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Big Data Applications And Challenges In Giscience (Case Studies: Natural Disaster And Public Health Crisis Management), Amir Masoud Forati

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the application and significance of user-generated big data in Geographic Information Science (GIScience), with a focus on managing natural disasters and public health crises. It explores the role of social media data in understanding human-environment interactions and in informing disaster management and public health strategies. A scalable computational framework will be developed to model extensive unstructured geotagged data from social media, facilitating systematic spatiotemporal data analysis.The research investigates how individuals and communities respond to high-impact events like natural disasters and public health emergencies, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods. In particular, it assesses the impact of socio-economic-demographic …

Black American Men's Resiliency And Persistence To Grow Old: A Midwest Qualitative Study, Kimberly Ann Walker

Theses and Dissertations

AbstractAs Black American men continue to experience the highest premature morbidity and mortality, few studies have centered on the intersection of class (low-income) and race (middle-aged and older Black men) with multiple morbidity from a critical race approach in the Midwest region of the U.S. Middle-aged Black men have 31% higher death rate than their White counterparts. A qualitative study was conducted by a community health nurse in the spring of 2021 in a metropolitan city. Thirty-one, low-income Black American men were interviewed focusing on their understanding and perceptions of their complex comorbidities, symptom management for quality of life, short …

An Examination Of The Sufficiency Of Emergency Planning In New York City Hospitals For Vulnerable Populations Needing Communication Or Language Assistance, Rosemary Mcdonnell

Theses and Dissertations

Background: While all populations are susceptible to certain hazards that may expose their vulnerabilities in a disaster, populations with no or limited English proficiency, sight limitations, and hearing limitations are especially at risk due to communication and language barriers that they consistently experience. Purpose: This study explored the sufficiency of emergency planning that vulnerable populations with communication barriers may receive in a New York City hospital setting. It investigated the emergency plans, procedures, and practices that hospitals have for these specific, at-risk populations. The sufficiency of these were measured in accordance with their ability to meet the appropriate regulatory standards …

A Qualitative Assessment Of Screening Behavior For Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among African American Women In Milwaukee Using The Integrated Behavioral Model, Bernadette Okwu

Theses and Dissertations

Sexually transmitted diseases remain a notable public health problem in the United States. It is estimated that 1 in 5 people have a sexually transmitted disease in the country. African Americans are disproportionately affected. The situation locally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin mirrors this national trend. African American women are especially vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases. This situation is further complicated by the fact that some of the more common sexually transmitted diseases may be present without symptoms. It is imperative that women seek testing to enable them to identify and effectively combat sexually transmitted diseases. As such, there is need to …

Using Difference-In-Difference To Assess The Impact Of Medicaid Policy On The Addiction Treatment Provider Workforce And Prescribing Behavior In Virginia, Erin Britton

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is unified by both policy opportunity and estimation method, examining the impact of Medicaid behavioral health policy in Virginia using a difference-in-differences framework. Medicaid-covered substance use disorder (SUD) treatment benefits in Virginia were significantly enhanced through a Section 1115 SUD waiver, which are required to be budget neutral. Therefore, it is critical to understand whether the objectives of the waiver are met using reliable, unbiased estimation methods. This dissertation includes two empirical research projects evaluating the impact of Medicaid policy on removing barriers in access to care and one methodological project comparing the performance of alternate approaches to …

The Role Of Insurance Coverage In Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Referral, Utilization, And Outcomes, Huyen Pham

Theses and Dissertations

Opioid-related overdoses increased dramatically in recent years. Medicaid plays a predominant role in paying for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. However, there is a critical gap in understanding the role of Medicaid coverage in referrals to treatment, treatment utilization, and treatment retention. The three studies used observational and quasi-experimental (i.e., natural experiment) designs leveraging state and year variation in Medicaid expansion to characterize the role of Medicaid coverage in OUD treatment. We found that individuals with OUD with Medicaid insurance were more likely to use outpatient treatment, whereas those who were uninsured were more likely to use self-help groups only. …

Associations Between Social Determinants Of Health And Chlamydia Infections Among Georgia Counties, Bre'auna K. Beasley

Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia is a growing public health concern that disproportionately impacts southern states. While social determinants of health are not direct causes of chlamydia infections, studies have found that these determinants do influence infections by creating environments that promote or hinder health seeking behaviors, as well as exposure to risk factors. Guided by the Social Ecological Model of Public Health and the Healthy People 2030 Social Determinants of Health Conceptual Framework, this dissertation study aimed to examine the associations between social determinants of health and chlamydia infections among Georgia counties. This study employed a correlational research design. Aggregate-level secondary data for …

Associations Between County-Level Socioeconomic Status And Opioid Overdose Rates In Northern New England, Samuel Godfrey

Theses and Dissertations

Background – The opioid epidemic persists as a significant concern to public health as the proliferation of fentanyl presents additional risks for illicit opioid users. States such as Maine and New Hampshire experience far greater opioid overdose rates compared to the overall US opioid overdose rate. Many studies on the opioid epidemic use socioeconomic and macroeconomic factors individually but few use a composite index of multiple of these measures. Limited attention has been paid to the need for a composite index of socioeconomic status at the small area (county) level designed to quantify the impact of socioeconomic status on the …

The Intersection Of Social Stress, Mental Well-Being, And Sexual Health Among Black Women In Emerging Adulthood, Brandi Galloway

Theses and Dissertations

With an estimated 37,000 new HIV infections each year, HIV continues to be a major public health concern. HIV affects some populations more than others. Young Black women, in particular, are disproportionately affected by HIV. While being a woman does not typically increase a person’s HIV risk, being Black and being a woman does.

Data indicate that individual-level factors do not fully address the differences in HIV and STIs between Black emerging adult women and their White counterparts. Thus, it is critical to better understand contextual factors such as social stress and mental-wellbeing which might better account for these disparities. …

Doctor-Patient Communication: The Experiences Of Black Caribbean Women Patients With Diabetes, Rosanne Paul-Bruno

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the verbal and non-verbal communication experiences of Black Caribbean diabetic women patients with their doctors, in order to provide a better understanding of the essential aspects of doctor- patient communication and their experiences as they managed their condition. Black Caribbean women have been disproportionately impacted by medical conditions such as diabetes. It has been a documented fact that minorities experience disparities in the health care system at different levels and doctor-patient communication is no exception. Poor doctor-patient communication has been known to hinder patients’ health outcomes, and therefore warrants such studies to increase …

The Intergenerational Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Children’S Emergency Department Utilization And Depression And Anxiety In South Carolina, Eboni E. Haynes

Theses and Dissertations

Adult exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is common in the U.S., with over half of adults reporting exposure to at least one ACE. Childhood trauma is associated with risk factors for premature death, disability, poor physical and mental health, and lower quality of life in adults. Traumatic experiences also influence parenting behaviors later in life, placing offspring at an increased risk of ACE exposure. Few studies have explored the intergenerational effects of ACEs on the health and well-being of offspring. This study sought to identify whether associations existed between caregiver ACE exposures and emergency department (ED) utilization for sick …

Beyond The Sentimental Cliche: How Local Communities Impact Residents And Shape Public Opinion, Kate Brunk

Theses and Dissertations

The Trump administration has recently established a rule that will prohibit abortion services providers from receiving Title X funds for the non-abortion family planning services they provide. Little public opinion research has focused on family planning and reproductive health topics outside of abortion. I find statistically significant experimental evidence that increasing perceptions of local need for a local reproductive health clinic caused subjects to be more supportive of federal reproductive health funding for local clinics. I did not find statistically significant correlational evidence that objective measures of poor reproductive health at the county level influence public opinion on federal reproductive …

The Prescribing Patterns Of Gabapentin And Pregabalin In A Medicaid Population Amid The Opioid Epidemic, Sarah Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: Drug overdoses continue to be the leading cause of accidental death in the United States resulting in a nationwide crisis. Opioids, many of them prescription, are now the primary cause of drug overdose related deaths. Gabapentinoids are being promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a safer alternative to opioids and have steadily been rising in prescribing rates. However, growing concern is mounting on the potential for gabapentinoid misuse. The goal of this dissertation was to deepen the knowledge and understanding of how gabapentinoids are currently being prescribed, with an emphasis on their co-prescribing with an …

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs And Opioid Poisoning: Evaluating The Impact Of Prescriber Use Mandates On Prescription Opioid Poisoning Emergency Department Visits, Sarah Almanie

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are one strategy established to curb the prescription opioid abuse epidemic. Prescriber use mandates has emerged as a promising practice to increase PDMPs impact on prescription opioid abuse; however, evidence of its effectiveness has not yet been established. Kentucky was the first state to implement comprehensive prescriber use mandates in July 2012.

