Digital Commons Network^™

Rural Residents' Perspectives On An Mhealth Or Personalized Health Coaching Intervention: Qualitative Study With Focus Groups And Key Informant Interviews, Nancy Schoenberg, Madeline Dunfee, Hannah Yeager, Matthew Rutledge, Angela Pfammatter, Bonnie Spring

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Compared with national averages, rural Appalachians experience extremely elevated rates of premature morbidity and mortality. New opportunities, including approaches incorporating personal technology, may help improve lifestyles and overcome health inequities.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to gather perspectives on whether a healthy lifestyle intervention, specifically an app originally designed for urban users, may be feasible and acceptable to rural residents. In addition to a smartphone app, this program-Make Better Choices 2-consists of personalized health coaching, accelerometer use, and financial incentives.

METHODS: We convened 4 focus groups and 16 key informant interviews with diverse community stakeholders to assess perspectives on this …

Validity Of The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (Fies) For Use In League Of Arab States (Las) And Characteristics Of Food Insecure Individuals By The Human Development Index (Hdi), Olfat B. Sheikomar, Wesley Dean, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Nadine R. Sahyoun

Faculty Publications

Background

The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) is a UN FAO Voices of the Hungry (FAO-VoH) experiential metric of food insecurity (FI). It was pilot tested in some countries but not in Arab speaking ones and validated using global data. Yet, its psychometric properties may vary in the League of Arab States (LAS) due to cultural and linguistic differences.

Objectives

1) assess the validity of FIES for use in the LAS region, 2) determine the prevalence of FI, by gender, age group, and the human development index (HDI), and 3) examine sociodemographic characteristics of severe FI individuals.

Methods

To assess …

Zoonotic Diseases: New Directions In Human–Animal Pathology, Robin Bendrey, Debra Martin

Anthropology Faculty Research

Zoonotic diseases—human diseases of animal origin—represent one of the world's greatest health challenges, both today and in the past. Since the Neolithic, zoonotic diseases have been one of the major factors shaping and influencing human adaptation. Archaeology is ideally situated to provide the long view on human–animal–pathogen relationships through combining cultural, environmental and biological datasets, yet long-term studies of linked human and animal records have often been overlooked and undertheorized. The seven papers in this special issue “Zoonotic diseases: New directions in human–animal pathology” cover a range of diseases caused by bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens, from case studies drawn …

Gender Identity And Pronoun Usage In Standardized Patient Encounters, Martha M. Popescu, Emily J. Noonan, Laura A. Weingartner

Grawemeyer Colloquium Papers

One of the most common documentation frameworks clinicians use for patient evaluations are Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan, (SOAP) notes. The clinician will usually record medical, family, social, etc. history as “subjective” information. Temperature, blood pressure, lab work, etc. would be considered “objective” information. An evaluation of the patient’s health and possible medical issues would be considered the “assessment,” and their intentions for current and future treatment would be the “plan” within these notes. Trainees often write SOAP notes after completing a standardized patient (SP) encounter—an educational practice used in medical schools to simulate real-world physician-patient interactions in order to …

Very Low Prevalence And Incidence Of Atrial Fibrillation Among Bolivian Forager-Farmers., Christopher J Rowan, Michael A Eskander, Edmond Seabright, Daniel Eid Rodriguez, Edhitt Cortez Linares, Raul Quispe Gutierrez, Juan Copajira Adrian, Daniel Cummings, Bret Beheim, Kirsten Tolstrup, Abinash Achrekar, Thomas Kraft, David E Michalik, Michael Miyamoto, Adel H Allam, L Samuel Wann, Jagat Narula, Benjamin C Trumble, Jonathan Stieglitz, Randall C Thompson, Gregory S Thomas, Hillard S Kaplan, Michael D Gurven

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Background: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in post-industrialized populations. Older age, hypertension, obesity, chronic inflammation, and diabetes are significant atrial fibrillation risk factors, suggesting that modern urban environments may promote atrial fibrillation.

