Medicine and Health Commons^™

Healthcare Access And Health Outcomes In Southern Nevada, Jennifer Pharr, Courtney Coughenour, Shawn Gerstenberger

Nevada Journal of Public Health

In a publication from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, it was recognized that a person’s zip code was a more important predictor of health than their genetic code. Where we live influences not only our access to health care, but other health indicators as well. Clark County has a low primary care physician to population ratio compared to other counties in Nevada and in the US. Clark County also has highest rates of uninsured in the Mountain West and among the highest in the nation.

Southern Nevada fared worse than other Mountain West Metropolitan areas in health indicators and preventative …

Demographic Makeup And Population Projections For Southern Nevada: Understanding The Emerging Healthcare Needs In Our Community, Jennifer Pharr, Courtney Coughenour, Shawn Gerstenberger

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Even with a leveling-off of population growth from 2008 to 2011, Southern Nevada had one of the fastest growing populations in the nation over the past decade. While population growth is projected to increase for the next ten years, the rate of growth will be slower than in the past decade. The Hispanic population, as a percentage of the total population, is projected to surpass the White population somewhere near the year 2030. The Southern Nevada population is aging, as the median age in the region increased between 2000 and 2010. The 65+ age group is projected to increase as …

Communicating In Complex Situations: A Normative Approach To Hiv-Related Talk Among Parents Who Are Hiv+, Laura L. Edwards, Erin Donovan-Kicken, Janet S. Reis

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2014

Parents with HIV/AIDS are confronted with unique challenges when discussing HIV-related information with their children. Strategies for navigating these challenges effectively have not been systematically examined. In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 76 parents with HIV/AIDS who had children ages 10–18 years. Guided by O'Keefe and Delia's definition of a complex communication situation and Goldsmith's normative approach to interpersonal communication, we examined parents’ goals for discussing HIV-related information, factors that made conversations challenging, and instances where these conversational purposes conflicted with one another. Our data reveal the following parent–adolescent communication predicaments: relaying safety information about HIV while minimizing …

Adolescent Perceptions Of Health Through Photovoice In Cato Manor, South Africa, Renee Lamoreau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study will investigate how youth in Cato Manor perceive health in their community using photovoice as the primary methodology. Photovoice is a participatory action research method that gives participants the power to answer research questions through imagery. Participants take pictures in response to a question or prompt, and then describe a self-­‐selected number of pictures using the SHOWED process. This study will employ this methodology to answer the following questions: What objects, people, and events do youth associate with health? How do youth in Cato Manor define health and sickness? The following report will summarize the social and physical …

Citizenship Documentation Requirement For Medical Eligibility: Effects On Oregon Children, Brigit A. Hatch, Jennifer E. Devoe, Jodi A. Lapidus, Matthew J. Carlson, Bill J. Wright

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 mandated Medicaid beneficiaries to document citizenship. Using a prospective cohort (n=104,375), we aimed to (1) determine characteristics of affected children, (2) describe effects on health insurance coverage and access to needed health care, and (3) model the causal relationship between this new policy, known determinants of health care access, and receipt of needed health care.

METHODS: We identified a stratified random sample of children shortly after the DRA was implemented and used state records and surveys to compare three groups: children denied Medicaid for inability to document citizenship, children denied …

Impersonal Trust In Versus Dependence On Fda, Amanda C. Meyer

Masters Theses

This study emerged following an examination of the work by Susan Shapiro (1987) delineating the construct of impersonal trust, and Shapiro's analysis of trust was applied to an understanding of the impersonal trust relationship which Americans have with Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Few fields outside of organizational studies have undertaken efforts to operationalize impersonal trust and to distinguish it from other related constructs, so this exploratory study assessed whether variables associated with interpersonal trust as outlined by Meyer and Ward (2009) were also associated with impersonal trust in FDA. This study further examined whether measures of impersonal trust could …

Mainecare Stage A Health Homes Year 1 Report: Implementation Findings And Baseline Analysis, Kimberley S. Fox Mpa, Carolyn E. Gray Mph, Katherine Rosingana, Deborah A. Thayer Mba

