Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Chemical Reactions: Marijuana, Opioids, And Our Families, Denise A. Hines Ph.D, Staci Gruber Ph.D, John F. Kelly Ph.D, Kathleen M. Palm Reed, Hilary Smith Connery M.D., Ph.D.

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Chemical Reactions: Marijuana, Opioids, and Our Families is the seventh Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar. This seminar was designed to emphasize a family perspective in policymaking on issues related to the legalization of marijuana and managing the opioid abuse crisis in the Commonwealth. In general, Family Impact Seminars analyze the consequences an issue, policy, or program may have for families.

Applying Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership Principles To Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Betty Bekemeier, Lisa Vanraemdonck, Anna Goodman Hoover

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

With real-world relevance and translatability as important goals, applied methodological approaches have arisen along the participatory continuum that value context and empower stakeholders to partner actively with academics throughout the research process. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) provides the gold standard for equitable, partnered research in traditional communities. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) also have developed, coalescing communities of practice and of academics to identify, study, and answer practice-relevant questions. To optimize PBRN potential for expanding scientific knowledge, while bridging divides across knowledge production, dissemination, and implementation, we elucidate how PBRN partnerships can be strengthened by applying CBPR principles to build and …

Surveillance, Epidemiological, And Virological Detection Of Highly Pathogenic H5n1 Avian Influenza Viruses In Duck And Poultry From Bangladesh, Wahedul Karim Ansari, Md Safiullah Parvej, Mohamed E. El Zowalaty, Sally Jackson, Stephen A. Bustin, Adel K. Ibrahim, Md Tanvir Rahman, Han Zhang, Mohammad Ferdousur Rahman Khan, Md Mostakin Ahamd, Md. Fasiur Rahman, Marzia Rahman, Khm Nazmul H. Nazir, Sultan Ahmed, Md Liakot Hossenn, Md Abdul Kafi, Mat Yamage, Nitish C. Debnath, Graba Ahmed, Hossam Ashour, Md Masoud, Ayman Noreddin, Md B. Rahman

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) continue to pose a global threat. Waterfowl are the main reservoir and are responsible for the spillover of AIVs to other hosts. This study was conducted as part of routine surveillance activities in Bangladesh and it reports on the serological and molecular detection of H5N1 AIV subtype. A total of 2169 cloacal and 2191 oropharyngeal swabs as well as 1725 sera samples were collected from live birds including duck and chicken in different locations in Bangladesh between the years of 2013 and 2014. Samples were tested using virus isolation, serological tests and molecular methods of RT-PCR. …

Young Adult E-Cigarette Exposure: Implications For Policy And Prevention, Monica Page Daniel Dobbs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective. The purpose of this study is to examine factors associated with e-cigarette use among college students to better understand their behavior. Using Ajzen’s Reasoned Action Approach, this study sought to better understanding the influence of attitudes, Social norms, and perceived behavioral controls (PBCs) on college students’ intention to try e-cigarettes (even one puff) in the next 30 days.

Methodology. This study employed three phases for a mixed methods design that took place between December 2015 and April 2016. Phase 1 used Middlestadt’s salient belief elicitation procedure to capture responses through an open ended survey (n=58). Phase 2, a pilot …

Available Interventions For Prevention Of Cotton Dust-Associated Lung Diseases Among Textile Workers, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

The authors reviewed literature on interventions for cotton dust-associated lung diseases among textile workers. Internet sources (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google and Google Scholar) were accessed and interventions were categorized into: Engineering or administrative controls, or personal protective equipment (PPE). Ten relevant articles were shortlisted, five related to engineering controls (pre-processing, bactericidal treatment of cotton, improved workplace design, machinery and dust control measures). Administrative controls may involve setting standards, environmental surveillance, periodic medical examinations, and workers training. Although specific guidelines are available regarding the use of PPEs, but there was little literature on their effectiveness. It was concluded that there is …

Is Housing Making People Sick?: An Overview Of Seven Studies That Raise Questions To Consider As We Incorporate Health Into Planning And Build New Housing To Address Shortages And Energy Efficiency, Merilee D. Karr

Metroscape

The article discusses the unintended consequences of some of the strategies for housing energy efficiency: they can lead to indoor air pollution that is making people sick. As we pursue ways to reduce the cost of housing, we must pursue innovation in building materials and techniques that might reduce the negative health consequences of sealing our homes from the elements.

