Public Health Commons^™

Persistence With Mammography Screening And Stage At Breast Cancer Diagnosis Among Elderly Appalachia-West Virginia Women, Ami Vyas, Suresh Madhavan, Usha Sambamoorthi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between persistence with mammography screening and stage at breast cancer diagnosis in elderly Appalachia-West Virginia women diagnosed with first incident breast cancer. The study utilized West Virginia Cancer Registry-Medicare linked database to identify women age 70 and above diagnosed with first incident breast cancer in 2007. Persistence to mammography screening was defined as having had at least three mammography screenings before breast cancer diagnosis. A multiple logistic regression was conducted to assess the association between persistence with mammography screening and stage at breast cancer diagnosis in these women. Of the …

The Influence Of Insurance Type On Stage At Presentation, Treatment, And Survival Between Asian American And Non-Hispanic White Lung Cancer Patients, A. Tantraworasin, E. Taioli, B. Liu, R. M. Flores, A. J. Kaufman

Journal Articles

© 2018 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The effect of insurance type on lung cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survival in Asian patients living in the United States is still under debate. We have analyzed this issue using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. There were 102,733 lung cancer patients age 18–64 years diagnosed between 2007 and 2013. Multilevel regression analysis was performed to identify the association between insurance types, stage at diagnosis, treatment modalities, and overall mortality in Asian and non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients. Clinical characteristics were significantly different between Asian and NHW …

Liver Cancer Disparities In New York City: A Neighborhood View Of Risk And Harm Reduction Factors, G. R. Kamath, E. Taioli, N. N. Egorova, J. M. Llovet, P. V. Perumalswami, J. J. Weiss, M. Schwartz, S. Ewala, N. A. Bickell

Journal Articles

© 2018 Kamath, Taioli, Egorova, Llovet, Perumalswami, Weiss, Schwartz, Ewala and Bickell. Introduction: Liver cancer is the fastest increasing cancer in the United States and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in New York City (NYC), with wide disparities among neighborhoods. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to describe liver cancer incidence by neighborhood and examine its association with risk factors. This information can inform preventive and treatment interventions. Materials and methods: Publicly available data were collected on adult NYC residents (n = 6,407,022). Age-adjusted data on liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer came from the …

Prevalence, Comorbidity, And Correlates Of Psychiatric And Substance Use Disorders And Associations With Hiv Risk Behaviors In A Multisite Cohort Of Women Living With Hiv, J. A. Cook, J. K. Burke-Miller, P. J. Steigman, R. M. Schwartz, N. A. Hessol, J. Milam, D. J. Merenstein, K. Anastos, E. T. Golub, M. H. Cohen

Journal Articles

© 2018, The Author(s). We used the World Health Organization’s Composite International Diagnostic Interview to determine the prevalence, comorbidity, and correlates of lifetime and 12-month behavioral health disorders in a multisite cohort of 1027 women living with HIV in the United States. Most (82.6%) had one or more lifetime disorders including 34.2% with mood disorders, 61.6% with anxiety disorders, and 58.3% with substance use disorders. Over half (53.9%) had at least one 12-month disorder, including 22.1% with mood disorders, 45.4% with anxiety disorders, and 11.1% with substance use disorders. Behavioral health disorder onset preceded HIV diagnosis by an average of …

Controversies On Lung Cancers Manifesting As Part-Solid Nodules., R. Yip, K. Li, L. Liu, D. Xu, K. Tam, D. F. Yankelevitz, E. Taioli, B. Becker, C. I. Henschke

Journal Articles

PURPOSE: Summarise survival of patients with resected lung cancers manifesting as part-solid nodules (PSNs).

