Household Premises Research Articles

Medical service as a part of everyday life of workers of the ferrous metallurgy enterprises in the first half of 1950s.

The aim of the study is to analyze medical aid given to the workers of ferrous metallurgy enterprises in the first half of the 1950s. Primary medical unit provided medical aid for workers of the ferrous metallurgical enterprises. Because of the lack of medical unit at the metallurgical plant or because there was no medical institutions in the organizational structure of the medical unit, local medical institutions provided the workers with medical care. During the first half of the 1950s, was the problem of the lack of medical staff in the medical institutions caused by insufficient material and household support. It did not allow implementing the shop principle of medical service of metallurgists. At the enterprises, individual shops did not have a factory’s sectorial doctor, or the number of workers assigned to a factory’s sectorial doctor exceeded the norm. Because the local hospitals, which controlled the health post at the ferrous metallurgy enterprises of the Zaporizhzhya region, were placed at a considerable distance, ‘the shop principle’ was not implemented there at all. The personnel problem also affected the formation of queues, which were a characteristic feature of the medical care provided to the workers. Work overload of physicians led to a quick examination of the patients, resulting in mistakes in the diagnosis. Contrary to accepted laws aimed at improving the quality of diagnosis, the periodic medical examinations of workers were not always carried out qualitatively, and the medical examination was carried out in a number of plants partly. In the first half of the 1950s the enterprises of the ferrous metallurgy of Zaporizhzhya region had a problem that the medical institutions were on a far distance and the percentage of patients needed medical help reduced. Lack of hospital beds had caused the untimely hospitalization of patients that prevented recovery of their. Many of the medical institutions were located in the old or non-specialized buildings with limited space, stove heating and primitive food units, without household premises and sewage. Characteristic of the medical services of metallurgists were depreciation of the material fund of medical institutions, lack of medicines, medical equipment. Not all medical institutions were provided with ambulances. There were cases of refusal to leave for a challenge or untimely provision of emergency care. It was concluded that the level of medical services given to the metallurgists in the first half of the 1950s was insufficient, despite the fact that they were workers of one of the leading branches of the Soviet economy.

Role of Underutilized Crop Value Chains in Rural Food and Income Security in Sri Lanka

Agricultural value chain is fundamental to the survival of human society, the growth or maintenance of regional and national economies, and the wealth and welfare of individual producers. Few staple food crops holding the lion's loin of food and income security of the rural farming communities where the role of unrecognized and underutilized crops was invisible. Previous researches and many past applications were focused on individual elements of the value chain rather than the holistic view. Complex interacting drivers in production, processing, marketing, consumption, environment and the people were neglected and this limitation hiders the recognition of underutilized crops. Our paper takes a critical stock take of underutilized crop value chains in Sri Lanka and focused to identify its role in rural food and income security with special concern to the availability of those crops at respective village markets and at their own household premises. Study aimed to map the underutilized crop value chain and describe its upstream and downstream nodes, agents, functions, and products. For the purpose of this study, mixed methods approach was employed which focuses on research questions that call for real-life contextual understandings on value chain agents, multi-level perspectives, both vertical and horizontal linkages and cultural interpretations. We employed qualitative research exploring the meaning and understanding of constructs; utilizing multiple methods (rapid market chain analysis). Value chain architecture explains the structure, agents, and strength of the relationships. Downstream composed of two main nodes, farmers, wild collectors and traders or village level collectors link with the upstream. Primary processors, secondary processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers were the key upstream agents. Chain structure heavily depends on the type of crop. Downstream activities depends on location, water availability, season and market demand which decides the crop mix. Informal collecting centres were common and village level collectors link farmers and wild collectors with upstream. Upstream activities were more concern on value addition and creation and the agents were multifunctional. Food basket analysis highlighted that underutilized crops were more attracted to urban consumers than the rural. Meal analysis revealed that considerable amount of underutilized crops consumed at household level were own production or wild collection. Complex and indirect income generation process was unrecognized yet.

