Search

AtlantiCare Health System provides health care services to residents in Atlantic City, an urban food desert in southern New Jersey. The purpose of this study is to explore baseline data on the first four months of the program to better understand participants purchasing behaviors. To improve the health of Atlantic City seniors, AltantiCare established a Virtual Grocery Store Program (VGSP). The program covers fees associated with online grocery shopping for 300 residents in Jeffries Towers, a low-income housing complex. Over the course of 4 months, 28 participants placed a total of 151 orders, with a range from 1 to 14 orders each. Out of the 151 orders, that yielded 1,771 items, the top three types of food purchased were fruits and vegetables, dairy and eggs, and meat and fish; one-third of the items were prepared, two-thirds were perishable, and while almost half the items had no nutritional value, out the half that did, the majority had the high nutrition; and less than a third of participants used NJ SNAP funds to purchase their groceries online. Future efforts need to uncover the explanation for these purchases along with identifying potential strategies to increase consumption of healthier food options.

Objective: The purpose of this article was to identify some of the implications, challenges and benefits of edible gardens cultivated at schools located in southern New Jersey, USA. Design and Setting: Over the course of three academic years (between 2014 and 2017), 73 schools received start up monies for school gardens from AtlantiCare Health System. The schools, located in Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean Counties in New Jersey, were required to complete an Edible School Garden Mini-Grant Follow-up Report. Methods: A content analysis was conducted on responses to 12 open-ended questions from these reports in order to highlight some of the implications, challenges and benefits of gardens within these schools. Results: Basic descriptive statistics provided logistical information such as those involved in the school garden, including community partnerships and garden maintenance, along with the harvest and outcomes of those harvests. Results provided valuable insight into the impact of school gardens on curriculum and policy change; benefits to knowledge, attitudes and behaviour change among participants; and areas in need of improvement. Frequency distributions identified any unexpected outcomes schools may have experienced, along with additional needs and schools’ future plans for their gardens. Conclusion: Overall, results indicate that schools were appreciative and excited about the opportunity to create school gardens and plan to continue these efforts. The implications of these results along with suggestions for future grant making, school garden efforts and research are discussed.

Background: The perception of college students’ health is overall positive, yet research indicates that they engage in negative behaviors that can lead to long-term health consequences. Purpose: Th...

Background: Identifying effective educational strategies to change lifestyle behaviors related to eating habits is imperative for health professionals providing education related to disease management and prevention. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of mass media as a tool for improving dietary habits. Methods: 151 Undergraduate students participated in a quasi-experimental control group design at a midsize liberal arts university. The treatment group watched the film Forks Over Knives and was assessed on their dietary habits, locus of control, and current stage of change before and after viewing the film. Results: Results showed differences to current stage of change in reducing animal-based food consumption in the treatment group but did not show significant changes in increasing plant-based food. Discussion: This study provides evidence that use of the documentary Forks Over Knives affects students’ intake of animal-based foods but is not an impactful enough tool to increase intake of plant-based foods. Translation to Health Practice: Professionals who utilize the film Forks Over Knives to encourage dietary changes should do so as part of a more structured, long-term behavior change intervention program. Additional research is needed to compare Forks Over Knives with other documentary films that encourage plant-based dietary habits.

While academic internships can play irreplaceable roles by providing students hands-on learning opportunities, allowing them to collaborate with faculty, and strengthening ties between colleges and their communities, continued assessment of these experiences is still imperative. An academic internship has been described as a three-way partnership among a college or university, the internship site, and the student, but the role the institution plays can differ significantly. Several years ago, the Association of Schools of Public Health included field experience (such as internships) as a Critical Components Element of an Undergraduate Major in Public Health. Hence, this study investigates not only how Public Health students evaluate their internship site but also their experience with their school during the internship process. Survey data from 219 undergraduate students, on completion of their internships from Fall 2012 to Spring 2016, were collected. Results posit that public health students report the academic institution provided support and guidance, while their internship site provided a valuable learning experience both interpersonally and professionally. Also, students recommend this experience and provide valuable feedback for future internship partnerships. Considering internships are integral parts of many preprofessional degree programs, it is imperative that programs develop and implement systematic ways to assess these programs. This study provides valuable insight into this process along with identifying students’ perceptions of the academic internship and the role that both the site and the institution played in facilitating their learning.

