Public Health Commons^™

Assessment Of The Perceived Access To Health Care By Migrant And Seasonal Farm Workers In Southern New Jersey, Karen Custodio, Xitlalichomiha O'Dell, Lori Talbot

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Migrant and seasonal farm workers (MSFW) are one of the most economically disadvantaged populations in the United States. MSFW confront numerous health challenges as a result of occupational hazards, poor living conditions, and inadequate nutrition, in addition to common health concerns like diabetes and hypertension. The objective of this study was to identify major barriers to health care for individuals working in the agriculture industry in southern New Jersey. Though there are numerous factors which impact health for migrant farmers, we hypothesized that language, financial burden, and fear from immigration status will be the most significant. Research was conducted using …

Effects Of Social Media On Patient Perceptions And Compliance, Annmarie Butare, Adarsh Gupta

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

It is the physician’s responsibility to ensure that their patients are collecting credible and accurate information. Considering the significant proportion of patients using social media to assist with medical decision making, physicians should incorporate this into their patient education in order to ensure patient understanding of the information gathered both outside and inside the medical office, thereby improving compliance and outcomes.

The goals of this study were to examine the influence of social media on patient perceptions of healthcare and use this infomration to improve physician understanding of patient health information-seeking behaviors to improve patient compliance. The three-part survey included …

Retrospective Analysis On The Susceptibility Of Opiate Addiction Based On Prescribed Medications And Chronic Pain Diagnoses, Momna Ayub, Richard Jermyn

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Introduction: Opioid medications have been increasingly prescribed in recent years, particularly to treat individuals with chronic pain. In the U.S., opioid abuse has been declared an epidemic by the Department of Health and Human Services as the number of opioid-related overdoses in 2010 exceeded 16000 and alarmingly continued to rise 15% from 2015 to 2016. Due to opioid dependence and abuse, opioids are a gateway to subsequent drug addiction.

Objective: The goal of this project was to identify a link between certain prescribed opiates and a susceptibility for abuse or misuse in patients with chronic pain through a retrospective analysis. …

The Relationship Of Risk Of Falls And Activities Of Daily Living To 30-Day Hospital Readmission Among Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Sanath Shetty, Shmilah Choudhary, Meet Shah, Terrie Ginsberg, Matthew H. Mclaughlin

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Introduction: Reducing thirty-day hospital readmissions is a top healthcare priority. However, there is little research describing the risk factors of readmission among patients with diabetes, especially for older adults. Understanding what the risk factors are for 30-day hospital readmission for older adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) would help identify patients at risk of rehospitalization.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with 30-day unplanned hospital readmissions among older adults with T2DM. Factors to be investigated are: patient demographics, whether patients were at risk for falling, and patients’ activities of daily living (ADL) at discharge.

Methods: …

Pre-Operative Clinical Variation By Health Insurance Carrier In 12,285 Male Surgical Patients With Moderate Morbid Obesity, Matthew E. Moore, Gus J. Slotman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

In the ongoing obesity epidemic, every surgeon now treats patients with weight-related medical problems. In managing these medically fragile surgical patients, every clinical insight helps. While variation according to health insurance has been reported in mixed sex bariatric surgery populations, whether or not clinical characteristics in the subset of moderately obese male surgical patients vary by insurance carrier is unknown. The objective of this study was to identify clinical variation by insurance type in moderately obese men.

Results showed that pre-operative clinical characteristics of moderately obese male surgical patients vary by the health insurance coverage type to which they subscribe. …

Validity And Reliability Of The Exercise Vital Sign Questionnaire In An Ethnically Diverse Group: A Pilot Study, Noberto N. Quiles, Aston K. Mccullough, Lin Piao

Publications and Research

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Exercise Vital Sign (EVS) questionnaire in an ethnically diverse sample. Participants (N = 39) were asked to wear an accelerometer at the hip for at least 7 days and to complete the EVS at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of the wear period. The EVS questionnaire validity was determined against accelerometry, and bias was calculated as the mean difference between measures. The sensitivity and specificity of the EVS questionnaire were also evaluated. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between …

The Modeling Assessment Of World Vision’S Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene Program In Southern Africa Countries, Malawi, Mozambique, And Zambia: Analyses Using Lives Saved Tool, Chulwoo Park, Armen Martirosyan, Seble Frehywot, Erin Jones, Ashley Labat, Yvonne Tam, Emmanuel Opong

Faculty Publications

Background: Since 2010, the humanitarian aid organization World Vision has implemented a community-based water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) program in 76 area development programs (ADPs) for a total target population of 2,831,535 in three Southern Africa countries: Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia.

