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Fall Incidences, Risk Factors, And Health Effects Among Early- And Middle-Aged Elderly People In Rural Areas Of Border Provinces In Southern Thailand, Phnom Sukchan, Tapanan Prateepko, Arinda Ma-A-Lee, Kruawan Hounkong, Penporn Sujiwattanarat, Gornganok Piboonpol

Journal of Health Research

Background: Elderly individuals with physical and psychological challenges face a high risk of falls. This study aimed to assess the incidence, health effects of, and risk factors for falls among those aged 60-79 years old in Thailand's three southern border provinces.

Methods: A community cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2021 and September 2022. Questionnaires were administered though verbal face-to-face conversations. Descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression were used.

Results: A total of 419 elderly participants were recruited, while 374 participated in the study. The incidence of falls was 37.4% with an average of 1.7 …

Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Hearing Education Project For Patients And Their Care Partners, Jennifer Mahoney

Doctoral Projects

Hearing loss is a significant communication issue that impacts relationships, safety, and mental and physical health. There is an increased risk of dementia as well as increased mortality associated with untreated hearing loss. Hearing aids are one of the main treatments for hearing loss, but they are frequently not used. Cognitive impairment, osteoarthritis of the hands, cost and complexity are some of the reasons that hearing aids do not get utilized. But research has shown that involving family members and care partners in trainings on how to use hearing aids may increase use of them. The goal of this project …

A Quality Improvement Project On Implementing A Nurse-Driven Foley Catheter Removal Protocol Using Modified Houdini Criteria For Oncology Patients To Reduce The Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (Cauti) And Catheter Days In The Intensive Care Unit (Icu), Rittu K. Justin

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: This scholarly project aimed to develop modified criteria for oncology patients regarding Foley catheter removal guidance and implement a nurse initiative in the ICU to reduce CAUTI and catheter days.

Background: CAUTIs are considered preventable nosocomial infections; hence, a nurse-driven Foley catheter removal protocol has become an essential strategy in healthcare to reduce CAUTIs. The project was implemented in a 43-bed ICU in an academic hospital at the Texas Medical Center. The 12-week pilot project included adult patients with a primary diagnosis of cancer.

Methodology: A quantitative design with a PDSA framework was employed. The institutional infection control trend …

Diabetes Self-Management Education For Older Adults In Primary Care, Makilah Rae Furlan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) is a chronic disease that impacts 27.2 million seniors 65 and older. Evidence-based care for T2DM includes a combination of medication and disease-management behaviors. Access to education to teach patients healthy behaviors to manage their disease is limited and even less accessible to geriatric patients with aging learning needs. The scholarly project addresses this gap in patient education by implementing evidence-based diabetes self-management education for geriatric patients to increase patient knowledge and confidence in implementing self-management behaviors. The scholarly project aims to assess health behaviors in patients aged 65 and older with established type 2 diabetes …

Behavioral Responses To The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap And Its Closure, Selene Urbatsch

Theses and Dissertations

The author examines how exposure to the Medicare Part D coverage gap affects future prescription drug use and whether the closure of the gap under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) altered beneficiary behavior. Using 2007–2019 MEPS data, the analysis compares Part D enrollees to similarly aged, privately insured individuals, producing first-differences and difference-in-differences estimates. Before the ACA, exposure to the gap was associated with 4.9 fewer prescription fills relative to comparable non-Part D individuals. After the ACA, the effect fell to a reduction of 2.2 generic fills, with no significant decline in branded use. Sudden out-of-pocket cost increases prompted sharp …

The Interaction Between Physical Activity And Fruit And Vegetable Intake On Body Composition, Om S. Ghetia

Honors Scholar Theses

Objective: Fruit and Vegetable (FV) intake and Physical Activity (PA) are important lifestyle factors associated with body composition. This study assessed the combined impact of meeting FV intake and PA recommendations on body composition measures including body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), and waist circumference (WC) in adults aged 20–64 years from diverse backgrounds.

Design: A cross-sectional study conducted in Northeastern Connecticut.

Methods: A total of 124 participants completed a one-week dietary and PA record followed by anthropometric assessments. Participants were categorized into groups based on FV intake (≥400 g/day vs. < 400 g/day) and PA levels (≥600 MET-minutes/week vs. < 600 MET-minutes/week). Independent t-tests and chi-square tests were used to compare dietary intake, PA levels, and body composition outcomes across groups.

