Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

The Road Into The Future Of Health Care: The Importance Of Addressing Access To Health Facilities In Transportation Infrastructure Investment Decisions, Nicola (Nikki) Van Den Heever

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: One school of thought argues that transportation infrastructure is not an ultimate end goal of development and therefore shouldn’t be addressed within development funding decisions while the other argues that transportation infrastructure is the crucial foundation from which all development efforts are based and therefore needs to be addressed within development funding decisions. Within this framework, there is a lack of academic and other research addressing how physical access to health care for pregnant women can better be addressed when making decisions regarding funding of transportation infrastructure projects.

Purpose: To demonstrate the importance of considering access to health care …

Continuous Care In Complex Contexts: Access To Health Services For Noncommunicable Diseases Among Syrian Refugee Women In Jordanian Host Communities, Jennifer Ostrowski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines how, when and where Syrian refugee women living in a host community in central Jordan access health services related to noncommunicable diseases. Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, but can be effectively managed through timely treatment. Examining access to care for these diseases in the context of humanitarian emergencies, such as war and displacement, is particularly important because they require continuous care, which may be interrupted during emergencies, and because they can cause acute complications, which may be exacerbated by emergencies (WHO, 2016).

Previous studies indicate a high burden of NCDs among …

Developing Novel Machine Learning Algorithms To Improve Sedentary Assessment For Youth Health Enhancement., Gowtham Kumar Golla, Jordan A. Carlson, Jun Huan, Jacqueline Kerr, Tarrah Mitchell, Kelsey Borner

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Sedentary behavior of youth is an important determinant of health. However, better measures are needed to improve understanding of this relationship and the mechanisms at play, as well as to evaluate health promotion interventions. Wearable accelerometers are considered as the standard for assessing physical activity in research, but do not perform well for assessing posture (i.e., sitting vs. standing), a critical component of sedentary behavior. The machine learning algorithms that we propose for assessing sedentary behavior will allow us to re-examine existing accelerometer data to better understand the association between sedentary time and health in various populations. We collected two …

Recent Strategies To Improve Community Case Management Of Diarrhea Among Children Under Five In Developing Countries, Fauziah Rabbani, Aysha Zahidie

Community Health Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Health-Related Fitness On School Attendance In New York City 6th-8th Grade Youth, Emily M. D'Agostino

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Only 42% of youth ages 6-11 in the United States meet the World Health Organization’s recommendation for ≥60 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity. Estimates for adolescents ages 12-19 are even lower, ranging from 8-17%. Literature suggests low levels of youth health-related fitness (fitness) may negatively impact attendance, potentially due to reduced physical and psychosocial wellness. Nationally, 10-15% of (5-7.5 million) students are chronically absent, meaning that they miss ≥10% of the school year (or ≥20 days of school per year). Moreover, 20-30% of students in high-poverty, urban school districts do not attend school regularly (≥6 days …

Perceptions Of Fidelity And Adaptation In Evidence-Informed Interventions By Women Of Color Sexuality Health Educators, Sara C. Flowers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Sexuality health educators (SHEs) adapt interventions to the participants’ needs in the dissemination and implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programming. However, there is a lack of understanding of how, why and when SHEs make such adaptations. Success or failure of the transfer of prevention technology to practitioners occurs by determining community capacities and preparedness to adopt/adapt high-impact interventions to effectively manage implementation. Experts argue for evidence-informed interventions (EII), as opposed to evidence-based interventions (EBI), as the best way to incorporate research in applied settings. EBIs are solely guided by recommendations from current evidence, whereas EIIs recognize and incorporate the …

A Friend In Deed, Laura Meader

Colby Magazine

Children in need of surgery, refugee families, victims of abuse—Jacques Hermant steps up

Multi-Sectoral Partnerships And Patient-Engagement Strategies In Accountable Care Organizations, Margae Knox, Hector P. Rodriguez, Stephen M. Shortell

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: Patient-engagement strategies are increasingly recognized for enriching traditional medical care and improving population health. Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) may be well positioned to leverage multi-sector organizational partnerships to improve the reach of their patient-engagement strategies, particularly given incentives to meet cost, quality and population health goals. Little is currently known about the relation of multi-sector partnerships and patient engagement in ACOs.

Purpose: To examine the relation of patient-engagement strategies and breadth of multi-sectoral organizational partnerships in 71 primary care practices affiliated with one of two ACOs.

Methods: Clinical and administrative leaders from each practice were surveyed. Questions assessed practice …

Enhancing Sexually Transmitted Infection Notification: A Quality Improvement Collaborative Case Report, William C. Livingood, Lori Bilello, Katryne Lukens-Bull, Ulyee Choe

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

This case study illustrates how a quality improvement (QI) Collaborative supports an implementation study of using mobile phone texting technology for notification of sexually transmitted infections (STI) test results. The County Health Departments making up the QI Collaborative meet monthly to discuss their progress in using QI to advance the use of texting for STI test results. The main purpose of QI Collaboratives is to maximize implementation outcomes through sharing of successes and challenges. The case study report describes how implementation research can adapt to the context of each unique CHD and the users of new knowledge rather than emphasizing …

Systematic Identification Of Coordination Gaps In Pediatric Care, Diana M. Prieto, Anil Kumar, Catherine L. Kothari, Cheryl Dickson

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

In the United States, the status of coordination among pediatric care services is not well understood. Through the use of quality improvement (QI) techniques, coordination gaps were systematically identified in the interagency network of pediatric services in Kalamazoo MI. Gaps were found in transportation resources, follow-up procedures, awareness of services, interagency communication, insurance limitations, population behaviors, and resource utilization. This preliminary study reveals the need for (1) protocols for intra- and inter-agency communication, (2) mechanisms for easy and fast retrieval of pediatric resources, and (3) health information exchange.

Using Process Mining To Assess The Fidelity Of A Home Visiting Program, Riyad Haq, Sofia Campos Vidal Pires, Julie M. Kapp, Sara Schlemper, Eduardo J. Simoes

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program is a federal public health initiative which supports at-risk families through evidence-based programs and promising approaches for pregnant women, and childhood development for children aged 0 to 5. These public health program funding mechanisms commonly include process evaluation mandates.

Purpose: The use of process mining was explored as a methodology to assess the fidelity of the MIECHV programs’ actual workflow to that of their intended models.

Methods: Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) data files that were populated with program process data elements from the local implementing agencies were …

Community Health News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Community Health: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Examines the Effectiveness of a Physical Activity Educational Campaign
• Georgia Southern develops and conducts psychometric testing of a childhood obesity perception survey

Getting Ready For Open Enrollment: Supporting Clients Living With Hiv, Juli Powers, Mira Levinson, Naima Cozier

9th Annual Rural HIV Research & Training Conference (2014-2019) (Archived)

Open Enrollment for 2017 Marketplace plans begins on November 1, 2016. Programs should prepare now to engage unenrolled and newly-eligible clients, and support clients who enrolled in previous years to compare options and find affordable, quality plans for 2017 that meet their needs. This interactive session will include strategies to engage and enroll people living with HIV in health coverage.

Schools Of Public Health In Low And Middle-Income Countries: An Imperative Investment For Improving The Health Of Populations?, Fauziah Rabbani, Leah Shipton, Franklin White, Iman Nuwayhid, Leslie London, Abdul Ghaffar, Bui Thi Thu Ha, Göran Tomson, Rajiv Rimal, Anwar Islam, Amirhossein Takian, Samuel Wong, Shehla Zaidi, Kausar Khan, Rozina Karmaliani, Imran Naeem Abbasi, Farhat Abbas

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Public health has multicultural origins. By the close of the nineteenth century, Schools of Public Health (SPHs) began to emerge in western countries in response to major contemporary public health challenges. The Flexner Report (1910) emphasized the centrality of preventive medicine, sanitation, and public health measures in health professional education. The Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) in 1978 was a critical milestone, especially for low and middle-income countries (LMICs), conceptualizing a close working relationship between PHC and public health measures. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2005-2008) strengthened the case for SPHs in LMICs as …

Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing Among United States Nurse Practitioners And Physician Assistants., Guillermo V Sanchez, Adam L Hersh, Daniel J Shapiro, James F. Cawley, Lauri A Hicks

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

We examined US nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) outpatient antibiotic prescribing. Antibiotics were more frequently prescribed during visits involving NP/PA visits compared with physician-only visits, including overall visits (17% vs 12%, P < .0001) and acute respiratory infection visits (61% vs 54%, P < .001). Antibiotic stewardship interventions should target NPs and PAs.

Predictors Of Infant Age At Enrollment In Early Infant Diagnosis Services In Kenya., Kathy Goggin, Catherine Wexler, Niaman Nazir, Vincent S. Staggs, Brad Gautney, Vincent Okoth, Samoel A Khamadi, Andrea Ruff, Michael Sweat, An-Lin Cheng, Sarah Finocchario-Kessler

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Despite the importance of early detection to signal lifesaving treatment initiation for HIV+ infants, early infant diagnosis (EID) services have received considerably less attention than other aspects of prevention of mother to child transmission care. This study draws on baseline data from an on-going cluster randomized study of an intervention to improve EID services at six government hospitals across Kenya. Two logistic regressions examined potential predictors of "on time" (infant ≤6 weeks of age) vs. "late" (≥7 weeks) and "on time" versus "very late" (≥12 weeks) EID engagement among 756 mother-infant pairs. A quarter of the infants failed to get …

An Examination Of African Americans' Utilization Of Health Care, Brittany Powell

Dissertations

The study examined the relationship between perceptions of discrimination, social support, quality of health care received, and utilization of health care services among African Americans. Data was analyzed from 99 African American respondents that completed either an online or paper questionnaire. The responses demonstrated significant relationships existed between discrimination and quality of health care as well as social support and utilization of health care. Results concluded that the more discrimination one perceives, the lower quality of health care they are to expect, and therefore they are less likely to utilize services. However, the data also reflected that even in the …

Economic Costs And Benefits Of A Community-Based Lymphedema Management Program For Lymphatic Filariasis In Odisha State, India, Eileen Stillwaggon, Larry Sawers, Jonathan Rout, David Addiss, Leanne Fox

Economics Faculty Publications

Lymphatic filariasis afflicts 68 million people in 73 countries, including 17 million persons living with chronic lymphedema. The Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis aims to stop new infections and to provide care for persons already affected, but morbidity management programs have been initiated in only 24 endemic countries. We examine the economic costs and benefits of alleviating chronic lymphedema and its effects through a simple limb-care program. For Khurda District, Odisha State, India, we estimated lifetime medical costs and earnings losses due to chronic lymphedema and acute dermatolymphangioadenitis (ADLA) with and without a community-based limb-care program. The program would …

Community Health News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Community Health: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Translates Research into Practice

Interprofessional Research, Training And Outreach: The Etsu Prescription Drug Abuse/Misuse Working Group, Robert P. Pack, Angela Hagaman, Sara Warfield, Jeffry A. Gray, Fred Tudiver, Arsham Alamian, Nicholas E. Hagemeier

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

No abstract provided.