An investigation into the nature of social exclusion in deprived neighbourhoods and the use of people-based 'soft' regeneration strategies to revitalise them. Between 1998 and 2004, 'hard to live on' council estates from three different districts took part in a Joseph Rowntree Foundation-funded programme of research and social renewal – the Partnership Initiative for Communities (PICs). This study:
- presents the findings of research that was carried out on the estates in Wakefield, York and Lewisham;
- looks at the ‘soft’ regeneration projects that were trialled on the estates and evaluates their effectiveness;
- analyses the local impact of national policies to help poor people and poor places.

In 2002, SCIE established a basic guidance to govern the conduct of systematic reviews it commissioned. These were interim in recognition that much of the underlying methodology was still to be developed, and they were established as a general framework rather than a detailed set of procedures. . . . The current document updates the 2002 guidelines, reflecting the need to be more precise about SCIE’s expectations, to reflect the changing state of the art in systematic review methods and to outline a new structure for reports in order to respond more specifically to different audiences. As such, the document comprises a combination of guidance and general frameworks for review teams, to clarify SCIE’s expectations.

Minimum wage laws remain a subject of considerable debate at all levels of government despite years of research on their costs and benefits. At the national level, there have been frequent proposals in recent years to increase the federal minimum wage. Many states have followed suit, attempting (and sometimes succeeding) to raise their minimum wages above the federal level. At the present time, 21 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages that exceed the federal wage floor, while 6 others recently passed ballot initiatives to raise theirs as well. Additionally, city-wide minimum wages have been enacted in a handful of cities, and living wages which typically set a higher minimum wage for a subset of workers in an area have spread to scores of other cities. A major drawback of much of the existing minimum wage research is that it was performed using data that extends through the mid-1990s at the latest. Since then, the low-wage labor market has undergone substantial changes.

While public attention has tended to focus on the disproportionate number of youth of color in confinement, this overrepresentation is often a product of actions that occur at earlier points in the juvenile justice system, such as the decision to make the initial arrest, the decision to hold a youth in detention pending investigation, the decision to refer a case to juvenile court, the decision to waive a case to adult court, the prosecutor’s decision to petition a case, and the judicial decision and subsequent sanction. Some have argued that this overrepresentation of youth of color in the justice system is simply a result of those youths committing more crimes than White youth. However, a true analysis is much more complicated. It is not clear whether this overrepresentation is the result of differential police policies and practices (targeting patrols in certain low-income neighborhoods, policies requiring immediate release to biological parents, group arrest procedures); location of offenses (African American youth using or selling drugs on street corners, White youth using or selling drugs in homes); different behavior by youth of color (whether they commit more crimes than White youth); different reactions of victims to offenses committed by White and youth of color (whether White victims of crimes disproportionately perceive the offenders to be youth of color); or racial bias within the justice system.

Who Decides? is the premiere source for information about the status of reproductive rights. Through information about state laws, it documents the hostile climate women face when seeking to exercise their constitutional right to choose.

- SAMHSA's National Surveys on Drug Use and Health in 2003 through 2005 were combined to assess the receipt of treatment for mental health problems, the perceived unmet need for such treatment, and the reasons for not receiving treatment for mental health problems among those with an unmet need for treatment.
- Among adults aged 18 or older, 13% (27.9 million persons) received treatment or counseling for mental health problems in the past 12 months.
- About 5.1% of all adults and 19.2% of adults who received treatment for mental health problems in the past year perceived an unmet need for treatment or counseling for mental health problems in the past year.
- Of those adults who perceived an unmet need for treatment for mental health problems in the past year, 48.1% reported cost or insurance issues as a barrier to treatment receipt.

States are increasingly interested in the individual budget model for older Medicaid beneficiaries as a mechanism to improve responsiveness of benefits to beneficiaries’ needs and preferences and to increase their ability to remain outside or leave nursing homes. Beginning in January 2007, a new provision in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) allows states to offer an individual budget option for an expanded range of home- and community-based services in their Medicaid state plans without having to obtain a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This report describes 10 operating individual budget model programs that serve older persons and identifies four areas of program design that are of particular importance to the success of the individual budget model.

An introductory presentation by a representative of Communities Scotland noted that it was now three years from the introduction of Scotland’s 2003 Local Government Act. Given this, it was an opportune time to reflect on progress in community planning. A review of community planning had just been published by Audit Scotland.1 This endorsed the important role of community planning partnerships but also set out the challenges involved in addressing some key issues: the need to prioritise policy and action and taking real steps to put communities and local councillors at the heart of the community planning process. A recent Parliamentary Committee report for the Scottish Parliament also noted the link of community planning to addressing issues of poverty and disparity of opportunity. The Committee recommended more attention to regeneration outcomes and simplified funding regimes. In concluding, the speaker from Communities Scotland noted there was much research evidence and personal experience of partnership and community planning. It was now time to undertake some radical thinking about how to improve outcomes and the quality of participation rather than just focus on structures. Scotland ought to be able to take advantage of its relatively small size in population to foster such learning.

This edition of How Good Is Canadian Health Care? provides answers to a series of questions that are important to resolve if Canada is to make the correct choices as it amends its health care policies. The study is strictly comparative and examines a wide number of factors for the member countries of the OECD in arriving at the answers to the questions posed. In this study, we primarily compare Canada to other countries that also have universal access, publicly funded, health care systems. Since the United States and Mexico do not, we often ignore these countries in the comparisons made. The study’s focus, therefore, is not whether we should “abandon the key elements of Canada’s compassionate approach to health care delivery,” but how we organize to achieve it. To answer this crucial question, which is also the focus of the current debate about health care reform in Canada, we examine whether other industrialized, universal-access countries have implemented those policies that are at the centre of the health care debate in Canada: policies that have been shown to produce, at lower cost, superior access to, and outcomes from, health care than Canada’s policies do.

In 2005–06, more than 46,000 asylum seekers and refugees contacted Refugee Action for advice. Approximately 40 per cent of these requests for help came from destitute asylum seekers. Our caseworkers are encountering unprecedented levels of despair among this group. In fact, there exists in Britain a new and growing excluded class of people whose asylum applications have been refused, who are afraid or unable to return to their countries of origin, who have no contact with the authorities, no access to work or mainstream support services, and little prospect of their situation being resolved. In January 2006, Refugee Action commissioned researchers to explore the causes and effects of this destitution.

Children with life-threatening medical illnesses and their parents are at risk for the development of clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Contrary to medical assumptions, symptom development seems to be related to the child's or parents' appraisal of risk, rather than the actual prognosis of the illness. In palliative care contexts, appraisal of risk and PTSD symptoms should be assessed in children and parents, and appropriate interventions should be initiated.

- Respondents in SAMHSA's 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health who reported smoking part or all of a cigarette in the past month were asked to report which cigarette brand they smoked most often during that time. Brand preferences did not differ significantly between 2002 and 2005.
- The five cigarette brands used most often by past month cigarette smokers were Marlboro, Newport, Camel, Basic, and Doral. At least one of the five most smoked cigarette brands was used by 86% of the smokers aged 12 to 17 and 89.2% of the smokers aged 18 to 25. Smokers aged 26 or older reported more diversity in cigarette brand selection than younger smokers; only 63.2% of this age group of smokers reported smoking one of the five most smoked cigarette brands.
- White smokers were most likely to smoke Marlboro (45%) or Camel (8.9%) cigarettes, Hispanic smokers to smoke Marlboro (57.2%) or Newport (13.5%), while black smokers were most likely to smoke Newport (49.5%) or Kool (11.4%), both menthol cigarettes.

