Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Timing Of Hospital Admission At First Childbirth: A Prospective Cohort Study, Kristen H. Kjerulff, Laura B. Attanasio, Jennifer Vanderlaan, Kristin K. Sznajder

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Background and aims

It is difficult for women in labor to determine when best to present for hospital admission, particularly at first childbirth. While it is often recommended that women labor at home until their contractions have become regular and ≤ 5-minutes apart, little research has investigated the utility of this recommendation. This study investigated the relationship between timing of hospital admission, in terms of whether women’s labor contractions had become regular and ≤ 5-minutes apart before admission, and labor progress.

Methods

This was a cohort study of 1,656 primiparous women aged 18–35 years with singleton pregnancies who began labor …

Dietary Fat Quality And Serum Androgen Concentrations In Middle-Aged Men, Miika M. Wynne-Ellis, Jaakko J. Mursu, Tomi-Pekka Tuomainen, Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, Jukka T. Salonen, Jyrki K. Virtanen

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Average testosterone concentrations in men have declined over the last few decades. The reasons for this are not fully known, but changes in dietary fat quality have been suggested to have a role. This study aimed to investigate the associations of different dietary fatty acids with serum androgen concentrations.

The Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse And The Opioid Epidemic: A Qualitative Study Of Perceived Strengths And Limitations For Advancing Research, Elizabeth A. Evans, Elizabeth Delorme, Karl D. Cyr, Kimberly H. Geissler

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Due to the opioid overdose epidemic, Massachusetts created a Public Health Data Warehouse, encompassing individually-linked administrative data on most of the population as provided by more than 20 systems. As others seek to assemble and mine big data on opioid use, there is a need to consider its research utility. To identify perceived strengths and limitations of administrative big data, we collected qualitative data in 2019 from 39 stakeholders with knowledge of the Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse. Perceived strengths included the ability to: (1) detect new and clinically significant relationships; (2) observe treatments and services across institutional boundaries, broadening …

Transitions In Health Insurance During The Perinatal Period Among Patients With Continuous Insurance Coverage, Chanup Jeung, Laura B. Attansio, Kimberly H. Geissler

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Importance Although health insurance continuity is important during the perinatal period to improve birth outcomes and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, insurance disruptions are common. However, little is known about insurance transitions among insurance types for individuals who remained insured during the perinatal period.

Objective To examine insurance transitions for birthing individuals with continuous insurance, including those with Medicaid and Medicaid managed care coverage, before, during, and after pregnancy.

Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2018 data from the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database. The sample included deliveries from January 1, 2015, to …

Dental Fluoride Varnish Application During Medical Visits Among Children Who Are Privately Insured, Kimberley H. Geissler Phd, Andrew W. Dick Phd, Sarah L. Goff Phd, Christopher Whaley Phd, Ashley M. Kranz Phd

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Fluoride varnish is effective at reducing tooth decay, which affects nearly a quarter of US children ages 2 to 5 years and more than half of children ages 6 to 8 years.^1,2 To increase young children’s receipt of preventive oral health services, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends medical providers apply fluoride varnish to young children’s teeth during well-child visits through 5 years of age.² Offering fluoride varnish in medical settings may increase young children’s receipt of this service because 89% of children younger than 6 years of age had a preventive medical visit in …

Family Support And Readiness To Consider Smoking Cessation Among Chinese And Vietnamese American Male Smokers, Joan A. Daniel, Jin E. Kim-Mozeleski, Krishna C. Poudel, Angela Sun, Nancy J. Burke, Janice Y. Tsoh

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Introduction. Smoking prevalence is disproportionately high among Asian American immigrant men with limited English proficiency. Understanding the role of family support may provide insights into culturally acceptable strategies to promote smoking cessation. Aims. This study examined how family support was associated with readiness to consider smoking cessation among Chinese and Vietnamese American male daily smokers. Methods. We analyzed baseline data (N = 340) from a cluster randomized trial of a family-based healthy lifestyle intervention. We assessed the frequency of receiving family support in various forms (encouraging use of cessation resources, praising efforts, checking in, and reminding of familial role). Multiple …

Evaluating Epidemic Forecasts In An Interval Format, Johannes Bracher, Evan L. Ray, Tilmann Gneiting, Nicholas G. Reich

