Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Factors Associated With Institutionalization For Treatment Of Active Tuberculosis: A Synopsis From In-Depth Patient Interviews, Robert J. Mcdermott, Carol A. Bryant, Jeannine Coreil, Aimee R. Eden, Lori K. Buhi

Florida Public Health Review

To increase the effectiveness of therapeutic regimens for tuberculosis (TB) and to reduce the societal risks for both infected and uninfected individuals, it is beneficial to be able to predict factors associated with non-adherence to treatment. The purpose of this study was to acquire detailed case histories of TB patients admitted to a hospital setting and to gain a better understanding of how patients explain the life events leading up to their admission for treatment. Twenty-one patients with active TB were interviewed concerning their knowledge of TB, diagnosis and treatment history, recent history prior to hospitalization, reactions to and life …

Stigma And Therapy Completion For Latent Tuberculosis Among Haitian-Origin Patients, Jeannine Coreil, Michael Lauzardo, Heather Clayton

Florida Public Health Review

A prospective cohort study of LTBI treatment conducted within the Haitian population of South Florida investigated the predictive association between illness-related stigma among patients near the beginning of treatment and completion of preventive therapy. Factors associated with perceived stigma were also investigated. Ninety patients from Broward and Palm Beach counties were administered a questionnaire that included items related to illness history, perceptions and understanding of latent tuberculosis, and a 25-item stigma scale adapted from previously developed measures of tuberculosis-related stigma. Therapy completion was determined through a follow-up chart review. Data analyses compared patients who completed therapy with those who defaulted …

Diagnosing Decisions: An Examination Of Medical Career Choices And Their Effects On The Health Care System, Nicole Craker '10

Honor Scholar Theses

With the passage of the new health care bill in March of this year, President Obama was able to promise health care coverage to millions of Americans (Health Reform, 2010). While this was a major step towards increasing the health of our nation, promise of coverage does not automatically equate with the promise of better health. Rather, the expanded coverage may more significantly correlate with expanded physician wait lists. As newly insured Americans attempt to make appointments, they may have a difficult time finding a physician who has the time to take them due to a shortage of available doctors. …

Information And Incentives: Improving The Health Of New York City's Low-Income Population, Kathryn Linehan, Lisa Sprague

National Health Policy Forum

The National Health Policy Forum sponsored a site visit to New York City (NYC) in April 2010 to explore health care delivery for Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured in New York City’s hospital-dominated market. New York offers real-time examples of government policy and provider initiatives in health information technology (IT) and quality improvement being played out on a large, complex, and dynamic stage with multiple stakeholders. Site visit participants heard from providers and others who discussed efforts to improve the quality of care for low-income New Yorkers through a variety of methods, such as the adoption and use of electronic …

Strategies To Recruit And Retain College Smokers In Cessation Trials, M. Meghan Davidson, Nikole J. Cronk, Kari J. Harris, Solomon W. Harrar, Delwyn Catley, Glenn E. Good

Public and Community Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Techniques to recruit and retain college fraternity and sorority members who reported past 30-day smoking into a cessation trial are described. Recruitment efforts included relationship-building, raffles, and screening survey administration during existing meetings. Surveys were administered to 76% (n = 3,276) of members in 30 chapters, 79% of eligible members agreed to participate, and 76% of those completed assessments and were enrolled in the trial (n = 452). The retention rate was 73%. Retention efforts included cash incentives, flexible scheduling, multiple reminders, chapter incentives, and use of chapter members as study personnel. Retention was not related to demographic, …

Wku Scholar, Pamela Napier, Editor-In-Chief

WKU Scholar

No abstract provided.

A Colorectal Cancer Screening Project In An Old Order Mennonite Community: Capstone Project Technical Report, Maria Eve Main

Nursing Faculty Publications

The purpose of this project was to determine if colorectal cancer (CRC) screening education and community access to fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) is associated with an increase in the uptake of FOBT in an old order Mennonite community. Utilizing a modified cultural model, an educational offering on CRC screening and access to FOBT in the community was delivered to a self-selected sample of age-eligible participants. Thirty-three age eligible residents completed the CRC screening questionnaires and received education on CRC screening. Twenty-nine of the age-eligible participants were found to be at average risk and twenty-three elected to receive FOBT testing …

An Intervention To Reduce Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure Improves Pregnancy Outcomes, Ayman El-Mohandes, Michele Kiely, Susan M. Blake, Marie G. Gantz, M. Nabil El-Khorazaty

Publications and Research

Objective—We tested the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention in reducing environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETSE) and improving pregnancy outcomes among African-American women.

