This paper describes the enhancement of cultural competence through trans-Atlantic rural community experiences of European and Canadian nursing students using critical incident technique (CIT) as the students' reflective writing method. The data generated from 48 students' recordings about 134 critical incidents over a 2-year project were analysed by qualitative content analysis. Five main learning categories were identified as: cross-cultural ethical issues; cultural and social differences; health-care inequalities; population health concerns; and personal and professional awareness. Four emergent cultural perspectives for the health sector that became apparent from the reflections were: health promotion realm; sensitivity to social and cultural aspects of people's lives; channels between the health sector and society; cultural language and stories of local people. CIT was successfully used to foster European and Canadian undergraduate students' cultural reflections resulting in considerations and suggestions for future endeavours to enhance cultural competence in nursing education.

Although negative outcomes from intimate partner violence (IPV) are not inevitable, IPV is recognized to have profound negative effects on child development. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study of service providers' understandings of the impact of IPV on mothers, young children (birth to 36 months), and mother-infant/child relationships, and of the support needs of these mothers and young children. Service providers suggested that IPV negatively influenced caregiving and identified a pressing need for information and strategies to help mothers promote and protect their young children's development. Although service providers struggled to articulate ideal forms of assistance to promote maternal-infant/child relationships, they agreed that mothers and young children experiencing IPV required more support than is currently available.

Biomass burning in indoor environments has been highlighted as a major cause of respiratory morbidity for women and children in low-income countries. Inexpensive technological innovations which reduce such exposures are needed. This study evaluated the impact of low tech compost digesters, which generate biogas for cooking, versus traditional fuel sources on the respiratory health of nonsmoking Kenyan farmwomen. Women from 31 farms with biogas digesters were compared to age-matched women from 31 biomass-reliant farms, in June 2010. Only 43% of the biogas group reported any breathing problems, compared to 71% in the referent group (P = 0.03). Referent women self-reported higher rates of shortness of breath (52% versus 30%), difficulty breathing (42% versus 23%), and chest pain while breathing (35% versus 17%) during the last 6 months (P = 0.09 to 0.12) compared to biogas women. Biogas women demonstrated slightly better spirometry results but differences were not statistically significant, likely due to limited latency between biogas digester installation and spirometry testing. Most biogas women reported improved personal respiratory health (87%) and improved children's health (72%) since biogas digester installation. These findings suggest that using biogas in cookhouses improves respiratory symptoms but long-term impacts on lung function are unclear.

In order to offer optimal supports and services for mothers affected by intimate partner violence (IPV), an understanding of these mothers' perceptions of support needs, resources, barriers to support, and preferences for support intervention is warranted. Moreover, the growing recognition of the effects of IPV on maternal-infant relationships and of the importance of these early relationships to long-term child health outcomes suggests interventions are needed to support optimal maternal-infant relationships in these families. Thus, 64 mothers exposed to IPV when their infants were below 12 months of age participated in a retrospective qualitative study to identify mothers' support needs, resources, barriers to support, and preferences for specific support interventions to promote optimal mother-infant relationships. Participants identified both personal needs (including needs for leaving or staying with the violent partner), along with intertwined needs to care for, and help, their infants cope with the experience of violence. Mothers reported that integrated services that include information and practical support from professionals with emotional and affirmation support from peers would promote positive, nurturing mother-infant relationships and healthy child development.

Little information exists concerning (i) source contributions to airborne particulate pollution in Qatar, (ii) the potential impact that deteriorating air quality may have on the respiratory health of residents, and (iii) how climate change may affect respiratory health through its impact on air quality. Air quality in Qatar may be negatively affected by naturally occurring contributions including dust/sand originating from adjacent desert regions, microbial communities that may be associated with these particulates, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by blooms of phytoplankton in coastal waters. Of increasing concern are anthropogenic contributions, including emissions from the rapidly growing number of vehicles, from ships travelling in the Persian Gulf, and from industrial and construction activities. We examine the relative importance of these contributions and discuss some of the expected impacts on respiratory health. We conclude by speculating on the impact that climate change may have on air quality and respiratory health around Qatar.

Health Care Professionals are challenged by the increasing complexity of their own health care delivery systems and by growing inter-connectivity of the health care system worldwide. The role and the scope of health care practice within each country are often unclear, which can result in inappropriate role assumptions and differing levels of education and/or experience. Consequently qualifications and roles are often misunderstood by health care professionals in other countries, despite the increasing call for practice across boundaries in times of disaster,during international travel, and due to immigration and relocation. Subsequently, the partner institutions of this international project, offering health-related programs and international activities, were committed to a partnership that would increase work experiences abroad, student mobility and multicultural awareness, and aid the development of joint training modules in collaboration with partners in health care organizations. Participating faculty describe the process, challenges, and keys to success found in creating and living this international project. Students involved in the exchange process among seven partner schools in five countries evaluate the learning opportunities and challenges, and the joy of coming together as newfound colleagues and friends.

Health through International Exchange (word count 4301) now 4365, my comment yellow included = 8 words

Reasons for the developmental variability in children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) are unclear and under studied. This article presents exploratory findings on (a) the potential impact of IPV on mother-child relationships and child development and (b) the association between these maternal-child relationship impacts and child development. The fit of findings with compensatory, spillover, and compartmentalization hypotheses was explored. Participants were 49 mothers and 51 children younger than 3 years of age affected by IPV. Data were collected on maternal-child interactions, child development, social support, difficult life circumstances, family functioning, child temperament, and parental depression. The findings suggested developmental impacts on children in the sample, along with children's high sensitivity and responsiveness to their caregivers. Although some spillover effects were observed, the predominant observation was of mothers and infants compensating for exposure to IPV in their interactions.