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Socioeconomic And Environmental Causes For Respiratory Infection Death In Alaska Native Villages, Sarah Mcbeth

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objectives. This ecological study evaluates the association between community characteristics and death rates from pneumonia/influenza, tuberculosis, and infectious diseases in 196 Alaska Native villages.

Methods. Ecological variables studied included percentage of Natives in the population, age distribution, latitude, average household size, socioeconomic status, percentage of homes with complete plumbing and/or kitchens, type of heating fuel used, community alcohol restrictions, level of healthcare access, and residence in specific regions of Alaska. These data come from the 2000 U.S. Census, the Alaska Alcohol Beverage Control Board, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. A stepwise analysis of variance using the Proc GLM …

Montgomery County Breast Cancer Study: Demographic Analysis Of Breast Cancer In Montgomery County, Ohio, Danial Jilani

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Disparities exist in cancer incidence and mortality between specific population groups in the United States. Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer diagnosed in women. Breast cancer ranks as the second highest leading cause of death for women in the state of Ohio and in the United States. Perhaps more concerning, breast cancer is the leading cause of death for Hispanic women and ranks second for white, black, Asian, and Native American women. Specifically, women of low socioeconomic status (SES) have been shown to have lower rates of survival.

Methods: A descriptive study of …

Knowledge And Awareness About H1n1 Influenza (Swine Flu) Among University Students, Suneel Kumar Parvathareddy

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

H1N1 influenza (Swine influenza or Swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Worldwide, as of October 17, 2009, there have been more than 414,000 laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 and nearly 5000 deaths. The 2009 flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 and was first identified April 2009 in Mexico. On June 11, 2009, WHO declared the H1N1 outbreak as a pandemic. Worldwide, as of April 11, 2010, more than 214 countries and …

Maternal Employment And Childhood Obesity Among Immigrant Families, Qi Zhang

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

There are continued interests to examine the relationship between maternal employment and childhood obesity. However, little research has been focused on childhood obesity among immigrant families with working mothers. This study used the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics (PSID) and Child Development Supplement (CDS) in 2002 and compared the impact of maternal employment on childhood obesity between immigrant families and US-born families. The positive effect of maternal employment on children’s body weight status was much stronger in immigrant families than in US-born families. The full-time employment status of mothers had strong and significant effect on immigrant children’s BMI (beta = …

Asia's Participation In Global Health Diplomacy And Global Health Governance, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This article provides a framework for thinking about Asian approaches to and impact on global health diplomacy and governance that might contribute to more sophisticated analyses on Asia in global health politics, diplomacy, and governance. First, the article examines the "rise of Asia" and "rise of health" as overlapping but unconnected developments in international relations. Second, it analyzes how the shift of power and influence towards Asia, largely caused by China's and India's emergence as great powers; affects global health politics and potential Asian contributions to global health diplomacy and governance in the future. Third, the article looks at normative …

Community Violence As Psychosocial Stressor: The Case Of Childhood Asthma In Boston, Gonzalo Bacigalupe, Takeo Fujiwara, Sabrina Selk, Meghan Woo

Counseling, School Psychology & Sport Faculty Publication Series

Childhood asthma is a critical public health problem of urban centers in the United States and other industrialized nations. Population-based and laboratory research studies indicate that psychosocial stress differentially affects asthma expression. Witnessing or experiencing community violence is a psychosocial stressor that results in long-term biological changes that may in turn contribute to asthma morbidity. This is a review of the literature that examines the exposure to violence as a psychosocial stressor that is independently associated with asthma morbidity even after adjustment for income, housing, and other adverse life events. In addition to acting as a physiological trigger for the …

Réduction De La Contamination Bactérienne Des Fluides De Coupe Solubles, Geneviève Marchand, Jacques Lavoie, Yves Cloutier, Louise Racine, Nancy Lacombe, Éric Bélanger, Christian Lemelin, Daniel Nadeau, Jean Desroches

Rapports de recherche scientifique

En 2000, près de 8000 travailleurs québécois ont été exposés aux fluides de coupe qui servent au refroidissement et à la lubrification du métal lors de l’usinage. La croissance bactérienne dans ces fluides est une problématique reconnue qui peut entraîner une perte des qualités intrinsèques des fluides de coupe. De plus, cette croissance dans les fluides peut produire une accumulation de toxines et d’allergènes. Lors des opérations avec des fluides de coupe, des aérosols sont produits et les contaminants se retrouvent dans l’air. Ils sont alors susceptibles d’être inhalés par les travailleurs. Des bactéries ont été retrouvées dans l’air ambiant …

Acceptance, Communication Mode And Use Of Audio Computer- Assisted Self Interview Using Touchscreen To Identify Risk Factors Among Pregnant Minority Women, Jutta S. Thornberry, Kennan B. Murray, M. Nabil El-Khorazaty, Michele Kiely

Publications and Research

This paper evaluates the acceptability, communication mode and use of audio computer-assisted self-interview (A-CASI) among minority pregnant women receiving prenatal care in six Washington, DC sites. A total of 2,913 women were screened for demographic eligibility (18+ years old,gestation, Black/African-American or Hispanic) and risk (smoking, environmental tobacco smoke exposure, depression, intimate partner violence). Questions were displayed on touch screen laptop monitors and heard through earphones. The mean length of time to complete the screener was almost 6 minutes.