Objective: To assess the relationship between prescriber use mandates policy and emergency department (ED) visits related to prescription opioid poisoning among adults in Kentucky and

North Carolina. Secondary aim: to evaluate the economic impact of prescriber use mandates in Kentucky.

Methods: A …

Investigating Drug-Related Violence In Indian Country: The Lumbee Tribe Of North Carolina, Asa Alena Revels

Theses and Dissertations

Drug-related violence (DRV) impacts the over-all wellbeing of communities, with disparate health outcomes observable in many poor, minority communities. The purpose of this study was to better understand the multi-level social and environmental factors influencing elevated rates and prevention of DRV within the Lumbee, a southeastern American Indian Tribe. This was accomplished via in-depth, one-on-one interviews with 37 Lumbee Tribal Members and Key Leaders. The findings align with existing research, revealing the influence of such factors as poor socioeconomic conditions, coping strategies, broken family structures, and the influence of federal policy. Of interest was the substantial influence of the local …

Association Of Childhood Blood Lead Levels With Firearm Violence Perpetration And Victimization, Lindsay Rae Emer

Theses and Dissertations

Over 10,000 Americans are killed in firearm homicides each year, and an additional 40,000 are injured in nonfatal shootings. There is a significant public health need to identify risk factors that can be modified to prevent firearm violence. Environmental lead exposure is a demonstrated neurotoxicant which causes behavior changes that are known to be criminogenic. More recent research has demonstrated that homicides and nonfatal shootings differ by the circumstances that lead to the shootings (i.e. gang, domestic violence, arguments) and aggregating them could lead to biased results. Although studies have found a relationship between childhood lead exposure and criminal behaviors, …

Impact Of Sexual Violence Prevention Programming At Rowan University, Emily Kofman

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the impact of sexual violence prevention programming on the main Rowan University campus. This study focused primarily on the Take Back the Night event on April 4, 2017. The study evaluated the impact of the event on those who attended as well as looking at Social Norm Theory. A total population of 167 Rowan students were surveyed at the event with the instrument Take Back the Night Survey. Results of the data revealed that students positively benefitted from attending the event and were able to increase their knowledge of the subject. …

The Role Of Afrocentric Features In Mental Healthcare Utilization And Counselor Preferences In Black College Students, Randl B. Dent

Theses and Dissertations

Though mental health issues are prevalent in Black young adults, they underutilize mental healthcare services. This research examined the role of feature-based discrimination in mental healthcare (under)utilization. Study 1, a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, provided no evidence supporting a link between skin tone and mental healthcare utilization, when controlling for depression diagnosis. However, when controlling for depression symptoms, there was a trend such that Black young adults with darker, as opposed to lighter, skin tone utilized healthcare less. Study 2, an experimental study with 33 Black college students, showed 73% of the …

Socially Assigned Race, Reactions To Perceived Racial Discrimination And Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Jourdyn A. Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Numerous studies have utilized race to document health inequities. As race is considered a social classification of persons based upon physical traits, studies have begun to consider socially assigned race defined as the race/ethnicity perceived by others. Socially assigned race may serve as the basis for differential or unfair treatment of persons ascribed to historically oppressed groups. Socially assigned race may also provide additional insight into racial health disparities, particularly among Latino populations who are commonly defined by their ethnicity. This study assesses the relationship between self-identified and socially assigned race/ethnicity and tests the moderating effects of emotional and …

Examining Crowdsourced Social Media Platforms And Their Association With College Students' Alcohol Consumption, Perceived Risk, And Behaviors, Danielle Gentile

