Other Public Health Commons^™

The Effects Of The Transition From Pre-Nursing To Nursing On Mental Health, Andrew J. Davis, Paige R. Mullins, Kimberly A. Sell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mental health is an ever-growing crisis among adolescents and young adults, with suicide as second leading cause of death and the number of those negatively affected continually on the rise. Transitions are one of the major stressors prevalent among these age groups, placing individuals at risk for mental health deficits. This quantitative voluntary response comparative study assesses the transitional mental health of pre-nursing students and students in the nursing program at East Tennessee State University. Emailed to all with a declared major of pre-nursing or nursing, this study measured mental health using evidenced based assessment tools. The PHQ-9 for depression …

Barriers To Public Health In Latino American Indigenous Communities, Wilzave Quiles Guzman

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

This paper focuses on barriers to public health in Latino American Indigenous communities. Indigenous people throughout the world are at a public health disadvantage due to a lack of clearly defined practices within the decision-making processes to plan, evaluate, and control finances from governmental and non-governmental entities in charge of managing health services. I argue that political, social, and institutional changes are still needed to achieve health equity in Indigenous communities and that these changes should go beyond implementing a universal health care program. I must recognize improvements made by many Latino American countries like Brazil, which prepared a plan …

Pharmacists Provision Of Non-Dispensing Services In Health Professional Shortage Areas, Haley L. Kessinger, Emily R. Landis

ONU Student Research Colloquium

Background: Individuals living in primary care health professional shortage areas (PCHPSAs) experience health inequities. Community pharmacists are healthcare professionals with an opportunity to provide care to underserved populations. The objective of this study was to compare non-dispensing services provided by Ohio community pharmacists in PCHPSAs and non-PCHSPAs.

Methods: An electronic, IRB-approved 19-item survey was sent to all community pharmacists practicing in full PCHPSA counties and a random sample practicing in non-PCHPSA counties in Ohio (n=324). Questions assessed current provision of non-dispensing services as well as interest and barriers regarding such services.

Results: Seventy-three usable responses were received (23% response rate). …

Change Of Air Quality Knowledge, Perceptions, Attitudes, And Practices During And Post-Wildfires In The United States, Alessandro Del Ponte, Lina Ang, Lianjun Li, Noah Lim, Wilson Tam Wai San, Wei Jie Seow

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

Amid worsening climate change, the recurrent wildfires have substantially worsened air quality in the Western United States (U.S.). Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, perception, and practices (KAPP) over time in response to natural disasters such as wildfires is crucial for public health interventions and disaster preparedness. This is the first study to investigate the change in air quality KAPP over time in response to natural disasters. Previous studies have only assessed KAPP at a fixed time point. Using a two-wave panel survey (during and post-wildfires), we assessed the association between KAPP and respiratory health indicators as well as the changes over …

Citizenship Matters: Non-Citizen Covid-19 Mortality Disparities In New York And Los Angeles, Jason A. Douglas, Georgiana Bostean, Angel Miles Nash, Emmanuel B. John, Lawrence M. Brown, Andrew M. Subica

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

U.S. non-citizen residents are burdened by inequitable access to socioeconomic resources, potentially placing them at heightened risk of COVID-19-related disparities. However, COVID-19 impacts on non-citizens are not well understood. Accordingly, the current study investigated COVID-19 mortality disparities within New York (NYC) and Los Angeles (LAC) to test our hypothesis that areas with large proportions of non-citizens will have disproportionately high COVID-19 mortality rates. We examined ecological associations between March 2020–January 2021 COVID-19 mortality rates (per 100,000 residents) and percent non-citizens (using ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA) for NYC and City/Community units of analysis for LAC) while controlling for sociodemographic factors. …

Public Goods From Private Data: An Effectiveness And Justification Dilemma For Digital Contact Tracing, Andrew Buzzell

