Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Addressing The Needs Of African American Grandparents: An Intersectionality Perspective, Dorothy Smith-Ruiz, Kendra Jason

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study seeks to demonstrate the intersecting structural and compounding challenges African American custodial grandparents experience collectively, rather than as separate non-competing factors, which has been modeled in prior studies. Using a mixed-method research design, the study explored the challenges faced by African American and white custodial grandparents. These challenges included difficulties attaining different types of support, respite care, and programs for teens and special needs grandchildren. Results showed that caregiving challenges among African Americans were more pervasive than their White counterparts. These findings have significant implications for the development of intervention programs for custodial African American grandmothers and their …

Stigma Mitigation Through Fine Arts, Kendall Owens

Honors Theses

Social stigma has plagued our society for centuries. It isolates groups of people based on erroneously defined characteristics causing stigmatized persons to be viewed as socially “abnormal”. This debarment from full social acceptance results in poor population health and well-being. Fine arts have been an integral component of society since the beginning of civilization; current and past research have found involvement in fine arts to improve health and well-being in many ways. In this project, relevant studies related to stigma, fine arts, and population health will be reviewed to support the argument that “fine arts combat and mitigate the …

Discovering Perspectives On Health And Well-Being From Parents And Teachers Of Preschool- Aged Children, Divya Sood, Delawnia Comer-Hagans, Dirk Anderson, Diana Basmajian, Ashley Bohlen, Michelle Grome, Irada Imanova, Kimberly Martin

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This study explores the concept of health and well-being as perceived by teachers and parents of preschool-aged children in the specific context of a child day care facility. The study also identifies the barriers parents and teachers encounter and the supports they require in promoting the health and well-being of preschool-aged children.

Method: A qualitative phenomenological research design combined with a projective technique of Photovoice was used for data collection. A total of eight participants, four teachers and four parents of preschool-aged children from a child day care facility, participated in the study.

Results: Several themes were identified related …

Targeting Interventions To Reduce Chlamydia-Related Disparities In Kalamazoo County Using Gis And Statistical Analysis, Claudio Owusu

Masters Theses

The annual incident rates of chlamydia continue to rise within Kalamazoo County despite an increase in public health campaign, particularly for persons between the ages of 15-24. This trend in incidence rates of chlamydia by age also shows strong disparities in race/ethnicity and gender at state and county levels. With the increasing burden on the cost of treatment of chlamydia, which is one of the many sexually transmitted infections, targeting high risk populations offers a means of reducing the cost and the spread of the infection. This has shaped attention of researchers and policy makers to the complexity of the …