Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

The Interplay Of Trait Anger, Childhood Physical Abuse, And Alcohol Consumption In Predicting Intimate Partner Aggression, Rosalita C. Maldonado, Laura E. Watkins, David Dilillo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The current study examined three well-established risk factors for intimate partner aggression (IPA) within Finkel and Eckhardt’s I³ model, including two impellance factors—trait anger and childhood physical abuse history—and the disinhibiting factor of alcohol consumption. Participants were 236 male and female college students in a committed heterosexual dating relationship who completed a battery of self-report measures assessing childhood physical abuse, trait anger, alcohol consumption, and IPA perpetration. Results revealed a significant three-way interaction showing that as the disinhibition factor alcohol consumption increased, the interaction of the two impelling factors, trait anger and childhood physical abuse, became increasingly more positive. …

The Association Between Health Literacy And Diet Adherence Among Primary Care Patients With Hypertension, Jenny A. Hutchison Ms., Jan Warren-Findlow Dr., Michael Dulin Dr., Hazel Tapp Dr., Lindsay Kuhn

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This study examines the association between health literacy and adherence to low-salt diet practices among individuals with hypertension. Health literacy is the ability of individuals to understand and utilize health information. We surveyed 238 patients with hypertension from a primary care clinic in Charlotte, NC. We assessed health literacy and self-reported low-salt diet. Logistic regression was used to model the relationship between health literacy and low-salt diet adherence. Respondents were primarily female (67.3%) and black (80%). Black Americans were less likely to have adequate health literacy as compared to white Americans (21.8% vs. 55.8%). The study found no association between …

Developing An Action Learning Community Advocacy/Leadership Training Program For Community Health Workers And Their Agencies To Reduce Health Disparities In Arizona Border Communities, Kenneth A. Schachter Md, Mba, Maia Ingram Mph, Laurel Jacobs Drph, Mph, Hannah Hafter Mph, Jill Guernsey De Zapien Ba, Scott Carvajal Phd, Mph

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Community health workers (CHWs) make unique and important contributions to society. They serve as patient advocates, educators, and navigators in our health care system and a growing body of research indicates that they play an important role in the effective delivery of prevention and treatment services in underserved communities. CHWs also serve as informal community leaders and advocates for organizational and community change, providing valuable insiders' insights about health promotion and the interrelatedness of individuals, their community, its institutions, and the surrounding environment. Accion Para La Salud or Action for Health (Accion) is a CDC-funded community based participatory research (CBPR) …

Sharing Medicine: The Candidacy Of Medicines And Other Household Items For Sharing, Dominican Republic, Michael N. Dohn, Hugo Pilkington

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background:

People share medicines and problems can result from this behavior. Successful interventions to change sharing behavior will require understanding people’s motives and purposes for sharing medicines. Better information about how medicines fit into the gifting and reciprocity system could be useful in designing interventions to modify medicine sharing behavior. However, it is uncertain how people situate medicines among other items that might be shared. This investigation is a descriptive study of how people sort medicines and other shareable items.

Methods and Findings:

This study in the Dominican Republic examined how a convenience sample (31 people) sorted medicines and rated …

How Medicaid Expansions And Future Community Health Center Funding Will Shape Capacity To Meet The Nation’S Primary Care Needs: A 2014 Update, Leighton Ku, Julia Zur, Emily Jones, Peter Shin, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

No abstract provided.

Toward A Biocommunicable Cartography Of Health Decision-Making In The Amazon Basin Of Ecuador, James Cartwright

Lawrence University Honors Projects

This paper comprises a critical, ethnographic study of health communication in a rural community of Amazonian Ecuador. By synthesizing approaches from anthropology, discourse studies, and public health, the study explores how conversations influence health decisions, how communities understand health systems, and how macrostructural discourse changes the political economy of healthcare in Ecuador. My work draws on the recent theoretical development of ‘biocommunicability’ in anthropology as well as earlier sociological research on knowledge construction. Most importantly, this paper offers a critique of current interventions by NGOs in the region.