The Journal of Sociotechnical Critique

Debate about the adoption of digital contact tracing (DCT) apps to control the spread of COVID-19 has focussed on risks to individual privacy. This emphasis reveals significant challenges to ethical deployment of DCT, but generates constraints which undermine justification to implement DCT. It would be a mistake to view this result solely as the successful operation of ethical foresight analysis, preventing deployment of potentially harmful technology. Privacy-centric analysis treats data as private property, frames the relationship between individuals and governments as adversarial, entrenches technology platforms as gatekeepers, and supports a conception of emergency public health authority as limited by individual …

Obesogenic Environments And Cardiovascular Disease: A Path Analysis Using Us Nationally Representative Data, Fangqi Guo, Georgiana Bostean, Vincent Berardi, Alfredo J. Velasquez, Jennifer W. Robinette

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

People living in obesogenic environments, with limited access to healthful food outlets and exercise facilities, generally have poor health. Previous research suggests that behavioral risk factors and indicators of physiological functioning may mediate this link; however, no studies to date have had the requisite data to investigate multi-level behavioral and physiological risk factors simultaneously. The present study conducted serial and parallel mediation analyses to examine behavioral and physiological pathways explaining the association between environmental obesogenicity and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods

This cross-sectional observational study used data from the 2012–2016 Health and Retirement Study, a representative survey of US older …

A Case Study In Resiliency: How A University Survived A Pandemic, Mary Ellen Stewart

Dissertations

This case study was conducted to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the campus of a small private university in central Mississippi, where traditionally, relational community and interaction were key contributors to campus culture. Through document analysis, individual interviews with campus leaders, and focus groups consisting of members of key departments, the role of resiliency was examined during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging from the data were the four thematic categories of leadership, campus culture, engagement and interaction, and challenges. Key components in each category revealed the significance of resiliency of university leaders, faculty, and staff as …

Using A Reconciliatory Model To Change Attitudes Towards Covid-19, Gabriella Hubble, Mark Rockwood, Jordan Willis

Annual Research Symposium

This research was designed to see if we were able to change university students’ attitudes about COVID-19 in regard to precautionary behaviors such as mask-wearing, social distancing and vaccinations using a reconciliatory model. The reconciliatory model has had success in evolution research and we wanted to assess its success here. Additionally, we wanted to test if students’ perception of the respectfulness and relatability of the presenter influenced a change in attitude. For our model, we created 6 different videos from various individuals. After watching the videos, participants filled out a survey about if/how the video changed their minds, and if/how …

Medical Visits Related To Firearm Injuries Increased During Covid-19, Rachel Chernet, Margaret K. Formica

Population Health Research Brief Series

When COVID-19 began its initial wave in the United States in March 2020, gun sales surged across the country. The increase in first time gun owners, stress, anxiety, and lack of safety training courses has corresponded with a significant increase in firearm injuries, with especially large increases in the Spring and Summer of 2020 among males, non-Hispanic Blacks, ages 20 to 29, and residents of the Midwest and South. Given the especially large rise in unintentional firearm injuries, policymakers should consider interventions that increase education, training, and regulation over safe firearm access and storage.

Development Of A Men’S Health Course For First-Year Undergraduates Using Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies, Ania A. Majewska, Johnasha D. Stuart, Kelsey M. Gray, Pearl V. Ryder, Ethell Vereen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

A novel first-year experience course was developed using culturally responsive teaching strategies at an undergraduate liberal arts college in the southeastern USA to promote health advocacy and to provide students with an overview of male health. The course focuses on the biological, sociocultural, economic and gender influences that shape men's health beliefs and practices. It also emphasizes health disparities in the USA among Black/African American men compared to other racial groups and intervention strategies to improve health outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The lecture and laboratory components of the course were designed as a blended learning environment with a modified flipped class …

Post Traumatic Growth Amongst Australian Bravery Award Recipients, Tom Voigt, Joanne Williams, Catherine M. Bennett, Angela Dew, Susan Balandin

