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Early Diagnosis Of Pulmonary Embolism: Review And Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Efstathios Polychronopoulos

Health Services Research Dissertations

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a serious, life-threatening thrombotic disease, which results in considerable health and economic consequences each year for the United States. These consequences include a toll of 83,000 deaths and an economic impact between 1,5 and 5 billion. Approaches to strategy selection by physicians and other health-care specialists are based mainly upon cost, technology availability, and cultural tolerance regarding radiation exposure. The purpose of this study was to determine the most cost-effective diagnostic strategy with patients suspected of PE among several strategies currently used by examining their detection failure rates. This objective was met by (a) assessing parameter …

Using Modeling And Simulation To Improve Oral Health Services Delivery In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Mohammad J. Alzahrani

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the system performance in delivering oral health services in a public health district based on the Conceptual Framework to Measure Performance of the Public Health System (PHS). Using modeling and simulation, a predictive model based on the conceptual framework dimensions: mission, structural capacity, processes, and outcomes was developed to predict the performance of public health district in delivering oral health services.

This is a retrospective longitudinal study. The main objective of this study is to use a modeling and simulation approach to predict the performance of public health district dental clinic in …

Plantar Pressure Distribution Differences In Physically Active Individuals With And Without Functional Ankle Instability During A Side Cut, J'Nai Pittman

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Context: Functional ankle instability (FAI) is a popular condition in the physically active population. There is a surplus of evidence to demonstrate how FAI decreases proprioception, balance, and overall athletic performance. However, to date there is no evidence that demonstrates how F AI correlates to alterations in plantar pressure distribution differences in a physically active population while completing athletic tasks. Objective: To assess differences in plantar pressure distributions while completing a side cut in individuals with and without FAI. Design: Observational case-control. Setting: Outdoor field turf and research laboratory. Participants: Fifty ankles from physically active individuals (FAI: age= 21.47±3.02 yrs; …

Jordanian Dentists' Knowledge And Implementation Of Eco-Friendly Dental Office Strategies, Sabha Mahmoud Al Shatrat

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if Jordanian dentists have knowledge about eco-friendly dental offices strategies and were employing these in their dental practices. Male and female dentists between the ages of 23–65, who work in private dental practices in the city of Amman, the capital of Jordan, were included in this study. Dentists' names and addresses were obtained from the Jordanian Dental Association. Data for this study was gathered via a researcher-designed questionnaire distributed to a convenience sample of 150 dentists. Dentists were selected according to their dental practice locality until the required number was completed. The …

Domestic Violence As A Contributing Factor To Juvenile Substance Use, Victoria Felicitas Sophie Danz

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between witnessing violence in the home and juvenile substance use. Data was used from an existing study and variables were recoded to be of best use for this particular work. This study found that witnessing acts of violence can lead a juvenile into drug use, but other factors are more likely to have influenced this behavior. The study shows that family and peer use of drugs is a major predictor for juvenile substance use and has a bigger influence on the juvenile's life than witnessing violence. No significant impact on drug use was found between …

Evidence-Based Practice In Clinical Athletic Training Education, Dorice A. Hankemeier

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) concepts are becoming more prevalent in the educational curricula of nursing, medicine, physical therapy, and athletic training. The infusion of EBP in the clinical education experience of students has been slow especially in athletic training. The aim of Project I was to investigate approved clinical instructors (ACIs) experience and implementation of EBP with students through emergent design qualitative interviews. Project II was designed to develop and establish the reliability of the Evidence-Based Concepts Assessment (EBCA) to assess athletic trainers' perceived importance, attitudes & beliefs, knowledge, confidence, accessibility, and barriers of EBP. Project III investigated the importance, knowledge, …

Adoption Of Electronic Health Records By Admitting Physicians: A Heuristic Model, John Sharon Hudson

Health Services Research Dissertations

Background: Although hospital electronic health records (EHRs) are generally perceived to improve care, physician resistance may hinder EHR adoption.

Purpose: This study uses constructs from diffusion of innovations and resource dependence theories to predict adoption and rate of adoption of an EHR by admitting physicians from three of ten hospitals in a highly integrated health system in Virginia. Functions evaluated: computerized physician order entry (CPOE), electronic history and physical (EH&P) and electronic discharge summary (EDS). The study tested hypotheses that adoption would be associated with: working at larger, academic hospitals; financial alignment; larger physician groups; office EHR; youth; males; medical …

Coping Strategies Of Family Members Of Hospitalized Psychiatric Patients, Phyllis M. Eaton, Bertha L. Davis, Pamela V. Hammond, Esther H. Condon, Zina T. Mcgee

Nursing Faculty Publications

This exploratory research paper investigated the coping strategies of families of hospitalized psychiatric patients and identified their positive and negative coping strategies. In this paper, the coping strategies of 45 family members were examined using a descriptive, correlational, mixed method research approach. Guided by the Neuman Systems Model and using the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales and semistructured interviews, this paper found that these family members used more emotion-focused coping strategies than problem-focused coping strategies. The common coping strategies used by family members were communicating with immediate family, acceptance of their situation, passive appraisal, avoidance, and spirituality. The …

The Relationship Of Financial Performance, Quality Indicators, And The Role Of Nurse Executives In Virginia Nursing Homes, Jeany V. Murphy

Health Services Research Dissertations

Problem statement. The dynamic nature of the healthcare industry has triggered changes in nurse executive functions. The job has expanded into entrepreneurial roles to be able to provide the most cost effective services while maintaining good quality outcomes for the residents. The new responsibility requires a different set of knowledge and competencies that is usually achieved through advanced education. It is not known whether nurse executives in long term care in Virginia possess the skills to influence both the financial and quality outcomes of the facility.

