Epidemiology Commons^™

Influenza In The 21st Century : Assessment Of The 2009 H1n1 Pandemic Severity, Enhanced Surveillance Methods, And Pediatric Influenza-Associated Deaths, Dina M. Hoefer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Influenza is among the most important of the endemic, epidemic, and pandemic diseases infecting humans. In June 2009, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (pH1N1).1 The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic presented a unique opportunity and provided resources to monitor and study influenza in a way that would and could not be supported during a `typical' influenza season. Research objectives included: 1) characterizing the severity of illness among hospitalized patients infected with pH1N1; 2) assessing the utility of hospital discharge …

Life Course Socio-Economic Measures As Predictors Of Bmi Trajectories And Prevalence Of Diabetes In Adult Life, Tabassum Zarina Insaf

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Few studies have analyzed the effect of lifecourse socioeconomic position (LSEP) on racial disparities in body mass index (BMI) trajectories and Diabetes. Four waves of the Americans' Changing Lives study (1986-2002) were used to compute BMI trajectories and diabetes prevalence for 3497 Black and White participants. Multivariate associations of LSEP variables (father's education, perceived childhood SEP, education, income, wealth and financial stress) with baseline BMI and BMI change were assessed using mixed models. We also evaluated whether disparate LSEP predictors are influential in Blacks as compared to Whites. Finally we evaluated the presence of latent, pathway and cumulative models of …

Evaluating The Impact Of Prior Hospital Mortality Versus Surgical Volume On Length Of Stay Following Pediatric Congenital Cardiac Surgery In New York State, Ming Liu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: To examine the relationship of prior hospital surgical volume and risk-adjusted mortality rate with future length of stay for children undergoing congenital cardiac surgery in New York State.

The Association Of Summer Temperatures With Hospital Admissions For Renal Diseases In New York State : A Case-Crossover Study, Barbara A. Fletcher

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study assessed the association between high temperatures and increased odds of hospitalization for renal diseases which, to date, has been examined in only a small number of studies. A case-crossover design was used to study 147,885 hospital admissions with renal diagnoses during July and August, 1991-2004 in New York State. Regional temperature, humidity and barometric pressure data from automated monitors were used as exposure indicators. Using time-stratified referent selection and conditional logistic regression analysis, an overall 9% increase in odds of hospitalization for acute renal failure per 5°F (2.78°C) was found for mean temperature at a one day lag …

Detection And Epidemiological Patterns Of Drug Resistance Mutations In Nys Plasmodium Falciparum Clinical Malaria Specimens, Jennifer L. Conaway

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Plasmodium falciparum is a human-infective parasite that causes the most severe form of malaria. Resistance to a wide spectrum of antimalarials has been documented in this species, and single strains may be resistant to several drugs. A new technology, pyrosequencing, has been shown to be useful for the rapid detection of SNPs involved in drug resistance. It can be used in a clinical setting and readily detects new mutants, which frequently appear in this species due to strong selection for antimalarial resistance. In this study, a pyrosequencing protocol was developed to identify mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum genes Pfcrt, Pfdhps, …

Occupational Exposure And Risk Of Skin Cancer In A Multinational European Study, Simona Surdu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) comprise more than one third of all cancers, and are increasing worldwide. The most common NMSC are Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). Studies on humans and animals suggest that sunlight and arsenic play important roles in the pathogenesis of these skin malignancies. However, the number of epidemiological studies focusing on NMSC in workers exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation or airborne arsenic is limited, and the findings are contradictory.

Association Between Chemical Constituents Of Particulate Matter And Cardiovascular And Respiratory Morbidities In Nys, Rena Jones

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Improved understanding of health risks from short- and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) constituents may explain seasonal and geographic heterogeneity in PM_{2.5-health associations and inform control efforts targeting PM sources. Few studies have examined PM species health effects; most have been limited by their exposure assessments and modeling approaches. The goals of this project were to improve the PM exposure assessment and explore relationships between PM2.5 species and health in acute and chronic contexts.}

Risk Factors Associated With Not Well Controlled And Very Poorly Controlled Asthma In U.S. Northeast Region, Brfss Asthma Callback Survey, 2006-2008, Can Yang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Geographic And Community Factors Associated With Adolescent Pregnancy In New York State, Elizabeth Villamil

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background

Ecological Literacy, Nutrition Knowledge, And Dietary Practices Among Students At University At Albany, Elaine Hills

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

University students (N=1,924) at a large public university were surveyed to measure their nutrition knowledge, dietary practices, and ecological literacy. A quantitative measure of ecological literacy was developed for this purpose, reflecting familiarity with nature, awareness of one's personal impact on local and global ecologies, and personal lifestyle choices that demonstrate civic responsibility for the natural environment. The association between nutrition knowledge and dietary practices was compared to the association between ecological literacy and dietary practices. The results showed that: (1) many students were not familiar with public health eating recommendations and did not eat recommended amounts of foods, particularly …

Health Behind And Beyond Bars : Understanding The Link Between Incarceration And Health, Lauren C. Porter

