Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Association Of Health Literacy With Demographic Features, Health-Related Behaviors, And Health Risk Indicators Among Egyptian Adults: Online Cross-Sectional Study, Rana Gamal Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

Health literacy is recognized as a significant determinant of health. Limited health literacy is a growing issue worldwide. It has a significant role facing the rising trends of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through improving its modifiable risk factors. Therefore, studying the association between health literacy and different health-related behaviors is very important to guide both healthcare professionals and policy makers to set up the proper interventions. Our study aims to a) examine the health literacy levels among Egyptian adults, b) investigate the association of health literacy relative to socio-demographic features, health related behaviors, and self-reported health status. This is a cross-sectional …

Health Literacy In Older Adults: Determining Gaps In The Health Literacy Skills Of Older Adults In Saratoga Springs, New York And Suggestions For Effective Interventions, Elizah Jacobs

Self-Determined Majors Final Projects

This study aimed to understand the strengths and limitations of health literacy skills among older adults. The results informed a resource to improve any discovered gaps in health literacy. Participants (n=50) were selected through convenience sampling methods at the Saratoga Senior Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) was distributed to evaluate health literacy skills among older adults. Measures of means and standard deviations were used to assess strengths and limitations in health literacy skills among nine domains of the HLQ. The results informed the implementation of a resource designed to increase health literacy specifically for …

Sit Less, Move More: A National Study Of Physical-Activity Behavior And Cancer, Stella O. Nwogugu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Physical activity is associated with lower risks of cancer, the second leading cause of death among Americans. Yet, sedentary behavior is the prevailing lifestyle for about 80% of American adults. Additionally, cancer survivors remain significantly inactive, even though physical activity has been shown to decrease risk of cancer and cancer recurrence, improve tolerance of cancer therapy, and reduce mortality. This research explores the relative impact of personal agency, social support, and key demographic variables on physical-activity behavior for a national sample of adults as well as how these relationships differ for cancer survivors and their counterparts.

Methods: Using the …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

How Can Single Mothers Care For Themselves And Their Children During The Covid-19 Pandemic?, Lisbeth Alexandra Pino Gavidia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This work investigates how single mothers maintain healthy behaviours for themselves and their children as they try to meet the evolving COVID-19 public recommendations. Everyone has had to adapt to changing public health rules. Single mothers may have unique challenges as they juggle to adapt to changing family responsibilities since they do not have another person helping in the home, and help outside the home may be restricted by public health rules. My research plan addressed these questions to learn more about the experiences of single mothers during the pandemic: 1) What are the changes in family responsibilities? 2) How …

A Multimodal Approach To Decreasing Hesitancy And Increasing Uptake Of The Covid-19 Vaccine In The Family Care Setting, Meghan Zwierzynski

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has swept across the world, infecting and killing millions of people, making it one of the worst pandemics in history (WHO, 2021). However, the rates of confirmed cases and deaths have slowed since the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccine. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to decrease vaccine hesitancy and increase uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine in the family care setting. The Iowa Model-Revised (Iowa Model Collaborative, 2017) is a practical, effective multi-step change process that acted as a guide for the EBP project. A review of literature showed …

The Effect Of A Health Educational Program On Sleep Related Health Outcomes, Swetha Sirigineedi

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sleep quality has effects on both physical and mental health. Because of this, sleep hygiene is an important health goal. Participation in health programs promoting healthy behaviors has helped people reach their health goals and elicited positive behavior change. Because of this, it was of interest to determine if participation in a virtual, multi-media health education program improved health and wellbeing outcomes of Arkansans. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of a 20-week behavior and health educational program on the ability of participants to achieve their health goals and improve their health behaviors related to …

Project Spraoi: The Implementation And Outcomes Of A Process Evaluation Of A School-Based Health Promotion Intervention, Yvonne Larrissa O’Byrne

Theses

Large multi-site school-based interventions are challenging to implement and difficult to evaluate due to the complex adaptive nature of schools as a research setting. This study focused on implementing a comprehensive process evaluation of a multicomponent primary school-based health promotion called Project Spraoi (PS), alongside intervention delivery, to aid the translation of outcomes and understand the moderating role of contextual factors on intervention delivery. PS is led by a physical activity (PA) specialist known as an Energizer and aims to improve children’s PA levels and reduce sedentary time by delivering 20 minutes extra daily moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) during …