Alcohol Use And Church Attendance Among Seventh Through Twelfth Grade Students, Dominican Republic, 2011, Michael N. Dohn, Santa Altagracia Jimenez Mendez, Maximinia Nolasco Pozo, Elizabet Altagracia Cabrera, Anita L. Dohn

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Excessive alcohol consumption increases the years of life lost to premature death and disability worldwide. Religion is a mitigating factor in alcohol consumption. A survey in the Dominican Republic showed increasing church attendance by middle and high school students (N = 3,478) was associated with a delay in age at first alcoholic drink, fewer students who had consumed alcohol in the past month (current drinkers), lower alcohol consumption levels, fewer episodes of inebriation, and less heavy episodic alcohol consumption (all P < 0.0001). The results suggested that it may be useful to conceive of church-attending youth as a subset of the adolescent social network when planning primary alcohol prevention programs for young people.

Addressing Childhood Obesity Through The Built Environment: The Guadalupe Case Sudy, Sophia Y. Lai

Master's Theses

This project takes a look at the impacts of our built environment on obesity in children living in racial and ethnic communities in relation to city planning. The results of this project results in a comprehensive report to provide an in-depth look into understanding the important relationships between children’s health and the built environment and understanding the best practices and recommendations for improving health in Guadalupe.

Located in the Santa Barbara County, the City of Guadalupe is mainly an agricultural town with over 85 percent of its residents who are of Hispanic Origin. With almost half of its Latino population …

Understanding Non-Emergent Pediatric Ed Visits: Using Hospital And Family Centric Data To Inform System Redesign, Deborah Swavely Dnp, Rn, Kathy Baker Mph, Rn, Krista L. Bilger Bsn, Rn, David Zimmerman Mph, Andrew Martin Msn, Rn

Department of Community Health and Health Studies

No abstract provided.

Oceano Community Health Plan, Eugene Phillip Brennan

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Oceano Community Health Plan

Phillip Brennan

Recent, mounting research shows that chronic disease, the leading causes of death and primary driver of health care costs, cannot be effectively addressed through education or preventative health alone. A physical environment that promotes health—through access to healthy food, opportunities for physical activity, quality housing, transportation options, and safe schools—is an integral part of making our communities healthier. This research and accompanying Healthy Community Plans will serve as a way for the County to begin looking in-depth at the ways the built environment (our streets, parks, and neighborhoods) contribute or detract from the …

Exposure To Fine Particulate Matter During Pregnancy And Risk Of Preterm Birth Among Women In New Jersey, Ohio, And Pennsylvania, 2000–2005, Kristen M. Rappazzo, Julie L. Daniels, Lynne C. Messer, Charles Poole, Danelle T. Lobdell

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Particulate matter < 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) has been variably associated with preterm birth (PTB).

Objective: We classified preterm births into four categories (20–27, 28–31, 32–34, and 35–36 weeks completed gestation) and estimated risk differences (RD) for each category in association with a 1-µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure during each week of gestation.

Methods: We assembled a cohort of singleton pregnancies that completed at least 20 weeks of gestation during 2000-2005 using live birth certificate data from three states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey) (n = 1,940,213; 8% PTB). We estimated mean PM2.5 exposures for each week of gestation from monitor-corrected Community Multi-Scale Air Quality modeling data. RDs were …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Hiv-Risk Behaviors Among Homeless Adults In A Southern City, Kristen R. Morrell, Latrice C. Pichon, Theresa Chapple-Mcgruder, Jennifer M. Kmet, Amanda Chandler, Marvell L. Terry Ii

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This paper aims to describe the prevalence and correlates of HIV-risk behaviors among adults receiving transitional and emergency housing services in Memphis, Tennessee. A cross-sectional, interviewer-administered survey was conducted with a convenience-based sample (N=116) of homeless adults. Sex without a condom, sex while on drugs or drunk, and sex with an unknown person emerged as the three most prevalent HIV-risk behaviors. Sex while drunk or high on drugs was also assessed as a significant predictor for sex without a condom and sex with an unknown person. Multivariate logistic regressions revealed that mental health status, duration of homelessness, incarceration history, and …

Mi Cuerpo, Nuestra Responsabilidad: Using Photovoice To Describe The Assets And Barriers To Sexual And Reproductive Health Among Latinos In North Carolina, Barbara Baquero, Shira Goldman, Florence Siman, Sadiya Muqueeth, Laura Villa-Torres, Eugenia Eng, Scott D. Rhodes

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Latinos in North Carolina experience disparities in sexual and reproductive health. To identify and explore assets for and barriers to sexual and reproductive health in the Latino community, an academic-community partnership engaged community health workers (CHW) in Photovoice, a participatory qualitative research methodology. Five sessions were completed in which CHW agreed on photo assignments and discussed the photos. Themes included the role of men, cultural taboos, and the effect of undocumented immigrant status on access to resources. Findings were presented at a community forum. Building on the strengths of CHW to reduce barriers to sexual and reproductive health is a …

Social Determinants Of Late Presentation To Hiv Care, Connie Leeper, Michael Mugavero, James Willig, Eric Chamot, Shatomi Kerbawy, Anne Zinski

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: In recent years, increased attention has shifted toward evaluating social determinants of health, and understanding how community, environment, and system factors affect health outcomes. HIV policies and guidelines emphasize the importance of earlier HIV diagnosis and presentation for care. This study evaluated the role of individual and community-level factors in late presentation to HIV care.

