Digital Commons Network^™

Reducing Caregiver Burden: Fostering Healthy Aging And Social Support, Maria A. Rodriguez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over 43.5 million Americans provide informal care to a fast-growing elderly population in the United States. Informal care allows care-recipients to remain functional members of society. However, research suggests that the demands of informal care can negatively impact the health of caregivers. For example, caregiver burden increases the risk for poor health in caregivers compared to non-caregivers. Caregiving research is on the rise, but the dynamics of informal care in active retirement communities remains widely unexplored. To provide adequate services to lessen caregiver burden and improve the Quality of Life (QoL) of informal caregivers, the various settings in which informal …

Establishing Sustainable Community Garden Interventions With Aid From Health Promotion Organizations, Rachel Joann Buenemann

Theses and Dissertations

Community garden interventions provide policy, system and environmental change at the community level to establish health behaviors, which act in contest to obesity risk factors. Limited research examines factors, which influence the sustainability of community garden interventions. Therefore, in this study, a sample of 10 Midwestern community gardens associated through funding from a health promotion organization in 2013, collected data through the interviewing and surveying of 10 garden administrators and surveying of 12 garden volunteers. The study identified garden benefits perceived by garden administrators and volunteers to include contributions to social justice, continued education, enhanced social cohesion, increased access to …

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 …

Exploring Alternative Funding Methods For The Lead Remediation Program In Scott County, Iowa, Brittany A. Poynor, Layne Porembski, Arielle Bloemer, Brandon Schattner, Sarah Hanson

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

For this project, five students worked to put together five alternative funding solutions for the Scott County Health Department's lead remediation program. With limited government grants available, the health department is now considering local funding in order to address the issue of lead poisoning in Davenport, Iowa. These reports, along with other SWLI research, provide valuable information and are the foundation of the up-and-coming remediation program for the county.

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, …

Exploring Alternative Funding Methods For The Lead Remediation Program In Scott County, Iowa, Dr. John Delaney, Brittany A. Poynor

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

Lead poisoning is an environmental as well as social problem. Areas with more older housing and higher rates of poverty are also the areas with the most lead poisoned children. Though the United States banned the use of lead paint in in 1978 and lead poisoning is preventable, lead poisoning remains a public health problem. Homes built before 1978 may pose risk of lead paint exposure, but of special concern to Scott County are the number of homes built before 1950.

Scott County, Iowa is home to some of the oldest housing units in the U.S. Iowa ranks fifth among …

A Diabetes-Free Breathitt County: Implementation Of The National Diabetes Prevention Program In Pharmacies, Urvi Patel

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

The National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) is a primary prevention program endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program’s purpose is to promote dietary modification and physical activity to reduce the incidence of diabetes. NDPP is currently offered by national organizations such as the Young Men’s Christian Association and Weight Watchers. However, NDPP is not commonly available in geographic areas that are in the most need of such preventive health programming such as rural communities. One such area where NDPP is not widely offered is the Diabetes Belt, an area within the Appalachian region of the …

The Benefits Of A Vegetable Gardening Intervention For Cancer Survivors, Mallory Gamel Cases

All ETDs from UAB

Due to improvements in screening and treatment, the number of cancer survivors continues to increase. Cancer survivors are at increased risk for second malignancies, comorbidities, and functional decline. All three papers draw data from Harvest for Health, a 12-month home-based vegetable gardening intervention for cancer survivors. This dissertation aimed to (1) explore changes in physical functioning and physical health-related quality of life in 44 cancer survivors aged >65 years old pooled from two iterations of Harvest for Health; (2) examine predictors of continued gardening and garden expansion 12-months post-intervention; and (3) assess the capacity of sustainability of Harvest for Health …

Impact Of Plans, Finance, And Zoning Policies On What Developers Choose To Build, Michele Ann Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While there is considerable academic research on the intersection of comprehensive plans, finance policies, zoning policies and how these factors influence real estate developers' choice of what land to develop and what buildings to construct on that land, little is understood about whether these three variables promote or hinder real estate developers' choice of whether to build communities that promote healthy living. Using urban planning theory as the foundation, the purpose of this correlational study was to determine how real estate developers' decisions are made to support healthy New Urbanism development in the United States. Secondary data from the Urban …