Heroism Science

This study explored aspects of Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) amongst Australian Bravery Award recipients exposed to serious or life-threatening trauma. PTG is the process whereby some people experience growth following traumatic experiences. Previous PTG research has focused on specific disasters, incidents or cohorts of survivors. We explored a range of incidents in both civilian and non-civilian award recipients. Sixty-five Australian Bravery Award recipients (37 civilian and 28 non-civilian) completed the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory and provided additional demographic information about their bravery incident. Results showed that civilians experienced significantly higher growth (mean PTG score = 49.7 than non-civilians (mean PTG …

Testing Barriers To Non-Suicidal Self-Injury With College Students: Narcissistic Traits As Moderators, Philip Stoner

Dissertations

Research on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has produced mixed findings, resulting in a lack of clarity regarding these behaviors (Klonsky & Meuhlenkamp, 2007). To address this, Hooley and Franklin (2018) developed the Benefits and Barriers Model (BBM) to provide a comprehensive understanding of NSSI, in which they identified the barriers that commonly prevent people from engaging in these behaviors (e.g., self-esteem, shame, and peer-bonding motivations/social norms). They also identified adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a distal predictor of NSSI, which aids people in overcoming the barriers to engaging in these behaviors. Recent NSSI literature has shown that college women in the …

Four Corners: A Values Clarification Exercise, Montsine Nshom

Open Educational Resources

Four Corners is a values clarification activity that asks participants to stand/show whether they strongly agree to strongly disagree with a specific statement, and reflect on their position during and after the activity. This four corners activity is designed to help students think about and discuss topics that are pertinent to urban community health and public health.

No prior reading or coursework is required; it is a good option for the first day of class to introduce key themes that will be covered during the course as well as practice ground rules and class discussion norms.

Cultural Sensitivity: A Requirement When Developing Food Safety Interventions, Lillian Nabwiire, Angela M. Shaw, Gail R. Nonnecke, David D. Minner, Ellen Johnsen, Louis E. Petersen Jr

Journal of Extension

Extension materials that are sensitive to changing demographics and culture increase relevance and compliance with food safety practices. Produce safety extension materials were developed for U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) produce growers to help with compliance with a new food safety rule. We developed employee training materials based on a needs assessment and behavioral change was evaluated six months after dissemination. The original materials were not seen as culturally appropriate but after modifications, improvements in food safety practices and behavior changes were observed. These results suggest that extension educators should seek feedback from target populations about potential interventions before implementation.

“We Are Doing The Absolute Most That We Can, And No One Is Listening”: Barriers And Facilitators To Health Literacy Within Transgender And Nonbinary Communities, C. Riley Hostetter, Jarrod Call, Donald R. Gerke, Brendon T. Holloway, N. Eugene Walls, Jennifer C. Greenfield

Graduate School of Social Work: Faculty Scholarship

Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) individuals face disparities in nearly every aspect of health. One factor associated with poor health outcomes in other marginalized populations is health literacy, yet no identified studies examine health literacy in TNB samples. Moreover, most health literacy frameworks focus primarily on the capacities of individual patients to understand and use healthcare information, with little attention given to provider literacy and environmental factors. In partnership with a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, we recruited 46 transgender and nonbinary individuals to participate in seven focus groups conducted in urban, suburban, and rural locations throughout Colorado. TNB participants consistently engaged …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Patient Demographics At A Sports Medicine Clinic During The Covid-19 Pandemic, William S. Douglas, Williams Dexter, Amy Haskins Phd, Christina Holt

Journal of Maine Medical Center

No abstract provided.

Detroit Food Metrics Report 2020 (With 2021 Update), Alex B. Hill, Amy Kuras

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

This report provides a snapshot of data and information on Detroit’s food system as well as trends over time. The report includes a broad range of programs and initiatives that local organizations, the Detroit Food Policy Council, and the City of Detroit are undertaking to address food insecurity, increase healthy food access and awareness, and support a more sustainable and just food system.

