Los Angeles (AFP) - US and Mexican authorities have unearthed another sophisticated "supertunnel" used to smuggle drugs beneath their common border, the third since 2011, officials said Thursday.
Zig-zagging for a third of a mile beneath the border between San Diego and Tijuana, the newly-constructed tunnel was equipped with an electric-powered rail system to carry the drugs, as well as ventilation.
For the first time, agents seized cocaine intended to be smuggled through the tunnel as well as more than eight tons of marijuana, indicating that Mexican drug cartels are getting increasingly "desperate," they said.
"These cartels are foolish to think they're shoveling under the radar," said US Attorney for Southern California Laura Duffy at a press conference outside the San Diego warehouse where the US end of the tunnel was found Wednesday.
Investigators released video footage of the tunnel, which they stressed was uncovered before it had been been used.
In a message to drug smugglers including notably Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, Duffy vowed: "If you continue to build and attempt to use these tunnels, we are determined to make this a big waste of your dirty money."
Three people were arrested and authorities seized the huge marijuana haul as well as 325 pounds of cocaine, which is usually transported in smaller quantities and does not come through tunnels.
"Their traditional routes are failing at this point. They're very desperate. They'll do anything they can to get into the US," said Bill Sherman, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s San Diego office.
As with two other "supertunnels" discovered in 2011, agents pounced before it had even become operational. "They did not move one gram of narcotics thru that tunnel," said Sherman.
Law enforcement authorities were increasingly seeing attempts to bring narcotics including cocaine and methamphetamines over the border through tunnels, or micro-light aircraft.
"Those are acts of desperation," he said.
The tunnel was built at an average depth of 35 feet, and was 4 feet high by 3 feet wide, said Derek Benner of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Construction likely took a year or more, officials said, adding that it was the work of "engineers and architects." It included hydraulically-controlled steel doors.
Of the three arrested, two were detained in connection with the cocaine seized, and one, a Mexican national, was held over the marijuana haul. All face a maximum of 10 years to life in jail, officials said.
In Tijuana, a Mexican security source said the tunnel was accessed at the southern end by a metal stairway down to a depth of 20 meters, from a building about 80 meters from the border fence.
Discoveries of such underground passageways along the US-Mexico border are not uncommon and authorities say they are used by organized crime groups to traffick drugs and people into the United States.
The tunnel was the eighth large scale such structure discovered since 2006, and the fifth intercepted since 2010.
Over 77,000 people have died in drug-linked violence since 2006, when troops were deployed to battle drug cartels, including under ex president Felipe Calderon and his successor Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office last year.
Results of the TRANSLATE-POPS trial presented at TCT 2013
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Judy Romero jromero@crf.org Cardiovascular Research Foundation
New study evaluates outcomes of providing access to platelet function testing in a clinical setting
SAN FRANCISCO, CA October 31, 2013 According to a new study of heart attack patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), free access to platelet function testing had only a modest impact on anti-clotting drug selection and dosing. Findings of the TRANSLATE-POPS trial were presented today at the 25th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine.
While previous trials have examined platelet function testing-guided antiplatelet treatment strategies among patients undergoing PCI, little is known regarding how this testing impacts real world practice. The TRANSLATE-POPS trial evaluated whether routine availability of platelet function testing alters clinician selection and dosing of anti-clotting therapy, as well as patient outcomes after acute myocardial infarction treated with PCI. The primary end point was the rate of in-hospital therapeutic adjustments to anti-clotting therapy.
The prospective, cluster randomized trial randomly assigned sites not already routinely testing platelet function (
A total of 2,013 patients at 50 sites were enrolled in the device arm and 1,853 patients at 50 sites were enrolled in the usual care arm. Platelet function testing was performed in 66 percent of patients in the device arm and 1.4 percent of patients in the usual care arm. Compared to the usual care arm, device arm patients were more likely to have an in-hospital therapeutic adjustment of their antiplatelet regimen (15.9 percent in the device arm vs. 11.6 percent in the usual care arm). The device arm had a higher rate of switching antiplatelet agents (14.5 percent vs. 10.6 percent). The odds ratio for therapeutic adjustment, accounting for clustering effect within a site, was 1.54 for device vs. usual care.
