Public Health Commons^™

Community Living Integration Club For Women In Recovery From Sex Trafficking, Toni Thompson

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sex trafficking is one form of human trafficking, a heinous human rights violation that transcends international borders. People who have been trafficked often present with complex neurobehavioral, psychological, emotional, physiological, sensory, and developmental difficulties. The United Nations developed the international 3 p protocol to guide governmental agencies, non-governmental groups, and individuals in developing programs and legal actions of trafficking prevention, protection, and prosecution. Protection encompasses the recovery of trafficking survivors and community integration has been identified as an essential foundation for successful recovery. Measurable components of community integration include safe housing, stable employment, and vocation-focused education. This Capstone describes the …

Community Health News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Community Health: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Assesses Child Body Mass Index Perceptions

Who's Hungry In San Diego, Alison M. Schurman, Kathy S. James

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Objective: Food insecurity (FI) is a lack of access to nutritious food. FI has been linked to multiple preventable diseases from behavioral disorders to asthma to obesity and its sequelae. In San Diego County, 14 percent of families are food insecure. The AAP recommends screening for FI at all well appointments using the two-question FI screening tool. The aim of this project was to implement this tool at a multi-clinic, low income population community health center where ninety-five percent of patients meet qualification for SNAP benefits.

Methods: Stakeholders chose one week to screen all patients presenting to clinic for FI …

Private Sector Role, Readiness And Performance For Malaria Case Management In Uganda, 2015., Kathryn A. O'Connell, Vamsi Vasireddy, Megan Littrell, Andria Rusk, Actwatch Group, Henry Kaula, Peter Buyungo, Jimmy Opigo

Collected Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Several interventions have been put in place to promote access to quality malaria case management services in Uganda's private sector, where most people seek treatment. This paper describes evidence using a mixed-method approach to examine the role, readiness and performance of private providers at a national level in Uganda. These data will be useful to inform strategies and policies for improving malaria case management in the private sector.

METHODS: The ACTwatch national anti-malarial outlet survey was conducted concurrently with a fever case management study. The ACTwatch nationally representative anti-malarial outlet survey was conducted in Uganda between May 18th 2015 …

Do Anti-Malarials In Africa Meet Quality Standards? The Market Penetration Of Non Quality-Assured Artemisinin Combination Therapy In Eight African Countries., Kathryn A. O'Connell, Vamsi Vasireddy, Megan Littrell, Andria Rusk, Actwatch Group, Paul N Newton, Kara Hanson, Catherine Goodman

Collected Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Quality of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is important for ensuring malaria parasite clearance and protecting the efficacy of artemisinin-based therapies. The extent to which non quality-assured ACT (non-QAACT), or those not granted global regulatory approval, are available and used to treat malaria in endemic countries is poorly documented. This paper uses national and sub-national medicine outlet surveys conducted in eight study countries (Benin, Kinshasa and Kantanga [Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC], Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) between 2009 and 2015 to describe the non-QAACT market and to document trends in availability and distribution of non-QAACT in …

The Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization (Capo) Cloud-Based Research Platform (The Capo-Cloud): Facilitating Data Sharing In Clinical Research, William A. Mattingly, Timothy L. Wiemken, Stephen P. Furmanek, Paula Peyrani, Robert R. Kelley, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Pneumonia is a costly and deadly respiratory disease that afflicts millions every year. Advances in pneumonia care require significant research investment and collaboration among pneumonia investigators. Despite the importance of data sharing for clinical research it remains difficult to share datasets with old and new investigators. We present CAPOCloud, a web-based pneumonia research platform intended to facilitate data sharing and make data more accessible to new investigators.

Methods: We establish the first two use cases for CAPOCloud to be the automatic subsetting and constraining of the CAPO database and the automatic summarization of the database in aggregate. We use …

Pneumonia Research And The Omics Revolution: It Is Time For Pneumomics, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

A New Journal Section: Patient Management, Forest W. Arnold, Rodrigo Cavallazzi

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Obesity On Mortality In Hospitalized Patients With Pneumonia Due To 2009 H1n1 Influenza A Virus Versus Other Etiologies, Martin A. Espinosa-Ginic, Ryan T. Hurt, Stephen P. Furmanek, Paula Peyrani, Julio A. Ramirez, Timothy Lee Wiemken, The Capo Investigators

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Reports from the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus (2009 H1N1) pandemic indicate increased mortality in obese patients hospitalized with pneumonia. However, articles published prior to the pandemic have suggested that obesity may be a protective factor for mortality in these patients. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of obesity on mortality in hospitalized patients with pneumonia due to the 2009 H1N1 versus pneumonia due to other etiologies.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the CAPO international cohort study. Study groups were defined as follows: Group One, pneumonia due to 2009 H1N1: Patients hospitalized with …

