Public Health Commons^™

Screening For Mental Health Problems Among Incarcerated Youth In Nevada: Practice And Policy, Michelle Chino, Jennifer Personius-Zipoy, Denise Tanata

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Incarcerated youth in Nevada with serious mental health problems are not being effectively identified. The current study examined the utility of simple screening instruments as a mechanism for identifying incarcerated youth who may have a mental health disorder. Adjudicated youth, incarcerated at each of Nevada’s 12 juvenile detention facilities, participated in the study by completing a demographic questionnaire and a standardized mental health screening instrument: the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2). Findings indicate a high prevalence of mental health disorders among incarcerated juveniles in Nevada. Identifying youth with mental health problems is complicated by the lack of a systematic …

Nevadans Without Health Insurance, Charles B. Moseley, Michelle Sotero

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Individuals without health insurance in this country represent a serious public health concern. Nevada has one of the highest rates of uninsured in the country. This article provides a demographic and socioeconomic profile of the uninsured in Nevada and describes how Nevada’s uninsured rates compare with other states. The article also addresses the impact of Nevada’s private and public health insurance programs on the uninsured.

Adverse Maternal Outcomes For Women With Different Health Insurance Statuses In Nevada, Jay J. Shen, Hong Wei

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Objective. Nevada women with unfavorable health insurance status may face greater barriers than women in the rest of the nation, since the development of healthcare infrastructure in Nevada is running behind population growth. This study examines the relationship between health insurance status and adverse maternal outcomes in Nevada.

Methods. Hospital discharge information of 33,149 women aged 13 or older who delivered in 2004 was abstracted from the 2004 State Inpatient Data for Nevada. A total of 13 measures of complications associated with pregnancy were identified, including preterm labor, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, ante-partum hemorrhage, membrane disorders, cesarean section, …

Blood Lead Levels In Nevada Children, Arthur F. Di Salvo, Terry R. Hall

Nevada Journal of Public Health

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of plumbism in children one to six years of age in Nevada. During a four-year period from 1992 – 1996, 10,700 children were screened for evidence of blood lead intoxication. The capillary specimens were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. All children with a lead level => 10 ug/L were retested using venous blood. Ninety three percent of the children had blood lead levels < 10 µg/dL

Adverse Maternal Outcomes In Nevada: Does Asthma Matter?, Jay J. Shen, Hong Wei, Robin Mukalian

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Objective. Asthma is a common clinical complication of pregnancy and women with asthma are at greater risk of having complications. This study compared adverse maternal outcomes between women with asthma and women without asthma in Nevada.

Methods. A total of 64,664 hospital discharges of delivery were abstracted from the Nevada 2003-2004 hospital discharges and thirteen adverse maternal outcomes were examined. Logistic regression was applied to compare the maternal outcomes between women with and without asthma.

Results. Women with asthma were more likely to have pre-eclampsia (OR [CI] 1.73 [1.13, 2.65]), transient hypertension of pregnancy (OR [CI] 1.76 [1.11, 2.78]), pregnancy-induced …

The Long-Term Coercive Effect Of State Community Benefit Laws On Hospital Community Health Orientation, Charles B. Moseley, Jay J. Shen, Gregory O. Ginn

Nevada Journal of Public Health

This study is an examination of the long-term coercive effect of state community benefit laws (CB Laws) on the provision of community health activities in U.S. acute care hospitals. The sample included all the not-for-profit and investor owned acute care hospitals for which 1994 and 2006 AHA Annual Survey data were available. A panel design was used to longitudinally examine the effect that state CB Laws had on hospital community health orientation activities and the provision of health promotion services, after controlling for the influence of other organizational and environmental variables that might affect these activities and services. The authors …

Prevalence And Antimicrobial Susceptibility Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus In Pregnant Women And Their Newborns In Las Vegas, Nevada, Mark P. Buttner, Echezona E. Ezeanolue, Patricia Cruz, Joanne L. Henry, Ineada Jack, Chad L. Cross

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Colonization and infection by resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus are being reported in epidemic proportions. The goal of this study was to determine the local prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in pregnant women in southern Nevada and how it correlates with colonization and infection of their neonates. Signed consent was obtained, and a brief questionnaire was administered by the medical staff to each pregnant woman to collect demographic data and pertinent medical, family and social history. Nasal and vaginal specimens were obtained from pregnant women at ≥35 weeks gestation, and nasal and umbilicus specimens were obtained from their …

Chronic Disease And Risk Factors Among Nevadans With Disabilities: A 2009 Brfss Study, Jennifer R. Pharr, Sheniz Moonie

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Previous research has found that people with disabilities are more likely to have chronic diseases (coronary artery disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes), secondary conditions (high blood pressure, high cholesterol) and risk factors for chronic disease (physical inactivity and obesity) (Havercamp, Scandlin, & Roth, 2004; Kinne, Patrick, & Doyle, 2004; Nosek, Hughes, Petersen et al., 2006; Reichard, Stolzle, & Fox, 2011). The purpose of this study was to conduct a secondary analysis using data from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to identify differences in chronic disease risk factors and chronic disease/ secondary conditions between adults with and without …

