Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Covid-19 Evacuation And Sheltering Risk Perception Study, Joshua G. Behr, Rafael Diaz, Wie Yusuf, Bridget Giles, Kaleen Lawsure, George Mcleod

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

First two paragraphs from the Executive Overview:

This report, COVID-19 Evacuation and Sheltering Risk Perception Study, is one of several key science-based research efforts produced for the State reflecting the most current knowledge related to evacuation and sheltering behavior. The primary data source for this report are interviews with 2,200 households across ten localities in Hampton Roads, including the Eastern Shore. The findings – and recommendations – within this report are intended to inform and advance state and local evacuation and public shelter planning.

This report contains 31 specific recommendations (Action Items) that broadly advance coastal resilience and protect the …

Insufficient Sun Exposure Has Become A Real Public Health Problem, Lars Alfredsson, Bruce K Armstrong, D. Allan Butterfield, Rajiv Chowdhury, Frank R. De Gruijl, Martin Feelisch, Cedric F. Garland, Prue H. Hart, David G. Hoel, Ramune Jacobsen, Pelle G. Lindqvist, David J. Llewellyn, Henning Tiemeier, Richard B. Weller, Antony R. Young

Chemistry Faculty Publications

This article aims to alert the medical community and public health authorities to accumulating evidence on health benefits from sun exposure, which suggests that insufficient sun exposure is a significant public health problem. Studies in the past decade indicate that insufficient sun exposure may be responsible for 340,000 deaths in the United States and 480,000 deaths in Europe per year, and an increased incidence of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, autism, asthma, type 1 diabetes and myopia. Vitamin D has long been considered the principal mediator of beneficial effects of sun exposure. …

An Assessment Of Disinfection-Related Water Chemistry At Public Pools And Spas In Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas Gerding, Tim Wilder, Jason W. Marion

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The growth in the number of pools to more than 7.4 million in the U.S. has been accompanied by a rise in recreational water illnesses (RWIs). Effective pool management, though, can mitigate RWI risks. Inadequate management presumably occurs more frequently where training is less formalized and/or pool operation is a minor aspect of the job of the responsible pool manager(s). During summer 2018, weekly evaluations were performed at public venues in Louisville, Kentucky. Disinfectant levels and other items were monitored and compared with venue-specific (pool or spa) criteria. Among 1,312 venue surveys, 1,173 (89.4%) met criteria and 139 (10.6%) did …

Fluoridation: Our History, Our Legacy, James Wieland Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

2020 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s most dramatic public health initiatives, a public health project that dramatically improved the oral health of millions of people, not only in the United States but throughout the world. On Jan. 25, 1945, the Grand Rapids Study was launched and the Furniture City became the world’s first to adjust the fluoride level of its public water supply.

This landmark trial established the use of fluoridation as a safe, effective, and economical public health measure to prevent tooth decay.

How the Grand Rapids Study began is a fascinating story. Even though …

Celebrate! The Legacy Of Community Water Fluoridation Continues In Grand Rapids, James Wieland Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Michigan dentistry continues to tell the world about the great advance in public health that began in Grand Rapids 75 years ago. This article looks back at past commemorations, and a tribute to those who worked so hard to make a permanent monument to community water fluoridation.

How Urban Land Use Contributes To Inequitable Health Outcomes: An Interdisciplinary Review & Analysis, Bliss Storm Croton

University Honors Theses

Using existing literature as a basis for initial review, this paper seeks to explore the relationship between urban land use and socioeconomic status as both pertain to the prevalence of psychological health diagnoses among neighborhood residents. The purpose of this analysis is to investigate the combined literature from multiple areas of research in order to gain a more holistic, up-to-date scope of knowledge regarding how discriminatory neighborhood land use may result in poorer psychological health outcomes for urban populations. By utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, some of the locally relevant, long-term impacts of uneven development and environmental injustice are examined based …

Kentucky's Environmental Future, Fall/Winter 2004, Issue 9

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Examination Of Human Health Impacts Due To Adverse Climate Events Through The Use Of Vulnerability Mapping: A Scoping Review, Michael T. Schmeltz, Peter J. Marcotullio

Publications and Research

Government officials, health professionals, and other decision makers are tasked with characterizing vulnerability and understanding how populations experience risks associated with exposure to climate-related hazards. Spatial analyses of vulnerable locations have given rise to climate change vulnerability mapping. While not a new concept, the spatial analyses of specific health outcomes remain limited. This review explores different methodologies and data that are used to assess vulnerability and map population health impacts to climate hazards. The review retrieved scholarly articles and governmental reports concerning vulnerability mapping of human health to the impacts of climate change in the United States, published in the …

Feeling Green: The Benefits Of Green Space On Urbanites' Mental Health, Kathryn A. Hoagland

