Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

Assessing The Indoor Tanning Behaviors And Risk Of Skin Cancer Among Illinois Wesleyan University Students, Ellen Cornelius '14

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

The purpose of this research is to assess the indoor tanning behaviors of students at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) in Bloomington, Illinois and formulate strategies to reduce students’ risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer is widespread, and is the second most common cancer among people aged 15-24 years. There is strong evidence to support that many skin cancer cases seen today could have been avoided if the individual had never used an indoor tanning device. Research suggests the use of indoor tanning devices is popular among college-aged females in the US, thus persuading this demographic to reduce their indoor tanning …

Socio-Cultural Barriers To Family Planning Access, Aasha Jackson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to discern barriers to family planning access and use in the Manguier quarter of Yaoundé, Cameroon based on research collected during a three week period. Questionnaires and interviews were used to measure women’s use of and opinions towards family planning consultations and methods. The spread of rumors regarding negative side effects, mistaken beliefs about family planning, husband’s disapproval, and the availability of contraceptives elsewhere were found to be the major deterrents to the use of family planning by women in this study. This research shows the need for campaigns to educate women and men alike on the …

Los Colores De La Edad, Kerry Johnson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La vejez ecuatoriana está a punto de convertirse en la población más importante del país en las siguientes décadas. El estado está elaborando planes para establecer la infraestructura de apoyo que necesitará la población de ancianos que está creciendo, pero es importante que entendamos cómo ayudarlos de la manera más adecuada. La tradición del cuidado en la casa de los hijos está cambiando, pero no es necesariamente un retraso si es que en otro lugar encuentran la compañía, el amor y las amistades que necesitan. Dentro de un asilo de ancianos es posible crear estas características si uno recrea en …

The Impact Of Social Integration On The Lived Experience Of Resilience Among Women Who Lived In Poverty During Childhood, Nedra R. Peter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is a study of the lived experience of poverty and resilience among women who lived in poverty during childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of social integration on resilience to the adverse effects of poverty. This investigation was conducted as a retrospective study. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, seven women who lived in poverty during childhood were interviewed in semi-structured interviews lasting 60 to 90 minutes. These interviews, along with a member-checking meeting, were the primary method of data collection. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis informed by van Manen (1990, 1997). The …

Fearless: Kevin Lugo, Kevin B. Lugo

SURGE

This summer, recent graduate Kevin Lugo will bike over 4,000 miles across the country to benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. His choice to bike for seventy days from Baltimore to Seattle makes him fearless! His goal is to raise $7,476 for the organization, and he reached that goal last night (although more donations are always welcome in support of fighting cancer)! Kevin explains that when he studied abroad in Denmark in the fall of 2011, he “fell in love with sustainable transportation, especially cycling.” Not only does his fearless endeavor raise money to fight cancer, but he …

Gokids Boston Youth Fitness, Training, And Research Center, Gokids Boston, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

GoKids Boston embodies innovation and leadership in youth health through life-changing programs, groundbreaking research, exceptional training opportunities, and dedication to the community with a focus on eliminating health disparities.

Cruza: The Alliance For Latino Health Through Faith And Action, A Umass Boston - Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Partnership For Community-Based Research, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

CRUZA is a community-based participatory research partnership aimed at shifting the focus from intervention delivery on an individual level to a focus on enhancing the capacity of community organizations. CRUZA intends to activate collective resources to translate scientific evidence into strategies that increase cancer screening among Latinos in Massachusetts.

The Gastón Institute’S Partnership With The Puerto Rican Cultural Center In Springfield, Ma, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

No abstract provided.

Community Research Advisory Board Incorporated: Where The Community And Researchers Meet, Horizon Center, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

CRAB is an incorporated Community Research Advisory Board that serves as a bridge to connect Roxbury residents and other inner Boston neighborhoods to research institutions in a mutually beneficial effort. These efforts increase knowledge and promote understanding about how community-based participatory research (CBPR) can help eliminate disparities in health and health care, thereby improving the health and well-being of people of color. CBPR is a collaborative approach to research, in which the research topic is a priority identified by the community. All partners and stakeholders contribute unique strengths and knowledge, and are involved equitably throughout the process.

Mirebalais, Haiti Planning Initiative, Jack Wiggin, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Mirebalais Planning Initiative (MPI), a joint project of the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston, Boston University, and the University of the West Indies, is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The initiative is a community-based participatory planning process designed to expand community leadership and decision-making capacity among community members in Mirebalais, Haiti.

Mobilizing Undergraduates To Address The Social Determinants Of Health In The Community: Year 1 Of Health Leads At Umass Boston, Luciano Ramos, Sherrod Williams, Adrienne Wald, Mark Marino

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Health Leads, a national non-profit organization, currently operates in six cities. Following successful partnerships with Harvard University and Boston University, Health Leads Boston initiated a partnership with UMass Boston in the Fall of 2012 to mobilize undergraduate students in addressing the social determinants of health for patients at Codman Square Health Center (CSHC). 16 undergraduates at UMass Boston were selected into the Health Leads program at CSHC, joining 17 students from Harvard and 4 students from BU. In 6 months, Health Leads at CSHC served 337 families, with students reporting positive experiences. Further expansion of Health Leads at UMB is …

Lift Up Your Voice! Health Care Advocacy Training Program: Empowering Older Adults, Nina M. Silverstein, Alison Gottlieb, Kelli Barton, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Lift Up Your Voice! (LUYV) is a health care advocacy training program developed by Community Catalyst and funded through Atlantic Philanthropies. LUYV directly engages older adults with chronic disease in state-based Campaign for Better Care initiatives to achieve changes in the health care delivery system.

