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Bisphenol-A And The Great Divide: A Review Of Controversies In The Field Of Endocrine Disruption, Laura Vandenberg, Maricel V. Maffini, Carlos Sonnenschein, Beverly S. Rubin, Ana M. Soto

Laura Vandenberg

In 1991, a group of 21 scientists gathered at the Wingspread Conference Center to discuss evidence of developmental alterations observed in wildlife populations after chemical exposures. There, the term “endocrine disruptor” was agreed upon to describe a class of chemicals including those that act as agonists and antagonists of the estrogen receptors (ERs), androgen receptor, thyroid hormone receptor, and others. This definition has since evolved, and the field has grown to encompass hundreds of chemicals. Despite significant advances in the study of endocrine disruptors, several controversies have sprung up and continue, including the debate over the existence of nonmonotonic dose …

No Free Lunch? Current Challenges Facing The National School Lunch And School Breakfast Programs, Eileen Salinsky

National Health Policy Forum

This background paper describes important characteristics of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, reviews U.S. Department of Agriculture rules regarding the nutritional content of school meals, and examines compliance with current nutrition standards. It also considers the dietary status and obesity risk of meal program participants, discusses proposed improvements to nutritional standards and meal requirements, and highlights key legislative issues.

Prospective Associations Between Objective Measures Of Physical Activity And Fat Mass In 12-14 Year Old Children: The Avon Longitudinal Study Of Parents And Children (Alspac), Chris J. Riddoch, Sam D. Leary, Andy R. Ness, Steven N. Blair, Kevin Deere, Calum Mattocks, Alex Griffiths, George Davey Smith, Kate Tilling

Faculty Publications

Objective: To investigate associations between physical activity at age 12 and subsequent adiposity at age 14.

Design: Prospective birth cohort study with data collected between 2003 and 2007.

Setting: Original recruitment in 1991-2 of 14,541 pregnant women living in the former County of Avon (United Kingdom).

Participants: At age 12, 11,952 children were invited to attend the research clinic. Of these, 7159 attended, and 4150 (1964 boys, 2186 girls) provided sufficient data on exposure, outcome, and confounding variables.

Main outcome measure: Fat mass at age 14, measured by dual emission x ray absorptiometry, associated with physical activity at age 12, …

Environmental Health Service Learning And Water Quality In Gales Point, Belize, Ritchie D. Taylor, Shabbar Ranapurwala, Matthew Hill

Impact Belize

Belize is a country in Central America, formerly British Honduras, located south of Mexico and east of Guatemala on the Yucatan Peninsula. As part of the WKU International Health and Human Service Learning Program, an assessment of the local water supply in Gales Point, Belize was conducted. Gales Point is a small rural village located on the Caribbean Sea coast of Belize. Belize is a developing country thus access to safe drinking water can be problematic, as was observed on the local scale. The lack of technical, managerial and financial capacity coupled with the rural location of the village, create …

Hp Newsletter Sept. 09 Download Full Pdf

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

A Review Of The National Physical Activity Plans Of Six Countries, Daniel B. Bornstein, Russell R. Pate, Michael Pratt

Faculty Publications

Background: Architects of the United States national physical activity plan can benefit from a thorough understanding of national physical activity plans from other nations. The purpose of this paper was to search for and analyze comprehensive national physical activity plan documents that can best inform the development of the U.S. plan. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for national physical activity plan documents, yielding 252 documents from 56 countries. After eliminating documents that were not written in English, did not address physical activity primarily, and did not meet our definition of a national physical activity plan, we were left with physical …

Dare To Compare, Laura Pizzi Pharmd, Mph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

A Study Among Community Living Underneath Sutet About The General Health Condition And The Electromagnetic Fields Exposures, Corrie Wawolumaya, Djoko Darwanto

Kesmas

Jaringan SUTET Perusahaan Listrik Negara banyak melalui daerah pemukiman. Tujuan penelitian mendapatkan gambaran kesehatan penduduk yang bermukim di bawah SUTET dan di daerah urban miskin Jakarta dan sekitarnya. Penelitian disain kroseksional ini dilakukan pada sample 1200 kepala keluarga yang ditarik secara stratifikasi proportional purposif berdasarkan zona kuat medan elektromagnet. Data dikumpulkan dengan metoda observasi, wawancara dan pemeriksaan kesehatan. Kuat medan listrik dan medan magnet diukur terpisah di luar rumah, dan di dalam rumah. Ditemukan kuat medan listrik tertinggi pada ketinggian 1 meter di atas tanah 3,1 kV/m. Kuat medan magnet 550 mA/m atau 687,5.10-3µT diidentifikasi dalam zona 1 0-20 m …

