Digital Commons Network^™

Feeding Practices And Nutritional Status Of Infants In Northwest Nigeria, Michael Enyi Enwere

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Infants and young children in the Northwest province of Nigeria are susceptible to malnutrition. Inappropriate and inadequate breastfeeding and complementary feeding result in stunting, underweight, and wasting. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine current feeding practices of infants not older than 2 years and their nutritional status in Northwest Nigeria. The theory of planned behavior was adopted in this research. With a total sample size of 3,861, multiple linear regression was adopted as a predictive analysis to delineate the correlation between two or more independent variables and one continuous dependent variable. Also, adopted was an independent t …

Cultural Practices And The Transmission Of Ebola In Sierra Leone: Lessons Learned From A Medical Anthropology Perspective, Abubakarr Jalloh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The link between culture and infectious diseases has long been established. This is primarily due to the notion that culture shapes and influences people’s beliefs, actions, and ways of life. Such beliefs and their accompanying actions ultimately contribute to people’s risk of contracting an infectious disease. As such, there is a need for a cultural perspective in understanding infectious diseases because human behavior plays a significant role in the emergent, transmission, and spread of such diseases. This study explores the cultural practices that may have contributed to the transmission of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Sierra Leone during the 2013-2016 …

Women's Occupational Health And Safety In The Informal Economy: Maternal Market Traders In Accra, Ghana, Joyceline Amoako

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Improving maternal health and women’s health is necessary, especially in countries with high maternal and child mortality rates. Most research on maternal health focuses on women’s reproductive health and, as a result, very little is known about the impact of occupation on maternal health (World Health Organization, 2006). It is also interesting to know that “Occupational Health Research” has been heavily criticized for the general absence of a gender standpoint, usually resulting in the exclusion of women and their concerns at the workplace (World Health Organization, 2006). In Ghana, an open-air market is an integral place of work for women. …

"I Don't Know If I Have The Courage" Reproductive Choices In Times Of Zika, Ana Rosa Linde, Grace Furtado, Elisa Tristán-Cheever, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

In this transnational study, we aimed at providing insights into women's views and attitudes towards their reproductive rights during the Zika epidemic. Women of distinct nationalities and ethnicities were recruited from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. We conducted semistructured interviews that suggest that participants reproductive decisions were intimately related to personal convictions and cultural beliefs, and their actions and thoughts were embedded in their sociocultural norms. The majority of women interviewed communicated that it takes courage to make the extreme, emotional, and overwhelming decision to have an abortion. The findings of this study suggest that …

Workers' Perception Of Hazards On Recycling Sorting Facilities In São Paulo, Brazil, Ana M. Moreira, Wanda M. Günther, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

This paper discusses views, perceptions, experiences, knowledge and behaviors related to occupational risks among recycling workers. Data collection involved field observation and two focus groups in each site. Narratives were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes. Findings are presented according to the following topics: economic and environmental value of recycling; aspects of employment in the cooperative system; occupational hazards; and suggestions of improvements. Municipal programs of selective collection, as implemented in most Brazilian municipalities, still need improvements to achieve their goals and objectives. We learned that organizing recycling workers in cooperatives, despite its broad acceptance as a replacement to informal …

Workers’ Perception Of Hazards On Recycling Sorting Facilities In São Paulo, Brazil, Ana M Moreira, Wanda M Günther, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

This paper discusses views, perceptions, experiences, knowledge and behaviors related to occupational risks among recycling workers. Data collection involved field observation and two focus groups in each site. Narratives were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes. Findings are presented according to the following topics: economic and environmental value of recycling; aspects of employment in the cooperative system; occupational hazards; and suggestions of improvements. Municipal programs of ive collection, as implemented in most Brazilian municipalities, still need improvements to achieve their goals and objectives. We learned that organizing recycling workers in cooperatives, despite its broad acceptance as a replacement to informal …

Emergency Preparedness With The One Health Approach, Holly Richmond, Joana Tome, Jessica Schwind

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Sexual Behaviours Of Adolescents In Creek Town, Cross River State, Nigeria, Kabiru K. Salami, Rowland E. Edet

