Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Relationship Between Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Oxide, Carbon Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide And Hypertension In Urban Areas In India: A Review, Hiren Kolli

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

While blood pressure may be decreasing around the world, it has been on the rise in India (Kounteya, 2012). According to the World Health Organization, the average blood pressure went down by 2.7mm Hg among women globally, while increasing by 2.4mm Hg in India. In men, blood pressure decreased by 2.3mm Hg globally in the past three decades but increased by 2.2mm Hg in India (Kounteya, 2012). Almost three-quarters of people with hypertension live in developing countries with limited health resources where there is very low awareness of hypertension, and India is one of these countries. Hypertension is the leading …

The Nature And Perceived Influence Of Lifestyle Discussions With Older Adults In Primary Care, Shoshana H. Bardach

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

The Nature and Perceived Influence of Lifestyle Discussions with Older Adults in Primary Care Rationale: A healthy diet and physical activity help with disease prevention and disease management and can promote quality of life regardless of the age at which an individual begins engaging in these behaviors. Despite the value of these health behaviors, many older adults do not follow lifestyle recommendations. Given that older adults frequently interact with the healthcare system, primary care providers are well situated to counsel older adults to improve their health behaviors. Unfortunately, we do not know how to most effectively engage in this counseling. …

In Utero Exposure To Antiretroviral Medication And Congenital Malformation Outcomes In New York State 1998-2010, Stephen Goins

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: To examine the relationships between HIV ARV use during pregnancy and congenital malformations outcomes in New York State.

Participation In Immersion Weight Loss Treatment May Benefit, Not Harm, Young Adult Staff Members, Katherine Elizabeth Schaumberg

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

American teens and young adults are at risk for developing pathological eating patterns, which can lead to eating disorders and obesity. Despite the success of weight management programs for obese individuals, some researchers caution that participation in an aggressive approach to weight management could promote the development of eating disorders. The current study evaluated the risks of following a weight management program for healthy young adults who served as staff members in immersion treatment of obesity over the course of a summer. Participants included Wellspring staff members (n = 108) along with a comparison group of young adults with similar …

Hypertension Prevalence Among Adults In The United States (Nhanes 2007-2010) : Are There Race And Hispanic Origin Differences?, Philip M. Dimura

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of hypertension across race and ethnic categories in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for years 2007 to 2010.

The Role Of Adaptation To Disability And Disease In Public Health, Meghan Mary Connors

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Some patients with chronic disabilities and diseases are able to adapt to their health states and, as a result, rate their quality of life higher than hypothetical patients imagining themselves to be in such states. Due to this phenomenon of adaptation, there is much controversy surrounding the effect of adaptation on patient preferences and the role that these adapted preferences ought to play in health care resource allocation decisions. The process of adaptation affects public health debates about whether we ought to give priority to the worst off in allocation decisions because within traditional public health frameworks, it is unclear …

Risk Factors For Injection Versus Non-Injection Drug Use Among Men In Kermanshah City, Iran In 2005 : An Observational Study, Kamiar Alaei

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

Alternative Vaccination Schedules (Avs) : Detection Of Avs In New York State Using Immunization Registry Data, Jessica A. Nadeau

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Intentional deviation from the recommended childhood vaccine schedule (RVS), referred to as an alternative vaccination schedule (AVS) is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States. Physicians may accommodate vaccine-hesitant parents with an AVS as a compromise position to allow some vaccinations to be given, but in doing so children remain vulnerable to vaccine-preventable disease for a longer period of time. This research expands upon the nascent literature by proposing a unified definition of AVS, quantifying the prevalence of infants following an AVS in New York State (NYS) (exclusive of New York City) by geographic area and community and medical practice …

Social Interaction And Youth Smoking, Min Chen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Young people are psychologically immature, and are easy to be influenced by others to engage in risky behaviors. Based on the data from the NLSY79, this dissertation examines how maternal smoking, sibling smoking, and living in urban and rural areas impact on youth smoking decisions.