Short Duration Of Antibiotic Therapy In Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Results From The Capo International Cohort Study, Alejandro Chirino Navarta, Paula Peyrani, Timothy L. Wiemken, Marcos I. Restrepo, James D. Chalmers, Carlos M. Luna, Francesco Blasi, Julio A. Ramirez, Stefano Aliberti

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Experts suggest a short duration of antibiotic therapy (DOT) in responding patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes after hospital discharge among patients treated with short-course antibiotic therapy (SCT) vs. long-course antibiotic therapy (LCT) for CAP.

Methods: A secondary analysis of the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization (CAPO) database from January 2007 to June 2013 was performed, including hospitalized CAP patients who reached clinical stability within 5 days. Two groups were identified: patients who were treated with antibiotic therapy for a total duration of 5 days or less (SCT Group) vs. …

Impact Of Temperature Relative Humidity And Absolute Humidity On The Incidence Of Hospitalizations For Lower Respiratory Tract Infections Due To Influenza, Rhinovirus, And Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Results From Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization (Capo) International Cohort Study, Timothy L. Wiemken, William A. Mattingly, Stephen P. Furmanek, Brian E. Guinn, Connor L. English, Ruth Carrico, Paula Peyrani, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Abstract

Background: Transmissibility of several etiologies of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) may vary based on outdoor climate factors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of outdoor temperature, relative humidity, and absolute humidity on the incidence of hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract infections due to influenza, rhinovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of an ancillary study of the Community Acquired Pneumonia Organization (CAPO) database. Respiratory viruses were detected using the Luminex xTAG respiratory viral panel. Climate factors were obtained from the National Weather Service. Adjusted Poisson regression models with robust …

Predicting 30-Day Mortality In Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia Using Statistical And Machine Learning Approaches, Timothy L. Wiemken, Stephen P. Furmanek, William A. Mattingly, Brian E. Guinn, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Rafael Fernandez-Botran, Leslie A Wolf, Connor L. English, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Predicting if a hospitalized patient with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) will or will not survive after admission to the hospital is important for research purposes as well as for institution of early patient management interventions. Although population-level mortality prediction scores for these patients have been around for many years, novel patient-level algorithms are needed. The objective of this study was to assess several statistical and machine learning models for their ability to predict 30-day mortality in hospitalized patients with CAP.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the University of Louisville (UofL) Pneumonia Study database. Six different statistical and/or machine …

A 49-Year-Old Woman With Chronic Skin Lesions, Acute Mental Status Changes And New Pulmonary Infiltrate: Case Discussion From The University Of Louisville Hospital, Bhavani Puskur, Youssef Khafateh, Srikant Ramachandruni, Veronica Corcino, Mark Burns, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Clinical Research: Educational Videos - The Process Of Clinical Research: Step-By-Step From Idea To Publication, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Clinical research can be defined as the creation and dissemination of new knowledge with the goal to improve outcomes in patients with a particular health problem. In this short video, Dr. Julio Ramirez, from the University of Louisville, offers an overview of the process of clinical research and describe how an investigator moves from the generation of an idea to the publication of study findings.

Testing Times: Trends In Availability, Price, And Market Share Of Malaria Diagnostics In The Public And Private Healthcare Sector Across Eight Sub-Saharan African Countries From 2009 To 2015., Kathryn A. O'Connell, Vamsi Vasireddy, Megan Littrell, Andria Rusk, Actwatch Group, Kara Hanson, Catherine Goodman

Collected Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization guidelines have recommended that all cases of suspected malaria should receive a confirmatory test with microscopy or a malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT), however evidence from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) illustrates that only one-third of children under five with a recent fever received a test. The aim of this study was to evaluate availability, price and market share of microscopy and RDT from 2009/11 to 2014/15 in 8 SSA countries, to better understand barriers to improving access to malaria confirmatory testing in the public and private health sectors.

RESULTS: Repeated national cross-sectional quantitative surveys were conducted …

Optimizing Hiv Prep Implementation In The Primary Care Setting, Cara P. Nalagan

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Despite compelling evidence behind the efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition and its introduction in 2012, the prescription of PrEP has remained low (Silapaswan, Krakower, & Mayer, 2016). At the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center (API), an urban primary care clinic in San Francisco, suboptimal PrEP implementation was related to a lack of standardized practice and routine HIV risk screening for PrEP provision. A doctorate of nursing (DNP) project was implemented to initiate a standardized HIV risk screening protocol for identifying HIV risk and PrEP eligibility to increase PrEP implementation at API. The …

Testimony Before The Committee Of The Whole Council Of The District Of Columbia. Hearing On: B22-176 "Health Care Revolving Fund Act Of 2017" And B22-207 "East End Health Care Desert, Retail Desert, And Food Desert Elimination Act Of 2017", William H. Dietz

Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness

No abstract provided.

