Digital Commons Network^™

National Security And Environmental Laws: A Clear And Present Danger?, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Without question, life in the United States has changed significantly since September 11, 2001. The attacks launched from within the United States in broad daylight against non-military targets and innocent civilians, followed by the intentional dispersal of the biological agent anthrax, ushered in an era of uncertainty and fear in this country unlike any in recent memory. The visible manifestations of this fear are still with us--concrete barriers and the closing of public spaces around public buildings, heightened security at airports and train stations subjecting people to invasive searches of their persons and belongings, the sudden, seemingly random appearance of …

Editorial, Greg Cline

Michigan Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Guest Editorial, Greg Holzman

Michigan Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Using Gis In Conjunction With Binary Logistic Regression: Mapping The Adequacy Of Prenatal Care Access In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Stephen Borders, Gustavo Rotondaro, Ryan Bosscher

Michigan Journal of Public Health

Background: Early prenatal care is often a prerequisite to a healthy baby. The relationship between adequate prenatal care and improved birthing outcomes is well known. Yet access to adequate prenatal care is complicated by a number of socioeconomic factors related to the mother. These factors include education, ethnicity, insurance type, and the age of the mother. When examining a number of these access measures related to prenatal care access and birthing outcomes, Michigan ranks poorly when compared to other states. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, some of these problems are particularly acute. Grand Rapids exceeds the statewide rates in infant mortality, …

Tracking Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Using Michigan Emergency Department And Hospital Records, Noreen Hughes, Kenneth D. Rosenman, Joseph Gardiner, Corinne Miller, Mary Jo Reilly

Michigan Journal of Public Health

Objectives: Among all deaths due to poisonings, carbon monoxide (CO) is the leading cause. Development of a surveillance system to track CO poisoning is a recommended public health activity. Initial steps to develop such a system are discussed. Methods: Michigan hospitals provided face sheets and discharge summaries of hospitalized and emergency department visits for CO poisonings. Reports were divided into three categories; intentional poisoning, non-work-related poisoning, and work related poisoning. The characteristics of the three groups, including demographics, sources of exposure, carboxyhemoglobin levels, and time of year were described. Results: There were 847 cases of CO poisoning reported. Another 312 …

Changes In Formal-Informal Caregiving In Elderly Stroke Survivors, Holly Anne Beard

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which the Andersen and Aday Model of Health Services Use to predict cross-sectional and longitudinal differences in the caregiving source among stroke survivors (n=477) over a six-year period. This study involves a secondary analysis of a longitudinal panel study focusing upon three waves of interview data from the HAS/AHEAD study spanning 1998 through 2002. Multinomial logistic regression was utilized to examine caregiving source cross-sectionally at each wave. Clustered multinomial logistic regression was used to examine relationships between predictor variables in the model and caregiving source across waves while holding …

Utilization Of Low Cost Waste Material Bagasse Fly Ash In Removing Of Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+ And Cr3+ From The Industrial Waste Water, G. M. Taha

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Bagasse fly ash, a waste material generated in sugar industry, collected from a local sugar Firm at Kom-Ombo district (42Km - distance, on the northern direction, from the mid city of Aswan ), Aswan Governorate, Egypt was utilized as a low cost and effective adsorbing surface for the removal of Cu²+, Ni²+, Zn²+ and Cr³+ from the industrial wastewater. The adsorption capacity was followed as a function of pH, adsorbent dose, metal ion concentration, shaking time and divers ions. Under the optimum conditions used, more than 95% of some of the ions …

The Effects Of Smoking On Low Birth Weight Babies: A Cultural Influence?, Jodie Sample

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

The persistence of low birth weight babies born to mothers who smoke continues to be a source of social concern. Recent research determined that a pregnant woman who smokes is 1.5 times more likely to deliver a low birth weight baby than a nonsmoker (Ventura et al. 2003). Low birth weight affects one in 13 babies each year in the United States and is a factor in 65% of infant deaths (March of Dimes, 2003). According to the March of Dimes Foundation, babies born at a low birth weight (2500 grams or less) are at a greater risk for mental …

Teflon And An Increased Cancer Risk Remains Unproven In Humans, Jennifer Hitchon

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

DuPont manufactures a non-stick coating for pans brand-named Teflon. Teflon sealed pans make cooking easier - eggs won't stick to the frying pan and cookies won't stick to the cookie sheet. Yet researchers have long worried about negative effects of Teflon and the chemical compounds used to make it, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): is PFOA a carcinogen? Instead of waiting until the Teflon coating sloughs off in black flakes, should households get rid of their non-stick pans now and return to using PAM and Crisco in mass quantities? PFOA is not exclusively used in Teflon; the chemical is also useful in …

Grânulos De Amido E Fitólitos Em Cálculos Dentários Humanos: Contribuição Ao Estudo Do Modo De Vida E Subsistência De Grupos Sambaquianos Do Litoral Sul Do Brasil, Verônica Wesolowski, Sheila Maria Ferraz Mendonça De Souza, Karl Reinhard, Gregório Ceccantini

Karl Reinhard Publications

Este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar os resultados da recuperação e análise de micro-vestígios vegetais retidos em cálculos dentários de grupos de pescadores-coletores do litoral sul do Brasil. Apresenta também os resultados das relações mantidas entre grânulos de amido e cárie, e entre fitólitos e desgaste dentário.

