A psychosocial profile of a cohort of African Caribbean patients in the forensic psychiatric service in Britain, 2000

Thirty-two African Caribbean Patients who were Forensic Psychiatric Service-users in England were assessed by a Consultant Psychiatrist during the four-year period of 1996-2000. These patients were the cohort for this study. The study involved a comparison of some of the characteristics of the native-born and migrant African Caribbean patients. Twenty-three patients (71.9 percent of the cohort) were born in Britain while the others were born in the Caribbean. The mean age of the cohort was 34.3 years. Seventy-five percent of the patients were men. According to this study, the place of assessment was associated with the territory of birth. The British-born patients were more likely to have been assessed in a psychiatric or legal institution (e.g. a secure psychiatric hospital or prison). The "companionship status" of each group was not significantly different from the other. When the patients were examined as one group, it was seen that more than a third of the patients (37.5 percent) lived alone. There was a weak association between territory of birth and primary caregivers, with the British-born patients being marginally more likely to have been reared by both parents (under the age of eighteen years) than the Caribbean-born patients. The association between territory of birth and previous social work care was not significant. The majority of patients in both groups had previous social work intervention. The type of accommodation was not significantly different between the groups. The educational level attained by the British-born patients was significantly higher than that of the migrant patients. The employment profiles of the two groups were similar, that is, there was no significant difference between them. There was no association between the forensic charges at the time of assessment and the territory of birth. In this study there was no association between the category of primary psychiatric diagnosis (Psychosis or Personality Disorder) and the territory of birth. The weak association seen between primary caregiver and territory of birth indicates that the British-Born patients are marginally more likely to have had the benefit of a higher educational level, did not confer an advantage over the migrant patients in terms of their rate of developing forensic psychiatric problems. The literature indicates that second-gneration African Caribbean people (those born to migrants) are those with the highest rate of psychosis. ...(AU)

Health trends in Jamaica: significant progress and a vision for the 21st century

Health trends in Jamaica have improved considerably during the past century. Life expectancy at birth increased from 38 years in 1900 to 72 years in 2000. The crude death and infant mortality rates declined significantly from 35.7 and 174.3 deaths to 5.1 and 24.4 deaths, respectively in the same period. The seven leading causes of death in 1945 were infectious diseases while the main causes of mortality and morbidity are now the chronic non-communicable lifestyles diseases, and injuries. Over the past few decades, considerable progress has been made in controlling vaccine preventable diseases and eliminating poliomyelitis and measles. Rates of infectious syphilis and gonorrhoea have declined significantly in recent years although chlamydia and herpes are common and the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a growing concern. Over the past few decades health expenditure has grown more rapidly in the private health sector than in the public health sector although services in the public sector are provided at significantly lower cost. Jamaica provides good health at low cost. However, more funds are needed to support the public health system. The current health reform process needs to be informed by a better understanding of the factors that have contributed to Jamaica's achievements in health and needs a clear health focus. The Ministry of Health has articulated a vision of health for the 21st century that requires a significant reorientation of health staff as well as empowering people to take responsibility for adopting healthy lifestyles. (AU)

Adolescent girls school achievement: nutrition, health and social factors

In many developing countries there is little information on the nutritional status of adolescents. In general, research in this area has been neglected and attention focused on younger children who are most vulnerable to malnutrition. However, adolescents is a period of rapid growth and nutritional deficiencies may occur. In particular with menarche, iron deficiency may be a problem among adolescent girls (Brabin & Brabin, 1992). Poor levels of school achievement are a major problem in developing countries. Many social factors may affect school achievement, including parental attitudes to education, and the educational and occupational levels of the parents (Wagner, et al 1985). School characteristics such as teacher's training and availability of textbooks are also important (Schiefelbein & Simmons, 1979; Fuller, 1987). There is increasing recognition, however, that health and nutrition may contribute to poor school performance, either through effects on attendance, or by affecting children's ability to learn through poor attention and cognitive function (Pollitt, 1990). Health and nutrition variables have been included in some studies of the determinants of school performance among primary-school children in developing countries. After controlling for socio-economic factors, height-for-age was associated with achievement in several studies (Moock & Leslie, 1986; Agarwal et al, 1987; Florencio, 1988; Clarke et al, 1991) and weight-for-height was associated with achievement in one study (Popkin & Lim-Ybanez, 1982). Anaemia and missing breakfast or feeling hungry, also, have been reported to affect school performance (Popkin & Lim-Ybanez, 1982; Florencio, 1988; Clarke et al, 1991). Most of the children in these studies were of primary-school age and there is relatively little information on the extent to which health and nutrition affect achievement in adolescents.(AU)