Calcium Phosphate As A Key Material For Socially Responsible Tissue Engineering, Vuk Uskoković, Victoria M. Wu

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Socially responsible technologies are designed while taking into consideration the socioeconomic, geopolitical and environmental limitations of regions in which they will be implemented. In the medical context, this involves making therapeutic platforms more accessible and affordable to patients in poor regions of the world wherein a given disease is endemic. This often necessitates going against the reigning trend of making therapeutic nanoparticles ever more structurally complex and expensive. However, studies aimed at simplifying materials and formulations while maintaining the functionality and therapeutic response of their more complex counterparts seldom provoke a significant interest in the scientific community. In this review …

Impacts From The Use Of Antibiotics In Livestock: Methods Of Transmission Of Antibiotic Resistance From Livestock To Humans, Kristin M. Walden

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Antibiotic use in livestock production has been around since the 1950s. Antibiotic feed is used in livestock and other meat producing animals for three reasons: illness prevention, illness treatment, and growth promotion. Unfortunately, since the time that antibiotics were first invented, antibiotic resistant bacteria have become a threat to public health. There are many studies showing methods of transmission of antibiotic resistance from livestock to humans. Antibiotic resistance can spread from livestock to soil, water, insects, and food, which ultimately comes into contact with humans. A proposed study to measure antibiotic resistance when eliminating antibiotic feed will provide a hypothesis …

Evaluation Of Protein Source At Breakfast On Energy Metabolism, Metabolic Health, And Food Intake: A Pilot Study, Lauren A. Cambias

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Over 30% of adults in the US are obese. A primary contributor to obesity is an unhealthy diet related to imbalanced macronutrients. Diets higher in protein (PRO) are associated with increased energy expenditure (EE) and reduced food intake. The objective of this pilot study was to determine if protein source at breakfast influences EE in young men (n=4; ages 18-35). Participants consumed three isocaloric (whey (WP), pea (PP), beef (BP); 275 kcal, 62% PRO, 23% CHO, 15% Fat) drinks in randomized, crossover design with a one-week washout period. Each test day EE, appetite, and cravings were assessed at 0, …

Biosand Water Filter Evaluation: Meta-Evaluation And Pilot Study Of Field Use Indicators, Bethesda O'Connell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diarrheal diseases are a global public health burden, killing 1.8 million people annually. Diarrhea disproportionately affects children and those in poverty. Most diarrheal cases can be prevented through safe drinking water, basic hygiene and/or sanitation measures, with drinking water interventions having the most impact on reducing diarrheal disease. A meta-evaluation was completed of studies evaluating a specific household water treatment method, the biosand water filter. Results from the meta-evaluation illustrate that biosand water filters improve drinking water quality and reduce diarrheal disease. However, there is no generally agreed upon field method for determining biosand water filter effectiveness that is useable …

Redefining Medicine: The Epistemology, Political Theory, And Phenomenology Of Health And Disease, Jacqline J. Murillo

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

This thesis argues that health needs to be redefined in a more comprehensive fashion, namely as a physiological/biological state, with social, environmental, and individual determinants always related to one’s personal needs to achieve one’s life plan. The benefits of this new definition include more emphasis on the distribution of health as a social good.

Additionally, redefining health puts the value of the individual’s life rather than the strict monetary value of their needed treatment as a focal point. It also draws more attention to medicine as a practice of care, rather than viewing it simply as a technology or science, …

Detroit Health Department: Lead Report 2016, Abdul El-Sayed, Alex B. Hill, Haifa Haroon

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

The Epidemiology team at the Detroit Health Department rigorously stress- tested Detroit’s lead numbers. The findings suggest a true decline in EBLL levels rather than a decrease in lead testing or a change in the characteristics of the children who are being tested.

Pesticide Exposure In The Caribbean: A Case From Nutmeg Processing, Muge Akpinar-Elci, My Ngoc Thuy Nguyen, Satesh Bidaisee, Omur Cinai Elci

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Many developed countries around the world have implemented regulations to phase out or greatly restrict the use of pesticides. Pesticides are still utilized with minimal restrictions, however, in fumigating agricultural commodities in developing countries such as Grenada. This special report presents the case of a nutmeg factory worker in Grenada who worked with various pesticides including methyl bromide, magnesium phosphide (magtoxin), and aluminum phosphide (phostoxin) without the proper awareness and utilization of health and safety measures. The nutmeg factory worker later developed metastatic bladder cancer, which may have been triggered by a combination of individual risk factors along with long-term …

The National Exercise Referral Framework, Catherine B. Woods, Noel Mccaffrey, Brona Furlong, Lorraine Fitzsimons D'Arcy, Maire Murphy, Michael Harrison, Liam Glynn, John O'Riordan, Biddy O'Neill, Sinead Jennings, Caroline Peppard

Reports

A 2013 Review of the HSE funded GP Exercise Referral Programme (GPERP) highlighted the need for a new National Exercise Referral Framework (NERF). The evidence suggests that exercise referral is an effective targeted health intervention for specific patients and with the increasing prevalence of chronic disease it is imperative that we examine, design and progress the implementation of scalable, sustainable evidence-based, interventions, integrated across the health system to improve the health and wellbeing of the population. The development of this proposed National Exercise Referral Framework, commissioned by Health Promotion and Improvement, was led by DCU involving a multi-disciplinary Working Group …

Locations Of Physical Activity As Assessed By Gps In Young Adolescents., Jordan A. Carlson, Jasper Schipperijn, Jacqueline Kerr, Brian E. Saelens, Loki Natarajan, Lawrence D. Frank, Karen Glanz, Terry L. Conway, Kelli L. Cain, James F. Sallis, J E. Chapman

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: To compare adolescents' physical activity at home, near home, at school, near school, and at other locations.

