Public Health Commons^™

The Double Threat Of Hiv/Aids And Drought On Rural Household Food Security In Southeastern Zimbabwe, John Mazzeo

John Mazzeo, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Anthropologists Confront Hiv/Aids And Food Insecurity In Sub-Saharan Africa, John Mazzeo

John Mazzeo, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Racial And Sexual Identity-Related Maltreatment Among Minority Ymsm: Prevalence, Perceptions, And The Association With Emotional Distress, Sheldon Fields

Sheldon D. Fields

Bullying is a form of violence characterized as an aggressive behavior that is unprovoked and intended to cause harm. Prior studies have found that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth experience high levels of bullying related to their sexuality and this harassment can lead to engagement in risk behaviors, depression, and suicide. Ethnic/racial minority young men who have sex with men (YMSM) may experience dual levels of stigma and maltreatment due to both their sexuality and their race. The aim of the current study was to assess the prevalence and perceptions of racial and sexual identity-based abuse among a …

Age Of Msm Sexual Debut And Risk Factors: Results From A Multisite Study Of Racial/Ethnic Minority Ymsm Living With Hiv, Sheldon Fields

Sheldon D. Fields

The average reported age of sexual debut for youth in the United States is 14.4 years, with approximately 7% reporting their sexual debut prior to age 13. While the research literature on sexual debut for youth addresses gender and ethnic differences (with males and African-American youth experiencing earlier sexual debut), there is limited data regarding factors associated with sexual debut for young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Early sexual debut poses potential health risks, such as contracting HIV with an increased risk of unprotected intercourse. Given current high HIV infection rates for racial/ethnic minority YMSM, learning more about …

Sexual Behaviors Of Racial/Ethnic Minority Young Men Who Have Sex With Men., Sheldon Fields

Sheldon D. Fields

We assessed changes in sexual behaviors from baseline to 12-month follow-up among a multisite cohort of HIV-positive racial/ethnic minority young men who have sex with men enrolled in an outreach, linkage, and retention study. In the 3 months prior to their baseline interview, more than three-quarters of participants (78.5%) reported sex with at least one man (mean: 2.3 partners). Among sexually active participants, 44.2% had one partner; 50.5% had 2-9 partners; and 5.3% had 10 or more partners. Over three-quarters (77.5%) reported engaging in sex with at least one steady partner, 43.5% with at least one casual partner, and 29.5% …

Contractile And Non-Contractile Tissue Volume And Distribution In Ankle Muscles Of Young And Older Adults, Christopher J. Hasson, Jane A. Kent-Braun, Graham E. Caldwell

Graham E. Caldwell

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables accurate in vivo quantification of human muscle volumes, which can be used to estimate subject-specific muscle force capabilities. An important consideration is the amount of contractile and non-contractile tissue in the muscle compartment, which will influence force capability. We quantified age-related differences in the proportion and distribution of contractile and non-contractile tissue in the dorsiflexor and plantar flexor (soleus, and medial and lateral heads of gastrocnemius) muscles, and examined how well these volumes can be estimated from single MRI cross-sections. Axial MRIs of the left leg for 12 young (mean age 27 years) and 12 …

Sexual Health And Life Experiences: Voices From Behaviourally Bisexual Latino Men In The Midwestern Usa, Omar Martinez, Brian Dodge, Michael Reece, Phillip W. Schnarrs, Scott D. Rhodes, Gabriel Goncalves, Miguel Munoz-Laboy, David J. Malebranche, Barbara Van Der Pol, Ryan Nix, Guadalupe Kelle, J Dennis Fortenberry

David J Malebranche

Research on behaviourally bisexual Latino men in the USA has not yet examined sexual health issues among men living in diverse areas of the nation, including the Midwest. A community-based participatory research approach was used to engage a diverse sample of 75 behaviourally bisexual men (25 White, 25 Black and 25 Latino). Semi-structured interviews were conducted and standard qualitative analysis procedures were used to explore data from the 25 Latino participants. Men described their unique migration experiences as behaviourally bisexual men in this area of the USA, as well as related sexual risk behaviours and health concerns. Lack of culturally …

Comparing The Temporal Stability Of Self-Report And Interview Assessed Personality Disorder, Douglas B. Samuel, Christopher J. Hopwood, Emily B. Ansell, Leslie C. Morey, Charles A. Sanislow, John C. Markowitz, Shirley Yen, M. Tracie Shea, Andrew E. Skodol, Carlos M. Grilo

