Other Public Health Commons^™

(Video) Differences In Psychosocial And Behavioral Risk Profiles Of Cigarette Smokers And E-Cigarette Users Among Minnesota Adolescents: 2016, Tara E. Jenson

GW Research Days 2016 - 2020

Background/Objectives: Rates of cigarette smoking among adolescents have been trending downward, however rates of adolescent e-cigarette use rates are now twice those of adolescent cigarette smoking nationally. The objective of this study was to examine the association of demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial and health behavioral factors as surveyed by the Minnesota Student Survey with cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use among Minnesota adolescents.

Methods: This study analyzed the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS), an anonymous, school-based, cross-sectional survey of students in grades five, eight, nine and eleven. The 2016 MSS contains a total of 168,733 records, 118,198 of which were …

Conducting Science In Disasters: Recommendations From The Niehs Working Group For Special Irb Considerations In The Review Of Disaster Related Research., Joan P Packenham, Richard T Rosselli, Steve K Ramsey, Holly A Taylor, Alice Fothergill, Julia Slutsman, Aubrey Miller

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Research involving human subjects after public health emergencies and disasters may pose ethical challenges. These challenges may include concerns about the vulnerability of prospective disaster research participants, increased research burden among disaster survivors approached by multiple research teams, and potentially reduced standards in the ethical review of research by institutional review boards (IRBs) due to the rush to enter the disaster field. The NIEHS Best Practices Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research was formed to identify and address ethical and regulatory challenges associated with the review of disaster research. The working group consists …

Sugar Price Supports And Taxation: A Public Health Policy Paradox, Abby Dilk, Dennis Savaiano

Student Works

Domestic US sugar production has been protected by government policy for the past 82 years, resulting in elevated domestic prices and an estimated annual (2013) $1.4 billion dollar “tax” on consumers. These elevated prices and the simultaneous federal support for domestic corn production have ensured a strong market for high-fructose corn syrup. Americans have dramatically increased their consumption of caloric sweeteners during the same period. Consumption of “empty” calories (ie, foods with low-nutrient/high-caloric density)—sugar and high-fructose corn syrup being the primary sources—is considered by most public health experts to be a key contributing factor to the rise in obesity. There …

Baltimore, Md: Creating A Coalition To Improve School Climate In Inner City Baltimore, The Center And Health Care In Schools

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

Serving one of the largest, and poorest, inner city school districts in the country, grant makers and service organizations have been helping children in Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) for years. In 2014, a diverse group of grant makers, government organizations, school personnel, and community groups started meeting to learn more about existing mental health programs, structures, and challenges in the schools. Still developing at the time of this study in spring 2015, the group has coalesced and grown under the umbrella term School Climate Network and, as of February 2016, is creating strategic plans and work groups to …

Developing A Business Plan For Sustaining School Mental Health Services: Three Success Storiess, Donna Behrens, Julia Graham Lear, Olga Acosta Price

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

Imagine an America where children arrive at their school desks, ready to learn and succeed. They have coping skills to address their everyday worries, concerns and stressors, as well as the more difficult challenges life may present. They have social skills to establish positive relationships with their peers, teachers and parents. They make healthy choices that allow them to focus on their education and prepare for future success. And if a problem arises, they have access to early intervention and treatment. Now, imagine having sustainable funding to make all of this a reality.

Currently, however, barriers, particularly financing issues, restrict …

Building Community Schools In Upstate New York: Connecting With The Policy Environment, Center For Health And Health Care In Schools

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

Broome County, New York is known statewide for its strong collaboration across organizations and sectors. In particular, schools and community agencies have been working together for many years to address the needs of low-income children, families, older adults and communities. When Binghamton University created the College of Community and Public Affairs in 2006, it became an important partner in securing funding for this work. Initial grants were small (e.g., $5K) and from the local community, but after collecting and analyzing data showing the impact of their efforts, the collaborative received a large multi-year federal grant. When that grant ended, the …

Partner Build Grow: An Action Guide For Sustaining Child Development And Prevention Approaches, The Center For Health And Health Care In Schools

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

The Action Guide is intended to facilitate the implementation of a long-term plan for sustaining child development and prevention approaches necessary to achieve better child health and education outcomes.

