There is extensive research over the decades around health care services utilization trends, however, limited data and research exists around student utilization of campus health centers. Furthermore, there is very minimal data on student utilization trends of campus health services since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since a crucial component to fostering healthy and safe college campuses is through campus health services, it clearly indicates a need for further research on the trends and perceptions of students’ campus health services utilization. This study examines utilization rates of students through exploring key demographic characteristics of students, including their perceptions toward utilization of campus health services, for their physical well-being and medical care. This dissertation is a secondary data analysis of the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment. This study’s specific aims were to examine if key characteristics exist of students utilizing campus health centers, and if those trends still exist or had shifted after the Covid-19 pandemic. The data was used to evaluate if there are significant relationships between student demographics and their respective perceptions of campus health services. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of undergraduate students, data analysis found various statistical significance based on the various steps in the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. The results confirmed there are barriers to college student utilization of health services, specifically for certain race/ethnicity, international students, having an active health insurance policy, and how they perceive health being a priority on campus. Given the vital role that student health services have on college campuses, efforts to increase campus health service utilization should be considered through targeted programming and more inclusive staffing and service offerings.

No description available.

Rationale Epilepsy is a common, chronic, neurological condition that disproportionately affects individuals living in low- and middle- income countries, including much of sub-Saharan Africa. Epilepsy is treatable, with the majority of individuals who take anti-epileptic drugs experiencing a reduction, or elimination, of seizures. Yet the number of individuals taking and adhering to medication in Africa is low and interventions aimed at improving treatment are lacking. Aims To define the epidemiology of convulsive epilepsy in rural South Africa in terms of incidence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years; to determine outpatient, out-of-pocket costs resulting from epilepsy treatment; to establish the level of adherence to anti-epileptic drugs amongst people with epilepsy; and, to determine whether the introduction of routine visits to people with epilepsy by community health workers is a cost-effective intervention for improving adherence to anti-epileptic drugs. Methods Nested within the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System, this work utilized a cohort of individuals diagnosed with convulsive epilepsy in 2008 to determine health care utilization and out-of-pocket costs due to care sought for epilepsy. Additionally, using blood samples from the cohort, anti-epileptic drug adherence was measured and, following the cohort, mortality rates were determined. Using these collected epidemiological parameters, disability-adjusted life years due to convulsive epilepsy were determined. Finally, combining the epidemiological and cost parameters, a community health worker intervention was modeled to determine its incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Key Findings The burden of convulsive epilepsy is lower in rural South Africa than other parts of Africa, likely due to lower levels of known risk factors. Yet the burden, especially in terms of mortality, remains high, as does the treatment gap and health care utilization. Findings from the economic evaluation found the introduction of a community health worker to be highly cost-effective and would likely lower the burden of epilepsy in rural South Africa. Implications Epilepsy contributes to the burden of disease in rural South Africa, with high levels of mortality and a substantial treatment gap. The introduction of a community-health worker is likely to be one cost-effective, community based intervention that would lower the burden of epilepsy by improving adherence to anti-epileptic drugs. Implementing this intervention, based on these findings, is a justified and important next step.