Using nationally representative data from the US, this study provides evidence on the relationship between early life conditions and cognition, human capital accumulation, labor market outcomes, and health status in adulthood. We find that poor health at birth and limited parental resources (including low income, lack of health insurance, and unwanted pregnancy) interfere with cognitive development and health capital in childhood, reduce educational attainment, and lead to worse labor market and health outcomes in adulthood. These effects are substantial, and they are robust to the inclusion of sibling fixed effects and an extensive set of controls. The results reveal that low birth weight ages you by 12 years, increases the odds of dropping out of high school by one-third, lowers labor force participation by 5 percentage points, and reduces labor market earnings by roughly 15 percent. Not only are socioeconomic factors determinants of poor birth outcomes, but they also influence the lasting impacts of poor infant health when it occurs. In particular, the negative long-run consequences of low birth weight are larger among children whose parents did not have health insurance. While poor birth outcomes reduce human capital accumulation, this consequence explains only 10% of the total effect of low birth weight on labor market earnings. The study also finds that racial differences in adult health can be explained by a few early life factors: birth weight, parental income, and parental health insurance coverage. Finally, the paper sheds light on the well known strong relationship between education and health outcomes; we find that sibling models that account for time-invariant family factors reduce the effects of education on health substantially, but the remaining effects are large. Taken together, the evidence is consistent with a negative reinforcing intergenerational transmission of disadvantage within the family; parental economic status influences birth outcomes, birth outcomes have long reaching effects on health and economic status in adulthood, which in turn leads to poor birth outcomes for one’s own children.

This study builds on two previous projects. The first was 'The Caring Needs of Chinese Older People' (1997-99), which concluded that many Chinese older people were, to various extents, socially excluded from both their community and the wider society. Their needs were not fully recognised and access to services was partially denied. The second project was 'Shared Expectations, Shared Commitments – National Conference on Chinese Older People' (2001), in which participants reiterated their concerns over various service areas and demanded a greater voice in society. The primary intention of this project was to work with Chinese older people to build upon the outcomes of previous work. The project provided Chinese older people with the support to develop a collective voice. 207 Chinese older people from eight cities were involved in 16 discussion groups to formulate a joint statement. The statement contains ten common expectations and suggestions in different areas of policy and practice.

More than half of adults in the United States experienced chronic or recurrent pain in 2003 (Peter D. Hart Research Associates 2003). Effective management of pain not only reduces suffering, but also improves sleep, reduces affective stress, and increases levels of daily functioning (Roper Public Affairs & Media 2004; Schneider 2005). This publication will assist healthcare providers in understanding that opioid medications can effectively manage pain, distinguishing between physical and psychological dependence, and reducing their patients’ risk of psychological dependence on opioids during pain management.

The DiversityData project identifies metropolitan area indicators of diversity, opportunity, quality of life and health for various racial and ethnic population groups. This Website is now available to a wide variety of potential users interested in describing, profiling and ranking U.S. metros in terms of quality of life. The indicators provide a scorecard on diversity and opportunity, and allow researchers, policymakers and community advocates to compare metro areas and to help them advocate for policy action and social change. The choice of indicators was grounded in recent work on urban inequality and health inequality, which points to the significance of racial/ethnic disparities in health, educational, employment and housing opportunities across metro areas. The project challenges urban researchers, policymakers and activists to define quality of life and health broadly -- to include opportunities for good schools, housing, jobs, wages, health and social services, and safe neighborhoods -- to compare achievement across metros, and to make continuous changes to keep metropolitan life healthy for all populations.

Health spending is rising faster than incomes in most developed countries, which raises questions about how these countries will pay for future health care needs. The issue may be particularly acute in the United States, which not only spends much more per capita on health care than any other country, but which also has had one of the fastest growth rates in health spending among developed countries. Despite this higher level of spending, the United States does not achieve better outcomes on many important health measures. This paper uses information from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)1 to compare the level and growth rate of health care spending in the United States with other OECD countries. In an increasingly competitive international economy, policymakers in the United States will need to be aware of how the health spending and spending growth in the United States compares to that of other nations.

The Human Rights Campaign's annual state legislative report covering state constitutional amendments and bills affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their families nationwide. Highlights from the 2006 report include the first-ever defeat of an anti-gay state constitutional amendment as well as the advancement of additional rights for same-sex couples in New York, Rhode Island, California, Maine, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. The report also shows that in 2006, state legislatures defeated more anti-gay constitutional amendments than they passed.

Spending on outpatient prescription drugs in Medicaid—the joint federal-state program that finances medical services for certain low-income adults and children—has accounted for a substantial and growing share of Medicaid expenditures. Medicaid’s total spending on outpatient prescription drugs grew from $4.6 billion in fiscal year 1990 to $40 billion in fiscal year 2004—or from 7.0 to 14.2 percent of Medicaid’s total expenditures for medical care. State Medicaid programs do not directly purchase prescription drugs; instead, they reimburse retail pharmacies for covered outpatient prescription drugs dispensed to Medicaid beneficiaries. For some outpatient multiple-source prescription drugs, state Medicaid programs may only receive federal matching funds for reimbursements up to a maximum amount known as a federal upper limit (FUL).

Analysis of the capacity of younger working households to buy homes in their local housing market in 2005. Covering every local authority in Great Britain (except the Isles of Scilly), this report builds on earlier studies for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

The New Deal for Communities (NDC) Programme was launched in 1998. The Programme is designed to close gaps between these 39 deprived localities and the rest of the country. This report explores how these areas are changing using a range of different indicators. It draws on two main sources: the 2002, 2004 and 2006 Ipsos MORI household surveys; and also administrative data collated and analysed by the Social Disadvantage Research Centre (SDRC) at Oxford University.

Unlike most analyses of Social Security reforms, this paper explicitly considers interactions with the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Using a microsimulation model, we examine reducing Social Security benefits by the percentage required to approach 75-year solvency. We then add options for attenuating the effects on low-income beneficiaries. In the simulated reforms, we compare benefit receipt patterns, poverty rates, and winners and losers in 2022. Substantial reforms are necessary for SSI to play a more effective income security role. Among the limited set of reforms we consider, Social Security minimum benefit plans would more effectively reduce poverty among low-income beneficiaries.

Basic Rules
- An eating disorder refers to states in which food and nourishment have an instrumental and manipulative role: food has become a way to regulate the appearance of the body.
- The spectrum of eating disorders is vast. The most common disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In addition, incomplete clinical pictures and simple binge eating have become more general.
- Even small children can have different kinds of eating disorders that relate to difficulties in the relationships between the child and his/her caretaker.

About 61.2 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2005 and September 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The proportion of the population who volunteered was 26.7 percent. This is 2.1 percentage points lower than the volunteer rate in each of the prior 3 years and slightly lower than in 2002, the first year for which comparable data are available. These data on volunteering were collected through a supplement to the September 2006 Current Population Survey (CPS). The supplement was sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Volunteers are defined as persons who did unpaid work (except for expenses) through or for an organization. The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment and unemployment among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over.

BACKGROUND: The advent of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s spurred states to reevaluate their sex education policies and, in some cases, expand their requirements. Most states require that public schools teach some form of sex or STD/HIV education. Most states, including some that do not mandate the instruction itself, also place requirements on how abstinence or contraception should be handled when included in a school district’s curriculum. This guidance is heavily weighted toward stressing abstinence; in contrast, while many states allow or require that contraception be covered, none requires that it be stressed. Further affecting whether students receive instruction on sex or STDs/HIV are parental consent requirements or the more frequent “opt-out” clauses, which allow parents to remove students from instruction the parents find objectionable.

Private and public retirement systems discourage work at older ages. People now retire earlier than they did 50 years ago, even though they are now healthier and work in less physical jobs. Unless older adults work more, the aging of the population will reduce the share of adults that is employed, slow the rate of growth in national output, and strain government's ability to pay for retirement programs and other public services. This report describes how changes to private pensions, Social Security, Medicare, and tax and discrimination law can promote work at older ages.

