Public Health Commons^™

Twitter Sentiment Analysis: Applications In Healthcare And Finance, Jiali Wang

Dissertations

This research explores the influence of Twitter sentiment on healthcare and finance industries. It assesses how Twitter sentiment and culture measure influence COVID-19 statistics, and it investigates the impact of Twitter sentiment on S&P 1500 stock mispricing. Furthermore, it examines how tweet sentiment predicts major industry returns.

The first part examines how Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions (HCD) and Twitter economic uncertainty index (TEU) relate to COVID-19 infection rate and death rate. The results show certain aspects in HCD, such as power distance index (PDI) and masculinity (MAS) both are negatively and significantly associated with the infection rate, while indulgence (IVR) and …

Student Perception On Acceptability And Usefulness Of Sit-Stand Desks In College Classrooms, Abiola Kuilan

Theses

Sedentariness has been proved to be a major cause of various health concerns. Given that a full-time college student in the US spends more than 15 hours per week sitting in a college classroom, it may be an ideal setting for implementation of Sit-Stand Desk (SSD) to reduce college students’ sedentary time. Graduate and undergraduate students (N = 178) of NJIT were randomly recruited to complete a need based online assessment survey. Participants' mean (SD) age was 22.4(4.7) years old, 63% identified as male, 33% identified as female while 4% were of the other gender class. Among the participants, 44.3% …

Neighborhood And Environmental Predictors Of At-Risk And Problem Gambling In Massachusetts, Kendra E. Pugh

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the widespread impact and negative effects of problem gambling (PG), limited attention has been paid to the environment where PG occurs. This study investigated the relationship between gambling on lottery and the zip code where gambling occurs, as well as the influence of individual-level characteristics that predict at-risk or problem gambling (AR/PG), among Massachusetts residents. A GIS analysis was conducted to identify vulnerable areas based on neighborhood characteristics, lottery sales, and AR/PG. Overall, residents of disadvantaged areas did not spend more money on lottery or have more lottery agents than residents of less disadvantaged areas. Some indicators of disadvantage …

Rapid Rhino Vs. Merocel: A Retrospective Analysis Of Patients With Anterior Epistaxis Visiting Emergency Rooms In London, Ontario, Dhatri Shukla

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

When patients present to an emergency room (ER) with a nosebleed, one technique that physicians employ is the application of nasal packing. Merocel is a common nasal pack utilized in ER because of their low cost. Rapid Rhino is a nasal packing that is more comfortable for patients but is more costly than Merocel. Costing for epistaxis treatment is more than initial treatment costs and needs to consider rebleed rates. Using a retrospective cohort study design with covariates adjusted by propensity scores, we compared the costs associated with Merocel, and Rapid Rhino from the hospital and provincial healthcare perspectives. Merocel …

Improving Elementary Nutrition Education Curriculum In San Francisco - A Program Analysis Of The Food Education Project, Audrey N. Chang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Childhood obesity and food insecurity are problems within San Francisco, California. The purpose of this program analysis is to assess the Food Education Project (FEP), which is one of many projects addressing nutrition education and the long-term public health impact is to solve the problems of food insecurity and childhood obesity. Through primary data collection, students shared their honest feelings about food and were able to openly discuss what they know and do not know about food. A literature review was conducted through research from various databases from the University of San Francisco to identify not only current interventions but …

Examining The Socio-Economic And Gendered Structure Of Canada's Live-In Caregiver Program: A Qualitative Study Of Filipina Women's Health Experiences, Andrea Bobadilla

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The primary aim of this critical ethnographic study was to examine how Filipina women in the Canadian live-in caregiver program (LCP) negotiate their own physical and mental well-being while managing the complex health needs of their clients. Using global care chain and postcolonial theoretical frameworks, I also sought to identify how multi-scalar forces including caregiving and migrant policies in Canada and South East Asia exacerbate pre-existing gendered and labour inequities faced by these women. The distressing impact of this precarious form of employment on family dynamics and relationships among family members in the Philippines was also explored. Data collection took …

Fertility Preservation Discussions With Transgender People In Canada Prior To Beginning Medical Gender Affirmation, Emily K. Sanders

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background. Prevalence of fertility preservation discussions and procedures, participant characteristics associated with discussions, and prevalence of desire to parent are described.

Methods. Describes, for a clinical sample of < 16-year-olds: medical chart-recorded discussion and procedure prevalence, and desire to parent longitudinally. Describes self-reported discussion prevalence for a community sample of 14- to 39-year-olds. Bivariate and multivariable modified Poisson analyses were conducted for this sample.

