Other Public Health Commons^™

Five Corridors: A Community Health Needs Assessment Of Horry County, Stephen Borders, Hayley Bilko, Molly Craig, Olivia Guthrie, Ashley Mcconnell, Emily Mcgowan, Anna Quick, Abigail Rike, Makayla Wilson

Public Health

This report presents a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) of Horry County, South Carolina. Its central analytical contribution is a five-corridor framework derived from k-means cluster analysis of the county's 76 residential census tracts, drawing on social and economic indicators from the American Community Survey and health estimates from the CDC PLACES program. The analysis organizes the county into five distinct community types — Affluent Coastal Retirement, Moderate Coastal Retirement, Inland Rural/Suburban Transitional, Concentrated Disadvantage, and Hispanic Hospitality Worker — each with a characteristic profile of social and health conditions.

Within this framework, the assessment examines a range of social …

Heat And Socioeconomic Deprivation Compound To Drive Coronary Heart Disease In Los Angeles, Shutong Huo, Tessa R. Pulido, Reginald S. Archer, Joshua B. Fisher, Jason A. Douglas

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Background:

Socioeconomic deprivation and environmental heat exposure each increase cardiovascular risk, yet evidence is limited on how these stressors co-occur and jointly shape disease burden within cities. Mapping their overlap can inform equity-oriented planning and needs-based allocation of health and social protection resources.

Methods:

We conducted an ecological geospatial analysis of 2,513 census tracts in Los Angeles County. Adult coronary heart disease (CHD) prevalence was obtained from CDC Population Level Analysis and Community Estimates (2021). Socioeconomic deprivation was measured using the Social Deprivation Index (SDI), and heatwave surface heat hazard was measured using land surface temperature (LST) retrieved from the …

Investigating The Risk Factors Affecting The Control Of Diabetes And Hypertension In The Refugees Living In Egypt, Noura Seada

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 74% of global deaths, with high prevalence of Diabetes and Hypertension worldwide. Egypt hosts over 1 million registered refugees and asylum seekers, often lacking inclusion in social protection or insurance schemes. This study aimed to assess the factors affecting the control of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and Hypertension (HTN) among Syrian and Sudanese refugees in Egypt, focusing on healthcare access, sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and health behaviours.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design using a self-administered questionnaire and BMI measurement. Data were collected from 246 refugees diagnosed with type T2D and/or HTN in the …

Findings From A National Assessment To Support Implementation Of Cooperative Extension’S 2021 National Framework For Health Equity And Well-Being, Diana Charbonneau, Kerry Gabbert, Latoya O'Neal, Dawn E. Burton, Maggie Jones, Kate Katzman, Roger Rennekamp

Journal of Extension

Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being provides a roadmap for improving the health of communities. Core concepts include installing health equity a systemwide value and catalyzing community-level changes that ensure all people have an opportunity to be as healthy as they can. This article presents findings from a national readiness assessment for implementing the Framework across Extension. Results from a literature scan, national survey, and regional listening sessions identified internal facilitators and barriers to adoption. The article provides ideas for how Extension practitioners can engage in this work and shares an action plan developed from assessment results.

Leveraging The Science Of Early Life Predictability To Inform Policies Promoting Child Health, Laura M. Glynn, Sabrina R. Liu, Candice Taylor Lucas, Elysia Poggi Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Addressing the tremendous burden of early-life adversity requires constructive dialogues between scientists and policy makers to improve population health. Whereas dialogues focused on several aspects of early-life adversity have been initiated, discussion of an underrecognized form of adversity that has been observed across multiple contexts and cultures is only now emerging. Here we provide evidence for “why unpredictability?”, including: 1. Evidence that exposures to unpredictability affect child neurodevelopment, with influences that persist into adulthood. 2. The existence of a translational non-human animal model of exposure to early life unpredictability that can be capitalized upon to causally probe neurobiological mechanisms. 3. …

Health For All: Evaluating The Impact Of Equity-Centered Approaches On U.S. Healthcare Delivery, A Review Of Literature, Angela Leung

Master's Projects and Capstones

This literature review examines the impact of equity-centered approaches on issues affecting U.S. healthcare delivery—multiple databases to identify relevant literature that discussed equity-centered care, associated health disparities, and implementation strategies. Of the 490 search results, ten articles remained after refining the search results to include papers published between 2014-2024 and fit the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The key findings highlight the benefits of equity-centered approaches in improving the quality and accessibility issues affecting the U.S. healthcare system. Presently, the status of equity work is siloed between healthcare systems in the U.S., creating an unprecedented roadblock. Nonetheless, the findings suggest …

A Brief Overview Of Food Insecurity In Southern New Jersey, Lisa Ting Huang, Krisha Darji, Jariatou Diallo, Amin Abdul Khan

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Atlantic County, located off the Jersey Shore, faces the highest level of food insecurity in New Jersey, with a rate of 11.2% as of 2021, surpassing the state's overall rate of 8.8%. This situation contributes to health issues such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.

The objective of this research is to understand and address the persistence of food insecurity in Atlantic County. Community stakeholders and local physicians were interviewed to identify barriers and disparities contributing to food insecurity.

