Health Magazines Research Articles

The assessment of public perception towards chronic kidney disease in Jordan: a cross-sectional study

Objectives Kidney diseases are considered silent killers due to the lack of well-defined symptoms. Public knowledge about chronic kidney disease (CKD) management has been shown to decrease the risk of CKD onset and progression to end-stage renal disease and renal failure. The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of kidney function, CKD symptoms, etiology, prevention and treatment in the general population. Methods A cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire was conducted in Jordan to assess public knowledge of CKD. Public knowledge of CKD was assessed using a questionnaire consisting of 32 knowledge questions, including risk factors, symptoms, treatment, protective measures and kidney function. The knowledge level was classified according to the total score: poor (0–50%), intermediate (51–70%) and good/high (71–100%). Multiple regression analysis was performed to compare knowledge scores (KS) and predict associations with the participants’ baseline characteristics. Results The level of knowledge about CKD among the 2181 participants was intermediate. The KS was significantly higher among participants with health issues such as hypertension, diabetes and heart problems, first-degree relatives working in the medical field, majors relevant to health, married, employed, highly educated, high-income and smokers. The main sources of knowledge about CKD were health professionals, TV shows, books and magazines. Multiple regression analysis showed an association between KS and age, sex, functional status, educational level and field, income, smoking status, having a family member/spouse work in the medical field, and knowledge source. Conclusions The public level of knowledge about CKD management is greatly influenced by participants’ health and social factors. Thus, improving public knowledge and perception through education and the media will significantly reduce CKD prevalence and incidence.

Women are lean and men are also lean: nutrition titles in women’s and men’s health magazines

BackgroundWhether nutrition messages in popular health magazines differ by country or season has seldom been studied. We assessed the nutrition topics featured in the headlines of Men’s Health® (MH) and Women’s Health® (WH) magazines from different countries.MethodsWe sampled MH and WH magazines from Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the USA. Nutrition-related headlines were categorized as weight loss, weight gain, micronutrients and other.ResultsThe most frequent topics were “Other” (44%) and “weight loss” (41%), while “micronutrients” represented 4%. Topics related to weight gain were more frequent in MH (19% vs. 2% in WH), while no difference was found for weight loss (44% vs. 37% in WH). On multivariable analysis, weight gain had a higher likelihood of being present in MH than in WH, Odds ratio and (95% confidence interval): 8.3 (2.2–90.9), p = 0.002, while no association was found for weight loss: OR 1.1 (0.6-2.0), p = 0.80. Weight loss was absent from the US WH and present in two thirds of the Portuguese WH; in MH, weight gain was evenly distributed between countries. Prevalence of the weight loss topic was lower in March (15% vs. 54% in January, p < 0.01 by logistic regression) and to a lesser degree in June (35%) and July (35%). No seasonality was found for the “weight gain” topic.ConclusionIn WH and MH magazines, nutrition topics vary according to gender, country, and season. Weight gain remains a male topic, while weight loss is equally prevalent in both women’s and men’s magazines.

Between Hegemonic Masculinity and New Man-ism: The Shift from ‘Owning’ the Gaze to Being the ‘Object’ of the Gaze in the Representation of the Western Male in Men’s Health Magazine

This essay discusses how the representation of the Western male has shifted from one of hegemonic masculinity to one of new man-ism by exploring the British edition of Men’s Health magazine (henceforth MH). Beginning with a brief definition of the key terms, the essay explores how such a change has occurred via cultural construction by borrowing a theoretical perspective from Judith Butler, of how all forms of identity are not ‘fixed’, but are rather discursively ‘produced’ by popular culture media: ‘There is no gender identity behind the expression of gender; that identity is performatively constituted by the very ‘‘expressions’’ that are said to be its results’ Butler (1988). After highlighting the relevant history of men’s liberation, the essay then discusses the conditions in which the representation of men has become fetishised in modern Britain by adopting MH as a case study. Such exploitative use of idealised depictions of men’s bodies in MH has resulted in men becoming the ‘object’ of the gaze rather than ‘owning’ the gaze. To clarify this sociologically, the essay begins by discussing the feminist movement’s rejection of the men’s patriarchal image and how men thereby began to embrace new man-ism. Next, it discusses two other causes of this shift to new man-ism: (i) economic changes, and (ii) the crisis of masculinity. My concern here is not to unquestioningly accept the concepts associated with these factors or their implications; rather, I discuss them as dynamic elements within the above-mentioned change in how men are represented by MH, which has led men to become the objects rather than the subjects of the gaze. However, despite the historical performativity-related changes to men and masculinity, no real changes to masculinity’s hegemonic and dominant characteristics appear to have occurred. No further detail is given on the content of MH (as this can be studied easily enough), nor will I defend the ‘dumb’ excesses of some men’s titles to avoid a burlesque analysis. Instead, I discuss the most prominent themes in relation to men’s appearances and bodies to provide a better understanding of the shift from hegemonic masculinity to the New Man depicted in MH.

