Alicia DeLouize – Undergraduate Research Symposium Abstracts

The Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Components and their Association with HbA1c in Tunisia

Presenter: Adriana Wisniewski – Human Physiology, Multidisciplinary Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass, Alicia DeLouize

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Healthy Considerations

The prevalence of diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is rapidly increasing worldwide. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a combination of metabolic components (e.g., abdominal obesity and elevated blood pressure) that are risk factors for NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Anthropometric, biomarker, and sociodemographic data were collected from a nationally representative sample of individuals 15 years and older (n = 7444) as part of the Tunisian Health Examination Survey, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and the Tunisian Ministry of Health. Examining both diabetic and nondiabetic groups, we hypothesize that: 1) there will be positive associations between HbA1c levels and individual components of MetS, and 2) there will be positive associations between HbA1c levels and the cumulative number of MetS components. Results showed that both diabetic women and men had positive associations between HbA1c and triglyceride levels and between HbA1c and systolic blood pressure(SBP). Nondiabetic women and men had positive associations between HbA1c and LDL cholesterol levels and HbA1c and triglyceride levels. Nondiabetic men also had a negative association between HbA1c and HDL cholesterol levels. These findings highlight the different MetS components and metabolic risk factors that are associated with increasing HbA1c levels in Tunisian diabetic and nondiabetic populations.

Caregiving and Depression: Moderating Effects of Social Cohesion among SAGE Individuals

Presenter: Zag McDowall – Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Alicia DeLouize, Josh Snodgrass

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Caregiving for children, people with disabilities, and the elderly is essential for society as a whole. These responsibilities disproportionately fall upon women, especially low-income women. Support, whether from other family members, the community, or the government is often minimal, and their labor is largely undervalued. The high demand on caregivers can impact mental health, and, for individuals where providing care is a larger time commitment, engaging in buffering activities related to social connection may be challenging. Analyzing the relationship between burden of care, social support, and income on depression in caregivers provides a better understanding of how these factors contribute to or mitigate the burden of care. With data collected from the World Health Organization’s Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) in Mexico, India, Russia, China, Ghana, and South Africa, we performed a three-way ANOVA. For women in South Africa, the number of hours caregiving and social cohesion were not associated with depression. We hope that further research will elucidate the characteristics that link caregiving with depression in some communities.

Experiences and Health of Transgender & Gender Diverse People of Color During the BLM Protests

Presenter: Alexandra Jagielski − Multidisciplinary Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Zachary DuBois, Alicia DeLouize

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Transgender and gender diverse people of color (TGD POC) endure high levels of discrimination and violence related to anti-trans bias and racism. The Trans Resilience & Health in Sociopolitical Contexts Study (N = 158) is a longitudinal mixed-methods study that captured monthly data on experiences of certain sociopolitical events and measured aspects of mental and physical health from a diverse sample of TGD people living in Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, and Nebraska. This investigation centers on the experiences and health of TGD POC participants during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in June 2020. These events involved a series of protests characterized by increased mobilization against systemic racism. Participants reflected on the increased focus on police brutality and racism. TGD POC participants reported significantly higher levels of post-event changes related to anti-trans hate speech and impacts on overall safety. TGD POC also had significantly higher perceived stress scores and lower resilience scores compared to TGD white participants. These findings show how sociopolitical events have negatively impacted the social treatment and well-being of TGD POC in our sample. It enables further understanding of the experiences of TGD POC which could help inform the development of supportive programs in the community. This study also highlights the importance of examining compounded effects of inequality related to intersecting marginalized identities.

The benefits of intergenerational family support on post-partum depression in the Tunisian Health Examination Survey

Presenter: Ava Hearn − Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass, Alicia DeLouize

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Healthy Considerations

Postpartum depression (PPD) is considered the most common maternal morbidity in many parts of the world, yet while maternal health is increasingly prioritized in global health initiatives, the factors leading to the development of PPD are not fully understood. Lack of social support has been cited as one of the most important contributors to postpartum depression, but social support outside of partner relationships has not been widely investigated. Given trends in global aging and the increased presence of tri-generational families worldwide, it is important to examine whether the presence of co-residential grandparents influences the health and well-being of new mothers. Although this relationship has been the focus of recent interest in wealthy nations, research has yet to explore the impact of grandparent support in low- and middle-income countries. The present study uses sociodemographic and health data from the Tunisian Health Examination Survey to look at how family structures in this northern African setting affect postpartum depression. We hypothesized that postpartum depression would be lower with the presence of co-residential grandparents. It was found that new mothers living in a multigenerational household (M = 0.00) had less depression than those that did not live in a multigenerational household.

Anemia and Socioeconomic Status Among Older Adults in the Study on Global AGEing (SAGE)

Presenter: Georgia Greenblum − Anthropology

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass, Alicia DeLouize

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Healthy Considerations

Research on anemia has primarily focused on young children and pregnant women, yet anemia also raises considerable health concerns for older adults. Anemia can often be easily identified and treated, yet it affects large populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The older adult population is rapidly growing in LMICs; therefore, not only is this population understudied but the impact of anemia within this population will become a larger global issue. Documenting anemia rates and identifying associated factors in different countries will help public health officials more effectively target this disorder.

Hemoglobin levels and survey data from 14,659 adults 50 years and older in South Africa, China, and Mexico were obtained from Wave 1 of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE). Data were analyzed to describe anemia rates and to test relationships between anemia, age, and socioeconomic status (SES).

