COVID-19 and Southeast Asian Americans

Unlike other ethnic minority groups, data on the impacts of COVID-19 on Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs) are limited, oftentimes aggregated with other Asian American groups, thus limiting targeted assistance efforts. Without adequate data to inform best practices around testing and vaccination, many SEAAs become invisible Americans who have difficulties navigating a health care system that inadvertently excludes them. SEAAs have large disparities gap due to...

Valley Go! Adaptive Handcycling, Boating, and Waterskiing

Valley GO! is proposed as an adaptive sports program for community and campus-based veterans with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. The purpose of Valley GO! is to increase participation in physical activity and improve quality of life for veterans with disabilities in the San Fernando Valley region of northern Los Angeles County. The program is proposed as a collaboration between the Center of Achievement for Adapted Physical A...

Wheelchair Transducers

Development of new transducers to measure manual wheelchair propulsion using wireless data acquisition system.

Pathways to Lactation Consulting for Human Sciences Students

The goal of the proposed project is to enhance the human sciences education at CSUN by developing a curriculum to prepare diverse workforce to serve in an emerging profession in the human sciences as Lactation Consultants. This proposal would prepare our underrepresented students, particularly Hispanic students, from nutrition, family consumer sciences and health sciences to take part in an innovative human science curriculum and comple...

Characterization of tree fruit bacterial communities during harvest

Over the last 40 years there has been a dramatic increase in people's desire to consume fresh fruits and vegetables as a major part of a health diet, for example the per capita consumption of apples in the United States in 1976 was 29.9 lbs. compared to 45.6 lbs. in 2014. However, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributed 46% of all foodborne infections in the U.S. to fresh produce. Part of...

An experimental investigation to reduce homophobia and increase empathy and knowledge concerning older LGBT individuals

This randomized controlled experiment is funded by an internal CSUN grant. Prof. Lagana` has created a feature documentary that she has hosted, directed, and produced on the topic of being an older LGBT individual. She is testing the anti-bias value of viewing this film on CSUN students. Her prior LGBT film, "LGBT United," has been used in her research with success, as viewing i...

A randomized controlled study to test the anti-bias effect of viewing an original documentary on homelessness

This is a research project funded by two CSUN internal grants. It is an innovative, film-based randomized controlled experiment on whether viewing a feature documentary created and produced by Prof. Lagana' will improve attitudes and knowledge about homeless individuals among the general population and among CSUN students.

Assessing Health Behaviors and Mental Health among Deaf Students at CSUN

Federal agencies such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration invest substantial amounts of money to prevent risky substance use on college campuses; however, these prevention programs do not reach all types of students. College students who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (D/HH), for example, are not surveyed about their substance use and other health behaviors. Most substance use prevention programs ar...

BUILD @ CSUN

Establishing a sustainable and CRT-informed overall research environment that more strongly motivates and prepares students for research careers and reduces the leakages that occur is an essential aim in our work to help students to successfully navigate these transition points. Faculty mentoring and research activities can directly influence URM student interest and engagement in health and health disparities research and research careers. Extensive faculty development strategies at...

Leadership Training in MCH Nutrition

The overall purpose of the proposed Leadership Training Program in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Nutrition is to improve the quality and appropriateness of services, particularly in the Western states, consistent with the nutrition and MCH objectives in Healthy People 2020 and the rapidly changing needs of the population in this part of the country.This program develops leadership, advances scholarship and promotes partnerships to achieve this purpose throu...