Methods included a literature review using keywords like "food insecurity" and "southern New Jersey". Proposed interventions suggest collaboration with health centers …

Assessing Perspectives Of A Global Health Area Of Concentration Within The Pharmd Curriculum, Jennifer Ko, Lauren Jonkman, Vidya Balakrishna Sharma, Emily Liu, Sharon E. Connor

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

While global health education in pharmacy expands, limited research has described the outcome of completing a global health area of concentration on career decisions, perceptions on cultural sensitivity, health disparity awareness, and global health competencies among pharmacists and students.

Methods

This mixed methods study enrolled 21 graduates and 17 student pharmacists who participated in a global health concentration at one school of pharmacy in the United States. Data sources included graduate interviews and surveys, student pharmacist focus groups, and global health competency self-assessments.

Results

Five themes emerged among graduates: (1) skills were applicable to diverse settings, (2) early exposure …

Evidence-Based Best Practice Toolkit For Social Determinants Of Health: A Program Evaluation Review, Bryleigh Berry

Student Scholarly Projects

Despite an increase in healthcare expenditure, racial and ethnic disparities remain a substantial concern among adult primary care patients in the United States. This is largely due to the focus on medical intervention and disregard for the underlying factors that contribute significantly to health outcomes such as economic stability, educational access and quality, healthcare access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context. The PICOT question that guided this program evaluation review project is: In adult clients seeking care at a primary care clinic (P), how does a SDOH toolkit based on the CDC framework (I) compared …

Community Engagement Education In Academic Health Centers, Colleges, And Universities, Chyke A. Doubeni, David Nelson, Elizabeth Gross Cohn, Electra Paskett, Seleshi Ayalew Asfaw, Mehek Sumar, Syed M. Ahmed, Rhonda Mcclinton-Brown, Mark L. Wieland, Anita Kinney, Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, Lisa G. Rosas, Cecilia M. Patino

Publications and Research

Community engagement (CE) is critical for advancing health equity and a key approach for promoting inclusive clinical and translational science. However, it requires a workforce trained to effectively design, implement, and evaluate health promotion and improvement strategies through meaningful collaboration with community members. This paper presents an approach for designing CE curricula for research, education, clinical care, and public health learners. A general pedagogical framework is presented to support curriculum development with the inclusion of community members as facilitators or faculty. The overall goal of the curriculum is envisioned as enabling learners to effectively demonstrate the principles of CE in …

Unearthing Historical Trauma To Advance Health Equity For Survivors Of Human Trafficking, Sandy Woo-Cater

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

In the last decade, the public health field has grown a strong interest in responding to issues related to human trafficking. This specific concentration in healthcare has made efforts to ensure this work includes culturally appropriate tools to serve patients. While curricula to guide health professionals in areas such as cultural competency, cultural responsiveness, or cultural humility exist, historical trauma is not often integrated in the understanding of health outcomes for patients experiencing human trafficking. This paper asserts that advancing health equity for these patients necessitates a deeper historical perspective.

The Impact Of Covid-19 In The Latinx Community, Laura Pedraza, Ricardo Villela, Vikki Kamatgi, Kaitlyn Cocuzzo, Ricardo Correa, Miriam Zylberglait Lisigurski

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the existing health and social disparities that affect minority groups in the United States (US), including the Latinx community. This situation has been reflected in many aspects of health, including increased morbi-mortality and reduced adherence to medical and scientific recommendations. Limited access to health care, financial challenges, migrant status, and health literacy, or lack thereof, have all hampered the Latinx community's ability to seek aid quickly and to be tested or treated effectively for this disease. This pandemic has shown that the Latinx community's socioeconomic status correlates with greater mortality rates when compared to other …

Representation Of Racial/ Ethnic Minority Individuals In The Leadership Of Major Medical Journals, Ashlin Rakhra, Gbenga Ogedegbe, Olajide Williams, Deborah Onakomaiya, Bruce Ovbiagele

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Medical journals play an important role in achieving health equity by diversifying their leadership, but there is a dearth of published data on how they are faring. The objective of this study was to assess the proportions of the underrepresented in medicine (UIM) racial/ ethnic minorities in medical journal leadership. We pre-selected 6 prominent general medicine journals, 9 prominent specialty journals, and 5 “control” journals (covering public health, health equity, and bench research), assembled names of all editors/ editorial board members listed on the website-based journal mastheads and used major public internet search engines to obtain information about sex, race, …

Digital Divide In Monterey County, Vanessa Diaz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Monterey County Health Department Planning, Evaluation and Policy (PEP) Unit's goals are to empower the community, enhance public health and safety, ensure access to care, and engage the workforce. MCHD encourages all employees to understand social justice and equity for low-income and communities of color. Understanding and addressing health inequalities and justice in the county can improve overall health for everyone. The digital divide during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted too many Monterey County residents. The lack of computer access, computer literacy, and internet access may have impacted vaccination rates and even delayed COVID-19 resources. Utilizing the Monterey County COVID-19 …

Building Health Equity One Institution At A Time: The Research Infrastructure In Minority Institutions Project, Laura H. D'Anna, Dennis G. Fisher, Lyka Eunice F. Trinidad, Carol Canjura, Jefferson L. Wood

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Developing a well-trained workforce interested in, and prepared for, conducting health equity research is an important national priority. Scientists from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) bring unique perspectives and experiences with racial, ethnic and social inequities in health and health status but often lack access to training and mentoring opportunities, which is crucial for increasing the diverse pool of investigators who are adequately prepared to conduct health disparities research and to compete for National Institutes of Health research funding. The focus of the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI) Project was to: (a) enhance CSULB’s infrastructure …