Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

A Public Health Argument Against Arming Teachers, David I. Swedler

Health Behavior Research

The peer-reviewed scientific literature does not support the idea that arming teachers will prevent school shootings. In this commentary, I draw on the criminal justice, injury prevention, and firearm safety literature to demonstrate how arming teachers will do more harm than good.

My Experience In Swaziland With Give Hope, Fight Poverty, Megan Kaser

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Megan Kaser, a recent 2017 alum in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, describes her experience with Give Hope, Fight Poverty (GHFP)—a nonprofit organization in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. GHFP’s mission is “to foster philanthropy domestically by designing service-learning programs that engage U.S. college students with rural communities in Swaziland, Africa, and work together to educate, empower, and lift orphaned and vulnerable children—particularly those living in child-headed households— out of poverty” (Give Hope, Fight Poverty, n.d.). By incorporating college students in the implementation of GHFP orphan education …

Obesity: The Elephant In The Room We Can No Longer Afford To Ignore, Joanie Sompayrac, Katharine Linehart Trundle

Journal of Health Ethics

Everyone pays the price for the obesity-related illnesses of our fellow citizens – through increased premiums on our group health insurance policies, through reduced productivity of our co-workers, through taxpayer support of hospitals that provide indigent care and through soaring Medicare costs, to name a few. The fact that our entire society often ends up paying many of the costs for the obesity-related illnesses of not only ourselves but also our family members, our friends, our co-workers and even strangers raises questions: Why doesn’t insurance pay to help overweight and obese people to make lifestyle changes that could save us …

Adapting Boot Camp Translation Methods To Engage Clinician/Patient Research Teams Within Practice-Based Research Networks, Lyle J. Fagnan, Matthew J. Simpson, Jeanette M. Daly, Leann C. Michaels, David L. Hahn, Barcey T. Levy, Douglas H. Fernald, John M. Westfall, Donald E. Nease Jr.

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Boot camp translation is a proven process to engage community members and health professionals in translating and disseminating evidence-based “best practices” models for health prevention and chronic illness care. Primary care practice improvement studies, particularly involving patient-driven change, as seen with self-management support (SMS), require engaged practice teams that include patients. Models of engagement such as boot camp translation may be effective.

Methods: Four geographically dispersed practice-based research networks (PBRNs) from the Meta-LARC consortium engaged 16 practices to form SMS implementation teams involving a clinician, care manager, and 2 patients in each team. Our study adapted the boot camp …

Implementing Community-Created Self-Management Support Tools In Primary Care Practices: Multimethod Analysis From The Insttepp Study, Douglas H. Fernald, Matthew J. Simpson, Donald E. Nease Jr., David L. Hahn, Amanda E. Hoffmann, Leann C. Michaels, Lyle J. Fagnan, Jeanette M. Daly, Barcey T. Levy

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: With one-half of Americans projected to be living with at least one chronic condition before 2020, enhancing patient self-management support (SMS) may improve health-related behaviors and clinical outcomes. Routine SMS implementation in primary care settings is difficult. Little is known about the practice conditions required for successful implementation of SMS tools.

Methods: Four primary care practice-based research networks (PBRNs) recruited 16 practices to participate in a boot camp translation process to adapt patient-centered SMS tools. Boot camp translation sessions were held over a 2-month period with 2 patients, a clinician, and a care manager from each practice. Qualitative case …

How To Translate Self-Management Support Tools Into Clinical Practice, Matthew J. Simpson, Jeanette M. Daly, Douglas H. Fernald, John M. Westfall, Leann C. Michaels, Barcey T. Levy, David L. Hahn, Lyle J. Fagnan, Donald E. Nease Jr.

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Patient self-management is an inevitable part of the work of being a patient, and self-management support (SMS) has become increasingly important in chronic disease management. However, the majority of SMS resources available in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality SMS Resource Library were developed without explicit collaboration between clinicians and patients.

