Category: Dawn

Ní slán é seo, feicfidh sé go luath thú! – This is not goodbye, it’s see you soon! The time I’ve spent in Ireland has flown by, yet the memories of the island, the people I’ve met, and the research I conducted will stay with me forever. Despite my brief 8-week stay, Galway has truly become my home more than any other place I’ve lived. In my previous blog post, I spoke of the remarkable luck and wonderful experiences I’ve had on this journey, and the trend continued until the very end. Just look at the double rainbow I caught on my last solo day here!

As my fourth week arrived, so did the long-awaited rain and clouds, giving me a taste of a “true Irish summer.” I embarked on some grand adventures, traversing from the Atlantic Ocean to the Connemara mountains via boat, train, bus, and on foot. Moments that will always live with me include learning the traditional Irish sport of Hurling, taking a dip in the Corrib River alongside a family of swans, visiting Europe’s oldest restaurant, and exploring the grounds of Kylemore Abbey and its beautiful and expansive gardens. However, above all, I made it my mission to explore every nook and cranny of Galway, becoming so familiar with its streets that my colleagues jokingly suggested I should lead the walking tours offered for tourists. With daylight extending until 11pm, I had ample time to immerse myself in the city’s charm and find some hidden gems during the evening hours.

Engaging in research here at the Health Promotion Research Centre (HPRC) on a global scale has opened my eyes to crucial aspects of children’s health that matter most to them. Specifically, my focus has centered around a cross-national study called, “The Health Behaviors of School Children,” (HBSC), in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s (WHO), encompassing data collection from 51 different countries. I have primarily learned to analyze the survey responses specific to Irish children ages 10-17, so we could evaluate their priority concerns. I created an infographic to be disseminated to researchers involved in the study on an international scale, participating schools, and policy makers who are interested in the findings. This infographic highlights the top 10 health priorities for Irish children from the HBSC 2022 national report.  The infographic describes six engagement workshops with primary and post-primary school children. Through this deliverable, I have learned to turn verbal and written information provided by children into a useful infographic that is easily digestible and visually appealing to a wide range of audiences.

I also created a report-output and infographic on my own using the 2022 HBSC data to analyze food security and its relationship to wellbeing, with a focus on potential confounding variables such as sex and age group. It has been truly fascinating to observe the association between food insecurity and happiness, perceived health, and quality of life. Additionally, I contributed to a qualitative research study called “Reducing the exposure of children and adolescents to digital marketing of unhealthy foods” (ClickBite), where I learned how to develop interview protocols for children ages 2-17. This aspect of the work is entirely new to me, as my previous experience did not involve protocol development for research studies.

An exciting opportunity during my time here was being accepted to present my poster on the research findings from my Honors Thesis at the annual Health Promotion Research Conference in Galway, Ireland! The conference was hosted in collaboration with the Department of Health, Health Service Executive, and the Association for Health Promotion Ireland. Not only was I able to present research that is extremely important to myself, but I was also able to network with seasoned professionals both internationally and locally. It was a great privilege to learn from distinguished individuals including Ireland’s Minister of Health, Chief Medical Officer, Director of Health Iceland, and many more! The conference’s focus was on strengthening intersectoral health promotion action through building healthy communities. The presentations covered a range of topics including public health and wellbeing, the role of health in all policies, listening to voices of local communities, and building sustainable health communities, to name a few. I hope to continue contributing to impactful research that affects vulnerable populations on a global scale through my public health professional journey!

The best part of my experience by far were the people I was surrounded by and the family I’ve made here. They adopted me without question, taught me the language, traditions, and showed the best parts of Galway: my new favorite place on Earth.

A quote from my close colleague is “The Health Promotion Research Centre and Galway itself is like Hotel California, you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” I believe this represents how I feel about my Galway, I am checking out for the time being, but it will always be with me, and I will most definitely be back! Feicfidh mé go luath thú – See you soon Galway!

Cheers,

Dawn Ritzwoller

 

“Dia duit ó Éirinn” – Hello here from Ireland! As I embarked on my adventure to Galway, Ireland, I anticipated continuous cloud cover, sporadic rain, and lush green landscapes. However, only one of those statements proved correct thus far. Since my arrival in Dublin, I have been greeted by nothing but sunshine and warm weather. As I write this post, I am hoping I don’t jinx this fortunate fate. The team I’m working with for my practicum at the Health Promotion Research Centre (HPRC) in Galway shares my awe of the climate and blue skies. They jokingly tell me, “You must have brought this weather and are never allowed to leave.” Although I’ve never been a spiritual or religious person, this journey, and the experiences I’ve had, make me believe my Irish ancestors are guardian angels watching over me. As you read on, you might find yourself believing it too.

