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

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