Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Contents Ije-Volume 1 (1), October 2020, Cynthia Brunold-Conesa

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Three Decades Of Research: The Case For Comprehensive Sex Education, Eva Goldfarb, Lisa D. Lieberman

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

School-based sex education plays a vital role in the sexual health and well-being of young people. Little is known, however, about the effectiveness of efforts beyond pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease prevention. The authors conducted a systematic literature review of three decades of research on school-based programs to find evidence for the effectiveness of comprehensive sex education.

Methods

Researchers searched the ERIC, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE. The research team identified papers meeting the systematic literature review criteria. Of 8,058 relevant articles, 218 met specific review criteria. More than 80% focused solely on pregnancy and disease prevention and were excluded, leaving …

Semi Open Partitions: A Defense Strategy For Airborne Disease, Kerrie Marshall, Arik Palileo, Eric A. Schiff

SyracuseCoE

This brief summarizes research on two measures that reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 from an infected person to a virus-free individual. Semi-partitioned spaces can reduce airborne disease transmission when combined with a proper ventilation flow pattern in a room. With advanced displacement ventilation risk can be reduced by at least 4 times.

Household And Personal Air Pollution Exposure Measurements From 120 Communities In Eight Countries: Results From The Pure-Air Study, Matthew Shupler, Perry Hystad, Aaron Birch, Daniel Miller-Lionberg, Matthew Jeronimo, Raphael E. Arku, Yen Li Chu, Rehman Khawaja, Romaina Iqbal, Khawar Kazmi

Community Health Sciences

Background: Approximately 2·8 billion people are exposed to household air pollution from cooking with polluting fuels. Few monitoring studies have systematically measured health-damaging air pollutant (ie, fine particulate matter [PM_2·5] and black carbon) concentrations from a wide range of cooking fuels across diverse populations. This multinational study aimed to assess the magnitude of kitchen concentrations and personal exposures to PM_2·5 and black carbon in rural communities with a wide range of cooking environments.
Methods: As part of the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) cohort, the PURE-AIR study was done in 120 rural communities in eight countries …

Plasma Proteins That May Cause Parkinson’S Disease And Multiple Sclerosis: A Mendelian Randomization Study, Brigid A. Staley

Dissertations and Theses

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are progressively disabling neurologic disorders that profoundly affect quality of life and shorten life expectancy. There is no cure for either disease, and current treatments only alleviate symptoms and may cause serious side effects. The causes of MS and PD are not well understood. Previous epidemiologic studies have documented numerous environmental risk factors for both diseases. However, these studies are inherently prone to bias from confounding which may generate spurious results. The lack of unbiased evidence on environmental causes of MS and PD has been a critical barrier to fully understanding their pathophysiology. …

Cross-Sectional Associations Between The Neighborhood Built Environment And Physical Activity In A Rural Setting: The Bogalusa Heart Study., Jeanette Gustat, Christopher E Anderson, Queendaleen C Chukwurah, Maeve E Wallace, Stephanie T Broyles, Lydia A Bazzano

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: Insufficient physical activity (PA) is a common health risk and more prevalent in rural populations. Few studies have assessed relationships between the built environment and PA in rural settings, and community policy guidance to promote PA through built environment interventions is primarily based on evidence from urban studies.Methods: Participants in the Bogalusa Heart Study, a longitudinal study in rural Louisiana, with International Physical Activity Questionnaire data from 2012 to 2013 and a valid residential address (N = 1245) were included. PA was summarized as the number of weekly metabolic equivalent (MET)-minutes of total, transportation, and leisure time PA. The …

Influence Of Woodsmoke Exposure On Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Alzheimer’S Disease: Existing Literature And Gaps In Our Understanding, Adam Schuller, Luke Montrose

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Woodsmoke poses a significant health risk as a growing component of ambient air pollution in the United States. While there is a long history of association between woodsmoke exposure and diseases of the respiratory, circulatory, and cardiovascular systems, recent evidence has linked woodsmoke exposure to cognitive dysfunction, including Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with largely idiopathic origins and no known cure. Here, we explore the growing body of literature which relates woodsmoke-generated and ambient air pollution particulate matter exposure to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) onset or exacerbation, in the context of an inflammation-centric view of AD. …

Smoke From Wildfires Can Worsen Covid-19 Risk, Putting Firefighters In Even More Danger, Luke Montrose

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two forces of nature are colliding in the western United States, and wildland firefighters are caught in the middle.

Emerging research suggests that the smoke firefighters breathe on the front lines of wildfires is putting them at greater risk from the new coronavirus, with potentially lethal effects.

