Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Colorectal Cancer In Montgomery County, Ohio: A Descriptive Analysis, Ursula Turner

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

In the United States colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies, and is the third leading cause of cancer deaths (Sharma & O’Keefe, 2007). Approximately 270,000 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed in 2008 with 81,900 cases resulting in death. There were 16,520 cases diagnosed in African Americans and 7,120 resulted in death or significant illness (American Cancer Society, 2008). Mortality as the result of CRC is greater among the African American population with 27% and 38% higher death rates for African American males and females when compared with Caucasian males and females (Agarwal, 2005). CRC is …

A Geospatial Analysis Of The Role Of Urban Forestry In Outdoor Ambient Air Pollution Reduction In Dayton, Ohio, Nicholas P. Clemens

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: Air pollution is associated with negative respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes. According to the American Lung Association listing for 2011, the Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH area ranks 22 out of 277 US cities for year round particulate pollution. The tree canopy cover plays a significant role to reduce air pollution. The purpose of this analysis was to quantify the role of urban forestry in the Dayton, Ohio metropolitan area in reducing air pollution.

Methods: Using a peer-reviewed model designed by the US Forest Service, the imagery data was analyzed to create a descriptive analysis of the canopy cover in the Dayton, …

Nation's Future: Preparedness For Burn Victims, Jacqueline Tippett

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Natural and manmade disasters have occurred throughout the decades, within the United States and around the globe. Increased incidence and awareness of terrorist attacks have caused the US to re-evaluate its safety and preparedness efforts to prevent such events from happening and to develop an adequate response plan if such unfortunate events do occur. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to (1) review and discuss the American Burn Association’s (ABA) paradigm for emergency planning in burn disasters, (2) give recommendation about the National Response Framework (NRF) guidelines on “all hazards” response as they pertains to burns, and (3) give …

An Examination Of Ohio’S Physical Education Academic Content Standard 4, Benchmark A For Grades 9-12, Gabriel Jones

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe select physical education teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness and accuracy of the assessments for Ohio's Physical Education Academic Content Standard 4 Benchmark A in determining the fitness and physical activity levels of high school students. A secondary purpose was to describe the fitness levels of high school physical education students, based on assessment data.

Methods: Participants were forty-one physical education teachers and ninety high school students from southwest Ohio. Data were collected from the teachers through an online questionnaire and from students with FITNESSGRAM testing. FITNESSGRAM data from one local school …

Acl Injuries In Montgomery County, Oh: Moving Toward The Development Of A Prediction Model, Kelly Estes

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are one of the most frequent soft tissue injuries of the knee. A torn ACL leaves the knee joint unstable and at risk for further damage to other soft tissues manifested as pain, dislocation, and osteoarthritis. A better understanding of the dimensional details of knee joints suffering ACL tears and a prediction model for individuals susceptible to tears is needed. Using a cross-sectional study design, magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of 72 patients with knee injuries were evaluated from an orthopedic surgery group practice. The status of the ACL was the main variable of interest, creating …

Impact Of Congestive Heart Failure Discharge Planning On Congestive Heart Failure Re-Admission Rates, Sula E. Mazimba

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is the most common diagnosis accounting for more healthcare costs than any diagnosis. CHF readmissions contribute significantly to this expenditure. Quality of care in heart failure is linked to process based performance measures. This study evaluated the relationship between adherence to performance metrics and 30 day readmission rates.

Methods: This was a single center case-control study that evaluated 6063 consecutive patients admitted with CHF from December 2001 through December 2008. Data was collected for readmission to the hospital within 30 days and compliance to the heart failure performance measures at discharge.

Results: The rate of …

State Preparedness: A Study Of State Plans, Zachary Fehrman

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been used since the early years of public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a standard definition for NPI and what NPI strategies are contained within the definition. This paper seeks to discover if state pandemic influenza plans use the term NPI and its strategies, and if states’ use of NPI strategies in their state pandemic plans is consistent with the CDC definition. To determine how states were defining and using the term NPI and NPI strategies a survey of forty-eight (48) state plans was conducted using each respective states’ pandemic plan. …

Assessment And Management Of Adult Obesity In A Primary Care Practice, Sherry M. Adkins

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to describe primary care physician adherence to National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults (1998) and to explore patient characteristics associated with physician assessment and management behaviors. Patient characteristics included age, sex, race, BMI, associated disease risk, and Medicaid coverage.

Methods: A chart abstraction of 99 randomly selected adult patients with at least one visit to a particular primary care practice during a 12-month period was completed. Patients were not pregnant during the year of review, and had a …

The Influence Of School Eating Environment On Children's Eating Behaviors: An Examination Of The Snda-Iii, Sabrina M. Neeley

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in the United States has prompted researchers to examine the factors that contribute to children’s food choices and consumption. Schools provide ample opportunities to teach children healthy eating habits, as well as create eating environments that are conducive to healthy eating behaviors. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides federally assisted meals to millions of children every day and the assessment of the NSLP provides an opportunity to examine the school-eating environment. Hierarchical and logistic modeling of the SNDA-III, the USDA assessment of the NSLP, was conducted to determine relationships between environmental factors …

Understanding Health Profile Of The Middle-Aged Residents In Tsuen Wan, Tsuen Wan Safe And Health Community, Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University

APIAS Research Report 研究報告

Modernization marked the progress of society and posed various changes to human life as well as the epidemiological transition. Improvements in public health care, living conditions, income and the control of infectious diseases were important factors in the first half of the twentieth century that led to the increases in life expectancy, while in the second half it was improvements in social conditions, health technologies such as antibiotics, and widespread immunization. The existences of advanced medical services effectively get rid of the prevalence of infectious disease that caused immediate human threats such as Measles and Smallpox.

