Environmental Public Health Commons^™

An Analysis Of Water Quality At Orange County, California Beaches, Naomi Meurice

Pomona Senior Theses

Beaches in Southern California are highly recreated by residents and visitors, making beaches socially and economically important. Public health departments in coastal communities are in charge of measuring water quality and ensuring it is safe for users. Research in the past has indicated that beach water quality gets worse after storms, with bacteria levels jumping on the day of a storm and staying high for up to five days. Studies have shown these spikes in bacteria to be associated with storm runoff, with beaches closer to runoff discharge locations experiencing more impact. However, prior research has not considered the period …

Examining The Utility Of A Kentucky Fcs Cooperative Extension Curriculum On Community Members’ Healthy And Sustainable Diet-Related Behaviors, Catharine Pickford

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Experts recommend individuals adopt healthy and sustainable dietary behaviors to improve human and environmental health. The objective of this study was to pilot a sustainable eating Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Cooperative Extension curriculum and evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson series by measuring participants’ changes in knowledge, perceptions, and intentions towards healthy and sustainable dietary behaviors as well as overall satisfaction with lessons. A five-lesson sustainable eating curriculum was developed with topics focused on: reducing food waste; eating more seasonal, local plant-based foods; varying protein sources; maintaining energy balance; and consuming fewer highly processed and packaged foods. To assess …

The Effect Of Land-Cover/Land-Use And Habitat Fragmentation On Spatial Patterns Of Lyme Disease In The Eastern United States, Maria Elizabeth Topmiller

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Lyme disease has been of national concern for the past few decades. As our understanding of the role of landscape structure in epidemiology expands, it is essential to apply the principles of landscape ecology to the research of vector-borne and zoonotic disease. This study examined the strength of the relationship between land-cover class, degree of habitat fragmentation and county-level Lyme disease cases. Forest, agricultural, and urban land cover types were the categories of interest, while percent cover, edge density, and patch density were the landscape metric used to measure habitat amount and fragmentation. The general linear trends were modelled with …

Surveillance For Ticks And Tick-Borne Pathogens In Kentucky, Anna Rosalee Pasternak

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Tick-borne diseases are an emerging threat to human and animal health. In Kentucky, tick-borne disease surveillance has identified rising incidences of spotted fever rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, and Lyme disease. Since these diseases occur through the bites of infected ticks, effective prevention efforts are reliant upon knowing where the risk of exposure to tick bites exists. Historical data on tick distribution in Kentucky is variable, with very little reported on a statewide scale, leaving vector control workers, public health personnel, physicians, veterinarians, and others to rely on outdated, intermittent, or out-of-state information. In my dissertation, I surveyed ticks and select tick-borne pathogens …

Barriers To Outdoor Recreation For Marginalized Groups At The University Of Montana, Sabine R. Englert, Beatrix Frissell, Adrienne Liebert, Sophia Rodriquez, Margaret Jensen, Rachana Harris, Abby Doss

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Exclusion from outdoor recreation reflects legacies of oppression of marginalized communities and makes access to the outdoors not equally available. In the United States, approximately 38% of Black Americans and 48% of Hispanic Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2020. This is compared to 55% participation among Caucasian Americans. Many other intersecting identities are actively excluded, including people with disabilities, fat populations, and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community; furthermore, class-based hierarchies are shown through the restricted outdoor access of low-income populations.

While numerous studies show a lack of diversity in outdoor recreation, little to no research has been conducted on …

Coh 1700: Health Care Coordination Syllabus, Sasha Harry

Open Educational Resources

This is the syllabus for a Health Care Coordination course.

The goal of health care coordination is to improve patient outcomes with better health care services. Care coordinators play a critical role in improving patient care. Students will learn how to effectively advocate for patients and interact with members of the healthcare team in finding solutions to provide high quality, value-based, and efficient care. Effective communication styles, assessing patient’s needs and goals, and helping with patients’ transitions of care are among many topics covered in this course. Upon course completion, students will have acquired basic knowledge and skills to educate, …

Deposited Cigarette Smoke As A Driver Of Oxidation And Partitioning Processes On Indoor Surfaces, April Hurlock

