Public Health Commons^™

Best Practice For Casualty Simulation - Role-Playing Actor, High Fidelity Mannequin Simulation, Or Virtual Reality?, Robert Sarlay

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: The purpose of this systemic review of the literature is to determine the best practice with regards to simulating casualties during a disaster response exercise.

Methods: MEDLINE was searched from 1950 till present for the key terms of disaster, simulation, and emergency preparedness. Articles were included which met the following criteria: English language, human subjects, original research using any research design (with or without intervention), and primary focus of disaster preparedness using simulation, virtual reality, or role playing actors.

Results: Of the 386 articles reviewed only 18 met inclusion criteria. The literature is primarily descriptive in nature with regards …

A Guide To Acquiring Healthy Nutrition And Fitness Habits For College Students: Preventing Diabetes, Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease, And Stroke, Darin P. Dillinger

Master of Humanities Capstone Projects

For the past three decades, obesity has been cited as a growing epidemic in the United States, according to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Obesity is a major contributing problem to a number of medical conditions. Studies in the NEJM have “correlated obesity with myriad cancers, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and stroke,” and other health-related problems (Fumento). Healthcare experts, doctors, and practitioners estimate it will cost billions of dollars a year to bring this problem under control and it is a major contributing factor in the rising cost of healthcare (Oliver 1). Luppold, Violette, and other practitioners …

Trends In Maternal And Infant Health: An Analysis Of Births In Montgomery County, Ohio, 2000-2010, Abby Burns

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The demographic characteristics of women who give birth are continually changing. Age, education, use of assisted reproductive technology, BMI before pregnancy, and weight gain during pregnancy are maternal factors that play a role in maternal and fetal health. Other factors including induction, route of delivery, calculated gestational age, and birthweight help determine and identify complications of pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to analyze trends of maternal demographics, risk factors, and birth outcomes associated with poor health outcomes. This research is a secondary analysis of Ohio Natality Statistical Files collected by the Ohio Department of Health, Center for Vital …

State Policies For Health Education In Public Schools, Lynda K. Vu

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Federal and state governmental activities have significantly influenced schools’ health education practices over the past 50 years. Evaluation of these initiatives in the scientific literature has enhanced development of health education and influenced the creation of the National Health Education Standards (NHES). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts periodic surveys to evaluate the impact of state and local policies on school health education programs and practices.

Objectives: This research project reviews and analyzes state health education policies for the 50 states plus the District of Columbia with regard to the recommendations of the NHES. It also …

Factors That Influence Food Access In The United States: A Snapshot Of Food Access In Ohio And Kentucky, Maimouna Falls

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: The United States is one the richest countries in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of $48,442, yet many communities lack access to affordable nutritious food. Access to food impacts health outcomes such as obesity and diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between food access and rates of obesity and diabetes in the states of Ohio and Kentucky.

Methods: County level food access data from 120 counties in Kentucky and 88 counties in Ohio were obtained from the USDA website. The dataset included demographic variables and poverty rates. Food access …

Improving Childhood Nutrition In Rural Dominican Republic, Christine L. North

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

This nutrition education intervention seeks to decrease malnutrition and increase overall health status of rural Dominican Republic children in the village of El Cercado, Dominican Republic. Working with the Child Nutrition Program run by Solid Rock International, this educational intervention will target caregivers of children enrolled in the nutrition program. Using a multi-level strategy, this intervention focuses on hygiene practices and safe food preparation, formalized nutrition education, food access and introduction of new foods. Caregivers will take part in five interactive lesson sessions where they will engage in hands-on learning and skill development associated with the target areas. Additionally, clinic …

Vision, Falls And Fear Of Falling In An Older Irish Population: Findings From The Irish Logitudinal Study On Aging (Tilda), E. Duggan, C. Finucane, H. Cronin, G. Savva, James Loughman, R. A. Kenny

Other

No abstract provided.

A Descriptive Analysis Of Lung Cancer In Montgomery County, Ohio, Catherine Klose

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Lung cancer statistics are alarming, especially when it is considered by many to largely be a preventable disease. Lung cancers are the leading cause of all cancer deaths, more than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer combined. Cancers of the bronchus and lung make up the greatest percentage of the newly diagnosed cancers reported to the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System (OCISS). The stage of diagnosis of lung and bronchus cancers is an important determinant of survival. Smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer. Race and gender disparities also exist with lung cancer, and socioeconomic factors have …

Factors That Influence Immunization Status Among A Sample Of University Students, Abigail Marie Miller

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to gather demographic information about the sample population as well as information on their attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors in relation to immunizations, vaccine-preventable diseases, and the immunization policies for entrance into California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB).