Inpatient & Outpatient Venous Thromboembolism: A Multifactorial Approach To Increase Mechanical And Pharmacological Prophylaxis Compliance, Suzanne E. Scheierling

Master's Projects and Capstones

Venous thromboemboli (VTEs) are a clinical and public health problem as they are commonly linked to inpatient experiences, yet frequently occur in the outpatient setting. VTEs place a significant burden on health care organizations and patients alike, as VTEs are costly, require long-term medications, and frequently reoccur. Research has identified risk factors and determined best practices for VTE prevention and prophylaxis, however little consensus exists among health care organizations and the implementation of best practices is varied. This project studied the challenges and opportunities in VTE prevention and prophylaxis at a large metropolitan hospital in California. Environmental changes were made …

Do Marketing Strategies Impact Condom Sales In Uganda?, Meyhar Mohammed

Master's Theses

What attracts people to buy condoms? HIV/AIDS remain one of the biggest health dangers of the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. A lot of efforts have been pursued in the past two decades to drastically reduce prevalence of HIV and increase awareness about preventive mechanisms. In order to prevent relapse of success achieved so far, it is important to recognize transformation of consumer behavior due to growth in social networks, education and awareness over time. There are a lot of behavioral triggers captured by social marketing interventions in the field of public health. In an attempt to investigate the role …

The Impact Of Housing Insecurity On Community Health Outcomes: Exploring Collective Community Solutions And Housing Models In The Western Addition, Jacqueline V. Brown, Jacqueline Victoria Brown

Master's Projects and Capstones

In a city where housing is scarce and prices continue to rise, the lower income residents of the Western Addition are in panic. Historically, the Western Addition/Fillmore is ground zero for Urban Renewal. This community is still bouncing back from the negative effects of the out migration of Black residents, Japanese internment, and rapid gentrification. For twenty years, this part of the city was known as Harlem of the West due to its world-renowned Jazz and Blues composers, and is informally known as “Tha ‘Mo”. San Francisco has set the tone nationally for public, mixed income, and private housing that …

The Health Consequences Of Adverse Childhood Experiences: Building Resilient Communities, Elizabeth S. Najmabadi

Master's Projects and Capstones

Studies have identified that trauma experienced as a child directly affects your health later in life. In Sonoma County, one in four children have experienced two or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) before the age of 18. Twenty-two percent of Sonoma County adults reported experiencing four or more ACEs before the age of 18. With the high rates of ACEs in our community this fieldwork placement aimed to bring awareness and build community capacity to understand and address ACEs and foster resiliency. To raise awareness in our community we developed the ACES and Resiliency Fellowship Series, which trained 60 fellows …

Wood County Project Connect: Final Report For Event Held October 19, 2016, Melissa W. Burek, Mamta Ojha, Megan Schnell

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Project Homeless Connect (PHC) is designed to provide immediate goods and services to homeless individuals and those nearing homelessness. PHC provides basic needs and critical services in one day at one location. Along with providing valuable and necessary services to help alleviate homelessness, an additional positive outcome for service providers is the opportunity to network with different agency members, and reinforce relationships, collaborations, and partnerships. On October 19, 2016, Wood County, Ohio held its fourth Project Connect (PC) event at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Bowling Green, Ohio. This report presents a compilation of data collected at the event, as …

The Problem Of Suffering: Universal Health Coverage As A Partial Solution, Christen Scaggs

Dialogue & Nexus

Universal Health Coverage is evaluated from a Christian Biblical perspective and found that it meets an appropriate standard of service to the poor. Christians should consider its benefits and drawbacks compared to doing nothing. The issue of diminished access to healthcare, burdensome medical costs, reduced coverage, and discrimination against impoverished individuals with specific regards to healthcare are all conquerable challenges.

Relationships Of Weight-Related Dissatisfaction, Body Image Flexibility, And Coping In Women, Pooja Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The present study examined the relationships between body image flexibility, body image dissatisfaction, body image evaluation, and specific coping factors based on the WEIGHTCOPE measure. Body image flexibility was also examined as a mediator of the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and weight-related coping factors in women. Methods: An online link of the survey (Qualtrics Research Software Program) was distributed through social media and word of mouth to women of all body shapes and sizes (N= 267). The survey included the BICS as a measure of body image dissatisfaction, the MBSR (AE) as a measure of body …

Determining The Knowledge, Attitudes And Beliefs Of Healthcare Providers In Treating Non-Specific Acute And Chronic Back Pain, Stacey L. Kale

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

An Abstract of the Scholarly Project by

Stacey Kale

Managing back pain has become a public health and clinical challenge (Krein et al., 2016). Incidence of back pain related complaints requiring treatment in the US is estimated at 11.2% of the adult population (Dowell, Haegerich, & Chou, 2016). New research suggests that it is the most common pain problem (Pauline, 2016). It is the third most expensive health disorder and is exceeded only by cancer and heart disease. Many health care providers lack formal pain management education and training thus leaving them at risk for failing to properly manage patients …

The Healing Power Of A Whole Foods, Plant-Based Diet: A Nutrition Prescription For Cancer, Meghan Adelman Mrs.

Master's Projects and Capstones

Chronic disease is quickly overtaking infectious diseases as one of the biggest threats to population health worldwide (Egger, 2012). Studies have shown that plant based diets are effective at reducing prevalence but are also a viable complimentary treatment approach to healing. Further investigation is needed into how plant based diets can reduce risk of recurrence, specifically as it relates to a cancer diagnosis. The Ceres Project is an organization that provides a healing foods philosophy to the care of cancer patients through meal delivery programs at low to no cost. The aim of this research study was to implement the …

Evaluating Knowledge Of Developmental Disabilities Among Wic Participants, Carolina Regalado Murillo, Katharine Zuckerman, Alison Chavez, Julie A. Reeder

Student Research Symposium

Background: Children in racial/ethnic minority and low-income families are more likely to experience low rates of early developmental disability (DD) diagnosis. Racial/ethnic and language differences in parent information about DDs could contribute to diagnostic delays, but little is known about differences in parent DD familiarity.

Objectives: To assess DD knowledge and information in a sample of low-income families.

Methods: We conducted a self-administered survey on 539 parents attending their child’s appointment at the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in six Oregon counties. Survey items assessed familiarity with early signs of DDs, self-reported knowledge about DDs, …

Mujeres Fuertes Y Corazones Saludables: Adaptation Of The Strongwomen—Healthy Hearts (Swhh) Program For Rural Latinas Using An Intervention Mapping Approach, Christie L. Jackson, Cynthia K. Perry, Jean Mccalmont, Emma Solanki, Rebecca Seguin, Judy P. Ward, Hannah-Dulya K. Menelas

Student Research Symposium

Objectives: To adapt Strong Women, Healthy Hearts (SWHH), an evidence-based physical activity and nutrition program to reflect the needs of rural Latinas.

Methods: Using a community-based participatory approach and an intervention mapping process, we partnered with a community advisory board of rural Latinas to identify and adapt a nutrition and physical activity program. A needs assessment and a logic model determined which program best aligned with community objectives and most fit for adaptation. SWHH was adapted; using feedback from the community advisory board to reflect the community’s culture, resources, and needs. We collaborated with one of developers of SWHH in …

Patient Activation Among Diverse Populations: A Systematic Review, Megan Kenney

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The purpose of this article was to review the current research regarding patient activation among diverse populations. Patient activation is defined as an individual’s knowledge, skill, and confidence in managing his or her own health and health care. A total of 62 articles were used in this review (54 primary research articles, six retrospective analyses, and two systematic reviews). Articles were obtained using the EBSCO search engine through the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University. Preliminary and secondary searches were conducted using the keywords “patient activation.” Only articles published within the last ten years (2007 to 2017) were included to ensure …

Cost Benefit Analysis Of Idaho’S Fit And Fall Proof Program, Susie Bergeron, Michelle Arnett, Sarah Toevs, Tami Cirerol, Rihana Hartung, Linda Petersen, Trina Stolp, Zijada Sulejmanovic, Maria Tellez, Hailee Tilton, Nicole Tuffield, Kenzie Wilson

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Falls are common among the elderly population. Almost 30% of Idahoans aged 65+ fall at least one time per year (Bergen, Stevens, & Burns, 2016). Falls are a significant source of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expense. Fall-related injuries often result in expensive hospitalizations with progression into costly long-term care facilities (CDC, 2015). In Idaho, estimated fall-related medical costs are estimated at $253 million annually (CDC, 2016; Mirel & Carper, 2014).

Fit and Fall Proof^TM (FFP), is a fall prevention program serving approximately 2500 community dwelling seniors throughout the state of Idaho. It is an exercise program led by peer …