Public Health Commons^™

Effects Of Cobalt On Dna Double Strand Break Repair-Deficient Cells, Sean Raph Ms

All Student Scholarship

Epidemiology studies of human workers exposed to particulate cobalt have found increased incidence of lung cancer. A hallmark of lung cancer, chromosome instability(CIN) manifests as either numerical or structural abnormalities, which are thought to result from unrepaired or miss-repaired DNA double strand breaks, homologous recombination (HR) and non homologous end joining (NHEJ). Previous studies have shown that HR protects cells against metal induced CIN while NHEJ does not. We investigated whether this outcome occurs for cobalt.

Is Burnout Separable From Depression In Cluster Analysis? A Longitudinal Study, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Purpose: Whether burnout and depression represent distinct pathologies is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine whether burnout and depressive symptoms manifest themselves separately from each other or are so closely intertwined as to reflect the same phenomenon.

Methods: A two-wave longitudinal study involving 627 French schoolteachers (73 % female) was conducted. Burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory and depression with the 9-item depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire.

Results: Burnout and depressive symptoms clustered both at baseline and follow-up. Cluster membership at time 1 (T1) predicted cases of burnout and depression at time 2 …

Motivational Interviewing Targeting Risky Sex In Hiv-Positive Young Thai Men Who Have Sex With Men, Chokechai Rongkavilit, Bo Wang, Sylvie Naar-King, Torsak Bunupuradah, Jeffrey T. Parsons, Apirudee Panthong, Juline Koken, Pichai Saengcharnchai, Praphan Phanuphak

Publications and Research

Motivational interviewing (MI) has been shown to reduce sexual risks among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (HMSM) in the US. We conducted a randomized trial of Healthy Choices, a 4-session MI intervention, targeting sexual risks among 110 HIV-positive youth ages 16–25 years in Thailand. Risk assessments were conducted at baseline, 1 month, and 6 months post-intervention. This report presents the analysis of 74 HMSM in the study. There were 37 HMSM in the Intervention group and 37 in the control group. The proportions of participants having anal sex and having sex with either HIV-uninfected or unknown partners in …

Patterns Of Client Behavior With Their Most Recent Male Escort: An Application Of Latent Class Analysis, Christian Grov, Tyrel J. Starks, Margaret Wolff, Michael D. Smith, Juline Koken, Jeffrey T. Parsons

Publications and Research

Research examining interactions between male escorts and clients has relied heavily on data from escorts, men working on the street, and behavioral data aggregated over time. In the current study, 495 clients of male escorts answered questions about sexual behavior with their last hire. Latent class analysis identified four client sets based on these variables. The largest (n = 200, 40.4 %, labeled Typical Escort Encounter) included men endorsing behavior prior research found typical of paid encounters (e.g., oral sex and kissing). The second largest class (n = 157, 31.7 %, Typical Escort Encounter + Erotic Touching) included men reporting …

Obesity, Food Intake And Exercise: Relationship With Ghrelin, G. Tiryaki-Sonmez, Serife Vatansever, Burcin Olcucu, Brad J. Schoenfeld

Publications and Research

Obesity, a disorder of body composition, is defined by a relative or absolute excess of body fat. In general adult population, obesity has been associated with a diverse array of adverse health outcomes, including major causes of death such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, as well as functional impairment from problems such as osteoarthritis and sleep apnea. Ghrelin is a newly discovered peptide hormone which plays an important role in obesity. It is a powerful, endogenous orexigenic peptide and has a crucial function in appetite regulation, as well as short – and long-term energy homeostasis. In the presence of increased …

A Couple’S Marital Disharmony And Its Psychological Effects On Their Children During The Hiv Disclosure Process In Kenya, Grace Gachanja

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Limited published data exists on how HIV-positive parents perform disclosure to all their children. A couple’s HIV disclosure experience to all their children is presented. They participated in a larger study conducted to understand the lived experiences of HIV-positive parents and their children during the disclosure process. Each underwent individualized in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and transferred into NVivo 8 for analysis using the Van Kaam method. Three themes emerged including HIV testing, full disclosure delivery accompanied by marital disharmony, and postdisclosure psychological effects on the family. Marital disharmony and non-involvement of the father caused the mother to fully …

Computer-Based Video To Increase Hiv Testing Among Emergency Department Patients Who Decline, Ian David Aronson, Lisa A. Marsch, Sonali Rajan, Juline Koken, Theodore C. Baina

