Journal of Public Health in the Deep South is a peer-reviewed, open-access, online journal focused on disseminating high quality research and/or effective applied techniques to academicians, educators, and practitioners. JPHDS is the first publication to specifically focus on public health issues in this geographical space and with an appeal to both research and applied public health professionals and educators.
Recent Content
Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Influence Perceived Community Needs and Risk Factors for Firearm Violence in Mississippi
Masoumeh Karimi, Matthew Morris, Xiaoshan Gordy, Matthew Kutcher, Leila Seidfaraji, Michelle Brassfield, Erin Dehon, Alyscia Severance, Rukia Lumumba, Fredrick Womack, and Lei Zhang
Pilot Evaluation of a Cross-Disciplinary Training Addressing Substance Use Among Mississippi Mothers
Saijun Zhang, Catherine Poehling, Xiaoshan Gordy, Chinedu P. Chukwu, Jerome R. Kolbo, Masoumeh Karimi, Matthew Morris, Andrew Voluse, Erin Dehon, Michelle Brassfield, Danielle Lahn, Lisa Slade, Deanna Howington, Kathleen Rhodes, Tearsenee Davis, Sonja Fuqua, and Lei Zhang
Issues and Opportunities: Advancing Mississippi’s Response to Intimate Partner Violence
Lei Zhang and Anita Raj
Application of the Multi-Theory Model to Determine Predictors of Initiating and Sustaining Stress Management Behaviors in Undergraduate College Students
Bishoy T. Samuel, Joshua Mann, Michael Welsch, Manoj Sharma, and Vinayak K. Nahar
Farmers Markets and Produce Purchasing Behaviors Among University Faculty and Staff
Kritika Gupta, Laurel Lambert, Jangwoo Jo, Selby Rebecca Entrekin, and Georgianna Mann
Telemedicine Kiosks: Can Technology Solve Rural Mississippi's Healthcare Crisis?
Babu George and Martha Ravola
Promoting a Culture of Academic Integrity in the Context of Artificial Intelligence: Lessons from One School of Public Health in the Southeast
Gregory Pavela, Lindsay C. Aycock, Mercy Aula, Angela Sullivan, and Matthew Fifolt
Exploring the Attributes of Varied Interventions to Reduce Firearm Violence Among Youth and Emerging Adults: A Systematic Review
Vickie Blakely Reed, Lashanda D. Brumfield, Maaz Ali, and Traci Hayes
School Climate as Primary Prevention: Mental Health and Violence Outcomes Among LGBTQ+ Youth in the U.S. South (2015–2024)
LaTarsha H. Michael, Brieah D. Hudson, and Kenya T. Horne
Violence and Abuse Against Adult Stroke Survivors in the Deep South: Epidemiology, Risk, and Public Health Responses
Dawn S. McLendon, Shaneka S. Patterson, and Shreyas Gangadhara
Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Length of Hospital Stay and Discharge Disposition Among Male and Female Gunshot Injury Patients in Jackson, Mississippi.
Okechukwu Erinne, Deanna Howington, Sarah McGraw, Jonathan B. Lowrie, Matthew Kutcher, Alyscia Severance, Masoumeh Karimi, Leila Seidfaraji, and Lei Zhang
A Secondary Analysis of Mississippi Domestic Violence Trends from 2019 to September 2025 Based on The Trace Atlas of Gun Violence Archives
Lashanda D. Brumfield, Bernice Akinwande, Vickie Blakely Reed, Traci Hayes, and Tanya Funchess
Demographic, Circumstantial, and Geographic Patterns of Firearm-related Homicides and Suicides in Mississippi, 2021-2023
Zhou Fang, Utsav Nandi, Cerissa Eubanks Neely, and Lei Zhang
“I’m Going to Get Help”: Violence Prevention and Response Assessment in Higher Education
Leah B.P. Pylate, Lindsey D. Knight, Sristi Subedi, and Earnestine Y. Roby
Community-Guided Adaptation of Violence Prevention Strategies: Insights from the Mississippi Violence Injury Prevention (MS-VIP) Program
Erin Dehon, Masoumeh Karimi, Leila Seidfaraji, Michelle Brassfield, Melinda Todd, Rukia Lumumba, Matthew Kutcher, Matthew Morris, Fredrick Womack, Roy Hart, and Lei Zhang
