Lisa Pursell | National University of Ireland, Galway (original) (raw)

Papers by Lisa Pursell

Global Health Action, 2018

Background: In many countries, smoking rates are higher among men than women, highlighting the im... more Background: In many countries, smoking rates are higher among men than women, highlighting the importance of focusing on factors that influence smoking prevalence among men. Expressed masculinities occur within settings that can influence men's perspectives and behaviours towards smoking. Objectives: To provide an overview of key aspects of how masculinities underpin men's behaviours regarding tobacco smoking. Methods: The Health, Illness, Men and Masculinities framework was used to develop a synthesis of masculinities captured in published articles about men's smoking behaviours. Five databases (PubMed, Medline Ovid, Embase, CINAHL and PsychINFO Ovid) and Google Scholar (up to April 2016) were searched using keywords derived from three concepts: men, smoking and health. In total, 351 articles that focused on smoking and used/implied masculinity concepts were identified. These underwent a two-stage screening process applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, first titles/abstracts and then full-text. Data from 45 selected articles were extracted and charted. Results: Regions with high prevalence of smoking among men, such as South East Asia and the Western Pacific, had a disproportionate number of studies on masculinity and smoking, with less exploration of masculinity as a protective factor, especially for young people, and men-specific settings to support non-smoking behaviour. Conclusions: Incorporating masculinity in future settings-based approaches to smoking-related health promotion programmes has the potential to reduce smoking prevalence among men.

Comparative methods were employed to investigate the relative biological activity of oxytetracycl... more Comparative methods were employed to investigate the relative biological activity of oxytetracycline in two media that have been used in studies of the frequency of oxytetracycline resistance in marine sediments associated with fish farms. Tryptone Soya Citrate Agar (TSCA) which has been used in Norwegian studies and 2216V agar which has been used in Irish studies were chosen for investigation. Using a nominal breakpoint concentration of 25 pg ml-' oxytetracycline and identical incubation conditions higher total numbers and significantly lower frequencies of resistance were detected in ten samples of a non-fish farm marine sediment when 2216V media were used. Fifty seven of 60 colony forming units (95%), originally isolated on 2216V agar containing 25 pg ml-' oxytetracycline were. capable of forming colonies on TSCA. Of these, all could also form colonies on TSCA containing 25 pg ml -' oxytetracycline. In contrast only 37 of 60 colonies originally isolated on TSCA containing 25 pg ml-' oxytetracychne were capable of colony formation on 2216V agar and of these only 70% were capable of colony formation on this media containing 25 pg ml-' oxytetracycline. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of oxytetracycline against ten bacteria were established in Mueller Hinton Agar, TSCA and 2216V agar. MIC values were consistently higher when determined on both TSCA and 2216V agar but the extent of the increase showed significant strain to strain variation. These dam indicate that it is not possible to arrive at a universally applicable value for the biological activity of oxytetracycline in these agar media.

Abstract Objectives To compare exposure to secondhand smoke and respiratory health in bar staff i... more Abstract Objectives To compare exposure to secondhand smoke and respiratory health in bar staff in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland before and after the introduction of legislation for smoke-free workplaces in the Republic. Design Comparisons before and after the legislation in intervention and control regions. Setting Public houses in three areas in the Republic (intervention) and one area in Northern Ireland (control). Participants 329 bar staff enrolled in baseline survey; 249 (76%) followed up one year later.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Li... more This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ... Objectives: To compare support for, and perceptions of, the impacts of smoke-free workplace legislation among bar workers in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) preand post-implementation, and to identify predictors of support for the legislation.

Abstract This study evaluates the impacts of a locally based health impact assessment (HIA) on co... more Abstract This study evaluates the impacts of a locally based health impact assessment (HIA) on community participation, inter-sectoral and inter-agency partnership in local decision and policy-making processes. The methods comprised a series of semi-structured interviews with key informants followed by thematic analysis of transcribed responses. The study revealed a number of positive impacts among both community and service providers.

The Discipline of Health Promotion at the National University of Ireland, Galway delivers a Postg... more The Discipline of Health Promotion at the National University of Ireland, Galway delivers a Postgraduate Diploma and Master's course in Health Promotion. While a core Research Methods module incorporates some teaching of evaluation research in health promotion, a need was identified for the further development of this component into a stand-alone module. This need was primarily driven by the development of competencies within the discipline of health promotion.

