Publications by authors named "Melissa M Howard"

Background: Pregnant people are often introduced to fetal movement counting to monitor the health of their fetus. This study aims to examine the impacts of app-based fetal movement counting on experiences during pregnancy and birth.

Method: This study used two types of secondary data including individual user's app use and their end of pregnancy survey data collected on the Count the Kicks (CTK) app.

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Being pregnant during COVID-19 increases the risk of experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms, which in turn increases the risk of complications. This study aimed to examine COVID-19-related beliefs, behaviors, and birth outcomes among users of Count the Kicks (CTK), a fetal movement tracking app. This study used the End of Pregnancy Survey data from 1037 CTK users.

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Following a pediatric stroke, outcome measures selected for monitoring functional recovery and development vary widely. We sought to develop a toolkit of outcome measures that are currently available to clinicians, possess strong psychometric properties, and are feasible for use within clinical settings. A multidisciplinary group of clinicians and scientists from the International Pediatric Stroke Organization comprehensively reviewed the quality of measures in multiple domains described in pediatric stroke populations including global performance, motor and cognitive function, language, quality of life, and behavior and adaptive functioning.

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Dysphagia is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in stroke survivors. Electrical stimulation is often included as part of the treatment plan for dysphagia and can be applied at a sensory or motor level intensity. However, evidence to support these different modes of stimulation is lacking.

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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains a public health priority, and vaccination is important for ending the pandemic. Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionally affected by COVID-19 yet report high levels of vaccination hesitancy.

Objective: We conducted virtual town halls to address vaccine hesitancy among racial and ethnic minorities in South Florida.

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Maternal and child health (MCH), as a core sub-field of public health, continues to be an essential area in which additional workforce development and investment are needed. Recent public health workforce assessments in the United States reveal there will be a significant number of vacancies in MCH public health positions in the near future, creating the need for a well-trained and skilled public health MCH workforce. In order to address this potential critical workforce gap, the U.

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Purpose: The goals of this article are to explore the use of textured thin liquids for dysphagic patients who require thickened liquids and to illustrate their impact on hydration and patient satisfaction.

Method: A retrospective evaluation of textured thin liquids was completed using patient data looking at laboratory values relevant to the detection of dehydration (blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, sodium) and patient satisfaction (using a clinician-generated questionnaire) on different modified liquid textures. In addition, the viscosity for all liquids was tested using a rheometer.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to develop and test the reliability of self-report survey items designed to monitor the nonmedical use of prescription drugs among adolescents.

Methods: Eighteen nonmedical prescription drug items designed to be congruent with the substance abuse items in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Youth Risk Behavior Survey were constructed, reviewed by a panel of experts, and then examined to assess reliability using a test-retest survey design.

Results: Simple kappa (kappa) coefficients for 14 of the 18 items demonstrated "substantial" or "almost perfect" reliability.

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