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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Assessment And Comparison Of Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Systems For The U.S., Canada, And Italy., Carolina Arana Nov 2009

Assessment And Comparison Of Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Systems For The U.S., Canada, And Italy., Carolina Arana

Public Health Theses

Behavior risk factors include health risk factors that increase a person's chances of developing a disease, such as having a high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco smoke, physical inactivity, obesity or overweight, diabetes, poor nutrition, lack of sex education and car safety. They can be classified as: Background risk factors, such as age, sex, level of education and genetic compositions; Behavioral risk factors, such as smoking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity; and Intermediate risk factors, such a serum cholesterol levels, diabetes, hypertension and obesity/overweight. This study describes a comparison and assessment of Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Systems for the …


Child Sexual And Physical Abuse As Precursors For Homelessness In Adolescence, Jacqueline Nicole Rion Nov 2009

Child Sexual And Physical Abuse As Precursors For Homelessness In Adolescence, Jacqueline Nicole Rion

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Homelessness is a living condition associated with a number of adverse health outcomes. Unaccompanied homeless youth are at risk for many of the same health outcomes as other homeless persons, but these youth are especially vulnerable because they are young and without the protection or support of an adult caregiver. Aim: The purpose of this capstone project is to present a basic overview of the topic as well as to highlight what more needs to be done to address this issue. Methods: This project involved a review of the literature related to homeless youth, child sexual or physical abuse, …


Using Iphones To Enhance And Reduce Face-To-Face Home Safety Sessions, Julie Jabaley Nov 2009

Using Iphones To Enhance And Reduce Face-To-Face Home Safety Sessions, Julie Jabaley

Public Health Theses

Innovative handheld technologies are changing the possibilities for delivering public health interventions. The present research describes a preliminary examination of the effects of iPhone™ both as an assessment tool for data collection and as an enhancement to an in-home child safety intervention. Three families with children under age seven were trained to use an iPhone to video targeted rooms in their homes following SafeCare® safety module intervention implementation during which rooms were secured for accessible safety and health hazards. The iPhone was used to communicate feedback, logistical information, and clarification of safety content. The effectiveness of iPhone and iPhone video …


A Spatial Analysis Of The Relationship Between Pedestrian Crash Events And Features Of The Built Environment In Downtown Atlanta, Emily Palmer Taquechel Nov 2009

A Spatial Analysis Of The Relationship Between Pedestrian Crash Events And Features Of The Built Environment In Downtown Atlanta, Emily Palmer Taquechel

Public Health Theses

Pedestrian injuries and fatalities due to motor vehicle crashes are a significant public health concern, and the urban campus of Georgia State University poses unique challenges to pedestrian safety issues. Previous studies of the built environment have link several features to increased pedestrian crash occurrences. Once identified, these features can be modified to create a healthier environment for pedestrians. This study examines the relationship between specific features of the built environment and pedestrian crash events. Environmental audits were conducted to collect information about the built environment around Georgia State campus, and pedestrian crash data was obtained from GDOT. Geographic Information …


A Survey Of Water Storage Practices And Beliefs In Households In Bonao, Dominican Republic In 2005, Shelley Holt Nov 2009

A Survey Of Water Storage Practices And Beliefs In Households In Bonao, Dominican Republic In 2005, Shelley Holt

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: More than 2.2 million people die each year from diarrheal disease. Most cases of diarrheal disease can be linked with a lack of access to clean water and sanitation. The proper usage of sanitation, hygiene and safe drinking water are all mechanisms by which to prevent or limit fecal contamination, and in turn, reduce the risk of diarrheal disease. As a result, it is imperative to examine and understand risk factors for fecal contamination of drinking water in the home. One way to assess fecal contamination is to use indicator bacteria such as E. coli. These bacteria can be …


Baseline Knowledge Assessment Of Cobb County Safe Kids Inspection Station Participants, Laurie Elizabeth Whorton Nov 2009

Baseline Knowledge Assessment Of Cobb County Safe Kids Inspection Station Participants, Laurie Elizabeth Whorton

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: The leading cause of injury and death among children in the United States is motor vehicle crashes. Even though laws have been amended and public awareness campaigns and education has increased, many children are still improperly restrained or not restrained at all. When correctly used, child restraints significantly reduce risk of injury or death in a motor vehicle crash. AIM: The purpose of the questions is to exhibit the baseline knowledge of participants before receiving car seat education from certified technicians. METHODS: Over an eight week period, Safe Kids Cobb County Car Seat Technicians distributed a 16-item survey, with …


Investigating The Association Of White Male Lung Cancer Mortality And State Of Residence, Thomas Jeffrey Doker Jul 2009

Investigating The Association Of White Male Lung Cancer Mortality And State Of Residence, Thomas Jeffrey Doker

Public Health Theses

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death. Most lung cancer is the result of a preventable cause, smoking. Nevertheless, U.S. tobacco production remains the fourth highest globally. This study examined the spatial aspects of U.S. White male lung cancer mortality and the associated risk factors of tobacco acreage, rural residence, smoking, poverty, lack of health insurance, and radon exposure. White male lung cancer mortality was significantly correlated with tobacco acreage (r = .455), rural residence (r = .389), and smoking (r = .475). Tobacco acreage (p = .005), rural residence (p = .011), and smoking (p = …


Does Educational Intervention Reduce The Number Of Food Violations., Karen Koechlin M. Koechlin Jul 2009

Does Educational Intervention Reduce The Number Of Food Violations., Karen Koechlin M. Koechlin

