World Congress on Health and Medical Sociology September 19-20, 2016 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Biography:

McKivigan has graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic, and he obtained his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Montana. He began working at Touro University Nevada in 2009 where he has continued his research. Presently he has been working on a Ph.D. in Education at Northcentral University.

Abstract:

Medical marijuana has a long societal history and changes in public perception for medicinal and recreational use. This presentation will explore the changing public and legislative history of marijuana in the United States and the sociological perceptions occuring in healthcare and public use of marijuana’s role in pain management. The aim of this presentation is to summarize the main sociological challenges healthcare practicioners face in both prescribing and use of marijuana. While many states may allow marijuana to be used, it is still a federal off ense. How does this contradiction in regulation affect healthcare providers who use medical marijuana or want to incorporate it into their healthcare practice?

Biography:

Asami Yamashita received her Master of Science in Nursing from University of Health and Welfare. Asami has been investigating potential hazards in the child care environment and to promote preventive actions such as environmental modifi cations and behavioral changes. She also placed greater importance in educating parents and concerned people about the injury prevention. Her recent research investigates the role of parents in preventing children from injuries at home. Her research has been funded by grants from the Special Research Program of Yokohama Soei University and Grants-in-Aid for Scientifi c Research from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Abstract:

The top cause of death in infants has been “accidents” since 1960 in Japan, the fatalities account for about 30%. Th is study aimed to clarify how parents recognize the accidents which may happen to their infants and how they take safety measures against the accidents. Aft er obtaining approval from the ethics committee where the author belongs, a questionnaire survey (RR=45.6%) was conducted with parents having infants during a period of Dec. 2014 in May, 2015. Th e subjects include 132 fathers and 233 mothers.Forty seven fathers (35.6%) and 134 meters (57.5%) recognized the top cause of death in infants as accidents. Th e number of a daily basis safety measures taken by parents was 7.93; 6.68 by fathers and 8.63 by mothers. It was found the accidents happening to infants in their houses be recognized by less than half of the parents. Especially, only 35.6% of the fathers had the recognition. In line with the increase of women entering employment in Japan, fathers tend to cooperate in child care. However, the decrease in the capacity of home education and the change of home environment has been pointed out. In light of this.

Biography:

Eduardo Blanco Cardoso has been graduated in Medicine (1987) from the Medical School - University of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (MS-UORU), obtained the title of Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology (1991) by MS-UORU and Degree in Biological Sciences from the Faculty of Science-UORU (1991). He performed Master degree (1996), Doctorate (2000) and Post-Doctoral (2003) in Medicine, by the Medical School - University of Sao Paulo (MS-USP); Doctor of Science (2006) the same institution and Post-Doctoral in Sociology of Education (2016), by the School of Education-USP. His areas of research are: oncologic imaging in gynecologic malignancies, and social construction of cancer.

Abstract:

The cancer as a disease was set in the social imaginary. Individuals build their impressions from the contributions of doctors, media and popular discourses, making it diffi cult to prevent. The educational intervention in elementary and high school is
centralized in disseminating “biomedical” information, remaining oblivious to the social connotations. The present study aims to identify in 980 adolescents, 12 to 18 years, their perceptions of the disease. For it, a voluntary and anonymous questionnaire was
applied, which allowed a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the dice. The results indicate that the negative representations of cancer predominate in younger age groups, a fact that gradually decreases with advancing age. They are not static and change structurally in dependence of the environments and social contexts, predominating in the male sex. Basically disease is viewed from three perspectives: “destruction”, focusing the expressions on the death, especially when there is a family history or known aff ected; “incurability” whose association with the death divides equally opinions regarding the binomials: life/death and heal/sicken, and finally “resolution”, depending on the diagnosis and early treatment. Despite there is consensus on the benefi ts of early diagnosis, most of the opinions describes the disease as invasive, painful, and cruel, with potential to extend. The obscure logic of "contagion" resurfaces in lay discourse as a possible means of transmission. In the perception of the students, “traditional barriers for access” to the health system, provable in the adult world, continue to be an obstacle to the cure.

