Chance v. BP Chemical, Inc.: Changing Ohio\u27s Perception of Stigma Damages

An increased public awareness of environmental hazards has filled the courts with plaintiffs seeking damages for the potential harm a contaminant may cause. Typically, the principle of damages is a simple one, requiring only that some type of harm or injury has occurred. When no such injury has occurred, plaintiffs still pursue claims under the theory of “stigma damages.” However, the majority of courts have held that stigma damages alone cannot be recovered, and instead, actual physical impact is required before a court will award damages. Ohio courts had previously reached conflicting conclusions on the issue of stigma damages. Recently however, in Chance v. BP Chem., Inc., the Ohio Supreme Court held that it will not permit plaintiffs to rely on allegations of stigma. This case walks through the Chance opinion in Parts II-V. Part VI discusses some other Ohio stigma cases. Parts VII and VIII then look at the potential impacts of the Chance decision on public policy and it’s general reach

Chance v. BP Chemical, Inc.: Changing Ohio\u27s Perception of Stigma Damages

An increased public awareness of environmental hazards has filled the courts with plaintiffs seeking damages for the potential harm a contaminant may cause. Typically, the principle of damages is a simple one, requiring only that some type of harm or injury has occurred. When no such injury has occurred, plaintiffs still pursue claims under the theory of “stigma damages.” However, the majority of courts have held that stigma damages alone cannot be recovered, and instead, actual physical impact is required before a court will award damages. Ohio courts had previously reached conflicting conclusions on the issue of stigma damages. Recently however, in Chance v. BP Chem., Inc., the Ohio Supreme Court held that it will not permit plaintiffs to rely on allegations of stigma. This case walks through the Chance opinion in Parts II-V. Part VI discusses some other Ohio stigma cases. Parts VII and VIII then look at the potential impacts of the Chance decision on public policy and it’s general reach

Organized Activity Participation and Positive Youth Development: Trajectories and Mechanisms.

Participation in organized activities plays a key role in positive youth development (PYD). Few researchers have considered the possibility of multiple participation trajectories during the high school years, predisposing and contextual factors that may influence trajectory group membership and how various trajectories may be associated with young adult outcomes. Furthermore, few researchers have explicitly examined PYD as a mechanism by which organized activities influence youth outcomes. I used growth mixture modeling with longitudinal data from African American adolescents attending urban high schools to identify latent classes of participation (N=681 Wave 1, 49% male). I examined how predisposing risk and promotive factors and ecological contexts were related to participation trajectory subgroups. I investigated if subgroup membership predicted psychological well-being, substance use, educational and employment-related outcomes in young adulthood. I also used structural equation modeling to investigate if PYD mediated the relationship between participation and relational aggression among a diverse sample of early adolescents (N=196, 60% female). My results indicated three participation trajectories during the high school years: low, decreasing class (74% of the respondents); moderate, consistent class (21%) and moderate, increasing class (5%). Results indicated that, net of sociodemographic and self-selection factors, substance use, parent support and participation across contexts were associated with trajectory class membership. I also found that psychological well-being, substance use and educational attainment in young adulthood differed by participation trajectory class. Finally, I found that PYD partially mediated the relationship between participation and relational aggression. My results suggest that early substance use may reduce the likelihood of participation over time in activities that support positive development. Participation across contexts may promote participation over time. Young people who expand their participation over time may be more likely to experience the positive effects of this involvement into young adulthood. My results also support the idea that the positive effects of participation operate in part through building assets and resources related to PYD. This research suggests that efforts to address barriers to participation and enhance opportunities for involvement may be helpful for development of skills and resources that adolescents need to become healthy, productive adults.PhDHealth Behavior and Health EducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110322/1/aeisman_1.pd

Trajectories of organized activity participation among urban adolescents: Associations with young adult outcomes