Population Health & Health Policy

In January 2013, Maine established Health Homes under federal authority pursuant to Section 2703 of the Affordable Care Act to improve care coordination for MaineCare members with chronic conditions. Stage A of the Health Homes initiative focuses on members with complex medical chronic conditions. Stage B, planned for early 2014, will focus on persons with severe and persistent mental health conditions and children with serious emotional disturbances. The Stage A demonstration builds off the State’s existing Maine multi-payer Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Pilot project and Maine’s Medicare Advanced Primary Care Practice (MAPCP) Demonstration by providing add-on payments to primary …

Research Brief: "Melanoma Incidence Rates Among Whites In The U.S. Military", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about a comparison of melanoma incidence rates between white active-duty military members and the general population in the U.S. In policy and practice, health practitioners should promote skin cancer screenings for active duty service members, older personnel, and veterans; the DoD should look to prevent exposure to melanoma risk factors, such as retiring equipment containing harmful PCBs and providing protective clothing and sunscreen for military personnel who are at risk for developing melanoma. Suggestions for future research include analyzing the increase in melanoma incidence rates among younger male military personnel, analyzing the varying risk factors among the …

“Obesity Is A Disease”: Examining The Self-Regulatory Impact Of This Public-Health Message, Crystal L. Hoyt, Jeni L. Burnette, Lisa Auster-Gussman

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

In the current work, we examined the impact of the American Medical Association’s recent classification of obesity as a disease on weight-management processes. Across three experimental studies, we highlighted the potential hidden costs associated with labeling obesity as a disease, showing that this message, presented in an actual New York Times article, undermined beneficial weight-loss self-regulatory processes. A disease-based, relative to an information-based, weight-management message weakened the importance placed on health-focused dieting and reduced concerns about weight among obese individuals—the very people whom such public-health messages are targeting. Further, the decreased concern about weight predicted higher-calorie food choices. In addition, …

The Deserving And Undeserving: Examining Ontario's New Strategy For Organ And Tissue Donation, Colleen M. Connors

Social Justice and Community Engagement

The medical marvel of organ and tissue transplantation has spurred new questions about the divisible body and its potential for commodification, dividing the world into unequal populations —receivers and donors. Efforts to foster equilibrium in the supply and demand of transplantable organs have led many to argue for market-based solutions; however the role of privilege has often been made invisible in these discussions, exacerbating pre-existing global inequalities. This paper acknowledges Canadian patient engagement in systems of organ trafficking, and explores the current strategy enacted by Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) to improve organ and tissue donation and transplantation (OTDT) …

Talking About Public Health: An Analysis Of A Municipal Public Health Twitter Feed, Olivia E. Kozela

Sociology Major Research Papers

Social media has become an increasingly popular tool used by experts and laypeople alike to obtain, share, and create health information. Public health authorities have also begun to use web 2.0 platforms to share information and foster engagement with the public. Existing public health research about Twitter has explored its uses as a tool of health promotion, however communication on the Twitter platform has not yet been explored from a critical public health perspective. The purpose of this study is to analyze how talk about public health occurs online via Twitter. Using both content and discourse analysis of communication on …

A Five-Step Process For Interactive Parent–Adolescent Communication About Hiv Prevention: Advice From Parents Living With Hiv/Aids, Laura L. Edwards, Janet S. Reis

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2014

The authors investigated how parents living with HIV/AIDS communicate about HIV prevention with their 10- to 18-year-old children. Semistructured interviews with 76 mothers and fathers were analyzed for (a) their experiences discussing HIV prevention with adolescents and (b) advice for other parents about how to best broach HIV-related topics. Interactive conversations were regarded as particularly effective. A five-step process for interactive communication emerged as a result of these discussions. Parents emphasized that adolescents should have a “voice” and a “choice” in HIV-related talks. Health care professionals can facilitate adolescent sexual health by encouraging parents to actively involve their children in …

The Dual Burden Of Malnutrition: Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, Nisha Punatar, Robert C. Morrow

GW Research Days 2014

No abstract provided.

