PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Yach

Publications and source records attributed to D Yach.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Promoting equity in health.

There is evidence that widening income gaps are a global phenomenon; that in many advanced industrialised countries unemployment rates are rising; that globalisation of the world economy has led to several countries becoming marginalised with a concomitant increase in poverty; and that the absolute number of poor has steadily increased over the last decade. All of these phenomena emphasise the need to focus on equity as a global concern.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The globalization of public health, I: Threats and opportunities.

The globalization of public health poses new threats to health but also holds important opportunities in the coming century. This commentary identifies the major threats and opportunities presented by the process of globalization and emphasizes the need for transnational public health approaches to take advantage of the positive aspects of global change and to minimize the negative ones. Transnational public health issues are areas of mutual concern for the foreign policies of all countries. These trends indicate a need for cross-national comparisons (e.g., in the areas of health financing and policy development) and for the development of a transnational research agenda in public health.

Global Health↗
PubMed1998

The globalization of public health, II: The convergence of self-interest and altruism.

The transnationalization of disease and health risks will require global awareness, analysis, and action and indicates a need for global cooperation. Transnational actions must be built on firm local and national foundations, but they also require new forms of transnational collaboration in order to minimize risks and build on opportunities. In a world characterized by the globalization of public health, countries and communities will need to look beyond their narrow self-interests in defining and confronting the shared problems that are emerging. In fact, a strong case can be made that enlightened self-interest and altruism will converge in the increasingly interdependent world being shaped by the process of globalization.

Altruism↗
PubMed1998

Health for all: analyzing health status and determinants.

An analysis of health status and determinants is presented as a basis for health for all renewal and in order to provide a model linking the health for all vision with strategy and action. Equity and gender, at the core of health for all, directly concern health status and the distribution of health determinants. The role of the various transitions (demographic, epidemiological, health risk and technological) is described, the need to strengthen the link between data and decision-making for health is explained, and the range of health determinants--macroeconomic, demographic/nutritional, environmental, tobacco and alcohol and their implications for policy--is outlined.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed1998

Develop and strengthen public health law.

The rule of law consists of one of the key requirements to implement policy reforms. The new global health policy, "Health for All in the 21st Century", indicates the role of public health law to attain its values and objectives. This article studies the status retained to secure both international and national law in the new policy, and identifies two initiatives to be undertaken by WHO to develop and strengthen public health law. The usefulness and efficiency of international law depend on national capacities to implement law. Thus, this article concludes that the Organization should adopt international legal instruments and that it should, simultaneously, assist Member States to build institutional and human capacity in public health law. However, these initiatives require that all Member States confirm political determination to link economic and social reforms with legislative reforms.

Ethics↗
PubMed1997

Smoking in urban pregnant women in South Africa.

AIM: To estimate the exposure to active and passive smoking of pregnant women in South Africa and to determine their knowledge and behaviour with regard to smoking during pregnancy. METHODS: A questionnaire was completed by pregnant women attending antenatal services in four South African cities. Questions were asked about smoking status, beliefs on the health effects of tobacco smoke during pregnancy, exposure to passive smoking and behavioural changes with regard to smoking during pregnancy. Women from different ethnic groups and social classes participated. RESULTS: The study population was 394 pregnant women. Of these 42% were black, 29% coloured and 10% Indian women, who used public antenatal services, and 19% were pregnant women (ethnicity unspecified) who attended private obstetric practices. Of the coloured women, 47% smoked; for the black and Indian women and those who attended a private practice, the smoking rates were 4%, 3% and 28%, respectively. Approximately 90% of the pregnant women knew it was unhealthy to smoke during pregnancy. Most women who smoked stopped or reduced tobacco use during their pregnancy. Of the pregnant women, 70% lived with at least one smoker in the house. CONCLUSIONS: Few black and Indian pregnant women in South Africa smoke, while coloured pregnant women smoke heavily. Quitting programmes should be targeted at them when they attend antenatal services. Pregnant women and their families should be alerted to the impact of environmental tobacco smoke, since so many are passive smokers during pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Tobacco in Africa.

