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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Multi-Sector Contributions To Public Health Delivery Systems: Economic, Institutional & Policy Determinants, Glen P. Mays Oct 2016

Multi-Sector Contributions To Public Health Delivery Systems: Economic, Institutional & Policy Determinants, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The United States faces growing public and policy demands to improve health status on a population-wide basis. This session reviews new research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Systems for Action research program about the implementation of population health activities in communities across the U.S. Using 16 years of data on a national cohort of metropolitan communities, we show that substantial growth has occurred in the array of organizations and sectors that contribute to population health activities, especially in the years following Affordable Care Act implementation. We also show that this growth has not occurred evenly across the U.S., with …


Aligning Delivery & Financing Systems To Build A Culture Of Health, Glen P. Mays Oct 2016

Aligning Delivery & Financing Systems To Build A Culture Of Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Systems for Action research program uses strong social science methods to discover ways of aligning medical, public health, and social service systems in ways that improve health and wellbeing. This session profiles several of the studies now underway through this new program.


An Accredited Local Health Department’S Use Of The Qi Roadmap To Build A Culture Of Quality, Whitney Webber, Vanessa Au, Aimee Reedy, Rocio Luna, Erica Mireles, Teddy Daligga, Laura Brunetto Sep 2016

An Accredited Local Health Department’S Use Of The Qi Roadmap To Build A Culture Of Quality, Whitney Webber, Vanessa Au, Aimee Reedy, Rocio Luna, Erica Mireles, Teddy Daligga, Laura Brunetto

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Studies that exist on quality improvement efforts within local health departments indicate that there needs to be clearer approaches for achieving a culture of quality. This study describes how a local health department used the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO’s) Roadmap to an Organizational Culture of Quality Improvement (QI Roadmap) to successfully build a quality culture on its journey to becoming accredited, as reflected in results from a February 2016 survey. Local health departments who invest in and promote QI efforts that are aligned with strategic priorities; establish the necessary infrastructure to regularly track and report …


Health Care, Employers And Population Health, Glen P. Mays Sep 2016

Health Care, Employers And Population Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems show that hospital and employer contributions to population health activities vary widely across U.S. communities. As peripheral participants in the organizational networks that support population health activities, these stakeholders bring novel information and resources to multi-sector work. This fact may explain the tendency for population health improvement activities to be more effective when hospitals and employers are involved.


Transforming Public Health Delivery Systems For Population Health Improvement, Glen P. Mays Aug 2016

Transforming Public Health Delivery Systems For Population Health Improvement, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

A growing body of empirical research documents the health and economic benefits of multi-sector health improvement initiatives. In this session we share research that points to the delivery system features --including institutions, infrastructure, and incentives -- that lead to effective population health improvement strategies.


Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems: Using Foundational Capabilities To Achieve Health Impact And Equity, Glen P. Mays Jul 2016

Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems: Using Foundational Capabilities To Achieve Health Impact And Equity, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Achieving health equity requires building more comprehensive systems. Using data from a nationally representative cohort of U.S. communities, this session will explore the characteristics of Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems, the structures and processes needed to build such systems, and the health and economic benefits attributable to these systems.

Learning Objectives:

  • Compare innovative ways to structure local health departments that maximize resources to enhance service delivery to the community.
  • Discuss ways local health departments can build strategic alliances to implement successful collaborations that address health threats in the community.


Injury-Related Infant Deaths: A State Analysis Of A Public Health, Health Care, Policy Network, Sharla Smith, Xi Zhu, Mary Aitken Jul 2016

Injury-Related Infant Deaths: A State Analysis Of A Public Health, Health Care, Policy Network, Sharla Smith, Xi Zhu, Mary Aitken

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Introduction: This research examines a state-level public health, health care, and policy network focused on efforts to reduce unintentional childhood injuries. The network is composed of 12 organizations: four public health, four health care, and four policy.

Methods: A 23-item survey was administered to the 12 organizations between January and June 2015. Analyses were conducted using HyperResearch and UCInet 6.

