Sterling Thomas

Author: Sterling Thomas | Major: Public Health | Semester: Spring 2024

I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to introduce myself as the recipient of the Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship SURF grant. My name is Sterling Thomas, and I am an Incoming Senior at the University of Arkansas. I am obtaining my degree in Public Health as well as minoring in Anthropology and Medical Humanities. Dr. Marilou Shreve is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing and is leading the research that I am participating in. I have finished the Spring Semester 2024 as I was an assistant with focus groups for the research on perceptions of adolescents in the Marshallese community over health and obesity. The following semester, Fall of 2024 we will begin analyzing the answers to the surveys and the transcription of the discussion elements.

Through the University of Arkansas, the College of Education and Health Professions Honors Program provides a dashboard where professors are able to post their current projects that require student help. I was able to find Dr. Marilou Shreve in need of students to assist her research. Even though I had not previously met Dr. Shreve, I was able to increase my network within the college through the Faculty Mentor Dashboard. Although she is in a different department than I study under, her research in Public Health and her experience in nursing provided me with a diverse opportunity to learn. The topic Dr. Shreve is researching is perceptions of health and obesity in a minority population in Arkansas. I have always found issues around health fascinating to learn, and what aspects of socioeconomic status could affect an individual’s perception. Having a passion for furthering research on health-related topics formed an easy pathway to assist Dr. Shreve’s research. There has been little research published on the perceptions of minority adolescents on health and obesity, and virtually no research including Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Therefore, this research can further identify where public health in the United States can play a larger role in educating and providing resources specific to health and obesity of general perceptions of minority populations.

Beginning research for the first time, I have felt a sense of accomplishment as I can look back on past courses I have taken at the University of Arkansas and use the knowledge I gained studying public health issues to incorporate while I assist Dr. Shreve. The Spring Semester of 2024 marked the beginning of research on this topic. We organized and performed focus groups of individuals within the Marshallese community living in Arkansas. Parent and children’s groups were formed in order to receive the most authentic answers from participants. When assisting with the adolescent groups, the more comfortable the participants felt, the more likely they were to participate in the conversation and share their thoughts and beliefs. Therefore, I would do my best to make the participants feel comfortable by sharing my name and conversing with them. After both rounds of focus groups had concluded the audio recordings of the focus groups were sent to be translated and transcribed. When the Fall Semester of 2024 begins, we will partake in analyzing the results from the surveys and focus group conversations. After analyzing, I will be able to present the findings of perceptions of the Marshallese community about health and obesity and then provide recommendations to better support AAPI individuals in making healthier, life-sustaining decisions.