Digital Commons Network^™

Building Capacity In Physical Activity And Public Health, Russell R. Pate, Jennifer L. Gay, David R. Brown, Michael Pratt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Civic Attitude And Activity Of Loma Linda University Dental Graduates, Gregory W. Olson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Dentistry is regarded as a profession and granted certain privileges, such as self-regulation. Associated with this status are stated and implied responsibilities which are widely debated. In recent years, dental professionalism seems to be on the decline. Evidence cited includes access-to-care issues and decreased public trust in dentists. In response, academia and professional organizations have developed curricula and statements intended to bolster professionalism. Meanwhile little is known about practicing dentists’ attitudes or participation in health-related civic matters. Objectives: This study seeks to examine the importance Loma Linda University (LLU) dental graduates place on public roles, their reported participation in …

The Association Between The Food Environment And Weight Status Among Eastern North Carolina Youth, Stephanie B. Jilcott, Scott Wade, Jared T. Mcguirt, Qiang Wu, Suzanne Lazorick, Justin B. Moore

Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine associations between various measures of the food environment and BMI percentile among youth.

Design: Cross-sectional, observational.

Setting: Pitt County, eastern North Carolina.

Subjects:We extracted the electronic medical records for youth receiving well child check-ups from January 2007 to June 2008. We obtained addresses for food venues from two secondary sources and ground-truthing. A geographic information systems database was constructed by geocoding home addresses of 744 youth and food venues. We quantified participants' accessibility to food venues by calculating 'coverage', number of food venues in buffers of 0●25, 0●5, 1 and 5 miles (0●4, 0●8, 1●6 and …

Estimating Water Supply Arsenic Levels In The New England Bladder Cancer Study, John R. Nuckols, Laura E. Beane-Freeman, Jay H. Lubin, Matthew S. Airola, Dalsu Baris, Joseph D. Ayotte, Anne Taylor, Chris Paulu, Margaret R. Karagas, Joanne Colt

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Ingestion of inorganic arsenic in drinking water is recognized as a cause of bladder cancer when levels are relatively high (≥ 150 µg/L). The epidemiologic evidence is less clear at the low-to-moderate concentrations typically observed in the United States. Accurate retrospective exposure assessment over a long time period is a major challenge in conducting epidemiologic studies of environmental factors and diseases with long latency, such as cancer.

Objective: We estimated arsenic concentrations in the water supplies of 2,611 participants in a population-based case–control study in northern New England.

Methods: Estimates covered the lifetimes of most study participants and were …

The Holistic Complementary Structure Of Western Bio-Medicine And Traditional Healing And Achieving Complete Health, Candace Gail Oubre

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Achieving complete health requires a deep understanding of complementary cultural competency sensitivity between physician and patient. This may include but is not limited to access to preventative health care resources, access to health educational resources and access to cultural healing resources, for example, shamans, Ayurvedic physicians, and herbal healers. Advocates of cultural competency emphasize great importance on knowledge of the patients' cultural background; however, the transcendence of this knowledge can be explained further through complementary cultural competency sensitivity. This is when the cultures of the physician and patient complement each other in terms of understanding what is in the patients' …

The Situation Analysis Of Children And Women In Belize 2011: An Ecological Review, Mark C. Edberg, C. Chambers, D. Shaw

Center for Social Well-Being and Development

No abstract provided.

The Health Status, Concerns, And Reform In Uruguay With An Emphasis On Health Promotion Programs Geared Towards The Care And Development Of The Country's Children And Adolescents, Melissa Raquel Ramírez

Honors Scholar Theses

This study was conducted in Montevideo, Uruguay, where I examined the actions that the country and society as a whole, its various communities, the Uruguayan government, and the people take in order to prevent disease and promote a healthy society. An ethnographic experiential and evidence-based approach, including personal experience, interviews, and official government documents, was used to fully describe the way the system operates. Due to Uruguay's demographic characteristics, particular attention was paid to children and adolescents. For this thesis, Uruguay is described in terms of its history, physical and mental health issues, society's shared health concerns, and its vulnerable …

Factors Predicting Exercise Behavior Of Graduate Students, Bibha Gautam

Theses and Dissertations

Graduate school is often experienced as a time of increased demands/expectations resulting in heightened levels of stress due to academic work, family responsibilities, job demands, financial pressure, and other life related issues. Besides stress, graduate school also brings about significant physical inactivity due to the shift of the immediate priority to academic accomplishment. Reports of increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among students highlight that this group may have particular risk not well-identified. Yet, relative risk can be reduced by lifestyle modifications, such as eating well, exercising, and stress reduction. The majority of the risk factors, to a …

