Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Review Of Teaching Information Literacy: 50 Standards-Based Exercises For College Students By Joanna M. Burkhardt, Sharon Leslie

University Library Faculty Publications

This is a review of Teaching Information Literacy: 50 Standards-Based Exercises for College Students by Joanna M. Burkhardt

Characterizing The Epidemiology Of The 2009 Influenza A/H1n1 Pandemic In Mexico, Gerardo Chowell, Santiago Echevarria-Zuno, Cecile Viboud, Lone Simonsen, James Tamerius, Mark Miller, Victor H. Borja-Aburto

Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: Mexico’s local and national authorities initiated an intense public health response during the early stages of the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic. In this study we analyzed the epidemiological patterns of the pandemic during April– December 2009 in Mexico and evaluated the impact of nonmedical interventions, school cycles, and demographic factors on influenza transmission.

Methods and Findings: We used influenza surveillance data compiled by the Mexican Institute for Social Security, representing 40% of the population, to study patterns in influenza-like illness (ILIs) hospitalizations, deaths, and case-fatality rate by pandemic wave and geographical region. We also estimated the reproduction number (R) on …

Building An Information Management System For Emergency Preparedness And Response To Promote Assurance: A Case Study Of The Fulton County Department Of Health And Wellness, Judith A. Robinson

Public Health Theses

The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is a program that provides medical countermeasures during a public health emergency. A public health emergency can be a natural or man-made disaster, an act of terrorism, or a pandemic. The Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) was created to help the nation’s largest metropolitan regions develop the ability to provide SNS life-saving medications in the event of a large-scale bioterrorist attack or naturally occurring disease outbreak. To address the risks associated with a public health emergency the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires a comprehensive emergency response plan for distributing SNS/CRI materials quickly and …

The Experiences Of Obese African American Women And Their Utilization Of Preventive Healthcare Services, Winsome Beverly Stephenson

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Obesity is associated with higher death rates from breast and gynecological cancers. African American women(AAW) are more likely to be diagnosed with these cancers at later stages and have lower survival rates than Caucasian women. African American women are also disproportionately affected by obesity. Studies suggest that the healthcare experiences of obese women (primarily stigmatization), may contribute to their decisions to utilize healthcare services. However, these studies have largely comprised Caucasian women; there remains a paucity of studies addressing this issue in AAW. The purpose of this study was to explore the healthcare experiences of obese AAW and their utilization …

Perceived Susceptibility Of Cardiovascular Disease As A Moderator Of Relationships Between Perceived Severity And Cardiovascular Health Promoting Behaviors Among Female Registered Nurses, Deborah Mcclendon

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Significance: Morbidity and mortality related to CVD among women in the U.S. and most developed countries surpasses that of all cancers combined (AHA, 2008). Yet, CVD in women remains understudied, yielding low awareness among women and healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the relationship between health beliefs related to perceived cardiovascular disease (CVD) severity and health promoting behaviors were different in women with high self perception of CVD susceptibility versus women with low self perception of CVD susceptibility.

Methods: This study used a descriptive, correlational design. A convenience sample (N = 220) included female registered …

An Examination Of The Association Between Hiv Related Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors And Hiv Infection Status In Five High Hiv Prevalence States In India., Thein Z. Lwin

Public Health Theses

Although data shows that the incidence of HIV in India is falling, it is still a prevailing disease in India. The lack of knowledge about HIV and risky behaviors greatly influence the role of HIV transmission among the Indian population. These factors also contribute to the numbers of new HIV infections caused by unprotected sex, which account for 90% of the new HIV infections. Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among the people living with HIV/AIDS also play an important role in HIV transmission. This study was conducted to explore the association between selected demographic variables on HIV related knowledge, attitudes and …

The Steps To Atlanta Streets Alive Activity Guide, Dana Greear

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

DANA L. GREEAR

The STEPS to Atlanta Streets Alive Activity Guide

(Under the direction of Professor JOHN A. STEWARD, M.P.H.)

