Public Health Commons^™

Characteristics Of The Health Information Technology Workforce In Georgia, Imaobong Ekpo, Emmanuel Akowuah, Bettye Apenteng, Samuel Opoku

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Advancement in medical technology, as well as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, has in part influenced the demand for health information technology (HIT) workers. While other sectors have experienced a tremendous increase in the information technology workforce, the health sector lags in this regard. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of the HIT workforce in Georgia, relative to surrounding states and the United States.

Methods: The supply of the HIT workforce in Georgia, surrounding states, and the United States was estimated using data from the 2014-2016 American Community Survey (ACS). …

The Ethics Of Parental Refusal To Vaccinate: Costs, Community Safety, And Individual Rights, Olatanwa Adewale, Carla Cooper, Pascal Felix, Ashley K. Mitchell, Justin Savage, William A. Mase

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccination has reduced the burden of infectious diseases to a significant extent. In recent times, however, the focus has been more on vaccine safety rather than effectiveness. As with any other public health program, immunizations and associated policies are designed to protect the health of the public. Compared to minor risks of side effects of vaccination, the risk of infection often rationalizes the use of vaccination. In states like Georgia, with fewer outbreaks associated with non-vaccination, the need to access community immunity remains constant. Though some articles have assessed parental refusal of …

The Impact Of Maternal Literacy Skills On Child Weight In Mozambique, Ashley Watson, Shannon Self-Brown, Iris Feinberg, Whitney Rostad

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Infant mortality is a serious public health problem. One factor that is strongly associated with infant mortality is low weight in children. The percentage of underweight children under the age of five in Mozambique was 16% in 2012. In order to reduce the number of underweight children in this country, contributing caregiver characteristics of this problem should be investigated. One potentially relevant characteristic is maternal literacy, which has been under investigated. Objective: This study aims to determine whether maternal literacy affected the weight and body-mass-index (BMI) of children ages 0 to 3 years old in Mozambique.

Methodology: A cross-sectional …

Relationship Between Self-Report And Observed Parenting Among Parents In Treatment Versus Not In Treatment Populations, Rabab Zahidi, Jessica S. Rogers, Wendy P. Guastaferro, Daniel J. Whitaker

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Most maltreatment, by definition, is a failure of parenting. However, even without maltreatment, poor parenting can lead to a variety of negative outcomes including social, emotional and behavioral problems. Given that parenting plays a key role in child outcomes, one of the foci of interventions are parenting programs. Interventions for parents must be evaluated using standardized assessment tools, which leads to an important question; how can we best assess parenting? Observational methods (observing a parent and child interact) are often regarded as the gold standard in the assessment of parental behaviors but are cumbersome to administer. Self-reports of parenting …

Sociodemographic And Biometric Factors Associated With Eating Behaviors Among African American Women Aged 18-74, Takiyah J. Thomas, Jammie M. Hopkins, Riba Kelsey-Harris, Folashade Omole, Ernest Alema-Mensah

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Obesity is a growing problem in the United States and is disproportionately increasing among African Americans. The objective of this study is to examine the sociodemographic and biometric factors associated with eating behaviors among African American women.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2009-2010 dietary screener and weight history questionnaire from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariable analyses were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to determine the association between six specific eating behaviors and different sociodemographic and biometric factors. Analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4.

Results: The analyses show …

Living Arrangement: A Contributor To Vascular Disease In Asymptomatic African American Women, Meldra Hall, Elizabeth Ofili, Rigobert Lapu-Bula, Ernest Alema-Mensah, Stephanie Miles-Richardson

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Diminished social support has shown to lead to worse cardiovascular outcomes and since cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.), it is critical to non-invasively study its precursor- vascular disease (VD). Assessing the impact social support has on vascular outcomes can unveil potential CVD susceptibilities in at-risk populations. African American women exhibit the greatest burden of CVD morbidity and mortality; therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the association between living arrangement/social support and impaired vascular function in asymptomatic African American women.

Methods: Vascular function was assessed by a non-invasive …

The Business Case For Investing In Social And Behavior Change For Family Planning, James Rosen, Nicole M. Bellows, Lori Bollinger, Willyanne Decormier Plosky, Michelle Weinberger

Reproductive Health

Although the development field generally considers social and behavior change interventions essential parts of quality health programs, lack of synthesized information on costs and effectiveness means that decision-makers under-appreciate and under-fund social and behavior change efforts. This business case uses evidence to answer questions about the effectiveness, cost, cost-effectiveness, and return on investment from social and behavior change efforts. To develop this family planning social and behavior change business case, nearly 200 studies were evaluated. All USAID strategic priorities for global health—preventing child and maternal deaths, controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and combating infectious diseases—employ social and behavior change approaches to …

Examining The Effect Of A Hypothetical Safe Injection Facility On Hiv And Hcv Transmission Rates In Kent County, Michigan, Trevor Ditmar