Situation analysis of women and children in the Commonwealth of Dominica

Examines the situation of women and children in Dominica. Overviews the social and economic situation in the country. Considers, the health status of children by looking at health and nutrition; the health status of women by looking at health, reproduction and nutrition; the environment; the health sector; the education sector; and the legal status of women and children. (AU)

Situation analysis of children and women in the British Virgin Islands

Examines the situation of women and children in the British Virgin Islands. Overviews the demography, political and economic situation of the country. Considers, the health situation of children by looking at health and nutrition; the health situation of women which looks at reproduction, health and nutrition; the environment; the health sector; the education sector; the legal status of women; the government services for women and children; the media; and the structural causes. (AU)

Situation analysis of children and women in Montserrat

Examines the status of children and women in Montserrat. Looks at the land, demography, political, social, and economic conditions. Looks at the health situation of children by considering infant and child mortality, health and nutrition. Looks at the health situation of women by considering reproduction, health, and nutrition. Other factors considered include the environment; the health sector; the education sector; community services programmes; non-governmental organisations working with women and children; the situation of women; and the legal status of women and children.(AU)

The elderly in Barbados: problems and policies

Empirical data on conditions affecting elderly people in the Caribbean are very limited. To help deal with this lack of information in the specific case of Barbados, in 1982 a survey was conducted of 525 randomly selected people 65 years of age or older. This article summarises data derived from that survey in order to provide an overview of the social and economic circumstances affecting Barbados' elderly population. While it is true that these circumstances do not necessarily mirror those found elsewhere, they clearly have elements in common; and it seems likely that the survey approach applied in this instance could prove useful elsewhere in obtaining worthwhile information. (AU)

Analysis of food assistance programmes in Jamaica

Paper brings together information from several studies in a review of the elements of the Food Assistance Programme (FAP) in Jamaica, their impact on vulnerable groups, and suggests guidelines for reorganizing and financing the programme. The Food Assistance Programme comprises the Food Stamp Programme, instituted in 1984, the General Food Subsidies and the School Feeding Programme. This paper is part of a project - The "Jamaican Poverty Line Project" sponsored by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). This project is a collaborative undertaking between PIOJ staff and a research team from the UWI. The first phase of the project is directed towards the development of the Poverty Line, and the analysis of food support programmes. In this exercise, the project was able to draw upon data from the newly instituted series of Survey of Living Conditions (SLC) undertaken jointly by the PIOJ and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica(AU)

Social conditions and health of pregnant Jamaican women

This study analysed data from a national sample of 10,428 mothers who had births occuring in Jamaica in September and October 1986 in order to identify which socio-economic and environmental features best predicted health problems of the mother and the baby. The four categories of problems arising during pregnancy (bleeding, vaginal infection/discharge, 'other problems', antenatal hospital admission) showed the reverse pattern to the one expected: mothers who were more highly educated and lived in better sanitary conditions tended to be those reporting more problems. Features of the mothers which could not be due to a perception bias (short stature and low haemoglobin levels) were more clearly associated with socio-economic deprivation. In addition, the clear-cut adverse outcomes of pregnancy - pre-term delivery and growth retardation - showed strong consistent associations with the conjugal union status of the mother, her usual employment status, the household expenditure on food and a newly derived social status classification based on the occupation warrants testing in other situations in Jamaica (AU)

Mental health in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean

This article looks at mental health as the level of functioning and avoids description of mental illness. It includes a review of different approaches taken by sociologists and other professionals working in the field of mental health. The author concludes that bombardment by a variety of religious teachings is often in conflict with the scientific explanations of mental health and mental illness. (AU)

Socio cultural factors of barracks life on Gray's Inn Sugar Estate in St. Mary and its attendant health problems

The study reveals that housing conditions are highly unsatisfactory and that overcrowding is a major problem. Sanitation is poor. Some residents have to travel far for water. The health care provided is inadequate and malnutrition is a major problem among the children (AU)

Social attempted suicide: young women in two contrasting areas

The study compares attempted suicide data among young women of two ethnic groups resident in native West Indian and immigrant Birmingham environments. Although African rates are higher than East Indian ones, the three-fold increase in the immigrant population was unrelated to ethnic origin. This was also true regarding clinical data, patients using psychotropic tablets and giving similar reasons for attempting suicide. Formal psychiatric diagnosis were, however, less frequently made in Birmingham where patients preferred analgesic tablets to the domestic agents used instead by the West Indian population. The aetiological significance of the socio-cultural factors is discussed (Summary)

Certain problems in environmental health and the provision of medical care in Riverton City

Interviews were carried out in the community of Riverton City to determine the health needs of its occupants and how best these needs could be met. (AU)