International Public Health Commons^™

Impact Belize 2010 Executive Report, Ritchie D. Taylor, Jordan Norris, Molly Calico, Bernie Strenecky, Daniel Carter, Dawn Garrett Wright, Eve Main, Bonny Petty, Molly Kerby, Jill Norris

Eve Main

No abstract provided.

Developing A Community-Based Screening And Referral Mechanism For Atrial Fibrillation In Low Resource Settings: “Smartphone Monitoring For Atrial Fibrillation In Real-Time – India (Smart-India)”, Apurv Soni, Nisha Fahey, Harshil Patel, Kandarp Talati, Anna Handorf, John A. Bostrom, Shyamsundar Raihatha, Ravi Shah, Sunil Karna, Robert J. Goldberg, Jeroan J. Allison, Ki Chon, Somashekhar M. Nimbalkar, David D. Mcmanus

Apurv Soni

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the world’s most common arrhythmia, often goes undetected and untreated in low-resource communities, including India. Moreover, AF is an important risk factor for stroke, which plagues an estimated 1.6 million Indians annually. As such, early detection of AF and management of high-risk patients is critically important to decrease stroke burden in individuals with AF.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are to evaluate the age- and sex-stratified epidemiology of AF in Anand District, Gujarat India; characterize the profile of individuals who are diagnosed with AF; and determine the performance of two mobile technologies for community-based AF …

Rahi-Sathi Indo-U.S. Collaboration: The Evolution Of A Trainee-Led Twinning Model In Global Health Into A Multidisciplinary Collaborative Program, Apurv Soni, Nisha Fahey, Abraham Jaffe, Tiffany A. Moore Simas, Nancy Byatt, Michael Chin, David D. Mcmanus, Michaela Tracey, Jasmine A. Khubchandani, Haley Newman, Allison Earon, Hannah Rosenfield, Anna Handorf, Brittany Novak, John Bostrom, Anindita Deb, Milagros C. Rosal, Patricia A. Mcquilkin, Heena Santry, Melissa A. Fischer, Jeroan J. Allison

Apurv Soni

BACKGROUND: In recent years there has been a surge in the number of global health programs operated by academic institutions. However, most of the existing programs describe partnerships that are primarily faculty-driven and supported by extramural funding.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Research and Advocacy for Health in India (RAHI, or "pathfinder" in Hindi) and Support and Action Towards Health-Equity in India (SATHI, or "partnership" in Hindi) are 2 interconnected, collaborative efforts between the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and Charutar Arogya Mandal (CAM), a medical college and a tertiary care center in rural western India. The RAHI-SATHI program is the culmination …

Education Mitigates The Relationship Of Stress And Mental Disorders Among Rural Indian Women, Nisha Fahey, Apurv Soni, Jeroan J. Allison, Jagdish Vankar, Anusha Prabhakaran, Tiffany A. Moore Simas, Nancy Byatt, Ajay Phatak, Eileen O'Keefe, Somashekhar Nimbalkar

Apurv Soni

BACKGROUND: Common mental disorders (CMD) are a constellation of mental health conditions that include depression, anxiety, and other related nonpsychotic affective disorders. Qualitative explanatory models of mental health among reproductive-aged women in India reveal that distress is strongly associated with CMD. The relationship of perceived stress and CMD might be attenuated or exacerbated based on an individual's sociodemographic characteristics.

OBJECTIVES: To screen for Common Mental Disorders (CMD) among reproductive-aged women from rural western India and explore how the relationship between perceived stress and CMD screening status varies by sociodemographic characteristics.

METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 700 women from rural Gujarat, India. …

The Brandeis Human Rights Advocacy Program: Advancing The Human Rights Of The Immigrant, Noncitizen And Refugee Community, Enid Trucios-Haynes

Enid F. Trucios-Haynes

The Human Rights Advocacy Program (HRAP or the Program) at the Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville, represents a unique collaboration of law faculty and students providing critical resources to the local immigrant, noncitizen and refugee community in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as local service providers to this community. The Program, established in Spring 2014, is distinctive because of its non-hierarchical internal model and the participatory action research and policy focus of its work. The Program is a distinguished from the typical law school clinical model in its focus on community engaged research, policy advocacy, and service, as well …

Intellectual Property And Public Health – A White Paper, Ryan G. Vacca, Jim Chen, Jay Dratler Jr., Tom Folsom, Timothy Hall, Yaniv Heled, Frank Pasquale, Elizabeth Reilly, Jeff Samuels, Kathy Strandburg, Kara Swanson, Andrew Torrance, Katharine Van Tassel

Katharine Van Tassel

On October 26, 2012, the University of Akron School of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property and Technology hosted its Sixth Annual IP Scholars Forum. In attendance were thirteen legal scholars with expertise and an interest in IP and public health who met to discuss problems and potential solutions at the intersection of these fields. This report summarizes this discussion by describing the problems raised, areas of agreement and disagreement between the participants, suggestions and solutions made by participants and the subsequent evaluations of these suggestions and solutions.

Led by the moderator, participants at the Forum focused generally on three broad …

Challenges Of Refugee Health Care: Perspectives Of Medical Interpreters, Case Managers, And Pharmacists, Fabiana Kotovicz, Anne Getzin, Thy Vo

Fabiana Kotovicz, MD

Purpose: Our objective was to identify perceived challenges in the provision of health care for refugees from the perspective of medical interpreters, case managers, and pharmacists working with refugee patients in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Methods: Two 60-minute focus groups were performed exploring challenges in refugee health care using a literature-based semi-structured protocol. Focus groups were transcribed and de-identified prior to independent analysis by two of the investigators. Using a memoing-process qualitative approach, major concepts, cross-cutting themes, and subthemes were established and ultimately developed a narrative. The project protocol was approved as not human subject research by the local institutional review board. …

It’S Not A Small World After All: Regulating Obesity Globally, Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod

Eloisa C Rodríguez-Dod

The rate of obesity and overweight among the world population has increased dramatically over the past several years in both adults and children. Childhood obesity is a critical health care concern. There have been well-publicized efforts to regulate children‘s obesity both in the U.S. and abroad through such measures as mandated nutritional school lunch programs. This article focuses, however, on a less examined area of regulation—the recent worldwide efforts to curb obesity among adults. The regulations discussed in this article include measures proposed or adopted by either administrative agencies or legislative bodies, whether on a local or national level. The …

Open Access Challenge, Amy Dailey, Janelle Wertzberger

Janelle Wertzberger

This class activity is designed to help health sciences students understand challenges to accessing public health information in a variety of settings. The exercise was created for students in Prof. Dailey’s Global Health class (HS 322) at Gettysburg College in Fall 2015. The activity, as well as notes for instructors considering using this exercise, are both shared here.

The Spatial Dynamics Of Dengue Virus In Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand, Piraya Bhoomiboonchoo, Robert V. Gibbons, Angkana Huang, In-Kyu Yoon, Darunee Buddhari, Ananda Nisalak, Natkamol Chansatiporn, Mathuros Thipayamongkolgul, Siripen Kalanarooj, Timothy Endy, Alan L. Rothman, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Sharone Green, Mammen P. Mammen, Derek A. Cummings, Henrik Salje

Sharone Green

BACKGROUND: Dengue is endemic to the rural province of Kamphaeng Phet, Northern Thailand. A decade of prospective cohort studies has provided important insights into the dengue viruses and their generated disease. However, as elsewhere, spatial dynamics of the pathogen remain poorly understood. In particular, the spatial scale of transmission and the scale of clustering are poorly characterized. This information is critical for effective deployment of spatially targeted interventions and for understanding the mechanisms that drive the dispersal of the virus.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We geocoded the home locations of 4,768 confirmed dengue cases admitted to the main hospital in Kamphaeng Phet …

Sequential Dengue Virus Infections Detected In Active And Passive Surveillance Programs In Thailand, 1994-2010, Piraya Bhoomiboonchoo, Ananda Nisalak, Natkamol Chansatiporn, In-Kyu Yoon, Siripen Kalayanarooj, Mathuros Thipayamongkolgul, Timothy Endy, Alan L. Rothman, Sharone Green, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Darunee Buddhari, Mammen P. Mammen, Robert V. Gibbons

Sharone Green

BACKGROUND: The effect of prior dengue virus (DENV) exposure on subsequent heterologous infection can be beneficial or detrimental depending on many factors including timing of infection. We sought to evaluate this effect by examining a large database of DENV infections captured by both active and passive surveillance encompassing a wide clinical spectrum of disease.

