Public Health Commons^™

Weight Health In The Modern Lens: Investigating The Intersectionality Of Obesity, William Bohne, Anthony Onochie

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between these social determinants of health and obesity to provide a better understanding of geographical differences in obesity rates. Methods All data was collected using countyhealthrankings.org. The variables that were studied included access to exercise, food insecurity, and life expectancy due to previous literature demonstrating probable association between these variables and the prevalence of obesity. Results Statistically significant increase in number of adults with obesity from 2016 to 2022 (32% to 37%). Statistically significant weak, negative correlation between access to exercise and obesity (r=-.306). Statistically significant weak, negative correlation …

The Impact Of Permit Concealed Carry And Social Factors On Firearm Fatalities, Witty Kwok, Jacob Weaver

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

A tragic amount of gun fatalities occur in today's world. These fatalities can be from acts of aggression, negligence, or accidental, but nonetheless are taking lives at an alarming rate. There has been a call to action to make changes and begin combating these issues, with the most commonly proposed solution being firearm regulation. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of firearm legislation, specifically of concealed carry regulations, on controlling firearm fatalities while also attempting to identify underlying causes or predictors of firearm fatalities. In an attempt to simplify the many regulations implemented differently between states, this study looked …

The Impact Of Mental Healthcare Access On Community Safety, David Buchinsky, Caroline Watts

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Mental health illness is a pressing American public health concern. Approximately one in five Americans is diagnosed with a mental health condition.1 While cost, location, and physician shortage play a role in one’s access to mental healthcare, research is still determining the effects of mental healthcare access on community safety. Using County Health Rankings (CHR), we analyze the changes in mental health providers between 2016 and 2022 in Alabama and Massachusetts, two states with differing rankings in access to mental healthcare and firearm legislation. We then investigate how access to mental health providers affects community safety (firearm fatalities, suicide rates, …

Investigating Factors In Firearm Fatalities In Pediatric Populations, Parth Patel, Domenick Bartoletti

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Despite advancements in public health initiatives, preventable firearm injuries among children persist in the United States. This study investigates correlations between household income, single parent households, severe housing problems, and firearm fatalities among pediatric populations in Ohio counties. Utilizing data from the County Health Rankings and the National Center for Health Statistics–Mortality Files, our analysis reveals a negative correlation between household income and firearm fatalities, emphasizing the role of socioeconomic factors in firearm safety. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between single parent households and firearm fatalities. Furthermore, a weak positive correlation suggests a potential link between severe housing problems …

Factors Contributing To Adult Obesity: A Midwestern Analysis, Makul Sharma, Hop Lewis

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: To investigate the association between adult obesity and several health-related factors: access to healthy food, exercise opportunities, and physical inactivity in Ohio compared to other Midwestern regional states (Illinois and Iowa) in 2022

Methods: Data was obtained from a County Health Rankings Model using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Data were then weighted to reflect population distribution and then used to measure various health behaviors and health-related quality of life (RQoL) indicators.

Results: We found significantly higher rates of adult obesity in Ohio compared to Illinois and Iowa. It was also determined that adult obesity in Ohio …

Addressing The Barriers To Mammography Screening In Rural And Urban Ohio Counties, Carly Perkowski, Isabelle Fox

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Mammography screenings have the potential to protect individuals from the burden of cancer and can even save lives. However, in Ohio, many women are not receiving regular screenings. Recent research indicates that social determinants of health, such as income and education, can impact an individual’s ability to access mammography. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how these factors hinder an individual's ability to obtain mammography screenings, particularly in urban and rural areas of Ohio. The introduction of mammography has facilitated early detection of breast cancer in women. By identifying gaps in access to mammography and implementing changes to improve …

The Impact Of Healthcare Disparities In Rural Ohio, Bailey Stammen, Sara Curtis

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Rural communities in the state of Ohio face barriers to care that affect the health of the population. This paper investigates the extent to which the general state of health, life expectancy, uninsured rates, and access to primary care providers can be affected by living in a rural community and how these variables have changed over time. Data from urban and rural counties in Ohio, taken from 2016 to 2022 via the 2022 County Health Rankings, will be used to explore health-related concerns. There were significant findings of decreased general health and access to primary care providers for rural communities …

Examining The Impact Of Teenage Pregnancy And Its Associated Factors On High School Graduation Rates In Ohio, Eshita Garg, Empress James