However, after 30 days, patients in the device arm experienced a similar percentage of major adverse cardiac events compared to the usual care arm (4.5 percent vs. 5.1 percent, respectively). Both groups reported a similar rate of bleeding events (4.2 percent in the device arm vs. 4.3 percent in the usual care arm).
"TRANSLATE-POPS demonstrated that accessibility to platelet function testing had only a modest impact on ADP receptor inhibitor selection and dosing," said lead investigator Tracy Wang MD, MHS, MS of the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
"However, access to testing had no observed impact on early bleeding complications or major adverse cardiac events. An investigation of long-term outcomes is ongoing."
###
The TRANSLATE-POPS trial is funded by Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Wang reported research grants to the Duke Clinical Research Institute from Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, and GlaxoSmithKline; and honoraria from AstraZeneca and the American College of Cardiology Foundation.
About CRF and TCT
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease through research and education. Since its inception in 1991, CRF has played a major role in realizing dramatic improvements in the lives of countless numbers of patients by establishing the safe use of new technologies and therapies in interventional cardiovascular medicine. CRF is the sponsor of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. For more information, visit http://www.crf.org and http://www.tctconference.com.
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Results of the TRANSLATE-POPS trial presented at TCT 2013
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Judy Romero jromero@crf.org Cardiovascular Research Foundation
New study evaluates outcomes of providing access to platelet function testing in a clinical setting
SAN FRANCISCO, CA October 31, 2013 According to a new study of heart attack patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), free access to platelet function testing had only a modest impact on anti-clotting drug selection and dosing. Findings of the TRANSLATE-POPS trial were presented today at the 25th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine.
While previous trials have examined platelet function testing-guided antiplatelet treatment strategies among patients undergoing PCI, little is known regarding how this testing impacts real world practice. The TRANSLATE-POPS trial evaluated whether routine availability of platelet function testing alters clinician selection and dosing of anti-clotting therapy, as well as patient outcomes after acute myocardial infarction treated with PCI. The primary end point was the rate of in-hospital therapeutic adjustments to anti-clotting therapy.
The prospective, cluster randomized trial randomly assigned sites not already routinely testing platelet function (
A total of 2,013 patients at 50 sites were enrolled in the device arm and 1,853 patients at 50 sites were enrolled in the usual care arm. Platelet function testing was performed in 66 percent of patients in the device arm and 1.4 percent of patients in the usual care arm. Compared to the usual care arm, device arm patients were more likely to have an in-hospital therapeutic adjustment of their antiplatelet regimen (15.9 percent in the device arm vs. 11.6 percent in the usual care arm). The device arm had a higher rate of switching antiplatelet agents (14.5 percent vs. 10.6 percent). The odds ratio for therapeutic adjustment, accounting for clustering effect within a site, was 1.54 for device vs. usual care.
However, after 30 days, patients in the device arm experienced a similar percentage of major adverse cardiac events compared to the usual care arm (4.5 percent vs. 5.1 percent, respectively). Both groups reported a similar rate of bleeding events (4.2 percent in the device arm vs. 4.3 percent in the usual care arm).
"TRANSLATE-POPS demonstrated that accessibility to platelet function testing had only a modest impact on ADP receptor inhibitor selection and dosing," said lead investigator Tracy Wang MD, MHS, MS of the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
"However, access to testing had no observed impact on early bleeding complications or major adverse cardiac events. An investigation of long-term outcomes is ongoing."
###
The TRANSLATE-POPS trial is funded by Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Wang reported research grants to the Duke Clinical Research Institute from Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, and GlaxoSmithKline; and honoraria from AstraZeneca and the American College of Cardiology Foundation.
About CRF and TCT
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease through research and education. Since its inception in 1991, CRF has played a major role in realizing dramatic improvements in the lives of countless numbers of patients by establishing the safe use of new technologies and therapies in interventional cardiovascular medicine. CRF is the sponsor of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. For more information, visit http://www.crf.org and http://www.tctconference.com.
