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Mosquito surveillance and pesticide treatment data can be combined in statistical models to provide insight into drivers of mosquito population dynamics. In cooperation with the county-based public health authority, multiple municipalities in Tarrant County, Texas, supplied surveillance and pesticide treatment data available from the 2014 mosquito season for analysis. With these data, general linear mixed modeling was used to model population dynamics of Culex quinquefasciatus, the primary vector for West Nile virus. Temporally lagged pesticide treatment information, weather data, and habitat variables were used as predictors of log + 1 transformed mosquito count data, and Akaike information criteria corrected for small sample sizes (AICc)-based model selection and multimodel averaging was used to produce a final model of mosquito abundance. The model revealed that mosquito counts were driven mainly by seasonally fluctuating temperature, precipitation, human population density, and treatment. In particular, interactions between temperature and treatment, and precipitation and human population density significantly contributed to the interpretation of the effects of the nonweather variables.

Mosquito surveillance and pesticide treatment data can be combined in statistical models to provide insight into drivers of mosquito population dynamics. In cooperation with the county-based public health authority, multiple municipalities in Tarrant County, Texas, supplied surveillance and pesticide treatment data available from the 2014 mosquito season for analysis. With these data, general linear mixed modeling was used to model population dynamics of

Patients undergoing rehabilitation have been evidenced to improve in different ways depending on their coping styles. Amplifiers, Repressors, and Social Copers are examples of patients who present differently in rehabilitation settings and tend to have differing levels of success in their response to treatment. The current study examined the differential treatment outcomes of three coping style groups undergoing multidisciplinary rehabilitation. A sample of 59 patients suffering from injuries associated with chronic pain were assessed using the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory before, during, and after multidisciplinary pain management treatment. Coping style groups derived from the Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic consisting of Amplifiers, Repressors, and Social Copers were compared with regard to reductions in depression, anxiety, pain, functional impairment, and associated outcomes. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that Amplifiers, Repressors, and Social Copers had varying levels of success in the treatment program. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed the coping style groups to have significantly different change curves from pre to post-treatment in depression, anxiety, pain severity, functional impairment, affective distress, life control, social support, and soliciting help from others. These findings support prior research emphasizing the value of tailoring treatments in rehabilitation settings toward patients’ coping styles in order to maximize outcomes.

In July 2008, clusters of laboratory-confirmed cryptosporidiosis cases and reports of gastrointestinal illness in persons who visited a lake were reported to Tarrant County Public Health. In response, epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental health investigations were initiated. A matched case-control study determined that swallowing the lake water was associated with illness (adjusted odds ratio = 16.3; 95% confidence interval: 2.5-infinity). The environmental health investigation narrowed down the potential sources of contamination. Laboratory testing detected Cryptosporidium hominis in case-patient stool specimens and Cryptosporidium species in lake water. It was only through the joint effort that epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental health investigators could determine that1 human diarrheal fecal incidents in the lake likely led to contamination of the water. This same collaborative effort will be needed to develop and maintain an effective national Model Aquatic Health Code.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between having a personal health care provider and adequate cervical and breast cancer screening behavior. Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained from the 2004 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System. For cervical cancer, female respondents 18 years of age and older who did not have hysterectomy were included (n = 130,359); for breast cancer, female respondents 40 years of age or older were included (n = 129,929). Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association between having a personal health care provider, specific demographics, and health insurance status with adequate cervical and breast cancer screening behavior. Results: Approximately 9% and 14% of the study population for the breast cancer and cervical cancer analyses, respectively, did not have a personal health care provider. Having at least one personal health care provider was significantly associated with adequate cervical cancer screening behavior (odds ratio, 2.37; 95% CI, 2.08–2.70) and breast cancer screening behavior (odds ratio, 2.86; 95% CI, 2.54–3.24) in multivariate analyses. Both multivariate analyses were adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, education, income, and health insurance. Conclusion: Having at least one personal health care provider was associated with adequate cervical and breast cancer screening behavior. Efforts to increase primary care access are a necessary part of the plan to increase preventive health services utilization.

This systematic review was undertaken to expand our understanding of the factors associated with racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, no leisure-time physical activity, and smoking), to assess the potential differences in the CVD risk factors by race/ethnicity, and to update and expand on existing reviews.English-language, population-based CVD studies published between 1995 to present, which included one or more ethnic comparison in an adult population were reviewed.Sixteen studies were included in this review. Most of the studies found hypertension to be significantly higher in Blacks than Whites. Minority status was also significantly associated with diabetes. No one racial/ethnic minority population was consistently found to have a higher or lower prevalence of obesity or hypercholesterolemia. Mexican Americans had a significantly lower prevalence of smoking than Whites and Blacks; American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AIANs) had significantly higher prevalence of smoking compared to Whites. Mexican Americans had the highest prevalence of no leisure-time physical activity, followed by AIANs and Blacks.Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States, and disproportionate rates are seen in racial and ethnic minority populations. Systematically assessing and quantifying modifiable CVD risk factors is therefore crucial in these populations. Better understanding and awareness of the disparities of CVD risk factors by race and ethnicity may help clinicians and public health professionals develop culturally sensitive interventions, prevention programs, and services specifically targeted toward risk burdens in each of these populations.

To examine the effects of having regular healthcare providers and diabetes self-management education (DSME) on the receipt of diabetes preventive care among all groups and by race/ethnicity.The 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey.Logistic regression analyses were performed for the full sample and separately for Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites.Among all persons, having at least one regular provider and DSME were significantly associated with higher odds of receipt of a glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) test, foot exam, and dilated eye exam in the past year. Results from analyses stratified by race/ethnicity reveal differential effects of having a regular provider and DSME. Among Whites, having at least one regular provider helps assure that diabetes patients receive each of the three recommended preventive services. Among Blacks, having at least one regular provider was significantly associated with receipt of an HbA1C but not other preventive services. Among Hispanics, having a regular provider was significantly associated with receipt of an HbA1C test and dilated eye exam, but not a foot exam. Independent of having a regular provider, DSME appears to be beneficial for Whites and Blacks but not Hispanics. For Whites, DSME was significantly associated with all three types of diabetes preventive care. For Blacks, DSME was significantly associated with the receipt of a foot exam but not an HbA1C test and a dilated eye exam. However, among Hispanics, DSME was not significantly associated with any of the three preventive services.Access to personal healthcare providers should be promoted among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics to assure patients with diabetes receive recommended secondary preventive services. Diabetes self-management programs should also be expanded among Whites and Blacks but may need to be modified to benefit Hispanics.