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Our objective is to determine the impact of teen pregnancy, and its associated factors (e.g., child poverty, single-parent households, disconnected youth) on high school graduation rates in Ohio. Introduction: Failure to complete high school often results due to a process known as educational disengagement. This process has been studied to include such factors like teenage pregnancy, which is often linked to increased absences and decreased participation in class. While studies indicate that programs should emphasize attendance and engagement, rather than teenage pregnancy prevention, we also examine factors that are commonly associated with teenage pregnancy. Such variables that contribute to …

The Relationship Between Insufficient Sleep And Mental Health Distress In Ohio Compared To West Virginia And New Jersey, Audrey Nourse, Alexander Winkle

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: To compare and establish the importance of the relationship between insufficient sleep and the frequency of mental health distress in Ohio in contrast to that in West Virginia and New Jersey in 2022. Methods: The data used included information on insufficient sleep, frequency of mental health distress, and premature death per each state studied and was collected from County Health Rankings and then analyzed using a Pearson’s correlation, one way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression. Ohio was chosen as the reference state with New Jersey and West Virginia as comparisons based on their equivalent population s ize …

Comparing The Impact Of Food Insecurity, Access To Exercise Opportunities, And County Classification On Obesity Rates In Ohio, Ankur Parekh, Deborah Lee

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: We completed a study to determine how food insecurity, access to exercise opportunities, and county classification (rural or urban) impacted obesity rates in Ohio. We hypothesized that the county classification impacted obesity the most followed by food insecurity and access to exercise opportunities.

Methods: We obtained data on food insecurity, access to exercise opportunities, and obesity from County Health Rankings and county classification data from the United States Department of Agriculture Census. We analyzed correlations between obesity and food insecurity and obesity and access to exercise opportunities in both county types. We also analyzed changes in obesity rates in …

Effects Of Insurance Coverage On Healthcare Access And Outcomes For Children In Ohio, Haley Hurst, Patrick Ruz

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Despite health insurance coverage correlating to improved child health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs, it is estimated that 8.7% of children in America lack continuous insurance. Although coverage has expanded multiple times through the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) initiated in 1997, rates for child insurance vary drastically across regions of the country. In this study we investigated child insurance rates over time and by state, as well as explored the effects of having insurance and child health outcomes. To do this, we measured the association of uninsured children to primary care physician access and child mortality in the …

The Importance Of Sexual Education On Adolescent Sexual Behaviors, Ryan Hill, Jacqueline Stephens

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: The objective of this report is to examine how sex education for adolescents living in rural and urban settings in the states of Alabama and Ohio impacts their sexual health and behaviors.

Methods: To explore this topic, several different statistical tests were done: an independent t-test, an ANOVA test, a Pearman/Spearman correlation, a regression, and a standard correlation. The reason for these different tests was to compare the difference in the number of sexually transmitted diseases, how insurance status correlates with teenage pregnancy rates and sexually transmitted diseases, and the relationship between socioeconomic status and the rate of sexually …

The Effect Of Neighborhood Safety On Childhood Mental And Behavioral Health Problems, Courtney Kiggins, Alayna Pavol

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

The correlation between socioeconomic status (SES) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with mental and behavioral health problems is well documented, however the connection between neighborhood safety and mental and behavioral health problems is not well understood. This study analyzes the impact of neighborhood safety on childhood mental and behavioral health outcomes. Data collected by the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) was used for this study and statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS software. A strong connection was found between poverty level and childhood mental and behavioral health outcomes, where those who were more impoverished had higher percentages of children experiencing …

The Impact Of Food Insecurity On Health Outcomes, Ali El Kharsa, Gabrielle Montes

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: This research study aims to investigate how food insecurity in the United States has changed between 2016 and 2022 and its correlation with health outcomes by looking at the percent of reporting fair or poor health. Our study also compares healthy food access and food environment index in the US between 2016 and 2022.

Research Methods & Procedures: Paired t-tests compared the levels of food insecurity between 2016 and 2022 and compared food environment index and healthy food access in the United States between 2016 and 2022. A Pearson correlation determined the relationship between food insecurity and the percentage …

Health Disparities In Rural Kentucky Counties: Mortality Outcomes And The “Rural Penalty”, Aaron R. Tims

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: The object of this paper is to investigate the relationship between rurality and the national top five causes of death in Kentucky counties.

Methods: We used Spearman correlations to quantify the relationship between percent rurality and the crude death rate for heart disease, malignant neoplasia, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and cerebrovascular disease for each Kentucky county. We also used a Spearman correlation to compare and correlate percent rurality and mortality due to heart disease as these two factors changed between data from 2000 and 2010.