Atlanta Streets Alive (ASA) is a continually developing ciclovía recreativa based program occurring in urban Atlanta. Creating multi-sectoral partnerships and providing complementary activities to participants are key to ciclovía program sustainability. The objective of this capstone project was to create the STEPS to Atlanta Streets Alive Activity Guide (STEPS guide) by using a process method of evaluation framework for planning, conducting, and evaluating activities performed within ASA events. A pilot activity was conducted during the Atlanta Streets Alive event …

Readiness Assessment Of Area Agencies On Aging In Georgia To Prevent Elder Abuse, Shatabdi S. Dighe

Public Health Theses

Elder abuse has traditionally been a silent social issue in America. However, with an estimated increase in the older population over the next 50 years, and given the preventable nature of violence, it is quickly becoming a major public health priority area. Each year hundreds of thousands of elderly are abused, neglected, or exploited financially worldwide. In the United States alone, it is estimated that 500,000 cases of elder abuse occur annually—with research indicating that substantiated cases are a mere underreport of the true problem. The US federal government has appointed State Units on Aging to address elder abuse. Georgia’s …

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 …

Public Health Implications Of Mass Rape As A Weapon Of War, Missale Ayele

Public Health Theses

Although rape and other forms of sexual violence have historically been present during wartime, it has recently become a strategic weapon of war in many settings. The term mass rape as a weapon of war is defined as a systematic pattern of rape perpetrated by fighters usually against civilian women and children at a rate much higher than the rate of rape prevailing during peacetime. This study will examine issues surrounding mass rape as a weapon of war including: emerging theories, effectiveness of current international law, public health consequences, and relevant indicators of likelihood of occurrence. Grave physical and mental …

Bullying In Georgia Schools: Demographic Profiles And Psychosocial Correlates Of Students Who Would Intervene In A Bullying Situation, Lori Goldammer

Public Health Theses

While researchers have assessed the prevalence and health impact of bullying, there are still relatively few successful interventions and strategies implemented to reduce and prevent bullying. A particular promising area is to know more about students who may be willing to intervene in a bullying situation, which is the focus of this thesis. Using the data from the Georgia Student Health Survey II (GSHS 2006) (n=175,311) an empirical analyses of students who state that they are willing to intervene in a bullying situation, their demographic characteristics and psychosocial attributes will be examined. The survey administered to students across Georgia in …

Recalled Fruit And Vegetable Intake While Growing Up And Its Association With Adult Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among U.S. Adults - Analysis Of The Food Attitudes And Behaviors Survey, Mary D. Hill

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

MARY D. HILL

Recalled fruit and vegetable intake while growing up and its association with adult fruit and vegetable intake among U.S. adults – analysis of the food attitudes and behaviors survey

(Under the direction of DR. KYMBERLE STERLING)

High dietary intake of fruits and vegetables (FVs) is associated with a lower risk for chronic disease including certain cancers, optimal child growth, and weight management. More than 72 million U.S. adults are obese; therefore, fruit and vegetable intake is important in weight management. Using data from the Food Attitude and Behavior survey, this study will address the following questions: …

Hiv/Aids In Haiti. An Analysis Of Demographics, Lifestyle, Std Awareness, Hiv Knowledge And Perception That Influence Hiv Infection Among Haitians., Yves Marie Dominique Georges

Public Health Theses

Introduction

Haiti has the highest prevalence of HIV infection in Latina America and the Caribbean. The country faces the worst AIDS epidemic outside Africa and bears the greatest burden of HIV in the western hemisphere. Studies in the past recent years show that HIV/AIDS is most likely to be seen in developed countries. People with low education level and appropriate knowledge about STD’s are more susceptible to get HIV. Lifestyle behaviors represent significant factors in HIV transmission. Understandings these lifestyle factors are therefore critical in reversing the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the …

Diabetes Guidelines Implementation Toolkit, Gustavo Adolfo Arguello Lacayo

Public Health Theses

Diabetes Guidelines Implementation Toolkit is a capstone project aimed to help the Grady North Fulton Health Center to implement the American Diabetes Association (ADA) “Standards in Medical Care in Diabetes, 2011” guidelines. This toolkit can also be used to implement the diabetes guidelines in any other primary or community healthcare facility to improve diabetes care.