Publications and Research

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend routine HIV screening in clinical settings, including emergency departments (EDs), because earlier diagnosis enables treatment before symptoms develop and delivery of interventions to reduce continued transmission. However, patients frequently decline testing. This study delivered a 16-min video-based intervention to 160 patients who declined HIV tests in a high volume, urban ED. One third of participants (n = 53) accepted an HIV test post-intervention. Interviews with a subset of participants (n = 40) show that before the video, many were unaware HIV testing could be conducted without drawing blood, or that results could …

Annotated Bibliography Of Peer-Reviewed Literature Related To The Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Young People In Nigeria (2000-2014), Population Council

HIV and AIDS

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development’s Programme of Action identified eight components (safe motherhood, gender equity, family planning information and services, prevention and treatment of infertility and sexual dysfunction in both men and women, prevention and management of the complications of abortion, prevention and treatment of reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted infections including HIV, elimination of harmful customary practices, and screening for reproductive tract cancers—prostate, breast, and cervix) of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) for all persons including young people aged 10–24. This annotated bibliography is organized with the eight components as its guiding framework with several …

Applying The Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process To Immunization Services: A Resource Guide For Pharmacists, Albert Bach, Jeff Goad, Mitchel Rothholz, Brian Wall, Anne Burns, Liza Chapman, Jean-Venable “Kelly” R. Goode, Sheila Seed, Rebecca Snead

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"This guidance document has been written and formatted to align comprehensive components of a pharmacy-based immunization patient encounter Collect Assess Plan Implement Follow-Up 6 American Pharmacists Association and recommendations from the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) the Standards for Adult Immunization Practice with the original framework of the PPCP.5 The colored columns to the right throughout this document are the PPCP steps as they have been published by JCPP, and the main document text describes how to integrate each PPCP step into immunization services."

Characterization Of Contaminants On Firefighter"S Protective Equipment A Firefighter's Potential Exposure To Heavy Metals During A Structure Fire, Donald F. Gagas

Online Theses and Dissertations

This research measured heavy metals, specifically cadmium, chromium, copper, and lead, on the surface of the firefighters bunker gear. Despite the fact that many studies have been conducted regarding the presence of organics in smoke emissions from structure fires, very few studies have investigated the extent of heavy metal emissions found during a structure fire. Using a wipe test procedure samples were collected from firefighters following a structure fire and analyzed for metals. Three locations on the bunker gear were used, the knee, elbow, and chest areas. The results showed that varying amounts of cadmium, chromium, copper and lead adhere …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Firefighter Participation In Wellness Programs Within A Career Fire Department In Northern Ohio, Conner O'Halloran

Online Theses and Dissertations

Firefighters respond to dangerous emergencies every day. The physical and mental wellness of firefighters is very important to their overall job performance. To support this, fire departments must have established, comprehensive wellness programs (International Association of Firefighters, 2008). Even with national standard recommendation of wellness programs, one does not exist in a fire department located in Northern Ohio.

The focus of this research is to explore reasons why these highly recommended wellness programs are not established. Successful establishment of a wellness program requires understanding why this fire department is hesitant or unsuccessful in implementing and maintaining a wellness program.

This …

Effectiveness Of Visual-Based Safety Training Compared With Non-Visual Based Safety Training In The Meat Processing Industry For Non-English Speaking, Hispanic Employees, Erika K. Rinehart

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify whether visual-based safety training for non-English, Spanish speaking employees in the meat industry is more effective than non-visual training. The literature review included in this thesis studies the known barriers to training Hispanic workers, the existing training methods out there for safety training, and the best forms of safety training for non-English, Spanish speaking workers.

The methodology in this research evaluated the effectiveness of visual-based training versus a non-visual training for non-English, Spanish speaking employees in the meat industry. Two training sessions with a total of 30 volunteers was organized in order …

The Current Status Of Safety In High School Chemical Laboratories In Kentucky, Ahmed Rashed Alyammahi

Online Theses and Dissertations

This project is construed as a follow-up of the study conducted by Dr. Jack Gerlovich and his team to assess the status of science safety in Kentucky high schools in 2003-2004. The current study gathered online responses to an expanded survey from 57 high school chemistry teachers in Kentucky. The survey was developed to find answers to four main questions: What is the current status of safety in high school chemical laboratory in Kentucky? To what extent has this status improved or deteriorated since the creation and publication of the Total Science Safety-The Kentucky Edition CD in 2003? What are …

Behavior Based Safety And The Multi-Generational Workforce, Edward Paul Grzybowski

Online Theses and Dissertations

Generational differences of Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials regarding their acceptance of feedback and observations were studied in order to determine if different approaches to each were needed in order to effectively implement a Behavior Based Safety program within a specific company. The study found that there was a greater difference between generations regarding observations than on other domains. The results suggest that additional research should be undertaken in order to extrapolate the findings to a larger population.