Results. Discussion prevalence was confirmed for approximately 80% of the clinical sample, with approximately 20% unconfirmed. Self-reported discussion prevalence was 45% in the community sample. Non-binary gender with female sex at birth, greater family religiosity, and diagnosed mental health condition excluding depression or anxiety were crudely associated with less discussions. Multivariable analyses revealed no statistically significant predictors. Desire to parent was fairly consistent over time.

Conclusion. Discussions should be standard practice for …

Association Of Socioeconomic, Racial, And Regional Factors With In-Hospital Management And Outcomes Of Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients In The United States: National Analyses Of 2.8 Million Admissions, Olivia Haldenby

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Social determinants of health contribute to variations in clinical outcomes among acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Using the National Inpatient Sample, we conducted retrospective cohort analyses to evaluate the association of income, race, and geography with in-hospital mortality and revascularization procedures among AMI admissions in the United States from 2015 to 2019. Multilevel logistic regression models were used while accounting for hospital clustering and relevant predictors. A sequential model-building approach produced model 1 (unadjusted patient-level exposures), model 2 (lifestyle factors), model 3 (clinical characteristics), and model 4 (fully adjusted hospital-level factors). We identified 2,798,225 AMI hospitalizations (≥18 years) with 1,567,575 …

Engagement Journalism In Action: Supporting New Yorkers With Long Covid, Sarah Luft

Capstones

What do asthma and long COVID have in common? 1 in 13 U.S. adults are living with them. This report is a recap of my efforts to address the information needs of New Yorkers with long COVID as a student in CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism engagement program. For my final project, I partnered with THE CITY, a nonprofit news outlet serving New Yorkers, to expand the MISSING THEM project. The report details the what, why, and how of my engagement reporting process, including a community engagement framework, a service journalism series, and lessons to carry forward. You …

The Relationship Between Urban Green Space Perception And Use Within The Adolescent Population: A Focused Ethnography, Rachel Lyons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Greenspace is beneficial for improving adolescent mental health, yet we still do not understand the connection between the built environment and subjective mental wellbeing. We also lack understanding of how this population uses greenspace and how they feel when in it. Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was threefold: to understand why adolescents use greenspace, to identify how they use greenspace, and to explore how they feel when they are in greenspace. Methods: participated in a focused ethnography that utilized auto photography for photo elicitation. Braun and Clark's (2006), six phases of thematic analysis were used to guide …

Assessing The Methodology, Prevalence, And Associated Factors For Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces) Among Children And Adolescents In The United States, Kiara L. Lyons

Theses & Dissertations

To comprehensively capture the risk and protective factors of ACE exposure and ACE-related outcomes, we propose to consider a social-ecological model framework. The concept of the Social-Ecological Model was originally introduced in the 1970s by psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner and designed to theoretically capture the multifaceted influence different personal, social, and environmental factors have on health behaviors and outcomes. Additionally, this would help to determine what prevention and intervention methods would be more appropriate to implement. This conceptual framework had five system levels: microsystem (individual), mesosystem (interpersonal), exosystem (community context), macrosystem (societal and cultural influences), and chronosystem (internal and external elements …

Grip Characterization Of Protective Gloves, Doris Burns

Theses & Dissertations

In 2014, ASTM International (ASTM), one of the world's largest international standards developing organizations, published a new test method on glove grip performance. This method was adopted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in some of their specification standards. The method utilized hand torque instead of the pull method previously used by the NFPA to determine the Percent Bare Hand Control Value (%BHCV). The %BHCV, compares torque results of a gloved hand versus a bare hand. In developing this new test method, only four males and one female participated; therefore, it is unclear if statistical significance was attained. In …

An Updated Look At Mental Health Services In American Public And Private Prisons, Lieren E. Tyira

Student Theses

People residing in American prisons have the legal right to mental health care while incarcerated (Justia, 2021). This is important, as the prevalence of mental disorders is high in this population (Prins, 2014), and incarceration is a psychologically damaging experience, which hinders a person’s success at rehabilitation. Numerous of issues related to the mental health services (MHSs) in both public and private prison facilities have been reported in recent years, which warrants systematic exploration. The little existing research comparing the presence of MHSs in these facilities has produced mixed results, it uses out-of-date datasets, and none has explored MHSs in …

Social Determinants Of Access To Primary Care In Canada, Feben W. Alemu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite the promise of universal care, many Canadians report having unmet healthcare needs. We conducted two studies: (1) a systematic review of studies on social determinants of health (SDH) and unmet need; and (2) a secondary analysis using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to investigate the association of SDH and (2a) self-reported unmet need and (2b) having a family physician. The review (n=40) found a positive association between unmet need and lower income, mental health and chronic conditions, and negative association with older age, better perceived health and having a family physician. The CLSA analysis found the odds …

One Man's Pregnancy Story, Yvonne S. Marquez, Paige A. Perez

Capstones

Pregnancy is a challenging time for anyone. For LGBTQ people there are unique obstacles that make it especially difficult to navigate a medical system that was not built for them. Finn Schubert is trans and six months pregnant. He’s loving the experience but stressed by insurance claim denials, concerns for his safety, and medical incompetence.

