Public Health Commons^™

Helmintos Transmitidos Por El Suelo En Ecuador; La Respuesta Comunitaria Y Las Percepciones A Ellos En Baños Y Puyo, Audrey Chesney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation was a qualitative study focused on soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) in Baños and Puyo, Ecuador. The perceptions of the communities regarding STHs and the community response to STH and STH infections was studied. The objectives of this study aimed to discover and learn about the perceptions of STHs from the affected communities, to comprehend the barriers that are present against better treatment for STH infections, and to learn about the community action taking place to improve the situation of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) in the community. Soil transmitted helminths are intestinal worms that are transmitted through the contamination of the …

Predictors Of Complementary Feeding Practices Among Children Aged 6–23 Months In Five Countries In The Middle East And North Africa Region, Linda Shaker-Berbari, Vilma Qahoush Tyler, Chaza Akik, Zeina Jamaluddine, Hala Ghattas Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Ensuring diets of children aged 6–23 months meet recommended guidance is crucial for growth and development and for the prevention of malnutrition including stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies. Despite some improvement, indicators related to undernutrition and overnutrition fall short of global targets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region that consist of low- and middle-income countries witnessing political and social changes and a nutrition transition. This research aims at reviewing the situation related to the diets of children aged 6–23 months in five selected countries in the MENA region, examining factors affecting complementary feeding and providing recommendations for …

Prolonged Time From Diagnosis To Breast-Conserving Surgery Is Associated With Upstaging In Hormone Receptor-Positive Invasive Ductal Breast Carcinoma, Natalie Hills, Macall Leslie, Rachel Davis, Marielle Crowell, Hiroyasu Kameyama, Hallgeir Rui, Inna Chervoneva, William Dooley, Takemi Tanaka

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Time to surgery (TTS) has been suggested to have an association with mortality in early-stage breast cancer. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the association between TTS and preoperative disease progression in tumor size or nodal status among women diagnosed with clinical T1N0M0 ductal breast cancer. METHODS: Women diagnosed with clinical T1N0M0 ductal breast cancer who had breast-conserving surgery as their first definitive treatment between 2010 and 2016 (n = 90,405) were analyzed using the National Cancer Database. Separate multivariable logistic regression models for hormone receptor (HR)-positive and HR-negative patients, adjusted for clinical and demographic variables, were used to …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Loneliness And Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study, Roger O’Sullivan, Annette Burns, Gerard Leavey, Iracema Leroi, Vanessa Burholt, James Lubben, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Christina Victor, Brian Lawlor, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Carla M. Perissinotto, Mark A. Tully, Mary Pat Sullivan, Michael Rosato, Joanna Mchugh Power, Elisa Tiilikainen, Thomas R. Prohaska

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent public health social measures have challenged our social and economic life, with increasing concerns around potentially rising levels of social isolation and loneliness. This paper is based on cross-sectional online survey data (available in 10 languages, from 2 June to 16 November 2020) with 20,398 respondents from 101 different countries. It aims to help increase our understanding of the global risk factors that are associated with social isolation and loneliness, irrespective of culture or country, to support evidence-based policy, services and public health interventions. We found the prevalence of severe loneliness was 21% during …

La Migración Como Determinante De La Obesidad Infantil En Estados Unidos Y Latinoamérica, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Arturo V. Bustamante, Nancy López-Olmedo, Pablo Gaitán-Ross, Jaqueline Torres, Karen E. Peterson, Graciela Teruel, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

La migración internacional tiene consecuencias económicas y en la salud. El proceso de aculturación en el país de acogida puede estar relacionado con la obesidad infan-til. Utilizamos el marco conceptual del balance energético comunitario (CEB, por sus siglas en inglés) para analizar la relación entre migración y obesidad infantil en los hogares mexicanos con migrantes internacionales. Utilizando datos longitudinales de la Encuesta Nacional de Niveles de Vida de los Hogares de México (ENNViH), exami-namos cómo influyen las redes de migrantes sobre la obesidad infantil en las comuni-dades de origen. También revisamos programas de salud binacionales que podrían ser eficaces para …

Understanding Community Health Volunteer Incentive Preferences In Kenya, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Reproductive Health

In Kenya, community health services are implemented through community health units. Community health volunteers (CHVs) who serve these units are chosen by the community and trained by community health extension workers. This brief summarizes qualitative and quantitative findings from the Frontline Health project’s discrete choice experiment study in Kenya, which aimed to understand incentive preferences of CHVs with the aim of improving motivation, performance, and retention of CHVs.

