Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Progress Reimagined: A Generation Z Perspective On Belfast In Relation To The Unsdgs., Lucy Love Haman, Rebecca F. Macleod, Emilee E. Ernster, Camryn Moore, Erin Miller, Daron Baltazar, Ricardo Jackson

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

This research explores a contemporary outsider view of Belfast, through the eyes of Generation Z visiting college students, in relation to how three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are carried out (Good Health and Well-Being, Climate Action, and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). To learn through firsthand accounts, the researchers utilized ethnographic and phenomenological methods, as interacting with locals to gather community inputs, surveying different groups in the city, Abstract: recording quotes said by citizens and displayed at billboards, and For Peer Review applying personal sensory experiences. It was found that a political deadlock plays a major role in the …

Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …

The Impact Of The Tobacco-Free Policy On The Auc New Cairo Campus, Fatimah Badawy

Theses and Dissertations

In 2019, the American University in Cairo (AUC) conducted a research study on campus attitudes towards tobacco use and smoking behaviors within their community, in light of the then newly enforced tobacco-free policy. They found most campus members in support of the policy, with higher rates of disapproval from the smoking community. In 2021, this research aimed to follow-up on changes in attitudes towards the policy as well was smoking behaviors. It hypothesized that over time, levels of support to the policy would increase, smoking habits would be positively impacted and that positive health behaviors would correlate with policy support. …

Building Sustainable Environmental Activism Programs For Youth, Aminah Habib

Master's Projects and Capstones

As the negative impacts of climate change become more and more common across the United States, many youth are experiencing eco-anxiety or other negative mental health impacts due to the state of the environment. Engaging with activism has been named as a potential mitigator of the negative impacts of climate change among youth, but the relationship between activism and youth well-being is an emerging area of research. To explore this relationship, this scoping review explored and synthesized available literature to inform the next steps. In addition to the community-level and society-level contributions that come from youth activism, there are also …

Housing Quality In Philadelphia, Pa: An Urban Health Equity Indicators Approach, Jennifer Piacentini

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Annual Conference

Philadelphia is also the poorest large city in the country, and many residents live in substandard housing. Poor housing quality is associated with poor physical health outcomes as well as mental health issues (Schilling et al., 2022). Many homes in Philadelphia are of poor quality partially due to the median house age being 93 years, and the fact that 75% of homes are more than 50 years old (Jay, 2017). It has also been found that Black households are disproportionately impacted by housing quality issues. The Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia’s Home Repair programs are invaluable, and work with homeowners to …

Sustainable Management Of Facemask Waste Generated From Covid-19 Pandemic In Bhutan, Tshering Yangdon, Twisuk Punpeng, Sirima Mongkolosomit, Kampol Nanthapong, Kinzang Yangden

Journal of Health Research

Background: The rise in facemask waste with the uncertainty of deposition data and all its concomitant pressure on management has resulted in new risks and challenges for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to estimate facemask waste generation and examine management in Bhutan since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: One thousand five hundred and twenty-seventh (1,527) consenting members of the public from Class A Thromdes (self-governing municipalities) were surveyed online from February to April 2022, to estimate mask waste using descriptive statistics. This was supported by the waste characterization conducted in Memelhakha, the biggest …

Extreme Weather And Melioidosis: An Endemic Tropical Disease In Penampang District Of Sabah, Malaysia, Sam Froze Jiee, Kai Joo Lim, Daryl Sin Choon Vui, Dina Peter Marius, Nurul Syafiqah Illyana, Anisah Jantim

Journal of Health Research

Background: Melioidosis is a fatal, but preventable communicable disease that is endemic in several parts of the world, including the state of Sabah, Malaysia, which is located in the northern part of Borneo Island. Flooding is one of the most regular natural disasters affecting some parts of Malaysia, including Sabah. The main aim of this study was to determine if rainfall and floods were significant risk factors contributing to the substantial burden of melioidosis in the Penampang district from 2015 to 2020.

Method: We analyzed 64 culture-confirmed cases of melioidosis in the Penampang district, Sabah, between 2015 and 2020 to …

The Association Between Time Spent On Screens And Reading With Myopia, Premyopia And Ocular Biometric And Anthropometric Measures In 6- To 7-Year-Old Schoolchildren In Ireland, Síofra Harrington, Veronica O'Dwyer

Articles

Purpose More time spent on near tasks has consistently been associated with the promotion of myopia. The World Health Organization advises limiting daily screentime to less than 2 h for children aged five and over. This study explored the relationship between time spent on screens and reading/writing with refractive status, ocular biometric and anthropometric factors in 6-to 7-year- olds in Ireland.

