Public Health Commons^™

Adolescents And Parents' Perceptions Of Best Time For Sex And Sexual Communications From Two Communities In The Eastern And Volta Regions Of Ghana: Implications For Hiv And Aids Education, Emmanuel Asampong, Joseph Osafo, Jeffrey Bingenheimer, Clement Ahiadeke

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background

Adolescents and parents’ differ in their perceptions regarding engaging in sexual activity and protecting themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The views of adolescents and parents from two south-eastern communities in Ghana regarding best time for sex and sexual communications were examined.

Methods

Focus Group interviews were conducted with parents and adolescents (both In-school and Out-of school) from two communities (Somanya and Adidome) in the Eastern and Volta regions of Ghana with epidemiological differentials in HIV infection.

Results

Findings showed parents and adolescents agree that the best timing for sexual activity amongst adolescents is determined by socioeconomic …

White Paper On Pcbs In The Built Environment, Andre Barton Ashley Jr., Cheryl Marcham, Et Al.

Publications

Dr. Marcham was part of the 9-member team that wrote this paper. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of man-made chemicals associated with a potential risk to human health and the environment. They were used in many building materials, particularly caulking, grout, expansion joint material and paint, from approximately 1950 to 1978. Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have published extensive material evaluating human health impacts from exposure to PCBs. The apparent public health risks, including developmental effects in children, reproductive effects and long-term risks for cancer development, have …

Crime And Public Health: Interdisciplinary Approach To Education, Karen Miner-Romanoff, Leslie J. King

Scholarship Forum 2013

Dr. Karen Miner-Romanoff and Dr. Leslie King state that although crime rates have decreased in the last several years, they remain alarmingly high. Recidivism rates, in the meantime, continue to rise with up to half of all new prison inmates incarcerated for reoffending after their initial release (Matz, et al., 2012). As the costs of a failed criminal justice system becomes unsustainable, scholars search for new evidence-based, innovative and collaborative solutions to lower crime and increased public health and safety. As a result of this collaboration, some criminal justice and public health leaders are seeking to develop new theoretical and …

Providing Outreach And Enrollment Assistance: Lessons Learned From Community Health Centers In Massachusetts, Julia Paradise, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Carmen Alvarez, Julia Zur, Leighton Ku

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

In 2006, major health care reform legislation was enacted in Massachusetts. In many ways a prototype for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Massachusetts law required nearly all state residents to obtain health insurance, and made insurance accessible and affordable by reforming the health insurance market and providing subsidies for coverage through expansions of Medicaid and CHIP and a new program for low-income adults who are not eligible for Medicaid, known as Commonwealth Care. The law also created the “Connector,” which, like the ACA’s health insurance Marketplaces, is designed to facilitate and simplify access to insurance for individuals, families, and …

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• 2013 Karl E. Peace Award Winner

Determining Who Responds Better To A Computer Vs. Human-Delivered Physical Activity Intervention: Results From The Community Health Advice By Telephone (Chat) Trial, Eric B. Hekler, Matthew P. Buman, Jennifer Otten, Cynthia M. Castro, Lauren Grieco, Bess Marcus, Robert H. Friedman, Melissa A. Napolitano, Abby C. King

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background

Little research has explored who responds better to an automated vs. human advisor for health behaviors in general, and for physical activity (PA) promotion in particular. The purpose of this study was to explore baseline factors (i.e., demographics, motivation, interpersonal style, and external resources) that moderate intervention efficacy delivered by either a human or automated advisor.

Methods

Data were from the CHAT Trial, a 12-month randomized controlled trial to increase PA among underactive older adults (full trial N = 218) via a human advisor or automated interactive voice response advisor. Trial results indicated significant increases in PA in both …

Trends In Youth Victimization And Well-Being, And Implications For Youth Policy, Lisa M. Jones, David Finkelhor, Rashmi Nair, Michelle Collett

New England Journal of Public Policy

Youth victimization concerns have engaged educators, public health officials, and the media for many years. Cases of child victimization regularly make headlines, and in recent years public concern has focused in particular on sexual abuse, child abductions, online predators, school shootings, bullying, and cyberbullying. But little attention has been given to evidence for substantial declines in child victimizations over the past 20 years. Even for internet victimization, an area of high current public anxiety, trend data do not suggest a growing epidemic but instead find that some types of online victimization have declined over the past decade.