Public Health Theses

The objective of this study was to examine the educational intervention that restaurant employees received to see if it reduced the number of food violations in Orange County, California, U.S.. The class, which began in 2007, is known as the Food Employee Education and Sanitation Training (FEEST). This study revealed that the post-test results from FEEST demonstrated a significant improvement in food safety knowledge, and almost all of the participants showed a significant improvement in food safety knowledge. A comparison of inspection reports immediately before and after participation in FEEST showed that food establishments greatly reduced the number of major …


A Spatial Analysis Of Demographic Factors Of West Nile Virus In Georgia, Sarah Bryant Boos May 2009

A Spatial Analysis Of Demographic Factors Of West Nile Virus In Georgia, Sarah Bryant Boos

Public Health Theses

Background: West Nile Virus (WNV) is a serious mosquito-borne disease that can potentially lead to death. The purpose of this study is to spatially examine known risk factors for WNV within Georgia at the county level. The study produces maps that relate known WNV cases to high, medium, and low risk factor areas for additional analyses. Methodology: Cartographic visualization and statistical analysis software was used to examine the relationships between: the geographical distribution of age, race, gender, urbanicity, and population density of Georgians in relation to WNV cases by county. Chi-square analysis and odds rations were calculated to determine whether …


Evaluation Of Diabetes Education For Latinos Living In A Metropolitan Area, Anna Rockett Potter Apr 2009

Evaluation Of Diabetes Education For Latinos Living In A Metropolitan Area, Anna Rockett Potter

Public Health Theses

Diabetes is a worldwide epidemic, especially as the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes has increased in recent years. Minorities are disproportionately affected by the disease and, at the same time, often have less access to resources including medication and education. The Emory Latino Diabetes Education Program (ELDEP) is a culturally component diabetes education program aimed at promoting increased knowledge about diabetes disease management within the Latino population of metropolitan Atlanta. The program considers cultural competence and acculturation theory in its learning structure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ELDEP’s effectiveness in increasing knowledge of diabetes, healthy behaviors, and …


Factors Associated With The Illegal Sales Of Alcohol To Underage Persons In Georgia, Jonathan A. Powell Apr 2009

Factors Associated With The Illegal Sales Of Alcohol To Underage Persons In Georgia, Jonathan A. Powell

Public Health Theses

Despite the minimum legal drinking age of 21, many underage persons regularly purchase alcohol from licensed alcohol establishments. The purpose of this study was to determine the establishment, geographic, and community economic and demographic characteristics that are associated with illegal sales of alcohol to underage persons in Georgia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors that were associated with illegal sales of alcohol to underage persons of Georgia. Statistical adjustments were made for ownership type (e.g., corporate owned), region (e.g., southeast Georgia, metro-Atlanta), rural vs. urban area, and many community economic and demographic variables (e.g., unemployment rate, minority …


State Medicaid Agencies Approaches To Quality Improvement: Implications For Policy, Practice And Health Outcomes, Dev Nair Apr 2009

State Medicaid Agencies Approaches To Quality Improvement: Implications For Policy, Practice And Health Outcomes, Dev Nair

Public Health Theses

Medicaid provides coverage to approximately 60 million individuals and is the largest single payer of healthcare for children. Given this scope of the program and the concentration of low-income and minority recipients, improvements to the quality of care delivered to Medicaid members represents a significant opportunity to reduce health care disparities and improve the overall delivery and quality of healthcare within the U.S. The current study sought to evaluate the various approaches that state Medicaid agencies are taking to assess and improve the quality of care to their managed care enrollees and the degree to which they have implemented recommendations …


Do Variations In State Mandatory Child Abuse And Neglect Report Laws Affect Report Rates Among Medical Personnel?, Amanda Ellen Faulkner Apr 2009

Do Variations In State Mandatory Child Abuse And Neglect Report Laws Affect Report Rates Among Medical Personnel?, Amanda Ellen Faulkner

Public Health Theses

Each state and territory within the United States is required by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act [42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.] to maintain a mandatory suspected child abuse and neglect reporting law, requiring certain professionals who regularly see children to report any suspicions of child maltreatment to child protective services. It is well documented that mandatory reporters fail to report each case of suspected child maltreatment they witness. This study sought to determine whether differences in three specific variables within the mandatory report laws had an effect on the frequency with which medical personnel report suspected child abuse …


Trends In Toxin Profiles Of Human Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) O157 Strains, United States, 1996-2008, Molly Maitland Leeper Apr 2009

Trends In Toxin Profiles Of Human Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) O157 Strains, United States, 1996-2008, Molly Maitland Leeper

Public Health Theses

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) cause diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). All STEC produce one or both of two Shiga toxins, Stx1 and Stx2. STEC strains that produce Stx2 are more strongly associated with HUS than strains that produce Stx1 or both Stx1 and Stx2. Epidemiologic evidence indicates a recent increase in the rate of HUS among STEC outbreaks. The increasing rate of HUS could be explained by a shift in the toxin profiles of STEC strains. The purpose of this study was to examine trends in toxin profiles of human STEC O157 isolates from 1996 to …


Race/Ethnicity: Is It An Outcome Predictor In Patients With Heart Failure?, Digant V. Bhatt Jan 2009

Race/Ethnicity: Is It An Outcome Predictor In Patients With Heart Failure?, Digant V. Bhatt

Public Health Theses

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the role of race as a significant risk factor for prediction of outcomes in heart failure (HF). Methods: The data was collected on demographics, detailed history of HF, family history, vital signs, medication and laboratory profile for 585 patients from Heart failure Treatment Center of Emory University after year of 2000. Outcome of HF was defined as combination of death, placement of left ventricular assisted devise, heart transplant or emergency transplant. The independent relationship between race and outcomes of HF was evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The survival …