Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Multilevel Factors Affecting Food Choices Among Families With Low Incomes During The Covid-19 Crisis, Tyler Munn, Maggie Beverly, Taylor Young, Matt Janetti, Kelly A. Courts, Eliza W. Kinsey, Amy Carroll-Scott, Félice Lê-Scherban

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

Frequencies And Types Of Unmet Needs Of Families With Children And Youth With Special Health Care Needs Undergoing A Preparedness Intervention, Braden Bubarth, Jennifer Griffin, Zekarias Berhane, Renee Turchi

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

“Heat Mapping” Of Pediatric And Adolescent Gun Violence In An Urban Center: Is Targeted Intervention One Possible Solution?, Emerson Rowe, Abbey Glover, Martin J. Herman

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy: An Analysis Of Caregiver Influences On Pediatric Covid-19 Vaccination Decisions, Neiki Rokni, Shu Zhao Md, Matthew Nguyen, David Liu, Harrison Jordan Do, Jory Parson, Sidharth Sahni Do, Tanner Walsh Md, Ashley Henderson Md, Jennifer Higgins Md

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

Barriers To Healthcare Access Between English And Spanish Speakers In An Underserved Population, Adeena Javed, Dale Johnson, Gerardo J. Rivera-Colón, Nathaniel J. Byrnes, Kristin Bertsch, Anne C. Jones

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

• According to the NJ State Department of Health, Atlantic County has higher rates of smoking, respiratory disease, hypercholesterolemia, as well as death rates due to coronary heart disease, HIV, and all cancers compared to the NJ state average1,2.

• With over 20% of Atlantic County's population identifying as Hispanic, Spanish speakers encounter greater obstacles compared to their English-speaking counterparts in accessing healthcare services and improving health outcomes1,2 .

• Existing research indicates that various factors, including health insurance coverage, proximity to healthcare facilities, transportation options, health literacy levels, and trust in the medical profession, significantly influence access to healthcare …

Cut The Pressure: Blood Pressure Screening In A Community Based Setting, Harold Kareem Knight Jr., Katharine Milani

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

This study addresses the pressing issue of cardiovascular health disparities in African American males through community-based interventions, specifically blood pressure screenings and surveys conducted in a local barbershop setting. Despite a preference among participants for clinical settings, an overwhelming 97.7% expressed high comfort levels in the community-based environment, highlighting the importance of culturally sensitive approaches in healthcare delivery. With 92.5% indicating willingness to return for future screenings, the study underscores the efficacy of non-traditional settings in fostering healthcare engagement. Findings suggest the potential for broader impact through scalable, community-centric initiatives, offering promising avenues for improving health outcomes in underserved populations.

Sunscreen Cost And Its Effect On Skin Cancer In Low-Income Communities: A Systemic Review, John Sauer

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

This research examines the pivotal connection between sunscreen affordability and its impact on skin cancer prevalence, especially in low-income communities. Despite universal dermatological recommendations for daily sunscreen use, stringent criteria contribute to elevated prices, averaging around $10 for a 6 oz unit. This financial strain is compounded for families adhering to recommended application rates, leading to significant economic burdens. Outdoor laborers, less likely to follow guidelines, face heightened risks. Government programs' excluding sunscreen costs further exacerbate challenges for low-income communities, contributing to increased skin cancer incidence. This review aims to establish a correlation between sunscreen cost and skin cancer rates, …

Unveiling The Impact: Structural Racism And Childhood Lead Exposure's Health Consequences In Philadelphia, Mahhum Naqvi, Mahrukh Naqvi, Justin Stout, Colton Spencer

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Childhood lead exposure poses a significant risk to health and well-being, adversely affecting brain function, nervous system development, and behavioral patterns. This study examines the health disparities and inequities associated with childhood lead exposure in Philadelphia, focusing on structural racism and residential segregation as crucial lenses for analysis. By delving into the sociocultural context of lead exposure, this study underscores the imperative of collaborative efforts among stakeholders to safeguard Philadelphia's most vulnerable populations. Healthcare professionals and policymakers play pivotal roles in enhancing funding and prevention strategies. Addressing this issue through the prism of structural racism allows for the identification and …

Evaluating The Oral Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Dental Patients In South India - A Descriptive Study, Dheekshitha P K, Sudeep C B Dr., Sunil P M Dr., Suji M Dr.

