Do the Opportunities Offered during the School Day Provide the Recommended Physical Activity Levels for Children?: An Assessment of the Upson County Pre-Kindergarten and Elementary School Physical Activity Occurrences

Problem Statement: Almost 90% of students do not meet the national recommendations for physical activity in school. The purpose of this study was to determine the need for school policy changes to incorporate classroom-based physical activity programs in an effort to increase school physical activity levels for children in grades pre-kindergarten through five by assessing the levels of and the barriers/facilitators to physical activity engagement. Methods: This was a sequential explanatory mixed methods study utilizing school board members, principals, and teachers in the Upson County School System as participants. The online survey was adapted from the School Health Policies and Practices Study Physical Education School and Classroom questionnaires (National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion). Interview questions were developed based upon survey results. The study sought to answer the following questions: 1. Do the current physical activity opportunities provide 60 minutes of physical activity daily? 2. What are the barriers/facilitators associated with increasing physical activity in school? 3. What is the most effective method to increase physical activity for the public school system? Results: The findings showed that at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day are neither required by the school system nor achieved by children in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Upson County. These students have physical education class twice weekly for approximately 45 minutes each day. Barriers to providing the recommended levels included lack of resources such as administrative support and assistance in developing lesson plans that incorporate physical activity. According to participants, the most effective method to increase physical activity for the school system is a classroombased physical activity curriculum. Conclusion: Policy change to incorporate physical activity into the core subjects that students engage in daily, such as math, and science, will increase the activity levels of the children and allow them to meet the recommendations of 60 minutes of physical activity per day as described by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Integration also would help movement towards the Healthy People 2020 goals and objectives related to school policies requiring daily physical education for all student

A Central Georgia Asthma Prevalence Assessment of School-Age Children and Compliance with Senate Bill 472

Background: A common theme among the counties of the North Central Health District is the disparity between the number of asthma-related visits of African-American and white children ages 1-14 to the emergency department. In 2013, 858 children ages 1-14 in the district had emergency room visits related to asthma. The purpose of this study was to assess North Central Health District (NCHD) schools to determine the prevalence of self-reported asthma by parents and school age children and the adequacy of students’ access to maintenance inhalers at school, and to identify schools that qualify for Asthma Friendly School Recognition. Methods: The “Asthma School Policy Assessment” from the 2015 Georgia Asthma-Friendly Schools Toolkit and Recognition Guidance was used to assess policies and practices for addressing asthma with school staff, parents, and children within the NCHD schools. The Lead School Nurses in each of the 13 counties were contacted in the fall of 2015 via email to request their participation in the assessment. Each was sent a link via email to complete the consent and assessment online; Lead Nurses then sent the link to their team nurses. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. IRB approval was obtained from Mercer University. Results: The findings from the study indicate that 75% of the reporting schools have asthmatic students enrolled. The number of students with asthma ranged from 5 to 79 per school. However, only two reporting schools could identify a medication policy that allows children to possess and self-administer asthma medication. Furthermore, none of the schools reported having all five policies necessary to obtain Asthma Friendly School recognition. Conclusions: The results indicate a need for school health nurse training to ensure schools implement and adhere to policies to reduce asthma disparities among school age children as outlined in the 2015 Georgia Asthma-Friendly Schools Toolkit and Recognition Guidance

Evaluation of Food Access and Food Security Concerns Among Public Health Housing Residents

Background: In 2012, food insecurity affected 14.5% of the households in the U.S and 20% in the state of Georgia. Individuals who are food-insecure can experience malnutrition, and social and physical problems. The purpose of this study was to assess food access and security concerns in two counties of the North Central Health District 5-2 (NCHD 5-2) in Georgia and to aid in devising interventions to increase food access and reduce food insecurity. Methods: Data collection involved surveying 399 public housing residents within two NCHD 5-2 counties using the Household Food Security Survey developed by the US Department of Agriculture. The survey contained 24 questions focusing on demographics and household food status and on the severity and prevalence of food access and security. Results: Of the 399 participants, 91.9% reported annual household incomes less than $30,000; 61% (n = 244) reported receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/food stamps) benefits, 11% (n = 46) received Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits, and 3.3% (n = 13) received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Results for food security status (whether or not families have access to food at all times) showed that 7.3% (n = 29) were classified as high food secure, 22.8% (n = 91) as marginally food secure, 30.6% (n = 122) as low food secure, and 39.3% (n = 157) as very low food secure. Conclusions: Most of the residents with some form of food insecurity received government food assistance, yet still identified as being unable to feed themselves or their families for the month. Recommendations to evaluate this problem include additional research and implementation of public health efforts to address food access and insecurity through policy changes and implementation of programs

mHealth Video Gaming For Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among College Men-Qualitative Inquiry For Development

