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The Quality Of Life In Assisted Living Facilities In Grand Rapids, Nina Alpers Dec 2023

The Quality Of Life In Assisted Living Facilities In Grand Rapids, Nina Alpers

Honors Projects

This research study looked at the quality of life of residents in assisted living facilities in Grand Rapids. The purpose of this study is to consider the life satisfaction of residents of assisted living facilities in Grand Rapids and explore the determinants that can make their time spent at assisted living facilities as enjoyable as possible. This study highlighted the voices of the residents in assisted living facilities by doing a qualitative study using an interview-styled approach that asked the residents about a variety of topics, such as routines, feelings, values, personal facts, health status, care provided, relationships, and views …


Healthcare In Honduras, Emmett Miller Apr 2023

Healthcare In Honduras, Emmett Miller

Honors Projects

Healthcare does not exist in a vacuum. It is influenced by the geography of the area where it is provided, the infrastructure available, the politics that impact its funding, and many other factors. The Honduran Health System is no different. This paper will review the healthcare in Honduras and the challenges to its effectiveness. The first area that will be addressed is the geography of Honduras and how this geography has affected the ability of its citizens to access the services provided by the Health System. The second area to be covered will be the infrastructure and training that is …


Cultural Competency In Practicing Audiologists Serving Lgbtqia+ Clients, Stella Omilian Apr 2023

Cultural Competency In Practicing Audiologists Serving Lgbtqia+ Clients, Stella Omilian

Honors Projects

The primary objective of this project is to cultivate a better understanding of clinicians' cultural attitudes and behaviors within the field of audiology concerning LGBTQIA+ clients. The study describes the attitudes and behaviors of clinical audiologists serving individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community. It also explores a few barriers to healthcare needs for these clients, including hearing habilitation and rehabilitation. An anonymous survey was used to collect data from the clinicians in the United States on their current knowledge of LGBTQIA+ related terminology and language, affirmative attitudes and behaviors, and cultural sensitivity to these clients receiving audiological services. Analysis of the …


Effect Of Exercise Training Intensity On Cognition, Jaclyn Voyt Apr 2023

Effect Of Exercise Training Intensity On Cognition, Jaclyn Voyt

Honors Projects

A literature review examining the effects of exercise intensity and modality on cognitive performance.


Mental Health Of University Nursing Students: A Literature Review, Mackenzie Carpenter Apr 2023

Mental Health Of University Nursing Students: A Literature Review, Mackenzie Carpenter

Honors Projects

This paper explores the ongoing issue of mental health, specifically in nursing students. In addition to maintaining good academic status through exams, assignments, and papers, nursing students must also endure the stressful environment of a clinical setting. Through summarizing research and drawing overall conclusions, this paper examines the contributing and alleviating factors to poor mental health in this population. Data was obtained from studies published from 2017 to 2023 in the CINAHL database, and 11 studies were retrieved from a data collection process to be included in this review. Multiple studies show a low deviation in mental health levels, healthy …


Best West Michigan Hiking Trails, Sarah Brandt Apr 2023

Best West Michigan Hiking Trails, Sarah Brandt

Honors Projects

After visiting 45 parks in the West Michigan area, I narrowed them down to the best 20 for hiking in Allegan, Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa County. This project is a resource with everything you need to know to explore them for yourself, including education, honorable mentions, and ADA accessible trails.


The Association Between College Age Students' Nutrition Intake And Depression, Mackenzie Allen Apr 2023

The Association Between College Age Students' Nutrition Intake And Depression, Mackenzie Allen

Honors Projects

The research performed was to determine a correlation between depression and nutrient intake in college age students. This study used NHANES publicily available data and IBM's SPSS statistical software to analyze a correlation between depression and nutrition/lifestyle variables: vitamin D, vitamin B12, saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, and exercise. The study found that fiber and unsaturated fatty acid intake had a negative correlation with depression, meaning that as the intake of these nutrients increased, depression decreased. This research reveals key factors to improve the nutritional status of college age students, along with their emotional wellbeing.