Training Mississippi Providers to Address Intimate Partner Violence in Maternal Care: Pilot Outcomes from the SIMM Initiative
Xiaoshan Z. Gordy, Catherine Poehling, Saijun Zhang, Chinedu Chukwu, Jerome R. Kolbo, Masoumeh Karimi, Matthew Morris, Andrew Voluse, Erin Dehon, Michelle Brassfield, Danielle Lahn, Lisa Slade, Deanna Howington, Kathleen Rhodes, Tearsenee Davis, Sonja Fuqua, and Lei Zhang
Bridging IPV and SUD for Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Case Report of Interdisciplinary Programming in Mississippi
Catherine Poehling, Masoumeh Karimi, Chinedu Chukwu, Jerome R. Kolbo, Xiaoshan Gordy, Saijun Zhang, Matthew Morris, Andrew Voluse, Erin Dehon, Michelle Brassfield, Danielle Lahn, Lisa Slade, Deanna Howington, Kathleen Rhodes, Tearsanee Davis, Sonja Fuqua, Mary M. Wesley, and Lei Zhang
Gun Violence and Maternal Mortality in the Mississippi Delta: A Dual Public Health Crisis
Nelson Atehortua and Mary Shaw-Ridley
The Mississippi Violence Injury Prevention Program (MS-VIP): Building a Community-Driven Model for Healing and Safety
Rukia Lumumba
Personal Health Advice in the World of Artificial Intelligence: An Assessment of Responses from ChatGPT for Three Common Health Conditions in The Southern United States
Marion W. Evans Jr, Julie Harrison Swartz, Harrison Ndetan, Damian Francis, John Moore, Mary Kozub, Ernie Kaninjing, Jennifer Jones-Locklear, Debbie Greene, and Josie Doss
Using Electronic Medical Records to Estimate the Prevalence of Pediatric Obesity in Mississippi
Brian D. Christman, Abigail Gamble, Sonia Jain, Kalon KL Ho, Lei Zhang, and William B. Hillegass
Assessing Education and Training of Developmental Screening Tools Among Residents in a Southern Academic Medical Center
Paige Seabrook, Dustin E. Sarver, and Susan Buttross
Enhancing Public Health Strategies: Addressing the RSV Burden in Alabama Through Clinical Treatment, Community Prevention, and Surveillance Approaches
Martha K. Findley Roper and Jennifer S. Dawson
Risk for Infant Mortality Among Childbearing Women in Alabama
Michael Rutalira Koko
Trends in Drug Overdose Deaths in Alabama, 2010-2020
Michael Rutalira Koko and Raphu Wakumeki
The Relationship Between Prenatal Stressful Life Events and Breastfeeding Initiation Among Mississippi Mothers
Candon Garbo, Katie C. Hall, Disha Jhaveri, Jung Hye S. Lee, Deanna Howington, Mina Qobadi, and Mary Wesley
Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies of Mississippi Initial Provider Engagement and Student Feedback Loop Project
Corban Jackson MPH; Jillian Harper-Peavy LMSW, IMH-E; Starica Harper; and Vernesia Wilson PhD, MPH
A Retrospective Descriptive Study of Maternal Morbidity Based on Mississippi Poison Control Center Data
Laura Lee S. Beneke, Zariad Saran, Mallory Pullman, Jenna Davis, and David Vearrier
More Than Words: How Communication Shapes Maternal Healthcare Experiences in Mississippi
Brittney Clayborn and Traci Hayes
Maternal Mortality in Mississippi: Enough Is Enough
Daniel P. Edney MD, FACP, FSAM
State of Maternal Health
Jaleen Sims MD, MPH, FACOG
Psycho-Sociodemographic and Substance-Related Correlates of Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior
Nicole Doyle, Krishen Samuel, Samantha Cohen-Winans MS, M. Allison Ford, Vinayak K. Nahar, Oluwatoyin Olatunde, Juliet Igboanugo, Mercy Irungu, and Robert E. Davis
Investigating the Spatial Distribution of Food Insecurity and Its Associated Factors Across Mississippi Counties
Elizabeth C. Swindell, Riley Morgan, Dylan Barker, and Ruaa Al Juboori
Leveraging the Public Health Infrastructure Grant to Support Alabama’s Workforce Training Needs Assessment
