Digital Commons Network^™

Thought Suppression Change In Cancer Patients And Survivors After Writing, Erin O'Carroll Bantum

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Breast cancer is a debilitating and many times fatal disease that will affect approximately 215,990 women in the United States alone this year. Treatment for breast cancer can involve many physically and psychologically straining features. The illness perception theory states that individuals form illness representations to make sense of health threats and illness. These representations contain a number of individual, specific attributes about the illness identity, and cause, time-line, consequences of, and cure/control of the illness. Many women who have experienced breast cancer have also been found to be keeping their thoughts inside. Thought suppression has been linked to many …

Social Welfare Systems And Their Effects On Adolescent Violence, Injecting Drug Use, And Negative Health Behaviors, Elvin A. Hernandez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Youth and young adults who are injection drug users (IDU’s) often live and survive in physical and emotional environments that are associated with negative behaviors and outcomes. Past environmental and social factors, such as participation in social welfare systems or institutionalization in foster care or juvenile hall, have been found to be associated with IDU-involved young adults’ health behaviors when they become older. Social networks, which include drug, sex, or hangout networks, may influence their health outcomes and behaviors. The goals of this dissertation include an investigation of how reported past social welfare participation and institutionalization is associated with IDU-involved …

The Effects Of Long Term Walnut Consumption On Levels Of Plasma Tocopherols And Inflammatory Mediators, Suwimol Sapwarobol

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of long term walnut consumption on plasma levels of tocopherols and the inflammatory mediators interleukin-1β (IL-1β ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and Creactive protein (CRP) in healthy participants. Ninety participants were recruited into a 12-month randomized crossover intervention study, which consisted of two phases, the walnut supplemented diet and the habitual diet. Participants were randomly assigned to either of these two phases for six months and then switched to the other phase for the second six months. During the walnut supplemented diet phase, participants incorporated walnuts (28-56 g/d) …

Female Breast Cancer Incidence And Survival In Utah According To Religious Preference, 1985-1999, Ray M. Merrill, Jeffrey A. Folsom

Faculty Publications

Female breast cancer incidence rates in Utah are among the lowest in the U.S. The influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) religion on these rates, as well as on disease-specific survival, will be explored for individuals diagnosed with breast cancer in Utah from 1985 through 1999. Methods: Population-based records for incident female breast cancer patients were linked with membership records from the LDS Church to determine religious affiliation and, for LDS Church members, level of religiosity. Incidence rates were age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population using the direct method. Cox proportional hazards …

Evaluation Of Over-The-Counter Sales As A Syndromic Surveillance Method For Waterborne Disease In New Mexico, Camilla M. Bustamante

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

This research evaluates the use of Over-the-Counter anti-diarrheal medications as a potential syndromic indicator and surveillance mechanism for waterborne disease in New Mexico. The purpose was to determine the usefulness of such data for either supplemental or stand alone use in a system for waterborne disease surveillance. The use of syndromic indicators for waterborne disease was elevated in 1993 after an outbreak of cryptosporidium was detected in Milwaukee Wisconsin by an alert pharmacist who noticed increased sales of over-the-counter medications over a period of time. In 2001, terrorist threats for anthrax exposure to U.S. populations further prompted funding and research …

Influence Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness On The Association Between C-Reactive Protein And Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence In Racially Diverse Women, Michael J. Lamonte, Barbara E. Ainsworth, J. Larry Durstine

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Correlates Of Physical Activity In Persons With Arthritis: Review And Recommendations, Sarah Wilcox, Cheryl Der Ananian, Patricia A. Sharpe, Jennifer Robbins, Theresa Brady

Faculty Publications

Background: Physical activity (PA) is important for arthritis self-management. A better understanding of the PA correlates in persons with arthritis will help inform interventions. Methods: Computer searches were conducted on PubMed, PsychInfo, Current Contents, and Cinahl databases. Reference lists of extracted articles were also searched. Thirty-six studies published between 1976 and February 2004 met inclusion criteria. Results: PA correlates are presented for sociodemographic, psychological, health-related, social, and environmental categories. Self-efficacy, perceived benefits and barriers, mental well-being, prior PA, and pain received the most consistent support as PA correlates, whereas sociodemographic, social, and environmental variables were the least studied. Too few …

Prevention Research Centers: Contributions To Updating The Public Health Workforce Through Training, Adele L. Franks, Ross C. Brownson, Carol Bryant, Kelli Mccormack Brown, Steven P. Hooker, Delores M. Pluto, Dennis M. Shepard, Russell R. Pate, Elizabeth A. Baker, Kathleen N. Gillespie, Terry L. Leet, Margret A. O'Neall, Eduardo J. Simoes

