Public Health Commons^™

Social Media And Mental Health: The Public Health Impact And Future Policy Directives, Renae A. Merrill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between social media use among young people and the increasing concerns of mental health problems in the U.S. and globally is on systemic agendas. Furthermore, research on social media use and mental health indicate reasons to suspect a causal relationship, but more work needs to be done. Therefore, this three-article dissertation seeks to explore (1) associations between social media use, personality, and depression; (2) associations between social media emotional support, anxiety, and personality; and (3) the relationship between social media use and mental health using Deborah Stone’s causal stories framework. Findings from this study provide an improved understanding …

Identifying Predictors Of Eventual Rural Practice Among Female Osteopathic Medical Students, Dana Kahl

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States is facing a growing physician shortage that threatens the ability of our healthcare system to provide needed services. This shortage will be more acutely felt in rural and underserved areas. Osteopathic medical education, with its priority of primary care specialties, plays a significant role in meeting the healthcare needs of rural communities in America. The fastest-growing demographic of osteopathic physicians is women under the age of 45 (American Osteopathic Association, 2021). Additionally, for the first time in history, women outnumber men in medical schools, accounting for 51% of current medical students (Boyle, 2019). Who is admitted to …

Environmental Communication: Changing The Attitude-Behavioral Gap In Science Communication Utilizing Strategic Messaging, Carrie Helgeson Nelms

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

National Polls in the United States consistently find the public’s beliefs and attitudes about climate change and other environmental issues significantly diverge from those held by the science community. A communication gap between the findings on the causes and effects of environmental issues and the public’s inability to interpret or refuse to accept these findings are possible causes of this divergence. This communication gap constitutes a threat to society because of inaction to environmental problems and points to needed changes in scientific messaging that better informs and motivates behavioral change. The present research employed a strategic message design to affect …

Local Broadcast Reporters Maintaining Social Responsibility And Mental Health While Serving A Community Under Lockdown, Mary-Morgan Ellis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at local broadcast news reporters working in Northwest Arkansas before, at the start, and during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Research for this study includes a content study of the tweets and Twitter accounts of eleven local reporters. This study considers the social responsibility theory and examines how these eleven local reporters use the theory in their everyday work. Research found, though these reporters don’t credit the theory by name, they are still putting its guidelines into effect as a sort of moral compass when creating objective and representative news for their communities. The research also found that …

Six Feet Apart: Relational Turbulence Theory And Coping With Covid-19 Within Long-Distance Relationships, Mia Waymack

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Among research that currently exists, no studies thus far combine elements of COVID-19, long-distance relationships, and Relational Turbulence Theory to explain how each of these elements impacts the others, if at all. Previous research does exist on each of these elements individually, although research regarding the long-term effects of COVID-19 on relationships is minimal considering the pandemic is ongoing. Long-distance relationships have been studied using Relational Turbulence Theory in previous studies within military relationships but have not been studied in connection with either COVID-19 or among college students. This study was conducted by way of qualitative, one-on-one interviews to determine …

Examining The Effects Of Oral Contraceptive Use On Thermoregulation, Whitley C. Atkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of combined (estradiol and progestin) monophasic oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use on thermoregulation. Further, we sought to evaluate OCP use on acute rehydration post-exercise in the heat using recommended rehydration guidelines. Methods: Twelve healthy, aerobically trained (VO2peak = 47.8 ± 4.7 mL/kg/min), long term female oral contraceptive users completed a familiarization trial and two experimental days separated by ≥ 7 days. The two experimental trials were identical except for the hormone dosing phase. One trial was completed during the third week of active pill dosing (ACT) and one during …

The Effects Of Alcohol Intoxication And Threats To Masculinity On Engagement In Sexual Aggression: Results From A Web-Based Survey Design And Alcohol Administration Study, Tiffany Lynn Marcantonio

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Research examining the combined effects of men’s alcohol consumption and perceptions of their masculinity as precarious (e.g., viewing masculinity as easily threatened) on sexual aggression (SA) is lacking. The goal of this dissertation study was to assess if alcohol consumption and precarious masculinity are related to men’s SA via a web-administered survey (Study 1) and an in-person alcohol administration experiment (Study 2).

