Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Of Pilot Health Project Outcome Indicators: West Bank/Gaza, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Ibrahim Kharboush, Nancy Ali, Mahmoud Shaheen

Reproductive Health

The Pilot Health Project (PHP) was designed to address Palestinian women’s most pressing reproductive health needs. This report presents results from a single cross-sectional study that was conducted by the Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) between May and August 2000 in order to determine the baseline measures for the PHP’s key outcome indicators among healthcare providers and clients in the PHP clinics. Based on the findings reflected by the study, a number of recommendations were made that need to be followed up and implemented by the Improved Village and Community Health Services Project. These include the need for …

Introducing Dmpa Injectable Contraceptives To Private Medical Practitioners In Urban Gujarat, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Many public, NGO, and private-sector service-delivery systems are suitably matched to the requirements of providing injectable contraceptives in India, including the ability to ensure choice and service delivery quality. This operations research study was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of providing injectable contraceptives in private medical practices and to contribute to the body of scientific literature on the acceptability of this method in India. DKT India and EngenderHealth formed a partnership with the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health program to conduct this study in Gujarat. The ability to generate recommendations is limited, however, by the special characteristics of the …

Replication Of The Tostan Programme In Burkina Faso: How 23 Villages Participated In A Human Rights-Based Education Programme And Abandoned The Practice Of Female Genital Cutting In Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching

Reproductive Health

This document is a summary of the process followed in implementing a community-based education program in Burkina Faso. The Population Council initiated a collaboration between two NGOs, Tostan in Senegal and Mwangaza Action in Burkina Faso, to replicate the program for improving women’s reproductive health and contributing to the end of female genital cutting (FGC). In Burkina Faso, the participants (men and women) held discussions to analyze the problems faced by their communities and to find appropriate solutions. Many positive changes occurred in the participating villages: the communities now promote reproductive health and human rights and work to improve public …

Cultural Norms And Behavior Regarding Vaginal Lubrication During Sex: Implications For The Acceptability Of Vaginal Microbicides For The Prevention Of Hiv/Stis, Sarah Braunstein, Janneke Van De Wijgert

Reproductive Health

This paper presents the results of an extensive review of the literature pertaining to the relationship between vaginal lubrication and the acceptability of microbicides, spermicides, and male and female condoms. The review highlights the need for research that better elucidates norms, preferences, and practices regarding lubrication during sex within and across countries. The second part of the report presents the results of the first phase of a qualitative study on lubrication during sex showing that diverse personal and cultural factors shape preferences and practices and may ultimately affect the acceptability of microbicides. The immediate challenge is to provide women with …

Non-Consensual Sexual Experiences Of Young People: A Review Of The Evidence From Developing Countries, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sarah Bott

Reproductive Health

Although there is increasing evidence of risky consensual sex among young people in developing countries, non-consensual sexual experiences among them have rarely been studied and few interventions have been designed to protect them from the risks of such experiences. However, what is available suggests that coercion and unwantedness may play a considerable role in the sexual relations of young people—girls and young women but also boys and young men. The implications of non-consensual sexual experiences for young people’s rights, their health and development and the risks they pose in the transition to adulthood are enormous. This review collates what is …

Changing Family Planning Scenario In India: An Overview Of Recent Evidence, K.G. Santhya

Reproductive Health

Over the decades, there has been a substantial increase in contraceptive use in India. The direction, emphasis and strategies of the Family Welfare Programme have changed over time. However, meeting the contraceptive needs of considerable proportions of women and men and improving the quality of family planning services continue to be a challenge. The 1990s witnessed a growing recognition of this, and several innovative policy and programme initiatives have been launched to address these issues. This paper reviews and synthesises evidence from surveys and studies conducted in the 1990s and thereafter on contraceptive use dynamics and the unmet need for …

Actions That Protect: Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health And Choice Among Young People In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Mary Philip Sebastian

Reproductive Health

This paper synthesises the evidence on the sexual and reproductive health situation of young people in India, and explores what we know about underlying factors that place them at risk of or protect them from unsafe and unwanted sexual and reproductive health experiences. The picture that emerges suggests that substantial proportions of young people experience risky or unwanted sexual activity, do not receive prompt or appropriate care, and experience adverse reproductive health outcomes. Contextual factors such as poverty, gender imbalances and lack of education or livelihood opportunities clearly increase the vulnerability of youth. Other factors at the family, community and …

Family Connectedness And Sexual Risk-Taking Among Urban Youth Attending Alternative High Schools, Christine M Markham, Susan R Tortolero, S Liliana Escobar-Chaves, Guy S Parcel, Ronald Harrist, Robert C Addy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

CONTEXT: Youth in alternative high schools engage in risky sexual behavior at higher rates than do their peers in regular schools, placing themselves at an increased risk of sexually transmitted disease and unintended pregnancy. Family connectedness is associated with reduced adolescent sexual risk-taking, although this association has not been tested among alternative school youth.

