Browsing by Author "Pearson, Jay A"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

Open Access
Children on the Move: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research on How Children Migrate and Their Situation at Destination
(2014-04-18) Woods, Maggie
This paper presents the results of a systematic review of qualitative research on how children migrate and the situation at destination for child migrants in child labor. Based on the review, the report offers best practices and recommendations to guide future qualitative research on child migrants. The recommendations are valuable in that they provide delineated standards for how qualitative researchers should approach research on child migrants. Since I was unable to identify any other guidelines, these recommendations mark the first of their kind.
Open Access
Examining Interactions between Race and County Type on Substance Use Disorder in Minoritized Populations
(2024) Wright, Jacqueline
Open Access
Farmworker Perceptions of Work Safety, Work Hours, and Living Conditions
(2021-02-10) Doherty, Caroline
Farmworkers are integral to the functioning of society in the US. Farmworkers are invisible heroes, and they deserve their voices to be heard, their experiences to be shared, and their perspectives to be intentionally incorporated into policymaking. Migrant farmworkers in North Carolina are guaranteed rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the NC Migrant Housing Act. These acts define farmworker work safety conditions, work hours and compensation, and living conditions. This paper investigates farmworker perspectives of these three acts through analyzation of 16 semi-structured interviews done with farmworkers in eastern North Carolina. NVivo was used to analyze the interviews and identify major themes that inform farmworkers’ perspectives of the manifestation of the three acts in their workplace. Lack of knowledge and training of rights was found to be one of the main factors contributing to farmworkers’ perspectives. Fear of grower retaliation was discovered to be a significant deterrent against reporting violations. The lack of an effective, reliable, and accessible violation reporting mechanism that protects the complainant was also found to influence farmworkers’ exertion of their rights. These results imply that farmworkers do not have adequate levels of awareness or understanding of their rights so there is a lack of demand for improved conditions. Increased farmworker training of their rights combined with an effective, reliable, and accessible violation reporting mechanism may help ensure that farmworkers will be able to exercise their rights without fear.
Open Access
Maximizing Impact: Attracting and Prioitizng Target Populations for the Chicago Housing Trust
(2023-04-11) Paul, Elizabeth; Ralenkotter, Maria; Resney, Alex
Our client, The Chicago Housing Trust (The Housing Trust or The Trust), has asked our team to develop a preference policy that will prioritize marginalized Chicagoans – particularly Chicagoans of color and those negatively impacted by past housing policies – applying as first-time homeowners for a Housing Trust- owned unit. The Trust was primarily interested in learning from other cities that have implemented preference policies, both their mistakes and best practices, and hearing from current and prospective homeowners about their experience with accessing housing in Chicago and how The Housing Trust can make units more accessible to them. This report first defines our policy research question before exploring historic, current, and Chicago-specific housing policies that impact access to homeownership. We then review our research methods, which include an analysis of Chicago housing policy, case studies, and interviews. Finally, this report lays out our findings along with four recommendations for The Housing Trust to ensure that its housing stock reaches the intended population. Definitions for housing- related concepts used in our report can be found in Appendix A. A summary of our recommendations are as follows: (1) utilize affirmative marketing, (2) implement a point-system preference policy, (3) provide case workers to applicants and homeowners, and (4) invite current homeowners to join the Housing Trust’s Board.
Open Access
Maximizing Impact: Attracting and Prioritizing Target Population for the Chicago Housing Trust
(2023-04-19) Paul, Elizabeth, Maria, Alexandra Ralenkotter, Resney
Our client, The Chicago Housing Trust (The Housing Trust or The Trust), has asked our team to develop a preference policy that will prioritize marginalized Chicagoans – particularly Chicagoans of color and those negatively impacted by past housing policies – applying as first-time homeowners for a Housing Trust owned unit. The Trust was primarily interested in learning from other cities that have implemented preference policies, both their mistakes and best practices, and hearing from current and prospective homeowners about their experience with accessing housing in Chicago and how The Housing Trust can make units more accessible to them. This report first defines our policy research question before exploring historic, current, and Chicago-specific housing policies that impact access to homeownership. We then review our research methods, which include an analysis of Chicago housing policy, case studies, and interviews. Finally, this report lays out our findings along with four recommendations for The Housing Trust to ensure that its housing stock reaches the intended population. Definitions for housing related concepts used in our report can be found in Appendix A. Our recommendations are as follows: (1) Utilize Affirmative Marketing, (2) Implement a Point-System Preference Policy, (3) Provide Case Workers to Applicants and Homeowners, (4) Invite current homeowners to join the Housing Trust's Board.
Open Access
Rectifying Racial Wealth Disparities through Baby Bonds
(2023-04-26) Roberts, Xavier
This paper proposes recommendations for the design of a Baby Bonds pilot program by the GRO Fund, with the aim of reducing racial wealth inequality and promoting economic empowerment among minoritized populations. Drawing on the history of the racial wealth gap and insights from publications and interviews, the paper proposes specific recommendations for the GRO Fund's program design. To assess various aspects of Baby Bonds’ impact, the GRO Fund should consider a program duration of 10+ years with two cohorts of different ages and interim data gathering. Eligibility requirements can be based on participation in existing programs and/or household income. This paper discusses three levels of race specificity - race-neutral, race-conscious, and race-specific - and recommends that the GRO Fund aims to be race-specific. Usage restrictions should mimic archetypal Baby Bonds but consider additional wealth-building strategies. Drawdown restrictions should block fund access until participants are 18 years of age, with limited access before 18 in emergency circumstances. Financial advising should be offered to recipients instead of financial literacy training to better support their financial well-being. Lastly, this paper recommends that the GRO Fund invests funds in an investment vehicle that minimizes risk to principal, earns 4-6 percent annual interest, and is easily liquidated. These recommendations attempt to take into consideration the unique needs and goals of the GRO Fund and its target communities, while also aligning with the core principles of Baby Bonds. The implementation of a well-designed Baby Bonds pilot program by the GRO Fund has the potential to significantly contribute to reducing racial wealth inequality and promote economic stability among minoritized populations by furthering the case for Baby Bonds.
