Digital Commons Network^™

Providers' And Key Opinion Leaders' Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices Concerning Emergency Contraception: A Multicountry Study In India, Nigeria, And Senegal, Martha Brady, M.E. Khan, Babatunde A.O. Ahonsi, Babacar Mane, Ian Askew, Saumya Ramarao

Reproductive Health

The Population Council conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, multicountry study in India, Nigeria, and Senegal aimed at understanding the attitudes, beliefs, and practices of providers and key opinion leaders (KOLs) regarding the provision and use of emergency contraception (ECP). The overarching goal of this study was to investigate and document providers’ attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding ECP, and to capture the opinions and insights of providers and KOLs on a range of policy and program issues. Findings indicate that many provider-related barriers can be overcome through implementation of targeted interventions such as training and values clarification, whereas other barriers will require …

Birth Spacing And Family Planning Uptake In Pakistan: Evidence From Falah, Arshad Mahmood

Reproductive Health

The Population Council was the lead implementing agency for the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project in Pakistan. The project’s main objectives were to achieve a 10 percent increase in the use of moden contraceptives, to equip 80 service delivery points to provide family planning services, and to ensure birth-spacing understanding and ways to achieve it by three-quarters of the target population. The main conclusion of this research is that a sharp uptake of family planning is possible in a relatively short time, if certain investments are made to ensure better communication and greater access to quality family …

Routine Screening For Intimate Partner Violence In Public Health Care Settings In Kenya: An Assessment Of Acceptability, Chi-Chi Undie, Catherine Maternowska, Margaret Mak'anyengo, Harriet Birungi, Jill Keesbury, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

Most research on intimate-partner violence (IPV) screening has been conducted in developed countries, so this study in Kenya serves as one of the first in a developing-country context to assess the acceptability of IPV screening from the perspective of providers and clients in public healthcare settings. The study conducted in Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi found that routine screening for IPV is acceptable to providers and clients at that location. However, to be effective as a routine service, the system needs to be reinforced in specific ways, including greater assurance of confidentiality, more positive provider attitudes, and higher respect for …

Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices Of Key Opinion Leaders (Kol) And Providers About Emergency Contraception (Ec) In Senegal, Babacar Mane, Saumya Ramarao, Martha Brady, Fatou Bintou Mbow, Ababacar Thiam

Reproductive Health

In 2010, the Reproductive Health Division in Senegal, with support from Population Council, performed an assessment of the emergency contraception (EC) integration process into the national health system through a national forum on EC. This forum revealed that there was a real promotional problem regarding EC in the national health system despite the efforts made. There was widespread lack of public awareness of the product, rumors concerning EC due to the sensitive nature of the product, low inclusion of EC in routine service delivery, especially during initial counseling in family planning awareness campaigns , and a better method of keeping …

Self-Revelation In An Online Health Community: Exploring Issues Around Co-Presence For Vulnerable Members, Leesa Costello, Cynthia Witney, Lelia Green, Vanessa Bradshaw

Research outputs 2012

Problem: This paper addresses the implications of working with vulnerable groups in the context of an online health community when members move from co-presence online to co-presence offline. Theoretical Approach: The case study presented in this paper challenges the expectation that self-revelations are usually more common in online environments because of the anonymity and comfort experienced there. Methodology: Taking as its example the events in a research project designed to investigate the relative features of online communities and social network sites by using a ‘netnographic’ approach, this paper examines the introduction of live chat sessions with a view to building …

Drug Education In Victorian Schools (Devs): The Study Protocol For A Harm Reduction Focused School Drug Education Trial, Richard Midford, Helen Cahill, David Foxcroft, Leanne Lester, Lynne Venning, Robyn Ramsden, Michelle Pose

Research outputs 2012

Background: This study seeks to extend earlier Australian school drug education research by developing and measuring the effectiveness of a comprehensive, evidence-based, harm reduction focused school drug education program for junior secondary students aged 13 to 15 years. The intervention draws on the recent literature as to the common elements in effective school curriculum. It seeks to incorporate the social influence of parents through home activities. It also emphasises the use of appropriate pedagogy in the delivery of classroom lessons. Methods/Design. A cluster randomised school drug education trial will be conducted with 1746 junior high school students in 21 Victorian …

Love And Risk: Intimate Relationships Among Female Sex Workers Who Inject Drugs And Their Non-Commercial Partners In Tijuana, Mexico, Jennifer L. Syvertsen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the influence of love and other emotions on sexual and drug-related HIV risk among female sex workers who inject drugs and their intimate, non-commercial partners in Tijuana, Mexico. My work on a public health study along the Mexico-U.S. border and independent ethnographic research in Tijuana suggests the importance of emotions in shaping sex workers' relationships and health risks.

