Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Influence Of Local Food Environments On Adolescents’ Food Purchasing Behaviors, Meizi He, Patricia Tucker, Jason Gilliland, Jennifer Irwin, Kristian Larsen, Paul Hess

Trish Tucker

This study examined the relationship between the neighborhood food environment and the food purchasing behaviors among adolescents. Grade 7 and 8 students (n = 810) at 21 elementary schools in London, Ontario, Canada completed a questionnaire assessing their food purchasing behaviors. Parents of participants also completed a brief questionnaire providing residential address and demographic information. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to assess students’ home and school neighborhood food environment and land use characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the influence of the home neighborhood food environment on students’ food purchasing behaviors, while two-level Hierarchical Non-Linear Regression …

The Change Program: Comparing An Interactive Versus Standardized Obesity Intervention On Students' Self-Esteem, Functional Health Status And Self-Efficacy For Performing Physical Activity And Nutrition Behaviours, Erin Pearson, Jennifer Irwin, Don Morrow

Donald Morrow

No abstract provided.

Health Care Practitioners’ Perceptions Of Motivational Interviewing Training For Facilitating Behavior Change Among Patients, Erin Wiley, Jennifer Irwin, Don Morrow

Donald Morrow

No abstract provided.

Formative Development Of A Culturally Appropriate Mammography Screening Campaign For Low-Income African-American Women., Kimberly D. Leeks, Ingrid J. Hall, C. Ashani Johnson-Turbes, Ngozi Kamalu, Yasmine Zavahir

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The purpose of this qualitative study was to conduct a formative evaluation of messages and materials to inform the development of a promotional, health campaign designed to increase breast cancer screening awareness and utilization among low-income, uninsured African American women through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) in Savannah and Macon, Georgia (GA). A priority of CDC is to understand why women eligible for screening through the NBCCEDP do not participate in NBCCEDP screening services as well as to identify effective strategies for increasing enrollment among NBCCEDP-eligible women who have never received breast cancer screening. As …

Ethnic And Gender Differences In Psychosocial Factors In Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islanders, And Asian American Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Jillian Inouye, Dongmei Li, James Davis, Richard Arakaki

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This study examined the differences between 207 Asians and Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) with type 2 diabetes among various psychosocial measures. Responses to five multivariable regression models including the Diabetes Quality of Life Questionnaire (DQOL) and Short Form -36® Health Survey (SF-36) were analyzed. Differences were determined by linear contrasts in the multivariate linear regression models after adjusted for multiple demographic and socioeconomic variables. Compared to Asians, NHOPIs perceived a lower impact of diabetes on their quality of life; highlighting differences in perceptions of self-efficacy and self-care activities. Females did better on their diet while males perceived better …

Housing, The Neighborhood Environment, And Physical Activity Among Older African Americans, Lonnie Hannon Iii, Patricia Sawyer, Richard M. Allman

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Abstract

This study examines the association of neighborhood environment, as measured by housing factors, with physical activity among older African Americans. Context is provided on the effects of structural inequality as an inhibitor of health enhancing neighborhood environments. The study population included African Americans participating in the UAB Study of Aging (n=433). Participants demonstrated the ability to walk during a baseline in-home assessment. The strength and independence of housing factors were assessed using neighborhood walking for exercise as the outcome variable. Sociodemographic data, co-morbid medical conditions, and rural/urban residence were included as independent control factors. Homeownership, occupancy, and length of …

Racial Disparities In Pain Management In Primary Care, Miriam Ezenwa

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This descriptive, cross-sectional, secondary data analysis was conducted to examine racial disparities in pain management of primary care patients with chronic nonmalignant pain using chronic opioid therapy. Data from 891 patients, including 201 African Americans and 691 Caucasians were used to test an explanatory model for these disparities. We predicted that: (1) African American patients would report worse pain management and poor quality of life (QOL) than Caucasians; (2) the association between race and pain management would be mediated by perceived discrimination relating to hopelessness; and (3) poor pain management would negatively affect QOL. Results revealed significant differences between African …