Methodology: In Study 1, two samples of young adult men (aged 18-30) were collected, 1) a community sample of 492 men and 2) a college sample of 478 men, to complete a 20-minute survey; participants answered questions …

The Complexities Of Guilt, Shame, Stigma, And Substance Use Among A Sample Of United States Substance Using Adults, Nicole A. Doyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Guilt, shame, stigma, substance use (problematic/nonproblematic), and help-seeking intention, are complex interrelated constructs that have not been collectively examined in community substance using adults, with mere pieces of each construct previously studied in various populations. Guilt pertains to an action (i.e., I did something bad) whereas shame pertains to the person (i.e., I am bad). Guilt has been shown to function adaptively by prompting individuals to repair transgressive behavior where shame has been shown to function maladaptively by prompting individuals to withdraw and compound the global negative feelings of the self. Stigma of substance use is pervasive and leads …

Exploring Higher Weight Women's Experiences Of Provider Weight Stigma, Meredith W. Moore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the phenomena of weight stigma as experienced by higher weight women in mental health treatment who also engage in restrictive eating behaviors. Women in larger bodies who are emotionally or behaviorally restrictive in their eating behaviors face a unique set of challenges and barriers. These include challenges due the disordered eating behaviors themselves, along with barriers related to weight stigma perpetuated by the mental health providers treating them (Harrop, 2019). Distinct hurdles to proper treatment including delay of diagnosis, longer duration of symptoms, and increased distress related to eating and body …

News Media Trust And Mistrust During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kaitlyn Seiter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the uncertainty and growing information surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, news media consumption has increased drastically compared to pre-pandemic consumption. At the start of the pandemic, 94% of Americans reported closely following COVID-19 news, with more than half of Americans spending more than two hours consuming COVID-19 news everyday (SSRS, 2020). With the news media serving as a critical source of information through this public health crisis, the public’s reactions, behaviors, and attitudes to the pandemic stem from the level of trust they have in the news media to share COVID-19 information. Because of this, this study examines trust in …

Substance Use And Psychological Distress Correlates Of Sleep Quality Among College Students, Juanybeth Morales Ortega

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poor sleep quality in college students is a major problem associated with adverse health outcomes, cognitive performance, substance use, and psychological distress. Our study explored how substance use and psychological distress are associated with the sleep quality of college students. We analyzed secondary data collected in 2019 using a cross-sectional survey design. Measures included participants’ demographic characteristics, sleep quality using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), drug use, depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and suicidality. After excluding participants with missing information for sleep quality, a total of 555 students remained for the analysis. Our bivariate analysis found that …

Impact Of Covid-19 On The Severe Acute Malnutrition Admissions Among Children Under 5 Years Of Age Seeking Nutrition Services In Afghanistan, Sahar Sayedy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the number of admissions of severe acute malnutrition among children under 5 years of age seeking nutrition services in Afghanistan especially in the provinces where the prevalence of COVID-19 was high, for the period of February – September 2020. The study used comparison and analysis of secondary datasets of the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition – a national program for detection and management of moderate and severe acute malnutrition in the country.

This study analyzed the association between COVID-19 cases and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) admissions of …

Campus Mental Health Service Use Among Female Survivors Of Sexual Violence: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Hannah Coffman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Description: Despite the increase in resources to address the alarming rates of collegiate sexual violence (SV), survivors consistently do not disclose or seek mental health treatment from campus supports (Halstead et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of women who survived SV during college.

Method: Seven women who experienced SV during college completed a series of two semi-structured interviews using a HIPAA-compliant, web-conferencing software (Seidman, 2013). The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) framework (IPA; Smith, 2004; Smith et al., 2009). A six-step data analysis procedure identified …

Vulnerability To And Protection Against Covid-19 Fear, Threat, And Worry, Marsha Kim Huh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drawing from a sample of 10,368 adults living in the U.S., the current study examines the role of social and psychological resources in lowering COVID-related fear, threat, and worry, controlling for a number of social vulnerabilities (e.g. gender, race/ethnicity, and presence of children). The impact of social location, particularly in regards to race, and how one accesses and/or utilizes social and psychological resources is also examined through disaggregated regression models. Results demonstrate that some social and psychological resources impact COVID-specific distress (fear/threat/worry), but depending on the resource, relationships vary in direction and significance. The strength of social ties and mastery …

Optimization Of Vaccine Supply Chains In Low- And Middle-Income Countries Utilizing Drones, Maximilian Kolter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite tremendous efforts from governments and humanitarian organizations, millions of children in low- and low-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs) are still excluded from the benefits of immunization. The vaccine distribution in LICs and LMICs is challenging for several reasons, such as limited cold chain capacities, vaccine wastage, uncertain demand, and lack of access to immunization services. A promising avenue to address these issues is the utilization of drones for vaccine delivery. Drones can fly at high speed on direct paths and could enable on-demand deliveries to mitigate limited storage capacities. Further, their independence of road networks could allow them reaching …

A Descriptive Case Study Of The Challenges Of Drug And Alcohol Counselors, Ruben Herron

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Substance abuse is the number one public health problem in Oklahoma and nationally. Annual related expenses of substance abuse in Oklahoma are nearly $2 billion. This qualitative descriptive case study asks the question what are the challenges of substance-abuse counseling? The researcher will be describing in detail the history of drug and alcohol treatment and counseling in America. Using interviews, observations and document collection which will allow the interviews voices to be heard.