A Process Description Of Playing To Live! A Community Psychosocial Arts Program During Ebola, C. Alexis Decosimo, Jessi E. Hanson, Catherine Reilly Boland, Deborah L. Slawson, Mary Ann Littleton, Megan Quinn

ETSU Faculty Works

From 2014 to 2015, Liberia experienced the largest Ebola epidemic in world history. The impact of this disease was not only physical; it created fear, loss, and trauma throughout the country. This article will describe the process of three phases of a community-based psychosocial expressive arts program, which used theory from the fields of expressive arts therapy to build mental health capacity during and after the epidemic. This article will highlight the background of Ebola virus disease and the Ebola virus disease epidemic, provide an overview of current theory and research for expressive arts therapy and the impact of trauma, …

Community Schools: A Public Health Opportunity, Catherine Diamond

Dissertations and Theses

Community schools link students, families, and communities to educate children and strengthen neighborhoods. They have become a popular model for education in many U.S. cities in part because they build on community assets and address multiple determinants of educational disadvantage. Since community schools seek to have an impact on populations, not just the students enrolled, they provide an opportunity to improve community health. It has been proposed that community schools influence the health and education of the area residents through three pathways: building trust, establishing norms, and linking people to networks and services. However, no research has been published exploring …

Community Preparedness: Expanding Existing Partnerships With Academia To Build Resilience Through Experiential Learning, Nina Cleveland, Mark Palen

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Sustainability and mitigation in preparedness after grant money is gone has suddenly become a hot topic in the public health emergency preparedness world. By the same token, funding provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for individual preparedness initiatives has not had the desired mitigation impacts. The question becomes, are there alternative approaches that reach more individuals to build a culture of preparedness in communities? One solution involves the leveraging of academic and regional public health partnerships with their Medical Reserve Corps Units (MRC), to train college students in individual preparedness. The purpose of this study is to …

Assessment Of The Building Collaborative Research Capacity Model: Bridging The Community-Academic Researcher Divide, Tabia Henry Akintobi, Donoria Evans Wilkerson, Kirsten Rodgers, Cam Escoffery, Regine Haardörfer, Michelle Kegler

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Community–based Participatory Research (CBPR) can be challenging when community leaders and academic researchers have not previously co-led research or worked together with established rules guiding their relationships, roles, and respective functions. The objective of this investigation was to assess the processes and outcomes of the Building Collaborative Research Capacity Grant Program, sponsored by the Community Engagement Research Program of The Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute and designed to foster CBPR.

Methods: Four competitively selected community-based organizations (CBOs) participated in capacity-building workshops designed to build research skills and receive technical assistance to plan a pilot study with academic researchers. …

Barriers And Facilitators To Cervical Cancer Screening Among Iraqi Refugees Resettled In Philadelphia: A Qualitative Analysis Of Patient And Provider Perceptions, Colleen Payton, Mph, Ches, Laura Parente, Md, Dalea Al-Hawarri, Md, Philip Manasseh, Mph, Kevin Scott, Md, Marc Altshuler, Md

Department of Family & Community Medicine Presentations and Grand Rounds

Oral presentation at the 6^th Annual North American Refugee Health Conference, Niagara Falls, New York.

Research Questions:

1. What is the prevalence of cervical cancer and cervical cancer screening among recently resettled refugees seen at Jefferson's Center for Refugee Health?

2. Are patient-and provider-identified barriers to cervical cancer screening at CRH consistent with those identified in previous research efforts?

3. What are patient-and provider identified facilitators to cervical cancer screening for Iraqi refugee women?

Georgia’S Rural Hospital Closures: The Common-Good Approach To Ethical Decision-Making, Randi G. Bastain, Marcus Garner, John S. Barron, Emmanuel A. Akowuah, William A. Mase

Health Policy & Management: Faculty Publications (2006-2018)

Background: Critical access hospitals provide several essential services to local communities. Along with the functions associated with providing necessary medical care, they also offer employment opportunities and other economic benefits to the communities they serve. Since 2010, the number of rural hospitals closures has steadily increased. The common-good approach to ethical decision-making provides a framework that aids in evaluation of the effects that hospital closures have on rural residents and communities.

