Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Pedestrian Crossing Flags On Driver Yielding Behavior In Las Vegas, Nv, Sheila Clark, Courtney Coughenour, Kelly Bumgarner, Hanns De La Fuente-Mella, Chantel Reynolds, James Abelar

Public Health Faculty Publications

Walking is the most affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly method of transportation. However, the risk of pedestrian injury or death from motor vehicle crashes is significant, particularly in sprawling metropolitan areas. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pedestrian crossing flags (PCFs) on driver yielding behaviors. Participants crossed a marked, midblock crosswalk on a multilane road in Las Vegas, Nevada, with and without PCFs, to determine if there were differences in driver yielding behaviors (n = 160 crossings). Trained observers recorded (1) the number of vehicles that passed in the nearest lane without yielding while the …

A Qualitative Study On Parental And Community Stakeholder Views Of The Link Between Full-Day Kindergarten And Health In Southern Nevada, Courtney Coughenour, Jennifer Pharr, Maxim Gakh Jd, Mph, Sheila Clark, Prescott Cheong

Public Health Faculty Publications

Studies show that children who attend full-day kindergarten (FDK) experience both academic and developmental benefits compared to children who attend half-day programs. Sectors outside of health, such as education, can have important intended and unintended impacts on health. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand perceptions of parental and other stakeholders in Southern Nevada (USA) about the education–health link, and to understand priorities regarding how FDK access could affect health. Two 90-minute focus groups were conducted with 14 adult stakeholder participants representing parents, current and former teachers, and community members. Transcripts were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Eight …

Analysis Of Self-Reported Walking For Transit In A Sprawling Urban Metropolitan Area In The Western U.S., Courtney Coughenour, Hanns De La Fuente-Mella, Alexander Paz

Public Health Faculty Publications

Walkability is associated with increased levels of physical activity and improved health and sustainability. The sprawling design of many metropolitan areas of the western U.S., such as Las Vegas, influences their walkability. The purpose of this study was to consider sprawl characteristics along with well-known correlates of walkability to determine what factors influence self-reported minutes of active transportation. Residents from four neighborhoods in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, targeted for their high and low walkability scores, were surveyed for their perceptions of street-connectivity, residential-density, land-use mix, and retail–floor-area ratio and sprawl characteristics including distance between crosswalks, single-entry-communities, high-speed streets, shade, …

Bibliometric Analysis Of Gaps In Research On Asbestos-Related Diseases: Declining Emphasis On Public Health Over 26 Years, Ro-Ting Lin, Matthew John Soeberg, Lung-Chang Chien, Scott Fisher, Jukka Takala, Richard Lemen, Tim Driscoll, Ken Takahashi

Public Health Faculty Publications

Objectives The global burden of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) is significant, and most of the world’s population live in countries where asbestos use continues. We examined the gaps between ARD research and suggestions of WHO and the International Labour Organization on prevention. Methods From the Web of Science, we collected data on all articles published during 1991–2016 and identified a subset of ARD-related articles. We classified articles into three research areas—laboratory, clinical and public health—and examined their time trends. For all and the top 11 countries publishing ARD-related articles, we calculated the proportions of all ARD-related articles that were in each …

Identifying Windows Of Opportunity For Active Living And Healthy Eating Policies In Connecticut, 2016, Anna E. Greer, Ann-Uriel Knausenberger

Public Health Faculty Publications

We examined the relative importance of 23 community issues among elected officials and health directors in Connecticut in 2016. For this cross-sectional study, 74 elected officials (40.7% response rate) and 47 health directors (62.7% response rate), who were purposively sampled, completed a questionnaire to rate their perceived importance of 23 community issues. Eight of these issues were related to active living, healthy eating, or obesity. We used χ2 tests to evaluate differences in responses. Compared with elected officials, health directors significantly more often perceived obesity, access to healthy groceries, poor nutrition, lack of pedestrian walkways, and pedestrian safety as important. …

Primary Care: Mental And Behavioral Health And Persons With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, David A. Ervin, Ashley Williams, Joav Merrick

Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: There are multiple ways to address the mental and behavioral health needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Method: In this paper, we do not argue for a particular approach or set of approaches, but instead review the benefits of integrating mental and behavioral health supports with primary healthcare based primarily on our experience in and understanding of healthcare systems in the United States. It is estimated that between 35 and 40% of people with IDD also live with psychiatric disorders. NADD, an association for persons with developmental disabilities and mental health needs in the US holds …

Healthcare For Persons With Intellectual And Developmental Disability In The Community, David A. Ervin, Brian Hennan, Joav Merrick, Mohammed Morad

Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: While there has been impressive progress in creating and improving commu- nity healthcare delivery systems that support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), there is much more that can and should be done.

