Public Health Commons^™

Supporting And Retaining Village Health Teams: An Assessment Of A Community Health Worker Program In Two Ugandan Districts., Daniel C Mays, Edward J O'Neil, Edison A Mworozi, Benjamin J Lough, Zachary J Tabb, Ashlyn E Whitlock, Edward M Mutimba, Zohray M Talib

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Background

Uganda’s national community health worker program involves volunteer Village Health Teams (VHTs) delivering basic health services and education. Evidence demonstrates their positive impact on health outcomes, particularly for Ugandans who would otherwise lack access to health services. Despite their impact, VHTs are not optimally supported and attrition is a growing problem. In this study, we examined the support needs and existing challenges of VHTs in two Ugandan districts and evaluated specific factors associated with long-term retention. We report on findings from a standardized survey of VHTs and exploratory interviews with key stakeholders and draw conclusions that inform efforts to …

“That Pain Is Genuine To Them”: Provider Perspectives On Chronic Pain In University Student Populations, Alexandra C.H. Nowakowski, Kaitlyn E. Barningham, Charlyn D. Buford, Martin Laguerre, J. E. Sumerau

The Qualitative Report

We explored provider attitudes about and experiences in chronic pain management for university student populations. Our central question was: “What do providers at a large university campus health care center experience in the process of offering pain management services?” We explored instrumental, behavioral, emotional, and attitudinal dimensions of our participants’ experiences using a qualitative case study approach. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 10 health care providers at the student health center for a large research university in Florida. Interviews captured providers’ background and experiences in providing pain management to student patients with diverse needs. We used grounded theory …

Implementation Of The National Asthma Guidelines In A Residential Pediatric Clinic, Patricia A. Foster-Staples

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: Foster care children admitted to residential facilities are a unique and vulnerable group, many presenting with undiagnosed or poorly managed asthma. The alarming rate of residents admitted to a particular residential primary care clinic with a diagnosis of asthma led to the project question: “Based on record reviews, does staff education about the importance of utilizing the national guidelines for asthma education influence the implementation of such guidelines in a residential pediatric clinic?” The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a systematic process to influence practice change. The project was conducted over a period …

Pilot And Feasibility Test Of An Implementation Intention Intervention To Improve Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among Women With Low Socioeconomic Status, Michele A. Debiasse Phd, Rdn, Deborah J. Bowen Phd, Sherry L. Pagoto Phd, Joseph M. Massaro Phd, Nawfal Istfan Md, Phd, Lisa M. Quintiliani Phd, Rd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Fruit and vegetable intake (FVI), a modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases, is lower in low socioeconomic status (SES) populations. Implementation intentions (a specific type of planning that extends the Theory of Planned Behavior) has been studied to improve FVI, but not exclusively with low SES groups. Using mixed methods, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an implementation intention intervention (versus a general plan) to increase FVI in women with low SES. For the pilot randomized controlled trial, demographics, body mass index, attitude, perceived behavioral control, goal intention strength, and FVI were measured at baseline and FVI …

Addressing The Racial Disparity In Birth Outcomes: Implications For Maternal Racial Identity On Birthweight, Wanda M. Burton, Maria Hernandez-Reif, Brad Lian

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: As a widely used marker of health, birthweight has been a persistent racialized disparity with the low birthweight rate of Blacks in Alabama nearly doubling the national average. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of racial identity and acculturation on birthweight in a sample of Black women living in Alabama.

Methods: Black women (n=72) in West Alabama were surveyed about the birthweight of their first born child. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted.

Results: Racial identity was the only significant predictor of birthweight. Mothers with a strong racial identity reported having low birthweight …

Risk For Cardiovascular Disease In Blacks With Hiv/Aids In America: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Calvin Odhiambo, Jessica Davis, Bernard Omolo

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) related to HIV infection is becoming a major public health concern in the United Stated. Epidemiologic studies show that prolonged use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, HIV/AIDS itself, and a combination of traditional vascular risk factors increase the risk for CVD among people with HIV/AIDS. However, little is known about any racial disparities in the risk for CVD in the HIV/AIDS population. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of literature on HIV/AIDS and CVD (June 1, 2010-July 31, 2014) through MEDLINE to examine whether and how HIV-positive African Americans are disproportionately affected by CVD compared to …

The Effects Of Insurance Status On Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: A Literature Review, Anthony Fabio, Austin Murray, Michelle Mellers, Stephen Wisniewski, Michael Bell

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: To review the literature that describes the effects of insurance status on traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes among pediatric patients to understand how policies related to access to health insurance changes TBI outcomes. Method: This review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). A search of OVID Medline was conducted in May of 2016 for all years for peer-reviewed articles that included keywords related to “brain injuries” and “insurance status”. Articles were included if authors conducted a separate analysis of children aged 0 to 18. Articles were excluded if the TBI was the …

