International journal of environmental research and public health
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Smoke and tobacco-free policies on hospital campuses have become more prevalent across the U. S. and Europe, de-normalizing smoking and reducing secondhand smoke exposure on hospital grounds. Concerns about the increasing use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and the impact of such use on smoke and tobacco-free policies have arisen, but to date, no systematic data describes e-cigarette policies on hospital campuses. ⋯ Most e-cigarette policies have been incorporated into existing tobacco-free policies with few reported barriers, though effective communication of e-cigarette policies is lacking. The majority of hospitals strongly agree that e-cigarette use on campus should be prohibited for staff, patients, and visitors. Widespread incorporation of e-cigarette policies into existing hospital smoke and tobacco-free campus policies is feasible but needs communication to staff, patients, and visitors.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Dec 2015
Comparative StudyA Comparative Study of Scientific Publications in Health Care Sciences and Services from Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, and India (2007-2014).
In this study, we aimed to compare the quantity and quality of publications in health care sciences and services journals from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Japan, and India. Journals in this category of the Science Citation Index Expanded were included in the study. Scientific papers were retrieved from the Web of Science online database. ⋯ Publications from India had the highest average impact factor. In the field of health care sciences and services, China has made remarkable progress during the past eight years in the annual number and percentage of scientific publications. Yet, there is room for improvement in the quantity and quality of such articles.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Dec 2015
Comparative StudyBlack-White Latino Racial Disparities in HIV Survival, Florida, 2000-2011.
This research aimed to estimate Black/White racial disparities in all-cause mortality risk among HIV-positive Latinos. Florida surveillance data for Latinos diagnosed with HIV (2000-2008) were merged with 2007-2011 American Community Survey data. Crude and adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were calculated using multi-level Cox regression. ⋯ In stratified analyses, risk factors for Black Latinos included: age ≥60 years compared with ages 13-19 (aHR 4.63, 95% CI 1.32-16.13); US birth compared with foreign birth (aHR 1.56, 95% CI 1.16-2.11); diagnosis of AIDS within three months of HIV diagnosis (aHR 3.53, 95% CI 2.64-4.74); residence in the 3rd (aHR 1.82, 95% CI 1.13-2.94) and 4th highest quartiles (aHR 1.79, 95% CI 1.12-2.86) of neighborhood poverty compared with the lowest quartile; and residence in neighborhood with 25%-49% (aHR 1.59, 95% CI 1.07-2.42) and ≥50% Latinos compared with <25% Latinos (aHR 1.58, 95% CI 1.03-2.42). Significant racial disparities in HIV survival exist among Latinos. Differential access to-and quality of-care and perceived/experienced racial discrimination may be possible explanations.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Dec 2015
Differential Effects of Temperature Extremes on Hospital Admission Rates for Respiratory Disease between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory.
The health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians may be exacerbated by climate change if temperature extremes have disproportionate adverse effects on Indigenous people. To explore this issue, we analysed the effect of temperature extremes on hospital admissions for respiratory diseases, stratified by age, Indigenous status and sex, for people living in two different climates zones in the Northern Territory during the period 1993-2011. ⋯ These findings support our two hypotheses, that extreme hot and cold temperatures have a different effect on hospitalisations for respiratory disease between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and that these health risks vary between the different climate zones. We did not, however, find that there were differing responses to temperature extremes in the two populations, suggesting that any increased vulnerability to climate change in the Indigenous population of the Northern Territory arises from an increased underlying risk to respiratory disease and an already greater existing health burden.