Tropical Medicine Training In The Department Of Defense, Rodney L. Coldren, David Brett-Major, Patrick W. Hickey, Eric Garges, Peter J. Weina, Paula Corrigan, Gerald Quinnan

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

No abstract provided.

Montgomery County Prostate Cancer Study: A Descriptive Study Of Prostate Cancer Incidence & Mortality In Montgomery County, Ohio, 2000-2009, Anthony F. Greaves

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among adult males in the United States. The prognosis of prostate cancer is related to the stage, with a five year relative survival rate of 100% among men diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. Modifiable risk factors associated with the disease include lifestyle, marital status, tobacco and alcohol history, physical activity, weight, diet, and geographic location. Non-modifiable risk factors include family history and genetic factors, race/ethnicity and nationality, age, and hormonal factors.

Methods: A descriptive study of prostate cancer primary prevention and early detection factors was conducted on men living in …

A Case–Control Study Of Occupation/Industry And Renal Cell Carcinoma Risk, Sara Karami, Joanne S. Colt, Kendra Schwartz, Faith G. Davis, Julie J. Ruterbusch, Stella S. Munuo, Sholom Wacholder, Patricia A. Stewart, Barry I. Graubard, Nathanial Rothman, Wong-Ho Chow, Mark P. Purdue

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

The role of occupation in the etiology of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is unclear. Here, we investigated associations between employment in specific occupations and industries and RCC, and its most common histologic subtype, clear cell RCC (ccRCC).

Methods

Between 2002 and 2007, a population-based case–control study of Caucasians and African Americans (1,217 cases; 1,235 controls) was conducted within the Detroit and Chicago metropolitan areas to investigate risk factors for RCC. As part of this study, occupational histories were ascertained through in-person interviews. We computed odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) relating occupation and industry to RCC …

The Role Of Medications In Predicting Activity Restriction Due To A Fear Of Falling, Dawn M. Guthrie, Paula C. Fletcher, Evelyn Williams, Nicole Boumans, John P. Hirdes

Kinesiology and Physical Education Faculty Publications

Objectives: To examine the role of medication use and other factors in predicting activity restriction due to a fear of falling (AR/FF). Methods: Older adults were assessed twice with the interRAI Community Health Assessment and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The main outcome was limiting going outdoors due to an AR/FF. Medications were recorded by trained assessors. Results: Participants (n=441) had a mean age of 80.3 (sd=7.1) years, most were aged 65+ (96.8%) and 29.3% reported activity restriction. Taking nervous system active or cardiovascular medications was associated with AR/FF. In a multivariate model, the main predictors were having 3+ comorbid …

Ua12/4 Stall Street Journal, Vol. 4, Wku Health Services

WKU Administration Documents

Broadsides developed by WKU Health Services to convey public health information in students in bathroom stalls. Incomplete run.

Using First Nations Children's Perceptions Of Food And Activity To Inform An Obesity Prevention Strategy, Ashlee-Ann E. Pigford, Noreen D. Willows, Nicholas L. Holt, Amanda S. Newton, Geoff D.C. Ball

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Management Of Type 2 Diabetes, Susan Harch, David Reeve, Carole Reeve

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective: This article describes the evaluation of a new model of partnership care using an audit cycle.

Results: Statistically significant improvements in foot examination, body mass index, urine albumin creatinine ratio, total cholesterol, triglycerides and visual acuity measurements were observed. Significant increases in the proportion of patients achieving cholesterol and triglycerides therapeutic targets occurred. Most other outcome indicators demonstrated a nonsignificant improvement, which may be due to the short time interval in the audit for potential change.

Conclusion: A dedicated chronic disease team and a clinical information system to coordinate culturally appropriate, multidisciplinary chronic disease care enables effective management of …

Healthy Lifestyle Programs For Physical Activity And Nutrition, N.A.

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Do Indigenous Australians Age Prematurely? The Implications Of Life Expectancy And Health Conditions Of Older Indigenous People For Health And Aged Care Policy, Philippa R. Cotter, John R. Condon, Tony Barnes, Ian P.S. Anderson, Leonard R. Smith, Teresa Cunningham

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective. To assess whether Indigenous Australians age prematurely compared with other Australians, as implied by Australian Government aged care policy, which uses age 50 years and over for population-based planning for Indigenous people compared with 70 years for non-indigenous people.

