Stagnate summers : climate induced changes in physical mixing parameters in Missouri reservoirs

Lakes and reservoirs are important environmental sentinels for climate change. As air temperatures rise so do the temperatures of these water bodies affecting their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Being used for drinking water supplies, fisheries, and human recreation, these long term potential changes can be an important factor for their use. Climate change has been associated with altering physical reservoir parameters, such as mixing depth, water temperatures, and water chemistry. Using a historical dataset to find both break points and monotonic trends that may indicate climate having influenced our reservoirs we found little in terms of monotonic trends. However, we did witness changes in all systems in regards to break points for almost every parameter. Our systems cannot directly correlate to having had climate change based effects, as we can neither support or refute its evidence in our reservoirs as changes relating to climate do not only impact physical parameters but also animal and plant communities, and social factors such as use (influenced by cyanobacteria blooms). It is even plausible that increased in reservoir production and turbidity could lead to shifts in physical trends that would otherwise be different in non-affected reservoirs. Over all more information is needed to create a better picture of exactly how climate change is impacting the physical mixing parameters in Missouri reservoirs as they are complex and varied systems.Cody Kimbell, John R. Jones, Daniel Obrecht, and Rebecca North (University of Missouri, Columbia

Coverage of Adolescent Substance Use Prevention in State Frameworks for Health Education

Ten secondary health education state curriculum frameworks were reviewed for their inclusion of 12 mediators commonly used to prevent adolescent substance use. Specific aims of the investigation were: a) to identify the extent to which the 12 mediators were found in each framework; and b) to identify those frameworks that included Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) sections and determine to what extent the 12 mediators were found in those sections. A panel of three researchers independently reviewed each ,framework. Beliefs about consequences, decision-making skills, and stress management skills were identified most often while commitment, lifestyle incongruence, and normative beliefs were identified least often. Among states that included ATOD sections, beliefs about consequences and resistance skills were the most commonly identified mediators. Commitment, goal setting, and normative beliefs were not identified in any ATOD sections. Research in prevention and implications for health education are discussed

College Alcohol Education and Prevention: a Case for Distance Education

College educators and program developers have responded to this need using a variety of different multimedia technologies. Alcohol-related web sites are among the most popular. Many of these sites are designed to improve -knowledge, attitudes, and behavior by teaching scientific facts about alcohol and its effects on the body. Other programs are delivered via CD-ROM (e.g., Alc 101) and have demonstrated some effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the benefits of delivering alcohol education and prevention curricula over the Internet in the form of a distance education course. Despite obvious limitations in sample size, low occurrence of high-risk alcohol use, and the short-term nature of data collection, findings demonstrated two essential points: (1) that College Alc has significant potential for effectively reducing alcohol-related harm among college students and (2) that the Internet is a desirable and effective medium for disseminating a college alcohol education course

The effect of death education course on dying and death knowledge, attitudes, anxiety and fears

It is believed that socio-historical changes in the way Americans view dying and death have increased the need for formal and informal instruction in this area (Kubler-Ross 1969, Farmer 1970, Pine 1977, Simpson 1979). These and other authors postulate there was a more positive attitude toward death in the nineteenth century due in part to higher childhood mortality rates, large extended families, and shorter life expectancies. These factors often brought people into direct contact with death experiences. However, in the twentieth century, childhood mortality rates decreased, families developed a more nuclear structure, and death was removed from the family residence to institutions such as hospitals (Simpson 1970). For these reasons, it is believed that death became a taboo topic of discussion (Feifel 1963, Wass and Shaak 1976)

Neighborhood Disadvantage and Variations in Blood Pressure

Purpose: To examine the extent to which neighborhood disadvantage accounts for variation in blood pressure. Methods: Demographic, biometric, and self-reported data from 19 261 health screenings were used. Addresses of participants were geocoded and located within census block groups (n= 14 510, 75.3%). Three hierarchical linear models were formulated to identify individual and census block group risk factors for hypertension. Neighborhood-level deprivation was determined using the Townsend Deprivation Index. Results: Of the 14 510 participants, 24% had a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of = 140 mmHg, and 15% had a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of = 90 mmHg, indicating hypertension. At the neighborhood level, significant variation in average SBP and DBP across census block groups (P P P= .009). Discussion: The findings highlight the role of individual and neighborhood characteristics on blood pressure, specifically SBP. Modifying neighborhood contexts may help reduce environmental risks of hypertension. Translation to Health Education Practice: Educating officials about health risks for residents associated with neighborhood resources is essential in changing policies and reallocating resources

