Public Educational Opportunities Research Articles

What was the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on unintentional injuries, in Canada and globally? A scoping review investigating how lockdown measures impacted the global burden of unintentional injury.

Injuries are among the leading causes for hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. COVID-19 restrictions ensured safety to Canadians, but also negatively impacted health outcomes, including increasing rates of certain injuries. These differences in trends have been reported internationally however the evidence is scattered and needs to be better understood to identify opportunities for public education and to prepare for future outbreaks. A scoping review was conducted to synthesize evidence regarding the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on unintentional injuries in Canada, compared to other countries. Studies investigating unintentional injuries among all ages during COVID-19 from any country, published in English between December 2019 and July 2021, were included. Intentional injuries and/or previous pandemics were excluded. Four databases were searched (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus), and a gray literature search was also conducted. The search yielded 3,041 results, and 189 articles were selected for extraction. A total of 41 reports were included from the gray literature search. Final studies included research from: Europe (n = 85); North America (n = 44); Asia (n = 32); Oceania (n = 12); Africa (n = 8); South America (n = 4); and multi-country (n = 4). Most studies reported higher occurrence of injuries/trauma among males, and the average age across studies was 46 years. The following mechanisms of injury were reported on most frequently: motor vehicle collisions (MVCs; n = 134), falls (n = 104), sports/recreation (n = 65), non-motorized vehicle (n = 31), and occupational (n = 24). Injuries occurring at home (e.g., gardening, home improvement projects) increased, and injuries occurring at schools, workplaces, and public spaces decreased. Overall, decreases were observed in occupational injuries and those resulting from sport/recreation, pedestrian-related, and crush/trap incidents. Decreases were also seen in MVCs and burns, however the severity of injury from these causes increased during the pandemic period. Increases were observed in poisonings, non-motorized vehicle collisions, lacerations, drownings, trampoline injuries; and, foreign body ingestions. Findings from this review can inform interventions and policies to identify gaps in public education, promote safety within the home, and decrease the negative impact of future stay-at-home measures on unintentional injury among Canadians and populations worldwide.

Urban Rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) through a One Health Lens: Social and Ecological Factors Promote Opportunities for Urban Leptospirosis in Rats, Dogs, and People

Abstract Living in cities creates One Health challenges because urban environments can promote pathogen transmission in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions with commensal species such as rats. In this study, we examined social and ecological processes that lead to an elevated risk of leptospirosis, a fatal rat-associated disease transmitted through Leptospira interrogans bacteria in urine. We examined rat and human factors associated with (1) human exposure to rat urine in the home environment, (2) the presence of rats carrying L. interrogans on the block, and (3) environmental conditions associated with rat infection. We surveyed residents and trapped rats on the same 16 blocks in four neighbourhoods in Chicago. Survey respondents were more likely to observe rat urine in their homes if they had lower incomes. Blocks where rats were carrying L. interrogans had higher rat abundance and respondents with higher incomes, who reported dogs dying from leptospirosis, children playing in yards with rat waste, flooded yards, and gardens with rat burrows. Rats were more likely to be infected with L. interrogans if they were trapped on a block with more accessible garbage and if they were older. Our results highlight that rat presence alone does not determine the risk of close contact with rat-associated pathogens; socio-economics can affect an individual’s ability to exclude animals from living spaces. In addition, improved waste management may help mitigate disease risks for humans, wildlife, and domestic animals. We also discuss opportunities for public education about rat-associated zoonoses and lessons learned about meaningful community engagement in One Health work. Information © The Authors 2024

Impact of COVID-19 on barriers to dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Singapore