Medicare Part B covers most doctors' fees, diagnostic tests, ambulance services, and certain other items. Enrollees pay a monthly premium that is calculated to cover 25 percent of the program's expenditures, with the remaining 75 percent coming from general governmental revenues. But starting in 2007, this cost-sharing ratio will be increased for retirees whose annual taxable income exceeds $80,000. This means-testing of Medicare was adopted in the mammoth 2003 Medicare Act that also provided coverage of prescription drugs and was accelerated by the Deficit Reduction Act that was enacted in February 2006. This article examines the decade-long policy debate about means-testing Medicare and explores the tax implications of the mechanism that was finally created. The article also analyzes concerns about the joint administration of this program by the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, and discusses such financial ramifications for upper-income retirees as capped contributions from former employers and possible nonenrollment in Medicare Part B.

This Issue Brief discusses behavioral finance research, underlying causes for both passive and active saving and investing choices, and prescriptions offered by contemporary behaviorists to overcome the effects of less-than-ideal savings and investing choices.

Significant weight loss of > 5% weight loss in 30 days or >10% weight loss in 6 months without trying to lose weight.

In light of Social Security reform proposals that include provisions for minimum benefits, this paper considers the redistributive purpose of Social Security and whether a minimum benefit may reduce need among aged and disabled people more equitably or efficiently than current law structures. We then examine several minimum benefit designs. We find that minimum benefits could help reduce poverty among the aged substantially, even in the context of benefit reductions to improve the program's long-term fiscal deficit. However, trade-offs exist; generous minimums could reduce Social Security's earnings relationship, which has helped the program garner strong political support.

The AIDSinfo Glossary Translation Tool allows users to search for AIDS and HIV-related terms in English or Spanish and see definitions in both languages.

The AIDSinfo Drug Database provides HIV/AIDS drug fact sheets describing the drug's use, pharmacology, side effects, and other information. The database includes:
- Approved and investigational HIV/AIDS drugs
- Non-technical, technical, and Spanish versions of each fact sheet

At the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 persons in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS . . . In 2005, 38,096 cases of HIV/AIDS in adults, adolescents, and children were diagnosed in the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting. . . CDC has estimated that approximately 40,000 persons in the United States become infected with HIV each year. . . By Transmission Category In 2005, the largest estimated proportion of HIV/AIDS diagnoses were for men who have sex with men (MSM), followed by adults and adolescents infected through heterosexual contact.

H.R. 2 would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage in three steps from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. The act also would apply the minimum wage provisions of the FLSA to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that enacting H.R. 2 would have no significant effect on the direct spending and revenues of the federal government. Because a very small number of federal employees are paid the federal minimum wage, the act would have a minor effect on the budgets of federal agencies that are controlled through annual appropriations. The act would impose mandates, as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA), on some state and local governments, Indian tribes, and private-sector employers because it would require them to pay higher wages than they are required to pay under current law. The act also would preempt the minimum wage laws of the CNMI. CBO estimates that the costs to state, local, and tribal governments and to the private sector would exceed the thresholds established by UMRA.

This report is the third examination of children’s well-being and their daily activities based on data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). It addresses children’s living arrangements and their family’s characteristics, early child care experiences, daily interaction with parents, extracurricular activities, academic experience, and parents’ educational expectations. The data in this report were collected by the U.S. Census Bureau from February through May 2003 in the seventh wave (interview) of the 2001 Panel of the SIPP. The population represented is the civilian noninstitutionalized population living in the United States. The statistics in this report are based on data collected in the child well-being topical module. The 2003 data were collected from a national sample of 9,925 “designated parents” (see definition box) and their 18,413 children. This sample represented 72.7 million children living in households with at least one designated parent (Table 1).

Fundamental reform is needed in order to ensure the long-term fiscal sustainability of the Medicaid program. More than simply sustaining the program, the Commission believes that Medicaid can and must continue to provide quality care to promote the best possible health for all beneficiaries. Taken as a whole, the recommendations set forth in this report promote Medicaid’s long-term fiscal sustainability, while also emphasizing quality of care. Key principles that must be part of this transformation include recognizing the long-term value of investments in quality, supporting state flexibility, and changing how beneficiaries partner with the Medicaid program by encouraging personal responsibility for health care decisions and promoting and rewarding healthy behaviors. The Commission also believes that the health of beneficiaries will be improved through a more efficient Medicaid system that emphasizes prevention, provides long-term care services in the least restrictive appropriate environment, adopts interoperable forms of health information technology, coordinates care across providers and health care settings, and focuses on ensuring quality health care outcomes. Finally, although the Commission recommends several incremental measures to encourage individual planning for long-term care, the Commission also calls upon federal agencies and Congress to develop a fiscally sustainable plan for our nation’s future long-term care needs.

A new generation has come of age, shaped by an unprecedented revolution in technology and dramatic events both at home and abroad. They are Generation Next, the cohort of young adults who have grown up with personal computers, cell phones and the internet and are now taking their place in a world where the only constant is rapid change. In reassuring ways, the generation that came of age in the shadow of Sept. 11 shares the characteristics of other generations of young adults. They are generally happy with their lives and optimistic about their futures. Moreover, Gen Nexters feel that educational and job opportunities are better for them today than for the previous generation. At the same time, many of their attitudes and priorities reflect a limited set of life experiences. Marriage, children and an established career remain in the future for most of those in Generation Next.

Millions of people in the United States undergo surgery every year, and many of them are women. The reality is that even if a woman isn't undergoing a surgical procedure, she is likely acting as counselor or caregiver for someone who is. Facing surgery can be stressful. But with careful planning and inquiring about all of your options, you can relieve your anxieties, reduce possible complications and post-surgical pain, and pave the way for getting back to normal as quickly as possible after surgery—you can redefine your recovery. Here are some basic tools and information to help you.

This report takes stock of some of the most important actions and changes for children affected by HIV/AIDS that have taken place in the first year of Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS. Among other developments, the report finds that children and AIDS had by 2006 become more clearly integrated into national policy frameworks, including national plans of action (NPAs) and poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs) in at least 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It finds increasing numbers of children now receiving treatment as a result of improved testing, lower drug prices and simpler formulations. It reports that in several countries, behaviour change has translated into declining HIV prevalence among young people. And the disparity between orphans and non-orphans in access to education has been reduced in several countries. Over the past year, there has been a broad, growing recognition of the need to intensify and accelerate actions towards universal access to comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support. Commitment to this goal by 2010 was affirmed by Heads of State and Government and their representatives participating in the 2006 High-Level Meeting on AIDS held at the United Nations in New York, 31 May–2 June 2006.

In June 2006, the Center for Retirement Research released the National Retirement Risk Index (NRRI). The results showed that even if households work to age 65 and annuitize all their financial assets, including the receipts from reverse mortgages on their homes, 43 percent will be at risk of being unable to maintain their standard of living in retirement. Households are more likely to be ‘at risk’ if they are young, have low incomes, or lack pension coverage. This brief looks at the three major factors that have caused the Index to increase since the early 1980s. These factors are: 1) a decline in Social Security replacement rates due to the decline in one-earner couples and the increase in Social Security’s Normal Retirement Age; 2) lower pension replacement rates as a result of the shift from defined benefit to defined contribution plans; and 3) lower annuity payments due to the dramatic decline in real interest rates. These negative factors have been only partially offset by a modest increase in financial assets, and an increase in the retirement income that homeowners could potentially obtain through reverse mortgages.

BACKGROUND: Many states require parental involvement in a minor’s decision to terminate a pregnancy. In sharp contrast, states overwhelmingly consider minors who are parents to be capable of making critical decisions affecting the health and welfare of their children without their own parents’ knowledge or consent. Nearly every state permits minor parents to place a child for adoption, although some require an adult to be involved in the process in some capacity. Moreover, most states authorize minor parents to make health decisions for their children, and some allow minor parents to authorize surgery.