At the same time, firefighting conditions make precautions such as social distancing and hand-washing difficult, increasing the chance that, once the virus enters a fire camp, it could quickly spread.

As an environmental toxicologist, I have spent the last decade expanding our understanding of how wood smoke exposure impacts human health. Much of …

Use Of Core-Om As A Benchmarking Tool For Patient Outcomes At Counselling Psychology Units In Malaysian Government Hospitals, Norainee Kamaruddin

Student Works (2020-2029)

The study aimed to use an alternative method of assessing client outcomes, and service performance by using the outcome measure—Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-OM). Presently, the counselling psychology unit assesses the clients' outcomes by subjective observations and clients' self-reports. As for service performance, the counselling psychology units are assessed internally by each hospital's management system. In advanced countries, these methods have been replaced or augmented by standardised routine outcome measures. This study used CORE-OM to measure client outcomes, and it was also the benchmarking tool to set service performance standards. It adopted a mixed-method research design using survey and …

Neonatal Lead (Pb) Exposure And Dna Methylation Profiles In Dried Bloodspots, Luke Montrose

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Lead (Pb) exposure remains a major concern in the United States (US) and around the world, even following the removal of Pb from gasoline and other products. Environmental Pb exposures from aging infrastructure and housing stock are of particular concern to pregnant women, children, and other vulnerable populations. Exposures during sensitive periods of development are known to influence epigenetic modifications which are thought to be one mechanism of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) paradigm. To gain insights into early life Pb exposure-induced health risks, we leveraged neonatal dried bloodspots in a cohort of children from Michigan, US …

Reorienting Nurturing Care For Early Childhood Development During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Kenya: A Review, Constance Shumba, Rose Maina, Gladys Mbuthia, Rachel Kimani, Stella Mbugua, Sweta Shah, Amina Abubakar, Stanley Luchters, Sheila Shaibu, Eunice Ndirangu

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

In Kenya, millions of children have limited access to nurturing care. With the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is anticipated that vulnerable children will bear the biggest brunt of the direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic. This review aimed to deepen understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on nurturing care from conception to four years of age, a period where the care of children is often delivered through caregivers or other informal platforms. The review has drawn upon the empirical evidence from previous pandemics and epidemics, and anecdotal and emerging evidence from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Multifactorial impacts …

Physiological Factors And Physical Activity Contribute To The Incidence Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Indonesia, Demsa Simbolon, Afriyana Siregar, Ruzita Abd Talib

Kesmas

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the sixth highest cause of death in Indonesia. Thus, it must be prevented and overcome with appropriate management. This study aimed to determine the contribution of physiological factors and physical activities to the incidence of T2DM. The study used a cohort retrospective design using secondary data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) from 2007 to 2014, which included a sample of 14,517 people involved for more than 20 years. Data analysis was performed using multiple logistic regressions. The results revealed a 3.8% incidence of T2DM in Indonesia. Record of hypertension risk increased the …

Gerakan Nusantara Program On Children’S Nutrition Practices, Syilga Cahya Gemily, Sandra Fikawati, Ahmad Syafiq

Kesmas

Gerakan Nusantara is a nutrition education program that aims to change the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices of elementary school children in Indonesia. The program was implemented in 2015–2018 in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Makassar, Medan, Yogyakarta, Pontianak, East Nusa Tenggara, Pekanbaru, Padang, Jambi, and Sorong. The present study sought to determine the effects of Gerakan Nusantara on the nutrition practices of school-aged children and describe the extent of changes in each nutrition practice component covered by the program. This study used secondary data on Nutrition and Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices studies collected from students participating in the program and …

Relationship Between Spirituality And Acceptance Of Illness Level In Bipolar Patients, Olga Putri Atsira, Erikavitri Yuliati, Atika Atika, Abdurachman Abdurachman, Margarita Maria Maramis

Kesmas

Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental condition that affects patients’ quality of life. The management process is affected by acceptance of illness. The ability to accept the illness is related to the spirituality level which is something that is held strongly by Indonesian people. There has been very little research related to the relationship between spirituality with bipolar disorder. This study aimed to analyze relationship between spirituality levels with acceptance of illness in patients with bipolar disorder. This study is a correlational study using questionnaire from bipolar disorder patients contacted through Harmony in Diversity online community as a sample. Samples …

Vitamin D And Reduced Academic Stress Of Health Students, Yuni Kusmiyati, Emy Suryani, Lucky Herawati, Amalia Firdausi

