Digital Commons Network^™

What Is Available Vs. What Is Accessible: An Evaluation Of Resources For Kwazulu Natal Diabetics Based On The Data Of Kwazulu Natal Experts And Cato Manor Diabetics, Mollie Gurian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The objective of this study was to learn about the resources available to a diabetic and the actual ability of diabetics to access these resources. I found that two ideal paradigms of care were consistently mentioned by experts in KwaZulu Natal and at the World Diabetes Congress (WDC), the international conference on diabetes that I attended in Cape Town. The first is self-management of the disease and a patient centered approach to care. The second is a collaborative team approach to treating diabetics which involves a number of experts besides a physician. These two concepts are connected in that a …

The Complex Realities Of Indigenous Health Care Delivery, Megan Waterman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The indigenous population of Australia faces a life expectancy that is eighteen years lower than the general population. This study addresses this incredible disparity by exploring the historical, cultural and social forces that impact on health status, focussing especially on health care service utilisation. Qualitative methods of interviewing and participant observation have been used to examine the two sectors of Aboriginal health service delivery in urban Victoria: Aboriginal community controlled health organisations (ACCHOs) and mainstream organisations. Accounting for the complex forces and realities in health service delivery, this is a discussion of the important components of the current realities for …

Girls' Perception Of Physical Environmental Factors And Transportation: Reliability And Association With Physical Activity And Active Transport To School, Kelly R. Evenson, Amanda Birnbaum, Ariane L. Bedimo-Rung, James Sallis, Carolyn C. Voorhees, Kimberly Ring, John P. Elder

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background

Preliminary evidence suggests that the physical environment and transportation are associated with youth physical activity levels. Only a few studies have examined the association of physical environmental factors on walking and bicycling to school. Therefore, the purpose of this study was (1) to examine the test-retest reliability of a survey designed for youth to assess perceptions of physical environmental factors (e.g. safety, aesthetics, facilities near the home) and transportation, and (2) to describe the associations of these perceptions with both physical activity and active transport to school.

Methods

Test and retest surveys, administered a median of 12 days later, …

Spatial Cluster Detection For Censored Outcome Data, Andrea J. Cook, Diane Gold, Yi Li

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Promoting Physical Activity In Children And Youth: A Leadership Role For Schools: A Scientific Statement From The American Heart Association Council On Nutrition, Physical Activity, And Metabolism (Physical Activity Committee) In Collaboration With The Councils On Cardiovascular Disease In The Young And Cardiovascular Nursing, Russell R. Pate, Michael G. Davis, Thomas N. Robinson, Elaine J. Stone, Thomas L. Mckenzie, Judith C. Young

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reduction In Urinary Arsenic With Bottled-Water Intervention, Arun B. Josyula, Hannah Mcclellen, Tracy A. Hysong, Margaret Kurzius-Spencer, Gerald S. Poplin, Stefan Stürup, Jefferey L. Burgess

Dartmouth Scholarship

The study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of providing bottled water in reducing arsenic exposure. Urine, tap-water and toenail samples were collected from non-smoking adults residing in Ajo (n=40) and Tucson (n=33), Arizona, USA. The Ajo subjects were provided bottled water for 12 months prior to re-sampling. The mean total arsenic (microg/L) in tap-water was 20.3+/-3.7 in Ajo and 4.0+/-2.3 in Tucson. Baseline urinary total inorganic arsenic (microg/L) was significantly higher among the Ajo subjects (n=40, 29.1+/-20.4) than among the Tucson subjects (n=32, 11.0+/-12.0, p<0.001), as was creatinine-adjusted urinary total inorganic arsenic (microg/g) (35.5+/-25.2 vs 13.2+/-9.3, p<0.001). Baseline concentrations of arsenic (microg/g) in toenails were also higher among the Ajo subjects (0.51+/-0.72) than among the Tucson subjects (0.17+/-0.21) (p<0.001). After the intervention, the mean urinary total inorganic arsenic in Ajo (n=36) dropped by 21%, from 29.4+/-21.1 to 23.2+/-23.2 (p=0.026). The creatinine-adjusted urinary total inorganic arsenic and toenail arsenic levels did not differ significantly with the intervention. Provision of arsenic-free bottled water resulted in a modest reduction in urinary total inorganic arsenic.

Making Health Care Accountable: Why Performance-Based Funding Of Health Services In Developing Countries Is Getting More Attention. A Review, Nkenchor N. Igue

Economic and Financial Review

This article examines the impact of performance based health funding in developing countries. It findings reveals that developing countries spent more on performance based health services which was identified as key factor to actualizing the target goal of the United Nation (UN) program called Millennium Development Goals.

