Public Health Commons^™

Overview, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

No abstract available.

Socio-Economic And Demographic Factors Associated With Injecting Drug Use Among Drug Users In Karachi, Pakistan, A. Agha, S. Parviz, M. Younus, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

Objective: To identify the socio-economic and demographic factors associated with injecting drug users (IDUs) in Karachi.

Methods: We recruited 242 IDUs (taking drugs through sub-dermal routes) and 231 non-IDUs (taking drugs other than sub-dermal routes) from February through June 1996. IDUs were interviewed regarding sociodemographic factors, economic condition, and social network (marital status, living with spouse). In addition, information regarding location of drug users within the city (districts of Karachi) and current history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were gathered. Moreover, blood samples were also obtained for HIV testing

.Results: Multivariate analysis showed that the income generation via illegal …

2001 Michigan Hospital Cqi/Tqm Study, Colleen L. Croxall

Wayne State University Dissertations

In recent years, there has been significant interest in the application of total quality management/continuous quality improvement (TQM/CQI) within health care organizations. The health care industry, in its quest to improve outcomes with fewer resources, began to look at CQI/TQM as a possible solution. To date, the most comprehensive and enthusiastic response to efforts to improve quality while containing or lowering costs is reflected in hospitals' commitment to continuous quality improvement/total quality management (CQI/TQM). The health care industry, particularly hospitals, has embraced the concepts of CQI/TQM with the belief that adoption will lead to an improvement in both the quality …

Smooth Quantile Ratio Estimation, Francesca Dominici, Leslie Cope, Daniel Q. Naiman, Scott L. Zeger

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

In a study of health care expenditures attributable to smoking, we seek to compare the distribution of medical costs for persons with lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (cases) to those without (controls) using a national survey which includes hundreds of cases and thousands of controls. The distribution of costs is highly skewed toward larger values, making estimates of the mean from the smaller sample dependent on a small fraction of the biggest values. One approach to deal with the smaller sample is to rely on a simple parametric model such as the log-normal, but this makes the undesirable …

Hispanic Laborer Dies From Fall Off Roof, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On March 3, 2003, a 22-year-old Hispanic female laborer (decedent) died when she fell from a roof. She had been working on the roof with her brother, who was a sub-contractor for a local roofing company. The work crew consisted of two brothers and the decedent. Two days prior to the incident, the decedent had worked for her brother cleaning and organizing materials on the ground at another location. It was the decedent’s first day on this job site. It is unknown whether or not the decedent had worked on other roofing jobs. Her job was to organize materials and …

Bulldozer Owner/Operator Dies When Thrown Off Bulldozer Track, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On June 19, 2003, a 58-year-old bulldozer owner/operator (decedent) died when he was thrown off the track of his bulldozer. The bulldozer owner/operator and a laborer were having difficulty starting the bulldozer. Together, the two men had tried several different methods to start the bulldozer including: spraying ether into the air chamber, having the battery recharged, replacing the battery cables with new ones and tightening wires to the starter. They worked from the left side track of the bulldozer. The laborer sat towards the front of the track tightening the wires to the starter while the owner stood on the …

Bulldozer Owner/Operator Drowns While Trying To Repair A Pond, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

The Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program was notified July 31, 2003, via newspaper surveillance, of an occupational fatality involving a 55-year-old bulldozer owner/operator. On July 29, 2003, a bulldozer owner / operator drowned in the cab of his machine as he was trying to find a leak in a pond dam. The operator had been hired by a local farm owner to find and repair a leak in one of the ponds on her farm. As the operator dug a trench through the earthen dam, a section at the top collapsed sending sludge into the trench. The water/sludge …

Ua61/6 Newsletter, Issue 2, Wku Institute For Rural Health Development & Research

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the Institute for Rural Health Development & Research. This issue contains:

