BACKGROUND Climate change poses a major public health threat. A survey of U.S. local health department directors in 2008 found widespread recognition of the threat, but limited adaptive capacity, due to perceived lack of expertise and other resources. METHODS We assessed changes between 2008 and 2012 in local public health departments' preparedness for the public health threats of climate cha...

Objects on a collision course with an observer produce a specific pattern of optical expansion on the retina known as looming, which in theory exactly specifies the time-to-collision (TTC) of approaching objects. It was recently demonstrated that the affective content of looming stimuli influences perceived TTC, with threatening objects judged as approaching sooner than non-threatening objects....

• An Identity Card issued alongside a passport without an opt-out is seen as significantly more compulsory than an opt-out system. • Providing an opt-out to the Identity (ID) Card process during application increases support for ID Cards, but not significantly, and reduces the certainty of those opposed to ID Cards. • Distrust in the UK Government, alongside the perceived privacy threat of ID C...

OBJECTIVES To describe changes in the provision of rheumatology services, monitor the pattern of inequalities in UK rheumatology service provision since 2005, and to summarize the 3-yr impact of the new National Health Service (NHS) consultant contract and the Musculoskeletal Services Framework in England and Wales. METHODS Questionnaires about timetable and working conditions were sent to al...

The rubber hand illusion refers to the observation that participants perceive "body ownership" for a rubber hand if it moves, or is stroked in synchrony with the participant's real (covered) hand. Research indicates that events targeting artificial body parts can trigger affective responses (affective resonance) only with perceived body ownership, while neuroscientific findings suggest affectiv...

CONTEXT The military conflict that occurred between Lebanon and Israel in July and August of 2006 was characterized by the heavy bombardment of specific geographic regions in Israel, resulting in considerable civilian casualties and property damage. OBJECTIVE Israeli civilians directly and indirectly exposed to bombardment were compared on exposure to the recent bombardment, trauma history, p...

It is proposed that compulsive checking occurs when people who believe that they have a special, elevated responsibility for preventing harm, mainly to others, are unsure that the perceived threat has been reduced or removed. The intensity and duration of this checking is determined by three "multipliers": increased responsibility, probability of harm and anticipated seriousness of harm. The re...

Early detection through whole-body Skin Self-Examination (wbSSE) may decrease mortality from melanoma. Using the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) or Health Belief Model (HBM) we aimed to assess determinants of uptake of wbSSE in 410 men 50 years of older who participated in the control group of a randomized trial. Overall, the HAPA was a significantly better predictor of wbSSE compared to ...

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common medical problems worldwide. Approximately 18% of persons over 65 years old are diabetic. WHO estimates that the prevalence rate of diabetes (4% in 1995) will increase to 5.6% in 2025. Diabetic foot problems are potentially the most preventable long–term complication for diabetes. The purpose of this study was to test the utility of the He...

This study examined the effect of moderately repeated exposure (three times) to a fear appeal message on the Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) variables of threat, efficacy, and behavioral intentions for the recommended behaviors in the message, as well as the proportions of systematic and message-related thoughts generated after each message exposure. The results showed that after repe...