Environmental and Social Conditions Prevailing Dengue Fever Outbreak in Pasir Mas District, Kelantan State, Malaysia, 2010

A dengue outbreak occurred in Pasir Mas District, Kelantan, Malaysia during 2010. We conducted an investigation to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of cases, determine risk factors for transmission and recommend appropriate control measures. A dengue case was defined as an individual with acute febrile illness and two or more of the following symptoms: rash, arthralgia, headache, myalgia, retro-orbital pain, hemorrhagic manifestation or leucopenia. Environmental surveys were done to search for Aedes species. A matched case-control study was done. From 5 May to 12 Aug 2010, total 465 cases were identified, with male to female ratio as 1.2:1. Most cases (34%) belonged to 11-20 years old group, followed by those aged 21-30 years (14%). Cases were mostly students (40%) or rubber tappers (15%). Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species were identified in the district while many cases resided in areas with Aedes index of more than 1% and breteau index of more than 5%. Risk factors for getting dengue infection were presence of discarded containers within household premises (adjusted OR = 15.1, 95% CI = 5.41-41.97) and not using protective measures (adjusted OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 1.21-12.55). Control activities focused on mass clean-up and health education campaigns in affected communities. As a conclusion, this outbreak involved active individuals, and contributed by presence of breeding containers and not using personal protective measures.

Fire-Detectors Review and Design of an Automated, Quick Responsive Fire-Alarm System Based on SMS

In this work a review of existing fire-detector types has been carried out along with the development of a low cost, portable, and reliable microcontroller based automated fire alarm system for remotely alerting any fire incidents in household or industrial premises. The aim of the system designed is to alert the distant property-owner efficiently and quickly by sending short message (SMS) via GSM network. A Linear integrated temperature sensor detects temperature beyond preset value whereas semiconductor type sensor detects presence of smoke or gas from fire hazards. The sensor units are connected via common data line to ATMega8L AVR microcontroller. A SIM300CZ GSM kit based network module, capable of operating in standard GSM bands, has been used to send alert messages. The system is implemented on printed circuit board (PCB) and tested under different experimental conditions to evaluate its performances.

Increased container-breeding mosquito risk owing to drought-induced changes in water harvesting and storage in Brisbane, Australia

Extended drought conditions in south-east Queensland during the early 2000s have resulted in a culture of water harvesting and legislated water restrictions. Aedes notoscriptus is a container-breeding mosquito vector of Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses. From 2008-2009, the larval habitats and seasonal abundance of domestic container-breeding mosquitoes were recorded from three suburbs of Brisbane. A knowledge, attitudes and practice questionnaire was administered to householders. A low-cost, desktop methodology was used to predict the proportion of shaded premises compared with front-of-property estimates. We highlight changes in the frequency of container categories for A. notoscriptus as a response to human behavioural changes to drought. Garden accoutrements, discarded household items and water storage containers accounted for 66.2% (525/793) of positive containers and 77.5% (73 441/94 731) of all immature mosquitoes. Of all household premises surveyed, 52.6% (550/1046) contained rainwater tanks and 29.4% (308/1046) harvested water in other containers, contrasting with a previous 1995 survey where neither category was observed. Both Premise Condition Index and shade directly correlated with positive premises. Human response to drought has resulted in new habitats for domestic container-breeding mosquitoes. This recent trend of prolific water storage is similar to earlier years (1904-1943) in Brisbane when Aedes aegypti was present and dengue epidemics occurred.

Risk practices for animal and human anthrax in Bangladesh: an exploratory study

IntroductionFrom August 2009 to October 2010, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh and the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research together investigated 14 outbreaks of anthrax which included 140 animal and 273 human cases in 14 anthrax-affected villages. Our investigation objectives were to explore the context in which these outbreaks occurred, including livestock rearing practices, human handling of sick and dead animals, and the anthrax vaccination program.MethodsField anthropologists used qualitative data-collection tools, including 15 hours of unstructured observations, 11 key informant interviews, 32 open-ended interviews, and 6 group discussions in 5 anthrax-affected villages.ResultsEach cattle owner in the affected communities raised a median of six ruminants on their household premises. The ruminants were often grazed in pastures and fed supplementary rice straw, green grass, water hyacinth, rice husk, wheat bran, and oil cake; lactating cows were given dicalcium phosphate. Cattle represented a major financial investment. Since Islamic law forbids eating animals that die from natural causes, when anthrax-infected cattle were moribund, farmers often slaughtered them on the household premises while they were still alive so that the meat could be eaten. Farmers ate the meat and sold it to neighbors. Skinners removed and sold the hides from discarded carcasses. Farmers discarded the carcasses and slaughtering waste into ditches, bodies of water, or open fields. Cattle in the affected communities did not receive routine anthrax vaccine due to low production, poor distribution, and limited staffing for vaccination.ConclusionSlaughtering anthrax-infected animals and disposing of butchering waste and carcasses in environments where ruminants live and graze, combined with limited vaccination, provided a context that permitted repeated anthrax outbreaks in animals and humans. Because of strong financial incentives, slaughtering moribund animals and discarding carcasses and waste products will likely continue. Long-term vaccination coverage for at-risk animal populations may reduce anthrax infection.