Identifying Factors That Support Community Health Worker Motivation, Job Satisfaction, And Retention In Haiti, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Reproductive Health

Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in Haiti’s health system, by connecting communities—particularly rural and hard-to-reach populations—to healthcare services. The Frontline Health project conducted a study to better understand the types of incentive structures that can best support the CHWs in Haiti and this brief summarizes those findings.

Testing Multi-Theory Model (Mtm) In Explaining Sunscreen Use Among Florida Residents: An Integrative Approach For Sun Protection, Manoj Sharma, Matthew Asare, Erin Largo-Wight, Julie Merten, Mike Binder, Ram Lakhan, Kavita Batra

UNF Faculty Research and Scholarship

Florida residents have the second highest incidence of skin cancer in the nation. Sunscreen usage was found to be the one of the most effective integrative health approaches for reducing risk of skin cancer. Given the limited information on the likelihood of adopting and continuing sunscreen usage behavior, this cross-sectional study aimed to examine the correlates of initiating and sustaining sunscreen usage behavior among Florida dwellers, using the fourth-generation, multi-theory model (MTM) of behavior change. A web-based survey containing 51 questions was emailed to Florida residents aged 18 years or above, who were randomly selected from the state voter file. …

Evaluating The Health Impact Of Centeringpregnancy Program Versus Traditional Prenatal Care In Midland Obstetric Clinics And Validating Selected Item On Birth Certificate, Oluwatosin A. Momodu

Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this dissertation is to evaluate the health impact of the CenteringPregnancy (CP) program versus traditional prenatal care (TPNC) on important maternal outcomes of pregnancy. This is looked at in two outcomes-gestational weight gain (GWG) and pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH). The specific aims are to examine the: (1) effects of CenteringPregnancy program versus traditional prenatal care on gestational weight gain (GWG); (2) effects of CenteringPregnancy program versus traditional prenatal care on pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH).

Birth certificate (BC) data were linked to hospital discharge records of women who delivered in midland’s obstetric clinics of South Carolina between …

Food Choice Decision-Making Among School-Going Adolescents Amidst The Nutrition Transition In Urban Accra, Ghana, Krystal Krsna Rampalli

Theses and Dissertations

Like many countries of the world, Ghana is experiencing a nutrition transition and rising non-communicable diseases. Adolescents are susceptible to diet-related health risks as they experience significant physical and psychological changes, which are happening in tandem with food environment changes, including widespread proliferation of large portion and package sizes of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Both local and multinational food and beverage companies have encouraged consumption of their products through various marketing tactics targeted directly to adolescents. Some of these tactics include the use of characters or celebrity endorsement, promotional discounts, and appeal to sociocultural values, including messages about body size preferences. …

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Knowledge, Willingness To Use & Uptake Among Black Heterosexual Men, Akeen Lowell Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a pill, taken orally, that has been shown to be effective at reducing the chance that someone who is HIV-negative and at-risk for HIV will contract the disease during sexual intercourse with someone who is living with HIV. One demographic group that has been under-researched is Black heterosexual men. This dissertation presents research on evaluating the heterosexual Black men’s awareness of, prior use, and network of friends/family’s perceived interest in learning more about PrEP.

METHODS: Two-hundred and six Black heterosexual men living in Brooklyn, New York City, were surveyed about their sexual behaviors and PrEP …

Predictors Of Arterial Stiffness In Law Enforcement Officers, Jason M. Keeler, Bradley S. Fleenor, Jody L. Clasey, Arnold J. Stromberg, Mark G. Abel

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

Background: Compare arterial stiffness among law enforcement officers (LEOs) versus general population normative values and identify predictors of arterial stiffness in LEOs. Methods: Seventy male LEOs (age: 24–54 years) completed body composition, blood pressures, physical activity level, and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) measurements. T-tests and regression analyses were utilized to compare LEO data to normative data and predict cfPWV, respectively. Results: Compared to similar age strata within the general population, cfPWV was lower among LEO’s under 30-years (mean difference = −0.6 m·s⁻¹), but higher among LEOs 50–55-years (mean difference = 1.1 m·s⁻¹). Utilizing regression, age, …

