Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

An Evaluation Of Factors Which Can Affect The Implementation Of A Health Promotion Programme Under The Schools For Health In Europe Framework, Annemarie Bennett, Cara Cunningham, Charlotte Johnston Molloy

Articles

The Health Promoting Schools concept helps schools to promote health in a sustainable and long-term fashion. However, developing the capacity to promote health in this way can be challenging when a busy teaching curriculum must be fulfilled. This study aimed to identify factors which affect the acceptability of health promotion programmes to the everyday school environment.

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were audio-taped with primary school teachers in one Irish county and transcribed verbatim. The resulting transcripts were analysed using content analysis.

Thirty-one teachers were interviewed. The factors which may adversely affect the acceptability of health promotion programmes include the: attitude of …

Comparative Efficacy Of Foaming And Non-Foaming Handsoap In Reduction Of Microorganisms In Handwashing, Danielle Marie Conover

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Handwashing (HW) is a long established method to prevent disease transmission. Ensuring effectiveness of current HW methods is essential for optimal HW and enhanced disease prevention. The objectives of this research were to 1) conduct a survey of soap type and volume in food service establishments in Washington County, Arkansas; 2) investigate how soap type impacts HW behavior; and 3) determine the difference in microbial reduction between foaming (F) and liquid (L) handsoap. For Objective 1, food service establishments in Washington County, AR were selected based on exclusion criteria and random number generations, and handsoap samples were collected to determine …

Population Health Improvement Through Coordination Of Care, Trevey Davis

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The objective of this Capstone Project is to work with the Mercy Gap in Care Coordinators (GCCs) to document the value of the care coordination at Mercy Health System. A key element of this project was to develop a workflow diagram alongside the GCC in order to track patient outcomes. Additionally, the team developed a system for documenting patient outcomes that is crucial to measuring the impact of care coordination. From the data collected there are a number of outcomes that can be measured. The number of patients who are contacted for screening is measurement of patient experience. Following initial …

The Behavioral Addiction Indoor Tanning Screener (Baits): An Evaluation Of A Brief Measure Of Behavioral Addictive Symptoms, Jerod L. Stapleton, Joel J. Hillhouse, Rob Turrisi, Katie Baker, Sharon L. Manne, Elliot J. Coups

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Psychological And Sociocultural Influences Of Current And Historical Intimate Partner Violence In Pregnancy, Cindy D. Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.5 million women are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) each year, and 324,000 of these women are pregnant (2013). Research on the predictability of certain factors and their relationship to current and historical IPV is limited. In order to better understand IPV as it related to a sample of 1,016 Appalachian pregnant women selected for the Tennessee Interventions for Pregnant Smokers (TIPS), it was important to evaluate various influences that may predict the prevalence of IPV in this population when compared to the State of Tennessee and the U.S. …

Biosand Water Filter Evaluation: Meta-Evaluation And Pilot Study Of Field Use Indicators, Bethesda O'Connell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diarrheal diseases are a global public health burden, killing 1.8 million people annually. Diarrhea disproportionately affects children and those in poverty. Most diarrheal cases can be prevented through safe drinking water, basic hygiene and/or sanitation measures, with drinking water interventions having the most impact on reducing diarrheal disease. A meta-evaluation was completed of studies evaluating a specific household water treatment method, the biosand water filter. Results from the meta-evaluation illustrate that biosand water filters improve drinking water quality and reduce diarrheal disease. However, there is no generally agreed upon field method for determining biosand water filter effectiveness that is useable …

Assessing The Role Of Faith-Based Organizations In Health Promotion, Troylyn Braud Francis

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Objective: The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the relationship between organizational readiness (OR) and weight loss and physical activity outcomes among faith-based organizations (FBOs).