Open Access
Social and Behavioral Determinants of Child Undernutrition in Camasca, Honduras
(2020-04-17) Iskandarani, Maya
Child undernutrition remains a significant health challenge around the world despite its high-priority status on the global health agenda. While the global burden of child undernutrition has reached historically low levels, it remains a pressing issue in rural communities of Central America. Through a partnership with a grassroots intervention targeting child undernutrition, this study sought to explore predictors of child nutrition knowledge and child growth outcomes in the community of Camasca in Honduras.
Open Access
Telemedicine utilization by North Carolina farmworkers: a content analysis
(2023-04-19) Bey, Nadia
Farmworkers face a variety of barriers to accessing health care. Telehealth, often proposed as a solution to access issues, has yet to be widely adopted by this population due to a lack of broadband access amidst other barriers. Policies surrounding funding for broadband and telehealth reimbursement exacerbate the issue. An examination of public use data shows that farmworkers have a great need for mental health and chronic disease services, and that telehealth may be a useful intervention for both. Pre-existing programs in North Carolina such as the Internet Connectivity Project and TeleFuturo contribute to increasing access. Lessons from these programs show that a variety of public and private funding sources are needed to ensure access to telemedicine for North Carolina farmworkers. It is recommended that policymakers (a) develop incentives for nongovernmental entities to partake in the expansion of broadband connectivity and telehealth programs, (b) require health insurance companies to provide reimbursement parity for all appointment modalities, and (c) require future migrant housing to have internet access. There is also a need to increase the availability of Spanish-language telehealth services.
Open Access
To Seek or Not to Seek: Examining Health-Seeking Behaviors among Ethiopian Immigrants in the United States
(2018-01-25) Elias, Blaine
Existing literature suggests that immigrants underutilize U.S. health care. Care utilization is associated with poor health for both patients and those around them. Current health care research lacks data specific to Ethiopian immigrants and the influences of their health-seeking behaviors. Such research is necessary, as the Trump Administration has made recent efforts in reforming health care and immigration policies. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is to investigate the reasons why Ethiopian immigrants choose and choose not to seek American health care. Past studies have identified (1) language differences with providers and (2) perceived discrimination from providers as barriers and (1) existing insurance coverage and (2) positive word-of-mouth testimonials from social networks as facilitators to health care use for immigrants. These identified factors served as the hypotheses for this thesis. Moreover, focus group methodology was applied to explore these hypotheses. Five focus groups were conducted with a total of 26 Ethiopian patients (n = 26) of Learn and Live Wholestic Health Services, a public clinic located in Northern Virginia, from July 2017 to August 2017. The focus group discussions highlighted both hypothesized and emerging themes. Language was not a barrier to health care for participants, but there was variation on characterizing social discrimination as a barrier. Public insurance was a facilitator and private insurance was a barrier to utilization. Positive testimonials were strongly regarded as facilitators. In terms of emerging themes, one’s attachment to Ethiopian traditionalism arose as a barrier, while professionalism of U.S. health care was branded a facilitator. This thesis concludes by providing the following policy implications: implementation of health advertisements in Ethiopian immigrant communities, development of tools to solicit Ethiopian ideas, improvement of language services in health facilities, and further health research on Ethiopians immigrants.
Open Access
Understanding class stratification and inequality through the Greek social system at Duke University
(2020-05) Brilhart, Kaylee
The purpose of this thesis is to show that the Greek social system at an elite university is based upon a social class hierarchy and attempt to explain how this class-based system is enforced and perpetuated by students across social classes to maintain class stratification on campus. Through surveys of students in historically white sororities and low-incomes students at Duke University, this thesis finds that the interplay of Greek membership and social class influence the formation of economically homogenous friend groups. Selective inclusion processes, mainly through dirty rush, by high-status, historically white sororities are used to differentially place middle- and high-income students within the Greek social system while self-exclusion by low-incomes students, due to their negative feelings towards Greek life, places them out of the system before they could potentially be excluded from or given a lower place in it by higher-income groups. These two processes prevent the integration of social classes, resulting in the formation of economically homogenous friend groups among both high-income and low-income students, maintaining class stratification and inequality on campus.
Open Access
Women and WIC: Assessing WIC Use and Effect on Postpartum Health in Rural Northeastern North Carolina
(2018-04-26) Nanda, Asha
Postpartum health outcomes of low-income women in the rural South are among the lowest in the country and use of governmental services, especially supplemental nutrition programs, is disproportionately lower in rural communities (Wauchope and Shattuck, 2010). This study examined use of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in four counties in rural Northeastern North Carolina and analyzed the effect of WIC participation on overall postpartum health. In-person surveys were conducted with WIC enrollees in Halifax, Vance, Warren, and Northampton counties. Those participants that attended at least one WIC appointment (n = 141) were found to be more likely to exhibit behaviors characteristic of postpartum health than those participants that did not attend any WIC appointments (n = 30). Multivariate analysis revealed that women who attended at least one WIC appointment were significantly more likely to have improved postpartum health as measured by eight health behaviors indicative of postpartum health status (OR = 14.29, 95% CI = 6.07 – 33.65).