Using data from the Household Component of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the study compares (1) the accessibility, and (2) the predictors of health care services utilization among African American and non-Hispanic White males, 18 to 65 years old in the United States. Using ANOVA procedure in comparing the means for use of physicians, hospitals, doctors, and difficulty obtaining care, seven hypotheses were tested in the study. First, it was hypothesized that African American men of working age will have less access to health care services (physicians, hospitals, and dentists), and be more likely to report having experienced delay or difficulty obtaining care, compared to non-Hispanic white males of working age. Second, it was hypothesized that, controlling for health status, African American men of working age will have less access to health care services (physicians, hospitals, and dentists), and will also be more likely to experience delay or difficulty obtaining care, than non-Hispanic white males. This was followed by the third hypothesis which compared utilization of physicians, hospitals, dentists, and difficulty obtaining care among African American and non-Hispanic white males, controlling for health status and insurance coverage (any insurance, private insurance, any public insurance, and Medicaid). Hypotheses four through six compared the utilization of physicians, hospitals, and dentists, as well as difficulty obtaining care among African American and non-Hispanic white males, controlling for the following variables sequentially: health status and poverty status; health status and having a usual source of care; and health status and employment status, in that order. Finally, it was hypothesized that, controlling for health status, any insurance, poverty status, and employment status, African American men of working age will have less access to physicians, hospitals, and dentists, and experience more difficulty and delay obtaining care, compared to non-Hispanic white males of working age. Results from the study indicated that Hypothesis 1 was supported for use of physicians and dentists. Hypotheses 2, 3a and 3c were supported for use of physicians, hospitals, and dentists. Hypotheses 3b, 3d, and 4 received support for use of physicians, hospitals, dentists, and difficulty obtaining care. Additionally, both Hypotheses 5 and 6 were supported for use of physicians, hospitals, and dentists, with the last hypothesis being confirmed for use of physicians, hospitals, dentists, and difficulty obtaining care. The study calls for a closure of the gap in access to health care between African American and non-Hispanic white adult males in the US. A reform-oriented government-sponsored single-payer plan modeled after the Canadian health care system is recommended for the United States. A national health insurance plan is most likely to ensure equity of access, compared to others, in the sense that it is founded on the premise that everyone will be covered in a similar fashion. Considering the role of Community Health Centers in serving Medicaid and Medicare recipients, low-income uninsured and insured, the underinsured, as well as high-risk populations and the elderly, in the interim, they should be extended to every community in the United States.

Abstract EXPLORING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS COMMUNITY OUTPATIENT COUNSELORS’ EXPERIENCES TREATING CLIENTS WITH CO-OCCURRING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS Lauretta Anne Cathers, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013 Major Director: Amy Armstrong, PhD, Chair, Rehabilitation Counseling The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study presents the findings from a qualitative study examining substance use disorders (SUD) community outpatient treatment counselors’ experiences treating clients with co-occurring medical conditions. Interviews from five SUD community outpatient treatment counselors resulted in four emerging super-ordinate themes. The findings illustrate the relationships between SUDs, medical conditions and other predisposing, enabling and need factors. In order to assist clients in focusing on therapy, counselors work to identify resources to treat the basic needs of the clients, including medical care. Challenges included limited resources, complex system processes, and client fear and apathy. In addition, various unique challenges related to medical conditions treated by potentially habit forming medications and traumatic brain injury were identified. Counselors discussed how their roles and responsibilities have expanded to include case management and additional responsibility for the overall well-being of the clients they serve. They encouraged SUD educators to include more education on counselor self-care, trauma, pain conditions and the assessment process. Implications from the study highlight the need for integrated behavioral and physical health care.

Objectives. The aims of this survey were (1) to assess the quality of asthma treatment and control in Latin America, (2) to determine how closely asthma management guidelines are being followed, and (3) to assess perception, knowledge and attitudes related to asthma in Latin America. Methods. We surveyed a household sample of 2 184 adults or parents of children with asthma in 2003 in 11 countries in Latin America. Respondents were asked about healthcare utilization, symptom severity, activity limitations and medication use. Results. Daytime asthma symptoms were reported by 56% of the respondents, and 51 % reported being awakened by their asthma at night. More than half of those surveyed had been hospitalized, attended a hospital emergency service or made unscheduled emergency visits to other healthcare facilities for asthma during the previous year. Patient perception of asthma control did not match symptom severity, even in patients with severe persistent asthma, 44.7% of whom regarded their disease as being well or completely controlled. Only 2.4% (2.3% adults and 2.6% children) met all criteria for asthma control. Although 37% reported treatment with prescription medications, only 6% were using inhaled corticosteroids. Most adults (79%) and children (68%) in this survey reported that asthma symptoms limited their activities. Absence from school and work was reported by 58% of the children and 31% of adults, respectively. Conclusions. Asthma control in Latin America falls short of goals in international guidelines, and in many aspects asthma care and control in Latin America suffer from the same shortcomings as in other areas of the world. / Revisión por pares

