Setting: Private and public tuberculosis (TB) treatment centers in Lagos State, Nigeria. Objective: To compare adherence of private and public providers of directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) in the Lagos State TB control program, Nigeria (LSTBLCP) with the national TB guidelines. Design: A retrospective review of treatment cards of TB patients managed within the first and second qu...

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that some dominant aspects of traditional masculinity are contributing to the high suicide rates among Australian men. We developed a three-episode documentary called Man Up, which explores the complex relationship between masculinity and suicide and encourages men to question socially imposed rules about what it means to be a man and asks them to open up, expre...

he Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), Cambridge, Mass., is in the midst J k of enlisting 4,000 U.S. hospitals in a "5 Million Lives Campaign," its second national initiative to improve the quality performance of hospitals in this country. In the IHFs BY JOHN F. ANDERSON, MD f effort, the successful "100k Lives Campaign," 3,100 hospitals implemented care improvements, thereby avoiding a...

To increase the awareness and practice of breast health guidelines, a media-based education campaign on breast health was launched among immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco. The media campaign included airing two public service announcements (PSAs) on Chinese television and radio stations and publishing the same message in Chinese newspapers during 2000. Seven-hundred-ten face-to-face ...

BACKGROUND Stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems is an important public health issue, and interventions aimed at reducing exposure to stigma and discrimination can improve the lives of people with mental health problems. Social contact has long been considered to be one of the most effective strategies for improving inter-group relations. For this study, we assess the...

While the campaign, and ultimate election of Governor John Baldacci in 2002 catapulted the health care issue into the forefront of the political debate, the roots of Dirigo precede the campaign. Perhaps the most important factor prior to the election that created the atmosphere necessary for the passage of Dirigo was not a sharp increase in the number of uninsured, but a sharp increase in healt...

BACKGROUND The burden of cervical cancer and shortage of screening services in Tanzania confers an urgent need for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. However, the sustainability and impact of another new vaccine campaign in an under-resourced health system requires consideration. We aimed to determine the impact of the government's school-based HPV vaccine campaign in Kilimanjaro region on...

campaigns: what works? Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1992. 5 Hornik RC. Public health communication: evidence for behavior change. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2002. 6 National Cancer Institute. Making health communication programs work: a planner’s guide. Bethesda, MD: NCI, 2002. 7 Kreuter M, Farrell D, Olevitch L, Brennan L. Tailored health messages: customizing communication with computer technology. Mahw...

Background: Infections due to the hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses constitute a global public health problem. Although screening of these infections remains a pivotal tool for timely detection and management of carriers, this preventive measure has been neglected in Africa. Objective: The current study determined the prevalence of hepatitis...

AIM A great deal of enthusiasm and interest exists in using social media for public health communications, but few research studies have examined its success in promoting and adopting protective health behaviours. To begin to understand how best to develop effective online social marketing campaigns, this paper provides a summary of success factors and key lessons learnt from selected social me...