From the beginning, including during the initial planning phase, I have felt a sense of serendipity. I became acquainted with the HPRC in early March and swiftly secured support, funding, housing, and even managed to replace a lost passport in less than two months! Upon my arrival, the HPRC welcomed me with open arms, just like Ireland itself. The people and the atmosphere here have far exceeded my expectations, and I never imagined such extraordinary experiences could unfold in just a few short weeks. The seasoned researchers such as my preceptor, Dr. Colette Kelly and mentor, Ms. Aoife Gavin, have been guiding me through potential and exciting new avenues for my future career in public health. Witnessing their passion has been truly inspiring. Despite the diversity in their backgrounds and research fields, they work harmoniously to explore the social and physical health determinants impacting young children’s behaviors.

The focus of my work here revolves around the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cross-national study, “The Health Behaviors of School Children,” which includes 51 different countries. I am primarily analyzing the survey responses and running analyses on the data specific to Irish children ages 10-17, to evaluate their priority concerns. This task can be quite amusing, as I come across responses like “I hate cold showers”, “No homework, no problems!” and “find the space not the face!” It’s fascinating to observe how children express what matters to them and how their daily lives influence their health. By identifying priority concerns to the children, themselves, such as mental health, vaping/smoking, obesity, and period poverty, it can directly help impact future program development. I am creating factsheets, infographics, and a comprehensive report that will be disseminated to policy makers, health promotion researchers, schools involved in the study, social media, and others interested in this research!

The second focus of my practicum is a qualitative research study called “Reducing the exposure of children and adolescents to digital marketing of unhealthy foods” alongside Dr. Elena Vaughan, where I help develop data protocols for interviews with children ages 2-16. This study analyzes the association between digital food marketing on social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram and children’s relationships and attitudes towards food. Through learning about protocol development, I have been studying existing literature on food behaviors and social media exposure. We brainstorm specific sampling techniques including prompts (stills and videos) and a ‘talkback’ method by viewing ads and describing what they see to assess recognition of foods and their perceptions of ad narratives. The challenging part of this work is catering interview questions to the learning and communication capacities of children from different age groups. Luckily, my colleagues on this project share my same passion to examine fast pace and ever evolving social media trends and how it influences long term behaviors.

What has truly made this journey special are the outdoor adventures and people I’ve met along the way. This includes my colleagues at the HPRC, but also individuals I’ve met during spontaneous and unexpected moments. For instance, I biked along the coast of Inishmore Island, where the Award-winning movie, The Banshees of Inisherin was filmed. I’ve marveled at the ancient, stoned walls, some of which have existed for over 3,000 years. Listening to colleagues share Irish mythology, such as Tír na nÓg, the land of everlasting life, has been an enriching cultural experience. A life-changing highlight was hiking 10 miles along the Cliffs of Moher, guided by a local cattle farmer named Pat where he said “This is amazing! This is the real local experience of the Cliffs of Moher, all along here” as he peered too closely for my comfort over the cliff’s edge.

Two notable lucky encounters I’ve experienced during my time here include obtaining free tickets to see a concert in Dublin from a kind stranger who was leaving town early. To my surprise, the Lumineers were performing, who were born and raised in my hometown of Denver, Colorado. Despite not knowing anyone in Ireland at the time, I accepted the offer and invited new “Galwegian” friends to make the long 12-hour journey in a single day! During a solo day tour to Connemara National Park, the tour bus had overbooked seats, prompting a last-minute change. Luckily, five of us solo riders were transferred to a smaller car. As unfortunate fate would have it, the tour bus ended up crashing on its way up, and passengers had to be taken to the hospital back in Galway. The small car I was in, however, remained untouched, allowing us to continue the journey to the National Park. Through this shared experience of narrowly avoiding a terrible crash, we created a unique bond and friendship.

My newfound friends here refer to me as one of the luckiest girls they have ever met. They even insisted I scratch a lotto ticket, unfortunately yielding no winnings. My belief in luck extends beyond strange coincidences, but as cheesy as it sounds, through the incredible people I have the privilege meeting and learning from. I genuinely feel that guardian angels are watching over my journey as I continue to learn more about health promotion, folklore, and the rich traditions here in Ireland.

“Go dtí an chead uair eile” – until next time!

– Dawn