Community Health Commons^™

Indigenous Health – Australia, Canada, New Zealand And The United States - Laying Claim To A Future That Embraces Health For Us All., Lisa Jackson Pulver, Melissa R. Haswell, Ian Ring, John Waldon, Wayne Clark, Valorie Whetung, Dianne Kinnon, Catherine Graham, Michelle Chino, Jonathon Lavalley, Christina Compher, Ritu Sadana

Public Health Faculty Publications

Improving the health of all peoples has been a call across the globe for many decades and unfortunately remains relevant today, particularly given the large disparities in health status of peoples found around the world. Rather than differences in health, or health inequalities, we use a different term, health inequities. This is so as mere differences in health (or "inequalities") can be common in societies and do not necessarily reflect unfair social policies or practices. For example, natural ageing implies older people are more prone to illness. Yet, when differences are systematic, socially produced and unfair, these are considered health …

Community Mobilization For Postabortion Care In Kenya: Baseline Evaluation Report, Chi-Chi Undie, Saumya Ramarao

Reproductive Health

Maternal health complications, including those arising from unsafe abortion and miscarriage, are a leading cause of morbidity among women in Kenya. These realities necessitate interventions to prevent unintended or unwanted pregnancies and to ensure access to quality care for women with postabortion complications. In response to this need, the RESPOND Project designed an intervention package aimed at increasing awareness and use of postabortion care (PAC) services and improving family planning, reproductive health, and maternal health outcomes. As part of the intervention, RESPOND works with districts and communities to: strengthen service delivery points to provide PAC services; conduct community mobilization to …

Training Institutions For Community Midwives In Pakistan: An Initial Assessment, Zakir Hussain Shah, Momina Salim, Mumraiz Khan

Reproductive Health

This study focuses on the training of community midwives (CMWs) in Pakistan, to specifically look at the institutions providing CMW training to see what resources (both physical and human resources) they had available and how these resources were being utilized. This study served as an early evaluation of the trainings and upgrades by the PAIMAN project, to assess how their interventions fared, and provides documentation for future decisions regarding the management, training, and practice of CMWs in Pakistan. As Pakistan transitions from a country with a high level of home births to a country where most births take place in …

Fire Effects On Demography Of The Invasive Shrub Brazilian Pepper (Schinus Terebinthifolius) In Florida Pine Savannas, Jens T. Stevens, Brian Beckage

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Fire is a common disturbance in savanna ecosystems that may either facilitate or impede non-native plant invasions. Although fire can create recruitment opportunities for non-native plants, it can also prevent their invasion if it exerts strong negative effects on their demographic processes. Some savannas may, therefore, be able to resist invasion provided the natural, frequent-fire regime remains intact. We examined the effects of fire on the demography of the invasive shrub Brazilian pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi., which is invading fire-prone slash pine savannas of southern Florida. We studied survivorship, growth, and reproduction of low-density populations of Brazilian pepper in a …

Analysis Of Emergency Department Use In Maine: A Study Conducted On Behalf Of The Emergency Department Use Work Group Of The Maine Advisory Council On Health System Development, Elizabeth Kilbreth Phd, Barbara Shaw, Danny Westcott, Carolyn E. Gray Mph

Population Health & Health Policy

This report presents additional statewide analysis of emergency department (ED) utilization and also the results of a comparative analysis of six health service areas in Maine, three selected for above average rates of emergency department visits, and three selected for below average rates of emergency department visits.

A Qualitative Study Of Stressors, Stress Symptoms, And Coping Mechanisms Among College Students Using Nominal Group Process, Helen W. Bland, Bridget F. Melton, Stephen Patrick Gonzalez

Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: Stress is part of the college experience; however, how students deal with stress can greatly impact their behaviors and health status. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively assess sources of stress, types of stressors, and coping mechanisms employed among undergraduate students.

Methods: Nominal group process was utilized to obtain information related to study variables and help prioritize the accounts provided by study participants (n = 173).

Results: Participants gave insight into the unique stress faced by this generation (grades, GPA, multitasking, parental expectations), stress symptoms (more psychological in nature), and coping strategies (prayer, talking to mom, …

Barbers Against Prostate Cancer: A Feasibility Study For Prostate Cancer Education In An Urban African American Community, John S. Luque, Brian M. Rivers, Maisha Kambon, Ronald Brookins, B. Lee Green, Cathy D. Meade

Community Health Faculty Publications

The goal of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of training barbers to deliver a brief culturally and literacy appropriate prostate cancer educational intervention to urban African American men. Eight barbers received training to deliver a 2-month educational intervention in the barbershop and completed pre- and posttest training assessments. The training workshops led to a significant increase in mean prostate cancer knowledge scores among the barbers (60% before vs. 79% after; P < 0.05). The barbers also reported positively on the intervention in terms of satisfaction and relative ease of engaging clients. Training barbers to deliver a prostate cancer educational intervention is a feasible strategy for raising prostate cancer awareness of the disease among a priority population.

