Hips That Harm: When Medical Devices Fail Women, Sophie N. Putka

Capstones

Medical devices that save the lives of thousands of Americans each year advance at a rapid pace - but some of them consistently leave women behind. When it comes to joint replacements and even heart devices, women have worse health outcomes. Behind this preventable problem is a system that overlooks women from start to finish. Female bodies are different from male bodies, but women are often underrepresented in medical trials for device approval. Women’s participation in clinical testing for devices has increased, but there’s rarely a detailed analysis of performance by sex, and even less information on women by race …

Expanding The Boundaries Of Food Policy: The Turn To Equity In New York City, Nevin Cohen, Rositsa Ilieva

Publications and Research

Policymakers acknowledge that the food system is multidimensional and that social determinants affect diet-related health outcomes, yet cities have emphasized programs and policies narrowly connected to food access and nutritional health. Over the past fifteen years, the boundaries of food governance have expanded to include a wider range of issues and domains not previously considered within the purview of food policy, like labor, housing, and education policies. This paper illustrates the processes by which this shift occurs by presenting the case of New York City, which has broadened its food governance to a larger set of issues, requiring cross-sectoral initiatives …

Africans Who Arrive In The United States Before 20 Years Of Age Maintain Both Cardiometabolic Health And Cultural Identity: Insight From The Africans In America Study, Elyssa M. Shoup, Thomas Hormenu, Nana H. Osei-Tutu, M.C. Sage Ishimwe, Arielle C. Patterson, Christopher W. Dubose, Annemarie Wentzel, Margrethe F. Horlyck-Romanovsky, Anne E. Sumner

Publications and Research

The overall consensus is that foreign-born adults who come to America age < 20 y achieve economic success but develop adverse behaviors (smoking and drinking) that lead to worse cardiometabolic health than immigrants who arrive age ≥ 20 y. Whether age of immigration affects the health of African-born Blacks living in America is unknown. Our goals were to examine cultural identity, behavior, and socioeconomic factors and determine if differences exist in the cardiometabolic health of Africans who immigrated to America before and after age 20 y. Of the 482 enrollees (age: 38 ± 1 (mean ± SE), range: 20–65 y) in the Africans in America cohort, 23% (111/482) arrived age < 20 y, and 77% (371/482) arrived age ≥ 20 y. Independent of francophone status or African region of origin, Africans who immigrated age < 20 y had similar or better cardiometabolic health than Africans who immigrated age ≥ 20 y. The majority of Africans who immigrated age < 20 y identified as African, had African-born spouses, exercised, did not adopt adverse health behaviors, and actualized early life migration advantages, such as an American university education. Due to maintenance of cultural identity and actualization of opportunities in America, cardiometabolic health may be protected in Africans who immigrate before age 20. In short, immigrant health research must be cognizant of the diversity within the foreign-born community and age of immigration.

The Associations Of Out-Of-Home Placement With Penile-Vaginal Intercourse, Age Of Sexual Debut And Pregnancy Among Child Welfare Involved Youth: A Cross-Sectional Study Using The National Survey Of Child And Adolescent Well-Being (Nscaw) Ii, Gabriela S. Betancourt

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Studies of youth in out-of-home (OOH) care and adults with histories of OOH placements have found evidence of poorer sexual and reproductive health (SRH) compared with their counterparts in the general population, including inconsistent use of male condoms and contraceptives, higher prevalence of adolescent pregnancy, and history of unwanted sexual debut. However, within the population of youth involved in child welfare, the effects of OOH placement on SRH have been difficult to establish. The overall goals of the current study were to compare SRH indicators (ever having penile–vaginal intercourse; early age of sexual debut; reported pregnancy) among youth involved …

Understanding Of Aerosol Transmission Of Covid 19 In Indoor Environments, Adama Barro, Cathal O'Toole, Jacob S. Lopez, Matthew Quinones, Sherene Moore

