L Daniel Holsinger and Dr. Gordon Lindsay, Health Sciences During the summer of 2001, I traveled for the third time to Ukraine. Unlike my previous longstay residencies in Ukraine (totaling four years), which had focused on language and cultural studies, as well as general humanitarian and missionary service, my third stay was motivated by an […]
Identifying Barriers to Patient Recruitment in Community Randomized Clinical Trials
Evan L. Thacker and Dr. Ray M. Merrill, Health Science Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are the final testing phase for new medical procedures or treatments in human subjects. A common problem in community-based RCTs is low participation. Researchers have sought to identify barriers to RCT recruitment by measuring knowledge and attitudes about RCTs. Most studies […]
Assessing Current Awareness and Behaviors of those at Risk for Multiple Sclerosis
Kristin A. Prusse and Dr. Michael Barnes, Health Science Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. Multiple sclerosis is characterized by the destruction of the myelin sheath, which surrounds and insulates the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. This destruction forms plaques of damaged tissue in the […]
Alcohol Advertising Codes: A Need for Reform
Rachel Ekman and Dr. Gordon Lindsay, Health and Human Performance In the United States, the alcohol industry is made up of three major trade associations: The Beer Institute, The Wine Institute, and Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). These three associations are responsible for governing their own product advertisements. To do this, each […]
Determining the Tobacco Industry’s Influence on Health Legislation
Jordana R. Choucair and Dr. Michael Barnes: Health Sciences Each year, 440,000 American lives are claimed by smoking-related diseases.1 The economic costs of smoking are astronomical. Smoking costs the United States over $150 billion each year in health-care costs including $81.9 billion in mortality-related productivity loses and $75.5 billion in excess medical expenditures.2 Furthermore, secondhand […]
Cultural and Western Influences on the Nutrition Transition in Thailand
Katherine Craven and Dr. Steven Hawks, Health Science The impact of economic development on nutrition and dietary changes in transitional countries has been well researched. It has generally been found that there is a positive correlation between economic development and negative nutritional transitions. As a country becomes economically wealthier, its population tends to exhibit unhealthy […]
The Effects of Allergies on Cancer
Robert E. Beck and Dr. Ray M. Merrill, Health Sciences There has been some research conducted on the relationship between allergies and cancer. The goal of our research was to be able to compile all information in the medical literature in order for the associations between allergies and specific cancer sites (i.e. breast, prostate. etc.) […]
Anti-Malarial Drug Availability and Self-Medication Practice Contributions to Chloroquine Resistant Plasmodium falciparum in Mampong-Asante, Ghana
As one million people die from malaria, while 200-300 million more are infected every year, malaria is recognized by both health providers and by the general public as a major global problem which should be high on the list of the priorities of local health officials. Malaria is the most widely diagnosed disease in Ghana, […]
Are Health Education Journals Following Similar Trends of Increased Use of Statistical Methods Observed in Other Health-Related Journals?
Julianne Stoddard and Dr. Ray Merrill, Health Science Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease in human populations. Health educators use epidemiological statistics to understand the nature of human disease. These statistics are also used to determine how disease is transmitted throughout the community. This knowledge is imperative to identify at […]
The Impact of Feeding Methods and HIV on Infants in Bolivia
Neal Peterson and Dr. Kirk Dearden, Health Science Introduction Over the last several decades in Latin America there has been a shift from exclusive breastfeeding (no foods or liquids other than breastmilk) to replacement feeding (foods and liquids in addition to or other than breastmilk). Whether because of social stigma or lack of time, mothers […]