Asthma prevalence has increased dramatically in western countries in the last 25 years, and it has been estimated that allergies and asthma affect 30 to 35% of the Canadian population. It has been generally estimated that there are approximately 714,000 Canadians diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but it is also estimated that 50% of affected individuals remain undiagn...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to document results of State funded fall prevention clinics on rates of self-reported falls and fall-related use of health services. METHODS Older adults participated in community-based fall prevention clinics providing individual assessments, interventions, and referrals to collaborating community providers. A pre-post design compares self-reported 6-mon...

AIM We conducted this study to determine key community-level factors associated with higher tobacco control programme performance. METHODS A combination of surveys, administrative and fiscal data were collected to measure local county-level health department performance over a 7-year period. Longitudinal analyses were performed using generalised estimating equations to examine whether countie...

The current issue of International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience is focused on community disasters, the impact of trauma exposure, and crisis intervention. The articles incorporated include studies ranging from the World Trade Center disaster to Hurricane Sandy. These studies are related to public attitudes and beliefs about disease outbreaks, the impact of volunteeris...

The characteristics of "epidemic" suicides in native communities are discussed. It is hypothesized that the suicides are but one of many indicators of general community disorganization and problems. It is felt that concentration on the suicide problem although necessary, may detract from efforts at remedying the basic problems. Three communities are used to illustrate their "dynamics" and some ...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To see whether the community mothers' programme, using lay volunteer mothers to deliver a childhood development programme, could be extended successfully to the travelling community in Ireland. DESIGN This was a prospective study of the travelling community; comparisons were made with results of a previous randomised trial of settled mothers. SETTING A regional health author...

PURPOSE Recent evidence in Latino communities indicates substantial self-medication with antibiotics obtained without a prescription (WORx). We implemented and evaluated a culturally sensitive educational intervention to decrease antibiotic self-medication. METHODS We conducted a community-based intervention with preintervention and postintervention measures in the intervention community (Cha...

BACKGROUND Changing community norms to increase awareness of HIV status and reduce HIV-related stigma has the potential to reduce the incidence of HIV-1 infection in the developing world. METHODS We developed and implemented a multilevel intervention providing community-based HIV mobile voluntary counseling and testing, community mobilization, and posttest support services. Forty-eight commun...