Public Health Commons^™

Secondary Plant Metabolites As Potent Drug Candidates Against Antimicrobial-Resistant Pathogens, Kadiatou Keita, Charles Darkoh, Florence Okafor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health threat of the twenty-first century and represents an important risk to the global economy. Healthcare-associated infections mainly caused by drug-resistant bacteria are wreaking havoc in patient care worldwide. The spread of such pathogens limits the utility of available drugs and complicates the treatment of bacterial diseases. As a result, there is an urgent need for new drugs with mechanisms of action capable of curbing resistance. Plants synthesize and utilize various metabolic compounds to deter pathogens and predators. Utilizing these plant-based metabolites is a promising option in identifying novel bioactive compounds that could be …

Fiber Burden And Asbestos-Related Diseases: An Umbrella Review, José María Ramada Rodilla, Beatriz Calvo Cerrada, Consol Serra Pujadas, George L Delclos, Fernando G Benavides

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: What are the levels of asbestos exposure that cause each type of health effect? The objective of this study was to review the available scientific evidence on exposure levels for asbestos and their relationship to health effects.

METHOD: An umbrella review of English-language reviews and meta-analyses, from 1980 to March 2021 was conducted. We included reviews involving quantified asbestos exposures and health outcomes. The review has been adapted to the indications of the PRISMA declaration. Methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the AMSTAR instrument.

RESULTS: We retrieved 196 references. After applying the search strategy and quality …

Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of Teach Back Curriculum For Community Health Workers, Jennifer Holcomb, Gayla M Ferguson, Logan Thornton, Linda Highfield

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Teach Back is a commonly used communication method to improve patient understanding and retention of health information. The method has been shown to be effective in improving patient and healthcare system outcomes, including patient health literacy and hospital readmissions. Community health workers (CHWs) are frontline healthcare workers who can help address patient health and social needs associated with hospital readmissions. However, a gap exists in Teach Back curricula and training methods reflecting the scope of work for CHWs. The objective of this training was to provide CHWs with didactic information and skill building practice curriculum focused on the integration of …

Severity Of Child Autistic Symptoms And Parenting Stress In Mothers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Japan And Usa: Cross-Cultural Differences, Noriko Porter, Katherine A Loveland, Sepideh Saroukhani, Yana Posey, Kana Morimoto, Mohammad H Rahbar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship between parenting stress and autistic symptom severity in the U.S. and Japan. Fifty-two U.S. and 51 Japanese mothers of children aged 2-12 with autism completed measures of parenting stress and child characteristics, including the parenting stress index (PSI), the social communication questionnaire (SCQ), and social responsiveness scale-2 (SRS-2). There was a nonlinear relationship between the child's autistic symptom severity and parenting stress in both countries. We also found some cultural differences: in the parent domain, the relationships between children's SCQ scores and PSI scores differed significantly between the U.S. and …

Additive And Interactive Associations Of Environmental And Sociodemographic Factors With The Genotypes Of Three Glutathione S-Transferase Genes In Relation To The Blood Arsenic Concentrations Of Children In Jamaica, Mohammad H Rahbar, Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Yuansong Zhao, Sepideh Saroukhani, Sheikh F Zaman, Jan Bressler, Manouchehr Hessabi, Megan L Grove, Sydonnie Shakspeare-Pellington, Katherine A Loveland

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Arsenic (As) is a metalloid that has been classified as a xenobiotic with toxic effects on human beings, especially on children. Since the soil in Jamaica contains As, dietary intake is considered the main source of As exposure in Jamaicans. In addition, glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes, including

Evaluation Of The Kitchen Microbiome And Food Safety Behaviors Of Predominantly Low-Income Families, Christina K Carstens, Joelle K Salazar, Shreela V Sharma, Wenyaw Chan, Charles Darkoh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bacterial pathogens in the domestic environment present a risk to residents, particularly among susceptible populations. However, the impact of consumer demographic characteristics and food handling methods on kitchen microbiomes is not fully understood. The domestic kitchen bacterial communities of ten predominantly low-income families in Houston, TX, were assessed in conjunction with a cross-sectional food safety survey to evaluate differences in household and surface-specific microbiomes and bacterial foodborne pathogen presence. Three kitchen surfaces within each household, including the sink drain, the refrigerator handle, and the counter, were environmentally sampled and metataxonomically evaluated via targeted 16S rRNA sequencing. Disposable dish sponges were …

Emergence Of Dual And Multicarbapenemase Coproducing Organisms In The United States, Bekana K Tadese, Tolulope Olumuyiwa, Charles Darkoh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Carbapenemase-producing organisms commonly carry a single carbapenemase gene conferring resistant to carbapenems and other β-lactam antibiotics. Here, we report rare cases of multidrug-resistant

Risk Of Developing Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias In Association With Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke, Hypertension, And Diabetes In A Large Cohort Of Women With Breast Cancer And With Up To 26 Years Of Follow-Up, Xianglin L Du, Lulu Song, Paul E Schulz, Hua Xu, Wenyaw Chan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: No study on the long-term incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) has been reported in women with breast cancer by vascular diseases.

