Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Compound Risk Of Heat And Covid-19 In New York City: Riskscapes, Physical And Social Factors, And Interventions, Janelle Knox-Hayes, Juan Camilo Osorio, Natasha Stamler, Maria Dombrov, Rose Winer, Mary Hannah Smith, Reginald Blake, Cynthia Rosenzweig

Publications and Research

Climate change is disrupting the fundamental conditions of human life and exacerbating existing inequity by placing further burdens on communities that are already vulnerable. Risk exposure varies by where people live and work. In this article, we examine the spatial overlap of the compound risks of COVID-19 and extreme heat in New York City. We assess the relationship between socio-demographic and natural, built and social environmental characteristics, and the spatial correspondence of COVID-19 daily case rates across three pandemic waves. We use these data to create a compound risk index combining heat, COVID-19, density and social vulnerability. Our findings demonstrate …

Precision Dentistry In Practice, Diana V. Macri

Publications and Research

A paradigm shift is necessary to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. Precision medicine and precision dentistry may be able to shift the burden of disease and improve the nation’s oral and overall health.

At What Cost: Modern Capitalism And The Future Of Health (Preface), Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

Freedom of choice lies at the heart of American society. Every day, individuals decide what to eat, which doctors to see, who to connect with online, and where to educate their children. Yet, many Americans don't realize that these choices are illusory at best. By the start of the 21st century, every major industrial sector in the global economy was controlled by no more than five transnational corporations, and in about a third of these sectors, a single company accounted for more than 40 percent of global sales. The available options in food, healthcare, education, transportation, and even online presence …

Covid-19: Health As A Common Good, Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Public Health We Need, Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Managing The Threat Of Covid-19, Susan H. Davide, Anty Lam, Christine Macarelli

Publications and Research

Oral health professionals should remain up-to-date on Covid-19 to prevent its transmission in the dental practice.

Covid-19’S Effects On New York City’S Food System: Lessons For Public Health Responses, Nevin Cohen, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted food availability and affordability and changed the daily food practices of New Yorkers. Eleven surveys of samples of 1,000 New York City adults from March 13 through June 28 illustrate three effects on food access and food insecurity: (1) closing restaurants, schools, and other sources of prepared foods reduced access and changed shopping patterns, food expenditures, and diets; (2) economic disruption exacerbated food insecurity and increased demand for food assistance; and (3) altered food practices affected diets and health. These impacts were disproportionately borne by vulnerable populations. This paper reports survey responses illustrating the effects of …

Protecting Public Health, Susan H. Davide, Christine Macarelli, Anty Lam

Publications and Research

In light of declining vaccination rates, oral health professionals need to be knowledgeable about current vaccine recommendations so they can best advise their patients and support public health.

Examination Of Human Health Impacts Due To Adverse Climate Events Through The Use Of Vulnerability Mapping: A Scoping Review, Michael T. Schmeltz, Peter J. Marcotullio

Publications and Research

Government officials, health professionals, and other decision makers are tasked with characterizing vulnerability and understanding how populations experience risks associated with exposure to climate-related hazards. Spatial analyses of vulnerable locations have given rise to climate change vulnerability mapping. While not a new concept, the spatial analyses of specific health outcomes remain limited. This review explores different methodologies and data that are used to assess vulnerability and map population health impacts to climate hazards. The review retrieved scholarly articles and governmental reports concerning vulnerability mapping of human health to the impacts of climate change in the United States, published in the …

Fighting Independent Risk Assessment Of Talc And Glyphosate: Whose Benefit Is It Anyway?, Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Oral Rapid Hiv Testing In The Dental Setting: Experiences From Three Dental Hygiene Clinics, Anthony J. Santella, Petal Leuwaisee, Susan H. Davide, Hanna Horowitz, Bhuma Krishnamachari

Publications and Research

Background: Oral rapid HIV testing (ORHT) is implemented in the dental setting to make individuals aware of their possibly undiagnosed HIV infection. The testing process and characteristics of clients willing to receive ORHT has yet, however, to be systematically collected. Case description: Three dental hygiene clinics located in academic institutions implemented ORHT from March 2016 to April 2017. Results: 231 persons received ORHT; all had non-reactive results. Most had seen a primary care provider in the past year (n = 130), had had a previous ORHT (n = 111), and described themselves as extremely likely or likely to accept a …

Creating Oral Health Awareness: Happy Teeth Make Healthy Teeth, Roseanna M. Torres, Dirien Santos, Tatyana Aksaeva, Hanna Jo, Nastassia Liaushun, Anty Lam

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Faith-Based Organizations And Public Health: Another Facet Of The Public Health Dialogue, Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Incorporating The New Blood Pressure Guidelines Into Practice, Susan H. Davide, Anty Lam