An Automated Method To Enrich And Expand Consumer Health Vocabularies Using Glove Word Embeddings, Mohammed Ibrahim

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clear language makes communication easier between any two parties. However, a layman may have difficulty communicating with a professional due to not understanding the specialized terms common to the domain. In healthcare, it is rare to find a layman knowledgeable in medical jargon, which can lead to poor understanding of their condition and/or treatment. To bridge this gap, several professional vocabularies and ontologies have been created to map laymen medical terms to professional medical terms and vice versa. Many of the presented vocabularies are built manually or semi-automatically requiring large investments of time and human effort and consequently the slow …

Hpv Vaccination In Females: The Role Of Primary Health Care And Primary Health Care Providers, Brooke Bouza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two reasons for subpar coverage of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are missed clinical opportunities and nonacceptance of the vaccine upon recommendation from a medical provider. The purpose of study one was to examine factors associated with access and adherence to physician’s recommendations in association with HPV vaccine uptake. Data were obtained from National Health Interview Survey (2017). Variables theoretically related to clinical opportunities and adherence to physician’s recommendations were examined in association with HPV vaccine uptake. Univariate logistic regressions were run to determine the associations between the aforementioned variables and uptake of the HPV vaccine. Multinomial logistic regressions were …

Effectiveness Of Ashtanga And Vinyasa Yoga: Combating Anxiety, Depression, Stress And Sleep Quality., Kati Street

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This lack of rigor in yoga research methodology hinders the understanding of yoga components and best practices. This study implements two yoga interventions with recommended adequate structure, one more physically demanding (Ashtanga Vinyasa) and a less physically demanding (slow flow vinyasa). The instructor, who is also the lead researcher, developed a slow flow vinyasa sequence and modified the set sequence of Ashtanga Vinyasa for beginners. Both yoga interventions cover domains suggested by Sherman (2012) for meticulous methods in yoga research.

Methods: This study implements two styles of yoga with university students over the course of eight weeks, meeting twice …

Within-Person Variability Of Internal And External Sexual Consent, Malachi Willis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Sexual consent is often conceptualized as an internal willingness to engage in sexual activity, which can be communicated externally to a sexual partner. Preliminary evidence indicates that people’s sexual consent varies from day to day. Study designs that assess sexual consent at multiple time points (e.g., experience sampling methodology [ESM]) are needed to better understand the within-person variability of sexual consent; however, extant validated measures of sexual consent are not appropriate for ESM studies, which require shorter assessments due to the increased burden this methodology has on participants. As such, the goal of this dissertation was to develop valid …

Food Safety Risk In An Indoor Microgreen Cultivation System, Gina Marie Misra

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microgreens are immature sprouts of edible plants, sharing some similarities with sprouted seeds and petite leafy greens. Since they are most often grown in containers in buildings or greenhouses, they present a new area for food safety research at the intersection of the built environment and produce farming. Contamination by human pathogens has been extensively studied in other types of produce typically eaten raw, including sprouted seeds, which have been implicated in numerous outbreaks of salmonellosis over the last several decades. There is a paucity of knowledge about the microgreen sector of the fresh-cut industry; thus, it was determined that …

Landscapes Of Danger: A Geospatial Analysis Of Perceived And Realistic Risk In Bryce Canyon National Park, Tia Francis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The quantification of risk has inspired a wide breath of literature from the physical sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary disciplines like geography. Many attempts to estimate risk via natural hazards either focus on quantifying realistic risk or perceived risk of lay persons, with very little overlap between these paradigms. Due to this, a considerable knowledge gap exists within perceived risk and natural hazards research. This study aims to provide a comprehensive, risk estimation and assessment strategy through a multi-hazard risk assessment of Bryce Canyon National Park (BRCA). This case study analyzed knowledge of risk among visitors with perception surveys and …

An Interdisciplinary Study To Understand Treatment Seeking Behavior Among Female Survivors Of Anorexia Nervosa, Meaghan Victoria Tipton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was done to examine what psychosocial factors influence treatment seeking behavior among female survivors of eating disorders. This study uses a mixed methods survey consisting of open-ended item questions regarding treatment experience and social environment, and close-ended items to measure constructs from the Health Belief Model. Fourteen participants were recruited for this study to retrospectively detail their experiences of treatment during their eating disorder. All fourteen participants identified as Caucasian, thirteen identified as female, one identified with other gender, each with a history of medically diagnosed anorexia nervosa. The mean of age of current participants was 29.46, and …

