Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Food Security In The Covid-19 Era, Dana I. Allison, Alex Cohen, Elena Dansky, Willie Dong, Helen Gandler, Luke Hallgarth, Sarah Kendrick, A Carmola, M Bridges, Tv Delaney Phd, Jk Carney Md

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Food insecurity is a national issue, one that affected 10.5% of households during some point of the year 2019. Those affected by food insecurity can have their access to food jeopardized due to financial hardship, eating patterns altered to prolong the food available, or various other adjustments including reliance on low-cost food, skipping meals, etc.

The state of Vermont is not immune to food insecurity, with a rate of 11.3% of households in 2018.

The Covid-19 pandemic created an unprecedented shift in daily life, with households having to rapidly adapt to meet newly imposed governmental regulations, including stay at home …

What’S Going On With E-Cigarette Use In Vermont High Schools?, Fay Abdullah, Elizabeth Baumgartner, Delaney Curran, Noorin Damji, Madeline Fritz, Catherine Gereg, Ray Mak, Shayan Mcgee, Alex Crimmin, David Kaminsky

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

The use of electronic cigarettes (e cigarettes) has become popular practice among teenagers in the United States. E cigarettes have been marketed as a “healthier” alternative to traditional cigarettes and include several flavor options to make them more appealing to teenagers. However, studies have shown that e cigarettes are still harmful, leading to addiction, nausea, vomiting, headache, and upper airway irritation. Most recently, the outbreak of severe lung illnesses is believed to be related to e cigarette use; the CDC and FDA are investigating the cause of this outbreak.

Social Determinants Of Health Among Blood Donors, Amelia Anderson, Lauren Bougioukas, Alexander Braun, Adam Morehead, Collins Oguejiofor, Christina Sanchez-Grew, Rachel Tobin, Jenny Lamping, Mark Fung

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Understanding the influences of social determinants of health (SDOH) on blood donation may help define the relationship between health in a community and rates of blood donation. While much is known about the demographics of blood donors in the United States, their SDOH have not yet been studied. Research examining SDOH outside the United States has found that many factors influence the likelihood of blood donations. These factors include education, income, health insurance, health status, and marital status. The aim of this study is to examine U.S. blood donors’ SDOH such as emotional support, stress levels, physical safety and access …

Primary Care Perceptions: Health Services For Vermonters With Intellectual Disabilities, Magalie Carey, Gia Eapen, Adam Fakhri, Taylor Marquis, Cara Rathmell, Claudia Russell, Nicole Wershoven, Elizabeth Cote, Mike Reilly, Stephen Everse

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Champlain Community Services (CCS) provides developmental services and health care to Vermonters with intellectual disabilities (100 individuals in 2019), offering coordinated one-to-one support at work, home, school, and in the community. The goals of this study were to learn which services local primary care practitioners believe to be most beneficial to patients with intellectual disabilities (ID), to identify barriers to developmental services, and to gauge practitioners’ familiarity with CCS.

Addressing Vermont Childhood Obesity Through Public Policy: Scoring Vermont Supervisory Union Wellness Policies Using The Wellsat Assessment Tool, Olivia Cooper, Rachel Harrison, Jugerta Istrefi, Colby Mcginn, Micheal Mikheal, John O'Keefe, Pj Tran, Tina Zuk, Paula Tracy

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

As of 2016 the state of Vermont has required all public school supervisory unions to have a wellness policy guiding nutritional and physical education, nutritional quality of food served and sold, and the implementation and modification of the policy in the future. We hypothesize that differences between these policies throughout the state of Vermont will lead to changes in health outcomes for the students that they impact.

Trends In Buprenorphine Use And Barriers To Medication-Assisted Recovery, Isi Beach, Richard Brach, Carolyn Geraci, Kyle Leonard, Rose Martin, Nikkole Turgeon, Faith Wilson, Kayla Donohue, Mariah Mcnamara

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Since the initiation of the "Hub and Spoke Model" in 2014, VT has been able to eliminate the waitlist for receiving Medication-Assisted Recovery (MAR) and has increased the number of MAR providers. However, many people still report using non-prescribed “street” MAR prior to entering treatment to avoid withdrawal from opiates. Our study aims to assess current trends and barriers to access in buprenorphine use.