Utilizing Title Vi As A Means To Eradicate Health Discrimination, Adrian D. Samuels, Mariah L. Cole

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Health disparities among people of color are persistent and detrimental to the overall wellness of these groups. Discrimination in the provision of health care services is one of the primary causes of health disparities. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s availability as a tool to prevent discrimination and, in turn, disparities among these groups is underdocumented. The legislative intent of Title VI and the historical context of the law have been helpful in its use outside of the health care arena to prevent discrimination. This sheds light on the ways that the law can influence the health …

Social Determinants Of Health Associated With Hbv Testing And Access To Care Among Foreign-Born Persons Residing In The United States: 2009 - 2012, Kevin M. Greene, Wayne A. Duffus, Jian Xing, Hope King

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objectives: To describe how select Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are associated with the burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among foreign-born persons residing in the United States.

Methods: Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 Risk Factor Survey data to investigate the independent relationship between SDH and HBV testing and access to care.

Results: HBV infected persons with insurance were more likely to see a physician than those without. Respondents worried about money to pay rent or mortgage were more likely to report HBV infection than …

Congenital Toxoplasmosis In Austria: Prenatal Screening For Prevention Is Cost-Saving, Andrea-Romana Prusa, David C. Kasper, Larry Sawers, Evelyn Walter, Michael Hayde, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

Background:

Primary infection of Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy can be transmitted to the unborn child and may have serious consequences, including retinochoroiditis, hydrocephaly, cerebral calcifications, encephalitis, splenomegaly, hearing loss, blindness, and death. Austria, a country with moderate seroprevalence, instituted mandatory prenatal screening for toxoplasma infection to minimize the effects of congenital transmission. This work compares the societal costs of congenital toxoplasmosis under the Austrian national prenatal screening program with the societal costs that would have occurred in a No-Screening scenario.

Methodology/Principal Findings:

We retrospectively investigated data from the Austrian Toxoplasmosis Register for birth cohorts from 1992 to 2008, including pediatric …

Socioeconomic Determinants Of Health Disparities By Race And Ethnicity: The Mediating Role Of Social, Psychological And Behavioral Factors, Amanuel Zimam Melekin

Dissertations and Theses

Socioeconomic status (SES) is inversely related to health status. Disparities in health status among races and ethnic groups are partly attributable to differences in SES, but the indirect pathways by which SES may influence health status are not widely studied.

Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data, this dissertation examined the pathways by which SES, via social, psychological, and behavioral factors predicted physical impairment and overnight hospitalization, and asked whether these indirect relationships differed by race/ethnicity. The HRS is a nationally representative multistage area probability sample administered biennially to respondents over the age of 51 and their spouses. Data …

The Impact Of African American Male Incarceration Rates On The Racial Disparities In Hiv/Aids Rates, Michelle S. Aelion

DePaul Discoveries

In the United States, HIV/AIDS disproportionately impacts African Americans and African American communities. The nature of this national health disparity is complex and cannot be explained simply by one factor or an individual’s behavior within a given community. This paper suggests that the disparity in African American male incarceration rates is among the most important factors to consider in the racial disparities of HIV/AIDS rates. Existing studies on relevant subjects were examined and used to create a conceptual model of factors. This model presents an outline of factors during pre-incarceration, incarceration, and post-incarceration that contribute to the racial disparities in …

Identifying Nodes Of Transmission In Disease Diffusion Through Social Media, David Sebastian Lamb

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The spread of infectious diseases can be described in terms of three interrelated components: interaction, movement, and scale. Transmission between individuals requires some form of interaction, which is dependent on the pathogen, to occur. Diseases spread through the movement of their hosts; they spread across many spatial scales from local neighborhoods to countries, or temporal scales from days to years, or periodic intervals. Prior research into the spread of disease have examined diffusion processes retrospectively at regional or country levels, or developed differential equation or simulation models of the dynamics of disease transmission. While some of the more recent models …

Constructing The 'Addict': A Discourse Analysis Of National Newspapers Concerning North America's First Supervised Injection Site, Katie Sills

Social Justice and Community Engagement

Safe injection sites provide injection drug users with a safe space to inject drugs with clean supplies under the supervision of medical professionals. This study centres on a discursive analysis of newspaper representations of Insite, North America’s first supervised injection site, located in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Insite opened in 2003 under an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and has provided benefits to its clients through a reduction in public injections, decreased spread of infectious disease, and by providing clients with referrals to other community and social services. Despite these accomplishments the Canadian …

Religious Coping And Types And Sources Of Information Used In Making Prostate Cancer Treatment Decisions., Janice V Bowie, Caryn N Bell, Altovise Ewing, Ballington Kinlock, Ashley Ezema, Roland J Thorpe, Thomas A Laveist