Methods: Translation of SMS tools derived from the library into primary care practices occurred utilizing boot camp translation in four different practice-based research networks (PBRNs). The typical model of boot camp translation was adapted for the purpose of the Implementing Networks’ Self-management Tools Through Engaging Patients and …

Patient Barriers For Weight Management Among African American Women, Owen Bowie, Jennifer Kusch, George L. Morris Iii, Tracy Flood, Jessica Gill, Renee E. Walker, Ron A. Cisler, Jennifer T. Fink

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of local African American women who are overweight or obese using semi-structured focus groups to identify barriers to weight management and factors that support strategy success. The secondary aim of this study was to determine recommendations for patient-centered weight management interventions established specifically for African American women in the Milwaukee-area community.

Methods: Three semi-structured focus groups to explore barriers to weight management were performed among women patients. Participants (N = 41) were recruited via email, postal mail, and phone as available from an academic medical center in Milwaukee, …

Disease Prevalence And Politics- A Study Of Chagas Disease In Bolivia, Rebecca Dickson

Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship

Reducing disease prevalence within South America is critical for reaching global health goals and increasing life expectancy of vulnerable populations. Chagas disease, often referred to the “the New HIV/AIDS of the Americas,” is a prevalent cause of disability and death within Bolivia (Hotez et al. 1). The Plurinational State of Bolivia, a large South American nation-state, is a crucial player in promoting global health outcomes. However, intra-state political turmoil and historical tensions often affect its healthcare systems, which in turn affect individual health outcomes. This paper traces these connections within the Bolivian healthcare system- first by identifying political and cultural …

Children As Agents Of Change: Parent Perceptions Of Child-Driven Environmental Health Communication In The Apsáalooke (Crow Indian) Community, Jessica Milakovich, Vanessa W. Simonds, Frances L. Kim, Deborah Laveaux, Velma Pickett, Suzanne Held, Christine Martin, Jason Cummins, Lynn Kelting-Gibson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

While previous research suggests children have successfully acted as health change agents, no studies have examined the role of children in promoting environmental health knowledge and awareness. This study describes parent perceptions of the impact of a five-day water-focused environmental health summer camp on elementary school children in an American Indian community. We interviewed parents about their perception of changes in their child's environmental health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Parents in this study confirmed that their child had shared information related to the camp activities. In addition, parents perceived that their children had increased knowledge and positive changes in attitudes …

An Examination Of Active Commuting By Race/Ethnicity, Income And Location, Dangaia Sims, Melissa Bopp

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction

Active commuting (AC; walking and biking to work) is associated with a number of positive health outcomes, low participation remains low in the USA. Our objective was to examine the multi-level influences on AC considering social determinants of health: race/ethnicity, income level and location.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey examining correlates of AC in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The sample consisted of 1,310 adults over the age of 18 who were employed part- or full-time outside of the home and physically able to walk and bike. One-way ANOVAs, t-tests, and Pearson correlation analyses were run …

Promoting Community And Population Health In Public Health And Medicine: A Stepwise Guide To Initiating And Conducting Community-Engaged Research, Scott D. Rhodes, Amanda E. Tanner, Lilli Mann-Jackson, Jorge Alonzo, Florence Siman, Eunyoung Y. Song, Jonathan Bell, Megan B. Irby, Aaron T. Vissman, Robert E. Aronson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Various methods, approaches, and strategies designed to understand and reduce health disparities, increase health equity, and promote community and population health have emerged within public health and medicine. One such approach is community-engaged research. While the literature describing the theory, principles, and rationale underlying community engagement is broad, few models or frameworks exist to guide its implementation. We abstracted, analyzed, and interpreted data from existing project documentation including proposal documents, project-specific logic models, research team and partnership meeting notes, and other materials from 24 funded community-engaged research projects conducted over the past 17 years. We developed a 15-step process designed …

Grandparent Caregivers’ Perceptions And Lived Experiences: Their Health And Wellbeing, Access To Health And State Of Health Services In Zimbabwe, Magen M. Mutepfa Dr

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

The study explored the perceptions and lived experiences of self-rated health, access to health, and state of health services for grandparent caregivers in Zimbabwe. In–depth interviews using semi-structured interview guides were carried out to elicit perceptions of lived experiences from grandparent caregivers (N=31; Mean age= 65.7; SD= 10.7). The data was thematically analysed and the software Nvivo 10 was used to help categorize emergent themes. The study found that grandparent caregivers experienced multiple chronic and complex self-rated health conditions (e.g., High blood pressure (HBP), arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, back pain, and heart problems), which influenced their health and Quality of Life …

