The Space Between

This series of abstracted landscapes is a visual representation of a challenge to step outside of my comfort zone. The paintings are an expression of emotions never before presented in the artist\u27s work. The series expresses the visceral sensation of isolation, anger, and solace experienced throughout the creation of the work. The abstracted landscapes are an expression of the journey from anger and frustration to a path towards understanding and enlightenment. In the early stages, there were no tangible plans, just painting on tar-paper. The work then evolved to black and white latex paints built up over joint compound and painted on a tar-paper support. A knife was used to create the scratch marks and textural elements found throughout the series. Compositions were built up and destroyed until what the viewers sees before them was produced. Every piece was based on action and reaction relying on pure artistic instinct. The work naturally evolved. The titles for the paintings come from memories of places, or sensations that reoccur throughout the artist\u27s life. Stylistic and aesthetic inspiration references the world of Abstract Expressionism and German Expressionism

Designing Environmental Indicator Systems for Public Decisions

Government agencies and academic scientists have developed reliable sets of environmental indicators to assist in making decisions. This very recent trend has been driven in part by scientific advances that make it possible to construct indicators that are both rigorous and informative, and in part by policies that seek to justify environmental expenditures as likely to produce the beneficial results that they intend. Environmental indicators offer the promise of applying science to help decisionmakers select tools that will produce predictable outcomes in measurable ways. In this article we examine a specific element of the emerging environmental indicator model: the connection of the indicator with the decisionmaker. Although most research programs have assumed that if indicators are scientifically valid, public decisionmakers will use them to make better decisions, this assumption is not always justified

Health Research Participants' Preferences for Receiving Research Results

BACKGROUND: Participants in health research studies typically express interest in receiving results from the studies in which they participate. However, participants’ preferences and experiences related to receiving results are not well understood. In general, existing studies have had relatively small sample sizes and typically address specific and often sensitive issues within targeted populations. METHODS: The present study used an online survey to explore attitudes and experiences of registrants in ResearchMatch, a large database of past, present, and potential health research participants. Survey respondents provided information related to whether or not they received research results from studies in which they participated, the methods used to communicate results, their satisfaction with results, and when and how they would like to receive research results from future studies. 70,699 ResearchMatch registrants were notified of the study’s topic. Of the 5,207 registrants who requested full information about the study, 3,381 respondents completed the survey. RESULTS: Approximately 33% of respondents with previous health research participation reported receiving results. Approximately half of respondents with previous research participation reported no opportunity to request results. However, almost all respondents said researchers should always or sometimes offer results to participants. Respondents expressed particular interest in results related to their (or a loved one's) health, as well as information about studies’ purposes and any medical advances based on the results. In general, respondents’ most preferred dissemination methods for results were email and website postings. The least desirable dissemination methods for results included Twitter, conference calls, and text messages. Across all results, we compare the responses of respondents with and without previous research participation experience, and those who have worked in research organizations vs. those who have not. Compared to respondents who have previous participation experience, a greater proportion of respondents with no participation experience indicated that results should always be shared with participants. Likewise, respondents with no participation experience placed higher importance on the receipt of each type of results information included in the survey. CONCLUSIONS: We present findings from a survey assessing attitudes and experiences of a broad sample of respondents that addresses gaps in knowledge related to participants’ preferences for receiving results. The study’s findings highlight the potential for inconsistency between respondents’ expressed preferences to receive specific types of results via specific methods and researchers’ unwillingness or inability to provide them. We present specific recommendations to shift the approach of new studies to investigate participants’ preferences for receiving research results

A novel recruiting and surveying method: Participatory research during a Pacific Islander community’s traditional cultural event

Little is known about the health status of Marshallese, a Pacific Islander subpopulation living in the United States. The Marshallese have established a growing community in Northwest Arkansas, providing a unique opportunity for increasing knowledge regarding the health of this minority group. This article describes how a community-based participatory research process was used by a community and university coalition to identify and refine questionnaires and recruit study participants. Questionnaires were self-administered on computers during a one-week traditional cultural event. A total of 874 Marshallese from Arkansas completed the questionnaire, exceeding the goal of 600 respondents. Lessons learned, including the level and timing of involvement of both the leadership and the community at large, are discussed in detail. This approach enhanced communication and collaboration between the Marshallese community, service providers and researchers, resulting in higher participation and interest among the Marshallese community.Keywords: participatory research, minority populations, community health assessment, community coalition, Marshalles

A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Understanding Health Beliefs, Policies, Barriers, and Solutions Related to the Health Disparities of Marshallese COFA Migrants in Arkansas.