Methods. Cross-sectional analysis of aged care assessment, hospital and health survey data comparing Indigenous and non-indigenous age-specific prevalence of health conditions. Analysis of life tables for Indigenous and non-indigenous populations comparing life expectancy at different ages.

Results. At age 63 for women and age 65 for men, Indigenous people had the same life expectancy as non-indigenous people at age 70. …

Access To General Practitioner Services Amongst Underserved Australians: A Microsimulation Study, Deborah J. Schofield, Rupendra N. Shrestha, Emily J. Callander

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Background: One group often identified as having low socioeconomic status, those living in remote or rural areas, are often recognised as bearing an unequal burden of illness in society. This paper aims to examine equity of utilisation of general practitioner services in Australia.

Methods: Using the 2005 National Health Survey undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, a microsimulation model was developed to determine the distribution of GP services that would occur if all Australians had equal utilisation of health services relative to need.

Results: It was estimated that those who are unemployed would experience a 19% increase in GP …

Socioeconomic Disparities In Physical Health Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Children In Western Australia, Carrington C.J. Sheperd, Jianghong Li, Stephen R. Zubrick

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective. Few empirical studies have specifically examined the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and health in Indigenous populations of Australia. We sought to provide insights into the nature of this relationship by examining socio-economic disparities in physical health outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Western Australia.

Design. We used a diverse set of health and SES indicators from a representative survey conducted in 2000􏰣2002 on the health and development of 5289 Indigenous children aged 0􏰣17 years in Western Australia. Analysis was conducted using multivariate logistic regression within a multilevel framework. Results. After controlling for age and sex, …

Social And Emotional Outcomes Of Australian Children From Indigenous And Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds, Naomi Priest, Jennifer Baxter, Linda Hayes

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objectives: 1) profile the living environments and 2) examine the social and emotional outcomes of Australian children from Indigenous and cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds at school entry. Method: Secondary analysis of cross- sectional data collected in Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=4,735). Child mental-health outcomes were measured using parent report of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: Significant differences in family and neighbourhood characteristics, including parental income, maternal education, maternal parenting quality and neighbourhood safety, were found in children of Indigenous and CALD backgrounds compared to the reference group of Australian-born, English-speaking children. …

Promoting Fit Bodies, Healthy Eating And Physical Activity Among Indigenous Australian Men: A Study Protocol, Lina A. Ricciardelli, David Mellor, Marita P. Mccabe, Alexander J. Mussap, David J. Hallford, Matthew Tyler

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Background: Overall the physical health of Indigenous men is among the worst in Australia. Research has indicated that modifiable lifestyle factors, such as poor nutrition and physical inactivity, appear to contribute strongly to these poor health conditions. To effectively develop and implement strategies to improve the health of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, a greater understanding is needed of how Indigenous men perceive health, and how they view and care for their bodies. Further, a more systematic understanding of how sociocultural factors affect their health attitudes and behaviours is needed. This article presents the study protocol of a community- based investigation into …

Poor Food And Nutrient Intake Among Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Rural Australian Children, Josephine D. Gwynn, Victoria M. Flood, Catherine A. D'Este, John R. Attia, Nicole Turner, Janine Cochrane, Jimmy Chun-Yu Louie, John H. Wiggers

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe the food and nutrient intake of a population of rural Australian children particularly Indigenous children. Participants were aged 10 to 12 years, and living in areas of relative socio-economic disadvantage on the north coast of New South Wales.

Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study 215 children with a mean age of 11.30 (SD 0.04) years (including 82 Indigenous children and 93 boys) completed three 24-hour food recalls (including 1 weekend day), over an average of two weeks in the Australian summer of late 2005.