Results: Participants meeting FV recommendations had significantly …

How Individual Differences In Cue Weighting Influence The Link Between Memory And Speech In Noise Perception, Ava Buckmir, Anne Marie Crinnion, Emily Myers

Honors Scholar Theses

Listening to speech is challenging, particularly when there is background noise or ambiguities in the speech signal. Numerous factors impact our ability to understand speech, including age, cognitive processes, and contextual information. But how do we account for these challenges? The types of cues we use may aid us in perceiving ambiguities in speech. Some individuals may rely on semantic cues (higher-level cues), such as how words relate to each other, or they may rely on acoustic-phonetic cues (lower-level cues), such as the durational information in the speech signal itself. But why do individuals differ in the types of cues …

Longevity And Cardiovascular Health: Lessons From The Mediterranean Blue Zones, Lyndsay Bancroft, Miranda Daley, Hitomi Tanizawa

NURS 464: Evidence-Based Nursing Capstone

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, and poor diet is a leading risk factor for adverse cardiac events (Ahmed et al., 2023). The Mediterranean diet provides protection against coronary heart disease, regardless of the common risk factors for cardiovascular diseases like smoking, hypertension, diabetes, etc (Legrand et al., 2019). Those living in the blue zones of Greece and Italy have far fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease than populations living in other parts of the world (Legrand et al., 2021). This project aims to investigate how the Mediterranean diet has influenced the rates of cardiovascular disease amongst the …

A Review Of Studies Assessing Modifiable Risk Factors For Dementia Among Family Caregivers In The United States Based On Behavioral Risk Factorsurveillance System (Brfss), Shruthi Ranjithkumar

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) face an increased risk of developing dementia due to advanced age and modifiable risk factors. The 2024 Lancet Commission Report identified 14 such risk factors, whose mitigation could reduce dementia cases by 45%. Despite this, research on modifiable dementia risk factors among ADRD caregivers remains limited. This study investigates whether peer-reviewed studies utilizing Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data assess modifiable dementia risk factors among ADRD caregivers. A PubMed search retrieved 27 relevant articles, which were analyzed for risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission, including traumatic brain injury, …

The Association Of Discrimination, Inflammation, And Coping Style On Self-Rated Health Among South Asian Individuals In The Masala Study, Raji Pillai, Sahiti Myneni, Constance M Johnson, Nilay S Shah, Alka M Kanaya, Jennifer E S Beauchamp

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: South Asian individuals (SAs) may have heightened levels of inflammatory markers, such as C reactive protein (CRP), Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), leptin, and resistin, and decreased levels of anti-inflammatory adiponectin, contributing to higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence. Social determinants of health, like discrimination, are also associated with risks for CVD in SAs. This study examined the associations between discrimination and inflammation and whether coping styles moderated the association between discrimination and self-rated health (SRH) among SAs in the United States.

Design: Secondary analysis of data obtained from 1164 SAs (mean age = 57 years, SD = 9.4, 48% women) …

Exploring Spatial Arrangements And Smart Technology To Manage Cognitive Load In Kitchens For Aging In Place, Monique Chabot

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

Older adults undergo natural physiological changes in various physical and cognitive functions, including balance, strength, memory, attention, and executive functioning. Memory, attention, and executive functioning integrate to form functional cognition, a skill that allows people to safely and efficiently complete daily tasks. Functional cognition is integral to the ability to age in place and is sensitive to demands in the environment. While a decline in some cognitive functions is expected with age, it is not typically observable except in the presence of pathological conditions or situations of cognitive overload from complex tasks or high environmental demands.