Students in low-performing schools need special assistance in preparing for postsecondary education and for better-paying jobs. Among the high school reform initiatives studied by MDRC, the Career Academy model is most clearly oriented toward the goal of helping students prepare for a productive future by giving them work-based learning opportunities while in high school.

The essays in this volume chronicle the efforts of twelve developed countries to prepare for their coming age waves—and in particular, to reform their public pension systems. They contrast and compare retirement systems in different countries, discuss recent reforms, and
evaluate likely developments. If the essays had been written a decade ago, the dominant story almost everywhere would have been about political gridlock and the seeming inability of democratically elected
governments to make far-sighted resource tradeoffs between older and younger generations. But over the past few years, many governments have begun to grapple seriously with the challenge. Germany, Japan, and Sweden have all indexed their public pension systems, at least partially, to their changing demographics. Instead of building in automatic cost-escalation, indexing formulas now build in automatic cost-restraint. Many countries are also moving aggressively to boost funded retirement savings.

This series of fact sheets is intended for women who are HIV positive and pregnant or have recently given birth. These fact sheets describe the steps an HIV positive pregnant woman can take to preserve her health and prevent transmission of HIV to her baby.

Everyone feels blue or sad now and then, but these feelings don't usually last long and pass within a couple of days. When a person has depression, it interferes with daily life and normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with depression and those who care about him or her. Doctors call this condition "depressive disorder," or "clinical depression."

In 2004, the Center for Reproductive Rights launched a global litigation campaign to promote the use of strategic litigation for the advancement of women’s reproductive rights worldwide. Concerned by the magnitude of reproductive right violations that occur with impunity in India and inspired by the use of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in that country to defend fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, the Center saw the need for in-depth research and analysis of this mechanism and its potential for advancing gender justice, with a specific focus on women’s reproductive rights. This report, which explores the use of PIL to promote gender justice and future opportunities for advancing women’s reproductive rights in India, is based upon an analysis of relevant international and Indian constitutional law, case studies of select Indian Supreme Court litigation, and interviews with approximately 65 key stakeholders. The interviewees included former and current Supreme Court and High Court justices; lawyers; human rights and public health activists; social scientists; journalists; at-risk women living in conditions of poverty; and former and current officials of the National Commission for Women, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Law Commission of India. Ms. Sood conducted the interviews between December 2005 and August 2006 in New Delhi and Mumbai, and at the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal. The primary goal of this publication is to advance strategic litigation and other forms of advocacy for the formal recognition and practical realization of reproductive rights. The report does not purport to comprehensively cover the development and dynamics of PIL or women’s rights in India. Rather, the analysis, recommendations, and views presented by the interviewees relate to select dimensions of these complex and politically intricate topics.

Budget 2006 announced that the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review would be informed by a series of policy reviews, one of which was a review of children and young people, building on the Government's strategy to improve their outcomes. Terms of reference of the Review. A discussion paper, published on 9 January 2007, reports on the evidence that has been gathered to date to inform the Review of Children and Young People. It also provides a discussion of the issues and challenges raised by that evidence.

- According to the U.S. population in 2005, the 15 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Riverside, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Rates of past month (i.e., current) illicit drug use, binge alcohol use, and cigarette use for each of these MSAs were compared with the national average. To obtain sufficient numbers to make reliable estimates, the comparisons are based on the combined data from SAMHSA's 2002 to 2005 annual National Surveys of Drug Use and Health.
- The national annual average rate of current illicit drug use was 8.1% of persons aged 12 or older. Among the 15 largest metropolitan statistical areas, San Francisco (12.9%) and Detroit (9.5%) had significantly higher rates than the national average and the metropolitan statistical areas of Houston (6.2%), Dallas (6.5%) and Washington D.C (6.5%) had lower rates of past month illicit drug use than the national average.
- The rate of current binge drinking was 22.7% for the nation and ranged from 18.6% in Los Angeles to 25.6% in Houston and 25.7% in Chicago metropolitan statistical areas. Binge drinking is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least one day in the past 30 days.

BACKGROUND: Over the past 30 years, states have expanded minors’ authority to consent to health care, including care related to sexual activity. All 50 states and the District of Columbia allow most minors to consent to testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and many explicitly include testing and treatment of HIV. Many states, however, allow physicians to inform parents that the minor is seeking or receiving STD services when they deem it in the best interests of the minor.
HIGHLIGHTS:
􀂃 All 50 states and the District of Columbia explicitly allow minors to consent to STD services, although 11 states require that a minor be of a certain age (generally 12 or 14) before being allowed to consent.
􀂃 30 states explicitly include HIV testing and treatment in the package of STD services to which minors may consent.
􀂃 18 states allow physicians to inform a minor’s parents that he or she is seeking or receiving STD services; however, with the exception of 1 state that requires parental notification in the case of a positive HIV test, no state requires that physicians notify parents.

Among women having abortions in the United States, about one-half have already had a prior abortion. This indicator—the level of repeat abortion—has attracted attention, sometimes negative: Women having a repeat abortion may be perceived as having difficulty practicing contraception, as lacking motivation to prevent unintended pregnancy, as using abortion as a method of family planning, or as being different from other women in more fundamental ways, such as ability to become pregnant and exposure to risk of pregnancy. In truth, however, little is known about U.S. women who have repeat abortions. This report provides an overview of the issue, with an emphasis on comparing first-time and repeat abortion patients. In studying this issue, our intent is not to draw negative attention to repeat abortion or women who obtain them. Rather, we hope to generate productive discussions of the issue and help reframe the topic and change the language used to discuss it.

The number of Americans who got most of their information about the 2006 campaign on the internet doubled from the most recent mid-term election in 2002 and rivaled the number from the 2004 presidential election year. In all, 15% of all American adults say the internet was the primary source for campaign news during the election, up from 7% in the mid-term election of 2002 and close to the 18% of Americans who said they relied on the internet during the presidential campaign
cycle in 2004.

Legal reform is key to ensuring women’s reproductive rights and their equality in society. Even when new laws are not perfectly implemented and enforced, changing the law is a significant step in improving women’s status and enabling women to realize their rights. Not only can the reform of discriminatory laws foster societal recognition of women’s basic human rights, law can create practical tools and mechanisms that enable women to enforce their rights. Gaining Ground is a resource for advocates advancing law reform at the national level. It explores nine topics in reproductive rights law. Our purpose is to thematically analyze and organize advances in law reform from around the world so that they can be used to stimulate ideas for reform and assist advocates in assessing what can be realistically achieved in their own countries. We can all profit from each other’s successes. Using human rights analysis, practical data, historical context, and examples of positive reform, Gaining Ground seeks to provide advocates with tools to advance reproductive rights at home.

• By their 18th birthday, six in 10 teenage women and more than five in 10 teenage men have had sexual intercourse.
• Between 1995 and 2002, the number of teens aged 15–17 who had ever engaged in sexual intercourse declined 10%.
• Of the approximately 750,000 teen pregnancies that occur each year, 82% are unintended. More than one-quarter end in abortion.
• The pregnancy rate among U.S. women aged 15–19 has declined steadily—from 117 pregnancies per 1,000 women in 1990 to 75 per 1,000 women in 2002.

View image of Gaps between what teachers believe should be covered and what they actually teach on some topics in sex education

This guide is for anyone who might deal with or come across homophobic hate crime incidents in the course of their work, particularly in Community Safety Partnerships or Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CSP/CDRPs). But also including local authorities, the police, fire, health, social services, schools, healthy/safer schools partnerships, transport providers, the neighbourhood policing team, safer neighbourhoods team, neighbourhood watch, the neighbourhood wardens, Councillors, voluntary organisations including LGBT organisations, and other council services. The Guide gives examples across the spectrum of tackling homophobic hate crime from prevention and early intervention through enforcement, investigation and prosecution and resolution. It is important that the local partners understand their individual roles across this spectrum and how these interlace.