A-CASI experience, which included difficulty in using the computer, acceptability (enjoyment), and preferred communication mode, was compared across sites, the eligibility and …

Health Consequences Of Violence Within Marriage: Need For Strengthening The Health Sector Response, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This policy brief provides a synthesis of available evidence of the magnitude of marital violence experienced by women, including married young women, in India, and the ways in which the experience of physical and sexual violence within marriage compromises health, with a focus on sexual, reproductive, and child health, as well as mental health. It argues for strengthening the health sector response to address the needs of women who have experienced marital violence. Findings underscore the urgent need to strengthen efforts to prevent the incidence of marital violence. Recommendations include: sscreening and referring women who experience marital violence, screening activities …

The Nature Of Mothers' Work And Children's Schooling In Nepal: The Influence Of Income And Time Effects, Ashish Bajracharya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Using nationally representative cross-sectional data from the Nepal Living Standards Survey, this Population Council working paper examines the influence of the nature of mothers’ work on Nepali children’s schooling outcomes. It analyses whether the engagement of mothers (and fathers) in nonagricultural work has significant consequences for their children’s school attendance and grade attainment, compared with these consequences when parents’ work is in traditional subsistence agriculture. Results indicate that children of parents who both work in the nonagriculture sector are significantly more likely to have attended or currently be attending school and have higher grade attainment, compared with children whose parents …

A Pilot Study Of A Computer-Tailored Program To Increase Calcium And Vitamin D Consumption In Young Women: Does Adding Heel Quantitative Ultrasound Feedback Change Outcomes?, Donald H. Lein

All ETDs from UAB

Osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures are costly personal and national

Future Of Family Planning Program In Bangladesh: Issues And Challenges, Ubaidur Rob, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, A.K.M. Zafar Ullah Khan

Reproductive Health

Bangladesh experienced large population growth in the past, but due to a successful family planning program, the total fertility rate (TFR) declined rapidly until the mid-nineties. Over the last decade, the country experienced a slow pace in fertility decline with a small increase in the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR). This slow pace in fertility decline is causing serious concern for reaching replacement level fertility by 2015. CPR increased seven-fold from 1975 to 2000, but there was no significant increase from 2000-09, demonstrating the weakness of present program efforts. This raises concern among researchers, policymakers, and program managers about the prospect …

Urban Family Planning Program Of Bangladesh: Issues And Challenges, Ubaidur Rob, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, A.K.M. Zafar Ullah Khan

Reproductive Health

Extremely inadequate government primary health care (PHC) structure exists in cities in Bangladesh. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play an important role in providing basic health and family planning services to a limited proportion of the urban population. However, NGO programs are time-bound and subject to the availability of development assistance. Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of growth of urban populations among developing countries. For this teeming urban population, there is no structured family planning service. To ensure continuous family planning services in urban areas it is critical to develop a sustainable primary health care structure with the thrust on …

Guidelines For Pilot Study On Introducing Pay-For-Performance (P4p) Approach To Increase Utilization Of Maternal, Newborn And Child Health Services In Bangladesh, Directorate General Of Health Services (Dghs), Population Council, Unicef

Reproductive Health

The Population Council launched a pilot study to test two Pay-for-Performance (P4P) strategies to improve MNCH services in Bangladesh. This document presents guidelines for offering incentives to providers, distributing coupons, and forming P4P and/or Coupon Committees and Quality Assurance Groups. The guidelines were developed over the course of five policy-level and consensus-building workshops with national and local-level program managers and service providers, organized under the leadership of the DGHS, in consideration of the local context and sustainability in case of nationwide replication in the country. These guidelines will come into effect upon receiving approval from the DGHS, Ministry of Health …

Public Expenditure On Health Care In Orissa: Focus On Reproductive And Child Health Services, Sarit Kumar Rout

Reproductive Health

In view of the importance of public financing in influencing health outcomes and the paucity of studies that have explored patterns of resource allocation on reproductive and child health services, a study was undertaken in Orissa, India to examine the pattern of and trends in public expenditure on health care with a special focus on expenditure on reproductive and child health services. The study was part of the Population Council, India’s Health and Population Innovation Fellowship program. Findings indicate that major policy issues such as the transfer of power to panchayati raj institutions and those involving health administration and management, …