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Public health policies and practices may negatively affect marginalized populations
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital
Author says it's important for public health officials to speak to populations that will be affected by a public health policy or program
TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2013--Despite the best intentions of those working in public health, some policies and practices inadvertently further disadvantage marginalized populations, according to a commentary by a researcher at St. Michael's Hospital.
Dr. Diego S. Silva, a scientist in the hospital's Centre for Research on Inner City Health, said there's an emphasis toward social justice in public health, particularly when it comes to people who are marginalized, disadvantaged or vulnerable.
"For example, despite evidence suggesting that people who are homeless are at greater risk of being infected with influenza and suffer greater morbidity than the general population, many pandemic influenza plans provide impracticable advice or otherwise fail to address their specific needs," said Dr. Silva.
The commentary appears online today in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.
In the commentary, Dr. Silva and his colleagues refer to two public health policies case studies that "are intentionally problematic and don't have an easy solution."
In one example, a public health advisory issued by the State Department of Health in Indiana suggests that people who are homeless should be dissuaded from using shelters during flu outbreaks and should instead be treated on the street.
However, "given the cold winters of Indiana, it seems untenable that persons who use shelters will be able to, or ought to, stay away from them without placing themselves in danger of other perils, such as freezing to death," Dr. Silva said.
Dr. Silva said that while it is good advice to urge people to stay home when they are sick, the policy can take on different meanings for various populations.
"What does it mean to 'stay home' if you're homeless?" said Dr. Silva, who has a PhD in public health.
In the second case study, some mental health centres maintain indoor smoking bans on the grounds they reduce the harm associated with second-hand smoke. However, some studies suggest that smoking may have neurological and social benefits for people with schizophrenia.
"Thus even seemingly uncontroversial and commonplace public health programs, like those of tobacco cessation, may have the effect of disproportionately disadvantaging those who are already disadvantaged," he said.
According to Dr. Silva, a greater emphasis on teaching ethics and the philosophy of science is also needed in graduate schools or departments of public health.
Dr. Silva said there needs to be a greater emphasis on teaching ethics and the philosophy of science in graduate schools or departments of public health. He said those in public health schools need to ask more question about ethics and look at what they use as evidence when they make public health policies.
"This is particularly important when thinking about and questioning what constitutes the good and the right in public health, and may help guard against simplistic applications of ethics theories or principles (whether utilitarian or others)," he said.
Dr. Silva said it is important for public health officials to speak to the actual populations that will be affected by a public health policy or program.
"In the public health community, we are intimately aware of people who are marginalized," said Dr. Silva. "The more that we are explicit about the values of public health and its intentions, the more that we will create policies and programs that will better serve marginalized populations."
###
About St. Michael's Hospital
St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
Media contact:
For more information or to interview Dr. Silva, contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Manager, Media Strategy,
Phone: 416-864-6094
shepherdl@smh.ca
St. Michael's Hospital
Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.
http://www.stmichaelshospital.com
Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stmikeshospital
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Public health policies and practices may negatively affect marginalized populations
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital
Author says it's important for public health officials to speak to populations that will be affected by a public health policy or program
TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2013--Despite the best intentions of those working in public health, some policies and practices inadvertently further disadvantage marginalized populations, according to a commentary by a researcher at St. Michael's Hospital.
Dr. Diego S. Silva, a scientist in the hospital's Centre for Research on Inner City Health, said there's an emphasis toward social justice in public health, particularly when it comes to people who are marginalized, disadvantaged or vulnerable.
"For example, despite evidence suggesting that people who are homeless are at greater risk of being infected with influenza and suffer greater morbidity than the general population, many pandemic influenza plans provide impracticable advice or otherwise fail to address their specific needs," said Dr. Silva.
The commentary appears online today in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.
In the commentary, Dr. Silva and his colleagues refer to two public health policies case studies that "are intentionally problematic and don't have an easy solution."
In one example, a public health advisory issued by the State Department of Health in Indiana suggests that people who are homeless should be dissuaded from using shelters during flu outbreaks and should instead be treated on the street.
However, "given the cold winters of Indiana, it seems untenable that persons who use shelters will be able to, or ought to, stay away from them without placing themselves in danger of other perils, such as freezing to death," Dr. Silva said.
