Public Health Commons^™

Prevalence Of Head Lice And Hygiene Practices Among Women Over Twelve Years Of Age In Sindh, Balochistan, And North West Frontier Province: National Health Survey Of Pakistan, 1990-1994., Sadia Mahmud, Gregory Pappas, Wilbur C Hadden

Community Health Sciences

Background: Head lice infestation is an infection of the scalp and skin which causes blood loss, discomfort, and social and psychological distress with the possibility of secondary bacterial infections occurring at scratch sites. In Pakistan, although some small scale studies have been conducted to investigate prevalence of head lice in school children and the general population, no population based estimates have been reported. The National Health Survey of Pakistan (NHSP 1990 - 94) was a nationally representative health examination survey of the Pakistani population. The NHSP is the first population based household survey to collect data on the prevalence of …

A Study Of Riders' Noise Exposure On Bay Area Rapid Transit Trains, Alexis Dinno, Cynthia Powell, Margaret Mary King

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Excessive noise exposure may present a hazard to hearing, cardiovascular and psychosomatic health. Mass transit systems, such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, are potential sources of excessive noise. The purpose of this study was to characterize transit noise and riders' exposure to noise on the BART system using three dosimetry metrics. We made 268 dosimetry measurements on a convenience sample of 51 line segments. Dosimetry measures were modeled using linear and non-linear multiple regression as functions of average velocity, tunnel enclosure, flooring, and wet weather conditions, and presented visually on a map of the BART system. This …

Chhs February 2011 Enewsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, Wku College Of Health & Human Services

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

Prevalence And Natural History Of Neuropsychiatric Syndromes In Veteran Hospice Patients, Elizabeth R. Goy, Linda Ganzini

United States Public Health Resources

Context. Prospective studies are needed to adequately describe the overall impact of neuropsychiatric syndromes on the course of hospice enrollment in outpatient settings.

Objectives. To determine the prevalence and natural history of delirium, cognitive impairment, alcohol abuse, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation (SI) in community-dwelling veteran hospice patients.

Methods. Home hospice patients were visited regularly from enrollment until their deaths, study withdrawal, or discharge from hospice. Family caregivers gave consent for those with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores less than or equal to 23. Measures included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV for depression (past and current) …

Involvement Of Medical Students And Fresh Medical Graduates Of Karachi, Pakistan In Research, Kiran Ejaz, Muhammad Shahid Shamim, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim, Syed Abid Hussain

Department of Emergency Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To study the involvement in research, of final year medical students and fresh graduates of Karachi, Pakistan and to identify the factors influencing their interest in medical research.

METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire based study was conducted in 2007-2008. Five institutes representing the private and public hospitals in the city were selected by cluster sampling. Final year medical students and fresh graduates were included. Descriptive statistics were charted using SPSS v.16 after double data entry.

RESULTS: Out of 378, 186 (49%) participants had journal reading habits due to the requirement of their institution. Mostly, 157 (41%) undergraduates had already participated …

Examining The Role Of Churches In Adolescent Girls' Physical Activity, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Natalie Colabianchi, Marsha Dowda, Dwayne E. Porter, James Hibbert, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: In adults, associations between church attendance and positive health behaviors exist; however, similar evidence among children and youth is lacking. The purposes of this investigation were to examine the associations between physical activity (PA) and church attendance, PA and use of church as a PA facility, and PA and proximity to churches among those who use church as a PA facility (while addressing racial and geographic differences). Methods: High school girls (N=915, age=17.7 ± 0.6 years, 56% African American) completed the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall and surveys including demographics and use of PA facilities. Geographic Information Systems data were …

Being Surveyed Can Change Later Behavior And Related Parameter Estimates, Alix Peterson Zwane, Jonathan Zinman, Eric Van Dusen, William Pariente

Dartmouth Scholarship

Does completing a household survey change the later behavior of those surveyed? In three field studies of health and two of microlending, we randomly assigned subjects to be surveyed about health and/or household finances and then measured subsequent use of a related product with data that does not rely on subjects' self-reports. In the three health experiments, we find that being surveyed increases use of water treatment products and take-up of medical insurance. Frequent surveys on reported diarrhea also led to biased estimates of the impact of improved source water quality. In two microlending studies, we do not find an …

The Association Between Blood Pressure And Years Of Schooling Versus Educational Credentials: Test Of The Sheepskin Effect, Sze Yan Liu, Stephen L. Buka, Crystal D. Linkletter, Ichiro Kawachi, Laura Kubzansky, Eric B. Loucks

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

Attaining a degree may offer greater opportunities for health than years of schooling alone. This study examines whether there is a degree, or “sheepskin”, effect on the association between education and blood pressure.

