Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Multiple Gratitude Interventions Among Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease, Cristy Degregory

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this group randomized intervention trial was to examine the impact of participation in three telephone-based gratitude interventions on the physical, psychological and social functioning of participants in caregiver support groups who are unpaid family caregivers of persons with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Fredrickson’s (2001) Broaden-and-Build Theory informed the investigation of the effect of three gratitude interventions on participants’ levels of gratitude, positive aspects of caregiving, subjective well-being, physical health and mental health. This was a randomized, wait-list controlled study involving informal caregivers involved in support groups. The research questions were: 1.) How does gratitude contribute to subjective …

Quality Improvement Project: A Comparison Of Daily Routine Chest Radiography Versus Clinically-Indicated Chest Radiography In Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia In Adult Icu Patients On Ventilators: An Evidenced Based Practice Project, Kimberly Mckenney

Theses and Dissertations

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is one of the critical complications identified by a chest x-ray (CXR). However, there is a controversy about the use of CXRs. Overuse of the CXR has also identified concern among the ICU patient population. The purpose of this evidenced-based practice project was to determine if there were differences in patient outcomes when receiving daily routine CXRs as compared to clinically-indicated CXRs. Patient outcomes measured were: ICU length of stay, complications while on the ventilator and ICU mortality, number of ventilator days, diagnostic efficacy, therapeutic efficacy, costs, and radiation exposure The author identified 30 articles in the search …

Early Screening And Identification Of Preschool Children Affected By Serious Emotional Disorders, Cathy Renee Robey-Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness has surpassed physical health problems as the leading cause for morbidity and mortality in American children. National prevalence of serious emotional disorders in the 0-5 age group has ranged from 9.5% to 14.2%. Of the 15 million children affected by mental illness, less than 20- 25% receive any treatment. Nationwide, early screening, identification, and treatment of preschoolers with emotional or behavioral disorders have become a critical priority in order to reduce the increasing burden of healthcare costs for mental illness and psychiatric care. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a screening process for …

Exploring The Association Between Depression And Obesity Among Alzheimer's Patients, Stephanie Clugstone

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurological disorder that affects elderly individuals, and is becoming an increasing concern among the aging population of the world. Due to the projected increase in incidence of AD, modifiable risk factors such as depression and obesity should be evaluated, as prevention is the only current option. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and depression among AD patients, and to evaluate the association between depression and obesity. Patients were chosen from a subset of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s disease registry, which included information about weight status and depression, as well as several other …

Effect Of Primary Care Physician Density On Late Stage Cervical Cancer Diagnosis, Emily Haanschoten

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Late-stage cervical cancer diagnosis is an important contributing factor to the cervical cancer mortality rate. Screening for cervical cancer is a vital tool in reducing the number of late-stage cases, preventing incident cases and reducing mortality. Access to care is often a significant barrier to receiving these services. Women who have no usual source of care report significantly lower percentages of Pap tests than women who have a usual source. South Carolina ranks 13th in the US in cervical cancer incidence and 7th in cervical cancer mortality. South Carolina also struggles with a primary care physician shortage, ranking 39th …

A Travesty Of Justice: Revisiting Harris V. Mcrae, Jill E. Adams, Jessica Arons

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Modulation Of The Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophic Responses To Endothelin-1 By Adipocytes, Suresh Chandra Bairwa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Leptin and adiponectin are the adipokines that are shown to exert pro-hypertrophic and anti-hypertrophic effects respectively, in cardiomyocytes. We sought to determine the direct interaction between the adipocytes and cardiomyocytes during endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and determine the role of leptin and adiponectin.

The adipose tissue conditioned medium (ACM) inhibited the ET-1-induced hypertrophy in a concentration-dependent manner and this anti-hypertrophic effect was more potent or reversed in the presence of leptin receptor antagonist (LRA; 0.1 nM) or adiponectin receptor-1 antibody (ARA; 100 ng/mL), respectively. ACM from heart failure rats induced by coronary artery ligation or obese rats did not mitigate …

Weight-Gain And Energy Balance, Benjamin Thomas Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

Energy balance is the result of a dynamic relationship between energy intake (EI), energy expenditure (EE) and energy storage (ES). These three components of energy balance have extremely complicated associations, and all three major components are consistently influenced by physiologic, psychological, and sociologic factors. Concerted changes between EE and EI result in alterations of the ES. Most often in clinical and research settings, bodyweight is used as marker of body composition (i.e., ES) changes. Traditional measurements of bodyweight do not give an accurate portrayal of ES change or the role it has in energy balance. This dissertation supplies new methods …