Methods—We recruited 1,044 women to a randomized controlled trial during 2001-2004 in Washington, DC. Data on 691 women with self-reported ETSE were analyzed. A subset of 520 ETSE women and salivary cotinine levels (SCLs)/ml was also analyzed. Individually tailored counseling sessions adapted from evidence-based interventions for ETSE and other risks, were delivered to the intervention group. The usual care group received routine prenatal care as determined by their provider. Logistic regression models were used to predict …

Hiv Risk Factors Among Moroccan And Turkish Same-Sex Attracted Youth In Amsterdam, Daniel Woznica

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report is the outcome of a month-long exploratory study on the main HIV risk factors among Moroccan and Turkish same-sex attracted (SSA) youth in Amsterdam. Data was obtained by way of interviews conducted with five experts, categorized as: academics, sexual and ethnic minority activists, and HIV professionals. Five main risk factors were determined: cultural differences; language barriers; stigma and taboo around sexuality and HIV within Islamic communities; socioeconomic marginalization; and lack of a positive term for same-sex sexual behavior and identity among the target group. Recommendations for future research include interviews with Moroccan and Turkish SSA youth themselves. Implications …

Annual Report, Western Kentucky University College Of Health & Human Services, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Wku College Of Health & Human Services

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

An Approaching Epidemic: Exploring Diabetes Awareness & Care In Mombasa, Kenya, Benjamin Marhan Dropkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The prevalence of Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has become an increasing problem in virtually every city in the world due to lifestyle changes in recent decades that have greatly reduced healthy eating habits as well as exercise. Research has shown that T2DM is largely preventable through healthy lifestyle choices. It is crucial for every country’s population to be aware of the risk factors and complications of diabetes so that they can take active steps to avoid the monumental physical and financial burden of the disease. This study attempted to gauge diabetes awareness among patients living with diabetes and to …

Factors That Contribute To The Low Uptake Of Skilled Care During Delivery In Malindi, Kenya, Alexandra Carter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Kenya, maternal mortality ratios remain high and the number of births attended by skilled health attendants hovers at just 44%. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, a study was conducted to determine the uptake of antenatal care and skilled attendance in Malindi District and to explore factors that contribute to the low use of maternal health services during delivery. It was found that after the first antenatal visit attendance to health facilities begins to decline ending in low rates of births attended by skilled care and that socio-cultural and economic factors play a larger role than access alone in …

Salud Reproductiva De Mujeres En Edad Fertil De La Zona De Intag: Deteccion Oportuna Del Cancer Cervico Uterino (Doc) Papanicolaou, Astia Roper-Batker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El cáncer delcuello uterino es el segundo más frecuente tipo de cáncer entre las mujeres a nivel mundial (15). La falta de planificación resulta en una alta incidencia de partos y abortos. Estos factores, junto con otros, significan una predisposición al cáncer del cuello uterino (18). El tratamiento más efectivo en la lucha contra este cáncer, es la prevención a través de la detección temprana por el examen de papanicolaou (16, 15,17). En la zona de Intag, localizada en Ecuador, 289 mujeres se realizaron papanicolaou y fueron encuestadas sobre su salud reproductiva. El estudio presente tiene por objetivo determinar si …

Breaking The Cycle Of Domestic Violence, Rebecca Bolden

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Domestic violence is a serious problem that affects women all over the globe. It has been found that children who witness domestic violence in their homes are more likely to be involved in a violent relationship later on in life, perpetuating an intergenerational cycle of violence. This project aims to look at services that exist for women who suffer from domestic violence, in order to suggest future prevention strategies to end the cycle of violence. My methodology was interviewing four different organizations that exist in Salvador that support women who have suffered domestic violence as well as work to prevent …

Trapped In The Street: Defining The Health Care Use Of The Homeless Adult In Salvador, Bahia, Nicole Lunardi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Problem Statement

Homelessness is a universal problem. This population represents some of society’s most marginalized members who, paradoxically, need society’s help the most. In this study, data was collected in order to discern in which circumstances and how homeless people utilize medical care in order to better understand the concepts of self efficacy and self agency among this population.

Question and Hypothesis

In what circumstances and by what means does the adult homeless population seek medical attention?

