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The Underuse Of Hospice Care In The African American Military Beneficiary Population, Wanda Castleberry Richards Jan 2016

The Underuse Of Hospice Care In The African American Military Beneficiary Population, Wanda Castleberry Richards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospice services provide a holistic approach to end-of-life care to terminally ill patients though there is some evidence to suggest that African American military beneficiary populations may not access hospice care as often as expected. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to evaluate reasons for the low use of hospice care among the terminally diagnosed members of this population, between the ages of 18 and 64. Kolcaba's comfort theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. The research explored whether a statistically significant difference exist among African Americans military beneficiaries population as compared to non-Hispanic Whites pertaining to their …


Sexual Health Education Policy: Influences On Implementation Of Sexual Health Education Programs, Renata Denise Ellington Jan 2016

Sexual Health Education Policy: Influences On Implementation Of Sexual Health Education Programs, Renata Denise Ellington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school youth in Grades 9-12 who are in public schools without comprehensive sexual health education (CSHED) are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors and have higher rates of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases than are their peers in schools with CSHED. The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the statistical relationship between the consistent implementation of CSHED, before and after the enactment of the Chicago Public Schools' (CPS) sexual health education policy, and the sexual risk behaviors of Chicago high school youth in Grades 9-12. The study was based on Antonovsky's salutogenic model of health …


An Ecological Perspective On Pertussis, Jody Ruth Goard Jan 2016

An Ecological Perspective On Pertussis, Jody Ruth Goard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, 48,277 cases of pertussis were diagnosed in the United States. Pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious, often debilitating, sometimes deadly, vaccine-preventable disease with an increasing incidence and death rate in the U.S, which may be due to vaccine exemptions. The purpose of this project was to determine if a relationship exists between immunization policies and immunization exemption rates, immunization exemption rates and pertussis rates, and immunization policies and pertussis rates in each state. Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological framework was used to guide the project. Publically available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), …


African Americans' Understanding Of The Provisions Of The Affordable Care Act, Ewang Theo Epie-Alobwede Jan 2016

African Americans' Understanding Of The Provisions Of The Affordable Care Act, Ewang Theo Epie-Alobwede

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans as a group tend to have numerous health issues, and by the time they seek healthcare, the conditions often advance into more serious ailments. Researchers have shown that cultural distrust of the U.S. healthcare system coupled with some discriminatory practices has hindered African Americans seeking care and taking full advantage of the healthcare system. With the introduction of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), there is some confusion about the application of the law, resulting in many intended beneficiaries misinterpreting it, and not accessing quality healthcare. This interpretive phenomenological study explored how African Americans in the …


Environmental Factors Associated With Body Mass Index Among Long Haul Truck Drivers, Charlotte Hughes Huntley Jan 2016

Environmental Factors Associated With Body Mass Index Among Long Haul Truck Drivers, Charlotte Hughes Huntley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2009–2010, the prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults was 40%, and the prevalence was 69% among long haul truck drivers. Researchers have not established a clear relationship between working environment and weight among truck drivers. This quantitative cross-sectional study, using an ecological framework, evaluated the relationship between the working environment (sleep performance, food choices, driving environment, and activity level) and weight severity (e.g., body mass index [BMI]) among long haul truck drivers. One hundred and twenty six adults (46 + 10, years of age), including both genders (male = 97 and females = 29) completed an online questionnaire evaluating …


Airline Pilots In Recovery From Alcoholism: A Quantitative Study Of Cognitive Change, Heather Christina Hamilton Jan 2016

Airline Pilots In Recovery From Alcoholism: A Quantitative Study Of Cognitive Change, Heather Christina Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In order to perform their duties, airline pilots must have no clinical diagnosis of mental illness or any substance use disorder. However, provisions have been in place since the 1970s that provide for a return to work for airline pilots with alcohol problems. To date, over 5,000 airline pilots have undergone rehabilitation for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and successfully returned to work. An important gap in the literature remains with regard to what extent improvements in cognitive performance may be experienced by airline pilots who complete treatment and to what extent age influences the amount of change. This study examined …


Perceived Effects Of The Affordable Care Act On Emergency Preparedness, Tanya Marie Scherr Jan 2016

Perceived Effects Of The Affordable Care Act On Emergency Preparedness, Tanya Marie Scherr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

National healthcare as executed through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was introduced in 2010, but was discussed for several decades prior to its enactment. Section 5210 of the ACA established funding for a Regular and Ready Reserve Corps (RRRC) to provide support to local healthcare entities with emergency preparedness. It is unknown what impact Section 5210 of the ACA has had on local emergency preparedness, as well as what obstacles are encountered with implementing this piece of legislation at the local level. The purpose of this case study was to understand the obstacles encountered at a local …


A Community's Perception Of Pregnancy And Sexually Transmitted Infections And Prevention Programs, Felecity Nicole Burns Jan 2016

