School of Rural Public Health Center for Community Health Development awarded federal funding to continue activities

The Center for Community Health Development (CCHD) in the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, which addresses critical health issues in rural and underserved populations in communities across Texas, has been awarded $3.9 million for five years from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue its activities as one of 35 CDC designated and funded prevention research centers nationwide.

“This five-year funding from the CDC will provide critical support for the center, school and health science center to work closely with regional and state organizations and groups to improve the health of our rural and underserved populations,” said Kenneth McLeroy, Ph.D., CDC grant principal investigator. “It also strengthens our ability to collaborate with other prevention research centers, including our partners at The University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, to address the health and public health needs of the state and nation.”

The CCHD also received $2 million in support of three special interest projects focusing on healthy aging, nutrition and obesity, and cancer.

Two of the special interest projects will be led by Joseph Sharkey, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., associate professor in the HSC-School of Rural Public Health. The Texas Healthy Aging Network, which Dr. Sharkey established in 2004, received funding to continue working with a network of community, health and aging service organizations in the seven-county region of the Brazos Valley, the Lower Rio Grande Valley and across Texas to conduct community-based participatory research on prevention of health issues related to aging.

The Texas Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research Network (TxNOPRN), also led by Dr. Sharkey, received funding to work in collaboration with the national Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research Network (NOPRN) to address issues related to identification, adoption and outcome of policies affecting improved access and availability of healthy foods. TxNOPRN also will target rural communities within Central Texas and colonias – residential area along the Texas-Mexico border that typically lacks the most basic living necessities – in South Texas to determine policy changes related to children’s access to healthy foods.

The Central Texas Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network – led by Marcia Ory, Ph.D., M.P.H., Regents Professor in the HSC-School of Rural Public Health, in coordination with colleagues at Scott & White Healthcare and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service – was the third special item funded. The network aims to involve community members in research around cancer prevention and control by working closely with community stakeholders and disseminating evidence-based cancer prevention and control interventions. The focus of these interventions will be to improve the coordination of post-treatment care. It also will link cancer survivors to resources in their communities that encourage adoption of lifestyle behaviors reducing the risk of reoccurrence or occurrence of another type of cancer.

“An additional five years of funding plus the expansion of activities through these special interest projects validates that the center is filling an important role in the nation’s prevention research,” said James N. Burdine, Dr.P.H., CCHD director and co-principal investigator. “It also encourages us to increase our efforts to demonstrate the value of improving communities’ ability to solve local health problems as a key component of any national health care reform strategy.”

The Center for Community Health Development mission is to work collaboratively with communities and other partners to translate, evaluate and disseminate effective individual, organizational, community and regional strategies for addressing critical public health and health-related issues in rural and underserved populations.

Sang Nam Ahn's doctoral work completed

The School of Rural Public Health is extraordinarily pleased to announce that one of our doctoral students has successfully defended his capstone project and will be awarded his diploma this December. Sang Nam Ahn came to SRPH just a few short years ago after completing his degree at the Bush School. Last week, he presented the results of his capstone work on obesity in the elderly in the US and China. The work was very well received by all members of his committee. His committee included Dr. Charles D. Phillips as chair, Dr. Catherine Hawes, Dr. Charles Huber, Dr. Ming Tai-Seale, and Dr. Bita Kash.

It is very likely that next year Dr. Ahn will be engaged in a post-doctoral fellowship program. I hope that all of you congratulate him on his achievement.

Charles D. Phillips, PhD, MPH

Bigger and Older: Accomodating the worker of the future

oronto played host to the largest health and safety event in Canada in April. Organized by IAPA, the event showcased more than 530 booths and drew 6,000 safety professionals, who attended sessions on topics from drunk driving and mental health, to machine guards and explosion prevention.

From a procurement perspective, Jerome Congleton, co-director of the Ergonomics Centre at Texas A & M University Health Science Center, talked about the “office of the future,” and the equipment needed to accommodate an increasingly diverse workforce.

“Productivity increases up to 17 per cent if you [install] sit/stand workstations,” Congleton explained. He showed photos of the concept, which allows employees to stand at a desk, or to sit, depending on their inclination. The sit/stand design helps prevent pain from prolonged sitting, and improves attention levels, he noted. It’s also better for overall health.

“If you stand two hours more a day than you currently do, you’ll burn 280 calories a day and lose 20 pounds a year,” he said. “We need to have more movement in our office in our daily activities. You have to be innovative in getting more standing than you’re currently getting.”

In a recent case study with a multinational organization, discomfort ratings improved more than 26 per cent with sit/stand workstations, he said. Work-related injury and illness went down by 28 per cent, and lost-time by 82 per cent.

Increasing obesity

Another prominent trend is obesity, he added. “Our workforce has become increasingly obese and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”

The larger size of the typical worker requires equipment such as split keyboards. The two-part keyboards alleviate discomfort among obese people, and they’re also more ergonomic in general, he added, due to their adjustability.

Congleton also focused on the vast range of body types in a typical industrial setting, especially now that more women have joined the manufacturing and logistics field. As part of his demonstration, he called two members of the audience up to the podium.

