Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Through The Lens: Youth Experiences With Cancer In Rural Appalachian Kentucky Using Photovoice, Katie Gaines, Courtney Martin, Chris Prichard, Nathan L. Vanderford

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Rural Appalachian Kentucky experiences disproportionately high cancer incidence and mortality rates. This cancer burden is due to social determinants of health and cultural factors prominent in the region. The firsthand experiences of community members—especially young people—can highlight these factors and identify areas for improvement. The purpose of this study was to encourage Appalachian Kentucky youth to consider determinants of cancer and visualize the effects that cancer has on their families or communities by asking them to take photographs of cancer-related objects around them. Content analysis was performed on 238 photographs submitted by 25 students, and photographs were organized into themes, …

Policy Implications Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Food Security In Rural America: Evidence From Appalachia, Kathryn M. Cardarelli, Emily M. Dewitt, Rachel Gillespie, Rachel Hogg-Graham, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Janet T. Mullins

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Rural communities are disproportionally affected by food insecurity, making them vulnerable to the consequences of supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While access to food was initially diminished due to food supply disruptions, little is known about the mechanisms through which federal emergency assistance programs impacted food access in rural populations. Through a series of five focus groups in spring 2021, we examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access in a rural Appalachian community in Kentucky. Data were analyzed using a Grounded Theory Approach. Findings revealed the following four primary themes: food scarcity in grocery stores; …

Process Evaluation Of The Early Implementation Stages Of The National Diabetes Prevention Program Through Kentucky Cooperative Extension: Perceptions Of Adopters And Potential Adopters, Nicole Breazeale, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Katherine Counts, Lovoria B. Williams

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

With the growing demand for lifestyle change programs that prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes onset, community organizations with broad reach should be explored for national dissemination of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP). This study evaluates the early implementation of the NDPP through Cooperative Extension in four Kentucky counties and explores the feasibility of scaling up the program to additional counties. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 12 Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agents – four who were participating in the pilot (adopters) and eight who had no experience with the NDPP (potential adopters). Five …

Physical Activity Barriers And Assets In Rural Appalachian Kentucky: A Mixed-Methods Study, Natalie Jones, Deirdre Dlugonski, Rachel Gillespie, Emily M. Dewitt, Joann Lianekhammy, Stacey A. Slone, Kathryn M. Cardarelli

Sports Medicine Research Institute Faculty Publications

Obesity is an increasing public health concern in the U.S. and a contributor to chronic illness, with trends revealing a rise in adult obesity and chronic disease rates among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, including those in rural communities. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine perspectives on perceived physical activity barriers, resources, and level of community support. Researchers utilized the socioecological model to examine the multiple domains that support physical activity in rural Appalachia. The present study focuses on baseline data, including a cohort survey to assess physical activity, health status, and barriers to physical activity, and five …

Comparison Of Mortality Data From Nebraska’S Rural & Metropolitan Health Districts, Claire Figi

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

As there has been minimal research done on the correlation between communities identified as rural or metropolitan and their mortality rates, this research aims to provide baseline evidence that mortality rates associated with non-infectious and infectious diseases are connected to an area’s rural or metropolitan classification. This study analyzed public data from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control to compare mortality rates related to the top two causes of death in both rural and metropolitan health districts of the state of Nebraska, United States. This data was then compared to mortality rates …

The Intersection Of Rural Residence And Minority Race/Ethnicity In Cancer Disparities In The United States, Whitney Zahnd, Cathryn Murphy, Marie Knoll, Gabriel A. Benavidez, Kelsey R. Day, Radhika Ranganathan, Parthenia Luke, Anja Zgodic, Kewei Shi, Melinda A. Merrell, Elizabeth L. Crouch, Heather M. Brandt, Jan M. Eberth