METHODS: PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for all studies/clinical trials on CT-detected lung cancer in English before 21 December 2015 to identify surgically resected lung cancers manifesting as PSNs. Outcome measures were lung cancer-specific survival (LCS), overall survival (OS), or disease-free survival (DFS). All PSNs were classified by the percentage of solid component to the entire nodule diameter into category PSNs

RESULTS: Twenty studies reported on PSNs

CONCLUSION: A clear definition of the upper limit of solid component of a PSN is needed to avoid …

Community Health Worker Interventions To Promote Psychosocial Outcomes Among People Living With Hiv—A Systematic Review, H Han, K Kim, Jeanne Murphy, J Cudjoe, P Wilson, P Sharps, J Farley

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background

Community health worker (CHW) interventions are a successful strategy to promote health among HIV-negative and persons living with HIV (PLWH). Psychosocial factors are critical dimensions of HIV/AIDS care contributing to prognosis of the disease, yet it is unclear how CHW interventions improve psychosocial outcomes in PLWH. The purpose of this study was to critically appraise the types, scope, and nature of CHW interventions designed to address psychosocial outcomes in PLWH.

Methods

We performed database searches—PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane—to identify randomized controlled trials published in English before April 2017. Fourteen articles met the eligibility criteria.

Results

Half of the …

Hungary: Cardiovascular Disease, Taylor Steger

Global Public Health

Hungary faces many public health issues. In particular, cardiovascular disease has impacted the majority of the Hungarian people with a mortality rate of 50-60%. The high consumption of fattening food, excessive alcohol drinking, smoking habits and tobacco use impact the entire population’s health status. This disease impacts blood vessels and causes them to narrow or be blocked. This blockage causes blood flow from the heart to be suppressed which can cause heart attacks, strokes etc. Hungary has the highest amount of people with cardiovascular disease out of all European countries. The most impacted people are in the urban areas. This …

Somalia: Rift Valley Fever, Alyson Meeks

Global Public Health

This walks readers through the basic demographics of Somalia, a country located in the horn of Africa. After learning about the government in Somalia and the problems that the people of the country face, this focuses on the problem of Rift Valley Fever. Rift Valley Fever is a virus that year after year strikes Somalia and surrounding countries. Weather patterns seem to help predict when Rift Valley Fever will be at the highest risk for an outbreak. This outlines the steps the current government and people are trying to take to help prevent outbreaks of RVF. But the solutions currently …

Uganda: Malaria, Sui Hnem

Global Public Health

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by mosquito bite. It is a major health problem in Uganda and is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Pregnant women and children are the most infected groups in the country. The Ugandan government did their best to keep children and women healthy by providing clinics near the villages and advocating home treatment for malaria. Although, the government is very supportive in preventing and promoting the malaria, people did not seek healthcare as much as they should. The reason for not seeking healthcare was because they feel healthy, or the clinic had long …

Tonga: Chronic Diseases, Muhammad Taimoor

Global Public Health

Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean, south of Samoa. The public health brief project is on chronic diseases in Tonga. The total population of Tonga was 107,122 in 2010. The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga is the established religion in Tonga. Tongan’s make up the majority of the population but there are other ethnicities such as Euromericans and Europeans too. The major challenges faced by Tonga are decaying infrastructure, low economy, and political corruption. The widespread of non-communicable diseases such as cancer is a major health issue in Tonga. 74% of all adults in Tonga are the …

Seychelles: Diabetes, Camille Myers

Global Public Health

One of the major health problems in Seychelles, a cluster of islands off the coast of Eastern Africa, is diabetes. There are many different types of diabetes, but the most common type to this region is Type 2 diabetes. At this time Seychelles, and many other countries in Africa, have about half of the adult population diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Along with the diagnosis of diabetes being a problem, people in Seychelles often go undiagnosed for a while because they are ignorant to the risks and the symptoms of the disease. Only about 50% of the population with pre-diabetic …

South Africa: Hiv/Aids, Ninna Therese P. Mendoza

Global Public Health

South Africa is found in the southernmost part of the African continent. Over half of its 54.8 million people live in urban areas such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, which are the largest urban centers in the country. Some major challenges this country currently faces include the growing drug trade, border disputes, and racial tensions attributed to their history with the apartheid. When it comes to public health, one of their biggest challenges is the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is currently the largest in the world. Although no cure exists yet, antiretroviral treatments (ARTs) have been highly successful for reducing transmission. …