OBJECTIVE: to determine the risk of ADRD in association with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), stroke, hypertension, and diabetes in women with breast cancer.

METHODS: Study identified 246,686 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age≥65 years in 1991-2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database. Women were free of ADRD at the time of cancer diagnosis and followed from 1991 to 2016.

RESULTS: Cumulative incidence of AD over 26 years of follow-up varied …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of Technology-Supported Sexual Health Education Among Adolescents Receiving Inpatient Psychiatric Care, Allison E Olmsted, Christine M Markham, Ross Shegog, Ana M Ugueto, Erica L Johnson, Melissa F Peskin, Susan T Emery, Kimberley A Baker, Elizabeth W Newlin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mental illness in adolescence is associated with high-risk sexual behaviors including multiple sex partners, infrequent or inconsistent condom use, and nonuse of contraception. Inpatient psychiatric care represents a promising setting to provide sexual health education. This pilot study investigates the feasibility and acceptability of online sexual health education in this group by assessing usability and impact on short-term psychosocial outcomes. We administered online modules on healthy relationships, pregnancy prevention, condom use, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention to youth. We evaluated outcomes using a single group, pre/post-intervention design. One quality improvement session assessed staff acceptability of the programming. Participants included …

"Don't Know Where To Go For Help": Safety And Economic Needs Among Violence Survivors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Leila Wood, Elizabeth Baumler, Rachel Voth Schrag, Shannon Guillot-Wright, Dixie Hairston, Jeff Temple, Elizabeth Torres

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine has created additional problems for survivors of interpersonal violence. The purpose of this study is to gain a preliminary understanding of the health, safety, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people that are experiencing or have previously experienced violence, stalking, threats, and/or abuse. An online survey, open from April to June 2020, was taken by people with safety concerns from interpersonal violence. Participants were recruited from IPV and sexual assault-focused agencies, state coalitions, and social media. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive methods in SPSS and coding methods from thematic and content …

Pathway Lasso: Pathway Estimation And Selection With High-Dimensional Mediators, Yi Zhao, Xi Luo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In many scientific studies, it becomes increasingly important to delineate the pathways through a large number of mediators, such as genetic and brain mediators. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a popular technique to estimate the pathway effects, commonly expressed as the product of coefficients. However, it becomes unstable and computationally challenging to fit such models with high-dimensional mediators. This paper proposes a sparse mediation model using a regularized SEM approach, where sparsity means that a small number of mediators have a nonzero mediation effect between a treatment and an outcome. To address the model selection challenge, we innovate by introducing …

In Utero Exposure To 17Α-Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate And Risk Of Cancer In Offspring, Caitlin C Murphy, Piera M Cirillo, Nickilou Y Krigbaum, Barbara A Cohn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate is a synthetic progestogen initially approved in the 1950s to treat gynecologic and obstetrical conditions. Despite continued concerns about safety and short-term efficacy regarding the use of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate for the prevention of preterm birth in pregnant women, little is known about the long-term effects of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate on the health of the offsprings.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between in utero exposure to 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate and the risk of cancer in the offspring.

STUDY DESIGN: The Child Health and Development Studies was a population-based cohort of >18,000 mother-child dyads receiving prenatal care in the Kaiser Foundation …

Determinants Of Social Distancing Adherence, Philip Gerretsen, Julia Kim, Eric E Brown, Lena C Quilty, Samantha Wells, Fernando Caravaggio, Jianmeng Song, Marcos Sanches, Branka Agic, Bruce G Pollock, Ariel Graff-Guerrero

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Governments and public health authorities across many jurisdictions implemented social (physical) distancing measures to contain the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Adherence to these measures is variable and likely influenced by various factors. This study aimed to 1) identify the individual sociodemographic, COVID-19 and social distancing related, and psychological determinants of social distancing adherence, and 2) explore regional differences in social distancing adherence in the United States (U.S.) and English-speaking Canada based on each region's discrepant response to social distancing restrictions.

