Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Seeing Tobacco Use In Films On Trying Smoking Among Adolescents: Cross Sectional Study, James D. Sargent, Michael L. Beach, Madeline A. Dalton, Leila A. Mott, Jennifer J. Tickle, M. Bridget Ahrens, Todd F. Heatherton

Dartmouth Scholarship

Objective: To test the hypothesis that greater exposure to smoking in films is associated with trying smoking among adolescents.

Predictors Of Injury From Fighting Among Adolescent Males, B J. Hammig, L L. Dahlberg, Monica H. Swahn

Public Health Faculty Publications

Objectives: To identify violence related behaviors associated with injuries among adolescent males involved in fights.

Methods: Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used to develop weighted estimates of injury prevalence and associations between injury and violence related behaviors.

Results: Forty seven per cent injured others and 18% were themselves injured in a fight among adolescent males in the preceding 12 months. Group fighting, fighting with strangers, and weapon use were predictive of injury in this sample.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that injuries associated with fighting are a health risk among adolescent males. Certain behaviors, such as …

Using An Importance-Performance Analysis Of Summer Students In The Evaluation Of Student Health Services., Candice Cline Duvernois

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hitherto, students have not evaluated the importance and performance of services provided by the student health service (SHS) at East Tennessee State University. An evaluation could provide valuable feedback to providers and administration.

In 2001, there were 944 student visits in the summer sessions. Approximately 256 students were offered a survey containing an Importance-Performance scale of which 151 (59.0%) responded. The I-P scale rates the importance students place on healthcare services and the performance of the SHS in delivering services (i.e., patient satisfaction).

Based on mean scores, students reported high importance, high performance on urgent care, pharmacy and patient education. …

Access To Pediatric Services Under Medicaid Managed Care In The District Of Columbia, Karen Shaw, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Pizzi Holistic Wellness Assessment, Michael Pizzi

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

This paper describes the Pizzi Holistic Wellness Assessment tool. Using theory from the field of health promotion and expertise gained in his private home health practice, the author developed and pilot tested this assessment on a variety of individuals. The assessment is designed to be used with different populations in a variety of settings to help clients self assess their health and well-being.

Evaluation Of Directly Observed Therapy In Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients In Nepal: Treatment Outcome And Patient Compliance, Baishali Bhattacharya

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of infectious disease in Nepal. An estimated 60% of the adult population aged between 15-45 years is infected with tuberculosis, and 45% of the total population is infected. Ten percent of people infected with TB progress to active disease. To combat tuberculosis, Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) was adopted in Nepal in 1996. DOT was administered at four national demonstration sites in 1996 and expanded over time so that 56% of the population to date have been covered by DOT. This study aimed to evaluate DOT in pulmonary TB patients in Nepal in terms of patient …

A Decentralized, Patient-Centered Approach To Diabetes Disease Management In The Primary Care Setting, Michael Toscani, John P. O'Connor, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Although many disease management programs have been developed for diabetes, no single design has proved best for all providers and patient populations. Cost effectiveness is especially relevant to diabetes programs because significant costs of the disease may come from complications that occur later in life, while the costs of the program are incurred immediately. For this reason, diabetes disease management programs with positive outcomes and low implementation costs are of particular importance. We report here on the outcomes of a pilot test of the Steps to Health program developed by Abbott Laboratories. The Steps to Health program was designed to …

From Product Dispensing To Patient Care: The Role Of The Pharmacist In Providing Pharmaceutical Care As Part Of An Integrated Disease Management Approach, Laura T. Pizzi, Jean M. Menz, Geneen R. Graber, Dong-Churl Suh

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

During the past decade, the profession of pharmacy has changed dramatically. The Doctor of Pharmacy degree has replaced the Bachelor of Science degree as the first professional degree offered at most accredited U.S. pharmacy schools. Advanced clinical training is now a mainstay of pharmacy training, and this has enabled pharmacists to contribute to disease management efforts. In addition, technological improvements in prescription processing have afforded pharmacists more time to participate in disease management activities. This paper describes how the role of the pharmacist has changed and reviews the results of programs involving pharmacists as disease management providers in the areas …

Meeting Employees' Information Needs In An Evolving Health Care Marketplace, Lise Rybowski

