Public Health Commons^™

Fanta Fanafody: Malagasy Traditional Medicine In A Globalized World, Mary Buswell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigates the relationship between traditional medicine and globalization in Madagascar. Information from interactions and interviews with both traditional and allopathic healers is used to study the current healthcare system and provide direction for the establishment of an Integrated Health Care System (IHCS). This study finds that traditional medicine and globalization have a closer and more reciprocal relationship than it would initially appear, and that traditional medicine is very adaptable to change. Because of this, it is proposed that globalization and technology could be tools to bring traditional and allopathic medicine together in an IHCS to resolve the health …

Preventative Care And Culture, Anna Wagman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores the intersection between culture and health. The similarities and differences between methods for preventative medicine employed by traditional and allopathic systems are discussed. These ostensibly disparate systems, in reality, display many parallels in regards to their delivery. The effects of industrial progress, and therefore cultural change, on the health of the inhabitants of rapidly urbanizing African cities are examined. Historical information from studies of Great Britain, the first area to undergo a full industrial revolution is also drawn on. These analyses essentially predict the societal issues that come with urbanization, such as the amalgamation of preexisting pollutants …

The Stigmatization Of Disabilities In Africa And The Developmental Effects, Kelsey Koszela

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Stigmatization still exists in large scale and leads to exclusion and continued poverty and poor standard of life for persons with disabilities, especially for those living in Africa. The main cause of stigmatization in Africa is a lack of education about disabilities and the needs of persons with disabilities. The unknown creates fear in society and exclusion for persons with disabilities, prohibiting them from obtaining decent education, proper health care and having access to jobs and financial support. Since the Convention for the Rights of Disabled Persons (CRPD) in 2006 societal education has been supplemented by implementation of development programs …

Legislative Impact Of The Construction Of An “Abortion Culture”: A Comparative Analysis Of The Enaction And Impact Of Abortion Restriction Legislation In The Netherlands And The United States, Anna Schmitz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigates the different socio-political causes leading to the implementation of similar abortion restrictions (mandatory parental notification for minors, mandatory counseling, and a waiting period) in the Netherlands and the United States. It first investigates the “abortion cultures” of the two countries, using personal interviews with Dutch and American citizens to analyze the social perceptions of abortion and a comparison of sexual health and legislation data to create a wider picture of abortion within both countries. It then investigates the political opportunity structure leading to the implementation of the restrictions of abortion in each country, and then investigates differences …

Reaching Millennium Development Goal Target 5.A.: Progress Towards Improving Maternal Health, Christina Kang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In September 2000, 189 countries agreed upon striving to reach Millennium Development Goal 5, making great strides to improving maternal health by 2015. The indicators that would prove the goal’s success were determined to be directly correlated to a reduction of three-quarters of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) from 1990 figures and having Skilled Birth Attendants (SBAs) present at all births by 2015 (United Nations, n.d.-a). Research has proven that while there has been a global trend towards reaching MDG 5, there is a large discrepancy amongst different regions and countries influencing its success. Through the usage of official United Nations …

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 …

The Impact Of The Chinese Rural Healthcare System On Infectious Disease: A Study Of The History And Reform Of Chinese Healthcare, And The Global Implications Of Infectious Disease Control In China, John Barbadoro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

China’s healthcare system has gone through significant changes in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. These changes have mirrored not only the political focus of the time, but also the social issues facing China. The NRCMCS for rural residents is a cheap annual fee that covers a percentage of medical costs. There are two urban equivalents, the BMIUE and BMIUR for urban employees through their job, and residency respectively. Despite the focus on cheaper healthcare for rural residents, the problems of income inequality and mistrust in the medical system are major problems that affect the health of this large …

Adding Injustice To Injury - Health Perceptions, Plurality, And Power In The Ongoing Bhopal Disaster, Ruth Markwardt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Standards of health, human rights, and development are typically defined and dictated by policymakers instead of the populations directly affected by so-called development efforts. This paper seeks to contextualize global development efforts by highlighting specific local realities among the community of Bhopal Disaster survivors in Madhya Pradesh, India. As the site of the world’s largest industrial disaster, a disaster which is not over but ongoing, Bhopal represents an important population to highlight as the disaster continues. The Political Ecology of Health model was used to highlight political and environmental influences on community health. Within Political Ecology, this study takes a …