Dr. Silva said that while it is good advice to urge people to stay home when they are sick, the policy can take on different meanings for various populations.
"What does it mean to 'stay home' if you're homeless?" said Dr. Silva, who has a PhD in public health.
In the second case study, some mental health centres maintain indoor smoking bans on the grounds they reduce the harm associated with second-hand smoke. However, some studies suggest that smoking may have neurological and social benefits for people with schizophrenia.
"Thus even seemingly uncontroversial and commonplace public health programs, like those of tobacco cessation, may have the effect of disproportionately disadvantaging those who are already disadvantaged," he said.
According to Dr. Silva, a greater emphasis on teaching ethics and the philosophy of science is also needed in graduate schools or departments of public health.
Dr. Silva said there needs to be a greater emphasis on teaching ethics and the philosophy of science in graduate schools or departments of public health. He said those in public health schools need to ask more question about ethics and look at what they use as evidence when they make public health policies.
"This is particularly important when thinking about and questioning what constitutes the good and the right in public health, and may help guard against simplistic applications of ethics theories or principles (whether utilitarian or others)," he said.
Dr. Silva said it is important for public health officials to speak to the actual populations that will be affected by a public health policy or program.
"In the public health community, we are intimately aware of people who are marginalized," said Dr. Silva. "The more that we are explicit about the values of public health and its intentions, the more that we will create policies and programs that will better serve marginalized populations."
###
About St. Michael's Hospital
St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
Media contact:
For more information or to interview Dr. Silva, contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Manager, Media Strategy,
Phone: 416-864-6094
shepherdl@smh.ca
St. Michael's Hospital
Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.
http://www.stmichaelshospital.com
Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stmikeshospital
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Google's Reto Meier — a great dude to do walkthroughs if we've ever seen one — dives through some of the more techy changes in Android 4.4 KitKat. Still a great watch for the rest of us. Set aside a dozen minutes and check it out.
There's a serious love affair going on between Hollywood and the art world. Exhibit A: In May, a charity art auction organized by Leonardo DiCaprio raised $38 million in one night and set sales records for 13 artists. Exhibit B: A month later, Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey stepped up to join Brian Grazer, Michael Lynton and Bryan Lourd on the entertainment-heavy board of LACMA. Exhibit C: the artist-actor hybrid that is James Franco.
Suddenly, everyone in town seems to have gone collecting mad. In an industry once dominated by a few powerful collectors (David Geffen, Michael Ovitz), there's now a deeper and younger bench of players passionate about art, from agents (CAA's Joel Lubin, UTA's Pete Franciosa) and actors (Neil Patrick Harris) to execs (HBO's Michael Lombardo) and managers (Brillstein Entertainment Partners' JoAnne Colonna, Scooter Braun). "There's a lot of people in the industry who have great taste who are being exposed to great art," says producer and LACMA board member Steve Tisch. "I know a number of collectors who have gotten into collecting in the past five or 10 years, and their passion for building their collection is fantastic."
It's a convergence that was inevitable. As the entertainment world's 1 percent have grown more sophisticated -- and want the world (or at least their peers) to know it -- the L.A. art world is on the rise, generating buzz in Hollywood's backyard. Masters such as John Baldessari and Ed Ruscha have been joined by a swelling rank of wunderkinds who sell out shows (Mark Grotjahn, whose paintings go at auction for more than $1 million, sold out his last show at Culver City's Blum & Poe before it opened) and earn MacArthur fellowships (painter Mark Bradford) and public followings (photographer Catherine Opie, street artist Shepard Fairey). And L.A. is on a cultural building spree, which includes Beverly Hills' new Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Eli Broad's Broad Museum due to open in 2014 across from MOCA and the upcoming Academy Museum.