Honors Theses

Despite the large amount of time that individuals spend indoors during their lives, very little attention was paid to the chemistry that occurs on indoor surfaces until recently. Although not visible to the naked eye, physical and chemical processes, such as partitioning and oxidation, are occurring on virtually every indoor surface in a typical household. Indoor pollutants, ranging from skin oils to environmental cigarette smoke, drive a lot of these processes. The transformation of indoor surfaces by indoor pollutants can increase chemical exposure risks as new irritants or carcinogens can be introduced to the surfaces. In this thesis, I describe …

‘A Healthy Mtu’ A Mixed Methods Baseline Programme Of Research To Empirically Inform A Campus Health Promotion Initiative Within An Irish Higher Education Setting, Andrea Bickerdike

Theses

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been called to lead global health promotion actions, yet there remains a dearth of empirically informed ‘Healthy University’ (HU) initiatives. This thesis constituted a baseline mixed methods needs assessment to inform a settings-based health promotion (HP) initiative (‘A Healthy MTU’) within a multi-campus ‘case’ HEI in Ireland (Cork campuses of MTU, formerly CIT). Specific aims were to (i) investigate student and staff health metrics, and (ii) identify the cultural and environmental determinants of health and wellbeing within the case HEI setting. Using a phased, mixed methodology (QUAN-QUAL), five sequential empirical studies were undertaken. Quantitative data …

Assessment Of Spatio-Temporal Variations In Pm2.5 And Associated Long-Range Air Mass Transport And Mortality In South Asia, Md Sariful Islam, Shimul Roy, Tanmoy Roy Tusher, Mizanur Rahman, Ryley C. Harris

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is associated with adverse impacts on ambient air quality and human mortality; the situation is especially dire in developing countries experiencing rapid industrialization and urban development. This study assessed the spatio-temporal variations of PM_2.5 and its health impacts in the South Asian region. Both satellite and station-based data were used to monitor the variations in PM_2.5 over time. Additionally, mortality data associated with ambient particulate matter were used to depict the overall impacts of air pollution in this region. We applied the Mann–Kendall and Sen’s slope trend analysis tool to investigate the …

Marine And Human Environmental Factors Influence Vibrio Parahaemolyticus And Vibrio Vulnificus In Vitro Biofilm Processes On Plastics, Ryan Eric Leighton

Theses and Dissertations

Marine bacteria often exist in biofilms as communities attached to surfaces, like plastic. Growing concerns exist regarding marine plastics acting as potential vectors of pathogenic Vibrio, especially in a changing climate. It has been generalized that Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus often attach to plastic surfaces. Different strains of these Vibrios exist having different growth and biofilm forming properties. This work evaluated how temperature and strain variability affect V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus biofilm formation and characteristics on glass (GL), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS). This work also evaluated how human body related factors like temperature, …

The Effect Of An Educational Handout On Knowledge, Awareness And Attitudes Of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Among Participants At A Needle And Syringe Exchange Site, Mckenzie Buckel

DNP Projects

Background: In 2018, the total number of HIV cases in the United States was 1.2 million. Almost 186,500 of these cases were attributed to intravenous drug use. With the adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) there is approximately a 49% decrease in the rates of HIV among people who inject drugs and the most significant barrier to PrEP among this population is a lack of awareness and knowledge.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine participants’ of a needle and syringe exchange site knowledge, awareness and attitudes of PrEP after reviewing an educational handout about PrEP.

Methods: A quasi …

Association Between Residential Exposure To Air Pollution And Incident Coronary Heart Disease Is Not Mediated By Leukocyte Telomere Length: A Uk Biobank Study, Chia-Ling Kuo, Rui Liu, Lucas Da Cunha Godoy, Luke C. Pilling, Richard H. Fortinsky, Doug Brugge

Health Science Faculty Publications

Higher air pollution exposure and shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) are both associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), and share plausible mechanisms, including inflammation. LTL may serve as a biomarker of air pollution exposure and may be intervened with to reduce the risk of CHD. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to test the mediation effect of LTL in the relationship between air pollution exposure and incident CHD. Using the UK Biobank (UKB) data (n = 317,601), we conducted a prospective study linking residential air pollution exposure (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, NOx) and …

An Exploration Of The Causes And Effects Of Interpersonal Conflict Related Stress Among A Self-Selected Cohort Of Second Level Teachers In Ireland, Patrick Bruce

Theses

Teaching has been classified by researchers as a high stress profession. Stress in teaching has been reported to have many negative health outcomes and also affects productivity. The literature also reports that stress in teaching is a difficult matter to resolve satisfactorily, with mixed outcomes from interventions. An emergent cause of work-related stress in education is IPC and this study sets out to investigate the prevalence of this underreported phenomena.

