Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

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 …

Laboratory Office Hours As Outreach In The Health Sciences: Better Research Skills For Better Careers, Todd Prusin

University Library Faculty Publications

Medical librarianship is changing in healthcare environments. Since 1996, by which time the standards that determine how hospitals acquire accreditation changed, many hospitals are acquiring accreditation without a qualified medical librarian on site. For that reason, it has become even more important that healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses and other clinicians, learn to access and evaluate quality information as an integral part of their academic training. Because of this, medical clinicians must begin their careers with strong research skills. These skills must be attained during their academic matriculation and studies in the field of librarianship have shown that departmental outreach hours …

A Proposal For Enhancing And Measuring Infant-Directed Maternal Utterances And Incidental Teaching Within The Safecare® Parent-Infant Interaction Module, Megan O. Smith

Public Health Theses

Child maltreatment is a serious and pervasive public health problem in the United States. In 2008, there were 772,000 children who were substantiated victims of maltreatment and 1,740 children died as a result of maltreatment. Approximately 33 percent of maltreatment victims were under the age of four. Among numerous other negative sequelae, children who have been maltreated have an elevated incidence of language delay and poor cognitive functioning, both strong predictors of literacy skills and later academic achievement. Further, maternal language input is critical to a child’s cognitive development and language acquisition. Maltreating mothers provide their children with far less …

A Comparison Of Methods To Assess Practitioner Fidelity In A Parent-Training Program, Ashwini Tiwari

Public Health Theses

As evidence-based programs are implemented in real world settings, there is a strong need to effectively and efficiently monitor fidelity, or adherence to a program, in order to maintain the expected effects demonstrated in research settings. The purpose of this study was to compare two methods of assessing fidelity to an evidence-based, parent-training model (SafeCare®) as implemented by community service providers. Specifically, analyses compared fidelity assessed via video versus audio recordings. SafeCare modules often require mobility and high interaction, thus, video recordings may provide a more accurate view of home visitor and family interactions for scoring fidelity. However, videos are …

Implications In Using Monte Carlo Simulation In Predicting Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Overweight Children And Adolescents, Stephen Matthew Heimbigner

Public Health Theses

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has increased considerably over the last few decades. As a result, increasing numbers of American children are developing multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis. This thesis examines the use of Monte Carlo computer simulation for understanding risk factors associated with childhood overweight. A computer model is presented for predicting cardiovascular risk factors among overweight children and adolescents based on BMI levels. The computer model utilizes probabilities from the 1999 Bogalusa Heart Study authored by David S. Freedman, William H. Dietz, Sathanur …

Examination Of Gender Differences In Baseline Characteristics And 12 Month Death And Rehospitalization Of African American Patients Admitted For Acute Myocardial Infarction, Saadia Khizer

Public Health Theses

Coronary heart disease, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is the nation's leading cause of death. This study examined the characteristics and outcomes of 397 African American (AA) patients within one year of hospitalization due to AMI at Grady Memorial Hospital (GMH) in Atlanta. The PREMIER study, a nationwide registry, maintained by John Spertus MD, included data from patient interviews, medical records, and clinical characteristics like diabetes, hypertension, smoking, angina frequency and quality of life was used. Patient characteristics, associated with a major adverse event (MAE) within one-year post AMI were evaluated using SAS. Results showed a trend of higher odds …