This capstone project includes a 20-minute documentary, text, and a photo essay.

Back To The Roots: Black Veganism, Kiara R. Thomas

Capstones

Only 3% of Americans in general, but 8% of Black Americans are strict vegan or vegetarian. Whether it’s to reduce animal cruelty, manage a chronic illness, or connect with their heritage and build a social movement, Black people are embracing plant-based diets. https://kiarathomas429.github.io/portfolio/

Understanding The Experiences Of African American Caregivers Of Loved Ones With Dementia, Paula R. Madison

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Dementia is a public health problem that is estimated to triple by 2050.Globally, dementia is the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people. The direct medical costs and indirect social and economic costs of dementia are burdensome to society, and by 2030 it is projected to cost more than $2.8 TRILLION dollars worldwide. African Americans are two to four times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than White Americans; and more likely to rely on informal care from family and friends. African …

The Influence Of Taste Sensitivity To 6-N-Propylthiouracil (Prop) On Anthropometric Measurements, Body Composition, And Eating Behaviors Among Female College Students, Abeer Mohammedsharief Alardawi

Theses and Dissertations

Taste is one of the crucial factors that contributes to shaping eating behaviors and is also one of the leading reasons that affects our preferences to like or dislike some foods that mainly have a bitter taste. Variation in bitter phenotype (tasters and non-tasters) could influence diet quality and in turn body weight, which overall influenced health outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify whether bitter taste phenotype status influences anthropometric measurements, body fat percentage, and eating behaviors (liking and intake) in female college students. In this cross-sectional study (n = 86), female college students aged 18 to …

A Multi-Method Exploration Of Health Disparities And Covid-19 Incidence And Mortality In The United States, S M Asger Ali

Theses and Dissertations

The 21^st century experienced several health crises, especially in the form of infectious disease outbreaks such as the SARS outbreak in 2003, the H1N1 in 2009, and Ebola outbreaks in 2013. However, none has produced a worldwide socio-economic and health impact compared to the recent pandemic, known as COVID-19. As of October 4, 2022, more than 614 million cases with 6 million deaths have been reported worldwide. The United States is currently in the leading position with more than 98 million cases and 1 million deaths. The pandemic, however, did not impact the entire region similarly, and the infections …

Using The Social-Ecological Model To Better Understand Sexual Assertiveness Among Undergraduate Women At An Institution Of Higher Education In The Southeastern United States, Lisa Wright

Dissertations

This study examined sexual assertiveness among female undergraduate students at an institution of higher education in the southeastern United States from the context of the social-ecological model. An online survey instrument examined sexual assertiveness, sexual communication self-efficacy, campus climate, and sexual scripts. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between these variables and all variables significantly predicted sexual assertiveness individually, but when examining the relationships collectively, only sexual communication self-efficacy and campus climate remained significant predictors of sexual assertiveness.

Severe Lower Extremity Trauma In Ontario: A Linked Population-Based Analysis, Stephanie M. Kim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Open tibia fractures (OTF) are a management challenge. Admission to a trauma center (TC) and a coordinated approach to bony fixation and soft-tissue reconstruction (STR) have been shown to improve outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe patients who had OTF in Ontario and analyze their outcomes. Linked population data pertaining to patients who had OTF between the years 2009-2020 were examined. Demographic information, admission location, and management course were collected. 4240 patients were found. The mean age was 47, and majority were males. Patients admitted to TC had greater proportion of having Injury Severity Score >15, and …

Healthcare Service Utilization And Life Satisfaction In South Africa, Tamara Chavez-Lindell

Doctoral Dissertations

South Africa has achieved improvements in many health measures over the past 30 years, yet significant disparities in healthcare utilization and health outcomes persist. There is evidence that healthcare utilization has a strong influence on health outcomes and life satisfaction. Unfortunately, rural areas tend to have poorer accessibility and utilization of health services, leading to disparities in health outcomes. In rapidly urbanizing countries such as South Africa, identification of disparities and predictors of public healthcare utilization and life satisfaction may provide information that can be used to guide development of programs aimed at improving population health outcomes, quality-of-life, and overall …

An Interprofessional Prediabetes And Diabetes Self--Management Education Quality Improvement Project Among Vulnerable Populations At A Tuberculosis Hospital, Robert Saul Castro Natal