Guardian Engagement, Rachel Baywal, Jessica Carag, Laura Johns, John-Hanson Machado, Sarah Rothenberg, Indira Singh, Christie Toolin, Meghana Vijaysimha

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Senior Wellness: Young At Heart, Feda Al Sanonah, Joshua Bagley, Morgan Byrne, Erin Capina, Mamta Chaudhari, Nesreen Gusbi, Ghazal Kango, Sarah Kehl, Ashley Mills, Shaunak Mulani, Erin Prendergast

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Veterans History Project Learning Community, Haley Brightman, Regina Desantis, Cristal Magana, Linda Nguyen, Onize Oniwon, Matt Shupler, Patrick Zornow

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Helping The Community From The Bottom Up: Distributing Diapers To The Williamsburg Community, Constance A. Hull, Caroline Kelsey

VA Engage Journal

There is a great need for a sustainable supply of clean diapers for low-income residents of Williamsburg since this region is without a diaper bank. Being unable to afford diapers can have a myriad of negative consequences from being unable to send children to child care to increased health risks involved in leaving a baby in a soiled diaper. Our model of a diaper bank differs from most because we mail diapers directly to families, eliminating transportation needs. We hope to partner with community agencies and The College of William & Mary to expand our services and create a more …

Nebraska Risk And Protective Factor Student Survey Results For 2014. Profile Report: State Of Nebraska, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Student Health and Risk Prevention Surveillance System (SHARP)

This report summarizes the findings from the 2014 Nebraska Risk and Protective Factor Student Survey (NRPFSS). The 2014 survey represents the sixth implementation of the NRPFSS and the third implementation of the survey under the Nebraska Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) Surveillance System.

The NRPFSS targets Nebraska students in grades 8, 10, and 12 with a goal of providing schools and communities with local-level data. As a result, the NRPFSS is implemented as a census survey, meaning that every public and non-public school with an eligible grade can choose to participate. Therefore data presented in this report are not …

The Biomedical And Holistic Practices Of The Continuum Of Healthism, Donya Mosleh

Sociology Major Research Papers

This MRP critically interrogates the concepts of biomedical healthim and holistic healthism. The existing literature posits that holistic healthism is conceived as the positive solution to the restraints of biomedical healthism. Grounded in an analysis of obesity, the main assertion of the MRP concerns the way in which both forms of healthism are not oppositional, but rather, create a continuum. As such, the MRP argues that both forms of healthism are differing processes which work to foster the same end goal of achieving optimum health. Consequently, the MRP will also argue that healthism is a metaphysical ideal/ethos in which biomedical …

Health Inequality, Sarah A. Burgard, Molly M. King

Sociology

There are many reasons why poverty matters, but it is especially troubling that it affects such fundamental outcomes as health and access to health care. If poverty did not bring about all manner of health risks, we would likely be somewhat less troubled by it. But of course poverty and other forms of social and economic disadvantage do often translate into deficits in health and health care. The purpose of this brief is to examine long-term trends in American health and to lay out the current state of evidence on the extent to which health and health care are unequally …

State Of Nebraska 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Student Health and Risk Prevention Surveillance System (SHARP)

No abstract provided.

Healthy Teen Scholars, Kristely Bastien, Alexandra Bradley, Katherine Brady, Sara Chun, Dara Fulstone, Semira Kassashun, Nick Ryan, Mills Wallace, Merissa Zeman

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Wonder Drugs To Hot New Diets: Knowledge Is Power! Adult Health Literacy, Adnan Ahmeduddin, Mary Grace Bowring, Kelly Davis, Indra Gomez, Sarah Halle, Courtney Middlebrook, Molly Sadowsky, Lauren Shauger, Lauren Violette

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Behavioral And Mental Health In Nevada, David Caloiaro, Luana Ritch

