Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Marketing Research Report: Lead Poisoning Dilemma In Scott County, Hoang Nguyen, Brendan Gould, Trace Timmons

2017-2018: Scott County, Iowa Health Department

Research was contracted from August-October 2017 by Augustana College students to examine opportunities for improving media engagement regarding the prevalent dilemma of lead poisoning within the Scott Community area. In particular, we conducted research to discover why Scott County residents are not testing their children for lead poisoning. The purpose of the research is to enhance Scott County Health Department’s media outlets in order to demonstrate the seriousness of this issue and hopefully persuade as many parents as possible into getting their children tested.

The Development Of Insights On Priority Audiences And Awareness Messages For Child Lead Poisoning, Andrew Kladiva, Austin Whelan

2017-2018: Scott County, Iowa Health Department

The purpose of this project is to assist the Scott County Health department (SCHD) in gaining further insights into public opinion regarding child lead poisoning by investigating the public knowledge of lead poisoning and more specifically how knowledgeable members of Scott County are of the issue. To assist the SCHD to develop a marketing campaign regarding how to increase the perceived importance and knowledge of child lead poisoning for the average Scott County resident, we conducted research to explore why a large percentage of the population in Scott County doesn’t know about the dangers of lead poisoning. Some of our …

Lead Poisoning Awareness Final Report For Scott County Health Department, Andrew Kladiva, Austin Whelan, Amanda Whelan

2017-2018: Scott County, Iowa Health Department

The following study looks to address the public knowledge of lead poisoning and more specifically how knowledgeable members of Scott County are of the issue. We were approached by Scott County Health Department to assist them in developing an idea on how to increase the perceived importance and knowledge of child lead poisoning for the average Scott County resident. We conducted research to determine why a large percentage of the population in Scott County doesn’t know about the dangers of lead poisoning. Some of our hypotheses were low awareness, lack of education on the subject, and differing opinions among age …

Christians’ Cut: Popular Religion And The Global Health Campaign For Medical Male Circumcision In Swaziland, Casey Golomski, Sonene Nyawo

Anthropology

Swaziland faces one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world and is a site for the current global health campaign in sub-Saharan Africa to medically circumcise the majority of the male population. Given that Swaziland is also majority Christian, how does the most popular religion influence acceptance, rejection or understandings of medical male circumcision? This article considers interpretive differences by Christians across the Kingdom’s three ecumenical organisations, showing how a diverse group people singly glossed as ‘Christian’ in most public health acceptability studies critically rejected the procedure in unity, but not uniformly. Participants saw medical male circumcision’s promotion and …

Public Health Measures Derived From The Jewish Tradition: Ii. Washing And Cleaning, Noam Zeffren, Tova Chien, Robert Stern

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (New York) Publications and Research

The authors discuss public health measures that are described in the Torah and rabbinic literature, focusing on hand washing and cleaning.

Countermarketing Alcohol And Unhealthy Food: An Effective Strategy For Preventing Noncommunicable Diseases? Lessons From Tobacco, P. Christopher Palmedo, Lori Dorfman, Sarah Garza, Eleni K. Murphy, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

Countermarketing campaigns use health communications to reduce the demand for unhealthy products by exposing motives and undermining marketing practices of producers. These campaigns can contribute to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases by denormalizing the marketing of tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food. By portraying these activities as outside the boundaries of civilized corporate behavior, countermarketing can reduce the demand for unhealthy products and lead to changes in industry marketing practices. Countermarketing blends consumer protection, media advocacy, and health education with the demand for corporate accountability. Countermarketing campaigns have been demonstrated to be an effective component of comprehensive tobacco control. This review …

Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis And Schistosomiasis In Children Of Poor Families In Leyte, Philippines: Lessons For Disease Prevention And Control, Harvy Joy Liwanag, Jhanna Uy, Janis Ruth Gatchalian, Betty De La Calzada, Justine Alessandra Uy, Manuel Dayrit, Ramil T. Bataller

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Objective

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to be a public health problem in the Philippines. We assessed the association of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and schistosomiasis with selected health-related and socioeconomic variables in four villages in Leyte, Philippines.

Methods

Stool specimens from 418 adults and 533 of their children from 209 families were examined through the Kato-Katz technique.

