Public Health Commons^™

Assessment Of Clarias Gariepinus As A Biological Control Agent Against Mosquito Larvae, Buze Chala, Berhanu Erko, Abebe Animut, Abraham Degarege, Beyene Petros

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: The emergence and spread of insecticide resistant mosquitoes renewed interest in investigating the use of larvivorous fish as a biological control agent. The potential of Clarias gariepinus fish in controlling Anopheles arabiensis and culicine larvae was assessed under laboratory and semi-field conditions.

RESULTS: Small size (15-20 cm) C. gariepinus fish consumed greater number of mosquito larvae than the large size fish (25-40 cm) in the multivariate regression model (β = 13.36, 95 % CI = 4.57, 22.15). The Anopheles larvae consumed was greater in number than the culicines larvae consumed by the fish (β = 12.10, 95 % CI …

Neighborhood Disadvantage During Childhood : A Predictor Of Young Adult Mental Health, Ethan Minier

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Childhood Adversity Trajectories And Violent Behaviors In Adolescence, Madeleine Salo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Association Between Incarceration History And Hepatitis C Virus In People Who Inject Drugs In Five Regions Of Ukraine, Anna Meteliuk

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Exploring The Association Between Maternal Mental Health And Housing Conditions During Early Childhood And Anxiety And Depression At Age 15, Diane Marie Butrym

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Low-Level Arsenic Exposure Via Drinking Water And Female Fecundity, Michele L. Susko

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Maternal Surgery Or Anesthesia Use During Pregnancy And The Risk Of Adverse Birth Outcomes In The National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2009, Youjung Byun

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: 50,000 to 75,000 pregnant women are estimated to undergo surgery during pregnancy. This number comprises of 1.5 to 2 percent of the total confirmed pregnancies. Considering most pregnancies are unintended (49%), the number of women undergoing surgery unaware of the pregnancy is expected to be higher than the historical estimate. This study objective is to identify the characteristics of mothers who undergo surgery and assess the association between surgery or anesthesia exposure and the risk of adverse birth outcomes.

Fine Particulate Air Pollution In Saudi Arabia : Implications For Cardiopulmonary Morbidity, Shedrack Rujooga Nayebare

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Fine particulate (PM2.5) air pollution is a major issue in Saudi Arabia. Though the health effects of exposure to PM2.5 have been extensively studied in developed countries of Europe and North America, this research is yet to be done in developing countries of Africa, some parts of Asia and the Middle East including Saudi Arabia. This is the first comprehensive assessment of PM2.5 air pollution in Saudi Arabia describing the major emission sources as well as assessing the association of daily exposures to PM2.5 and its chemical constituents with cardiopulmonary morbidity.

Establishing Methodology For Occupational Injury Surveillance In Agriculture And Logging, Erika Elisabeth Scott

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Developing a low-cost surveillance system for occupational injury in agriculture and logging has long been a challenge. These data are needed to prioritize public health interventions in the agriculture and logging industries, and are crucial to evaluating changes in injury rates, as well as the effectiveness of safety interventions. Recently, the transition to electronic data reporting created new opportunities for the development of sustainable, low-cost surveillance systems. Pre-hospital care reports (PCR) and hospital data (emergency department, inpatient, and outpatient) are datasets of particular interest.

The Association Between Antidepressant Medications And A1c Among Individuals With And Without Diabetes, Jamie Kammer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

While depression is known to increase the risk of diabetes and worsen glycemic control, the effect of antidepressants on these outcomes is unclear. Within the past few years, a cross-sectional study performed in a large, nationally-representative sample of individuals without diagnosed diabetes concluded that there are no differences between antidepressant users and non-users with regard to a number of diabetes-related outcomes including A1C, a measure of average glucose levels over the past few months commonly used to detect and monitor diabetes. The current set of studies was conducted to determine whether replicating this research in a higher-risk population or using …

A Nested Case-Control Study Of Breast Cancer Genetic Susceptibility, Emilia Pawlowski

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Effect Of Anthelminthic Treatment On Helminth Infection And Related Anaemia Among School-Age Children In Northwestern Ethiopia, Yonas Yimam, Abraham Degarege, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Information about improvements in the health status of population at-risk of helminth infection after anthelminthic treatment helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the large scale deworming program. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of anthelminthic treatment on the prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminth infection, haemoglobin level and prevalence of anaemia among school-age children.