A Community's Perception Of Pregnancy And Sexually Transmitted Infections And Prevention Programs, Felecity Nicole Burns

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has the highest rates of teenage pregnancies, births, abortions, and sexually transmitted infections in the industrialized world. African American teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections are on the rise in many rural southwest school districts in the State of Georgia where the sex education curriculum is nonexistent or solely focuses on abstinence. Georgia ranked 4th in cases of primary and secondary syphilis, 6th in AIDS, 12th in gonorrhea, 14th in teen pregnancies, and 17th in chlamydia in the United States in 2012. The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate the perceptions of residents of a …


Experiences Of Colorado Parents As They Recognized Their Child's Mental Illness, Lori Salgado Jan 2016

Experiences Of Colorado Parents As They Recognized Their Child's Mental Illness, Lori Salgado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental illness is not only the leading cause of disability among adults, but there is also an emerging public health crisis in childhood mental illness. A majority of parents do not recognize symptoms of psychological disorder in their children, and current policies and programs for mental health service delivery are not sufficiently responsive to the early help-seeking dynamics of families. Using a concurrent mixed methods design, this study explored how parents in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado learned to recognize their child's mental illness. Phenomenological interviews, augmented by poetic inquiry and quantitative measurements, were used to discover factors that …


Veterans' Perceptions Of Military Stigma And The Shame Associated With Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress, Alexander J. Buelna Jan 2016

Veterans' Perceptions Of Military Stigma And The Shame Associated With Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress, Alexander J. Buelna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Military stigma is a heavy burden of social stigma internalized by veterans who are diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during post-deployment psychological screening. PTSD is classified as a mental disorder associated with widespread reluctance to seek medical assistance. Among military veterans who suffer from combat-related posttraumatic stress (PTS), military stigma is considered a widespread problem. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore veterans' perceptions of various aspects of military stigma, including post-deployment psychological screening, the diagnosis of PTSD, and factors associated with reluctance to seek medical assistance for PTS. In-depth interviews were conducted with a convenience sample …


Issues Affecting Sexual Decisions Among Black Women In The Era Of Hiv/Aids, Saecilia Jackson Jan 2016

Issues Affecting Sexual Decisions Among Black Women In The Era Of Hiv/Aids, Saecilia Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV/AIDS became a significant concern in the United States (U.S.) during the 1980s and in recent years has increased the most among people living in underserved urban areas, particularly impacting Black women ages 24-35. Guided by the social learning theory, this phenomenological study explored the lived experiences and behaviors of Black women in the south in order to understand their sexual health decisions and how those decisions impact the spread of HIV/AIDS among this group. The central research question focused on understanding the sexual decision making of Black women in Georgia, from the perspective of the client and provider. Convenience …


Female Circumcision: A Phenomenological Study Of Somalian Immigrant To The United States, Emmanuel Fai Tatah Jan 2016

Female Circumcision: A Phenomenological Study Of Somalian Immigrant To The United States, Emmanuel Fai Tatah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female circumcision (FC) is the partial or total removal of the female genitalia for nonmedical reasons. This study was designed to examine the lived experiences of Somali women who underwent FC before coming to the United States. FC is widely carried out in Somalia with a prevalence of 98%, making Somalia the country with the highest percentage of circumcised women. There are short- and long-term consequences associated with FC such as bleeding, infection, and death. Therefore, it is important to understand how Somali women who underwent FC think and feel about circumcision, why they would continue the practice, and whether …


The Impact Of The Sentinel Initiative And Faers Surveillance System On Consumer Safety, Sonia Batra Jan 2016

The Impact Of The Sentinel Initiative And Faers Surveillance System On Consumer Safety, Sonia Batra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) to monitor adverse events resulting from pharmaceutical drug use. However, this system has limitations such as not allowing real-time data collection. To address these limitations, the FDA launched the Sentinel Initiative in 2008. This comparative case study was conducted to describe perceptions of investigating the efficacy of the Sentinel Initiative compared with the FAERS. The study was based on the theory of preemption as it emphasized the need for efficient means for providing unquestionable proof that consumers suffered adverse drug effects. The sample included interivews …


Alignment Of Standards, Assessment, And Compliance For A Residential Support Provider Organization, Monique Day Jan 2016

Alignment Of Standards, Assessment, And Compliance For A Residential Support Provider Organization, Monique Day

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although Code of Maryland policy mandates multidisciplinary, integrated teams for residential service provider organizations (RPOs) for an intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) population, alignment criteria to identify and evaluate the functional characteristics of such teams do not exist. This ambiguity has resulted in potential conflict in the goals of service delivery, as well as misaligned quality assessment and policy development criteria. The intent of this general qualitative study was to use complex adaptive systems theory and Vitkiene's work on corporate ethos to determine whether the services provided by a single RPO were consistent and aligned with the regulatory mandate set by the …