Public Health Commons^™

Beyond Screening In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Domain-Standardized, Measure-Flexible Framework For Comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessment, Etiane Navarro

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder in which cognitive, behavioral, language, and social-cognitive changes may occur across clinical phenotypes, including the ALS-frontotemporal spectrum. Neuropsychological assessment is important for characterizing nonmotor manifestations and identifying changes relevant to autonomy, everyday functioning, and clinical management. This systematic review examined literature identified through APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and supplementary searching to characterize neuropsychological domains, measures, phenotype-related findings, and disease-specific limitations relevant to comprehensive assessment. Two hundred records underwent title and abstract screening, 150 reports were reviewed in full text, and 61 resources were retained for synthesis. ALS-specific screening instruments, including …

Have You Done Your Duty? Impact Of Direct Mailing Campaign On Septic System Owners' Maintenance Knowledge And Behaviors In Coastal Texas Watersheds, Audrey Mccrary, T. Allen Berthold

Journal of Extension

As part of a watershed protection plan, the Texas Water Resources Institute and AgriLife Extension Service developed and distributed an educational postcard (``mailer'') about septic system maintenance to mailing addresses outside of public sewer service areas. The mailer was distributed four times within 1 year. The impact of this mailer was evaluated with a retrospective pre/post-test within a mailed survey. Overall, the mailer was effective at increasing knowledge of septic system owners and prompting maintenance action. Mailers can be a cost-effective alternative for educational initiatives where the target audience is not able to or interested in in-person or online programs.

Are Accountability Courts In Georgia A Cost-Effective Public Health Policy Alternative?, Brian D. Graves, Orion Mowbray, Leaanne Derigne, Holly Lynde, Angel Ellis, Rachel Meyer

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of accountability courts in Georgia, presenting them as a viable alternative in public health policy.

Methods: The research utilized survey data collected from 37 court programs across 40 distinct accountability court programs; it was conducted by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government in collaboration with the Council of Accountability Court Judges. The analysis includes a comparative assessment of cost savings, benefits, and differences among various court types, specifically focusing on drug courts, DUI courts, mental health courts, family treatment courts, and veterans treatment courts.

Results: Results reveal that …

Beyond Screening In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Domain-Standardized, Measure-Flexible Framework For Comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessment, Etiane Navarro

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder in which cognitive, behavioral, language, and social-cognitive changes may occur across clinical phenotypes, including the ALS-frontotemporal spectrum. Neuropsychological assessment is important for characterizing nonmotor manifestations and identifying changes relevant to autonomy, everyday functioning, and clinical management. This systematic review examined literature identified through APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and supplementary searching to characterize neuropsychological domains, measures, phenotype-related findings, and disease-specific limitations relevant to comprehensive assessment. Two hundred records underwent title and abstract screening, 150 reports were reviewed in full text, and 61 resources were retained for synthesis. ALS-specific screening instruments, including …

The Impact Of Tobacco-Free School Laws On Student And Staff Smoking Behavior, Rachana Bhatt, Peter Hinrichs

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

A number of U.S. states have enacted bans on tobacco use by students, staff, and visitors anywhere on the grounds of public elementary and secondary schools statewide. These laws are intended to reduce tobacco use, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, reinforce anti-tobacco curricula taught in schools, and prevent children from viewing their teachers and fellow students using tobacco products. We examine the impact that the laws have on the smoking behavior of students, teachers, and other school staff by using stacked difference-in-differences estimators that exploit the time variation in adoption of the laws across states. The results presented in this …

Did Statewide School Smoking Bans Reduce Smoking Rates?, Rachana Bhatt, Peter Hinrichs

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Demographic And Socioeconomic Factors Influence Perceived Community Needs And Risk Factors For Firearm Violence In Mississippi, Masoumeh Karimi, Matthew Morris, Xiaoshan Gordy, Matthew Kutcher, Leila Seidfaraji, Michelle Brassfield, Erin Dehon, Alyscia Severance, Rukia Lumumba, Fredrick Womack, Lei Zhang

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Background: The burden of firearm-related injuries and deaths is not borne equally across sociodemographic groups. The present study investigated the perceived needs and risk factors of firearm related injuries and mortality across gender, education, and income levels through a quantitative needs assessment completed by community members and firearm injury survivors living in the greater Jackson, Mississippi, metropolitan area.

