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Nutrition And Physical Activity In Child Care Centers: The Impact Of A Wellness Policy Initiative On Environment And Policy Assessment And Observation Outcomes, 2011, Rodney S. Lyn, Joyce Maalouf, Sarah Evers, Justin Davis, Monica Griffin

Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction The child care environment has emerged as an ideal setting in which to implement policies that promote healthy body weight of children. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a wellness policy and training program on the physical activity and nutrition environment in 24 child care centers in Georgia.

Methods We used the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation instrument to identify changes to foods served, staff behaviors, and physical activity opportunities. Observations were performed over 1 day, beginning with breakfast and concluding when the program ended for the day. Observations were conducted from February …

Alcohol Exposures, Alcohol Marketing, And Their Associations With Problem Drinking And Drunkenness Among Youth Living In The Slums Of Kampala, Uganda, Monica H. Swahn, Jane B. Palmier, Rogers Kasirye

Public Health Faculty Publications

This study determined the associations between alcohol use exposures, marketing, education, and problem drinking and drunkenness among youth living in the slums of Kampala. This cross-sectional study of youth was conducted in 2011 to quantify and describe high-risk behavior and exposures in a convenience sample (N=457) of urban youth living in the slums, 14–24 years of age, who were participating in a drop-in center for disadvantaged street youth. Logistic regression analyses were computed to determine associations between alcohol use exposures, marketing exposures, alcohol education, and problem drinking and drunkenness while controlling for possible confounders. Among participants, 30.2% reported problem drinking …

Bacterial Contamination On Household Toys And Association With Water, Sanitation And Hygiene Conditions In Honduras, Christine E. Stauber, Adam Walters, Anna M. Fabiszewski De Aceituno, Mark D. Sobsey

Public Health Faculty Publications

There is growing evidence that household water treatment interventions improve microbiological water quality and reduce diarrheal disease risk. Few studies have examined, however, the impact of water treatment interventions on household-level hygiene and sanitation. This study examined the association of four water and sanitation conditions (access to latrines, improved sanitation, improved water and the plastic biosand filter) on the levels of total coliforms and E. coli on existing and introduced toys during an on-going randomized controlled trial of the plastic biosand filter (plastic BSF). The following conditions were associated with decreased bacterial contamination on children’s toys: access to a latrine, …

The Added Value Of Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene Interventions To Mass Drug Administration For Reducing The Prevalence Of Trachoma: A Systematic Review Examining, Anyess R. Travers, Sheryl M. Strasser, Stephanie L. Palmer, Christine E. Stauber

Public Health Faculty Publications

Trachoma is the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. The SAFE strategy, the World Health Organization-recommended method to eliminate blinding trachoma, combines developments in water, sanitation, surgery, and antibiotic treatment. Current literature does not focus on the comprehensive effect these components have on one another. The present systematic review analyzes the added benefit of water, sanitation, and hygiene education interventions to preventive mass drug administration of azithromycin for trachoma. Trials were identified from the PubMed database using a series of search terms. Three studies met the complete criteria for inclusion. Though all studies found a significant change in reduction of …

Exposure To Celebrity- Endorsed Small Cigar Promotions And Susceptibility To Use Among Young Adult Cigarette Smokers, Kymberle L. Sterling, Roland S. Moore, Nicole Pitts, Melissa T. Duong, Kentya H. Ford, Michael Eriksen

Public Health Faculty Publications

Small cigar smoking among young adult cigarette smokers may be attributed to their exposure to its advertisements and promotions. We examined the association between exposure to a celebrity music artist’s endorsement of a specific brand of small cigars and young adult cigarette smokers’ susceptibility to smoking that brand. Venue-based sampling procedures were used to select and survey a random sample of 121 young adult cigarette smokers, aged 18–35. Fourteen percent reported exposure to the artist’s endorsement of the small cigar and 45.4% reported an intention to smoke the product in the future. The odds of small cigar smoking susceptibility increased …

The Basic Reproduction Number ℛ0 And Effectiveness Of Reactive Interventions During Dengue Epidemics: The 2002 Dengue Outbreak In Easter Island, Chile, Gerardo Chowell, Rodrigo Fuentes, A Olea, X. Aguilera, Hans Nesse, J. M. Hyman

Public Health Faculty Publications

We use a stochastic simulation model to explore the effect of reactive intervention strategies during the 2002 dengue outbreak in the small population of Easter Island, Chile. We quantified the effect of interventions on the transmission dynamics and epidemic size as a function of the simulated control intensity levels and the timing of initiation of control interventions. Because no dengue outbreaks had been reported prior to 2002 in Easter Island, the 2002 epidemic provided a unique opportunity to estimate the basic reproduction number ℛ0 during the initial epidemic phase, prior to the start of control interventions. We estimated ℛ0 at …

A Data-Driven Mathematical Model Of Ca-Mrsa Transmission Among Age Groups: Evaluating The Effect Of Control Interventions, Gerardo Chowell, Xiaoxia Wang, Sarada Panchanathan

Public Health Faculty Publications

Community associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has become a major cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in the US. We developed an age-structured compartmental model to study the spread of CA-MRSA at the population level and assess the effect of control intervention strategies. We used Monte-Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) techniques to parameterize our model using monthly time series data on SSTIs incidence in children (#19 years) during January 2004 -December 2006 in Maricopa County, Arizona. Our model-based forecast for the period January 2007– December 2008 also provided a good fit to data. We also carried out an uncertainty …

Skip The Trip: Air Travelers’ Behavioral Responses To Pandemic Influenza, Eli P. Fenichel, Nicolai V. Kuminoff, Gerardo Chowell