Biostatistics and Epidemiology Faculty Publications Series

For practical reasons, many forecasts of case, hospitalization, and death counts in the context of the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are issued in the form of central predictive intervals at various levels. This is also the case for the forecasts collected in the COVID-19 Forecast Hub (https://covid19forecasthub.org/). Forecast evaluation metrics like the logarithmic score, which has been applied in several infectious disease forecasting challenges, are then not available as they require full predictive distributions. This article provides an overview of how established methods for the evaluation of quantile and interval forecasts can be applied to epidemic forecasts in …

Pubertal Development And Risk Of Premenstrual Disorders In Young Adulthood, Donghao Lu, Jurate Alenaviciute, Ragnar Bjarnason, Unnur A. Valdimarsdóttir, Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

STUDY QUESTION

Is pubertal timing associated with risk of premenstrual disorders (PMDs) in young adulthood? SUMMARY ANSWER

Late pubertal development is associated with decreased premenstrual symptom burden and risk of PMDs in young adulthood. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

PMDs, including premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, may begin during the teenage years. Few risk factors in early life have been identified for PMD development. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

A prospective cohort study of 6495 female participants during 1996–2013. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

We included participants from the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS). Pubertal development was indicated by the timing of menarche, …

Shifting To Virtual Cbpr Protocols In The Time Of Corona Virus/Covid-19, Elizabeth Salerno Valdez, Aline Gubrium

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

COVID-19 has upended community based participatory research (CBPR) projects across the United States and globally. COVID-19 disproportionately impacts historically disenfranchised communities and communities of color, the very communities that CBPR is meant to engage, elevate, and support. In-person activities that help develop rapport and research protocols, build capacity, conduct collaborative data collection and analysis, disseminate findings to the community, and engage in sustainability planning are an impossible practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this article is to describe the challenges and facilitators of shifting to a virtual/online CBPR protocol with a Massachusetts community disproportionately affected by COVID19, as …

Incidence Of Pediatric Cannabis Exposure Among Children And Teenagers Aged 0 To 19 Years Before And After Medical Marijuana Legalization In Massachusetts, Jennifer M. Whitehill, Calla Harrington, Cheryl J. Lang, Michael Chary, Waqaas A. Bhutta, Michael D. Burns

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Importance Pediatric health care contacts due to cannabis exposure increased in Colorado and Washington State after cannabis (marijuana) policies became more liberal, but evidence from other US states is limited.

Objective To document the incidence of pediatric cannabis exposure cases reported to the Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention (RPC) before and after medical marijuana legalization (MML) in Massachusetts.

Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional comparison of pediatric cannabis exposure cases 4 years before and after MML in Massachusetts. The exposure cases included those of 218 children and teenagers aged between 0 and 19 years, as reported to the RPC …

Outreach Strategies To Recruit Low-Income African American Men To Participate In Health Promotion Programs And Research: Lessons From The Men Of Color Health Awareness (Mocha) Project, Louis F. Graham, Lamont Scott, Erus Lopeyok, Henry Douglas, Aline Gubrium, David Buchanan

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

African American men continue to bear a disproportionate share of the burden of disease. Engaging these men in health research and health promotion programs—especially lower-income, African American men who are vulnerable to chronic disease conditions such as obesity and heart disease—has historically proven quite difficult for researchers and public health practitioners. The few effective outreach strategies identified in the literature to date are largely limited to recruiting through hospital clinics, churches, and barbershops. The Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) project is a grassroots, community-driven initiative that has developed a number of innovative outreach strategies. After describing these strategies, we …

Delays In Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation Among Hiv-Positive Individuals: Results Of The Positive Living With Hiv Study, Krishna C. Poudel, David R. Buchanan, Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Background: Lack of early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains a major health concern due to increased risk of premature mortality and further HIV transmission. This study explored CD4+ cell count monitoring in relation to delays in ART initiation among HIV-positive individuals in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, where ART coverage was only 23.7% in 2011.

