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Pregnancy Management Strategies And Childbirth Experiences Of Internally Displaced Women In Barranquilla, Colombia, Bre Bolivar

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

This ethnographic study aims to illuminate the experiences of pregnant and new mothers in poor areas of Colombia with respect to pregnancy and childbirth. Ethnographic observations including key informant qualitative interviews were performed by the primary investigator in four different neighborhoods in and around the city of Barranquilla, Colombia, over the course of 3 months. A total of 24 women were interviewed, and additional interviews were held with Colombian medical students, religious workers and not-for-profit healthcare leaders. I seek to better understand the perspectives of these internally displaced women in terms of contraception use including the sense of necessity of …

Malaria And Related Outcomes In Patients With Intestinal Helminths: A Cross-Sectional Study, Abraham Degarege, Mengistu Legesse, Girmay Medhin, Abebe Animut, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: The effects of helminth co-infection on malaria in humans remain uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the nature of association of intestinal helminths with prevalence and clinical outcomes of Plasmodium infection.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 1,065 malaria suspected febrile patients was conducted at Dore Bafeno Health Center, Southern Ethiopia, from December 2010 to February 2011. Plasmodium and intestinal helminth infections were diagnosed using Giemsa-stained blood films and Kato-Katz technique, respectively. Haemoglobin level was determined using a haemocue machine.

RESULTS: Among 1,065 malaria suspected febrile patients, 28.8% were positive for Plasmodium parasites (P. falciparum =13.0%, P. vivax =14.5%, P. …

Taiwanese Preferences And Cultural Factors Influencing Visuals In Taiwanese Health Pamphlets, Lucas Keola Baclayon

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study aims to discover what preferences Taiwanese people have for visuals in health documents, with the research question being, "What are Taiwanese preferences for visuals and visual elements in health documents?" Research is conducted through a mixed-methods approach with a comparative analysis of a collection of American and Taiwanese health pamphlets, surveys conducted with Taiwanese people inquiring about preferences concerning visuals in health documents, and interviews conducted with doctors educated and practicing in Taiwan. In this way, the study moves from what visuals are currently being used, to what kinds of visuals Taiwanese people prefer, to how health professionals …

The Effects Of The Built Environment On Physical Activity In Rural Upstate New York, Kimberly Moore

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Physical activity across the lifespan is associated with numerous health benefits. That the built environment can influence physical activity is a widely accepted hypothesis which has been examined extensively in urban/suburban and across urban-rural environments. Numerous census variables, such as housing density, percent renter, and others related to urbanity, are related to physical activity and built environment measures. However, the rural built environment's influence on adult physical activity is relatively unexplored.

Prognostic Implications Of Oral Health Status In Hiv-Positive Women In St. Petersburg, Russia, Anna Vinogradova

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: To assess state of oral health in HIV-positive women in St. Petersburg, Russia and to study the association of oral health with pregnancy status and other factors in this sample.

The Burden Of Hepatitis C Virus In New York State, Rachel Hart Malloy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is estimated to be the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States (US). Annual incidence of HCV in the US peaked in the late 1980's, declined steadily through the 1990's and has plateaued since 2003 with approximately 18,000 new cases in 2008. The morbidity and mortality associated with HCV is expected to rise until at least 2015. Due to the high rate of asymptomatic cases, inherent limitations with target screening recommendations, limitations with screening technologies and scarce resources for surveillance nationwide, quantification of the burden is difficult. US estimates of disease burden have …

Trace Element Analysis Of Environmental And Clinical Materials Using Novel Instrumentation Based On X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry : New Capabilities For Public Health Laboratories, Kathryn G. Mcintosh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry is a well-established analytical technique for determining the elemental content of many different materials. XRF has long been used for public health applications, particularly for identifying lead-based paint hazards. The primary advantage of XRF over other atomic spectrometric techniques is that it is nondestructive. In addition, little sample preparation is required, so results are obtained rapidly and at low cost. The principal aim of this study was to characterize the utility and reliability of current XRF instrumentation for use in the environmental health sciences. Interest in the use of XRF for detecting lead in children's toys …

Occupational Exposure And Risk Of Skin Cancer In A Multinational European Study, Simona Surdu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) comprise more than one third of all cancers, and are increasing worldwide. The most common NMSC are Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). Studies on humans and animals suggest that sunlight and arsenic play important roles in the pathogenesis of these skin malignancies. However, the number of epidemiological studies focusing on NMSC in workers exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation or airborne arsenic is limited, and the findings are contradictory.

