Faecal contamination of drinking water in a Brazilian shanty town: importance of household storage and new human faecal marker testing.

Worldwide, contaminated drinking water poses a major health threat, particularly to child development. Diarrhoea represents a large part of the water-related disease burden and enteric infections have been linked to nutritional and growth shortfalls as well as long-term physical and cognitive impairment in children. Previous studies detailed the frequency of infection and the consequences for child health in a shanty town in north-east Brazil.

Assessing health literacy in African American and Caucasian adults: disparities in rapid estimate of adult literacy in medicine (REALM) scores.

Background And Objectives: The influence of literacy on health and health care is an important area of investigation. Studies with a literacy focus are most valuable when literacy is assessed with psychometrically sound instruments.

Methods: This study used a prospective cohort sample of 1,610 primary care patients.