Digital Commons Network^™

Primary Care Physician Shortage: Increased Demand And Insufficient Supply, Sara Gorham

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is attempting to reform the organization, delivery and reimbursement rates associated with the health care system. The current healthcare system supports the provision of fragmented, uncoordinated care, which has contributed to its high costs and has led to a system that is not strongly based on primary care. As a result of this system, the unfavorable stigma of the primary care field, and the much higher income made by specialists, there is a shortage of primary care physicians (PCPs). This paper will first describe and analyze the current primary care physician shortage and the factors …

The Evaluation Of Wellness Programs For Our Returning Veterans, Alexandra Rawson

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Today we continue to experience inefficiencies in understanding the mental health and cultural needs of returning service members. I have conducted my own personal research to best comprehend the emotions and needs of returning veterans, evaluating the practices that are most beneficial for healing and reintegration. The primary focus of my independent study was to observe the current mental health treatments that are offered to the veterans outside of the traditional medical realm. In relation to this, I wanted to evaluate the role that religious and spiritual practices play in the veterans’ healing process. I spent four months observing and …

Electronic Health Records And Rural Hospitals, Kaitlin Bischoff

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Nearly 20% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas and are not resistant to many of the U.S. healthcare challenges such as cost, quality, and access. In fact, the distinguishing cultural, social, economic, and geographic traits which characterize rural America place rural populations at greater risk for many diseases and health disorders. Like those in urban settings, people from rural areas have been affected by the use of health information technology, where treatment is now data-intensive, and there are more options and greater expectations of quality and accountability. Due to cost, geographic and social traits, and the digital divide …

Public Transportation: Perceptions Of Filth Contributing To Poor Health, Dashka Bernard

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Public transportation vehicles such as trains or buses have a reputation as unsanitary. Many riders of public transit are concerned with the health risks they are facing in regards to contagion. Perceptions of cleanliness derive from public health historically, with class, morality, and good health tied together in the American public’s attitudes. Certainly, infectious disease and sanitation are directly correlated in many instances, such as in the highly overcrowded and dirty cities in the early twentieth-century United States. Those living in filthy conditions (particularly, lower class individuals) were not only prone to becoming ill, but also considered to be immoral …

Domestic Violence In The Spotlight: From The Private Sphere To Popular Culture, Taylor Rinefierd

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

No abstract provided.

Malawi’S Tobacco Paradox: Short Term Survival Versus Long Term Languish, Nikhil Sangave

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The past forty years have been tumultuous for tobacco companies facing increasingly stringent regulations in the northern hemisphere. To maintain profits, they have tapped into new markets in the developing world. One of these places, Malawi, an African nation with an economic dependence on tobacco growing, has been a target of their marketing prowess. This study provides a new perspective on the dichotomy that exists between short-term economic benefits and long-term health implications of tobacco in a poverty-ravaged nation.

Conflicting interests hinder tobacco regulation in Malawi. For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) claims that tobacco companies manipulate consumers and …

Mental Health In Jamaica: An Approach To Awareness And Treatment In Children, Sam Curran, Lilly Naqvi

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The awareness, perception and treatment of Autism was studied during a service study abroad class to Petersfield, Jamaica during the winters of 2013 and 2014. The program was developed to gain a basic understanding of the etiology of the disorder, and to examine the dynamic of a rural population’s outlook on health. Parents, teachers, and other community members were interviewed and engaged in discussion to share knowledge and perceptions of Autism. We will discuss our experience and findings.