Leadership Education In Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (Lend) - Partnership With Community-Based Organizations (Cbos), Institute For Community Inclusion, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Interdisciplinary Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND), a Maternal and Child Bureau (MCHB)-funded program providing long-term, graduate level training to health professionals and family members.

Awareness, Treatment And Control Of Hypertension In Kenya, Jacob Kariuki, Eileen M. Stuart-Shor, Samuel Kimani, James Muchira, Jessica Demita, Heather Milton, Mercy Kamau, Vincent Mutuma, Darren Golden, Peris Kariuki

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The emerging epidemic of hypertension (HTN) in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to worsen. Uncontrolled HTN is associated with CVD, high morbidity and premature mortality; hence early detection, treatment and control of HTN is critical to reduction of the associated sequelae. The study was guided by the Social Ecological Model and principles of Community Based Participatory Research.

Global Risk Assessment Of Cardiovascular Disease In Resource Constrained Settings, Jacob Kariuki, Eileen M. Stuart-Shor, Libin Zhang, Annya Volkova, Jaime Halliday, Shannon Sayer, Jessica Demita, Darren Golden, James Muchira, Samuel Kimani, Faith Maina

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an emerging problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many current guidelines recommend using global risk assessment (GRA) to quantify the risk for developing CVD and to guide treatment and policy. Most GRA tools require lipid measures which are not readily available in resource-constrained settings. Of the 3 most published non-laboratory based tools: Gaziano and Framingham substitute BMI for cholesterol; WHO does not include BMI or cholesterol.

Community Built Environment And Multilevel Social Determinants Of Obesity: Evidence From China Health And Nutrition Survey, Libin Zhang, Tim F. Liao, Laura L. Hayman

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is highest in wealthy countries like the United States, but is rapidly increasing in less developed countries. From 1992 to 2002, China had an increase from 14.6% to 21.8% in overweight and obesity. Social determinants of obesity in developing countries remain poorly understood. Further, these associations may vary by community built environment (BE) of developing countries.

The Characteristics Of Women Seeking Funding From The Dc Abortion Fund, Karin Elizabeth Bleeg

GW Research Days 2013

Objectives: To determine whether the population DCAF serves, based on current research, are those most in need of its financial services. Describe the population that DCAF is supports by age, race and ethnicity, poverty, educational attainment, union status, contraceptive method used, referral source, and number of prior pregnancies.

Methods: An adapted version of The Guttmacher Institute's National Patient Survey will be used to collect data from women who contact DCAF for financial assistance for their abortion (n=150). The data will be collected for one month and then analyzed in SPSS.

Results: Between January and March 2013 approximately 400 women contacted …

Adding Injustice To Injury - Health Perceptions, Plurality, And Power In The Ongoing Bhopal Disaster, Ruth Markwardt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Standards of health, human rights, and development are typically defined and dictated by policymakers instead of the populations directly affected by so-called development efforts. This paper seeks to contextualize global development efforts by highlighting specific local realities among the community of Bhopal Disaster survivors in Madhya Pradesh, India. As the site of the world’s largest industrial disaster, a disaster which is not over but ongoing, Bhopal represents an important population to highlight as the disaster continues. The Political Ecology of Health model was used to highlight political and environmental influences on community health. Within Political Ecology, this study takes a …

Fa’Amatala Lau Tala: Samoan Pregnancy And Childbirth Narratives, Elsa Kendall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pregnancy is, for each individual woman, situated in a particular historical, social, and cultural understanding of her own body; the experience cannot be divorced from these components that inform what is deemed unhealthy or inappropriate. Most social research regarding pregnancy and childbirth focuses on economic and political implications. This study explored personal narratives of Samoan women’s experience with pregnancy and childbirth to shed light on cultural aspects of events. Seven women were interviewed as key informants using informal, unstructured interviews to better understand these topics, and are presented as a compilation of stories of the most intimate parts of their …

Using Risk And Participatory Communication To Support Community-Based Decisions: The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant Future Vision Project, Anna G. Hoover

Anna G. Hoover

No abstract provided.

Addressing Economic Devastation And Built Environment Degradation To Prevent Violence: A Photovoice Project Of Detroit Youth Passages, Louis Graham, Armando Reyes, William Lopez, Alana Gracey, Rachel Snow, Mark Padilla

Louis Graham

This project increased awareness about issues of violence to youth, their communities, and policy makers through the technique of photovoice and its translation into photo exhibitions and other community events. Youth participants learned photography skills, engaged in critical communal discussions about important issues affecting their health, wrote reflective stories about their photos, and engaged in policy change efforts. Their photos depict the need to address economic devastation and built environment degradation to prevent violence in their communities. Youth presented policy makers and community leaders with an “insider’s perspective” of the issues facing their communities, with the hope of promoting policy …

Enhancing Communication Between Scientists, Government Officials, And The Lay Public: Advancing Science And Protecting The Public's Welfare Through Better Multi-Stakeholder Interfacing, Clark J. Lee, Patrick P. Rose, Earl Stoddard Iii

Homeland Security Publications

No abstract provided.

Untangling Neoliberalism’S Gordian Knot: Cancer Prevention And Control Services For Rural Appalachian Populations, George F. Bills

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

In eastern Kentucky, as in much of central Appalachia, current local storylines narrate the frictions and contradictions involved in the structural transition from a post-WWII Fordist industrial economy and a Keynesian welfare state to a Post-Fordist service economy and Neoliberal hollow state, starving for energy to sustain consumer indulgence (Jessop, 1993; Harvey, 2003; 2005). Neoliberalism is the ideological force redefining the “societal infrastructure of language” that legitimates this transition, in part by redefining the key terms of democracy and citizenship, as well as valorizing the market, the individual, and technocratic innovation (Chouliaraki & Fairclough, 1999; Harvey, 2005). This project develops …