Digital Commons Network^™

Young Adults And Health Insurance Coverage: A Description Of Trends, Christina Lynn Hansen

Honors Program Theses

Such high rates of uninsurance are due to many factors, but the transition from dependence to independence is a major cause of uninsurance within young adults. Affecting all classes and groups of young adults, it is shown that being in low-income families, a member of a minority group, and being male all increase chances of uninsurance (Callahan & Cooper, 2004).

Evaluation Of A Community-Based Tuberculosis Screening Program For Latino Immigrants In New York City, Cristina R. Fernández

Public Health Theses

No abstract provided.

Episiotomy And Obstetric Trauma In Nevada: Evidence From Linked Hospital Discharge And Birth Data, Gulzar H. Shah, Joseph A. Greenway, Wei Yang

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Based on the perception that episiotomy prevents obstetric trauma, the procedure is liberally performed in U.S. Hospitals. Using linked Nevada Birth Registry and Nevada Impatient Hospital Discharges (2000 to 2005), we applied descriptive analyses and logistic regression to examine the status of Nevada episiotomy practice and its impact on birth trauma for mothers. Of 106,461 vaginal live births, 26,383 (24.8%) episiotomies were conducted. Obstetric trauma rate declined from 5.2% of vaginal deliveries in 2000 to 4.4% in 2005. After statistically controlling for the effect of other risk factors, zero parity, episiotomy, other instrument assisted deliveries, non-MDs as birth attendants, rural …

Las Vegas: A Sustainable Urban Environment For Health?, Nancy Menzel

Nevada Journal of Public Health

The rapid growth of Las Vegas has resulted in negative consequences for the health of its residents to a level that threatens the area’s sustainability. This article reviews key indicators of population health in Las Vegas through the framework of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy People in Healthy Places and concludes that public health professionals, citizens, businesses, and political leaders must act now to protect and improve population health.

Front Matter

Michigan Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Michigan Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Mjph Feedback Survey

Michigan Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Individual Differences In Well-Being In Older Breast Cancer Survivors, Elizabeth A. Perkins, Brent J. Small, Lodovico Balducci, Martine Extermann, Claire Robb, William E. Haley

Epidemiology: Faculty Publications (2002-2018)

Older women who survive breast cancer may differ significantly in their long-term well-being. Using a risk and protective factors model, we studied predictors of well-being in 127 women age 70 and above with a history of at least one year's survival of breast cancer. Mean post-cancer survivorship was 5.1 years. Using life satisfaction, depression and general health perceptions as outcome variables, we assessed whether demographic variables, cancer-related variables, health status and psychosocial resources predicted variability in well-being using correlational and hierarchical regression analyses. Higher age predicted increased depression but was not associated with life satisfaction or general health perceptions. Cancer-related …

A Lifestyle-Based Weight Management Program Delivered To Employees: Examination Of Health And Economic Outcomes, M. Courtney Hughes, Teresa M. Girolami, Allen D. Cheadle, Jeffrey R. Harris, Donald L. Patrick

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Objective: To examine the health and economic outcomes associated with a comprehensive weight management program delivered to employees.

Methods: Data collected on 516 individuals participating in a lifestyle-based weight management program delivered to employees from three corporations were analyzed at baseline and intervention-end (26 or 52 weeks). One-year post-intervention data for two subgroups were examined for pharmaceutical use (n ! 61) and health outcomes (n ! 46).

Results: Average body weight decreased 5.4% (P " 0.001) and average waist circumference decreased 7.2% (P " 0.001). Average blood pressure, Beck Depression Inventory scores, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale scores improved (P " …

Examination Of Novel Statistical Designs For Phase Ii And Phase Iii Clinical Trials, Ayanbola Olajumoke Ayanlowo

All ETDs from UAB

Clinical trials to determine the usefulness of a new treatment are usually conducted in four (4) phases. Each phase is designed to answer a distinct research question about the usefulness of the new treatment. Phase I trials determine the safe dose range of the new treatment identify the possible side effects and other treatment associated toxicity issues, in a small group of healthy people. In phase II trials, the efficacy and safety of the new treatment is investigated in a larger group of individuals usually from the diseased population of interest. Phase III trials, conducted in large groups of people, …