Entertainment players are giving back, too -- not just by serving on boards, but with hefty donations, including Tisch's $467,500 contribution to LACMA to buy ChristianMarclay's film The Clock and former UPN chief Dean Valentine's gift of 50 important sculptures to the Hammer. "L.A. is finally a place that people are proud to call home," says Hammer Museum director Ann Philbin, whose board boasts UTA's Jeremy Zimmer and Peter Benedek, CAA's Michael Rubel, Gersh's Bob Gersh and WME's George Freeman. "It's no longer a place they're passing through, a place they have to live in. I think a lot of these [industry leaders] are simply becoming better citizens, they're starting to care about the cultural vitality of the city. The robust connections between the art world and the film industry are just getting stronger and stronger." -- MAXWELL WILLIAMS
Written by Gary Baum, Merle Ginsberg, Marissa Gluck, Tatiana Siegel, Rebecca Sun, Kate Sutton and Michael Walker. Karen Rhee contributed to this feature.
The teaser was great, but the official trailer is better. The movie is directed by the excellent Phil Lord and Chris Miller—who made Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs—and stars Will Arnett as Batman plus Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman.
New STOP Obesity Alliance report offers guidance for implementing obesity programs to meet community health needs
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 31, 2013 --New research from the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance sheds light on the challenges and opportunities for nonprofit hospitals to address obesity through community benefit activities. With obesity affecting more than one-third of adults and 17 percent of children in the United States, many communities are facing the challenge of how to address this epidemic. Nonprofit hospitals are uniquely positioned to help through their ongoing efforts to provide community benefit programs. Findings from the Alliance's research team at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) include:
Lack of Proven Community-Based Programs That Directly Address Obesity in Adults: Obesity is a pressing problem in the United States, but one where effective community-based programs are lacking. While there are many ongoing efforts specific to childhood obesity, few programs are directed toward helping adults who struggle with overweight and obesity. Hospitals have an opportunity to add to the existing evidence-base of effective obesity programs and advance the conversation on effective strategies for reducing obesity.
Need to Reduce Stigma: By offering strategic programs to address obesity, hospitals can help to reduce weight-based stigma and advocate for positive and supportive communication between health care providers, patients and community members.
Value of Effective Partnerships: Obesity is a complex condition that requires multi-level and multi-sectoral partnerships to unite and align efforts aimed at prevention and treatment. As "conveners of change," hospitals can be the driving force for transformation within their communities.
This new research comes as the nation's more than 2,900 nonprofit hospitals face new requirements under the Affordable Care Act in order to maintain their federal tax-exempt status. These requirements include that hospitals conduct an annual Community Health Needs Assessment and develop an implementation strategy for addressing one or more of the needs identified.
The paper offers nonprofit hospitals strategies and guidance for addressing obesity as part of their community benefit activities. Presented in a reader-friendly format of questions and answers informed by a widespread panel of experts on obesity and community benefit programming, nonprofit hospitals can use the insights offered in the paper to inform their decisions around obesity programming. The paper offers guidance on issues such as how to select community partners, how to determine the scope of an intervention, and which obesity-specific factors to take into account when developing programs.
"Given the number of people that are affected by overweight and obesity, we anticipate that nonprofit hospitals will identify obesity as a significant health need in their Community Health Needs Assessments," said Stephanie David, JD, MPH, head of the STOP Obesity Alliance research team at SPHHS. "Yet, to date, we know that there is a gap when it comes to obesity initiatives, especially for adults. By developing community-based obesity programs, hospitals can impact how obesity is viewed and treated."
The paper is the result of a multi-phase project that involved gathering input from experts in community benefit and obesity research at a roundtable discussion held at SPHHS this summer as well as research and individual interviews with experts.
"Obesity is a complex issue that requires a coordinated response from many sectors, including health care, community groups, public health and public policy," said Scott Kahan, MD, MPH, Director of the STOP Obesity Alliance. "With hospitals spearheading efforts to develop effective obesity programs, communities can work together to make real progress toward reducing obesity and helping people to live healthier lives."