Intestinal Enzymes During Malnutrition & Infection In Rabbits, Sufia Islam, Amal K. Mitra, Ashish K. Chowdhury, Nur Haque Alam

Faculty Publications

Background & objectives: Malnutrition plays an important role in the intestinal absorption of nutrients. However, reports are not consistent whether intestinal enzymes are decreased in the presence of malnutrition. It is also not clear whether simultaneous presence of malnutrition and infection adds to the problem of malabsorption of nutrients. The aim of the present study was to determine intestinal functions in terms of concentrations of disaccharidase enzymes during diarrhoea and protein energy malnutrition. Methods: Concentrations of three disaccharidase enzymes, namely maltase, sucrase and lactase were measured in nine energy-restricted and five control rabbits during diarrhoea induced by rabbit diarrhoeagenic Escherichia …

Estimation In Semiparametric Transition Measurement Error Models For Longitudinal Data, Wenqin Pan, Donglin Zeng, Xihong Lin

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Faktor-Faktor Yang Berhubungan Dengan Pemberian Asi Satu Jam Pertama Setelah Melahirkan, Setiyowati Rahardjo

Kesmas

Di Indonesia, Angka Kematian Bayi (AKB) masih yang tertinggi di negara-negara ASEAN. Penyebab utama kematian anak balita tersebut adalah penyakit infeksi saluran nafas dan diare yang dapat dicegah antara lain dengan pemberian ASI secara benar dan tepat. Pada periode 2002-2003, sekitar 95,9% balita sudah mendapat ASI, tetapi hanya 38,7 % balita mendapat ASI pertama satu jam setelah lahir. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui berbagai faktor yang berhubungan dengan pemberian ASI dalam satu jam pertama setelah melahirkan. Penelitian ini menggunakan sumber data sekunder SDKI 2002-2003 dengan desain cross sectional. Sampel berjumlah 6.018 terdiri dari ibu yang memiliki anak berusia 0 …

Effects Of Food Marketing To Kids: I'M Lovin' It?, Eileen Salinsky

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief reviews key findings and recommendations from the Institute of Medicine study on food marketing and its effects on childhood obesity. The brief describes the childhood obesity epidemic, discusses key trends associated with rising childhood obesity rates, and considers the relative role of marketing practices on diet and obesity within the broader context of complex contributory factors. The brief also summarizes the current legal framework for regulating marketing directed at children; discusses voluntary, self-regulatory mechanisms; and highlights proposals to re-orient marketing practices to combat childhood obesity.

Characteristics Of Marijuana Users Compared To Multiple Drug Users, Swateja Nimkar

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examines drug use behavior in a self-described sample of users. Comparisons are made between subjects whose only illicit drug use is marijuana and those who use both marijuana and other drugs. Data are from the DRUGNET study (1996, 1998, 1999), a multi-panel study conducted over the internet from 1996 - 1998. This sample was predominately white, male, young, and college educated. The majority of respondents were employed with incomes in the $50,000 - $60,000 (USD) range. A subset of respondents to the DRUGNET survey was selected for this analysis. Respondents had to be at least 18 years of …

Body Image And Weight Related Behaviors: The Role Of Gender, Ethnicity, And Immigration, Tina Hoover

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Obesity rates have aggressively climbed in both children and adults, and notably for particular ethnic and lower socioeconomic status groups. National data from 1999-2002 have shown that approximately one-half of African-American women were obese, as compared to one-third of Caucasian women. It has been substantiated that a significant portion of overweight or obese children will become obese adults, with a number of factors identified that may influence obesity in children including gender, ethnicity, and environment. This study analyzed secondary data from The Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Survey administered to students at BGHS to identify variations in body image for particular …

Obesity, Physical Activity, And Mortality In A Prospective Chinese Elderly Cohort, Mary Schooling, Tai Hing Lam, Zhi Bin Li, Sai Yin Ho, Wai Man Chan, Kin Sang Ho, May Ked Tham, Benjamin J. Cowling, Gabriel M. Leung

Publications and Research

Background
In older people, it is unclear whether obesity relates to mortality, which calls into question its etiologic role in disease and its public health relevance. This apparent lack of relationship in older people could be an artifactual result of their diverse health states.

Methods
We used Cox regression analysis to determine whether the effect of body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) or physical activity on mortality varied with health status in a prospective cohort study of Chinese people 65 years or older enrolled from 1998 to 2000 at …

Clark County Child Death Review: 2006 Annual Report, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The primary goal of all Child Death Review Teams is to prevent future child deaths. The child death review process enables jurisdictions to come together in a collaborative, multidisciplinary forum to openly discuss detailed circumstances in an effort to gain a better understanding of child deaths. The team provides a venue for representatives from a variety of both public and private agencies as well as community organizations to share information in a confidential and non-threatening environment. The National Center for Child Death Review (hereinafter, National Center), which is supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department …

Using The Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 In Obesity Treatment, Adam L. Arechiga

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (OQ-45) can be used in the treatment of obesity to predict participant dropout and initial treatment success, in terms of weight loss (Lambert et. al, 2002a). The OQ-45 has been used with success to predict dropout from psychotherapy in clinical populations. It was hypothesized that higher pretreatment OQ-45 scores would be associated with less program completion and less weight loss by the end of treatment.

