Digital Commons Network^™

Physical Activity Assessment And Intervention Among Adult Patients At A Community Health Center, Michelle L. Vandentoorn

Doctoral Dissertations

Low levels of physical activity are associated with a number of serious health conditions in adults. These conditions include hypertension, diabetes, certain types of cancers, cardiovascular disease, and an increased risk of mortality. In spite of these serious health risks, few adults in the United States are achieving the recommended levels of physical activity. The diseases associated with low physical activity levels contribute to high healthcare costs.

Healthcare providers claim that they are not aware of available interventions and resources to increase physical activity levels in their patients. Through screening patients for physical activity levels during office visits, providers can …

A Process Improvement Project: Demonstrating A Patient Portal To Increase Enrollment And Use In An Underserved Population With Chronic Illness, Jonathan Gibson

Doctoral Dissertations

High risk, high cost chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and congestive heart failure are prevalent in the United States. Nearly half of all Americans have at least one chronic condition (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Almost four-fifths of total health care spending in the U.S. is related to high risk, chronic conditions (Baker, Johnson, Macaulay, & Birnbaum, 2011). The use of patient portals in ambulatory care may be an avenue toward improving chronic disease management. Portals can be used by patients to schedule appointments, send secure messages to their providers, request medication refills, review lab and test …

Implementation Of The Evidence-Based Cope Intervention In An Elementary Classroom To Promote Mental Health, Maria Mccormick

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a growing incidence of suicide and suicide attempts in the adolescent population. This is largely impacted by the increasing rates of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression as well as instigating factors such as negative behaviors and stressful life events. In order to prevent these rates from continuing to rise, it is imperative that mental health promotion interventions be implemented in young children in order to facilitate positive behaviors and coping skills that can be used when stressors occur. The purpose of this scholarly project was to implement the cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention, the Creating Opportunities for Personal …

Designing, Implementing, And Evaluating A Community-Based Antenatal Education Program, Jennifer L. Zachary

Doctoral Dissertations

The United States has higher fetal and infant mortality than the majority of developed countries around the world. As of 2008, the United States was ranked 27th internationally for infant mortality among all developed countries (MacDorman, Hoyert, & Mathews, 2013). Infant morbidity and mortality is associated with numerous factors within a country; including access and quality of health care, maternal health status, public health, and socioeconomic status.

Despite recent declines in infant mortality across the country, the infant mortality rates for both Michigan and the project county remain alarmingly higher than the national averages. It is clear that innovative measures …

Acceptability Of The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire As A Suicide Risk Screening Tool For Veterans In A Non Veterans Health Administration Primary Care Clinic, Jeffrey M. Bird

Doctoral Dissertations

Suicide among veterans is a growing concern. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that a veteran dies by suicide once every 60-80 minutes with 18 to 22 veterans killing themselves every day. Many veterans receive healthcare in the community (outside of the VA), but are typically not identified in these settings. Veteran-centric policies are typically absent in settings outside of the VA. Screening for suicide risk at the primary care level has been largely ineffective with some patients dying from suicide within a week of a negative screen. The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ), which measures thwarted belongingness and perceived …