The Lived Experiences of HIV+ Community Health Workers Serving HIV+ Clients

Numerous studies have focused on the effectiveness of community health worker (CHW) programs in producing positive health behaviors and health outcomes for the clients CHWs serve; however, there has been a gap in the literature regarding how the health of HIV + CHWs is impacted by their jobs. A phenomenological design was used to gain insight into the lived experiences of HIV+ CHWs (HIVCHW) who provided services to HIV positive clients. Fifteen HIVCHW were recruited using criteria and snowball techniques. Data were collected via audio recorded personal interviews regarding respondents\u27 perceptions of their work and how it impacted their own health and wellbeing. The data were organized by hand creating charts with pen and paper. Lazarus\u27s theory of stress and coping was used to understand the data and aided in the analysis. The key findings indicated that while the majority of participants had an overall positive perception of the experience of being HIVCHWs, they also indicated that being a CHW impacted their health and well-being. Stress and stressful situations were among the impacts most often referenced by the study participants. The study is socially significant because it may offer the workforce of HIVCHWs empowerment to self-advocate for tools such as stress and time management training and mentors to support healthy work-life balance. In addition, this study may help to prevent or reduce rates of adverse health outcomes such as pain and burnout that HIVCHWs reported experiencing

Changes in Food Consumption Trends among American Adults since the COVID-19 Pandemic

The quality and quantity of food consumption have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the consumption of different food groups in order to close the research gap by providing current evidence that reflects a later stage of the pandemic compared to other circulating research conducted at earlier stages. Data collection for this cross-sectional study was performed via an online Qualtrics survey from 10,050 adults aged 40–100 years. Nutritional status was measured using the 24-item short-form Dietary Screening Tool (DST) twice: before and since the COVID-19 pandemic. The DST questions were categorized based on MyPlate items, along with fat, sugar, and sweet items, as well as nutritional supplement intake. In addition, the total DST score was calculated for each participant, which categorized them into one of three groups: “at risk”, “possible risk”, and “not at risk”. The results revealed that the consumption of grains, fruit, lean protein, and dairy decreased significantly, while the consumption of fat, sugar, and sweet items increased significantly due to COVID-19. The biggest decreases in consumption of food subcategories were related to whole grain bread and cereal, followed by fruit as a snack, in comparison with other types of grain and fruit. No changes in the consumption of vegetables, processed meat, or supplement intake were seen. The total DST score showed that, before and since COVID-19, the overall nutrition status of adult Americans has been at risk. In addition, of those participants who were not at risk before COVID-19, 28.5% were either at risk or at possible risk since COVID-19; moreover, of those participants who were at possible risk before COVID-19, 21% were at risk since COVID-19. As a good nutritional status can reduce the risk of severe illness or even mortality rate in times of crisis, the findings of this study can help policymakers and health educators to develop heath-protecting behavior sessions against future pandemics to manage crises

The Impact of Technology on Equity and Inclusion in a COVID World: Challenges for Education and Employment

This proceeding contains articles on the various ideas of the academic community presented at The 3rd Annual Faculty Senate Research Conference organized by the University of the District of Columbia (USA) on 11th February 2022. The 3rd Annual Conference brings together community leaders, industry professionals, faculty, and university administrators to discuss issues important to the University of the District of Columbia and its many community, national and international stakeholders. Participants use the Conference Theme to consider how the explosion of technological tools impacts the academy.  The keynotes provided examples of how these issues are addressed in the community, while industry professionals discussed how faculty/industry partnerships address equity and educational issues. Conference presenters, describe how new methods impact teaching, scholarship, and service.  Many of the submissions articulate the continuing impact of COVID-19, especially as it relates to equity and inclusion, and documents how scholars are incorporating these pressures in ways that benefit the academy. Conference Title: 3rd Annual Faculty Senate Research ConferenceConference Theme: Challenges for Education and EmploymentConference Date: 11 February 2022Conference Location: University of the District of Columbia, USAConference Organizer: University of the District of Columbia Related Proceedings:  Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Faculty Senate Research Conferenc

Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Faculty Senate Research Conference: Higher Education During Pandemics

This proceeding contains articles on the various ideas of the academic community presented at The 2nd Annual Faculty Senate Research Conference organized by the University of the District of Columbia (USA) on 05th February 2021. In February 2021, the exponential spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the effect of systemic racism resulted in dramatic changes in colleges and universities. These changes were extremely difficult for students, requiring faculty and institutions to stand in the gap to help students complete their studies. Moving to a completely online format was especially difficult for students traditionally served by UDC, but the institution and its faculty were better prepared than most to address this challenge. However, COVID-19 issues facing minority communities loomed larger, were more complex, and required a deeper societal dialogue.  The permeations of these issues ranged from vaccine hesitancy to social disparities that created impacts on social justice. As the only public, land-grant university in and for the capital city of the United States of America, and a Historically Black College and University, UDC was uniquely positioned to convene this discussion as a part of its 2021- 2nd Annual Faculty Senate Conference. Conference Title: 2nd Annual Faculty Senate Research Conference: Higher Education During PandemicsConference Date: 05 February 2021Conference Location: University of the District of Columbia, USAConference Organizer: University of the District of Columbi