Public Health Commons^™

Simulating The Neural Correlates Of Stuttering, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Charles F. Adams, Allen A. Montgomery

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cerebral Perfusion In Chronic Stroke: Implications For Lesion-Symptom Mapping And Functional Mri, Jessica D. Richardson, Julie M. Baker, Paul S. Morgan, Chris Rorden, L. Bonilha, Julius Fridriksson

Faculty Publications

Lesion-symptom mapping studies are based upon the assumption that behavioral impairments are directly related to structural brain damage. Given what is known about the relationship between perfusion deficits and impairment in acute stroke, attributing specific behavioral impairments to localized brain damage leaves room for speculation, as impairments could also reflect abnormal neurovascular function in brain regions that appear structurally intact on traditional CT and MRI scans. Compared to acute stroke, the understanding of cerebral perfusion in chronic stroke is far less clear. Utilizing arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI, we examined perfusion in 17 patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. The …

Fitness And Adiposity As Predictors Of Functional Limitation In Adults, Andréa L. Maslow, Anna E. Price, Xuemei Sui, Duck-Chul Lee, Ilkka Vuori, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background: This study examined the associations of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with incident functional limitation (IFL) in adults.

Methods: Patients (n = 2400), 30+ years [mean age, 45.2 (SD, 8.3); 12% women], completed a baseline health examination during 1979 to 1995. CRF was quantified by age- and sex-specific thirds for maximal treadmill exercise test duration. Adiposity was assessed by BMI and WC (grouped for analysis according to clinical guidelines). Incident IFL was identified from mail-back surveys during 1995, 1999, and 2004.

Results: After adjusting for potential confounders and either BMI or WC, CRF …

Self-Rated Health Status And Cardiorespiratory Fitness As Predictors Of Mortality In Men, Jennifer Gander, Duck-Chul Lee, Xuemei Sui, James R. Hébert, Steven P. Hooker, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Self-rated health (SRH) and cardiorespiratory fitness (fitness) are independent risk factors for all-cause mortality. The purpose of this report is to examine the single and joint effects of these exposures on mortality risk. The study included 18 488 men who completed a health survey, clinical examination and a maximal exercise treadmill test during 1987–2003. Cox regression analysis was used to quantify the associations of SRH and fitness with all-cause mortality. There were 262 deaths during 17 years of follow-up. There was a significant inverse trend (p_trend <0.05) for mortality across SRH categories after adjustment for age, examination year, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, abnormal ECG, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Adjustment for fitness attenuated the association (p value =0.09). The authors also observed an inverse association between fitness and mortality after controlling for the same covariates and SRH (p_trend = 0.006). The combined analysis of SRH and fitness showed that fit …

Food Deserts' And 'Food Swamps' In Hillsborough County, Florida: Unequal Access To Supermarkets And Fast-Food Restaurants, Dana Beth Stein

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that the suburbanization of supermarkets has created `food deserts', defined as areas where socially disadvantaged individuals lack access to nutritious food outlets. Additionally, the growing presence of fast-food restaurants has created `food swamps', or areas where socially disadvantaged individuals encounter an overabundance of unhealthy food outlets. While previous studies have analyzed either `food deserts' or `food swamps' using conventional statistical techniques, a more comprehensive approach that includes samples of both healthy and unhealthy entities and considers the variety of available food options is necessary to improve our understanding of the local food environment and related disparities.

This …

Physical Activity: The Future Of Learning?, Michael W. Beets, Amanda E. Paluch, Edward C. Archer, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Relative Influence Of Demographic, Individual, Social, And Environmental Factors On Physical Activity Among Boys And Girls, Carrie D. Patnode, Leslie A. Lytle, Darin J. Erickson, John R. Sirard, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, Mary Story

Faculty Publications

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the associations of selected demographic, individual, social, and environmental factors with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in a sample of children and adolescents.

Methods: MVPA was assessed among youth (n = 294) 10-17-years-old using the ActiGraph accelerometer. Youth completed measures of demographic and individual variables related to physical activity (PA), perceived social support by parents and peers, and perceived neighborhood characteristics. Parents completed the long-form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The Physical Activity and Media Inventory was used to measure the home environment and Geographical Information Systems software was used to measure the physical …

More Collaboration - More Power In Combating Ill Health, Ilkka Vuori, Steven N. Blair, Fiona C. Bull, Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Faculty Publications

This symposium highlighted the position of physical activity as one of the most important factors causally related to common non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and discussed the need for including physical activity in comprehensive prevention strategies and policies to combat the major NCDs. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity are all major risk factors for ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and several cancers, and physical inactivity globally ranks as the fourth leading risk factor for mortality. Despite the solid evidence that physical activity is related to several NCDs, stronger advocacy actions are required because physical activity is not viewed …

Evaluation Of The Late Life Disability Instrument In The Lifestyle Interventions And Independence For Elders Pilot (Life-P) Study, Fang-Chi Hsu, W. Jack Rejeski, Edward H. Ip, Jeff A. Katula, Roger A. Fielding, Alan M. Jette, Stephanie A. Studenski, Steven N. Blair, Michael E. Miller

Faculty Publications

Background: The late life disability instrument (LLDI) was developed to assess limitations in instrumental and management roles using a small and restricted sample. In this paper we examine the measurement properties of the LLDI using data from the Lifestyle Intervention and Independence for Elders Pilot (Life-P) study.

