Digital Commons Network^™

Prevention Practices And West Nile Virus Infection Among Ethnic Minorities, Texas, Bayabel Debebe Mengistu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is a major public health problem and the cause of nearly 25% of the world's economic burden of disease. While the risk factors for developing West Nile fever and West Nile disease from WNV infection have been identified, it is not known how knowledge, attitude, behavior (KAB), access to health care (AHC), and comorbidities are associated with prevention practices of WNV infection among ethnic minorities. The aim of this study was to examine the association between KAB, AHC, comorbidities, and prevention practices of WNV infection among ethnic minorities in Texas. KAB, AHC. Comorbidities were used …

Hiv Prevention: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Sexual Decision Making, Risk Taking, And Condoms, Jonathan D. Spencer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV is an infectious disease that continues to have new cases each year within high-risk populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). To help in the fight against new HIV infections within the MSM population, new medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are being used. The purpose of this cross-sectional online survey study was to address whether PrEP use had any relationship with (a) sexual decision-making, (b) risk-taking, and (c) condom use in the MSM population 18-64 years of age, after controlling for socioeconomic status, race, and age while using the behavioral disinhibition and risk compensation models. …

Parasitic Infections Represent A Significant Health Threat Among Recent Immigrants In Chicago, Jesica A. Herrick, Monica Nordstrom, Patrick M. Maloney, Miguel Rodriguez, Kevin Naceanceno, Gloria Gallo, Rojelio Mejia, Ron Hershow

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Parasitic infections are likely under-recognized among immigrant populations in the USA. We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate if such infections have health impacts among recent immigrants in Chicago and to identify predictive factors for parasitic infections. A total of 133 recent immigrants were enrolled, filling out a standardized medical questionnaire and providing blood and stool samples. Appriximately 12% of subjects (15/125) who provided a blood or stool sample for testing were found to have evidence of current or prior infection with a pathogenic parasite, of which Toxocara spp. (8 subjects, 6.4%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (5 subjects, 4%) were most …

Association Between Breastfeeding And Child Stunting In Mexico, Ana Paola Campos, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Summer Sherburne Hawkins

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Globally, the prevalence of child stunting has been decreasing over the past decades. How-ever, in low-and middle-income countries such as Mexico, stunting is still the most prevalent form of undernutrition affecting a large number of children in the most vulnerable conditions. Breastfeeding has been identified as one of the key affordable and modifiable maternal health behaviors protecting against child stunting. Objective: To examine the association between breastfeeding (defined as never breastfed, any breast-feeding for <6 months, and any breastfeeding for ≥6 months) and other individual-, household-, and area-level factors with child stunting (defined as length/height-for-age-z-score for sex under –2 standard deviations of the World Health Organization child growth standards’ median) in Mexico. Methods: Secondary data analysis using the 2012 Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey, which allowed representativeness of rural and urban areas at national level and among 4 regions in Mexico. Our subset included data on 2,089 singleton Mexican children aged 6–35 months with information on previously identified risk and protective factors for stunting. We conducted fixed-and mixed-effects logistic regression models sequentially controlling for each level of factors. Findings: Overall, 12.3% of children were stunted and 71.1% were breastfed for ≥6 months. Any breast-feeding and being female were consistent protective factors against child stunting across all models. In contrast, child low birthweight, maternal short stature, higher number of children aged <5 years per household, and moderate to severe food insecurity were consistent risk factors for child stunting across all models. Conclusions: According to our findings, efforts to reduce child stunting in Mexico should include prenatal strategies aiming to prevent low birthweight offspring particularly among short-stature women, moderate to severe food insecure households, families with a higher number of children aged <5 years, and indigenous communities. Postnatal components should include multilevel strategies to support breastfeeding.

