Delaware journal of public health最新文献

{"title":"Impact of an Intergenerational Service Learning Program on Goal Attainment Among Homebound Older Adults:: A Multi-Site Community Study.","authors":"Yeonjae A Lee, Meti Negassa, Maggie Ratnayake, Maddi Riemenschneider, Keith Chan","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.13","DOIUrl":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.13","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>. More than two million older adults are homebound and five million need help leaving their homes. They often experience social isolation, food insecurity, and lack of connection to community resources. Affordable, adaptable, comprehensive home-based services for those aging in place are lacking. This study examined the benefits of an intergenerational home-based service-learning program on goal attainment in 1) social support, 2) home safety and cleanliness, 3) access to community resources, 4) food access, and 5) improving physical health.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>. 201 homebound and near-homebound older adults enrolled in Lori's Hands in Newark, DE; Baltimore, MD; and Metro Detroit, MI were surveyed between December 2021 and May 2026. Descriptive and chi-square analyses were conducted to examine changes in domain-specific subjective assessment of goal attainment over time.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings indicated that 83% of clients reported positive changes in at least one of the five target service areas over six or more months of participation in the program. The majority of participants reported 1) home safety and cleanliness and 2) social support as their most important goals. Results from the chi-square test indicated statistically significant differences in goal attainment for all five service areas.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results from this study suggest that intergenerational in-home support services can improve social support, home safety and cleanliness, physical activity, food access and nutrition, and access to community resources for homebound older adults, thereby supporting aging in place and reducing the load on informal caregivers.</p><p><strong>Policy implications: </strong>. Policies and practice can support a pipeline of health professionals through innovative service-learning models to benefit older adults, caregivers, students, and the broader community.</p>","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 3","pages":"84-89"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13429250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148665101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Environment on Maternal Breast Milk Utilization: : A Retrospective Study.","authors":"Leia Heckman, Kelsey Flynn, Amy Mackley, Kelley Kovatis","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.18","DOIUrl":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.18","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Prematurity remains a significant cause of infant and childhood morbidity and mortality. Infants who are exclusively breastfed during the first 6 months of life have improved outcomes. A majority of premature infants are discharged home on formula. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) design may influence parental involvement and, in turn, affect breast milk utilization. This study assesses breast milk utilization at discharge, before, and after transitioning from a traditional open-bay NICU to a private, single-family room (SFR) NICU.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a retrospective observational study of infants born at <32 weeks gestation admitted to a level III NICU before and after a transition from a traditional open-bay to a SFR NICU. Infants who received care in both NICU environments were excluded. The primary outcome was breast milk utilization at discharge. Standard descriptive statistics were used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 276 infants were included in the analysis. Demographic and clinical variables did not differ except for increased socioeconomic disadvantage and eligibility for donor breast milk. There was a significant increase in overall breast milk utilization (p=.04) but not maternal breast milk (p=0.61) in the SFR. Infants admitted to the traditional open-bay unit were younger at first oral feeding attempt (34.2 weeks (2.9)) compared to infants in the SFR room (35.2 weeks (2.4), p=0.007).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Transition from a traditional open-bay model to a single-family room (SFR) model affected the time of oral feeding initiation but did not significantly impact breast milk exposure, breastfeeding attempts, or parental involvement in feeding. Breastfeeding outcomes may be more strongly influenced by clinical practices and support systems rather than by the physical environment. Understanding the impact of the NICU environment on feeding practices can inform institutional policies aimed at optimizing breast milk utilization.</p>","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 3","pages":"110-113"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13429254/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148665217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying Barriers to Fall Prevention for Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Delaware:: A Qualitative Study.","authors":"Margaret Gulledge, Jolaolu Jimoh, Gianna Clemente, Tina Lopez","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.07","DOIUrl":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.07","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Falls are a major public health concern among older adults in the United States, and Delaware reflects this growing burden. Fall-related mortality increased steadily from 2012 to 2021, coinciding with a rapidly aging population. Despite the availability of effective evidence-based fall-prevention programs, adoption remains limited among high-risk populations. Grounded in implementation science, this study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators influencing the uptake of fall-prevention interventions among community-dwelling older adults and healthcare providers in Delaware. This project began November 2024 with data collection and analysis concluding March 2026.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative descriptive, multi-method design was employed including semi-structured interviews with nineteen older adults and focus groups of nine healthcare providers in southcentral Delaware. Interviews and focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using inductive and deductive coding. Themes were analyzed using Theoretical Domains Framework and Behavior Change Wheel to categorize barriers and facilitators affecting fall prevention participation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Barriers to fall prevention spanned multiple domains, including limited awareness of programs, financial and transportation challenges, provider gatekeeping, time constraints, and inconsistent referral practices. Older adults frequently underestimated their fall risk, underreported falls, and demonstrated low adherence to preventive behaviors, often compounded by social isolation. Facilitators included willingness to adopt prevention strategies, individualized fall action plans, family and social support, use of emergency alert technologies, and strong provider motivation to address fall risk.