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Park T, Pierre-Louis J, Jean T, Barua P, Ilma TT, Pinanez MA, Ravenell J, Castor C, Gousse Y. COVID-19 knowledge and mental health impact assessment in Haiti. Glob Ment Health (Camb) 2024; 11:e19. [PMID: 38414724 PMCID: PMC10897491 DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2024.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Mental health is a significant public health challenge globally, and one anticipated to increase following the COVID-19 pandemic. In many rural regions of developing nations, little is known about the prevalence of mental health conditions and factors that may help mitigate poor outcomes. This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social support for residents of rural Haiti. Data were collected from March to May 2020. The Patient Health Questionnaire subscales for anxiety and depression, and the Perceived Stress Scale were utilized in addition to tailored questions specific to COVID-19 knowledge. Half (51.8%) of the 500 survey respondents reported COVID-19-related anxiety and worrying either daily or across a few days. Half (50.2%) also reported experiencing depression daily or across several days. Most (70.4%) did not have any social support, and 28.0% experienced some stress, with 13.4% indicating high perceived stress. Furthermore, 4.6% had suitable plumbing systems in their homes. The results were immediately actionable, informing the implementation of a mental health counseling program for youth following a loss of social support through school closures. Long-term investments must be made as part of public health responses in rural communities in developing nations, which remain under-studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taehwan Park
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Public Health, St. John's University, Queens, NY, USA
| | | | - Tachel Jean
- Biomedical Program, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Prachurjya Barua
- Biomedical Program, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Taheera T Ilma
- Biomedical Program, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Mariana A Pinanez
- Biomedical Program, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Joseph Ravenell
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chimene Castor
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Yolene Gousse
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Public Health, St. John's University, Queens, NY, USA
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Bejarano S, Pierre-Louis J, Benoit R, Jean T, Barua P, Ilma TT, Pinanez MA, Gousse Y. Embedding Care in Communities: Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Community Health Worker Training Initiative in Rural Haiti. Prog Community Health Partnersh 2023; 17:207-215. [PMID: 37462549 DOI: 10.1353/cpr.2023.a900201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Community Health Workers (CHWs) are valuable members within the communities they serve and increase access to health care by garnering the trust of their fellow neighbors, providing services including facilitating access to care, and improving the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. In Southern Haiti, there is a health care provider shortage with one doctor or nurse per 3,000 persons. CHWs are critical to help close the gap of the lack of access to care and facilitate the provision of basic health care. OBJECTIVES To describe the CHW training initiative at capra-care, a community-based health care provider in rural Haiti, using survey and focus groups results highlighting key findings and implications for the CHW initiative. METHODS A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate capracare's CHW Training program. Focus groups were conducted that documented the lived experience of CHWs following the training program; examined barriers and facilitators to translating the training skills to practice in the community. Pretest and post-test data assessed change in knowledge post the Community Health Worker Training (CHWT) program. RESULTS Findings included 51 (57%) of the graduates. A significant increase was observed in mean test scores from baseline (n = 51; m = 61.48 ± 1.80) to post-test (m = 76.93 ± 1.73; t-7.69; P < 0.001), indicating that the CHW training was successful in increasing participants' knowledge. Themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis were comprehension of skills learned, community benefit, and empowerment. CONCLUSIONS Results from this CHWT program has implications to increase the health care workforce thus facilitating access to care among community residents in under-resourced regions.
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Wallace R, Etheart M, Ludder F, Augustin P, Fenelon N, Franka R, Crowdis K, Dely P, Adrien P, Pierre-Louis J, Osinubi M, Orciari L, Vigilato M, Blanton J, Patel R, Lowrance D, Liverdieu A, Coetzer A, Boone J, Lindenmayer J, Millien M. The Health Impact of Rabies in Haiti and Recent Developments on the Path Toward Elimination, 2010-2015. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017; 97:76-83. [PMID: 29064363 PMCID: PMC5676638 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Haiti, a Caribbean country of 10.5 million people, is estimated to have the highest
burden of canine-mediated human rabies deaths in the Western Hemisphere, and one of
the highest rates of human rabies deaths in the world. Haiti is also the poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere and has numerous economic and health priorities
that compete for rabies-control resources. As a result, primary rabies-control
actions, including canine vaccination programs, surveillance systems for human and
animal rabies, and appropriate postbite treatment, have not been fully implemented at
a national scale. After the 2010 earthquake that further hindered the development of
public health program infrastructure and services, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention worked with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and
key health development partners (including the Pan-American Health Organization) to
provide technical expertise and funding for general disease surveillance systems,
laboratory capacity, and selected disease control programs; including rabies. In
2011, a cross-ministerial rabies consortium was convened with participation from
multiple international rabies experts to develop a strategy for successful rabies
control in Haiti. The consortium focused on seven pillars: 1) enhancement of
laboratory diagnostic capacity, 2) development of comprehensive animal surveillance
system, 3) development of comprehensive human rabies surveillance system, 4)
educational outreach, 5) sustainable human rabies biologics supply, 6) achievement of
sustained canine vaccination rates of ≥ 70%, and 7) finalization of a national
rabies control strategy. From 2010 until 2015, Haiti has seen improvements in the
program infrastructure for canine rabies control. The greatest improvements were seen
in the area of animal rabies surveillance, in support of which an internationally
recognized rabies laboratory was developed thereby leading to an 18-fold increase in
the detection of rabid animals. Canine rabies vaccination practices also improved,
from a 2010 level of approximately 12% to a 2015 dog population coverage level
estimated to be 45%. Rabies vaccine coverage is still below the goal of 70%, however,
the positive trend is encouraging. Gaps exist in the capacity to conduct national
