Abstract

The malaria epidemic has caused a major social and financial impact on people in Africa. The CDC states that half the world’s population is at risk of contracting malaria, and that in 2010, 655,000 people died of the disease. It is estimated that the annual economic loss of malaria in Africa is 12 million dollars. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states that health is accepted as a fundamental human right and not a privilege. In many poorer nations of the world, health care is either unavailable or far too expensive. With this in mind, an awareness presentation was conducted to get college students interested in these problems. This presentation consisted of addressing the problems present in Africa, studying the organizations that give Africa aid, and determining their impact on the areas affected. Using social judgment theory as we base, we used a pre and post presentation survey to measure whether presenting these issues to students impacted their views on malaria and their willingness to support this cause. We found that educating people about the topic did improve their attitudes toward the subject, which in turn make them more willing to act and support this cause. Social judgment theory could be used in future public health campaigns.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 2014

Mentor

John T. Strada

Mentor Department Affiliation

Communication

Access Options

Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Biological Sciences

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

Protocol 14-147

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