Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Caregiver’S Perspectives Of Community Acceptance Before And After Surgical Treatment For Their Child’S Disability, Kali Johnson

Graduate Projects & Research

Background: In Tanzania, about 600,000 children and adolescents between the ages of five and twenty-four years old have a disability. Individuals with disabilities in Tanzania face numerous obstacles due to the social stigma and exclusion they face. The purpose of this formative evaluation is to assess how caregivers of children with correctable disabilities in Tanzania perceive their community’s acceptance of their child before and after surgical treatment.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted. Interviews from 86 caregivers of children (ages … with disabilities treated at The Plaster House in Arusha, Tanzania were qualitatively analyzed using content analysis to assess for …

Addressing The Opioid Epidemic In Minnesota: Improving Health Outcomes By Expanding Harm Reduction Strategies A Prospective Policy Analysis, Lisa Lau Heller

Graduate Projects & Research

Background: Morbidity and mortality from opioid misuse is worsening in Minnesota, and synthetic opioids have exacerbated the public health problem for vulnerable communities. People who inject drugs (PWID) due to social, health, economic and environmental factors are experiencing increased fatal overdoses. Minnesota has a broad approach to tackling the opioid crisis, but policies are needed, using new harm reduction strategies, to address the existing gaps.

Methods: A prospective policy analysis was conducted using a public health and trauma informed approach using an extensive literature review to understand ways to improve health outcomes in PWID. A Center for Disease Control policy …

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Global Public Health Program: An Exploratory Study Of Syllabi Of Master’S Of Public Health Courses At St. Catherine University, Gao Lee

Graduate Projects & Research

Background: Many universities aim to provide content that opens new ways of seeing the world to students. One method for achieving this is by critiquing one’s courses for diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) elements. The course syllabus contains vital details that support students in achieving their academic objectives and personal development.

Methods: The purpose of this exploratory study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. The existing DEI syllabi assessment tool was developed by Rutgers University and Boston University. We reviewed and adapted DEI domains.

Results: The outcome of this tool developed a table comparison of Rutgers and Boston DEI syllabi …

Oral Health For Older Adults: Policy Barriers And Opportunities, Stephanie De Sam Lazaro, Juliette Kline

Occupational Therapy Faculty Scholarship

Tooth decay and gum disease are two of the most common chronic health conditions in the United States, are reversible and preventable, and impact approximately 68% of older adults nationwide (CDC, 2021; World Health Organization, 2020). While the Affordable Care Act added provisions to health prevention services, oral health prevention coverage was only included for children, leaving many adults and older adults without coverage (Nasseh & Vujicic, 2017). The research team used a rapid review process using 17 key search term combinations to identify literature in three medical databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and Consumer Health Complete) to identify system and policy …

To Work In A Field Centered In Health Equity And Social Justice, Public Health Curriculum Reform Is Essential, Leso Munala, Elizabeth Allen

Public Health Faculty Scholarship

In examining the subject of social justice in public health literature, the word “inextricably” is often used to define the inherent tie between the two. As public health aims to improve the health outcomes of all populations, social justice is argued to be the philosophy on which public health is based - its core value. Effectively addressing complex global health problems requires interpretative methods, critical knowledge, historical perspectives, and values infrastructure. We proposed an MPH curriculum reform with a more explicit focus on social justice. With substantial contributions from an interprofessional and diverse advisory board composed of faculty, staff, students, …

Addressing Oral Health Inequities Through Community Based Programs: Opportunities For Interprofessional Teams, Stephanie De Sam Lazaro, Rachel Mcpherson, Annalise Wallerich

Occupational Therapy Faculty Scholarship

Learning Outcomes of the presentation were for participants to:1. Identify the importance of addressing oral health with all of their clients.2. Recognize strategies that can be used by various professionals to prevent oral health issues.3. Summarize interprofessional teaming opportunities to combat oral health inequities.

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Public Health Messaging In The Immigrant And Refugee Community In Minnesota, Sabrina Kubisa

Antonian Scholars Honors Program

A lack of access to effective health communication can be a threat to people’s health, especially during a pandemic. Effective health communication, as described by the World Health Organization’s Principles of Effective Health Communication, must be accessible, actionable, relevant, timely, and understandable (WHO, 2020). During the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic (COVID-19), accessing effective health messages on time has been of the utmost importance to ensure that people know how to protect themselves and others. As information regarding the new findings is updated each day on the Minnesota Department of Health website, everyone must be informed about those changes. However, for the …

The Impact Of Macroeconomic Policies On Healthcare Delivery In Kenya: An Analysis Of The National Sexual Violence Prevention And Care Response, Leso Munala, Emily Weile, Nene Okunna, Emily Hohenshell

Public Health Faculty Scholarship

Sexual violence is one of the most common forms of violence against women in Kenya. This study documents the care of sexual violence survivors from the perspective of health care practitioners based on an analytic framework developed in studies of the political-economy of health to examine the effects of International Financial Institutions’ conditionalities on the allocation of national fiscal resources. The study documented the working conditions of practitioners and myriad challenges that they experience in providing quality services to sexual violence survivors. The issues reflected in the results are grounded in social structural inequities driven by the global political economic …

Prevalence, Characteristics, And Epidemiology Of Microbial Hand Contamination Among Minnesota State Fair Attendees (2014), Meghan Mason, Bozena Morawski, Ruby Bayliss, Fatuma Noor, Sagal Jama, Connie Clabots, James Johnson

