Community Health Commons^™

Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Hpv Vaccination Rates, Jennifer Sepede, Kathy Chen

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection that potentiates cancer in both males and females. There are over 200 different types of HPV and while some strains, specifically HPV 6 and 11, may result in genital and skin warts, others remain clinically silent. High risk strains, HPV 16 and 18, are most associated with cervical cancer in women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was widespread hesitancy and rejection towards vaccination. Similarly, the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine has also been met with distrust since it’s release. Studies have shown that there is a low vaccination rate due to …

The Correlation Between Traumatic Brain Injury And Incarceration Among Adult Males In The United States, Shadi Shams

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The United States has one of the largest growing prison populations in the world. A large amount of social and economic resources go towards the cost and maintenance of correctional facilities each year. Additionally, the current correctional programs are insufficient in assisting inmates with getting back to society; especially those with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who often remain undiagnosed and are usually treated unfairly in the prison system instead of receiving the appropriate help. Prior scholarly work has shown that patients in the post-TBI stage are more likely to enter the judicial system. In the recent population-based cohort study, the …

Examining The Utility Of The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (Copm) Vs. Cognitive Mapping And Motivational Interviewing (Cm/Mi) To Provide Person-Centered Care (Pcc) For People With Parkinson’S Disease (Pwpd), Mary Lagasca, Karen Aranha

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) limits occupational engagement and quality of life. Clinicians need tools to help understand the lived experiences of people with PD to provide more person-centered care (PCC). The Canadian Occupational Performance Model (COPM) is one tool used with this population, but its predetermined categories may be limiting. In contrast, Cognitive Mapping and Motivational Interviewing (CM/MI) is a non-standardized method that may provide more insight. Objective: To identify the benefits of the COPM to CM/MI in delivering more person-centered care (PCC). Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological self-study was used. Data collection compared the assessments and reflected on determining if …

Quantifying The Effect Of Socio-Economic Predictors And The Built Environment On Mental Health Events In Little Rock, Ar, Alfieri Ek, Grant Drawve, Samantha Robinson, Jyotishka Datta

Sociology and Criminology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Law enforcement agencies continue to grow in the use of spatial analysis to assist in identifying patterns of outcomes. Despite the critical nature of proper resource allocation for mental health incidents, there has been little progress in statistical modeling of the geo-spatial nature of mental health events in Little Rock, Arkansas. In this article, we provide insights into the spatial nature of mental health data from Little Rock, Arkansas between 2015 and 2018, under a supervised spatial modeling framework. We provide evidence of spatial clustering and identify the important features influencing such heterogeneity via a spatially informed hierarchy of generalized …

Psychometric Evaluation Of Phq–9 And Gad–7 Among Community Health Volunteers And Nurses/Midwives In Kenya Following A Nation-Wide Telephonic Survey, Sabina Odero, Paul Mwangi, Rachel Odhiambo, Brenda Nzioka, Constance Shumba, Eunice Ndirangu, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: Nurses/midwives and Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) are exposed to chronic stressors putting them at risk of developing mental health problems. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is limited empirical evidence of the burden of mental health problems among health care workers partly due to the lack of adequately standardized and validated measures for use among health care workers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to perform the psychometric evaluation of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 administered to nurses/midwives and CHVs across 47 counties in Kenya.

Methods: Between June and November 2021, a national survey on mental well-being …

Program Evaluation: Utilizing Health Department’S Community Health Needs Assessment Data To Improve Emergency Preparedness Plans, Kathleen Gottschalk

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Public health officials conducting emergency response plans must know how to easily identify the vulnerable populations in their community or jurisdiction. It is beneficial for access and functional needs appendices to include information and resources directed at the identified vulnerable groups before an emergency event to improve health outcomes. Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) can provide population-level statistics and information needed to easily identify vulnerable or at-risk groups. This report aims to evaluate the use of the CHNA data to guide the development of inclusive emergency response plans that account for vulnerable populations in local health department jurisdictions. The 2021 …

Does Family Size Moderate The Relation Between Resource Transfers And Intimate Partner Violence Rates?, Paul Gramling

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to physical, sexual, or psychological abuse within an intimate relationship. It is a global issue, particularly for women in developing countries where data show higher rates of IPV for these women than in developed countries. IPV can lead to physical harm, chronic health problems, and even death. It also has negative effects on mental health, economic stability, and the overall well-being of the woman and their children. Family size has been shown to be a predictor of IPV risk; women from larger families face a higher risk. Cash transfer programs in developing countries have been …

