Public Health Commons^™

Outbreak Communication: Exploring The Relationships Between Health Information Seeking Behaviors, Vested Interests, And Covid-19 Knowledge In U.S. Midwest Populations, Alicia Mason, Josh Compton, Elizabeth Spencer, Kaitlin Barnett

Faculty Submissions

On February 15, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director, General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated at a Munich Security Conference, “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” (Zarocostas, 2020, p. 676). The term ‘infodemic’ refers to the onslaught of both accurate and inaccurate health information surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of an ‘infodemic’ was quickly integrated into mass media, popular culture (i.e., documentaries, podcasts), and eventually scholarly literature. In response to COVID-19, health communication scholars have centered on understanding specific messaging strategies such as the use of fear appeals (Stolow et al., 2020), nature of advertising …

Financial Alignment Initiative: New York Fully Integrated Duals Advantage For Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Preliminary Third Evaluation Report, Kimberly I. Snow Mhsa, Elizabeth Gattine Jd, Amy Kandilow Phd, Matthew Toth Phd, Amy Chepaitis Phd

Disability & Aging

The New York FIDA-IDD demonstration was launched in 2016 in nine downstate counties and was the first comprehensive managed care demonstration exclusively serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the nation. Due at least in part to a lack of provider participation, less than 8 percent of eligible beneficiaries enrolled. Beneficiaries who did enroll reported high levels of satisfaction, especially with care coordination and the ease of obtaining durable medical equipment. The MedicareMedicaid Plan’s (MMP) assessment and care coordination model provided person-centered care planning that identified goals and helped to achieve them, improving enrollees’ quality of life. The …

Multilevel Community Engagement To Inform A Randomized Clinical Trial, Kirby L. Wycoff, Jabina G. Coleman, Christine M. Santoro, Leah L. Zullig, Niesha Darden, Porsche M. Holland, Jane F. Cruice, Shukriyyah Mitchell, Michelle Smith, Saleemah J. Mcneil, Sharon J. Herring

Counseling and Behavioral Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To explore how patients, community-based perinatal support professionals, and health system clinicians and staff perceived facilitators and barriers to implementation of a randomized clinical trial (RCT) designed to optimize Black maternal heart health.

METHODS: This article describes the formative work that we believed needed to occur before the start of the Change of H.E.A.R.T (Here for Equity, Advocacy, Reflection and Transformation) RCT. We used a qualitative, descriptive design and community-based, participatory approach, the latter of which allowed our team to intentionally focus on avoiding harm and equalizing power dynamics throughout the research process. Data were collected between November 2021 …

El Programa Ampliado De Inmunización (Pai) Y La Confianza En La Vacunación De La Población En Argentina: Estudio De Caso En La Vacunación Contra El Virus Del Papiloma Humano (Vph). The Expanded Program On Immunization (Epi) And Vaccine Confidence In Argentina’S Population: A Case Study On The Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Vaccine., Ana Tiscareño

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En este estudio, se realizó una exploración del Programa Ampliado de Inmunización (PAI) en Argentina y como sus estrategias afectan los motivos a vacunarse o no en el país. Con un sistema de salud universal y gratuito, la gente en Argentina tiene el derecho a la salud que incluye la vacunación gratuita y obligatoria. Pero en el campo de la inmunización, no hay estudios sobre los otros factores que llevaban a las personas a adherir o no a la vacunación. Para cumplir los objetivos de la investigación, se utilizó un abordaje descriptivo cualitativo con un análisis de fuentes secundarias y …

Centros De Inclusión Social Bajo Gestión Asociada Y La Salud Mental De Las Personas En Situación De Calle, Kien Phan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación se enfoca en analizar las acciones del gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA) para abordar la salud mental de las personas en situación de calle en 2023. Se examina el estado actual de esta población, identificando factores clave y evaluando las medidas gubernamentales. El marco teórico aborda determinantes sociales y derechos humanos, subrayando la importancia de cambios legislativos para abordar la falta de vivienda. La metodología combina análisis de datos gubernamentales, estudios previos y entrevistas con profesionales de Centros de Inclusión Social. Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, como Cáritas y la Asociación Civil Isauro …

