Depressive Symptoms among College Students: An Exploration of Fundamental Cause Theory

Fundamental Cause Theory suggests that socioeconomic and demographic factors are causal to various illnesses, including depression. However, no known previously existing research has used Fundamental Cause Theory to create a model of depression among college students. To do this, the present study conducted a stepwise binomial logistic regression to examine how socioeconomic status and the sociodemographic variables of Gender, Race, and Sexual Orientation, and others predict depressive symptoms in a large sample of undergraduates when controlling for stressful life events and social support (N = 2,915). Results support the hypothesis that socioeconomic disparities in depressive symptoms are the result of stress. In the final model, low Social Support was the most predictive variable of high depressive symptoms (OR = 2.882), followed by being bisexual (OR = 2.061). Being black was significantly protective against high depressive symptoms (OR = 0.613). Implications for future research and university services are discussed

Dental Dam Utilization by Dentists in an Intramural Faculty Practice

Objectives: From casual observation of our colleagues, only a few individuals use the dental dam for operative procedures in their faculty practice. The purpose of this study was to obtain faculty perceptions of the dental dam, quantify its utilization in their intramural faculty practice, and determine the factors that influence dental dam usage.Materials and Methods: A survey containing 11 questions was sent to 19 faculty members who teach full time and maintain an intramural dental practice involving operative dentistry. Thirty electronic dental health records of the 19 providers were reviewed to gather the following information from restorative procedures they completed: isolation methods, tooth location and involved surfaces, and dental restorative material.Results: Overall, dental dam was utilized for 30% of all restorative procedures and was used less than 20% of the time for placement of class II and class III composite resins. Dental dam utilization rate by general dentists was 37% and 17.6% for prosthodontists. Those general dentists with prior history of military dental practice had a utilization rate of 78.6% and nonmilitary dentists only 7.6%. Eight faculty members responded to the questionnaire for a 42% return rate. Those who practiced dentistry in the military strongly agreed that the dental dam is the standard of care, improves their quality of restorative work, and should be documented in the dental record.Conclusions: There were significantly different dental dam utilization rates between general dentists and prosthodontists and between dentists with prior military experience and those without

Wings of Change: A Visual and Cultural Analysis of Mujer Angel

In the middle of the twentieth century, Mexico sought to reestablish its national identity. Following on the heels of the Mexican Revolution, an extended period of social upheaval and regional conflicts that transformed the country, artists and visionaries alike struggled to determine how the reborn nation would distinguish itself. While many movements in this period looked towards the future and sought utopia, there was one which concentrated instead on exploring the precolonial past and distilling the essence of “Mexicanity\u27\u27 from there. This movement was known as the Mexicanidad in Spanish; or, in the precolonial Nahuatl language, the Mexicayotl. In particular, the Mexicanidad believed that surviving indigenous civilizations had maintained a cultural identity which was independent of and reclaimed from the aggressive industrialization and de facto despotism that preceded the revolution, and thus ought to serve as a template for Mexico’s modern identity

Increasing vaccination rates in the Latin X communities through a public health initiative for increasing education and vaccination

Background: The COVID-19 disease has been found to cause an estimated 570,003 deaths in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). Statistics showed that the elderly, immunocompromised, and vulnerable populations are the most at risk for this disease. Vaccination is an important aspect of disease prevention in healthcare issues around the world. Vaccination against the COVID-19 prevents this communicable disease from the spread and serious adverse health outcomes. Problem: The Latin X communities in the Tenderloin District in San Francisco city are confronted with multiple factors that affect their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Factors include the distrust of the healthcare system and the lack of support. Methods: This project implementation plan is to focus on engaging gaps and limitations by conducting educational sessions with leading organizations to promote, educate and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to this vulnerable community in settings that are comfortable, community-oriented, and culturally tailored. Concentrating vaccination efforts in communities most heavily impacted by COVID-19 will significantly bend the disease curve. The research demonstrated that there is a direct correlation between proper patient education and increment in vaccination rates through community outreach. Intervention: This implementation project is focused on the use of influencers to help promote awareness about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine. The influencer style of engaging communities at risk can facilitate a change in clinical practice and can improve vaccination acceptance among the Latin X population. Results: Influencers reported an increase in knowledge acquisition and improved confidence in providing community-oriented and culturally tailored education to the Latin X communities. Results demonstrated that the number (n=50) of participants who agreed to vaccinate was increased to more than 40%. COVID-19 vaccination rates among Latin X showed an increase from 30 to 50 vaccines per day. Conclusion: With this public health initiative, the project team members, as well as the influencers, demonstrated that disseminating information through one-on-one, social and media improved vaccination rates for the Latin X population. Overcoming barriers that affect vulnerable populations. As information regarding the COVID-19 continues to evolve, updating community outreach approaches to ensure more communities can promote vaccinations with an influencers approach

Reducing the No Show Rates for Mental Health Appointments among Young Adults

Practice Problem: Missed patient appointments have become an increasingly significant issue for healthcare organizations, private practices, and clinics. No show appointments can negatively impact the operational functions of these organizations including lost revenue. The clinical practice site’s pre-intervention no-show rate for young adult mental health appointments was 21%. The high percentage of missed mental health visits has resulted in both lost revenue for the clinic and disruptions in patient care. PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In young adults 18-25 years with mental health appointments (P) how does patient preferred appointment reminders (I) compared to standard appointment reminders (C ) affect no show rates (O) within 8 weeks (T)? Evidence: Current evidence demonstrates that patient appointment reminders improve the overall adherence rates of patient appointments thus providing support for the utilization of patient preferred appointment reminders for young adult mental health appointments to mitigate the high rate of no shows. Intervention: The proposed practice change of preferred patient reminders was implemented in response to the high number of no-show rates of mental health appointments in the student and employee clinic. The intervention focused on changing the clinic’s standard practice of phone call reminders two days prior to appointments with the evidence-based intervention of patient preferred appointment reminders. Patient preferred reminders included telephone and/or email reminders based on patients’ preference one week before and the day before scheduled appointments. Questionnaires were provided to ascertain patients’ preferences, thereby allowing patient involvement in the process. Comparison: The intervention was compared against the facility’s current practice standard of providing reminder cards with appointment dates and times and phone call reminders two days before appointments. Outcome: The anticipated outcome was a reduction in missed appointments. As a result of the evidence-based intervention of preferred patient reminders, the number of missed appointments was reduced to 15%, two percent greater than predicted. Time: The project was completed within the predicted 8-week timeframe Conclusion: Evidence supports the use of patient preferred appointment reminders in reducing the number of no-show appointments. The patient preferred appointment reminders utilized by the registration and nursing staff throughout the practice change project resulted in a significant reduction in no-show rates of mental health patients in the student and employee clinic