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International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

No abstract provided.

Village Health Workers Improve Child Health: The Jamkhed, India Experience, A. Crandall, J. S. Job, P. N. Singh, S. R. Arole, R. S. R. Arole

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of the three-decade old Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) on morbidity, mortality, immunization rates, and health care utilization among children under 5 years of age in Jamkhed, Central India. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of a stratified, cluster sample of 879 children (under-fives) in 15 Jamkhed villages served by CRHP. CRHP has a three-tiered primary health care model that comprises a tertiary care facility, a mobile health program supporting 30 subcenters, and community-based health workers.

FINDINGS: We found a prevalence of diarrhea [6.4%, 95% CI: 4.0%-8.8%], measles [2.3%, 95% CI: 0%-5.6%], tuberculosis [0.3%, 95% …

Utilization Of Low Cost Waste Material Bagasse Fly Ash In Removing Of Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+ And Cr3+ From The Industrial Waste Water, G. M. Taha

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Bagasse fly ash, a waste material generated in sugar industry, collected from a local sugar Firm at Kom-Ombo district (42Km - distance, on the northern direction, from the mid city of Aswan ), Aswan Governorate, Egypt was utilized as a low cost and effective adsorbing surface for the removal of Cu²+, Ni²+, Zn²+ and Cr³+ from the industrial wastewater. The adsorption capacity was followed as a function of pH, adsorbent dose, metal ion concentration, shaking time and divers ions. Under the optimum conditions used, more than 95% of some of the ions …

Teflon And An Increased Cancer Risk Remains Unproven In Humans, Jennifer Hitchon

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

DuPont manufactures a non-stick coating for pans brand-named Teflon. Teflon sealed pans make cooking easier - eggs won't stick to the frying pan and cookies won't stick to the cookie sheet. Yet researchers have long worried about negative effects of Teflon and the chemical compounds used to make it, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): is PFOA a carcinogen? Instead of waiting until the Teflon coating sloughs off in black flakes, should households get rid of their non-stick pans now and return to using PAM and Crisco in mass quantities? PFOA is not exclusively used in Teflon; the chemical is also useful in …

Finally, Marriage Pays Off: Marital Status And Breast Cancer Survival, Elisse Magnuson

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

The American Cancer Society's (2006) estimate for new breast cancer cases in the United States in 2006 is 214,640. Of these, 1,720 are estimated to be male and 212,920 are estimated to be female. The estimate for deaths caused by breast cancer is 41,430. Four hundred and sixty of those deaths are estimated to be male and 40,970 are estimated to be female. The estimate of new breast cancer cases in Minnesota is 3,070. Two hundred and fifty deaths are estimated. From birth to age 39, one woman in 231 will get breast cancer. From ages 40 to 59, one …

The Effects Of Smoking On Low Birth Weight Babies: A Cultural Influence?, Jodie Sample

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

The persistence of low birth weight babies born to mothers who smoke continues to be a source of social concern. Recent research determined that a pregnant woman who smokes is 1.5 times more likely to deliver a low birth weight baby than a nonsmoker (Ventura et al. 2003). Low birth weight affects one in 13 babies each year in the United States and is a factor in 65% of infant deaths (March of Dimes, 2003). According to the March of Dimes Foundation, babies born at a low birth weight (2500 grams or less) are at a greater risk for mental …

Trypanosome Infection In Cattle And African Sleeping Sickness, Susann O. Smith

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Trypanosomes are inoculated into a host (human or animal) in saliva via the biting mouth parts of the tsetse fly. Trypanosomes circulate in the blood of their host, differentiate and spread to other tissues via the lymphatic system during a 30 day period. Humans with African Sleeping Sickness or Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) complain of having a fever, headaches and joint pain. If left untreated, a neurological phase develops causing confusion, fatigue, narcolepsy like symptoms, irreversible nerve damage and eventual death. Often associated with malnutrition and poverty, HAT has been reported to have been in existence in Africa since the …

Barriers To Condom Use And Hiv Infection In Latino Youth, Jacqueline M. Leung-Heras

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Although Latinos make up only about 14% of the population of the United States, including Puerto Rico, they accounted for 18% (almost 164,000) of the more than 886,500 AIDS cases diagnosed since the beginning of the epidemic.² Of the rate of AIDS diagnoses for all racial and ethnic groups, the second highest was the rate for Latinos. Despite the potential consequences of having unprotected sexual intercourse, many Latino adolescents do not use condoms at first intercourse or use condoms on a regular basis.^{3, 4} Several factors influence condom use among Latinos. Adolescents who initiate sex at later ages …

Routes Of Exposure For Leptospirosis, Catherine C. Schmidt

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Leptospirosis was once a common zoonotic disease affecting most mammalian species. While it was once a very prevalent disease, it had tailored off only affecting humans with certain occupational hazards in developed countries. Recently, there has been an increase in the incidence of leptospirosis associated with recreational exposures and travel to tropical climates. Humans become infected with the disease through either direct or indirect contact with infected animal urine. Since leptospirosis has a longer survival period in wet, humid and warm conditions it is more prevalent in tropical and temperate climates and exposure peaks in the summer. There are a …

A Review Of Case-Control And Cohort Studies Examining Pesticides And The Risk Of Parkinson's Disease, Ruth Moytca Parks

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer disease, having an annual incidence of approximately 20 per 100,000 people (Schapira 2004, Fischer 1999). An estimated one million persons in the United States have PD, and this prevalence is likely to rise as the population ages (Schapira 2004). This disorder is characterized pathologically by a loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta that produces the neurotransmitter dopamine. The clinical features of PD are motor function abnormalities including tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with balance. In the early stages of PD, treatments may …

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International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

No abstract provided.

Sources Of Stress And Its Impact On Health Behaviors And Academic Performance Of International Students At A Comprehensive Midwestern University, Israel Gabriel Msengi

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sources of stress, its impact on health behaviors and academic performance of 220 international students studying at a comprehensive Midwestern university, and coping strategies used by international students to manage stress. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive design, using a quantitative method. Two hundred twenty international students enrolled at the university during the summer and fall of 2003 participated in this study. Data were collected using "Sources of Stress, Health Behaviors and Academic Performance Scale for international students. Statistical procedure for data analysis included t-test, ANOVA, chi-square and bivariate correlation. Results …

Continuity And Change: The Mexicana Experience With Health And Healing In Iowa, Abbie C. Peterson, Mark A. Grey

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Rapid growth in Iowa's Latino immigrant population has presented challenges for health care providers. Of principal concern are the health disparities between newcomer Latinos and established-resident Iowans and if these disparities result from a lack of access to health care or the inability of Iowa health care providers to accommodate the unique practices and perceptions of newcomer patients. The purpose of this article is to address this issue through the experience of Mexican women who have migrated to Iowa and interacted to varying degrees with health care providers. In addition to addressing issues of access and the newcomers' perceptions of …