Public Health Commons^™

Childhood Obesity: Physiological And Psychological Implications And Ethical Responsibilities, Connie S. Lewis

Journal of Health Ethics

Childhood obesity continues to be a health concern in the United States with physiological and psychological consequences. Research conducted in schools may address the physiological effects and exacerbate negative psychological effects, including weight bias and stigmatization. In the home, children are dependent on parents/caregivers to provide a healthy diet and exhibit a healthy lifestyle.The ethical theory, ethics of care, emphasizes dependence and interdependence on others, and ethical and moral responsibilities in the parent/child relationship. The assurance of ethical considerations involving children in research and parental provision for healthy dietary provision is of utmost importance. Any action or inaction that results …

Evaluation Of The Pepfar/Usaid Asibonisane Community Responses Program In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Few programs intended to improve HIV outcomes or modulate gender norms have been rigorously evaluated in South Africa’s informal settlements where nearly 400,000 people live in KwaZulu Natal province alone. There is limited evidence on how to implement large-scale HIV-prevention programming in these contexts. Project SOAR and partners are addressing these knowledge gaps by conducting an evaluation of the PEPFAR/USAID-funded Asibonisane Community Responses Program in South Africa. Specifically, the study will assess the effectiveness of this community-based HIV-prevention program in informal settlements throughout KwaZulu-Natal—one of four provinces where the program is being carried out. This study aims to influence the …

Pregnancy Intendedness And Birth Control Use: Data From The South Dakota 2014 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (Prams)-Like Survey, Wei Bai, Bonny Specker

Ethel Austin Martin Program Publications

The health status of South Dakotans is commonly reported from public health surveillance surveys. Surveys such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) provide information that is used by policy makers, public health professionals, advocacy groups, health care organizations, and others to develop initiatives to improve the health of the population. South Dakota has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the U.S., ranking in the bottom half of states, yet there are little data available on factors that influence health behaviors and attitudes of mothers that can ultimately influence birth outcomes. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System …

Evaluation Of The Volunteer Doula Program At Brookings Health System, Jenn Anderson, Rebecca A. Kuehl

Communication Studies Publications

The 12-month research project included interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders, as well as an evaluation of promotional materials. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from South Dakota State University (SDSU) partnered with OB and PR/Marketing staff at Brookings Health System (BHS) to evaluate the volunteer doula program. The team collaboratively recruited participants and developed interview questions for key stakeholders, including: OB nurses and doctors, volunteer doulas, expectant parents, and mothers. Promotional materials were also evaluated by a persuasion expert. Our findings are drawn from interviews with 15 BHS staff, 9 doulas,

Mammography Utilization In African American Women, April D. Kidd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Breast cancer presents differently among women causing breast cancer health disparities with women of color disproportionally shouldering later-stage screening, incidence, and treatment, and greater mortality. This study assessed 10 predictors and rates of recent and long-term mammography utilization for women 43-79 years of age to better understand differences among age strata and races. This was the first study to use both the calculated Gail Risk scores (calculates absolute breast cancer risk over time intervals) from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and a temporary homelessness variable in predicting mammography utilization using national-level data.

Theoretical Framework: A modified Behavioral …

Leadership Roles: Creating Inclusiveness Within A Worship Environment, Susan L. Morreau

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

This Capstone Project sought to investigate and measure the process of social change in the community setting of a Christian church. A committee of stakeholders came together with a common passion to engage and integrate individuals of varying disabilities at all levels of church participation. As a new committee, stakeholders agreed to use the cyclical process of Participatory Action Research (PAR) to guide them in creating an action plan for promoting this congregational change. The occupational therapist served on the committee as both a co-facilitator and researcher.

While the primary purpose of the project was to objectively measure the degree …

Incentives To Change: Effects Of Performance-Based Financing On Health Workers In Zambia, Gordon C. Shen, Ha Thi Hong Nguyen, Ashis Das, Nkenda Sachingongu, Collins Chansa, Jumana Qamruddin, Jed Friedman

Publications and Research

Background: Performance-based financing (PBF) has been implemented in a number of countries with the aim of transforming health systems and improving maternal and child health. This paper examines the effect of PBF on health workers’ job satisfaction, motivation, and attrition in Zambia. It uses a randomized intervention/control design to evaluate before–after changes for three groups: intervention (PBF) group, control 1 (C1; enhanced financing) group, and control 2 (C2; pure control) group.

