Public Health Commons^™

Prediction Of Birth Weight By Cotinine Levels During Pregnancy In A Population Of African American Smokers, Ayman A.E. El-Mohandes, Michele Kiely, Marie G. Gantz, Susan M. Blake, M Nabil El-Khorazaty

Publications and Research

Objective—The goal was to investigate the association between maternal salivary cotinine levels (SCLs) and pregnancy outcome among African Americans smokers

Methods—In a randomized controlled trial conducted in 2001-2004 in Washington, D.C. 714 women (126 active smokers (18%)) were tested for SCLs at the time of recruitment and later in pregnancy. Sociodemographic health risks and pregnancy outcomes were recorded.

Results—Birth weights were significantly lower for infants born to mothers with baseline SCLs of ≥20 ng/ml compared to/ml (p=0.024), ≥50 ng/ml compared to/ml (p=0.002), ≥100 ng/ml compared to/ml (p=0.002), in bivariate analyses. In linear regression analyses adjusting for sociodemographic …

Kibera Community Unconscious Of The Silent Disease: Sti, Sindhya Rajeev

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The objective of this study was to conduct a Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Awareness Survey that explores knowledge about STIs and attitude towards them, and thereafter, institute and implement an educational intervention in the Kibera slum, of Nairobi. The survey included 120 participants from the 12 villages of Kibera. It revealed that, of those interviewed, 34% are unable to name an STI other than HIV/AIDS and 99% are unaware of any of the syndromes associated with STIs. This demonstrated a clear need for STI Awareness and education, and thus an informative brochure on STIs was created, to be distributed during …

A Community Benefit Reporting Toolkit For Critical Access Hospitals, John A. Gale Ms, Melanie Race Ms

Rural Hospitals (Flex Program)

No abstract provided.

What Factors Predict Outcome At Relapse After Previous Esophagectomy And Adjuvant Therapy In High-Risk Esophageal Cancer?, Edward Yu, Patricia Tai, Richard Malthaner, Larry Stitt, George Rodrigues, Rashid Dar, Brian Yaremko, Jawaid Younus, Michael Sanatani, Mark Vincent, Brian Dingle, Dalilah Fortin, Richard Inculet

Oncology Presentations

Management of patients who have disease relapse after completion of surgery and adjuvant chemo-radiation (CRT) is controversial.

Some oncologists would advocate intensive therapeutic intervention due to promising experience on treatment for recurrence disease while others would recommend palliative support due to the concerns for poor patient outcome post disease recurrence.

In Addition, it is not clear if patient outcome is improved post adjuvant CRT when patients at risk have resection margin involvement and if time interval to recurrence can affect patient survival post relapse.

The present study was conducted to determine what factors will affect patient outcome at relapse after …

Download Full Pdf Issue Of Jefferson School Of Population Health Master Of Public Health E-News Public Health Link, Vol. 5, Iss. 2, Fall 2009.

Public Health Link

This Issue includes:

MPH spotlight on Priscilla Sepe, MD/MPH student

Students Advocate for Public Health Education at National Summit in D.C.

A re-accreditation update

Department of Health & Human Services Region III Office—Clerkship Experience

Listing of upcoming bag lunch and learns

National Public Health Meetings in Philadelphia this Fall

Public Health Policy & Advocacy Opportunities

Workers Killed While Working With Granite, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To prevent injuries while working with granite:

• A job hazard analysis should be conducted each day before work commences.
• Employees should be trained in proper material handling procedures that include handling and transport of granite slabs.
• Use slab carts or slab racks to transport granite slabs and use tie-downs to secure the granite slabs to the forklift.
• Work should only be performed when the general contractor has a competent person on the job site.

Workers Killed While Working With Granite, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent injuries while working with granite:

• A job hazard analysis should be conducted each day before work commences.
• Employees should be trained in proper material handling procedures that include handling and transport of granite slabs.
• Use slab carts or slab racks to transport granite slabs and use tie-downs to secure the granite slabs to the forklift.
• Work should only be performed when the general contractor has a competent person on the job site.