The failure to …

Food Insecurity Among Children In Massachusetts, Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba, Deborah A. Frank, Maya Pilgrim, Maria Buitrago, Anna Voremberg, Harris Rollinger, Denise A. Hines

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article focuses on the prevalence among Massachusetts children and families of food insecurity, inadequate access to enough nutritious food for an active and healthy life. It summarizes research findings on the association of food insecurity with less optimal children’s health and development from the prenatal period through adolescence. Food insecurity also correlates with other material hardships, such as housing and energy insecurity. Data show families’ participation in public nutrition and other assistance program is associated with decreased prevalence of food insecurity and with mitigation of its impact on children’s health and well-being. The article concludes with recommendations for policy …

Online Predators: Myth Versus Reality, Janis Wolak, Lindsey Evans, Stephanie Nguyen, Denise A. Hines

New England Journal of Public Policy

Media stories about “online predators” who use the Internet to gain access to young victims often give inaccurate impressions of Internet-initiated sex crimes. Most such crimes involve adult men who use the Internet to meet and seduce adolescents into sexual encounters. Most offenders are open about their ages and sexual motivations. Most are charged with statutory rape (i.e., nonforcible sexual activity with victims who are too young to consent). Internet-initiated sex crimes account for a salient but small proportion of all statutory rape offenses and a relatively low number of the sexual offenses committed against minors overall. Victims are often …

Children And Homelessness In Massachusetts, Donna Haig Friedman, Katherine Calano, Marija Bingulac, Christine Miller, Alisa Zeliger

New England Journal of Public Policy

In Massachusetts, more than half a million children (15% of all children) live in poverty, 30% of all children live with parents who lack secure employment, and 41% live in households with high housing cost burdens. This article examines the root causes of poverty and its links to child homelessness in the state. Though the state has a long-standing progressive political legacy, the well-being of low-income families with children continues to decline. The article offers evidence about the extent of child homelessness and its profound effects on Massachusetts children and youth. The interconnectedness of what are usually thought of as …

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• Adults Attitudes toward Teen Pregnancy

Assessing The Burden Of Crime And The Criminal Sanction: A Public Health Perspective On Critical Issues In Criminal Justice, Jeremy Travis

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

District Specific Correlates For Hypertension In Kaoma And Kasama Rural Districts Of Zambia, Seter Siziya, Emmanuel Rudatsikira, Victor M. Mukonka, Olesegun Babaniyi, Peter Songolo, Adamson S. Muula

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Hypertension a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is the most widely recognized modifiable risk factor for this disease. There is little information on the prevalence and risk factors for hypertension in Zambia, and in particular in rural areas of the country. In order to contribute to the existing global literature on hypertension, particularly in rural Zambia, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hypertension and its correlates in two rural districts of Zambia, namely Kaoma and Kasama. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a modified World Health Organization (WHO) global non communicable diseases (NCD) surveillance initiative …

Henderson County Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Study, Dr. Ritchie D. Taylor, Dr. Vijay Golla, Jacob Eagleson, Ethan Givan, Larry Koerber

Public Health Faculty Publications

This report presents the results of a Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) commodity flow study for Henderson County, Kentucky. Study components were conducted by Western Kentucky University in partnership with Henderson County Emergency Management (HCEM) and Henderson County Local Planning Committee (LEPC). Location of Henderson County and the City of Henderson in Kentucky are shown in Figure 1.1. In addition, data from an Audubon Parkway placard survey, conducted in July of 2013 for Daviess County, were used in the analysis for this report. Hazardous materials transported through Henderson County were monitored at the following sites during the study period: U.S. Highway 41 …

Parental Height And Child Growth From Birth To 2 Years In The Who Multicentre Growth Reference Study, Cutberto Garza, Elaine Borghi, Adelheid W. Onyango, Mercedes De Onis, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

inear growth from birth to 2 years of children enrolled in the World Health Organization Multicentre Growth Reference Study was similar despite substantial parental height differences among the six study sites. Within-site variability in child length attributable to parental height was estimated by repeated measures analysis of variance using generalized linear models. This approach was also used to examine relationships among selected traits (e.g. breastfeeding duration and child morbidity) and linear growth between 6 and 24 months of age. Differences in intergenerational adult heights were evaluated within sites by comparing mid-parental heights (average of the mother's and father's heights) to …

