Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Shaping Policy And Practice: Analyzing The Reach Of Highly Cited And High Altmetrics Publications For Broader Impact On Physical Activity, Andrea Ramírez Varela, Natalicio Serrano, Juliana Mejía Grueso, Anita Nguyen, Deborah Salvo, Ross C Brownson, Adrian Bauman, Rodrigo Reis, Pedro Hallal, Michael Pratt

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: A significant gap remains between the availability of physical activity (PA) evidence-based interventions and their application in real-world settings in policy and practice areas. This study aims to describe highly cited and high altmetrics publications in PA research and explore their impact on PA policy and practice.

METHODS: Mixed-methods sequential explanatory study including the identification and description of the top highly cited and high altmetrics PA publications from the last 10 years (including study design, population, type of PA study, number of citations, and altmetrics score), and interviews with key informants regarding research dissemination and implications on PA policy …

Appropriateness Of Antibiotic Prescribing Varies By Clinical Services At United States Children's Hospitals., Devin T. Diggs, Alison C. Tribble, Rebecca G. Same, Jason G. Newland, Brian R. Lee, Sharing Antimicrobial Reports For Pediatric Stewardship (Sharps) Collaborative

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing at US children's hospitals and how these patterns vary by clinical service.

DESIGN: Serial, cross-sectional study using quarterly surveys.

SETTING: Surveys were completed in quarter 1 2019-quarter 3 2020 across 28 children's hospitals in the United States.

PARTICIPANTS: Patients at children's hospitals with ≥1 antibiotic order at 8:00 a.m. on institution-selected quarterly survey days.

METHODS: Antimicrobial stewardship physicians and pharmacists collected data on antibiotic orders and evaluated appropriateness of prescribing. The primary outcome was percentage of inappropriate antibiotics, stratified by clinical service and antibiotic class. Secondary outcomes included reasons for inappropriate use …

Association Between Whole Blood-Derived Mitochondrial Dna Copy Number, Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, And Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Xue Liu, Xianbang Sun, Yuankai Zhang, Wenqing Jiang, Meng Lai, Kerri L Wiggins, Laura M Raffield, Lawrence F Bielak, Wei Zhao, Achilleas Pitsillides, Jeffrey Haessler, Yinan Zheng, Thomas W Blackwell, Jie Yao, Xiuqing Guo, Yong Qian, Bharat Thyagarajan, Nathan Pankratz, Stephen S Rich, Kent D Taylor, Patricia A Peyser, Susan R Heckbert, Sudha Seshadri, Eric Boerwinkle, Megan L Grove, Nicholas B Larson, Jennifer A Smith, Ramachandran S Vasan, Annette L Fitzpatrick, Myriam Fornage, Jun Ding, April P Carson, Goncalo Abecasis, Josée Dupuis, Alexander Reiner, Charles Kooperberg, Lifang Hou, Bruce M Psaty, James G Wilson, Daniel Levy, Jerome I Rotter, Joshua C Bis, Claudia L Satizabal, Dan E Arking, Chunyu Liu

Student and Faculty Publications

Background The relationship between mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA CN) and cardiovascular disease remains elusive. Methods and Results We performed cross-sectional and prospective association analyses of blood-derived mtDNA CN and cardiovascular disease outcomes in 27 316 participants in 8 cohorts of multiple racial and ethnic groups with whole-genome sequencing. We also performed Mendelian randomization to explore causal relationships of mtDNA CN with coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiometabolic risk factors (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia).

Us Adolescent Rest-Activity Patterns: Insights From Functional Principal Component Analysis (Nhanes 2011-2014), Chris Ho Ching Yeung, Jiachen Lu, Erica G Soltero, Cici Bauer, Qian Xiao

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Suboptimal rest-activity patterns in adolescence are associated with worse health outcomes in adulthood. Understanding sociodemographic factors associated with rest-activity rhythms may help identify subgroups who may benefit from interventions. This study aimed to investigate the association of rest-activity rhythm with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics in adolescents.