Faculty Publications

Because public health is a continually evolving field, it is essential to provide ample training opportunities for public health professionals. As a natural outgrowth of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Prevention Research Centers Program, training courses of many types have been developed for public health practitioners working in the field. This article describes three of the Prevention Research Center training program offerings: Evidence-Based Public Health, Physical Activity and Public Health for Practitioners, and Social Marketing. These courses illustrate the commitment of the Prevention Research Centers Program to helping create a better trained public health workforce, thereby enhancing the …

A New Kind Of "Outrageous Misconduct": Effects To Undermine The Law's Ability To Deter And Punish Intentional And Outrageous Corporate Behavior, Candace Howard

Student Articles and Papers

The current tort "reform" movement, if successful, will completely undermine our most effective tool for deterring outrageous corporate misconduct: the threat of punitive damages. Such "reform" would have a particularly egregious impact on the environment and public health because, due to a lack of enforcement and the undetectable nature of many pollutants, environmental offenses are often more difficult to deter than other types of offenses. The essay argues that, although rarely imposed for environmental offenses, punitive damages are especially vital in that arena because, when imposed, they are richly deserved. It concludes that, rather than tort reform, what we need …

Correlates Of In-Home Smoking Behavior Of Parents With Newborns, James Kyung Jo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Secondhand smoke has been shown to have adverse health effects on young children. It is associated with various health effects such as respiratory infections, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and asthma. Because of the dangers secondhand smoke poses to young children, there is a need for educating parents about the dangers of secondhand smoke as well as determining factors associated with secondhand smoke exposure among children. Understanding these factors may be first step toward developing strategies to reduce ETS exposure.

The study examined correlates of in-home smoking behavior of parents with newborns by analyzing 657 respondents who filled out the …

The Legacy Of Irop: Giving Back The Gift Of Mentorship, Elizabeth Gagnon

Inquiry Journal 2005

No abstract provided.

Deaf Culture In Mombasa And Hiv/Aids Education, Krystel Viehmann

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ten years ago a crisis was recognized by the Kenyan deaf community when it was realized that the country’s roughly 1 million deaf citizens had received little or no education about the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In Kenya, as elsewhere, the deaf population has formed a community characterized by a common, shared language and experience as a disabled population. The intracacies of this unique culture affect their interactions with the majority hearing community as they have their own customs and ways of interacting with one another that are distinct from the hearing majority. In 2004, the first VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) …

Comparisons Between Rail-Trail Users And Nonusers And Men And Women's Patterns Of Use In A Suburban Community, Philip J. Troped, Ruth P. Saunders, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: Physical activity research on trails is limited. We compared rail-trail users and nonusers on demographics, physical activity, and barriers/concerns about trail use; and described use among men and women. Methods: Four hundred thirteen adults completed a physical activity survey during fall 1998. Chi-square statistics and t-tests were used to compare trail users to nonusers, and men and women on trail use. Results: More trail users (79%) performed recreational physical activity ≥ 3 d/wk, compared to nonusers (47%). Walking was the most common activity for trail users and nonusers. Both groups shared concerns about safe access to the trail …

Supporting Ourselves: Maintaining Mental Well-Being Through An Hiv+/Aids Support Group In A Rural South African Community, Narda Hernández

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper primarily explores the importance of the support group for people infected and affected by HIV+/AIDS. At St. Matthew’s Clinic in the rural area of Qoboqobo, I invited women between the ages of 25-49 to freely participate in the focus group discussions. I believe that the health care sector could benefit from these groups, both as formal outreach services and informal support networks. There is a lack of healthcare services in rural areas. Of particular interest, PLWA are continuously encouraged to join an HIV/AIDS support group. This paper aims to explore how people are dealing with stress and HIV/AIDS-related …

Development Of Dose Conversion Coefficients For Radionuclides Produced In Spallation Neutron Sources Quarterly Progress Report 1/1/05 – 3/31/05, Phillip W. Patton, Mark Rudin

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

The research consortium comprised of representatives from several universities and national laboratories has successfully generated internal and external dose conversion coefficients for twenty radionuclides produced in spallation neutron sources. In addition, the group has identified twenty radionuclide that are missing electron capture files and eighteen additional radionuclides missing substantial physical data. The goal for the current year is to develop a methodology that will allow for producing the dose coefficients for these radionuclides with missing data. Methods to obtain these data are being investigated.

