Public Health Commons^™

The Community Mobilization For Preventive Action (Compact) Project In Zambia: A Midline Evaluation, Waimar Tun, Chabu Kangale, Scott Geibel, Meredith Sheehy, Ray Handema, Mwaka Monze

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council and its partner, Project Concern International, implemented the Community Mobilization for Preventive Action (COMPACT) HIV-prevention program in Zambia. The program works with communities to develop “compacts” through a participatory, community-led process, and assists them in working toward reaching HIV-related “benchmarks,” intended to result in a reduction in HIV-related risk behaviors and harmful norms and ultimately contribute over time to the reduction of HIV incidence. This mid-term evaluation in four of six COMPACT communities indicates that COMPACT is improving some HIV-related behaviors and attitudes, particularly those related to gender norms, multiple sex partnerships, and alcohol abuse. The report …

Selected College Students' Perceptions, Knowledge And Awareness Of Sexual Abuse Of Children, Farhiya A. Muse

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research was to assess and evaluate selected college students' perception of and knowledge and awareness about sexual abuse of children. In order to collect data a 29-item survey was developed and administered to students in selected classrooms in Minnesota State University, Mankato campus regarding their perception, knowledge, awareness, and prevention strategies of sexual abuse of children; as well as demographic information. The findings from the quantitative analysis for each research question are presented in this study. The findings of the study indicated there were college students who do have much knowledge and awareness about sexual abuse …

Infographic: The Dental Divide In America, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Alcohol Use Among Students At Minnesota State University - Mankato, Ganisher Davlyatov

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of emotional intelligence, gender, fraternity/sorority membership, and residence on alcohol use among undergraduate students enrolled in spring semester, 2013 at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The relationship between emotional intelligence and alcohol use was studied. Moreover, the effect of gender, fraternity/sorority membership, and residence on alcohol use was determined. Participants were 390 students of Minnesota State University, Mankato. A quantitative cross-sectional online survey was conducted to collect data regarding students' emotional intelligence status and alcohol use through Schutte Self Report Intentory (SSRI) for emotional intelligence (Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden, …

A Descriptive Study Of The Leadership Role Of Community Health Ambassadors On Diabetes-Related Health Behaviors, Barbara Pullen-Smith

Dissertations

Diabetes is a chronic disease that bears a disproportionate burden among African American populations. The lack of access to affordable, culturally appropriate health care is a key barrier to effective diabetes prevention or disease management for racial/ethnic minority populations. Living in public housing communities, with concentrated poverty, exacerbates the burden of diabetes and reduces access to screening and early detection services to prevent the onset of diabetes. The purpose of the study was to describe the leadership role of lay health advisors, known as Community Health Ambassadors (CHAs), on diabetes-related health behaviors of African Americans living in a public housing …

The American Public’S Perception Of Illegal Steroid Use: A National Survey, 2013, Gary Siperstein, Neil Romano, Gizem Iskenderoglu, Anthony Roman, Floyd J. Fowler Jr., Max Drascher

Center for Social Development and Education Publications

Through the surge of news about doping scandals in the media, it is expected that the public is aware of the magnitude of the problem among professional athletes; however, it is uncertain whether the public is aware that the problem often starts when athletes are younger. To this end, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the Taylor Hooton Foundation, and the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society partnered with the Center for Social Development and Education and the Center for Survey Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston to conduct the most comprehensive national opinion survey to date to …

Cultural Competency In Health Care: Framework, Training And Evaluation - A Review Of The Literature, Diana Salas Coronado

Center for Social Policy Publications

Healthcare professionals are now more aware of the challenges they face when providing healthcare services to a culturally and racially diverse population. Cultural competency has emerged as a framework for understanding health disparities among racial and ethnic groups in particular, but also for women, the elderly, sexual orientation and gender identity, people with disabilities, and religious minorities. Although there are several definitions of cultural competency, each emphasizes the need for healthcare systems and providers to be aware of and responsive to patients’ cultural perspectives and backgrounds. One example defines cultural competency as “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies …

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Prevention: Effect Of Neuromuscular Training Compliance On Muscular Strength Development, Daisuke Sugimoto

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) originates from posterior part of the medial side of the lateral condyle of femur to anterior intercondylar notch between a transverse meniscal ligament and medial side of medial meniscus of tibia. Once ACL is disrupted, pain, effusion and atrophy are commonly observable and cause functional disability. Because of the functional limitations, athletic participation is severely restricted. ACL injury is more prevalent in physically active females compared to their male counterparts in the sports of basketball and soccer in high school and collegiate levels.