Utilization Of Preventative Health Services By Nevadans With Disabilities, Jennifer R. Pharr, Sheniz Moonie

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Health disparities are differences in access to health care, quality of health care and health outcomes observed between population-specific groups of people (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2000). Previous research has found that people with disabilities experience unequal access to preventative health care services. The purpose of this study was to conduct a secondary data analysis using data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to determine differences in utilization of preventative health services between adults with and without disabilities in Nevada. Nevadans with disabilities were significantly more likely to have access to health insurance and to have …

2011 Annual Report Of Child Deaths In Clark County, Nevada, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Tara Phebus

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The primary goal of all Child Death Review Teams is to prevent future child deaths. The child death review process enables jurisdictions to come together in a collaborative, multidisciplinary forum to openly discuss detailed circumstances in an effort to gain a better understanding of child deaths. The team provides a venue for representatives from a variety of both public and private agencies as well as community organizations to share information in a confidential and non-threatening environment. The National Center for Child Death Review (hereinafter, National Center), which is supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department …

Emerging Disparities Among Self-Pay Trauma Patients, Michelle Chino Dr, Deborah A. Kuhls, Mark K. Markarian, Sam Holland, John J. Fildes

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Preliminary results from a study of trauma patients in Southern Nevada are yielding some unexpected findings with implications for both trauma centers and the growing Hispanic population. Hispanic patients are more likely to be self pay irrespective of income level and employment status when compared to non-Hispanic patient groups. Further, self pay Hispanics, unlike their non-Hispanic, self pay counterparts, tend to be employed, have families, and report stable living conditions. The implication is that the financial and social cost of traumatic injury may place a significant burden on trauma centers, patients, their families and the community.

Assessing Behavioral Health Risks, Health Conditions, And Preventive Health Practices Among American Indians/Alaska Natives In Nevada, Gwen Hosey, Shirley A. Llorens-Chen, Fares Qeadan, Daryl Crawford, Charlton Wilson, Wei Yang

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey was administered to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults in Nevada to determine whether health disparities exist between AI/ANs and the state’s general population. Results showed AI/ANs were 1.5 times more likely to smoke cigarettes, 3.5 times more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke, 3.2 times more likely to lack leisure-time physical activity, 9.7 times more likely to report fair/poor health status, and 7.7 times more likely to have a disability. In addition, AI/ANs were more likely to have current asthma (OR=5.0) and diabetes (OR=1.8). AI/AN women were 4.8 times as …

Why Access Barriers To Primary Care Exist For People With Mobility Disabilities: A Mixed Methods Study Of Health Care Administrators, Jennifer Renee Pharr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Previous studies have been conducted to assess the barriers that limit access to health care services for people with disabilities. However, no study has been conducted to understand why barriers exist. Do practice administrators lack knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or is cost the issue? The purpose of this study was to examine why structural and equipment barriers exist that limit access to primary health care for people with disabilities.

A convergent parallel mixed methods design was employed. Practice administrators were selected for this study because of their oversight of the budget, equipment purchasing, facility operations and …

Health Status Of Children Entering Kindergarten: Results Of The 2011-2012 (Year Four) Nevada Kindergarten Health Survey, Nevada Institute For Children's Research And Policy Reports, Amanda Haboush, Tara Phebus, Brian Neau, Taylor Oliver, Enrique Lopez

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

Academic achievement for children is vital to their success in life. Those that do well in school have greater opportunities for post-secondary education, and later have better prospects for employment. One of the major factors that can affect a child’s academic achievement is his or her health status. Academic outcomes and health conditions are consistently linked in the literature (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). Children with poor health status, and especially those with common chronic health conditions, have increased numbers of school absences and more academic deficiencies (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). In a study concerning excused versus unexcused absences, children with …

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Year Two Outcome Evaluation Report For The Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Southern Nevada Health District, Dawn Davidson, Tara Phebus, Alyson Baker

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

In the fall of 2010 the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) was awarded funding from the Federal Office of Adolescent Health to implement an evidence based teen pregnancy prevention curriculum. They have partnered with the Department of Juvenile Justice Services and the Clark County Department of Family Services to offer this curriculum to the youth in juvenile detention, probation, and life skills classes for youth aging out of the foster care system. The Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) has been contracted to complete the outcome evaluation for this program and is collecting data to help measure the …

Summary Of Findings From The 2012 Child Death Review Annual Report, Nevada Institute For Children's Research And Policy Reports

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The 2012 Annual Report of Child Deaths in Clark County, Nevada provides data regarding all infant, child, and fetal (over 20 weeks gestation) deaths occurring in Clark County in 2012. Since 2008, the Child Death Review Team in Clark County has reviewed 100% of the child deaths referred to the team by the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner. This includes all natural deaths, as well as all accidents, homicides, suicides, and undetermined cases.