Publications and Research

Our reason for discussing severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or 2019 novel corona virus (Covid-19), is to understand its aerosol transmission characteristics in indoor spaces and to mitigate further spread of this disease by designing a new HVAC system. The problem that we are tackling is the spread of covid-19 droplets through aerosol transmission by looking at potential engineering solutions to the existing HVAC systems. The purpose is to eradicate the spread of the COVID-19 by testing indoor spaces in an effort to understand the effectiveness of ventilation controls. We believe that scientists and engineers have not …

Reproducibility And Sensitivity Of Thirty-Six Methods To Quantify The Sars-Cov-2 Genetic Signal In Raw Wastewater: Findings From An Interlaboratory Methods Evaluation In The U.S., Brian M. Pecson, Emily Darby, Charles N. Haas, Yamrot M. Amha, Mitchel Bartolo, Richard Danielson, Yeggie Dearborn, George Di Giovanni, Christobel Ferguson, Stephanie Fevig, Erica Gaddis, Donald Gray, George Lukasik, Bonnie Mull, Liana Olivas, Adam Olivieri, Yan Qu, Sars-Cov-2 Interlaboratory Consortium, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

In response to COVID-19, the international water community rapidly developed methods to quantify the SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal in untreated wastewater. Wastewater surveillance using such methods has the potential to complement clinical testing in assessing community health. This interlaboratory assessment evaluated the reproducibility and sensitivity of 36 standard operating procedures (SOPs), divided into eight method groups based on sample concentration approach and whether solids were removed. Two raw wastewater samples were collected in August 2020, amended with a matrix spike (betacoronavirus OC43), and distributed to 32 laboratories across the U.S. Replicate samples analyzed in accordance with the project's quality assurance plan …

Childhood Maltreatment And Lead Levels In Middle Adulthood: A Prospective Examination Of The Roles Of Individual Socio-Economic And Neighborhood Characteristics, Anthony Carpi, Valentina Nikulina, Xuechen Li, Cathy Spatz Widom

Publications and Research

Background Lead is a common environmental hazard because of its past use as an additive to gasoline and household paint. Some evidence suggests that children with histories of child abuse and neglect are at elevated risk for residence in communities and households with less desirable characteristics and high levels of exposure to environmental hazards and toxins.

Objectives To understand whether childhood maltreatment leads to higher levels of household dust lead and blood lead in adulthood and the extent to which characteristics of a person’s physical environment or individual level socio-economic status (SES) (based on unemployment, poverty, and receipt of public …

Workers At Long-Term Care Facilities And Their Risk For Severe Covid-19 Illness, Jessica Greene, Diane Gibson

Publications and Research

Given the high concentration of COVID-19 cases in long-term care (LTC) facilities in the United States, individuals working in these facilities are at heightened risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Using data from the nationally-representative 2017 and 2018 National Health Interview Surveys on adults who reported working in LTC facilities, this study examines the extent to which LTC workers are also at increased risk or potentially at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 including hospitalization, intubation, or death. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of conditions placing individuals in these risk categories to the extent possible. We …

Trust: Assessing The Efficacy Of An Intervention To Increase Hiv Self‑Testing Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) And Transwomen, Victoria Frye, Vijay Nandi, Mark Q. Paige, Jermaine Mccrossin, Debbie Lucy, Marya Gwadz, Patrick S. Sullivan, Donald R. Hoover, Leo Wilton

Publications and Research

HIV testing among young Black MSM and transwomen (YBMSM/TW) is the gateway to biomedical HIV prevention or treatment. HIV self-testing (HST) is a method that may increase consistent HIV testing. TRUST, a brief, peer-based behavioral intervention, was designed to increase uptake of consistent (every three months) HST among YBMSM/TW in New York City. To test the efficacy of the intervention, we randomized 200 friend pairs into either the intervention condition (TRUST) or a time and attention control condition. A modified intent-to-treat analysis found that self-reported HST at 3-month follow-up was statistically significantly higher (uOR 2.29; 95% CI 1.15, 4.58) and …

Mental Health Literacy In A Diverse Sample Of Undergraduate Students: Demographic, Psychological, And Academic Correlates, Rona Miles, Laura Rabin, Anjali Krishnan, Evan Grandoit, Kamil Kloskowski

Publications and Research

Background: Investigating variables associated with mental health literacy in the college-age population takes us one step closer to providing intervention for this vulnerable group, where growing rates of psychological disorders are a serious public concern. This study adds to the existing literature by incorporating, within a single model, multi-faceted variables (demographic, psychological, and academic) that contribute to mental health literacy in demographically and ethnically diverse college students.

