Public Health Commons^™

Infant Death Rates Between Different Medical Attendants, Zenab Saeed

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

The function of midwives in the context of maternal health is important, especially when understanding the role of midwives in a global context compared to in the United States. Globally, midwives have served as historically important members in the process of childbirth, but their role has experienced changes in response to increased medicalization over the years, especially in the United States.1 Based of their use and effectiveness in a global context, literature suggests that it may be beneficial for both the healthcare system, mothers, and infants to expand the role of midwives in the United States.2 The purpose of this …

Health Disparities Surrounding Air Quality And Asthma, Carolina B. Nadal Medina

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Introduction: Asthma is a prevalent disease in the US in both children and adults. Studies in the past have found disparities in asthma prevalence among different races in the United States as well as between gender. Objective: Compare asthma prevalence among racial and ethnic groups in the us, as well as gender, in the United States in both children and adults in the years of 2011 and 2014. Additionally, to see if there is a correlation between air quality, measured in PM2.5mm, and asthma prevalence in different racial groups and genders in both children and adults. Methods: Asthma prevalence data …

Association Between Sports Participation And Levels Of Physical Fitness, Jordan Italiano

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Physical activity is a major component of overall health, especially in children. Increased physical activity in children provides many health benefits, and organized sports provide a great opportunity to meet the physical activity recommendations. In fact, participation in organized sports provides further health advantages, such as lower BMIs, compared to those who engaged in self organized physical activity and has shown to promote continued healthy habits throughout life. However, there has not been research looking at which sports are associated with the greatest level of fitness and provide the greatest health benefit for participants. In this study, we examine …

Covid-19’S Effects On New York City’S Food System: Lessons For Public Health Responses, Nevin Cohen, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted food availability and affordability and changed the daily food practices of New Yorkers. Eleven surveys of samples of 1,000 New York City adults from March 13 through June 28 illustrate three effects on food access and food insecurity: (1) closing restaurants, schools, and other sources of prepared foods reduced access and changed shopping patterns, food expenditures, and diets; (2) economic disruption exacerbated food insecurity and increased demand for food assistance; and (3) altered food practices affected diets and health. These impacts were disproportionately borne by vulnerable populations. This paper reports survey responses illustrating the effects of …

Design Thinking For Community-Provider Collaboration: Designing A Culture- And User-Friendly Refugee Wellness Center, Ellen Solomon, Oluwatoni Okuboyejo, Shandon Coffman, Brandon Joa, Bon Ku, Md, Mpp

Phase 1

Background: Designing South Philadelphia’s first permanent healthcare facility dedicated to refugee health presents a unique opportunity to integrate cultural sensitivity with principles of community health. Design thinking (human-centered design) is a promising strategy to address health and social justice concerns through the development of innovative products and services that prioritize population needs. This project utilized design thinking to inform suggestions to the design of Hansjörg Wyss Wellness Center that promote a culturally sensitive and welcoming environment in order to improve healthcare outcomes for the refugee population in Philadelphia.

Methods: Standard qualitative data gathering methods were used to gather insight into …

Associations Between Oncogenic Risk Markers And Clinical Outcomes Among Black And White Colorectal Cancer Patients, Victoria B. Starks, Edith P. Mitchell, Md, Facp

Phase 1

Introduction: Blacks have a 25% higher incidence of colorectal cancer compared to their white societal counterparts. Additionally, the overall mortality rate among black colorectal cancer patients is 50% higher than that of whites. However, little is known about the biomarkers prevalent among blacks and their possible correlation to treatment response and patient outcomes.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore disease trends that may unveil a correlation between molecular markers and poor clinical outcomes among black colorectal cancer patients.

Methods: De-identified patient data was obtained from The Oncology Data Services Department (Cancer Registry) of TJUH. The population cohort …

What's The Flap About Coronavirus?, V. Ramana Dhara

Journal of Health Ethics

This is a haiku about the vectors, modes of transmission and spread of SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2

The George Floyd Of Healthcare, Sheila P. Davis, Phd, Fnp-C, Faan, Lsm-Bc, Gary Davis, Md

Journal of Health Ethics

Authors explore the infamous murder of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, and juxtaposition it to systemic racial practices in healthcare as documented by the Institute of Medicine Report: Unequal Treatment. The current COVID-19 pandemic is presented as a situation which has the potential to ignite unresolved discriminatory healthcare practices. Proposed are policies which could possibly mitigate this phenomenon.

