Citizen science in the community: Gaining insight in community and participant health in four deprived neighbourhoods in the Netherlands

The aim of this study was to examine if citizen science contributes to gaining insight into community health and to the health of the citizen scientists themselves. Therefore, thirteen citizens in four deprived neighbourhoods were trained as citizen scientists to conduct research in their own communities. Results showed that the citizen scientists identified forty (health related) themes in their communities. The citizen scientists reported an increase in their overall self-perceived health which, however, was not significantly demonstrated in the prequestionnaire and postquestionnaire.     

Effectiveness of a community organizing intervention on mortality and its equity among older residents in Japan: A JAGES quasi-experimental study

Interventions that involve key aspects of community organizing, such as quantitative community assessments and organizational partnership support for the community, may promote residents' health. We evaluated the effectiveness of this form of intervention on mortality and its variability across individual-level household equivalized income tertiles, comparing 52,858 residents aged 65 and above in 12 intervention municipalities to 39,006 residents in nine control municipalities in Japan. During 1,166 days of follow-up, the adjusted hazard ratio for cumulative mortality among men in the intervention municipalities was 0.92 (95% confidence interval: 0.86, 0.99) compared to those in the control group, with similar results being observed across all income levels. Active utilization of data to evaluate communities and building intersectoral partnerships might lower older male residents’ mortality risk, regardless of their income status.     

Systematic review of clinical practice guidelines on the management of community acquired pneumonia in children

Childhood community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the leading cause of mortality in children under 5 years worldwide. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) may be limited by method of development, scope of recommendations and the quality of supporting evidence. This study systematically identified, appraised and compared the recommendations of CPGs for the management of paediatric CAP using the AGREE II tool.The systematic review yielded 1409 non-duplicate results, of which 14 CPGs were appraised. Four of the fourteen CPGs were deemed high quality. Most CPGs were considered low-medium quality with ‘rigour of development’ and ‘applicability’ the weakest domains. These areas should be considered in deriving CPGs in the future. Recommendations were generally similar across all guidelines; however, there was notable heterogeneity in three areas. This suggests the need for further evidence to guide management decisions on oxygen saturation thresholds for admission, the utility of investigations such as acute phase reactants, and the duration of antibiotic therapy.     

Do social support and community engagement act as mechanisms in the association between neighbourhood income inequality and the mental health of mothers in Calgary,Canada? A mediation analysis

PurposeAccording to the social determinants of health framework, income inequality is a potential risk factor for adverse mental health. However, few studies have explored the mechanisms suspected to mediate this relationship. The current study addresses this gap through a mediation analysis to determine if social support and community engagement act as mediators linking neighbourhood income inequality to maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms within a cohort of new mothers living in the City of Calgary, Canada.MethodsData collected at three years postpartum from mothers belonging to the All Our Families (AOF) cohort were used in the current study. Maternal data were collected between 2012 and 2015 and linked to neighbourhood socioeconomic data from the 2006 Canadian Census. Income inequality was measured using Gini coefficients derived from 2006 after-tax census data. Generalized structural equation models were used to quantify the associations between income inequality and mental health symptoms, and to assess the potential direct and indirect mediating effects of maternal social support and community engagement.ResultsIncome inequality was not significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms (β = 0.32, 95%CI = −0.067, 0.70), anxiety symptoms (β = 0.11, 95%CI = −0.39, 0.60), or lower social support. Income inequality was not associated with community engagement. For the depression models, higher social support was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms (β = −0.13, 95%CI = −0.15, −0.097), while community engagement was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms (β = 0.059, 95%CI = −0.15, 0.27). Similarly, for the anxiety models, lower anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with higher levels of social support (β = −0.17, 95%CI = −0.20, −0.13) but not with higher levels of community engagement (β = 0.14, 95%CI = −0.14, 0.41).ConclusionThe current study did not find clear evidence for social support or community engagement mediating the relationship between neighbourhood income inequality and maternal mental health. Future investigations should employ a broader longitudinal approach to capture changes in income inequality, potential mediators, and mental health symptomatology over time.     