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Risky sexual behaviors of adolescents in Creek Town have not been fully profiled. This study investigated the sexual behaviors of adolescents and their various dimensions in Creek Town, in Cross River State, Nigeria. This cross-sectional survey design adopted multi-stage sampling procedure to administer a 112-items questionnaire to 422 adolescents, to elicit information on their sexual behaviors and practices. Four focus group discussion sessions were also conducted with in-school and out-of-school adolescents. The mean age of adolescents was 17 years. Majority (65.4%) of the adolescents were sexually active. The mean age at sexual debut was 15 years for both male and …

Relationship Of Sociodemographic Factors With Serum Levels Of Vitamin D In A Healthy Population Of Pakistan, Khalida Iqbal, Najmul Islam, Naseema Mehboobali, Ali Asghar, Saleem Perwaiz Iqbal, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has been reported from Pakistan. Association of sociodemographic factors with vitamin D status has received little attention in this region. Therefore, we embarked on investigating the relationship of sociodemographic factors with vitamin D levels in a healthy Pakistani population. Venous blood from 226 healthy participants (age range 19-69 years) was collected and analyzed for serum concentrations of 25(OH) vitamin D [25(OH)D] and other related biomarkers. Demographic characteristics of the study participants were collected. Vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D levels less than 20 ng/ml) was found to be 75% in this cohort. Gender, sunlight exposure and …

Associations Between Perceptions Of U.S. Immigration Enforcement Policies, Physical Health, Psychological Distress, And Health Care Utilization In A Hispanic Border Community, Isabel Katharina Maria Latz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Since the beginning of the current U.S. federal administration, immigration policies have become more restrictive and immigration enforcement has been strengthened. This cross-sectional survey study examines associations between perceptions of and experiences with current immigration enforcement policies and self-rated physical health, psychological distress, and health care utilization among Hispanic adults with different residency statuses in the U.S. Paso del Norte region. This study further investigates moderating effects of collective efficacy and engaged coping strategies on associations between policy perceptions and psychological distress.

The study sample included 211 Hispanic adult residents of the U.S. Paso del Norte Region (i.e., El Paso, …

Adventist Healthcare: A Qualitative Study Of 19th Century Founding Governing Principles In 21st Century Adventist Hospitals, Cesiah Yareth Pimentel Melendez

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose

Founding values and principles can help organizations stay focused on fulfilling their mission. This is especially true in faith-based organizations that seek to continue their founding principles as a governing commitment to their core identity. This study identified Adventist healthcare founding principles in Ellen G. White's early health visions and explored how Adventist healthcare leaders perceived these principles as governing principles applied to current Adventist healthcare practices.

Conceptual Framework and Research Design

Two metaphors and three areas of literature review guided my approach of this qualitative study of Adventist healthcare founding principles. My first metaphor of DNA …

Journeys Through Rough Country: An Ethnographic Study Of Blind Adults Successfully Employed In American Corporations, Kirk Adams

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Blind and visually impaired people in the United States face a dire employment situation within professional careers and corporate employment. The purpose of this research study was to gain insights into the phenomenon of employment of blind people through analyzing the lived experience of successfully employed blind adults through ethnographic interviews. Previous research has shown that seven out of ten blind adults are not in the workforce, that a large percentage of those who are employed consider themselves underemployed, and that these numbers have not improved over time. Missing from previous research were insights into the conditions leading to successful …

Serosurvey For Evidence Of Dengue And West Nile Virus Human Infections In El Paso, Texas, Veronica Suarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dengue viruses (DENV), including the 4 serotypes are the cause of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever. The viruses are transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in urban communities in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate regions and are the cause of the highest rate of infection and death of all known Flaviviruses. DENV are endemic in United States (US) -Mexico (MX) border communities in the Rio Grande Valley and suspected of being endemic in Ciudad Juarez, a sister city to El Paso, TX. To determine if DENV were endemic in the El Paso community, cord-blood samples from mothers were tested for antibody …

Parents' And Health Professionals' Perceptions Of Asthma Medication Noncompliance Among Puerto Rican Children, Luz E. Nieves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children of Hispanic origin have the highest prevalence of asthma of all ethnic groups in the United States, especially Puerto Rican children, who have a prevalence of 12.9%. Treatment nonadherence has been identified as one contributing factor. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the reasons for nonadherence to the asthma treatment regimen among Puerto Rican children. Parents and health care providers of asthmatic children were interviewed regarding their beliefs about asthma as a disease, its effect on the child's life, and their experience with asthma treatment. Two models served as the theoretical framework: the health belief model …

