Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Anti-Vaxxers: Parents Fighting Science, Katie West

Symposium of Student Scholars

Immunizing children helps protect the health of our community, especially those people who cannot be immunized. Yet, since 1996 after a study was released that linked autism to vaccinations, there has been a trend of parents refusing to vaccinate their children. What are the demographics of the parents who believe their children are better off without vaccines? By knowing where these parents live and what decisions they make for their children’s education, counties and medical professionals can provide education and address their concerns.

My research involves data on 116,141 kindergarten classes from 2000-2015 in California. The two vaccine exemption options …

Opioid Abuse: Are Doctors Creating The Problem?, Nguyen Tran

Symposium of Student Scholars

Opioid abuse and overdose are serious health problems in the United States. Current research has concentrated on the treatment and prevention of opioid abuse. Using data from the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) for California zip codes, my research focuses on the causes of opioid overdose by considering the relationships between the following variables within each zip code: population size, average number of prescriptions per doctor, percentage of people who receive opioid prescriptions, percentage of people receiving the same prescription drug from 3 or more doctors, average number of opioid pills per prescription and number of people …

Food Deserts: Hungry For Answers, Lawren Cumberbatch

Symposium of Student Scholars

In 2010, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that 23.5 million people in the United States live in food deserts. As defined by the USDA, a “food desert” is a neighborhood that lacks healthy food sources. This can be measured by distance to a store, number of stores in an area, individual-level resources such as family income or vehicle availability, and neighborhood-level resources such as availability of public transportation. Past research provides evidence that food deserts are especially likely to occur in communities heavily populated by minorities. As a Black Indian pre-med student aiming to join the world …

Examining The Relationship Between African-Americans And Their Physicians, Genesis Weever

Symposium of Student Scholars

For years, there has been a bad history amongst the relationship between African-Americans and their fellow medical institutions. Many African-Americans do not believe that medical professionals have their best interest at heart. Oftentimes, their white counterparts may receive better care, even when they have the same condition. Many African-Americans may even face barriers that their white counterparts will not experience, and will be denied access to healthcare. This results in more deaths and critical illnesses of African-Americans. In order to discover the underlying problem and a possible solution, a review of the literature was initiated. Using a literature matrix and …

Cardiovascular Health (Cvh) Status Among Ksu Students: Implications For Campus-Wide Cvh Promotion, Tyler Robertson

Symposium of Student Scholars

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been the leading causes of death in the US and include coronary heart disease, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, rheumatic heart disease, to name a few. Most CVD cases occur in individuals with various levels of risk factors. In order to cut down on the risk of CVD and improve cardiovascular health (CVH), the American Heart Association (AHA) proposed seven metrics. Each of these metrics has recommended levels of each which help maintain CVH, and to aid those with prior conditions to achieve longer healthier lives.

KSU has collected data on the priority health behaviors from students …