Methods Participants were 723 schoolchildren (377 boys [51.8%]), mean age 7.08 (0.45) years. The examination included cycloplegic autorefraction (1% cyclopentolate hydrochloride), ocular biometry (Zeiss IOLMaster), height (cm) and weight (kg). Screentime and reading/writing time were reported by parents/legal guardians …

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Andrew N. Rowan, Kathleen Rowan

WellBeing News

The avian flu virus was the agent that caused the devastating worldwide influenza pandemic in 2018 that killed an estimated 50-100 million people, and health authorities continue to pay close attention to periodic outbreaks of avian flu. Currently, an H5N1 influenza virus is leading to millions of wild birds and domestic poultry deaths. Recently, this virus spread in a mink farm in Spain, raising the stakes that it might be able to spread among humans. While the current avian flu pandemic is a major economic problem for global farms and a major animal welfare concern for domestic poultry and wild …

Urban Land-Based Healing: A Northern Intervention Strategy, Nicole Redvers, Melanie Nadeau, Donald Prince

Indigenous Health Faculty Publications

Urban Indigenous populations face significant health and social disparities across Canada. With high rates of homelessness and substance abuse, there are often few options for urban Indigenous Peoples to access land-based healing programs despite the increasingly known and appreciated benefits. In May 2018, the first urban land-based healing camp opened in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, one of the first to our knowledge in Canada or the United States. This camp may serve as a potential model for an Indigenous-led and Indigenous-based healing camp in an urban setting. We seek to present preliminary outcome data from the healing camp in a …

Strengthening A One Health Approach To Emerging Zoonoses, Samira Mubareka, John Amuasi, Arinjay Banerjee, Hélène Carabin, Joe Copper Jack, Claire Jardine, Bogdan Jaroszewicz, Greg Keefe, Jonathon Kotwa, Susan Kutz, Deborah Mcgregor, Anne Mease, Lily Nicholson, Katarzyna Nowak, Brad Pickering, Maureen Reed, Johanne Saint-Charles, Katarzyna Simonienko, Trevor Smith, J. Scott Weese, E. Jane Parmley

Articles & Book Chapters

Given the enormous global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canada, and manifold other zoonotic pathogen activity, there is a pressing need for a deeper understanding of the human-animal-environment interface and the intersecting biological, ecological, and societal factors contributing to the emergence, spread, and impact of zoonotic diseases. We aim to apply a One Health approach to pressing issues related to emerging zoonoses, and propose a functional framework of interconnected but distinct groups of recommendations around strategy and governance, technical leadership (operations), equity, education and research for a One Health approach and Action Plan …

Preparing For The Next Disaster: Lessons Learned From The Early Experiences Of Autistic Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amber Pomponio Davidson, Cecilia Feeley, Beth Pfeiffer, Mark Salzer

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Disasters, such as the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, create significant disruptions for individuals and their communities. Understanding these disruptions is a first step towards planning for future events and disaster recovery. This research aims to explore how the initial COVID-19 restrictions, including lockdowns, impacted adults with Autism (ASD). Method: Using semi-structured interviews to understand how individuals with ASD experienced the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, twelve participants were interviewed: six individuals with ASD (ages 20-38), three parents of individuals with ASD, and three support staff for individuals with ASD. Analysis: Grounded theory methods were used to analyze the impacts …

An Exploration Of The Causes And Effects Of Interpersonal Conflict Related Stress Among A Self-Selected Cohort Of Second Level Teachers In Ireland, Patrick Bruce

Theses

Teaching has been classified by researchers as a high stress profession. Stress in teaching has been reported to have many negative health outcomes and also affects productivity. The literature also reports that stress in teaching is a difficult matter to resolve satisfactorily, with mixed outcomes from interventions. An emergent cause of work-related stress in education is IPC and this study sets out to investigate the prevalence of this underreported phenomena.