Ecological Literacy, Nutrition Knowledge, And Dietary Practices Among Students At University At Albany, Elaine Hills

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

University students (N=1,924) at a large public university were surveyed to measure their nutrition knowledge, dietary practices, and ecological literacy. A quantitative measure of ecological literacy was developed for this purpose, reflecting familiarity with nature, awareness of one's personal impact on local and global ecologies, and personal lifestyle choices that demonstrate civic responsibility for the natural environment. The association between nutrition knowledge and dietary practices was compared to the association between ecological literacy and dietary practices. The results showed that: (1) many students were not familiar with public health eating recommendations and did not eat recommended amounts of foods, particularly …

Health Behind And Beyond Bars : Understanding The Link Between Incarceration And Health, Lauren C. Porter

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The primary aim of this dissertation is to better understand the link between incarceration and health. Drawing on a sample of young adults from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), the effect of incarceration on self-rated health, serious injury, STD infection, cold/flu symptoms, and blood pressure is assessed. The effect of incarceration on health behavior is also examined, including diet, smoking, binge drinking, and physical activity. In order to rule out selection bias, current and former inmates are compared to respondents who have been arrested (or arrested and convicted of a crime), but not incarcerated. Findings suggest …

Seafood Consumption And Use Of Asian Herbal Preparation As A Source Of Exposure To Multiple Trace Elements In The Study Of Metals And Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Smart), Dongsul Kim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

As, Cd, Cs, Hg, Pb, and Zn may be associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Seafood and Asian herbal preparations are identified as sources of exposure to these essential and non-essential trace elements in humans. The goal of the study is to assess associations between seafood consumption and the use of Asian herbal preparations and levels of essential and non-essential trace elements in biologic specimens collected from couples undergoing IVF. Fifty-nine couples completing a first IVF cycle at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Center for Reproductive Health were recruited to participate in the Study of Metals and …

Prenatal Participation In Wic : Impact On Breastfeeding Initiation And Duration And On Infant Weight Gain, Lynn S. Edmunds

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is one of the most studied federal food assistance programs. However, few studies have examined the association between maternal WIC participation and breastfeeding or weight gain during infancy. Prenatal WIC participation provides an important widow of influence on birth outcomes but also on early life risk factors for chronic disease. This study utilizes a cohort of WIC enrolled infants to assess the added effect of prenatal exposure to WIC on two specific outcomes - breastfeeding initiation and duration and rate of infant weight gain.

The Effectiveness Of An Incentivized Program To Increase Daily Fruit And Vegetable Dietary Intake By Low Income, Middle-Aged Women, Rebecca White

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Little is known about the effectiveness of the SagePlus' Smart Choices Fruits and Vegetables Program's influence on behavior change and the effects of that behavior change on the cardiovascular health of the participants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the SagePlus Smart Choices Fruits and Vegetables Program at increasing the number of fruits and vegetables in participants' diets and decreasing their cardiovascular disease risk factors. A nonexperimental, descriptive correlational design was used in this study. The Minnesota Department of Health provided data from 327 SagePlus participants that had re-enrolled in the SagePlus Smart Choices Fruits …

Addis Birhan Wendoch ('New Light Boys'): Working With Boys And Young Men To Create Healthier Futures, Woldemariam Girma, Diane Rubino, Annabel Erulkar, Worku Ambelu, Ayenechew Kerie

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council and the Ethiopian Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs designed Addis Birhan Wendoch to impart life skills and promote gender-equitable, nonviolent, and healthy behaviors among boys and young men aged 10 to 24. The program helps out-of school boys and young men in Ethiopia navigate toward a healthier future by providing them with trained, compassionate mentors and safe environments in which they can find the support needed to share ideas and take positive actions. Through frank and open discussions, boys have the opportunity to get the facts on a range of essential topics from financial literacy …

Impact Of The Choosing The Best Program In Communities Committed To Abstinence Education, Lisa D. Lieberman, Haiyan Su

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

States vary in standards for sex education, some requiring an emphasis on abstinence. Schools seek to identify curricula that reflect local community values and meet state standards. Choosing the Best (CTB), a classroom-based abstinence education curriculum, has been implemented in 75 Georgia school districts since 1995. CTB Inc., sought to determine if this popular program had an impact on abstinence attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Six Georgia public schools (1,143 ninth graders) participated in the study in 2009-2010. Four randomly assigned schools received the CTB curriculum, taught by trained CTB staff. Two control schools received their usual textbook-based abstinence lessons. Surveys …

The Health Of Vulnerable Adolescent Girls: A Strategic Investment For Double Return, Jennifer Catino