###
About the STOP Obesity Alliance
The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance is a collaboration of nearly 70 consumer, provider, government, labor, business, health insurer and quality-of-care organizations working to drive innovative and practical strategies that combat obesity. The Alliance receives funding from founding sponsor, Sanofi. For more information, visit http://www.stopobesityalliance.org and follow the Alliance on Facebook and Twitter.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Opportunities abound for nonprofit hospitals aiming to address obesity through community benefit
New STOP Obesity Alliance report offers guidance for implementing obesity programs to meet community health needs
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 31, 2013 --New research from the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance sheds light on the challenges and opportunities for nonprofit hospitals to address obesity through community benefit activities. With obesity affecting more than one-third of adults and 17 percent of children in the United States, many communities are facing the challenge of how to address this epidemic. Nonprofit hospitals are uniquely positioned to help through their ongoing efforts to provide community benefit programs. Findings from the Alliance's research team at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) include:
Lack of Proven Community-Based Programs That Directly Address Obesity in Adults: Obesity is a pressing problem in the United States, but one where effective community-based programs are lacking. While there are many ongoing efforts specific to childhood obesity, few programs are directed toward helping adults who struggle with overweight and obesity. Hospitals have an opportunity to add to the existing evidence-base of effective obesity programs and advance the conversation on effective strategies for reducing obesity.
Need to Reduce Stigma: By offering strategic programs to address obesity, hospitals can help to reduce weight-based stigma and advocate for positive and supportive communication between health care providers, patients and community members.
Value of Effective Partnerships: Obesity is a complex condition that requires multi-level and multi-sectoral partnerships to unite and align efforts aimed at prevention and treatment. As "conveners of change," hospitals can be the driving force for transformation within their communities.
This new research comes as the nation's more than 2,900 nonprofit hospitals face new requirements under the Affordable Care Act in order to maintain their federal tax-exempt status. These requirements include that hospitals conduct an annual Community Health Needs Assessment and develop an implementation strategy for addressing one or more of the needs identified.
The paper offers nonprofit hospitals strategies and guidance for addressing obesity as part of their community benefit activities. Presented in a reader-friendly format of questions and answers informed by a widespread panel of experts on obesity and community benefit programming, nonprofit hospitals can use the insights offered in the paper to inform their decisions around obesity programming. The paper offers guidance on issues such as how to select community partners, how to determine the scope of an intervention, and which obesity-specific factors to take into account when developing programs.
"Given the number of people that are affected by overweight and obesity, we anticipate that nonprofit hospitals will identify obesity as a significant health need in their Community Health Needs Assessments," said Stephanie David, JD, MPH, head of the STOP Obesity Alliance research team at SPHHS. "Yet, to date, we know that there is a gap when it comes to obesity initiatives, especially for adults. By developing community-based obesity programs, hospitals can impact how obesity is viewed and treated."
The paper is the result of a multi-phase project that involved gathering input from experts in community benefit and obesity research at a roundtable discussion held at SPHHS this summer as well as research and individual interviews with experts.
"Obesity is a complex issue that requires a coordinated response from many sectors, including health care, community groups, public health and public policy," said Scott Kahan, MD, MPH, Director of the STOP Obesity Alliance. "With hospitals spearheading efforts to develop effective obesity programs, communities can work together to make real progress toward reducing obesity and helping people to live healthier lives."
###
About the STOP Obesity Alliance
The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance is a collaboration of nearly 70 consumer, provider, government, labor, business, health insurer and quality-of-care organizations working to drive innovative and practical strategies that combat obesity. The Alliance receives funding from founding sponsor, Sanofi. For more information, visit http://www.stopobesityalliance.org and follow the Alliance on Facebook and Twitter.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Animal personalities are more like humans than first thought, according to Deakin University study
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
30-Oct-2013
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Contact: Mandi O'Garretty mandi.ogarretty@deakin.edu.au 61-352-272-776 Deakin University
A Deakin University study has found for the first time that, just like humans, un-predictability is also a consistent behavioural trait in the animal world.
Animals are known to show consistent individual differences in behaviour, which is often referred to as them displaying 'personality'. In contrast to previous research into these predictable aspects of behaviour, this latest study has shown for the first time that some individual animals, just like humans, are consistently more un-predictable than others over time.
Un-predictability is a known and accepted aspect of human behaviour much like we've always viewed predictable aspects of personality. However, until now it has never been studied in animals.
"We all know someone who is notoriously unpredictable happy, friendly, supportive one day and grumpy and unhappy the next. My experience is that those people tend to be extroverts. Even though I don't know what to expect of them, I am often torn between liking them because they are easy to talk to and fun to be with, and disliking them for their volatility," said Associate Professor Peter Biro, a behavioural ecologist with Deakin's School of Life and Environmental Sciences and lead researcher on this study.
