Community Health Commons^™

Enhanced Detection Of Groundwater Contamination From A Leaking Waste Disposal Site By Microbial Community Profiles, Paula J. Mouser, Donna M. Rizzo, Gregory K. Druschel, Sergio E. Morales, Nancy Hayden, Patrick O'Grady, Lori Stevens

College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

Groundwater biogeochemistry is adversely impacted when municipal solid waste leachate, rich in nutrients and anthropogenic compounds, percolates into the subsurface from leaking landfills. Detecting leachate contamination using statistical techniques is challenging because well strategies or analytical techniques may be insufficient for detecting low levels of groundwater contamination. We sampled profiles of the microbial community from monitoring wells surrounding a leaking landfill using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Results show in situ monitoring of bacteria, archaea, and the family Geobacteraceae improves characterization of groundwater quality. Bacterial T-RFLP profiles showed shifts correlated to known gradients of …

The Ingredients Of Change: A Political Ecology Approach To Diabetes In The Somali Community Of Minnesota, Mina Tehrani

Geography Capstone Projects

In the early 1990’s, due to political circumstances at home, Somali immigrants and refugees began arriving in the state of Minnesota in large numbers. Over the past two decades, Somali immigrants have come to comprise one of the most populous ethnic groups in the Twin Cities, and are the largest Somali population in the world outside of Eastern Africa. Although quantitative data is unavailable, qualitative evidence and testimonies of healthcare professionals support the conclusion that Somali immigrants in Minnesota suffer from higher rates of diabetes than non-immigrant groups and than they likely did before migration. Why might this be the …

Conclusions About Niche Expansion In Introduced Impatiens Walleriana Populations Depend On Method Of Analysis, Lisa Mandle, Dan L. Warren, Matthias H. Hoffmann, A. Townsend Peterson, Johanna Schmitt, Eric J. Von Wettberg

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Determining the degree to which climate niches are conserved across plant species' native and introduced ranges is valuable to developing successful strategies to limit the introduction and spread of invasive plants, and also has important ecological and evolutionary implications. Here, we test whether climate niches differ between native and introduced populations of Impatiens walleriana, globally one of the most popular horticultural species. We use approaches based on both raw climate data associated with occurrence points and ecological niche models (ENMs) developed with Maxent. We include comparisons of climate niche breadth in both geographic and environmental spaces, taking into account differences …

Nutrient Enrichment Enhances Hidden Differences In Phenotype To Drive A Cryptic Plant Invasion, Christine Holdredge, Mark D. Bertness, Eric Von Wettberg, Brian R. Silliman

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Many mechanisms of invasive species success have been elucidated, but those driving cryptic invasions of non-native genotypes remain least understood. In one of the most successful cryptic plant invasions in North America, we investigate the mechanisms underlying the displacement of native Phragmites australis by its Eurasian counterpart. Since invasive Phragmites' populations have been especially prolific along eutrophic shorelines, we conducted a two-year field experiment involving native and invasive genotypes that manipulated nutrient level and competitor identity (inter- and intra-genotypic competition) to assess their relative importance in driving the loss of native Phragmites. Inter-genotypic competition suppressed aboveground biomass of both native …

A Maximum Pseudo-Likelihood Approach For Estimating Species Trees Under The Coalescent Model, Liang Liu, Lili Yu, Scott V. Edwards

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Background

Several phylogenetic approaches have been developed to estimate species trees from collections of gene trees. However, maximum likelihood approaches for estimating species trees under the coalescent model are limited. Although the likelihood of a species tree under the multispecies coalescent model has already been derived by Rannala and Yang, it can be shown that the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) of the species tree (topology, branch lengths, and population sizes) from gene trees under this formula does not exist. In this paper, we develop a pseudo-likelihood function of the species tree to obtain maximum pseudo-likelihood estimates (MPE) of species trees, …

La Correlación Entre El Autoestima Y La Intención De Cambiar En Seis Ámbitos De La Vida De Un Fumador Adolescente., Aaron Picus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: According to a study in 2008 by the National Agency for the Control of Narcotics, 26.1% of Chilean adolescents between the ages of 12-18 had used tobacco at least once during the month of the study and 13% used tobacco daily. Even though smoking has negative health effects, many adolescents in Chile still smoke. Since the 1970s, low self-esteem has been proposed as a risk factor for the development of poor health behaviors. Recent investigations have shown that, when measured in the social, school, family, self-body image, sports and physical activity, and global realms of the life of an …

Las Percepciones De La Salud Mental Y Su Evolución, Rebecca Gourevitch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Previous literature has identified a strong stigma against mental health patients in many parts of Latin America, which can serve as a deterrent to seeking help for mental health (Acuña 2005; López 2008; Vicente 2007). The resulting lack of attention to one’s mental health can not only exacerbate mental illnesses but also impede proper attention to one’s physical health (Prince 2007). Therefore, combating this stigma is an important step to improving the health of a population. Some of the most effective strategies for combating the stigma are education, social interaction, and integrating mental health services into primary care (López …

