Digital Commons Network^™

Public Health Law As Administrative Law: Example Lessons, Edward P. Richards

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Factors Associated With Atypical Moles In New Hampshire, Usa, L Titus-Ernstoff, J Ding, A. E. Perry, S. K. Spencer, B. F. Cole, M. S. Ernstoff

Dartmouth Scholarship

Only a few studies, conducted in Sweden, assessed factors associated with the presence of atypical moles in the general population. We conducted a population-based, case-control study in New Hampshire, USA, to identify factors associated with atypical moles. In our study, atypical moles affected 14% of the study population. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 0.34 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.14-0.80) for those with the highest adulthood recreational sun exposure, relative to the lowest. The OR for any freckles, compared to none, was 2.24 (95% CI=1.18-4.25). We found a linear relationship between the number of benign moles and the presence of atypical …

School Counselors In The Mainstream Setting: A Tool For Working With Students With Hearing Impairments In The Public School Environment, Andrea Lynn Niekamp

Independent Studies and Capstones

This study looks at public school counselors who work with hearing impaired students and the counselor’s awareness of specific issues of problems of these students.

Rural Health Research In Progress In The Rural Health Research Centers Program, Maine Rural Health Research Center, Muskie School Of Public Service

Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Books

This book describes the research and policy analysis projects underway in the Rural Health Research Centers Program of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP), Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The objective of this program is to produce research and policy analyses that will be useful in the development of national and state policies to assure access to quality physical and behavioral health services for rural Americans.

Recruitment And Retention Of Emergency Medical Technicians: A Qualitative Study, P. Daniel Patterson, Janice C. Probst, Katherine H. Leith, Sara J. Corwin, M. Paige Powell

Faculty Publications

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are critical to out-of-hospital care, but maintaining staff can be difficult. The study objective was to identify factors that contribute to recruitment and retention of EMTs and paramedics. Information was drawn from three focus groups of EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, and EMT-Paramedic personnel recruited from participants at an annual conference. Thoughts and feelings of EMTs and paramedics were investigated using eight questions designed to explore entry into emergency medical services, what it is like to be an EMT or paramedic, and the EMT educational process. Data were analyzed at the group level for common themes using NVivo. For …

Prevalence Of Type 2 Diabetes Among Minority Groups, Patricia Elizabeth Sanchez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study evaluated Loma Linda University Medical Center's (LLUMC) Diabetes Treatment Center's (DTC) effectiveness in providing diabetes education and services to high risk minority populations. Second, the results of the study helped the DTC determine the need for expanding its present efforts in the form of community health prevention services to San Bernardino County residents.

Trends In The Timing Of First Marriage Among Men And Women In The Developing World, Barbara Mensch, Susheela Singh, John B. Casterline

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The timing of first union merits investigation not only because of the close temporal link between marriage and the onset of childbearing, but also because the age when men and women marry has implications for the organization of family life and for gender relations within society. This paper begins by reviewing the contributions of various social science disciplines to an understanding of the timing of marriage. Using current status data from 73 countries provided by the United Nations Population Division and retrospective data from 52 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1990 and 2001, we then examine recent trends in …

Demographic Variables Affecting Patient Referrals From General Practice Dentists To Periodontists, Mark Roy Zemanovich

Theses and Dissertations

BackgroundWithin dentistry, a limited body of literature exists regarding the referral relationships between general practitioners (GPs) and specialists. The purpose of this study was to investigate the referral relationship between GPs and periodontists within the state of Virginia. MethodsA survey focused on the demographic variables in the referral relationship between GPs and periodontists was developed. The survey was mailed to 800 dentists throughout the state of Virginia. Descriptive statistics was completed along with multivariate logistic regression analysis comparing the responses with the number of patients referred per month to a periodontist. ResultsFemale respondents were more likely to refer three or …

Revisiting Vaccine Hesitancy, Barriers And Motivators To Obtaining A Flu Vaccine In A New Covid-19 Pandemic World, Ann M. Mayo Rn, Dnsc, Faan, Steffanie R. Cobler Np

School of Nursing and Health Science: Faculty Scholarship

Purpose

To describe and compare patient perceived barriers and motivators and decision-making conflict between two groups of hospitalized patients, those who receive flu vaccines and those who do not.

