Digital Commons Network^™

Fine Particulate Air Pollution In Saudi Arabia : Implications For Cardiopulmonary Morbidity, Shedrack Rujooga Nayebare

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Fine particulate (PM2.5) air pollution is a major issue in Saudi Arabia. Though the health effects of exposure to PM2.5 have been extensively studied in developed countries of Europe and North America, this research is yet to be done in developing countries of Africa, some parts of Asia and the Middle East including Saudi Arabia. This is the first comprehensive assessment of PM2.5 air pollution in Saudi Arabia describing the major emission sources as well as assessing the association of daily exposures to PM2.5 and its chemical constituents with cardiopulmonary morbidity.

The Association Between Antidepressant Medications And A1c Among Individuals With And Without Diabetes, Jamie Kammer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

While depression is known to increase the risk of diabetes and worsen glycemic control, the effect of antidepressants on these outcomes is unclear. Within the past few years, a cross-sectional study performed in a large, nationally-representative sample of individuals without diagnosed diabetes concluded that there are no differences between antidepressant users and non-users with regard to a number of diabetes-related outcomes including A1C, a measure of average glucose levels over the past few months commonly used to detect and monitor diabetes. The current set of studies was conducted to determine whether replicating this research in a higher-risk population or using …

A Nested Case-Control Study Of Breast Cancer Genetic Susceptibility, Emilia Pawlowski

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Exposure To Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers And Perfluoroalkyl Substances And Associations With Thyroid Function In A Remote Population Of Alaska Natives, Samuel Byrne

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Subacute Effects Of Prallethrin On Behavior Of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) And Other Human Disease Vectors, Kyndall C. Dye

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

The synthetic pyrethroid, prallethrin, is an active ingredient in a widely marketed ultralow volume (ULV) mosquito adulticide. Volatilized prallethrin is intended to stimulate mosquito flight, increasing overall effectiveness of the adulticide. However, field tests using volatilized prallethrin did not produce significant differences in various vector trap catches, suggesting prallethrin’s behavioral effects are not viable. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate prallethrin’s effect on flight behavior of adult female Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus). Mosquitoes were divided into three groups; a control, those exposed to volatilized prallethrin, and those exposed to a simulated ULV application at label rates. After …

Analyzing The Building Blocks Of Resilience: Findings From A Baseline Survey Of The Tuungane Population, Health, And Environment Project In Western Tanzania, Kristin Bietsch, Reshma Naik, Kristen P. Patterson, Cara Honzak, Mustafa Kudrati, Hellen Magige, Cheryl Margoluis, Laura Subramanian, Christopher Hale, Carolyn Lamere, Sebastiaan Hess, Craig Leisher

Reproductive Health

Although the value of population, health, environment (PHE) programs is appreciated by the development community and the conceptual linkages they incorporate are sound, little evidence exists to demonstrate their short- and long-term impacts—particularly the role that the family planning (FP) component of PHE projects plays in building resilience, improving livelihoods, and helping people adapt to climate change. To contribute to filling this gap, the Evidence Project collaborated with Tuungane, a PHE project jointly implemented by The Nature Conservancy and Pathfinder International, to conduct further analysis of their existing data and examine the evidence base around integrated PHE programming, FP, climate …

Practice Patterns For Sexual History-Taking Among Florida Nurses, Salimah El-Amin, Sandra Suther, Gebre-Egziabher Kiros, Khaing Zaw

Florida Public Health Review

Florida has some of the highest reported sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates in the country. STDs are a particular problem for minorities, women, and adolescents. Sexual history elicitation is a tool available to clinicians to assess patients’ sexual risk behaviors and to counsel, test, and treat STDs. Nurses play an important role in caring for patients’ sexual health problems, including unwanted pregnancies and STDs. We examined the sexual history-taking practices among advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) in Florida. We mailed an anonymous pencil-and- paper survey to measure sexual history-taking practices to a stratified random sample of 795 ARNPs. We analyzed …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Mid-Term Findings—Brief, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) is a four-year effort to support more than 11,000 of the most vulnerable adolescent girls in Zambia. AGEP was led by the Population Council, in partnership with the Young Women’s Christian Association of Zambia, the National Savings and Credit Bank of Zambia, and the Government of Zambia. The program design was based on the asset-building framework which posits that if girls are able to build social, health, and economic assets in the short term, there will be longer-term dividends on health and education outcomes. This brief reports on midterm findings of the study which …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme: Research And Evaluation Mid-Term Technical Report—Executive Summary, Karen Austrian, Paul C. Hewett, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Fiammetta Bozzani, Jere R. Behrman, Jean Digitale