Methods: Participants were undergraduate students enrolled at nine different colleges that are part of a large, urban, public university system. A total of 1213 respondents (62.0% female, 73.3% non-white) completed an in- person …

The Cost Effectiveness Of Mental Health Treatment In The Lifetime Of Older Adults With Hiv In New York City: A Markov Approach, Juan J. Delacruz, Mark Brennan-Ing, Andreas Kakolyris, Omar Martinez

Publications and Research

Background

There are noticeable gaps in knowledge regarding the cost and effectiveness of integrated medical and behavioral services for older adults with HIV. Their lifespan is close to the population’s level but their quality of life has sharply declined due to depression and substance use. Mental health disorders are widespread among an aging population with HIV. Objective The aim of this study was to build a decision analytic model to evaluate medical interventions with and without mental health treatment using primary data of 139 older adults with HIV and health outcomes from the literature.

Methods

We tracked the progression of …

Gender And Racial Disparity For Hospital Emergency Service Usage In Usa: A Quantitative Analysis For Various Age Groups During 2010–2017., Subhendra N. Sarkar, Anthony F. Devito, Evans Lespinasse, Faisal Khosa

Publications and Research

Background: Annually emergency department (ED) services are utilized by more than 100 million Americans making ED usage trends important determinants of healthcare quality, outcomes and cost. Previous workers have demonstrated the existence of disparity in various healthcare services in USA although a comprehensive analysis has not been undertaken. Dahlgren and Whitehead rainbow model has offered insights for multiple factors of influence on an individual’s health and focuses on the relationships among these factors. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH; WHO initiatives) suggests that the social and environmental factors are at the root of most of the inequalities responsible …

The Occupational Depression Inventory: A New Tool For Clinicians And Epidemiologists, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Background: Depressive symptoms induced by insurmountable job stress and sick leave for mental health reasons have become a focal concern among occupational health specialists. The present study introduces the Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI), a measure designed to quantify the severity of work-attributed depressive symptoms and establish provisional diagnoses of job-ascribed depression. The ODI comprises nine symptom items and a subsidiary question assessing turnover intention. Methods: A total of 2254 employed individuals were recruited in the U.S., New Zealand, and France. We examined the psychometric and structural properties of the ODI as well as the nomological network of work-attributed depressive symptoms. …

Plasma Proteins That May Cause Parkinson’S Disease And Multiple Sclerosis: A Mendelian Randomization Study, Brigid A. Staley

Dissertations and Theses

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are progressively disabling neurologic disorders that profoundly affect quality of life and shorten life expectancy. There is no cure for either disease, and current treatments only alleviate symptoms and may cause serious side effects. The causes of MS and PD are not well understood. Previous epidemiologic studies have documented numerous environmental risk factors for both diseases. However, these studies are inherently prone to bias from confounding which may generate spurious results. The lack of unbiased evidence on environmental causes of MS and PD has been a critical barrier to fully understanding their pathophysiology. …

The Impact Of The Deficit Reduction Act Of 2005 On The Length Of Hospital Stay, Honamattie Dabydeen

Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are the most common complications of hospital care in the United States, and at least 1 in 10 patients admitted to the hospital will develop one. These unnecessary complications lead to about 99,000 premature deaths per year and add approximately $35–$45 billion of direct costs. Most of the cost increase is due to increases in hospital length of stay (LOS). This study examines the effect of a federal policy change on LOS among people with an HAI using the Donabedian quality of health care model as a framework. Specifically, this study examines the effect of …

