would be used to define what type of emotional, behavioral, and mental disability would be required to receive services. After conducting detailed assessments of the definition in the guidance for applicants GFA and the definitions used by others in their respective states, seven of the nine grantees developed their own local, project-specific definitions through the participation of community focus groups and Advisory Councils. The six definitions for SED developed by rural grantees all included American Indian and Alaska Native concepts specific to each tribal community's culture; the urban grantee's definition was purposely focused for reaching out to non-professional members of the community. This opportunity for the communities to redefine SED not only provided each community with a definition which would be more culturally specific, but also proved to be an extraordinarily exercise in empowerment and self-determination.

Titling indigenous communities protects forests in the Peruvian Amazon.

PubMed

Blackman, Allen; Corral, Leonardo; Lima, Eirivelthon Santos; Asner, Gregory P

2017-04-18

Developing countries are increasingly decentralizing forest governance by granting indigenous groups and other local communities formal legal title to land. However, the effects of titling on forest cover are unclear. Rigorous analyses of titling campaigns are rare, and related theoretical and empirical research suggests that they could either stem or spur forest damage. We analyze such a campaign in the Peruvian Amazon, where more than 1,200 indigenous communities comprising some 11 million ha have been titled since the mid-1970s. We use community-level longitudinal data derived from high-resolution satellite images to estimate the effect of titling between 2002 and 2005 on contemporaneous forest clearing and disturbance. Our results indicate that titling reduces clearing by more than three-quarters and forest disturbance by roughly two-thirds in a 2-y window spanning the year title is awarded and the year afterward. These results suggest that awarding formal land titles to local communities can advance forest conservation.

Titling indigenous communities protects forests in the Peruvian Amazon

PubMed Central

Blackman, Allen; Corral, Leonardo; Lima, Eirivelthon Santos; Asner, Gregory P.

2017-01-01

Developing countries are increasingly decentralizing forest governance by granting indigenous groups and other local communities formal legal title to land. However, the effects of titling on forest cover are unclear. Rigorous analyses of titling campaigns are rare, and related theoretical and empirical research suggests that they could either stem or spur forest damage. We analyze such a campaign in the Peruvian Amazon, where more than 1,200 indigenous communities comprising some 11 million ha have been titled since the mid-1970s. We use community-level longitudinal data derived from high-resolution satellite images to estimate the effect of titling between 2002 and 2005 on contemporaneous forest clearing and disturbance. Our results indicate that titling reduces clearing by more than three-quarters and forest disturbance by roughly two-thirds in a 2-y window spanning the year title is awarded and the year afterward. These results suggest that awarding formal land titles to local communities can advance forest conservation. PMID:28373565

Community-Centered Responses to Ebola in Urban Liberia: The View from Below

PubMed Central

Abramowitz, Sharon Alane; McLean, Kristen E.; McKune, Sarah Lindley; Bardosh, Kevin Louis; Fallah, Mosoka; Monger, Josephine; Tehoungue, Kodjo; Omidian, Patricia A.

2015-01-01

Background The West African Ebola epidemic has demonstrated that the existing range of medical and epidemiological responses to emerging disease outbreaks is insufficient, especially in post-conflict contexts with exceedingly poor healthcare infrastructures. In this context, community-based responses have proven vital for containing Ebola virus disease (EVD) and shifting the epidemic curve. Despite a surge in interest in local innovations that effectively contained the epidemic, the mechanisms for community-based response remain unclear. This study provides baseline information on community-based epidemic control priorities and identifies innovative local strategies for containing EVD in Liberia. Methodology/Principal Findings This study was conducted in September 2014 in 15 communities in Monrovia and Montserrado County, Liberia – one of the epicenters of the Ebola outbreak. Findings from 15 focus group discussions with 386 community leaders identified strategies being undertaken and recommendations for what a community-based response to Ebola should look like under then-existing conditions. Data were collected on the following topics: prevention, surveillance, care-giving, community-based treatment and support, networks and hotlines, response teams, Ebola treatment units (ETUs) and hospitals, the management of corpses, quarantine and isolation, orphans, memorialization, and the need for community-based training and education. Findings have been presented as community-based strategies and recommendations for (1) prevention, (2) treatment and response, and (3) community sequelae and recovery. Several models for community-based management of the current Ebola outbreak were proposed. Additional findings indicate positive attitudes towards early Ebola survivors, and the need for community-based psychosocial support. Conclusions/Significance Local communities’ strategies and recommendations give insight into how urban Liberian communities contained the EVD outbreak while navigating the systemic failures of the initial state and international response. Communities in urban Liberia adapted to the epidemic using multiple coping strategies. In the absence of health, infrastructural and material supports, local people engaged in self-reliance in order to contain the epidemic at the micro-social level. These innovations were regarded as necessary, but as less desirable than a well-supported health-systems based response; and were seen as involving considerable individual, social, and public health costs, including heightened vulnerability to infection. PMID:25856072

Environmental attitudes of stakeholders and their perceptions regarding protected area-community conflicts: a case study in China.

PubMed

Liu, Jing; Ouyang, Zhiyun; Miao, Hong

2010-11-01

Large numbers of people living in and around protected areas are highly dependent on the natural resources. However, simply excluding them from the area management has always inevitably resulted in conflicts. We conducted a case study of the Protected Area of Jinyun Mountain (PJM) in China to evaluate social context variables, environmental attitudes, and perceptions regarding protected area-community conflicts. Data were collected through questionnaire surveys administered to four stakeholder groups (i.e. local farmers, government staff, business persons, and tourists). A total of 112 questionnaires were completed in December 2008, after the Sichuan Earthquake. The questionnaire consisted of three parts, social context (gender, race, age, income, and education level), protected area-community conflicts, and environmental attitudes. The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scores, which were employed to evaluate environmental attitudes, differed significantly among the stakeholder groups (P<0.01). Specifically, government staff reported the highest and business persons did the lowest. Among the five items evaluated, anti-exemptionalism received the lowest score, while nature's balance did the highest. Evaluation of the protected area-community relationship indicated that harmony and conflict both exist in the PJM, but have different forms among different stakeholders, and seem to be opposite between government staff and local farmers. Among the indexes, tourism primarily contributed to the harmonious aspect, while collection of NTFPs did to the conflicting one. Conflict scores were positively related to age and negatively related to education level. Respondents with higher NEP scores were more partial to the park management. Besides, the respondents with higher annual incomes tended to support the policy of harmonizing the relationship and lessening the harm of local communities to the area. To promote proenvironmental attitudes and alleviate the protected area-community conflicts, we recommend improving environmental education, establishing community co-management, and launching substitute sources of cash for traditional cultivation. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Warrants for major traffic generator guide signing.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-09-01

Major traffic generators (MTGs) are important regional attractions, events, or facilities that attract persons or groups from beyond a local community, city, or metropolitan area. MTGs are significant because of their unique educational, cultural, hi...

Energy recovery from solid waste. [production engineering model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dalton, C.; Huang, C. J.

1974-01-01

A recent group study on the problem of solid waste disposal provided a decision making model for a community to use in determining the future for its solid waste. The model is a combination of the following factors: technology, legal, social, political, economic and environmental. An assessment of local or community needs determines what form of energy recovery is desirable. A market for low pressure steam or hot water would direct a community to recover energy from solid waste by incineration to generate steam. A fuel gas could be produced by a process known as pyrolysis if there is a local market for a low heating value gaseous fuel. Solid waste can also be used directly as a fuel supplemental to coal in a steam generator. An evaluation of these various processes is made.

The long term importance of English primary care groups for integration in primary health care and deinstitutionalisation of hospital care.

PubMed

Goodwin, N

2001-01-01

This article reviews the impact of successive experiments in the development of primary care organisations in England and assesses the long-term importance of English primary care groups for the integration of health and community and health and social care and the deinstitutionalisation of hospital care. Governments in a number of Western countries are attempting to improve the efficiency, appropriateness and equity of their health systems. One of the main ways of doing this is to devolve provision and commissioning responsibility from national and regional organisations to more local agencies based in primary care. Such primary care organisations are allocated budgets that span both primary and secondary (hospital) services and also, potentially, social care. This article is based on a systematic review of the literature forthcoming from the UK Government's Department of Health-funded evaluations of successive primary care organisational developments. These include total purchasing pilots, GP commissioning group pilots, personal medical services pilots and primary care groups and trusts. Primary care organisations in England have proved to be a catalyst in facilitating the development of integrated care working between primary and community health services. Conversely, primary care organisations have proved less effective in promoting integration between health and social care agencies where most progress has been made at the strategic commissioning level. The development of primary care trusts in England is heralding an end to traditional community hospitals. The development of primary care groups in England are but an intermediate step of a policy progression towards future primary care-based organisations that will functionally integrate primary and community health services with local authority services under a single management umbrella.

Connecting local support: A qualitative study exploring the role of voluntary organisations in long-term condition management.

PubMed

Morris, Rebecca; Kirk, Susan; Kennedy, Anne; Vassilev, Ivaylo; Mathieson, Amy; Jeffries, Mark; Blickem, Christian; Brooks, Helen; Sanders, Caroline; Rogers, Anne

2015-06-01

To examine the role of community groups to support people living with long-term conditions and the organisational factors that influence this role. Thirty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted with voluntary group organisers purposefully sampled in Greater Manchester from a local database of community groups. Interviews explored the organisations role in supporting people living with a long-term condition, their social networks and the origins of the groups. Respondents' construed their role in supporting individual capacity for management either explicitly (e.g. providing exercise) or implicitly (e.g. emotional support). This role was influenced by a combination of group ideology, funding and social networks. Analysis highlights the role of the non-clinical setting, the social support provided within the group, as well as organisational processes that influenced their capacity to support people living with long-term conditions. By examining the organisation of voluntary groups, this study highlights the way in which they may support or constrain access to an extended range of support for people with long-term conditions. This paper has implications for commissioning of services by the health service from the third sector because of the differing ideological perspectives and limited operational capacity. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Evaluation of the implementation of an intervention to improve the street environment and promote walking for transport in deprived neighbourhoods.

PubMed

Adams, Emma J; Cavill, Nick; Sherar, Lauren B

2017-08-14

Levels of physical activity remain low, particularly in deprived areas. Improving the street environment to promote walking for transport using a community engagement approach is a potential strategy to increase physical activity. An understanding of the implementation of this intervention approach is needed to facilitate further research, replication and scale-up. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of the Fitter for Walking (FFW) intervention in deprived neighbourhoods. FFW was delivered in five regions of England between August 2008 and March 2012 and aimed to use a community engagement approach to improve the street environment to promote walking for transport. Implementation was assessed in relation to reach; dosage; implementation processes and adaptation; and factors influencing implementation. Three data sources were used: focus groups and face-to-face interviews with coordinators; implementation logs; and participation records. Reach: 155 community groups participated in FFW engaging 30,230 local residents. Dosage: A wide variety of environmental improvements were implemented by local authorities (LAs) (42 projects) and by communities (46 projects). Examples of LA-led improvements included removal of encroaching vegetation, new/improved pedestrian signage, new dropped kerbs/kerb improvements and new, repaired or improved footpaths. Examples of community-led improvements included planting bulbs, shrubs or bedding plants, clean-up days and litter pick-ups. In 32 projects, no environmental improvements were implemented. Promotional and awareness-raising activities were undertaken in 81 projects. Examples included led walks, themed walks, development of maps/resources to promote improved routes and community events. Processes and adaptation: The need for a planning phase, a preparatory phase, and a delivery phase with a four step process were identified. Adaptability to local context was important. Factors influencing implementation: Five key themes were identified in relation to the barriers and facilitators of implementing FFW: local knowledge and contacts; intervention delivery; coordinator role; working with LAs and other partners; and working with communities. FFW is one of few reported interventions which have used a community engagement approach to change the street environment to promote walking for transport in deprived neighbourhoods. Delivering these types of interventions is complex and requires considerable resource and time. A set of recommendations and an implementation framework are proposed for future delivery of this and similar types of programme.

[PECULIARITIES OF COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA IN CHILDREN WITH NEUROLOGICAL PATHOLOGY].

PubMed

Zubarenko, O; Kopiyka, G; Kravchenko, T; Koval, L; Gurienko, K

2017-06-01

Neurological disorders in children highly affect the course of pneumonia, its outcome and the development of possible complications. The aim of the study was to reveal clinical and paraclinical features of community-acquired pneumonia in younger children with neurologic pathology infantile cerebral palsy. Under observation were 37 children with community-acquired pneumonia aged 1 to 3 years that suffered from spastic forms of infantile cerebral palsy. The comparison group consisted of 30 children with community-acquired pneumonia without any concomitant neurological pathology. The age of the children in the comparison and study groups was the same. The results of the study show that the presence of infantile cerebral palsy allow to relate the child to the risk group of respiratory pathology development. The course of community-acquired pneumonia in children affected by infantile cerebral palsy is characterized by rapid progression of symptoms and severity of the condition, and the clinical picture also has a number of characteristic features. Thus, cough, local physical data, classical laboratory signs of inflammation in the form of leukocytosis with neutrophil shift were noticed significantly less often in children with infantile cerebral palsy. The debut of the disease was often accompanied by bronchial obstruction, the inflammatory process was localized in the lower parts of the lungs and often matched the side of the neurologically affected part of the body. Children with cerebral palsy required a longer hospital-stay and a prolonged course of antibiotic therapy. Therefore, the risk of pneumonia in children with infantile cerebral palsy should be taken into account at the primary stage of medical care for the creation of preventive programs.

Parent, Teacher, and School Stakeholder Perspectives on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programming for Latino Youth.

PubMed

Johnson-Motoyama, Michelle; Moses, Mindi; Kann, Tiffany Koloroutis; Mariscal, E Susana; Levy, Michelle; Navarro, Carolina; Fite, Paula J

2016-12-01

Teen pregnancy remains a public health concern particularly among Latinos, whose pregnancy rate of 83.5 per 1000 girls constitutes one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among all ethnic and racial groups in the United States. To enhance the effectiveness of interventions for diverse Latino populations in the US, it is crucial to assess the community's understanding of the etiology of the problem of adolescent pregnancy and to implement programs that reflect the local community's beliefs and preferences. We present findings from six focus groups held with parents (n = 18), teachers (n = 23) and school stakeholders (n = 8) regarding teen pregnancy prevention among Latino youth at a high school located in a large, Midwestern city. Two investigators analyzed data iteratively using a template organizing approach. A consensus emerged across the groups regarding content that emphasized respect for oneself and one's family, a focus on personal and shared responsibility in reproductive health behavior, information about the "realities" or consequences associated with engaging in sexual activity, and information about contraceptives. The strong request from participants to include a parental education component reflects the community's belief that parents play a crucial, protective role in the socialization and development of adolescent sexual behavior, a view that is supported by empirical research. Findings highlight the importance of involving local school communities in identifying adolescent pregnancy prevention strategies that are responsive to the community's cultural values, beliefs, and preferences, as well as the school's capacity and teacher preferences.

Participatory planning of a primary care service for people with severe mental disorders in rural Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Mayston, Rosie; Alem, Atalay; Habtamu, Alehegn; Shibre, Teshome; Fekadu, Abebaw; Hanlon, Charlotte

2016-01-01

Little is understood about the feasibility and acceptability of primary care-based models of task-sharing care for people with severe mental disorders (SMDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A participatory planning approach was adopted in preparation for the transition from hospital-delivered psychiatric care for SMD to a primary care-based, task-sharing model in a rural Ethiopian community. In this article, we present findings from community consultation meetings (n = 4), focus group discussions (n = 7) and in-depth interviews (n = 11) with key stakeholders (healthcare administrators and providers, caregivers, service-users and community leaders) which were carried out over a 2-year period in the context of ongoing dialogue with the community. The principle of local delivery of mental health services was agreed upon by all stakeholder groups. Key reasons for supporting local delivery were increased access for the majority due to proximity, reduced cost and reduced stress related to transportation. However, acceptance of the new service was qualified by concerns about the competence of staff to deliver a comprehensive and dependable service of equal quality to that currently provided at the hospital. Adequate training and support, as well as ensuring consistency of medication supply were identified as key components to ensure success. Encouragingly, our results suggest that there is significant support for the service change and an interest for the mobilization of community resources to support this. One of the study strengths was that we were able to present the different perspectives of multiple stakeholder groups. By nesting the study in an ongoing community-based cohort of people with SMD we were able to interview a more representative and empowered group of caregivers and service users than is often available in LMICs. Despite this, the extent to which service-users are able to express their opinions is likely limited by their marginalized role in rural Ethiopian society. PMID:26282860

Diversity of key players in the microbial ecosystems of the human body

PubMed Central

Jordán, Ferenc; Lauria, Mario; Scotti, Marco; Nguyen, Thanh-Phuong; Praveen, Paurush; Morine, Melissa; Priami, Corrado

2015-01-01

Coexisting bacteria form various microbial communities in human body parts. In these ecosystems they interact in various ways and the properties of the interaction network can be related to the stability and functional diversity of the local bacterial community. In this study, we analyze the interaction network among bacterial OTUs in 11 locations of the human body. These belong to two major groups. One is the digestive system and the other is the female genital tract. In each local ecosystem we determine the key species, both the ones being in key positions in the interaction network and the ones that dominate by frequency. Beyond identifying the key players and discussing their biological relevance, we also quantify and compare the properties of the 11 networks. The interaction networks of the female genital system and the digestive system show totally different architecture. Both the topological properties and the identity of the key groups differ. Key groups represent four phyla of prokaryotes. Some groups appear in key positions in several locations, while others are assigned only to a single body part. The key groups of the digestive and the genital tracts are totally different. PMID:26514870

Diversity of key players in the microbial ecosystems of the human body.

PubMed

Jordán, Ferenc; Lauria, Mario; Scotti, Marco; Nguyen, Thanh-Phuong; Praveen, Paurush; Morine, Melissa; Priami, Corrado

2015-10-30

Coexisting bacteria form various microbial communities in human body parts. In these ecosystems they interact in various ways and the properties of the interaction network can be related to the stability and functional diversity of the local bacterial community. In this study, we analyze the interaction network among bacterial OTUs in 11 locations of the human body. These belong to two major groups. One is the digestive system and the other is the female genital tract. In each local ecosystem we determine the key species, both the ones being in key positions in the interaction network and the ones that dominate by frequency. Beyond identifying the key players and discussing their biological relevance, we also quantify and compare the properties of the 11 networks. The interaction networks of the female genital system and the digestive system show totally different architecture. Both the topological properties and the identity of the key groups differ. Key groups represent four phyla of prokaryotes. Some groups appear in key positions in several locations, while others are assigned only to a single body part. The key groups of the digestive and the genital tracts are totally different.

Inter-subject FDG PET Brain Networks Exhibit Multi-scale Community Structure with Different Normalization Techniques.

PubMed

Sperry, Megan M; Kartha, Sonia; Granquist, Eric J; Winkelstein, Beth A

2018-07-01

Inter-subject networks are used to model correlations between brain regions and are particularly useful for metabolic imaging techniques, like 18F-2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). Since FDG PET typically produces a single image, correlations cannot be calculated over time. Little focus has been placed on the basic properties of inter-subject networks and if they are affected by group size and image normalization. FDG PET images were acquired from rats (n = 18), normalized by whole brain, visual cortex, or cerebellar FDG uptake, and used to construct correlation matrices. Group size effects on network stability were investigated by systematically adding rats and evaluating local network connectivity (node strength and clustering coefficient). Modularity and community structure were also evaluated in the differently normalized networks to assess meso-scale network relationships. Local network properties are stable regardless of normalization region for groups of at least 10. Whole brain-normalized networks are more modular than visual cortex- or cerebellum-normalized network (p < 0.00001); however, community structure is similar at network resolutions where modularity differs most between brain and randomized networks. Hierarchical analysis reveals consistent modules at different scales and clustering of spatially-proximate brain regions. Findings suggest inter-subject FDG PET networks are stable for reasonable group sizes and exhibit multi-scale modularity.

Exploring new kinds of relationships using generative music-making software.

PubMed

Dillon, Steve; Jones, Anita

2009-08-01

This project focuses upon the use of jam2jam, a generative computer system, to increase access to improvization experiences for children and to facilitate new kinds of relationships with artists. The network jamming system uses visual and audio cultural materials to enable communities to be expressive with artistic materials that they value as a community. As the system is part of a network, performances can be shared between communities at great distances and recordings of performances can be uploaded to a digital social network (http://www.jam2jam.com/) and shared both locally and with the wider community. This paper examines a preliminary project where artwork made by Indigenous mental health clients in Far North Queensland was digitized and given to a group of 8-12-year-old urban Indigenous children to 'improvize' with and make music/video clips using the jam2jam instrument. It seeks to generate a discussion and identify applications within creative arts-led community health settings to facilitate new kinds of relationships with self, peers, local community, culture and artists through collaborative improvization.

[Policy networks combating hunger and poverty: the Solidarity Community strategy in Brazil].

PubMed

Burlandy, Luciene; Labra, Maria Eliana

2007-01-01

This paper analyzes a strategy deployed by the Brazilian Government for combating hunger and poverty: the Solidarity Community (1995-2003), particularly institutional mechanisms used to fine-tune targeting processes and allocate resources to the Food Stocks Distribution Program (PRODEA) and the Undernourished Child and High-Risk Pregnancy Program (PCDMI). Primary data were obtained through interviews with policy network players, including segments of government and society: nine Federal; six State and 82 from eight Municipalities in Rio de Janeiro state. Moving towards its goal of converging programs for the poorest municipalities, the Solidarity Community made them more visible to executive civil servants. The introduction of different sectors into the Solidarity Community network varied, according to the political clout and institutional capacity of each sector. The Solidarity Community strategy was: to negotiate criteria with Ministries for setting priorities and provide technical support and information for local governments, improving their skills for obtaining federal funding. The role of the Solidarity Community was thus limited at the local level, due to poor intersectoral networking and difficulties in monitoring program implementation and beneficiary selection processes, blunting its advantages for more vulnerable groups.

Community supported agriculture programs: a novel venue for theory-based health behavior change interventions.

PubMed

Wharton, Christopher M; Hughner, Renee Shaw; MacMillan, Lexi; Dumitrescu, Claudia

2015-01-01

Local foods programs such as community supported agriculture programs (CSAs) and farmers' markets have increased greatly in popularity. However, little research has been conducted regarding the effect of involvement in local foods programs on diet-related attitudes and behaviors. A series of focus groups was conducted to identify the motives that propel individuals to join a CSA, the experiences of belonging to a CSA, and the diet-related outcomes of CSA membership. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a framework to categorize findings, data suggest the potential of CSAs as a viable intervention strategy for promoting healthful diets and behaviors.

Innovation or 'Inventions'? The conflict between latent assumptions in marine aquaculture and local fishery.

PubMed

Martínez-Novo, Rodrigo; Lizcano, Emmánuel; Herrera-Racionero, Paloma; Miret-Pastor, Lluís

2018-02-01

Recent European policy highlights the need to promote local fishery and aquaculture by means of innovation and joint participation in fishery management as one of the keys to achieve the sustainability of our seas. However, the implicit assumptions held by the actors in the two main groups involved - innovators (scientists, businessmen and administration managers) and local fishermen - can complicate, perhaps even render impossible, mutual understanding and co-operation. A qualitative analysis of interviews with members of both groups in the Valencian Community (Spain) reveals those latent assumptions and their impact on the respective practices. The analysis shows that the innovation narrative in which one group is based and the inventions narrative used by the other one are rooted in two dramatically different, or even antagonistic, collective worldviews. Any environmental policy that implies these groups should take into account these strong discords.

Reach and effectiveness of an integrated community-based intervention on physical activity and healthy eating of older adults in a socioeconomically disadvantaged community

PubMed Central

Luten, Karla A.; Reijneveld, Sijmen A.; Dijkstra, Arie; de Winter, Andrea F.

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the reach and effectiveness of an integrated community-based intervention designed to promote physical activity and healthy eating among older adults in a socioeconomically disadvantaged community in the Netherlands. The intervention was evaluated with a controlled pre–post quasi-experimental design, with 430 randomly selected older adults participating in the intervention group and 213 in a control group at baseline. The intervention included a local media campaign and environmental approaches (e.g. community involvement) and was implemented during a 3-month high-intensity period, followed by a 6-month low-intensity one. Levels of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption were assessed at baseline and at 3 and 9 months after baseline. At the follow-up measurements, the intervention had reached respectively 68 and 69% of the participants in the intervention group. No significant differences were found between the intervention group and the control group in changes to any outcome except for transport-related PA at 3 and 9 months follow-up. The systematically developed community-based intervention reached a relatively large proportion of the participants, but had only small effects on the levels of physical activity and healthy eating in older adults in the short and medium term. PMID:26675175

Specific issues, exact locations: case study of a community mapping project to improve safety in a disadvantaged community.