Assessing Burnout In Early Childhood Educators, Megan Boyer, Sarah Clark, Emma Hall, Malla Keefe, Elena Martel, Michael Tabet, Mohammad Wali, Sarah Adams-Kollitz, Molly Moore

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

The stress of working as an early childhood educator can manifest as increased job turnover and burnout, leading to reduced teaching efficacy. Resilience training can increase wellbeing and decrease stress. This study assessed burnout, resilience, and organizational constraints at Burlington Children’s Space (BCS), a childcare education non-profit.

Assessing The Feasibility Of A Peer Developed Risk Reduction Plan In A Rural Middle School, Sara Brennan, Christian Brooks, Patrick Clarke, Isaac De La Bruere, Nicole Delgado, Alexandra Kuzma, Emma Levine, Joanna Jerose, Leigh Ann Holterman

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Sheldon Middle School (SMS) reported above-average suicidal ideation and risky behavior (e.g., sexual activity, alcohol use) on the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, compared to state levels. Current literature highlights programs designed to reduce risky youth behavior. Little research exists on the feasibility of designing and implementing peer-created, peer-driven intervention programs. There is a gap around parent and faculty opinions surrounding the feasibility of these programs. We investigated the feasibility of partnering with students to design an empirically-based program that addresses some root causes of risky behaviors, then measured parent and faculty attitudes.

A Community Based Approach To A Client- Centered Wellness Program, Sheridan Finnie, Diane Kim, Prasanna Kumar, Kelly Macpherson, Allyson Miller, Megan Prue, Jacob Weiss, Cathie Buscaglia, Joseph Lasek, Alison Howe

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Despite health benefits of wellness programs, no such program has been adapted to meet the needs of adult clients receiving services addressing mental health, substance-use, and developmental needs at a community-based mental health organization. We investigated preferred evidence-based diet and exercise wellness programs for potential implementation.

Hpv And Cancer Prevention: It’S Not Just About The Warts, Matthew Dier, Elizabeth Hahn, Rachel Madhur, Francis Mtuke, Carley Mulligan, Lauren Schlussel, Kristina Valentine, Bill Couzens, Jan Carney

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are responsible for 34,000 cancers per year throughout the United States, including cervical, anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancers. In 2018, only 51% of adolescents received all recommended doses. Our study goal was to assess knowledge of HPV in a population likely well-informed about cancer risks.

Physician Attitudes Toward Screening For Social Determinants Of Health, Michael Barnum, Rosie Friedman, Tierra Lynch, Collin Montgomery, Irene Sue, Jenna Wells, Hakeem Yousef, Elizabeth Cote, Charles Maclean

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Social determinants of health (SDH) have a significant impact on health outcomes. Screening for SDH in the clinical setting can identify at-risk patients, but follow-up and management remain challenging. Currently, there is no single preferred screening tool recommended for SDH and the screening process varies widely. The goal of this study was to determine family medicine physician attitudes and practices regarding screening and follow-up for SDH in Chittenden County, VT.

E-Cigarette And Tobacco Use On A Tobacco-Free Uvm Campus, Sameer Alidina, Lauren Gernon, Kalin Gregory-Davis, Alexa Pius, Olivia Quatela, Samuel Raszka, Zeynep Tek

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

The prevalence of e-cigarette use has significantly increased in recent years. In the US, e-cigarettes are now the most common nicotine products used by adolescents. The CDC reported 1,299 cases of lung injury correlating to the use of e-cigarette and vaping products; the current recommendation is to refrain from using e-cigarette products that contain THC and/or nicotine.

Attitudes & Roles Regarding Firearm Access And Suicide Prevention In Vermont Middle & High Schools, Cari Carpenter, Kelly Chan, Jeremy Greenberg, Alyssa Heiser, Ashleigh Peterson, Peter Twining, Emerson Wheeler, Kristin Fontaine, Wendy Davis

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Adolescent suicide is a serious public health concern in Vermont, and the presence of firearms in the home is a known risk factor. Suicide attempts with firearms are more likely to be completed than attempts with other means, with an 85% mortality rate of suicide with firearms compared to 5% with other means. This project aimed to assess attitudes, comfort, and perceived roles among school personnel in addressing gun safety and access to firearms with Vermont students and parents.

