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A Harm Reduction Intervention For Drinking Games, Nicholas A. Lind

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Binge drinking is not only responsible for the leading cause of death of 18-21 year olds (alcohol-related accidents), but is also associated with alcohol dependence, sexual assault, and school failure. Little research has addressed one of the major contexts in which college binge drinking occurs, namely participation in drinking games. The current study used a quasiexperimental pre-post design to examine the effectiveness of a drinking game intervention based on Marlatt's (1996) Harm Reduction model of prevention. Six male residence hall floors and seven fraternities were randomly identified as experimental groups and three floors and three fraternities were designated as controls. …

Meeting Employees' Information Needs In An Evolving Health Care Marketplace, Lise Rybowski

National Health Policy Forum

This background paper explores the role of information in an evolving health care marketplace. It notes that, in a softening economy, many employers seeking relief from escalating health care expenses shift costs onto employees. Some try to make their retreat more palatable by offering employees both more options for how and where they receive health care and more control over how and where the money is spent. This paper discusses the changes that are likely to occur over the next decade in the ways that people make decisions about health plans and providers, the implications for consumers' information needs, and …

The Disappearing State Surpluses: How Come, How Long, And How Will They Affect Social Service Programs?, Randy Desonia

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief focuses on the impact of budget shortfalls being experienced by many states after several years of strong revenue growth. It describes the structure and sources of state revenues and spending and the causes of the shortfall. It also summarizes the fiscal trends and federal policies that could result in significant budget shortfalls in the future.

The Standardized Fish Bioassay Procedure For Detecting And Culturing Actively Toxic Pfiesteria, Used By Two Reference Laboratories For Atlantic And Gulf Coast States, Joann M. Burkholder, Harold G. Marshall, David W. Seaborn, Nora J. Deamer-Melia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In the absence of purified standards of toxins from Pfiesteria species, appropriately conducted fish bioassays are the "gold standard" that must be used to detect toxic strains of Pfiesteria slop. from natural estuarine water or sediment samples and to culture actively toxic Pfiesteria. In this article, we describe the standardized steps of our fish bioassay as an abbreviated term for a procedure that includes two sets of trials with fish, following the Henle-Koch postulates modified for toxic rather than infectious agents. This procedure was developed in 1991, and has been refined over more than 12 years of experience in …

The Distribution Of Airborne Coal Dust In Soil Profiles Of Norfolk, Va And Its Implication For Arsenic Loading To These Soils, William Joseph Bounds

OES Theses and Dissertations

Norfolk, Virginia is home to the Northern Hemisphere's largest coal terminal the Lamberts Point Docks. The coal loading process of this terminal creates large amounts of coal dust, which subsequently is distributed throughout the local region by atmospheric transport and deposition. While the coal dust itself poses only minor health hazards, certain trace elements within the coal, particularly arsenic, may pose environmental as well as significant health hazards. Within coal, arsenic occurs primarily in the mineral pyrite. As pyrite in the coal dust is subsequently oxidized via exposure to the atmosphere and/or meteoric water, arsenic may be released to the …

Workplace Pollution: Nuclear Safety, Ethics, And The Exploitation--Avoidance Argument, Kristin Shrader-Frechette

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The author reviews evidence of poor worker health and safety practices in United States Department of Energy nuclear facilities in contending that less protective standards for workplace hazards constitute an environmental injustice not rectified by a hazard pay premium.

Mission Possible? Maintaining The Safety Net In Urban And Rural Colorado, Karen Matherlee

National Health Policy Forum

This site visit examined urban safety-net concerns in Denver and rural safety-net issues in three communities in the eastern part of Colorado. The Denver segment featured Denver Health, an integrated health system that provides a continuum of services to diverse vulnerable populations. It explored delivery and financing issues for the system itself and in relation to payers, providers, and consumers (particularly through Community Voices) in its catchment area. The eastern Colorado segment focused on delivery and financing issues in Rocky Ford (community health center/migrant health services concerns), Limon (certified rural health center topics), and Hugo (critical-access hospital matters). The visit …

W-2 In 2001: Wisconsin Works At Welfare Reform, Jennifer Ryan, Randy Desonia

National Health Policy Forum

This site visit took federal participants to Wisconsin, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of welfare reform. This site visit focused on Wisconsin Works (W-2), a statewide effort to reduce the state's welfare caseload and send clients to work. In particular, site visitors examined welfare reform policy, service delivery, and financing issues in Milwaukee, at that time the home of 85 percent of W-2 participants. Site visit participants heard from state officials, private-sector representatives, researchers, and advocates on the structure of W-2, its operating policies, and the effects of program implementation on low-income families. They toured a variety of …

Medicare Coverage: Lessons From The Past, Questions For The Future, Robin J. Strongin

National Health Policy Forum

This paper describes the Medicare coverage process for emerging technologies and the ways it has changed over time. Issues addressed include both the national coverage process and local medical review policies, which account for 90 percent of the coverage determinations. The paper also includes a discussion of the relationship between the coverage process and technology assessment, payment systems and the ongoing debate over coverage criteria and levels of evidence.