Methods: A total of 93 participants including gunshot wound patients, survivors and community members who have been recruited through community organizations completed the needs assessment survey collecting data on demographic information, firearm exposure, substance use, community exposure to crime and …

Pilot Evaluation Of A Cross-Disciplinary Training Addressing Substance Use Among Mississippi Mothers, Saijun Zhang, Catherine Poehling, Xiaoshan Gordy, Chinedu P. Chukwu, Jerome R. Kolbo, Masoumeh Karimi, Matthew Morris, Andrew Voluse, Erin Dehon, Michelle Brassfield, Danielle Lahn, Lisa Slade, Deanna Howington, Kathleen Rhodes, Tearsenee Davis, Sonja Fuqua, Lei Zhang

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and substance use co-occurring is often managed in siloed systems. Training IPV and related service providers on substance use topics may strengthen screening, response, and referral.

Purpose: To assess whether a pilot training program on substance use disorders (SUDs) in Mississippi improved service providers’ knowledge, preparedness, and attitudes around substance use and satisfaction with the training.

Methods: Pre–post surveys were administered to healthcare and community service providers who completed the training, assessing substance use service-related knowledge, preparedness, and attitudes.  Descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to analyze the data.

Results: Fifty-nine providers completed a …

The Other Visual Acuity, Paul B. Freeman Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Editorial

Pharmacy Access Is Out Of Reach For One In Six South Carolinians, Bryan L. Love Pharm.D., Tessa J. Hastings Phd, Abby Davies

CORE Research Briefs

A cross-sectional geospatial analysis mapped active South Carolina community pharmacies and used 2020 Census tract data to estimate the population residing within and beyond five-mile pharmacy service areas. About one in six South Carolinians lives more than five miles from an active community pharmacy, with limited access disproportionately affecting rural communities.

Analysis Of The Deborah Sampson Act Of 2020: Improving Women Veterans’ Care, Jessica N. Shipp

All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Problem: Women Veterans are one of the fastest-growing populations served by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), yet gaps persist in access to gender-responsive, trauma-informed care. Despite requirements established by the Deborah Sampson Act (DSA) of 2020, implementation remains inconsistent in Women's Health Primary Care Provider (WH-PCP) access, women's mental health (MH) services, military sexual trauma (MST) care, workforce capacity, care coordination, and accountability.

Aim of the Project: The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility, equity, and implementation fidelity of the DSA using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Policy Analytical Framework (POLARIS) and identify evidence-based recommendations to …

Social Distancing Under Strategic Uncertainty: The Role Of Strategic Sophistication In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mimi Jeon, Seonghoon Kim, Kanghyock Koh, Euncheol Shin

Research Collection School Of Economics

This study examines how individuals’ strategic sophistication shapes social distancing during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when distancing was a costly protective decision under two sources of risk: the private risk of infection and strategic uncertainty about whether others would comply. We develop a weakest-link public goods game with private costs of social distancing, in which agents differ in their level-k depth of reasoning about others. The model predicts that the probability of distancing rises with the level-k type when baseline compliance is low. We test this prediction using large-scale, nationally representative survey data that include incentivized experiments …

Next Steps In Advancing Pediatric Care In Southern Nevada, The Lincy Institute

Lincy Institute Events

The Lincy Institute released new research evaluating the Southern Nevada pediatric care ecosystem. The report, "An Evaluation of Southern Nevada’s Pediatric Care Ecosystem," offers recommendations to develop a stronger and more coordinated pediatric care ecosystem before the stand-alone children’s hospital being developed by Intermountain Health opens in 2030 and identifies the components of an integrated statewide network to provide all of Nevada’s children with access to high-quality care. The event also featured panel discussions with pediatric care providers and policymakers.