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Until recently, the Nevada Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services (MHDS) was the public provider of mental health, substance abuse and developmental services. On July 1, 2013, the delivery of the mental health, substance abuse and developmental services in Nevada was restructured on several levels. With this reorganization, Developmental Services for persons with intellectual disabilities was transitioned into the Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD), while mental health and substance abuse services were integrated to become Behavioral Health. Behavioral Health was then merged with the public health from the State Health Division to form the new Division of Public …

Shots, Everybody? : British Anti-Smallpox Vaccination And The Development Of Multifaceted Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric On Internet Parenting Forums, Marta B. Bean

Scripps Senior Theses

Vaccination is an important public health measure that can help reduce disease at the population level. Substantial evidence exists that vaccines are safe and effective at reducing the incidence of diseases like pertussis, measles and cervical cancer. However, on Internet parenting forums, parents discuss whether or not vaccination is the right choice for their children. In this thesis, I highlight the historical context of the anti-vaccine movement in mid 19^th century to early 20^th century Victorian Britain in the era of compulsory smallpox vaccination. Vaccination in this time was a very different and more overtly dangerous process, and …

Hcv Among Male Injection Drug Users And Their Female Partners In Almaty, Kazakhstan: Implications For Hcv Treatment And Prevention, Nabila El-Bassel, Louisa Gilbert, Chris Beyrer, Assel Terlikbayeva, Elwin Wu, Xin Ma, Mingway Chang, Stacey Shaw, Baurzhan Zhussupov, Tim Hunt, Sholpan Primbetova, Yelena Rozental

Faculty Publications

HCV infection is a serious concern among people who inject drugs. Despite imposing a major disease burden in countries with high rates of injection drug use such as Kazakhstan, other Central Asian and East Asian countries, Eastern Europe, and Russia, HCV remains an understudied issue. This study includes 728 individuals (364 couples) from Almaty, Kazakhstan, where at least one member of the dyad reported recent injection drug use. Participants were recruited to participate in a couple-based HIV prevention study. We examine the prevalence of HCV and co-infections between HCV and HIV, correlates of HCV, and the association between HCV prevalence …

No Taste For Health: How Tastes Are Being Manipulated To Favour Foods That Are Not Conducive To Health And Wellbeing, Lelia R. Green

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background : “The sense of taste,” write Nelson and colleagues in a 2002 issue of Nature, “provides animals with valuable information about the nature and quality of food. Mammals can recognize and respond to a diverse repertoire of chemical entities, including sugars, salts, acids and a wide range of toxic substances” (199). The authors go on to argue that several amino acids—the building blocks of proteins—taste delicious to humans and that “having a taste pathway dedicated to their detection probably had significant evolutionary implications”. They imply, but do not specify, that the evolutionary implications are positive. This may be the …

Hiv Infrastructure Study Columbia, Sc, Susan S. Reif, Elena Wilson, Carolyn Mcallaster

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Assessing Transgender Attitudes Toward Health Care: Can These Attitudes Help Predict Health Outcomes?, Sara M. Shane

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Research has identified the fact that race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, education level, geographic location, help seeking behaviors, and experiences of discrimination are associated with health outcomes. In addition, attitudes towards providers can also help determine health outcomes. The transgender community experiences barriers to health care services and therefore their overall health is affected. There is not a sufficient amount of literature that assesses, using standardized measure, the attitudes of the transgender community and their health. The present study will assess the attitudes of the transgender community toward health care (mental and medical health) and, using standardized measures, …

Social Networks, Drug Use, And Drug Abuse Help-Seeking: A Test Of The Network Episode Model Among African American Women, Erin L. Pullen

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Untreated substance use disorders are a major public health concern that has costly consequences at both the societal and individual level. Identifying the characteristics and resources of those who seek help for substance abuse problems in order to inform more effective intervention and treatment techniques is therefore an important research objective. Using the Network Episode Model (NEM) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation examines both substance abuse help-seeking (i.e. inpatient/outpatient treatment and 12-Step meeting attendance) and patterns of drug use over time among low-income African American women, with a special focus on the role of the social network system in …