Since the homeless population is marginalized by society, I believe that this population lacks the self efficacy and agency that is required to …

Mujeres En Las Sombras: Un Estudio Sobre El Aborto En Chile, Molly Serventi-Gleeson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mi proyecto consistió en una investigación sobre la situación actual del aborto en Chile. A través de entrevistas con expertos y investigación directa, realicé una análisis de las razones históricas por la redacción de la ley permitiendo el aborto terapéutico, la situación hoy en día y la posibilidad de un cambio en el futuro. El aborto en Chile representa el nexo entre la historia, la política, la economía y la cultura Chilena. A través de mi estudio, concluí que los efectos de la dictadura resultó en una democracia incompleta, que no se atreve de hacer cambios a la estructura social …

Living In Pain, Throwing Out Agony: A Health Study Of The Rural Residents Of Three Hani Zu Ethnic Minority Villages In Hong He Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Haley Newman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nestled in the rice-terraced mountains of Southern Yunnan, there are dozens of small towns of about 300 people. The villagers are physically and emotionally drained and perpetually exhausted. The men smoke over a pack of cigarettes every day and drink five or six small glasses of baijiu, their home-made rice wine. Some have been coughing up blood, others can’t breathe deeply enough to walk, let alone work in the fields anymore, leaving their wives to do all of the farm work.

By bus theses villages are just a few hours away from Mojiang, yet life here feels decades away from …

Youth Health Coordinating Council Ward 8 Secret Health Clinic Shopper Report, The Center For Health And Health Care In Schools

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

No abstract provided.

Download Full Pdf Issue Of Jefferson School Of Population Health Master Of Public Health E-News Public Health Link, Vol. 6, Iss. 1, Spring 2010.

Public Health Link

This issue includes a faculty spotlight on Theresa Pluth Yeo, PhD, MPH, MSN, AOCNP, a recap on the two conferences held in Philadelphia in November: the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the American Public Health Association, highlights from the APHA Annual Meeting: Student Perspective, an article on the Philadelphia Urban Food and Fitness Alliance (PUFFA), and Jefferson School of Population Health Welcomes the US, Dept. of Health and Human Services and Healthy People 2020.

Comparing Modelled Predictions Of Neonatal Mortality Impacts Using List With Observed Results Of Community-Based Intervention Trials In South Asia, Ingrid K. Friberg, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Gary L. Darmstadt, Abhay Bang, Simon Cousens, Abdullah H. Baqui, Vishwajeet Kumar, Neff Walker, Joy E. Lawn

Woman and Child Health

Background:There is an increasing body of evidence from trials suggesting that major reductions in neonatal mortality are possible through community-based interventions. Since these trials involve packages of varying content, determining how much of the observed mortality reduction is due to specific interventions is problematic. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) is designed to facilitate programmatic prioritization by modelling mortality reductions related to increasing coverage of specific interventions which may be combined into packages.
Methods: To assess the validity of LiST outputs, we compared predictions generated by LiST with observed neonatal mortality reductions in trials of packages which met inclusion criteria …

Tuberculosis Screening And Treatment Of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among International College Students, Bhavna Bhardwaj, Eknath Naik, Beata Casanas, Michael D. Breglia, Michael Lauzardo

Florida Public Health Review

Tuberculosis (TB) remains in the crosshairs of many public health policies worldwide that are taking aim at eradicating this potentially curable and preventable illness. Although tuberculosis (TB) incidence has been declining in the United States for over a decade, it still remains a serious public health concern. Currently, there is no public health policy that requires the screening of non-immigrant international university students visiting the United States. Given the rising numbers of visiting international students, this population has come under scrutiny as potential vectors of transmission of TB into the United States. Foreign-born persons from countries with consistently elevated TB …

Policies That Restrict Sweetened Beverage Availability May Reduce Consumption In Elementary-School Children, Sonya J. Jones, Wendy Gonzalez, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

Objective:We investigated whether having a policy regarding the availability of sweetened beverages in school was associated with children's purchase of total weekly and daily consumption of sweetened beverages.

Design: Data were obtained in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten cohort. Multilevel logistic regression was used to determine the magnitude and significance of relationships between the availability of different beverages and purchase of sweetened beverages at school and overall consumption of beverages.

