Depuis une décennie se rencontrent de plus en plus nombreux des malades d'un genre particulier. Présentant des symptômes variés et souvent invalidants, ils en attribuent la responsabilité à des facteurs environnementaux très spécifiques : produits de la chimie de synthèse pour les personnes hypersensibles chimiques multiples (MCS), rayonnements électromagnétiques artificiels pour les personnes électro-hypersensibles (EHS). La définition, l'existence même de ces maladies font l'objet de controverses autant politiques que scientifiques, que la littérature sociologique a déjà bien décrites. L'expérience de leurs victimes est en revanche peu connue – ce à quoi cette recherche propose de remédier, en s'interrogeant sur ce que signifie concrètement le fait de souffrir d'une hypersensibilité environnementale.Quatre manières de répondre à cette question seront explorées. La première renvoie à l'expérience de l'hypersensibilité, à ses manifestations symptomatiques ressenties dans l'évidence simultanée de leur corporéité et de leur origine environnementale. La seconde recouvre le raisonnement étiologique grâce auquel cette origine est reconnue et crédibilisée. La troisième a trait aux stratégies que les hypersensibles déploient contre leur mal, qui s'inscrivent dans le double registre du soin et de la mise à distance. Enfin, dernière dimension de leur expérience : la profonde transformation des rapports sociaux qu'entraîne le fait de souffrir d'une maladie controversée. Il s'agira d'étudier comment ces quatre dimensions se nouent, à l'aide d'une démarche ethnographique et inductive. / For about two decades, the number of people claiming to suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity or electromagnetic hypersensitivity has been steadily increasing in France.T hese persons experience various and sometimes quite disabling somatic symptoms, which they attribute to exposure either to chemicals or to anthropogenic electromagnetic fields. The definition, and even the existence of these diseases are controversial. They are not legally recognized and their victims resort to self-diagnosis. However, this is not a cognitively easy task. Its implications are also far-reaching: it results in a radical change in their views of themselves, their environment and their community, as well as significant alterations in their daily lives and behaviour. It is thus an interesting phenomenon to explain for a cognitive sociology concerned with how mental representations evolve and influence conduct. Such is the purpose of this thesis. The analysis relies mostly on ethnographic materials and is conducted in a comprehensive and ecological perspective. It falls into three stages. The first one is devoted to an exploration of the controversies aroused by environmental sensitivities, so as to clarify their lack of legitimacy. The second one deals with the subjective experience and biographical trajectories of environmentally sensitive persons. The last one tries to explain the appearance and persistence of their conviction that they are hypersensitive with a utilitarian model in which emotions play a prominent role. To conclude, a comparison is outlined with other epidemics of medically unexplained symptoms.

My diploma work is focusing on the health problems of selected factors in the working enviroment of grinding the metal castings. There are high-risk factors, which are harmful to worker´s health, especially physical stress, noise, dust and vibrations, which are passed on hands. The employer is under the obligation to take precautions to carry on worker´s health, in consideration of exceed the health limits. The aim of this diploma work was setting the efficiency of precautions to health protection in work enviroment. The situation had been monitoring in a company in the South Bohemia over ten years. There were used results of factor´s precautions (noise, dust, vibrations) in work enviroment, where workers grind the metal castings by hand grinders. The monitoring ensemble was created by employess in a company, which makes the metal castings by hand grinders in its work enviroment. To data collecting were used the following methods: non-aligned observation, conversation with the chief of the company, studying of positive law and technical literature incl. test codes of the health institute (department Ceske Budejovice). The data of the test codes were processed by the secundary analysis and summarized to tables and graphs. Within qualitative analysis I determinated four research questions, which were answered gradually in my work: 1)Which precautions are carry out by employers to particular factors of employee´s health protection? 2)What is the factor´ s efficiency? 3)What impact do the precautions have on results of factor´s measuring? 4)Which precautions can I recommend on the grounds of the evalutation of the work enviroment? Both means of collective and individual protection belong to the precautions of worker´s health protection today. The technical, technologiacal and organisational precautions are included to collective protections. The individual precautions are focusing especially on employees and offer the substitute solutions. All precautions are specific to individual factors. I found out, that all precautions, which are used by the employers in work enviroment of metal casting, are effective. Especially we can talk about the precautions to protection of employee´s health against excessive dust (instalation of air ventilation with strong effect), which caused the exceed of dust concetration in work enviroment of grinding. Finally I can say, that this branch of metal casting has been connecting with certain high-risk factors all the time. Although all the protective precautions has been realized, the health limits given for noise, vibrations passed on hands and dust are still exceed. For this reason it´s very important to regularly inform the workers of high-risk factors, which they could meet in their work enviroment of cast grinding.