PubMed

Qummouh, Rana; Rose, Vanessa; Hall, Pat

2012-12-01

Safety is a health issue and a significant concern in disadvantaged communities. This paper describes an example of community-initiated action to address perceptions of fear and safety in a suburb in south-west Sydney which led to the development of a local, community-driven research project. As a first step in developing community capacity to take action on issues of safety, a joint resident-agency group implemented a community safety mapping project to identify the extent of safety issues in the community and their exact geographical location. Two aerial maps of the suburb, measuring one metre by two metres, were placed on display at different locations for four months. Residents used coloured stickers to identify specific issues and exact locations where crime and safety were a concern. Residents identified 294 specific safety issues in the suburb, 41.9% (n=123) associated with public infrastructure, such as poor lighting and pathways, and 31.9% (n=94) associated with drug-related issues such as drug activity and discarded syringes. Good health promotion practice reflects community need. In a very practical sense, this project responded to community calls for action by mapping resident knowledge on specific safety issues and exact locations and presenting these maps to local decision makers for further action.

Exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and associated health risks of socio-economically disadvantaged population in a "hot spot" in Camden, New Jersey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xiangmei (May); Fan, Zhihua (Tina); Zhu, Xianlei; Jung, Kyung Hwa; Ohman-Strickland, Pamela; Weisel, Clifford P.; Lioy, Paul J.

2012-09-01

To address disparities in health risks associated with ambient air pollution for racial/ethnic minority groups, this study characterized personal and ambient concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a suspected hot spot of air pollution - the Village of Waterfront South (WFS), and an urban reference community - the Copewood/Davis Streets (CDS) neighborhood in Camden, New Jersey. Both are minority-dominant, impoverished communities. We collected 24-h integrated personal air samples from 54 WFS residents and 53 CDS residents, with one sample on a weekday and one on a weekend day during the summer and winter seasons of 2004-2006. Ambient air samples from the center of each community were also collected simultaneously during personal air sampling. Toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (TEX) presented higher (p < 0.05) ambient levels in WFS than in CDS, particularly during weekdays. A stronger association between personal and ambient concentrations of MTBE and TEX was found in WFS than in CDS. Fourteen to forty-two percent of the variation in personal MTBE, hexane, benzene, and TEX was explained by local outdoor air pollution. These observations indicated that local sources impacted the community air pollution and personal exposure in WFS. The estimated cancer risks resulting from two locally emitted VOCs, benzene and ethylbenzene, and non-cancer neurological and respiratory effects resulting from hexane, benzene, toluene, and xylenes exceeded the US EPA risk benchmarks in both communities. These findings emphasized the need to address disparity in health risks associated with ambient air pollution for the socio-economically disadvantaged groups. This study also demonstrated that air pollution hot spots similar to WFS can provide robust setting to investigate health effects of ambient air pollution.

Supporting youth wellbeing with a focus on eating well and being active: views from an Aboriginal community deliberative forum.

PubMed

Street, Jackie; Cox, Heather; Lopes, Edilene; Motlik, Jessie; Hanson, Lisa

2018-04-01

Including and prioritising community voice in policy development means policy is more likely to reflect community values and priorities. This project trialled and evaluated a storyboard approach in a deliberative community forum to engage Australian Aboriginal people in health policy priority setting. The forum was co-constructed with two Aboriginal community-controlled organisations. A circle storyboard was used to centre Aboriginal community knowledge and values and encourage the group to engage with broader perspectives and evidence. The forum asked a diverse (descriptively representative) group of Aboriginal people in a rural town what governments should do to support the wellbeing of children and youth, particularly to encourage them to eat well and be active. The storyboard provided a tactile device to allow shared stories and identification of community issues. The group identified policies they believed governments should prioritise, including strategies to combat racism and provide local supports and outlets for young people. An informed deliberative storyboard approach offers a novel way of engaging with Aboriginal communities in a culturally appropriate and inclusive manner. Implications for public health: The identification of racism as a major issue of concern in preventing children from living healthy lifestyles highlights the need for policy responses in this area. © 2018 The Authors.

Examining Neighborhood Social Cohesion in the Context of Community-based Participatory Research: Descriptive Findings from an Academic-Community Partnership.

PubMed

Bateman, Lori Brand; Fouad, Mona N; Hawk, Bianca; Osborne, Tiffany; Bae, Sejong; Eady, Sequoya; Thompson, Joanice; Brantley, Wendy; Crawford, Lovie; Heider, Laura; Schoenberger, Yu-Mei M

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the process of conducting an assessment of neighborhood perceptions and cohesion by a community coalition-academic team created in the context of community-based participatory research (CBPR), to guide the design of locally relevant health initiatives. Guided by CBPR principles, a collaborative partnership was established between an academic center and a local, urban, underserved neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama to identify and address community concerns and priorities. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in September 2016 among community residents (N=90) to examine perceptions of neighborhood characteristics, including social cohesion and neighborhood problems. The major concerns voiced by the coalition were violence and lack of neighborhood cohesion and safety. The community survey verified the concerns of the coalition, with the majority of participants mentioning increasing safety and stopping the violence as the things to change about the community and the greatest hope for the community. Furthermore, results indicated residents had a moderate level of perceived social cohesion (mean = 2.87 [.67]). The Mid-South TCC Academic and Community Engagement (ACE) Core successfully partnered with community members and stakeholders to establish a coalition whose concerns and vision for the community matched the concerns of residents of the community. Collecting data from different groups strengthened the interpretation of the findings and allowed for a rich understanding of neighborhood concerns.

Reducing diabetes health disparities through community-based participatory action research: the Chicago Southeast Diabetes Community Action Coalition.

PubMed Central

Giachello, Aida L.; Arrom, Jose O.; Davis, Margaret; Sayad, Judith V.; Ramirez, Dinah; Nandi, Chandana; Ramos, Catalina

2003-01-01

To address disproportionately high rates of diabetes morbidity and mortality in some of Chicago's medically underserved minority neighborhoods, a group of community residents, medical and social service providers, and a local university founded the Chicago Southeast Diabetes Community Action Coalition, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention REACH 2010 Initiative. A community-based participatory action research model guided coalition activities from conceptualization through implementation. Capacity building activities included training on: diabetes, coalition building, research methods, and action planning. Other activities sought to increase coalition members' understanding of the social causes and potential solutions for health disparities related to diabetes. Trained coalition members conducted epidemiologic analyses, focus groups, a telephone survey, and a community inventory. All coalition members participated in decisions. The participatory process led to increased awareness of the complexities of diabetes in the community and to a state of readiness for social action. Data documented disparities in diabetes. The participatory action research approach (a) encouraged key stakeholders outside of the health care sector to participate (e.g., business sector, church groups); (b) permitted an examination of the sociopolitical context affecting the health of the community; (c) provided an opportunity to focus on preventing the onset of diabetes and its complications; (d) increased understanding of the importance of community research in catalyzing social action aimed at community and systems change and change among change agents. PMID:12815078

Developing for the future: hometown USA.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-09-01

In a trend that continues to build, citizens : across the country are joining forces locally to : address environmental issues that affect their : health, natural resources, and the quality of : life in their communities. Groups of people are : takin...

Survey Helps Class to See, Understand Local Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pasternack, Steve

1986-01-01

Presents an exercise in which students interview various groups of citizens--church leaders, school officials, government and business leaders--in order to give students a broader understanding of the definitions of obscenity and community standards. (HTH)

Using community-based participatory research to identify potential interventions to overcome barriers to adolescents’ healthy eating and physical activity

PubMed Central

Goh, Ying-Ying; Sipple-Asher, Bessie Ko; Uyeda, Kimberly; Hawes-Dawson, Jennifer; Olarita-Dhungana, Josephina; Ryan, Gery W.; Schuster, Mark A.

2010-01-01

Using a community-based participatory research approach, we explored adolescent, parent, and community stakeholder perspectives on barriers to healthy eating and physical activity, and intervention ideas to address adolescent obesity. We conducted 14 adolescent focus groups (n = 119), 8 parent focus groups (n = 63), and 28 interviews with community members (i.e., local experts knowledgeable about youth nutrition and physical activity). Participants described ecological and psychosocial barriers in neighborhoods (e.g., lack of accessible nutritious food), in schools (e.g., poor quality of physical education), at home (e.g., sedentary lifestyle), and at the individual level (e.g., lack of nutrition knowledge). Participants proposed interventions such as nutrition classes for families, addition of healthy school food options that appeal to students, and non-competitive physical education activities. Participants supported health education delivered by students. Findings demonstrate that community-based participatory research is useful for revealing potentially feasible interventions that are acceptable to community members. PMID:19544091

From Awareness to Action: The Community of Sarnia Mobilizes to Protect its Workers from Occupational Disease.

PubMed

Kramer, Desre; McMillan, Keith; Gross, Emily; Kone Pefoyo, Anna J; Bradley, Mike; Holness, Dorothy Linn

2015-11-01

An exploratory qualitative case study investigated how different sectors of a highly industrialized community mobilized in the 1990s to help workers exposed to asbestos. For this study, thirty key informants including representatives from industry, workers, the community, and local politicians participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The analysis was framed by a "Dimensions of Community Change" model. The informants highlighted the importance of raising awareness, and the need for leadership, social and organizational networks, acquiring skills and resources, individual and community power, holding shared values and beliefs, and perseverance. We found that improvements in occupational health and safety came from persistently communicating a clearly defined issue ("asbestos exposure causes cancer") and having an engaged community that collaborated with union leadership. Notable successes included stronger occupational health services, a support group for workers and widows, the fast-tracking of compensation for workers exposed to asbestos, and a reduction in hazardous emissions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Impacts of Social Network on Therapeutic Community Participation: A Follow-up Survey of Data Gathered after Ya'an Earthquake.

PubMed

Li, Zhichao; Chen, Yao; Suo, Liming

2015-01-01

In recent years, natural disasters and the accompanying health risks have become more frequent, and rehabilitation work has become an important part of government performance. On one hand, social networks play an important role in participants' therapeutic community participation and physical & mental recovery. On the other hand, therapeutic communities with widespread participation can also contribute to community recovery after disaster. This paper described a field study in an earthquake-stricken area of Ya'an. A set of 3-stage follow-up data was obtained concerning with the villagers' participation in therapeutic community, social network status, demographic background, and other factors. The Hierarchical linear Model (HLM) method was used to investigate the determinants of social network on therapeutic community participation. First, social networks have significantly impacts on the annual changes of therapeutic community participation. Second, there were obvious differences in education between groups mobilized by the self-organization and local government. However, they all exerted the mobilization force through the acquaintance networks. Third, local cadre networks of villagers could negatively influence the activities of self-organized therapeutic community, while with positively influence in government-organized therapeutic activities. This paper suggests that relevant government departments need to focus more on the reconstruction and cultivation of villagers' social network and social capital in the process of post-disaster recovery. These findings contribute to better understandings of how social networks influence therapeutic community participation, and what role local government can play in post-disaster recovery and public health improvement after natural disasters.

Impacts of Social Network on Therapeutic Community Participation: A Follow-up Survey of Data Gathered after Ya’an Earthquake

PubMed Central

LI, Zhichao; CHEN, Yao; SUO, Liming

2015-01-01

Abstract Background In recent years, natural disasters and the accompanying health risks have become more frequent, and rehabilitation work has become an important part of government performance. On one hand, social networks play an important role in participants’ therapeutic community participation and physical & mental recovery. On the other hand, therapeutic communities with widespread participation can also contribute to community recovery after disaster. Methods This paper described a field study in an earthquake-stricken area of Ya’an. A set of 3-stage follow-up data was obtained concerning with the villagers’ participation in therapeutic community, social network status, demographic background, and other factors. The Hierarchical linear Model (HLM) method was used to investigate the determinants of social network on therapeutic community participation. Results First, social networks have significantly impacts on the annual changes of therapeutic community participation. Second, there were obvious differences in education between groups mobilized by the self-organization and local government. However, they all exerted the mobilization force through the acquaintance networks. Third, local cadre networks of villagers could negatively influence the activities of self-organized therapeutic community, while with positively influence in government-organized therapeutic activities. Conclusion This paper suggests that relevant government departments need to focus more on the reconstruction and cultivation of villagers’ social network and social capital in the process of post-disaster recovery. These findings contribute to better understandings of how social networks influence therapeutic community participation, and what role local government can play in post-disaster recovery and public health improvement after natural disasters. PMID:26060778

Local adaptations to a global health initiative: penalties for home births in Zambia.

PubMed

Greeson, Dana; Sacks, Emma; Masvawure, Tsitsi B; Austin-Evelyn, Katherine; Kruk, Margaret E; Macwan'gi, Mubiana; Grépin, Karen A

2016-11-01

Global health initiatives (GHIs) are implemented across a variety of geographies and cultures. Those targeting maternal health often prioritise increasing facility delivery rates. Pressure on local implementers to meet GHI goals may lead to unintended programme features that could negatively impact women. This study investigates penalties for home births imposed by traditional leaders on women during the implementation of Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) in Zambia. Forty focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted across four rural districts to assess community experiences of SMGL at the conclusion of its first year. Participants included women who recently delivered at home (3 FGDs/district), women who recently delivered in a health facility (3 FGDs/district), community health workers (2 FGDs/district) and local leaders (2 FGDs/district). Findings indicate that community leaders in some districts-independently of formal programme directive-used fines to penalise women who delivered at home rather than in a facility. Participants in nearly all focus groups reported hearing about the imposition of penalties following programme implementation. Some women reported experiencing penalties firsthand, including cash and livestock fines, or fees for child health cards that are typically free. Many women who delivered at home reported their intention to deliver in a facility in the future to avoid penalties. While communities largely supported the use of penalties to promote facility delivery, the penalties effectively introduced a new tax on poor rural women and may have deterred their utilization of postnatal and child health care services. The imposition of penalties is thus a punitive adaptation that can impose new financial burdens on vulnerable women and contribute to widening health, economic and gender inequities in communities. Health initiatives that aim to increase demand for health services should monitor local efforts to achieve programme targets in order to better understand their impact on communities and on overall programme goals. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Key to Sharing Science: Listening to Community Needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varga, M.; Phartiyal, P.; Johnson, C.

2015-12-01

To achieve greater effectiveness in science communication and outreach, we need to shift the paradigm from one-way communication from scientists to the (bystander) public to a two-way, listen-learn-respond exchange with concerned and knowledgeable public. Scientists need to not only know their audiences but also the needs of their audiences. Society can benefit tremendously when personal and public decisions are informed by independent and best available science. But on a variety of issues from climate to chemicals, local decision makers and public groups often struggle to know what questions to ask and to find independent information, data and analysis. Scientists also face barriers in sharing knowledge with community members. Fortunately, scientists all across the country are making such connections and forging trusted relationships with the public. The speaker will present examples of scientist-community engagement where researchers have taken the path of communicating and partnering with their local communities to address everyday issues of concern to them, from food to fracking. While such engagement efforts gain from effective communication and strategic outreach with public groups, they also has the attendant benefits of challenging scientists to consider the broader, societal implications of their work; consider how their research can serve the needs of the public; and how they can aspire to become, more than educators, learners and allies in effecting change in their communities.

Cultural investment: providing opportunities to reduce risky behavior among gay American Indian males.

PubMed

Gilley, Brian Joseph; Co-Cké, John Hawk

2005-09-01

Many gay American Indian (GAI) men feel alienated from their tribal, ceremonial and social communities because of homophobia and heterosexism. As a result, they often turn to their local gay community for social participation and sex opportunities. It is no secret that a significant aspect of some gay communities is socializing in local bars and clubs. The gay bar scene makes healthy living difficult for Native American gay men. This is especially the case for those who are in alcohol or drug recovery. In response, gay Native men's support groups are attempting to make available a cultural alternative to the double bind of alienation from one's Native community and exposure to substance abuse by providing alcohol and substance free opportunities for ceremonial and social involvement. The hope is that the men will go to bars less frequently and instead turn to Native cultural activities in men's groups for social, spiritual and emotional support. The logic of this approach assumes that individuals who are culturally invested in a community will gain a level of self and social acceptance, making them less likely to abuse substances and put themselves at risk for HIV infection. The information presented in this article comes from over six years of ethnographic research among GAI men concerning self and social acceptance, HIV/AIDS and American Indian GLBT identity.

Community perspectives on dengue transmission in the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

PubMed

Dhar-Chowdhury, Parnali; Emdad Haque, C; Michelle Driedger, S; Hossain, Shakhawat

2014-12-01

The recurrence of dengue has become a growing public health threat. This research examines the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and practice of local community members regarding dengue transmission in the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It also investigates explanatory demographic and socioeconomic factors that affect community knowledge, beliefs and practices. In July-August 2011, a random sample of household heads or alternatives (n=300) was surveyed in 12 wards of Dhaka. This survey was supplemented by 12 focus group discussions (n=107) and 18 key informant interviews in three selected wards. Most community members had heard about dengue (91.3%; 274/300) and knew (93.7%; 281/300) that mosquitoes act as the primary vector of its transmission. In contrast, most (87.3%; 262/300) was unaware that Aedes mosquitoes prefer to lay their eggs in water containers. Multivariate logistic regression modeling revealed that the respondents in age group 45-60 years were 2.83 times more likely to have positive attitudes towards undertaking precautionary measures to prevent dengue than the respondents aged <25 years. These findings confirm the presence in local communities of misconceptions and considerable knowledge gaps about dengue transmission that could be improved by formulating interventions targeting specific subgroups of the population. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Global/Local: What Does It Mean for Global Health Educators and How Do We Do It?

PubMed

Rowthorn, Virginia

2015-01-01

There has been dramatic growth in the number of innovative university programs that focus on social justice and teach community-based strategies that are applicable both domestically in North America and internationally. These programs often are referred to as global/local and reflect an effort to link global health and campus community engagement efforts to acknowledge that a common set of transferable skills can be adapted to work with vulnerable populations wherever they may be. However, the concepts underlying global/local education are undertheorized and universities struggle to make the global/local link without a conceptual framework to guide them in this pursuit. This study reports on the outcomes of a 2015 national meeting of 120 global health educators convened to discuss the concepts underlying global/local education, to share models of global/local programs, and to draft a preliminary list of critical elements of a meaningful and didactically sound global/local educational program. A qualitative analysis was conducted of the discussions that took place at the national meeting. The analysis was supported by videorecordings made of full-group discussions. Results were categorized into a preliminary list of global/local program elements. Additionally, a synthesis was developed of critical issues raised at the meeting that warrant future discussion and study. A preliminary list was developed of 7 program components that global health educators consider essential to categorize a program as global/local and to ensure that such a program includes specific critical elements. Interest is great among global health educators to understand and teach the conceptual link between learning on both the global and community levels. Emphasis on this link has high potential to unite the siloed fields of global health and domestic community public health and the institutions, funding options, and career pathways that flow from them. Future research should focus on implementation of global/local programming and evaluation of student learning and community health outcomes related to such programs. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Town and Gown Differences Among the 100 Largest Medical Groups in the United States.

PubMed

Welch, W Pete; Bindman, Andrew B

2016-07-01

The authors undertook a study to determine whether large academic and community-based medical groups differ in terms of their financial stake in Medicare Advantage or Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and whether their participation in these alternative payment models is related to their size, specialty mix, and Medicare physician market share in their local area. The authors used the 2013 Medicare Data on Provider Practice and Specialty database and a national database of ACOs to conduct a cross-sectional descriptive study of the 100 largest medical groups in the United States. Medical groups were categorized as academic or community based on matches of their name with a list of U.S. medical schools or the results of a series of Internet search procedures. Sixty-eight of the 100 largest groups were academic, and 32 were community based. On average, community-based groups had more than twice the percentage of primary care physicians as academic groups (mean, 38.4%; 95% CI, 34.7%-42.0%; vs. 18.3%; 95% CI, 17.0%-19.6%). Community groups were significantly (P < .001) more likely than academic groups to have a financial stake in a Medicare ACO or Medicare Advantage plan, but this difference was no longer significant when the percentage of primary care physicians in the group was added to the model. The specialty mix within academic medical groups may hinder their ability to transform themselves into organizations that can manage the financial responsibilities of caring for a patient population through a Medicare ACO or Medicare Advantage.

Exploring the influence of context in a community-based facilitation intervention focusing on neonatal health and survival in Vietnam: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Duong, Duc M; Bergström, Anna; Wallin, Lars; Bui, Ha T T; Eriksson, Leif; Eldh, Ann Catrine

2015-08-22

In the Neonatal health - Knowledge into Practice (NeoKIP) trial in Vietnam, local stakeholder groups, supported by trained laywomen acting as facilitators, promoted knowledge translation (KT) resulting in decreased neonatal mortality. In general, as well as in the community-based NeoKIP trial, there is a need to further understand how context influences KT interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Thus, the objective of this study was to explore the influence of context on the facilitation process in the NeoKIP intervention. A secondary content analysis was performed on 16 Focus Group Discussions with facilitators and participants of the stakeholder groups, applying an inductive approach to the content on context through naïve understanding and structured analysis. The three main-categories of context found to influence the facilitation process in the NeoKIP intervention were: (1) Support and collaboration of local authorities and other communal stakeholders; (2) Incentives to, and motivation of, participants; and (3) Low health care coverage and utilization. In particular, the role of local authorities in a KT intervention was recognized as important. Also, while project participants expected financial incentives, non-financial benefits such as individual learning were considered to balance the lack of reimbursement in the NeoKIP intervention. Further, project participants recognized the need to acknowledge the needs of disadvantaged groups. This study provides insight for further understanding of the influence of contextual aspects to improve effects of a KT intervention in Vietnam. We suggest that future KT interventions should apply strategies to improve local authorities' engagement, to identify and communicate non-financial incentives, and to make disadvantaged groups a priority. Further studies to evaluate the contextual aspects in KT interventions in LMICs are also needed.

Formation of a Virtual Professional Learning Community in a Combined Local and Distance Doctoral Cohort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Lance; Branch, Gracie; Moore, George

2008-01-01

A phenomenological study was conducted with a group of doctoral students preparing to be technology leaders. Students and faculty participated in weekend-intensive course work in which the faculty and some students attended classes on campus, and another group of students attended classes through distance technologies. Using some of these very…

Wastewater Facilities Operation and Management. Instructor Guide. Working for Clean Water: An Information Program for Advisory Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, David A.

Local communities must be willing to spend funds to assure the proper operation and management of wastewater treatment facilities. Designed for citizen advisory groups, the one-hour learning session described in this instructor's manual covers problem areas, federal requirements, and responsibilities for wastewater plant operations and management.…

Explaining ecological clusters of maternal depression in South Western Sydney

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The aim of the qualitative study reported here was to: 1) explain the observed clustering of postnatal depressive symptoms in South Western Sydney; and 2) identify group-level mechanisms that would add to our understanding of the social determinants of maternal depression. Methods Critical realism provided the methodological underpinning for the study. The setting was four local government areas in South Western Sydney, Australia. Child and Family practitioners and mothers in naturally occurring mothers groups were interviewed. Results Using an open coding approach to maximise emergence of patterns and relationships we have identified seven theoretical concepts that might explain the observed spatial clustering of maternal depression. The theoretical concepts identified were: Community-level social networks; Social Capital and Social Cohesion; "Depressed community"; Access to services at the group level; Ethnic segregation and diversity; Supportive social policy; and Big business. Conclusions We postulate that these regional structural, economic, social and cultural mechanisms partially explain the pattern of maternal depression observed in families and communities within South Western Sydney. We further observe that powerful global economic and political forces are having an impact on the local situation. The challenge for policy and practice is to support mothers and their families within this adverse regional and global-economic context. PMID:24460690

Meeting the Challenge of Health Literacy in Rural Uganda: The Critical Role of Women and Local Modes of Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kendrick, Maureen; Mutonyi, Harriet

2007-01-01

This article seeks to better understand the relation between local and traditional modes of communication and health literacy within the context of a rural West Nile community in Northern Uganda. Drawing on social semiotics (multimodality) and Bakhtin's notion of the carnival, the focus is on a group of women participating in a grassroots literacy…

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and its land claimants: a pre- and post-land claim conservation and development history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thondhlana, Gladman; Shackleton, Sheona; Muchapondwa, Edwin

2011-04-01

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana. The local communities on the South African side, the Khomani San (Bushmen) and Mier living adjacent to the park have land rights inside and outside the park. The path from a history of land dispossession to being land owners has created conservation challenges manifested through heightened inter- and intra-community conflicts. The contestations for land and tourism development opportunities in and outside the park have drawn in powerful institutions such as the governments, South African National Parks, private safari companies, local interest groups and NGOs against relatively powerless local communities. This has consequently attracted national and international interest since it may result in further marginalization of the communities who lack the power to negotiate resource access. Moreover, the social and political system of the San is romanticized while little is reported about the Mier, who are an integral part of the park management system. To make these issues more accessible to a growing audience of interested parties and to better understand present conservation and development challenges and opportunities, this paper synthesizes information on the pre- and post-land restitution history of the park and the adjacent communities.

Understanding communication pathways to foster community engagement for health improvement in North West Pakistan.