Sexual And Reproductive Health Literacy In Rwanda Kazo Sector Murusenyi Village, Sandrine Nikuze, Mdp

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Unplanned pregnancies and other reproductive health issues are global health problems. Nowadays, young people are highly exposed compared to last time. Internet and other sources of misleading sexual information are available to them. Parents who are supposed to be the health information providers are not responsible because they do not want, but because they have limited knowledge, and they also face different challenges which prevent them from fulfilling their responsibilities towards their children such as education level, income level, gender, and religion. All these issues to young people have increased the number of young people who get pregnancies before and …

The Program To Reduce Implicit Bias In Carroll Hospital Center Using The Implicit Association Test, Katherine E. Traynor

Capstone Showcase

Natural brain processes make all individuals susceptible to unconscious bias; however, stressful, fearful, or anger-evoking situations as well as the negative influence of media and social surroundings increase the risk of holding obstructive bias, and there is a greater risk of being negatively impacted by this phenomenon when belonging to a minority population (Rose & Flores, 2020). As a result, high rates of infant mortality (10.2 deaths per 1,000 live births for the Non-Hispanic Black population compared to 4.1 in the White population) and cardiovascular related diseases (190.0 cases per 1,000 in the Non-Hispanic Black population compared to 161.3 in …

Covid-19 Vaccine Disparities And Attitudes, Deonne Cartwright, Meryem Saygili

Pursue: Undergraduate Research Journal

The past couple of years have caused so much uncertainty and grief amidst the global pandemic. The goal of this study is to explore the attitudes behind COVID-19 vaccination to address the cause for vaccine disparities and help minimize health disparities in the United States. The study considers two multivariable regressions in SPSS of the social factors on vaccination status and vaccine confidence. This model studies the relationship between one’s ethnicity, race, education level, education specialization, household income, political ideology, and media source on vaccine confidence and vaccination status on an East Texas college campus. A campus-wide survey was conducted …

Factors Associated With Intention To Disclose Concussive Symptoms In Active Duty Soldiers, Carly Beck

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Concussion disclosure is a heavily researched topic, and while previous literature has explored predictors of concussion disclosure in numerous populations, research within the active duty Soldier population is limited. This study further explored predictors of concussion disclosure to a medical professional or leadership in the active duty Solider population through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Methods: A cross-sectional electronic survey was distributed to 181 active duty Soldiers. Descriptive statistics were used to report frequency of high intention to disclose concussive symptoms among demographics, and a multivariate regression model was used to assess significant predictors of intention …

Unpacking The Influence Of Islamic Religious Culture And Individual Religious Affiliation On Testing Hiv-Positive, Brittany Hayes, Amy Adamczyk

Publications and Research

The distribution of HIV cases varies cross-nationally. We separate the influences of Islam at the macro-and micro-levels to understand the role of religion in shaping the spread of HIV. Drawing on biomarker data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, we construct a multilevel database (Individual N= 568,476; Country N= 30). We examine a series of national-and individual-level predictors that may mediate the relationship between Islam and testing HIV-positive. Individual religious affiliation and proportion Muslim retained their risk-reducing effects even when accounting for a range of mediators and suppressors. Islam has a sui generis effect on testing HIV-positive.

The Phenomenon Of Integration Of Religious Practices As An Auxiliary Tool In Contemporary Medicine: Ukrainian Hospital Chapels In Modern Times, Mariia Ovchar, Yalovyk Anton, Igor Koreshchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The relevance of the research topic is ensured by the wide integration of such religious practices as an aid in contemporary medicine. The article describes the activities of more than 15 currently operating famous hospital chapels. The histories behind the foundation of each of them are analyzed, and the facts of public participation and the leadership of hospitals in the establishment of chapels at medical institutions are given. Special attention is paid to the characteristics of the psychological support component as an auxiliary factor along with the main course of treatment. For clarity of the descriptive part, the study presents …

Telehealth Delivery Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy And Recreational Therapy: Supporting People With Chronic Pain During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Grace L. Roy

Honors Theses and Capstones

Chronic pain is a significant public health problem that requires person-centered and comprehensive care to address the many socioecological factors that contribute to pain. Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth options for chronic pain management can help more people access the care that they need. The purpose of the current pilot study was to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of delivering a 6-week Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and recreational therapy intervention via telehealth for a group of seven participants with chronic pain. It was found that TeleACT-RT was associated with positive behavioral outcomes including increased psychological flexibility, …

