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Articles 1 - 30 of 36
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Humanizing Affordable Housing: A Public Health Centered Approach To Affordable Housing, Eiman Mohamed
Humanizing Affordable Housing: A Public Health Centered Approach To Affordable Housing, Eiman Mohamed
Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design Theses & Dissertations
This thesis focuses on exploring housing as a determinant of health; thus, the aim is to investigate the historical and current influence of housing design and city planning on occupant health and population health in metropolitan cities. The thesis will primarily examine how housing affects the health of low-income individuals. Historically and presently, this demographic has been disproportionately affected by health issues stemming from overcrowding, substandard housing design, declining neighborhood conditions, and environmental inequities. The goal is to discern the dimensions and standards for healthy housing against which designers and planners can define health outcomes. By acknowledging the factors that …
Integrating Health Equity Into Implementation Science To Advance Chronic Disease Prevention And Control, Callie Walsh-Bailey
Integrating Health Equity Into Implementation Science To Advance Chronic Disease Prevention And Control, Callie Walsh-Bailey
Brown School Theses and Dissertations
Marginalized populations are inequitably burdened by chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer. The goal of health equity work is to ensure all people have a fair and just opportunity to achieve optimal health. Implementation science has made health equity a greater focus and priority in recent years. There has been a proliferation of guidance on what implementation science needs to do to advance equity. However, the field currently lacks specific, actionable guidance on how to integrate equity. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to synthesize conceptual and theoretical underpinnings regarding health equity and bring them …
Trauma Exposures Across The Life Course For Individuals Who Experience Incarceration, Maria Morrison
Trauma Exposures Across The Life Course For Individuals Who Experience Incarceration, Maria Morrison
Brown School Theses and Dissertations
The U.S. incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, with 2.2 million people currently behind bars, 60% of whom are people of color. At the same time, there is an unprecedented political consensus to develop strategies for reducing the incarcerated population and safely returning the majority of incarcerated individuals to society. While there has been a substantial research focus on the potential of this population to commit acts of violence post-release, this tells only half the story. This dissertation hopes to provide a more complete picture of the role of violence in the lives of individuals released …
The Cost Of Child Support: Policy Design And Father Identity, Lara Markovitz
The Cost Of Child Support: Policy Design And Father Identity, Lara Markovitz
Brown School Theses and Dissertations
Child support policy is one of the key forces in the lives of families in the U.S., where 1 in 4 children and half of African American children live apart from their fathers (Carlson et al., 2017; Grall, 2020; U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Most unmarried fathers of newborns express a strong desire and commitment to their children (Carlson & McLanahan, 2002; England & Edin, 2007). However, by the time their children turn five, fathers'; involvement (caregiving and time, provision of child support) diminishes greatly (Turner & Waller, 2017). This decrease in father involvement among low-income NRFs is thought to be …
Identifying Contextual And Structural Factors Contributing To Organizational Sustainability In Pediatric Healthcare, Sara Malone
Identifying Contextual And Structural Factors Contributing To Organizational Sustainability In Pediatric Healthcare, Sara Malone
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Every year, millions of children seek health care for acute and emergent needs. However, evidence-based care is not currently delivered to every child. Even when teams implement care discoveries designed to improve outcomes, they are often not sustained over time. All children should receive care that is in accord with current evidence-based guidelines, and those evidence-based practices must be effectively maintained over time. It is imperative to understand how to sustain care improvements in the clinical setting. Sustainability capacity allows us to understand the organizational factors that ensure care delivery over time. While there has been an increased focus on …
The Potential Of Mental Health Policy Implementation: Methods And Applications, Meagan Renee Pilar
The Potential Of Mental Health Policy Implementation: Methods And Applications, Meagan Renee Pilar
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Mental illness affects roughly 20% of the world in some capacity and can be debilitating. Though a large emphasis has historically been placed on individual-level interventions (e.g., therapy or medication), mental health policies present an opportunity to intervene on a large scale, with the potential to enhance impact and equity. This dissertation contributes to the mental health policy research literature in three main ways—(1) exploring factors affecting policymakers’ overall support of mental health policies; (2) assessing the use and quality of quantitative and qualitative methods within this field; and (3) exploring implementation determinants and outcomes, as well as strategies used …
Structural Analysis And Vaccine Efficacy Of Hla Mutants, Kelly Tomaszewski