Nous proposons une analyse originale de l'impact de la complémentaire santé sur les comportements des travailleurs et des firmes sur le marché du travail. Le premier chapitre explicite théoriquement les politiques salariales et d'investissement en santé choisies par l'entreprise lorsque celle-ci n'observe qu'imparfaitement l'état de santé du salarié et où l'investissement en santé peut se traduire par des gains de productivité, via un meilleur état de santé. Nous montrons que les deux politiques sont dépendantes de la productivité de la firme. Le deuxième chapitre explique les raisons pour lesquelles l'offre jointe complémentaire/salaire diffère selon la structure de la firme. Nous montrons que les TPE et plus généralement les entreprises soumises à des contraintes financières plus importantes n'offrent pas de couverture, celle-ci étant généralement liée au contrat de travail des salariés les mieux payés. Le troisième chapitre analyse empiriquement l'impact de la complémentaire santé sur l'état de santé des travailleurs. Etre couvert (relativement au fait d'être non-couvert) n'améliore pas significativement l'état de santé. De même, l'accès à une couverture collective (relativement à une couverture individuelle) ne se traduit pas par un état de santé significativement accru. Le dernier chapitre analyse quant à lui le comportement d'absentéisme du travailleur sous l'effet de la complémentaire collective. La présence d'un contrat de groupe induit la présence d'aléa moral sur les arrêts courts lorsque le travailleur appartient à des firmes de petites tailles indemnisant faiblement les arrêts de travail. / This thesis focuses on the assessment of health risks and the modelisation of the health expenditures decisions. The aim is to realize the link between the agent behaviors concerning his health investments and her situation on the labor market. This work will be sharing around two axis. On the one hand, it will be necessary to use econometrics methods to evaluate healths risks, health expenditures and their heterogeneity within the population. In other words, this part connects inequalities about health expenditures and those on the labor market,for estimate willingness to pay a health coverage. The determinants of purchasing a complementary will be highlighted. On the other hand,a structural model with individual choices will be etablished, based on the empirical works. An equilibrium model confronting the sum of interdependent decisions of workers - health expenditures, careers and assets choices - in a uncertainty environment should allows us to represent stylized facts and to propose economic policies. We emphasize more precisely on the link between health expenditures, careers choices and retirement.

Firewood is a dominant household fuel type used in many developing countries. Even in countries where there is improved access to electricity, most households still rely on firewood for their energy needs. Harvesting of some wood is illegal, however the high poverty rate, absence of alternative fuels and lack of law enforcement means even the protected wood species will continue to be used, with consequent pressure on the forests. Furthermore, the combustion of firewood for domestic use takes place in poorly ventilated homes emitting hazardous pollutants, which causes indoor air pollution and affect human health. The use of firewood as a household fuel can be superimposed nearly perfectly on that of socioeconomic development. Additionally, the use of household firewood is invariably associated with poverty in countries, in communities within a country and in households within a community. Indoor air pollution studies on human health should then consider socio-economic factors which seem to be one of the determinants of both firewood use and ill health, a determinant which is often neglected in most indoor air pollution studies. Domestic inhalation of firewood smoke is one of the mechanisms linking socio-economic (poverty) to disease. The current study sought to determine a baseline of wood usage and health risks caused by volatile organic compounds in Senwabarwana villages. This study integrated observations, ethnobotanical meta-analysis and experimental into one comprehensive integrated environmental health risk assessment framework to assess the risks associated with exposure to volatile organic compounds from firewood combustion. Basic information about firewood usage, socio-economic dynamics and perceived health problems related to volatile organic compounds was collected using a structured questionnaire. The Vac-U-Chamber was used to sample the air. The results show that firewood is extensively used in poorly ventilated kitchens for cooking and home heating in Senwabarwana villages. Ten priority firewood plant species are frequently used in the study area, namely Mohweleri (Combretum apiculatum), Moretshe (Dichrostachys cinera), Motswiri (Combretum imberbe), Mokgwa (Acacia burkei), Mushu (Acacia tortilis), Motshe (Cussonia paniculate), Mokata (Combretum hereroense), Mphata (Lonchocarpus capassa), Mokgalo (Ziziphus mucronate) and Mogwana (Grewia monticola), in their order of preference. The results also indicated thirteen common reasons or factors that influence the hoice of firewood plant species by households, the main four being: (i) the embers formed during combustion, (ii) heat value, (iii) low ash content and (iv) availability of the firewood plant species. Further analysis revealed several uses and ranking thereof, including reviewing the national status and legal profile of each identified plant species. The study found that most of the firewood species used in Senwabarwana Village were indigenous. Major drivers of firewood use are household income, educational status of breadwinners, family sizes, and place of residence, fuel affordability and accessibility, among others. Concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene per plant species were studied to assess the risk exposed to the Senwabarwana community. Literature indicates that these pollutants have several health effects associated with acute exposure such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Both hazard quotient and hazard index were found to be less than one indicating no risk exists with the use of plant species used for firewood in Senwabarwana even to sensitive individuals. The risk of developing health effects due to the presence of the studied volatile organic compounds can be assessed as negligible. Since firewood is a more convenient source of energy, it is recommended that the size of the windows be extended for ventilation. Agroforesty should also be implemented as a conservation method. The wood that emits less concentration of pollutants be used for firemaking. / Environmental Sciences

