Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Aimee Ferraro

Abstract

Sepsis results in a significant public health burden globally, causing 20% of adult mortality worldwide and accounting for more than one third of deaths in hospitalized adults in the United States, making it one of the top 15 leading causes of death in the United States. Community-onset sepsis (COS) comprises nearly 80% of all sepsis cases occurring in the United States each year. Despite the widespread prevalence of COS, significant gaps in knowledge exist regarding the risk factors that lead to COS and sepsis mortality in Latino/Hispanic adults in the United States. The purpose of this secondary data study was to examine the relationship between diabetes, obesity, age, gender, and socioeconomic status with COS in 1,794 Latino/Hispanic adult patients aged 50 years and older presenting to the emergency departments of a large, multistate, health care system in Arizona and Colorado. Whether these variables predict mortality related to COS in the study population was also evaluated in the study. The Andersen behavioral and access to health care model comprised the theoretical framework for this quantitative, descriptive, correlational study utilizing a secondary data set. Using bivariate logistic regression for analysis, no significant association between COS and diabetes, obesity, age, gender, and socioeconomic status were found. However, multiple logistic regression showed that diabetes and gender were predictive of mortality risk. Use of the study results may help develop positive social change by understanding the actual burden of sepsis in Hispanics in the US, how the risk factors may differ, and the relationship of these risk factors with mortality, and may be used to inform prevention strategies for this specific population that comprises nearly one fifth of the United States population.

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