Bacterial hand contamination among Tanzanian mothers varies temporally and following household activities

To characterize mechanisms of hand contamination with faecal indicator bacteria and to assess the presence of selected pathogens on mothers' hands in Tanzania. A household observational study combined with repeated microbiological hand rinse sampling was conducted among 119 mothers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. All hand rinse samples were analysed for enterococci and Escherichia coli, and selected samples were analysed for genetic markers of Bacteroidales, enterovirus and pathogenic E. coli. Using the toilet, cleaning up a child's faeces, sweeping, cleaning dishes, preparing food and bathing were all found to increase faecal indicator bacterial levels on hands. Geometric mean increases in colony forming units per two hands ranged from 50 (cleaning dishes) to 6310 (food preparation). Multivariate modelling of hand faecal indicator bacteria as a function of activities recently performed shows that food handling, exiting the household premises and longer time since last handwashing with soap are positively associated with bacterial levels on hands, while bathing is negatively associated. Genetic markers of Bacteroidales, enterovirus and pathogenic E. coli were each detected on a subset of mothers' hands. Escherichia coli and enterococci on hands can be significantly increased by various household activities, including those involving the use of soap and water. Thus, faecal indicator bacteria should be considered highly variable when used as indicators of handwashing behaviour. This work corroborates hands as important vectors of disease among Tanzanian mothers and highlights the difficulty of good personal hygiene in an environment characterized by the lack of networked sanitation and water supply services.

Eating out of home: energy, macro- and micronutrient intakes in 10 European countries. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

To assess the contribution of out-of-home (OH) energy and nutrient intake to total dietary intake, and to compare out- versus in-home nutrient patterns among 27 centres in 10 countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Between 1995 and 2000, 36,034 participants aged between 35-74 years completed a standardized 24-h dietary recall using a software programme (EPIC-Soft) that recorded the place of food/drink consumption. Eating OH was defined as the consumption of foods and beverages anywhere other than in household premises, irrespective of the place of purchase/preparation. Nutrient intakes were estimated using a standardized nutrient database. Mean intakes were adjusted for age and weighted by season and day of recall. Among women, OH eating contributed more to total fat intake than to intakes of protein and carbohydrates. Among both genders, and particularly in southern Europe, OH eating contributed more to sugar and starch intakes and less to total fibre intake. The contribution of OH eating was also lower for calcium and vitamin C intakes. The composition of diet at home was different from that consumed out of home in southern countries, but was relatively similar in the north. In northern Europe, OH and in-home eating are homogeneous, whereas southern Europeans consider OH eating as a distinctive occasion. In most centres, women selected more fat-rich items when eating out.

Eating out of home and its correlates in 10 European countries. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study

To compare the average out-of-home (OH) consumption of foods and beverages, as well as energy intake, among populations from 10 European countries and to describe the characteristics of substantial OH eaters, as defined for the purpose of the present study, in comparison to other individuals. Cross-sectional study. Dietary data were collected through single 24-hour dietary recalls, in which the place of consumption was recorded. For the present study, substantial OH eaters were defined as those who consumed more than 25% of total daily energy intake at locations other than the household premises. Mean dietary intakes and the proportion of substantial OH eaters are presented by food group and country. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds of being a substantial OH eater in comparison to not being one, using mutually adjusted possible non-dietary determinants. Ten European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). The subjects were 34 270 individuals, 12 537 men and 21 733 women, aged 35-74 years. The fraction of energy intake during OH eating was generally higher in northern European countries than in the southern ones. Among the food and beverage groups, those selectively consumed outside the home were coffee/tea/waters and sweets and, to a lesser extent, cereals, meats, added lipids and vegetables. Substantial OH eating was positively associated with energy intake and inversely associated with age and physical activity. Substantial OH eating was less common among the less educated compared with the more educated, and more common during weekdays in central and north Europe and during the weekend in south Europe. Eating outside the home was associated with sedentary lifestyle and increased energy intake; it was more common among the young and concerned in particular coffee/tea/waters and sweets.