Method: The study employed a non-experimental time series design. Seventy-eight participants were recruited from the three local obesity treatment programs, which …

Low Birth Weight, Very Low Birth Weight And Infant Mortality In San Bernardino County : A Secondary Analysis Of Maternal Factors, Rebecca D. Nanyonjo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Purpose: National and state infant mortality rates have slowly declined over the last several years. Despite this reduction, San Bernardino County still has one of the highest infant mortality rates in California and racial disparities between Black and White infants not only persist but continue to widen. These disparities remain at the forefront of concern. Healthy People 2010 target objectives have yet to be reached, while national and state proposed plans have supported the statement that a community's largest health problem is initiated by its infant mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate maternal factors through use of …

Association Of Physical Activity With Hormone Receptor Status: The Shanghai Breast Cancer Study, Swann Arp Adams, Charles E. Matthews, James R. Hébert, Charity G. Moore, Joan E. Cunningham, Xiou-Oi Shu, Jeanette Fulton, Yutang Gao, Wei Zheng

Faculty Publications

Evidence exists that breast tumors differing by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status may be phenotypically distinct diseases resulting from dissimilar etiologic processes. Few studies have attempted to examine the association of physical activity with breast cancer subtype. Such research may prove instructive into the biological mechanisms of activity. Consequently, this investigation was designed to assess the relationship between physical activity and hormone receptor-defined breast cancers in a population of Asian women in which the distribution of receptor types differed from traditional Western populations. Participants, ages 25 to 64 years, were recruited into this population-based, case-control study of …

Aha/Acc Guidelines For Secondary Prevention For Patients With Coronary And Other Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: 2006 Update, Sidney C. Smith Jr., Jerilyn Allen, Steven N. Blair, Robert O. Bonow, Lawrence M. Brass, Gregg C. Fonarow, Scott M. Grundy, Loren Hiratzka, Daniel Jones, Harlan M. Krumholz, Lori Mosca, Richard C. Pasternak, Thomas A. Pearson, Marc A. Pfeffer, Kathryn A. Taubert

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Whole Grain Intake And Health Correlates In An Aging Population, Alexis Howard

Senior Honors Projects

Research suggests that whole grain intake may decrease the risk of heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and many types of cancer. The overall goal of this work is to increase the health status of an older adult population through comprehensive nutrition risk assessment and exposure to tailored nutrition education interventions. This project involved assisting in baseline and post-intervention assessment of the knowledge, attitude, and intake of whole grain foods within a convenience sample of fifty-eight older adults residing in low-income housing sites across Rhode Island. Anthropometry, including height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure was measured, along with …

A Coprological View Of Ancestral Pueblo Cannibalism, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

As the object of my scientific study, I’ve chosen coprolites. It’s not a common choice, but to a paleonutritionist and archaeoparasitologist, a coprolite—a sample of ancient feces preserved by mineralization or simple drying—is a scientific bonanza. Analysis of coprolites can shed light on both the nutrition of and parasites found in prehistoric cultures. Dietary reconstructions from the analysis of coprolites can inform us about, for example, the origins of modern Native American diabetes. With regard to parasitology; coprolites hold information about the ancient emergence and spread of human infectious disease. Most sensational, however, is the recent role of coprolite analysis …

La Story: Improving Care Management For The Chronically Ill And Chronically Underserved, Eileen Salinsky, Jessamyn Taylor

National Health Policy Forum

This Los Angeles-based site visit examined safety net and private sector efforts to improve care coordination for underserved and vulnerable populations, including the homeless, the uninsured, the undocumented, and individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and severe mental illness. The visit highlighted challenges and innovations in the use of disease management programs, information systems, performance incentives, and managed care as tools for improving care coordination.