La Contaminación De La Cuenca Matanza-Riachuelo: Análisis De La Respuesta Institucional Con Respecto A La Salud De La Población Del Barrio De La Boca., Ishaira Nieto Rosas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La intención de esta investigación fue presentar un panorama de la respuesta de diferentes organizaciones del barrio de La Boca a los riegos de salud ambiental con respecto a la contaminación histórica y continua de la Cuenca Matanza-Riachuelo. Basado en el entendimiento que la salud es el completo bienestar físico, mental y social, este proyecto abordó el tema de contaminación ambiental a través de la participación en un taller de monitoreo social de la Cuenca y entrevistas con miembros del Equipo Local de Salud Ambiental del CESAC 41, el Presidente de la Asociación de Vecinos de La Boca y comerciantes …

Los Agroquímicos Usados En Las Plantaciones Bananeras Y Sus Efectos En El Agua, La Gente, Y El Ambiente En La Comunidad De Changuinola, Bocas Del Toro, Panamá., Daniela Rossi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación analiza los efectos de los químicos que se usan en forma de fertilizantes, nematicidas, insecticidas, y pesticidas en las plantaciones bananeras en Changuinola, Panamá. Esta investigación analiza la relación entre estos químicos y la salud de la gente de la comunidad que vive adentro de las bananeras, la salud de los trabajadores de los bananales, y los efectos en el ambiente, específicamente el agua. Este estudio se realizo por medios de entrevistas informales y por analices de muestras de agua en fincas bananeras en el laboratorio de IDAAN. Los posos de agua analizados fueron de Fincas 03, 04, …

Sexual Education For Youth In Rwanda: A Case Study Of Methods, Effectiveness, And Response At The Kimisagara One Stop Youth Center, Leslie Massicotte

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In examining the increasing influence of states in contemporary society, this paper explores the concept of biopower, particularly in the area of sexual health, as a critical control mechanism that solidifies state legitimacy. By turning control mechanisms inwards, into minds and physical bodies, the state utilizes its monopoly over the legitimate use of symbolic violence to convince citizens of the assumed universality of structures and mindsets that solidify state power. Reproductive health has emerged as a crucial site of consolidating state control, perpetuating the assumed necessity of state regulation of bodies for the betterment of the nation. In Rwanda, with …

Pregnant With Parasites: Assessing Parasitic Infections In Pregnant Women Of The Kwale District, Christina Hopkins Hopkins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Parasitic infections such as malaria and intestinal worms plague many tropical and sub-tropical regions. The Kwale district of Kenya is among one of these regions and provides many circumstances that make these parasites endemic to the area. Pregnant women are part of the major groups affected by parasites. Although clinical professionals are making great attempts at reducing the chances for parasitic infections in these women, there are still some factors that are out of their control. Most women do not receive their drinking water from a secure water source and a majority of the women did not have the financial …

Las Multiplicidades De Salud Integral: Medicina Plural, Medicina Holística, Louise Highleyman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El Hospital Andino Alternativo de Chimborazo (H.A.A.CH.) es un hospital relativamente pequeño ubicado en la ciudad de Riobamba, la capital de la provincia de Chimborazo. Un proyecto de la Diócesis de Riobamba, lo que diferencia este hospital es la unión de tres áreas de medicina en el mismo lugar: medicina andina (o ancestral), medicina alternativa, y medicina alopática (o química).Los tres tipos de medicina “dan la libertad al paciente de elegir con qué tipo de medicina desea curarse.”[1] Aunque actualmente la mayoría de pacientes (70%, según la gerente) están transferidos por el Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social (IESS) para …

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 …

La Comunicación Entre Las Mujeres Embarazadas Y El Personal Médico Durante El Control Prenatal Enel Hospital Álvarezen La Ciudad De Buenos Aires, Argentina = The Communication Between Pregnant Women And Their Doctors During Prenatal Care In Hospital Alvarezin The City Of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rebecca Oran

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In recent years, maternal mortality has continued to be a problem in Argentina. Even after the passage of the United Nations Millennium Goals, Argentina continued to have maternal mortality rates three times as high as its’ neighbors, Chile and Uruguay. Although the majority of the literature does not demonstrate a connection between prenatal care and the reduction of maternal mortality, in situations of high mortality, there is consensus surrounding the need for contact and communication between the woman and their doctors during their pregnancy. This study attempted to examine how both doctors and patients see this communication and how, if …

Femininity, Dependency, And Patriarchy: The Marginalization Of Women With Japanese Encephalitis And Neurological Sequelae In The Northern Terai Region Of Uttar Pradesh, Katherine Ehrenreich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The present study seeks to determine how girls and women who have suffered from neurological sequelae after a Japanese encephalitis (JE) infection are marginalized in the Northern Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Societal and familial values were studied in comparison to behaviors towards a neurologically disabled girl after a JE infection in order to determine how women infected with JE are excluded from cultural practices and norms. The 4 study was conducted in the Northern Terai region of Uttar Pradesh in the districts of Bahraich and Shrawasti under the guidance of DEHAT and Dr. Jitendra Chaturvedi. Semi-structured interviewing was …