Mixture Cure Models: Simulation Comparisons Of Methods In R And Sas, Myra Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Typical survival methods have the assumption that every subject will eventually experience the event of interest, given enough follow-up time. However, there are some occasions in which a proportion of the population of interest will never experience the event of interest. Therefore, the incorporation of a “cure” fraction in a statistical model is necessary. In this thesis, I comprehensively evaluate mixture cure models in two different statistical software programs: the smcure package in R and the PSPMCM macro in SAS. Extensive simulation studies in R and SAS allow evaluation of the performance of these two models. An additional aspect of …

Examining The Influence Of Healthy Eating Identity On Shopping Behaviors, Jordan Brittingham

Theses and Dissertations

Eating identity is shown to be a promising measure capable of enhancing our understanding of nutrition behavior. Persons with healthy eating identities are less likely to consume the typical American diet and report healthier diets in general. While there are several studies linking healthy eating identity and diet, there is currently no research examining healthy eating identity in relation to food shopping behavior, an important aspect of nutritional intake. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of healthy eating identity on shopping behaviors including supermarket utilization, supercenter utilization, likelihood of shopping at the nearest store, distance to …

Impacts Of Adolescents' Emotional And Behavioral Concerns And Social Skills On Parenting Stress, Marissa Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Minimal literature has examined predictors of parenting stress for parents of adolescents and what may contribute to the impact of these predictors, particularly those regarding adolescent behavior. The current study sought to evaluate whether adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing behaviors significantly predicted parenting stress and whether adolescent social skills moderated the relationship. Covariates of gender, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status were entered first into a multiple regression moderation model and followed by internalizing and externalizing behaviors, social skills, and interaction terms, respectively. The overall model explained 19 percent of the variance in parenting stress. While internalizing behaviors significantly predicted parenting stress, …

Sugihara Causality Analysis Of Scalp Eeg For Detection Of Early Alzheimer's Disease, Joseph C. Mcbride, Xiaopeng Zhao, Nancy B. Munro, Greg A. Jicha, Frederick A. Schmitt, Richard J. Kryscio, Charles D. Smith, Yang Jiang

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Recently, Sugihara proposed an innovative causality concept, which, in contrast to statistical predictability in Granger sense, characterizes underlying deterministic causation of the system. This work exploits Sugihara causality analysis to develop novel EEG biomarkers for discriminating normal aging from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's disease (AD). The hypothesis of this work is that scalp EEG based causality measurements have different distributions for different cognitive groups and hence the causality measurements can be used to distinguish between NC, MCI, and AD participants. The current results are based on 30-channel resting EEG records from 48 age-matched participants (mean age 75.7 …

Dance/Movement Therapy As A Therapeutic Approach For Excoriation (Skin Picking) Disorder: Movement Treating Movement, Karissa Martens

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Through a collective case study, the principal researcher examined how a positive psychology based dance/movement therapy (DMT) approach could be a viable treatment method for individuals with Excoriation (Skin Picking) Disorder (SPD). The intention of this research was to find additional therapeutic modalities for individuals with SPD, as well as inquire how DMT and SFT would be viable in treating SPD. As a new disorder in the publication of the DSM-5, individuals with SPD currently have limited treatment options available. Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) was integrated with DMT to create a more comprehensive treatment. 96 pages.

A Study Into The Diagnosis Of Obesity In Infants Less Than Two Years Old In The State Of Virginia, Lindsay Ann Bruno

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In 2007, the CDC reported approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents in the U.S. were obese. Among 24-month old clinically obese children, only 23% were diagnosed as obese. The most concerning is the prevalence of obesity in 6-month olds; 16% of 6-month old infants in the U.S. are obese, of which only 14% are diagnosed as being obese. Previous research concentrates on the factors that influence infant obesity, but does not address the prevalence of diagnosing obesity in children, particularly those under two years of age. The purpose of this project was to pioneer a survey exploring the prevalence of …

Fall Prevention Through Proactive Toileting, Kristin Smith

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper will summarize the quality improvement falls prevention project conducted by a University of San Francisco Clinical Nurse Leader student. Falls in the hospital setting are an ongoing problem in our healthcare system as they have great physical and financial impacts (Salamon, Victory, & Bobay, 2012). Hospital A, an urban teaching hospital, uses the Schmid scale for determining if a patient is a fall risk which includes the assessment of need for ambulatory aids, history of falls, and impaired cognition among other criteria (Schmid,1990). Fall rates are climbing in the United States and the trend is similar on Hospital …

Increased Risk For Vitamin D Deficiency In Obese Children With Both Celiac Disease And Type 1 Diabetes, Nithya Setty-Shah, Louise S. Maranda, Benjamin U. Nwosu

Benjamin U. Nwosu

Background. It is unknown whether the coexistence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease (CD) increases the risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Aims. To determine the vitamin D status and the risk for vitamin D deficiency in prepubertal children with both T1D and CD compared to controls, TID, and CD.