• College of Health & Human Services Has New Dean – John Bonaguro
• Simpson, Staci. Institute Aims to Improve Oral Health of Children
• Whitfield, Beth. WKU Mobile Unit KICS Off Dental Event with Webster County – Kentucky Interdisciplinary Community Screening
• Stone, Glynda. TEACH KY: Teachers Exploring & Advocating Careers in Health in Kentucky
• Institute Sponsors Hispanic Health Fair
• HIV Prevention Counseling & Testing Training Program Initiated at WKU
• New Web-based Course Offered Through Communications Disorders Department at WKU
• Lashley, Donita. Child Passenger Safety Training
• Handy, …

Physical Activity And Stroke Risk: A Meta-Analysis, Chong Do Lee, Aaron R. Folsom, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose - Whether physical activity reduces stroke risk remains controversial. We used a meta-analysis to examine the overall association between physical activity or cardiorespiratory fitness and stroke incidence or mortality.

Methods - We searched MEDLINE from 1966 to 2002 and identified 23 studies (18 cohort and 5 case-control) that met inclusion criteria. We estimated the overall relative risk (RR) of stroke incidence or mortality for highly and moderately active individuals versus individuals with low levels of activity using the general variance-based method.

Results - The meta-analysis documented that there was a reduction in stroke risk for active or …

Multijurisdictional Approach To Biosurveillance, Kansas City., Mark A Hoffman, Tiffany H Wilkinson, Aaron Bush, Wayne Myers, Ron G Griffin, Gerald L Hoff, Rex Archer

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.

Dually Eligible For Medicare And Medicaid: Two For One Or Double Jeopardy?, Jennifer Ryan, Nora Super

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief describes the characteristics of the population of individuals known as “dual eligibles,” who are eligible for health insurance coverage through both Medicare and Medicaid. It also looks at the differences between “full Medicaid” and “supplemental Medicaid” dual eligibles and the ongoing challenges associated with enrollment and eligibility, integration and coordination, and managed care. The paper presents several examples of integrated care programs designed to better serve the dual-eligible population, including the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, Evercare, social health maintenance organizations, and state/federal initiatives such as the Wisconsin Partnership Program, Texas STAR+PLUS, and others. Finally, …

Medical Response For Terrorist And Public Health Threats: One Region's Experience (Pittsburgh), Eileen Salinsky, Lisa Sprague

National Health Policy Forum

This site visit, planned and convened in conjunction with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s User Liaison Program, examined the efforts underway in the greater Pittsburgh area to develop emergency medical response capabilities for mass causality events. The site visit explored efforts to improve infectious disease surveillance capabilities and looked at the Region 13 collaborative’s development of a regionalized approach to emergency management planning and response. Hospital preparedness activities were also studied, including a discussion of lessons learned from a recent drill to test response to a radiological event and an exploration of conceptual frameworks to guide hospital planning …

Shaping Public Programs Through Medicare, Medicaid, And Schip Waivers: The Fundamentals, Cynthia Shirk

National Health Policy Forum

This background paper examines the use of research, demonstration, and program waiver authorities to test new approaches to the delivery of and payment for health care services in federally financed health coverage programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The paper also looks at the mechanics of waivers as well as their history and political context in shaping public programs. In addition, it explores the ways the changing state-federal relationship and the ever-growing demand for state flexibility have driven waiver policy.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Proposals And Health Insurance Risk, Dawn Gencarelli

National Health Policy Forum

In order to facilitate a better understanding of the complex issues raised by Senate and House proposals to establish a prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, this paper briefly addresses some fundamentals of the health insurance market, defines key risk-sharing mechanisms, including risk corridors and reinsurance, and identifies the relevant risk provisions in the bills. Other issues related to cost management strategies and program design, which may have an impact on cost and adverse selection, are also discussed.

