Public Health Projects from 2020

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What’s Going on with E-cigarette use in Vermont High Schools?

Fay Abdullah, Elizabeth Baumgartner, Delaney Curran, Noorin Damji, Madeline Fritz, Catherine Gereg, Ray Mak, Shayan McGee, Alex Crimmin, and David Kaminsky

The use of electronic cigarettes (e cigarettes) has become popular practice among teenagers in the United States. E cigarettes have been marketed as a “healthier” alternative to traditional cigarettes and include several flavor options to make them more appealing to teenagers. However, studies have shown that e cigarettes are still harmful, leading to addiction, nausea, vomiting, headache, and upper airway irritation. Most recently, the outbreak of severe lung illnesses is believed to be related to e cigarette use; the CDC and FDA are investigating the cause of this outbreak.
E-cigarette and tobacco use on a tobacco-free UVM campus

Sameer Alidina, Lauren Gernon, Kalin Gregory-Davis, Alexa Pius, Olivia Quatela, Samuel Raszka, and Zeynep Tek

The prevalence of e-cigarette use has significantly increased in recent years. In the US, e-cigarettes are now the most common nicotine products used by adolescents. The CDC reported 1,299 cases of lung injury correlating to the use of e-cigarette and vaping products; the current recommendation is to refrain from using e-cigarette products that contain THC and/or nicotine.
Social Determinants of Health Among Blood Donors

Amelia Anderson, Lauren Bougioukas, Alexander Braun, Adam Morehead, Collins Oguejiofor, Christina Sanchez-Grew, Rachel Tobin, Jenny Lamping, and Mark Fung

Understanding the influences of social determinants of health (SDOH) on blood donation may help define the relationship between health in a community and rates of blood donation. While much is known about the demographics of blood donors in the United States, their SDOH have not yet been studied. Research examining SDOH outside the United States has found that many factors influence the likelihood of blood donations. These factors include education, income, health insurance, health status, and marital status. The aim of this study is to examine U.S. blood donors’ SDOH such as emotional support, stress levels, physical safety and access to food, housing, and healthcare, as well as identify trends between these factors and donation frequency.
Physician Attitudes Toward Screening for Social Determinants of Health

Michael Barnum, Rosie Friedman, Tierra Lynch, Collin Montgomery, Irene Sue, Jenna Wells, Hakeem Yousef, Elizabeth Cote, and Charles Maclean

Social determinants of health (SDH) have a significant impact on health outcomes. Screening for SDH in the clinical setting can identify at-risk patients, but follow-up and management remain challenging. Currently, there is no single preferred screening tool recommended for SDH and the screening process varies widely. The goal of this study was to determine family medicine physician attitudes and practices regarding screening and follow-up for SDH in Chittenden County, VT.
Trends in Buprenorphine Use and Barriers to Medication-Assisted Recovery

Isi Beach, Richard Brach, Carolyn Geraci, Kyle Leonard, Rose Martin, Nikkole Turgeon, Faith Wilson, Kayla Donohue, and Mariah McNamara

Since the initiation of the "Hub and Spoke Model" in 2014, VT has been able to eliminate the waitlist for receiving Medication-Assisted Recovery (MAR) and has increased the number of MAR providers. However, many people still report using non-prescribed “street” MAR prior to entering treatment to avoid withdrawal from opiates. Our study aims to assess current trends and barriers to access in buprenorphine use.
Development of a Sustainable Volunteer Model to Address Food Insecurity

Abigail Belser, Adrian Berg, Leah Miller, Kaitlyn Peper, Allison Tzeng, Carolyn Gould, Linda Howe, and Jan Carney

Food insecurity is a predictor of poor health outcomes and a critical social determinant of health. Food shelves are critical community resources aimed to counter food insecurity by providing nutrition and other resources to those in need. Food insecurity in Winooski, Vermont is substantial and increasing, with 10% of residents utilizing the Winooski Food Shelf (WFS) in 2018. To aid in the increasing demand of the WFS, we determined the greatest need(s) to implement a sustainable intervention to ensure capacity to meet demands.
Assessing Burnout in Early Childhood Educators

Megan Boyer, Sarah Clark, Emma Hall, Malla Keefe, Elena Martel, Michael Tabet, Mohammad Wali, Sarah Adams-Kollitz, and Molly Moore

The stress of working as an early childhood educator can manifest as increased job turnover and burnout, leading to reduced teaching efficacy. Resilience training can increase wellbeing and decrease stress. This study assessed burnout, resilience, and organizational constraints at Burlington Children’s Space (BCS), a childcare education non-profit.
Assessing the Feasibility of a Peer Developed Risk Reduction Plan in a Rural Middle School

Sara Brennan, Christian Brooks, Patrick Clarke, Isaac de La Bruere, Nicole Delgado, Alexandra Kuzma, Emma Levine, Joanna Jerose, and Leigh Ann Holterman

Sheldon Middle School (SMS) reported above-average suicidal ideation and risky behavior (e.g., sexual activity, alcohol use) on the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, compared to state levels. Current literature highlights programs designed to reduce risky youth behavior. Little research exists on the feasibility of designing and implementing peer-created, peer-driven intervention programs. There is a gap around parent and faculty opinions surrounding the feasibility of these programs. We investigated the feasibility of partnering with students to design an empirically-based program that addresses some root causes of risky behaviors, then measured parent and faculty attitudes.
Housing Initiatives Implementation in Vermont to Improve Health Outcomes