Several attributes of females are considered risk factors for the higher ACL …

The Impact Of Telephonic Health Coaching On Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, And Cholesterol Levels, Jill Marie Hansen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of telephonic health coaching in reducing the risk behaviors of physical inactivity and imprudent dietary behaviors and improving cholesterol levels from Year 1 to Year 2. Data related to 45,410 employees was drawn from seven employer groups from January 1, 2009 to December 12, 2012. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, one sample t-tests, and Pearson's product-moment correlational analyses were used to describe the employees in data set and test the hypotheses of this study. Health coaching participants were significantly more likely to be females than males. Participants in health coaching …

Physical Activity Surveillance And Emerging Technologies, J. Aaron Hipp

Brown School Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Vitamin D And Biomarkers Of Sex Steroid Hormones Are Non-Linearly And Inversely Related To All-Cause Mortality: Results From Nhanes Iii, Hind A. Beydoun, Shaker M. Eid, Hueiwang Anna Jeng, Alan B. Zonderman, May A. Beydoun

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: In men, hypovitaminosis D as well as high and low testosterone levels have been linked to adverse events, including death. A biological interaction has been previously suggested between vitamin D and androgens. In a cohort study using Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, we simultaneously investigated circulating vitamin D and biomarkers of sex steroid hormones as predictors of all-cause mortality.

Methods: Age-adjusted and fully-adjusted Cox regression models were constructed to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Whereas the vitamin D sufficient group (25(OH)D3 ≥30 ng/ml) was selected as a referent, biomarkers of sex …

Identifying Environmental Health Priorities In Underserved Populations: A Study Of Rural Versus Urban Communities, M. C. Bernhard, M. B. Evans, S. T. Kent, E. Johnson, S. L. Threadgill, S. M. Becker

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objectives- Understanding and effectively addressing persistent health disparities in minority communities requires a clear picture of members' concerns and priorities. This study was intended to engage residents in urban and rural communities in order to identify environmental health priorities. Specific emphasis was placed on how the communities: defined the term environment; their perceptions of environmental exposures as affecting their health; specific priorities in their communities; and differences in urban versus rural populations.

Study design- A community-engaged approach was used to develop and implement focus groups and compare environmental health priorities in urban versus rural communities.

Methods- A total of eight …

Precocious Puberty: Pathology, Related Risks, And Support Strategies, Linda B. Synovitz, Joanne Chopak-Foss

Community Health: Faculty Publications

Children are currently starting pubertal development much earlier than 20 to 30 years ago. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted from 1988-1994 revealed that the median age for breast development in white girls was approximately 9.7 years and 8 years in African-American girls versus 10.9 years ago. More recent data, however, indicate that some children are starting pubertal development even earlier (age 7 or 8 in girls or age 9 in boys). Very early pubertal development is identified as precocious puberty, a phenomenon that brings great concern to others besides parents: the child, their …

Snp-Snp Interaction Network In Angiogenesis Genes Associated With Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness, Hui-Yi Lin, Ernest K. Amankwah, Tung-Sung Tseng, Xiaotao Qu, Dung-Tsa Chen, Jong Y. Park

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Angiogenesis has been shown to be associated with prostate cancer development. The majority of prostate cancer studies focused on individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) while SNP-SNP interactions are suggested having a great impact on unveiling the underlying mechanism of complex disease. Using 1,151 prostate cancer patients in the Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS) dataset, 2,651 SNPs in the angiogenesis genes associated with prostate cancer aggressiveness were evaluated. SNP-SNP interactions were primarily assessed using the two-stage Random Forests plus Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (TRM) approach in the CGEMS group, and were then re-evaluated in the Moffitt group with 1,040 patients. …

Ciclovía Initiatives: Engaging Communities, Partners, And Policy Makers Along The Route To Success, Susan G. Zieff Phd, J. Aaron Hipp, Amy A. Eyler, Mi-Sook Kim Phd

Brown School Faculty Publications

Recent efforts to increase physical activity through changes to the built environment have led to strategies and programs that use existing public space, including bicycle lanes, temporary parks, and the ciclovia initiative (scheduled events in which streets are closed to motorized vehicles and opened for recreational activities) popularized in South America. Objective: This article describes and compares the processes and structures involved in developing and implementing a ciclovia-type program in 2 US urban contexts: San Francisco, California, and St Louis, Missouri. Considering the current growth of and interest in ciclovia initiatives, important outcomes, lessons learned are offered for application in …

