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From Food To Food Justice: Pathways And Narratives Of Young Food Activists In New York City, Amy Kwan

Dissertations and Theses

With a rise in obesity and other non-communicable, diet-related health problems and the persistence of food insecurity among many vulnerable populations, the involvement of young people in the current, burgeoning food-justice movement has the potential to bring forth transformative changes to our food system and thus improve population health. While much is known about the outcomes of providing opportunities for young people to be actively and civically engaged in their communities, there is a lack of research on the pathways, narratives, and experiences that bring young people into food justice activism.

Through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 25 young food activists …

Exploring The Harmful Health Effects Of Chlorpyrifos On Children: An Argument For Policy Reform, Lucia M. Ruiz

Master's Projects and Capstones

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate neurotoxic insecticide, which poses a significant risk to children’s health. Exposure to chlorpyrifos during childhood, infancy and pregnancy has been linked to autism, ADHD, developmental delays, and lower IQ. My internship at the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco consisted of completing analyses and creating science, policy and communications materials to support health protective policies for chlorpyrifos in the market and at the federal and state levels. Information pertaining to the widespread use and harmful effects of chlorpyrifos was gathered and presented in fact sheets, spreadsheets, graphs and bulleted talking points. Data analyses and literature …

Environmental Health, Tessa Oliaro

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

There is a very important intersection between the environment, public health, and socioeconomic factors (Braveman, 2014). These include waste disposal, water use and quality, road safety, ecosystem services, and many more. Environmental health stresses, “the health impacts of physical, chemical, and biological agents in the environment and workplace, and learns to develop strategies to measure and control major environmental health problems both locally…and in settings around the globe” (UC Berkeley School of Public Health, 2017). This overarching umbrella can have emphases in environmental epidemiology, exposure science, climate change, ergonomics, home and industrial hygiene, and molecular epidemiology. Exploring each of these …

The Particulars About Particulates : Metal Exposure And Self-Regulation Of Children Living Near Coal Ash., Clara G. Sears

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of coal combustion for electricity and the storage of coal combustion by-products known as coal ash occur across the United States and around the world. The most abundant type of coal ash, fly ash, contains small particles with metals, some of which are known neurotoxins. Fly ash is currently stored in open-air landfills and surface impoundments that allow fugitive dust to escape into surrounding communities, potentially exposing children to small neurotoxic particles. This dissertation uses preliminary data from a larger cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between particulate matter exposure, metal exposure, and problems with self-regulation. Recruitment of …

Creating Integrated Strategies For Increasing Access To Healthy Affordable Food In Urban Communities: A Case Study Of Intersecting Food Initiatives, Michele Silver, Afia Bediako, Tracey Capers, Aysu Kirac, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

In New York and other cities, substantial evidence documents that community food environments interact with inequitable allocation of power, wealth and services to shape the distribution of diet-related diseases and food insecurity. This case study shows how one Central Brooklyn community organization, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, has launched multiple coordinated food initiatives in order to reduce the burden of food-related health problems and boost community development. The report used standard case study methods to document the implementation of the New York City Food and Fitness Partnership in Central Brooklyn. The case study shows how two distinct strands of activities, a …

The Lead Poisoning Problem In Polk County And Des Moines, Ia, Ami Leichsenring, Naomi Castro, Vanessa Dominguez, Samantha G. De Forest-Davis, Keila Saucedo

2016-2017: Scott County, Iowa and the Scott County Health Department

No abstract provided.

How Do Communities Proactively Address Lead Remediation? : Community Case Studies From Iowa, Dr. Angie L. Carter, Emma Nordmeyer

2016-2017: Scott County, Iowa and the Scott County Health Department

In 2016, Scott County Health Department officials reached out to the Sustainable Working Landscapes Initiative (SWLI) program at Augustana College to begin a partnership addressing lead poisoning in our community. Teams of students in the Fall 2016 Contemporary Social Issues class conducted sociological case studies of communities in Iowa that are proactively addressing lead remediation through combinations of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and private funding. Groups of students conducted case studies in Dubuque, Linn, Polk, Marshall, and Black Hawk counties in Iowa. Students researched the demographics of these areas as well as successes, lessons learned, …

