Using a multilayered qualitative approach I draw from hermeneutical phenomenology informed by autoethnography through a case study to illuminate the culture and community of three elementary art rooms through the lens of socioeconomic status. Through my own story of having limited art education as a child from a rural working class background I simultaneously tell the story of students from three economically diverse schools in the same district. Focusing on their experiences within the space of the art room, I explore the ways children negotiate identity, notions of class, and interpret the shared district art curriculum. A rich description of each school along with interviews and conversations with children elicit important dialogue in terms of how the curriculum, in both hidden and overt ways, promotes a particular art aesthetic. Through a digestion of image, story and interviews with administrators, teachers and students this project focuses on the importance of action research and revealing one's own identity as a teacher and researcher as one attempts to unfold the multifaceted space of the art room. Front and center, this project calls for relevant and meaningful curriculum tied to the interests and lives of the children. My attempt is to tell the stories of the children I was privileged to work with for a semester. My research is intermingled with my experiences as a public school teacher for thirteen years, partnered with my own multifaceted identity as artist/child/working class/mother/student/teacher/middle class/learner.

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This study investigated the association of race, age, and census tract area poverty level on breast cancer stage at diagnosis. The study was limited to women residing in Missouri, aged 18 years and older, diagnosed with breast cancer, and whose cases were reported to the Cancer Registry between 2003 and 2008. The risk, relative risk, and increased risk of late-stage at diagnosis by race, age, and census tract area poverty level were computed. We found that the odds of late-stage breast cancer among African-American women were higher when compared with their white counterpart (OR 1.433; 95% CI, 1.316, 1.560). In addition, the odds of advanced stage disease for women residing in high-poverty areas were greater than those living in low-poverty areas (OR 1.319; 95% CI 1.08; 1.201). To close the widening cancer disparities gap in Missouri, there is the need for effective and programmatic strategies to enable interventions to reach areas and populations most vulnerable to advanced stage breast cancer diagnosis.

With many families in poverty in need of assistance in the United States, the government has implemented stricter work requirements to get individuals off welfare and to work. Recipients must now work a state specified number of hours per week to receive aid. Some research suggest that these policies may increase employment rates amongst recipients, yet not lead to their economic growth and independence. This study examines the effect of TANF work requirements on various socioeconomic outcomes for individual recipients, including employment, job quality and income. Data on TANF recipients come from 2014 Survey of Income and Participation. Results suggest a negative reserve effect than what policy-makers intended for, yet are inconclusive of the net effect of work requirements. Other factors, such as race, sex and educational attainment play a significant role in various outcomes.

Water treatment facilities across the United States are known for providing high-quality drinking water to their residents. However, differences in treatment methods, aging infrastructure, and outdated household plumbing may affect the quality of drinking water by the time it reaches the consumer’s tap. Palm Beach County, Florida, is an area with large socioeconomic contrasts where some families live in dilapidated structures and others reside in luxurious, gated communities. This research highlights the variation of household water quality by determining metal concentrations in tap water samples in communities of different socioeconomic status. In addition, interviews were conducted with personnel from five different Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in the study area to understand the relationship between customers and their water utility. Results indicate that effective communication strategies are needed to boost public trust and fill critical information gaps about the water treatment process. Ninety-six tap water samples were collected from households throughout eastern Palm Beach County and analyzed for different metals using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. Surveys were also administered at the same households where tap water samples were collected. Residents were asked about their perceptions of tap water and social and economic questions regarding their household characteristics. A Socioeconomic Status (SES) index was created using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to understand how perceptions of tap water quality and concentrations of metals in household tap water vary based on SES. Results provide evidence that those living in the lowest-ranking SES neighborhoods are the least satisfied with their tap water quality and consume less tap water than those living in higher SES neighborhoods. Water quality results highlighted large variations in concentrations of aluminum (Al) and thus, analyses focused specifically on how Al concentrations varied according to SES. Results from Ordinary Least Squares regression show that as socioeconomic status decreases, the concentration of Al in tap water increases. Six samples exceed the State of Florida’s Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) for Al, and five of those samples were found in the lowest-ranking SES neighborhoods (SES 1 and 2). The results of this research provide evidence that inequities in household water quality exist across eastern Palm Beach County, Florida. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Chronic illnesses such as cancer continue to be among the costliest for employers who provide health insurance to their employees. Despite efforts to incorporate health improvement programs in the workplace, there are concerns about the effectiveness of these programs that do not always deliver a positive return on investment. Little is known about the specific socioeconomic status of employees for whom these workplace health improvement programs are designed for. Guided by the social-ecological model, this study sought to understand the relationship between cancer health risks about socioeconomic factors among cancer survivors in the employer-insured population. Data were extracted from the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for employer-insured individuals who identified as having been diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life (N = 7,007). A multivariate linear regression analysis was used to assess the effect of household income, level of education, race/ethnicity of respondents on cancer health risks based on the American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention (ACS). The analysis of variance indicated that the overall model was significant (P < .05). College graduates had the highest level of compliance with requirement for cancer prevention; participants' adherence to the guidelines varied depending on their household income. This study may contribute to positive social change as it suggests that socioeconomic characteristics of employer-insured individuals, including health history, need to be taken into consideration in the development and implementation of worksite health improvement programs.