Respecting Intent And Dispelling Stereotypes By Reducing Unintended Pregnancy, Dawn E. Johnsen

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Experiences With Pregnancy Among Female Sex Workers In Ethiopia: A Link Up Exploratory Study, Population Council, Miz-Hasab Research Center, Organization For Social Services For Aids

HIV and AIDS

In Ethiopia, it is illegal to operate a brothel or procure sex workers as a commercial activity, but the sale of sex by women is not prohibited by law. Research suggests that the number of Ethiopian female sex workers is growing, with younger women and girls increasingly entering the sex trade. Public health programs and policies typically have emphasized HIV prevention in this vulnerable population. A 2014 study of 3,882 Ethiopian female sex workers found that HIV prevalence in the 10 study sites ranged from 15–33 percent, compared to national prevalence of 1.9 percent among women. Furthermore, since most female …

A Neural Network Analysis Of Treatment Quality And Efficiency Of Hospitals, Viju Raghupathi, Wullianallur Raghupathi

Publications and Research

Objectives: Due to the escalating healthcare expenditure and the number of hospitalizations, it is becoming increasingly important for healthcare organizations to evaluate the cost and improve the quality and efficiency of treatment.

Method: We deploy neural networks to examine the strategic association between hospitalization experience and treatment results. The healthcare data for the years 2009-2012 are downloaded from the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) of the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). We operationalize the hospitalization experience using the indicators facility ID, procedure description, type of admission, patient disposition upon discharge, APR severity of illness, source of …

The Impact Of Population, Health, And Environment Projects: A Synthesis Of Evidence, Rachel Winnik Yavinsky, Carolyn Lamere, Kristen P. Patterson, Jason Bremner

Reproductive Health

This working paper synthesizes the existing research and results from projects that integrate family planning with environment, livelihoods, natural-resource management, and other non-health development sectors. The report synthesizes the published and gray literature on current and past integrated projects and the experiences of implementers to generate a summary of the state of knowledge on integrated family planning and environment projects. Specifically, this synthesis documents what is being measured by integrated projects, the proven benefits of integration, and gaps in the evidence base. Based on this analysis, the synthesis highlights and discusses successes and challenges for documenting the impact of integrating …

Low Use And High Discontinuation Of Modern Contraceptives In Pakistan: Reasons And Policy Recommendations, Population Council

Reproductive Health

According to the latest Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 20 percent of married women of reproductive age have unmet need for contraception. Moreover, the country’s contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR), for modern and traditional methods combined, is only 35 percent—one of the lowest CPRs in the region. In addition to the problem of nonuse, the country is finding it difficult to keep current contraceptive users onboard: compared to other developing countries, Pakistan has the highest rate of discontinuation of contraceptive use. Thus, while there has been an overall increase in the use of contraceptives—modern and traditional—there is a large difference between …

The Effect Of Integrating Hiv Services On Quality Of Postnatal Care, Integra Initiative

Reproductive Health

Addressing the postnatal needs of new mothers is a neglected area of care throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Unintended pregnancies during the first 12 months following delivery, and vertical transmission of HIV during labor and delivery, are some of the challenges faced by women during the extended postpartum period. Many women want to delay or avoid another pregnancy, but are not using a modern contraceptive method. Few developing countries ensure that mothers and newborns are assessed early and monitored during the initial six-week period as recommended by WHO, which contributes to discontinuity of services received during pregnancy and delivery and limits linkages …

Expanding Young People's Access To Integrated Services In Malawi, Integra Initiative

Reproductive Health

In sub-Saharan Africa, uptake of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services among young people remains low, placing millions of young people at risk of poor reproductive health outcomes and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The “Steps to Integration” series provides a guide on how to integrate HIV and SRH services based on findings from the Integra Initiative, managed by the International Planned Parenthood Federation in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Population Council. Issue 7 of the series focuses on expanding young people’s access to integrated services in Malawi. Conclusions include: improving the quality …

Reducing Maternal And Child Mortality In Punjab: The Untapped Potential Of Family Planning, Zeba Sathar, Maqsood Sadiq, Seemin Ashfaq

Reproductive Health

Family planning (FP) is recognized as a necessary tool for faster fertility decline leading to accelerated economic development. However, its unique and potent role in preserving mother and child health is less well understood. This Population Council/Evidence Project policy brief explains why FP must be prioritized in Punjab’s health strategy as a key intervention for reducing maternal, infant, and under-five mortality in the province. By fulfilling the existing unmet need for birth spacing and limiting, it is possible to prevent 45 percent of maternal deaths, 26 percent of infant deaths, and 76 percent of young child deaths. FP’s wider health …