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Persistent infection with HPV can cause various cancers; however, HPV vaccination can prevent infections associated with high risk, cancerous strains of the virus. As it relates to HPV, college age men have been identified as one of the catch-up vaccination groups. Among college age men, gaming is an extremely popular extracurricular activity. Further, video games have emerged as a popular public health intervention tool. Therefore, this study aims to collect qualitative data on how to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a gaming intervention to increase HPV risk perceptions, improve self-efficacy and increase intention to receive the HPV vaccine among male college students (18–26 years old). Methods: Four focus group sessions ranging from eight to ten individuals were conducted among male college students from one large research-intensive university in the South. Using grounded theory, data from focus group interviews were coded using NVivo software to identify emergent themes. Results: Participants emphasized that although customization was not viewed as important by college aged males, the ability to tailor in game experiences or experience different things each time they played (creative freedom) was more important. They encouraged that the digital game be created on a mobile platform, incorporate health messages, and be informative to reach their population. Furthermore, they suggested innovative way to disseminate the game, which included having health department/health care providers prescribe the game to patients as an end of clinical interaction strategy. Conclusions: College age men, are natural avid gamers, enjoy game play, and can engage in learning online or offline. While platform preference varies among gamer type, college age men in our study emphasized that mobile based gaming is the most advantageous way to increase knowledge/awareness and encourage positive in game behavior which can impact out of game behaviors such as vaccination. Because of the level of access and natural disposition of mHealth technology seen as an “extension of the self”, games for health developers should consider the mobile platform as the ideal for the target demographic

Unintentional injuries trends in Georgia 2010-2021.

Background: Unintentional injuries are the 4th cause of death in the US, with 61 deaths reported per 100,000 people in 2020 (CDC, 2022). Major contributors to unintentional injury deaths are motor vehicle accidents, drug overdose, and falls (Olaisen et al., 2019). National data indicate a 40% rate increase between 1999 and 2017. Rural residents have higher rates compared to urban residents. We analyzed unintentional injury data for Georgia and compared rates across rural/urban location, race groups, gender, and age-groups between 2010 and 2021. Methods: Data were downloaded from the Online Analytical and Statistical Analysis System database of the Georgia Public Health Association, and analyzed with IBM SPSS 27. Findings: Preliminary data analysis indicate that national trends are true for Georgia as well. Unintentional injuries increased over time from 32.0 in 2010 to 53.4 in 2021 and were highest for White, Males and Females aged up to 44 years old. Importance for public health: Unintentional injury deaths contribute towards lowering life expectancy (Martínez-Alés et al., 2022), and remain the largest preventable cause of death. Prevention efforts should focus on population groups with the highest rates of unintentional injury

Suicide rates differences between rural and urban Georgia

Background: Suicide remains a major public health concern in the United States. Recent research reported a 35% increase in suicide rates between 2000 and 2018, with significantly higher rates in rural areas (Martínez-Alés et al., 2022). National data points to an upward trend in suicide among 15-17 years old African Americans (Sheftall et al., 2022) and 10-12 years old Hispanics (Price & Khubchandani, 2022). These trends have been attributed to structural racism, economic factors, and social isolation. Recent restrictions during the COVID pandemic have been associated with increased suicide in multiple countries. We analyzed suicide data for Georgia and compared rates across rural/urban locations, race groups, gender, and age groups between 2011 to 2021. Methods: Data were downloaded from the Online Analytical and Statistical Analysis System database of the Georgia Public Health Association and analyzed with IBM SPSS 27. Findings: Preliminary data analysis indicates that significant differences were noted between urban and rural people of 5-12, 13-19, 30-44, 45-59, and 60-74 age groups (p\u3e0.05). There were also significant sex differences in the suicide death rates in urban and rural Georgia counties (p\u3e0.05). Rural male and rural female suicide rates were higher than urban male and female rates (p\u3e0.001). Conclusion: Understanding the distribution of suicide rates is essential for designing public health programs to prevent suicide

HPV Vaccine Communication Competency Scale for Medical Trainees: Interdisciplinary Development Study

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. High-risk HPV strains are associated with cancer of the cervix, oropharynx, anus, rectum, penis, vagina, and vulva. To combat increasing HPV-related cancers, the 9-valent HPV vaccine Gardasil was developed. Recommendation of the HPV vaccine by a health care provider has been cited as the number one factor affecting vaccine uptake among adolescents and young adults. Physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists have been enlisted to bridge the gap. ObjectiveThe specific aim of this research study was to develop a reliable and valid HPV vaccine communication scale that can be used to measure the competency of primary care providers when recommending the need for vaccination to parents and patients. MethodsUsing a descriptive study, we collected data via a literature review, focus groups, and an expert panel to inform the scale domains and blueprint design. Pretesting (cognitive interviews) was used to inform item revision decisions. An item analysis was also conducted for the responses provided in the cognitive interviews. Item statistics (means and SDs), interitem correlations, and reliability were examined. Data were analyzed using SPSS (IBM Corp) software. ResultsA valid and reliable 42-item HPV vaccine communication competency scale was developed. The scale included 6 domains of interest. Scale items were moderately to strongly correlated with one another, and Cronbach α indicated good internal consistency with each scale. Scale items included were related to provider introduction or rapport (α=.796), patient respect or empathy (α=.737), provider interview or intake (α=.9), patient counseling or education (α=.935), provider communication closure (α=.896), and provider knowledge (α=.824). ConclusionsPharmacists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants should be trained to be competent in HPV vaccine communication and recommendation due to their expanded roles. Interdisciplinary collaboration is important to account for the trainee’s individual differences and ensure the best health care outcomes for patients. A standardized HPV communication scale can be used to ensure effective and consistent recommendation by health care providers, thus affecting immunization rates