Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Association Between Teen Pregnancy And Academic Performance Among Schoolgirls In The Ivory Coast, Moussokoura Ouattara Epse Assoumou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractTeen pregnancy (TP) is a social and public health problem around the world. In developed nations, approximately 16 million girls from aged 15 to 19 years become pregnant each year, presenting health problems for the mother and fetus in addition to economic and social consequences for the communities in which they live. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study, based on the theory of planned behavior, was to explore the association of academic performance and self-efficacy with TP. The research questions examined the association between the TP and the academic performance and self-efficacy while controlling for two covariates (socioeconomic status …

Experiences Of College Freshmen Women Who Eat In A Social Environment, Kylie Cowens Blodgett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social cognitive theory suggests that social surroundings influence health behaviors, and social modeling literature supports that eating behaviors are influenced by social norms. Eating decisions are especially vulnerable to social influence during the transition to college, although current interventions do not address social influence in the context of the eating environment itself or consider how men and women may experience this environment differently. This generic qualitative study explored how freshmen women perceived their experiences eating in a cafeteria setting. The research questions investigated freshmen women’s perceptions about social influence on self-efficacy, self-regulation, outcome expectations, and modeling of normative information …

Impact Of Race-Related Stress And Intraracial Microaggressions On Self-Efficacy Of African Descendants, Samina Long

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Race-related stress such as ancestral trauma and experiences of out- and in-group microaggressions can be intergenerationally transmitted from parent to child. The current study was conducted to address the need for research on race-related trauma and out- and in-group discrimination by providing evidence-based research on whether African descendants experiencing and witnessing race-related stress and intraracial microaggressions results in low self-efficacy. The purpose of this quantitative, multiple regression design was to explore the relationships among race-related stress, intraracial microaggressions, and self-efficacy, which may provide clarity on the psychological impact of these stressors. This study addressed the question of whether race-related stress …

Oral Health Literacy And Oral Hygiene Habits In A Kentucky Appalachian Community, Katie D. Schill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study sought to identify the level of oral health literacy held by people who live in transitional and distressed Kentucky Appalachian areas and if this effects how often they are using oral hygiene techniques. Data were also collected to describe the attitudes Kentucky Appalachian adults hold toward oral hygiene and oral health status. Current documentation shows that poor oral health remains a public health threat in this population despite efforts such as school-based sealant programs and increased dental insurance coverage. This study followed a quantitative design and 99 participants were polled using a survey specifically developed for this study's …

Demographic Differences, Self-Esteem And Sexual Assertiveness Among Black Women, Sharon Lewis-Keith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a high HIV prevalence rate for Black women in Virginia; however, few scholars have examined how sexual assertiveness and self-esteem against HIV vary within this group. Black women who have low levels of self-esteem may increase their risk for HIV. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to determine if four aspects of sexual assertiveness (sexual initiation, sexual refusal, HIV/AIDS/STD communication, and contraception/STD prevention) differed across demographic categories and were associated with self-esteem in a diversified group of Black women living in Virginia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a community-based sample of 117 adult Black women. …

Parental Self-Efficacy, Feeding Practices And Styles, And Obesity In Mexican American Children, Maria Carmen Goodwin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity rates among Mexican Americans have risen along with the concerns of public health professionals. The purpose of this cross-sectional study, based on social cognitive theory, was to investigate the relationships among parental self-efficacy, parental feeding practices and styles, and childhood obesity, as measured by the parental perception of child weight, among Mexican Americans in Texas. Mothers and fathers (n=83; 33 males, 64 females), with at least 1 child between 8 and10 years, formed the sample. Relationships were assessed using the Tool to Measure Parenting Self-Efficacy questionnaire, the Parental Feeding Practices Questionnaire for Mexican American parents, the Parenting Dimensions …

The Effect Of Two Modes Of Aerobic Assessment On Fifth Grade Students' Self Efficacy, Debra Roth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Declining youth physical activity levels and lack of aerobic fitness have been well documented with a corresponding rise in obesity levels and health issues. Based on Bandura's social cognitive theory, healthy physical activity levels and aerobic fitness are strongly connected to positive physical activity self-efficacy beliefs. This study examined whether student physical activity self-efficacy, motivation, and effort were different for the FitnessGram-® (FG) 1-Mile Run when compared to the 15-minute Aerobic Assessment Based on Improvement (AABI). A concurrent mixed method quasi-experimental approach measured 5th grade students' physical activity self-efficacy beliefs through a pretest and posttest survey while aerobic assessment scores …

Determinants Of Obesity Among Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Adults, Lindsay Buchko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Trends of obesity increased over the last 3 decades with the obesity rate doubling from 1980 to 2010. People with disability are more likely to experience health disparities including obesity compared to the general population. Yet research on the determinants of obesity such as self-efficacy, hearing levels, and deaf acculturation styles among those who are deaf or hard of hearing (HoH) is limited. This cross-sectional study, using the social cognitive theory framework, examined BMI and self-efficacy differences between deaf/HoH adults and hearing adults, aged 20 years and older. This study also examined the associations between BMI or self-efficacy and factors …

Videotaped Role-Play Simulation In Teaching Transcultural Self-Efficacy To Interprofessional Healthcare Students, Holldrid Aner Odreman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased demand for culturally sensitive healthcare services suggests that interprofessional beginning healthcare students need to gain the necessary cultural competency skills to be successful in delivering positive health outcomes for diverse patients. Bandura's theory of observational learning, Mezirow's theory of transformative learning, and Purnell's and Paulanka's model of cultural competence informed the framework for this research. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to determine the relationship between mode of instruction (observing role models in videotaped role-play simulation) and increased transcultural self-efficacy in cultural competence instruction. A convenience sample of 196 students enrolled in an interprofessional education (IPE) course …

Predictors Of Condom Use Among Middle-Income, African American Women, Yvonne Maire Reed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome

(AIDS) continue to be a major public health threat, not only within the United States but

also on a global scale. Within the U.S. heterosexual population, African Americans

(AAs) continue to bear the greatest burden of new HIV infections. Additionally,

HIV/AIDS interventions have focused on low-income AA women, virtually ignoring

their middle-class counterparts who may be subject to the same sexual risks. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to determine whether if there was an association between the 5 constructs of the Health Belief Model (HBM) and …

Inspiring Change: Exercise Self-Efficacy, Dispositional Optimism, And Perceived Stress In College Seniors, Joshua M. Garrin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prohealth competencies, positive outcome expectancies, and adaptive stress appraisals have profound implications for the real-world transition of college seniors—a population for which engagement in physical activity reflects a preeminent concern. Prior studies on exercise self-efficacy (ESE), dispositional optimism (DO), perceived stress (PS), and physical activity have yielded inconclusive evidence of the emergent psychosocial challenges encountered during the final year of the college experience. Using a triadic framework of self-efficacy, attribution, and cognitive appraisal theories, this crosssectional, quantitative study was conducted using a web survey to examine (a) the impact of physical activity level on ESE, DO, and PS; (b) the …

Factors Influencing U.S Army Personnel Meeting Body Mass Index Standards, Salma Theus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Factors Influencing U.S. Army Personnel Meeting Body Mass Index Standards

by

Salma Theus

MS, California State University, Dominguez Hills, 2008

BA, La Sierra University, 2005

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Psychology

Walden University

September 2014

U.S. Army Regulations require soldiers to be fit, as excessive weight negatively impacts their readiness, health, and morale. A quantitative study examined if personal, behavioral, and/or environmental factors predict a soldier's self-efficacy and body mass index. Data were obtained from 117 soldiers on 6 scales: the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the Army Physical Fitness …