Methods

Multivariable-adjusted ordinal and linear regression models assessed associations of years of schooling and degree attainment with systolic and diastolic blood pressure in a sample of 552 adults aged 38–47 years.

Results

Years of schooling was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure adjusting for age, gender and race (β=−0.4, 95% CL:−0.7,−0.1 mmHg systolic blood pressure/year of schooling). Additional adjustment for mother’s education, childhood verbal intelligence quotient, …

Massachusetts’ Home Care Programs And Reasons For Discharge Into Nursing Homes, Cathy M. Wong, Nina M. Silverstein

Gerontology Institute Publications

Home and community-based services (HCBS) are a range of long-term care services intended to enable older adults and persons with disabilities to “age in place” in their own homes and communities. Previous studies well document that older adults prefer receiving HCBS rather than institutional care at a nursing home. One study concluded that 84 percent of older Americans, aged 50 years and older, want to remain in their homes for as long as possible. Medicaid is a major source of funding for long term care. Currently, a large proportion of Medicaid funds in most states has been spent on institutional, …

Education And Levels Of Salivary Cortisol Over The Day In Us Adults, Jennifer B. Dowd, Nalini Ranjit, D. Phuong Do, Elizabeth A. Young, James S. House, George A. Kaplan

Faculty Publications

Background - Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is hypothesized to be an important pathway linking socioeconomic position and chronic disease.

Purpose - This paper tests the association between education and the diurnal rhythm of salivary control.

Methods - Up to 8 measures of cortisol (mean of 5.38 per respondent) over two days were obtained from 311 respondents aged 18-70, drawn from 2001-2002 Chicago Community Adult Health Study. Multi-level models with linear splines were used to estimate waking level, rates of cortisol decline, and area-under-the-curve over the day, by categories of education.

Results - Lower education (0-11 years) was associated …

Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Risk Of Prostate Cancer: Findings From The Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, Wonwoo Byun, Xuemei Sui, James R. Hébert, Timothy S. Church, I-Min Lee, Charles E. Matthews, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Objective - To examine the association between cardiorespiratory (CRF) and risk of incident prostate cancer (PrCA).

Methods - Participants were 19,042 male subjects in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (ACLS), ages 20 to 82 years, who received a baseline medical examination including a maximal treadmill exercise test between 1976 and 2003. CRF levels were defined as low (lowest 20%), moderate (middle 40%), and high (upper 40%) according to age-specific distribution of treadmill duration from the overall ACLS population. PrCA was assessed from responses to mail-back health surveys during 1982 to 2004. Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusted for potential confounders, …

Who Tests, Who Doesn't, And Why? Uptake Of Mobile Hiv Counseling And Testing In The Kilimanjaro Region Of Tanzania, Jan Ostermann, Elizabeth A. Reddy, Meghan M. Shorter, Charles Muiruri, Antipas Mtalo, Dafrosa K. Itemba, Bernard Njau, John A. Bartlett, John A. Crump, Nathan M. Thielman

Faculty Publications

Background: Optimally, expanded HIV testing programs should reduce barriers to testing while attracting new and highrisk testers. We assessed barriers to testing and HIV risk among clients participating in mobile voluntary counseling and testing (MVCT) campaigns in four rural villages in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania.

