Danielle Hawkins

coronavirus; covid-19

population health center

Environmental Chemicals

Environmental Health

Public Health

No Evidence That People Alter Daily Travel After Having Symptoms That Could Be COVID-19

dhawkin — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 13:38:07 +0000

No Evidence That People Alter Daily Travel After Having Symptoms That Could Be COVID-19 dhawkin Fri, 03/19/2021 - 09:38

In This Story

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD

New ��AV College of Health and Human Services study is one of first individual-level studies to track movements and symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic

How can we better understand how people move during the pandemic and how they spread COVID-19? New ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services research is one of the first individual-level studies to explore this question.

Dr. Janusz Wojtusiak led the study published in the Journal of Healthcare Informatics Research. Wojtusiak and colleagues tracked symptoms and movements of 175 volunteer individuals on ��AV’s campus. They found that there is no evidence that participants altered their movements based on the symptoms they reported.

“We could not detect any significant change of movement when people should self-quarantine. On the other hand some people almost did not leave home since the beginning of the pandemic, while others move freely around,” said Wojtusiak.

Participants used the Mason COVID HealthCheck^TM to record symptoms of possible COVID-19 infection and GPS and WiFi data to provide information on how they move during the pandemic. This allows the researchers to model and predict movements during the pandemic and in conjunction with any reported possible COVID-19 symptoms.

“By tracking individual movements and symptoms in our study, our findings could help inform effective public health interventions to reduce COVID-19 infections,” explains Wojtusiak.

In addition, Wojtusiak and colleagues analyzed de-identified Mason COVID HealthCheck^TM responses and found that a headache was the most frequently reported symptom, and a headache was always listed as a symptom when any other symptoms were reported. Other commonly reported symptoms were coughs and sore throats.

Movement patterns varied among participants, with some only going out for essential trips while others moved about more. As a group, movement was consistent over the study period, which included a period when Virginia was under a stay-at-home order and when it was not. Participants traveled a total average of 139 miles per week, visiting an average of less than six locations per week. This low average mileage and number of sites visited does suggest that COVID-19-related restrictions affected their movement. However, they also found that even when participants reported symptoms of COVID-19 or contact with others with COVID-19, they did not change their movements as recommended by public health guidance.

��AV has a very low COVID-19 infection rate, and during the period none of the study participants reported COVID-19 infection, so researchers weren’t able to link COVID-19 positive tests and movement. Future analysis will include data from the winter of 2020 so may provide more information on movement after COVID-19 infection. The researchers are also conducting surveys and interviews to provide richer data including reasons for complying or not complying with social distancing.

This research is possible thanks to the dedication of study participants at ��AV who share their data to allow for movement modeling.

The study is being funded by a pilot grant from ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services.

About ��AV

��AV is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit https://www2.gmu.edu/.

About the College of Health and Human Services

��AV's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

Topics

coronavirus; covid-19

Health Informatics

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

Michelle S. Williams, PhD, MSPH

faculty spotlight

African American Breast Cancer Survivor Cardiovascular Disease Risk High but Knowledge Low

dhawkin — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 14:45:20 +0000

African American Breast Cancer Survivor Cardiovascular Disease Risk High but Knowledge Low dhawkin Fri, 03/05/2021 - 09:45

In This Story

New research led by ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services faculty Dr. Michelle Williams found that although African American breast cancer survivors have a higher prevalence of CVD risk factors, their knowledge about CVD is low.

African American breast cancer survivors are four times more likely to die from breast cancer than women of all other races and ethnicities, and they have a disproportionately high rate of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD).

New research led by ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services faculty Dr. Michelle Williams assessed African American breast cancer survivors’ risk factors and knowledge about CVD in the Deep South, where health disparities between African American women and women of other races is even larger. They found that although African American breast cancer survivors have a higher prevalence of CVD risk factors, their knowledge about CVD is low.

The study was published in the Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice in February.

Specifically, participants scored low on knowledge about heart attack symptoms and CVD-related medical information. Participants with healthier diets and higher levels of education had higher levels of CVD knowledge.

“We know that several CVD risk factors, such as hypertension and obesity, can be modified through lifestyle behavior changes,” adds Williams. “This is promising, but breast cancer survivors must be better informed about CVD risk by their health care providers.”

Their study included surveys of 70 breast cancer survivors who identified as African American or Black in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Georgia.

“Our findings highlight the importance of informing African American breast cancer survivors about their increased risk for co-morbidities such as CVD and providing them with access to culturally appropriate CVD risk reduction interventions aimed at a variety of education levels,” explains Williams.

Williams and colleagues are currently conducting the next phase of the study, which will provide more in-depth information about CVD risk factors among African American breast cancer survivors.

This research was supported by a grant from the Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (Grant Number U54 GM115428).

