Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Risk Factors For Maternal Mortality: A Qualitative Study, Grace Lowe

Honors Theses

Maternal mortality, the death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of delivery, claims approximately 700 women annually in the United States. In Ohio, the rate is slightly less than 16 women each year. Knowledge and intervention of risk factors, particularly the non-medical factors for maternal mortality are crucial to preventing these deaths. This qualitative interview study with community health workers identified specific risk factors Ohio mothers face and how they are being addressed in the field by individuals who work directly with pregnant and postpartum women. The interviews uncovered various interventions that are recommended to reduce the …

Evaluation Of Patellar Tendon Load Across Sports-Related Activities, Breven Perry

Honors Theses

Osgood Schlatter’s Disease (OSD) is a disease that results in a painful inflammation of the tibial tuberosity caused from overuse of the knee as the apophyseal growth plate is continuing to close in adolescence. As this condition arises from too much tension on a closing growth plate, it is most prevalent in children 8-15 years old, and especially common in athletes. The purpose of this study is to examine the peak patellar tendon force experienced from a variety of movements common in sport. 30 subjects performed a walk, run, hop, single-leg hop (SLH), countermovement jump (CMJ), single-leg CMJ, drop vertical …

The Communal Integration Of Nutrition-Related Cultural Assets Of The Latinx Population In The Greater Dayton Area, Hannah G. Waters

Honors Theses

Due to a series of social determinants, the Latinx population currently living in the United States is suffering from a multitude of health disparities. Many of these disparities are nutrition-related, as the health issues that most disproportionately affect the Latinx population are obesity and diabetes. In order to treat these dietary-related health disparities, one must examine the complex aggregation of factors that work to influence specific dietary habits. Dietary habits are impacted by a series of individual, social and environmental factors. Moreover, in the case of Latinx nutrition, the level of acculturation, or cultural adjustment, plays a crucial role in …

No Room For Racism: A Critical Analysis On Corporate Social Responsibility And Racial Justice Advocacy In The English Premier League, Nicholas A. Kerver

Honors Theses

The English Premier League's "No Room For Racism" campaign is dedicated toward stopping racism in the league, sport, and society as a whole. The campaign is two years old at the time of this publication, and has had several phases. This study examines the campaign from the framework of corporate social responsibility and corporate social advocacy. The stakeholders affected by "No Room For Racism" are affected and react in differing ways, while using different communication methods in their promotion of the campaign. One key stakeholder, the Premier League's fans, took to social media to express their opinions on the campaign. …

Breaking Down Barriers To Sustainable Eating At The University Of Dayton, Lauren Murray

Honors Theses

Sustainability is at the forefront in many conversations and innovations at the University of Dayton (UD), ranging from the Hanley Sustainability Institute to the Sustainability club. However, sustainability extends beyond water and energy conservation. In addition to these, students and faculty at UD can impact their carbon footprint through sustainable eating. The purpose of this research was to define sustainable eating, determine the carbon footprint of foods served in the UD dining halls, and develop and evaluate an educational intervention aimed at UD students within the Virginia West Kettering dining hall. The results of this research were considered in the …

Leaving A Legacy: Empowering Students To Give Back, Eric Schutter

Honors Theses

Most college universities struggle to convince alumni to give back to their former institutions. Currently, only 19.9% of college alumni give back to their former colleges (Alumni Factor, 2018). Despite the amount of time and energy that schools invest in their students, many of the students are not making any sort of commitment in return. However, there is a solution. If college programs found ways to create avenues for students, both current and former, to give back outside of just university general funds, they could see an increase in student giving from both parties. While there is a notion that …

The Effect Of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning On Exercise Hyperemia In Multiple Sclerosis, Jane E. Rosmarin

Honors Theses

Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a non-invasive technique in which blood flow is cut off to a limb for a short period of time which produces a protective effect throughout the whole body to subsequent low oxygen conditions. One of the prominent cardiovascular limitations to exercise in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) is fatigue, which may stem from the decreased delivery of oxygen to muscle tissue during exercise. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that RIPC would increase forearm blood flow (FBF) and utilization of oxygen at the level of the muscle tissue in individuals with …

Development Of An Evidence-Based Strength Training Program For Individuals With Dementia Participating In Adult Day Services, Jaclyn Franz

Honors Theses

Falling and loss of mobility present serious risks for elderly adults, especially those with cognitive impairments such as dementia. These risks are shown to be significantly reduced when elderly adults participate in exercises focusing on strength and balance of sufficient intensity. Despite these potential benefits, many adult day programs do not incorporate exercise in a systematic and progressive fashion to achieve desirable improvements in function.

The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based exercise program, later titled Simply Strong, for reducing fall risk and improving mobility in elderly adults with dementia participating in Goodwill Easter Seals adult day …

Health Policy Responses And Infrastructure Re-Use In Host Cities Of Mega-Sporting Events In Non-Traditional Host Countries, Andrew Kramer

Honors Theses

The IOC has increased their focus on long-term effects for hosts of the Olympic Games, coinciding with increased academic interest in studying the positive and negative legacies of mega-sporting events in the host city. Recently, cities in relatively underdeveloped countries have won bids for mega-sporting events. City officials and the IOC have begun marketing mega-sporting events as transformational events for underdeveloped cities’ economies, urban infrastructure, social landscape, and health. The thesis investigates the impact of hosting mega-sporting events for public health and infrastructure in three case studies: the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the 2014 Winter Olympics …

Interference Of The Inflammasome Via Interferonβ, Madeline Sauer

Honors Theses

Metabolic disorders such as type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity are known to have a chronic low grade inflammatory tissue environment as well as an increase in excess lipids. Current research suggests that a tightly regulated oligoprotein complex known as the NLRP3 inflammasome is highly activated in T2DM and obesity. However, it is not well understood the interplay between excess lipids, which was previously shown in our lab to cause lysosome damage, and inflammation. A key transcription factor that is known to have both an inflammatory effect as well as an effect on lipid metabolism is PPARγ. For this …

The Effect Of Oral Rehydration Solutions (Sports Drinks) On Strength, Speed, And Endurance: A Field Study, Andrea Wisniewski

Honors Theses

Research Objective: The specific objective of this study is to contrast three different oral rehydration solutions (sports drinks) during a prolonged exercise trial on muscular strength, speed, and endurance in healthy young adult males.

