Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Cultural Production Of Health Inequalities: A Cross-Sectional, Multilevel Examination Of 52 Countries, Carol L. Mansyur, Benjamin C. Amick Iii, Ronald B. Harrist, Luisa Franzini, Robert E. Roberts

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

In a 2001 report, the U.S. National Institutes of Health called for more integration of the social sciences into health-related research, including research guided by theories and methods that take social and cultural systems into consideration. Based on a theoretical framework that integrates Hofstede's cultural dimensions with sociological theory, the authors used multilevel modeling to explore the association of culture with structural inequality and health disparities. Their results support the idea that cultural dimensions and social structure, along with economic development, may account for much of the cross-national variation in the distribution of health inequalities. Sensitivity tests also suggest that …

Taking Be Proud! Be Responsible! To The Suburbs: A Replication Study, Elaine A. Borawski, Erika S. Trapl, Kimberly Adams-Tufts, Laura L. Hayman, Merdith A. Goodwin, Loren D. Lovegreen

Nursing Faculty Publications

CONTEXT: An important phase of HIV prevention research is replicating successful interventions with different groups and in different settings.

METHODS: Be Proud! Be Responsible!, a successful intervention originally targeting black urban males and carried out in nonschool settings, was presented in health classes at urban and suburban schools with diverse student bodies. A group-randomized intervention study, which included 1,357 ninth and 10th graders from 10 paired schools in a Midwestern metropolitan area, was conducted in 2000-2002. Half the schools received the intervention, and half received a general health promotion program. Students' reports of their sexual behavior and selected cognitive mediators …

Socioeconomic Disparity In Healthcare-Seeking Behavior Among Chinese Women With Genitourinary Symptoms, Qi Zhang, Diane Lauderdale, Shanshan Mou, William I. Parish, Edward O. Laumann, John Schneider

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are of growing concern in China. Understanding the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and healthcare-seeking (HCS) behavior will help design effective policies to contain the epidemic of STIs across SES.

Methods: We used the Chinese Health and Family Life Survey, a nationally representative survey of 3813 adults from 48 Chinese cities and counties during 1999-2000. We studied the 730 women with at least one genito-urinary (GU) symptom. HCS was measured by whether respondents visited a hospital or an unrecognized clinic, self-treatment, or doing nothing. Formal treatment was defined as visiting a hospital. SES was measured …

Results From A Mathematical Model For Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis, H. Gaff, L. Gross, E. Schaefer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Human monocytic ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia chaffeensis), HME, is a tick-transmitted, rickettsial disease that has recently increased substantially in the USA from 142 reported cases in 2001 to 506 reported cases in 2005 [1,2]. There have been increasing surveys of tick populations over the past 10 years that have in turn supported the development of models for tick-borne disease transmission. Resulting HME models [3] suggest the importance of metapopulation structures, landscape environment parameters and periodic climatic effects in predicting the dynamics of HME transmission and the efficacy of control efforts, such as the reduction of the tick population through acaricide …

Temporal And Spatial Stability Of Anopheles Gambiae Larval Habitat Distribution In Western Kenya Highlands, Li Li, Ling Bian, Laith Yakob, Guofa Zhou, Guiyun Yan

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Background: Localized mosquito larval habitat management and the use of larvicides have been proposed as important control tools in integrated malaria vector management programs. In order to optimize the utility of these tools, detailed knowledge of the spatial distribution patterns of mosquito larval habitats is crucial. However, the spatial and temporal changes of habitat distribution patterns under different climatic conditions are rarely quantified and their implications to larval control are unknown.

Results: Using larval habitat data collected in western Kenya highlands during both dry and rainy seasons of 2003-2005, this study analyzed the seasonal and inter-annual changes in the spatial …

Test Of A Multidisciplinary Health Behavior Model Of Medicare Elders' Antihypertensive Acquisitions, Ann Marie Kopitzke

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study examined the relative utility of the enhanced Health Belief Model as compared to the proposed Pharmaceutical Acquisition Model for Medicare Elders (PAMME) in describing antihypertensive acquisition with usage intentions for Medicare elders (65 years or older) in Southeastern Virginia. Data collection included record reviews to identify hypertensive Medicare elders. Consenting Medicare elders were randomly selected for invitation, with consenting Medicare elders contacted by telephone or in-person interviews. The survey instrument utilized open and closed ended questions. The target population for this study is Southeastern Virginia Medicare elders enrolled in a Part D plan and prescribed at least one …

Increased Strength And Physical Performance With Eccentric Training In Women With Impaired Glucose Tolerance: A Pilot Study, Robin L. Marcus, Paul C. Lastayo, Leland E. Dibble, Laura Hill, Donald A. Mcclain

Human Movement Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Menopause is associated with both a loss of muscle mass and a worsening of insulin sensitivity (IS). Although eccentric resistance exercise (ECC) can effectively improve muscle mass over time, a single bout of ECC can worsen IS. This study assessed the effect of repeated ECC on IS, muscle mass, and function in postmenopausal women with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

Methods: Sixteen PM women (aged 56 years +/- 6.4) with IGT were randomly assigned to a 12-week, knee extensor ECC program (n = 10) or a nonexercise control group (CON) (n = 6). Participants underwent hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps, dual-energy …

Water Treatment: Keeping It Pure, Petros Katsioloudis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The article discusses the importance of water treatment in providing quality and safe drinking water. A historical background of the U.S. federal regulation of drinking water quality is presented. It was found by the Public Health Service in 1969 that only 60 percent of the systems surveyed delivered water that met all the Public Health Service standards. Filtration and chlorination are also cited as an effective treatment techniques for protecting U.S. water supplies from harmful microbes. An overview of the process of water treatment is presented.