Results: More organizations worked together on assessment and planning efforts that identify and quantify the nature of at-risk infants in the community and strategies for reducing injury-related infant deaths. The Injury Prevention Center, the most central organization, interacted most frequently …


Public Health Spending And Its Contributions To The Total Spend On Health, Glen P. Mays May 2016

Public Health Spending And Its Contributions To The Total Spend On Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This presentation provides an overview of recent research on governmental public health expenditures and their interaction with medical spending, carried out through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supported initiatives on Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) and the new Systems for Action research program. This work illustrates the value of tracking resource use across multiple sectors that influence health and well-being in American communities. As such, this work can inform the ongoing dialogue about methodologies for summarizing total health spending for the U.S. and for state and local areas.


Summary Of Results From The 2016 National Health Security Preparedness Index, Glen P. Mays, Michael T. Childress, Pierre Martin Dominique Zephyr, Anna Goodman Hoover Apr 2016

Summary Of Results From The 2016 National Health Security Preparedness Index, Glen P. Mays, Michael T. Childress, Pierre Martin Dominique Zephyr, Anna Goodman Hoover

Health Management and Policy Reports

The National Health Security Preparedness Index tracks the nation’s progress in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters and other large-scale emergencies that pose risks to health and well-being in the United States. Because health security is a responsibility shared by many different stakeholders in government and society, the Index combines measures from multiple sources and perspectives to offer a broad view of the health protections in place for nation as a whole and for each U.S. state. The Index identifies strengths as well as gaps in the protections needed to keep people safe and healthy in the face …


Measuring Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems And Their Contributions To Population Health, Glen P. Mays, Rick Ingram Apr 2016

Measuring Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems And Their Contributions To Population Health, Glen P. Mays, Rick Ingram

Health Management and Policy Presentations

We review methods for measuring the structure of public health delivery systems using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems. A growing body of research using these measures demonstrates how multiple sectors contribute to core public health functions, and how these functions influence community health status over time. We end with a summary of how the Comprehensive Public Health System measure will be used in monitoring the impact of the 21st Century Public Health System initiative.


Measuring Multi-Sector Contributions To Public Health Delivery Systems & Population Health, Glen P. Mays Mar 2016

Measuring Multi-Sector Contributions To Public Health Delivery Systems & Population Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems has followed a nationally-representative cohort of U.S. communities since 1998 to measure the scope of public health activities implemented in each community and the range of organizations and sectors that contribute to each activity. With 16 years of follow-up observations, this survey allows us to study the effects of demographic, economic, and policy shocks on public health delivery systems, and estimate the health effects attributable to delivery system change.


Decreasing Obesity And Obesity Stigma: Socio-Demographic Differences In Beliefs About Causes Of And Responsibility For Obesity, Christy F. Brady Mar 2016

Decreasing Obesity And Obesity Stigma: Socio-Demographic Differences In Beliefs About Causes Of And Responsibility For Obesity, Christy F. Brady

Sociology Faculty Publications

Obesity is a stigmatized condition, and research has shown that obesity stigma varies based on the perceived cause of obesity. It is important that public health professionals develop policy and campaigns that resonate with specific populations while avoiding an increase in harmful stigma. This study identifies socio-demographic differences in causal attributions of obesity and beliefs about responsibility for obesity. Using data from a survey of 923 people in the United States conducted by ABC New/Time Magazine, attributions of cause and responsibility are analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares regression. Beliefs about cause and responsibility fall on a continuum from primarily individual …


Measuring Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems And Their Contributions To Population Health, Glen P. Mays Mar 2016

Measuring Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems And Their Contributions To Population Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Delivery and financing systems for public health services vary widely across U.S. communities, raising questions about the comparative effectiveness and efficiency of alternative structures. We summarize recent approaches for measuring alternative system configurations and estimating their health and economic effects.