A Model For Hiv/Aids Risk Behaviors Of Students In Armenia, Talin Babikian

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Without a cure in now its third decade, AIDS is a concern for both the medical and social science disciplines. Most at risk for a nationwide AIDS epidemic are developing countries, which often lack the necessary resources and knowledge to minimize the spread of the disease. There are an estimated 1500 HIV cases in Armenia, 81.5% of which occur in the 20-39 age group. Armenia’s current economic and political instability, increase in sexually transmitted infections (STI), prostitution, and injecting drug use, and the alarming incidence rates in neighboring countries amplify its risk for a national epidemic.

The goals of this …

Income Support Policy And The U.S. Child Support System, Jane Koppelman

National Health Policy Forum

This paper examines the economic profile of custodial and noncustodial parents and the status of the federal/state child support enforcement system. It discusses the reasons for the historically low rate of child support collection; the prospects for new computerized systems to improve the rates of both paternities established and payments collected; ways the system can sustain funding; and the extent to which child support payments can improve the well-being of low-income families.

The Effects Of Occupational Ultrasonic Noise Exposure On Hearing In Dental Hygienists: A Pilot Study, Jennifer S. Dunning

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this case-control study was to determine whether long-term ultrasonic noise exposure via the dental office environment is related to dental hygienists' hearing status. Registered dental hygienists (N = 698) who live in the Hampton Roads area were mailed a Dental Hygiene Work History Questionnaireto determine those meeting the inclusion criteria and willing to participate in the study. Consenting subjects were categorized into one of two groups according to ultrasonic scaler usage rate and matched on age. Persons with known hearing loss due to infection, disease, or congenital defect were excluded from the study. The final sample …

Effects Of Hormonal Changes Throughout The Menstrual Cycle On Joint Laxity In Females, John C. Roberts

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to examine the levels of estrogens, progesterone, LH, FSH, estradiol and testosterone and their relation to ACL laxity throughout the menstrual cycle. Subjects were tested at the onset of menses, the first day of ovulation (days 8–17) and day 23 at the mid-luteal phase. A Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient revealed that there were no statistically significant relationships between laxity measurements, of the KT-2000 or radiographic comparisons, and elevated concentrations of any of the hormones. LH was observed in the follicular phase, at the onset of menses, to have a negative correlation with only …

Nurse Workforce: Condition Critical, Wakina Scott

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief provides an overview of the current nursing shortage. It discusses the multiple factors that make this shortage in the nurse workforce different from earlier ones. It also examines steps taken by nursing schools, the health care industry, the federal government, and states to address this issue.

Validation De Règles D'Utilisation D'Un Instrument À Lecture Directe De La Concentration D'Un Aérosol : Essais Terrain, Yves Cloutier, Rodrigue Gravel

Rapports de recherche scientifique

No abstract provided.

Quality Improvement Tools In Disease Management, Lisa E. Paddock, Amy L. Phillips, Peter Chodoff

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Disease management programs require constant monitoring to assure quality and address problems efficiently. To initiate continuous quality improvement in a disease management program, there are several methods available to identify potential problems within the program that may be affecting quality. Some common quality improvement instruments include the Plan-Do-Check-Act model, check sheets, and so forth. Whatever model is used, Statistical Process Control using flow charts, histograms, Pareto diagrams, scatter diagrams, control charts, and cause-and-effect diagrams provides a better understanding about how the organization's processes are functioning. These tools facilitate problem recognition and allow an organization to meet established standards of quality …

State Benefit Design Choices Under Schip - Implications For Pediatric Health Care, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Anne Rossier Markus, Colleen Sonosky, Lee Repasch

Health Policy and Management Issue Briefs

This policy brief1 is the second in a series of reports focusing on the design of state SCHIP programs as they near full implementation. It examines the extent to which state agencies adopt conventional insurance norms or adhere to special principles of Medicaid coverage design for children in designing separately administered (or freestanding) SCHIP programs. The issue of coverage design is particularly relevant for children with low prevalence conditions and special health care needs. Increasingly, conventional insurance uses standardized coverage norms to limit coverage and treatment. These standardized norms take the form of across-the-board treatments and exclusions, limited definitions of …

The Relationship Between Drug Usage, Mental Well-Being And Felony Convictions Among A Sample Of Adult Recreational Drug Users: Case-Control Analyses, Venkata Chilakapti

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Changing lifestyles in today's world have resulted in the evolution of many human activities. One of them is recreational drug use. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between drug usage, mental well-being and felony convictions among a sample of adult recreational drug users. The primary purpose of this analysis was to develop a set of predictor variables from the DRUGNET data set (i.e., lifestyle, drug usage, GWBS) that were able to account for the criterion variables (i.e., drug-related felony vs. no drug- related felony and non-drug felony vs. no felony ). The analyses attempted to differentiate …

Is Science Ever Science? The Politics Of Child Care, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores the political behavior of psychologists in the carrying out of scientific tasks.

History Of Love Canal And Suny At Buffalo's Response, Adeline Levine Ph.D.

