Browsing by Author "Hosler, Heidi"

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    Health Impact Assessment: The Impacts of Increasing Tree Canopy Coverage in Marion County, Indiana
    (Society of Practitioners of Health Impact Assessment, 2022) Kampman, Haleigh; Whitlock, Annika; Hosler, Heidi; Health Policy and Management, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: Urban tree canopies help to address issues of climate change related to all dimensions of health. Certain areas of the city of Indianapolis are more prone to the negative effects that lack of tree coverage can cause. This assessment explored the short term and potential long-term impacts of the efforts to increase the tree canopy coverage in vulnerable areas of Indianapolis. This effort was a collaboration of faculty members from the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indianapolis Department of Public Works, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, and the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability. Methods: Our team used the standard seven-step Health Impact Assessment (HIA) process to make the recommendations provided. Using direct observation of the neighborhood, secondary data collection, literature review, and a key stakeholder interview, we examined key dimensions of health including environmental, physical, and personal health outcomes resulting from increased tree canopy coverage within census tract 3505 of Marion County, Indiana. Results: Increasing the percentage of tree canopy coverage in census tract 3505 – Crown Hill has significant positive health impacts with minimal negative outcomes. Such impacts may be, but are not subject to, lower temperatures, reduced cases of respiratory and cardiac infections/illnesses, promoting animal life, increasing neighborhood property values and filtering pollutants that result from human production activity. Conclusions: Further implementation of the Thrive Indianapolis project has broad positive implications for the community members living in this area. While few negative implications were found, we make recommendations to mitigate these effects while attempting to supplement the current project plan with a focus on the effects to human health.
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    How legal problems are conceptualized and measured in healthcare settings: a systematic review
    (BMC, 2023-11) Vest, Joshua R.; Hinrichs, Rachel J.; Hosler, Heidi
    Legal problems encompass issues requiring resolution through the justice system. This social risk factor creates barriers in accessing services and increases risk of poor health outcomes. A systematic review of the peer-reviewed English-language health literature following the PRISMA guidelines sought to answer the question, how has the concept of patients’ “legal problems” been operationalized in healthcare settings? Eligible articles reported the measurement or screening of individuals for legal problems in a United States healthcare or clinical setting. We abstracted the prevalence of legal problems, characteristics of the sampled population, and which concepts were included. 58 studies reported a total of 82 different measurements of legal problems. 56.8% of measures reflected a single concept (e.g., incarcerated only). The rest of the measures reflected two or more concepts within a single reported measure (e.g., incarcerations and arrests). Among all measures, the concept of incarceration or being imprisoned appeared the most frequently (57%). The mean of the reported legal problems was 26%. The literature indicates that legal concepts, however operationalized, are very common among patients. The variation in measurement definitions and approaches indicates the potential difficulties for organizations seeking to address these challenges.