Annual Research Symposium

This study aims to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life among dental patients in South India.

Expanding Health Professional Education In The Rio Grande Valley During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sabrina R. Orta, Samantha G. Alvarado, Shuchita Jhaveri

Research Symposium

Purpose: The COVID-19 Pandemic has prompted innovation in health professional education, such that learners are able to recognize and mitigate healthcare disparities in the outcomes of vulnerable populations. The objective of our project was to increase education on preventing, preparing for, and responding to COVID-19 and other locally prevalent infectious diseases that disproportionately affect RGV communities.

Description: This project had 3 goals: (1) provide learners with virtual patient-interaction simulations (2) provide interactive training modules on the identification, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases affecting South TX and strategies to increase child vaccinations, and (3) provide learners an opportunity to coordinate …

Interdisciplinary Integrated Primary And Behavioral Healthcare (I2pbh) Initiative, John Ronnau, Deepu George, Maria Hernandez, Evan Garcia, Myrna Ruiz

Research Symposium

Purpose: The Interdisciplinary Integrated Primary and Behavioral Healthcare (I²PBH) initiative will train University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) mental health graduates to deliver high quality, evidence-based Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) services in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) – a high-need, high-demand, medically underserved Hispanic region along the US-Mexico border. Specifically, the I²PBH initiative will train 24 UTRGV mental health graduates annually to deliver high-quality Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) clinical services through the evidence based Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model. With a training emphasis on basic/advanced theory and clinical skills in the PCBH model, students …

Primary Care Behavioral Health Partnerships Advancing & Transforming Health Sciences (Pcbh Paths), Kristan Diaz-Rios, Deepu George, Maria Hernandez, Evan Garcia, Myrna Ruiz, Salvador Arellano Iii

Research Symposium

Purpose: Primary Care Behavioral Health Partnerships Advancing & Transforming Health Sciences (PCBH PATHS) is a workforce development pipeline project aimed at permanently augmenting UTRGV’s institutional capacity to address shortage of an Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) competent workforce locally, regionally and nationally. Our initiative, aligned with UTRGV strategic priorities and key initiatives, will integrate basic(model specific strategy and operational elements), mid-level (role identity and profession specific behavioral competencies specific to each health profession), and advanced (behavioral medicine clinical skills) applications of the evidence based PCBH model of delivery. A PCBH focused delivery system (clinical and educational), in which primary care providers …

Barriers To Colorectal Cancer Screening For Low-Income Hispanic Men In Urban Areas Between 50-75, Alex Vega

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although CRC screening rates have improved in non-Hispanic whites (NHW), Hispanic adult males (HAM) aged 50-75 in urban areas continue to experience low screening rates and higher CRC morbidity and mortality. This review aims to identify the barriers to CRC screening among HAM and propose targeted interventions to increase screening rates. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Key search terms included "colorectal cancer", "screening", "Hispanic adult males", "urban", "barriers", and "interventions". Factors identified include poverty, language …

Cardiovascular Disease Prediction Modelling: A Machine Learning Approach, Usmaan Al-Shehab, Maduka Gunasinghe, Yousuf Elkhoga, Nimay Patel, Juliana Yang

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The objective of this project is to utilize the UCI Heart Disease dataset to identify physiological biomarkers that are highly correlated with heart disease incidence. A predictive model can then be developed using these biomarkers to estimate the likelihood of someone having or developing a heart-related condition. This study compares the efficacy of predicting cardiovascular disease as an outcome using three machine learning algorithms: Support Vector Machine, Gaussian Naive Bayes, and logistic regression. Support Vector Machine works by creating hyperplanes between data points to conduct classification. Gaussian Naive Bayes works by using the conditional probabilities of events to classify the …

Food Insecurity And Dietary Restrictions, Courtney Williams, Savana Rodriguez, Tiffany Guerrero, Stephen Acheampong, Vanesa Pizutelli