Methods: Mixed methods are employed. The quantitative portion comprises of a baseline and an endline survey. The survey and sampling scheme were designed to allow for a rigorous impact …

Perceived Discrimination And Self-Rated Health In The Immigrant Population Of The Basque Country, Spain, Elena Rodriguez-Alvarez, Yolanda Gonzalez-Rabago, Luisa N. Borrell, Nerea Lanborena

Publications and Research

Objective

To examine the effect of perceived discrimination and self-rated health among the immigrant population in the Basque Country, Spain, and determine whether this effect varies according to region of origin, age, sex and education. Methods

Descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population included immigrants aged 18 and older residing in the Basque Country. Data from the 2014 Foreign Immigrant Population Survey (n=3,456) were used. Log-binomial regression was used to quantify the association between perceived discrimination and self-rated health before and after checking for the selected characteristics. Results

Almost 1 in 10 immigrant adults reports perceiving discrimination. In adjusted analyses, the …

Countermarketing Alcohol And Unhealthy Food: An Effective Strategy For Preventing Noncommunicable Diseases? Lessons From Tobacco, P. Christopher Palmedo, Lori Dorfman, Sarah Garza, Eleni K. Murphy, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

Countermarketing campaigns use health communications to reduce the demand for unhealthy products by exposing motives and undermining marketing practices of producers. These campaigns can contribute to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases by denormalizing the marketing of tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food. By portraying these activities as outside the boundaries of civilized corporate behavior, countermarketing can reduce the demand for unhealthy products and lead to changes in industry marketing practices. Countermarketing blends consumer protection, media advocacy, and health education with the demand for corporate accountability. Countermarketing campaigns have been demonstrated to be an effective component of comprehensive tobacco control. This review …

Dental Care For Older Adults: Regulatory Requirements In Long Term Care Settings, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of A Healthy Mouth To General Health And Illness, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

Private Sector Costing Of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision In South Africa, Michel Tchuenche, Steven Forsythe

HIV and AIDS

In 2010, after voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) had been shown to be one of the most cost-effective strategies for preventing HIV infections, South Africa initiated a VMMC program with an ambitious target of performing 4.3 million circumcisions by 2016. However, because of a gap in knowledge concerning the overall cost of scaling up services, the South African National Department of Health requested that Project SOAR—Supporting Operational AIDS Research—conduct a private-sector costing of providing VMMC services in South Africa. The findings presented in this report provide a detailed investigation, through a comprehensive bottom-up approach, of the costs to private providers …

Why Does Oral Health In Long-Term Care Residents Matter? Talking Points For Administrators, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

Microbial Ecology Of Fresh Vegetables, J. Zheng, A. De Jesus, S. Sahu, A. E. Hayford, Y. Luo, A. R. Datta, E. W. Brown, R. Bell

United States Food and Drug Administration: Publications

The total consumption of fresh and processed vegetables has exceeded 123 kg per capita in the United States and 118 kg per capita in the European Union (http://www.helgilibrary.com/ indicators/index/vegetable‐consumption‐percapita) in 2009. Changes in lifestyles and consumption trends have prompted the sustained growth of fresh‐cut or minimally processed vegetables that are fresh and ready‐to‐eat (RTE). In 2011, for example, total US fresh‐cut produce sales through both food service and retail channels were estimated to surpass $27 billion (Cook et al., 2012).

The Social Income Inequality, Social Integration And Health Status Of Internal Migrants In China, Yanwei Lin, Qi Zhang, Wen Chen, Li Ling

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: To examine the interaction between social income inequality, social integration, and health status among internal migrants (IMs) who migrate between regions in China.

Methods: We used the data from the 2014 Internal Migrant Dynamic Monitoring Survey in China, which sampled 15,999 IMs in eight cities in China. The Gini coefficient at the city level was calculated to measure social income inequality and was categorized into low (0.2 < Gini <= 0.3), medium (0.3 < Gini <= 0.4), high (0.4 < x < = 0.5), and very high (Gini > 0.5). Health status was measured based upon self-reported health, subjective well-being, and perceptions of stress and mental health. Social integration was measured from four perspectives (acculturation and integration willingness, social insurance, economy, …

Engagement And Outcomes In A Digital Diabetes Prevention Program: 3-Year Update., S Cameron Sepah, Luohua Jiang, Robert J. Ellis, Kelly Mcdermott, Anne L. Peters