Diagnosis Of Schistosoma Mansoni Without The Stool: Comparison Of Three Diagnostic Tests To Detect Schiostosoma Mansoni Infection From Filtered Urine In Zambia, Nilanjan Lodh, James C. L. Mwansa, Mabel M. Mutengo, Clive J. Shiff

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Diagnosis for intestinal Schistosoma mansoni lacks sensitivity and is arduous to conduct. The standard diagnostic tests, Kato-Katz (KK) and circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) both lack sensitivity and with KK, require obtaining, transporting, and examining fresh stool. We compared diagnostic efficacy of KK, CCA, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect S. mansoni infection (species-specific DNA) from 89 filtered urine samples collected in Zambia. The PCR was the strongest indicator of positive cases with sensitivity and specificity of 100% in comparison to CCA (67% and 60%) and KK (50% and 100%). High positive and negative predictive values (100%) were also indicative …

Social And Behavioral Sti Risk Factors: Comparing A Two-Year Community College Setting To A Four-Year University Setting, Oswald M. Attin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Plain Language Review Of Physical Activity Among Indigenous Australians, Caitlin Gray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This review provides information on physical activity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is a valuable overview for people working in the area and aims to assists in the development/refinement of policies, strategies and programs. This review of physical activity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians has been prepared by the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet as a part of our contributions to 'closing the gap' in health between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians by making relevant, high quality knowledge and information easily accessible to policy makers, health service providers, program managers, clinicians, researchers …

Tailoring A Physical Activity Promotion Program For A Rural Area, Gavin T. Colquitt, Moya L. Alfonso, Ashley Walker, Vanessa Dunmore

Community Health: Faculty Presentations (1993-2018)

Background/Purpose: VERBTM Summer Scorecard (VSS) has used social marketing to successfully promote physical activity for urban and suburban youth. The purpose of this study was to adapt the program to meet the needs of a minority, rural population.

Method: Qualitative marketing research methods including focus groups were used to gather data from parents (N = 12) and their children (N =12) in April 2012. A structured, open-ended focus group guide was developed specific to parents and youth and based on the social marketing framework. Marketing topics covered included Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Attention was given to testing two previously …

Emerging Technologies: Webcams And Crowd-Sourcing To Identify Active Transportation, J. Aaron Hipp, Deepti Adlakha, Bill Chang, Amy A. Eyler, Robert B. Pless

Brown School Faculty Publications

Over 25% of adults in the US are obese, contributing to 300,000 deaths and costing the US healthcare system $147 billion annually. Federal governments to local non-profit agencies have instituted policy and built environment (BE) changes in effort to reduce obesity and increase physical activity (PA). A challenge in evaluating the success of policy and BE change is the capacity to capture a priori PA behaviors and the ability to eliminate researcher and respondent bias in assessing post-change environments. A novel transdisciplinary collaboration between public health and computer science is presented here with the goal of automatically analyzing existing public …

The Role Of Agency In Community Health Outcomes: Local Health Departments And Childhood Immunization Coverage Rates, James Anthony Ransom

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Organizational culture is defined as a system of shared meaning held by members of an organization that distinguishes it from other organizations. How organizational culture is experienced in the public sector, particularly local health departments (LHDs), is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LHD organizational culture impacts childhood immunization coverage rates. I used a modified organizational culture survey tool, the Organizational Management Survey, to quantify organizational culture and determine whether an LHD's organizational culture helps explain variations in childhood immunization coverage rates. In addition, qualitative data from an earlier study of LHD immunization staff …

Review Of Physical Activity Among Indigenous People, Caitlin A. Gray, Rona Macniven, Neil J. Thomson

Research outputs 2013

Physical activity is important for all Australians, particularly in the prevention, management and treatment of chronic conditions, and for social and emotional wellbeing. Chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular conditions, endocrine conditions (such as diabetes), and certain cancers, account for 70% of the observed difference in the burden of disease between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Modifiable risk factors, particularly behavioural determinants such as physical activity, can help to reduce the extent and impact of these conditions, and assist in the prevention, management and treatment of disease. The levels and impacts of physical inactivity are greater for Indigenous people than they …

Review Of Kidney Disease Among Indigenous People, Sasha A. Stumpers, Neil J. Thomson