Learning And Working Together: Invoking Systems’ Change Through Inter-Organizational Collaborative Principles And A Learning Community Framework, Brandon Hey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Local communities face significant challenges such as increased inequality, immigration, and global climate change. In order to address these challenges whole cities have to innovate and learn together. In this thesis, I introduce the Learning Community (LC) model, a new way of collaborating and creating collective impact that emphasizes learning, alongside collective impact, as a central strategy to addressing complex social challenges. In a LC, members value the continuous pursuit of knowledge, feedback, and experimentation as well as the flow of information and resources between academic institutions and practice groups. The value of learning is built into key structures …

Racism Across The American South: The Association Between Racism On Twitter, Rurality, & Black Mortality, Jarrod Bullard

Theses and Dissertations

Racism can be understood as a system of dominance and power designed to uphold the racially privileged of society. One can be exposed to racism through various mechanisms including the Internet and social media. Evidence indicates that exposure to racism is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes as well as unhealthy behaviors. Current literature studying the effects of racism focus primarily on experienced or perceived racism. Furthermore, the geographic influence of racism on health at the county level and across levels of rurality is currently unknown. The purpose of this study was twofold; 1.) To explore the geographic …

Improved Parental Dietary Quality Is Associated With Children’S Dietary Intake Through The Home Environment, Karen R. Flórez, A. S. Richardson, M. B. Ghosh-Dastidar, R. Beckman, C. Huang, L. Wagner, T. Dubowitz

Publications and Research

Background Improving access to supermarkets has been shown to improve some dietary outcomes, yet there is little evidence for such effects on children. Relatedly, there is a dearth of research assessing the impact of a structural change (i.e. supermarket in a former food desert) on the home environment and its relationship with children’s diet.

Objective Assess the relative impact of the home environment on children’s diet after the introduction of a new supermarket in a food desert.

Methods Among a randomly selected cohort of households living in a food desert, parental diet was assessed before and after the opening of …

Consumer Product Chemicals In Indoor Dust: A Quantitative Meta-Analysis Of U.S. Studies, Susanna D. Mitro, Robin Dodson, Veena Singla, Gary Adamkiewicz, Angelo F. Elmi, Monica Tilly, Ami R. Zota

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Indoor dust is a reservoir for commercial consumer product chemicals, including many compounds with known or suspected health effects. However, most dust exposure studies measure few chemicals in small samples. We systematically searched the U.S. indoor dust literature on phthalates, replacement flame retardants (RFRs), perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), synthetic fragrances, and environmental phenols and estimated pooled geometric means (GMs) and 95% confidence intervals for 45 chemicals measured in ≥3 data sets. In order to rank and contextualize these results, we used the pooled GMs to calculate residential intake from dust ingestion, inhalation, and dermal uptake from air, and then identified hazard …

Envh 7234 - Environmental Toxicology, Evans Afriyie-Gyawu

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces students to concepts associated with the lethal and sub-lethal effects of environmental and occupational stressors on humans and other living organisms.

Pubh 6532a - Environmental Health, Asli Aslan

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course is designed for graduate students and provides students with an introduction and overview of the key areas of environmental health. Students will gain an understanding of the interaction of individuals and communities with the environment. Impact of environmental agents on human and ecosystem health will be analyzed. This course will also introduce current topics in global environmental health and challenges faced under the changing climate and socio-economic needs and examine recent case studies and their outcomes related to environmental policy and management.

Envh 7233 - Environmental Exposure And Impact Assessment, Atin Adhikari

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

Introduces students to appropriate design, implementation, and analysis of primary environmental exposures and how they are influenced by public health ethics, equity and disparities. Specific topics covered include designing risk profiles; evaluating dose-response relationships; assessing the contribution of public health ethics, equity and disparities to environmental exposures; and analyzing field exposures of toxins.

Envh 7235 - Field Methods In Environmental Health, Marina E. Eremeeva

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces students to an overview of current and accepted field methods for environmental and occupational exposure monitoring.

