Public Health Commons^™

The Effects Of Continuing Education On Nurse Knowledge Of Safe Haven Laws In Illinois, Lindsay Thiemkey Gordon

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Illegal and often fatal infant abandonment is a pervasive public health crisis. Safe Haven Laws (SHLs) help to prevent illegal infant abandonment by allowing specific professionals, including nurses, to accept unharmed newborns within statutorily defined parameters. SHLs have existed for nearly two decades, yet many healthcare workers are not knowledgeable about these laws: this implies that initial efforts to educate healthcare workers about SHLs have been ineffective. Continuing education supports lifelong learning which is a basic tenet of nursing practice. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to teach nurses about SHLs through evidence-based continuing education. Literature firmly …

Impacts Of Environmental Quality On The Demographics Of Three Nations, Emily Hummel

Honors Projects

This study will examine how the correlation between air and water quality and the population demographics of India, South Africa, and the United States. India is a country with a growing population, increasing income inequality, and gender roles that reflect its status as a developing nation. South Africa is much smaller in area and the population is beginning to level off, but South Africa’s income inequality is growing much faster than India’s and gender inequality is less of an issue in South Africa. The population of the United States is decreasing and gender roles are fairly equal, despite income inequality …

A Lifetime Of Healthy Living: Unifying Awareness Of Healthy Living Among Appalachia's Diversified Community, Kyle M. Smith, Joy L. Gritton

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Chhs May 2016 Icymi, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, Wku College Of Health & Human Services

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

An Integrated Strategy For Strengthening Worcester's Regional Food System: Key Roles For Education And Information, Joel Simonson

Sustainability and Social Justice

Food security and access to healthy food are public health issues that continue to persist in the United States and are ones that are strongly influenced by social and environmental factors. In Worcester, Massachusetts there are many organizations that contribute to alleviating the resulting effects, but do not always have the capacity to reach full potential and expand upon current initiatives. Students can provide existing human resources and knowledge that would benefit all parties. This would allow for organizational capacity development, ultimately impacting local residents, and for students to gain deeper connections to the greater Worcester community while learning vital …

Childhood Trauma, A Cycle Of Violence: Worcester, Ma, Samantha Arsenault

Sustainability and Social Justice

This research examines the relationship between childhood trauma, indicated by early police contact, and the probability of later negative life experiences, including involvement in and perpetration of violence, criminal activity and gang involvement for men age 0-27 in Worcester, MA. This research was conducted using probit and tobit regression analysis using the Worcester Police Dataset. This study shows a positive and highly statistically significant correlation between childhood trauma and gang involvement as well as involvement in violence, perpetration of violence, and the number of incidents of violence. This suggests that a crisis intervention for childhood trauma, including witness-based childhood trauma, …

The Effects Of Whole Body High-Intensity Interval Training On Collegiate Female Soccer Players 2016, Whitney Frary

Master's Theses

Soccer is considered a high intensity sport that requires a high level of both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. A whole body high-intensity interval training adaptation has been shown to benefit both of these systems over a short period of time. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a five week whole-body high intensity interval training program on female collegiate soccer players performance in speed, acceleration, agility, vertical jump, aerobic capacity, physical self perception, and physical enjoyment. Participants were from the SUNY Cortland women’s soccer team who participated in a five- week training protocol three days a …

Charlton Fire Department Resident Expectations: Survey And Analysis, Natalie Omary, Jingxin Wen, Junchen Chen, Denis Kornev

School of Professional Studies

The Town of Charlton is located in the heart of the Massachusetts with a resident population of just under 14,000 people. The Charlton Fire Department serves the town for needs related to fire fighting, fire prevention, burning permits and inspection services along with emergency medical services. The Department has requested the assistance of the Clark University COPACE Capstone students in creating and conducting survey in order to get a sense of what the resident of the town know about the fire department and to better gauge their expectations about what the department can provide for them. The survey was formulated …

Information Technology Proposal For The Town Of Spencer, Vijay Basava, Corey Kenyon, Mahdi Soltani

School of Professional Studies

The Town of Spencer came to us looking for a plan to build and maintain their own personal fiber network for connection between departments and to improve data security for important information. After assessing the existing landscape and determining the various paths forward, we created network diagrams and plans for the movement forward of this project.

After assessing a variety of plans, we found that a full single-mode fiber network would be the best system for the implementation in Spencer. While it was the highest cost, it also scored the highest in our assessment.

