ABSTRACT
Children as a Zone of Peace (CZOP) is a strategy that aims to provide humanitarian aid during conflict by prioritising the rights of children. This desk review considers CZOP implementation in countries across five regions of the world. The strategy is found to have achieved results both in terms of stated objectives, such as immunisation coverage and disease control, and other benefits, such as a break from violence and a sense of national purpose. Implementation challenges relate to the political and logistical realities of conflict. Five elements are identified for successful execution of CZOP: (1) an initial proposal from a respected third party; (2) high level negotiations; (3) resourceful planning; (4) targeted communication; and (5) broad partnerships among diverse stakeholders. The CZOP is found to have proven value as a basis for negotiation and humanitarian intervention. Further potential is suggested, both in conflict settings and non-conflict environments, where children's rights are not being met.
Subject(s)
Child Health Services/organization & administration , Child Welfare , Developing Countries , Preventive Health Services/organization & administration , Warfare , Child , Human Rights Abuses , Humans , Preventive Health Services/methodsABSTRACT
In an investigation of the prevalence of safety packaging of medications, 131 randomly selected Minneapolis and St. Paul households with children were surveyed in 1985. Of the 1,953 oral medications in these households (mean was 14.9 per home), 43.3 percent did not have safety packaging. Over-the-counter medications were less likely to have safety packaging than prescription medications (over-the-counter 53.1 percent, prescription 25 percent). This high prevalence of medications without safety packaging in households with children could increase the risk of childhood poisoning. Strategies to reduce this potential risk are discussed.
Subject(s)
Drug Packaging , Poisoning/prevention & control , Child, Preschool , Data Collection , Humans , Infant , MinnesotaABSTRACT
Deaths from fires are the fifth leading cause of injury death among people aged 65 years or older. To describe the epidemiology of deaths from residential fires among older people, we analyzed mortality data for 1984 collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. Although older people represented only 12% of the U.S. population in 1984, they accounted for 29% (1,278) of that year's 4,466 residential fire deaths. Conflagrations accounted for 78% of older people's deaths from residential fires; clothing ignitions and other fires accounted for 11% each. Residential fire death rates increased with advancing age. Older black people had death rates 4.6 times the death rates of older white people. Older males had higher death rates than older females. Host, environmental, and behavioral risk factors for residential fire deaths among older people and potential strategies for intervention are discussed. Unless intervention strategies are focused on older people, the residential fire death toll in the U.S. may actually grow as the population of older people increases from 12% of the population in 1984 to about 21% of the population in 2030.
