Other Public Health Commons^™

Headache And Its Association With Adhd/Add And Stimulant Medication, Claire Nitzsche

Honors Scholar Theses

Years of research has shown that headache (in terms of frequency, duration, and severity) is perpetuated by dysregulation of lifestyle behaviors such as sleep habits, eating habits, level of stress, physical activity etc. Our project aims to explore the potential combined and independent impacts that having ADHD/ADD and taking stimulant drugs have on disrupting one’s lifestyle and examine whether dysregulated lifestyle behaviors contribute to one’s headache experience. No research has investigated how both ADHD/ADD and stimulant drug use effect headache experience. In this cross-sectional study, 177 UConn undergraduate students completed a 10-minute survey regarding lifestyle behaviors and headache experience. Participants …

Navigating Post-Covid A Guide For Young Adults Recovering From Mild To Moderate Cases Of Covid-19, Chesley Ferris

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

COVID-19 is a new strain of the Human Coronavirus. There are many types of Human Coronavirus, with COVID-19, or the Coronavirus Disease, being discovered in December 2019. COVID-19 is classified as a mild to severe upper respiratory illness. It can affect people differently, with some being asymptomatic, or having no symptoms, and others having mild, to moderate or severe symptoms. Symptoms can also present differently in each person. One person may not have the same symptoms as another.The virus is easily transmittable, meaning it can travel from person to person quickly and easily. This is why it is important to …

Heavy Metals In Ends Liquids: A Comparative Analysis Of Products From The United States, England, Canada, And Australia, Ashleigh Coggins-Block

Forensic Science Theses

The International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Project 4-Country Survey, which this thesis is a part of, aims to compare policies and electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products between the United States, England, Canada, and Australia. Since they can pose many serious health risks, this thesis investigated the presence of and source of heavy metals, including lead, nickel, chromium, and cadmium, in ENDS e-liquids. The source of these metals in ENDS e-liquids has been disputed between cultivated tobacco used to derive nicotine and the metal parts of ENDS devices. ENDS purchased in 2017 from each of the four countries of …

Are School Lunches Contributing To The Obesity Epidemic Among Children?, Luis Chavez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Childhood obesity is a major public health issue in the United States (U.S.) and recent data have shown that the incidence and prevalence have been increasing over the past 20 years. Poor dietary habits are often attributed to these increasing rates. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides meals and snacks to over 30 million students. Therefore, determining whether an association exists between student participation in the NSLP, and their respective body mass index (BMI) is critical. Few studies have examined a family’s economic stability and the child’s race as potential moderating variables. This study aimed to investigate …

Comparison Of Mortality Data From Nebraska’S Rural & Metropolitan Health Districts, Claire Figi

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

As there has been minimal research done on the correlation between communities identified as rural or metropolitan and their mortality rates, this research aims to provide baseline evidence that mortality rates associated with non-infectious and infectious diseases are connected to an area’s rural or metropolitan classification. This study analyzed public data from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control to compare mortality rates related to the top two causes of death in both rural and metropolitan health districts of the state of Nebraska, United States. This data was then compared to mortality rates …

Covid-19: The Vaccine Race Continues, L. Hayley Burgess, Carley Castelein, Andrew Rubio, Mandelin K. Cooper

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Over a year has passed since the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic. As mitigation efforts continue, COVID-19 has claimed over half a million lives in the United States and 3.1 million lives globally. The development and availability of vaccines delivering immunity to prevent COVID-19 offers hope to end the pandemic.

