Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing The Grade Retention Outcomes Among Children With Speech And Language Disorders (Spld) Using The National Survey Of Children’S Health, 2016-2021, Caleb Jamal King

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Grade retention is designed to give children who appear to be falling behind a chance to catch up and meet the requirements for their grade level so that the child has an opportunity to meet the academic level needed to advance. Historically, students at the highest risk for being retained have the following characteristics: male, African American or Hispanic, developmental delays, reading problems, difficulties with peer relationships, speaking a language other than English, and other determining factors. In 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Hispanic and Black students are one- and one-half times more likely to be retained …

The Impact Of Seasonal Influenza & Influenza Vaccination In Children From Low Income Households: An Exploration Of Vaccination Rates & Burden On Children In Low Income Households, Julia Splittorff

Public Health Theses

Background: Seasonal influenza results in a high burden in children, especially children under 5 years old. Vaccination, which is routinely recommended for every individual over the age of 6 months, is one of the most effective interventions in preventing severe illness and death from seasonal influenza. There is a disparity in vaccinations practices between high and low socioeconomic households, which may lead to a greater impact of influenza on children in these households. The purpose of this study is to explore potential relationships between socioeconomic and vaccination practice variables.

Methods: Using 2018 data from the National Immunization Survey, a biserial …

Predictors Of Tb-Mortality Among Hospitalized Hiv-Infected Children In Kenya, Henry Sohre Kitiabi Mr., Lisa Marie Cranmer Dr.

Public Health Theses

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, resulting in an estimated one million new cases and over 200,000 deaths annually among children. TB is the leading cause of death in HIV-infected children globally (Swaminathan & Rekha, 2010), but few studies have evaluated cofactors of pediatric TB mortality the era ART. We evaluated predictors of TB mortality in a cohort of HIV-infected hospitalized Kenyan children initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Methods: HIV-infected children age(PUSH) trial. Children were ART-naïve and started ART within 2 weeks of enrollment. All children underwent intensified TB case finding at enrollment and were …

The Association Between Poverty And Access To Mental Health Treatment Among Children, Ages 3-17, In The United States, (Nsch 2017), Mattou Mokri

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Mental health disorders affect an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being and affects 13-20% of adolescents between the age of 13 to 18. Majority of term mental illnesses start in childhood and adolescent years, with 50% of all lifetime cases starting around age 14 years. Treatment at early ages means decreased risk of long-term problems linked to mental disorders like alcohol and drug abuse. Children living in poverty have a higher risk factor for mental disorders and may also have limited access to quality mental health care.

AIM: This study aims to examine the relationship between access …

Assessment Of Lead Exposure To Children In A Historically Contaminated Area, Copsa Mica, Romania, Xiangting Meng

Public Health Theses

Copsa Mica is an industrial town with primary zinc and lead smelter operating from 1930s to

1990s in northwestern Romania. Even after the shutdown of the factory and a series remediation effort,

lead is ubiquitous in its environment and remains as a big risk for local health. Previous study

evaluating the blood lead level of children in this region revealed a range of mean from 20.51µg/dL to

53.04 µg/dL, which exceeded the recognized CDC guidelines. The paper aims at providing detailed

information about spatial distribution of lead in soil and dust to better understand the lead exposure

and choose the …

Examining The Association Between Well Child Care And Developmental And Behavioral Health Conditions In Children, Alison M. Meyn

Public Health Theses

Background: Well child care visits (WCC) are critical preventive care visits that start at infancy. Currently, little is known about the association between WCC and parent report of developmental and behavioral health conditions in children. The purpose of this research was to examine if WCC contributes to developmental/behavioral health conditions reported by parents.

Methods: The 2016 National Health Interview Survey data were used for this research. Weighted estimates were calculated to assess the relationship between the receipt of WCC (yes or no response to receiving WCC in past 12 months) and presence of developmental/behavioral conditions; a Pearson’s chi square was …

Emotional Health Of Parents And The Association Of Mental Illness Among Children, Ashley Wilson

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Mental illness is a major public health problem, and has been observed as early as infancy and persists throughout childhood into adulthood. Mental illness among children can severely impair a development, academic achievement, and the ability to live a productive life. Emotional dysregulation among parents may be a risk factor for mental illness among their children. The aim of this study was to evaluate aspects of poor emotional health of parents and mental health problems among children, aged 6-17 years old in the state of Georgia and nationally.

METHODS: Data on 66,920 children between the ages of 6-17 years …

Neighborhood Factors Associated With Mental Disorder Among Children In The Usa: Evidence From National Survey Of Children's Health 2011/12, Sushma Dahal

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Neighborhood factors affect mental health of children. There are not many studies done on neighborhood conditions and common childhood mental disorders using national level data in the US. This study aims to study the association between neighborhood characteristics and mental disorder among children in the US by analyzing nationally representative data.

METHODS: Data on children aged 6-17 years from 2011/12 national survey of children’s health was analyzed. Primary dependent variable was current diagnosed mental disorder that was based on the diagnosis of at least one of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral or conduct problem, depression and anxiety …

A Comparative Analysis Of Salmonellosis Among Children Younger Than 6 Months And 6-12 Months Of Age, Gitangali B. Baroi

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 1.2 million illnesses and 450 deaths occur annually in the United States from non-typhoidal Salmonella infections (CDC, 2015). Children are most likely to get salmonellosis; the elderly, infants, and those with compromised immune systems are likely to have a severe illness.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: In this study, an analysis of childhood salmonellosis comparing infants under 6 months and those 6 to 12 months old was completed. This analysis was conducted in order to compare exposures among the two age groups.

