Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Dismantling Barriers To Hepatitis B And Delta Screening, Prevention, And Linkage To Care Among The Pwud Community In Philadelphia, Beatrice Zovich, Catherine Freeland, Holly Moore, Kara Sapp, Anousha Qureshi, Rachel Holbert, Jason Zambrano, Daljinder Bhangoo, Chari Cohen, Richard W. Hass, Amy Jessop

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

The prevalence of hepatitis B and delta viruses (HBV/HDV) among people who use drugs (PWUD) remains largely unknown. In the context of one Philadelphia-based harm reduction organization (HRO), this study aimed to assess HBV/HDV prevalence and facilitate linkage to care. Participants completed a demographic HBV/HDV risk factor survey and were screened for HBV and reflexively for HDV if positive for HBV surface antigen or isolated core antibody. Fisher's exact tests and regression were used to understand relationships between risks and HBV blood markers. Of the 498 participants, 126 (25.3%) did not have hepatitis B immunity, 52.6% had been vaccinated against …

Association Between Lack Of Access To A Neighborhood Park And High Blood Pressure In The Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, Stephanie Kjelstrom, Richard W. Hass, Russell K. Mcintire

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Studies have shown a lower risk of high blood pressure (HBP) among people who live near parks; however, little information exists on how feeling safe and comfortable visiting the park affects blood pressure. We identified associations between neighborhood park access, comfort visiting a park, and HBP to understand how these factors may contribute to disparities in HBP prevalence.

METHODS: The 2018 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey of 3,600 residents in the Philadelphia metropolitan area asked if respondents had ever been told they had HBP and whether they had a neighborhood park or outdoor space that they were comfortable visiting …

Overcrowded Housing Increases Risk For Covid-19 Mortality: An Ecological Study, Karan Varshney, Talia Glodjo, Jenna R Adalbert

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Objectives: Overcrowded housing is a sociodemographic variable associated with increased infection and mortality rates from communicable diseases. It is not well understood if this association exists for COVID-19. Our objective was hence to determine the association between household overcrowding and risk of mortality from COVID-19, and this was done by performing bivariable and multivariable analyses using COVID-19 data from cities in Los Angeles County.

Results: Bivariate regression revealed that overcrowded households were positively associated with COVID-19 deaths (standardized β = 0.863, p < 0.001). COVID-19 case totals, people aged 60+, and the number of overcrowded households met conditions for inclusion in the backwards stepwise linear regression model. Analysis revealed all independent variables were positively associated with mortality rates, primarily for individuals 60 + (standardized β1 = 0.375, p = 0.001), followed by overcrowded households (standardized β2 = 0.346, p = 0.014), and total COVID-19 cases (standardized β3 = 0.311, p < 0.001). Our findings highlight that residing in overcrowded households may be an important risk factor for COVID-19 mortality. Public health entities should consider this population when allocating resources for prevention and control of COVID-19 mortality and future disease outbreaks.

Overcrowded Housing Increases Risk For Covid-19 Mortality: An Ecological Study., Karan Varshney, Talia Glodjo, Jenna Adalbert

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Overcrowded housing is a sociodemographic variable associated with increased infection and mortality rates from communicable diseases. It is not well understood if this association exists for COVID-19. Our objective was hence to determine the association between household overcrowding and risk of mortality from COVID-19, and this was done by performing bivariable and multivariable analyses using COVID-19 data from cities in Los Angeles County.

RESULTS: Bivariate regression revealed that overcrowded households were positively associated with COVID-19 deaths (standardized β = 0.863, p < 0.001). COVID-19 case totals, people aged 60+, and the number of overcrowded households met conditions for inclusion in the backwards stepwise linear regression model. Analysis revealed all independent variables were positively associated with mortality rates, primarily for individuals 60 + (standardized β

Adverse Events In Veterans Affairs Inpatient Psychiatric Units: Staff Perspectives On Contributing And Protective Factors., Gala True, Rosemary Frasso, Sara W. Cullen, Richard C. Hermann, Steven C. Marcus

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to identify risk factors and protective factors in hospital-based mental health settings in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), with the goal of informing interventions to improve care of persons with serious mental illness.

METHODS: Twenty key informants from a stratified sample of 7 VHA inpatient psychiatric units were interviewed to gain their insights on causes of patient safety events and the factors that constrain or facilitate patient safety efforts.

RESULTS: Respondents identified threats to patient safety at the system-, provider-, and patient-levels. Protective factors that, when in place, made patient safety events less likely to occur …

Clinical And Economic Impact Of Infusion Reactions In Patients With Colorectal Cancer Treated With Cetuximab., K A Foley, P F Wang, B L Barber, S R Long, J E Bagalman, V Wagner, X Song, Z Zhao

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Systemic agents in cancer treatment were often associated with possible infusion reactions (IRs). This study estimated the incidence of IRs requiring medical intervention and assessed the clinical and economic impacts of IRs in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) treated with cetuximab.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Details on patients with CRC receiving cetuximab in 2004-2006 were extracted from a large USA administrative claims database. IRs were identified based on the occurrence of outpatient treatment, emergency room (ER) visit, and/or hospitalization for hypersensitivity and allergic reactions. Multivariate regressions were used to examine potential risk factors and quantify the economic impact of IRs. …

Prevalence Of Obesity, Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Hyperlipidemia, And Hypertension In The United States: Findings From The Ge Centricity Electronic Medical Record Database., Albert G Crawford, Christine Cote, Joseph Couto, Mehmet Daskiran, Candace Gunnarsson, Kara Haas, Sara Haas, Somesh C Nigam, Rob Schuette

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

This study analyzed GE Centricity Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data to examine the effects of body mass index (BMI) and obesity, key risk factor components of metabolic syndrome, on the prevalence of 3 chronic diseases: type II diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. These chronic diseases occur with high prevalence and impose high disease burdens. The rationale for using Centricity EMR data is 2-fold. First, EMRs may be a good source of BMI/obesity data, which are often underreported in surveys and administrative databases. Second, EMRs provide an ideal means to track variables over time and, thus, allow longitudinal analyses of relationships …