Data Sources

Data collection during 2003 included extracting data from databases and mailing two surveys to 436 discharged patients. One hundred eight (108) patients participated in the study.

Conclusions

Top barriers included fear of side effects from vaccine (35%) and fear of contracting the flu (30%). Top motivators for obtaining a flu vaccine included previous vaccination (93%) and provider recommendation (62%). Barriers, motivators and patient decisional conflict differed depending upon patient …

Introduction Of Healing Touch Into An Established Torture Treatment Center: A Graduate Field Project, Kathleen Mccullough-Zander

Theses and Graduate Projects

Healing Touch, an energetic treatment modality developed by nurses, was introduced into an established torture treatment center with the goal of decreasing torture-related symptoms and increasing survivors' overall sense of well-being and health. Three methods of evaluation were used to determine if the project goal had been met. The first project objective of showing a decrease in participants' reported feelings of anxiety and depression was not achieved. The second project objective of demonstrating a reduction in participant's reported levels of pain was achieved with statistically significant results. The third project objective of obtaining statements of recognition of the therapy as …

Youth Behavioral Risks And Psychosocial Resources In Peru's Alternative-Development Zones, Federico R. Leon, Mary L. Claux

Reproductive Health

Alternative-development programs are being offered to the population of seven regions of central-eastern Peru involved in coca cropping. The youth of these regions are above the national average in risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, use of alcohol and drugs, and violence against women. This study sought to identify and describe protective factors expected to function as counterforces to such risks; develop reliable indicators and provide a baseline concerning the risk behaviors and protective factors; compare youth by gender, developmental stage, urbanization, and geography to determine whether segmented interventions are required; and recommend specific intervention strategies. The results of …

One-Year Client Impacts Of Quality Of Care Improvements Achieved In Peru, Federico R. Leon, Santiago Roca, Alex Rios, Adriana Zumaran, Ana Rosa Feijoo

Reproductive Health

This report presents a one-year assessment of quality-of-care improvements in Peru, following provider training on the job aids–assisted Balanced Counseling Strategy. Results showed significant enhancement of quality of care, an increase in session length, and improved client knowledge of the method chosen when this was an IUD or hormonal method. Correlational findings suggested that better impacts can be achieved in provincial primary health facilities than in larger settings like clinics or hospitals in capital cities. The results are important because: 1) other studies have failed to show significant impacts of controlled quality-of-care improvements on the use of contraception; and 2) …

Peer Nutrition Education: A Model For Nutrition Education Among Spanish-Language Participants Of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants And Children (Wic), Maximino Alfredo Mejía

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Despite the steady improvement in the health status of Americans, Hispanics are a minority in the United States with greater prevalence of several infectious and chronic diseases and less health knowledge than the average citizen. Nearly half of the Hispanics living in this country die of preventable nutrition-related conditions, with heart disease and cancer being the leading causes. Since this minority has limited access to health care and preventive services, there is a need for an inexpensive, viable model of health education for this underserved segment of the population in order to lower the excess of preventable diseases. We trained …

Living Arrangements And Socio-Demographic Conditions Of Older Adults In Cambodia, Zachary Zimmer, Sovan Kiry Kim

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Since the takeover of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge in 1975, analysis of social conditions in the country has been lacking. Only recently has dependable socio-demographic data become available. We use some of these data to examine living arrangements and other socio-demographic conditions among Cambodia’s older population and compare results to those recently found in Thailand and Vietnam. On balance, living arrangements in Cambodia are similar to those in neighboring countries. Older adults are likely to be living with a grown child and in a variety of arrangements involving different family members. To determine gender preference for coresident children we …

2001 - The Sixth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Sixth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on March 30, 2001. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Caregivers Perceptions Of Permanency Planning For Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Joanne Sue Claytor

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Potential Role Of Contraception In Reducing Abortion, John Bongaarts, Charles F. Westoff