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme (AGEP) was an ambitious project directed toward changing girls’ lives in a significant and meaningful way across areas of education, sexual and reproductive health, marriage and fertility, and experience of violence. This Executive Summary of the project’s findings shows that, overall, the AGEP cohort data, and lessons they have generated from the AGEP are rich, nuanced, and important for informing the next generation of programs for adolescents in Zambia and elsewhere. Even though the study is still under way, and the full longer-term effects of AGEP remain to be seen, the information presented in this …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme: Research And Evaluation Mid-Term Technical Report, Karen Austrian, Paul C. Hewett, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Fiammetta Bozzani, Jere R. Behrman, Jean Digitale

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme (AGEP) was a social, health, and economic asset-building program targeting vulnerable adolescent girls aged 10–19. The Population Council, in partnership with the Young Women’s Christian Association of Zambia, successfully implemented the AGEP program from late 2013 to early 2016. The results presented in this midterm report have implications for recommendations on future programming for adolescent girls in Zambia and elsewhere and should be coupled with burgeoning evidence from AGEP and the literature to adapt programming for vulnerable adolescent girls in order to improve impact. While the underlying root causes of girls’ vulnerabilities are interrelated, it …

Investing When It Counts: Reviewing The Evidence And Charting A Course Of Research And Action For Very Young Adolescents, Katharine Mccarthy, Martha Brady, Kelly Hallman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Since 2006, there has been a burgeoning interest in the very young adolescent population and an ever-expanding array of programs aimed at addressing their social, health, and development needs. This report builds on the momentum generated from recent research and program efforts, and from the greater data available in the past decade. The report is intended to be helpful to anyone who plans, manages, implements, monitors, evaluates, or funds research or programs that involve young adolescent girls and boys. The report outlines several key areas that would benefit from more experimentation and new research. Central to this is the creation …

School-Based Youth Physical Activity Promotion: Thoughts And Beliefs Of Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers, Jerome N. Rachele, Thomas F. Cuddihy, Tracy L. Washington, Steven M. Mcphail

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Physical education teachers are central to the facilitation of school-based physical activity promotion. However, teachers have self-reported a lack of knowledge, skills, understanding, and competence to successfully implement these strategies. The aim of this investigation was to explore the beliefs and perceptions of pre-service physical education teachers, concerning their potential roles in future school-based programs designed to promote student physical activity. Fifty-seven pre-service physical education teachers (21 males and 36 females) had complete data and were included in the analysis. Participants responded positively, and did not reveal concerns about their capacity to facilitate school-based physical activity promotion during practicum, and …

Neoliberalism Redux: The Global Health Policy Agenda And The Politics Of Cooptation In Latin America And Beyond, Anne E Birn, Laura Nervi, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

This article explores the neoliberal cooptation of social justice-oriented global health policies over the last three decades, from primary health care and ‘health for all’ to various contemporary so-called ‘health equity’ initiatives, such as Universal Health Coverage and ‘health convergence’. The authors illustrate and contextualize the different periods and approaches with examples from a range of Latin American countries, drawing on diverse political experiences and social struggles in the health arena. The analysis concludes with reflections about the region’s experiences of resisting and challenging the neoliberal health agenda, in spite of domestic and global environments that have constrained these efforts, …

The Association Between Physical Activity And Serum Immunoglobulin G (Igg) Antibodies Against Periodontal Bacteria, A. Paige Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to add more research and evidence to the mechanisms surrounding periodontal disease, periodontal microorganisms, and physical activity. The main objective of this study is to evaluate and explore the association between physical activity and serum IgG antibodies, which are grouped into four distinct clusters, formed from species specific 19 periodontal antibody titers. This cross sectional study divided physical activity into three categories: adequately physically active, inadequately physically active, and inactive based on MET scores. Certain models were adjusted for confounders including age, sex, race/ethnicity, income-to-poverty ratio, years of formal education, smoking, alcohol intake, BMI, …

Influence Of Thyroid Disorders On Pregnancy Outcomes, Brittany Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The objective of this thesis is to investigate the effects of maternal thyroid dysfunction on maternal pregnancy outcomes.

Setting and Participants: The NICHD Consecutive Pregnancy data set contains information on a total of 114,679 pregnancies from 51,086 women who delivered ≥ 20 weeks of gestation. The data come from 20 different hospitals throughout the state of Utah and were collected between the years of 2002 to 2010.