surveillance for human rabies cases and access to human rabies vaccine is lacking in
many parts of the country. However, control has improved over the past 5 years as a
result of the efforts of Haiti’s health and agriculture sectors with
assistance from multiple international organizations. Haiti is well situated to
eliminate canine-mediated human rabies deaths in the near future and should serve as
a great example to many developing countries struggling with similar barriers and
limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Wallace
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Melissa Etheart
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | - Fleurinord Ludder
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Rural Development, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | - Pierre Augustin
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Rural Development, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | | | - Richard Franka
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Patrick Dely
- Directorate of Epidemiology, Laboratory, and Research, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | - Paul Adrien
- Directorate of Epidemiology, Laboratory, and Research, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | - J Pierre-Louis
- Directorate of Public Sanitation and Public Education, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Haiti
| | - Modupe Osinubi
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Lillian Orciari
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Jesse Blanton
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Roopal Patel
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | - David Lowrance
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | - Andrecy Liverdieu
- Directorate of Epidemiology, Laboratory, and Research, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| | - Andre Coetzer
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa.,Global Alliance for Rabies Control, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - John Boone
- Humane Society International, Washington, District of Columbia
| | | | - M Millien
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Rural Development, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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Han CJ, Pierre-Louis J, Scheff A, Robinson JK. A performance-dependent adjustment of the retention interval in a delayed non-matching-to-position paradigm differentiates effects of amnestic drugs in rats. Eur J Pharmacol 2000; 403:87-93. [PMID: 10969148 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-2999(00)00480-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Operant delayed non-matching-to-position (delayed non-matching-to-position) tasks have been widely used as tests of working memory in rats, but have suffered some loss in sensitivity to differentiating selective mnemonic from non-mnemonic deficits due to floor and ceiling effects. To circumvent this problem, a novel delayed non-matching-to-position was developed in which the retention interval was adjusted on a trial-by-trial basis to hold performance accuracy at an intermediate value. The present study assessed the effects of three amnestic drugs in this delayed non-matching-to-position. Rats were administered (i.p.) NMDA receptor antagonist ((5R,10S)-(+)-5-Methyl-10, 11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d,] cyclohepten-5,10-imine (Dizocilpine or MK-801), muscarinic receptor antagonist (-)-scopolamine hydrobromide (scopolamine), or cannabinoid receptor agonist ((R)-(+)-[2, 3-Dihydro-5-methyl-3-(4-morpholinylmethyl)pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1, 4-benzoxazin-6-yl]-1-naphthalenylmethanone) (WIN 55, 212-2). At high doses, both MK-801 (0.12-0.25 mg/kg) and scopolamine (0.25 mg/kg) produced deficits not selective to working memory. At low doses, scopolamine (0.06-0.12 mg/kg) and MK-801 (0.06 mg/kg) produced no deficits in any mnemonic or secondary measures. WIN 55, 212-2 produced deficits at 2.0 mg/kg that were consistent with a specific impairment of working memory. Using this particular delayed non-matching-to-position revealed that consistent changes in performance accuracy at the short retention interval were evident for scopolamine and MK-801, at times in the absence of changes in response tendency, which are consistent with an interpretation that these drugs produce general deficits in reference or procedural memory. In contrast, cannabinoid-induced deficits in choice accuracy support previous reports of delay-dependent deficits. Together, these data suggest that this delayed non-matching-to-position task is able to differentiate deficit patterns of amnestic drugs, and isolate the effects of motivational side effects of drugs from working memory measurement.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Han
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 11794-2500, USA
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Abstract
While the delayed nonmatching-to-position (DNMTP) behavioral paradigm has often been used by neuroscientists to assess working memory in rats, its measure of working memory is compromised by floor and ceiling effects. Specifically, these floor and ceiling effects undermine the ability to detect a significant interaction in a two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA, which is required in order to conclude that impaired performance has resulted from disrupted working memory and not from a change in another psychological process (i.e. that the impairment is 'specific' to working memory). The present study was conducted to evaluate if these limitations could be overcome in a DNMTP by adjusting the length of time that the rat was required to remember (the 'delay') so as to avoid the floor and ceiling. The general procedure for two experiments presented subjects with trials where there was either a minimal (1 s) delay or a longer delay of varying length, with the goal of maintaining nonmatch-to-position accuracy near 75%. The procedure was such, that if the average accuracy was at or above 75%, then the next trial would be a long-delay trial. If it were below 75%, then the next trial would be a 1 s delay trial. In the first experiment, the subjects were presented with trials where the value of the longer delay was systematically varied between-sessions. This was done to simulate the faster rate of forgetting found in persons with amnesia. DNMTP accuracy diminished at the longer delay but not the short delay as the second interval was lengthened. However, other measures, including accuracy at the 1 s delay, discrimination accuracy during the sample phase, and the number of trials completed per session, did not change. This experiment suggested that this DNMTP could precisely measure small changes in the rate of forgetting. In a second experiment, a potential non-mnemonic confound, the level of motivation, was directly manipulated by giving the water-restricted subjects access to water immediately prior to the start of the session. The number of trials completed per session diminished, but the accuracy at both the 1 s and the longer delays did not change. These results indicated that the measures of working memory in this DNMTP were insensitive to changes in motivation. Together, these experiments confirmed that adjusting the delay in the DNMTP improves the validity of the measures in this task.
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Affiliation(s)
- J K Robinson
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, USA.
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