"I Felt What Was Happening In Our Country [Usa] With Race Was So Much Scarier Than The [Covid-19] Virus.” Black Lives Matter Protesters’ Beliefs And Practices During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Evelyn Arana-Chicas, Brooke D. Jones, Francisco Cartujano-Barrera, Ana Paula Cupertino

Journal of Health Ethics

This study describes the COVID-19 prevention practices and beliefs of Black Lives Matter protesters in the U.S. Participants completed a survey on following COVID-19 guidelines and answered interview questions. Twenty participants were enrolled. Mean age was 29 and most were female (80%) and black (75%). Participants almost always wore their masks (75%) and washed their hands (85%) while protesting. Most reported rarely social distancing (55%) and not being concerned about COVID-19 (55%). Themes included: 1) Fighting for social justice, 2) Protesting is more important than COVID-19, 3) Unable to social distance, 4) Masks mostly worn, 5) Protests sparked global movement, …

Responding To Domestic Violence With Transformative Justice And Community Accountability, Anaiis Nysether

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center (WAFWC) wanted to create a survivor-driven transformative justice program for survivors of domestic violence and the people who caused them harm. The program needed to be customizable enough to suit the specific needs and individual safety considerations of the participants, but also needed enough structure that it could be reproducible from case to case. In order to design a program that was based on these ideas and able to be used in the context of a non-profit organization, WAFWC researched ways other communities had been using transformative justice and community accountability to address issues …

The Nature Of Anti-Asian American Xenophobia During The Coronavirus Pandemic: A Preliminary Exploration Into Envy As A Key Motivator Of Hate, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

Background. The current Coronavirus pandemic has been linked to a dramatic increase in anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate incidents in the United States. At the time of writing, there does not appear to be any published empirical research examining the mechanisms underlying Asiaphobia during the current pandemic. Based on the stereotype content model, we investigated the idea that ambivalent attitudes toward AAPIs, marked primarily with envy, may be contributing to anti-AAPI xenophobia. Methods. Study 1 (N = 140) explored, through a survey, the link between envious stereotypes toward AAPIs and Asiaphobia. Study 2 (N = 167), …

Promoting Inclusion Of Adults With Disabilities In Local Fitness Programs: A Needs Assessment, Samantha M. Ross, Bridgette Schram, Kathleen Mccarty, Nicole Fiscella, Willie Chun Wai Leung, Kayla Lindland

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Fit-Pals* is a university-based, service-learning program with a mission to prepare adults with disabilities to engage in lifelong physical activity. We conducted a Needs Assessment to evaluate recent programmatic partnerships with community-based fitness organizations. We aimed to (1) evaluate organizational perceptions of Fit-Pals’ partnership efforts, and (2) identify perceived organizational needs to improve inclusion practices. Representatives from each of our seven partner organizations participated in an online-survey, follow-up interviews, and a stakeholder meeting. A thematic analysis of survey and interview responses highlighted areas for programmatic growth related to training in disability awareness and fitness accommodations, and improved communication across all …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Loneliness And Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study, Roger O’Sullivan, Annette Burns, Gerard Leavey, Iracema Leroi, Vanessa Burholt, James Lubben, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Christina Victor, Brian Lawlor, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Carla M. Perissinotto, Mark A. Tully, Mary Pat Sullivan, Michael Rosato, Joanna Mchugh Power, Elisa Tiilikainen, Thomas R. Prohaska

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent public health social measures have challenged our social and economic life, with increasing concerns around potentially rising levels of social isolation and loneliness. This paper is based on cross-sectional online survey data (available in 10 languages, from 2 June to 16 November 2020) with 20,398 respondents from 101 different countries. It aims to help increase our understanding of the global risk factors that are associated with social isolation and loneliness, irrespective of culture or country, to support evidence-based policy, services and public health interventions. We found the prevalence of severe loneliness was 21% during …