Aerosol And Surface Contamination Of Sars-Cov-2 Observed In Quarantine And Isolation Care, Joshua L. Santarpia, Danielle N. Rivera, Vicki L. Herrera, M. Jane Morwitzer, Hannah M. Creager, George W. Santarpia, Kevin K. Crown, David Brett-Major, Elizabeth R. Schnaubelt, M. Jana Broadhurst, James V. Lawler, St. Patrick Reid, John Lowe

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019, and its resulting coronavirus disease, COVID-19, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The rapid global spread of COVID-19 represents perhaps the most significant public health emergency in a century. As the pandemic progressed, a continued paucity of evidence on routes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission has resulted in shifting infection prevention and control guidelines between classically-defined airborne and droplet precautions. During the initial isolation of 13 individuals with COVID-19 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, we collected air …

Acute Encephalopathy With Elevated Csf Inflammatory Markers As The Initial Presentation Of Covid-19, Shelli Farhadian, Laura R. Glick, Chantal B. F. Vogels, Jared Thomas, Jennifer Chiarella, Arnau Casanovas-Massana, Jing Zhou, Camila Odio, Pavithra Vijayakumar, Bertie Geng, John Fournier, Santos Bermejo, Joseph R. Fauver, Tara Alpert, Anne L. Wyllie, Cynthia Turcotte, Matthew Steinle, Patrick Paczkowski, Charles Dela Cruz, Craig Wilen, Albert I. Ko, Sean Mackay, Nathan D. Grubaugh, Serena Spudich, Lydia Aoun Barakat

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus SARS-CoV-2. It is widely recognized as a respiratory pathogen, but neurologic complications can be the presenting manifestation in a subset of infected patients.

CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 78-year old immunocompromised woman who presented with altered mental status after witnessed seizure-like activity at home. She was found to have SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated neuroinflammation. In this case, we undertake the first detailed analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokines during COVID-19 infection and find a unique pattern of inflammation in CSF, but no evidence of viral neuroinvasion.

CONCLUSION: Our findings …

Analysis Of Genetic Structure And Pathogen Dynamics Of Ixodes Scapularis In Southwestern Virginia, Leemu Jackson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Ixodes scapularis, or the blacklegged tick, is the primary vector of Borrelia burgdorferi. This pathogen is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most common vector-transmitted disease in the United States. Although I. scapularis is distributed throughout the eastern U.S., Lyme disease is only considered endemic in the northeastern region of the country. Prior to 2007, Lyme disease was uncommon in Virginia, but since then cases of Lyme disease have increased dramatically with a hotspot forming in the Roanoke-Blacksburg area. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether B. burgdorferi prevalence and the genetic structure of I. …

Sociopolitical Determinants Of Parental Acceptance Of Childhood Vaccination In Abuja, Nigeria, Lawrence Madu Ohammah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the efficacy of vaccines, some parents still reject vaccination of their children, resulting in low vaccination coverage, a greater burden of vaccine-preventable diseases, and high infant mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sociopolitical determinants of vaccination status among children, aged 0-24 months, and identify the factors that drive vaccine hesitancy. The social ecological model served as the theoretical framework. The study research design was a quantitative cross-sectional survey. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect primary data from parents and caregivers in 384 randomly selected households from 48 settlements in the Abuja Municipal Area Council. …

The Impact Of The Residency Area On Risk Factors For Tuberculosis Among People Living In Three Different Regions Of Kazakhstan, Assel Bukharbayeva

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background and introduction:

A Comparative Spatial And Climate Analysis Of Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis And Human Babesiosis In New York State (2013-2018), Collin J. O'Connor

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) and human babesiosis are tick-borne diseases spread by Ixodes scapularis (the blacklegged or deer tick) and are the result of infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti, respectively. In New York State (NYS), incidence rates of these diseases increased concordantly until around 2013, when rates of HGA began to increase more rapidly than human babesiosis, and the spatial extent of the diseases diverged. Surveillance data of tick-borne pathogens (2007 to 2018) and reported human cases of HGA (n=4,297) and human babesiosis (n=2,986) (2013 to 2018) from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) showed a …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Of Healthcare Professionals Working In Schools Regarding Tickborne Disease Prevention And Lyme Disease In New York State And Maryland, Kristen Howard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Ticks, Lyme disease, and other tickborne diseases are a concern of public health entities in Maryland and New York State. Children are at an increased risk of contracting a tickborne disease. Healthcare professionals working in schools (HPWS) are often front-line providers and health educators for school-aged children. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of HPWS regarding ticks and tickborne disease is currently unknown. While there are educational materials available, uptake and use of these programs is also unknown.

