Ethnic Dis
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From October 31, 2002 through November 2, 2002, the Second Annual Primary Care Conference was held, sponsored by the Morehouse School of Medicine's National Center for Primary Care and its Prevention Research Center. The conference was designed as a collaborative activity with the Atlanta Regional Health Forum; The Carter Center; Emory University's School of Medicine, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and Rollins School of Public Health; Georgia Chapter of the American College of Physicians/American Society of Internal Medicine; Georgia Nurses Foundation; Southeastern Primary Care Consortium, Inc./Atlanta Area Health Education Center; St. Joseph's Mercy Care Services; United States Department of Health and Human Services: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Health and Human Services (Region IV); Health Resources and Services Administration; Office of Minority Health (Region IV); and Office on Women's Health (Region IV). ⋯ Continuing medical education credits or continuing education units were granted to participants. In all, 485 individuals participated in the conference, with the majority of the participants from the southeastern United States. Of the attendees, 35% were physicians (MD); 13% were nurses (RN); 12% held master-level degrees; and 12% held other doctorate-level degrees.
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Recent studies have demonstrated an increase in the burden of cardiovascular diseases on developing countries. This increased disease prevalence and health burden has far exceeded the technical and human capacity of developing countries to use existing global knowledge, and to generate new strategies for their own countries to use in combating these diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to assist developing countries in building indigenous research capacity in order to undertake studies within their own boundaries, the results of which will lead to the development of appropriate local management and control strategies. ⋯ Some of the constraints and challenges in research capacity strengthening (RCS) have also been summarized. When correctly utilized, partnerships are probably the most egalitarian form of research collaboration, offering mutual advantages to both partners. International and bilateral agencies funding research in developing countries are urged to include a RCS component in new projects, in order to ensure the sustainability of these projects through the training of those who will carry out the research, and to support the national institutional framework where the research will be conducted.
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The vision of a heart-healthy and "stroke-free" world is achievable through the aggressive prevention and control of cardiovascular risk factors. In sub-Saharan Africa, a region plagued by infectious and parasitic diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and excessive maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and risk factors is rarely on the public health agenda. In Africa, however, as recently documented by the World Health Organization's Africa Regional Office, CVD and other chronic non-communicable diseases are on the increase and already represent a significant burden on public health services. ⋯ Above all, population-based approaches must be used to promote education and awareness of the importance of CVD risk factors. In sub-Saharan Africa, where most people have no more than one CVD risk factor, a unique opportunity exists for primordial prevention, ie, preventing the development of risk factors in the first place. The policy and environmental change strategies discussed provide a road map to a heart-healthy and "stroke-free" future.