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Analysis Of Trends And Effects Of Lifestyle Behaviors Related To Obesity Among Older Adults: Findings From The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes) Between 2005-2018, Xi Jin Jan 2021

Analysis Of Trends And Effects Of Lifestyle Behaviors Related To Obesity Among Older Adults: Findings From The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes) Between 2005-2018, Xi Jin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity in older adults is a public health challenge in the United States and many regions of the world. This study analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) ranging between 2005-2006 to 2017-2018 to examine associations between lifestyle behaviors and obesity, and identify trends and contributions of lifestyle behaviors in older adults. A total of 5,812 participants in a body mass index (BMI)- based obesity group and 5,655 participants in a waist circumference (WC)-based obesity group were selected for association and trend analyses. Logistic regression was applied to estimate the associations between lifestyle behaviors and obesity. …


Cultural Influences On Body Size Ideals Among African American Women In The Mississippi Delta, Lois Marie Coleman Jan 2019

Cultural Influences On Body Size Ideals Among African American Women In The Mississippi Delta, Lois Marie Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Results: One-on-one interviews yielded 25 cognitive maps. The maps contained a total of 169 concepts with 294 connections among them. The lowest number of variables identified on a participant’s map was 4 and the highest was 11. The lowest number of connections made on a participant’s map was 4 and the highest was 39. Through qualitative condensing and matrix addition, the 169 concepts were used to create 27 variables with 134 connections. Feedback from focus group participants resulted in the addition of 3 variables and 9 connections.


Food Insecurity And Child And Parent/Caretaker Overweight/Obesity In A Rural, Appalachian Mississippi Community, Sydney Antolini Jan 2018

Food Insecurity And Child And Parent/Caretaker Overweight/Obesity In A Rural, Appalachian Mississippi Community, Sydney Antolini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the differences in parent/caretaker body mass index (BMI) and parent/caretaker-reported child overweight/obesity by food security status in a rural, Appalachian, Mississippi community, as well as the relationship of parent/caretaker BMI and parent/caretaker-reported child overweight/obesity to food security status. A cross-sectional survey of elementary school parents/caretakers recruited at three elementary schools in an economically-distressed Appalachian, Mississippi county was conducted. Parent/caretaker BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. Caretaker-reported child overweight/obesity was determined using caretaker report of a medical professional identifying child overweight/obesity within the past year. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (version 23, 2015) to assess …


Physiological And Perceptual Responses To Alternate Modes Of Exercise At Self Selected Or Prescribed Intensity Between Overweight And Non-Overweight Individuals, James Riley Galloway Jan 2016

Physiological And Perceptual Responses To Alternate Modes Of Exercise At Self Selected Or Prescribed Intensity Between Overweight And Non-Overweight Individuals, James Riley Galloway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To investigate the influence of body weight, exercise modality, and pace on physiological and perceptual responses during walking. Also, to determine if the relationship between physiological and perceptual responses was altered by modality, pace, or weight status. Methods: Aerobically untrained males (n=80, 22.85 ± 3.61 years) and females (n=80, 21.18 ± 1.52 years) classified as either overweight or non-overweight participated. Individuals completed two sessions separated by 72 hours. Session 1 included familiarization, whole body DXA scan, treadmill test to exhaustion, and a 70 foot walk test to determine self selected walking speed. For session 2, participants were randomly assigned …


Figure Rating Scales: A Novel Measure Of Weight Bias, Joseph Mitchell Magness Jan 2016

Figure Rating Scales: A Novel Measure Of Weight Bias, Joseph Mitchell Magness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The obesity epidemic in the United States has grown in epic proportions over past decades. People who are obese experience weight bias, which is defined as any attitude that negatively influences obese individuals. Weight bias has also been documented in many areas of life. Furthermore, cultural differences in attitudes toward weight are salient in the conceptualization and maintenance of this phenomenon. Body dissatisfaction has also been linked to excess weight through negative views of fatness. One traditional measure of body dissatisfaction is figure rating scales. For this study, it was hypothesized that figure ratings presented with pictures of obese individuals …


Comparing Anthropometric Methods To Quantify Relations Between Adiposity And Headache, Vanessa Lee Moynahan Jan 2015

Comparing Anthropometric Methods To Quantify Relations Between Adiposity And Headache, Vanessa Lee Moynahan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is associated with increased risk for chronic migraine and migraine progression, but associations with episodic migraine (em) and episodic tension-type headache (tth) are unclear. Most studies have relied on bmi as an indicator of adiposity. More accurate anthropometric measures that distinguish adipose tissue from other body tissue are critical to examine adiposity-headache associations, including validated measures of abdominal adiposity and established measurement formulas such as body adiposity index (bai) and body composition equations developed by Peterson et al. (2003) and Garcia et al. (2005). The present study explored adiposity-headache associations by employing established anthropometric measures of adiposity and comparing …