Predictors Of Indoor Dust Mite And Cockroach Levels, J Mark Brooks

All ETDs from UAB

Exposures to dust mite and cockroach indoor allergens are important environmental risk factors in allergic sensitization and the development and exacerbation of asthma. To determine the relationship of indoor allergen levels and residence characteristics, dust samples were collected from indoor surfaces in residences in the Birmingham, Alabama area. The dust samples were analyzed for specific dust mite (Der p 1 and Der f 1) and cockroach (Bla g 1) antigens, the results of which were used to represent the level of indoor allergen present in each residence. The presence, and in some cases the degree, of potential allergen-predicting characteristics of …

Titania Coated Hollow Glass Microspheres For Environmental Applications, Mark C. Koopman

All ETDs from UAB

The potential applicability of titania coated hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) to the photocatalytic degradation of microbiological and organic chemical water pollutants could have dramatic positive effects on improving the quality of industrial wastewaters that empty into rivers and streams, as well as potential use in economically improving the quality of drinking water. Heterogeneous photocatalysis using titania has been extensively studied since the 1990’s because of its non-toxic nature, its high quantum yield of electrons and photo-holes, and its ability to use ambient solar radiation as a power source. Although titania embodies extraordinarily attractive properties for a range of environmental applications, …

Cancer In Louisiana: 2000-2004, Volume 22, Louisiana Tumor Registry, Edward S. Peters, Beth A. Schmidt, Patricia Andrews, Mei-Chin Hsieh, Brent Mumphrey, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Vivien W. Chen

Policy & Position Papers

Mission:

To collect and report complete, high-quality, and timely population-based cancer data in Louisiana to support cancer research, control, and prevention.

Vision:

To reduce suffering and death from cancer using information collected by the Louisiana Tumor Registry.

History:

Cancer registration in Louisiana began in 1947 at the Charity Hospital Tumor Registry in New Orleans. In 1974, as part of its Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, the National Cancer Institute provided funds for a population-based cancer incidence and survival registry covering Jefferson, Orleans, and St. Bernard parishes. Five years later, the Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTR) was transferred to the …

An Examination Of Factors And Perceptions Related To Steroids/Human Growth Hormone In College Baseball, Benjamin D. Riegle

Masters Theses

This study examined the role modeling effect from professional baseball through an anonymous survey aimed at the prevalence, potential precursors, and deterrents of steroid use among 173 intercollegiate baseball players. Results indicated that 2.3% of participants admitted to using steroids, but this low incidence was not due to low access as 58.4% said they knew how to obtain steroids and 37.8% had previously been offered steroids. Just over one-third (34.1%) agreed that performance enhancement was a precursor to steroid/HGH use and a mean score of 2.53 (SD = 1.46) indicated that it was a greater precursor than improving appearance (19.7%, …

Planning An Integrated Disease Surveillance And Response System: A Matrix Of Skills And Activities, Helen N. Perry, Sharon M. Mcdonnell, Wondimagegnehu Alemu, Peter Nsubuga

Dartmouth Scholarship

The threat of a global influenza pandemic and the adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations (2005) highlight the value of well-coordinated, functional disease surveillance systems. The resulting demand for timely information challenges public health leaders to design, develop and implement efficient, flexible and comprehensive systems that integrate staff, resources, and information systems to conduct infectious disease surveillance and response. To understand what resources an integrated disease surveillance and response system would require, we analyzed surveillance requirements for 19 priority infectious diseases targeted for an integrated disease surveillance and response strategy in the WHO African region.

Book Review: Social Justice: The Moral Foundations Of Public Health And Health Policy, Robin West

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This essay is a review of Social Justice: The Moral Foundations of Public Health and Health Policy by Madison Powers & Ruth Faden (2006).