Methods: Data for this study were collected in two phases. Phase I data were based on a feasibility study and targeted African-American individuals (N = 55) who participated in an obesity prevention program. The intervention was accomplished in two stages, which included a 10-week core period followed by a 6-month maintenance period. Phase II data were based on key informant interviews that were conducted with community health leaders (CHLs) (N=6) from participating …

Women And Healthcare In Appalachia: Impeding Circumstance And The Role Of Technology, Ashley Cano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For decades, healthcare access and quality in central and southern Appalachia have trailed the rest of the country. Entrenched poverty and low educational attainment compound healthcare problems. This study examines the healthcare obstacles women encounter in southern and central Appalachia and analyzes how technology use, such as Internet searching and social media affect women’s healthcare decisions. Data were analyzed from four focus groups conducted with women from the region. Results indicate that seeing a physician or not did not influence women’s propensity to search the Internet for health-related information or to seek support through social media sites. Additionally, women reported …

Leveling The Playing Field Through Partnerships And Collaboration : Neighborhood Revitalizations And The Influence Of Social Determinants Of Health And Institutional Logics., J. M. Bohn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative study guided by grounded theory was on a Midwest US city (population > 50,000 people), three of its inner city neighborhoods, and community coalition and partnership efforts in neighborhood revitalizations. A two-phase semi-structured interview methodology assessed interviewees’ experiences in initiatives focused on improving social determinants of health in the neighborhoods. Phase I interviews (n= 11) identified the spectrum of partnerships and initiatives while Phase II interviews (n=28) captured detailed experiences of interviewees. Inter-institutional systems and institutional logics theory were applied in the post-data collection analysis. Interviewees were from public and private sectors including: built environment, economic development, residential/commercial property …

Using An Online Learning Module In A Nursing Program To Improve Knowledge And Skills To Prevent Falls In The Community Dwelling Older Adult Population, Susan Kane Patton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nationally, 28.4% of older adults fall each year. Falls and resulting injury result in decreased mobility, functional impairment, loss of independence, and increased mortality. Utilization of evidence based protocols by providers to identify older adults at risk of falling is limited and rates of participation by older adults in prevention activities is low. Because of nursing’s increasing role in caring for older adults, development of fall prevention education for nursing students would result in increased awareness of the need for fall prevention in community dwelling older adults and increased access of older adults to falls risk assessment. There is a …

Juvenile Justice—Translational Research On Interventions For Adolescents In The Legal System (Jj-Trials): A Cluster Randomized Trial Targeting System-Wide Improvement In Substance Use Services, Danica K. Knight, Steven Belenko, Tisha Wiley, Angela A. Robertson, Nancy Arrigona, Michael Dennis, John P. Bartkowski, Larkin S. Mcreynolds, Jennifer E. Becan, Hannah K. Knudsen, Gail A. Wasserman, Eve Rose, Ralph Diclemente, Carl G. Leukefeld, Jj-Trials Cooperative

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background: The purpose of this paper is to describe the Juvenile Justice—Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS) study, a cooperative implementation science initiative involving the National Institute on Drug Abuse, six research centers, a coordinating center, and Juvenile Justice Partners representing seven US states. While the pooling of resources across centers enables a robust implementation study design involving 36 juvenile justice agencies and their behavioral health partner agencies, co-producing a study protocol that has potential to advance implementation science, meets the needs of all constituencies (funding agency, researchers, partners, study sites), and can be implemented …

Tuberculosis And Local Health Department Expenditures On Tuberculosis Services, Michelle P. Yip, Betty Bekemeier

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: Although tuberculosis (TB) morbidity and mortality have decreased in recent decades, challenges exist regarding disproportionate distributions of TB among specific populations and geographic areas. Inconsistent local health department (LHD) funding for TB programs poses difficulties for LHDs to sustain resources and personnel that predisposes communities to risks of future outbreaks of TB and drug-resistant TB diseases.

Purpose: This study examined relationships between annual TB incidence rates and LHD expenditures on TB-related services to elucidate potential impacts of TB incidence on LHD TB spending.

Methods: This dataset included county-level TB incidence data with comparable, annual (2000–2010) TB-related service expenditures for …

Redefining Medicine: The Epistemology, Political Theory, And Phenomenology Of Health And Disease, Jacqline J. Murillo

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

This thesis argues that health needs to be redefined in a more comprehensive fashion, namely as a physiological/biological state, with social, environmental, and individual determinants always related to one’s personal needs to achieve one’s life plan. The benefits of this new definition include more emphasis on the distribution of health as a social good.

Additionally, redefining health puts the value of the individual’s life rather than the strict monetary value of their needed treatment as a focal point. It also draws more attention to medicine as a practice of care, rather than viewing it simply as a technology or science, …

Epidemiology Crucial To Cracking Elizabethkingia Crisis, Angela Tonozzi

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The author explains the epidemiological methods, tools and personnel required to pinpoint the source of Wisconsin’s 2016 outbreak of Elizabethkingia infections.