Lemierre’S Syndrome, A Case Report And Review Of Literature, Casmiar I. Nwaigwe, Jason Greenwood

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Lemierre’s syndrome is a suppurative thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. In this paper we describe a case of severe Lemierre’s syndrome in a healthy 18 year-old woman. She initially presented with sore throat, and failed outpatient antibiotic therapy. She quickly progressed to septic shock, internal jugular vein septic thrombophlebitis, septic pulmonary emboli, empyema and respiratory failure. Successful treatment included intravenous antibiotics and thoracotomy. It is a rare disease that has been kept at bay with the widespread use of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections. However in recent years there seems to be an increase in number of cases being …

A Continuum Of Disease From Community-Acquired Pneumonia To Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Characteristics And Clinical Outcomes Of Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia Who Are Active Intravenous Drug Users, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Paula Peyrani, Leslie A. Beavin, Stephen P. Furmanek, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Intravenous drug users (IVDU) have a 10-fold increased risk of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) compared to the general population. There is scarce data available evaluating the clinical outcomes of IVDU hospitalized patients with CAP and that data mostly focuses on mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, incidence and outcomes of hospitalized patients with CAP in active intravenous drug users in Louisville, Kentucky.

Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of the University of Louisville Pneumonia study. IVDU patients were propensity score matched to a non-IVDU group. Study outcomes were time to clinical stability (TCS), …

Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Review On Diagnosis And Management, Bilal A. Jalil, Juan M. Galvis, Karim A. El Kersh, Mohamed Saad, Mostafa M. Fraig, Juan J. Guardiola Ii

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Aspergillosis is acquired by inhalation of spores of Aspergillus, a ubiquitous species in the environment. In normal hosts, spore inhalation rarely causes lung disease.

Pulmonary aspergillosis covers a wide spectrum of clinical syndromes depending on the interaction between Aspergillus and the host (immune-status, prior bronchopulmonary disease). It runs the gamut from invasive aspergillosis to Aspergillus bronchitis and colonization.

Invasive aspergillosis occurs in severely immunocompromised patients, typically with neutropenia. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis affects patients with chronic structural lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mycobacterial lung disease, but without significant immunocompromise. Aspergillus bronchitis affects patients with bronchial disease such …

Pulmonary Histoplasmosis In A Patient With Cough, Dyspnea, Pulmonary Nodule And Rheumatologic Manifestations: Case Report And Review, Johnson Britto

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

In this case report we describe a case of pulmonary histoplasmosis in a healthy adult female living in Kentucky. The patient presented with two months history of poly-arthralgia and myalgia, intermittent dry cough, chest tightness, exertional dyspnea, malaise, fatigue and one week history of skin rash. She did not respond to broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and she also had extensive endocrine and rheumatologic work up that was negative. A diagnosis of histoplasmosis was established based on radiological findings as well as endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration cytology (EBUS-TBNA) of mediastinal lymph nodes demonstrating necrotizing granuloma with fungal stains positive for Histoplasma. …

Measuring Inequity: A Systematic Review Of Methods Used To Quantify Structural Racism, Maya Groos, Maeve Wallace, Rachel Hardeman, Katherine P. Theall

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Abstract

Objective: To summarize the ways in which researchers have quantified measures of structural racism for the purposes of empirical, quantitative investigation of its associations with physical and mental health outcomes.

Methods: Systematic review of literature published January 1, 2007-June 30, 2017. We searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for studies including at least one of the following search terms in the title or abstract: “structural racism”, “systemic racism”, “institutional racism”, “institutionalized racism”. Excluded studies were not original research, not US based, did not quantify an explicitly named indicator of structural racism, or were qualitative designs. Data from full …

Alternative Financial Services And Health Status In U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Courtney Hundley, Richard W. Wilson 8520196, John Chenault

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Abstract

Alternative financial services (AFS) such as, payday lenders, pawn brokers, tax refund loans, and check cashers are more prevalent in minority and lower income neighborhoods. These are neighborhoods also found to have disparities in health, compared to more affluent neighborhoods and communities. The focus of this paper is to determine if any relationship exists between use of AFS and health disparities.