Objective: Here we assess atrial fibrillation prevalence and incidence among tropical horticulturalists of the Bolivian Amazon with high levels of physical activity, a lean diet, and minimal coronary atherosclerosis, but also high infectious disease burden and associated inflammation.

Methods: Between 2005-2019, 1314 Tsimane aged 40-94 years (52% female) and 534 Moseten Amerindians aged 40-89 years (50% female) underwent resting 12-lead electrocardiograms to assess atrial fibrillation prevalence. …

Very Low Prevalence And Incidence Of Atrial Fibrillation Among Bolivian Forager-Farmers, Christopher J. Rowan, Michael A. Eskander, Edmond Seabright, Daniel Eid Rodriguez, Edhitt Cortez Linares, Raul Quispe Gutierrez, Juan Copajira Adrian, Daniel Cummings, Bret Beheim, Kirsten Tolstrup, Abinash Achrekar, Thomas Kraft, David E. Michalik, Michael I. Miyamoto, Adel H. Allam, L. Samuel Wann, Jagat Narula, Benjamin C. Trumble, Jonathan Stieglitz, Randall C. Thompson, Gregory S. Thomas, Hillard S. Kaplan, Michael D. Gurven

ESI Publications

Background: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in post-industrialized populations. Older age, hypertension, obesity, chronic inflammation, and diabetes are significant atrial fibrillation risk factors, suggesting that modern urban environments may promote atrial fibrillation.

Objective: Here we assess atrial fibrillation prevalence and incidence among tropical horticulturalists of the Bolivian Amazon with high levels of physical activity, a lean diet, and minimal coronary atherosclerosis, but also high infectious disease burden and associated inflammation.

Methods: Between 2005–2019, 1314 Tsimane aged 40–94 years (52% female) and 534 Moseten Amerindians aged 40–89 years (50% female) underwent resting 12-lead electrocardiograms to assess atrial fibrillation prevalence. …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - February 12, 2021, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the February 12, 2021 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

• Virtual conference to focus on innovations in learning
• Meet a Med Student: Sydney Brown
• Match Day 2021 to be held in person
• Pathologist calls on scientific community to standardize naming of gene products
• New report addresses challenges and needs of minority communities amid the COVID-19 crisis

Cited At Nuremberg: The American Eugenics Movement, Its Influence Abroad, The Buck V. Bell Decision, And The Subsequent Bioethical Implications Of The Holocaust, Bessie Blackburn

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Eugenics was a bioethical movement that captivated many Americans at the turn of the nineteenth century and even into the Progressive era. No event in American history better encapsulates the American eugenics movement than the trial of Carrie Buck and her later forced sterilization. This trial is monumental not only to understanding American eugenic policy, but also international reactions and Nazi Germany’s chilling use of this pseudoscience in the Holocaust. In order to best understand the trial of Carrie Buck, one must look first look at the origins of eugenics, second, the context of the eugenics movement in America and …

Environmentally Marginalized Populations: The "Perfect Storm" For Infectious Disease Pandemics, Including Covid-19, Gabriella Y. Meltzer, Oyemwenosa Avenbuan, Christina Awada, Oluwakemi B. Oyetade, Tricia Blackman, Simona Kwon Drph, Mph, Esther Erdei Phd, Judith T. Zelikoff Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

COVID-19 has exacted a severe toll on the United States population’s physical and mental health and its effects have been felt most severely among people of color and low socioeconomic status. Using illustrative case studies, this commentary argues that in addition to COVID-19 health disparities created by psychosocial stressors such as the inability to socially distance and access quality healthcare, environmental justice communities have the additional burden of disproportionate exposure to toxic contaminants that contribute to their higher risk of COVID-19. Environmental contaminants including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants found contaminating their nearby environments can alter the immune response, …

Human Rights Education In Humanitarian Settings: Opportunities And Challenges, Megan Devonald, Nicola Jones, Silvia Guglielmi, Jennifer Seager, Sarah Baird

