Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Analyzing The Ramifications Of Climate Change On Mental Health, Salvatore A. Medori

CAFE Symposium 2024

When thinking about the vast array of impacts that the climate crisis has on humanity, there are many things that come to mind, but mental health impacts are likely not one of them. Even though research demonstrates that mental effects from any form of disaster far exceed the physical health implications mental health impacts of the largest disaster facing humanity since the Second World War are rarely considered at all, let alone when solutions are being created. This has led to a hidden crisis emerging underneath an even larger crisis, with serious consequences for most individuals across the globe. The …

Navigating Car Attitudes: An Analysis Of Transportation Habits, Environmental Views, And Demographics, Caroline J. Jordan, Sydney E. Lucero, Anna L. Imrie

Student Publications

Transportation plays a crucial part in the daily lives of people and society worldwide. Our study examined the transportation habits and environmental attitudes of both Gettysburg College students and individuals across the United States. We conducted a comparative analysis using a sample from students on campus and a national sample collected from the crowdsourcing platform, Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Additionally, we compared our findings with two similar studies completed by an Environmental Studies capstone nine years ago. We calculated each respondent's environmental score to gauge environmental attitudes, derived explicitly from their answers to five of the 24 survey questions. Next, we …

Roadway Characteristics And Car Accident Trends In Gettysburg, Pa, Max Smith, Jake H. Kennell, Russell H. Canova

Student Publications

This study addresses the rising motor vehicle accident and fatality rates in the United States (Moore, 2023). Focusing on the conditions in the Gettysburg Borough in an attempt to answer the following research questions: Are age of driver, weather conditions of car accidents, and traffic volume contributing to accidents in the Gettysburg Borough? What are the roadway characteristics of accident hot spot areas within the Gettysburg Borough? Utilizing Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) crash data from 2018 to 2022 and PennDot Average Annual Daily Traffic data, this study employs a comprehensive approach. Combining GIS analysis and statistical analysis to determine …

Exposing Racism Part I: Environmental Racism, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Office Of Multicultural Engagement

Office of Multicultural Engagement Events

This is the first in a four-part series on Exposing Racism sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Engagement. Health Sciences Prof. Megan Benka-Coker '09 discusses how environmental racism occurs through rules, regulations, and policies that target Black communities.

Kitchen Concentrations Of Fine Particulate Matter And Particle Number Concentration In Households Using Biomass Cookstoves In Rural Honduras, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Jennifer L. Peel, John Volckens, Nicholas Good, Kelsey R. Bilsback, Christian L'Orange, Casey Quinn, Bonnie N. Young, Sarah Rajkumar, Ander Wilson, Jessica Tryner, Sebastian Africano, Anibal B. Osorto Pinel, Maggie L. Clark

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Cooking and heating with solid fuels results in high levels of household air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM); however, limited data exist for size fractions smaller than PM2.5 (diameter less than 2.5 μm). We collected 24-h time-resolved measurements of PM2.5 (n = 27) and particle number concentrations (PNC, average diameter 10–700 nm) (n = 44; 24 with paired PM2.5 and PNC) in homes with wood-burning traditional and Justa (i.e., with an engineered combustion chamber and chimney) cookstoves in rural Honduras.

The median 24-h PM2.5 concentration (n = 27) was 79 μg/m3 (interquartile range [IQR]: 44–174 μg/m3); traditional (n = 15): …

Study Protocol For A Stepped-Wedge Randomized Cookstove Intervention In Rural Honduras: Household Air Pollution And Cardiometabolic Health, Bonnie N. Young, Jennifer L. Peel, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Sarah Rajkumar, Ethan S. Walker, Robert Brook, Tracy L. Nelson, John Volckens, Christian L'Orange, Nicholas Good, Casey Quinn, Joshua P. Keller, Zachary D. Weller, Sebastian Africano, Anibal Osorto Pinel, Maggie L. Clark

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass-burning cookstoves to cardiometabolic disease risk. Few randomized controlled interventions of cookstoves (biomass or otherwise) have quantitatively characterized changes in exposure and indicators of cardiometabolic health, a growing and understudied burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Ideally, the solution is to transition households to clean cooking, such as with electric or liquefied petroleum gas stoves; however, those unable to afford or to access these options will continue to burn biomass for the foreseeable future. Wood-burning cookstove designs such as the Justa (incorporating an engineered combustion zone and chimney) have the potential …