National Longitudinal Survey Of Public Health Systems: Comparative Report Of 2012 Results, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

The third wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems was fielded in 2012 in a nationally-representative cohort of local communities. The survey measures the availability of 20 recommended public health activities in the community, the range of organizations that participate in performing each activity, and the perceived effectiveness of each activity. Prior waves of the survey were fielded in 1998 and 2006. Local health officials report data for this survey and receive a customized report of results that compare data for their community with national norms and with "peer groups" of similar communities. This document provides an …

Parallel Ngo Networks For Hiv Control: Risks And Opportunities For Ngo Contracting., Shehla Zaidi, Xaher Gul, Noureen Aleem Nishtar

Community Health Sciences

Policy measures for preventive and promotive services are increasingly reliant on contracting of NGOs. Contracting is a neo-liberal response relying on open market competition for service delivery tenders. In contracting of health services a common assumption is a monolithic NGO market. A case study of HIV control in Pakistan shows that in reality the NGO market comprises of parallel NGO networks having widely different service packages, approaches and agendas. These parallel networks had evolved over time due to vertical policy agendas. Contracting of NGOs for provision of HIV services was faced with uneven capacities and turf rivalries across both NGO …

The 'Art' Of Medicine: Building A Caring Relationship With Clients, Lisa Barkley

UCF Forum

On the first day of school each year at the UCF College of Medicine, Dean Deborah German asks our incoming class of students what they think makes a “good doctor.”

Kondisi Sosial Ekonomi Dan Stres Pada Wanita Hipertensi Anggota Majelis Taklim, Anna Fitriani

Kesmas

Proporsi hipertensi pada wanita selalu lebih tinggi dengan peningkatan usia populasi. Penelitian ini membahas hipertensi dan faktor risiko pada 105 wanita dewasa anggota Majelis Taklim Al-Amin Cilandak, Jakarta Selatan. Penelitian observasional dengan desain studi potong lintang ini dilatarbelakangi oleh hasil Riset Kesehatan Dasar (Riskesdas) 2007 dengan metode analisis uji Chi Square. Populasi target adalah seluruh anggota majelis taklim di Jakarta Selatan dengan sampel anggota Majelis Taklim Al-Amin di Kecamatan Cilandak yang datang pada saat pengambilan data. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa prevalensi hipertensi sebesar 41,7% lebih tinggi daripada provinsi DKI Jakarta (28,6%) dan angka nasional 2007 (31,7%). Hipertensi pada penelitian ini …

Integrated Services Post (Posyandu) As Sociocultural Approach For Primary Health Care Issue, Oedojo Soedirham

Kesmas

Kelahiran posyandu pada tahun 1980-an merupakan usaha pemerintah Indonesia untuk meningkatkan status kesehatan masyarakat, mengikuti panggilan internasional, Deklarasi Alma Ata (Kazakhstan) tentang kesehatan masyarakat tahun 1978. Konsep kunci deklarasi tersebut adalah partisipasi masyarakat. Di Indonesia, partisipasi masyarakat disebut “gotong royong”. Masyarakat memainkan peran penting dalam meningkatkan kesehatan masing-masing. Untuk melibatkan masyarakat dalam kesehatan masyarakat, relawan harus direkrut dan dilatih untuk mengenal isu-isu kesehatan masyarakat dasar. Gagasan mengenai relawan yang disebut kader (village health worker) tersebut diajukan agar relawan sebagai bagian dari masyarakat dapat lebih mudah menyampaikan program-program kesehatan karena lebih dekat dibandingkan pejabat kesehatan masyarakat. Di dalam artikel ini dibahas …

Perbedaan Gender Pada Kejadian Sindrom Metabolik Pada Penduduk Perkotaan Di Indonesia, Krisnawaty Bantas, Hari Koesnanto Yoseph, Budi Moelyono