Pubh 6532f - Environmental Health, Asli Aslan

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course is designed for graduate students and provides students with an introduction and overview of the key areas of environmental health. Students will gain an understanding of the interaction of individuals and communities with the environment. Impact of environmental agents on human and ecosystem health will be analyzed. This course will also introduce current topics in global environmental health and challenges faced under the changing climate and socio-economic needs and examine recent case studies and their outcomes related to environmental policy and management.

Decolonize Your Diet, Jasmine A. Deras

Master's Projects and Capstones

With the industrialization of the food system in past decades, convenience foods have become the cornerstone of the standard American diet. This spike in obesity rates has been more impactful for some populations than for others. In low-income communities of color, fast and processed foods are often the most accessible and affordable source of sustenance. Critical indicators of status and well-being, health disparities are one example of the social barriers faced by predominately low-income people of color.

The Decolonize Your Diet project channels principles of resistance into its mission to improve the health of people of color in Oakland, California. …

Neighborhood Perceptions Of Proximal Industries In Progress Village, Fl, Laura E. Baum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Progress Village, a historically Black neighborhood outside of Tampa, FL, encountered structural violence that included construction of an adjacent phosphogypsum stack. Why the neighborhood signed a legal agreement with the stack’s operating industry and the impacts of this decision provides a lesson in critical environmental justice. Theories of urban political ecology frame exploration of resident priorities, relationships with industry, risk perceptions, and health concerns. Utilizing activist anthropology, this thesis aims to be mutually beneficial to scholarly and neighborhood development. Ultimately, this research demonstrates how southern gradualism, racism, and a trend towards isolationism created today’s striving, yet marginalized and divided community. …

An Integrated Strategy For Strengthening Worcester's Regional Food System: Key Roles For Education And Information, Joel Simonson

Sustainability and Social Justice

Food security and access to healthy food are public health issues that continue to persist in the United States and are ones that are strongly influenced by social and environmental factors. In Worcester, Massachusetts there are many organizations that contribute to alleviating the resulting effects, but do not always have the capacity to reach full potential and expand upon current initiatives. Students can provide existing human resources and knowledge that would benefit all parties. This would allow for organizational capacity development, ultimately impacting local residents, and for students to gain deeper connections to the greater Worcester community while learning vital …

Applying Experience-Based Co-Design With Vulnerable Populations: Lessons From A Systematic Review Of Methods To Involve Patients, Families And Service Providers In Child And Youth Mental Health Service Improvement, Alison Mulvale, Ashleigh Miatello, Christina Hackett, Gillian Mulvale

Patient Experience Journal

The objective was to identify methods used to involve patients, family and service providers in child and youth mental health service improvement research. We analyzed the alignment of methods used with Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) methodology, and how power imbalances among participants were addressed. A systematic review of the English-language peer review literature since 2004 was carried out. The EMBASE, Scholar’s Portal, PubMed, Web of Science databases and the Ontario College of Art and Design University libraries were searched electronically for variations of ‘child’, ‘mental health’, ‘experience-based co-design’, ‘participatory research’ and ‘health care services’. Textual data was systematically extracted and analyzed. …

"Mi Niño Con Asma": Hispanic/Latina Mothers, Environmental Justice, And Photovoice At The Front Lines Of The Asthma Epidemic, Robin A. Evans-Agnew Rn, Phd, Julie Postma Rn, Phd, Lee Sledd M. Ed

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Asthma is an important environmental justice concern for first generation Mexican-Americans. Families experience disparities in housing conditions, access to care, and legal marginalization. Little is known about how Hispanic/Latina mothers of children with asthma navigate these oppressions.

Problem: The purpose of this paper is to describe the discourses of environmental justice of a group Hispanic/Latina caregivers of children with asthma.

