Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Examining Risk Perceptions And Efficacy For Healthy Weight Management Among Appalachian College-Aged Students: A Test And Extension Of The Risk-Perception-Attitude Framework, Victoria Ann Ledford

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Obesity disproportionately affects Appalachia and poses a great risk to young adults who already enact poor health behaviors. Research indicates perceptions of risk and efficacy beliefs related to obesity-preventative behaviors are motivating for positive health-related behavioral change. Moreover, literature reveals that social and emotional risks of obesity may be just as motivating as physical risks. The Risk Perception Attitude (RPA) framework posits that efficacy moderates the effect of perceived risk on associated behavioral outcomes. However, neither the RPA nor other literature addresses the role of stigma in this relationship, though obesity stigma has been linked to a variety of negative …

Climate Influence On The Health Of An Appalachian City, Ryan Wade Becka

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2008 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found Huntington, West Virginia, to be the unhealthiest city in America. A Gallup Poll conducted in 2010 found the Huntington-Ashland metropolitan area number one of 188 metro areas where depression diagnoses are most common. Manifestations of poor health in Huntington may be related to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs mainly in winter months. Symptoms of SAD are reported as a lack of energy, sleeping more, and consuming high amounts of carbohydrates and starchy foods. I theorize that these maladaptive behaviors may be a reaction to climate conditions …

Exploring Obesity And After-School Supervision With Adolescents In Rural West Virginia, Sallie Dawn Richards

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Both childhood obesity and the number of children in self-care have increased during the past several decades. Child care arrangements for working parents of middle school children can be a complex problem because unsupervised children who “hang out” with peers after school are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, although unsupervised children at home after school tend to watch more television than their supervised peers. Because children in self-care at home after school tend to engage in more sedentary activities, they may be at greater risk for becoming overweight or obese. The purpose of the present study was to …

Does The Perception Of Obesity Cause Discrimination In The American Workplace?, Kevin R. Anderson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis addresses the problem of discrimination facing the obese in America, specifically the discrimination the obese population contends with in the work place. The purpose of this study is to show the scope of the obesity problem across the United States, stigmas placed on the obese, sociological perceptions regarding the obese, and discrimination that the obese face in the work place.

Despite reports on the growing problem of obesity in America, little is known about the perspectives of the obese themselves, especially regarding discrimination in the work place. Literature is largely negative, relating the obese with undesirable traits and …