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Permanent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2022/19549

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    Dairy Dialogue Map
    (2020) Andrew W. Brown; Kathryn A. Kaiser; Andrew Keitt; Kevin Fontaine; Madeline Gibson; Barbara A. Gower; James M. Shikany; Colby J. Vorland; Donald C. Beitz; Dennis M. Bier; J. Thomas Brenna; David R. Jacobs Jr.; Penny Kris-Etherton; Kevin Maki; Michael Miller; Marie-Pierre St-Onge; Margarita Teran-Garcia; David B. Allison
    Dairy has been described as everything from a superfood to a poison; yet, arguments, assumptions, and data justifying these labels are not always clear. We used an issue-based information system, "dialogue mapping™,” to summarize scientific points of a live panel discussion on the putative effects of dairy on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) from a day-long session among experts in nutrition and CVD. Dialogue mapping captures relations among thoughts ideas to explicitly, logically, and visually connect issues/questions, ideas, pro/con arguments, and agreements, even if discussed at different times. Experts discussed two propositions: for CVD risk, consumption of full-fat dairy products, 1) should be minimized, in part because of their saturated fat content, or 2) need not be minimized, despite their saturated fat content. The panel discussed the dairy-CVD relation through blood lipids, diabetes, obesity, energy balance, blood pressure, dairy bioactives, biobehavioral components, and other putative causal pathways. Associations and effects reported in the literature have varied by fat content of dairy elements considered, study design, intake methods, and biomarker versus disease outcomes. Two conceptual topics emerged from the discussion: 1) individual variability: whether recommendations should be targeted only to those at high CVD risk; 2) quality of evidence: whether data on dairy-CVD relations are strong enough for reliable conclusions – positive, negative, or null. Future procedural improvements for science dialog mapping include using singular rather than competing propositions for discussion.
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    Success counteracting tobacco company interference in Thailand: An example of FCTC implementation for low- and middle-income countries
    (MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland, 2012) Charoenca, N.; Mock, J.; Kungskulniti, N.; Preechawong, S.; Kojetin, N.; Hamann, S.L.
    Transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) interfere regularly in policymaking in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control provides mechanisms and guidance for dealing with TTC interference, but many countries still face 'how to' challenges of implementation. For more than two decades, Thailand's public health community has been developing a system for identifying and counteracting strategies TTCs use to derail, delay and undermine tobacco control policymaking. Consequently, Thailand has already implemented most of the FCTC guidelines for counteracting TTC interference. In this study, our aims are to describe strategies TTCs have used in Thailand to interfere in policymaking, and to examine how the public health community in Thailand has counteracted TTC interference. We analyzed information reported by three groups with a stake in tobacco control policies: Thai tobacco control advocates, TTCs, and international tobacco control experts. To identify TTC viewpoints and strategies, we also extracted information from internal tobacco industry documents. We synthesized these data and identified six core strategies TTCs use to interfere in tobacco control policymaking: (1) doing business with 'two faces', (2) seeking to influence people in high places, (3) 'buying' advocates in grassroots organizations, (4) putting up a deceptive front, (5) intimidation, and (6) undermining controls on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. We present three case examples showing where TTCs have employed multiple interference strategies simultaneously, and showing how Thai tobacco control advocates have successfully counteracted those strategies by: (1) conducting vigilant surveillance, (2) excluding tobacco companies from policymaking, (3) restricting tobacco company sales, (4) sustaining pressure, and (5) dedicating resources to the effective enforcement of regulations. Policy implications from this study are that tobacco control advocates in LMICs may be able to develop countermeasures similar to those we identified in Thailand based on FCTC guidelines to limit TTC interference.
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    Impact of internalized stigma on HIV prevention behaviors among HIV-infected individuals seeking HIV care in Kenya
    (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 2012) Kingori, C.; Reece, M.; Obeng, S.; Ngatia, P.; Ojakaa, D.; Shacham, E.; Dodge, B.; Akach, E.
    In general, an initial diagnosis of HIV is likely to be correlated with the onset of HIV stigma. HIV-positive individuals are likely to internalize stigma, may suffer from psychosocial issues, or engage in maladaptive behaviors to cope with the diagnosis. Internalized stigma stems from fear of stigmatization also known as felt stigma. The current study examined the impact of HIV felt stigma on overall health and success of HIV prevention behaviors among 370 participants living with HIV and receiving care at an urban HIV clinic in Kenya. An 18-item instrument was cross culturally adapted to measure felt stigma. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses examined the data. Findings indicate that 25.9% (n=96) of participants who reported experiencing high levels of felt stigma related to other people's attitudes toward their condition, ostracizing, and a disruption of their personal life, were likely to not adhere to prescribed HIV medication and not disclose their HIV serostatus to one other person. Those who also experienced felt stigma related to a disruption of their personal lives while mediated by depression were likely to report poor overall health. Findings support having HIV clinics and interventions develop relevant HIV prevention strategies that focus on the emerging dimensions of felt stigma which can significantly impact disclosure of serostatus, medication adherence, and overall health.
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    Disaster preparedness and response: a challenge for hospitals in earthquake-prone countries
    (InderScience Publishers, 2010) Smith, Susan M.; Gorski, June; Vennelakanti, Hari Chandra
    An effective and immediate response from hospital personnel is critical to meet the needs of affected populations at the time of an earthquake disaster. Hospitals need to develop, practise and continuously update an effective disaster/emergency medical response plan. Communities and impacted regions cannot depend on immediate medical and humanitarian aid from other outside sources to meet medical care needs during the first three to five days following an earthquake. How hospitals in earthquake-prone countries such as India, Pakistan and Haiti can improve their medical response is discussed. This discussion of methods to improve effective disaster response of the medical and public health community includes a description of important efforts to enhance hospital accreditation, increase personnel training, and use a response capacity checklist.