The management of clinical waste is of great importance due to its infectious and hazardous nature that can cause risks on environment and public health. The study was conducted to evaluate clinical waste management practices and to determine the amount of waste generated in five purposively selected healthcare facilities in Gaborone City Council. The surveyed healthcare facilities were of different size, specialization and category and included a referral hospital, two clinics and two health posts. To examine clinical waste management practices the study employed a range of methods including questionnaire survey which targeted 105 stratified randomly selected healthcare workers and ancillary staff, formal interviews with facility managers, field observations and literature reviews. Compliance with the Botswana Clinical Waste Management Code of Practice, 1996 and Waste Management Act, 1998 and other related documents were used as standards to assess clinical waste management practices. The waste management practices were analysed for a week in each healthcare facility to capture the daily management practices. The generated clinical waste was weighed to compute the generation rates and was followed through the various management practices to the final disposal. Findings of the study revealed that clinical waste generation rates were: 0.75kg/patient/day for Princess Marina Hospital and 0.1 - 0.3kg/patient/day for clinics and health posts. Numerous aspects of clinical waste management were found to comply with the expected rules and standards at Princess Marina Hospital, but the clinics and health posts had less appropriate practices. Clinical waste generated at Princess Marina Hospital is quantified in reliable records and dedicated Infectious Control Officers are responsible for monitoring the management of clinical waste. The study revealed that clinics and health posts do not quantify clinical waste and there are no officers responsible for monitoring clinical waste and there are no documents for monitoring the management of clinical waste. The main treatment method of clinical waste for the surveyed healthcare facilities is incineration and it is being done properly. The study established that at least 80% of healthcare workers and ancillary staff have been vaccinated against hepatitis B and have received training in clinical waste management. Recommendations are given with the aim of improving clinical waste management practices in Gaborone City Council healthcare facilities. / Environmental Management / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

