Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness最新文献

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators were impacted across domains of psychological, physical, social, and occupational health. Occupational environments, including classrooms, changed significantly due to COVID-19. This study aimed to characterize the nuanced experience of educators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Participants included 918 United States educators (e.g., teachers, paraeducators, support professionals, and administrators). Educators completed the survey via Qualtrics during November and December of 2020. The survey included eight qualitative questions, and responses were randomized to inductive or deductive datasets for analyses.

Results: Our deductive results showed that individuals reported changes in several facets of health, with educators reporting increases in stress (38.0%) and feelings of isolation (45.9%). Our results also showed impacted occupational health, citing increased responsibility at work (34.0%) and feeling as though their voice was not heard after voicing concerns to either building- or district-level administration (28.2%).

Conclusions: One of the key findings that emerged at the systemic level was educators reporting a lack of decision-making agency within the workplace. Through including educators in the conversations regarding decisions at all levels, agency may be increased. Educators not only shape the students they teach, but the communities within which they work, making a focus on their health paramount.

Dr. C. Norman Coleman's impact is difficult to measure overall, even if one focuses only on his work as NCI's Radiation Research Program (RRP) leader. His laboratory work spanned immune-oncology and radiation therapy, RNA biology, normal tissue and tumor tissue radiobiology, and the development of tissue chips for use in radiation biology research. His programmatic leadership helped the RRP develop health equity programs addressing Native American access to optimal cancer care, evaluation of hadron therapy biology, radiation biology, reproducibility and rigor, foundational molecular biology of the tumor and normal tissue caused by radiation therapy dynamically, and global health and security issues. While doing all these things, he found time to mentor countless people in the field, many now leaders, and to read and discuss science across disciplines. He was a dedicated, caring, kind scientist who truly wanted to help and improve the world for others.

Dr. C. Norman Coleman, a distinguished cancer specialist and researcher, brought a passion for addressing health disparities to all of his roles from being on the faculty as a Radiation Oncologist at Stanford, as Chair of the Joint Center for Radiation Oncology at Harvard, as Associate Director of the Radiation Research Program at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, as Senior Medical Advisor to the US Government Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and as co-founder and Senior Scientific Officer for the International Cancer Expert Corps. With his passing earlier this year, this commentary by his colleagues at the International Cancer Expert Corps presents an overview of his many and significant contributions to addressing cancer disparities globally.

Recent advances in disaster countermeasures have reduced the number of direct deaths; however, population aging and medical progress have resulted in an increase in the number of individuals with chronic diseases and disabilities, rendering them vulnerable to secondary health effects caused by disrupted care and environmental changes during disasters. Public support systems for disaster-related health impacts are systematically established only in Japan and the USA. Although compensation schemes for disaster-related deaths have been progressively expanded, comprehensive support for survivors who require long-term medical and social care owing to indirect, post-disaster health effects remains insufficiently developed. After the Great East Japan earthquake, increases in stroke hospitalizations, depression, and cognitive decline were observed, while international cases, such as the post-earthquake cancer incidence in Nepal, highlight global relevance. Thus, the definition of "disaster-related sequelae" and the establishment of comprehensive medical and social support systems, including compensation, continuity of care, and preventive education, are urgently needed.

Objectives: To explore barriers and facilitators experienced by Australian organizational stakeholders in implementing COVID-19 vaccine rollout for health professional students.

Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with organizational stakeholders, including senior health department staff, university clinical placement coordinators, and clinical educators across Australia from November 21 to December 20, 2022, via ZOOM. An inductive and then deductive thematic analysis was conducted, guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Findings: Nineteen participants were interviewed. Five key domains were generated: environmental context and resources, attention, decision-making, and goals, professional role and identity, emotion, and optimism. Barriers included top-down communication, inconsistent messaging, and limited vaccine access, leading to negative emotions. Enablers included teamwork, adaptability, and optimism.

Conclusions: The findings offer insights into operational challenges and support during the vaccine rollout. These lessons should inform strategies to overcome similar barriers in future large-scale health interventions or emergency responses.

Objectives: This study aimed to: (1) identify optimal blended food recipe options using local flours; (2) assess behaviors, attitudes, and practices around the use of blended foods among nutritionally vulnerable groups in Haiti; and (3) evaluate the nutrient composition of prototype blended food product relative to nutrient requirements for vulnerable populations.

Methods: Blended food recipes made from local flours were identified through matrix scoring and stakeholder consensus. Focus groups (n = 7) assessed behaviors and attitudes toward blended foods. Prototype recipes were selected based on matrix scoring, program participant feedback, and feasibility of bringing to scale. Nutrient composition of the final prototype was analyzed for consumer information and compared to requirements for young children and pregnant/lactating women.

Results: Two food prototypes resulted. Only the sweet blended food product could be scaled for testing due to the lack of availability of fish for the savory recipe. Focus groups highlighted positive views on balanced nutrition and healthy eating but raised concerns about costs and safety. Nutrient composition analysis of the final prototype showed varying proportions of requirements attained across nutrients.

Conclusions: Blended foods made from Haitian-grown ingredients and food aid offer promise to improve nutrition for target populations but face challenges in scaling to market.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the earthquake-related experiences of older adults relocated from nursing homes in earthquake-affected regions, the difficulties they faced in adapting to their new environments, and the post-earthquake support they received.

Methods: This phenomenological research was conducted through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 26 participants who had to relocate to a nursing home in southern Turkiye after the earthquake. Qualitative content analysis was based on a deductive and inductive approach.

Results: After the 2023 earthquake in Turkiye, participants experienced a range of emotions and attitudes, including trust, satisfaction, and happiness, as well as fear and anxiety. They experienced social isolation and difficulty adapting to the new nursing home's dietary habits, climate, and living environment. Although participants received psychosocial and health support services after the earthquake, they recommended organizing more sociocultural activities and providing training on earthquake preparedness.

Conclusion: The findings revealed that emotional distress, adaptation difficulties, and social isolation were prominent challenges during the post-earthquake relocation process. Comprehensive post-earthquake care models are required, which should address older catastrophe survivors' emotional and social well-being in addition to their physical health.