METHODS: A total of 403 children attending Tikur Wuha Elementary School in Jiga, northwestern Ethiopia were enrolled in this study between February and March 2011. Formol-ether concentration and Kato-Katz methods were used to examine stool for intestinal helminth infections at baseline …

Epidemiology Of Plasmodium And Helminth Coinfection And Possible Reasons For Heterogeneity, Abraham Degarege, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Understanding the impact of helminth infections on clinical malaria is useful for designing effective malaria control strategies. Plenty of epidemiological studies have been conducted to unravel the nature of interactions between Plasmodium and helminth infection. Careful broad summarization of the existing literature suggests that Schistosoma mansoni and hookworm infections may increase the risk of clinical malaria and associated morbidities, but Trichuris trichiura infection is not associated with the occurrence of clinical malaria and related outcomes. However, findings about effect of Ascaris lumbricoides and Schistosoma haematobium infection on clinical malaria are contradictory. Furthermore, the nature of relationship of helminth infection with …

Are You Pepped And Prepped For Travel? Risk Mitigation Of Hiv Infection For Travelers, David Brett-Major, P. T. Scott, T A. Crowell, C. S. Polyak, K. Modjarrad, M. L. Robb, D. L. Blazes

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The HIV pandemic persists globally and travelers are at risk for infection by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). While HIV-focused guidelines delineate risk stratification and mitigation strategies for people in their home communities, travel issues are not addressed. In this review, direct and indirect evidence on HIV risk among travelers is explored. The burgeoning practice of employing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with anti-retroviral therapy in the non-travel setting is introduced, as well as the more established use of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Challenges in applying these lessons to travelers are discussed, and a new guidelines process is scoped and recommended.

Investigating The Efficacy Of Vocal Function Exercises In Improving Vocal Function In Adults Irradiated For Laryngeal Cancers: A Three Part Dissertation, Vrushali Angadi

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Deterioration in voice quality following radiation therapy for the treatment of laryngeal cancers (LC) is well documented in literature. The majority of studies show that these voice problems are long term and in some cases permanent. Deterioration in voice quality, especially over a period of time could lead to significant communication difficulties in daily life or in some cases could even result in loss of profession. Despite the negative effects of radiation therapy on voice quality being well documented, few studies have focused on the efficacy of voice therapy in the irradiated LC population.

The purpose of this study was …

Lifestyle Contributors To Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Adam J. Berrones

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Aortic stiffness is an independent risk factor that has prognostic value regarding future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events such as myocardial infarction, strokes, and heart failure. Although death rates due to coronary heart disease have declined in recent years, the leading global killer remains CVD and prevalence is still high. Understanding lifestyle contributors associated with aortic stiffness would provide the public with insight into targeting key health-related behaviors.

The purpose of this observational study was to examine the association of physical activity, physical function, and dietary quality as independent factors contributing to aortic stiffness in apparently healthy middle aged men. Fifty-two …

Evaluating A Bystander Intervention Program On Reproductive Coercion: Using Quasi-Experimental Design Strategies To Address Methodologic Issues In Randomized Community Prevention Trials, Catherine P. Starnes

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Community (or cluster) randomized trials are trials in which communities or groups of individuals (clusters) are randomized to receive the intervention of interest. Community randomized trials frequently more closely resemble a natural experiment than a randomized controlled trial (RCT) following intervention allocation. In particular, the effects of non-compliance can pose methodologic challenges in estimating the intervention effect which may require a quasiexperimental approach in order to minimize bias.