Methods: This analysis includes results of a systematic overview of peer-reviewed literature to address the following research questions: 1) How have state policies and the adoption of Medicaid expansion …

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. …

Adapting A Physical Activity Intervention For Youth In A Rural Area: A Case Study, Moya L. Alfonso, Gavin Golquitt, Ashley Walker, Akrati Gupta

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Physical activity offers children and youth many well-documented positive effects on health. The present study adapted a community-based prevention marketing campaign (CBPM), VERBTM Summer Scorecard (VSS) to promote physical activity among minority youth in rural, southeast Georgia. The purpose of this paper is to describe the adaptation process, emphasizing methods used and lessons learned.

Methods: A qualitative study design was used to identify social marketing concepts that informed program adaptation, including two focus groups with 12 children and two focus groups with 14 parents. Qualitative thematic data analysis was used to analyze formative research. The adapted program was implemented …

Georgia’S Rural Hospital Closures: The Common-Good Approach To Ethical Decision-Making, Randi G. Bastian, Marcus Garner, John S. Barron, Emmanuel A. Akowuah, William A. Mase

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Critical access hospitals provide several essential services to local communities. Along with the functions associated with providing necessary medical care, they also offer employment opportunities and other economic benefits to the communities they serve. Since 2010, the number of rural hospitals closures has steadily increased. The common-good approach to ethical decision-making provides a framework that aids in evaluation of the effects that hospital closures have on rural residents and communities.

Methods: This analysis includes results of a systematic overview of peer-reviewed literature to address the following research questions: 1) How have state policies and the adoption of Medicaid expansion …

Context Matters: A Community-Based Study Of Urban Minority Parents’ Views On Child Health, Cassandra L. Bolar, Natalie Hernandez, Tabia Henry Akintobi, Calvin Mcallister, Aneeqah S. Ferguson, Latrice Rollins, Glenda Wrenn, Martha Okafor, David Collins, Thomas Clem

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Among children, there are substantial ethno-racial minority disparities across a broad range of health-related behaviors, experiences, and outcomes. Addressing these disparities is important, as childhood and adolescence establish health trajectories that extend throughout life.

Methods: The current study employed a community-based participatory research approach to gain community insight on child health priorities and to frame an intervention aimed at improving the health of minority children. Eight focus groups were conducted among seventy-five African American parents in a Southeastern city. The current study was guided by an ecological theoretical framework.

Results: Although the focus of this investigation was on community …

Assessing Household Drinking Water Needs: Reaching Many One Water Filter At A Time In Los Robles, Nicaragua, Erinkate E. Springer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Water quality and water scarcity have dominated international health and environmental management initiatives for decades because of the devastating impacts poor water quality has on child mortality and general public well-being, particularly in developing countries. Non-profit organizations, private utilities, and government agencies have invested significant financial resources and time to increase access to improved water sources in low-income countries. However, the sustainability of water improvement project benefits have been disappointing due to a lack of community and household capacity to operate and maintain introduced water systems. This paper evaluates a community/household based water improvement project introduced by a small non-governmental …

The International Health Regulations: The Governing Framework For Global Health Security, Lawrence O. Gostin, Rebecca Katz

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

• The International Health Regulations (IHR) are the governing framework for global health security yet require textual and operational reforms to remain effective, particularly as parallel initiatives are developed.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) is the agency charged with oversight of the IHR, and its leadership and efficient functioning are prerequisites for the effective implementation of the IHR.
• We reviewed the historical origins of the IHR and their performance over the past 10 years and analyzed all of the ongoing reform panel efforts to provide a series of politically feasible recommendations for fundamental reform.
• This article offers proposals for fundamental reform—with …

The Effect Of Federal Reporting Regulations On Hospital Investment In Community Building, Dorothy Magasis Escobar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The role of hospitals as partners in community health improvement is changing, especially for nonprofit hospitals receiving tax exemptions in exchange for providing benefits to the community. There are examples of reported health improvement activities funded through hospitals' charitable donations, but there's a gap in the literature on the effect of policy and legislation on hospitals' investments in community building activities that address the social determinants of health. Grounded in eco-social theory, this quantitative, correlational study compared secondary data from CA's nonprofit hospitals' annual 2009 and 2012 reports to determine what, if any, changes have occurred in the hospitals' investments …