ObjectiveFewer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on barriers to dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR). MethodsWe reviewed audio recordings of all calls to our national ambulance service call centre during the pandemic (January-June 2020) and pre-pandemic (January-June 2019) periods. Our primary outcome was the presence of barriers to DA-CPR. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the effect of COVID-19 on the likelihood of barriers to and performance of DA-CPR, adjusting for patient and event characteristics. ResultsThere were 1241 and 1118 OHCA who were eligible for DA-CPR during the pandemic (median age 74 years, 61.6 % males) and pre-pandemic (median age 73 years, 61.1 % males) periods, respectively. Compared to pre-pandemic, there were more residential and witnessed OHCA during the pandemic (87 % vs 84.9 % and 54 % vs 38.1 %, respectively); rates of DA-CPR were unchanged (57.3 % vs 61.1 %). COVID-19 increased the likelihood of barriers to DA-CPR (aOR 1.47, 95 % CI: 1.25–1.74) but not performance of DA-CPR (aOR 0.86, 95 % CI: 0.73 – 1.02). Barriers such as ‘patient status changed’ and ‘caller not with patient’ increased during COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Afraid to do CPR’ markedly decreased during the pandemic; fear of COVID-19 transmission made up 0.5 % of the barriers. ConclusionBarriers to DA-CPR were encountered more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic but did not affect callers’ willingness to perform DA-CPR. Distancing measures led to more residential arrests with increases in certain barriers, highlighting opportunities for public education and intervention.

Abstract 12051: Impact of COVID-19 on Barriers to Dispatcher-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Adult Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in Singapore

Objective: Reduced rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) were observed during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in many regions. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on barriers to Dispatcher-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DA-CPR) in Singapore. Methods: This nationwide retrospective cohort study involved all calls to our national 995 call center for adult (≥ 18 years old) OHCA not witnessed by Emergency Medical Services. We reviewed audio recordings during the pandemic (January-June 2020) and pre-pandemic (January-June 2019) periods to compare the OHCA characteristics, and the types of “barriers” to DA-CPR — the reason why DA-CPR was not performed. Our primary outcome was the presence/absence of barriers to DA-CPR. Multivariable logistics regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for the likelihood of barriers to DA-CPR accounting for patient and event characteristics. The effect of COVID-19 on DA-CPR rates was evaluated using interrupted time series analysis. Results: There were 1481 OHCA during the pandemic (median age 73 years, 62.7% male), and 1400 prior to the pandemic (median age 72 years, 63.6% male). Residential OHCA and witnessed OHCA increased during the pandemic (78.9% vs 75.5%, p=0.03 and 56.1% vs 39.9%, p<0.01 respectively), but not BCPR and DA-CPR (64.3% vs 65.6%, p=0.44, and 49.1% vs 48.1%, p=0.57 respectively). There were increased barriers to DA-CPR during the pandemic — ‘patient status changed’ (difficulty with recognition) and ‘caller not with patient’ (witnesses calling family rather than 995) doubled in proportion during COVID-19. ‘afraid to do CPR’ fell to 3.8% during the pandemic, while the fear of COVID-19 transmission made up 0.5% of the barriers. Logistic regression showed that females and OHCAs occurring in home residences were more likely to have barriers to DA-CPR (aOR 1.27 and 2.63 respectively). COVID-19 did not have an impact on the trend of DA-CPR rates (p=0.49). Conclusion: COVID-19 did not affect callers’ willingness to perform DA-CPR. Distancing measures led to more residential arrests with an increase in proportion with barriers to DA-CPR, highlighting opportunities for public education and intervention.

Uno studio d’architettura civile locale. Giuseppe Boschi e le «vere regole delle proporzioni armoniche»

During the 18th century, small papal towns provided few public educational opportunities in the artistic field. Young painters and architects usually joined local private workshops, attending lectures given by professionals who had instead completed their education in Rome or in Bologna. One of these professionals was the Faenza painter and architect Giuseppe Boschi (1732-1802), who produced a series of manuscripts reflecting both the local taste and the general cultural situation of the Romagna region in the last years of the ancien régime.

"Phytopathological strolls" in the dual context of COVID-19 lockdown and IYPH2020: Transforming constraints into an opportunity for public education about plant pathogens.

