Deaf persons and computer use

Deaf person's computer use was studied (N = 227). Respondents self-administered a survey in their preferred language (voice, American Sign Language, captions, or printed English). A small nonparticipant sample was also recruited. Demographics were consistent with those in other studies of deaf people: 63% of respondents reported computer use, mostly at home; 50% of nonparticipants reported computer use. Subjects with hearing loss due to meningitis were less likely to use computers (p = .0004). Computer use was associated with English usage at home (p = .008), with hearing persons (p = .002), and with physicians and nurses (p = .00001). It was also associated with the use of Signed English as a child to communicate (p = .02), teacher use of Signed English (p = .04), and teacher use of ASL (p = .03). Two thirds of respondents reported using computers, though nonresponder data suggested less use among all deaf persons. Computer use was associated with English use and inversely associated with hearing loss due to meningitis.     

Surfing for health: user evaluation of a health information website. Part one: Background and literature review

The Government in Britain is set on using the Internet to expand the provision of health information to the general public. Concerns over the quality of the health information have preoccupied commentators and organizations rather than the way users interact with health information systems. This report examines the issues surrounding the provision of electronic health information, and describes an evaluation undertaken of a commercial health website-that of Surgerydoor (http://www.surgerydoor.co.uk/), and comprises two parts. Part one outlines the literature on electronic health information evaluation. It discusses quality issues, but also redresses the imbalance by exploring other evaluative perspectives. Part two describes an evaluation of a health information Internet site in terms of its usability and appeal, undertaken as part of a Department of Health funded study on the impact of such systems.     

Les contours psychosociaux de l’infanticide en Afrique noire: le cas du Sénégal

Objective: Following the example of Senegal, this study had two main objectives. First: Ring the alarm bell about the large number of infanticides in a country where people usually consider a child as a treasure. Second: Highlight the deep motivations which may induce an African woman to kill her child.Method: The author examined psychiatric experts reports about crimes and varied offenses acquired from Fann University Hospital in Dakar during a 27 year period, from January 1968 to December 1994.Results: For a total number of 164 reports, 33 or 20% concerned infanticides. This underlines the importance of the phenomenon. Mental pathology appeared in two cases (3%) but 97% were supposed to be mentally healthy.Conclusion: These results suggest that social and cultural reasons more than medical ones explain the occurrence of infanticides. It seems that it is under the pressure of social and cultural motivations that women and especially young mothers, depreciate becoming a mother.