Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Non-Infectious Disease Implications Of Bed Bug Infestations, Christopher T. Balster

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of bed bug infestations throughout Ohio, whether the non-infectious disease implications of infestations are public health concerns, and also determine the perceived ability of public health departments to respond to outbreaks within their jurisdiction. A descriptive study was performed using survey data obtained from 79 local public health departments throughout Ohio. Overall, 79.05% of individuals surveyed agreed that bed bug outbreaks are a public health concern. The mode of responses regarding whether or not the non-infectious disease concerns of infestations are a public health concern was 4 on a scale …

Cultural Conceptions Of Health, Caroline Stephens

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Healthcare is a complicated structure, influenced by multiple economic, social and cultural factors. It is problematic enough to determine how to administer healthcare in countries that rely only on the western healthcare system, but it is even more difficult in places such as Madagascar where multiple healthcare systems exist. Today the Malagasy have a culture that combines the many French practices with the traditional Malagasy beliefs, traditions and values. Many Malagasy chose to utilize allopathic medicine, but many others still prefer to go to a traditional healer. By gaining a better understanding of the average Malagasy person’s perceptions of proper …

Plants, People, And Partnership In Madagascar: How Pharmaceutical Companies And Bioprospecting Ventures Must And May Positively Benefit The Communities Whose Resources They Use, Rebecca Slotkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For centuries, traditional medical practitioners around the world have understood the tremendous wealth of medicinal power that can be found in the natural environment. In Madagascar, traditional practitioners have both used and cared for their natural environment, which in turn has given them a wide array of medical knowledge. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “approximately 80% of the world’s inhabitants rely predominantly on traditional medicines for their primary health care” (Cao et al. 2009). Traditional medical knowledge has relatively recently come to the attention of the international medical market. This “recent ‘rediscovery’ of medicinally useful plants” (Sheldon et …

“Mind The Gap” Addressing The Gap Between Health Care Policy & Health Care Reality In Madagascar & The Way Forward Integrating Traditional Medicine & Ethical Reform Within Health Care, Laura Dillon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

At first glance the health care system in Madagascar looks pretty good. No health care system is perfect, in fact most are far from perfect, but some certainly work better than others. On paper it seems that the current system in Madagascar would be among those that “work better”. Sadly, there is oftentimes a disconnect between what a government writes on paper and what happens in reality; looking around the streets of Antananarivo it quickly became apparent that Madagascar is an example of this disconnect. You do not have to be a health care professional to see the lack of …

Principal Component Analysis Of Dietary And Lifestyle Patterns In Relation To Risk Of Subtypes Of Esophageal And Gastric Cancer, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Susan T. Mayne, Harvey A. Risch, Marilie D. Gammon, Thomas Vaughan, Wong-Ho Chow, Joel A. Dubin, Robert Dubrow, Janet Schoenberg, Janet L. Stanford, A. Brian West, Heidrun Rotterdam, William J. Blot

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

To carry out pattern analyses of dietary and lifestyle factors in relation to risk of esophageal and gastric cancers.

Methods

We evaluated risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA), and other gastric cancers (OGA) using data from a population-based case-control study conducted in Connecticut, New Jersey, and western Washington state. Dietary/lifestyle patterns were created using principal component analysis (PCA). The impact of the resultant scores on cancer risk was estimated through logistic regression.

Results

PCA identified six patterns: meat/nitrite, fruit/vegetable, smoking/alcohol, legume/meat alternate, GERD/BMI, and fish/vitamin C. Risk of each …

Detecting Changes In Landuse/Cover Of Umuahia, South-Eastern Nigeria Using Remote Sensing And Gis Techniques, Fanan Ujoh, Olarewaju Oluseyi Ifatimehin, Adams Ndalai Baba

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

Since 1991 when it became the capital city of Abia State, Umuahia has undergone tremendous transformation in its land use and land cover due to rapid urbanization. The main materials employed for this study are a land use map (1991) and Landsat ETM+satellite image (2007) of the study area. These, combined with field survey/checks, were brought into a GIS environment using ILWIS 3.2 Academic image classification software to map the land use/land cover and to estimate the rate of urban expansion and loss of rural land at the peri-urban fringes of Umuahia between 1991 and 2007. The study revealed significant …

Appalachian Regional Model For Organizing And Sustaining County-Level Diabetes Coalitions, Richard Crespo, Molly Shrewsberry, Darrlyn Cornelius-Averhart, Henry B. King Jr.

