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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Dimensions Of Loss From Mental Illness, Amy E. Z. Baker, Nicholas Procter, Tony Gibbons Dec 2009

Dimensions Of Loss From Mental Illness, Amy E. Z. Baker, Nicholas Procter, Tony Gibbons

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This review explores the nature, scope and consequences of loss resulting from mental illness. Losses are described within four key themes: self and identity, work and employment opportunities, relationships, and future-oriented losses. In reflecting upon review findings, several assumptions about loss are illuminated. Findings are situated within the cornerstones of recent mental health reform, specifically a recovery-oriented approach and social inclusion. Particular attention is directed towards notions of risk and responsibility and tensions in realizing the impact of loss within an individualized recovery framework. Implications and recommendations for policy and practice are highlighted.


Influences On Job Retention Among Homeless Persons With Substance Abuse Or Psychiatric Disabilities, Russell K. Schutt, Norman C. Hursh Dec 2009

Influences On Job Retention Among Homeless Persons With Substance Abuse Or Psychiatric Disabilities, Russell K. Schutt, Norman C. Hursh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Job retention is an important psychosocial rehabilitation goal, but one that is not often achieved. We investigate facilitators of and barriers to employment retention among homeless individuals with psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses who were re-interviewed eight or more years after participating in a traditional vocational rehabilitation program. Most program graduates who maintained employment had secured social support from a variety of sources; personal motivation was also a critical element in job retention and compensated in some cases for an absence of social support. Both the availability of social support contacts and personal motivation influenced likelihood of maintaining sobriety. Physical …


E-Therapy As A Means For Addressing Barriers To Substance Use Disorder Treatment For Persons Who Are Deaf, Dennis Moore, Debra Guthmann, Nikki Rogers, Susan Frake, Jared Embree Dec 2009

E-Therapy As A Means For Addressing Barriers To Substance Use Disorder Treatment For Persons Who Are Deaf, Dennis Moore, Debra Guthmann, Nikki Rogers, Susan Frake, Jared Embree

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Persons who are deaf face a number of challenges with regard to vulnerability for substance use disorders. Moreover, accessible treatment for this condition can be difficult to establish and maintain. The Deaf community may be one of the most disenfranchised groups in America in regard to appropriate access to substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment services. This article reviews findings related to substance use disorder and treatment for this condition among persons who are deaf. It also reviews a promising approach for addressing treatment needs via e-therapy, and it highlights the challenges and concerns regarding e-therapy for this population. …


Does The Gi Bill Support Educational Attainment For Veterans With Disabilities? Implications For Current Veterans In Resuming Civilian Life, Alexa Smith-Osborne Dec 2009

Does The Gi Bill Support Educational Attainment For Veterans With Disabilities? Implications For Current Veterans In Resuming Civilian Life, Alexa Smith-Osborne

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A secondary data analysis of the 2001 National Survey of Veterans (NSV) for 2075 Gulf War-era veterans was conducted to investigate whether the GI Bill (the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, most recent provisions of which have been entitled the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 9/11 GI Bill), considered as a social welfare policy, demonstrated protective effects for veterans with disabilities in terms of successful re-entry and sustained enrollment in higher education. Regression analyses to test the mediation effects of use of the GI Bill, use of non-Veterans' Administration (VA)financial aid, and use of VA health services suggested mediation …


Connecting Youth And Communities: Customized Career Planning For Youth With Psychiatric Disabilities, Kim Brown Dec 2009

Connecting Youth And Communities: Customized Career Planning For Youth With Psychiatric Disabilities, Kim Brown

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Young people with psychiatric disabilities are significantly overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, tend to be employed sporadically if at all, and frequently have negative connections within and to their communities. Recent research conducted in Montana with youth who have developmental and/or physical disabilities demonstrates the effectiveness of using a customized career planning model to increase linkages to resources and access to community- based employment. Side benefits include improved self-esteem and positive community connections. The customization model holds promise as a way to reduce the risk factors young people with psychiatric disabilitiesf ace and increase the resiliency factors that can …


Efficiency And Cost Of A Hospital-Based Medical Home: Children With Special Healthcare Needs, Rebecca Olsen Nov 2009

Efficiency And Cost Of A Hospital-Based Medical Home: Children With Special Healthcare Needs, Rebecca Olsen

Florida Public Health Review

The current study examined two years of pre-post hospital utilization data (the number of emergency room visits, number of unanticipated hospitalizations, and length of stay (LOS)) among forty-nine medically complex children to determine the efficiency and cost effectiveness of a comprehensive Hospital-Based Medical Home Model. Friedman nonparametric analysis was used to examine the pre-post differences for the non-normal distribution. Each of the cost-effectiveness measures (number of emergency room visits, number of unanticipated hospitalizations, and LOS) were found to be significantly lower post enrollment in the Hospital-Based Medical Home Model.