METHODS: Using cross-sectional data from the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014 adolescents (N = 1814), this study derived rest-activity profiles from 7-day 24-hour accelerometer data using functional principal component analysis. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between participant characteristics and rest-activity profiles. Weekday and weekend …

Availability Of Family Caregiver Programs In Us Cancer Centers, J Nicholas Odom, Allison Applebaum, Marie A Bakitas, Tara Bryant, Erin Currie, Kayleigh Curry, Heidi Donovan, Maria E Fernandez, Betty Ferrell, Andres Azuero, Tamryn F Gray, Bailey A Hendricks, Diane Meier, Chandylen Nightingale, Susan Reinhard, Timothy S Sannes, Katherine Sterba, Heather M Young

Student and Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE: Family caregivers provide the majority of health care to the 18 million patients with cancer in the US. Yet despite providing complex medical and nursing care, a large proportion of caregivers report no formal support or training. In recognition of this gap, many interventions to support cancer caregivers have been developed and tested over the past 2 decades. However, there are few system-level data on whether US cancer centers have adopted and implemented these interventions.

OBJECTIVE: to describe and characterize the availability of family caregiver support programs in US cancer centers.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional national survey …

The Effectiveness Of Disinfection Protocols In Osteopathic Family Medicine Offices, Riley Phyu, Harrison A Patrizio, Thomas Boyle, Todd Schachter

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

CONTEXT: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a substantial public health threat. Despite significant strides to curb HAIs in hospital environments, outpatient settings have not received the same degree of attention. Given their emphasis on holistic, patient-centered care, osteopathic family medicine offices are pivotal in both disease prevention and comprehensive patient treatment. The importance of simple yet effective disinfection protocols, such as thorough cleaning between patient appointments, cannot be overstated in these settings because they are integral to minimizing disease transmission.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the current disinfection protocols in osteopathic family medicine offices.

METHODS: A cross-sectional …

Dependence Motives And Use Contexts That Predicted Smoking Cessation And Vaping Cessation: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study With 13 Waves, Joon Kyung Nam, Megan E Piper, Zhaoxue Tong, Runze Li, James J Yang, Douglas E Jorenby, Anne Buu

Student and Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Prior studies examining the impact of e-cigarette use, dependence, cessation motivation/goals, and environmental restriction on smoking cessation were based on cross-sectional or shorter-term longitudinal data with binary outcomes. There is also a critical knowledge gap in corresponding impact on vaping cessation. This study aims to fill in these gaps by investigating these factors' effects on speed of progression to smoking and vaping cessation.

METHODS: This study conducted secondary analysis of data from 13 waves of assessment of adult cigarette users in Wisconsin from October 2015 through July 2019. Cox regression was employed to examine baseline predictors' effects on speed …

The Prevalence Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among Racial And Ethnic Minority Adolescents During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chinenye Lynette Ejezie, Lara S Savas, Casey Durand, Ross Shegog, Paula Cuccaro

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents has steadily improved over the past several years. However, research conducted to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this positive trend in HPV vaccine initiation among racial and ethnic minority adolescents is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine if the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting changes in the US health-care sector affected the increasing HPV vaccine initiation among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adolescents aged 13-17 years.

METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design to examine data from the National Immunization Survey-Teen (2019-2021), logistic regression and moderation analysis were used to model race-specific variations …

Occupation And Risk Of Traumatic Brain Injury In The Millennium Cohort Study, Kalyn C Jannace, Lisa Pompeii, David Gimeno Ruiz De Porras, William Brett Perkison, Jose-Miguel Yamal, Daniel W Trone, Rudolph P Rull

Student and Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an occupational health hazard of military service. Few studies have examined differences in military occupational categories (MOC) which take into consideration the physical demands and job requirements across occupational groups.

METHODS: This study was approved by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Institutional Review Board. Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained from the Naval Health Research Center's Millennium Cohort Study, an ongoing DoD study. Univariate analyses were employed to calculate frequencies and proportions for all variables. Bivariate analyses included unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI for the association between …

Women With Large Vessel Occlusion Acute Ischemic Stroke Are Less Likely To Be Routed To Comprehensive Stroke Centers, Muhammad Bilal Tariq, Iman Ali, Sergio Salazar-Marioni, Ananya S Iyyangar, Hussain M Azeem, Swapnil Khose, Victor Lopez, Rania Abdelkhaleq, Louise D Mccullough, Sunil A Sheth, Youngran Kim

Student and Faculty Publications

Background

Prehospital routing of patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke (AIS) to centers capable of performing endovascular therapy may improve clinical outcomes. Here, we explore whether distance to comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs), stroke severity, and sex are associated with direct‐to‐CSC prehospital routing in patients with LVO AIS.