Family and Community Health

This article describes a model for developing diabetes coalitions in rural Appalachian counties and presents evidence of their sustainability. The rural Appalachian coalition model was developed through a partnership between two federal agencies and a regional university. Coalitions go through a competitive application process to apply for one-time $10,000 grants. The project has funded 7 to 9 coalitions annually since 2001, reaching 66 total coalitions in 2008. Sustainability of the coalitions is defined by the number of coalitions that voluntarily report on their programs and services. In 2008, 58 of 66 (87%) coalitions in the Appalachian region continue to function …

A Pilot Study To Assess The Readiness And Barriers As Correlates To Participation In Rural Worksite Health Promotion Programming, Kayte L. Tranel

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

An increased risk of lifestyle-related conditions (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer) is associated with overweight and obesity, which affect approximately two in three American adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2009). Worksite health promotion programming (WHPP) may be effective for reducing disease risk. Reaching adults in the worksite seems logical considering most spend approximately 40 hours each week in that setting. WHPP is linked to improved effectiveness for promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors, but often struggles with low participation and high attrition rates. Research regarding barriers to WHPP and physical activity is available, …

How Do Religion And Belief Systems Influence Traditional Medicine And Health Care In Madagascar?, Whitney Franklin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Religion and beliefs consistently shape social structures, laws, and even medicine. In Madagascar, this is extremely evident when considering traditional medicine but also exists in modern medicine. Christianity and traditional beliefs are the two main systems that have shaped traditional medicine to what it has become today. These opposites function as a duality that becomes apparent when looking at certain events in Madagascar’s history and the examination of the evolution and rituals performed in the different types of traditional medicine. Through the methodology of interviewing traditional healers and gathering historical information from experts in lectures, I can make sure to …

Medical Pluralism In Morocco: The Cultural, Religious, Historical And Political-Economic Determinants Of Health And Choice., Tyler Martinson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Morocco is a culturally diverse intersection between the African continent, the Arab world and Europe. This multiplicity is mirrored in the country’s pluralistic medical system and beliefs surrounding the concepts of illness and health. Explanations of health are endorsed by culturally specific knowledge and are then naturalized and taken as objective. A synthesis of theoretical descriptions and political-economic of medical pluralism, along with historical analysis, explains the presence of multiple health practices and how a person’s choice of medical practice is heavily influenced by dynamic socio-cultural, religious, historical, political and economic factors. This study will help improve practitioner/client narratives of …

'How To Contain Generalized Hiv Epidemics' Article Misconstrues The Evidence, Richard Wamai, B. Morris

Richard G. Wamai

No abstract provided.

Carbon Monoxide Poisonings And Fatalities Associated With Recreational Watercraft, Dale Stephenson

Dale J. Stephenson

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless and odorless gas generated from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon-based fuels. Medical research has shown that human exposure to elevated concentrations of CO can cause serious injury or death. Of increasing concern are CO-related poisonings and fatalities associated with the use of recreational watercraft. Currently there is a lack of awareness of this health hazard among the general public. This presentation summarizes the risks and dangers recreational watercraft users may face from carbon monoxide exposure.

Gender Participation In The Management Of Tricycle Transport For Youth Empowerment And Sustainable Development In Kano State, Nigeria, Nuratu Muhammed

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

The research examined gender participation in the management of tricycle for youth empowerment and sustainable development in Kano state, Nigeria. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select samples of drivers(150), passengers (150) and owners/managers the female tricycle owners fell under this category and they numbered(65).All together a total of 365 samples were selected for the study. Data obtained from the primary data was analyzed using simple statistical techniques and chi square test to ascertain whether there was any significant differences in some of the variables tested. The results of the analysis revealed that the main difference was found in …

Addressing The Challenges Of Reporting On Childhood Asthma In A Changing Health Care System: Building Better Evidence For High Performance, Meagan Lyon, Anne Rossier Markus, Maya Tuchman Gerstein, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

Childhood asthma is a serious and costly chronic disease that burdens children and families as well as the health care systems that serve them. A key element to improving asthma outcomes is access to timely and useful data that can improve the quality of care and inform programs and policies to best serve those communities most burdened by asthma. This Policy Brief examines the nation’s data collection framework for childhood asthma and considers steps that might be taken to strengthen it, including the development, collection and refinement of community-level data to inform local health care systems. Through a review of …

Community-Based Knowledge Translation: Unexplored Opportunities, Anita Kothari, Rebecca Armstrong

Anita Kothari

BACKGROUND: Knowledge translation is an interactive process of knowledge exchange between health researchers and knowledge users. Given that the health system is broad in scope, it is important to reflect on how definitions and applications of knowledge translation might differ by setting and focus. Community-based organizations and their practitioners share common characteristics related to their setting, the evidence used in this setting, and anticipated outcomes that are not, in our experience, satisfactorily reflected in current knowledge translation approaches, frameworks, or tools.

