Knowledge,Awareness, and Use of the UV Index Amongst the West Australian Public

The ultraviolet (UV) index provides an opportunity to warn people about the degree of hazard that exists on a particular day and subsequently lead to the adoption of sun protective behaviors. While the UV index has been promoted in Australia for some time, little research has been conducted into the understanding and use of the index. As such, a random telephone survey of 501 adults was conducted in December 1999 to gather data into the public's understanding and use of the UV index in Perth, Australia. A high awareness of the UV index existed among the respondents, with 90% indicating they had heard of the term UV index. However, only 5% indicated they had noticed the UV index/forecast for that particular day. The results indicate that a campaign to increase awareness of the UV index by the public is not warranted, but that efforts should be focused on developing tools to communicate behavior change messages linked to the UV index levels. The research was conducted with funding from Healthway, Health Promotion Foundation of Western Australia.     

Cellular mechanisms involved in recovery from acute malaria in Gambian children

This paper reports the results of in vitro experiments which attempt to elucidate the mechanisms whereby Gambian children control acute infections of Plasmodium falciparum. It was shown initially that mononuclear cells from children with acute malaria, in the presence of specific antibody, caused a marked reduction in in vitro parasite growth. IgM antibodies appeared to be considerably more effective than IgG. T or B lymphocytes were ineffective in the system; adherent cells alone had some effect, but much less than the unfractionated cell population. Adherent cells were however fully effective after exposure to supernatants from T cells activated either non-specifically by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), or specifically by P. falciparum antigens. Depression of parasite growth was also observed, independent of anti-malarial antibody. This was achieved when adherent cells from healthy Europeans, as well as those from infected children, were exposed to the supernatants from previously stimulated T cells before adding to the culture. Furthermore, intra-erythrocytic parasite death occurred after a short exposure to the supernatants of 'activated' adherent cells from both infected children and Europeans.     

Nutrition Intervention Program of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study: A Self-Management Approach

Objective To characterize the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study nutrition intervention program by determining the frequency of intervention strategies used by the dietitians and the usefulness of program components as rated by participants.Design Dietitians recorded which of 32 intervention strategies they used at each monthly visit. Participants rated the usefulness of 19 program components.Subjects 840 adults with renal insufficiency.Intervention Participants were assigned randomly to usual-, low-, or very-low-protein diet groups. Each eating pattern also specified a phosphorus intake goal. Each participant met monthly with a dietitian for an average of 26 months.Statistical analyses Analyses of variance and χ² analyses.Results Dietitians used the following intervention strategies most often in all groups: providing feedback based on self-monitoring and/or food records, reviewing adherence or biochemistry data, providing low-protein foods, and reviewing graphs of adherence progress. In general, the dietitians used feedback, modeling, and support strategies more often, and knowledge and skills strategies less often, with participants who had to make the greatest reductions in protein intake and those with more advanced disease. In all groups, the dietitians’ use of knowledge and skills, feedback, and modeling strategies decreased over time (P<.001), whereas use of support strategies was maintained. The type and frequency of intervention strategies used by dietitians and the usefulness ratings of participants did not vary by educational level of the participant. Both self-monitoring and dietitian support were rated as “very useful” by 88% of the participants.Conclusions Three features were central to the MDRD Study nutrition intervention program: feedback, particularly from self-monitoring and from measures of adherence; modeling, particularly by providing low-protein food products; and dietitian support. We recommend the self-management approach. J Am Diet Assoc. 1995; 95:1288-1294.