• STIs are not new; even HIV, the most recently recognized infection, has been around for more than two decades. Many STIs or their manifestations have been recognized for centuries.
• STIs are caused by bacterial, viral or parasitic pathogens that are acquired through sexual activity.
• At one end of the spectrum is HIV/AIDS, which is considered to be fatal but is treatable with antiretroviral drugs and can extend an infected individual’s life by years. Other viral STIs, such as hepatitis B and herpes, are also incurable, but are treatable with much less medical care required and fewer side effects.
• At the other end of the spectrum are many of the most common STIs—bacterial infections, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis—which are treatable and curable.
• Left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea may lead to serious complications, including infertility and chronic pain; syphilis may result in death. In addition, some STIs increase a person’s vulnerability to getting HIV.

With funders increasing pressure to set up measurement systems, sometimes the worse case scenario has emerged—nonprofits with multiple projects and multiple funders have to deal with different requirements for tracking outcomes for similar programs. If agreement on a common core set of outcome indicators can be reached, then outcome reporting can be efficient and focused. Even more important, successful practices could be identified across similar programs and organizations and then shared so that outcomes could be improved. The work described in this report first provides suggested core indicators for 14 categories of nonprofit organizations and then expands the notion of common core indicators to a much wider variety of programs by suggesting a common framework of outcome indicators for all nonprofit programs. This can provide guidance to nonprofits as they figure out what to measure and how to do it and will work to ease the looming reporting nightmare that will occur unless a common framework for outcome measurement emerges. Further research is needed to further test and revise the existing core indicators for the selected programs, add core indicators for more program areas, and expand and revise the common framework for more general guidance.

■ An estimated 297,000 induced abortions are performed each year in Uganda, which translates to an annual abortion rate of 54 per 1,000 women aged 15–49.
■ More than half of all abortions are believed to be carried out by medically trained providers (doctors, nurses, midwives). The remaining procedures are performed by nonprofessionals, including pharmacists, traditional providers and women themselves.
■ Experts estimate that poor women are twice as likely as nonpoor women to induce their own abortions and only one-third as likely as nonpoor women to have their abortions performed by a physician.

BACKGROUND: Since the late 1980s, policymakers have debated the question of how society should deal with the problem of women’s substance abuse during pregnancy. No state specifically criminalizes drug use during pregnancy. However, prosecutors have attempted to rely on a host of criminal laws already on the books to attack prenatal substance abuse. Only the South Carolina Supreme Court has upheld such a conviction, ruling in Whitner v State that a woman’s substance abuse late in pregnancy constitutes criminal child abuse. Meanwhile, several states have expanded their civil child-welfare requirements to include prenatal substance abuse, so that prenatal drug exposure can provide grounds for terminating parental rights because of child abuse or neglect. Further, some states, under the rubric of protecting the fetus, authorize civil commitment (such as forced admission to an inpatient treatment program) of pregnant women who use drugs; these policies sometimes also apply to alcohol use or other behaviors. A number of states require health care professionals to report or test for prenatal drug exposure, which can be used as evidence in child-welfare proceedings. Finally, a number of states have placed a priority on making drug treatment more readily available to pregnant women.

Psychological treatments should be explored in the patient with moderate-severe symptoms, whose symptoms are associated with stressors, or have associated symptoms of anxiety or depression. The primary care provider should educate the patient and family of the importance of involving mental health professionals in a holistic plan of care. There is convincing evidence that psychosocial factors do not cause the disease, but rather contribute to the predisposition, and continuation of IBS symptoms. The use of hypnotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven effective in reducing diarrhea and abdominal pain but has not had significant improvement in constipation-predominant symptoms. It should be noted that any patient with moderate-severe IBS related symptoms could show symptom improvement with these listed therapies, regardless of history of anxiety or depression. Patients should be educated that a referral to a mental health professional is not a diagnosis of a psychological disorder. These therapies have proven effectiveness in all groups of patients, regardless of psychological disposition.

Key Findings: The physical environment impacts outcomes among patients, their family, and staff in three main areas: (a) resident quality of life, (b) resident safety, and (c) staff stress. Several studies show that different aspects of the physical environment—such as the unit layout, supportive features and finishes, reduced noise, as well as access to outdoor spaces—may be linked to better outcomes, including improved sleep, better orientation and wayfinding, reduced aggression and disruptive behavior, increased social interaction, and increased overall satisfaction and well-being. Further, a growing body of research suggests that the environment should not only support functional abilities, but also provide opportunities for residents to be physically active and healthy. The environment can increase safety among residents by removing barriers to ambulation and performance of critical tasks and by preventing infections and unsafe behaviors such as exiting. Studies also show that if supports for work (such as ceiling lifts) are incorporated within a long-term care setting, it results in greater satisfaction, morale, and fewer work-related injuries. Design enhancements, such as a homelike mbience, are also linked to higher satisfaction among nurses.

The Ryan White CARE Act is the single largest federal program designed specifically for people with HIV/AIDS. Enacted in 1990, the CARE Act provides care and support services to individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS, functioning as the “payer of last resort”; that is, it fills the gaps in care for those who have no other source of coverage or face coverage limits. Federal CARE Act funding is provided to cities, states,2 and directly to providers and other organizations. The CARE Act was reauthorized in 1996 and 2000, and was just reauthorized for the third time in December 2006.3 Whereas all prior authorizations were for five-year periods, the recent authorization extends for three years.

The Ryan White CARE Act, the nation’s largest HIV specific federal grant program and a critical source of care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, was due to be reauthorized by the United States Congress for the third time by the end of FY 2005. Congress did not act to reauthorize the CARE Act at that time
and the program’s authority was extended under current law while Reauthorization discussions continued. The White House released principles for Reauthorization in July of 2005. A bipartisan Senate bill, The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006, was passed by the Senate HELP Committee in May 2006. In September, the House passed HR 6143, a modified version of the bill which was sent back to the Senate. On December 6, the Senate passed HR 6143 with further revised language and this final version of the bill was passed by the House on December 9. On December 19, the President signed the bill. Unlike the prior authorizations of the CARE Act, which each spanned a five-year period, the new law reauthorizes the CARE Act for three years and includes a sunset provision which ends the authorization on September 30, 2009.

This is a priority review of the use of anti-social behavior powers in social housing to enable the department to better understand the barriers to the uptake of these powers, and to identify ways in which they can be used most effectively. The review findings are based on 34 in-depth interviews from a cross-section of housing providers and relevant central bodies, which have been supplemented by an online survey of nearly 400 social landlords

Among international donors, the Group of 8 (G8) and the European Commission (EC) provide the bulk of donor assistance for HIV/AIDS through bilateral programs and contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, International Assistance for HIV/AIDS in the Developing World: Taking Stock of the G8, Other Donor Governments and the European Commission, provides a detailed overview of how donors finance the international response to HIV/AIDS and presents the latest data on G8 and EC funding commitments and disbursements. The report also discusses the concept of "fair share" and examines different methodologies for assessing fair share among donors.

NESARC was designed to be a longitudinal survey with its first Wave of interviews fielded in 2001-2002. The second Wave of interviews is planned for 2004-2005. The NESARC is a representative sample of the United States population and 43,093 Americans participated in the first Wave of the survey. During Wave 2, an attempt to re-interview all 43,093 of these respondents will be made. The target population of the NESARC is the non-institutionalized household population, 18 years and older, residing in the United States including the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Hawaii. Additionally the following non-institutional group quarters housing units were included as part of the NESARC sample: boarding houses, rooming houses, non-transient hotels and motels, shelters, facilities for housing workers, college quarters, and group homes. The sample provides estimates for the nation as a whole on topics related to alcohol and drug use, abuse and dependence and their associated disabilities.