Biography:

Christine Machado-Denis is a doctoral candidate at Albizu University. She is completing a clinical psychology degree with a specialization in Behavioral Medicine. She is currently training at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System in the consultation/liaison service. She strives to expand her research of behavioral cardiology and work with cardiac transplantation. Currently, she is contributing a book chapter discussing Psychopharmacology and cardiac rehabilitation.

Abstract:

Heart disease is among the leading causes of death in the United States and behavioral health plays a signifi cant role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Lack of healthy behaviors and adherence with medical treatment regimens is oft en at the root of readmission rates. HF patients contribute to high hospital readmission rates nationwide. Due to the increase in hospital readmission rates, Healthcare Management is holding hospitals accountable for patients who are readmitted within thirty days. Research indicates that hospitals are not considered psychological factors contributing to readmission nor are addressing these issues while the patient is within the primary care setting. Twenty-fi ve percent of patients with heart failure experience depressive symptoms. Studies have demonstrated that patients with systolic dysfunction and depression are at higher risk for re-hospitalization. Research demonstrates that left ventricular ejection fraction in heart failure patients with depressive symptoms tends to be less than or equal to 40%. Reduced ejection fraction inherently places patients at increased risk for cognitive impairments, which in turn impairs their ability to adhere to medical regimens. Reduced ejection fraction coupled with preexisting depressive symptomatology creates greater obstacles for patients living with heart failure. Integrating health psychology and creating behavioral cardiology teams have proven to decrease hospital readmission rates and reduce hospital  fines.

Biography:

McKivigan has graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic, and he obtained his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Montana. He began working at Touro University Nevada in 2009 where he has continued his research. Presently he has been working on a Ph.D. in Education at Northcentral University.

Abstract:

Medical marijuana has a long societal history and changes in public perception for medicinal and recreational use. This presentation will explore the changing public and legislative history of marijuana in the United States and the sociological perceptions occuring in healthcare and public use of marijuana’s role in pain management. The aim of this presentation is to summarize the main sociological challenges healthcare practicioners face in both prescribing and use of marijuana. While many states may allow marijuana to be used, it is still a federal off ense. How does this contradiction in regulation affect healthcare providers who use medical marijuana or want to incorporate it into their healthcare practice?

Biography:

April Shepard graduated from the University of Arkansas, with a Master of Science degree and expects to become a Doctor of Health Administration from the University of Phoenix Fall 2016. April is an adjunct faculty professor at Webster University. April teaches health administration and health behavior classes at Webster. April has a background, as a Radiologic Technologist specializing in Computed Tomography. April currently works in Little Rock, Arkansas at Arkansas Children’s Hospital as a Quality Manager. While healthcare has been a dominating part of April’s career, she is passionate about helping underserved communities

Abstract:

African Americans continue to contract HIV/AIDS faster than other ethnic groups in the United States. In 2014, African Americans represented 54.1% of new AIDS cases and 45.2% of new HIV cases in Arkansas, representing only 15.4% of the population. The state has a significant number of patients diagnosed and not in care. In this grounded theory study, 12 participants described their perceptions of HIV/AIDS in a Black church setting. Participants’ perceptions are represented in three themes and seven subthemes. Three major themes emerged: disgrace is associated with HIV/AIDS, education is a factor in participant beliefs, and community outreach of the church in HIV/AIDS prevention. Relationships between these themes and subthemes formed the basis of a theory to represent the perspectives of members of this Black church with respect to a church engaging in HIV/AIDS education and prevention efforts within the African American community. According to that theory, known as faith-based support management, when developing a prevention, education, awareness, and/or training program, leaders in faith-based organizations must organize the ministry appropriate to a hierarchy of needs. Future research could attempt to replicate this study’s findings by increasing the sample size or testing the proposed theory by using a quantitative research methodology.

Biography:

Ching-Min Chen recieved her Doctor of Nursing Science (Health Policy and Health of the Community) from the Indiana University, USA in 1995. She joined Taipei Medical University as a lecturer shortly after returning to Taiwan, and was promoted to full professor in 2007. She served as the Director of the School of Geriatric Nursing and Care Management in 2007-2011. She then joined the Department of Nursing, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and was the Adjunct Professor in the Institute of Gerontology. Currently, she also serves as the Associate Vice President of the Office of International Affairs, NCKU.