METHODS: A sample of 976 urban, predominantly minority alternative high school students in Houston, Texas, were surveyed in 2000-2002. Survey data were analyzed using logistic regression to determine whether family connectedness is related to sexual risk-taking.

RESULTS: Overall, 68% of students reported ever having had sex. …

The Role Of Meat, Poultry, And Fish Consumption In The Occurrence Of Rheumatoid And Other Forms Of Arthritis, Asnake Hailu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis or rheumatism are now the leading cause of disability in the United States. The etiology and pathogenesis are less understood and available treatment options are not always satisfactory. This dissertation measures the prevalence and cumulative incidence of rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis or rheumatism, and examines any associations with current and lifetime consumption of meat, poultry, and fish (meat) using the Adventist Health Study and the Adventist Mortality Study databases. From these databases, it was possible to reconstruct a prospective cohort, obtain self-reported information on demographic characteristics, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, other …

Racism Or Realpolitik? U.S. Foreign Policy And The Hiv/Aids Catastrophe In Sub-Saharan Africa, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

An Ethnographic Investigation Of The Relevance Of Shop Floor Culture To Effective Safety Communication In An Australian Minerals Refinery, David R. Leith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many organisations which aim to achieve excellent workplace safety choose 'culture change' as the means to achieve this. They make use of employee communication media to help re-form the values, beliefs, norms and behaviours which are generally thought to comprise culture. However, culture is a complex and profound phenomenon. Successful communication between two culturally separate groups requires each to achieve an understanding of the other, no less so in workplaces than in societies composed of different cultures.Yet even employers who believe in communicating fully with their workforces find it difficult to convey viewpoints other than their own. Their communication tends …

Migrant Worker Dies In Tractor Rollover, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

On September 13, 2002, a 26 year-old male Hispanic migrant worker (decedent) died when the tractor he was driving on a country roadway overturned. The decedent had experience driving the tractor in a field, but did not have experience driving it on a public roadway. On the afternoon of the incident, the decedent drove the tractor, pulling a wagonload of tobacco, from the farm where it had been harvested to the tobacco barn one mile away. The road was hilly and had a sharp curve to the right at the bottom of the hill. As the decedent drove the tractor …

Urinary Excretion Of Dithiocarbamates And Selfreported Cruciferous Vegetable Intake: Application Of The ‘Method Of Triads’ To A Foodspecific Biomarker, Jay H. Fowke, James R. Hébert, Jed W. Fahey

Faculty Publications

Objective: Greater intake of Cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli) may prevent cancer at several sites. Urinary excretion of isothiocyanate conjugates (dithiocarbamates, DTC) provides a specific biomarker of Cruciferous vegetable consumption suitable for epidemiological investigations. However, no gold-standard referent is available for evaluating urinary DTC levels as an estimator of Cruciferous vegetable consumption. We compared urinary DTC levels to intake as measured by two selfreported dietary assessment techniques. Design: Cruciferous vegetable consumption was measured before and after a behavioural dietary intervention using multiple 24-hour recalls (24HR), a foodcounting questionnaire (VFQ) and urinary DTC excretion levels. Analysis included a structural equation approach (Method …

A Survey Of Health Services And Identification Of Needs For Asian American Elderly Women In The Greater Boston Area, Connie S. Chan, Lin Zhan

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

Over one hundred Asian American and mainstream health care providers in the greater Boston area were surveyed for this study. The authors have identified critical gaps in services for elderly Asian American women.

