Digital Commons Network^™

Quality Evaluation Tool For Clinician Online Continuing Medical Education, Brittany Rosen, Gary Kreps, James M. Bishop Mr., Skye L. Mcdonald

Health Behavior Research

The purpose of this study was to develop and assess an instrument evaluating the quality of online continuing medical education interventions for clinicians. A review of seminal literature for evaluating health-related websites was conducted to incorporate best practices from health education, health communication, and web-based design principles. After reviewing the literature, 12 preliminary quality indicators were developed. Two independent coders used the preliminary quality indicators to code continuing medical education interventions. Internal reliability of the preliminary indicators was calculated using the Krippendorff’s alpha coefficient. After completing the reliability testing and revising the tool, the quality evaluation framework consisted of six …

Exposure To Violence And Sleep Inadequacies Among Men And Women Living In A Shelter Setting, Pooja Agrawal, Julie Neisler, Michael S. Businelle Phd, Darla E. Kendzor Phd, Daphne C. Hernandez, Chisom Odoh, Lorraine R. Reitzel

Health Behavior Research

Exposure to violence may explain sleep inadequacies reported by homeless adults, with women being potentially more susceptible to violence and sleep disturbances than men. This study examined the association between violence and sleep inadequacies among homeless adults and explored differences by sex. Adult participants were recruited from a shelter (n = 194; 71.1% men, M_age = 43.8+12.2). Participants self-reported victimization and/or witnessing violence (mugging, fight, and/or sexual assault) at the shelter, sleep duration (over an average 24 hours), insufficient sleep (days without sufficient rest/sleep), and unintentional daytime sleep (days with unintentional sleep) in the past month. Linear regressions …

Diet Quality As A Mediator Of The Relation Between Income-To-Poverty Ratio And Overweight/Obesity Among Adults: Moderating Effect Of Sex, Sajeevika S. Daundasekara, Nipa P. Kamdar, Ashley Dao, Anna Greer, E. Lisako J. Mckyer, Daphne C. Hernandez

Health Behavior Research

Poverty status influences obesity and dietary quality, and dietary quality influences obesity. How these relationships differ by sex is unclear. The current study aims were to 1) determine whether dietary quality mediates the relation between income-to-poverty ratio (IPR) and overweight/obesity (OV/OB) among men and women, separately, and 2) determine whether either of the mediated paths differs by sex. Four cycles of NHANES (2007-2014) were merged to obtain an unweighted study sample of 12,768 adults with complete data. Exposure variables included self-reported measures of IPR, Healthy Eating index (HEI) total score to measure diet quality, and sex. Direct assessment of …

Adult Food Insecurity Is Associated With Heavier Weight Preferences Among Black Women, Layton Reesor-Oyer, Nadia Garcia Marroquin, Daphne C. Hernandez

Health Behavior Research

Food insecurity is related to overweight/obesity among women. However, it is unknown whether food insecurity impacts individuals’ desired body composition, and whether this relationship differs by race/ethnicity similar to perceived ideal weight status. This study aims to evaluate whether food insecurity is related to elevated preferred weight status (e.g., overweight/obese versus normal weight) among black, white, and Hispanic women classified as overweight/obese. Four waves of NHANES data (2007–2014) were merged and yielded a total of 907 black, 1,271 white, and 1,005 Hispanic non-pregnant adult (age 20 to 59) women classified as overweight/obese. Participants self-reported their preferred weight status, adult-level food …

Consistency Of Reported Barriers For Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Adults Who Have Never Been Screened, Cherie Conley, Amanda J. Dillard, Constance M. Johnson, John A. Updegraff, Wei Pan, Alyssa Langenberg, Isaac Lipkus

Health Behavior Research

Morbidity and mortality from colorectal cancer can be decreased by addressing patient barriers to colorectal cancer screening; especially among adults who have never been screened. Assessing changes in barriers over time may help practitioners better tailor interventions to address patient barriers. We assessed among adults ages 50 -75 who have never been screened for colorectal cancer (CRC) which barriers predict prospective screening. A sample of 560 adults who had never been screened, recruited from Growth for Knowledge’s online panel, completed a baseline and a six-month follow-up survey. Both surveys assessed screening barriers after an online intervention that involved conveying tailored …

Cross-Sectional Associations Of Opiate Misuse/Opioid Use Disorder Among Adults Experiencing Homelessness, Valentina Maza, Daphne C. Hernandez, Phd, Msed, Faahb, Darla E. Kendzor Phd, Michael S. Businelle Phd