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background. Patients greatly benefit from diabetes self-management education (DSME) as it boosts knowledge and self-efficacy, decreases body weight, fasting blood sugar, and hemoglobin A₁C levels, and improves overall health outcomes in a cost-effective manner. Unfortunately, many individuals with prediabetes and diabetes who qualify for DSMEs do not attend these classes nor receive sufficient prediabetes and diabetes support elsewhere to attain guideline recommended metrics. However, individuals from vulnerable populations and without DSME education experience disproportionate diabetes-related complications worsening health outcomes. Aims: Increase general prediabetes and diabetes knowledge, facilitate behavior change, improve glycemic, metabolic, and lipid values, and increase …

Perinatal Health In North Dakota: Emerging Issues, Grace N. Njau

Doctoral Dissertations

Preterm birth, newborn screening refusal, and postpartum depression represent three emerging areas of concern that have not been previously investigated in North Dakota. Their potential impact creates significant social, behavioral, and economic burdens. Although various studies have investigated preterm birth and postpartum depression, to the best of my knowledge, newborn screening refusal in the United States has not been previously investigated. In alignment with the role of Title V of the Social Security Act (Maternal and Child Health) Programs to conduct ongoing statewide needs assessments, the objectives of this study was to investigate and identify predictors of preterm birth, newborn …

The Ins And Outs Of Undergraduate Research And Leadership: A Student's Perspective, Regina F. Hockert

Kinesiology and Public Health

This manuscript is a reflective write-up of Regina Hockert’s experience in completing KINE 462, Honors Kinesiology Senior Project, during the 2022 Fall Quarter. It describes their experience as an undergraduate research leader, including specific milestones and artifacts related to a broader replication study and the daily activities of Dr. Jafrā Thomas’ lab. This essay was designed to be a written reflection around their senior project presentation and the insights shared through that medium about the senior project experience. It is created to showcase lessons learned in relationship with the tasks and responsibilities required of working in-depth on student-led research. …

Good Faith: Surveillance And Evaluation Of 911 Good Samaritan Laws In The United States, Shane W. Reader

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

To fight soaring overdose mortality rates in the United States, lawmakers adopted a variety of harm reduction tools. Among these, 911 Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) derive their name from the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, a bystander who broke cultural convention to come to the aid of a man beset by thieves. These laws provide limited criminal immunity for bystanders in possession of controlled substances to encourage them to report drug overdoses. While previous studies associate GSLs with a modest reduction in opioid mortality, analyses often model them as equivocal or divide them coarsely across individual provisions. Evaluating these …

Substance Use Treatment And Providers For Sexual And Gender Minority Populations In A Texas-Mexico Border City, Diana Laura Barraza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) is an umbrella term that refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender-diverse populations. These populations face challenges and barriers when accessing health services that further lead to negative health outcomes and an increase in health disparities. For example, rates of substance use are higher among SGM communities compared to heterosexual/cisgender people. Risk factors for substance use problems include lack of social support, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), rejection and discrimination, and solitary drug use. Various efforts in Texas and the U.S.-Mexico border region have been made to close the gap in health inequalities. In El …

A Thematic Analysis Of Resilient Experiences Of People Who Use Drugs And Are Living With Hiv Adhering To Hiv Medicine, Valeria Duenas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a disease acquired through sex, from mother to child, sharing needles, and open wound exposure to the blood-borne virus. The disease leads to the rapid weakening of the immune system which renders the individual vulnerable to various opportunistic infections, cancer, disease progression into acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS), and possibly death. Unfortunately, US Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV as they account for nearly 30% of all new HIV infections. A subpopulation disproportionately affected also are people who inject drugs (PWID) which account for 1 in 10 HIV diagnosis in the U.S. Modern medicine has allowed …

Exploration And Analysis Of Attitudes And Determinants Toward Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U) Among Minority Women, Roberta Marie Thimbriel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: To explore and assess awareness of and attitudes toward "undetectable equals untransmittable" (U=U) and associations with social-ecological factors among minority women. Population: Ethnic minority women 18 years and older residing in the El Paso, TX, US - Juarez, Mexico border region. Methods: A cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed methods study using in-depth interviews and a survey instrument was conducted among a purposive sample. Thematic analysis was done on qualitative data, and descriptive, bivariate and binary logistic regression analyses were done on quantitative data. Results: The majority of the participants (66.7% interviewees and 50.7% survey) were Hispanic, in their early-mid thirties, …

Diabetes Self-Management Education And Support: Understanding Knowledge And The Impact, Christina Dietz

All Dissertations

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. To address this, many organizations employ diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) programs to aid in managing the impact of increasing prevalence. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the impact of two Upstate South Carolina DSMES programs on several process and outcome measures for adults with diabetes, while also identifying current primary care provider DSMES knowledge and perceptions in an Upstate South Carolina health system.

This dissertation found inconclusive results on the impact of DSMES on PCP utilization, retinal exam screening, nephropathy attention, HDL, LDL, TC, and TG. DSME …