Activity Patterns And Correlates Among Youth: Differences By Weight Status, Wendell C. Taylor, James F. Sallis, Marsha Dowda, Patty S. Freedson, Karen Eason, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

The purposes of the study were to assess differences in physical activity levels and correlates of physical activity among overweight (‡ 85th percentile of body mass index for their sex and age) and non-overweight (< 85th percentile) youth. The sample included 509 seventh through twelfth graders. Activity was measured by a 7-day, 46-item activity checklist. Overweight girls were more sedentary than non-overweight girls (p<.03), and non-overweight girls engaged in more vigorous physical activity than overweight girls (p<.03). For boys, there were no significant differences in activity. The regression analyses for vigorous activity yielded the largest total R²'s (R²=.049 for overweight and R²=.27 for non-overweight.) The significant factor for overweight youth was greater athletic coordination (p<.01). For non-overweight youth, the significant factors were greater family support (p<.05), greater peer support (p<.001), fewer barriers (p<.03), and greater athletic coordination (p<.01). Correlates of physical activity vary by weight status of young people.

Associations Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness And C-Reactive Protein In Men, Timothy S. Church, Carolyn E. Barlow, Conrad P. Earnest, James B. Kampert, Elisa L. Priest, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Objective - This study examined the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and C-reactive protein (CRP), with adjustment for weight and within weight categories.

Methods and Results - We calculated median and adjusted geometric mean CRP levels, percentages of individuals with an elevated CRP (≥2.00 mg/L), and odds ratios of elevated CRP across 5 levels of cardiorespiratory fitness for 722 men. CRP values were adjusted for age, body mass index, vitamin use, statin medication use, aspirin use, the presence of inflammatory disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and smoking habit. We found an inverse association of CRP across fitness levels (P for …

Laboratory Response To Anthrax Bioterrorism, New York City, 2001, Michael B. Heller, Michel L. Bunning, Martin E.B. France, Debra M. Niemeyer, Leonard Peruski, Tim Naimi, Phillip M. Talboy, Patrick H. Murray, Harald W. Pietz, John Kornblum, William Oleszko, Sara T. Beatrice, Joint Microbiological Rapid Response Team, New York City Anthrax Investigation Working Group, Denis Nash

Publications and Research

In October 2001, the greater New York City Metropolitan Area was the scene of a bioterrorism attack. The scale of the public response to this attack was not foreseen and threatened to overwhelm the Bioterrorism Response Laboratory’s (BTRL) ability to process and test environmental samples. In a joint effort with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the cooperation of the Department of Defense, a massive effort was launched to maintain and sustain the laboratory response and return test results in a timely fashion. This effort was largely successful. The development and expansion of the facility are described, as …

Relationship Between Low Quality-Of-Care Scores And Hmos' Subsequent Public Disclosure Of Quality-Of-Care Scores, Danny Mccormick, David U. Himmelstein, Steffie Woolhandler, Sidney M. Wolfe, David H. Bor

Publications and Research

Context Public disclosure of quality data on health maintenance organizations (HMOs) might improve public accountability, inform consumer decision making, and promote quality improvement. But, because disclosure is voluntary, some HMOs could subvert these objectives by refusing to release unfavorable data.

Objective To determine the association between HMO quality of care and withdrawal from public disclosure of quality-of-care data the subsequent year.

Design and Setting Retrospective cohort study of administrative and quality-of-care data on HMOs from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) annual Quality Compass databases for 1997, 1998, and 1999, including Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) …

Evitando La Infección Del Nilo Occidental, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

No abstract provided.

Dose Coefficient (Dc) Methodology Report, John P. Shanahan, Phillip W. Patton, Mark Rudin

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

The purpose of this report is to present the methodology developed to calculate internal and external dose coefficients for radionuclides produced in the spallation process. Much of the information regarding computer codes in this report comes from various technical manuals and professional papers. References are provided at the beginning of each section for documentation and for the user who requires more specific information. The report also includes the results of applying the methodology to determine dose coefficients for five radionuclides. This effort identified potential areas of concern that will need to be addressed when the methodology is used in the …

Aha Guidelines For Primary Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease And Stroke: 2002 Update - Consensus Panel Guide To Comprehensive Risk Reduction For Adult Patients Without Coronary Or Other Atherosclerotic Vascular Diseases, Thomas A. Pearson, Steven N. Blair, Stephen R. Daniels, Robert H. Eckel, Joan M. Fair, Stephen F. Fortmann, Barry A. Franklin, Larry B. Goldstein, Philip Greenland, Scott M. Grundy, Yuling Hong, Nancy Houston-Miller, Ronald M. Lauer, Ira S. Ockene, Ralph L. Sacco, James F. Sallis, Sidney C. Smith Jr., Neil J. Stone, Kathryn A. Taubert

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Attitudes And Beliefs Of Successful Adult Illicit Drug Users: A Qualitative Analysis Of Drugnet Survey Respondents, Kathryn Steward