Global Health Faculty Publications

Human rights education in humanitarian settings provides an opportunity for adolescent refugees to understand and exercise their human rights, respect the rights of others, and gain active citizenship skills. This paper examines non-formal education programmes and the extent to which they embed education about, through and for human rights; it draws on mixed method data from two diverse contexts–Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Syrian refugees in Jordan. We find stark differences in how human rights are reflected in non-formal education programming for refugees. In Jordan, the Makani programme integrates human rights across subjects and teacher pedagogy, and fosters skills …

Creating A Theoretical Framework To Underpin Discourse Assessment And Intervention In Aphasia, Lucy Dipper, Jane Marshall, Mary Boyle, Deborah Hersh, Nicola Botting, Madeline Cruice

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Discourse (a unit of language longer than a single sentence) is fundamental to everyday communication. People with aphasia (a language impairment occurring most frequently after stroke, or other brain damage) have communication difficulties which lead to less complete, less coherent, and less complex discourse. Although there are multiple reviews of discourse assessment and an emerging evidence base for discourse intervention, there is no unified theoretical framework to underpin this research. Instead, disparate theories are recruited to explain different aspects of discourse impairment, or symptoms are reported without a hypothesis about the cause. What is needed is a theoretical framework that …

Indigenous Knowledge Of Rift Valley Fever Among Somali Nomadic Pastoralists And Its Implications On Public Health Delivery Approaches In Ijara Sub-County, North Eastern Kenya, Geoffrey Otieno Muga, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Rosemary Sang, Hippolyte Affognon

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a zoonotic disease whose outbreak results in heavy economic and public health burdens. In East Africa, RVF is mainly experienced in arid and semi-arid areas predominantly inhabited by the pastoralists. These areas experience sudden, dra-matic epidemics of the disease at intervals of approximately 10 years, associated with widespread flooding and the resultant swarms of mosquitoes. Pastoralists’ indigenous knowledge and experience of RVF is critical for public health interventions targeting prevention and control of RVF. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design combining both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. A total of 204 respondents …

Cervical Cancer, Human Papillomavirus (Hpv), And Hpv Vaccination: Exploring Gendered Perspectives, Knowledge, Attitudes, And Cultural Taboos Among Mexican American Adults, Daisy Y. Morales-Campos, S. A. Snipes, Edna K. Villarreal, L. C. Crocker, A. Guerrero, M. E. Fernandez

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

Background: Gendered perspectives may be particularly important in shaping norms and values around HPV and HPV vaccination, as previous research suggests that sexuality taboos (e.g. promiscuity) may contribute to low perceived risk among adolescent and young adult Hispanic females. However, research to date focuses primarily on Hispanic mothers, adolescent females, and women of HPV vaccine-eligible age. Hispanic father's perspectives are relatively unknown despite father's important role in shaping norms for their female children.

Objective: To close this gap, this study examines gendered perspectives in knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about HPV and HPV vaccination from Hispanic parents (mothers and fathers), women …

Everyone Matters: Eliminating Dehumanizing Practices In Physical Education, Brian Culp

Faculty Articles

Recently, discussions regarding how to create a positive school climate where all can be successful has come to the forefront. Healthy schools support student learning, well-being, time, space to be active, and opportunities for social and emotional growth. However, a host of numerous trends suggest that the school climate is becoming increasingly hostile towards students who are from immigrant, LBGTQ, and ethnic minority groups. What is often seen as disrespectful behavior toward these students is in fact actions that can be more accurately defined as dehumanization. This article overviews the practice of dehumanization, the implications for learning, and introduces proactive …

Exploring Media Portrayals Of People With Mental Disorders Using Nlp, Swapna Gottipati, Mark Chong, Andrew Wei Kiat Lim, Benny Haryanto Kawidiredjo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Media plays an important role in creating an impact in society. Several studies show that news media and entertainment channels, at times may create overwhelming images of the mental illness that emphasize criminality and dangerousness. The consequences of such negative impact may impact the audience with stigma and on the other hand, they impair the self-esteem and help-seeking behavior of the people with mental disorders. This is the first study to examine the Singapore media’s portrayal of persons with mental disorders (MDs) using text analytics and natural language processing. To date, most studies on media portrayal of people with MDs …

