Community-Based Research Commons^™

Frequencies And Types Of Unmet Needs Of Families With Children And Youth With Special Health Care Needs Undergoing A Preparedness Intervention, Braden Bubarth, Jennifer Griffin, Zekarias Berhane, Renee Turchi

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

Health And Healthcare: Designing For The Social Determinants Of Health And Blue Zones In North Nashville, Rebecca Tonguis, Honor Thomas, Olivia Hobbs

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Owned by North Nashville’s First Community Church, a now empty site in the Osage-North Fisk neighborhood of North Nashville has been identified as a potential site for a new location of The Store, in addition to a community-centric architectural development based on the social determinants of health and informed by the principles behind Blue Zones, the locations with the highest lifespans in the world. Opened by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, The Store is a free grocery store that “allow[s] people to shop for their basic needs in a way that protects dignity and fosters hope”, for which North Nashville …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Translating A Pediatric Weight Management Intervention Into Medically Underserved Areas, Caitlin Golden

Theses & Dissertations

Despite substantial prevention and treatment efforts, childhood obesity remains a pressing public health concern. Disparities persist in obesity prevalence among children of lower socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic minority groups, and those residing in rural areas. The vast majority of efficacious pediatric weight management interventions (PWMIs) have been based in larger cities and urban areas delivered through inter-disciplinary teams in a hospital or medical center, and the degree to which these or other efficacious PWMIs have been translated to, and are feasible in, typical rural or micropolitan areas is unclear. This dissertation describes a dissemination strategy and a systematic approach …

Health Literacy In Older Adults: Determining Gaps In The Health Literacy Skills Of Older Adults In Saratoga Springs, New York And Suggestions For Effective Interventions, Elizah Jacobs

Self-Determined Majors Final Projects

This study aimed to understand the strengths and limitations of health literacy skills among older adults. The results informed a resource to improve any discovered gaps in health literacy. Participants (n=50) were selected through convenience sampling methods at the Saratoga Senior Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) was distributed to evaluate health literacy skills among older adults. Measures of means and standard deviations were used to assess strengths and limitations in health literacy skills among nine domains of the HLQ. The results informed the implementation of a resource designed to increase health literacy specifically for …

Still, We Thrive: Understanding How Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Other Men Who Have Sex With Men (Gbtmsm) Experience Structural Barriers & Facilitators To Wellness, Lucas Gergyek

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Historically and concurrently, structural violence has been a significant force influencing the sexual health and broader health of gay, bisexual, transgender and other men who have sex with men (GBTMSM). Yet to date, the majority of projects exploring the health inequities facing GBTMSM have focused on intrapsychic and behavioural factors as most related to poor health outcomes. As well, these studies are sometimes deficits focused, and fail to evaluate how GBTMSM continue to thrive, and maintain positive health. As a result, the ways in which systems and policies underlie and perpetuate health inequities facing GBTMSM have been somewhat obscured. Connectedly, …

Sheprep: Examining The Influence Of The Messaging And The Messenger Associated With Prep Uptake Among African American Women, Christian C. Spears

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American Women (AAW) make up less than 15% of the female population in the United States but account for over 50% of new HIV diagnoses among females. This largely preventable health disparity can be mitigated by advocating and prescribing Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a preventive HIV medication, to persons at risk. Despite advances in medication options, there are less than 13% of Black people who could benefit from having been prescribed PrEP, and limited research and promotion on the effectiveness of PrEP for AAW. The “ShePrEP Study” aimed to assess awareness, perceptions, and receptivity toward PrEP among AAW. This study …

“Living In Trauma 24/7”: A Qualitative Exploration Of Factors Contributing To Secondary Traumatic Stress And Burnout Among Student Services Professionals Working With Marginalized Student Populations, Delia Sanchez, Portia A. Jackson Preston, Christine Vu, Lucia Alcala

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Higher education professionals are at risk of secondary traumatic stress (STS) as a result of supporting students experiencing trauma, while overwhelming workload, inadequate resources, and unclear role responsibilities may lead to burnout. This study explored contributing factors to STS and burnout and coping efforts among faculty, students, and staff working in a capacity in which they provide non-instructional support to programs or centers focusing on marginalized student populations. Participants (N=56) represented twenty-two U.S. regional universities, and were a subset of respondents to a larger mixed-methods study (n=559). Qualitative responses to three open-ended questions on challenges and coping efforts were analyzed …

Quality Of Life For Women With Chronic Lyme Disease: A Socioeconomic Investigation, Dale M. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations

This is a mixed methods investigation of how chronic Lyme disease, including Lyme-like diseases and co-infections, affects the quality of life of women who have chronic Lyme. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used during three phases of research: a 91-question survey instrument followed by focus group discussions and written narratives. The research considered the socioeconomic impact on quality of life in five areas: obtaining a diagnosis, relationships and personal support systems, struggles with the medical system, the ability to work, and access to treatment. There were 500 responses to the survey, of which 373 were analyzed; 11 participants in …