Da necessidade de instrumentos de avaliação do impacto da Atenção Primária à Saúde na população, emerge a utilização do indicador indireto de efetividade Internações por Condições Sensíveis à Atenção Primária. Parte-se do pressuposto de que resolubilidade de ações desenvolvidas à nível primário de atenção refletem na redução das internações por grupos de causas específicas definidas, no Brasil, através da Lista Brasileira de Internações por Condições Sensíveis à Atenção Primária. A hipertensão arterial sistêmica, por ser uma condição crônica de alta carga social e fator de risco para as doenças cardiovasculares é considerada uma condição sensível. Objetivou-se analisar a ocorrência de internações por hipertensão categorizada no Grupo 9 da Lista Brasileira de Internações por Condições Sensíveis à Atenção Primária, nos residentes de Ribeirão Preto, para o período de 2000 a 2008, segundo as variáveis sexo, faixa etária, tipo de internação e condição de saída. Estudo descritivo, retrospectivo que teve como base a distribuição da ocorrência das internações por hipertensão de modo proporcional à população, utilizando-se de dados secundários, com aprovação prévia em Comitê de Ética local. Os resultados evidenciaram que as internações por hipertensão, no período analisado, sofreram variações, porém se comparados os anos de 2000 e 2008, o número de internações manteve-se estável e que as internações por condições mais simples do ponto de vista clínico sofreram redução e as mais complexas sofreram acréscimo. Há predomínio de registros de internações de responsabilidade do Sistema Único de Saúde, mulheres, pessoas acima de 50 anos e alta como condição de saída. Os dados descritos favorecem a possibilidade de planejamento das ações de saúde com dimensão para novas estratégias de promoção de saúde e de prevenção de agravos em nível primário de atenção, podendo, por meio de hipóteses descritivas, ampliar as possibilidades de manejo de doenças crônicas como a hipertensão / The need for tools to assess of the impact of Primary Health Care in the population emerges the use of indirect indicator of effectiveness Hospitalizations by Primary Care Sensitive Conditions. Start with the assumption that solving actions developed to primary care level reflect in reducing hospitalizations for groups of specific causes set in Brazil, through the Brazilian List Hospitalizations by Primary Care Sensitive Conditions. Hypertension, being a chronic condition of high social burden and risk factor for cardiovascular disease is considered a sensitive condition. This study aimed to analyze the occurrence of hospitalizations for hypertension categorized in Group 9 of the Brazilian List Hospitalizations Primary Care Sensitive Conditions, in residents of Ribeirão Preto, during the period 2000 to 2008, according to variables sex, age, type of hospitalization and exit condition. Descriptive, retrospective study was based on the distribution of the occurrence of hospitalizations for hypertension in proportion mode to the population, using secondary data, previously approved by the local Ethics Committee. The results showed that hospitalizations for hypertension, in the analyzed period, have varied, but if compared the years 2000 and 2008, the number of hospitalization remained stable and that hospitalizations for simpler conditions of a clinical standpoint were reduced and the most complex suffered augmentation. There is a predominance of records of hospitalizations of responsibility of the Health System, women, people over 50 years and discharged output condition. The data presented favor the possibility of planning of health actions with dimension for new strategies to health promotion and disease prevention of injuries in primary care level, may, through descriptive hypotheses, enhancing the possibilities for management of chronic diseases as hypertension

Da necessidade de instrumentos de avaliação do impacto da Atenção Primária à Saúde na população, emerge a utilização do indicador indireto de efetividade Internações por Condições Sensíveis à Atenção Primária. Parte-se do pressuposto de que resolubilidade de ações desenvolvidas à nível primário de atenção refletem na redução das internações por grupos de causas específicas definidas, no Brasil, através da Lista Brasileira de Internações por Condições Sensíveis à Atenção Primária. A hipertensão arterial sistêmica, por ser uma condição crônica de alta carga social e fator de risco para as doenças cardiovasculares é considerada uma condição sensível. Objetivou-se analisar a ocorrência de internações por hipertensão categorizada no Grupo 9 da Lista Brasileira de Internações por Condições Sensíveis à Atenção Primária, nos residentes de Ribeirão Preto, para o período de 2000 a 2008, segundo as variáveis sexo, faixa etária, tipo de internação e condição de saída. Estudo descritivo, retrospectivo que teve como base a distribuição da ocorrência das internações por hipertensão de modo proporcional à população, utilizando-se de dados secundários, com aprovação prévia em Comitê de Ética local. Os resultados evidenciaram que as internações por hipertensão, no período analisado, sofreram variações, porém se comparados os anos de 2000 e 2008, o número de internações manteve-se estável e que as internações por condições mais simples do ponto de vista clínico sofreram redução e as mais complexas sofreram acréscimo. Há predomínio de registros de internações de responsabilidade do Sistema Único de Saúde, mulheres, pessoas acima de 50 anos e alta como condição de saída. Os dados descritos favorecem a possibilidade de planejamento das ações de saúde com dimensão para novas estratégias de promoção de saúde e de prevenção de agravos em nível primário de atenção, podendo, por meio de hipóteses descritivas, ampliar as possibilidades de manejo de doenças crônicas como a hipertensão / The need for tools to assess of the impact of Primary Health Care in the population emerges the use of indirect indicator of effectiveness Hospitalizations by Primary Care Sensitive Conditions. Start with the assumption that solving actions developed to primary care level reflect in reducing hospitalizations for groups of specific causes set in Brazil, through the Brazilian List Hospitalizations by Primary Care Sensitive Conditions. Hypertension, being a chronic condition of high social burden and risk factor for cardiovascular disease is considered a sensitive condition. This study aimed to analyze the occurrence of hospitalizations for hypertension categorized in Group 9 of the Brazilian List Hospitalizations Primary Care Sensitive Conditions, in residents of Ribeirão Preto, during the period 2000 to 2008, according to variables sex, age, type of hospitalization and exit condition. Descriptive, retrospective study was based on the distribution of the occurrence of hospitalizations for hypertension in proportion mode to the population, using secondary data, previously approved by the local Ethics Committee. The results showed that hospitalizations for hypertension, in the analyzed period, have varied, but if compared the years 2000 and 2008, the number of hospitalization remained stable and that hospitalizations for simpler conditions of a clinical standpoint were reduced and the most complex suffered augmentation. There is a predominance of records of hospitalizations of responsibility of the Health System, women, people over 50 years and discharged output condition. The data presented favor the possibility of planning of health actions with dimension for new strategies to health promotion and disease prevention of injuries in primary care level, may, through descriptive hypotheses, enhancing the possibilities for management of chronic diseases as hypertension

Active asthma and asthma-related health care utilization are higher among adult females than they are among adult males in Puerto Rico. The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of the risk of active asthma and associated health care utilization and asthma control among women in Puerto Rico. Guided by the Andersen behavioral model, the study included data from the Asthma Call-Back Survey (ACBS) during 2011 and 2012 in Puerto Rico. The associations between active asthma and behavioral, demographic, and environmental factors were assessed using logistic regression. The relationship between asthma-related health care utilization and predisposing, enabling, and need factors was examined using multiple linear regression. The association between achieved level of asthma control and asthma-related healthcare utilization was investigated using multinomial logistic regression. Results of the logistic regression indicated that being out of work, being in a middle income category, and being obese significantly increased the odds of active asthma. Being self-employed and being in the income category of $15,000-$25,000 significantly predicted the frequency of emergency room visits (ERVs). Results of the multinomial logistic regression indicated that physician urgent visit and ERV were significantly associated with poorly controlled asthma symptoms. The positive social change implication of these findings is that the identified risk factors can be used to develop asthma management plans to prevent and control asthma attacks in at-risk populations and reduce asthma-related health care utilization cost

<p>A randomized intervention study, with the aim to compare the effects of individual psychosocial support provided by (1) oncology nurses specially trained in psychological techniques (INS), or (2) psychologists (IPS), to (3) standard care (SC). Breast cancer patients, living in Uppsala County, and about to start adjuvant treatment at the Department of Oncology, Uppsala, were consecutively included between 1998 and 2000. The patients were assessed seven times during two years by self-administered questionnaires. Study I revealed positive effects of both INS and IPS as compared to SC on global quality of life, side effects, and post-traumatic distress. A lower proportion of patients in the intervention groups had psychosocial support provided in routine care compared with the SC group. In study II the patients reported being highly satisfied with the intervention, irrespective of profession providing the support. However, patients in the INS group reported higher levels of benefit regarding disease-related problems than those in the IPS group. In study III total Health Care costs were lower in the intervention groups and since a gain in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) was seen (mean .1 QALY), the interventions dominated. The costs for the interventions were 44 291- 48 978 SEK. In study IV, daily reporting of anxiety, depression and activity on Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) were completed during two weeks before and after the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) assessments. A point assessment with the HADS captured the situation better than four weeks assessment on three VAS in the diary. The HADS was considered preferable to the diary. The conclusion is that psychosocial support is beneficial for breast cancer patients and that the intervention delivered by nurses was as effective as that given by psychologists. The costs for the interventions were limited.</p>