Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions aim to improve health outcomes through provision of safe water supplies and improved sanitation facilities, while also promoting better hygiene practices in communities. Population Services International introduced a WASH intervention project in the Hiri District, Central Province in May 2012. Shortly after its introduction we conducted a survey to determine the uptake of the intervention and gauge its impact. We invited 400 households to participate in the study, which consisted of a questionnaire for the head of the household. A total of 395 questionnaires were completed: 314 from households that had participated in the WASH intervention and 81 that had not (controls). Results demonstrated that improved water sources were not routinely used, with a high dependence on well and surface water. While self-reported handwashing was common, use of soap was not common. Treatment of water inside the house was common in the intervention group (95%), compared to 49% in the non-WASH group. The study indicates that people in the Hiri District are supportive of a WASH intervention, with good uptake of some aspects of the intervention. The sustainability of the intervention remains unknown. Targetted interventions focusing on community priorities might be beneficial in the future.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/epidemiology/*prevention & control ; *Hand Disinfection ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; *Hygiene ; Male ; Papua New Guinea ; Population Surveillance ; Program Evaluation ; *Public Health ; Sanitation ; *Water Supply

estimation ; Serum total protein level ; Albumins

Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Blindness ; rehabilitation ; Bonding, Human-Pet ; Culture ; Dogs ; Humans ; Locomotion ; Singapore

: It has been proposed that Metabolic Syndrome causes an inadvertent lowering of PSA levels in affected individuals. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effect of metabolic syndrome on the serum PSA level. METHODS: Literature search was done using MEDLINE and Cochrane databases. The primary outcome measure was serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Secondary outcome measures included prostate volume, plasma volume, and PSA mass density. Mean differences were computed using Review Manager 5.3 software. RESULTS: There were six articles available for analysis with a total of 33,775 in metabolic syndrome group (MS) and 70,305 in non-metabolic syndrome group (NM). Overall, there was no significant difference between the PSA levels between MS and NM group. The prostate and plasma volume were significantly higher in the MS compared with NM, having mean difference of 2.95 mL (95% CI, 1.41 to 4.49) and 162.68 mL (95% CI, 120.24 to 205.11), respectively. However, there were no significant difference in the PSA mass density between metabolic and non-metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION Metabolic syndrome does not affect PSA levels and PSA mass density, despite increase in hemodilution.