Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Health Policy & Management News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Management Department News (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Examines Urgent Challenges for Local Public Health Informatics

Health And Health Care In Kentucky: Variations By Region And Metro/Micro/Rural Status, Tyrone F. Borders, Keith Branham

Institute for Rural Health Policy Reports

Health policy makers and health system managers frequently make decisions to allocate and organize resources according to differences in unmet needs across geographic areas. This report describes, compares, and contrasts key health, health behavior, and health care access indicators by region and metropolitan status in Kentucky.

Valuing And Financing Multi-Sector Population Health Initiatives, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Large-scale multi-sector health improvement initiatives can be difficult to initiate and sustain over time due to uncertainties about their health and economic impact. This presentation reviews research on multi-sector population health initiatives, and examines several alternative approaches for sustainable financing.

Policy Brief: Expanding Food Benefits For Immigrants: Charting A Policy Agenda For New York City, Anabel Perez-Jimenez, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

This policy brief explores the eligibility of various categories of New York City’s immigrant populations, from those who have become citizens to permanent residents (Green Card holders) to those who lack legal immigration status, for SNAP, WIC and School Food, the nation’s main food benefit programs. We also examine factors that facilitate or block immigrants’ enrollment in these programs. Our larger goals are to encourage more systematic study of immigrant access to food benefits and identify opportunities for improving access. We hope to widen a public conversation among immigrants and their organizations, food security groups, food justice advocates and policy …

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health News (2011-2023)

• Georgia Southern Partnered on a Study to Examine Challenges and Innovations in Surveying the governmental public health workforce
• Georgia Southern Partners to Examine E-Waste Management in the United States
• Georgia Southern Collaborates with UNCG to examine strategies of an LHD to Build and use information systems
• Georgia Southern Partners to examine a multiagency approach to reducing west Nile Virus
• Georgia Southern Examines control of the public health IT Physical Infrastructure

Health Departments’ Engagement In Emergency Preparedness Activities: The Influence Of Health Informatics Capacity, Gulzar H. Shah, Bobbie J. Newell, Ruth E. Whitworth

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Background: Local health departments (LHDs) operate in a complex and dynamic public health landscape, with changing demands on their emergency response capacities. Informatics capacities might play an instrumental role in aiding LHDs emergency preparedness. This study aimed to explore the extent to which LHDs’ informatics capacities are associated with their activity level in emergency preparedness and to identify which health informatics capacities are associated with improved emergency preparedness.

Methods: We used the 2013 National Profile of LHDs study to perform Poisson regression of emergency preparedness activities.

Results: Only 38.3% of LHDs participated in full-scale exercises or drills for an emergency …

Training African Refugee Interpreters For Health Related Research, Terri Soelberg, Michal Temkin-Martínez, Mikal Smith, Pamela Springer

English Literature Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes an approach to training African refugee interpreters for their role in health-related research. A study was proposed to evaluate the self-reported health of African Refugees in Boise, Idaho. Collaboration with a community advisory board revealed that targeted communities had members who spoke at least one of five main languages, many of whom had limited access to formal education. Interpreters were recruited from the refugee communities, and had either worked for and/or received training through one of two local hospitals. Few of the interpreters had experience serving in that role in the context of a research study. A …

Transforming Public Health Delivery Systems For Population Health Improvement, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

A growing body of empirical research documents the health and economic benefits of multi-sector health improvement initiatives. In this session we share research that points to the delivery system features --including institutions, infrastructure, and incentives -- that lead to effective population health improvement strategies.

‘Project Spraoi’: A Randomized Control Trial To Improve Nutrition And Physical Activity In School Children, Tara Coppinger, Seán Lacey, Cian O'Neill, Con Burns

Publications

Background

Recent evidence predicts that by 2030, Ireland will have the highest rate of obesity in Europe. Consequently, there are concerns that health problems associated with this condition will present in childhood. Studies have shown that interventions based on increasing physical activity (PA) levels, reducing sedentary lifestyles and improving nutritional habits all pose protective mechanisms against obesity and its related disorders in youth. Yet, to date, there are no interventions being delivered in Ireland that concurrently target PA, nutritional habits and sedentary time amongst school children.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to implement and evaluate an intervention that …

Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems: Using Foundational Capabilities To Achieve Health Impact And Equity, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Achieving health equity requires building more comprehensive systems. Using data from a nationally representative cohort of U.S. communities, this session will explore the characteristics of Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems, the structures and processes needed to build such systems, and the health and economic benefits attributable to these systems.

