Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Infrastructure And Policies Supporting Physical Activity Habits: A Comparison Between The United States And Europe, Anisha Laddha

Honors College Theses

Most adults in the United States are not getting enough physical activity, and this is causing high rates of adverse health conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the population. The rising costs of cardiovascular disease are a national problem that must be tackled from multiple perspectives. This literature review explores policies and infrastructure implemented in European countries with better health outcomes and higher physical activity levels in the population compared to the United States. The infrastructure in places such as Germany and Denmark is constructed to encourage physical activity in the form of active transportation such as walking …

The Racial Divide: A Follow Up Study On Racial Disparity Amongst Covid-19 Survivors In An Urban Community, Christopher Millet, Emily Racoosin, Spandana Narvaneni, George Horani, Sherif Roman, Alisa Farokhian, Arslan Chaudhry, Sohail Chaudhry, Yezin Shamoon, Humberto Jimenez, Patrick Michael, Jin Suh

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Background Studies have shown that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate effect on minority groups in both the clinical and social settings in America. We conducted a follow up study on patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 one year ago in an urban community in New Jersey. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 as well as assess for receptiveness towards COVID-19 vaccination amongst various ethnic groups.

Methods This was a prospective cohort study consisting of patients who had recovered from COVID-19 one year prior. The patients included in the study had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis …

Associations Of Lifestyle And Sociodemographic Factors With Dietary Supplement Use In College Students, Sydney Chratian

Senior Honors Projects

Background: Dietary supplement use has been shown to be significantly prevalent in the United States, especially among the young adult population. Studies have reported increasing use of dietary supplements among college students in the US. However, little research has investigated the sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics associated with dietary supplement use in this population.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of dietary supplement use and sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics associated with dietary supplement use in college students and examine the attitudes and beliefs of college students on dietary supplements.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted …

Creating Rural Community Outreach Materials Related To Covid-19 And Disability, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

RTC:Rural researchers led by Andrew Myers present best practices in rural COVID-19 outreach based on feedback from regional rural disability leaders.

Promoting Adult Pneumococcal Vaccinations Through Pharmacy And Provider Educational Campaigns, Krysia Lesniak

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Nurse Practitioner-Led Heart Failure Education Program, Ruairi Fox

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive disease that has a global burden on the healthcare system and on patient’s lives. HF patients who experience a hospital admission are at a greater risk of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, impacting healthcare spending costs and patient quality of life. Self-care activities by patients, such as monitoring weight and making lifestyle changes, are the hallmark of outpatient care, and is shown throughout the literature to reduce readmissions and impact patient quality of life. Unfortunately, many patients are either unaware of proper self-care management techniques or find them hard to follow. …

The Distribution Of Opioid Settlement Funds In Northeast Tennessee, Amani Patel

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Opioid Use Disorder is defined by the NIH as “the chronic use of opioids that causes

clinically significant distress or impairment.”1 Due to a number of factors, the overuse of opioids has become an epidemic in the United States. In recent years there have been a number of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies and other parties who have benefitted from the proliferation of this issue. In most cases, it is up to the states or local governments who receive these funds to determine their best use. The purpose of this Thesis is to analyze the resources recommended by Ballad Health’s Community …

An Exploration Of Low-Income Dental Services In The Tri-Cities, Macie Proffitt

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Dental care has great importance in the overall health of every individual. Many do not realize the effect oral health plays in their overall health and many areas in the United States do not have access to the dental care needed to obtain proper healthcare standards. In many of these areas, such as the Appalachian region, dental services for low-income citizens are limited. Specifically, in the Northeast Tennessee region, these dental services are severely limited. Washington County and Hawkins County of Northeast Tennessee are specific underserved areas in the Appalachian region. The purpose of this project was to explore the …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Restorative Justice Rehabilitative Services Available In Northeast Tennessee For Mothers Diagnosed With Substance Use Disorder, Claire Roberson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) has plagued families of rural Appalachia for many years, perpetuating involvement in the criminal justice system as well as generational trauma for people diagnosed with SUD and their children. This points to the necessity of a trauma-informed, restorative-justice based framework for rehabilitative services to most effectively heal families, address trauma, and re-integrate people diagnosed with SUD into society. A restorative justice-based program would provide health care services for addiction and any comorbid mental health disorders as well as teach parents how to properly provide for themselves and their families, manage finances, obtain employment, and further education. …

Social Determinants Associated With Prenatal Visits At A Community Health Center, Savannah Busch

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Understanding the barriers to prenatal care could have implications for community health initiatives, as early initiation of care is vital to maternal and fetal health. Social factors that impact health outcomes and behaviors, such as prenatal care, are referred to as Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), and studying the combined effects of multiple SDoHs is a newer method to identify a specific population’s needs. Purpose: This study explores the associations between SDoH and the initiation and number of prenatal appointments in a cohort of women receiving care at a local community health center (CHC). Methodology: The study retrospectively analyzes …

Perceived Covid-19 Threat Across The Intersections Of Age, Race/Ethnicity, And Gender, Christina Varghese

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Studying how perceived threat of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) differs across intersections of age and race/ethnicity as well as age and gender will create a basis for identifying subgroups at greater risk of negative mental health outcomes. I analyzed nationally representative survey data collected in February 2021 from the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (N=9,069). To measure perceived threat, the respondents were asked whether COVID-19 is considered 0) no threat, minor threat, or 1) major threat for personal and population health. Race/ethnicity, gender, and age categories are used as independent variables. Results from logistic regression models indicate that …