A Comprehensive Needs Assessment Of Rural Syringe Services, Deena Chanowitz, Julia Clemens, Alim Esemenli, Matthew Hill, Erick Maclean, Adessa Morano, Adam Ross

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

The current opioid epidemic has resulted in a significant increase in opioid-related overdoses, and a corresponding rise in HIV and HCV transmission. Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) provide resources for people who inject drugs. There are fewer SSPs in rural U.S. and little research has been conducted to determine unique needs of SSP participants in rural areas.

Assessing Prenatal Care Providers’ Promotion Of Immunization In Pregnancy, Emily Eakin, Francesca Garofalo, William Holden, Sunny Hutson, Ambrose Orr, Melanie Parziale, Anya Srikureja, Emily Straley, Christine Finley, Jill Jemison, Raj Chawla

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Accurate information regarding prenatal immunization is critical for first-time mothers. Many vaccine-hesitant mothers decide whether to vaccinate their children during pregnancy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines urge providers to recommend the Tdap and influenza vaccines to pregnant patients to reduce the risk of complications from pertussis and influenza, respectively, in both expectant mothers and infants. In 2018, about half of pregnant women in the US received an influenza vaccine and Tdap vaccine; however, uptake varies state to state. This study demonstrates the first survey of providers regarding prenatal immunization practices in Vermont.

Housing Initiatives Implementation In Vermont To Improve Health Outcomes, Jose Calderon, Marlijne Cook, Benjamin Kagan, Sylvia Lane, Maha Saleem, Kayla Sturtevant, Angela Troia, Heidi Klein, Jan Carney

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Vermont Department of Health goals include improving population health outcomes, including social determinants of health. There is compelling evidence between housing and health; research demonstrates housing insecurities increase rates of negative health outcomes. Research further demonstrates improve-ments in housing reduce hospital stays, thus reducing financial burdens on hospitals. This project sought to understand what housing initiatives Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) in Vermont are implementing to alleviate the burdens of housing insecurity.

Vermont Legislature’S Views On The Reliability And Accessibility Of Available Resources Regarding Public Health Concerns Of Youth Marijuana Use, Aram Garewal, Luke Higgins, Jeannie Lin, Kathleen O'Hara, Michelle Oberding, Anna Quinlan, Joseph Teague, Lori Augustyniak, Karen Lounsbury

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Vermont previously legalized possession and limited cultivation of marijuana. Proposed legislation for 2020 would legalize commercial sale of marijuana. Current knowledge surrounding public health impacts of the legal commercial sale of marijuana on youth is inconsistent, insufficient, and poorly understood by the public. This study investigated legislator utilization and perception of sources contributing to growing knowledge surrounding youth marijuana use.

Development Of A Sustainable Volunteer Model To Address Food Insecurity, Abigail Belser, Adrian Berg, Leah Miller, Kaitlyn Peper, Allison Tzeng, Carolyn Gould, Linda Howe, Jan Carney

Public Health Projects, 2008-present

Food insecurity is a predictor of poor health outcomes and a critical social determinant of health. Food shelves are critical community resources aimed to counter food insecurity by providing nutrition and other resources to those in need. Food insecurity in Winooski, Vermont is substantial and increasing, with 10% of residents utilizing the Winooski Food Shelf (WFS) in 2018. To aid in the increasing demand of the WFS, we determined the greatest need(s) to implement a sustainable intervention to ensure capacity to meet demands.

Sun-Safety: Assessing Barriers And Promoting Sun-Safe Practices For Vermonters., Joy A. Benner

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Skin cancer continues to be the most common cancer in Vermont and the United States. About one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Vermont currently ranks second highest in the country for melanoma skin cancer rates. Rates continue to rise and skin cancer is impacting patients at younger and younger ages. Although several factors play into development of melanoma, a large risk factor for developing skin-cancer in one's lifetime is UV exposure. One way to combat this is to encourage regular sun-safe practices, such as daily sunscreen use, seeking shade, and wearing sun-protective clothing. The aim …

Using Your Phone As A Weight-Loss Tool, Sidika Kajtezovic

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Over one-third of the population in the United States is obese. Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, hypertension, asthma, myocardial infarction, stroke, osteoarthritis and other psychological disturbances. Patient often find it challenging to make dietary changes in order to lose weight. This project focused on the use of a smart phone application to track daily caloric and nutritional intake, as well as exercise, to help patients lose weight.

Community Lyme Disease Education, Tim Woodin

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Lyme disease education is lacking in the primary care setting. Proper patient education lowers healthcare costs, and helps clear confusion surrounding this disease.