One was a petite woman about five feet tall, and the other a man over six feet tall. He showed how key body positions such as elbow rest-height, hand span and arm length were so dramatically different between the two. Yet, tools, conveyors and other machinery are all set at one height deemed to suit the ‘average’ worker. He pointed out step stools and other devices go a long way to preventing strain injuries.

He also noted the increasing age of the typical employee. “With the economy being as it is, a lot of people are going to have to keep on working,” he said. Older workers need larger font sizes, and lift-assist devices as muscle strength declines.

With technology going mobile, he sees employees lugging around laptops, cell phones, projectors, mini-printers and PDAs. He suggested one case for everything, with roller wheels.

He urged attendees to prepare their organizations for the shifting demographics by starting with their own offices.
“Your workplace should be the ergonomic example,” he concluded. “If you don’t walk the walk, and talk the talk, how do you expect people to follow?”

Aside from ergonomics, experts gave presentations on numerous issues, such as preventing violence in the workplace, managing young employees, forklift safety and air quality.

-Lisa Wichmann, B2B News

Public Health Week

With this year’s theme of “Building the Foundation for a Healthy America,” the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health will celebrate National Public Health Week (April 6-12) throughout April with numerous presentations, a “5K Fun Run/Walk” and more.

The following is a list of scheduled events:

Prior to National Public Health Week
• City of Bryan Mayor D. Mark Conlee and City of College Station Mayor Ben White are scheduled to join Roderick E. McCallum, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs and interim dean of the HSC-School of Rural Public Health, for a proclamation signing Tuesday, March 24 at 6 p.m. at the beginning of the Bryan City Council Meeting.
• A national health exhibit will be displayed March 27-April 1 in the HSC-School of Rural Public Health Administration Building lobby (corner of Stotzer Parkway and Adriance). The Association of Schools of Public Health is partnering with the National Library of Medicine to offer a national traveling version of the exhibit, “Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health.” The exhibit consists of six-foot-tall banners highlighting stories of individuals and communities making a difference in global health. The exhibit will be at the HSC-South Texas Center in McAllen beginning April 28.

Throughout National Public Health Week
• HSC-School of Rural Public Health student research posters will be exhibited in the Classroom Building.
• School students in the informatics course are learning about communicating public health issues by developing public service announcements (PSAs) for newspapers, radio, posters and flyers, and social networking media such as YouTube. Each student selected a topic from the “Healthy People 2010” project along with an audience and media, then followed guidelines for writing an effective PSA.

Saturday, April 4
• The second annual “5K Fun Run/Walk” to raise money for HSC-School of Rural Public Health student scholarships is from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Entry fee is $15, with open registration and packet pick-up beginning at 7:30 a.m. Age groups are 25 and under, 26-35, 26-45 and over 50. Awards will be given in the age groups, along with top male and female finishers. There are goodie bags, T-shirts, post-race drawings and a student/faculty poster session. The purpose of the 5K Fun Run/Walk is to raise money for HSC-School of Rural Public Health student scholarships and special projects and to provide an opportunity for the Brazos Valley to "kick start" healthy living initiatives through the run/walk. Registration is available online at http://srph.tamhsc.edu/fun-run/index.html, by campus mail to TAMU 1266 (Attn: Fun Run Committee) or in person at the HSC-School of Rural Public Health Administration Building front desk. For more information, contact Harlan Johnson at (979) 845-5790 or hjohnson@srph.tamhsc.edu
• A series of public health presentations by HSC-School of Rural Public Health faculty begin at 10:30 a.m. Catherine Hawes, Ph.D, and Charles Phillips, Ph.D., M.P.H., will speak on “Nursing Home or Assisted Living: When Is It the Correct Choice and How to Select the Best Facility.” They will be followed at 11:30 a.m. by Jean Brender, Ph.D., R.N., on “Healthy Pregnancies-Healthy Babies: What You Can Do for Yourself or for Your Daughter Now.” Mark Benden, Ph.D., concludes at 12:30 p.m. with “Is Work a Pain in the Neck? Ergonomic Tips for Healthy Computing at Home, School and Work.” A 20-30 minute question-and-answer session follows each presentation.

Monday, April 6
• A series of four 15-minute disparities grant presentations will be given starting at noon. Topics are “Measurement of Household Food Availability Among Limited Resource Families,” “Home and Community Factors Affecting Children’s Physical Activity and Healthful Eating in the Summer,” “Fathers’ Perceived Role as Health Liaisons for Childhood Obesity Prevention,” and “Multicultural Assessment Validity: A Test of Complexity, Impartiality, and Accuracy in the Case Conceptualization of African-American Male College Students.” A free lunch will be served, and an RSVP is required.

Tuesday, April 7
• The HSC-School of Rural Public Health Social and Behavioral Student Organization and the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center will host a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the HSC-SRPH complex.
• Two HSC-School of Rural Public Health student groups will have public health information tables on display at the complex.

Wednesday, April 8
• HSC-School of Rural Public Health students will make presentations to Brazos Valley middle school classrooms. Included is a video, “This is Public Health,” along with associated activities.

Dr. Benden to present at Health and Safety Congress

Dr. Mark Benden has been asked to make two presentations at the Health & Safety Congress in Panama City, Panama in April: "Occupational Obesity-Workplace Design and New Methods of Employer Based Prevention" and "Construction Ergonomics-Avoiding Costly Workplace Injuries through User-Centered Design."