Main Outcomes: Main outcomes of interest included: breech presentation, chorioamnionitis, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, hemorrhage, inductions, placental abruption, placental previa, preterm birth, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), preeclampsia, and …

Sleep Disorder Trends, Epigenetic Markers, And Genetic Variation Of Circadian Genes In Adenomatous Polyp Formation, Melannie Alexander

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Sleep disturbances and sleep quality have fluctuated over time in the United States (US). Virtually every physiological process follows a circadian pattern, and cellular processes (i.e., cell proliferation, DNA damage response, and apoptosis) are often disrupted by sleep disturbances and other factors, potentially giving rise to adverse health outcomes such as cancer. Additionally, both genetic variation and epigenetic patterns within clock genes, which may affect sleep quality, also may increase one’s risk for developing cancer. The role of sleep disturbances in the formation of adenomas, precursor lesions to colorectal cancer (CRC), has been explored previously; however, little is …

The Influence Of Prenatal And Early Life Factors On Bmi Z Scores And The Risk Of Being Obese In Early Childhood, Junxiu Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood obesity is a serious public health challenge. The underlying causes behind the rising levels of childhood obesity might be driven by prenatal and early life factors. Recently, several studies have examined the association between gestational weight gain (GWG) and the risk of obesity in the pediatric population. Findings on the association of both inadequate and excessive GWG with offspring obesity are inconsistent and vary by maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) status. Inconsistent findings also exist for the association of GWG and BMIZ as a continuous outcome. Nevertheless, existing studies mainly focus on the BMIZ upper centiles using logistic …

Effect Of Anthelminthic Treatment On Helminth Infection And Related Anaemia Among School-Age Children In Northwestern Ethiopia, Yonas Yimam, Abraham Degarege, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Information about improvements in the health status of population at-risk of helminth infection after anthelminthic treatment helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the large scale deworming program. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of anthelminthic treatment on the prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminth infection, haemoglobin level and prevalence of anaemia among school-age children.

METHODS: A total of 403 children attending Tikur Wuha Elementary School in Jiga, northwestern Ethiopia were enrolled in this study between February and March 2011. Formol-ether concentration and Kato-Katz methods were used to examine stool for intestinal helminth infections at baseline …

Epidemiology Of Plasmodium And Helminth Coinfection And Possible Reasons For Heterogeneity, Abraham Degarege, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Understanding the impact of helminth infections on clinical malaria is useful for designing effective malaria control strategies. Plenty of epidemiological studies have been conducted to unravel the nature of interactions between Plasmodium and helminth infection. Careful broad summarization of the existing literature suggests that Schistosoma mansoni and hookworm infections may increase the risk of clinical malaria and associated morbidities, but Trichuris trichiura infection is not associated with the occurrence of clinical malaria and related outcomes. However, findings about effect of Ascaris lumbricoides and Schistosoma haematobium infection on clinical malaria are contradictory. Furthermore, the nature of relationship of helminth infection with …

Are You Pepped And Prepped For Travel? Risk Mitigation Of Hiv Infection For Travelers, David Brett-Major, P. T. Scott, T A. Crowell, C. S. Polyak, K. Modjarrad, M. L. Robb, D. L. Blazes

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The HIV pandemic persists globally and travelers are at risk for infection by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). While HIV-focused guidelines delineate risk stratification and mitigation strategies for people in their home communities, travel issues are not addressed. In this review, direct and indirect evidence on HIV risk among travelers is explored. The burgeoning practice of employing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with anti-retroviral therapy in the non-travel setting is introduced, as well as the more established use of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Challenges in applying these lessons to travelers are discussed, and a new guidelines process is scoped and recommended.

Breastfeeding Practices Among Native Hawaiians And Pacific Islanders, Ingrid K. Adams, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Akilah Dulin Keita, Ana Maria Linares, Keiko Tanaka, Joshua R. Polanin, Annie Koempel

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Background. Breastfeeding is associated with a decreased risk of obesity in the early and adult years. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) experience high rates of obesity which is often obfuscated with aggregated data. Using disaggregated data, we examined breastfeeding practices among NHPI. Methods. Seven databases and reference lists were searched. Two independent researchers extracted relevant studies based on predetermined criteria. Nine studies met our inclusion criteria and a meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects, inverse-various weighted models. Results. Few studies disaggregated NHPI populations when examining breastfeeding practices. Most studies were cross-sectional and our search yielded no randomized or quasirandomized control …

Jiann-Ping Hsu College Of Public Health Magazine, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

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• Why I Give
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Association Of Religious Commitment And Perceived Stress Levels In College Students, Brianna N. Carter