Learning Objectives:

• Compare innovative ways to structure local health departments that maximize resources to enhance service delivery to the community.
• Discuss ways local health departments can build strategic alliances to implement successful collaborations that address health threats in the community.

Integrating Delivery And Financing Systems Across Sectors To Build A Culture Of Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The delivery and financing systems for medical care, public health, and social and community services are powerful determinants of health and wellbeing for families and communities across the U.S. Unfortunately, these systems interact in complex and often poorly understood ways through fragmented funding streams, organizational relationships, information flows, and governance and decision-making structures. This session will feature new studies underway through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Systems for Action (S4A) Research Program to test multi-sector strategies for integrating delivery and financing systems to improve population health.

Featured speakers:

David Meltzer, MD, PhD, University of Chicago Urban Labs. Expanding a Comprehensive …

Summer Dehydration, Rodney Richmond

College of Pharmacy Faculty Research ​and Publications

No abstract provided.

Health Policy & Management News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Management Department News (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Receives $510,000 Grant from the Georgia Department of Community Health

Public Health Spending And Its Contributions To The Total Spend On Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This presentation provides an overview of recent research on governmental public health expenditures and their interaction with medical spending, carried out through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supported initiatives on Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) and the new Systems for Action research program. This work illustrates the value of tracking resource use across multiple sectors that influence health and well-being in American communities. As such, this work can inform the ongoing dialogue about methodologies for summarizing total health spending for the U.S. and for state and local areas.

Epidemiology News, Georgia Southern University

Epidemiology News (2012-2018)

• Georgia Southern Students Receive Awards from Rural Health Conference

Health Policy & Management News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Management Department News (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Estimates the Effects of Smoking Bans on Neonatal Health

Eating Local At Uri: The Real Food Challenge, Kayleigh M. Hill

Senior Honors Projects

Over the past decade sustainability has become more than just a buzzword at the University of Rhode Island. We have adapted it into the fabric of our school and created a student body that is focused on the health of our future, on promoting environmental, social and economic prosperity that is created and sustained by action on a local level. In other words, we have realized that before we can “Think Big”, we have to first consider the impact our actions have on every level of society. This project focuses on how the action of eating is a direct reflection …

Contribution Of Probiotics Streptococcus Salivarius Strains K12 And M18 To Oral Health In Humans: A Review, Turner A. Stowik

Honors Scholar Theses

The overgrowth and disequilibrium of pathogenic microorganism species both native and non-native to the oral cavity can manifest into a variety of different oral diseases, pathologies, and afflictions in humans, including dental caries, gingivitis, pharyngitis, halitosis, and oral candidiasis. Two bacterial strains with clinically-significant probiotic applications in curtailing the pathogenic bacterial growth involved in these conditions are Streptococcus salivarius strain K12 and Streptococcus salivarius strain M18. To summarize the most up-to-date in vitro, in vivo, and clinical research findings, administration of these S. salivarius strains typically in the form of probiotic lozenges results in colonization, reduction in inflammatory measures, …

Measuring Progress To Comprehensive Public Health Systems, National Preparedness, And A Culture Of Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This update describes recent progress on two national health measurement initiatives: The National Health Security Preparedness Index and the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems. These longitudinal data sources offer valuable perspectives on how health security practices and public health delivery systems are changing across the U.S.