Healthcare Facility Location: A Breast Cancer Alliance Case Study, Alexandra Knopf

Sustainability and Social Justice

Community health is impacted by the location of a health advocacy agency. This commissioned report for the Breast Cancer Alliance of Greenwich, CT, consists of a location analysis to review potential cities in which they might locate expansion efforts. Such cities include Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, Greenwich, CT, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, D.C. This report will look at five ways (4 mathematical and one spatial) of conducting a location analysis that require specialized knowledge for interpretation. For this study, a Spatial Geographic Information System methodology is preferred because of the visualization component, which can ensure that …

Developing An Online Database Of Experts For The Worcester Regional Chamber Of Commerce, Zikan Chen, Douglas Grey, Pranjal Shah

School of Professional Studies

The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce as part of their mission to attract business to the Worcester area, want to create an online searchable database of industry experts made up of faculty members of the Colleges and Universities in the Worcester area. This online database will be placed on the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Higher Education – Business Partnership page on their website. The limitations placed on this request are that the Regional Chamber as of this moment have no monetary or Information Technologies resources to provide for the realization of this request.

The proliferation of as A Service …

Cybersecurity Awareness Shrewsbury Public Schools, Brittany Crompton, David Thompson, Manuel Reyes, Xueyan Zhao, Xueke Zou

School of Professional Studies

In the 21st Century, technology reaches every aspect of our lives. As “digital citizens” we must be aware of the dangers both to our technological equipment and our personal information stored, transmitted, and processed on this equipment. The Cybersecurity Awareness curriculum developed for the Shrewsbury Public School district is designed to meet this need, as well as foster an interest in technology and ethical computer use.

Analysis Of The Point Of Sales System At Tower Hill Botanical Garden And Suggested Courses Of Action, Brian Dunn, Keerthi Bandi, Chantal Kopwa Epse Kassa, F.N.U Shelly

School of Professional Studies

As Tower Hill Botanic Garden continues to improve on its operations and enhance the experience of its visitors and members, they are on a quest for a new Point-Of-Sale (POS) system that not only works with its existing hardware and interface with Raiser’s Edge, a smartcloud fundraising and relationship management software central to the garden’s operations but also, have a restaurant module and the capability of operating both in a wireless and hard-wired environment.

Evaluation Of Protein Source At Breakfast On Energy Metabolism, Metabolic Health, And Food Intake: A Pilot Study, Lauren A. Cambias

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Over 30% of adults in the US are obese. A primary contributor to obesity is an unhealthy diet related to imbalanced macronutrients. Diets higher in protein (PRO) are associated with increased energy expenditure (EE) and reduced food intake. The objective of this pilot study was to determine if protein source at breakfast influences EE in young men (n=4; ages 18-35). Participants consumed three isocaloric (whey (WP), pea (PP), beef (BP); 275 kcal, 62% PRO, 23% CHO, 15% Fat) drinks in randomized, crossover design with a one-week washout period. Each test day EE, appetite, and cravings were assessed at 0, …

Health Information Exchange: A Strategy For Improving Access For Rural Veterans In The Maine Flex Rural Veterans Health Access, Karen B. Pearson Mlis, Ma, Amanda Burgess Mppm, John A. Gale Ms, Andrew F. Coburn Phd, Anush Yousefian Hansen Ms, Ma

Access / Insurance

This paper reports on the design and implementation of a first-in-the nation project to expand rural veterans’ access to healthcare by establishing a bi-directional connection between Maine’s statewide health information exchange (HIE) and Veterans Administration facilities and centers. The paper reviews key factors that have contributed to implementation challenges and successes and lessons relevant to efforts to create interoperable health IT systems across multiple, complex organizational settings.

Facilitating Effective Communication Between First Responders And Older Adults During Fall Incidents: An Educational Intervention, Krystin M. Beeman, Erica L. Berger, Isabel A. Cabezas, Nicole M. Mathews

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

PURPOSE. The purpose of this project was to provide first responders with communication strategies for older adults that may help when responding to fall- related calls. General information was also provided to First Responders on working with older adults with a focus on the aging process, fall risk factors, and communications strategies.