Drug advertising in the German free-of-charge health magazine Apotheken Umschau (Pharmacy review): a critical analysis

In Germany, the Apotheken Umschau (Pharmacy review) is a very popular health magazine for lay people, which is available free of charge in pharmacies. In this study, drug advertising in the Apotheken Umschau was critically analyzed. To our knowledge, studies on drug advertisements in such magazines are scarce. For the analyses, a total of 123 different advertisements from all 48 issues of Apotheken Umschau in 2020 and 2021 were compared. Since 2021 is the first year that was completely characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was thus also possible to work out pandemic effects. More preparations from the categories immune system, eyes and sleep were advertised in 2021. Accordingly, typical complaints home office workers were addressed. Advertisements provided only very modest scientific information, if at all. The Therapeutic Products Advertising Act (Medicines Advertising Law; Heilmittelwerbegesetz (HWG)) provides regulations regarding the handling of drug advertising. However, in various categories, we noted substantial deficiencies of the advertisements to comply to regulations, e.g. the disclosure of adverse effects and omission of the mandatory statement “For risks and adverse effects, read the package insert and ask your doctor or pharmacist (Für Risiken und Nebenwirkungen fragen Sie Ihren Arzt oder Apotheker oder lesen Sie die Packungsbeilage)”. Fifty-one of the 123 advertisements featured females to appeal particularly to this target group. Furthermore, a homogeneous ethnic (Caucasian) picture and a traditional image of German society were presented although this clearly deviates from reality. In conclusion, this study provides insights into the yet poorly studied mechanisms of drug advertisement for lay people. Pharmacological evidence plays a much smaller role than psychology, marketing and traditional societal models. It appears that drug companies intentionally use the “grey area” of the Medicines Advertising Law to optimally promote their products and ignore mandatory statements. This practice must be stopped by stricter legal control to protect the consumer from misinformation. In this way, drug safety will be increased.

Diabetes Health Literacy, Drug Adherence and Factors Associated with Them among Urban Patients in Kerala, India.

The study aimed to assess diabetes health literacy, adherence to diabetes medication, and its associated factors in Kerala, India, the most advanced Indian state in epidemiological transition with the highest literacy level in India. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study among 280 diabetes patients (mean age 62 years, male 42%) selected by multistage cluster sampling. Information on sociodemographic variables was collected using a pretested structured interview schedule. Diabetes health literacy was assessed using the revised Michigan Diabetes Knowledge test. Adherence to diabetes medication was assessed using the Hill-Bone subscale. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to find out the factors associated with diabetes health literacy and medication adherence. Good diabetes health literacy was reported by 35.7% [95% confidence interval (CI): 30.1-41.6] of the patients. Perfect adherence to diabetes medication was reported by 33.2% of patients (CI: 27.7-39.1). Patients who reported regular newspaper reading [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.16; CI: 1.57-6.30], using the internet (AOR 2.23; CI: 1.11-4.50) and insulin use (AOR 2.60; CI: 1.35-5.00) were more likely to report good diabetes health literacy compared to their counterparts. Patients who reported reading health magazines (AOR 2.75; CI: 1.01-7.60) were more likely to report perfect medication adherence compared to those who did not. Why diabetes health literacy and medication adherence were low among diabetes patients in the most literate state needs further investigation. Interventions to enhance diabetes health literacy and medication adherence may be undertaken among diabetes patients encouraging them to read newspapers and health magazines regularly and use the internet.

Women's health magazines and postfeminist healthism: A critical discourse analysis

Daily, millions of North American women turn to popular media, like women's health magazines, for health-related advice and information. “Magazines continue to be a popular medium” and, given their power and reach, remain an important site for critical analysis. In this article, we examine the ways in which three popular women's health magazines provide “health” advice to their readers. We first provide an overview of research in feminist media studies exploring postfeminist sensibility, healthism, and now a postfeminist healthism. We then conduct a critical discourse analysis of articles from all 30 issues of Health, Women's Health, and Shape magazines published in 2018. Our investigation of how the magazines portray what it means to have “good health,” suggests that health continues to be conflated with appearance. Moreover, health is presented as confusing, such that maintaining health requires expert help, and as purchasable, and thus linked to economic practices.

