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Lifestyle Tools For Men’S Health And Disease Prevention: Well-Being Through Nutrition, Physical Activity, Stress Management, And Connection, Leigh A. Frame

Clinical Research and Leadership Faculty Publications

Mental health is an often-overlooked aspect of overall health and wellness (well-being). Mental illness is increasingly common with 1 in 5 American adults experiencing it annually, and 1 in 20 suffering from a serious mental illness each year [1]. Treatment rates for mental illness are lower in men (37.4%) compared to women (51.2%) [1]. Globally, treatment rates are similar with an estimated cost to the global economy of $1 trillion annually, yet less than 2% of government health expenditure is for mental health worldwide [2]. Despite this, only nine studies have been published specifically targeting men’s mental health through lifestyle …

Psychiatric Medications: Does Education Affect Medication Prescriptions?, Surina M. Narine, Mary D. Ramos, Sarah Chu

Symposium of Student Scholars

Background: There is a lack of research on racial challenges among underrepresented adolescents regarding prescription drug use for mental illnesses. Purpose: This study addressed the following question: In adolescent minorities, how does education about racial disparity and culture affect the stigma and number of prescriptions written for psychiatric medications? This evidence-based practice project aimed to identify if racial awareness directly impacts the amount of psychiatric medication prescribed for adolescent minorities. Methods: Literature reviews analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to provide correlating information on racial disparities and psychotropic medications. This study examined the following possible factors for decreased prescribed drugs within …

Successful Buprenorphine Transition While Overlapping With A Full Opioid Agonist To Treat Chronic Pain: A Case Report, Kishan V. Patel, Sidharth Sahni, Lanvin F. Taylor

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Buprenorphine is a partial mu opioid agonist that has been increasingly utilized to treat patients with chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD). The drug has proven to provide significant chronic pain relief at low doses ranging from 75 to 1800 mcg. The conventional buprenorphine transitional process delays its introduction until patients begin withdrawal. However, this process can pose a barrier to both patients and providers due to some patients' inability to tolerate traditional prerequisite withdrawal. To our knowledge, this is a rare reported case to describe a transitional process utilizing buccal buprenorphine in which a patient with chronic pain …

Patient Perspectives On Opioid Risk Discussions In Primary Care, Stephanie A. Hooker, Inih J. Essien, Caitlin M. Borgert-Spaniol, Rebecca C. Rossom, Anthony W. Olson, Katrina M. Romagnoli, Leif I. Solberg

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Both patients and clinicians have described discussions of potential opioid risks as challenging. This study’s goal was to understand patient perspectives on discussing opioid risks with primary care clinicians (PCCs).

Methods: Patients identified to be at elevated risk for problems with opioids (ie, opioid use disorder [OUD] diagnosis, taking a medication for OUD, or having ≥ 3 opioid prescriptions in the last year) were recruited from an integrated, Upper Midwest health system to participate in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Interview questions aimed to better understand patient views on conversations about opioid risks with PCCs and perceptions of OUD screening and …

The Association Between Food Insecurity And Physical Activity In Adults With Serious Mental Illness Living In Supportive Housing, Amy Taylor Cunningham, Lara Carson Weinstein, Ana Stefancic, Alexis Silverio, Leopoldo J. Cabassa

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

Rates of food insecurity are high among adults with serious mental illness (SMI); this population also engages in less physical activity than the general population. However, the relationship between food insecurity and physical activity in this group has not been explored. We examined food insecurity prevalence and its association with physical activity in 314 adults with SMI living in supportive housing in New York City and Philadelphia and enrolled in an institutional review board-approved randomized controlled trial of a Peer Group Lifestyle Balance (PGLB) program. We analyzed 2014 baseline survey data, including demographic data and self-reported food security, and four …

The Outcome Of A Multidimensional Intervention Strategy For The Management Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder In An Internal Medicine Setting, Nicholas Davidson

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Anxiety disorders are very prevalent in the United States. The most common type, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), affects 6.8 million adults every year. GAD can cause significant deficits in a person’s ability to function, decrease their quality of life and increases a person’s risk of attempting suicide. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to improve the outcomes of adults diagnosed with GAD in an internal medicine setting by implementing a protocol composed of a combination of interventions. A thorough literature search was conducted to find the best available evidence to support the project. A total of 11 …

The Impact On Adolescent Mental Health In South Jersey Due To The Cancelation And Return Of Sports, Tara Pellegrino, Tara Young

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many organized sports programs have been canceled or limited in participation. While research prior to the pandemic has strongly suggested that participation in organized sports has benefits for mental and physical health, especially in adolescence, there have been minimal studies on how the removal of organized sports affects mental health outcomes. Additionally, studies have found that the stress of the pandemic and its associated life changes has greatly decreased mental health outcomes in our target population. These findings may indicate the importance of return to organized sports in a time where mental health outcomes are …