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Since the 1960s the proportion of couples practicing contraception has risen rapidly, particularly in the developing world, and the mix of methods is now dominated by modern methods. Despite these trends, the incidence of unintended pregnancy remains high mainly because the number of children desired has declined. Worldwide there are almost as many unintended as intended pregnancies each year (not counting miscarriages, which are excluded in this analysis) and more than half of these unintended pregnancies end in abortion. This study examines the potential role of further increases in contraceptive prevalence and effectiveness in reducing abortion rates. The model used …

Spatial Variation In Contraceptive Use In Bangladesh: Looking Beyond The Borders, Sajeda Amin, Alaka Malwade Basu, Rob Stephenson

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper tries to promote a more complete understanding of social change by analyzing spatial patterns of contraceptive use in Bangladesh and the contiguous state of West Bengal in India. The paper takes it’s cue from earlier analysis which found strong evidence of higher contraceptive prevalence in districts of Bangladesh that border Bengali speaking districts on India, as well as from analysis of fertility decline in historical Europe where language played a critical role. Using multilevel analysis to control for variations in individual and household level correlates, mapping districts that deviate considerably from their regional averages, the analysis highlights an …

Early Attachment And Eating Disorders: A Comparative Study Between Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa, Francoise Ringer

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this research was to study the association between adult mental representations of curly attachment relationships and eating disorders, and to compare attachment classifications between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The sample consisted of 62 women with eating disorders, divided between anorexia nervosa [restricting type (n=20) and binge-eating/purging type (n=l6)], and bulimia nervosa (n=26). The measures were (a) a structured interview based on the ''Diagnostic Survey for Eating Disorders" (Johnson and Connors, 1987) and the DSM IV criteria for the classification of eating disorders, and (b) the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) (George, Kaplan and Main, 1985). The AAI …

Mortality Decline And The Demographic Response: Toward A New Agenda, Mark R. Montgomery

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A central proposition of demographic transition theory is that declines in infant and child mortality can encourage subsequent declines in fertility. Even the earliest formulations of the theory recognized that fertility decline would occur only with a lag, but neither theory nor empirical work has explored the length of such lags. This paper urges that individual perceptions and beliefs about mortality risks, conspicuously absent from the demographic research agenda, be studied directly. It proceeds to link mortality perceptions to health care decisionmaking and investments in children. The paper concludes by calling for a new agenda on mortality decline. This agenda …

Correlates Of Staff Nurse Work Satisfaction In Hospitals With Shared Governance, Mary Kay Flynn Dnsc, Rn, Ccrn

Dissertations

Lack of staff nurse participation in hospital decision-making has been cited as a major reason for the dissatisfaction in nursing. Shared governance has been proposed as an organizational model that provides staff nurses with both the structure and the mechanism for having increased decision-making authority. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of organizational culture, perceived importance of involvement and actual involvement in decision-making, the discrepancy between importance and involvement, staff nurse years of involvement in shared governance, control over nursing practice, and work satisfaction among staff nurses working in hospitals with shared governance. A descriptive, correlational …

Reproductive Control In South Africa, Carol E. Kaufman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The controversial state-sponsored family planning program officially began in South Africa in 1974. Although the government did not implement the program on a racial basis, the program was widely believed to be linked with white fears of growing black numbers, and was attacked by detractors as a program of social and political control. In spite of the hostile environment, black women’s use of services steadily increased. Using historical and anthropological evidence, this paper delineates the links between the social and political context of racial domination and individual fertility behavior. It argues that the quantitative ‘success’ of the family planning program …

Absent And Problematic Men: Demographic Accounts Of Male Reproductive Roles, Margaret E. Greene, Ann E. Biddlecom

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Both men and women make important contributions to the production of children, yet demographic studies of fertility and family planning have tended to focus on women alone. This paper traces the development of demography’s emphasis on women and describes how the limitations of its theoretical approaches to reproduction and empirical neglect of men have been mutually reinforcing. The paper is structured around four aims: 1) to describe why men have had a relatively low profile as subjects in demographic research on reproduction; 2) to explain growing interest in studying men’s roles; 3) to evaluate existing research on men in developing …