Idaho Rural Family Physician Workforce Study: The Community Apgar Questionnaire, D. F. Schmitz, E. Baker, A. Nukui, T. Epperly

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Context: Community factors of varied importance help determine the success of achieving and maintaining a physician workforce. The purpose of this study was to develop an evaluation instrument (Community Apgar Questioinnaire) useful to rural Idaho communities’ in their assessment of the assets and capabilities related to physician recruitment and retention.

Methods: A quantitative scoring interview instrument was developed based on a literature review, site visits and discussions with rural physicians and hospital administrators. A total of 11 rural Idaho communities differing in geography and other known variables were selected, some identified historically to have more success in recruitment and retention …

Quantifying Polypharmacy In Diabetes Patients In The U.S., Jing Tao

Theses and Dissertations

ix Objectives: To quantify polypharmacy and assess the socio-economic predictors of medication use and expenditure in diabetics. Methods: This study analyzed adult diabetes patients using a nationally representative sample in Medical Expenditure Panel Survey in 2006. Top ten most highly utilized drug classes were identified. Descriptive statistics were used to portray the patients’ medication utilization and spending. Generalized linear models were conducted to assess the socio-economic variants in drug use and spending. Results: On average, a diabetes patient had 45 prescriptions in 2006, for total annual spending of $3,161. A diabetes patient used drugs from 3.43 classes within top ten …

The Medical Science Liaison: An A To Z Guide, Second Edition, Erin Albert, Cathleen Sass

Butler University Books

The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) has been reported as one of the best jobs over six figures for healthcare professionals, yet is relatively unknown, even to the medical community. What is a medical science liaison, and what do they do? In this comprehensive must-have guide to the role, the functions of the role are explored, along with interviews with several MSLs, those that work around them, and most importantly, the customers of the MSL, academic thought leaders. Every healthcare professional, from a pharmacist, to a PhD, to a MD, should learn more about one of the greatest jobs that blend …

Assessing Medicare Beneficiaries’ Strength‐Of‐Preference Scores For Health Care Options: How Engaging Does The Elicitation Technique Need To Be?, Trafford Crump, Hilary A. Llewellyn-Thomas

Dartmouth Scholarship

The objective was to determine if participants’ strength‐of‐preference scores for elective health care interventions at the end‐of‐life (EOL) elicited using a non‐engaging technique are affected by their prior use of an engaging elicitation technique.

Caenorhabditis Briggsae Recombinant Inbred Line Genotypes Reveal Inter-Strain Incompatibility And The Evolution Of Recombination, Joseph A. Ross, Daniel C. Koboldt, Julia E. Staisch, Helen M. Chamberlin, Bhagwati P. Gupta, Raymond D. Miller, Scott Everet Baird, Eric S. Haag

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae is an emerging model organism that allows evolutionary comparisons with C. elegans and exploration of its own unique biological attributes. To produce a high-resolution C. briggsae recombination map, recombinant inbred lines were generated from reciprocal crosses between two strains and genotyped at over 1,000 loci. A second set of recombinant inbred lines involving a third strain was also genotyped at lower resolution. The resulting recombination maps exhibit discrete domains of high and low recombination, as in C. elegans, indicating these are a general feature of Caenorhabditis species. The proportion of a chromosome's physical size occupied by …

Decision Quality Instrument For Treatment Of Hip And Knee Osteoarthritis: A Psychometric Evaluation, Karen R. Sepucha, Dawn Stacey, Catharine F. Clay, Yuchiao Chang

Dartmouth Scholarship

A high quality decision requires that patients who meet clinical criteria for surgery are informed about the options (including non-surgical alternatives) and receive treatments that match their goals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and clinical sensibility of a patient self report instrument, to measure the quality of decisions about total joint replacement for knee or hip osteoarthritis.

