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: Examining How Factors Associated With Patients, Physicians, Hospitals, And Surrounding Communities Affect Primary And Repeat Cesarean Delivery Through A Social-Ecological Lens, Christina Ventura-Dipersia

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Childbirth is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization in the U.S., and Cesarean delivery (i.e., surgical childbirth) is costlier and has a higher likelihood of birth-related complications, maternal rehospitalization, and postpartum medical care utilization than vaginal delivery. The rate of Cesarean delivery in the United States (U.S.) has increased in recent years by over 60%, from 20.7% of all births in 1996 to 32.9% of all births in 2011. As Although this increasing trend of Cesarean delivery incidence has also been seen in other countries, the rate of Cesarean delivery has been rising more steadily within …

Epidemiological Analysis Of Malaria Decrease In El Salvador From 1955 Until 2017, Tatiana I. Gardellini Guevara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The disease of malaria is complex, with clinical presentation that ranges from severe and complicated to mild and uncomplicated or even to asymptomatic malaria. A recent effort made by several world organizations has shown important advances in the effort to control and eradicate malaria. Following the general ordinance established by the trans-border organizations, each country has tried to define, according to their local geopolitical scenario, individual ¨road maps¨ to succeed in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by malaria. Moreover, it is now accepted universally that these road maps need to be revised and appropriated in order to correct actions …

The Impact Of Socioeconomic Factors On Food Insecurity Among Syrian Refugees In Florida, Racha Sankar

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Syrian refugees settled in the United States may experience food insecurity due to different socioeconomic factors that may include nutrition knowledge, language proficiency, women’s education, and perceived stress. The structure and the type of households may also contribute to food insecurity in this population.

The objective of this study was to measure food security among Syrian refugees residing in Florida. It also aimed to determine the socioeconomic factors that may attribute to food insecurity at household level.

A comprehensive 228-item questionnaire was administered to N=80 households (n=43 in rural areas, n=37 in urban areas). Families with and without children were …

The Association Between Dietary Inflammatory Index (Dii) And Cancer Risk In Korea: A Prospective Cohort Study Within The Koges-Hexa Study, Injeong Ryu, Minji Kwon, Cheongmin Sohn, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Woori Na, Mi Kyung Kim

Faculty Publications

Several epidemiological studies have shown that there are consistently positive associations between dietary inflammatory index (DII (R)) scores and cancer incidence in Western populations. However, few DII-cancer studies have been conducted in East Asian populations. In a large cohort representative of the general Korean population, we investigated whether the DII is associated with overall cancer risk. A total of 163,660 participants (56,781 males and 106,879 females) had evaluable data for analyses. This follow-up study was carried out over the course of 7.9 years. DII scores were calculated based on Semi-Quantitative Food-Frequency Questionnaire (SQ-FFQ) data for 106 food items. Cancers were …

Gestational Weight Gain, Offspring Asthma And Wheeze Phenotypes In Project Viva, Kathryn Wagner

Masters Theses

In the US, 8.4% of children are diagnosed with asthma by age 18, making asthma one of the most common chronic conditions among children. Additionally, 25% of children experience persistent wheezing by age 6, an indicator of childhood asthma. Both childhood asthma and persistent wheezing may be linked to inflammatory and immune mechanisms, which are associated with inadequate and excessive gestational weight gain. Studies investigating the relationship between gestational weight gain and offspring asthma and wheeze phenotypes are limited by self-reported gestational weight gain, early age at asthma and wheeze assessments, limited adjustment for potential confounders and no trimester-specific evaluations. …

Factors Associated With Eosinophilic Esophagitis In Nevada, Julia Lorraine Anderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a rare immune-mediated illness with symptoms that range from difficulty swallowing to food impaction of the esophagus. Most published studies have been documented among patients residing in cool regions with significant annual rainfall. No published studies to our knowledge have been performed examining the healthcare utilization trends of EoE in Nevada. Utilizing two unique databases, the factors associated with EoE healthcare utilization patterns in Nevada were examined. All analyses were performed in R version 3.5.1. This study included a demographic and regional analysis identifying risk factors associated with having an EoE healthcare visit in Nevada. Several …

Body Mass Index Z-Score Modifies The Association Between Added Sugar Intake And Arterial Stiffness In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes: The Search Nutrition Ancillary Study, Natalie S. The, Sarah C. Couch, Elaine M. Urbina, Jamie L. Crandell, Angela D. Liese, Dana Dabelea, Grace J. Kim, Janet A. Tooze, Jean M. Lawrence, Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis

Faculty Publications

The relationship between added sugar and arterial stiffness in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) has not been well-described. We used data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study (SEARCH), an ongoing observational cohort study, to determine the association between added sugar and arterial stiffness in individuals diagnosed with T1D(n = 1539; mean diabetes duration of 7.9 ± 1.9 years). Added sugar intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire, and arterial stiffness measures included pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index. Separate multivariate linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between added sugar and arterial stiffness. …

Patient Sex And Physician Adherence To Treatment Guidelines For Non-Purulent Cellulitis, Rebecca Goldberg

Masters Theses

In 2015, participating US Emergency Departments (EDs) reported approximately 2.8 million visits related to skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Studies indicate that there may be disparities by patient sex in physician treatment guideline adherence rates as a result of a gender bias during physician-patient interactions; however, only two epidemiologic studies have investigated the role of patient sex in guideline adherence rates for SSTIs. These prior studies were limited in size and covariate assessment. Thus, the magnitude and direction of the effect of patient sex is uncertain, warranting further research. Therefore, we conducted a large prospective study to elucidate the …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Influenza Type B In The Presence Of Vaccination: An Ecological Study, Lindsey J. Fiedler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of influenza type B in human hosts is a public health concern as we strive to minimize the disease burden in seasonal epidemics. Vaccination is considered the best defense against contracting influenza, and everyone over the age of 6 months is advised to get vaccinated before each season. The effect that vaccine-acquired immunity has on the evolution of influenza B remains unclear. In the U.S., vaccine-uptake is irregular across the states, and the differing coverages present an opportunity to study how vaccination influences viral evolution. This thesis analyzes the evolutionary patterns of influenza B in the …

The Prevalence And Context Of Adult Female Overweight And Obesity In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ifeoma Ozodiegwu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adult women bear a disproportionate burden of overweight and obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Precise information to understand disease distribution and assess determinants is lacking. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to: (i) analyze the prevalence of adult female overweight and obesity combined in lower-level administrative units; (ii) analyze the effect modification of educational attainment and age on the association between household wealth and adult female overweight and obesity; (iii) synthesize qualitative research evidence to describe contextual factors contributing to female overweight and obesity at different life stages. Bayesian and logistic regression models were constructed with Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data …

Respiratory Infections And Risk For Development Of Narcolepsy: Analysis Of The Truven Health Marketscan Database (2008 To 2010) With Additional Assessment Of Incidence And Prevalence, Darren Scheer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background and Significance: Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder. These patients experience various psychiatric and physical comorbid diseases and mortality at an increased rate compared to the general population. Additionally, patients with narcolepsy experience approximately a doubling of various annual healthcare related facility visits, transactions, and costs comparatively. Narcolepsy with cataplexy is generally believed to be more prevalent than narcolepsy without cataplexy. However, incidence and prevalence estimates of narcolepsy (with or without cataplexy) vary widely with few large epidemiological studies conducted worldwide and none in the U.S evaluating these proportions in both children and adults utilizing a large health care …

Amyloid And White Mater Hyperintensity Burden In The Stroke Belt, Emily Carol Mckinley

All ETDs from UAB

Several large cohort studies have found associations between residence in the Stroke Belt and cognitive impairment as well as dementia mortality; however, the rela-tionship between residence in the Stroke Belt and buildup of amyloid has not been estab-lished. The current project assessed the association between residence in the Stroke Belt and amyloid burden, amyloid accumulation, or white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in a large, national cohort of older US residents. The first study used linear regression models to examine the relationship between geographic residence and Centiloid values. Residence in the Stroke Belt at the time of baseline amyloid PET assessment was …

Epidemiology Of Equestrian Accidents: A Literature Review, Lauren Meredith, Robert Ekman, Karin Brolin

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: This manuscript aimed to present a review of the literature pertaining to horse riding and other horse-related injuries.

Method: A review of the literature was performed, searching for appropriate terms with regards to horse accidents, horse riding injuries and protective clothing for the horse riding context. The literature review search returned 151 relevant full-text articles, with 71 of these detailing the overall injury epidemiology of horse-related accidents. Most of these studies were conducted in the USA and used a retrospective review of hospital data methodology.

Results: Of the 71 articles investigated, 60 suggested that those most frequently involved in …

The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Throughout The Life Span, Allison R. Webel, Joseph Perazzo, J. Craig Phillips, Kathleen M. Nokes, Cynthia Rentrope, Rebecca Schnall, Rita Musanti, Kimberly Adams Tufts, Elizabeth Sefcik, Mary Jane Hamilton, Carmen Portillo, Puangtip Chaiphibalsarisdi, Penelope Orton, Liana Davis, Carol Dawson Rose

Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in PLHIV are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to describe physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness by sex and age and to examine the association between physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in PLHIV, controlling for covariates.

METHODS: Seven hundred two PLHIV participated in a cross-sectional study and completed validated measures of self-reported physical activity (7-day Physical Activity Recall) and cardiorespiratory fitness (6-minute walk test). Participants were recruited from 7 diverse sites in the United …