Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Healthy People Are Bad For Capitalism, Eri King

Theses and Dissertations

Healthy People are Bad For Capitalism is a four part installation that creates an alternative space for the chemicals, Red 40 and Monosodium Glutamate. Presented as a holistic center that offers healing services and remedies, Center for the Red 40 and MSG Healing explores the homeopathic doctrine of Like Cures Like (what make a human ill also cures them) through the relationship between Traditional Japanese Healing Practices, and Western Capitalism.

Healthy People are Bad For Capitalism presents Red 40 MSG Apothecary, Red 40 Zen MSG Healing Rock Garden, Theta Wave Eternal Flame Meditation and Red 40 MSG …

Understanding Public Health Professional Socialization And Professional Identity Formation Experiences, Jennifer M. Freiheit

Theses and Dissertations

Public health is in unstable times with funding decreasing, an exodus of retirees, and a paradigm shift with emergency preparedness and response critically changing the identity of the profession. Public health is at a grave trigger point where if something is not done, the entire field may be in jeopardy of caving in to consolidations, poor succession planning, and a field that cannot work toward the health of the public if they themselves are not operating well. It is commonly accepted that orientation practices exist in public health agencies, but the orientations that currently exist lack transfer to full socialization …

The Correlation Of Size Of Core Network And Frequency Of Contacts With Agitation And Positive Affect In Elderly With Dementia, Amal Ali Al Ghassani

Theses and Dissertations

In the country of Oman, care needs of older adults are primarily provided by family members in the home. The study was guided by socioemotional selectivity theory, the environmental vulnerability hypothesis, and the need-driven dementia-compromised behavior theories. The central premise was that the size of the person’s activities of daily living (ADL) core network and frequency of contact with the ADL core network would predict agitation and affect. A smaller core network with a higher frequency of contact may be better at identifying and treating the person’s unmet needs. A secondary premise was that the emotional closeness of the core …

Evaluation Of Student Competence In Simulation Following A Prebriefing Activity: A Pilot Study, Sarah Black Beman

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Simulation-based learning (SBL) shows promise to potentially improve clinical competence in nursing education. The efficacy of evidence-based prebriefing activities and valid and reliable systems to evaluate those strategies is a gap in the literature. Preliminary evidence shows that prebriefing can improve participant outcomes. The goal of this pilot study was to compare the outcome of clinical competence for prelicensure nursing students based on assignment to one of the following prebriefing activities: standard, careplan, or concept mapping. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental double-blind, posttest only, comparison-group design, pilot study. The participants were from an associate degree professional nursing program. Out …

Feasibility Of A Social Emotional Parenting Curriculum Applied In An Early Head Start Home Visitation Program With Mexican Immigrant Families, Patricia J. Ealy

Theses and Dissertations

Early social-emotional development is influenced by the experiences of the child especially the parent-child interaction and relationship. Influences on the parent’s ability to provide nurturing enriched parenting experiences include the parent’s past encounters with how they were parented. The Building Early Emotional Skills curriculum (BEES) has a component of self-awareness exercises that assist parents to understand personal parenting behaviors and attitudes. The BEES framework is an infant mental health model with a specific focus on early social emotional development. Curricula related specifically to early child social-emotional development based on an infant mental health model is limited in the literature. However, …

Association Of Childhood Blood Lead Levels With Firearm Violence Perpetration And Victimization, Lindsay Rae Emer

Theses and Dissertations

Over 10,000 Americans are killed in firearm homicides each year, and an additional 40,000 are injured in nonfatal shootings. There is a significant public health need to identify risk factors that can be modified to prevent firearm violence. Environmental lead exposure is a demonstrated neurotoxicant which causes behavior changes that are known to be criminogenic. More recent research has demonstrated that homicides and nonfatal shootings differ by the circumstances that lead to the shootings (i.e. gang, domestic violence, arguments) and aggregating them could lead to biased results. Although studies have found a relationship between childhood lead exposure and criminal behaviors, …

Exploring Resiliency And Family Functioning For Families Of Premature Infants, Karen Schnackel Gralton

Theses and Dissertations

The impact of a premature birth on a family is a crisis requiring a process of adjustment and adaptation. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (RMFAA) describe this process for families and was the conceptual framework for the current study. A modified model of the RMFAA was used to explore family resiliency for Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and Non-Hispanic White (NHW) families of premature infants through the identification of protective and recovery factors. The aims of the current study explored the association between protective and recovery factors and family functioning.

Biological mothers of premature infants (< 37 weeks gestational age) and one other family member, who identified as either NHB or NHW were recruited in five separate Level III or IV neonatal intensive care units. Fifty-five NHW (N = 110) and 24 NHB (N = 48) families completed five scales that assessed their use of protective and recovery factors and their perception of family functioning. Mean scores for family functioning indicated that most family members viewed themselves as functioning effectively at that point in time.