METHODS: Adolescents (N = 549) were ages 12 to 16 years (49.9% girls, 31.3% nonwhite or Hispanic) from 447 census block groups in 2 US regions. Accelerometers and Global Positioning System devices assessed minutes of and proportion of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in each of the 5 locations. Mixed-effects regression compared MVPA across locations and demographic factors.

RESULTS: Forty-two percent of adolescents' overall MVPA occurred at school, 18.7% at home, 18.3% in other (nonhome, nonschool) locations, and …

Improving Patient Care Outcomes To Reduce Recurrent Admissions Of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Lisa Maria Friedrich

Seton Hall University DNP Final Projects

Purpose:Transitional care is time-limited, with the goal of ensuring safety and health continuity for at-risk patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as they move from one setting to the next. An acute care episode of COPD ranges from relatively healthy adults to adults with multiple chronic conditions or those in the end-of-life phase. The primary quality concern of an urgent need to improve health care is in response to the gaps of sufficient experience to manage patients with COPD, leading to hospital readmissions. Implementation of standards of care for the improvement of health-related quality of life (HRQL) of COPD …

What Matters Most For Children: Influencing Inequality At The Start Of Life, Eboni C. Howard

Mickey Leland Center Information Portal

This paper provides an overview of the science of early childhood and summarizes the disparities and the opportunity gaps stemming from inequalities. It also describes categories of programs, services and policies for children birth to age 3 that might affect the extent of inequality and provide supportive early life experiences.

Wecan Implementation For Parents Of At-Risk Hispanic Adolescents In Middle School, Shannon Leigh Devita

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

CDC-reported childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past three years. Among children in grades five, seven and nine, 30% are overweight or obese, with Hispanic students more likely to be overweight than White students. This evidence-based project examined the effectiveness of NHLBI’s WeCan! for at-risk middle-school-age Hispanic children and parents. The program was implemented at school in two weekly sessions, and its effectiveness was evaluated using the WeCan! survey. The program resulted in improved knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes related energy balance, portion size, healthy foods, physical activity, and screen time and may be useful in other school settings.

Jefferson's New Smoking Policies: Steps Toward A Healthier Work Environment, Russell K. Mcintire Phd,Mph, Amber Bowie Mph Student

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Portland Bicycle Share Health Impact Assessment, Nicole A. Anderson

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The findings of this project have shown the potential health impact for implementing a bike share program in Portland, including improved air quality and rates of physical activity for bike share users. The recommendations to create the most health-conscious bike share program include basic requests of the bike share vendors that will provide the program to Portland including: recommending the use of helmets, distributing bike share stations throughout the City, tracking bicycle crashes, tracking minutes of physical activity, etc. The findings and recommendations show the importance of a potential bike share program, while creating a program that is safe and …

Healthy Options: A Community-Based Program To Address Food Insecurity, Amy B. Dailey, Audrey Hess, Camille Horton, Emily Constantian, Salma Monani, Betsy Wargo, Kim Davidson, Kathy Gaskin

Center for Public Service Research

The objectives of this study are to better understand the lived experience of food insecurity in our community and to examine the impact of a community-based program developed to increase access to local, healthy foods. Participants were given monthly vouchers to spend at local farmers’ markets and invited to engage in a variety of community activities. Using a community-based participatory research framework, mixed methods were employed. Survey results suggest that most respondents were satisfied with the program and many increased their fruit and vegetable consumption. However, over 40% of respondents reported a higher level of stress over having enough money …

Calling Science Pseudoscience: Fleck’S Archaeologies Of Fact And Latour’S ‘Biography Of An Investigation’ In Aids Denialism And Homeopathy, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

Fleck’s Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact foregrounds claims traditionally excluded from reception, often regarded as opposed to fact, scientific claims that are increasingly seldom discussed in connection with philosophy of science save as examples of pseudo-science. I am especially concerned with scientists who question the epidemiological link between HIV and AIDS and who are thereby discounted—no matter their credentials, no matter the cogency of their arguments, no matter the sobriety of their statistics—but also with other classic examples of so-called pseudo-science including homeopathy and other sciences, such as cold fusion. The pseudo-science version of the demarcation problem turns …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Primary Care, Priti Patel

