Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Human Centered Geovisualization Framework To Facilitate Visual Exploration Of Telehealth Data: A Case Study, Ashish Joshi, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Background: Public health data is typically organized by geospatial units. Routine geographic monitoring of health data enables an understanding of the spatial patterns of events in terms of causes and controls. GeoVisualization (GeoVis) allows users to see information hidden both visually and explicitly on a map. Despite the applicability of GeoVis in public health, it is still underused for visualizing public health data. Objective: The objective of this study is to conduct user analysis by examining the various kinds of users that are involved with the telehealth program, their expertise and skills and their perception towards the utilization of GeoVis …

Commonhealth: Mass. A National Leader In Overdose Prevention, Leo Beletsky, Alexander Walley

Leo Beletsky

In this interview on Radio Boston, Leo Beletsky and Alexander Walley discuss their viewpoint piece, “Prevention of Fatal Opioid Overdose,” which appeared in the Nov. 14, 2012 issue of the Journal of the Medical American Association.

A Profile Of Nonurgent Emergency Department Use In An Urban Pediatric Hospital, Katrina Kubicek, Deborah Liu, Christy Beaudin, Jocelyn Supan, George Weiss, Yang Lu, Michele Kipke

Yang Lu

Objectives: This study was designed to develop a descriptive profile of parents and caregivers who bring their children to the emergency department (ED) for nonurgent issues and to explore the reasons for presenting to an urban hospital pediatric ED for nonurgent conditions. Such work is necessary to develop effective interventions.

Methods: A total of 106 parents/caregivers whose child was triaged with a nonemergent/urgent condition completed a 15- to 20-minute computerized survey (English and Spanish) in an urban pediatric ED.

Results: Most respondents described themselves as Latino (76%) and foreign born (62%). About one half (49%) reported having an annual income …

Partner Violence Assessment In Rural Health Care Clinic, Ann Coker, Vicki C. Flerx, Paige H. Smith, Daniel J. Whitaker, Mary Kay Fadden, Melinda Williams

Dan Whitaker

Objectives. We sought to determine the frequency of intimatepartner violence by type in a large, clinic-based, nurse-administeredscreening and services intervention project.

Methods. A brief intimate partner violence screen, which includeditems to measure sexual and physical assaults and psychologicalbattering (using the Women’s Experience With Batteringscale) was administered to consenting women receiving care at1 of 8 rural clinics in South Carolina.

Results. Between April 2002 and August 2005, 4945 eligible womenwere offered intimate partner violence screening, to which 3664(74.1%) consented. Prevalence of intimate partner violence ina current (ongoing) relationship was 13.3%, and 939 women (25.6%)had experienced intimate partner violence at some point …

Integrating Health Literacy And Esl : An Interdisciplinary Curriculum For Hispanic Immigrants, Francisco Soto Mas

Francisco Soto Mas

Adult Hispanic immigrants are at a greater risk of experiencing the negative outcomes related to low health literacy, as they confront cultural and language barriers to the complex and predominately monolingual Englishbased U.S. health system. One approach that has the potential for simultaneously addressing the health, literacy, and language needs of Hispanics is the combination of health literacy and English as a second language (ESL) instruction. The purpose of the project was to evaluate the feasibility of using ESL instruction as a medium for improving health literacy among Hispanic immigrants. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary …

Factors Associated With The Process Of Adaptation Among Pakistani Adolescent Females Living In United States., Salma Khuwaja, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

This study explored post-migration experiences of recently migrated Pakistani Muslim adolescent females residing in the United States. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty Pakistani Muslim adolescent females between the ages of 15 and 18 years living with their families in Houston, Texas. Data obtained from the interviews were evaluated using discourse analysis to identify major reoccurring themes. Participants discussed factors associated with the process of adaptation to the American culture. The results revealed that the main factors associated with adaptation process included positive motivation for migration, family bonding, social support networks, inter-familial communication, aspiration of adolescents to learn other …

Many Schools Unprepared For Next Pandemic, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Worked with the media to evaluate a school-based pandemic preparedness study. Take home message: Not much, really. However, the CDC should carefully review its promotion of yet-to-be-proven effective syndromic surveillance systems - and the mega $ associated with the investment - until they are proven otherwise effective.

De”Myth”Ifying Mental Health – Findings From A Community University Research Alliance (Cura), Rick Csiernik, Cheryl Forchuk, Mark Speechley, Catherine Ward-Griffin

Rick Csiernik

Many myths exist regarding mental illness and those with mental health issues. Under the auspices of a Community-University Research Alliance on Housing and Mental Health, a partnership between academics, community health and social service agencies and representatives of consumer-survivor groups, fourteen consumer-survivor and eight family member focus groups were held throughout Southwestern Ontario. Individual interviews were also conducted with 150 male and 150 female community-based mental health system consumer-survivors living in a variety of housing environments in London, Ontario. The findings dispute beliefs around four myths: that people with mental health problems are a homogenous population, which was highlighted by …

Designing Human Centered Geovisualization Application - The Sanaviz - For Telehealth Users: A Case Study., Ashish Joshi, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

No abstract provided.