PubMed

Lhussier, Monique; Lowe, Nicola; Westaway, Elizabeth; Dykes, Fiona; McKeown, Mick; Munir, Akhtar; Tahir, Saba; Zaman, Mukhtiar

2016-07-18

This paper describes the community engagement process undertaken to ascertain the focus, development and implementation of an intervention to improve iodised salt consumption in rural communities in North West Pakistan. The Jirga is a traditional informal structure, which gathers men respected within their community and acts in a governing and decision-making capacity in the Pukhtoon culture. The Jirga system had a dual purpose for the study: to access men from the community to discuss the importance of iodised salt, and as an engagement process for the intervention. A number of qualitative data collection activities were undertaken, with Jirga members and their wives, male and female outreach workers and two groups of women, under and over 40 years old. The aim of these was to highlight the communication channels and levers of influence on health behaviour, which were multiple and complex and all needed to be taken into consideration in order to ensure successful and locally sensitive community engagement. Communication channels are described within local families and the communities around them. The key influential role of the Jirga is highlighted as linked both to the standing of its members and the community cohesion ethos that it embodies. Engaging Jirga members in discussions about iodised salt was key in designing an intervention that would activate the most influential levers to decision making in the community. Gendered decision-making processes within the household have been highlighted as restricting women's autonomy. Whilst in one respect our data confirm this, a more complex hierarchy of decisional power has been highlighted, whereby the concept of 'wisdom'- an amalgamation of age, experience and education- presents important possibilities. Community members with the least autonomy are the youngest uneducated females, who rely on a web of socially and culturally determined ways to influence decision-making. The major lines of communication and influence in the local community described are placed within the wider literature on community engagement in health improvement. The process of maximisation of local cultural knowledge as part of a community engagement effort is one that has application well beyond the particular setting of this study.

Perception of blindness and blinding eye conditions in rural communities.

PubMed Central

Ashaye, Adeyinka; Ajuwon, Ademola Johnson; Adeoti, Caroline

2006-01-01

PURPOSE: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the causes and management of blindness and blinding eye conditions as perceived by rural dwellers of two Yoruba communities in Oyo State, Nigeria. METHODS: Four focus group discussions were conducted among residents of Iddo and Isale Oyo, two rural Yoruba communities in Oyo State, Nigeria. Participants consisted of sighted, those who were partially or totally blind and community leaders. Ten patent medicine sellers and 12 traditional healers were also interviewed on their perception of the causes and management of blindness in their communities. FINDINGS: Blindness was perceived as an increasing problem among the communities. Multiple factors were perceived to cause blindness, including germs, onchocerciasis and supernatural forces. Traditional healers believed that blindness could be cured, with many claiming that they had previously cured blindness in the past. However, all agreed that patience was an important requirement for the cure of blindness. The patent medicine sellers' reports were similar to those of the traditional healers. The barriers to use of orthodox medicine were mainly fear, misconception and perceived high costs of care. There was a consensus of opinion among group discussants and informants that there are severe social and economic consequences of blindness, including not been able to see and assess the quality of what the sufferer eats, perpetual sadness, loss of sleep and dependence on other persons for daily activities. CONCLUSION: Local beliefs associated with causation, symptoms and management of blindness and blinding eye conditions among rural Yoruba communities identified have provided a bridge for understanding local perspectives and basis for implementing appropriate primary eye care programs. PMID:16775910

Perception of blindness and blinding eye conditions in rural communities.

PubMed

Ashaye, Adeyinka; Ajuwon, Ademola Johnson; Adeoti, Caroline

2006-06-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the causes and management of blindness and blinding eye conditions as perceived by rural dwellers of two Yoruba communities in Oyo State, Nigeria. Four focus group discussions were conducted among residents of Iddo and Isale Oyo, two rural Yoruba communities in Oyo State, Nigeria. Participants consisted of sighted, those who were partially or totally blind and community leaders. Ten patent medicine sellers and 12 traditional healers were also interviewed on their perception of the causes and management of blindness in their communities. Blindness was perceived as an increasing problem among the communities. Multiple factors were perceived to cause blindness, including germs, onchocerciasis and supernatural forces. Traditional healers believed that blindness could be cured, with many claiming that they had previously cured blindness in the past. However, all agreed that patience was an important requirement for the cure of blindness. The patent medicine sellers' reports were similar to those of the traditional healers. The barriers to use of orthodox medicine were mainly fear, misconception and perceived high costs of care. There was a consensus of opinion among group discussants and informants that there are severe social and economic consequences of blindness, including not been able to see and assess the quality of what the sufferer eats, perpetual sadness, loss of sleep and dependence on other persons for daily activities. Local beliefs associated with causation, symptoms and management of blindness and blinding eye conditions among rural Yoruba communities identified have provided a bridge for understanding local perspectives and basis for implementing appropriate primary eye care programs.

'Be gentle and be sincere about it': a story about community-based primary care research.

PubMed

Sussman, Andrew L; Rivera, Marino

2008-01-01

Practice-based researchers in primary care have increasingly recognized the need to include community members in research efforts. In this reflective vignette, the importance of community engagement is realized through the researcher's ability to elicit and interpret an alternative story told by a respected local resident in a focus group. The focus group was part of a study examining communication between patients and clinicians about traditional medicine in New Mexico. During this session, yerba mansa, a plant used in traditional medicine, became a powerful cultural metaphor for expressing concerns about the intentions of outside researchers. This story shows how creating opportunities for sustained engagement with the people we serve can lead to more sensitive ways to establish research partnerships.

Exporting the Buyers Health Care Action Group Purchasing Model: Lessons from Other Communities

PubMed Central

Christianson, Jon B; Feldman, Roger

2005-01-01

When first implemented in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, the Buyers Health Care Action Group's (BHCAG) purchasing approach received considerable attention as an employer-managed, consumer-driven health care model embodying many of the principles of managed competition. First BHCAG and, later, a for-profit management company attempted to export this model to other communities. Their efforts were met with resistance from local hospitals and, in many cases, apathy by employers who were expected to be supportive. This experience underscores several difficulties that appear to be inherent in implementing purchasing models based on competing care systems. It also, once again, suggests caution in drawing lessons from community-level experiments in purchasing health care. PMID:15787957

The coexistence of traditional medicine and biomedicine: A study with local health experts in two Brazilian regions.

PubMed

Zank, Sofia; Hanazaki, Natalia

2017-01-01

This study investigated the combined use of traditional medicine and biomedicine by local experts in Chapada do Araripe communities (Ceará State) and maroon communities (Santa Catarina State), Brazil. The objective was to understand the perception of local health specialists regarding the number of healers, demand for healers and use of medicinal plants, and the dependence of different environments to obtain such plants. We also aimed to understand the role of medicinal plants to treat different categories of diseases and if there is a complementary use of medicinal plants and allopathic biomedicine, according to the context of each group. The research was conducted with local health specialists that answered structured interviews, created free lists and participated in guided tours to collect cited plants. Sixty-six local health specialists were identified in the Araripe communities and 22 specialists in the maroon communities. In the maroon communities, a greater number of specialists thought there was a decrease in the number and demand for healers, as well as the use of medicinal plants, due to changes in traditional livelihoods, since they are located in a region where the effects of the modernization were more intense. In the Chapada do Araripe communities the specialists knew more plants extracted from native vegetation, whereas in the maroon communities cultivated plants were better known, which may reflect the environmental conditions and the history of each region. Medicinal plants are preferred to treat simpler health problems that do not require medical care, such as gastrointestinal problems, general pain, flues and colds. The biomedicine is used principally for problems with blood pressure, general pains and endocrine and nutritional diseases. Even with the particularities of each region, in general the use of medicinal plants and biomedicines occurred in a complementary form in both regions; however, this coexistence may result from these different contexts. This study also found that there was knowledge and appreciation for traditional health practices in both regions.

The coexistence of traditional medicine and biomedicine: A study with local health experts in two Brazilian regions

PubMed Central

Zank, Sofia; Hanazaki, Natalia

2017-01-01

This study investigated the combined use of traditional medicine and biomedicine by local experts in Chapada do Araripe communities (Ceará State) and maroon communities (Santa Catarina State), Brazil. The objective was to understand the perception of local health specialists regarding the number of healers, demand for healers and use of medicinal plants, and the dependence of different environments to obtain such plants. We also aimed to understand the role of medicinal plants to treat different categories of diseases and if there is a complementary use of medicinal plants and allopathic biomedicine, according to the context of each group. The research was conducted with local health specialists that answered structured interviews, created free lists and participated in guided tours to collect cited plants. Sixty-six local health specialists were identified in the Araripe communities and 22 specialists in the maroon communities. In the maroon communities, a greater number of specialists thought there was a decrease in the number and demand for healers, as well as the use of medicinal plants, due to changes in traditional livelihoods, since they are located in a region where the effects of the modernization were more intense. In the Chapada do Araripe communities the specialists knew more plants extracted from native vegetation, whereas in the maroon communities cultivated plants were better known, which may reflect the environmental conditions and the history of each region. Medicinal plants are preferred to treat simpler health problems that do not require medical care, such as gastrointestinal problems, general pain, flues and colds. The biomedicine is used principally for problems with blood pressure, general pains and endocrine and nutritional diseases. Even with the particularities of each region, in general the use of medicinal plants and biomedicines occurred in a complementary form in both regions; however, this coexistence may result from these different contexts. This study also found that there was knowledge and appreciation for traditional health practices in both regions. PMID:28414735

"The only dykey one": constructions of (in)authenticity in a lesbian community of practice.

PubMed

Jones, Lucy

2011-01-01

This article demonstrates how members of a lesbian community of practice make interactional moves that allow them to position themselves as "authentically lesbian." Through the use of discourse analysis and a sociocultural linguistics focus on indexicality, the speakers are shown to invoke broadly accessible stereotypes and ideologies and to rework them in order to create locally specific, meaningful identities. This is achieved via mutually negotiated stance taking toward group-constructed, oppositional personae. Specifically, the women in this group position styles deemed as "girly" as inauthentic and antithetical to their concept of a lesbian--the authentic "dyke."

Stakeholder perspectives on land-use strategies for adapting to climate-change-enhanced coastal hazards: Sarasota, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frazier, Tim G.; Wood, Nathan; Yarnal, Brent

2010-01-01

Sustainable land-use planning requires decision makers to balance community growth with resilience to natural hazards. This balance is especially difficult in many coastal communities where planners must grapple with significant growth projections, the persistent threat of extreme events (e.g., hurricanes), and climate-change-driven sea level rise that not only presents a chronic hazard but also alters the spatial extent of sudden-onset hazards such as hurricanes. We examine these stressors on coastal, long-term land-use planning by reporting the results of a one-day community workshop held in Sarasota County, Florida that included focus groups and participatory mapping exercises. Workshop participants reflected various political agendas and socioeconomic interests of five local knowledge domains: business, environment, emergency management and infrastructure, government, and planning. Through a series of alternating domain-specific focus groups and interactive plenary sessions, participants compared the county 2050 comprehensive land-use plan to maps of contemporary hurricane storm-surge hazard zones and projected storm-surge hazard zones enlarged by sea level rise scenarios. This interactive, collaborative approach provided each group of domain experts the opportunity to combine geographically-specific, scientific knowledge on natural hazards and climate change with local viewpoints and concerns. Despite different agendas, interests, and proposed adaptation strategies, there was common agreement among participants for the need to increase community resilience to contemporary hurricane storm-surge hazards and to explore adaptation strategies to combat the projected, enlarged storm-surge hazard zones.

Perceptions of the Role of Short-Term Volunteerism in International Development: Views from Volunteers, Local Hosts, and Community Members.

PubMed

Loiseau, Bethina; Sibbald, Rebekah; Raman, Salem A; Darren, Benedict; Loh, Lawrence C; Dimaras, Helen

2016-01-01

Background. Short-term international volunteer trips traditionally involve volunteers from high-income countries travelling to low- and middle-income countries to assist in service-related development activities. Their duration typically ranges from 7 to 90 days. The city of La Romana, Dominican Republic, receives hundreds of short-term international volunteers annually. They participate in activities aimed at improving conditions faced by a marginalized ethnic-Haitian community living in bateyes. Methods. This qualitative analysis examined perceptions of short-term international volunteerism, held by three key stakeholder groups in La Romana: local hosts, international volunteers, and community members. Responses from semistructured interviews were recorded and analysed by thematic analysis. Results. Themes from the 3 groups were broadly categorized into general perceptions of short-term volunteerism and proposed best practices. These were further subdivided into perceptions of value, harms, and motivations associated with volunteer teams for the former and best practices around volunteer composition and selection, partnership, and skill sets and predeparture training for the latter. Conclusion. Notable challenges were associated with short-term volunteering, including an overemphasis on the material benefits from volunteer groups expressed by community member respondents; misalignment of the desired and actual skill sets of volunteers; duplicate and uncoordinated volunteer efforts; and the perpetuation of stereotypes suggesting that international volunteers possess superior knowledge or skills. Addressing these challenges is critical to optimizing the conduct of short-term volunteerism.

Perceptions of the Role of Short-Term Volunteerism in International Development: Views from Volunteers, Local Hosts, and Community Members

PubMed Central

Loiseau, Bethina; Sibbald, Rebekah; Raman, Salem A.; Darren, Benedict; Loh, Lawrence C.

2016-01-01

Background. Short-term international volunteer trips traditionally involve volunteers from high-income countries travelling to low- and middle-income countries to assist in service-related development activities. Their duration typically ranges from 7 to 90 days. The city of La Romana, Dominican Republic, receives hundreds of short-term international volunteers annually. They participate in activities aimed at improving conditions faced by a marginalized ethnic-Haitian community living in bateyes. Methods. This qualitative analysis examined perceptions of short-term international volunteerism, held by three key stakeholder groups in La Romana: local hosts, international volunteers, and community members. Responses from semistructured interviews were recorded and analysed by thematic analysis. Results. Themes from the 3 groups were broadly categorized into general perceptions of short-term volunteerism and proposed best practices. These were further subdivided into perceptions of value, harms, and motivations associated with volunteer teams for the former and best practices around volunteer composition and selection, partnership, and skill sets and predeparture training for the latter. Conclusion. Notable challenges were associated with short-term volunteering, including an overemphasis on the material benefits from volunteer groups expressed by community member respondents; misalignment of the desired and actual skill sets of volunteers; duplicate and uncoordinated volunteer efforts; and the perpetuation of stereotypes suggesting that international volunteers possess superior knowledge or skills. Addressing these challenges is critical to optimizing the conduct of short-term volunteerism. PMID:27382372

Community-led trials: Intervention co-design in a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Andersson, Neil

2017-05-30

In conventional randomised controlled trials (RCTs), researchers design the interventions. In the Camino Verde trial, each intervention community designed its own programmes to prevent dengue. Instead of fixed actions or menus of activities to choose from, the trial randomised clusters to a participatory research protocol that began with sharing and discussing evidence from a local survey, going on to local authorship of the action plan for vector control.Adding equitable stakeholder engagement to RCT infrastructure anchors the research culturally, making it more meaningful to stakeholders. Replicability in other conditions is straightforward, since all intervention clusters used the same engagement protocol to discuss and to mobilize for dengue prevention. The ethical codes associated with RCTs play out differently in community-led pragmatic trials, where communities essentially choose what they want to do. Several discussion groups in each intervention community produced multiple plans for prevention, recognising different time lines. Some chose fast turnarounds, like elimination of breeding sites, and some chose longer term actions like garbage disposal and improving water supplies.A big part of the skill set for community-led trials is being able to stand back and simply support communities in what they want to do and how they want to do it, something that does not come naturally to many vector control programs or to RCT researchers. Unexpected negative outcomes can come from the turbulence implicit in participatory research. One example was the gender dynamic in the Mexican arm of the Camino Verde trial. Strong involvement of women in dengue control activities seems to have discouraged men in settings where activity in public spaces or outside of the home would ordinarily be considered a "male competence".Community-led trials address the tension between one-size-fits-all programme interventions and local needs. Whatever the conventional wisdom about how prevention works at a system level, programmes have to be perceived as locally relevant and they must engage stakeholders who make them work. Locally, each participating community has to know the intervention is relevant to them; they have to want to do it. That happens much more easily if they design the programme themselves.

EPA's EnviroAtlas: Identifying Nature's benefits, deficits, and ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Cities, towns, and Tribes rely on clean air, water and other natural resources for public health and well-being. Yet natural infrastructure and its benefits are not always fully understood or considered in local decisions. EnviroAtlas is a free, online, easy-to-use mapping toolkit designed for citizens, analysts, and decision-makers to assess the status of local and regional “green” assets, their relevance to society, current threats, and future opportunities. Research-based maps, analysis tools, and descriptive information address seven environmental benefit categories: - Clean air - Clean and plentiful water - Natural hazard mitigation - Climate stabilization - Recreation, culture, and aesthetics - Food, fuel, and materials - Biodiversity conservation More than 300 datasets for the coterminous U.S. summarize ecosystem processes, stressors, and end users at the spatial scale of sub-watersheds (n = ~90,000). A fine-scale component for selected communities features one-meter resolution landcover data and ~100 “green infrastructure” maps summarized by census block-group. Demographic data and built environment metrics are integrated into some of these maps, and are also provided by block group for overlays and other analyses. Numerous pixel-level maps are available as well. Map layers are consistent across EnviroAtlas communities; 18 of these are currently online, with six communities added annually. EnviroAtlas community maps and information addr

Impact of the Social Café Meals program: a qualitative investigation.

PubMed

Allen, Louise; O'Connor, Jacklin; Amezdroz, Emily; Bucello, Pieta; Mitchell, Hannah; Thomas, Arabella; Kleve, Sue; Bernardi, Anthony; Wallis, Liza; Palermo, Claire

2014-01-01

Social Café Meals Programs aim to reduce food insecurity and social exclusion by providing participants access to subsidised meals in mainstream local cafés. This study aimed to explore the program's ability to address social exclusion and food insecurity and the impact of the program on the community. A qualitative evaluation approach was utilised whereby in-depth interviews were conducted with café owners, café staff and current program members of two Social Café Meals Programs operating in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Twelve program members and six café staff completed an in-depth interview at the local cafés. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach focusing on the lived experience of the café owners, staff and program members. Four key themes were identified. The program (i) improved food access for vulnerable groups and (ii) created community cohesiveness. (iii) The café environment was important in facilitating program use by community members. (iv) Café owners felt rewarded for their community contribution via the program. Social Café Meals Programs may provide a solution to improving food security and reducing social exclusion and may be considered as a strategy for improving nutrition and social health for at-risk and vulnerable groups.

Barriers to adopting and implementing local-level tobacco control policies.

PubMed

Satterlund, Travis D; Cassady, Diana; Treiber, Jeanette; Lemp, Cathy

2011-08-01

Although California communities have been relatively successful in adopting and implementing a wide range of local tobacco control policies, the process has not been without its setbacks and barriers. Little is known about local policy adoption, and this paper examines these processes related to adopting and implementing outdoor smoke-free policies, focusing on the major barriers faced by local-level tobacco control organizations in this process. Ninety-six projects funded by the California Tobacco Control Program submitted final evaluation reports pertaining to an outdoor smoking objective, and the reports from these projects were analyzed. The barriers were grouped in three primary areas: politically polarizing barriers, organizational barriers, and local political orientation. The barriers identified in this study underscore the need for an organized action plan in adopting local tobacco policy. The authors also suggest potential strategies to offset the barriers, including: (1) having a "champion" who helps to carry an objective forward; (2) tapping into a pool of youth volunteers; (3) collecting and using local data as a persuasive tool; (4) educating the community in smoke-free policy efforts; (5) working strategically within the local political climate; and (6) demonstrating to policymakers the constituent support for proposed policy.

Final base case community analysis: Indian Springs, Nevada for the Clark County socioeconomic impact assessment of the proposed high- level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1992-06-18

This document provides a base case description of the rural Clark County community of Indian Springs in anticipation of change associated with the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. As the community closest to the proposed site, Indian Springs may be seen by site characterization workers, as well as workers associated with later repository phases, as a logical place to live. This report develops and updates information relating to a broad spectrum of socioeconomic variables, thereby providing a `snapshot` or `base case` look at Indian Springs in early 1992. With this as a background, future repository-related developments maymore » be analytically separated from changes brought about by other factors, thus allowing for the assessment of the magnitude of local changes associated with the proposed repository. Given the size of the community, changes that may be considered small in an absolute sense may have relatively large impacts at the local level. Indian Springs is, in many respects, a unique community and a community of contrasts. An unincorporated town, it is a small yet important enclave of workers on large federal projects and home to employees of small- scale businesses and services. It is a rural community, but it is also close to the urbanized Las Vega Valley. It is a desert community, but has good water resources. It is on flat terrain, but it is located within 20 miles of the tallest mountains in Nevada. It is a town in which various interest groups diverge on issues of local importance, but in a sense of community remains an important feature of life. Finally, it has a sociodemographic history of both surface transience and underlying stability. If local land becomes available, Indian Springs has some room for growth but must first consider the historical effects of growth on the town and its desired direction for the future.« less

Research protocol for the Picture Talk Project: a qualitative study on research and consent with remote Australian Aboriginal communities

PubMed Central

Fitzpatrick, Emily F M; Carter, Maureen; Oscar, June; Lawford, Tom; Martiniuk, Alexandra L C; D’Antoine, Heather A; Elliott, Elizabeth J

2017-01-01

Introduction Research with Indigenous populations is not always designed with cultural sensitivity. Few publications evaluate or describe in detail seeking consent for research with Indigenous participants. When potential participants are not engaged in a culturally respectful manner, participation rates and research quality can be adversely affected. It is unethical to proceed with research without truly informed consent. Methods and analysis We describe a culturally appropriate research protocol that is invited by Aboriginal communities of the Fitzroy Valley in Western Australia. The Picture Talk Project is a research partnership with local Aboriginal leaders who are also chief investigators. We will interview Aboriginal leaders about research, community engagement and the consent process and hold focus groups with Aboriginal community members about individual consent. Cultural protocols will be applied to recruit and conduct research with participants. Transcripts will be analysed using NVivo10 qualitative software and themes synthesised to highlight the key issues raised by the community about the research process. This protocol will guide future research with the Aboriginal communities of the Fitzroy Valley and may inform the approach to research with other Indigenous communities of Australia or the world. It must be noted that no community is the same and all research requires local consultation and input. To conduct culturally sensitive research, respected local people from the community who have knowledge of cultural protocol and language are engaged to guide each step of the research process from the project design to the delivery of results. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was granted by the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (No. 2012/348, reference:14760), the Western Australia Country Health Service Ethics Committee (No. 2012:15), the Western Australian Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee and reviewed by the Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum Research Sub-Committee (No. 2012–008). Results will be disseminated through peer review articles, a local Fitzroy Valley report and conference presentations. PMID:29288181

The design of a community-based health education intervention for the control of Aedes aegypti.

PubMed

Lloyd, L S; Winch, P; Ortega-Canto, J; Kendall, C

1994-04-01

This report describes the process used to develop locally appropriate educational materials and to implement the education component of a community-based Aedes aegypti control program in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. The process is broken into five stages: formative research, developing recommendations for behavior change, development of educational messages, development and production of educational materials, and distribution of the materials. Appropriate terminology and taxonomies for dengue were obtained from open in-depth interviews; baseline data from a knowledge, beliefs, and practices questionnaire served to confirm this information. A larval survey of house lots was carried out to identify the Ae. aegypti larval production sites found on individual house lots. This enabled the program to target the most important larval habitats. Community groups were organized to work on the development of messages and production of the educational materials to be used. The education intervention was successful in stimulating changes in both knowledge and behavior, which were measured in the evaluations of the intervention. To be successful, community-based strategies must be flexible and adapted to the local setting because of ecologic, cultural, and social differences between localities.

Exploring decision-making for environmental health services: perspectives from four cities.

PubMed

Hunt, C; Lewin, S

2000-01-01

Increasing resources are being allocated to environmental health monitoring, especially for developing methods and collecting data to construct environmental health indicators (EHIs). Yet, little research has focused on understanding how communities and service providers make decisions with regard to environmental health priorities and the role of indicators in this process. This paper presents insights regarding local decision-making that arose from a project to test the feasibility of using community-based EHIs to facilitate communication between the providers and the recipients of environmental services in four developing-country cities. The results of the study indicate that decision-making for environmental health services is complex and iterative rather than rational and linear. Contextual and process factors play an important role. These factors include the morale of service providers, the extent of collaboration between service agencies, the priorities of different community groups and relations between service providers and communities. Scientific information, in the form of EHIs, did not appear to be a key element of decision-making in the settings studied. As tools, EHIs are unlikely to become part of the decision-making process unless they are integrated with local agendas and backed by strong local representation.

Small business development: who pays?