Panel 1 - Pediatric Care Providers

Moderator — Tina Quigley, Project Facilitator, The Lincy Institute

Panelists — Lisa …

An Evaluation Of Southern Nevada’S Pediatric Care Ecosystem, David Damore, Tina Quigley, Nick Fiore

Policy Briefs and Reports

In 2024, The Lincy Institute and the Nevada Health and Bioscience Corporation released a report prepared by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach detailing the case for a stand-alone children’s hospital in Southern Nevada. Shortly thereafter, Intermountain Health announced it would build Nevada’s first such facility in Las Vegas, expected to open in 2030. To complement the hospital’s development, The Lincy Institute undertook an independent evaluation of the regional pediatric care landscape. The analysis draws on secondary data and discussions with advocates, health system administrators, practitioners, and providers. The report examines:

• Fiscal, resource, and workforce challenges underlying Nevada’s poor population-level pediatric …

Building Health Resilience Against The Threat Of “Jakarta Sinking”: A Scoping Review, Risky Kusuma Hartono, Dewi Shinta

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

In Jakarta, land subsidence amplifies flood risks—often described as the city “sinking”—which increases exposure to waterborne and vector-borne diseases, disrupts essential health services, and undermines health system resilience. This review examines how subsidence-induced flood amplification impacts health and its implications for system resilience. This study employs a literature review approach that combines narrative synthesis with scoping-oriented evidence mapping. Peer-reviewed articles in English or Indonesian (2015–2025) were searched across PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Portal Garuda using the following terms: flooding, Jakarta land subsidence, health impacts, and health system resilience. Data on hazards, populations, health outcomes, and resilience functions were …

Evaluation Of Disaster Mitigation Policy Implementation And Public Health Integration Through The “Sipatokkong” Program In Strengthening Tourism Village Resilience, Nurul Azisah Sahrani, Andi Alif Raihan Analta

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

Disaster risks in tourism villages are increasing, generating multidimensional impacts on environmental, economic, institutional, and public health. In late 2024, Mattabulu Tourism Village experienced an 83% decline in tourist visits following a series of disasters, disrupting tourism activities and weakening local governance capacity. This study uses a qualitative case study design to evaluate disaster mitigation policy implementation through the “Sipatokkong” Program. Evaluation applied four Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development–Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) criteria: relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability, operationalized through policy implementation, street-level bureaucracy, and collaborative governance frameworks. Data were obtained from five documents and non-participatory field observations conducted …

Intimate Partner Violence And Child Wasting Across Countries: An Ecological Cross-Sectional Study, Wanri Lumbanraja, I Ketut Kasta Arya Wijaya, Ruben Cornelius Siagian

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health issue that can affect the well-being of women, their families, and the child-rearing environment. Meanwhile, wasting in under-five children reflects acute malnutrition linked to food insecurity, infectious diseases, poverty, and access to healthcare services. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the prevalence of IPV among women in the past 12 months and the prevalence of wasting in children under the age of five at the national level. This study addresses the gap in cross-national research, which remains limited in linking IPV as an indicator of social vulnerability with wasting as …

Perceived Susceptibility And Automatic Compliance In Indonesia's Triple Elimination Screening: A Mixed-Methods Study, Ratna Dewi Puspita Sari, Josef Maria Seno Adjie

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

Despite global commitments to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus, syphilis, and hepatitis B, gaps remain in understanding the behavioral and systemic drivers of screening coverage in decentralized health systems such as Indonesia. This study aimed to analyze individual behavioral determinants and structural health system barriers affecting triple elimination screening coverage among pregnant women, focusing on perceived susceptibility and automatic compliance. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory study was conducted in Central Jakarta, Surabaya, and Karawang. The quantitative phase involved a cross-sectional survey of 1,224 pregnant women, with Health Belief Model variables analyzed using logistic regression. The qualitative phase comprised three …

Why Do Indonesians Travel Abroad For Medical Treatment? A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Lucky Sarjono Buranda, Aries Wahyuningsih, Steven Busby

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

More than one million Indonesian citizens travel abroad for medical treatment each year, generating financial transactions exceeding IDR 180 trillion (USD 11.5 billion). This study aimed to explore the reasons why Indonesians seek medical treatment overseas. A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed using in-depth interviews with Indonesian citizens who had received or were currently receiving medical treatment outside Indonesia. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through coding to identify themes, subthemes, and related properties. Interviews were conducted with 18 participants from three major Indonesian cities (Makassar, Surabaya, and Batam), as well as individuals receiving treatment in Singapore and Malaysia. …