Transmission Risk Of Malaria Via Gas Flares In Africa, Elle Blake

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Gas flaring occurs at oil drilling sites around the world. It is a method to get rid of the extra gas, as well as to release pressure in emergency situations. The pollutants that are contributed to the air through routine gas flaring can be extremely harmful. Chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and methane are burned into the air we breathe (Baker Hughes, 2019). Not only does this have a direct impact on our health, but also on greenhouse gas emissions. The effects on greenhouse gas emissions impact diseases such as Malaria by increasing the temperature of our planet. The purpose …

African-American Lay Pastoral Care Facilitators’ Perspectives On Dementia Caregiver Education And Training, Nik M. Lampe, Nidhi Desai, Tomeka Norton-Brown, Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski, Robert L. Glueckauf

The Qualitative Report

The African-American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS 2) is a faith-integrated, skills-training and support program for distressed African American family caregivers of persons living with dementia across Florida. Caregivers participate in a 12-week, telephone-based, skills-building and support program led by faith community workers (i.e., lay pastoral care facilitators) who provide volunteer services to their denominations. In this case study, we examined facilitators’ perspectives and recommendations for supplementary audiovisual and written training materials to optimize group process and goal-setting skills. Utilizing a qualitative approach, we explored facilitators’ needs, experiences in using current training materials, and recommendations for supplementary …

Project Spraoi: The Implementation And Outcomes Of A Process Evaluation Of A School-Based Health Promotion Intervention, Yvonne Larrissa O’Byrne

Theses

Large multi-site school-based interventions are challenging to implement and difficult to evaluate due to the complex adaptive nature of schools as a research setting. This study focused on implementing a comprehensive process evaluation of a multicomponent primary school-based health promotion called Project Spraoi (PS), alongside intervention delivery, to aid the translation of outcomes and understand the moderating role of contextual factors on intervention delivery. PS is led by a physical activity (PA) specialist known as an Energizer and aims to improve children’s PA levels and reduce sedentary time by delivering 20 minutes extra daily moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) during …

The Program To Reduce Implicit Bias In Carroll Hospital Center Using The Implicit Association Test, Katherine E. Traynor

Capstone Showcase

Natural brain processes make all individuals susceptible to unconscious bias; however, stressful, fearful, or anger-evoking situations as well as the negative influence of media and social surroundings increase the risk of holding obstructive bias, and there is a greater risk of being negatively impacted by this phenomenon when belonging to a minority population (Rose & Flores, 2020). As a result, high rates of infant mortality (10.2 deaths per 1,000 live births for the Non-Hispanic Black population compared to 4.1 in the White population) and cardiovascular related diseases (190.0 cases per 1,000 in the Non-Hispanic Black population compared to 161.3 in …

An Examination Of Hiv Risk, Testing And Prevention Intervention Participation Among Vulnerable Youth, Bianca V. Lopez

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YGBM) of color are disproportionately affected by HIV and bear the burden of the disease in the United States. Gay and bisexual men – referred to in surveillance systems as men who have sex with men (MSM) – continue to be the risk group most severely affected by HIV in the United States. The dissertation study explored factors related on HIV prevention intervention participation, HIV testing and sexual risk behaviors among YGBM ages 13-29 in the Bronx. Additionally, this dissertation endeavored to study the concept of “intervention fatigue”, …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Social Collaborations On Sexual And Reproductive Health Knowledge, Lucki Word, Jaila Campbell, Manar T. Edriss, Destiny Stroman, Jewel Evans, Melanie Hanna-Johnson, Md, Anil N. F. Aranha, Phd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Developments in technology, such as the popularity of mobile devices and social media outlets, have enhanced the ability of individuals to communicate. Currently, search engines allow for easy exploration of information related to every topic of interest. Our study purpose was to evaluate the impact of technological and social collaborations on sexual and reproductive health knowledge (SRHK).

Methods: A 50-item survey instrument, integrating factors of sociodemographics, number/type of social collaborations, technological communication use, and SRHK, was developed to assess familiarity with sexual and reproductive health perceptions. The survey was provided to consenting patients in an ambulatory, primary care setting. …

Sexual Behaviours Of Adolescents In Creek Town, Cross River State, Nigeria, Kabiru K. Salami, Rowland E. Edet

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Risky sexual behaviors of adolescents in Creek Town have not been fully profiled. This study investigated the sexual behaviors of adolescents and their various dimensions in Creek Town, in Cross River State, Nigeria. This cross-sectional survey design adopted multi-stage sampling procedure to administer a 112-items questionnaire to 422 adolescents, to elicit information on their sexual behaviors and practices. Four focus group discussion sessions were also conducted with in-school and out-of-school adolescents. The mean age of adolescents was 17 years. Majority (65.4%) of the adolescents were sexually active. The mean age at sexual debut was 15 years for both male and …