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

America is a drug-oriented society. For many years people have used drugs for recreational purposes. However, there has been ongoing controversy regarding drug abuse and drug use. The purpose of this study was to assess attitudes and beliefs of successful adult drug users as it relates to drug reform, effectiveness of current drug laws, and problem experiences that they may have encountered as a result of their drug use. A qualitative study utilizing three open-ended questions regarding the aforementioned areas was conducted to analyze the 156 individuals' responses. The respondents were found to be in agreement on the ineffectiveness of …

School-Based Health Centers And Managed Care Arrangements: A Review Of State Models And Implementation Issues, Jennel Harvey, Lissette Vaquerano, Lea Nolan, Colleen Sonosky

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The State Children's Health Insurance Program (Schip) On Community Health Centers, Lea Nolan, Jennel Harvey, Karen Jones, Lissette Vaquerano, Ann Zuvekas

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Nearly 12 million children in the United States do not have health insurance, and therefore often lack access to health care. In response, Congress enacted the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in August 1997, the largest expansion of health insurance coverage since the inception of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The SCHIP provides states with federal matching funds for children’s insurance either by expanding the existing Medicaid program, by creating a separate state program, or a combination of both.

The George Washington University’s Center for Health Services Research and Policy (CHSRP) was funded by the Health Resources and Services …

Development Of Dose Coefficients For Radionuclides Produced In Spallation Neutron Sources, Phillip W. Patton

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

A research consortium comprised of representatives from several universities and national laboratories has been established as part of this on-going project to generate internal and external dose conversion coefficients for radionuclides produced in spallation neutron sources. Information obtained from this multi-year study will be used to support the siting and licensing of future accelerator-driven nuclear initiatives within the U.S. Department of Energy complex, including the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) Projects. Determination of these coefficients will also fill data gaps for several hundred radionuclides that exist in Federal Guide Report No. 11 and in Publications …

Prevention Conference Vi: Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease - Writing Group Iii: Risk Assessment In Persons With Diabetes, Rita F. Redberg, Philip Greenland, Valentin Fuster, Kalevi Pyörälä, Steven N. Blair, Aaron R. Folsom, Anne B. Newman, Daniel H. O'Leary, Trever J. Orchard, Bruce Psaty, J. Sanford Schwartz, Rodman D. Starke, Peter W. F. Wilson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Manténgase Fresco Cuando Tenga Calor!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

No abstract provided.

Child And Family Health Initiatives In The Bay Area, Jennifer Ryan, Wakina Scott

National Health Policy Forum

This site visit to the San Francisco Bay Area provided an opportunity to study locally based health initiatives in Santa Clara, Alameda, and San Francisco Counties that were designed to reach beyond the existing structures of the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs. Site visitors had the opportunity to interact with health care providers, state officials, and consumer advocates, as well as leaders in health coverage innovation. They also met with many of the leaders of the three local initiatives; visited Asian Health Services (AHS), a local clinic that has been serving the Asian community for over 25 years; and toured …

Dietary Exposures And Oral Precancerous Lesions In Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh, India, James R. Hébert, Prakash C. Gupta, Ramesh B. Bhonsle, Hemali Mehta, Wei Zheng, Maureen Sanderson, Jane Teas

Faculty Publications

Objective: To test the effect of dietary nutrients on oral precancerous lesions in a reverse-smoking (i.e. smoking with the glowing end inside the mouth) population in South India. Design: Case–control. Cases with precancerous lesions were matched to an equal number of lesion-free controls matched on age (^5 years), sex and village. All subjects used tobacco in some form. Dietary data were obtained using an intervieweradministered food-frequency questionnaire, designed for use in this population. All interviews were conducted blinded to the disease status of the subject. Data were analysed using logistic regression. Setting: Nineteen rural villages in Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh. …

A Study To Examine The Attitudes And Perceptions Of Saudi Women In The United States And Canada Toward Exercise And Physical Activity, Tawfeeq E. Al-Bakry

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

This study is an examination of the knowledge and perceptions of Saudi women in the United States and Canada in regard to exercise and physical activity. No studies on exercise, physical activity or sport for women in Saudi Arabia were found in the literature.

This study focused on ascertaining knowledge of Saudi women regarding physical and psychological benefits of exercise and physical activity. Furthermore, this study investigated the barriers that limit Saudi women from participating in exercise and physical activity. The population for this study included Saudi women who are associated with Saudi clubs and student organizations in the United …