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

This investigation intends to determine the best methods for incorporating public green space into dense urban areas, for the betterment of residents' mental health. Data from studies showing differences in the prevalence of anxiety and depression in urban and rural areas are discussed alongside data from studies looking at the effect that certain types of green space might have on mental health. While there is no exact consensus on the extent to which nature has positive effects on mental health there is enough of a correlation to argue for the implementation of public green spaces in urban design, in order …

Maintaining Stability In A Changing Climate: A Comparative Analysis Of Public Health Systems And Migration Policies In The U.S. And Canada, Laura Cutlip

Climate and Society

This paper examines the relation between climate change, migration, and public health to better understand how the United States health system is positioned to deal with likely challenges to human health posed by environmental changes. The author reviews probable impacts of climate change on population displacement and disease before considering how the current structure of the health system of the United States will render it unable to adapt to these changes and challenges. The Canadian health care system and refugee policies are then reviewed to provide a counterpoint to this analysis. These findings are then considered in tandem as the …

Social Norms, Misperceptions, And Mosquito Net Use: A Population‑Based, Cross‑Sectional Study In Rural Uganda, Jessica M. Perkins, Paul J. Krezanoski, Sae Takada, Bernard Kakuhikire, Vincent Batwala, Alexander Tsai, Nicholas A. Christakis, David R. Bangsberg

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Mosquito net use is an essential part of malaria prevention. Although previous research has shown that many people sleep under a mosquito net in endemic areas, it is unknown whether people underestimate how common it is to sleep under a net every night. Furthermore, perceived social norms about whether most others sleep under a mosquito net every night may contribute to personally sleeping under a net, given decades of research showing that people often mimic others’ behaviours.

Methods: Population-based data were collected from 1669 adults across eight villages in one rural parish in southwestern Uganda. Individuals’ perception about whether …

Geospatial-Temporal, Demographic, And Programmatic Adoption Characteristics Of A Large-Scale Water Filter And Improved Cookstove Intervention In Western Province, Rwanda, Katie Fankhauser, Corey L. Nagel, Christina Barstow, Miles Kirby, Evan A. Thomas

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Lowering the global disease burden of preventable disease has been addressed in part by the distribution of health products and behavior change campaigns in low-income countries. Realizing a health impact requires adoption by participants, and the topic of program uptake and sustained adoption has been studied extensively, although an ecological context is largely missing from existing work. This study characterizes self-reported and observed adoption of improved cookstoves and point-of-use water filters among nearly 80,000 households in Rwanda using demographic and programmatic variables from implementer surveys and integration of geospatial and temporal data based on differentiated recipient location. The odds of …

Maternal Immune Activation (Mia) In Mice: A Study To Phenotype Asd-Related Communication Behaviors And Analyze Maternal Health Outcomes In The Us, Komalpreet Gulati

Honors Scholar Theses

Core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) include deficits in social/communicative behaviors, and repetitive/stereotyped behaviors. Mouse models are a highly established paradigm used to study the phenotypic deficits that result from various inducible genotypic or environmental risk factors for ASD. Previous studies have demonstrated a link between maternal immune activation (MIA) and ASD-like behaviors in mouse models. In this model, the maternal immune system is activated during pregnancy by injecting the viral mimic poly(I:C). The resulting offspring are phenotyped and analyzed with regards to their communicative behaviors.

Previous studies have demonstrated that male pups born to dams with immune activation …

Using Digital Scholarship And Citizen Science To Reduce Lead Poisoning Risk In Indiana, Matthew L. Sisk 6317313

Bucknell University Digital Scholarship Conference

Lead exposure remains a prevalent public health issue in many communities. In some cases, the exposure risk comes from contaminated water, but in others it is from the legacy of lead-based paint or contaminated soils. Here, we report on recent work using digital scholarship techniques along side a citizen science model to increase awareness and reduce environmental hazards in the affected city of South Bend, Indiana. Over the past two years, we have worked closely with local community organizations, civic entities and concerned individuals to develop a home test kit that puts the tools to determine risk in the hands …

It's About Communities: The Commitment To Promoting A Culturally Competent Environmental Health Workforce, Clint Pinion Jr., Leslie D. Mitchell, Jason W. Marion

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Environmental health and public health are profoundly local. The Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) firmly agrees and for this reason, it is important to have local environmental health experts who know the pulse of their communities. AEHAP believes in supporting the advanced scientific education of environmental health in these communities through people from these communities. Accordingly, AEHAP has sought to promote and support accredited environmental health programs among a diverse cross-section of the U.S. higher education landscape. AEHAP’s students are diverse in many ways, including socioeconomically, racially, ethnically, and culturally. The value of this approach enhances the overall …

Examining The Issue Of Compliance With Personal Protective Equipment Among Wastewater Workers Across The Southeast Region Of The United States, Tamara L. Wright