Drug-Induced Deaths In Maine 1997-2008, With Estimates For 2009, Marcella H. Sorg

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Substance abuse is a critical problem facing the state and local governments of Maine and the communities they serve. Rates of substance abuse—particularly abuse of methadone and other synthetic opiates—increased dramatically in Maine during the early 2000s, as measured by increased incidence of deaths, substance abuse treatment admissions, and drug‐ related arrests. Substance abuse is associated with many types of crime, increased accidents, lost time at work, serious health problems, social dysfunction, and death.

Government cannot develop effective drug policies without valid and reliable data. To address this need, in 2001 the Office of Chief Medical Examiner first sought funding …

On The Eigenstructures Of Functional K-Potent Matrices And Their Integral Forms, Yan Wu, Daniel F. Linder

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

In this paper, a functional k-potent matrix satisfies the equation, where k and r are positive integers, and are real numbers. This class of matrices includes idempotent, Nilpotent, and involutary matrices, and more. It turns out that the matrices in this group are best distinguished by their associated eigen-structures. The spectral properties of the matrices are exploited to construct integral k-potent matrices, which have special roles in digital image encryption.

Mainstreaming Emergency Contraception Pills In Kenya, Jill Keesbury, Monica Wanjiru, Katherine Maina

Reproductive Health

To improve access to emergency contraception (ECP) and ensure that adequate information is provided to all users, the Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, the Population Council, and Population Services International-Kenya undertook a three-year effort to mainstream ECP in Kenya. This brief presents the results of this initiative and discusses strategies for further strengthening ECP provision. Kenya has emerged as a leader in ECP programming in the region and has demonstrated that it is possible to strengthen ECP services in both the public and private sectors while at the same time increasing public awareness, knowledge, and use of the …

Athlete And Coach Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceptions Of Sickle Cell Trait And National Collegiate Athletic Association Mandated Testing: Recommendations For Intervention, Raymona Holloway Lawrence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with Sickle Cell Trait have died suddenly after extreme exertion during military training, athletic practice or games (Kerle & Nishimura, 1996; Harrelson, Fincher & Robinson, 1995; Howe & Bowden, 2007). One of those deaths, Dale Lloyd, a football player at Rice University, prompted a change in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Sports Medicine Handbook Guideline 3c: The Student Athlete with Sickle Cell Trait. Effective August 2010, the NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2009-75-B mandated sickle cell trait testing in all Division I athletes unless documented results of a prior test are provided to the institution or the student-athlete …

Experiences And Perceptions Of How Community-Based Interventions Can Promote Young Adults' Resilience To Suicide Within Rural/Regional Communities, Tracy Evans

Theses : Honours

In the literature, both statistics and studies have noted that suicide in rural/regional young adults' is an important concern. Recent research suggests, that to facilitate a primary approach to suicide prevention in young people, there is a need to promote the protective construct of resilience at a community level, highlighting strategies such as connectedness, and decreasing the stigma related to mental illness and health-seeking behaviour (Commonwealth Department of Health & Aged Care, 2005; Injury Control Council of Western Australia, 2006). However, there is a need to investigate and identify the links or mediating factors that promote individual resilience within a …

General Psychological Distress Symptoms And Help-Seeking Intentions In Young Australians, Coralie Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Epidemiological studies suggest that young people might have a tendency to avoid help when they experience symptoms of psychological distress. There is growing evidence that many young people prefer no help from anyone for their mental health problems. The current study examined the association between symptoms of general psychological distress and intentions to seek help from friends, family and professional mental health sources in a sample of 109 trade (TAFE) students from regional and rural Australia. Participants were 67% male and aged from 15-25 years. Higher levels of general psychological distress symptoms were associated with stronger intentions to not seek …

Adolescents' Suicidal Thinking And Reluctance To Consult General Medical Practitioners, Coralie Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Appropriate help-seeking is widely recognized as a protective factor, and vital for early treatment and prevention of mental health problems during adolescence. General medical practitioners (GPs), that is, family doctors, provide a vital role in the identification of adolescents with mental health problems and the provision of treatment as well as access to other specialists in mental health care services. The current study is part of a larger multi-cite study developed and led by the first author. It examines the association between suicidal ideation and intentions to seek help from a GP for suicidal thoughts, emotional problems and physical health …

Help-Negation And Suicidal Ideation: The Role Of Depression, Anxiety And Hopelessness., Coralie J. Wilson

Frank Deane

Help-negation is expressed behaviorally by the refusal or avoidance of available help and cognitively by the inverse relationship between self-reported symptoms of psychological distress and help-seeking intentions. The current study is part of a larger multi-cite research program developed and led by the first author. It examines the association between suicidal ideation and intentions to seek help from friends, family and professional mental health sources in a sample of 302 Australian university students. Participants were 77.5% female and aged from 18-25 years old, with 85.4% aged 21 years or younger. Higher levels of suicidal ideation were related to lower help-seeking …