The experience presented here relates to 2020, a particularly timely year for plant disease‐related communication (International Year of Plant Health, IYPH2020), but also a unique year because of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Our goal was to illustrate the diversity and beauty of fungal plant pathogens through a naturalist approach that could be followed by any amateur. We achieved this end through “phytopathological strolls”, in which we observed and determined the origin of symptoms on diseased plants found in our garden, in the local streets, and in nearby open spaces, and shared this matter with a broad public. The lockdown imposed in France created an additional motivation to take up the challenge, and to involve our children, even under strong constraints such as movement restrictions. We observed and described fungal pathogens through hundreds of photographs, shared our findings with a large audience on Twitter, and received feedback. The material used was deliberately simple and transportable: a digital reflex camera, an old microscope, a mobile phone, some books, and an internet connection. Between 17 March 2020 and 20 June 2021 we found 196 plant pathogens, including 97 rusts, 27 powdery mildews, and 28 septoria‐like diseases. We discuss here the importance of promoting searches for plant pathogens, their description and conservation, through a combination of classical approaches and digital tools in tune with the times, such as Twitter, by treating pathogen identification like a detective game and, more surprisingly, by making use of the addictive nature of collection approaches, drawing a parallel with Pokémon GO.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE MOST CIRCULATED PRINT NEWSPAPERS IN INDIA WITH REGARDS TO ORAL HEALTH. AN OVERVIEW

Back ground: News media are an important and influential part of the social environment, calling attention to certain issues by the amount and nature of their coverage.Among them newspaper is certainly the oldest and is still the largest of the major advertising mediums and it still plays an integral role in the Indian decision making regarding products buying preferences. Objective and Methodology: Top six newspapers that have the highest print circulation in India were analysed over a span of three weeks. This included a week of festivity and the two weeks that succeeded it in November 2020 to accommodate the changing trend in advertisements during festivities.A total of 2098 advertisements were analysed based on the advertisements of any products, which were further classified into food based, non-food based, general health and oral hygiene aids. The food based ads were further classified based on their cariogenic potential. Further the articles that were published with regards to health awareness were analysed and classified into those that included oral health awareness.Results: Of all the advertisements that were analysed,39.2% of the ads were food related and 56.32% were food with cariogenic potential.Just 3.6% of the total advertisements were regarding oral hygiene aids. Also just a mere 6 per cent of the total health related coverage was given to the contents on oral health awareness. Conclusion: Across all newspapers, readers were exposed to high volumes of advertising for unhealthy foods,with high caries index.This study thus shows both the constraints and public education opportunities provided by this genre.

Charros: How Mexican Cowboys are Remapping Race and American Identity by Laura R. Barraclough