Methods: LIFE-P participants, aged 70-89 years, were at elevated risk of disability. The 424 participants were enrolled at the Cooper Institute, Stanford University, University of Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest University. Physical activity and successful aging health education interventions were compared after 12-months of follow-up. Using factor analysis, we determined whether the LLDI's factor …

Public Health Insurance Utilization In New York City, 2008, Rachael Varra

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This study examines demographic and socioeconomic factors of racial/ethnic groups in New York City between as of 2008 – particularly the utilization of public health insurance (PHI) benefits.

Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates.

Results: Of the 25% of New Yorkers receiving PHI in 2008, the absolute number of whites, blacks and Latinos receiving PHI was similar. However, greater proportions of Latinos …

Neural Plasticity And Treatment-Induced Recovery Of Sentence Processing In Agrammatism, Cynthia K. Thompson, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Borna Bonakdarpour, Kyla Garibaldi, Todd B. Parrish

Faculty Publications

This study examined patterns of neural activation associated with treatment-induced improvement of complex sentence production (and comprehension) in six individuals with stroke-induced agrammatic aphasia, taking into account possible alterations in blood flow often associated with stroke, including delayed time-to-peak of the hemodynamic response function (HRF) and hypoperfused tissue. Aphasic participants performed an auditory verification fMRI task, processing object cleft, subject cleft, and simple active sentences, prior to and following a course of Treatment of Underlying Forms (TUR; Thompson et al., 2003), a linguistically based approach for treating aphasic sentence deficits, which targeted objective relative clause constructions. The patients also were …

Muscular And Performance Fitness And The Incidence Of Type 2 Diabetes: Prospective Study Of Japanese Men, Susumu S. Sawada, I-Min Lee, Hisashi Naito, Koji Tsukamoto, Takashi Muto, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background: Limited data are available on the relationship between muscular and performance fitness (MPF) and the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A cohort of 3792 Japanese men completed a medical examination that included MPF and cardiorespiratory fitness tests. MPF index composite score was calculated using Z-scores from vertical jump, sit-ups, side step, and functional reach tests.

Results: The mean follow-up period was 187 months (15.6 years). There were 240 patients who developed type 2 diabetes during follow-up. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incidence of diabetes across baseline quartiles of MPF index composite score were obtained using …

Hopelessness, Depression, And Early Markers Of Endothelial Dysfunction In U.S. Adults, D. Phuong Do, Jennifer B. Dowd, Nalini Ranjit, James S. House, George A. Kaplan

Faculty Publications

Objective - This study examines whether the psychological traits of hopelessness and depressive symptoms are related to endothelial dysfunction.

Methods - Data come from a subsample of 434 respondents in the 2001-2003 Chicago Community Adult Health Study (CCAHS), a population-based survey designed to study the impact of psychological attributes, neighborhood environment, and socio-economic circumstances on adults age 18 and over. Circulating biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction including e-selectin, p-selectin and s-ICAM1 were obtained from serum samples. Hopelessness was measured by responses to two questions and depressive symptoms were measured by an 11-item version of the CES-D. Multivariate regression models tested whether …

Neighborhood Effects On Health: Concentrated Advantage And Disadvantage, Brian K. Finch, D. Phuong Do, Melonie Heron, Chloe E. Bird, Teresa Seeman, Nicole Lurie

Faculty Publications

We investigate an alternative conceptualization of neighborhood context and its association with health. Using an index that measures a continuum of concentrated advantage and disadvantage, we examine whether the relationship between neighborhood conditions and health varies by socio-economic status. Using NHANES III data geo-coded to census tracts, we find that while largely uneducated neighborhoods are universally deleterious, individuals with more education benefit from living in highly educated neighborhoods to a greater degree than individuals with lower levels of education.