DISCUSSION: Community-based organizations face a distinctive set of challenges and concerns related to engaging in the knowledge translation process, …

Comparison Of Workplace Protection Factors For Different Biological Contaminants, Kyungmin Jacob Cho, Tiina Reponen, Roy Mckay, Alok Dwivedi, Atin Adhikari, Umesh Singh, Rakesh Shukla, M. Susan Jones, Gordon Jones, Sergey A. Grinshpun

Nursing Faculty Publications

This study compared workplace protection factors (WPFs) for five different contaminants (endotoxin, fungal spores, (1→3)-β-D-glucan, total particle mass, and total particle number) provided by an N95 elastomeric respirator (ER) and an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR). We previously reported size-selective WPFs for total particle numbers for the ER and FFR, whereas the current article is focused on WPFs for bioaerosols and total particle mass. Farm workers (n = 25) wore the ER and FFR while performing activities at eight locations representing horse farms, pig barns, and grain handling facilities. For the determination of WPFs, particles were collected on filters simultaneously …

Smoking During Pregnancy: Its Effects On The Prevalence Of Low Birth Weight Infants, Lynda M. Colussi

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: The purpose of this research was to determine what impact demographic characteristics and the smoking status of mothers had on the prevalence and risk for LBW births. Methods: Birth certificate data from Montgomery County, Ohio from 2006-2009 was analyzed. Among the information collected were the infant's birth weight, the mother's age, marital status, education level, race, payer status at time of delivery, WIC status, and smoking status. The impact demographic characteristics and smoking status had on the prevalence of LBW births was determined by a logistic regression model. The effect of when women smoked during pregnancy had on the …

Peer Support In Centers For Independent Living: What Do We Know?, Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., Bob Liston, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

Peer support is ubiquitous.It is defined as a helping relationship between an individual who has experience living under certain conditions assisting another person to cope with and adapt to similar circumstances.It has been gaining in popularity and use since its early adoption in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and has been used widely, and with good effect, with people experiencing a variety of both physical and mental health conditions.

The Believe In All Your Possibilities Campaign: Updating A Social Marketing Campaign On A Shoe String Budget, Moya L. Alfonso, H. Woodcum, Sherri Reynolds, John S. Luque

Community Health Faculty Presentations

The purpose of this presentation is to provide participants with an understanding of how to revamp or refresh a brand on a limited budget using a case study approach. The ‘Believe in All Your Possibilities’ community-based prevention marketing campaign, which was targeted at reducing alcohol and tobacco use among middle school youth, was the result of a long term school-community-university partnership in Southeast Florida. This alcohol campaign has been continuously implemented for eight years. Encouraging evaluation results combined with recently acquired alcohol prevention funding served as the impetus for conducting research to determine if ‘Believe’: a) was still relevant to …

Rocky Mountain Highs And Lows: Efforts To Improve Health And Reduce Costs In Denver, Michele J. Orza, Jessamyn Taylor

National Health Policy Forum

In late May–early June 2011, the Forum sponsored a site visit to Denver, Colorado, to observe innovative efforts to improve the health of Coloradans and reduce the cost of health care. The three-day agenda was designed to convey the breadth and interconnectedness of the efforts underway in Denver and to highlight both successes and challenges. The exploration concentrated on how three themes of national interest are unfolding in Denver: building and sustaining a robust and effective safety net in an evolving health care market; improving the health of people and their communities to prevent and reduce the need for health …

Home, But Not Alone: Evidence-Based Maternal, Infant, And Early Childhood Home Visitation, Eileen Salinsky

National Health Policy Forum

Home visitation services for young and expectant families have the potential to improve child and parent outcomes in a broad variety of ways, but the effectiveness of home visits may depend on the nature, frequency, and duration of these services. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) created a new federal funding stream to promote the development and implementation of evidence-based home visiting programs. This issue brief provides an overview of the newly established Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, describes existing approaches to home visitation, and discusses the implications of federal funding for state …

