dr. ronald e. mcnair acknowledgements - University of St. Thomas

More documents

Recommendations

Info

UST McNair Scholars Program Research Journal underutilization in association with perspective to healthcare. The surveys conducted concluded an association between perceived discrimination and underutilizing medical care among Whites, U.S.-born Blacks, and American Indians while there was an association of perceived discrimination and underutilizing mental healthcare among Whites, U.S.-born Blacks, Southeast Asians, and American Indians. 24 Another study was done about homeless families in Minnesota and their lifestyle choices due to shelter limitations and surrounding community. The environments of homeless families in shelters affected decisions such as food, work, and day care. Modifications of communities giving shelter to homeless families must involve access to affordable food, government assistance programs, and the increase of access to affordable day care. 25 These are only two of the many researches done in Minnesota showing disparities among health and wellbeing. GEOGRAPHY Geography is defined as ‘to write (graphien) the earth (geo)’ and encompasses the fields of physical and human geography. Human geography is broken down to humannature relations and society-space relations. 26 Society-space relations reflect social divisions. 27 This is seen in communities with housing values. Higher income individuals are able to live and maintain a living in houses of higher value and more pleasant environments while lower income individuals are limited to lower valued houses. These, then, become clustered, building a barrier between high and low income. Time is also a very important aspect with society-space relations. Socio - economic systems impact humans as locations and travel to such places are limited by time. This space-time path is seen with human activity and their limitations such as capability, coupling, and authority. Capability limitations refer to physical or biological factors limiting movement such as being in two places at one time. Interactions with others and a certain time restraint is coupling limitation, for example a family structure of work, school, and basic needs of life. Authority is the limitations of locations controlled by people or institutions such as government areas and private places. 28 64 HEALTH GEOGRAPHY The advancement of technology has improved, but has also held back lives today. A study done by Jane E. Brody suggests cases of “outdoor deprivation disorder” are circling the United States. Children are spending more time indoors rather than with outdoor activities due to electronic media. This lack of physical activity and disconnectedness to nature is contributing to the growing concern of obesity and obesity-related diseases in children and adults. Many of the health concerns are named “diseases of indoor living” by Dr. Daphne Miller, a University of California, San Francisco affiliated family physician. These health concerns include Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, vitamin D deficiency, osteoporosis, stress, depression, attention deficit disorder, and myopia. Engaging in green spaces and nature was seen to help improve healthy living. 29 According to a study done by Erin Largo-Wight, there is a correlation between health and contact with nature. Largo-Wight developed twelve suggestions for public health: “(1) cultivate grounds for viewing, (2) maintain healing gardens, (3) incorporate wooded parks and green space in communities, (4) advocate for preservation of pristine wilderness, (5) welcome animals indoors, (6) provide a plethora of indoor potted plants within view, (7) light rooms with bright natural light, (8) provide clear view of nature outside, (9) allow outside air and sounds in, (10) display nature photography and realistic nature art, (11) watch nature on TV or videos, and (12) listen to recorded sounds of nature.” 30 There are also suggestions that environmental sensory has a therapeutic impact on health, mood, and safety. 31 Another issue of concern is “food deserts.” These are defined as low income neighborhoods lacking affordable and healthy food. 32 A typical food desert does not have a supermarket within easy access limiting the access to healthy, affordable food. 33 This is significant because there is a link between health disparities and health, particularity due to food deserts. A study completed in New York City researched low-income neighborhoods, predominantly African-American/Black residents suffering from high rates of obesity and diabetes. This study helped to give an understanding of the direct correlation between the environment and food. It had concluded that there is a