An Exploration Of Core Values And Values Congruence In Local Public Health, Ross Graham, Christopher Mackie, Shannon L. Sibbald Feb 2016

An Exploration Of Core Values And Values Congruence In Local Public Health, Ross Graham, Christopher Mackie, Shannon L. Sibbald

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: Understanding and aligning staff core values with organizational values has been shown to contribute to positive work attitudes and increased organizational performance in the private sector. Little is known about the role of values in local public health.

Purpose: To identify public health staff core values, and to improve the alignment between staff values and organizational values (known as values congruence).

Methods: A Tribal Leadership exercise was used as part of a multi-stage strategic planning process at Canada’s largest autonomous local public health agency.

Results: Five sessions were held with 146 public health staff; 156 different values were reported. …


Employing The Precautionary Principle To Evaluate The Use Of E-Cigarettes, Ashley M. Bush, James W. Holsinger Jr., Lawrence D. Prybil Feb 2016

Employing The Precautionary Principle To Evaluate The Use Of E-Cigarettes, Ashley M. Bush, James W. Holsinger Jr., Lawrence D. Prybil

Health Management and Policy Faculty Publications

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have emerged onto the public market as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes; however, science is inconclusive as e-cigarettes have not been thoroughly investigated, including their short- and long-term risks and benefits (1, 2). The question arises of whether e-cigarettes will become the future tobacco crisis. This paper connects the precautionary principle to the use of e-cigarettes in an effort to guide decision-makers in the prevention of adverse health outcomes and societal costs.


Chinese Adolescent In Hong Kong, Mandakini Sadhir Jan 2016

Chinese Adolescent In Hong Kong, Mandakini Sadhir

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Promoting Culturally Respectful Cancer Education Through Digital Storytelling, Melany Cueva, Regina Kuhnley, Anne Lanier, Mark Dignan, Laura Revels, Nancy E. Schoenberg, Katie Cueva Jan 2016

Promoting Culturally Respectful Cancer Education Through Digital Storytelling, Melany Cueva, Regina Kuhnley, Anne Lanier, Mark Dignan, Laura Revels, Nancy E. Schoenberg, Katie Cueva

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality among Alaska Native people. Over half of Alaska Native people live in rural communities where specially trained community members called Community Health Aides/Practitioners (CHA/Ps) provide health care. In response to CHA/Ps’ expressed desire to learn more about cancer, four 5-day cancer education and digital storytelling courses were provided in 2014. Throughout each course, participants explored cancer information, reflected on their personal experiences, and envisioned how they might apply their knowledge within their communities. Each course participant also created a personal and authentic digital story, a methodology increasingly embraced by Indigenous communities as a …


Improving Indoor Air Quality For Children In Rural Kentucky, Denerica L. Curry Jan 2016

Improving Indoor Air Quality For Children In Rural Kentucky, Denerica L. Curry

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Community interventions directed towards improving indoor air quality for children are often implemented after exposure has occurred and focuses on parental smoking cessation. Our proposed project will intervene during the prenatal stage prior to exposure and continue to support families 6 months postpartum. Infants are at an increased risk of secondhand smoke exposure due to the amount of time they spend in the home and proximity to the smoker. We hypothesize that by enhancing care of the current home visitation model to include an early intervention we will increase the amount of smoking bans in the home and decrease maternal …


Wnc Healthy Teens: A Multi-Level Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, Katharine Macmillan Jan 2016

Wnc Healthy Teens: A Multi-Level Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, Katharine Macmillan

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

WNC Healthy Teens is a multi-component, community-based teen pregnancy prevention initiative. The program will be targeted in rural areas of Buncombe and Henderson Counties that have aggregate rates showing that over half the population of women aged 15-19 years are giving birth. Sexual education is necessary, but not sufficient to preventing risky sexual behaviors1. Tying multiple levels of evidence-based school interventions together with standardization of adolescent sexual health care will provide a well-rounded approach to address teenage pregnancy. Starting the initiative at age 14, it is anticipated the majority of teens will have yet to initiate sexual activity. Reducing the …


Comparing The Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis Patients With Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (Ntm) And Non-Ntm Infections, Maninder Bir Singh Jan 2016

Comparing The Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis Patients With Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (Ntm) And Non-Ntm Infections, Maninder Bir Singh

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objective

The objective of the study is to compare the Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis patients with Non Tubercular Mycobacteria (NTM) and Non-NTM infection and determine if the NTM and Non-NTM groups are different.