Help-Negation And Suicidal Ideation: The Role Of Depression, Anxiety And Hopelessness., Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Help-negation is expressed behaviorally by the refusal or avoidance of available help and cognitively by the inverse relationship between self-reported symptoms of psychological distress and help-seeking intentions. The current study is part of a larger multi-cite research program developed and led by the first author. It examines the association between suicidal ideation and intentions to seek help from friends, family and professional mental health sources in a sample of 302 Australian university students. Participants were 77.5% female and aged from 18-25 years old, with 85.4% aged 21 years or younger. Higher levels of suicidal ideation were related to lower help-seeking …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Physical Disability And Functional Limitation Among Community Dwelling Older People In Rural Malaysia, A Middle Income Country, Awang Bulgiba

Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud

Background: The prevalence and correlates of physical disability and functional limitation among older people have been studied in many developed countries but not in a middle income country such as Malaysia. The present study investigated the epidemiology of physical disability and functional limitation among older people in Malaysia and compares findings to other countries. Methods: A population-based cross sectional study was conducted in Alor Gajah, Malacca. Seven hundred and sixty five older people aged 60 years and above underwent tests of functional limitation (Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment Tool). Data were also collected for self reported activities of daily living …

Applicability Of A Video Intervention To Increase Informed Decision Making For Prostate Specific Antigen (Psa) Testing Among African-American Men With Different Levels Of Health Literacy, Levi Ross, Alicestine D. Ashford, Sherese J. Bleechington, Tyra Dark, Deborah C. Erwin

Levi Ross

Purpose: To evaluate the applicability of an evidence-based video intervention to promote informed decision making for prostate cancer (CaP) screening among African-American men with different levels of health literacy.

Methods: Forty nine African-American men participated in interviewer-administered, pretest-posttest interviews between January and March 2008. Health literacy status was assessed with the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA). Repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), McNemar or binomial distributions were computed to assess pretest/posttest differences in knowledge. Descriptive statistics were produced to describe participants’ perceptions of the information presented in the video.

Results: Results indicated that men with functional health …

E-Therapy As A Means For Addressing Barriers To Substance Use Disorder Treatment For Persons Who Are Deaf, Dennis Moore, Debra Guthmann, Nikki Lynn Rogers, Susan Fraker, Jared A. Embree

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Persons who are deaf face a number of challenges with regard to vulnerability for substance use disorders. Moreover, accessible treatment for this condition can be difficult to establish and maintain. The Deaf community may be one of the most disenfranchised groups in America in regard to appropriate access to substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment services. This article reviews
findings related to substance use disorder and treatment for this condition among persons who are deaf. It also reviews a promising approach for addressing treatment needs via e-therapy, and it highlights the challenges and concerns regarding e-therapy for this population. …

Few And Far Away: Detoxification Services In Rural Areas, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Melanie M. Race Ms, John A. Gale Ms

Mental Health / Substance Use Disorders

Based on Working Paper #41: Availability, Characteristics, and Role of Detoxification Services in Rural Areas. Findings: Few rural detox providers exist; 82% of rural residents live in a county without a detox provider. More than half of all rural detox providers serve a 100 mile radius. Travel distances are a barrier to outpatient detox models. Referral options to substance abuse treatment are limited, especially in isolated rural areas.

The Emergent Generation Gap In Attitudes Toward Khat Use In Urban Ethiopia, Nikki Lynn Rogers, Jared A. Embree, Yigzaw Kebede, Josephine Wilson, Mary J. Huber, Dennis Moore

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Athletics & Recreation Master Plan Sub‐Committee Final Report, Charlie Titus, Terry Condon, Chris Fitzgerald, Ken Mcbryde, Robert Burgess, Shaun Curry, Laurie Milliken, Chris Sweeney, Pavel Braude, Ryan Norton, Jack Looney, Susan Wolfson, Jain Ruvidich‐Higgins

Campus Master Planning Publications

In 2000 the Athletics & Recreation Department at UMass Boston Implemented a five year strategic plan that would more realistically align sports sponsorship with available financial and facility resources. We reduced the number of sports sponsored from 20 to 14 maintaining 7 sports for women and 7 sports for men. The only sports maintained without a facility were Men’s baseball and Cross Country Track. We eliminated football, swimming and indoor & outdoor track and field for men and women.

Since 2005 The Athletics & Recreation Department has been focused on University wide transition and planning efforts. In that period we …

Community Empowerment Through An Academic Product: Implications For The Social-Justice, Tamara Leech, Edrose Potts Jr.

