Tag: Covering Covid

Food Security Among University of Oregon Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Presenter: Jennifer Vuong – Family and Human Services, Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Elizabeth Budd

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid

U.S college students are vulnerable to low food security and students of color more so than White students. Those with low food security tend to consume fewer daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Low food security and lower fruit and vegetable intake are associated with poor health outcomes. Food security and eating behaviors of University of Oregon (UO) students during the pandemic are unknown. This study examines the food security and eating behaviors of UO students, whether food security varies by race and ethnicity, and how fruit and vegetable intake may vary by students’ income level, student status, and use of food assistance programs. From August-October 2020, 779 UO students completed a Qualtrics survey. One-way ANOVAs were conducted. In Fall 2020, 47.2% of UO students reported low food security. Black/African American students experienced low food security at higher rates than White students (p = .045). Fruit and vegetable intake significantly varied by income (p = .001; p = .001) and student status (p = .01; p = <.001). Only vegetable intake significantly varied by use of food assistance programs (p =.04). Concerningly, low food security is common among UO students and more common among Black/African American students. Also, undergraduates and lower-income students consume fewer fruits and vegetables than other students. Findings can inform programs to support food security and healthy eating.

Defining and Characterizing COVID-19 Quarantine Hesitancy in Lane County

Presenter: Marlee Odell – Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Melissa Graboyes

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid

Contact tracing and subsequent quarantine of individuals exposed to COVID-19 has been a useful tool throughout the pandemic. While trying to implement such measures, however, it has become clear that some people are hesitant to agree to quarantine, for a variety of reasons. The term “hesitancy” appears in similar areas of public health such as with vaccine hesitancy, however, it has not been defined for COVID-19 quarantine hesitancy. Arising from personal experience as a contact monitor (CM) for the UO Corona Corps, this thesis intended to define COVID-19 quarantine hesitancy and to identify the determinants behind a contact’s hesitancy. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with UO Corona Corps CMs about their experience with hesitant contacts. The interviews were thematically analyzed to reveal themes rooted in the firsthand experiences of CMs. This work suggests that COVID-19 quarantine hesitancy is when there is a discrepancy between public health officials’ recommendations and the actions of COVID-19 contacts. In addition, it suggests that there are multiple types of hesitancy and stages in the quarantine process in which they can arise. The thematic analysis also revealed three categories of COVID-19 quarantine hesitancy determinants: situational determinants, personal determinants, and quarantine comprehension. The results from this thesis can help inform future public health work that involves quarantine, whether for COVID-19 or other health issues.

Identifying COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Motivators for People Who Inject Drugs in Lane County

Presenter: Blake Hardin − Economics, Global Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Melissa Graboyes, Camille Cioffi

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid

People who use intravenous drugs (PWID) are at greater risk of mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases yet also express higher levels of vaccine hesitancy than the general public. For the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying common vaccine hesitancy motivators among intravenous drug users is key to ongoing vaccination campaigns against the disease. However, very little research has used qualitative methods to examine why intravenous drug users are often more vaccine hesitant. This thesis used a mixed-methods design, conducting 41 semi-structured interviews and 260 quantitative surveys with PWID in Lane County to understand better the most influential contributors to vaccine hesitancy among this demographic group. The interviews and surveys demonstrated a consistent connection between the poor social determinants of health and frequent dehumanization of intravenous drug users and their reduced willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This thesis proposes a new model for assessing vaccine hesitancy among PWID, directly informed by the actual experiences shared by collaborators for this project. Moreover, the results of this thesis elucidate the need to address systemic barriers in healthcare that inhibit accessibility, trust, and confidence in preventative services like vaccines among marginalized communities. Current and future vaccine outreach programs for PWID must first establish a foundation of trust to alleviate vaccine hesitancy and encourage vaccine uptake.

The rise of labor activity in the wake of the COVID-19 recession

 Presenter(s): Gabriel Graville – Sociology

Faculty Mentor(s): Michael Dreiling

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid

In the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting recession there emerged a period of heightened labor activity. Starting in the Summer of 2021 and continuing through the end of the year multiple industries saw an increase in organized strikes and work stoppages. While heightened collective action in the workplace is well theorized in the recovery periods of a recession there was also an unprecedented rate of resignations throughout the workforce. Through a case study of both the UAW John Deere Strike as well as this wave of resignations dubbed “The Great Resignation” it is evident that there are similarities between the actions of both workers despite collective bargaining institutions having little to no role in “The Great Resignation.” As a result one can argue that “The Great Resignation” is analogous to a more organized collective labor movement despite the individualistic nature of the phenomenon.

Environmental Leadership Program: Restoring Connections

Presenter: Armon Ashoubi − Environmental Studies

Co-Presenter(s): Riley Roefaro, Emily O’Brien, Kaylie Smith

Faculty Mentor(s): Meredith Jacobson, Katie Lynch

(In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid

The COVID-19 lockdown has caused children to look at their iPads instead of their local environment, creating gaps in their outdoor education. Through a combination of field trips and in-class lessons, our leadership team brought environmental education to over 200 elementary students in Eugene. Our lessons worked to dismantle barriers that prevented students from fostering stewardship and discovering the magic of nature. Field trips included games that introduced students to focal species and animal senses. Students were also given individual journaling time, which connected person to place and encouraged deep reflection on the surrounding environment. Our desire to create awareness and knowledge of the environment and its associated problems has been met. The outcomes of our lessons show that students built a relationship with the outdoors and established a sense of care toward nature. Students showed empathy for wildlife by constructing fairy houses and removing invasive species from the area. We also saw students identify motivating species and distinguish between various habitats within an ecosystem. Throughout lessons this term, we made a difference in our community while strengthening our own environmental education skills. In this technological era, it is important for youth to have access to the outdoors so that care and concern for the world can be established. With this, there is hope the advocation of nature will increase and create positive environmental action.

Pandemic Investigation of Newly Burgeoning Acquired LGBTQAI+ Labels

Presenter: Elijah Alexander − Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Sara Weston

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation, Oral Panel—Covering Covid 

Those with LGBTQ+ identities often live in the presence of “audiences” for whom they feel pressured to perform a heteronormative culture (Butler 1988). However, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns may have removed such audiences from the daily lives of these individuals. Therefore, it is possible that the past year has seen an uncharacteristic emergence of queer gender identities  and non-heteronormative sexualities. In this study, we attempt to empirically document the change and development of queer and gender non-conforming identity during the COVID-19 pandemic and their associations with changing social experiences. Using data collected via Prolific (anticipated N = 221), we examine associations between changes in gender identity, sexual orientation, and peer/ family acceptance. Specifically, we hypothesize that change in gender identity/sexual orientation will be predicted by increased use of virtual socializing (e.g., social media) over in-person socializing. By understanding these possible influencing factors, this study would serve as another stepping stone in queer psychology research as well as aiding in the development of new intervention methods for queer individuals.