Methods: This paper offers a review of healthcare delivery concepts on which new models are being developed, while also establishing an historical context. We review the need for creating fully integrated models of healthcare, and at the same time offer practical consid- erations that range from specific healthcare delivery system components to the need to expand our approach to training healthcare providers. The models and …

The Role Of Cities In Reducing Smoking In China, Pamela Redmon, Jeffrey Koplan, Michael Eriksen, Shuyang Li, Wang Kean

Public Health Faculty Publications

China is the epicenter of the global tobacco epidemic. China grows more tobacco, produces more cigarettes, makes more profits from tobacco and has more smokers than any other nation in the world. Approximately one million smokers in China die annually from diseases caused by smoking, and this estimate is expected to reach over two million by 2020. China cities have a unique opportunity and role to play in leading the tobacco control charge from the “bottom up”. The Emory Global Health Institute—China Tobacco Control Partnership supported 17 cities to establish tobacco control programs aimed at changing social norms for tobacco …

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 …

Injury In Nevada, Michelle Chino, Jonathon Lavalley, Darlene R. Haff, Deborah A. Harris, Andrea R. Rivers

Public Health Faculty Publications

Injury is a major threat to health and safety. In a typical day in the US, 400 people will die as the result of an injury, 7,500 will be hospitalized due to an injury, and more than 150,000 will suffer an injury severe enough to restrict activities and seek medical attention. Many of these deaths, hospitalizations, and disabling events will be the result of motor vehicle crashes. Others will result from vio­lence, falls, drowning, and poisoning – all of which are considered injuries.

The costs of injury are high. In the United States, the cost of injuries is estimated to …

Analysis Of Primary Risk Factors For Oral Cancer From Us States With Increasing Rates, Anthony Bunnell, Nathan Pettit, Nicole Reddout, Kanika Sharma, Susan O'Malley, Michelle Chino, Karl Kingsley

Public Health Faculty Publications

Objectives

To examine the primary risk factor for oral cancer in the US, smoking and tobacco use, among the specific US states that experienced short-term increases in oral cancer incidence and mortality.

Methods

Population-based data on oral cancer morbidity and mortality in the US were obtained from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for analysis of recent trends. Data were also obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to measure current and former trends of tobacco usage. To comprehensive measures of previous state tobacco use …

Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) And Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (Hiv) In Nevada – Annual Surveillance Report (1999), Mary Guinan, Nancy Kreher, Drew Mather, Wei Yang

Public Health Faculty Publications

Background:

Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the most severe manifestation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. AIDS was first reported in the world in 1981 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Statewide surveillance for AIDS was begun in 1982. Because the cause of AIDS was unknown at that time, the surveillance case definition included many opportunistic infections and tumors. Persons with AIDS were noted to have abnormalities in their immune system that left them susceptible to certain infections. As more information became available, the AIDS surveillance case definition was modified.

In 1984, HIV was found to be the …

Collection And Utilization Of Child Abuse Statistics In American Indian Communities, Michelle Chino

Public Health Faculty Publications

Public health research in American Indian communities involves many complex issues that may both help and hinder the development of an effective research methodology and the collection, analysis, and utilization of data. These issues include: 1) the unique strengths and diversity of Indian cultures; 2) the complicated relationships that exist between federal, state, and tribal agencies; 3) the vast distances between communities and services that exist in rural areas; 4) extremely limited human and financial resources; 5) overlapping and often conflicting legal and jurisdictional authorities; and 6) an array of social issues including poverty, substance abuse, modernization, and assimilation. Defining …

A Dream For The Future Of Public Health, Mary Guinan

Public Health Faculty Publications

The following is a commencement address Dr. Guinan delivered at the Emory University School of Public Health in May 1992, just weeks after riots erupted in response to the Rodney King verdict. Her remarks were very timely, but her message is timeless. It is just as relevant today, more than a year later, as it was that day.