Health and Medical Administration Commons^™

Why?-Abetes: Understanding Diabetes Management In Rural Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, Kyra Wicklund

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project will investigate how diabetics, family members, and community members involved with diabetes relate to the disease and its continued management in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Although diabetes is an issue worldwide, it has been largely over-looked in sub-Saharan Africa. This study utilized interviews with diabetics, family members of diabetics, and clinic staff as well as personal observations to reveal the strategies, challenges, and stories of diabetes in this area. Conversations with local health experts verified that diabetes is a major issue in the area of this study. Topics of interest were support structures present; education; …

Analysis Of Traditional Medicine In Zanzibar, Tanzania, Jessica Baylor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional medicine is used as a major source of health care in developing countries. A small island off the coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar has traditional medicine embedded in its culture. Informal interviews of community members and healers in four different villages as well as interviews with the Department of Forestry and the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Unit were conducted over a four week study. This study found that community members of four villages in Zanzibar supported the idea of a regulation of traditional medicine by the government. It also found that the majority of traditional medicine users have noticed a …

The Impact Of Jordanian Health Care Policy On The Maternal And Reproductive Health Care Seeking Behavior Of Syrian Refugee Women, Momina Mazhar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On November 20, 2014, the Jordanian government rescinded the free health care it had provided to Syrian refugees living in the host community. Now, Syrians must pay the same amount as uninsured Jordanians when seeking health care in facilities run by the Jordanian Ministry of Health. Identified as a vulnerable and disadvantaged population, most of the Syrian community is not financially secure and has difficulty meeting the cost of living in Jordan. This study surveyed 36 Syrian women and interviewed 2 of them in order to determine the effects this policy has had on their maternal and reproductive health seeking …

Babies First: Ensuring Proper Infant Nutrition During Emergencies, Abigail M. Alonso

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for an infant, living in all regions and cultures. Recommendations apply across the board, from developed nations to refugee camps, from women with HIV to those with time constraints regarding feeding. There also exists a complex relationship between corporations that provide BMS and the NGOs working to promote breastfeeding in emergency situations amongst vulnerable populations.

Objective: The objective of this paper is to expose breastfeeding promotion, using the Dadaab camps in Northeastern Kenya as a case study of IYCF programs and support of breastfeeding among low-literacy populations with an emphasis on women …

H.E.A.P.S. In Advances Towards A Healthier Samoa The Health Education And Promotions Section’S Role In Combating Non-Communicable Diseases, Kara Le

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With an increase in the number of health issues within Samoa, specifically in relation to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), it is important to examine the efforts being made by government health officials to improve Samoa’s overall health status. This study explores the role of the Health Education and Promotion Section (H.E.A.P.S.) of the Ministry of Health in establishing and promoting healthier standards within the Samoan community. The current efforts of H.E.A.P.S. in combating NCDs through recently introduced projects and programs were explored in-depth. Further analysis of the design and effectiveness of these programs in changing the unhealthy habits of Samoan people …

Surgeon Practices And Attitudes Toward The Control Of Surgical-Site Infections In Jordan, Sara Ali Mater

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and practices of Jordanian surgeons on the control of surgical-site infections, evaluated by the Center of Disease Control’s guidelines toward the prevention of surgical-site infections, in addition to gaining respondents opinions on infection control in Jordan. This study was conducted through the distribution of 75 questionnaires given to surgeons at five hospitals in Jordan. Additional insight on SSI infection control was gained through interviews with two cardiac surgeons and three infection control directors. The results of the survey were compared with the Center for Disease Control’s guide to surgical-site infection …

Politics Of Health: The 2013 Integration Policy’S Effect On Immigrant Access To Care, Amy Chang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In September of 2013, King Mohammed VI announced a regularization campaign, implementing a new policy of integration with respect to undocumented immigrants in the country. Deviating from former official discourse, the new measure allowed in principle for—among provision of residence cards and lifted criminalization of undocumented immigrants—greater immigrant access to healthcare services. The purpose of the following research was to assess whether the effects of this new provision are being positively felt on the ground in ensuring inclusivity of health services.Individual interviews on personal experiences with the Moroccan healthcare system were held with members of various immigrant sub-populations: refugees, asylum …

Health As A Human Right: An Analysis Of Healthcare Delivery To Bidonvilles, Juliana Saracino

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Morocco is often characterized by its diverse geographical elements such as deserts, waterfalls, mountains, and beachfronts, but an element that Morocco may not be as proud of yet can be found throughout the country is the bidonville. These small communities that tend to compose sub-sections of major cities host an astonishing number of the urban poor who are forced to live in compromised health and social stigma. Through an investigation of the bidonville dwellers’ experiences with the heath care services, this paper attempts to assess the relationship between the Moroccan healthcare system and the marginalized people it endeavors to, but …

An Ethical Analysis Of Incentives As “Nudges” Toward Better Health Outcomes: A Case Study Of Seva Mandir’S Immunization Program In Rural Udaipur, Julika Kaplan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Seva Mandir, a non-governmental organization working on tribal development issues in the Udaipur District of India, offers pregnant women and mothers one kilogram of lentils for every visit they make to the organization’s monthly immunization camps. This study assesses whether it is ethical to use incentive-based systems, as opposed to empowerment through health education, to “nudge” the rural poor in Udaipur toward immunization. The information presented in this study is based on twenty-nine interviews with pregnant women and mothers of children less than two years old conducted during six field visits to Seva Mandir’s immunization camps. Through data obtained from …

El Dengue En Puerto López La Incidencia Y El Nivel De Conocimiento De La Gente Sobre Las Enfermedades Transmitidas Por Los Mosquitos, Mckenzie Momany

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study took place in Puerto López, Manabí, Ecuador and focuses primarily on the level of knowledge the townspeople have about dengue and how it is transmitted. It also looks at the incidence of dengue in the town and across neighborhoods. In order to carry out this study, I spent a month living in the coastal town of Puerto López and interviewed 50 townspeople – 10 in each of the five neighborhoods of Jonas Gonzalez, Miraflores, Luís Gencón, San Alejo, and the central neighborhood. Interviewees were questioned about their past history of dengue, as well as their knowledge of the …

Do No Harm: Perceptions Of Short-Term Health Camps In Nepal, Dena Seabrook

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Short-term health camps are a growing form of delivering health care services to needy populations. Often these camps, usually lasting around 2 weeks, are led by I/NGOs in developing nations like Nepal and are staffed with volunteers from the Global North. These camps are largely ungoverned, and there are no evaluative techniques in place to monitor the effectiveness of the work done, raising concerns about the unintended consequences of short-term health camps camps. Nepal is particularly vulnerable to this issue because of the vast number of I/NGOs currently operating within its boundaries.

This research sought to expand the conversation surrounding …

Understanding Social Marketing In A Not-For-Profit Ngo Setting: An Internship With Pace In Eastern Uganda, Veronica L. Tuerffs

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The organization PACE (Programme for Accessible health, Communication and Education) focuses on generating a positive health impact throughout Uganda by the means of social marketing and other proven, evidence based techniques. An internship with the organization took place over the course of six weeks and was conducted under the A2L (Access to Life) program which is located in four of the country’s eastern districts. The focus of the health and sales communication internship was the implementation of PACE’s marketing scheme on their life-saving products and how the products and organization are perceived.

Any of the information gathered during this time …