METHODS: We evaluated datasets from 17 years of hospital-based passive surveillance and nine years of cohort studies, including clinical and subclinical DENV infections, to assess the outcomes of sequential heterologous infections. Chi square or Fisher's exact test was used to compare proportions of infection outcomes such …

Case Studies In Evaluating Time Series Prediction Models Using The Relative Mean Absolute Error, Nicholas G. Reich, Justin Lessler, Krzysztof Sakrejda, Stephen A. Lauer, Sopon Iamsirithaworn, Derek A T Cummings

Nicholas G Reich

Statistical prediction models inform decision-making processes in many real-world settings. Prior to using predictions in practice, one must rigorously test and validate candidate models to ensure that the proposed predictions have sufficient accuracy to be used in practice. In this paper, we present a framework for evaluating time series predictions that emphasizes computational simplicity and an intuitive interpretation using the relative mean absolute error metric. For a single time series, this metric enables comparisons of candidate model predictions against naive reference models, a method that can provide useful and standardized performance benchmarks. Additionally, in applications with multiple time series, this …

Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself, Mary Gura, Deborah Baresic

Deborah Baresic

Women of the poor community of Cien Fuegos, Dominican Republic often use folklore or self-treatment for symptoms of vaginitis. Based on assessment of women in Cien Fuegos, an education program was developed called Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself. The need to increase empowerment and self respect was clearly evident for the women of this community. The program focuses on issues of vaginal hygiene, vaginitis, sexually transmitted infections and women's rights and self-protection. To provide sustainable education, the module will be sent to Cien Fuegos and implemented by local health providers.

Community Built Environment And Multilevel Social Determinants Of Obesity: Evidence From China Health And Nutrition Survey, Libin Zhang, Tim F. Liao, Laura L. Hayman

Laura L. Hayman

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is highest in wealthy countries like the United States, but is rapidly increasing in less developed countries. From 1992 to 2002, China had an increase from 14.6% to 21.8% in overweight and obesity. Social determinants of obesity in developing countries remain poorly understood. Further, these associations may vary by community built environment (BE) of developing countries.

Sexual Rights For Marginalized Populations, Louis Graham, Mark Padilla

Louis F Graham

Governance And Transparency At Pepfar, Matthew Kavanagh, Brook Baker

Matthew M. Kavanagh

The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been one of the most effective foreign aid programmes in history. It reached 6·7 million people with antiretroviral therapy in 2013, and has also strengthened country health systems, provided billions of dollars in aid to biomedical and behavioural prevention programmes, and helped to drive declines in morbidity and mortality in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. PEPFAR began as an emergency response, after relative inaction by wealthy nations, and rapidly built disease-response capacity by funding non-governmental organisations.

The Politics Of Transition & The Economics Of Hiv: Aids & Pepfar In South Africa, Matthew M. Kavanagh

Matthew M. Kavanagh

AIDS poses a unique and unprecedented challenge to South Africa. The country has the largest HIV epidemic in the world—with 6.4 million people living with HIV—and one of the largest TB epidemics in the world as well. The country’s recent AIDS response has generated enormous optimism, both in South Africa and internationally. The biggest change, in many ways, has been political—dramatic shifts in ideology and motivation at the highest levels of government have moved the country from denialism and inaction to a bold national mobilization to bring anti-retroviral treatment to scale. Meanwhile, the approach of the U.S. government has evolved …

Governance And Transparency At Pepfar, Matthew M. Kavanagh, Brook K. Baker

Brook K. Baker

The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been one of the most effective foreign aid programmes in history. It reached 6·7 million people with antiretroviral therapy in 2013, and has also strengthened country health systems, provided billions of dollars in aid to biomedical and behavioural prevention programmes, and helped to drive declines in morbidity and mortality in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. PEPFAR began as an emergency response, after relative inaction by wealthy nations, and rapidly built disease-response capacity by funding non-governmental organisations.