Peer-Led, School-Based Nutrition Education For Young Adolescents: Feasibility And Process Evaluation Of The Teens Study, Mary Story, Leslie A. Lytle, Amanda Birnbaum, Cheryl L. Perry

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Peer education has become a popular strategy for health promotion interventions with adolescents, but it has not been used widely in school‐based nutrition education. This paper describes and reports on the feasibility of the peer leader component of school‐based nutrition intervention for young adolescents designed to increase fruit and vegetable intakes and lower-fat foods. About 1,000 seventh‐grade students in eight schools received the nutrition intervention. Of these, 272 were trained as peer leaders to assist the teacher in implementing the activities. Results from a multicomponent process evaluation based on peer leader and classroom student feedback, direct classroom observation, and teacher …

Using Primary Care To Bend The Curve: Estimating The Impact Of A Health Center Expansion On Health Care Costs, Leighton C. Ku, Patrick Richard, Avi Dor, Ellen Tan, Peter Shin, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

This research brief, the third in a series examining the link between national health reform proposals and community health centers, estimates the cost savings that would be realized by making important investments in non-profit health centers as an element of national health reform. Key findings include:

Increasing health center capacity by another 20 million patients by 2019 (to 39 million patients) under health reform can be expected to generate an additional $35.6 billion savings in 2019 and $212 billion in additional savings over the 2010-2019 ten-year time period.

Were the Medicaid prospective payment rate system to be applied to exchange …

Counting On Care Work: Human Infrastructure In Massachusetts, Randy Albelda, Mignon Duffy, Nancy Folbre

Center for Social Policy Publications

In Massachusetts, as in every other place in the world, all children need to be cared for and educated, everybody has physical and mental health needs that require attention, and some individuals need assistance with the daily tasks of life because of illness, age, or disability. The labor of meeting these needs – which we call care work – is a complex activity that has profound implications for personal, social and economic well-being. Care work is not just a cornerstone of our economy – it is a rock-bottom foundation. Care work provides the basis for our human infrastructure, and we …

Health Center Data Warehouses: Opportunities And Challenges For Quality Improvement, A. Seiji Hayashi, Emily Jones, David M. Stevens, Peter Shin, Brad Finnegan, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

This Policy Research Brief reports on a pilot effort to leverage the growing presence of health center data warehouses to advance health care quality improvement through data sharing and exchange. This project builds on a partnership between the Michigan Primary Care Association and The George Washington University's Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative that centers on developing approaches to using existing health center data for quality improvement.

Sedentary Behavior And Obesity In A Large Cohort Of Children, Jonathan A. Mitchell, Calum Mattocks, Andy R. Ness, Sam D. Leary, Russell R. Pate, Marsha Dowda, Steven N. Blair, Chris Riddoch

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between sedentary behavior and obesity among 12-year-old children, while adjusting for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and other potential confounding variables.

Cross-sectional analyses were carried out with data from 5434 children who participated in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Fat mass was derived using dual x-ray emission absorptiometry (DXA), and height and weight measurements were used to calculate body mass index (BMI; kg/m²). The children wore an accelerometer for seven days. The cut points for sedentary behavior and MVPA were ≤199 cpm and ≥3600 cpm, …

Community Health Centers In Indiana: State Investments And Returns, Avi Dor, Patrick Richard, Ellen Tan, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Peter Shin, Lee Repasch

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

Indiana Community Health Centers (I-CHC), including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and State Funded Health Centers (SFHCs), play a vital role in caring for the state's most vulnerable populations. Although their patient base tends to be poorer and experience greater health challenges than the general population, these health centers have generated substantial health care savings while providing high quality, low cost care. In this brief, key findings are presented from a recent study, conducted for the Indiana State Department of Health by GWU faculty and staff that was designed to estimate the cost savings and benefits generated by the state's …

A Health Insurance Exchange: Prototypes And Design Issues, Mark Merlis

National Health Policy Forum

Many reform proposals call for the creation of one or more health insurance exchanges, intermediaries that can help individuals or small employers navigate the insurance market. An exchange might be public or private, national, or local. It might serve simply as a clearinghouse for plan information or could play an active role in setting benefit packages, choosing high-quality plans, and negotiating premium rates. This paper begins with a summary of recent experience with insurance exchanges and similar systems. It then reviews basic issues in the design of an exchange.