Lamu Sensitive Aid: Barriers To Distribution, Acceptance, And Use Of Malaria Prevention In Lamu District, Kelan Stoy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

his study examines how organizations work locally to distribute malaria aid and education for malaria prevention. Additionally, it analyzes the effectiveness this aid has in improving malaria preventative techniques used by the people of Lamu District. This effectiveness was compared in the contexts of several regions of the district to further understand differences in rural and urban settings. Information was gathered using a variety of interviews with organizations and prominent community leaders to gauge their ideas on malaria in Lamu and strategies used to prevent it, and informal field interviews to observe different communities’ perspectives on malaria and also their …

Quality Health Information On The Internet: Developing A Diabetes Pathfinder For The Chinese Population, Ana D. Cleveland, Jodi Philbrick, Xuequn Pan, Xinyu Yu, Jiangping Chen, Marty O'Neill, Lisa Smith

Faculty Publications

A Web-based bilingual diabetes information pathfinder was created to help the Chinese population access quality health information on the Internet as part of a collaborative outreach project in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A survey was conducted to identify the demographics, Internet usage, health information needs, and preferences for training sessions of the Chinese population. Breast cancer, diabetes, and hepatitis B were the top three diseases of interest. The process of developing the pathfinder is described from start to finish, and it can serve as a model for the development of others. Pathfinder training sessions also were held. Taylor & Francis …

It's Your Life: Building Connections Through Work - Project Summary Report, Sherrie Winton Med

Disability & Aging

This report gives a detailed description of It's Your Life: Building Connections Through Work project from design, to implementation and evaluation of the workshop sessions. It is our hope that you enjoy learning about this project and that professionals working in the rehabilitation field continue to seek out opportunities to provide co-training models, partnering with adults with disabilities to train their peers.

Profiling Maine’S Long Term Support System [Project Brief], Eileen Griffin Jd

Disability & Aging

A recent report by the Muskie School and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services provides a new way of looking at the state’s long term support system. With an emphasis on developing a common approach for description and analysis across programs, the profile reveals that users of long term services and supports in Maine span all age groups and types of service users. In fact, 28% are ages 17 or younger and 29% are between the age of 35 and 64. Long term service users include people with physical impairments, cognitive and intellectual disabilities, and people who need …

Social And Economic Determinants Of Infant Ill Health In 159 Georgia Counties: A Comparison Study, Angela Peden, Alison Scott, John G. Peden

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Prematurity and low birth weight (LBW) are important causes of infant morbidity in Georgia and the United States. Georgia county-level data were used to explore the relationships between prematurity and LBW and two social and economic determinants of health: race and poverty status. Spearman rank correlations and Friedman and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used. Prematurity and LBW were positively associated with poverty status and the presence of large African American populations. While causation cannot be inferred from correlative data, this analysis highlights the need to consider the role of social and economic factors in infant morbidity. It also highlights …

From The Editor: State Journals Of Public Health, Mckinley Thomas

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

State Journals of Public Health

Hiv Rates In The State Of Georgia: A Growing Threat Among Predominantly African American Populations, Swati Raychowdhury, Stuart H. Tedders

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: US rates of HIV/AIDS continue to rise with over 55% of new cases identified in southern states in 2003. The objective of this study was to determine the magnitude of HIV/AIDS cases in rural southeast Georgia in comparison to urban areas of the state.

Methods: County level data was acquired using OASIS. Rates of HIV infections by gender and race (black vs. white) were aggregated over a five year period (2000–2005) and indirectly adjusted using Georgia as the standard. Rates for rural counties, (populations less than 35,000), were statistically compared to urban rates (α = 0.05).

