Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Racial/Ethnic And Sociodemographic Disparities In Lipid Screening And Risk Factor Awareness Among Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care, Reed Mszar

Public Health Theses

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality with younger women being disproportionately affected by traditional risk factors including dyslipidemia. Despite recommendations for lipid screening in early adulthood, many younger women currently do not undergo screening. Prenatal and early pregnancy care represent underutilized opportunities for lipid screening and ASCVD risk assessment. We aimed to assess the prevalence and variations in pregnant women reporting a prior lipid screening and an awareness of high cholesterol as a risk factor for ASCVD.

METHODS: We administered a survey to 234 pregnant women receiving prenatal care at one of the …

What Does It Meme? A Qualitative Analysis Of Adolescents’ Perceptions Of Tobacco And Marijuana Messaging, Jessica Liu

Public Health Theses

With increasing popularity of e-cigarettes and legalization of marijuana, messaging from online sites and platforms are shaping product perceptions and use. Quantitative studies have examined social media statistics of posts; however, there is a lack of research explaining the aesthetic appeal of these advertisements from the adolescents and young adults (AYA) perspective.

Twenty-four participants were recruited from a larger study of adolescents' perceptions and tobacco use (N=772 high school students). Participants were grouped by whether or not they had used tobacco or marijuana products before, with N=8 non-users and N=16 users. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews, where participants …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status And Skin Cancer Using The Health Information National Trends Survey, 2005, Erin Ruoff

Public Health Theses

Background: Skin cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer yet for certain types of skin cancers, it can be fatal if it goes untreated. While ultraviolet radiation is the main cause of skin cancer, there are several other risk factors, including sunburn history, smoking, environmental pollutants, family history, personal history, and skin color. Practicing sun protection behaviors and receiving regular skin cancer screenings can prevent the cancer from ever developing. This study examines the demographic and socioeconomic status risk factors for skin cancer.

Methods: The Health Information National Trends Survey data was used from 2005. Using this …

Asthma Prevalence: Focus On Prevention Management In Community Settings, Augustine M. Amenyah

Public Health Theses

Asthma prevalence continues to increase across the United States of America, affecting more than 43.1 million people and projected to affect over 50 million people by 2025. Asthma prevalence differs by demographic characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, education, age and gender. Poor quality of life is common among people who suffer from asthma, in addition to school and work absenteeism. In 2008, children 5-17 years old with at least one reported asthma attack missed 10.5 million school days in the past year (CDC, 2010). Healthcare use for asthma is high and disparities remain in asthma healthcare use and …

Awareness Of Diabetes Risk And Adoption Of Diabetes Risk Reduction Behaviors In The Presence Of Other Risk Factors In U.S Adults: An Examination Of Nhanes Data 2007-2008, Payal S. Shah

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

Background: Prediabetes is a precursor condition to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Previous research and clinical trials have shown that the onset of type 2 diabetes could be delayed or prevented through structured life style modifications such as dietary changes, modest weight loss and moderate-intensity exercise. This study examines U.S adults of different ethnicities that include non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black and Mexican Americans and whether their awareness of diabetes risk is associated with their participation in diabetes risk reduction behavior, a combination of physical activity, weight control and fat/calories intake.

Methods: The 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES, …

Hiv Seroprevalence At A Baltimore Correctional Facility, Kamala Mallik

Public Health Theses

Abstract

Prison and jail inmates constitute a growing population at risk for HIV infection. Inmates are at high risk for HIV infection because of pre-incarceration drug use; 60% of prison and jail inmates reported using drugs regularly at some point in their lives and 27% to 41% of inmates have a history of injection drug use. The high concentration of drug users in correctional facilities offers unparalleled access to a population that is otherwise difficult to reach for public health surveillance and intervention.

The Baltimore City Correctional Facility HIV Serosurvey was conducted by the Baltimore City Health Department between June …