Love is a universal human emotional experience embodied within broader cultural, social, and economic contexts. A growing body of cross-cultural research suggests that modern relationships have transformed to emphasize love and emotional intimacy over moral or kinship obligations. Particularly …

Retrospective Analysis Of Metabolic Syndrome: Prevalence And Distribution In Executive Population In Urban Pakistan., Niloufer Sultan Ali, Ali Khan Khuwaja, Adnan Ur Rahman, Kashmira Nanji

Department of Family Medicine

Background. Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a major public health concern.

Objective. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of MetS, its components, and factors associated with MetS amongst apparently healthy individuals in Pakistan.

Methods. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the executive Clinics of Aga Khan Hospital, Pakistan. Medical records of patients aged ≥18 years visiting the clinics from July 2011 to December 2011 were consecutively reviewed. Records in which either MetS components data or 10% of overall data was missing were excluded. A total of 1329 participants’ records was included in final analysis. Data was …

Recreational Music-Making In Music Pedagogy: A Manifesto For Change, Brandon Keith Wood

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The arts are an essential part of any student’s well rounded education. The future of music in education will depend on its ability to deliver relevant, effective, and measurable outcomes. However, the expectations and performance nature of traditional curricula often foster a sense of musical elitism and ostracizes students that are solely interested in music as a recreational outlet. Incorporating recreational music-making into education can provide opportunities for students to experience self-expression, creativity, social connection, and enjoyment. These values will not only enhance their education, but also lead to acquired skills for use in all areas of their lives. Activities …

Agenda-Building Influences On The News Media's Coverage Of The U.S. Food And Drug Administration's Push To Regulate Tobacco, 1993-2009, Caroline D. Foster, James F. Thrasher, Sei-Hill Kim, India Rose, John C. Besley, Ashley Navarro

Faculty Publications

Citing agenda-building theory, this article examines the influence of three key factors on the news media's coverage of the process of placing tobacco and tobacco products under regulation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 1993 and 2009. We analyzed data from a content analysis of 570 news articles from The New York Times and Washington Post and found that the media published significantly more FDA regulation articles during the Clinton administration than during the Bush administration. Our analysis links that imbalance of media coverage to the influence of the president of the United States (Clinton and Bush, during …

Somatechnologies Of Body Size Modification: Posthuman Embodiment And Discourses Of Health, Meghan Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project focuses on persistent gaps in philosophies of the body: the enduring mindbody divide in accounts of phenomenology, the unfulfilled promises of representing and inhabiting the body in online and virtual spaces, and the difference between health as quantified in medical discourse versus health as lived experience. These tensions are brought to light through the electronic food journal genre where the difficulty in capturing pre-noetic, outsideconsciousness aspects of experience and embodied health are thrown into relief against circulating cultural discourses surrounding health, body size, self-surveillance, and self-care. The electronic food journal genre serves as a space for users to …

Delineating Interpersonal Communication Networks: A Study Of The Diffusion Of An Intervention Among Female Entertainment Workers In Shanghai, China, Yiyun Chen, Carl Latkin, David D. Celentano, Xiushi Yang, Xiaoming Li, Guomei Xia

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Diffusion of innovation (DOI) is widely cited in the HIV behavior change literature; however there is a dearth of research on the application of DOI in interventions for sex workers. Following a randomized-controlled trial of HIV risk reduction among female entertainment workers (FEWs) in Shanghai, China, we used qualitative approaches to delineate potential interpersonal communication networks and contributing factors that promote diffusion of information in entertainment venues. Results showed that top-down communication networks from the venue owners to the FEWs were efficient for diffusion of information. Mammies/madams, who act as intermediaries between FEWs and clients form an essential part of …