The purpose of this circular is to provide information on the administration of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 Commission for Social Care Inspection Reimbursement Grant in respect of councils with social services responsibility. The allocation of this grant, by individual local authority, is indicated in Annex A to the circular and in the annex to the associated determination.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is taking an increasing toll on women and girls in the United States. . . Women of color, particularly Black women, have been especially hard hit and represent the majority of new HIV and AIDS cases among women, and the majority of women living with the disease. . . Many women with HIV/AIDS are low-income and most have important family responsibilities, potentially complicating the management of their illness. Research suggests that women with HIV face limited access to care and experience disparities in access, relative to men. . . Women are also more biologically susceptible to HIV infection during sex, and experience different clinical symptoms and complications. . . Given these trends and issues, efforts to stem the tide of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic will increasingly depend on how and to what extent its effect on women and girls is addressed.

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), enacted in 1997, expanded eligibility for public coverage to low income children. Previously published findings from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey indicate that between 1996 and 2002, the percentage of all children eligible for public coverage rose from 28.6 percent to 47.1 percent, and that efforts to improve outreach, simplify enrollment, and retain eligible enrollees in Medicaid and SCHIP likely contributed to increases in the rate at which eligible children enrolled in public programs. This Statistical Brief presents updated evidence on trends in children’s coverage for 1996 to 2005 by race/ethnicity status, showing that continued growth in public coverage has been a major factor in improving rates of health insurance coverage for children. These changes have been particularly dramatic for minority children.† All differences between estimates discussed in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level unless otherwise noted.

As ATF developed its database of more than two million crime guns, it released to law enforcement agencies, scholars, the press, local andstate governments, and the public, numerous reports analyzing the patterns of crime gun sales, as well as portions of the trace database itself. Reports on crime gun trace data revolutionized our understanding of the illegal gun market and how it is supplied – stablishing that strong gun laws have a profound impact on access to guns by criminals in the illegal market, and identifying the gun manufacturers, distributors, and dealers most responsible for supplying crime guns. Crime gun trace data has provided powerful evidence of the gun industry’s complicity in fueling the illegal market, showing that thousands of guns move quickly from a relatively small number of licensed gun dealers into the illegal market. Indeed, almost 60% of the crime guns traced in a given year were sold by only 1% of the licensed firearms dealers, while about 85% of gun dealers had no traces at all. The gun industry knows who the high-trace dealers are, but has refused to stop selling them guns or force them to reform. As a result, felons and other prohibited purchasers have been supplied the tools of violence – aided and abetted by careless or corrupt dealers. Our nation suffers from the violent gun crime that ensues. The gun industry has argued that ATF trace data is meaningless or insignificant. . . . Unfortunately, rather than taking the gun industry to task for its blatant misrepresentation of trace data, under the Bush Administration, ATF has instead helped to defend the industry. . . . Even more disturbing, once the gun industry realized that its excuses were not enough to blunt growing public criticism of its sales practices, starting in 2003 the industry and the National Rifle Association worked quietly behind the scenes to attach riders to federal appropriations bills in order to prevent ATF from releasing crime gun trace data to anyone.

This Guide is written for primary care and mental health clinicians. It has been produced by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a component of the National Institutes of Health, with guidance from physicians, nurses, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, and clinical researchers.

How much is “too much”?
Drinking becomes too much when it causes or elevates the risk for alcohol-related problems or complicates the management of other health problems. According to epidemiologic research, men who drink 5 or more standard drinks in a day (or 15 or more per week) and women who drink 4 or more in a day (or 8 or more per week) are at increased risk for alcohol-related problems. Individual responses to alcohol vary, however. Drinking at lower levels may be problematic depending on many factors, such as age, coexisting conditions, and use of medication. Because it isn’t known whether any amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy, the Surgeon General urges abstinence for women who are or may become pregnant.

An Expert Panel meeting was held on August 11, 2006 to review the Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS) contract. Experts included persons with legal research, alcohol research, and policy research backgrounds. They were asked to give advice on a set of questions that had been submitted in advance. The resulting discussion was wide ranging, but had some important common themes. There was general support for the utility of APIS as a research tool. However, APIS is in its infancy, and realizing it's full value may require a long-term perspective. There was also general agreement that the methodology used on the project produced an accurate and authoritative product. However, a number of suggestions for improving the system were offered.

BACKGROUND: Over the past 30 years, states have expanded minors’ authority to consent to health care, including care related to sexual activity. The great majority of states and the District of Columbia currently allow a minor to obtain confidential prenatal care, including regular medical visits and routine services for labor and delivery. Some of these states, however, allow physicians to inform parents that their minor daughter is seeking or receiving services when they deem it in the best interests of the minor. In states that lack relevant policy or case law, physicians may commonly provide medical care to a mature minor without parental consent, particularly if the state allows minors to consent to related health services.

Estimates of the health insurance status of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population are critical to policymakers and others concerned with access to medical care and the cost and quality of that care. Health insurance helps people get timely access to medical care and protects them against the risk of expensive and unanticipated medical events. When estimating the size of the uninsured population, it is important to consider the distinction between those uninsured for short periods of time and those long-term uninsured (defined for the purposes of this report as those uninsured for at least two years). Using data from the Household Component of the Medical Expen-diture Panel Survey (MEPS-HC) for 2003 and 2004, this report provides estimates of the proportion of the civilian noninstitution-alized non-elderly (under age 65) population that was uninsured for up to two years, 2003 to 2004, and identifies groups especially at risk of lacking health insurance. All differences between estimates discussed in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level unless otherwise noted.

Latinos in the United States continue to be affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, accounting for a greater proportion of AIDS cases than their representation in the U.S. population overall, and the second highest AIDS case rate in the nation, by race/ethnicity. . . The epidemic has had a disproportionate impact on Latinas and young adults, and the impact of HIV/AIDS among Latinos varies across the country and by place of birth. . . Moreover, studies have shown that Latinos with HIV/AIDS may face additional barriers to accessing care than their white counterparts. . . Today, there are approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S, including about 200,000 Latinos.

In recent years, research has documented a decline in the offering of retiree health benefits, an increase in employer efforts designed to limit the growing cost of retiree health coverage, and the termination of a small number of health plans. These findings come from surveys of employers. Because the findings signal trends that are of great concern to people who are currently retired and to those planning to retire, it is important to understand how employers’ decisions are affecting current and future retirees. Some media stories have already revealed how these changes have affected particular retirees. This study by Richard Johnson of the Urban Institute looks beyond the anecdotes to see how the trends identified in employer surveys translate to a population of individuals. This analysis focuses on the extent of retiree health coverage and its cost, as well as the level of out-of-pocket health spending. On the basis of an analysis of Health and Retirement Survey data from the mid-1990s to 2002, a picture emerges of how retirees are experiencing the changes that employers have made in their health benefits.

The 15 Asia Pacific member organisations of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) agreed at their meeting in Singapore in May 2005 to commission a report that would draw the attention of governments, international organisations and aid agencies to the dementia epidemic and the threat that it posed to public health systems. All Alzheimer's organisations in the region have agreed to the content of this report and its release as a shared basis for advocacy. . . . The number of those with dementia will increase in the Asia Pacific region from 13.7 million people in 2005 to 64.6 million by 2050. Apart from the increase in numbers of people with dementia there are other factors that will exacerbate the social and economic impact of dementia. These include urbanisation, trends away from extended families and towards nuclear families, and the increasing number of elderly people who thus live alone. The ability to care for these people will depend on a mix of formal and informal care giving.