Methods: This study was conducted using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) to analyze the isolated impact of World Vision WASH interventions on child morbidity and mortality during the four-year implementation period from 2010 to 2014. The combined effects of WASH interventions – improved water source, home water connection, improved sanitation, handwashing with soap, hygienic disposal of children’s stools – …

Selling Childhood: How The Middle Class Used Children In The Anti-Tuberculosis Movement (1930s-1940s), Hannah Fisher

Senior Theses

During the anti-tuberculosis movement of the 1930s and 1940s, children were chosen as focal points, with their roles shaped by society’s changing view of childhood, the emergence of the middle class, and the socioeconomic and political climate. Children were used by middle-class reformers as conduits through which to disseminate information and enact controls on the working class. Health education in schools had two main goals: (1) for educated children to become educated adults, and (2) for educated children to transform the behaviors of adults around them. Although researchers have studied middle-class interventions into children’s health, few have analyzed the role …

It's Not Easy - Impacts Of Suicide Prevention Research On Study Staff, Jason I. Chen, Ginnifer L. Mastarone, Lauren M. Denneson

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Suicide prevention researchers who work with individuals at high risk of suicide or are exposed to details of suicide attempts and deaths may experience negative impacts on their own well-being. This is not unlike the experiences of mental health providers, where repeated exposure to clients' difficult experiences gas long been identified as an occupational risk (Molnar et al., 2017). however, there have been few studies evaluating how exposure to details of suicide-related behavior impacts researcher well-being. This gap in the literature is worrisome, as researcher' mental health and well-being might be negatively impacted by repeated exposure to graphic details of …

Geospatial Analysis Of Rickettsial Species, Amy Frank

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rickettsia species are obligate intracellular, arthropod-borne bacteria with a potential to cause multiple diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). Fleas, mites, and ticks serve as vectors for Rickettsia, but ticks are the primary vector of interest. RMSF and other rickettsial diseases have continued to gain importance in both human and veterinary medicine as RMSF is the most common tick-borne disease within the United States according to the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Research Center. A statewide citizen science project was utilized to determine the prevalence of Spotted Fever Group (SFG) Rickettsia in Arkansas. This project yielded results in 64 …

The Perception Of Iron-Deficient Anemia In Bolgatanga, Ghana Among Women Of Childbearing Age, Sydney Albrecht

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Objective: To understand the perception of anemia among the women of childbearing age in Bolgatanga, Ghana, and to correlate the reasoning with the high incidence of anemia in the area.

Method: This research was a qualitative study consisting of 67 interviews over the course of the three weeks that were spent in Bolgatanga. 50 of these interviews were women of childbearing age (15-49), 6 were health professionals, and 11 were women older than the age range provided. Interviews were taken from the maternity clinics nearby as well as from women in a rural area that was a 10-minute taxi ride …

Increasing Low-Income Residents’ Access To Fresh Produce Through A Local Mobile Pantry, Laura Wasson

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Seeds that Feed (STF) is a mobile food pantry located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. STF receives produce from local farmers to distribute to residents in low-income housing sites throughout Northwest Arkansas. According to Feeding America, food insecurity affected 14.3% Washington County, Arkansas’ population in 2016. The purpose of this study was to determine if STF’s model is an effective way to increase individuals’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables and increase their potential to meet the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Patterns (USDA-FP) for to fruit and vegetable consumption. Twenty-three participants from three sites completed the study. A survey was …

Innovation And Equity In Public Health Research : Testing Arts-Based Methods For Trauma-Informed, Culturally-Responsive Inquiry., Tasha Golden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the field of Public Health has shifted from a biomedical paradigm to a social ecological approach, focusing on health equity and social determinants of health, it has increasingly acknowledged the roles of culture and trauma in health outcomes. The field has responded by modifying some research practices, but continues to prioritize conventional methodologies—with few options designed to foreground trauma- and cultural-responsiveness. Unfortunately, to the extent that conventional approaches require health to be defined, communicated, or valued according to dominant norms, they risk perpetuating inequities. Health equity therefore requires the development of research methodologies that increase inclusivity and access, elicit …

Correlation Between Myostatin And Lean Muscle Mass In Older Adults, Mishann Luedders

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Correlation Between Myostatin and Lean Muscle Mass in Older Adults.

Luedders, M., Gray, M., Patton, S., Washington, T., Binns, A. Exercise Science Research Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.