The stroke rate in Virginia is above the national rate. Stroke results in poor quality health, morbidity, and mortality. This quantitative epidemiological study was conducted to investigate whether a significant association exists between stroke and (a) socioeconomic and (b) neighborhood factors among people who were admitted to Virginia hospitals between 2010 and 2015. An ecological design, including ecosocial theory, was used to examine associations between environmental factors and stroke. Data (746 census output areas) were acquired using patients' billing zip codes from the Virginia Health Information System in combination with socioeconomic and neighborhood data by Zip Code Tabulation Area from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Results of linear regression analysis showed a significant association between stroke hospitalization rate and educational attainment, per capita income, and Gini coefficient for income distribution. Also, a significant association emerged between stroke and neighborhood risk factors such as food access, Walkability Index, and population density. Findings from a one-way ANOVA showed a significant geographic difference in stroke hospitalization rate with the highest stroke rate in eastern Virginia and the lowest stroke rate in northern Virginia. Results may help stakeholders, policymakers, and public health agencies design, prioritize, and implement community-based prevention programs to reduce stroke rates in Virginia.

This meta-analysis investigated the association of gender and socioeconomic position with cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents. Public health professionals know the importance of physical activity level as a modifiable behavior; however, the literature has revealed that more research is needed on the association of sociodemographic variables like gender and socioeconomic position with cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents. Using the physical fitness and health outcomes conceptual model as a guide, the overall effect sizes across studies were assessed as well as the moderators of study design, sample size, age, and country. A systematic review of literature identified a total of 18 peer-reviewed studies meeting inclusion criteria, which yielded a total of 41 unique effect sizes. Meta-analysis utilizing a random effects model indicated that gender and socioeconomic position are associated with cardiorespiratory fitness and that age and country moderated these effects. The positive social change implication of this meta-analysis may provide evidence-based knowledge to public health officials, physical educators, and health educators who are considering changes in school health promotion policies and health promotion interventions geared toward different gender and socioeconomic groups. Long term results include increased physical activity, decreased clustered cardiovascular risk factors, and lowered all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality as adolescents track into adulthood.

In Nigeria, childhood tuberculosis (TB), a debilitating and deadly disease, is highly prevalent and case reporting is poor due to weak health systems. Globally, children account for at least 10 percent of the TB burden, yet they remain neglected in TB prevention and control efforts. Research studies integrating family and community-centered strategies have been recommended by stakeholders to address the paucity of current local prevention and management strategies for childhood TB. This observational cross-sectional study explored the relationship between caregivers' quality of life (QOL), gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) and the incidence of TB in children aged 0-14 years. Using the abbreviated version of World Health Organization's (WHO) QOL tool, the WHOQOL-BREF, data were collected individually in a face-to-face setting from caregivers (n = 47) whose children had been diagnosed with TB in Bauchi State, Northeastern Nigeria, over a 5-year period. Data were collected in the same manner from another set of caregivers of children without TB (n = 47) within the same period and setting. Results from logistic regression indicated a statistically significant relationship (p < .001) between the caregivers' QOL and the occurrence childhood TB. However, the caregivers' gender and SES were not significantly related to the incidence of childhood TB. This finding underscores the need to identify the factors that positively impact the QOL of caregivers of childhood TB cases. It also reflects the importance of integrating QOL interventions as part of TB control programs seeking to improve childhood TB reporting. This can mitigate the disease burden in vulnerable age-groups living in resource limited settings, thereby contributing to positive social change in the society.

According to the CDC, young people, aged 15-24 years, share the greatest risk of new sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and the negative impact of alcohol and drug use. The purpose of this quantitative study, based on the theory of social-psychological problem-behavior, was to analyze the 2013 YRBSS secondary data and document if a relationship existed between race/ethnicity and youth sexual behavior, alcohol consumption, and drug use for the 13,583 survey participants. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Chi-Square were conducted to answer the research questions. Results indicated that American Indian/Alaskan Natives were most likely to report first sexual activity before 11 years old (7.5%), while Asians were most likely to report never having sex (76.6%). Race/ethnicity also impacted all other variables, such as drugs, with a mixture of results. Hispanic/Latinos were most likely to report higher alcohol consumption (15.12%) compared to Multiple Hispanic (5.12%), while, Multiple Non-Hispanic were more likely to report use of drugs before sexual activity (9.7%) compared to Hispanic Latinos (7.99%). Social change implication of the study called for developed and effective sustainable interventions to help youth with behavior, and it required full integration of race/ethnicity as prerequisites in alleviation strategy. Dissemination plans involved use of public health campaigns, school workshops, and churches to fight the negative impact on youth.