Subjects and Methods. Characteristics of 62 prepubertal children of age 2–13 y with either CD + T1D (� = 22, 9.9 ± 3.1 y), CD only (� = 18, 8.9 ± 3.3 y), or T1D only (� = 22, 10.1 ± 2.8 y) were compared to 49 controls of …

Making Women's Health Connections: Between Researchers And To Resources, Martha E. Meacham, Len L. Levin, Lisa A. Palmer, Elaine Martin

Lisa A. Palmer

The Lamar Soutter Library at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has recently completed the second year of a National Library of Medicine grant funded project; the Women’s Health Resources Dissemination Outreach Project. The goals include assisting women’s health researchers by providing them with access to information and making them more aware of opportunities and available resources. This, ultimately, enables both an improvement in women’s health and the advancement of women in academic medicine. Moreover, by supporting women’s health research and women researchers through the objectives of this project, women researchers build connections, knowledge, and skills. This facilitates meaningful contributions …

Nutrition Interventions With Community Youth: Better Public Health Through Community Engagement And Neighbourhood Hubs, John L. Murnaghan

Social Justice and Community Engagement

No abstract provided.

Launching A Virtual Decision Lab: Development And Field-Testing Of A Web-Based Patient Decision Support Research Platform, Aubri S. Hoffman, Hilary A. Llewellyn-Thomas, Anna N. A. Tosteson, Annette M. Oconnor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Over 100 trials show that patient decision aids effectively improve patients’ information comprehension and values-based decision making. However, gaps remain in our understanding of several fundamental and applied questions, particularly related to the design of interactive, personalized decision aids. This paper describes an interdisciplinary development process for, and early field testing of, a web-based patient decision support research platform, or virtual decision lab, to address these questions.

The Test-Retest Reliability And Minimal Detectable Change In The Modified Fresno Test In Doctor Of Physical Therapy Students, Erin Pike, Lisa Gerhardt

Research Report Papers

Background: The American Physical Therapy Association identified the need for training in evidence based practice (EBP) and set forth guidelines for doctor of physical therapy (DPT) curricula to educate practitioners who are efficient and critical users of best evidence. Since DPT programs are teaching EBP, educators need an assessment tool to evaluate the competence of students. The Modified Fresno Test (MFT) of EBP was validated for physical therapists and the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) has been found for first year DPT students.

Objective: The purpose is to determine the test-retest reliability and MDC of the MFT in …

Prevention Of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Through Information And Education At The California Department Of Public Health, Vaisali M. Patel

Master's Projects and Capstones

Immunizations are one of the most important developments in the twentieth century towards the prevention of infectious diseases. Vaccinations against communicable diseases have helped reduce morbidity and mortality all over the world. Despite having numerous vaccines that protect individuals from serious and deadly diseases, vaccination rates in the United States remain at an all-time low. The Information and Education section of the Immunization Branch within the Division of Communicable Disease Control at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) focuses on working with local health departments, primary care providers, immunization coalitions, and other statewide organizations to increase the rates of …

Improving The Hcahps Score For Pain Well Controlled, Uwaezu J. Umeh

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project took place on a Renal/Endocrine unit of a northern California Hospital. As observed on this unit, pain was not well controlled and this caused the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) score for ‘pain well controlled’ to be low. Hence, this project sought to address the underlying reasons why pain was not well controlled and to proffer solutions to raise the HCAHPS score to at least 65% from an average of 55%. In order to find the root causes, the nurses were surveyed, the patients and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) were interviewed, and a 24-hour …

The Design And Implementation Of A Grief Support Program In A Faith-Based Setting, Susan Mortell

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Although grief itself is not a pathological condition, adequate support before and after loss can prevent grief becoming unresolved or complicated. Complicated grief (CG) is often diagnosed when severe bereavement symptoms persist over six months following a loss, and it affects an estimated 3-25% of the general population (Fujisawa, Kato, Miyashita, Nakajima, Ito, & Kim, 2010). Complicated grief can result in longstanding psychological issues such as depression and substance abuse.