Background: Our older adult population is growing exponentially and with it, the number of falls and debilitating injuries that afflict their population grows as well. A fall brings with it many possible injuries, healthcare costs, fear and increased mortality. There seems to be a lack of preventative measures in our healthcare system to help protect our elders. One possible measure is a simple blood test that looks at the level of …

Pro-Anorexia Website Harm, Jane C. Silva Ramirez

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This paper explores the nature of websites that glorify eating disorders, or EDs. These websites are often referred to as “pro-ED” (pro-eating disorder), “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia), or “pro-mia” (pro-bulimia). For the purpose of this paper, only pro-ED, pro-ana, and pro-recovery website research were the focus. Scholarly articles found in California State University San Bernardino’s database were used to distinguish the different ways that these websites help and cause harm to individuals. Articles about pro-ED and pro-ana websites helped prove harmful to individuals, claiming the disorder as a “lifestyle”. It also showed the support these communities feel when interacting through blogs, comments, …

First Responders, Melissa Browning

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

Does Ownership Make A Difference In Primary Care Practice?, Stephan Lindner, Leif I. Solberg, William L. Miller, Bijal A. Balasubramanian, Miguel Marino, K. John Mcconnell, Samuel T. Edwards, Kurt C. Stange, Rachel J. Springer, Deborah J. Cohen

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: We assessed differences in structural characteristics, quality improvement processes, and cardiovascular preventive care by ownership type among 989 small to medium primary care practices.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used electronic health record and survey data collected between September 2015 and April 2017 as part of an evaluation of the EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health in Primary Care Initiative by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. We compared physician-owned practices, health system or medical group practices, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) by using 15 survey-based practice characteristic measures, 9 survey-based quality improvement process measures, and 4 …

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Homeless Chronicity, And Age At Onset Of Homelessness, Joseph T. Tucciarone Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood adversity is associated with numerous negative outcomes across multiple domains, including mental and physical health, interrelationships, and social functioning. Notably, research suggests that childhood adversity has a dose-response relationship with these outcomes; that is, greater numbers of adverse experiences in childhood are associated with worse outcomes. These outcomes overlap with many risk factors of homelessness. This study sought to address two questions: 1) Does a dose-response relationship exist between childhood adversity and chronic homelessness? 2) Does childhood adversity negatively predict the age at which homelessness first occurs? Adults experiencing homeless who are accessing homeless services in the Tri-Cities area …

Mortality And Cardiovascular And Respiratory Morbidity In Individuals With Impaired Fev 1 (Pure): An International, Community-Based Cohort Study, Mylinh Duong, Shofiqul Islam, Sumathy Rangarajan, Darryl Leong, Om Kurmi, Koon Teo, Kieran Killian, Gilles Dagenais, Scott Lear, Romaina Iqbal

Community Health Sciences

Background: The associations between the extent of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) impairment and mortality, incident cardiovascular disease, and respiratory hospitalisations are unclear, and how these associations might vary across populations is unknown.
Methods: In this international, community-based cohort study, we prospectively enrolled adults aged 35-70 years who had no intention of moving residences for 4 years from rural and urban communities across 17 countries. A portable spirometer was used to assess FEV₁. FEV₁ values were standardised within countries for height, age, and sex, and expressed as a percentage of the country-specific predicted …

Evaluation Of A Community Health Worker Intervention On Rates Of Measles, Mumps And Rubella Immunization In A Somali Population In Lexington, Nebraska, Melanie Menning

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It remains an important cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.

There have been increasing outbreaks of measles to waning immunization. This study sought to evaluate rates of Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) immunization in a Somali population living in Lexington, Nebraska and to evaluate a community health worker intervention to improve immunization rates. NESIIS data for Lexington Regional Health Center (LRHC) was queried to assess MMR trends for all clinic patients between 15 and 72 months both before and after implementation of the …

Training For Evidence-Based Youth Physical Activity Leader Practices, A. Jake Larose

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Purpose: From a social ecological viewpoint, the way in which individuals interact with their surrounding environment, has a direct effect on their actions. One approach to modify behavior change is to strive to change the environment, thus driving behavior change. Participating in physical activity (PA) is a behavior to be targeted, due to its numerous health benefits. A population to consider targeting for increasing PA is children, as creating PA habits in childhood has been shown to track into adulthood . Change at a population level should begin by focusing efforts on the environments in which children are spending their …

A New Health Care Model For Pakistan, Mohammad Wasay, Ashar Malik

Section of Neurology

No abstract provided.

Great Plains Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Project, Florence G. Duran

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Great Plains American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) experience higher mortality rates than Non-Hispanic Whites from the same region. The National Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey can have limitations of the estimates the health risks behaviors and services from one Tribal community to another. Goals and Objectives: The goal of this project is to address the lack of Tribal specific data among AI/ANs in the Great Plains region (ND, SD, NE, IA) by using Great Plains Tribal BRFSS data that captured information for three tribes in the Great Plains region. Tribal specific data will allow tribes to access, …

The Influence Of Interpersonal Dyadic Differences On Condom Use Among Men Who Have Sex With Men, Andrew M. O'Neil

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and other STIs. Condom use is one of the most effective methods of prevention, but rates of condom use have been steadily declining among MSM. Therefore, determining what factors influence condom use decision-making among MSM is important. Interpersonal factors such as physical attractiveness, race, and age have been explored in relation to condom use. However, there is a dearth of research exploring the influence of discrepancies between casual partners in these social categories and its influence on condom use directly.

