Closing the Food Gap in Adams County: A Proposal for Comprehensive Solutions through Community Action

Today, in Adams County, we have two food systems. The 20% who live in poverty survive on food stamps, the food pantry, church donations, and trips to discount food vendors. Those with more financial stability could choose from an abundance of healthy, sustainably produced, local and international foods. We have come to accept these two food systems as the norm without critically analyzing how it is affecting individuals and the health of our communities. In addition to reducing the disparity and closing the food gap, this initiative is focused on building our local economy and educating our community about nutrition and the benefit of local foods in order to promote a more sustainable social, environmental and economic future. This paper begins an investigation of community food security in Adams County and makes recommendations to start the process of finding stronger community solutions. The data represented here is drawn from community discussions and programmatic statistics. It is an initial assessment to be followed up by a more comprehensive study and analysis

Healthy Options: A Community-Based Program to Address Food Insecurity

The objectives of this study are to better understand the lived experience of food insecurity in our community and to examine the impact of a community-based program developed to increase access to local, healthy foods. Participants were given monthly vouchers to spend at local farmers’ markets and invited to engage in a variety of community activities. Using a community-based participatory research framework, mixed methods were employed. Survey results suggest that most respondents were satisfied with the program and many increased their fruit and vegetable consumption. However, over 40% of respondents reported a higher level of stress over having enough money to buy nutritious meals at the end of the program. Photovoice results suggest that the program fostered cross-cultural exchanges, and offered opportunities for social networking. Building upon the many positive outcomes of the program, community partners are committed to using this research to further develop policy-level solutions to food insecurity

An epidemiological study of vision disorders in the women, infants and children (W.I.C.) population in Multnomah and Washington counties, Oregon

The Woman, Infants, and Children program is a federally funded program founded in 1974 to improve the health and nutrition of women of reproductive age and young children in at-risk populations. Because early detection and management of ocular conditions may enhance the life success of many children, Pacific University College of Optometry (PUCO) in Forest Grove, Oregon established WIC Eye Care Program to serve the eye and vision care needs of pediatric patients in WIC. This paper evaluates the epidemiology of vision disorders from a sample of the pediatric WIC population in the communities of Multnomah and Washington Counties, Oregon. The WIC data collected included vision screenings and examination data from three Pacific University clinics: The Northeast Eye Center and Southeast Eye Center in Portland, and the Family Vision Center in Forest Grove. Prevalence data includes both screening and examination results. Refractive error was of highest prevalence in all cases regardless of whether a screening or examination was performed, with hyperopia occurring at the highest rate (12.8% in exams and 4.3% in screenings). Myopia was found in 2 examinations (2.3%) and in 1 screening (0.5%) in our study. Both hyperopia and myopia in our study population appears to be lower than the prevalence rates cited in other epidemiological studies. Of refractive conditions, anisometropia (2.3% of examinations) and astigmatism (1.2% of exams and 0.5% of screenings) were of the lowest prevalence. Health problems were seen in 7% of the examined population and 1.6% of screenings; a rate of ocular health problems that is higher than prevalences reported in other studies. Though results of this study were inconclusive in determining prevalence for the population, this pilot study will serve as a foundation for more future extensive visual ocular prevalence studies in the WIC population

Aligning Public Health Interventions with Older Adult Housing Needs and Challenges

This brief outlines current housing challenges faced by older adults and potential areas for public health intervention. It summarizes existing programs that offer housing support for older adults and offers recommendations in each of the five key roles for public health

Fruit and Vegetable Bucks: Adams County Grocery Store Snap Incentive Program

Veggie Bucks provides a 50% discount on all fresh fruits and vegetables sold through Kennie’s Market produce department at the point of sale for the 5 highest cost items. The incentive period ran January - April, 2017. Intended outcomes include an increase in the number of fresh fruits and vegetables purchased by SNAP recipients at Kennie’s Market locations in Biglerville and Gettysburg by 10% in January-April 2017 compared to baseline figures obtained in 2016, and to familiarize SNAP recipients with fresh fruits and vegetables and to provide information about the ACFMA markets’ Double Dollars program. SNAP recipients were invited to sign up for the program upon showing their ID and EBT card and were provided a Kennie\u27s Frequent Shopper card if they did not have one already

Fear of Breast Cancer Recurrence in African-American and Caucasian Breast Cancer Survivors

