Other Public Health Commons^™

Prevention Of Violence Against Children: A Systems Readiness Assessment In Côte D’Ivoire, Marie-Kaye Soletchi Seya-Sery

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Violence against children (VAC) is a global problem with significant consequences. Recognizing the need to better understand the problem of VAC in Côte d’Ivoire (CI), the government of CI recently completed a survey on violence against children. The recent data will support an evidence-based national action plan for the prevention of VAC. Research shows that initiatives tackling specific problems will only be as successful as the community’s readiness to take action. This study applied the community readiness model to assess the readiness of the multisectoral task force (MSTF) to implement the national action plan in CI. Eight MSTF participants’ interview …

Public Health Workforce Perceived Impact Of Emerging Issues In Public Health, Kristie C. Waterfield

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: In an era where public health has been viewed as a global, multi-disciplinary field, the public health workforce has remained united to unfailingly holding fast to the mission of protecting, promoting, and improving the health of the public. However, the practice of public health is consistently evolving, and the workforce is continually facing a mirage of challenges. In order to overcome these challenges, practitioners need to be up-to-date on the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively deliver the core public health services.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to explore the perceived impact of emerging trends in public …

Let Me Upgrade You: Common Measures In Public Health Accreditation Action Plans, Gurleen K. Roberts

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to understand the success rates for health departments pursuing and achieving accreditation in version 1.0 and 1.5 of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) standards and measures. During the accreditation process, health departments that present performance gaps are asked to complete an Action Plan to specify how they plan to improve to meet the desired conformity. This study will highlight specific measures that are often included in Action Plans so that health departments pursuing accreditation can be better prepared to address these common pitfalls.

Methods: This study is a non-experimental, secondary …

Examining Factors Associated With Minority Turnover Intention In State And Local Public Health Organizations: The Relationship Among Diversity Climate, Career Growth Perception, Job & Organizational Satisfaction And Turnover Intention., Ashley Kennedy Mitchell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Research shows that a diverse workforce can increase workplace satisfaction, organizational performance, and retention (Konrad, 2006; Choi, 2013; McKay et al., 2007). There is a need to understand governmental public health workforce turnover to ensure the retention of public health minority workers, the capitalization on diversity benefits, and the services needed to provide for a more diverse population. This study aimed to assess the impact of the workforce environment, particularly employee perceptions of the diversity climate, individual career growth, and job and organizational satisfaction, on minority state and local health worker turnover intention. Data were analyzed from the 2017 The …

Knowledge Disparities In Diabetes Mellitus Among Undergradute College Students: An Exploratory Study, Caroline Duffy

Honors College Theses

The primary goal of this research study is to examine the knowledge disparities in diabetes mellitus of health related and non- health related undergraduate majors at Georgia Southern University. The Newest Vital Sign tool is used to assess health literacy between majors. Health related majors will have a higher health literacy score. The research questions to be investigated are (a). do non-health related majors lack an understanding of diabetes mellitus and (b). do all college students have adequate health literacy. With the findings, health education and promotion programs can be established and directed towards the appropriate population.

Characteristics Associated With Local Health Departments’ Completion Of Community Health Assessment, Community Health Improvement Plan, And Strategic Planning, Abraham Deng Ater

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Local health departments engage in community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning to systematically monitor health, identify risk factors, and to set strategic priorities to improve population health outcomes. Successful completion of these three processes within the last five years is also paramount as they are required for accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board. The main purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics of local health departments that are associated with completion of community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning, and accreditation processes. This cross-sectional study drew data from the 2016 NACCHO profile of …

Factors Associated With Continuous Improvement By Local Boards Of Health, Tran Nguyen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: The continuous improvement as applied to a local board of health (LBoH) is one of the six governance functions and focuses on activities that target LBoH’s self-improvement and improvement of local health department (LHD) it governs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the engagement level of LBoHs in continuous improvement efforts and to identify factors associated with this function. The goal was to provide insights that will inspire LBoHs to improve their continuous improvement governance function for better practices, and in turn, enhance the performance of local health departments (LHDs) for which the LBoHs serve as …

I Am More Than My Label, Taylor L. Teichman, Enid Melendez

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This workshop will offer experiential activities for youth allies to explore the foundational intersections between LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness and sexual violence. Introducing a framework of concrete tools, participants will identify at least three core resiliency factors of LGBTQ youth and be able to identify at least three concrete components for fostering community-wide support for these youth.

Application Of The Misclassification Simulation Extrapolation (Mc-Simex) Procedure To Log-Logistic Accelerated Failure Time (Aft) Models In Survival Analysis, Varadan Sevilimedu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Survival analysis is the study of time to event outcomes. Accelerated Failure Time models (AFT) serve as a useful tool in survival analysis to study the time of occurrence of an event and its relation to the covariates of interest. The accuracy of estimation of parameters in a model depends upon the correct measurement of covariates. Considering that perfect measurement of covariates is highly unlikely, it is imperative that the performance of the existing bias-correction methods be analyzed in AFT models. However, certain areas of bias-correction in AFT models still remain unexplored. One of these unexplored areas, is a situation …

A Mixed Methods Assessment Of The Implementation Of Electronic Health Records In Local Health Departments, Karmen S. Williams

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Electronic Health Record (EHR) implementation has seen great advances in health care, but the movement is leaving public health agencies behind. EHRs have shown improvement in operational and societal outcomes when implemented. Scarce allocation of resources, lack of trained staff, and security are limiters to implementation, despite the varied benefits of EHRs. The objective of this research is to establish a comprehensive view of EHR implementation in local health departments (LHDs) through assessing the status of implementation, benefits, barriers, and strategies to overcome challenges. Methods: This research uses a mixed methods approach to assess 49 key-informant interviews and 324 …

Evaluation Of Tattoo Artists' Perceptions Of Tattoo Regulations In The United States, Jessica L.C. Sapp

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: With the increasing popularity in recent years, tattoos are no longer considered taboo but rather becoming a mainstream mode of self-expression so the inherent risks associated with tattooing could have a greater impact on the public’s health.

Objective: The study aims to gain an understanding and describe the perceptions and opinions of tattoo artists regarding tattoo regulations in the United States.

Methods: Data were collected through an online survey using a descriptive, survey research design. Survey responses were used from 1,315 study participants.

Results: There were 5 health policy related items evaluated: 1) tattoo artists should be licensed, 2) …

Provider Recommendations For Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (Hpv) Among Adolescent Males In Southwest Georgia Counties And The Associated Hpv Prevalence In This Population, Benjamin K. Poku

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this research study was to examine the variation in healthcare providers’ behavior in recommending the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to young male adolescents (aged 11-12), middle male adolescents (aged 13-17) and late male adolescents (aged 18-26) in rural Southwest Georgia counties. This research also aimed to identify factors associated with providers’ behaviors concerning HPV vaccination recommendation to youth in various age groups.

Methods: Upon IRB approval, secondary data were obtained from Albany Area Primary Care for a paper-based survey that was conducted in 2014 using a representative random sample of family physicians (n=12), pediatricians (n=6), and …