Current Issues In Healthcare In Samoa “Making-Do With What Is Available”, Veronica Braden

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The objective of this research was to look at the current issues in healthcare in present day Samoa. The research was conducted over a four week period, two of which were spent observing and interviewing in the public hospital, Tupua Tamasese Meaole, and in the private hospital, MedCen. This research was conducted to look at issues such as cleanliness of facilities, the shortage of supplies and technology in the hospitals, the demand for higher salaries made by the doctors, and the reasons for the trend towards the privatization of medicine. Also researched, was the role of the government in terms …

Loaning Health: The Effectiveness Of Microfinance As An Hiv/Aids Intervention Method In Kibera Slums, Lara Berlin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Three of the major societal issues facing Kenya are poverty, gender inequalities, and HIV/AIDS, each of which acts as a catalyst for the others. In the last twenty years, microfinance has been used as an intervention method combating poverty and women’s disempowerment. As such, this study examines the effectiveness of using microfinance as an HIV/AIDS intervention method in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. The research is primarily based upon interviews with Kibera residents and members of microfinance organizations. The findings indicate that most Kibera residents believe microfinance is the best method of reducing the spread of AIDS, especially when …

Seasonal Variation In Food Intake, Physical Activity, And Body Weight In A Predominantly Overweight Population, Yunsheng Ma, Barbara C. Olendzki, W. Li, Andrea R. Hafner, David E. Chiriboga, James R. Hébert, Mary Jane Campbell, M. Sarnie, Ira S. Ockene

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE:

To describe seasonal variation in food intake, physical activity, and body weight in a predominantly overweight population.

DESIGN:

A longitudinal observational study.

SETTING:

Most of the study participants were recruited from a health maintenance organization (HMO) in central Massachusetts, USA. Additional individuals of Hispanic descent were recruited from outside of the HMO population to increase the ethnic diversity of this sample.

SUBJECTS:

Data from 593 participants, aged 20-70, were used for this investigation. Each participant was followed quarterly (five sampling points: baseline and four consecutive quarters) for 1-year period. Body weight measurements and three 24-h dietary and physical activity …

Sex-Education And Preventative And Contraceptive Services: Educação-Sexual E Serviços Contraceptivos E Preventativos, Elizabeth M. Ortiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Maternal morbidity is one of the leading causes of death amongst women in Latina America. Lack of access to Reproductive Health services has incited a continental epidemic amongst adolescent women - and should be considered a public health crisis. Yet, there is little being done by the governing male bodies to secure access and the Right to Reproductive Health services. This is not only a means of re-enforcing gendered inequalities- but also class, and racial disparities. Reproductive Health in Brazil and Northeastern Brazil in particular, serves as an allegory for socio-economic, gender, ethnic, and racial inequality in the region. The …

An Examination Of Adolescents’ Knowledge And Attitudes Related To Heart Disease, Nutrition, Physical Activity, And Media Influences And The Adoption Of A Healthy Lifestyle, Melissa Schenkman, Randolph Martin, Susan Butler

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

The present pilot study aimed to determine the attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and degree of knowledge among adolescents related to healthy eating, exercise, heart disease, the influence of television, and possible factors in modifying their attitudes toward adopting a healthy lifestyle. Juniors and seniors from two private high schools (N=62) in metro Atlanta were surveyed. The study was based on the Social Cognitive Theory and the Health Belief Model. The research questions examined the impact of nutrition and heart disease knowledge on physical activity behavior, and the impact of television media exposure on eating habits. A 36-question cross-sectional survey compiled from …

Association Between Tobacco Use And Body Mass Index In Urban Indian Population: Implications For Public Health In India, Mangesh S. Pednekar, Prakash C. Gupta, Heema C. Shukla, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

Background: Body mass index [BMI, weight (kg)/height (m2)], a measure of relative weight, is a good overall indicator of nutritional status and predictor of overall health. As in many developing countries, the high prevalence of very low BMIs in India represents an important public health risk. Tobacco, smoked in the form of cigarettes or bidis (handmade by rolling a dried rectangular piece of temburni leaf with 0.15–0.25 g of tobacco) or chewed, is another important determinant of health. Tobacco use also may exert a strong influence on BMI.

Methods: The relationship between very low BMI (< 18.5 kg/m2) and tobacco use was examined using data from a representative cross-sectional survey of 99,598 adults (40,071 men and 59,527 women) carried out in the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) in western India. Participants were men and women aged ≥ 35 years who were residents of the main city of Mumbai.

Results: …

Download Full Pdf Issue Vol. 2, Iss. 2, Thomas Jefferson University-Public Health Link, March 2006

Public Health Link

Volume 2, Issue 2, March 2006 includes: accreditation update, poster sessions, Population Health Forum, Sigma XI Research Day and Annual APHA meeting.

Pakistan - Country Profile Of Cancer And Cancer Control 1995-2004, Yasmin Bhurgri, Asif Bhurgri, Sania Nishter, Ashfaq Ahmed, Ahmed Usman, Shahid Pervez, Naila Kayani, Rashida Ahmed, Sheema H. Hassan, Ahmed Riaz, Hadi Bhurgri, Imtiaz Bashir

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.