Abstract:

This study utilized the cross-sectional design and stratified random sampling method to explore the relationship between population characteristic, social participation and utilization of health seeking behavior among older adults in Tainan, Taiwan. A structured questionnaire based on the Anderson behavior model was developed with acceptable reliability and validity. A total of 867 participated through telephone interview. Subjects’ average age was 73.1±6.83 years old, and there were 48.3% elderly not even enhanced any social activities, while the highest participation rates was leisure activities (55.2%), and the lowest one was learning activities (11%). The western medical services were the most common utilized health seeking behavior in the case of suffering from chronic diseases (95.74%), acute illness (colds, diarrhea) (87.56%), or acute symptoms (joint or muscle sprain) (70.97%). The “living area” and “the total number of disease” in population characteristics and “political participation”in social participation were the most frequent factors predicting health seeking behavior. Subjects with higher income and participated in leisure activities, political activities, and work activities also had a higher tendency of pluralistic health seeking behavior. While almost half of the older adults have not participated in any activities, we suggested that stakeholders should design the diverse activities in considering local features by engaging the elderly. Through the development of creative, independent, or even productive social activities, we might improve the participation of the elderly, and to enhance their health and a better later life.

Biography:

Inger Ekman is a social worker with a master degree in social science. She lectures in social work and carries out her doctoral studies at the Department of Social Work and The Graduate School of Gender Research, Umea University, Sweden.

Abstract:

During the last decades self-injuring acts, the intentional destruction of one’s own body tissue without suicidal intent, have been reported as a wide-spread phenomenon among adolescents and young adults in the community. With few exceptions, scientific literature describes and explains self-injuring acts as an outcome of individual psychiatric or psychological characteristics and is concentrated on finding deviant intrapersonal patterns, gender differences, psychopathology, and emotional dissimilarities between those who self-injure and those who do not. However, the high prevalence of self-injuring acts in the community indicates the medical view to be an insufficient explanatory model that hampers the understanding of this multifaceted phenomenon. This presentation describes and challenges the medicalization of self-injuring acts and argues a need to move research out of the medical paradigm by explicitly exploring the impact of social, cultural, structural and gendered factors on self-injuring acts. Advancement in research requires an approach beyond the limits of the medical perspective. In order to create a better understanding and a more nuanced view on this wide-spread social phenomenon, social scientific research needs to challenge the medical view and the medicalization of self-injuring acts.

Biography:

Umberto Pagano, PhD in Sociology is an adjunct professor of “Sociology of culture” at University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro. His main research interest is in the field of public health policies, with specific regard to related social and cultural factors. Since 2001 he has published 5 books and a lot of papers in reputed journals. He is a member of the Italian Academic Group of Sociologists of Health and Medicine.

Abstract:

     The global food scenario has changed a lot in recent years. The food industry, in fact, develops ceaselessly formulas to increase the organoleptic attractiveness of foods and their compulsive consumption. These are known as “hyper palatable foods”. They are supposed to be one of the reasons of wide spreading food-addiction, not to mention the pervasive obesity epidemic.
     The paper focuses on the topic of controversial “food taxes” (taxes on foods with contents of fat, sugar, salt above certain thresholds), recently applied in several countries (Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Mexico), in order to cope with alarming phenomena of obesity, overweight and compulsive consumption of junk food. The reasoning on the basis of a food-tax is essentially simple: an extra tax on certain "target" foods induces an increase in their price, and a lowering of consumption; while the proceeds of the tax should be spent on other side interventions (i.e. awareness for a proper diet) aimed at improving the eating habits of the citizens, or to reduce other types of taxes in order to create incentives to consumption considered virtuous. But in reality, things are much more complex than that!
     The issues - ethical, legal and technical - related to the implementation of a food-tax are numerous and thorny, not to mention the fact that the effectiveness of such a policy is still far to be proved. The paper, through a comprehensive analysis of data and literature available, faces up the sociocultural and economic aspects of food-taxes and proposes a few possible corrections.

Biography:

Anil K Gupta is a medical graduate and completed his masters in hospital administration from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India. He subsequently worked as Assistant Professor in the department of hospital administration at AIIMS before shifting to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, India. He has been serving as the Medical Superintendent at PGIMER for almost two decades now. He also heads the department of hospital administration at PGIMER. He has several publications in reputed national and international journals to his credit. He has also served as a consultant to World Health Organization.