In this pathbreaking book, senior bioethicists Powers and Faden confront foundational issues about health and justice. How much inequality in health can a just society tolerate? In a world filled with inequalities in health and well-being, which inequalities matter most and are the most morally urgent to address? In order to answer these questions, Powers and Faden develop a unique theory of social justice that, while developed for the specific contexts of public health and health …

Continuity And Change: The Mexicana Experience With Health And Healing In Iowa, Abbie C. Peterson, Mark A. Grey

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Rapid growth in Iowa's Latino immigrant population has presented challenges for health care providers. Of principal concern are the health disparities between newcomer Latinos and established-resident Iowans and if these disparities result from a lack of access to health care or the inability of Iowa health care providers to accommodate the unique practices and perceptions of newcomer patients. The purpose of this article is to address this issue through the experience of Mexican women who have migrated to Iowa and interacted to varying degrees with health care providers. In addition to addressing issues of access and the newcomers' perceptions of …

Brief Note From The Editor, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Recruiting New Members, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

The Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science took place in New York City from May 25 to May 28, 2006. We attended the convention and had a number of goals that we wanted to accomplish: assume a position on the graduate student board, present at a poster session, attend various conference events, and recruit conferees for the Society for Occupational Health Psychology. It is the last goal about which we are writing. We hope that this article will help our SOHP colleagues recruit, at some future time, new members for our organization.

Free Clinics Of Iowa: An Inside Look At An Alternate Route To Healthcare, Laura Deboer

Honors Program Theses

Forty-seven million uninsured Americans: an all too familiar statistic, peppering television advertisements, newspaper headlines, and most recently - a hot agenda item of political candidates is a sad truth of American health care. Unfortunately, for sixteen percent of Americans and approximately thirteen percent of adult Iowans, this is not just a passing television ad - but the facts of life that are faced every day. These individuals make up families who evaluate that, although it is taking a risk to be without health insurance, the security of insurance is not as important as providing meals on the dinner table. The …

Factors Associated With Sexual Debut And Depression Among Adolescents In Rural Jamaica, Olaniyi J. Ekundayo

All ETDs from UAB

Individual and family factors have been hypothesized to influence adolescent sexual behavior and depression, but the extent to which this is true for adolescents in Jamaica as a whole and for those in rural areas in particular, has not been well studied. The objective of this dissertation was to identify individual and family factors associated with sexual debut and depression among rural Jamaican adolescents. To elucidate these factors and to provide information to guide future interventions, we analyzed data on 748 adolescents attending public high schools in the rural parish of Hanover, Jamaica. Multivariate logistic regression was used to predict …

Sexual Violence And Correlates Among Women In Hiv Discordant Union, Uganda, Donath Emusu

All ETDs from UAB

We sought to estimate the prevalence of sexual violence and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), identify risk factors for sexual violence and STDs among women in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) discordant unions, and investigate the lived experiences of sexual violence among women in HIV discordant unions attending post-test club services at AIDS Information Centers (AICs) in Uganda. We carried out a prospective cohort study of women in HIV discordant and HIV negative concordant unions after disclosure of their HIV serostatus. We estimated prevalence of STDs in the two study cohorts and compared them for occurrence of risk factors for sexual violence …

Delayed Childbearing, Pregnancy Spacing And Impact On Subsequent Pregnancy Outcomes: Missouri Resident Mothers 1978-1997, Sarah K. Nabukera

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction The main objective of the study was to examine reproductive health issues among women delaying initiation of childbearing until age 30 or older. Specifically, it examined pregnancy spacing patterns, relationship between pregnancy spacing and subsequent perinatal outcomes as well as racial differences in spacing and adverse perinatal outcomes. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Missouri maternally linked live birth, fetal death and infant death files 1978-1997. The study sample was limited to mothers residing in Missouri during the study period, having first pregnancy at age 20-50 years, as well as a subsequent second pregnancy. Final study …

Association Between The Exposure To Aflatoxin And Micronutrient Status Of Hiv Infected Adults In Ghana, Francis Ayodele Obuseh

All ETDs from UAB

Aflatoxins, found naturally in some foods are toxic metabolites of some Aspergillus species.They constitute the most potent hepatocarcinogens known and are also mutagenic and hepatotoxic. The preponderance of evidence indicates that aflatoxin is the major cause of hepatocellular cancer. In studies conducted in Africa, food-borne aflatoxin exposure is common (Oyelami et al. 1996; Egal et al. 2005). There is a critical need for additional information on health outcomes associated with exposure to aflatoxin in humans, especially in developing countries with a higher degree of malnutrition and likelihood of HIV infections. We sought to test the hypothesis that aflatoxin B1 and …