Structural Analysis And Vaccine Efficacy Of Hla Mutants, Kelly Tomaszewski
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal of the human skin and also a major human pathogen. Currently, there has been no successful vaccine despite many approaches over the last two decades. S. aureus α-hemolysin (Hla), a potent cytotoxin, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of S. aureus diseases, through the activation of its receptor, ADAM10. We utilized three distinct Hla mutants with differing structural and ADAM10 binding properties to examine for vaccine efficacy. Our studies have demonstrated immunization with each vaccine candidate antigens provided significant protection against S. aureus skin infection yet elicited distinguishable immune responses. We have also generated …
Radical Support: Understanding Doula Work As Resistance To Routinized Violence, Arianna Parkhideh
Radical Support: Understanding Doula Work As Resistance To Routinized Violence, Arianna Parkhideh
Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses
Continuous support during labor has been demonstrated to have positive effects on maternal and infant health, as well as improving birth experiences. The benefits of doula support are particularly important for improving the maternal and infant health outcomes for Black pregnant individuals and others facing health inequities. The role of doulas in addressing the Black maternal health crisis motivates this study of the underlying mechanisms through which doulas support clients and operate within hospital settings to create positive outcomes. An online survey was used to understand the perspectives of doulas on the Black maternal health crisis and the strategies they …
Exploring Contextual Differences In Environment And Policy Strategies To Promote Physical Activity In Disadvantaged Communities, Natalicio Hector Serrano
Exploring Contextual Differences In Environment And Policy Strategies To Promote Physical Activity In Disadvantaged Communities, Natalicio Hector Serrano
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The benefits of physical activity for health are far reaching, including the reduced risk of several chronic diseases. However, only about 24% of US adults meet recommended guidelines of physical activity, with traditionally disadvantaged populations such as rural residents and persons of color facing even lower rates. Ecological models of health behavior help to understand correlates of physical activity that impact population health, but may not be as useful in disadvantaged populations where the evidence base is either lacking or not as rigorous. Furthermore, measures and methods may be underdeveloped in disadvantaged populations and there is a lack of understanding …
A Secondary Data Analysis Of The Prevalence Of Reported Dementia And Subjective Cognitive Decline Across U.S. National Surveys, Matthew C. Picchiello
A Secondary Data Analysis Of The Prevalence Of Reported Dementia And Subjective Cognitive Decline Across U.S. National Surveys, Matthew C. Picchiello
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Within the United States, many large-scale, nationally representative studies exist with the goal of tracking and monitoring aspects of health. These studies are often used to establish the prevalence of dementia and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in the population. The goal of the current study is to examine how different population-based studies probe respondents about conditions related to cognitive impairment, and to assess similarities and differences in point estimates. We reviewed eight studies and identified comparable items related to dementia and SCD. We calculated design-appropriate point prevalence estimates and compared weighted estimates across studies, finding a wide range and statistically …
Racial Disparities In U.S. Childhood And Adolescent Cancer Diagnosis And Survival, Xiaoyan Wang
Racial Disparities In U.S. Childhood And Adolescent Cancer Diagnosis And Survival, Xiaoyan Wang
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In 2020, an estimated 16,850 new cases and 1,730 cancer deaths are expected to occur in U.S. children and adolescents under 20 years of age. Childhood cancer is rare compared to cancers in adults. However, it is the most common disease-related cause of death among children and adolescents, accounting for approximately 13% of all childhood deaths in 2015. Although the overall five-year survival rate for childhood and adolescent cancers has increased to 85%, largely due to advances in treatment, supportive care, and high rates of participation in clinical trials, racial/ethnic disparities in cancer diagnosis and prognosis remain a big concern. …
Gut Reactions: Quantitative Predictions Of The Responses Of Human Gut Microbiota To Medical Interventions, Amy Elizabeth Langdon
Gut Reactions: Quantitative Predictions Of The Responses Of Human Gut Microbiota To Medical Interventions, Amy Elizabeth Langdon
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The collection of microbes known as the human microbiome perform vital functions for their host, and when this community becomes unhealthy, its dysbiosis is implicated in a myriad of diseases. The gut microbiota in particular are known to suppress colonization of opportunistic pathogens, regulate the immune system, aid in nutrient breakdown, produce vitamins, and a growing number of other functions. In order to intervene in a dysbiotic microbial ecology, we can try to remove unwanted microbes or try to recolonize the gut with microbes expected to be beneficial. This dissertation provides an overview of the state of medical interventions for …