Injury In Nevada, Michelle Chino, Jonathon Lavalley, Darlene R. Haff, Deborah A. Harris, Andrea R. Rivers

Public Health Faculty Publications

Injury is a major threat to health and safety. In a typical day in the US, 400 people will die as the result of an injury, 7,500 will be hospitalized due to an injury, and more than 150,000 will suffer an injury severe enough to restrict activities and seek medical attention. Many of these deaths, hospitalizations, and disabling events will be the result of motor vehicle crashes. Others will result from vio­lence, falls, drowning, and poisoning – all of which are considered injuries.

The costs of injury are high. In the United States, the cost of injuries is estimated to …

Protecting Degraded Rainforests: Enhancement Of Forest Carbon Stocks Under Redd+, David P. Edwards, Brendan Fisher, Emily Boyd

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The likely Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) mechanism includes strategies for the enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Recent concerns have been expressed that such enhancement, or restoration, of forest carbon could be counterproductive to biodiversity conservation, because forests are managed as "carbon farms" with the application of intensive silvicultural management that could homogenize diverse degraded rainforests. Restoration increases regeneration rates in degraded forest compared to naturally regenerating forest, and thus could yield significant financial returns for carbon sequestered. Here, we argue that such forest restoration projects are, in fact, likely to provide a number of benefits to biodiversity …

Are Rural Health Clinics Part Of The Rural Safety Net?, David Hartley Phd, Mha, John A. Gale Ms, Al Leighton Ba, Stuart Bratesman Mpp

Rural Health Clinics

Key Findings: 86% of independent RHCs offer free care, sliding fee scales, or both; 97% were currently accepting new Medicaid/SCHIP patients; RHCs' patient mix has a higher proportion of Medicaid/SCHIP patients in counties not served by a federally funded Community Health Center (CHC). Lacking the grant funds and federal technical assistance provided to CHCs to build service capacity, few RHCs have had the resources to expand their scope of services. The Affordable Care Act has made it clear that partnering with CHCs is an option for RHCs that find themselves serving safety net populations. More study is needed laying out …

Safety Net Activities Of Independent Rural Health Clinics, David Hartley Phd, Mha, John A. Gale Ms, Al Leighton Ba, Stuart Bratesman Mpp

Rural Health Clinics

Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) are an important part of the rural health care infrastructure as they provide a wide range of primary care services to the rural residents of 45 states. Since RHCs are located in underserved rural areas and serve vulnerable populations, many consider them safety net providers. In this paper we explore whether and to what extent independent RHCs are serving a safety net role, or have the capacity to serve that role. We address this question through a telephone survey of 392 randomly selected independent RHCs. Response rate for the survey was 93%. We investigated whether and …

The One-Pager: A Practical Policy Advocacy Tool For Translating Community-Based Participatory Research Into Action, Betty T. Izumi, Amy J. Schulz, Barbara A. Isreal, Angela G. Reyes, Jenifer Martin, Richard L. Lichtenstein, Christine Wilson, Sharon L. Sand

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

The multiple and diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences inherent in community–academic partnerships make them uniquely positioned to educate policy makers and advocate for health equity. Effective communication tools are critical to successfully engage in the policy-making process. Yet few resources emphasize the development and use of practical tools for translating community-based participatory research (CBPR) findings into action. The purpose of this article is to describe a CBPR process for developing and using a one-page summary, or “one-pager,” of research findings and their policy implications. This article draws on the experience of the Healthy Environments Partnership (HEP), a community–academic partnership in …

Mental Health Crisis Questionnaire, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This questionnaire was developed for use in a study of the need for additional mental health crisis services in North Central West Virginia. It is made available for others interested in studying mental health crises.

Sex Differences In Symptom Presentation Associated With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Population-Based Perspective, Robert Goldberg, Caitlin O'Donnell, Jorge Yarzebski, Carol Bigelow, Judith Savageau, Joel Gore

Jorge L. Yarzebski

OBJECTIVES: To describe sex differences in symptom presentation after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) while controlling for differences in age and other potentially confounding factors. BACKGROUND: Although several studies have examined sex differences in diagnosis, management, and survival after AMI, limited data exist about possible sex differences in symptom presentation in the setting of AMI. METHODS: Community-based study of patients hospitalized with confirmed AMI in all 16 metropolitan Worcester, Mass., hospitals (1990 census population = 437,000). Men (n = 810) and women (n = 550) hospitalized with validated AMI in 1986 and 1988 comprised the study sample. RESULTS: After simultaneously controlling …

