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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Examining The Impacts Of Flooding On Public Health, Lauren Gibson Apr 2022

Examining The Impacts Of Flooding On Public Health, Lauren Gibson

Honors Theses

Over the past 10 years, South Carolina has experienced over five major weather events that have led to extreme flooding along the coast. These types of repeated major events have the potential to significantly impact people’s lives and livelihoods. When looking at the issue from a public health perspective, it is known that natural disasters such as flooding can negatively affect community health. However, little research has been done to analyze the impacts on individual health from flooding. This issue inspired a more in-depth research analysis to examine those health impacts from local Horry County residents. This research aims to …


The New Mainers: An Exploratory Analysis Of Healthcare Experiences In The Somali Bantu Community, Jordan R. Mcclintock Jan 2022

The New Mainers: An Exploratory Analysis Of Healthcare Experiences In The Somali Bantu Community, Jordan R. Mcclintock

Honors Theses

Healthcare inequities within the United States’ Western model of medicine have existed for hundreds of years. The purpose of this year-long project was to analyze the existing qualitative and quantitative studies of healthcare barriers for the Southern Maine Somali Bantu population, as well as compiling narrative pieces from Maine non-governmental organizations that provide community resources. In doing so, the idea of healthcare access and literacy was analyzed through means of understanding systemic barriers. Overall, the findings of this exploratory project point to a lack of cultural humility within medicine, the importance of recognizing intersectional identities in quality of healthcare, and …


Covid-19 And Challenges To The Traditional Understanding Of Individual Medical Autonomy, Callon A. Green Apr 2021

Covid-19 And Challenges To The Traditional Understanding Of Individual Medical Autonomy, Callon A. Green

Honors Theses

Throughout history, vaccines have provided the human population with the ability to combat dangerous illnesses and avoid preventable suffering. Despite the benefits vaccines provide to the public health of the United States, anti-vaccination sentiment and resistance to vaccine uptake are still prevalent in the modern day. As the COVID-19 pandemic has developed into a major public health crisis that can be controlled through vaccination, the issues underlying vaccine resistance are becoming more critical to return to normal life. Using COVID-19 as a case study, it is evident that the individual choice to deny vaccination can have consequences on the health …


Ethical Issues Of Parental Vaccine Hesitancy And Resistance To The Mmr Vaccine, Harlie Silver Jun 2017

Ethical Issues Of Parental Vaccine Hesitancy And Resistance To The Mmr Vaccine, Harlie Silver

Honors Theses

In this thesis I present a brief history of vaccination, the anti-­vaccine movement, the measles virus, and the associated risks to children and adults. I then discuss the factors contributing to parental vaccine hesitancy and resistance, consider issues of under-vaccination, herd immunity, and the underlying ethical issues. Finally, I address exemptions to school-­required immunizations and argue for the elimination of both philosophical and religious exemptions, while examining parental moral responsibility when it comes to the health and safety of one’s own children and those with whom they may come in contact.


The Connection Between Gasoline Prices And Physical Activity: Potential Ways To Combat The Rise In Obesity, John Perrotti Jun 2017

The Connection Between Gasoline Prices And Physical Activity: Potential Ways To Combat The Rise In Obesity, John Perrotti

Honors Theses

It is widely understood that one of the most significant public health challenges in the United States is obesity which could rightly be considered an epidemic. Accompanied by billions of dollars in both explicit and implicit costs obesity places great strain on the health care system and economy as a whole. Years of scientific research has linked obesity to three main determinants: genetics over-eating and lack of physical activity. Recent research has introduced the study of the connection between the macro-economy and rates of physical activity thus linking economic variables to obesity. This paper investigates the connection between gasoline prices …


Obesity In The United States: The Food Environment And How It Is Linked To Obesity, Meredith Allenick Jun 2012

Obesity In The United States: The Food Environment And How It Is Linked To Obesity, Meredith Allenick

Honors Theses

The rising obesity rates have been constantly discussed in the media, academia, science, and society in the United States; from root causes and possible solutions to effects on individual health and the health of our nation. In my thesis, I focus on the social and economic causes of obesity, especially on the food environment in the United States. My ultimate goal is to effectively argue that obesity a problem rooted in society, often caused by factors such as the price of food, the availability of food, and the mass marketing of food to both children and adults.


Do Cigarette Taxes Make Smokers Happier Than Nonsmokers?, Mark Chaskes Jun 2012

Do Cigarette Taxes Make Smokers Happier Than Nonsmokers?, Mark Chaskes

Honors Theses

Public health advocates justify cigarette taxes, claiming they discourage smoking, which results in a healthier population. However, the more pertinent issue with which health advocates should be concerned is that of smoker well‐being. In this paper, I investigate whether cigarette taxes make smokers relatively more satisfied than nonsmokers. Additionally, because poor smokers have a higher discount rate than wealthy smokers, and therefore, perceive the tax differently, I explore the effect that income, in conjunction with a cigarette tax increase, has on smokers’ life‐satisfaction. Using cross‐sectional and time‐series data from the 2005‐2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, this paper utilizes …