Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Opioid Overdose Knowledge And Attitudes Among Undergraduate College Studentsopioid Overdose Knowledge And Attitudes Among Undergraduate College Students, Kaiya Cook

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

Developing Disinfection Strategies For Controlling Human Norovirus, Sars-Cov-2, And Clostridioides Difficile Endospores In Long-Term Care Facilities, Jinge Huang

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Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) provide an environment favorable for the transmission of three critical human pathogens: human norovirus (HuNoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and Clostridioides difficile. Given residents in LTCFs are susceptible to infections due to their advanced ages and compromised immune systems, effective environmental surface disinfection plays a crucial role in controlling the spread of human pathogens within these settings and, therefore, mitigates the risk of infections caused by these pathogens. This dissertation aimed to assess the efficacy of various types of disinfectants against two HuNoV surrogates [feline calicivirus (FCV) and Tulane virus (TuV)], two …

Household Environments And Functional Decline Among Middle-Aged And Older Adults In China, Dandan Zhao

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This thesis investigates the associations between household social, economic, and physical environment conditions and the trajectory of self-reported functional limitations over time among middle-aged and older adults in China. Despite the increasing interest in the impact of household environments on functional decline, most existing studies are cross-sectional or concern changes in functioning observed in two waves of surveys, and they primarily focus on the influence of one condition. This thesis explores how the trajectory of functional decline is influenced jointly by multiple household factors, including living arrangement, annual living expenditure per capita, indoor air pollution resulting from solid fuels, and …

Influences On Pregnancy: An Exploration Of Maternal Discrimination, An Alternative Model Of Prenatal Care And Health Information Online, Emily Doherty

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In the United States metrics of perinatal health lag far behind peer countries and is characterized by stark disparities. The studies that make up this dissertation seek to elucidate factors influencing perinatal health.

The first and second chapters provide an introduction and extensive review of the literature of factors contributing to perinatal health with specific focus on discrimination and perinatal health; group prenatal care and digital pregnancy health information. The third chapter introduces the methodology to be used by each of the following studies. Subsequent chapters are formatted as individual manuscripts, each presenting background, methodology, results, and discussion.

The fourth …

A Systematic Review Of Research On Treatment & Prevention Of The Neglected Tropical Disease Leishmaniasis, Aryn Akerberg

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Leishmaniasis is a life-threatening neglected tropical disease that is caused by the protozoa parasite, Leishmania. Over one million new human leishmaniasis cases occur each all over the world, affecting most the deeply impoverished regions of the world. The disease presents in three different forms: cutaneous leishmaniasis, mucocutaneous (mucosal) leishmaniasis, and visceral leishmaniasis. Symptoms can range from self-limiting lesion to more life-threatening conditions such as fever, kidney disease, and anemia. The Leishmania parasite is transmitted via the bite of the female phlebotomine sandfly and can infect many other mammals such as canines, rodents, bats, etc. The canine leishmaniasis epidemic is also …

Diabetes Self-Management Education And Support: Understanding Knowledge And The Impact, Christina Dietz

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Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. To address this, many organizations employ diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) programs to aid in managing the impact of increasing prevalence. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the impact of two Upstate South Carolina DSMES programs on several process and outcome measures for adults with diabetes, while also identifying current primary care provider DSMES knowledge and perceptions in an Upstate South Carolina health system.

This dissertation found inconclusive results on the impact of DSMES on PCP utilization, retinal exam screening, nephropathy attention, HDL, LDL, TC, and TG. DSME …

Adolescent Health Services: Access And Outcomes, Mackenzie Stuenkel

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Adolescence is a unique developmental period during which most lifelong mental health illnesses develop. Interventions and programs targeting adolescent health care utilization and effectiveness often fail to include measures of implementation science including long term sustainability and contextual characteristics. The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate two programs designed to increase health care utilization and engagement in adolescent populations. Guided by the Practical, Robust, Implementation and Sustainability Framework (PRISM), strengths and weaknesses across model delivery and context of School-based Health Centers (SBHC) were assessed through in-depth interviews with clinicians, managers, and school staff. SBHC outcomes and services were assessed …

The Influence Of Recreation Engagement On Adolescent Health-Risk Behaviors, Krista Thomas

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The number of adolescents who engage in suicidality is staggering. Adolescence is a unique developmental period where engagement in health-risk behaviors is prominent. Factors influencing engagement in suicidality are vast and occur both internally and externally in the adolescent. Substance use during adolescence has shown an association with increased suicidality. Similarly, bullying, both cyberbullying and in-person bullying, have contributed to adolescent suicidality. Alternatively, recreation engagement has yielded benefits in both psychosocial and physical health for adolescents. However, limited research has identified that engaging in recreation can minimize suicidality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how substance use, …

Three Essays About Preventing Mental And Behavioral Disorders, Snehal Lopes

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Prevention efforts in the public health field operate at various levels, including primary prevention among those without a disease of interest, secondary prevention among persons at high risk or showing early signs of the disease, and tertiary prevention among persons with the disease. The three essays presented in this dissertation are centered around the theme of prevention, and taken together, have implications for prevention at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Specifically, the essays focus on the prevention of depressive disorders and the prevention of behavioral and mental health correlates for depression in the context of various populations (general adult, …

Advanced Epidemiologic Methods To Estimate Disparities In Peripheral Artery Disease In South Carolina By Geographic Location, Payor Status, And Socio-Demographics, Brian A. Witrick