Use Of A Novel Imaging Technology For Remote Autism Diagnosis: A Reflection On Experience Of Stakeholders, Uwe Reischl

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Timely diagnosis and early interventions are critical to improving the long term functioning of a child with ASD. However, a major challenge facing parents is difficulty in obtaining on-time access to appropriate diagnostic services. To address this need, an imaging technology, NODA® (Naturalistic Observation Diagnostic Assessment), has been successfully developed and field-tested. NODA® includes 1) NODA SmartCapture; a smart-phone based recording system for parents to capture and share inhome video evidence of their child behavior and 2) NODA Connect; a HIPPA compliant web-platform for diagnosticians to conduct remote autism diagnostic assessments based on in-home video evidence of behavior, developmental history …

Oral Health And The Elderly Talking Points, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

Impact Of The Global Strategy For Infant And Young Child Feeding On Nutrition And Child Survival Indicators As Illustrated By The World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative Tool, Charles Ituka Mosimah

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Non-optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices are associated with malnutrition, infant mortality and under-five mortality, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the risk of under-five mortality is 15 times higher than developed countries.

Objective: To determine implementation effects of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding before and after WBTi tool assessment using infant/child health data collected between 2000 and 2013 in Cameroon.

Methods: A descriptive analysis of Cameroon’s policies, programmes and practices was conducted using the WBTi tool. Child survival and nutrition indicators before (2003-2008) and after (2009-2013) WBTi assessment were analyzed using data from …

Association Of Maternal Demographics With Breastfeeding Of Low Birth Weight Infants In Ohio In 2012, Raymond I. Okeke Jr.

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Breastfeeding (BF) is an important feeding practice for newborns, especially the low birth weight (LBW) infant population and during emergencies. Association of maternal demographics with BF in LBW infants in Ohio, especially during emergencies is not fully characterized. This study aims to fill that data gap.

Methods: The data for this study were the 2012 Ohio Vital Statistics Birth Data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health and obtained from Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County. It included all 11,805 LBW, 8.5% of the total births in Ohio in 2012. IBM SPSS version 22 was used for the …

Natural Labor Pain Management, Debora Henline Sullivan, Courtney Mcguiness

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

There is a current trend toward natural pain management in labor, and pregnant women will seek the guidance of childbirth educators to make qualified decisions. The childbirth educator bases practice on the most current evidence; however, natural pain management in labor is not well studied. This paper offers information and current evidence as well as a story that illustrates the use of many natural or complementary and alternative medical therapies used in pain management during labor.

Speaking Their Language: Integrating Social Media Into Childbirth Education Practice, Deborah Weatherspoon, Christopher Weatherspoon, C. Ristau

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

With the advancement of modern technology, the internet has become a standard platform for many forms of communication and education. The majority of pregnant females fall into the cohort known as Millenials and have experienced technology since early in life. Millenials consider technology as part of their everyday life and use it for personal interaction or a source of information. The established comfort with the use of technology combined with busy lifestyles, multiple commitments, transportation costs or logistics, childcare, or a desire for privacy, support the use of perinatal online learning. This article examines options that childbirth educators may consider …

Physical, Cognitive, Social And Mental Health In Near-Centenarians And Centenarians Living In New York City: Findings From The Fordham Centenarian Study, Daniela S. Jopp, Min-Kyung S. Park, Jonathan Lehrfeld, Michelle E. Paggi

Publications and Research

Background: Despite their strong increase, the population of the very old, including near-centenarians and centenarians, represent an unstudied and underserved population. Available studies mostly concentrate on predictors of exceptional longevity, but rarely extend their focus to other areas of functioning. Also, little is known about what contributes to experiencing a quality life in very old age. The present population-based study aims at providing a comprehensive picture of key domain of functioning, including physical, cognitive, social and mental function in very old individuals and to determine predictors of mental health indicators.

Methods: A total of 119 individuals aged 95 to 107 …

Smallpox Vaccination Of Laboratory Workers At Us Variola Testing Sites, Sharon J. Medcalf, Laura Bilek, Teresa L. Hartman, Peter C. Iwen, Patricia Leuschen, Hannah Miller, Anne O'Keefe, Harlan Sayles, Philip W. Smith

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

To evaluate the need to revaccinate laboratory workers against smallpox, we assessed regular revaccination at the US Laboratory Response Network's variola testing sites by examining barriers to revaccination and the potential for persistence of immunity. Our data do not provide evidence to suggest prolonging the recommended interval for revaccination.