Tobacco has been a common commodity in Africa for over three centuries. By 1993, some 500 000 tons of tobacco were being grown in 33 African countries, with only two countries exporting more than they import. Attempts to measure the current and potential impact of the tobacco business on health, society and the environment are still in their early stages, but the need for preventive action is already inescapably clear. Comprehensive control strategies are urgently required to prevent a major epidemic of tobacco-related disease in Africa.

Africa South of the Sahara↗
PubMed1996

Smoking status, knowledge of health effects and attitudes towards tobacco control in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To provide data on the South African adult population's smoking status, their knowledge of the health effects of tobacco and their attitudes towards tobacco control in South Africa. METHODOLOGY: A national representative sample of 2,238 adult (> 18 years) South Africans was surveyed by means of an interviewer-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty-four per cent of adult South Africans smoke (52% male, 17% female). There were notable differences in gender smoking rates for Indians (61% of men and only 7% of women smoke) and blacks (53% of men and 10% of women smoke) but not for coloureds (58% of men and 59% of women smoke). Provinces with the highest smoking rates are the Northern Cape (55%), Western Cape (48%) and North-West (46%). Forty-eight per cent of respondents reported that at least one household member smoked. The majority of the respondents (87%) acknowledged the harmful effects of direct smoking. Fifty-eight per cent were aware that cancer is associated with smoking but only 36% associated heart disease with smoking. Sixty per cent of the respondents have tried to quit at least once for reasons such as the protection of their own health, the expense of tobacco products and because of a medical doctor's advice. Confusion existed with regard to the effects of the cigarette constituents described on cigarette packages. Forty-two per cent of adults incorrectly indicated that nicotine causes cancer while 28% correctly indicated that it causes addiction, and 44% correctly indicated that condensate causes cancer. There is substantial support for a total ban of tobacco advertising on radio (61%), for local authorities to regulate smoking in public places (78%), for government assistance to farmers for tobacco crop replacement (53%) and for an increase in tobacco excise tax if the money is used for health purposes (50%). CONCLUSION: The extremely high proportion of both male and female coloured smokers is a cause for concern and requires prompt action. Knowledge of the specific effects of tobacco in respect of active and passive smoking needs to be improved and this could be a first step towards facilitating behaviour change. The public support that exists for stronger measures against tobacco use, promotion, pricing and growing provides many opportunities for health promotion action.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Renewal of the health-for-all strategy.

It will soon be 20 years since the much-publicized Alma-Ata Declaration calling for health for all through primary health care. This article aims to stimulate debate on the successes and failures of past efforts, on the values that should guide policy-making in national and international health work, and on approaches to promoting equity and solidarity in future health strategies.

Forecasting↗
PubMed1995

Enrolment into Birth to Ten (BTT): population and sample characteristics.

The population under study in the South African longitudinal study of urban children and their families, 'Birth to Ten' (BTT), comprised all births during a 7-week period from April to June 1990 in Soweto-Johannesburg. Specification of the population base for the cohort was hampered by a number of flaws in the notification and record-keeping systems of the local authorities. As far as could be ascertained, 5460 singleton births occurred during this time to women who gave a permanent address within the defined region. Enrolment into BTT took place over the first 15 months of the study and covered the antenatal, delivery, 6-month and 1-year periods. By the end of this time, and despite a major health service strike during the delivery phase, 74% of all births (4029 cases) had been enrolled into the study. There were marked variations in levels of enrolment, however, by population group membership, residential area and place of delivery. In general, there was substantial under-enrolment of largely middle-class white women and their babies. Initial non-enrolment of specific segments of the population and attrition of the enrolled sample up to the end of the first year are discussed in the context of racial and social differentiation in South Africa.

Adolescent↗