Exposure To Persistent Organic Pollutants And Metabolic Diseases, Zafar Zayirovich Aminov

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of diseases that tend to occur together, including diabetes, hypertension, central obesity, cardiovascular disease and hyperlipidemia. Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been associated with increased risk of development of several of the components of the MetS.

Using Administrative Data To Estimate The Burden Of Chlamydia Among Medicaid Managed Care Enrollees In New York State, Lindsay W. Cogan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is of public health concern because of its adverse effects on reproduction. Women infected with Chlamydia can develop pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to serious reproductive system morbidity including ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

Does Intimate Partner Violence Affect The Acceptability Of Expedited Partner Therapy?, Suzanne Elizabeth Beck

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Studies have identified associations between intimate partner violence (IPV) and elevated risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI). An estimated 6% of women in the United States have experienced physical and/or sexual assault inflicted by an intimate partner in the previous year. Of those with an STI, chlamydia is disproportionately reported for women. In 2009, New York State legalized Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for chlamydial infections; however clinicians are lacking guidance with respect to appropriate use of EPT when IPV is a concern.

Function And Regulation Of Intestinal P450 Enzymes : Insights From Conditional Cytochrome P450 Reductase Knockout Mouse Models, Yi Zhu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The overall goal of this thesis work was to investigate the function and regulation of intestinal P450 enzymes (P450s). The central hypotheses are that 1) small intestinal (SI) P450s play an important role in the first-pass clearance of oral drugs and in bioactivation of chemicals that cause intestinal toxicity, 2) endogenous regulatory compounds produced by intestinal P450s are important for protection against chemical-induced colon inflammation, and 3) there is a cross talk between the liver and the SI that helps to maintain the overall xenobiotic-metabolism capacity of the digestive tract.

Effect Of Data Aggregation At Two Geographic Levels On The Association Between Absms And Gonorrhea Rates In Nys, 1999-2001, Christina Michelle Gray

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study compared the association between residential area factors and gonorrhea, aggregated at both the census tract versus ZIP code levels. Prior research has found that census block groupings are most optimal in neighborhood-level studies, followed by census tracts and ZIP codes. Because several healthcare databases currently only provide ZIP code level data, the aim of this study was to examine whether there exists a meaningful difference between the interpretation of census tract and ZIP code aggregate data. Our study measured the association between socioeconomic factors and gonorrhea in New York State, exclusive of New York City (NYC), census tracts …

Role Of P450 Enzymes In Tobacco Dependence And Lung Tumorigenesis, Lei Li

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The overall aim of this study is to better define the roles of P450 enzymes, particularly those in the CYP2A, 2B, and 2F gene subfamilies, in the metabolism and actions of tobacco-related chemicals. Tobacco smoke contains numerous compounds that are deleterious to health, including the primary addictive component nicotine and procarcinogenic compounds, such as naphthalene (NA) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). Our main hypotheses are i) that CYP2A and 2B enzymes are largely responsible for nicotine metabolism, and they can impact nicotine dependence; and ii) that CYP2A, 2B, and 2F enzymes play important and tissue-specific roles in NA and NNK bioactivation, leading …

Assessment Of Human Exposure To Perchlorate And Perfluoroalkyl Substances In The United States : Biomonitoring And Environmental Monitoring Approaches, Qian Wu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Perchlorate is an oxidant in solid fuels and explosives and is produced in large quantities worldwide. Perchlorate is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant and is present in water, food, indoor environment and humans. Human exposure to perchlorate is a concern due to its ability to disrupt the thyroid gland functions.