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Worldwide there are 1.2 billion adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19. Nearly 90 percent of them live in developing countries, and approximately 600 million are female. While adolescence is normally a time of good health, numerous developmental and social changes occur during this period, many of which have health implications, especially for girls. Most of the girls and young women in the developing world live in conditions that make them vulnerable to health and social risks. They are often poor, out-of-school, married, migrants, members of ethnic minorities, or engaged in unsafe labor. Girls from many of the poorest …

De La Recherche À La Conception Programmatique Et À La Mise En Oeuvre : Programmation À L'Intention Des Filles Des Milieux Ruraux D'Éthiopie—Boîte À Outils Du Praticien, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Cette boîte à outils décrit comment créer ou améliorer des programmes pour les filles de l’Éthiopie rurale, en vue d'accroître le nombre de programmes organisés à leur intention et de les rendre pertinents et mieux adaptés à leur contexte. La boîte à outils décrit un processus d’élaboration programmatique fermement ancré dans les faits. Les chapitres procèdent dès lors d’un point de départ axé sur la recherche pour identifier et décrire les filles, pour se concentrer ensuite sur le développement programmatique émanant des données, et aboutir enfin sur la mise en œuvre guidée par le suivi et l’évaluation permanents.

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Is Early Childhood Care And Education A Good Investment For Egypt? Estimates Of Educational Impacts, Costs, And Benefits, Caroline Krafft

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief examines Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in Egypt. Findings suggest that expansion of ECCE is a good investment. Providing kindergarten to all Egyptian children, and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, could be an important step toward greater equality, efficiency, and attainment in the education system.

The Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights Of Young People In India: A Review Of The Situation, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper summarizes the sexual and reproductive health situation of young people in India, sheds light on those sub-populations of young people who are most vulnerable to adverse sexual and reproductive outcomes, and assesses the barriers that compromise the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people at the individual and family levels, as well as at the health system level.

Characterization Of Pasteurella Multocida Strains Isolated From Geese, Zsuzsanna Varga, Dmitriy V. Volokhov, Laszlo Stipkovits, Akos Thuma, Boglarka Sellyei, Tibor Magyar

United States Food and Drug Administration: Publications

Phenotypic and genotypic diversity of forty-two Pasteurella multocida isolates from geese were characterized by analysis of their capsular type, Heddleston serotype, biotype, fimbrial gene allele type, comparative outer membrane protein (OMP) electrophoresis patterns, and were analyzed using PCR for the presence of virulence-associated genes (toxA, tbpA, pfhA, hgbA, hgbB, nanH, nanB, fimA, hsf-1, and pmHAS). A sequence comparison of the thdF and rpoB housekeeping genes of twenty representative P. multocida strains from three different OMP groups demonstrated that seventeen strains were closely related phylogenetically to previously published strains of P. multocida subsp. multocida and P. multocida subsp. gallicida, and only …

Recent Advances In The Application Of Non Thermal Methods For The Prevention Of Salmonella In Foods, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Books/Book Chapters/ Proceedings

Food-borne illness as a result of consumption of foods contaminated with pathogenic bacteria is a world-wide concern. The presence and subsequent growth of micro-organisms in food in addition to improper storage not only results in spoilage but also in a reduction of food quality. The microbiological safety in ready to eat products is a cause of big concern not only for the consumers and food industries but also for the regulatory agencies. The number of documented outbreaks of foodborne diseases has increased in the last decade with Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli being responsible for the largest number …

Target Population Involvement In Urban Ciclovias: A Preliminary Evaluation Of St. Louis Open Streets, J. Aaron Hipp, Amy A. Eyler, Jill Kuhlberg

Brown School Faculty Publications

Ciclovias are active street events when roads are open to walkers, cyclists, and families and closed to automobiles. Over 70 cities in the USA have implemented ciclovias to promote physical activity. The authors evaluated four events during 2010 to determine what activities participants perform and who is attending. For two ciclovia events in St. Louis, Missouri, observation reports of activities, gender, and age of 1,452 participants were collected, and 82 adults were interviewed via direct approach. The survey covered six domains: physical activity, travel to event, sense of community, marketing, economic impact, and demographics. Each event occurred within the city, …

Vitamin D Mitigates Age-Related Cognitive Decline Through The Modulation Of Pro-Inflammatory State And Decrease In Amyloid Burden, Teresita L. Briones, Hala Darwish

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Increasing evidence shows an association between the use of vitamin D and improvement in age-related cognitive decline. In this study, we investigated the possible mechanisms involved in the neuroprotective effects of vitamin D on age-related brain changes and cognitive function.