A Content Analysis Of Media Coverage Of The Introduction Of A Smoke-Free Bylaw In Vancouver Parks And Beaches, Arezu Moshrefzadeh, Wendy Rice, Ann Pederson, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Nursing Faculty Publications

The Board of Parks and Recreation in Vancouver, BC approved a smoke-free bylaw in the city's parks, beaches and recreational facilities, effective 1 September 2010. We analyzed local news coverage and portrayal of the bylaw to understand the potential influence of news media on public perception of the bylaw in order to inform the media advocacy work of public health interest groups. We compiled a data set of newspaper articles (n = 90) and conducted a quantitative content analysis to examine content related to the outdoor smoke-free policy, including article slant, topics related to smoking and tobacco control, and any …

Mesures De Santé Et De Sécurité Du Travail Dans Les Petites Entreprises Montréalaises Embauchant Une Main-D’Œuvre Immigrante : Les Stratégies Favorables À La Prise En Charge, Sylvie Gravel, Gabrielle Legendre, Jacques Rhéaume, Gilles Séguin, Charles Gagné

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cette étude portant sur les stratégies favorables à la prise en charge des mesures de santé et de sécurité du travail (SST) dans les petites entreprises montréalaises embauchant une main-d’œuvre immigrante est née des préoccupations des professionnels en santé au travail (SAT) du Centre de santé et de services sociaux (CSSS) de la Montagne, principal partenaire de ce projet. Dans les sociétés qui misent sur l’embauche des travailleurs immigrants pour combler leurs besoins de main-d’œuvre, la gestion des pratiques SST en contexte de diversité ethnoculturelle devient un sujet incontournable. De ces préoccupations ont émergé les questions suivantes : quels sont …

Assessment Of The Training And Continuing Education Needs Of A Regional Public Health Workforce, Bethany Kies, Amber T. Loos

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

A large Midwestern university recently received accreditation for its Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Requirements of the accreditation include the periodic assessment of the regional public health workforce’s professional development needs and the delivery of training and continuing education to meet those needs. To that end, this study’s primary purpose was to describe the professional development needs of the regional public health workforce and to develop recommendations for the provision of professional development activities to meet those needs. Fifty-eight respondents from 27 regional public health departments and 7 regional …

Comparison Of Hpv Dna Testing In Cervical Exfoliated Cells And Tissue Biopsies Among Hiv-Positive Women In Kenya, Hugo De Vuyst, Michael Chung, Lacopo Baussano, Nelly R. Mugo, Vanessa Tenet, Folkert J. Van Kemenade, Farzana S. Rana, Samah R. Sakr, Chris J.L.M. Meijer, Peter J.F. Snijders, Silvia Franceschi

Pathology, East Africa

HIV-positive women are infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) (especially with multiple types), and develop cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer more frequently than HIV-negative women. We compared HPV DNA prevalence obtained using a GP5+/6+ PCR assay in cervical exfoliated cells to that in biopsies among 468 HIV-positive women from Nairobi, Kenya. HPV prevalence was higher in cells than biopsies and the difference was greatest in 94 women with a combination normal cytology/normal biopsy (prevalence ratio, PR = 3.7; 95% confidence interval, CI: 2.4-5.7). PR diminished with the increase in lesion severity (PR in 58 women with high-grade squamous intraepithelial …

Epidemiology Of Esophageal Cancer, Yuwei Zhang

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Esophageal cancer (EsC) is one of the least studied and deadliest cancers worldwide because of its extremely aggressive nature and poor survival rate. It ranks sixth among all cancers in mortality. In retrospective studies of EsC, smoking, hot tea drinking, red meat consumption, poor oral health, low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, and low socioeconomic status have been associated with a higher risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Barrett’s esophagus is clearly recognized as a risk factor for EsC, and dysplasia remains the only factor useful for identifying patients at increased risk, for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma in …

