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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Vaccination Coverage across Thirteen States: A County-Level Analysis
No full textM.S.Despite significant strides in vaccine development and dissemination during the COVID-19 pandemic, limited and patchy vaccine uptake highlights a critical public health challenge for future pandemics. However, the inadequacy of detailed data has hampered our ability to understand the ethnic and racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations Previous research has primarily focused on national or state-level disparities, highlighting the need for county-level analyses. This study aims to bridge this gap by analyzing disparities at the county level, providing a more accurate assessment of COVID-19 vaccination inequities. Specifically, we investigate the geographic distribution of COVID-19 vaccination disparities for Black and Hispanic populations, whether there are disparities between urban and rural counties, and whether significant differences exist in racial/ethnic disparity in vaccination rates when analyzed at the county level compared to state and national rates. Data was collected from 13 state health departments between June 22, 2021, and July 22, 2021, and included COVID vaccination counts disaggregated by county and race/ethnicity group. The findings reveal significant spatial heterogeneity in both Black and Hispanic vaccination disparity. Urban areas exhibited higher levels of Black disparity. Rural areas exhibited higher levels of Hispanic disparity. It was also determined that state-level analyses significantly obscure true disparities, highlighting the importance of county-level data. The findings from this study underscore the importance of targeted interventions tailored to specific geographic contexts and emphasize the imperative forpolicymakers and public health officials to prioritize the collection and utilization of granular county-level data to effectively address racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination efforts, thereby fostering more equitable health outcomes for all communities
The Effects of China's Belt and Road Initiative on African Economic Development
No full textM.P.P.Africa has always been a primary target for external intervention but contrary to the western colonial strategy, China presents a different narrative, one that has been deemed more acceptable to some African governments. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was officially announced in September 2013 by the notorious General Secretary and leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Xi Jinping (McBride et al, 2023). Due to China’s growing need for industrial capacity and exports, through the BRI, China has sought to increase its investment portfolio by engaging with developing economies. The flow of Chinese foreign direct investments (FDI) to African countries increased to 5 billion USD in 2018 from 2.5 million USD in 2012 (Textor, 2023). While FDI is considered to have a positive relationship with economic development, the BRI has received a lot of criticism from those who view increased Chinese investment presence in developing nations as a debt trap and an attempt by Xi Jinping to manipulate the geopolitical landscape. This paper considers whether the targeted Chinese investment model has proven effective in spurring economic development in Africa. I use country-level data from the Chinese Ministry of Finance, the World Bank, and Quality of Government Time-Series dataset, to measure this impact from 2010 to 2020 in 48 African countries. I did not find a relationship between China’s FDI stock in Africa and their economic development as measured by GDP. In this paper, I discuss the specific implications of these results and considerations for future analysis
Apurvabhai and Maney on Criado-Perez, Invisible Women
No full textReview: Criado-Perez, C. (2019) Invisible women: Data bias in a world designed for men. Abrams Press. $17.00. ISBN: 978141973521
Decreasing Barriers to Enrollment in Cancer Clinical Trials: An Education Intervention
No full textD.N.P.Cancer is a public health problem and the second leading cause of death in the U.S. Cancer clinical trial (CCT) participation is needed to create new therapies and treatments to improve cancer care and reduce the cost and emotional and physical burden of cancer in the U.S. Historically, adult participation in cancer clinical trials is low, with only about six percent of patients treated at Community Centers participating in clinical trials. Patient-related internal barriers to CCT enrollment may include personal beliefs and reservations about clinical trial participation.The purpose of this project was to measure the impact of CCT education on CCT knowledge and attitudes in patients with cancer. It was a quality improvement project with a pre-post design. Eleven participants were recruited and enrolled. They watched the PRE-ACT (Preparatory Education About Clinical Trials) web-based videos designed to improve preparation for decision making in CCTs and attended a question-and-answer session with CCT staff. Before watching the videos, participants completed the Knowledge Statements about Clinical Trials survey and Attitudes to Randomized Trial Questionnaire (ARTQ) survey. After watching the videos, participants completed these two surveys again along with the Preparation for Decision Making (PrepDM) Scale.CCT Knowledge scores did not differ significantly from pre- to post-education (Z = 1.73, p = .084). This was due in part because of the high pre-education scores. For the ARTQ survey there were no significant changes in these responses from pre- to post-education. The PrepDM scale overall score ranged from 57 to 100, with a mean of 83.9 (SD = 14.4) and a median of 80.0. This suggests a high level of preparedness to make a decision. The sample was underpowered limiting the ability to determine statistical significance. However, all participants stated that they saw value in the CCT education. Many participants were aware of CCTs but had not considered CCTs as a potential treatment option. One participant enrolled in a CCT post-education. CCT education helps to address patient barriers to participation in CCTs. This project showed that patients with cancer find CCT education valuable and may consider current and future participation after CCT education