Methods: A web-based repeated cross-sectional survey was conducted in 4,942 English-speaking participants from the four …

Using Implementation Mapping To Develop Implementation Strategies For The Delivery Of A Cancer Prevention And Control Phone Navigation Program: A Collaboration With 2-1-1, Lynn N Ibekwe, Timothy J Walker, Ebun Ebunlomo, Katharine Ball Ricks, Sapna Prasad, Lara S Savas, Maria E Fernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer prevention and control (CPC) behaviors, such as cancer screening, human papillomavirus vaccination, and smoking cessation, are critical public health issues. Evidence-based interventions have been identified to improve the uptake of CPC behaviors; however, they are often inconsistently implemented, affecting their reach and effectiveness. Patient navigation is an evidence-based approach to increasing CPC behaviors. Nevertheless, there are few navigation programs that use systematically developed implementation strategies to facilitate adoption, implementation, and maintenance, which affects uptake and outcomes. This article describes the development of a multifaceted implementation strategy designed to facilitate delivery of a CPC phone navigation program to increase breast, …

Acceptance- And Mindfulness-Based Techniques For Physical Activity Promotion In Breast Cancer Survivors: A Qualitative Study, Michael C Robertson, Emily Cox-Martin, Yue Liao, Sara A Flores, Ross Shegog, Christine M Markham, Kayo Fujimoto, Casey P Durand, Abenaa Brewster, Elizabeth J Lyons, Karen M Basen-Engquist

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and characterize the relevance and potential utility of an electronically delivered acceptance- and mindfulness-based approaches to physical activity promotion for insufficiently active breast cancer survivors.

METHODS: The acceptance- and mindfulness-based physical activity intervention was delivered to participants electronically over the course of 4-8 weeks. It consisted of didactic videos, experiential exercises, and workbook-type activities that targeted principles from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with participants after they completed the intervention. Three coders conducted qualitative data analysis on interview transcripts to identify overarching themes and subthemes.

RESULTS: …

Covid-19 In Children And The Influence On The Employment Activity Of Their Female Caregivers: A Cross Sectional Gender Perspective Study, Catalina Jaime Trujillo, Natalia Herrera Olano, Kevin Rico Gutiérrez, Daniela Medellín, Paola Sánchez, María Lucía Mesa-Rubio, Melisa Sofía Naranjo, Sergio Mauricio Moreno, Carolina Bonilla, Pedro Barrera, Sonia M Restrepo-Gualteros, Luz Marina Mejia, Olga Lucía Baquero, Juan Gabriel Piñeros, Andrea Ramírez Varela

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, women disproportionately assume more unpaid activities, affecting their employment.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the influence of COVID-19 on the employment of caregivers of children and adolescents from a gender perspective.

METHODS: Cross-sectional study in three high-complexity hospitals in Bogotá, Colombia from April 2020 to June 2021. A subsample of the FARA cohort was taken, including those patients with a positive test for SARS-COV2. We took as our analysis category children older than 8 years and younger than 18 years who had a positive SARS-COV2 test, as well as, caregivers of all children with a positive SARS-COV2 test. …

Incidence, Etiology, Sociodemographic And Clinical Characterization Of Acute Respiratory Failure In Pediatric Patients At A High-Altitude City: A Multicenter Cohort Study, Sarha M Vargas Muñoz, Sara De Vivero Haddad, Aldo M Beltran, Carolina Bonilla Gonzalez, Melisa Naranjo Vanegas, Sergio Moreno-Lopez, Paola Rueda-Guevara, Pedro Barrera, Juan Gabriel Piñeros, Luz Marina Mejía, María Lucia Mesa, Sonia Restrepo-Gualteros, Olga Lucía Baquero Castañeda, Andrea Ramírez Varela

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory failure is a life-threatening medical condition, associated with a variety of conditions and risk factors, including acute respiratory diseases which are a frequent cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Colombia, the literature related to ARF is scarce.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence, causes, and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of ARF in three hospitals in Bogota, a high-altitude city located in Colombia, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: A multicenter prospective cohort study called the FARA cohort was developed between April 2020 - December 2021. Patients older than one month and younger than 18 years with respiratory …

Epidemiology Of Antibiotic Use And Drivers Of Cross-Border Procurement In A Mexican American Border Community, Heather T Essigmann, David A Aguilar, William B Perkison, Katherine G Bay, Magdalena R Deaton, Sharon A Brown, Craig L Hanis, Eric L Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The U.S.-Mexico Border is an area of opportunity for improved health care access; however, gaps remain as to how and where U.S. border residents, particularly those who are underinsured, obtain care. Antibiotics are one of the most common reported drivers of cross-border healthcare access and a medication of particular concern since indiscriminate or inappropriate use is associated with antimicrobial resistance. In addition, many studies assessing preferences for Mexican pharmaceuticals and healthcare in U.S. border residents were done prior to 2010 when many prescription medications, including antibiotics, were available over the counter in Mexico.