This document is a bibliography of the current literature on screening and brief intervention (SBI) for alcohol use. It covers general information on SBI, screening tools, screening for different audiences, screening in different settings, and other important information about implementing a screening and brief intervention program.

In this analysis we connect neighborhood conditions to birth outcomes through their intermediate effects on allostatic load. We hypothesize that neighborhood poverty and racial isolation combine to produce unsafe environments which raise allostatic load and thereby increase the likelihood of negative coping behaviors (substance abuse) while lowering the odds of health-promoting behaviors (prenatal visits to a health professional). We expect these behaviors, in turn, to produce lower birth weights. Using data from the Fragile Families Study we find substantial support for this hypothesized sequence of events. The two greatest direct effects on birth weight are risky behavior and racial isolation. Neighborhood poverty and prenatal care have small but significant direct effects. Though neighborhood safety—our hypothesized indicator for allostatic load—has no significant direct effect on birth weight, it has small, significant indirect effects by raising the likelihood of risky behavior and by lowering the odds of prenatal care.

APA Resolution Recommending the Immediate Retirement of American Indian Mascots, Symbols, Images, and Personalities by Schools, Colleges, Universities, Athletic Teams, and Organizations
In 2005 the American Psychological Association (APA) called for the immediate retirement of all American Indian mascots, symbols, images and personalities by schools, colleges, universities, athletic teams and organizations. APA's position is based on a growing body of social science literature that shows the harmful effects of racial stereotyping and inaccurate racial portrayals, including the particularly harmful effects of American Indian sports mascots on the social identity development and self-esteem of American Indian young people.

BACKGROUND: In response to apparently rare but highly publicized instances in which infants have been abandoned and sometimes left to die, almost every state, beginning with Texas in 1999, has enacted a provision intended to provide a safe and confidential means of relinquishing an unwanted infant. These infant abandonment measures—also referred to as “safe haven” or “safe surrender” provisions—typically follow the Texas model and allow a parent or other specified party to relinquish an infant under certain circumstances without threat of prosecution for child abandonment. Variations include limits on an infant’s age (ranging from 72 hours to one year) and the places or personnel authorized to accept an infant (e.g., hospital emergency room staff or emergency services personnel [ESP], such as emergency medical technicians, firefighters or law enforcement officers). Some states explicitly guarantee parental anonymity; others require personnel accepting an infant to inquire into the infant’s medical history.

It goes virtually without saying these days that people with disabilities prefer to remain in their own homes, and go to great lengths to avoid life in an institution. As public programs move toward not only accommodating but encouraging this trend, increasing numbers of people are receiving services in their homes, many hiring and directing their own providers. Many people, even with severe disabilities, now receive services and supports in private homes, with Medicaid as the primary source of public funding. But what happens if a home care worker fails to show up? As people increasingly rely on these workers for vital mobility and personal hygiene functions, their need for a reliable workforce is imperative. Unfortunately, state systems to ensure that backup services are readily available to people who receive Medicaid home and community- based services are not well developed. Chronic shortages of qualified personal care workers make it difficult to find and retain a basic supply of reliable providers—much less to ensure an adequate and readily identifiable supply of backup or emergency workers. Yet without backup systems in place, people with disabilities risk humiliation, injury, or even loss of independence and self- determination if reliable home care cannot be found.

Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS since the epidemic’s beginning, and that disparity has deepened over time. . . Blacks account for more HIV and AIDS cases, people estimated to be living with AIDS, and HIV-related deaths than any other racial/ethnic group in the U.S. . . The epidemic has also had a disproportionate impact on Black women, youth, and men who have sex with men, and its impact varies across the country. Moreover, Blacks with HIV/AIDS may face greater barriers to accessing care than their white counterparts. . . Today, there are approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S, including more than 500,000 who are Black.

More than thirty years since the Sex Discrimination Act came into force, women have made significant strides in the workplace and in public life. But despite this, and despite the achievements of inspirational, groundbreaking women, they are still not reaching the top of their professions in significant numbers. They represent just 10% of directors at FTSE 100 companies, and barely 20% of Members of Parliament. Among those few women who do make it to the top, ethnic minority women make up just 0.3% of MPs and 0.4% of FTSE 100 directors, despite the fact that they comprise 5.2% of the population and 3.9% of the labour market.

This new 2006 Surgeon General’s report returns to the topic of involuntary smoking. The health effects of involuntary smoking have not received comprehensive coverage in this series of reports since 1986. Reports since then have touched on selected aspects of the topic: the 1994 report on tobacco use among young people (USDHHS 1994), the 1998 report on tobacco use among U.S. racial and ethnic minorities (USDHHS 1998), and the 2001 report on women and smoking (USDHHS 2001). As involuntary smoking remains widespread in the United States and elsewhere, the preparation of this report was motivated by the persistence of involuntary smoking as a public health problem and the need to evaluate the substantial new evidence reported since 1986. This report substantially expands the list of topics that were included in the 1986 report. Additional topics include SIDS, developmental effects, and other reproductive effects; heart disease in adults; and cancer sites beyond the lung. For some associations of involuntary smoking with adverse health effects, only a few studies were reviewed in 1986 (e.g., ear disease in children); now, the relevant literature is substantial. Consequently, this report uses meta-analysis to quantitatively summarize evidence as appropriate. Following the approach used in the 2004 report (The Health Consequences of Smoking, USDHHS 2004), this 2006 report also systematically evaluates the evidence for causality, judging the extent of the evidence available and then making an inference as to the nature of the association.

On September 15, 2005, at the widely publicized Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law two bills establishing nutritional standards for the food and beverages sold in the state’s public schools. The first, SB 12 (for Senate Bill 12), banned the sale of junk food—candy, cookies, chips and the like. The second, SB 965, banned the sale of soft drinks—Coke, Pepsi, fruit drinks, sugared waters and similar products. The governor also signed a third bill that provided funding for fruits and vegetables in school breakfast programs. The laws—the toughest in the nation—serve as models for other states and foreign countries.

Changes in the cervix are often caused by a virus called human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV infections can lead to cervical cancer. A test to check for HPV can now be done at the same time as the Pap test. Some women may want to know if they have HPV. Some women may not wish to know. This document has answers to questions women may ask about the Pap and HPV tests. It discusses:
- the difference between a Pap test and an HPV test
- what to do if you find out you have HPV
- how women can get HPV
- how to talk to your partner about HPV
- what it means if you find out you do not have HPV

A direct comparison of Singapore MOH, NZGG, USPSTF, VA/DoD, and UMHS recommendations for tobacco use cessation and prevention is provided in the tables below. Table 1 provides the scope of the guidelines, Table 2 compares the major recommendations, and Table 3 compares the potential benefits and harms of implementing the recommendations. Definitions for the levels of evidence used to support the guideline recommendations are given in Table 4; references supporting the Singapore MOH recommendations are also provided in this table. The comparison in Table 2 is restricted to recommendations for interventions to be carried out by physicians and/or other health care professionals. The NZGG guideline also contains many recommendations specific to the Maori population of New Zealand. The user is directed to the individual guidelines for information on these recommendations.

As many as half of Medicaid’s 52 million beneficiaries are members of racial and ethnic minority subgroups and over 60% of all beneficiaries are enrolled in managed care. By virtue of the diverse populations enrolled, Medicaid health plans are uniquely positioned to identify and address disparities in health care utilization and outcomes. This toolkit details the experiences of a collaborative workgroup of Medicaid managed care organizations, Improving Health Care Quality for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations, which was designed by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). This workgroup, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund, included 11 Medicaid health plans and one state primary care case management program. The workgroup members collaborated from 2004 to 2006 to develop new ways to identify members of racial and ethnic subgroups, to measure the gaps in care, and to explore ways to improve health care quality.

