Public Health Commons^™

Designing The Arriving Refugee Informatics Surveillance And Epidemiology (Arive) System: A Web-Based Electronic Database For Epidemiological Surveillance, William A. Mattingly, Ruth M. Carrico, Timothy L. Wiemken, Robert R. Kelley, Rebecca A. Ford, Rahel Bosson, Kimberley A. Buckner, Julio A. Ramirez

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Objectives: We design and implement the Arriving Refugee Informatics surVeillance and Epidemiology (ARIVE) system to improve the health of refugees undergoing resettlement and enhance existing health surveillance networks.

Materials and Methods: Using the REDCap electronic data capture software as a basis we create a refugee health database incorporating data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Electronic Disease Notification (EDN) system and domestic screening data from refugee health care providers.

Results: Domestic screening and EDN refugee health data have been integrated for 13,824 refugees resettled from 35 different countries into the state of Kentucky from the years 2013-2016.

Discussion: …

Body Mass Index Z-Score Modifies The Association Between Added Sugar Intake And Arterial Stiffness In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes: The Search Nutrition Ancillary Study, Natalie S. The, Sarah C. Couch, Elaine M. Urbina, Jamie L. Crandell, Angela D. Liese, Dana Dabelea, Grace J. Kim, Janet A. Tooze, Jean M. Lawrence, Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis

Faculty Publications

The relationship between added sugar and arterial stiffness in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) has not been well-described. We used data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study (SEARCH), an ongoing observational cohort study, to determine the association between added sugar and arterial stiffness in individuals diagnosed with T1D(n = 1539; mean diabetes duration of 7.9 ± 1.9 years). Added sugar intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire, and arterial stiffness measures included pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index. Separate multivariate linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between added sugar and arterial stiffness. …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Influenza Type B In The Presence Of Vaccination: An Ecological Study, Lindsey J. Fiedler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of influenza type B in human hosts is a public health concern as we strive to minimize the disease burden in seasonal epidemics. Vaccination is considered the best defense against contracting influenza, and everyone over the age of 6 months is advised to get vaccinated before each season. The effect that vaccine-acquired immunity has on the evolution of influenza B remains unclear. In the U.S., vaccine-uptake is irregular across the states, and the differing coverages present an opportunity to study how vaccination influences viral evolution. This thesis analyzes the evolutionary patterns of influenza B in the …

Investigating Drivers Of Dengue Emergence In Cordoba, Argentina, Michael Andrew Robert, Rachel Sippy, Anna M. Stewart-Ibarra, Rebecca C. Christofferson, Helen J. Wearing, Elizabet L. Estallo

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Parameter Identification For A Stochastic Seirs Epidemic Model: Case Study Influenza, Olusegun M. Otunuga, Anna Mummert

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Ebola: Impact Of Hospital's Admission Policy In An Overwhelmed Scenario, Mondal H. Zahid

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Pair Formation Disease Models With A Two Phase Infection, Berlinda Rosa Batista

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Decoys And Dilution: The Impact Of Incompetent Hosts On Prevalence Of Chagas Disease, Mondal H. Zahid

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Machine Learning Methods To Forecast Temporal Pattern Of Aedes Mosquito Species Using Meteorological Variables In Ontario, Canada, Mohammad A. Al-Mamun, Ernest O. Asare

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Public Health Policy: An Ethical Analysis Of Quarantine, Dina Alqahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a public health measure quarantine has both historical and contemporary significance both in the United States and abroad. On the surface it represents a low-cost, low-tech way in which the spread of disease can be mitigated as its core requirement is that those who may have been exposed to an infectious agent are kept away from those who have not been exposed to that agent for enough time to determine whether or not infection has been spread. This has been utilized for centuries with both limited questions and scattered, inconsistent, or impossible to achieve oversight and goals. In understanding …

Rising Rural Body-Mass Index Is The Main Driver Of The Global Obesity Epidemic In Adults, Con Burns, Tara Coppinger, Janette Walton, Et Al

Publications

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities1,2. This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity3,4,5,6. Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to …

Polydrug Use Among People Who Use Opioids, National Survey On Drug Use And Health 2002 To 2017., Diana Kuo Stojda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Mortality due to overdose has been increasing since 2010 in the U.S., with an increase in the reported use of heroin and co-use of heroin and prescription opioids. Trends and correlates of polydrug use need to be analyzed to propose policies to reduce overdose risk. The overall objective of this study is to characterize high-risk polydrug groups among people who use opioids (PWUO) to understand the patterns of co-used substances and overdose risk factors. Methods: Publicly available data from the 2002-2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were analyzed to obtain weighted prevalence rates and trends …

