Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Selected Birth Defects and Risk Factors in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area

About three percent of all infants are born with a congenital defect each year ranging from minor variants to life threatening abnormalities. The investigation and treatment of these problems is both costly and emotionally trying for all involved. Finding their origins is a complex process. Birth defects create the ultimate mystery in terms of trying to tease out the various influences created by the environment of both the infant and the mother. Two genetically different individuals are simultaneously affected both by their individual makeup and by the outside world impacting the air they breathe, the food they eat, and the various stressors both big and small that are part of the world they live in. The availability of birth certificate data allows researchers to begin the process of sorting out the factors linked with birth defects. This dissertation employs data from 2005 to 2008 for live births occurring in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping, cluster analysis, spatial-temporal analysis, geographically weighted regression, and multilevel modeling were employed for the purpose of producing a baseline picture of the area in regard to the locations of mothers giving birth to infants with birth defects, the types and rates of those birth defects, and their correlates. The Baton Rouge MSA proved to be typical in terms of rates of birth defects worldwide, however there were areas which exceeded expected overall rates and some clustering of certain types of defects. Heart defects and hypospadias rates were slightly above anticipated percentages predicted by The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Temporal analysis revealed increases in rates of several types of birth defects in 2006 and 2007 but there were not enough years to analyze these rates statistically. Analysis of correlates did not reveal any models which could be used to impact rates in the future. However, this project provides baseline data on types and rates of birth defects and information on the best locations for services to affected families along with multiple opportunities for possible preventative efforts and future investigations of this area

Geographic Analysis of Alcohol-Related Crashes in Nine High-Need Louisiana Parishes

This report examines nine Louisiana communities and their alcohol availability concerns from a public health perspective. The nine communities are part of The Louisiana Partnership for Success II (LPFS ll), a 5-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant. The LPFS ll grant is focused exclusively on addressing underage drinking behaviors, consequences, and risk factors among 9 to 20-year-olds in nine high-need, parish-level communities (HNCs) (Louisiana Department of Health [LDH], 2020a). Communities were selected through a data-driven, participatory process and supported to form a cross-sector coalition to implement interventions within those communities. The process for choosing the high-need communities included seven indicators from the Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS) (LDH, 2020b), alcohol-related crash reports, and student alcohol-related suspensions. Three additional indicators were taken from the 2018 County Health Rankings (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2018) and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1991-2017 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data (CDC, 2018). In order to assist these communities with high rates of alcohol-related public health issues, this research project examined the interaction of alcohol outlets, alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes (MVC), and associated demographics and time variables using GIS mapping in order to help with planning the most appropriate and impactful interventions

Louisiana Children\u27s Trust Fund Annual Report 2021-2022

Child abuse and neglect is a leading factor in the staggeringly high rates of child mortality in Louisiana. In 2017, Louisiana had 44,793 total referrals for child abuse and neglect of which 19,851 were investigated (CWLA, 2019). Child abuse and neglect can have multiple detrimental effects on a child’s physical, psychological, and behavioral health. Effective prevention efforts are critical to ensuring the immediate and long-term safety and well-being of children in Louisiana. Each year, LCTF selects high-quality proposals and funds a range of prevention efforts to protect children, strengthen family well-being, and educate the public about children’s safety. Local, national, and global events have greatly impacted our communities since 2020. These events included various social, economic, political, and medical crises. Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, led to political, social unrest and the resulting business closures have caused a great deal of instability in communities around the state. It has taken a toll on individuals’ mental health and well-being. The Child Welfare Information Gateway (2022) says that family wellbeing is an important factor in reducing the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. These events do not impact everyone equally. However, difficult times for some can be felt more severely by other, even more so for the most marginalized populations in our community. Understanding the broader context of how policies and events have impacted our communities is important. These events have caused many to examine bias, resources available for families at risk, and how communities and individuals are making decisions for their children. It has also identified barriers that prevent some children and families from seeking the opportunities and accessing the resources they need to thrive

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale