Winning
Proposals
2004-2005 Secretary's Award for Innovations
in
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Oral
Health Screening for 48 Chicago Head Start Students Age
0-3
Shelly Batra, Sandra Krussel, Nicole
A. Malek,
Midwestern University,
Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Abstract
It is essential that physicians examine children's teeth
for Early Childhood Caries (ECC) at well-child visits
because most children do not see a dentist until the age
of three.1 Promoting proper oral hygiene and diet counseling
to parents can help reduce caries in these young patients
and has been addressed in the following three phases:
Phase I was a pilot screening of 40 children ages 0-3
at an Early Head Start Program in Chicago. Parents received
anticipatory guidance in one-on-one educational sessions
with a screener. Results indicated that 42.5% of children
had some type of adverse finding. Phase II is a written
survey to be completed by parents/teachers in order to
evaluate the effectiveness of Phase I. Phase III is an
18 month period consisting of biannual screenings/education,
which will track the findings of the Head Start children
ages 0-5.
Nationally, 18% of 2-4 year olds have dental caries.
The goal of Healthy People 2010 is a reduction to 11%.2
The Illinois Department of Public Health reports a 33%
statewide prevalence. 3 Taking into account the guidelines
from Steps to a Healthier US, the following proposal promotes
responsible health choices, community initiative, prevention
by reducing risk factors and complications of chronic
disease, and cooperation among local health agencies and
the public. 4
A preliminary study conducted at the local Head Start
Program found that 52% of 3-5 year olds have dental caries.
If children ages 0-3 are properly screened for this disease,
parents are educated about good oral hygiene, and timely
dental referrals are made, these numbers could be greatly
reduced. Through the biannual screening and parent education,
our goal is to reduce the percentage to less than 44%.
Healthy
Bodies, Healthy Souls: A Faith-Based Community-Academic
Partnership
Monique
Anderson, Rachel Peragallo
Harvard Medical School
Abstract
Mattapan, a southern neighborhood of Boston, is less than
five minutes away from Harvard medical school and its affiliated
hospitals. According to Boston Public Health Commission
data, this mainly African-American neighborhood has the
highest prevalence of hypertension (38%), obesity/overweight
population (66%), physical inactivity (81%), and smoking
(31%) when compared to other neighborhoods in Boston. African-Americans
in Boston have the highest age-adjusted heart disease mortality
rates compared to other races. Given the high presence of
modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in Mattapan residents,
community programs focused on health education and supportive
healthy behavioral change are desperately needed. The churches
are largely untapped, yet potentially powerful allies in
the fight to eliminate health care disparities and improve
the quality of life not only for their members but also
for the entire community. Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls
aims to combine the strengths of the medical school and
Morning Star Baptist Church. Harvard medical students and
faculty will work with members of a large African-American
church to collaboratively design and implement a health
education program that seeks to increase awareness of chronic
illnesses and to promote healthy diet and physical activity.
Church members will be trained to be health advocates in
order to sustain ongoing health education and behavioral
change activities.
Photovoices: Uncovering Family Experiences
Behind Welfare Policies and Programs
Cizely Kurian
Drexel University, School of Public Health
Abstract
Background:
Despite the efforts of welfare reform and programs of federal
assistance, the health of the most vulnerable women and
children continues to worsen. The majority of research correlating
health and poverty uses quantitative assessments and makes
judgments of the current state of the poor. This study aims
to work with the poor to use their own experiences to demand
and design change.
Objectives: The purpose of this study
is to describe the experiences of low-income women with
welfare programs and the impact of these programs on their
families' health.
Design: An innovative qualitative participatory
approach to research called Photovoice was used to document
the social/health needs of participants (a convenience sample
of 8 women) and their families, explore the relationship
between poverty and health, and illustrate the "human
experience" associated with public policies and welfare
reform. Participants took photographs illustrating the impact
of poverty on their well-being.
Results: During interviews and a focus
group participants assisted in selecting, contextualizing,
and codifying themes generated through pictures. "Chaos"
was identified as an overarching concept linking public
policies/programs with health of the participants. In general,
many public services were shown to be insufficient in preventing
chaos from dominating most areas of these women's lives.
Conclusions: Photovoice proved to be
a successful way for women to effectively communicate their
life experiences, expertise, and knowledge. It was a valuable
method for collecting information to enhance our understanding
of the human costs of public policies and to advocate for
changes in local programs that may carry over to national
policies accordingly.
Straight
From The Horse's Mouth
Megan Morgan, University
of Alabama - Birmingham, School of Dentistry
Mitch Potter, Auburn University - College of Veterinary
Medicine
Abstract
Straight from the Horse's Mouth is a program
designed to educate people in rural communities about equine
safety and oral health. The project provides general equine
safety measures to participants, promotes the use of helmets
especially for juvenile riders, and outlines the importance
of veterinary care for horses. In addition, it also provides
an oral health presentation to participants encouraging
them to take care of their teeth. The program outlines the
benefits of at home oral care combined with regular oral
checkups by a dentist. Included in this is a section on
proper responses parents and children can implement in the
event of a horseback riding injury, or a dental emergency
The presenters of the program will be students at veterinary
and dental schools, providing them an opportunity to use
their knowledge to improve public health care. Also, they
will be exposed to areas that could provide professional
opportunities for them in the future.
University
of Maryland's Interdisciplinary Framework for Prevention
and Intervention in Maternal and Child Health
Michelle
Clark, Amani Ahmed, Anna Falkenstern, Kate Gardes, Melissa
Kline, Mary Labella, Janet Crane, Kellie Monzillo
University of Maryland at Baltimore, School of Social
Work, School of Nursing,
School of Pharmacy, School of Medicine
Abstract
The Maternal and Child Health Leadership
Team (MCHLT) and University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMB)
proposed an innovative interdisciplinary approach, applicable
to any maternal and child health issue, which bridges
the gap between academia and clinical practice. First,
a two-day weekend course was developed by students to
educate future leaders in the Maternal and Child Health
(MCH) field on interdisciplinary collaboration, family-centered,
culturally competent care, and underserved populations.
The student team addressed the rising epidemic of childhood
obesity as the problem of interest. The educational course
sought to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes that
address the multifaceted nature of childhood obesity in
an interdisciplinary perspective as well as bring students
from different professions together into a classroom setting.
The goal of the community service project
was to take the knowledge and skills acquired in the educational
course and apply them to a local community in Baltimore
in order to implement an intervention addressing childhood
obesity. The project provided a vehicle to connect students
to the community around UMB and provide children with
role models of young professionals pursuing various health
careers. Three community service projects at a local elementary
school were planned by interdisciplinary teams: A "Healthy
Breakfast" with guardians to begin creating awareness
of the problem, a "Fit and Fun Family Night,"
and a Spring Health Fair. Evaluations were conducted continuously
and focused on assessing: (1) the educational course,
(2) students' evaluations of the educational course, (3)
the effectiveness of the community interventions at addressing
the needs of the targeted population, and (4) the feasibility
of the model of an integrated educational course and community
service project within the domain of the local university
and community.