Health Behavior Research

The purpose of this manuscript is to determine the prevalence of opioid misuse/opioid use disorder (OUD) among adults experiencing homelessness and describe characteristics that account for significant variance in relation to opioid misuse in those who misuse and do not misuse opioids. From six homeless shelters in Oklahoma City, adults participated in a survey about their demographics, substance use, mental health, and physical health from July to August of 2016 (n = 569). For assessing substance use, participants responded about their opioid misuse and diagnosis of OUD, current smoking status, arrests due to drug possession or driving while intoxicated, …

Health Literacy And Self-Rated Health Among Homeless Adults, Chisom Odoh Phd, Jennifer I. Vidrine Phd, Michael S. Businelle Phd, Darla E. Kendzor Phd, Pooja Agrawal, Lorraine R. Reitzel Phd

Health Behavior Research

Poor health literacy reduces the efficacy of behavior change interventions, hampers management of health conditions, and attenuates understanding of the prevention and treatment of diseases. Poor health literacy has also been linked to fair/poor self-rated health in domiciled samples; however, there is a paucity of studies on the relation amongst homeless adults, who bear a disproportionate burden of disease and disability and require a high level of care and access to health services. Here, we examined the association between health literacy and self-rated health among a convenience sample of homeless adults. Participants were recruited from six homeless-serving agencies in Oklahoma …

What Determines Young Adults’ Attitudes, Perceived Norms, And Perceived Behavioral Control Towards Healthy Sleep Behaviors? A Reasoned Action Approach, Paul Branscum, Katie Qualls Fay

Health Behavior Research

A common limitation to the design of public health sleep interventions is the overall lack of using theory. Previous researchers have utilized the theory of planned behavior and the reasoned action approach (RAA) to predict healthy sleep behaviors, however much of this research was done using reflective (or generalized) measures, which alone is likely inadequate to equip health practitioners with tangible information they can use to translate theory into practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to use formative (or belief-based) measures of the RAA to evaluate the determinants of attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) of …

Food Insecurity As A Predictor Of Hurricane Exposure Among Underserved Adolescents, Katherine R. Arlinghaus, Daphne C. Hernandez, Craig Johnston

Health Behavior Research

Low-income populations are at increased risk for experiencing negative hurricane exposures and food insecurity. However, little is known regarding how pre-hurricane food insecurity experiences are related to youth hurricane exposure. This study examined the types of hurricane disaster exposures low-income, ethnic minority adolescents experienced during Hurricane Harvey and examined the association between food insecurity and hurricane exposure. Low-income adolescents (n = 185) were recruited from a Houston-area school district. Two days before the hurricane, food insecurity was assessed. Adolescents with at least one affirmative answer on the 9-item USDA Child Food Security Survey Module were classified as food insecure. …

Negative School Experiences And Pain Reliever Misuse Among A National Adolescent Sample, Kelsi J. Wood, Keith A. King, Rebecca A. Vidourek, Ashley L. Merianos

Health Behavior Research

A recent public health concern is the nonmedical use of prescription drugs among U.S. adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between negative school experiences and lifetime and past year pain reliever misuse among adolescents enrolled in high school nationwide. A secondary analysis was performed using the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2017 data. Participants included 8,337 adolescents enrolled in 9^th -12^th grades. A total of 6.0% of high school students reported they had misused pain relievers in their lifetime, and 3.9% reported they had misused pain relievers during the past year. …

Using The Theory Of Triadic Influence To Examine Correlates Of Positive Drug Expectancies Among Hispanic Adolescents, Wura Jacobs, Lauren Bartoszek, Jennifer Unger

Health Behavior Research

This study employs the Theory of Triadic Influence (TTI) which articulates the different variables that influence health-related behaviors into streams of influence—intrapersonal, social, and cultural—to better understand factors that influence positive drug use expectancies (PDE) among Hispanic adolescents. Data for the study came from Project RED, which included 1,963 high school students in Southern California. The relationships between participants’ drug expectancies and different streams of influence were examined using regression analysis. Participants were mostly females (54.2%); with a mean age of 17.13 years. Controlling for other covariates, there were no cultural stream variables associated with PDE (Model 1). Model 2, …

The Spread And Utility Of Social Network Analysis Across A Group Of Health Behavior Researchers, Megan S. Patterson, Tyler Prochnow Med, Patricia Goodson

