DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/K6C0-2851
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6000-4853
Defense Date
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Integrative Life Sciences
First Advisor
Daniel J. McGarvey, PhD, Chair
Second Advisor
Lesley Bulluck, PhD
Third Advisor
Ryan A. Hill, PhD
Fourth Advisor
Derek M. Johnson, PhD
Fifth Advisor
David C. Wheeler, PhD
Abstract
The structure and functions of natural systems continue to be degraded by human activities such as land-use change. One potential consequence that has received relatively little attention is a corresponding decline in human health. Altered ecosystems can present a host of risks to human health. Yet the consequences of environmental degradation are rarely considered in national-scale research on human well-being. The guiding objective of this work is to compare stream health and socioeconomic metrics with spatially congruent human health metrics throughout the conterminous United States, then to identify potential links between environmental health, socioeconomic factors and human health. Environmental health metrics have been obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Stream-Catchment dataset. Human health metrics have been obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database. Socioeconomic data were downloaded from four sources and represent key behavioral, social and economic determinants of human health outcomes. In Chapter 1, random forest modeling was used to identify key predictors of human health, then to predict county-level mortality rate as a function of these covariates. In Chapter 2, path analysis models of human mortality were built to explore direct and indirect pathways between the environment, ecosystem health and human health to reveal potential cause-and-effect pathways at macrosystems scales. Finally, in Chapter 3, the random forest and path analysis modeling techniques used in Chapters 1 and 2 were repurposed to model racial and regional differences in the multi-step pathways that link environmental and socioeconomic factors to AAMR.
Rights
© Felisha N. Walls
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
6-28-2023