The Longitudinal Effects Of A Family And Sleep Supportive Intervention On Service Member Anger And Resilience, Shalene Joyce Allen

Dissertations and Theses

The vast majority of workplace intervention research on employee anger and resilience primarily focuses on individual-level strategies for mitigating employee anger and resilience outcomes in the workplace, with no studies having examined these outcomes with tangible occupational health interventions utilizing organizational-level techniques. Thus, the current study extends the literature on how to provide improvements in employee anger and resilience using higher system and organizational change mechanisms by providing evidence-based support for the effectiveness of a Total Worker Health® intervention, referred to as the Family and Sleep Supportive Intervention Training (FaSST). This approach employs both health protection and health promotion strategies …

Improving Mammography Rates Among The Hispanic Population: An Evidence-Based Project Utilizing A Promotora Intervention, Dawn Mirowski

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Hispanic women in the U.S., with mammography being the most effective means of reducing breast cancer mortality. Promotoras have been shown to improve health promotion, including mammography, among the Hispanic population.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In Hispanic women 40 years or older (P), how does the use of a promotora intervention (I), compared to no promotora intervention (C), affect mammography rates (O) within an 8-week period (T)?

Evidence: Twenty-one studies that met the inclusion criteria supported the use of promotoras to improve mammography …

Final Culminating Project: Program Development, Erin Helms

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This 16-week capstone project was completed at Parker Place, a children’s health, and wellness center, with a focus on program development and advocacy with additional work related to leadership and administration. The overall goal of the capstone project was to determine the benefit of using an occupation-based approach to enhance health outcomes for the patients at Parker Place. The capstone student provided education about the role of occupational therapy in a non-traditional setting, created a program to help patients acquire sustainable healthy habits, developed a workshop for families struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and provided resources about picky eating …

Hand Hygiene For Health Promotion, Phyllis Knight-Brown

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

For many years public health organizations, such as The World Health Organization (WHO) and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have stressed the need for proper hand hygiene. Proper hand hygiene requires a prescribed process to rid the hands of potentially infecting organisms by using soap and water (handwashing) or hand sanitizer (sanitizing). These processes need to be performed at critical times to promote infection prevention. Many studies have shown that hand hygiene is a learned behavior that becomes habitual over time, and behavior change mechanisms in addition to education are needed to affect a long-term change in …

Mass Matters: Increasing Mammography Rates To Underserved Women, Ingrid N. Cooper

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in Indiana and the United States (Indiana Cancer Organization, 2019). An estimated 268,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed and 41,760 women died due to breast cancer in 2019 (ACS, 2019). Substantial breast cancer-related morbidity and mortality disparities persist among the underserved. Disparities in breast cancer outcomes are due to lower mammography screening rates, lack of timely follow-up of abnormal results, and lack of timely treatment initiation among women with breast cancer (Highfield et al., 2015). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to address low mammography …

Differences In Knowledge Acquisition, Perceived Engagement And Self-Efficacy In Latino Promotores Delivering The Heart Disease Prevention Program Su Corazόn, Su Vida, Samuel Matos-Bastidas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Su Corazόn, Su Vida (Your Heart, Your Life) is a community-based, small-group health intervention designed to empower Latinos to enhance cardiovascular disease awareness and initiate enduring lifestyle changes to improve health outcomes and quality of life. Originally developed to be delivered in weekly sessions in Spanish or English language, it addresses several heart disease risk factors including unhealthy eating habits, poor physical activity, high cholesterol, overweight, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and tobacco smoking, among others. Instructors use diverse learning and support strategies such as group discussion, role modeling, problem-solving, health action planning, and self-monitoring. Participants help each other to stay on …

Planned Behavior And Congolese Physicians’ Practice: Predicting Advanced Preventive Health Services Provision, Jean-Clément Milabu Mumbusi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The provision of preventive services, health promotion, and health maintenance has become the cornerstone of primary care practice in the United States and other Western countries to prevent morbidity and premature mortality and to increase the quality and years of a healthy life. Unfortunately, the delivery of these advanced preventive health services (APHS) has been sporadic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with poor health indicators. The purpose of this cross-sectional mixed-method study was to apply Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict the intention of Congolese primary care physicians (PCPs) in the provision of APHS. Using …

Routines To Enhance Active Lifestyles (Real) Projects: A Pilot Program To Promote Incidental Physical Activity, Hieu Ly

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Engaging in different types of incidental physical activity of daily living (e.g., walking to school or stair climbing) could contribute to individuals leading more active lifestyles by improving their total physical activity levels and reducing rates of inactivity. Particularly, post-secondary students are highly inactive and innovative strategies are needed to encourage them to be more active. The overall purpose of this research program was to explore the use of evidence-informed and tailor-made point-of-choice prompts to promote active transportation and staircase use among university students. Study 1 employed focus groups to determine the most suitable health messages and designs to create …

Examining The Effects Of Service-Learning On Students' Perceptions Of The Ches Responsibilities– A Pilot Study, Victoria M. Surratt

MSU Graduate Theses

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a service-learning project on students' willingness, confidence, and perceived importance to incorporate the Certified Health Education Specialist, Areas of Responsibility (CHES-AOR), into their profession. It was hypothesized that students participation in a service-learning project in an undergraduate health and wellness course would be more willing, confident, and perceive it as more important to apply the CHES-AOR within their chosen health profession. Methods: Missouri State University students registered in the fall 2018, undergraduate Health and Wellness service-learning course (KIN-350-001), completed an online survey at the beginning and the end of the semester. Seven questions were …

The Influence Of A Centrally-Procured School Food Program On Consumption And Instances Of Fruits And Vegetables In School-Age Children, Kimberly D. Charbonneau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: In Canada, 70% of youth are not meeting the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables (FV) daily. School nutrition programs are one strategy for improving dietary habits in youth.

Methods: A two-year pilot cluster randomized controlled trial was implemented within Southwestern Ontario to assess how a ten-week centrally-procured school food program (CPSFP) influences students’ consumption and instances of FV compared to the traditional school nutrition program (TSNP).

Results: Children were 9-13 years of age; 30 schools received the CPSFP and 30 received the TSNP. Vegetable consumption did not change with the CPSFP (mean=0.0; SD=1.0) or the TSNP …

Strategies For Patient Engagement In A Self-Management Program For Adults With Diabetes, Carolinee Jokotola Ogungbayi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients' lack of adherence to diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) recommendations is a challenge for healthcare. One approach to addressing patient noncompliance with DSMES is through education of staff on current guidelines. In an outpatient facility in South Texas, staff training on current DSMES guidelines was recommended as one of the solutions to the problem of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complications observed among clinic patients. An educational module was created to increase staff knowledge on T2DM and to assist staff members in teaching patients to self-manage T2DM. The module was built on the self-management and health promotion models, …

Changes In Fish Consumption Patterns And Knowledge Pre-/Post-Fish Consumption Education By Race In The Capital District Of New York State, Donghong Gao

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

Meaning And Hope In Health Behavior Change: An Examination Of Health Coaching For Individuals With Disabilities, Krys Standley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Introduction:In an effort to expand the reach of health-promotion efforts for people with disabilities, a one-on-one health promotion intervention titled Health My Way was piloted. This intervention incorporated health coaching and health-promotion curriculum designed specifically for people with disabilities.

Purpose:The intervention was evaluated for its effects on health behavior change. Additionally, personal sense of meaning and hope were examined as potential mechanisms of influence in the hypothesized behavior change process.

Methodology:A convergent-parallel mixed-methods research design was used to examine the research questions. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were used to evaluate changes in levels of meaning, hope, and …

Impact Of A Hand Hygiene Curriculum And Group Handwashing Station At Two Primary Schools In East Africa, Stephanie Pasewaldt

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Handwashing drastically reduces the transmission of deadly, preventable diseases. Schools, even those with limited resources, have the power to promote handwashing through simple, effective interventions. This study evaluated the impact of a school-based handwashing program consisting of two interventions: a hand-hygiene curriculum and group handwashing station. Mixed quantitative and qualitative pre/post intervention surveys were administered to students at one primary school in Kenya (n=38) and at one primary school in Uganda (n=57). Identical procedures were followed at each school. Paired t-tests for pre/post-surveys demonstrated an increase in students’ knowledge (p

Knowledge Disparities In Diabetes Mellitus Among Undergradute College Students: An Exploratory Study, Caroline Duffy

Honors College Theses

The primary goal of this research study is to examine the knowledge disparities in diabetes mellitus of health related and non- health related undergraduate majors at Georgia Southern University. The Newest Vital Sign tool is used to assess health literacy between majors. Health related majors will have a higher health literacy score. The research questions to be investigated are (a). do non-health related majors lack an understanding of diabetes mellitus and (b). do all college students have adequate health literacy. With the findings, health education and promotion programs can be established and directed towards the appropriate population.