The motivating example to illustrate these issues is the Green Dot High School (GDHS) study. The GDHS study was a longitudinal, cluster-randomized controlled trial designed to assess the effectiveness of a bystander …

Exploration Of The Misuse, Abuse, And Diversion Of Gabapentin, Rachel Vickers Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Gabapentin is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an adjunctive anti-convulsant and an analgesic for post-herpetic neuralgia. Though gabapentin was initially presumed to have limited or no abuse potential, which may have contributed to its widespread off-label prescribing, there have been increasing anecdotal and published reports of its misuse by substance abusers in the community and penal system. However, to date, there has been limited systematic evaluation of the scope and risk of gabapentin misuse and its associated effects. This dissertation assesses the etiology and prevalence of gabapentin misuse, abuse, and diversion in a multi-faceted approach, …

Assessment Of Her2-Neu In Breast Cancer Lines Upon Differential Exposures To Xenoestrogens, Abha Aggarwal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Synthetic xenoestrogens have differential estrogenic properties. Research has shown that exposures to xenoestrogens could promote breast cancer by disrupting normal function of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) gene. Although animal models demonstrated a connection between xenoestrogen exposure and Her2 activity, no study using human cells has systematically examined their carcinogenic potential influencing the Her2 gene expression. Furthermore, breast cancer cells are phenotypically disparate (ER+, Her2+), with some phenotypes (Her2+), leading to more aggressive disease. This study aimed to dosimetrically assess the carcinogenic potential of commonly used xenoestrogens influencing Her2 gene expression, and delineate cellular phenotypes at greater …

Influence Of Thyroid Disorders On Pregnancy Outcomes, Brittany Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The objective of this thesis is to investigate the effects of maternal thyroid dysfunction on maternal pregnancy outcomes.

Setting and Participants: The NICHD Consecutive Pregnancy data set contains information on a total of 114,679 pregnancies from 51,086 women who delivered ≥ 20 weeks of gestation. The data come from 20 different hospitals throughout the state of Utah and were collected between the years of 2002 to 2010.

Main Outcomes: Main outcomes of interest included: breech presentation, chorioamnionitis, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, hemorrhage, inductions, placental abruption, placental previa, preterm birth, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), preeclampsia, and …

The Waist To Height Ratio Is A Better Anthropometric Index Of Abdominal Obesity And Its Association With The Prevalence Of Diabetes Among Asian Americans, Yu Xiao

All Master's Theses

There is limited information about diabetes prevalence among Asian Americans. Diabetes risk factors include abdominal obesity (AO), which can be assessed by measuring waist circumference (WC) or waist-to-height-ratio (WHtR). The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of diabetes among Asians with non-Asians in the United States and compare WC and WHtR as predictors of diabetes. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-14 was analyzed using SAS 9.2. There were 8,615 adult non-pregnant non-Asians and 1,224 Asians included in this study. Despite a lower prevalence of obesity among Asians compared to non-Asians (12% vs …

Epidemiology Of Pediatric Prehospital Basic Life Support Care In The United States, Leigh Ann Diggs, Manasi Sheth-Chandra, Gianluca De Leo

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Children have unique medical needs compared to adults. Emergency medical services personnel need proper equipment and training to care for children. The purpose of this study is to characterize emergency medical services pediatric basic life support to help better understand the needs of children transported by ambulance. Pediatric basic life support patients were identified in this retrospective descriptive study. Descriptive statistics were used to examine incident location, possible injury, cardiac arrest, resuscitation attempted, chief complaint, primary symptom, provider's primary impression, cause of injury, and procedures performed during pediatric basic life support calls using the largest aggregate of emergency medical services …

Investigating Cholera Using An Sir Model With Age-Class Structure And Optimal Control, K. Renee Fister, Holly Gaff, Elsa Schaefer, Glenna Buford, Bryce C. Norris

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The use of systems of differential equations in mathematical modeling in conjunction with epidemiology continues to be an area of focused research. This paper briefly acquaints readers with epidemiology, cholera, and the need for effective control strategies; discusses cholera dynamics through a variation on the SIR epidemiological model in which two separate age classes exist in a population; finds the numeric value for R₀ to be approximately 1.54 using estimated parameters for Bangladesh; and employs an optimal control resulting in a suggestion that a protection control be implemented at the end of the monsoon season.