Suicide Attempts Among Latinas Who Experienced Early Sex Were Largely Mediated By Substance Abuse, Patria Rojas, Sunny Kim, Mario De La Rosa, Wayway M. Hlaing, Theophille Niyonsenga Sep 2009

Suicide Attempts Among Latinas Who Experienced Early Sex Were Largely Mediated By Substance Abuse, Patria Rojas, Sunny Kim, Mario De La Rosa, Wayway M. Hlaing, Theophille Niyonsenga

Florida Public Health Review

The purpose of this study was to describe the role of substance abuse as a mediating factor between early sexual experiences and suicide attempts among adult Latinas. In our study participants (n=158), nearly 15% had attempted suicide and 39% experienced their first sexual encounter at an age of 15 or younger (referred to hereafter as “early sex”). Latinas who experienced early sex were more likely to attempt suicide [OR=2.4, p<0.05], and this relationship was largely mediated by substance abuse. An early sexual debut may indicate an environmental adversity on the child that calls for long term intervention for prevention of substance abuse as well as promotion of psychological well-being later in life.


Exploring The Effect Of Sexual Education On Sexual Health Risk Behaviors: Analysis Of The 2003 And 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys In Florida And Alabama, Shenena Armstrong, Alicestine Ashford, Ivette A. López, C. Perry Brown Sep 2009

Exploring The Effect Of Sexual Education On Sexual Health Risk Behaviors: Analysis Of The 2003 And 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys In Florida And Alabama, Shenena Armstrong, Alicestine Ashford, Ivette A. López, C. Perry Brown

Florida Public Health Review

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between sexual health education content and sexual health risk behaviors, and the mediating effect of demographic variables. A cross-sectional research design employing secondary data analysis explored these associations in a sample of African American and non-Hispanic White male and female adolescents that took part in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for the years 2003 and 2007 in the aforementioned southern states. Significant associations were observed between race and reported condom use and alcohol and/or drug use during last intercourse. For both Alabama and Florida, sexual health education was associated …


Ethnicity Matters: The Socioeconomic Gradient In Health Among Asian Americans, Emily S. Ihara Jun 2009

Ethnicity Matters: The Socioeconomic Gradient In Health Among Asian Americans, Emily S. Ihara

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic indicators and health status among Asian Americans using data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a population-based random-digit-dial survey with race-ethnic supplemental samples. Multivariate logistic regression analyses show that the inverse relationship between socioeconomic position and health status is similar for Asian Americans when measured as an aggregate group compared to Whites. However, when specific Asian American ethnic groups are examined, the relationship varies greatly. For example, among Chinese Americans and Vietnamese Americans, education is a significant predictor of poor health status, but household income is more significant among Korean Americans. …


Health Literacy And Treatment Adherence In Hispanic Hiv-Infected Patients, Maria L. Alcaide, José G. Castro Jun 2009

Health Literacy And Treatment Adherence In Hispanic Hiv-Infected Patients, Maria L. Alcaide, José G. Castro

Florida Public Health Review

This study examined health literacy in Hispanic HIV infected patients attending two large public clinics in Miami, Florida and assessed its association with adherence to antiretroviral medications. We performed a cross-sectional study. Eligible participants were enrolled from the Jackson Memorial Hospital HIV outpatient clinic and the University of Miami AIDS clinical research facility. Data were derived from socio-demographic information, the adult AIDS clinical trial group (AACTG) adherence questionnaire, the short test of functional literacy in adults (STOHFLA), and information about HIV clinical stages. Questionnaires were completed by study participants or by the study coordinator in their preferred language and the …


A Study Of Bus Stop Accessibility: Public Health Students Working In Partnership With The Center For Independent Living, Ellen D.S. López, Susan F. Fesperman, Staci H. Graff, Stephanie Schropp, Sarah T. Catalanotto, Allysha C. Robinson, Zaynab I. Major Jun 2009

A Study Of Bus Stop Accessibility: Public Health Students Working In Partnership With The Center For Independent Living, Ellen D.S. López, Susan F. Fesperman, Staci H. Graff, Stephanie Schropp, Sarah T. Catalanotto, Allysha C. Robinson, Zaynab I. Major