METHODS: Data used in this study …

Seguindo O Dinheiro, Fabiana Turino, Gabriella Barreto Soares, Gabriella B De Castro, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

Este artigo analisou a atuação das organizações sociais de saúde (OSS) no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e o uso dos contratos de gestão e dos termos aditivos como instrumentos de privatização. O objetivo foi compreender os processos que legitimam a privatização, a partir da quantificação dos valores financeiros repassados por meio de contratos de gestão e termos aditivos para as organizações que firmaram contratos com a Secretaria Municipal de Saúde do Rio de Janeiro (SMS-RJ), Brasil, entre 2009 e 2018. Foi desenvolvido um estudo descritivo e exploratório com abordagem mista para analisar os valores repassados às OSS. Trabalhou-se com …

Connecting Implementation Science Community Engaged Research, Shoba Ramanadhan, S T Donaldson, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira, Vish Viswanath

Gastón Institute Publications

The Outreach Core of the U54 Partnership between the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the University of Massachusetts Boston created a new model for addressing cancer inequities that integrates implementation science, community- engaged research, and health promotion. Key elements of the approach include engaging a Community Advisory Board, supporting students from underrepresented minority backgrounds to conduct health promotion and community-engaged research, increasing the delivery of evidence-based cancer prevention programs to underserved communities (directly and by training local organizations), supporting research-practice partnerships, and disseminating findings. Our model highlights the need for long-term investments to connect underserved communities with evidence-based cancer prevention.

Relationship Between Income, Maternal And Infant Factors, And Infant Mortality Rates In African American Communities, Kristen Newman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Infant mortality is a significant public health issue that provides insight into the health of a community. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a relationship existed between infant mortality and median income by zip code, maternal factors, and/or infant factors in the affluent, African American community of Prince George’s County, Maryland. The research theory chosen for this study was the conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health based upon its action-oriented focus. The secondary data used for this study was linked birth and infant death data for 2010 to 2016 collected by the Department …

Adaptation Des Milieux De Travail Aux Effets Des Changements Climatiques. Tome 2 : Mesures D’Adaptation Destinées Aux Travailleurs Du Québec Les Plus À Risque Vis-À-Vis De La Hausse Des Épisodes De Fortes Chaleurs Liée Aux Changements Climatiques, Bouchra Bakhiyi, Ariane Adam-Poupart, Robert Bourbonnais, Marc-Antoine Busque, Joseph Zayed

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Le présent document correspond au tome 2 du rapport de la recherche intitulé « Adaptation des milieux de travail aux effets des changements climatiques ». Il présente le 2^e volet de cette recherche dont l’objectif était de coconstruire des mesures d’adaptation destinées à protéger la santé des travailleurs des 50 professions du Québec les plus à risque vis-à-vis de la hausse des épisodes de fortes chaleurs liée aux Changements climatiques (CC) (désigné par danger A), et ce, en collaboration avec des acteurs clés du secteur de la santé et de la sécurité du travail.

Une revue de la littérature …

Dna Methylation Pattern Of Cpg Site In The Promoter Region Of Calca-Alpha Gene As A Putative Epigenetic Biomarker In Neonatal Sepsis- A Prospective Observational Study In South India, Rudra Rupesh Reddy Narsapurapu, Deepti Thandaveshwara, Anshu Kumar Yadav, Akila Prashant

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background: Recently, several studies have been reported on epigenetic modifications of DNA as a predisposing factor for several diseases among neonates and adults. Here we aimed to study the changes in the DNA methylation pattern in the promoter region of the CALCA gene among the neonates suspected to have sepsis in a tertiary care hospital.

Methodology: All the neonates suspected to have sepsis based on the inclusion criteria during the study period were included in the study as cases. Normal healthy neonates were included in the study as controls. Positive cases were isolated from suspected cases based on …

Adaptation Des Milieux De Travail Aux Effets Des Changements Climatiques. Tome 1 : Identification Des Travailleurs Du Québec Les Plus À Risque Vis-À-Vis Des Dangers Prioritaires Liés Aux Changements Climatiques, Bouchra Bakhiyi, Ariane Adam-Poupart, Robert Bourbonnais, Marc-Antoine Busque, Joseph Zayed

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les changements climatiques (CC) constituent une menace reconnue et admise pour les travailleurs. Pour réduire leur vulnérabilité vis-à-vis des dangers liés aux CC, l’adaptation des milieux de travail est devenue incontournable. Cette recherche se propose de coconstruire des mesures d’adaptation qui permettraient de protéger la santé et l’intégrité des travailleurs du Québec malgré les répercussions appréhendées des CC.