Kesmas

Stress conditions can reduce academic ability, influencing student grade point averages and encouraging negative behaviors. The object of this research was to discern the influence of vitamin D in the reduction of academic stress of health students. The study used a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The population was midwifery students who lived in the Health Polytechnic dormitory, Ministry of Health, Yogyakarta, in 2017. Samples were 77 students of midwifery who did not suffer from any chronic disease, nor did they experience academic stress. They all agreed to become research subjects. Samples were 39 respondents in a treatment group who were …

Family Planning Communication Between Wives And Husbands: Insights From The 2017 Indonesia Demographic And Health Survey, Dian Kristiani Irawaty, Suziana Mat Yasin, Hadi Pratomo

Kesmas

Frequent inter-spousal communication is regarded as an indicator of safe family planning practice. Nevertheless, communication about family planning within couples in Indonesia is still largely unexplored. This study assessed the levels of inter-spousal communication about family planning and its associated determinants, using cross-sectional and nationally representative data from the 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS), from a randomly selected cohort of 8,925 currently-married couples. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, inter-spousal communication behaviors, and attitudes regarding family planning were collected. The dependent variable in this study is how frequently couples discuss family planning, based on wives’ responses. The analyses were stratified …

Education Through Whatsapp Media In Changing Of Smoking Behavior Among Senior High School Students, Yusriani Yusriani, Joel Rey U. Acob

Kesmas

Teenagers, who are considerably susceptible to smoking, must be educated to prevent smoking behavior that can cause health problems and even death. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of education through social media such as WhatsApp in the modification of smoking behaviors among senior high school students in Pangkep District, Indonesia. It employed a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest-only control group design. The experimental group received education in the use of WhatsApp social media, while the control group was provided with leaflets. Data were collected through observation and interviews with a total of 180 students in both groups, with …

Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Eating Habits And Food Purchasing Behaviors Of University Students, Hacı Ömer Yilmaz, Ramazan Aslan, Cihan Unal

Kesmas

COVID-19 disease, which spread rapidly all over the world after the first case was detected, became the primary agenda of the countries. Radical measures have been taken by governments to prevent the spread of the disease. Precautions and warnings to prevent disease caused some changes on daily life activities of people. University students who have to stop education are among the groups most affected by this disease sociologically, psychologically and physiologically. The aim of this study was planned and conducted to determine the effect of COVID-19 on university students' eating habits and food purchasing behavior. The study was completed with …

Evaluation Of Anthropometric Parameters Of Central Obesity Among Professional Drivers: A Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Aslam, Saima Altaf, Abdul Majid, Saima Atif

Kesmas

Different anthropometric parameters have been proposed for assessing central obesity. The diagnostic performance of these anthropometric parameters and their ability to correctly measure central obesity for the professional community, like drivers, is questionable and needs to be assessed. The study aimed to examine the diagnostic performance of anthropometric parameters as indicators of central obesity in drivers as measured by waist circumference (WC) and to determine the best cut-off values for these parameters that would identify obese drivers. Anthropometric measurements from a cross-sectional sample of 197 professional drivers were taken under standard protocol. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to …

Intensive Animal Farming Conditions Are A Major Threat To Global Health, Cynthia Schuck-Paim

Animal Sentience

Wiebers & Feigin accurately propose that reducing the risks posed by infectious disease outbreaks and other global health challenges will depend critically on transitioning away from intensive animal farming practices. Creating the right incentive structure for this transition to happen is one of the great challenges in the years to come, but a much-needed step to ensure the health and well-being of current and future generations.

Ventilation & Masks: Reducing Airborne Transmission Of Covid-19 In A Classroom, Eric A. Schiff

SyracuseCoE

We've calculated the number of COVID-19 infections that will be spread from a single COVID-19 "superspreader" to students and teachers in a classroom shared for 4 hours in different ventilation and masking conditions.

Urban Warfare: Emerging Geopolitical Conundrum, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Urban warfare is as old as human history. It is becoming increasingly important in international political and military planning due to increasing global urbanization and the presence of megacities (urban areas with populations exceeding 10 million) in many global regions and being in areas of recent and potential military conflict. 2018 World Bank data notes that approximately 56% of the world's population lives in urban areas which is up from 34% in 1960. Many of these megacities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Shanghai, and Manila are adjacent to oceanic waters and vulnerable to trade and supply …

What’S In Wildfire Smoke, And Why Is It So Bad For Your Lungs?, Luke Montrose

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

If I dare to give the coronavirus credit for anything, I would say it has made people more conscious of the air they breathe.

A friend texted me recently after going for a jog in the foothills near Boise, Idaho, writing: “My lungs are burning … explain what’s happening!!!”