Using data from a survey performed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), we compared four banking variables to several measures of health for 85 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) across the nation. The four banking variables all related …

A Land Not Forgotten: Indigenous Food Security & Land-Based Practices In Northern Ontario By Michael A. Robidoux And Courtney W. Mason, Tonia L. Payne Ph.D.

The Goose

Review of Michael A. Robidoux and Courtney W. Mason's (eds.) A Land Not Forgotten: Indigenous Food Security & Land-Based Practices in Northern Ontario.

Improving Health And Well-Being: Connecting Research And Practice. The 24th Annual Conference Of The Health Care Systems Research Network, Karen L. Margolis, Nico Pronk, Jane E. Duncan, Sarah M. Greene

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The 24th annual conference of the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN, formerly the HMO Research Network), held April 11–13, 2018, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, attracted 357 attendees. The HCSRN is a consortium of 18 community-based research organizations embedded in or affiliated with large health care delivery systems. Its annual research conference, held since 1994, is a unique venue that brings diverse stakeholders (eg, research teams, clinicians, patients, funders) together to explore a range of health research topics and scientific findings, with a unifying goal of connecting applied research to real-world care delivery for the betterment of individual and community health. …

Restructuring Data Reported From State Early Hearing Detection And Intervention (Ehdi) Programs: A Pilot Study, Suhana Alam, Tammy O'Hollearn, Jim Beavers, Alyssa K. Rex, Rebekah F. Cunningham, Winnie Chung, Xidong Deng, Thuyquynh N. Do

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objective: To assess the feasibility, benefits, and challenges surrounding individual-level versus aggregate data reporting by jurisdictional EHDI programs to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Methods: Using data reported to CDC by three jurisdictions in 2011, descriptive statistics were used to assess the feasibility of collecting and reporting individual-level data. Comparisons were made on what can be learned from individual-level data as opposed to CDC’s aggregate survey data.

Results: Individual-level data provided a detailed overview of the population served, services received, and variations across jurisdictions in data collection, reporting, and quality monitoring practices. Several challenges and areas needing …

Social Cognitive Models Of Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Moderate Physical Activity, And Sleep Behavior In Overweight And Obese Men, Adam P. Knowlden, Rebecca Robbins, Micahel Grandner

Health Behavior Research

Background. Approximately 35% of men in the United States are obese, though little theoretical work examining predictors correlates of obesity exists for this population. The purpose of this study was to test the capacity of Bandura’s social cognitive model of health behavior to account for variance in fruit and vegetable consumption, moderate physical activity, and sleep behavior in overweight and obese men. Methods. Data were collected from overweight and obese men using previously validated questionnaires. Structural equation models were built to examine the direct and indirect effects the social cognitive theory constructs of self-efficacy, outcome expectation, socio-structural factors, and goals …

Hiv Mortality Difference Between Black And White Women, Carlos O. Nesbeth, Rajiv Kandala, Syed Najeeb, Ruksana Nazneen, Banglore Murthy

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

OBJECTIVE

In the United States, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to be among the top 10 leading causes of mortality for black women between the ages of 20 and 54¹, but does not rank among the top 10 leading causes of death for white women amongst all age groups^². This study describes the HIV mortality difference between black and white women and formulate hypotheses that may reduce or eliminate disparities.

METHODS

Information was accessed through public data, the US Census, and the US Compressed Mortality File.