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Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a progressive circulatory disorder of the lower extremities that occurs when atherosclerotic plaques obstruct arteries carrying blood from the heart to the legs. PAD is associated with reduced quality of life and increased risk of poor outcomes, particularly among disadvantaged groups. There is a need to better understand disparities experienced by disadvantaged groups. Thus, the purpose of this doctoral research was to explore the association of geographic, economic, and socio-demographic factors with PAD. South Carolina is an ideal location to investigate disparities of PAD due to the risk profile of South Carolina residents and the …

Body Appreciation, Gender, Motivation, And Competitive Success In Competition Climbing, Marissa Frost

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The focus of this study was to examine the relation between the constructs of body appreciation, gender, motivation, and competitive success in competition climbers. To gather data for this study, a Qualtrics survey was created and distributed amongst the competition climbing community through USA Climbing’s Facebook page and member email list. Data was then collected from competition climbers between the ages of thirteen and sixty over 45 days in the winter of 2017. A total of 236 competition climbers participated in the survey and 202 of those responses were used in this study. Body appreciation in this study was analyzed …

U.S. Army Medical Command’S Medical Treatment Facilities’ Response To Sars-Cov-2 (Covid-19), Seyedmohammad Ahmadshahi

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Starting in December 2019 to the current time in May 2022, COVID-19 was a devastating pandemic with approximately 440 million cases and 6 million deaths worldwide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). The United States (US) with roughly 90 million cases and 1 million deaths (CDC, 2021) was one of the epicenters of the outbreak since the beginning. The pandemic has significantly impacted the health systems across the US with unpredictable surges of highly infectious patients with uncertain symptomology and acuity levels, requiring isolation and critical level of care (Brambilla et al., 2021).

Based on the findings from …

Building The Science Of Healthcare Public Reporting: Integrating Anecdotal Information To Enhance Sensemaking, Kapil Chalil Madathil

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Anecdotal information about a healthcare consumers' interaction with care providers and hospital facilities is becoming increasingly available to the public in the form of YouTube videos and as discussion posts on peer-support groups. This form of information can potentially jeopardize the utility of reports generated by Federal entities as it potentially diverts consumer attention from more reliable measures of quality. This dissertation investigates how a health consumer's choice of care is influenced by anecdotal information on the care process available on YouTube. This research then investigates the effect of information presentation methods such as narratives and active engagement with quality …

Food Handling, Hygiene, And Sanitation Practices In The Child-Care Environment In North Carolina And South Carolina, Xi Chen

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Introduction: Children between the ages of 37 and 54 months enrolled in child-care facilities (CCFs) are reported to be 2.3 to 3.5 times more likely to experience an acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) than are children cared for in their own home. Identifying potential risk factors for the transmission of enteric pathogens in CCFs is essential to the prevention of AGI.
Methods: A convenience sample of CCFs in North Carolina and South Carolina was recruited to participate in this study. A survey was administered to all CCF directors to collect information about facility characteristics, meal preparation, staff training, hygiene policies and …

Spatio-Temporal Modeling Of Arthropod-Borne Zoonotic Diseases: A Proposed Methodology To Enhance Macro-Scale Analyses, Stephen Jones

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Zoonotic diseases are infectious diseases that can be transmitted from or through animals to humans, and arthropods often act as vectors for transmission. Emerging infectious diseases have been increasing both in prevalence and geographic range at alarming rates the last 30 years, and the majority of these diseases are zoonotic in nature. Many zoonotic diseases are considered notifiable by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, though state regulations or contractual obligations may require the reporting of certain diseases, significant underreporting is known to exist. Because of the rich volume of information captured in health insurance plan databases, …

Contextualizing The Health Belief Model And The Social Epidemiology Theories In The Study Of Aids In Malawi, Kumbirai Madondo

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The association between HIV/AIDS knowledge, risk perception and risky sexual behavior remains a valuable area of study among scholars seeking to understand the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Past research has focused only on either the Health Belief Model or social epidemiology ideas to understand AIDS but never combined the two. The current study is unique and adds to the body of knowledge by making use of both the Health Belief Model and social epidemiology ideas to understand these relationships more clearly and, more importantly, to explore the role that keeping AIDS a secret has in the contexts of risk perception, …

Cooking With A Chef: A Culinary Nutrition Intervention For College Aged Students, Andrew Warmin

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The primary objective of this study is to provide evidence that a culinary nutrition intervention is appropriate for, and of value to college students. A secondary objective is to provide evidence that the nutrition component of a culinary nutrition course can be delivered online through an interactive presentation. The study initially involved a review of literature highlighting the nutrition habits of college students, the strengths and weakness of existing cooking and nutrition classes, and other factors relating to the college student's health. Based on this literature review it was determined that a culinary nutrition course is an appropriate way to …

Women, Birth Control Pills, And Thrombophilia: An Analysis Of Risk Communication, Kerry Gomer

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The Surgeon General recently issued a call to action to reduce the incidents of blood clots, which can cause pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and stroke. This research study was conducted to assess what risk information is available to women regarding thrombosis (blood clots) and thrombophilia (clotting disorders) in combination with birth control pills, what women know about this issue, and how to increase this awareness. A media analysis showed that very little information is available to women about thrombosis and thrombophilia with regard to birth control pills. It also demonstrated that the information that is available is often inadequate …