Results

STH and schistosomiasis were present in 64.6% and 12.5%, respectively, of study participants. Analysis through the generalized linear mixed model revealed a number of associations between infection in parents and their children. Findings indicate that years of disease prevention and control efforts …

Assessing Efficiency Of Public Health And Medical Care Provision In Oecd Countries After A Decade Of Reform, Yasar A. Ozcan, Jaya Khushalani

Health Administration Publications

The objective of this study was to examine the change in efficiency of health care systems of 34 OECD countries between 2000 and 2012, a period marked by significant health reform in most OECD countries. This paper uses a novel Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis (DNDEA) model to analyze the efficiency of the public health system and the medical care system of these OECD countries independently along with assessing the efficiency of their overall health system. This helps understand the relative priorities for improving the overall health system. The data for this study was obtained from the OECD Health Facts …

The Effects Of Vaccinations On Public Health, Caitlin Reveal

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

This is a review of scholarly literature of the importance of vaccinations and the effects of vaccination uptake and vaccination refusal on public health. It assesses how vaccinations came to exist and what they do in the human body. It highlights reasons parents opt not to vaccinate their children and the side effects vaccinations may cause. There is a major emphasis on the effectiveness of vaccinations, especially in schools, where children are much more likely to be exposed to diseases than the general public. Because health care workers are often at the front line of contracting and/or transmitting diseases, the …

Madagascar : Plague In Madagascar, Matthew Donald Hesch

Global Public Health

This public health brief calls attention to a disease issue in the country Madagascar. We show reasons as to why Madagascar has such a problem with the plague and what they should do to solve the issue. Madagascar has many areas that are high poverty because of a political crisis and this results in the easy spread of the plague. We show that Madagascar needs an increase in funds so that they can get out of the political crisis and begin fixing the plague issue. I offer ideas on how Madagascar could use the extra funds to overcome the plague …

Association Of Cadmium Exposure With Bone Mineral Density In U.S. Adults, Joseph P. Taggart

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal and environmental pollutant; general population exposure is through occupation, diet, and smoking. Cadmium is associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) and higher risk of fractures in women. This association is not fully known in men.

Objective: Given the toxicity and global dispersion of cadmium, we explored its association with BMD in U.S. men and women.

Methods: Data from 914 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2014 was utilized. Multivariable regression analysis was used to determine the independent association between cadmium exposure and BMD controlling for age, body mass index, …

An Evaluation Of The Mpowerment Evidence-Based Program In Congruence With Chicago-Specific Mobile App On Reducing Hiv Transmission And Acquisition, Katelyn Elizabeth Mason

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Black Men who have sex with Men are at higher risk of contracting HIV than other populations, and thus require programs that focus of their need. Chicago, Illinois has incidence and prevalence rates 3 times higher than the national average, with a large burden of the disease falling on BMSM. Mpowerment is an evidence-based intervention that utilizes formal and informal meetings at a home base and local venues, and has found promising effects in reducing unprotected anal intercourse. Mobile applications have also shown promise in increasing adherence, and will be adapted into the Mpowerment program to create a High Impact …

Sociodemographic And Clinical Predictors Of Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Madison Ries

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background and Objectives

Breast cancer has the highest incidence rates among women and is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in women. Of all breast cancers, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for about one-fifth of breast cancer and tends to result in an aggressive form with larger tumors and rates of metastasis and is more frequently found in younger women. This results in an important need in information regarding the risk of diagnosis with triple negative breast cancer over other forms and covariates associated with death and TNBC. This paper studies the relationship between race, tobacco …

The Role Of Stress In The Relationship Between Shift Worked And Hypertension, Madison Liford

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Purpose: Individuals working non-daytime shifts have been reported to have an increased risk for many negative health outcomes, including poor cardiovascular health. This study aims to examine the relationship between shift worked and hypertension—a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Of particular interest in this study was the role of stress and type of shift worked (day, evening, night, or rotating) in this relationship.