Diabetes can affect many parts of the body and can lead to serious complications such as blindness, kidney damage, and lower-limb amputations. Working together, people with diabetes, their support network, and their health care providers can reduce the occurrence of these and other diabetes complications …

Comparison Of Post-Licensure Safety Surveillance Of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine And 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine: Data From The Vaccine Advere Event Reporting System (Vaers), Jorge E. Arana

Public Health Theses

Comparison of Post-licensure safety surveillance of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccine and 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccine: Data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Background: On February 24, 2010, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar 13^®, [PCV13]) for use among children aged 6 weeks--71 months. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended PCV13 routine vaccination of all children aged 2--59 months, children aged 60--71 months with underlying medical conditions, with PCV13 replacing PCV7 for all doses.

Methods: We searched case reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a US …

A Descriptive Review Of Balamuthia And Non-Keratitis Acanthamoeba Cases In The United States, 1955-2009, Melanie A. Moser

Public Health Theses

Free-living amebae are ubiquitous in the environment and occasionally invade and parasitize host tissues causing illness in humans. Despite possibly frequent exposure to these organisms, infection is rare and why some people, healthy or not, end up with illness and others do not is still unclear. Human infections are rare; when illness does occur, it is often fatal. Only two papers have examined data from the literature and cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and both were published over twenty years ago. The purpose of this study is to better document the epidemiology of Balamuthia and …

A Multi-Vitamin For The Built Environment: Exploring How A Multi-Sectoral And Multi-Institutional Partnership Links Health And The Beltline, Brooke Barnes

Public Health Theses

The Atlanta BeltLine is an innovative redevelopment project re-shaping Atlanta residents’ access to, multi-use trails, parks, public transportation, housing and employment opportunities. The primary purpose of this project was to develop a research proposal to study and analyze the health benefits associated with multi-use trails within BeltLine communities. A secondary purpose of this project was to evaluate the multi-sectoral and multi-institutional partnership that was formed to develop the research proposal and study the influence of the BeltLine on health outcomes. In August 2010 representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State …

Discordance Of Drug Susceptibility Test Data Between The Cdc Mycobacteriology Laboratory And Local Public Health Laboratories Participating In Tuberculosis Clinical Trials, Tbtc, Cdc, Anne Havilah Patala

Public Health Theses

BACKGROUND: Multi drug resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a serious public health concern in many parts of the world. As per the WHO- 2010 global report on

Surveillance and response 3.6% of all incident TB cases globally are multidrug resistant. In this regard, there is an increasing demand for timely, reliable and comprehensive drug susceptibility testing (DST) as MDR-TB surveillance is being geared up. The intent of this analysis is to determine whether there is a need to continue routine confirmatory DST testing at CDC in addition to just sending the isolates for genotyping. Analysis is done by measuring the discordance …

Evaluation On Health Impact Of Government Support For Ger (Traditional Dwelling) District's Electricity Night Rates In Ulaanbaatar City, Erdenekhuu Nansalmaa

Public Health Theses

During the last 10 years, air pollution has become one of the major public health problems in Ulaanbaatar city of Mongolia, and concentrations of pollutants were measured 3 to 50 times higher than WHO recommendation. This devastating air pollution is produced mostly by thousands of families who migrated from countryside and live in gers (traditional dwellings) in the suburban area which is not connected to the central heating system, and nearly all of them burn coal to keep them warm. Due to air pollution, residents living in Ulaanbaatar city suffer health problems that equal to the smoking of 4-5 packs …

Perceived Health Status, Source Of Care And Health Outcomes Of Individuals With Self-Reported Mental Disorders, Rita Marie W. Lumansoc Dr.