The Relationships Between Stress, Psychosocial Resources, And Mental Health And Adherence Outcomes Among Perinatally Hiv-Infected Adolescents In South Africa, Thabani Nyoni
Brown School Theses and Dissertations
Adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV (APHs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) constitute a significant population group that is experiencing poor HIV treatment outcomes (CIPHER Global Cohort Collaboration, 2018). Compared to younger children and older adults within the SSA sub-region, APHs experience poorer health outcomes, including retention in care, virologic treatment failure, and mortality rates (Anderson et al., 2019). Among countries in the SSA sub-region, South Africa has 360,000 adolescents living with HIV (ages 10-19), a disproportionate burden, accounting for 20% of the global adolescents living with HIV (UNAIDS, 2019a). The public health costs of suboptimal antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence in …
Examining Mental Health In Northern Haiti, Michael Galvin
Examining Mental Health In Northern Haiti, Michael Galvin
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Mental health is a severely neglected field in low- and middle-income countries globally. Populations in countries such as Haiti demonstrate a high level of need for mental health services despite a lack of services and trained professionals. In addition to the dearth of biomedical services, local belief systems and explanatory models lead a majority of the population to rely on traditional medicine as their first option for care. The goal of this dissertation is to characterize mental health beliefs, practices, and services in northern Haiti by examining the relationship between traditional beliefs and mental illness, assessing the impact of traumatic …
Hip And Pelvic Floor Strength And Mobility In Women With And Without Urgency And Frequency Predominant Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, Stefanie N. Foster
Hip And Pelvic Floor Strength And Mobility In Women With And Without Urgency And Frequency Predominant Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, Stefanie N. Foster
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Urgency and frequency are common lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in women and are accompanied by substantial activity and participation restrictions. Medical management begins with ruling out organ pathologies, typically followed by fluid intake and timed voiding often combined with pharmacologic management, and may progress to nerve stimulation, botulinum injections, or surgery where indicated. Despite abundant management options for urgency and frequency predominant LUTS (UF-LUTS) and high financial burden, patients often experience only partial relief from medical treatments for LUTS. While a great deal of literature exists to inform pharmacologic and surgical care of patients with UF-LUTS, less is known …
Sustainable Diets For Planetary Health: A Study Of Indigenous Based Agri-Food Systems In A Community Of The Central Highlands Of Ecuador, Carlos Andres Gallegos-Riofrio
Sustainable Diets For Planetary Health: A Study Of Indigenous Based Agri-Food Systems In A Community Of The Central Highlands Of Ecuador, Carlos Andres Gallegos-Riofrio
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In order to explore the psychosocial and agroecological dimensions of sustainable diets and their roles in the rural Andean community of Caliata in the Ecuadorian highlands, I conducted a community-centered participatory mixed-methods study. Thirty-nine focus groups and ten key informant interviews were conducted, recorded, translated, transcribed, and analyzed using three-stage coding. The information was triangulated using participant observation, local records, and descriptive statistics from a survey of 57 female household heads, which included a modified 48-hour dietary recall module. Rural appraisal research assessed agroecological dimensions. Ten purposively selected sites were studied alongside local informants in order to obtain diversity indexes …
A Public Health Examination Of The Discipline Gap, Karishma Furtado
A Public Health Examination Of The Discipline Gap, Karishma Furtado
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Education is often positioned as the great equalizer in the United Statesѡ cure all for many social ills, from poverty, to family instability, to exposure to violence. However, disadvantaged students tend, on average, to get a lower quality education. One example of a barrier that impedes educational equity is the discipline gap, or the disproportionate rate of exclusionary discipline like suspension and expulsion experienced by students with disabilities and those from historically disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. Removing a student from class for punitive reasons puts them at greater risk of academic disengagement, a diminished sense of belonging and …
Pillars Of The Nutrition Transition: The Global Impacts Of Ultra-Processed Foods And Beverages On Overweight And Obesity And National Nutrient Supplies, Jacob Eaton
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Malnutrition in some form impacts nearly one-third of the global population. Across the world, countries are undergoing the Үutrition transitionӠfrom traditional and largely unprocessed diets to Western-style, energy-dense diets. At the same time, rates of overweight and obesity and diet-related chronic diseases continue to climb. Ultra-processed foods (UPF), sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), and vegetable oils are three of the foods driving the nutrition transition. This dissertation calculates changes in the global food supply between 1961 and 2013 and quantifies the influence of UPF and SSB (as measured through sales) on national nutrient supplies between 2005 and 2013 and trends in adult …