Matthew Fifolt, Elena Kidd, Riley Blum, Wei Su, Melissa (Moose) Alperin, and Lisa C. McCormick
Advancing Telemedicine Adoption: Insights From Health Behavior Models With a Focus on the Multi-Theory Model
Rahib K. Islam, Abigail E. Watson, Alec Robitaille, Manoj Sharma, Robert E. Davis, Joshua T. Clark, and Vinayak K. Nahar
Agricultural Producers' Perceptions of Stressors: A Study on Controllability and Persistency
Mary Nelson Robertson, Devon Mills, Brice A. Fortinberry, Mary Marshall Waller, Hunter H. Thompson, Marina Denny, and David Buys
Beyond Assistance: Amplifying the Lived Experiences of Marginalized Communities Navigating Support Service Systems in Mississippi
Karla McCullough, Rodney Washington, and Angela A. Omondi
A Model for Developing Emergency Medical Services Instructor Knowledge
David Hall and Lisa Fee
Public Support for Tobacco Control Policies Among Mississippi Adults
Emily McClelland, Tiffany Johnson, and Robert McMillen
Teachers’ Perceptions of an Integrated Nutrition Education Curriculum and the Impact on Preschoolers' Food Liking
Alicia Stapp, Laurel Lambert, Georgianna Mann, Kaitlyn Sills, and Kenya Wolff
The Prevalence Rate of Syphilis and HIV Across Different Genders, Races, and Ages from 2017 to 2021 in the Southern Region of the United States
Nafiseh Gavari, Rita Momah, Jessica Green Collins, and Elizabeth Jones
Social Determinants of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: The Mississippi Landscape
Kenneth R. Butler Jr., Denise Lafferty, Stacee B. Naylor, and Kimberly C. Tarver MD
The Jackson Water Crisis across the Lifespan: Living and Dying for Clean Water
Ashley W. Jones and Antonio J. Gardner
The Role of AARP Mississippi in Healthy Aging
Kimberly Campbell and Melinda Bertucci
Integrated Delivery of Health Care and Continuity of Care for Older Mississippians With Mental and Behavioral Health Concerns
Tockie V. Hemphill
Caregiver to Caregiver: An Exploratory Case Study in Adult Family Caregiving Experiences
Tamara Brocks and Kaye Bender
Implementing Policy to Increase Health Literacy in Falls Prevention: A Teach-Back and Show-Back Intervention
Yalanda M. Barner, Lollie Vaughan-Robinson, and Jazmin Adjei
Personality Profile of Rural-Dwelling Older Adults With Hoarding Disorder
Mary E. Dozier, Caitlyn A. Nix, and Hilary L. DeShong
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hot Spots in Mississippi
Taylor Jansen and Elizabeth Dugan
The Mississippi Healthy Aging Data Report: Tools to Advance Health Equity
Elizabeth Dugan, Taylor Jansen, Chae Man Lee, Nina M. Silverstein, and Yan-Jhu Su
Association of Self-Report Measures With Salivary Biomarkers in Post-Menopausal Women
Laree M. Hiser, Karen Arrant, Jung Hye S. Lee, and Lei Zhang
Let’s Have a Family Conversation
Kimberly C. Tarver and Kina White
Dining Patterns at Campus Food Venues: University Employees’ Perspectives
Kritika Gupta, Jangwoo Jo, Laurel Lambert, Georgianna Mann, and Selby Rebecca Entrekin
Rural Medical Scholars Program: Filling the Gap for Health-Care and Public Health Leaders in Mississippi
Ann Sansing; David R. Buys; Marion W. Evans PhD, MCHES; Laura Downey; and Jasmine Harris-Speight
Policies on Hand-Held Mobile Device Use While Driving: Considerations for Mississippi
Amy Radican-Wald
Maternal, Child, and Parenting Factors Associated with Obesity Among Pre-Kindergarten Children in Mississippi
Jerome R. Kolbo
Speech-Language Pathologists and Respiratory Therapists: Team Approach to Caring for Patients with Long-Term Tracheotomy
Javis M. Knott
Remaining in the Workforce After Motherhood: Does the Family Medical Leave Act Play a Role in the Decisions of Mississippi Mothers?