Methods

Data from the COPD Foundation’s Bronchiectasis Research Registry (BRR) was used in the study (n=1660).Logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards regression, and Kaplan Meier survival analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results

The study found odds ratio for having NTM infection for age to be 1.02 and for gender to be 2.34, after adjusting for all other variables in the multivariate logistic regression, with the p-value of …


“Exchange Northern Ky”: An Evidence-Based Needle & Syringe Exchange Program Serving The Northern Kentucky Area Development District, Amanda Hunter Jan 2016

“Exchange Northern Ky”: An Evidence-Based Needle & Syringe Exchange Program Serving The Northern Kentucky Area Development District, Amanda Hunter

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Intravenous drug users (IDUs) account for nearly 16% of new HIV infections in the United States and almost one half (48%) of newly reported acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have been found to be IDU related.1 Within the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, hepatitis C infections have soared with an incidence of more than 1,000 newly reported cases during 2015 alone.4 Rigorous scientific evidence complied by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has indicated that one of the most unique and effective strategies for the curtailing HIV incidence among IDUs is by ensuring users’ access to …


Risk Factors Associated With Severe Injuries In Inland Aquaculture Farms, Amah Martin Jan 2016

Risk Factors Associated With Severe Injuries In Inland Aquaculture Farms, Amah Martin

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze risk factors associated with severe occupational injuries among inland aquaculture farms.

Methods: Survey results were compiled in a data set that consisted of qualitative data from 51 farmers who were interviewed between 2008 and 2011 in 10 states and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used to assess the differences in the dichotomous level of severity among several farm and injury variables. Logistic regression was used to predict the outcome of a severe injury event.

Results: Injury observations that indicated the use of raceway …


Identifying Predictors Of Functional Limitations Associated With Depression, Anxiety, And Emotional Problems In Us Adults, Jillian Richardson Jan 2016

Identifying Predictors Of Functional Limitations Associated With Depression, Anxiety, And Emotional Problems In Us Adults, Jillian Richardson

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Depressive disorders are characterized as sharing affected mood, and somatic (e.g. sleep pattern, appetite, and unintentional changes in weight) and cognitive alterations from previous normal daily functioning that are clinically significant. Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive fear, general or specific anxiety, and related behavioral disturbances that are also clinically significant. This project attempts to identify risk factors that may predict what groups are most likely to be affected by depression and/or anxiety.

Sponsored by the CDC, the National Health Interview Survey collects general health information for non-institutionalized individuals living in the US. Variables for use in logistic regression model …


The Link Between Smoking, Lung Cancer And Socioeconomic Factors In Kentucky, Shreya Berlia Jan 2016

The Link Between Smoking, Lung Cancer And Socioeconomic Factors In Kentucky, Shreya Berlia

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background and Purpose

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and the second most diagnosed cancer in both men and women in the United States. An estimated 158,080 deaths from lung cancer are expected to occur in 2016, which will account for approximately 1 in 4 of all cancer deaths. The 1- and 5-year relative survival rates for lung cancer are 44% and 17%, respectively. The incidence rate for lung cancer has been declining since the mid-1980s in men, but only since the mid-2000s in women. Tobacco smoke is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in …


Policy And Political Motives For Medicaid Expansion Under The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, Ross C. Stanton Jan 2016

Policy And Political Motives For Medicaid Expansion Under The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, Ross C. Stanton

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objective

This study aims to analyze policy-related and political rationales for Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). More specifically, this study seeks to discover whether states’ decisions regarding Medicaid expansion were likely based on policy implications regarding the uninsured or political motives.

