Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Design And Feasibility Of A Text Messaging Intervention To Prevent Indoor Tanning Among Young Adult Women: A Pilot Study, William Douglas Evans, Darren Mays

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: Although skin cancer is largely preventable, it affects nearly 1 of 5 US adults. There is a need for research on how to optimally design persuasive public health indoor tanning prevention messages.

Objective: The objective of our study was to examine whether framed messages on indoor tanning behavioral intentions delivered through short message service (SMS) text messaging would produce (1) positive responses to the messages, including message receptivity and emotional response; (2) indoor tanning efficacy beliefs, including response efficacy and self-efficacy; and (3) indoor tanning risk beliefs.

Methods: We conducted a pilot study of indoor tanning prevention messages delivered …

Schools Of Public Health In Low And Middle-Income Countries: An Imperative Investment For Improving The Health Of Populations?, Fauziah Rabbani, Leah Shipton, Franklin White, Iman Nuwayhid, Leslie London, Abdul Ghaffar, Bui Thi Thu Ha, Göran Tomson, Rajiv Rimal, Anwar Islam, Amirhossein Takian, Samuel Wong, Shehla Zaidi, Kausar Khan, Rozina Karmaliani, Imran Naeem Abbasi, Farhat Abbas

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Public health has multicultural origins. By the close of the nineteenth century, Schools of Public Health (SPHs) began to emerge in western countries in response to major contemporary public health challenges. The Flexner Report (1910) emphasized the centrality of preventive medicine, sanitation, and public health measures in health professional education. The Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) in 1978 was a critical milestone, especially for low and middle-income countries (LMICs), conceptualizing a close working relationship between PHC and public health measures. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2005-2008) strengthened the case for SPHs in LMICs as …

Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing Among United States Nurse Practitioners And Physician Assistants., Guillermo V Sanchez, Adam L Hersh, Daniel J Shapiro, James F. Cawley, Lauri A Hicks

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

We examined US nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) outpatient antibiotic prescribing. Antibiotics were more frequently prescribed during visits involving NP/PA visits compared with physician-only visits, including overall visits (17% vs 12%, P < .0001) and acute respiratory infection visits (61% vs 54%, P < .001). Antibiotic stewardship interventions should target NPs and PAs.

Quantifying Syringe Exchange Program Operational Space In The District Of Columbia., Sean T. Allen, Monica Ruiz, Jeff Jones

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are effective structural interventions for HIV prevention among persons who inject drugs. In 2000, a buffer zone policy (the 1000 Foot Rule) was implemented in Washington, DC, that prohibited SEP operations within 1000 feet of schools. We examined changes in the amount of legal SEP operational space over time. We used data pertaining to school operations and their approximate physical property boundaries to quantify the impact of the 1000 Foot Rule on legal SEP operational space from its implementation in 2000-2013. Adherence to the 1000 Foot Rule reduced SEP operational space by more than 50 % …

Using Capture-Recapture Methods To Estimate The Population Of People Who Inject Drugs In Washington, Dc, Monica S. Ruiz, Allison O'Rourke, Sean T. Allen

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

No current estimates exist for the size of the population of people who inject drugs (PWID) in the District of Columbia (DC). The WHO/UNAIDS Guidelines on Estimating the Size of Populations Most at Risk to HIV was used as the methodological framework to estimate the DC PWID population. The capture phase recruited harm reduction agency clients; the recapture phase recruited community-based PWID. The 951 participants were predominantly Black (83.9 %), male (69.8 %), and 40+ years of age (68.2 %). Approximately 50.3 % reported injecting drugs in the past 30 days. We estimate approximately 8829 (95 % CI 4899 and …

Assessing Syringe Exchange Program Access Among Persons Who Inject Drugs (Pwid) In The District Of Columbia, Sean T. Allen, Monica S. Ruiz, Jeff Jones

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Prior research has explored spatial access to syringe exchange programs (SEPs) among persons who inject drugs (PWID), but these studies have been based on limited data from short periods of time. No research has explored changes in spatial access to SEPs among PWID longitudinally. The purpose of this research is to examine spatial access to SEPs among PWID who accessed services at a SEP in Washington, District of Columbia (DC), from 1996 to 2010. The geometric point distance estimation technique was used to calculate the mean walking distance PWID traveled from the centroid point of their zip code of home …

Computerized Tailored Interventions To Enhance Prevention And Screening For Hepatitis C Virus Among People Who Inject Drugs: Protocol For A Randomized Pilot Study., Ryan P Westergaard, Shawnika J. Hull, Alana Merkow, Laura K Stephens, Karli R Hochstatter, Heidi K Olson-Streed, Lisa M Baker, Timothy M Hess

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a growing problem among people who inject drugs. Strategies to reduce disease transmission (eg, syringe exchange programs) and facilitate HCV screening and linkage are available but are under-utilized in many communities affected by injection drug use. Novel approaches to increasing the use of these strategies are needed.