Florida Public Health Review

Over 54 million U.S. citizens report living with at least one disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act stipulates legislation that prohibits the discrimination of persons on the basis of disability. Rather than riding the bus in areas that offer a fixed-route bus system, individuals with disabilities often rely on expensive and limited paratransit services, or on family and friends. It has been proposed that with improvements in bus accessibility, riders with disabilities could use the fixed-route system more often and increase their options for independence and community participation. During their 2008 spring semester, participants in the University of Florida College …


Cancer Health Education Preferences Among Miami-Dade County Construction Workers, Alberto J. Caban-Martinez, David J. Lee, Lora E. Fleming, Lourdes Loubriel, Syed M. Ahmed, Aracely Alicea-Clark, John Davis Clark Iii, Evelyn P. Davila Jun 2009

Cancer Health Education Preferences Among Miami-Dade County Construction Workers, Alberto J. Caban-Martinez, David J. Lee, Lora E. Fleming, Lourdes Loubriel, Syed M. Ahmed, Aracely Alicea-Clark, John Davis Clark Iii, Evelyn P. Davila

Florida Public Health Review

Construction work is a high-risk, transient occupation. Worksite outreach programs for cancer risk assessment are highly warranted because workers are exposed to both occupational and environmental carcinogens. We examined the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a paired cancer risk assessment and cancer prevention intervention using “lunch trucks” among construction worksites as the delivery mechanism. Among the 57 completed questionnaires from construction workers on a Miami-Dade County construction high-rise apartment building site, there were 50 (88%) males and 29 (51%) white Hispanics. Over 54% of the construction workers were current smokers of cigarettes, 3.5% chewed tobacco, and 19.3% smoked cigars. Of …


Applying Leadership Paradigms To Public Health Challenges Apr 2009

Applying Leadership Paradigms To Public Health Challenges

Florida Public Health Review

In the 2008 volume of the Florida Public Health Review we published some student essays in which specific leadership paradigms were applied in theory to tackle some of public health’s most challenging problems. We continue that in effort in 2009 and invite other public health students, faculty, and practitioners from around the state to contribute ideas that foster leadership skills and the development of dynamic leaders.


Whom Can You Trust? Exploring Leadership Addressing Hiv Risk Prevention In African American Women Apr 2009

Whom Can You Trust? Exploring Leadership Addressing Hiv Risk Prevention In African American Women

Florida Public Health Review

Within the last decade African American women have experienced serious increases in HIV diagnoses. Almost 40% of all newly diagnosed HIV-positive women in the United States are black women. Furthermore, black women are 23 times more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS than white women. This paper explores some of the underlying socioeconomic factors for high incidence rates of HIV among African American women—including poverty, racism, and stigma—that contribute to this health disparity and discusses current leadership approaches to addressing this problem. One common leadership approach focuses on adapting CDC intervention programs at a local level, a process that presents …


Applying Leadership To Facilitate Physician-Patient Communication And Promote Health In The Lesbian Community Apr 2009

Applying Leadership To Facilitate Physician-Patient Communication And Promote Health In The Lesbian Community

Florida Public Health Review

Lesbian women experience health inequalities primarily related to their experiences of discrimination, homophobia, and the assumption of heterosexism. This milieu of experiences can lead to an avoidance of routine health care, screening, and non-disclosure of sexual orientation to physicians. Lesbians may participate in some health risk behaviors more than heterosexual women leading to an increase in risks for certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and HIV. Lesbians who discuss their sexual orientation and behavior with their physician report feeling more comfortable, experience better communication, and are more likely to seek routine medical care. Although the medical community has been making a shift …


Using Leadership To Improve Community-Based Obesity Interventions Apr 2009

Using Leadership To Improve Community-Based Obesity Interventions

Florida Public Health Review

Obesity is an enormous health problem facing America in the 21st century. Despite great efforts, health educators have made little progress in meeting the goals laid out in Healthy People 2010. A more contextual, community- based approach is necessary to change the physical and social environment in which people live, work and play. Studies show that residents of neighborhoods that lack pedestrian-friendly features and have high crime rates are less likely to be physically active, an important point for health educators to take into account when designing interventions. Whereas professional health educators have done little in this area, exemplary grassroots …


Hiv Testing Policies In Florida, Jennifer Syvertsen, Hilda Leon, Jeffrey Beal, Marlene Lalota, Sherry Riley, Michael D. Knox Apr 2009

Hiv Testing Policies In Florida, Jennifer Syvertsen, Hilda Leon, Jeffrey Beal, Marlene Lalota, Sherry Riley, Michael D. Knox

Florida Public Health Review

To combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic, strong policies that promote HIV testing are a primary mechanism for helping public health officials to understand the populations at risk, informing prevention initiatives, and linking infected individuals to the timely care they need. This paper describes HIV testing policies with the goal of improving early diagnosis and treatment of Floridians.