Purpose: The purpose of this …

Reducing The Risk: Psychological And Technological Approaches For Improving Handwashing Practices In The Foodservice Industry, Jeffrey Allan Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As Americans are spending greater portions of their dollar on food consumed outside the home, the foodservice industry plays more of an integral part of daily existence compared to previous generations. Given the numerous annual foodborne illness outbreaks that threaten human lives while undermining confidence in the food supply, food safety is a pertinent issue for industry stakeholders, government regulators, and consumers. Food worker handwashing reduces the risk of foodborne illness transmission, yet compliance with this simple behavior is a complex problem. This dissertation addresses, predominantly, the issue of sub-optimal handwashing practices through applying psychology and technology, including wearable computers …

Identifying Priority And “Bright-Spot” Counties For Diabetes Preventive Care In Appalachia: An Exploratory Analysis, Peter J. Mallow, Michael Topmiller, Jennifer Rankin, Jene Grandmont, David Grolling, Jessica L. Mccann, Mark Carrozza

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence and mortality in Appalachian counties is substantially higher when compared to non-Appalachian counties, although there is significant variation within Appalachia.

Purpose: The objectives of this research were to identify low-performing (priority) and high-performing (bright spot) counties with respect to improving T2DM preventive care.

Methods: Using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, and the Appalachia Regional Commission, conditional maps were created using county-level estimates for T2DM prevalence, mortality, and annual hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing rates. Priority counties were identified using the following criteria: top 33rd …

Regional Variation In Comorbid Prediabetes And Diabetes And Associated Factors Among Hypertensive Individuals In Rural Bangladesh, Pakistan, And Sri Lanka, Liang Feng, Aliya Naheed, H. Asita De Silva, Imtiaz Jehan, Rubhana Raqib, Md Tauhidul Islam, Nathasha Luke, Anuradhani Kasturiratne, Hamida Farazdaq, Sahar Senan, Tazeen Jafar, Cobra-Bps Study Group

Community Health Sciences

We aimed to explore the cross-country variation in the prevalence of comorbid prediabetes or diabetes and determine the sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors, especially body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, associated with comorbid diabetes in individuals with hypertension in rural South Asia. We analyzed cross-sectional data of 2426 hypertensive individuals of ≥40 years from 30 randomly selected rural communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Prediabetes was defined as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) between 100 and 125 mg/dL without use of antidiabetic treatment and diabetes as FPG ≥126 mg/dL or use of antidiabetic medication. The prevalence (95% CI) of …

Prevalence Of And Risk Factors For Hepatitis C Virus Antibody Among People Who Inject Drugs In Cambodia: A National Biological And Behavioral Survey., Siyan Yi, Phalkun Mun, Pheak Chhoun, Navy Chann, Sovannary Tuot, Gitau Mburu

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant global health concern. Despite evidence of the relationship between injecting drug use and HCV, studies on HCV among people who inject drugs in developing countries remain scarce. To address this need, we conducted this study to explore the prevalence of and factors associated with HCV antibody positivity among people who inject drugs in Cambodia.

METHODS: Data used for this study were collected as part of the National Integrated Biological and Behavioral Survey among people who use and inject drugs conducted in 2017. We used the respondent-driven sampling method to recruit participants in …

Variation And Change Over Time In Promis-29 Survey Results Among Primary Care Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Juell Homco, Kristin Rodriguez, David R. Bardach, Elizabeth A. Hahn, Suzanne Morton, Daren Anderson, David Kendrick, Sarah Hudson Scholle

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: We sought to describe results of patient-reported outcome measures implemented among primary care patients with diabetes and explore factors associated with changes in scores over time.

Methods: Two organizations serving diverse patient populations collected the PROMIS-29 survey at baseline and 3-month follow-up for patients with type 2 diabetes. Bayesian regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between patient characteristics and changes in PROMIS-29 scores. Exploratory analyses assessed relationships between goal-setting and changes in scores.

Results: The study population reported substantially more problems with physical functioning (mean: 42.5 at Site 1 and 38.9 at Site 2) and pain interference …

Utilization Of Acupuncture Services In The Emergency Department Setting: A Quality Improvement Study, John R. Burns, Jessica J. F. Kram, Vashir Xiong, Jeanne M. Stark Casadont, Tiffany A. Mullen, Nancy Conway, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Patients often present to the emergency department (ED) for pain. As opioid fatalities rise, alternative treatments are warranted for pain management. Acupuncture, a nonpharmacological treatment involving the insertion of needles into skin or tissue at specific points within the body, may help to decrease acute pain. Our study aimed to assess the utilization and impact of acupuncture in the ED for acute pain management.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of purposefully collected quality improvement data. Patients who were ≥18 years old and who presented to the ED at an urban medical center in Wisconsin during 2017 were offered …