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Findings from several large-scale, longitudinal studies over the last decade have challenged the long-held assumption that personality disorders (PDs) are stable and enduring. However, the findings, including those from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS; Gunderson et al., 2000), rely primarily on results from semistructured interviews. As a result, less is known about the stability of PD scores from self-report questionnaires, which differ from interviews in important ways (e.g., source of the ratings, item development, and instrument length) that might increase temporal stability. The current study directly compared the stability of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders …

Ten-Year Course Of Borderline Personality Disorder: Psychopathology And Function From The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Study, John G. Gunderson, Robert L. Stout, Thomas H. Mcglashan, M. Tracie Shea, Leslie C. Morey, Carlos M. Grilo, Mary C. Zanarini, Shirley Yen, John C. Markowitz, Charles A. Sanislow, Emily B. Ansell, Anthony Pinto, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Context: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is traditionally considered chronic and intractable.

Objective: To compare the course of BPD’s psychopathology and social function with that of other personality disorders and with major depressive disorder (MDD) over 10 years. Design: A collaborative study of treatment-seeking, 18- to 45-year-old patients followed up with standardized, reliable, and repeated measures of diagnostic remission and relapse and of both global social functioning and subtypes of social functioning.

Setting: Nineteen clinical settings (hospital and outpatient) in 4 northeastern US cities.

Participants: Three study groups, including 175 patients with BPD, 312 with cluster C personality disorders, and 95 …

Roles And Challenges Of Outreach Workers In Hiv Clinical And Support Programs Serving Young Racial/Ethnic Minority Men Who Have Sex With Men., Sheldon Fields

Sheldon D. Fields

The federal government has established rapid identification, linkage, and engagement in medical care of HIV-positive individuals as a high priority. Outreach workers and other linkage coordinators are identified as key personnel in implementing this policy. Young racial/ethnic minority men who have sex with men (MSM) have relatively high and growing rates of HIV infection and would benefit from the services of outreach workers. In this article, we describe the characteristics of outreach workers employed by eight demonstration sites participating in the federal Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Young MSM of Color Initiative, the linkage and retention models used by …

Social Support And Suicide In Japanese Men And Women E The Japan Public Health Center (Jphc)-Based Prospective Study (Journal Of Psychiatric Research), Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar, Akiko Nanri, Tetsuya Mizoue, Yumi Matsushita, Yoshihiko Takahashi, Mitsuhiko Noda, Manami Inoue, Shoichiro Tsugane

Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar

Lessons From The Business Sector For Successful Knowledge Management In Health Care: A Systematic Review, Anita Kothari, Nina Hovanec, Robyn Hastie, Shannon Sibbald

Anita Kothari

BACKGROUND: The concept of knowledge management has been prevalent in the business sector for decades. Only recently has knowledge management been receiving attention by the health care sector, in part due to the ever growing amount of information that health care practitioners must handle. It has become essential to develop a way to manage the information coming in to and going out of a health care organization. The purpose of this paper was to summarize previous studies from the business literature that explored specific knowledge management tools, with the aim of extracting lessons that could be applied in the health …

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations And Season-Specific Correlates In Japanese Adults (Journal Of Epidemiology), Akiko Nanri, Leng Huat Foo, Kazutoshi Nakamura, Ai Hori, Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar, Yumi Matsushita, Tetsuya Mizoue

Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar

Factors Influencing Depression And Anxiety Among Black Sexual Minority Men, Louis Graham, Robert Aronson, Tracy Nichols, Charles Stephens, Scott Rhodes

Louis F Graham

Public Health And Public Wealth: Social Costs As A Basis For Restrictive Policies, David T. Courtwright

David T. Courtwright

Historically, the most important rationale for coercive public health measures has been the prevention of disease and injury to others. However, as noncommunicable diseases and accidents have assumed increased importance as causes of morbidity and mortality, and as the connection between noncommunicable diseases and accidents and individual practices such as smoking and drinking has become more apparent, a new line of argument based on social costs has emerged. My purpose is both to describe and evaluate the social-costs argument, to explain why it has become so popular, and to show what must be done to make it consistent with its …

What Is A Reasonable Compromise On Health Care Reform?, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