Public Health Faculty Publications

Theory suggests that human behavior has implications for disease spread. We examine the hypothesis that individuals engage in voluntary defensive behavior during an epidemic. We estimate the number of passengers missing previously purchased flights as a function of concern for swine flu or A/H1N1 influenza using 1.7 million detailed flight records, Google Trends, and the World Health Organization’s FluNet data. We estimate that concern over ‘‘swine flu,’’ as measured by Google Trends, accounted for 0.34% of missed flights during the epidemic. The Google Trends data correlates strongly with media attention, but poorly (at times negatively) with reported cases in FluNet. …

From The Guest Editors: Special Issue Dedicated To Carlos Castillo-Chavez On His 60th Birthday, Gerardo Chowell, Zhilan Feng, Baojun Song

Public Health Faculty Publications

Carlos Castilo-Chavez is a Regents Professor, a Joaquin Bustoz Jr. Professor of Mathematical Biology, and a Distinguished Sustainability Scientist at Arizona State University. His research program is at the interface of the mathematical and natural and social sciences with emphasis on (i) the role of dynamic social landscapes on disease dispersal; (ii) the role of environmental and social structures on the dynamics of addiction and disease evolution, and (iii) Dynamics of complex systems at the interphase of ecology, epidemiology and the social sciences. Castillo-Chavez has co-authored over two hundred publications (see goggle scholar citations) that include journal articles and edited …

The Prevalence Of Very Frequent Physical Fighting Among Boys And Girls In 27 Countries And Cities: Regional And Gender Differences, Monica H. Swahn, Lindsay Gressard, Jane B. Palmier, Huang Yao, Melissa Haberlen

Public Health Faculty Publications

Objective. Using nationally representative data, this study examined the prevalence of very frequent physical fighting (≥12 times per year) among youth in 27 countries and cities. Frequent physical fighting has rarely been reported in the previous literature despite the implications for research and practice. Methods. Analyses were based on theGlobal School-based StudentHealth Survey (2003–2008) and the 2009 US Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Multinomial regression analyses were conducted to determine gender differences in frequent fighting. Countrieswere categorized into five regions (Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America,Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, and the United States), and one-way ANOVA tests were used to determine regional …

Screening For Elder Mistreatment Among Older Adults Seeking Legal Assistance Services, Sheryl M. Strasser, Megan Smith, Scott Weaver, Shimin Zheng, Yan Cao

Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: The aging population is a rapidly growing demographic in the United States. Isolation, limited autonomy, and declining physical and mental health render many older adults vulnerable to elder mistreatment (EM). The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and correlates of EM among a sample of older adults using legal assistance services in Atlanta, Georgia. Methods: Researchers administered surveys to consenting older adults (aged 60þ) in 5 metro Atlanta community centers that hosted legal assistance information sessions as part of the Elderly Legal Assistance Program. The surveys screened for risk factors and prevalence of EM risk using …

Child Maltreatment And Disaster Prevention: Qualitative Study Of Community Agency Perspectives, Shannon Self-Brown, Page L. Anderson, Shannan M. Edwards, Tia M. Mcgill

Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: Child maltreatment (CM) is a significant public health problem that increases following natural disasters. Ecological approaches have been used to study these complex phenomena, and the current research fits within this perspective by conducting qualitative interviews with disaster response and family-serving community agencies. The purpose of the study was to identify whether or not community agencies identified CM as an issue that is relevant for disaster planning and response and their perspectives on risk and protective factors for CM risk following disaster. Methods: Agencies (n=16) from 2 geographical areas participated - one that recently experienced a natural disaster (Louisiana …

Co-Occurring Physical Fighting And Suicide Attempts Among U.S. High School Students: Examining Patterns Of Early Alcohol Use Initiation And Current Binge Drinking, Monica H. Swahn, Robert Bossarte, Jane B. Palmier, Huang Yao

Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: A growing body of empirical research documents a significant co-occurrence of suicide attempts and interpersonal violence among youth. However, the potential role of early alcohol use initiation and current heavy alcohol use as correlates of this comorbidity has not been examined in a nationally representative sample of high school students. Methods: We based our analyses on cross-sectional data from the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which includes a nationally representative sample (n=16,410) of high school students in grades 9 through 12 in the United States. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the associations between measures of alcohol …

An Examination Of Bullying In Georgia Schools: Demographic And School Climate Factors Associated With Willingness To Intervene In Bullying Situations, Lori Goldammer, Monica H. Swahn, Sheryl M. Strasser, Jeff Ashby, Joel Meyers

Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: Research dedicated to identification of precursors to cases of aggravated bullying in schools has led to enhanced knowledge of risk factors for both victimization and perpetration. However, characteristics among those who are more likely to intervene in such situations are less understood. The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between demographic characteristics, school climate and psychosocial factors, and willingness to intervene in a bullying situation among middle and high school students in Georgia. Methods: We computed analyses using cross-sectional data from the Georgia Student Health Survey II (GSHS 2006) administered to public school students in grades …

Exposure To Celebrity-Endorsed Small Cigar Promotions And Susceptibility To Use Among Young Adult Cigarette Smokers, Kymberle L. Sterling, Roland S. Moore, Nicole Pitts, Melissa T. Duong, Kentya H. Ford, Michael Eriksen

Public Health Faculty Publications

Small cigar smoking among young adult cigarette smokers may be attributed to their exposure to its advertisements and promotions. We examined the association between exposure to a celebritymusic artist’s endorsement of a specific brand of small cigars and young adult cigarette smokers’ susceptibility to smoking that brand. Venue-based sampling procedures were used to select and survey a randomsample of 121 young adult cigarette smokers, aged 18–35. Fourteen percent reported exposure to the artist’s endorsement of the small cigar and 45.4% reported an intention to smoke the product in the future. The odds of small cigar smoking susceptibility increased threefold for …