Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

First Steps Phase Ii Initiative: Improving Developmental, Autism, And Lead Screening For Children, Kimberley S. Fox Mpa, Carolyn E. Gray Mph, Martha Elbaum Williamson Mpa

Population Health & Health Policy

First STEPS (Strengthening Together Early Preventive Services) is a learning initiative supported by Maine's CHIPRA quality demonstration grant to support measure-driven practice improvement in pediatric and family practices across the state on improving developmental, autism, and lead screening for children. This report, authored by research staff at the USM Muskie School, evaluates the impact of Phase II of Maine's First STEPS initiative, which was implemented from May to December 2012 and included 12 practices serving more than 20,000 children on MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid system). The authors assess changes in developmental, autism, and lead screening rates and evidence-based office processes in …

Health Disparities In Colorectal Cancer Screening In United States: Race/Ethnicity Or Shifting Paradigms?, Adina Williams, Kirk Dabney, Holmes Laurens Jr

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The incidence, mortality, and screening vary by race/ethnicity, with African Americans and Hispanics being disproportionately represented. Early detection through screening prolongs survival and decreases mortality. CRC screening (CRCS) varies by race/ethnicity, with lower prevalence rates observed among minorities, but the factors associated with such disparities remain to be fully understood. The current study aimed to examine the ethnic/racial disparities in the prevalence of CRCS, and the explanatory factors therein in a large sample of U.S. residents, using the National Health Interview Survey, 2003. …

Variance In Patient Access To Support Persons By Race/Ethnicity And Language Preference: An Analysis Of Patient Survey Data, Andrew J. Jager, Matthew K. Wynia

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Regulatory and accreditation organizations have advocated open visitation policies and allowance of support persons of patients’ choosing, but it is unknown if support is allowed equitably. Data from hospitalized patients were analyzed to determine access to support persons, stratified by patient-reported race/ethnicity, language, sex, age, and education. A multivariate regression model was constructed using race and language, controlling for site and patient sex, education and age. Additionally, sites’ policies explicitly allowing support persons were correlated to reports of allowance of support persons. Among 1,196 respondents, 17% reported not being allowed a support person or being unsure. African American patients had …

The Born Again Florida Public Health Review – A Commentary, Robert J. Mcdermott

Florida Public Health Review

After a brief hiatus from active operation, the Florida Public Health Review is back in business and with a new home at The University of Tampa. The Founding Editor reflects on a decade of the publication’s history, including its trials and triumphs, and prepares to pass the torch to a new editor, a new era, and a new vision.

Health And Social Problems Associated With Prescription Opioid Misuse Among A Diverse Sample Of Substance-Using Msm, Mance E. Buttram, Steven P. Kurtz, Hilary L. Surratt, Maria A. Levi-Minzi

CAHSS Faculty Articles

This study examines associations between prescription opioid misuse and demographics, substance use, sexual behavior, and related health and social problems. Baseline data were collected between 2008 and 2010 from 515 high risk men who have sex with men, ages 18–55, in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale metropolitan area who reported heavy substance use and HIV risk in the past 90 days. Prescription opioid misuse was associated with other substance use, drug injection, substance dependence, and history of arrest. Implications, limitations, and directions for future study are discussed.

Research Brief: "Prospectively Assessed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Associated Physical Activity", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the connection between physical activity and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans. In policy and practice, service members who experienced combat should have high levels of physical activity in order to reduce the possibility of developing PTSD, clinicians should mention the importance of physical activity for mental health to service members, as well as recommend alternatives for veterans who are unable to do high levels of physical activity. The VA should implement and promote fitness programs for service members and veterans to lower the possibility of developing PTSD, and policymakers should fund physical activity programs …

Ua1b1/7 Invitation To Health Sciences Complex Dedication, Wku Special Events

WKU Administration Documents

Invitation to dedication of The Medical Center - WKU Helath Sciences Complex facility.

The Drug Facts Box: Improving The Communication Of Prescription Drug Information, Lisa M. Schwartz, Steven Woloshin

Dartmouth Scholarship

Communication about prescription drugs ought to be a paragon of public science communication. Unfortunately, it is not. Consumers see $4 billion of direct-to-consumer advertising annually, which typically fails to present data about how well drugs work. The professional label—the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) mechanism to get physicians information needed for appropriate prescribing—may also fail to present benefit data. FDA labeling guidance, in fact, suggests that industry omit bene

Dose- And Time-Dependent Neuroprotective Effects Of Pycnogenol® Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Mubeen A. Ansari, Kelly N. Roberts, Stephen W. Scheff