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Wastewater workers are exposed to different occupational hazards such as chemicals, gases, viruses, and bacteria. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a significant factor that can reduce or increase the probability of an accident from hazardous exposures to chemicals and microbial contaminants. The purpose of this study was to identify wastewater worker’s beliefs and practices on wearing PPE and protections offered by PPE through the integration of the Health Belief Model (HBM). Participants were workers in the wastewater industry, which included wastewater operators, laboratory analysts, maintenance workers, wastewater collection workers, equipment operators, managers, and supervisors (n=272). The instrument was a self-administered …

Improving Public Health Readiness For Sea Level Rise: A New Initiative In Coastal Virginia, Steven M. Becker

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Sea level has been rising around the world, and in recent decades, the rate has been accelerating. Because rising seas have the potential to directly or indirectly affect the health of vast numbers of coastal communities and inhabitants, public health agencies and professionals—in conjunction with other fields—have a pivotal role to play in helping to protect populations, reduce and prevent health impacts, and foster resilience. This article discusses a novel effort that has been undertaken in Coastal Virginia to help prepare the next generation of public health professionals to grapple with sea level rise issues. The effort grew out of …

The Effect Of Fast Food Restaurants On Type 2 Diabetes Rates, Grace Bailey

CMC Senior Theses

This paper conducts an analysis of county level data to determine the effect of fast food restaurants on type 2 diabetes rates. Due to endogeneity concerns with respect to the location of fast food restaurants, this paper follows the work of Dunn (2010) and uses the number of interstate exits in a given county to serve as an instrument for fast food restaurants. The strength of the instrument, which is theoretically and empirically tested in this paper, imposes some restraints on the interpretation of the findings. Using the Two-Stage Least Squares estimation method, I find that the presence of fast …

Indoor Air Quality In Schools, Clint Pinion Jr.

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

An indoor air quality study was conducted on a ‘net-zero energy’ school using a TSI Velocicalc Model 9555-p with probe model 982, passive radon monitors, visual inspection protocol, and an indoor environmental quality survey of school faculty and staff. Average indoor temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide levels in several areas within the school were not within IAQ guidelines. Three rooms on the school’s grounds had radon levels exceeding the action level. Recommended solutions included installing return and supply air ducts in hallways and relative humidity and temperature monitors in classrooms with high-pitched ceilings.

How Useful Is Gsv As An Environmental Observation Tool? An Analysis Of The Evidence So Far., Katherine Nesse, Leah Airt

SPU Works

Researchers in many disciplines have turned to Google Street View to replace pedestrian- or carbased in-person observation of streetscapes. It is most prevalent within the research literature on the relationship between neighborhood environments and public health but has been used as diverse as disaster recovery, ecology and wildlife habitat, and urban design. Evaluations of the tool have found that the results of GSV-based observation are similar to the results from in-person observation although the similarity depends on the type of characteristic being observed. Larger, permanent and discrete features showed more consistency between the two methods and smaller, transient and judgmental …

Counterfeit Medicines In Socioeconomic Perspective, Desy Nuryunarsih Nuryunarsih

Kesmas

Obat-obatan palsu berpotensi mencapai 70% dari pasaran obat internasional dengan proporsi terbanyak ditemukan di negara berkembang. Meningkatkan kesadaran masyarakat akan adanya obat-obatan palsu akan secara langsung memengaruhi permintaan produk obat palsu yang akhirnya akan mengurangi kegiatan pemalsuan obat. Akan tetapi, meningkatkan pengetahuan masyarakat akan bahaya obat-obatan palsu tidaklah mudah sebab profesi kesehatan masyarakat harus juga mempertimbangkan keberagaman faktor-faktor sosial, ekonomi dan pendidikan. Laporan ini menelaah artikel jurnal yang ditelaah oleh kelompok seminat, laporan media, laporan resmi pemerintah dan non-pemerintah. Sebanyak 179 artikel (dari 1990 sampai 2014) ditelaah untuk mengetahui hubungan antara indeks pembangunan manusia (IPM) dari USA, Jepang, Brasil, Iran, …

Chad : Hepatitis E, Hanna Pegarsch

Global Public Health

Contaminated drinking water in Chad is the main source for a Hepatitis E outbreak, leading Chad citizens to develop severe illness including jaundice, liver-failure, miscarriage, and death. There are 0.4 physicians for every 10,000 people living in Chad needing healthcare. Of the citizens in Chad, only 42% have access to uncontaminated drinking water. With such a long incubation period for Hepatitis E, the citizens don’t know they are spreading the illness to the rest of their community. Even with the symptoms, the citizens don’t have the access or the capacity for treatment, making Hepatitis E an epidemic in Chad.