Honors College Theses

Background: College students report a higher level of stress related to daily functioning (Kreig, 2013). First year students who report feeling overwhelmed has doubled in current years while colleges have reported an increase in the use of on-campus counseling services (up 8% over the past three years) (Kreig, 2013; American Psychological Association, 2014). Previous studies in older adult populations link religiousness to better mental health (Moreira-Almeida, Neto, & Koenig, 2006), suggesting that religion can be used as a coping resource when faced with stressful events (Hood, Hill, & Spilka, 2009). Utilizing the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, this study …

The Evolution Of The Intersection Of Hiv And Breastfeeding In Global Policy, Kristin M. Sinning

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Increasing breastfeeding rates and reducing HIV/AIDS are two important global health priorities, and their intersection has led to policies that meet mutual goals of supporting, protecting and promoting breastfeeding and reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS. The World Health Organization has developed and released recommendations, policies, and guidance on infant feeding and the risk of transmission through breastfeeding. This analysis provides a historical, chronological perspective on the global policies for infant feeding in the case of an HIV-positive mother, an analysis of changes, and recommendations for the future. The policies evaluated demonstrate the evolution in knowledge and recommendations for infant feeding …

Strengths And Challenges Of A Rural Ohio Public Health Department: Considerations For Effective Service Delivery And Emergency Preparedness, Cindy L. Harris Graessle

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The local public health department is the main entity in cities and counties established to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of its community members. In many cases, particularly in rural areas, the health department may be the community’s closest access to health care, providing not only clinical care, but preventive services as well. These rural health departments have additional challenges that may not be experienced in the larger, more populated metropolitan areas. These challenges include lack of resources and funding that impact daily operations, expanded registered sanitarian responsibilities, and emergency preparedness difficulties with resource allocation and communication. Despite these …

Is The Breeze Making You Wheeze? Air Quality And Asthma In The Us, Gaurav A. Nagar

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: A secular trend towards increased current and lifetime asthma prevalence has been observed in the US. The current study compared ambient Air Quality Index (AQI) data and asthma prevalence data from all fifty US states.

Methods: Air pollution is measured as AQI by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). County level AQI data are available at the EPA website. Asthma prevalence data for each state are available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Data from 50 US states (2011-2013) were analyzed for AQI and asthma prevalence. The average of proportions for all counties in each …

Association Of Secondhand Tobacco Smoke And Abdominal Adiposity In The United States Population, Omar T. Tahtamooni

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure occurs when people inhale smoke from tobacco products or inhale smoke that has been expelled by other smokers. Exposure to SHS increases the risk of many metabolic and chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between SHS and abdominal adiposity in US adults. Methods: Data from 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was used to examine the relationship between SHS exposure and abdominal adiposity, Sagittal Abdominal Diameter [SAD]), after adjusting for covariates (age, gender, ethnicity, and income) (n=4,012). Univariate linear regression analyses were used to predict association of smoking …

Risk Factors Associated With Severe Injuries In Inland Aquaculture Farms, Amah Martin

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze risk factors associated with severe occupational injuries among inland aquaculture farms.

Methods: Survey results were compiled in a data set that consisted of qualitative data from 51 farmers who were interviewed between 2008 and 2011 in 10 states and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used to assess the differences in the dichotomous level of severity among several farm and injury variables. Logistic regression was used to predict the outcome of a severe injury event.

Results: Injury observations that indicated the use of raceway …

Bone Mineral Density, Preventative Behaviors And Risk Factors In African American And Caucasian Mother-Daughter Pairs, Mary Haskins Haskins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is expected that by 2030, elderly minorities will comprise 20.2 million of the total 72.8 million population of Americans over 65 years (pollard, 2013). For African American women over the age of 50, 5% have osteoporosis and an estimated 35% have low bone mass (nof, n.d.). It is estimated that while over 40% of African American women over 80 years meet criteria for treatment, yet less than 12% are actually treated (Cauley, 2011). Striking disparities exist between African American and Caucasian women's likelihood for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (dxa) referral, the measurement tool that is used to diagnosis osteoporosis. (Hamrick, …

Incidence Of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma By Residential Proximity To Superfund Sites In Kentucky: A Multivariate Analysis, William Brent Webber

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) is a category of cancers that arise from the lymphocytes of the immune system. The rates of NHL in the United States and Kentucky began to rise in the mid-20th Century, shortly after the manufacture, use, and disposal of numerous chemical substances began to increase during and after the Second World War. While the etiology of NHL is not fully known, there are several chemical substances for which evidence exists of a possible link between exposures and development of NHL and other cancers. Several of these substances are also present in sites within Kentucky designated by the …