Scale And Shape Issues In Focused Cluster Power For Count Data, Robin C. Puett, Andrew B. Lawson, Allan B. Clark, Tim E. Aldrich, Dwayne E. Porter, Charles E. Feigley, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

Background: Interest in the development of statistical methods for disease cluster detection has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Evaluations of statistical power provide important information for the selection of an appropriate statistical method in environmentally-related disease cluster investigations. Published power evaluations have not yet addressed the use of models for focused cluster detection and have not fully investigated the issues of disease cluster scale and shape. As meteorological and other factors can impact the dispersion of environmental toxicants, it follows that environmental exposures and associated diseases can be dispersed in a variety of spatial patterns. This study simulates …

The Travels Of Our Bodies, Ourselves, Jane Pincus

New England Journal of Public Policy

The women’s health book, Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Book by and for Women, was first printed in 1970 by the small, radical New England Free Press. Published by the group of women soon too become the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, it was advertised solely by word of mouth. Successive newsprint editions reached a quarter of a million people in the United States through colleges and an extensive network of “underground” bookstores. The book placed female sexuality firmly within the framework of women’s health and combined vividly experienced medical encounters with available health and medical information. It critiqued prevailing cultural …

Visit Satisfaction And The Use Of Tailored Health Behavior Communications In Primary Care, Chris N. Sciamanna, Scott P. Novak, Thomas K. Houston, Robert Gramling, Bess H. Marcus

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Though studies suggest that computer-tailored health communications can help patients improve health behaviors, their effect on patient satisfaction, when used in health care settings, has yet to be examined. METHODS: A computer application was developed to provide tailored, printed feedback for patients and physicians about two of the most common adverse health behaviors seen in primary care, smoking and physical inactivity. Ten primary care providers and 150 of their patients were recruited to use the program in the office before their visit. After the visit, patients completed a self-report survey that addressed demographics, computer use history, satisfaction with the …

Update - March 2005, Loma Linda University Center For Christian Bioethics

Update

In this issue:

-- Review and Critique of Statements on Abuse and Family Violence
-- Seventh-day Adventist Statements on Women's Issues
-- Response to "A Statement on Women's Issues"
-- Seventh-day Adventist Statements on Abuse, A Statement on Abuse and Family Violence
-- Seventh-day Adventist Statements on Abuse, A Statement on Family Violence
-- Seventh-day Adventist Statements on Abuse, Statements on Child Sexual Abuse
-- Editorial

Motivated Breast Cancer Screening Behavior And Its Cultural Antecedents, Patricia M. Flynn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Discrepancies in breast cancer screening behavior exist among various ethnic groups in the United States (Jacobs & Lauderdale, 2001), with Latino American women reporting particularly low screening rates in comparison to Anglo American women (ACS, 2002). Research indicates that behavior is in part influenced by aspects of culture and relevant psychological processes (Betancourt & Lopez, 1993; Betancourt & Fuentes, 2001). This study was designed to investigate the relations among cultural values, attributions regarding the causes for not screening, related emotions, expectancy that screening leads to early detection and value incentive of early detection as determinants of breast cancer screening intention …

Ethnic Identity And Body Ideal In Adolescent Girls, Erin E. Ramirez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Adolescence is a period characterized by physical growth and maturation (Cobb, 1995). This normal biological process moves most American girls away from the thin ideal body shape that is dominant within the United States. Ethnic differences in ideal body size have in fact been found in several studies; but they have been shown based on ethnic group membership, not ethnic identification. The specific relationship of ethnic identity and body ideal for Mexican American, African American, and Anglo American adolescent females has not been clearly defined; Lopez, Blix, and Blix (1995) have hinted at the role of ethnic identification (through the …

Caidas Desde Techos Residenciales En Kentucky, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

Para prevenir caídas mientras trabaja sobre techos:

• Siempre use sistema con baranda de protección, instale un andamio, y haga uso de un sistema contra caídas apropiado.
• Tanto empleadores como subcontratistas deberán proporcionar a sus empleados entrenamiento específico y completo sobre protección contra caídas acorde con el sito de trabajo.
• Conduzca una valoración cuidadosa dentro y alrededor del área de trabajo para identificar cualquier riesgo potencial de caída, antes de iniciar las labores.

The Effect Of Social Desirability And Social Approval On Self-Reports Of Physical Activity, Swann A. Adams, Charles E. Matthews, Cara B. Ebbeling, Charity G. Moore, Joan E. Cunningham, Jeanette Fulton, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this investigation was to examine social desirability and social approval as sources of error in three self-reported physical activity assessments using objective measures of physical activity as reference measures. In 1997, women (n = 81) living in Worcester, Massachusetts, completed doubly labeled water measurements and wore an activity monitor for 14 days. They also completed seven interviewer-administered 24-hour physical activity recalls (PARs) and two different self-administered 7-day PARs. Measures of the personality traits “social desirability” and “social approval” were regressed on 1) the difference between physical activity energy expenditure estimated from doubly labeled water and each …

Association Between Dietary Carbohydrates And Body Weight, Yunsheng Ma, Barbara Olendzki, David Chiriboga, James R. Hébert, Youfu Li, Wenjun Li, Mary Jane Campbell, Katherine Gendreau, Ira S. Ockene