Methods and Results

In this cross‐sectional study, we identified consecutive patients with LVO AIS from a prospectively collected multihospital registry throughout the greater Houston area from January 2019 to June 2020. Primary outcome was prehospital routing to CSC and was compared between men and women using modified Poisson regression including …

Women With Large Vessel Occlusion Acute Ischemic Stroke Are Less Likely To Be Routed To Comprehensive Stroke Centers, Muhammad Bilal Tariq, Iman Ali, Sergio Salazar-Marioni, Ananya S Iyyangar, Hussain M Azeem, Swapnil Khose, Victor Lopez, Rania Abdelkhaleq, Louise D Mccullough, Sunil A Sheth, Youngran Kim

Student and Faculty Publications

Background Prehospital routing of patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke (AIS) to centers capable of performing endovascular therapy may improve clinical outcomes. Here, we explore whether distance to comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs), stroke severity, and sex are associated with direct-to-CSC prehospital routing in patients with LVO AIS. Methods and Results In this cross-sectional study, we identified consecutive patients with LVO AIS from a prospectively collected multihospital registry throughout the greater Houston area from January 2019 to June 2020. Primary outcome was prehospital routing to CSC and was compared between men and women using modified Poisson regression including …

Differentials And Predictors Of Food Insecurity Among Federally Qualified Health Center Target Populations In Philadelphia: A Cross-Sectional Study, Galicano Kai Inguito, Brandon Joa, James Gardner, Eric N Fung, Laura Layer, Karen Fritz

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, the prevalence of food insecurity declined in the United States but curiously climbed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a sizable metropolitan area where many households experience food insecurity and are dependent on programs like SNAP. Therefore, we aimed to determine the burden of food insecurity among populations near Philadelphia Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) clinic sites.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in North Philadelphia, a populous and impoverished section of Philadelphia with many zip codes reporting 30-45% or more of the population below the federal poverty line. Students and clinicians affiliated with a local FQHC conducted …

Trends And Seasonality Of Emergency Department Visits And Hospitalizations For Suicidality Among Children And Adolescents In The Us From 2016 To 2021, Youngran Kim, Trudy Millard Krause, Scott D Lane

Student and Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE: The detection of seasonal patterns in suicidality should be of interest to clinicians and US public health officials, as intervention efforts can benefit by targeting periods of heightened risk.

OBJECTIVES: to examine recent trends in suicidality rates, quantify the seasonality in suicidality, and demonstrate the disrupted seasonality patterns during the spring 2020 COVID-19-related school closures among US children and adolescents.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based, descriptive cross-sectional study used administrative claims data from Optum's deidentifed Clinformatics Data Mart Database. Participants included children aged 10 to 12 years and adolescents aged 13 to 18 years who were commercially insured …

Physical And Stressful Psychological Impacts Of Prolonged Personal Protective Equipment Use During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study, Giuseppe Candido, Costanza Tortù, Chiara Seghieri, Riccardo Tartaglia, Chiara Baglioni, Paolo Citti, Ida Marina Raciti, Micaela La Regina, Silvia Simonini, Moira Urbani, Chiara Parretti, Paul Barach

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for COVID-19 infected patients are exposed to stressful and traumatic events with potential for severe and sustained adverse mental and physical health consequences. Our aim was to assess the magnitude of physical and mental health outcomes of HCWs due to the prolonged use of personal protective equipment (PPE) treating COVID-19 patients.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed the symptoms of stress, anxiety, insomnia, and psychological resilience using the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics (SAVE) scale, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Resilience Scale (RS), respectively, in Italy between 1st February and 31st March 2022. The physical …

Stress Levels, Psychological Symptoms, And C-Reactive Protein Levels In Covid-19: A Cross-Sectional Study, Taiane De Azevedo Cardoso, Ritele H Silva, Jessica L Fernandes, Camila O Arent, Graziela Amboni, Laura A Borba, Alex Paulo Z Padilha, Maria Eduarda M Botelho, Amanda L Maciel, Tatiana Barichello, Rodrigo Morales, Silvio José B Soares, Margarete D Bagatini, Claudia Dallagnol, Marta Elisa Brighenti, Zuleide Maria Ignácio, João Quevedo, Luciane B Ceretta, Gislaine Z Réus

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have pointed out a possible relationship between COVID-19 and the presence of psychiatric disorders, the majority of the studies have significant limitations. This study investigates the influence of COVID-19 infection on mental health.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included an age- and sex-matched sample of adult individuals positive (cases) or negative (controls) for COVID-19. We evaluated the presence of psychiatric conditions and C-reactive protein (CRP).

