bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Breast cancer in black African women: a changing situation
Authors: Walker Alexander R P , Adam Fatima I , Walker Betty F 
Published: November 2005

Black African women in rural South Africa have a very low incidence rate of breast cancer, 5-10 per 100,000. The rate, however, is rising in the considerably increasing urban population. During the period 1994 to 1999 in Durban, enquiries revealed an average of 57 urban patients admitted to hospital each year, from a population of about 600,000 African women, indicating an age-adjusted annual incidence rate of 15.1 per 100,000. This incidence rate is very low in comparison with those in developed populations, which range from 40 to 89 per 100,000. In the African patients studied, the mean age on admission was relatively young, 54.1±10.9 years, almost a decade earlier than patients of developed populations. Moreover, the disease was very far advanced; 21.1% were at Stage III and 63.1% at Stage IV. As to exposure to risk factors, African women in general are characterised by certain protective factors. These factors, which closely resemble those of importance in patients in developed populations are, late menarche, early age at birth of first child, high parity (with usually prolonged lactation), and being physically active. However, with ongoing changes in the lifestyle of urban African women, the protective factors are decreasing in their intensity. Changes in these respects have been associated with rises in the disease’s incidence rate. Clearly, because of the late stage of the disease at the time of the patients’ admission to hospital, and hence their poor survival rate, intensive efforts should be made to educate women to seek help at an early stage of their disease. For its avoidance, feasible protective or restraining measures are primarily to adopt a ‘prudent’ lifestyle, in respect of both dietary and non-dietary components. However, the chances of these measures being meaningfully adopted in African urban communities, unfortunately, are negligible. In consequence, further increases in incidence rate would seem inevitable.
In-patient mental health services for young people - changing to meet new needs?
Authors: Street Cathy 
Published: November 2005

There is currently considerable interest in consulting with young people and involving them in the development and delivery of mental health services - both at the local and national level. This is a welcome development since, as various studies have highlighted, young people can offer both valuable insights into the services they receive and suggestions for what they want from services. In 2003, YoungMinds, a national charity that works to promote children’s mental health, completed a two-year, in-depth qualitative study focused on a sample of in-patient units drawn from across England and Wales. Such units, found at Tier 4 (the most severe or complex problems) within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provide highly specialist care and treatment to some of the most seriously ill and vulnerable children and young people. A key aim of the study was to give a ‘voice’ to these young people in order to help in-patient services develop their provision in ways that are possibly more ‘young-person friendly’. Alongside this, information from staff working both within in-patient units and the community was gathered, to provide an important contrasting perspective and to build up understanding of the current pressures and challenges that face service providers in this area. In total, data was gathered from 107 young people, 35 parents and 169 staff. Information from a number of other services was also compiled to provide case study illustrations of some new models of in-patient care now emerging. Multi-centre Research Ethics Committee approval was gained for the study, with considerable attention being paid to the design of clear ‘young person’ friendly information sheets, consent forms and questionnaires. Much attention was also paid to explaining how information would be used and confidentiality respected. The study findings reveal a picture of considerable change - of improvements but also continuing service gaps. Most importantly, there was a high level of consistency amongst young people as to the areas of greatest concern and many highly realistic, practical suggestions and requests for how in-patient provision for young people should be improved. This article outlines some of the issues raised by young people and in particular highlights the importance of information sharing and of in-patient units being properly staffed. The need for inter-agency links and coordination between in-patient and community based mental health services is also emphasised.
Can watching football be a component of developing a state of mental health for men?
Authors: Pringle Alan 
Published: November 2005

Football supporters, by and large, continue to have a negative image and be presented in a very destructive way by the media generally. This has been reflected academically by the fact that much of the research that has been done into football and football fans has focused on negative aspects of small numbers of supporters' behaviours such as hooliganism and racism. This paper describes a two stage study exploring some of the more positive effects noted during studies with football fans from Mansfield Town, a team currently in the third division of the English Football League. The study explores the perceived benefits to mental health for fans gained from the supporting experience in such areas as stress relief, catharsis and the development of good parent-child relationships. Discussion takes place around the paradox that some of the behaviours described by supporters as beneficial and done in ‘the spirit of carnival’ may challenge liberal beliefs and be viewed as antisocial and offensive. The key feature in health promotional terms is the overwhelming view of fans that the ‘carnivalesque’ behaviours stay in the football ground where such behaviours are viewed as acceptable and socially sanctioned.
Promoting mental health in students: is there a role for sleep?
Authors: Ellis Jason , Fox Pauline 
Published: November 2005

