College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Term of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Public Health in Community Health Behavior and Education (Dr.P.H.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

College of Public Health

Committee Chair

Jeffery Jones

Committee Member 1

Ho Tung

Committee Member 2

Stacy Smallwood

Abstract

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Swimming in beaches water contaminated with high levels of bacteria can make you sick. Current monitoring at the public beaches on Tybee Island consists of weekly monitoring and enumeration of fecal indicator bacteria that takes 24 hours for results. If the number of bacteria exceed regulatory limits, a public health advisory is issued, and affected waters are retested until bacterial levels no longer exceed limits. Gaps exist in data collection, the time-lag between sampling and advisories, and communication with the public. Communication about the monitoring program and advisories are limited to a state-run website and signs at beach entrances. Survey data has shown that few beachgoers are aware of the monitoring program or advisories. This project addresses data and communication gaps by taking historical water quality data to establish a predictive aquatic bacterial model and integrate it into a interactive data dashboard that displays current conditions, predicted advisories, educational materials about water quality and environmental implications using the Health Belief Model as a framework, and a forecasting tool that users can alter environmental factors to predict a hypothetical advisory based on conditions. Results show that a lack of exceedances and the complexity of marine bacterial interactions make the development of an effective model difficult with limited data. However, the creation of the model shows the potential of the tool as an effective environmental monitoring and public health communication product. Evaluations from stakeholders highlighted the positive aspects of filling in data gaps and addressing the “time-lag” problem between collecting data and communicating the results effectively to lower harmful exposures to beachgoers. Evaluators also expressed caution in mixing messages between the state and educational organizations and the need for a gradual, collaborative deployment with community members to establish trust and realistic expectations for the tool. Future research directions include expansion of data collection to include remote water quality sensors, an evaluation on how the number of beachgoers affects bacteria levels, and integration of the forecast tool into K-12 educational programs to increase accessibility to beach data for environmental lessons.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

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