The Prevalence And Context Of Adult Female Overweight And Obesity In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ifeoma Ozodiegwu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adult women bear a disproportionate burden of overweight and obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Precise information to understand disease distribution and assess determinants is lacking. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to: (i) analyze the prevalence of adult female overweight and obesity combined in lower-level administrative units; (ii) analyze the effect modification of educational attainment and age on the association between household wealth and adult female overweight and obesity; (iii) synthesize qualitative research evidence to describe contextual factors contributing to female overweight and obesity at different life stages. Bayesian and logistic regression models were constructed with Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data …

Respiratory Infections And Risk For Development Of Narcolepsy: Analysis Of The Truven Health Marketscan Database (2008 To 2010) With Additional Assessment Of Incidence And Prevalence, Darren Scheer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background and Significance: Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder. These patients experience various psychiatric and physical comorbid diseases and mortality at an increased rate compared to the general population. Additionally, patients with narcolepsy experience approximately a doubling of various annual healthcare related facility visits, transactions, and costs comparatively. Narcolepsy with cataplexy is generally believed to be more prevalent than narcolepsy without cataplexy. However, incidence and prevalence estimates of narcolepsy (with or without cataplexy) vary widely with few large epidemiological studies conducted worldwide and none in the U.S evaluating these proportions in both children and adults utilizing a large health care …

An Exome-Wide Sequencing Study Of The Goldn Cohort Reveals Novel Associations Of Coding Variants And Fasting Plasma Lipids, Xin Geng, Marguerite R. Irvin, Bertha Hidalgo, Stella Aslibekyan, Vinodh Srinivasasainagendra, Ping An, Alexis C. Frazier-Wood, Hemant K. Tiwari, Tushar Dave, Kathleen Ryan, Jose M. Ordovas, Robert J. Straka, Mary F. Feitosa, Paul N. Hopkins, Ingrid Borecki, Michael A. Province, Braxton D. Mitchell, Donna K. Arnett, Degui Zhi

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Associations of both common and rare genetic variants with fasting blood lipids have been extensively studied. However, most of the rare coding variants associated with lipids are population-specific, and exploration of genetic data from diverse population samples may enhance the identification of novel associations with rare variants.

Results: We searched for novel coding genetic variants associated with fasting lipid levels in 894 samples from the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) with exome-wide sequencing-based genotype data. In single variant tests, one variant (rs11171663 in ITGA7) was associated with fasting triglyceride levels (P = 7.66E-08), …

Shared Heritability And Functional Enrichment Across Six Solid Cancers, Xia Jiang, Hilary K. Finucane, Fredrick R. Schumacher, Stephanie L. Schmit, Jonathan P. Tyrer, Younghun Han, Kyriaki Michailidou, Corina Lesseur, Karoline B. Kuchenbaecker, Joe Dennis, David V. Conti, Graham Casey, Mia M. Gaudet, Jeroen R. Huyghe, Demetrius Albanes, Melinda C. Aldrich, Angeline S. Andrew, Irene L. Andrulis, Hoda Anton-Culver, Antonis C. Antoniou, Natalia N. Antonenkova, Susanne M. Arnold, Kristan J. Aronson, Banu K. Arun, Elisa V. Bandera, Rosa B. Barkardottir, Daniel R. Barnes, Jyotsna Batra, Matthias W. Beckmann, Javier Benitez

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Quantifying the genetic correlation between cancers can provide important insights into the mechanisms driving cancer etiology. Using genome-wide association study summary statistics across six cancer types based on a total of 296,215 cases and 301,319 controls of European ancestry, here we estimate the pair-wise genetic correlations between breast, colorectal, head/neck, lung, ovary and prostate cancer, and between cancers and 38 other diseases. We observed statistically significant genetic correlations between lung and head/neck cancer (r_g = 0.57, p = 4.6 × 10⁻⁸), breast and ovarian cancer (r_g = 0.24, p = 7 × 10^{−5 …}

A Conflictive Triuvirate Consruct Of Epidemiologic Systems Failure, Ngozi Lois Ulinwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Epidemiologic systems failure (ESF) is a major hurdle in minimizing the spread of infectious diseases during outbreaks. The reasons for ESF include the technical limitation of personnel handling epidemic crises, strictly defined health policies that limit the actions of epidemiologists, and personal perspective's reservations towards the intentions of health agencies. The purpose of this triumvirate mixed-methods case study was to examine factors of infectious disease control mechanisms useful for determining ESF. Three juxtaposed pre-emptive factors (technical [T], organizational [O], and personal [P] perspectives were used to determine how the multiple perspectives inquiring systems and fuzzy logic revealed factors causing ESF …