Results: Our research demonstrated statistically significant correlations between percent rurality and the …

Uninsurance Rates And Associated Impacts Within Urban And Rural Counties In Ohio In 2022, Anneliese M. Fisher, Megan Sharifi

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Background: Rural populations comprise of 20% of the American population and 19% of those individuals are over the age of 65 (compared to 15% in urban areas).1,2 There has been an increase in discussion surrounding the social determinants of health (SDOH), and the literature shows that the SDOH often disproportionately impact individuals based on where they live, including rural areas. The rural-urban mortality rate disparity within the United States has been growing and has been attributed to levels of poverty.3 The SDOH also include access to healthcare and insurance, and insurance coverage is associated with higher healthcare access and quality.4 …

Social And Environmental Factors Impact On Reading Performance In Illinois In 2020, Gisella Drouet

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Reading scores, such as average literacy grade level are often used as a variable for academic success. It has been found that third grade students reading at grade level are less likely to drop out of high school. The objective of the project is to investigate average reading performance and its implications on English fluency, high school graduation and various social factors.

Methods : Social factors analyzed in this study were single-parent household, residential segregation and severe housing conditions. Illinois data analyzed was from County Health Rankings website ( https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/illinois/2020/measure/outcomes/1/map). This study analyzed the change in 2020 reading performance …

The Interaction Of Children Living In Single-Parent Households With Healthcare In Tennessee, Molly Balcer

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

The objective of this paper is to examine how a child living in a single-parent home is able to interact with healthcare in the state of Tennessee in 2020. Family structure in the United States trends away from the nuclear family, with 32% of households containing children headed by single-parents in 2018 as recorded by the United States Census Bureau. Given the knowledge that children in single-parent families are at higher risk for unmet healthcare needs, it is prudent to determine whether these trends are mirrored in Tennessee. Tests of statistical analysis were conducted on publicly available data collected from …

Relationship Between Poverty And Ed Visit Rate (Per 10,000) With Primary Diagnosis Of Asthma Amongst Ohio Counties, Emily Schneider

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Previous literature have found mixed results regarding poverty as a risk factor for asthma prevalence. More recently, national data obtained from Medicaid has shown that there is no association between poverty and asthma prevalence but has shown an association with asthma-related Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. The objective of this study is to determine if this relationship is evident amongst the 88 counties in Ohio. Methods: Pearson correlations were conducted with the following variables: percent in poverty under age 18 and the ED visit rate with a primary diagnosis of asthma amongst children in each Ohio county. This …

A Statistical Analysis Of Poverty Indicators On The Opioid Crisis In Ohio, Calsey Graham, Alex Shiplett

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Our objective was to identify the effect poverty has on rates of opioid overdose in Ohio counties. Based on previous research, we determined our indicators of poverty to examine were: median-household income, rates of children in free lunch programs, and residential segregation. Utilizing data from both Ohio counties and the state of California, we investigated how our indicators of poverty influenced drug overdose deaths in order to provide public health directives going forward. Methods: We utilized County Health records that combined multiple outlets to retrieve the necessary data to compare rates of poverty and opioid overdose in Ohio’s counties. …

Factors Affecting The Rates Of Childhood Poverty In Tennessee, Aleeya F. Shareef

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: The goal of this investigation is to analyze data to determine the factors that influence childhood poverty in Tennessee. Specifically, I am examining how child poverty has changed over the past years, as well as determining its associations with residential segregation (Black/white), food insecurity, teen births, low birthweights, child and infant mortalities, drug overdose deaths, access to healthy foods, premature deaths, and uninsured children. Data was used from the County Health Rankings website. Their data has been collected from surveys. Paired t-tests, unpaired t-tests, Pearson correlations, and stepwise linear regressions were performed. Results indicated that Tennessee has had decreased …

Access To Care, Food Quality Index, And Employment As Predictors Of Poor Mental Health Days In Ohio, Louisiana, California, And New York, Eugene Matthew P. Almazan

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Analyze how the availability of mental health providers has changed in Ohio from 2016 to 2020 with relation to changes in mental health outcomes reported. Compare to other regions of the United States (Louisiana, California, New York) in terms of access to healthcare, unemployment status, and food quality index. Lastly, to identify which socioeconomic and health factors are most predictive of poor mental health days.

