The Role of Advocates in State-Level Competitive Food Legislation Formation: A Comparative Case Study
Year of Dissertation:
2012
Advisor:
Nicholas Freudenberg
In the absence of strong federal oversight over competitive foods--those items available in school vending machines, à la carte lines, school stores, and fundraisers--many states have enacted legislation to limit the availability and accessibility of unhealthy competitive foods. Evaluations of these policies show their promise in improving the healthfulness of school food environments, considered an important strategy for reducing childhood obesity. Yet little is known about the decision-making processes by which such legislation is formed and adopted.
Malaria in NYC Residents: Examining the determinants of chemoprophylaxis use and adherence among immigrants who travel abroad to visit friends and relatives (VFR)
Year of Dissertation:
2012
Malaria in NYC Residents: Examining the determinants of chemoprophylaxis use and adherence among immigrants who travel abroad to visit friends and relatives (VFR)
THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY) DIABETES RISK STUDY: PERCEPTIONS OF A MULTI-ETHNIC COLLEGE POPULATION
Author:
Lorraine Mongiello
Year of Dissertation:
2012
Advisor:
Nicholas Freudenberg,
Background and Problem: College years are the time when many form detrimental health behaviors that increase diabetes risk. An understanding of students' perceptions about their risk is necessary to determine how best to address issues of healthy eating and physical activity at CUNY.
Organizational Preparedness and Community Readiness for a Public Health Emergency Among Community Service Provider Organizations in East Harlem, New York City
Year of Dissertation:
2012
Community service provider organizations operating in vulnerable and minority communities are ill-prepared for a public health emergency and are largely left out of formal preparedness activities. This study had two aims: 1) to examine the association of certain organizational attributes among community service provider organizations operating with levels of organizational preparedness in East Harlem, New York City; and 2) to assess the extent to which this community is ready to engage in public health emergency preparedness activities. Organizational leaders were identified from organizational membership lists of three community groups (n=83). An online cross-sectional survey was administered to 31 organizational leaders over a 5-week period to measure organizational preparedness, individual-level preparedness, organizational confidence, and specific organizational leader and organizational characteristics. Descriptive statistics, linear, and logistic regression analyses were used to address the Aim 1 of the study. For Aim 2, six organizational leaders were randomly selected from the survey sample based on their level of organizational preparedness and participated in an in-depth interview informed by the Community Readiness Model (CRM). The CRM anchored statement rating method was used to determine the stage of overall community readiness. A qualitative analysis of the interviews was conducted using a grounded theory approach to identify themes, barriers, and opportunities for improved public health emergency preparedness. Our findings showed a 1.3 increase in organizational preparedness when associated with the level of individual preparedness and a .99 increase when associated with organizational confidence after controlling for selected characteristics. When the outcome was treated as categorical (high versus low levels of organizational preparedness) the results were nearly identical (1.37, C.I.: 1.02-1.84 for individual preparedness; and 1.33, C.I.1.03-1.72 for organizational confidence). East Harlem is at Stage 2:Denial/Resistance within the stages of community readiness (range from 1 to 9 towards a higher stage of readiness). Four major themes, knowledge, assumptions, and community contextual factors, emerged related to public health emergency preparedness and moving towards a more prepared community. Overall, East Harlem's community service provider organizations remain ill-prepared and the community is at a critically low stage of community readiness to engage in a public health emergency preparedness activities.
Effects of 9/11-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Problem Alcohol Use Among World Trade Center Health Registry Enrollees
Year of Dissertation:
2011
Advisor:
Nicholas Freudenberg
Advisor: Luisa N. Borrell, D.D.S., Ph.D.