Given that technological advancement …

2011 Community Benefit, Children's Mercy Hospital

Community Benefits

Fiscal year report on the community benefits provided by Children's Mercy Kansas City to the communities in the Kansas City region.

Prevalence, Knowledge, And Concern About Bed Bugs, Mary Beth Kaylor

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Recent research suggests that the United States and the world are on the verge of a bed bug pandemic. Assumptions have been made that socioeconomic status is not an indicator and that bed bugs are not competent disease vectors. However, little information is available at the local level about the prevalence of bed bugs in private homes. This study aimed to identify prevalence, knowledge, and concern about bed bugs in one village in Ohio. Responses from 96 individuals who completed the Prevalence, Knowledge, and Concern about Bed Bugs (PK CABB) survey were utilized for data analysis. The majority of the …

Worksite Wellness: An Administrative Perspective, Neha Kumar

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: To develop a better understanding of businesses’ goals and purpose for offering worksite wellness opportunities and the level of administrative support for worksite wellness programs.

Method: Human resource directors, benefit managers, or other administrators of 76 businesses that have contracted with Premier Community Health in the past 2 years were contacted by e-mail to complete a standardized online survey on SurveyMonkey®. The survey included questions about the businesses worksite wellness current programs and future interests. In addition, data on how often businesses have utilized each of the PCH worksite offerings over the past 2 years was collected from the …

Migration And Hiv In India: Study Of Select Districts, Niranjan Saggurti, Bidhubhusan Mahapatra, Suvakanta N. Swain, Madhusudana Battala, Alka Narang, Umesh Chawla

HIV and AIDS

Report of a study assessing the important role of migration in the spread of HIV in districts with high out-migration in India. The study suggests a considerable spread of HIV linked to migrants’ extramarital sexual behaviors, and subsequent delay in treatment for infected spouses. In order to control the spread of HIV, the study provides programmatic recommendations made by the study participants and the counselors from ICTCs and ART centers. These suggestions include village-level mapping of at-risk persons, mainstreaming HIV prevention interventions within current health resources, improving various village level HIV prevention programs, and involving women left behind by migrant …

Hiv Transmission Among Married Men And Women In Districts With High Out-Migration In India: Study Brief, Niranjan Saggurti, Bidhubhusan Mahapatra, Suvakanta N. Swain, Madhusudana Battala, Umesh Chawla, Alka Narang

HIV and AIDS

This brief describes a study examining the links between male out-migration and HIV transmission among married men and women and other mechanisms by which HIV is transmitted within marital relationships in districts with high out-migration.

Evaluation Of The Informed Consent Process For Male Circumcision Scale-Up In Swaziland, Barbara Friedland, Louis Apicella, Katie D. Schenk, Meredith Sheehy, Paul C. Hewett

HIV and AIDS

This report evaluates the informed consent process for male circumcision conducted through the Male Circumcision Partnership for Swaziland, led by Population Services International, in partnership with Jhpiego, Marie Stopes International, and the Population Council. The study assesses participants' comprehension of the circumcision process, the informed consent process, as well as the affect of male circumcision counseling on their experience.

An Investigation On Hiv Related Stigma To Improve Hiv Prevention Efforts In North Dakota, Krissie Lynn Mayer-Guerard

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examines HIV stigma to improve HIV prevention in North Dakota. A survey was administered to North Dakotan adults between January 15 and February 15, 2011, in eight selected towns. The study focused on North Dakotan perceptions of HIV in their state. Research found that most North Dakotans do not view HIV as a problem in their state. There is, however, a belief that there is stigma associated with HIV in North Dakota, as 65 percent of survey respondents believe that. The study also shows that there is a need for education regarding the transmission of HIV. Sixty percent …

Assessing Students' Risk Factors For Type Ii Diabetes At A Midwest Public University, Nicole Decourcy Ferrian

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess students' risk factors for type II diabetes at a Midwest public university. It further examined students' perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and self-efficacy of the disease. The design of the cross-sectional study was based on risk factors for type II diabetes listed by the American Diabetes Association and the Health Belief Model's constructs of perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, and self-efficacy. A survey was distributed to non-diabetic college students aged 18 and older enrolled in general education courses at a Midwest public university. A purposive sampling of 432 students enrolled in Health 101 and …

Social Mobilization Strategy, Family Advancement For Life And Health (Falah)

Reproductive Health

This document outlines social mobilization strategies at the national and community levels of the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project in Pakistan. The project aims to improve the health and well-being of women, men, and their children through tackling the major obstacles in adoption of birth spacing to improve maternal and child health outcomes and family well-being, by increasing knowledge of the benefits of birth spacing as well as knowledge, increased demand for, and effective use of contraceptive methods. The strategy aims to achieve a significant increase in couples’ knowledge and understanding of the need for and benefits …

Situation Analysis Of Disability Resources And Needs Of Shantytowns Near Lima, Peru, Jessica Hunt

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Individuals in shantytowns of Lima, Peru experience unique challenges due to socioeconomic status and perceived inabilities. A situation analysis using qualitative ethnographic interviews of key participants (n=15) and one focus group (n=7) was conducted to explore life with disability in a shantytown of Lima, Peru. Findings showed that individuals with disability face physical and attitudinal barriers that limit social inclusion through the avenues of rehabilitation, education, and employment. The familial complex is expected to provide care for the individual with disability. The adult family member often chooses between providing income for the household and providing care and safety for their …