Metabolic Syndrome And Risk Of Death From Cancers Of The Digestive System, Charles E. Matthews, Xuemei Sui, Michael J. Lamonte, Swann A. Adams, James R. Hébert, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

We tested the hypothesis that risk of early mortality from cancers of the digestive system will be greater in men with, compared to men without, the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Participants were 33,230 men who were seen at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas and followed for 14.4 (SD=7.0) yrs. MetS was defined as having at least three of the following risk factors: abdominal obesity, fasting hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high blood pressure, or high fasting glucose level or diabetes. MetS was associated with higher mortality (HR=1.90 [95% Confidence Interval=1.42-2.55]), and there was a graded positive association for the addition …

Should Health Policy Focus On Physical Activity Rather Than Obesity?, Richard Weller, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Steven N. Blair, Timothy P. Gill, Louise A. Baur, Lesley A. King

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Advancing The Future Of Physical Activity Guidelines In Canada: An Independent Expert Panel Interpretation Of The Evidence, Antero Kesäniemi, Chris J. Riddoch, Bruce Reeder, Steven N. Blair, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen

Faculty Publications

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, has initiated a review of their physical activity guidelines to promote healthy active living for Canadian children, youth, adults and older adults; previous guidelines were released in 2002, 2002, 1998 and 1999 respectively. Several background papers from this project were published recently and provide foundation evidence upon which to base new guidelines. Furthermore, comprehensive systematic reviews were completed to ensure a rigorous evaluation of evidence informing the revision of physical activity guidelines for asymptomatic populations. The overall guideline development process is being guided and assessed …

Perimenopausal Obesity, Colleen Keller, Linda Larkey, Johanna K. Distefano, Edna Boehm-Smith, Kathie Records, Alyssa G. Robillard, Sharry Veres, Manal Al-Zadjali, Anne-Marie O'Brian

Faculty Publications

Obesity is recognized as one of the most important underlying risk factors for a wide variety of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Women are particularly prone to obesity, and approaches that address life transitions across the life span suggest that a number of factors may converge at passage points, such as menopause, that contribute to weight accumulation in the aging woman. The menopausal phase of a woman's life brings a number of changes that may trigger and maintain weight gain. Although the prevalence of overweight and obesity is attributable to each of these factors, it is most likely the …

Assessing The Sensitivity Of The Canadian Adverse Event Following Immunization Surveillance System ( Caefiss), Mina Tadrous

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Background: Vaccines are important to public health, but because of the way they are manufactured, their mechanism of action, and their indicated population, careful monitoring of their adverse events is necessary. Canada has a national surveillance system that collects reports on adverse events that may be associated with vaccine administration. Sensitivity is one of the tools used with surveillance systems to study the extent and characteristics of reporting of a surveillance system. To date, the sensitivity of the Canadian system has not been assessed.

Purpose: To assess the sensitivity of the Canadian Adverse Event Following Immunization Surveillance System …

Parental Report Versus Child Perception Of Familial Support: Which Is More Associated With Child Physical Activity And Television Use?, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, Ramona Robinson-O'Brien, Jess Haines, Peter J. Hannan, Dianne R. Neumark-Sztainer

Faculty Publications

Background: Parent-report and child perception of familial support for weight-related behaviors may not be congruent. This research explores whether parent-report or child perception is more strongly associated with child-reported physical activity and television (TV) use. Methods: Elementary school children (n = 73) participating in Ready. Set. ACTION!, a theater-based obesity prevention pilot program in Saint Paul, MN, and their parents completed surveys assessing familial support for physical activity and limitations on TV use in fall 2006. Paired t tests examined congruency between parent-report and child perception. Linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographics explored the associations between familial …

Associations Between Mental Health And Diabetes: Findings From The South Carolina Medicaid Managed Care Program In 2006-2008, Ana Lopez-De Fede, James W. Hardin, Kathy L. Mayfield-Smith, Qiduan Liu

Publications

Objectives: To assess differences in services associated with mental health status and prescriptions among Medicaid patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Design: Secondary data analyses of South Carolina (SC) Medicaid enrollees. Participants: SC Medicaid enrollees with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (N5555) continuously enrolled in either managed care (MC) or fee for service (FFS) programs between 2006 and 2008. Main Outcome Measures: Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS)- based diabetes management service outcomes including: 1) whether the recipient received a nephrology exam; 2) the number of eye exams received; 3) the number of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol services received; and …

Prolonged Injustice In Urban America, Jametta Magwood, Edith M. Williams, Saundra H. Glover

Faculty Publications

Environmental inequality is the suggestion that the working class, the poor, persons of color, and ultimately the economically disadvantaged are subjected to living conditions that may prove to be hazardous both personally, professionally, and also to the infrastructure of the urban communities that these people inhabit. These injustices affect not only housing but education, quality healthcare access, and access to employment. This article investigates the distinct relationship of environmental inequalities imposed in urban communities that are promoted by a prominent institution: the government. It has been suggested that the government is primarily controlled by individuals who are incapable of identifying …

Lessons From A Life Well-Lived, Harold W. Kohl Iii, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Prospective Associations Between Objective Measures Of Physical Activity And Fat Mass In 12-14 Year Old Children: The Avon Longitudinal Study Of Parents And Children (Alspac), Chris J. Riddoch, Sam D. Leary, Andy R. Ness, Steven N. Blair, Kevin Deere, Calum Mattocks, Alex Griffiths, George Davey Smith, Kate Tilling

Faculty Publications

Objective: To investigate associations between physical activity at age 12 and subsequent adiposity at age 14.