Evaluation By Geospatial And Spatiotemporal Distribution Of Tularemia Cases In Arkansas, Toni Kathleen Beavers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tularemia is a vector-borne disease of global concern with diverse regional foci. Arkansas is an endemic state with differences in case distribution and land suitability supporting host and vector sustainment. The aim of this study was to conduct a geospatial and spatiotemporal assessment of factors associated with case distribution and timeliness and completeness of public reporting. Guided with direction from spatial epidemiology and nidality, referring to the association of ecology, climate, and proximity of disease, analysis included secondary data collected from the Arkansas Department of Health between 1995 and 2018. Using Poisson-based software, 2 clusters were found: a high-risk cluster …

A Conflictive Triuvirate Consruct Of Epidemiologic Systems Failure, Ngozi Lois Ulinwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Epidemiologic systems failure (ESF) is a major hurdle in minimizing the spread of infectious diseases during outbreaks. The reasons for ESF include the technical limitation of personnel handling epidemic crises, strictly defined health policies that limit the actions of epidemiologists, and personal perspective's reservations towards the intentions of health agencies. The purpose of this triumvirate mixed-methods case study was to examine factors of infectious disease control mechanisms useful for determining ESF. Three juxtaposed pre-emptive factors (technical [T], organizational [O], and personal [P] perspectives were used to determine how the multiple perspectives inquiring systems and fuzzy logic revealed factors causing ESF …

Nonmydriatic Fundus Photography In A High-Risk Population Of Samoans With Diabetes: The Soifua Manuia Eye Screening Program, Lauren Carmela Lamonica

Public Health Theses

IMPORTANCE Novel methods of detecting eye disease are needed due to the challenges associated with service delivery in resource-limited settings.

BACKGROUND The objective of this study is to determine whether clinically gradable fundus images can be obtained using a low-cost, handheld non-mydriatic fundus camera by a non-ophthalmic provider in a remote setting.

DESIGN Cross-sectional study

PARTICIPANTS Two-hundred and six individuals (412 eyes) in the Pacific Island nation of Samoa with pre-diabetes and diabetes (HbA1c ≥5.7% or FBG ≥110 mg/dl).

METHODS Participants underwent non-mydriatic fundus photography with the PanOptic iExaminer System, along with an assessment of near vision, medical, and ophthalmic …

Amyloid And White Mater Hyperintensity Burden In The Stroke Belt, Emily Carol Mckinley

All ETDs from UAB

Several large cohort studies have found associations between residence in the Stroke Belt and cognitive impairment as well as dementia mortality; however, the rela-tionship between residence in the Stroke Belt and buildup of amyloid has not been estab-lished. The current project assessed the association between residence in the Stroke Belt and amyloid burden, amyloid accumulation, or white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in a large, national cohort of older US residents. The first study used linear regression models to examine the relationship between geographic residence and Centiloid values. Residence in the Stroke Belt at the time of baseline amyloid PET assessment was …

Epidemiology Of Equestrian Accidents: A Literature Review, Lauren Meredith, Robert Ekman, Karin Brolin

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: This manuscript aimed to present a review of the literature pertaining to horse riding and other horse-related injuries.

Method: A review of the literature was performed, searching for appropriate terms with regards to horse accidents, horse riding injuries and protective clothing for the horse riding context. The literature review search returned 151 relevant full-text articles, with 71 of these detailing the overall injury epidemiology of horse-related accidents. Most of these studies were conducted in the USA and used a retrospective review of hospital data methodology.

Results: Of the 71 articles investigated, 60 suggested that those most frequently involved in …

Factors Associated With Prostate Cancer Screening Intentions Among Adult Men In Nigeria, Ifeanyi N. Malu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Timely detection of prostate cancer (PCA) with prostate-specific antigens (PSA) and digital rectal examinations (DRE) are essential in optimizing incidence, minimizing prevalence, and reducing mortality rates. Given the low levels of participation in cancer screening, this study was conducted to examine the factors men consider when deciding whether to screen for PCA in Nigeria. A cross-sectional, online-based survey of 180 consenting Nigerian men 50 years old and older was carried out. Logistic regression analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Based on the data, there was a moderate positive association between the health belief model constructs and …

Diagnosis Of Schistosoma Mansoni Infections: What Are The Choices In Brazilian Low-Endemic Areas?, Vanessa Silva-Moraes, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Liliane Maria Vidal Siqueira, William Castro-Borges, Donald A. Harn, Rafaella Fortini Queiroz E. Grenfell, Ana Lucia Teles Rabello, Paulo Marcos Zech Coelho