Investigating The Role Of Genetic Variants And Environmental Factors In The Trajectory Of Substance Use Disorders, Linda Johnson
Investigating The Role Of Genetic Variants And Environmental Factors In The Trajectory Of Substance Use Disorders, Linda Johnson
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Substance use disorders are a serious threat to public health with devastating social, economic, and health impacts on affected individuals and their families. This dissertation aims to improve understanding of substance use disorders in three parts: first, an epidemiological project examining smoking cessation and e-cigarette use at a population level; second, a genetic project examining the role of genetic variants on tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine use; and finally, a review of the utility of polygenic risk scores in predicting risk of substance use behaviors. Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of preventable death, accounting for over 480,000 deaths in …
Dismantling Of Obesity-Related Policies, Alexandra Borosova Morshed
Dismantling Of Obesity-Related Policies, Alexandra Borosova Morshed
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation fills an important research gap in the study of obesity policymaking by characterizing to what extent the phenomenon of dismantling is happening at the state level for obesity-related policies targeting the context of consumption, identifying determinants, and characterizing actors and processes involved. The five-year rate of dismantling of these policies is close to one-third for any attempts and one-tenth for enacted dismantling. Food and beverage tax policies face a particularly high rate of dismantling. Case studies and news coverage of state- level dismantling identified actors, motivations, and strategies used in the process of dismantling. Review of health-related empirical …
A New Spatially-Resolved Method To Sample Biofilms From Drinking Water Fountains, Yi Liu
A New Spatially-Resolved Method To Sample Biofilms From Drinking Water Fountains, Yi Liu
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain, is a facility designed to provide drinking water in public space. It consists of a basin and a spout. The users need to bend down to the stream to collect or drink water. The history of water fountains can be traced back to ancient Rome. Even before potable water was provided to individual homes, water for drinking was already made available to citizens through access to public fountains. Nowadays, drinking water fountains usually exist in public places, like schools, hospitals, and libraries. Many jurisdictions in the United States require drinking fountains to …
Scaling-Up Child And Youth Mental Health Services: Assessing Coverage Of A County-Wide Initiative, Cole Douglas Hooley
Scaling-Up Child And Youth Mental Health Services: Assessing Coverage Of A County-Wide Initiative, Cole Douglas Hooley
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Over 7 million children and youth have a diagnosable mental illness any given year. There are evidence-based treatments (EBTs) to effectively treat these conditions, but these EBTs reach a very small percentage of their target population with treatment rates between 1-3%.1 We know very little about what influences these coverage rates. Beginning in 2009, the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department (LACDMH) began an ambitious agenda to scale-up the provision of EBTs in child/youth mental health care. The present study seeks to contribute to the scale-up literature by examining three questions based on LACDMH’s initiative: 1) To what extent have …
Understanding Adolescent Physical Activity In The Early Nutrition Transitioning Country Of Haiti, Haley V. Becker
Understanding Adolescent Physical Activity In The Early Nutrition Transitioning Country Of Haiti, Haley V. Becker
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The nutrition transition is underway in Haiti, giving rise to the dual burden of malnutrition. Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in mitigating the negative health consequences of nutrition transition and the dual burden, but heretofore this data has been unavailable for Haiti. This dissertation undertook an exploratory needs assessment providing baseline PA data for Haitian adolescents. It evaluated two different PA data collection methodologies: a cross-sectional survey adapted from the IPAQ long-form and objectively measured PA via Actigraph GT1M accelerometers. Next, it identified initial covariates of self-reported and objectively-assessed PA behaviors; data was operationalized as meeting the World …
The Intersection Of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration, Intervention And Faith, Maxine Davis
The Intersection Of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration, Intervention And Faith, Maxine Davis
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In the U.S. most interventions with men who have acted abusively against intimate partners occurs because of a domestic violence conviction and court-mandate to complete treatment. This dissertation examines the intersection of intimate partner violence/abuse (IPV/A), intervention, and faith by investigating a parish-based voluntary partner abuse intervention program known as The Men’s Group (TMG). The function and implementation of TMG is first explored through a case study, laying the groundwork for understanding why men continuously participate in the program. This qualitative study then investigates how group members view the role of religious faith in relationship to IPV/A and how they …
