Public Health Commons^™

Associations Between Opioid-Related Hospitalizations And Intravenous Drug Users, Jacklynn De Leon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The opioid epidemic has led to a chain reaction of public health concerns, including an increase in heroin usage, injection drug abuse, incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV transmission. There have been few population-based studies investigating the clinical and socio- demographic data associated with opioid use in Nevada (Feng et al., 2016; Frank, 2000) and few studies investigating the intravenous drug user (IDU) population in Clark County. On February 2017, Clark County’s first syringe exchange program (SEP) opened its doors to the IDU population. This study provides an updated analysis of opioid-related injuries within Nevada and provides a …

Telelactation And Breastfeeding Outcomes Among Low-Income Mothers In Mississippi: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Aaron Thomas Hunt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

New mothers are recommended to exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first six months to provide optimal health for infant and mother. However, only 13.0% of mothers in Mississippi reached this milestone among infants born in 2015, which was far below the Healthy People 2020 objective of 25.5%. One factor that impacts breastfeeding success is access to certified lactation consultants, but low-income women may lack access due to an inadequate number of providers, unreliable transportation, rural location, or cost. The use of “telelactation” programs, which provide access to lactation consultants via video conferencing on internet connected devices, has been suggested …

Air Pollution Related Asthma Inpatient Hospital Admission In The Las Vegas Valley, Joshua Allen Jensen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition characterized by inflammation in the lungs that causes airflow to be restricted. In Southern Nevada’s Las Vegas Valley, the natural basin geography causes air pollutants to accumulate. Research has linked air pollution with worsening asthma symptoms. The goal of this study was to determine the non-linear lagged relationship between Asthma Related Inpatient Hospital Admissions (ARIHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) criteria air pollutants in the Las Vegas Valley using hospital and pollution monitoring station data. Overall, a statistically significant increased RR of ARIHA between 7 and 13 days after exposure to PM2.5 24-hour …

Examining Environmental Hazards In Rental Homes And Habitability Laws In Clark County, Nevada, Jorge Luis Bertran

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It is well established that home conditions are linked to the health outcomes of occupants. There are over 880,000 housing units in Clark County, Nevada; nearly half of those are renter-occupied units (ROUs). Currently, there is limited research on the characteristics of environmental hazards found in Clark County ROUs and the strength of habitability statutes created to protect tenants from substandard housing. Understanding how renters in Clark County are affected by environmental hazards in ROUs and the processes by which landlords and tenants resolve grievances related to those hazards would benefit public health. It would enhance the ability to quickly …

An Evaluation Of Food Insecurity Rates And Its Correlates In A Filipino American Population Sample Residing In Clark County, Nevada, Prescott M. Cheong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Filipino Americans comprise over half of the Asian American population in Clark County, Nevada. In 2016, 1.6% of Asian American households in Clark County reported being food insecure, which was considerably lower than food insecurity rates for White, non-Hispanic households (14.5%). Yet, Clark County demographic data reveals that 24% of Filipino-headed households report incomes at 200% or below the federal poverty level compared to 33% for Whites. Food insecurity rates specific to Filipino Americans in Clark County are lacking. Moreover, available food insecurity data aggregates Filipinos with other Asian American subgroups, which ignores the heterogeneity inherent to the Asian American …

Prostate Cancer Survival Among Hispanics: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, And End Results (Seer) Population-Based Cohort Study, David Rivas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hispanics are now the youngest, largest, and fastest growing minority group in the U.S. Prostate cancer (PC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among Hispanics. For the first time, we examined PC-specific survival among distinct Hispanic groups that include Mexicans, Cubans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, as well as Central and South Americans. We compared these groups to the main reference population in the U.S., non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), after adjustment for prognostic factor risk categories (prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, Gleason score, and tumor stage), as well as sociodemographic covariates (e.g., health insurance, …

An Examination Of The Community And Environmental Impact Of A Las Vegas Convention Food Rescue Program, Samantha H. To

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Food insecurity affects millions of Americans each year, inflicting negative consequences on the physical and mental health outcomes at all ages. Concurrently, millions of tons of leftover edible foods are sent to landfill each year. Not only does this pose a question of ethics, but increasingly harms the environment by misusing resources and increasing the release of

greenhouse gases.

Food rescue advisory meetings highlighted the need for more focused research to be conducted that assessed the impacts of donating rescued convention food on local environmental and community health. A mixed-method approach was used to detail the food rescue process between …