Extracting Patterns In Medical Claims Data For Predicting Opioid Overdose, Ryan Sanders

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project is to develop an efficient methodology for extracting features from time-dependent variables in transaction data. Transaction data is collected at varying time intervals making feature extraction more difficult. Unsupervised representational learning techniques are investigated, and the results compared with those from other feature engineering techniques. A successful methodology provides features that improve the accuracy of any machine learning technique. This methodology is then applied to insurance claims data in order to find features to predict whether a patient is at risk of overdosing on opioids. This data covers prescription, inpatient, and outpatient transactions. Features created …

The Acute Effect Of Water Intake On Glucose Regulation In Low Drinkers, Adam David Seal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous evidence suggests the hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) may be a modifiable factor contributing to hyperglycemia. Significant differences in urine concentration and copeptin, a marker for AVP, have been observed between low and high water drinkers. Purpose: The purpose was to investigate the acute effect of adequate water intake on glucose regulation in low drinkers. Methods: 7 healthy (5 males, 2 female) low drinkers were recruited using a water frequency questionnaire (WFQ), spot and 24-h urine sample (age 43±6 y, BMI 30.9±3, WFQ volume 823±403 mL∙d-1, 24 h Uosm 961±105 mmol∙kg-1, copeptin 8.17±3.05 pmol∙L-1). During two experimental protocols, participants remained …

Quantitative Study Of The Antimicrobial Effects Of Silver On The Motility Of Escherichia Coli, Benjamin Russell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent decades, the number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections has grown to become a serious global threat. This rise can be attributed to the widespread misuse of antibiotics and the lack of newly developed drugs to fight resistant organisms. Novel bactericidal substances have, therefore, garnered significant research interest. Silver, due to its powerful antimicrobial effects, is one such substance. Silver is typically most effective in cationic form; however, advancements in nanotechnology have paved the way for the controlled fabrication of nano-silver. Silver nanoparticles have been shown to have increased antibacterial potency for a variety of reasons, including the release of …

Older Adults’ Expectations, And Knowledge Of Oral Health Issues: A Study Of Arkansas Seniors, Virginia Marie Hardgraves

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The life expectancy of the U. S. population is increasing. The advantages of fluoridated water, dental insurance, greater awareness of preventive oral healthcare measures, and more restorative dental services, have helped this generation of adults maintain their teeth into their advanced years. The demand for oral health care services will be greater and more complex that of previous generations. Challenges for the older adult, and the healthcare system providing for them, are complex. Increasing evidence of a link between oral health and overall health underscores the need to promote public health awareness of the need for dental care to be …

Shifting Abortion Attitudes Using An Empathy-Based Media Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Study, Mary Ellen Hunt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

U.S. abortion restrictions diminish access and perpetuate a culture of hostility toward abortion seekers. Support for restrictions is high—potentially, because restriction knowledge is low and attitudes are complex. The current study focused on knowledge and support of restrictions and empathy for abortions seekers among Arkansans. The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of a video intervention intended to increase awareness of Arkansas abortion restrictions and induce empathy for abortion seekers.

Using a randomized controlled trial with pre-, post-, and follow-up design, a sample of Arkansans (N = 369) were randomly assigned to one of five video conditions--either a control or …

Alcohol Use, Dietary, And Exercise Behaviors: A Latent Profile Analysis Of Young Adult Lifestyle Behaviors, Ryan Wesley Grant

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As individuals enter adulthood, their lifestyles and lifestyle behaviors begin to change drastically. These lifestyle behavior changes in emerging adulthood provide a foundation for future health behaviors that often persist through all of adulthood. The aim of this study was to use Latent profile analyses (LPA) to discover distinct profiles of homogenous groups of young adults based on alcohol, diet, and exercise behaviors. Overall, five distinct profiles for both males and females were identified: Moderates, Unhealthy Eaters, Medium Drinkers, Healthier Eaters and Exercisers, and Heavy Drinkers. Heavy Drinkers and Unhealthy Eaters were the highest risk groups and reported the highest …

Disease And De Soto: A Bioarchaeological Approach To The Introduction Of Malaria To The Southeast Us, Kelly Marie Schaeffer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is well known through documentation in historical accounts that numerous diseases were introduced to the Americas during the time of Spanish and French exploration. Diseases such as smallpox, measles and yellow fever have been credited in playing a role in the Spanish conquest of the New World through drastic Native American population decline. Many researchers have studied the biological consequences of European contact, some using direct skeletal analyses to study changes in Native American health and disease. However, one major population disease that has not been part of these discussions is malaria. This is mostly due to the current …