The College Of Pharmacy, South Dakota State University

Jackrabbits Script and Scope (Formerly called College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions Magazine)

[Page] 2 Speaking around the world Chandradhar Dwivedi speaks in India and China.
[Page] 4 A start-up company Omathanu Perumal is chief scientific officer of his own business.
[Page] 6 Avera research labs Faculty are impressed with twelve first-floor labs in Avera North.
[Page] 7 Grants coordinator Brent Meredith’s job is to improve the quality of grant proposals.
[Page] 8 The Monarchs South Dakota Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Association Hall of Fame inducts 1960s band.
[Page] 10 Faculty office named Dady family donates $25,000 to Avera Health and Science Center.
[Page] 11 A good foundation Values taken from athletics made …

Application Of Geographical Information System (Gis) For Mapping Road Traffic Injuries Using Existing Source Of Data In Karachi, Pakistan--A Pilot Study, Junsid Razzak, Uzma R. Khan, Sabeena Jalal

Department of Emergency Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of using Geographical Information System for mapping of road traffic injuries with an existing data source in a developing country.

METHODS: The study was a retrospectives case series of road traffic injury cases registered with the medico-legal office located in the three major trauma centers in Karachi for the period of January 1, 2004 till December 31st, 2004. Spatial data analysis was performed using ARCVIEW 3.1.

RESULTS: Out of 3650 of all road traffic injury, only 3% had locations detailed and accurate enough allowing mapping on a GIS map in the first attempt. Even after …

Recruitment And Retention Of Diverse Populations In Antiretroviral Clinical Trials: Practical Applications From The Gender, Race And Clinical Experience Study., Ron Falcon, Dawn Averitt Bridge, Judith Currier, Kathleen Squires, Debbie Hagins, Deborah Schaible, Robert Ryan, Joseph Mrus

Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Women, particularly women of color, remain underrepresented in antiretroviral (ARV) clinical trials. To evaluate sex-based differences in darunavir/ritonavir-based therapy, the Gender, Race And Clinical Experience (GRACE) study was designed to enroll and retain a high proportion of women representative of the racial/ethnic demographics of women with HIV/AIDS in the United States. The recruitment and retention strategies used in GRACE are described in this article.

METHODS: Recruitment and retention strategies targeting women included selecting study sites that focused on women, involving community consultants, site-specific enrollment plans, access to other ARV drugs, study branding, site and patient toolkits, targeted public relations, …

Preventing Workplace Injuries Commonly Sustained By Hotel Guestroom Attendants, Jennifer Daros

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction:

Hotels are generally organized into various departments. These provide specialized services to guests. Almost every hotel in the world has (in one form or another) a housekeeping department. Guestroom attendants (GRAs) are a primary component of any housekeeping department. GRAs (also known as maids, housekeepers, or room/suite service attendants) are employed by hotels to clean guestrooms, change bed linens, restock supplies, and provide turn down services when requested (see Appendix A). Those employed as GRAs frequently suffer injuries at work that can be costly to employers. This paper reviews some of the more common causes of GRA workplace injuries …

Use Of Geocoding And Us Census Data To Assess Determinants Of Outcome In Trauma Patients, Krista M. Goodman Md, John J. Hong Md, Sherrine Eid Mph, Leslie Baga Bsn, Ccrc, Michael M. Badellino Md, Mph, Facs, Michael D. Pasquale Md, Facs

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

Relationship Of Vitamin D Levels To Blood Pressure In A Biethnic Cohort, Rosario O. Sakamoto

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Serum hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] has been well-accepted as not an ordinary vitamin but a pro-hormone that has many benefits beyond its well-known effects on bone. Cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension remain a huge health burden and Blacks have been recognized to have higher prevalence of hypertension compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Despite increasing evidence of the benefits of vitamin D on blood pressure control, there is much more to be learned about the relationship of serum 25(OH)D to blood pressure among different ethnicities.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to determine whether vitamin D serum 25(OH)D levels were …

Evaluation Of A Medical And Mental Health Unit Compared With Standard Care For Older People Whose Emergency Admission To An Acute General Hospital Is Complicated By Concurrent ‘Confusion’: A Controlled Clinical Trial. Acronym: Team: Trial Of An Elderly Acute Care Medical And Mental Health Unit, Rowan H. Harwood, Sarah E. Goldberg, Kathy H. Whittamore, Catherine Russell, John Rf Gladman, Rob G. Jones, Davina Porock, Sarah A. Lewis, Lucy E. Bradshaw, Rachel A. Elliot