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

In Healthy People 2010, mental health is listed as a major public health concern as evidenced by an alarming increase in the number of individuals who suffer from mental disorders. Mental disorders are a treatable public health condition. However, health disparities in the treatment of mental disorders are evident. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that affected health outcomes of persons with mental disorders. Two specific aims were addressed: Aim 1: to examine the relationships of population characteristics (predisposing factors and enabling resources), health behaviors (health services use and health practice); and health outcomes (physical health status …

Factors Influencing Female Caregivers' Appraisals Of Their Preschoolers' Behaviors, Sallie P. Coke

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Children with psychologically vulnerable caregivers may be at risk for being labeled as having behavior problems when typical behaviors are viewed by their caregivers as problematic. Research examining the accuracy of the caregivers’ perceptions of children’s behaviors is limited. The purpose of this study was to use the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptation to explore family and female caregiver factors associated with appraisals of children’s behaviors, the extent to which these appraisals may be distorted and children’s level of risk of having behavioral problems.

A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. Data were collected from female caregivers of …

The Experiences Of Medically Fragile Adolescents Who Require Respiratory Assistance, Regena Spratling

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

The population of medically fragile adolescents has grown in recent decades because of the sequelae of prematurity, injuries, and chronic or terminal illnesses. Medically fragile adolescents who require respiratory assistance are part of this unique population with challenges in their daily lives, yet as nurses, we know little about their experiences and the best approaches to use in caring for them. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of medically fragile adolescents who require respiratory assistance.

Interpretive phenomenology was used to describe and interpret the experience of 11 medically fragile adolescents who required respiratory assistance. The adolescents …

Factors That Influence Smoking Cessation In Women Following An Invasive Cardiovascular Procedure, Leslie C. Moore

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Women smokers with heart disease (HD) are at increased risk for negative health effects. At the time of invasive cardiovascular (CV) interventions is a critical opportunity to make lifestyle changes to reduce future CV interventions. The purposes of this study guided by the Health Belief Model were to determine which factors predict smoking cessation (SC) in women following an invasive CV procedure and to explore assistance received with SC.

A correlational, prospective design was used. Data were collected from women smokers at the time of an invasive CV intervention and three months later. Instruments measured commitment to stop smoking, perceived …

Alcohol Marketing, Drunkenness, And Problem Drinking Among Zambian Youth: Findings From The 2004 Global School-Based Student Health Survey, Monica Swahn, Bina Ali, Jane B. Palmier, George Sikazwe, John Mayeya

Public Health Faculty Publications

This study examines the associations between alcohol marketing strategies, alcohol education including knowledge about dangersof alcohol and refusal of alcohol, and drinking prevalence, problem drinking, and drunkenness. Analyses are based on the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in Zambia (2004) of students primarily 11 to 16 years of age (N = 2257). Four statistical models were computed to test the associations between alcohol marketing and education and alcoholuse, while controlling for possible confounding factors. Alcohol marketing, specifically through providing free alcohol through a company representative, was associated with drunkenness (AOR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.09–2.02) and problem drinking …

Empiricism And Theorizing In Epidemiology And Social Network Analysis, Richard Rothenberg, Elizabeth Costenbader

Public Health Faculty Publications

The connection between theory and data is an iterative one. In principle, each is informed by the other: data provide the basis for theory that in turn generates the need for new information. This circularity is reflected in the notion of abduction, a concept that focuses on the space between induction (generating theory from data) and deduction (testing theory with data). Einstein, in the 1920s, placed scientific creativity in that space. In the field of social network analysis, some remarkable theory has been developed, accompanied by sophisticated tools to develop, extend, and test the theory. At the same time, important …

A Macrolevel Examination Of County-Level Risk Factors For Underage Drinking Prevention: Intervention Opportunities To Protect Youth In The State Of Georgia, Karen E. O'Quin, Sheryl M. Strasser, Monica H. Swahn

Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: Underage drinking can have profoundly negative impacts on childhood development. This study compares 4 categories of known underage drinking risk factors with alcohol consumption. The social indicators in these categories will be compared in the 10 most-at-risk (MAR) counties and the 10 least-at-risk (LAR) counties identified in Georgia.