Gender Differences In The Schooling Experiences Of Adolescents In Low-Income Countries: The Case Of Kenya, Barbara Mensch, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Little research on education in developing countries has focused on adolescent issues at the same time, despite the fact that a growing proportion of young people are spending some time in school during the phase of their lives between puberty and marriage, there is little research on schooling as a key dimension of the adolescent experience. This paper examines the school environment in Kenya and the potential ways it can help or hinder adolescents. We focus on gender differences with a view toward illuminating some of the factors that may present particular obstacles or opportunities for girls. The paper begins …

Unsafe Abortion In Kenya: Findings From Eight Studies, Khama Rogo, Ann Leonard

Reproductive Health

One of the most topical areas in reproductive health today is the consequences of induced and often unsafe abortion. Safe motherhood initiatives continue to highlight the contribution of unsafe abortion to the persistent high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. In some countries, unsafe abortion is responsible for up to half of all maternal mortality and morbidity, with adolescents constituting a significant proportion of those procuring unsafe abortions. In Kenya, concern about the problem of incomplete and septic abortion has increased, particularly on the part of service providers who must treat women suffering from the complications of …

Social Networks And Daily Activities Of Street Youth In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Regina Campos, Marcela Raffaelli, Walter Ude, Marilia Greco, Andrea Ruff, Jon Rolf, Carlos Mauricio Antunes, Neal Halsey, Dirceu Greco, Mauro Jeronymo, Carl Kendall, Alice Payne Merritt, Jorge Andrade Pinto, Eliana Siqueira, Barbara De Zalduondo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Social networks and daily activities of children and adolescents living and/or working on the streets of a large Brazilian city were examined. Drawing on data collected through structured surveys, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations, we described street youths’ family situation, social resources, institutional experiences, survival activities, and problem behaviors and investigated differences attributable to age, gender, and living situation (at home or on the street). Youngsters who lived at home and worked on the street appeared to be experiencing orderly development despite their impoverished circumstances. Youngsters who lived on the street showed hallmarks of psychological and physical …

Senior Wellness Prescription, Theresa Schnabel James

Theses

The St. Joseph Health Center and St. Joseph Hospital West mission statement commissions the Hospital to be an advocate for, and agent of change in the community health-care system, and to provide a holistic health-care philosophy to the community. The Hospital's goal is to promote the health and well-being of the community by delivering effective institutional services.

Service to the community is at the philosophical core of St. Joseph Health Center and St. Joseph Hospital West. The Hospital will serve by becoming a leading provider of health-care. It will meet the needs of the patients and the community by providing …

Story Writing By Students With Hearing Impairments, Lois A. Ketchum

Masters Theses

Students with hearing impairments (N = 21) wrote a personal narrative each academic year from 1990 to 1992. These narratives were rated on maturity of the story as a whole and maturity of the language used in the story by senior undergraduate students in the education department at Western Michigan University. The method used for rating was a holistic magnitude estimation technique.

Significant change over time was found for story scores, but not language scores. Grade level was found to have no significant effect on change from first to last ratings for either story scores or language scores. Degree of …

Motivational Effects On A Psychometric Measure Of Prefrontal Brain Functioning In Patients With Chronic Schizophrenia And Related Disorders, Paul C. Smith

Dissertations

This study compared multiple sequential performances on a computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (Grant & Berg, 1948; Harris, 1986) by adult men receiving institutional inpatient treatment for chronic schizophrenia and related disorders. Participants were exposed to differential test conditions of minimal post-session non-contingent token reinforcement (baseline phases) and enhanced intra-session performance-contingent token reinforcement (experimental phase). Each major participant resided at the same continuing treatment unit at Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital receiving similar social therapies but idiosyncratic psychotropic medication regimens, changes in which were tracked in relation to test performances. A simple single-subject reversal design was employed with …

Caregiver Education Program, Lesli Demers

Theses

Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive, irreversible disease of the brain. It is not a normal or inevitable result of the aging process. However, as more people live to advanced age, the susceptible population will increase, as will the number of people afflicted with this disease. Alzheimer's Disease presents a challenge by taking away the patient's ability to remember, as well as the ability to learn.

Alzheimer's Disease has been characterized by many professionals as "the thief of minds" (Gewertz 23). Memories of life experiences and even one's own family members fade away leaving the person a stranger to those who …