A Theory-Based Analysis Of Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among African Americans In The United States: A Recent Evidence, Manoj Sharma, Kavita Batra, Ravi Batra

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

African Americans have been disproportionately vaccinated at lower rates, which warrants the development of theory-based interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy in this group. The fourth-generation theories, e.g., multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change, are vital in developing behavioral interventions. Therefore, the current study aims to determine recent trends in COVID-19 vaccination rates and to test the MTM model in predicting the initiation of COVID-19 vaccines among vaccine-hesitant Blacks. A sample of 428 unvaccinated African Americans were recruited through a web-based survey using a 28-item psychometric valid questionnaire. Chi-square, independent-samples-t-test or Welch’s t test, and Pearson’s correlation tests were utilized …

Estimated Prevalence Of Smoking And Smoking-Attributable Mortality Associated With Graphic Health Warnings On Cigarette Packages In The Us From 2022 To 2100, Jamie Tam, Jihyoun Jeon, Jim Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms, David Hammond, Theodore R. Holford, David T. Levy, Rafael Meza

Faculty Publications

Question What are the estimated population health outcomes associated with implementation of graphic health warnings on cigarette packages in 2022 and with delayed implementation of the warnings since 2012, as originally planned, in the US?

Findings In this decision analytical model using simulation modeling of smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable mortality in the US from 2012 to 2100, graphic health warnings, if implemented from 2022 to 2100, would be associated with 539 000 smoking-attributable deaths averted and 7.9 million life-years gained, and if implemented in 2012, with 718 000 deaths averted and 11.2 million life-years gained through 2100.

Meaning These findings …

Facial Expression Processing Of Children Orphaned By Parental Hiv/Aids: A Cross-Sectional Erp Study With Rapid Serial Visual Presentation, Qiong Zhao, Hui He, Huang Gu, Junfeng Zhao, Peilian Chi, Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Existing behavioral studies have suggested that individuals with early life stress usually show abnormal emotional processing. However, limited event-related brain potentials (ERPs) evidence was available to explore the emotional processes in children orphaned by parental HIV/AIDS (“AIDS orphans”). The current study aims to investigate whether there are behavioral and neurological obstacles in the recognition of emotional faces in AIDS orphans and also to further explore the processing stage at which the difference in facial emotion recognition exists. A total of 81 AIDS orphans and 60 non-orphan children were recruited through the local communities and school systems in Henan, China. Participants …

The Assessment Of An Extended Set Of Socio-Economic Determinants To Explain Anxiety And Uncertainty, Insufficient Quality And Food Intake Of Afghan Refugees, Mohammad Reza Pakravan-Charvadeh, Hassan Vatanparast, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Mahasti Khakpour, Cornelia Flora

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES:

In this study, socio-economic factors associated with Afghan refugee households' food insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty, insufficient quality and food intake were determined.

DESIGN:

Household Food Insecurity Assess Scale measurement was applied to assess food insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty, insufficient quality and insufficient food intake. Descriptive analysis and multivariable regression models were used to determine the associated factors.

SETTING:

The study was carried out in urban areas of Tehran province in Iran. PARTICIPANTS: To collect data, interviews were conducted among 317 Afghan households. The questionnaire was administered via face-to-face interviews to either the breadwinner of the selected households or a …

Advancing Use Of Nutrition Knowledge To Improve Practice By Policy And Program Communities In India During A Political Transition, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Jessica L. Escobar-Alegria

Faculty Publications

Models are needed for how to advance use of knowledge by programs and policy officials to make evidence-based decisions about nutrition. How to advance use of nutrition knowledge in India from 2011 to 2015 during a political transition was investigated through studying a knowledge initiative led by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 37 diverse participants, and 1091 news articles, 318 Twitter and 175 Facebook posts, 12 YouTube events, 65 knowledge products, and 130 engaging events were assessed. Open-axial coding, content and themes analysis, triangulation, and process tracing were used. The knowledge initiative analyzed the …

