PREVENTION AND CONTROL TO FEATURE LATIN AMERICA, NEPALThe next issue of Prevention and Control features articles about the effects of agricultural policy on cardiovascular health in Latin America and about tobacco use among health professionals in Nepal. Prevention and Control is the World Heart Federation’s quarterly journal of cardiovascular health. The next issue is scheduled to appear in late June 2007 as Vol. 2, No. 3. By visiting the journal’s web site at http://www.precon-journal.com/home people will be able to read abstracts of the two articles under the heading “Editor’s Choice”. They will also be able to subscribe. A subscription gives access to the journal’s complete online version. Food policy and heart healthAgricultural and food policy for cardiovascular health in Latin America by Corinna Hawkes of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, argues that agricultural policies affecting the relative availability and price of different foods have positive and negative implications for cardiovascular health. “Governments in Latin America could use agricultural and food policies to promote cardiovascular health by creating incentives for the agricultural sector and the food-consuming industries to produce a food supply aligned with dietary guidelines,” she writes. Editor-in-Chief Andy Wielgosz said the article “brings another discipline to the understanding of cardiovascular disease control, namely the food production and marketing sector. It’s a very well written article. Although the focus is on Latin America, there are many lessons that are global in nature. It also provides a historical perspective showing trends in agricultural policies.” Smoking among Nepalese physiciansTobacco use among health professionals and their role in tobacco cessation in Nepal by Babu Ram Pokhrel, K.R. Thankappan, G.K. Mini and P.S. Sarma, reveals that more than 20% of the Nepalese health professionals studied use tobacco. Most of the tobacco users are men who also drink alcohol. “Strategies to resist peer pressure and making health institutions tobacco free are likely to reduce tobacco use among health professionals,” the authors argue. Dr Wielgosz said the article “underlines how much of a problem smoking still is within the health profession. It’s exciting that a country of such limited resources and contacts is addressing this problem. It could serve as a model for similar countries.” Writer’s workshopPrevention and Control continues to develop its niche as a journal focusing on the problems of low- and middle-income countries, where 80% of deaths from cardiovascular disease occur. In May in Ottawa, Dr Wielgosz and his fellow editorial board member Joaquin Barnoya held a writer’s workshop for potential contributors. It was their first since the one they presented in September at the World Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona. The participants were in Canada at the invitation of the federal government’s International Development Research Centre. Participation in the workshop was originally limited to 20. However, the limit was lifted because of the high demand. Sixty potential contributors representing 33 developing countries ended up participating. “It shows how interested people from low and middle income countries are in learning how to write articles for medical journals,” Dr Wielgosz said. For information about how to submit an article, visit: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/702758/description#description
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