Digital Commons Network^™

Designing A Blockchain Technology Platform For Enhancing The Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Care Continuum, Anjum Khurshid, Daniel Toshio Harrell, Dennis Li, Camden Hallmark, Ladd Hanson, Nishi Viswanathan, Michelle Carr, Armand Brown, Marlene Mcneese, Kayo Fujimoto

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a key biomedical intervention for ending the HIV epidemic in the United States, but its uptake is impeded by systemic barriers, including fragmented workflows and ineffective data coordination. This study aims to design PrEPLinker, a blockchain-based, client-centered platform to enhance care to address these challenges by improving care coordination and enabling clients to securely manage their identity and PrEP-related data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using Houston, Texas, as a use case, we conducted a needs assessment with PrEP collaborators to evaluate existing workflows and identify barriers in the PrEP care continuum. Based on these findings, we …

A Replication Study — Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2021, Mallory Hays

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents are critical public health concerns in the United States, with suicide being the third leading cause of death among high school-aged youths (14-18 years). This study replicates and extends the findings of the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conducted by Gaylor et al., which analyzed data from 13,677 students in 2019 and 17,232 students in 2021. The original study revealed alarming increases in suicidal ideation and behaviors, particularly among female students, and highlighted disparities across demographic groups. Using raw YRBS datasets, this replication involved a pure replication of the original findings, followed by …

Dietary And Physical Activity Behaviors In 2021 And Changes From 2019 To 2021 Among High School Students: A Replication Study, Jamila Nasir

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Shannon L. Michael et al. conducted the study “Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors in 2021 and Changes from 2019 to 2021 Among High School Students” to compare the prevalences of specific dietary and exercise behaviors among high-school students between 2019 and 2021, in order to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected these behaviors and to identify disparities in these effects.

This replication of the study focuses on exercise behaviors. The study data, drawn from the CDC’s YRBS in 2019 and 2021, had been selected using a three-stage cluster sampling method in which the clusters in the third stage were selected …

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities And Considerations In U.S. Healthcare Facilities: A Scoping Review, Rebecca J. Campbell

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Robust cybersecurity measures are essential for business continuity of U.S. healthcare institutions which is to maintain care standards for all patients. Hackers seek to disrupt healthcare delivery for financial and political means, to disrupt services in retaliation, or simply for malicious intent (Wasserman & Wasserman, 2022). The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated innovation and digitization in healthcare, including wearable and implanted medical devices, telehealth care delivery options, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based data management (Kioskli, Fotis, & Mouratidis, 2021). This progress in innovation continues today but also brings new vulnerabilities and challenges to stay ahead of cybersecurity threats.

Given that cyberattacks have …

Beryllium Work Area And Tank Waste, Angelica Zarate

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

My capstone was conducted at the Hanford site in Richland, Washington. It was once a location that produced weapons-grade plutonium, but now its mission is to clean up the radioactive waste that was left behind. My project focused on beryllium and how much is present in the 56 million gallons of waste that needs to be disposed of. I evaluated the OSHA regulations for beryllium work areas, medical surveillance, and beryllium exposure's environmental and health implications. The purpose was to determine if the concentrations present meet the requirements to continue to be considered a beryllium work area.

Water Fluoridation: The Evidence Behind The Risk Of Fluoride Use, Margherita Fontana D.D.S., Ph.D., Carlos González-Cabezas D.D.S., M.S.D., Ph.D., Livia Tenuta D.D.S., M.Sc., Ph.D.

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The debate surrounding fluoride use for caries control has intensified due to recent events, including a National Toxicology Program (NTP) report and a court ruling mandating EPA action on fluoride levels in tap water.

Despite concerns about fluoride's potential neurodevelopmental impact at high concentrations, current evidence shows no adverse effects at the recommended levels of 0.7 ppm in U.S. community water fluoridation programs. While studies in regions with endemic fluorosis suggest an association between high fluoride exposure and lower IQ, methodological limitations undermine causal conclusions.

Global and U.S. health authorities, including the WHO and ADA, reaffirm the safety and efficacy …

Promotion And Tenure For Medical Physicists Should Be Based On Article Specific Measures And Not On Journal Impact Factor, Samantha Hedrick, Jinzhong Yang, Yi Rong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Chronic Illness Education 2024: A Guide To Navigating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Polina Chuikov, Bilal Ahmed, Brennan Smith, Karina Medina, Masoud Harati

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Chronic Illness Education 2024: Diet And Excersize Education To Improve Adult Obesity, David Elyas, Dhwani Krishnan, Joseph Overway, Melissa Connop, Swathi Srikantan, Zahira Malik