National Health Policy Forum

This background paper explores the role of information in an evolving health care marketplace. It notes that, in a softening economy, many employers seeking relief from escalating health care expenses shift costs onto employees. Some try to make their retreat more palatable by offering employees both more options for how and where they receive health care and more control over how and where the money is spent. This paper discusses the changes that are likely to occur over the next decade in the ways that people make decisions about health plans and providers, the implications for consumers' information needs, and …

The Importance Of Individualized Pharmaceutical Therapy In The Treatment Of Diabetes Mellitus, David B. Nash, Jennifer B. Koenig, Karen D. Novielli, Renee Liberoni, Miriam Reisman

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Individualized pharmaceutical care for patients with diabetes is necessary for several reasons. First, diabetes is a highly complex disease caused by the interplay among genetic, physiological, and environmental factors that vary from individual to individual. Second, the profile of patients with diabetes has evolved to include people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, with varying medical histories and health behaviors. Third, diabetes often occurs concurrently with other medical conditions, especially in certain groups, such as the elderly. While the treatment goals for all patients with diabetes are the sameto stabilize and maintain healthy blood glucose levels to prevent serious complicationsthe …

The Disappearing State Surpluses: How Come, How Long, And How Will They Affect Social Service Programs?, Randy Desonia

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief focuses on the impact of budget shortfalls being experienced by many states after several years of strong revenue growth. It describes the structure and sources of state revenues and spending and the causes of the shortfall. It also summarizes the fiscal trends and federal policies that could result in significant budget shortfalls in the future.

Injury Mortality In Texas And The Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1980-1998, Jan M. H. Risser, Carrie Shapiro, William Spears

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Aims: To compare age-adjusted injury mortality rates between Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) Hispanics, Texas Hispanics and Texas Whites. Methods: Using data from the Texas Department of Health, we examined deaths from injuries including: motor vehicle accidents, homicide, and suicide from 1980 through 1998. Results: Injury deaths are the fourth leading cause of death in Texas. Mortality rates for all-cause injuries among LRGV Hispanics were 25% lower than rates among Texas Whites. Traffic accident mortality were quite similar among the study groups. From 1980, the average mortality from traffic accidents per 100,000 persons was 21.9 among Whites and 27.2 among …

Primary Care Case Management: Lessons For Medicare?, Lisa Sprague

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief looks at primary care case management (PCCM) as a tool that states have used to manage the delivery of care to their Medicaid populations, an alternative to contracting with commercial managed care plans. (States had found PCCM a flexible means of advancing state policy goals, including quality improvement, disease management, and coverage of special-needs populations.) The issue brief considers provider and beneficiary perspectives on PCCM as well as state agency objectives and accomplishments. Finally, it raises the question of adapting the PCCM model for Medicare.

Patterns Of Recent Alcohol, Tobacco, And Other Drug Use Among Caucasian, Black, And Hispanic Students Attending Racially Homogeneous And Heterogeneous School Districts, Matthew J. Cook, Jane A. Ungemack, Hal Mark

SoM Presentations

No abstract provided.

Emergency Preparedness From A Health Perspective: Preparing For Bioterrorism At The Federal, State, And Local Levels, Robin J. Strongin

National Health Policy Forum

Despite the good intentions prior to and in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the existence of significant gaps in the country's preparedness became increasingly clear in the weeks that followed. This background paper provides an overview of the state of bioterrorism preparedness at all levels of government, identifying both the gaps and the steps being taken to close them. A series of reference materials, including a suggested reading list and Web site addresses, are listed at the end of the paper.

Psychosocial Stress And Prostate Cancer: A Theoretical Model, Gary L. Ellison, Ann L. Coker, James R. Hebert, Maureen Sanderson, Charmaine D. Royal, Sally P. Weinrich

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

African-American men are more likely to develop and die from prostate cancer than are European-American men; yet, factors responsible for the racial disparity in incidence and mortality have not been elucidated. Socioeconomic disadvantage can lead to psychosocial stress and may be linked to negative lifestyle behaviors. Regardless of socioeconomic position, African-American men routinely experience racism-induced stress. We propose a theoretical framework for an association between psychosocial stress and prostate cancer. With the context of history and culture, we further propose that psychosocial stress may partially explain the variable incidence of prostate cancer between these diverse groups. Psychosocial stress may negatively …

