Housing and homelessness constitutes a persistent public health concern, necessitating rigorous evaluation of intervention strategies. Home for Good (HFG), a non-profit organization based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, implements a unique housing and peer mentorship model to address homelessness among families with young children. Using mixed-methods, we evaluated HFG’s approach through quantitative survey data and in-depth qualitative interviews with both mentors and clients engaged in the program. Surveys captured mentors’ experiences with program implementation, and interviews explored clients’ personal narratives and the perceived impact of HFG on their trajectories. Our analysis has identified key trends and has generated evidence-based recommendations for program development. In this presentation, we describe our methodology, share findings to date, and discuss implications for policy and future housing interventions.
Low fruit and vegetable (FV) intake increases chronic disease risk, especially for low-income Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households facing cost and access barriers. Nutrition incentive programs aim to make FV more affordable for SNAP participants. This study examined eight years of data (2018–2025, N = 1,071) from a Wisconsin SNAP nutrition incentive program, using descriptive and regression analyses to evaluate shopper experiences. Most participants reported eating more FV (90%), trying new foods (63%), and saving on groceries (85%). Nearly all (93%) described the market as welcoming, but barriers included transportation (18%), weather (23%), and limited hours (13%). More incentive redemption was linked to higher visit frequency with each $10 increase in incentives redeemed associated with 17% more visits (β = 0.016, p < .001). More visits also increased the odds of returning the next season by 60% (OR = 1.60, p = .011). Findings suggest that incentives boost FV affordability, which encourages more frequent market visits, supporting greater engagement and FV access for low-income households. Results highlight both the program’s strengths and remaining barriers, providing guidance for more equitable, accessible nutrition incentive strategies.
Despite the central role of fruits and vegetables (FV) in a healthy diet, cost and access remain barriers for low-income households. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) addresses food insecurity on a broad scale; however, FV consumption remains low among SNAP participants, who are also less likely than higher-income shoppers to purchase from farmers' markets. The Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market implements Market Match, a nutrition incentive program that allocates additional funds for FV purchases to SNAP households. Eight years of administrative data (2018–2025) from 2,457 unique households were analyzed to describe long-term participation patterns and economic contributions to the local food system. Descriptive statistics were used to examine annual participation, seasonal return patterns, and vendor-level SNAP redemption. More than one-third of households returned for multiple years, and over 100 participated for at least three seasons, demonstrating sustained engagement. In 2025, SNAP shoppers spent $29,082 at the market; using a conservative economic multiplier of 1.6, this spending likely generated more than $46,500 in local economic activity. Findings underscore the role of nutrition incentives in expanding farmers' market access for low-income shoppers, strengthening Wisconsin's local food economy, and providing evidence to inform a statewide nutrition incentive model.
Our research question is: Are student rental properties more likely to have environmental home health hazards than non-student rental properties in the city of Eau Claire? Our initial hypothesis was yes. An environmental home health hazard is defined as a chemical, physical, biological, or other condition within a residence that has the potential to impact the health of residents. Some examples include mold, pests, radon, carbon monoxide, and lead. The data that does exist are external housing evaluations done by the Health Department called the Residential Environmental Quality Assessment. REQA data is the most relevant and reliable data available in the context of our research question. Using online sources, we divided as many addresses as we could into four categories: non-rental, student rental, non-student rental, and uncertain. We will then use t-tests to analyze and compare the data from non-student rentals and student rentals to answer our research question quantitatively. This project has also produced a rental housing checklist for students considering off-campus housing as well as information on mold, radon, pests, lead, carbon monoxide and asbestos.
Improving indoor air quality has been proposed as a strategy to reduce respiratory illness transmission, particularly in settings with young children. This study evaluated whether portable air filtration was associated with changes in reported respiratory illness prevalence at the UWEC Children’s Nature Academy. HEPA air filters and a Corsi-Rosenthal box were installed in classrooms following ventilation assessment using CO2 monitoring. Filter efficacy was tested by measuring PM2.5 air concentration reduction. Anonymized illness reports from three academic years (2022–2025) were used to calculate monthly respiratory illness prevalence before and after filter installation in November 2023. Interrupted time series (ITS) regression and ANOVA were used to evaluate changes in illness trends. While filtration reduced PM2.5 concentration and ventilation levels were adequate, no significant reduction in reported respiratory illness prevalence was observed. Illness patterns closely followed seasonal community respiratory disease trends.