Reviewed by: Charros: How Mexican Cowboys are Remapping Race and American Identity by Laura R. Barraclough Karla A. Lira Charros: How Mexican Cowboys are Remapping Race and American Identity. By Laura R. Barraclough. (Oakland: University of California Press, 2019. Pp. 284. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.) In 2013, eleven-year-old Sebastien de la Cruz, dressed as a charro and introduced as El Charro de Oro, sang the national anthem in game three of the NBA Finals in San Antonio, Texas. The performance became a trending topic on Twitter as some tweets linked him to "illegals" and sparked racist comments. Introducing her study with the continuing fight of charros like De la Cruz to claim space in the United States, Laura Barraclough analyzes the intersections of space, race, and politics in Charros. [End Page 361] The historian focuses on the ways in which "ethnic Mexicans in the United States have mobilized the charro in service of civil rights, cultural citizenship, and place-making since the 1930s" (2). Barraclough successfully analyzes charros through geographic, thematic, and chronological lenses. Five chapters explain how the charro, a term associated with middle-and upper-class Mexican and Mexican American cowboys or "gentleman horsemen" (1), has influenced American society in the twentieth century. Chapter 1, "Claiming State Power in Mid-Twentieth-Century Los Angeles," delineates the way charros used their identity to demonstrate their "capacity for citizenship" (39) from the 1920s to the mid-1960s by participating in law enforcement agencies and the film industry. More important to Texas history is chapter 2, "Building San Antonio's Post-War Tourist Economy." Here the author uncovers the relationship between charros and Anglo Americans through co-sponsorship of events that highlight them as effective economic leaders, thereby challenging the structure of economic and political marginalization by their White counterparts. Similarly, chapter 3, "Creating Multi-Cultural Public Institutions in Denver and Pueblo" addresses charro organizations that created public education opportunities for ethnic Mexicans in Colorado. Chapter 4, "Claiming Suburban Public Space and Transforming L.A.'s Racial Geographies" circles back to California to discuss charrería, performances and cultural practices that claim space as "Mexican" and echoes the Texas themes of upward economic mobility in the post-World War II era. Lastly, chapter 5, "Shaping Animal Welfare Laws and Becoming Formal Political Subjects," details how charros developed political platforms to counter animal welfare activism arising from treatment of animals in the charreada, or rodeo. Barraclough's historical contribution to southwestern and Mexican American history traces the discourse of charros as agents of change who use their economic stability for upward mobility and identity formation. She uses a balance of primary and secondary sources, such as the census, letters, and newspapers, along with popular media like film and Facebook photographs to support her argument. She also includes aids such as photographs of a lienzo charro—the keyhole-shaped arena--or cola—the grabbing of an animal's tail--for readers to visualize key elements of a charreada. Shortcomings in her analysis appear in her last chapter, where Barraclough's writing briefly distracts from her core message: as a result of animal activists' fighting against "horse tripping," charros mobilized political action to assert the rights of their practice. She portrays the conflict between animal rights activists and charros as a racial issue, but does not fully commit to this argument, thus confusing her point and leaving the chapter less effective. Barraclough closely examines the discourse and social advancement of charros in the United States. Her book provides a fresh perspective that steers away from traditional historiographic approaches and joins the nascent [End Page 362] literature on Mexican American and southwestern history by looking at charros, through gender, sports, and class, as historical figures who have made their way in to the traditional spaces of White men. Karla A. Lira University of Houston Copyright © 2021 The Texas State Historical Association

Degree of Bystander-Patient Relationship and Prehospital Care for Opioid Overdose

Background Across the spectrum of patient care for opioid overdose, an important, yet frequently overlooked feature is the bystander, or witness to the overdose event. For other acute medical events such as cardiac arrest and stroke, research supports that the presence of a bystander is associated with better outcomes. Despite the similarities, however, this well-established conceptual framework has yet to be applied in the context of overdose patient outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the association between the nature of the bystander-patient relationship and prehospital care measures in patients being treated for opioid overdose. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted among adults who received naloxone in the prehospital setting for suspected opioid overdose. Patients were identified using a preexisting, longitudinal registry documenting all prehospital administrations of naloxone by first responders in a midsized community. Individuals who received at least one naloxone administration for a suspected opioid overdose between June 1st, 2016 to July 31st, 2018, with available EMS and medical record data were eligible for study inclusion. Bystander type was defined referencing psychology literature and were categorized as: close (spouse/family), proximal (friends), and distal (no relation to patient). The association between bystander type and prehospital patient care measures were estimated using logistic and linear regression models. Results A total of 602 opioid overdose encounters among 545 patients were identified. Patents tended to be male (67.2%), white (73.6%), and aged 25–44 years (57.1%). Among patients with proximal bystanders present, average time to naloxone administration was 2.4 min less (95% CI = −4.7, −0.2), compared to distal bystanders, after adjusting for covariates. Overdose encounters with 911 dispatch codes more indicative of opioid overdose (i.e., ‘overdose/poisoning’ vs ‘unconscious/fainting’) were associated with having a close or proximal bystander present compared to a distal bystander (ORclose vs. distal = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.0, 3.3; ORproximal vs. distal = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.8, 7.1). Conclusion Presence of a proximal bystander during an overdose event is associated with dispatch codes indicative of an overdose and shorter times to naloxone administration compared with those with distal bystanders. These findings offer opportunities for public education and engagement of overdose harm reduction strategies.

