A Survey of Plants Used as Wild Vegetables in Four Districts of Botswana

A survey of plants used as wild vegetables was conducted in four districts of Botswana in August and September 2005. The objective was to determine which wild plants were used as vegetables in the study area, and to document their cooking and preservation methods. Fourteen species representing seven families were mentioned as wild vegetables. In addition, six species from four families had other uses in traditional medicine. The implications of the documented processing methods on the retention of nutrients in the vegetables are discussed.     

Perception and use of the results of patient satisfaction surveys by care providers in a French teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE: . The aim of this study was to assess clinical staff's opinions on the results of in-patient satisfaction surveys and their use within the quality improvement process. SETTING: The institution is a 2200-bed teaching hospital of tertiary health care employing 8000 professionals. Patient satisfaction surveys are carried out each year using a validated questionnaire mailed to a random sample of patients. The specific results of each department are sent to the medical and paramedical managers. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey on 500 care providers randomly selected in every medical and surgical department. RESULTS: A total of 261 questionnaires were returned and analysed. Overall, 94% of responders had a favourable opinion of the patient satisfaction surveys. They considered that the patient was able to judge hospital service quality, especially in its relational, organizational, and environmental dimensions. The specific results for the department were less well known than the overall hospital results (60 versus 76%). These results were formally discussed in the department according to 40% of responders; 40% declared that these data resulted in improvement actions and considered that they led to modifications in their behaviour with patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a declared interest in satisfaction surveys, the results remain underused by hospital staff and insufficiently discussed within teams.     

我军第二次部队人员牙周疾病捷径调查和分析

目的:了解牙周疾病在我军部队人员中的流行情况。方法:采用世界卫生组织1997年版口腔健康调查基本方法和标准器材。结果:共调查1 269人,结果表明,我军现役人员男性牙龈炎患病率为21.12%,牙结石检出率为44.05%,早期牙周病患病率为2.75%,晚期牙周病患病率为0.39%。结论:根据本次调查结果和我军第一次口腔健康的牙周疾病监测,以及外军相关资料比照进行牙周疾病流行病学研究分析表明,我军牙周疾病患病率比较平稳,牙周疾病大部分处于早期阶段。     

从掺混肥料的发展现状谈其国家标准制定的设想

介绍我国掺混肥料行业发展现状,存在的主要问题,提出制定掺混肥料国家标准的设想。     

Causes and types of health effects during the use of crop protection chemicals: data from a survey of over 6,300 smallholder applicators in 24 different countries

Purpose  The present investigation looks in detail at the causes and types of health incidents reported by 6,300 mainly smallholder agrochemical users in 24 countries during 2005 and 2006. Methods  The investigation is based on a questionnaire survey of knowledge, attitude and practice that concentrated on the sequence of events from purchasing the pesticide to disposal. Information was also collected about health problems experienced while using agrochemicals. The survey targeted mainly smallholder knapsack spray operators who were expected to be at a highest risk of exposure. Results  In the 12 months prior to interview, 1.2% of users reported an agrochemical-related incident that required hospital treatment, 5.8% reported an incident requiring at least trained medical treatment but not hospitalisation and 19.8% reported only a minor sign or symptom. Users who had experienced an incident involving agricultural equipment were 3.38 (95% CI 2.29–4.99) times more likely to experience an agrochemical-related health incident, but confident users who felt that their use of personal protective equipment while spraying was best practice were 0.60 (95% CI 0.44–0.84) times less likely to experience such an incident. Over 80% of product-related incidents were caused by insecticides and the incidence rate per spraying time for incidents linked to insecticides was significantly higher than that for fungicides or herbicides. Headache/dizziness and nausea/vomiting, often smell related, were the most common symptoms reported by users who listed agrochemical products that had caused them health problems (52 and 38% of product mentions, respectively). Conclusions  In most countries, the incidence of serious health effects was low; however, there was a high incidence of minor signs and symptoms in a few countries, especially in Africa. A disproportionate number of incidents occurred during insecticide use relative to the time that they were sprayed. Failure to exercise caution as indicated by whether users had incidents involving agricultural equipment or livestock, and lack of confidence in their practices were the most important predictors of agrochemical-related incidents.     

An exploration of gifted programs

This article presents findings on an exploration of gifted programs in the state of Missouri. Over 60 percent of the state supported public school gifted programs participated in the study. The study concludes that the guidelines for gifted education in Missouri create extreme variability in the standards of the programs. Strong national policy for gifted education is needed to insure gifted children are properly served and protected by law.     

Analysis of the degree of precision of a computer-assisted dietary survey method

A computer-assisted method for the registration of food intakes in real time according to a concise and simple procedure was subjected to a series of controls in order to assess precision. The method employs the 'portion' of a composite dish as unit of measure. The constancy of the portion was tested. The results show that the recipes of the diet of a subject may be stored and utilized in deferred time without loss of precision: data to be recorded in real time are then very limited. The length of period of analysis was also studied. The time of investigation should not be shorter than two weeks to obtain precise information on the feeding habits of an individual subject, whereas for a group of subjects the diary of a single day provides information of sufficient precision.     

How Can and Do Australian Doctors Promote Physical Activity?

Background.Physical inactivity is recognized as an important public health issue. Yet little is known about doctors' knowledge, attitude, skills, and resources specifically relating to the promotion of physical activity. Our survey assessed the current practice, perceived desirable practice, confidence, and barriers related to the promotion of physical activity in family practice.Methods.A questionnaire was developed and distributed to all 1,228 family practitioners in Perth, Western Australia.Results.We received a 71% response (n= 789). Family practitioners are most likely to recommend walking to sedentary adults to improve fitness and they are aware of the major barriers to patients participating in physical activity. Doctors are less confident at providing specific advice on exercise and may require further skills, knowledge, and experience. Although they promote exercise to patients through verbal advice in the consultation, few use written materials or referral systems.Conclusions.There are significant differences between self-reports of current practice and perceived desirable practice in the promotion of physical activity by doctors. Future strategies need to address the self-efficacy of family physicians and involve resources of proven effectiveness. The potential of referral systems for supporting efforts to increase physical activity by Australians should be explored.     

对一宗入境二级放射货包的监测结果分析

汕头卫生检疫局空港处对汕头航空口岸—宗入境二级货包的监测过程及对有关运输工作人员作了放射知识问卷调查。从中发现。运输单位货物存放设施落后。有关工作人员放射卫生知识欠缺，对放射污染可能造成的危害缺乏正确的认识。为此，笔者提出了自己的看法，以期对放射监测工作的进一步完善提供参考。