Public policies have different effects on different populations groups and can perpetuate health disparities among some populations. My research utilizes community-based participatory approach to research in the examination of one unique population: the Marshallese. This dissertation research presents three papers that are part of a cohesive research agenda predicated on community-based participatory research (CBPR) to facilitate policy-oriented learning. My research can be used to inform health policy, health care services, and health education. Chapter Two presents the article titled: Health Beliefs of US Marshallese Regarding Type 2 Diabetes. This article explores the research question: what health beliefs related to diabetes influence diabetes self-management behaviors? Chapter Three presents the article titled: Interpretive Policy Analysis: Marshallese COFA Migrants and the Affordable Care Act. This article explores the research questions: for Marshallese living in the United States, 1) what is their understanding of and experience with the ACA and related health policies; 2) what effect do the ACA and related health policies have on participants’ and the community’s health? Chapter Four presents the article titled: Family Model of Diabetes Education with a Pacific Islander Community, and this article explores the feasibility of a family model of diabetes education was conducted in participants’ homes with extended family members. This research, and my broader research agenda, seeks to improve health equality and decrease health disparities for the Marshallese community. The Marshallese community experiences many health disparities and constraints because to actions and policies of the US federal government, many of which must be addressed through changes in public policy. This dissertation research converges into a cohesive research agenda that is built on the principals of CBPR and is designed to fuel policy and programmatic action

Factors Associated with Arkansans’ First Use of Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective. To examine the factors associated with the first use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic using Andersen’s Model of Healthcare Utilization. Andersen’s Model of Healthcare Utilization allowed the categorization of the independent variables into the following: (1) predisposing factors, including sociodemographic variables and health beliefs; (2) enabling factors, including socioeconomic status and access to care; and (3) need for care, including preexisting or newly diagnosed conditions and reasons to seek out care or to utilize a new mode of care. Methods. Potential respondents (n = 4,077) were identified for recruitment from a volunteer registry in Arkansas. Recruitment emails provided a study description, the opportunity to verify meeting the study’s inclusion criteria and to consent for participation, and a link to follow to complete the survey online. The online survey responses were collected between July and August of 2020 (n = 1,137). Results. Telehealth utilization included two categories: (1) utilizers reported the first use of telehealth services during the pandemic, and (2) nonutilizers reported they had never used telehealth. Lower odds of reporting telehealth utilization during the pandemic were associated with race (Black; OR = 0:57, CI [0.33, 0.96]) and education (high School or less; OR = 0:45, CI [0.25, 0.83]). Higher odds of reporting telehealth utilization included having more than one provider (OR = 2:33, CI [1.30, 4.18]), more physical (OR = 1:12, CI [1.00, 1.25]) and mental (OR 1.53, CI [1.24, 1.88]) health conditions, and changes in healthcare delivery during the pandemic (OR = 3:49, CI [2.78, 4.38]). Conclusions. The results illustrate that disparities exist in Arkansans’ utilization of telehealth services during the pandemic. Future research should explore the disparities in telehealth utilization and how telehealth may be used to address disparities in care for Black Arkansans and those with low socioeconomic status

Association between Diagnosed Anxiety and Depression and Exposure to Life Stressors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Research suggests that mental health disorders heighten the risk of exposure to life stressors. Drawing on a sample of 754 adults from a survey distributed at six primary care clinics, we examine whether adults who reported ever being diagnosed with depression or anxiety were more likely to experience an employment disruption, a housing disruption, and/or report more COVID-19-related stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who reported ever being diagnosed with depression reported a greater burden (B=.75) of COVID-19-related stressors. Those who reported ever being diagnosed with anxiety had higher odds of experiencing an employment disruption (OR=1.90) and a housing disruption (OR=2.92) and reported about one (B=.97) additional COVID-19-related stressor. Our results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may have deepened existing mental health disparities by exposing those with a depression or anxiety diagnosis to additional life stressors