Anti-Cancer Diets: Revolution Or Ruse?, Lauren Hogan

First Year Inquiry: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This paper discusses how the foods we consume can play a role in the diagnosis of cancer.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Achieving The Vision Of Global Health With Justice, Eric A. Friedman, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and secure our planet” (UN General Assembly, 2015, September 25, preamble). So pronounces the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations declaration on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted on September 25, 2015, succeeding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). If achieved, the SDGs will secure an improved level of health, development, and global justice. However, if the international community fails to live up to its commitments, an untold number of people will likely perish prematurely, people’s opportunities to thrive will be cut off, social …

To Sleep Or Not To Sleep, Rodney Richmond

College of Pharmacy Faculty Research ​and Publications

No abstract provided.

Health Policy & Management News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Management Department News (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Examines Racial Disparities in Emotional Distress among Cancer Survivors
• Georgia Southern Reviews 101+ Careers in Public Health

Social Incentives In Pervasive Fitness Apps For Obese And Diabetic Patients, Yu Chen, Mirana Randriambelonoro, Antoine Geissbuhler, Pearl Pu

Faculty Publications, Information Systems & Technology

Social incentives such as cooperation and competition are found to motivate users in pervasive fitness applications. This work investigates how social incentives work for individuals with obesity and diabetes. We used a mobile fitness application called HealthyTogether as an experimental platform, which allows dyads to achieve fitness goals together and compete in an online community. We conducted a fourweek study with 16 obese and diabetic patients who used HealthyTogether to exercise with a buddy. Results show that participants exercised more with social incentives compared with their baseline. Collaborating with buddies to compete in a community was reported as motivating for …

Between Crazy And Fine, Annette Aguilera-Gonzalez

SURGE

As a young Latina, I grew up hiding the fact that I met with a therapist and that I suffered from depression and anxiety. Conversations about mental well-being or taking steps to cope with anxiety were non-existent in my community of friends and family. It was always a taboo topic, an area that we never touched. People were labeled as “crazy” and serious situations were swept under the rug. Seldom was I offered empathy or support. [excerpt]

Couple Beads: An Integrated Method Of Natural Family Planning, George Mulcaire-Jones, Richard J. Fehring, Megan Bradshaw, Karen Brower, Gonzaga Lubega, Paskazia Lubega

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Various fertility indicators are used by natural family planning methods to identify the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle: mucus observations, cycle-day probabilities, basal body temperature readings, and hormonal measures of LH and estrogen. Simplified NFP methods generally make use of a single fertility indicator such as cycle-day probabilities (Standard Days Method) or mucus observations (Billings Ovulation Method). The Couple Bead Method integrates the two simplest fertility indicators, cycle-day probabilities and mucus observations, expanding its applicability to all women, regardless of cycle regularity and length. In determining cycle-day probabilities, the Couple Bead Method relies on a new …

Evidence And Knowledge Gaps On The Disease Burden In Sexual And Gender Minorities: A Review Of Systematic Reviews, Karel Blondeel, Lale Say, Doris Chou, Igor Toskin, Rajat Khosla, Elisa Scolaro, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) include individuals with a wide range of sexual orientations, physical characteristics, and gender identities and expressions. Data suggest that people in this group face a significant and poorly understood set of additional health risks and bear a higher burden of some diseases compared to the general population. A large amount of data is available on HIV/AIDS, but far less on other health problems. In this review we aimed to synthesize the knowledge on the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions and violence experienced by SGM, based on available systematic reviews. We conducted …

Health Policy & Management News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Management Department News (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Examines LHD Activities to Address Health Disparities and Inequities

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health News (2011-2023)

• Georgia Southern Examines LHD Activities to Address Health Disparities and Inequities

Better Cognitive Control Of Emotional Information Is Associated With Reduced Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Reactivity To Emotional Stress, Grant S. Shields, Shari Young Kuchenbecker, Sarah D. Pressman, Ken D. Sumida, George M. Slavich

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Stress is strongly associated with several mental and physical health problems that involve inflammation, including asthma, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and depression. It has been hypothesized that better cognitive control of emotional information may lead to reduced inflammatory reactivity to stress and thus better health, but to date no studies have examined whether differences in cognitive control predict pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to stress. To address this issue, we conducted a laboratory-based experimental study in which we randomly assigned healthy young-adult females to either an acute emotional stress (emotionally evocative video) or no-stress (control video) condition. Salivary levels of …