https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/83 Our Mission in the School of Public Health is to have a significant impact on improving the health of the people of Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary training and development of health professionals and others to be leaders in public health, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management. Thu, 09 Apr 2026 03:56:18 GMT 2026-04-09T03:56:18Z https://dspace.aua.am:443/xmlui/bitstream/id/c8846880-3d53-42e5-b61c-f4e5ae5ba979/ https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/83 https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/2407 Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus and Factors Associated with It in Armenia, 2021 Demirchyan, Anahit; Mozalevskis, Antons; Sahakyan, Serine; Musheghyan, Lusine; Aslanyan, Lusine; Muradyan, Diana; Sargsyants, Narina; Ghukasyan, Gayane; Petrosyan, Varduhi Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is among the leading causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Knowledge of its prevalence and risk factors can help to effectively fight the virus. This study was the first to investigate the seroprevalence of HCV, its genotypes, and factors associated with it among the general adult population of Armenia selected countrywide via cluster sampling. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected using third-generation immunoassay. Polymerase chain reaction and genotyping was performed among anti-HCV-positive individuals. Shortly after testing, the participants underwent a telephone survey. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with anti-HCV antibody positivity and chronic HCV infection. The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies among 3831 tested individuals was 2% (99% CI 1.4, 2.5), and chronic HCV infection was 0.7% (99% CI 0.4, 1.0), with genotypes 3 and 2 being the most common. The risk factors for chronic HCV infection included self-reported chronic liver disease (95% CI 1.47, 15.28), having tattoos (95% CI 1.34, 10.94), ever smoking (95% CI 1.16, 9.18), and testing positive for hepatitis B virus core antibody (95% CI 1.02, 7.17). These risk factors demonstrate that there could be room for strengthening infection control measures to prevent the transmission of HCV in Armenia. The Turpanjian College of Health Sciences (CHS) at the American University of Armenia has published an article entitled “Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus and Factors Associated with It in Armenia, 2021.” The article was published in Viruses, a highly cited, peer-reviewed, open access journal of virology, published online by the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) and affiliated with societies of virology in many countries. Volume 16, Issue 9, 2024. DOI: 10.3390/v16091446 Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/2407 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/2398 Socio-demographic determinants of infectious disease-related health literacy and knowledge in Armenia: Results from a nationwide survey Sargsyan, Zhanna; Grigoryan, Zaruhi; Sahakyan, Serine; Agopian, Anya; Harutyunyan, Tsovinar The success of health education programs heavily depends on the individuals’ ability to comprehend information and apply it when making decisions regarding health. Low health literacy can lead to poor health in the context of both chronic and infectious diseases, as it influences a range of health-related behaviors. Little is known about infectious disease-related health literacy in Armenia and countries of similar socio-economic profiles. We aimed to quantify the levels of infectious disease-related health literacy and knowledge among the Armenian population and explore the underlying socio-economic factors. The Turpanjian College of Health Sciences (CHS) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) has published this article on health literacy in Armenia in PLOS ONE, an open-access, high impact peer-reviewed scientific journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307300 Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/2398 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/2392 Examining local smoke-free coalitions in Armenia and Georgia: context and outcomes of a matched-pairs community-randomised controlled trial Berg, Carla J; Haardörfer, Regine; Torosyan, Arevik; Dekanosidze, Ana; Grigoryan, Lilit; Sargsyan, Zhanna; Hayrumyan, Varduhi; Sturua, Lela; Topuridze, Marina; Petrosyan, Varduhi; Bazarchyan, Alexander; Kegler, Michelle C Introduction. Local coalitions can advance public health initiatives such as smoke-free air but have not been widely used or well-studied in low-income and middle-income countries. Methods. We conducted a matched-pairs community-randomised controlled trial in 28 communities in Armenia and Georgia (N=14/country) in which we helped establish local coalitions in 2019 and provided training and technical assistance for coalition activity promoting smoke-free policy development and enforcement (2019–2021). Surveys