Creating Pathways To Participatory Research Apr 2009

Creating Pathways To Participatory Research

Florida Public Health Review

Many disciplines, including Public Health, have recognized the importance of participatory research methods in creating change in communities. The ability of participatory research to create change- particularly in behaviors- is what makes it such a promising area of research in health promotion. Whereas the value of participatory research is recognized, a “disconnect” exists in that the support mechanisms for this research are not in place. In fact, many researchers are encouraged to forgo the use of participatory research methods via the policies or biases of tenure and promotion committees, funding agencies and institutional review boards. These entities may claim to …


Improving Folic Acid Consumption In Women At Risk For Neural Tube Defects In Florida, Jessica C. Bishop-Royse, Elizabeth Jensen, Melanie Simmons Apr 2009

Improving Folic Acid Consumption In Women At Risk For Neural Tube Defects In Florida, Jessica C. Bishop-Royse, Elizabeth Jensen, Melanie Simmons

Florida Public Health Review

Two providers who participated in the Florida VitaGrant program, a site providing early childhood services to primarily Mexican Hispanic families (Site A) and a site providing home visiting services to pregnant women and families with infants (Site B), are presented as alternative models for improving folic acid levels in reproductive aged women in Florida. Site A distributed multivitamins and education in the context of health education provided to women in a group setting, once a month. Site B provided the services primarily through home visits of varying frequency. Folic acid knowledge and consumption were measured at program initiation and at …


Leadership Approaches To Providing Quality Hiv Prevention Care For Older Adults Apr 2009

Leadership Approaches To Providing Quality Hiv Prevention Care For Older Adults

Florida Public Health Review

Americans continue to face risks associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). One population that receives little attention concerning HIV is that of older adults. Approximately 20% of all HIV cases are among adults aged 50 and older. Older adults and younger populations are at risk for HIV; however, few programs are in place to reduce the incidence of HIV among this priority population. Many cases of HIV among older adults go unnoticed because health care professionals perceive older adults as asexual. Many physicians and other health professionals, including health educators, are uncomfortable in discussing sexual histories with older adults, so …


Primary Care Use Among Hiv Positive Inpatients At An Inner City Public Hospital: The Impact Of Crack Cocaine Use, Toye H. Brewer, Lisa R. Metsch, Marsha Mullings, Gabriel Cardenas, Margaret Pereyra Apr 2009

Primary Care Use Among Hiv Positive Inpatients At An Inner City Public Hospital: The Impact Of Crack Cocaine Use, Toye H. Brewer, Lisa R. Metsch, Marsha Mullings, Gabriel Cardenas, Margaret Pereyra

Florida Public Health Review

We studied factors associated with HIV care utilization in symptomatic HIV-positive crack-using and non-using patients at a public hospital in Miami, Florida. A bedside survey conducted with 89 HIV-positive crack-users and 93 HIV-positive non-users examined health care knowledge, perceived health status, drug use, and HIV care patterns. A multi-nominal model was utilized to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of three levels of care: currently receiving care (having seen an HIV provider in the past 4 months), having dropped out of care (having seen an HIV provider at least once but not in the past 4 months), and never having …


What Floats Your Boaters? – A Commentary, Mary Martinasek Apr 2009

What Floats Your Boaters? – A Commentary, Mary Martinasek

Florida Public Health Review

Florida has over one million registered boaters not including the plethora of canoes and other paddle craft for which registration is not required. Whereas wearing a seatbelt in a car is regulated by law and has become a routine practice for the majority of Floridians, wearing a personal floatation device (PFD) while boating is neither mandatory nor routine. Florida has ranked first annually among states in boating fatalities since 2003, and accounted for 10.9% of the total number of U.S. boating deaths in 2006. This commentary argues for making PFD use mandatory in an environment where the social norm is …


Revisiting The Regulation Debate: The Effect Of Food Marketing On Childhood Obesity, Nicole E. Hunter Apr 2009

Revisiting The Regulation Debate: The Effect Of Food Marketing On Childhood Obesity, Nicole E. Hunter