Independently both the role of being a student and reporting insufficient or unsatisfactory sleep have been shown to have deleterious consequences on mental health. However, few studies have examined the combined relationship between students’ sleep patterns specifically with mental health in mind, and how individual psychological characteristics and situational factors can influence this relationship. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between sleep functioning and students’ levels of perceived stress over the course of an exam period. Additionally, the influence of perfectionism (as an individual characteristic) and daytime sleep-related intrusive thoughts (sleep catastrophising) on sleep functioning and stress were also examined. Two assumptions were tested. Firstly, that stress would increase between baseline and the morning of the exam and secondly, that this relationship would be moderated by poor sleep functioning, sleep catastrophising and levels of perfectionism. Levels of stress, sleep functioning and sleep catastrophising were examined over a seven-day period in 48 Access to Higher Education students about to take an exam and 44 non-exam taking controls. For the exam group, levels of stress and sleep catastrophising increased between time-points. At baseline higher reported perfectionism predicted stress scores. Conversely, low perfectionism predicted high stress on the morning of the exam. Additionally, going to bed later and high levels of sleep catastrophising were also related to stress levels the morning of the exam. The results suggest an association between perfectionism and pre-exam stress, and are discussed in terms of mental health promotion for higher education students.
Knowledge, attitude and practice towards SARS
Authors: Bener Abdulbari , Al-Khal Abdullatif 
Published: November 2005

The objective of the study was to explore the knowledge, attitude and practice of the population of Qatar towards severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The study took the form of a cross-sectional community-based survey in Doha International Airport and primary health care centres situated in urban and semi-urban areas of Qatar. The survey was conducted among travellers arriving at Doha International Airport and community residents visiting health centres from April to September 2003. A total of 1,800 subjects were approached for the study of which 1,386 (77.0%) responded to the questionnaire. The study showed that although 79.4% of the total subjects claimed to know about SARS, only 8.0% had accurate knowledge about all of the symptoms of SARS. The respondents’ satisfaction with the preventive measures taken by the health authorities was only 66.6%. Overall, 73.0% of the total subjects knew that SARS was highly infectious; 69.9% knew that it could spread through close contact;67.4% were aware that high fever was the early symptom; and 60.8% thought SARS could be cured. Half of the subjects said they had gained most of their knowledge on SARS through television and radio programmes (52.2%). Three-fifths (60.1%) were afraid to travel for fear of being affected by SARS. The level of awareness of SARS among Qataris was poor (31.7%) compared to that among non-Qataris(68.3%). The level of knowledge about SARS was better among educated subjects. The survey found a high level of stress and fear among the respondents. Health authorities should be on the alert and re-examine their capacity to manage an outbreak like SARS in the event that such a mishap should recur in the future.
Building for health? The construction managers of tomorrow
Authors: Pritchard Catherine 
Published: November 2005

Attitudes to health and health promotion have an impact on health-related behaviour. This is important when considering the different settings where health promotion can take place. The workplace is increasingly becoming recognised as an important setting for health promotion. Research has formerly concentrated on workplaces that are static, i.e. on one site; however, the greater challenge lies in the industries that have transient populations, such as the construction industry. High levels of accidents and ill health have long been synonymous with the construction industry and yet there has been limited research carried out into attitudes to health and the extent of health promotion activities within the industry. The aim of this research was to investigate the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge to health and health promotion of final year students who will graduate to work as construction managers. The students that participated in the study had had the experience of both university and a year-long placement within the industry. The method used for data collection was semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Students from the BSc (Hons) Building and Construction Management courses were invited for interviews and a response rate of 85% was achieved. Results revealed that the students were aware of factors that influenced health, but tended to focus on health-related behaviours. This attitude influenced the measures they suggested to promote health in the workplace. The students’ knowledge of health within the construction industry was disappointing. Work experience in the industry had exposed them to various sources of health information, but little action was taken to involve employees and structural issues limited the effectiveness of this information. Policy development in the construction industry appeared to rely on disciplinary procedures with an emphasis being placed on employees signing declarations after receiving the information. The conclusion of this research was that attitudes to health are dominated by the structures within the organisation, with those paid on an hourly basis being less likely to participate in workplace health promotion. The information provided to site workers is limited in its approach and application. The impact of employment structure and the work environment presents a challenge to promoting health in this environment.
Awareness of atherosclerosis risk factors in Nigeria
Authors: Oghagbon E K , Okesina A B , Adebisi S A 
Published: November 2005