Addressing Maternal Health Disparities With Hospital Library Services: Information-Seeking Behavior Of Maternal Health Care Providers In Resolving Clinical Questions Related To Diverse Populations, Seema Bhakta

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Invited Perspective: Eliminating Toxics To Prevent Disease: Asbestos Leads The Way, David Kriebel, Douglas J. Myers

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Countries that have consumed more asbestos have historically had higher mortality rates from asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) than countries with lower asbestos consumption. A research letter in this issue by Rath et al. provides a 15-y update on evidence for this link and uses this evidence to support calls for a worldwide ban on the use of asbestos. We find their results convincing, and we agree with the urgent need to stop producing and using asbestos. For those who might be skeptical of this conclusion or who are considering how much weight to give this evidence, we offer this perspective as …

The Effect Of A Health Educational Program On Sleep Related Health Outcomes, Swetha Sirigineedi

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sleep quality has effects on both physical and mental health. Because of this, sleep hygiene is an important health goal. Participation in health programs promoting healthy behaviors has helped people reach their health goals and elicited positive behavior change. Because of this, it was of interest to determine if participation in a virtual, multi-media health education program improved health and wellbeing outcomes of Arkansans. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of a 20-week behavior and health educational program on the ability of participants to achieve their health goals and improve their health behaviors related to …

Bullied Because Of Their Teeth: Evidence From A Longitudinal Study On The Impact Of Oral Health On Bullying Victimization Among Australian Indigenous Children, Md Irteja Islam, Verity Chadwick, Tuguy Esgin, Alexandra Martiniuk

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Making life better for Indigenous peoples is a global priority. Although bullying and oral health have always been a topic of concern, there is limited information regarding the impact of this problem on the general population, with no evidence in this regard among the Australian Indigenous population. Thus, we aimed to quantify the relationship between bullying victimization and oral health problems by remoteness among 766 Australian Indigenous children aged between 10–15-years using data from the LSIC study. Bivariate and multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression analyses were employed. Findings indicated children self-reported bullying more than parents reported their children were being bullied …

Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault At The University Of Arkansas, Barrett Weidman

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This work was written to fulfill two main purposes. First, to help survivors of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) process their experience by compiling the toxicological, pharmacological, and distribution of the three most used date-rape drugs. Second, to gauge the knowledge and interest of University of Arkansas students regarding drug impairments, sexual assault education, and bystander intervention training. A survey was conducted for the latter and revealed that 91.6% of students believe the University’s existing sexual assault prevention education and bystander intervention training have room for improvement. Also, 37.1% of students who have received this education report that the programming does …

Multimodal Approach To Chronic Pain Management And Prevention Of Opioid Use Disorder, Hannah Elston

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background. Chronic pain (CP) is a major public health problem that affects one-third of the population and can interfere with the activities of daily life and cause decreased quality of life. Patients with CP have been increasingly prescribed opioids, contributing to the rise in the opioid epidemic. Due to the long-term nature of CP, the use of opioids as the sole treatment for CP can cause tolerance and increased dosages overtime which can lead to addiction and potentially overdose. Therefore, CP treatment should include multimodal approaches to treatment to prevent opioid misuse, opioid use disorder (OUD), and overdose. Multimodal treatments …

Summary Of: Understanding The Role Of Misinformation In Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy In A Rural State, Ann Marie Hess, Colin T. Waters, Elizabeth A. Jacobs, Kerri L. Barton, Kathleen M. Fairfield

Northern New England Clinical & Translational Research

Findings from this study regarding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and sources of trusted information are important for developing public health strategies to increase vaccination rates. Understanding the concerns of individuals as assessed in this study provides opportunities for trusted health professionals, friends and family to reinforce facts about the importance of being vaccinated.

Study found @ "Understanding the Role of Misinformation in COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy" by Ann Marie Hess, Colin T. Waters et al.

An Evaluation Of Covid-19 Vaccination Rates Of The Patients At The Kentucky Racing Health Services Center., Aditya Mehta

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

COVID-19 vaccines have been widely available to the U.S. public since early 2021. However, vaccination rates still vary considerably across geographical areas and different populations. The objective of this study was to research overall vaccination rates against COVID-19 for Latinx patients at the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center (KRHSC). Vaccination and booster data was collected from June to December 2021 for all unique patients visiting the center. It was initially hypothesized that these rates of vaccination and booster doses for the KRHSC patients would be lower than the data reported by Kentucky and Jefferson County. After a retrospective review, the …

Periodontal Disease And Covid-19, Zhaozhao Chen Dds, Ms, Phd, Laurie K. Mccauley Dds, Ms, Phd, Purnima S. Kumar Bds, Ms, Phd, Hom-Lay Wang Dds, Ms, Phd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

As the gateway to the respiratory system, the oral cavity can play an essential role in SARS-CoV-2 invasion and transmission. Besides high expression of angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the oral cavity can harbor viral particles in saliva, gingival crevicular fluid, and the periodontal pocket. Microbial and inflammatory associations closely link periodontitis and COVID-19. In this review, we summarize the possible oral manifestations of COVID‐19, its association with periodontal diseases, the plausible underlying mechanisms of microbial and inflammatory crosstalk between COVID‐19 and periodontal diseases, and mitigation protocols during periodontal treatment.