PubMed

Hellinger, D

1985-11-01

This article traces the trends in the aid community towards income generation and small business projects in developing countries since the 1950s. 1 of the great weakness of the development assistance community in the area of income generation remains the lack of analysis of population differentiation in the communities in which they work. A very different approach to the problem of the informal sector and income generation is one that responds directly to the needs of poor communities. Institutions working within poor communities and supporting multi-sectoral development while strengthening local organizations are much better situated to respond to the diverse needs of the community than are single-sector organizations with only 1 skill or service to offer. To assist significant numbers of poor people, particularly women, grouping of some sort is essential. This is not to say that group enterprise development is an easy process. The intensive and costly organizational and management assistance required to prepare a poor group for credit must be weighed along with the potential for creating a basis of long-range change within the community. To work with individual family enterprizes in a community can also have important social and economic effects, although the long-range impact may be more limited. Today, more than ever, the poor face the challenge of creating new survival mechanisms within their communities. Development agencies and assistance programs have the responsibility to help rather than hinder this process.

Parental perceptions of the impacts the built environment has on young children׳s health: a qualitative examination and lay assessment amongst residents in four Scottish communities.

PubMed

Teedon, Paul; Gillespie, Morag; Lindsay, Kate; Baker, Keith

2014-07-01

The built environment is important for children׳s health and development. Qualitative research in four communities in Scotland explored with groups of parents of young children their lay perceptions of their local environment with specific reference to its impact upon their children׳s health. Valuing most strong supportive communities; good quality public spaces and social housing, parents׳ key concerns included anti-social behaviour, incivility and a range of locally-specific concerns. As knowledgeable key gatekeepers to children׳s use of home environments and public spaces, parent׳s qualitative lay input is important for the development of children׳s effective use of outdoor spaces and the built environment over the long term. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Maslow's hierarchy to highlight power imbalances between visiting health professional student volunteers and the host community: An applied qualitative study.

PubMed

Evans, Tracey; Akporuno, Orezioghene; Owens, Katrina M; Lickers, Brittany; Marlinga, Jazmin; Lin, Henry C; Loh, Lawrence C

2017-01-01

Health professional students from high-income countries increasingly participate in short-term experiences in global health (STEGH) conducted abroad. One common criticism of STEGH is the inherent power differential that exists between visiting learners and the local community. To highlight this power differential, this paper explores perceived benefits as described by volunteer and community respondents and applies Maslow's hierarchy of needs to commonly identified themes in each respondent group. A semistructured survey was used to collect qualitative responses from both volunteers and community members located in a Dominican Republic community, that is, a hotspot for traditionally conducted STEGH. Thematic analysis identified themes of perceived benefits from both respondent groups; each group's common themes were then classified and compared within Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Each respondent group identified resource provision as a perceived benefit of STEGH, but volunteer respondents primarily focused on the provision of highly-skilled, complex resources while community respondents focused on basic necessities (food, water, etc.) Volunteer respondents were also the only group to also mention spiritual/religious/life experiences, personal skills development, and relationships as perceived benefits. Applying Maslow's hierarchy thus demonstrates a difference in needs: community respondents focused on benefits that address deficiency needs at the bottom of the hierarchy while volunteers focused on benefits addressing self-transcendence/actualization needs at the top of the hierarchy. The perceived difference in needs met by STEGH between volunteers and the host community within Maslow's hierarchy may drive an inherent power differential. Refocusing STEGH on the relationship level of the hierarchy (i.e., focusing on partnerships) might help mitigate this imbalance and empower host communities.

Small scale migration along the interoceanic highway in Madre de Dios, Peru: an exploration of community perceptions and dynamics due to migration.

PubMed

Jensen, Kelly E; Naik, Nehal N; O'Neal, Christina; Salmón-Mulanovich, Gabriela; Riley-Powell, Amy R; Lee, Gwenyth O; Hartinger, Stella M; Bausch, Daniel G; Paz-Soldan, Valerie A

2018-02-12

Madre de Dios, a southern state in the Peruvian Amazon basin, has experienced rapid development as well as an influx of migrants since the construction of the Interoceanic Highway (IOH) connecting Brazil, Bolivia, and the Peruvian coast. We explored perceptions of migration and development in up to eight communities along the IOH in Madre de Dios following construction of the highway. We conducted a multiple methods study involving focus group (FG) discussions and interviews with key informants (KIs) in eight communities in Madre de Dios. The data was used to develop and apply a survey on demographics, financial, personal, social, human, and physical capital in four communities between February 2014 and March 2015. We conducted 12 FGs and 34 KI interviews. A total of 522 people participated in the survey. Comparing migrants (those who had moved to the area after construction of the IOH) and non-migrants, we found no difference in food security or access to health services. The majority (67.6%) of respondents from both groups reported that illness was their primary threat to well-being. Non-migrants owned more land than migrants (p < 0.001), were more likely to have piped water directly in their home (p = 0.046), and were more likely to participate in community groups (p = 0.012). Looking at perceptions about migrants, KIs and FGs discussed both positive perceptions of migrants (increased cultural exchange and new technology) and negative perceptions (increased drugs and alcohol in their communities and a lack of investment in the community). Both migrants and non-migrants reported trusting the local government more than the national government. Although we hypothesized that migrants would have decreased access to food, water, health services, and land relative to non-migrants, our results show that the only significant differences were in land ownership and water access. Efforts to improve community infrastructure should be carried out at the local level and focus on improving issues reported by both groups, such as potable water, sewage, and increased access to health services. Furthermore, an emphasis on community cohesion, ensuring land rights, and increasing long-term job opportunities should help ease tensions between migrants and non-migrants.

Community Perceptions on Integrating Animal Vaccination and Health Education by Veterinary and Public Health Workers in the Prevention of Brucellosis among Pastoral Communities of South Western Uganda

PubMed Central

Kansiime, Catherine; Atuyambe, Lynn M.; Asiimwe, Benon B.; Mugisha, Anthony; Mugisha, Samuel; Guma, Victor; Rwego, Innocent B.; Rutebemberwa, Elizeus

2015-01-01

Background Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of veterinary, public health, and economic significance in most developing countries, yet there are few studies that show integrated human and veterinary health care intervention focusing on integration at both activity and actors levels. The aim of our study, therefore, was to explore community perceptions on integration of animal vaccination and health education by veterinary and public health workers in the management of brucellosis in Uganda. Methods This study used a qualitative design where six Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) that were homogenous in nature were conducted, two from each sub-county, one with the local leaders, and another with pastoralists and farmers. Five Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with two public health workers and three veterinary extension workers from three sub-counties in Kiruhura district, Uganda were conducted. All FGDs were conducted in the local language and tape recorded with consent from the participants. KIIs were in English and later transcribed and analyzed using latent content data analysis method. Results All the groups mentioned that they lacked awareness on brucellosis commonly known as Brucella and its vaccination in animals. Respondents perceived improvement in human resources in terms of training and recruiting more health personnel, facilitation of the necessary activities such as sensitization of the communities about brucellosis, and provision of vaccines and diagnostic tests as very important in the integration process in the communities. The FGD participants also believed that community participation was crucial for sustainability and ownership of the integration process. Conclusions The respondents reported limited knowledge of brucellosis and its vaccination in animals. The community members believed that mass animal vaccination in combination with health education about the disease is important and possible if it involves government and all other stakeholders such as wildlife authorities, community members, local to national political leaders, as well as the technical personnel from veterinary, medical and public health sectors since it affects both humans and animals. PMID:26218368

Deconstructing Community for Conservation: Why Simple Assumptions are Not Sufficient.

PubMed

Waylen, Kerry Ann; Fischer, Anke; McGowan, Philip J K; Milner-Gulland, E J

2013-01-01

Many conservation policies advocate engagement with local people, but conservation practice has sometimes been criticised for a simplistic understanding of communities and social context. To counter this, this paper explores social structuring and its influences on conservation-related behaviours at the site of a conservation intervention near Pipar forest, within the Seti Khola valley, Nepal. Qualitative and quantitative data from questionnaires and Rapid Rural Appraisal demonstrate how links between groups directly and indirectly influence behaviours of conservation relevance (including existing and potential resource-use and proconservation activities). For low-status groups the harvesting of resources can be driven by others' preference for wild foods, whilst perceptions of elite benefit-capture may cause reluctance to engage with future conservation interventions. The findings reiterate the need to avoid relying on simple assumptions about 'community' in conservation, and particularly the relevance of understanding relationships between groups, in order to understand natural resource use and implications for conservation.

Community-based livelihood management in relations to natural disaster - A study on Teknaf (coastal) area of Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khanam, R.

2017-06-01

Teknaf is an Upazila under Cox’s Bazar District of Bangladesh, it’s a coastal area with strong influenced by the Naaf river estuary of the Bay of Bengal. The study outlines the major livelihood groups or community in the area. It was observed that the livelihoods are severely affected by climatic and non-climatic changes. For example, the increased salinity of both soil and water has seriously affected all livelihood resources, in particular agriculture, fishery, livestock and forestry. The increase in frequency and intensity of natural disasters - floods and cyclones, has made it difficult for the local people to secure their livelihood. In addition to natural factors, several anthropogenic factors remain the major form of vulnerability for the farmers, fishers and other livelihood sections of the society. This study was an exploratory research with questionnaire survey by random sampling, focus group discussion, and review secondary data. The study observed that the local people have evolved many local adaptive practices to deal with the difficult climatic conditions. Outcome of the study is capacity building of the community with in their available resource; combined crop and fish culture need to encourage; control excessive collection of Natural resources like marine fish, forest tree, alternative income generating activities for farmers & fisherman at lean season and disaster situation need to start.

Policy learning for flood mitigation: a longitudinal assessment of the community rating system in Florida.

PubMed

Brody, Samuel D; Zahran, Sammy; Highfield, Wesley E; Bernhardt, Sarah P; Vedlitz, Arnold

2009-06-01

Floods continue to inflict the most damage upon human communities among all natural hazards in the United States. Because localized flooding tends to be spatially repetitive over time, local decisionmakers often have an opportunity to learn from previous events and make proactive policy adjustments to reduce the adverse effects of a subsequent storm. Despite the importance of understanding the degree to which local jurisdictions learn from flood risks and under what circumstances, little if any empirical, longitudinal research has been conducted along these lines. This article addresses the research gap by examining the change in local flood mitigation policies in Florida from 1999 to 2005. We track 18 different mitigation activities organized into four series of activities under the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) for every local jurisdiction in Florida participating in the FEMA program on a yearly time step. We then identify the major factors contributing to policy changes based on CRS scores over the seven-year study period. Using multivariate statistical models to analyze both natural and social science data, we isolate the effects of several variables categorized into the following groups: hydrologic conditions, flood disaster history, socioeconomic and human capital controls. Results indicate that local jurisdictions do in fact learn from histories of flood risk and this process is expedited under specific conditions.

EnviroAtlas - Durham, NC - Domestic Water Use per Day by U.S. Census Block Group

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

As included in this EnviroAtlas dataset, the community domestic water use was calculated using locally available water use data per capita in gallons of water per day (GPD), distributed dasymetrically, and summarized by census block group. Domestic water use, as defined in this case, is intended to represent residential indoor and outdoor water use (e.g., cooking hygiene, landscaping, pools, etc.) for primary residences (i.e., excluding second homes and tourism rentals). For the purposes of this metric, these publicly-supplied estimates are also considered representative of local self-supplied water use. Specific to Durham, NC, the Division of Water Resources (DWR), part of the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources (NCDENR), has made local water supply plans centrally available online. All local governments are required to provide public water service. Community water systems with 1,000+ service connections or 3,000+ residents are required to prepare a local water supply plan. These plans include residential, also known as domestic, water usage. To account for variations due to weather, a ten-year average was calculated for Durham, Hillsborough, and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), which supplies southeast Orange County, including Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The ten-year average included available data between 2000 and 2010. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. Envir

Experiences of a Rail Yard Community: Life Is Hard

PubMed Central

Spencer-Hwang, Rhonda; Montgomery, Susanne; Dougherty, Molly; Valladares, Johanny; Rangel, Sany; Gleason, Peter; Soret, Sam

2015-01-01

Community groups and local air pollution control agencies have identified the San Bernardino Railyard (SBR) as a significant public health and environmental justice issue. In response, the authors conducted a comprehensive study with community members living in close proximity to the rail yard. The purpose of this article is to share the community's perceptions about the rail yard and ideas on sustainable change. A qualitative study using key informant interviews and focus group discussions was conducted and resulted in four emerging themes. Themes emerged as follows: “health as an unattainable value,” “air quality challenges,” “rail yard pros and cons,” and “violence and unemployment ripple effect.” Community participants expressed concern for poor air quality, but other challenges took priority. The authors' findings suggest that future mitigation work to reduce air pollution exposure should not only focus on reducing risk from air pollution but address significant cooccurring community challenges. A “Health in All Policies” approach is warranted in addressing impacted communities in close proximity to the goods movement industry. PMID:25226779

[Community health in primary health care teams: a management objective].

PubMed

Nebot Adell, Carme; Pasarin Rua, Maribel; Canela Soler, Jaume; Sala Alvarez, Clara; Escosa Farga, Alex

2016-12-01

To describe the process of development of community health in a territory where the Primary Health Care board decided to include it in its roadmap as a strategic line. Evaluative research using qualitative techniques, including SWOT analysis on community health. Two-steps study. Primary care teams (PCT) of the Catalan Health Institute in Barcelona city. The 24 PCT belonging to the Muntanya-Dreta Primary Care Service in Barcelona city, with 904 professionals serving 557,430 inhabitants. Application of qualitative methodology using SWOT analysis in two steps (two-step study). Step 1: Setting up a core group consisting of local PCT professionals; collecting the community projects across the territory; SWOT analysis. Step 2: From the needs identified in the previous phase, a plan was developed, including a set of training activities in community health: basic, advanced, and a workshop to exchange experiences from the PCTs. A total of 80 team professionals received specific training in the 4 workshops held, one of them an advanced level. Two workshops were held to exchange experiences with 165 representatives from the local teams, and 22 PCTs presenting their practices. In 2013, 6 out of 24 PCTs have had a community diagnosis performed. Community health has achieved a good level of development in some areas, but this is not the general situation in the health care system. Its progression depends on the management support they have, the local community dynamics, and the scope of the Primary Health Care. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

'Sly grog' and 'homebrew': a qualitative examination of illicit alcohol and some of its impacts on Indigenous communities with alcohol restrictions in regional and remote Queensland (Australia).

PubMed

Fitts, Michelle S; Robertson, Jan; Towle, Simon; Doran, Chris M; McDermott, Robyn; Miller, Adrian; Margolis, Stephen; Ypinazar, Valmae; Clough, Alan R

2017-08-01

Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia) have been subject to Alcohol Management Plans since 2002/03, with significant penalties for breaching restrictions. 'Sly grog' and 'homebrew' provide access to alcohol despite restrictions. This paper describes how this alcohol is made available and the risks and impacts involved. In affected towns and communities across a large area of rural and remote Queensland, interviews and focus groups documented experiences and views of 255 long-standing community members and service providers. Using an inductive framework, transcribed interviews were analysed to identify supply mechanisms, community and service provider responses and impacts experienced. 'Homebrew' was reportedly manufactured in just a few localities, in locally-specific forms bringing locally-specific harms. However, 'sly grog' sourced from licensed premises located long distances from communities, is a widespread concern across the region. 'Sly grog' sellers circumvent retailers' takeaway liquor license conditions, stockpile alcohol outside restricted areas, send hoax messages to divert enforcement and take extraordinary risks to avoid apprehension. Police face significant challenges to enforce restrictions. On-selling of 'sly grog' appears more common in remote communities with total prohibition. Despite different motives for involvement in an illicit trade 'sly grog' consumers and sellers receive similar penalties. There is a need for: (a) a more sophisticated regional approach to managing takeaway alcohol sales from licensed suppliers, (b) targeted penalties for 'sly grog' sellers that reflect its significant community impact, (c) strategies to reduce the demand for alcohol and (d) research to assess the effects of these strategies in reducing harms.

The effectiveness of beauty care on self-rated health among community-dwelling older people.

PubMed

Kawai, Hisashi; Inomata, Takashi; Otsuka, Rika; Sugiyama, Yoichi; Hirano, Hirohiko; Obuchi, Shuichi

2016-01-01

The maintenance and improvement of self-rated health is important for prolonging healthy life expectancy in a well-aged society. In the present study, we examined the effectiveness of beauty care on self-rated health among community-dwelling older people through a quasi- randomized controlled trial by propensity score matching (PSM). One hundred twelve community-dwelling older people who were recruited from the local community, participated in a beauty care program that consisted of two training sessions per month for 3 months and daily enforcement of facial skin care (intervention group). Seven hundred fifty-nine participants who received a comprehensive geriatric assessment were treated as a control group. Sex, age, BMI, lifestyle habits, hand grip strength, walking speed, skeletal muscle mass, bone density, medical history and life function (Kihon Checklist) were matched by the PSM method. We compared the subjects' self-rated health, depressive mood status (self-rating depression scale: SDS), and the frequency of going outdoors in the intervention and control groups before and after intervention. The improvements of SDS were significantly greater in the intervention group than in the control group. The self-rated health and the frequency of going outdoors were maintained in the intervention group but were significantly decreased in the control group. We conclude that beauty care is effective for maintaining and improving the self-rated health and depression status of community-dwelling older people and that it may help prolong healthy life expectancy.

Contexts, Mechanisms, and Outcomes That Matter in Dutch Community-Based Physical Activity Programs Targeting Socially Vulnerable Groups.

PubMed

Herens, Marion; Wagemakers, Annemarie; Vaandrager, Lenneke; van Ophem, Johan; Koelen, Maria

2017-09-01

This article presents a practitioner-based approach to identify key combinations of contextual factors (C) and mechanisms (M) that trigger outcomes (O) in Dutch community-based health-enhancing physical activity (CBHEPA) programs targeting socially vulnerable groups. Data were collected in six programs using semi-structured interviews and focus groups using a timeline technique. Sessions were recorded, anonymized, and transcribed. A realist synthesis protocol was used for data-driven and thematic analysis of CMO configurations. CMO configurations related to community outreach, program sustainability, intersectoral collaboration, and enhancing participants' active lifestyles. We have refined the CBHEPA program theory by showing that actors' passion for, and past experiences with, physical activity programs trigger outcomes, alongside their commitment to socially vulnerable target groups. Project discontinuity, limited access to resources, and a trainer's stand-alone position were negative configurations. The authors conclude that local governance structures appear often to lack adaptive capacity to accommodate multilevel processes to sustain programs.

The Unity Council at 40: a pioneering community development and service organization (1967-2007).

PubMed

Orozco, Gabriel; Schwartz, Sara L; Austin, Michael J

2011-01-01

The Spanish Speaking Unity Council (Unity Council) is a community development nonprofit organization that was established in 1964, during the civil rights movement, by a group of community members who wanted to ensure the political representation of the Latino community. Over its 45-year history, the Unity Council has grown into a $12 million community development organization that delivers a range of programming, including social services and employment training as well as facilitating the development and support of local businesses, low-income housing, and neighborhood improvement activities. The history of the agency presents the multiple challenges and rewards associated with development in an underserved community and an example of the important role that leadership plays in the growth of a nonprofit.

Financial Management. Working for Clean Water: An Information Program for Advisory Groups. Instructor Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auker, Dennis; And Others

The implementation of water quality programs in the face of rising costs raises many questions for states and local communities, including: How much can taxpayers afford to pay? Who will pay? How can they pay? Described is an hour-long learning session on financial management that is designed to help citizen advisory groups play an integral role…

The Impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Immigrant Health: Perceptions of Immigrants in Everett, Massachusetts, USA

PubMed Central

Hacker, Karen; Chu, Jocelyn; Leung, Carolyn; Marra, Robert; Pirie, Alex; Brahimi, Mohamed; English, Margaret; Beckmann, Joshua; Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores; Marlin, Robert P.

2011-01-01

U.S. immigrants have faced a changing landscape with regard to immigration enforcement over the last two decades. Following the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, and the creation of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency after the attacks of September 11, 2001, detention and deportation activity increased substantially. As a result, immigrants today are experiencing heightened fear of profiling and deportation. Little research exists on how these activities affect the health and well-being of U.S. immigrant communities. This study sought to address this gap by using community-based participatory research to investigate the impact of enhanced immigration enforcement on immigrant health in Everett, Massachusetts, USA, a city with a large and diverse immigrant population. Community partners and researchers conducted 6 focus groups with 52 immigrant participants (documented and undocumented) in five languages in May 2009. The major themes across the groups included: 1) Fear of deportation, 2) Fear of collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE and perception of arbitrariness on the part of the former and 3) Concerns about not being able to furnish documentation required to apply for insurance and for health care. Documented and undocumented immigrants reported high levels of stress due to deportation fear, which affected their emotional well-being and their access to health services. Recommendations from the focus groups included improving relationships between immigrants and local police, educating immigrants on their rights and responsibilities as residents, and holding sessions to improve civic engagement. Immigration enforcement activities and the resulting deportation fear are contextual factors that undermine trust in community institutions and social capital, with implications for health and effective integration processes. These factors should be considered by any community seeking to improve the integration process. PMID:21778008

Increasing social capital via local networks: analysis in the context of a surgical practice.

PubMed

Thakur, Anjani; Yang, Isaac; Lee, Michael Y; Goel, Arpan; Ashok, Ashwin; Fonkalsrud, Eric W

2002-09-01

The relationship between social capital (support, trust, patient awareness, and increased practice revenue) and local networks (university hospital) in communities has received little attention. The development of computer-based communication networks (social networks) has added a new dimension to the argument, posing the question of whether local networks can (re-)create social capital in local communities. This relationship is examined through a review of the literature on local networks and social capital and a surgeon's practice management from 1990 to 2001 with respect to repair of pectus chest deformities. With respect to pectus repair there was a consistent but small number of new referrals (15-20 new patients/year), lack of patient awareness (eight to 12 self-referred patients/year), and modest practice revenue. Since the inception of an Internet website (social network) dedicated to pectus repair in 1996 there has been increased social participation (n = 630 hits/year to the website); facilitation of spread of information through E-mail messages (n = 430 messages/year); and a greater participation of groups such as women, minorities, adults, and those with disability (n = 120 patients/year). The dissemination of information via the local network has also allowed an "outward movement" with increased participation by interconnecting communities (n = 698,300 global Internet participants based on statistical ratios). We conclude that local networks have enhanced social networks providing new grounds for the development of relationships based on choice and shared interest.

A moveable feast: Exploring barriers and enablers to food citizenship.

PubMed

O'Kane, Gabrielle

2016-10-01

Despite the ability of the globalised food system to deliver varied and plentiful food supplies to most in the developed world it also disconnects consumers from where, how and by whom food is grown, which discourages food citizenship. This paper uses an ecological framework to examine the individual, social, physical and macro-level environments that can positively or negatively influence peoples' engagement with food citizenship. This research used narrative inquiry methodology and purposive sampling to gather stories through focus group conversations. Fifty-two people voluntarily attended focus groups comprised of food procurers from one of five sources: community gardens, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), farmers' markets, fresh food markets or supermarkets. A narrative was constructed for each of these groups of food procurers; their commonalities and particularities were illuminated through a final interpretive narrative. The findings showed that the community gardeners exhibited a range of personal characteristics that prioritised engagement with local food systems. The physical setting of the community garden enabled the gardeners to make connections to the earth and the people within their social networks. The CSA and farmers' market groups were cognisant of the implications of their food choices and usually proved to be food citizens, as they selected seasonal, local and ethically produced food from their farmer(s). The fresh food market shoppers were ambivalent towards organic and seasonal food and the market setting did not connect them directly to the provenance of their food. The supermarket shoppers' disconnection from those who grew their food and where it was grown disempowered them from making sustainable food choices. Adjustments to the macro-level food environment are needed to enable people to have a greater commitment to food citizenship. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Community stakeholder responses to advocacy advertising

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, B.; Sinclair, J.

Focus group research was used to examine how community stakeholders, a group with local industry experience, responded to coal industry advocacy messages. The stakeholders expressed beliefs about both the advertiser and the coal industry, and while their knowledge led to critical consideration of the industry campaign, they also expressed a desire to identify with positive messages about their community. Applying a postpositivist research perspective, a new model is introduced to integrate these beliefs in terms of advertiser trust and industry accountability under the existing theoretical framework of persuasion knowledge. Agent and topic knowledge are combined in this model based onmore » responses to the industry advocacy campaign. In doing so, this study integrates a priori theory within a new context, extending the current theoretical framework to include an understanding of how community stakeholders - a common target for marketplace advocacy - interpret industry messages.« less

Understanding fall meaning and context in marketing balance classes to older adults.