Micronesia: Tuberculosis, Mulualem Hailom

Global Public Health

This brief contains the general information of the Federal state of Micronesia, major problems of the country, and in particular Tuberculosis disease and Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis. Under the general information of Micronesia, the location, the political structure, the demographic information, and the internal and also external challenges are listed. This brief also has detailed information about the two simultaneous outbreaks of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis of Micronesia. Tuberculosis is one of death contributing factor in Micronesia. Tuberculosis can be cured if the therapy is properly taken but if the therapy isn’t taken properly, the TB disease can grow into Multidrug –Resistance tuberculosis, which …

Tanzania: Hiv/Aids, Francis Faasen

Global Public Health

Tanzania has a lot of issues going on in the community, but HIV/AIDS is the number one issue they are facing. Over 5% of their population has the HIV/Aids virus. There are many interventions that have been tried in Tanzania. In the last year there have been over 50,000 new cases of HIV/Aids in Tanzania. The goal is to main those numbers go down dramatically in the coming years. The two most common interventions are trying to educate this subject at a young age and provide condoms to the population. They tried giving condoms out to the people of Tanzania …

Perfluoroalkyl Substances And Kidney Function In Chronic Kidney Disease, Anemia, And Diabetes, Baqiyyah N. Conway, Ashley N. Badders, Tina Costacou, John M. Arthur, Kim E. Innes

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Anemia often complicates chronic kidney disease (CKD), leading to insufficient tissue oxygenation and hypoxic injury, the factor thought to underlie progression from CKD to renal failure. Perfluorocarbons are potent oxygen transporters used in organ preservation and synthetic blood development. Data are scarce on their relationship with kidney function, especially in diabetes where anemia and hypoxia are more prevalent. We investigated the relationship of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAS) with kidney function and variation by diabetes and anemia status.

Methods: Data on 53,650 adults (5,210 with diabetes) were obtained from the C8 Health Project. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration …

Planned Social Network Change And Modern Contraceptive Use In A Rural Ethiopian Community, Mark Edberg, Erica Sedlander, Rajiv Rimal, Jeffrey Bingenheimer, Hina Shaikh, Wolfgang Munar, Lakew Gebretsadik Abebe, Fira Abamecha, Abraham Tamirat Gizaw, Sudhakar Morankar

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Libby Amphibole Disease: Pulmonary Function And Ct Abnormalities In Vermiculite Miners, A. Miller, J. Szeinuk, C. W. Noonan, C. I. Henschke, J. Pfau, B. Black, D. F. Yankelevitz, M. Liang, Y. Liu, R. Flores, +3 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

© Copyright 2017 American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Objective: This article describes radiologic and pulmonary function findings among miners exposed to Libby amphibole. Computed tomography (CT) permits the detection of the characteristic thin, lamellar pleural thickening (LPT). Methods: Individuals who worked at the mine for a minimum of 6 months had chest CT and pulmonary function tests. Results: Pleural thickening was noted in 223 (87%) of the 256 miners, parenchymal abnormalities in 49 (19%). LPT, found in 151 (68%), was associated with low values of forced vital capacity and diffusion capacity and significantly lower values in all pulmonary …

Thoracic Surgeon And Patient Focus Groups On Decision-Making In Early-Stage Lung Cancer Surgery, R. M. Schwartz, K. Gorbenko, S. M. Kerath, R. Flores, S. Ross, T. N. Taylor, E. Taioli, C. Henschke

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Lack Of Access To Medical Care During Hurricane Sandy And Mental Health Symptoms, J. Ruskin, R. Rasul, S. Schneider, K. Bevilacqua, E. Taioli, R. M. Schwartz