Abstract Health impact assessment (HIA) is based on a socio-economic model of health and provides... more Abstract Health impact assessment (HIA) is based on a socio-economic model of health and provides a transparent framework for the identification and appraisal of health impacts of policies, programmes or projects. The use of HIA with the Republic of Ireland (ROI) is still under development and this study aimed to examine the use of HIA in Ireland within the context of the evaluation of two pilot HIAs.

Plasma concentrations of oxytetracycline (OTC) were established in two Atlantic salmon (Salmo sal... more Plasma concentrations of oxytetracycline (OTC) were established in two Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) pre-smolts populations after they had received OTC medicated feed at a rate of 75 mg OTC/kg over 10 days. One population was experiencing an epizootic of furunculosis in a commercial freshwater farm and the other was held in a laboratory. Both populations were maintained at approximately 13° C. The mean plasma concentration in 26 health farm fish was 0.25±0.06 and the 80th percentile was 0.21 mg/l.

The Discipline of Health Promotion at the National University of Ireland, Galway delivers a Postg... more The Discipline of Health Promotion at the National University of Ireland, Galway delivers a Postgraduate Diploma and Master¿ s course in Health Promotion. While a core Research Methods module incorporates some teaching of evaluation research in health promotion, a need was identified for the further development of this component into a stand alone module.

The Department of Public Health at the former Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) was commis... more The Department of Public Health at the former Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) was commissioned by URBAN Ballyfermot Ltd., EU URBAN II Initiative to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of traffic and transport in Ballyfermot. The HIA was conducted between 2003 and 2004 and culminated in the publication of a report entitled: A Health Impact Assessment of Traffic and Transport in Ballyfermot (ERHA 2004).

This paper presents a critical analysis of health impact assessment (HIA) in the Republic of Irel... more This paper presents a critical analysis of health impact assessment (HIA) in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) in the context of institutional policy and practice. It begins with a brief background to the origins and aims of HIA. Core developments in health and environmental sectors pertaining to HIA in the ROI are then considered. A series of significant developments have taken place in these sectors over the past decade that are positively associated with the promotion of HIA in the ROI.

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland has produced this document as a resource for public hea... more The Institute of Public Health in Ireland has produced this document as a resource for public health on the island. It may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement but is not for resale or for use in conjunction with commercial purposes without permission from the Institute's CEO.

Global Health Action, 2018

Background: In many countries, smoking rates are higher among men than women, highlighting the im... more Background: In many countries, smoking rates are higher among men than women, highlighting the importance of focusing on factors that influence smoking prevalence among men. Expressed masculinities occur within settings that can influence men's perspectives and behaviours towards smoking. Objectives: To provide an overview of key aspects of how masculinities underpin men's behaviours regarding tobacco smoking. Methods: The Health, Illness, Men and Masculinities framework was used to develop a synthesis of masculinities captured in published articles about men's smoking behaviours. Five databases (PubMed, Medline Ovid, Embase, CINAHL and PsychINFO Ovid) and Google Scholar (up to April 2016) were searched using keywords derived from three concepts: men, smoking and health. In total, 351 articles that focused on smoking and used/implied masculinity concepts were identified. These underwent a two-stage screening process applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, first titles/abstracts and then full-text. Data from 45 selected articles were extracted and charted. Results: Regions with high prevalence of smoking among men, such as South East Asia and the Western Pacific, had a disproportionate number of studies on masculinity and smoking, with less exploration of masculinity as a protective factor, especially for young people, and men-specific settings to support non-smoking behaviour. Conclusions: Incorporating masculinity in future settings-based approaches to smoking-related health promotion programmes has the potential to reduce smoking prevalence among men.

Comparative methods were employed to investigate the relative biological activity of oxytetracycl... more Comparative methods were employed to investigate the relative biological activity of oxytetracycline in two media that have been used in studies of the frequency of oxytetracycline resistance in marine sediments associated with fish farms. Tryptone Soya Citrate Agar (TSCA) which has been used in Norwegian studies and 2216V agar which has been used in Irish studies were chosen for investigation. Using a nominal breakpoint concentration of 25 pg ml-' oxytetracycline and identical incubation conditions higher total numbers and significantly lower frequencies of resistance were detected in ten samples of a non-fish farm marine sediment when 2216V media were used. Fifty seven of 60 colony forming units (95%), originally isolated on 2216V agar containing 25 pg ml-' oxytetracycline were. capable of forming colonies on TSCA. Of these, all could also form colonies on TSCA containing 25 pg ml -' oxytetracycline. In contrast only 37 of 60 colonies originally isolated on TSCA containing 25 pg ml-' oxytetracychne were capable of colony formation on 2216V agar and of these only 70% were capable of colony formation on this media containing 25 pg ml-' oxytetracycline. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of oxytetracycline against ten bacteria were established in Mueller Hinton Agar, TSCA and 2216V agar. MIC values were consistently higher when determined on both TSCA and 2216V agar but the extent of the increase showed significant strain to strain variation. These dam indicate that it is not possible to arrive at a universally applicable value for the biological activity of oxytetracycline in these agar media.