Ukraine : Papillary Thyroid Cancer, Elizabeth Paris

Global Public Health

Ukraine is a middle- to low- income country run by a semi-presidential republic, after the banning of the Communist party in the early 1990's. While the nation faces various internal and external challenges, including unemployment rates and war with Russia, Ukraine also continues to face a major public health issue that originated in the 1980's. In 1986, an explosion was triggered at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine. The explosion released radioactive iodine into the ground, water, and air, and it was discovered soon after that this had a long-lasting effect on health. It has been observed that rates …

Evaluation Of A Mosquito Control Intervention And Recommendations For Development Of Best Practice Protocols By The Shire Of Kalamunda, Kerry Staples

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Abstract

The mosquito control program implemented by the Shire of Kalamunda Environmental Health Service has been assessed. Mosquito species and abundance has been evaluated along with an assessment on the current level of pesticide resistance and downstream S‐methoprene levels post‐treatment. The rate of Ross River virus transmission within the Shire has also been considered, along with the relationship between local species and virus transmission.

Methodology

Floating Emergence Traps were used in 15 storm‐water gullies to determine the effectiveness of S‐methoprene briquets in prevention of adult mosquito emergence over 124 days. Samples were taken monthly from October 2014 to March 2015. …

Editorial: Leading People - Managing Organizations: Contemporary Public Health Leadership, James W. Holsinger Jr., Erik L. Carlton, Emmanuel D. Jadhav

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Effectively leading people engaged in the practice of public health has never been more critical than in the early years of the twenty-first century. Likewise, effectively managing the organizations in which these individuals practice the various professional disciplines of public health has become increasing important and difficult. Taken together, leading the people and managing public health organizations requires well educated and appropriately trained public health leaders and managers. Although leadership is often viewed as one of the key attributes of management, not every great manager will be a great leader and vice versa. While some leaders may be born with …

Exposure To Elemental Carbon, Organic Carbon, Nitrate, And Sulfate Fractions Of Fine Particulate Matter And Risk Of Preterm Birth In New Jersey, Ohio, And Pennsylvania (2000–2005), Kristen M. Rappazzo, Julie L. Daniels, Lynne C. Messer, Charles Poole, Danelle T. Lobdell

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) has been consistently associated with preterm birth (PTB) to varying degrees, but roles of PM2.5 species have been less studied.

Objective: We estimated risk differences (RD) of PTB (reported per 106 pregnancies) associated with change in ambient concentrations of elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), nitrates (NO3), and sulfates (SO4).

Methods: From live birth certificates from three states, we constructed a cohort of singleton pregnancies at or beyond 20 weeks of gestation from 2000 through 2005 (n = 1,771,225; 8% PTB). We estimated mean species exposures for each week of …

Virginia Air Quality: Trends, Exposure, And Respiratory Health Impacts, James Blando, My Ngoc Nguyen, Manasi Sheth-Chandra, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Virginia Journal of Science

Air quality is an important determinant of public health and quality of life. A secondary data analysis was carried out to investigate trends and air quality in Virginia. The analysis included an evaluation of two major air pollution source categories, emission of criteria and hazardous air pollutants, ambient concentrations of criteria pollutants, ozone standard violations and associated meteorology, and hospital admissions for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Virginia. Comparisons were also made to national trends and statistics. Data was gathered from many open reputable on-line sources available through various state and federal agencies. Virginia routinely meets 5 of …

Sociodemographic Factors To Dengue Hemmorrhagic Fever Case In Indonesia, Desy Nuryunarsih

Kesmas

Demam berdarah dengue (DBD) adalah penyebab utama rawat inap dan kematian pada anak-anak. Indonesia adalah salah satu negara yang oleh WHO dikategorikan hyperendemicity dengan empat serotipe virus tersebar di daerah perkotaan. Faktor sosiodemografi dianggap sebagai faktor pendukung terjadinya DBD di Indonesia. Studi ini menggunakan data sekunder yang diunduh dari Basis Data Kesehatan Provinsi tahun 2010 Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia untuk menentukan korelasi antara ketiga faktor sosiodemografi dengan insiden DBD. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif deskripsi korelasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa dua faktor sosiodemografi terpilih memiliki korelasi linier dengan insiden DBD. Analisa regresi multivariat menunjukkan kecilnya korelasi antara insiden DBD dengan …

Applying Failure Modes And Effects Analysis To Public Health Models: The Breathe Easy At Home Program, Johnna S. Murphy, Margaret Reid, Amanda Ali, Laura Harrington, Megan Sandel

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a structured process used to identify and prioritize risks by ranking them based on severity, occurrence, and detectability. Historically, FMEA has been used within industries, including automotive and health care. This project explored the adaption of the FMEA template to a small public health program designed to improve asthma outcomes. The Breathe Easy at Home (BEAH) program is a multi-sector partnership that uses a web-based system to link clinical sites with housing code inspections and enforcement for patients with asthma.

In July and August 2014, an FMEA was conducted to uncover risks within …

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.