Caste As A Determinant Of Utilization Of Maternal And Neonatal Healthcare Services In Maitha, Uttar Pradesh, India, Ekta Saroha

All ETDs from UAB

Caste among Hindus in India is a non-modifiable socio-demographic characteristic, often the basis of segregation and discrimination. Despite the provision of subsidized maternal and child healthcare services, utilization in rural Uttar Pradesh (UP), India is poor. Studies showed that upper caste (UC) women were more likely to utilize healthcare services than the lower caste (LC) women but this association is inadequately researched. We explored whether caste was a determinant of utilization of maternal healthcare (MH) and neonatal healthcare (NH) services among rural Hindu women and neonates in Maitha, UP, India. Data from the ‘Morbidity and Performance Assessment’ study for 482 …

Impact Of Immunosuppression On The Incidence And Clearance Of Human Papillomavirus In Hiv-Infected Women In Alabama, Madhav P. Bhatta

All ETDs from UAB

Persistent infection with certain “high-risk” types of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is central to the development of cervical cancer. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women are at a higher risk of HPV infection, high grade cervical intraepithelial lesions, and cervical cancer. This study examined type-specific distribution of prevalent and incident HPV infections, clearance rates, and associated factors using novel molecular assays for HPV detection and genotyping in a cohort of 280 HIVinfected women in Alabama. First, we described the cohort’s sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral risk profile for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and assessed the factors associated with HIV-1 viral …

Cigarette Smoking As A Public Health Hazard: Crafting Common Law And Legislative Strategies For Abatemen, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

The debate over when, and to what extent, the government may regulate public smoking, is a contentious one of great moment. The point at which the line will be drawn with regard to an individual's right to smoke in public is narrowing. This right may stop at public restaurants and the workplace; or it may reach as far as public stadia, outdoor gathering spots and public streets. In 2006, one report showed 461 municipalities in thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, had adopted one-hundred percent smoke-free coverage in restaurants, bars or workplaces; and 135 municipalities had one-hundred percent coverage …

Analgesic Use In U.S. Emergency Departments For Patients Reporting Moderate To Severe Pain: Diagnosis And Select Patient Characteristics Influencing Narcotic Analgesic Prescribing Practices, Hassan Zakaria

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between emergency department patient encounter characteristics and narcotic analgesic prescribing practices in order to determine what patient characteristics, if any, influence the decision to prescribe narcotics.Methods: Cross sectional data on patients presenting to U.S. emergency departments from the 2003 and 2004 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analyzed. Patients reporting moderate to severe pain were included in the sample and analysis. Chi square tests of significance were used to assess the association between individual demographic and encounter characteristics to narcotic prescription or administration. Separate multiple logistic regressions were then performed on …

Impact Of Combat Stress On Mental Health Outcomes: Brfss Survey Data 2006, Emily Pedneau

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: This study sought to determine the relationship between combat experience and mental health outcomes. The study sought to determine whether age was a significant factor in poor mental health outcomes. Methods: Multiple logistic regression (n = 195,048) and multiple linear regression (n = 264,154) were performed on the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Veteran status and a host of demographic and health status questions were analyzed in relation to diagnosis of anxiety or depressive disorder (multiple logistic regression) and to number of days poor mental health (multiple linear regression). Results: Diagnosis of anxiety or depression was …

Trend Analysis Of Automobile Collision Amongst 15-19 Year Olds In Virginia, 2000-2004, Imo F. Ndem

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. This research study on automobile collision in Virginia amongst fifteen to nineteen (15-19) year olds looked into the trend analysis over a five (5) year period of 2000 to 2004. Trend analysis is usually done for aggregates of all injuries—either intentional or unintentional injuries, or both. The primary objective of this research study was to examine the trend in hospitalization rates and mortality rates for males and females independently. It further looked into the trend, if any, in hospitalization rates, mortality rates, and case-fatality rates, for both males and females combined. The different Tables illustrate the extent and the …