PubMed

Clark, Lauren; Thoreson, Sallie; Goss, Cynthia W; Zimmer, Lorena Marquez; Marosits, Mark; DiGuiseppi, Carolyn

2013-02-01

This study explored older, community-dwelling adults' attitudes and values about proposed church-delivered balance classes for fall prevention. Community observation, group interviews with stakeholders, key informant interviews, and focus groups with church members ≥ 60 years of age were analyzed in two ways: first for inductive themes expressing community sentiment about fall prevention for older adults, then for content useful in creating locally tailored social marketing messages. Four themes expressed perceptions of fall-prevention programming: de-emphasizing fall risk and emphasizing strength and independence, moving older adults out of their "comfort zones" to join classes, identifying relationships to support fall-prevention activities, and considering gender-based differences in approaches to fall prevention. A content analysis of the same dataset yielded information about preferred places in the community, promotion through churches, a tolerable price, and the balance class product itself. The qualitative results will inform the social marketing program to increase intervention delivery success.

Measuring Progress in Chemical Safety: A Guide for Local Emergency Planning Committees and Similar Groups

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

LEPCs set goals and determine if their actions continue to achieve desired outcomes. Based on Guidance on Developing Safety Performance Indicators related to Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response for Public Authorities and Communities.

A Word to the Wise: Study That Franchise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achtenburg, Ben

1972-01-01

Suggests that in deciding what should be written into the franchise of cable television and to whom it should be given, local groups can have their first and perhaps greatest influence over the way cable will affect their community. (JM)

Prairie Lakes--A School/Community Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Druse, Ric; Pudlewski, Jim

1997-01-01

Reports on a school project that focuses on a lake's ecosystem and engages students in data collection and analysis. Data are shared with the local government to assist with the monitoring of water quality. Includes tips on group cooperation and assessment. (DDR)

Assessing the mental health and wellbeing of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population.

PubMed

Ash, Marcia; Mackereth, Catherine

2013-03-01

Health needs assessment is a fundamental tool in public health practice. It entails the identification of needs from a range of perspectives, including epidemiological data, the views of local and professional people, and the comparative needs of the group under consideration. This paper describes the process undertaken with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population of an area in the north-east of England. The findings were used to inform and influence commissioners and service providers about services and interventions that will address these needs, and bring about better emotional and mental health and wellbeing as identified by LGBT people themselves. Research shows that there are great inequalities in the experience of these groups when compared with the heterosexual population. This was confirmed by the local LGBT communities. Consultation with the LGBT population showed that they experience ongoing stigma and discrimination, despite the greater apparent acceptance of diversity within the community. Recommendations were identified, which particularly focus on increasing the visibility of these groups, highlighting training issues and addressing generic or specialist services, in order to reduce discrimination.

Social Work Field Training for the Community: A Student Self-Directed Approach in the Environmental Domain in Jordan

PubMed Central

Al-Makhamreh, Sahar; Alnabulsi, Hana; Asfour, Hana

2016-01-01

This article outlines innovative field training methods that foster the abilities of undergraduate social work students so that they are able to empower the local community and raise awareness of environmental issues. In this study, students were engaged in a local community assessment that sought to understand their views on environmental and community impacts of the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) Project on the lives of the host village's residents. A students' self-directed approach was applied for the fieldwork out of which interventions were developed ( Garrison, 1997). Quantitative data were gathered by eighteen students through a survey of 361 questionnaires targeting Allan society. In addition to students' field notes, pre and post focus groups were used to collect qualitative information. Study findings highlighted the effectiveness of students' self-directed projects in cultivating culturally competent practices; ensuring sustainable development; and providing evidence-based knowledge on social work practice involving environmental issues. PMID:27559202

Social Work Field Training for the Community: A Student Self-Directed Approach in the Environmental Domain in Jordan.

PubMed

Al-Makhamreh, Sahar; Alnabulsi, Hana; Asfour, Hana

2016-06-01

This article outlines innovative field training methods that foster the abilities of undergraduate social work students so that they are able to empower the local community and raise awareness of environmental issues. In this study, students were engaged in a local community assessment that sought to understand their views on environmental and community impacts of the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) Project on the lives of the host village's residents. A students' self-directed approach was applied for the fieldwork out of which interventions were developed ( Garrison, 1997). Quantitative data were gathered by eighteen students through a survey of 361 questionnaires targeting Allan society. In addition to students' field notes, pre and post focus groups were used to collect qualitative information. Study findings highlighted the effectiveness of students' self-directed projects in cultivating culturally competent practices; ensuring sustainable development; and providing evidence-based knowledge on social work practice involving environmental issues.

Classification and Use of Natural and Anthropogenic Soils by Indigenous Communities of the Upper Amazon Region of Colombia.

PubMed

Peña-Venegas, C P; Stomph, T J; Verschoor, G; Echeverri, J A; Struik, P C

Outsiders often oversimplify Amazon soil use by assuming that abundantly available natural soils are poorly suited to agriculture and that sporadic anthropogenic soils are agriculturally productive. Local perceptions about the potentials and limitations of soils probably differ, but information on these perceptions is scarce. We therefore examined how four indigenous communities in the Middle Caquetá River region in the Colombian Amazon classify and use natural and anthropogenic soils. The study was framed in ethnopedology: local classifications, preferences, rankings, and soil uses were recorded through interviews and field observations. These communities recognized nine soils varying in suitability for agriculture. They identified anthropogenic soils as most suitable for agriculture, but only one group used them predominantly for their swiddens. As these communities did not perceive soil nutrient status as limiting, they did not base crop-site selection on soil fertility or on the interplay between soil quality and performance of manioc genetic resources.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zarate, M.A.; Slotnick, J.; Ramos, M.

The development and implementation of a solid waste management program served to build local capacity in San Mateo Ixtatan between 2002 and 2003 as part of a public health action plan. The program was developed and implemented in two phases: (1) the identification and education of a working team from the community; and (2) the completion of a solid waste classification and quantification study. Social capital and the water cycle were two public health approaches utilized to build a sustainable program. The activities accomplished gained support from the community and municipal authorities. A description of the tasks completed and findingsmore » of the solid waste classification and quantification performed by a local working group are presented in this paper.« less

Willingness to pay for community-based ivermectin distribution: a study of three onchocerciasis-endemic communities in Nigeria.

PubMed

Onwujekwe, O E; Shu, E N; Nwagbo, D; Akpala, C O; Okonkwo, P O

1998-10-01

To determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for local ivermectin distribution in a community financing framework. Contingent valuation in three communities in Nigeria, using randomly selected household heads. WTP was elicited using a bidding game, and for collecting information on the households' socio-economic status, level of knowledge, priority ranking and perception of risk of contracting the disease, structured questionnaires were used. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression analysis was used to analyse factors associated with WTP. Between 92.1% and 93.3 % of respondents were willing to pay amounts ranging from 5 Naira (US$ 0.06) to 100 Naira (US$ 1.25) (median: 20 Naira, US$ 0.25) in the three communities, more than three times the modelled unit direct cost of distributing ivermectin by the communities themselves. Occupation of the respondent, marital status, average monthly expenditure on health care, manifestations of onchocerciasis, the type of savings scheme embarked on by the respondent, age-group, level of education and type of property were statistically significant (P < 0.05) variables affecting WTP. This study shows that there is WTP for local ivermectin distribution in the three study communities, and that it should be assessed before instituting community-directed treatment with ivermectin.

LA SAFE and Isle de Jean Charles: Regional Adaptation and Community Resettlement Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders, M.

2017-12-01

LA SAFE, or Louisiana's Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments, is a strategic framework for community development utilizing future projections of coastal land loss and flood risk as a determining factor in regional growth management and local planning initiatives along a 10, 25, and 50 year timeline. LA SAFE utilizes the input of passionate local citizen leaders and organizations committed to enabling community members to take proactive steps towards mitigating risk and increasing resilience against coastal issues. The project aims to acknowledge that adaptation and restoration must go hand-in-hand with addressing community growth and contraction, as well as realizing Louisiana's most vulnerable coastal communities will need to contemplate resettlement over the next 50 years. The project's outlook is to become a global leader for adaptation and cultural design and restoration. Connecting a global interest with the project and offering extensive ways for people to learn about the issues and get involved will provide an immense amount of support necessary for future coastal environments around the world. This presentation will focus on the output of a year-long planning effort across a six-parish target area encompassing several vulnerable coastal Louisiana locales. The Resettlement of Isle de Jean Charles is a federally-funded and first-of-its kind initiative marking Louisiana's first attempt to relocate a vulnerable coastal community at-scale and as a group. Due to a myriad of environmental factors, the Island has experienced 98 percent land loss since 1955, leading to many of the Island's historical inhabitants to retreat to higher, drier landscapes. In moving the community at-scale, the project seeks to inject new life into the community and its residents in relocating the community to higher, safer ground, while also developing the new community in such a way that it maximizes economic development, job training, and educational opportunities and can be a locale that is not only a model for future resettlement projects, but also attracts new and former residents of the Isle de Jean Charles community. This presentation will recap planning work completed to date, as well as provide a highlight of how the project is developing as a scalable, replicable model.

The invasibility of marine algal assemblages: role of functional diversity and identity.

PubMed

Arenas, Francisco; Sánchez, Iñigo; Hawkins, Stephen J; Jenkins, Stuart R

2006-11-01

The emergence of the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning debate in the last decade has renewed interest in understanding why some communities are more easily invaded than others and how the impact of invasion on recipient communities and ecosystems varies. To date most of the research on invasibility has focused on taxonomic diversity, i.e., species richness. However, functional diversity of the communities should be more relevant for the resistance of the community to invasions, as the extent of functional differences among the species in an assemblage is a major determinant of ecosystem processes. Although coastal marine habitats are among the most heavily invaded ecosystems, studies on community invasibility and vulnerability in these habitats are scarce. We carried out a manipulative field experiment in tide pools of the rocky intertidal to test the hypothesis that increasing functional richness reduces the susceptibility of macroalgal communities to invasion. We selected a priori four functional groups on the basis of previous knowledge of local species characteristics: encrusting, turf, subcanopy, and canopy species. Synthetic assemblages containing one, two, three, or four different functional groups of seaweeds were created, and invasion by native species was monitored over an eight-month period. Cover and resource availability in the assemblages with only one functional group showed different patterns in the use of space and light, confirming true functional differences among our groups. Experimental results showed that the identity of functional groups was more important than functional richness in determining the ability of macroalgal communities to resist invasion and that resistance to invasion was resource-mediated.

Community Consultation and Communication for a Population-Based DNA Biobank: the Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project

PubMed Central

McCarty, Catherine A.; Chapman-Stone, Donna; Derfus, Teresa; Giampietro, Philip F.; Fost, Norman

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe community consultation and communication efforts for the Personalized Medicine Research Project (PMRP), a population-based biobank. A series of focus group discussions was held in the year preceding initial recruitment efforts with potentially eligible community residents and slightly less than a year after initial recruitment with eligible residents who had declined participation in PMRP. A Community Advisory Group, with 19 members reflecting the demographics of the eligible community, was formed and meets twice yearly to provide advice and feedback to the PMRP Principal Investigator and the local IRB. Ongoing communication with study subjects, who consent on the condition that personal genetic results will not be disclosed, takes place through a newsletter that is distributed twice yearly, community talks and media coverage. Most focus group participants were concerned about the confidentiality of both their medical and genetic data. Focus group discussions with eligible residents who elected not to participate in PMRP revealed that many knew very little about the project, but thought that too much information had been provided, leading them to believe that it would take too long for them to understand and enroll in the study. In conclusion, an engaged community advisory group can provide a sounding board to study investigators for many study issues and can provide guidance for broader communication activities. Researchers need to balance the provision of information for potential subjects to make informed decisions about study participation, with respect for individuals’ time to read and interpret study materials. PMID:19006210

Local Environmental Factors Drive Divergent Grassland Soil Bacterial Communities in the Western Swiss Alps.

PubMed

Yashiro, Erika; Pinto-Figueroa, Eric; Buri, Aline; Spangenberg, Jorge E; Adatte, Thierry; Niculita-Hirzel, Hélène; Guisan, Antoine; van der Meer, Jan Roelof

2016-11-01

Mountain ecosystems are characterized by a diverse range of climatic and topographic conditions over short distances and are known to shelter a high biodiversity. Despite important progress, still little is known on bacterial diversity in mountain areas. Here, we investigated soil bacterial biogeography at more than 100 sampling sites randomly stratified across a 700-km 2 area with 2,200-m elevation gradient in the western Swiss Alps. Bacterial grassland communities were highly diverse, with 12,741 total operational taxonomic units (OTUs) across 100 sites and an average of 2,918 OTUs per site. Bacterial community structure was correlated with local climatic, topographic, and soil physicochemical parameters with high statistical significance. We found pH (correlated with % CaO and % mineral carbon), hydrogen index (correlated with bulk gravimetric water content), and annual average number of frost days during the growing season to be among the groups of the most important environmental drivers of bacterial community structure. In contrast, bacterial community structure was only weakly stratified as a function of elevation. Contrasting patterns were discovered for individual bacterial taxa. Acidobacteria responded both positively and negatively to pH extremes. Various families within the Bacteroidetes responded to available phosphorus levels. Different verrucomicrobial groups responded to electrical conductivity, total organic carbon, water content, and mineral carbon contents. Alpine grassland bacterial communities are thus highly diverse, which is likely due to the large variety of different environmental conditions. These results shed new light on the biodiversity of mountain ecosystems, which were already identified as potentially fragile to anthropogenic influences and climate change. This article addresses the question of how microbial communities in alpine regions are dependent on local climatic and soil physicochemical variables. We benefit from a unique 700-km 2 study region in the western Swiss Alps region, which has been exhaustively studied for macro-organismal and fungal ecology, and for topoclimatic modeling of future ecological trends, but without taking into account soil bacterial diversity. Here, we present an in-depth biogeographical characterization of the bacterial community diversity in this alpine region across 100 randomly stratified sites, using 56 environmental variables. Our exhaustive sampling ensured the detection of ecological trends with high statistical robustness. Our data both confirm previously observed general trends and show many new detailed trends for a wide range of bacterial taxonomic groups and environmental parameters. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Cultural context of school communities in rural Hawaii to inform youth violence prevention.

PubMed

Affonso, Dyanne D; Mayberry, Linda; Shibuya, June Y; Archambeau, Olga G; Correa, Mary; Deliramich, Aimee N; Frueh, B Christopher

2010-03-01

Escalation of youth violence within a large geographic school-complex area in southeastern rural Hawaii became a major problem in 2006. How cultural forces impact the problem was an impetus to examine youth violence from perspectives of adults and children in rural communities. Gathering these data was an essential first step toward school-based youth violence prevention program development. Eight focus groups involving 86 community stakeholders included 51 adults (parent, teachers, school staff, community leaders) and 35 children aged 8-15 years old (3rd- to 10-th grade). Qualitative narrative analysis elicited major themes. Five themes emerged: (1) School-community violence takes on many forms that become entrenched in local culture. (2) Disintegration of community resources and a sense of learned helplessness underlie the escalation of youth violence. (3) Inadequate role modeling coupled with behavioral ambivalence among adults has sustained a climate of local cultural acceptance with youth violence. (4) Connection to cultural values has diminished, leading to a sense of loss in cultural identity among students. (5) Cultural values and practices are potential strategies for youth violence prevention. Cultural and community contextual factors contributed to youth violence in rural Hawaiian communities. Study implications include the need to further investigate the impact of vigilant, community involvement of stakeholders in school-based youth violence prevention program development. Cultural revitalization at family, school, and community levels may be critical success factors of such programs.

The Road to Resilience: Insights on Training Community Coalitions in the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project.

PubMed

Cha, Biblia S; Lawrence, Rachel I; Bliss, Jesse C; Wells, Kenneth B; Chandra, Anita; Eisenman, David P

2016-12-01

Local health departments (LHDs) have little guidance for operationalizing community resilience (CR). We explored how community coalitions responded to 4 CR levers (education, engagement, partnerships, and community self-sufficiency) during the first planning year of the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience (LACCDR) Project. Sixteen communities were selected and randomly assigned to the experimental CR group or the control preparedness group. Eight CR coalitions met monthly to plan CR-building activities or to receive CR training from a public health nurse. Trained observers documented the coalitions' understanding and application of CR at each meeting. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze structured observation reports around the 4 levers. Analysis of 41 reports suggested that coalitions underwent a process of learning about and applying CR concepts in the planning year. Groups resonated with ideas of education, community self-sufficiency, and engagement, but increasing partnerships was challenging. LHDs can support coalitions by anticipating the time necessary to understand CR and by facilitating engagement. Understanding the issues that emerge in the early phases of planning and implementing CR-building activities is critical. LHDs can use the experience of the LACCDR Project's planning year as a guide to navigate challenges and issues that emerge as they operationalize the CR model. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:812-821).

Tangible evidence, trust and power: public perceptions of community environmental health studies.

PubMed

Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen; Senier, Laura; Darrah-Okike, Jennifer; Brown, Phil; Santos, Susan

2009-01-01

Communities with environmental health concerns in the USA frequently request studies from their local or state departments of public health. This paper presents findings from three focus groups conducted in communities north of Boston that have been the subject of two different environmental health studies. The focus groups were designed to elicit residents' perceptions of environmental health, and of the particular studies conducted in their communities. In all focus groups, participants had difficulty accepting the findings of health studies that contradicted their own experiences of environmental exposures and illness. Our results suggest that lay knowledge, informed in varying degrees by the experience of what we term "tangible evidence," creates a lens through which communities interpret a health study's findings. The differences in reliance on tangible evidence were related to participants' sense of trust in public officials, and the institutions responsible for conducting health studies. Participants from the wealthier, predominantly white communities discussed trust in study design and methodologies used. In contrast, participants from the lower-income, higher-minority communities assessed health studies with reference to their trust (or lack thereof) in study sponsors and public health institutions. Participants' experience of tangible evidence, trust or distrust in health agencies and research institutions, and a sense of relative community power, influence how they assess the findings of environmental health studies and may have implications for pubic health.

Tangible Evidence, Trust and Power: Public Perceptions of Community Environmental Health Studies

PubMed Central

Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen; Senier, Laura; Darrah-Okike, Jennifer; Brown, Phil; Santos, Susan

2009-01-01

Communities with environmental health concerns in the USA frequently request studies from their local or state departments of public health. This paper presents findings from three focus groups conducted in communities north of Boston that have been the subject of two different environmental health studies. The focus groups were designed to elicit residents’ perceptions of environmental health, and of the particular studies conducted in their communities. In all focus groups, participants had difficulty accepting the findings of health studies that contradicted their own experiences of environmental exposures and illness. Our results suggest that lay knowledge, informed in varying degrees by the experience of what we term “tangible evidence,” creates a lens through which communities interpret a health study’s findings. The differences in reliance on tangible evidence were related to participants’ sense of trust in public officials, and the institutions responsible for conducting health studies. Participants from the wealthier, predominantly white communities discussed trust in study design and methodologies used. In contrast, participants from the lower income, higher minority communities assessed health studies with reference to their trust (or lack thereof) in study sponsors and public health institutions. Participants’ experience of tangible evidence, trust or distrust in health agencies and research institutions, and a sense of relative community power, influence how they assess the findings of environmental health studies and may have implications for pubic health. PMID:18995942

Public participation and marginalized groups: the community development model.

PubMed

O'Keefe, Eileen; Hogg, Christine

1999-12-01

OBJECTIVES: To develop ways of reaching house-bound people and enabling them to give their views in planning and monitoring health and social care. STRATEGY: HealthLINK - a project based in a community health council - explored ways of involving older house-bound people in the London Borough of Camden, in planning and monitoring health and social care using community development techniques. RESULTS: HealthLINK set up an infrastructure to enable house-bound people to have access to information and to enable them to give their views. This resulted in access for health and local authorities to the views of house-bound older people and increased the self esteem and quality of life of those who became involved. CONCLUSIONS: Community development approaches that enable an infrastructure to be established may be an effective way of reaching marginalized communities. However, there are tensions in this approach between the different requirements for public involvement of statutory bodies and of users, and between representation of groups and listening to individual voices.

Exploring the Application of Volunteered Geographic Information to Catchment Management: a Survey Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paudyal, D. R.; McDougall, K.; Apan, A.

2012-07-01

The participation and engagement of grass-root level community groups and citizens for natural resource management has a long history. With recent developments in ICT tools and spatial technology, these groups are seeking a new opportunity to manage natural resource data. There are lot of spatial information collected/generated by landcare groups, land holders and other community groups at the grass-root level through their volunteer initiatives. State government organisations are also interested in gaining access to this spatial data/information and engaging these groups to collect spatial information under their mapping programs. The aim of this paper is to explore the possible utilisation of volunteered geographic information (VGI) for catchment management activities. This research paper discusses the importance of spatial information and spatial data infrastructure (SDI) for catchment management and the emergence of VGI. A conceptual framework has been developed to illustrate how these emerging spatial information applications and various community volunteer activities can contribute to a more inclusive spatial data infrastructure (SDI) development at local level. A survey of 56 regional NRM bodies in Australia was utilised to explore the current community-driven volunteer initiatives for NRM activities and the potential of utilisation of VGI initiatives for NRM decision making process. This research paper concludes that VGI activities have great potential to contribute to SDI development at the community level to achieve better natural resource management (NRM) outcomes.

Species richness at the guild level: effects of species pool and local environmental conditions on stream macroinvertebrate communities.

PubMed

Grönroos, Mira; Heino, Jani

2012-05-01

1. A fundamental question in ecology is which factors determine species richness. Here, we studied the relative importance of regional species pool and local environmental characteristics in determining local species richness (LSR). Typically, this question has been studied using whole communities or a certain taxonomic group, although including species with widely varying biological traits in the same analysis may hinder the detection of ecologically meaningful patterns. 2. We studied the question above for whole stream macroinvertebrate community and within functional feeding guilds. We defined the local scale as a riffle site and the regional scale (i.e. representing the regional species pool) as a stream. Such intermediate-sized regional scale is rarely studied in this context. 3. We sampled altogether 100 sites, ten riffles (local scale) in each of ten streams (regional scale). We used the local-regional richness regression plots to study the overall effect of regional species pool on LSR. Variation partitioning was used to determine the relative importance of regional species pool and local environmental conditions for species richness. 4. The local-regional richness relationship was mainly linear, suggesting strong species pool effects. Only one guild showed some signs of curvilinearity. However, variation partitioning showed that local environmental characteristics accounted for a larger fraction of variance in LSR than regional species pool. Also, the relative importance of the fractions differed between the whole community and guilds, as well as among guilds. 5. This study indicates that the importance of the local and regional processes may vary depending on feeding guild and trophic level. We conclude that both the size of the regional species pool and local habitat characteristics are important in determining LSR of stream macroinvertebrates. Our results are in agreement with recent large-scale studies conducted in highly different study systems and complement the previous findings by showing that the interplay of regional and local factors is also important at intermediate regional scales. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.

Resource specialists lead local insect community turnover associated with temperature - analysis of an 18-year full-seasonal record of moths and beetles.

PubMed

Thomsen, Philip Francis; Jørgensen, Peter Søgaard; Bruun, Hans Henrik; Pedersen, Jan; Riis-Nielsen, Torben; Jonko, Krzysztof; Słowińska, Iwona; Rahbek, Carsten; Karsholt, Ole

2016-01-01

Insect responses to recent climate change are well documented, but the role of resource specialization in determining species vulnerability remains poorly understood. Uncovering local ecological effects of temperature change with high-quality, standardized data provides an important first opportunity for predictions about responses of resource specialists, and long-term time series are essential in revealing these responses. Here, we investigate temperature-related changes in local insect communities, using a sampling site with more than a quarter-million records from two decades (1992-2009) of full-season, quantitative light trapping of 1543 species of moths and beetles. We investigated annual as well as long-term changes in fauna composition, abundance and phenology in a climate-related context using species temperature affinities and local temperature data. Finally, we explored these local changes in the context of dietary specialization. Across both moths and beetles, temperature affinity of specialists increased through net gain of hot-dwelling species and net loss of cold-dwelling species. The climate-related composition of generalists remained constant over time. We observed an increase in species richness of both groups. Furthermore, we observed divergent phenological responses between cold- and hot-dwelling species, advancing and delaying their relative abundance, respectively. Phenological advances were particularly pronounced in cold-adapted specialists. Our results suggest an important role of resource specialization in explaining the compositional and phenological responses of insect communities to local temperature increases. We propose that resource specialists in particular are affected by local temperature increase, leading to the distinct temperature-mediated turnover seen for this group. We suggest that the observed increase in species number could have been facilitated by dissimilar utilization of an expanded growing season by cold- and hot-adapted species, as indicated by their oppositely directed phenological responses. An especially pronounced advancement of cold-adapted specialists suggests that such phenological advances might help minimize further temperature-induced loss of resource specialists. Although limited to a single study site, our results suggest several local changes in the insect fauna in concordance with expected change of larger-scale temperature increases. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2015 British Ecological Society.

Drivers of community assembly in tropical forest restoration sites: role of local environment, landscape, and space.