Methods

Male F344 rats aged 20 months (old) and 6 months (young) were used and randomly assigned to either vitamin D supplementation or no supplementation (control). A total of n = 39 rats were used in the study. Rats were individually housed and the supplementation group received a subcutaneous injection of vitamin D (1, α25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) 42 I.U./Kg …

Rehabilitation Utilization And The Marginal Cost Of Ischemic Stroke In South Carolina, Ann-Catherin Simpson

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

This study uses Medicare claims from 1997 and 2004 to examine two important health policy issues using patients with ischemic stroke as an example. We explore the differences in rehabilitation services utilization and expenditures for stroke prior to and after outpatient rehabilitation caps were enacted. We then examine the effect of using a total cost approach versus a marginal cost method to estimate the first year cost of stroke and stroke rehabilitation. We found the cap did constrain outpatient rehabilitation utilization and cost of rehabilitation services if examined only using Medicare Part B provider costs, but not when facility costs …

Survival Analysis Of Dialysis Patients Under Parametric And Non-Parametric Approaches, Maryam Siddiqa, Mueen -Ud -Din Azad, Muhammad K. Pervaiz, Muhammad Ghias, Gulzar H. Shah, Uzma Hafeez

Health Policy & Management: Faculty Publications (2006-2018)

Dialysis is a recommended way of treatment for end stage kidney diseases and it provides a life saving procedure. Transplantation can also be useful source but it is restricted by financial limitations especially in developing countries like Pakistan. Censoring is an important part of the survival data which causes insensitivity to the usual procedures of analysis. A little work has been done in literature regarding the estimated survival time of dialysis patients in Pakistan. So, this study has estimated the median survival time of male/females patients separately by parametric and non-parametric approaches. Moreover, comparison of survival time to patients (50 …

Rights Of Ohio Mothers: Best Practices For The Pediatric Patient With A Life-Threatening Illness, Kelly Peekstok

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and review current best practices with regards to a minor’s refusal of life-sustaining medical treatment. The policies of other developed countries and states within the United States serve as a guide for developing evidence-based guidelines for Ohio healthcare professionals. Four specific cases were identified and then analyzed. The results showed that in three of the four cases, the wishes of the minor were followed. While each case contains its own set of complexities, creating a developmental guideline for healthcare organizations will ensure protection of the minor’s capacity to make autonomous decisions.

Chronic Disease Prevalence Of A Refugee Population In Dayton, Oh, Sandeep Palakodeti

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Introduction: This study aimed to understand the chronic disease burden of anemia, cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, overweight/obesity, stroke, and tobacco use in the domestic as well as a refugee population. It also aimed to examine the current literature on appropriate screening for those conditions.

Methods: 348 refugee screening intake exams from Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County were analyzed for presence of the conditions stated. Screening intake recommendations from the CDC, the Minnesota Public Health Department, the Canadian Collaboration for Immigrant and Refugee Health, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services were examined and compared in order …

Analysis Of An Improved Cook Stove Intervention In Rural Guatemala, Chad Graven

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

An estimated three billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and nearly two million people die prematurely from illness attributable to indoor air pollution from solid fuel use. According to the World Health Organization, “every year, indoor air pollution is responsible for the death of 1.6 million people...one death every twenty seconds.” Various international groups, government initiatives, and communities have attempted to improve this indoor air pollution problem around the world by implementing various improved cook stove models. In July, 2011, Partners In Health (PIH) and Equipo Técnico de Educación en Salud Comunitaria (ETESC) co-directed the delivery …

Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors: Investigation Of An Educational Intervention Strategy With At-Risk Females, Susan Romano Rustvold

Dissertations and Theses

A self-perpetuating cycle of poor health literacy and poor oral health knowledge and behavior affects approximately 90 million people in the United States, most especially those from low-income groups and other at-risk populations such as those with addiction. Poor oral health can result from lack of access to regular preventive dental appointments, lack of access to restorative care when dental diseases are treatable, and low oral health knowledge that leads to poor oral health self-care behaviors. In addition, patients' dental anxiety can impede care, because highly anxious people often avoid dental appointments. To address these issues, this inquiry examined oral …

Risk Factors For Homelessness Among Community Mental Health Patients With Severe Mental Illness, Rupert Talmage Van Wormer

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors associated with homelessness, assess the relationship between housing status and consumption of costly publicly funded resources, to identify characteristics associated with service retention, and to evaluate whether length of treatment is associated with better outcomes. The target population was homeless and formerly homeless adults with SMI enrolled in community mental health services at the Downtown Emergency Service Center SAGE mental health program located in Seattle. The sample consisted of 380 SAGE patients who had continuous enrollment in 2005. These patients formed the cohort for the study. Agency records for these …