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

According to the USDA Food Insecurity affects around 10.2 percent of the US population as of 2021. For families that have members with certain dietary restriction such as, but not limited to diabetes, hypertension, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, and food allergies, the challenge of securing food becomes an even greater burden with having to navigate food banks or discount stores that may not offer food items that meet their dietary requirements. Families with dietary restrictions often face greater food insecurity and less access to food. More research is needed to understand the challenges families with dietary restrictions face regarding food …

Healthcare Disparities In The Lgbtqia+ Community: A Scoping Review Of Community Vs Provider Experiences, Uttara Hardikar, Alisha Vincent, Venkateswar Venkataman, Millicent Channell

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: It is well-established that healthcare disparities exist in the LGBTQIA+ community. The divide is a growing concern exacerbated by recent changes in the healthcare and sociopolitical climate. To eliminate this divide and find ways to deliver better outcomes to the LGBTQIA+ is a dire need. This report analyzes the possible reasons from the community as well as the providers perspective, with a goal to find best practices that could be implemented in both components.

Methods: A scoping literature review was carried out as described below to collect perspectives from both sides: patients as well as providers.

Results: From patient …

Immigration Status And Household Income As Predictors Of Childhood Obesity, Bhaumik Patel, Jeffery Powers

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Childhood obesity rates have been on a remarkably steep rise in recent years. According to recent literature, the rate in the United States alone has more than doubled compared to other regions in the world such as Australia, Canada and Europe1,2 . Especially in the African immigrant community, there has been speculation of a higher prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States3 . This warranted further investigation into demographic factors impacting childhood obesity rates and their subsequent consequences with other clinical diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The CDC reports that in 2011-2014, among individuals ages 2 to …

Cultural Food Accomodations In South New Jersey, Anahit Stepanyan, Resty Mercado, David Jiang

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

NJ is a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities, each bringing their own unique customs and traditions. Of these traditions, diet and food are one of the most renowned distinctions and some of the most celebrated.

In response, several Public School districts have made halal and kosher food reforms to accommodate the rise in the Muslim and Jewish student body.

These menu accommodations were made in response to concerns about a lack of halal food options, which negatively impacted Muslim and Jewish students' health and mental well-being and can be recognized as a health disparity disadvantaging Muslim American student …

Radical Youth Work: A Community Based Approach To Working With Youth, Young Adults And Families, Weston J. Robins

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Eternal Strength Center for Radical Youth Work is a blended community center with customizable mental health therapeutic support for youth, young adults and families. Providing humanistic and person centered psychotherapy and counseling, alongside experiential therapies and community engagement we support families and youth struggling with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self harm, suicidality and other challenges on their developmental growth journey.

The Current State Of Underrepresented Osteopathic Minorities In Competitive Specialties, Emmanuel Oyalabu, Steve Guzman, Dashon Eure, Ezenna Obilor

Annual Research Symposium

It is well documented that barriers exist for underrepresented minorities to enter the field of medicine and even more competitive residencies. As defined by the NRMP, competitive specialties include but are not limited to Interventional Radiology, Orthopedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Radiation Oncology, Vascular Surgery, Neurosurgery, Dermatology, and Otornylogy (NRMP-AMA). A large number of osteopathic medical school graduates have a history of going into primary care specialties because many osteopathic medical schools have a primary care focus (Primary Care- Osteopathic Medicine). The emphasis on primary care, whether intentional or not, can foster a less-than-advantageous environment for underrepresented minority students (URM), pursuing …

Peer Deviance As A Predictor Of E-Cigarette Use Pre And Post Pandemic, Jenna Dunham, Heather Kissel, Ty Brumback

Posters-at-the-Capitol

There is growing concern regarding the use of e-cigarettes among younger demographics. Also known as vaping, e-cigarettes have been posited as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes and have increased in popularity due to marketing, added flavors, and discreet delivery methods (Durkin et al., 2021; Hart et al., 2017). Research has shown dangerous and adverse outcomes of using e-cigarettes, including mood disorders, attention deficit, addiction, and lung injury (Durkin et al., 2021; Krishnasamy et al., 2020).

