Margaret Romoser (3rd year Ph.D. Student) and Abbey Wojno (2nd year Ph.D. Student) had a more adventurous summer than most Ohio COMS students.  In fact, their summer activities brought them face to face with Amazonian "critters" and allowed them to participate in "football" matches with village children.  As part of their summer experiences they were able to not only see one of the truly unique places on Earth, but they were also able to engage in health communication research while there as part of an interdisciplinary work group studying Tropical Disease.  Upon return from their trip, Abbey and Margaret took a moment to answer a few questions about their experience.

What did you do?

In an effort to ensure that preventative measures are in place to minimize the spread of the Dengue Fever in Ecuador, the Tropical Disease Institute (TDI) at Ohio University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine has a facilitated several annual research endeavors within various Ecuadorian communities.  This year’s team was comprised of approximately 24 individuals.  The majority of the individuals were graduate students from various fields at Ohio University including communication, biology, international development, and the School of Music.  A few other individuals joined us from the U.S. Army and the Canadian Government. 

The initial week of the workshop was spent organizing the research team and our supplies.  We also spent the majority of that week traveling to our research location on the Pacific Coast of Ecuador.  During the second week of the research workshop, we spent each day visiting several small rural communities.  In each of these communities, half of the team collected mosquito specimen and water samples, while the other half of the team facilitated surveys with community leaders and members to gauge their perceptions of the threat of Dengue Fever within each community. 

Abbey (holding sign) and other members of the team work on the mosquito skit

After completing surveys in each community, we also spent some time working with the children in the area.  Inspired by a story about a mosquito infected with Dengue Fever originally authored by a governmental organization in Queensland, Australia, we facilitated an educational and interactive skit to share with the children and their families.  We also created coloring books that detailed the story. After watching and participating in the skit, each child received a coloring book to share with their families.  At the end of each day, we always made sure there was a sufficient amount of time to unwind with the children during a fun and exciting game of soccer.           

What drew them to the project?

Both Romoser and Wojno pointed to interdisciplinary (and inter-family) connections that led them to participating in this project. Bill Romoser, Margaret's husband and a professor in OUCOM, is one of the founders of the Tropical Disease Institute.  Margaret's involvement in the TDI project took on new meaning when she became a doctoral student in COMS.  Both she and Bill "wanted to incorporate communication research into the water quality and mosquito work that was already in progress," explained Margaret.

Abbey's invovlement happened primarily because she and Margaret got to know one another in Lasher and also because they have the same advisor, Dr. Jerry Miller.  As Abbey explained, "After talking with [Dr. Miller] about my passions for traveling and service along with my strong desire to continue developing my Spanish language skills, he mentioned that Margaret Romoser, one of his current advisees, had traveled to Ecuador to research some issues related to Dengue Fever and Malaria.  We talked about this project for quite some time during that visit . . . Before I knew it I was on board - meeting once or twice a week with Margaret to prepare our survey, research proposals, IRB applications, and educational tools.  It was definitely a thorough and enjoyable introduction to the amount of time and energy that goes into beginning and implementing a study."  Abbey's brother was also a member of the team.

What were your Research Objectives?

Abbey interviews people to assess risk factors for Dengue Fever.

Our surveys were formulated using the Health Belief Model in an effort to provide us with some formative information about the perceived threat of Dengue Fever within each of the communities. Specifically the surveys addressed the individuals’ perceived susceptibility of being affected by the disease, their perceptions of the severity of the threat of dengue fever, any perceived benefits or barriers to implementing a preventative behavior, along with insight into the perception of self-efficacy regarding the adoption of certain preventative behaviors.   In addition to the survey data, the mosquito specimen and water samples collected by our other team members will also provide us with information about the existence of mosquitoes and water management practices within each community.

It is now our hope to put some of this research to practical use by implementing several educational health communication campaigns that provide communities with advice and guidelines for effective Dengue Fever prevention. 

What Else Should Readers Know?

Both Abbey and Margaret felt that their trip was not only exciting, but also very meaningful to their development as communication scholars.  As Margaret commented, "The TDI Workshops provide students with a unique experience in the planning, implementation, analysis and presentation of research projects that are also unique because communication scholars work hand-in-hand with microbiologists, entomologists, public health workers and others. Preliminary planning for the workshops begins in late March, data gathering occurs during the following June-July, data analysis follows in August-September, and results are presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene the following November or December. TDI workshop students are an integral part of every step of the process, and for many, it is a life-changing experience."