Methods: The study utilized National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collected between 2005 and 2010. The study population was limited to adult workers 20 years of age and older (n=9356). Initial descriptive statistics of …

A Diabetes-Free Breathitt County: Implementation Of The National Diabetes Prevention Program In Pharmacies, Urvi Patel

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) is a primary prevention program endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program’s purpose is to promote dietary modification and physical activity to reduce the incidence of diabetes. NDPP is currently offered by national organizations such as the Young Men’s Christian Association and Weight Watchers. However, NDPP is not commonly available in geographic areas that are in the most need of such preventive health programming such as rural communities. One such area where NDPP is not widely offered is the Diabetes Belt, an area within the Appalachian region of the …

Health Care For All In Ireland? The Consequences Of Politics For Health Policy, Vivienne Byers

Articles

The Irish health-care system is a complicated mix of public and private providers, with inequitable and unclear routes for health-service users to access and navigate the system. In 2011, the Irish Government committed to significant health reform to develop a universal single-tier health system. In line with other European nations this was to be underpinned by the principle of social solidarity, with equitable access based on need rather than ability to pay. The road to this reform and its recent collapse highlights the practical implications of political and policy choices in health care, and has implications for financing and delivery, …

All 4 Hardin County Freshman!, Cortney Lynn Gandy

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Within this application for funding the Lincoln Trail Health Department proposes an evidenced based intervention for implementation into two high schools in the Hardin County with the long term goals of decreasing the rate of sexually transmitted infections in the county. The LTHD based in Elizabethtown, Kentucky services six counties in central Kentucky. The community health needs assessment and community health improvement plans for the county highlighted the problem of sexually transmitted infections in the community. The Centers for Disease Control also produces data about the higher rate of STIs in Hardin county in respect to Kentucky and the US …

Essays On Health Disparities And Income-Related Health Inequality In Sub-Saharan Africa, Marshall Makate

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation comprises of five empirical essays. Essay one assesses the impact of prenatal care quality and its components on child mortality using nationwide data from the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS), 1999-11. Results indicate that increasing prenatal care quality by one unit improves neonatal, infant and under-five survival by about 42.33, 30.86, and 28.65%, respectively and all statically significant at the 1% level.

Cadmium Exposure And Residence-To-Road Proximity In Eastern Kentucky, Ellen Flora

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background and Objectives

Cadmium is a carcinogenic and toxic metal. The general population can be exposed to cadmium from multiple sources. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of urinary cadmium and residence distance-to-road by performing landscape analyses in eastern Kentucky, a region where smoking prevalence is high, coal production has been a primary industry, and the landscape is predominantly undeveloped. Composite dust samples were also collected and analyzed for Cadmium (Cd), Manganese (Mn), and Zinc (Zn). The primary objective of this study is to ascertain if there is an association between participants with elevated accumulated cadmium …

A Retrospective Analysis Of Open Burning Activity In Kentucky, Jeffrey Scott Blakeman

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objectives: To 1) summarize open burning activity observed by the Kentucky Division for Air Quality for a 12-month period and to 2) Identify distinguishing factors of areas having “high” levels of observed open burning compared to areas with “low” levels of open burning.

Methods: Data was collected by performing a records review of open burning investigation documents for the 554 investigation site visits performed by KY DAQ for the time period of January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015.

Results: The average number of site visits per county was 4.66 visits. The source material with the highest …

Spatial Distribution Of Partner-Seeking Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm): An Epidemiologic Study Using Msm Geosocial Networking Applications, Angel Blake Algarin

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background: Geosocial networking (GSN) applications (apps) have made finding sexual partners easier for partner-seeking MSM, raising challenges for HIV/STI prevention but also providing opportunities for research. To date, little is known about app usage in smaller cities where there may be more stigma surrounding MSM.

Objective: This study uses GSN apps to identify areas with high density partner-seeking MSM, and to characterize these areas using Census block group demographic measures in a Southern mid-sized city.

Methods: Data collection points (n=62) were spaced in two-mile increments along nine routes (112 miles) covering the area. At each point, staff …

Implementing The Family Check-Up Program To Prevent Initiation Of Opioid Misuse Among Sixth Graders In Pike County, Kentucky, Emily Edmiston

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The availability of prescriptions for opioids has been increasing since 1996. This type of drug is commonly misused by adolescents ages 12 to 17, making the trends in availability particularly alarming. Adolescence is a crucial point initiation of several risk behaviors, including substance use. During this time, parental monitoring, or awareness of the child’s activities and communication about those activities, is incredibly important for prevention of those risk behaviors. Despite this importance, parental monitoring behaviors often slip during this time. To help strengthen family management and communication leading into adolescence, the Pike County Health Department (PCHD)is proposing the implementation of …

Using Structural Equation Modeling To Predict Orofacial Pain-Related Outcomes, Marcia Vanessa Rojas-Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objectives: To test if the structure of a proposed theoretical model comprised of specific observed variables clustered to measure three latent variables of anxiety, depression, and fatigue exhibited good global fit with the observed data and had adequate reliability using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A secondary objective was to use structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the direct effect of the latent variables of depression, anxiety, and fatigue on orofacial pain outcomes.