The Need For Depression And Anxiety Screenings At A Student-Run Clinic, Shayna Peterzell, Sahil Parikh, Alicia Podwojniak, Vibha Chauhan, Riya Tandra, Emily Forester, Saumil Parikh, Jessica-Sophie Horoschak, Patrick Pearce, Roma Padalkar, Sobiah Khan, Tara Pellegrino

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

General anxiety and major depressive disorder are common and treatable mental health disorders. The US Preventive Services Task Force provides strong evidence that early screening helps identify depression in primary care settings, promotes intervention and facilitates treatment. Many medical offices use validated screening tools, GAD-7 and PHQ-9, to measure symptom severities and further help guide treatment modalities for patients with anxiety and depression, respectively. The Rowan Community Health Clinic (RCHC) in Lindenwold, NJ is a student-run free clinic that serves patients regardless of patient gender, race, income, or insurance status. This study aims to determine if there is a need …

Investigation Of Emergency Department Visits And Hospitalization Rates Of Child Physical Abuse At Cooper University Hospital Prior To And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Afeerah Ahmad, Rachel Silliman Cohen, Laura Brennan

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental for children. Many families have experienced stressors, including unemployment, financial hardship, and familial illness. These factors all pose increased risk for child physical abuse. Limitations in child welfare services affected investigations and provision of services to high-risk families. The extent to which the rates of physical abuse in NJ have been affected is unknown. We sought to answer the question of whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected the severity of physical abuse and the incidence of physical abuse presenting to Cooper University Hospital.

We hypothesized that there would be a higher proportion of severe child …

Menopausal Symptoms: Prediction Of Quality Of Marital Relationship Among Couples, Noshi Iram Zaman, Sundas Shakoor, Shazia Yusuf

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Objective. The current study determined the association between menopausal symptoms and marital quality of life, and explored the role of several demographic variables (education, occupation, and income) on these symptoms. Materials and Methods. The purposive sample included 180 married couples. Wives experiencing premenopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause 35 to 60 years old (M=45.21 & SD=7.47) were recruited from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Two assessment instruments were used: Menopause Rating Scale- MRS for menopausal symptoms, and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale- EMS for quality of marital relationship. Results. Wives’ quality of marital relationship was not significantly predicted by menopausal symptoms whereas husbands’ quality …

Prevalence Of Mental Health Conditions Among 6078 Individuals With Down Syndrome In The United States, Anne Rivelli, Veronica Fitzpatrick, Sagar Chaudhari, Laura Chicoine, Gengjie Jia, Andrey Rzhetsky, Brian Chicoine

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Findings from a recent study of the largest documented cohort of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) in the United States described prevalence of common disease conditions and strongly suggested significant disparity in mental health conditions among these individuals as compared with age- and sex-matched individuals without DS. The retrospective, descriptive study reported herein is a follow-up to document prevalence of 58 mental health conditions across 28 years of data from 6078 individuals with DS and 30,326 age- and sex-matched controls. Patient data were abstracted from electronic medical records within a large integrated health system. In general, individuals with DS had …

A Fond Farewell, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

In this From the Editor introduction to Volume 9, Issue 1, the retiring editor-in-chief of Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews recalls the history and initial aims of JPCRR, discusses the contents of articles in the current issue, and says good-bye.

An Analysis Of Georgia Mothers Who Gave Birth In 2015 And 2016 Without Receiving Prenatal Care, Joncel Stephens, Shanta R. Dube, Merrilee Gober

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The present study characterizes the population of women residing in the state of Georgia who did not receive prenatal care before giving birth to a live infant. The association between mother’s place of residence (rural/non-rural) and preterm delivery was also examined.

Methods: This study examined data obtained from the Georgia Department of Public Health which includes data for 7,062 mothers who did not receive prenatal care before giving birth to a live infant in Georgia in the years 2015 and 2016. Data on the resulting births was also studied. Descriptive analyses of the following variables were used …

Evaluation Of A Comprehensive Diabetes Mellitus Protocol At A Rural, Federally Qualified Health Center In Southern West Virginia, Hannah D. Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that affects nearly 34 million Americans. In rural Appalachia, the population is affected disproportionately at a rate of 14% compared to the national average of 10%. Diabetes is a lifelong, chronic condition managed best by a multidisciplinary team-based approach to achieve optimal disease control. Best practices in the care of diabetes support the use of evidenced based care protocols and leveraging technology to decrease the burden of disease. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common type, making it the focal population for evaluation.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to …