Increasing Public Perceptions Of Stroke, Juan A. Conde, Juan Conde Fabela

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Analysis of publicly available data for the selected county of Rutland Vermont was performed to understand the underlying health problems affecting the county. Although VT overall has better health status indicators, including better access to care, and lower rates of chronic diseases than the nation, pockets of the state have higher rates of chronic diseases including obesity, DM, and cerebrovascular accidents.

Increasing awareness of stroke risk factors and symptoms is a cost-effective method to reduced stroke burden and provide successful treatment.

Updating Concussion Protocol Information Pamphlet, Susan K. Campbell

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Creating a concussion protocol pamphlet that helps guide patients through recovery with evidence based advice.

Utilizing Social Media To Improve Health Education: Should We Hit Like?, Audrea Bose, Naira Goukasian

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Social media presence in day to day lives is expanding, especially among younger generations. Preventative medicine is becoming the forefront of patient care. Where do the two meet? Healthcare preferences have been shown to vary by age. The younger generation is essentially ready for virtual healthcare access. In our clinical sites, we noticed a common theme of patients being unaware of preventative health practices, risk factors for diseases, or about diseases they already have. Many patients rely on their doctors for this information, but when they don’t have immediate access to their doctor, don’t regularly see their PCP, or maybe …

Transportation Is A Barrier To Accessing Primary Care In Vermont, Max L. Silverstein

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Transportation barriers lead to rescheduled or missed appointments, delayed care, and missed or delayed medication use. Rural patients are especially vulnerable to transportation barriers: In Chittenden County specifically, older adults surveyed reported difficulty with transportation, with 69% delaying medical appointments due to transportation barriers. Based on the data collected in this study, even among patients at South Burlington Family Medicine, distance from the office is correlated with declining important medical appointments.

Transportation Is A Barrier To Accessing Primary Care In Vermont, Max L. Silverstein

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Transportation barriers lead to rescheduled or missed appointments, delayed care, and missed or delayed medication use. Rural patients are especially vulnerable to transportation barriers; in Chittenden County specifically, older adults surveyed reported difficulty with transportation, with 69% delaying medical appointments due to transportation barriers. Based on data collected in this study, even among patients at South Burlington Family Medicine, distance from the office is correlated with declining important medical appointments.

Promoting Healthy And Active Lifestyles With Home Exercises In South Burlington, Vt, Jonathan Gau

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The barriers to exercise that patients face are often multi-factorial. Whether its due to weather, financial costs, lack of time, or if the individual simply isn't a gym person, we see a number of patients everyday who are not regularly exercising. This brochure is meant to provide patients during office visits with a tangible source of information that provides examples of in-home exercises, categorized by difficulty, that they can perform without any additional equipment.

Type 2 Diabetes Medication Breakdown, Kristen Keene

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

There are many new medications for treatment of type 2 diabetes and these medications have many positive effects that go beyond lowering blood glucose. However, many of these medications are expensive and some insurance plans don’t cover them. Many patients struggle to pay for their diabetes medications and providers often are unsure of which medications will be covered by insurance. This project was designed to enhance patient education regarding diabetes medications and potential costs associated.

Harm Reduction In The Emergency Department, Alexa J. Golden

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The number of overdose deaths in Vermont has been trending up over the past several years. A majority of these fatalities involved synthetic opioid fentanyl. The Emergency Department (ED) at Central Vermont Medical Center delivers medication assisted treatment (MAT) through the Rapid Access to MAT (RAM) program. This program has connected many people in the region to treatment for opiate use disorder. However it was identified that we lacked connection to harm reduction services for those not interested in MAT. Harm reduction education was provided for recovery coaches and ED nursing staff. Harm reduction kits containing life-saving supplies such as …

Easily Digestible: Addressing Food Literacy With Short Educational Videos, Kalle J. Fjeld

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Food literacy is the knowledge and skills needed to select and prepare food as well as determine food intake. These skills are necessary for a healthy diet, which is a major contributing factor to chronic disease prevention and management. People with diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease can have great benefit from improving diet quality through increasing at-home food preparation and consumption of fruits and vegetables. In partnership with a Food Farmacy pilot program at Hudson Headwaters Health Network in Glens Falls, NY this project sought to use web-based food literacy education for a population of 40 patients with …