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The population of Brazil is currently characterised by many individuals harbouring low-intensity Schistosoma mansoni infections. The Kato-Katz technique is the diagnostic method recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to assess these infections, but this method is not sensitive enough in the context of low egg excretion. In this regard, potential alternatives are being employed to overcome the limits of the Kato-Katz technique. In the present review, we evaluated the performance of parasitological and immunological approaches adopted in Brazilian areas. Currently, the diagnostic choices involve a combination of strategies, including the utilisation of antibody methods to screen individuals and then …

The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Throughout The Life Span, Allison R. Webel, Joseph Perazzo, J. Craig Phillips, Kathleen M. Nokes, Cynthia Rentrope, Rebecca Schnall, Rita Musanti, Kimberly Adams Tufts, Elizabeth Sefcik, Mary Jane Hamilton, Carmen Portillo, Puangtip Chaiphibalsarisdi, Penelope Orton, Liana Davis, Carol Dawson Rose

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in PLHIV are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to describe physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness by sex and age and to examine the association between physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in PLHIV, controlling for covariates.

METHODS: Seven hundred two PLHIV participated in a cross-sectional study and completed validated measures of self-reported physical activity (7-day Physical Activity Recall) and cardiorespiratory fitness (6-minute walk test). Participants were recruited from 7 diverse sites in the United …

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• Georgia Southern Reports on A Serious Flaw in Nutrition Epidemiology: A Meta-Analysis Study

• Georgia Southern Reports on Role of Local Boards of Health in community Partner Engagement for Local Health Departments

Positive Association Between Dietary Inflammatory Index And The Risk Of Osteoporosis: Results From The Koges_Health Examinee (Hexa) Cohort Study, Hye Sun Kim, Cheongmin Sohn, Minji Kwon, Woori Na, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Mi Kyung Kim

Faculty Publications

Previous studies have found that diet’s inflammatory potential is related to various diseases. However, little is known about its relationship with osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII®) and osteoporosis risk in a large-scale prospective cohort study in Korea. This prospective cohort study included 159,846 participants (men 57,740; women 102,106) from South Korea with a mean follow-up of 7.9 years. The DII was calculated through a validated semi-quantitative FFQ (SQFFQ), and information on osteoporosis was self-reported by the participants. Analyses were performed by using a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model. …

Epidemiological Studies Of Soybean Vein Necrosis Virus And Potential Resistance Mechanisms To Its Vector Neohydatothrips Variabilis (Beach), Jing Zhou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is one the most important crops in global agriculture with annual production of over 260 million metric tons. As the dependence of a growing global population to soybean has increased, so does the importance of soybean diseases and pests. Over 200 pathogens attack soybean; among them, viruses pose a major threat to the soybean industries accounting for approximately 10% of the annual yield reduction caused by diseases in the past two decades. Soybean vein necrosis virus (SVNV) is a relatively newly discovered virus causing the homonymous disease. The widespread occurrence of the disease in major …

Investigation Of Hantavirus And Leptospira As Possible Contributing Factors Of The Unexplained Kidney Disease Epidemic In Nicaragua, Nicole J. Delgado

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Throughout Latin America, an epidemic of a kidney disease of an unknown etiology has been occurring since the late 1990s, and this disease is being called “Mesoamerican nephropathy.” Mesoamerican nephropathy predominantly affects male sugarcane workers. In Chichigalpa, Chinandega, Nicaragua, there is sugarcane plantation that is being heavily impacted by the Mesoamerican nephropathy epidemic, and they invited researchers from Baylor College of Medicine to investigate the epidemic. The prospective epidemic investigation began in 2015, and it is an ongoing investigation. Based on the compilation of data collected during the preliminary investigation, our hypothesis is that a possible zoonotic disease, such as …

Lead And Crime: An Ecological Study Between Lead Contaminated Topsoil And Violent Crime., Brian Guinn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lead is a known neurotoxicant. Human exposure to lead comes primarily through environmental exposures, including remnant lead paint, lead contaminated topsoil and lead contaminated water. Prenatal and early life lead exposure has been associated with numerous neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. This dissertation presents findings from an ecological study which evaluated the geospatial association between topsoil lead content and the incidence of FBI designated violent crime in Jefferson County, Kentucky. A total of 412 topsoil samples were collected along roadways (n=300) and from Louisville Metro Parks (n=112). Jefferson County crime data was obtained from the Louisville Metro Police Department – Crime …