Certified Personal Trainers And Physicians: An Evaluation Of Consumer Preference, Influence, And Decision Making On Intent To Use A Weight-Loss Medication, Linda Lemgruber Lobb Jan 2014

Certified Personal Trainers And Physicians: An Evaluation Of Consumer Preference, Influence, And Decision Making On Intent To Use A Weight-Loss Medication, Linda Lemgruber Lobb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In health-related behavioral decision-making, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) posits that attitudes toward a behavior are the function of three metrics: beliefs and strengths of beliefs toward the behavior, subjective norms around the behavior and locus of control for the individual (Ajzen, 1988). The purpose of this research was to identify the extent to which consumers would accept the recommendation of taking weight-loss medications, based on the source of the recommendation. Research shows that the source of knowledge for information plays a significant role in health-related decision-making of consumers (Pornpitakpan, 2004). In comparison to traditional weight-loss methods such as …


Effect Of Incorporating The Fitbit Fitness Tracking Technology Into A Prescribed Exercise Intervention Program To Improve Long-Term Function In Obese Individuals One Year Following Total Knee Arthroplasty., Webb A. Smith Jan 2014

Effect Of Incorporating The Fitbit Fitness Tracking Technology Into A Prescribed Exercise Intervention Program To Improve Long-Term Function In Obese Individuals One Year Following Total Knee Arthroplasty., Webb A. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Obesity Related Perturbations On Cardiovascular, Immune And Endocrine Response To Active And Passive Stress, Ashley Elizabeth Burch Jan 2014

Obesity Related Perturbations On Cardiovascular, Immune And Endocrine Response To Active And Passive Stress, Ashley Elizabeth Burch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the obesity epidemic increases, the prevalence of obesity-related diseases grows simultaneously. The internal environment of chronic low-grade inflammation, which characterizes obesity, leaves individuals vulnerable to disease. Cardiovascular dysfunction represents a consequential effect of obesity. An early indicator of cardiovascular disease is an impaired stress response. Further, the type of stress (active versus passive) may be differentially affected representing additional distinctions in impairment. In the present study, we have used two types of stress (active and passive) to investigate obesity-instigated alterations in cardiovascular, immune and endocrine response to stress. In addition, we have evaluated how these systems may overlap to …


The Role Of Policy And The Built Environment On Children's In-School Physical Activity In The Mississippi Delta, Abigail Gamble Jan 2011

The Role Of Policy And The Built Environment On Children's In-School Physical Activity In The Mississippi Delta, Abigail Gamble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School environments provide an ideal setting for children to develop and adopt active living behaviors as a way of life. The primary purpose of this investigation was to describe state, district and school level policy regarding in-school physical activity, the school built environment and in-school physical activity of children ages 6 through 11 years in the Mississippi delta. A mixed-methods approach was used to garner a rich understanding of how current policy and the built environment influence in-school physical activity and weight status. Eleven public schools in three districts representing two counties in the Mississippi delta participated in this investigation. …


Friends On The Playground: Associations With Physical Activity Levels In A Preschool Sample, Kevin Francis Karl Jan 2011

Friends On The Playground: Associations With Physical Activity Levels In A Preschool Sample, Kevin Francis Karl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Child obesity rates have reached an all-time high in the United States; with rates doubling over the past 30 years for children ages 2-5 (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2004). This increase in obesity rates has led to increased research directed at understanding the causes in order to begin to reverse the trend and prevent our children from becoming obese. The literature shows that several key variables, including child physical activity level, parent physical activity level, and peer influences on the playground are related to childhood obesity (Epstein, 2005; Salvy, 2008; Trost, et al., 2003). Much of this …


Starved: Food Deserts In The Mississippi Delta, Novelette L. Brown Jan 2011

Starved: Food Deserts In The Mississippi Delta, Novelette L. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the impact of food deserts on obesity, and builds a case for additional research on rural food deserts independent from urban ones. The Mississippi Delta consistently presents the highest obesity rates within the state, yet both the third unhealthiest county (Quitman) and the healthiest (DeSoto) are located in that region. One of the reasons there is such a large discrepancy between the health rankings of DeSoto and Quitman counties is that DeSoto is contained within the Greater Memphis Metropolitan Area, but Quitman is entirely rural. Previous research has focused on the prevalence of urban food deserts and …


The Heavy Hand Of Government: An Economic Study Of Obesity, Kanybek Imanakovich Sagynbekov Jan 2011

The Heavy Hand Of Government: An Economic Study Of Obesity, Kanybek Imanakovich Sagynbekov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although there is extensive theoretical and empirical coverage of the incentive effect of an income tax on labor supply in the economics literature, there is no study of the secondary behavioral effects of an income tax. In this thesis, I explore the relationship among income, marginal income tax, and body weight. Namely, I show that under general conditions the Engel curve for the optimal weight is an inverted U-shaped function and the effect of the marginal income tax upon weight is non-linear. The empirical investigation uses two datasets: a panel dataset with 459 state-level observations for US states from 1992 …