Results: A high proportion of children consumed …

‘It Had To Be My Choice’ Indigenous Smoking Cessation And Negotiations Of Risk, Resistance And Resilience, Chelsea Bond, Mark Brough, Geoffrey Spurling, Noel Hayman

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

While Australia is considered a world leader in tobacco control, smoking rates within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population have not declined at the same rate. This failure highlights an obvious shortcoming of mainstream anti- smoking efforts to effectively understand and engage with the socio-cultural context of Indigenous smoking and smoking cessation experiences. The purpose of this article is to explore the narrative accounts of 20 Indigenous ex-smokers within an urban community and determine the motivators and enablers for successful smoking cessation. Our findings indicated that health risk narratives and the associated social stigma produced through anti-smoking campaigns formed …

How And When Health-Care Practitioners In Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Deliver Alcohol Screening And Brief Intervention, And Why They Don’T: A Qualitative Study, Anton Clifford, Anthony Shakeshaft, Catherine Deans

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Introduction. Indigenous Australians experience a disproportionately high burden of alcohol-related harm.Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) offers the potential to reduce this harm if barriers to its delivery in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) can be optimally targeted. Aims. Examine health-care practitioners’ perceptions of, and practices in, alcohol SBI in ACCHSs. Methods. Semi-structured group interviews with 37 purposively selected health staff across five ACCHSs. Results. Alcohol screening independent of standard health assessments was generally selective.The provision of brief intervention was dependent upon factors related to the patient. Four key factors underlying health-care practitioners’ perceptions of alcohol SBI were prominent: …

Growing Up Our Way : The First Year Of Life In Remote Aboriginal Australia, Sue Kruske, Suzanne Belton, Molly Wardaguga, Conceptual Narjic

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

In this study, we attempted to explore the experiences and beliefs of Aboriginal families as they cared for their children in the first year of life. We collected family stories concerning child rearing, development, behavior, health, and wellbeing between each infant’s birth and first birthday. We found significant differences in parenting behaviors and childrearing practices between Aboriginal groups and mainstream Australians. Aboriginal parents perceived their children to be autonomous individuals with responsibilities toward a large family group. The children were active agents in determining their own needs, highly prized, and included in all aspects of community life. Concurrent with poverty, …

Area-Based Differentials In Childhood Cancer Incidence In Australia, 1996–2006, Danny R. Youlden, Peter D. Baade, Patricia C. Valery, Timothy E. Hassall, Leisa J. Ward, Adele C. Green, Joanne F. Aitken

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Background. International studies examining the association between the incidence of childhood cancer and characteristics of the area in which the patient lives have generally reported inconsistent patterns. Area-based differentials in childhood cancer throughout Australia have not been previously published at a national level. Procedure. Population-based information from the Australian Paediatric Cancer Registry was used to identify all children aged 0- to 14-years old diagnosed with invasive cancer or intracranial and intraspinal tumors of benign or uncertain behavior between 1996 and 2006. Age-standardized incidence rates per million children per year and the corresponding incidence rate ratios were calculated, categorized by remoteness …

A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Prevalence And Correlates Of Suicidal Ideation And Suicide Attempts Among Prisoners In New South Wales, Australia, Sarah Larney, Libby Topp, Devon Indig, ColmáN O'Driscoll, David Greenberg

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Background: We aimed to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among prisoners in New South Wales, Australia; and, among prisoners reporting suicidal ideation, to identify factors associated with suicide attempt.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. Participants were a random, stratified sample of 996 inmates who completed a telephone survey. The estimated population prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt were calculated and differences by sex and Aboriginality were tested using c2 tests. Correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt were tested using logistic regression.

Results: One-third of inmates reported lifetime suicidal ideation and one-fifth had attempted …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of Research On Indigenous Health In Australia, 1972-2008, Gemma E. Derrick, Andrew Hayen, Simon Chapman, Abby S. Haynes, Berenika M. Webster, Ian Anderson

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective: To determine the growth patterns and citation volume of research publications referring to Indigenous health in Australia from 1972 to 2008 compared to seven selected health fields. Methods: Web of Science was used to identify all publications (n=820) referring to the health of Indigenous Australians authored by Australian researchers, 1972 to 2008. Citations for each publication were also captured. Growth was compared with selected health fields as well as with overall Australian research publications. Results: Research publications referring to Indigenous health, while remaining relatively small in number, grew at an average annual rate of 14.1%, compared with 8.2% across …

Culture Ontogeny: Lifespan Development Of Religion And The Ethics Of Spiritual Counselling, Glen Milstein, Amy Manierre

Publications and Research

The counsellor has an ethical obligation to treat the whole person. Humans are cultural beings and the foundation of most cultures is religion. Religion and culture are received from our early relation~ ships and modified through later relationships across the lifespan. The paper introduces the term "culture ontogeny" to emphasize that this is a biological process wherein abstract ideas of culture and religion become material in the developing neurophysiology of each brain. A framework and methods are offered to examine the changing roles of religion in clients' emotional self~ structure, inclusive of those who describe themselves as spiritual, not religious. …