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “Despite the widespread concern regarding childhood obesity, there is broad divergence of opinion regarding responsibility for the crisis. Whether the government, food industry, or parents are accountable has become the focus of much debate. Public health groups have attempted various strategies to confront childhood obesity, such as litigation, legislation, and government regulation. While many researchers and advocates agree that government should play an affirmative role with respect to childhood obesity, they are very much divided over what that role should be. For example, although none of these acts has become law, eighty-six bills have been proposed regarding obesity since …


Review Of Differential Diagnosis: A Comparative History Of Health Care Problems And Solutions In The United States And France. Paul V. Dutton. Reviewed By Krista Drescher Burke., Krista Drescher Burke Mar 2009

Review Of Differential Diagnosis: A Comparative History Of Health Care Problems And Solutions In The United States And France. Paul V. Dutton. Reviewed By Krista Drescher Burke., Krista Drescher Burke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Paul V. Dutton, Differential Diagnosis: A Comparative History of Health Care Problems and Solutions in the United States and France. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2007. $29.95 hardcover, $19.95 papercover.


Su People, Paula Meseroll, David Marc, Amy Speach, Kathleen Haley Jan 2009

Su People, Paula Meseroll, David Marc, Amy Speach, Kathleen Haley

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.


Hegemony Of The West And The Librarian’S Role In The Struggle Against Hiv/Aids In Africa, Emy Nelson Decker Jan 2009

Hegemony Of The West And The Librarian’S Role In The Struggle Against Hiv/Aids In Africa, Emy Nelson Decker

Collaborative Librarianship

No abstract provided.


Critical Evaluation Of Bacteriophage To Prevent And Treat Colibacillosis In Poultry, G. R. Huff, W. E. Huff, N. C. Rath, A. M. Donoghue Jan 2009

Critical Evaluation Of Bacteriophage To Prevent And Treat Colibacillosis In Poultry, G. R. Huff, W. E. Huff, N. C. Rath, A. M. Donoghue

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

There is a continuing need to find alternatives to antibiotics in animal and human medicine. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and kill bacteria, with no known activity to plant and animal cells. We have conducted research to critically evaluate the efficacy of bacteriophage to both prevent and treat colibacillosis in poultry. Bacteriophages lytic to an Escherichia coli pathogenic to poultry were isolated from municipal waste water treatment plants and poultry processing plants. Two bacteriophage isolates were selected to use in studies designed to determine the efficacy of these bacteriophage to prevent and treat severe colibacillosis in poultry. Colibacillosis was induced …


Child Care And Work Challenges For Maine’S Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Helen D. Ward, Julie A. Atkins, Erin E. Oldham Jan 2009

Child Care And Work Challenges For Maine’S Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Helen D. Ward, Julie A. Atkins, Erin E. Oldham

Maine Policy Review

Research by the authors with parents, child care providers, and other service providers found that parents of children with special needs face particular challenges trying to maintain stable employment while balancing work and family. These parents have more difficulty finding and keeping child care for children with special needs, and there is a lack of coordination of therapy with child care programs. Since the study was completed, Maine has taken several steps to begin to address these issues


The Community Caring Collaborative: Case Study Of A Grassroots Collaboration To Create A System Of Care For At-Risk Infants, Young Children, And Their Families In Washington County, Maine, Marjorie Withers Jan 2009

The Community Caring Collaborative: Case Study Of A Grassroots Collaboration To Create A System Of Care For At-Risk Infants, Young Children, And Their Families In Washington County, Maine, Marjorie Withers

Maine Policy Review

Marjorie Withers presents a case study of rural Washington County, Maine, where community-agency part­nerships are increasing services for community members and their children affected by exposure to drugs, alcohol, and other risk factors. The Community Caring Collaborative (CCC) is an effective model in part because of its structure. But most important, according to Withers, is the creation of hope and new energy in an area of the state char­acterized by longstanding feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness.


Developing Enterprise Budgets For Sustainable School Gardens: Service Learning In A Global Context, Ashley D. Jones, Jennie S. Popp Jan 2009

Developing Enterprise Budgets For Sustainable School Gardens: Service Learning In A Global Context, Ashley D. Jones, Jennie S. Popp

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Service learning programs are becoming a part of curricula in universities throughout the United States. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, (UAF) established a service learning program that targeted the educational, health, social, and agricultural needs of a community. The focus of this research aimed to provide students, faculty, community members, school officials, and students with a template for crop budgets. These crop budgets are used to evaluate the costs and returns of producing multiple crops at a school. Crops produced in a sustainable garden must meet three criteria: 1) have minimal negative environmental impact, 2) provide just-in-time production of quality …