Urban Indians, Native Networks, and the Creation of Modern Regional Identity in the American Southwest

This article explores the careers and political activism of Native opera singers in the Southwest of the 1920s. I argue that a number of talented Native artists recognized that engaging their audiences directly in live performances provided opportunities for public education in addition to their economic benefits. Partnering with regional boosters, they built careers performing in multiple pageants and events sponsored by municipalities across the Southwest. Live performance with its direct access to audiences also facilitated their political agendas of publicizing Indigenous histories. Their careers highlight the mobility of Indigenous people, demonstrating how they helped create modern urban spaces across the American Southwest.

Advocating for Muslim students: if not us, then who?

ABSTRACTThe acrimonious and hateful rhetoric dominating the public and political arenas and the tide of division and nationalism gaining support in many parts of the world (Arnova et al. 2013. Comparative education: the dialectic of global and local. Landahm, MD: Rowan & Littlefield) seem to be reflected in the US school system. As evidenced by a growing number of faith-based private schools, and charter and public schools being segregated along ethnic, religious, cultural and racial lines (Orfield and Gordon 2001. Schools more separate: consequences of a decade of resegregation. Cambridge, MA: Civil Rights Project, Harvard University). Being an educator and a Muslim, I find myself concerned with the phenomenon of an increasing number of Muslim students turning to private Islamic schools, instead of public schools for their education (Badawi 2005. Parental reasons for school choice: a case study of an Islamic school in the United States of America. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). Informed by the present status of Muslims in the US and the relevant literature on integration, assimilation, and multiculturalism, the purpose of this paper that was developed through an autoethnography is to start a critical conversation, about the rights of Muslim students to receive equitable public education opportunities that recognise their cultural rights as a minority in the US.

Under the Law

Public funding of private K-12 schooling through vouchers continues to be a contentious issue across the U.S., even though a solid majority of Americans continues to oppose them. The voucher plans run the risk of legal challenge for how they handle the rights of students with disabilities and whether they violate state constitutional provisions that require all students to have equitable public educational opportunities.

An assessment of angler education and bait trade regulations to prevent invasive species introductions in the Laurentian Great Lakes

The commercial bait trade is one pathway for aquatic invasive species (AIS) introductions, as non-target bait species can be accidentally sold to anglers who either inadvertently or intentionally release them while fishing or as excess bait. Prevention of AIS introductions via the bait trade requires a two-tiered management approach, which includes both regulation of the bait industry and angler education. Retail bait shops may offer opportunities for public education regarding AIS, however it is unknown how often shops are targeted for such purposes and how viable this method of angler education is on a temporal scale. The goals of this research were to 1) quantify the current distribution of AIS signage in retail bait shops in the Great Lakes region and 2) estimate the long term viability of using retail bait shops as platform for angler education. Additionally, we present an up-to-date summary of bait industry regulations across the Great Lakes jurisdictions. Of the 525 bait shops visited in 2012 and 2013, 22% displayed some form of AIS educational materials or signage. Additional signs were distributed during initial visits and, during revisits after one calendar year, 54% of shops still displayed the provided signage. The presented summary of bait regulations for Great Lakes jurisdictions indicates multiple discrepancies across the region, which may hinder successful management strategies. Future management goals should consider additional methods of angler education and coordinating regulations across the Great Lakes to improve upon AIS prevention.

