Digital Commons Network^™

Risk Communication And Public Health Emergency Responses During Covid-19 Pandemic In Rural Communities In Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study, Wilberforce Cholo, Fletcher J. Njororai, Walter Ogutu Amulla, Caleb Kogutu Nyaranga

Population Health Leadership and Analytics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial role of community preventive behaviors in controlling the virus’ spread. Studies show that people’s risk perceptions and awareness significantly contribute to the containment and prevention of infections by motivating adoption of desired actions and behaviors. This study aimed at assessing the role of risk communication and factors that influenced responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural communities in Western Kenya. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a quantitative research approach, collecting data from 806 individuals across Kisumu, Vihiga, and Kakamega counties. Descriptive statistics were used to detail the demographic characteristics of …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Curriculum Orientations Of High School Teachers, Matthew G. Howard

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Teacher beliefs, particularly about the aims of education, impact what they teach, how they teach, and how they assess learning. Understanding how those beliefs were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic offers insights about COVID’s long-term influence on education. This cross-sectional quantitative study utilized Eisner and Vallance’s (1974) curriculum orientations framework to examine the beliefs of high school teachers, as well as their perceived changes in belief after the pandemic. The study utilized the previously validated Survey of Curriculum Orientations (SCO) as an instrument. A total of 305 high school teachers from a large school district in a major metropolitan area …

The Uneven Disruptions Covid-19 Caused To Scholars’ Publication: A Preregistered Study, Marco De Prosperis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This proposed, preregistered study investigates the uneven impacts of COVID-19 on scholarly productivity among University of Arkansas faculty, focusing on how demographic and professional factors—such as gender, ethnicity, academic rank, tenure status, field of study, and the presence of children—may have moderated productivity during the pandemic. Utilizing a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, this research will collect data from 160 full-time faculty members through an online survey. Grounded in Role Theory, the study will examine role conflict and enrichment as faculty navigated shifting responsibilities in research, teaching, and caregiving during remote work. This study is particularly relevant as many assistant professors who …

Emotion Analysis And Topic Modelling Of Supply Chain Discussion During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Suhong Li, Fang Chen, Thomas Ngniatedema

American Business Review

This study aims to investigate the supply chain discussion during the COVID-19 pandemic using the supply chain tweets collected between March 2020 and May 2022 globally. The findings reveal an evolving sentiment trajectory: while the users’ sentiment remained neutral in 2020 and 2021, a negative sentiment surged starting in January 2022. Moreover, an emotion analysis indicates a mix of sadness and optimism among Twitter users, with anger gradually intensifying from June 2021 onward. Furthermore, topic modeling reveals distinct themes discussed each year. In 2020, major topics centered around the government’s response to COVID-19, food and medical supply chain crises. By …

Cares Act And Income Inequality In The Long Run, Kathleen Washington

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In this paper, I will be looking at how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a revolutionary public policy, led to income inequality decreasing during the Covid-19 pandemic in the US. Additionally, from the data available, the CARES Act seems to not have had any long run effects on income inequality in the US. Although, I would recommend more research on the CARES Act’s long-run effects when more data become available as time passes.

The Effects Of A Two-Way Dual Language Program On The Educational Trajectory Of Hispanic Emergent Bilingual Students During The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study, Jesus Jacob Villa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This explanatory mixed-methods study examines the impact of Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) and Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) programs on the academic achievement of Hispanic emergent bilingual students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. With the U.S. Hispanic student population growing significantly, and emergent bilingual students historically underserved, this study addresses critical gaps in educational equity. Conducted in two school districts along the U.S. and Mexico border in Texas and New Mexico, the research explores how DLBE and TBE programs mitigated the pandemic's adverse effects on learning. This study analyzed quantitative data from standardized mathematics and language proficiency assessments for …

Leadership Post Covid-19: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Public-School Administrators And Support Through Professional Development, Teresa Marie Burr

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to gather knowledge from the lived experiences of public school administrators before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions focused on the support and training received, experiences at school sites and online, and the lessons learned during this time. The literature review focused on issues that school administrators dealt with during this time. Challenges were varied, and solutions and information provided from the review indicated the need for communication, support, and planning. The theoretical framework was Activity Theory and Cultural Historical Activity Theory, which focused on the premise that an activity may be shared and taken …

