Suchergebnisse

Examines the impact on women's/children's health of recent economic crises in the Dominican Republic & Cuba, drawing on demographic, economic, epidemiological, & anthropological data, as well as firsthand observations, 1986-1992, & key informant interviews. It is shown that rising costs for food & medical care resulting from international lending & trade policies are associated with increases in malnutrition, infectious disease, & maternal mortality. It is contended that the general decline in health status of women & children indicates a reversal of significant improvements made since the 1980s in both countries, especially the Dominican Republic. In addition, dissimilar causes, costs, & consequences of economic restructuring in both countries reflect their historical, political, & ideological differences. The Cuban government struggled to keep its capital in community-based primary health care & preventive medicine, while rural & primary health care were denied support by the Dominican Republic government, which directed its limited resources to urban hospitals. Difficulties involved in obtaining statistics from Cuba are discussed. 1 Table, 46 References. J. Lindroth

ch. 1. Introduction -- ch. 2. Global health and behavior change interventions -- ch. 3. A global health model : the community-participatory involvement approach -- ch. 4. The disease : the cholera epidemic in Ecuador -- ch. 5. Case study : the CPI model in Ecuador : the cholera project -- ch. 6. Outcomes and discussions -- ch. 7. Lessons learned.

Hurricane Charley made landfall in southwest Florida, USA on August 13, 2004. It caused devastation in several coastal counties before moving rapidly north-northeastwards through the state. While storm surge and flooding were minimal, the destruction from high winds was extensive. Hurricane Charley was the most intense storm to make landfall in Florida since Andrew in 1992; three more hurricanes followed in 2004, creating problems throughout the state and leaving many people homeless. This study looked at the vulnerability of these displaced persons, exploring issues of pre and post-event behavior, response and recovery in a relocation park run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews were used to assess perception of immediate and ongoing needs of park residents and to evaluate how well those needs had been met. Though residents reported that emergency response organizations had met most of their immediate needs and they were generally appreciative of FEMA's efforts, there were some ongoing concerns. Results indicated that relocation park residents were more vulnerable than the general population prior to the storm, and that differences among park residents were associated with variations in perception of needs and outcomes. Specifically, four themes stood out and require further study: special needs, race, access to resources and social networks. With subsequent events, not least being Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, more attention to long-term sheltering needs and temporary housing would seem appropriate.

International health planners often design programs based on the assumption that recipient nations share the same "level playing field" with regard to conceptions of health, illness, and at-risk populations. This volume challenges that perception, analyzing the outcomes of humanitarian projects that fail to recognize local ethnic and national identities, as well as the tensions between international health agencies' mandates and powerful centralized government agendas. Case studies are drawn from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean