Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Improving Data Collection To Reduce Maternal And Infant Mortality And Morbidity In Malawi: Evaluating Chimwemwe Mu'bereki, A Community Based Intervention, Alexandra E. H. Jones

Master's Projects and Capstones

Maternal and infant death rates in Malawi are among the highest in the world. Over 17 million people live in this small country in sub-Saharan Africa, where the country’s life expectancy is just 60.6 years (World Bank, 2015). These deaths can be attributed to many complex factors, including cultural practices, lack of adequate medical equipment, long travel distances to health facilities, low staffing at hospitals and clinics, extreme poverty, and malnutrition. Without government support and intervention, community groups must fill in the gaps to make needed improvements to maternal and infant health outcomes. African Mothers Health Initiative (AMHI) enrolls high …

Unicef Kid Power: Empowering Kids To Get Active And Save Lives, Emily L. Gudaitis

Master's Projects and Capstones

UNICEF Kid Power is a program aimed at increasing U.S. children’s activity levels by tapping into children’s intrinsic desire to do good. Through their activity levels, kids earn points, which unlocks funding from partners that will support treatment for a malnourished child. This one-of-a-kind program was implemented in the Bay Area in Spring 2016 with 7,800 youth participants. The attached paper is a summary of a 300-hour fieldwork experience at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF assisting with the UNICEF Kid Power implementation in the Bay Area. The fieldwork included program implementation and evaluation, presentations at participating schools in the area, …

Strategic Community Healthcare Management, Stephanie Penrod

Master's Projects and Capstones

Federally Qualified Health Centers(FQHC) and Community Health Centers are growing with the Affordable Care Act. This paper introduces literature that supports the need for Community Health Centers and management of low income patients with chronic illnesses. This paper also reviews the fieldwork experience at a FQHC. It reviews the goals, project, methods and findings of the fieldwork. This paper also elaborates on the scope of the project and a quality improvement report for the FQHC in observation. It discusses the future potential implementation of the recommendations and the benefits for both employees and patients. This paper concludes with follow up …

Effective Health Communication Measures Within The Silicon Valley, Lauren V. Rodrigues

Master's Projects and Capstones

Effective and reliable communication is vital in the field of Public Health. Fieldwork conducted with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Communication Team demonstrated the importance of using various social media platforms to effectively reach the largest audience. Content creators need to be aware of the target audience and identify the appropriate communication platform in order to provide relevant information in the most user-friendly and efficient manner. This paper is a summary of a 300 hour fieldwork experience completed through an internship with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Implementing Change To Decrease The Emergency Department Visits For Pediatric Clients Referred To Mental Health Services, Diane Sandoval

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this clinical nurse leader (CNL) internship project is to implement an improvement intervention to decrease emergency department visits or psychiatric emergency services visit rates for pediatric clients receiving mental health services through the ambulatory clinic. The goal is to increase client safety by preventing harm to themselves or others and improving quality of care provided through timely nursing telephone triage. The project is taking place in a county run pediatric ambulatory clinic. We will participate in a shared leadership team to make recommendations for improvement at the microsystem level. Team members include the charge nurse, clinic manager, …

‘Project Spraoi’: A Randomized Control Trial To Improve Nutrition And Physical Activity In School Children, Tara Coppinger, Seán Lacey, Cian O'Neill, Con Burns

Publications

Background

Recent evidence predicts that by 2030, Ireland will have the highest rate of obesity in Europe. Consequently, there are concerns that health problems associated with this condition will present in childhood. Studies have shown that interventions based on increasing physical activity (PA) levels, reducing sedentary lifestyles and improving nutritional habits all pose protective mechanisms against obesity and its related disorders in youth. Yet, to date, there are no interventions being delivered in Ireland that concurrently target PA, nutritional habits and sedentary time amongst school children.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to implement and evaluate an intervention that …

Fulfilling Community Health Assessment Requirements: Lessons Learned From Facilitating State-Wide Community Health Forums, Ashley D. Walker, Angela Peden, Stuart H. Tedders, John S. Barron, Aaron Jackson, Nicholas Williams, Bethrand Ugwu

Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background: A prerequisite for National Public Health Accreditation is completion of a Community Health Assessment (CHA) that presents an exhaustive profile of the population served by a particular public health agency.

Methods: The Georgia Department of Public Health (GA DPH) contracted with the Center for Public Health Practice and Research at Georgia Southern University to facilitate five state-wide community health forums.

Results: Evaluation of the forums yielded qualitative data illustrating current challenges faced by Georgians, as well as assets that could be leveraged to improve health status.

Conclusion: Lessons learned from these state-wide community health forums can be applied to …

Ptsd Symptom Severities, Interpersonal Traumas, And Benzodiazepines Are Associated With Substance-Related Problems In Trauma Patients, Jeffrey Guina, Ramzi W. Nahhas, Adam J. Goldberg, Seth Farnsworth

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Trauma is commonly associated with substance-related problems, yet associations between specific substances and specific posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSSs) are understudied. We hypothesized that substance-related problems are associated with PTSS severities, interpersonal traumas, and benzodiazepine prescriptions. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey methodology in a consecutive sample of adult outpatients with trauma histories (n = 472), we used logistic regression to examine substance-related problems in general (primary, confirmatory analysis), as well as alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug problems specifically (secondary, exploratory analyses) in relation to demographics, trauma type, PTSSs, and benzodiazepine prescriptions. Results: After adjusting for multiple testing, several factors …

Surveillance, Epidemiological, And Virological Detection Of Highly Pathogenic H5n1 Avian Influenza Viruses In Duck And Poultry From Bangladesh, Wahedul Karim Ansari, Md Safiullah Parvej, Mohamed E. El Zowalaty, Sally Jackson, Stephen A. Bustin, Adel K. Ibrahim, Md Tanvir Rahman, Han Zhang, Mohammad Ferdousur Rahman Khan, Md Mostakin Ahamd, Md. Fasiur Rahman, Marzia Rahman, Khm Nazmul H. Nazir, Sultan Ahmed, Md Liakot Hossenn, Md Abdul Kafi, Mat Yamage, Nitish C. Debnath, Graba Ahmed, Hossam Ashour, Md Masoud, Ayman Noreddin, Md B. Rahman

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) continue to pose a global threat. Waterfowl are the main reservoir and are responsible for the spillover of AIVs to other hosts. This study was conducted as part of routine surveillance activities in Bangladesh and it reports on the serological and molecular detection of H5N1 AIV subtype. A total of 2169 cloacal and 2191 oropharyngeal swabs as well as 1725 sera samples were collected from live birds including duck and chicken in different locations in Bangladesh between the years of 2013 and 2014. Samples were tested using virus isolation, serological tests and molecular methods of RT-PCR. …

Young Adult E-Cigarette Exposure: Implications For Policy And Prevention, Monica Page Daniel Dobbs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective. The purpose of this study is to examine factors associated with e-cigarette use among college students to better understand their behavior. Using Ajzen’s Reasoned Action Approach, this study sought to better understanding the influence of attitudes, Social norms, and perceived behavioral controls (PBCs) on college students’ intention to try e-cigarettes (even one puff) in the next 30 days.

Methodology. This study employed three phases for a mixed methods design that took place between December 2015 and April 2016. Phase 1 used Middlestadt’s salient belief elicitation procedure to capture responses through an open ended survey (n=58). Phase 2, a pilot …

The Influence Of Strength-Training Exercises On The Functional Fitness In Older Adults, Susie Engle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of strength-training exercises on the functional fitness in older adults. The original convenience sample consisted of 658 participants who attended group strength-training classes offered through the Cooperative Extension Service. The Senior Fitness Test was used to assess baseline fitness levels at the beginning and end of the 12-week strength-training program. Data was collected from 2008 to 2015. Of the 658 participants, 110 were aged 60 to 94 and presented posttest scores occurring approximately 12 weeks after pretest dates. Of the 110 subjects, 99 were female and 11 were male. The …

Available Interventions For Prevention Of Cotton Dust-Associated Lung Diseases Among Textile Workers, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

The authors reviewed literature on interventions for cotton dust-associated lung diseases among textile workers. Internet sources (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google and Google Scholar) were accessed and interventions were categorized into: Engineering or administrative controls, or personal protective equipment (PPE). Ten relevant articles were shortlisted, five related to engineering controls (pre-processing, bactericidal treatment of cotton, improved workplace design, machinery and dust control measures). Administrative controls may involve setting standards, environmental surveillance, periodic medical examinations, and workers training. Although specific guidelines are available regarding the use of PPEs, but there was little literature on their effectiveness. It was concluded that there is …

Have You Counted The Ingredients On Your Child's Lunch Tray?: An Economic Analysis Of Sustainability Initiatives Within The School Lunch Program, Vanessa R. Scalora

Business and Economics Summer Fellows

In 2010, President Obama signed the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, establishing a monetary incentive for schools that served meals following a more rigorous nutritional requirement than standard guidelines. This act is a step in the right direction towards placing more importance on school lunches, however America’s lunchroom practices continue to be environmentally unsustainable, and students absorb this message. The production and transportation of processed cafeteria food contributes to climate change, its packaging is polluting, and its consumption contributes to obesity. The use of premade foods and sales from vending machines increase as lunch times grow ever shorter. In addition, …

Development Of A Capacity Building Program For Village Health Volunteers To Support Self-Management In A High Risk Population For Diabetes In A Rural Community In Northeast Thailand, Pakinee Srisarakham, Kwanjai Amnatsatsue, Patcharaporn Kerdmongkol, Prasit Leerapan

Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal

Similar to other parts of the world, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Asia-Pacific Region has rapidly increased during the last few decades. The purposes of this pilot study were to determine the feasibility and the effects of a capacity building program for Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) to support self-management in a T2DM high risk population from a rural subdistrict in Northeast Thailand. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using surveys, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed and used to develop a 12-week capacity building program for VHVs. This program was then …

The Effect Of Maternal Employment On Child Obesity, Bezawit T. Agiro

International Journal of African Development

Abstract

Obesity has been a major concern for the United States and most other industrialized countries over the past few decades. More than one third of children and adolescents in the United States are obese or overweight. Child obesity is of particular interest because overweight children are more likely to be overweight as adults, and such adults are exposed to various diseases. During the same period that witnessed an increase in child obesity, an important change that occurred was the increase in maternal employment. This study is an attempt to analyze the relationship between maternal employment and child obesity. This …

International Trade Effects Of Regional Economic Integration In Africa: The Case Of The Southern African Development Community (Sadc), Mengesha Yayo, Sisay Asefa

International Journal of African Development

Empirical studies on regional economic integration process in Africa exhibit sluggish progress, and there by limited level of intra-trade. The existing literature in Africa, particularly in the Southern African regional integration bloc, has neglected the effects of regional economic integration dealing with disaggregated data. This study analyzes trade creation and diversion effects of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) using disaggregated data. The investigation estimates an augmented gravity model using panel data and random effect estimator methods applying instrumental variables where needed.

The results show that intra-SADC trade is growing in the fuel and minerals and the heavy manufacturing sectors …

Community Health News, Georgia Southern University

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

• Georgia Southern Engages Rural Georgians
• Georgia Southern Examines Using the Exercise is Medicine® on Campus platform

Injury-Related Infant Deaths: A State Analysis Of A Public Health, Health Care, Policy Network, Sharla Smith, Xi Zhu, Mary Aitken

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Introduction: This research examines a state-level public health, health care, and policy network focused on efforts to reduce unintentional childhood injuries. The network is composed of 12 organizations: four public health, four health care, and four policy.

Methods: A 23-item survey was administered to the 12 organizations between January and June 2015. Analyses were conducted using HyperResearch and UCInet 6.

Results: More organizations worked together on assessment and planning efforts that identify and quantify the nature of at-risk infants in the community and strategies for reducing injury-related infant deaths. The Injury Prevention Center, the most central organization, interacted most frequently …

A Tool To Cost Environmental Health Services In North Carolina Local Health Departments, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Simone Singh, Ashley Tucker, Lisa M. Harrison

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Introduction: The cost of providing a basic set of public health services necessary not been well-described. Recent work suggests public health practitioners are unlikely to have the empirically-based financing information necessary to make informed decisions regarding practice. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a costing tool used to collect primary data on the number of services provided, staff employed, and costs incurred for two types of mandated environmental health services: food and lodging inspections and onsite water services.

Methods: The tool was iteratively reviewed, revised, and piloted with local health department (LHD) environmental health and …

Physical Activity Among Older American Indians And Alaska Natives, David Hodgins, Linda Larkey, Barbara E. Ainsworth, Colleen Keller

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: Life style behaviors contribute to poor health among older Americans Indians/Alaska Native (AI/AN) in the United States, with low levels of physical activity (PA) particularly tied to the chronic disease profile of this population. Searched reviews of physical activity among AI/ANs are limited in assessing prevalence and correlates to PA among older adults > 40 years.

Methods: A literature search of reported physical activity studies among older AI/AN was assessed for prevalence and predictive factors associated with levels of physical activity.

Results: Fourteen studies were included in this review that either specifically quantified the amount of physical activity among older …