Digital Commons Network^™

A State And Territorial Survey Regarding Utilization Of Environmental Health Shelter Assessments During Disasters, And A Secondary Analysis Of Available Shelter Assessment Data, Miguel A. Cruz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disasters are complex events characterized by damage to key infrastructure and population displacements into disaster shelters. Assessing the living environment in shelters during disasters is a crucial health security concern. Until now, jurisdictional knowledge and preparedness on those assessment methods, or deficiencies found in shelters is limited. A cross-sectional survey (STUSA survey) ascertained knowledge and preparedness for those assessments in all 50 states, DC, and 5 US territories. Descriptive analysis of overall knowledge and preparedness was performed. Fisher’s exact statistics analyzed differences between two groups: jurisdiction type and population size. Two logistic regression models analyzed earthquakes and hurricane risks as …

Investigating The Outcomes Of A Physical Activity Program Offered To Older Adults In South Florida And Understanding The Correlates Of Completion, Anamica Batra

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, in 2012, only 37.5% of older adults aged 60 years or older met recommended aerobic physical activity levels and 16.1% met muscle-strengthening guidelines. Effective exercise programs can help combat the problem of inactivity but 50% of those who start participating in an exercise program drop out within first few weeks, preventing them from gaining any health benefits.

Since fall 2008, the Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative of South Florida has offered EnhanceFitness (EF), an evidence-based physical activity program to older adults. This dissertation compared EF effectiveness at 4-, 8-, and 12-months and examined the …

The Influence Of Gene Environment Interaction On The Risk Of Cognitive Impairment: Reducing Sexual Risk Behaviors And Alcohol Use In Hiv-Infected Adults, Karina Villalba Phd

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Memory deficits and executive dysfunction are highly prevalent among HIV-infected adults. These conditions can affect their quality of life, antiretroviral adherence, and HIV risk behaviors. Several factors have been suggested including the role of genetics in relation to HIV disease progression. This dissertation aimed to determine whether genetic differences in HIV-infected individuals were correlated with impaired memory, cognitive flexibility and executive function and whether cognitive decline moderated alcohol use and sexual transmission risk behaviors among HIV-infected alcohol abusers participating in an NIH-funded clinical trial comparing the efficacy of the adapted Holistic Health Recovery Program (HHRP-A) intervention to a Health Promotion …

Exploring Oral Health Problems In Adult Hispanic Migrant Farmworkers: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Claudia A. Serna

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examined patterns of dental health care utilization in adult Hispanic migrant farmworkers (AHMFW) with special emphasis on non-compliance with the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA) recommendation of visiting the dentist at least once a year; while also exploring the group’s social and cultural construction of oral health.

A total of 278 farmworkers responded to a close ended survey. Binary and hierarchical logistic regression analysis were employed in identifying predisposing, enabling, and needs factors associated with non-compliance. Following the survey, fourteen ethnographic interviews were conducted with respondents who volunteered to participate in …

Life Experiences Of Youth Who Were Born With Hiv Infection In Puerto Rico: The Voices Of Young Survivors, Georgina Silva-Suarez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) transformed the pediatric HIV epidemic. The disease changed significantly over the course of three decades: while early in the epidemic it was almost always fatal, it has become a chronic condition.

This study examined how perinatally-infected youth experience the impact of HIV in their lives. A qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was conducted. Twenty in-depth interviews were carried out among 12 women and 8 men aged 18 to 30 years in Puerto Rico. These were conducted in Spanish, audio-recorded, transcribed and translated into English. While narrating their experiences, participants were interpreting what …

Exposure To Endocrine Disrupting Compounds And Reproductive Toxicity In Women, Marisa L. Morgan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall objective of the research presented in this dissertation was to assess exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalates, and bisphenol A (BPA) in the general population and evaluate their associations with adverse reproductive health effects, including cancers, in women. Given the proven contribution of unopposed estrogens to the risk for endometrial neoplasia or breast cancer, renewed health concerns have aroused about estrogen mimicking EDCs found in food, personal care products or as environmental contaminants. Our meta-analysis showed that exposure to estrogen mimicking PCBs increased summary risk of breast cancer and endometriosis. We further evaluated the …

Time Trends And Predictors Of Initiation For Cigarette And Waterpipe Smoking Among Jordanian School Children: Irbid, 2008-2011, Karma L. Mckelvey Phd

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smoking prevalence among adolescents in the Middle East remains high while rates of smoking have been declining among adolescents elsewhere. The aims of this research were to (1) describe patterns of cigarette and waterpipe (WP) smoking, (2) identify determinants of WP smoking initiation, and (3) identify determinants of cigarette smoking initiation in a cohort of Jordanian school children.

Among this cohort of school children in Irbid, Jordan, (age ≈ 12.6 at baseline) the first aim (N=1,781) described time trends in smoking behavior, age at initiation, and changes in frequency of smoking from 2008-2011 (grades 7 – 10). The second aim …

Obesity, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, And Weight Loss In A Population Of Adult Mexican Americans, Janisse Rosario

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of obesity has evolved into one of the most important public health issues in the United States (U.S.), particularly in Hispanic populations. Mexican Americans, the largest Hispanic ethnic subgroup in the U.S., have been significantly impacted by obesity and related cardiovascular diseases. Mexican Americans living in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (the Valley) in the Texas-Mexico border are one of the most disadvantaged and hard-to-reach minority groups. Demographic factors, socioeconomic status, acculturation, and physical activity behavior have been found to be important predictors of health, although research findings are mixed when establishing predictors of obesity in this population. …

Beyond Bmi: The “Metabolically Healthy Obese” Phenotype & Its Association With Clinical/Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease And All-Cause Mortality -- A Systematic Review, Lara L. Roberson, Ehimen C. Aneni, Wasim Maziak, Arthur Agatston, Theodore Feldman, Maribeth Rouseff, Thinh Tran, Michael J. Blaha, Raul D. Santos, Andrei Sposito, Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, Ron Blankenstein, Matthew J. Budoff, Khurram Nasir

HWCOM Faculty Publications

Background

A subgroup has emerged within the obese that do not display the typical metabolic disorders associated with obesity and are hypothesized to have lower risk of complications. The purpose of this review was to analyze the literature which has examined the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in the metabolically healthy obese (MHO) population.

Methods

Pubmed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from their inception until December 2012. Studies were included which clearly defined the MHO group (using either insulin sensitivity and/or components of metabolic syndrome AND obesity) and its association with either all cause …