A Small-Scale Cross-Sectional Study For The Assessment Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Relation To Body Composition And Morphometric Characters In Fishermen Of Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India, Pallav Sengupta

Pallav Sengupta, PhD

BACKGROUND:

The people residing in coastal areas of Visakhapatnam are mostly engaged in fishery, which is always been a physically demanding job, and numerous factors have direct or indirect impact on the health of fishermen; but, the data about their physical fitness or health status is quite scanty. Thus, the present study was conducted to assess their cardiorespiratory fitness pattern, as well as morphometric characters, which may be influenced by their occupation.

METHODS:

In this retrospective cohort study, 25 young fishermen (mean age of 22.8 ± 1.92 years) were randomly selected from Araku valley of Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh and …

The Case Of South African And Chilean Health Systems: Comparison Of Financial, Economic And Health Indicators, Alberto Coustasse, Peter Hilsenrath, Patricio Silva Rojas

Alberto Coustasse, DrPH, MD, MBA, MPH

The purpose of this study is to identify similarities and differences between healthcare systems of South Africa and Chile. The World Health Report 2000, the Human Development Index, and financial indicators were used for comparison. Chile showed better performance than South Africa in most of the measures used. Significant progress has been made in South Africa, bringing better education, healthcare and housing to the deprived black majority. However, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, weighs heavily on health indicators. Chile decentralized its health services and implemented economic reforms during the 1980's and has had steady improvement in its healthcare indicators. Finally, these counties …

Why Are There Delays In Seeking Treatment For Childhood Diarrhoea In India?, Nisha Malhotra

Nisha Malhotra

Abstract Aim To examine the barriers and facilitating factors for seeking treatment for childhood diarrhoea and to determine the main causes for delay in seeking treatment.

Methods Data from Indian Demographic and Health survey 2005–06 (NFHS-III) was used. Mothers were asked if their children (<5-years) had suffered from diarrhoea during the two weeks preceding the survey. Data were collected on the time of seeking treatment after start of the illness, and days waited to seek treatment after the diarrhoea started. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to find the determinants of seeking treatment at the health facility and the factors responsible for the “delay” in seeking advice/treatment.

Results Out of a sample of 41,287 children, 3890 (9.4%) reportedly had diarrhoea. Sixty percent of children with diarrhoea were taken to a health facility. Mother's education till higher secondary and above (OR 1.65; 95% CI, 1.08 – 2.54), richest (OR 1.76; 95% CI, 1.24 – 2.48) wealth index, mother's lack of knowledge of oral …

* Peasant Resistance To Hybrid Seed In Haiti: The Implications Of Humanitarian Aid On Food Security And Cultural Identity, John Mazzeo

John Mazzeo, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Intellectual Property And Public Health – A White Paper, Ryan G. Vacca, Jim Chen, Jay Dratler Jr., Tom Folsom, Timothy Hall, Yaniv Heled, Frank Pasquale, Elizabeth Reilly, Jeff Samuels, Kathy Strandburg, Kara Swanson, Andrew Torrance, Katharine Van Tassel

Frank A. Pasquale

On October 26, 2012, the University of Akron School of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property and Technology hosted its Sixth Annual IP Scholars Forum. In attendance were thirteen legal scholars with expertise and an interest in IP and public health who met to discuss problems and potential solutions at the intersection of these fields. This report summarizes this discussion by describing the problems raised, areas of agreement and disagreement between the participants, suggestions and solutions made by participants and the subsequent evaluations of these suggestions and solutions.