Commentary on Caroline Frick’s Plenary Address

The preservation of audiovisual materials is important to cultural heritage institutions and to a broad community that includes such constituencies as law enforcement agencies and the public. Yet there is not a general awareness of preservation issues. Outreach can begin in the classroom and the author describes the importance of educating students about preservation in a variety of academic disciplines, such as Public History, rather than only in audiovisual programs. Finally, preservation specialists and archivists should create public education opportunities for organizations and individuals who create AV materials. Home Movie Day is one venue for such outreach.

Education in Post-Katrina New Orleans: Where are We Now and Where Might Imagination Take us?

In the nearly 10 years since Hurricane Katrina, the educational landscape of New Orleans has changed swiftly and dramatically. The educational and social consequences of the storm and subsequent reforms are highlighted in order to better understand the progress and obstacles that define New Orleans in the present moment. From everyday concerns facing students and families to more philosophical and political concerns facing policymakers and scholars, the experiences of New Orleans since 2005 provide fertile ground for imagining better public educational opportunities.

A ’Hands-On’ Approach

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderFirst Person on the Last Page1 Jul 2012A ’Hands-On’ Approach Kimberly AbtsMS, CF-SLP Kimberly Abts Google Scholar More articles by this author , MS, CF-SLP https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.FPLP.17092012.55 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Kimberly Abts, MS, CF-SLP As a speech-language pathology graduate student at Gallaudet University, I am often asked the following questions (accompanied by some variety of hand movements to simulate American Sign Language): “Are you deaf?” “Why do you go to a school for the deaf?” “Do you use sign language?” Throughout my time in graduate school, it has become apparent that many people are interested in learning about people who are deaf and hard of hearing, but don’t have many opportunities. My first-hand edification with deafness and deaf awareness has been an essential part of the personal growth that accompanies the grueling clinical and course work associated with graduate school. I am challenged daily by the use and incorporation of American Sign Language in my coursework and the immersion into the deaf community on campus. The presence of the Department of Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences has been and will continue to be a point of controversy on campus. I have come to understand there will always be individuals who view the on-campus clinic as a threat to the deaf community. My hope is that the gaps in these differences will be bridged through mutual understanding and collaboration. I have seen progress toward this goal during my time at Gallaudet. I am grateful to those who have helped me learn about the SLP’s role in the deaf community and I am inspired by those willing to give me the opportunity to better my future profession by sharing their experiences, both negative and positive. As a student at Gallaudet University, I feel a responsibility to educate the general public on what deafness entails, provide information on the different means of communication for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and remove many of the common misconceptions about the deaf population. The graduate speech-language pathology class of 2012 has made it a priority to provide opportunities for public education while raising money to establish a scholarship to Camp SHARP (Speech, Hearing, and Aural Rehabilitation Program). Camp SHARP is a summer communication program at Gallaudet for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. The program provides an intensive, language-rich, communication-accessible, and enjoyable environment for children to improve their spoken language skills and reinforce their sign language skills. For a speech-language pathology graduate student at Gallaudet, it is the best of both worlds: the hearing world and the deaf world. Camp SHARP is a step toward collaboration and communication between these two worlds that are, in fact, not all that different. The last two years have not been easy. Even though I often refer to my time in graduate school as my “study abroad” experience, I would not trade it for the world...either of them. Author Notes Kimberly Abts, MS, CF-SLP, recently graduated from Gallaudet and is a clinician at St. John’s Health System in Anderson, Indiana. Contact her at [email protected]. Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 17Issue 9July 2012 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Jul 1, 2012 Metrics Downloaded 117 times Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagleader-topicsasha-article-typesCopyright & Permissions© 2012 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...