The Cholera Crisis In Yemen: Case Studies On Vulnerability And Resilience In Sana'a, Al Hudaydah, And Ma'areb, Noor Albannein A. Al-Saad

Honors Theses and Capstones

The largest recorded cholera epidemic in history is happening right now in Yemen, a country which has reported over 2 million cases of cholera as of 2020. Yemen has a history of endemic cholera, but prolonged conflict in the country has led to deteriorating conditions that have triggered massive outbreaks of the disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the direct and indirect causes of the cholera epidemic in Yemen by proposing factors that may confer vulnerability and resilience in Yemeni governorates. Case studies were constructed for three governorates: Sana’a and the inner municipality of Amanat Al Asimah; …

Identification And Evaluation Of Epidemic Prediction And Forecasting Reporting Guidelines: A Systematic Review And A Call For Action, Simon Pollett, Michael Johansson, Matthew Biggerstaff, Lindsay C. Morton, Sara L. Bazaco, David Brett-Major, Anna M. Stewart-Ibarra, Julie A. Pavlin, Suzanne Mate, Rachel Sippy, Laurie J. Hartman, Nicholas G. Reich, Irina Maljkovic Berry, Jean-Paul Chretien, Benjamin M. Althouse, Diane Myer, Cecile Viboud, Caitlin Rivers

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

INTRODUCTION: High quality epidemic forecasting and prediction are critical to support response to local, regional and global infectious disease threats. Other fields of biomedical research use consensus reporting guidelines to ensure standardization and quality of research practice among researchers, and to provide a framework for end-users to interpret the validity of study results. The purpose of this study was to determine whether guidelines exist specifically for epidemic forecast and prediction publications.

METHODS: We undertook a formal systematic review to identify and evaluate any published infectious disease epidemic forecasting and prediction reporting guidelines. This review leveraged a team of 18 investigators …

Planned Behavior And Congolese Physicians’ Practice: Predicting Advanced Preventive Health Services Provision, Jean-Clément Milabu Mumbusi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The provision of preventive services, health promotion, and health maintenance has become the cornerstone of primary care practice in the United States and other Western countries to prevent morbidity and premature mortality and to increase the quality and years of a healthy life. Unfortunately, the delivery of these advanced preventive health services (APHS) has been sporadic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with poor health indicators. The purpose of this cross-sectional mixed-method study was to apply Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict the intention of Congolese primary care physicians (PCPs) in the provision of APHS. Using …

Rethinking Global Governance To Address Zoonotic Disease Risks: Connecting The Dots, Kelley Lee

Animal Sentience

Large-scale changes in human behaviour are urgently needed to prevent future pandemics involving zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19. However, this will not happen to the required degree, and with sufficient speed, without a major shift in how humanity collectively governs itself. Alongside a shift in focus from individual behaviours to the structural conditions underpinning the world economy that shape human behaviours, effective global governance presses us to connect more dots than ever before. The One Health approach is an important starting point but we need to go much further.

The Covid-19 Response In Nebraska: How Students Answered The Call, Sabrine Chengane, Anlan Cheney, Sierra Garth, Sharon J. Medcalf

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The Student Response Team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center answered the statewide call to assist local health departments during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As a voluntary student-led effort, the SRT assisted health departments to conduct contact tracing, monitor social media, and educate the public. Their experience demonstrates how students can increase the public health surge capacity of local health departments while gaining applied experience during public health emergencies. This call-to-action commentary proposes that SRTs should be formed, trained, and deployed through academic institutions across the nation and the globe, during and beyond the current pandemic.

Health Outcomes Associated With Gulf War Illness, Shannon K. Barth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background:

Nearlythirty years after the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War a definitive case definition for Gulf War Illness (GWI) is lacking. The objective is to explore health outcomes associated with GWI using currently accepted classifications in order to better understand GWI by examining pre-war medical conditions as predictors of probable GWI, mortality outcomes of veterans with probable GWI, and female-specific medical conditions among women with probable GWI. Additionally, we utilize an alternative GWI case definition.