Consumption Of Low-Calorie Sweeteners In The United States 2009-12, Yichen Jin, Allison C. Sylvetsky, Jean A. Welsh, Kristina I. Rother, Sameera A Talegawkar

GW Research Days 2016 - 2020

We have previously demonstrated that low-calorie sweetener (LCS) consumption increased in the United States (US) between 1999 and 2008 (from 9% to 15 % in kids and from 27% to 32% in adults), but little is known about current consumption. We therefore analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data collected in 2011-12 and compared LCS consumption patterns across socio-demographic subgroups. Dietary sources of LCS were identified using NHANES food descriptions. Prevalence of consumption nationally and by age, race, gender, socio-economic status, educational attainment, were estimated using two 24-hour dietary recalls. F-tests were used to evaluate differences in consumption …

Vancouver, Wa: Strengthening Neighborhoods Through Student Resilience, Center For Health And Health Care In Schools

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

No abstract provided.

Death Patterns During The 1918 Influenza Pandemic In Chile, Gerardo Chowell, Lone Simonsen, Jose Flores, Mark A. Miller, Cecile G. Viboud

Global Health Faculty Publications

Scarce information about the epidemiology of historical influenza pandemics in South America prevents complete understanding of pandemic patterns throughout the continent and across different climatic zones. To fill gaps with regard to spatiotemporal patterns of deaths associated with the 1918 influenza pandemic in Chile, we reviewed archival records. We found evidence that multiple pandemic waves at various times of the year and of varying intensities occurred during 1918-1921 and that influenza-related excess deaths peaked during July-August 1919. Pandemic-associated mortality rates were elevated for all age groups, including for adults >50 years of age; elevation from baseline was highest for young …

The Burden Of Underweight And Overweight Among Women In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Yibeltal Tebekaw, Charles Teller, Uriyoan Colón-Ramos

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

Obesity and overweight are rising worldwide while underweight rates persist in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to examine changes in the prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity among non-pregnant women aged 15-49 years, and its socio-demographic correlates in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

The data are from 2000, 2005 and 2011 nationally representative Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys in Addis Ababa. The dependent variable was women’s nutritional status measured in terms of body mass index coded in binary outcomes to examine risk of being underweight (<18.5 kg/m² vs. ≥18.5 kg/m²) or overweight/obese (>25 kg/m^{2 …}

Behavioral Attitudes And Preferences In Cooking Practices With Traditional Open-Fire Stoves In Peru, Nepal, And Kenya: Implications For Improved Cookstove Interventions, Evelyn L. Rhodes, Robert Dreibelbis, Elizabeth M. Klasen, Neha Naithani, Joyce Baliddawa, Diana Menya, Subarna Khatry, Stephanie Levy, James M. Tielsch, J. Jaime Miranda, Caitlin Kennedy, William Checkley

Global Health Faculty Publications

Global efforts are underway to develop and promote improved cookstoves which may reduce the negative health and environmental effects of burning solid fuels on health and the environment. Behavioral studies have considered cookstove user practices, needs and preferences in the design and implementation of cookstove projects; however, these studies have not examined the implications of the traditional stove use and design across multiple resource-poor settings in the implementation and promotion of improved cookstove projects that utilize a single, standardized stove design. We conducted in-depth interviews and direct observations of meal preparation and traditional, open-fire stove use of 137 women aged …

The Association Of Meningococcal Disease With Influenza In The United States, 1989-2009, Jessica Hartman Jacobs, Cecile Viboud, Eric Tchetgen Tchetgen, Joel Schwartz, Claudia Steiner, Lone Simonsen, Marc Lipsitch

Global Health Faculty Publications

Importance and Objective

Prior influenza infection is a risk factor for invasive meningococcal disease. Quantifying the fraction of meningococcal disease attributable to influenza could improve understanding of viral-bacterial interaction and indicate additional health benefits to influenza immunization.