Abstract:

Blindness due to a defective cornea can be easily cured by corneal transplant. This is a relatively simple and inexpensive treatment for providing vision to scores of corneal blind patients. Eye donation rates need to be increased substantially to meet the requirement of corneas worldwide and more so in developing countries. Tertiary care hospitals can play a pivotal role in this as these hospitals manage a large number of terminal sick patients. Tradition the thrust of such hospitals is providing specialized medical care & something like eye donation does not get attention it deserves. A hospital conscious towards this noble social cause can be the diff erence between the organs of an expired patient providing life to a needy patient or being burnt/ buried with the expired patient. In this context, an intervention involving all the main stakeholders in promoting eye donation in a hospital namely nurses, counselors & management of the institute was put into place by the study institution which is a 2000 bedded tertiary care public hospital in India. There was a signifi cant increase of 93% in number of corneas donated in the hospital after this intervention. This shows that hospitals can play a huge role in meeting the demand for corneas by scientifi cally implementing cornea retrieval programs. Use of technology complemented with initiative & dynamic leadership by hospitals can provide immense impetus to this pressing & noble social cause. The study hospital is now attempting to broaden the scope of this program to promote donation of other organs from brain dead patients.

Biography:

Arifur Zaman has completed his doctorate in anthropology and working as an assistant professor at Dibrugarh University of India.

Abstract:

Health care is essential for human survival and is concerned with the betterment of society. The socio-cultural dimensions integral to the health care of a community, effects of environment in which they live, behavioral pattern and lifestyle, traditional system prevalent among them, and the impinging factors of that system, compulsions in accepting modern health care, etc., are the main components of the health care system of a particular ethnic group. Each ethnic or tribal community has its own ideas and opinions about health and has got multifarious ways to overcome from the health related problems. The overall health status of the tribal community is the outcome of the several interacting factors. The health of the tribal people has been invariably connected with sociocultural and magical-religious practices since ancient times. They have developed indigenous way of healing practices to protect their health against various kinds of diseases. There is a popular belief prevalent among them is that some of the diseases are caused by evil spirits and malevolent deities for which they observe pristine parochial rituals to appease them. Again, the traditional method of curing diseases and ailments in general are done by application of varieties of parochial medicines prepared from wild roots, herbs, plant as well as animal parts. However, with the establishment of modern medical facilities within the rural tribal areas, they avail the benefits of the same along with integrally sticking to their pristine Medicare system. The Deori is important schedule tribes of Assam who have their own preventive and curative measures for health care. In this present endeavor a humble empirical attempt has been made to delineate the continuity and change of the traditional health care system of the Deori tribe in two homogenous Villages of upper Assam, India.

Biography:

Damiano Girardi has completed his PhD in Psychological Sciences in 2012 from Padua University. He is now research fellow at Padua University. His research interests focus on the role of individual characteristics (like negative/positive affectivity, workaholism, perfectionism) in the stress process, and on physiological biomarkers of work-related stress. He has published several journal articles and book chapters on work-related stress.

Abstract:

Introduction: Work-related stress is the process by which the exposure to perceived stressful situations (i.e., job stress) triggers psychological, physiological, and physical responses in the individual (i.e., psychophysical strain). Individual characteristics, such as negative affectivity (NA), may affect the relationship between job stress and psychophysical strain. Objective: The study examined the role of NA in the association between interpersonal confl ict at work (ICW) and Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), a possible biomarker of stress according to the Allostatic Load model. Methods: 121 workers of an Italian healthcare organization completed a self-report questionnaire aimed at determining NA and ICW. Additionally, participants underwent a clinical interview, followed by a blood sample withdrawal. The hypothesized relationships were tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), controlling for gender. The results: ICW was positively associated with IL-1β, after controlling for the effect of NA and gender. Additionally, NA was positively associated with ICW, whereas the association between NA and IL-1β was not significant, after controlling for the effect of ICW and gender. Overall, ICW completely mediated the relationship between NA and IL-1β, after controlling for the effect of gender. Conclusions: From a theoretical point of view, this study suggests that NA may affect the exposure to conflict at work which in turn is associated with higher levels of IL-1β, a biomarker of stress (Girardi et al., 2015). From a practical standpoint, health professional could implement interventions aimed at helping workers to cope with their negative emotions, in order to reduce conflict at work,
and, consequently, work-related stress.