Através da dissolução química de cálculos dentários foram recuperados microvestígios vegetais em todos os indivíduos estudados. Foi evidenciado o consumo de alimentos amiláceos em todas as séries esqueléticas estudadas, demonstrando independência entre dieta com aporte de produtos vegetais e utilização de cerâmica. Foram encontrados resultados sugestivos de padrões de escolha de alimentos diferenciados …

Through The Quarantine Looking Glass: Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis And Public Health Governance, Law, And Ethics, David P. Fidler, Lawrence O. Gostin, Howard Markel

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: An Isolation Order, Public Health Powers, And A Global Crisis, David P. Fidler, Howard Markel, Lawrence O. Gostin

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Sharing H5n1 Viruses To Stop A Global Influenza Pandemic, David P. Fidler, Laurie Garrett

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Xdr Tuberculosis, The New International Health Regulations, And Human Rights, David P. Fidler, Philippe Calain

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Water Source Outbreaks, Policy, And The South Bass Island Investigation, David Brett-Major, Sherry M. Brett-Major

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Social Justice: The Moral Foundations Of Public Health And Health Policy, Robin West

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This essay is a review of Social Justice: The Moral Foundations of Public Health and Health Policy by Madison Powers & Ruth Faden (2006).

In this pathbreaking book, senior bioethicists Powers and Faden confront foundational issues about health and justice. How much inequality in health can a just society tolerate? In a world filled with inequalities in health and well-being, which inequalities matter most and are the most morally urgent to address? In order to answer these questions, Powers and Faden develop a unique theory of social justice that, while developed for the specific contexts of public health and health …

Access To Health Information And Health Care Decision-Making Of Women In A Rural Appalachian Community, Tracy L. Legrow

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Access to health care is a challenge in rural communities. Higher rates of chronic illness and poor use of preventive health practices combine to increase mortality rates among residents of rural areas. The health status of residents of West Virginia is among the poorest in the United States. The current study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methodology, including the use of surveys, participant observation and ethnographic interviews, to explore the health status, beliefs and social support of women in a rural Appalachian community. Seven major themes were identified relevant to women’s experiences with health care: Definitions of Health, Barriers and …

Adults' Perceived Prevalence Of Enteric Fever Predicts Laboratory-Validated Incidence Of Typhoid Fever In Children, Xinguang Chen, Bonita Stanton, Al Pach, Andrew Nyamete, R. Leon Ochiai, Linda Kaljee, Baiqing Dong, Dipika Sur, S.K. Bhattacharya, Siti Sapardiyah Santoso, Magdarina Agtini, Zahid Memon, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Canh Gia Do, Lorenz Von Seidlein, John Clemens

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

This study was undertaken to develop a model to predict the incidence of typhoid in children based on adults’ perception of prevalence of enteric fever in the wider community. Typhoid cases among children, aged 5-15 years, from epidemic regions in five Asian countries were confirmed with a positive Salmonella Typhi culture of the blood sample. Estimates of the prevalence of enteric fever were obtained from random samples of adults in the same study sites. Regression models were used for establishing the prediction equation. The percentages of enteric fever reported by adults and cases of typhoid incidence per 100,000, detected through …

Outcomes Of Status Epilepticus In The Elderly, Alan R. Towne

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Status epilepticus (SE) is a serious medical condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Few studies have addressed this condition in the elderly. The present study examines predictors of SE mortality in this growing population.Methods: SE patients visiting the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center from July 1, 1989, to June 30,2006 were included in the study. Data on demographic characteristics, SE type, etiology, time to treatment and mortality were collected. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the determinants of mortality due to SE. Data was stratified by age to examine the characteristics of SE among the elderly population.Results: …

Has Richmond, Virginia Become Safer In The Past Five Years (2002-2006)?: An Analysis Of Ambulance Data Regarding Penetrating Trauma Incidents, Ashleigh K. Mccabe

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The World Health Assembly declared violence as a worldwide public health problem. Homicides have been identified as a leading cause of death in the United States across all age groups. The national homicide rate for 2004 and 2005 are 5.5 and 5.6 per 100,000 population, respectively. The reported rates for Virginia are 5.2 (2004) and 5.6 (2005) per 100,000 population, showing a 16.9% increase. Richmond has been ranked as high as the sixth most dangerous among similar cities in the United States. This study examines penetrating trauma injuries identified through 9-1-1 calls as an indicator of the incidence of …

The Utility Of Depression Screening Measures After Traumatic Brain Injury, Amy H. Riddick

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Identifying reliable, practical and easy to use tools to assess depression in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), is a necessary first step to addressing a high incidence problem. The intention of this study is to validate depression screening measures with a criterion-based structured interview among people with TBI. The final outcome will identify which measure is the best indicator of depression diagnosis in this population. Methods: 112 participants with TBI were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Neurobehavioral Functioning Inventory (NFI), The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D), and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV TR Axis I …

