The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health最新文献

There is a worldwide pandemic of HIV infection. The WHO has compiled estimates of cases of HIV/AIDS for each country. In sub-Saharan Africa, HIV infection is causing decreased life expectancy. There is an overall increase in the number of orphans as a result of AIDS. Poverty, the lack of technologies and adequate resources are widening the gap between Africa and industrialized countries. In the instance of HIV positive children in Africa, we should aim to look into ways to identify and treat those with mental health issues or at risk for future mental health problems. This will help those affected to cope with the chronic illness associated with HIV infection, and to better comply with treatment that may lead to improved outcomes in terms of their quality of life.

Jamaica has the second highest number of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases and deaths in the Caribbean and a significant number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals have a concomitant sexually transmitted infection (STI). The study determined the prevalence of non-ulcerative and ulcerative STIs and their association with sexual risky behaviour in a sample of HIV seropositive men and women. This study was conducted at the Comprehensive Health Centre in Jamaica, a sexually transmitted infection referral centre. The sample comprised 138 men and 132 women age 15-49 years, of average 29.5 years. The study was retrospective, from 2000 to 2002, and sample collection was randomized. The sexual behaviours of the subjects were assessed from the case records. In the 270 HIV diagnosed cases examined, the prevalence of STIs was 51.1% in men and 48.9% in women, with 85.4% having one or more STIs with an average of four STIs per patient. There was a total occurrence of 744 STIs with non-gonococcal urethritis (19.4%), gonorrhoea (17.2%), candidiasis (13.4%), trichomonas (12.4%), genital ulcer (10.4%) and syphilis (7.3%) the most common in HIV infected men and women. The presence of STI was associated with continued practice of risky sexual behaviour. The age group most implicated was the 30-34 year old, and 73.1% of the HIV infected patients had multiple sexual partners with only 16.4% reporting frequent condom use. The study demonstrates that there is a high prevalence of non-ulcerative and to a lesser extent ulcerative STIs in HIV infected patients in Jamaica. There are significant associations between STIs and continued high risk sexual practices in HIV infected men and women. The findings support the need for implementation of effective diagnosis and treatment strategies coupled with education about safe-sex practices in HIV prevention and STI control programmes.

This paper surveys some recent developments in media criticism and recent developments in film and media representations of mental distress. Focusing on a representations drawn from various forms of media, the paper argues that media and film images of mental distress are in many cases 'positive' and sympathetic, although they can also contain sexist, racist and other problematic elements that are not commonly identified by anti-stigma campaigners. It also suggests that while still valid in many ways, existing anti-stigma criticism tends to focus on a rather undifferentiated notion of 'violence to others' as the sole criterion against which media images are judged. Finally, the paper proposes that critics and campaigners pay closer attention to how the particular form or genre of any media text influences its treatment of psychological distress.

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a human carcinogen. The UK and the worldwide incidence of cutaneous (skin) melanoma are rising. It is now the second most common cancer in 15-34 year-olds in the UK, increasing by 49% in 1991-2000. The UK government prioritized skin cancer in 1992 in their public health strategy The Health of the Nation, and set the target for reducing the yearly rise in skin cancer incidence by 2005. In 1998 in the Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation strategy, targets were set to reduce the death rate from cancer, including skin cancer, by 20% by 2010. As a consequence of these targets, since the mid-1990s public health campaigns to reduce sun exposure and skin cancer incidence in the UK have used specific interventions for at-risk groups and the mass media to reach the general population. Evidence indicates a shift in knowledge, with further work required to increase change in behaviour and attitudes. An associate health problem is vitamin D deficiency, which is prevalent across certain UK population groups. The main childhood health problem associated with vitamin D deficiency is the development of rickets, with evidence indicating those at high risk are exclusively breastfed dark-skinned infants, the elderly, those with dark skin pigmentation, and certain cultural groups that cover their bodies in clothing. Adolescents are the group with the highest incidence of low vitamin D status in the UK, with children of Asian descent at higher risk than Caucasian children. Increasing the outdoor activity levels of children in winter and during the cooler hours in summer is one way of increasing safe sun exposure. It is imperative to educate the general public on the risk of vitamin D deficiency, and offer advice on safe sun exposure, dietary sources of vitamin D, and dietary supplements. More research is required on recommendations for daily vitamin D supplements to determine optimal vitamin D levels in different population groups. There also needs to be reliable and accessible evidence on the links between vitamin D deficiency and lack of sun exposure, with sun safe messages adjusted accordingly.