A sample of 25 teachers working in Irish second level schools were recruited. Semi structured interviews were conducted to report on the experiences of stress, it’s causes and effects both …

An Analysis Of Water Quality At Orange County, California Beaches, Naomi Meurice

Pomona Senior Theses

Beaches in Southern California are highly recreated by residents and visitors, making beaches socially and economically important. Public health departments in coastal communities are in charge of measuring water quality and ensuring it is safe for users. Research in the past has indicated that beach water quality gets worse after storms, with bacteria levels jumping on the day of a storm and staying high for up to five days. Studies have shown these spikes in bacteria to be associated with storm runoff, with beaches closer to runoff discharge locations experiencing more impact. However, prior research has not considered the period …

‘A Healthy Mtu’ A Mixed Methods Baseline Programme Of Research To Empirically Inform A Campus Health Promotion Initiative Within An Irish Higher Education Setting, Andrea Bickerdike

Theses

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been called to lead global health promotion actions, yet there remains a dearth of empirically informed ‘Healthy University’ (HU) initiatives. This thesis constituted a baseline mixed methods needs assessment to inform a settings-based health promotion (HP) initiative (‘A Healthy MTU’) within a multi-campus ‘case’ HEI in Ireland (Cork campuses of MTU, formerly CIT). Specific aims were to (i) investigate student and staff health metrics, and (ii) identify the cultural and environmental determinants of health and wellbeing within the case HEI setting. Using a phased, mixed methodology (QUAN-QUAL), five sequential empirical studies were undertaken. Quantitative data …

A Comparison Of Techniques Of Boron Removal From Water And Wastewater, Abdolmajid Fadaei

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Boron is a vital trace element required by plants, humans, and animals. It is also a significant element used in several industries. Along with the widespread usage of boron, boron waste progressively contaminates the potable water sources as well as causing a chain of environmental and health challenges to occur. This study reviews the techniques used for boron removal from aqueous solutions, including ion exchange, resin adsorption, reverse osmosis (RO), electrocoagulation, microfiltration, chemical coagulation, solvent extraction, electro dialytic, and hybrid processes. A review search was carried out from the databases Scopus, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Embase using the following …

Risk Factors For Emergency Medical Care Or Hospitalization Due To Heat-Related Illness Or Injury: A Systematic Review, Blair Litwiller, Amber N. Barnes

Florida Public Health Review

Background: Temperatures globally have been predicted to increase due to changes in the climate. As the earth gets warmer, it is expected that heat-related illness will also increase worldwide. An effective and appropriate public health response will be critical. Purpose: The aim of this review was to identify risk factors associated with heat-related illness and injury to provide target areas for future interventions. Methods: A review of existing literature was analyzed for risk factors that may increase the likelihood of being admitted to an emergency department for a heat related illness or injury. Results: Of the …

Crisisready's Novel Framework For Transdisciplinary Translation: Case-Studies In Wildfire And Hurricane Response, Andrew Schroeder, Caleb Dresser, Akash Yadav, Jennifer Chan, Shenyue Jia, Caroline Buckee, Satchit Balsari

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

Extreme weather events including wildfires and hurricanes are becoming increasingly hazardous due to climate change, and often result in transient or permanent population displacements. Disaster-related disruptions in infrastructure, workforce, wages, and social networks can combine with population displacements to result in interruptions in health care access and prolonged impacts on morbidity and mortality. The data needed to make health systems and emergency management approaches more resilient to these hazards, and more responsive to the needs of affected populations, are sequestered in silos across private corporations and public agencies. In two case studies, we describe how our research team at CrisisReady …

The Impact Of Volatile Organic Compound Exposure On Subclinical Biomarkers Of Cardiovascular Injury., Breandon Scot Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollution has been identified as the leading environmental cause of non-communicable disease and premature deaths globally. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gaseous chemical constituents of pollution derived from a variety of sources, including industrial solvents and byproducts, automobile exhaust, tobacco smoke, cleaning supplies, and personal care products. VOCs are also abundant at various Superfund and Hazardous Waste Sites. Emerging data suggest that VOC exposure is associated with several adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). VOCs and their metabolites can potentially damage the endothelial lining of blood vessels, resulting in perturbed vascular function and vascular inflammation. We hypothesize that VOC …

The Role Of Mmp-3 In Copper Oxide Nanoparticle-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation And Fibrosis., Yuanbao Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Copper oxide nanoparticles (Nano-CuO) are wildly used in medical and industrial fields and our daily necessities. However, the biosafety assessment of Nano-CuO is far behind their rapid development. This study was to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying Nano-CuO-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis, especially to determine whether Nano-CuO exposure could dysregulate MMP-3, an important mediator in pulmonary fibrosis, and its roles in Nano-CuO-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. Aim 1 was to investigate whether exposure to Nano-CuO caused MMP-3 dysregulation in lung epithelial cells and the role of MMP-3 in Nano-CuO-induced alteration of cell junction-associated proteins. The potential mechanisms that might be …

Epigenetic Regulation In Chromium-, Nickel- And Cadmium-Induced Carcinogenesis, Lei Zhao, Ranakul Islam, Yifang Wang, Xiujuan Zhang, Ling-Zhi Liu