Grant Application: Photovoice, Lilia Bottino, Collyn Baeder

Photovoice: A Visual Narrative Into The Lives Of Maine Refugee Women

IPEC Mini-grant application for funding of UNE student project Photovoice: A Visual Narrative into the Lives of Maine Refugee Women. Photovoice was proposed as a participatory action strategy which would provide Maine refugee women the opportunity to teach their community and policy makers about health and social issues they face. A UNE MSW student and MPH student sought to understand the barriers to health that Maine refugee women face. They proposed a project where participants would be given a camera to take photos of perceived health and social problems refugees face living in Maine. The photos would seek to …

Accreditation And Standardization In Local Public Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Reducing harmful, wasteful, and inequitable variation in public health delivery is a central objective for administrative and policy decision-makers in public health, and is embedded in the national accreditation movement. The challenge lies in accomplishing this objective while preserving the benefits of customization in public health delivery that accrue through tailoring and targeting of resources to unique community needs and risks. Public health services and systems research (PHSSR) can help determine the optimal balance between standardization and customization in public health delivery.

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• Perceptions or Reality of Body Weight

Epidemiology News, Georgia Southern University

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Perceptions or Reality of Body Weight

Net Reclassification Index: A Misleading Measure Of Prediction Improvement, Margaret Sullivan Pepe, Holly Janes, Kathleen F. Kerr, Bruce M. Psaty

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

The evaluation of biomarkers to improve risk prediction is a common theme in modern research. Since its introduction in 2008, the net reclassification index (NRI) (Pencina et al. 2008, Pencina et al. 2011) has gained widespread use as a measure of prediction performance with over 1,200 citations as of June 30, 2013. The NRI is considered by some to be more sensitive to clinically important changes in risk than the traditional change in the AUC (Delta AUC) statistic (Hlatky et al. 2009). Recent statistical research has raised questions, however, about the validity of conclusions based on the NRI. (Hilden and …

Impact Of Social Franchising On Contraceptive Use When Complemented By Vouchers: A Quasi-Experimental Study In Rural Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Babar Tasneem Shaikh, Waqas Hameed, Ghulam Mustafa, Wajahat Hussain, Jamshaid Asghar, Muhammad Ishaque, Aftab Ahmed, Mohsina Bilgrami

Community Health Sciences

Background: Pakistan has had a low contraceptive prevalence rate for the last two decades; with preference for natural birth spacing methods and condoms. Family planning services offered by the public sector have never fulfilled the demand for contraception, particularly in rural areas. In the private sector, cost is a major constraint. In 2008, Marie Stopes Society - a local NGO started a social franchise programme along with a free voucher scheme to promote uptake of IUCDs amongst the poor. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of this approach, which is designed to increase modern long term contraceptive awareness and use in …

Strengthening The Evidence Base For Accreditation: Progress In Phssr And Pbrns, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

With the launch of a voluntary national accreditation program for public health agencies, the field requires an expanding evidence base concerning which public health strategies work best, for which populations, and under what circumstances. The field of public health services and systems research (PHSSR) and practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are producing applied studies that can inform the future development and implementation of accreditation standards, and evaluate the impact of accreditation on the field of practice.

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• Special Citation from ICSA

Mapping Disease At An Approximated Individual Level Using Aggregate Data: A Case Study Of Mapping New Hampshire Birth Defects, Xun Shi, Stephanie Miller, Kevin Mwenda, Akikazu Onda

Dartmouth Scholarship

Limited by data availability, most disease maps in the literature are for relatively large and subjectively-defined areal units, which are subject to problems associated with polygon maps. High resolution maps based on objective spatial units are needed to more precisely detect associations between disease and environmental factors. Method: We propose to use a Restricted and Controlled Monte Carlo (RCMC) process to disaggregate polygon-level location data to achieve mapping aggregate data at an approximated individual level. RCMC assigns a random point location to a polygon-level location, in which the randomization is restricted by the polygon and controlled by the background (e.g., …

Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks: Creating Evidence For Practice, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Powerful opportunities for learning from variation and change in public health delivery now exists across the U.S. health system. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) provide the vehicles for harvesting evidence from applied, comparative studies -- and for feeding this information back into the delivery system.