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Treatment experiences for prostate cancer survivors can be challenging and dependent on many clinical and psychosocial factors. One area that is less understood is the information needs and sources men utilize. Among these is the influence of religion as a valid typology and the value it may have on treatment decisions. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between race, religion, and cancer treatment decisions in African American men compared with White men. Data were from the Diagnosis and Decisions in Prostate Cancer Treatment Outcomes Study that consisted of 877 African American and White men. The main …

Use Of Prostate-Specific Antigen Testing In Medicare Beneficiaries: Association With Previous Evaluation, G S. Cooper, T D. Kou, M D. Schluchter, A Dor, S M. Koroukian, S P. Kim

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Objective: Determine uptake of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in Medicare beneficiaries according to previous receipt of PSA testing. Methods: A 5% random sample of men aged 67 years or older without a previous diagnosis of prostate cancer was identified through 2009-2012 Medicare claims. We measured the annualized frequency of PSA screening among men due for PSA testing, stratified by PSA testing use in the previous 2 years, and clustered by ordering provider. Results: Throughout the study period, PSA testing use was consistently higher for men with previous screening than for men without previous screening. For men without previous screening, there …

Pharmaceutical Federalism, Patricia J. Zettler

Faculty Publications By Year

There is growing interest in states regulating pharmaceuticals in ways that challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) federal oversight. For example, in 2013 Maine enacted a law to permit the importation of unapproved drugs, reflecting concerns that federal requirements are too restrictive, while in 2014 Massachusetts banned an FDA-approved painkiller, reflecting concerns that federal requirements are too lax. This Article provides an account of this recent state interest in regulating drugs and considers its consequences. It argues that these state regulatory efforts, and the nascent litigation about them, demonstrate that the preemptive reach of the FDA’s authority extends …

Supporting Mothers With Mental Illness: Postpartum Mental Health Service Linkage As A Matter Of Public Health And Child Welfare Policy, Jesse Krohn, Msed, Jd, Meredith Matone, Drph, Mhs

Journal of Law and Health

Through our work in youth advocacy as, respectively, legal and public health professionals, we are all too aware of the high levels of health care fragmentation experienced during pregnancy and postpartum by poor, young mothers of color. Meredith Matone’s research highlights the heightened risk of fragmentation for girls with histories of child welfare involvement. For example, she found that 66.7% of young mothers who had resided in out-of-home placements and who had taken antipsychotic medication prior to becoming pregnant failed to fill prescriptions for antipsychotics in their first postpartum year. Put another way, two-thirds of these vulnerable young mothers—a far …

The Choose H2o Challenge #Ich2oose: Piloting A Health Communication Campaign To Encourage Teens In Rural New Mexico To Drink More Water, Emily A. Lilo

Communication ETDs

This dissertation explains the process of designing, implementing, and evaluating a two-tiered health campaign on social media and in a rural New Mexico high school. The Choose H2O Challenge was an 8-week contest to engage youth in examining their beverage consumption habits, to increase awareness about the health risks of sugary beverages, the benefits of water, and the influence of beverage marketing on their choices. The goals were to change the culture of beverage consumption at the school by making it fun to drink more water, and to encourage teens to become health messengers to their families and friends. This …

Mental Illness Stigma, Socially Acceptable Treatment, And Barriers To Health, Frances Renee Gellert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper discusses the topic of mental illness stigma and treatment in Uganda as explored through internship in the Social Work Department at Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital. The objectives of this project were to complete a meaningful internship while exploring causes of mental illness in Uganda, contradictions between traditional and modern approaches to treatment, and the affect of stigma on mental well-being. The internship included a total of 120 hours at Butabika Hospital. Individual research using documentary and literature review methods accompanied the internship. Butabika Hospital did not consent to the completion of formal research at, so any conclusions …

The Public Health Harms Of Pornography: The Brain, Erectile Dysfunction, And Sexual Violence, John D. Foubert

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Unmet Needs And Service Utilization By Informal Caregivers, Ryan Marie Diduk-Smith

Health Services Research Dissertations

The number of Americans expected to live into their 80’s and 90’s is growing at an increased rate in the United States, and the numbers of those aging adults with multiple chronic conditions also continues to grow. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be 89 million adults over the age of 65 years living in the United States. For a variety of reasons, including policy, personal, and financial reasons, many aging adults are choosing to “age in place” or to remain in the community. With the increase in the numbers of aging adults in the community, the ability …

Protective Factors Against Peer And Social Media Sex Messages: The Moderating Role Of Parental Influences On African American Emerging Adult Students' Sexual Behaviors, Jacqueline Eunice Haywood