The Relationship Between Health Status And Hope In Individuals With Hiv Disease, Celine Meera Chohan

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between hope and health status over a two-year period in individuals who were HIV -infected. One hundred and three individuals completed the surveys at entry into the study, at 12 months, and at 24 months. The Health Status Questionnaire (Wu et.al., 1991) measured Cognitive Functioning, Emotional Functioning, and Physical Functioning. Additionally, the Hope Scale (Snyder, 1991) and the Client Information Form were used to collect data. Results suggested hope at entry into the study was a significant predictor of physical functioning initially, at 12 months, and at 24 months. This finding suggests a link between …

The Benefits Of Breastfeeding: An Introduction For Health Educators, Sheila G. J. Clark, Timothy J. Bungum

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Currently 16% of Americans breastfeed their children for at least 12 months as recommended by the AAP, which is well below the HP 2010 goal of 25%. Breastfed infants receive benefits that can improve their health throughout their lives. The benefits of breastfeeding for children include increased resistance to infectious diseases, such as gastroenteritis, respiratory tract infections, and ear infections. Breastfed children also display lower rates of chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, asthma, and leukemia. The choice to breastfeed results in economic benefits from lower health care costs and from reduced spending on infant formula. The Healthy People 2010 targets …

Multiple Psychosocial Factors As Predictors In The Progression Of Hiv-1 To Aids, Robert Louis Dutile

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Nearly 3.1 million individuals have died of AIDS as of December 2002 and more than 38.6 million individuals were identified as being infected with HIV (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AEDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organization (WHO) 2002). Psychoneuroimmunology is a discipline that increases our understanding of the relationships between psychosocial factors, the central nervous system, the immune system, and disease. From this perspective, this study reviews the biopsychosocial medical model and components of the stress-immunity-health (SET) model. The constructs of stress and social support are discussed and defined referencing current theory and research. In addition, physiological mechanisms of stress …

Cross-Calibration Of Stroke Disability Measures: Bayesian Analysis Of Longitudinal Ordinal Categorical Data Using Negative Dependence, Giovanni Parmigiani, Heidi W. Ashih, Gregory P. Samsa, Pamela W. Duncan, Sue Min Lai, David B. Matchar

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

It is common to assess disability of stroke patients using standardized scales, such as the Rankin Stroke Outcome Scale (RS) and the Barthel Index (BI). The Rankin Scale, which was designed for applications to stroke, is based on assessing directly the global conditions of a patient. The Barthel Index, which was designed for general applications, is based on a series of questions about the patient’s ability to carry out 10 basis activities of daily living. As both scales are commonly used, but few studies use both, translating between scales is important in gaining an overall understanding of the efficacy of …

Chinese Immigrant Restaurant Owner Electrocuted, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On August 12, 2002, at 6:40 pm, a Chinese immigrant restaurant owner (decedent) died after being electrocuted by 110 volts of electricity. The restaurant owner and his wife were refurbishing a restaurant they had recently purchased. They spent the day cleaning the kitchen area while waiting for a washing machine repairman to arrive. Earlier in the day, the decedent had removed the electric cord to a single door, glass-fronted vertical cooler on rollers. He replaced the electrical cord from the unit with an electrical cord he had fabricated himself by attaching one end of a 10 foot length of 10/2 …

Wic Reauthorization: Opportunities For Improving The Nutritional Status Of Women, Infants, And Children, Harriette Fox, Margaret Mcmanus, Harry Schmidt

National Health Policy Forum

This paper examines the main reform issues affecting the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which is coming up for reauthorization this year. The paper provides background information on the WIC program, including its dramatic growth in participation and funding. It also reviews WIC’s link to health care and its impact on health outcomes. A series of considerations for WIC’s future are raised, including food package and program eligibility changes, nutrition education strategies to reduce obesity, financial risks and health consequences of relying on infant formula rebates, and new opportunities for research and demonstration.

Marketing Health Promotion For People With Disabilities, Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

Healthy People 2010 is the blueprint for improving the health and well being of all Americans. Its overall focus is to decrease health risks and to increase the proportion of people engaging in healthy behaviors. For the first time, Healthy People includes a chapter on the health of people with disabilities. Chapter Six specifically addresses secondary conditions as a public health concern. Secondary conditions are medical and psycho-social conditions people often experience following the onset of disabilities or chronic illnesses. Our research suggests people with disabilities annually experience 14 secondary conditions that limit their health and independence.

Marketing Health Promotion For People With Disabilities, Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

Healthy People 2010 is the blueprint for improving the health and well being of all Americans. Its overall focus is to decrease health risks and to increase the proportion of people engaging in healthy behaviors. For the first time, Healthy People includes a chapter on the health of people with disabilities. Chapter Six specifically addresses secondary conditions as a public health concern. Secondary conditions are medical and psycho-social conditions people often experience following the onset of disabilities or chronic illnesses. Our research suggests people with disabilities annually experience 14 secondary conditions that limit their health and independence.