Methods: Between December 2007 and April 2008, 878 MVCT participants and 506 randomly selected community residents who did not access MVCT were surveyed. Gender-specific logistic regression models were used to describe differences in socioeconomic characteristics, HIV exposure risk, testing histories, HIV related stigma, and attitudes toward testing between MVCT participants and community residents who …

Changes In Cvd Risk Factors In The Activity Counseling Trial, Meghan Baruth, Sarah Wilcox, James F. Sallis, Abby C. King, Bess H. Marcus, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Primary care facilities may be a natural setting for delivering interventions that focus on behaviors that improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the 24-month effects of the Activity Counseling Trial (ACT) on CVD risk factors, to examine whether changes in CVD risk factors differed according to baseline risk factor status, and to examine whether changes in fitness were associated with changes in CVD risk factors. ACT was a 24-month multicenter randomized controlled trial to increase physical activity. Participants were 874 inactive men and women aged 35-74 years. Participants were randomly assigned to …

Système D’Ancrage De Garde-Corps Sur Des Toits Plats Pour Les Couvreurs : Annexe, André Lan, Renaud Daigle

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Le travail de couvreur a été classé comme l'un des travaux les plus dangereux, avec un taux de mortalité de 29 par 100 000 travailleurs (Toscano, 1997). Les couvreurs sont exposés à environ six fois plus de risques d'accidents graves et mortels que le travailleur moyen, les chutes étant les évènements mortels dans 75 % des cas (Ruser, 1995). Les lésions causées par ces chutes sont habituellement graves, exigeant de longues périodes de traitement et de convalescence occasionnant des frais médicaux importants. Les réglementations internationales sont claires; l'Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stipule qu'il faut protéger les travailleurs exposés …

Système D’Ancrage De Garde-Corps Sur Des Toits Plats Pour Les Couvreurs, André Lan, Renaud Daigle

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Le travail de couvreur a été classé comme l'un des travaux les plus dangereux, avec un taux de mortalité de 29 par 100 000 travailleurs (Toscano, 1997). Les couvreurs sont exposés à environ six fois plus de risques d'accidents graves et mortels que le travailleur moyen, les chutes étant les évènements mortels dans 75 % des cas (Ruser, 1995). Les lésions causées par ces chutes sont habituellement graves, exigeant de longues périodes de traitement et de convalescence occasionnant des frais médicaux importants. Les réglementations internationales sont claires; l'Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stipule qu'il faut protéger les travailleurs exposés …

Child Work And Labour Among Orphaned And Abandoned Children In Five Low And Middle Income Countries, Rachel Whetten, Lynne Messer, Jan Ostermann, Kathryn Whetten, Brian Wells Pence, Megan Buckner, Nathan Thielman, Karen O’Donnell, The Positive Outcomes For Orphans (Pofo) Research Team

Faculty Publications

Background

The care and protection of the estimated 143,000,000 orphaned and abandoned children (OAC) worldwide is of great importance to global policy makers and child service providers in low and middle income countries (LMICs), yet little is known about rates of child labour among OAC, what child and caregiver characteristics predict child engagement in work and labour, or when such work infers with schooling. This study examines rates and correlates of child labour among OAC and associations of child labour with schooling in a cohort of OAC in 5 LMICs.

Methods

The Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO) study employed a …

Effect Of Yoga On Soreness And Torque Loss Following A Doms-Inducing Exercise, Taffy Zghana Hawkins

Student Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that yoga training and a single bout of yoga decreases delayed onset muscle soreness in the lower extremity. The effect of a single bout of yoga in non-yoga trained individuals following a DOMS-inducing stepping exercise on muscle soreness and torque loss was assessed in this study. Sixteen college-aged females volunteered for this study and were divided into a yoga treatment group and a control group. On the first day of testing the participants completed a VAS, Visual Analog Scale, assessment of pre-exercise pain, and a sit and reach test to measure flexibility. The participants also completed a …

Complementary Feeding: A Global Network Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Nancy F. Krebs, K. Michael Hambidge, Manolo Mazariegos, Jamie Westcott, Norman Goco, Linda L. Wright, Marion Koso-Thomas, Antoinette Tshefu, Carl Bose, Omrana Pasha, Robert Goldenberg, Elwyn Chomba, Waldemar Carlo, Mark Kindem, Abhik Das, Ty Hartwell, Elizabeth Mcclure