Research outputs 2013

Kidney disease is a significant health problem for all Australians, but severe kidney disease is more common among Indigenous people than among non- Indigenous people. In particular, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the overall levels of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are consistently reported as significantly higher than among other Australians. Information on CKD among Indigenous Australians is available from self-reported survey data, as well as from community-based studies and screening programs [10-20] but the main focus in the literature has been on ESKD. The incidence of ESKD is especially high …

Review Of Ear Health And Hearing Among Indigenous Australians, Jane F. Burns, Neil J. Thomson

Research outputs 2013

Indigenous Australians experience some of the highest levels of ear disease and hearing loss in the world, with rates up to ten times more than those for non-Indigenous Australians [4]. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to ear infections. The most common ear disease among Indigenous children is otitis media (OM), which is inflammation/infection of the middle ear typically caused by bacterial and viral pathogens. Indigenous children living in urban, rural and, particularly, remote areas, are more likely than their non-Indigenous counterparts to have OM at younger ages, more often, at a greater level of severity, and with more likelihood …

Asbestos Risk Assessment In Pakistan: Current Scenario And Way Forward, Adeel Ahmed Khan, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

No abstract provided.

Formative Development Of A Culturally Appropriate Mammography Screening Campaign For Low-Income African-American Women., Kimberly D. Leeks, Ingrid J. Hall, C. Ashani Johnson-Turbes, Ngozi Kamalu, Yasmine Zavahir

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The purpose of this qualitative study was to conduct a formative evaluation of messages and materials to inform the development of a promotional, health campaign designed to increase breast cancer screening awareness and utilization among low-income, uninsured African American women through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) in Savannah and Macon, Georgia (GA). A priority of CDC is to understand why women eligible for screening through the NBCCEDP do not participate in NBCCEDP screening services as well as to identify effective strategies for increasing enrollment among NBCCEDP-eligible women who have never received breast cancer screening. As …

Use Of The County Health Rankings By Local Health Departments In Florida, 2010 - 2011, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Bonita Sorensen, James B. Tidwell

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

This paper describes how local health departments (LHDs) in Florida used the County Health Rankings over the first two years of their release (2010 – 2011). We surveyed LHD leadership to describe if, how and to what extent the Rankings were used by Florida’s 67 LHDs to improve the health of their communities and describe changes in use from the 2010 to the 2011 release. Our results indicate substantial use of the Rankings by Florida’s LHDs, particularly as applied to community health assessments, staff education, as a starting point for examining other indicators and databases, and in grant applications. From …

Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes: Fqhcs And Community Clinics In A Reformed Health Care Market, Jessamyn Taylor

National Health Policy Forum

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Supreme Court’s related decision have significantly shifted the health care landscape for safety net providers. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are a mainstay of primary care for the uninsured and those with limited access to care. This paper focuses on the impact of health reform on FQHCs given the significant federal investment in them through grants, Medicaid, and Medicare reimbursement. Where noteworthy, the effect on non-FQHC community clinics is also discussed. The implications of Medicaid coverage expansions (or lack thereof in states that choose not to expand), Medicaid disproportionate …

Role And Effectiveness Of Community Health Workers Among Underserved Us Populations, Hibo H. Noor

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The role of the Community Health Workers (CHWs) in the health care system has great value both domestically and internationally. CHWs have training in healthcare; they are members of the community in which they serve. They have in depth understanding of the barriers to health care the community faces; they can speak the same language, and can promote and improve health status, quality of care and assist managing chronic disease. This paper focuses on the role and documented effectiveness of CHWs in terms of quality, health care services, cost health services, as well as health behaviors and knowledge about the …

The Effectiveness Of Health Education Materials In Influencing Hiv Testing Behavior: The Unlv-Siphi Study, Rebecca Tsegay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The UNLV-SIPHI (Sexual Health Internet-Based Public Health Intervention) Study focused on HIV prevention by improving HIV testing behavior through the development and dissemination of health education materials. The goal of the UNLV-SIPHI Study was to develop effective, custom-made HIV health education materials that promote the knowledge, intention and practice of HIV testing among UNLV students. The UNLV-SIPHI Study was conducted during Spring 2012 semester in selected UNLV undergraduate classes. An online quasi-randomized-control trial (RCT) was used to measure the difference in HIV testing behavior contributing factors among students exposed to the health education materials. Several nonparametric tests were used to …