Design: We recruited a total of 87 ART-naïve, HIV-positive individuals aged 18 to 60 years through the networks of five non-government organizations working with HIV-positive individuals. We collected data on the history of ART initiation, CD4+ cell count monitoring, socio-demographic variables, perceived family …

Associations Between The Patient-Centered Medical Home And Preventive Care And Healthcare Quality For Non-Elderly Adults With Mental Illness: A Surveillance Study Analysis, Jennifer J. Bowdoin, Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio, Elaine Puleo, David Keller, Joan Roche

Health Promotion and Policy Faculty Publication Series

Background

Patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) may improve outcomes for non-elderly adults with mental illness, but the extent to which PCMHs are associated with preventive care and healthcare quality for this population is largely unknown. Our study addresses this gap by assessing the associations between receipt of care consistent with the PCMH and preventive care and healthcare quality for non-elderly adults with mental illness.

Methods

This surveillance study used self-reported data for 6,908 non-elderly adults with mental illness participating in the 2007–2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Preventive care and healthcare quality measures included: participant rating of all healthcare; cervical, breast, and …

Policy Alternatives To Increase Access To Early Childhood Education And Care In Massachusetts, Meghan Lemay

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Access to early childhood education not only leads to improved social, academic, and health outcomes for children, but can also carry the same benefits into adulthood. Early education and care programs can work against some of the negative effects of social factors such as socioeconomic status, discrimination, social support, and work demands which have been linked to physical and mental health outcomes. Early education programs could intervene not only in the life of a child, but also impact parents, families, and populations. This thesis will review the research showing early childhood education leads to better social and health outcomes and …

Determinants Of Health Care Use Among Rural, Low-Income Mothers And Children: A Simultaneous Systems Approach To Negative Binomial Regression Modeling, Swetha Valluri

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The determinants of health care use among rural, low-income mothers and their children were assessed using a multi-state, longitudinal data set, Rural Families Speak. The results indicate that rural mothers’ decisions regarding health care utilization for themselves and for their child can be best modeled using a simultaneous systems approach to negative binomial regression. Mothers’ visits to a health care provider increased with higher self-assessed depression scores, increased number of child’s doctor visits, greater numbers of total children in the household, greater numbers of chronic conditions, need for prenatal or post-partum care, development of a new medical condition, and …

A Photovoice Participatory Evaluation Of A School Gardening Program Through The Eyes Of Fifth Graders, Catherine Sands, Krista Harper, Lee Ellen Reed, Maggie Shar

Anthropology Department Faculty Publication Series

In the springtime, fifth grade students at the Williamsburg Elementary School in rural Western Massachusetts ask to snack on sorrel and chives from the school garden, between planting potatoes and building a shade structure for their outdoor classroom. They are members of the first cohort of the curriculum-integrated program initiated by Fertile Ground, a grassroots organization in western Massachusetts. The children’s delight in the fresh greens they have grown marks a national phenomenon: the farm-to-school movement. With limited resources, parents, teachers, students, administrators, and community activists are developing inroads to better school food and food education, by constructing school teaching …

The Association Between Bully Victimization And Risky Behaviors Among Youth, Shane Nives Isaiah Fernando

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

In 2005, the Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported 21.9% of males and 26.1% of females were bullied in schools. Little research has been conducted into showing an association between childhood bully victimization and risky behaviors. In addition, knowledge is limited about the connection between victimization and risky behaviors among different ethnic groups. We propose to assess the association between victimization and risky behaviors, using the Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey among 3,116 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2007. Data was obtained by self-administered questionnaire, and victimization was considered as a single dichotomous variable. Victimization was assessed as …

Middlefield Open Space And Recreation Project, Center For Economic Development

Center for Economic Development Technical Reports

Over one thousand acres of farmland, open space, and wetlands are converted to residential or commercial development each week in New England. In Massachusetts, nearly two acres of open space land is lost to development every hour. Current development trends suggest that this building pattern, referred to as sprawl, is likely to continue into the near future. Because the negative consequences of sprawl development are highly visible, residents of Massachusetts are becoming increasingly concerned about its impact on their communities. Residents see the unique character of their communities being transformed by uncontrolled residential and commercial development. Green fields and open …

City Of Gardner, Massachusetts Inventory Of Existing And Removed Tanks, Center For Economic Development

Center for Economic Development Technical Reports

The purpose of this project is to provide the City of Gardner with a list of contaminated sites in the Rear Main Street Area. During the past month, I have been researching potential brownfield locations within this corridor, and inputting them into a working database. Overall, the problem identified is that the city has little knowledge of how much land is contaminated within its city. Therefore, the goal of my project was to identify the parcels in the Rear Main Street Area that have been contaminated with hazardous materials.