Methods: Subjects were evaluated and treated at an orofacial pain clinic between 2009 and 2014. Those who completed a battery of psychosocial and pain-related questionnaires were …

Effects Of Temperature And Precipitation On Giardiasis In Missouri, Lori Michelle Calderas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Global Climate Change has empirical evidence to support the idea that CO2 levels may be affecting weather and health, including rates of infectious diseases. The Midwest region of the United States of America has had the highest increase in giardiasis rates in recent years, and Missouri was chosen for this study as a representative state in the Midwest. There is no definitive answer as to why the rates of giardiasis have changed from 2003 - 2013. The Theory of Climate Change was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The purpose of this research was to determine whether temperature, …

Consequences Of Community Water Fluoridation Cessation For Medicaid Eligible Children And Adolescents, Jennifer Meyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Oral health impacts general health and well-being throughout the lifespan. Recent trends in the United States towards cessation of community water fluoridation (CWF) may increase disparities in oral health. The purpose of this quantitative retrospective cohort study was to analyze Medicaid dental claims records for caries related procedures among 0 to18-year-old patients during an optimal CWF year 2003 (n = 854) and compare them to claims records from 2012 (n = 1,053), 5 years after CWF was ceased. The theoretical framework of this study was the diffusion of innovations theory. Statistically significant results included higher mean number of caries related …

Resources And Well-Being In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients And Caregivers: A Longitudinal, Dyadic Analysis, Suzanne C. Segerstrom

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Socioemotional selectivity theory predicts that as the end of life approaches, resources that provide immediate, hedonic reward become more important and resources that provide delayed rewards become less important. The present study tested the theory in the context of marital dyads in which one partner had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal disease. ALS patients (N = 102) and their spouses (N = 100) reported their loneliness, financial worry, and psychological health every 3 months for up to 18 months. In multilevel dyadic models, patients and spouses had similar levels of financial worry and loneliness, but spouses’ …

Diagnostic Prevalence Of Diabetes Among Older Adults In Rural Appalachia, Gabriella Hodges

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background

The rural, mountainous Appalachian region continuously has poorer health outcomes than the rest of the United States. This is true for many chronic diseases including diabetes: the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. This study assessed differences in the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes between older adults in rural, Appalachian counties and rural, non- Appalachian counties.

Methods

Data for the year 2013 was extracted from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Public Use Files for Medicare beneficiaries (September 2015), which provides county level prevalence for diabetes as well as several other conditions among Medicare fee-for-service …

Co-Constructing Food Access Issues: Older Adults In A Rural Food Environment In West Virginia Develop A Photonarrative, Lauri Andress, Sunah Hallie

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This photovoice study examined the hypothesis that photos and narratives produced by older adults would facilitate the co-construction of a shared narrative about the food access issues in a rural county in West Virginia. For older adults, living in rural areas, several factors decrease access to healthy, nutritious food relative to the general population of older adults. Methods: Qualitative data from interviews, written narratives, dialogues, and photos from older adults living in a rural county of West Virginia. Was collected. Using directed content analysis, transcripts of written data were broken down into meaningful quote segments. All written data and …

Forgetting Health Disparities: A One Size Fits All Narrative, Lauri Andress

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This qualitative synthesis explores a public health narrative and events in the US that may have contributed to the prominence of a one-size-fits all communications frame and public health tool that excludes the significance of social status. An analysis of past events is used to carry out a textual analysis of two communications framing studies. One central narrative is found to be more effective than other potential themes on equality, social conditions, and health inequities. The potential impacts of this narrative on disadvantaged, older communities are explored. Consequently, the current claim that the built-environment narrative is “good for everyone” is …

Respiratory Function And Associated Risk Factors In The Kentucky Women’S Health Registry, Negash Amsalu

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

From the University of Kentucky Women’s Health Registry Database (KWHRD) a total of 1838 women were voluntarily asked to undergo Spirometric respiratory function tests. These women came to the clinic for various reasons. Various independent variables (risk factors) were also recorded for these women. Among these risk factors were: age, BMI, smoking status, asthmatic status, educational status and ethnicity.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether any of the risk factors had significant impacts on women’s respiratory health. Appropriate categorizations were tabulated for each risk factor so that comparisons would be possible and easier. The motivation of the …