Increasing Early And Exclusive Breastfeeding In Rural Uttar Pradesh: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The Population Council conducted a formative study in rural Uttar Pradesh, India to determine the current status of early and exclusive breastfeeding, understand the facilitating factors and barriers in adopting the desired breastfeeding practices, and identify programmatic and behavior change communication (BCC) initiatives to promote the practice. Findings indicate that efforts by Primary Health Centre staff to counsel and encourage women to breastfeed early could significantly increase adoption of this practice. The policy brief identifies barriers that reflect a lack of knowledge and misperceptions about breastfeeding, but finds that education, supportive family members, and knowledgeable health workers can facilitate breastfeeding. …

Media Perspectives On Partnerships To Address Family Health In Northern India: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Ideosync Media Combine, a partner in the Population Council-led consortium, conducted a qualitative study of media agencies to explore the perspectives of senior media managers in northern India on the following issues: (a) the decisionmaking process related to content; (b) the approaches adopted for audience targeting and feedback; (c) the extent of health-related coverage in the media and the process of prioritization of other development issues; and (d) partnership priorities and possibilities for collaboration. The policy brief discusses findings related to these issues and presents implications for the behavior change communication strategy.

Increasing Postpartum Contraception In Rural Uttar Pradesh: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The Population Council conducted a formative study in rural Uttar Pradesh, India to assess the level of adoption of postpartum contraception for spacing among low parity women, identify the facilitating factors and barriers to the adoption of this target behavior, and identify programmatic and behavior change communications (BCC) initiatives that could accelerate the adoption of postpartum contraception for spacing and improve the service delivery system, if required, to facilitate the process. Barriers included low awareness of consequences of closely spaced births, misconceptions about contraceptive methods, lack of counseling by health workers, reluctance to include husbands, and programmatic emphasis on limiting …

Integration Of Services In Senegal, Population Council

Reproductive Health

With financial support from USAID and technical support from IntraHealth, The Population Council, Siggil Jigeen Network, and Helen Keller International, Senegal’s Ministry of Health and Prevention has built a package of integrated services called SMNI/PF/PALU. Integrating services allow women to access a wider range of information and care during the same visit and thus increases the utilization of services while also improving their quality and efficiency. Findings in this report indicate that integration of services is a central feature of SMNI/PF/PALU’s success. In conjunction with integrated service delivery models, program activities which strengthen systems and support efficient implementation of services …

Intégration Des Services Au Sénégal, Population Council

Reproductive Health

With financial support from USAID and technical support from IntraHealth, The Population Council, Siggil Jigeen Network, and Helen Keller International, Senegal’s Ministry of Health and Prevention has built a package of integrated services called SMNI/PF/PALU. Integrating services allow women to access a wider range of information and care during the same visit and thus increases the utilization of services while also improving their quality and efficiency. Findings in this report indicate that integration of services is a central feature of SMNI/PF/PALU’s success. In conjunction with integrated service delivery models, program activities which strengthen systems and support efficient implementation of services …

Greenstar Social Marketing Private-Sector Activities In Paiman Project: Process Evaluation Of Greenstar Social Marketing Initiatives To Improve And Expand Maternal And Newborn Health Services And Coverage, Munir Afridi

Reproductive Health

The Population Council provided support for this process evaluation of Greenstar Social Marketing which established a healthcare private provider network (GoodLife clinics) primarily in the urban areas in 10 districts of the PAIMAN project in Pakistan. This network provides maternal and newborn health and reproductive health and family planning services and products. The information collected in this survey points to areas where Greenstar strategies are close to being fully met as well as to areas where the strategies are not being met. The detailed findings should allow Greenstar to focus on those areas most in need of attention: all groups—provider, …

Improving Maternal And Neonatal Health: Measuring The Impact Of The Paiman Project In Ten Districts In Pakistan—Comparing Baseline And End-Line Household Survey Findings (2005-2010), Arshad Mahmood

Reproductive Health

The Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) project was implemented by a consortium including the Population Council to assist the Government of Pakistan to improve the status of maternal and newborn health in 10 districts. PAIMAN strategized specific interventions designed to improve awareness and promote positive maternal and neonatal health behaviors; to increase access to maternal and child health services; to improve service quality in the public and private sectors to manage obstetric and neonatal complications; to increase the capacity of healthcare system managers and providers in maternal and neonatal health; and to improve management and integration of services …

Improving Maternal And Neonatal Health: Measuring The Impact Of The Paiman Project In Ten Districts In Pakistan—A Summary: Comparing Baseline And Endline Survey Findings (2005-2010), Pakistan Initiative For Mothers And Newborns (Paiman)

