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Preventing Obesity And Cardiovascular Disease In At-Risk Youth, Allison Patricia Woolf, Nicole Ashley Bauernfeind, Rachel Katharine Civale, Elizabeth Rose Spellman

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The literature review that was conducted focuses on exploring the most effective way to prevent development of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) as a late effect of childhood obesity or risk thereof. Our research focused on the 8-10 year old at-risk and obese pediatric populations and whether the use of interactive educational interventions in the community setting can be of use to reduce CVD development and improve overall health status. Our findings determined that interactive educational interventions early in childhood can improve health outcomes for these populations and prevent subsequent development of CVD. We minimized the inclusion of all research whose evidence …

Using Social Narratives To Improve The Healthcare Experiences Of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Margaret Spindel

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience significant emotional stress when they visit a healthcare provider. The focus of this research project was to explore the use of social narratives to help reduce stress associated with this environment. Social narratives are short stories designed to walk a child through a potential situation that they will encounter, that they may not be familiar with, or that they are not currently handling properly. As part of an initial literature review, evidence for the need for additional intervention in the healthcare setting for children with ASD was established. Continuing literature review then …

New York's Daily Foster Care Reimbursements, Mariah Brown

Capstones

Foster parents in New York say financial support from the government to care for the state’s most vulnerable kids has lagged, impacting the care they are able to provide.

In Philadelphia – a nearby city with a significantly lower cost of living -- foster parents get more government aid than in New York. Philadelphia officials raised the city’s foster care reimbursement rates by a third this year.

New York foster families have been fighting for raises for years. And there is some hope. A coalition of foster care agencies sued the state in 2010 in federal court in Brooklyn alleging …

Understanding Parent And Child Perceptions Of Barriers And Enablers Influencing Active School Travel, Katherine Wilson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Physical activity plays a fundamental role in developing and sustaining the health and well-being of children. Walking is the most common form of physical activity for people of all ages and the daily journey to and from school is a convenient opportunity for children to be physically active through the use of active school travel. This thesis uses a mixed methods approach, using: (a) parent and child surveys to examine how perceptions of barriers influence children’s active school travel; and (b) participatory mapping exercises and qualitative GIS to understand environmental influences on children’s journeys to and from school. Results suggest …

Exploring The Vocabulary Teaching Strategies Used In Children’S Educational Television, Rebecca Wettstein

Honors Projects

The present study explored the extent to which vocabulary instructional strategies are used in the children’s educational television show Word Girl, and whether or not the occurrences of vocabulary instructional strategies changed over the time the show was aired. Instructional strategies included repetition of target words, labeling, defining/mislabeling, and onscreen print. A total of eighteen episodes between 2007 and 2015 were analyzed. The early time period included episodes aired from 2007-2009, the middle time period included episodes aired from 2010-2012, and the late time period included episodes aired from 2013-2015. Results revealed within episode variability for all vocabulary instructional …

The Timecourse Of Phonological Competition In Spoken Word Recognition: A Comparison Of Adults And Very Young Children, Elizabeth Schoen Simmons

Master's Theses

Spoken word recognition (SWR) is the mapping of speech sounds to words from many potential candidates in one’s lexicon. In adults, words that are phonetically similar, of high frequency, or semantically related compete for recognition. An ongoing debate in the literature is whether or not very young children encode spoken words with fine-grained temporal and phonetic detail. Specifically, whether they represent words wholistically or as smaller phonetic units similar to that of adults. The adult literature demonstrates that words that are phonetically similar at onset (cohorts) and offset (rhymes) compete for recognition. As it happens, rhymes have the potential to …

Factors Associated With The Need For Hospitalization, Length Of Hospital Stay, And Parental Consent To Participate In Research Among Children With Community Acquired Pneumonia, Cori C. Grant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children in the U.S. This research is comprised of three studies of children with CAP. The data were collected for the CDCs Etiology of Pneumonia in the Community (EPIC) study. Study one aimed to examine the association of clinical factors with potentially unnecessary hospitalizations, as defined by a length of stay (LOS) in the hospital ≤ 24 hours. Study two aimed to validate the Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale (CARIFS) questionnaire among an inpatient pediatric population with CAP. This study also examined the utility of the CARIFS …

Survey Of Indoor Air Quality In Residences Of Wic Participants In Lincoln, Nebraska, Eun Hee Kwon

Capstone Experience

Since 1992, Women, Infants, and Children at the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department has provided supplemental food benefits, nutrition information, breastfeeding support, immunization referrals, and dental services to support low-income families and their children. However, statewide, the retention rate has been dropping since 2009, and if this continues, it can result in adverse health outcomes. As part of the Service Learning activities, this study aims to evaluate current services on clients’ experiences and improve their satisfaction by conducting the WIC participant-centered services survey. This cost-effective intervention program has been working successfully, however it does not provide the information of environmental …