Trauma And Resiliency, Madelyn Ferguson Apr 2023

Trauma And Resiliency, Madelyn Ferguson

Honors Projects

Life is a series of events, some overwhelmingly positive and others devastatingly negative. Because of the inevitability of adversity, one must learn to adapt to negative circumstances. However, people react to trauma in different ways with some seeking to take their own lives and others finding a healthy outlet. What causes such a difference in our reactions to trauma? Is it simply the power of thought or is there a genetic component? What can I do to build my own resilience and promote the resilience of others around me? The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between …


The Freshman 15: The Who, What, And How It Harms Us, Eva Vanwyck Apr 2023

The Freshman 15: The Who, What, And How It Harms Us, Eva Vanwyck

Honors Projects

The Freshman 15: The Who, What, and How it Harms Us is a publicly posted podcast on the harms of the phrase "The Freshman 15" to student health. This project consists of three episodes, each with a different main focus. The first episode covers what "The Freshman 15" is, the history of its origins, and the reality of the term. It also covers why this term affects freshmen specifically and the unique stressors of the transition from high school to college. The second episode covers the stigma around weight and food in the US. It delves into the fatphobia embedded …


Analyzing The Patient-Provider Relationship And Assessing Shortages In Oral Healthcare In Arenac County, Michigan, Aaron Norfleet Apr 2023

Analyzing The Patient-Provider Relationship And Assessing Shortages In Oral Healthcare In Arenac County, Michigan, Aaron Norfleet

Honors Projects

The purpose of this prospective study will be to assess the patient-provider relationship in Arenac County, Michigan, analyze barriers to treatment for rural patients, and develop a meaningful plan to improve upon these categories. The intended outcomes of this study will be the development of a resource for rural oral healthcare providers to better understand and treat the needs of their patients based on knowledge from beyond the chairside, as well as the development of an easily repeatable model for patient-provider analysis. Furthermore, the questionnaires and data collected from this could assist in informing governmental or non-governmental organizations in identifying …


Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Chronic Pain In Veterans, Mari Bones Apr 2023

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Chronic Pain In Veterans, Mari Bones

Honors Projects

This paper is an exploration of the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as treatment for chronic pain amongst veterans. CBT has been used as a treatment options for veterans since 2012 in order to decrease the use and misuse of opioids. It focuses on giving the patient tools to control the impact that chronic pain has on their body and mind. The paper explore this treatment, the aspects of it, complementary treatments, and results.


Know The Signs Of An Allergic Reaction: Anaphylaxis, Sarah R. Remillard May 2022

Know The Signs Of An Allergic Reaction: Anaphylaxis, Sarah R. Remillard

Honors Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a food allergy informational poster for use in the classroom. The Center for Disease Control has estimated that an average of two children in each public school classroom in the United States struggled with a food allergy. Meanwhile, other researchers found that 25% of first-time anaphylaxis episodes occurred in classrooms. This Honors Project was developed to address the informational gap concerning anaphylaxis that occurs at schools. The methodology was literature review. The Honor Project's outcome was the informational poster, Know the Signs of an Allergic Reaction: Anaphylaxis, as well as the supplemental …


End The Stigma: Strategies To Improve Mental Health, Alexia M. Frantzeskakis May 2022

End The Stigma: Strategies To Improve Mental Health, Alexia M. Frantzeskakis

Honors Projects

The project discusses coping strategies that students can utilize to improve their mental health. A paper, along with five fliers that will be distributed to incoming freshmen were developed. Each flier discusses a different coping strategy on the following topics: physical activity, mindfulness, social media use, routines, and resources available to students in the community.


Analysis Of A Future Dentist, Monica J. Nagy Apr 2022

Analysis Of A Future Dentist, Monica J. Nagy

Honors Projects

My Senior Honors Project at GVSU is centered around the options I will have in front of me once I graduate from dental school. First I researched what the future of dentistry will look like 10 years from now. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the dental field, creating better sanitation and procedural changes that will likely last forever. The second part of my project entailed the creation of a Business Model Canvas for owning a private dental practice. The final aspect of my project is a presentation of my potential plans of action. The powerpoint provides the steps for …


Oral Healthcare Education, Equity And Policy Implementation In Rural Honduran Communities, Alexander J.R. Dyke Apr 2022

Oral Healthcare Education, Equity And Policy Implementation In Rural Honduran Communities, Alexander J.R. Dyke

Honors Projects

Rural Honduras encompasses many individuals with limited access to a dental professional. Many public health studies demonstrate that dental shortage areas have more dental cavities, missing teeth, and more complex restorations that need periodic treatment. Dental hygiene is undermined at home with limited access to oral health advocates, and dental education becomes more essential. Here, we report an educational consensus and perspectives of rural Honduras through a questionnaire distributed at 13 mobile dental clinics in remote villages. To assess the effectiveness of education, the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed two important indices in assessing trends: Community Periodontal Index of …


Exploration Of The Healthcare Conditions In The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Awatef Ayesh Apr 2022

Exploration Of The Healthcare Conditions In The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Awatef Ayesh