Reproductive Health

This is a summary of the Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) project’s endline report. The project interventions fell into two broad areas: 1) health systems upgradation and 2) behavior change communication/community mobilization. The thrust of PAIMAN efforts were aimed at reducing the health risk to mothers and newborns by increasing knowledge of danger signs, risks and birth preparedness and, most importantly, improving antenatal and delivery practices. The report concludes that PAIMAN has had a positive impact on overall maternal and neonatal health indicators; success has been recorded in almost all areas, albeit with varying degrees of coverage and …

Training Institutions For Community Midwives In Pakistan: An Initial Assessment, Zakir Hussain Shah, Momina Salim, Mumraiz Khan

Reproductive Health

This study focuses on the training of community midwives (CMWs) in Pakistan, to specifically look at the institutions providing CMW training to see what resources (both physical and human resources) they had available and how these resources were being utilized. This study served as an early evaluation of the trainings and upgrades by the PAIMAN project, to assess how their interventions fared, and provides documentation for future decisions regarding the management, training, and practice of CMWs in Pakistan. As Pakistan transitions from a country with a high level of home births to a country where most births take place in …

Assessing The Feasibility Of Home Administration Of Misoprostol In The Prevention Of Postpartum Hemorrhage In Rural Pakistan, Ali M. Mir, Abdul Wajid, Sadaf Gull

Reproductive Health

This report details an operations research project carried out by the Population Council as part of the Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns. The overall goal of the project was to test the feasibility of administering misoprostol for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in a home setting through community‐based healthcare providers, including traditional birth attendants (TBAs), or family members, in two districts of Pakistan. Furthermore, it aimed to identify common side effects of misoprostol and determine the reduction in demand for referral due to PPH after oral ingestion of misoprostol. The results provide a useful addition to the literature …

Encouraging Abandonment Of Fgm/C Among The Somali Community In Wajir, Kenya, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This report summarizes key achievements of a two-year project to foster community‐wide abandonment of FGM/C by developing and testing the feasibility of working closely with communities highly resistant to external influences. The diagnostic study aimed to identify culturally appropriate empowerment strategies for women and youth in the Somali community.

The Pregnancy Cycle Approach To Safe Motherhood, Saumya Ramarao, Sarah Raifman

Reproductive Health

The Population Council's Reproductive Health program partnered with the Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF), the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), and the PAC Consortium, to address the UN Millenium Development Goal of improving maternal health, and reducing child mortality. Specifically this brief examines the pregnancy cycle approach whereby women’s needs from facilitating a desired pregnancy to successful parturition are addressed in a range of settings—home, community and health facility. This brief covers the different stages including abortion and postabortion care, antenatal care, delivery, and postpartum and beyond.

Improving Quality Of Health Care For Gender-Based Violence Victims At Health Facilities In Viet Nam, Mai Quoc Tung, Meiwita P. Budiharsana, Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, Jane H. Patten

Reproductive Health

This report presents the results of the May 2009 baseline (pre-intervention) assessment among health care providers (HCPs), and the July 2010 pre- and post-Training of Trainers assessments among HCPs, in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Da Nang, regarding the issue of quality of care for victims of gender-based violence (GBV) at health facilities in Vietnam. The views of HCPs detailed in this report represent an important foundation for project development and implementation in the study locations. The pre- and post-Training of Trainers questionnaire aimed to assess the HCPs on the topics covered in the training course. The results showed …

Role Of Information And Communication Technologies (Icts) In Behavior Change Communication In Northern India, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This research brief examines the growth of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) and its uses in the health sector, as well as existing and emerging ICT applications that have the potential to rapidly accelerate the adoption of family health practices. It also looks at its use in behavior change communication strategies to deliver services for improving family health outcomes. The findings indicate that ICTs, particularly mobile phones are likely to have a wider reach among rural populations. It also recommends scaling up multiple interaction systems using ICTs.

The Role Of Traditional Leaders In Preventing And Addressing Sexual And Gender-Based Violence: Findings From Kwazulu-Natal, Northwest And Limpopo Provinces In South Africa, Mantshi Teffo-Menziwa, Saiqa Mullick, Prince Cedza Dlamini

Reproductive Health

The Population Council, in partnership with the Ubuntu Institute, embarked on a program to engage traditional Leaders in three South African provinces (North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo) to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in rural communities. The overarching goals of the program were to strengthen linkages between the Population Council and traditional communities, generate and share strategic information on SGBV, strengthen prevention and response to child sexual assault, engage new partners to address prevention of and access to SGBV services, and expand access to comprehensive post-rape services by working with traditional leadership structures. Some of the key findings reflect …