Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Border Epidemiological Study Of Aging: The Role Of Psychosocial Factors On Mortality Of Mexican Americans In South Texas, Raed Jannadi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite Mexican Americans experiencing many chronic illnesses, e.g., diabetes and obesity, they exhibit higher life expectancy than other population groups in the United States. This is known as the Hispanic Paradox. This dissertation aimed to further contribute to the literature on the “paradox” by investigating the association between psychosocial factors rarely investigated in this population, such as social support, self- rated health, and stressful life events, with incident diabetes and all-cause mortality.

Data for this dissertation are from the Border Epidemiological Study of Aging, known as BESA, a population based longitudinal study consisting of four waves conducted in South Texas …

Outcomes Of Transition To Adult Hv Care In Perinatally Hiv-Infected Young Adults, Susan Biersteker

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transitioned perinatally HIV-infected patients may be at increased risk for poor outcomes, yet the impact of transition and of transition programs on health are not well understood. This research examined: (1) post-transition mortality, (2) engagement in adult HIV care, (3) transition experiences, and clinical and sociodemographic influences, including transition program exposure. Data were collected from patients who had transitioned from a Florida pediatric clinic to adult HIV care between January 2003 and September 2012. Post-transition mortality and care engagement were assessed in a retrospective analysis of medical record data. Fisher exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for significance testing. Risk …