Jose Calderon, Marlijne Cook, Benjamin Kagan, Sylvia Lane, Maha Saleem, Kayla Sturtevant, Angela Troia, Heidi Klein, and Jan Carney

Vermont Department of Health goals include improving population health outcomes, including social determinants of health. There is compelling evidence between housing and health; research demonstrates housing insecurities increase rates of negative health outcomes. Research further demonstrates improve-ments in housing reduce hospital stays, thus reducing financial burdens on hospitals. This project sought to understand what housing initiatives Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) in Vermont are implementing to alleviate the burdens of housing insecurity.
Primary Care Perceptions: Health Services for Vermonters with Intellectual Disabilities

Magalie Carey, Gia Eapen, Adam Fakhri, Taylor Marquis, Cara Rathmell, Claudia Russell, Nicole Wershoven, Elizabeth Cote, Mike Reilly, and Stephen Everse

Champlain Community Services (CCS) provides developmental services and health care to Vermonters with intellectual disabilities (100 individuals in 2019), offering coordinated one-to-one support at work, home, school, and in the community. The goals of this study were to learn which services local primary care practitioners believe to be most beneficial to patients with intellectual disabilities (ID), to identify barriers to developmental services, and to gauge practitioners’ familiarity with CCS.
Attitudes & Roles Regarding Firearm Access and Suicide Prevention in Vermont Middle & High Schools

Cari Carpenter, Kelly Chan, Jeremy Greenberg, Alyssa Heiser, Ashleigh Peterson, Peter Twining, Emerson Wheeler, Kristin Fontaine, and Wendy Davis

Adolescent suicide is a serious public health concern in Vermont, and the presence of firearms in the home is a known risk factor. Suicide attempts with firearms are more likely to be completed than attempts with other means, with an 85% mortality rate of suicide with firearms compared to 5% with other means. This project aimed to assess attitudes, comfort, and perceived roles among school personnel in addressing gun safety and access to firearms with Vermont students and parents.
A Comprehensive Needs Assessment of Rural Syringe Services

Deena Chanowitz, Julia Clemens, Alim Esemenli, Matthew Hill, Erick MacLean, Adessa Morano, and Adam Ross

The current opioid epidemic has resulted in a significant increase in opioid-related overdoses, and a corresponding rise in HIV and HCV transmission. Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) provide resources for people who inject drugs. There are fewer SSPs in rural U.S. and little research has been conducted to determine unique needs of SSP participants in rural areas.
Addressing Vermont Childhood Obesity Through Public Policy: Scoring Vermont Supervisory Union Wellness Policies Using the WellSAT Assessment Tool

Olivia Cooper, Rachel Harrison, Jugerta Istrefi, Colby McGinn, Micheal Mikheal, John O'Keefe, PJ Tran, Tina Zuk, and Paula Tracy

As of 2016 the state of Vermont has required all public school supervisory unions to have a wellness policy guiding nutritional and physical education, nutritional quality of food served and sold, and the implementation and modification of the policy in the future. We hypothesize that differences between these policies throughout the state of Vermont will lead to changes in health outcomes for the students that they impact.
HPV and Cancer Prevention: It’s Not Just About the Warts

Matthew Dier, Elizabeth Hahn, Rachel Madhur, Francis Mtuke, Carley Mulligan, Lauren Schlussel, Kristina Valentine, Bill Couzens, and Jan Carney

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are responsible for 34,000 cancers per year throughout the United States, including cervical, anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancers. In 2018, only 51% of adolescents received all recommended doses. Our study goal was to assess knowledge of HPV in a population likely well-informed about cancer risks.
Assessing Prenatal Care Providers’ Promotion of Immunization in Pregnancy

Emily Eakin, Francesca Garofalo, William Holden, Sunny Hutson, Ambrose Orr, Melanie Parziale, Anya Srikureja, Emily Straley, Christine Finley, Jill Jemison, and Raj Chawla

Accurate information regarding prenatal immunization is critical for first-time mothers. Many vaccine-hesitant mothers decide whether to vaccinate their children during pregnancy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines urge providers to recommend the Tdap and influenza vaccines to pregnant patients to reduce the risk of complications from pertussis and influenza, respectively, in both expectant mothers and infants. In 2018, about half of pregnant women in the US received an influenza vaccine and Tdap vaccine; however, uptake varies state to state. This study demonstrates the first survey of providers regarding prenatal immunization practices in Vermont.
A Community Based Approach to a Client- Centered Wellness Program

Sheridan Finnie, Diane Kim, Prasanna Kumar, Kelly MacPherson, Allyson Miller, Megan Prue, Jacob Weiss, Cathie Buscaglia, Joseph Lasek, and Alison Howe

Despite health benefits of wellness programs, no such program has been adapted to meet the needs of adult clients receiving services addressing mental health, substance-use, and developmental needs at a community-based mental health organization. We investigated preferred evidence-based diet and exercise wellness programs for potential implementation.
Vermont Legislature’s Views on the Reliability and Accessibility of Available Resources Regarding Public Health Concerns of Youth Marijuana Use

Aram Garewal, Luke Higgins, Jeannie Lin, Kathleen O'Hara, Michelle Oberding, Anna Quinlan, Joseph Teague, Lori Augustyniak, and Karen Lounsbury

Vermont previously legalized possession and limited cultivation of marijuana. Proposed legislation for 2020 would legalize commercial sale of marijuana. Current knowledge surrounding public health impacts of the legal commercial sale of marijuana on youth is inconsistent, insufficient, and poorly understood by the public. This study investigated legislator utilization and perception of sources contributing to growing knowledge surrounding youth marijuana use.