The use of trifluoromethyl tubercidin as a novel treatment of influenza in an overwhelmed health care setting: a correspondence

The use of trifluoromethyl tubercidin as a novel treatment of influenza in an overwhelmed health care setting: a correspondence

Breaking down barriers in medical education: addressing racism and discrimination.

Oli Health Magazine Organization (OHMO), Research and Education, Kigali, Rwanda Ethical Approval and Consent to participate: Not Applicable. Financial support: None. Competing interests: None Availability of supporting data: No new data generated. Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article. Published online ■ ■ *Corresponding author. Address: Olivier Uwishema1, Oli Health Magazine Organization (OHMO), Research and Education, Kigali, Rwanda. Tel: +905451545340. E-mail addess: [email protected] (O. Uwishema). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tackling chikungunya and dengue crisis in Paraguay amidst COVID-19: an epidemiological alert - a correspondence.

Tackling chikungunya and dengue crisis in Paraguay amidst COVID-19: an epidemiological alert - a correspondence.

Can popular magazines educate people with depression? An investigation of articles' understandability, reliability, and actionability.

to evaluate articles on depression published in popular magazines with respect to understandability, reliability, and actionability. To determine whether these articles can educate patients. To investigate whether the Clear Communication Index (CCI), developed to assess the quality of patient education materials produced by the medical sector, can be used to evaluate articles published in popular magazines. The sample consists of 81 articles from 24 different Flemish and Dutch popular magazines. The articles were evaluated using the CCI. Correlational and t-test analyses were performed on the data. No more than one-fifth of all articles were found to be of quality. Significant positive correlations were found between actionability, reliability, and understandability. No significant differences were found between health magazines and other more generally oriented magazines. Overall, our findings demonstrate the relative lack of power as patient educational materials of articles on depression published in popular magazines for people with low or average mental health literacy levels. Using the Clear Communication Index, the quality of Dutch medium popular magazine articles on depression are analyzed. The study design allowed for the comparison of different types of magazines. Health magazines do no score better than generally-focused magazines.

Virtualization of E-Health Communication Media on E-Health Halodoc

Especially in times of pandemic, health is very important and irreplaceable. People often seek health information through health communications media. Various forms of health communication compete to spread their wings and evolve to provide the best information. Health magazines are one of the health communication media that provide information on health and healthy lifestyles, followed by various radio stations and television programs. With the development of technology, including the Internet, digital media providing health information has also become prevalent, from simple health information portals to virtual media in the form of applications that enable two-way interaction. This research literature review focuses on mass media and its development, the development of the Internet and its application to the Halodoc electronic health media platform. Globalization is also the reason behind the development of the Internet. The researcher also describes four eras with the best means of communicating time and technological determinism. There are pros and cons to using e-Health Halodoc as your e-Health media platform. The results of this research prove that Internet development and technology can not be separated. These two things play an important role in mutual development, especially in medical media.

Cartoon and satire as source: Jack Nicolle, physical culture, and cartoons in 1920s Britain

ABSTRACT On 8 April 1920, the first sports editorial cartoon by teenager Jack Nicolle appeared in Health & Strength magazine. The series of illustrations in the world’s oldest physical culture periodical captured the absurdity of ‘circus lifts’ performed at a recent W.A. Pullum lifting exhibition. The piece ignited a torrid eleven-month run of insightful, humorous, and bitingly satirical commentary often directed towards leaders of the British strength community.

Analysis of Novel Assistive Robotic Multi‐Stage Underwater Lift Design for Swimmer Safety

Unintentional deaths particularly near swimming pools are alarmingly increasing in recent times. The rate of increase in deaths was reported in the world health organization and other national health magazines. There were very few inventions and research work done on autonomous rescue designs. The paper introduced new methods and techniques to address the issues. The paper introduces very novel architecture; novel multilayer approaches especially worked on fail-proof autonomous rescue techniques by using natural buoyancy as a main source of mechanical power in lifting drowning persons from the water. The trials conducted by the paper were accurate and reliable and the proposed autonomous drown-rescue system design is suitable for most the situations. The placement of sensors, elevator, semiautomatic arrangements such as panic switches, and buoyancy helped elevator are the total innovative approaches in addressing the situation (cause). There is no big limitation in the proposed methods except 20–30% of the total cost of the construction of the swimming pool which is not a problem when addressing alarmingly increasing deaths due to drowning in all age groups people. The methods discussed in the paper are all possible and feasible cost-effective methods and add more confidence in maintaining a pool in-house without any health risks. The governments and communities must frame rules to implement the proposed system as mandatory to maintain a pool that is 100% safe for all age groups. The methods addressed in the paper are completely novel and new. The paper contributes major design contributions for the detection of drowning accidents using underwater and buoyancy-dependent lifts, proximity sensors, and laser tripwires.