Observations On Eye Care In Lamu, Kenya: Overlooked Needs And Proposed Interventions, Erick Henderson, Rebecca Gearhart

Scholarship

These notes draw attention to the underserved eye care needs of residents of Lamu, Kenya. They are comprised of observations that we, Rebecca Gearhart, an anthropology professor at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) and Erick Henderson, an IWU biology and pre-optometry major and president of the Optometry Club, made while volunteering at a clinic in Lamu, Kenya during the summer of 2011. Plans to establish a temporary eye clinic emerged after Rebecca discovered that Erick was an optometric technician who might use his portable optometry lens set to fit residents of Lamu Town on Lamu Island for glasses and teach them …

Data Mining And Pattern Discovery Using Exploratory And Visualization Methods For Large Multidimensional Datasets, Hsin-Fang Li

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Oral health problems have been a major public health concern profoundly affecting people’s general health and quality of life. Given that oral health data is composed of several measurable dimensions including clinical measurements, socio-behavioral factors, genetic predispositions, self-reported assessments, and quality of life measures, strategies for analyzing multidimensional data are neither computationally straightforward nor efficient. Researchers face major challenges to identify tools that circumvent the processes of manually probing the data.

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide applications of the proposed methodology on oral health-related data that go beyond identifying risk factors from a single dimension, and to …

Why I Am Optimistic About My Post Phd-Degree Life – A Commentary, Sophia L. Johnson

Florida Public Health Review

Public health is an area where we will always need professionally-prepared people. Whereas some soon-to-be graduates are concerned about their future job prospects, others express optimism, undeterred by the economic downturn of the past five years and the funding challenges that currently burden higher education. Staying focused and finding the right niche may be the key to a successful future.

Why I Am Worried About My Post Mph-Degree Life – A Commentary, Marissa Berrier

Florida Public Health Review

Public health is an area where we will always need professionally-prepared people, but despite the aging of the public health workforce, some soon-to-graduate MPH students are concerned that there might not be a place for them. Perhaps now more than ever public health professional programs and schools need to devote increased resources toward internships, skill development, and job placement.

Breaking The Silence: Learning About Youth Sexual And Reproductive Health In Egypt, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Sally Saher, Nora El Nawawi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This collection of research (supported by the Ford Foundation office in Cairo) documents the Population Council’s efforts to build the capacity of young Egyptian researchers to study youth sexual and reproductive health. Understanding the needs of young Egyptians, including their sexual and reproductive health needs, is crucial for developing policies and programs that can help bring about desired changes and improve their health and well-being. Young people must be given accurate information and access to services to protect their sexual and reproductive health and to prepare them for taking on family responsibilities as they get older. This report sets the …

The Effects Of Whole Body Vibration On Muscle Recovery And Performance, Nicole Dabbs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Facilitating muscle recovery in trained individuals is essential, as it allows for a quicker return to activity without reduction in performance. Many proposed modalities have been studied but have not shown consistent effectiveness. A relatively new modality, whole-body vibration (WBV) has been shown to increase strength and power outcomes and recently has been shown to decrease perceived pain associated with muscle soreness. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of WBV following exercise induced muscle damage over a period of 72 hours in recreationally trained females. Participants were randomly selected into either the control group or …

Geographical Proximity To Health Facilities And Breast Cancer Morbidity And Mortality Among Women In South Carolina's Best Chance Network, Leepao Khang

Theses and Dissertations

Death rates for breast cancer have steadily decreased in women due to early detection, such as mammography, and improved treatments. Despite the benefit of mammography, many women are not up-to-date on screening and do not receive timely follow-up after abnormal mammogram finding. Breast cancer is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality among women in South Carolina. To reduce the disproportionate burden of breast cancer and cervical cancer among women in South Carolina, the South Carolina Best Chance Network (BCN) was established to provide service delivery and ensures timely and complete diagnostic follow-up and treatment initiation for underserved women.