Results: HIV infections …

Extending Hiv Prevention: People Living With Hiv/Aids (Plwha) Strategize To Reduce Stigma And Promote Hiv Testing, Tiffiany M. Cummings Aholou, Su-I Hou, Tanisha S. Grimes

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Strategies to reduce acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)‐related stigma are paramount to promoting effective HIV prevention. As in the case of HIV antibody testing, despite the benefits of early detection, links to care, and risk behavior modification, nearly 250,000 people are unaware of their HIV status. AIDS‐related stigma has impeded such efforts due to discrimination, ignorance and other forms of stigma. These issues related to stigma and HIV testing are magnified when placed in the context of the rural Deep South region of the United States, where the incidence of HIV/AIDS are growing at alarming rates. The purpose of this paper …

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Identifying Publication Outlets In Occupational Health Psychology: An Opinion Survey, Maria Karanika-Murray, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Leigh Schmitt

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Conocimientos, Percepciones, Y Prácticas De Mujeres Jóvenes Acerca Del Papiloma Virus Humano, Michelle Marie Picón Ruiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Efforts by the Chilean Ministry of Health to reduce the mortality rates due to cervical cancer by 40% during 2000 - 2010 have successfully impacted every age group except for young women between the ages of 20-24. Cervical cancer is caused by Human Papiloma Virus (HPV), the most common Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). Both are detected by the Papanicolaou test, or Pap smear. Cervical cancer found in older women most likely developed from an HPV infection contracted in their youth. This study aims to understand the knowledge, practices, and perceptions that young women in Arica, Chile have about their …

Voz De Los Internos: Atención De Salud En El Recinto Penal En Arica, Chile, Lily Hoffman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

According to both international and Chilean laws, incarceration does not affect one’s right to healthcare. Despite this protection, the health of prisoners’ remains a controversial topic in many communities, which may contribute to the inconsistencies in the levels of access to, and quality of, healthcare services in jails/prisons. A voice that is commonly overlooked, despite its value, is that of the patients of healthcare systems in jails/prisons around the world. This project was conducted in the maximum security prison complex in Arica, Chile and includes interviews with twenty-two incarcerated individuals based on their experiences with healthcare services in prison. Sixty-eight …

El Rol De La Partera En La Provincia De Parinacota, Liana Langdon-Embry

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For centuries, the Aymaran people of the Parinacota Province in Northern Chile have been deeply committed to ancestral practices, where a Cosmo vision rears a connection between human beings, the natural environment, and the spiritual world. The Aymaran medicinal practices replicate this relationship, with the indigenous medicine man and midwives historically holding a central role in the natural healing of community members. This study describes the present-day role of Señora Fausta Pairo Mollo, the midwife in the altiplano region of Parinacota. In particular, it examines how her practices has been integrated into the official medical system, while also investigating how …

How To Build A Health Clinic: Disease Burden, Health Seeking Behavior And Clinic Structures In The Kibera Slums, Samuel Mcgowan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study seeks to determine a model for a health clinic to be run by the Kibera School for Girls in the Katwekera village of Nairobi’s Kibera slums. The study examines the disease burden of the school’s initial target population, the health-seeking behavior of the community, and current clinic structures in Kibera. Using these methodological tactics, the study suggests the Kibera School for Girls should start a small, locally-run clinic that offers basic primary health care to a target population of about 5,000 Kibera residents.

The Impact Of Brazil’S Bolsa Familia Program On Food Security In Santo Antônio De Jesus, Bahia, Mario Felipe Dest

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this research project is to evaluate the impact that the Bolsa Família Program has on the level of food security within an impoverished community of Santo Antônio de Jesus. The issue of food security is important because a person’s overall health worsens as a result of not having access to a healthy and well balanced diet. As a result of these negative health aspects, one’s capacity to do work, learn, and take care of one’s family are all affected. This relationship between nutrition and social situations is the focus of this study, which will be used to …

The Birds & The Bees Of The West Usambaras: Family Planning & Population Of Sagara & Kizanda Villages, Melissa Neville