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Environmental and occupational exposure to heavy metals, such as hexavalent chromium, nickel, and cadmium, are major health concerns worldwide. Some heavy metals are well-documented human carcinogens. Multiple mechanisms, including DNA damage, dysregulated gene expression, and aberrant cancer-related signaling, have been shown to contribute to metal-induced carcinogenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms accounting for heavy metal-induced carcinogenesis and angiogenesis are still not fully understood. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have indicated that in addition to genotoxicity and genetic mutations, epigenetic mechanisms play critical roles in metal-induced cancers. Epigenetics refers to the reversible modification of genomes without changing DNA sequences; …

The Presence Of Microcystin In The Northwest Indiana Watershed, Breeann Mild

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Role Of The Hedgehog Pathway In Connection To Atrazine Endocrine Disruption, Anusha Kv Lakshmi Dharmavathi

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Occurrence Of Kanamycin-Resistant Bacteria Relative To Anthropogenic Pollution Along Richland Creek In Nashville, Tn​, Jolene Ho Mach, Annie Le, Brandon Torres Ramirez

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

The overuse of antibiotics has caused an increase in antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria, which is a serious public health concern. Previous studies showed a significant correlation between anthropogenic pollution and AR bacteria. This project aims to identify AR bacteria in Richland Creek relative to local anthropogenic pollution. Water samples were collected at four locations along Richland Creek in Nashville, Tennessee. Bacteria resistant to the antibiotic kanamycin were isolated from the water samples, identified to genera using DNA barcoding, and compared among the sites. We expect to see a greater abundance and diversity of kanamycin-resistant bacteria closer to the end than near …

The 3p Framework: A Comprehensive Approach To Coping With The Emerging Infectious Disease Crisis, Orsolya Molnár, Eric Hoberg, Valeria Trivellone, Gábor Földvári, Daniel R. Brooks

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest example of the profound socioeconomic impact of the emerging infectious disease (EID) crisis. Current health security measures are based on a failed evolutionary paradigm that presumes EID is rare and cannot be predicted because emergence requires the prior evolution of novel genetic capacities for colonizing a new host. Consequently, crisis response through preparation for previously emerged diseases and palliation following outbreaks have been the only health security options, which have become unsustainably expensive and unsuccessful. The Stockholm paradigm (SP) is an alternative evolutionary framework that suggests host changes are the result of changing conditions …

Environmental Health Issues, Ping Johnson

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This course will examine issues associated with environmental factors and conditions and their impact on the health of individuals and communities. Topics will include environmental epidemiology, toxicology, policy, and regulation as well as environmental agents of disease and the implementation of environmental interventions to improve public health and safety.

Assessing The Effect Of Four Types Of Direct Mail Messages To Promote The Uptake Of Residential Lead Remediation Funds, H. Okatch, B. Nkala, J. Beltrami, E. Poy, D. Parmer, J. Nkala, F. Olawole

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Objective

To examine the efficacy of direct mailing using four types of messaging on promoting the uptake of residential lead remediation (RLR) funds in Lancaster, PA, USA.

Study design

We designed a quasi-experiment to assess the effect of 4 RLR messages sent to households in Lancaster, PA by direct mail between September and December 2020: a brief flyer (F); a detailed brochure + the flyer (BF); a health infographic + the flyer (IF); and an application form + the flyer (AFF).

Methods

Mailers were sent to addresses in four census tracts; each census tract received a different message. Both English …

Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook

Sustain Magazine

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic quickly spread from country to country and continent to continent in 2020, governments and scientists needed a way to track COVID-19 through populations in order to position public health interventions in the most impactful locations. Having a decision-based risk framework may help to guide policy creation that could minimize or prevent possible outbreaks and surges of infection within communities. The University of Louisville in partnership with Louisville’s Department of Public Health and Wellness tested this strategy in 2021 and 2022. This Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook describes the decisions and actions of that academic and public …

Proximate And Ultimate Perspectives On Romantic Love

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Romantic love is a phenomenon of immense interest to the general public as well as to scholars in several disciplines. It is known to be present in almost all human societies and has been studied from a number of perspectives. In this integrative review, we bring together what is known about romantic love using Tinbergen’s “four questions” framework originating from evolutionary biology. Under the first question, related to mechanisms, we show that it is caused by social, psychological mate choice, genetic, neural, and endocrine mechanisms. The mechanisms regulating psychopathology, cognitive biases, and animal models provide further insights into the mechanisms …

Book Recommendation Vol. 5 (1)

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.