Public health
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Pregnancy has been identified as a risk factor for complications from pandemic H1N1 influenza, and pregnant women were identified as a target group for vaccination in the UK in the 2009 pandemic. Poland took a more conservative approach, and did not offer vaccination to pregnant women. Poland accounts for the largest wave of recent migrants to the UK, many of whom are in their reproductive years and continue to participate actively in Polish healthcare systems after migration. The authors speculated that different national responses may shape differences in approaches to the vaccine between Scottish and Polish women. This study therefore aimed to assess how pregnant Polish migrants to Scotland weighed up the risks and benefits of the vaccine for pandemic H1N1 influenza in comparison with their Scottish counterparts. ⋯ To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to assess perceptions of H1N1 immunization risk in pregnant women in 'real time'. It highlights the important unmet needs for information that women need to be able to make informed vaccination choices, and the challenges of producing such information in a context of uncertainty. This is of particular relevance as many countries, including the UK, are actively reviewing their plans for vaccination programmes during pregnancy.
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Sustainability of health promotion and injury prevention programmes is a goal of practitioners and an increasingly common requirement of funding bodies. However, less is known about the views held by individual stakeholders involved in such programmes regarding their perceptions of facilitators and barriers to achieving sustainability. This paper aims to share the perceptions of programme sustainability held by key stakeholders involved in a community-based fall prevention programme in three Ontario demonstration communities in Canada. ⋯ The views and experiences shared by the stakeholders in this project can serve as lessons learnt to aid in the sustainability of other health promotion and injury prevention programmes in the future.
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To develop a national men's health training programme for healthcare and social care practitioners to address gender health inequalities and facilitate the effective delivery of health services to men. ⋯ The evaluation highlights the potential of delivering men's health training to increase public health practitioners' knowledge of men's health inequalities, and to promote the development of gender-sensitive services. Future development could incorporate a 'train the trainer' element to maximize capacity building and enhance sustainability. Longer-term follow-up may be required to determine the continuing impact on public health practice.
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To study the change in mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China over the past decade, and to evaluate China's progress in achieving Millennium Development Goal 4. ⋯ The mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China dropped remarkably from 1996 to 2006. This reduction was mainly due to a significant decrease in deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea. Based on the survey results, China should be able to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4.
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To investigate the existing evidence about whether adherence to the Mediterranean diet may have a role as an effect modifier of active and passive smoking on human health. ⋯ The literature indicates that the existence of a partial interaction between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the health effects of smoking is possible. Further research is needed to lead to a conclusive statement on this hypothesis.