Barriers And Best Practices: Marketing Health Promotion For People With Disabilities, Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

Health promotion for people with disabilities attracts a diverse audience: people with disabilities themselves, policymakers, service providers and others. This Guideline discusses our research on effective strategies for marketing and promoting RTC: Rural’s two health promotion programs: Living Well with a Disability (an eight-week workshop) and the New Directions physical activity program. It also describes the barriers people with disabilities anticipate when they consider participating in a health promotion program. If marketing strategies address these barriers, more people with disabilities may participate in health promotion activities. Secondary conditions are the medical and psycho-social conditions people with disabilities often experience following …

An Extended General Location Model For Causal Inference From Data Subject To Noncompliance And Missing Values, Yahong Peng, Rod Little, Trivellore E. Raghuanthan

The University of Michigan Department of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Noncompliance is a common problem in experiments involving randomized assignment of treatments, and standard analyses based on intention-to treat or treatment received have limitations. An attractive alternative is to estimate the Complier-Average Causal Effect (CACE), which is the average treatment effect for the subpopulation of subjects who would comply under either treatment (Angrist, Imbens and Rubin, 1996, henceforth AIR). We propose an Extended General Location Model to estimate the CACE from data with non-compliance and missing data in the outcome and in baseline covariates. Models for both continuous and categorical outcomes and ignorable and latent ignorable (Frangakis and Rubin, 1999) …

All The News That’S Fat To Print: The American "Obesity Epidemic" And The Media, Natalie Boero

Faculty Publications, Sociology

Increasingly the term epidemic is being used to describe the current prevalence of fatness in the United States. Skyrocketing rates of obesity among all groups of Americans, particularly children, the poor, and minorities, have become a major public health concern. Indeed, it is difficult to open a newspaper or magazine without encountering a discussion of the expanding American waistline and the health problems associated therewith. In this paper I use 751 New York Times articles on obesity to examine the media construction of the obesity epidemic. I show that there is not one dominant discourse (i.e. medicine) constructing this epidemic, …

Prevalence Of Overweight In Preschool Children And The Association With Dietary And Lifestyle Factors, Anthony H. Ng

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the past several decades, there has been a steady increase in obesity in the United States. National surveys indicate that 64% of American adults are overweight or obese and more than 1 0% of preschool children are overweight. This study determined the prevalence of overweight in a group of preschool children aged between three and five years at a Head Start Center and evaluated the relationship of specific lifestyle factors between caregivers and their children and the relationship of these patterns to the development of overweight. The caregivers were asked to complete a questionnaire, which assessed specific dietary and …

Acquaintance Rape Of College Students, Rana Sampson

United States Public Health Resources

Rape is the most common violent crime on American college campuses today. This guide describes the problem of acquaintance rape of college students, addressing its scope, causes and contributing factors; methods for analyzing it on a particular campus; tested responses; and measures for assessing response effectiveness. With this information, police and public safety officers can more effectively prevent the problem.
Researchers believe that college rape prevention programs, including the most widely used ones, are insufficient. Most rapes are unreported, perhaps giving campus administrators and police the false impression that current efforts are adequate. In addition, campus police may be influenced …

Validation Of A 3-Day Physical Activity Recall Instrument In Female Youth, Russell R. Pate, Rebecca Ross, Marsha Dowda, Stewart G. Trost, John R. Sirard

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) self-report instrument in a sample of eighth and ninth grade girls (n= 70, 54.3% white, 37.1% African American). Criterion measures of physical activity were derived using the CSA 7164 accelerometer. Participants wore a CSA monitor for 7 consecutive days and completed the self-report physical activity recall for the last 3 of those days. Self-reported total METs, 30-min blocks of MVPA, and 30-min blocks of VPA were all significantly correlated with analogous CSA variables for 7 days (r=0.35-0.51; P<0.01) and 3 days (r …