Chia Lee Public Health Health care Accessibility in Hmong Community relationship between demographic features pertaining to food deserts. An association between higher median household income and being healthier was seen throughout the neighborhoods studied. 34 GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM Geographical Information System, GIS, is a technological advancement in the field of geography, particularly cartography, the study of mapmaking. GIS can be defined as a computer system which can store data, make relations between data sets, provide statistical analysis of data, data modeling, and display data as maps along with spatial analysis. 35 The main purpose of GIS is mapmaking. This can be done by linking data sets to project a map showing different relations. 36 The new evolving field of GIS in Public health has brought breakthroughs into the health field. The use of GIS will assist in the management and analysis of health and health care data. 37 A study done by Kerry Joyce shows one perception of GIS use in public health, and the study suggests that GIS is not a solution in public health. One main concern was that GIS could be misused, misinterpreted, and/or used wrongly. 38 Although this may be true, maps can help interpret data as a different technique to examining data. One particular study done by Jeanette Eckert and Sujata Shetty in Toledo, Ohio, helped to examine quantitative and measureable food access to help urban planners provide opportunities for healthy food choices. 39 GIS is also being used in other nations where health care is a concern, such as Africa. In this particular study, 23,000 homesteads were interviewed, mapped, and given an estimated travel time to a clinic with the consideration of public transportation and walking. The median travel time was measured at 81 minutes to the nearest clinic. There was also a decline of clinic visit compared to the longer distance and travel time. 40 Physical walking can be a barrier in one country while in another promoted for physical well-being. A study was done in Sweden to examine “neighborhood walkability and walking for active transportation or leisure, and moderateto-vigorous physical activity” and their association with demographic features such as age, gender, income, marital status, and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status. Neighborhood walkability and physical activity was seen as a positive association in this Swedish study. Their concerns were providing policies that promoted physical activity with the collaborations of health professionals and city planners. 41 These studies show the useful applications of GIS in public health concerns ranging from food access, health care access, and physical activity in different communities. METHODS To determine if there is a lack of geographical access to health care in the Hmong community in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, I first determined where this particular population is located. Using the ArcGIS program in the Geography lab located in JRC 426, I mapped where the Hmong community is located relative to the Twin Cities. In order to map certain projections, data must be obtained from reliable resources such as Esri, ReferenceUSA, and from the Geography department network. Data needed included Census population, health care facilities, food sources and public transportation. Health care facilities comprised of hospitals, clinics and dentist offices. Grocery stores reflected food sources while public transportation consisted of bus stops, light rail stations, and bike paths. Using the data that was found, GIS was utilized to make maps and combine map layers for better understanding and analysis of the study area and data. Statistical analysis was also measured for significance. Tools from GIS helped to store and organize data. Mapping the Hmong community was a difficult task where the U.S. Census did not have quality data of ethnic groups, but rather races. In order to map where the Hmong community was located, I used ReferenceUSA, a large business database, with searches that contained key words such as “Hmong” and prominent Hmong last names like “Vang,” “Yang,” “Vue,” “Thao,” and “Xiong” seen in the model in figure 1. Each of the other features looked at were also mapped to consider where they were located in relation to the Hmong community appearing in figures 2, 3, and 4. From these maps, 1km fishnets (squares) were projected to obtain statistical data from each section. Scatter plots were created along with the geographical weighted regressions tool to statistically analyze the data obtained. 65
Page 1 and 2:
DR. RONALD E. MCNAIR Ronald E. McNa
Page 3 and 4:
ABSTRACT The purpose of the present
Page 5 and 6:
Oluwademilade Adediran Psychology M
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16: Oluwademilade Adediran Psychology M
Page 21 and 22: ABSTRACT Early childhood education
Page 23 and 24: Kesha Berg Public Policy Enhancing
Page 43 and 44: ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency vir
Page 45 and 46: Mondraya Howard Pharmacy HIV-1 Resi
Page 47 and 48: Mondraya Howard Pharmacy HIV-1 Resi
Page 49 and 50: ABSTRACT Food waste in the United S
Page 51 and 52: Bridgette Kelly Environmental Scien
Page 63 and 64: ABSTRACT This research discusses he
Page 65: Chia Lee Public Health Health care
Page 69 and 70: Chia Lee Public Health Health care
Page 75 and 76: Mai-Eng Lee Social Work Teachers’
Page 83 and 84: APPENDIX B INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Back
show all

dr. ronald e. mcnair acknowledgements - University of St. Thomas

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?