RESULTS: Findings showed greater severity of depressive symptoms, higher levels of stress, and greater CRP in cases. The severity of depressive and insomnia symptoms, as well as the CRP were more remarkable …

An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study To Examine Covariates And Effects Of Concurrent And Simultaneous Use Of Electronic Cigarettes And Marijuana Among College Students, Anne Buu, James J Yang, Tzung-Shiang Ou, Joon Kyung Nam, Ganghui Suh, Hsien-Chang Lin

Student and Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of concurrent and simultaneous use of e-cigarette and marijuana among college students is high. Yet, the literature was mainly based on cross-sectional surveys with emphasis on the smoking route. This is the first ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study that examined the vaping route of nicotine-marijuana co-use and the associated short-term psychological effects.

METHODS: This study recruited 686 college student e-cigarette users to participate in an on-line survey and 7-day EMA. Frequent marijuana users (247) - using marijuana weekly or daily - were compared with infrequent/non-users (439) on academic performance, e-cigarette use patterns, and dependence and respiratory symptoms. …

Association Of Diet Quality With Metabolic (Dysfunction) Associated Fatty Liver Disease In Veterans In Primary Care, Natalia I Heredia, Aaron P Thrift, David J Ramsey, Rohit Loomba, Hashem B El-Serag

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Diet is associated with metabolic (dysfunction)-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), but the dietary composition associated with MAFLD risk has not been well-examined.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess the association of two healthy eating indices with the presence and severity of MAFLD in a sample of Veterans in a primary care setting.

METHODS: This was a single center cross-sectional study using a random stratified sample of Veterans enrolled in primary care. Participants underwent a Fibroscan and completed an interviewer-administered Diet History Questionnaire II from which we calculated the Healthy Eating Index-2015 and Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score. …

Association Of Mitochondrial Dna Copy Number With Brain Mri Markers And Cognitive Function: A Meta-Analysis Of Community-Based Cohorts, Yuankai Zhang, Xue Liu, Kerri L Wiggins, Nuzulul Kurniansyah, Xiuqing Guo, Amanda L Rodrigue, Wei Zhao, Lisa R Yanek, Scott M Ratliff, Achilleas Pitsillides, Juan Sebastian Aguirre Patiño, Tamar Sofer, Dan E Arking, Thomas R Austin, Alexa S Beiser, John Blangero, Eric Boerwinkle, Jan Bressler, Joanne E Curran, Lifang Hou, Timothy M Hughes, Sharon L R Kardia, Lenore J Launer, Daniel Levy, Thomas H Mosley, Ilya M Nasrallah, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, Sudha Seshadri, Wassim Tarraf, Kevin A González, Vasan Ramachandran, Kristine Yaffe, Paul A Nyquist, Bruce M Psaty, Charles S Decarli, Jennifer A Smith, David C Glahn, Hector M González, Joshua C Bis, Myriam Fornage, Susan R Heckbert, Annette L Fitzpatrick, Chunyu Liu, Claudia L Satizabal

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies suggest that lower mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number (CN) is associated with neurodegenerative diseases. However, whether mtDNA CN in whole blood is related to endophenotypes of Alzheimer disease (AD) and AD-related dementia (AD/ADRD) needs further investigation. We assessed the association of mtDNA CN with cognitive function and MRI measures in community-based samples of middle-aged to older adults.

METHODS: We included dementia-free participants from 9 diverse community-based cohorts with whole-genome sequencing in the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program. Circulating mtDNA CN was estimated as twice the ratio of the average coverage of mtDNA to nuclear …

Turnaround Time And Efficiency Of Pediatric Outpatient Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Multi-Institutional Cross-Sectional Study, Shireen E Hayatghaibi, Cecilia G Cazaban, Sherwin S Chan, Jonathan R Dillman, Xianglin L Du, Yu-Ting Huang, Ramesh S Iyer, Osama I Mikhail, John M Swint

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Aside from single-center reports, few data exist across pediatric institutions that examine overall MRI turnaround time (TAT) and the determinants of variability.

OBJECTIVE: to determine average duration and determinants of a brain MRI examination at academic pediatric institutions and compare the duration to those used in practice expense relative value units (RVUs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multi-institutional cross-sectional investigation comprised four academic pediatric hospitals. We included children ages 0 to < 18 years who underwent an outpatient MRI of the brain without contrast agent in 2019. Our outcome of interest was the overall MRI TAT derived by time stamps. We estimated determinants of overall TAT using an adjusted log-transformed multivariable linear regression model with robust standard errors.