Publications and Research

Background: Patients with delirium and dementia admitted to general hospitals have poor outcomes, and their carers report poor experiences. We developed an acute geriatric medical ward into a specialist Medical and Mental Health Unit over an eighteen month period. Additional specialist mental health staff were employed, other staff were trained in the ‘person-centred’ dementia care approach, a programme of meaningful activity was devised, the environment adapted to the needs of people with cognitive impairment, and attention given to communication with family carers. We hypothesise that patients managed on this ward will have better outcomes than those receiving standard care, and …

2011 - The Sixteenth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Sixteenth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 26, 2011. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

An Exploration Of Pharmacognosy And Its Potential In The Multi-Faceted Solution Required To Address Hiv/Aids In Sub-Saharan Africa, Alexandra Sassi

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This work has both both biological and anthropoligcal foci. It addresses research done on the medicinal properties of plants and how this research could make positive contributions to the current social and biological issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.

Beyond The Volcanoes: A Community Partnership For Health In Rural Nicaragua, Chelsea Zeman, Cathy Wingstrom

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Background: Health inequities related to gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography exist in rural Nicaragua due in part to lack of access to health services. The purpose of this ongoing project is to improve health equity in rural Nicaragua through social transformation using community-based participatory action research. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development, school health, and primary health care theories provided the framework for this research. Methods: Community-based participatory action research involves six phases: partnership, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. In the implementation phase, the goal was to build stoves that would remove smoke from the homes and in …

Contact Point, Arthur A. Dugoni School Of Dentistry

Contact Point

No abstract provided.

Caring For Women: A Profile Of The Midwifery Workforce In Massachusetts, Christa M. Kelleher, Dorothy Brewin

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

This profile of the Commonwealth’s midwifery workforce provides state-level data on the demographic characteristics, employment context, and practice scope of midwives. It also offers a snapshot of populations served by mid-wives and public policy issues that affect midwives and midwifery care in Massachusetts. The report is based on a survey administered to midwives living and/or working in the state supplemented by in-depth interviews with five midwives, one obstetrician, and one state public health official. This report uniquely analyzes data collected from both certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and directentry midwives (DEMs), including certified professional midwives (CPMs); this summary distinguishes between these two …

Healing South Africa: The Institute For Healing Of Memories As A Lens For Post-Conflict Trauma Initiatives, Rachael C. Ward

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper investigates how South Africa is attempting to deal with its violent past and present, by way of helping individuals cope with trauma. The Institute for Healing of Memories was examined through a case study and the Trauma Centre for Victims of Violence and Torture was also researched. I inquired first, what is most successful about these organizations’ work, and second, whether these successful approaches could be exported to help a larger percentage of traumatized people in South Africa. My research found that the entire Healing of Memory workshop methodology is successful and would need to be exported as …

Price, Access And Education At Philadelphia Farmers' Markets, Anna M. Quinn

Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations

Inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables is linked to chronic disease and obesity.   However, consumption rates of fruits and vegetables in the US and specifically in Philadelphia continue to fall short of recommendations for a healthy diet.  Access and price are two barriers in the food environment that prevent sufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. Farmers’ markets offer increased access to fruit and vegetables, yet continue to be perceived as being more costly than grocery stores. This study’s primary aim was to determine if the price of fruit and vegetables are more expensive at farmers’ markets than grocery stores in Philadelphia. …

Combating Biological Terrorism From Imported Food, Jeffrey S. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

There is a threat that a terrorist or terrorist organization will use access to the US food supply to kill or sicken Americans by contaminating imported food products from Mexico. The food that Americans eat is coming more and more often from foreign countries such as Mexico. Foodborne diseases infect nearly fifty million people in the US each year, resulting in over three thousand deaths. There are many terrorist organizations that would like to deliberately contaminate American food. Drug cartels and terrorist organizations currently operate in Mexico, one of the leading food importers into the US. The purpose of this …

Retrospective Geospatial Modeling Of Pm10 Exposures From Open Burning At Joint Base Balad, Iraq, John P. Rinker

Theses and Dissertations

Predicting, determining, and linking theater-related source-specific exposures to health effects has proven difficult. The purpose of this research is to delineate retrospective exposure zones using spatially interpolated particulate air sampling point data from Joint Base Balad, create burn pit exposure isopleths from dispersion model outputs, and merge into a combined exposure model in GIS. Interpolated monitoring results and dispersion modeled results were combined to compare modeled exposures across base. Burn pit contribution to total PM10 was also modeled. The combined dispersion and interpolation map showed elevated concentrations within a 1 kilometer buffer of the burn pit. Buildings within this area …