Methods. This descriptive research study examined the relationship of the nurse executives' technical, human, …

Decomposing The Intergenerational Disparity In Income And Obesity, Qi Zhang, Buhong Zheng, Ning Zhang, Youfa Wang

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Intergenerational disparity in income and health violates the norm of equal opportunity and deserves the attention of researchers and policy makers. To understand changes in intergenerational disparity, we created the intergenerational mobility index (IMI), which can simultaneously measure changes in income rankings and in health outcomes across two generations. We selected obesity as one health outcome to illustrate the application of IMI due to its severe health and financial consequences for society and the significant changes in the distribution of obesity across income groups. Although obesity has increased in all income groups in the last four decades, higher income groups …

Review Of The Multi-Level Factors Contributing To Fruit And Vegetable Consumption In The U.S., Qi Zhang, Liuliu Fu

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) has a significant protective effect in reducing various cardiometabolic diseases. In recent years, the U.S. government has made a lot of effort to promote F&V consumption through different projects and programs, including the MyPyramid food guidance system supported by the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and the Fruits & Veggies More Matters program (previously called the 5-A-Day for Better Health program), supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public and private agencies. However, modest success has been achieved in promoting healthy diets among the American public. …

Demographic, Cultural, And Environmental Factors Associated With Frequency And Severity Of Malnutrition Among Zambian Children Less Than Five Years Of Age, Selestine H. Nzalal, Seter Siyizal, Olusegun Babaniyi, Peter Songolo, Adamson S. Muula, Emmanuel Radatsikira

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Under-nutrition prevents growth and development in children and is the leading factor to illness and death among children less than five years of age in developing countries. The objective of the study was to determine associations of demographic, cultural and environmental factors with frequency and severity of malnutrition among children less than five years of age in Zambia. We used data from the Zambia multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS) from years of 1999 to 2000. Altogether 6,142 children participated in the survey. The prevalence rates for being "underweight", "stunted" and "wasted" were 17.6, 37.5 and 4.1%, respectively. Compared to children …

Self-Reported Poor Oral Hygiene Among In-School Adolescents In Zambia, Seter Siziya, Adamson S. Muula, Emmanuel Rudatsikira

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background

Dental health is a neglected aspect of adolescent health globally but more so in low-income countries. Secondary analysis using the 2004 Zambia Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) was conducted in which we estimated frequencies of relevant socio-demographic variables and explored associations between selected explanatory variables and self-reported poor oral hygiene (not cleaning or brushing teeth) within the last 30 days of the completion of questionnaire.

Findings

Most of the 2257 respondents were males (53.9%) and went hungry (82.5%). More than 4 in 10 respondents drank alcohol (42.2%) while 37.2% smoked cannabis. Overall 10.0% of the respondents reported to have …

Segmenting Motivation: An Analysis Of Fantasy Baseball Motives And Mediated Sport Consumption, Brendan Dwyer, Stephen L. Shapiro, Joris Drayer

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

Fantasy sport consumer behavior research is a burgeoning area of inquiry as this growing segment of sport fans exhibits unconventional, yet robust media consumption habits. In addition, consumer motivation and market segmentation represent core principles within the study of marketing, yet the integration of these two essential concepts with regard to sport consumers is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore fantasy baseball motives, develop a motive-based taxonomy of users, and quantify the differences between segments through an examination of mediated sport consumption. An exploratory hierarchal cluster analysis with a subsequent K-means analysis was conducted to determine the …

An Analysis Of Donor Involvement, Gender, And Giving In College Athletics, Stephen L. Shapiro, Lynn L. Ridinger

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

Involvement has been examined extensively within the consumer behavior literature. However, limited research exists concerning involvement and charitable contributions. Additionally, because of women's growing financial power, college athletic departments are increasingly interested in understanding how to attract greater numbers of female donors. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in donor involvement using Zaichkowsky's (1994) Personal Involvement Inventory (PII). Several demographic characteristics of donors were also compared by gender. A sample of 1,664 donors from three NCAA Division I universities participated in this study. The PII was found to be an adequate measure of donor …

Telehealth Stroke Education For Rural Elderly Virginians, Patricia A. Schweickert, Carolyn M. Rutledge, David C. Cattell-Gordon, Nina J. Solenski, Mary E. Jensen, Sheila Branson, John R. Gaughen

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objective: Stroke is a prevalent condition found in elderly, rural populations. However, stroke education, which can be effective in addressing the risks, is often difficult to provide in these remote regions. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of delivering stroke education to elderly individuals through telehealth versus in-person stroke prevention education methods.

Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design was used in this study. A convenience sample of 11 elderly adults (36% men, 64% women) with a mean age of 70 was selected from an Appalachian Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly …

Prevalence And Socio-Demographic Correlates For Serious Injury Among Adolescents Participating In The Djibouti 2007 Global School-Based Health Survey, Adamson S. Muula, Seter Siziya, Emmanuel Rudatsikira

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background

Mental health and injury are neglected public health issues especially in low-income nations. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates for serious injury in the last 12 months.

Findings

The study used data of the 2007 Djibouti Global School-based Health Survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to establish associations. Of the 1, 777 respondents, 61.1% (63.2% males and 57.8% females) reported having sustained serious injury (SSI). Compared to participants who were not bullied, those who reported being bullied 3-9 days per month were more likely to have sustained serious injury in the last …

United Airways Disease Among Florists, Muge Akpinar-Elci, Omur C. Elci, Aygul Odabasi

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Previously we observed an excess risk for occupational asthma among florists with rhinitis. To further evaluate the link between upper and lower airways, we investigated united airways disease in the same occupational group. Occupational history, symptoms and atopy were investigated among 128 florists. Age-, smoking-, and gender-adjusted risks were calculated using logistic regression models comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. The prevalence of work-related rhinitis symptoms was 13.3%, conjunctivitis symptoms and asthma-like symptoms were 14.1%. We observed an excess risk of work-related asthma symptoms among florists with work-related conjunctivitis (OR: 8.5, 95% CI: 2.4-29.9) and rhinitis (OR: 13.1, 95% CI: 3.0- …

Alcohol Consumption In Lusaka Urban District, Zambia: A Population Based Survey, 2007, Selestine H. Nzala, Olusegun Babaniyi, Peter Songolo, Adamson S. Muula, Emmanuel Rudatsikira, Seter Siziya

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Alcohol use is an important preventable risk factor for several non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries that is related to lifestyle choices. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of alcohol consumption and its correlates. A cross sectional study utilizing a WHO stepwise approach to surveillance of NCDs was conducted in Lusaka district, Zambia. Current alcohol consumption was defined as having consumed alcohol in the previous 30 days to the survey. Complex samples logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors. A total of 1928 individuals participated in the survey. A third of the participants were males and …

Mobility, Balance, And Falls In Persons With Multiple Sclerosis, Jacob J. Sosnoff, Michael J. Socie, Morgan K. Boes, Brian M. Sandroff, John H. Pula, Yoojin Suh, Madeline Weikert, Steven Morrison, Robert W. Motl

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: There is a lack of information concerning the relation between objective measures of gait and balance and fall history in persons with MS (PwMS). This investigation assessed the relation between demographic, clinical, mobility and balance metrics and falls history in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: 52 ambulatory persons with MS (PwMS) participated in the investigation. All persons provided demographic information including fall history over the last 12 months. Disease status was assessed with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Walking speed, coordination, endurance and postural control were quantified with a multidimensional mobility battery.

Results: Over 51% of the participants …

2011 Adea Annual Session: Poster Abstracts, Susan L. Tolle, Leslie M. Congdon, Michele L. Darby

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Poster session abstracts from the 2011 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Conference.

A Survey Of Georgia Adult Protective Services Staff: Implications For Older Adult Injury Prevention And Policy, Sheryl M. Stasser, Judith Kerr, Patricia S. King, Brian Payne, Sarah Beddington, Danielle Pendrick, Elizabeth Leyda, Frances Mccarty

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Introduction:

The aging population is a rapidly growing demographic. Isolation and limited autonomy render many of the elderly vulnerable to abuse, neglect and exploitation. As the population grows, so does the need for Adult Protective Services (APS). This study was conducted to examine current knowledge of older adult protection laws in Georgia among APS staff and to identify training opportunities to better prepare the APS workforce in case detection and intervention.

Methods:

The Georgia State University Institute of Public Health faculty developed a primary survey in partnership with the Georgia Division of Aging Services’ leadership to identify key training priority …

Persistence To An Associate Of Applied Science Registered Nurse Degree: The Impact Of Placing Into Developmental Education Courses On Student Success, Caroline Clark Rivera

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Student retention and success in nursing school has gained favor in educational research due to an increasing shortage of Registered Nurses. The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of student placement recommendation into developmental education courses on persistence to an Associate of Applied Science Registered Nurse degree. Using ex post facto research methodology rooted in the retention theories of Tinto, Bean and Metzner, and Jeffreys, this study aims to measure the effect of high school diploma type, age, race/ethnicity, and pre-requisite courses on student placement recommendation in developmental education and persistence to an Associate of Applied Science …