Volume 60, No. 1, Spring/Summer 2022

ASSESSING DIFFERENCES IN AVERAGE WINTERTIME PRECIPITATION FOR NEUTRAL, EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA YEARS IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND AND TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: 1970 TO 2020

(pp. 1 - 12)

Richard S. Courtney

Department of Geography

Kutztown University

Kutztown, Pennsylvania

Abstract

While the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a climate event born in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, its effects on weather can be far-reaching. The continents of Australia and South America, and the Indian subcontinent are often dramatically affected. North America is also subject to the influences of ENSO. Research has suggested that wintertime precipitation is greater for the Gulf Coast states during El Niño episodes, and similar findings have been found for Baltimore, Maryland, which is in the Middle Atlantic region. This study employs the use of parametric tests to assess differences in average wintertime precipitation for Neutral, El Niño, and La Niña years in Baltimore, Maryland and Tallahassee, Florida over the 1970 to 2020 time frame. Generally, insignificant differences were found among Neutral and El Niño years, but significant differences exist with La Niña years.

KEEPING THOSE TEETH CLEAN: EXAMINING GEOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCE IN ACCESS TO DENTAL OFFICES FOR OLDER ADULTS IN PENNSYLVANIA

(pp. 13 - 27)

Moira Conway

Department of Geography

Kutztown University

Kutztown, Pennsylvania

Abstract

Dental care is an essential public health need, as oral health impacts many other aspects of human health. However, accessibility to dental care varies greatly depending on geographic location, socioeconomic background, and transportation options. This project seeks to spatially analyze the availability of dental care to residents in urban, suburban, and rural areas, using case study locations in the state of Pennsylvania. While research on dental accessibility is limited, much existing research focuses on children. This project seeks to focus on older adults, using selected counties in each of the three geographies. The method employed to determine accessibility of dental offices is GIS suitability modeling. By examining the differences in access between geographic locations of varying densities, variation in dental care availability can be determined, and policy recommendations can be developed to improve dental care options. This project builds on a growing body of literature using GIS methods to explore public health issues.

FOLKLIFE AS GEONARRATIVE: THE FLUVIAL LIFEWORLD CONFLUENCES OF THE LOWER ABRA RIVER-DELTA AND THE TOWN OF SANTA

(pp. 28 - 53)

Dominique Sasha Amorsolo

Department of Geography

University of the Philippines Diliman

Quezon City, Philippines

Abstract

Santa is a low-lying community situated along the lower Abra River and its delta off the coast of Ilocos Sur province in the northwest Philippines. Both the town and the river are subjected to heavy rains and flooding due to tropical cyclones that traverse the country. Based on historical records, Santa has changed its location multiple times, in relation to river morphology changes and/or associated floods. Using historical maps, satellite images, archival documents, and interviews, this study seeks to re-analyze and integrate these data to make a river-town geonarrative and create countermapped outputs that represent the “new folklife” geonarratives using GIS. Based on the outcome, a “confluence” prevails between the river’s natural behavior and people’s socio-cultural experiences, economic needs, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) practices. The convergence of both lifeworlds influences the “long-ago,” the “ongoing,” and the “yet to come” river-tales that depict the “new folklife” geonarratives of a Philippine fluvialscape.

AN INITIAL INVESTIGATION OF CHILDREN’S ASTHMA IN PENNSYLVANIA

(pp. 54 - 69)

Robert C. Ziegenfus

Department of Geography

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, Pennsylvania

Abstract

At the author’s request, the Pennsylvania Department of Health provided a dataset of children’s asthma by county for the school years 2013-14 through 2019-20. Additional data were extracted from two national surveys: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey and the National Health Interview Survey. Although asthma rates have declined slowly, Pennsylvania rates were still higher than national rates. Regionally, eastern and southeastern counties had the highest rates. Statewide, metropolitan counties had the highest rates. Perhaps unique to Pennsylvania, at the county level, there was no statistically significant correlation between asthma rates and educational attainment. All but five counties had a decrease in their asthma rates over the seven years.