Public Health Faculty Scholarship

Background: Many antimicrobial-resistant infections are community-acquired, yet community carriage of microorganisms by healthy individuals is poorly characterized. We assessed microorganism carriage on the hands of Minnesota State Fair attendees and explored associated factors.Methods: Minnesota State Fair attendees (in 2014) from households with ≥2 members (≥1 member being <19 years old [a child]) were eligible to participate. Participants provided biological samples via a hand plating technique and completed a questionnaire on factors potentially related to microorganism carriage. Using presumptive taxonomic identifications and disk-diffusion-determined resistance phenotypes, hand-culture isolates were classified by microbial type; types were grouped into four broad categories based on inferred pathogenicity and consistency with the skin microbiota. Descriptive statistics, X2 tests, and generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to explore associations between survey and culture data.Results: We enrolled 206 participants from 82 households during 2 days; 50% of subjects were children. Overall, 99.5% (205/206) of hand samples yielded microorganisms. Most were non-pathogenic, whether skin microbiota (98.5% of participants) or non-skin microbiota (93.2% of participants). Only 2.4% (5/206) of samples yielded antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Children were more likely than adults to carry potentially pathogenic (OR = 3.63, 95% CI: 1.66–7.93) and presumably non-pathogenic (OR = 6.61, 95% CI: 1.67–26.15) non-skin microorganisms.Conclusions: Large community gatherings can serve as efficient sites for estimating the prevalence of microorganism carriage. A small proportion of participants carried antimicrobial-resistant pathogens on their hands; most carried non-pathogenic microorganisms, and no exposures specific to the state fair were associated with microorganism carriage.

Addressing Housing Instability In Primary Care Settings, Meghan Mason, Grace Anne Ludvik, Sia Xiong, Jacki Hart, Christine Ma, Marvin So, Avik Chatterjee

Public Health Faculty Scholarship

Over two million children experience homelessness annually in the United States, often disrupting their healthcare. The purpose of this study, spearheaded by the National Network to End Family Homelessness (NNEFH), was to understand the role of primary care providers who serve children and families experiencing homelessness. Specifically, we sought to describe best practices for screening for housing-unstable families and providing optimal care for these patients once identified.In addition to a thorough literature review on screening for housing instability, we conducted a qualitative study employing semi-structured, in-depth interviews with clinicians and administrators working in healthcare organizations serving children and families.All clinics …

How Do Healthcare Providers Address The Needs Of Children And Families Experiencing Housing Instability? A Multisite Qualitative Study, Meghan Mason, Grace Anne Ludvik, Sia Xiong, Marvin So, Jacki Hart, Sarah O'Gorman, Avery Brien, Christine Ma, Mia Brugnoli Ensin, Rebecca Kamins, Manelisi (Victor) Nhliziyo, Andy Kim

Public Health Faculty Scholarship

Background Over two million children experience homelessness annually in the United States, often disrupting their healthcare. The purpose of this study, spearheaded by the National Network to End Family Homelessness (NNEFH), was to understand the role of primary care providers who serve children and families experiencing homelessness. Specifically, we sought to describe best practices for screening for housing-unstable families and providing optimal care for these patients once identified. MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study employing semi-structured, in-depth interviews with clinicians and administrators working in healthcare organizations serving children and families. Recruitment occurred by invitation from NNEFH Health Committee members. Stratified purposeful …

“If You Report Your Dad, How Are You Going To Survive”: Health Practitioner Perspectives On Quality Of Care For Survivors Of Sexual Violence And The Challenge Of Family Interference, Leso Munala, Emily Hohenshell, Emily Weile

Public Health Faculty Scholarship

This study examined the experiences and perspectives of health practitioners facing the challenges of providing services to female survivors of sexual violence. Interviews were conducted with 28 health practitioners, from eight post-rape care facilities located in Nairobi, Kenya. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi’s 1978 analytical model. The analysis of the results was guided by four domains of the ecological framework: individual, interpersonal, community/cultural, and public policy. The study documented a myriad of detail about the challenges faced by women before reporting the crime as well as the actual process of reporting. One key finding from this study was that …

How Do Healthcare Providers Screen Children And Families For Housing Instability? A Literature Review, Grace Anne Ludvik, Meghan Mason

Public Health Faculty Scholarship

Children and families are especially susceptible to both immediate and long-term adverse health impacts caused by housing instability. Currently, there lacks a universal housing instability screening tool within the medical setting. The lack of this tool is leaving at-risk populations without access to resources that would reduce the impact of housing instability on families. The goal of this research is to create a universal screening tool that will be used in the healthcare setting. Methods: To explore current promising screening practices, a literature review was conducted using the following five databases: Pubmed, CINAHL, Socindex, Pschyinfo, and Google Scholar. This search …

Healthcare Providers Addressing Needs Of Children And Families Experiencing Housing Instability, Meghan Mason, Sia Xiong

Public Health Faculty Scholarship

Background The purpose of this study, spearheaded by the National Network to End Family Homelessness (NNEFH), was to understand the role of primary care providers who serve children and families experiencing homelessness. Specifically, we sought to describe best practices for screening for housing-unstable families and providing optimal care for these patients once identified. Methods We conducted a qualitative study employing semi-structured, in-depth interviews with clinicians and administrators working in healthcare organizations serving children and families. The selection criteria captured rural and urban locations, and three organizational types: academic health affiliates, community health centers, and Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) …

The Evolution Of Teen Pregnancy: A Comprehensive “Application” To Educate Teen Mothers, Brittany R. Thermos-Cordes

Antonian Scholars Honors Program

Teen pregnancy is a major concern in the United States. Although teen pregnancy rates have declined, teen pregnancy still exists and babies are still born to girls who may not be well prepared to achieve a healthy pregnancy and subsequently parent. Today, there are many pregnancy materials on the market; however, most pregnancy products are geared toward pregnant adults. This project attempts to address the access gap for teen pregnancy education. This project includes two components. The paper component, also known as the educator’s companion, which is meant to be utilized by the educator working with the teen who uses …