Health Behavior Research

Social network analysis (SNA), both as theory and methodology, is a powerful framework for delimiting and studying health behaviors. Using SNA allows scholars to answer new research questions, innovatively investigate the social and systemic contexts of health and behavior, and collaborate on multi- or inter-disciplinary projects. As a result, SNA is growing in popularity within health behavior research and practice. Despite SNA’s contribution and appeal, few health behavior researchers and practitioners have access to formal SNA education; much of the current training efforts occur outside degree-granting curricula. Therefore, the aims of this paper were to: 1) assess the diffusion of …

Mentoring The Next Generation Of Health Professionals: A Mentor-The-Mentor Approach, Andrea L. Demaria, Stephanie Meier, Jaziel L. Ramos-Ortiz

Health Behavior Research

The purpose of this commentary is to share team-based mentoring strategies used for successful interdisciplinary research team productivity and sustainability. This commentary lists and describes the top ten considerations for building a productive mentor-the-mentor approach, inspired by the train-the-trainer method. The approach promotes reciprocal training and individualized experiences, while producing positive professional and personal outcomes. We pinpoint how relationship-building rooted in passion and clear communication, explicit expectations and regular celebrations, and routine paired with a bit of play enhances productivity and encourages future health professionals to emerge as leaders in the field.

Strategies For Successful Long-Distance Mentoring, Annie Nguyen, Scott Rhodes

Health Behavior Research

Mentorship offers benefits to both the mentee and mentor in terms of professional development and productivity. It can take many forms and is not limited to mentee-mentor pairs that are employed at the same institution. Mentoring relationships that span institutions offer an avenue for expanding one’s professional network beyond the local environment. We refer to this type of mentorship as “long-distance mentoring.” We offer four critical strategies and reflections for successful long-distance mentoring based on our experience in the AAHB Research Scholars Mentorship Program.

Psychoeducation “Aku Peduli” For Parent With Typically Developing Children At An Inclusive Kindergarten, Andi Nur Zamzam Arman, Farida Kurniawati

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This study examined the effectiveness of “AKU PEDULI” psychoeducation in helping the parents of typically developing children to increase their knowledge of special needs children and inclusive education at an inclusive kindergarten. “AKU PEDULI” is abbreviated from Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus dan Pendidikan Inklusif (Special Needs Children & Inclusive Education). Quantitative methods were used in both the pre-test and post-test parts of the research. Six mothers aged 28–34 years, of typically developing children were selected to participate in the study through accidental sampling. Participants were required to be parents of typically developing children who attend an inclusive kindergarten and who have …

Predictive Modeling Of Influenza In New England Using A Recurrent Deep Neural Network, Alfred Amendolara

Theses

Predicting seasonal variation in influenza epidemics is an ongoing challenge. To better predict seasonal influenza and provide early warning of pandemics, a novel approach to Influenza-Like-Illness (ILI) prediction was developed. This approach combined a deep neural network with ILI, climate, and population data. A predictive model was created using a deep neural network based on TensorFlow 2.0 Beta. The model used Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) nodes. Data was collected from the Center for Disease Control, the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the United States Census Bureau. These parameters were temperature, precipitation, wind speed, population size, vaccination rate and …

Mers-Cov Infection In South Korea And Strategies For Possible Future Outbreak: Narrative Review, Chulwoo Park

Faculty Publications

Although there were some positive viewpoints from international press and academia that the Republic of Korea (hereafter South Korea) successfully controlled the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015, the domestic point of view towards the MERS response in South Korea was critical. As people in the world’s 11th largest economy, South Koreans criticized the failure of hospitals’ initial response to the MERS index case and the lack of a proper control strategy for secondary and tertiary cases. To contain the MERS outbreak, South Korea implemented mainly three MERS control and intervention strategies: quarantine and isolation system, temporary closure …

Violent Conflict And Breastfeeding: The Case Of Iraq, Vidya Diwakar, Michael A. Malcolm, George Naufal

Economics & Finance Faculty Publications

Background: This study explores the relationship between armed conflict and breastfeeding practices of Iraqi mothers. To date, the relationship between violent conflict and breastfeeding is surprisingly understudied. Especially in the Middle East, which is conflict-prone and has a young population, research on war and household behavior is critical for promoting recovery and sustainable development. Methods: This study employs a unique pairing of the Iraq Body Count Database and the 2006 and 2011 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys for Iraq. We use probit models to explore the association between armed conflict and several breastfeeding outcomes – whether a child was ever breastfed, …