Executive Summary- Social Protection In Egypt: Mitigating The Socio-Economic Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Vulnerable Employment, Dina Makram-Ebeid, Amr Adly, Nadine Sika, Hania M Sholkamy, Samer Atallah

Faculty Journal Articles

This is the executive summary of an interdisciplinary project between the fields of development economics, political economy, labor sociology, development anthropology and public health. It reviews the social protection available to vulnerable employees and their households in Egypt and suggests ways to adapt them in light of the COVID 19 pandemic. The research focuses on four areas a) employment security b) social assistance c) health insurance d) gendered mitigations. The project will map the impact of the crisis on vulnerable employees and their households and propose policy interventions to alleviate the socio-economic effects of the pandemic through the publication of …

Employment Security In Egypt In Light Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Rethinking Policies And Practices, Heba M. Khalil, Kareem Megahed

Faculty Journal Articles

Crises such as COVID-19’s have inequitable impacts on different countries, various population groups and diverse sectors of society and the economy. Areas of work and employment were met with a lot of challenges worldwide, and in particular in countries like Egypt with a large sector of vulnerable and precarious workers. This policy paper addresses the question of employment security both in response to crises such as COVID-19, and on the long term. To do so, the research maps ‘vulnerable work’, including informal labor, labor in the gig economy, self-employed and other types of precarious work. It then assesses Egypt’s policy …

Anemia Management In Rural Haitian Children: A Mixed Methods Study, Marc-Aurel Martial, Kathy A. Sward, Janice M. Morse, Andrew R. Wilson, Cempaka S. Martial, Debra S. Penney, Elie Nicolas

Faculty Publications

Introduction: We examined factors influencing anemia outcomes in rural children following implementation of a prevention program. Method: Mixed methods study of children, parents, and clinicians utilized statistical modeling and content/ ethnographic analysis. Retrospective chart abstraction evaluated treatments administered and measured hemoglobin in children aged 6 to 59 months (n = 161). Prospective interviews/questionnaires examined parent (n = 51) and clinician (n = 19) perceptions. Results: Anemia prevalence decreased by 21.2%. Predictors of increased hemoglobin were clinic visit number and age at first visit. Once anemia improved, children were likely to remain improved (P = .65). Despite favorable program perceptions, stakeholders …

Practical Guidance For Studies Using Freelisting Interviews., Shimrit Keddem, Frances K. Barg, Rosemary Frasso

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Freelisting is a qualitative interviewing technique that has recently grown in popularity. It is an excellent tool for rapidly exploring how groups of people think about and define a particular health-related domain and is well suited for engaging communities and identifying shared priorities. In this article, we outline 7 practical considerations for conducting freelisting studies summarized from 16 articles conducted by the authors at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University in partnership with community-based organizations and students. Our recommendations can inform study design, data collection, and data analysis for investigators who are interested in using freelisting interviews in …

The Motivations Of Pilgrimage Walking The St.Olav Way In Norway, Nanna Natalia Jørgensen, John Eade, Tor-Johan Ekeland, Catherine A.N. Lorentzen

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Walking pilgrimages are experiencing a revival, while at the same time a change of character in light of our changing times. Pilgrimage walking is increasingly taking on non-religious dimensions, related to a person’s self and health as seen on long-distance walking pilgrimages such as the Camino routes to Santiago. Long-range walking pilgrimages seem to offer a promise and space for ‘personal fixing’ / ‘self-healing’, thus attracting people with a variety of motives.