OBJECTIVE: The goals of this project are to (1) develop and pilot test a computerized tailored intervention for increasing HCV screening and decreasing risky drug use behavior among people who inject drugs and (2) determine the feasibility of disseminating such an intervention using peer-based referrals in …

Optimising Text Messaging To Improve Adherence To Web-Based Smoking Cessation Treatment: A Randomised Control Trial Protocol, Amanda L. Graham, Megan A. Jacobs, Amy M. Cohn, Sarah Cha, Lorien C. Abroms, George D. Papandonatos, Robyn Whittaker

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Introduction Millions of smokers use the Internet for smoking cessation assistance each year; however, most smokers engage minimally with even the best designed websites. The ubiquity of mobile devices and their effectiveness in promoting adherence in other areas of health behaviour change make them a promising tool to address adherence in Internet smoking cessation interventions. Text messaging is used by most adults, and messages can proactively encourage use of a web-based intervention. Text messaging can also be integrated with an Internet intervention to facilitate the use of core Internet intervention components.

Methods and analysis We identified four aspects of a …

Legal Space For Syringe Exchange Programs In Hot Spots Of Injection Drug Use-Related Crime., Sean T. Allen, Monica Ruiz, Monique Turner, Jeff Jones

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Copious evidence indicates that syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are effective structural interventions for HIV prevention among persons who inject drugs (PWID). The efficacy of SEPs in supporting the public health needs of PWID populations is partially dependent on their accessibility and consistent utilization among injectors. Research has shown that SEP access is an important predictor of PWID retention at SEPs, yet policies exist that may limit the geographic areas where SEP operations may legally occur. Since 2000 in the District of Columbia (DC), SEP operations have been subject to the 1000 Foot Rule (§48-1121), a policy that prohibits the …

Smoking Cessation Support For Pregnant Women: Role Of Mobile Technology., Christina L Heminger, Jennifer M. Schindler-Ruwisch, Lorien C. Abroms

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Smoking during pregnancy has deleterious health effects for the fetus and mother. Given the high risks associated with smoking in pregnancy, smoking cessation programs that are designed specifically for pregnant smokers are needed. This paper summarizes the current landscape of mHealth cessation programs aimed at pregnant smokers and where available reviews evidence to support their use.

METHODS: A search strategy was conducted in June-August 2015 to identify mHealth programs with at least one component or activity that was explicitly directed at smoking cessation assistance for pregnant women. The search for text messaging programs and applications included keyword searches within …

Redrawing The Us Obesity Landscape: Bias-Corrected Estimates Of State-Specific Adult Obesity Prevalence., Zachary J Ward, Michael W. Long, Stephen C Resch, Steven L Gortmaker, Angie L Cradock, Catherine Giles, Amber Hsiao, Y Claire Wang

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: State-level estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) underestimate the obesity epidemic because they use self-reported height and weight. We describe a novel bias-correction method and produce corrected state-level estimates of obesity and severe obesity.

METHODS: Using non-parametric statistical matching, we adjusted self-reported data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2013 (n = 386,795) using measured data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (n = 16,924). We validated our national estimates against NHANES and estimated bias-corrected state-specific prevalence of obesity (BMI≥30) and severe obesity (BMI≥35). We compared these results with previous …

Legal Space For Syringe Exchange Programs In Hot Spots Of Injection Drug Use-Related Crime., Sean T Allen, Monica S. Ruiz, Jeff Jones, Monique M Turner

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Copious evidence indicates that syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are effective structural interventions for HIV prevention among persons who inject drugs (PWID). The efficacy of SEPs in supporting the public health needs of PWID populations is partially dependent on their accessibility and consistent utilization among injectors. Research has shown that SEP access is an important predictor of PWID retention at SEPs, yet policies exist that may limit the geographic areas where SEP operations may legally occur. Since 2000 in the District of Columbia (DC), SEP operations have been subject to the 1000 Foot Rule (§48-1121), a policy that prohibits the …

Social Media In The Sexual Lives Of African American And Latino Youth: Challenges And Opportunities In The Digital Neighborhood, Robin Stevens, Jamie Dunaev, Ellen Malven, Amy Bleakley, Shawnika J. Hull

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

There has been significant interest in the role of social media in the lives of adolescents, particularly as it relates to sexual risk. Researchers have focused on understanding usage behaviors, quantifying effects of social media exposure and activity, and using social media to intervene. Much of this work has focused on college students and non-minority youth. In this paper, we examine the growing body of literature around social media use among US minority youth and its intersection with sexual risk behavior. We introduce the concept of the “digital neighborhood” and examine the intersection of social media and sexual health in …

Schools Of Public Health In Low And Middle-Income Countries: An Imperative Investment For Improving The Health Of Populations?, Fauziah Rabbani, Leah Shipton, Franklin White, Iman Nuwayhid, Leslie London, Rajiv Rimal, +11 Additional Authors

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Public health has multicultural origins. By the close of the nineteenth century, Schools of Public Health (SPHs) began to emerge in western countries in response to major contemporary public health challenges. The Flexner Report (1910) emphasized the centrality of preventive medicine, sanitation, and public health measures in health professional education. The Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) in 1978 was a critical milestone, especially for low and middle-income countries (LMICs), conceptualizing a close working relationship between PHC and public health measures. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2005-2008) strengthened the case for SPHs in LMICs as …