The Relationship Between School Resource Officers (SRO) and Incidents Referred to Outside Law Enforcement
No full textM.P.P.The school-to-prison pipeline phenomena refers to the policies and practices that funnel children from schools into the criminal justice system. The increase in the number of students being pushed out of schools into the justice system has prompted debate about these practices. The expansion of school resource officers (SROs), law enforcement officials placed in schools, across the nation has raised questions about their role in the school-to-prison pipeline. Using national school-level data from the 2007-2008 US Department of Education’s School Survey on Crime and Safety, I investigate the relationship between SROs and the number of incidents in schools that are referred to outside law enforcement. I find that SROs are positively associated with the number of incidents referred to outside law enforcement
BEYOND FAITH, POWER, AND PRIDE: AN ARMS RACE OF NEUROTECHNOLOGY AND EXTREMISM
No full textM.A.L.S.With a critical eye on the race between technological expansion and the proliferation of global extremist movements, the inadequacy of international legal frameworks is laid bare, and the question of ethics is posed too late. This thesis foregrounds an urgent ethical inquiry within the defense and intelligence communities. Acknowledging an often-belated ethical discourse in the face of innovation, this work scrutinizes the juxtaposition of innovation against human costs. Nonetheless, while technologies such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Neuralink promise exceptional treatments, their potential surpasses that of medical applications. This analysis bridges the gap between security imperatives and ethical mandates, dissecting current statutes, treaties, and legal precedents to champion a proactive dialogue. Utilizing the frameworks of Neuroethics and Engendered Security, this thesis serves as a seminal call to action, urging for the ethical utilization of neurotechnology. To illustrate its urgency and applicability, the thesis presents a comparative exploration of neurotechnology’s potential deployment in scenarios external and internal to the United States of America. Thus setting the stage for future research, discourse, and policy in the pivotal intersection of technology, security, and ethics
Impact of Evidence Based Debriefing On Moral Distress in Critical Care Nurses
No full textD.N.P.Moral distress has been shown to be prevalent among health care professionals, especially critical care nurses. Increased levels of moral distress have been proven to increase burnout, compassion fatigue, and job dissatisfaction, negatively affecting patient care. A quality improvement project was conducted at a large tertiary hospital on the east coast to examine the impact of regular debriefing sessions on the moral distress experienced by critical care nurses and to assess the level of benefit to the nurses of the utilization of these sessions. Six debriefing sessions were conducted over a three-month period during the night shift to discuss patients who cause moral distress. Nurse champions, who led the sessions, were educated utilizing the Moral Distress Map as a guide to lead the debriefing sessions. Pre and post surveys were sent out to 33 eligible night shift nurses utilizing The Measure of Moral Distress for Health Care Professionals (MMD-HP) survey to measure levels of moral distress pre and post implementation. Nurses were also asked how beneficial the sessions were in the post survey. There were 10 individuals who completed both the pre and post surveys and were eligible for comparison. MMD-HP scores were higher in the post survey, (mean = 118.5, SD = 49.7), than the pre survey, (mean =98.5, SD = 53.5), although the change was not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant decrease in moral distress scores for participants who attended at least two sessions, in comparison to those who attended just one or zero sessions (t (8) = 2.39, p = .044). Additionally, 70% of the participants said that the debriefing sessions were either beneficial or very beneficial. Limitations of this project included small sample size, lack of consistency of the debriefing sessions, and timing allowed for nurses to attend debriefing sessions. Overall, this project showed that allowing nurses the space, time, and education to be part of evidence-based interventions, like debriefing sessions, helps to reduce levels of moral distress. Future research should focus on implementing interventions to help combat moral distress on a larger scale across all health care professions and disciplines
The Relationship Between Family Support and Political Participation Among Transgender Populations
No full textM.P.P.Research into political participation among American transgender populations remains largely underdeveloped. Yet documented transgender experiences suggest that systemic transphobia may create sizeable barriers to voting and attending political events. Being shown support and affirmation from family has been found to have a sizable positive effect on transgender mental health and behavior; family support may therefore influence transgender political participation through an improved sense of political efficacy. I evaluate whether having family support has a positive effect on political participation for transgender individuals using the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality Project data. My results lack the statistical significance to conclude family support’s effects, but I do find a substantial relationship between having LGBT community and increased political participation for all LGBT individuals. This contributes evidence that supportive relationships in some form have a positive connection to political participation. The thesis also contributes evidence of consistent underrepresentation of gender minority groups in data collection, which in turn perpetuates underrepresentation in quantitative policy research. Recommendations include expanding the collection of gender identity data in government and academic research; replicating this study with alternate data sets; legal protections for gender minorities and gender expression; and enacting other policies to support LGBT organizations as a method of increasing political participation
