Health & Place最新文献

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Many Indigenous People in Northern and remote areas need to travel away from home for childbirth; however, their birthing traditions and practices are intimately tied to place. This qualitative research study characterized Inuit childbirth experiences and recommendations to enhance birthing supports in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut in Inuit Nunangat, Canada. Birthing experiences were profoundly shaped by relationships and place attachment, and recommendations related to increased Inuit involvement in maternity care systems. Place attachment is an important determinant of Inuit maternal health and may also be for other Indigenous Peoples with intrinsically place-based livelihoods, knowledge systems, and identities.

Secondary data sources are frequently used for characterizing physical access to food. Although several studies have reported that they tend to show a moderate agreement with field observation in WEIRD (Western Educated Industrialized Rich and Democratic) countries, little is known about their validity in non-WEIRD countries. The aim of the present research was to assess the validity of secondary data sources of the retail food environment in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, an emerging Latin American country. A random sample of 106 census tracts was obtained, covering 12% (62 km²) of the city's total area. Two secondary data sources were considered: administrative records and Google Maps. An aggregate database was created by manually removing duplicates. A total of 1051 unique outlets were listed in the database within the census tracts included in the sample. Field validation was performed by six teams of two observers. A total of 1200 food outlets were identified on the ground, including 463 (38.6%) outlets not listed on any database. On the contrary, 297 outlets listed in the databases (28.3%) were not found or were closed at the time of field validation. At the aggregate level, sensitivity and concordance were moderate (0.614 and 0.487, respectively), whereas positive predictive value was substantial (0.701). However, large heterogeneity in the validity of the database across census tracts was found. Sensitivity, positive predictive value, and concordance were positively associated with the socio-economic status index of the census tract. These results suggest that secondary data sources must be used with caution, particularly for the characterization of areas with low socio-economic status.

The practical interrelationships between the African environment and hygiene practices during a pandemic period is a topic of significant importance. Specifically, this research explores the intersection of cultural dynamics and hygiene practices in Burkina Faso, focusing on a recent example of distribution of hygiene materials. It highlights the negative reactions to these foreign interventions, perceived as patronizing and stigmatizing, which underscores the complexities of implementing health initiatives in diverse socio-cultural landscapes. These findings stress the importance of culturally sensitive approaches and greater engagement in public health initiatives like the latrine usage with specific designs for communities.

The ‘postcode lottery’ has become a dominant political framing for place-based health inequalities in Britain, used by patient groups, politicians and in media coverage of regional health and healthcare inequalities. Using newspapers, parliamentary material and health policy documents, this paper traces how this term has changed and expanded from its origins as a protest about access to new pharmaceutical treatments, to a broader commentary about geographical variations in the quality of NHS and other public services, health outcomes, and deprivation. It traces this emergence and evolution from its origins in the 1989–91 introduction of the ‘internal market’ and the 1994 reintroduction of the National Lottery, through to New Labour health reforms, the introduction of austerity, and the Levelling Up programme in the present day. This paper finds that the term's concern with unfairness has enabled its incorporation into a range of political positions, both as a defence of universalism against market-based reforms in the NHS, and to rationalise distinctions between ‘unequal’ and ‘unfair’ disparities in health outcomes. We conclude that understanding and addressing place based differences and inequalities in health, healthcare, and health outcomes may be aided through investigation of cultural ideas and values as well as the deep histories of place and local services.