Perceptions Of Workload And Job Impact As Predictors Of Child Welfare Worker Health Status, Austin G. Griffiths, David Royse, Chris Flaherty, Crystal Collins-Camargo

Social Work Faculty Publications

Turnover in the child welfare workforce remains a problem with detrimental consequences. While a robust body of literature has explored the influence of job factors on employee retention, and the presence of secondary traumatic stress and other related experiences in this population, little is known about the impact of such factors on the physical health of the practitioner. This manuscript is a first step in documenting the relationship between worker characteristics, perceptions of their job, and their self-reported health status. Utilizing the Child Welfare Employee Feedback Scale (CWEFS), a Binary Logistic Regression model identified Workload and Job Impact as significant …

"Pliable And Easily Shaped": History, Harms, And Regulations Of Plastic In The United States, Krista Decima Smithers

Online Theses and Dissertations

The majority of plastic exists in a linear economy, wherein a product is developed with raw materials, used, and then discarded. Because there are many applications for plastic in today’s society unparalleled by alternative materials, removing all or most plastic use from daily life in the United States is unrealistic. Nevertheless, eliminating single-use plastics and improving recycling are reasonably attainable goals.

This thesis offers a detailed discussion of the origins of plastic, including its discovery, initial applications, and growth in the United States. Against this backdrop, this thesis then examines how various nonhuman animal species and ecosystems have been negatively …

Dual Substance Use Of Electronic Cigarettes And Alcohol, Tanner J. Wetzel, Todd A. Wyatt

Journal Articles: Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health

Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are a modern nicotine delivery system that rapidly grew in widespread use, particularly in younger populations. Given the long history of the comorbidity of alcohol and nicotine use, the rising prevalence of ECs raises the question as to their role in the consumption of alcohol. Of the numerous models of ECs available, JUUL is the most popular. This narrative review aims to determine current trends in literature regarding the relationship between EC and alcohol dual use, as well as hypothesize potential pathogenic tissue damage and summarize areas for future study, including second-hand vapor exposure and calling for …

Allocation Of Resources And Health Professionals’ Burden During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Reflections On Advanced Directives, Informed Consent And Social Perception In Mexico, Karen Herrera-Ferrá, Leonardo Souza-García, Antonio Muñoz-Torres

Journal of Health Ethics

One of the main problems in the COVID-19 pandemic is the insufficient availability of resources. This deficiency has resulted in emotional and moral burdens of health professionals. Decisions are having to be made as to who will live and who will die. Moreover, given the global impact of this pandemic, negative impacts are heightened in low and middle-income countries such as Mexico.

Authors focus on two issues related to, but not exclusive, to the Mexican healthcare system in an attempt to partially address scarce resources and health professionals’ burden. First, is the empowerment of patients’ autonomy through the incorporation of …

Thirty-Day Unplanned Readmission And Its Effect On 90-Day Mortality In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Undergoing Partial Hepatectomy, Yongyue Qi, Tricia Levan, Gleb Haynatzki, Chandrakanth Are, Evi A. Farazi

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Background: Despite advances of surgical techniques, hepatectomy continues to be potentially dangerous and is associated with postoperative mortality, morbidity and readmission. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of 30-day unplanned readmission on ‘conditional’ 90-day mortality among hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent partial hepatectomy.

Methods: National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried from 2004 to 2012 for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent partial hepatectomy. Thirty-day unplanned readmission rate, and associated risk factors, was determined for 7,696 patients. The association between 30-day unplanned readmission and conditional 90-day mortality was further addressed.

Results: The 30-day unplanned readmission …

Long-Term Negative Emotional Outcomes Of Warzone Tbi, Jennifer J. Vasterling, Mihaela Aslan, Susan P. Proctor, John Ko, Xenia Leviyah, John Concato

United States Food and Drug Administration: Publications

Objective: Many veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although prior work has examined associations between TBI and development of psychi- atric syndromes, less is known about associations between TBI and component emotions constituting these syndromes, especially in the long term. The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term emotional consequences of deployment-related TBI.