Tiny Tusk Internship: Barriers To Effective Breastfeeding Within Low Socioeconomic Populations, Catherine Johnson

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tiny Tusk Breastfeeding and Infant Support is a program created to facilitate safe and quiet places for mothers to breastfeed at various events at the University of Arkansas. It serves as a platform to spread important and essential information about breastfeeding to mothers and reach various women all from different backgrounds and populations. The purpose of this review of literature is to identify barriers that women within low socioeconomic populations face that influence their decision to breastfeed. These barriers included lack of social support from family, friends, and healthcare providers; latch difficulty; and concerns of milk supply. Altogether, low-income women …

On Versus Off-Campus Living: An Exploration Of College Students' Mental Well-Being, Sameer Siddiqui

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community” (“Mental Health,” 2022). Risk and protective factors can be used to predict mental health outcomes. Both positive and negative outcomes can be predicted, respectively. The categories of these include individual, relationship, community, and societal. When examining college students, it is most reasonable to study the relationship and community factors. This study examined whether living on or off campus impacts predicted mental health outcomes in …

Pathways To Care Of Maine Youth With Psychosis, Elizabeth M. Mutina, Rebecca Jaynes, Dave Weiss, Elizabeth Bernier, Kristen A. Woodberry

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2023

Study clinicians conducted semi-structured interviews to identify the timing and steps of each person’s Pathway to Care (PtC).

The Past, Present, And Future Of Distress Screening: Launching A Robust Distress Screening Program At A Large Outpatient Medical Oncology Practice Serving Rural/Underserved Communities, Kevin Stein, Trisha Warren-Vanhorn, Meredith Curtis, Amy Litterini, Amit Sanyal

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2023

After redesign, administration of the DT at initial chemotherapy teaching sessions and robust searchable databases integrated with EHR systems, allowing providers/researchers to create reports filtered by date ranges, encounter type, clinical site/facility, scores of ≥4, domain (physical, emotional, practical), and outcome (referral to specialist)

“I Know My Body Better Than Anyone Else” Perspectives Of People Who Inject Drugs On Antimicrobial Treatment Decision Making For Serious Infections, Amy Eckland, Michael Kohut Phd, Henry Stoddard, Debra Burris, Frank Chessa, Monica Sikka, Daniel Solomon, Colleen Kershaw, Ellen Eaton, Rebecca N. Hutchinson, Peter Friedmann, Thomas Stopka, Kathleen Fairfield, Kinna Thakarar

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2023

Introduction:

• Few studies have examined the perspectives of patients with lived experience regarding outpatient treatment options for injection drug use (IDU) associated infections.

• We sought to better understand the perspectives of both community partners with lived experience who work with people who inject drugs (PWID) and hospitalized patients with IDU-associated infections on shared treatment decision making.

Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Comparison Of Health-Related Quality Of Life And Mental Well-Being Between Persons With And Without Post Covid-19 Condition, Emily Stella Scott, Erica I. Lubetkin, Mathieu F. Janssen, John Yfantopolous, Gouke J. Bonsel, Juanita A. Haagsma

Publications and Research

Background:

Still little is known about the impact of post COVID-19 condition (PC) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and mental well-being. We compared participants with PC with three groups: an acute COVID-19 infection (AC) only, at least one chronic condition (CC) but no COVID-19, or no condition at all, healthy (PH). Between these disease groups, we also estimated and compared HRQOL and mental well-being change over time.

Methods:

Participants from six countries (Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States) completed two web-based questionnaires (T1 = April–May 2020 and T2 = April–June 2022). Primary outcomes were HRQOL, measured …

Mental Health In M*A*S*H: An Analysis Of The Changing Portrayal Of Mental Health Topics In The 1970s And Early 1980s, Lyndsey Clark

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This paper studies all eleven seasons of the hit television show M*A*S*H (1972-1973) and examines how the portrayal of mental health changed in the show’s plotlines in response to changing guidelines and mental health policy in the 1970s and early 1980s. This study focuses on the association of mental illness with homosexuality, the changes made to the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in the 1970s and early 1980s, the rise and fall of mental health policies from the Kennedy Administration to the Reagan Administration, and the portrayal of several pertinent mental conditions, such as …