Spirit Checklist, Myopia Outcome Study Of Atropine In Children (Mosaic): Design And Methodology, Saoirse Mccrann, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, John S. Butler, James Loughman

Articles

Purpose

The Myopia Outcome Study of Atropine in Children (MOSAIC) aims to explore the efficacy, safety, acceptability and mechanisms of action of 0.01% atropine for myopia control in a European population.

Methods

MOSAIC is an investigator-led, double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial (RCT) investigating the efficacy, safety and mechanisms of action of 0.01% atropine in myopia progression management. During Phase 1 of the trial, 250 children aged 6-16 years with progressive myopia apply eye drops once nightly in both eyes from randomisation to month 24. No treatment is given during Phase 2 from month 24 to 36 (washout period) for those …

The Relationship Between Maternal Plasma Homocysteine In Early Pregnancy And Birth Weight, Shona Cawley, Eimer O'Malley, Rachel Kennedy, Ciara Reynolds, Anne Molloy, Michael Turner

Articles

Background: There is limited evidence that plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is increased in women with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as low birth weight (LBW).

Objective: We examined the relationship between maternal Hcy at the first prenatal visit and birth weight.

Study design: In a prospective observational study, women were recruited during their first prenatal visit after sonographic confirmation of gestational age. Along with the standard tests, blood was also taken for the measurement of maternal serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate, vitamin B12, and Hcy. In addition to collecting standard clinical and sociodemographic details, a detailed questionnaire on vitamin supplementation …

A Web-Based Dietary Intervention In Early Pregnancy And Neonatal Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Rachel Ak Kennedy, C.M.E. Reynolds, Shona Cawley, E. O'Malley, D.M. Mccartney, M.J. Turner

Articles

Background Maternal nutrition is a determinant of pregnancy outcomes. Few studies have evaluated the potential of online nutrition resources to modify behaviour. This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine whether access to a customized evidence-based nutrition website in pregnancy improved neonatal outcomes.

Methods Women < 18 weeks gestation were recruited at their convenience. The control group received standard care. In addition to standard care, the intervention group received access to an evidence-based nutrition website, customized to the preferences of pregnant women.

Results Of the 250 women, there were no differences in characteristics between the two groups. Of the women, 91.0% reported they make a conscious effort currently to eat a healthy diet. However, only 19.6% met dietary requirements for calcium, 13.2% for iron, 2.7% for folate and 2.3% for iodine. The most popular website section was pregnancy …

Social Impacts Of Climate Change And Occupational Heat Stress And Adaptation Strategies Of Mining Workers In Ghana, Victor Fannam Nunfam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Excessive heat exposure due to rising temperatures associated with climate change adversely affects workers’ health, safety, productivity, and psychosocial well-being in occupational settings. In the hot and tropical regions of developing countries, long hours of physically demanding work, coupled with inadequate adaptation policies to climate change, increases the occurrence of heat-related illnesses and injuries, and contributes to the loss of productive capacity, poor decision making, and other negative effects on the social well-being of workers.

Based on the theories of social impact assessment, risk assessment, adaptation and resilience planning, this study assesses the social impacts of climate change and occupational …

Faktor-Faktor Yang Berhubungan Dengan Kesuksesan Kesembuhan Dari Pengobatan Regimen Pendek (Short Treatment Regiment) Pada Pasien Tuberkulosis Resistensi Obat Di Indonesia Tahun 2017, Rina Agustina, Rizka Maulida, Yovsyah Yovsyah