Specific demographic …

Social Engagement And Health: A Structural Equation Modelling Analysis Of Downstream Links To Health Outcomes Among White-Collar Professionals, Ahmad Iqmer Nashriq Bin Mohd Nazan

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT AND HEALTH: A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING ANALYSIS OF DOWNSTREAM LINKS TO HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG WHITE-COLLAR PROFESSIONALS

by

Ahmad Iqmer Nashriq bin Mohd Nazan

The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Associate Professor Amy E. Harley

High level of social engagement has been associated with improved health outcomes. Its capacity to influence one’s health has led to the conception of Berkman’s social relationship model which hypothesizes that health is impacted by social relationship through a series of causal processes that begin at the macro-social level (upstream factors) to micro-psychobiological processes (downstream factors). Social engagement …

Relationships Among Climate Of Care, Nursing Family Care And Family Well-Being In Intensive Care Units, Natalie Susan Mcandrew

Theses and Dissertations

Family inclusion in health care delivery is vital for family well-being. However, intensive care (ICU) nurses experiencing frequent ethical conflict, low levels of organizational support and high levels of burnout may not be able to adequately care for families. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among variables related to the climate of care, nursing family care and family well-being in the ICU setting. A conceptual model derived from nursing, family, and organizational theories guided the study.

A cross-sectional, correlational design was used with a convenience sample of nurses (n= 115) and family members (n = 44) …

Variables Relevant To Self-Efficacy: Mexican-American High School Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Matilde Barrera Alaniz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to ascertain if a relationship exists between self-efficacy and grade point average (GPA), age, gender, language proficiency, socioeconomic status, and failed grade levels during school career among Mexican-American high school students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) residing along the southwestern state of the Mexican border. Moreover, to learn if a relationship exists between motivation and the above variables. This study also observed if a relationship between motivation as measured by the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) (i.e., external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation) and GPA existed; it also observed the correlation between …

Wording Matters: The Impact Of Disability Identification In Post-Secondary Education, Jacqueline Marie Love

Theses and Dissertations

Background. The prevalence of students with disabilities (SWD) in postsecondary education has increased over the last 30 years. Moreover, the literature suggests that prevalence statistics may be gross underestimations since large percentages of students have not disclosed their disability to the university they attend. This could have significant negative outcomes. When students do not disclose, the university is less able to accommodate their individual academic needs, resulting in poor academic achievement and even failure to obtaining a degree. Inaccurate identification of SWD also impacts the accuracy of demographic information used to interpret educational research, inform educational policy and can erode …

Using Photovoice To Understand The Meaning Of Social Participation As It Impacts Transitions For Student Veterans, Caitlin Gene Dobson

Theses and Dissertations

Student veterans encounter a variety of social pressures that civilian students do not, making the transition from military life to student civilian challenging. The issue of military personnel transitioning to roles as student veterans is one that is relevant to occupational therapy, as the profession promotes social participation as a meaningful occupation. It has been found that veterans find social relationships to be a critical challenge in the process of transitioning to the university and the civilian world (Plach & Haertlein Sells, 2013).

Additionally, this issue is important to occupational therapy as a factor in promoting mental health. Mental health …

Utilizing Consumer Health Posts For Pharmacovigilance: Identifying Underlying Factors Associated With Patients’ Attitudes Towards Antidepressants, Maryam Zolnoori

Theses and Dissertations

Non-adherence to antidepressants is a major obstacle to antidepressants therapeutic benefits, resulting in increased risk of relapse, emergency visits, and significant burden on individuals and the healthcare system. Several studies showed that non-adherence is weakly associated with personal and clinical variables, but strongly associated with patients’ beliefs and attitudes towards medications. The traditional methods for identifying the key dimensions of patients’ attitudes towards antidepressants are associated with some methodological limitations, such as concern about confidentiality of personal information. In this study, attempts have been made to address the limitations by utilizing patients’ self report experiences in online healthcare forums to …

Unveiling Recovery: A Discourse Analysis Of Mental Illness Recovery Narratives, Elizabeth Albert

Theses and Dissertations

The discussion of mental illness recovery, both academically and socially, has been framed mainly as a morally necessary medical pursuit and has left shadowed the deeper social and cultural implications of recovery ideologies and practices. Previous research has embraced the growing demand for recovery-based practices in mental health organizations, especially those led by persons labeled mentally ill (or “peers”); however, they have yet to more deeply uncover and understand the subjective meanings of recovery. More specifically, how cultural and social interactions of daily life, while both experiencing and being labeled mentally ill, direct the course and meaning of an individual’s …

Association Between Hispanic Parents' Attitudes And Knowledge Regarding Obesity And Their Children's Body Mass Index: Implications For The Development Of Obesity, Renee Starr