As family caregivers we are a diverse group of individuals who are traveling a complex journey. Some of us thrive in the caregiving role, while others encounter challenges that may seem too much for us. For whom do we care? 48% of us care for spouses or life partners, 24% of us care for a parent, and 19% of us care for a child. Most of us are female, and our average age is 46. In one in four American households, one of us is caring for a family member age 50 or older. Close to two in three of us are working, 52% full time and 12% part time. Nearly half of us spend in excess of 40 hours a week on our caregiving tasks.

Current research finds that early intervention is effective in lessening caregiver burden and avoiding the cited caregiving risks. By identifying caregivers and providing appropriate support, health service providers can offer proactive assistance to this key group. Maine Primary Partners in Caregiving (MPPC) was created with exactly that goal in mind. A public forum was first convened in which health service providers and caregivers themselves could address caregiving issues, allowing caregivers to consider their roles objectively and learn more about their own needs and how best to serve them. Input from the forum revealed that the most efficient way to identify caregivers was to ask people directly about any caregiving responsibilities they had, with primary care practices (PCPs) serving as locations where this inquiry could be made. Not only would PCPs be able to reach many caregivers, but their endorsement of service referrals would be meaningful to their caregiver-clients and thus make them more likely to take advantage of these referrals.

- Of the people who began drinking before age 14, 47% became dependent at some point, compared with 9% of those who began drinking at age 21 or older.
- 63% of 8th-graders and 83% of 10th-graders believe that alcohol is readily available to them for consumption.
- Almost 20% of 8th-graders, and 41% of 10th-graders have been drunk at least once.
- Ninth-grade girls now report consuming almost as much alcohol as ninth-grade boys: 36.2% of girls and 36.3% of boys reported drinking in the past month, and 17.3% of girls and 20.7% of boys reported binge drinking.
- 33.9% of ninth-grade students reported having consumed alcohol before they were age 13. In contrast, only 18.6% of ninth-graders reported having smoked cigarettes, and 11.2% reported having used marijuana before they were age 13.
- Rates of drinking differ among racial and ethnic minority groups. Among students in grades 9 to 12, 29.9% of non-Hispanic white students, 11.1% of African American students, and 25.3% of Hispanic students reported binge drinking.
- A study of 5th-through 11th-grade students found that those who are exposed to and enjoy alcohol advertisements have more favorable beliefs about drinking and say they are more likely to drink in the future and consume more alcohol.

A national social care recruitment campaign which will run early March 2007. As in previous years, advertising, through television, radio and press, will highlight the valuable and rewarding role of social care but with new and exciting material. This will be supported by PR activity, a dedicated website and leaflets: all vital in driving people to seek further information on careers and jobs.

Child abuse and neglect can harmyoungpeople in ways beyond the immediatepain and suffering inflicted. Many studiespoint to long-termconsequences, findingthat victims of child abuse and neglect areat greater risk of delinquency, substanceabuse, adult criminality,and other prob-lems than individuals who have not beenvictimized (Ireland and Widom, 1995;Kelley,Thornberry, and Smith, 1997;Lemmon, 1999; Weeks and Widom, 1998;Widom, 1995, 1996; Wiebush, Freitag,andBaird, 2001). The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)developed the Safe Kids/Safe Streets(SK/SS) program to help communitiesreduce child abuse and neglect and theiraftereffects through collaborative, commu-nitywide efforts.

This document summarizes information about incidents of domestic violence reported in 2003 by members and affi liates of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), a network of twenty-four lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community-based anti-violence organizations and programs in cities and regions across the U.S. and Toronto, Canada. Specifi cally, this document reports about the number of new domestic violence incident reports recorded in 2003 by twelve participating NCAVP member agencies and several affi liates, including organizations serving LGBT domestic violence victims in Tucson, AZ; San Francisco, CA (incorporating combined reports from one NCAVP member and one affiliate); Los Angeles, CA (incorporating combined reports from one NCAVP member and several affi liates); Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA (including separate reports from two NCAVP members); New York, NY;
Columbus, OH; Burlington, VT; and Toronto, ON. Th is document also off ers demographic information about the victim(s) of domestic violence documented in each incident report, along with more general local organizational summaries and survivor narratives that help illustrate the diverse nature of domestic violence and its impacts on LGBT people and communities.

Since its inception in 1970, the Title X family planning program has helped create and support a network of thousands of public and private nonprofit clinics across the United States. These clinics together provide subsidized family planning services to millions of young and low-income women and men who otherwise would not have access to this care. Although Title X no longer provides the largest share of public dollars for family planning, it remains central to the nation’s family planning effort. Title X funds support basic clinic activities, including clinical care, infrastructure, education
and outreach, providing a critical source of payment for clients with neither public nor private health insurance, and subsidizing client costs for which the largest payer, Medicaid, does not fully reimburse. In addition, the program’s rigorous standards ensuring that services are voluntary, confidential, comprehensive and affordable have become the guiding principles for publicly funded family planning in the United States, Title X–supported or otherwise. The historic impact of Title X is considerable.

It is important to read this report not as the latest in a continuing series of linked reports, but as the latest in a series of year-to-year analyses of anti-LGBT incidents in participating regions, in part because the cities and regions represented in each year's report is slightly different. NCAVP's prior annual reports provide additional information and context on the issue of anti-LGBT violence, but do not have statistical bearing on this edition. However, local statistics and narratives can be examined for regional context and trends. The fact that less than half of NCAVP's members contributed to this edition of the report reflects fundamental and ongoing capacity and resource challenges for a growing number of LGBT anti-violence programs. Ultimately, we expect that this report will not only draw attention to the incidents and trends it documents, but that it will also highlight the need for more comprehensive responses to bias violence at the community level and assist NCAVP in advocating for those creating such efforts.

This is a report about bias-related incidents targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in the U.S. Its author is the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), a network of over 20 anti-violence organizations that monitor and respond to incidents of bias and domestic violence, HIV-related violence, pickup crimes, rape sexual assault, and other forms of violence affecting the LGBT community. Eleven NCAVP members collected detailed information about anti-LGBT incidents occurring in their cities and regions throughout 2002 and 2003, and this data constitutes the basis for most of the analysis in this report. The regions participating in this year's report are Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Colorado, Columbus, OH, Connecticut, Los Angeles, CA, Massachusetts, Minnesota, the New York, NY, Pennsylvania, and San Francisco, CA. In addition, information has been provided by anti-violence programs in Kansas City, Missouri and serving the state of Vermont.

Spending on long-term care services—about $193 billion in 2004—is expected to rise. In 2000, Congress passed the Long-Term Care Security Act, requiring the federal government to offer long-term care insurance. To do so, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) contracted with Long Term Care Partners LLC (Partners) to create the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. This is the second of two reports required by the act on the competitiveness of the federal program. GAO’s March 31, 2006, report, Long-Term Care Insurance: Federal Program Compared Favorably with Other Products, and Analysis of Claims Trend Could Inform Future Decisions (GAO-06-401), found that the federal program’s benefits and premiums compared favorably with other plans, but enrollment and claims experience—the amount and number of claims payments—were lower than Partners expected. In this report, GAO compared the federal program’s profit structure and marketing efforts with those of other plans and updated its analysis of the program’s claims experience. GAO reviewed the contract between OPM and Partners and interviewed OPM, Partners, and insurance carrier officials, as well as actuaries and industry experts. GAO also analyzed data on claim payments for the federal program since it began in 2002.

The national Health Inequalities Public Service Agreement Target is to:
Reduce health inequalities by 10% by 2010 as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth.
This target is underpinned by two more detailed objectives:
• starting with children under one year, by 2010 to reduce by at least 10 per cent the gap in mortality between routine and manual group and the population as a whole;
• starting with local authorities, by 2010 to reduce by at least 10 per cent the gap in life expectancy between the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators (the Spearhead Group) and the population as a whole.