Methods: As part of VA Cooperative Studies Program #566, we assessed a sample of n1⁄4456US Army soldiers prior to an index deployment to Iraq, and again an average of 8.3 years (SD1⁄42.4years) after their deployment for a long-term …

Strengthening Sideline Decisions About Concussions In Youth Sports (Strides): A Mixed Methods Approach, Ann Guernon

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: Sport-related concussion in youth is a serious public health concern, and coaches of youth sports are frequently tasked with the role of primary decision maker about potential concussion during athletic activities.

Objective: To explore factors that influence coach decision-making about concussion in the moments during athletic activity that an injury may occur.

Methods: An exploratory sequential mixed methods study was conducted to identify coach-reported factors that influence decision-making about potential concussion and develop tools to evaluate prevention and management strategies that support coach decision-making during athletic activities. The study involved three phases: (1) semi-structured interviews with 16 coaches of …

Vitamin D Levels In Relation To Low Back Pain During Adolescence, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Abdur Rahman, Lemia Shaban, Anwar H. Albaloul, Sean Banaee, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This study aimed to investigate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and low back pain (LBP) among adolescents while adjusting for potential confounders pertinent to this age group including the weight of school bags, BMI and physical activity. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 760 randomly selected adolescents in middle schools. Data on LBP and the risk factors for LBP were collected from parents by a self-administered questionnaire and from adolescents by face-to-face interview. Blood samples were tested in an accredited laboratory; and 25(OH)D was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem MS. The lifetime prevalence and the 6-month prevalence of LBP …

Analysis Of Personality, Suicide, And Self‐Injury In Emerging Adulthood, Amanda C. La Guardia, Robert J. Cramer, Claire N. Bryson, Kelly Emelianchik-Key

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) is a maladaptive coping strategy that is of significant clinical concern for behavioral health professionals in college settings. Relationships between NSSI, acquired capability for suicide, interpersonal cognitions, and five‐factor model personality traits were assessed in a survey‐based study that included 192 young adults in a college setting. Results indicated that those with an affirmative suicide attempt history, greater acquired capability for suicide, and elevated neuroticism had an increased likelihood of lifetime NSSI.

Quality Of Life Of Adults With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury In Mainland China: A Cross-Sectional Study, Fengshui Chang, Haixia Xie, Qi Zhang, Mei Sun, Yuhui Yang, Gang Chen, Huifang Wang, Chengyue Li, Jun Lu

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of patients with chronic spinal cord injury in mainland China.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: A total of 247 adults ≥ 1 year post-SCI in mainland China.

Methods: The World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life Scale Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) and the add-on modules on disability-related QoL (WHOQOL-DIS) were used to assess quality of life. Anxiety/depression was measured using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety/Depression Scale. Quality of life was compared with that of reference populations from China, Korea, the international field trial (23 countries). Multivariate linear regression was conducted to determine the factors that might …

Factors Associated With Tobacco Smoking Among Saudi College Students: A Systematic Review, Saad A. Alotaibi, Praveen K. Durgampudi

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION There has been an increase in tobacco smoking among Saudi college students in recent years. However, no study has examined, with a systematic approach, the extent to which specific factors are associated with tobacco smoking among this population.

METHODS PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, and Web of Science were utilized to retrieve studies addressing risk factors associated with tobacco smoking among Saudi college students between 2010 and 2019. After confirming their eligibility criteria, studies were imported to the NVivo software for data collection and synthesis. All included articles were critically appraised, based on a modified STROBE.