Intervention For Cognitive Reserve Enhancement In Delaying The Onset Of Alzheimer's Symptomatic Expression (Increase), A Randomized Controlled Trial: Rationale, Study Design, And Protocol, Daniela C. Moga, Brooke F. Beech, Erin L. Abner, Frederick A. Schmitt, Riham H. El Khouli, Ashley I. Martinez, Lynne Eckmann, Mark Huffmyer, Rosmy George, Gregory A. Jicha

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The course of Alzheimer's disease (AD) includes a 10-20-year preclinical period with progressive accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the absence of symptomatic cognitive or functional decline. The duration of this preclinical stage in part depends on the rate of pathologic progression, which is offset by compensatory mechanisms, referred to as cognitive reserve (CR). Comorbid medical conditions, psychosocial stressors, and inappropriate medication use may lower CR, hastening the onset of symptomatic AD. Here, we describe a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to test the efficacy of a medication therapy management (MTM) intervention to reduce inappropriate …

Social Ecological Factors Affecting Substance Abuse In Ghana (West Africa) Using Photovoice, Ahmed Kabore, Evans Afriyie-Gyawu, James Awuah, Andrew R. Hansen, Ashley Walker, Melissa Hester, Moussa Aziz Wonadé Sié, Dhruv Medarametla, Nicolas Meda

Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction: substance abuse is an important public health issue affecting West Africa; however, there is currently a dearth of literature on the actions needed to address it. The aim of this study was to assess the risks and protective factors of substance abuse in Ghana, West Africa, using the photovoice method.

Methods: this study recruited and trained 10 participants in recovery from substance abuse and undergoing treatment in the greater Accra region of Ghana on the photovoice methodology. Each participant received a disposable camera to take pictures that represented the risk and protective factors pertinent to substance abuse …

Clostridium Difficile In Asia: Opportunities For One Health Management, Deirdre A. Collins, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Clostridium difficile is a ubiquitous spore-forming bacterium which causes toxin-mediated diarrhoea and colitis in people whose gut microflora has been depleted by antimicrobial use, so it is a predominantly healthcare-associated disease. However, there are many One Health implications to C. difficile, given high colonisation rates in food production animals, contamination of outdoor environments by use of contaminated animal manure, increasing incidence of community-associated C. difficile infection (CDI), and demonstration of clonal groups of C. difficile shared between human clinical cases and food animals. In Asia, the epidemiology of CDI is not well understood given poor testing practices in many countries. …

Sex Differences In Becoming A Current Electronic Cigarette User, Current Smoker And Current Dual User Of Both Products: A Longitudinal Study Among Mexican Adolescents, Rosibel Rodríguez-Bolaños, Edna Arillo-Santillán, Inti Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Luis Zavala-Arciniega, Charity A. Ntansah, Jim Thrasher

Faculty Publications

This study aimed to assess sex differences in predictors for becoming a current exclusive electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) user, current exclusive smoker, or current dual user (concurrent smoking and e-cigarette use). This longitudinal study included 2399 females and 2177 males who had tried neither cigarettes nor e-cigarettes at baseline and attended 57 middle schools in the three largest cities in Mexico. We estimated multinomial logistic models stratified by sex. At follow-up, the prevalence of current exclusive e-cigarette use was 6.4% for males and 5.5% for females; current exclusive smoking was similar among males (3.6%) and females (3.5%); dual use was 2.4% …

Community-Based Responses To Negative Health Impacts Of Sexual Humanitarian Anti-Trafficking Policies And The Criminalization Of Sex Work And Migration In The Us, Heidi Hoefinger, Jennifer Musto, P.G. Macioti, Anne E. Fehrenbacher, Nicola Mai, Calum Bennachie, Calogero Giametta

Publications and Research

System-involvement resulting from anti-trafficking interventions and the criminalization of sex work and migration results in negative health impacts on sex workers, migrants, and people with trafficking experiences. Due to their stigmatized status, sex workers and people with trafficking experiences often struggle to access affordable, unbiased, and supportive health care. This paper will use thematic analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork with 50 migrant sex workers and trafficked persons, as well as 20 key informants from legal and social services, in New York and Los Angeles. It will highlight the work of trans-specific and sex worker-led initiatives …

Rates Of Benign Heart Tumors Diagnosed In Florida Hospitals: 1988-2012, Robert B. Hood, Elliott Smith, Richard B. Early, Zachary Weber, Sharona B. Ross, Alexander S. Rosemurgy Ii, Randall E. Harris

Florida Public Health Review

No abstract provided.