Faculty Publications

The role of dietary carbohydrates in weight loss has received considerable attention in light of the current obesity epidemic. The authors investigated the association of body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)²) with dietary intake of carbohydrates and with measures of the induced glycemic response, using data from an observational study of 572 healthy adults in central Massachusetts. Anthropometric measurements, 7-day dietary recalls, and physical activity recalls were collected quarterly from each subject throughout a 1-year study period. Data were collected between 1994 and 1998. Longitudinal analyses were conducted, and results were adjusted for other factors related to body …

Safety Training: Flowchart Model Facilitates Development Of Effective Courses, Roger C. Jensen

Safety Health & Industrial Hygiene

Few SE&H professionals have time to keep up with the voluminous literature about safety and health training. An easier strategy involves adopting a model of the training process, such as the one described in this article. The model is presented as a flowchart to show the relationships among the component processes for all safet\' and health training. It is intended to be a flexible model, suitable for tailoring to organizational needs, and easy to conceptualize. By learning this model, SH&E professionals will have a solid understanding of Ihe processes involved in developing and implementing an effective safety training program.

Environmental Illness May Have Contributed To The Origins Of Transylvanian Vampire Myths, Catherine L. Zeman, Ioan Seuleanu, Miheal Sinca, Alin Sinca, Daniella Moga, Mariana Vlad

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Field and ethnographic data are utilized to illustrate that significant contamination of rural wells with nitrates, bacteria and protozoa both currently and in the past are fertile ground for the development of myths surrounding spirit and blood stealing mythical creatures. The very real problem of methemoglobinemia, an environmentally induced hypoxia, in rural Transylvania is an ideal situation for physiological confirmation of and, perhaps, cultural etiology determination of the myth of vampirism. Ethnographic accounts of vampire and werewolf myths are correlated with the field data.

Using Photography To Cross Generational, Linguistic, And Cultural Barriers To Develop Useful Survey Instruments., Ian Newman, Suree Kanjanawong

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Photographs are used as a research tool by anthropologists and as a technique to empower special populations, advocacy groups, and policymakers. This case describes how photography was used to develop a survey to study alcohol expectancies among Thai adolescents. A multicultural research team faced generational, linguistic, and cultural barriers in understanding Thai adolescent alcohol use well enough to write useful questions about alcohol expectancies. Asking adolescents to take and then discuss their photographs about alcohol allowed them to express themselves without the imposition of an organizational framework by the investigators. Group discussions of the photographs revealed nuances and subtleties of …

Content Analysis Of Drug Offenders' Sketches On The Draw-An-Event Test For Risky Sexual Situations, Alan W. Stacy, Susan L. Ames, Barbara C. Leigh, Brian R. Houska, Julia Andsager

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Objectives: To evaluate the utility of the Draw-an-Event Test for risky sexual situations (DET-RS), a nonverbal memory-based assessment tool used for productions of spontaneous content associated with risky sex. Methods: Traditional holistic coding analysis of 298 drug offenders' content productions. Results: Content analyses of DET-RS sketches provided increased understanding of substance use and other context preceding risky sexual situations with different types of sex partners. None of the sketches including drugs depleted condoms, only one of the sketches with alcohol included a condom, and only 2 sketches mentioned sexually transmitted diseases. Conclusions: The DET-RS is a useful research tool for …

How Should Health Departments Manage Prenatal Care?, Julianne Nesbit

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: To compare how health departments in the southwest district of Ohio manage prenatal care, defined as preventative care provided immediately preceding, during, and following pregnancy, to determine if there is a better management technique based on cost and/or characteristics of jurisdictions.

Design: Qualitative descriptive analysis of prenatal services at local health departments in the southwest district of Ohio for 2004.

Setting and Participants: Health Departments in the southwest district of Ohio.

Main Outcome Measures: Comparison of the types of services currently being used to provide prenatal care services (i.e., direct, contracted, combination, or no service) including budgeting and cost …

Understanding The Relative Importance Of Positive And Negative Social Exchanges: Examining Specific Domains And Appraisals, Jason T. Newsom, Karen S. Rook, Masami Nishishiba, Dara H. Sorkin, Tyrae Mahan

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Negative social exchanges have been more reliably related to psychological health than have positive social exchanges. Little research, however, has sought to understand how underlying appraisal processes link such exchanges to psychological health. This study examined the frequencies of occurrence and appraisals of four parallel domains of positive and negative exchanges in relation to positive well-being and psychological distress in a national sample of 916 older adults. Structural equation analyses revealed that negative exchanges were related both to less well-being and greater psychological distress, whereas positive exchanges were related only to positive well-being. Furthermore, results supported a process in which …