Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Hpv Vaccination In The Virginia Context: Demographic Disparities, Patient-Provider Gender Concordance And The Impact Of Changing Recommendations, Isha Patel, Norma M. Benitez, George L. Maxwell, Fabian T. Camacho, Rajesh Balkrishnan

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Objective: Despite its effectiveness in preventing several cancers, there are marked disparities in HPV vaccination initiation and series completion. The present study sought to understand disparities in HPV vaccinations among patients in northern Virginia (ages 9-26) and the impact of patient and provider gender concordance, in lieu of CDC’s vaccine recommendation changes in 2016, which reduced the recommended doses from three to two, in this population. Design: Analyses of electronic medical records collected from 2012 to 2017. Setting: A large health care system in Northern Virginia. Participants: A total of 37,427 patients, ages 9 to 26, were included in analyses. …

Introducing The Vpha Policy Forum, Benjamin P. Barber

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Data before and during the pandemic indicates Virginia's public health system needs reform. This article suggests that reform requires policy change, and it introduces the VPHA forum as a place to examine current policies and explore new ideas. Finally, it encourages policymakers, advocates, and the public to focus on fundamental questions about how public health is financed and delivered in Virginia. Answering these questions is necessary to creating better public health policies - and better health - for all Virginians.

Knowledge Of The Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: An Analysis Using Together For Health Virginia Population Health Survey, Mythili Vigneshwar, Sunny Jung Kim, Carrie A. Miller, Bernard Fuemmeler, Rajesh Balkrishnan

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Purpose: The purpose of this analysis was to identify key predictors which impact knowledge of the Human Papillomavirus vaccine in adults aged 21 to 45 in Virginia.

Methods: Data was collected from the Together for Health Virginia Population Surveys administered by Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia. Logistic regression was performed on data using the variables sex, age, rurality, race, education, income, occupation, and type of health insurance coverage.

Results: There was a statistically significant positive relationship between knowledge of the HPV vaccine and part-time occupation (OR: 4.288, CI: 1.492-13.325), younger age (OR: 2.31, CI: 1.088-4.905), and …

Sustainability Of Community Engagement At Institutions Of Higher Education: A Look At Compassion Fatigue And The College Student Mental Health Crisis, Katherine A. Chiu, Briana G. Craig, Naomi L. Rabago

VA Engage Journal

This study investigated one of the many factors contributing to the sustainability of community engagement efforts at institutions of higher education. Extensive literature shows that burnout and compassion fatigue disproportionately affect those in caring roles and helping professions. Moreover, studies have found significant correlations between levels of burnout and compassion fatigue and the likelihood of human error, which directly affects the safety and long-term outcomes of people within their care. However, there is still limited exploration of how these phenomena may manifest, and similarly, cause unintentional harm to vulnerable populations, in the context of student community engagement efforts. This paper …

Reflecting On The Now: Race, Gender, Socio-Economic Status And Covid-19, Ariana Montemayor, Sydney M. Scanlon

VA Engage Journal

Early in 2020, we began a project for our Women and Technology class at Old Dominion University to highlight women working in health sciences. However, our original project idea drastically changed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 focused our attention on issues regarding societal inequalities and health disparities. Therefore, we decided to create a new project that emphasized the societal inequalities and the disproportionate impact COVID had on People of Color, women and low-income individuals. In this paper, we critically reflect on the journey of our project from conception to completion, as well as how we, and the …

The Danger Of Apathy: College Students' Receipt Of Mumps Vaccine During An Outbreak, Laura A. Keane

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

A mumps outbreak occurred on the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia, during the Spring 2018 semester. For many of the students, it was probably the first time they had to decide on their own whether or not to receive a vaccine. This study examined the relationships between students’ general vaccine acceptance; measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine acceptance; vaccine knowledge; and intent to receive/receipt of the MMR booster. An explanatory, cross-sectional study was distributed in Fall 2019 to students in two health courses (n = 243). For students who were enrolled during the Spring 2018 semester, the …