Public Health Commons^™

Belize : Maternal Mortality And Morbidity, Kelsey Snodgrass

Global Public Health

In this report, we discuss infant and maternal mortality/morbidity rates in Belize. While the problem is getting better, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to fix it. Those in rural areas are still not being reached and are the most at risk for maternal and infant mortality due to lack of transportation and hospitals in the region.

Turkey : Asthma, Nicole Adams

Global Public Health

In the Middle-Eastern country of Turkey, they have the public health issue of asthma which is directly related to the amount and type of air pollution. Asthma is a health condition that can be found all over the world and it can happen to anyone. Although it is not readily noticed, the number of cases of asthma change along with the amount of air pollution, specifically SO₂ and PM₁₀ levels. SO₂ is a gas that be toxic when abundant and it occurs when coal that has sulfur is burned. PM₁₀, or particulate matter, is the …

Spain : Childhood Obesity, Emily Haygood

Global Public Health

Throughout the world, obesity is increasing as a public health issue. Specifically, in Spain, which is on the rise for childhood obesity. It is reported that around 1/3 of children in Spain have an excess of weight. Part of this high rate of obesity can be attributed to the high income status. This exposes the population to activities and habits that may lead to poor lifestyle choices. For example, the access to television can decrease activity in children as well as access to fast food can allow for poor nutritional habits.

Singapore : Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), Dexter Lipps

Global Public Health

Singapore ranks as one of the healthiest countries in the world and its healthcare system has been regarded as one of the most efficient. While a minority of the population experience any chronic diseases such as diabetes or asthma, one illness, severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS has been prevalent in the country since the global outbreak in 2003. SARS is a virus causing disease that is easily transmitted through the air. In 2003, Singapore, along with much of the world, saw a high rate of infection for the disease. An in depth look revealed that three women traveling home …

New Zealand : Mumps Outbreak, Kathryn Evans

Global Public Health

The purpose of this Health Brief is to discuss the outbreak of mumps in New Zealand during the summer of 2017. The year saw more cases than the past sixteen years combined. The reason that New Zealand, a high-income country that generally does not struggle with communicable diseases, may be experiencing this outbreak is low vaccination rates in the 1990’s. It appears that there was a decline in coverage for the MMR immunization at this time due to several factors. These include a transition in the timing of the second dose of MMR, a change from four years to eleven …

Nepal : Healthcare And Sanitation Issues Resulting From Frequent Natural Disasters In Nepal, Jake Lauderdale

Global Public Health

This Public Health Brief calls to attention the issues plaguing Nepal as a result of both frequent natural disasters and poor healthcare infrastructure. The geographic characteristics of Nepal are shown to be a major factor in the damage and aftermath of natural disasters such as earthquakes. Due to its status as a poor and economically weakened country, Nepal must rely heavily on outside aid in order to alleviate the pressure of frequently occurring natural disasters. Despite work being done by several Non-Governmental Organizations, Nepal has a long way to go before they are able to independently manage the outcomes of …

Peru : Zika Virus, Benjamin Martin

Global Public Health

This document covers zika virus as a public health issue in Peru. Peru is a coastal country in South America. It has a population of 31,777,000 and faces many problems in the years to come. Some of those problems are a largely informal economy, the melting of glaciers, and lots of the population are impoverish and under-educated. These challenges the country is facing makes zika virus more dangerous. Zika virus is a disease that is spreading across the world and is most dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause birth defects for the child, such as microcephaly. In this …

Afghanistan : Tuberculosis, Emily Fulk

Global Public Health

Afghanistan, a country in the Middle East, faces the epidemic of an infectious bacterial lung disease called Tuberculosis, or TB. Tuberculosis is fairly easy to spread, as the bacteria that causes it are spread from one person to another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes. Despite the widespread amounts of individuals affected with TB, it is known to be easily curable using a six month treatment. And so public health officials have implemented a program called DOTS, or Directly Observed Treatment Short Course in Kabul City to test the effectiveness of this treatment. The DOTS …