McNair Scholars Manuscripts

Previous literature has established that increases in prescription opioid misuse has resulted in similar increases in injection drug use (IDU), collectively referred to as the “opioid epidemic” in the US. Due to this surge in IDU, incidence of Hepatitis C (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are on the rise in many regions. Research conducted in Canada and elsewhere has supported the use of Safe Injection Facilities (SIFs) and Needle Syringe Programs (NSPs) to mollify disease incidence, but only NSPs are operating in the US despite SIFs having been in use in Canada for several decades. As little research has …

An Evidence Based Rationale For Making Tick - Borne Relapsing Fever A Nationally Notifiable Disease, Kyle M. Hatcher

Theses and Dissertations

Tick – borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is globally dispersed, and within the United States is found primarily in the mid – west, south - west, and north – west portions of the country. TBRF is a disease which causes patients to experience flu – like symptoms and is distinguished by multiple relapses of high fever which can cause individuals to be hospitalized multiple times over months. TBRF is caused by Borrelia spp. spirochetes and spread by Onthidoros spp. soft – shelled ticks. First diagnosed in the early 20th century, the disease has gone underdiagnosed and has attracted little attention for …

Regional Variation In Chronic Kidney Disease And Associated Factors In Hypertensive Individuals In Rural South Asia: Findings From Control Of Blood Pressure And Risk Attenuation-Bangladesh, Pakistan And Sri Lanka, Liang Feng, Hithanadura Asita De Silva, Imtiaz Jehan, Anuradhani Kasturiratne, Gulshan Himani, Mohammad Abul Hasnat, Tazeen Jafar, Cobra-Bps Study Group

Community Health Sciences

Background: We aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its cross-country variation among hypertensive individuals in rural Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We also explored the factors associated with CKD in these populations.
Method: We studied baseline data from the Control of Blood Pressure and Risk Attenuation-Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (COBRA-BPS) trial, an ongoing cluster randomized controlled trial on 2643 hypertensive adults ≥40 years of age from 30 randomly selected rural clusters, 10 in each of the three countries. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) /min/1.73 m2 or a urine albumin:creatinine …

The Role Of Spirituality And 12 Step Groups In Addressing Treatment Fear And Worry Among Head And Neck Cancer Patients, Heather M. Wallace

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) presents a multifarious problem. Because of uncertainty regarding appropriate clinical treatment, as well as the high potential for disfigurement and functional loss resulting in diminished quality of life (QOL), satisfactory patient participation in quality decision-making is critical. Previous research has consistently revealed that older adults frequently defer decisionmaking to their physician and make decisions more quickly than younger adults. Research also suggests that lay health beliefs, past experiences and various strategies of emotional regulation, based on perceptions of the quantity and quality of remaining time till death, may influence the decisionmaking …

Leveraging Technology To Address Patient-Centered Outcomes In Sickle Cell Disease, Tilicia Mayo-Gamble, Delores P. Quasie-Woode

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Work published by Georgia Southern University Press.

Hspm 7135-A: Public Health Policy Development & Evaluation, Ho-Jui Tung

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces students to health policy development, analysis and management by examining issues in the health sector. It fosters an appreciation of the complexity of policy problems and provides the basic tools used in public health policy design, implementation and evaluation.

Phld 9334: Financial Management Of Public Health, Linda Kimsey

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course examines the structure and functioning of the finance components of the Public Health System using Federal Basis Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (FGAAP). It will provide DrPH students with the theory, concepts, and tools necessary to make better decisions regarding the acquisition and deployment of resources, and promote the financial well-being of public health organizations. The course will discuss the following topics: financial goals; time value analysis; financial risk and return; debt and equity financing; capital decisions; cost of capital; capital investment decisions; business valuation; and leasing decisions. Students will apply the material learned in real world (case) settings …

Phld 9231 – Health Informatics & Decision Making, Gulzar H. Shah, Kristie Cason Waterfield

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course focuses on the fundamental concepts of managing information as an asset in public health and healthcare delivery contexts. Emphasis will be placed on converting data into information and converting information into decision support models.

Hadm 7300 – Healthcare Financial Management Ii, James H. Stephens

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course addresses selected financial management concepts and practices in health care organizations. It is a broad introduction to important financial theories, issues, tools and terminology that administrators need to know to manage health care organizations.

The health care environment today places increased emphasis on the financial implications of both managerial and clinical decisions. This emphasis, in turn, has created a need for financial skills among many clinicians and managers that in the past have not been required.

All business decisions have financial implications. As a result, all health care managers must be financially literate so that they can work …

Hspm 7090-02f: Managerial Epidemiology, Bill Mase

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

No abstract provided.

Hadm 7500 - Strategic Planning And Marketing In Health Care, Linda Kimsey

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course offers an introduction to strategic planning and marketing in health services organizations. Processes and formats employed in strategic planning and marketing are presented and applied in case studies and a final project. Elements of market assessment, environmental analysis and strategy development are presented and applied to course practices.