For Mexico, China, and South Africa the rates of anemia in older adults were found to be 24%, 28%, and 91%, respectively. An association between lower wealth and higher prevalence of anemia was present only for two groups: men in Mexico and women in China. Each year of age after 50 was associated with a 2% higher prevalence of anemia among women in Mexico and China, a 3% higher prevalence for men in China, and a 6% higher prevalence for men in Mexico.

These results highlight the global burden of anemia in older adults.

Global Biomarker Implementation in the WHO’s World Health Survey Plus

Presenter(s): Madeleine Getz — Anthropology

Co-Presenter(s): Micah Warner-Carey, Rosa Taylor

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass, Alicia DeLouize

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

The Global Health Biomarker Laboratory (GHBL) is collaborating with the World Health Organization to plan and implement the World Health Survey Plus (WHS+). The WHS+ is an expansion on the original World Health Survey, a project conducted during 2002-2004 in 69 countries with over 3,000 participants. The WHS+ is a flexible and comprehensive data collection system that provides countries with the ability to monitor progress towards health goals and obtains high-quality, nationally representative data on health, social, economic, and policy topics. This project aims to fill data gaps globally and improve health equity within and between countries. By developing protocols, training videos, and technical expertise on point-of-care biomarker implementation, the GHBL is at the forefront of implementing new point-of-care technologies (POCT); the WHS+ biomarkers are hemoglobin as an indicator of anemia, HbA1C and glucose as indicators of diabetes risk, and lipids as indicators of hypolipidemia and cardiovascular risk. Additionally, the survey is collecting anthropometrics, blood pressure, pulse, hand grip strength, walking speed, and cognitive function as direct measures of health. We are currently in the early stages of methods development and implementation; the WHS+ has the potential not only to help countries provide more equitable and sustainable healthcare and promote country-specific care-seeking behaviors, but also to further our global knowledge of healthcare and disease.

Accessibility of Reproductive and Maternal Healthcare Among Female Identifying in Tunisia

Presenter: Audrey Chandler − Human Physiology

Faculty Mentor(s): Alicia DeLouize, Josh Snodgrass

(In-Person) Poster Presentation

Due to the sensitivity of the topic, research on abortion rights is minimal. The Tunisian Health Examination Survey worked to incorporate questions regarding reproductive healthcare access, to determine the relationship between abortion access and socioeconomic status. This study looked to analyze potential inequalities within Tunisian reproductive healthcare for female identifying individuals, especially those seeking elective abortion. Participants completed the Tunisian Health Examination Survey (THES) which consisted of self-reported answers to yes or no, multiple choice, and short answer questions discussing socioeconomic status, marital status, and communication efficiency with health care providers. Our goal was to enable the discussion regarding the sensitive topic of abortions and reproductive healthcare to bring attention to the limitations of accessibility from socioeconomic status.

Examining Variables Associated With the Underdiagnoses Of Depression in Mexico

Presenter(s): Aida Goma Petit − Anthropology (Double Concentration In Biological Anthropology And Archaeology)

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass , Alicia DeLouize

Poster 95

Research Area: Anthropology, Global Health, Depression, Global Mental Health

Depression is a leading contributor to disease burden worldwide. Although there are known and effective treatments for depression, far fewer than half of those affected by the disease will receive treatment, in part due to barriers in health care access contributing to underdiagnosis. Using the World Health Organization’s Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 dataset, this study examines older adults (50+ years old) in Mexico (n = 1,725) to determine factors that may lead to depression as determined by a symptom-based algorithm, but not self-reported clinical depression diagnosis. We hypothesized that men were more likely to have depression without a self-reported clinical diagnosis. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was utilized to examine the effects of sex, age, education, wealth, marital status, social relationships, and residence location (urban vs. rural) on depression diagnosis. Model 1 showed that females were, in fact, more likely than males to have depression without a self-reported diagnosis (β= 0.60, p = 0.006), but age (β = 0.00, p = 0.71) was not significant.

In model 2, being female was still a significant predictor of depression without a diagnosis (β= 0.62, p = 0.007) despite controlling for lower education (β = -0.03, p = 0.005) and more difficulty with interpersonal relationships (β = 0.45, p < 0.001). Age, wealth, marital status, and residence location (urban/rural) were not associated with undiagnosed depression. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating gender differences, improving education, and ameliorating social barriers to provide proper diagnosis and care for depression.

Inflammation as a Mediator of Depression and Diabetes in the Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE)

Presenter(s): Allison Dona − General Science, Spanish

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass, Alicia DeLouize

Poster 62

Research Area: Natural Science

Funding: NIH NIA Interagency Agreement; Ministry of Health in Mexico; University of Oregon Bray Fellowship

Diabetes and depression are major global health concerns, affecting over 400 million and 300 million worldwide, respectively. Numerous studies have found that these diseases are commonly comorbid, suggesting the possibility of an underlying shared physiological process such as an inflammatory pathway. As a biomarker of inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP) has not been consistently linked to these conditions, despite the fact that diabetes and depression have both been linked to inflammatory mechanisms. This study uses Mexico Wave 1 data from the Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) to examine if CRP mediates the relationship between depression and diabetes risk. It is hypothesized that, in participants 50-plus, inflammation will mediate the effect between the two conditions. Depression was estimated using a behavior-based diagnostic algorithm, inflammation was assessed using dried blood spot (DBS) CRP, and diabetes risk was assessed using DBS glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The association between depression and diabetes risk was partially mediated by inflammation. The presence of depression is associated with increased CRP, which is associated with increased HbA1c. This suggests that inflammation may be associated with the comorbidity of depression and diabetes. This may be the first study to use a large sample of older adults in a middle-income nation with high-resolution biomarker information to investigate physiological processes that might be involved in both conditions, an understanding of which could lead to better treatments.

Sidebar