Hawai‘I’S Caring Communities Initiative: Mobilizing Rural And Ethnic Minority Communities For Youth Suicide Prevention, Jane J. Chung-Do, Deborah A. Goebert, Kris Bifulco, Tasha Tydingco, Antonia Alvarez, Davis Rehuher, Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda, Bridget Arume, Pohai Wilcox

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Youth suicide is a serious, yet preventable, public health concern for ethnic minorities and rural communities. This paper describes the youth leadership model utilized by Hawai‘i’s Caring Communities Initiative (HCCI) and provides reflections on the important factors for success in implementing a youth and community advocacy project for youth suicide prevention. HCCI partnered with six youth and community organizations who serve ethnic minority and rural communities across the State of Hawai‘i to train youth leaders and community members in suicide prevention, in order to develop community awareness activities that are grounded in each community’s strengths and needs. The work of …

Community Based Participatory Research: The Application And Lessons Learned From A Study With Lgb College Students, Caitlin M. Stover

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are members of a vulnerable group where health disparities have been identified. To gain a better understanding of the LGB college student healthcare experience and its contribution to the healthcare disparities found in LGB population, a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach was used to fill the gap. This paper will outline the CBPR process with an emphasis on how the principle investigator applied the tenets of CBPR when working with a local LGB college community. Several lessons learned from the research process are also shared in this paper.

The International Health Regulations 10 Years On: The Governing Framework For Global Health Security, Lawrence O. Gostin, Mary C. Debartolo, Eric A. Friedman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its global health security treaty, the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) have lost the world's confidence after the West African Ebola epidemic. The epidemic led to several high-level reviews of the IHR and global health security more broadly. Here, we propose a series of recommendations for operational and legal reforms to enhance the functioning of the FCGH. It is critical that WHO act on them quickly, before the window of opportunity for fundamental reform closes.

WHO should ensure that all states fulfill their obligations to develop national core surveillance and response capacities, including through …

Assessment Of The Perceived Role And Function Of A Community Advisory Board In A Nih Center Of Excellence: Lessons Learned, Margaret L. Walsh, Desiree Rivers, Maria Pinzon, Nina Entrekin, Emily M. Hite, Julie A. Baldwin

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: The Community Advisory Board (CAB) was a vital component of the Center for Equal Health. The center addressed health disparities through community-based research and educational outreach initiatives. Objectives: To evaluate the perceived relationship of the CAB and Center, explore members’ perceptions of the CAB’s role, and elicit feedback on how to enhance the relationship between the Center and the CAB. Methods: Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed with a focus on predetermined codes. Results: Main themes focused on perception of CAB roles and need for utilization of board members; overall center challenges; …

Wdph Summer Internship Report, Samantha Arsenault

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

The Mosakowski Institute is working with the Worcester Division of Public Health (DPH) in an effort that merges classroom skills and real world experience to improve the health of the Greater Worcester community. During the summer of 2015, thirteen Clark students interned with the DPH working on five projects that advanced goals of the Community Health Improvement Plans in the areas of healthy eating and activing living; substance abuse and mental health; health equity and health disparities; violence prevention, and more. More information about the summer 2015 internship projects can be found in the report.

Growing Food And Community: An Exploration Of Local Food Initiatives In Cape Town, South Africa, Megan Bradley

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Local food has recently arisen as a social movement, a diet, and an economic strategy. While the concept is abstract, it is characterized by an emphasis on organic production, conscious consumption, and the convergence of the farm and table. In Cape Town, South Africa, efforts exist across a wide variety of businesses, organizations and communities defined geographically, socially, and economically. This study explores the role of local food initiatives in sustainable community development with a focus on the notions of food sovereignty, community capacity, and social capital. It aims to compare diverse schemes in the movement to identify commonalities in …

Portland Bicycle Share Health Impact Assessment, Nicole A. Anderson

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The findings of this project have shown the potential health impact for implementing a bike share program in Portland, including improved air quality and rates of physical activity for bike share users. The recommendations to create the most health-conscious bike share program include basic requests of the bike share vendors that will provide the program to Portland including: recommending the use of helmets, distributing bike share stations throughout the City, tracking bicycle crashes, tracking minutes of physical activity, etc. The findings and recommendations show the importance of a potential bike share program, while creating a program that is safe and …

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 …