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Background: During periods of civil strife, the need for trauma care and lack of sufficient cleft surgeons causes an increase in children left untreated with cleft lip and palate deformities. During the Syrian war, some cleft care was provided through visiting charities, with surgeries performed both in Syria and neighboring countries. There is a need to increase the number of adequately trained cleft surgeons available in such regions so that care can be achieved beyond mission trips. Methodology: Cleft lip and palate repair workshops were delivered to 50 doctors in Syria. Pre-workshop, trainees received supplementary learning material. During the workshop, attendees received didactic teaching followed by 2 simulation sessions. Pre- and post-workshop, attendees completed questionnaires regarding their confidence and ability to perform cleft lip and palate repair. Results: Pre-workshop, 96% of workshop attendees had never independently performed cleft lip repair while 100% of attendees had not previously performed cleft palate repair. The mean pre-workshop confidence score was 2.452. Post-workshop, the mean confidence score was 3.503. Confidence rating scores significantly improved (P <.001). Conclusion: The workshop delivered in Syria, together with this cleft lip and palate simulator provides an effective training tool that may support surgical training globally, particularly those in low-income countries. Further support is needed by charity organizations to ensure the continued delivery of such training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Philadelphia, over 40% of youth are overweight or obese. The objective in this assessment was to learn about urban residents' perspectives regarding the local food environment and its impact on eating behaviors. Using photo-elicitation, 20 adolescents reflected on their food environments through photographs and corresponding interviews. Without specific prompting from interviewers, every participant raised concerns about their school food environments, which they commonly found to be unhealthy and unappealing. Participants' responses reflected four themes: (1) mixed reviews regarding the healthfulness of school vending machines, (2) lunch from home versus lunch from school, (3) factors that influenced food choice at school, and (4) critiques of school food environments. Students embraced the photo-elicitation approach as a way to convey their concerns and to suggest opportunities for improvements. School nurses, who are trusted by students and school personnel, are well-positioned to solicit student input and advocate for healthier school food environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the sodium Americans consume comes from processed and restaurant foods. An upstream global strategy to promote health is to work with local restaurants to reduce sodium content in their food offerings, while accounting for food taste and economic considerations. In urban communities, Chinese take-out restaurants serve meals with large amounts of sodium and are clustered in low-income, racial/ethnic minority communities with a high prevalence of hypertension. The objective of this study is to assess baseline knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to sodium use/consumption among Chinese take-out owners and chefs recruited to participate in the Philadelphia Healthy Chinese Take-Out Initiative. A cross-sectional study of 221 Chinese take-out restaurants was conducted from August 2012 to February 2013. Items measured knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to salt use, salt consumption, and health. Most owners/chefs knew that excess sodium consumption contributes to high blood pressure but were less aware of other health effects and of major sources of sodium in the U.S. diet. The majority were willing and able to reduce sodium content in meals if customer demand could be maintained, and they desired training in food preparation, procurement, and marketing. Findings show a need to provide education, strategies, and support to Chinese take-out owners/chefs in preparing low-salt dishes. The results of this and future studies to reduce sodium content in meals by working with restaurant owners and chefs have global health promotion implications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute substantial calories to children’s diets. Aggressive marketing and promotion strategies, particularly deep discounts, may increase children’s consumption, which has been associated with unhealthy weight gain. For sugar-sweetened beverages as for tobacco, price may be an important and malleable driver of consumption. And as in the case of tobacco, a range of strategies will be necessary to curb America’s sugar-sweetened beverage habit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]