Burden And Risk Of Non-Aids Defining Cancers In Hiv-Infected Persons Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy, Brittney L. Dickey

Theses & Dissertations

The burden of cancers not previously associated with an HIV infection, called non-AIDS defining cancers (NADCs), have increased in the years since highly active anti-retroviral therapy has been introduced. The studies in this dissertation attempted to quantify this burden via incidence and mortality compared to the general population. Further, an assessment of risk factors and creation of a predictive risk model, a nomogram, were utilized to better understand how factors associated with demographics, lifestyle, and immune response affected risk for an NADC diagnosis once therapy was initiated and HIV better controlled. Standardized incidence and mortality ratios showed that burden of …

The Potential For Dickeya Dianthicola To Be Vectored By Two Common Insect Pests Of Potatoes, Jonas K. Insinga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dickeya dianthicola (Samson) causing blackleg and soft rot was first detected in potatoes grown in Maine in 2014. Previous work has suggested that insects, particularly aphids, may be able to vector bacteria in this genus between plants, but no conclusive work has been done to confirm this theory. In order to determine whether insect-mediated transmission is likely to occur in potato fields, two model potato pests common in Maine were used: the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decimlineata Say) and the green peach aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer). Olfactometry and recruitment experiments evaluated if either insect discriminates between infected and …

: Examining How Factors Associated With Patients, Physicians, Hospitals, And Surrounding Communities Affect Primary And Repeat Cesarean Delivery Through A Social-Ecological Lens, Christina Ventura-Dipersia

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Childbirth is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization in the U.S., and Cesarean delivery (i.e., surgical childbirth) is costlier and has a higher likelihood of birth-related complications, maternal rehospitalization, and postpartum medical care utilization than vaginal delivery. The rate of Cesarean delivery in the United States (U.S.) has increased in recent years by over 60%, from 20.7% of all births in 1996 to 32.9% of all births in 2011. As Although this increasing trend of Cesarean delivery incidence has also been seen in other countries, the rate of Cesarean delivery has been rising more steadily within …

Towards A “Rescue Ready” Mindset: Can Lifeguard Teams Learn Lessons From The Attributes Of Chronic Unease?, Billy Rj Doyle, Jonathon Webber

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Highly Reliable Organisations (HROs) are safety-centric organisations that operate in complex environments alongside risky technologies and processes. There is a high risk of catastrophe and error in these settings, the consequences of which may result in loss of life, financial cost, and damage to the environment. “Chronic unease” is a concept originally adopted by Royal Dutch Shell describing a mindset that has five predictable attributes that contribute to an individual’s and organisational safety culture. The authors of this paper describe the attributes of chronic unease in the context of lifeguard operations. A case study of a dangerous and dynamic rescue …

Small Molecules That Inhibit Tnf Signalling By Stabilising An Asymmetric Form Of The Trimer, James O'Connell, John Porter, Boris Kroeplien, Tim Norman, Stephen Rapecki, Rachel E. Davis, David Mcmillan, Tracy Arakaki, Alex Burgin, David Fox Iii, Tom Ceska, Fabien Lecomte, Alison Maloney, Alex Vugler, Bruce Carrington, Benjamin P. Cossins, Tim Bourne, Alastair Lawson

Faculty Publications

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a cytokine belonging to a family of trimeric proteins; it has been shown to be a key mediator in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. While TNF is the target of several successful biologic drugs, attempts to design small molecule therapies directed to this cytokine have not led to approved products. Here we report the discovery of potent small molecule inhibitors of TNF that stabilise an asymmetrical form of the soluble TNF trimer, compromising signalling and inhibiting the functions of TNF in vitro and in vivo. This discovery paves the way for …

After-Action Report: Tabletop Exercise On Opioid Crisis Response And Resilience, Alexander Siedschlag, Tiangeng Lu

Publications

AGENCY BRIEFINGS The opioid overdose epidemic has been characterized as the worst public health crisis in Pennsylvania, and the nation. Not only practitioners but also institutions of higher education with high research capacity, such as Penn State, are applying existing and developing new instruments to address opioid the crisis. Identifying best practices of preventing, protecting from, mitigating against, responding to, and recovering from opioid overdose outbreak is necessary for public health and safety and important for the overall homeland security enterprise, in consistency with the objectives of the Quadrennial Homeland Security Reviews (QHSR), the National Preparedness Goal (NPG), and the …