Global Public Health | Faculty Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: Translations of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) have proliferated in recent years, with increasing expansion to digital formats. Although these DPP translations have consistently shown favorable clinical outcomes, long-term data for digital formats are limited. This study's objective was to examine clinical outcomes up to 3 years post-baseline and the relationship between program engagement and clinical outcomes in a digital DPP.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a single-arm, non-randomized trial, 220 patients previously diagnosed with prediabetes were enrolled in the Omada Health Program, a commercially available, 16-week DPP-based weight loss intervention followed by an ongoing weight maintenance intervention. Changes …

Ua12/4 Stall Street Journal, Vol. 9, Wku Health Services

WKU Administration Documents

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

Stakeholder Considerations For Prep Introduction To Adolescent Girls And Young Women: Laying The Groundwork For Research Utilization In Tanzania, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

In collaboration with the Tanzania National AIDS Control Programme and CSK Research Solutions Ltd., the Population Council is conducting an implementation science research study in that country to build needed evidence to inform decisionmaking around oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) introduction to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15–24. The study uses quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data from AGYW, policymakers and other stakeholders, health providers, and AGYW’s parents and male partners to: assess their knowledge and attitudes toward oral PrEP; determine opportunities and approaches for providing PrEP; and identify potential facilitators and barriers to PrEP introduction and use. …

Systematic Review Of Scientific Evidence Supporting Yoga As An Alternative Treatment For Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Alexandria Keller

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: This study was a systematic review of scientific evidence investigating yoga as a treatment for GAD. Assessing the scientific validity of alternative health practices is necessary for proposals of inclusion in public health practices.

Methods: A comprehensive search for peer-reviewed biomedical research was conducted for literature describing interventions for GAD using yoga and its practices (e.g. physical postures, meditation, breathing exercises). Systematic research was conducted on academic literature databases available through Wright State University (Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library) using search terms selected based on key words for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition and the Sanskrit variation …

Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis And Schistosomiasis In Children Of Poor Families In Leyte, Philippines: Lessons For Disease Prevention And Control, Harvy Joy Liwanag, Jhanna Uy, Janis Ruth Gatchalian, Betty De La Calzada, Justine Alessandra Uy, Manuel Dayrit, Ramil T. Bataller

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Objective

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to be a public health problem in the Philippines. We assessed the association of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and schistosomiasis with selected health-related and socioeconomic variables in four villages in Leyte, Philippines.

Methods

Stool specimens from 418 adults and 533 of their children from 209 families were examined through the Kato-Katz technique.

Results

STH and schistosomiasis were present in 64.6% and 12.5%, respectively, of study participants. Analysis through the generalized linear mixed model revealed a number of associations between infection in parents and their children. Findings indicate that years of disease prevention and control efforts …

Prevalence And Associated Factors Of Illicit Drug Use Among University Students In The Association Of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Siyan Yi, Karl Peltzer, Supa Pengpid, Indri Hapsari Susilowati

Background: Illicit drug use among university students has been recognized as a global public health issue in recent years. It may lead to poor academic performance that in turn leads to poor productivity in their later life. This study explores prevalence of and factors associated with illicit drug use among university students in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Methods: This multi-country cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A multi-stage cluster sampling was used to select undergraduate students from one or two universities in each …

Patterns Of Hiv Testing, Drug Use, And Sexual Behaviors In People Who Use Drugs: Findings From A Community-Based Outreach Program In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Gitau Mburu, Chanrith Ngin, Sovannary Tuot, Pheak Chhoun, Khuondyla Pal, Siyan Yi

Background: People who use drugs are an important priority for HIV programs. However, data related to their utilization of HIV services are limited. This paper reports patterns of HIV testing, drug use, and risk and service perception among people who use drugs. Study participants were receiving HIV and harm reduction services from a communitybased program in Phnom Penh, comprised of itinerant peer-led outreach and static drop-in centers.

Methods: This was a mixed-methods study conducted in 2014, comprising of a quantitative survey using a structured questionnaire, followed by two focus group discussions among a sub-sample of survey participants. Participants …

Benefits Of The 340b Drug Discount Program, Jarrett Gerlach, Sarah Mcsweeney, Angela Swearingen, Nitesh Patil, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Introduction: The 340B Drug Discount Program required drug manufacturers provide discounted outpatient drugs to healthcare organizations which serve vulnerable patient populations to allow these institutions to offer more services to more people. As the 340B program expanded, controversy has centered on which entities have benefited from the program. Many healthcare organizations sold 340B drugs to well-insured patients at full price, and thus have been financially rewarded. Amendments to the program have permitted 340B providers to utilize contract pharmacies to dispense 340B medication, which has furthered the debate over which stakeholders are benefiting from the program.