La Percepción Del Sistema De Salud Intercultural Y La Generación De Una Nueva Discriminación: Estudio De Los Centros De Medicina Mapuche En Nueva Imperial Y Puerto Saavedra Con Población Adulta, Jannet Guadalupe Sánchez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The main objective of this project was to investigate to what extent intercultural health experiences in the Araucanía region of southern Chile can help overcome situations of discrimination or how they may help generate new ones. This project surfaces from the known history of discrimination against the mapuche population that has resulted in poor health status and how the installation of intercultural health financed by the governments' own ministry of health tries to alleviate the problem. To achieve the main objective, both surveys and interviews were conducted at two intercultural health centers in order to determine actual and perceived health …

Fa’Amatala Lau Tala: Samoan Pregnancy And Childbirth Narratives, Elsa Kendall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pregnancy is, for each individual woman, situated in a particular historical, social, and cultural understanding of her own body; the experience cannot be divorced from these components that inform what is deemed unhealthy or inappropriate. Most social research regarding pregnancy and childbirth focuses on economic and political implications. This study explored personal narratives of Samoan women’s experience with pregnancy and childbirth to shed light on cultural aspects of events. Seven women were interviewed as key informants using informal, unstructured interviews to better understand these topics, and are presented as a compilation of stories of the most intimate parts of their …

An Exploration Of Diabetes Care In Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Suburbs As Seen Through The Work Of Diabetes South Africa, Mallory Bernstein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study portrays the lived experiences of diabetics and diabetes caregivers in Durban suburbs through the lens of Diabetes South Africa (DSA), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) operating out of Durban. Furthermore, this study also analyzes the progression of the treatment and services offered to diabetics. The specific aim of this study was to understand the situation of diabetic care in the suburbs and the obstacles to improvement. Because diabetes is registered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a worldwide epidemic and because the rate of diagnosis will be increasing (World Health Organization: Diabetes updated March 2013), it is necessary …

Dipo Rites And Women’S Health: Tradition Empowering Krobo Female Identity And Reproductive Health In Manya-Krobo, Nina Kearin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Objective: To understand the meaning and process of dipo rites and the correlation (if any) to the reproductive health of women in Manya-Krobo. This led to the research being aimed at answering three major questions.

1. What are dipo rites? This is taking into consideration the history of the rites, meaning of the rites, the process of the rites, and who practices the rites.
2. What is the status of women’s reproductive health in Manya-Krobo?
3. How are the dipo rites and the reproductive health of the women who practice them interconnected?

Methodology: I lived in Manya Krobo for most of April, 2013 …

The Development Of Hiv-Prevention Programs In Public Health Centers And Their Impact On Women: Opportunities For Changes In The City Of Buenos Aires - El Desarrollo De Programas De Prevención Contra El Vih Y Sus Impactos En Las Mujeres En El Primer Nivel De Atención. Oportunidades Por Cambios En La Ciudad De Buenos Aires., Anna Longo

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The focus of my research is the implementation and continued efforts of HIV-prevention plans that are provided in primary care public health centers in the city of Buenos Aires. Much of the outline for these programs has been created and maintained by la Coordinación SIDA, a government-based AIDS group that works to organize and moderate public sector prevention efforts in the city. Public health centers are an effective channel through which HIV-prevention can be provided, due to the fact that they are often very integrated in their communities and tend to have a good sense of the social context that …

Art As A Cure: Analyzing Healthcare Treatment For The Mentally Ill Through The Lens Of Art Therapy Programs In Dakar, Senegal, Sofia Porter-Castro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mental illness is a malady that affects roughly 2.3 million people in Senegal ("Statistics by Country” 2012), but the wide and sometimes opposing range of healing practices suggests that the attitudes surrounding mental illness are still largely contested. This is especially true in Senegal’s capital, where advances in medicine in big city hospitals are growing while ties to traditional beliefs and practices remain strong. Alternative therapies, such as art therapy, provide an opportunity for practitioners to explore different techniques for treating the mentally ill while still integrating elements of the local culture. It is precisely this integration that this paper …

Pepfar Problems: How Does The United States’ Presidential Emergency Program For Aids Relief Empower Women?, Caitlin H.