Theses and Dissertations

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017), more than 1.9 billion adults age 18 and older are overweight and over 650 million are obese. Data collected through the Centers for Disease Control indicates the prevalence of U.S. adults who are overweight and obese is estimated at 36.5% and the national childhood obesity rate is more than 12.7 million (17%), with approximately one in six school-aged children reaching the obesity level (Ogden, Carroll, Fryar, & Flegal, 2015). Hispanic children have the highest levels of obesity among all racial/ethnic groups (21.9%) and obesity rates are especially prevalent among impoverished Hispanics residing …

The Effects Of Family Stressors On Depression In Latino Adolescents As Mediated By Interparental Conflict, Jenny Carolina Mondragon

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive literature suggests that Latino youth experience higher levels of depression when compared to youth from other ethnic backgrounds yet relatively little is known regarding why this particular population is especially susceptible to depression. This study focused on family level stressors and the link between interparental conflict and adolescent depressive symptoms in Latino families. The sample consisted of 400 girls and 290 boys, they were distributed into four groups based on gender and family structure. Written surveys were completed in their respective English classes measuring the aforementioned variables. Results indicated a significant relationship across all four groups between family stressors …

Longitudinal Relations Between Interparental Conflict And Adolescent Self-Regulation: The Moderating Role Of Attachment To Parents, Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

This study used growth curve analysis to investigate associations between interparental conflict, attachment to parents, and adolescent self-regulation outcomes. Using data from 681 families in the Flourishing Families survey obtained in two western U.S. cities, associations between interparental conflict, mother and father attachment, and initial and growth levels of adolescent self-regulation were analyzed across five time points. Adolescent self-regulation showed steady growth across a five-year period during adolescence, suggesting that self-regulation may continue to develop generally throughout adolescence, a finding not revealed in prior research. Adolescent self-regulation increased significantly more in the first city over the five years of the …

Computational Study Targeting Anti-Fungal Tavaborole Analogs And Anti-Cancer Braco19, Babitha Machireddy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis comprises of three computer aided drug design studies utilizing molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations: (i) a lead optimization study virtually screening an initial library of ~120000 lead compounds targeting fungal leucyl tRNA synthetase, (ii) an exploratory study to understand the binding pathway of BRACO19 to a parallel telomeric DNA G-quadruplex by MD simulations and compare with experimentally solved X-ray crystal structure (iii) a comparative study to understand the lack of selectivity of BRACO19 to various topologies of human telomeric DNA G-quadruplex over DNA duplex.

The first chapter provides the background information required to understand the molecular docking …

Parental Attitudes Of Immunization In Children With Special Healthcare Needs: A Qualitative Study, Maren Topham

Theses and Dissertations

Background and Purpose: Just over 15% of children under 18 years of age in the UnitedStates, or approximately 11.2 million children, are estimated to have special healthcare needs.Although children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) make up a small percentage of thepediatric population, they account for over one third of pediatric medical care. Parental attitudesregarding immunization play a significant role in vaccination rates among children. The purposeof this research is to explore parental attitudes regarding immunization of CSHCN.Methods: This qualitative study focused on parental perceptions and beliefs aboutimmunizations for CSHCN. Sixteen participants, who were parents of CSHCN from onepediatric specialty care …

Dietetic Students' Lived Experience Working With Preceptors: A Phenomenology, Mary-Pat Maciolek

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of the research conducted on the preceptor model has focused on Allied Health professions other than dietetics. This phenomenological study sought to understand the preceptor experience in dietetics education as revealed by the individuals who had the experience. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the preceptor experience from the perspective of dietetic education graduates in order to understand the impact of the preceptor experience component of the educational process on the professional growth of dietetics education graduates. The August 2016 ACEND Update reveals no significant progress in the match rate for applicants into supervised practice …

Communicating Consent: An Investigation Of Predictors Of College Student Sexual Consent Communication, Erin L. Link

Theses and Dissertations

Often, sexual consent is only discussed and explored in the context of sexual assault. While consent is often the deciding factor to determine if a crime occurred, consent is also a vital part of an equally enjoyable sexual encounter. The present study examines a variety of variables effects on consent attitudes, norms, and communication behaviors to attempt to identify predictors of college student consent communication. Findings and recommendations are discussed that highlight the necessity of viewing consent as a communicative act.

Social Capital And Hospital Readmission Of Older Adults, Sheryl Emmerling

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts exploring the concept of social capital and hospital readmission of older adults. The first manuscript provides a review of the literature evaluating studies that measure the relationship between social capital and health, healthy behaviors, and access to and utilization of healthcare resources. Further research focusing on testing various types of individual social capital and their relationship to key outcomes including hospital readmission is needed.