METHODS. A series of educational sessions to first responders at a local fire district were developed and presented by occupational therapy students. Materials were developed by presenters from evidence-based resources and tailored to the target population. Each presentation focused on statistics about older adults, the aging process, fall …

Cd4 T Cell-Derived Ifn-Γ Plays A Minimal Role In Control Of Pulmonary Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection And Must Be Actively Repressed By Pd-1 To Prevent Lethal Disease, Shunsuke Sakai, Keith D. Kauffman, Michelle A. Sallin, Arlene H. Sharpe, Howard A. Young, Vitaly V. Ganusov, Daniel L. Barber

United States Public Health Resources

IFN-γ–producing CD4 T cells are required for protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, but the extent to which IFN-γ contributes to overall CD4 T cell-mediated protection remains unclear. Furthermore, it is not known if increasing IFN-γ production by CD4 T cells is desirable in Mtb infection. Here we show that IFN-γ accounts for only ~30% of CD4 T cell-dependent cumulative bacterial control in the lungs over the first six weeks of infection, but >80% of control in the spleen. Moreover, increasing the IFN-γ–producing capacity of CD4 T cells by ~2 fold exacerbates lung infection and leads to the early death …

The Emergence Of Systematic Review In Toxicology, Martin L. Stephens, Kellyn Betts, Nancy Beck, Vincent Cogliano, Kay Dickersin, George Gray, +8 Additional Authors

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

The Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration hosted a workshop on “The Emergence of Systematic Review and Related Evidence-based Approaches in Toxicology,” on November 21, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. The workshop featured speakers from agencies and organizations applying systematic review approaches to questions in toxicology, speakers with experience in conducting systematic reviews in medicine and healthcare, and stakeholders in industry, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations. Based on the workshop presentations and discussion, here we address the state of systematic review methods in toxicology, historical antecedents in both medicine and toxicology, challenges to the translation of systematic review from medicine to toxicology, and thoughts …

Enhancing Access To Alcohol Use Disorder Pharmacotherapy And Treatment In Primary Care Settings: Adapt-Pc, Hildi J. Hagedorn, Randall Brown, Michael Dawes, Eric Diepernick, Donald Myrick, Elizabeth M. Oliva, Todd H. Wagner, Jennifer P. Wisdom, Alex Harris

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Background: Only 7.8% of individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD) receive treatment in a given year. Most individuals with AUDs are identified in primary care (PC) settings and referred to substance use disorders (SUD) clinics; however, only a minority of those referred attend treatment services. Safe and effective pharmacological treatments for AUD exist, but they are rarely prescribed by PC providers. The objective of this study is to refine, implement, and evaluate an intervention to integrate pharmacological AUD treatment options into PC settings. This paper provides a detailed description of the intervention design and the evaluation components. …

Aging American Prisons: Length Of Stay, Dying Behind Bars, And Implications For Public Health, Stephanie G. Barger

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

One notable consequence of mass incarceration is the growing population of elderly prison inmates in the U.S. This growth raises questions concerning the causes and implications of such a change, as housing older prisoners places a financial strain on state and federal correctional systems. Because this added cost is largely a result of medical needs, the growing elderly inmate population has raised questions about the impact of incarceration on health. This study investigates the causes of this “graying” of American prisons and its potential effects on correctional and community health. Using National Corrections Reporting Program data from 1990 to 2009, …

Institutional Silence: Re-Victimization Of Sexual Assault Victims At Bgsu, Kendall Lake

Honors Projects

This study investigates the causes and effects of the lack of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) at the Bowling Green State University (BGSU). The study draws on previous research about sexual assault reporting, deterrents to reporting, national prevalence studies, how psychological re-victimization occurs, and the importance of sexual assault nurse examiners. The data included is previous literature, interviews, and ethnographic research about the town Bowling Green, OH. The primary data for this research comes from interviews with the SANEs at the Wood County Hospital. Seven nurses were interviewed, and findings concluded that residential students at BGSU are not receiving medical …

Predicting Nonadherence Behavior Towards Mammography Screening Guidelines, Brian L. Trussell

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this research is to examine factors associated with nonadherence behavior toward mammography screening among U.S. women. The 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey data was used for this study, allowing the model to represent a robust sample. A logistic regression model was developed to gain an understanding of influencing factors, including demographic, health-related and behavioral characteristics. Further analysis with logistic regression models stratified by age were conducted to control for the effect of age. The results show that demographic and health related information such as income, number of children, and BMI category can help intervention …

The Influence Of Socioeconomic Status And Ethnicity On Body Mass Index In Children In Northwest Arkansas, Madison E. Davidson

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fat that is calculated based on the height, weight, age, and gender of a child. Body Mass Index (BMI) is an important indicator of potential health risks in children. Determining correlations between ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and BMI may assist in identifying children at risk for comorbidities associated with either an elevated or low BMI. An elevated BMI may lead to complications later in life such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, obesity in adulthood, and psychosocial issues (Geason & Dodd, 2009). On the other hand, a low BMI could lead to …