Organized activity participation provides opportunities for adolescents to develop assets that may support favorable outcomes in young adulthood. Activity participation may be especially beneficial for marginalized youth because they are likely to face stressors that increase risk of negative outcomes. We used growth mixture modeling to identify activity participation trajectories among African American adolescents in an urban, disadvantaged community (Wave 1: mean age = 14.86 years, standard deviation = 0.64; 49% male, N = 681). We also investigated if young adult outcomes differed by participation trajectory subgroups, the results of which suggested that a 3‐class model best fit the data: low initial and decreasing levels of participation (74%); moderate initial and consistent (21%); and moderate initial and increasing (5%). Adolescents in the increasing class reported higher life satisfaction and lower substance use in young adulthood compared to the decreasing class. Youth who increase participation in activities over time may experience greater opportunities for building assets related to positive development that support health and well‐being into young adulthood.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136459/1/jcop21863.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136459/2/jcop21863_am.pd

Adolescent Resilience: Promotive Factors That Inform Prevention

Resilience theory provides a framework for studying and understanding how some youths overcome risk exposure and guides the development of interventions for prevention using a strengths‐based approach. In this article, we describe basic concepts of the theory, such as promotive factors, and distinguish assets and resources that help youths overcome the negative effects of risk exposure. We also present three models of resilience theory—compensatory, protective, and challenge—and review empirical research on three promotive factors—ethnic identity, social support, and prosocial involvement—that include individual, family, and community levels of analysis and have modifiable qualities for informing interventions. Finally, we present examples of how research findings from the three promotive factors can be translated into interventions to enhance youth development.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/101789/1/cdep12042.pd

Implementing a State‐Adopted High School Health Curriculum: A Case Study

BACKGROUNDThe Michigan Model for Health™ (MMH) is the official health curriculum for the State of Michigan and prevailing policy and practice has encouraged its adoption. Delivering evidence‐based programs such as MMH with fidelity is essential to program effectiveness. Yet, most schools do meet state‐designated fidelity requirements for implementation (delivering 80% or more of the curriculum).METHODSWe collected online survey (N = 20) and in‐person interview (N = 5) data investigating fidelity and factors related to implementation of the MMH curriculum from high school health teachers across high schools in one socioeconomically challenged Michigan county and key stakeholders.RESULTSWe found that 68% of teachers did not meet state‐identified standards of fidelity for curriculum delivery. Our results indicate that factors related to the context and implementation processes (eg, trainings) may be associated with fidelity. Teachers reported barriers to program delivery, including challenges with adapting the curriculum to suit their context, competing priorities, and meeting students’ needs on key issues such as substance use and mental health issues.CONCLUSIONSMultiple factors influence the fidelity of health curriculum delivery in schools serving low‐income students. Investigating these factors guided by implementation science frameworks can inform use of implementation strategies to support and enhance curriculum delivery.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155483/1/josh12892_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155483/2/josh12892.pd

Capture the fracture: a best practice framework and global campaign to break the fragility fracture cycle

Summary The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Capture the Fracture Campaign aims to support implementation of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) throughout the world. Introduction FLS have been shown to close the ubiquitous secondary fracture prevention care gap, ensuring that fragility fracture sufferers receive appropriate assessment and intervention to reduce future fracture risk. Methods Capture the Fracture has developed internationally endorsed standards for best practice, will facilitate change at the national level to drive adoption of FLS and increase awareness of the challenges and opportunities presented by secondary fracture prevention to key stakeholders. The Best Practice Framework (BPF) sets an international benchmark for FLS, which defines essential and aspirational elements of service delivery. Results The BPF has been reviewed by leading experts from many countries and subject to beta-testing to ensure that it is internationally relevant and fit-for-purpose. The BPF will also serve as a measurement tool for IOF to award ‘Capture the Fracture Best Practice Recognition’ to celebrate successful FLS worldwide and drive service development in areas of unmet need. The Capture the Fracture website will provide a suite of resources related to FLS and secondary fracture prevention, which will be updated as new materials become available. A mentoring programme will enable those in the early stages of development of FLS to learn from colleagues elsewhere that have achieved Best Practice Recognition. A grant programme is in development to aid clinical systems which require financial assistance to establish FLS in their localities. Conclusion Nearly half a billion people will reach retirement age during the next 20 years. IOF has developed Capture the Fracture because this is the single most important thing that can be done to directly improve patient care, of both women and men, and reduce the spiralling fracture-related care costs worldwide.</p

Small but crucial : the novel small heat shock protein Hsp21 mediates stress adaptation and virulence in Candida albicans

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