Eating disorders in the media: The changing nature of UK newspaper reports

Concern has been expressed about the adequacy of media reporting about eating disorders (EDs) and the impact of this on public understanding. We analyse messages about EDs in UK newspapers, comparing these with US news reports, and show changes over time and between types of newspaper. Three thousand five hundred and eighty-three national press news articles were analysed using content and keyword analysis. UK press coverage presents a more realistic clinical picture than US coverage. Profiling people with EDs, popular 'tabloid' newspapers give more details of clinical complications than serious 'broadsheet' newspapers, which focus more on research stories and public health concerns. The association of EDs with young, white, female 'celebrities' is constant over time, but medical views about causation and treatment are more prominent in later years. Popular journalists pursue an entertainment agenda for their reporting of health stories and this study shows both the constraints and public education opportunities provided by this genre.

Newspaper media reporting of motor vehicle crashes in Singapore: an opportunity lost for injury prevention education?

Newspaper media advocacy can help steer public attention away from motor vehicle crash (MVC) injuries as a personal problem to that of a social and public health issue. If used properly, newspaper media is potentially a powerful mass educator on MVC prevention. However, there is often a conflict of interest in which newspapers, in an attempt to boost readership and revenue, may over-emphasize and sensationalize the human-interest aspect of an MVC story. The aim of this study is to examine newspaper articles of MVCs in Singapore to assess how our newspaper media coverage portray MVCs and identify factors that mitigate injury and educate the public on injury prevention measures. Details of the MVC were extracted from 12 months of newspaper coverage in Singapore. Two independent coders were used to establish inter-rater reliability. From 1 January to 31 December 2007, 201 articles about MVCs were published. About 74.1% of articles assigned blame to a particular road user, negligence on either road user was implied in 56.7% of articles, and road safety messages were mentioned in 8% of the articles. The mainstream communication tone used was positive for law enforcement (71.1%) and neutral towards injury prevention or road safety messages (89.1%). Newspaper media reporting of MVCs in Singapore generally does not include injury prevention messages or highlight injury-mitigating measures. This is a lost opportunity for public education. Collaboration between public health practitioners and newspaper media is required to address this issue.

(314) Creating Videos to Enhance Student and Public Educational Opportunities in Landscape Management

A series of video clips and narrated PowerPoints were developed to aid in the presentation of common horticultural techniques. To determine the most effective format for delivery of horticultural subject matter, video clips and PowerPoints were developed for three topic areas and presented to two target audience groups. Target audiences consisted of Master Gardeners (Orange and Osceola County, Fla.) and future horticulture professionals (UF Environmental Horticulture students enrolled in Landscape Plant Establishment). Upon completion of viewing both media formats, participants were asked to complete a survey. Eighty-six percent of participants completed and returned surveys. Data were sorted and analyzed for calculation of mean percent for each response sought. Results of the survey indicated that, depending upon the topic, a higher proportion (66% to 93%) of Master Gardeners preferred narrated PowerPoints in comparison to video clips. However, 60% to 70% of students preferred video clips to narrated PowerPoints. In reference to the informative nature of both videos and PowerPoints, >67% of all respondents rated both media formats between good and excellent; however, most respondents indicated new information gained was less than 40%. Factoring the costs associated with production (about $1000 per video vs. essentially no cost for narrated PowerPoints) and participant responses, narrated PowerPoints appear the best option for conveying common horticultural practices.

The Canadian Institute of Forestry/Institut forestier du Canada "The Voice of Forest Practitioners"

Since 1908, the Canadian Institute of Forestry/Institut forestier du Canada (CIF/IFC) has been the national voice of forest practitioners. Membership includes foresters, forest technologists and technicians, educators, scientists and others with a professional interest in forestry. The CIF/IFC is the only national organization promoting professionalism and competency of forest practitioners as well as leadership and awareness in Canadian and international forestry issues. Through the CIF/IFC's twenty-three regional Sections and the CIF/IFC professional and scientific journal, The Forestry Chronicle, members are provided with opportunities to remain current. With this knowledge, members are able to influence decision-makers by identifying forest resource issues. CIF/IFC members also provide opportunities for public education relative to the importance of forestry in Canada. Key words: forest practitioners, professional, foresters, forest technologists, forest technicians, competency.