This article is based on an empirical study consisting of qualitative open-ended questionnaires with 53 respondents from 13 countries. It aims to shed light on the motives, expectations …

Healthcare Of Indigenous Amazonian Peoples In Response To Covid-19: Marginality, Discrimination And Revaluation Of Ancestral Knowledge In Ucayali, Peru, Doreen Montag, Marco Barboza, Lizardo Cauper, Ivan Brehaut, Isaac Alva, Aoife Bennett, José Sanchez-Choy, Juan Pablo Sarmiento Barletti, Pilar Valenzuela, José Manuyama, Italo García Murayari, Miguel Guimaraes Vásquez, Celso Aguirre Panduro, Angela Giattino, Edwin Julio Palomino Cadenas, Rodrigo Lazo, Carlos A. Delgado, Alfonso Nino, Elaine C. Flores, Maria Amalia Pesantes, Juan Pablo Murillo, Luisa Elvira Belaunde, Sergio Recuenco, Robert Chuquimbalqui, Carol Zavaleta-Cortijo

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Articles and Research

"Systematic and persistent discrimination against Indigenous Peoples translates into differential health outcomes when analysed through ethnicity and/or mother tongue.1 In Peru, morbidity and mortality rates among Indigenous Peoples for COVID-19 appear to confirm this.2 The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the historical structural violence against Indigenous Peoples that currently takes a disproportionate toll in the Peruvian Amazon. This equally applies to Indigenous Andean Peoples and Afro Peruvians. Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and those in initial contact are at highest health risk in this pandemic as they have no previous immunity against common infectious diseases, and lack access to public healthcare …

Therapy Dog Ownership As Serious Leisure For Members Of A Therapy Dog Volunteer Group, Jonathan R. Hicks, Mary Kramer

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Therapy dogs are used in a variety of settings, including prisons, hospitals, and schools, for the purposes of providing emotional and psychological support to humans. They are trained to be well behaved and to be perceived as supportive of humans. This study sought to explore the benefits to the human individuals who facilitate trained therapy sessions. Specifically considered were the ways in which therapy dog ownership is a form of serious leisure and the ways in which that leisure influences owners’ day- to- day lives. Findings suggest owners of therapy dogs experience enhanced personal enrichment, relationship with dog(s), and sense …

Are Nurses Joining The Ride? Equine-Assisted Activities And Therapies Review, Khalid Bandar Almasloukh, Pamela Stewart Fahs

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Background: Equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) is a rapidly growing practice that is described as therapeutic and entertaining. Complementary therapies such as EAAT are gaining acceptance as the health care needs of the population are changing.

Method: This systematic review draws from four databases. The final review included 52 articles.

Purpose: To explain what is known about EAAT and identify literature gaps. Nursing and rural perspectives are included in the analysis and recommendations.

Findings: There are more than eight types of EAAT and different organizations around the world are providing certification for EAAT. Rural communities and organizations may benefit from …

Decolonizing Healthcare: A Black Feminist Analysis Of Sisters Informing Sisters On Topics Of Aids (Sista), Joy Mutare Fashu Kanu

Dissertations and Theses

This mixed methods project combines the conceptual insights offered by institutional ethnography, the deductive and inductive attributes of content analysis, semi structured interviews, and quantitative data analysis to study Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics of AIDS (SISTA), a social skills training program designed for sexually active, heterosexual African American women. This progressive program serves as a site to examine the complex relationship the U.S. state has had, and continues to have, with marginalized populations, particularly African Americans. The program reveals how the state, through the public health service, partners with scholars, researchers, and community-based organizations to produce, reproduce and perpetuate …

Self-Efficacy: Nurses’ Perceptions Of Caring For Patients Living With Diabetes, Victoria Yaros Mccue

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Diabetes is an epidemic that affects over 415 million people worldwide. In the United States, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is projected to triple to over 60 million by 2060. With this surge, the number of hospitalizations across the country has significantly increased. Direct care nurses play a vital role in the management of patients living with diabetes. The purpose of this research study was to explore and describe medical-surgical nurses’ perceptions of self-efficacy related to caring for patients living with diabetes. This study's guiding research question was: What are nurses’ perceptions on the influences that impact self-efficacy …

The Art Of Nursing: Perceptions, Experiences, And Interpretation Of Value Among Practicing Registered Nurses And Senior Bacclaureate Nursing Students, Anne Bizup

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: The art of nursing is enjoying renewed interest due to changes in the healthcare reimbursement models in the U.S. Value-based reimbursement strategies utilize quality metrics to determine payments. Quality metrics are linked to the art of nursing.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gather information about practicing nurses and senior baccalaureate nursing students’ interpretation of the human, social, and economic value and their experiences and perceptions of the art of nursing. This information supports changes in practice, policy, and education.