Challenges The Sporting Industry Faced During Covid-19 On Fan Attendance: The Case Of The National Basketball Association, Marlon Long

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This culminating experience project investigates the challenges the sporting industry faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focused look at the National Basketball Association. The research questions are: (Q1) How did the NBA arena shutdowns impact fan attendance for each team during the COVID-19 pandemic? (Q2) What factors influenced NBA arena attendance before the COVID-19 shutdowns? (Q3) What factors influenced NBA arena attendance after the COVID-19 shutdown? The data collected includes all 30 NBA teams from 2019 through the 2024 seasons. The research questions were analyzed using multilinear regression analysis and comparison of attendance data over 6 seasons including the …

Motivations And Goals For Combatting Covid-19 Misinformation In Clinical Setting: A Case Study Of Nursing Students., Amarachi H. Okoronkwo

All Theses

The misinformation surrounding COVID-19 disrupted public health efforts to mitigate the virus. This study examined the motivations and goals of nursing students to combat COVID-19 misinformation within clinical settings. Medical professionals are best suited to combat health misinformation due to their expertise and lived experience, but they are not mandated but encouraged to address COVID-19 misinformation. Grounded in qualitative research methods and grounded theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nursing students who have had clinical practice after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings reveal that the key motivations and goals for addressing misinformation include the need to educate patients, …

Evaluating The Test-Negative Design For Covid-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Using Randomized Trial Data: A Secondary Cross-Protocol Analysis Of 5 Randomized Clinical Trials, Leah I B Andrews, M Elizabeth Halloran, Kathleen M Neuzil, Lars Van Der Laan, Yunda Huang, Jessica Andriesen, Mayur Patel, Leigh H Fisher, Holly Janes, Nadine Rouphael, Stephen R Walsh, Deborah A Theodore, Hong-Van Tieu, Magdalena Sobieszczyk, Hana M El Sahly, Lindsey R Baden, Ann R Falsey, Thomas B Campbell, Colleen F Kelley, Catherine Mary Healy, Lilly Immergluck, Benjamin Luft, Ian Hirsch, Guy De Bruyn, Carla Truyers, Frances Priddy, Kelsey M Sumner, Brendan Flannery, Dean Follmann, Peter B Gilbert, Covid-19 Prevention Network (Covpn)

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: The test-negative design (TND) has been widely used to assess postmarketing COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness but requires further evaluation for this application.

Objective: To determine whether the TND reliably evaluates vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 using placebo-controlled vaccine efficacy randomized clinical trials (RCTs).

Design, setting, and participants: This secondary cross-protocol analysis constructed TND study datasets from study sites in 16 countries across 5 continents using the blinded phase cohorts of 5 harmonized phase 3 COVID-19 Prevention Network RCTs: COVE (Coronavirus Vaccine Efficacy and Safety), AZD1222, ENSEMBLE, PREVENT-19 (Prefusion Protein Subunit Vaccine Efficacy Novavax Trial COVID-19), and VAT00008. Participants included adults …

The Impact Of Covid-19 During The First Two Years: Giving Voice To Pediatric Nurses, Karen S. Gralton, Kathryn J. Malin, Eileen Sherburne, Danielle Smith, Stacy Wenner, Julie Averbeck, Amy Newman, Anita Norton, Genesee Hornung, Karen Kavanaugh

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of pediatric nurses providing direct care in a variety of settings during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design and methods

This was a qualitative descriptive study. Donabedian's Quality Framework for the Evaluation of Healthcare was used to guide the design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 24 direct care nurses from inpatient and outpatient settings within one healthcare system. Semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews were conducted in-person or via a virtual platform from November 2021 through March 2022.

Results

Four major themes were determined across all settings and …

Sensitivity Of Lung Point-Of-Care Ultrasound (Pocus) To Predict Oxygen Requirements In Emerging Viral Infections, Daniel L Theodoro, Di Coneybeare, Penelope Lema, Nicholas Renz, Laura Wallace, Enyo Ablordeppey, Sean Stickles, Alek Rosenthal, Ian Holley, Sirivalli Chamarti, Josie Acuña, James Patterson, Rachel Ancona, Srikar Adhikari

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: The prognostic characteristics of lung point-of-care ultrasound (L-POCUS) to predict respiratory decompensation in patients with emerging infections remains unstudied. Our objective was to examine whether scored lung ultrasounds predict hypoxia among a nonhypoxic, ambulatory population of patients with COVID-19.