Biography:

Mohammad Reza Hashempour has completed his Doctorate at the age of 25 years from AJA University of medical sciences and postdoctoral studies in general surgery from Golestan University School of Medicine. He has published papers in internal (Iranian) journals and has interest for evidence based practice.

Abstract:

The emergence of the virtual world of education has made it available for students to access data and obtains knowledge. Methods based on the Internet, Technology could correct the old educational system's insufficiencies and was a big change in education. The aim of this study is to represent a successful experience of a surgery resident in Golestan University of medical sciences between 1392 and 1394. This is an educational case report that studies a second year surgery resident's experience about publishing gained clinical knowledge by pictures with regards to the moral principles. For the assessment of the effect on this educational subject, students who visited and followed these pictures on Instagram were used. They were qualitatively interviewed and the investigation questions were concerning the usefulness of this educational method. The experiment of 2 years sharing more than 2100 surgery photos and having more than 10000 followers started in the year 1392. It made it available for medical and paramedical students. In fact, showing all of the general surgeries that are not possible to be performed to students is a positive point to this study. This educational method is a simple way to alternate scientific data and is a new and creative idea to share scientific opinions. It provokes studying because pictures and even videos play the role of hours of theoretical education. It's a planned progress in education. Small important points that can be easily learned through pictures may be so hard to be explained with words.

Biography:

Abhijeet works as India Manager for Lifebuoy-Unilever Sustainable living plan(USLP). He leads Bihar Hand washing programme and based out of Mumbai office. He has more than 15 years experience in large scale Public health programmes in India, South Africa and United Kingdom. He has worked in various organizations such as HUL, CARE India, HIV South Africa, VSO, Unicef and NHS UK. Abhijeet has done Post graduation in Public Health and Management (PGDPHM) from Institute of Post Graduate medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Brighton, UK & also an MBA in Rural Management from XISS Ranchi. He is a LDM-Packard fellow, Common Purpose UK fellow & also a fellow of Royal Society for Public Health, (FRSPH) UK.

Abstract:

Geographical tagging (also written as GeoTagging) is the process of adding geographical identifi cation data to various media such as a geotagged photograph or video, websites, SMS messages, QR Codes or RSS feeds. This data consists of latitude and longitude coordinates, though they can also include altitude, distance, and place names.Geotagging can help users find a variety of location-specific information from a device. For instance, someone can find images taken near a given location by entering latitude and longitude coordinates into a suitable image search engine.Geotagging Photographs -there are two main options for geotagging photos; capturing GPS information at the time the photo is taken or "attaching" the photograph to a map after the picture is taken. Geographical Tagging as a Monitoring Tool in Large Scale Public Health Projects While Geotag provides the user with the ability to capture the location on the mobile device it also allows users to read this location for varied purposes. Various organizations are currently using the geotag technique to have a better control on field operations especially on non-static projects that are spread across geographies with limited access to electricity. This is being done as the geo location captured by a mobile device ensures that the device and consequently the user is physically present at the desired location, tracking of which can be a challenge with conventional monitoring tools like tele-calling & manual reporting. With Geo tag data authenticating the quality and reach of the programme, quantitative performance evaluation has been made possible, wherein identifi cation of strong and weak performers can be done in a well-defi ned robust framework. This is being carried out with an Android OS based application which serves the interface for the on-fi eld teams to capture data. The application has been built with various control features that ensures that only the desired users may access the data relevant for them. This is being done by way of mapping individual mobile phones via IMEI codes to Unique User IDs (Team IDs). This mapping ensures that no duplication of work is observed on the field, for one user may only access & operate upon the data pertaining to that user.

Biography:

Bouhdja Abdelwaheb has completed his doctorate at the age of 27 years from Algiers University School of Medicine. He is the Director of Management Health at Work / HSE in Sonatrach oil and gas company in Algeria. He has published more than 15 papers in Sonatrach journals and has been presenting many communications at an international meeting of health at work.