Results: The purchase of sweetened beverages by children in school was strongly associated with the administrative policy of sweetened beverage availability. Compared with children in schools without an administrative …

“Tem Um Doido No Caps / Que Diz Que Louco É Gente/Que Diz Que Louco Sabe/Que Diz Que Louco Sente” Failures And Successes In Brazilian Mental Health Reform: A Case Study Of Caps – Quixadá, Zachary Fuhrer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 1987, as public health decentralized and O Movimento da Luta Antimanicomial challenged the internment of loucuras in asylums, Brazil hosted its first National Conference of Mental Health. While the fight for mental health reform and the dehospitalization of the mentally ill in psychiatric hospitals began to take form in the 1970s with the Rede de Alternativas Psi and O Movimento dos Trabalhadores de Saúde Mental, Brazil has battled with questions of saúde loucura (treatment of the mad) since the country's colonial era and the reception of the epileptic and mentally ill family of Dom João VI. The Brazilian state …

A Pda Intervention To Sustain Smoking Cessation In Clients With Socioeconomic Vulnerability, Lynne Buchanan, Deepak Khazanchi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

This article describes a pilot study to explore use of a personal digital assistant (PDA) to sustain smoking cessation after discharge in clients with socioeconomic vulnerability. The major aim is to describe technology acceptance (perceived ease of use, usefulness, and attitude), portability, technical difficulty, satisfaction, and use time. The sample includes 31 medical surgical clients with average age of 47.35 (±13.3), average household income of $13,629 (±8,204), average number in the household of 2.67 (±2.22), and average education of 11th grade. The results demonstrate mean use time of 9.28 (±3.23) hr, or about 1 hr over 8 weeks. Technology acceptance …

Outcomes Associated With A Unlv Outdoor Adventures' Women's Wilderness Canoe Trip, Joanna Leigh Libby

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes associated with a short term women's canoe trip. Short debriefings, field observations and in-depth interviews were used to capture women's experiences and the processes that take place to achieve these experiences.

Eight females from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas participated in a three day canoeing trip led by the University's outdoor program. Their ages range from 18 to 40 and are all affiliated with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in some way.

Results from the participant's interviews highlighted four major themes. These themes are the disengagement from traditional …

Prescriptions For Excellence In Health Care Spring 2010 Dowload Full Pdf

Prescriptions for Excellence in Health Care Newsletter Supplement

No abstract provided.

Trends And Correlates Of Breast Cancer Screening Among Florida Women: Analysis Of 2001 And 2008 Brfss Data, Alicestine Ashford, Gebre-Egziabher Kiros, Ivette A. López

Florida Public Health Review

This study examined trends and correlates of breast cancer screening among women aged ≥40 years old by race/ethnicity using the 2001 and 2008 Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Breast cancer screening was measured using both mammography and clinical breast examination (CBE). The total sample size was 10,386, with 4,938 women in the 2001 BRFSS and 5,448 in 2008. Significant disparities in breast cancer screening by race/ethnicity were found both in 2001 and 2008, with Hispanics having the lowest screening participation, compared to non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic Blacks. In 2008, non-Hispanic Black women had the highest percentage of timely …

An Analysis Of Restaurant Food Safety Violations: Human Factors, Non-Human Factors, And Food-Borne Illness, Jai Choung

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An estimated 76 million food-borne illnesses occur in the United States each year, causing 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food safety is an increasingly important topic to governmental food regulators, not only in trying to reduce the number of illnesses from contaminated food. Governmental regulators also are becoming aware of the vulnerability of the food supply chain as a target for bioterrorism. Recommendations have been developed to protect the U. S. food supply from terrorism, but little of the research and recommendations relate to the food-service level.

Eighty percent of reported cases …

The Many Faces Of Health: Dialogue And Research At The University Of New Hampshire, Emily D. Robbins

Inquiry Journal 2010

No abstract provided.

Birth Order Modifies The Effect Of Il13 Gene Polymorphisms On Serum Ige At Age 10 And Skin Prick Test At Ages 4, 10 And 18: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study, Ikechukwu U. Ogbuanu, Wilfried J. Karmaus, Hongmei Zhang, Tara Sabo-Attwood, Susan L. Ewart, Graham Roberts, Syed Hasan Arshad

Faculty Publications

Background: Susceptibility to atopy originates from effects of the environment on genes. Birth order has been identified as a risk factor for atopy and evidence for some candidate genes has been accumulated; however no study has yet assessed a birth order-gene interaction.

Objective: To investigate the interaction of IL13 polymorphisms with birth order on allergic sensitization at ages 4, 10 and 18 years.

Methods: Mother-infant dyads were recruited antenatally and followed prospectively to age 18 years. Questionnaire data (at birth, age 4, 10, 18); skin prick test (SPT) at ages 4, 10, 18; total serum IgE and specific inhalant screen …