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The primary aim of this dissertation is to better understand the link between incarceration and health. Drawing on a sample of young adults from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), the effect of incarceration on self-rated health, serious injury, STD infection, cold/flu symptoms, and blood pressure is assessed. The effect of incarceration on health behavior is also examined, including diet, smoking, binge drinking, and physical activity. In order to rule out selection bias, current and former inmates are compared to respondents who have been arrested (or arrested and convicted of a crime), but not incarcerated. Findings suggest …

Seafood Consumption And Use Of Asian Herbal Preparation As A Source Of Exposure To Multiple Trace Elements In The Study Of Metals And Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Smart), Dongsul Kim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

As, Cd, Cs, Hg, Pb, and Zn may be associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Seafood and Asian herbal preparations are identified as sources of exposure to these essential and non-essential trace elements in humans. The goal of the study is to assess associations between seafood consumption and the use of Asian herbal preparations and levels of essential and non-essential trace elements in biologic specimens collected from couples undergoing IVF. Fifty-nine couples completing a first IVF cycle at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Center for Reproductive Health were recruited to participate in the Study of Metals and …

Migrant Workers In Kazakhstan : Gender Differences In Hiv Knowledge And Sexual Risk Behaviors, Baurzhan Zhussupov

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background:

The Contribution Of Genotype Cluster Investigations To Understanding Tuberculosis Transmission In New York City With A Focus On The Foreign-Born Population, 2001-2009, Michelle Merced Macaraig

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background

Evaluating Retention In Medical Care And Its Impact On The Health Outcomes Of Individuals Living With Human Inmmunodeficiency Virus, Timothy N. Crawford

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

In the last few years, engagement in medical care among individuals living with HIV has become a major priority among HIV medical providers and public health researchers. Engagement in medical care is an important concept as it involves the process of linking newly diagnosed individuals into medical care and retaining those individuals in care throughout the course of their infection. Although there have been major advances in the management of HIV, like the advent of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, morbidity and mortality due to HIV cannot be fully reduced if the individual does not optimally retain in care. Retention in …

Long Term Weight Variability In Adults Of Adventist Health Study 1 And 2, Namgyal Lhawang Kyulo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: The effect of overweight and obesity on the risk of fatal disease tends to attenuate with age. One plausible explanation is that a proportion of elderly people in the ideal weight category (19 to 25 kg/m ) experienced disease-related weight loss - an effect that will attenuate health risk related to overweight and obesity. One potential approach to controlling for this bias would be to examine fluctuations in weight during the adult lifespan by considering multiple measures of weight or recall of body weight during adulthood. Some of these measures are available in the Adventist Health Study cohorts and …

Constrained Optimal Control For A Multi-Group Discrete Time Influenza Model, Paula Andrea Gonzalez Parra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

During the last decades, mathematical epidemiological models have been used to understand the dynamics of infectious diseases and guide public health policy. In particular, several continuous models have been considered to study single in uenza outbreaks and the impact of dierent control policies. In this dissertation, a discrete time model is introduced in order to study optimal control strategies for in uenza transmission; since epidemiological data is collected on discrete units of time, a discrete formulation is more ecient. From a mathematical point of view, continuous time model are easier to analyze, however, the numerical solution of discrete-time models is …

Intimate Partner Physical Violence Against Women In Saudi Arabian Primary Healthcare Clinics, Halah M. Eldoseri

Health Services Research Dissertations

Intimate partner violence against women (IPPVAW) is a serious public health concern. The Ecological Model provides a model to study several factors associated with IPPVAW. In Saudi Arabia, studies addressing IPPVAW are limited and do not cover the various aspects of the problem. The purpose of this study was to investigate the various factors associated with IPPVAW at the personal, interpersonal, community and societal levels. Methods: 200 ever-married women attending six PHC in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were recruited via convenient sampling method. Women were interviewed on factors related to IPPVAW using an adapted version of WHO survey for violence against …

Cervical Human Papillomavirus Infection Among Young Women Engaged In Sex Work In Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Prevalence, Genotypes, Risk Factors And Association With Hiv Infection, Marie-Claude Couture, Kimberly Page, Ellen S. Stein, Neth Sansothy, Keo Sichan, John Kaldor, Jennifer L. Evans, Lisa Maher, Joel Palefsky

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Although cervical cancer is the leading cancer in Cambodia, most women receive no routine screening for cervical cancer and few treatment options exist. Moreover, nothing is known regarding the prevalence of cervical HPV or the genotypes present among women in the country. Young sexually active women, especially those with multiple sex partners are at highest risk of HPV infection. We examine the prevalence and genotypes of cervical HPV, as well as the associated risk factors among young women engaged in sex work in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study among 220 young women (15–29 years) engaged …

Target Population Involvement In Urban Ciclovias: A Preliminary Evaluation Of St. Louis Open Streets, J. Aaron Hipp, Amy A. Eyler, Jill Kuhlberg

Brown School Faculty Publications

Ciclovias are active street events when roads are open to walkers, cyclists, and families and closed to automobiles. Over 70 cities in the USA have implemented ciclovias to promote physical activity. The authors evaluated four events during 2010 to determine what activities participants perform and who is attending. For two ciclovia events in St. Louis, Missouri, observation reports of activities, gender, and age of 1,452 participants were collected, and 82 adults were interviewed via direct approach. The survey covered six domains: physical activity, travel to event, sense of community, marketing, economic impact, and demographics. Each event occurred within the city, …