Non-communicable diseases, which include hypertension and diabetes mellitus, have become an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. The determination of serum lipid levels is used routinely to assess the risk of atherosclerosis. This study was performed in order to determine the frequency of serum lipid requests in the community. Information on both lipid and total chemical pathology requests for the study period (May 1998 to April 2000) was obtained from the Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, whilst data on the total hospital attendance was obtained from the hospital’s Record Department. The number of serum lipid requests increased from year to year (May 1998 to April 1999 = 780; May 1999 to April 2000 = 1,357; May 2000 to April 2001 = 1,382). The percentages of total requests for serum lipids when compared with the total laboratory requests for the period of study were 12.0%, 13.3% and 14.0% for the first, second and third year respectively. More men than women had their serum lipid levels determined; 31.3% of the patients had hyper-cholesterolaemia (>5.2 mmol/L), while 9.9% had values >6.2 mmol/L. Industrial disputes (strikes) affected our results. For the three-year period there was no remarkable increase in the use of the lipid profile facilities available in the centre. This reflects the inadequate awareness of lipid disorders as a risk factor for atherosclerosis.
Testicular cancer
Authors: Shabbir Majid , Morgan Robert J 
Published: November 2005

Testicular cancer is a rare condition, accounting for approximately 1-1.5% of all cancers in men. It is the most common cancer affecting men in their 20s and 30s. Little is known about the exact cause of this disease, although numerous risk factors have been recognised. Treatment of testicular cancer has been extremely successful, with impressive cure rates reported. This is due to the excellent tumour response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and also to the diagnosis and follow-up regimes.
Understanding prostate cancer
Authors: Siddiqui Emad , Mumtaz Faiz H , Gelister James 
Published: November 2005

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer affecting men in Europe and the USA. The incidence of prostate cancer has risen by 60-75% in the Western world in the last 15 years. One in twelve men over the age of 60 develop prostate cancer and this figure is expected to rise to three in twelve in the next 20 years. Early prostate cancer often does not cause symptoms. However, patients may present with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and therefore, such patients should be investigated. Effective treatment in the form of surgery and radiotherapy is available for individuals with localised disease, and the effectiveness of different combination therapy is being assessed to improve the outcome further. Approximately 20% of the patients have metastatic disease on presentation. The mainstay of treatment for these patients is androgen ablation therapy; however patients on this regime eventually relapse and develop an androgen independent tumour. This aggressive stage of the disease carries a high morbidity and mortality. At present the treatment for such hormone refractory prostate cancer is inadequate and the desperate search for alternative forms of therapy continues.
Cancers of the bladder
Authors: Sengupta N , Siddiqui Emad , Mumtaz Faiz H 
Published: November 2005

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common malignancy in Europe and the fourth most common malignancy in the United States.1 It affects one in 4000 people and accounts for 5% of all diagnosed cancers. The peak incidence is in the fifth and seventh decade. There is a strong association between smoking and bladder cancer. Smokers have a fourfold higher incidence of developing bladder cancer than the general population.2 The disease has a spectrum of clinical severity varying from superficial bladder cancer to muscle invasive or metastatic disease which carries a poor prognosis. Currently the superficial form of the disease is managed by endoscopic resection of the tumour, often followed by the instillation into the bladder of cytotoxic agents. Due to the tendency of bladder cancer to recur repeated cystoscopies and resections are often required. Because of this, one of the main thrusts of research is to find a way of preventing the progression from superficial disease to muscle invasive and metastatic bladder cancer.
Condom use with sex workers and abstinence behaviour among men in Nigeria
Authors: Lawoyin Taiwo O 
Published: November 2005

Non-regular, non-cohabiting relationships and condom neglect are known to fuel the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Reproductive health needs of the men, the major decision-makers in this community, have been grossly neglected in this regard. This exploratory, community-based study assessed condom use among married men when with commercial sex workers (CSWs) and abstinent behaviour when their wives were unavailable for sex. (A CSW is one known to receive payment for sex.) Out of the 3,178 married respondents, 1,755 (55.2%) had ever used condoms. Of this number, 1,296 (73.8%) resided in urban locations while 459 (26.2%) resided in rural areas. Of these men, 137 had used CSWs in the six months prior to the study. Only 63 (46%) of these had used a condom at the last visit. Young age (<30 years) was the only predictor of condom use when with CSWs (p=0.03). Predictors of abstinence behaviour when the wife was unavailable for sex included: primary and secondary education, young age of the wife, low occupational status and monogamy. National HIV/AIDS control programmes should address men’s risk-taking behaviour, empowering women to negotiate condom use and reduce long abstinence periods. Continued efforts should be made to reach sex workers and to make condoms much more widely available, acceptable and affordable, especially in rural areas.
Mental health promotion in post-conflict countries
Authors: Ghosh Neill , Mohit Ahmad , Murthy R Srinivasa 
Published: November 2005