Exercise Behavior And Mood During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Taiwan: Lessons For The Future, Yu-Kai Chang, Chiao-Ling Hung, Sinika Timme, Sanaz Nosrat, Chien-Heng Chu

Publications and Research

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated governmental recommendations and restrictions have influenced many aspects of human life, including exercise and mental health. This study aims to explore the influence of COVID-19 on exercise behavior and its impact on mood states, as well as predict changes in exercise behavior during a similar future pandemic in Taiwan. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between 7 April and 13 May 2020 (n = 1114). Data on exercise behavior pre and during the pandemic and mood states were collected. A cumulative link model was used to predict changes in exercise frequency …

Association Of Body Shape Index (Absi) With Hand Grip Strength, Nir Y. Krakauer, Jesse C. Krakauer

Publications and Research

Hand grip is a leading measure of muscle strength and general health, yet its association with body shape is not well characterized. Here, we examine correlations between grip strength, a body shape index (ABSI), and body mass index (BMI) in the 2011–2014 United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cohorts. Grip strength was found to correlate negatively with ABSI (though positively with BMI), suggesting that those with a more central body profile tend to be weaker than others with the same weight. Individuals with low grip strength, as well as those with high ABSI, were more likely to die …

Hiv Viral Suppression Among Hiv Positive Women Of Color In The United States, Amanda J. Nace

Dissertations and Theses

Background: As of 2020, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains a serious public health problem in the United States (U.S.). There are more than 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in the U.S. in 2020. While HIV predominately affects men in the U.S., women are less likely to achieve viral suppression than men. Among the women living with HIV, women of color (WOC) have borne a disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic in the U.S. for decades. A wealth of evidence has demonstrated the importance of viral suppression as a tool for controlling the …

Coh-2000 - Community Health Interventions, Jose Nanin

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus includes OER materials and college policies for a fully online course that exposes students to a range of health promotion and disease prevention and management strategies used by health specialists to address community health challenges. Through readings and videos, as well as online course assignments and discussions, students learn about planning and designing interventions to improve the health of specific priority populations and communities-at-large.

Hs-4100 - Global Health Issues, Jose Nanin

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus includes OER materials and college policies for a fully online course that takes a comprehensive look at global health issues. In this course, the assessment of health issues are analyzed from various perspectives including geographic, ethnic, religious, human rights, socioeconomic, social, cultural, and political influences. Students learn about global environmental causes and consequences of infectious diseases, major diseases, mental illness, natural disasters, malnutrition, drug and alcohol addiction, violence and injuries.

Sex/Gender Differences In Serial Position Profiles In Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment And Healthy Controls, Emnet Z. Gammada

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease disproportionately affects more women, but paradoxically, men have a higher incidence of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Researchers have suggested that women’s verbal memory advantage across the lifespan reflects better premorbid skills, which then require more neurodegeneration to manifest early clinical impairment. To date, measurement of sex differences in verbal memory have used total list scores. We proposed that a granular examination of serial position effects (SPE) in list-learning can refine the source of sex/gender differences.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Healthy Controls (HC) was examined from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging …

An Examination Of Hiv Risk, Testing And Prevention Intervention Participation Among Vulnerable Youth, Bianca V. Lopez

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YGBM) of color are disproportionately affected by HIV and bear the burden of the disease in the United States. Gay and bisexual men – referred to in surveillance systems as men who have sex with men (MSM) – continue to be the risk group most severely affected by HIV in the United States. The dissertation study explored factors related on HIV prevention intervention participation, HIV testing and sexual risk behaviors among YGBM ages 13-29 in the Bronx. Additionally, this dissertation endeavored to study the concept of “intervention fatigue”, …

What Do We Learn When The Unknown Suddenly Appears?, Kari Singletary, Linda Paradiso

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Impact Of 2012 Spanish Health Care Reform On Hiv-Positive Immigrants: A Mixed Methods Approach, Megi Gogishvili

Dissertations and Theses

Background: The financial crisis of 2008 hit Spain hard. As a consequence, the government took multiple austerity measures, including reforms in the healthcare system in 2012. Specifically, the government reduced the budget for health and social services by 13.7% in 2012.The reduction was further followed with structural changes via the 2012 Royal Decree Law (RDL) and Royal Decree (RD).The 2012 RDL and RD entailed broad areas of action,but most importantly the Spanish National Health System (SNS) no longer covered undocumented immigrants. The 2012 RDL and RD excluded approximately 500,000 undocumented immigrants from SNS.