Kesmas

Sindrom Metabolik (SM) merupakan faktor risiko penting penyakit kardiovaskuler yang merupakan penyebab utama kematian di Indonesia. Perbedaan gender pada SM berkontribusi terhadap perbedaan gender pada penyakit kardiovaskuler. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui prevalensi dan risiko SM berdasarkan gender di perkotaan Indonesia menggunakan data Riset Kesehatan Dasar 2007 dan menggunakan rancangan penelitian potong lintang. Populasi penelitian terdiri dari 13.262 orang pria dan wanita yang tidak hamil berusia lebih dari 15 tahun yang bermukim di daerah perkotaan. Variabel penelitian meliputi variabel dependen sindrom metabolik. Variabel independen utama adalah gender dan variabel kovariat yang lain adalah level 1 (umur, status perkawinan, pendidikan, stres, merokok, …

An Assessment Of The Effects Of Desertification In Yobe State, Nigeria, Jibril Musa Phd

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

Desertification is one of the most serious environmental and socio-economic problems of our time. Desertification describes circumstances of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from the climatic variation and human activities. The fundamental goal of this thesis was to assess the effects of desertification in Yobe State, Nigeria. The present threat of desertification in the sahel has reached an alarming stage where crops cultivation and animal rearing/grazing are no more productive, soil has lost its nutrient/fertility, various infrastructure had given way because of windstorm from the neighbouring Niger Republic and sand dunes had taken over. The …

What Aspect Of Dependence Does The Fagerström Test For Nicotine Dependence Measure?, Joseph R. Difranza, Robert J. Wellman, Judith A. Savageau, Ariel Beccia, W. W. Sanouri A. Ursprung, Robert Mcmillen

Judith A. Savageau

Although the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and the Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI) are widely used, there is a uncertainty regarding what is measured by these scales. We examined associations between these instruments and items assessing different aspects of dependence. Adult current smokers ( , mean age 33.3 years, 61.9% female) completed a web-based survey comprised of items related to demographics and smoking behavior plus (1) the FTND and HSI; (2) the Autonomy over Tobacco Scale (AUTOS) with subscales measuring Withdrawal, Psychological Dependence, and Cue-Induced Cravings; (3) 6 questions tapping smokers’ wanting, craving, or needing experiences in response …

Dried Whole Plant Artemisia Annua As An Antimalarial Therapy, Mostafa Elfawal, Melissa Towler, Nicholas Reich, Douglas Golenbock, Pamela Weathers, Stephen Rich

Nicholas G Reich

Drugs are primary weapons for reducing malaria in human populations. However emergence of resistant parasites has repeatedly curtailed the lifespan of each drug that is developed and deployed. Currently the most effective anti-malarial is artemisinin, which is extracted from the leaves of Artemisia annua. Due to poor pharmacokinetic properties and prudent efforts to curtail resistance to monotherapies, artemisinin is prescribed only in combination with other anti-malarials composing an Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT). Low yield in the plant, and the added cost of secondary anti-malarials in the ACT, make artemisinin costly for the developing world. As an alternative, we compared the …

Use Of The County Health Rankings By Local Health Departments In Florida, 2010 - 2011, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Bonita Sorensen, James B. Tidwell

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

This paper describes how local health departments (LHDs) in Florida used the County Health Rankings over the first two years of their release (2010 – 2011). We surveyed LHD leadership to describe if, how and to what extent the Rankings were used by Florida’s 67 LHDs to improve the health of their communities and describe changes in use from the 2010 to the 2011 release. Our results indicate substantial use of the Rankings by Florida’s LHDs, particularly as applied to community health assessments, staff education, as a starting point for examining other indicators and databases, and in grant applications. From …

Effectiveness And Challenges For Implementing Quality Improvement Activities In Nebraska’S Local Health Departments, Li-Wu Chen, Anh Nguyen, Janelle J. Jacobson, Diptee Ojha, David Palm

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

What is already known on this topic? Although the implementation strategies and effectiveness of quality improvement (QI) activities have been examined extensively for many industries, including the health care sector, very few studies have focused on QI activities in the public health context.

What is added by this report? The study results indicated that Nebraska’s LHDs still face significant barriers for QI implementation, including low capacity, knowledge gaps, inadequate resources, and low institutional QI maturity.