Vilken arbetsmiljö möter vi som konstnärer? Vad får våra kroppar hantera? I mitt konstnärliga utforskande har jag intresserat mig för de risker vi utsätter oss för i vår arbetsmiljö på Konstfack. Vardagen i verkstäderna för med sig många exempel på de utmaningar våra kroppar ställs inför.  Vi testar gärna nya tekniker, nya material, plaster och kemikalier med främmande egenskaper att förhålla sig till. Kroppen, materialet och arbetsmiljön har varit centralt närvarande i min process, men kanske framför allt frågan om varför vi så gärna bortser från de risker vi utsätter oss för. Hur hanterar vi vetskapen om hoten på ett psykologiskt plan?  Genom skulptur, hantverkstekniker och materialval har jag undersökt det luftburna hotet, ett ämne som lämnar utrymme för subjektivitet. Det är idén av ett hot, något abstrakt och osynligt, ibland förnimbart, ibland inte. Vad vi väljer att tro på kan i vissa fall ha större effekt än den faktiska materiella inverkan på våra kroppar. Något som länge ansetts vara helande kan plötsligt ses som skadligt – en dualitet som jag gett uttryck för i min gestaltning. Den mångbottnade upplevelsen av dessa hot har en förmåga att påverka varje del av våra liv. För att ge en upplevelse av kontroll och avdramatisera kroppens sårbarhet skapar vi undermedvetet nya beteendemönster, eller förändrar hela vår verklighetsuppfattning. Men vad händer om vi förlikar oss med det som rör sig i det undermedvetna? Kan vi internalisera vetskapen om kroppens sårbarhet? / What work environment do we encounter as artists? What can our bodies handle? In my artistic exploration, I have taken an interest in the risks we expose ourselves to in our work environment at Konstfack. Everyday life in the workshops brings many examples of the challenges our bodies face. We like to test new technologies, new materials, plastics, and chemicals with strange new properties to deal with. The body, the material, and the work environment have been central in my process, but perhaps above all the question of why we are so happy to ignore the risks we expose ourselves to. How do we deal with the knowledge of these threats on a psychological level? Through sculptural techniques and choice of materials, I have explored the airborne threat, a subject that leaves room for subjectivity. It is the idea of a threat, something abstract and invisible, sometimes tangible, sometimes not. What we choose to believe in can in some cases have a more significant effect than the actual material impact on our bodies. Something that has long been considered healing can suddenly be seen as harmful – a duality that I have expressed in my artistic exploration. The multifaceted experience of these threats has the ability to affect every part of our lives. To give an experience of control, and downplay the subconscious presence of the body's vulnerability we create new behavior patterns or change our entire perception of reality. But what happens if we come to terms with what moves in the subconscious? Can we internalize the knowledge of the body's vulnerability?

No description available.

The purpose of the study was to develop practice guidelines to promote adherence to infection control standards in a specific hospital in Manzini, Swaziland. It was a qualitative, descriptive and explanatory design which utilised an in-depth unstructured face to face interview data collection method done to nine (9) registered nurse participants. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to identify prominent themes and patterns, smaller units of data were named and coded according to the contents they represented. Four themes emerged from data analysis, they were; working environment for nurses, nurse’s descriptions of infection control standards, nurse’s challenges regarding adherence to infection control standards and nurses expressed needs. The findings revealed possible contributing factors to non-adherence to infection control standards by participants and therefore denoted to a serious need for development of general guidelines to promote adherence to infection control standards, these guidelines were presented. / Health Studies / M. A. (Health Studies)

Title: Obesity monitoring in middle aged men in Hradec Kralove Targets: The targets of thesis is to determine prevalence of the obesity in men at age 30 - 50 years in Hradec Kralove. The necessary data for this empirical research will be obtained on the basis of the questionnaires distributed among 30 active athletes and 30 pacients of prof. Martinik's diabetology office, who suffer from obesity and undergo treatment in his office. Subsequently, I will perform a deep analysis of all the data obtained from the questionnaries, in order to identify hazard factors for obesity, stress management, physical aktivity, fixed daily routine and life management or the prevalence of the genetic load in the group of surveyed athletes and surveyed obese patients of prof. Martiník's diabetology office. These data will be then compared in order to identifily the main differences between active athletes and obese patients. Methods: The empirical research was conducted at 30 randomly selected active athletes (at age 30 - 50 years), who live in Hradec Kralove and at 30 random patients (also at age 30 - 50 years) of prof. Martiník, who also live in Hradec Kralove and undergo medical treatment on the basis of the questionnaire, which I created myself and filled personally with the patients and athletes in order to...

Despite the ongoing investments in programs to increase sexual health awareness among young adults globally, many youths remain vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Two-thirds of all STDs occur among youths engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors, which put young adults at higher risk of STDs and can result in serious consequences including infertility. Additionally, the social consequences of STD affect families and communities. While a need exists for increased public awareness of STDs among young adults, extant intervention and prevention activities should be informed by a cultural perspective, including the integration of community and government roles. The purpose of this social ecological study was to investigate the perceptions of STDs and the potential factors responsible for the increased frequency of STDs based on the lived experiences of 20 young adults with STDs in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Through a qualitative approach using a phenomenological research design, this study employed semi-structured interviews, and the resultant data were analyzed and coded. The findings indicated that college-aged students increasingly engaged in sexually risky behavior with multiple sexual partners for financial gain and power. Additionally, while institutions promoted abstinence as an effective strategy to reduce STD infections, the findings indicated a strong relationship between the phenomenon and individual interconnectedness with the larger society. Because the sexual behavior of young adults in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, is influenced at multiple ecological levels, effective and sustaining culturally appropriate STD interventions must involve the larger society including young adults in all stages of intervention development and implementation.