Identification Of Leishmania Spp. And Trypanosoma Cruzi In Sylvatic Animals In El Paso County, Texas, Mariel Christina Matamoros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background Leishmaniasis and Chagas's Disease are two of the seventeen diseases considered as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTF) by the CDC. Ten million people worldwide are at risk of being infected by Leishmaniasis and Chagas' disease affects six million people in the world; however, these are mostly cases in Latin America. The vector for Chagas' disease, triatomine, has been identified near El Paso, Texas region to be positive for Trypanosoma cruzi. Recent studies have also shown positive results for Chagas' disease and Leishmaniasis in sylvatic animals in El Paso.

Objective To determine the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi and/or Leishmania spp. infection …

The Socioeconomic And Cultural Impact Of Sickle Cell Disease In Nigeria, Jejelola Owotomo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic health condition that has continued to increase globally. SCD is prevalent in developing countries like Nigeria with 20 to 30% of the population living with SCD. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of the socioeconomic and cultural factors that affect the quality of life (QOL) of individuals with SCD in Nigeria. The framework for the study is secondary prevention. Secondary prevention allows for opportunities to improve QOL amongst people living with SCD focusing on the health beliefs, and socioeconomic wellbeing. A phenomenological approach was used to collect in-depth data …

Prevalence Of Nasal Colonization By Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus In Persons Using A Homeless Shelter In Kansas City, Megan Ottomeyer, Charles D. Graham, Avery D. Legg, Elizabeth S. Cooper, Chad D. Law, Mariam Molani, Karine Matevossian, Jerry Marlin, Charlott Williams, Ramon Newman, Jason A. Wasserman, Larry W. Segars, Tracey A H Taylor

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Nasal colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) plays an important role in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of disease. Situations of close-quarter contact in groups are generally regarded as a risk factor for community-acquired MRSA strains due to transmission via fomites and person-to-person contact. With these criteria for risk, homeless individuals using shelter facilities, including showers and toilets, should be considered high risk for colonization and infection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of nasal colonization of MRSA in a homeless population compared to established rates of colonization within the public and a control group of subjects …

Biological And Psychosocial Risk Factors Of Stroke In African Americans Enrolled In The Jackson Heart Study (Jhs), Sasikiran Nunna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: the objective of this study is to estimate the impact of biological, psychosocial and other risk factors on stroke in African Americans enrolled in the JHS and determine the population attributable risk of risk factors. Methods: this study used a nested case control design. Cases were patients with stroke during the follow up period. Corresponding controls were selected from subjects who are alive at that time period and who are at risk of stroke by matching on the person-years spent in the cohort. Odds ratios (OR) and population attributable risks (PAR) were calculated to understand the association of risk …

Differences In Treatment-Seeking And Treatment-Adherence Factors For Tuberculosis In Armenian Versus Non-Armenian Populations Of Los Angeles County, Tanya Marie Ferguson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly, yet curable, infectious disease that continues to be a global health threat. Armenia suffers from rising TB incidence and mortality rates. Armenians living in Los Angeles (LA) County, where TB incidence is higher than national averages, is the second largest Armenian community in the world; therefore implications are that many TB cases are attributed to this group. Using the social ecological model as a theoretical framework, this concurrent, mixed-methods study compared Armenians to non-Armenians in LA County about their knowledge of TB and perceived barriers to seeking and adhering to treatment. Bivariate chi-square analysis from …

Oral Health Status And Oral Hygiene Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Of Jail Inmates, April Lee Wendling

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The oral health and hygiene of incarcerated populations, both in the United States and globally, is known to be poorer than that of the general population. This study examined the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease and the relationships between oral health status and the oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of jail inmates housed in a large metropolitan jail located in the midwestern United States. This cross-sectional study collected data from 100 inmates using a 21-item closed-ended questionnaire in addition to oral examinations conducted by the jail's dentist to determine the extent of dental caries and periodontal disease …

Poverty, Food Insecurity, And Obesity Among Urban And Rural Populations, Tameka Ivory Walls

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 17 million food-insecure households are associated with increasing obesity rates across the United States. Although food insecurity and obesity are distinct social concerns, the two are linked and may be influenced by poverty and geographic location. Public health authorities and state leaders responsible for the health and nutrition of rural populations in particular would benefit from this information. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine whether poverty mediated the relationship between food insecurity and obesity among urban and rural adults. The study was guided by the poverty, food insecurity, and obesity conceptual framework. The study addressed …