One group that is at particular risk for CG is older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals. This population is significantly represented in Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church (MHR) …

The Creation And Implementation Of A Transgender Cultural Competence Nursing Education Toolkit, James Bl Donovan

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Healthcare disparities in the transgender populations have been linked to lack of healthcare provider cultural competence (IOM, 2011; Bradford et al., Harbin et al., 2012; Eliason, Dibble, & DeJoseph, 2010; Lim, Brown, & Jones, 2013). Prior research has identified that healthcare providers receive little, if any, transgender cultural competence training during their formal education. A survey of nursing educators at the University of San Francisco School (USF) of Nursing and Health Professions suggested that few educators are providing transgender content or understand the unique healthcare needs of that population. A literature review concluded that little is known about the best …

Implementation Of Food Insecurity Screening In Clinical Setting, Florence Ngozi Soba

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

This project used the Stetler model of research utilization framework to apply evidence-based findings to clinical settings screening adults with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and low incomes for food insecurity. The project involved the review and critical appraisal of research studies and translation of research-based knowledge into a protocol for the Peach Tree Clinic with respect to the impact of food insecurity on diabetes outcomes in adults with T2DM and low incomes who were at risk of food insecurity. In addition, the proportion of screened at-risk patients who received nutritional counseling was calculated. The proportion of patients with T2DM …

Overcoming Barriers To Screening For Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia For Persons Living With Hiv, Brandon Hastings

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Screening has proven an effective strategy in the management of diseases that plague the population. This technique has proven to be most effective when screening is conducted with those who are most at risk for developing the targeted illness and when the frequency of screening follows set guidelines. Currently there are no nationally recognized screening guidelines for anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN). Screening for AIN stands to reduce overall incidence of anal squamous cell carcinoma through destruction of the dysplastic cells before they become cancerous. The goals of this project were to identify the patient population that stands to benefit the …

Gender, Smoking And Tobacco Reduction And Cessation: A Scoping Review, Joan L. Bottorff, Rebecca Haines-Saah, Mary T. Kelly, John L. Oliffe, Iris Torchalla, Nancy Poole, Lorraine Greaves, Carole A. Robinson, Mary H. H. Ensom, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, J. Craig Phillips

Nursing Faculty Publications

Considerations of how gender-related factors influence smoking first appeared over 20 years ago in the work of critical and feminist scholars. This scholarship highlighted the need to consider the social and cultural context of women's tobacco use and the relationships between smoking and gender inequity. Parallel research on men's smoking and masculinities has only recently emerged with some attention being given to gender influences on men's tobacco use. Since that time, a multidisciplinary literature addressing women and men's tobacco use has spanned the social, psychological and medical sciences. To incorporate these gender-related factors into tobacco reduction and cessation interventions, our …

Early Alert Referral Program, Roslana D. Gray

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Early recognition of academically at-risk nursing students by faculty plays an important role in increasing retention rates. The main objective of the early alert referral program is to systematically detect early students who are academically for failure and refer at-risk students to faculty or support services, to increase nursing retention rates. The Early Alert Referral Project is a quantitative design in terms of purpose and methodology. The program was held in a classroom in a rural community college in Alabama during the summer semester (May, June, July, August) 2014. All practical nursing students currently enrolled in summer 2014 cohort were …

Combating Hiv/Aids In Marginalized Communities: Papua And West Papua Provinces, Indonesia, Bani Cheema

Master's Theses

My study focuses on foreign aid and local initiatives for HIV/AIDS prevention in eastern Indonesia using the provinces of Papua and West Papua as a case study. The two provinces are home to indigenous tribal groups that are socioeconomically marginalized and most affected by the epidemic. My research investigates behavior change communication as a principal strategy undertaken by multiple organizations for HIV/AIDS prevention in this region. I take a qualitative approach by examining the effectiveness of this strategy in local communities and by revealing social and cultural barriers that impede success. Obstacles that negatively impact prevention efforts include structural violence, …

Addressing Health Disparities In Refugees, Claire E. Lopez

Master's Projects and Capstones

I completed the required 300 hours of my fieldwork internship at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Oakland, CA. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a non-profit international organization that responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and aids displaced individuals in rebuilding their lives in new countries by providing support in health care, finance, education, infrastructure, and resettlement.

I worked as a Health Access/Intensive Case management Intern. As a Health Access Program Intern, it was my job to ensure that refugees coming to the United States had a place to seek medical care, advice, and preventative services. In order …