Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Improving Chinese Mothers’ Health Literacy: A Wechat Intervention, Qiong Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

The health literacy and eHealth literacy of women during the reproductive age is crucial, as it can affect their health and the health of their children. Promoting health literacy is essential to achieve mothers’ empowerment by improving access to and capacity of using health information effectively. However, functional, interactive, and critical health literacy and eHealth literacy have never been assessed among Chinese women. The first study during this dissertation assessed functional, interactive, and critical health literacy and eHealth literacy among 421 of Chinese mothers with children under 3 years old. The results revealed overall less than optimal level of health …

Resedent Study- Reducing Sedentary Behaviour May Slow Cognitive Decline In Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Study, Kirsten B. Dillon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Physical activity (PA) has been shown to slow down dementia. Unfortunately, older adults spend most of their day in sedentary behaviours (SB). Breaking up prolonged bouts of sitting with intermittent bouts of light intensity PA may reduce glycemic variability in the brain; potentially mitigating cognitive decline. This study investigated how interrupting SB with 10 min bouts of light intensity PA 3x a day would affect mild to moderate cognitive impairment progression (primary outcome) in older adults residing in an assisted living facility. Participants (n=25) were assigned in clusters into a two arm 10-week single site pilot randomized controlled trial. Secondary …

The Effects Of A Mobile Fitness Application On Weight Management And Physical Acticity Amongst University Students, Erica Deenihan

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

The prevalence of obesity, and obesity related diseases throughout America, specifically in regard to the college student population has steadily climbed over the course of the last forty years, due largely in part to the increase in sedentary lifestyle behaviors, amongst other factors (Swanson, 2016). Physical activity has been widely recognized as a valid means of combatting obesity and weight gain while promoting health related quality of life (Swanson, 2016). Therefore, implementing strategies aimed at increasing physical fitness in attempt to control weight management is imperative to promoting improved health outcomes. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to examine …

Increasing Food Security: Developing And Testing A Nutrition Education Curriculum For A Mobile Food Pantry, Alexandra Lepecha, Kathleen M. Kraft

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Background: The Neighborhood Produce Market (NPM) is a food distribution model similar to a mobile food pantry. NPM stakeholders observed a lack of community engagement and familiarity with produce offered.

Project Description: The objective was to develop a nutrition education curriculum for NPM volunteers to better engage families and community members by providing food samples, recipes, and nutrition education. A stakeholder steering committee guided the needs assessment, curriculum development, volunteer training, and pilot test. The curriculum consisted of food safety, cultural considerations, and nutritional information for nine produce items and food tasting procedures and recipes. Seven student volunteers were trained …

Reducing The Risk: Psychological And Technological Approaches For Improving Handwashing Practices In The Foodservice Industry, Jeffrey Allan Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As Americans are spending greater portions of their dollar on food consumed outside the home, the foodservice industry plays more of an integral part of daily existence compared to previous generations. Given the numerous annual foodborne illness outbreaks that threaten human lives while undermining confidence in the food supply, food safety is a pertinent issue for industry stakeholders, government regulators, and consumers. Food worker handwashing reduces the risk of foodborne illness transmission, yet compliance with this simple behavior is a complex problem. This dissertation addresses, predominantly, the issue of sub-optimal handwashing practices through applying psychology and technology, including wearable computers …

Increasing Low-Income Residents’ Access To Fresh Produce Through A Local Mobile Pantry, Laura Wasson

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Seeds that Feed (STF) is a mobile food pantry located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. STF receives produce from local farmers to distribute to residents in low-income housing sites throughout Northwest Arkansas. According to Feeding America, food insecurity affected 14.3% Washington County, Arkansas’ population in 2016. The purpose of this study was to determine if STF’s model is an effective way to increase individuals’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables and increase their potential to meet the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Patterns (USDA-FP) for to fruit and vegetable consumption. Twenty-three participants from three sites completed the study. A survey was …

Geospatial Analysis Of Rickettsial Species, Amy Frank

Entomology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rickettsia species are obligate intracellular, arthropod-borne bacteria with a potential to cause multiple diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). Fleas, mites, and ticks serve as vectors for Rickettsia, but ticks are the primary vector of interest. RMSF and other rickettsial diseases have continued to gain importance in both human and veterinary medicine as RMSF is the most common tick-borne disease within the United States according to the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Research Center. A statewide citizen science project was utilized to determine the prevalence of Spotted Fever Group (SFG) Rickettsia in Arkansas. This project yielded results in 64 …

A Profile Of Physical Activity In Knoxville Parks, Margaret R. Bailey

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Be Your Best S.E.L.F., Rachel Wood, Casey Hasenbein

Senior Theses

The goal of our thesis was to use our knowledge as Exercise Science students and personal trainers to improve the health of an underserved population in South Carolina. We created a voluntary exercise and self-defense program for the girls residing at Epworth Children’s Home. The program began on October 1, 2018 and concluded on April 29, 2019 with data collecting taking place between October 8th and March 18th. Every other week SASS Defense taught their self-defense program, and on the alternating weeks we facilitated an exercise class. The program also included a mentorship aspect to create a supportive social environment …

Development Of A Quantitative Measure Of Community Readiness For Change, Drew Hicks

Health and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students Plan B Capstone Projects

Introduction: Recruiting community involvement in public health interventions is often met with varying degrees of success. Attitudes, resources, and leadership all impact a community’s ability to effect change. Being able to assess community readiness for change is vital to the successful adoption of any health or wellness initiative. Past efforts in measuring community readiness have been largely limited. This study reports on the development and validation of a survey measuring community readiness to change for health and wellness in the college campus community.
Objective: To develop an instrument capable of measuring the attitudes and ability of a college campus …