METHODS: This was a diagnostic case-control study. Three academic emergency departments across the United States collected a convenience sample of nonhypoxic subjects with COVID-19, scored subjects' hemithorax at 7 locations using lung ultrasound, and followed outcomes for 40 days. We defined cases as hypoxia (≤91% by pulse oxygenation) from 2 hours after index presentation to day 40. Follow-up was by …

Student Perceptions Of School Climate And Safety After The Collective Trauma Of Covid-19 And Racial Injustice Syndemic., Amy Catherine Lyons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For people in marginalized communities, particularly the Black and African American community, the combined, disproportionate damage and loss from of the pandemic and a cacophony of racial injustices offer cause for labeling the phenomenon a syndemic. Syndemic is defined as “a conceptual framework for understanding diseases or health conditions that arise in populations and that are exacerbated by the social, economic, environmental, and political milieu in which a population is immersed” (Singer et al., 2017, p. 881). The purpose of this study is to explore, describe, and analyze Kentucky students’ perceptions of school climate and safety by demographic groups, racial …

In Silico Evaluation Of Bisphosphonates Identifies Leading Candidates For Sars-Cov-2 Rdrp Inhibition, Mohammed Muzaffar-Ur-Rehman, Kishor Suryakant Chougule, Ala Chandu, Pranali Vijaykumar Kuthe, Mohit Garg, Murugesan Sankaranarayanan, Seshadri S. Vasan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in 777 million confirmed cases and over 7 million deaths worldwide, with insufficient treatment options. Innumerable efforts are being made around the world for faster identification of therapeutic agents to treat the deadly disease. Post Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 (PASC), also called Long COVID, is still being understood and lacks treatment options as well. A growing list of drugs are being suggested by various in silico, in vitro and ex vivo models, however currently only two treatment options are widely used: the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor remdesivir, and …

Demographic Groups’ Use Of Agency Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) Services: A Quality Improvement Project To Identify And Engage Local Underserved Populations, Mia Parker

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

This quality improvement project intended to identify populations of adult intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in Spokane County, Washington, by race/ethnicity and sex who are underserved by a local victim service agency and provide action-oriented, evidence-informed recommendations that the agency may utilize to increase engagement with these local underserved populations. Methods used include secondary data analysis, timeline creation, literature review, and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data analysis. This was a capstone project designed to demonstrate multiple public health competencies.

An Exploration Of Substance Abuse By Healthcare Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review, Andrew Hills

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objective

This scoping review aims to identify available literature and research on substance abuse by healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine whether the stress of their duties during the pandemic exacerbated existing issues of substance abuse.

Methods

A literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar using Harzing Publish or Perish identified 100 relevant professionally-authored, peer-reviewed, English-language academic articles published between 2015 and 2025 on substance abuse by HCWs. Exclusions were done via a review of the abstract and then from the full text, reducing the number of articles to three from those three articles which generated an …

The Kids Aren’T Alright: Changes In The Mental Health Of Adolescents Post-Covid-19, Tanya Belom

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Mental health is an increasing concern for today’s youth, with one in six U.S. children and adolescents aged 6-17 experiencing a mental health disorder each year, and 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14. The COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in lockdowns, social isolation, school closures, and ultimately a disruption in everyday life, is believed to have adversely impacted the mental health of children and adolescents. There is limited research available on the impacts of the pandemic on adults, and even less research is available on the impact of the pandemic on youth, specifically as we navigate the …

From Epithelium To Therapy: Transitional Cells In Lung Fibrosis, Sarah Y Shin, Jichao Chen, Irit Milman Krentsis, Yair Reisner, Rodeo Abrencillo, Rahat Hussain, Danielle Wu, Harry Karmouty-Quintana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and lung fibrosis secondary to infections such as influenza A and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have limited treatment options outside of supportive therapy and lung transplantation. Multiple lung stem cell populations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis, and more progenitor cell populations continue to be discovered and characterized. In this review, we summarize the functions and differentiation pathways of various cells that constitute the lung epithelium. We then focus on two subpopulations of KRT5

Positive And Negative Religious Coping As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Covid-19 Stressors And Employee Burnout Among Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Kristen M. Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