A Structural Study Of The Cytoplasmic Chaperone Effect Of 14-3-3 Proteins On Ataxin-1, Seppe Leysen, Rebecca Jane Burnley, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Lech-Gustav Milroy, Lorenzo Soini, Carolyn J. Adamski, Larissa Nitschke, Rachel Davis, Tomas Obsil, Lucas Brunsveld, Tom Crabbe, Huda Yahya Zoghbi, Christian Ottmann, Jeremy Martin Davis

Faculty Publications

Expansion of the polyglutamine tract in the N terminus of Ataxin-1 is the main cause of the neurodegenerative disease, spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). However, the C-terminal part of the protein - including its AXH domain and a phosphorylation on residue serine 776 - also plays a crucial role in disease development. This phosphorylation event is known to be crucial for the interaction of Ataxin-1 with the 14-3-3 adaptor proteins and has been shown to indirectly contribute to Ataxin-1 stability. Here we show that 14-3-3 also has a direct anti-aggregation or "chaperone" effect on Ataxin-1. Furthermore, we provide structural and …

4-H Student Nutrition Advisory Councils Support Positive Youth Development And Health Outcomes Among Underserved Populations, Shannon Klisch, Katherine E. Soule

Journal of Extension

4-H SNAC Clubs engage youth in low-income schools with majority Latinx enrollment in leadership activities to increase schoolwide health and wellness. 4-H SNAC Clubs aim to develop youth health leaders, establish youth-adult partnerships, and increase access to 4-H in Latinx communities. Outcomes related to healthful living and positive youth development were assessed using the Teen Teacher Retrospective Survey (n=59) across five 4-H SNAC Clubs. Results show positive outcomes related to self-reported health behaviors for students and their families and leadership development. 4-H SNAC Clubs can increase access to 4-H among Latinx youth and support healthier communities through the Supplemental Nutrition …

Deviating From The Zero Balancing Protocol, John Hamwee

Journal of Transformative Touch

When is it appropriate to deviate from the Zero Balancing protocol? John Hamwee shares when there are exceptions to the rule and the times it makes more sense to deviate from the protocol than to observe it.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Uptake Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (Bmsm) In The Southern U.S, Oluwafemi Adeagbo, Sayward Elizabeth Harrison, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) living in the United States (U.S.) South are disproportionately affected by HIV and experience significant disparities in HIV incidence, access to HIV care, and prevention across ages and socio-economic statuses. The aim of this commentary is to critically review current literature on the state of PrEP use among BMSM in the U.S. South, including identifying barriers and facilitators to PrEP use in order to inform intervention development. Extant literature shows that despite the documented benefits of PrEP as an effective HIV-prevention method, its uptake among BMSM is limited across the U.S. South. …

Temporal Geospatial Analysis Of Covid-19 Pre-Infection Determinants Of Risk In South Carolina, Tianchu Lyu, Nicole Hair, Nicholas Yell, Zhenlong Li, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Disparities and their geospatial patterns exist in morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 patients. When it comes to the infection rate, there is a dearth of research with respect to the disparity structure, its geospatial characteristics, and the pre-infection determinants of risk (PIDRs). This work aimed to assess the temporal-geospatial associations between PIDRs and COVID-19 infection at the county level in South Carolina. We used the spatial error model (SEM), spatial lag model (SLM), and conditional autoregressive model (CAR) as global models and the geographically weighted regression model (GWR) as a local model. The data were retrieved from multiple sources including …

Engaging Rural High School Youth In E-Cigarette Prevention And Advocacy, Melinda J. Ickes, Olivia Zidzik, Nathan L. Vanderford

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Introduction: Recent national data reinforce over 3.6 million young people across the United States are currently using e-cigarettes, but little research exists on prevention and/or youth engagement strategies.

Purpose: Pilot a peer led e-cigarette prevention and advocacy training and determine attitudes and self-efficacy among participating rural high school leaders post-training.

Methods: The study incorporated a one-group, post-test design. Participants were recruited from an existing student leadership program (N = 16) which provides advanced cancer education and training to high school students who are from Appalachian Kentucky who participated in an e-cigarette prevention and empowerment training in December 2019. Data …

Maternal Resources For Care Are Associated With Child Growth And Early Childhood Development In Bangladesh And Vietnam, Sulochana Basnet, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Phuong Hong Nguyen, Spencer Moore, Mandana Arabi

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Suboptimal child growth and development are significant problems in low- and middle-income countries. Maternal resources for care may help to improve growth and development. This study examined the association of maternal resources for care on child length, motor development and language development of children 12-23.9 months old.

