A systematic review of the prevalence of limited health literacy in Southeast Asian countries.

Background Sexual activity during youth is common in Lao PDR. However, young people seldom utilize sexual and reproductive health services and subsequently suffer from poor sexual and reproductive health. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the barriers perceived by youth that prevent their access to sexual and reproductive health services. Methods Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants aged 15-25 years, from urban and rural areas. A vignette was used during interviews with those who had no experience with sexual and reproductive health services. Additionally, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with health providers from youth-friendly health clinics and from public sexual and reproductive health services. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach. Results The main barriers preventing young people from accessing sexual and reproductive health services were related to cognitive accessibility and psychosocial accessibility. The cognitive accessibility barriers were a lack of sexual knowledge and a lack of awareness of services. Perceived barriers in psychosocial accessibility were the feelings of shyness and shame caused by negative cultural attitudes to premarital sex, and the fear of parents finding out about visits to public sexual and reproductive health services, due to lack of confidentiality in the services and among health providers. In addition, the barriers of geographical accessibility, mainly insufficient availability of youth-friendly health clinics. Conclusion To improve access to services, a multi-component strategy is needed: promotion of youth-friendly health clinics; sexual education in schools; a formal referral system between schools and youth-friendly health clinics; and community support interventions. Prior to implementation, more research should be done on the applicability of these methods in the Laos context. Future research should try to determine the cost-effectiveness of youth-friendly health clinics integrated in a district hospital and stand-alone clinics, to provide insight into which form should be further developed.

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Perceived barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health services for youth in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) motivate effective measures for safeguarding public health. There is consensus that HIAs in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are lacking, but no study systematically focuses on those that have been successfully conducted across all regions of the world, nor do they highlight factors that may enable or hinder their implementation. Our objectives are to (1) systematically review, geographically map, and characterize HIA activity in LMICs; and (2) apply a process evaluation method to identify factors which are important to improve HIA implementation in LMICs. A systematic review of peer-reviewed HIAs in 156 LMICs was performed in Scopus, Medline, Web of Science, Sociological abstracts, and LILACs (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences) databases. The search used PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and covered HIAs across all type of interventions, topics, and health outcomes. HIAs were included if they reported a clear intervention and health outcome to be assessed. No time restriction was applied, and grey literature was not included. The eligible studies were subjected to six process evaluation criteria. The search yielded 3178 hits and 57 studies were retained. HIAs were conducted in 26 out of 156 countries. There was an unequal distribution of HIAs across regions and within LMICs countries. The leading topics of HIA in LMICs were air pollution, development projects, and urban transport planning. Most of the HIAs reported quantitative approaches (72%), focused on air pollution (46%), appraised policies (60%), and were conducted at the city level (36%). The process evaluation showed important variations in the way HIAs have been conducted and low uniformity in the reporting of six criteria. No study reported the time, money, and staff used to perform HIAs. Only 12% of HIAs were based on participatory approaches; 92% of HIAs considered multiple outcomes; and 61% of HIAs provided recommendations and fostered cross-national collaboration. The limited transparency in process, weak participation, and inconsistent delivery of recommendations were potential limitations to HIA implementation in low and middle-income countries. Scaling and improving HIA implementation in low and middle-income countries in the upcoming years will depend on expanding geographically by increasing HIA governance, adapting models and tools in quantitative methods, and adopting better reporting practices.

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Systematic Literature Review of Health Impact Assessments in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

Within the member states of the United Nations 190 of 193 have regulated Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) which is a systematic process to prevent and mitigate the potential environmental impacts of industry development projects before these occur However, the routine and comprehensive assessment of health impacts within EIAs remains underdeveloped Focusing, as an example, on the risks to global health from the global shift in the mining industry towards Low and Middle Income Countries LMIC), this viewpoint details why connecting with EIA is an essential task for the health system Although existing knowledge is out of date in relation to global practice we identify how health has been included, to some extent, in High Income Country EIAs and the institutional requirements for doing so Using arguments identified by industry themselves about requiring a ‘social license to operate’, we conclude that EIA regulations provide the best current mechanism to ensure health protection is a core aspect in the decision making process to approve projects

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/1/1044/pdf

Assessing health impacts within environmental impact assessments: An opportunity for public health globally which must not remain missed

A New Paradigm (data driven and not like the currently model driven) is needed for Reliable Seismic Hazard Assessment RSHA. Neo-Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment (NDSHA) integrates earthquake geology, earthquake science, and particularly earthquake physics to finally achieve a New (and needed) Paradigm for Reliable Seismic Hazard Assessment RSHA. Although observations from many recent destructive earthquakes have all confirmed the validity of NDSHA‟s approach and application to earthquake hazard forecasting nonetheless damaging earthquakes still cannot yet be predicted with a precision requirement consistent with issuing a red alert and evacuation order to protect civil populations. However, intermediate-term (time scale) and middle-range (space scale) predictions of main shocks above a pre-assigned threshold may be properly used for the implementation of low-key preventive safety actions, as recommended by UNESCO in 1997. Furthermore, a proper integration of both seismological and geodetic information has been shown to also reliably contribute to a reduction of the geographic extent of alarms – and it therefore defines a New Paradigm for TimeDependent Hazard Scenarios: Intermediate-Term (time scale) and Narrow-Range (space scale) Earthquake Prediction.