What are the implications for public health practice/policy/research? Policy makers and LHDs should provide QI training and external QI expertise to LHD staff and better …

Building Capacity To Support And Study Qi In Local Georgia Public Health Systems, William C. Livingood, Nandi Marshall, Angela Peden, Ketty Gonzales, Gulzar H. Shah, Russ Toal, Kellie Penix, Dayna Alexander, Kay Davis, Sylvester Nixon, Purity Cummings, William Riley, Lynn Woodhouse

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

The study of quality improvement within Georgia’s local public health systems provides important insight into the use of regional bodies as quality improvement (QI) collaboratives and multijurisdictional entities. This report describes QI initiatives following a RWJF funded quick strike research grant to assess health district capacity to conduct QI in Georgia’s local public health systems. These QI initiatives use QI to improve public health outcomes including: Adolescent pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infection prevention, HIV prevention and control, and HIV Management.

Tax Levy Financing For Local Public Health: Relationships Between Fiscal Allocation, Fiscal Effort And Fiscal Capacity, William Riley, Kim J. Gearin, Carmen D. Parrotta, Jill Briggs, M. Elizabeth Gyllstrom

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

This study examines property tax levy (local tax levy) as a source of local health department (LHD) funding during a five year period (2006-2010) in all Minnesota counties by assessing fiscal effort, fiscal allocation and fiscal capacity. Local health departments rely on pluralistic funding from local, state, federal and private sources. However, local tax levy funding is unexplored and little is known regarding the extent of fiscal allocation (tax levy used for LHD), fiscal effort (potential amount of tax levy available for LHD), and fiscal capacity (wealth of community). More important it is not known to what extent variation between …

Mandated Activities And Limited Decision-Making Authority Among Local Public Health Officials, Betty Bekemeier, Anthony L-T Chen, Nami Kawakyu

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Local public health department leaders face difficult decisions regarding the allocation of increasingly scarce resources, yet existing evidence for public health decision making, while still limited, is underutilized by public health officials. Participants in this study described processes regarding resource allocation in response to local budget cuts as based largely on legally mandated activities and categorical funding and perceived these factors as limiting much of their agency-level decision making to a relatively small portion of flexible funding. In the limited areas in which they perceived themselves to have flexibility, they generally considered their agencies to have very little capacity for …

Evidence-Based Decision Making In Local Health Departments, Linda Weiss, Collette Sosnowy, Christopher M. Maylahn, Nancy J. Katagiri, Sylvia Pirani

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Evidence-based decision making (EBDM) represents an important strategy to increase efficacy and efficiency of public health programs and practice. There is insufficient information on the application of EBDM among local health departments (LHDs). This qualitative study examined use of EBDM in New York State (NYS) LHDs and factors facilitating and impeding its adoption through interviews and focus groups with 47 LHD commissioners, health directors, and other upper-level staff. Findings suggest variability in application of EBDM in NYS LHDs. A number of internal factors (e.g., staff capacity, organizational culture) and external factors (e.g., policy environment, appropriate and …

From The Frontier: Translating Research To Practice, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

The purpose of this invited article is to describe the process of translating research into public health practice. An example is provided, showing how questions arose in the practice setting, a researcher was identified to help answer the questions, and findings from the research were applied in the practice setting. In this example, Dr. Lea LaFave (Community Health Institute/JSI in New Hampshire) worked with Dr. Danielle Varda (Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado/ Denver, School of Public Affairs) to use social network analysis to better understand a network of coalitions focused on underage substance abuse. The social network analysis …

Stimulating Public Health Improvement In Complex And Constrained Delivery Systems: Findings From The Public Health Pbrns, Glen P. Mays

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks Program sponsored a series of studies to examine how public health decision-makers are responding to accreditation, quality improvement, and public reporting initiatives amid the ongoing fiscal pressures. Overall, the evidence to date indicates that these initiatives represent promising strategies for strengthening evidence-based decision-making and expanding the delivery of evidence-tested programs and policies in local public health settings. Continued, comparative research and evaluation activities are needed to provide more definitive evidence about which combination of strategies work best, for which population groups, in which community and organizational settings, and why.