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: High-risk alcohol use by U.S. college students remains a significant threat to individual health and community well-being. Newly-emerging social media platforms and apps which relay information about alcohol-related law enforcement serve as an intriguing addition to college alcohol-use environments. The purpose of this study was to examine the information delivered to users by the local social media platform @Drinking Ticket (DT), determine which types of information were then relayed to others, and clarify how this information influences alcohol use, perceived risk, and alcohol-related risk behaviors among college students. Methods: One year of DT tweets (n=854 tweets) were qualitatively coded …

Examining The Association Of Crime Laboratory Practices, Internal And External Determinants, And Dna Case Completion Time And Backlog, Eva Marie Lewis King

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

EXAMINING THE ASSOCIATION OF CRIME LABORATORY PRACTICES, INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DETERMINANTS, AND DNA CASE COMPLETION TIME AND BACKLOG

by

Eva Marie Lewis King

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2015

Under the Supervision of Dr. Ron Cisler

Crime laboratories across the country have reported caselog information that supports the fact that case submissions have resulted in very large DNA backlogs. The onset of these DNA backlogs developed a public safety and population health crisis. Literature suggests crime laboratories faced submission of DNA cases in a manner similar to the onset of an epidemic. Literature also suggests the use of novel approaches …

Ethnic Discrimination: Measurement And Associations With Smoking-Related Outcomes Among Arab Male Current And Former Smokers In Israel, Amira Osman

Theses and Dissertations

We evaluated the psychometric properties of two instruments used to assess ethnic discrimination among Arabs in Israel. The “Experiences of Discrimination” (EOD) scale was adapted to assess interpersonal ethnic discrimination (EOD-A) and a new measure was developed to assess perceptions of institutional group discrimination (IGD) against Arabs as an ethnic group. Then, we examined the association between each form of ethnic discrimination (interpersonal and institutional) and smoking outcomes among Arab men from Israel, and whether social support and coping efficacy moderate these associations. Data were analyzed from a cross-sectional study of Arab male current and former smokers, aged 18-64. A …

Drug Use And Social Support Outcomes In Probationers: A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis, Anne Rhodes

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the social networks of probationers, who comprise the largest segment of the criminal justice population in the United States, but about whom there are few studies of network processes. It provides information on how elements of a probationer’s social network change over time and can affect drug use. This study employs longitudinal analysis of the social networks for 251 substance abusers on probation to examine how these networks are influenced by an intervention designed to increase pro-social behaviors and how network changes impact drug use. Baseline drug use of the probationers was examined according to the …

An Assessment Of Injury Presentation To Determine Elder Abuse Prevalence In South Carolina, Brittani L. Harmon

Theses and Dissertations

As the number of individuals age 60 years of age and older continues to rise in the United States, the care and safety of this population will be a growing issue. There are many contributing factors and reasons why elder abuse occurs. Elder abuse is an emerging issue; however there is limited research and understanding in the area. There are barriers to the detection and prevention of the issue. Emergency department staff is essential to the identification and detection of possible abuse, and it is important that these providers understand the risk factors and physical manifestations of abuse and neglect …

A Community-Engaged Research Approach To The Development Of An Assessment Tool For Historical Data Collection Of Saara Client Population, Jessica Markey

Theses and Dissertations

Through collaboration between the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance (SAARA) and several community partners, a need was identified for a new measurement tool to gather comprehensive client histories for program evaluation and development. The purpose of this study was to (1) develop a culturally relevant and organizationally appropriate mechanism for the collection of comprehensive client histories and (2) to provide the opportunity for staff to engage in a new process of developing and implementing data collection strategies. As a result of the use of a community-based participatory approach, (1) a missed opportunity for program evaluation and development was identified, …

Intimate Partner Violence And Pregnancy: Data From The Chicago Women's Health Risk Study, Anne Zehner

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy increases the risks of adverse outcomes for both mothers and their unborn children, including maternal and fetal death. However, more research is needed to determine if IPV increases in frequency or severity during pregnancy and to determine what the risk factors are for IPV during pregnancy. Objectives: To use data from the Chicago Women’s Health Risk Study to determine (1) if abuse is more prevalent during the pregnancy period, 2) if abuse during the pregnancy period increases in frequency or severity, 3) if pregnant women who are abused are at increased risk for …