Design: Prospective birth cohort study with data collected between 2003 and 2007.

Setting: Original recruitment in 1991-2 of 14,541 pregnant women living in the former County of Avon (United Kingdom).

Participants: At age 12, 11,952 children were invited to attend the research clinic. Of these, 7159 attended, and 4150 (1964 boys, 2186 girls) provided sufficient data on exposure, outcome, and confounding variables.

Main outcome measure: Fat mass at age 14, measured by dual emission x ray absorptiometry, associated with physical activity at age 12, …

Health Insurance Patterns Among Latinos In Comparative Perspective, 2004 — 2007, Rachael Varra

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines the rates at which the four major racial/ethnic groups in the United States — Latinos, non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks and Asians — lacked health insurance from 2004- 2006 in the U.S. overall and in the ten states with the largest Latino populations: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Colorado, New Mexico and Georgia.

Methods: The “lack of insurance data” in this report were derived from Health Statistics Data obtained by the Center for Disease Control from 2004 to 2006. In September 2008 these data became available by race, age and ethnicity/race on a …

A Cost Analysis Of A Physical Activity Intervention For Older Adults, Erik J. Groessl, Robert M. Kaplan, Steven N. Blair, W. Jack Rejeski, Jeffrey A. Katula, Abby C. King, Roger A. Fielding, Nancy W. Glynn, Marco Pahor

Faculty Publications

We examined the costs of a physical activity (PA) and an educational comparison intervention. 424 older adults at risk for mobility disability were randomly assigned to either condition. The PA program consisted of center-based exercise sessions 3x weekly for 8 weeks, 2x weekly for weeks 9 to 24 and weekly behavioral counseling for 10 weeks. Optional sessions were offered during maintenance weeks (25-52). The comparison intervention consisted of weekly education meetings for 24 weeks, and then monthly for 6 months. Cost analyses were conducted from the "payer's" perspective, with a 1-year time horizon. Intervention costs were estimated by tracking personnel …

Role Of Lifestyle And Aging On The Longitudinal Change In Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Andrew S. Jackson, Xuemei Sui, James R. Hébert, Timothy S. Church, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background - Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adults decreases with age and is influenced by lifestyle. Low CRF is associated with risk of diseases and the ability of older persons to function independently. We defined the longitudinal rate of CRF decline with aging and the association of aging and lifestyle with CRF.

Methods - We studied a cohort of 3429 women and 16,889 men, aged 20 to 96 years, from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study who completed 2 to 33 health examinations from 1974 to 2006. The lifestyle variables were body mass index, self-reported aerobic exercise, and smoking behavior. Cardiorespiratory fitness …

Association Between Community Health Center And Rural Health Clinic Presence And County-Level Hospitalization Rates For Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions: An Analysis Across Eight Us States, Janice C. Probst, James N. Laditka, Sarah B. Laditka

Faculty Publications

Background: Federally qualified community health centers (CHCs) and rural health clinics (RHCs) are intended to provide access to care for vulnerable populations. While some research has explored the effects of CHCs on population health, little information exists regarding RHC effects. We sought to clarify the contribution that CHCs and RHCs may make to the accessibility of primary health care, as measured by county-level rates of hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) conditions.

Methods: We conducted an ecologic analysis of the relationship between facility presence and county-level hospitalization rates, using 2002 discharge data from eight states within the US (579 counties). …

Opportunities For Comparative Research In Public Health Pbrns : A Baseline Analysis Of Local Practice Settings, Glen P. Mays, Sharla A. Smith, Elaine B. Wootten, Sylvia J. Porchia

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This analysis describes the organizational and operational characteristics of local public health agencies participating in an initial cohort of five (5) public health PBRNs in the U.S. We examine variation in practice settings within and between PBRNs; compare practice settings to state and national norms; and identify opportunities for comparative research that can be conducted through PBRNs.

Associations Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Health-Related Quality Of Life, Robert A. Sloan, Susumu S. Sawada, Corby K. Martin, Timothy S. Church, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background: There is limited data examining the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in healthy young adults. We examined the association between CRF and HRQOL Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores in apparently health males in the United States Navy.

Methods: A total of 709 males (18-49 yr) performed a submaximal exercise test and HRQOL assessment (SF-12v2^TM) between 2004-2006. CRF level was classified into fourths depending on age distribution with the lowest fitness quartile serving as the referent group. PCS and MCS scores ≥ 50 were defined as …