Analgesic Use In U.S. Emergency Departments For Patients Reporting Moderate To Severe Pain: Diagnosis And Select Patient Characteristics Influencing Narcotic Analgesic Prescribing Practices, Hassan Zakaria

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between emergency department patient encounter characteristics and narcotic analgesic prescribing practices in order to determine what patient characteristics, if any, influence the decision to prescribe narcotics.Methods: Cross sectional data on patients presenting to U.S. emergency departments from the 2003 and 2004 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analyzed. Patients reporting moderate to severe pain were included in the sample and analysis. Chi square tests of significance were used to assess the association between individual demographic and encounter characteristics to narcotic prescription or administration. Separate multiple logistic regressions were then performed on …

Examination Of Birth Outcomes With Mode Of Delivery For Breech Presentation, Kelly Marie Arey

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Approximately 3% to 4% of all pregnancies at term will have a fetus with a breech presentation. Studies have shown that the US has almost completely abandoned vaginal delivery for breech presentation through the influence of the "Term Breech Trial" (TBT) which concluded that a policy of planned caesarian section would reduce perinatal mortality, late neonatal mortality, and serious neonatal morbidity by approximately two-thirds for term fetuses. However, the recommendations are still being challenged by others.Objectives: The purpose of the study was to describe who in Virginia is having a vaginal delivery for a breech presentation and to determine …

The Association Between Adult Self-Reported Asthma & Potential Exposures To Asthma Triggers In Virginia Workplaces: An Ecological Study, Jeanette R. Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Work-related asthma (WRA) is thought to be the most common occupational lung disease in the U.S., but there is no standard case definition of WRA. Most states, including Virginia, do not require WRA diagnoses to be reported to health departments. At present, there is too little epidemiological data on WRA in Virginia to direct public health planning efforts. Objectives: The first objective of this study was to estimate potential exposure to workplace asthma triggers in each of Virginia's 35 health districts. The second objective was to examine associations at the health district level between workplace asthma triggers, other asthma …

Cigarette Smoking As A Public Health Hazard: Crafting Common Law And Legislative Strategies For Abatemen, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

The debate over when, and to what extent, the government may regulate public smoking, is a contentious one of great moment. The point at which the line will be drawn with regard to an individual's right to smoke in public is narrowing. This right may stop at public restaurants and the workplace; or it may reach as far as public stadia, outdoor gathering spots and public streets. In 2006, one report showed 461 municipalities in thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, had adopted one-hundred percent smoke-free coverage in restaurants, bars or workplaces; and 135 municipalities had one-hundred percent coverage …

Resource Allocation Within The National Aids Control Program Of Pakistan: A Qualitative Assessment Of Decision Maker's Opinions, Sara Husain, Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

Background:

Limited resources, whether public or private, demand prioritisation among competing needs to maximise productivity. With a substantial increase in the number of reported HIV cases, little work has been done to understand how resources have been distributed and what factors may have influenced allocation within the newly introduced Enhanced National AIDS Control Program of Pakistan. The objective of this study was to identify perceptions of decision makers about the process of resource allocation within Pakistan's Enhanced National AIDS Control Program.

Methods:

A qualitative study was undertaken and in-depth interviews of decision makers at provincial and federal levels responsible to …

Chronic Care At The Crossroads: Exploring Solutions For Chronic Care Management. Report On The Us Summit., Janice L Clarke

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Report on the US Summit

Accident Denominators Relative To Age Groups In Heavy Industries Of The Port Hedland Region Of Western Australia, John R. Bottrell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this research is to investigate characteristics of accident denominators across age groups in mining and associated process industries in the Port Hedland region of Western Australia. Emphasis has been focussed on comparing young, inexperienced groups with older, more experienced groups. A literature review revealed some key contributors to accidents among younger workers, in particular, those who had only recently entered the workforce. The review also revealed contributors impacting accidents regarding other age groups over a wide range of industry types. From these findings an accident construct model and questionnaire were designed to identify contributing and mitigating denominators …

Effects Of Family Factors On The Development Of Alcohol-Related Problems Among Males From Pre-Adolescence To Adulthood

Florida Public Health Review

Alcohol use is a leading risk factor in suicides, homicides and unintentional injuries (including motor vehicle crashes and drownings) among adolescents, and is associated with adolescent health risk behaviors such as cigarette smoking, illicit drug use, and risky sexual behavior. The purpose of this study was to determine if family factors would predict alcohol-related problems as the study cohort transitioned into young adulthood, and to determine if early alcohol use remained a significant influence on the development of alcohol-related problems in young adulthood. Results of the analyses indicate that three of the family factors measured in mid-adolescence were statistically significant …

Assessment Of Client Satisfaction In Six Urban Wic Clinics, Catherine Christie, Judy E. Perkin

Florida Public Health Review

Customer service is a measure of support and courtesy provided to individuals who patronize an organization, and is a factor vital to the success of any business. Programs that strive to meet critical needs of at risk populations, such as the Special Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), may also benefit from assessment of client satisfaction. The purpose of the study was to examine factors related to customer satisfaction in Duval County Florida WIC clinics and identify potential barriers to participation through a two-year project initiated by the health department and the state university. The study examined …