RESULTS Twenty-one out of 300 …

Prenatal Perception Of Wic Breastfeeding Recommendation Affects First Month Postpartum Breastfeeding Outcomes, Qi Zhang, Lamichhane Rajan, Joanne Guthrie

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Association Between Usage Of An App To Redeem Prescribed Food Benefits And Redemption Behaviors Among The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children Participants: Cross-Sectional Study, Qi Zhang, Junzhou Zhang, Kayoung Park, Chuanyi Tang

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is one of the most important food assistance programs in the United States, serving 6.4 million low-income, eligible women, infants, and children under 5 years of age in 2019. In the program, participants are prescribed a list of food benefits, which can be redeemed in WIC-authorized stores. However, there are multiple behavioral barriers in the program and the stores that prevent participants from redeeming the benefits fully.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the relationship between the use of a widely used mobile phone app, WICShopper, and the …

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Missy Thomas

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Missy Thomas for fall 2020 semester.

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Anonymous

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Isabelle Hobbs for fall semester 2020.

2017 Statewide Child Death Report, Nevada Institute For Children's Research And Policy, Dawn L. Davidson, Elizabeth Holka

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The purpose of this report is to provide comprehensive information regarding the circumstances by which children die in Nevada in order to prevent future child deaths and improve the health and safety of children in the state.

Achievable Toilet Sanitation, Benjamin Goulart

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Human feces contains ten million viruses, one million bacteria, and 1,000 parasitic cysts, contributing to cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, polio, and various neglected tropical diseases (The Economist, 2019). Unimproved sanitation includes open defecation, shared latrines that lack privacy, or other sanitation methods with insufficient pathogen reduction of fecal material. The most affected regions are sub-Saharan Africa, Southern and Eastern Asia, Afghanistan, and Iraq (CDC, 2016). Without private toilets, girls reaching puberty are also less likely to continue school. Improved sanitation can contribute to increased human potential, human rights, and gross domestic product.

Politics Of Covid-19, Emma Cigna

Student Research Poster Presentations 2020

No abstract provided.

Universal Healthcare: Good Or Bad?, Danielle Tait

Student Research Poster Presentations 2020

The topic of universal healthcare seems to come up quite a bit in political platforms, but what does it really mean for Americans? By allowing universal healthcare, instead of private insurance companies, we as a nation will see an increase in healthy citizens, the economy will save money, and patients will be more satisfied with their healthcare. Although we do not have concrete evidence, studies project that universal healthcare will bring immense benefits to America’s healthcare.

The Development And Trial Of Systematic Visual Search: A Visual Inspection Method Designed To Improve Current Workplace Risk Assessment Practice, Victor Hrymak, Jan Devries

Reports

Visual inspection is a core element in hazard identification. However, poorly conducted visual inspections are problematical for workplace inspection practice as observable hazards that should be seen, are often missed. To address this problem, a novel method; systematic visual search, was developed and tested under randomised controlled trial conditions using commercial kitchens as workplaces. A total of 211 participants were recruited and in the control condition, N = 104 conducted their visual inspection as normal. In the experimental condition, N = 107 received training in the use of systematic visual search. Control group participants were only able to identify a …

Evaluation Of Global Health Capacity Building Initiatives In Low-And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review, Hady Naal, Maria El Koussa, Melissa El Hamouch, Layal Hneiny, Shadi Saeh

Faculty Publications

Background Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are in dire need to improve their health outcomes. Although Global Health Capacity Building (GHCB) initiatives are recommended approaches, they risk being ineffective in the absence of standardized evaluation methods. This study systematically reviews evaluation approaches for GHCB initiatives in LMICs. Methods We searched the Medline (OVID), PubMed, Scopus, and Embase.com databases for studies reporting evaluation of a GHCB initiative in a LMIC from January 1, 2009 until August 15, 2019. To differentiate them from intervention, prevention, and awareness initiatives, included articles reported at least one approach to evaluate their learning modality. We excluded …

Ua35/3 Memoranda, Wku Provost

WKU Administration Documents

2020 memoranda issued by the WKU Provost to faculty & staff via email.

• Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning January Workshops
• Fall to Fall Retention of All FFY as of Census by Selected Categories
• Updates fromt the Provost
• COVID-19
• COVID-19 or Coronavirus Update
• COVID-19 Update from the Provost's Office
• Announcing the 2020 College Faculty Award Winners
• WKU Announces New Associate Provost for Research & Graduate Education
• Budget Communication
• Summer School Updates from the Provost
• Amendment to PDF Policy
• FY2020-21 Budget Executive Committee Recommendations
• Provost's Message