International Public Health Commons^™

A Silent Killer Of India’S Women: Investigating The Barriers To Adequate Tuberculosis Treatment And Diagnosis For Women In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Evonne Mcarthur

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nearly 20 years ago, the World Health Organization declared tuberculosis as a global public health emergency, yet today TB still remains a major global health challenge. It is estimated that during 2012 8.6 million were infected with TB and 1.3 million died from the disease (WHO, 2013). Globally, more than one third of the population is infected with TB and, after HIV/AIDS, TB is the greatest killer world-wide due to a single infectious agent. 95 percent of the global TB burden lies within low and middle-income countries and among the 22 countries determined to be high epidemiological burden countries, India …

Nurturing The Whole Body: The Benefits Of Supplementing Tuberculosis Chemotherapy With Traditional Chinese Medical Practices, Rachel Levine

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although modern medicine has found a cure for Tuberculosis (TB), it remains a worldwide health threat. Due to poor adherence to TB chemotherapya multi-drug resistant strain of the TB bacteria (MDR-TB) has been created.It has been found that poor adherence is caused by many factors, two of which include the high cost of treatment and the many uncomfortable side effects. Through a month of research based in Kunming, China including interviews, observations and surveys,this project hoped to compare Western biomedicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to determine the potential benefits TCM holds for TB patients. TCM improves a TB patient’s …

Intellectual Property And Public Health – A White Paper, Ryan G. Vacca, Jim Chen, Jay Dratler Jr., Tom Folsom, Timothy Hall, Yaniv Heled, Frank Pasquale, Elizabeth Reilly, Jeff Samuels, Kathy Strandburg, Kara Swanson, Andrew Torrance, Katharine Van Tassel

Akron Law Faculty Publications

On October 26, 2012, the University of Akron School of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property and Technology hosted its Sixth Annual IP Scholars Forum. In attendance were thirteen legal scholars with expertise and an interest in IP and public health who met to discuss problems and potential solutions at the intersection of these fields. This report summarizes this discussion by describing the problems raised, areas of agreement and disagreement between the participants, suggestions and solutions made by participants and the subsequent evaluations of these suggestions and solutions.

Led by the moderator, participants at the Forum focused generally on three broad …

Challenges Of Containing New Hiv Infections In Ethiopia: Unacknowledged Transmission Route, Dessu Sam

Capstone Collection

As the main goal of the Partnership Framework (PF) between the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and the U.S. Government (USG), Ethiopia has set a national target of reducing new HIV infections by 50% by the end of 2014 (National Target). Funded by the USG, the PF provides a five-year joint strategic plan (2010-2014) for cooperation to support Ethiopia’s national HIV/AIDS response (PEPFAR, 2010). Ethiopia has an estimated adult prevalence of 1.5% and about a million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) (ECSA & IFC, 2012), among countries most affected by the epidemic. The International Labor Organization (ILO) projection for 2015 indicates …

Fetal Programming And Later Obesity In A Predominantly Latino Wic Population, Eric George Walsh

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: In utero stressors may work to program the metabolism of the developing fetus in such a way that predisposes him/her to obesity later on. Studies have shown that breastfeeding is protective against childhood obesity and suggest that after six months the weight gain in breastfed babies slows opposed to formula fed babies who continue with rapid weight gain. This slowing of weight gain has been shown to be protective against adiposity and later life weight gain.

Purpose: This study looks to further explore these findings in a low income Latino population adding mother’s feelings about the pregnancy and the …

Factors Influencing Access To Healthcare Services, Melissa Delia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Following several political upheavals, the country of Madagascar has become one of the poorest countries in the world. This level of poverty affects many aspects of life, especially access to healthcare services. The availability of both allopathic and traditional healthcare to the impoverished citizens of Madagascar was examined through discussions, interviews, and journal articles. It was found that although both the allopathic and traditional medicinal systems do not charge their patients for general consultations and care, there is a high cost for pharmaceutical medications in the allopathic system. These medications are sometimes too expensive for many Malagasy patients to afford. …

Fanta Fanafody: Malagasy Traditional Medicine In A Globalized World, Mary Buswell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigates the relationship between traditional medicine and globalization in Madagascar. Information from interactions and interviews with both traditional and allopathic healers is used to study the current healthcare system and provide direction for the establishment of an Integrated Health Care System (IHCS). This study finds that traditional medicine and globalization have a closer and more reciprocal relationship than it would initially appear, and that traditional medicine is very adaptable to change. Because of this, it is proposed that globalization and technology could be tools to bring traditional and allopathic medicine together in an IHCS to resolve the health …

Empowerment-Based Positive Youth Development: A New Understanding Of Healthy Development For African American Youth, Raphael Travis Jr., Tamara Leech

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

A shift occurred in research about adolescents in the general population. Research is moving away from deficits toward a resilience paradigm and understanding trajectories of positive youth development. This shift has been less consistent in research and practice with African American youth. A gap also exists in understanding whether individual youth development dimensions generate potential in other dimensions. This study presents an empowerment-based positive youth development model. It builds upon existing research to present a new vision of healthy development for African American youth that is strengths-based, developmental, culture-bound, and action-oriented. It emphasizes the relationship between person and environment, the …

Early Detection Of Zoonotic Emerging Infectious Diseases, Thomas Cotter, Earl Stoddard Iii

Homeland Security Publications

No abstract provided.