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NDSHA - The New Paradigm for RSHA - An Updated Review

The purpose of this research was to develop tools applicable to the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in a Thai context. The relevant documents and articles were extensively reviewed, analyzed, and drafted. The first draft was presented to a research advisory committee for their review, and the recommended changes were subsequently made. The second draft was then presented to respondents from 6 groups of key stakeholders-expert review committees under the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONREPP), EIA registered consulting firms, non-government organizations, members of the ONREPP, local government organizations, and government organizations responsible for issuing permission to the proposed projects. Their commentary and recommendation were considered, and modifications were made as necessary. The third draft was finally reviewed by the research advisory committee before the tryout step. The final revised version is presented in this paper.

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Developing tools for health impact assessment in environmental impact assessment in Thailand.

Background: Thailand’s population is rapidly aging as a consequence of sustained declines in fertility and improvement in longevity.  In spite of growing attention among Thai health practitioners for improving health literacy on health outcome across country, information about the status of health literacy in Thailand remains scarce.  The objectives of this study were to assess the level of health literacy and determine the demographic characteristics associated with health literacy among Thai older persons. Methods : The health literacy survey was conducted in 440 Thai older persons.  The respondents were randomly selected.  Data collection was based on the Thai elder health literacy questionnaire in paper-assisted personal interviews.  The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the status of health literacy were categorized into three levels included functional, interactive, and critical health literacy.  The Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used to determine the associations among the factors related the health literacy. Results: The Thai elder health literacy questionnaire covered two levels of health literacy: functional, and interactive level.  The 2 in 440 (0.5%) respondents showed interactive health literacy and 438 in 440 (99.5 %) expressed functional health literacy.  None of the participants had critical health literacy.  Results indicated that factors significantly associated with health literacy included education ( P -value=0.001), occupational history ( P -value=0.020), visibility ( P -value=0.003), and reading ability ( P -value=0.049). Conclusion : The status of health literacy, especially functional level were considered as having the limited literacy, among Thai older persons represents an important challenge for Thai health policies and health practitioners across Thailand.  Knowledge of health literacy is needed to provide the foundation for developing strategies to mitigate effects of low health literacy on health outcome.  The social gradient could be taken into account when developing public health strategies to improve health equity.

Level of Health Literacy in Thai Elders, Bangkok, Thailand

The purpose of this study was to assess a health impact assessment (HIA) tool to determine the perceived health impact by the public of a public park. The authors conducted a cross-sectional study from March to April, 2011, using this HIA questionnaire to collect data and through focus group discussions. We also assessed community concerns about the park and obtained recommendations of how to mitigate possible negative aspects of the parks. Four aspects were listed as possible benefits of the park: physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. The negative aspects mentioned by participants were that a park could be a potential place of assembly for teenagers, a place for theft and crime and accidents among children. The HIA tool used for this research seemed appropriate. The next challenge is to use this tool to assess a more controversial project. Language: en

Testing a health impact assessment tool by assessing community opinion about a public park.

Background: Thailand has been facing a gradual increase in use of cross-border health care. Nevertheless, no evidence regarding factors influencing cross-border use of health care by Laotian patients in public Thai hospitals among this group has been established. Objectives: To assess the use of cross-border health care by Laotian patients, and factors that may influence health services in public Thai hospitals along the border. Methods: This study consisted of two parts. (1) Site-visits to 53 Thai public hospitals along the Thai–Laos border during May to July 2011 and collection of data regarding the use of health care services by Laotian patients. (2) A structured questionnaire survey was conducted via face interviews by trained researchers. Findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression. Results: The most common conditions for which treatment was sought were common diseases and basic operative procedures. All hospitals had been facing substantial financial burden, particularly for inpatient care. The analysis of use indicated that a perception of differences in the quality of health services, ability to pay for treatment anywhere, and distance to health services were three major factors affecting the decision of Laotian patients to cross the border to obtain health care in Thailand. Interviews with hospital directors and staff revealed that more financial support and a clear policy for care of Laotian patients was needed. Conclusions: The perception of better quality of health care in Thailand by Laotian patients was the major factor affecting cross-border use of health care services. Assistance to improve healthcare in Laos and financial support for subsidizing care for the indigent Laotian patients is needed.

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Factors influencing decisions of Laotian patients to use health care services in Thailand

BACKGROUND: In industrializing countries, occupational safety and health have been affected by globalization. However, a lack of reliable data prevents evaluation of this situation. Therefore, we examined industrial distributions and risks of severe occupational injuries among workers in Thailand, which is one of the few industrializing countries that compiles nationwide data. METHODS: Data on workers who made claims for occupational injuries from 2007 to 2009 were extracted from the Workmen's Compensation Fund records in Thailand. Among 501,334 claimants, we evaluated the industrial distributions of severe occupational injuries (i.e., permanent disability and death). We then examined the associations between industry and those injuries, using proportionate ratios (PRs) between each industrial category and the overall distribution of occupational injuries. RESULTS: The number of workers in manufacturing making claims for severe occupational injuries was the largest among all industrial categories (319,114/501,334 injuries), although the total number of occupational injuries recently declined. Additionally, workers in manufacturing experienced severe occupational injuries more often compared with the overall distribution of occupational injuries. The PRs (95% confidence interval) for manufacturing were 1.17 (1.14-1.20) in men and 1.33 (1.27-1.38) in women. After adjusting for individual characteristics, the results did not substantially change. CONCLUSIONS: Manufacturing seems to have the largest burden of occupational injuries in industrializing countries like Thailand. Language: en

http://joh.sanei.or.jp/pdf/E55/E55_5_13.pdf

Sarunya Hengpraprom

Papers

Developing tools for health impact assessment in environmental impact assessment in Thailand.

Level of Health Literacy in Thai Elders, Bangkok, Thailand

Testing a health impact assessment tool by assessing community opinion about a public park.

Factors influencing decisions of Laotian patients to use health care services in Thailand

Industrial distributions of severe occupational injuries among workers in Thailand.