Journal Articles

© 2018 The Authors Destruction caused by natural disasters compromises medical providers’ and hospitals’ abilities to administer care. Hurricane Sandy was particularly devastating, resulting in massive disruptions of medical care in the region. This study aimed to determine whether a lack of access to medical care during Hurricane Sandy was associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and other mental health/substance abuse outcomes. A secondary aim was to examine whether having a chronic illness moderates those associations. Self-reported medical access and mental health symptomatology were obtained from New York City and Long Island residents (n = 1669) following Hurricane Sandy …

Preliminary Assessment Of Hurricane Harvey Exposures And Mental Health Impact, R. M. Schwartz, S. Tuminello, S. M. Kerath, J. Rios, W. Lieberman-Cribbin, E. Taioli

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

The Inception Of A Prediabetes Prevention Program In County Government, Gregory R. Grier

Education Dissertations and Projects

With the increasing prevalence and high cost of treatment, diabetes places an enormous demand on economic resources. To combat this issue and rising health care costs,Cleveland County Government took a proactive approach and partnered with its local YMCA. The YMCA was contracted to provide Prediabetes Prevention and Diabetes Control program classes to County employees. The programs were designed to (a) decrease the A1c level of program participants, (b) lower health care costs for the County, and (c) provide education about prevention and maintenance.

The ultimate goal of the program was to assist county administration and staff in their efforts to …

The Development Of A Biobank Of Cancer Tissue Samples From World Trade Center Responders, W. Lieberman-Cribbin, S. Tuminello, C. Gillezeau, M. Van Gerwen, R. Brody, M. Donovan, E. Taioli

Journal Articles

© 2018 The Author(s). Background: World Trade Center (WTC) responders were exposed to mixture of dust, smoke, chemicals and carcinogens. Studies of cancer incidence in this population have reported elevated risks of cancer compared to the general population. There is a need to supplement current epidemiologic cancer follow-up with a cancer tissue bank in order to better elucidate a possible connection between each cancer and past WTC exposure. This work describes the implementation of a tissue bank system for the WTC newly diagnosed cancers, focused on advancing the understanding of the biology of these tumors. This will ultimately impact the …

Advancing Global Health Outcomes Through International Collaboration & Education, Olivia Catolico, Leandra Wallace, Jane Anyango, Kati Bell

Nursing | Faculty Conference Presentations

Study abroad opportunities for students are readily integrated into higher education. Curricular challenges exist for professional programs regulated by state & national accrediting bodies. However, mission driven values at the broader institutional level facilitate implementation of these learning opportunities.

Institutional learning outcomes at Dominican University foster intercultural understanding. Global education outcomes of Dominican University further delineate levels of intercultural competencies to be achieved through coursework and service. The Dominican Department of Nursing seeks to prepare nurses who are competent, culturally sensitive, & ethically grounded within a global community.

The Bwindi School of Nursing mission seeks to improve the health of …

Risk Behaviors And Hiv Care Continuum Outcomes Among Criminal Justice-Involved Hiv-Infected Transgender Women And Cisgender Men: Data From The Seek, Test, Treat, And Retain Harmonization Initiative., Curt G Beckwith, Irene Kuo, Rob J Fredericksen, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, William E Cunningham, Sandra A Springer, Kelsey B Loeliger, Julie Franks, Katerina Christopoulos, Jennifer Lorvick, Shoshana Y Kahana, Rebekah Young, David W Seal, Chad Zawitz, Joseph A Delaney, Heidi M Crane, Mary L Biggs

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Transgender persons are highly victimized, marginalized, disproportionately experience incarceration, and have alarmingly increased rates of HIV infection compared to cis-gender persons. Few studies have examined the HIV care continuum outcomes among transgender women (TW), particularly TW who are involved with the criminal justice (CJ) system.