During the investigation of this study, no study was located that explores the moderating effects of both positive religious coping (PRC) and negative religious coping (NRC) on the COVID-19 stressor-employee burnout relationship within the vocational rehabilitation counseling (VRCs) profession. Therefore, this study sought out to examine just that. Recruitment emails were sent out to VRCs to obtain 79 participants who were at least 18 years old, have worked at least 6 months as a VRC during the COVID-19 pandemic, and worked an average of 20 hrs/week. Each participant completed a 20-minute online survey containing CIS, PSS, MBI-HSS, Brief RCOPE scales. …

Contagions Of Doubt: Denialism And The Spread Of Medical Conspiracy Theories, Haley Boom

Anthropology

Denialism and conspiratorial thinking have long shaped public perceptions of science and medicine, but the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how rapidly these forces can evolve and spread in a digital age. This thesis examines the historical roots, psychological foundations, and modern amplification of medical conspiracy theories, with a particular focus on vaccine skepticism and COVID-19-related misinformation. As a literature review, it synthesizes existing interdisciplinary research from psychology, public health, and communication studies to explore how medical conspiracy beliefs emerge from complex interactions between cognitive biases, emotional needs, mistrust in institutions, and evolving media environments. The rise of social media, political polarization, …

Administrative Law And The Pandemic, Gillian E. Metzger

Faculty Scholarship

American administrative law’s relationship to change is, as they say, compli­cated. On the one hand, continual evolution has been an endemic feature of American administrative law. Doctrines such as Chevron deference to agency statutory interpretations were born, grew, and declined in just the period from the 1980s to today. On the other, the United States (US) Supreme Court regularly rejects such common law development in administrative law as illegitimate and insists that federal judges must adhere to the original terms of the 1946 Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and other statutes, unless the Constitution requires otherwise. And to this day scholars …

Working To Death: Labor Law In The 100 Year Life, Kate Andrias

Faculty Scholarship

Without significant changes in labor law, the 100-year life will almost certainly be defined by deep inequities. Working-class people, and workers of color in particular, are least likely to enjoy extended life spans. And if they do live longer, they are unlikely to enjoy a leisurely retirement in which they decide how they spend their extra years. Instead, they will face more toil and precarity. This chapter imagines a different future. It asks: What would the 100-year life look like if working people had a greater hand in shaping it? What would a legal regime look like that gave working …

Guillain-Barré Syndrome Following Moderna Spikevax Messenger Rna Covid-19 Vaccine: A Case Analysis, Jamie Lee Aldakkour, Alvin Boyd Newman-Caro, Hector Gonzalez-Montalvo, Usama Bardan, Guruswamy Ramamurthy

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an acute autoimmune polyneuropathy. Cases of GBS have been reported following administration of the vaccines for swine influenza, seasonal influenza, hemagglutinin type 1 and neuraminidase type 1, and meningococcal disease. Despite these links, a causal relationship has not been confirmed.

Case Presentation

We present a case of a 70-year-old woman who presented with progressive bilateral ascending weakness and numbness and reported receiving the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine 2 weeks prior to presentation.

Conclusion

At the time of writing, this is the first reported case of GBS following the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine. …

Severity Of Sars-Cov-2 Illness In Patients With Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Anthony Shadiack, Alexis White, Prasad Munusamy, Jessica Oleske, Parisa Biazar, Serena Mitchell, Michael G. Flynn, Nayda Parisio Poldiak

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for the severity of illness in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19). However, there is less published data on illness severity differences between patients with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes mellitus.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of records of patients with COVID-19 (March 2020 - November 2020) extracted from a large, private hospital system database. Of the 76 467 patients with COVID-19, 54 007 (70.6%) did not have a diabetes diagnosis (NON), 22 084 (28.9%) had T2D, and 376 (0.49%) had T1D. We further subgrouped diabetic patients into groups with …

From Unrealistic To Functional Optimism In Illness Perception: A Psychometric Comparison Across 10 Countries, Elisa Kern De Castro, Oscar Lecuona, Maria João Figueiras, Cristina Quiñones, Kamlesh Singh, Shoshana Shiloh, Michaela Schippers, Ana Kinkead, Raquel Rodríguez-Carvajal