State-Level Influences On Buprenorphine Utilization: Variations In Opioid Addiction Treatment, Lisa M. Lines Mph, Robin E. Clark Phd

Lisa M. Lines

Research Objective: Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat opioid addiction. Physicians are required to have special Drug Enforcement Agency certification to prescribe buprenorphine. Although it is more accessible and potentially safer than methadone, the leading opioid addiction treatment modality, there appear to be state-to-state variations in rates of buprenorphine adoption and use. The purpose of this study was to identify state-level influences on the volume of buprenorphine prescribed, using a limited set of supply and demand measures. Study Design: We developed a database using data on buprenorphine prescribing and factors hypothesized to influence variations in prescribing obtained from the …

The Migration Of People From The Caribbean To The Bahamas, John Mazzeo

John Mazzeo, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Differences In Suicide Risk According To Living Arrangements In Japanese Men And Women – The Japan Public Health Center-Based (Jphc) Prospective Study (Journal Of Affective Disorders), Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar, Akiko Nanri, Tetsyta Mizoue, Yumi Matsushita, Yoshihiko Takahashi, Mitsuhiko Noda, Manami Inoue, Shoichiro Tsugane

Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar

Building Capacity And Recruiting For Hiv Epidemiologic Studies With African, Caribbean And Other Black Communities In Understudied Urban-Rural Locales: The Blacch Study, Shamara M. Baidoobonso, Greta Bauer

Shamara M Baidoobonso, PhD

London reportedly has Ontario’s 3rd-highest HIV infection rate, and a small (2.2%) but growing African, Caribbean and other Black (ACB) population. Although targeted for HIV prevention efforts, ACB people are hard to reach for research and programming, especially in London and similar urban-rural locales with few ACB-specific resources. In Canada’s ACB population, HIV is most commonly spread through heterosexual contact, yet cultural and religious norms often discourage discussions about sex or sexuality. Homophobia, racism and stigma discourage ACB people from seeking information about HIV/AIDS. In addition, few researchers have worked with local ACB communities; trust is lacking between ACB communities …

Results Of A Preliminary Shoreline Shellfish Sanitary Survey Near Banjul, Gambia Conducted On 18 June 2011, Kanyi Babanding, Michael A. Rice

Michael A Rice

A preliminary shoreline survey was conducted along the Bund Road (frequently referred to as Bond Road) levee and the Banjul-Serrekunda Highway in the northern Tanbi Wetlands oyster harvesting area in the metropolitan Banjul area. In part this was designed as a training exercise for Gambian officials will be assuming responsibility for future shoreline surveys in the Gambia. Key identified areas of concern include the Banjul fish landing area on Bund Road utilized by a number of artisanal fishers; an over-water toilet facility for fishers near the fish landing site; evidence of illegal waste and rubbish dumping along Bund Road; an …

Knowing The Consequences Of Unprotected Sex With Seroconcordant Partner Is Associated With Increased Safer Sex Intentions Among Hiv-Positive Men In Kathmandu, Nepal, Krishna C. Poudel, Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar, Shinji Nakahara, Junko Yasuoka, Masamine Jimba

Krishna C. Poudel

Probability Of Intellectual Disability Is Associated With Soil Concentrations Of Arsenic And Lead, Suzanne Mcdermott, Junlong Wu, Bo Cai, Andrew Lawson, C. Marjorie Aelion

C. Marjorie Aelion

BACKGROUND: The association between metals in water and soil and adverse child neurologic outcomes has focused on the singular effect of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As). This study describes the complex association between soil concentrations of As combined with Pb and the probability of intellectual disability (ID) in children. METHODS: We used a retrospective cohort design with 3988 mother child pairs who were insured by Medicaid and lived during pregnancy and early childhood in South Carolina between 1/1/97 and 12/31/02. The children were followed until 6/1/08, using computerized service files, to identify the diagnosis of ID in medical …

Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D And Risk Of Breast Cancer In The Nurses' Health Study Ii, A. Heather Eliassen, Donna Spiegelman, Bruce W. Hollis, Ronald L. Horst, Walter C. Willett, Susan E. Hankinson