Design, Setting and Participants

A time series analysis of the association of influenza and meningococcal disease using hospitalizations in 9 states from 1989–2009 included in the State Inpatient Databases from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the proportion of positive influenza tests by subtype reported to the Centers for Disease Control. The model accounts for the autocorrelation of meningococcal disease and …

Seasonality Of Birth Outcomes In Rural Sarlahi District, Nepal: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort, Michelle M. Hughes, Joanne Katz, Luke C. Mullany, Subarna K. Khatry, Steven C. Leclerq, Gary L. Darmstadt, James M. Tielsch

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

While seasonality of birth outcomes has been documented in a variety of settings, data from rural South Asia are lacking. We report a descriptive study of the seasonality of prematurity, low birth weight, small for gestational age, neonatal deaths, and stillbirths in the plains of Nepal.

Methods

Using data collected prospectively during a randomized controlled trial of neonatal skin and umbilical cord cleansing with chlorhexidine, we analyzed a cohort of 23,662 babies born between September 2002 and January 2006. Project workers collected data on birth outcomes at the infant’s household. Supplemental data from other studies conducted at the same …

Intimate Partner Violence And Mental Health, Mary Ellsberg, Maria Emmelin

Global Health Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Demonstrating The Use Of High-Volume Electronic Medical Claims Data To Monitor Local And Regional Influenza Activity In The Us, Cecile G. Viboud, Vivek Charu, Donald R. Olson, Sebastien Ballesteros, Julia R. Gog, Farid Khan, Bryan T. Grenfell, Lone Simonsen

Global Health Faculty Publications

Introduction

Fine-grained influenza surveillance data are lacking in the US, hampering our ability to monitor disease spread at a local scale. Here we evaluate the performances of high-volume electronic medical claims data to assess local and regional influenza activity.

Material and Methods

We used electronic medical claims data compiled by IMS Health in 480 US locations to create weekly regional influenza-like-illness (ILI) time series during 2003–2010. IMS Health captured 62% of US outpatient visits in 2009. We studied the performances of IMS-ILI indicators against reference influenza surveillance datasets, including CDC-ILI outpatient and laboratory-confirmed influenza data. We estimated correlation in weekly …

Spatial Transmission Of 2009 Pandemic Influenza In The Us, Julia R. Gog, Sebastien Ballesteros, Cecile G. Viboud, Lone Simonsen, Ottar N. Bjornstad, Jeffrey Shaman, Dennis L. Chao, Farid Khan, Bryan T. Grenfell

Global Health Faculty Publications

The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic provides a unique opportunity for detailed examination of the spatial dynamics of an emerging pathogen. In the US, the pandemic was characterized by substantial geographical heterogeneity: the 2009 spring wave was limited mainly to northeastern cities while the larger fall wave affected the whole country. Here we use finely resolved spatial and temporal influenza disease data based on electronic medical claims to explore the spread of the fall pandemic wave across 271 US cities and associated suburban areas. We document a clear spatial pattern in the timing of onset of the fall wave, starting in …

A Guide To Federal Education Programs That Can Fund K-12 Universal Prevention And Social And Emotional Learning Activities, Diane Stark Rentner, Olga Acosta Price

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Small-For-Gestational Age And Its Mortality Risk Varies By Choice Of Birth-Weight-For-Gestation Reference Population, Joanne D. Katz, Lauren A. Wu, Luke C. Mullany, Christian L. Coles, Anne C.C. Lee, Naoko Kozuki, James M. Tielsch

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

We use data from rural Nepal and South India to compare the prevalence of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and neonatal mortality risk associated with SGA using different birth-weight-for-gestation reference populations.

Methods

We identified 46 reference populations in low-, middle-, and high-income countries, of which 26 met the inclusion criteria of being commonly cited and having numeric 10th percentile cut points published. Those reference populations were then applied to populations from two community-based studies to determine SGA prevalence and its relative risk of neonatal mortality.