Legal, Structural, And Ethical Barriers To Prevention And Treatment Of Hiv/Aids: A Review Of Malaysia And Kazakhstan, Amanda S. Volk

Public Health Undergraduate Program

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in nations that use Islamic scripture in law has faced several challenges. The conservative ethical and political approach to the epidemic has been ineffective in halting the spread of and treating the existence of HIV/AIDS. It is expected that there will be several structural barriers to obtaining care, treatment, and prevention services for HIV/AIDS in these nations particularly for vulnerable populations such as Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), People Who Inject Drugs (PWID), and sex workers. This research will investigate and analyze research, laws, politics, ethics, and structure in the nations of Malaysia and Kazakhstan …

Turkey: An Overview On National Drug Use, Treatment Design, And The Characteristics Of Patients Utilizing Treatments, Katherine Waye

Public Health Undergraduate Program

Existing research on the patterns and risk factors of drug use and how they vary by age and location in Turkey is limited. The paper will examine the drug treatment options within Turkey as well as the socio-demographic characteristics, behaviors, treatment history, and identified correlates of lifetime and current injection drug use of Turkish citizens who were admitted to inpatient substance use treatment at public and private facilities in Turkey during 2012 and 2013. Of the 11,247 patients at the 22 public treatment centers in 2012-2013, a majority were male, lived with family, were unemployed, and had an average age …

Breastfeeding Rates In Marshallese Mothers; A Needs Assessment, Olivia N. Pennington

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

Background. Multiple health disparities are associated with the Marshallese population in Northwest Arkansas. Childhood obesity, linked to a decrease in exclusive breastfeeding, is one of the predominant issues. Since their migration to the United States, exclusive breastfeeding rates of Marshallese mothers have steadily declined throughout the years. Little research has been conducted to help combat this growing health disparity. Due to the increased growth in this population in Northwest Arkansas, it is imperative that measures are taken to decrease these disparities to improve the overall health of the future generations.

Objective: To determine the relationship between maternal age, …

Formative Research For Case Management Protocol Addressing Neighborhood Trauma Due To Violence, Azada Wan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My capstone project is focused on conducting formative research for developing a case management protocol to reduce recidivism in youths aged 13 to 16. This formative research will serve as a basis for Street Addiction Institute Inc.’s request for proposal (RFP) to Onondaga County Department of Justice. As Street Addiction Institute Inc. is currently in the process of applying for funding at the federal and county levels, the formative research I conducted by integrating knowledge obtained from literature, expertise of community leaders and professionals, and understanding of youth’s specific characteristics, needs, and risks, will inform the development of a case …

Dental Health Education Outreach In Syracuse New York, Alyson Forman

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Oral health is a commonly neglected area of healthcare across the world. Especially amongst underserved populations, many people do not prioritize dental health care, do not have access to dental health care, and do not realize the importance of dental health care. This project aims to educate the population on the importance of dental health care. The participants in the project include those enrolled in different parenting programs at a local non-profit organization in Central New York. Pre and post surveys were administered to evaluate an increase in knowledge on dental health. Demographic-specific educational materials such as brochures, pamphlets, games, …

Comparing The Quantitation Of Opiates From Possible Drug Overdose Cases Using Results Of Blood Analysis And Liver Analysis, Lee Ann Garozzo

Forensic Science Theses

Currently the quantitation of opiates at the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office Toxicology Laboratory is conducted through whole blood analysis. The objective of this thesis project was to determine if the analysis of opiates could be conducted through liver analysis, and if the analysis of opiates would provide a more accurate quantitation compared to the blood analysis. The quantitation of opiates was conducted from the livers of sixty-four possible overdose cases that were brought into the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office between 2013 and 2015. Results showed that the opiate drugs could successfully be quantitated using the liver analysis. Generally …

Super-Utilization: The New Perfect Storm Of Health Reform, Jill Diane Nault

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

This three-essay dissertation was focused on geographic variation of super-utilization, or the disproportionately high healthcare utilization and costs attributed to a small sub-set of the inpatient population. For purposes of this research, super-utilization was operationalized as high repeat utilization (HRU) and referred to inpatient utilization and inpatient readmission expenditures attributed to beneficiaries with four or more 30-day readmissions per year. The overall purpose of the research was to identify geographic areas at increased risk for HRU. These areas corresponded to where beneficiaries live and were aligned with the geographically-bound healthcare delivery systems. Each essay employed an observational study design using …