Exposure To Household Air Pollution From Biomass Cookstoves And Levels Of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (Feno) Among Honduran Women, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Maggie L. Clark, Sarah Rajkumar, Bonnie N. Young, Annette M. Bachand, John R. Balmes, Robert Brook, Tracy L. Nelson, John Volckens, Steve J. Reynolds, Ander Wilson, Christian L'Orange, Nicholas Good, Casey Quinn, Kirsten Koehler, Sebastian Africano, Anibal Osorto Pinel, Jennifer L. Peel

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Household air pollution is estimated to be responsible for nearly three million premature deaths annually. Measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) may improve the limited understanding of the association of household air pollution and airway inflammation. We evaluated the cross-sectional association of FeNO with exposure to household air pollution (24-h average kitchen and personal fine particulate matter and black carbon; stove type) among 139 women in rural Honduras using traditional stoves or cleaner-burning Justastoves. We additionally evaluated interaction by age. Results were generally consistent with a null association; we did not observe a consistent pattern for interaction by age. Evidence …

Exposure To Household Air Pollution From Biomass Cookstoves And Blood Pressure Among Women In Rural Honduras: A Cross‐Sectional Study, Bonnie N. Young, Maggie L. Clark, Sarah Rajkumar, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Annette Bachand, Robert D. Brook, Tracy L. Nelson, John Volckens, Stephen J. Reynolds, Christian L'Orange, Nicholas Good, Kirsten Koehler, Sebastian Africano, Anibal B. Osorto Pinel, Jennifer L. Peel

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass cookstoves with elevated blood pressure. We assessed cross‐sectional associations of 24‐hour mean concentrations of personal and kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and stove type with blood pressure, adjusting for confounders, among 147 women using traditional or cleaner‐burning Justa stoves in Honduras. We investigated effect modification by age and body mass index. Traditional stove users had mean (standard deviation) personal and kitchen 24‐hour PM2.5 concentrations of 126 μg/m3 (77) and 360 μg/m3 (374), while Justa stove users’ exposures were 66 μg/m3 (38) and 137 μg/m3(194), respectively. BC concentrations were …

A Case Study Of The Ethanol Cleancook Stove Intervention And Potential Scale-Up In Ethiopia, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Wubshet Tadele, Alex Milano, Desalegn Getaneh, Harry Stokes

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Approximately 80% of Ethiopia's energy consumption is dominated by woody biomass fuel use, resulting in 91.2 million tons of firewood and 4.2 million tons of charcoal consumed annually. Ethiopia's dependency on non-sustainable energy, especially for cooking, has been a major concern for the nation for the past 30 years, contributing to deforestation, climate change, and adverse human health impacts.

Objectives

Our objective was to document the work of Gaia Association and the implementation of the ethanol CleanCook stove in the refugee camp and urban settings of Ethiopia. We then assessed the potential for the scale-up of ethanol as a …

Exposure To Household Air Pollution From Biomass-Burning Cookstoves And Hba1c And Diabetic Status Among Honduran Women, S. Rajkumar, M. L. Clark, B. N. Young, Megan L. Benka-Coker, A. M. Bachand, R. D. Brook, T. L. Nelson, J. Volckens, S. J. Reynolds, C. L'Orange, N. Good, K. Koehler, S. Africano, A. B. Osorto Pinel, J. L. Peel

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Household air pollution from biomass cookstoves is estimated to be responsible for more than two and a half million premature deaths annually, primarily in low and middle‐income countries where cardiometabolic disorders, such as Type II Diabetes, are increasing. Growing evidence supports a link between ambient air pollution and diabetes, but evidence for household air pollution is limited. This cross‐sectional study of 142 women (72 with traditional stoves and 70 with cleaner‐burning Justa stoves) in rural Honduras evaluated the association of exposure to household air pollution (stove type, 24‐hour average kitchen and personal fine particulate matter [PM2.5] mass and black carbon) …

Rush To Judgment: The Sti-Treatment Trials And Hiv In Sub-Saharan Africa, Eileen Stillwaggon, Larry Sawers

Economics Faculty Publications

Introduction: The extraordinarily high incidence of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa led to the search for cofactor infections that could explain the high rates of transmission in the region. Genital inflammation and lesions caused by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were a probable mechanism, and numerous observational studies indicated several STI cofactors. Nine out of the ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs), however, failed to demonstrate that treating STIs could lower HIV incidence. We evaluate all 10 trials to determine if their design permits the conclusion, widely believed, that STI treatment is ineffective in reducing HIV incidence.