METHODS: Data were downloaded from SENDSS into …

Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among Immigrant And Refugee Children Aged 2-14 Years Who Arrived In The United States In 2008-2012, Zanju Wang

Public Health Theses

Abstract

Background: According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tuberculosis (TB) report TB case rate dropped from 3.2 to 3.0 per 100,000 person in 2013 in the U.S, which was a 4.3% decrease from 2012, but the proportion of total cases occurring in foreign-born persons reached to 65% of the national case total. This proportion has been increasing since 1993. Studies found that progression of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) to active TB (reactivation TB) contributed a large proportion to TB cases among foreign-born persons and posed a huge challenge to TB elimination in the U.S. The Division of …

An Analysis Of Risk Factors For Incomplete Immunization For Children In Côte D’Ivoire: Examination Of 1998-1999 And 2011-2012 Demographic And Health Survey Data, Alfred Douba

Public Health Theses

Background: Immunization is said to be the most effective public health intervention to prevent morbidity, complications, and mortality due to infectious disease among children. Due to the importance of vaccination in terms of infectious disease prevention, in terms of high cost-effectiveness ratio, international organizations, governments, and donors have intensified efforts to increase immunization coverage globally. Despite the efforts, thousands of children remain unimmunized or not fully vaccinated worldwide.

Objective: To identify factors associated with incomplete immunization among children in Côte d’Ivoire.

Method:The 1998-1999 and 2011-2012 Côte d’Ivoire Demography and Health Survey (DHS) data were used in this …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Health Status Of Children Under 5 Years Of Age In The Dominican Republic And Dominican Bateyes, Fitumai Madrid

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Child malnutrition contributes to more than 33% of child deaths and is directly related to the productivity and success of the adult population. To combat these stark figures, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals set out to halve levels of malnutrition by 2015. While recent U.N. reports indicate that many countries are on track to reach the MDGs, there may be sub-populations within these countries that do not fair as well. The purpose of this study is to provide a comparative analysis of the nutritional status of children younger than five years of age in the Dominican Republic …

Associations Of Youth Weight Status Categories And Cholesterol Levels: Analysis Of Data From The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, Sandra Metcalf

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

SANDRA C. METCALF

Associations of Youth Weight Status Categories and Cholesterol Levels: Analysis of Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

(Under the direction of RODNEY LYN, PhD, Assistant Professor)

Obesity is recognized as a risk factor for dyslipidemia, however studies specific to overweight youth and dyslipidemia are scarce. Nonetheless, expert bodies have established BMI at the 85^th percentile or greater as the threshold for “at risk” in youth and advocate for lipid screening.

This study analyzed associations of weight categories and occurrence of dyslipidemia among a multi-racial sample of youth 6 to 18 years …

The Relation Between Perceived And Real Obesity In School Children From Georgia, Kartik Pillai

Public Health Theses

Background: Physical activity and childhood obesity have been studied extensively across the globe, but only few studies have been done in children who are aware of their obesity, overweight status and among children who are taking measures to control their weight. The purpose of this study is to examine agreement between perceived weight and ideal weight differences across gender, grade level, race and levels of weight control.

METHODS: This study is based on the secondary analysis of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) conducted in the state of Georgia in 2009 (n=1882). The 2009 YRBS for each state that …

Characteristics And Etiology Of Moderate-To-Severe Diarrhea Of Acute, Prolonged Acute, And Persistent Duration Among Children Less Than 5 Years Old In Rural Western Kenya, 2008-2010, Katharine A. Schilling

Public Health Theses

Worldwide, diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years old. Data on diarrhea of extended duration is limited. We described the characteristics associated with acute, prolonged acute and persistent diarrhea in Kenyan children less than 5 years of age participating in the Global Enterics Multicenter Study. Children presenting at a clinic were enrolled if they met the case definition for acute moderate-to-severe diarrhea defined as >3 loose stools in the last 24 hrs, within 7 days of illness onset, with >1 of the following: sunken eyes, skin tenting, dysentery, IV rehydration, or hospitalization. To …

Maternal Autonomy As A Protective Factor In Child Nutritional Outcome In Tanzania, Hannah Murphy Ross-Suits

Public Health Theses

Child malnutrition is a problem in all countries and centers in poorer communities. Biological and socioeconomic factors alike contribute to malnutrition with recent studies focusing on aspects of maternal autonomy as an influencing factor. In this study, maternal autonomy is defined as the independence in her actions and control over resources a mother has within her household and is made up of several factors, including decision-making power, opinion of domestic abuse, and financial independence. Child nutritional outcomes were operationalized using the anthropometric measures height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ), and weight-for-age (WAZ). For this study, the 2004-2005 Tanzanian Demographic and Health Survey …

Implications In Using Monte Carlo Simulation In Predicting Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Overweight Children And Adolescents, Stephen Matthew Heimbigner

Public Health Theses

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has increased considerably over the last few decades. As a result, increasing numbers of American children are developing multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis. This thesis examines the use of Monte Carlo computer simulation for understanding risk factors associated with childhood overweight. A computer model is presented for predicting cardiovascular risk factors among overweight children and adolescents based on BMI levels. The computer model utilizes probabilities from the 1999 Bogalusa Heart Study authored by David S. Freedman, William H. Dietz, Sathanur …