Community Health Sciences

Background: Inadequate and inappropriate complementary feeding are major factors contributing to excess morbidity and mortality in young children in low resource settings. Animal source foods in particular are cited as essential to achieve micronutrient requirements. The efficacy of the recommendation for regular meat consumption, however, has not been systematically evaluated. Methods/Design: A cluster randomized efficacy trial was designed to test the hypothesis that 12 months of daily intake of beef added as a complementary food would result in greater linear growth velocity than a micronutrient fortified equi-caloric rice-soy cereal supplement. The study is being conducted in 4 sites of the …

Land Surveyor Struck And Killed By Passenger Vehicle, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

One late fall day in 2009, at approximately 3:30 PM, two land surveyors had completed surveying tasks for the day and were walking north, on opposites sides of a two-lane rural state highway. They were returning surveying equipment to the company truck. Surveyor 1, company owner, was walking with traffic on the east side of the road, in the grass, a few feet to the right of the pavement. Surveyor 2 was walking on the edge of the pavement on the west side of the road. Both men were on the road on the blind side of a hill and …

Municipal Solid Waste Collector Dies After Falling From Solid Waste Vehicle Hopper Area, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On a spring day in 2010, a 41 year-old male, solid waste collector, was riding in the hopper area of a solid waste truck when he fell out and struck his head on the pavement. He was riding in the hopper area because the step he usually rode, located at the rear driver side, was broken. Another worker rode the rear step on the passenger side of the vehicle, and a third worker, the driver, drove. After approaching a stop, the driver looked into the rearview mirror and saw the decedent on the pavement. The driver stopped the truck, and …

Libraries And Publishers Respond To Disaster With Groundbreaking Collaboration, Mary Moore Phd, Suzetta Burrows Mls, Maria Collins, Nancy Roderer

Faculty Research, Publications, and Presentations

The earthquake in Haiti prompted significant response from both health care workers and health sciences libraries. Individual libraries in the U.S. and elsewhere struggled to determine the best ways to support relief workers with health information resources and services. This column describes the Haiti earthquake and the response of health care workers, one organization’s experience in delivering services on the frontlines, the response of one library and its struggles to make information resources available, and the Emergency Access Initiative (EAI), an effective solution to offering information resources in times of disaster developed and implemented by the National Library of Medicine …

A Retrospective Population Based Cohort Study Examining The Black White Gap In Infant Mortality, Ina Marie Peoples

Presidential Alumni Research Dissemination Award

Black women in one US City have more than a 2-fold likelihood of experiencing a death in the womb or an infant death within the first year of life when compared to Whites. The purpose of this retrospective population based cohort study was to examine the unexplained high rates of Black fetal and infant (feto-infant) mortality in this city. The study was built on the perinatal periods of risk (PPOR) model. The PPOR model maps each death in a geographic region into four distinct periods of risk based on birth weight and age at death. The study relied upon 51,303 …

2011 Report Of The Director Of Public Health - Social Inequalities In Health In Montreal. Progess To Date, Dr. Margaret Chan, World Health Organization

Mickey Leland Center Information Portal

In 1998, the Direction de santé publique de Montréal’s first annual report noted a 10-year difference between the average life expectancy of men living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and of those in wealthy areas. Over a decade has gone by since this first portrait of Montrealers’ state of health was published and it is now time to measure the progress we have made. Therefore, the Director’s 2011 report is focused on social inequalities in health.

Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairment Is Associated With Decreases In Cell Proliferation And Histone Modifications, Teresita L. Briones, Julie Woods

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

In this study, we examined the effects of cyclophosphamide, methothrexate, and 5-Fluorouracil (CMF) drug combination on various aspects of learning and memory. We also examined the effects of CMF on cell proliferation and chromatin remodeling as possible underlying mechanisms to explain chemotherapy-associated cognitive dysfunction. Twenty-four adult female Wistar rats were included in the study and had minimitter implantation for continuous activity monitoring two weeks before the chemotherapy regimen was started. Once baseline activity data were collected, rats were randomly assigned to receive either CMF or saline injections given intraperitoneally. Treatments were given once a week for a total …

