Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Air Pollution & Asthma Prevalence: Hotspot Analysis On Environmental Injustice In Buffalo, New York, Zuveria Shaguphta

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This research aims to focus on the historical impacts of segregation in these communities (with Census Bureau data) and whether we see that these are the areas with continued segregation and a disproportionate number of TRI facilities. The third part of this research will be to investigate the presence of asthma in these neighborhoods as documented by the New York State Health Department. Asthma is a chronic disease in which the airways are inflamed due to some kind of external factor causing this reaction. Literature shows that there is a relationship between outdoor air pollution from combustion of fossil fuels …

Using Syndromic Surveillance To Assess The Impact Of Environmental Factors On Asthma- And Copd- Related Ed Visits In Douglas County, Nebraska, Sandra Gonzalez-Ramirez, Anne Mardis O'Keefe, Tricia D. Levan, Lynette Smith

Capstone Experience

Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic diseases associated with health disparities in Douglas County, Nebraska and in the United States. Currently there is a lack of information describing the impact of environmental factors in Nebraska on the burden of emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations related to these chronic respiratory (CR) diseases. The aim of this study was to determine if there is an association between the numbers of seasonal viral respiratory (SVR)- related ED visits, outdoor air pollutants, aeroallergens, or meteorological factors on the number of CR- related ED visits in Douglas County, Nebraska.

Methods: …

The Association Between Melanoma And Exposure To Arsenic Among U.S. Adults Using The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes) From 2003 To 2016, Ahmed Bedaiwi

Capstone Experience

Background: Melanoma is a deadly skin cancer at late stages, and its incidence has been increasing significantly over the last ten years in the United States. Chronic exposure to arsenic has been associated in many studies as a risk factor for non-melanoma skin cancer, notably squamous cell carcinoma. However, current knowledge is limited regarding melanoma and long-term arsenic exposure.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the 2003-2016 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), to investigate the association between arsenic exposure and self-reported melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer diagnoses. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted. …

Heat Waves And Heat-Related Mortality In East Tennessee, Taiwo Adesoba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heat waves represent a public health challenge that requires multiple responses and warnings to protect vulnerable populations. Although studies have reported an increasing trend of heat wave occurrence in many areas of the world, no clear trend exists in East Tennessee. Using data from Parameter-elevated Relationships on Independent Slope Models (PRISM), CDC WONDER and the United States Census Bureau, the relationship between mortality rates and year was estimated during heat wave events between 1999 and 2010. Five heat wave definitions were tested. Overall, 2007 and 2010 stand out as the years with the highest number of heat wave days in …

Public Health Policy: An Ethical Analysis Of Quarantine, Dina Alqahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a public health measure quarantine has both historical and contemporary significance both in the United States and abroad. On the surface it represents a low-cost, low-tech way in which the spread of disease can be mitigated as its core requirement is that those who may have been exposed to an infectious agent are kept away from those who have not been exposed to that agent for enough time to determine whether or not infection has been spread. This has been utilized for centuries with both limited questions and scattered, inconsistent, or impossible to achieve oversight and goals. In understanding …

Estimating Causal Effects In The Presence Of Spatial Interference, Keith W. Zirkle

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental epidemiologists are increasingly interested in establishing causality between exposures and health outcomes. A popular model for causal inference is the Rubin Causal Model (RCM), which typically seeks to estimate the average difference in study units' potential outcomes. If the exposure Z is binary, then we may express this as E[Y(Z=1)-Y(Z=0)]. An important assumption under RCM is no interference; that is, the potential outcomes of one unit are not affected by the exposure status of other units. The no interference assumption is violated if we expect spillover or diffusion of exposure effects based on units' proximity to other units and …