by Virginia C. Hughes
Case Study
Recreational cannabis is currently legal in nineteen states and the District of Columbia. The history of each states pathway for passing laws codifying fully legal status varies greatly across the United States. A study was conducted with the aim of identifying factors that significantly impact a states fully legal status on cannabis employing a logistic regression design. Independent factors analyzed included the marijuana possession arrest rate (MPAR), new cancer cases, and opioid overdose rate. All data were from 2010 to assess if these factors impacted passage of laws approving recreational cannabis, as all such laws were passed after 2010. The dependent variable was dichotomous toward fully legal status or not fully legal status in states. Results showed statistically significance with the MPAR variable (P<.05). The opioid over dose rate and cancer cases did not yield statistically significant results. Consistent with the federalist system, select state legislatures have made the decision to pass laws regarding recreational cannabis propelled by public support when cannabis is still illegal under federal law. This paper delineates both recreational cannabis and medical cannabis laws, and provides salient discussion on variables analyzed and ideas for future policy studies.
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2022, 10(4), 154-162. DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-10-4-4
Pub. Date: September 14, 2022
by Peter D. Hart
Original Research
Background: Evidence supports the associations between many health and fitness measures in the exercise sciences. However, less is known about how these indicators relate to each other after controlling for their shared variance. Furthermore, understanding the relative importance of health and fitness measures may help prioritize education and promotion efforts. The aim of this study was to examine the strength and direction of partial relationships between health and fitness measures in a sample of adults. Methods: Data from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used and included 3,927 adults 20 to 59 years of age. Six different health and fitness variables were utilized and included grip strength (GRIP, kg), percent body fat (PBF, %), body mass index (BMI, kg/m2), waist circumference (WC, cm), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA, min/week), and perceived general health (HLTH, 1=poor to 5 = excellent). GRIP, PBF, BMI, and WC were assessed objectively by trained professionals using handgrip dynamometer, DEXA, scale with stadiometer, and tape measure, respectively. HLTH was assessed by a single question asking participants to rate their general health and MVPA was assessed by a series of survey questions regarding recreational activity. Two network analyses were conducted: 1) unadjusted and 2) adjusted for sex, age, race, and income. All analyses were performed using SAS and R software (bootnet and qgraph). Results: All bivariate Spearman correlation coefficients (rS) were significant (p < .05) ranging from -.14 to -.58 for negative correlations and .07 to .93 for positive correlations. Unadjusted network analysis indicated a strong positive partial relationship between BMI and WC (rS = .84) and a strong negative partial relationship between GRIP and PBF (rS = -.73) with no single central measure. Adjusted network analysis indicated similar partial relationships, however, PBF became a central indicator among the health and fitness measures. Conclusion: The findings in this study show that body composition variables such as BMI, WC, and PBF remain associated with each other in a complex health and fitness network. Furthermore, after additionally controlling for demographic variables, PBF may be a standout predictor of health and fitness in adults.
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2022, 10(4), 147-153. DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-10-4-3
Pub. Date: August 23, 2022
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by Mahendra Pal, Kirubel Paulos Gutama, Leena Gowda and Pratibha Dave
Original Research
Lassa fever is a life threatening infectious zoonosis of public health significance, and is caused by a single-stranded, linear, bi-segmented RNA virus belonging to the Arenaviridae family. The disease is transmitted by rodents, particularly the Natal mastomys (Mastomys natalensis). In terms of public health impact, Lassa fever outperforms Ebola, Marburg, and all other hemorrhagic fevers except Dengue. Lassa fever is endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, although it is also thought to exist in other West African countries. Each year, it is thought to be responsible for up to 300,000 new infections and 5000 deaths in Western Africa. Lassa virus disease was named one of the world's top bio-threats by the global Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) in 2017. Humans are most typically infected through the ingestion or inhalation. Nosocomial infection is also noticed. Very recently, an outbreak of Lassa fever was confirmed in Togo. However, when symptomatic, fever, general malaise and weakness, headache, hemorrhaging (in the gums, eyes, or nose, for example), respiratory distress, frequent vomiting, face swelling, discomfort in the chest, back, and abdomen; and shock occur. Deafness is the most common complications of Lassa fever. The fatality rate in the hospitalized patients may reach 15 to 20 %. There are a variety of virus diagnostic techniques available, ranging from viral culture to serological and molecular diagnostic testing. There are currently no FDA-approved vaccinations for Lassa fever, and therapy options are exceedingly restricted. Early supportive care, such as rehydration and symptomatic treatment, improves survival prospects.
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2022, 10(4), 143-146. DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-10-4-2
Pub. Date: July 12, 2022
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by Fadhili Mabruki, Isaac Makundi and Benigni. A. Temba
Original Research
Aflatoxin contamination in maize by Aspergillus species negatively affects the quality of food, economy as well as human and animal health worldwide and is hence a globally growing public health problem. This study aimed at assessing knowledge and awareness on aflatoxins as well as post-harvest practices predisposing stored maize to aflatoxin contamination in Morogoro municipality and Makambako district, Tanzania. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 226 stakeholders who responded to questions assessing their knowledge and awareness on aflatoxins and practices predisposing stored maize to aflatoxin contamination. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 was conducted to determine the statistical significance of the practices predisposing stored maize to aflatoxin contamination by comparison of means among the study groups. Descriptive statistical analysis was employed to describe knowledge and awareness of aflatoxin contamination among respondents. The results based on the assessment criteria revealed that majority (71%) of the studied population in the study areas had low knowledge and awareness in relation to aflatoxin contamination on stored maize. The results also revealed that some aspects of post-harvest handling of maize including storage with other crops, mode of storage and storage duration positively influenced infestation of aflatoxigenic fungi on the maize stored. We recommend the provision of appropriate education via seminars and workshops to the respective stakeholders to help increase their knowledge and awareness on aflatoxin contamination.
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2022, 10(4), 134-142. DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-10-4-1
Pub. Date: July 01, 2022
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