Joe Brown
Biographic Data
| ID | 3582724 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Joe Brown |
| GIVEN NAMES | Joe |
| FAMILY NAME | Brown |
| SIGNATURE | BROWN J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5200-4148 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 24 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1949 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Enteric pathogens in soil adjacent to public waste bins in Maputo, Mozambique offers potential for environmental surveillance
Wastewater surveillance has been widely adopted since the COVID-19 pandemic, but non-sewered (e.g., onsite) sanitation is a common form of sanitation in cities of low- and middle-income countries. Environmental surveillance in these settings requires alternatives to wastewater. We collected 81 soil samples adjacent to public waste bins inside the sewered and non-sewered areas of Maputo and a 150-meter-wide buffer zone between the two areas, as we…
Towards the responsible development of microbiome engineering in the built environment
This Perspective calls for a transdisciplinary framework for the responsible advancement of Microbiome Engineering of the Built Environment (MEoBE). Acknowledging MEoBE's potential to improve public health, we highlight the need for early core practices and principles incorporating societal and ethical considerations. We propose integrating Responsible Research and Innovation (AIRR: anticipation, inclusion, responsiveness, reflexivity) with the N…
Environmental pathogen surveillance in cities without universal piped wastewater infrastructure
Although wastewater surveillance for assessing community health and well-being is now mainstream, most cities in low- and middle-income countries lack conventional wastewater services. In these settings, environmental surveillance beyond conventional wastewater offers the potential to inform public health responses, design interventions intended to reduce exposures, and to evaluate infection control programs. To explore these potential use cases,…
Variability of enteric pathogen infections by season and meteorological conditions in a low-income, urban setting in Mozambique
Enteric pathogen transmission is influenced by seasonality and meteorological conditions, yet pathogen-specific dynamics are not well understood. We investigated the relationships between (1) season, (2) heavy rainfall events, and (3) temperature and enteric pathogen infections among 12-month-old children in a low-income, urban setting. We analyzed household data and stool samples from 630 participants enrolled in the PAASIM Study in Beira, Mozam…
Validity of a visual analogue scale to measure and value the perceived level of sanitation
Two billion people globally lack access to a basic toilet, and sanitation is a critical determinant of health and well-being. Evaluations of sanitation programmes typically measure disease or behaviour, and visual analogue scales (VASs) have not been used to measure users’ feelings about their level of sanitation. In this study, we assess the validity of a horizontal sanitation VAS numbered 0–10, with end anchors ‘best imaginable’ and ‘worst imag…
Assessing water and health insecurity in informal settlements
Vulnerable groups at the margins of societies in Europe, such as Roma people, often live in unregulated housing, where they cannot access safe drinking water, sanitation and waste management. The invisibility of these groups and inaccessibility of reliable, up-to-date information complicates understanding of service gaps, related health risks, and the potential for assistance through targeted interventions. We conducted a systematic scoping revie…
Water, sanitation and hygiene (Wash)
Despite some progress, universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) by 2030—a remit of Sustainable Development Goal 6—remains a distant prospect in many countries. Policy-makers and implementers of the WASH sector are challenged to track a new path. This research aimed to identify core orienting themes of the sector, as legacies of past processes, which can provide insights for its future. We reviewed global policy, science and p…
Associations between Shared Sanitation, Stunting and Diarrhoea in Low-Income, High Density Urban Neighbourhoods of Maputo, Mozambique - a Cross-Sectional Study
Use of an improved shared latrine is associated with decreased odds of stunting. There is no evidence of an association between latrine improvement and diarrhoea. Further investigation is necessary to isolate attributes of shared sanitation facilities that may reduce health risks
Effectiveness of interventions to improve drinking water, sanitation, and handwashing with soap on risk of diarrhoeal disease in children in low-income and middle-income settings
Using path analysis to test theory of change
MapSan trial registration: NCT02362932 Feb-13-2015
Risk factors for child food contamination in low‐income neighbourhoods of Maputo, Mozambique
In low- and middle-income countries, food may be a critical transmission route for pathogens causing childhood diarrhoea, but basic food hygiene is often overlooked in public health strategies. Characterising child food contamination and its risk factors could help prioritise interventions to reduce foodborne diarrhoeal disease, especially in low-income urban areas where the diarrhoeal disease burden is often high. This cross-sectional study comp…