Surveillance Systems In Western Kenya: Methods, Perceptions, And Effectiveness, Marissa Duffy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Surveillance is an important tool in monitoring and evaluating infectious disease patterns and trends. Surveillance is vital because it aids public health officials and medical professionals in creating better prevention methods and efficiently managing outbreaks. Kenya is home to many noncommunicable diseases making it an important location to conduct disease surveillance. Within Kenya, each county has its own surveillance unit which tracks and controls outbreaks. In addition, government run surveillance systems were established to determine disease burden, incidence, and patterns in specific at-risk communities around Kenya. One of these major surveillance systems is Population-Based Infectious Disease Surveillance (PBIDS) which has …

No Woman Left Behind: Women’S Lived Experiences, Purposes, And Perceptions On Female Genital Mutilation (Fgm) Of Maasai And Datoga Communities In Arusha, Tanzania, Audrey Tirrill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been practiced for centuries around the world, currently FGM occurs in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Even though many counties like Tanzania has outlawed FGM and stating it is a violation of human rights, many people continue the procedure without adequate education on FGM. While believing the decline in number of FGM incidences and there is still a lack of local women perspectives and their respective lived experiences on the matter. This is particularly true in some Tanzanian rural and male dominated tribes where most women are educated with limited freedom of speech such …

The Pornography Industry's Disinformation Campaign On Addiction Recovery Resources, Darryl Mead

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

As pornography became increasingly popular online, many unsuspecting consumers reported adverse effects. These included sexual dysfunctions, such as lack of response with real partners, delayed ejaculation, erectile difficulties, and sexual compulsivity. Some pornography consumers began congregating in online self-help portals (forums and websites) to assist one another in quitting or reducing problematic pornography use. The popularity of the self-help resources and their potential to dampen the profits of a lucrative industry resulted in disinformation campaigns run by individuals connected to the pornography industry. In this article, I examine how a paper containing significant inaccuracies about the people organising the online …

Assessing Effective Communication Styles And Preferences Between Health Researchers And State Policymakers, Shelby Flores-Thorpe

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This dissertation examined how health researchers and state policymakers can effectively communicate with each other to support the use of evidence-based public health information in the policymaking process. To achieve this, a systematic review, analysis of TX RPC Project data, and semi-structured interviews were conducted among health researchers and policymakers. The systematic review found that email, in-person meetings, and phone calls were the best way to reach policymaking offices at the federal and state levels. When providing policymaking offices with data, health researchers should provide briefs, summaries, fact sheets, or one-pagers to support legislative offices’ need for information. Shorter reports …

Analyzing African American College Student Willingness To Participate In Clinical Trials, Caitlin B. Ulmer

Senior Theses

Previous studies regarding African American participation in clinical trials have found that African Americans participate at a significantly lower rate than other ethnic/racial groups. Scholars argue that this lack of participation in clinical trials is a direct result of historical trauma linked to unethical experiments and African American distrust in the healthcare system. However, there is a gap in the literature because these studies focus on African American individuals above the age of 30. This study aimed to fill the gap by examining clinical trial participation among African American college students within the ages 18 to 23. This study also …

Navigating Car Attitudes: An Analysis Of Transportation Habits, Environmental Views, And Demographics, Caroline J. Jordan, Sydney E. Lucero, Anna L. Imrie

Student Publications

Transportation plays a crucial part in the daily lives of people and society worldwide. Our study examined the transportation habits and environmental attitudes of both Gettysburg College students and individuals across the United States. We conducted a comparative analysis using a sample from students on campus and a national sample collected from the crowdsourcing platform, Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Additionally, we compared our findings with two similar studies completed by an Environmental Studies capstone nine years ago. We calculated each respondent's environmental score to gauge environmental attitudes, derived explicitly from their answers to five of the 24 survey questions. Next, we …

Longitudinal Associations Between Cognitive Functioning And Depressive Symptoms Among Couples In The Mexican Health And Aging Study, Joan K Monin, Gail Mcavay, Katie Newkirk, Rafael Samper-Ternent

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To examine the bidirectional associations between older adult spouses' cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms over time and replicate previous findings from the United States (US) in Mexico.

DESIGN: Longitudinal, dyadic path analysis with the actor-partner interdependence model.