RESULTS: The average overall TAT significantly varied among the four hospitals. A sedated brain MRI ranged from 158 min to 224 min, a non-sedated MRI from 70 min to …

Fruit And Vegetable Intake And Home Nutrition Environment Among Low-Income Minority Households With Elementary-Aged Children, Brittni Naylor Metoyer, Ru-Jye Chuang, Minjae Lee, Christine Markham, Eric L Brown, Maha Almohamad, Jayna M Dave, Shreela V Sharma

Student and Faculty Publications

Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences were shown to have an influence on child fruit and vegetable intake. This study examined the associations between parent and child fruit and vegetable intake and the home nutrition environment among Hispanic/Latino and African American families. Through a cross-sectional study design, self-reported surveys (

Well-Being Content Inclusion In Pharmacy Education Across The United States And Canada, Elizabeth Buckley, Simi Gunaseelan, Benjamin D Aronson, Heidi N Anksorus, Victoria Belousova, Tram B Cat, Kristine M Cline, Stacey D Curtis, Christina E Deremer, David Fuentes, Mckenzie S Grinalds, Seena L Haines, Hannah E Johnson, Karen Kopacek, Jessica M Louie, Nkem P Nonyel, Natasha Petry, Shawn Riser Taylor, Suzanne C Harris, Cheryl A Sadowski, Anandi V Law

Student and Faculty Publications

Objective. To describe the landscape of well-being content inclusion across schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States and Canada through identification of content implementation, incorporation, and assessment.

Methods. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to all accredited schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States (n=143) and Canada (n=10). Survey questions included curricular and cocurricular timing, frequency, assessment strategies, and support for well-being initiatives, using a framework of eight dimensions (pillars) of wellness to categorize content.

Results. Descriptive data analyses were applied to 99 completed surveys (65%), 89 (62%) in the United States and 10 (100%) in Canada. …

Associations Between Perceived Racial Discrimination, Racial Residential Segregation, And Cancer Screening Adherence Among Low-Income African Americans: A Multilevel, Cross-Sectional Analysis, Lynn N Ibekwe, Maria Eugenia Fernández-Esquer, Sandi L Pruitt, Nalini Ranjit, Maria E Fernández

Student and Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: African Americans suffer disproportionately from cancer compared to their White counterparts. Racism may be an important determinant, but the literature on its association with cancer screening is limited. We examine associations between racism and cancer screening among a sample of African Americans.

DESIGN: Guided by the Public Health Critical Race Praxis and the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, we conducted a multilevel, cross-sectional study using cancer risk assessment data collected from 405 callers to the 2-1-1 Texas helpline. We merged these data with contextual data from the U.S. Census Bureau. We assessed perceived racial discrimination using the Experiences …

Community-Based Approach To Assess Obstructive Respiratory Diseases And Risk In Urban African American Churches, Lorriane A Odhiambo, Ezinne Anaba, Peggy C Stephens, Vinay K Cheruvu, Melissa D Zullo

Student and Faculty Publications

Asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are significant health problems that have disparate effects on many Americans. Misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis are common and lead to ineffective treatment and management. This study assessed the feasibility of applying a two-step case-finding technique to identify both COPD and adult asthma cases in urban African American churches. We established a community-based partnership, administered a cross-sectional survey in step one of the case-finding technique and performed spirometry testing in step two. A total of 219 surveys were completed. Provider-diagnosed asthma and COPD were reported in 26% (50/193) and 9.6% (18/187) of the sample. Probable …

Adult Asthma Associated With Roadway Density And Housing In Rural Appalachia: The Mountain Air Project (Map)., W Jay Christian, John Flunker, Beverly May, Susan Westneat, Wayne T Sanderson, Nancy Schoenberg, Steven R Browning

UK CARES Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Appalachian Kentucky is a rural area with a high prevalence of asthma among adults. The relative contribution of environmental exposures in the etiology of adult asthma in these populations has been understudied.

OBJECTIVE: This manuscript describes the aims, study design, methods, and characteristics of participants for the Mountain Air Project (MAP), and focuses on associations between small area environmental exposures, including roadways and mining operations, and lifetime and current asthma in adults.