Peer group deviance is associated with risky external behaviors in young adults and youth (Durkin et al., 2021; Kendler et al., 2016). This research …

The Factors That Influence Clinicians To Choose Rural Settings To Deliver Health Services, Julia Mattingly

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Years before the COVID-19 pandemic brought on a health care shortage in the United States, its rural areas were already struggling to obtain and attract primary care medical practitioners. The federal government has designed many programs with the intent of exposing clinicians to life in rural areas, but few have been successful at keeping medical practitioners in the long-term. Clinicians who are recruited to rural areas via loan repayment programs or other short-lived incentives often leave after only a few years.

In order to learn more about this long-running health policy problem, we set out to study the factors that …

Learning From Lived Experience: Substance Use Policies, Emergency Shelters, And Harm Reduction In London, On, Jesse Cram, Dena Salehipour

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Since 2018, the number of overdoses reported by London housing and emergency shelter agencies to the city of London has increased by 790%.These agencies currently have inconsistent overdose response policies that lack research-based support, and want to establish comprehensive best practices that support those involved at all levels.

Through a community based course, we initially collected and analyzed survey data from managers and staff from various London housing and emergency shelter agencies with the aim of understanding the limitations of the current approaches to the opioid crisis. Wanting to expand on this, our current project focuses on those who are …

Trends In Pediatric Obesity Of School-Aged Children During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Maryanna Schweininger, Amaani Faizal, Suzanna Hosein

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, children have been more sedentary due to nationwide school closures resulting in classes being held virtually. Due to restrictions, children could no longer participate in physical education classes and after school activities at the same frequency. The pandemic also placed a disproportionate burden on low-income families thus, potentially amplifying food insecurity. The aim of this study was to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood obesity.

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Phone Call Proactive Naloxone Co-Prescribing Enrollment, Tyler Klecha, David Aloisio, Eshani Choksi, Manasa Gowda, Christina Kanagawa, Charles M. Defendorf

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Opioid use is increasing at never-before-seen rates. As a result, it is imperative that medical facilities educate and provide resources for those who may be at risk of an opioid overdose. With our study, we aimed to see the demographics of our population here at Rowan Medicine and identify associations of those participating in our naloxone co-prescription program. Majority of enrollees in our program were aged 50 or older and identified as Caucasian. A large proportion also reported being unable to work. Given this information, improvements in our naloxone coprescription program may include spreading more awareness of the benefits of …

Identifying Motivators For Getting Vaccinated Against Sars-Cov-2 In Those Who Have Been Vaccinated. A Single Center Cross-Sectional Study, Nicole Lacap, Suzanna Hosein

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The purpose of this study is to explore the primary motivations of patients getting vaccinated against SARS-Cov-2 as well as to determine any correlations between demographic information and specific motivators. We hypothesized that generally internal motivators (being in the best interest of oneself) will predominate as the reason for vaccination. The sample consisted of 227 patients vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 at the Rowan Medicine Vaccine Clinic during the month of June 2021. Patients were given an online questionnaire collecting demographic information as well as primary reason for getting vaccinated. Preliminary analysis shows that 63% of participants were motivated by reasons that …

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). …

Public Health Interventions For Children Of Incarcerated Parents, Daniel Bullman

GS4 Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium

The impact of social and structural determinants of health have lifelong consequences on an individual’s quality of life. Literature focusing on child health and wellbeing of incarcerated parents indicate significant negative health outcomes and adopted detrimental health behaviors. Using a systematic realist review, recent publications were reviewed for their potential discussion or recommendation for interventions in changing health outcomes. This review found that additional research is needed in identifying and testing potential interventions or determining if parallel public health initiatives have had positive impacts in promoting the health behavior change process for children and adolescents of incarcerated parents.

Eta Sigma Gamma - Georgia Southern University Chapter: Breast Cancer Awareness Health Communication Plan, Jill Johns, Omolola Okunromade

Eagle Showcase: Excellence in Service-Learning

The health communication plan was used to evaluate public health communication and advocacy promotion by efficiently increasing awareness about breast health and preventive services such as mammography screening among college students and women eligible for breast cancer screening. The communication plan was targeted towards empowering the Georgia Southern University chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma (ESG) members and other college students to act as health advocates by virtually disseminating information through the Facebook platform to their peer groups and social networks including friends and families in their community.

The purposes of the program evaluation and implementation measurement were to: 1) monitor …

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 …