Puerto Rico : Zika Virus, Rachel Cybulski

Global Public Health

Puerto Rico has had an epidemic of Zika virus within the past few years. Considering the close distance to America, the U.S. has been up-to-date in stopping the spread of Zika from Puerto Rico to the states. In 2016 particularly, the United States declared Puerto Rico to be in a state of emergency due to the heavy presence of the virus. Although this specific outbreak has been terminated, the likelihood of another such occurrence is high, so it is important to learn about the effects of Zika and ways to prevent the spread. The major result of having the virus …

Burundi : Water Scarcity, Isabel Salas

Global Public Health

Burundi is located near the African great lakes region of East Africa. This country is one of the poorest and hungriest countries throughout the world because of this they are facing multiple problems with communicable disease. These families are seeing a reduction in the amount of water available to them and based on this they are receiving water from external sources such as wells and lakes. Most of the water throughout Burundi is contaminated with Phytoplankton which increase cholera outbreaks in this area. It has also been shown that uranium impacts the water throughout the wells and lakes. Both of …

Guam : Mumps, Taylor Covert

Global Public Health

In the years of 2009-2010, Guam experienced an outbreak of mumps that was widespread throughout the country. Mumps is a disease in which the parotid gland located in the face and neck region swells and can cause inflammation in the brain. Though a majority of the citizens were vaccinated for MMR, there was still a problem throughout the nation. The vaccine is provided in a number of doses, three being the optimal amount. It was later revealed that citizens who were vaccinated only received two doses, not fully protecting them from the illness. 505 cases were reported overall for this …

Chad : Hepatitis E, Hanna Pegarsch

Global Public Health

Contaminated drinking water in Chad is the main source for a Hepatitis E outbreak, leading Chad citizens to develop severe illness including jaundice, liver-failure, miscarriage, and death. There are 0.4 physicians for every 10,000 people living in Chad needing healthcare. Of the citizens in Chad, only 42% have access to uncontaminated drinking water. With such a long incubation period for Hepatitis E, the citizens don’t know they are spreading the illness to the rest of their community. Even with the symptoms, the citizens don’t have the access or the capacity for treatment, making Hepatitis E an epidemic in Chad.

Namibia : Hiv As A National Issue, Elisabeth Vlasak

Global Public Health

Namibia is located on the southwestern coast of Africa, bordering Angola, Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean. Namibia has a population of 2,265,000, as of 2016. Namibia has many challenges, including food insecurity and malnutrition, access to health services, unequal distribution of wealth, but HIV/AIDS is one of the country’s leading challenges. It is estimated that the overall adult infection rate of HIV/AIDS is 15.4% and it is the leading cause of death in Namibia. Adults ages 18-24 are the most at-risk for the disease. Some of the major risk factors are declining condom use, misinformation, social stigma, …

Ecuador : The Epidemics, Anna Thoma

Global Public Health

Ecuador currently has many epidemic diseases. This research focuses in on the zika virus and how it has been impacting the population. It also covers the greater impact zika has on pregnant women.

Zimbabwe : Malaria, Ashton Hutcheson

Global Public Health

Zimbabwe, a developing country in southeastern Africa, has a population of over 15 million people. The large majority of this population is at risk for various prevalent infectious disease including the significant threat that is Malaria. Zimbabwe is a country within what the World Health Organization determines as the “WHO African Region.” This region is where 90% of Malaria deaths occur worldwide. This brief provides reasons why malaria is such a major problem including the country’s general lack of clinics and key risk factors associated with contracting malaria. It was found that those most at-risk for malaria live in houses …

Haiti : A Water Crisis, John Karras

Global Public Health

Haiti has always been a country stricken with poverty, and to have such a devastating earthquake hit them in 2010 was detrimental to any plans they had to improve the country. The earthquake negatively contributed to the very same water system the Haitian government was trying to improve. The massive 7.0 earthquake broke some of the water channels, which ultimately lead to the growth of many Cholera colonies in the pipes. This all led to the Cholera outbreak in October 2010. More recently, Haiti has been in a slightly better state, but not well enough for the people to live …

Guatemala : Chagas Disease, Audrey Datzman

Global Public Health

Chagas disease is a parasitic and vector-borne endemic prevalent across Latin American countries, particularly Guatemala. The parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, is spread through triatomine insect vectors often found in low-income housing. Already claiming twelve-thousand deaths in 2016, Guatemala faces a major challenge in attempting to eliminate the triatomine vectors of Chagas disease. Various interventions have been undertaken in the country, including insecticide-based control and community-based vector surveillance.