Methods:

Data come from theDepartment of Veterans Affairs (VA)1995-1997 National Health Survey of Persian Gulf War Era Veterans, a population-based survey of deployed …

Pandemics And Methodological Developments In Epidemiology History, Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Advanced Preparation Makes Research In Emergencies And Isolation Care Possible: The Case Of Novel Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19), David Brett-Major, Elizabeth R. Schnaubelt, Hannah M. Creager, Abigail Lowe, Theodore J. Cieslak, Jacob M. Dahlke, Daniel W. Johnson, Paul D. Fey, Keith F. Hansen, Angela L. Hewlett, Bruce G. Gordon, Andre C. Kalil, Ali S. Khan, Mark G. Kortepeter, Christopher J. Kratochvil, Luann Larson, Deborah A. Levy, James Linder, Sharon J. Medcalf, Mark E. Rupp, Michelle M. Schwedhelm, James N. Sullivan Md, Angela M. Vasa, Michael C. Wadman, Rachel E. Lookadoo, John-Martin J. Lowe, James V. Lawler, M. Jana Broadhurst

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The optimal time to initiate research on emergencies is before they occur. However, timely initiation of high-quality research may launch during an emergency under the right conditions. These include an appropriate context, clarity in scientific aims, preexisting resources, strong operational and research structures that are facile, and good governance. Here, Nebraskan rapid research efforts early during the 2020 coronavirus disease pandemic, while participating in the first use of U.S. federal quarantine in 50 years, are described from these aspects, as the global experience with this severe emerging infection grew apace. The experience has lessons in purpose, structure, function, and performance …

Reducing Morbidity: Establishing A Relationship Between Perioperative Normothermia And Colon Surgical Site Infections, Nychie Dotson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are an emerging public health threat. Every day in the United States, HAIs impact 1 in 31 hospitalized patients. Surgical site infections (SSIs) account for over 40% of all reported HAIs and have an increased risk for morbidity and mortality. Surgery associated with colon procedures present an increased risk for infection, morbidity, and mortality. There has been vast work to prevent colon SSIs; however, there remain areas for improvement and exploration. The main research question evaluated the relationship between maintaining perioperative normothermia and colon SSIs. Secondary research questions explored additional risk factors to include age, gender, obesity, …

Impact Of Demographic Characteristics And Therapy On Tuberculosis Incident Cases, Iliedor Garcon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For more than two decades, tuberculosis (TB) has ranked second among the top killers of infectious diseases, with an estimated 10.4 million incident cases in 2018. Demographic characteristics and drug susceptibility influence TB incidence worldwide. Using a retrospective cohort design, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate whether race/ethnicity, age, sex (gender), therapy completion within one year (COT), and testing for isoniazid and rifampin susceptibility (TIRS) were predictors of 672 cases of TB in New York-Newark-Jersey City from 1993 to 2017. Guided by the epidemiological triad theory, this research was conducted using a secondary TB dataset from the …

Association Of Landfall Atlantic Tropical Storms And Human Cases Of Locally Acquired West Nile Virus Infection In Florida, Jackson G. Mosley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

West Nile virus (WNv) is the most widely distributed flavivirus and considered a vector-borne pathogen of global significance. During the study period from 2002 to 2018, WNv had the highest incidence of locally acquired human cases when compared to any other mosquito borne illness in Florida with 373 cases documented during the study period. The purpose of the study is to determine if there is an association between Florida landfall tropical storms (LTS) and the incidence of locally acquired human WNv cases from 2002 through 2018. The study used a retrospective ecological study design guided by the epidemiological triad model …

Population-Level Determinants Of Cholera Incidence In African Countries, Ngoy Nsenga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cholera remains endemic in Africa, with limited access to safe drinking water and inadequate sanitation as 2 of the main drivers of its dissemination. Few studies have examined the impact of health system capacity, even though it plays an important role in prevention, early detection, and response to a cholera outbreak. Grounded in the ecosocial theory of infectious disease dissemination, this quantitative ecological study explored the effect of social vulnerability (as measured by access to safe drinking water and sanitation, rate of open defecation, poverty, income inequality, gender inequality, and adult literacy) and health system (as measured by health financing …