PubMed

Audino, Lívia D; Murphy, Stephen J; Zambaldi, Ludimila; Louzada, Julio; Comita, Liza S

2017-09-01

There is increasing recognition that community assembly theory can offer valuable insights for ecological restoration. We studied community assembly processes following tropical forest restoration efforts, using dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) as a focal taxon to investigate taxonomic and functional patterns of biodiversity recovery. We evaluated the relative importance of the local environment (i.e., canopy cover, understory cover, tree basal area, and soil texture), landscape context (i.e., habitat patch proximity and availability and percentage of surrounding area classified as natural forest or Eucalyptus spp. plantation), and space (i.e., spatial proximity of the study areas to estimate dispersal limitation or unmeasured spatially structured processes) on dung beetle species and functional trait composition across a gradient of 15 restoration sites in Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We also assessed which factors were the primary determinants in the establishment of individual dung beetle functional groups, classified according to size, food relocation habit, diet, and period of flight activity. Both species and functional trait composition were most strongly influenced by the local environment, indicating that assembly was predominantly driven by niche-based processes. Most of the variation explained by space was co-explained by local environment and landscape context, ruling out a strong influence of dispersal limitation and random colonization on assembly following restoration. In addition, nearly all of the variance explained by landscape context was co-explained by local environment, suggesting that arrival and establishment at a site depends on both local and landscape-scale environmental factors. Despite strong evidence for niche-based assembly, a large amount of variation remained unexplained in all models, suggesting that stochastic processes and/or unmeasured environmental variables also play an important role. The relative importance of local environment, landscape context, and space changed considerably when analyzing the assembly mechanisms of each functional group separately. Therefore, to recover distinct functional traits in restoration sites, it may be necessary to manipulate different components of the local environment and surrounding landscape. Overall, this study shows that assembly rules can help to better understand recovery processes, enabling improvement of future restoration efforts. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Strengthening community leadership: evaluation findings from the california healthy cities and communities program.

PubMed

Kegler, Michelle C; Norton, Barbara L; Aronson, Robert E

2008-04-01

Collaborative approaches to community health improvement such as healthy cities and communities have the potential to strengthen community capacity through leadership development. The healthy cities and communities process orients existing local leadership to new community problem-solving strategies and draws out leadership abilities among residents not previously engaged in civic life. In an evaluation of the California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) Program, leadership development was one of several outcomes assessed at the civic-participation level of the social ecology. Data collection methods included focus groups and surveys, semistructured interviews with coordinators and community leaders, and review of program documents. Findings suggest that the CHCC program enhanced capacity by expanding new leadership opportunities through coalition participation, program implementation, and civic leadership roles related to spin-off organizations and broader collaborative structures. Communities in rural regions were particularly successful in achieving significant leadership outcomes.

Coping with youth suicide and overdose: one community's efforts to investigate, intervene, and prevent suicide contagion.

PubMed

Hacker, Karen; Collins, Jessica; Gross-Young, Leni; Almeida, Stephanie; Burke, Noreen

2008-01-01

From 2000-2005, Somerville, MA, experienced a number of youth overdoses and suicides. The community response followed CDC recommendations for contagion containment. A community coalition, Somerville Cares About Prevention, became a pivotal convener of community partners and a local research organization, the Institute for Community Health, provided needed expertise in surveillance and analysis. Mayoral leadership provided the impetus for action while community activists connected those at risk with mental health resources. Using a variety of data sources (including death certificates, youth risk surveys, 911 call data, and hospital discharges) overdose and suicide activity were monitored. Rates of suicide and overdose for 10-24-year-olds were higher than in previous years. Using case investigation methods, the majority of suicide victims were found to be linked through common peer groups and substance abuse. Subsequent community action steps included: a community-based trauma response team, improved media relationships, focus groups for suicide survivors, and prevention trainings to community stakeholders. Youth suicide and overdose activity subsided in May of 2005. The community partnerships were critical elements for developing a response to this public health crisis. This collaborative approach to suicide contagion used existing resources and provides important lessons learned for other communities facing similar circumstances.

The role of community context in planning and implementing community-based health promotion projects.

PubMed

Kegler, Michelle C; Rigler, Jessica; Honeycutt, Sally

2011-08-01

The current study examines how community context affected collaborative planning and implementation in eight sites participating in a healthy cities and communities initiative in California. Data are from 23 focus groups conducted with coalition members, and 76 semi-structured interviews with local coordinators and community leaders. Multiple case study methods were used to identify major themes related to how five contextual domains influenced collaborative planning and implementation. Results showed that history of collaboration can influence resources and interpersonal and organizational connections available for planning and implementation, as well as priorities selected for action. Community politics and history can affect which segments of the community participate in a planning process and what issues are prioritized, as well as the pool of partners willing to aid in implementation. Some community norms and values bring people together and others appear to limit involvement from certain groups. Community demographics and economic conditions may shape outreach strategies for planning and implementation, and may also shape priorities. Geography can play a role in assessment methods, priority selection, partners available to aid in implementation, and participation in activities and events. Results suggest that community context plays a substantive role in shaping how community-based health promotion projects unfold. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Community-based family-style group homes for children orphaned by AIDS in rural China: an ethnographic investigation

PubMed Central

Hong, Yan; Chi, Peilian; Li, Xiaoming; Zhao, Guoxiang; Zhao, Junfeng; Stanton, Bonita; Li, Li

2015-01-01

As the number of children orphaned by AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) has reached 17.3 million, most living in resource-poor settings, interest has grown in identifying and evaluating appropriate care arrangements for them. In this study, we describe the community-based family-style group homes (‘group homes’) in rural China. Guided by an ecological framework of children’s wellbeing, we conducted a series of ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews and group discussions in the rural areas of Henan Province, which has been severely impacted by the AIDS endemic through commercial blood collection. Based on our observations and discussions, group homes appear to provide stable and safe living environments for children orphaned by AIDS. Adequate financial support from non-government organizations (NGOs) as well as the central and provincial governments has ensured a low child–caregiver ratio and attention to the basic needs of the children at group homes. The foster parents were selected from the local community and appear to have adequate qualifications and dedication. They receive a monthly stipend, periodical evaluation and parenting consultation from supporting NGOs. The foster parents and children in the group homes have formed strong bonds. Both children and foster parents reported positively on health and education. Characteristics of community-based group homes can be replicated in other care arrangements for AIDS orphans in resource-poor settings for the optimal health outcomes of those vulnerable children. We also call for capacity building for caregivers and communities to provide sustainable and supportive living environment for these children. PMID:25124083

Primary Care Trusts involving the community: is community development the way forward?

PubMed

Crowley, Philip; Green, Judith; Freake, Debbie; Drinkwater, Chris

2002-01-01

Patient and user involvement is central to current government thinking on the NHS. More comprehensive approaches to organised community participation and community development have received less support and examples of effective and genuine participation in key areas such as primary care decision-making are rare. The initiative described in this paper was established in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1995 to promote community participation in decision-making about local health services. It has particular relevance to current concerns about addressing social exclusion and tackling health inequalities since it operates in an area of social disadvantage with a significant black and ethnic minority population (6 percent). This case study is based on an independent evaluation which used multiple research methods, including interviews, questionnaire surveys and direct observation, to assess the project's practice and impact. Describes a community development approach to public participation. An emphasis on inclusive practices has facilitated meaningful involvement of minority groups such as ethnic minority residents and those with disabilities who tend to be marginalised in public debate. Argues that the project has made a significant impact on the ways in which local health services are planned and delivered

Microbicides Development Programme: Engaging the community in the standard of care debate in a vaginal microbicide trial in Mwanza, Tanzania

PubMed Central

Vallely, Andrew; Shagi, Charles; Lees, Shelley; Shapiro, Katherine; Masanja, Joseph; Nikolau, Lawi; Kazimoto, Johari; Soteli, Selephina; Moffat, Claire; Changalucha, John; McCormack, Sheena; Hayes, Richard J

2009-01-01

Background HIV prevention research in resource-limited countries is associated with a variety of ethical dilemmas. Key amongst these is the question of what constitutes an appropriate standard of health care (SoC) for participants in HIV prevention trials. This paper describes a community-focused approach to develop a locally-appropriate SoC in the context of a phase III vaginal microbicide trial in Mwanza City, northwest Tanzania. Methods A mobile community-based sexual and reproductive health service for women working as informal food vendors or in traditional and modern bars, restaurants, hotels and guesthouses has been established in 10 city wards. Wards were divided into geographical clusters and community representatives elected at cluster and ward level. A city-level Community Advisory Committee (CAC) with representatives from each ward has been established. Workshops and community meetings at ward and city-level have explored project-related concerns using tools adapted from participatory learning and action techniques e.g. chapati diagrams, pair-wise ranking. Secondary stakeholders representing local public-sector and non-governmental health and social care providers have formed a trial Stakeholders' Advisory Group (SAG), which includes two CAC representatives. Results Key recommendations from participatory community workshops, CAC and SAG meetings conducted in the first year of the trial relate to the quality and range of clinic services provided at study clinics as well as broader standard of care issues. Recommendations have included streamlining clinic services to reduce waiting times, expanding services to include the children and spouses of participants and providing care for common local conditions such as malaria. Participants, community representatives and stakeholders felt there was an ethical obligation to ensure effective access to antiretroviral drugs and to provide supportive community-based care for women identified as HIV positive during the trial. This obligation includes ensuring sustainable, post-trial access to these services. Post-trial access to an effective vaginal microbicide was also felt to be a moral imperative. Conclusion Participatory methodologies enabled effective partnerships between researchers, participant representatives and community stakeholders to be developed and facilitated local dialogue and consensus on what constitutes a locally-appropriate standard of care in the context of a vaginal microbicide trial in this setting. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN64716212 PMID:19814830

Perspectives on enhancing physical activity and diet for health promotion among at-risk urban UK South Asian communities: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Cross-Bardell, Laura; George, Tracey; Bhoday, Mandeep; Tuomainen, Helena; Qureshi, Nadeem; Kai, Joe

2015-01-01

Objectives To explore perspectives on enhancing physical activity and diet among South Asians in urban deprived communities at high risk of chronic disease and to inform development of culturally appropriate health promotion intervention. Design Qualitative study using semistructured one-to-one and family group interviews with thematic analysis of data. Setting Urban disadvantaged communities in the East Midlands of the UK. Participants 45 respondents, including 34 people of South Asian origin (16 at-risk individuals, six family groups involving 18 relatives), of mainly Pakistani and Indian origin, including 16 non-English speakers; and 11 health professionals working locally with communities of concern. Results South Asian participants underlined the challenges of requiring family members across generations to engage in modifying dietary behaviours, and the central role of communal eating of traditional ‘Asian’ food in their cultural lives. Barriers to increasing physical activity included cost, personal safety and lack of time outside of long working hours and carer commitments. However, increasing walking activity was regarded as feasible by both community and health professional participants. Respondents emphasised using a social approach for potential interventions, undertaking activity with family or friends and with bilingual community peers to facilitate engagement, motivation and support. Spoken content and delivery of interventions was favoured, including personal stories and multilingual audio–visual information; within local informal rather than provider settings, including the home; and aided by pedometers for self-monitoring. Conclusions Focusing on physical activity by increasing walking may hold promise as health promotion in this deprived South Asian community context. Further intervention development, with exploration of feasibility and acceptability of the social approach and elements suggested, is merited. PMID:25724983

An exploration of beliefs and attitudes regarding healthy lifestyle behaviour in an urban population in The Netherlands: Results from a focus group study in a community-based prevention project.

PubMed

Kloosterboer, Sanne M; van den Brekel, Karolien; Rengers, Antonia H; Peek, Niels; de Wit, Niek J

2015-06-01

The positive effects of lifestyle intervention programmes might be enhanced when targeted to the health-related behaviour of the users. This study explores the beliefs and attitudes regarding a healthy lifestyle, the influences on lifestyle behavioural change and the needs to support a healthy lifestyle in the local community, during an integrated community-based prevention project in newly developed urban area in the Netherlands. Three focus groups were conducted with urban residents aged 45-70 (n = 28). Thematic qualitative analysis was applied to verbatim transcripts to identify emerging themes. The following themes were identified: beliefs to healthy behaviour, responsibility for health, perceived behavioural control, external influences on behavioural change and needs in the local community. Within these themes, personal responsibility for health and the influence of the social and physical environment emerged to be important for health and lifestyle. The participants expressed the need for clearly organized health and lifestyle facilities, a personalized approach and an easily accessible health risk assessment to support lifestyle behavioural change in the community. In our study, urban residents experienced a strong influence of the social and physical environment to their lifestyle behaviour. This finding supports an integrated approach for preventive health services in this population. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

A systems approach for the development of a sustainable community--the application of the sensitivity model (SM).

PubMed

Chan, Shih-Liang; Huang, Shu-Li

2004-09-01

Corresponding to the concept of 'Think globally, act locally and plan regionally' of sustainable development, this paper discusses the approach of planning a sustainable community in terms of systems thinking. We apply a systems tool, the sensitivity model (SM), to build a model of the development of the community of Ping-Ding, located adjacent to the Yang-Ming-Shan National Park, Taiwan. The major issue in the development of Ping-Ding is the conflict between environmental conservation and the development of a local tourism industry. With the involvement of local residents, planners, and interest groups, a system model of 26 variables was defined to identify characteristics of Ping-Ding through pattern recognition. Two scenarios concerning the sustainable development of Ping-Ding are simulated with interlinked feedbacks from variables. The results of the analysis indicate that the development of Ping-Ding would be better served by the planning of agriculture and the tourism industry. The advantages and shortfalls of applying SM in the current planning environment of Taiwan are also discussed to conclude this paper.

Derby district redevelopment in Colorado: case study on the health impact assessment process.

PubMed

Maclennan, Carol F; Ghosh, Tista S; Juliusson, Lara; Vogt, Richard L; Boehmer, Tegan K

2012-01-01

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a tool that is increasingly utilized in the U.S. to shape policies that may impact the public's health. Domestic examples of HIAs and the process by which they were conducted, however, are rarely documented in the peer-reviewed literature. Through an existing relationship with the planning department in Commerce City, Colorado, Tri-County Health Department (TCHD) was able to identify a proposed redevelopment plan as a candidate for an HIA. The HIA focused on potential effects of the proposed redevelopment of Commerce City's historic Derby District on residents' physical activity and nutrition-related behaviors. This article describes the HIA process used by TCHD. Several sources of data were used, including participatory community input on walkability and safety, local health behavior data, and maps of health-influencing environmental characteristics. Using a variety of information sources including community input and local health behavior data can be useful in conducting HIAs and impacting policies. Local health departments should consider cultivating ongoing collaborative partnerships with municipal planning departments and community groups to conduct HIAs and to implement recommendations.

Customizing a rangefinder for community-based wildlife conservation initiatives

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ransom, Jason I.

2011-01-01

Population size of many threatened and endangered species is relatively unknown because estimating animal abundance in remote parts of the world, without access to aircraft for surveying vast areas, is a scientific challenge with few proposed solutions. One option is to enlist local community members and train them in data collection for large line transect or point count surveys, but financial and sometimes technological constraints prevent access to the necessary equipment and training for accurately quantifying distance measurements. Such measurements are paramount for generating reliable estimates of animal density. This problem was overcome in a survey of Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia, by converting an inexpensive optical sporting rangefinder into a species-specific rangefinder with visual-based categorical labels. Accuracy trials concluded 96.86% of 350 distance measures matched those from a laser rangefinder. This simple customized optic subsequently allowed for a large group of minimally-trained observers to simultaneously record quantitative measures of distance, despite language, education, and skill differences among the diverse group. The large community-based effort actively engaged local residents in species conservation by including them as the foundation for collecting scientific data.

Richness, composition and trophic groups of an avian community in the Pernambuco Endemism Centre, Alagoas, Brazil.

PubMed

Toledo-Lima, Guilherme S; Macario, Phoeve; Lyra-Neves, Rachel M de; Teixeira, Bruno P; Lima, Luiz A F de; Sugliano, Gabriel O S; Telino-Júnior, Wallace R

2014-09-01

In northeastern Brazil, the reduction of the natural forest cover to a series of small, isolated fragments has had negative consequences for the local avian fauna, in particular, a loss of the more specialized species, while the populations of some generalists have tended to increase. The present study focuses on the composition and trophic groups of a bird community on a farm in the northeastern Brazilian state of Alagoas. Monthly surveys were conducted between November 2008 and October 2009, based on mist-netting and systematic observations. Overall, 112 species were recorded, of which 76 were associated with the two forest fragments surveyed, while all the others were observed exclusively in the surrounding matrix of pasture and orchards. The bird community presented a predominance of insectivorous species, followed by omnivores. However, specialized trunk-creeping and understory insectivores accounted for only around 15% of the species in this feeding category. The reduced diversity of other guilds and species with more specialized diets, and the complete absence of sensitive species such as large parrots and raptors, reflects the severe fragmentation and degradation of the local forests, which has greatly reduced the availability of dietary resources and breeding sites.

Ocean Filmmaking Camp @ Duke Marine Lab: Building Community with Ocean Science for a Better World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Oca, M.; Noll, S.

2016-02-01

A democratic society requires that its citizens are informed of everyday's global issues. Out of all issues those related to ocean conservation can be hard to grasp for the general public and especially so for disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups. Opportunity-scarce communities generally have more limited access to the ocean and to science literacy programs. The Ocean Filmmaking Camp @ Duke Marine Lab (OFC@DUML) is an effort to address this gap at the level of high school students in a small coastal town. We designed a six-week summer program to nurture the talents of high school students from under-represented communities in North Carolina with training in filmmaking, marine science and conservation. Our science curriculum is especially designed to present the science in a locally and globally-relevant context. Class discussions, field trips and site visits develop the students' cognitive abilities while they learn the value of the natural environment they live in. Through filmmaking students develop their voice and their media literacy, while connecting with their local community, crossing class and racial barriers. By the end of the summer this program succeeds in encouraging students to engage in the democratic process on ocean conservation, climate change and other everyday affairs affecting their local communities. This presentation will cover the guiding principles followed in the design of the program, and how this high impact-low cost program is implemented. In its first year the program was co-directed by a graduate student and a local high school teacher, who managed more than 20 volunteers with a total budget of $1,500. The program's success was featured in the local newspaper and Duke University's Environment Magazine. This program is an example of how ocean science can play a part in building a better world, knitting diverse communities into the fabric of the larger society with engaged and science-literate citizens living rewarding lives.

Community health workers leading the charge on workforce development: lessons from New Orleans.

PubMed

Wennerstrom, Ashley; Johnson, Liljana; Gibson, Kristina; Batta, Sarah E; Springgate, Benjamin F

2014-12-01

Academic institutions and community organizations engaged community health workers (CHWs) in creating a community-appropriate CHW workforce capacity-building program in an area without a previously established CHW professional group. From 2009 to 2010, we solicited New Orleans-based CHWs' opinions about CHW professional development through a survey, a community conference, and workgroup meetings. Throughout 2011 and 2012, we created and implemented a responsive 80-h workforce development program that used popular education techniques. We interviewed CHWs 6 months post-training to assess impressions of the course and application of skills and knowledge to practice. CHWs requested training to develop nationally-recognized core competencies including community advocacy, addresses issues unique to New Orleans, and mitigate common professional challenges. Thirty-five people completed the course. Among 25 interviewees, common themes included positive impressions of the course, application of skills and community-specific information to practice, understanding of CHWs' historical roles as community advocates, and ongoing professional challenges. Engaging CHW participation in workforce development programs is possible in areas lacking organized CHW groups. CHW insight supports development of training that addresses unique local concerns. Trained CHWs require ongoing professional support.

Understanding local community's values, worldviews and perceptions in the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve, Scotland.

PubMed

Hernes, Maya I; Metzger, Marc J

2017-01-15

Biosphere reserves have been studied around the world, but methods to elicit community's values, worldviews and perceptions are missing. A greater understanding of these can help avoid tension and improve successful management. This paper used a mixed-methods survey to elicit local community's environmental values, ecological world views and perceptions of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve (GSABR). Over three weeks, forty participants from three communities of the GSABR responded to a semi-structured mixed-methods survey. The survey revealed that residents of the GSABR greatly value wildlife and beauty of nature, and that the majority of the respondents showed concern for the environment from an ecocentric worldview. Results also revealed that the most influential tested socio-demographic characteristic affecting people's relationship to their environment is their professional affiliation. Tourism and recreation were seen as major benefits of the recent biosphere designation. Results did highlight contrasting benefits from the designation for different stakeholder groups, which could potentially lead to tensions and should be considered in the reserve management. Given the community's supportive world views and perceptions, greater participation in the biosphere's management in likely to be welcomed and should be used to avoid or mediate any conflicts. The mixed-method survey developed for this study, proved successful in eliciting these themes in the GSABR. We recommend other biosphere reserves replicate this research, to gain better understanding of local communities and increase their support and participation in reserve management. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moving toward more community-oriented transportation strategies for the San Francisco Bay Area : a resource guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-12-01

This resource guide provides a list of references with annotations, including many how to guides, for use by local jurisdictions, developers, transit operators and citizens groups that are interested in planning, designing, reviewing and implementing...

A Decision Support Tool for Sustainable Land Use, Transportation, Buildings/Infrastructure, and Materials Management

EPA Science Inventory

One issue for community groups, local and regional planners, and politicians, is that they require relevant information to develop programs and initiatives for incorporating sustainability principles into their physical infrastructure, operations, and decision-making processes. T...

Overview of Existing Wind Energy Ordinances

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oteri, F.

2008-12-01

Due to increased energy demand in the United States, rural communities with limited or no experience with wind energy now have the opportunity to become involved in this industry. Communities with good wind resources may be approached by entities with plans to develop the resource. Although these opportunities can create new revenue in the form of construction jobs and land lease payments, they also create a new responsibility on the part of local governments to ensure that ordinances will be established to aid the development of safe facilities that will be embraced by the community. The purpose of this reportmore » is to educate and engage state and local governments, as well as policymakers, about existing large wind energy ordinances. These groups will have a collection of examples to utilize when they attempt to draft a new large wind energy ordinance in a town or county without existing ordinances.« less

Rural physicians, rural networks, and free market health care in the 1990s.

PubMed

Rosenthal, T C; James, P; Fox, C; Wysong, J; FitzPatrick, P G

1997-01-01

The changes brought about by managed care in America's urban communities will have profound effects on rural physicians and hospitals. The rural health care market characterized by small, independent group practices working with community hospitals is being offered affiliations with large, often urban-based health care organizations. Health care is evolving into a free market system characterized by large networks of organizations capable of serving whole regions. Rural provider-initiated networks can assure local representation when participating in the new market and improve the rural health infrastructure. Although an extensive review of the literature from 1970 to 1996 reveals little definitive research about networks, many rural hospitals have embraced networking as one strategy to unify health care systems with minimal capitalization. These networks, now licensed in Minnesota and New York, offer rural physicians the opportunity to team up with their community hospital and enhance local health care accessibility.

Climate variability and causes: from the perspective of the Tharaka people of eastern Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Recha, Charles W.; Makokha, George L.; Shisanya, Chris A.

2017-12-01

The study assessed community understanding of climate variability in semi-arid Tharaka sub-county, Kenya. The study used four focus group discussions (FGD) ( N = 48) and a household survey ( N = 326) to obtain information from four agro-ecological zones (AEZs). The results were synthesized and descriptively presented. People in Tharaka sub-county are familiar with the term climate change and associate it with environmental degradation. There are, however, misconceptions and gaps in understanding the causes of climate change. There was a mismatch between community and individual perception of onset and cessation of rainfall—evidence that analysis of the impact of climate change should take into account the scale of interaction. To improve climate change knowledge, there is a need for climate change education by scientific institutions—to provide information on local climatic conditions and global and regional drivers of climate change to local communities.

Use of market research data by state chronic disease programs, Illinois, 2012-2014.

PubMed

Amerson, Nancy L; Arbise, Benjamin S; Kelly, Nora K; Traore, Elizabeth

2014-09-25

Market research data complement traditional epidemiologic data by allowing users to examine health behavior and patterns by census block or census tract. Market research data can identify products and behaviors that align or do not align with public health program goals. Illinois is a recipient of an award from the Directors of Health Promotion and Education to use industry market research data collected by The Nielsen Company for public health purposes. Illinois creates customized community profiles using market research data on tobacco use characteristics to describe the demographics, habits, and media preferences of smokers in certain locations. Local agencies use profiles to plan and target marketing initiatives, reach disparate groups within overall community populations, and restructure program objectives and policy initiatives. Local market research data provide detailed information on the characteristics of smokers, allowing Illinois communities to design public health programs without having to collect data on their own.

Breaking barriers to care: a community of solution for chronic disease management.