Differences In Discharge Medication After Acute Myocardial Infarction In Patients With Hmo And Fee-For-Service Medical Insurance, Danny Mccormick, Jerry Gurwitz, Judith Savageau, Jorge Yarzebski, Joel Gore, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of fee-for-service (FFS) versus HMO medical insurance coverage on receipt of aspirin, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers at the time of hospital discharge following an acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN: Prospective, population-based study. SETTING: All 16 community and tertiary care hospitals in the metropolitan area of Worcester, Massachusetts. PATIENTS: The study population consisted of patients under 65 years of age hospitalized with a validated acute myocardial infarction in all hospitals in the Worcester (Massachusetts) Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (1990 census estimate, 437,000) during 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, and 1993. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: After adjustment for …

Gender Differences And Factors Associated With The Receipt Of Thrombolytic Therapy In Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Community-Wide Perspective, Jorge Yarzebski, Nananda Col, Paul Pagley, Judith Savageau, Joel Gore, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

In spite of national interest in gender differences in the presentation and management of chronic disease, limited information is available about possible gender differences in the receipt of thrombolytic therapy after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). As part of an ongoing community-based study of AMI, we examined gender differences in the receipt of thrombolytic therapy among 2885 patients with confirmed AMI. The study sample consisted of 1680 males and 1205 females with validated AMI who were admitted to 16 hospitals in the Worcester, Massachusetts, metropolitan area in four study periods between 1986 and 1991. During the years under study, 24.4% of …

Training Of Occupational Safety And Health: Knowledge Among Healthcare Professionals In Malaysia, Retneswari Masilamani

Retneswari Masilamani

Introduction: Awareness of occupational safety and health (OSH) plays an important role in the prevention of occupational injuries and diseases. Following the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1994, various programmes have been implemented by different agencies to increase awareness and knowledge of OSH in the workplace, including among healthcare workers. The objective of this study was to determine the level of OSH awareness and knowledge among healthcare professionals in Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a 21-item self-administered questionnaire addressing information on demographics, general OSH issues, OSH legislations, occupational hazards in the healthcare …

Chhs July Enewsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

Coffee And Tea Intake And Risk Of Breast Cancer, Awang Bulgiba

Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud

Known risk factors account for about 10-15% of breast cancer incidence suggesting that lifestyle exposures are crucial in its etiology. Previous epidemiological studies on the association between coffee and tea consumption and breast cancer risk have been inconsistent. We investigated the association of coffee and tea consumption with the risk of breast cancer among women in EPIC-NL cohort, a population-based prospective cohort in Netherlands with 27,323 participants. Exposure was measured by a validated food frequency questionnaire, and the outcome was verified by direct linkage with the Netherlands Cancer Registry. A total of 681 invasive primary breast cancers were diagnosed in …

How Anthocyanin Mutants Respond To Stress: The Need To Distinguish Between Stress Tolerance And Maximal Vigour, Eric J. Von Wettberg, Maureen L. Stanton, Justen B. Whittall

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Anthocyanins are produced by plants in response to diverse stresses. Mutants that block the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (ABP) at various steps can easily be compared across numerous abiotic stresses. Hypothesis: Anthocyanins or their precursors are required for stress tolerance. Thus, ABP loss-of-function mutants should have proportionately lower fitness than wildtype plants under stress, compared with benign conditions. In contrast, a decrease in maximal vigour - the general capacity for growth and fecundity - should be most pronounced under benign conditions that allow luxuriant growth by the most vigorous genotypes. Tests: Determine whether, under stressful conditions, ABP loss-of-function mutants have …

Ask A Different Question, Get A Different Answer: Why Living Wills Are Poor Guides To Care Preferences At The End Of Life., Laraine Winter, Susan M Parks, James J Diamond

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

CONTEXT: Living wills have a poor record of directing care at the end of life, as a copious literature attests. Some speculation centers on the questionable correspondence between the scenario described in living wills versus the real-life circumstances that typically arise at the end of life.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the strength of association between responses to a standard living will question and preferences for treatments in six end-of-life scenarios.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional.

SETTING: Telephone interviews.

PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred two community-dwelling men and women 70 years of age or older in the greater Philadelphia area.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Strength of preferences for …

Job Strain Among Malaysian Office Workers Of A Multinational Company, Awang Bulgiba

Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud

Aims To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with high job strain among office workers of a multinational company in Malaysia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2007 among 470 eligible workers. Respondents self-administered the Job Content Questionnaire downloaded from the company's intranet. A median-split procedure was applied to create four groups according to the Job Demand-Control Model: active, passive, high and low job strain. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between socio-demographic, occupational and psychosocial factors and high job strain. Results A total of 356 questionnaires were received (response rate 76%). Twenty-one per cent …

Job Strain Among Malaysian Office Workers Of A Multinational Company, Retneswari Masilamani, Husna Maizura

