Public Health Commons^™

Changing Social Environments To Promote Health: Evidence, Opportunities And Challenges

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Consumer Health Informatics And Healthcare Disparities

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Online Presence And Social Media: The Jsph Experience, Laura Kimberly Mbe, Msw, Lisa Chosed Ma, Emily Frelick Ms

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

How Pennsylvania's Budget Shapes Service Delivery

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Greater Philadelphia Schweitzer Program Welcomes New Fellows, Nicole Moore Ma

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Functional: Students Taking An Active Role In Shaping Health Policy, Bridget Peterson, Irmina Haq

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Interdisciplinary Education: Learning Together Helps Make Care Safer, Valerie P. Pracilio Mph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Moving Philadelphia! Creating Healthier Communities, Laura Kimberly Msw, Mbe

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Improving The Appopriateness Of Prescribing Medicine In The Elderly: A Comprehensive Approach In The Local Health Unit Of Parma, Italy, Karina Herrera Ms, Stefano Del Canale Md, Phd, Ettore Brianti Md, Massimo Fabi Md, Daniel Louis Ms, Vittorio Maio Pharmd, Ms, Msph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Arthur C. Bachmeyer Memorial Lecture, David B. Nash Md, Mba

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Health Policy Newsletter Summer 2010 Download Full Pdf

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Renewing Health Services Management Research: Redrawing The Citizen-Client In Irish Health Care Policy, Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

Ireland has a history of health policy which is not explicit as to its aims and objectives. In light of this fact, this paper examines the position and direction of the Irish Health Services, five years on from the advent of the setting up of the Health Services Executive (HSE) and the restructuring of the health services. The Irish health system policy is guided by the Health Strategy of 2001; in that there should be equitable distribution of health services focused on the need of the citizen-client, and also by the Primary Care Strategy (2001:7); in that there should be …

Rural America: A Look Beyond The Images, John A. Gale Ms

Access / Insurance

The issues faced by patients and providers in rural health care differ greatly from those of urban counterparts. They also differ across rural communities. Understanding these differences, and the differences among rural populations across America, is critical to providing health services to rural Americans, who are often impeded by economic factors, cultural and social differences, educational shortcomings and isolation in their efforts to lead normal, healthy lives. The challenges provide opportunities for Catholic health care to make a difference in the lives and health of some of the nation's most vulnerable citizens.

Adaptation Of A Lay Health Advisor Model As A Recruitment And Retention Strategy In A Clinical Trial Of College Student Smokers, Shiloh Jordan Varvel, Nikole J. Cronk, Kari Jo Harris, Anne B. Scott

Public and Community Health Sciences Faculty Publications

This study describes and provides results from a process evaluation of a lay health advisor (LHA) model to enhance participation in a clinical trial of the effectiveness of motivational interviewing on smoking cessation in college fraternity and sorority members. The implementation of the model had two phases: (a) the selection and training of LHAs as liaisons between research staff and participants and (b) LHAs’ roles in recruitment and retention. Perceptions of the LHA model were explored using survey questionnaires. Trial participants (N = 118) and LHAs (N = 8) were generally satisfied with the model and identified LHAs as helpful …

Community-Based Approaches To Reduce Toxins In Housing: Lessons Learned From Working With Diverse Communities, Erin Mcnally, Ian Blazina, Stephanie Farquhar

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article will review lessons learned from a community-based participatory research project with Latino and Somali residents in Portland, Oregon. The aim of the Healthy Futures Collaborative (HFC) project was to reduce in-home environmental health hazards associated with childhood respiratory illness and asthma through a process that strengthened social support and civic engagement. Using a community-based approach, the HFC trained community residents as community scientists to ensure local leadership and participation. Results suggest an increase in Somali and Latino residents' knowledge of environmental stressors and changes in behavior that may improve indoor environmental quality. Especially when working with historically marginalized …

Particle Size On Respiratory Protection Provided By Two Types Of N95 Respirators On Agricultural Settings, Jacob Cho Kyungmin, M. Susan Jones, Gordon Jones, Roy Mckay, Sergey A. Grinshpun, Alok Swivedi, Rakesh Shukla, Umesh Singh, Tiina Reponen

Nursing Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to compare size-selective workplace protection factors (WPFs) of an N95 elastomeric respirator (ER) and an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) in agricultural environments. Twenty-five healthy farm workers ranging in age from 20 to 30 years voluntarily participated in the study. Altogether eight farms were included representing three different types: two horse farms, three pig barns, and three grain handling sites. Subjects wore the ER and FFR while performing their daily activities, such as spreading hay, feeding livestock, and shoveling. Aerosol concentrations in an optical particle size range of 0.7–10 µm were determined simultaneously inside …

Concurrent Sexual Partnerships Do Not Explain The Hiv Epidemics In Africa: A Systematic Review Of The Evidence, Larry Sawers, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

The notion that concurrent sexual partnerships are especially common in sub-Saharan Africa and explain the region’s high HIV prevalence is accepted by many as conventional wisdom. In this paper, we evaluate the quantitative and qualitative evidence offered by the principal proponents of the concurrency hypothesis and analyze the mathematical model they use to establish the plausibility of the hypothesis.

We find that research seeking to establish a statistical correlation between concurrency and HIV prevalence either finds no correlation or has important limitations. Furthermore, in order to simulate rapid spread of HIV, mathematical models require unrealistic assumptions about frequency of sexual …

Public Health Systems And Services Research: Bridging The Practice-Research Gap., F. Douglas Scutchfield, Cynthia D. Lamberth

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Public health practitioners understand the principles of evidence-based practice

and the science that should drive their efforts to improve the community’s

health through the implementation of science-driven public health programs.