The Role Of Cd11c+ Cells In Response To Ozone, Jeffrey David Brand

All ETDs from UAB

Environmental ozone exposure remains a major public health concern with over one-third of the United States population experiencing unhealthful levels. Epidemiological studies indicate exposure increases morbidity in those with pre-existing disease such as asthma, though the biological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain elusive. CD11c+ cells within the respiratory tract include dendritic cells (DCs), which are the most efficient antigen presenters and play major roles controlling immune responses. In addition, DCs are thought necessary for asthma pathogenesis and exacerbation. Therefore the link between ozone associated asthma morbidity may be DCs. We hypothesize ozone exposure may site specifically alter DC phenotypes, numbers, …

Sleep Duration And Obesity: Longitudinal Study Of Adolescents, Herpreet Kaur Thind

All ETDs from UAB

Prevalence of obesity continues to be high in the United States with about one-third adults being overweight or obese. Among adolescents the rates of overweight/obesity have increased by three times in the past two decades. Moreover, the rates of obesity are disproportionately high among the minority population. Recently, sleep duration has emerged as an independent risk factor for obesity. Several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies worldwide have shown an inverse relationship between sleep duration and obesity. However, some studies do not support this association. Majority of the studies in the United States have been conducted on predominantly White populations. African Americans …

The Effect Of Environmental Ozone Exposure On The Postnatal Lung, Katherine Leah Tuggle Stringer

All ETDs from UAB

In the U.S., approximately 37 million children reside in geographic locales that experience unhealthy ozone levels. This population is of great concern as they are undergoing active lung growth and cellular differentiation which may alter their susceptibility to inhaled toxicants. Epidemiological and animal studies indicate that early life ozone exposure results in altered lung development, potentially facilitating predisposition to chronic pulmonary conditions in adulthood. The goal of this dissertation was to evaluate short and long-term effects of ozone exposure in the developing lung. The first study evaluated acute effects of ozone exposure in the postnatal and adult lung. The results …

A Community Dietetics Intervention To Improve The Use Of Oral Nutritional Supplements In The Community Setting, Sharon Kennelly

Doctoral

Evaluation of a community dietetics intervention to improve oral nutritional supplement prescribing practices in the community. Background: Healthcare professionals working in the community do not always prescribe oral nutritional supplements (ONS) according to best practice guidelines and expenditure on ONS has increased. The aim of this study was to investigate ONS prescribing practices and to determine the impact of a community dietetics intervention on these practices and expenditure one year later. Methods: At baseline ONS prescribing practices were investigated by patient interview with a community dietitian. The intervention involved an education programme for general medical practitioners (GPs), practice nurses, nurses …

Predictors Of Vaginal Douching Behavior And Sexual Risk Taking Among A Population Of Women In The South: The Influence Of Sexual Concurrency And Partner Incarceration, Keri J. Griffin

All ETDs from UAB

In the United States, adolescent women between the ages of 14 and 19 are estimated to bear the largest burden of sexually transmitted infections. Left untreated, these infections have the potential to result in several adverse reproductive health outcomes. Sexually risky behaviors, including early sexual initiation, sexual partner concurrency, and the use of vaginal douche products increase the risk for the contraction of sexually transmitted infections. Further, having a sexual relationship with a male partner who is known to have other partners or a history of contact with the justice system might put a woman at additional risk. Utilizing a …

The Effect Of Disinfectants, Cleaning, And Drying Practices On Oriental Rugs Flooded With Contaminated River Water: Public Health And Policy Implications, Daniel Bernazzani

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Oriental rugs contaminated with Category 3 floodwater potentially harbor environmental bacteria known to be human pathogens. River water inoculated with three species of gram positive and gram negative environmental bacteria (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were used to assess the effectiveness of disinfectant type, cleaning methodology and drying practices by examining the survival rates of bacteria. Rug sections were immersed for one hour in contaminated water, saturated in one of three EPA registered disinfectant products (Phenol, Quaternary chloride, and Thyme oil) or tap water as a control, followed by cleaning and drying. The results showed that all disinfectants reduced …