Faculty Publications

One in every twenty-five persons in America is a racial/ethnic minority who lives in a rural area. Our objective was to summarize how racism and, subsequently, the social determinants of health disproportionately affect rural racial/ethnic minority populations, provide a review of the cancer disparities experienced by rural racial/ethnic minority groups, and recommend policy, research, and intervention approaches to reduce these disparities. We found that rural Black and American Indian/Alaska Native populations experience greater poverty and lack of access to care, which expose them to greater risk of developing cancer and experiencing poorer cancer outcomes in treatment and ultimately survival. There …

The Intersection Of Rural Residence And Minority Race/Ethnicity In Cancer Disparities In The United States, Whitney Zahnd, Cathryn Murphy, Marie Knoll, Gabriel A. Benavidez, Kelsey R. Day, Radhika Ranganathan, Parthenia Luke, Anja Zgodic, Kewei Shi, Melinda A. Merrell, Elizabeth L. Crouch, Heather M. Brandt, Jan Eberth

Faculty Publications

One in every twenty-five persons in America is a racial/ethnic minority who lives in a rural area. Our objective was to summarize how racism and, subsequently, the social determinants of health disproportionately affect rural racial/ethnic minority populations, provide a review of the cancer disparities experienced by rural racial/ethnic minority groups, and recommend policy, research, and intervention approaches to reduce these disparities. We found that rural Black and American Indian/Alaska Native populations experience greater poverty and lack of access to care, which expose them to greater risk of developing cancer and experiencing poorer cancer outcomes in treatment and ultimately survival. There …

Patient Recommendations For Providers To Avoid Stigmatizing Weight In Rural-Based Women With Low Income, Declan Watson, Katherine Hughes, Emma Robinson, Jacqueline Billette, Andrea E. Bombak

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Weight stigma has become widespread within health care and disproportionately affects women, who are under greater appearance-based scrutiny than men. It is also well established that rural-based individuals with low incomes suffer greater health disparities compared with urban, higher-income counterparts, yet studies examining recommendations for nonstigmatizing health care among higher-weight women from low-income rural settings are lacking. This study examined the experiences and recommendations of higher-weight, low-income, rural women, with the aim of improving health care for similar populations.

Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in a rural region of the Midwestern United States to explore participants’ recommendations for …

Emergency Encounters: A Cross Sectional Study Of A Rural Emergency Room, Selynto Rodrecca Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is very difficult for certain populations to obtain access to healthcare within the United States, particularly in rural areas. Typically, individuals who live in rural areas are far less healthy than those who live in more urbanized areas. Although there have been some improvements made to ensure there is adequate health care for all, barriers still exist. A few examples of these barriers are socioeconomic status, education, and job status. In this study, adult patients from a rural Southeastern hospital were surveyed via those who came to the emergency room seeking care, and via those who came to the …

Association Between Learning Methods And Analgesic Opioid Abuse, Nicole Marie Blanchard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Opioids are an extremely addictive class of medication used to treat pain; overprescribing practices and chronic misuse has led to an epidemic that continues to grow. The opioid epidemic not only has the potential to cause injury or even death but also has a large impact on the U.S. economy. Research regarding determinants of abuse are needed to improve safeguards for opioid abuse prevention. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if learning capabilities and/or learning medium preference are correlated with analgesic opioid abuse. The social-ecological model was used to evaluate the social levels of influence for abuse …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Secondary Syringe Exchange (Sse) Among People Who Inject Drugs (Pwid) In Rural Kentucky, Jordan R. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Aim: To describe the prevalence of secondary syringe exchange (SSE) in a sample of syringe service program (SSP) clients in rural Appalachian Kentucky and to identify the correlates of SSE.

Methods: Participants (n=338) completed interviewer-administered questionnaires. Only those who reported having ever exchanged syringes at a SSP (n=140) were included in analysis. SSE was measured through self-report of obtaining syringes for someone else at a SSP in the past 6 months. Prevalence and correlates of SSE were examined using bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regression.

Results: Overall, 30% of participants reported SSE. Participants in the second [aOR= 3.83; 95% CI: …