SETTING: Data were from the three most recent interview waves (2012, 2015, and 2018) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a longitudinal national study of adults aged 50+ years in Mexico.

PARTICIPANTS: Husbands and wives from 905 community-dwelling married couples (N = 1,810).

MEASUREMENTS: The MHAS cognitive battery measured cognitive function. Depressive symptoms were assessed using a modified nine-item Center …

Universal Health Coverage: A Basis For Pandemic Preparedness?, Merline Feero

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Amid extensive research and reporting on the effects of COVID-19 on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) progress, this study explores an often neglected topic: the potential of UHC to contribute to the foundations of pandemic preparedness. Herein, quantitative analysis reveals that countries with higher UHC coverage tend to exhibit greater pandemic preparedness (as determined by the UHC Service Coverage Index and the Global Health Security Index). Complementary qualitative analysis is used to further illustrate and explain the correlation between UHC and pandemic preparedness using four case study countries, integrating literature reviews and relevant expert interviews. Through these methods, a clear tie …

Parent-Reported Provider Recommendation Of Hpv Vaccination Among Minority Adolescents Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Findings From The National Immunization Survey-Teen, 2019-2021, Chinenye Lynette Ejezie, Paula Cuccaro, Casey Durand, Lara Savas, Ross Shegog

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Provider recommendation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents has steadily improved over the years, however, limited research has been conducted to examine if the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this positive trend in parent-reported provider recommendation among minority adolescents. Therefore, we conducted the present study to determine if there is an association between the pandemic and parent-reported provider recommendation of HPV vaccine among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic adolescents. We also examined whether any changes in parent-reported provider recommendation in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 differed by race or ethnicity. Using a cross-sectional design to examine data from the National Immunization …

Climate Change, Malnutrition, And Hiv: The Impact Of Food Insecurity On Hiv Response In Sub-Saharan Africa, Olivia Walshak

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Climate change is a key driver of an unprecedented global food crisis, exacerbated by rising temperatures and the vulnerability of crop yields. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly susceptible, and case studies demonstrate the fragility of food systems in the region, leading to severe food insecurity and famine in the face of climate shocks.

There are a variety of health implications, particularly the syndemic relationship between malnutrition and HIV. HIV interacts bidirectionally with malnutrition, creating a vicious cycle of poor clinical outcomes. Expanding access to antiretroviral therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa is hindered by rampant food insecurity, including inadequate food intake, reduced dietary …

Hidden Hurdles: Evaluating Informal Barriers To Primary Healthcare Access Among Undocumented Migrants In Switzerland, Arantxa Bonifaz Rosas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Undocumented migrants face heightened difficulties in accessing healthcare due to a combination of legal, financial, and social challenges. Informal barriers to accessing healthcare further exacerbate poor health outcomes among undocumented migrants. In Switzerland, where undocumented migrants have the right to health insurance, barriers to receiving healthcare continue to restrict their access to essential services, such as primary healthcare (PHC). Employing a meta-analysis approach, this qualitative study aimed to broaden existing research on informal barriers hindering access to PHC for undocumented migrants, with a particular focus on the Swiss context. The identified informal barriers centered around health insurance, fear of deportation, …

The Implications Of Politicizing Global Health Diplomacy In A Multipolar World, Haley Stock

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research paper is the result of an independent study project that details the implications of politicizing global health diplomacy. With a mixture of interviews, primary sources, and secondary sources, this project aims to explain how and why global health has become entrenched in politics in the world today. This paper explores the intersection between global health and foreign policy and analyzes the extent to which countries use medical interventions to achieve political and economic success. Medical interventions, like vaccines, have become increasingly significant, especially looking back at the recent pandemic. Therefore, this paper will also explore the complex nature …

Nightmares And Self-Injury Among High-Risk Adolescents: Examining The Role Of Emotion Regulation, Kinjal K. Patel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) are a public health concern among youth. SITB rates rise drastically during adolescence -- a critical and sensitive developmental period characterized by dramatic changes in biological and social systems. Prior research has identified distal risk factors which tell us who is at risk for SITBs. Emerging research suggests proximal risk factors may be useful to identify when an individual may be at risk for SITBs. One promising proximal risk factor for SITBs is sleep problems. Although the relation between sleep problems and SITBs has been widely documented, little is known about the short-term, proximal links …