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

After traumatic brain injury (TBI), both primary and secondary injury cascades are initiated, leading to neuronal death and cognitive dysfunction. We have previously shown that the combinational bioflavonoid, Pycnogenol® (PYC), alters some secondary injury cascades and protects synaptic proteins when administered immediately following trauma. The purpose of the present study was to explore further the beneficial effects of PYC and to test whether it can be used in a more clinically relevant fashion. Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a unilateral moderate/severe cortical contusion. Subjects received a single intravenous (i.v.) injection of PYC (1, 5, or 10 mg/kg) …

Research Brief: "Predictors Of Psychiatric Disorders In Combat Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the predictors of mental health diagnoses within a sample of Marines who experienced combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. In policy and practice, support networks should be implemented for servicemembers to share with their peers, clinicians should give female servicemembers and others who have a higher likelihood of developing a mental health disorder after combat information on how to prevent certain psychiatric disorders, and families should know the signs of psychiatric disorders to help servicemembers in their re-adjustment period after deployment. Military branches and policymakers could improve counseling for servicemembers returning from combat and encourage servicemembers to …

Diffusion Of Innovation Across A National Local Health Department Network: A Simulation Approach To Policy Development Using Agent-Based Modeling, Mark Orr, Jacqueline Merrill

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

The network that local health officials use to communicate about professional issues is sparsely connected, which may limit the spread of innovative practices. We used agent-based simulation modeling to find out if a policy to promote more connections improved the network’s capability to diffuse innovation. We found that unanticipated effects could result, depending on the requirements of the policy and the proportion of health officials involved. With carefully crafted assumptions and reliable data it is possible to untangle complex processes using simulation modeling. The results represent how the world might actually work which may provide useful decision support for policymakers …

Community Health Assessment By Local Health Departments: Presence Of Epidemiologist, Governance, And Federal And State Funds Are Critical, Gulzar H. Shah, Barbara Laymon, Julia Joh Elligers, Carolyn Leep, Christine B. Bhutta

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Using the data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO) 2010 Profile of Local Health Departments (LHDs) our study investigates whether or not infrastructural characteristics of LHDs were associated with completion of community health assessment (CHA). Our results show that local and shared LHD governance, greater share of revenue from federal and state sources, smaller population size in LHD jurisdiction, and having an epidemiologist significantly increased the odds of CHA completion in the past, after controlling for community characteristics and other independent variables. These findings have important implications for LHDs, PHAB and its partners.

Out Of The Night, Riley Gryc

SURGE

I did not graduate.

After four years of college, waiting for the day I could shake President Riggs’ hand, receive my diploma, and depart our campus with pride and honor, that day never came. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was watch from the back row of the audience as everyone I had attended school with for the last four years, my classmates, my friends, all received their diplomas and moved on without me. The stares from teachers I knew, the surprised looks from underclassmen, the careful tact with which everyone avoided the subject of not …

An Analysis Of Online Cheating: An Empirical Examination Of Online Proctors, Randall Valentine, Dawn Valentine

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Addressing Uncertainty During Workplace Change: Communication And Sense-Making, Richard Parsells

Administrative Issues Journal

Change is a commonplace occurrence in today’s organizations. In order to survive in an extremely competitive marketplace, organizations and their employees undergo change frequently. The ability to manage change and to learn from this experience is now viewed as a key competency for sustainable competitiveness in most business markets. However, while change management processes are employed and followed, a high percentage of change efforts are judged to be unsuccessful by upper management. Moreover, a number of scholars suggest that communication strategies during organizational change are an important element to the success of a change initiative, yet such strategies are not …

Supervising A Student Managed Investment Portfolio, Teri Allen

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Developing A Graduate Program In Healthcare Management Using A Competency Based Curriculum Methodology, Kevin Lafrance

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Students’ Experiences And Expectations Of Inquiry Based Learning (Ibl) In Nursing Education, Hephzibah Samuel

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

The High Cost Of Bullying, Marcy Tanner

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Competency-Based Learning: Proof Of Professionalism, Michael Williams

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

United Way Bright Beginnings On Professional Development And Retention Among Administrators And Teachers, Nicole Andrews, Amanda Rutter

Administrative Issues Journal

It is well known knowledge that retaining administrators and teachers in the field of education is a challenge faced each year within the United States and is costly to the education system. Attrition rates of teachers within their first few years in the profession are alarmingly high with many educators citing lack of support for leaving the profession before the age of retirement. Moreover, many educators feel they must “sink or swim” in the current educational environment. The fast rate of attrition of educators concerns administrators and policy makers alike. As such there is a need to prepare new and …

Increasing Intercultural Effectiveness Through A Global Citizenship Approach, Clint Relvea, Guari S. Guha, Kelly Fish

Administrative Issues Journal

The authors conduct pre-treatment and post-treatment observations on students taking a first semester freshman course designed to enlighten them about their role in the world as global citizens. The authors use the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale to measure the students across the dimensions of Continuous Learning, Interpersonal Engagement and Hardiness. Results suggests that students undergoing such a course may increase their intercultural effectiveness, especially in the area of interpersonal engagement, as well as, global mindset.

The Wise Leader, Shirley Garick

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper is an article review of the Wise Leader, written by Nonaka, I; Takeuchi, H (2011) in the Harvard Business Review. These authors offer salient advice on what a wise leader needs to understand, regardless of your administrative leadership role. It can quality and apply across all dimensions of leadership roles from executive to managerial to employees.

A Case For Teaching Geography, Richard Huck

Administrative Issues Journal

The knowledge of geography is clearly lacking in college students. “We cannot understand who we are unless we understand history, and there is no way we can understand history if we do not understand the geography behind it”! How can we understand the Civil War without understanding the importance of the Mississippi River? A great many students cannot locate the Mississippi River on a map! This paper is original research based on my classroom experience and on a questionnaire given to my students at the beginning of each semester. About 150 students have been given this questionnaire over the 5 …

Maintaining The Boundaries: Teacher Education Program Admission Criteria For Screening Quality Candidates, Diane Taylor

Administrative Issues Journal

University – based teacher education programs are currently under attack by the general public for producing non-effective teachers. In order to combat the perception of the “disintegration of teacher preparation” (Baines 2010), Teacher Preparation Programs need to demonstrate to the public the rigor of their screening measures and admissions criteria as a beginning to demonstrating program rigor. This presentation will detail one university’s efforts to collect and analyze admission criteria to Teacher Education Programs in universities across the state.

Institutional Factors Promoting Community College Fundraising, Jermaine Vesey

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper examines the role of accountability in the workplace. Accountability is defined as the need to justify or defend one’s actions to an evaluator who has potential reward or sanction power (Frink & Klimoski, 1998). While accountability is a growing research conversation among scholars, more focus needs to be dedicated to understanding how the dispositional traits of employees interact with workplace accountability mechanisms. Specifically, this manuscript explores the interaction of personality and the accountability environment on employee performance. The findings from this empirical investigation indicate that there is a significant interaction between personality and accountability environment when it comes …

The Tale Of Two College Experiences: A Cluster Analysis Of Obama’S Argument For Higher Education Reform, Justin Walton

Administrative Issues Journal

During the third week of August 2013, President Barack Obama presented two policy speeches furthering his rationale for higher education reform. Stressing themes of institutional accountability, efficiency, and affordability, Obama sketched out a three point agenda aimed at making higher education a “better bargain” for America’s struggling middle class. In this brief essay, I examine the rhetorical processes President Obama used to justify his argument for higher education reform through a cluster analysis of his Henninger High School address. The paper seeks to explore the general implications of word choice/style and language arrangement in political advocacy through a critical reading …

Cyberbullying: The Public School Response, Charles Waggoner

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper explores the consent process in relation to academic, scientific research. Consent is a human right given to each research participant. The participant’s autonomy should be supported and encouraged when obtaining informed consent. This paper reviews current literature and discusses the development of this right, in addition to the manner in which scientific researchers should uphold it.

Organizational Training And Relationship Building For Increasing Public Participation In A Public School District, John Poynton

Administrative Issues Journal

From the early twentieth century to the present, citizen participation in U.S. public institutions—particularly schools—has continually decreased. The trend has been linked to the bureaucratization of public schools and their increasing reliance on expert knowledge for solutions to school- and education-related problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a parent training program designed to increase a school district’s capacity for public participation by parents and other citizens. The program—known as Leadership St. Vrain—provided citizens knowledge about school district operations and management (know-how) and relationship-building opportunities with key decision makers (know-who). This article focuses on the …

The Effect Of Robot-Child Interactions On Social Attention And Verbalization Patterns Of Typically Developing Children And Children With Autism Between 4 And 8 Years, Sudha Srinivasan, Anjana Bhat

Open Access Author Fund Awardees' Articles

Background: There is anecdotal evidence for the use of robots to facilitate prosocial behaviors such as joint attention and verbalization in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). However, there have been no normative data in typically developing children to evaluate the effects of robot-child interactions on social and communication skills. Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate the changes in social attention and verbalization skills of 15 typically developing (TD) children, using a structured 8-session imitation protocol within a robot-adult-child context. We further extended this imitation protocol to two children with ASDs. Methods: Pretest, session1, session 4, session …