Predictors Of Condom Use Among High School Students In North Carolina, Danielle Cierra Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The spread of sexually transmitted diseases is a major ongoing public health issue in North Carolina. Adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 years have consistently contributed to this trend. Researchers have found that condom use among high school students has decreased. High school students continue to engage in sex with multiple partners, with lack of knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases, even though sex education and prevention programs have been recommended. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the predictors of condom use among adolescents. The socioecological model theoretical framework was applied to guide this research involving …

Predictors Of Hiv Testing Among African American Men Who Have Sex With Men, Jeanette Marie Higgins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections affect more than 1.2 million people living in the United States and disproportionately affect African Americans (AA) men who have sex with men (MSM). The numbers of those who have HIV infections are likely higher due to lack of HIV testing by all individuals living at risk for HIV in the United States. Prior research has been inconclusive in determining the exact cause of the disparity among AA MSM. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative secondary data study was to explore barriers to HIV testing within the AA MSM population. The sample for this study …

Demographic, Environmental, And Clinical Variables Associated With Dengue In Saint Lucia, Brendan Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dengue is the most important arboviral disease of public health concern on the world stage. In Saint Lucia, the disease has been endemic for years. Little research has been published on the specific epidemiology of dengue in Saint Lucia, and this study sought to identify the risk factors associated with the disease specific to the island. This study was underpinned by ecological theory, which is used to explain the possible relationships between risk factors and the occurrence of dengue. This three-manuscript study was used to evaluate the relationship between demographic, environmental, and clinical variables and the occurrence of dengue as …

Access To Healthcare For American Indians Residing In The Northeast United States, Kristine D. Thomas-Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Urban American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AIs/ANs) have limited access to health care in comparison to non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs), which furthers health disparities for indigenous communities. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study, which was guided by the socioecological model, was to examine the relationship between access to health care and healthcare utilization among urban AIs/ANs and urban NHWs in the Northeast United States. The research questions addressed the difference in access to healthcare based on health insurance, difference in healthcare utilization, and whether there is an association between health care access and health care utilization for AIs in the Northeast United …

The Relationship Between Cervical Cancer And Women Living With Disabilities In Kentucky, Carolyn Akakpo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDespite many national interventions, cervical cancer (CC) rates persist, and in Kentucky (KY), CC incidence rates are on the rise. Additionally, women with disabilities face more barriers to secondary prevention and healthcare access, have more known risks, and experience more health disparities than women without disabilities. Given that 1 in 4 persons live with a disability, the purpose of this observational, cross-sectional, quantitative study was to explore the relationship between CC and women with disabilities as evidenced by reproductive cancer discharges from inpatient hospital (IHD) and outpatient services databases (OSD) so as to compare population-specific differences from social determinants of …

Factors Contributing To Community-Associated Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections In The United States, Zabrina Lockett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) health care acquired infections are a serious public health threat due to a high mortality rate, economic burden, and depletion of last resort CRE antimicrobials. CRE infections have emerged as community-associated type infections in the United States. For CRE to now have that type of potential is cause for immediate and extensive action. The prevalence of CRE infection cases that were reported as community-associated CRE and health care acquired CRE by examining specific clinical characteristics between 4 selected states that were reported to respective state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control were explored in this …

Population Density And Spatial Distribution Of Neglected Tropical Diseases In Sierra Leone, Abou B. Funna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are the most common health conditions affecting the poorest residents of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These infections affect an estimated 2 billion people worldwide, including 500 million people living in SSA. About 85% of NTD infections are a result of helminth infections; hookworm is also a common occurrence among SSA’s poorest people, especially children. Schistosomiasis is the 2nd most prevalent NTD after hookworm. This quantitative correlational study investigated population distribution and the spread of NTDs in Sierra Leone. The focus was on 5 major NTDs: ascariasis, hookworm, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, and trichuris. Data were obtained from the …