Air quality is vital to human and environmental health and is commonly assessed using the Air Quality Index (AQI), which reflects concentrations of air pollutants such as PM2.5, CO2, TVOC, CO, SO2, and O3. This study aimed to evaluate indoor and outdoor air quality on the UW-Eau Claire (UWEC) lower campus and compare findings to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in order to ensure the efficacy of campus HVAC systems and the protection of student and faculty health. Using the Temtop and TSI AirAssure air quality monitoring devices calibrated with Wisconsin DNR data, pollutant levels were recorded at multiple high-traffic locations in almost every lower campus building. The devices were placed at breathing level and monitored air quality for ten minutes per site. Pollutant levels remained within recommended safety standards for the duration of the study, with some fluctuations due to weather, vehicle emissions, and construction activity. Overall, findings indicate that current campus air quality systems are effective in maintaining safe work and living conditions. Future research should expand air quality monitoring to upper campus residential and dining facilities and incorporate more advanced equipment for comprehensive pollutant analysis.
Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) often called deer or bear ticks are the primary vector for the agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Eau Claire County has one of the highest prevalence rates in the country, with 188 cases in 2022. Performing tick drags and species identification in popular Eau Claire parks is crucial in furthering knowledge and understanding on what harm may be inflicted upon civilians. By gathering data, Eau Claireans can be informed about the possible cautions present at tested recreational parks. ENPH 110: Environmental Public Health First Year Experience course, students performed tick drags in surrounding Eau Claire area parks including Lowes Creek Park, Southwest Dog Park, Carson Park, and UWEC Lower Campus Circle. Tick drags were made of cotton fabric weighed down with 1 oz sinkers and researchers pulled their tick drags behind them in parks, removed attached ticks, identified species, placed into vials with 70% alcohol and delivered them to the Eau Claire Health Department. Selected ticks were then tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the Borrelia burgdorferi gene. Students then created informational guides for park visitors to understand the dangers of ticks and how to take proper prevention.
Water quality is prevalent in our everyday lives, but many of us have the privilege of not thinking about it very often. The quality of the water we consume can have major implications for our health. For example, overly elevated chlorine levels in water can cause respiratory issues as well as colorectal or bladder cancer while substandard levels can result in bacterial contamination. This demonstrates the importance of regular water quality testing, especially in a new recreational facility such as the Sonnentag Center. In the summer of 2025, we periodically measured turbidity, chlorine levels, pH, and coliform bacteria levels in the Sonnentag’s drinking fountains, whirlpool baths, and concessions ice. To obtain these measurements, we used pH strips, a pool chlorine testing kit, a HANNA turbidity meter, and a free/total chlorine meter. Since drinking water requires such a small chlorine content to be appropriately sanitized, many of our methods weren’t sensitive enough to measure this quantity consistently. This complication forced us to try several methods of recording chlorine content, and in the end we were able to conclude that the Sonnentag’s water quality did meet the standards of healthy drinking water per the guidelines provided by the WELL Certification framework.
Music festivals are a fun summer event, especially for college students. However, we don’t often consider their impact on surrounding homes through noise pollution. This is significant to health concerns because exposure to volumes of 85 dB can cause tinnitus or permanent hearing damage. Eau Claire City Councilman Aaron Brewster received complaints about noise levels from the Country Jam Music Festival, so we set out to investigate the validity of these claims on July 19, 2025. We measured noise levels during the final two performers of the night since we estimated they would draw the loudest crowds. Noise level readings were taken using the NIOSH SLM App on the eastern and southern borders of the grounds, near the neighboring homes, and readings within the grounds were taken using the Model 2800 Quest Technologies device. We found that noise levels met the conditions outlined in Country Jam’s conditional use permit, which say volume cannot exceed 85 dB for 30 minutes or longer. However, volume within the grounds did briefly reach upwards of 90 dB. Consequently, we advised that the festival offer complimentary earplugs and safety recommendations for attendees to protect their ears while having fun.