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Chronic Illness Education 2024: Evaluating Psychological Barriers To Treating Cardiovascular Disease, Ameen Khan, Aria Hutchinson, Caitlin Ann Benitez, Daniel Poe, Dawson Sloan, Shivani Bongu

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Chronic Illness Education 2024: Resources To Improve Childhood Anxiety, Ananya Yanamandra, Danny Salka, Hamza Khan, Julie Waineo, Karen Zapien-Guerra

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Belongingness In First-Year College Students: Examining Mental Health And Adjustment, Jordan D. Foreman-Black

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The initial transition to college is a pivotal moment for emerging adults, often influencing whether a student will remain successful. Students face a significant challenge adapting to the new environment that has been compounded by their experiences through the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, a sense of belonging for students has been shown to be a key aspect of a successful transition to college. Students are often confronted with increasing levels of mental health challenges throughout the transition, specifically experiencing increasing mental health difficulties or challenges throughout their initial adjustment to college. Moreover, parents have become increasingly involved in students’ …

Us Or Them: How Covid-19 Vaccine Priority Influences Perceptions Of Local-Migrant Worker Relations, Tengjiao Huang, Haochen Zhou, Liz Jones, Chin Wen Cong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare pre-existing societal fault lines, placing immense strain on intergroup relations and giving rise to xenophobic sentiments. Drawing on Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) and Social Identity Approach (SIA), our study examined how the public allocation of COVID-19 variant vaccines could influence the dynamics between local citizens and migrant workers, and under what conditions. One key idea is that valued resource distribution that favour migrant workers may produce increased perceptions of realistic threats among local citizens which could lead to exacerbated negative attitudes and behaviours of high-status local citizens towards low-status migrants, whereas higher fairness perceptions of …

Infant-Derived Human Nasal Organoids Exhibit Relatively Increased Susceptibility, Epithelial Responses, And Cytotoxicity During Rsv Infection, Gina M Aloisio, Divya Nagaraj, Ashley M Murray, Emily M Schultz, Trevor Mcbride, Letisha Aideyan, Erin G Nicholson, David Henke, Laura Ferlic-Stark, Anubama Rajan, Amal Kambal, Hannah L Johnson, Elina Mosa, Fabio Stossi, Sarah E Blutt, Pedro A Piedra, Vasanthi Avadhanula

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes significant morbidity and mortality, especially in young children. Why RSV infection in children is more severe compared to healthy adults is not fully understood.

Methods: We used ex-vivo human nasal organoid platforms from infants and adults to investigate the underlying mechanism of this disease disparity at the initial site of RSV replication, the nasal epithelium.

Results: Infant-derived human nasal organoid-air liquid interface (HNO-ALIs) lines were more susceptible to early RSV replication. Moreover, infant-derived HNO-ALIs elicited a statistically significant greater overall cytokine response, enhanced mucous production, and greater cellular damage compared to their adult counterparts. …

Immunopeptidomic Mhc-I Profiling And Immunogenicity Testing Identifies Tcj2 As A New Chagas Disease Mrna Vaccine Candidate, Leroy Versteeg, Rakesh Adhikari, Gonteria Robinson, Jungsoon Lee, Junfei Wei, Nelufa Islam, Brian Keegan, William K Russell, Cristina Poveda, Maria Jose Villar, Kathryn Jones, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Peter Hotez, Edwin Tijhaar, Jeroen Pollet

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease. Globally 6 to 7 million people are infected by this parasite of which 20-30% will progress to develop Chronic Chagasic Cardiomyopathy (CCC). Despite its high disease burden, no clinically approved vaccine exists for the prevention or treatment of CCC. Developing vaccines that can stimulate T. cruzi-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and eliminate infected cells requires targeting parasitic antigens presented on major histocompatibility complex-I (MHC-I) molecules. We utilized mass spectrometry-based immunopeptidomics to investigate which parasitic peptides are displayed on MHC-I of T. cruzi infected cells. Through duplicate experiments, we identified an …

Cohort Profile: The Origins Pregnancy And Birth Cohort, Jacqueline Davis, Zenobia Talati, Sarah Whalan, Wesley Billingham, Nina D'Vaz, Lisa Gibson, Susan L. Prescott, Desiree T. Silva

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

No abstract provided.

