The relationship between proper nutrition in the first 1,000 days of an infant’s life and better health is widely recognized as being one of the most important factors in creating a strong foundation for health throughout childhood. An important aspect of proper infant nutrition is exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life (Save the Children International, 2012). In El Salvador, the percentage of children that are not growing well (i.e. who are stunted, wasted, or overweight) is higher than the regional average for Central America (UNICEF, 2019). The goal of this research is to identify barriers to mothers’ abilities to exclusively breastfeed in the departments of Santa Ana and Ahuachapan, El Salvador, and what changes in behavior are observed when they are provided with a manual breast pump and educational resources about proper infant nutrition. Ninety-two mothers of infants between 0 and 6 months of age in 12 communities throughout these two departments participated in surveys about their infant’s nutrition and breastfeeding rates. Half of the women were surveyed prior to receiving education about proper infant nutrition and a manual breast pump (control group), and the other half were surveyed between 3 weeks and 6 months after participating in the class and receiving a breast pump (small initial group and experimental group). The mothers identify three main barriers to their ability to exclusively breastfeed: difficulty latching, time away from home, and low breastmilk supply. The mothers in the small initial group and experimental group identify specific ways in which the breast pump was a solution for those exact barriers. The percentage of women that were exclusively breastfeeding without access to a breast pump was 34%, and the percentage of women that were exclusively breastfeeding after the women in the experimental and small initial group received access to a breast pump was 54%. This suggests that universal breast pump access and promotion of breast pump usage may raise the national rates of exclusive breastfeeding and consequently improve health outcomes for infants and children in El Salvador.

This study evaluates medical pluralism among 1.5 generation Indian American immigrants. 1.5 generation Indian Americans (N=16) were surveyed regarding their engagement in complementary and alternative medical systems (CAM), how immigration affected that, and reasons for and for not continuing the use of CAM. Results indicated most 1.5 Indian immigrants currently engage in CAM, given that their parents also engage in CAM. The top reasons respondents indicated continued engagement in CAM was that it has no side effects and is preventative. Reasons for not practicing CAM included feeling out of place, not living with parents or not believing in CAM. After immigration, most participants decreased or stopped their engagement in CAM. More women than men continued to practice CAM after immigration. From the results, it was concluded that CAM is still important to 1.5 generation Indian immigrants.

This project evaluates the success that a Food Waste assignment had on reducing food waste by exploring factors that suggest waste minimization. Previous ASB 370/394: Ethics of Eating students were surveyed regarding their thoughts on their current food waste behavior and what food waste strategies they implemented to reduce their waste. The success of the assignment was determined using SPSS statistical software. Respondents reported that foods that they waste the most were vegetables, fruits, and bread and most respondents indicated that they threw away 1-2 cups of food per week, typically only when they clean out their fridge and/or pantry. Participants revealed the main reasons for their food waste were “I buy too much,” followed by “do not have time to prepare the food I buy,” and “my produce didn’t look appealing anymore.” Based on the results from the survey, over 60% of respondents indicated that they had changed their food waste behavior to produce less waste. The Food Waste Assignment was deemed a success in encouraging students to limit their food waste due to the majority of students indicating they change their behavior after completing the assignment. The three main tactics students implemented to reduce their food waste were: “eating more leftovers,” “proper food storage,” and, “meal planning.” While the Food Waste Assignment was successful, ways to improve the assignment were still identified. To help students address their food waste behavior, reading or videos on ways to prevent food waste or suggestions for students to improve their food waste could be provided.

The overall goal of the research study was to determine if the City of Phoenix is going to attain their 90-90-90 targets for 2020 as part of the Fast-Track Cities initiative. The Fast-Track Cities plan includes that by 2020, 90% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status are on treatments, and 90% of people on treatment have suppressed viral loads. In order to achieve the Fast-Track Cities Initiative goals, the number of people who are aware of their status will need to increase by an additional 5%. The number of people living with HIV who are on HIV medications will need to increase 39%, and the number of people virally suppressed will need to increase 40% (City of Phoenix, 2016). This study was executed by first comparing HIV/AIDS epidemiology reports from the years of 2015-2017 to see the incidence trends. The city of Phoenix was also compared to the second largest city in Arizona, Tucson, to see if Phoenix was making more advances towards ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 2030. Next, interviews were conducted with members of the Ad-Hoc committee to gain their opinion on whether Phoenix is going to meet their 90-90-90 goals for the upcoming year. It was concluded that the City of Phoenix is making great progress, however, is not going to achieve their goals by 2020. The Ad-Hoc committee still is aiming to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030 and have implemented various projects such as the rapid-start protocol and the HIV home test kit initiative to meet this goal. Future improvements for the Fast-Track cities initiative include obtaining more accurate data and improving funding for the HIV stigma focus group as well as recruiting more political leaders.

Binge drinking has clear consequences but subtle influences among undergraduate students. While theories of perceived drinking norms and social identity have been determined to be predictive of binge drinking behavior, few studies have tested these influences outside of fraternities, sororities, and athletic teams and little research exists employing social network analysis (SNA) to quantify social ties. In this study, a small, undergraduate dance team was identified to test social identity theory using social network analysis in a peripheral social group. Each member was interviewed for demographic information, personal drinking habits, personal network structure, perceptions of peer drinking within both the personal network and the whole-network (the dance team), and sociometric position within the dance team. Personal network characteristics, whole-network dynamics and perceptions of peer drinking were tested for predictive value of individual binge drinking behavior utilizing binary logistic regression analysis. Results for predictor variables were weakened due to the small sample size (n = 13) and low variability within some constant variables, returning no statistically significant (p < 0.05) independent variables. However, while odds ratios could not be used to construct regression equations, four models were statistically significant overall. Each model was tested again without the constants; no models nor variables were statistically significant. These models indicated, within this sample, that 1) the proportion of a group that adopts binge drinking behavior is predictive of that behavior for the interviewee (in terms of the overall personal network as well as the triads within the personal network); and 2) the perception of the average team member's maximum alcohol intake along with the proportion of the personal network composed of team members is predictive of individual binge drinking behavior. Low variance in the variables and the small sample size warrant further research to test the viability of targeting anti-binge drinking campaigns toward peripheral social groups.

The worldwide supply of potable fresh water is ever decreasing. While 2.5% of Earth's water is fresh, only 1% is accessible. Of this water, the World Health Organization estimates that only one-third can be used to meet our daily needs while the other two-thirds are unusable due to contamination. As the world population continues to grow and climate change reduces water security, we must consider not only solutions, but evaluate the perceptions and reactions of individuals in order to successfully implement such solutions. To that end, the goal of this dissertation is to explore human attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors around water issues by conducting cross-cultural comparisons of (1) water risks and solutions, (2) wastewater knowledge and acceptance, and (3) motivators for willingness to use treated wastewater. Previous research in these domains has primarily focused on a single site or national context. While such research is valuable for establishing how and why cultural context matters, comparative studies are also needed to help link perceptions at local and global scales. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach grounded in anthropological methods and theory, I use interview data collected in a range of international sites as part of the Arizona State University's Global Ethnohydrology Study. With funding from National Science Foundation grants to the Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) and the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research project (CAP LTER), this dissertation explores cross-cultural perceptions of water threats and management strategies, specifically wastewater reclamation and reuse, in order to make recommendations for policy makers and water managers.