Purpose of the Study: The …

The Effects Of Vaccinations On Public Health, Caitlin Reveal

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

This is a review of scholarly literature of the importance of vaccinations and the effects of vaccination uptake and vaccination refusal on public health. It assesses how vaccinations came to exist and what they do in the human body. It highlights reasons parents opt not to vaccinate their children and the side effects vaccinations may cause. There is a major emphasis on the effectiveness of vaccinations, especially in schools, where children are much more likely to be exposed to diseases than the general public. Because health care workers are often at the front line of contracting and/or transmitting diseases, the …

Seven Foundational Principles Of Population Health Policy, Dhrubajyoti Bhattacharya, Jay Bhatt

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

In 2016, Keyes and Galea issued 9 foundational principles of population health science and invited further deliberations by specialists to advance the field. This article presents 7 foundational principles of population health policy whose intersection with health care, public health, preventive medicine, and now population health, presents unique challenges. These principles are in response to a number of overarching questions that have arisen in over a decade of the authors' collective practice in the public and private sectors, and having taught policy within programs of medicine, law, nursing, and public health at the graduate and executive levels. The principles address …

Data-Driven Birth Outcomes Objectives For A Community Health Improvement Plan, Casey Gayheart

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Purpose: To identify factors associated with poor birth outcomes in four Montgomery County, Ohio zip codes identified as priority areas for public health intervention.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from zip codes 45415 (N=267), 45416 (N=158), 45417 (N=1,104) & 45426 (N=571) in Montgomery County, Ohio from 2013 – 2015. The outcome was birth weight. Predictor variables included maternal demographics and behavioral variables. Multiple linear regression was used to test for associations.

Results: Children of White mothers had greater mean birth weight compared to children of non-White mothers in all four zip codes; it was statistically significant in …

Screening Families For Unmet Social Needs In A Pediatric Clinic, Elizabeth Evans Peterson

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Previous research indicates that at least 60% of preventable deaths are caused by modifiable factors. Children, especially those under the age of five, are the most at-risk population for negative social determinants of health. Identifying and mitigating these factors could break the poverty impact cycle and promote wellness into adulthood, improving community health outcomes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe trends in unmet social needs of children attending a well-child visit in Dayton, Ohio. Methods: Families attending a hospital-affiliated clinic during a well-child visit were asked to complete a simple, 10-item questionnaire. This cross-sectional study utilized …

Measurable Predictors Of Birth Outcomes: Community Health Needs Assessment Objectives, Tazeen Ahmed

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify measurable predictors of birth weight in the four zip codes of Montgomery County, Ohio with the poorest health outcomes. Previous literature has shown that birth weight is strongly correlated with risk of infant mortality.

Methods: Multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship between multiple predictor variables and the outcome of interest, birth weight. Separate models were fit for each zip code (45402, 45405, 45406, and 45414). Maternal and infant characteristics were analyzed to assess which variables served as the best predictors of birth weight in order to better allocate …

The Role Of Msm Status, Race, And Marijuana Use In Hiv Risk Among Adult Males In The Columbus, Oh Region, Andrea M. Hager

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is a life-long illness that affects millions across the globe. Young adult males, especially men who have sex with men (MSM), are at significant risk for the virus. This project examined a hypothesized association between marijuana use and HIV infection, comorbidity of HIV and other STIs, and potentially confounding variables in a sample of men tested for HIV in Columbus, Ohio.

The sample included a total of 898 non-Hispanic/Latino males (294 White, 604 Black/African-American, non-Hispanic/Latino males aged 18 to 74 years. All were tested for HIV between February 2013 and April 2013 by Columbus (Ohio) …

Assessment Of Current Occupational Safety And Health Regulations And Legislation In The Caribbean, Muge Akpinar-Elci, Myngoc Nguyen, Marvin Randall, Satesh Bidaisee, Omur Elci, Olaniyi Olayinka

Center for Global Health Publications

Neglecting occupational safety and health (OSH) can have adverse and even deadly consequences. While OSH is important in any nation, the issue is particularly concerning in developing countries, including ones in the Caribbean. The purpose of this study, which was carried out in 2012 and 2013, was to examine the reasons for an apparent fundamental lack of awareness of OSH in the Caribbean. We conducted a descriptive study, in which a questionnaire was administered, via telephone, to key policy-making representatives from six English-speaking Caribbean nations, in order to assess the current OSH environment in their countries. We also did a …