Self-Reported Racism, Transphobia, Their Intersection And Impact On Past-Year Hiv Related Sexual Risk Behaviour, Roxanne M. Longman Marcellin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Studies examining HIV prevalence and risk behaviors within trans subgroups have identified them as high risk. Yet few studies have addressed how discrimination impacts this prevalence. Minority stress theory suggests that there is a relationship between minority stress and HIV-related risk behaviour. We hypothesize that multiple minority statuses may result in discriminatory experiences, specifically self-reported transphobia and racism in synchrony with other attributes, that interact to alter past-year HIV-related risk behaviour.

Methods: Data came from the Trans PULSE project, a mixed-methods, community-based research study that used respondent-driven sampling to access 433 trans Ontarians, between May 2009 and …

Using Remote Sensing Data To Improve Rice Production In Kutigi, Niger State, Nigeria, Jibril Musa Phd, M B. Yunusa

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

This research work looked in the used of Remote Sensing to improve Agricultural production in Kutigi, Niger State. The aim of the study is to use remote sensing to improve rice farming activities in Kutigi, Niger State. It is very important to identify such methods to improve Agricultural production because experts are always interested in new researches and findings to better the standard of living in any environment. In view of this, Remotely-sensed data could be used or employed to elevate most of these agricultural problems in Kutigi through the following objectives: Using Landsat imagery to assess the present landuse …

Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes: Fqhcs And Community Clinics In A Reformed Health Care Market, Jessamyn Taylor

National Health Policy Forum

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Supreme Court’s related decision have significantly shifted the health care landscape for safety net providers. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are a mainstay of primary care for the uninsured and those with limited access to care. This paper focuses on the impact of health reform on FQHCs given the significant federal investment in them through grants, Medicaid, and Medicare reimbursement. Where noteworthy, the effect on non-FQHC community clinics is also discussed. The implications of Medicaid coverage expansions (or lack thereof in states that choose not to expand), Medicaid disproportionate …

Evaluation Of Heat Stress In Migrant Farmworkers, Stephen L. Mcqueen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rate of heat-related fatalities in crop production workers is almost 20 times that of other industries. Heat stress was investigated in migrant tomato workers in July, 2012, using measurements of body temperature, heart rates, body weight loss, evaluation of the thermal environment, and survey data. Using occupational safety criteria, these workers were found to work in an environment that should require protective measures to prevent heat strain. Increases in body temperature, heart rate, and physiological strain correlated with heat exposure. One third of workers had body weight percentage losses that indicated dehydration. However, working in hot environments appears to …

A Practical Scale For Multi-Faceted Organizational Health Climate Assessment, Zandra M. Zweber

Master's Theses

The current study sought to develop a practical scale to measure workplace health climate in a way that has not previously been conceptualized – as a three-faceted approach from the employee perspective serving as an indicator of a healthy organization. The goal was to create a short, useable yet comprehensive scale that could translate into practical use by organizations and occupational health professionals planning workplace interventions. To accomplish this, the proposed multi-faceted organizational health climate scale (MOHCA) assesses three-facets which match up with three organizational levels: 1) organization 2) supervisor and 3) workgroup. Ten items were developed and tested on …

The Face Of Cancer In Montgomery County Ohio: A Look At The Population At Risk, Chika E. Okere

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The purpose of this study was to identify the population in Montgomery County Ohio who are at the greatest risk for cancer based on age, sex, and race/ethnicity, family history and demographics. The research will also look at modifiable behaviors such as use of tobacco products, physical inactivity, obesity, poor nutrition and heavy drinking of alcohol that increase the risk and identify areas of improvement in data collection for reporting purposes. During 1996-2006, cancer was the second-leading cause of death for residents of Montgomery County.

Methods: Age, sex, race/ethnicity of people in Montgomery County with cancer were examined and using …