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Keeping Sight of Albay: Vitamin A Blindness, Randomized Controlled Trials, and Cold War Foreign Aid Policy.

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Title: Keeping Sight of Albay: Vitamin A Blindness, Randomized Controlled Trials, and Cold War Foreign Aid Policy.
Authors: Sastry, Rajiv M.
Source: American Journal of Public Health. Jul2026, Vol. 116 Issue 7, p1044-1052. 9p.
Subjects: Government policy, Social determinants of health, Health policy, Randomized controlled trials, Child mortality, Public opinion, International relations, World health, Vitamin A deficiency in children, Rural conditions, Blindness, Practical politics, Public health, Dietary supplements, Children
Geographic Terms: Philippines
Abstract: Physicians have long known that vitamin A deficiency causes pediatric blindness. However, in 1986, Johns Hopkins researchers examining the impact of vitamin A supplementation on overall child mortality in Albay, Philippines, encountered strong local opposition, forcing the study's termination. Drawing on internal documents, interviews, and archival correspondence, this article uses the Albay study's collapse as a case study to examine how Cold War‒era cultural, geopolitical, and social forces shaped the public health knowledge production process. This history offers insights into how policymakers might develop effective modern foreign aid projects, especially as funding priorities continue to evolve. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(7):1044–1052. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2026.308447) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Keeping Sight of Albay: Vitamin A Blindness, Randomized Controlled Trials, and Cold War Foreign Aid Policy.
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  Data: Physicians have long known that vitamin A deficiency causes pediatric blindness. However, in 1986, Johns Hopkins researchers examining the impact of vitamin A supplementation on overall child mortality in Albay, Philippines, encountered strong local opposition, forcing the study's termination. Drawing on internal documents, interviews, and archival correspondence, this article uses the Albay study's collapse as a case study to examine how Cold War‒era cultural, geopolitical, and social forces shaped the public health knowledge production process. This history offers insights into how policymakers might develop effective modern foreign aid projects, especially as funding priorities continue to evolve. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(7):1044–1052. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2026.308447) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194643727
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        Value: 10.2105/AJPH.2026.308447
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Government policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social determinants of health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Health policy
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      – SubjectFull: Randomized controlled trials
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      – SubjectFull: Child mortality
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      – SubjectFull: International relations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: World health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vitamin A deficiency in children
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      – SubjectFull: Rural conditions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Blindness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Practical politics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dietary supplements
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Children
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Philippines
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Keeping Sight of Albay: Vitamin A Blindness, Randomized Controlled Trials, and Cold War Foreign Aid Policy.
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              Text: Jul2026
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              Y: 2026
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