Methodology

The approach is a cross-sectional/observational study of American states and the District of Columbia after the Sebelius decision in 2012. This study compares three variables: (1) whether each state decided to opt into the expansion (“Opted In”), (2) whether each state’s governor and legislature were affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican …


Evaluations Of Patients’ Appointment Duration By Type In An Ophthalmology Practice, Brittany U'Wren Jan 2016

Evaluations Of Patients’ Appointment Duration By Type In An Ophthalmology Practice, Brittany U'Wren

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objective: The Affordable Care Act expanded health care coverage and provided more access to physicians, resulting in potentially longer wait times. Large portions of ophthalmology patients are on Medicare. Two thirds of the expansion populations were Hispanic or African Americans, which have higher rates of eye disease. Another contributoring factor leading to the increase for eye care is the surge of baby boomers. More specifically, these are individuals reaching sixty-five and are beginning to utilize Medicare. Access to care has increased but the capacity of the practice has not. An important goal, therefore, is to maximize efficiency of current …


Occupational Risks For Recent Asthma Episodes Among Adults, Molly Reese Jan 2016

Occupational Risks For Recent Asthma Episodes Among Adults, Molly Reese

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objective

Asthma affects more than 37 million Americans at some point in their lives, making it one of the most common, but costly chronic conditions. There are many known risk factors for asthma, but additional research on environmental and occupational factors is needed to better understand the association between these variables and asthma. This study investigates the associations between occupational exposures and asthma episodes among adults.

Methods

Data was obtained from the 2011-2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Asthma Call-back Survey for adults. There was a final study population of 11,408 participants after the exclusion criteria were applied. The …


Forced Sexual Intercourse And Its Link To Suicide Ideation/Suicide Attempts Among Adolescent Girls: Findings From 2013 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, Adebukola Helen Adegbite Jan 2016

Forced Sexual Intercourse And Its Link To Suicide Ideation/Suicide Attempts Among Adolescent Girls: Findings From 2013 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, Adebukola Helen Adegbite

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objectives. We sought to assess the association between forced sexual intercourse and suicidal ideation/attempts among adolescent girls ages 14-17.

Methods. We performed secondary data analysis of the 2013 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, using chi-square tests to examine the association of forced sex and race/ethnicity, with suicide ideation.

Results. We found that there was an association between those who had considered suicide and those who had experienced forced sexual intercourse. Moreover, race/ethnicity was associated with those who had ever considered suicide in the past 12 months before taking the survey. Lastly, we found that there was an association of suicide ideation …


"Life Skills Training" Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Among Youth In Bell County, Kentucky, Arveen Kaur Jan 2016

"Life Skills Training" Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Among Youth In Bell County, Kentucky, Arveen Kaur

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Prescription Drug Abuse (PDA) has become a serious public health concern and a major epidemic in the United States (U.S.). According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSUDH), approximately 15 million people (aged 12 or older) used prescription drugs in the past year and 6.5 million in past month. Out of these, 2 million Americans (aged 12 or older) either abused prescription drugs or were dependant on them. Almost 5% of adolescents (1.1 million) between the age group 12-17 abused prescription painkillers in 2014. Nationally, Kentucky is among the top five states with highest age-adjusted overdose …


Access For Adolescents: Multisystemic Therapy In The Juvenile Justice System, Meagan Pilar Jan 2016

Access For Adolescents: Multisystemic Therapy In The Juvenile Justice System, Meagan Pilar

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

In this application for funding, DC YouthLink, a non-profit organization that connects adolescents in the juvenile justice system to community resources, proposes to implement an evidence-based mental health intervention into the juvenile justice system in Washington D.C. The Director of DC YouthLink will serve as the Principal Investigator for this pilot program; she, along with five trained staff members, will be responsible for implementing multisystemic therapy (MST), an intensive form of therapy designed specifically for at-risk youth and their families. We propose to intervene at three main stages of the juvenile justice system— intake, correctional placement/probation supervision, and reentry. The …