Trends In Family Planning Uptake In Tanzania: An Analysis Of National Survey Data 2021-2022, Harun Yussuf Ayoub, Sabarinah Prasetyo

Jurnal Biostatistik, Kependudukan, dan Informatika Kesehatan

The purpose of this study is to uncover the socioeconomic and demographic factors that influence the usage of contraceptives by analysing trends and patterns in Tanzania's family planning uptake using data from national surveys. The results show that while Tanzania has made progress in increasing contraceptive prevalence from 27% in 2010 to 39% in 2021-22, disparities persist across socioeconomic and demographic lines. Women in urban areas, from higher wealth quintiles, and with higher educational attainment have significantly higher contraceptive prevalence rates compared to their counterparts. The study also reveals that the majority of women are aware of family planning methods, …

Gambaran Perilaku Merokok Siswa Smp Negeri, R Nasrullah Nur Nugroho

Jurnal Biostatistik, Kependudukan, dan Informatika Kesehatan

Remaja mudah terjerumus pada perilaku berisiko, seperti merokok, karena mereka tidak tahu banyak, mudah dipengaruhi, dan ingin mencoba hal-hal baru. Pada tahun 2018, proporsi merokok pada remaja berusia 10–14 tahun adalah 2,1%, dan mereka rata-rata menghisap 6–7 batang setiap hari. Dengan menggunakan konsep penelitian cross-sectional dari 406 siswa laki-laki SMP negeri di kelurahan Kebayoran Lama Utara, penelitian ini memberikan gambaran tentang perilaku merokok siswa SMP negeri. Besar sampel yang digunakan adalah 117 orang yang menjawab. Dalam penelitian ini, teknik quota sampling digunakan untuk pengambilan sampel. Data penelitian ini dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner yang diisi langsung oleh responden. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa …

Early Detection Of Risk Factor For Suicidal Ideation Among Senior High School Students In Jakarta: Updated Measurement, Nova R. Yusuf, Sabarinah Prasetyo, Byron J. Good

Kesmas

The key strategy to address suicide in adolescents is school-based suicidal prevention by adapting a screening instrument to the local culture and policymakers’ perception of suicide. This study aimed to develop an instrument for the early detection of risk for suicidal ideation and identify influential risk factors for suicidal ideation among high school students in Jakarta, Indonesia. This study was conducted in 2018 with a mixed-method design (quantitative and qualitative approaches). It was found that 5% of students had suicidal ideation in July–November 2018, and 13.8% had a high-risk factor for suicidal ideation. The instrument developed in this study consisted …

Dietary Diversity As A Dominant Factor Of Energy Intake Among Breastfeeding Mothers In Depok City, Indonesia, Cornelia Lugita Santoso, Ratu Ayu Dewi Sartika, Sandra Fikawati, Fadila Wirawan, Primasti Nuryandari Putri, Nurul Husna Mohd Shukri

Kesmas

Maternal nutritional needs increase during lactation. However, the energy intake of breastfeeding mothers usually still falls short of the recommended adequacy levels. This study aimed to identify the dominant factor of energy intake in breastfeeding mothers in Sawangan District, Depok City, Indonesia. This quantitative study used a cross-sectional design from July 2022 to February 2023. Energy intake, dietary diversity, and eating frequency were collected using 24-hour food recall. Other variables were collected through interviews with structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and binary logistic regression. A total of 217 breastfeeding mothers participated in this study. This study …

Home Births Among Ethnic Minority Communities In Bokeo Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Jukkrit Wungrath, Rungrasami Sriwongphan, Krissana Kapheak, Wanchalerm Ritthimon

Kesmas

Home births among ethnic minorities in developing countries pose significant risks to maternal and neonatal health. In Lao PDR, the government has taken steps to manage home births through training traditional birth attendants, improving transportation, and establishing referral systems. However, high home birth rates in regions like Bokeo remain concerning. This review emphasized the need for more skilled birth attendants and better access to emergency obstetric care in rural, ethnic minority areas. This review used 40 articles published between 2000 and 2023 and highlighted gaps in research regarding healthcare access, cultural practices, socioeconomic barriers, and the role of traditional birth …

Telemedicine Adoption In Developing Economies: A Systematic Review On The Enablers And Barriers, Zaidbren Macabato, Lemuel Clark Velasco, Art Brian Escabarte, Mae-Lanie Ong Poblete, Armando Isla Jr., Rentor Cafino, Sarah Lizette Aquino-Cafino, Frevy Teofilo-Orencia

Kesmas

Telemedicine’s adoption has been effective in certain contexts despite being controversial in certain settings because of its tendency to cause misdiagnosis and concerns about data privacy. This study aimed to synthesize the research findings on the factors leading to the adoption of telemedicine among developing economies. The study utilized Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis methodology to analyze 27 related literature and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology to map out the factors considered enablers and barriers in adopting telemedicine. Results showed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions were significant predictors. …

Mortality Disparities Amongst African American Infants In Wisconsin, Enica C. Saffold