poster abstractProblem. Fear of breast cancer recurrence is a concern for 55-90% of long-term breast cancer survivors. Background. Fear of recurrence is recognized as a prevalent and long-term psychosocial consequence of surviving cancer. Breast cancer survivors often identify more than one worry about what a recurrence might threaten in their health, work, and family function (Vickberg, 2001, 2003; Ziner, 2008). Although more research has been conducted with Caucasian breast cancer survivors, less is known about the nature of fear of recurrence worries in African American breast cancer survivors. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare fear of recurrence and worries related to thoughts of recurrence between African-American (AA-BCS) and Caucasian breast cancer survivors ( C-BCS). Theory. Emotion theorist, such as Lazarus (1991) suggest that fear is an emotional response to an identifiable object, thought or event that is perceived as harmful. Methods. This is a secondary analysis of a larger study comparing quality of life of AA-BCS and C-BCS using a cross-section survey design. Sample. Female breast cancer survivors ( AA-BCS N = 62, C-BCS N = 72) who were 2-10 years post treatment. Measures. Concerns about Recurrence Sale (CARS) Vickberg (2003) is a scale with 30 Likerttype items and 5 sub-scales: Fear of recurrence Index (overall fear frequency, intensity and consistency). Four (4) subscales of what BCS worry about: Health worries, Role worries, Womanhood worries, and Death worries. Validity. Content analysis of focus group data (N=21) AA-BCS showed that no changes were recommended in the CARS. (Russell, Personal communication) Reliability. The CARS and subscales were found to have Good to adequate Cronbach’s alpha’ for AA-BCS and C-BCS. Specifically, FRI = .92 AA-BCS, .90 C-BCS, Health worries = .93 AA-BCS, .92 C-BCS, Role worries = .75 AA-BCS, .87 C-BCS, Womanhood worries .89, AABCS, .90, C-BCS, Death worries .81 AA-BCS, .92 C-BCS. Analysis. ANCOVA was used for analysis controlling for age, time since diagnosis, income, marital status, years of education and body mass index. Results. Fear of recurrence Indexes between AA-BCS (mean 9.8) and C-BCS (mean 11.5) were not statistically different (p = .199). Health worries (AA- BCS mean 1.1, C-BCS mean 1.6, p= .018), Role worries (AA-BCS mean .8, C- BCS mean 1.2, p = .05), and Death worries (AA- BCS mean 1.3,C- BCS mean 2.2, p = .01) were significantly different between AA-BCS and C-BCS. Womanhood worries were not significantly different. Conclusions. AA-BCS and C-BCS were equally afraid of a recurrence. Except of womanhood worries, AA-BCS had lower mean health, role and death worries than C-BCS. Implications. Understanding the underlying worries related to overall fear of recurrence can lead to more focused and perhaps effective nursing intervention for AA-BCS and C-BCS

Whole genome sequencing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals slow growth and low mutation rates during latent infections in humans

Very little is known about the growth and mutation rates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during latent infection in humans. However, studies in rhesus macaques have suggested that latent infections have mutation rates that are higher than that observed during active tuberculosis disease. Elevated mutation rates are presumed risk factors for the development of drug resistance. Therefore, the investigation of mutation rates during human latency is of high importance. We performed whole genome mutation analysis of M. tuberculosis isolates from a multi-decade tuberculosis outbreak of the New Zealand Rangipo strain. We used epidemiological and phylogenetic analysis to identify four cases of tuberculosis acquired from the same index case. Two of the tuberculosis cases occurred within two years of exposure and were classified as recently transmitted tuberculosis. Two other cases occurred more than 20 years after exposure and were classified as reactivation of latent M. tuberculosis infections. Mutation rates were compared between the two recently transmitted pairs versus the two latent pairs. Mean mutation rates assuming 20 hour generation times were 5.5X10⁻¹⁰ mutations/bp/generation for recently transmitted tuberculosis and 7.3X10⁻¹¹ mutations/bp/generation for latent tuberculosis. Generation time versus mutation rate curves were also significantly higher for recently transmitted tuberculosis across all replication rates (p = 0.006). Assuming identical replication and mutation rates among all isolates in the final two years before disease reactivation, the u20hr mutation rate attributable to the remaining latent period was 1.6×10⁻¹¹ mutations/bp/generation, or approximately 30 fold less than that calculated during the two years immediately before disease. Mutations attributable to oxidative stress as might be caused by bacterial exposure to the host immune system were not increased in latent infections. In conclusion, we did not find any evidence to suggest elevated mutation rates during tuberculosis latency in humans, unlike the situation in rhesus macaques

A critical review of theory in social work journals: A replication study

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is multifold. Key aspects discussed include exploring the extent of theory discussion and progression in social work journals for the year 2004; discussing the necessity of theory in social work research and practice; reviewing previous research literature regarding evaluation of theory discussion and progression; proposing criteria for defining theory in social work journals; and presenting findings from the current study concerning theory discussion and progression in social work journals. Results: Of the 1,168 articles reviewed from 37 journals, 71 (approximately 6%) met the criteria for theory development with empirical base. Thus, a minimal number of articles (3 out of 71 or 4.2%) evaluated, based on the criteria in the theory quality scale (Table 1), received high quality ratings. Conclusion: Based on the results yielded by the analysis, we assert that social workers need to make a conscious effort to include theory in practice decisions. Keywords: Theory, social work theory, empirical assessment of theory, social work practice, theory progression, human behavior, and the social environment (HBSE

From Soldier to Student II: Assessing Campus Programs for Veterans and Service Members

The United States is in the process of bringing more than 2 million service members home from Iraq and Afghanistan and reducing the size of America's military. Today's veterans are the beneficiaries of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which has provided unprecedented financial support for attending college. More than 500,000 veterans and their families have utilized Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits since the law's enactment in 2008. Many returning veterans -- as well as service members in the active and reserve components of the armed forces -- will enroll in higher education to enhance their job prospects, achieve career goals, expand their knowledge and skill sets for both personal and career enrichment, and facilitate their transition to civilian life.How well prepared is higher education to serve these new students, and what changes has it made in response to the first wave of Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients on campus? Despite the long history of veterans' education benefits and presence of veteran students on campus, current research is still catching up to the veteran and military student population. This report represents the second assessment of the current state of programs and services for veterans and service members on campuses across the nation, based on survey results from 690 institutions

Hand-Assist Laparoscopic Surgery for the Gynecologic Surgeon

Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) has not been extensively used in gynecologic surgery. This approach may offer a safe, viable alternative for gynecological cases that might otherwise require a large laparotomy incision