Les travaux ont été réalisés en deux volets :

• Le premier volet avait pour objectif l’identification des travailleurs du Québec les plus à risque vis-à-vis des dangers prioritaires liés aux CC ;
• Le deuxième volet a visé la coconstruction des mesures d’adaptation …

The Impact Of Community Violence Exposure On The Health Behaviors And Health Service Utilization Among High-Risk Black Men, Paris Willis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the lived experience of high-risk Black men exposed to community violence in hopes of understanding their health challenges and behaviors in highly violent communities. Eleven Black men considered high-risk participated in the study through individual semi-structured interviews addressing the research questions below:1. How do high-risk Black men perceive community violence? 2. How do high-risk Black men maintain their health residing in high violent communities? 3. How do high-risk Black men in high violent communities utilize healthcare? 4. Do high-risk Black men exposed to community violence trust healthcare providers? Community violence exposure is a complex multilayered topic …

The Role Of Organizational Leaders In Employee Self-Care: A Change Management Approach, Olivia Dawn Honaker

DSW Capstone Projects

Although literature demonstrates that helping professionals have had high levels of stress and burnout for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the issue. The already burdened healthcare workers, now facing increased workloads, long hours, and high-level exposure to trauma, have created an urgency to address this significant risk to helping professionals. The current capstone will bring awareness to organizational leaders regarding the importance of employee self-care and the benefits of implementing employee self-care programs. First, a systematic literature review will examine self-care in helping professions and explore how organizational leaders operationalize employee self-care programs. In addition, the capstone aims …

Healthcare Equity For Transgender Individuals, Mollie Staggs

DSW Capstone Projects

In the field of social justice and integrity, Social Work has dedicated itself to improving the welfare of the world, in which we all participate and interact. There are countless issues in our society that warrant professional attention for the fundamental purpose of positively impacting the livelihood of subcategories of people. For this particular Capstone Project, the focus is on transgender individuals’ systemic healthcare barriers that cisgender people within the United States do not similarly experience. The purpose is to unveil these disparities to then pose progressive alterations within the healthcare system to make the navigation and accessibility better for …

Patient Perceptions Of Shared Decision-Making In The Acute Care Hospital And Their Association With Patient Experience And Readmission, Jill Haladay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Avoidable hospital readmissions continue to be a concerning and costly healthcare issue. While the emphasis on reducing avoidable hospital readmissions persists, incentivization strategies are evolving. Initial strategies prioritized medical care delivery, but recent regulation highlights the value of effective transitional (discharge) care planning, and particularly, patient involvement in that process. This latter aspect of care has a clear indication for the application of shared decision-making. Shared decision-making (SDM) practice in the acute care setting largely represents a gap in the literature; yet understanding patient perceptions of SDM during hospitalization is an important and timely first step in exploring the effectiveness …

Predictors Of E-Cigarette Initiation And Use Among Middle School Youth In A Low-Income Predominantly Hispanic Community, M Yvonne Gaddy, Denise Vasquez, Louis D Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: E-cigarette use among middle and high school youth increased from 2. 5 million in 2014 to 9.2 million in 2019, becoming the most common tobacco product used among youth. Hispanic youth, the largest ethnic minority in the United States, have higher rates of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, than non-Hispanics. Identifying factors that put youth at risk for future e-cigarette use is vital to focusing prevention efforts. Informed by social cognitive theory, this study identifies predictors of e-cigarette uptake among e-cigarette naïve youth in a predominantly low-income Hispanic community.

Methods: 1,249 students (6-8th grades) from two middle schools in El …

Voices Of The Often Unheard: The Environmental Impacts Of Catastrophic Wildfire Events On Individuals With Developmental Disabilities, Mary Madison Mckenzie

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Thomas Fire for a time was the largest wildfire in California history, burning 281,893 acres and destroying 1,063 structures. Within three years, the August Complex Fire, at 1,032,649 acres, almost quadrupled that record. Climate related disasters such as these have impelled social science researchers to heed calls for a paradigm shift in understanding the risks climate change poses to the social world, in particular, disaster risks for vulnerable groups. Existing research tends to focus on disasters such as hurricanes, featuring risks for vulnerable populations by race, class, and/or individuals with disabilities in general, but not for individuals with developmental …