PubMed

Sanders, Jim; Solberg, Bill; Gauger, Michael

2013-01-01

For 10 years the Medical College of Wisconsin and Columbia St. Mary's Hospital have joined together in a partnership to work within some of Milwaukee's most impoverished neighborhoods. Beginning simply by providing health care through a free clinic, the partnership soon was confronted with numerous examples of barriers to care being experienced by patients. A community-based participatory action process allowed the local population to give voice to the local realities of barriers to care. Here we combine our anecdotal clinical experience, the neighborhood's input, and an example of a successful program from a low-resource international setting to create a novel approach to treating chronic disease in uninsured populations. This model of care has been successful for 2 reasons. First, the model shows good health outcomes at low cost. Second, solid community partnerships with care providers, churches, and other groups have been formed in support of the model, ensuring its credibility and sustainability.

Use of Market Research Data by State Chronic Disease Programs, Illinois, 2012–2014

PubMed Central

Arbise, Benjamin S.; Kelly, Nora K.; Traore, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Market research data complement traditional epidemiologic data by allowing users to examine health behavior and patterns by census block or census tract. Market research data can identify products and behaviors that align or do not align with public health program goals. Illinois is a recipient of an award from the Directors of Health Promotion and Education to use industry market research data collected by The Nielsen Company for public health purposes. Illinois creates customized community profiles using market research data on tobacco use characteristics to describe the demographics, habits, and media preferences of smokers in certain locations. Local agencies use profiles to plan and target marketing initiatives, reach disparate groups within overall community populations, and restructure program objectives and policy initiatives. Local market research data provide detailed information on the characteristics of smokers, allowing Illinois communities to design public health programs without having to collect data on their own. PMID:25254983

Strategies for Community Education Prior to Clinical Trial Recruitment for a Cervical Cancer Screening Intervention in Uganda.

PubMed

Mitchell, Sheona M; Pedersen, Heather N; Sekikubo, Musa; Biryabarema, Christine; Byamugisha, Josaphat J K; Mwesigwa, David; Steinberg, Malcolm; Money, Deborah M; Ogilvie, Gina S

2016-01-01

Community engagement and education can improve acceptability and participation in clinical trials conducted in Kisenyi, Uganda. In preparation for a randomized controlled trial exploring different methods for cervical cancer screening, we explored optimal engagement strategies from the perspective of community members and health professionals. We conducted key informant interviews followed by serial community forums with purposeful sampling and compared the perspectives of women in Kisenyi (N = 26) to health-care workers (HCW) at the local and tertiary care center levels (N = 61) in a participatory, iterative process. Key themes identified included format, content, language, message delivery, and target population. Women in Kisenyi see demonstration as a key part of an educational intervention and not solely a didactic session, whereas health professionals emphasized the biomedical content and natural history of cervical cancer. Using local language and lay leaders with locally accessible terminology was more of a priority for women in Kisenyi than clinicians. Simple language with a clear message was essential for both groups. Localization of language and reciprocal communication using demonstration between community members and HCW was a key theme. Although perceptions of the format are similar between women and HCW, the content, language, and messaging that should be incorporated in a health education strategy differ markedly. The call for lay leaders to participate in health promotion is a clear step toward transforming this cervical cancer screening project to be a fully participatory process. This is important in scaling up cervical cancer screening programs in Kisenyi and will be central in developing health education interventions for this purpose.

Estimating planktonic diversity through spatial dominance patterns in a model ocean.

PubMed

Soccodato, Alice; d'Ovidio, Francesco; Lévy, Marina; Jahn, Oliver; Follows, Michael J; De Monte, Silvia

2016-10-01

In the open ocean, the observation and quantification of biodiversity patterns is challenging. Marine ecosystems are indeed largely composed by microbial planktonic communities whose niches are affected by highly dynamical physico-chemical conditions, and whose observation requires advanced methods for morphological and molecular classification. Optical remote sensing offers an appealing complement to these in-situ techniques. Global-scale coverage at high spatiotemporal resolution is however achieved at the cost of restrained information on the local assemblage. Here, we use a coupled physical and ecological model ocean simulation to explore one possible metrics for comparing measures performed on such different scales. We show that a large part of the local diversity of the virtual plankton ecosystem - corresponding to what accessible by genomic methods - can be inferred from crude, but spatially extended, information - as conveyed by remote sensing. Shannon diversity of the local community is indeed highly correlated to a 'seascape' index, which quantifies the surrounding spatial heterogeneity of the most abundant functional group. The error implied in drastically reducing the resolution of the plankton community is shown to be smaller in frontal regions as well as in regions of intermediate turbulent energy. On the spatial scale of hundreds of kms, patterns of virtual plankton diversity are thus largely sustained by mixing communities that occupy adjacent niches. We provide a proof of principle that in the open ocean information on spatial variability of communities can compensate for limited local knowledge, suggesting the possibility of integrating in-situ and satellite observations to monitor biodiversity distribution at the global scale. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Bosom Buddy Project: A Breastfeeding Support Group Sponsored by the Indiana Black Breastfeeding Coalition for Black and Minority Women in Indiana.

PubMed

Friesen, Carol A; Hormuth, Laura J; Curtis, Terry J

2015-11-01

In 2012, the Indiana Black Breastfeeding Coalition (IBBC) used grant funds to increase participation in the Bosom Buddy Project, an original breastfeeding support group that pairs breastfeeding mothers with trained mentors. Resources for local organizations that support breastfeeding are extremely limited, making it difficult to expand programs and services. This article describes a variety of strategies used by the IBBC to expand programs and services. These activities provide a template for other community-based organizations that wish to provide culturally sensitive breastfeeding support in their community. © The Author(s) 2015.

Integrating participatory engagement and scientific research to inform causes and solutions to water problems in the River Njoro Watershed Kenya.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, M.

2012-12-01

Over the course of 9 years, an international multidisciplinary team of US and Kenyan scientists under the Sustainable Management of Rural Watersheds (SUMAWA) Project, based at Egerton University in Kenya, worked with Kenyan public agencies to apply a variety of participatory methods and outreach activities combined with land use mapping, hydrologic and water system modeling, and other scientific tools and evaluations to investigate and identify solutions to declining water quantity and quality problems affecting communities and environmental and productive sectors in the River Njoro Watershed in Kenya. Traditional participatory rural appraisal techniques were modified to engage low income, informal, and tribal communities in identification of local services, benefits, and groups linked to water and riparian resources and collect their perceptions of water-related problems, priorities, and solution options throughout the watershed. Building on this foundation of insights, information, and engagement on water issues with local communities and other stakeholders, the project designed a research agenda aimed at creating shared scientific understanding of the causes of identified problems and developing and testing promising interventions to address community and stakeholder priority concerns. This presentation will share lessons from the SUMAWA experience of using a problem-driven, solution-oriented, community-based watershed approach to address water resource problems at local scale in a semi-arid African developing country setting.

Ethnomedicinal uses of Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F. Gmel. among rural communities of Ethiopia

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Ethiopian communities highly depend on local plant resources to secure their subsistence and health. Local tree resources are exploited and used intensively for medicinal purposes. This study provides insight into the medicinal importance of Hagenia abyssinica as well as the degree of threat on its population. An ethnobotanical study was carried out to document medicinal uses of Hagenia abyssinica by rural communities of North and Southeastern Ethiopia. The study was conducted using an integrated approach of group discussions, observation, a local market survey and interviews. A total of 90 people were interviewed among whom elderly and traditional healers were the key informants. Societies in the study sites still depend on Hagenia abyssinica for medicine. All plant parts are used to treat different aliments. Tree identification, collection and utilization were different among the studied communities. In spite of its significance, interest in utilizing flowers of Hagenia abyssinica as an anthelmintic seems to be diminishing, notably among young people. This is partly because the medicine can be harmful when it is taken in large quantities. Nowadays, the widely used Hagenia abyssinica is endangered primarily due to various anthropogenic impacts. This in turn may become a threat for the associated knowledge. It is recommended to assist communities in documenting their traditional knowledge. Measures for conserving species are urgently needed. PMID:20701760

OA26 How inclusive partnership working influences local policy and practice: the case of the end of life partnership.

PubMed

Zammit, Rachel

2015-04-01

: Ageing, death, dying and loss are universal issues that have a range of health, wellbeing, financial and socio-economic costs for society. The End of Life Partnership (EoLP) is a charitable collaborative in Cheshire, which aims to transform end of life experience and care, by working with a wide range partners from the public, private and third sectors and by engaging individuals, families and communities. Launched in April 2014, the EoLP merged three existing programmes focussing on public health, education and service development and added an additional research focus. There are now four dedicated departments: Public Health and Wellbeing; Research, Evaluation and Technology; Service Development; Education and Practice Development. In October 2014 a Dementia work stream was added. The work of The EoLP is shaped, overseen and monitored by a Strategic Partnership Executive, with representation from key local stakeholders and a board of trustees. The EoLP meets national objectives and delivers on local priorities agreed with stakeholders, including patients and the public. This is strengthened through a dedicated Cheshire Living Well, Dying Well Partnership to enable community voices to be heard. Significant milestones have already been realised as a partnership collaborative. For example, response to the national review of the Liverpool Care Pathway incorporated development of a local care plan with stakeholders, educational strategy to ensure effective roll-out, public consultation and work to measure impact. The EoLP works to influence and shape policy and practice at a local, regional, national and international level. © 2015, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

The Picture Talk Project: Starting a Conversation with Community Leaders on Research with Remote Aboriginal Communities of Australia.

PubMed

Fitzpatrick, E F M; Macdonald, G; Martiniuk, A L C; D'Antoine, H; Oscar, J; Carter, M; Lawford, T; Elliott, E J

2017-05-11

Researchers are required to seek consent from Indigenous communities prior to conducting research but there is inadequate information about how Indigenous people understand and become fully engaged with this consent process. Few studies evaluate the preference or understanding of the consent process for research with Indigenous populations. Lack of informed consent can impact on research findings. The Picture Talk Project was initiated with senior Aboriginal leaders of the Fitzroy Valley community situated in the far north of Western Australia. Aboriginal people were interviewed about their understanding and experiences of research and consent processes. Transcripts were analysed using NVivo10 software with an integrated method of inductive and deductive coding and based in grounded theory. Local Aboriginal interpreters validated coding. Major themes were defined and supporting quotes sourced. Interviews with Aboriginal leaders (n = 20) were facilitated by a local Aboriginal Community Navigator who could interpret if necessary and provide cultural guidance. Participants were from all four major local language groups of the Fitzroy Valley; aged 31 years and above; and half were male. Themes emerging from these discussions included Research-finding knowledge; Being respectful of Aboriginal people, Working on country, and Being flexible with time; Working together with good communication; Reciprocity-two-way learning; and Reaching consent. The project revealed how much more there is to be learned about how research with remote Aboriginal communities should be conducted such that it is both culturally respectful and, importantly, meaningful for participants. We identify important elements in community consultation about research and seeking consent.

Perceived barriers to and drivers of community participation in protected-area governance.

PubMed

Ward, Caroline; Holmes, George; Stringer, Lindsay

2018-04-01

Protected areas (PAs) are a frequently used conservation strategy, yet their socioeconomic impacts on local communities remain contentious. A shift toward increased participation by local communities in PA governance seeks to deliver benefits for human well-being and biodiversity. Although participation is considered critical to the success of PAs, few researchers have investigated individuals' decisions to participate and what this means for how local people experience the costs and benefits of conservation. We explored who participates in PA governance associations and why; the perceived benefits and costs to participation; and how costs and benefits are distributed within and between communities. Methods included 3 focus groups, 37 interviews, and 217 questionnaire surveys conducted in 3 communities and other stakeholders (e.g., employees of a nongovernmental organization and government officials) in PA governance in Madagascar. Our study design was grounded in the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the most commonly applied behavior model in social psychology. Participation in PA governance was limited by miscommunication and lack of knowledge about who could get involved and how. Respondents perceived limited benefits and high costs and uneven distribution of these within and between communities. Men, poorer households, and people in remote villages reported the highest costs. Our findings illustrate challenges related to comanagement of PAs: understanding the heterogeneous nature of communities; ensuring all households are represented in governance participation; understanding differences in the meaning of forest protection; and targeting interventions to reach households most in need to avoid elite capture. © 2017 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

Newspaper coverage of controversies about large-scale swine facilities in rural communities in Illinois.

PubMed

Reisner, A E

2005-11-01

The building and expansion of large-scale swine facilities has created considerable controversy in many neighboring communities, but to date, no systematic analysis has been done of the types of claims made during these conflicts. This study examined how local newspapers in one state covered the transition from the dominance of smaller, diversified swine operations to large, single-purpose pig production facilities. To look at publicly made statements concerning large-scale swine facilities (LSSF), the study collected all articles related to LSSF from 22 daily Illinois newspapers over a 3-yr period (a total of 1,737 articles). The most frequent sets of claims used by proponents of LSSF were that the environment was not harmed, that state regulations were sufficiently strict, and that the state economically needed this type of agriculture. The most frequent claims made by opponents were that LSSF harmed the environment and neighboring communities and that stricter regulations were needed. Proponents' claims were primarily defensive and, to some degree, underplayed the advantages of LSSF. Pro-and anti-LSSF groups were talking at cross-purposes, to some degree. Even across similar themes, those in favor of LSSF and those opposed were addressing different sets of concerns. The newspaper claims did not indicate any effective alliances forming between local anti-LSSF groups and national environmental or animal rights groups.

Examining marginalized communities and local conservation institutions: the case of Nepal's Annapurna Conservation Area.

PubMed

Dahal, Smriti; Nepal, Sanjay K; Schuett, Michael A

2014-01-01

In developing countries, participatory conservation initiatives have been criticized for many reasons, mainly for excluding marginalized groups which have led to unequal benefits. Using concepts from the literature on participation, conservation, and political ecology, this research explored the participation of marginal groups, i.e., poor, women, lower caste, and landless, in management institutions in Nepal's Annapurna Conservation Area. Field work for this research was conducted through the use of interviews and participant observation during August-October 2010. Results show that although marginal groups were involved in local management institutions, their representation was minimal and had not led to meaningful participation or empowerment to influence the decisions being made in conservation and development programs. Our study findings indicate that the involvement of marginal groups in local initiatives is complex and influenced by several factors. The study concludes that the Annapurna Conservation Area Project needs to re-orient its conservation projects by adopting a more inclusive form of participation and move beyond the quota system.

Examining Marginalized Communities and Local Conservation Institutions: The Case of Nepal's Annapurna Conservation Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahal, Smriti; Nepal, Sanjay K.; Schuett, Michael A.

2014-01-01

In developing countries, participatory conservation initiatives have been criticized for many reasons, mainly for excluding marginalized groups which have led to unequal benefits. Using concepts from the literature on participation, conservation, and political ecology, this research explored the participation of marginal groups, i.e., poor, women, lower caste, and landless, in management institutions in Nepal's Annapurna Conservation Area. Field work for this research was conducted through the use of interviews and participant observation during August-October 2010. Results show that although marginal groups were involved in local management institutions, their representation was minimal and had not led to meaningful participation or empowerment to influence the decisions being made in conservation and development programs. Our study findings indicate that the involvement of marginal groups in local initiatives is complex and influenced by several factors. The study concludes that the Annapurna Conservation Area Project needs to re-orient its conservation projects by adopting a more inclusive form of participation and move beyond the quota system.

Concept mapping as a tool to engage a community in health disparity identification.

PubMed

Risisky, Debra; Hogan, Vijaya K; Kane, Mary; Burt, Beneta; Dove, Cassandra; Payton, Marinelle

2008-01-01

To engage a community to critically examine local health disparities. Concept mapping is a tool used to rapidly assess the variations in thinking of large stakeholder groups' about a particular topic. Jackson, Mississippi. Community members. Dialog groups and community meetings were held, and participants were asked to respond to the statement, "A specific thing that causes African Americans to get sicker and die sooner is..." Aggregate responses were rated for importance and feasibility and then sorted into related groups. Aggregate sorts and ratings were then processed by using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. There were 132 (unduplicated) reported contributors to health disparities. These responses fell into eight general clusters: economic issues, government, contextual factors, cultural factors, HIV, stress, environment, and motivation. Factors respondents felt were the most important contributors to disparities (economic factors, contextual factors, stress) did not correlate with those that they thought were most likely to be changed in society (contextual factors, government, motivation). Concept mapping provided a mechanism for rapidly documenting community thinking about health disparities. This mechanism stimulated community dialog and was used as a first step toward the long-term goal of creating equal community, academic, and medical partnerships for addressing disparities. The concept mapping process stimulated critical thinking about contributors to health inequities and uncovered contextual factors previously unknown to researchers and public health planners. The process allowed for active engagement and exchange of knowledge between the community and researchers and allowed a mechanism for identifying and rectifying disconnects in knowledge within and between stakeholder groups.

Culture, local capacity, and outside aid: a community perspective on disaster response after the 2009 tsunami in American Sāmoa.

PubMed

Binder, Sherri Brokopp; Baker, Charlene K

2017-04-01

Research on diverse cultural contexts has indicated that aid organisations often fail to leverage local, culturally-grounded resources and capacities in disaster-affected communities. Case-study methodology was employed to explore the relationship between local and external disaster response efforts in American Sāmoa following the earthquake and tsunami on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean, with a specific focus on the role of culture in defining that relationship. Interview and focus group data from 37 participants, along with observational data, suggested that the local response to the event was swift and grounded in Samoan cultural systems and norms. External aid was viewed as helpful in some respects, although, on the whole, it was seen as a disruption to village hierarchies, social networks, and local response efforts. The study discusses the implications for the role of outside aid in diverse cultural contexts, and makes suggestions for improving the ecological fit of post-disaster interventions. © 2017 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2017.

Blended learning networks supported by information and communication technology: an intervention for knowledge transformation within family care of older people.

PubMed

Hanson, Elizabeth; Magnusson, Lennart; Sennemark, Eva

2011-08-01

This article describes an innovative practice called Blended Learning Networks (BLNs) whose aim is to enable older people, their families, and care providers to exchange knowledge, learn together, and support each other in local development work so that care is improved for older people. BLNs were established in 31 municipalities, headed up by a local facilitator. They were supported by a national themed network consisting of virtual meetings between local facilitators and national facilitators at the Swedish National Family Care Competence Centre. An evaluation was conducted to explore the utility of the BLNs so that any improvements to the model could be instigated. Focus group interviews were conducted with members of 9 BLNs, and self-evaluation questions were discussed in 16 BLNs. Limitations are that not all BLN members participated in the evaluation, and local facilitators conducting self-evaluations were not trained in focus group dynamics. Virtual focus groups were carried out with 26 of the 31 local facilitators and with the national facilitators. Participants reported an increased understanding of caregiver issues and of each group's roles. Of particular value were the stories shared by caregivers and the potential for change locally due to the involvement of decision makers. The practice demanded considerable skills of the local facilitators. An initial education for new local facilitators was deemed necessary. BLNs is a unique practice of community communications and knowledge transfer as it creates partnerships among all key stakeholder groups that act as a catalyst for improving care for older people.

Economics of an ecotourism operation in Belize

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kangas, Patrick; Shave, Mary; Shave, Paul

1995-09-01

The economic inputs and outputs for the Possum Point Biological Station in Belize during 1990 1992 are described to illustrate some aspects of an ecotourism operation. Eight hundred fifty-four people in 59 groups visited Possum Point during the study period to tour rain forests, estuaries, and coral reefs. The economic input to Possum Point from these groups increased from 74,552 in 1990 to 166,268 in 1992. Outputs were for license fees, capital improvements, goods and services, labor, fossil fuels, and development of a historic sugar mill site. An annual donation was also made to a scholarship fund for local Belizean students. The net cash balance of income and outputs changed from negative (-6678) in 1990 to positive (+4811) in 1992, suggesting development of the economic operation. Possum Point meets the economic criteria for ecotourism by feeding back some tourist monies for community and environmental support, particularly donations for the sugar mill site and the scholarship fund. Most of the outputs from Possum Point (about 80%) were retained in the local economy through employment and purchases, which have a positive influence on the local community. We conclude that ecotourism operations, such as Possum Point, offer important sustainable development opportunities for Belize.

WA29 "we are all one" compassionate cities "a global community joined for care".

PubMed

Molina, Emilio Herrera; Flores, Silvia Librada

2015-04-01

The NewHealth Foundation, a Spanish non-for-profit organisation, is leading the project Compassionate Cities. "We are all one". The project aims to involve citizens in creating communities of care to help people at the end of life phase. To design and develop a practical model to engage communities in the process of improving the quality of public palliative care. To empower key advocates of end-of-life care. To evaluate communities' interventions, their feasibility and impact in terms of shared benefit for stakeholders. Identification and recruitment of key advocates of care. Design of an innovative model of compassionate cities. Define community of care activities through a triple-dimension methodology: [To Want - To Know - To Do]. An innovative model has been developed: The Collaborating Centre (schools, colleges, cultural centres, professional's associations, patient's associations, NGOs, brotherhoods, churches, etc.) organises the agenda of training events and promotes networking. Citizens set up "care clusters", becoming available to provide care. The Beneficiaries Centres (hospices, nursing homes, residential centres, patient organisations, hospitals, health and social care centres, etc.) contact the clusters when care needs of patients are identified. The palliative care specialist supports Compassionate Communities training and refer patients to clusters. Local Government (also a collaborating centre) encourages awareness campaigns and provides institutional support. Companies collaborate in promoting and funding the project. Six cities in Spain and 3 in Colombia have already been selected and local initiatives are already being promoted (more results to be provided at the Congress). This model supports people to become the real co-producers of services, as they know which services best respond to their needs. © 2015, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Attitudes toward the mentally ill among community health-related personnel in South Korea.

PubMed

Jung, Wook; Choi, Eunkyung; Yu, Jaehak; Park, Doo-Heum; Ryu, Seung-Ho; Ha, Jee Hyun

2017-01-01

Prejudice and negative attitudes toward mental illness are major obstacles in the rehabilitation and functional recovery of patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of health-related personnel toward mentally ill patients in a local urban community in South Korea. In total, 401 participants (men, 132; women, 269; mean age, 37.3 ± 9.5 years) were recruited. The participants were health-related personnel in a district of Seoul, who were recruited from three different workplaces: a local administration office, a public health center, and a community welfare center. Sociodemographic data were gathered, and the community attitudes toward the mentally ill (CAMI) inventory were administered. Comparisons of the CAMI subscales were conducted among participants using statistical analysis. Community welfare center workers showed more authoritarianism and social restriction and less community mental health ideology than the other two groups. Among the demographic variables, a shorter working career, higher education, female gender, and younger age were also related to a more negative attitude toward mentally ill patients. Community health-related personnel who have contact with patients with mental illness should be encouraged to have a fair, hospitable, and open-minded attitude. It is advisable for these workers to receive interventions such as regular educational programs early in their careers.

Community concepts.

PubMed

Yeung, Thomas; Bates, Tony

2004-03-01

Since the publication of "Sustainable Communities--building for the future", Government attention has focused largely on high-density affordable housing in the four "growth areas": Thames Gateway; Ashford; Milton Keynes--South Midlands, and London--Stansted--Cambridge. In this article, Thomas Yeung and Tony Bates suggest that a greater and more sustainable impact would be achieved if architects, planners, and developers considered the potential for community-based water and waste management and on-site energy generation and distribution right from the start of the project. In particular, they consider that the communal nature of hospitals, universities, and public/community housing provides a great opportunity for on-site renewable CHP and/or distributed heating, which could combine global environmental benefits with improved local amenities. They describe a simple model for prioritising energy management in the built environment, and draw on lessons learnt at ETRCL in Dagenham and BedZED in Surrey to offer a few recommendations for Government and developers. Tony Bates is the business development manager for Scott Wilson in the South East and is responsible for the promotion of sustainable communities through relationships with architects, developers, land owners and local authorities. Thomas Yeung leads the Energy Infrastructure Technologies group in Scott Wilson. This team offers an integrated approach to clean community-based energy generation, energy management, waste and water management, sustainable transport, and sustainable buildings/communities.

Addressing Houston's Bad Air Days: Advancing Environmental Justice Advocacy with Geospatial Analysis and Science Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, C.; White, R.; Phartiyal, P.

2016-12-01

Evidence indicates that chronic exposure to chemical pollutants contributes to and exacerbates negative health impacts, and that the burden of exposure falls disproportionately upon low-income, Black, and Latino communities. These data, however, are often inaccessible or too technical for the community groups who need it to raise public awareness and to inform decision makers. Recognizing the many challenges of communicating science to a non-technical audience, the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a science-based policy and advocacy organization, partnered with Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS), an environmental justice organization based in Manchester in Houston, to develop products that would visualize the technical information needed to strengthen TEJAS' advocacy work. The products were created with the intention of educating and engaging community members and to raise the profile of these issues with community residents, local government and regional EPA officials. Together, we were able to map the geographic distribution of contaminants, health risks, and demographic information to tell the story of inequity in Houston. Our spatial analysis accounts for multiple sources of air pollution exposure and associated health risks, overlaid with demographic information in Manchester. The talk will discuss the various ways we used maps to display high level data to be accessible for community members. The analysis will ultimately be used by TEJAS to strengthen its advocacy around chemical safety by: 1) educating community members on the hazards and health risks of local pollutants, 2) increasing community awareness of local emergency planning and response procedures, and 3) providing scientific evidence to decision makers to demand prevention and reduction in chemical exposure for their community.