Cultivating Community Interactions In Citizen Science: Connecting People To Each Other And The Environment, Bret Allen Finley

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Citizen science leverages a distributed user-base which participates in crowd-sourced scientific inquiry. Geotagger is a citizen science project that allows people to collaboratively investigate the natural world around them and share their findings. Citizens are rarely compensated for their work and individual contributors can feel isolated which leads to motivation problems. This thesis focuses on engaging citizen scientists and motivating their contributions via social interaction and engagement. As a part of this work, a number of social enhancements have been developed as extensions to the existing Geotagger project. These enhancements and their effect on social engagement were evaluated using in-field …

Teaching Children With Autism To Look And Smile While Having A Photo Taken, Ivy M. La Rue

Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy

Orientation and social skill delays common within Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may prevent a child who has a diagnosis of ASD from learning to respond appropriately in photos. In research on teaching joint attention skills, children with autism have been successfully taught to respond appropriately to other types of social stimuli. The purpose of this study was to use teaching strategies from joint attention research to teach three children diagnosed with autism to look and smile in photos. All three children learned to simultaneously look and smile in photos and continued to engage in the response when the reinforcement schedule …

Get Out: Preparing Families For Emergencies, Megan Fletcher

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone project is on the effects of natural disasters on families and young children. This is an important issue because parents have to prepare to take care of themselves and their children if an emergency strikes. An argument is made that preparing children for emergencies can reduce the negative physical and emotional impact of the traumatic event. Considerations of the issue, should include the perspective of parents at Mimi’s Daycare in California because they are primary caregivers of young children. Three action options emerged from the data and explored as ways to address the issue presented: …

Healthy Teeth: Building Dental Health Awareness Among Head Start Parents, Marisol Cruz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In the U.S and state of California, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease and concerning health issue among children. The Head Start program in Monterey County serves about 1, 245 children annually from birth to five years of age. One requirement is that children obtain dental health checkups every six months, and receive dental treatment, if needed, as part of adhering to California's dental periodicity schedule. Over the past years, an increase of failed dental health assessments was observed among many children enrolled in the program. Obtaining and following through with treatment was an obstacle. The purpose of …

Not So “Free”: Increasing Elementary Children’S Free Time, Annie Santos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Free play has been drastically decreasing recently and this is an issue for young children. Factors contributing to this decline include external influences, such as school, parents, and activities. This issue is important for children’s lives, impacting their health and developmental skills. This project works toward providing more opportunities for children to experience free play throughout their everyday lives. The primary stakeholder perspectives obtained were the parents of children who are directly affected by this issue. Based on an analysis of the data and relevant research literature, an action was untaken to respond to the lack of free play in …

Healthy Lifestyle At Headstart In Monterey County, Leticia Manriquez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In Monterey County, the rate of childhood obesity is too high among the Latino/Hispanic community. The Head Start program in Monterey County serves more than 1,245 children each year with the majority of them being Latino/Hispanic. The causes of childhood obesity are a lack of physical activities, cultural beliefs, and financial issues among families. It leads to serious health problems that impact children academically and psychologically. This capstone project is to increase knowledge and awareness on how to live a Healthy Lifestyle among Head Start parents so that they can apply that to their lives and their children. The project …

Changing The World Through The Word: Developing Critical Consciousness Through Multicultural Children’S Literature With Critical Literacy In An Elementary Classroom, Hyekyoung Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore how fifth graders develop critical consciousness regarding the self and the world through critical literacy approaches using multicultural children’s literature. I employed Lewison, Flint, and Van Sluys’ four dimensions of critical literacy. I used a qualitative case study to design, frame and conduct this study in order to collect data and examine students’ cultural patterns including values, beliefs, behaviors, and language that they enacted in the critical literacy practices. I collected data through classroom observations, semi-structured students and teacher interviews, informal conversation, researcher’s reflective journal entries and field notes, and student-made artifacts. …

Evidence-Based Practices For The Design Of Inclusive Playgrounds That Support Peer Interactions Among Children With All Abilities, Courtney L. Fernelius

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Play is necessary for the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of all children. Although playgrounds are designed to support the play of children, children with disabilities are often unable to fully participate in play on playgrounds. In part due to the lack of awareness of evidence-based practices supporting the play of children with disabilities, playground designers continue to perpetuate this disparity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the evidence-based practices for inclusive playground design that support peer interaction between children of all abilities, and to demonstrate how they can be implemented into a playground design.