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

The Capstone Project is focused on communicating, influencing and educating other health care professionals regarding the role of occupational therapy in the future model of primary care delivery initiated by the adoption of the Affordable Care Act and the Triple Aim Initiative. Currently, primary care, the largest health care platform in United States, is not inclusive of occupational therapy services. Occupational therapists have the scope, knowledge and understanding to be part of the redesigned team model of primary care. Educating those currently working in primary care about adding occupational therapy services can have a significant impact on the profession of …

La Paradoja Hispana Epidemiológica: Investigando Las Preconcepciones Y Generalizaciones, Maya H. Sandalow

CMC Senior Theses

En los Estados Unidos, los latinos suelen tener menos acceso a la educación, el trabajo, y el seguro médico en comparación con los blancos no-latinos, pero aun así el grupo parece superar ciertos obstáculos de la salud. Las estadísticas de la población latina muestran mayor longevidad y otras tasas favorables en comparación con los blancos no-latinos. Los expertos han titulado esta contradicción “La Paradoja Hispana Epidemiológica”.

Desafortunadamente, la investigación de la paradoja está llena de generalizaciones y presuposiciones erróneas sobre la población latina diversa. Esta tesis investiga los participantes que producen generalizaciones sobre la supuesta paradoja para mostrar que estas …

'Makin' It Out': The Cost Of Dropping Out Of High School On The Health Status Of Afro-American Women In Urban Slums, Sesa E. Bakenra-Tikande

CMC Senior Theses

“We carry our histories in our bodies, how could we not?” – Nancy Krieger

In the United States and abroad, socioeconomic status (income, education, and occupation) greatly impacts health outcomes for a given population. There is a strong and consistent socioeconomic gradient within health outcomes which has been documented as far back as in Ancient Egypt and China (Krieger, Willains, & Moss, 1997; Liberatos, Link, & Kelsey, 1988) The general trend shows that individuals with higher socioeconomic status generally enjoy lower rates of morbidity (disease) and disability, which can ultimately lead to higher mortality rates (House et al. (1992) and …

Public Health Implications Associated With The Practice Of Utilizing Tires To Singe Meat In Three Major Cities Of Ghana: A Concurrent Mixed Methods Study, Tempest D. Hill

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Utilization of automobile tires to singe meat (e.g., cows) intended for human consumption presents public health risks due to hazardous chemicals released into the environment and meat. This has become a common practice in some African countries such as Ghana. The objective of this study was to investigate the awareness and perception of the residents in three major cities of Ghana (Cape Coast, Kumasi and Accra) using the Health Belief Model and Social Ecological Model. Survey participants (n=196) and focus group discussion members (n=37) completed the study. Data collected from study participants included meat consumption, awareness of the use of …

Reducing Obesity And Obesity-Related Diseases In Richmond, California: Understanding The Importance Of Partnerships In Community-Based Health Education, Arlette Hernandez

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the United States obesity has become a major public health issue. Over the past two decades, the prevalence of obesity has doubled in adults and children. In the city of Richmond, California, adults and children are experiencing the highest rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases in comparison to other residents of West Contra Costa County. In an effort to reduce the rates of obesity in Richmond, two non-profit organizations have partnered up to provide innovative community-based health education to combat obesity and type II diabetes.

This paper will explore and summarize the 300-hour fieldwork the author experienced and completed …

Trauma Informed Practices For Oakland Unite Service Providers, Maereg D. Haile

Master's Projects and Capstones

Oakland, California - a home to almost 400,000 residents - is the top five most violent cities of the nation. There are lots of factors that greatly contribute to violence including: Poverty, housing/homelessness, unemployment, food insecurity, educational attainment, substance abuse. These factors feed to greater healthy disparities and increased trauma in low-income communities – specifically in east and west Oakland. Measure Y, now called Oakland Unite, is the current violence prevention effort that is set for reauthorization in November 2014. In order for these efforts to continue, Oakland Unite has started looking at comprehensive violence prevention initiatives that includes mental …

Racial Disparities In Access To Community Water Supply Service In Wake County, North Carolina, Jacqueline Macdonald Gibson, Nicholas Defelice, Daniel Sebastian, Hannah Leker

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Anecdotal evidence suggests that historically African American communities on the fringes of cities and towns in North Carolina have been systematically denied access to municipal drinking water service. This paper presents the first statistical analysis of the role of race in determining water access in these fringe areas, known as extraterritorial jurisdictions. Using publicly available property tax data, we quantified the percentage of residences with municipal water service in each census block in Wake County (the second-largest by population in North Carolina). Using the resulting water service maps plus 2010 U.S. Census data, we employed a logistic regression to assess …

The Medical Reserve Corps: Volunteers Making A Difference, Mary Lou Manning Phd, Crnp, Cic, Faan, Neale Batra Ba

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.