of ~1450 households (Fall 2018, May–June 2022) were conducted to evaluate coalition impact on smoke-free policy support, smoke-free home adoption, secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe), and coalition awareness and activity exposure, using multivariable mixed modelling. Results. Bivariate analyses indicated that, at follow-up versus baseline, both conditions reported greater smoke-free home rates (53.6% vs 38.5%) and fewer days of SHSe on average (~11 vs ~12 days), and that intervention versus control condition communities reported greater coalition awareness (24.3% vs 12.2%) and activity exposure (71.2% vs 64.5%). Multivariable modelling indicated that intervention (vs control) communities reported greater rates of complete smoke-free homes (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 1.55, 95% confiedence interval [CI] 1.11 to 2.18, p=0.011) and coalition awareness (aOR 2.89, 95% CI 1.44 to 8.05, p=0.043) at follow-up. However, there were no intervention effects on policy support, SHSe or community-based activity exposure. Conclusions. Findings must be considered alongside several sociopolitical factors during the study, including national smoke-free policies implementation (Georgia, 2018; Armenia, 2022), these countries’ participation in an international tobacco legislation initiative, the COVID-19 pandemic and regional/local war). The intervention effect on smoke-free homes is critical, as smoke-free policy implementation provides opportunities to accelerate smoke-free home adoption via local coalitions. The paper, titled “Examining local smoke-free coalitions in Armenia and Georgia: context and outcomes of a matched-pairs community-randomised controlled trial” and authored by Dr. Carla J. Berg, Dr. Regine Haardörfer, Arevik Torosyan, Dr. Ana Dekanosidze, Lilit Grigoryan, Zhanna Sargsyan, Varduhi Hayrumyan, Dr. Lela Sturua, Dr. Marina Topuridze, Dr. Varduhi Petrosyan, Dr. Alexander Bazarchyan, and Dr. Michelle C. Kegler, examined the impact of local coalitions in promoting smoke-free policy adoption and enforcement over a three-year period (2019–2022) using an experimental design (matched-pairs community-randomized controlled trial) in 28 communities across Armenia and Georgia. BMJ Global Health, Volume 9, Issue 2, February 7, 2024 Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/2392 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/2300 Recovery from post-earthquake psychopathology among survivors of the 1988 Armenian earthquake 23 years after the event Khachadourian, Vahe; Armenian, Haroutune; Goenjian, Armen; Demirchyan, Anahit Background: A significant proportion of disaster survivors develop mental disorders. However, studies evaluating determinants for long-term recovery from psychopathology are scarce. This study identifies factors associated with recovery from post-disaster psychopathologies among 1988 Armenian earthquake survivors. Methods: This is part of a longitudinal epidemiologic study among survivors of the 1988 Spitak earthquake. A nested cohort of 544 subjects was assessed in 1991 and 2012. Subjects had one-or-more baseline psychopathologies, including depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorder. Based on our 2012 psychological assessment, individuals formed two groups: those who recovered from all psychopathologies and those who did not. The associations of socio-demographic characteristics and earthquake-related and life-time experiences with recovery from psychopathologies were explored using multivariable logistic regression. Results: About 60% of individuals with one-or-more psychopathologies in 1991 were free of psychopathology in 2012. After controlling for confounders, we found access to healthcare services (OR=1.80, CI: 1.21-2.68) and perceived average/high socioeconomic status during the 10 years following the earthquake (OR=1.64, CI: 1.12-2.39) were positively associated with recovery. Each additional negative stressful life event decreased the likelihood of recovery from psychopathologies (OR=0.88, CI: 0.80-0.97). Those with severe financial/material losses had 61% lower odds of recovery (OR=0.39, CI: 0.19-0.78). Among those with severe losses, post-earthquake financial/material support contributed to recovery (OR=5.57, CI: 2.01-14.85). Discussion: Earthquake-related losses have long-lasting negative impacts on the mental health of survivors. Post-disaster adversities and harsh living conditions aggravate the sequel of psychopathology among victims. Timely financial/material support and access to healthcare services helps recovery, particularly for those experiencing severe losses.  The paper “Recovery from Post-Earthquake Psychopathology Among Survivors of the 1988 Armenian Earthquake 23 Years After the Event” was published in the Psychology and Behavioral Science International Journal. Volume 19, Issue 1, September 2022. DOI: 10.19080/PBSIJ.2022.19.556010. Thu, 01 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://dspace.aua.am/xmlui/handle/123456789/2300 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z