Discussion: Examination of the …

Healthy Options: A Community-Based Program To Address Food Insecurity, Amy B. Dailey, Audrey Hess, Camille Horton, Emily Constantian, Salma Monani, Betsy Wargo, Kim Davidson, Kathy Gaskin

Center for Public Service Research

The objectives of this study are to better understand the lived experience of food insecurity in our community and to examine the impact of a community-based program developed to increase access to local, healthy foods. Participants were given monthly vouchers to spend at local farmers’ markets and invited to engage in a variety of community activities. Using a community-based participatory research framework, mixed methods were employed. Survey results suggest that most respondents were satisfied with the program and many increased their fruit and vegetable consumption. However, over 40% of respondents reported a higher level of stress over having enough money …

El Mal De Chagas Y Su Potencial De Eliminación, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

La Asamblea Mundial de la Salud ha elegido algunas enfermedades como blancos para la eliminación. Hay mucha esperanza y una alta probabilidad de que varias enfermedades, recientemente llamadas desatendidas, sean eliminadas en las próximas décadas. Vamos a presenciar el fin de la transmisión de la dracunculiasis, la filariosis linfática, la poliomielitis, y en las Américas por lo menos, la oncocercosis. Ya se ven éxitos significativos como la cuasi erradicación de la dracunculiasis y paso importantes en contra de otras aflicciones. [Original Spanish version]

The World Health Assembly has chosen some diseases as targets for elimination. There is much …

Attempting To Close The Food Gap: An Evaluation Of The 2011 Fair Share Program In Gettysburg, Pa, Lisa M. Martin

Student Publications

Background: Families in Adams County with an income between 160% and 250% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines and ineligible for federal food assistance programs were determined to be in the “food gap.” In collaboration with Adams County Farm Fresh Markets and the Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College, the Adams County Food Policy Council developed the Fair Share Program to provide monthly food vouchers and educational sessions to a group of families in the food gap to use at farmers markets in Gettysburg, PA. The goals of the program were to provide families not eligible for federal food …

Encontrando La Comida Saludable: Identifying Food Access Barriers For The Adams County, Pennsylvania Latino Community, Gwendolyn D. Brown, Olivia A. Haddad

Student Publications

Overwhelming research indicates that recent national trends in U.S. food systems have led to the increased prevalence of processed foods and associated diet-related diseases. The effects of unhealthy diets have been distributed unevenly across the country’s socioeconomic and ethnic groups. Certain socioeconomic and ethnic groups face greater geographic, financial and cultural barriers to healthy food access. In Adams County, Pennsylvania, Latinos comprise 5.6% of the population, making them the county’s largest minority group, yet little is known about the food access barriers they face. In this study, we used a combination of surveys and focus groups with Latino residents and …

Closing The Food Gap In Adams County: A Proposal For Comprehensive Solutions Through Community Action, Vickie Corbett, Rayna Cooper, Kim Davidson, Kathy Gaskin, Kathy Glahn, Aimee S. George, Audrey Hess, Gretchen Natter, Christine Nemetz, Megan Shreve, Sara W. Tower

Center for Public Service Research

Today, in Adams County, we have two food systems. The 20% who live in poverty survive on food stamps, the food pantry, church donations, and trips to discount food vendors. Those with more financial stability could choose from an abundance of healthy, sustainably produced, local and international foods. We have come to accept these two food systems as the norm without critically analyzing how it is affecting individuals and the health of our communities.

In addition to reducing the disparity and closing the food gap, this initiative is focused on building our local economy and educating our community about nutrition …