Child Salivary SIgA and Its Relationship to Enteric Infections and EED Biomarkers in Maputo, Mozambique
Characterizing child immunological responses to enteric infections with antibody detection in serum can be challenging in resource-constrained field settings, because sample collection requires trained individuals and its invasive procedure may lead to low response rates, especially among children. Saliva may present a promising non-invasive alternative. The objectives of this research were to compare salivary antibody levels in children to enter…
Water and Sanitation in Urban America, 2017–2019
Objectives. To estimate the population lacking at least basic water and sanitation access in the urban United States. Methods. We compared national estimates of water and sanitation access from the World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund Joint Monitoring Program with estimates from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on homelessness and the American Community Survey on household water and sanitation facilities. Res…
Aligning evidence generation and use across health, development, and environment
Although health, development, and environment challenges are interconnected, evidence remains fractured across sectors due to methodological and conceptual differences in research and practice. Aligned methods are needed to support Sustainable Development Goal advances and similar agendas. The Bridge Collaborative, an emergent research-practice collaboration, presents principles and recommendations that help harmonize methods for evidence generat…
Shared latrines in Maputo, Mozambique
BACKGROUND: Approximately 18% of Sub-Saharan Africa's urban population relies on shared sanitation facilities, which are shared by one or more households. While there is growing recognition of sanitation's relationship with stress and well-being - particularly among women - most research has focused on rural populations and the transition from open defecation and/or unimproved latrines to private shared sanitation. This study explores sanitation-…
Shared Sanitation Management and the Role of Social Capital
Shared sanitation-sanitation facilities shared by multiple households-is increasingly common in rapidly growing urban areas in low-income countries. However, shared sanitation facilities are often poorly maintained, dissuading regular use and potentially increasing disease risk. In a series of focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, we explored the determinants of shared sanitation management within the context of a larger-scale health i…
Estimation of global recoverable human and animal faecal biomass
Open Defecation Sites, Unmet Sanitation Needs, and Potential Sanitary Risks in Atlanta, Georgia, 2017–2018
Objectives. To survey the spatial distribution and enteric pathogen profile of discarded human feces in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Methods. After defining priority search areas in central Atlanta, we conducted 5 searches of open defecation sites totaling 15 hours during the period from October 2017 to January 2018. We collected fresh stools for analysis via multiplex reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to identify presence of 15 co…
User preferences and willingness to pay for safe drinking water
Long-Term Worries after Colposcopy
The effects of storage time and temperature on recovery of salivary secretory immunoglobulin A
s-IgA is stable at ambient temperatures in Zambia for at least 15 days, suggesting no need for cold chain handling before analysis in field-based surveillance applications
Associations between Perceptions of Drinking Water Service Delivery and Measured Drinking Water Quality in Rural Alabama
Although small, rural water supplies may present elevated microbial risks to consumers in some settings, characterizing exposures through representative point-of-consumption sampling is logistically challenging. In order to evaluate the usefulness of consumer self-reported data in predicting measured water quality and risk factors for contamination, we compared matched consumer interview data with point-of-survey, household water quality and pres…
Nocturnal Convenience
On-site sanitation (OSS) is not universal in the rural United States: access to and function of available options are limited by geological, economic, regulatory, and policy constraints. In Alabama's rural Black Belt region, widespread impermeability of soils and a lack of locally accepted, cost-effective technical solutions contribute to limited access to functional OSS. Despite the existence of federal and state financial assistance programs in…
Pocket Italian
User preferences and willingness to pay for safe drinking water
Water and Sanitation in Urban America, 2017–2019
Objectives. To estimate the population lacking at least basic water and sanitation access in the urban United States. Methods. We compared national estimates of water and sanitation access from the World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund Joint Monitoring Program with estimates from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on homelessness and the American Community Survey on household water and sanitation facilities. Res…