Methodology: Thirteen (13) healthy male subjects will participate in a 5-mile walk on an outdoor track carrying a 40-pound rucksack on three separate occasions while drinking one of three (3) oral rehydration solutions (sports drinks) at a rate of 250 mL every 15 minutes as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine. All three trails will be performed outdoors and differences in environmental conditions accounted …

Winning Off The Field: How Social Media Analytics Measure The Sports Industry, Ryan Mcgarvey

Honors Theses

Since Facebook became available to the public, social media (SM) has become the most popular online activity. Currently, 91% of adults are active SM users. Of this 91% of adults on SM, more than 20% of their time online is spent on networking sites like Facebook and Twitter (Weiguo and Gordon, 2014). These powerful tools connect people around the world and show no signs of slowing down.

SM has become a popular online activity for individuals, especially for those involved in business. SM is seen as a tool to aid businesses in spreading their own message, at little to no …

Effects Of A Peer Developed Nutrition Education Intervention On The Fruit And Vegetable Intake In Elementary School Children, Sydney Marie Antolini

Honors Theses

To promote consumption and decrease plate waste, it is important to find innovative ways to encourage fruit and vegetable intake in children. In this study, collaborating with and educating students on nutrition brought attention to the issue and raised awareness in the school system of the need for better nutrition education.

Effects Of Body Weight Loading On Arch Height, Anastasia Bjelopetrovich

Honors Theses

Deformation of the medial longitudinal arch under body weight loading is often assessed using the Arch Height Index Measurement System. This system assesses change in arch height between sitting and standing, estimated to be 10 and 50% of body weight, respectively. However, body weight forces during ambulation exceed these loads, therefore limiting our understanding of arch deformation under ambulatory load ranges. Thus, the study aims were 1) to assess if sitting and standing arch height differed from that seen under 10 and 50% body weight using a force target-matching procedure, and 2) to characterize the relationship between arch deformation and …

Fall Risk Assessment Of Older Adults With Dementia Attending Goodwill Easter Seals Adult Day Services Programs, Jamie Wynk

Honors Theses

Background and Purpose: Elderly individuals, especially those with dementia, are at an increased risk for falls. These falls can result in extremely serious injuries. However, little is known as to what factors put an Alzheimer’s patient most at risk for falls. This study seeks to determine which known fall risk factors are experienced by adults with dementia who attend adult day services. By understanding what risk factors put an individual at an increased likelihood for falls, a specific intervention can be designed to prevent falls in this population.

Participants: To be included in this study, participants had to …

Effects Of Combination Ice And Compression Socks On Resting Calf Blood Flow In Trained Male Athletes, Michael John Hudock Jr.

Honors Theses

Compression socks are common tools that are utilized in the realm of athletics. The purpose of the compression is to increase blood flow to the lower extremities, thereby increasing oxygen and energy sources needed for increased skeletal muscle function and/or recovery. Recently, a product has been marketed that combines the compression element with cryotherapy, the goal being increased blood flow to the lower extremities while reducing inflammation post-workout to quicken recovery. However, to our knowledge, direct measures of blood flow using this type of product have not been performed. Thus, this study looks at the effects of compression with and …

Does Knowledge Make A Difference? Assessing Nursing Students’ Knowledge Of Proper Hand Hygiene Techniques In Correlation With Their Progression Through Nursing School, Charika R. Carradine

Honors Theses

Proper hand hygiene techniques have been widely accepted as the most effective way for health care workers to prevent the spread of diseases. The main focus of this research was to determine differences between nursing students’ semester level and their knowledge of proper hand hygiene techniques. A convenience sample was obtained from the nursing student population. The sample population included nursing students enrolled in the second, third, and fourth semester in nursing school. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version Twenty. A Parametric and descriptive statistics were used to measure the magnitude of relationships between variables, and describe students’ knowledge …

The Acute Effects Of Aerobic And Resistance Exercise On Cardiovascular Function And Arterial Stiffness, Hayleigh Elizabeth Raiff

Honors Theses

The cardiovascular system changes acutely to the stresses of exercise to support the increased metabolic demand of the working tissues. This is accomplished through the augmentation of several parameters including heart rate, blood pressure, and vascular tone such as arterial stiffness. Exercise training has been shown to elicit changes in arterial stiffness but the acute effects of exercise on arterial stiffness have not been thoroughly studied. The current study examined the acute effects of no (control), aerobic (30 minutes of cycling at ~70% maximum heart rate), and resistance exercise (30 minutes, 3 sets of 10 repetitions for 6 exercises) on …

Sex-Dependent Electrophysiological Responses Of Lucilia Sericata To Concentration Gradient Of Indole, Erin T. Filbrandt

Honors Theses

I investigated the responses to specific concentrations of indole in the adult stage of Lucilia sericata, the common green bottle fly. Indole is a commonly used attractant at concentrations between 0 and .04% that has a floral scent at low concentrations and a fecal odor at high concentrations (Cragg, 1950). There were three treatment cages: one all male, one all female, and one mixed male and female. The purpose of these conditions was to observe the difference between sensory responses of males, non-mated females, and mated females. All cages were placed in an incubator to maintain uniform temperatures and …