Our preliminary conclusions include the following. First, the amount and availability of resources affects the parents and children, impacting his or her …

Barriers Latin American Immigrant Women Face In Accessing Reproductive Health Services In The United States, Isabel Odean

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Immigration and reproductive health care are two high profile topics in the politics of the United States. Both are constantly on the news, with ongoing debates about policies and reform. However, the link between the two topics gets very little media coverage. In this paper, I will address some of the overlap, looking at the question: what are the barriers for Latina immigrant women in accessing reproductive health care? Immigrant women in the United States face pronounced barriers in accessing reproductive health care, legally, socially, and culturally. These barriers stem from a history of political control of immigrant women’s reproduction, …

State Medicaid Programs: A Trifocal Examination Of The Controversy Surrounding Expansion, Meredith Daly

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The conversation regarding Medicaid expansion is ever-changing as states grapple with whether to expand their existing programs. Through this now-optional piece of legislation, state governments can choose to extend healthcare coverage via the federal government to millions of previously uninsured citizens. In order to understand and form an opinion on the controversy over expanding Medicaid programs, the issue demands to be looked at through three varying lenses. The first and most important lens is social. Several studies are examined to show that with expansion, there is a high correlation with better health outcomes; without it there is a care gap …

Defining Obesity: An Argument For The Social Environment Perspective, Meghan Mcinnis

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

It is well documented that obesity is a growing problem in the U.S. and worldwide. By 2010, 35.9% of U.S. adults age 20 and older were obese (Overweight and Obesity, CDC). Obesity has been associated with many health problems, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, stroke, and cardiac disease (Lucey, 2008, p.202). What has just been described is the traditional, medicalized narrative of obesity. In this narrative, obesity is viewed as an epidemic that demands an immediate and widespread response (Lucey, 2008, p.202). The blame is placed largely on individuals, while social factors, such as socioeconomic status and neighborhood environment, …

Comprehensive State-­Mandated Insurance Coverage Of Infertility Treatments In Minimum Benefits Packages Of Employee Health Insurance, Danielle Petrilli

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Minimum benefits packages for employee health insurance plans usually only include the basic coverage necessary to survive in an attempt to control costs, similar to the new categorization of essential health benefits (EHBs) outlined in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, in some cases, the advantages that accompany the inclusion of higher-­‐level, more expensive services in a minimum benefits package actually lead to decreased costs over time. Coverage of infertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization, is an example of a higher-­‐level service that actually leads to lower health care costs in the long run. The decrease …

Conspicuous Consumption And Comparison Leading Towards Cosmetic Cures, Joanna Rydzefski

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

No abstract provided.

A New Heroine: Transforming The Public Image Of The Army Nurse During World War Ii, Vivek Vishwanath

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

In the wake of the Great Depression, the United States found itself propelled into a world war of unimaginable proportions. Apart from its major political and economic consequences, the Second World War also considerably altered the role of American women in society. Mobilization brought millions of women into the paid labor force, and many of these women chose to serve as army nurses. With the highest female salaries of the time, it made sense that nursing became an attractive occupation for young women seeking an education and opportunities to travel. WWII ultimately accentuated the heroic characteristics of the army nurse …

The Notebook: An Accidental Alzheimer's Awareness Campaign, Danielle Waldron

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

My paper examines and critiques the portrayal of Alzheimer¹s disease in the popular film, The Notebook. Based off of a Nicholas Sparks novel, The Notebook uses Alzheimer¹s disease as a vehicle to relay a love story, but in doing so, presents a distorted picture of Alzheimer¹s disease to its audience. My paper compares the responsibilities of family caregivers of Alzheimer¹s patients in today¹s world with the unrealistic family caregiver, Noah, depicted on screen. My paper also explores and exposes inconsistencies between the attractive nursing home experience presented on screen and the less than ideal treatment patients experience in long term …

Bounced Between Two Cultures: Study Of Smoking Behavior Of Korean Americans, Loan Nguyen

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The United States is often referred as a melting pot, with a great wave of global immigrants constant populating its shores. When coming to America, the immigrants bring along their own culture. With the new generation born in the States, the fusion of two different cultures is an important factor in shaping their behavior. Coming from a different culture that is more accepting of smoking, many of the new generation also start to smoke. Asian Americans provide an important example. Despite having the lowest smoking rates of all ethnic groups, in 2011, 9.9 percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander, …