A …

Bright Futures; Teaching Parents The Importance Of Well Child Checkups, Estefania Lopez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Early Head Start has many children not following the schedule of the well-baby checkups. Out of a group of 30 children, 12 are missing components of the well-baby checkups. They are missing at least one of the requirements. Requirements include immunizations, dental exams, vision, or physical examination. This report describes an educational project in Monterey County Office of Education at the Early Head Start, to inform parents the importance to follow the schedule of the well-baby checkups. There are many reasons why children are not following their well-baby checkups, and it was important to teach the parents what causes, …

Get Them Moving: Increasing Physical Activity In The Classroom, Elizabeth G. Balcom

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this senior capstone project is on increasing the amount of physical activity within the classroom. Studies show that living a sedentary lifestyle can be detrimental to your health, yet we require students to sit still in classrooms for hours on end. For this project different elementary grade levels were compared to determine the amount of physical activity that currently occurs inside the classrooms, and several teachers were interviewed to see how the issue could be helped. Through what was learned from the the research conducted , an action was taken that responds to the issue of increasing …

Predictors Of Positive Adjustment In A Sample Of Children Impacted By Hurricane Katrina, Jennifer C. Piscitello

LSU Master's Theses

Natural disasters have a profound psychological impact on children and youth (Kelley et al., 2010; Lai et al., 2015; La Greca, et al., 1996; Vernberg et al., 1996). Much of the literature assessing risk and protective factors related to children’s post-disaster recovery has primarily focused on the development of significant clinical symptoms, largely ignoring factors associated with positive adjustment and resilience. The purpose of the current investigation was to examine parenting behaviors and family organization (i.e., child routines) as they relate to children’s self-esteem and self-reliance in a sample of 371 parent-child dyads impacted by Hurricane Katrina. A series of …

An Investigation Of Physical Literacy And Moderate To Vigorous Physical Activity In Children Aged 8-12 Years Of Age In Southwestern Ontario, Patricia Christine Dube

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physical literacy has been described as means to achieve an active lifestyle (Physical and Health Education Canada, 2014) and as the building blocks of physical activity, including fundamental movement skills, physical fitness, motor skills, the motivation and confidence (MC), and the knowledge and understanding (KU) to be physically active (Lander et al., 2017; Tremblay & Lloyd, 2010). In Canada, the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) was developed as a means to collect and monitor physical literacy in Canadian children 8 to 12 years of age. The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between objectively measured moderate …

The Use Of Assistive Technology In School-Aged Children With Learning Disorders, Lynette Renee Kivisto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assistive Technology (AT) allows children with Specific Learning Disorders (LDs) to adequately access school curriculum. There is a paucity of literature addressing the use, perception of use, and training of students who qualify for AT. The few studies completed suggest that children with AT like their devices and find them useful. The current exploratory study examined the grade level of children provided AT devices, the types of AT hardware and software being used by children with various learning limitations in a school environment, and children’s perception of their AT devices. Archival data collected from school-aged children referred to the Learning …

An Assessment Of Fruit And Vegetable Intake, Physical Activity, And Sedentary Behaviour Among Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Students From Northern Ontario, Christian O'Neil Paton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity (PA), and sedentary behaviour within Indigenous and Non-Indigenous students in grades 5-8 from northern Ontario, Canada. Students (N=872) from 34 schools within the catchment area of Porcupine Health Unit completed the Northern Fruit and Vegetable Program Evaluation survey in May, 2016. The odds of participants having a higher fruit and vegetable intake was lower among (1) those living in remote locations compared to urban locations (OR = -1.299 (95% CI: - 2.336, -0.240), p <0.05) and (2) Indigenous, compared to White, participants (OR = -.674 (95% CI: -1.336, -.0120), p = 0.05); in addition to no associations among ethnicity, location and PA/sedentary behaviour. Among Indigenous participants, those living in remote locations consumed statistically significant less fruit and vegetables (compared to urban and rural; F(2, 128) = 3.780, p = 0.025), and were less physically active (compared to urban and rural; F(2, 121) = 4.724, p = 0.011). There were no statistical differences observed by school location and meeting the sedentary behaviour guidelines for Indigenous populations. Although there were some statistically significant findings pertaining to fruit and vegetable intake among students in northern communities in Ontario, the health behaviours of all participants within this study were concerning. In the future, health interventions are needed to address low fruit and vegetable intake, PA, and sedentary behaviours of children and adolescents. Support through funding opportunities (pertaining to increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables provided to schools) is needed, and it is necessary to advocate for more PA and sedentary behaviour education.

