Public Health
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Item Oral Hygiene in Children from Low-Income Households(2023-08-01) Dhanak, ManaliDaily oral hygiene in children has severely decreased over years, and it has been known to make a negative impact on the future of children’s health. Children residing in low-income households in North Carolina have a poor foundation in oral hygiene due to the social determinants present in the Mecklenburg County community. This study aims to evaluate the Save a Smile program created by Mecklenburg County Health Department Pediatric Dentistry Division to address and reduce the social determinants of health that are observed under community, societal, and individual levels.Item Program Planning and Evaluation for the Treatment of Women with Gestational Diabetes (GDM) in Rural Northwest Washington(2023-04-29) Lungren, AmandaGestational diabetes (GDM) is the most common metabolic disorder in pregnancy. The CDC estimates that up to ten percent of women in the United States experiences GDM. This health concern can be managed by both lifestyle changes and medications when needed. GDM can have serious health implications for both mother and baby. If not treated adequately, babies can be born nine pounds or more, which can result in injury to baby during delivery or increase the mother’s chances of cesarean birth with longer recovery time. Additionally, GDM increases chances of type two diabetes, a growing chronic disease, in both baby and the mother. Due to the rural nature of Fidalgo Island, there is limited access to diabetes specialty care, such as an endocrinologist in this area, leaving most of the diabetes management to the diabetes educator and family care provider or obstetrician (OB). The current Island Health (IH) GDM program has room for improvement. Currently, there are no official protocols for when or how to initiate medication management in these patients. Additionally, there are no classes before, during or after pregnancy specific to gestational diabetes management or prevention. Also, there is limited participant qualitative information gathered in the GDM program. Moreover, prior to this project there have not been any questionnaires, satisfaction surveys, focus groups, or process evaluations implemented to assess the program. After implementing a GDM program focus group, findings dictated clear recommendations for the program. The focus group indicated the need for more support and education prior to and after the current GDM program. Moreover, the focus group indicated the need for additional breastfeeding resources and support in completing postpartum oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT). Though the focus group was small, findings were critical in implementing program changes to benefit the IH GDM program.Item Mind Over Matter - Urgent Care Facilities for Mental Health Patients(2023-04-23) Harris, RebeccaMind Over Matter is an evaluation of Behavioral Health Urgent Care centers, or BHUCs, in North Carolina. These facilities offer medical services specifically for mental health patients in an urgent care clinic setting. The paper also promotes the advocation and creation of more BHUCs.Item Caldwell County 2022 Community Health Assessment(2023-05-12) Jones, HannahThe Community Health Assessment, also known as the CHA, is a North Carolina requirement of local county health departments. The CHA is implemented every four years by local health departments to identify, collect, analyze, and disseminate information about the community’s most pressing health problems to better improve the overall health and quality of life in the county. In 2022, Caldwell County began the process of their Community Health Assessment in collaboration with the Community Health Assessment Advisory Committee and various organizations in the county to start the collection of primary and secondary data. All primary and secondary data collected, discussed, and presented will allow for the progression of program implementation to address the top health priorities and evaluate current community resources to further improve the health of community members in Caldwell County. The assessment will undergo a reviewal process and will be submitted to the state and presented to the county commissioners in the spring of 2023.Item Nutrition and Physical Activity in Middle School Aged Students(2022-06-22) Carpenter, AlyssaMy research was to help enhance the behaviors and knowledge of the students at Cape Fear Christian Academy in nutrition and physical activity. The students participated in a 4-week program after taking a pre-assessment on nutrition and physical activity. Once the 4-week program was over they had a post-assessment to take to see if their was a significant difference and increase in their knowledge from the pre-assessment to the post-assessment. It was found that this 4-week program increased knowledge and ability in nutrition and physical activity. There was an increase of correct answers on the pre and post physical activity questions and nutrition questions. There was a significant difference in the overall pre and post scores as well.