The Public Health Program at Stockton University partnered with the Compassionate Care Foundation to ascertain the impact of medical marijuana on patients in New Jersey.Patients volunteered to complete a survey once a month for 8 months. The survey explored their use, form, and strain of medical marijuana and its influence on pain and 12 other physical and mental health variables. Also, an increase or decrease in other medication taken and any unexpected outcomes were recorded.From a total of 955 patients, patients responding to the surveys varied from 501 for visit 1, 290 for visit 2, to 179 for visit 3. Results provide insight into the diagnoses for which patients used medical marijuana. Results indicate increased mood, general overall condition, and energy as the highest consequences; level of pain in the middle range; and most frequent usage as 3 to 4 times a day. Repeated measures done after visit 2 showed eight statistically significant differences for patients after using medical marijuana: an increase in general quality of life, mobility, and mood, with a decrease in inflammation, intraocular pressure, spasms, seizures, and pain. Results after visit 3 indicated seven significant differences compared to visit 1: decreased seizures, intraocular pressure, spasms, nausea, and pain, along with increased energy and mobility. No differences were found by patient diagnosis or age, but sex-related differences occurred in inflammation, mood, and energy.Results support positive therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana, and despite methodological limitations, our study contributes to the growing body of literature.

The purpose of this study was to examine possible communication similarities between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive and HIV negative individuals. Forty HIV positive heterosexuals, who were infected through heterosexual sex, completed an on-line questionnaire to assess their safer sexual communication, willingness to communicate, condom self-efficacy, and assertiveness prior to HIV infection. Results indicate that prior to infection, HIV positive heterosexuals reported having similar safer sexual communication behaviors to those not infected with the virus. Participants in this study reported high levels of willingness to engage in safer sex communication, but low levels of actual communication. Further, results reveal that participants who engaged more often in safer sex communication were more likely to use condoms. Additionally, participants reported high levels of condom self-efficacy and moderate levels of assertiveness; both variables positively correlated with condom use. Finally, participants reported that they believed they did not need to discuss using condoms because they were not at risk. Previous safer sexual communication research reveals HIV negative individuals reported engaging in the same behaviors and holding the same beliefs reported by seropositive individuals. Hence, discussion of the importance of safer sexual communication and the utility of personalization to increase the communication of HIV negative individuals is explored.

The purpose of this study was to examine personal and relational characteristics of HIV positive individuals. Forty HIV positive heterosexuals, who were infected through heterosexual sex, completed an on‐line questionnaire designed to assess perceived risk of HIV, perceived partner safety and trust, and reasons for these perceptions prior to HIV infection. Results indicated that prior to infection, HIV positive heterosexuals reported having similar sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to those not infected with the virus. Participants reported moderate to high levels of trust for their partners, low levels of perceived risk of infection, and high levels of perceived partner safety. A moderately strong, negative, linear relationship existed between perceived partner safety and partner trust and perceived risk. In addition, women perceived their partners as “safer”; than did men and those in serious relationships perceived their partners as safer than those in casual relationships. Results from this stu...

This investigation involves the examination of college students' condom self‐efficacy (knowledge and skills regarding condom use) and coping strategies in sexual situations. Results indicate that although students report high condom efficacy, efficacy is weakly correlated with actual condom use. Overall, efficacy is weakly correlated with coping styles in sexual situations. In general, students are opting for non‐communicative ways of coping (e.g., avoidance) in sexual situations as opposed to communicative ways (e.g., discussion with partner) of coping. However, those who report “always” using a condom use communicative coping strategies more frequently than non‐communicative coping strategies. Efficacy is positively related to communicative coping styles versus non‐communicative coping styles. Marital partners differ from unmarried couples in that they use more “planning ahead” coping strategies. Discussion and implications follow.