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Gaps in fall prevention reflect implementation challenges rather than a lack of available evidence-based programs. Interconnected behavioral, structural, and system-level barriers influence both older adults and healthcare providers. Coordinated, evidence-informed implementation strategies are needed to expand program reach and improve outcomes for Delaware's growing older adult population.</p><p><strong>Policy implications: </strong>Standardized fall risk screening, interprofessional referral pathways, and population-specific implementation strategies for Delaware communities may help reduce fall-related morbidity and mortality among the state's rapidly aging population.</p>","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 3","pages":"24-30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13429249/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148665029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From the Guest Editors.","authors":"Elizabeth Orsega-Smith, Julia O'Hanlon","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2026.07.02","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 3","pages":"4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13429243/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148665031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Successful Aging: : Taking A Ride With Weston.","authors":"Vicki K Sheraton","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2026.07.11","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 3","pages":"50-51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13429259/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148665312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Let's Rethink Aging.","authors":"Susan Getman","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.16","DOIUrl":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.16","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ageism and ageist attitudes and behaviors have a negative impact on the well-being of older adults in Delaware, the fifth oldest state in the country. An integrated, cross-sector public health agenda that addresses both the achievements and challenges of growing older is essential to ensure that Delawareans can age with the highest quality of life possible. Rethinking how we age and valuing longevity can make Delaware, the First State, First in Aging.</p>","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 3","pages":"98-100"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13429245/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148665170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of Higher Education Institutions in Advancing Healthy Aging: : Education, Engagement, and Experiential Learning Collaborations.","authors":"Cynthia Newton, Julia O'Hanlon, Elizabeth Orsega-Smith","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.07.06","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2026.07.06","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Delaware is experiencing a significant demographic shift as its older adult population continues to grow. Currently, approximately 18 percent of Delaware residents are age 65 years and older, and projections indicate that more than one in five Delawareans will be over age 65 by 2030. Concurrently, chronic disease prevalence, physical inactivity, cognitive decline, and other aging-related health challenges continue to place increasing demands on healthcare systems, community services, and public health infrastructure. Addressing these complex issues requires coordinated, interdisciplinary approaches that integrate research, education, workforce development, and community engagement. This paper highlights the collective contributions of Delaware's public institutions of higher education in advancing healthy aging initiatives across the state. Programs and activities supported by Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College, and the University of Delaware are unique in scope and topic but collectively contribute to research, workforce training, evidence-based program implementation, policy development, and community outreach. Beyond individual programs, this paper emphasizes the value of interdisciplinary partnerships among academic institutions, healthcare organizations, government agencies, and community stakeholders. Such collaborations enhance opportunities for experiential learning, translational research, workforce development, and evaluation of programs that support older adults across rural, suburban, and urban communities. Looking forward, Delaware's higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to strengthen statewide collaboration through shared educational opportunities, aging-focused workforce initiatives, coordinated research efforts, and a proposed statewide aging summit. By leveraging collective expertise and resources of the state's rich academic programs, Delaware can develop a coordinated strategy to promote healthy aging, improve quality of life, and prepare for the needs of its rapidly growing older adult population.</p>","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 3","pages":"18-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13429253/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148665168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From the Guest Editor.","authors":"Jennifer A Horney","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.05.02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2026.05.02","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 2","pages":"4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13245564/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148213481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"20 Years of the Delaware Healthy Mother & Infant Consortium: Embracing the Celebration, Heeding the Call to Action.","authors":"Priscilla Mpasi, Tiffany Chalk, Leah A Jones","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.05.06","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2026.05.06","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 2","pages":"10-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13245563/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148213499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancing Cardiovascular Health in Delaware Through Community Partnerships.","authors":"Athena Klapak","doi":"10.32481/djph.2026.05.03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2026.05.03","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72774,"journal":{"name":"Delaware journal of public health","volume":"12 2","pages":"6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13245573/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148213487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}