The second manuscript is a description of the Social Capital and Health Framework that can serve as an outline for assisting nurses and other healthcare providers to consider older …

Desert Within A City: Exploring The Relationship Between Food Security, Diet, And Body Mass Index, Jamey Ann Baietto

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Food deserts are areas of decreased access to nutritious and affordable foods. Residing within a defined food desert is thought to decrease consumption of produce, dairy, and whole grains and increase consumption of energy-dense foods as well as body mass index (BMI).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the level of food security on consumption of fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains, high-sugar foods, high-fat foods, and BMI.

Design: A one-time, self-administered data collection packet was sent to residents of a food desert. The Dietary Screener Questionnaire was utilized to determine the average daily …

Utilization Of Lung Cancer Screening And Molecular Testing To Improve Lung Cancer Outcomes, Jennifer Lynne Ersek

Theses and Dissertations

Despite progress in detection and treatment, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends adults at high risk for lung cancer undergo annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening, however, lung cancer screening (LCS) uptake remains low. Qualitative research on family physician (FP) perceptions and experiences with LCS has been limited since USPSTF publication and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) decision memo. We conducted a qualitative study to assess FP knowledge and perceptions of LCS and gain insight into their current experiences with LDCT. A …

Mechanism Of Action Of American Ginseng And Its Components In The Treatment Of Ulcerative Colitis, Anusha Chaparala

Theses and Dissertations

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), mainly ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn’s disease (CD), are chronic, idiopathic, inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract affecting millions of people worldwide. The incidence of IBD is steadily increasing in the modern world due to changes in dietary habits and other environmental influences that originated from industrialization. The etiology is poorly understood but is believed to be a combination of genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and overactive immune system. UC is characterized by inflammation and ulceration of colonic mucosa and rectum and has a higher incidence than CD. Aside from severely affecting the quality of life of the …

The Role Of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8 In Vascular Disease, Desiree Leach

Theses and Dissertations

In response to injury, mature vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) undergo dedifferentiation, also known as phenotype modulation or switch. This process is characterized by a downregulation or loss of expression of contractile genes and concomitant with an increase in cell proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix production, thereby leading to vascular lesion formation. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. The objective of my study was to determine whether cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8), a transcription-regulating kinase, plays a mediator role in vascular SMC dedifferentiation and lesion formation. Our results from immunochemical staining and Western blot revealed that CDK8 expression …

Characterization Of Jet Fuel Combustion Emissions During A C-130 Aeromedical Evacuation Engines Running Onload, Michelle L. Page

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to characterize jet fuel combustion emissions (JFCE) in an occupational setting. Prior research demonstrated that aircraft emit hazardous species, especially at engine start-up and ground idle. Complaints of eye, nose, and throat irritation from occupational exposures near aircraft exist. In this study JFCE were tested during an aeromedical evacuation engines running patient onload (ERO) on a C-130 Hercules at the 179^th Airlift Wing, Mansfield-Lahm Air National Guard. Ultrafine particles, VOC, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide (CO), sulfuric acid, and metals were sampled simultaneously in approximate crew and patient breathing zones. Testing methods were portable condensation …

The Effect Of Paid Sick Leave On Physician Office-Based Visits, Korvin Vicente

Theses and Dissertations

This paper uses a balanced sample of workers from cross-sections of the National Health Interview Survey to estimate the causal effects of paid sick leave on the medical care seeking behavior of individuals, as measured by physician office-based visits.

What Should Be Included In A Measure Of Communicative Participation? Perspectives Of Speech-Language Pathologists, Natalie Kelly Graceffa

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A MEASURE OF COMMUNICATIVE PARTICIPATION? PERSPECTIVES OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS

by Natalie Graceffa

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017 Under the Supervision of Professor Dr. Shelley Lund

As the field has developed, speech-language pathologists (SLP) need to validate their therapies and prove, beyond clinical judgment, that their therapy is necessary and ethical. SLPs and other healthcare professionals must prove they are achieving positive outcomes with their treatment, and that the outcomes they set are appropriate for their patients and clients. To bring this validity to the treatment of health, the International Classification for Functioning, Disability, and …

Influence Of Expectations Of Aging On Older Women’S Use Of Dietary Supplements Using The Health Promotion Theory, Barbara Emily Hekel

Theses and Dissertations

The use of vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements by older adults is increasing and changing. There are concerns about supplement quality, safety, and vitamin D overuse. Little is known about supplement use by nursing home residents and about factors that influence older women to use supplements. The current study describes the supplement use of 247 nursing home residents and 110 independent living women 65 years or older in the Midwestern United States. A secondary analysis of 247 medication administration records describes the prevalence of vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplement use of nursing home residents. Using the health promotion theory, the …