10:45 AM Clinical Medicine, Dentistry and Public Health Breakout II: Panel B
Thursday, July 25 10:45AM – 11:45AM
Location: Pathways
Nina Makem
Augsburg University
Presentation 1
What effect does resistance training have on stress levels and quality of life among university students?
Objective: The study investigated the impact of a single resistance training exercise session on perceived stress and anxiety levels in college students. Methods: Male and female college students completed an informed consent form, physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q), and stressful life event checklist (PCL-S) prior to testing. Demographic information on current levels of exercise and physical activity participation was also collected. Participants completed two sessions, "treatment" and "control," separated by 5-10 days. The session order was randomized. Immediately prior to each session, participants completed pre-conditional surveys: perceived stress scale (PSS), generalized anxiety disorder survey (GAD-7), and patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9). Participants then completed either a 45-minute online resistance training exercise session (treatment) or a 30-minute video addressing the positive effects of exercise (control). Following the completion of the exercise or video, participants completed the same set of surveys along with a physical activity enjoyment scale (PACES). Paired one-tailed t-tests were used to determine the significance of treatment on the PSS, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 questionnaire scores. Linear regressions were used to assess the association between exercise enjoyment (PACES) and subjective stress and anxiety levels as well as previous levels of exercise participation. An alpha level of 0.05 was used to determine significance. Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest that perceived levels of stress and anxiety are reduced following a single 45-minute bout of exercise. There does not appear to be a correlation between participants' stated enjoyment of exercise or previous exercise participation experience.
Nadia Celaya Carrillo
University of California, San Diego
Presentation 2
The health implications of labor-intensive work for Latinx immigrant workers within the San Gabriel Valley
Latinx immigrant labor-intensive workers are at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases and long-lasting health problems. Public health research over the years has explored the troubling concerns that may deteriorate a person’s well-being, whether through their everyday job, illness, life experiences, or even how their upbringing left them more vulnerable to poor health conditions.
With a holistic approach, I completed a literature review with oral history interviews. Through 15 to 20 interviews, I observed the history of occupational health of Latinx immigrants living in the San Gabriel Valley and how their health is affected by labor-intensive jobs in their everyday lives. With both approaches, problems within the labor-intensive field can be divided into two main concepts: what workers can control within their workplace environment and the systematic barriers that create the main issues that affect their access to a high quality of life, making it out of their control. The research study combines occupational health, public health, and political science as intersectional disciplines that all labor-intensive workers go through in workplace environments.
Occupational health ensures successful retention rates that certify that all Latinx immigrant workers have proper working conditions and have the resources to implement different ways of prioritizing their health and well-being. The results display that health education and promotion are highly needed tools, not only in labor-intensive work fields but in all aspects of society as there needs to be more health literacy being done in low-income communities with high Latinx population rates.
Satema Lopez
University of California, Los Angeles
Presentation 3
Restoring Trust: Experiential approaches to culturally competent health care for American Indians in Los Angeles
There is a lack of equitable representation of American Indian physicians and the literature points in the direction that the representation is not at the level that it should be. Less than 10 percent of medical schools have more than four Native American students and Native Americans account for less than 1 percent of the physician workforce (Murphy, 2022). Suspected barriers that impact underrepresented students in medicine, including American Indians, in becoming physicians include inadequate institutional support, familial pressures, lack of access to adequate career mentoring, and societal barriers (Freeman et al., 2016). My research questions are “What are the challenges that American Indians face while on their journey to becoming physicians?” and “What tools or resources do American Indian physicians utilize to develop trust with Indigenous patients?”. Through my involvement in the UCLA McNair Research Scholars Program this year I will conduct semi-structured interviews with American Indian physicians via Zoom to shed light on their experiences being a pre-medical student. Additionally, I will survey American Indian patients in Los Angeles to understand their experiences with the healthcare system. Participants in my study will be compensated with the funds earned from the Indigenous Knowledge Research Program Award offered by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Tribal Relations. This research contributes to the field by amplifying Indigenous voices and experiences, which is necessary to enact equitable change to increase the representation of American Indian physicians serving our community.