Jurnal Epidemiologi Kesehatan Indonesia

TB RO menyebabkan beban pengendalian penyakit TB menjadi bertambah. Adanya penurunan angka keberhasilan pengobatan dari tahun 2010 sebesar 67,9% menjadi 51,1% di tahun 2013 dan peningkatan kasus pasien putus berobat mendorong Indonesia menerapkan pengobatan jangka pendek untuk meningkatkan angka keberhasilan pengobatan TB RO dan menurunkan kasus pasien putus berobat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat status kesuksesan kesembuhan dari pengobatan TB RO dan faktor-faktor yang berhubungan dengan status kesuksesan kesembuhan dari pengobatan regimen pendek di Indonesia tahun 2017 dengan menggunakan data pasien TB RO yang tercatat dalam e-TB manager dari pasien-pasien berusia e” 15 tahun yang telah ada status hasil pengobatan …

Faktor Risiko Yang Berhubungan Dengan Infeksi Hiv Pada Pengguna Napza Suntik (Penasun) Dki Jakarta Tahun 2013–2014, Inggariwati Inggariwati, Sudarto Ronoatmodjo

Jurnal Epidemiologi Kesehatan Indonesia

Prevalensi HIV pada kelompok Penasun selalu menduduki peringkat tertinggi dibanding kelompok populasi kunci lainnya. Studi cross sec tional dilakukan untuk mengetahui faktor risiko yang berhubungan dengan infeksi HIV pada populasi Penasun DKI Jakarta. Penelitian ini menggunakan data sekunder dari pelaksanaan Sero Survei HIV/Sifilis yang terintegrasi dengan Survei Cepat Perilaku di DKI Jakarta pada tahun 2013 - 2014. Populasi penelitian ini adalah Penasun di DKI Jakarta, sampel 240, pemilihan sampel menggunakan metode RDS (Responden Driven Sampling). Model akhir analisis multivariate cox regression menunjukkan bahwa variabel yang paling berkontribusi terhadap infeksi HIV di kalangan Penasun adalah sikap sharing jarum suntik PR 2,42 …

Using Physical Contact Heterogeneity And Frequency To Characterize Dynamics Of Human Exposure To Nonhuman Primate Bodily Fluids In Central Africa, Victor Narat, Mamdou Kampo, Thibut Heyer, Stephanie Rupp, Philippe Ambata, Richard Njouom, Tamara Giles-Vernick

Publications and Research

Emerging infectious diseases of zoonotic origin constitute a recurrent threat to global health. Nonhuman primates (NHPs) occupy an important place in zoonotic spillovers (pathogenic transmissions from animals to humans), serving as reservoirs or amplifiers of multiple neglected tropical diseases, including viral hemorrhagic fevers and arboviruses, parasites and bacteria, as well as retroviruses (simian foamy virus, PTLV) that are pathogenic in human beings. Hunting and butchering studies in Africa characterize at-risk human social groups, but overlook critical factors of contact heterogeneity and frequency, NHP species differences, and meat processing practices. In southeastern Cameroon, a region with a history of zoonotic emergence …

Prenatal Risk For Asd: Fetal Cortisol Exposure Predicts Child Autism-Spectrum-Disorder Symptoms, Sheena Ram, Mariann A. Howland, Curt A. Sandman, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, complex, and likely involves interactions among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. With respect to environmental influences, a growing literature implicates intrauterine experiences in the origin of this pervasive developmental disorder. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examined the hypothesis that fetal exposure to maternal cortisol may confer ASD risk. In addition, because ASD is four times more prevalent in males than in females, and because sexually dimorphic responses to intrauterine experiences are commonly observed, we examined whether or not any associations differ by fetal sex. Maternal plasma cortisol was measured at …

Prenatal Risk For Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd): Fetal Cortisol Exposure Predicts Child Asd Symptoms, Sheena Ram, Mariann A. Howland, Curt A. Sandman, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, complex, and likely involves interactions among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. With respect to environmental influences, a growing literature implicates intrauterine experiences in the origin of this pervasive developmental disorder. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examined the hypothesis that fetal exposure to maternal cortisol may confer ASD risk. In addition, because ASD is four times more prevalent in males than in females, and because sexually dimorphic responses to intrauterine experiences are commonly observed, we examined whether or not any associations differ by fetal sex. Maternal plasma cortisol was measured at …

Interference And Control Of The Nosocomial Transmission Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Sen Pei, Flaviano Morone, Fredrik Liljeros, Hernan Makse, Jeffrey L. Shaman

