1,721,043 research outputs found
Health of pacific islanders: achievements and challenges
No full textThe idea of a special issue on Pacific Island Health came from the 2009 APACPH conference in Taipei, Taiwan. We decided it was high time for an issue of the journal to reflect on the special
challenges in the Pacific, and to showcase research that is underway. To obtain articles for this
issue, we advertised widely within the APAPCH institutions, and made use also of Pacific and
public health networks in the region. We are delighted with the result: a mix of original research
articles, viewpoints, and letters that reflect present concerns and look ahead to what may be the
future health needs within the region. A theme that weaves throughout the issue is globalization and its impact on health. Changes in trade, travel, industry, and telecommunication have upset traditional ways of life within the region. There have been not only gains but also detrimental effects, such as those related to greater consumption of processed foods and tobacco and other drugs. Consequent increases in chronic disease and injury have cancelled out gains in the control of infectious disease, in some parts of the Pacific. Carter et al examine mortality trends in Nauru and lay out very clearly the transition in major causes of death and the rise of diabetes and related conditions. What is most striking is that overall there has been no improvement in mortality in Nauru over the past 50
years. Stagnation in life expectancy has been observed elsewhere, caused by the emergence of
cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. But such a prolonged period without progress, and occurring at such a low level of life expectancy, is most unusual and underlines the size of the public health task that faces the people of Nauru
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
"Back in the Islands": An Investigation of Risk Perception of Tongan People with Pre-Diabetes and Associated Risk Communication of Primary Healthcare Professionals
No full textIntroduction:
Pre-diabetes is a condition of elevated blood sugar levels (HbA1c 41 - 49
mmol/mol), which can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes if not managed
effectively. Public health approaches focus on prevention and access to health
services, and clinical measures focus on effective care and treatment. Between
these two approaches exist Pacific health and health communication. In New
Zealand, Pacific peoples have the highest prevalence of pre-diabetes (29.8%)
compared to New Zealand/ European and other ethnic groups (24.6%). Lifestyle
interventions could delay the onset of type 2 diabetes, which is particularly
important for population groups who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes has considerable direct and indirect costs to individuals, their
families and the health system. Delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes by better
understanding the experiences of Tongan people with pre-diabetes and enabling
them to define their preferred communication means and messages for better
engagement are essential factors to consider. Health communication between the
patient and clinician is an integral part of an individual’s health journey, and
understanding health risk information shapes behaviour. The communication of
health risks will pose two main features, a probability of an adverse health
condition occurring and a negative result if the health condition develops and
subsequent protective or maladaptive behaviours. How individuals with prediabetes
comprehend risk inevitably informs their health protecting behaviour.
This research is Pacific-specific in its application and focuses on the Tongan
people in New Zealand. Understanding the perceptions of risk of Tongan people
with pre-diabetes may help healthcare services to provide tailored care. This thesis
aimed to understand how Tongan people with pre-diabetes conceptualise risk and
explore how primary healthcare professionals engage and communicate risk to
Tongan patients.
Methods:
The research was underpinned by the Tongan specific, Kakala and Tālanga
methodologies. A sequential exploratory mixed-method study was conducted.
First, 12 qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews with Tongan patients with
pre-diabetes from South Seas Healthcare were conducted to understand how they
conceptualise risk. Followed by a clinical audit of pre-diabetes at South Seas
Healthcare to describe the proportion and characteristics of Pacific-specific
patients with pre-diabetes. Then, several stakeholder consultations were
conducted with the existing patient, a family member, a Tongan dance
choreographer, Tongan anthropologists and members of the Tongan royal family.
The stakeholder consultations were conducted to gather insight about the Alamea
and the proposed Alamea pre-diabetes risk communication visual tool. Lastly, an
online survey was conducted with primary healthcare professionals to describe
how they screen, diagnose and manage pre-diabetes. The survey also learned
how the respondents communicated risk to Tongan patients and obtained their
views on the proposed Alamea pre-diabetes risk communication visual tool.
Results:
The clinical audit at South Seas Healthcare found that in the years 2015 – 2020,
351 out of a total of 685 patients with pre-diabetes identified as Pacific. About 86%
(300/351) of the Pacific patients with pre-diabetes were of Samoan descent,
followed by Tongan patients (6%, 22/351). The results showed that some Tongan
patients reversed their HbA1c from pre-diabetes to near-normal levels. The majority
of Tongan patients were born in Tonga (86%, 19/22).
Of the Tongan cohort with pre-diabetes (n = 22) at South Seas Healthcare, 12
patients participated in the qualitative interviews. The one-on-one interviews found
that participants’ awareness of pre-diabetes and their risk of developing type 2
diabetes were minimal. Several expressed disbelief at their status of having prediabetes,
yet many had familial associations with type 2 diabetes, which may
account for their expressions of fear. Participants could not differentiate between
pre-diabetes and being at risk for type 2 diabetes, highlighting that the term risk
and pre-diabetes require more explanation that is both clinically accurate and
culturally appropriate for better understanding for Tongan patients. The findings
suggest that the respondents’ awareness of their pre-diabetes status and the
broader understanding of pre-diabetes and their risk of developing type 2 diabetes
were minimal. As a result, the proposed Alamea pre-diabetes risk communication
visual tool was developed.
The online survey with primary healthcare professionals (n = 30) demonstrated
that pre-diabetes screening, diagnosis and management were aligned with
Ministry of Health recommendations. However, there was a lack of use of Tongan
(or Pacific) models of health to communicate risk. The use of Pacific-specific visual
tools to communicate risk is essential for Pacific peoples, including tailoring risk
and health promotion messages. The majority of the primary healthcare
professionals were inclined to using visual aids in health risk communication rather
than text with Tongan patients. The proposed Alamea pre-diabetes risk
communication visual tool contained essential information about pre-diabetes and
was considered culturally appropriate by the respondents.
Conclusion:
Understanding how Tongan people with pre-diabetes conceptualise risk ensures
that health services and delivery of care can meet their needs. An HbA1c indicative
of pre-diabetes should be communicated to Tongan patients so that they are aware
of their high-risk state of developing type 2 diabetes. This will motivate immediate
lifestyle changes to reduce the onset of the disease. The proposed Alamea prediabetes
risk communication visual tool is designed to engage Tongan people in
health, connect Pacific health ideologies, and ensure health messages are salient
and understandable to the patient's worldview. With the restructuring of the New
Zealand healthcare system, it is important more than ever for healthcare services
to acknowledge Pacific worldviews and understand the sociocultural influences
and their impact on health and wellbeing. Importantly, having a health workforce
reflective of the diverse population groups in New Zealand and for inter-sectorial
collaborations in local and national governing bodies to create local environments
conducive to healthy living for Pacific peoples to reduce inequities in health. This
research is Tongan specific but contributes to Pacific health research
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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