Maximizing The Delivery Performance Of Point-Of-Care Cd4+ T-Cell Counting Tests In Resource-Limited Settings - A Policy Brief, Nan Kong, J. Paul Robinson, Fenggang Yang

Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) Policy Briefs

Managing HIV/AIDS presents challenges to public health policymakers, frontline workers, and researchers worldwide. A key strategy in the disease management is early diagnosis and rapid treatment initiation. While the technological field of point‐of‐care HIV/AIDS diagnostics has advanced significantly in the past two decades, several critical issues remain that hinder the deployment of point‐of‐care testing devices in resource‐deprived settings. In this policy brief, we discuss these issues, including technological specifics of point‐of‐care CD4⁺ T‐cell counting approaches and requirements of deploying them. We also discuss cultural and religious concerns on the deployment. At the end of the brief, we propose a …

Associations Between Alcohol Consumption And Fasting Blood Glucose In Young Adults, Julie Ann Lucca

Master's Theses

Current research shows moderate alcohol consumption is associated with decreased risk of diabetes and excessive consumption or binge drinking can cause insulin resistance and diabetes. In 2010, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United Statesand was responsible for significant health complications: blindness, kidney failure, and limb amputations, and is a large national economic burden. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) is a tool used to help diagnose diabetes. Abnormally high FBG, ≥100 mg/dl, is indicative of diabetes and pre-diabetes. Few studies have observed diabetic prevalence among young adults or college students. Studying young adults can help provide added …

"Mercy Tape" Unveiled: Provides Better Weight Estimates For Children, Bill Van Kirk

Our Story Continues

Susan Abdel-Rahman, Pharm.D, Clinical Pharmacology and Medical Toxicology, led the Children's Mercy research team that developed the Mercy TAPE, a new device to estimate the weight of pediatric patients ages two months to 16 years.

Accurate weight estimates in resource-restricted settings (lacking the means to weigh a child) are important because they are used to determine appropriate medication dosage, fluid volumes for resuscitation, breathing tube sizes, and more.

Humanitarian And Civic Assistance Health Care Training And Cultural Awareness Promoting Health Care Pluralism, Rose E. Facchini

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Integration between traditional and contemporary health care in a host nation can be beneficial to nation- and capacity-building and, subsequently, to the overall health of the society. Traditional health care in this sense refers to the indigenous health care system in the host nation, which includes characteristic religious or cultural practices, whereas contemporary health care is also known as conventional or Westernized; integration is a synchronization of these two health care forms. However, the choice of integration depends on the political and cultural situation of the nation in which the Department of Defense health care personnel are intervening. Thus, cultural …

Global-Health Diplomacy : The Social Determinants Perspective Of Health Approach And The Future Global Policy Agenda., Naseem Ansari

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

Community Built Environment And Multilevel Social Determinants Of Obesity: Evidence From China Health And Nutrition Survey, Libin Zhang, Tim F. Liao, Laura L. Hayman

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is highest in wealthy countries like the United States, but is rapidly increasing in less developed countries. From 1992 to 2002, China had an increase from 14.6% to 21.8% in overweight and obesity. Social determinants of obesity in developing countries remain poorly understood. Further, these associations may vary by community built environment (BE) of developing countries.

Awareness, Treatment And Control Of Hypertension In Kenya, Jacob Kariuki, Eileen M. Stuart-Shor, Samuel Kimani, James Muchira, Jessica Demita, Heather Milton, Mercy Kamau, Vincent Mutuma, Darren Golden, Peris Kariuki

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The emerging epidemic of hypertension (HTN) in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to worsen. Uncontrolled HTN is associated with CVD, high morbidity and premature mortality; hence early detection, treatment and control of HTN is critical to reduction of the associated sequelae. The study was guided by the Social Ecological Model and principles of Community Based Participatory Research.

Mirebalais, Haiti Planning Initiative, Jack Wiggin, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Mirebalais Planning Initiative (MPI), a joint project of the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston, Boston University, and the University of the West Indies, is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The initiative is a community-based participatory planning process designed to expand community leadership and decision-making capacity among community members in Mirebalais, Haiti.

Global Risk Assessment Of Cardiovascular Disease In Resource Constrained Settings, Jacob Kariuki, Eileen M. Stuart-Shor, Libin Zhang, Annya Volkova, Jaime Halliday, Shannon Sayer, Jessica Demita, Darren Golden, James Muchira, Samuel Kimani, Faith Maina

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an emerging problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many current guidelines recommend using global risk assessment (GRA) to quantify the risk for developing CVD and to guide treatment and policy. Most GRA tools require lipid measures which are not readily available in resource-constrained settings. Of the 3 most published non-laboratory based tools: Gaziano and Framingham substitute BMI for cholesterol; WHO does not include BMI or cholesterol.

A Climate For Swelling: The Social & Biological Impacts Of Lymphatic Filariasis On Males & Females In Developing Countries, Arezoo Nazari '13

Honor Scholar Theses

Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) impair physical and cognitive development. This impairment makes it difficult to earn a living, restricts quality of life, and limits productivity in the work force. As a result, neglected tropical diseases trap the poor in a cycle of disease and poverty. Lymphatic filariasis (LF), also known as elephantiasis, is an NTD. It starts when microscopic, thread-like parasitic worms (Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia timori, and Brugia malayi) are transmitted by mosquitoes. These worms infect and block the lymph nodes in the body, causing edema. Blockage in the lymphatic system and build-up of tissue and blood flow often occur …

Justification Of Intimate Partner Violence In Egypt, Amira A. Roess, Esther L. Aranda

GW Research Days 2013

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is an important problem in developing countries and associated with poor reproductive health outcomes.

Objectives: To describe trends and justification of IPV in Egypt.

Methods: We used the 2008 Egypt Demographic Health Surveys (EDHS). Information on IPV was drawn from 16,527 women in 2008. We performed bivariate analyses to examine trends in and risk factors for justification of IPV.

Results: 39.5% of respondents reported that IPV is justifiable. Logistic regression suggests that age, education, wealth and female autonomy are associated with respondents not justifying IPV. In contrast respondents who supported the continuation of female circumcision …