Fibroblast-Secreted Hepatocyte Growth Factor Mediates Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Resistance In Triple-Negative Breast Cancers Through Paracrine Activation Of Met, Kelly L. Mueller, Julie M. Madden, Gina L. Zoratti, Charlotte Kuperwasser, Karin List, Julie L. Boerner

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Introduction

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have shown clinical efficacy in lung, colon, and pancreatic cancers. In lung cancer, resistance to EGFR TKIs correlates with amplification of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor tyrosine kinase Met. Breast cancers do not respond to EGFR TKIs, even though EGFR is overexpressed. This intrinsic resistance to EGFR TKIs in breast cancer does not correlate with Met amplification. In several tissue monoculture models of human breast cancer, Met, although expressed, is not phosphorylated, suggesting a requirement for a paracrine-produced ligand. In fact, HGF, the ligand for Met, is not …

Causes And Effects Of Physical Injuries To Prison Officers Employed In A High Risk And High Need Offender Management Environment In Western Australia, Bigboy Ngwenya

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Prison Officers (POs) involved in high need offender management frequently face risks that could affect their health, safety and wellbeing. Several studies have shown that direct client centred violence, inadequate management systems and the general nature of prison environments are major factors impacting on the well being of POs (Fisher & Gunnison, 2001; Kiekbusch, Price, & Theis, 2003; Mitchell, Mackenzie, Styve, & Gover, 2000).There is limited literature on causes and effects of physical injuries on this group of law enforcements officers. This is the first study conducted in Western Australia (WA) that investigated the causes and effects of physical injuries …

Cloning Of The Gene, Purification As Recombinant Protein And Functional Characterization Of Leishmania Mexicana Cytochrome B5 Reductase, Ala Azhari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leishmania are protozoan parasites that are transmitted by a sand fly vector. These parasites affect not only humans but also wild animals including domestic dogs and rodents, which form an additional challenge and public health problem to control the disease. Leishmaniasis is an important disease with worldwide distribution, including Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and other tropical and subtropical areas around the world. Due to the expansion of irrigation and agricultural activities, more exposure to sand fly occurs, which leads to the expansion of leishmaniasis infections as newly emerging disease.

Emerging drug resistance in leishmaniasis is an additional problem, contributed …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Women In Karachi, Pakistan Regarding Secondary Infertility: Results From A Community-Based Qualitative Study, Neelofar Sami, Tazeen S. Ali

Community Health Sciences

Background: The prevalence of infertility in Pakistan is 22% with primary infertility at 4% and secondary infertility at 18%. This study explored perceptions and experiences of women in Karachi, Pakistan regarding the causes, treatment-seeking behavior for and consequences of secondary infertility.
Methods: Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with married women explored their perceptions and experiences for issues related to secondary infertility.
Results: The knowledge of women about the causes and scientific treatment options for infertility was limited resulting in inclination for traditional unsafe health care. Infertility was stated to result in marital instability, stigmatization and abuse specially for women …

Ethics Of Clear Health Communication: Applying The Clean Look Approach To Communicate Biobanking Information For Cancer Research, Alexis Koskan, Mariana Arevalo, Gwen Quinn, Shalwea Noel-Thomas, John S. Luque, Kristen Wells, Cathy Meade, Clement K. Gwede

Community Health: Faculty Publications

Cancer innovations, such as biobanking technologies, are continuously evolving to improve our understanding and knowledge about cancer prevention and treatment modalities. However, the public receives little communication about biobanking and is often unaware about this innovation until asked to donate biospecimens. It is the researchers’ ethical duty to provide clear communications about biobanking and biospecimen research. Such information allows the public to understand biobanking processes and facilitates informed decision making about biospecimen donation. The aims of this paper are 1) to examine the importance of clear communication as an ethical imperative when conveying information about cancer innovations and 2) to …

Formative Research On Hpv Vaccine Acceptability With Latina Farmworkers, John S. Luque, Heide Castañeda, Dinorah Martinez Tyson, Natalia Vargas, Meade