Abstract:

What pushed us and encouraged to address this aspect, it's because there was a perceived need and a demand expressed felt with some issues for maintaining production, securing employment and preserving the health of the worker. To realize the investigation and ensure its durability of commitment on our side management is essential and that is the key to successful results. Its objective is improving working conditions after diagnosis & assessment. The first results from the viewpoint of the analysis job:
1. Working conditions: Physical conditions, Relations labour, Organisation training
2. Areas of intervention : Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, Ergonomics, Environment, Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and
statistics, Industrial safety, Activities managerial, and operational support
3. Actors involved: Doctor work, Engineers: EP XP, MN, HSE, Ergonomist, Epidemiologist,
Human Resources, Managers
Th e approach is based on:
1. Status: Analysis of working conditions at the workplace
2. Means: Study Duration 12 months, Held DP HRM and Multidisciplinary team
3. Methods: Analysis of working, conditions: Record company identifi cation: INRS expanded and adapted to Sonatrach.

Biography:

Lan Jin has been graduated from the Master’s program in the Department of Consumer Science at Purdue Univeristy. Currently she is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Consumer Science at Purdue University and an MPH student in the Public Health Program at Purdue Unviersity. Her research focuses on the mental health promotion, social support, and health-related behavior change, particularly on mental health of minorities and health disparities.

Abstract:

Social support is recognized as essential for mental health, offering effective assistance to buffer negative effects of life stress. This study examines the relationships among social support message quality, support satisfaction, and depression in college students in the U.S. Th e demographic profi les of US universities have undergone a rapid change with a large increasing number of international students with the heightened risk of depression. International students who are low acculturated may be marginalized from the mainstream and receive limited support while facing academic, social, and financial difficulties. Thus the study further examines the above relationships amongst them and tests the mediating effect of acculturation on the relationship between support quality and depression. Participants were 631 undergraduate students in a Midwest university. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. In the overall sample, the study showed that (1) more helpful and sensitive support messages contributed to a higher level of support satisfaction, in turn, (2) more satisfaction led to fewer depressive symptoms; in the meantime, (3) higher quality of support messages (helpful and sensitive) reduced depressive symptoms. In international students, (4) more helpful and sensitive support messages were related to more satisfaction with social support and (5) associated with a lower level of depression; and (6) acculturation mediated the eff ect of support quality on depression. Intervention programs focusing on improving quality of the supportive networks and increasing support satisfaction would strengthen the protective eff ect of social support on reducing depression. Th e results call for culturally adapted interventions that would help international students negotiate depression.

Biography:

Bihan Tang is a PhD student majoring in public health from Second Military Medical University in China. She is now studying in University of California, Los Angeles as a visiting graduate researcher. She has published nine SCI papers as the fi rst or co-fi rst author in related journals.

Abstract:

Earthquakes have caused widespread casualties and significant loss of assets worldwide. In order to provide robust disaster preparedness and an optimized response, the current studyidentifi edand described the exact type and distribution of earthquake injuries of victims who were transferred to hospitals based on a meta analysis of 74 research articles selected using systematic methods that encompass articles from China as well as from other countries that were published over the past 50 years. In this analysis, fractures, soft tissue and crush injuries were the three most common and most reported injury types. Extremities and the head/neck were the most common and mentioned injury locations. Being struck by an object was the major cause of earthquakeassociated mortality. In high-magnitude earthquakes compared to those in low-magnitude earthquakes observed a lower percent of soft tissue injuries and a higher percent of nerve injuries. Patients from countries with high levels of economic development suffered a higher percent of fracture and multiple injuries, but a lower percent of nerve and spine injury compared to those of patients from countries with low levels of economic development. Earthquakes will continue to strike, and healthcare responders must be prepared to overcome the resulting situations by anticipating consequences and planning accordingly.

Biography:

Rachel Jin is currently a junior at Campolindo High school in Moraga, California, USA. In 2014, she founded Artism Creativity Center, a non-profi t organization dedicated to helping children with ASD learn and develop using art techniques. Currently the center has more than 20 volunteer art teachers and 30 students. Rachel had previously worked with autistic children for 2 years at Angelove Family Support Center as a volunteer.