“I Was Not Wonder Woman And Required Help”: Black, Latina, And White Women’S Recovery From The Covid-19 Pandemic, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Colton Pierce, Harry Foster, Alison Brennan, Nicole Wanago

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected women, particularly women of color, yet less is known about their recovery experiences following the end of the public health emergency. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic among Black, Latina, and White women in the United States. Participants (N = 133) completed a survey that included a self-reported recovery measure and open-ended questions regarding their recovery experiences. A chi-square analysis indicated a significant association between race/ethnicity and recovery status, with Latina women more likely to report ongoing recovery than Black and White women. Codebook thematic analysis identified four themes: (1) …

The Anxious Patient: How Breathing, Presence, And Calming Cues Transform What Happens In The Dental Chair, Kelly Davis Pt, Dpt, Faaompt, Mt

New Orleans Dental Association News

In part two of her three-part series for NODA News, Dr. Kelly Davis, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, MTC, explains why a dentist's own regulation is one of the most powerful tools in the operatory. Dental anxiety triggers a genuine sympathetic nervous system response — elevated heart rate, muscle guarding in the jaw and neck, and a body primed for threat — that makes procedures harder for patient and clinician. Dr. Davis introduces co-regulation, the neuroscience-backed principle that a calm, grounded provider can help settle an anxious patient's nervous system through presence alone. She offers concrete, simple techniques dentists can use before, …

Cost Analysis Of Integrated Genderaffirming And Sexual Health Services For Transgender Women In Thailand: Evidence From The Tangerine Clinic, Braprut Sawatwipachai, Kunncadah Anuwong, Nittaya Phanuphak, Rena Janamnuaysook, Kritima Samitpol, Sujin Nitadpakorn

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background: Transgender women experience a disproportionate burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) globally and in Thailand. Integrating gender-affirming care into sexual health services may improve uptake of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) testing, treatment, and prevention. Cost data are essential to inform program planning and policy decisions regarding inclusion of such services within Thailand’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system.
Objectives: To estimate the full and unit costs of trans-led, integrated gender-affirming and sexual health services along the HIV care cascade.
Methods: Costs of Tangerine Clinic services in 2021 were assessed from the provider perspective, using standard and activity-based costing …

Defining Evidence-Based Practices From A Practitioner Perspective: An Analysis Of How The Peer Assisted School Transition (P.A.S.T.) Project Fits Within The Evidence-Based Practices Continuum, Afiya King, Hillarie Wise, Nakia Cross, Donna Dent, Andrew Jordan Williamson, Maysa Osman, Carlos A O Pavao

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: This study examines the implementation and evaluation of the Peer Assisted School Transition (P.A.S.T.) Project, an evidence-informed, peer-led intervention designed to prevent substance misuse among youth during key educational transitions. The study explores the effectiveness of the program in strengthening protective factors, reducing risk factors, and enhancing skills related to substance misuse prevention.

Methods: A mixed-methods evaluation design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-surveys administered to fifth- and eighth-grade students to assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Qualitative data were collected through focus groups, interviews, and observations to provide contextual insight into program implementation …

Preliminary Data: Old Trails Fire--Field Reconnaissance (Rpd1195), Rapid, University Of Washington

Spokane Wildfire Academic Consortium Repository

The .ZIP file contains preliminary field reconnaissance findings from the Old Trails Fire in Spokane, Washington, including geospatial datasets and the source code used to support the project's interactive web map. The data and observations reflect work completed through September 4 and should be considered preliminary. As additional analysis and information become available, updates will be published as new records in the Wildfire Consortium Repository.