Theoretical Framework: Alligood’s theory of the art of nursing (2002) is the theoretical basis for the study. …

Capital Region Collaborative Community Survey Project To Document Disparate Impacts Of Covid-19, The Albany Minority Health Task Force, Lawrence Schell, Annis Golden, Alex Pieterse, Archana Krishnan, Masahiro Yamamoto, Elizabeth Holdsworth, Pallavi Khurana, Olivia Mata, Amy Williams, Hnin Wai Lwin Myo

Understanding and eliminating minority health disparities in a 21st-century pandemic: A White Paper Collection

The Capital Region Collaborative Community Survey project was undertaken in December 2020- January 2021 to document the social, economic and health impacts of COVID-19 on residents in the Capital Region, particularly in the city of Albany with an emphasis on the impacts on Black and African American (B/AA) communities (n=239). Key findings included B/AA participants reported experiencing general racism or racial discrimination significantly more than other racial groups as did Hispanics. The pandemic impacted employment of Capital Region residents significantly as half of the respondents either lost their jobs or had their hours reduced. B/AA individuals were more likely than …

An Emergent Legionnaires' Disease Syndemic: Water Supply Systems, Infrastructural Violence, And Afflicted Lives In The South Bronx, Ny, Eduardo Piqueiras

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation examines how contemporary approaches to Legionnaires’ disease (LD) narrowly view it as a biomedical entity that obscures critical moral, temporal, and contextual dimensions creating gaps in how LD “cases” are defined and mitigated. Those who receive an LD diagnosis experience many unique challenges (e.g., personal, existential, community-based, and environmental) yet little is known about how this group of individuals experience recovery and attach meaning to their individual experiences. Using an anthropological lens of illness and recovery and a syndemics view of infrastructural violence this study examines those inadequately addressed multiple dimensions which limit our ability to confront the …

Parallel Systems Of Health Care: How Grassroots Organizations And Health Care Practitioners Perceive Farmworker Health, Andrea Ocasio Cruz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Socioeconomic and citizenship barriers prevent farmworkers from accessing public health care; thus, grassroots organization members and health care practitioners collaborate to create community health clinics that provide care for farmworkers and low-wage immigrant workers. Such community clinics are known as parallel health care systems, yet the concept's existing literature lacks comprehensive studies on the parallel systems operating within farmworker communities. To fill this research gap, I conducted nine semi-structured interviews to collect the perceptions of key community stakeholders involved in providing accessible health and financial aid to farmworker communities in Florida. I analyzed the interviews through the qualitative grounded theory …

Ethnic Comparisons In Perceptions Of Health, Happiness, Hope, And Related Social Determinants Of Health In A Majority-Minority Midwestern Town, Virginia Chaidez, Yumou Qiu, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Julie A. Tippens, Gilbert R. Parra, Patrick Habecker, Kimberly Gocchi Carrasco, Jordan Soliz, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Kirk Dombrowski

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a rural Midwestern community sample (n=273), large proportions of Somalis and Whites ranked overall health as "Very good" (57% and 50%, respectively), while Hispanics (42%) considered it "Good". Across all groups, most are either "Happy" or "Very happy" with their jobs—64%, 91%, 83%—or their families—85%, 93%, 91.6%— with reference to Hispanics, Somalis, and Whites, respectively. When asked “In the past 30 days, how often did you feel hopeless?”, 83% of Somalis and two-thirds (67%) of Whites responded, "None of the time", while half (50%) of Hispanics indicated the same. Overall, Hispanics appeared to be less …