Abstract:

This research focuses on three main learning objectives of providing art-training programs as Artism to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders(ASD). The three main learning objectives of this research on art training programs are 1) reduce parents’ stress, 2) explain how to organize an effective therapy program, and 3) build support for a community of parents. The study empirically analyzes data collected from the parents whose autistic kids take art lessons from Artism Creativity Center, a non-profit organization in Northern California and data from comparable parents whose autistic kids do not take art lessons.

This study provides evidence on whether and how art-training programs for autistic kids help reduce their parents’ stress. The study shows that children with ASD who attend Artism or a similar art and drawing program show higher levels of improvement than those who do not attend, which attests to the effectiveness that art therapy programs exert if these programs are created and organized well. The study further fi nds that one of the main factors that make Artism succeed is that unlike most art therapy courses, Artism does not just let the students “free draw,” but it develops specifi ed curriculum to each student to target their specific needs. In doing so, Artism teaches children with ASD how to use elements and principles of art and expression to communicate their moods and thoughts. This can be done for simple and straightforward reasons such as how color is used to express mood and other associations made between artwork and expression.

Biography:

Shona completed her PhD in 2004 is Deputy Director of the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit and co-leads the Informing Healthy Public Policy programme. Her research focuses on examining macro level determinants on health such as mass media, political and corporate influences that shape emerging public and policy debates. She has published more than 50 papers in reputed journals and is co-convenor of the Scottish BSA Medical Sociology Group.

Abstract:

Title: The importance of media in framing public and political debates about NCDs For the first time in history non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now pose a greater health burden than communicable infectious diseases and the media play a crucial role in framing public and policy debates about the causes of, and solutions to, NCDs. While the literature suggests that media debates should be a key concern for those interested in understanding public health policy processes, as yet there has been only limited research in this area. This paper presents the findings from a scoping review which asked: what are the gaps in current research on media representations of industries that contribute to NCD risk and how might media representations shape public and political opinion? We searched Web of Science, Medline, Embase, and Google Scholar for three NCD debates, considering how alcohol, processed food and tobacco industries have been represented in the media. Our findings indicate that: (i) limited research that has been undertaken, 61 studies over the last 30 years, mainly dominated by tobacco studies; (ii) comparative research across industries/risk-factors is particularly lacking; and (iii) coverage tends to be dominated by two contrasting frames (market justice and social justice). We conclude that future research is needed that investigates how media debates on NCD risk and policy are related to have a more nuanced understanding of the complex ways in which media representations of unhealthy commodity industries are shaped by, and contribute to shaping, public, corporate and political discourses.

Biography:

Professor Ching-Min Chen received her Doctor of Nursing Science (Health Policy and Health of the Community) from the Indiana University, USA in 1995. She joined Taipei Medical University as a lecturer shortly after returning to Taiwan, and was promoted to full professor in 2007. She served as the Director of the School of Geriatric Nursing and Care Management in 2007-2011. She then joined the Department of Nursing, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and was the Adjunct Professor in the Institute of Gerontology. Currently, she also serves as the Associate Vice President of the Office of International Affairs, NCKU

Abstract:

Title: The Association between Health Seeking Behavior and Social Involvement of Older Adults in Taiwan This study utilized the cross-sectional design and stratified random sampling method to explore the relationship between population characteristic, social participation and utilization of health seeking behavior among older adults in Tainan, Taiwan. A structured questionnaire based on the Anderson behavior model was developed with acceptable reliability and validity. A total of 867 participated through telephone interview. Subjects’ average age was 73.1±6.83 years old, and there were 48.3% elderly not even enhanced any social activities, while the highest participation rates was leisure activities (55.2%), and the lowest one was learning activities (11%). The western medical services was the most common utilized health seeking behavior in the case of suffering from chronic diseases (95.74%), acute illness (colds, diarrhea) (87.56%), or acute symptoms (joint or muscle sprain) (70.97%). The “living area” and “the total number of disease” in population characteristics and “political participation”in social participation were the most frequent factors predicting health seeking behavior. Subjects with higher income and participated in leisure activities, political activities, and work activities also had a higher tendency of pluralistic health seeking behavior. While almost half of the older adults have not participated in any activities, we suggested that stakeholders should design the diverse activities in considering local features by engaging the elderly. Through the development of creative, independent, or even productive social activities, we might improve the participation of the elderly, and to enhance their health and a better later life. (Up to 250 words)