A sample of 25 teachers working in Irish second level schools were recruited. Semi structured interviews were conducted to report on the experiences of stress, it’s causes and effects both …

Forest Bathing Increases Adolescent Mental Well-Being And Connection To Nature: A Transformative Mixed Methods Study, Jennifer Keller

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Previous research has demonstrated that practicing forest bathing has significant positive effects on well-being. However, few studies have investigated whether forest bathing increases adolescent well-being despite the growing adolescent mental health crisis in the United States. Similarly, few studies have explored forest bathing’s impacts on connectedness to nature. Considering the ongoing environmental crisis, determining if forest bathing increases connectedness to nature is a critical expansion of forest bathing research, as connectedness to nature is linked to environmental care and concern. This study investigated the possibility that forest bathing, a nature-based mindfulness practice, could increase adolescent mental well-being and connectedness to …

How Health Care Organizations Can Use The Inflation Reduction Act To Reduce Costs, Enhance Resilience, And Lower Their Environmental Footprint., Celynne Balatbat, Walt Vernon, Antonia Herzog, Terri Scannell

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

No abstract provided.

Crossing The Decarbonization Chasm: A Call To Action For Hospital And Health System Leaders To Reduce Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions., Hardeep Singh, Walt Vernon, Terri Scannell, Kathy Gerwig

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Allen Carr's Method For Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review, Irene Possenti, Marco Scala, Alessandra Lugo, Luke Clancy, Sheila Keogan, Silvano Gallus

Articles

Introduction: Allen Carr's (AC) method is a pharmacotherapy-free approach to quit smoking that is delivered through seminars, online courses, or in the form of a book. It has gained popularity, but its effectiveness remains controversial due to a lack of scientific evidence. This systematic review aims to provide an updated overview of the current evidence on the effectiveness of the AC method.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of all epidemiological studies evaluating the effectiveness of the AC method for smoking cessation, published in PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase up to March 2023.

Results: Among 34 original studies identified through the …

South-Eastern Provider Knowledge Gaps In Rabies Education, Management, And Treatment, Joseph A. Addison, Jeffrey Alexander

Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Conference

Abstract:

Background. In the United States, when an individual is bitten by an animal there are many levels of care they may seek, including seeing their primary care provider, an urgent care provider, or by going to an emergency room. In any of these settings, it is not unlikely that they may be treated by an advanced practice practitioner (APP). Due to rabies being nearly 100% fatal once symptoms have manifested, it is important to understand the knowledge that APPs have concerning rabies.

Methods. A survey was conducted from April 2022 to August 2022 which evaluated APPs knowledge of rabies …

Behavioral Pathways To Private Well Risk Mitigation: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Simon Mooney, Martin Boudou, Jean O'Dwyer, Paul Hynds

Articles

Complex, multi hazard risks such as private groundwater contamination necessitate multiannual risk reduction actions including seasonal, weather-based hazard evaluations. In the Republic of Ireland (ROI), high rural reliance on unregulated private wells renders behavior promotion a vital instrument toward safeguarding household health from waterborne infection. However, to date, pathways between behavioral predictors remain unknown while latent constructs such as extreme weather event (EWE) risk perception and self-efficacy (perceived behavioral competency) have yet to be sufficiently explored. Accordingly, a nationwide survey of 560 Irish private well owners was conducted, with structural equation modeling (SEM) employed to identify underlying relationships determining key …

Walkable Neighborhoods: Linkages Between Place, Health, And Happiness In Younger And Older Adults, Kevin M. Leyden, Michael J. Hogan, Lorraine D'Arcy, Brendan Bunting, Sebastiaan Bierema

Articles

Problem, research strategy, and findings: We examined whether living in a walkable neighborhood influenced the happiness of younger and older city residents. The data for this study came from a comprehensive household population survey of 1,064 adults living in 16 neighborhoods in Dublin City (Ireland) and its suburbs. We used multigroup structural equation modeling to analyze the direct and indirect effects of walkability on happiness, mediated by health, trust, and satisfaction with neighborhood appearance. We found living in a walkable neighborhood was directly linked to the happiness of people aged 36 to 45 (p¼.001) and, to a lesser extent, those …