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My study in the West Usambaras took place November 2009. The main objectives of the study were to identify the principle family planning methods of women in Sagara and Kizanda villages, why those specific methods were used, and how they may be changing over time. The study also focused on the population growth and fertility rates of the two villages. I predicted that fertility rates were high and constant, and that most women would use traditional methods of birth control, with only a few choosing to use medication available at the local health clinic or dispensary. My predictions turned out …

Breastfeeding: A Landmark In Global Public Health, Melissa Tinling

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the study of public health and the discipline of global health, what is the meaning of the term “global public health”? The author, Melissa Tinling, defines the concept and gives an illustration through the model of the global effort to increase breastfeeding prevalence. Using the WHO and UNICEF joint Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding as the central framework, the responsibilities of the global, international, national, and local levels are depicted within the context of Geneva, Switzerland. The author identifies the ethical considerations implicated in the application of the global public health strategy to breastfeeding.

“I Didn’T Feel Like Living”: The Prevalence, Perceptions, And Prevention Of Hiv/Aids Among Tibetan Refugees In Kathmandu, Caitlin Macleod-Bluver

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The fight against HIV/AIDS is a global one, a concern that is addressed by both the Nepali government and the Tibetan government in exile. Both governments have taken measures to prevent the further spread of the epidemic among their populations, increase knowledge and awareness about the disease, and provide better treatment and care to those living with HIV/AIDS. However, there is a gap between these efforts, particularly within the Tibetan refugee community. As a result of Tibetan’s refugee status in Nepal, fewer resources have been allocated for dealing with and understanding the risk factors for Tibetans in exile in Nepal. …

National Health Accounts: Lessons For Pakistan, Muhammad Ashar Malik

Community Health Sciences

No abstract provided.

Causal Inference For Nested Case-Control Studies Using Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation, Sherri Rose, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

A nested case-control study is conducted within a well-defined cohort arising out of a population of interest. This design is often used in epidemiology to reduce the costs associated with collecting data on the full cohort; however, the case control sample within the cohort is a biased sample. Methods for analyzing case-control studies have largely focused on logistic regression models that provide conditional and not marginal causal estimates of the odds ratio. We previously developed a Case-Control Weighted Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation (TMLE) procedure for case-control study designs, which relies on the prevalence probability q0. We propose the use of …

Health Communication Sources And Cancer Survivors’ Information Seeking, Ni Zhang, Yong-Chan Kim

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Suicide Attempts Among Latinas Who Experienced Early Sex Were Largely Mediated By Substance Abuse, Patria Rojas, Sunny Kim, Mario De La Rosa, Wayway M. Hlaing, Theophille Niyonsenga

Florida Public Health Review

The purpose of this study was to describe the role of substance abuse as a mediating factor between early sexual experiences and suicide attempts among adult Latinas. In our study participants (n=158), nearly 15% had attempted suicide and 39% experienced their first sexual encounter at an age of 15 or younger (referred to hereafter as “early sex”). Latinas who experienced early sex were more likely to attempt suicide [OR=2.4, p<0.05], and this relationship was largely mediated by substance abuse. An early sexual debut may indicate an environmental adversity on the child that calls for long term intervention for prevention of substance abuse as well as promotion of psychological well-being later in life.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 85, No. 4, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. Articles:

• Wilson, Laurel. Some Students Off Swine Flu – Influenza
• Hood, Sarah. Va-Va-Voom – Megan Coker, Vette City Roller Derby
• Harris, Shakia. Group to Talk Domestic Partner Benefits – Health Insurance, University Senate
• Walker, Morgan. A Thousand Words – Chris Goodrow, Homeless Persons, Vietnam Veterans
• Freeman, Phil. Smoking Survey Expected – Cigarettes, Tobacco
• Jenkins, Spencer. Veteran’s Group Forms – Student Veterans of America
• Erskine, Anne. Editorial Cartoon re: Swine Flu – Big Red
• Pandemic or Pandemonium – Swine Flu, Influenza
• Bryan, Kendrick. Student Government Association Wants You to Get …