Crisis Narratives In Crisis? A Comparative Investigation Into National Covid-19 Narratives, Mouse D. Bennett

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

On January 31, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency for only the sixth time in its history. On March 11, 2020, it was stated that COVID-19 constituted a pandemic. How did countries respond? This dissertation traces the evolution of national crisis narratives in four states and assesses their relative success. The findings of this study are that pandemic crisis narratives are not generalizable to all crisis situations but require a high level of compliance to be effective in stopping the crisis. There is no formula for government success, there are no decisive variables determining outcomes. …

Spanish-Language Communication Of Covid-19 Information Across Us Local Health Department Websites, Isabelle S Kusters, Amanda M Gutierrez, Julianna M Dean, Mark Sommer, Anna Klyueva

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new urgency to a longstanding problem: the US health system is not well-equipped to accommodate the country's large limited English proficient (LEP) population in times of national emergency. We examined the landscape of Spanish-language COVID-19 website information compared to information in English provided by health departments of the top 10 cities by population in the USA. For each city, coders evaluated three score measures (amount of information, presentation quality, and ease of navigation) for six content types (general information, symptoms, testing, prevention, vaccines, and live statistics) across six delivery modes (print resources, website text, videos, …

Feminization Of Sri Lankan Doctors And Key Specialties: 2000 To 2020, Dileep De Silva, Pamila Adikari, Mihiri S. Rubasinghe, Udeni L. Seneviratne

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

The study focused on the feminization of Sri Lankan generalist doctors in all major and selected minor specialties between 2000 and 2020. The study analyzed all relevant documents by exploring Sri Lanka's male-to-female doctor and specialist ratio over 20 years. This was determined by analyzing state medical faculty records from 1990 to 2020. For better clarity, the researchers analyzed the gender ratio changes in every five-year block from 1990 to 2020. Focus groups filled PGIM's gender data fields. Five-year medical students surged from 43% to 63% between 1990 and 2020. Linear trend analysis predicts 68% of female medical students by …

Sensitive Intervention Policy Recommendations To Reduce Stunting Rates Based On Spatial Analysis Of Sanitary Factors In Dki Jakarta Province 2021, Septiria Irawati, Ema Hermawati

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of stunting in children under five and the percentage of proper sanitation, as well as recommendations for priority areas for stunting control interventions in the Province of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta in 2021. This study used a descriptive approach to present an overview of the percentage of sanitation and prevalence of stunting in children under five by sub-district in 38 districts in DKI Jakarta. Data is displayed as a map to show distribution areas based on high, medium, and low categories. An overlay was made between the distribution …

Policy Implementation Analysis Of Spm Health Sector For Hypertension Sufferers In South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia In 2022, Anggi Asri Rusliana Dewi, Dumilah Ayuningtyas

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor that causes disability throughout the world and among those who are not aware of their health condition, it is often referred to as the silent killer . The prevalence rate of hypertension in Indonesia is quite high. Based on Riskesdas (2018), South Kalimantan Province shows the highest prevalence of hypertension, but the percentage of hypertension sufferers who receive health services is still low. Banjarbaru City has the lowest percentage, namely 11.3% of the target of 100%. Health services for hypertension sufferers are included in the Minimum Service Standards (SPM) for the Health Sector …

Health Policy Reform Through Strengthening Indonesia's Health Resilience System, Wahyu Sulistiadi

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

The National Health System in Indonesia is developing and being discussed more seriously after entering the COVID-19 pandemic. With a national health system and several existing tools, Indonesia needed more time to be ready to face the challenges of that time. Upstream health policies should be optimized to mobilize resources and increase the nation's efforts to build a national resilience system. This paper was built using selected policy documents up-to-date and reliable literature. By reviewing empirical evidence, the author believes and shows the role of strengthening health policies in building a robust national health resilience system. Indonesia has several policies …

The Effects Of Vaccination Against Covid-19 Incidence: Is The Current Age-Priorities Appropriate?, Dian Ip Nugrahari, Nurhanifah Hamdah