METHODS: A cohort of residents, aged 21 and older, in two Kentucky counties, was enrolled in a community-based, cross-sectional study. Stratified cluster sampling was used to select …

Sexual Behaviors, Contraception Use And Barriers Among Adolescents And Young Adults In Rural Haiti., Abbey R. Masonbrink, Emily A. Hurley, Nikolaus Schuetz, Jonathan Rodean, Emily Rupe, Kemi Lewis, Marie Daphnée Boncoeur, Melissa K. Miller

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in Haiti experience a high unintended pregnancy rate, in part due to unmet contraception needs. Little is known about AYA opinions of and experiences with contraception that may explain remaining gaps in coverage. We aimed to describe barriers and facilitators to contraception use among AYAs in Haiti.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured qualitative interviews with a convenience sample of AYA females aged 14-24 in two rural communities in Haiti. The survey and semi-structured interviews assessed demographics, sexual health and pregnancy prevention behaviors and explored contraception opinions and experiences according to Theory …

Clinical Outcomes Of A Large-Scale, Partnership-Based Regional Food Prescription Program: Results Of A Quasi-Experimental Study, Nalini Ranjit, Jennifer N Aiyer, Jack D Toups, Esther Liew, Kenia Way, Henry Shelton Brown, John Wesley Mcwhorter, Shreela V Sharma

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Food prescription programs are gaining interest from funders, policy makers, and healthcare payers as a way to provide value-based care. A small body of research suggests that such programs effectively impact health outcomes; however, the quality of existing studies is variable, and most studies use small samples. This study attempts to address these gaps by utilizing a quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent controls, to evaluate clinical outcomes among participants enrolled in a food prescription program implemented at scale.

METHODS: We completed a secondary analysis of participant enrollment and utilization data collected between May 2018 and March 2021, by the Houston …

Cross-Sectional And Prospective Associations Of Rest-Activity Rhythms With Body Mass Index In Older Men: A Novel Analysis Using Harmonic Hidden Markov Models, Brian Heckler, Miryoung Lee, Katie Stone, Cici Bauer, Qian Xiao

Student and Faculty Publications

Growing evidence supports a role for rest-activity rhythms (RARs) in metabolic health. Epidemiological studies in adolescents and young adults showed that RAR characteristics consistent with weakened rhythmicity were associated with obesity. However, studies in older adults are lacking. The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional and prospective associations between RAR and obesity in older men using the Harmonic Hidden Markov Model (HHMM), a novel analytical approach with several advantages over conventional methods for characterizing RAR. The analysis included nearly 3,000 participants in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men study with 5-day 24-h actigraphy data. The strength of RAR …

Physical Activity, Seasonal Sensitivity And Psychological Well-Being Of People Of Different Age Groups Living In Extreme Environments, Caren Alvarado, Matías Castillo-Aguilar, Valeska Villegas, Claudia Estrada Goic, Katherine Harris, Patricio Barria, Michele M Moraes, Thiago T Mendes, Rosa M E Arantes, Pablo Valdés-Badilla, Cristian Núñez-Espinosa

Student and Faculty Publications

Physical activity can prevent many organic and mental pathologies. For people living in extreme southern high-latitude environments, weather conditions can affect these activities, altering their psychological well-being and favoring the prevalence of seasonal sensitivity (SS). This study aims to determine the relationships between the practice of physical activity, seasonal sensitivity and well-being in people living in high southern latitudes. A cross-sectional study was conducted, using the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), applying a psychological well-being scale, and determining sports practice according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 370 male (n = 209; 55%) and female …

Prevalence And Concordance Of Oral And Genital Hpv By Sexual Orientation Among Us Men, Kalyani Sonawane, Shiang Shiuan Shyu, Haluk Damgacioglu, Ruosha Li, Alan G Nyitray, Ashish A Deshmukh

Student and Faculty Publications

The objective of our study was to describe oral and genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection prevalence and concordance by sexual orientation among US men using a nationally representative sample. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The survey conducts a physical examination and collects oral rinse and genital swab specimens; demographic and health behaviors are self-reported. We used descriptive statistics and multivariate regression models to estimate HPV infection prevalence and the likelihood of HPV infection, respectively. All analyses were adjusted for National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey design and weights, and statistical …

Understanding Fertility Behavior Of The Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals In Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study., Md Anwer Hossain, Mohammad Bellal Hossain

Student and Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Rohingya- the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN)- are largely characterized by a high total fertility rate (TFR) and a low contraceptive prevalence rate. This study aimed to explore the reasons behind their high fertility behavior by utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior.

DATA AND METHOD: We adopted a cross-sectional qualitative research approach. Fifteen semi-structured, face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with the Rohingya husbands, wives, and community leaders (Majhi and Imam/Khatib) living in Camps 1 and 2 of Ukhiya Refugee Camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. We analyzed the qualitative data using the thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS: The Muslim-majority FDMN predominantly constructed …