Commencement Program 2009, Loma Linda University

Commencement Programs

CONTENTS

2 | 2009 Events of Commencement

3 | The Academic Procession

4 | Significance of the Academic Regalia

5 | The Good Samaritan

6 | The Speakers

13 | The University Honorees

19 | The School Honorees

30 | The Program

• School of Medicine, 31
• School of Pharmacy, 46
• School of Dentistry, 51
• School of Science and Technology and School of Religion, 63
• School of Nursing, 71
• School of Allied Health Professions - Physical Therapy, 78
• School of Allied Health Professions, 86
• School of Public Health, 95

Predicting Intention To Wean From The Bottle Among Hispanic Mothers, Elaine K. Fleming

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background. Hispanic children carry a disproportionate burden of prolonged bottle use and associated disease. Children in low-income households who use the bottle beyond age 12 months are at risk for iron deficiency anemia, obesity, and early childhood dental caries.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of intention to wean from the bottle among low-income Hispanic mothers of infants enrolled in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Method. A convenience sample of 266 low-income Hispanic mothers of infants age 5 to 14 months old were categorized into four groups by experience …

Determinants Of Hepatitis B Vaccination Among Adults In The United States: Nhanes 1999-2006, Conschetta Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of vaccination and HBV infection status of adults and to evaluate the trend in self reported vaccination and seroprevalence for Hepatitis B for this population. Additionally, this study sought to assess the association between vaccination rates, seroprevalence (HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HBs), demographic (age, gender, location of birth, race/ethnicity), and socioeconomic (annual household income, education level, insurance coverage and access to care, marital status) characteristics. Methods: Eight years, 1999-2006, of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data were used. NHANES participants aged 20-59 years who contributed data …

State Report Of Unmet Needs For Quarter 3 Fy '09 (Jan- Mar '09), Helen Hemminger Mmhs

Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Delayed And Forgone Care For Children With Special Health Care Needs In Virginia: A Cross-Sectional Study Using 2005-2006 Ns-Cshcn, Nevena Skoro

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives The objectives of our study were to: 1) summarize illness characteristics and functional ability difficulties among Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) in Virginia, 2) examine the distribution of socio-demographic, health insurance, and health-related factors among Virginia’s CSHCN, 3) quantify the influence of these socio-demographic, health insurance, and health-related factors on delayed and forgone care of CSHNC in Virginia, and 4) analyze reasons for delayed and forgone care among Virginia’s CSHCN. Methods Data from the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) were used for this study. Three categories of predictor variables were studied: …

Applying Leadership Paradigms To Public Health Challenges

Florida Public Health Review

In the 2008 volume of the Florida Public Health Review we published some student essays in which specific leadership paradigms were applied in theory to tackle some of public health’s most challenging problems. We continue that in effort in 2009 and invite other public health students, faculty, and practitioners from around the state to contribute ideas that foster leadership skills and the development of dynamic leaders.

Evaluation Of Diabetes Education For Latinos Living In A Metropolitan Area, Anna Rockett Potter

Public Health Theses

Diabetes is a worldwide epidemic, especially as the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes has increased in recent years. Minorities are disproportionately affected by the disease and, at the same time, often have less access to resources including medication and education. The Emory Latino Diabetes Education Program (ELDEP) is a culturally component diabetes education program aimed at promoting increased knowledge about diabetes disease management within the Latino population of metropolitan Atlanta. The program considers cultural competence and acculturation theory in its learning structure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ELDEP’s effectiveness in increasing knowledge of diabetes, healthy behaviors, and …