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

Age is an independent risk factor for COVID-19. Thus, the government of Indonesia prioritizes the elderly and adults with significant comorbidities for COVID-19 vaccination. To discover whether this policy is still appropriate, we evaluated the effects of vaccination against the COVID-19 incidence and infection risk.It was a retrospective cohort study of the NAR COVID-19 and Dashboard KPCPEN COVID-19 of the Depok City Health Department. The tests used to analyze the data were the chi-square and logistic regression tests. We discovered that there was a 92.7% total reduction in the COVID-19 infection rate with vaccination. The infection risk for COVID-19 in …

Expanding Health Professional Education In The Rio Grande Valley During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sabrina R. Orta, Samantha G. Alvarado, Shuchita Jhaveri

Research Symposium

Purpose: The COVID-19 Pandemic has prompted innovation in health professional education, such that learners are able to recognize and mitigate healthcare disparities in the outcomes of vulnerable populations. The objective of our project was to increase education on preventing, preparing for, and responding to COVID-19 and other locally prevalent infectious diseases that disproportionately affect RGV communities.

Description: This project had 3 goals: (1) provide learners with virtual patient-interaction simulations (2) provide interactive training modules on the identification, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases affecting South TX and strategies to increase child vaccinations, and (3) provide learners an opportunity to coordinate …

The Impact Of Virtual Learning On Health Literacy: Lessons From A Virtual Townhall Held By The Lamar University Recovery And Resilience Academy, Margot Gage Witvliet, Chiung-Fang Chang

Research Symposium

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire world. This caused universities and addiction recovery programs to get creative on how to reach community needs. Many professors found themselves teaching online for the first time. Apps for mental health and addiction recovery programs grew exponentially. Information on how adequate virtual programs perform are mixed. We investigate the extent to which a virtual program can increase health literacy. To accomplish this, the professors of the sociology program launched the Recovery and Resilience Academy (RnR Academy). The aim of RnR Academy is to serve as an outreach and educational center for the …

Characterization Of Prostate Cancer In Transgender Women, Simita Gaglani, Rajveer Purohit, Ashutosh Tewari, Dara Lundon, Natasha Kyprianou

Research Symposium

Background: The risk of developing prostate cancer (PC) in transgender women is unknown. Many patients are unaware that the prostate is not removed during male-to-female surgical transition. It is unclear what the exposure of estrogens and androgen blockers in these transgender patients has on the prostate. Our aim was to examine and characterize the different presentations of PC in published cases and augment this with an additional case series from one institute.

Methods: A retrospective review of prospectively maintained medical records was performed identifying features of PC diagnoses in transgender women. These included age, duration of feminizing hormone therapy, PSA …

Misinformation, Trust, And Use Of Ivermectin And Hydroxychloroquine For Covid-19, Roy H. Perlis, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Jon Green, Alauna Safarpour, James N. Druckman, Mauricio Santillana, Katherine Ognyanova, David Lazer

Political Science Faculty Publications

Importance The COVID-19 pandemic has been notable for the widespread dissemination of misinformation regarding the virus and appropriate treatment.

Objective To quantify the prevalence of non–evidence-based treatment for COVID-19 in the US and the association between such treatment and endorsement of misinformation as well as lack of trust in physicians and scientists.

Design, Setting, and Participants This single-wave, population-based, nonprobability internet survey study was conducted between December 22, 2022, and January 16, 2023, in US residents 18 years or older who reported prior COVID-19 infection.

Main Outcome and Measure Self-reported use of ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, endorsing false statements related to …

The Fortify Resilience Initiative, Nausheen Jamal, Deepu George, Maria Hernandez, Evan Garcia, Myrna Ruiz, Salvador Arellano Iii

Research Symposium

Purpose: The Fortify Resilience Initiative focuses on building and sustaining a culture of wellbeing for Residents and Fellows (R/Fs) at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine’s (SOM) Graduate Medical Education (GME) residency and fellowship programs. In order to address the multitude of threats to physician wellness and to mitigate the silent, but pernicious effects of burnout on these physician learners serving in the RGV, this Initiative from the Office of GME will strengthen existing wellbeing pathways while expanding additional solutions that will work to sustain wellbeing. Utilizing a combination of prevention, promotion, and intervention strategies …