Fetal Erap2 Variation Is Associated With Preeclampsia In African Americans In A Case-Control Study, Lori D. Hill, Dashaunda D. Hilliard, Timothy P. York, Sindhu Srinivas, Juan P. Kusanovic, Ricardo Gomez, Michal A. Elovitz, Roberto Romero, Jerome F. Strauss Iii

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Preeclampsia affects 3-8% of pregnancies and is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. This complex disorder is characterized by alterations in the immune and vascular systems and involves multiple organs. There is strong evidence for a genetic contribution to preeclampsia. Two different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 2 (ERAP2) gene were recently reported to be associated with increased risk for preeclampsia in two different populations. ERAP2 is expressed in placental tissue and it is involved in immune responses, inflammation, and blood pressure regulation; making it is an attractive preeclampsia …

Cytogenetic Analysis Of An Exposed-Referent Study: Perchloroethylene-Exposed Dry Cleaners Compared To Unexposed Laundry Workers, James D. Tucker, Karen J. Sorensen, Avima M. Ruder, Lauralynn Mckernan, Christy L. Forrester, Mary Butler

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Significant numbers of people are exposed to tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene, PCE) every year, including workers in the dry cleaning industry. Adverse health effects have been associated with PCE exposure. However, investigations of possible cumulative cytogenetic damage resulting from PCE exposure are lacking.

Methods

Eighteen dry cleaning workers and 18 laundry workers (unexposed controls) provided a peripheral blood sample for cytogenetic analysis by whole chromosome painting. Pre-shift exhaled air on these same participants was collected and analyzed for PCE levels. The laundry workers were matched to the dry cleaners on race, age, and smoking status. The relationships between levels of …

Evaluation Of Toxicological Effects Of Intra Tracheal Instilled Ceo2 Nanoparticles On The Heart Of Male Sprague-Dawley Rats, Radhakrishna Para

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The growing application of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NP) in several industrial products is likely to be associated with increased risk of inhalation and exposure. How the inhalation of CeO2 NP may affect cardiac structure and function has to our knowledge, not been examined. To examine whether inhalation of CeO2 NP affects cardiac structure and function, male Sprague Dawley rats underwent a single intra tracheal instillation of nanoparticles (7 mg/kg body weight). Animals were sacrificed 1, 3, 14, and 28 days after instillation and protein isolates from the hearts were examined for the presence of oxidative stress, autophagy and apoptosis. …

The Effects Of Culturally Sensitive Education In Driving South Asian Indian Immigrant Women Towards Mammography Screening In New Jersey, Elise Elizabeth Kumar

Theses

Background & Purpose of the Study: Breast Cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer, and is becoming a major public health issue concern for many South Asian Indian immigrant women. However, women of ethnic subgroups and those who immigrated to the United States within the last ten years are less likely to have had a recent mammogram. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a culturally sensitive breast cancer educational intervention on breast cancer knowledge, perception of cancer fatalism, and improved participation in mammography screening among South Asian Indian immigrant women. Methods: Utilizing a quasi -experimental pretest/post …

Evaluation Of A Quality Management Initiative And Hiv Ambulatory Services Performance In Thailand, Meemon Natthani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The accomplishment of pilot implementation of the HIVQUAL-T model, an innovative HIV care quality management tool, has led to an authoritative decision to scale up the use of the model nationwide in Thailand. However, the level of implementing this model varies across target hospitals. Some hospitals have fully adopted the model by conducting quality improvement (QI) activities following performance measurement (PM) results while others have partially adopted only PM or have not used this model at all. The differential level of implementation could be a contributing factor accounting for discrepancies in the quality of care across different HIV ambulatory care …

Prevalence Of Metabolic Abnormalities In Children With Varying Degrees Of Obesity, Leah Sabato

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

As the prevalence of obesity among children has risen, metabolic syndrome, a cluster of abnormalities which includes obesity, altered glucose metabolism, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, has increasingly become recognized in the pediatric population. Metabolic syndrome has been studied extensively in adults, and there is increasing interest to understand the condition in adolescents; however, studies of metabolic syndrome in younger children are limited. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its individual components among children aged 6-10 years. Demographic, anthropometric, and biochemical data were gathered retrospectively from the medical records of 222 obese children aged …