Publications and Research

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a continued threat to human health in both community and healthcare settings. In hospitals, control efforts would benefit from accurate estimation of asymptomatic colonization and infection importation rates from the community. However, developing such estimates remains challenging due to limited observation of colonization and complicated transmission dynamics within hospitals and the community. Here, we develop an inference framework that can estimate these key quantities by combining statistical filtering techniques, an agent-based model, and real-world patient-to-patient contact networks, and use this framework to infer nosocomial transmission and infection importation over an outbreak spanning 6 years in …

Impact Of Technology On Improving Hiv And Tuberculosis Health Outcomes Among African Countries, Sunny Ibeneme

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This study used health analytics approach to evaluate the association between population health outcomes and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructures at a country level. This study used aggregate data obtained from the World Bank database, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) database for 53 African countries for the periods 2000 to 2016, and quantitatively explored the impact of ICT infrastructures’ diffusion on population health outcomes.

ICT data was obtained from the ITU database. Similarly, population health attributes were retrieved from the World Bank database. ICT infrastructure variables used in this study include: internet access, mobile phone use, and fixed …

Positive Association Between Dietary Inflammatory Index And The Risk Of Osteoporosis: Results From The Koges_Health Examinee (Hexa) Cohort Study, Hye Sun Kim, Cheongmin Sohn, Minji Kwon, Woori Na, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Mi Kyung Kim

Faculty Publications

Previous studies have found that diet’s inflammatory potential is related to various diseases. However, little is known about its relationship with osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII®) and osteoporosis risk in a large-scale prospective cohort study in Korea. This prospective cohort study included 159,846 participants (men 57,740; women 102,106) from South Korea with a mean follow-up of 7.9 years. The DII was calculated through a validated semi-quantitative FFQ (SQFFQ), and information on osteoporosis was self-reported by the participants. Analyses were performed by using a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model. …

Brain Candy: Wayne State University School Of Medicine Journal Of Arts And Culture, Special Edition: The Renaissance, Wayne State University School Of Medicine Gold Humanism Honor Society

Gold Humanism Honor Society

Brain Candy collects poetry, nonfiction essays, short fiction, photographs, and drawings to shed light on the creative process in medicine, the city of Detroit, and the experiences of health care providers. Each issue features submissions from medical students, physicians, and School of Medicine staff.

This year marks a special edition to celebrate Wayne State University’s existence for 150 years. With generous funding support from an alumnus, Dr. Thomas Janisse, Class of 1975, the journal was started in print in 2016.

Multiple Sclerosis Drugs Have Been Getting A Lot More Expensive, Ben Jay

Capstones

Multiple Sclerosis is a very expensive disease. According to a 2016 study in the American Journal of Managed Care, treating it can cost patients anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 per year, which can meet or even exceed the average US household median income, depending on how severe your case is. For a disease that has no known cure, and requires frequent medical attention to manage symptoms that can completely debilitate a person if left untreated, that can mean spending $4.1 million over the course of a lifetime, according to the same study. However, in the last 20 years, that …

Associations Between Opioid-Related Hospitalizations And Intravenous Drug Users, Jacklynn De Leon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The opioid epidemic has led to a chain reaction of public health concerns, including an increase in heroin usage, injection drug abuse, incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV transmission. There have been few population-based studies investigating the clinical and socio- demographic data associated with opioid use in Nevada (Feng et al., 2016; Frank, 2000) and few studies investigating the intravenous drug user (IDU) population in Clark County. On February 2017, Clark County’s first syringe exchange program (SEP) opened its doors to the IDU population. This study provides an updated analysis of opioid-related injuries within Nevada and provides a …

Air Pollution Related Asthma Inpatient Hospital Admission In The Las Vegas Valley, Joshua Allen Jensen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition characterized by inflammation in the lungs that causes airflow to be restricted. In Southern Nevada’s Las Vegas Valley, the natural basin geography causes air pollutants to accumulate. Research has linked air pollution with worsening asthma symptoms. The goal of this study was to determine the non-linear lagged relationship between Asthma Related Inpatient Hospital Admissions (ARIHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) criteria air pollutants in the Las Vegas Valley using hospital and pollution monitoring station data. Overall, a statistically significant increased RR of ARIHA between 7 and 13 days after exposure to PM2.5 24-hour …