Emergency use authorizations from the Food and Drug Administration have been issued in the United States for three vaccines, one each from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen/J&J. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are both mRNA vaccines with efficacy of 95% and 94.1% respectively, while the vector-based vaccine from Janssen/J&J has …

Covid-19 And Challenges To The Traditional Understanding Of Individual Medical Autonomy, Callon A. Green

Honors Theses

Throughout history, vaccines have provided the human population with the ability to combat dangerous illnesses and avoid preventable suffering. Despite the benefits vaccines provide to the public health of the United States, anti-vaccination sentiment and resistance to vaccine uptake are still prevalent in the modern day. As the COVID-19 pandemic has developed into a major public health crisis that can be controlled through vaccination, the issues underlying vaccine resistance are becoming more critical to return to normal life. Using COVID-19 as a case study, it is evident that the individual choice to deny vaccination can have consequences on the health …

The Effect Of Chronic Alcohol Consumption On Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage In Young Men, Emma Hamilton, Grant Hilliard

Honors Theses

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of chronic alcohol consumption on exercise-induced muscle damage of the knee extensors in young men. METHODS: Twenty-one males (age 21.9 ± 1.1 yr; weight 183.4 ± 27.6 lbs; height 174.0 ± 13.1 cm) performed 100 maximal eccentric contractions at 30°/sec of the knee extensors using their non-dominant leg. The isometric and isokinetic muscle strengths (60°/sec and 180°/sec) were measured pre-exercise and immediately, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, and 120 h post-exercise. Muscle soreness and plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity were measured pre-exercise and 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, and …

Do Bagasi Change The Exclusive Breastfeeding Knowledge And Attitudes?, Wido Gamani, Laras Sitoayu, Rachmanida Nuzrina, Lintang Purwara Dewanti, Anugrah Novianti

Indonesian Journal of Public Health Nutrition (IJPHN)

The achievement of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in the world and in Indonesia is still low. One of the obstacles to EBF is that the mother works. Cooler bag is a familiar media for working mothers to provide breast milk. This research uses modified cooler bags which contain information on how to provide EBF for working mothers, called bagASI. This study aims to determine the effect of bagASI on the EBF knowledge and attitudes of working pregnant women. The research method is Quasi Experimental with Pre Test - Post Test and the number of respondents is 34 working pregnant women. Respondents …

Factors Associated With Underweight Among Two Years Old Children In Dki Jakarta Province (Indonesian Family Life Survey 2014), Nabilla Atelya, Ratu Ayu Dewi Sartika, Winda Mulianingsih

Indonesian Journal of Public Health Nutrition (IJPHN)

A good health status, cognitive development, and productivity cannot be achieved without good nutrition. Nutritional status and its fulfilment of two years old children will be shaping the health status in the next age period. Unfortunately, nutritional problems like underweight is still a significant health problem in Indonesia, especially Special Capital Region of Jakarta. This study used secondary data achieved from Indonesian Family Life Survey 5 data in 2014. This study used a cross-sectional study design with a total of 135 samples of two years old children using a total sampling. Accordingly, the chi square test was used to find …

Food Insecurity Associated With Double-Burden Of Malnutrition Among Women In Reproductive Age In Ciampea Sub-District, Bogor, West Java, Seala Septiani, Ismi Irfiyanti, Tran Thi Hai, Luh Ade Wiradnyani, Aria Kekalih, Paulus Daniel Sahanggamu

Indonesian Journal of Public Health Nutrition (IJPHN)

Double burdens of malnutrition among women have occurred across most developing countries including Indonesia. This study compared the associated factors among overweight and underweight of women in reproductive age (WRA) in rural Ciampea Sub-district, Bogor, West Java. This cross-sectional study surveyed the nutritional status of 575 mothers (16-49 years old) who have under two-years-old children. Nutritional status was assessed by body-mass-index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), food security status by US-Food Security Survey Module (US-FSSM), dietary intake by a single 24-H dietary recall. The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obese among this group were 10%, 15.8%, and 34.2%. Food …

Fulfilment Of Minimum Acceptable Diet As Dominant Factor In Wasting In Children Aged 6–23 Months In Central Jakarta, Indonesia, 2019, Ervida Andina, Madinar Madinar, Endang Laksminingsih Achadi

Indonesian Journal of Public Health Nutrition (IJPHN)