Results

The prevalence of SGA ranged from 10.5% to 72.5% in Nepal, and 12.0% to 78.4% in …

Humidity And Gravimetric Equivalency Adjustments For Nephelometer-Based Particulate Matter Measurements Of Emissions From Solid Biomass Fuel In Cookstoves, Sutyajeet Soneja, Chen Chen, James M. Tielsch, Joanne Katz, Scott L. Zeger, William Checkley, Frank C. Curriero, Patrick L. Breysse

Global Health Faculty Publications

Great uncertainty exists around indoor biomass burning exposure-disease relationships due to lack of detailed exposure data in large health outcome studies. Passive nephelometers can be used to estimate high particulate matter (PM) concentrations during cooking in low resource environments. Since passive nephelometers do not have a collection filter they are not subject to sampler overload. Nephelometric concentration readings can be biased due to particle growth in high humid environments and differences in compositional and size dependent aerosol characteristics. This paper explores relative humidity (RH) and gravimetric equivalency adjustment approaches to be used for the

pDR-1000 used to assess indoor PM …

Review Of Hyperuricemia As New Marker For Metabolic Syndrome, Laura Billiet, Sarah Doaty, James D. Katz, Manuel T. Velasquez

Global Health Faculty Publications

Hyperuricemia has long been established as the major etiologic factor in gout. In recent years, a large body of evidence has accumulated that suggests that hyperuricemia may play a role in the development and pathogenesis of a number of metabolic, hemodynamic, and systemic pathologic diseases, including metabolic syndrome, hypertension, stroke, and atherosclerosis. A number of epidemiologic studies have linked hyperuricemia with each of these disorders. In some studies, therapies that lower uric acid may prevent or improve certain components of the metabolic syndrome. There is an association between uric acid and the development of systemic lupus erythematosus; the connection between …

Estimation And Uncertainty Analysis Of Impacts Of Future Heat Waves On Mortality In The Eastern United States, Jianyong Wu, Ying Zhou, Yang Gao, Joshua S. Fu, Brent A. Johnson, Cheng Huang, Young-Min Kim, Yang Liu

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background: Climate change is anticipated to influence heat-related mortality in the future. However, estimates of excess mortality attributable to future heat waves are subject to large uncertainties and have not been projected under the latest greenhouse gas emission scenarios.

Objectives: We estimated future heat wave mortality in the eastern United States (approximately 1,700 counties) under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) and investigated sources of uncertainty.

Methods: Using dynamically downscaled hourly temperature projections for 2057–2059, we projected heat wave days that were defined using four heat wave metrics and estimated the excess mortality attributable to them. We apportioned the sources of …

Synthesizing Data And Models For The Spread Of Mers-Cov, 2013: Key Role Of Index Cases And Hospital Transmission, Gerardo Chowell, Seth Blumberg, Lone Simonsen, Mark A. Miller, Cecile Viboud

Global Health Faculty Publications

The outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has caused 209 deaths and 699 laboratory-confirmed cases in the Arabian Peninsula as of June 11, 2014. Preparedness efforts are hampered by considerable uncertainty about the nature and intensity of human-to-human transmission, with previous reproduction number estimates ranging from 0.4 to 1.5. Here we synthesize epidemiological data and transmission models for the MERS-CoV outbreak during April–October 2013 to resolve uncertainties in epidemic risk, while considering the impact of observation bias. We match the progression of MERS-CoV cases in 2013 to a dynamic transmission model that incorporates community and hospital compartments, and …

Hospital Ships Adrift? Part 2: The Role Of U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Humanitarian Assistance Missions In Building Partnerships, Derek J. Licina, Sangeeta Mookherji, Gene Migliaccio, Cheryl Ringer

Global Health Faculty Publications

Introduction US Navy hospital ships are used as a foreign policy instrument to achieve various objectives that include building partnerships. Despite substantial resource investment by the Department of Defense (DoD) in these missions, their impact is unclear. The purpose of this study was to understand how and why hospital ship missions influence partnerships among the different participants.