"Until now, un-predictability has only been studied extensively in humans, where it has been linked to learning, ageing, and to certain diseases that produce erratic behaviour due to fluctuations in brain chemicals.
"The results of this new study shed light on another important aspect of animal personality that has previously not been considered."
Working with Dr Bart Adriaenssens at the University of New South Wales, Dr Biro observed the behaviour of adult male mosquitofish over 132 days. They found that the behaviour of some individuals was consistently more predictable in a given context than others. Mosquitofish were used for the study because they are widespread and easily sampled from ponds in and around cities.
"We observed that individuals differed in their average levels of activity, but also differed in variability about their average activity," Dr Biro explained. "Some individuals chose to be active, others chose to be sedentary, some were consistent in their chosen level of activity, others not. But, we found no association between activity levels and predictability.
"What this tells us is that the fish differed in how un-predictable they were, and that this un-predictability is a consistent attribute over time.
"We believe that un-predictability might represent a form of behavioural flexibility that facilitates learning, or makes animals un-predictable to predators or competitors. Some have even referred to this phenomenon as representing 'free will' in animals. Our study, having confirmed that un-predictability is a trait, now sets the stage for further studies to test for this phenomenon in other species, and to tease out the causes and consequences of this behavioural variation."
###
The results of this study are published in the November issue of The American Naturalist, one of the world's premier peer-reviewed publications in ecology, population biology, evolution, and conservation research.
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Animal personalities are more like humans than first thought, according to Deakin University study
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
30-Oct-2013
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Contact: Mandi O'Garretty mandi.ogarretty@deakin.edu.au 61-352-272-776 Deakin University
A Deakin University study has found for the first time that, just like humans, un-predictability is also a consistent behavioural trait in the animal world.
Animals are known to show consistent individual differences in behaviour, which is often referred to as them displaying 'personality'. In contrast to previous research into these predictable aspects of behaviour, this latest study has shown for the first time that some individual animals, just like humans, are consistently more un-predictable than others over time.
Un-predictability is a known and accepted aspect of human behaviour much like we've always viewed predictable aspects of personality. However, until now it has never been studied in animals.
"We all know someone who is notoriously unpredictable happy, friendly, supportive one day and grumpy and unhappy the next. My experience is that those people tend to be extroverts. Even though I don't know what to expect of them, I am often torn between liking them because they are easy to talk to and fun to be with, and disliking them for their volatility," said Associate Professor Peter Biro, a behavioural ecologist with Deakin's School of Life and Environmental Sciences and lead researcher on this study.
"Until now, un-predictability has only been studied extensively in humans, where it has been linked to learning, ageing, and to certain diseases that produce erratic behaviour due to fluctuations in brain chemicals.
"The results of this new study shed light on another important aspect of animal personality that has previously not been considered."
Working with Dr Bart Adriaenssens at the University of New South Wales, Dr Biro observed the behaviour of adult male mosquitofish over 132 days. They found that the behaviour of some individuals was consistently more predictable in a given context than others. Mosquitofish were used for the study because they are widespread and easily sampled from ponds in and around cities.
"We observed that individuals differed in their average levels of activity, but also differed in variability about their average activity," Dr Biro explained. "Some individuals chose to be active, others chose to be sedentary, some were consistent in their chosen level of activity, others not. But, we found no association between activity levels and predictability.
"What this tells us is that the fish differed in how un-predictable they were, and that this un-predictability is a consistent attribute over time.
"We believe that un-predictability might represent a form of behavioural flexibility that facilitates learning, or makes animals un-predictable to predators or competitors. Some have even referred to this phenomenon as representing 'free will' in animals. Our study, having confirmed that un-predictability is a trait, now sets the stage for further studies to test for this phenomenon in other species, and to tease out the causes and consequences of this behavioural variation."
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The results of this study are published in the November issue of The American Naturalist, one of the world's premier peer-reviewed publications in ecology, population biology, evolution, and conservation research.
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