Creating Culturally Competent and Responsive Mental Health Services: A Case Study Among the Amish Population of Geauga County, Ohio.

Providing effective mental health services requires knowledge about and cultural competence across a wide array of beliefs and practices. This study provides an example of a successful project to improve public mental health service delivery in an Amish community. County boards of mental health in a rural area of Northeast Ohio contacted researchers in 1998 to provide assistance in reaching the Amish community because of a concern that mental health services were not being utilized by the Amish population.

Dietary Patterns and Dietary Adequacy of Street Children in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The negative impact of poverty on the biological well-being of children is well established. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the stress of full-time street life on the dietary patterns and dietary adequacy of street children living in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This was accomplished by comparing the nutritional patterns of full-time street children with those of other poor children in Dhaka who also spend their days on the streets but who return to their families at night.

Growth and health status of street children in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of street life on the growth and health status of poor children who live and work full-time on the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh (street children), independent of the effects of poverty. This was accomplished by comparing 142 street children with 150 poor children who live and work on the streets of Dhaka but who return to their families at night (slum children). Children between 7-14 years old were recruited at locales where street and slum children are typically found.

Growth and development of Andean high altitude residents.

Growth and development under conditions of chronic hypoxia result in a different pattern of growth in Andean highlanders than in lowlanders. Growth at high altitude results in a small (1 to 4 cm) delay in linear growth, with most, if not all, of the delay probably established at or soon after birth. It also results in an enhancement of lung volumes, particularly residual volume, which is 70%-80% larger in highland than lowland children, on average, with the magnitude of the increase being positively related to age.

Birth seasonality in the Old Order Amish.

The Old Order Amish are a healthy and well-nourished natural fertility population, so that the timing of births is not influenced by behaviours to limit family size, undernutrition or disease. The present study examines the monthly distribution of 8160 births occurring between 1920 and 1991 in the Geauga Settlement in north-east Ohio, USA. The monthly distribution of births in the Geauga Settlement is bimodal, with a major peak extending from August to October, a minor peak in February, and a major trough from April to June.

Seasonal variation in the dietary adequacy of highland Pwo and Sgaw Karen (Thailand).

The present report describes seasonal variability (postharvest, preharvest, harvest) in the dietary adequacy of highland Karen farmers (38 Pwo and 51 Sgaw mother-weaned child pairs) in Thailand. Both the Pwo and Sgaw exhibit little functionally significant seasonal variation in either energy or protein intakes, although there is significant seasonal variation in other nutrients. Sgaw Karen mothers and their weaned children had significantly higher intakes of energy, protein, and seven nutrients than their Pwo counterparts during all three study seasons.

Skin reflectance of lowland Bolivian youths of European ancestry.

The skin reflectances of 257 Bolivian youths of European ancestry (140 males, 117 females; 9.0-19.9 yr) residing in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (average altitude of 400 m) are described.

Total lung capacity in Andean highlanders.

Total lung capacity (TLC), residual volume (RV), and vital capacity (VC), as well as related measures of pulmonary function, were assessed in a sample of 39 male and 23 female native highlanders of Aymara ancestry (20.1-28.8 years) who were residing in La Paz, Bolivia (average altitude of about 3,600 m).

Skin reflectance of children and young adults of Aymara ancestry.

The skin reflectance of 556 Andean Indians of Aymara ancestry (305 males, 251 females; 10.0-29.9 yr) residing in La Paz, Bolivia (average altitude of about 3,600 m) is described.

Developmental responses to high-altitude hypoxia in Bolivian children of European ancestry: A test of the developmental adaptation hypothesis.

The developmental adaptation hypothesis (DAH) proposes that highlanders adapt to their hypobaric hypoxic environment during growth and development. This report utilizes data on children (9.0-19.