Assessment of Public Health Education Practice: Health Educator Responsibilities

This study presents a method for better understanding how practicing health educators in local health departments spend their time. The purpose of this study was to document the daily practice of health educators in the 10 areas of responsibility as defined by a competency-based framework for graduate-level health educators. The results of the current study present the average percentage of time health educators spent carrying out each area of responsibility and the percentage of health educators that did not carry out activities related to a specific area of responsibility. For example, the greatest percentage of time was spent implementing programs (21.2%), and approximately 60% of the health educators in the sample did not conduct research nor did they participate in activities to advance the profession. These findings have implications for the professional preparation of health educators and for their continuing education. The current study contains several suggestions for future research in this area

All---hazards preparedness in an era of bioterrorism funding.

Objectives: All-hazards preparedness was evaluated in North Carolina's 85 local health departments (LHDs). Methods: In regional meetings, data were collected from LHD teams from North Carolina's LHDs using an instrument constructed from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's preparedness indicators and from the Local Public Health Preparedness and Response Capacity Inventory. Results and Conclusions: Levels of preparedness differ widely by disaster types. LHDs reported higher levels of preparedness for natural disasters, outbreaks, and bioterrorist events than for chemical, radiation, or mass trauma disasters. LHDs face challenges to achieving all-hazards preparedness since preparation for one type of disaster does not lead to preparedness for all types of disasters. LHDs in this survey were more prepared for disasters for which they were funded (bioterrorism) and for events they faced regularly (natural disasters, outbreaks) than they were for other types of disasters

Privatization of local health department services: Effects on the practice of health education.

Local health departments (LHDs) are changing service delivery mechanisms to accommodate changes in health care financing and decreased public support for governmental services. This study examined the extent to which North Carolina LHDs privatized and contracted out services and the effects on the time spent on core functions of public health and activities of health educators. Questionnaires were mailed to the senior health educators in all LHDs. Sixty-nine responded, and 68% of LHDs had not privatized any services other than laboratory and home health. Clinical services were more commonly privatized than nonclinical services. Respondents perceived that privatization produces more time for LHDs to address the core public health functions and for health educators to engage in appropriate professional activities. Health educators in LHDs that had not privatized were more likely to be concerned about potential negative effects. This study suggests that privatization has generally had a positive effect on the roles of health educators in North Carolina LHDs

Coping strategies used in residential hospice settings: Findings from a national study

The purpose of this study was to explore professional caregivers’ coping strategies for dealing with the deaths of patients in residential hospices in the United States. Using the Guide to the Nation’s Hospices, 1996- 97, purely residential hospices were identified and invited to participate in the study. Employees at each residential hospice were asked to complete the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Results indicated that positive reappraisal coping was the most frequently used coping strategy. Employees dissatisfied with the coping experience reported greater use of confrontive coping, escape-avoidance coping, and accepting responsibility strategies. The findings suggest that in-service training related to coping strategies and environmental interventions may help in strengthening the coping responses of residential hospice staff

A Profile of Public Health Educators in North Carolina's Local Health Departments.

The purpose of this study was to provide a profile of the public health education workforce in North Carolina. A survey was administered to all practicing health educators at local health departments (LHDs) in North Carolina. The study specifically attempted to answer four questions: (1) Who functions as health educators in LHDs in North Carolina? (2) What is the educational background and professional training of North Carolina LHD health educators? (3) What are the characteristics of health educators' positions in North Carolina? and (4) How do these characteristics of health educators (demographics and education) as well as their titles, job responsibilities, and supervisory relationships differ according to the size of the LHD? The study showed that most public health educators in North Carolina are white females; most do not have Certified Health Education Specialist certification; that younger health educators are more likely to have health education degrees; and that almost two thirds of public health educators have administrative responsibilities