Does Facial Physiognomy In The Context Of Anoccupational Safety And Health Message Predict Outcomes?, Ian Parker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Physiognomy, the practice of looking to another person’s outward facial appearance to unmask the inner character of that person, has had a diverse historical impact within art, medicine, theology, anthropology, law, criminology, political history, psychology, psychiatry, and popular culture, since it was conceptualised in Greece during the 5th and 4th centuries B.C (Physiognomy, 1999-2009, 2009a). Aristotle, the prominent Greek philosopher, penned many chapters on physiognomic properties and touched upon strength/weakness, genius/stupidity, and other trait characteristics and their opposites in so far as such characteristics were associated with facial form (Physiognomy, 2006, 2009b).

In more modern times, facial recognition and evaluation …

Influencing College Influenza Vaccination Through A Multi-Component Campaign, Heather Strickler

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Multiple influenza strains exist and college aged students are the most affected population from the H1N1 strain. The H1N1 influenza pandemic had high attack rates reported on campuses from 25% to 73% (Benjamin et. al., 2016; Uddin et. al., 2009). Only 8% to 40% of college students are vaccinated against influenza despite a target goal of 50% set by the American Healthy Campus 2020 (Benjamin et. al., 2016; Poehling, et. al., 2012). The purpose of this evidence based project was after implementing a multi-component influenza vaccination campaign to determine changes in intent to receive the vaccine among college students. To …

Exploring Physical Activity And Screen-Viewing Policies In Canadian Childcare Centres, Emily C. Ott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study aimed to explore the presence and characteristics of physical activity and screen-viewing regulations in Canadian childcare centres. Using a modified version of the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation Self-Report tool (EPAO-SR), an online survey was distributed to childcare directors/administrators. A total of 1,290 childcare representatives accessed the survey, 514 provided complete data. Of these, 295 (44%) centres indicated having a written physical activity policy (with the majority regulated at the provincial-level). Characteristics of these policies included amount of time: spent outdoors (395; 63%); in teacher-led active play (101; 16%); and physical activity education for children (91; 16%). …

Investigating The Practice And Capacity Of Paediatric Occupational Therapists To Promote The Physical Activity Levels Of Children In Western Australia, Sally Coombs

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Reorientation of the Australian health care system to meet the increasing burden of disease requires health workers to develop a focus on disease prevention and health promotion. In Western Australia (WA) a priority area for the promotion of health involves increasing the physical activity levels (PAL) of children in accordance with Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines. There is substantial support in the literature for paediatric occupational therapists, who assist children to participate in a range of meaningful occupations, to incorporate the promotion of children’s PAL into their service. However, there is a dearth of research world-wide regarding occupational …

Assessing Physical Activity And Sedentary Time In The Early Years, Leigh M. Vanderloo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The overall purpose of this dissertation was to explore young children’s (18 months to 5 years) physical activity and sedentary time. Study 1 assessed the physical activity and sedentary time among a sample of toddlers from London, Canada using two data processing approaches. Study 2 explored the impact of three different early learning environments, and their respective characteristics (e.g., staff behaviours, equipment, sedentary opportunities, etc.), on preschoolers’ activity levels. Study 3 examined differences in two popular accelerometers used to measure young children’s physical activity and sedentary time to better understand measurement discrepancies.

Study 1 revealed that toddlers engaged in 37.27 …

A Gender-Sensitized Weight Loss And Healthy Lifestyle Program For Overweight And Obese Male Hockey Fans: Effects On Dietary Behaviours, Ashleigh De Cruz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

BACKGROUND: Male dietary behaviours have often been associated with overweightness and obesity. Although little research exists to help prevent the problem, this can somewhat be explained by the lack of men engaging in healthy eating and lifestyle change. A gender-sensitized intervention study using hockey as a draw to participate may positively change dietary behaviours and associated health outcomes. METHODS: A 12 week, 12 session, weight loss and healthy lifestyle intervention program was conducted in which overweight and obese male fans of a local hockey team were coached to adopt healthy eating and lifestyle behaviour changes in collaboration with …