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Factors Associated With Perceived Accuracy Of The Undetectable = Untransmittable Slogan Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: Implications For Messaging Scale-Up And Implementation, H Jonathon Rendina, J T. Parsons

Publications and Research

Introduction: Recent research has shown high efficacy of HIV treatment for reducing the risk of HIV transmission to sexual partners. As the efficacy of treatment as prevention (TasP) has proliferated, a new messaging campaign, Undetectable = Untransmittable, has been gaining popularity. The purpose of this paper was to assess factors associated with the perceived accuracy of this TasP messaging strategy among a large and diverse sample of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in order to inform subsequent efforts at large-scale and implementation of the HIV prevention message.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide survey of …

Public Health Research Priorities To Address Us Human Trafficking, Emily F. Rothman, Hanni Stoklosa, Susie B. Baldwin, Makini Chisolm-Straker, Rumi Kato Price, Holly G. Atkinson

Publications and Research

In this Perspective, HEAL Trafficking, the nation's leading public health anti-trafficking organization maps out a national research agenda to tackle the problem of human trafficking. Given the paucity of research on trafficking, HEAL Trafficking engaged its membership in a consensus development process throughout 2016 to develop its national research agenda. HEAL Trafficking proposes five priorities that public health researchers should focus on in the decade ahead to make meaningful progress on preventing and responding to human trafficking in the Unites States.

Countermarketing Alcohol And Unhealthy Food: An Effective Strategy For Preventing Noncommunicable Diseases? Lessons From Tobacco, P. Christopher Palmedo, Lori Dorfman, Sarah Garza, Eleni K. Murphy, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

Countermarketing campaigns use health communications to reduce the demand for unhealthy products by exposing motives and undermining marketing practices of producers. These campaigns can contribute to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases by denormalizing the marketing of tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food. By portraying these activities as outside the boundaries of civilized corporate behavior, countermarketing can reduce the demand for unhealthy products and lead to changes in industry marketing practices. Countermarketing blends consumer protection, media advocacy, and health education with the demand for corporate accountability. Countermarketing campaigns have been demonstrated to be an effective component of comprehensive tobacco control. This review …

On The Depressive Nature Of The “Burnout Syndrome”: A Clarification, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Pierre Vandel, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Key theoretical arguments and empirical findings converge to suggest that the burnout construct captures a depressive phenomenon. The reluctance to consider burnout a depressive condition may be due to (a) a neglect of the stress–depression relationship and (b) a difficulty coordinating dimensional and categorical approaches to psychopathology in burnout research. The dimensions and categories constitute two ways of describing (psychopathological) phenomena. Thus, dimensions and categories should be heuristically combined rather than opposed: burnout and depression can be studied both as ‘‘processes’’ or ‘‘end-states’’. Clarifying what burnout actually is matters in terms of conceptual parsimony, theoretical integration, nosological consistency, interventional effectiveness, …

Burnout Symptoms: Depressive Manifestations Under Psychosocial Labels?, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

It can be concluded that burnout symptoms represent depressive symptoms under nonmedical labels. Our analysis supports the view that burnout is synonymous with depression and constitutes a roadblock to transdisciplinary communication.

Why Media Representations Of Corporations Matter For Public Health Policy: A Scoping Review, Heide Weishaar, Lori Dorfman, Nicholas Freudenberg, Benjamin Hawkins, Katherine Smith, Oliver Razumi, Shona Hilton

Publications and Research

Background: Media representations play a crucial role in informing public and policy opinions about the causes of, and solutions to, ill-health. This paper reviews studies analysing media coverage of non-communicable disease (NCD) debates, focusing on how the industries marketing commodities that increase NCD risk are represented.

Methods: A scoping review identified 61 studies providing information on media representations of NCD risks, NCD policies and tobacco, alcohol, processed food and soft drinks industries. The data were narratively synthesized to describe the sample, media depictions of industries, and corporate and public health attempts to frame the media debates.

Results: …

Assessing The Health Impact Of Transnational Corporations: Its Importance And A Framework, Frances E. Baum, David M. Sanders, Matt Fisher, Julia Anaf, Nicholas Freudenberg, Sharon Friel, Ronald Labontée, Leslie London, Carlos Monteiro, Alex Scott-Samuel, Amit Sen

Publications and Research

Background: The adverse health and equity impacts of transnational corporations’ (TNCs) practices have become central public health concerns as TNCs increasingly dominate global trade and investment and shape national economies. Despite this, methodologies have been lacking with which to study the health equity impacts of individual corporations and thus to inform actions to mitigate or reverse negative and increase positive impacts.

Methods: This paper reports on a framework designed to conduct corporate health impact assessment (CHIA), developed at a meeting held at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in May 2015.