Danielle Fastring
Factors Associated with History of Unintended Pregnancy Among Mothers in Mississippi
Stephanie T. McLeod MPH, Morgan Bradwell, Lei Zhang, Olivia Hogan Ismail, Eden Blackwell, Tanya Funchess, and Jerome R. Kolbo
The Relationship Between Obesity and Depression Among Federally Qualified Health Center Patients
Hwanseok Choi
Adaptability in Community-Based Participatory Research: Comparisons of Coalitions in the Deep South
Candace Forbes Bright PhD
Ocular Biomarkers of Disease: Employing Routine Eye Exams to Promote Better Health Surveillance
Dawn S. McLendon; Kenneth R. Butler PhD; and Michael A. Welsch PhD, FACSM
Hospitalizations for Hepatitis C in Mississippi, 2014-2018 – A Hidden Epidemic
Manuela Staneva MD, MPH; Thomas Dobbs MD, MPH; Paul Byers MD; Meg Pearson PharmD, MS; and Jonathan Hubanks PharmD
Prevalence of Probable Hoarding and Associated Consequences at the Scene of Mississippi Fires, 2009-2019
Mary E. Dozier PhD and Ben Porter PhD
Assessment of knowledge and attitudes toward determinants of infant mortality in Head Start teachers, teacher aides, caregivers, and family support workers
Susan Mayfield-Johnson PhD, MCHES; Danielle Fastring PhD; and Stephanie T. McLeod MPH
Racial differences in perception and experiences of adverse treatment by healthcare providers: A cross-sectional analysis of the All of Us data
Tanya Funchess, Traci Hayes, Yang Ge, and Felix Twum
Insights of Precision Medicine Initiative’s All of Us Research Program in Mississippi
Gouri Mahajan, Kristi Cofer, and Richard Summers
Student Response to COVID-19: An Academic Interprofessional Case Study
Elizabeth Franklin
Relying on Young Ambassadors to bolster COVID-19 study recruitment and participation
Traci Hayes and Wendy White
Designing a Community Engaged Training Program for African American and Latinx Communities on COVID-19 in South Mississippi: Results from Qualitative Focus Groups Exploring Community Member Perceptions
Susan Mayfield-Johnson PhD, MCHES; Tanya Funchess; Charkarra Anderson-Lewis; Erica Thompson; Sandra Melvin; Mireya Alexander; Kierra Melvin; and Samaria Lowe
American Indians and COVID-19: Morbidity and Mortality Disparities among Indigenous Populations in the Rural South
Leslie Musshafen, Thomas E. Dobbs, Aaron Robinson, Thomas Wyatt, Michael Puskarich, Richard Summers, Seth Lirette, and Caroline Compretta
Factors Influencing Mental Health Outcomes of University Personnel During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Rebecca C. Holland, Melissa K. Kossman, Leslie W. Oglesby, Morgan R. Eckenrod, Abigail S. Willis, and Anna K. Porter
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Calls to the Mississippi Poison Control Center
Jenna Davis, Laura Lee Beneke, Michael B. Marlin, and David Vearrier
Enhancing Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Practices in Diverse Healthcare Settings during the COVID19 Pandemic
Alaina Herrington
Individual Correlates of COVID-19 Concerns, Prevention Behaviors, and Experiences Among College Students
Samantha Cohen-Winans MS, Kaitlyn Armstrong MS, M. Allison Ford PhD, and Hannah K. Allen PhD
Influencers of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in the Deep South
Katie C. Hall, Angela Duck, and Tara Price
Following the Science: the role of the academic medical center in the COVID-19 pandemic
Richard L. Summers, Leslie Musshafen, Gailen Marshall, John Bates, Sarika Jain, Jake Johnston, Alexandra Castillo, Krishna Ayyalasomayajula, Ramona Sandlin, I. J. Frame, Seth Lirette, Saurabh Chandra, Ashley Robinson, and Michael R. Garrett
Launching a Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (HPV) Campaign on a College Campus during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Eric Pittman, M. Allison Ford, Marie Barnard, Emily Tschumpter, Sally Earl, and Joshua Gautreaux
Public Health Policy: Internet Access to Advance Health Equity
Juanita Graham DNP-RN, FRSPH and Victor Sutton PhD
Making COVID-19-Related Decisions: A Qualitative Study of University Students
Jamie Methvin, Antonio J. Gardner, Leah B. P. Pylate, Barry P. Hunt, Holli H. Seitz, and Regina Young Hyatt
Case Report of Myopericarditis post COVID-19 Vaccinations in the first female young adult in MS
Vipina Nair MD, Paul Byers MD, and Kathryn G. Taylor MD
Assessment of College Students in Understanding Beliefs, Behaviors, and Key Levels of Influence regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
Olivia Rosemary Hernandez, Antonio J. Gardner, Leah B. P. Pylate, and Barry P. Hunt
A false sense of security: The perceptions of threat and efficacy contributing to vaccine hesitancy in the Gulf States
Braden Hale Bagley
COVID-19 related Awareness among Healthcare Professionals and Students at the Medical Center in the Southern United States
Eldrin Bhanat MD, MPH; Vinayak K. Nahar MD, PhD, MS; Thomas Dobbs MD; Kenneth R. Butler PhD; Josny Thimothee MS; Rinkuben Parmar MBBS, MD, MPH; Patrick Bergin MD; George Russell MD; Alan Jones MD; and Bhagyashri D. Navalkele MD