Cardiovascular Disease And Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In Adults Exposed To The Terrorist Attacks On The World Trade Center, Katie C. Imhof

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Following events of terrorism communities and individuals are subject to the cumbersome responsibilities associated with rescue and recovery efforts. In addition to the loss of life and direct injuries sustained during the incident, long term health outcomes among the exposed population are often seen. Both physical and mental health can be affected as a result of the exposure, and some outcomes do not immediately present themselves. The population exposed to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City is no different, and the World Trade Center Health Registries database has been established by …

Individual And Combined Effects Of Dehydration, Hyperthermia, And Fatigue On Movement Patterns And Cognition, Rachel M. Karslo

Master's Theses

Individual and Combined Effects of Dehydration, Hyperthermia, and Fatigue on Movement Patterns and Cognition

Rachel M. Karslo, University of Connecticut

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the individual and combined of effects of dehydration, hyperthermia, and fatigue on movement patterns and cognition. Secondly, we wanted to see if the effects of dehydration, hyperthermia, and fatigue lead to a combined increase in injury risk.

Methods: 12 males completed a within-subject repeated measures design to study the effects of hyperthermia, dehydration and fatigue on movement and cognition. Subjects completed 4 randomized test sessions in different conditions: hydrated normothermic, dehydrated …

Bitewing Radiographic Evaluation Of Interproximal Carious Lesions On Permanent First Molars In 6 And 12 Year-Olds In The Public Health System Of Chile, Rodrigo Alejandro Haristoy Dr.

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Risk Of Metabolic Syndrome Among Children Living In Metropolitan Kuala Lumpur: A Case Control Study, Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud

Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud

Background: With the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, the metabolic syndrome has been studied among children in many countries but not in Malaysia. Hence, this study aimed to compare metabolic risk factors between overweight/obese and normal weight children and to determine the influence of gender and ethnicity on the metabolic syndrome among school children aged 9 12 years in Kuala Lumpur and its metropolitan suburbs. Methods: A case control study was conducted among 402 children, comprising 193 normal-weight and 209 overweight/obese. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC) and body composition were measured, and WHO (2007) growth reference was used to categorise …

Cardiac Kids: Obesity Intervention Program In Elementary School Children, Christen Rose Waddell, Lisa Wagoner, Bonnie Callen, Carolyn Perry-Burst, Aneisa Mcdonald, Marcia Spence

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Crossing Borders In La Cocina: Constructing A Bilingual Community-Based Culinary Guide For A Healthier Tomorrow In Knoxville's Lonsdale Community, Erin M. Groh

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Exploring Geographic Proximity To Fast-Food Restaurants And Convenience Stores With Dental Caries In Patients At The University Of Nevada Las Vegas School Of Dental Medicine, Charles K. Hill

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dental caries is present worldwide and has afflicted over 90% of all adults in the United States. Biological determinants of the disease are well understood but social determinants and how they interact with biological factors are not. Programs designed to reduce incidence and prevalence of caries often target certain individuals and involve behavioral change. Some programs are more successful when environmental and societal issues are also addressed (Watt, 2002). Biological and behavioral processes leading to caries should include the modification of social factors to enhance results of prevention programs designed to reduce caries in populations. Preventing disease comes not only …

Lead Concentrations In Extracted Primary Teeth Among Clark County Pediatric Patients, Jennifer A. Berger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Childhood lead poisoning is a completely preventable condition, yet only a small portion of children in Nevada are screened for elevated blood lead levels. In 2009 only 6.11 percent of children in Nevada were screened for lead indicating that Nevada would benefit from an alternative method of screening for childhood lead exposure. Deciduous teeth are not currently recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as diagnostic samples for the measurement for lead exposure. However, this unique and innovative detection method utilizes opportunistic samples that will contribute to the childhood lead poisoning prevention efforts in Nevada.

The objectives of …

Reducing Maternal And Perinatal Mortality Through Labor And Delivery Practices At A Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa District Hospital, Kristen E. Culmo

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Maternal and perinatal mortality have become main focuses in global health, including in the country of South Africa. Many maternal and perinatal deaths can be prevented just before, during, and directly after the labour and delivery process. This study examines such prevention practices being employed at a district hospital serving a rural population in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study looks at the methods used by the hospital to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in the labour ward during the intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods, from the start of contractions through three hours post delivery.