Ear-tag retention and identification methods for extensively managed water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Trinidad

Thirty-two young domestic water buffalo were studied to evaluate ear-tag retention during an epidemiologic field trial. Plastic ear-tags were placed in both ears before the start of the trial, which was implemented in an extensively managed domestic water buffalo herd of approximately 1000 animals in Trinidad from 1999–2001. The presence or absence of ear-tags was recorded at the times of animal handling. The rate of ear-tag loss was modeled using a parametric survival analysis assuming an exponential rate of loss. A gamma distribution was used to estimate the amount of time that each animal would be positively identified based only on the presence or absence of one or more ear-tags. The overall median ear-tag retention was 272 days. The estimated rate of ear-tag loss was 0.0024 ear-tags lost per day. The use of ear-tags alone might not be sufficient for long-term identification of extensively managed animal populations.

Perinatal mortality survey in Jamaica: aims and methodology

The Jamaican Perinatal Mortality survey was designed to identify the true perinatal mortality rate, and assess the factors which could contribute towards a reduction in perinatal mortality on the island. All births in a 2-month period (n=10527) were compared with all perinatal deaths occurring over a 12-month period (n=2069). Over half the deaths (n=1058) received a detailed post-mortem examination. Use of the Wigglesworth classification identifies the major component of perinatal death in this country to be associated with intrapartum asphyxia (44 percent of deaths). Deaths due to congenital malformations and miscellaneous causes contribute relatively little (<10 percent) to the overall mortality rate. Over a quarter of deaths apparently occur before the onset of labour, a a fifth are prematurely liveborn but die of causes related to immaturity (Summary)

Methodological issues in the design of survey protocols for substance abuse studies

The paper considers the problems involved in sample surveys of a population using the interviewer/enumerator method. The particular subject matter is substance abuse, covering activities that are defined in many cases as illegal according to Jamaican law. The design of the sample has to conform to the normal standards of rigour required for making inferences about the population as a whole. Beyond the basic design however, given the conditions in which interviews must be conducted, the interviewers must be trained in such a manner that they are able to anticipate problems and be prepared to counter them where feasible. It is well known that the direct interview technique normally used in social science research suffers from problems of validity of responses especially when there are legal and in cases social sanctions attendant upon the behaviours being studied. Additionally respondents recall of their substance abuse patterns may well be incomplete or incorrect. The sample design cannot overcome these problems. It is in a mix of sample design, interviewing techniques and other types of study that these problems may be minimized thus providing a more accurate reflection of the phenomenon(AU)

Key issues in generating a psychological-testing protocol

An individual's behavior is created by an amalgam of genetic, environmental, cultural, and historical variables working in concert and changing over time. Variations in nutrition are one class of environmental factors. Linking these to outcome effects requires carefully designed studies. Many considerations are involved, and this paper draws attention to some of the fundamental ones. Psychological and behavioral functions tend to be complex, in part because they are affected by a wide range of variables. Almost any given state-a particular constellation of psychological characteristics displayed by an individual at a given time-can be produced in a variety of ways (AU)

The ecology of health services utilization in Grenada, West Indies

Few empirical investigations into the nature of health services utilization fully acknowledge that the home environment may act as a socio-geographical focus of both disease transmission and of learned health behaviour. This paper examines the role of the home environment, as well as of personal characteristics and accessibility, in the utilization of health services in Grenada, West Indies. Bivarite and logit analysis of household survey data are employed to identify markers of high user individuals and households. Aspects of each domain of the home environment (physical and behavioral environment, demographies, and residential mobility) emerge as contributors to the utilization phenomenon in the study communities. Both etiological and socio-economic linkages are postulated to underlie the observed relationships. The implications of this work for health planning in developing countries is discussed. (AU)

The risk approach in diarrheal disease intervention in Grenada

In a previous paper (Soc Sci Med 23, 995-1002, 1986), we described the development of a method for identifying households at high risk of childhood diarrhea based on a logit analysis of data collected as part of a diarrhea disease control project in Grenada. In this paper, we report the results of a follow-up study designed to replicate the first using data on diarrhea incidence and risk factors collected in a different set of rural communities in Grenada. The findings of the first study were not replicated. There was no significant association between the risk factors and diarrhea in the follow-up study in contrast to the very strong associations found in the first study. As a consequence, it was not possible to construct a logit model from the second data set. The possible reasons for the contrasting sets of results and their implications for the application of the risk approach are discussed with reference to a two by two true-false table. (AU)