A Parent Education Curriculum For Decreasing Stress In Families Raising A Child With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hannah L. Wohlk

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research has consistently shown that parents raising a child with autism spectrum disorders, or ASDs, have higher levels of stress than parents of typically-developing children or children with other disabilities. These parents’ higher levels of stress are attributed to a number of different factors, including early atypical development, getting the diagnosis, lack of awareness of resources, lack of support from their communities, unmet resource and schooling needs for their ASD child, financial strain, strain on the couple relationship, managing maladaptive behaviors, regulatory problems of the ASD child may experience, communication problems between ASD child and parent, parents’ perception of their …

Bedtime Fading With Response Cost For Treatment Of Sleep Disturbances In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sela Ann Sanberg

Theses & Dissertations

As many as 82% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience numerous chronic sleep-related problems and at a much higher frequency and severity than their typically developing peers. Behavioral treatments are considered best practice and first-line treatment to address sleep problems. These treatments tend to address one specific sleep-related behavior at a time. Bedtime Fading with Response Cost (BFRC) is a promising intervention that targets a multitude of sleep problems concurrently and has yet to be replicated by more than one investigative team in the home setting with children on the autism spectrum. This study evaluated the effectiveness of …

The Effect Of Maternal Borderline Personality Disorder And Child Temperament On Mother-Child Synchrony, Christina Gabriela Mena

Doctoral Dissertations

Maternal borderline personality disorder (BPD) and difficult child temperament have individually been associated with reduced quality of mother-child interactions. The current study examined synchrony (a dyadic construct measuring quality of interaction) during a coded observational task in a sample of mothers with BPD and their young children ages 4-7 (n = 36) compared to normative comparisons (n = 34). These mothers’ self-reported borderline features were also used to examine dyad synchrony across the sample as a whole. We also examined the association between child temperament and synchrony as well as the potential moderating effect child temperament has on the relationship …

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptomatology In Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Christina Casnar

Theses and Dissertations

Social problems are a common concern of parents of children with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). There has been a recent surge of research examining the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and ASD symptomatology in children with NF1. Findings from this relatively new body of research are mixed. The primary aim of this study was to examine ASD symptomatology in children with NF1 using a comprehensive assessment of ASD symptoms. A second aim was to examine possible variables that may contribute to socio-communicative difficulties. Participants included 25 children with NF1 between the ages of 9 and 13, along with their …

Developing A Competency-Based Framework To Guide Elementary School Teachers' Efforts In Helping Bullied Children, Samantha Gregus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study aimed to develop a competency-based framework designed to assist elementary school teachers in their efforts to help bullied children. Drawing from extant research, Gregus and Cavell (2017) created an initial draft of the framework that contained 25 components representing a mix of knowledge, attitudes, and skills. In Study 1, I obtained input on the framework from practicing elementary school teachers (n = 26) and researchers who study school bullying (n = 14). Teacher input was gathered via a series of focus groups and researchers responded using an online survey. Both teachers and researchers viewed the framework positively …

Predictors Of Re-Accessing Mental Health Services For Children And Adolescents, Catalina Sarmiento

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The natural history of mental health disorders suggests that a substantial number of children experience persistent or recurrent problems and may need more than 1 episode of care. However, there is a paucity of research on recurrent service use. The present study examined the rates and predictors of re-accessing community-based care. Secondary data analyses were conducted on administrative and chart review data from 5 mental health agencies in southwest, eastern, and central Ontario. Approximately a third (30%) of children who had an episode of care re-accessed services again within 4 years; the median time to re-access was 13 months. Social …

Effects Of Rich And Lean Treatment Contexts On Renewal, Sandhya Rajagopal

Theses and Dissertations

Relapse of problem behavior following behavioral intervention can occur for many reasons, including a change in setting after treatment. Reappearance of a previously extinguished behavior due to a context change is termed renewal. Laboratory models have demonstrated renewal by training a target behavior in one stimulus context, extinguishing the behavior in another context, and testing for relapse in the training context, where the behavior remains in extinction. Basic-research studies of relapse have also shown that conditions of the treatment environment, such as reinforcement schedules, can affect the amount of relapse observed. Assuming that quality of the treatment context could have …

Participation In Youth Running Events: The Role Of Parental Involvement And Satisfaction, Michelle L. Redmond

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

An increasing number of running events are being targeted to youth and are adding to the growing road racing industry. Offering running events for children along with a lineup of races ranging from 5K runs to marathons for adults is a way for race organizers to expand their businesses, increase economic impact in their communities and meet the needs of the entire family. In addition to economic benefits, there are other benefits associated with running events for youth. Community running events provide one potential intervention to counter rising childhood obesity rates by increasing the levels of physical activity for youth. …