Method: A photovoice design was used with Hispanic/Latina mothers (n=11) in Tacoma, Washington, to take, discuss, select and display phototexts to policymakers that communicated their experiences and opinions in managing asthma for their child. Using critical narrative analysis, phototexts were …

A Systematic Review Of Coal Fired Power Plant Proximity And Local Socioeconomic Status Trends And Outcomes, Oshane Mcrae, Peter Lapuma

GW Research Days 2016 - 2020

Among the significant sources of energy, coal based energy bears the largest share (42%) of the electricity produced in the United States. Already existing coal fired power plants are the largest emitter of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. Among the cumulative emissions contributed by the industrial sector, significant portions are from coal fired power plants. Coal-fired power plants emit 66% of sulfur oxides, 40% of carbon dioxide, 33% of mercury and 22% of nitrogen oxides in the U.S. and are linked as risk factors to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and other ailments shown to impact environmental and human …

Exposure To Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers And Perfluoroalkyl Substances And Associations With Thyroid Function In A Remote Population Of Alaska Natives, Samuel Byrne

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

The Ethical Issues Of Dumping Electronic Waste In India, Krista E. Dawson

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

Electronic waste, also referred to as “e-waste,” is all waste made from electronic products such as computers, mobile phones, digital music players, refrigerators, washing machines, and TV’s (Pinto, 2008). There is e-waste produced in the manufacturing process as well as the final disposal of the product. Although developed countries consume most electronics, it is increasingly common for countries that are still developing to possess electronic goods (Larrdis, 2011). Use of technology and connection to worldwide networking is a huge step for the progress of these countries, but having gained a “part” of the developed world without the associated infrastructure to …

Incidence Of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma By Residential Proximity To Superfund Sites In Kentucky: A Multivariate Analysis, William Brent Webber

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) is a category of cancers that arise from the lymphocytes of the immune system. The rates of NHL in the United States and Kentucky began to rise in the mid-20th Century, shortly after the manufacture, use, and disposal of numerous chemical substances began to increase during and after the Second World War. While the etiology of NHL is not fully known, there are several chemical substances for which evidence exists of a possible link between exposures and development of NHL and other cancers. Several of these substances are also present in sites within Kentucky designated by the …

The Ability To Purchase Organic Food Items Among Participants Of The Women, Infants, And Children Program In Los Angeles County, Brenna Colleen Doran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of accessibility to healthy foods is a factor associated with the increase in obesity, diabetes, and other negative health consequences. While programs such as WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) provide supplemental nutritional access to healthy foods, few organic food items are included in the WIC authorized food list. Government programs and policy makers that provide to the most vulnerable populations are concerned about equal availability of healthy foods. The purpose of this study was to compare variability and cost of organic food items in 24 large chain grocery stores located in high- and low-income areas. The theoretical concepts of …

Does Informal Employment Exist In Developed Countries, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Executive Order 13211 On Environmental Regulation: An Empirical Study, Elizabeth Ann Glass Geltman

Publications and Research

A great deal has been written about the Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempting oil and gas operations using hydraulic fracturing from the purview of certain federal environmental laws. Far less attention has been paid to George W. Bush’s Executive Order 13211 (EO 13211), entitled “Actions Concerning Regulations that Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution or Use.” The executive order requires federal agencies to evaluate the impact of federal regulations on “supply, distribution and use of energy.” This study examined the impact of EO 13211 on United States environmental and conservation regulations proposed and promulgated by federal agencies. The study found …

Framing Risk, Responsibility, And Resolution: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring Traditional And Social Media Coverage Of The 2014 Elk River Chemical Spill, Tracey Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The 2014 Elk River Chemical Spill raised policy questions concerning chemical safety and revealed an immediate need for improved emergency communication. This two-phase study explored how media presented causes of and longterm solutions to the spill through an examination of media frames. The study also explored how health risks were communicated through traditional and social media. The specific aims of Phase I were to examine media coverage in the days following the spill and compare coverage across media channels. The specific aims of Phase II were to understand how public health stakeholders perceived coverage of the spill and how …

'At-Risk' Places: Inequaties In The Distribution Of Environmental Stressors And Prescription Rates Of Mental Health Medications In Glasgow, Scotland, Juliana A. Maantay, Andrew Maroko

Publications and Research

Using geospatial analytical methods, this study examines the association between one aspect of the built environment, namely, the concentration of vacant and derelict land (VDL), and the prevalence of mental health disorders (using the proxy variable of mental health medication prescription rates) in Glasgow, Scotland. This study builds on our previous research, which demonstrated the spatial correspondence between the locations of VDL in Glasgow and several physical health outcomes. Numerous studies of other locales have found similar correspondence between different elements of the built environment and various health outcomes. This is the first study of its kind to look at …