A wildfire was burning to the east of town – one of hundreds of fires that were sending smoke and ash through communities in hot, dry western states. As an environmental toxicologist, I research how air pollution, particularly wood smoke, impacts human health and disease.

Examining The Intersection Of Environmental Justice, Chronic Disease, And Pandemics; How A Mobile Health App Could Improve Health Outcomes And Inform Policy, Jessica Snow

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the intersection of environmental justice, chronic disease and illness, and pandemics. The inequitable distribution of polluting factories, landfills, and hazardous waste sites have been a long-standing concern in the field of environmental justice. Local zoning codes and land use policies have been tools for segregating people and concentrating pollution in low-income communities and communities of color. Many studies have found that pollution varies among racial and minority groups, and the burden of pollution is not one that is evenly shared. Communities of color and low income communities are disproportionately affected by air …

Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors And Environmental Health Needs Of Latinas In Cleaning Occupations, Erin Ihde

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Population health, including research and educational outreach, are quickly becoming mainstays at large tertiary care medical centers around the U.S. In fulfilling this mission, it is essential to understand underserved and underrepresented communities, including any unique health challenges faced.

In New Jersey, the Latino population ranks seventh largest in the country with 1,730,000 Hispanics, or 19 percent of the population throughout the state. Yet there may be underrepresentation in health research and a lack of understanding of key health needs faced by this population. This underrepresentation is impacted by several factors, including lack of health insurance and poverty. …

Particulate Matter Pollution And Its Effect On Covid-19, Aída Fica Conejeros

International Programs

Growing research supports the significant effects of particulate matter on COVID-19. This air pollutant has been identified before as responsible for serious respiratory diseases. Studies on the differences in high and low polluted cities confirmed that COVID-19 not only correlates to the number of infections but also, increases of 1 ��g/m3 can cause a mortality rate to rise by 8% and the hospital admissions by 4.4%. However, laboratory studies are still needed to support these findings.

Promoting Community Engagement Through Basic User Tutorial Of Epa Geospatial Screening Tools, Jonas Nguyen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Social inequalities are riddled with health disparities and outcomes leading toward lower life expectancy. Communities of color, low income, and rural neighborhoods lack the voice and resources to effectively oppose industrial settlement which would likely lead to the release of toxic wastes into the water, air and ground ultimately affecting residential health. Empowering members through community engagement is a relatively new strategic process where researchers are finding mutual benefits in design, implementation, and results. This study aims to identify and promote tools for community engagement within the scope of environmental justice by working with EPA geospatial screening tools and designing …

Determinants Of The Carbon Footprint Of German Swimmers 2020., Ann-Marie Muehlbauer

Master's Theses

The current climate situation is placing our planet and future generations at risk, which demonstrates the urgency to combat climate change and conduct research to support this effort. Calculating the carbon footprint of active sport participation represents an important opportunity to conduct additional research. This study examined the environmental attitudes and practices of swim club members in Germany. The study had three goals: First, to calculate the total and partial carbon footprint of German swimmers; second, to understand how sport organizations induce participants to engage in pro-environmental behavior; and third, to analyze various factors associated with carbon footprint, such as …

Housing Stability And Diabetes Among People Living In New York City Public Housing, Sungwoo Lim, Sze Yan Liu, Melanie H. Jacobson, Eugenie Poirot, Aldo Crossa, Sean Locke, Jennifer Brite, Elizabeth Hamby, Zinzi Bailey, Stephanie Farquhar

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Public housing provides affordable housing and, potentially, housing stability for low-income families. Housing stability may be associated with lower incidence or prevalence and better management of a range of health conditions through many mechanisms. We aimed to test the hypotheses that public housing residency is associated with both housing stability and reduced risk of diabetes incidence, and the relationship between public housing and diabetes risk varies by levels of housing stability. Using 2004-16 World Trade Center Health Registry data, we compared outcomes (housing stability measured by sequence analysis of addresses, self-reported diabetes diagnoses) between 730 New York City public housing …

The Legacy Of Mining In Southwest Missouri: Past And Present Conditions Of The Tri-State Mining District, Anastasia M C Mcclanahan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The historic Tri-State Mining District (TSMD) of southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma has a history of lead and zinc mining that extended over a hundred years. During the district’s peak production period, the TSMD was one of the world’s largest producers of lead and zinc. The mining activities in the TSMD produced economic growth that supported the local communities and were essential to the victory of the Allied Forces during World War I and World War II. Beginning in the 1920s, the mining activities in the district slowly began to cease due to depletion of metal ores and …