METHODS:

We used baseline data from the Alive & Thrive household surveys collected in Bangladesh (n = 803) and Vietnam (n = 635). Resources for care were represented by maternal education, knowledge, height, well-nourishment, mental well-being, decision-making, employment, support in chores and perceived support. The regression analyses were adjusted for household wealth …

Relationship Between Food Insecurity And Smoking Status Among Women Living With And At Risk For Hiv In The Usa: A Cohort Study, Lila A. Sheira, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Judith Hahn, Kartika Palar, Elise D. Riley, Tracey E. Wilson, Adebola Adedimeji, Daniel Merenstein, Mardge Cohen, Eryka L. Wentz, Adaora A. Adimora, Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Lisa Metsch, Janet M. Turan, Phyllis C. Tien, Sheri D. Weiser

Faculty Publications

Objectives People living with HIV (PLHIV) in the USA, particularly women, have a higher prevalence of food insecurity than the general population. Cigarette smoking among PLHIV is common (42%), and PLHIV are 6–13 times more likely to die from lung cancer than AIDS related causes. This study sought to investigate the associations between food security status and smoking status and severity among a cohort of predominantly low-income women of colour living with and without HIV in the USA.

Design Women enrolled in an ongoing longitudinal cohort study from 2013 to 2015.

Setting Nine participating sites across the USA.

Participants 2553 …

School-Based Sex Education In The United States And Its Association With Sexual And Reproductive Health Outcomes, 2000-2020, Priscilla M. Lopez

Dissertations and Theses

Background: There are significant sexual and reproductive health disparities in the United States (US). A significant proportion of sexual health disparities among adolescents is likely due in-part to inadequate school-based sex education. Sex education encourages sustainable and informed sexual behavior and has the potential reach adolescents prior to sexual debut and throughout the years at highest risk for adverse sexual health outcomes. However, the way in which sex education is defined and operationalized, as described in the literature, varies substantially, which may lead to wide variation in implementation in schools and this might explain the disparities seen. State-level sex …

Anti-Vaxxers: Parents Fighting Science, Katie West

Symposium of Student Scholars

Immunizing children helps protect the health of our community, especially those people who cannot be immunized. Yet, since 1996 after a study was released that linked autism to vaccinations, there has been a trend of parents refusing to vaccinate their children. What are the demographics of the parents who believe their children are better off without vaccines? By knowing where these parents live and what decisions they make for their children’s education, counties and medical professionals can provide education and address their concerns.

My research involves data on 116,141 kindergarten classes from 2000-2015 in California. The two vaccine exemption options …

Opioid Abuse: Are Doctors Creating The Problem?, Nguyen Tran

Symposium of Student Scholars

Opioid abuse and overdose are serious health problems in the United States. Current research has concentrated on the treatment and prevention of opioid abuse. Using data from the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) for California zip codes, my research focuses on the causes of opioid overdose by considering the relationships between the following variables within each zip code: population size, average number of prescriptions per doctor, percentage of people who receive opioid prescriptions, percentage of people receiving the same prescription drug from 3 or more doctors, average number of opioid pills per prescription and number of people …

Food Deserts: Hungry For Answers, Lawren Cumberbatch

Symposium of Student Scholars

In 2010, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that 23.5 million people in the United States live in food deserts. As defined by the USDA, a “food desert” is a neighborhood that lacks healthy food sources. This can be measured by distance to a store, number of stores in an area, individual-level resources such as family income or vehicle availability, and neighborhood-level resources such as availability of public transportation. Past research provides evidence that food deserts are especially likely to occur in communities heavily populated by minorities. As a Black Indian pre-med student aiming to join the world …

Examining The Relationship Between African-Americans And Their Physicians, Genesis Weever

Symposium of Student Scholars

For years, there has been a bad history amongst the relationship between African-Americans and their fellow medical institutions. Many African-Americans do not believe that medical professionals have their best interest at heart. Oftentimes, their white counterparts may receive better care, even when they have the same condition. Many African-Americans may even face barriers that their white counterparts will not experience, and will be denied access to healthcare. This results in more deaths and critical illnesses of African-Americans. In order to discover the underlying problem and a possible solution, a review of the literature was initiated. Using a literature matrix and …