The Children's Health Insurance Program (Chip): The Fundamentals, Jennifer Ryan

National Health Policy Forum

This background paper provides a brief overview of the fundamental elements of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). CHIP, which served more than 7 million children in federal fiscal year 2008, is a jointly funded federal-state partnership that was originally enacted in 1997 as a complement to the Medicaid program. CHIP is designed to provide health insurance coverage for children in families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford to purchase private insurance coverage. The program was reauthorized in the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009, which included several changes and additions to …

Do Variations In State Mandatory Child Abuse And Neglect Report Laws Affect Report Rates Among Medical Personnel?, Amanda Ellen Faulkner

Public Health Theses

Each state and territory within the United States is required by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act [42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.] to maintain a mandatory suspected child abuse and neglect reporting law, requiring certain professionals who regularly see children to report any suspicions of child maltreatment to child protective services. It is well documented that mandatory reporters fail to report each case of suspected child maltreatment they witness. This study sought to determine whether differences in three specific variables within the mandatory report laws had an effect on the frequency with which medical personnel report suspected child abuse …

Examining The Experiences Of Puerto Rico's Community Health Centers Under The Government Health Insurance Plan, A. Seiji Hayashi, Brad Finnegan, Peter Shin, Emily Jones, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

This research brief examines the experiences of Puerto Rico's community health centers under the Commonwealth’s 1994 Government Health Insurance Plan (GHIP) – the Commonwealth's Medicaid program – also known as the Reforma. Of particular interest are the effects of Medicaid under-financing coupled with health centers' continuing obligations to furnish subsidized care for uninsured patients. To finance GHIP, the Commonwealth substantially curtailed its involvement with the direct provision of health care in both community and inpatient settings, transforming the former system of direct care provision into health insurance premium subsidies.

In 2007, the 47 operating sites of Puerto Rico's 19 federally …

The Effect Of Obesity On State Health Care Expenditures: An Empirical Analysis, Kristen Collins

Honors Projects in Economics

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of obesity rates on per capita state health care expenditures. A two-stage least square regression model is used. In the first stage of the estimation, factors influencing obesity rates are determined. The determinants of obesity rates are outlined throughout the research process. In the second stage, the impact of obesity rates on per capita health expenditures across states is evaluated. The empirical results indicate that obesity rates do indeed have a direct effect on state health care expenditures. After reviewing the project’s results, various solutions are proposed as possible methods …

Revisiting The Regulation Debate: The Effect Of Food Marketing On Childhood Obesity, Nicole E. Hunter

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “Despite the widespread concern regarding childhood obesity, there is broad divergence of opinion regarding responsibility for the crisis. Whether the government, food industry, or parents are accountable has become the focus of much debate. Public health groups have attempted various strategies to confront childhood obesity, such as litigation, legislation, and government regulation. While many researchers and advocates agree that government should play an affirmative role with respect to childhood obesity, they are very much divided over what that role should be. For example, although none of these acts has become law, eighty-six bills have been proposed regarding obesity since …

College Of Health And Human Services International Service Learning Program: Gales Point, Belize, Jordan Norris, Carrierobin Menapace

Impact Belize

No abstract provided.

A Human Capital Approach To Reduce Health Disparities, Saundra H. Glover, Sudha Xirasagar, Yunho Jeon, Keith T. Elder, Crystal N. Piper, Harris Pastides

Faculty Publications

Objective: To introduce a human capital approach to reduce health disparities in South Carolina by increasing the number and quality of trained minority professionals in public health practice and research.

Methods: The conceptual basis and elements of Project EXPORT in South Carolina are described. Project EXPORT is a community based participatory research (CBPR) translational project designed to build human capital in public health practice and research. This project involves Claflin University (CU), a Historically Black College University (HBCU) and the African American community of Orangeburg, South Carolina to reduce health disparities, utilizing resources from the University of South Carolina (USC), …

Internally-Developed Teen Smoking Cessation Programs: Characterizing The Unique Features Of Programs Developed By Community-Based Organizations, Kymberle L. Sterling, Susan J. Curry, Sherry Emery, Amy K. Sporer, Robin J. Mermelstein, Michael Berbaum, Brian Flay

Public Health Faculty Publications

We have compared the unique features of teen tobacco cessation programs developed internally by community-based organizations (N=75) to prepackaged programs disseminated nationally (N=234) to expand our knowledge of treatment options for teen smokers. Internally-developed programs were more likely offered in response to the sponsoring organization’s initiative (OR=2.16, p