Wasting is a form of acute malnutrition characterized by significant and rapid weight loss resulting from inadequate food intake and infectious diseases. This study was to investigate the factors associated with wasting in children aged 6–23 months and the dominant factor among these. The study followed a cross-sectional study design. A total sample of 261 children was selected using multistage random sampling from 13 integrated healthcare centres in six administrative villages located in three sub-districts of Central Jakarta. Data was collected by measuring body weight and height and questionnaires completed through interviews carried out by trained data collectors. This study …

Underweight In Child Aged 24-59 Months In North Sumatra: The 2014 Indonesia Family Life Survey Data, Salsabila Kurnianingtyas, Ratu Ayu Dewi Sartika, Winda Mulia Ningsih

Indonesian Journal of Public Health Nutrition (IJPHN)

Underweight has the biggest risk against burden of disease. The aim of the study was to determine the factors related with underweight in child aged 24-59 months lived in North Sumatra based on three characteristics caused an underweight; there are child characteristics, maternal characteristics, and parenting characteristics. This study used cross-sectional design and using chi-square statistical analysis. The sample used in this study was 280 child aged 24-59 months living in North Sumatra province, Indonesia. The data was obtained from 2014 Indonesian Family Life Survey collected by RAND Corporation. Prevalence of underweight in child aged 24-59 months lived in North …

Thyreos Completes Seed Funding From Invest Nebraska, Strategic Angel Investors, Nebraska Combine

The Combine

First paragraph:

Thyreos (https://www.thyreosvaccines.com/), a vaccine company that is developing a novel vaccine platform that protects against a range of herpesviruses, has announced a $750,000 investment round led by Invest Nebraska with participation from other local angel investors in the animal health and veterinary space.

Cannabis Use, Sedentary Behavior, And Physical Activity In A Nationally Representative Sample Of Us Adults, Lydia Q. Ong, John Belletierre, Citlali Alvorado, Paul Chavez, Vincent Berardi

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Prior research examining the relationship between cannabis use, sedentary behavior, and physical activity has generated conflicting findings, potentially due to biases in the self-reported measures used to assess physical activity. This study aimed to more precisely explore the relationship between cannabis use and sedentary behavior/physical activity using objective measures.

Methods

Data were obtained from the 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 2,092 participants (ages 20–59; 48.8% female) had accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Participants were classified as light, moderate, frequent, or non-current cannabis users depending on how often they used …

Predicting Academic Success Using Grit And Academic Resiliency In College Freshmen, Julianna Boyle

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if there are other factors that could predict academic success. Specifically, is there an association between Grit and Academic Resiliency prior to the start of a semester and academic success (defined by GPAs) in college freshmen. This study also explored students’ experiences of high school, effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, perception about their journey through the beginning of their College freshmen year, and perception about success.

Methods: A mixed methods design was used. A quantitative survey was emailed to all incoming UT Tyler Freshmen students prior to the Fall …

Suppression Of Human Coronavirus 229e Infection In Lung Fibroblast Cells Via Rna Interference, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Jennifer Totonchy, Parvin Mahdipoor, Keykavous Parang, Hasan Uludağ

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Despite extensive efforts to repurpose approved drugs, discover new small molecules, and develop vaccines, COVID-19 pandemic is still claiming victims around the world. The current arsenal of antiviral compounds did not perform well in the past viral infections (e.g., SARS), which casts a shadow of doubt for use against the new SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines should offer the ultimate protection; however, there is limited information about the longevity of the generated immunity and the protection against possible mutations. This study uses Human Coronavirus 229E as a model coronavirus to test the hypothesis that effective delivery of virus-specific siRNAs to infected cells will …

370— Treatment For Alcohol Addiction Among Native Americans In The United States, Jacob Reid

GREAT Day Posters

This poster aims to summarize some of the issues and policies surrounding alcohol addiction among Native Americans in the US.