However, the translation of research to practice still has numerous barriers.

This commentary provides suggestions to strengthen the link between research

and practice.

Medical Ethics: A Slow But Sustained Revolution In Pakistan’S Healthcare, Muhammad Shahid Shamim, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

No abstract provided.

The Efficacy Of Spirometry As A Screening Tool In Detection Of Air Flow Obstruction, Nabeel Manzar, A. Suleman Haque, Bushra Manzar, Muhammad Irfan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Background/Objectives: In developing countries, spirometry has not been considered a part of routine medical check-up. The purpose of the study was to establish the usefulness of spirometry as a primary screening tool in detecting air flow obstruction (AFO) during routine medical check-up (RMC). Methods: This was a hospital based, retrospective, non-randomized case series study of 3696 participants, who presented to hospital for routine medical check-up. All subjects were assisted at the Pulmonary Medicine Department, from January 2003 till December 2008 who, having met other inclusion criteria, underwent spirometry. Data were analyzed using proportion, group means, standard deviations and …

Envisioning Nevada’S Future: Goals & Strategies For Advancing Our Quality Of Life, Nevada Vision Stakeholder Group, Moody’S Analytics

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada’s severe downturn has brought to light many of the long-term challenges facing the state. Not only is its economy subject to painful swings, but Nevada’s primary drivers— consumer services (primarily gaming, hospitality and housing) and resource extraction—will provide less support than they have in past business cycles. Less economic vitality will make it harder to offer Nevadans the quality of life they expect.

The importance of the economy to quality of life is equally clear—quality of life is a hollow promise without a healthy and supportive economy. Similarly, a proper fiscal structure—both in terms of spending and revenues—is critical …

Commute Times, Food Retail Gaps, And Body Mass Index In North Carolina Counties, Stephanie B. Jilcott, Haiyong Liu, Justin B. Moore, Jeffrey W. Bethel, James Wilson, Alice S. Ammerman

Faculty Publications

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity is higher in rural than in urban areas of the United States, for reasons that are not well understood. We examined correlations between percentage of rural residents, commute times, food retail gap per capita, and body mass index (BMI) among North Carolina residents.

Methods: We used 2000 census data to determine each county's percentage of rural residents and 1990 and 2000 census data to obtain mean county-level commute times. We obtained county-level food retail gap per capita, defined as the difference between county-level food demand and county-level food sales in 2008, from the North Carolina …

Combined Impact Of Lifestyle-Related Factors On Total And Cause-Specific Mortality Among Chinese Women: Prospective Cohort Study, Sarah Nechuta, Xiao-Ou Shu, Hong-Lan Li, Gong Yang, Yong-Bing Xiang, Hui Cai, Wong-Ho Chow, Butian Ji, Xianglan Zhang, Wanqing Wen, Yu-Tang Gao, Wei Zhang

Peer Reviewed Articles

Background: Although cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, obesity, and several other well-studied unhealthy lifestyle-related factors each have been linked to the risk of multiple chronic diseases and premature death, little is known about the combined impact on mortality outcomes, in particular among Chinese and other non-Western populations. The objective of this study was to quantify the overall impact of lifestyle-related factors beyond that of active cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Chinese women.

Methods and Findings: We used data from the Shanghai Women’s Health Study, an ongoing population-based prospective cohort study in China. Participants included …

Time Will Tell: Community Acceptability Of Hiv Vaccine Research Before And After The "Step Study" Vaccine Discontinuation, Paula M. Frew, Mark J. Mulligan, Su-I Hou, Kayshin Chan, Carlos Del Rio

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Objective This study examines whether men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) and transgender (TG) persons’ attitudes, beliefs, and risk perceptions toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine research have been altered as a result of the negative findings from a phase 2B HIV vaccine study. Design We conducted a cross-sectional survey among MSM and TG persons (N = 176) recruited from community settings in Atlanta from 2007 to 2008. The first group was recruited during an active phase 2B HIV vaccine trial in which a candidate vaccine was being evaluated (the “Step Study”), and the second group was recruited after product futility was widely reported …

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.

Cancer In Louisiana: 2003-2007, Volume 25, Louisiana Tumor Registry, Mei-Chin Hsieh, Brent Mumphrey, Lisa Pareti, Mary Namiak, Beth A. Schmidt, Patricia Andrews, Edward S. Peters, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Vivien W. Chen

Policy & Position Papers

Mission:

To collect and report complete, high-quality, and timely population-based cancer data in Louisiana to support cancer research, control, and prevention.

Vision:

To reduce suffering and death from cancer using information collected by the Louisiana Tumor Registry.

History:

Cancer registration in Louisiana began in 1947 at the Charity Hospital Tumor Registry in New Orleans. In 1974, as part of its Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, the National Cancer Institute provided funds for a population-based cancer incidence and survival registry covering Jefferson, Orleans, and St. Bernard parishes. Five years later, the Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTR) was transferred to the …

Prevalence, Knowledge And Care Patterns For Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease In United States Minority Populations., Elaine Yuen, Martha Romney, Richard W. Toner, Nicole M. Cobb, Philip O. Katz, Maya Spodik, Neil I. Goldfarb

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: While there is evidence of ethnic variation in the prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, few population-based studies examine GERD symptom prevalence amongst the growing Hispanic minority in the US as well as Asians in the West. AIM: To examine the prevalence, awareness and care patterns for GERD across different ethnic groups.

METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional survey was fielded in English, Chinese and Spanish that assessed self-reported GERD prevalence, awareness and care patterns in four ethnic groups (Caucasian, African American, Asian, Hispanic).

RESULTS: A total of 1172 subjects were included for analysis: 34.6% experienced GERD symptoms at least …