Jennifer Van Dine
Professor
Columbus
United States
Biography
Jennifer Van Dine has recently completed her MPH in Epidemiology at The Ohio State Univeristy in 2019. She completed her culminating project on identifying risk factors for urinary tract infections among individuals with developmental disabilities to help healthcare professionals to identfy UTIs and help prevent them from occuring.
Research Interest
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the top causes for ambulatory visits in the United States. This is especially a problem for Ohioans with developmental disabilities. There is research about predictors for UTIs among the general population, but few studies are specific to individuals with developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine predictors for UTIs among Ohioans served at the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD). A total of 2489 cases and 17453 controls from the DODD met the study criteria. Data came from the DODD data warehouse and Ohio Medicaid system. Unadjusted, adjusted, and stepwise logistic regression were completed. The stepwise logistic regression found that individuals with autism had reduced odds of getting a UTI (OR=0.75; 95%CI: 0.64, 0.88; p=0.0004) while having a wheelchair increased a person’s odds (OR=1.25; 95%CI: 1.08, 1.45; p=0.0030). The odds varied for age and gender, with females younger than 55 having the highest odds when compared to males younger than 55 (OR=2.45; 95%CI: 1.84, 3.27; p<0.0001). Males who were able to pull themselves to standing had reduced odds of UTI compared to males who could not pull themselves to standing (OR=0.58; 95%CI: 0.47, 0.72; p<0.0001), but the odds of females getting a UTI were increased irrespective of ability to pull themselves to standing. These findings can help healthcare professionals identify individuals at an increased risk for UTIs, helping make a timelier diagnosis, and potential prevent UTIs from occurring.