Susan E. Hankinson

Introduction Experimental evidence indicates vitamin D may play an important role in breast cancer etiology but epidemiologic evidence to date is inconsistent. Vitamin D comes from dietary intake and sun exposure and plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are considered the best measure of vitamin D status. Methods We conducted a prospective nested case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII). Plasma samples collected in 1996 to 1999 were assayed for 25(OH)D in 613 cases, diagnosed after blood collection and before 1 June 2007, and in 1,218 matched controls. Multivariate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were …

What Does It Take To Be A Man? What Is A Real Man?': Ideologies Of Masculinity And Hiv Sexual Risk Among Black Heterosexual Men, David J. Malebranche, Lisa Bowleg, Michelle Teti, Jenne S. Massie, Aditi Patel, Jeanne M. Tschann

David J Malebranche

Research documents the link between traditional ideologies of masculinity and sexual risk among multi-ethnic male adolescents and White male college students, but similar research with Black heterosexual men is scarce. This exploratory study addressed this gap through six focus groups with 41 Black, low- to middle-income heterosexual men aged 19 to 51 years in Philadelphia, PA. Analyses highlighted two explicit ideologies of masculinity: that Black men should have sex with multiple women, often concurrently, and that Black men should not be gay or bisexual. Analyses also identified two implicit masculinity ideologies: the perception that Black heterosexual men cannot decline sex, …

Visualizing Clinical Evidence: Citation Networks For The Incubation Periods Of Respiratory Viral Infections, Nicholas G. Reich, Trish M. Perl, Derek A. T. Cummings, Justin Lessler

Nicholas G Reich

Simply by repetition, medical facts can become enshrined as truth even when there is little empirical evidence supporting them. We present an intuitive and clear visual design for tracking the citation history of a particular scientific fact over time. We apply this method to data from a previously published literature review on the incubation period of nine respiratory viral infections. The resulting citation networks reveal that the conventional wisdom about the incubation period for these diseases was based on a small fraction of available data and in one case, on no retrievable empirical evidence. Overall, 50% of all incubation period …

Hiv Prevention Needs Of African, Caribbean And Other Black Men And Women: Findings From The Blacch Study Interviews, Shamara M. Baidoobonso, Daniel Pugh

Shamara M Baidoobonso, PhD

BACKGROUND: Definitions of masculinity and femininity and gender roles impact how individuals access, interpret and use HIV prevention messages in African, Caribbean and other Black (ACB) communities. These differences must be considered when designing prevention interventions. OBJECTIVE: To explore sex-based differences in ACB peoples’ HIV prevention needs. METHODS: Using a community-based approach, a purposive sample of 22 ACB community members (CM) and 8 service providers (SP) in London, Ontario was interviewed about health. Respondents represented a cross-section of ACB communities and SPs serving these communities. HIV-specific topics included: awareness, perceived risk, risk behaviours, barrier to accessing services and service needs. …

Altered Folate Availability Modifies The Molecular Environment Of The Human Colon: Implications For Colorectal Carcinogenesis, Petr Protiva, Joel B. Mason, Zhenhua Liu, Michael E. Hopkins, Celeste Nelson, James R. Marshall, Richard W. Lambrecht, Swaroop Pendyala, Levy Kopelovich, Myungjin Kim, Steven H. Kleinstein, Peter W. Laird, Martin Lipkin, Peter R. Holt

Zhenhua Liu

BACKGROUND—Low folate status increases colorectal cancer risk whereas abundant supplementation may paradoxically increase risk. The mechanisms are unknown. OBJECTIVES—To define molecular pathways in the human colon altered by either dietary folate depletion (followed by repletion), or by supplementation. METHODS—10 healthy volunteers consumed a low folate diet for 12 weeks. During the last 4 weeks, folic acid (1 mg/day) was administered. In a second study, 10 other subjects were provided supplemental folic acid for 8 weeks. Rectosigmoid biopsies were obtained at measured intervals in both studies for assessment of primary endpoints: genome-wide gene expression, genomic DNA methylation, promoter methylation (depletion study …

Virtual Reality In Stroke Rehabilitation: A Meta-Analysis And Practical Implications For Clinicians, Gustavo Saposnik

Gustavo Saposnik

No abstract provided.

Social Capital And Life Satisfaction: A Cross-Sectional Study On Persons With Musculoskeletal Impairments In Hanoi, Vietnam, Kyo Takahashi, Nguyen Tm Thuy, Krishna C. Poudel, Kayako Sakisaka, Masamine Jimba, Junko Yasuoka

Krishna C. Poudel