Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
“They’Re Still Trying To Wrap Their Head Around Forever”: An Anatomy Of Hope For Spinal Cord Injury Patients, William A. Lucas
“They’Re Still Trying To Wrap Their Head Around Forever”: An Anatomy Of Hope For Spinal Cord Injury Patients, William A. Lucas
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation draws on ethnographic data to investigate the nature of spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation in Central Florida, using participant observation and interview data to understand how people with SCI (pwSCI) conceptualize their own disabilities after experiencing such radical alterations in their subjectivities. Using case studies and ethnographic vignettes, it argues that the extreme double binds in which pwSCI find themselves (where they are personally ordinarily disabled and socially extraordinarily novel; and where they are enabled resources to pursue “hopeful” therapy modalities while being designated as hopelessly disabled) is further polarized by the various legislative regimes of truth in …
Resilience And Health Outcomes Of Sexual Minority Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Christi L. Nelson
Resilience And Health Outcomes Of Sexual Minority Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Christi L. Nelson
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
While research on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (hereafter referred to as sexual minority) middle-aged and older adults has increased over the past decade, there is still a critical need for more research on the health and resilience in this growing subpopulation. Research has provided evidence that sexual minority adults have an increased risk of negative health outcomes when compared to heterosexual adults. Research has also demonstrated possible resilience in sexual minority middle-aged and older adults; however, few studies have measured resilience in middle-aged and older adults. Gaining a better understanding of resilience in sexual minority adults may help identify modifiable …
Quantifying The Impact Of Chronic Stress On Racial Disparities In Cardiovascular Disease, Nnadozie Emechebe
Quantifying The Impact Of Chronic Stress On Racial Disparities In Cardiovascular Disease, Nnadozie Emechebe
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Background: Despite declining mortality in cardiovascular diseases (CVD), racial disparities between non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) and to non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) persist. Although the prevalence of traditional risk factors of CVD such as hypertension, is higher in NHB compared to NHW, adjusting for this difference does not eliminate the disparity completely. This suggests other factors might explain the persisting disparities. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is to quantify the impact of chronic stress in explaining the racial disparities in cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This dissertation contains three studies that addressed the following Specific Aims: Specific aims: 1) To create and assess the …
Mitigating Barriers To Chronic Disease Risk Factor Prevention And Management In Disadvantaged Communities, Krys M. Johnson
Mitigating Barriers To Chronic Disease Risk Factor Prevention And Management In Disadvantaged Communities, Krys M. Johnson
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Background: The incidence and prevalence of chronic disease (CD) has increased in recent decades due to the advent of CD management and life-extending technologies. To address this burden on the population and healthcare system, evidence-based CD prevention programs have been developed to reduce the incidence and therefore the prevalence of these diseases. Despite the development and dissemination of effective interventions, African-Americans and Hispanics have disproportionately higher prevalence of CD and associated risk factors and disproportionately lower participation in CD prevention programs. Overweight/obesity and CDs may have intergenerational effects, with overweight adults being more likely to have overweight children who are …
“Right In The Trenches With Them”: Caregiving, Advocacy, And The Political Economy Of Community Health Workers, Ryan I. Logan
“Right In The Trenches With Them”: Caregiving, Advocacy, And The Political Economy Of Community Health Workers, Ryan I. Logan
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
While the concept of the community health worker (CHW) has existed since the mid-20th century, their function as a legitimate branch of the broader workforce in the United States has been tenuous. Their unique roles have the potential to reduce health disparities within marginalized communities, but stakeholder development of this position risks diminishing the crucial skills of these workers. Anthropological research on these workers has typically assessed them in the developing world, while public health research has focused primarily on their ability to impact specific health outcomes through quantitative studies. As a result of the limited and predominantly quantitative assessments …
Latino Immigrant Workers’ Search For Justice After Occupational Injury, Carla Gabriela Castillo
Latino Immigrant Workers’ Search For Justice After Occupational Injury, Carla Gabriela Castillo
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Latino immigrants encounter an entanglement of rights and policies after occupational injury or illness. In collaboration with an immigrant worker center, ethnographic research and a survey are used to analyze injured workers’ experiences. The center uses survey results to identify common threads and systematic problems, and to explore potential direct action. Through interviews with workers and medical and legal professionals, I investigate the barriers Latino immigrants face following occupational injury or illness, how their lived experiences relate to the greater medicolegal frameworks that demarcate most formal processes of compensation and treatment, and the experiences of professionals who mediate these structures. …
African Americans And Hospice: A Culture-Centered Exploration Of Disparities In End-Of-Life Care, Patrick Dillon
African Americans And Hospice: A Culture-Centered Exploration Of Disparities In End-Of-Life Care, Patrick Dillon
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
As the United States' population ages and grows more diverse, scholars and practitioners have grown increasingly concerned about persistent disparities in the cost and quality of end-of-life health care, particularly with regard to African Americans. Although a variety of factors may influence these disparities, most scholars agree that the underutilization of hospice care by this population is an important contributor. Drawing from the culture-centered approach to health communication and narrative theory, the present study explores African American patients and caregivers' experiences with hospice care and takes an initial step toward addressing disparities in end-of-life care. I begin this study, first, …