社区严重精神障碍患者规律面访情况及其影响因素研究

背景严重精神障碍患者因自知力欠缺及高复发性、高致残性等特点，对社会稳定造成严重威胁。做好社区面访管理工作意义重大，通过定期面访患者本人，可以更好地综合评估患者病情，以便及时采取措施，提高管理服务质量。目的了解社区严重精神障碍患者规律面访情况及其影响因素，为提高社区患者的面访服务管理质量提供参考依据。方法2020年10—12月，利用2019年底江苏省严重精神障碍管理系统中建档管理的无锡市严重精神障碍患者基础档案及随访管理信息，分析当年度无锡市社区严重精神障碍患者规律面访情况，采用Logistic回归分析规律面访的影响因素。结果共纳入27 778例研究对象，其规律面访率为81.08%（22 523/27 778）。Logistic回归分析结果显示，非本地户籍〔OR（95%CI）=0.704（0.640，0.775）〕、年龄≤44岁〔OR（95%CI）=0.522（0.472，0.578）〕、学历为高中及以上〔高中/中专OR（95%CI）=0.493（0.446，0.545），大专及以上OR（95%CI）=0.470（0.415，0.532）〕、目前有正式工作〔OR（95%CI）=0.715（0.668，0.766）〕、未婚〔OR（95%CI）=0.746（0.665，0.838）〕、经济状况为非贫困〔OR（95%CI）=0.587（0.517，0.666）〕、没有进行抗精神病药物治疗〔OR（95%CI）=0.491（0.440，0.548）〕、服药时长0~10年〔OR（95%CI）=0.881（0.778，0.998）〕、不是"以奖代补"监护补助对象〔OR（95%CI）=0.807（0.704，0.926）〕、不参加社区康复服务〔OR（95%CI）=0.844（0.716，0.996）〕是患者规律面访的消极影响因素（P<0.05）。结论无锡市社区严重精神障碍患者规律面访率尚需进一步提高，应重点关注非本地户籍、年龄≤44岁、高中及以上学历、目前有正式工作、未婚、经济非贫困、没有进行抗精神病药物治疗、服药时长0~10年、不是监护补助对象和不参加社区康复服务的社区严重精神障碍患者。可通过制定倾斜性政策、开展宣传教育、降低患者病耻感、改善患者疾病认知、加强患者社会支持等措施提高患者规律面访率。     

Salir Adelante: Social capital and resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic in Argentina

The Covid-19 pandemic has stimulated new appraisals of how social cohesion, including neighborhood-level social capital, fosters resilience in the face of crisis. Several studies suggest better health outcomes in neighborhoods with higher level of social capital, in general and during the pandemic. Building on a growing body of research which suggests that those who live in close-knit neighborhoods have fared better during the pandemic, this article analyzes how social capital influences individual and collective perceptions and attitudes about the experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic in Tucumán, Argentina. To assess this question, we used a mixed-methods approach, combining focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and an online survey (n = 701 respondents) conducted in September 2021. We find widespread experiences of resilience in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in spite of difficult socioeconomic conditions and perceived poor government performance. Results from logistic regression analysis indicate that perceptions of high neighborhood social capital are associated with more positive outcomes in many dimensions, including personal resilience, ability to cope with uncertainty, perceptions of community solidarity, and reported compliance with public health measures. We further argue that conceptualizations of social cohesion need to be adjusted to local or national-level cultural norms to accurately capture the experience of countries of the Global South.     

An assessment of the current practice of community pharmacists for the disposal of medication waste in the United Arab Emirates: A deep analysis at a glance

ObjectiveThe study aimed to identify the current practice carried out by community pharmacists to dispose of expired medications in their workplace and assess any practical steps utilized to reduce medication waste.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The participants were asked about their routine practice in disposing of different expired medications and the current actions taken to reduce the number of disposed medicines.ResultsThe study included (n = 418) community pharmacists. More than a third of expired liquid, solid, and semi-solid dosage forms were collected by licensed contractors. In addition, more than a third of the pharmacists disposed of different dosage forms via unauthorized methods (general garbage, sink and toilet). Most expired drugs were skin and hair products, antibiotics and analgesics. The majority of pharmacists (68.4 %, n = 286) agreed that expired pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products, other than those disposed of via contractor, should be done through a specialized centre. This opinion was found to be strongly associated with years of practice as community pharmacists (P < 0.05).ConclusionPart of the existing disposal practices for expired pharmaceutical products in the UAE is carried out by contractors licensed by health authorities. However, concern remains regarding some pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products that have not been disposed of correctly. Additionally, there is a need for a specialized center for medication disposal (p < 0.05). A stock limitation is the best practice for managing medication quantities in stock (p < 0.05).