Final Culminating Project: Program Development, Erin Helms

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This 16-week capstone project was completed at Parker Place, a children’s health, and wellness center, with a focus on program development and advocacy with additional work related to leadership and administration. The overall goal of the capstone project was to determine the benefit of using an occupation-based approach to enhance health outcomes for the patients at Parker Place. The capstone student provided education about the role of occupational therapy in a non-traditional setting, created a program to help patients acquire sustainable healthy habits, developed a workshop for families struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and provided resources about picky eating …

Trade War, Ppe, And Race, Ernesto A. Hernandez-Lopez

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Tariffs on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as face masks and gloves, weaken the American response to COVID. The United States has exacerbated PPE shortages with Section 301 tariffs on these goods, part of a trade war with China. This has a disparate impact felt by minority communities because of a series of health inequity harms. COVID’s racial disparity appears in virus exposure, virus susceptibility, and COVID treatments. This Article makes legal, policy, and race-and-health arguments. Congress has delegated to the United States Trade Representative expansive authority to increase tariffs. This has made PPE supplies casualties of the trade war. …

Pandemic Emotions: The Good, The Bad, And The Unconscious —Implications For Public Health, Financial Economics, Law, And Leadership, Peter H. Huang

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Pandemics lead to emotions that can be good, bad, and unconscious. This Article offers an interdisciplinary analysis of how emotions during pandemics affect people’s responses to pandemics, public health, financial economics, law, and leadership. Pandemics are heart-breaking health crises. Crises produce emotions that impact decision-making. This Article analyzes how fear and anger over COVID-19 fueled anti-Asian and anti-Asian American hatred and racism. COVID-19 caused massive tragic economic, emotional, mental, physical, and psychological suffering. These difficulties are interconnected and lead to vicious cycles. Fear distorts people’s decision readiness, deliberation, information acquisition, risk perception, and thinking. Distortions affect people’s financial, health, and …

Grant Application For The Hearts And Hands Clinic, Christine Cooper, Ariellah Ward

Eagle Showcase: Excellence in Service-Learning (Archived)

During our service-learning course on public health funding and grant writing, we had the opportunity to work at the Hearts and Hands Clinic. During the pandemic, many families lost their income and healthcare insurance. Thus, facing uncertainties about where to obtain medical care. The clinic wanted to expand its existing chronic care program to an underserved community in Evans County. Our task was to prepare a grant application for the clinic to secure the funding needed to help vulnerable adults better manage their chronic disease and prevent further complications. Engaging in this applied experience allowed us to improve our implementation …

Perceptions Of Covid-19 In College Students: Effect On Emotional Well-Being, Mikayla N. Murphy

Honors College Theses

This study explores the connection between emotional well-being of college students and the COVID-19 pandemic. Many physical distancing practices have negatively affected emotional well-being, such as increased time alone and screen time. A purposive sample of convenience was utilized to collect information on the emotional well-being of a selected group of students at two time points: January through March 2020 and January/February 2021. Students from the Honors College were selected as the study population. The survey questions were administered electronically through Qualtrics software, Version: February 2021. Of the 101 survey responses obtained between January 27 and February 22, 2021, 89 …

P6: Predictors Of Compliance With Covid-19 Related Non- Pharmaceutical Interventions Amongst University Students, Spencer G. Shumway, Ethan R. Tolman, Jonas D. Hopper, David Patterson, Gabriella Hubble, Jamie L. Jensen Dr.

Annual Research Symposium

College campuses have been an area where the novel coronavirus has spread rapidly, thus this study is focused on compliance with COVID-19 related non-pharmaceutical interventions among college students.
We surveyed over 600 college students from across the United States and modeled predictors of compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions. To determine how applicable nationwide modeling might be to individual local campuses we also administered this same survey to nearly 600 students at two large universities in Utah County (Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University). We then ran structural equation modeling (SEM) to determine what factors are related to student compliance with …

Effects Of News And Threat Perceptions On Americans’ Covid-19 Precautionary Behaviors, Riva Tukachinsky Forster, Megan A. Vendemia

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Our study examines the relationship between news exposure at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, personal threat beliefs, beliefs about others’ threat perceptions, and participation in precautionary actions. A survey of 377 U.S . adults revealed a significant main effect of news exposure on various precautionary behaviors (e.g., facial mask wear, physical distancing). Personal threat beliefs and beliefs about others’ threat perceptions serve as unique mechanisms mediating the effect of news on specific CDC-recommended and less socially desirable actions. These findings can guide news sources covering health crises in a socially responsible manner.