The Relationship Between Quality Of Life And Functionality In Patients With Schizophrenia – A Preliminary Report, Vlad Dionisie, Mihnea Costin Manea, Manea Mirela, Lavinia Steluta Bonciu, Sorin Riga, Maria Gabriela Puiu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

This research aimed to investigate the relationship between quality of life and level of functioning in a group of Romanian patients with schizophrenia. A cross-sectional, observational, prospective study on 47 patients with schizophrenia was conducted. Socio-demographic and clinical data were documented and WHOQOL-BREF and Life Skills Profile-16 instruments were further administered. To examine the correlation between variables, Person correlation test was employed. The mean age of the sample was 38.32±12.32 years and 66% of the patients were males. Significant correlations were found between all aspects of the quality of life (physical health, psychological, social relationships and environmental health) and total …

Evaluation Of Medical Decision Errors During The Transition Period To Telemedicine, Marius Moroianu, Roxana- Elena Bogdan-Goroftei, Teodor Salmen, Cristina Ioana Bica, Valeria-Anca Pietrosel, Razvan Hainarosie, Anca Pantea Stoian

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

The context of the Coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we approach medical services. Beyond setting up new technological possibilities, it has propelled telemedicine to become a reality, bringing undeniable practical benefits. The questions that arise are both justified and worrying: can digitalization replace a direct interpersonal relationship that involves a physical examination, while preserving the quality of the medical act and the degree of patient satisfaction? Isn't there a risk that the digitization of the medical record will cancel out the deep human character of classical medicine that has evolved since the time of Hippocrates? Should the implementation …

The Effects Of Multiple Micronutrient Fortified Beverage And Responsive Caregiving Interventions On Early Childhood Development, Hemoglobin, And Ferritin Among Infants In Rural Guatemala, Alysse J. Kowalski, Victor Alfonso Mayen, Silvia De Ponce, Kaley B. Lambden, Nick Tilton, Lisa M. Villanueva, Ana M. Palacios, Greg A. Reinhart, Kristen M. Hurley, Maureen M. Black

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Undernutrition and a lack of learning opportunities can jeopardize long-term growth and development among infants in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a 6-month 2 × 2 cluster-randomized trial to assess the effects of multiple micronutrient-fortified beverages and responsive caregiving interventions among infants 6–18 months in 72 community sectors in southwest Guatemala. We administered baseline and endline assessments of childhood development (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development) and socioemotional development (Brief Infant Toddler Socio-Emotional Assessment) and measured ferritin and hemoglobin on a subsample. The trial was analyzed using linear mixed models. At the baseline, the mean age (SD) was …

Improving Social Determinants Of Health Screening And Intervening In A Rural Primary Care Setting, Katina Ann Pulos Kuerth

Masters Projects

ABSTRACT

Background: Social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with an increased risk of poor health outcomes and increased healthcare utilization (Buitron de la Vega et al, 2019). To achieve health equity, social determinants of health are an essential factor to assess. Practitioners (in the evaluated primary care setting) can document, track, update, and report SDOH through the electronic medical record (EMR). Yet, the electronic health record is not consistently being utilized for this purpose.

Objectives: This article describes a new protocol which was implemented, utilizing a module embedded in the EMR, to chart the results of a standardized SDOH …

What Works For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Men? A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Jack R. Menges, Marie L. Caltabiano, Alan Clough

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men experience significantly higher rates of suicide, trauma, alcohol related deaths and unemployment than other Australian men. Despite significant levels of government intervention, rates of family violence, unemployment and incarceration continue to increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. As a subset of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, there has been a lesser focus on how to meaningfully improve the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. This systematic review seeks to understand what interventions, programs and activities are successful in improving the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men …

Piloting An Oral History Approach To Investigate Cancer Perspectives Among Residents Of Appalachian Kentucky, Courtney Martin, Lauren Hudson, Nathan L. Vanderford

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Kentucky ranks first in the U.S. in overall cancer incidence and mortality rates. Areas of the state that fall within the Appalachian Region, along Kentucky’s eastern border, experience disproportionately high rates of cancer compared to non-Appalachian counties.

Purpose: This pilot study investigates whether oral history interviews can be used to understand perspectives on cancer among residents of Appalachian Kentucky.

Methods: In 2020, participants (n = 5) who identified as being from and/or having strong connections to Appalachian Kentucky were recruited to participate in this pilot study. Participants included individuals working in cancer-related fields, oncology professionals, and those with personal …