Results: On the basis of the deliberations …

Tobacco, Alcohol, And Processed Food Industries – Why Do Public Health Practitioners View Them So Differently?, Katherine Smith, Lori Dorfman, Nicholas Freudenberg, Benjamin Hawkins, Shona Hilton, Oliver Razum, Heide Weishaar

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The “Burnout” Construct: An Inhibitor Of Public Health Action?, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

The prevention and treatment of the “burnout syndrome” within the critical care community is an important objective of the Moss et al. Burnout in the occupational area is based on the idea that burnout is especially common in individuals who care for critically ill patients. We think that the authors’ observations and recommendations are diminished by the fact that studies of burnout’s prevalence are methodologically problematic. The current definition and use of the burnout construct may in fact be detrimental to public health decision making.

Utilizing Dental Hygienists To Improve Health Outcomes In Long-Term Care, Diana V. Macri

Publications and Research

Poor oral health practices contribute to negative health outcomes for residents of long-term care facilities. The abundance of current information on the oral–systemic connection underscores the need for improved oral hygiene among all citizens but specifically for older adults, who face challenges for self-care due to sensory, mobility, endurance and cognitive deficits. Dental hygienists are oral disease prevention specialists and are trained to perform dental procedures that significantly improve a person’s oral health. Dental hygienists are legally permitted to provide many oral healthcare services to residents of long-term care facilities independent of dentist supervision or in collaborative agreements with dentists. …

Design And Development Of A Linked Open Data-Based Health Information Representation And Visualization System: Potentials And Preliminary Evaluation, Binyam Tilahun, Tomi Kauppinen, Carsten Keßler, Fleur Fritz

Publications and Research

Background: Healthcare organizations around the world are challenged by pressures to reduce cost, improve coordination and outcome, and provide more with less. This requires effective planning and evidence-based practice by generating important information from available data. Thus, flexible and user-friendly ways to represent, query, and visualize health data becomes increasingly important. International organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) regularly publish vital data on priority health topics that can be utilized for public health policy and health service development. However, the data in most portals is displayed in either Excel or PDF formats, which makes information discovery and reuse …

Perception Of Childhood Obesity And Support For Prevention Policies Among Latinos And Whites, Douglas M. Puricelli Purin, Leah Frerichs, Sergio Costa, Amelie G. Ramirez, Terry T.-K. Huang

Publications and Research

A cross-sectional survey was administered to Latino and White residents of Omaha, NE, to assess perception of the childhood obesity problem, attribution of responsibility, and support for obesity-related policies. The sample included 40.8% () Latinos and 59.2% () Whites. Among Latinos, 25% did not see childhood obesity as a problem, compared to 6% of Whites (). This difference persisted after adjusting for age, gender, and education level (odds ratio (OR) 2.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07–4.14). Latinos were more likely to agree that government was responsible for addressing childhood obesity compared to Whites (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.82–4.35). Higher support …

Case Study: Sick On A South American Sugarcane Plantation, Kevin M. Bonney

Publications and Research

A case study is presented that was designed to be used in high school and college level courses to familiarize students with chagas disease, its transmission, and effects in Central and South America. Noted objectives of the lesson include evaluating disease symptoms, examining socioeconomic factors related to the epidemiology, and creating visual aids with public health information. Questions are provided for discussing the a case of chagas disease at a Brazilian sugarcane plantation.

Building Capacity For Public And Population Health Research In Africa: The Consortium For Advanced Research Training In Africa (Carta) Model, Alex C. Ezeh, Chimaraoke O. Izugbara, Caroline W. Kabiru, Sharon Fonn, Kathleen Kahn, Lenore Manderson, Akinyinka Omigbodun, Margaret Thorogood, Ashiwel S. Undieh

Publications and Research

Background: Globally, sub-Saharan Africa bears the greatest burden of disease. Strengthened research capacity to understand the social determinants of health among different African populations is key to addressing the drivers of poor health and developing interventions to improve health outcomes and health systems in the region. Yet, the continent clearly lacks centers of research excellence that can generate a strong evidence base to address the region’s socio-economic and health problems. Objective and program overview: We describe the recently launched Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), which brings together a network of nine academic and four research institutions from …

Obesity, Physical Activity, And Mortality In A Prospective Chinese Elderly Cohort, Mary Schooling, Tai Hing Lam, Zhi Bin Li, Sai Yin Ho, Wai Man Chan, Kin Sang Ho, May Ked Tham, Benjamin J. Cowling, Gabriel M. Leung

Publications and Research

Background
In older people, it is unclear whether obesity relates to mortality, which calls into question its etiologic role in disease and its public health relevance. This apparent lack of relationship in older people could be an artifactual result of their diverse health states.

Methods
We used Cox regression analysis to determine whether the effect of body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) or physical activity on mortality varied with health status in a prospective cohort study of Chinese people 65 years or older enrolled from 1998 to 2000 at …