Retneswari Masilamani

Aims To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with high job strain among office workers of a multinational company in Malaysia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2007 among 470 eligible workers. Respondents self-administered the Job Content Questionnaire downloaded from the company's intranet. A median-split procedure was applied to create four groups according to the Job Demand-Control Model: active, passive, high and low job strain. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between socio-demographic, occupational and psychosocial factors and high job strain. Results A total of 356 questionnaires were received (response rate 76%). Twenty-one per cent …

Encouraging Rural Health Clinics To Provide Mental Health Services: What Are The Options?, John A. Gale Ms, Stephanie L. Loux Ms, Barbara Shaw Jd, David Hartley Phd, Mha

Rural Health Clinics

Key Findings: Approximately 6% of independent and 2% of provider-based RHCs offer mental health services. 38% of study RHCs reported their mental health services were not profitable but continued to provide them in response to community and patient needs. An important factor in the development of RHC mental health services is the presence of a local "champion" who spearheads the development effort.

Breaking Bad News: Exploring Patient's Perspective And Expectations, Sidra Ishaque, Taimur Saleem, Fariha Batool Khawaja, Waris Qidwai

Department of Family Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To explore patient's perspectives and expectations from physicians with respect to breaking of bad news.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in the Community Health Centre of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Pakistan. All consenting individuals from 18 to 60 years of age were interviewed on the basis of a structured, pre-tested questionnaire.

RESULTS: The response rate for this study was 91.3%. A total of 400 respondents completed the full interview. About 60% patients had a fairly accurate idea about the implications of the phrase "bad news". A big proportion (44.1%) of people reported that bad news …

Client-Treatment Matching In Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Delphi Study, Noah Elijah Adrians

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Research Exchange Conference

Client-treatment matching (CTM) practices have been identified as important in enhancing substance use disorder (SUD) treatment outcomes while also minimizing the investment of time and resources necessary to achieve such outcomes. Despite strong positive effects associated with CTM, many questions remain regarding how CTM is implemented in treatment settings. This dissertation examines expert perspectives on how CTM practices are implemented in real world treatment settings, how to improve upon current practices, barriers to improvement, strategies for overcoming barriers, and consequensces of existing treatment system flaws. In this study, qualitative and quantitative data will be collected and analyzed through an iterative …

A Pilot Study Of Riders’ Noise Exposure On Bay Area Rapid Transit Trains, Alexis Dinno

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Excessive noise exposure may present a hazard to hearing, cardiovascular and psychosomatic health. Mass transit systems, such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, are potential sources of excessive noise. The purpose of this study was to characterize transit noise and riders' exposure to noise on the BART system using three dosimetry metrics.

Conceptions Regarding Children’S Health: An Examination Of Ethnotheories In A Sending And Receiving Community, Maria Rosario De Guzman, Jennifer Deleon, Gloria Gonzalez-Kruger, Rodrigo Cantarero

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Ethnotheories are beliefs that adults hold about children and the factors that impact upon their development. Scholars suggest that “ethnotheories” serve as cultural models that underlie motivations for parenting practices and the way adults organize children’s early experiences. This study examines Mexican adults’ ethnotheories about children’s health in two communities that are linked by transnational migrants and serve as sending and receiving communities for workers. Forty-four Mexican adults in six focus groups discussed well-being issues affecting children in their communities. Qualitative analyses using grounded theory revealed a complex conception of children’s health issues that included physical, psychological, and behavioral components …

Learning Sustainable Development: Chimeneas De La Esperanza, Miriam V. Mollan Gundersen

Social Sciences

Social inequality and environmental degradation are motivating informed young people into action and connecting impoverished regions of the world with students in more developed nations. This Social Sciences senior project is to analyze an alternative development model designed by a group of Californian university students. The project, named Chimeneas de la Esperanza, is designed to help impoverished Nicaraguan women start a ceramics business. The major hurdle of this mission is to establish a market for the ceramics product. Energy efficient ceramic stoves and smoke ventilating chimneys would benefit the community and avoid an impacted crafts market. The project encompasses ideas …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Regarding Dengue Fever Among Adults Of High And Low Socioeconomic Groups, Madiha Syed, Taimur Saleem, Umme-Rubab Syeda, Manal Habib, Rehan Zahid, Atif Bashir, Madiha Rabbani, Madiha Khalid, Asif Iqbal, Ehsen Zawwar Rao, Shujja-Ur-Rehman, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the knowledge, attitudes and practices of selected adult population in Pakistan regarding Dengue Fever.METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted among selected communities with different socio-economic backgrounds in Karachi, Pakistan. A sample size of 440 adults (aged 18 years and above) were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire regarding their knowledge, attitude and practices about dengue fever. A composite scoring system, based on the answers given in the questionnaire, was used to establish the level of awareness in the population. The division of the higher and lower socio-economic groups was based on their income and locality; both these …