Geographic Distribution Of Maternal Group B Streptococcus Colonization And Infant Death During Birth Hospitalization: Eastern Wisconsin, Jessica J. F. Kram, Dennis J. Baumgardner, Kiley B. Vander Wyst, Melissa A. Lemke

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose

Maternal group B Streptococcus (GBS) can be transmitted from a colonized mother to newborn during vaginal delivery and may or may not contribute to infant death. This study aimed to explore the geographic distribution and risk factors of maternal GBS colonization and infant death during birth hospitalization.

Methods

We retrospectively studied mothers with live birth(s) in a large eastern Wisconsin hospital system from 2007 through 2013. Associations between maternal and neonatal variables, GBS colonization and infant death were examined using chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U and t-tests. Multivariable logistic regression models also were developed.

Results

Study population (N = 99,305) had …

Quantifying Syringe Exchange Program Operational Space In The District Of Columbia., Sean T. Allen, Monica Ruiz, Jeff Jones

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

Syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are effective structural interventions for HIV prevention among persons who inject drugs. In 2000, a buffer zone policy (the 1000 Foot Rule) was implemented in Washington, DC, that prohibited SEP operations within 1000 feet of schools. We examined changes in the amount of legal SEP operational space over time. We used data pertaining to school operations and their approximate physical property boundaries to quantify the impact of the 1000 Foot Rule on legal SEP operational space from its implementation in 2000-2013. Adherence to the 1000 Foot Rule reduced SEP operational space by more than 50 % …

Inhalable Exposure Levels Of Airborne Mold Spores In Rural Georgia Homes, Jacquelyn Lewis, Alli Mcinerney, Errol Spence, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Exposure to mold is known to cause allergic symptoms. Most molds produce highly allergenic proteins or glycoproteins that can cause hypersensitivity diseases in susceptible hosts. Between 10% and 60% of genetically susceptible persons develop immediate hypersensitivity to mold. The Institute of Medicine report on Damp Indoor Spaces and Health states that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that a causal relationship exists between the presence of mold and upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, hypersensitivity pneumonitis in susceptible persons, wheeze, and asthma symptoms in sensitized asthmatic persons. To our knowledge, no research has been conducted in rural Georgia to test the …

Effect Of Natural Products On Overall Microbial Activity In Household Items, Teyaijah Givens, Nosa Lloyd Nwaonumah, Brittany Loadholt, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Indoor contamination from microorganisms is an important health hazard issue (e.g., respiratory allergy, infections, and food contamination). Particularly, growth of molds and bacteria in damp environmental conditions could be hazardous for the occupants susceptible to microbial allergens. The growing awareness concerning the adverse effects of chlorine bleach and cleaning chemicals calls for field-testing new natural ingredients with functional properties against microorganisms. Essential oils possess a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity, which may be of great importance for controlling indoor microbial exposure. The objective of this study was to investigate how microbial growth in different surfaces of homes reacted to the …

Microbial Activity And Airborne Culturable Microbial Concentrations In South Georgia Homes, Alli Mcinerney, Jacquelyn Lewis, Errol Spence, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Indoor microorganisms and microbial allergens can lead to harmful respiratory effects in the human body such as allergies, asthma, chronic bronchitis, infections, and even contamination of food stuffs. This study was conducted in order to test the indoor microbial pollutants in local Statesboro homes, and relate the findings to respiratory disease symptoms of occupants. Thus far, samples have been collected and data analyzed for 15 homes. This specific part of the study focuses on the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in homes. ATP is a source of energy produced through glucose metabolism and the citric acid cycle. ATP levels can …

Using The Theory Of Reasoned Action To Examine The Knowledge, Attitudes, And Beliefs Among Georgia Physicians Towards The Therapeutic Use Of Medical Cannabis, Shannon Antoine-Hardy

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

An understanding of the current status of Georgia physiciansÕ knowledge level and attitudes towards medical Cannabis (MC) still remains unknown. Obtaining this information is essential in determining acceptance of MC within local medical communities, as well as influencing the outcomes of political efforts at both the state and federal level. Because science of medical cannabis is generally not required in todayÕs medical training, it is imperative that physicians and other health care professionals close the education gap on MC in clinical care. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to examine physicians' attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs towards the therapeutic use …