Methods An embedded case study was used and included the hospital ship Mercy's mission to Timor-Leste in 2008 and 2010 with four units of analysis: the US government, partner nation, host nation, and nongovernmental organizations. Key stakeholders representing each unit were interviewed using …

Global Mortality Estimates For The 2009 Influenza Pandemic From The Glamor Project: A Modeling Study, Lone Simonsen, Peter Spreeuwenberg, Roger Lustig, Robert J. Taylor, Douglas M. Fleming, Madelon Kroneman, Maria D. Van Kerkhove, Anthony D. Mounts, W. John Paget

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

Assessing the mortality impact of the 2009 influenza A H1N1 virus (H1N1pdm09) is essential for optimizing public health responses to future pandemics. The World Health Organization reported 18,631 laboratory-confirmed pandemic deaths, but the total pandemic mortality burden was substantially higher. We estimated the 2009 pandemic mortality burden through statistical modeling of mortality data from multiple countries.

Methods and Findings

We obtained weekly virology and underlying cause-of-death mortality time series for 2005–2009 for 20 countries covering ~35% of the world population. We applied a multivariate linear regression model to estimate pandemic respiratory mortality in each collaborating country. We then used …

Reassessing Google Flu Trends Data For Detection Of Seasonal And Pandemic Influenza: A Comparative Epidemiological Study At Three Geographic Scales, Donald R. Olson, Kevin J. Konty, Marc Paladini, Cecile G. Viboud, Lone Simonsen

Global Health Faculty Publications

The goal of influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance is to determine the timing, location and magnitude of outbreaks by monitoring the frequency and progression of clinical case incidence. Advances in computational and information technology have allowed for automated collection of higher volumes of electronic data and more timely analyses than previously possible. Novel surveillance systems, including those based on internet search query data like Google Flu Trends (GFT), are being used as surrogates for clinically-based reporting of influenza-like-illness (ILI). We investigated the reliability of GFT during the last decade (2003 to 2013), and compared weekly public health surveillance with search query …

Does Comorbidity Increase The Risk Of Mortality Among Children Under 3 Years Of Age?, Christa L. Fischer Walker, Jamie Perin, Jodi L. Liu, Joanne Katz, James M. Tielsch, Robert Black

Global Health Faculty Publications

Objectives Diarrhoea and pneumonia remain leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years of age. Little data is available to quantify the burden of comorbidity and the relationship between comorbid diarrhoea and pneumonia infections and mortality. We sought to quantify the relationship between comorbidity and risk of mortality among young children in two community-based studies conducted among South Asian children.

Design Secondary data analysis of two cohort studies.

Participants We identified two cohort studies of children under 3 years of age with prospective morbidity at least once every 2 weeks and ongoing mortality surveillance.

Outcome measures We …

Is Health Diplomacy Keeping Pace With Global Health Developments? Implications For Access To Medicines Strategies In The Post-2015 Mdg Framework, Samantha Ski, Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, James M. Sherry

Global Health Faculty Publications

As the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) draws near, efforts to ensure access to essential medicines face new challenges in light of new resource constraints. To help assess those challenges, a summary analysis of published data was undertaken to examine the increasing discontinuity between the geographic focus of donor-country programs on low-income countries (LICs) and the geographic location of the increasing majority of the poor and the global burden of preventable disease within middle-income countries (MICs). This disconnect has put new pressure on both donor and government resources for essential medicines, prompting greater consideration of strategies …

School-Centered Approaches To Improve Community Health: Lessons From School-Based Health Centers, Olga Acosta Price

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

No abstract provided.

Smoking Behaviours And Cessation Services Among Male Physicians In China: Evidence From A Structural Equation Model, Cheng Huang, Chaoran Gao, Shaohua Yu, Yan Feng, Julia Song, Michael Erikson, Pam Redmon, Jeffrey Koplan

Global Health Faculty Publications

Objective To investigate smoking prevalence and cessation services provided by male physicians in hospitals in three Chinese cities.

Methods Data were collected from a survey of male physicians employed at 33 hospitals in Changsha, Qingdao and Wuxi City (n=720). Exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify latent variables, and confirmatory structural equation modelling analysis was performed to test the relationships between predictor variables and smoking in male physicians, and their provision of cessation services.

Results Of the sampled male physicians, 25.7% were current smokers, and 54.0% provided cessation services by counselling (18.8%), distributing self-help materials (17.1%), and providing traditional remedies …