Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Socioeconomic Status And Cardiovascular Disease Risk In Vermont Adults, Brenden Green, Abigail Heydenburg, Maryann Makosiej, Shirley T. Plucinski, Julia Slessova, Kayla Donohue

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objectives. To investigate the connection between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular disease in Vermont adults through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data.

Methods. Data from 4,231 participants from the BRFSS 2019 Vermont survey was used. Education level, income level, federal poverty status, and employment status were used to represent overall socioeconomic status. The study investigated the connection of those variables with a history of coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI) to represent overall cardiovascular disease (CVD). Simple and multiple logistic regressions were used.

Results. People aged 65 years or above, who smoke, have high blood pressure, …

Characterizing The Relationship Between Binge Drinking And Condom Use Among Vermont High School Students, Danielle G. Allen, Michael Schwartz, Steph Tack, Robert O'Conner, Madaline Schmidt, Kelsey Gleason

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objectives. To determine if there is a relationship between binge drinking and risky sexual behavior in Vermont high schoolers.

Methods. We used data from the 2019 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a survey administered every other year in high schools across Vermont asking students questions about various habits and behaviors. We used binary logistic regression to determine the association between binge drinking in the past 30 days and condom usage at last sexual intercourse.

Results. Binge drinking within the past 30 days was found to have increased odds of students not using a condom during intercourse (OR=0.782) when adjusting …

Bullying And Adolescent Obesity In Vermont High School Students, Lauren Blum, Marlene Colon, Matthew Gilwee, Madeline Leopold, Eva Orr, Thomas Delaney

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objectives. To examine the association between bullying and obesity in Vermont high school students and to provide new insights on effective approaches for mitigating risk of both variables in the public health, healthcare, and teaching professions across Vermont.

Methods. Data came from the 2019 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (VYRBS) (n = 18,612). We analyzed the relationship between days bullied and obesity, controlling for the confounding effects of risky behaviors. We identified situations that led to increases in both primary predictor variables.

Results. Statistical analysis yielded a significant positive association between days bullied and obesity. Students bullied for 1 – …

Opioid Overdose Deaths In Vermont: Comparing Rates Of Mortality In Urban Versus Rural Settings, Jamie Bernier, Jonna Thomas, Sindhu Donepudi, Sierra Serino, Mia Crisafulli, Joseph Zamboni

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objective: To investigate differences in opioid-related overdose death in Vermont based on urban versus rural setting.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using Vermont’s Electronic Death Registration System from 2015-2019. After applying exclusion criteria, 570 subjects were included in bivariate logistic regression analyses.

Results: Individuals who died in urban areas had 45.8% lower odds of death due to opioid use than those in rural areas. For every one-year increase in age, odds of overdose death decreased by 4.6%. For females, odds of death due to opioid use was 19.4% lower than the odds for males.

Conclusions: Vermont residents who …

Examining The Differences Of External Causes Of Death In Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color Versus The Non-Hispanic White Population Of Vermont, Caitlin Wilson, Yainna Hall, Jennifer Garrigan, Brigid Enright, Abby Erwin, Caitlin Quinn

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objectives: Our objective in this study was to examine differences in risk of death from various external causes between the BIPOC community and individuals who identified as NHW.

Methods: 2015-2019 death certificate data accessible on the Vermont Electronic Data Registration System (EDRS) was analyzed and categorized by external causes of death. Decedent race/ethnicity was assigned as BIPOC or NHW according to the race/ethnicity listed on EDRS. Mortality rates were calculated using binary logistic regression and variable significance was calculated using multivariable logistic regression.

Results: There were varied external causes of death between BIPOC and NHW populations. The risk of external …

Effects Of Gender, Physical Activity, Weight Status, And Mental Health Symptomatology On Primary Care Utilization, John W. Carew, Jaime Cotton, Hannah Shoshan, Alex Gevirtz, Thomas Delaney, Donna O'Malley

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objectives. To determine the association between weight status, gender, physical activity, and mental health symptomatology on utilizing primary care in the last year.

Methods. We used data from the 2019 Vermont Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We used multivariate logistic regression and X² tests of association to assess factors associated with primary care utilization.

Results. Gender and obese or overweight status are significantly associated with one’s likelihood of utilizing healthcare in the past year. For those with 1-13 bad mental health days, the odds of having utilized healthcare in the past year are 1.65 times greater among women than …

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention In Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction In A Vermont Hospital 2015-2019: Exploring Associations Between Travel Time And Length Of Stay., Brian Bachyrycz, Tyler Flores, Katie Henderson, Maggie Holt, Joseph Walzer, Caitlyn Dayman

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

OBJECTIVE: To examine if travel time between patients experiencing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and a Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) center influenced hospital length of stay (HLOS) and discharge destination.

METHODS: Data was extracted from the Vermont Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Reporting System (2015-2019). A logistic regression model examined the association between travel time to PCI center and hospital length of stay (HLOS). Additionally, a χ² test was performed alongside a logistic regression analysis to examine the association between HLOS and patient discharge outcomes.

RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis found no statistically significant relationship between HLOS and travel time from the …

Suicide Ideation And Attempt In Adolescent Vermonters As Related To Perceived Family Socioeconomic Status And Community Sense Of Belonging, Lila Sullivan, Insu Koh, Issy Magbie, Jenna Beckwith, Gabe Mason

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objective

The objective of this study is to evaluate perceived socioeconomic status (SES) and community sense of belonging as risk factors associated with suicide ideation and attempt in Vermont youth.

Methods

Using the 2019 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey, we analyzed the impact that perceived SES and community sense of belonging have on suicide ideation and attempt. Two multiple logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

We found significant increases in suicide ideation and attempt with low SES and poor community sense of belonging. The odds of suicide ideation and attempt were 8.47 …