About ��AV

About the College of Health and Human Services

Topics

Breast Cancer

cardiovascular disease

Health Disparities

College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health

Symptoms and Movement Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic

dhawkin — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 21:55:42 +0000

Symptoms and Movement Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic dhawkin Mon, 02/22/2021 - 16:55

In This Story

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD

How can we better understand how people move during the pandemic and how they spread COVID-19? Dr. Janusz Wojtusiak, associate professor of health informatics and director of the Machine Learning Inference Lab is leading one of the first individual-level studies on social distancing.

Participants use the Mason COVID Health Check^TM to record symptoms of possible COVID-19 infection and GPS and WiFi data to provide information on how they move during the pandemic. This allows the researchers to model and predict movements during the pandemic and in conjunction with any reported possible COVID-19 symptoms. This could help inform effective public health interventions to reduce infection.

Initial findings from the first wave of the study, including data collected through September 2020, were published in the Journal of Healthcare Informatics Research. Wojtusiak and colleagues found that headache was the most frequently reported symptom and headache was always listed as a symptom when any other symptoms were reported. The next most commonly reported symptoms were cough and sore throat.

This research is possible thanks to the dedication of study participants who share their data to allow for movement modeling. Recruitment of Mason faculty, staff, and students for the second wave of the study has begun. Learn more and sign up: https://www.mli.gmu.edu/sd/.

��AV has a very low COVID-19 infection rate, and during the period none of the study participants reported COVID-19 infection, so researchers weren’t able to link COVID-19 positive tests and movement. Future analysis will include data from the 2020 winter so may provide more information on movement after COVID-19 infection. The researchers will also conduct surveys and interviews to provide richer data including reasons for complying or not complying with social distancing.

In a related study supported by the National Cancer Institute, Wojtusiak’s team analyzed individual movements of people on campus. Such micro-scale movements within buildings can be modeled using WiFi data collected each time a mobile phone or laptop is connected to the internet. In over 150 simulated scenarios they were able to reconstruct movements of volunteers within Mason’s Peterson Hall. This technology is intended to support contact elicitation as part of contact tracing for COVID-19 or other infectious diseases.

Promising preliminary results show that the technology can change how public health officials think about contact tracing. Tests are now being conducted across other locations on Fairfax campus. You can learn more about the project at https://www.mli.gmu.edu/wifi.

Topics

Machine Learning in Health Care

Machine Learning

coronavirus; covid-19

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

Kenneth W. Griffin, PhD, MPH

U.S. Air Force Academy Intervention Reduces Unwanted Sexual Contact by Over 40 Percent

dhawkin — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:13:33 +0000

U.S. Air Force Academy Intervention Reduces Unwanted Sexual Contact by Over 40 Percent dhawkin Thu, 02/04/2021 - 14:13

In This Story

Study led by ��AV College of Health and Human Services faculty finds that prevention program effectively reduces unwanted sexual contact among Air Force Cadets, addressing gap in rigorously tested interventions.

Sexual assault and sexual harassment are significant problems in the U.S. military and military service academies in the United States. In 2018, 15.8% of female and 2.4% of male cadets and midshipmen across the military service academies reported unwanted sexual contact in the past year. This unwanted behavior can contribute to a variety of negative mental and behavioral health outcomes.

While the military service academies have implemented multiple sexual assault prevention programs and social marketing campaigns to improve awareness of and response to sexual assault, prevention initiatives have been hindered by an absence of evidence from rigorous research about what works.

Eliminating sexual assault in the military is a key focus of the Biden Administration’s newly confirmed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. As one of his first actions in office, Austin has ordered a review of military sexual assault prevention programs.

To address the gap in evidence-based interventions, Dr. Kenneth W. Griffin, professor at ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services, worked with colleagues to rigorously test the effectiveness of the Cadet Healthy Personal Skills (CHiPS) primary prevention program. CHiPS was developed by National Health Promotion Associates (NHPA) and tested in a randomized controlled trial among cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) by a research team led by Dr. Griffin. The results were published online in the American Journal of Public Health January 21, 2021.

Griffin and colleagues found a more than 40% reduction in unwanted sexual contact among U.S. Air Force cadets who participated in the CHiPS intervention compared to those who did not participate in the intervention.

“CHiPS is a small group preventive intervention, developed by NHPA for the U.S. Air Force Academy. The program is based on Botvin Life Skills Training, an evidence-based program which has proven effective at preventing substance abuse, violence, and sexual risk taking among adolescents,” explains Griffin. “The intervention is designed to positively change social norms and bystander intervention behaviors surrounding sexual violence; increase knowledge and skills regarding obtaining consent for sexual activities; address the relationship between sexual violence and alcohol and substance abuse; and build social, self-regulation, and healthy relationship skills through interactive learning and behavioral rehearsal scenarios.”

Their randomized control study included 832 participants, and the new program was implemented in the summer of 2018. About half of the incoming class of 2021 cadets were assigned to receive the prevention program and half were assigned to a control group.

The CHiPS intervention has been sustained at USAFA and implemented with the incoming classes of cadets each summer since the conclusion of this study. This suggests that the program is both effective and has high potential for institutionalization.