Las Cumbres Observatory Partners With Local Museums In “Experience The Eclipse” Community Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenstreet, Sarah; Seale, Sandy; Rivera, Javier; Skinner, Ron

2017-10-01

Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) in Goleta, California, together with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) and the Wolf Museum of Exploration & Innovation (MOXI) put together a community program called “Experience the Eclipse” for the month of August.The greater Santa Barbara community includes over 200,000 people and the city is known for its vibrant cultural life. Events featuring science, physics, and astronomy are very popular. In 2016, Javier Rivera, the Astronomy Program Manager of the SBMNH, and Ron Skinner, the Director of Education at MOXI, met with LCO to discuss planning a month of activities to educate the public about the Great American Eclipse. The vision was to capitalize on the strength of each organization and to share information and events.The events included daily planetarium shows and open houses at the observatory of the SBMNH. All three organizations gave parties at public venues with presentations by astronomers. Together the group purchased 6,000 pairs of eclipse viewer glasses and they shared the responsibility of distributing these to local schools and community groups. A master calendar of the events was published in local press outlets and a document describing the eclipse and safe viewing practices was distributed widely. Preparation of these materials was a joint effort among the three institutions.“Experience the Eclipse” was a great success. The open houses at SBMNH were well attended and all public events sold out very quickly. On August 21, the SBMNH presented a live feed of the eclipse taken from their own observatory.We will present photos and videos from these events, along with data on the attendance and quotes from enthusiastic participants.

Pay 'em to play--and stay.

PubMed

Mertz, Marc G

2005-04-01

A 70-bed community hospital purchased all of the local primary care practices in the community - and then saw the largest group's profits take a nose-dive. The employed physicians had little incentive to work hard and see more patients. Hospital leaders evaluated their options for the practice and decided to redesign the physician compensation plan. The resulting approach aligned the physicians' goals with those of the practice, motivated them to see more patients and produced more revenue for the organization.

Northern perspectives on medical elective tourism: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Coke, Sarah; Kuper, Ayelet; Richardson, Lisa; Cameron, Anita

2016-01-01

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes education to be necessary for doctors to provide culturally safe care. Communities in northern Canada have large populations of Aboriginal people and other marginalized groups. Our goal was to identify the elements of appropriate predeparture curricula for these medical trainees. We conducted our study in Kenora, Ontario. With the help of a core collaborative group and the support of the local Aboriginal Health Access Centre, we interviewed a purposive sample of community members about their interactions with trainees from southern Canada. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers with roots in northern and southern Canada brought perspectives to the inductive analysis. We conducted 17 semistructured interviews between February and March 2014. Participants felt that southern trainees were inadequately educated in northern politics, society and history. They identified 2 more themes: determinants of health affecting the local Aboriginal population, and provider and patient factors affecting delivery of culturally competent care. Participants also shared ideas on how best to implement this content into curricula. Providing culturally competent care to northern communities is a complex process requiring education. Using a collaborative method, we were able to delineate the experiences of members of a northern community and identify knowledge gaps of southern trainees travelling there. Our results provide a foundation for the content and structure of formal predeparture curricula to enable such trainees to provide culturally safe care.

Northern perspectives on medical elective tourism: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Coke, Sarah; Kuper, Ayelet; Richardson, Lisa; Cameron, Anita

2016-01-01

Background: The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes education to be necessary for doctors to provide culturally safe care. Communities in northern Canada have large populations of Aboriginal people and other marginalized groups. Our goal was to identify the elements of appropriate predeparture curricula for these medical trainees. Methods: We conducted our study in Kenora, Ontario. With the help of a core collaborative group and the support of the local Aboriginal Health Access Centre, we interviewed a purposive sample of community members about their interactions with trainees from southern Canada. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers with roots in northern and southern Canada brought perspectives to the inductive analysis. Results: We conducted 17 semistructured interviews between February and March 2014. Participants felt that southern trainees were inadequately educated in northern politics, society and history. They identified 2 more themes: determinants of health affecting the local Aboriginal population, and provider and patient factors affecting delivery of culturally competent care. Participants also shared ideas on how best to implement this content into curricula. Interpretation: Providing culturally competent care to northern communities is a complex process requiring education. Using a collaborative method, we were able to delineate the experiences of members of a northern community and identify knowledge gaps of southern trainees travelling there. Our results provide a foundation for the content and structure of formal predeparture curricula to enable such trainees to provide culturally safe care. PMID:27398374

Healthy cities: overview of a WHO international program.

PubMed

Goldstein, G

2000-01-01

Health is the outcome of all the factors and activities impinging upon the lives of individuals and communities. The last decade has seen an emerging understanding within development circles that living conditions are greatly affected by local action, by the work of local government, and by community groups and organizations. In addressing health and environmental issues and making interventions, an integrated approach, based on 'settings', exemplified in the Healthy Cities approach, has proved most effective. A Healthy City project can involve people and organizations in the programs and activities that are needed for better health, and enables a city or neighborhood to mobilize the human and financial resources required to address many health and quality of life issues. The WHO program involves implementating city projects and networks in all regions of the world and serves as a vehicle for many health programs, including major disease control initiatives. Healthy City projects allow Ministries of Health to develop stronger partnerships with local government organizations (such as the Union of Local Authorities and its members, "Local Agenda 21" initiatives, and others). One focus for the program is the development of 'multi-'multi-city action plans' for major global priority issues, including AIDS, sanitation, women's health, and violence, to ensure that major public health programs are strengthened by wider community participation. It is recognized that city networking--at national, regional, and international levels--now must be better exploited by individual cities and municipalities to solve local health problems.

Malczyce, Poland: a multifaceted community action project in eastern Europe in a time of rapid economic change.

PubMed

Moskalewicz, J; Swiatktewicz, G

2000-01-01

The major focus of this paper is the sustainability of a one-year demonstration project on drug misuse prevention, which was implemented in a local community affected by acute economic crisis and high unemployment. The project was initiated by the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, and supported by the European Commission. The primary goal of the project was to demonstrate that community-based prevention is possible and feasible within the context of current transitions in Poland. Its major outcome was a community prevention package consisting of a number of booklets and videos to assist other communities in their prevention efforts. Experiences from this study suggest that factors contributing to the sustainability of a community prevention project can be identified and emphasized through simple analysis of community surveys, as well as focus group discussion.

28 CFR 33.32 - Certified programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... enable citizens and police to undertake initiatives to prevent and control neighborhood crime. (ii... by either law enforcement agencies or existing community groups, but each must have the active support and involvement of the other. Local programs must be designed to meet the needs and problems of...

First Progress Report--Victorian Country Education Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Victoria Education Dept. (Australia).

The Victorian Country Education Project (CEP), a pilot project searching for new ways of bringing beneficial educational experiences to disadvantaged rural areas, successfully achieved its aims of establishing community-based programs involving varied groups and people in developing solutions to local educational problems. A central Planning…

BioStar: an online question & answer resource for the bioinformatics community

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although the era of big data has produced many bioinformatics tools and databases, using them effectively often requires specialized knowledge. Many groups lack bioinformatics expertise, and frequently find that software documentation is inadequate and local colleagues may be overburdened or unfamil...

Students Active in Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brutcher, Robert

2001-01-01

Describes SAIL (Students Active in Leadership) as a school-based, youth-directed group. States that the program helps teenagers learn leadership skills by developing and implementing community service activities. SAIL finds partners with whom to collaborate among local businesses, government, and health associations, and these partners provide the…

Road to Nowhere: The Barton By-Pass Campaign.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryant, Richard

1997-01-01

Describes the organization of a successful community protest against road construction in an Oxford (England) neighborhood and identifies success factors: coalitions with other interest groups; intensive, sustained lobbying; investment in public meetings, exhibitions, and demonstrations; use of local and national media; and involvement of…

Views of Young, Rural African Americans of the Role of Community Social Institutions' in HIV Prevention

PubMed Central

Youmans, Selena; Lloyd, Stacy W.; Coker-Appiah, Dionne S.; Banks, Bahby; Blumenthal, Connie; Albritton, Tashuna; Ellison, Arlinda; Smith, Giselle Corbie; Adimora, Adaora A.

2010-01-01

Background We explored rural African American youths' perceptions about the role of community social institutions in addressing HIV. Methods We conducted four focus groups with African Americans aged 16 to 24 years in two rural counties in North Carolina. Groups were stratified by gender and risk status. We used a grounded theory approach to content analysis. Results Participants identified four social institutions as primary providers of HIV-related health promotion efforts: faith organizations, schools, politicians, and health agencies. They reported perceiving a lack of involvement in HIV prevention by faith-based organizations, constraints of abstinence-based sex education policies, politicians' lack of interest in addressing broader HIV determinants, and inadequacies in health agency services, and viewed all of these as being counter-productive to HIV prevention efforts. Conclusions youth have important insights about local social institutions that should be considered when designing HIV prevention interventions that partner with local organizations. PMID:20453373

The Social Nature of Perceived Illness Representations of Perinatal Depression in Rural Uganda.

PubMed

Sarkar, Nandini D P; Bardaji, Azucena; Peeters Grietens, Koen; Bunders-Aelen, Joske; Baingana, Florence; Criel, Bart

2018-06-07

While the global health community advocates for greater integration of mental health into maternal health agendas, a more robust understanding of perinatal mental health, and its role in providing integrated maternal health care and service delivery, is required. The present study uses the Illness Representation Model, a theoretical cognitive framework for understanding illness conceptualisations, to qualitatively explore multiple stakeholder perspectives on perinatal depression in rural Uganda. A total of 70 in-depth interviews and 9 focus group discussions were conducted with various local health system stakeholders, followed by an emergent thematic analysis using NVivo 11. Local communities perceived perinatal depression as being both the fault of women, and not. It was perceived as having socio-economic and cultural causal factors, in particular, as being partner-related. In these communities, perinatal depression was thought to be a common occurrence, and its negative consequences for women, infants and the community at large were recognised. Coping and help-seeking behaviours prescribed by the participants were also primarily socio-cultural in nature. Placing the dynamics and mechanisms of these local conceptualisations of perinatal depression alongside existing gaps in social and health care systems highlights both the need of, and the opportunities for, growth and prioritisation of integrated perinatal biomedical, mental, and social health programs in resource-constrained settings.

Assessment of environmental factors that affect the fireflies for ecotourism in Unesco Tasik Chini biosphere reserve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roslan, Norzeana; Sulaiman, Norela

2015-09-01

This study was conducted to study the firefly species found in Tasik Chini, the soil factors that suitable for larval development fireflies flashes, and the sociological aspects of the community's availability to engage in firefly ecotourism. This was achieved through firefly sampling, soil analysis, abiotic data collection and by questionnaire surveys from local community perceptions and knowledge on fireflies and ecotourism. Fireflies sampling were conducted from December 2011 to January 2013 at Kampung Melai and Kampung Cenahan. Three non-synchronize fireflies genus were found, namely Colophotia sp., Pygoluciola sp., and Pyrocoelia sp. A total of 25 questionnaires were given to four groups of respondents consisting orang asli (5 respondents), boat operator (2 respondents), resort workers (5 respondents) and FELDA residents (13 respondents). The questionnaires were analysed using Rasch Winstep Software based on Rasch Measurement Model. Results of the survey indicated that the local community was not ready for ecotourism in their area. Meanwhile, the soil pH was very acidic and the heavy metals concentration was high, which is not good for the development of firefly larvae. In conclusion, Tasik Chini was not having the potential for ecotourism. Despite the fact, improvement of soils with soil remediation methods can be apply for enhancing larvae development and having more awareness campaign of ecotourism to local community.

Engaging communities to improve mental health in African and African Caribbean groups: a qualitative study evaluating the role of community well-being champions.

PubMed

Mantovani, Nadia; Pizzolati, Micol; Gillard, Steve

2017-01-01

Over the last decade, Britain has undergone reforms to promote engagement in local structures of governance. These reforms have encouraged the promotion of active citizenship and have been central to the government's public service modernisation agenda. This article presents the findings from a study evaluating a pilot outreach intervention which adopted a community engagement model to address the mental health needs of African and African Caribbean groups, which entailed a partnership between faith-based organisations, local public services and community organisations to co-produce the pilot project. Lay people were trained to raise awareness about mental health among these communities in South London. Between 2012 and 2013, a qualitative participatory approach was used to evaluate the pilot project, which enabled a researcher to take part in the engagement phase of the pilot project, and the project co-ordinators to be involved in the research process. Semi-structured, one-to-one interviews were carried out with 13 community and well-being champions (CWBCs) recruited from African and African Caribbean communities (seven male and six female). This study examines the impact of the relationship between the intervention and community through the participants' engagement in the pilot outreach project and the action undertaken as champions. We found that although CWBCs used circles of influence to share ideas about mental health and well-being and to encourage change, they encountered resistance on the part of the people they engaged with, which resulted from a lack of knowledge about mental health, taboos and ascribed stigma. We argue that CWBCs acted as healthy examples to communicate mental health knowledge to those approached, but that they needed to be equipped with bespoke communication skills to be able to talk about such sensitive issues as mental health. © 2015 The Authors. Health and Social Care in the Community Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using a SWOT analysis to inform healthy eating and physical activity strategies for a remote First Nations community in Canada.

PubMed

Skinner, Kelly; Hanning, Rhona M; Sutherland, Celine; Edwards-Wheesk, Ruby; Tsuji, Leonard J S

2012-01-01

To plan community-driven health promotion strategies based on a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the healthy eating and physical activity patterns of First Nation (FN) youth. Cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative data used to develop SWOT themes and strategies. Remote, subarctic FN community of Fort Albany, Ontario, Canada. Adult (n  =  25) and youth (n  =  66, grades 6-11) community members. Qualitative data were collected using five focus groups with adults (two focus groups) and youth (three focus groups), seven individual interviews with adults, and an environmental scan of 13 direct observations of events/locations (e.g., the grocery store). Quantitative data on food/physical activity behaviors were collected using a validated Web-based survey with youth. Themes were identified from qualitative and quantitative data and were analyzed and interpreted within a SWOT matrix. Thirty-two SWOT themes were identified (e.g., accessibility of existing facilities, such as the gymnasium). The SWOT analysis showed how these themes could be combined and transformed into 12 strategies (e.g., expanding and enhancing the school snack/breakfast program) while integrating suggestions from the community. SWOT analysis was a beneficial tool that facilitated the combination of local data and community ideas in the development of targeted health promotion strategies for the FN community of Fort Albany.

Phylogeny, phylogeography, phylobetadiversity and the molecular analysis of biological communities

PubMed Central

Emerson, Brent C.; Cicconardi, Francesco; Fanciulli, Pietro P.; Shaw, Peter J. A.

2011-01-01

There has been much recent interest and progress in the characterization of community structure and community assembly processes through the application of phylogenetic methods. To date most focus has been on groups of taxa for which some relevant detail of their ecology is known, for which community composition is reasonably easily quantified and where the temporal scale is such that speciation is not likely to feature. Here, we explore how we might apply a molecular genetic approach to investigate community structure and assembly at broad taxonomic and geographical scales, where we have little knowledge of species ecology, where community composition is not easily quantified, and where speciation is likely to be of some importance. We explore these ideas using the class Collembola as a focal group. Gathering molecular evidence for cryptic diversity suggests that the ubiquity of many species of Collembola across the landscape may belie greater community complexity than would otherwise be assumed. However, this morphologically cryptic species-level diversity poses a challenge for attempts to characterize diversity both within and among local species assemblages. Recent developments in high throughput parallel sequencing technology, combined with mtDNA barcoding, provide an advance that can bring together the fields of phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis to bear on this problem. Such an approach could be standardized for analyses at any geographical scale for a range of taxonomic groups to quantify the formation and composition of species assemblages. PMID:21768154

Can evidence change the rate of back surgery? A randomized trial of community-based education.

PubMed

Goldberg, H I; Deyo, R A; Taylor, V M; Cheadle, A D; Conrad, D A; Loeser, J D; Heagerty, P J; Diehr, P

2001-01-01

Timely adoption of clinical practice guidelines is more likely to happen when the guidelines are used in combination with adjuvant educational strategies that address social as well as rational influences. To implement the conservative, evidence-based approach to low-back pain recommended in national guidelines, with the anticipated effect of reducing population-based rates of surgery. A randomized, controlled trial. Ten communities in western Washington State with annual rates of back surgery above the 1990 national average (158 operations per 100,000 adults). Spine surgeons, primary care physicians, patients who were surgical candidates, and hospital administrators. The five communities randomized to the intervention group received a package of six educational activities tailored to local needs by community planning groups. Surgeon study groups, primary care continuing medical education conferences, administrative consensus processes, videodisc-aided patient decision making, surgical outcomes management, and generalist academic detailing were serially implemented over a 30-month intervention period. Quarterly observations of surgical rates. After implementation of the intervention, surgery rates declined in the intervention communities but increased slightly in the control communities. The net effect of the intervention is estimated to be a decline of 20.9 operations per 100,000, a relative reduction of 8.9% (P = 0.01). We were able to use scientific evidence to engender voluntary change in back pain practice patterns across entire communities.

Healthy Children, Strong Families 2: A randomized controlled trial of a healthy lifestyle intervention for American Indian families designed using community-based approaches.

PubMed

Tomayko, Emily J; Prince, Ronald J; Cronin, Kate A; Parker, Tassy; Kim, Kyungmann; Grant, Vernon M; Sheche, Judith N; Adams, Alexandra K

2017-04-01

Background/Aims Few obesity prevention trials have focused on young children and their families in the home environment, particularly in underserved communities. Healthy Children, Strong Families 2 is a randomized controlled trial of a healthy lifestyle intervention for American Indian children and their families, a group at very high risk of obesity. The study design resulted from our long-standing engagement with American Indian communities, and few collaborations of this type resulting in the development and implementation of a randomized clinical trial have been described. Methods Healthy Children, Strong Families 2 is a lifestyle intervention targeting increased fruit and vegetable intake, decreased sugar intake, increased physical activity, decreased TV/screen time, and two less-studied risk factors: stress and sleep. Families with young children from five American Indian communities nationwide were randomly assigned to a healthy lifestyle intervention ( Wellness Journey) augmented with social support (Facebook and text messaging) or a child safety control group ( Safety Journey) for 1 year. After Year 1, families in the Safety Journey receive the Wellness Journey, and families in the Wellness Journey start the Safety Journey with continued wellness-focused social support based on communities' request that all families receive the intervention. Primary (adult body mass index and child body mass index z-score) and secondary (health behaviors) outcomes are assessed after Year 1 with additional analyses planned after Year 2. Results To date, 450 adult/child dyads have been enrolled (100% target enrollment). Statistical analyses await trial completion in 2017. Lessons learned Conducting a community-partnered randomized controlled trial requires significant formative work, relationship building, and ongoing flexibility. At the communities' request, the study involved minimal exclusion criteria, focused on wellness rather than obesity, and included an active control group and a design allowing all families to receive the intervention. This collective effort took additional time but was critical to secure community engagement. Hiring and retaining qualified local site coordinators was a challenge but was strongly related to successful recruitment and retention of study families. Local infrastructure has also been critical to project success. Other challenges included geographic dispersion of study communities and providing appropriate incentives to retain families in a 2-year study. Conclusion This multisite intervention addresses key gaps regarding family/home-based approaches for obesity prevention in American Indian communities. Healthy Children, Strong Families 2's innovative aspects include substantial community input, inclusion of both traditional (diet/activity) and less-studied obesity risk factors (stress/sleep), measurement of both adult and child outcomes, social networking support for geographically dispersed households, and a community selected active control group. Our data will address a literature gap regarding multiple risk factors and their relationship to health outcomes in American Indian families.

Healthcare providers' views on the delivery of preconception care in a local community setting in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Poels, M; Koster, M P H; Franx, A; van Stel, H F

2017-01-31

The attention for preconception care (PCC) has grown substantially in recent years, yet PCC is far from routine in daily practice. One of the major challenges for the implementation of PCC is to identify how it can best be organized and provided within the primary care setting. The aim of this study was to identify bottlenecks and solutions for the delivery of PCC from a healthcare providers' perspective in a local community setting in the Netherlands. Health professionals within the region of Zeist, the Netherlands, were invited for a meeting on the local implementation of PCC. Five parallel group sessions were held with 30 participants from different disciplines. The sessions were moderated based on the Nominal Group Technique, in which bottlenecks (step 1) and solutions (step 2) for the delivery of PCC were gathered, categorized and prioritized by the participants. Participants expressed that the provision of PCC is challenging due to lack of awareness, the absence of a costing structure and unclear allocation of responsibilities. The most pragmatic approach considered was to make interdisciplinary arrangements within the local primary care setting. Participants recommended to 1) settle a costing structure by means of third party reimbursement, 2) improve collaboration by means of a local cooperation network and an adequate referral system, 3) invest in education, tools and logistics and 4) increase uptake rates by the routine opportunistic offer of PCC and promotional campaigns. From a provider's perspective a tailored approach is advocated in which interdisciplinary arrangements for collaboration and referral are set up within the local primary care setting.

Localizing HIV/AIDS discourse in a rural Kenyan community.

PubMed

Banda, Felix; Oketch, Omondi

2011-01-01

This paper examines the effectiveness of multimodal texts used in HIV/AIDS campaigns in rural western Kenya using multimodal discourse analysis (Kress and Van Leeuwen, 2006; Martin and Rose, 2004). Twenty HIV/AIDS documents (posters, billboards and brochures) are analysed together with interview data (20 unstructured one-on-one interviews and six focus groups) from the target group to explore the effectiveness of the multimodal texts in engaging the target rural audience in meaningful interaction towards behavioural change. It is concluded that in some cases the HIV/AIDS messages are misinterpreted or lost as the multimodal texts used are unfamiliar and contradictory to the everyday life experiences of the rural folk. The paper suggests localization of HIV/AIDS discourse through use of local modes of communication and resources.

Expert consensus on best evaluative practices in community-based rehabilitation.

PubMed

Grandisson, Marie; Thibeault, Rachel; Hébert, Michèle; Cameron, Debra

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to generate expert consensus on best evaluative practices for community-based rehabilitation (CBR). This consensus includes key features of the evaluation process and methods, and discussion of whether a shared framework should be used to report findings and, if so, which framework should play this role. A Delphi study with two predefined rounds was conducted. Experts in CBR from a wide range of geographical areas and disciplinary backgrounds were recruited to complete the questionnaires. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed to generate the recommendations for best practices in CBR evaluation. A panel of 42 experts reached consensus on 13 recommendations for best evaluative practices in CBR. In regard to the critical qualities of sound CBR evaluation processes, panellists emphasized that these processes should be inclusive, participatory, empowering and respectful of local cultures and languages. The group agreed that evaluators should consider the use of mixed methods and participatory tools, and should combine indicators from a universal list of CBR indicators with locally generated ones. The group also agreed that a common framework should guide CBR evaluations, and that this framework should be a flexible combination between the CBR Matrix and the CBR Principles. An expert panel reached consensus on key features of best evaluative practices in CBR. Knowledge transfer initiatives are now required to develop guidelines, tools and training opportunities to facilitate CBR program evaluations. CBR evaluation processes should strive to be inclusive, participatory, empowering and respectful of local cultures and languages. CBR evaluators should strongly consider using mixed methods, participatory tools, a combination of indicators generated with the local community and with others from a bank of CBR indicators. CBR evaluations should be situated within a shared, but flexible, framework. This shared framework could combine the CBR Matrix and the CBR Principles.

Grazers structure the bacterial and algal diversity of aquatic metacommunities.

PubMed

Birtel, Julia; Matthews, Blake

2016-12-01

Consumers can have strong effects on the biotic and abiotic dynamics of spatially-structured ecosystems. In metacommunities, dispersing consumers can alter local assembly dynamics either directly through trophic interactions or indirectly by modifying local environmental conditions. In aquatic systems, very little is known about how key grazers, such as Daphnia, structure the microbial diversity of metacommunities and influence bacterial-mediated ecosystem functions. In an outdoor mesocosm experiment with replicate metacommunities (two 300 L mesocosms), we tested how the presence and absence of Daphnia and the initial density of the microbial community (manipulated via dilution) influenced the diversity and community structure of algae and bacteria, and several ecosystem properties (e.g., pH, dissolved substances) and functions (e.g., enzyme activity, respiration). We found that Daphnia strongly affected the local and regional diversity of both phytoplankton and bacteria, the taxonomic composition of bacterial communities, the biomass of algae, and ecosystem metabolism (i.e., respiration). Diluting the microbial inoculum (0.2-5 μm size fraction) to the metacommunities increased local phytoplankton diversity, decreased bacteria beta-diversity, and changed the relative abundance of bacterial classes. Changes in the rank abundance of different bacterial groups exhibited phylogenetic signal, implying that closely related bacteria species might share similar responses to the presence of Daphnia. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.