Open Defecation Sites, Unmet Sanitation Needs, and Potential Sanitary Risks in Atlanta, Georgia, 2017–2018
Objectives. To survey the spatial distribution and enteric pathogen profile of discarded human feces in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Methods. After defining priority search areas in central Atlanta, we conducted 5 searches of open defecation sites totaling 15 hours during the period from October 2017 to January 2018. We collected fresh stools for analysis via multiplex reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to identify presence of 15 co…
Estimation of global recoverable human and animal faecal biomass
Pocket Italian
Nocturnal Convenience
On-site sanitation (OSS) is not universal in the rural United States: access to and function of available options are limited by geological, economic, regulatory, and policy constraints. In Alabama's rural Black Belt region, widespread impermeability of soils and a lack of locally accepted, cost-effective technical solutions contribute to limited access to functional OSS. Despite the existence of federal and state financial assistance programs in…
The effects of storage time and temperature on recovery of salivary secretory immunoglobulin A
s-IgA is stable at ambient temperatures in Zambia for at least 15 days, suggesting no need for cold chain handling before analysis in field-based surveillance applications
Associations between Perceptions of Drinking Water Service Delivery and Measured Drinking Water Quality in Rural Alabama
Although small, rural water supplies may present elevated microbial risks to consumers in some settings, characterizing exposures through representative point-of-consumption sampling is logistically challenging. In order to evaluate the usefulness of consumer self-reported data in predicting measured water quality and risk factors for contamination, we compared matched consumer interview data with point-of-survey, household water quality and pres…
Long-Term Worries after Colposcopy
User preferences and willingness to pay for safe drinking water
Shared latrines in Maputo, Mozambique
BACKGROUND: Approximately 18% of Sub-Saharan Africa's urban population relies on shared sanitation facilities, which are shared by one or more households. While there is growing recognition of sanitation's relationship with stress and well-being - particularly among women - most research has focused on rural populations and the transition from open defecation and/or unimproved latrines to private shared sanitation. This study explores sanitation-…
Shared Sanitation Management and the Role of Social Capital
Shared sanitation-sanitation facilities shared by multiple households-is increasingly common in rapidly growing urban areas in low-income countries. However, shared sanitation facilities are often poorly maintained, dissuading regular use and potentially increasing disease risk. In a series of focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, we explored the determinants of shared sanitation management within the context of a larger-scale health i…
Estimation of global recoverable human and animal faecal biomass
Open Defecation Sites, Unmet Sanitation Needs, and Potential Sanitary Risks in Atlanta, Georgia, 2017–2018
Objectives. To survey the spatial distribution and enteric pathogen profile of discarded human feces in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Methods. After defining priority search areas in central Atlanta, we conducted 5 searches of open defecation sites totaling 15 hours during the period from October 2017 to January 2018. We collected fresh stools for analysis via multiplex reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to identify presence of 15 co…
Aligning evidence generation and use across health, development, and environment
Although health, development, and environment challenges are interconnected, evidence remains fractured across sectors due to methodological and conceptual differences in research and practice. Aligned methods are needed to support Sustainable Development Goal advances and similar agendas. The Bridge Collaborative, an emergent research-practice collaboration, presents principles and recommendations that help harmonize methods for evidence generat…
Risk factors for child food contamination in low‐income neighbourhoods of Maputo, Mozambique
In low- and middle-income countries, food may be a critical transmission route for pathogens causing childhood diarrhoea, but basic food hygiene is often overlooked in public health strategies. Characterising child food contamination and its risk factors could help prioritise interventions to reduce foodborne diarrhoeal disease, especially in low-income urban areas where the diarrhoeal disease burden is often high. This cross-sectional study comp…
Child Salivary SIgA and Its Relationship to Enteric Infections and EED Biomarkers in Maputo, Mozambique
Characterizing child immunological responses to enteric infections with antibody detection in serum can be challenging in resource-constrained field settings, because sample collection requires trained individuals and its invasive procedure may lead to low response rates, especially among children. Saliva may present a promising non-invasive alternative. The objectives of this research were to compare salivary antibody levels in children to enter…