Methods: Participant data from Ohio (OH), Louisiana (LA), California (CA), and New York (NY) was acquired from countyhealthrankings.org annual survey results that were published from 2016 through 2020. SPSS was utilized for statistical analysis …

Prevalence And Perceptions Of Herbal Medicine Use In Eastern Jamaica, Jacqueline Jepsen

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of herbal medicine use in rural St. Mary Parish, Jamaica. It also aimed to identify which herbs are commonly used and gauge the population’s general attitude toward herbal remedies vs conventional medicine. Methods: A cross-sectional population survey was developed and distributed at eight different clinics throughout St. Mary Parish, Jamaica with a sample size of 68.

Results: It was determined that herbal medicine use is common amongst the Eastern Jamaican population, with 63% of subjects reporting its use. A wide variety of herbal remedies are utilized, with aloe vera, …

Risk Factors For Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A Cdc Wonder Analysis, Elise Hoy

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective. By definition, there is no known cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).1 The best information currently available comes from studies investigating infant sleep habits. Thus far, researchers agree that in regards to sleep, infants are safest, and at lowest risk for SIDS, when sleeping in a supine rather than prone or lateral position, when sleeping on hard, rather than soft, bedding with no pillows or blankets, and when sleeping in a crib rather than sharing a bed with a parent.1–4 In an effort to better understand what additional factors might predispose an infant to dying of SIDS, this …

Beyond The Adhd Diagnosis: Does The Insurance Rate, Mental Health Status In Parents, And Food Availability In The United States Impact Or Predict The Prevalence Of Diagnosis Of Adhd In Children?, Kaitie Kudlac

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

More than 6 million children in the US have been diagnosed with ADHD in 2016 and many studies such as those performed through the National Survey of Children’s Health have seen those numbers climbing through 2017.¹ Prevalence of ADHD itself has increased by 42% over the past 8 years.² This study analyzed, through the use of public data available through County Health Ranking and data through the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health if the insurance status, mental health standing of parents, and food availability in the United States could impact or predict the diagnostic prevalence …

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) – An Analysis Of Trends In Hiv Diagnoses From 2008 – 2018, Ulysses G. Gardner

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: An estimated 1.1 million people are living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States. Despite over two decades of research, a cure for HIV has not been approved and it remains a pandemic. This research study was conducted to determine the statistical significance in HIV incidence based on diagnoses in 2008 versus 2018; age groups 25-34 years old versus 55+ years old; Black versus Hispanic versus White; male versus female; and geographical location. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Atlas Plus data sets, a collection …

Chlamydia In Ohio 2019, Jennifer Schmitz

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Chlamydia Trachomatis is becoming an increasingly large national problem with severe consequences on the medical health care system. Methods: With data collected from County Health Ranking, with research that has been conducted at governmental and nongovernmental levels throughout the community, state and national level. Increases in rates of chlamydia can be linked to an increased number of testing or increased accuracy of testing while decreased numbers of incidence can be due to low reporting from that county. Conducting correlation and comparison may reveal additional links to the rising rates of Chlamydia. Results: We found a positive correlation between rate …

Family Structure And Pediatric Outcomes In Ohio, Andrew J. Berman

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: The number of single-parent households has been trending upwards since the early 1900s. Studies in the past have evaluated the effects single-parent households have on pediatric outcomes nationwide. This study attempts to build upon these past studies by analyzing whether these findings remain when looked at the State level, for Ohio 2020, as well as see if the percent of children in single-parent households can predict child mortality.

Methods: Data was collected from publicly available data sets through County Health Rankings. This study utilizes SPSS for data analysis. ANOVA with post-hoc was performed to compare children in single-parent household …

Diabetes Link To Social Determinants Of Health, Tyler Schimmoeller

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to investigate diabetes and how premature death rate; income inequality and social associations relate to diabetes prevalence in the state of Washington in 2020. Methods: I investigated the rate of diabetes change in Washington from 201 to 2020 using a paired t-test. The correlation of diabetes rates and the premature age-adjusted mortality was calculated by county in Washington in 2020 using a Pearson/Spearman correlation. I compared the rate of diabetes in Washington to South Carolina, Ohio, and Louisiana by county in 2020 using an ANOVA with posthoc. Lastly, I used a stepwise linear …

Sociodemographic Differences In Breastfeeding Rates For Children Born Between 2010-2015, Megha Patel

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Breastfeeding is a natural component of life and has proven to provide benefits to both the mother and the child. The mother’s mental health as well as physical health including losing pregnancy weight are influenced by breastfeeding. The child receives immune system strengthening leaving them less susceptible to certain diseases in the short term and later in life. There are a variety of factors that have the potential to influence breastfeeding rates. In this study, seven of these factors were examined including sex of the baby, race of the baby, maternal education, poverty income ratio, marital status of the mother, …