PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Terri Pikora

Publications and source records attributed to Terri Pikora.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Planning and implementing a community-based public health advocacy campaign: a transport case study from Australia.

Facilitating community action is a key goal of health promotion. This paper describes a public health advocacy framework. It then presents a case study of its application for planning community action by a community alliance concerned about increased heavy traffic on roads through a small regional city in the South West region of Western Australia. The case study illustrates defining the public health problem, the solution and the target for action; and the implementation of a comprehensive range of strategies including a media advocacy strategy to attract public attention, to reframe media messages, and to provide a policy alternative to government and industry. The campaign was evaluated in terms of process and outcomes, and was successful in putting pressure on key stakeholders and achieving the alliance's two main goals. The case study demonstrates the value of a well-planned campaign and including public health advocacy in public health practice, as an important strategy to facilitate the creation of healthy environments through healthy public policy.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2004

Do regular check ups and preventive drug use reduce asthma severity in school children?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether regular check ups and preventive drug use reduce asthma symptoms in school children. METHODS: Cross sectional retrospective questionnaire responses obtained from 2193 children aged 6-7 years in 34 primary schools, and 3650 children aged 13-14 years in nine secondary schools, selected at random by cluster sampling. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Asthma severity in the past 12 months as measured by the number of attacks of wheezing, visits to a doctor, visits to a hospital emergency department, and hospital admissions, all for wheezing or asthma. ANALYSIS: Multivariate ordinal logistic regression. RESULTS: Regular general practitioner check ups were associated with reduced asthma severity. Regular use of prophylactic and bronchodilator medications was associated with reduced symptoms. Asthma action plans and peak flow meter usage were associated with reduced hospital admissions. DISCUSSION: If these associations are causal, then regular GP check ups are effective in reducing the health consequences of asthma in children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Developing a framework for assessment of the environmental determinants of walking and cycling.

The focus for interventions and research on physical activity has moved away from vigorous activity to moderate-intensity activities, such as walking. In addition, a social ecological approach to physical activity research and practice is recommended. This approach considers the influence of the environment and policies on physical activity. Although there is limited empirical published evidence related to the features of the physical environment that influence physical activity, urban planning and transport agencies have developed policies and strategies that have the potential to influence whether people walk or cycle in their neighbourhood. This paper presents the development of a framework of the potential environmental influences on walking and cycling based on published evidence and policy literature, interviews with experts and a Delphi study. The framework includes four features: functional, safety, aesthetic and destination; as well as the hypothesised factors that contribute to each of these features of the environment. In addition, the Delphi experts determined the perceived relative importance of these factors. Based on these factors, a data collection tool will be developed and the frameworks will be tested through the collection of environmental information on neighbourhoods, where data on the walking and cycling patterns have been collected previously. Identifying the environmental factors that influence walking and cycling will allow the inclusion of a public health perspective as well as those of urban planning and transport in the design of built environments.

Adult↗