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study looks to examine how the Presidential Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) works to achieve one of its key goals, the empowerment of women, in the Western Cape. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects women disproportionately, around the world and in South Africa. Thus, women should be a key focus of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) relief and HIV prevention. This paper analyzes the work of PEPFAR to empower women through three lenses. Women’s empowerment in general is discussed, to see how organizations view their own methods of empowerment. PEPFAR’s work with sex workers is examined, as they are often …

Mongolian Women's Voices: A Case Study On Maternal Healthcare, Pregnancy, And Birth In Ulaanbaatar's Public Hospitals, Amelia Olmsted

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mongolia is a country undergoing an incredible amount of change. Last year, in 2011, they had the fastest growing economy in the world, with a 17.2% increase in their GDP, according to the World Bank. A mere 22 years ago, Mongolia was a communist country, and today they are a parliamentary democracy. The country has opened itself up to the rest of the world and a free market economy, and experienced a very drastic shift in this direction in the early 1990's. Many Mongolians will tell you that the mindset of Mongolia's citizens has made a drastic shift since communism …

Los Factores Sociales Que Influyen En El Embarazo Y En El Uso De Anticonceptivos De Adolescentes En El Barrio 25 De Mayo, Maipú, Mendoza., Isabel Odean

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Adolescent pregnancy is a common phenomenon among those living in poverty. Adolescent pregnancy is influenced by many social and cultural factors, leading to lack of use of contraceptives. This study took place in the neighborhood 25 de Mayo, in the city of Maipú, Mendoza in Argentina. This community is mostly composed of people with low incomes and limited education. Socioeconomic and the attitudes toward teenage pregnancy, as well as the use of contraceptives by adolescents, are distinct from those in wealthier better educated groups. This neighborhood is approximately 10,000 people, the majority of whom are women. Most of the …

Awareness Of Type Ii Diabetes In The Developing World: Case Study In Binh Du’O’Ng, Vietnam, Anna Hong Le

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Vietnam’s rapid economic development after 1986 forever changed the lifestyle of the Vietnamese. Economic development has highly impacted behavior, “changing from a traditional lifestyle to an industrial lifestyle [increasing] noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) : diabetes, overweight, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol disorders” (Danh, Personal Interview). With the increase of NCDs within the country, it is important to focus on awareness education that motivates the population especially those living in the urban sector to practice healthy behaviors. This study project focuses on the evaluating the reach and effectiveness of current diabetes awareness educational materials. One week was spent in Ha Noi, …

Storytelling And Healing: The Influence Of Narrative On Identity Construction Among Hiv Positive Individuals In Kisumu, Kenya, Kimberly Leon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principle objective of this Independent Study Project is to investigate the influence of storytelling as a counseling method on conceptions of HIV among HIV positive individuals in the city of Kisumu. Interviews with counselors, community health workers, and HIV support group members were used to determine the role of storytelling in the counseling process. Stories and life experiences were gathered and analyzed in order to extract themes and draw a relationship between the act of storytelling and a person’s perception of their HIV status. Data was collected at various support groups in the Kisumu area and through the help …

Living With Autism In Vietnam, Libie Motchan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the many implications of living with Autism in Vietnam on both affected children and their families. The lack of information, statistics and awareness of autism in Vietnam is reflected in the limited treatment resources available. This study calls attention upon what problems parents are most affected by what they feel needs to change. It also looks at the current sentiment and understanding of autism and its perceived causes. The results of this paper come from background research, observation at clinics and special education facilities, interviews with professionals in the fields of psychology and education, interviews with parents …

The 2002 Bali Bomb: Models Of Sustainable Philanthropy, Lauren Livingston

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Within the first few weeks in Bedulu, I read an ISP written in 1990 concerning mental health facilities in Bali. It was by far one of the most engaging and provocative ISPs I was introduced to; however, giving today’s security precautions and my lack of background in psychology, I easily dismissed it as a possible project. Yet, as ISP time lurched closer, I still had not found an idea that equally excited me. I talked with Bu Ari, and she encouraged me to talk to Ibu Luh Ketut Suryani, the leading psychologist in Indonesia and founder of the Suryani Institute …

Comunicación Entre Personal Médico Y Pacientes Indígenas Un Estudio De La Medicina Intercultural En Huancarani, Cusco, Peru, Jordan Cahn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación describe la relación entre personal médico y el paciente en un contexto intercultural. La ubicación del estudio es un centro de salud en la comunidad rural de Huancarani, Cusco, Perú. El personal médico viene de un perspectivo occidental y mayormente hablan castellano mientras que los pacientes son de orígenes indígenas y hablan quechua. El objetivo de la investigación es para observar la interacción intercultural entre el personal médico y los pacientes para determinar si las barreras culturales y preferencias para biomedicina o medicina tradicional infringen la calidad de servicios médicos. El personal médico prefiere la biomedicina y ve …