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The most recent research on risky sexual behaviors is primarily based on adolescent, predominately White, or multiple race (e.g., African American and White) samples. There is a paucity of literature focused exclusively on African Americans, particularly African American emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 25. Given the increased risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for college aged African Americans, it is important to understand factors that may decrease engaging in risky sexual behaviors that are specific to this group. The current study examined the roles of parental warmth and communication about sex as protective factors. Participants (n = …

Abnormal Dendritic Maturation Of Developing Cortical Neurons Exposed To Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (Crh): Insights Into Effects Of Prenatal Adversity?, Megan M. Curran, Curt A. Sandman, Elysia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) produced by the hypothalamus initiates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates the body’s stress response. CRH levels typically are undetectable in human plasma, but during pregnancy the primate placenta synthesizes and releases large amounts of CRH into both maternal and fetal circulations. Notably, placental CRH synthesis increases in response to maternal stress signals. There is evidence that human fetal exposure to high concentrations of placental CRH is associated with behavioral consequences during infancy and into childhood, however the direct effects on of the peptide on the human brain are unknown. In this study, we used a …

The Living The Example Social Media Substance Use Prevention Program: A Pilot Evaluation., William Evans, Elizabeth Andrade, Sandra Goldmeer, Michelle Smith, Jeremy Snider, Gunilla Girardo

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Reproduced with permission of JMIR Publications. JMIR Mental Health

Intergenerational Living Between College Students And Senior Housing Residents: A Framework, Laura Allen

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Ageism, the discrimination against persons of a certain age group, is one of the most important civil rights issues of the 21st century (Palmore, 2015). There are community-wide and personal strategies to combatting ageism. Homesharing and cohousing each offer concepts that can be utilized in intergenerational living because of their housing infrastructure. The relationship between college students and senior housing residents is unique because both groups are experiencing a season of life with common characteristics. This project aims to understand the relationship and tensions between stakeholders of existing intergenerational living programs to develop an implementation plan for a program at …

My Crown And Glory: Community, Identity, Culture, And Black Women’S Concerns Of Hair Product-Related Breast Cancer Risk, Dede K. Teteh, Susanne B. Montgomery, Sabine Monice, Laura Stiel, Phyllis Y. Clark, Eudora Mitchell

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Breast cancer (BC) incidence rates for Black and non-Hispanic White women have recently converged; however, Black women continue to die at higher rates from the disease. Black women also use hair products containing hormonally active chemicals at higher rates than other races and ethnic groups. Studies now link chemical components in hair and personal care products to breast cancer risk. Using a community-based participatory research approach, this qualitative study explored community concerns about the role of hair products on breast cancer risk. Focus groups and key informant interviews using triangulation to assure relevant perspectives (women with and without breast cancer …

Understanding The Factors That Make Public Participation Effective In Health Policy And Planning: A Realist Synthesis, Celso P. Pagatpatan Jr., Paul R. Ward

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Although researchers argue for the importance of involving the public in developing health policy, there has been little focus on central research questions – such as what techniques of public participation work, in what circumstances, and why. This paper presents a realist synthesis which identifies and explains the underlying mechanisms and specific contextual factors that lead to effective public participation in health policy and planning. Peer-reviewed, English language literature was searched, which resulted in 77 articles for review and synthesis. This synthesis uncovered the underlying mechanism of ‘political commitment’ that generates public participation effectiveness. The other three possible underlying mechanisms, …

Immunizations And Health Disparities: Immunizations Provided Across A Diverse Population, Jeffery A. Goad, Tania Gregorian

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Vaccines help contain the spread of diseases and reduce morbidity and mortality. For any vaccination effort to succeed, vaccine uptake must be widespread across the entire population. However, the US population is very diverse, and there are various groups with different attitudes and beliefs regarding vaccination; this leads to disparities in vaccination rates. The Healthy People initiative, a program managed by Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the US Department of Health and Human Services HHS that aims to provide Americans with evidence-based, 10-year national objectives for improving their health defines a disparity in health care as 'a …

What Motivates Young Adults To Talk About Physical Activity On Social Network Sites?, Ni Zhang, Shelly Campo, Jingzhen Yang, Petya Eckler, Linda Snetselaar, Kathleen Janz, Emily Leary

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background:
Electronic word-of-mouth on social network sites has been used successfully in marketing. In social marketing, electronic word-of-mouth about products as health behaviors has the potential to be more effective and reach more young adults than health education through traditional mass media. However, little is known about what motivates people to actively initiate electronic word-of-mouth about health behaviors on their personal pages or profiles on social network sites, thus potentially reaching all their contacts on those sites.
Objective:
This study filled the gap by applying a marketing theoretical model to explore the factors associated with electronic word-of-mouth on social network …