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

History Of Love Canal And Suny At Buffalo's Response: History, The University Role, And Health Research, A. Theodore Steegmann Jr.

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Promoting Healthy Behavior Change In Skin Cancer Risk Reduction Using The Transtheoretical Stages Of Change Model, Sherry L. Pagoto

Dissertations

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States with 20% of people developing some form of skin cancer in their lifetime (American Cancer Society, 1999). In spite of the high incidence of skin cancer, it is highly preventable. Approximately 90% of the cases are caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun (Skin Cancer Foundation, 1992). The effect of an intervention aimed at reducing skin cancer risk was compared to a survey only control group in 99 Chicago beach-goers. The intervention was based on the Transtheoretical Stages of Change Model (TTM) and included sun sensitivity …

How Peruvian Mothers Appraise Pneumonia And The Predictors Of Their Intention To Seek Medical Care When Their Children Have Signs Of Pneumonia, César Augusto Gálvez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Pneumonia ranks first in health problems demanding attention, and second in the cause of mortality for children under five years old in Peru (Toledo, & Minaya, 1999). Studies about behavioral determinants that influence mothers to seek medical help for their child with signs of pneumonia do not focus on the contribution of the behavioral determinants to intention of seeking medical help.

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and a cross-sectional design, the objectives of this study were to know first, Peruvian mothers' perceptions about knowledge and recognition of pneumonia, and about the government pneumonia campaign (GPC). Second, mothers' attitudes, …

Behind The Counter: Pharmacies And Dispensing Patterns Of Pharmacy Attendants In Karachi., Fauziah Rabbani, F. H. Cheema, N. Talati, S. Siddiqui, S. Syed, S. Bashir, L. Z. Zuberi, A. Shamim, Q. Mumtaz

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

There is little literature available on dispensing patterns and unsupervised sale of medicines from pharmacies in developing countries.

OBJECTIVE:

This study obtained background information on pharmacies assessed the level of training, knowledge and dispensing patterns of pharmacy attendants in Karachi.

METHODOLOGY:

This is a descriptive cross sectional study with convenient sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to interview pharmacy attendants.

RESULTS:

Of the 219 pharmacies surveyed, 62% reported more than 50 customers daily and 20% also sold items of general provision. Mean operating hours were 13. Only 24 (11%) had a visible license. On an average 3 attendants were …

Welfare Reform And Substance Abuse: Innovative State Strategies, Ginger P. Parra

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief highlights key facts about the impact of substance abuse on welfare reform and recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF. After outlining some of the data on the incidence of substance abuse as well as its costs and treatment, it concludes by describing innovative state welfare programs attempting to lower barriers to employment and self-sufficiency.

Contrasting Treatments Of Recall Bias In Two Epidemiological Settings, Daniel Barry

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The author contrasts the treatment of recall bias in the literature on induced abortions and breast cancer, and on environmental tobacco smoke and lung cancer.

Over A Decade Of Comparative Risk Analysis: A Review Of The Human Health Rankings, David M. Konisky

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The author reviews a method for undertaking a cross-project comparison of comparative risk analyses to understand which environmental problem areas have been cited most as often posing the severest risks.

Étude De Cas D'Amélioration Ergonomique Des Outils Présentant Des Risques D'Atteintes Musculo-Squelettiques, Georges Toulouse, Yves Beauchamp

Rapports de recherche scientifique

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Nutrition And Dental Practices Of International Students At The University Of Northern Iowa Before And After Coming To The United States, Joseph Ogah

International Journal of Global Health

This study examined possible changes in nutrition and dental practices of international students after migration to the United States (US). A random sample of 81 international students at the University of Northern Iowa responded to a mail-in survey in the Fall Semester of 1999 (65% female, 85% over 21 years old, and 54% graduate students). Chi-square analyses showed that, while in the United States, the sample of international students consumed more high fat food (p = .002), more high sugar food (p < .001), more fast food (p < .001), less fruits and vegetables (p = .022), and fewer breakfasts (p= .23) than they did before coming. They also brushed their teeth more (p .031) and sought less dental care (p < .001). No significant changes were observed in the consumptions of cereals, protein products, milk, and high caffeine beverages. It was concluded that some nutrition and dental practices of international students studying in the US change for the worse. Implications for culturally appropriate diet education programming for international college students were discussed.

Hiv Voluntary Counseling And Testing Among Youth Ages 14 To 21: Results From An Exploratory Study In Nairobi, Kenya, And Kampala And Masaka, Uganda, Horizons Program, Kenya Project Partners, Uganda Project Partners

HIV and AIDS

HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) programs increase safe sexual behavior and use of care and support services among adults. By helping clients learn their HIV serostatus and creating a personalized HIV risk-reduction plan, VCT can provide the information and support necessary to change risky behaviors that could lead to HIV infection or transmission. Counseling and a risk-reduction plan are the key features distinguishing VCT from other HIV testing services. VCT has become a widely advocated HIV/AIDS prevention strategy among adults. Sixty percent of all new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa, however, occur among young people ages 10–24. Because few …