Epid 9132 – Epidemiology Of Infectious Diseases Transmitted Via Bodily Fluids (Aka “Infectious Disease 2” Listed In Folio), (Isaac) Chun Hai Fung

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course covers advanced topics in epidemiology of infectious diseases transmitted via bodily fluids, primarily sexually transmitted infections and bloodborne infections. Important themes may include outbreak preparedness and response, surveillance, and interventions that prevent and control transmissions. Computational, mathematical and statistical tools relevant to the practice of infectious disease epidemiology will be introduced.

Hadm 7300 – Healthcare Financial Management Ii, James H. Stephens

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course addresses selected financial management concepts and practices in health care organizations. It is a broad introduction to important financial theories, issues, tools and terminology that administrators need to know to manage health care organizations.

The health care environment today places increased emphasis on the financial implications of both managerial and clinical decisions. This emphasis, in turn, has created a need for financial skills among many clinicians and managers that in the past have not been required.

All business decisions have financial implications. As a result, all health care managers must be financially literate so that they can work …

Geph 7134 Social Marketing For Health Communication, Dziyana Nazaruk

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course is designed to familiarize students with the history and current applications of health communication theory and strategies to public health practice and research. This course examines how to structure, develop and evaluate social marketing, media advocacy, risk communication and advocacy skills for change. In addition, systematic qualitative data collection processes such as interviewing skills, participant observation and focus groups will be developed. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking skills to help students analyze and utilize these skills in research and practice.

Epid 8230 – Observational Study Design And Analysis, Kelly L. Sullivan

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course will focus on the design and conduct of observational research designs including cohort, case-control and cross-sectional approaches. This course will provide instruction related to issues specific to observational research approaches. Students will develop and present detailed study plans for each research approach.

Envh 7233– Environmental Exposure And Impact Assessment, Atin Adhikari

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

Introduces students to appropriate design, implementation, and analysis of primary environmental exposures and how they are influenced by public health ethics, equity and disparities. Specific topics covered include designing risk profiles; evaluating dose-response relationships; assessing the contribution of public health ethics, equity and disparities to environmental exposures; and analyzing field exposures of toxins.

Cohe 7232 A – Health Promotion Planning, Andrew Hansen

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

Introduces the student to the theory and application of planning and evaluation principles. Planning and evaluation skills will be developed that can be utilized in a variety of health-related settings. Familiarizes students with theories and models from the social and behavioral sciences and health education used in behavior change interventions. Emphasizes the planning and implementing of community health interventions at multiple ecological levels.

Epid 7135-A – Epidemiology Of Infectious Disease, (Isaac) Chun Hai Fung

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the principles and practices of infectious diseases epidemiology with focus on how the presence and control of communicable diseases affects public health locally, nationally and internationally. Topics to be covered include: 1) general principles of infectious diseases epidemiology, including outbreak investigation, surveillance, analysis of infectious diseases data, and laboratory testing of specimens; 2) major modes of infectious disease transmission, including airborne, food and water, zoonotic, insect vector, blood, and sexual transmission; 3) different control strategies for infectious diseases, including infection control, antimicrobial management, immunization, risk factor modification, and screening; …

Envh 8335 A – Global Water And Sanitation, Asli Aslan

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

The global water crisis is the most serious threat to human health. Poor water quality, lack of sanitation and inadequate access to clean water resources are one of the major causes of global health disparities. Current issues such as changing climate, decaying infrastructure and reemerging waterborne diseases are also contributors for disease transmission within vulnerable populations. This course analyzes the key drivers that affect global water quality and human health. Real world case scenarios will be examined to develop sustainable and appropriate solutions that consider environmental, individual, cultural, and economic factors.

Envh 7235– Field Methods In Environmental Health, Marina E. Eremeeva

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces students to an overview of current and accepted field methods for environmental sampling and occupational exposure monitoring.

Envh 7234 – Environmental Toxicology, Evans Afriyie-Gyawu

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces students to concepts associated with the lethal and sub-lethal effects of environmental and occupational stressors on humans and other living organisms.

Bios 9231: Bayesian Statistics I, Xinyan Zhang

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course provides the student with an introduction Bayesian analysis and compares Bayesian methods to that of frequentists. The course includes selection of prior distributions, computing posterior distributions, and conjugate models such as the Beta-Binomial, Normal-Normal, and Gamma-Poisson models. Bayesian inference using point and interval estimation, Bayesian hierarchical models, and exchangeability will be explored. Topics including Empirical Bayes versus a fully Bayes approach, Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods and model checking using Bayes factors and sensitivity analyses will be included. Prerequisite: A minimum grade of "B" in BIOS 9131, or permission from instructor.

Chbe 9335 A – Global Health And Preparedness, Andrew Hansen

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course will focus on global public health and preparedness for domestic and global emergencies. Students will explore patterns of health and disease around the world, and compare them to public health issues in the United States. An ecological framework will be employed to illustrate the complex political, social, economic, and environmental determinants of global health inequity. Concepts from the social sciences, epidemiology, health systems, and policymaking will be incorporated. The course will emphasize issues related to humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters both globally and domestically, and the need to build public health infrastructure and preparedness to mitigate them.