Master of Public Health
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Browsing Master of Public Health by Subject "Public Policy"
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Item An Analysis of the Relationship Between Income, Gender, and Perception of Gun Violence in One’s Local Community(2019-04) Hinrichs, Courtney AlexandraGun violence has significant impacts on an individual’s health and well-being. In 2017, Pew Research Center conducted a national probability-based online survey titled the American Trends Panel (ATP) Wave 25. The survey targeted adults living in households in the United States (Pew Research Center, 2017). This cross-sectional research study utilized the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel to examine differences in local communities’ perceived problem of gun violence between genders and income levels. In this study, a Pearson Chi-Square was calculated analyzing gender and income level as variables predicting an individual’s perception on the degree of the problem of gun violence in one’s local community. It was found that perception of local community gun violence did not differ between genders. However, perception of local gun violence did significantly differ among income levels.Item Evaluating the Difficulty in Finding Health Insurance Coverage and the Frequency of Hospital Emergency Visits Amongst Adults Living in California(2021-08) Alvillar, KevinThe United States spends roughly $3.8 trillion yearly on health care services, yet Americans bear the highest chronic disease burden compared to other high-income countries (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS], 2020). The poor healthcare system structure is affecting many Americans’ health, which is resulting in roughly $4.4 billion in unnecessary and preventable hospitalizations (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2018; Tikkanen & Abrams, 2020). Previous research examined the differences between educational attainment and understanding health insurance literacy and utilization; the affect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on health insurance coverage affordability; and insurance status and the frequency of emergency room visits. This study aimed to evaluate the differences between Californians' difficulty in finding health insurance and their frequency of self-reported emergency room visits in the last 12 months across socioeconomic (SES) categories as measured by federal poverty level. This research study utilized a cross-sectional approach and data from 2019 California Health Interview Survey. The sample size was 1,000 adults living in California, 442 males and 558 females. A Spearman’s correlational analysis and a one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the two research questions. This study revealed that there is no significant relationship between poverty level categories and difficulty in finding health insurance. The findings indicated that there is a significant difference between poverty levels categories and self-reported emergency room frequency. Further research studies should focus on how the American Rescue Plan alleviated the nation’s uninsured gap and whether this improved the health outcomes across poverty level categories.Item Health Insurance and the Impact of Citizenship Status, Employment Status, and Poverty Status(2019-05) Pryde, Sandra MichelleThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s expanded access to health insurance in 2014 did not guarantee access to health insurance for low-income and undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. While employment status and poverty status are estimated to play a major role in the prediction of health insurance status, this study hypothesized that citizenship status predicts health insurance status the most. Using secondary data from the 2017 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), this study examined a random 10% sample of the adult respondents. Dichotomous variables were created from the HMO Status, Citizenship Status Employment status, and Poverty level status variables of the CHIS. A chi-square test of independence was performed to determine the relationship between health insurance and citizenship, employment, poverty. A Binary logistic regression was performed to identify the strongest predictor of health insurance status among citizenship, employment, poverty. A significant association between citizenship status and health insurance status was found, (X2 (1) = 40.37, p < .001). The odds of being insured were 4.3 times higher among citizens, compared to non-citizens. Citizenship status had the greatest significant influence on health insurance status (p = .001). Those who are non-citizens are 71% less likely to have health insurance compared to citizens. The findings of this study suggest that policy interventions should include further expansion of health insurance eligibility for immigrants. A wider net of eligibility would improve the uptake in health insurance, leading to better health outcomes with the improved access to healthcare. In order to minimize the barriers to accessible healthcare and for improved health outcomes of our nation as a whole, policymakers must understand the current relationship and impact of citizenship status on health insurance status. This study contributes to that understanding.Item Psychological Distress: Is There a Difference in Experience of African Americans and Non-Black Americans(2019-08) Isimeme, JesseHealth outcomes in minority ethnic groups are mostly negative when compared with outcomes of non-Hispanic Whites. This health disparity is often attributed to western diets and/or access to care. However, this explanation is over simplified. The negative outcomes seen in African Americans are consistent regardless of income, age, or social standing. Social disadvantage experienced by minorities, and the resulting chronic stress, can explain the health outcomes. This bears to question: how does the chronic stress stemming from social disadvantage affect minorities who also work in stressful careers? Psychological distress is a direct result of stress, and this study measured this experience across race groups, employment categories, and genders. The dependent variable, self-reported psychological distress, shows no statistically significant difference through race, gender, or career choice. Accurate measurement of stress is required in order to examine the difference in health outcomes that contribute to health disparities.