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Often, African American community organizations are distanced from government institutional practices. In response, they may approach local academics to help bridge the divide. This think piece explores lessons that one academic scholar learned during the process of writing and distributing an applied report that ultimately helped a community organization to gain access to the governmental decision-making process. In exploring the project, we first focus on the process and value of shifting from a charity orientation to a social justice orientation. Second, we use the report itself to provide examples of essential, concrete aspects of social justice-oriented products. In the end, …

Attachment: The Antidote To Trauma, Joshua Straub

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Trauma and loss in life are inevitable. And all too often the traumatic experience itself can be enough to paralyze the mental, emotional, and spiritual state of any given person. Unable to interpret the traumatic experience, many instead are left defined by it. Helping clients discern the objective experience and their subjective reactions to it will help free them from the emotions and beliefs that subsequently control their lives. Based on the most relevant attachment theory research and clinical techniques, this workshop teaches the attentional strategies necessary to helping clients overcome trauma.

Quality Of Life Estimation With Structural Equation Modeling In School Aged Children With Asthma, Sheniz Moonie, Xuan Huang, David A. Sterling

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Significant increases in childhood asthma prevalence and mortality has prompted federal and regulatory agencies to work towards a national framework to address childhood asthma. Quality of life is an important component of chronic disease, and the evaluation of healthcare outcomes. There is little discussion in the literature regarding the implications of QoL as a theoretical construct. This study determined the effect of asthma on the QoL of our study population and caregiver’s missed workdays on the child’s QoL scores. A negative relationship was found between the child’s QoL and the caregiver’s missed workdays due to their child’s asthma. The use …

Issues For Dsm-V: The Role Of Culture In Psychiatric Diagnosis, Renato D. Alarcón, Anne E. Becker, Roberto Lewis-Fernández, Robert C. Like, Prakash Desai, Edward Foulks, Junius Gonzales, Helena Hansen, Alex Kopelowicz, Francis G. Lu, María A. Oquendo, Annelle Primm

Publications from Provost Junius J. Gonzales

No abstract provided.

Anas, Mias And Wannas: Authenticity And Embodiment In Pro-Anorexia Discussion Groups, Natalie Boero, C. Pascoe

Faculty Publications, Sociology

This paper details the making of community and bodies in online environments, specifically the online pro-anorexia community. Building community among members of these groups is particularly fraught because tensions over claims to authenticity permeate these groups. Because these are embodied practices and online spaces are presumably disembodied, participants constantly grapple with authenticity, largely through the threat of the "wannarexic." This paper documents the way in which tensions around authenticity and embodied practices are managed through treatment of the wannarexic, participating in group rituals, and deployment of individual tools. Participants grapple with these tensions through engaging in offline bodily rituals that …

Is Chaalia/Pan Masala Harmful For Health? Practices And Knowledge Of Children Of Schools In Mahmoodabad And Chanesar Goth, Karachi, Sameena Shah, Riaz Qureshi, Iqbal Azam Syed

Department of Family Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To determine the practices and knowledge of harmful effects regarding use of Chaalia and Pan Masala in three schools of Mahmoodabad and Chanesar Goth, Jamshed Town, Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS: To achieve the objective a cross-sectional design was used in three government schools of Mahmoodabad and Chanesar Goth, Jamshed Town, Karachi. Students of either gender drawn from these schools fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were interviewed using a pre-coded structured questionnaire. Along with demographic data, questions regarding frequency of Chaalia and Pan Masala use, practices of this habit in friends and family and place of procurement of these substances, …

Analysis And Evaluation Of Participation By Prescibers And Dispensers In The Maine State Prescription Monitoring Program, Marcella H. Sorg, Sharon Labrie, William Parker

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

As part of a Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys Office grant for the analysis and evaluation of participation in the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center mapped and analyzed spatial patterns of prescriber and pharmacy locations as well as PMP participation, and conducted a survey of licensed prescribers and dispensers of controlled substances in Maine. The PMP, implemented beginning July 1, 2004, monitors all drugs in Schedules II, II, and IV, and any pharmacy that is licensed to dispense prescriptions in or into the state of Maine is required by law to report to the program. …

State Experiences With Affordable Housing Plus Services: Report To Seniors And Persons With Disabilities, On The Move, Paula C. Carder, Erika Zoller

Institute on Aging Publications

Housing developers, providers, policy makers, and advocates, increasingly recognize that for some groups of individuals, access to affordable housing alone is "not enough." That is, some individuals require more than shelter. Examples include individuals who have chronic health conditions (e.g., HIV/AIDS), those with physical or cognitive limitations (e.g., persons with developmental disabilities, adults with physical disabilities), and those who have a combination of health conditions or who cannot thrive in traditional housing (e.g., persons who have been homeless, individuals with chronic mental illness). Increasingly, housing providers, social service agencies, advocates, states, and federal agencies have recognized the need to combine …