Community Health: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers and benefits to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in a low-income, Latina farmworker population in central Florida. This study reports on formative qualitative research conducted on perceptions of benefits, barriers, costs, place, and promotion related to the HPV vaccine from surveys and interviews with a sample of 46 low-income, Latina farm workers and 19 health care workers serving this population. It was found that Latina farmworkers hold many misperceptions about the HPV vaccine and the potential links between HPV infection and cervical cancer. In addition, it was observed that HPV vaccination …

Formative Research On Perceptions Of Biobanking: What Community Members Think, John S. Luque, Gwendolyn P. Quinn, Francisco A. Montel-Ishino, Mariana Arevalo, Shalanda A. Bynum, Shalewa Noel-Thomas, Kristen J. Wells, Clement K. Gwede, Cathy D. Meade, Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network Partners

Community Health: Faculty Publications

Preparing healthy community members with timely communications prior to engaging them in a request to donate biospecimens promises to improve the experience of biobanking participation. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted to assess community member knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and informational needs about cancer-related biospecimen collection in a large metropolitan area in southwest Florida. The study utilized purposive sampling techniques to recruit a total of 95 participants to participate in 12 focus groups, segmented by race/ethnicity and language preference (mixed race, African American only, and Spanish speaking) and age (18–29, 30–54, and 55 and older). Focus group interviews were …

Knowledge Of The Uv Index Within Western Australia, David Mercovich

Theses : Honours

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world and despite the dedicated efforts of preventative campaigns since 1981; this number has increased over the past ten years (Carter & Donovan, 2007). With most skin cancer being attributed to Ultra violet radiation there is a pressing need for proper education, health promotion and preventative means. Previous Western Australian skin UV Index research has yielded findings of moderate awareness. However, there is the association between skin cancer prevalence and the UV Index but a lack of knowledge and application of the UV Index as a means of preventative measures …

Intimate Partner Physical Violence Against Women In Saudi Arabian Primary Healthcare Clinics, Halah M. Eldoseri

Health Services Research Dissertations

Intimate partner violence against women (IPPVAW) is a serious public health concern. The Ecological Model provides a model to study several factors associated with IPPVAW. In Saudi Arabia, studies addressing IPPVAW are limited and do not cover the various aspects of the problem. The purpose of this study was to investigate the various factors associated with IPPVAW at the personal, interpersonal, community and societal levels. Methods: 200 ever-married women attending six PHC in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were recruited via convenient sampling method. Women were interviewed on factors related to IPPVAW using an adapted version of WHO survey for violence against …

Expanding The Understanding Of The Social Determinants Of Health To Support Community Readiness For Change, Nandi A. Marshall

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Addressing the Social Determinants of Health is critical if we truly want to achieve health equity. The World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (2008) recognized the need to broaden the understanding of these determinants among the general public to facilitate change in communities. Using a concurrent transformative case study, this mixed methods design explored the potential increase in 1) awareness of the social determinants of health, 2) understanding of context and 3) organizational empowerment through the use of Photovoice and Action planning with a Rural Diabetes Community Coalition in Southeast Georgia. Engaging the coalition through these …

Factors Relating To Hpv Behaviors Of Female College Students, Nicole Rachael Peritore

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

This study examined the knowledge, sources of information, reasons for and against Gardasil® uptake, and possible relationships between unhealthy behaviors and vaccination for undergraduate college females at a public university. Utilizing an online survey, 2400 random students were emailed as well as recruited through online classes. The final sample size was 516 females. The study determined how many participants had been vaccinated and their rationale for or against vaccination. The majority of study participants were knowledgeable about HPV and Gardasil®. The primary sources of information about HPV and Gardasil® were doctors and television; however parents and friends were also common …

Increasing Parity Is Associated With Cumulative Effects On Memory, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this investigation was to determine if reproductive experience is associated with cumulative effects on human memory performance during pregnancy and if these effects persist into the postpartum period.

METHODS: Verbal recall memory performance was assessed in 254 women four times during pregnancy and at 3 months postpartum. The relation between parity and memory function was evaluated with hierarchical linear modeling and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

RESULTS: The data indicate that the previously documented adverse effects of pregnancy on memory performance are compounded with successive pregnancies. During gestation and postpartum, multiparity was associated with poorer memory function, …