RESULTS

In these descriptive data from 1987 through 2015, including reliable HIV …

Asian Americans’ Cancer Information Seeking, Fatalistic Belief, And Perceived Risk: Current Status And Relationships With Cancer Prevention And Detection Behaviors, Jungmi Jun, Xiaoli Nan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This study pursues four research goals: (1) to examine Asian Americans and Asian ethnic groups’ (i.e., Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese) information seeking, fatalistic belief, and perceived risk of cancer, in comparison to non-Hispanic Whites; (2) to identify characteristics of Asian Americans who seek cancer information, hold fatalistic cancer belief, and perceive cancer risk; (3) to assess cancer prevention and detection behavior gaps between Asian Americans and Whites, and (4) to explore whether such gaps can be explained by cancer information seeking, fatalistic belief, and perceived risk. Data from 2011-2014 Health Information National Trends Surveys (HINTS) were analyzed. Asian Americans …

Graduating Into Lower Risk: Chlamydia And Trichomonas Prevalance Among Community College Students And Graduates, Janet E. Rosenbaum

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Community colleges enable youth from economically disadvantaged and minority populations to access college and may enable social mobility including improved health outcomes. However, educational health disparities studies rarely assess the health outcomes for community college graduates.

Methods: Chlamydia and trichomonas prevalence were assessed with nucleic acid based tests in a nationally representative sample of 6233 high school graduates (ages 18–25) from five educational levels: young adults without post-secondary credentials who were not enrolled in college, community college students, 4-year college students, associate’s degree, and bachelor’s degree. To reduce confounding between educational attainment and STI status, we used full matching …

Nativity Differences In Stress Among Asian And Pacific Islander American Women, Brittany N. Morey, Gilbert C. Gee, Salma Shariff-Marco, Gem M. Le, Alison J. Canchola, Juan Yang, Laura Allen, Sandra Lee, Roxanna Bautista, Trish Quema La Chica, Winston Tseng, Pancho Chang, Scarlett Lin Gomez

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

According to the Stress Process Theory, people who are marginalized in society encounter more stress than those in more advantaged positions. Immigrants are one such marginalized group in the United States (US) who may experience greater psychological stress than their US-born counterparts due to (1) severing of social ties; (2) social disadvantage and marginalization; and (3) adaptation to a new environment. This study examines the disparity in stress by nativity, and how social factors contribute to this disparity for Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women. Data come from the Asian Community Health Initiative, which included a sample of 291 foreign-born …

Barriers To Pregnancy Spacing In Women Living With Hiv: A Series Of Informational Interviews, Rachel K. Scott, Piyapa Praditpan, Patricia Tanjutco, Elizabeth Laidlaw, Regina Zopf, Manon M. Schladen

The Qualitative Report

For reproductive-age women living with HIV, birth spacing allows for optimization of maternal health and viral suppression to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. We conducted semi-structured informational interviews to explore use of contraception for birth spacing. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Audio files were reviewed to capture non-explicit data. We interviewed 18 multiparous HIV positive women. All described experiences with at least one contraceptive method. Six themes emerged: Burden of contraception, Failure of birth control, Impact of youth and lack of life experience, Community beliefs about birth control, Lack of partner cooperation, and Altruism. Women viewed birth spacing favorably. Young …

'No Pink Ribbons': How Women's Lived Experiences With Breast Atypia Inform Decisions Involving Risk-Reducing Medications, Sarah L. Goff, Reva Kleppel, Grace Makari-Judson

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Atypical hyperplasia (AH) is associated with a nearly 4-fold elevation of lifetime risk for breast cancer, and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is associated with a 7- to 8-fold risk. Women with AH/LCIS make numerous decisions in the course of treatment, including whether to take a risk-reducing medication, an option relatively few women pursue. We explored women’s decision-making processes through patient narratives in an effort to inform decision supports for AH/LCIS.

Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 English-speaking women with AH/LCIS and no subsequent diagnosis of invasive breast cancer who had enrolled in the Rays of Hope Center …

The Medical Evaluation Of The Newly Resettled Female Refugee: A Narrative Review, Anne Duckles, Aba Barden-Maja, Julie Caplow

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

The number of forcibly displaced individuals worldwide is increasing each year, reaching 65 million persons by the end of 2015, half of which were women and children. As the population of displaced persons grows, it is every physician’s responsibility to understand these patients and their health needs. Refugee patients and the providers who care for them face many barriers to effective patient care, including language barriers, cultural differences, and systematic inequalities. Female refugees commonly experience gender-based violence, repetitive trauma, stigmatized mental illness, and cultural barriers to women’s healthcare. This review is intended to be a comprehensive guide for the provider …