The …

An Assessment Of Injury Presentation To Determine Elder Abuse Prevalence In South Carolina, Brittani L. Harmon

Theses and Dissertations

As the number of individuals age 60 years of age and older continues to rise in the United States, the care and safety of this population will be a growing issue. There are many contributing factors and reasons why elder abuse occurs. Elder abuse is an emerging issue; however there is limited research and understanding in the area. There are barriers to the detection and prevention of the issue. Emergency department staff is essential to the identification and detection of possible abuse, and it is important that these providers understand the risk factors and physical manifestations of abuse and neglect …

Postnatal Depression In Mexico: Healthcare Provider Conceptualizations And Policies In The Public Health Sector, Jean Marie Sims Place

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) highlight education and training for healthcare providers and the development of a policy framework as core strategies to address maternal mental health in low- and middle-income countries. This research critically examines these strategies with respect to postnatal depression in Mexico. The research 1) addresses how healthcare providers in Mexico conceptualize postnatal depression, and 2) assesses the policies that exist in Mexico regarding postnatal depression, which will inform the next steps for policy development. The research informs appropriate healthcare provider education and training, as well as the next …

Associations Between The Perceived And Built Food Environment, Timothy L. Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Neighborhood food environments have been associated with dietary intake and obesity. Measures of the food environment have typically been characterized with geographic information systems (GIS)-based measures, however, the use of perception-based measures of the food environment have increased in frequency. Few studies have fully examined the relationship between perceptions and GIS-based measures of the food environment, especially considering the congruency between perceived and GIS-based presence of specific retail food outlets, nor the relationship between food outlets and perceived availability of healthy foods or fast food opportunities.

Telephone survey data from 705 residents in an eight-county region of South Carolina were …

Food Environment And Birth Outcomes In South Carolina, Xiaoguang Ma

Theses and Dissertations

An increasing number of studies examined the association between neighborhood characteristics and birth outcomes. However, the results can be difficult to compare because of the variety of indicators used to characterize the neighborhood. As an important neighborhood characteristic, the food environment is associated with residents' nutrition status, diet quality, and related health outcomes. In addition, the food environment has been found to influence women's diet quality during pregnancy, which is a key factor in predicting birth outcomes. However to date, studies on food environment and birth outcomes are extremely limited.

This study examined the association between food environment (evaluated by …

Smokers' Neurological Responses To Imagery From Cigarette Package Warning Labels, Johann Fridrik Fridriksson

Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was signed into law in 2009 and gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to implement pictorial health warning labels (HWLs) on cigarette packages. Multiple studies investigating self-reported affective, cognitive and behavioral impacts of HWLs suggest that the most effective warnings include imagery that depicts physical damage to the body due to smoking. However, self-report methods of assessment used in these studies may be biased. Far less is known about how HWLs directly modulate brain activity. …

Bringing Families Together: Parent-Student Reunification Procedures In School Crisis Planning, Ashleigh Welko

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and review current best practices with regard to parent-student reunification procedures following crises in schools. No national recommendations for school crisis planning exist, resulting in varying degrees of completeness in school planning. Parent-student reunification is one of the most frequently ignored or under-developed aspects of school emergency planning, yet a poorly developed reunification plan has the potential to become an enormous source of chaos in the aftermath of school crisis. Expedient reunification reduces the potential for lasting trauma to both children and their parents. A best practices review of existing literature was …

Parasites In Paraguay: An Analysis Of The Presentation And Management Of Intestinal Parasites By Short-Term Medical Mission Volunteers In Paraguay, Robert A. Eick

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Introduction. International medical aid in the form of short-term medical missions (STTMs) receives more than $250 million in annual donations. Needs assessments prior to the STTM and outcomes analysis for improvement are often lacking. Objective. Describe the patient population attended to during a one-week STTM in Paraguay, South America, while examining “parasites” as a presenting concern, as a diagnosis by the providers, and the prescription of antiparasitic treatment. This analysis identified variance in intestinal parasite presentation and management by age, gender, and location. The administration frequency of antiparasitic medication was considered as prophylactic versus disease-treatment based.

Methods. This study was …