The number of immigrants in Spain has …

Protocol For A National Probability Survey Using Home Specimen Collection Methods To Assess Prevalence And Incidence Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection And Antibody Response, Aaron J. Siegler, Patrick S. Sullivan, Travis Sanchez, Ben Lopman, Mansour Fahimi, Charles Sailey, Martin Frankel, Richard Rothenberg, Colleen F. Kelley, Heather Bradley

Publications and Research

Purpose: The U.S. response to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has been hampered by early and ongoing delays in testing for infection; without data on where infections were occurring and the magnitude of the epidemic, early public health responses were not data-driven. Understanding the prevalence of SARSCoV- 2 infections and immune response is critical to developing and implementing effective public health responses. Most serological surveys have been limited to localities that opted to conduct them and/or were based on convenience samples. Moreover, results of antibody testing might be subject to high false positive rates in the setting of low prevalence of immune …

Ptsd And Depressive Symptoms As Potential Mediators Of The Association Between World Trade Center Exposure And Subjective Cognitive Concerns In Rescue/Recovery Workers, Ankura Singh, Rachel Zeig-Owens, Laura Rabin, Theresa Schwartz, Mayris P. Webber, David Appel, David J. Prezant, Charles B. Hall

Publications and Research

We observed that World Trade Center (WTC) exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and depressive symptoms were associated with subjective cognitive concerns in Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) rescue/recovery workers. This follow-up study examined whether PTSD symptoms and/or depressive symptoms mediate the observed association between WTC exposure and subjective cognitive concerns. We included WTC-exposed FDNY workers who completed the Cognitive Function Instrument (CFI), measuring self-perceived cognitive decline (N = 9516). PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms were assessed using the PCL-S and CES-D, respectively. Multivariable linear regression estimated the association between WTC exposure and CFI score, adjusting …

Covid-19: Health As A Common Good, Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Neuroinvasion, Neurotropic, And Neuroinflammatory Events Of Sars-Cov-2: Understanding The Neurological Manifestations In Covid-19 Patients, Yassine Yachou, Abdeslem El Idrissi, Vladimir Belapasov, Said Ait Benali

Publications and Research

Respiratory viruses are opportunistic pathogens that infect the upper respiratory tract in humans and cause severe illnesses, especially in vulnerable populations. Some viruses have neuroinvasive properties and activate the immune response in the brain.These immune events may be neuroprotective or they may cause long-term damage similar to what is seen in some neurodegenerative diseases. The new “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2) is one of the Respiratory viruses causing highly acute lethal pneumonia coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with clinical similarities to those reported in “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (SARS-CoV) and the “Middle East Respiratory SyndromeCoronavirus” (MERS-CoV) including neurological …

Proximity To Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care And The Utilization Of Facility-Based Delivery Services Across Six Low-And-Middle Income Countries, Chioma T. Amadi

Dissertations and Theses

Background: More than 90% of maternal deaths occur in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) and are largely attributed to preventable pregnancy-related causes. Comprehensive emergency obstetric care (EmOC), also known as signal functions, is the most effective life-saving intervention for managing obstetric and newborn emergencies. Health facilities offering delivery services are generally classified as having either comprehensive, basic or less than basic EmOC capacity based on their obstetric resources. Multiple EmOC methods are regularly utilized in characterizing facility obstetric capacity and this introduces inconsistencies that pose significant public health and policy implications for access to delivery care among women within a service environment. …

The Public Health We Need, Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.