Digital Commons Network^™

Mixed Method Approach Towards The Life Of University Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Raihan Khan, Andrew White, Tony Jehi

Department of Health Sciences - Faculty Scholarship

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the higher education system. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess COVID-19 fear, anxiety, and stress among Shenandoah Valley college students.

Methods

An online survey was fielded and completed by n=680 students. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 students.

Results

The mean participant age was 22.14±5.48 years, and primarily White (81.9%), women (80.4%), and undergraduate (78.0%) students. Approximately 41% were enrolled in health-related majors (41.4%). Women students had significantly higher anxiety, depression, and fear of contracting COVID-19 than men. Undergraduate students had significantly higher depression than graduate students. Qualitative analysis revealed several major themes: …

Vaccine Uptake In The Era Of Covid-19: Associations Between Willingness To Receive The Influenza And Covid-19 Vaccines, Mutaz Alkalbani, Ritsa Frousios, Matilda Francis, Yousef Beidas, Jennifer Ryal, Brynn Sheehan

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Background/purpose. Despite efforts to increase flu vaccine uptake, the rate of vaccination remains below target. Additionally, many Virginians remain unvaccinated or have not maintained a booster schedule in line with recommendations. The current study investigated willingness to receive the flu and COVID-19 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, associations between the likelihood of receiving the two vaccines, and differences in uptake by racial group and insurance status. Methods. Participants were adult patients seen for appointments at an ambulatory clinic in Southeast, VA. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing vaccination history and future vaccination intentions. Results. Results revealed significant associations between having received …

Improving Glycemic Control During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Quality Improvement Project, Megan Henderson

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Diabetes is a costly, chronic health condition. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the delivery of health care and exacerbated chronic health conditions, such as diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most significant comorbid conditions associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes (Cariou et al., 2020). Control of blood glucose levels during the COVID-19 pandemic has proved challenging to maintain. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to identify gaps in diabetic self-care and then implement a diabetic toolkit to improve self-efficacy of diabetes self-management. According to the American Diabetes Association (2022), self-management of diabetes, education, and support from providers is …

Lessons Learned: Covid-19 In Post-Corrections Secured Behavioral Rehabilitation, Jennifer G. Jones, Maria Devalpine, Erica J. Lewis

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Background: The COVID-19 case rate on June 5, 2020, for prisoners in the United States (US) was 5.5 times higher than the US population case rate (Saloner et al., 2020). Secure facilities were challenged to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. One secure behavioral rehabilitation facility made many changes to facility and program protocols to meet this challenge.

Methods: The purpose of this program evaluation was to assess newly implemented infection control measures at a secure behavioral rehabilitation facility and to inform policy and procedure recommendations for the mitigation of COVID-19 transmission in congregate living facilities in the future. Case rates, …

A Mixed Methods Investigation Of How Young Adults In Virginia Received, Evaluated, And Responded To Covid-19 Public Health Messaging, Natalie Cook, Sophie G. Wenzel, Rachel Silverman, Danielle Short, Kristina Jiles, Teace Markwalter, Mary Ann Friesen

Virginia Journal of Public Health

The purpose of this study was to investigate how young adults in Virginia received, evaluated, and responded to messages related to the coronavirus/COVID-19, a major disruptor of our time, and to understand how and when these messages influenced behavior. This was a sequential explanatory mixed methods study, including an online survey (quantitative) and virtual focus groups (qualitative). We surveyed a convenience sample of 3,694 Virginia residents by distributing a link to complete the survey online. Only data from18-24 year old adults (n=207) were included in the analysis for this study. Focus group participants were recruited from the survey participants as …

Evaluation Of Recruitment Strategies On Inclusiveness Of Populations At Risk For Health Disparities In The Statewide Remote Online Covidsmart Registry, Marilyn M. Bartholmae, Amira A. Roess, Keith D. Renshaw, Brian L. Levy, Matvey V. Karpov, Joshua M. Sill, Sunita Dodani

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic affected health research practices. The large-scale impacts of COVID-19 and restrictions on face-to-face interaction led to increased use of remote online data collection methods. However, it is unclear if such efforts led to the representation of populations at risk for health disparities. We evaluated whether multiple recruitment strategies would capture a representative sample of individuals at risk for health disparities.

Methods

The COVIDsmart registry collected clinical, social, economic, and behavioral data in the state of Virginia from March to November, 2021. Seven hundred eighty-two adult participants were enrolled. We compared the representation of COVIDsmart participants at …

The Association Between Loneliness With Increased Mental Health Problems And Substance Use During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Richmond, Virginia, Angela C. Liu, Connor Cox, Mariam Sankoh, James Clifford, Courtney T. Blondino, Chanel Bea, Chimere Miles, Kim Young, Sherika Gillison-Chew, John Richardson-Lauve, Candice Turner, Elizabeth Prom-Wormley

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant psychological distress among U.S. adults leading to increased rates of adverse mental health symptoms and substance use. This study aims to evaluate the consistency of the association between loneliness and increased mental health problems and substance use in Richmond, VA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods. Data were collected in two phases: 1) internet-based surveys from August 2020 to March 2021 (N=327) and 2) paper-pencil surveys from May to October 2021 (N=225). Logistic regression was used to test the association between loneliness and increased mental health and substance use, while adjusting for sociodemographic factors and …

Covid-19 In A Secure Behavioral Rehabilitation Setting: A Program Evaluation, Jennifer G. Jones

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Problem: The COVID-19 case rate as of June 5, 2020, for prisoners was 5.5 times higher than the United States (US) population case rate (Saloner et al., 2020). A secure behavioral rehabilitation facility in the US was challenged to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and made many changes to facility and program protocol in order to meet this challenge.

Methods: The purpose of this program evaluation was to examine the COVID-19 facility response, case rates, percent positivity and attack rates between units at a secure behavioral rehabilitation facility to inform further policy and procedure recommendations for the mitigation of COVID-19 …

Assessing Moral Distress And Substance Use Among Nurses In The Time Of Covid-19 To Improve Patient Safety, Lauren Childers

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought rapid changes, increased stress, and ethical challenges to nurses across the globe. These factors may place nurses at increased risk for developing moral distress and substance use disorder. This stress can also increase nurse vulnerability to substance use. Previously there was little evidence about the rates of moral distress and substance use disorder among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary objective of this evidence-based project was to describe levels of moral distress and substance use among nurses in a community hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic and to make recommendations for interventions to improve nurse …

The Effect Of Hydroxychloroquine On Mortality In Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients, Misha Suresh, Jeff Abraham

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

As of October 2020, there are no commonly accepted or proven effective treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an established anti-malarial drug with demonstrated action against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in-vitro and early observational studies and anecdotal evidence supported its use in treatment of COVID-19. In this review, three of largest and most statistically powerful studies to date (two cohort studies and one randomized controlled trial [RCT]) are synthesized for the purpose of determining whether HCQ is effective in reducing mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. All three studies found no statistically significant difference in …

Physical Activity In A University Community Before And After A Covid-19 Shutdown, Brynn Hudgins

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Reaching recommended levels of physical activity (PA) is important for achieving and maintaining health, however there are many potential barriers which may impact an individual’s ability to engage in PA. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the transition to remote teaching and learning, shut-downs of places to engage in PA, and changes to the daily work routine of university staff. Therefore, overall PA levels were likely impacted. The purpose of this study was to assess whether a significant change in PA occurred before and after one university transitioned to remote learning and working due to COVID-19 shutdowns. Subjects were recruited from …