This research was funded by the Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Contract Number FA7014-17-P-1006.

About ��AV

About the College of Health and Human Services

��AV's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

Topics

College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health

1 in 10 College Women Experience Period Poverty, More Likely to Experience Depression

dhawkin — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 14:10:07 +0000

1 in 10 College Women Experience Period Poverty, More Likely to Experience Depression dhawkin Tue, 02/02/2021 - 09:10

In This Story

Jhumka Gupta, ScD

New ��AV study is first to examine period poverty experiences and associations with depression among college students.

Period poverty, a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, and other unmet menstrual health needs can have far-reaching consequences for women and girls in the United States and globally.

New research led by ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services found that more than 14% of college women experienced period poverty in the past year, and 10% experienced period poverty every month. Women who experienced period poverty every month (68%) or in the past year (61.2%) were more likely to experience moderate or severe depression than those who did not experience period poverty (43%).

Dr. Jhumka Gupta, an associate professor at ��AV was senior author of the study published in BMC Women's Health. Lauren F. Cardoso, a graduate student in Social Welfare at University of Pennsylvania and a research assistant at ��AV at the time of the study was lead author.

“Period poverty is a common yet hidden and stigmatized public health issue in the United States and globally,” explains Gupta. “It can reduce women’s participation in school and in the workplace. Our findings document the pervasiveness of period poverty among college-aged women and underscores the negative mental health implications. It is thus critical that we provide support to women and other menstruators in obtaining such basic necessities during menstruation.”

For the current study, Gupta, Cardoso, and colleagues collected and analyzed data from 471 women enrolled in undergraduate programs who were part of a larger national, on-line survey on menstrual health, endometriosis, and related stigma.

The study’s findings also point to inequities in period poverty experiences. Black and Latina women reported the highest levels of period poverty experiences in the past year (19% and 24.5% respectively). Similar patterns were also seen for immigrant and first-generation students. In order to address the unmet basic need for menstrual products, women who experienced period poverty reported borrowing products, using other non-menstrual products (e.g., toilet paper or fabric), using pads or tampons longer than recommended, or going without them entirely during menstruation.

Gupta, Cardoso, and colleagues cite promising examples of initiatives in schools, colleges, and cities that have started to offer free menstrual products in recognition of this need, as well as policy initiatives to remove a “luxury tax” from these products.

“The mental health of college students is of tremendous importance in the United States. Our study findings linking period poverty with increased vulnerability to depression suggest that addressing period poverty should be part of efforts to address well-being among college students,” stated Cardoso.

Funding for the study was provided by the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EndoFound) (Grant #:223049, PI: Dr. Jhumka Gupta).

About ��AV

About the College of Health and Human Services

��AV's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

Topics

College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health

faculty spotlight

Kenneth W. Griffin, PhD, MPH

Tip Sheet: U.S. Air Force Academy Intervention Reduces Unwanted Sexual Contact by Over 40 Percent

dhawkin — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 20:52:20 +0000

Tip Sheet: U.S. Air Force Academy Intervention Reduces Unwanted Sexual Contact by Over 40 Percent dhawkin Thu, 01/28/2021 - 15:52

In This Story

While the military service academies have implemented multiple sexual assault prevention programs and social marketing campaigns to improve awareness of and response to sexual assault, the effectiveness of these initiatives is largely unknown due to limited rigorous evaluation.

“CHiPS is a small group preventive intervention, which we developed specifically for the U.S. Air Force Academy. The program is based on Life Skills Training, an evidence-based program which has proven effective at preventing substance abuse, violence, and sexual risk taking among adolescents,” explains Griffin. “The CHiPS intervention is designed to positively change social norms and bystander intervention behaviors surrounding sexual violence; increase knowledge and skills regarding obtaining consent for sexual activities; address the relationship between sexual violence and alcohol and substance abuse; and build social, self-regulation, and healthy relationship skills through interactive learning and behavioral rehearsal scenarios.”

Their randomized control study included 832 participants and the new program was implemented in the summer of 2018. About half of the incoming class of 2021 cadets were assigned to receive the prevention program and half were assigned to a control group. Their results were published online in the American Journal of Public Health January 21, 2021.

Funding for the Current Study

This research was funded by the Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Contract Number FA7014-17-P-1006.

Expert Available for Comment

Dr. Kenneth W. Griffin, PhD, MPH
Dr. Griffin is a Professor in the Department of Global & Community Health at ��AV. His research focuses on the etiology and prevention of health risk behaviors including substance use and violence among children, adolescents, and young adults.

Kenneth Griffin can be reached at kgriff4@gmu.edu.

For more information, contact Danielle Hawkins at dhawkin@gmu.edu or 703-993-1931.

About ��AV

About the College of Health and Human Services

Topics

Military

Military Health

Sexual Behavior

Intervention Research

Research

College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health

Tip Sheet