Economic Insecurity As A Risk Factor During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Klaus E. Cavalhieri

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently spreading at a rapid rate worldwide. The current pandemic may have several adverse effects on overall psychological functioning and health behaviors. Economic insecurity, operationalized as financial strain and employment uncertainty, can be a significant risk factor for both psychological outcomes and compliance with shelter-in-place recommendations (i.e., health behaviors). One hundred and twenty four participants answered survey data on economic security, fear of COVID-19, health care system distrust, anxiety, well-being, and compliance with CDC recommendations to curb the spread of COVID-19 (i.e., health behaviors; CDC, 2020). Economic security was significantly associated with well-being, …

An Opportunity To Partner With Community Organizations To Collect Data On Asian Americans, Victoria Wang, Karen Kim

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: There is a shortage of health data for Asian American (AA) populations. This shortfall may be improved through the involvement of AA-serving community-based organizations (CBOs).

Objectives: This study assesses the feasibility of and interest among CBOs in creating a AA community-based data registry.

Methods: Leaders of CBOs were interviewed to assess their current data collection framework and their attitudes towards a shared data registry.

Results: Qualitative analysis shows CBOs are active in data collection, find data to be instrumental to their mission, and are interested in contributing to a broader data registry.

Discussion: The inclusion …

Are Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated With Health Behaviors Among College Students: Emotion Regulation As A Potential Moderator, Margaret Winters

Senior Theses

In this study, we sought to examine the relations among adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), physical activity (PA), sleep quality, and emotion regulation in college students. ACEs have been proven to have a dose-response relation with adverse health outcomes in adulthood, including heart disease, cancer, lung disease, liver disease, poor mental health, and risky health behaviors (Felitti et al., 1998; Merrick et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2020). ACEs have also been previously associated with poor sleep quality and emotion dysregulation (Kajeepeta, Gelaye, Jackson, & Williams, 2015[WL1] ; Kim & Cicchetti, 2010). Given these findings, we sought to examine how …

Vaccine Hesitancy & Study Of Attitudes And Barriers Towards The Influenza Vaccine In Public Health Students At Liberty University, Mikayla Zook

Senior Honors Theses

Every year 2.5 million deaths worldwide are prevented because of vaccinations. Vaccine hesitancy is defined as delayed acceptance or refusal of vaccination and is a global threat to public health. Attitudes and barriers towards vaccines vary and change from group to group. Eighty-five percent of surveyed public health students at Liberty University did not receive the seasonal influenza vaccine. Their attitudes and barriers included: “I did not have time to receive a flu vaccination”, “I believe that as a result of the flu shot, I may actually get the flu”, and “I do not believe I am in danger of …

The Financing Need For Expanding Paid Maternity Leave To Support Breastfeeding In The Informal Sector In The Philippines, Valerie Gilbert Ulep, Paul Zambrano, Janice Datu-Sanguyo, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Graciela Materuel Belismelis, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, Grace J. Carrol, Roger Mathisen

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

In low- and middle-income countries, almost three-fourths of women in the labour force lack maternity protection. In the Philippines, current laws do not guarantee paid maternity leave to workers in the informal economy. A non-contributory maternity cash transfer to informal sector workers could be used to promote social equity and economic productivity and could provide health benefits by helping mothers meet their breastfeeding goals. The objective of the study is to provide a realistic cost estimate and to assess the financial feasibility of implementing a publicly financed, non-contributory maternity cash transfer programme to the informal sector in the Philippines. Using …