Water and Sanitation in Urban America, 2017–2019
Objectives. To estimate the population lacking at least basic water and sanitation access in the urban United States. Methods. We compared national estimates of water and sanitation access from the World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund Joint Monitoring Program with estimates from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on homelessness and the American Community Survey on household water and sanitation facilities. Res…
Using path analysis to test theory of change
MapSan trial registration: NCT02362932 Feb-13-2015
Effectiveness of interventions to improve drinking water, sanitation, and handwashing with soap on risk of diarrhoeal disease in children in low-income and middle-income settings
Water, sanitation and hygiene (Wash)
Despite some progress, universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) by 2030—a remit of Sustainable Development Goal 6—remains a distant prospect in many countries. Policy-makers and implementers of the WASH sector are challenged to track a new path. This research aimed to identify core orienting themes of the sector, as legacies of past processes, which can provide insights for its future. We reviewed global policy, science and p…
Associations between Shared Sanitation, Stunting and Diarrhoea in Low-Income, High Density Urban Neighbourhoods of Maputo, Mozambique - a Cross-Sectional Study
Use of an improved shared latrine is associated with decreased odds of stunting. There is no evidence of an association between latrine improvement and diarrhoea. Further investigation is necessary to isolate attributes of shared sanitation facilities that may reduce health risks
Validity of a visual analogue scale to measure and value the perceived level of sanitation
Two billion people globally lack access to a basic toilet, and sanitation is a critical determinant of health and well-being. Evaluations of sanitation programmes typically measure disease or behaviour, and visual analogue scales (VASs) have not been used to measure users’ feelings about their level of sanitation. In this study, we assess the validity of a horizontal sanitation VAS numbered 0–10, with end anchors ‘best imaginable’ and ‘worst imag…
Assessing water and health insecurity in informal settlements
Vulnerable groups at the margins of societies in Europe, such as Roma people, often live in unregulated housing, where they cannot access safe drinking water, sanitation and waste management. The invisibility of these groups and inaccessibility of reliable, up-to-date information complicates understanding of service gaps, related health risks, and the potential for assistance through targeted interventions. We conducted a systematic scoping revie…
Enteric pathogens in soil adjacent to public waste bins in Maputo, Mozambique offers potential for environmental surveillance
Wastewater surveillance has been widely adopted since the COVID-19 pandemic, but non-sewered (e.g., onsite) sanitation is a common form of sanitation in cities of low- and middle-income countries. Environmental surveillance in these settings requires alternatives to wastewater. We collected 81 soil samples adjacent to public waste bins inside the sewered and non-sewered areas of Maputo and a 150-meter-wide buffer zone between the two areas, as we…
Towards the responsible development of microbiome engineering in the built environment
This Perspective calls for a transdisciplinary framework for the responsible advancement of Microbiome Engineering of the Built Environment (MEoBE). Acknowledging MEoBE's potential to improve public health, we highlight the need for early core practices and principles incorporating societal and ethical considerations. We propose integrating Responsible Research and Innovation (AIRR: anticipation, inclusion, responsiveness, reflexivity) with the N…
Environmental pathogen surveillance in cities without universal piped wastewater infrastructure
Although wastewater surveillance for assessing community health and well-being is now mainstream, most cities in low- and middle-income countries lack conventional wastewater services. In these settings, environmental surveillance beyond conventional wastewater offers the potential to inform public health responses, design interventions intended to reduce exposures, and to evaluate infection control programs. To explore these potential use cases,…
Variability of enteric pathogen infections by season and meteorological conditions in a low-income, urban setting in Mozambique
Enteric pathogen transmission is influenced by seasonality and meteorological conditions, yet pathogen-specific dynamics are not well understood. We investigated the relationships between (1) season, (2) heavy rainfall events, and (3) temperature and enteric pathogen infections among 12-month-old children in a low-income, urban setting. We analyzed household data and stool samples from 630 participants enrolled in the PAASIM Study in Beira, Mozam…
Child Nutrition and Water Access (16 works) · Medicine (16 works) · Environmental health (14 works) · Sanitation (13 works) · Economics (8 works) · Population (7 works) · Public health (7 works) · Economic growth (6 works) · Business (5 works) · Fecal contamination and water quality (5 works)