Older adults have identified …

Improving Brain Health: Exercise As A Tool For Enhancing Executive Function And Reducing Stress In Older African Americans, Destiny Ellise Ramos

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Older African American (AA) adults face disproportionately higher risk of stress and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) compared to other racial and ethnic groups, yet they remain underrepresented in intervention-based research. Previous research has suggested aerobic exercise may reduce stress and benefit executive functioning, which is among the first cognitive domains to be affected in ADRD; however, no studies to date have directly tested the impact of aerobic vs. non-aerobic exercise in older AAs at high risk for developing ADRD. The current study evaluated the effects of a group-based cardio dance fitness (CDF) exercise intervention versus a strength, flexibility, …

Dabigatran Reduced Acute Microgliosis In A Mouse Model With Tbi, Nicholas R. Eltman, Rashmeena Abbasi, Mary C. Kosciuk, Syed Ahmed, Jose L. Pascual, Randel L. Swanson, Nimish K. Acharya

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Objective:

The study objective was to investigate the acute anti-inflammatory effects of dabigatran in a preclinical mouse controlled cortical impact (CCI) model of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design

Mice were separated into three groups: controlled cortical impact (CCI) with dabigatran (drug treatment, n=5), CCI with saline (positive control, n=5), and sham CCI without saline or dabigatran (negative control, n=3). Dabigatran (80mg/kg) or saline was administered orally at 2, 10, 18, 26, 34, and 42 hours following experimental CCI in the drug treatment or positive control groups, respectively. Animals in the negative control group received sham CCI only. 48h following …

Global Multi-Specialty Clinician Perspectives On The Implementation Of Alzheimer's Disease Blood Biomarkers, Joanne Rodda, Lindsey A. Kuchenbecker, Wyllians V. Borelli, Mari L. Demarco, Raphael M. Castilhos, Erin E. Cawston, Tinatin Chabrashvili, Melissa M. Budelier, Claudia Duran Aniotz, Chinedu Momoh

Brain and Mind Institute

Introduction: Clinicians' views on the clinical readiness of Alzheimer's disease (AD) blood biomarkers (BBMs) are not well understood.

Methods: The Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment Biofluid-Based Biomarkers Professional Interest Area conducted a survey to elicit clinician opinions on AD BBM implementation, including contexts of use, assay selection, reporting, and result interpretation.

Results: Clinician respondents (n = 212) practiced in Europe (56%), North America (24%), the Caribbean and Central/South America (11%), and other continents (9%). Most respondents were medical doctors (80%) practicing in secondary or tertiary care (88%). For 56%, cerebrospinal fluid AD …

Reforming Pensions In Africa: Addressing Coverage, Payout Disparities, And Dementia Outcomes For Sustainable Aging, Cyprian Mostert, Catherine Ajalo, David Andai

Brain and Mind Institute

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Daily Beef Consumption On Sleep, Mood, And Wellbeing In Postmenopausal Women, Caroline M. Coughlin

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Menopause is often accompanied by changes in sleep, mood, and overall well-being, partly due to hormonal shifts and loss of muscle mass. Protein intake, especially from nutrient-rich sources like beef, may help address these changes, but research in postmenopausal women remains limited. This study explored how daily beef consumption, as part of a higher-protein diet, affected sleep quality, mood, and well-being over eight weeks. Ten active postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to either a control group (meeting standard protein recommendations) or a treatment group consuming twice that amount, including one serving of lean beef per day. Sleep was measured using …

Concerns About The Paper, “Benefits Of Targeted Vibration For Bone Strength And Bone Density In Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial”, Douglas P Kiel, Theresa A Guise, Maya Styner, Janet Rubin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Risk Analysis Index For Estimation Of 30-Day Postoperative Mortality In Hip Fractures., Nithin K Gupta, Hikmat R Chmait, Vikram Gill, Morgan Turnow, Taylor Manes, Benjamin C Taylor, Jack W Weick, Christian Bowers

Surgery Articles

IMPORTANCE: Hip fractures present a substantial public health challenge, with projections of more than 500 000 per year by 2040. As such, frailty indices such as the Revised Risk Analysis Index (RAI) and the Modified Five-Item Frailty Index (mFI-5) have been recently investigated as metrics for preoperative risk stratification for these patients.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the accuracy of frailty, as measured by the RAI and the mFI-5, for estimating 30-day mortality following surgically managed hip fractures.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cross-sectional analysis used the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement database. Patients aged 65 years old …