All Works

People's perceptions of illness and its risks influence health behaviors, including risk management and precautionary measures. Illness perception often involves unrealistic optimism, reducing infection risk perception. However, crises disrupt self-regulation and optimism due to uncontrollable situations. This study examines optimism's link to risk and illness perception during the first COVID-19 wave in 10 countries, with 7254 participants (48.1% women, mean age = 40, SD = 14.8). We used Bayesian structural equation modeling for psychometric stability and one-way ANOVAs for country comparisons. Multiple regression analyses examined the impact of optimism and demographic variables on illness perception. Significant cross-country variations emerged in …

Impact Of Pandemic-Driven Parental Fear On Childhood Immunization Rates: Examining Attitudes Toward Vaccination During Crisis Periods In Türkiye, Özüm Erkin, İlknur Göl

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of parents’ fear of coronavirus on their attitudes towards the vaccination of their children.

Methods: The study was conducted with 2,350 parents who were selected by using the snowball sampling method. The questionnaire included a personal information form, the Public Attitude towards Vaccination Scale – Health Belief Model, and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale.

Results: The scores of the study group from the sub-dimensions of the Public Attitude towards Vaccination Scale Health Belief Model were as follows: 17.39 ± 2.92 perceived susceptibility, 16.74 ± 3.19 perceived severity, 21.10 ± …

Next Time, There Will Be No Next Time: The Short Vs. Long Term Policy Debate For Catastrophe, Analyzed Through Major Events In The United States Of America During 2020, Lauren K. Barlow

Politics Honors Papers

What accounts for citizens’ policy preferences between short-term payoff and long-term investment policies? How are these beliefs impacted by the personal construction of time horizons in relation to “end of times” experiences or disasters? In this research study, I will investigate whether the year 2020 shifted certain demographic groups either towards or away from supporting long-term investment policies in the three aforementioned areas. I compare the preferences of sample groups of Americans before, during, and after 2020, to determine whether the endurance of this time period shifted individuals towards a “Never again” or a “Not Now” mentality, and what the …

Assess The Impact Of Prophylactic Measures And Adjunctive Medications In Preventing Covid-19 Infections And Lowering The Rates Of Affected Cases Worsening :A Comparative Study, Zainab Najim Abdul-Nabi, Nadheerah F Neamah, Noora Sgheerghaleb

Maaen Journal for Medical Sciences

Background: Repurposed medications were the only means of aiding in the prevention and initial treatment of COVID-19 infections in the lack of effective treatment, objective: The goal of this study is to determine whether preventive measures affect the rate of COVID-19 infection in the contact people and whether age, sex, and medication use correlate to prognosis.

Methods

The questionnaire responses were used as a source of data, and 829 patients have a full recovery. With the exception of 114 volunteers who interacted with COVID-19 patients, the patients served as respondents; however, their outcomes were negative.

Results

The use …

Examining The Impact Of Widespread Disease On The Economy, Ryan Howell

Honors College Theses

Over centuries, disease has been an instigator of economic change. From the Black Death and the overturning of feudalism to the Spanish flu and its relationship with World War 1, pandemics have a profound effect on the social, political, and economic climate of the affected areas. In 2020, COVID-19 began in Wuhan, China and spread across the world rapidly and unexpectedly. The world economy was forced into a recession with major effects on industries such as airlines, energy, and automobiles. While some industries made smooth recoveries, the pandemic undeniably altered the way business is conducted. The shift between in-person and …

Covid-19 And The Impact Of Physical Activity On Persistent Symptoms, Lauren E. Opielinski, Toni D. Uhrich, Michael H. Haischer, Rachel N. Beilfuss, Lindsey M. Mirkes Clark, Kamryn M. Kroner, Rachel E. Bollaert, Michael J. Danduran, Linda B. Piacentine, Marie K. Hoeger Bement, Paula E. Papanek, Sandra K. Hunter, Sarah J. Hamilton

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction: Physical activity is protective against chronic disease but whether activity is associated with persistent symptoms in non-hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors is unknown. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity levels and the influence of physical activity on acute COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors.

Methods: In total, 64 non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors (45 female participants, 40 ± 18 years) were assessed for activity levels, body composition, and symptoms of COVID-19 8.5 ± 4.7 months post-infection and categorized into two groups: (1) persistent symptoms and (2) …