Abstract Objectives To compare exposure to secondhand smoke and respiratory health in bar staff i... more Abstract Objectives To compare exposure to secondhand smoke and respiratory health in bar staff in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland before and after the introduction of legislation for smoke-free workplaces in the Republic. Design Comparisons before and after the legislation in intervention and control regions. Setting Public houses in three areas in the Republic (intervention) and one area in Northern Ireland (control). Participants 329 bar staff enrolled in baseline survey; 249 (76%) followed up one year later.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Li... more This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ... Objectives: To compare support for, and perceptions of, the impacts of smoke-free workplace legislation among bar workers in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) preand post-implementation, and to identify predictors of support for the legislation.

Abstract This study evaluates the impacts of a locally based health impact assessment (HIA) on co... more Abstract This study evaluates the impacts of a locally based health impact assessment (HIA) on community participation, inter-sectoral and inter-agency partnership in local decision and policy-making processes. The methods comprised a series of semi-structured interviews with key informants followed by thematic analysis of transcribed responses. The study revealed a number of positive impacts among both community and service providers.

The Discipline of Health Promotion at the National University of Ireland, Galway delivers a Postg... more The Discipline of Health Promotion at the National University of Ireland, Galway delivers a Postgraduate Diploma and Master's course in Health Promotion. While a core Research Methods module incorporates some teaching of evaluation research in health promotion, a need was identified for the further development of this component into a stand-alone module. This need was primarily driven by the development of competencies within the discipline of health promotion.

Abstract Health impact assessment (HIA) is based on a socio-economic model of health and provides... more Abstract Health impact assessment (HIA) is based on a socio-economic model of health and provides a transparent framework for the identification and appraisal of health impacts of policies, programmes or projects. The use of HIA with the Republic of Ireland (ROI) is still under development and this study aimed to examine the use of HIA in Ireland within the context of the evaluation of two pilot HIAs.

Plasma concentrations of oxytetracycline (OTC) were established in two Atlantic salmon (Salmo sal... more Plasma concentrations of oxytetracycline (OTC) were established in two Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) pre-smolts populations after they had received OTC medicated feed at a rate of 75 mg OTC/kg over 10 days. One population was experiencing an epizootic of furunculosis in a commercial freshwater farm and the other was held in a laboratory. Both populations were maintained at approximately 13° C. The mean plasma concentration in 26 health farm fish was 0.25±0.06 and the 80th percentile was 0.21 mg/l.

The Discipline of Health Promotion at the National University of Ireland, Galway delivers a Postg... more The Discipline of Health Promotion at the National University of Ireland, Galway delivers a Postgraduate Diploma and Master¿ s course in Health Promotion. While a core Research Methods module incorporates some teaching of evaluation research in health promotion, a need was identified for the further development of this component into a stand alone module.

The Department of Public Health at the former Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) was commis... more The Department of Public Health at the former Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) was commissioned by URBAN Ballyfermot Ltd., EU URBAN II Initiative to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of traffic and transport in Ballyfermot. The HIA was conducted between 2003 and 2004 and culminated in the publication of a report entitled: A Health Impact Assessment of Traffic and Transport in Ballyfermot (ERHA 2004).

This paper presents a critical analysis of health impact assessment (HIA) in the Republic of Irel... more This paper presents a critical analysis of health impact assessment (HIA) in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) in the context of institutional policy and practice. It begins with a brief background to the origins and aims of HIA. Core developments in health and environmental sectors pertaining to HIA in the ROI are then considered. A series of significant developments have taken place in these sectors over the past decade that are positively associated with the promotion of HIA in the ROI.

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland has produced this document as a resource for public hea... more The Institute of Public Health in Ireland has produced this document as a resource for public health on the island. It may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement but is not for resale or for use in conjunction with commercial purposes without permission from the Institute's CEO.