Honors Projects

The occupation of Palestine by Israel has had a significant impact on the Palestinian citizens' health care services. The disparities were seen in maternal, infant, and child mortality rates, life expectancy, and measures of mental wellbeing. The health disparities are due to many factors involving economic conditions, food insecurity, environmental exposures, psychological trauma and stress, and access to health services most of which are directly or indirectly linked to the Israeli military occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). This project explores the health indicators and examine the social determinants of health in the oPt that may be responsible for …


Cultural Competence In The Care Of Muslim Women Patients, Ayah Ayesh Mar 2022

Cultural Competence In The Care Of Muslim Women Patients, Ayah Ayesh

Honors Projects

Delivering high-quality care to female patients of the Muslim faith requires knowledge of the differences in cultural and spiritual values. Important differences include diet, ideas of modesty, privacy, and touch restrictio. Globally, Muslims represent substantial portions of society and remain the fastest-growing religion in the world. The Muslim faith encompasses several ethnicities with diverse views regarding illness and healthcare. As a result, the care of Muslim patients provides challenges for many non-Muslim healthcare providers. The Islamic faith can influence decision-making, family dynamics, health practices, risks, and the use of healthcare. This paper describes the care of Muslim patients taking into …


Examination Of Covid-19 And The Spanish Flu Of 1918, Caden A. Striegle Dec 2021

Examination Of Covid-19 And The Spanish Flu Of 1918, Caden A. Striegle

Honors Projects

COVID-19, for many across the globe, has been a pandemic the likes of which has never been seen before. It has caused many aspects of life to change in order to adapt to the new limitations and cautions brought about by the global spread of a novel virus. However, almost exactly 100 years prior, a strain of the H1N1 influenza virus also known as the Spanish Flu of 1918, similarly uprooted life for millions of people around the globe. These two pandemics, while similarly leading to great disruption of global health, had many differences in the demographics impacted as well …


Adverse Childhood Experiences: Effects Of Covid-19, Evan Guo Dec 2021

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Effects Of Covid-19, Evan Guo

Honors Projects

The evaluation of an adult's health status consists of several entities. These factors can include physical, mental, and emotional health in an individual's history contributing to their overall health. When studying such factors, some researchers emphasize the importance of recognizing events experienced during a person's childhood that affect their development, and therefore, their adult health status. Today, as people continue adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in regulation of standards for socialization, it is becoming apparent to healthcare researchers how these new modifications are highly impactful to the development of children and adolescents. When studying the various factors that …


Osteopathic Treatments For Soft Tissue, Joint, And Head-Related Pain, Emerson K. Linsley Dec 2021

Osteopathic Treatments For Soft Tissue, Joint, And Head-Related Pain, Emerson K. Linsley

Honors Projects

The article examines how osteopathic manipulations can help in the treatment or management of pain associated with soft tissue, joint, and head-related injury or disease.


Women’S Human Right To Healthcare Senior Project, Madison Rosol Dec 2021

Women’S Human Right To Healthcare Senior Project, Madison Rosol

Honors Projects

Healthcare is denied to people around the world and women experience this human rights violation more often than men (Ewerling et al., 2018). This study was designed to investigate whether this is more evident in certain systems of healthcare by conducting a cross-sectional survey of people in the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Canada. These countries were selected because each of them has a unique healthcare system. The responses from the survey were analyzed and coded for common themes and converted to quantitative data. From this data, it was concluded that Canada rated the worst in healthcare overall but …


Systematic Review Of The Association Between Cultural Competence And The Quality Of Care Provided By Health Personnel, Amanda Skipworth Dec 2021

Systematic Review Of The Association Between Cultural Competence And The Quality Of Care Provided By Health Personnel, Amanda Skipworth

Honors Projects

The purpose of this research project is to determine if a relationship exists between cultural competence and the quality of care administered by health care professionals. Challenges with providing care begin to arise when cultural barriers limit the provider’s ability to provide adequate care. In the past, many professionals have struggled with how to approach patients from diverse backgrounds and this discomfort continues to grow. With minority populations in the United States rapidly growing, it is largely beneficial for these professionals to understand and be aware of the varying cultures seeking medical care. To address the research question, a systematic …


The Interactions Between Oral Biofilms, Antibiotic Resistance, And Dentistry, Maxine Taylor Dec 2021

The Interactions Between Oral Biofilms, Antibiotic Resistance, And Dentistry, Maxine Taylor

