Journal of Health Population and Nutrition 

About: Journal of Health Population and Nutrition is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Medicine. It has an ISSN identifier of 1606-0997. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1326 publications have been published receiving 42506 citations. The journal is also known as: JHPN.

Arsenic contamination in groundwater: a global perspective with emphasis on the Asian scenario.

Abstract: The incidence of high concentrations of arsenic in drinking-water has emerged as a major publichealth problem. With newer-affected sites discovered during the last decade, a significant change has been observed in the global scenario of arsenic contamination, especially in Asian countries. This communication presents an overview of the current scenario of arsenic contamination in countries across the globe with an emphasis on Asia. Along with the present situation in severely-affected countries in Asia, such as Bangladesh, India, and China, recent instances from Pakistan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Cambodia, etc. are presented.

Stress and Its Effects on Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study at a College of Medicine in Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Medical education is perceived as being stressful, and a high level of stress may have a negative effect on cognitive functioning and learning of students in a medical school This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of stress among medical students and to observe an association between the levels of stress and their academic performance, including the sources of their stress All the medical students from year one to year five levels from the College of Medicine, King Saud University, were enrolled in the study The study was conducted using Kessler10 psychological distress (K10) inventory, which measures the level of stress according to none, mild, moderate, and severe categories The prevalence of stress was measured and compared with the five study variables, such as gender, academic year, academic grades, regularity to course attendance, and perceived physical problems The response rate among the study subjects was 87% (n=892) The total prevalence of stress was 63%, and the prevalence of severe stress was 25% The prevalence of stress was higher (p<05) among females (757%) than among males (57%) (odds ratio=23, χ 2 =272, p<00001) The stress significantly decreased as the year of study increased, except for the final year The study variables, including being female (p<00001), year of study (p<0001), and presence of perceived physical problems (p<00001), were found as independent significant risk factors for the outcome variables of stress Students’ grade point average (academic score) or regularity to attend classes was not significantly associated with the stress level The prevalence of stress was higher during the initial three years of study and among the female students Physical problems are associated with high stress levels Preventive mental health services, therefore, could be made an integral part of routine clinical services for medical students, especially in the initial academic years, to prevent such occurrence

Gender Differences in Determinants and Consequences of Health and Illness

Abstract: This paper uses a framework developed for gender and tropical diseases for the analysis of non-communicable diseases and conditions in developing and industrialized countries. The framework illustrates that gender interacts with the social, economic and biological determinants and consequences of tropical diseases to create different health outcomes for males and females. Whereas the framework was previously limited to developing countries where tropical infectious diseases are more prevalent, the present paper demonstrates that gender has an important effect on the determinants and consequences of health and illness in industrialized countries as well. This paper reviews a large number of studies on the interaction between gender and the determinants and consequences of chronic diseases and shows how these interactions result in different approaches to prevention, treatment, and coping with illness. Specific examples of chronic diseases are discussed in each section with respect to both developing and industrialized countries.

Factors Influencing the Use of Maternal Healthcare Services in Ethiopia

Abstract: This study examined the factors that influence the use of maternal healthcare services in Ethiopia and particularly assessed the use of antenatal and delivery-care services. Data for the study were drawn from the 2000 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to explore the relative importance of a number of demographic and sociocultural variables in the likelihood of using these services. Results of the study showed that the coverage of maternity-care services was very low in Ethiopia, i.e. about 27% and 6% of women, respectively, received professionally-assisted antenatal and delivery-care services in the five years preceding the survey. The study also revealed that demographic and sociocultural factors were the most important aspects that influenced the use of maternal healthcare services in Ethiopia. The independent factors influencing the use of maternal healthcare services included education of mothers, marital status, place of residence, parity, and religion. However, this cannot detract from the relevance of servicerelated factors, especially in the rural areas of the country.

Improving health outcomes through community empowerment: a review of the literature.

Abstract: This paper reviews the literature on how empowerment can lead to an improvement in the health status of an individual, group, or community. There is a broad body of literature on empowerment, and this review has been designed to identify material, particularly case studies, that can be included within the following 'empowerment domains': Participation; Community-based organizations; Local leadership; Resource mobilization; Asking 'why'; Assessment of problems; Links with other people and organizations; Role of outside agents; and Programme management. The paper discusses the results of the literature review and provides examples, from both developed and developing countries, of how each of the 'empowerment domains' has led to an improvement in health outcomes. The results of the review should be of interest to the planners and practitioners of health, population and nutrition programmes that have a particular focus on empowerment.