Methods: Independent 2-tailed t-tests were conducted to compare group means among MAR and LAR counties for all identified risk factors.

Results: Significant differences were observed in all factors included in the poverty and alcohol outlet density categories.

Discussion. The findings underscore the importance of better understanding youth …

An Assessment Of Continued Use And Health Impact Of The Concrete Biosand Filter In Bonao, Dominican Republic., Benjamin A. Aiken, Christine E. Stauber, Gloria M. Ortiz, Mark Sobsey

Public Health Faculty Publications

The biosand filter (BSF) is a promising point of use (POU) technology for water treatment; however there has been little follow-up of initial implementation to assess sustainability. The purpose of this study was to examine continued use, performance, and sustainability of previously implemented concrete BSFs in Bonao, Dominican Republic. Of 328 households visited and interviewed, 90% of BSFs were still in use after approximately 1 year since installation. Waterquality improvement, measured by fecal indicator bacteria reduction, was found to be 84–88%, which is lower than reductions in controlled laboratory studies but similar to other field assessments. In a short prospective …

Adaptive Human Behavior In Epidemiological Models, Eli P. Fenichel, Carlos Castillo-Chavez, M. G. Ceddia, Gerardo Chowell, Paula A. Gonzalez Parra, Graham J. Hickling, Garth Holloway, Richard Horan, Benjamin Morin, Charles Perrings, Michael Springborn, Leticia Valazquez, Cristina Villalobos

Public Health Faculty Publications

The science and management of infectious disease are entering a new stage. Increasingly public policy to manage epidemics focuses on motivating people, through social distancing policies, to alter their behavior to reduce contacts and reduce public disease risk. Person-to-person contacts drive human disease dynamics. People value such contacts and are willing to accept some disease risk to gain contact-related benefits. The cost–benefit trade-offs that shape contact behavior, and hence the course of epidemics, are often only implicitly incorporated in epidemiological models. This approach creates difficulty in parsing out the effects of adaptive behavior. We use an epidemiological–economic model of disease …

Did Modeling Overestimate The Transmission Potential Of Pandemic (H1n1-2009)? Sample Size Estimation For Post-Epidemic Seroepidemiological Studies, Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Gerardo Chowell, Hiroshi Nishiura

Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: Seroepidemiological studies before and after the epidemic wave of H1N1-2009 are useful for estimating population attack rates with a potential to validate early estimates of the reproduction number, R, in modeling studies.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Since the final epidemic size, the proportion of individuals in a population who become infected during an epidemic, is not the result of a binomial sampling process because infection events are not independent of each other, we propose the use of an asymptotic distribution of the final size to compute approximate 95% confidence intervals of the observed final size. This allows the comparison of the …

Influenza-Related Mortality Trends In Japanese And American Seniors: Evidence For The Indirect Mortality Benefits Of Vaccinating Schoolchildren, Vivek Charu, Cecile Viboud, Lone Simonsen, Katharine Sturm-Ramirez, Masayoshi Shinjoh, Gerardo Chowell, Mark A. Miller, Norio Sugaya

Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: The historical Japanese influenza vaccination program targeted at schoolchildren provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the indirect benefits of vaccinating high-transmitter groups to mitigate disease burden among seniors. Here we characterize the indirect mortality benefits of vaccinating schoolchildren based on data from Japan and the US.

Methods: We compared age-specific influenza-related excess mortality rates in Japanese seniors aged $65 years during the schoolchildren vaccination program (1978–1994) and after the program was discontinued (1995–2006). Indirect vaccine benefits were adjusted for demographic changes, socioeconomics and dominant influenza subtype; US mortality data were used as a control. Results: We estimate that the …