Liberia : Maternal Health & Ebola, Chelsey Hernandez

Global Public Health

Throughout the world, many low-income countries suffer from poor nutrition, lack of health resources, and little to no access to other valuable resources. Previous research has demonstrated the poor state of health in Liberia as a result of these various socioeconomic factors. Although Liberia faces many public health issues, the 2014 Ebola epidemic reversed whatever progress was made. Maternal and child health in particular has severely decreased, especially in recent years. This brief focuses on the impact of the 2014 Ebola epidemic had on maternal health.

Ukraine : Papillary Thyroid Cancer, Elizabeth Paris

Global Public Health

Ukraine is a middle- to low- income country run by a semi-presidential republic, after the banning of the Communist party in the early 1990's. While the nation faces various internal and external challenges, including unemployment rates and war with Russia, Ukraine also continues to face a major public health issue that originated in the 1980's. In 1986, an explosion was triggered at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine. The explosion released radioactive iodine into the ground, water, and air, and it was discovered soon after that this had a long-lasting effect on health. It has been observed that rates …

Gabon : Hiv/Aids, Amanda Lindau

Global Public Health

Gabon is a country in West Africa that has a population of 1.8 million and is a relatively poor nation. It has had quite a few public health and political problems in the last couple of years. These problems include water and electricity shortages along with HIV/AIDS. HIV seems to be one of the biggest public health problems in Gabon at this moment. There is quite a bit of the population that is living with this virus. However, there are many people that are living with this virus but either do not understand the severity of it or just do …

Vietnam : Dengue Fever, Brittany Hatlestad

Global Public Health

This brief covers political structure, internal challenges, and external challenges in Vietnam, as well as epidemiology, identification, intervention, challenges, and suggestions regarding dengue fever throughout Vietnam. Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, is a leading cause of illness and death in tropical and subtropical countries. Climate variability and change has significantly increased the vector population in Vietnam, and the effects are most significant in peri-urban/rural urban areas. Dengue-related signs include flu-symptoms, leading to undiagnosed dengue fever. The citizens of Vietnam encounter challenges including lack of quality public health insurance and care, extremely high cost of treatment, prime environment for vectors, …

Marketing Research Report: Lead Poisoning Dilemma In Scott County, Hoang Nguyen, Brendan Gould, Trace Timmons

2017-2018: Scott County, Iowa Health Department

Research was contracted from August-October 2017 by Augustana College students to examine opportunities for improving media engagement regarding the prevalent dilemma of lead poisoning within the Scott Community area. In particular, we conducted research to discover why Scott County residents are not testing their children for lead poisoning. The purpose of the research is to enhance Scott County Health Department’s media outlets in order to demonstrate the seriousness of this issue and hopefully persuade as many parents as possible into getting their children tested.

The Development Of Insights On Priority Audiences And Awareness Messages For Child Lead Poisoning, Andrew Kladiva, Austin Whelan

2017-2018: Scott County, Iowa Health Department

The purpose of this project is to assist the Scott County Health department (SCHD) in gaining further insights into public opinion regarding child lead poisoning by investigating the public knowledge of lead poisoning and more specifically how knowledgeable members of Scott County are of the issue. To assist the SCHD to develop a marketing campaign regarding how to increase the perceived importance and knowledge of child lead poisoning for the average Scott County resident, we conducted research to explore why a large percentage of the population in Scott County doesn’t know about the dangers of lead poisoning. Some of our …

Lead Poisoning Awareness Final Report For Scott County Health Department, Andrew Kladiva, Austin Whelan, Amanda Whelan

2017-2018: Scott County, Iowa Health Department

The following study looks to address the public knowledge of lead poisoning and more specifically how knowledgeable members of Scott County are of the issue. We were approached by Scott County Health Department to assist them in developing an idea on how to increase the perceived importance and knowledge of child lead poisoning for the average Scott County resident. We conducted research to determine why a large percentage of the population in Scott County doesn’t know about the dangers of lead poisoning. Some of our hypotheses were low awareness, lack of education on the subject, and differing opinions among age …