A Study On Factors Affecting Sleep During Pregnancy In Clinical Trials, Zihan Yan
A Study On Factors Affecting Sleep During Pregnancy In Clinical Trials, Zihan Yan
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Regular sleep is required for sensory processing, learning, and brain plasticity. During pregnancy, poor sleep quality and dysregulation of hormones are all associated with increased risk for diseases like postpartum major depression[1]. Seventy-eight percent of pregnant women experience sleep problems at some point during pregnancy according to the National Sleep Foundation's 1998 Women and Sleep poll. Chronodisruption is a frequent sleep disturbance experienced by pregnant women that can be primary or due to co-morbid conditions[2]. For this reason, chronodisruption, which includes insomnia, is currently regarded as one of the most important factors determining pregnancy outcome. …
Studies On Health, Place, And Education, Kelly Mcclelland Harris
Studies On Health, Place, And Education, Kelly Mcclelland Harris
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Good health is positively associated with education outcomes, and likewise higher education-related achievement is positively associated with good health. Similarly, social disadvantage follows a cyclical pattern. It is cumulative; both accruing over the life course and across generations. Moreover, this relationship disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable populations, including both minorities and children living in or near poverty. For example, since the 1990s asthma, the most common chronic illness among youth, has seen the greatest increases in urban environments, and among racial and ethnic minorities in or near poverty. Still, consideration of the interdependence between health, place, and education remains underdeveloped …
State Space Analysis Of Dominant Structures In Dynamic Social Systems, Jeremy B. Sato
State Space Analysis Of Dominant Structures In Dynamic Social Systems, Jeremy B. Sato
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Many systems involving human relationships are modeled as dynamic systems, as diverse as urban population growth, diffusion of innovations, spread of viruses, and supply chain management. A fundamental assumption is that these systems contain variables which accumulate and deplete over time (people, innovation adoptions, infections, and orders), and whose dynamics are determined by societal rules and human decision making processes. These assumptions allow the system to be formally expressed by ordinary differential equations which are often nonlinear and contain multiple state variables and feedback loops. Analytical methods have been developed to identify the dominant feedback loops which primarily influence the …
Conceiving Of Contraception: St. Louis Women's Perspectives On Family Planning & Contraception, Priya Suri
Conceiving Of Contraception: St. Louis Women's Perspectives On Family Planning & Contraception, Priya Suri
Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses
This work highlights the stories women weave as they make their contraceptive decisions. It included their perceptions regarding cultural, religious, and economic barriers. Fifty-one women were interviewed using a semi-structured interview style of about thirty-eight questions in the South Grand St. Louis Planned Parenthood. Contraception itself was primarily thought of as a scientific technology; however, in the context of family planning, it took on social meanings that reflected preparedness in life, financial security, religious viewpoints and the ability to choose. Women expressed varying levels of religious influence. Discussing how each woman understands her own relationship with religion, God, and/or her …
The Role Of Physical Activity Enjoyment In The Pathways From Social And Physical Environments To Physical Activity Of Early Adolescent Girls, Elizabeth Lauren Budd
The Role Of Physical Activity Enjoyment In The Pathways From Social And Physical Environments To Physical Activity Of Early Adolescent Girls, Elizabeth Lauren Budd
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In 2013, only 27.1 % of adolescents (age 10-19) met the daily physical activity (PA) recommendations of 60 minutes of PA a day. 1 Inactivity is highly prevalent among youth and especially prevalent among adolescents. This inactivity can have harmful and costly, immediate and long-term repercussions on physical, mental, and social health.28 Health behaviors throughout childhood, including PA, are predictive of health behaviors throughout adulthood.9 Girls experience the steepest decline in PA in early adolescence compared to boys and any other age group, which positions them on a lifelong trajectory of inactivity and increased risk for disease.2,4 Among early adolescent …
Refining Associations Between Targeted Genes And The Development Of Substance Use Disorders, Emily Olfson
Refining Associations Between Targeted Genes And The Development Of Substance Use Disorders, Emily Olfson
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide strong evidence for the contribution of a few specific genes to alcohol and nicotine dependence. Chapter 2 explores numerous previously identified candidate genes for alcohol dependence using a publicly available GWAS. I found that many candidate loci do not replicate, highlighting the utility of GWAS for focusing on disease associated genes. Chapters 3-5 dissect associations between three genome-wide significant genes and substance use disorders. Chapter 3 focuses on a functional variant in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) 1B. Through examining 1,550 adolescent drinkers in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), I extended adult …