Journal of Community Health
Volume 39, Issue 3, June 2014
http://link.springer.com/journal/10900/39/3/page/1

The Peru Cervical Cancer Screening Study (PERCAPS): The Design and Implementation of a Mother/Daughter Screen, Treat, and Vaccinate Program in the Peruvian Jungle
Carolina E. Abuelo, Kimberly L. Levinson, Jorge Salmeron, Carlos Vallejos Sologuren, Maria Jose Vallejos Fernandez, Jerome L. Belinson
Abstract
Peru struggles to prevent cervical cancer (CC). In the jungle, prevention programs suffer from significant barriers although technology exists to detect CC precursors. This study used community based participatory research (CBPR) methods to overcome barriers. The objective was to evaluate the utility of CBPR techniques in a mother–child screen/treat and vaccinate program for CC prevention in the Peruvian jungle. The CC prevention program used self-sampling for human papillomavirus (HPV) for screening, cryotherapy for treatment and the HPV vaccine Gardasil for vaccination. Community health leaders (HL) from around Iquitos participated in a two half day educational course. The HLs then decided how to implement interventions in their villages or urban sectors. The success of the program was measured by: (1) ability of the HLs to determine an implementation plan, (2) proper use of research forms, (3) participation and retention rates, and (4) participants’ satisfaction. HLs successfully registered 320 women at soup kitchens, schools, and health posts. Screening, treatment, and vaccination were successfully carried out using forms for registration, consent, and results with minimum error. In the screen/treat intervention 100 % of participants gave an HPV sample and 99.7 % reported high satisfaction; 81 % of HPV + women were treated, and 57 % returned for 6-month follow-up. Vaccine intervention: 98 % of girls received the 1st vaccine, 88 % of those received the 2nd, and 65 % the 3rd. CBPR techniques successfully helped implement a screen/treat and vaccinate CC prevention program around Iquitos, Peru. These techniques may be appropriate for large-scale preventive health-care interventions.

The Joys of Caring for Older Adults: Training Practitioners to Empower Older Adults
Beverly P. Lyons,
Tai Dunson-Strane, Fredrick T. Sherman
Abstract
Many older adults lack knowledge concerning the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, atypical disease symptoms, the adverse effects of multiple medication use, and the hazards of frequent hospitalizations. Medically trained healthcare providers and community health practitioners can provide older adults with this information through health education classes. However, these healthcare professionals must continually update their knowledge as the science of gerontology and geriatrics is always expanding. The advanced certificate in gerontology administration program at LIU-Brooklyn hosted a 3-h train-the-trainer seminar, which was attended by 62 healthcare professionals to raise awareness concerning the realities of aging and to describe a range of behaviors that support health. For approximately 90 min, the keynote speaker presented issues and solutions that addressed the before-mentioned areas of knowledge deficit, followed by a question and answer period. Participants were asked to use an anonymous survey evaluation form featuring both quantitative and qualitative questions to rate the seminar. Close-ended questions were developed on a five-point scale ranging from 5 = strongly agree to 1 = strongly disagree. These items were analyzed to compute frequency and percent. The participants rated the seminar favorably with 98 % stating that they learned the benefits of exercise for older adults; 97 % learned how to avoid the hazards of hospitalization. Evaluations of the seminar suggest that it is feasible to develop educational programs targeting healthcare professionals and community health practitioners.

Well-Being and Perceived Quality of Life in Elderly People Displaced After the Earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy
Anna Rita Giuliani, Antonella Mattei, Flavio Santilli, Giovanna Clori, Maria Scatigna, Leila Fabiani
Open Access
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Abstract
On 6 April 2009, the city of L’Aquila was hit by a violent earthquake that destroyed almost all of its medieval centre, and the surviving inhabitants were evacuated and relocated in temporary quarters or undamaged homes. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceived quality of life of the elderly population 3 years after the earthquake in relation to the social and logistic issues of new housing. The study was carried out between October 2011 and March 2012, and involved 571 subjects aged over 65 years living in the municipality of L’Aquila. The interviews took place in the surgeries of general practitioners and the city’s Department of Prevention and Vaccination in the anti-influenza immunisation period. The instrument used was a 36-item questionnaire with closed, multiple choice answers divided into the following sections: demographics, everyday activities, health and perceived health, and the quality of life in the city. The results show that, 3 years after the earthquake, the elderly population living in the new towns and temporary housing of L’Aquila have a worse perception of their quality of life than the others. They feel a certain social isolation and wish to live elsewhere. Governments faced with the problems arising from a natural calamity should take into account all of the elements making up a good quality of life and, before making choices whose impact cannot be changed, consider both their immediate and long-term social consequences.