Memory Matters: Cognitive Screenings For Dementia Detection In Monterey County, Cintia Gonzalez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The rates of Alzheimer’s disease in Monterey County are increasing. The Healthy Aging program from the Monterey County Health Department strives to promote the well-being and health of older adults and caregivers in Monterey County by offering education on brain health, support in adopting healthy lifestyles, and connecting to community services. Memory Matters is an example of a training or educational intervention. The purpose of Memory Matters is to bridge the gap of insufficient access to early detection of dementia by bringing awareness to brain health, and facilitating the conversation of cognitive exams with older adults, their caregivers, and their …

Combining Exercise Training And Testosterone Therapy In Older Women After Hip Fracture: The Step-Hi Randomized Clinical Trial, Ellen F Binder, Peter M Doré, Camelia Guild, Kelly M Monroe, Dominic Reeds, Kenneth B Schechtman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Despite receiving postacute rehabilitation services, many older women with a recent hip fracture repair are unable to return to their prefracture level of function. Whether testosterone therapy can enhance recovery after hip fracture in older women with persistent mobility impairments has not been fully examined.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a supervised exercise program combined with topical testosterone therapy on functional outcomes in older women with a recent hip fracture.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This phase 3 double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, Starting a Testosterone and Exercise Program After Hip Injury (STEP-HI), was conducted at 8 US sites …

Sensitivity Of Lung Point-Of-Care Ultrasound (Pocus) To Predict Oxygen Requirements In Emerging Viral Infections, Daniel L Theodoro, Di Coneybeare, Penelope Lema, Nicholas Renz, Laura Wallace, Enyo Ablordeppey, Sean Stickles, Alek Rosenthal, Ian Holley, Sirivalli Chamarti, Josie Acuña, James Patterson, Rachel Ancona, Srikar Adhikari

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: The prognostic characteristics of lung point-of-care ultrasound (L-POCUS) to predict respiratory decompensation in patients with emerging infections remains unstudied. Our objective was to examine whether scored lung ultrasounds predict hypoxia among a nonhypoxic, ambulatory population of patients with COVID-19.

METHODS: This was a diagnostic case-control study. Three academic emergency departments across the United States collected a convenience sample of nonhypoxic subjects with COVID-19, scored subjects' hemithorax at 7 locations using lung ultrasound, and followed outcomes for 40 days. We defined cases as hypoxia (≤91% by pulse oxygenation) from 2 hours after index presentation to day 40. Follow-up was by …

Nursing Faculty Experiences Of Teaching Dementia Care: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Jeannie Simpson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of nursing faculty teaching dementia care to nursing students in Texas. The theory guiding this study was Kolb’s experiential learning theory as it offers a structured framework for examining how experiences lead to learning. This theory also introduced the concept of the Experiential Educator profile, specifically delineating the role of educators in facilitating knowledge acquisition (Kolb, 2014). This study bridged the gap in existing literature regarding the experiences of nursing faculty in teaching dementia care to nursing students and provided a comprehensive look at dementia education in nursing schools. …

My Life, My Story And Life Recovery Among Veterans With Substance Use Problems, Grace Chang Md, Mph, Martha J. Duffy Md, Susan Nathan Md

Patient Experience Journal

Objective: The United States Veterans Health Administration My Life, My Story (MLMS) program is a patient-centered care intervention where veterans are interviewed about their life story and may grant permission to include it in their electronic health record (EHR). Our purpose was to focus on a sample of MLMS narratives from veterans with self-disclosed substance use (SU) from our institution, and to evaluate the potential relationship between their content and a life change for the better, and to compare their content with the EHR. Methods: The narratives were reviewed on 4 domains (past challenge, substance use, experience of a turning …

Fostering Black Maternal Survivorship And Mothering Through Initiatives To Reduce The Individualism And Racism Within Biomedicine, Morgan C. Tutt

Honors Scholar Theses

Many scholars have studied Black maternal health disparities—their causal factors, effects, and concrete interventions to help eliminate them. Many of the life-ending occurrences pregnant Black women disproportionately face are preventable, demonstrating that a significant call to action is long overdue. My primary research question asks whether Gen-Z Black women will be receptive to an alternative prenatal care model (APCM) instead of the current American Care Model (ACM). The APCM is centered on the four guiding components of doula care: care navigation, health education, health literacy, and culturally congruent social support, and the components of critical race theory: race consciousness, contemporary …

Impact Of The Online Nutrition Intervention On Health Indicators For Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, And Obesity In Senior Populations, Indira Karibayeva, Padmini Shankar, Gulzar H. Shah

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: This study evaluated the effects of an online nutrition intervention program, Food Fitness First, Inc.®, on health indicators for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity among senior center participants.