Access the interactive map: https://designsafe-ci.github.io/rapid-fire-field-reconnaissance/

Access the DesignSafe-CI rapid-fire-field-reconnaissance GitHub repository: https://github.com/DesignSafe-CI/rapid-fire-field-reconnaissance/

The Ramifications Of Covid-19 On Young Adults With Ocd, Clare E. Mcintosh

Dissertations

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was a profound event in modern history, contributing to significant disruptions on a societal and individual level. This period of time was marked by elevated uncertainty and fear among individuals. COVID-19 contributed to deterioration in not only physical health but also psychological well-being. One mental health condition frequently under-examined and saturated with misconceptions is obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a condition characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Intolerance of uncertainty is a core component of the condition, and the pandemic was riddled with unpredictability. The purpose of this study was to …

Mda Public Relations Grant Program Opens Applications For 2026 Cycle, Timothy Rath

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The Michigan Dental Association is opening applications for its 2026 Public Relations Grant Program, offering individual grants of up to $5,000, with $30,000 in total funding, to support component dental societies. The program funds creative community-focused initiatives scheduled for 2027 that educate the public and promote oral health, excluding purely charitable clinical care. Eligible projects emphasize relationship-building and community engagement. Highlighted success stories from previous cycles include oral health kit distributions, youth-focused educational events, and the expansion of the 'Give Kids A Smile' exams and preventive care clinics across Michigan.

Gene-Environment Interactions In Cardiovascular Aging: Volunteering, Polygenic Risk, And Biomarker Change In European And African Ancestry Populations, Seoyoun Kim, Byeongju Ryu, Erin Ware, Koichiro Shiba, Cal J. Halvorsen

Brown School Faculty Publications

Volunteering has been associated with better cardiovascular health, but whether this association varies by genetic susceptibility to cardiovascular disease remains unclear. This study examined associations between volunteering and cardiovascular biomarkers, assessed associations between biomarker-specific polygenic scores (PGSs) and these outcomes, and tested whether polygenic risk moderated volunteering–biomarker associations among U.S. adults aged 51 years and older.

New York City Women’S Experiences With Perinatal Depression Inquiries, Diagnosis, And Treatment Initiation, Caterina Pisciotta

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Perinatal depression represents a significant public health concern, yet many women who experience depression symptoms during the perinatal period (either during pregnancy and/or after birth) do not receive treatment. Initiatives, such as ThriveNYC, were designed to address these gaps by screening and treating perinatal women for maternal depression, integrating screening into routine perinatal care and strengthening pathways to treatment. Using representative survey data collected between 2016 and 2021 via the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), this study examined trends in perinatal depression inquiries (a proxy for “screening”) and postpartum diagnosis, as well as …

Spatial Association Of Acute Respiratory Infection, Diarrhea, And Low Birth Weight With Stunting Prevalence In Indonesia, 2024, Dian Rosadi, Husaini Husaini, Triawanti Triawanti, Musafaah Musafaah

Kesmas

Stunting remains unevenly distributed across Indonesia, but national evidence integrating spatial analysis and spatial regression is limited. This study examined the spatial distribution of stunting and its associations with acute respiratory infection (ARI), diarrhea, and low birth weight (LBW) across Indonesian provinces. An ecological cross-sectional study used data from the 2024 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey. Stunting-only analyses included all 38 provinces, whereas analyses involving ARI, diarrhea, and LBW included 37 provinces with complete data. Spatial analyses used a row-standardized symmetric four-nearest-neighbor spatial weights matrix and included Global Moran’s I, bivariate spatial analysis, Local Indicators of Spatial Association, ordinary least squares, …

Cost Analysis Of Rheumatoid Arthritis In Insured Patients And Its Determinant Factors: Data From A National Referral Hospital In Indonesia, Rudy Hidayat, Fara Fauzia, Mochammad Alfansyah Dhifanra, Aries Maulana

Kesmas

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) leads to progressive functional impairment and considerable economic burden. This study estimated the annual (12-month) cost per patient among patients with RA and its determinant factors. A descriptive cross-sectional economic study of RA patients who had been treated for at least one year at the outpatient clinic of a national referral hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia, and met the 2010 ACR–EULAR criteria. Data collected from January 2023 to December 2024 were obtained from medical and billing records for demographic characteristics, direct medical costs, and DAS28-based disease activity, whereas non-medical and indirect costs were collected through structured patient interviews. …