Conceptualizing Youth Participation In Children’S Health Research: Insights From A Youth-Driven Process For Developing A Youth Advisory Council, Mohammad El-Bagdady, Krishna Arunkumar, Drew Bowman, Stephanie Coen, Christina Ergler, Jason Gilliland, Ahad Mahmood, Suraj Paul

Geography & Environment Publications

Given the power asymmetries between adults and young people, youth involvement in research is often at risk of tokenism. While many disciplines have seen a shift from conducting research on youth to conducting research with and for youth, engaging children and teens in research remains fraught with conceptual, methodological, and practical challenges. Arnstein’s foundational Ladder of Participation has been adapted in novel ways in youth research, but in this paper, we present a new rendering: a ‘rope ladder.’ This concept came out of our youth-driven planning process to develop a Youth Advisory Council for the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory, an …

Promoting Community And Population Health In Public Health And Medicine: A Stepwise Guide To Initiating And Conducting Community-Engaged Research, Scott D. Rhodes, Amanda E. Tanner, Lilli Mann-Jackson, Jorge Alonzo, Florence Siman, Eunyoung Y. Song, Jonathan Bell, Megan B. Irby, Aaron T. Vissman, Robert E. Aronson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Various methods, approaches, and strategies designed to understand and reduce health disparities, increase health equity, and promote community and population health have emerged within public health and medicine. One such approach is community-engaged research. While the literature describing the theory, principles, and rationale underlying community engagement is broad, few models or frameworks exist to guide its implementation. We abstracted, analyzed, and interpreted data from existing project documentation including proposal documents, project-specific logic models, research team and partnership meeting notes, and other materials from 24 funded community-engaged research projects conducted over the past 17 years. We developed a 15-step process designed …

Project Spraoi: The Effectiveness Of A Nutrition And Physical Activity Intervention On The Dietry Intake, Dietary Patterns, Nutritional Knowledge And Markers Of Health Of Irish Primary School Children, Alison Merrotsy

PhDs

Aim: To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition and physical activity (PA) intervention (Project Spraoi) on dietary intake (DI), dietary patterns (DP), nutritional knowledge (NK), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), blood pressure (BP) and markers of health of Irish children in one primary school in Cork. The relationship between DP and NK, CRF, BP and anthropometric data will also be examined.

Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Food diary, NK questionnaire and 550m walk/run test were used to assess DI, DP, NK and CRF, respectively. BP, body mass index (BMI) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were also calculated.

Setting: Two …

Healthy Teeth: Building Dental Health Awareness Among Head Start Parents, Marisol Cruz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In the U.S and state of California, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease and concerning health issue among children. The Head Start program in Monterey County serves about 1, 245 children annually from birth to five years of age. One requirement is that children obtain dental health checkups every six months, and receive dental treatment, if needed, as part of adhering to California's dental periodicity schedule. Over the past years, an increase of failed dental health assessments was observed among many children enrolled in the program. Obtaining and following through with treatment was an obstacle. The purpose of …

Pololeo Y Protección: Las Barreras De Acceso A Métodos Anticonceptivos Para Adolescentes Vulnerables En La Comuna De Macul, Santiago De Chile / Pololeo Y Protección: Barriers To Access Contraceptive Methods For Vulnerable Adolescents In The District Of Macul, Santiago De Chile, Louisa Boswell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El embarazo adolescente sigue siendo un problema de salud pública al nivel nacional en Chile. Aunque por ley, todos tienen el derecho a una educación sexual y a elegir un método de control de fecundidad, todavía existen casos de embarazos no planificados, particularmente entre adolescentes. Este estudio investigó las barreras que limitan el acceso a métodos anticonceptivos para adolescentes, enfocando primariamente en el sistema público en la Región Metropolitana. Específicamente, la investigación consideró las adolescentes de la comuna de Macul, utilizando muestras de un colegio local y dos centros de salud familiar para hacer conclusiones. La investigadora entrevistó a matronas …

Sex Work And Compromised Health: Health Conditions And The Barriers To Accessing Treatment Services In Pelourinho, Salvador, Amelia Fox

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sex workers remain one of the most marginalized populations in Brazilian society, both coming from and living within realities defined by poverty and poor health. Through partnership with Força Feminina – an organization located in Salvador, dedicated to aiding local sex workers– I explored the day-to-day health complications sex workers encounter and the impact these problems have on quality of life. I then questioned how discrimination and stigma impact a woman’s willingness to prioritize her health and seek out healthcare services. To pursue these questions, I utilized participant observation, interviews with 4 staff members – a pastoral educator, financial coordinator, …

Una Investigación Sobre La Prevalencia De La Lactancia Materna / 62/5000 An Investigation On The Prevalence Of Breastfeeding, Madeline Ferone