Outcomes of searching for online health and parenting information on behalf of others: A mixed methods research study.

Context: Use of trustworthy online consumer health information (OCHI) is generally associated with benefits, yet barriers such as low health literacy may reduce these benefits. One of the largest groups of OCHI consumers is parents of young children. In addition to OCHI, parents reach out to their social circle for tailored advice, emotional support, and culturally relevant parenting information. However, little is known, about the use of parenting OCHI by the parents' social circle. Objective: To uncover OCHI outcomes when members of parents' social circle search for OCHI. Study Design: Convergent mixed methods study. Setting: Online parenting and child health information newsletter and magazine, available at naitreetgrandir.com (N&G). Population studied: Participants who completed a questionnaire about the information presented by N&G between April 13th, 2019 to March 30th, 2021. Instrument: The validated Information Assessment Method (IAM) questionnaire, implemented by N&G since 2015. Main outcome measures: IAM responses on OCHI outcomes by participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and responses compared between parents and their entourage (grandparents, family, friends and neighbours). Qualitative component: 14 parents' entourage members were interviewed to uncover perceived OCHI outcomes (up to saturation) and thematic analysis was conducted. Quantitative and qualitative components were conducted and analysed separately; results were compared using a joint display to provide a complete picture. Results: 51,320 completed IAM questionnaires (81% by parents) were included in the analysis, pertaining to 1079 N&G webpages (mean 47.6; range 1-637). Entourage members were more likely than parents to report using the information in a discussion with someone else and this led them to being better able to make a decision with those persons. Interviewees described sharing the information they found in some situations or not sharing it to avoid conflict. They used the information to provide support or do something for the parent(s) or child. Sharing information led to improved decision making, improved relationships, less worry and better health outcomes, or in some cases led to tensions. Conclusion: By better understanding how people use information together, health information can be adapted to meet both individual and group needs. Public health interventions aimed at supporting parents can do so by facilitating shared decision making.

Exploring healthcare staff narratives to understand the role of quality improvement methods in innovative practices during COVID-19

BackgroundCOVID-19 has impacted the context in which healthcare staff and teams operate and this has implications for quality improvement (QI) work. Contrary to the usual ambivalent relationship staff have with QI work, there have been examples of unprecedented staff engagement in implementing rapid changes during the pandemic indicating a change in important underlying factors that impact staff involvement in QI. The purpose of this study is to explore staff perspectives about how experience and skills of QI methods supported them in implementing innovative practices during COVID-19.MethodsThis is a qualitative narrative study based on narrative interviews to collect healthcare staff stories of implementing rapid change. The stories were identified through social media (Twitter) and a national health magazine issued by the Irish health service. Twenty staff members participated in the interviews. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and anonymised. A four-step thematic analysis was conducted.ResultsThe analysis revealed the transformational journey of healthcare staff from the initial shock and anxiety caused by COVID-19 to making sense of the situation, implementing rapid changes, and acknowledging COVID as a learning experience. Six themes were evident from the analysis: COVID anxiety and fear, emotional supports and coping mechanisms, person-centric changes, COVID as a ‘forcing function’ for change, a collective way of working and looking back and thinking ahead.ConclusionsWhile most rapid changes during COVID-19 did not represent a systematic and explicit QI application, QI principles were evident throughout the stories and actions taken, including making small changes, testing changes, learning, reflecting as a team, and improving. Many staff members were able to retrospectively identify the relevance of QI principles. COVID-19 eliminated some traditional barriers to change leading to efficient solutions, thus highlighting a need to sustain these positive changes into routine practice to develop an adaptive healthcare system receptive to QI.

Health and technology magazine editorial: global CE day 2021

Health and technology magazine editorial: global CE day 2021

Role of defence forces of Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 outbreak for nations branding

World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed of a novel coronavirus on the 12th January 2020, as the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, China. Even though the fatality ratio for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is comparatively lower than SARS, the transmission is greater. Therefore, Sri Lankan government requested the general public to practice proper hygiene methods and self-quarantine methods to safeguard from this disease. Quarantine Law in Sri Lanka is governed by the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance No 3 of 1897. Defence Forces of Sri Lanka played many roles in the fight against COVID-19 and this research is an overview of the contribution they have made towards battling the COVID-19 successfully. The purpose of this research is to identify the effectiveness of the measures taken by the Sri Lankan government and the tri forces to stop COVID-19 spreading, which will provide an example for other countries to follow on how to prepare, detect, and respond to similar outbreaks, which in turn will contribute towards Nations Branding. This research is a qualitative study mainly undertaken with content analysis of the information extracted from secondary data such as publications of the local and foreign governments, research reports from Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), magazines, newspapers, TV programmes and websites. A few face-to-face and telephone conversations were also conducted with key personnel of the defence forces to obtain an in depth understanding and to clarify the accuracy of the results. The key contributions made by Sri Lanka Army (Army), Sri Lanka Navy (Navy) and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) were identified in terms of its implications for Nations Branding and, recommendations are made which includes methods to adopt when dealing with COVID 19 in the future.