Meeting the mental health needs of those persons in conflict and post-conflict situations in the eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) is an important goal of the World Health Organization. Of the 22 countries in the EMR, 85% of the population has been affected by conflict in the past two decades. This has resulted in a high prevalence of mental disorder, most commonly depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. A number of innovative, culturally sensitive interventions have been developed to meet the mental health needs of the populations. These include the use of `focusing' in Afghanistan, the Education for Peace Programme in Lebanon, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's work with refugees in Gaza, life skills education in Iran and the training of professionals in Afghanistan. In post-conflict situations there are six levels of interventions needed: first, increasing resilience; second, making the family the focus for effective support; third, encouraging community solidarity and traditional methods of support; fourth, using the media in mental health promotion; fifth, the integration of mental health skills of caring for the population with general services; and sixth, focusing on long-rather than short-term measures.
Rear seat belt use as an indicator of safe road behaviour in a rapidly developing country
Authors: McIlvenny Shirley , Al Mahrouqi Fatma , Al Busaidi Thuraiya , Al Nabhani Ahmed , Al Hikmani Fatma , Al Kharousi Zaher , Al Mammari Salima , Al Hoti Anwar , Al Shihi Aysha , Al Lawati Anwar , Al Kharousi Ibtisam 
Published: November 2005

Injuries from road traffic accidents are set to become the second highest cause of disability-adjusted life years lost in developing countries by 2020. The number of injuries and deaths are disproportionately high in low income countries, which account for only 40% of all motor vehicles. Human behaviour is thought to be a major factor in most accidents. In Oman wearing a seat belt is compulsory in the front seats but not in the rear. Wearing a seat belt can reduce the severity of injuries when sitting in rear seats. This study examines the use of seat belts in cars entering a university and hospital campus in Oman to determine the degree of seat belt wearing in the rear. At peak times on a selected day, cars were stopped at the university's entrance barrier. The type of driver was identified - student, employee, hospital patient or visitor - and the degree of seat belt wearing among driver and passengers was noted. A total of 1,066 cars were stopped. Of this total, 90.1% of drivers and 80.9% of front seat passengers were wearing a restraint complying with local traffic regulations. However, only 1.4% of back seat passengers wore a seat belt. Only 3.7% of children under the age of five were restrained in a child seat and only 16.7% of five- to 12-year-olds were strapped in. A third (34.6%) of under-fives were sitting in the front seat. In cars with child occupants, 40% of the time parents wore seat belts but the children did not. Occupants conformed to the law but behaviour indicated a lack of awareness of the dangers of not wearing seat belts, especially towards children. Traffic regulations need to be updated and the public educated about the need to wear seat belts. Health agencies could be more active in educating the public about road safety behaviour and should also be involved in the overall strategy to reduce injuries and deaths.
Historical perspectives on health
Authors: Chamberlain Geoffrey 
Published: November 2005

Medicine in ancient Egypt was much more advanced than the rest of the Biblical world, especially in trauma surgery. Care at the time of childbirth was however virtually non-existent. There were no trained obstetricians or midwives but a galaxy of gods were at hand. This article traces what we can piece together about pregnancy of childbirth from the evidence we have in tombs and papyri of Egypt.
Multiple deprivation and excess winter deaths in Scotland
Authors: Howieson Stirling G , Hogan M 
Published: November 2005

The recent publication of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) has allowed some tentative statistical correlations to be undertaken to assess the impact poverty may have on mortality and morbidity. During the period 1989 to 2001, Scotland registered around 51,600 excess winter deaths (EWDs). An EWD is taken as the additional deaths during December to March than occurred in the preceding and subsequent four-month periods. Almost all of these EWDs were in the population aged over 65. This represents 50 more deaths per day in January than in July. The SIMD measured five criteria by region: income; employment; health and disability; education, skills and training; and geographical access to services. Glasgow was the most deprived region with an SIMD score of 46.88 and East Dunbartonshire, the least deprived region, with a score of 9.07. For the over 65s, the chance of becoming an EWD in Glasgow is one in 36, rising to one in 68 for North Ayrshire. The SIMD is positively correlated with EWD by region (0.35 at the 5% confidence level). This correlation appears to go against the influence of climatic variations, house type, energy efficiency and access to the gas network which favours urban areas. Although some of the additional winter deaths have been ascribed to outdoor cold exposure - exacerbated by inappropriate clothing or culturally determined behaviour - the majority of EWDs are premature and essentially preventable if the elderly can be kept warm in their homes during the winter months.