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El propósito de la investigación es estudiar la realidad de las prácticas y la prevalencia de la lactancia materna en Chile, y cómo las características demográficas distintas de las mujeres influyen en la alimentación de sus bebés. La lactancia materna es crucial para el crecimiento y desarrollo saludable de un bebé, y también tiene beneficios para la salud de la madre. Sin embargo, las madres a menudo no siguen las pautas de la Organización Mundial de Salud y UNICEF. Los métodos de recolección de datos son una revisión de una Encuesta del Ministerio de Salud de 2013 de 9604 madres …

Food Justice Youth Development: Using Photovoice To Study Urban School Food Systems, Krista Harper, Catherine Sands, Diego Angarita, Molly Totman, Monica Maitin, Jonell Sostre Rosado, Jazmin Colon, Nick Alger

Catherine Sands

On-The-Spot Mindfulness Based Practices For Addressing Behavior Challenges Among 3rd Graders, Christina Francis

Master's Projects and Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to introduce and implement a mindfulness based tool that will empower students to manage their stress which contributes to their classroom behavior and allow teachers to minimize the amount of classroom time spent addressing behavior challenges.

Methods: Observations of third grade classrooms, key informant interviews with third grade teachers and community observations were conducted at the Achieve Academy School while throughout the school day.

Results: Findings showed that students would benefit from the implementation of On-The-Spot Mindfulness Based Techniques and Practices by minimizing stress, increasing academic success and improving the overall behavior, …

Exploring Breast Health Perceptions, Behaviors, And Social Cohesion Among Ethnically Diverse Black Women, Sheila Y. Mckinney

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose

Study explored the relationships of ethnic identity, culture, and social cohesion to mammography, cancer screening, and preventive medical visits among African-American and Afro-Caribbean women in Broward County, FL. Purpose was to understand non-compliance to screening recommendations for breast cancer among disadvantaged Black women in an area of high prevalence.

Methods

A bounded convenience sample of 117 women (49% African-American and 51% Afro-Caribbean) completed a cross-sectional survey and a subset (n=87) participated in semi-structured discussion groups. Both measured perceptions related to breast cancer, defined ethnic identity or culture, and suggested social and cultural factors influence of ethnic identity, culture, and …

A Guide For Assessing Older Adults’ Needs On Maine Islands, Beatrice Byrne

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This template may help Maine island communities identify older adults’ needs and island resources, in order to allow older adults to age in the island communities.

Three interviews with island health leaders, one community conversation with older islanders, and one pilot test provided information about what to include in the template.

The template includes a demographic survey, guides for conducting semi-structured interviews and group conversations with older adults and caregivers, a guide and worksheet for analyzing the data, a guide for assessing community resources, a guide for dissemination, and a list of additional resources.

A Study Of Innovation In Model Project Design: Addressing Mental Health Symptoms Among Co-Occurring Substance Use And Mentally Ill Clients Who Are Homeless In A Local Community Clinic Setting, Isis Dian Martel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Homeless persons with co-occurring substance use combined with mental illness constitute a particularly vulnerable subgroup with complex service needs. Unfortunately, the capacity to deliver critical treatment services has been extremely limited causing many from this population to remain untreated. Untreated co-occurring disorders can lead to a host of difficulties for both the individual and the community (Bouchery, Harwood, Sacks, Simon, & Brewer, 2011). Developing community based intervention services in Arkansas is a key activity necessary in strategically addressing this problem (Barbee, Gonzales, & Shelor, 2016). In partnership with the Arkansas Division of Behavioral Health Services, a local community treatment provider …

Challenges And Successes Of Adolescent Reproductive Healthcare And Education In Cachoeira, Bahia, Brazil, Elana Margosis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this project, I discuss the impact of social, medical, and political factors on the reproductive healthcare of adolescents in Cachoeira, Bahia, Brazil. I collected qualitative data through formal interviews with public health professionals in the Sistema Única de Saúde (SUS), the Brazilian public health system, and through observations of clinic and home visits. Due to ethical concerns, I did not conduct formal interviews with the patients, were not of legal age. I focused on prevention of pregnancy and STI transmission of adolescents as metrics with which to measure sexual health. I gathered information with the intention to understand SUS’ …

Chemical Reactions: Marijuana, Opioids, And Our Families, Denise A. Hines Ph.D, Staci Gruber Ph.D, John F. Kelly Ph.D, Kathleen M. Palm Reed, Hilary Smith Connery M.D., Ph.D.

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Chemical Reactions: Marijuana, Opioids, and Our Families is the seventh Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar. This seminar was designed to emphasize a family perspective in policymaking on issues related to the legalization of marijuana and managing the opioid abuse crisis in the Commonwealth. In general, Family Impact Seminars analyze the consequences an issue, policy, or program may have for families.