Methods: HIV-infected patients newly initiating outpatient HIV medical care at an academic medical center between 2005-2010 were included. Patients' self-reported addresses at their first clinic visit were geocoded using geographic information systems software to the appropriate United States census block group. Using …

Bedbugs Biting Back? A Multifactorial Consideration Of Bedbug Resurgence, Vanessa L. Abejuela-Matt

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Bedbugs, previously thought to be eradicated during the mid-20th century, have reemerged in the new millennium with unforeseen furor. Affected patients and families frequently present in primary care settings, not only with complaints of pruritus or rash, but with anxiety and shame regarding the condition. Changes in eradication techniques and resistance, as well as lack of reporting – from both patients and lodging institutions – have hindered control. The increased mobility of goods and the human population has provided further avenues for bedbug spread. While current literature thoroughly describes the clinical presentation of bedbugs and the increasingly problematic effects on …

How Will Public Health And Primary Care Come Together In Massachusetts?, Javier Crespo

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aims to place public health and prevention practice closer to the clinical care delivery system by mandating basic preventive services and creating a national prevention plan. The Massachusetts health care system has a number of elements that can help foster closer linking of public health practices in the primary care setting. This research set out to examine whether the current healthcare system in Massachusetts will enable public health and primary care integration as intimated upon by the Affordable Care Act. This study will assess the current connection between public health and primary care …

Using Chipra Immunization Measures For Primary Care Quality Improvement: Leveraging Registry Data From The State Of Maine’S Immunization Information System To Calculate Practice-Level Quality Measures, Kyra Chamberlain

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This report describes key challenges and successes of a federally-funded, cross-organizational effort to use registry data from the State of Maine’s Immunization Information System to calculate childhood and adolescent immunization measures in support of a nine-month, multi-practice learning collaborative which resulted in significant increases in immunization rates and adoption of recommended immunization-related office system procedures. Also highlighted are lessons learned about promoting the use of standardized immunization measures for quality improvement (QI), supporting primary care practices in using and understanding data for QI activities, and emphasizing the value of public-private collaboration in achieving shared goals.

A New Brief Scale To Assess Suicidality: Scale For Impact Of Suicidality-Management, Assessment And Planning Of Care (Sis-Map- Brief Scanner), Amresh Srivastava, Megan Johnston, Miky Kaushal, Robbie Campbell, Charles Nelson

Data and Test Instruments

Purpose: In this study we examine merit of a short version (Brief Interview Screener (SIS-MAP-scn )of a previously developed and validated 108 item scale, known as ‘ Scale for Impact of Suicidality-Management, Assessment and Planning of Care ( SIS MAP), for rapid assessment in challenging clinical settings e.g. primary care and emergency room. Background: Generally suicide risk is assessed clinically and structured assessments optimize the direction for decision-making across various settings e.g. inpatient care, emergency rooms and crisis centers. We believe that measures with accurate and valid information should be based upon multifactorial risk-constituent domains, e.g. biological, social, psychological, environmental …

Exploring Obstacles To Perinatal Care-Seeking Behavior In Women Of Rural Odisha, India Using A Community Based Participatory Research Approach, Sarah Law, Runjhun Bhatia

Senior Theses

This project resulted from collaboration between USC student organization GlobeMed and the Alternative for Rural Movement (ARM), a non-governmental organization in Odisha, India. Rajendra Rana, the head of ARM, expressed the need to delineate the factors underlying the tendency of rural Odishan women to deliver with unskilled birth attendants as opposed to institutionally. A literature review was conducted to explore possible economic, cultural, and social factors. During five weeks in Odisha, discussions with women's groups, community health workers, and ARM staff members built on the literature review. A preliminary survey and plan for its dissemination were developed. The community based …

Assessing The Potential Impact Of The Affordable Care Act On Uninsured Community Health Center Patients: An Update, Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

No abstract provided.