METHODS: To improve our understanding of HIV care continuum outcomes and risk behaviors among HIV-infected TW who are involved with the CJ system, we analyzed data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse-supported Seek, Test, Treat, Retain (STTR) Data Harmonization Initiative. Baseline data were pooled and analyzed from three U.S. STTR studies to examine …

Lessons Learned In The Implementation Of Healthesteps: An Evidence-Based Healthy Lifestyle Program, P. Karen Simmavong, Loretta M. Hillier, Robert Petrella

Lifestyle Research Team

HealtheSteps is a pragmatic, evidence-based lifestyle prescription program aimed at reducing the rates of chronic disease, in particular, type 2 diabetes. A pro- cess evaluation was completed to assess the feasibility of the implementation of HealtheSteps in primary care and community-based settings across Canada. Key informant interviews (program providers and participants) were conducted to identify facilitators and barriers to implementation and opportunities for future program adaptation and improvement. Forty-three interviews were conducted across five regions in Canada (15 sites ranging from remote, rural, suburban, and urban). Transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative naturalistic inquiry approach with several facilitating factors identified: …

Microcephaly, Christianne E. Albers

Global Issues in Public Health

Microcephaly is a noncommunicable condition causing the head of an infant to be smaller than what is typical. Microcephaly can cause delays in developmental milestones and/or can cause other conditions such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, hearing loss and vision problems. Microcephaly is found more frequently in certain populations of the world than others, specifically those with an increased number of cases with Zika virus. Women need to take preventative measures to ensure their unborn child is safe from the Zika virus. The Zika virus is not the only way microcephaly can occur. Many other causes like exposure to …

2017 Community Benefit Summary, Children's Mercy Hospital

Community Benefits

Infographic of the community benefit provided by Children's Mercy Kansas City

Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Nine Minutes To Avoid Nine Months, Natalie Custodio, Ronaldo Gomez, Katherine Mejicanos-Portillo, Jalen Templeman

DC Health and Academic Prep Program (DC HAPP)

The United States is one of the most developed nations with one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy. Although there has been a reduction in teen pregnancy nationally, areas in DC such as Wards 5, 7 and 8 still have teen birth rates above the national rate. The objective for our project is to provide a targeted-intervention to decrease teen pregnancy rates by increasing awareness of safe sex practices, contraceptive methods and STIs/HIV. Our program will provide a 9-minute session on sexual health at chosen schools and youth organizations in Wards 5, 7 and 8 to target 11 to …

Project Anacostia, Lapoldeon Williams, Abenezer Lemma, Janae Thomas, Kafoued Ouedraogo

DC Health and Academic Prep Program (DC HAPP)

Objectives Project Anacostia aims to [1] help meet the Healthy People 2020 goal of reducing the disease burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) and improving the quality of life for all persons who have, or are at risk for, DM as outlined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [2] To increase community awareness of the social determinants of health related to obesity and diabetes. [3] Increase access to recreational facilities and healthy food options in Wards 7 &8 and [4] promote healthy lifestyle choices among youth in the Anacostia community.

Methods Our intervention is comprised of three progressive …

Gender-Transformative Bandebereho Couples' Intervention To Promote Male Engagement In Reproductive And Maternal Health And Violence Prevention In Rwanda: Findings From A Randomized Controlled Trial., Kate Doyle, Ruti G Levtov, Gary Barker, Gautam G Bastian, Jeffrey B Bingenheimer, Shamsi Kazimbaya, Anicet Nzabonimpa, Julie Pulerwitz, Felix Sayinzoga, Vandana Sharma, Dominick Shattuck

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Rigorous evidence of the effectiveness of male engagement interventions, particularly on how these interventions impact relationship power dynamics and women's decision-making, remains limited. This study assessed the impact of the Bandebereho gender-transformative couples' intervention on impact on multiple behavioral and health-related outcomes influenced by gender norms and power relations.

METHODS: We conducted a multi-site randomised controlled trial in four Rwandan districts with expectant/current fathers and their partners, who were randomised to the intervention (n = 575 couples) or control group (n = 624 couples). Primary outcomes include women's experience of physical and sexual IPV, women's attendance and men's accompaniment …