Christians’ Cut: Popular Religion And The Global Health Campaign For Medical Male Circumcision In Swaziland, Casey Golomski, Sonene Nyawo

Anthropology

Swaziland faces one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world and is a site for the current global health campaign in sub-Saharan Africa to medically circumcise the majority of the male population. Given that Swaziland is also majority Christian, how does the most popular religion influence acceptance, rejection or understandings of medical male circumcision? This article considers interpretive differences by Christians across the Kingdom’s three ecumenical organisations, showing how a diverse group people singly glossed as ‘Christian’ in most public health acceptability studies critically rejected the procedure in unity, but not uniformly. Participants saw medical male circumcision’s promotion and …

Law-Based Arguments And Messages To Advocate For Later School Start Time Policies In The United States, Clark J. Lee, Dennis M. Nolan, Steven W. Lockley, Brent Pattison

Homeland Security Publications

The increasing scientific evidence that early school start times are harmful to the health and safety of teenagers has generated much recent debate about changing school start times policies for adolescent students. Although efforts to promote and implement such changes have proliferated in the United States in recent years, they have rarely been supported by law-based arguments and messages that leverage the existing legal infrastructure regulating public education and child welfare in the United States. Furthermore, the legal bases to support or resist such changes have not been explored in detail to date. This article provides an overview of how …

Public Health Measures Derived From The Jewish Tradition: Ii. Washing And Cleaning, Noam Zeffren, Tova Chien, Robert Stern

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (New York) Publications and Research

The authors discuss public health measures that are described in the Torah and rabbinic literature, focusing on hand washing and cleaning.

Adelante Ambassadors: Using Digital Media To Facilitate Community Engagement And Risk-Prevention For Latino Youth, Nicole Barrett, Ricardo Villalba, Elizabeth L. Andrade, Alison Beltran, W. Douglas Evans

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Digital and social media are now widely used to promote engagement in health programs and improve health behaviors across a variety of age groups and domains. However, limited research exists on applying culturally relevant, new media interventions specific to Latino immigrant youth. This paper describes the pilot Adelante Youth Ambassador program for Latino immigrant youth, which used digital media and community-based participatory research to build positive youth development (PYD) assets as a prevention mechanism to reduce co-occurring health risks of substance use, sexual risk, and interpersonal violence. We worked collaboratively with adolescents to create video content as a conduit for …

Conventional Early Infant Diagnosis In Lesotho From Specimen Collection To Results Usage To Manage Patients: Where Are The Bottlenecks?, Appolinaire Tiam, Michelle M Gill, Heather J Hoffman, Anthony Isavwa, Mafusi Mokone, Matokelo Foso, Jeffrey T Safrit, Lynne M Mofenson, Thorkild Tylleskär, Laura Guay

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Early infant diagnosis is an important step in identifying children infected with HIV during the perinatal period or in utero. Multiple factors contribute to delayed antiretroviral treatment initiation for HIV-infected children, including delays in the early infant HIV diagnosis cascade.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate early infant diagnosis turnaround times in Lesotho. Trained staff reviewed records of HIV-exposed infants (aged-6-8 weeks) who received an HIV test during 2011. Study sites were drawn from Highlands, Foothills and Lowlands regions of Lesotho. Central laboratory database data were linked to facility and laboratory register information. Turnaround time geometric means …

Social Media And Sexual Behavior Among Adolescents: Is There A Link?, Megan Landry, Monique M. Turner, Amita N. Vyas, Susan Wood

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: Adolescent sexual risk taking and its consequences remain a global public health concern. Empirical evidence on the impact that social media has on sexual health behaviors among youth is sparse.

Objective: The study aimed to examine the relationship between social media and the change in sexual risk over time and whether parental monitoring moderates this relationship.

Methods: This study comprised a sample of 555 Latino youth aged 13-19 years from Maryland, United States completing baseline and follow-up surveys. Mixed-effects linear regression was used to examine the relationship between social media and the change in sexual risk over time and …