The Standardized Fish Bioassay Procedure For Detecting And Culturing Actively Toxic Pfiesteria, Used By Two Reference Laboratories For Atlantic And Gulf Coast States, Joann M. Burkholder, Harold G. Marshall, David W. Seaborn, Nora J. Deamer-Melia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In the absence of purified standards of toxins from Pfiesteria species, appropriately conducted fish bioassays are the "gold standard" that must be used to detect toxic strains of Pfiesteria slop. from natural estuarine water or sediment samples and to culture actively toxic Pfiesteria. In this article, we describe the standardized steps of our fish bioassay as an abbreviated term for a procedure that includes two sets of trials with fish, following the Henle-Koch postulates modified for toxic rather than infectious agents. This procedure was developed in 1991, and has been refined over more than 12 years of experience in …

The Distribution Of Airborne Coal Dust In Soil Profiles Of Norfolk, Va And Its Implication For Arsenic Loading To These Soils, William Joseph Bounds

OES Theses and Dissertations

Norfolk, Virginia is home to the Northern Hemisphere's largest coal terminal the Lamberts Point Docks. The coal loading process of this terminal creates large amounts of coal dust, which subsequently is distributed throughout the local region by atmospheric transport and deposition. While the coal dust itself poses only minor health hazards, certain trace elements within the coal, particularly arsenic, may pose environmental as well as significant health hazards. Within coal, arsenic occurs primarily in the mineral pyrite. As pyrite in the coal dust is subsequently oxidized via exposure to the atmosphere and/or meteoric water, arsenic may be released to the …

Internal Consistency And Intercriterion Overlap Within And Between Dsm-Iv Axis Ii Personality Disorders: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Study Of Personality Disorders, Carlos M. Grilo, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Leslie C. Morey, John G. Gunderson, Andrew E. Skodol, M. Tracie Shea, Charles A. Sanislow, Mary C. Zanarini, Donna S. Bender, John M. Oldham, Ingrid Dyck, Robert L. Stout

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: To evaluate performance characteristics of DSM-IV Personality Disorders (PDs) criteria.

Method: Six hundred and sixty-eight adults recruited for the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS) were assessed with diagnostic interviews.

Results: Within-category inter-relatedness was evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha and median intercriterion correlations (MIC). Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.47 to 0.87 (median=0.71); seven of the 10 PDs had alphas greater than 0.70. Between-category criterion overlap was evaluated by ‘inter-category’ intercriterion correlations between all PD pairs (ICMIC). ICMIC values (median=0.08) were lower than MIC values (median=0.23). Diagnostic efficiency statistics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power and negative predictive power were calculated for …

Aha/Acc Guidelines For Preventing Heart Attack And Death In Patients With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: 2001 Update - A Statement For Healthcare Professionals From The American Heart Association And The American College Of Cardiology, Sidney C. Smith Jr., Steven N. Blair, Robert O. Bonow, Lawrence M. Brass, Manuel D. Cerqueira, Kathleen Dracup, Valentin Fuster, Antonio M. Gotto, Scott M. Grundy, Nancy Houston-Miller, Alice Jacobs, Daniel Jones, Ronald M. Krauss, Lori Mosca, Ira S. Ockene, Richard C. Pasternak, Thomas A. Pearson, Marc A. Pfeffer, Rodman K. Starke, Kathryn A. Taubert

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Health Insurance Family Style: Public Approaches To Reaching The Uninsured, Jennifer Ryan

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief explores existing and potential opportunities to further expand the availability of health coverage for the uninsured and the underinsured, given downturns in the economy and the resulting state budget shortfalls. It also considers the implications of the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) initiative announced in August 2001 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Finally, the issue brief describes legislative options for health care reform being debated in Washington, including tax credit incentives, employer-based coverage subsidies and the potential for additional federal funding for public coverage expansions through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance …

Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) And Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (Hiv) In Nevada – Annual Surveillance Report (1999), Mary Guinan, Nancy Kreher, Drew Mather, Wei Yang

Public Health Faculty Publications

Background:

Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the most severe manifestation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. AIDS was first reported in the world in 1981 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Statewide surveillance for AIDS was begun in 1982. Because the cause of AIDS was unknown at that time, the surveillance case definition included many opportunistic infections and tumors. Persons with AIDS were noted to have abnormalities in their immune system that left them susceptible to certain infections. As more information became available, the AIDS surveillance case definition was modified.