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American mothers have the highest infant mortality rate of any other racial group, in the United States. In Milwaukee, the rates for non-Hispanic African Americans were two to three times higher than those for non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics between 2016 and 2018. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in 2022, the infant mortality rate in 2021 was 12.9 for every 1,000 live births. This cross-sectional quantitative epidemiological study explores risk factors correlated with high infant mortality rates among Wisconsin African American mothers who gave birth to live infants between 2011 and 2021. To determine whether there is …

Strategies To Enhance Diagnostic Capabilities For The New Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (Dr-Tb) Drugs, Antonia Morita Iswari Saktiawati, Anca Vasiliu, Francesca Saluzzo, Onno W Akkerman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The global burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) continues to challenge healthcare systems worldwide. There is a critical need to tackle DR-TB by enhancing diagnostics and drug susceptibility testing (DST) capabilities, particularly for emerging DR-TB drugs. This endeavor is crucial to optimize the efficacy of new therapeutic regimens and prevent the resistance and overuse of these invaluable weapons. Despite this urgency, there remains a lack of comprehensive review of public health measures aimed at improving the diagnostics and DST capabilities. In this review, we outline strategies to enhance the capabilities, especially tailored to address the challenges posed by resistance to new …

Social Media As Health Educator: An Assessment Of The Understandability And Accuracy Of Tiktok Content About Contraception, Julianna Coleman, Maetal Haas-Kogan, Andrea Pelletier, Rachel Stoddard, Natasha Johnson, Julia Beatini, Nora Sun, Alex Keuroghlian, Deborah Bartz

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Contraception knowledge and attitudes are largely formed from conversations within one's social network. More recently, this network has expanded to include social media. As the fastest growing social media platform, we aimed to assess popular contraception videos on TikTok for content understandability, actionability and accuracy.

METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of the most viewed, contraception-specific TikTok videos that were previously coded as containing educational messaging in a content-analysis study. We assessed videos for understandability (ability to explain a key message) and actionability (identify what they can do to act on that message) using the Patient Education Materials Assessment …

Intervention Mapping For Refining A Sport-Based Public Health Intervention In Rural Schools, Mckenna G Major, Janette M Watkins, Janelle M Goss, Derek W Craig, Zack Waggoner, Vanessa M Martinez Kercher, Kyle A Kercher

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Sport-based youth development programs, delivered through campus-community partnerships, can create impactful experiences for college students, meet university objectives, and improve the health of children in under-resourced rural communities. This study aimed to pilot test intervention mapping (IM), a systematic approach to intervention development and implementation, to refine the Hoosier Sport intervention, which is a local public health initiative that utilizes the Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials (ORBITs) model to improve physical activity in middle school children. The IM process, which included a diverse IM planning and advisory group of university representatives and local schools, was guided by self-determination theory (SDT) and …

Hurricane Evacuation: Navigating Uncertainty During Covid 19 And With Existing Communication Scales, And Considering Public And Expert Perception Of Alternative Scales, Leilani D. Paxton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of current hurricane warning products and communication strategies, exploring factors influencing public perception of risk and decision-making during evacuations. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining survey data, focus group discussions, and interviews with meteorologists and emergency managers. The first paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hurricane risk perception and evacuation decisions. Findings indicate that while COVID-19 concerns played a role in some individuals' decisions, particularly those with pets or concerns about shelter conditions, the majority of participants evacuated for Hurricane Ian. The study highlights the importance of providing clear, consistent, and …

Navigating The Aftermath: Understanding Covid Impact & Addressing Health Disparities In The Post-Pandemic Recovery Symposium Executive Report, Ashlee Young, Zuri Dale

COVID Research

While the immediate crisis may have passed, the pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in public health systems. A comprehensive examination of the ongoing effects of the pandemic offering insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as we continue to recover and rebuild four years after the pandemic began is crucial. Our bold vision is to improve health and quality of life and further the science that transforms lives. This reflection is crucial to prepare for future pandemics or global health crises. The 2024 theme, Navigating the Aftermath: Understanding COVID Impact and Addressing Health Disparities in Post-Pandemic Recovery, was a …

Introduction—Bioethics After Dobbs, James Toomey

Pace Law Review

No abstract provided.

Political Polarization Harms Public Health, Shana Kushner Gadarian, Jay Van Bavel, Kai Ruggeri, Eric Knowles

Population Health Research Brief Series

Political polarization poses considerable risks to well-being. Both ideological polarization (“extremification” of policy positions and ideological orientations) and affective polarization (out-party hate) have increased over the past several decades with detrimental effects on public health. This brief summarizes the impacts of political polarization on public health in the U.S., highlighting the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study on the health risks of polarization. The authors show that, in the United States, one of the strongest predictors of COVID-19 prevention behaviors, such as social distancing and vaccination, was political partisanship. Gaps in these behaviors between Republicans and Democrats increased over the …