Verbal Autopsy Tool For Infant Mortality, Vijay Kumar Chattu

Vijay Kumar Chattu

Information on causes of death is extremely important for policy-making, planning, monitoring and evaluation of health programs as well as for field research, comparisons and epidemic awareness.The Millennium Development Goal for India is to reduce infant mortality rate to 35 per 1000 & under-five mortality to 45 per 1000 live births by 2015.The incorporation of Verbal Autopsy (VA) in the existing Registration Systems is necessary in order to fulfil its ultimate goal of improving the information on causes of infant deaths in areas where Civil Registration and Death Certification are weak. VA provides information for local action by health authorities …

Pre-Teen Alcohol Use As A Risk Factor For Victimization And Perpetration Of Bullying Among Middle And High School Students In Georgia, Monica Swahn, Volkan Topalli, Bina Ali, Sheryl Strasser, Jeffrey Ashby, Joel Meyers

Monica H. Swahn

Objective: We examined the association between pre-teen alcohol use initiation and the victimization and perpetration of bullying among middle and high school students in Georgia.

Methods: We computed analyses using data from the 2006 Georgia Student Health Survey (N=175,311) of students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12. The current analyses were limited to students in grades 8, 10 and 12 (n=122,434). We used multilogistic regression analyses to determine the associations between early alcohol use and reports of both victimization and perpetration of bullying, perpetration only, victimization only, and neither victimization or perpetration, while controlling for demographic characteristics, other substance …

Do Ehr Investments Lead To Lower Staffing Levels?, Jeff Helton, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

No abstract provided.

Facing The Fear Factor In Taiwan Election, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

After observing recent legislative and presidential elections in Taiwan, members of the independent International Election Observation Mission have concluded that the elections were largely “free, yet partially unfair” (“Elections ‘free, partly unfair,’ watchdog says,” Jan. 16, page 1), citing several structural problems (eg, vote-buying, misuse of government power, and substantial disparities in party wealth) and extraneous fear factors (ie, undue influence exerted by the US and China under the myth of arguably fictional stability) that posed concerns for and pressures on Taiwan’s democracy, particularly on the freedom and fairness of the choices that Taiwanese voters must take. A case in …

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Economic And Social Effects Of Microcredit Among People Living With Hiv/Aids In Uganda, Sebastian Linnemayr, Glenn Wagner, Yashodhara Rana, James Balya, Lydia Buzaalirwa

Sebastian Linnemayr

HIV medical care, including antiretroviral therapy (ART), is often successful in restoring physical health and functioning. But in developing countries, HIV medical care is often insufficient to achieve social and economic health, and hence innovative economic support programs are much needed. We conducted semistructured interviews with 30 adults receiving ART and microcredit loans operated by Uganda Cares. Using content analysis, we explored the impact of the microcredit loans on the economic, social, and psychological well-being of respondents. Most respondents indicated that the microcredit loans played a positive role in their lives, helped them to keep their children in school and …

Identifying Self-Perceived Hiv-Related Stigma In A Population Accessing Antiretroviral Therapy, D. Tzemis, J. Forrest, C. Puskas, W. Zhang, Treena Orchard, A. Palmer, C. Mcinnes, K. Fernandes, J. Montaner, R. Hogg

Dr. Treena Orchard

No abstract provided.

Diabetes Management For Low-Income Patients In Los Angeles: Two Strategies Improved Disease Control In The Short Term, Peter Huckfeldt, Daniella Meeker, Anne Peters, Jeffrey Guterman, Guillermo Diaz, Dana Goldman

Peter J. Huckfeldt

Health care providers serving vulnerable patients in Los Angeles have developed programs intended to increase diabetes control through more-intensive patient education and engagement. We examined two programs, the first using a short-term intensive intervention by a care team including nurses and a specialist, and the second integrating case management and clinical pharmacy programs into primary care in a community clinic. We show evidence that both models improved short-term disease control, as measured by reductions in HbA1c and low-density lipoprotein (sometimes referred to as “bad” cholesterol). However, integrating case management and clinical pharmacy programs into a primary care setting was less …

Factors Associated With Intention To Conceive And Its Communication To Providers Among Hiv Clients In Uganda, Glenn Wagner, Sebastian Linnemayr, Cissy Kityo, Peter Mugyenyi

Sebastian Linnemayr

Persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) must discuss their fertility intentions with healthcare providers to receive the support needed to have children safely and limit transmission risks. However, few quantitative studies have examined correlates of fertility intentions, let alone the communication of such intentions with providers. We examined the prevalence and correlates of intentions to have children, and comfort discussing such plans with one's providers, in HIV clients at two HIV clinics in Uganda. Cross-sectional self-report data were collected from 233 patients who had primary partners. Bivariate correlates significant at the P < 0.10 level were included in logistic regression analysis. Of the 233 participants, 103 (44%) reported an intention to conceive a child in the near future. In multivariate analysis, younger age of both the patient and their partner, better physical health functioning and higher internalized HIV stigma were associated with having fertility intentions. One-third (35%) of those with fertility intentions expressed having difficulty discussing these intentions with their providers, which was associated with receiving care at the rural clinic and greater internalized HIV stigma. These findings highlight the need for reproductive health services that help clients accept themselves as PLHA and their fertility rights, thus promoting patient-doctor communication needed to promote safe child conception and delivery outcomes.

School And Residential Neighborhood Food Environment And Diet Among California Youth., Ruopeng An, Roland Sturm

Roland Sturm

Abstract BACKGROUND: Various hypotheses link neighborhood food environments and diet. Greater exposure to fast-food restaurants and convenience stores is thought to encourage overconsumption; supermarkets and large grocery stores are claimed to encourage healthier diets. For youth, empirical evidence for any particular hypothesis remains limited. PURPOSE: This study examines the relationship between school and residential neighborhood food environment and diet among youth in California. METHODS: Data from 8226 children (aged 5-11 years) and 5236 adolescents (aged 12-17 years) from the 2005 and 2007 California Health Interview Survey were analyzed in 2011. The dependent variables are daily servings of fruits, vegetables, juice, …