The Dad Bod: An Impossible Body?

The term “Dad Bod” first emerged in a 2015 article by college student Pearson and initially described a young male physique that balances fat and muscle and also connotes a relaxed lifestyle involving ample amounts of beer and pizza. The term has since gained in popularity and entered the household lexicon, often in relation to early-middle-aged men. Using Scott’s theory of “performative regulation” and digital articles from men’s health and fitness magazines, blogs, and other popular media outlets, this article examines connections between the Dad Bod and female sexual desire, health, well-being, men’s body positivity, and masculinity. The Dad Bod speaks to profound tensions in neoliberal society which men navigate in a range of ways by ignoring, resisting, and/or embodying this identity.

Ethnic belonging, traditional cultures and intercultural access: the discursive construction of older immigrants’ ethnicity and culture

ABSTRACT Older people with a migration background are a continuously increasing population group in Germany. This increase has led to a heightened awareness of the socioeconomic situation, access to health care and social services available for older immigrants in politics, research and health care institutions. Previous research indicates that generalisations about older immigrants, e.g. as a social problem group, are common in academic research and policy publications. Furthermore, the focus on ethnicity seems to homogenise older immigrants under their ethnic difference, instead of acknowledging cultural and ethnic diversity. This discourse analysis investigates 43 publications from health care or older age-related organisations, government reports, city council or municipal documents and articles from health and care-related magazines published in Germany between 2000 and 2019. The methodology is guided by a sociology of knowledge approach to discourse to examine knowledge constructions of ageing/older age, older immigrants and cultural/ethnic classifications. I demonstrate how ethnicity and culture of older immigrants are stereotyped and portrayed as traditional and family-oriented and support is presented as situated in informal private networks. At the same time, a general consensus is that intercultural approaches should be encouraged as important strategies to improve access to health care and social services.

Abstract 430: Perceptions among African Americans of prostate cancer and clinical trials: A focus group study

Abstract Background: A disproportionally higher risk of chronic conditions such as cancer occurs among African Americans compared to other racial or ethnic groups. Among them, prostate cancer remains the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among African Americans, who are almost twice as likely to die of this disease compared to white men. In spite of this, in clinical trials for two of the most recent prostate cancer treatments, less than 10% of participants were African Americans. Improving clinical trial participation among African Americans is fundamental to reduce cancer health disparities knowing that their participation will significantly increase the state of knowledge regarding cancer treatment and survivability and ensure that African Americans can benefit from the newest therapies. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with a two focus group of African American men and women (N=24), aged &amp;gt;50 who were cancer survivors, caregivers, and spouses of survivors from Los Angeles County. Focus groups were conducted virtually with one African American moderator for the women's group, and a male moderator for the men's group. The goal of these sessions was to assess participants' perceptions about cancer clinical trials, prostate cancer, and other health concerns, to identify leverage points to be used in future interventions to improve clinical trials participation rates. Results: Study findings underline doctors, health magazines, and survivor and cancer support groups as preferred sources to obtain health information. Men were less familiar with clinical trials than women, with several men expressing concerns about clinical trial participation due to a historical lack of trust, mentioning the Tuskegee Study as example. Both African American men and women expressed the importance of addressing the psychological impact of cancer as stated by “There is no health without mental health”, and their level of knowledge about prostate cancer and cancer in general varied although most had become more knowledgeable once diagnosed. Presence and companionship of wives or significant others were described for both men and women as key for men's support (“going to doctors' appointments”, “talking about health concerns such as erectile disfunction”, “when we talk about the issue it becomes less scary”). Conclusion: Cancer clinical trial participation among African Americans seems influenced by multiplicity of factors such as lack of trust, psychological impact of the disease, and family support. Addressing the lack of trust as well as the psychological impact of cancer in culturally sensitive ways may lead to improved perspectives about clinical trials, and facilitate and promote the participation of African Americans in clinical trials research. This in turn may help reduce the existing disparities in cancer survival in this population. Citation Format: Lourdes A. Baezconde-Garbanati, Carolina Aristizabal, Sandra Suther, Fern Webb, Mariana C. Stern. Perceptions among African Americans of prostate cancer and clinical trials: A focus group study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 430.