Honors Projects

Antibiotic resistance is a pressing concern that demands further action to reduce and develop new countermeasures. Antibiotic resistance impacts all fields of health and medicine, including dentistry. Many of the preventive and restorative dental procedures are due to a bacterial cause. Knowledge of oral biofilm development mechanisms and the interactions and relationships between oral microbiota is necessary to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance and develop more effective dental treatments. Exploring how the oral microbiomes and their treatments impact the health of the rest of the body is another important consideration since dentistry is part of the general healthcare system. …


The Effect Of Oncolytic Viruses In Aiding Cancer Immunotherapy, Anushka Singh Aug 2021

The Effect Of Oncolytic Viruses In Aiding Cancer Immunotherapy, Anushka Singh

Honors Projects

Oncolytic viruses are known as genetically engineered viruses or ones that can be found in nature, that are used to selectively reproduce in cancer cells and kill them without harming the normal and healthy cells. Oncolytic viruses have been considered an effective form of immunotherapy and offer a new approach for cancer treatment. Only one oncolytic virus has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA, which is T-Vec (talimogene laherparepvec). This is a second-generation oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Another oncolytic virus has been approved only in China in 2005, which is called …


Strategies For Preventing And Treating Opioid Use Disorder And Overdose – A Literature Review, Ian M. Degram Apr 2021

Strategies For Preventing And Treating Opioid Use Disorder And Overdose – A Literature Review, Ian M. Degram

Honors Projects

The use of prescribed and illicit opioids in the United States is still a major contributing factor to overdose deaths nationwide. Two out of every three overdose deaths in 2018 were related to chronic opioid use (Division (DCD), 2018). Continual research has been conducted over the last decade in an attempt to reduce the negative impact that opioid analgesics have on public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated prescription guidelines, and in 2018 Congress addressed a proposal for a multi-step plan to reduce the stigma surrounding opioid use disorder. This article addresses these policies, as …


Registered Nurses’ Images Of Nursing During A Pandemic, Abigail Slaktowski Apr 2021

Registered Nurses’ Images Of Nursing During A Pandemic, Abigail Slaktowski

Honors Projects

The purpose of this research study was to discover any new or transformed images of nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The research question was “What are Registered Nurses’ images of nursing while working during a pandemic?” Registered nurses submitted an image and a brief narrative of the image through REDCap ©, a secure database, describing how the image and culture of nursing is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Leininger’s Four Phases of Data Analysis (1991), the five submitted photos and narratives were analyzed. Data analysis revealed fourteen categories, then five patterns, then two final themes: …


Faces Of Aces For Nursing Education, Kelsey Bredeweg, Angela Raterink Apr 2021

Faces Of Aces For Nursing Education, Kelsey Bredeweg, Angela Raterink

Honors Projects

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that occur in childhood. They include children experiencing violence, abuse, neglect, or witnessing violence in the home. ACEs also incorporate environmental factors that threaten a child's stability and safety, such as having family members struggle with substance abuse, mental health, or instability due to parental separation or absent family members. There is significant evidence that ACEs are related to negative health outcomes in adulthood including chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse. ACEs are common and experienced by many. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 6 adults …


Compassion Fatigue In Nursing: How Can It Be Prevented?, Megan J. Vlahos Apr 2021

Compassion Fatigue In Nursing: How Can It Be Prevented?, Megan J. Vlahos

Honors Projects

A literature review paper that discusses the prevalence of compassion fatigue among acute care nurses and interventions that can be implemented to prevent it from occurring.


Essential Tremor: A Review, Grant S. Taylor Feb 2021

Essential Tremor: A Review, Grant S. Taylor

Honors Projects

Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most prevalent movement disorders globally: approximately 1% of the population is affected (Haubenberger & Hallet, 2018). In the past, ET has been grossly oversimplified clinically and pathologically and only through recent study has the complexity of the disease process and presentation been made apparent. Despite the recent advances in research regarding ET, the general public is still largely unfamiliar with the various aspects of the disease (Cristal et al., 2018). Perhaps even more surprising is the similar lack of knowledge that ET patients have regarding their own disease (Cristal et al., 2018). Recent …


Neural Correlates Of Social Pain In Psychological Disorders: Implications For Educational Settings, Skye E. Johnson Dec 2020

Neural Correlates Of Social Pain In Psychological Disorders: Implications For Educational Settings, Skye E. Johnson

Honors Projects

Pain has long been defined as a multidimensional construct; in past research, not only have the physical and sensory aspects of pain been investigated, but also the cognitive and emotional aspects, which include the experience of social pain. This experience is generally accepted to be very distressing and can have adverse effects on one's mental health, especially for those with neurological disorders. In my paper, I examine the effects of social pain on brain activity in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) as compared to those who are neurotypical. This research finds that while neurotypical …