In 1984, HIV was found to be the …

Workplace Pollution: Nuclear Safety, Ethics, And The Exploitation--Avoidance Argument, Kristin Shrader-Frechette

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The author reviews evidence of poor worker health and safety practices in United States Department of Energy nuclear facilities in contending that less protective standards for workplace hazards constitute an environmental injustice not rectified by a hazard pay premium.

Pain Control In Healthcare Organizations: Developing Effective Disease Management Programs, C. Richard Chapman, Stephen D. Lande, Bill H. Mccarberg, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Although medicine possesses the knowledge and technology for preventing or relieving most pain, poor pain control is still widespread. Unrelieved pain causes unnecessary suffering and increases health care expenditures. Among the barriers to improving pain control are poor provider education in pain management, misguided beliefs about the inevitability of pain and the dangers of pain medication, provider resistance to changing practice patterns, and administrative resistance to implementing improvements that incur short-term costs but lead to long-term savings. In short, poor pain relief in America's health care institutions is a system issue, and improvement requires a system-wide change. An effective program …

Review Of Children As Partners In Health: A Critical Review Of The Child-To-Child Approach. Pat Pridmore And David Stephens. Review By Terri Combs-Orme, Terri Combs-Orme

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Pat Pridmore and David Stephens, Children as Partners in Health: A Critical Review of the Child-to-Child Approach. New York: Zed Books, 2000. $ 59.95 hardcover, $22.50 papercover.

Role Of Wireless Technology In Meeting Global Health Care Needs., Nat Quansah

Nat Quansah

No abstract provided.

Intermittent Noise Sampling And Control Strategies In The Hospital Environment, Rosarito M. Guerrero

Theses

Noise in the hospital environment can have negative effects on both patients and hospital staff. Unwanted noise can be disturbing and often annoying thus, interfering with patients' sleep and obstructing work performance of the hospital staff. A research study was conducted in the hospital unit to identify and develop methods of intervention for intermittent noise and their source. Routine staff work activity generated noise levels above EPA hospital noise recommendations. A sound level meter and video camera was used to capture noise between the work-shifts. The video camera captured digital readings generated by the sound level meter which, helped identify …

Mission Possible? Maintaining The Safety Net In Urban And Rural Colorado, Karen Matherlee

National Health Policy Forum

This site visit examined urban safety-net concerns in Denver and rural safety-net issues in three communities in the eastern part of Colorado. The Denver segment featured Denver Health, an integrated health system that provides a continuum of services to diverse vulnerable populations. It explored delivery and financing issues for the system itself and in relation to payers, providers, and consumers (particularly through Community Voices) in its catchment area. The eastern Colorado segment focused on delivery and financing issues in Rocky Ford (community health center/migrant health services concerns), Limon (certified rural health center topics), and Hugo (critical-access hospital matters). The visit …

W-2 In 2001: Wisconsin Works At Welfare Reform, Jennifer Ryan, Randy Desonia

National Health Policy Forum

This site visit took federal participants to Wisconsin, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of welfare reform. This site visit focused on Wisconsin Works (W-2), a statewide effort to reduce the state's welfare caseload and send clients to work. In particular, site visitors examined welfare reform policy, service delivery, and financing issues in Milwaukee, at that time the home of 85 percent of W-2 participants. Site visit participants heard from state officials, private-sector representatives, researchers, and advocates on the structure of W-2, its operating policies, and the effects of program implementation on low-income families. They toured a variety of …

Tractor Driving Among Kentucky Farm Youth: Results From The Farm Family Health And Hazard Surveillance Project, Steven R. Browning, Susan C. Westneat, Raeanne Szeluga

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This article documents the extent of children's involvement in tractor operations among a representative sample of Kentucky children living and working on family farms. Specifically, we describe children's exposures to tractor-related work activities, profile their use of the tractor (number of days worked), and assess compliance with generally recommended safety measures, such as using tractors equipped with ROPS (rollover protective structures), avoiding riding as passengers on tractors, and operating tractors on public roadways. Data for this study were collected in 1994 and 1995 as part of the NIOSH-sponsored Farm Family Health and Hazard Surveillance Project (FFHHSP). Despite recognition in the …