Led by the moderator, participants at the Forum focused generally on three broad …

Observations On Eye Care In Lamu, Kenya: Overlooked Needs And Proposed Interventions, Erick Henderson '12, Rebecca Gearhart

Rebecca Gearhart Mafazy

Intellectual Property And Public Health – A White Paper, Ryan G. Vacca, Jim Chen, Jay Dratler Jr., Tom Folsom, Timothy Hall, Yaniv Heled, Frank Pasquale, Elizabeth Reilly, Jeff Samuels, Kathy Strandburg, Kara Swanson, Andrew Torrance, Katharine Van Tassel

Katharine Van Tassel

On October 26, 2012, the University of Akron School of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property and Technology hosted its Sixth Annual IP Scholars Forum. In attendance were thirteen legal scholars with expertise and an interest in IP and public health who met to discuss problems and potential solutions at the intersection of these fields. This report summarizes this discussion by describing the problems raised, areas of agreement and disagreement between the participants, suggestions and solutions made by participants and the subsequent evaluations of these suggestions and solutions.

Led by the moderator, participants at the Forum focused generally on three broad …

Intellectual Property And Public Health – A White Paper, Ryan G. Vacca, Jim Chen, Jay Dratler Jr., Tom Folsom, Timothy Hall, Yaniv Heled, Frank Pasquale, Elizabeth Reilly, Jeff Samuels, Kathy Strandburg, Kara Swanson, Andrew Torrance, Katharine Van Tassel

Yaniv Heled

On October 26, 2012, the University of Akron School of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property and Technology hosted its Sixth Annual IP Scholars Forum. In attendance were thirteen legal scholars with expertise and an interest in IP and public health who met to discuss problems and potential solutions at the intersection of these fields. This report summarizes this discussion by describing the problems raised, areas of agreement and disagreement between the participants, suggestions and solutions made by participants and the subsequent evaluations of these suggestions and solutions.

Led by the moderator, participants at the Forum focused generally on three broad …

Exposé Of Misleading Claims That Male Circumcision Will Increase Hiv Infections In Africa, Brian J. Morris, Jake H. Waskett, Ronald H. Gray, Daniel T. Halperin, Richard Wamai, Bertran Auvert, Jeffrey D. Klausner

Richard G. Wamai

Despite over two decades of extensive research showing that male circumcision protects against heterosexual acquisition of HIV in men, and that includes findings from large randomized controlled trials leading to acceptance by the WHO/UNAIDS and the Cochrane Committee, opponents of circumcision continue to generate specious arguments to the contrary. In a recent issue of the Journal of Public Health in Africa, Van Howe and Storms claim that male circumcision will increase HIV infections in Africa. Here we review the statements they use in support of their thesis and show that there is no scientific basis to such an assertion. We …

Report On Sanitary Shoreline Survey Within The Tanbi Wetlands National Park And Other Shellfish Harvesting Communities, The Gambia

Michael A Rice

Emphasis is placed on the sanitary control of shellfish because of the direct relationship between pollution of shellfish growing areas and the transmission of diseases to humans. Shellfish borne infectious diseases are generally transmitted via a fecal - oral route. To accurately assess waters for shellfish harvesting, an evaluation of the pollution sources that are likely to affect the area is required by the NSSP. The shoreline survey is conducted of the shellfish growing area shoreline and estuary to locate pollution sources that could have an effect on the water quality of the area. The shoreline survey team visited 15 …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Training Programs For Community Health Workers In Rural Uganda, Elizabeth Butler, Edward O’Neil, Zachary Tabb, Edward Mwebe, John Mukadde, Prossy Jim, Michael A. Godkin, Judith A. Savageau, Safi Ahmed, Arwen Wolfe

Judith A. Savageau

Background: The Ministry of Health and Omnimed, a non-profit U.S.-based organization that works with international communities to provide basic health education, have partnered to provide health training to community health workers (henceforth referred to as village health workers or VHWs) in rural villages in Uganda. The training is provided via an intensive five-day long session that introduces a wide variety of themes in basic health education taught by experts in the respective fields. The participants are selected by the local government based on their age, reliability, level of education and availability. On the first day, the participants are given a …

* Overconsumption And The American Food Enterprise: Anthropological Insights On The Global Nutrition Transition, John Mazzeo

John Mazzeo, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.