Methods: Thirty individuals aged over 60 completed the 3-month Food Fitness First program, which included initial counseling and 12 educational sessions utilizing the Diabetes FOOD SPIRAL® book and bifold. Pre- and post-treatment assessments measured various health parameters.

Results: Results showed significant improvements in Favorable Fitness Factor (FFF) score, which encompasses four key domains: Nutrition, Exercise, Health/Disease, and Lifestyle. FFF factor difference was equal to 13.63, with 95% CI [11.22; 16.03;]. …

Design Solutions For Common Problems In Senior Living Facilities, Mary Schmidt

Senior Honors Theses

With the aging population of the United States, the prevalence of dementia rises along with its challenges for individuals in long-term care facilities. As cognitive function deteriorates, dementia patients face growing difficulties in performing daily activities. Common issues such as wayfinding, wandering, exit attempts, agitation, and a generally low quality of life plague most dementia patients at long-term care facilities. Design features can improve quality of life, safety, and coherence for residents with dementia at assisted living facilities. This paper examines existing research to present various design strategies that can enhance daily life for dementia patients in long-term care facilities. …

Metabolic Theories Of Aging, Chris Burley, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Metabolic theories of aging postulate that aging is due to energy expenditure, which ultimately results in the breakdown and eventual death of cells. Historically, within the realm of metabolic theories of aging, there have been three models: The Rate-of-Living theory, The Oxidative Damage/Free Radical theory, and the Metabolic Stability theory. All three theories maintain that aging is directly related to metabolic rate, but the theories differ in how they arrive at that conclusion.

Distinct Adipose Progenitor Cells Emerging With Age Drive Active Adipogenesis, Guan Wang, Gaoyan Li, Anying Song, Yutian Zhao, Jiayu Yu, Yifan Wang, Wenting Dai, Martha Salas, Hanjun Qin, Leonard Medrano, Joan Dow, Aimin Li, Brian Armstrong, Patrick T Fueger, Hua Yu, Yi Zhu, Mengle Shao, Xiwei Wu, Lei Jiang, Judith Campisi, Xia Yang, Qiong A Wang

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Starting at middle age, adults often suffer from visceral adiposity and associated adverse metabolic disorders. Lineage tracing in mice revealed that adipose progenitor cells (APCs) in visceral fat undergo extensive adipogenesis during middle age. Thus, despite the low turnover rate of adipocytes in young adults, adipogenesis is unlocked during middle age. Transplantations quantitatively showed that APCs in middle-aged mice exhibited high adipogenic capacity cell-autonomously. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified a distinct APC population, the committed preadipocyte, age-enriched (CP-A), emerging at this age. CP-As demonstrated elevated proliferation and adipogenesis activity. Pharmacological and genetic manipulations indicated that leukemia inhibitory factor receptor signaling was …

Using Visual Discharge Instructions: How Comics Can Improve Healthcare And Outcomes For Limited English Proficient Patients, Alexandra R. Streeter

Honors Thesis

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how graphic medicine could be a useful tool for communicating medical discharge instructions to populations with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). It is divided into three parts. First, it provides an overview of the biggest struggles LEP patients encounter in healthcare, which often occur around discharge instructions and medication changes. Second, the paper explores what graphic medicine is and how it has been used in healthcare. The last part of this paper consists of original graphic medicine artwork that addresses key issues for LEP populations during discharge with the goal of offering a …

Implementing A Six-Week Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy Program For Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease: A Practitioner-Based Perspective, Sara Adams

Expressive Therapies Theses

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects motor function, emotional well-being, and social engagement. While traditional rehabilitation approaches emphasize physical therapy and medication management, emerging research highlights the potential of creative arts therapies in addressing the multidimensional challenges of PD. This thesis explores the implementation of an intermodal expressive arts therapy intervention designed to support individuals with PD through dance, music, drama, and visual arts. Conducted over six weeks within a community support group in Nova Scotia, the program included guided visualization, Brain Dance exercises, creative movement, drama-based activities, and reflective art-making. A qualitative, practitioner-based method was used, …