Digital Commons Network^™

Experimental Study Of The Effects Of Green Tea, Alejandra Avila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by an intracellular parasite belonging to the genus Leishmania. The cutaneous form of the disease causes often significant disfigurement, accelerates progression to clinical AIDS and tuberculosis, and is associated with a number of adverse economic, psychosocial, and nutritional consequences. An estimated 350 million persons are at risk for this globally distributed disease and 1.5-2 million new cases occur annually. Leishmaniasis is endemic in 88 countries on five continents. It is distributed throughout most of the Americas ranging from southern Texas to northern Argentina. It is also regarded as a threat to the readiness …

The Effects Of Self Management, Education And Their Combination On Glucose Control Among Hispanics Visting A Community Health Clinic, Isela De Baca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to measure the impact of diabetes self-management instruction alone, and in combination with diabetes education, on glucose control among diabetic patients at a local community clinic. The researcher of the study was particularly interested in assessing whether self-management goals and diabetes classes positively influence A1C values in this sample.

For this study, the medical charts of 131 patients at Centro San Vicente Health Clinic, a Federally Qualified Community Health Center in El Paso, Texas were reviewed. In addition to collecting A1c values at pretest (baseline) and at three and six months post intervention, …

Predicting Walking Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior In A Worksite Wellness Setting., Lucia Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The study examined constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TpB) as predictors of walking behavior among adult university employees. Specifically, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control towards walking were used to predict behavioral intentions to walk and concurrent walking behavior in a sample of adult university employees. The study is a secondary analysis of data already collected on a sample of 118 employees enrolled in a Worksite Wellness Program from a large southwestern university who completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding, TpB constructs and actual walking behavior. The questions from the survey where derived from the Theory of Planned …

What Motivates Young Latina Females Along The U.S. Mexico Border Region To Participate In Team Sports?, Dora A. Pichardo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Physical activity gives women and girls an overall better quantity of life and positive health benefits. Statistics indicate lack of participation in physical activity and exercise by the U.S. general population and among the Latino population in particular. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the variables that motivate young Latinas to play and eventually continue to stay involved in team sports. This is a survey correlational study including young Latina females a U.S.-Mexico border community. Statistical analysis included frequencies, means, and Pearson Product Momentum Correlations. Sixty-nine participants (12 to 15 years old) completed the survey. The response …

Health Risk And Health-Seeking Behaviors Of Migrant And Seasonal Farmworkers On The Us-Mexico Border, Claudia Delilah Saenz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background and Significance

The estimated 1–3 million migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) employed in the U.S. play a crucial role in assuring the success of the multi-billion dollar agricultural industry and the nation's access to a safe and nutritious food supply. This predominantly Mexican immigrant occupational group is documented to be at–risk for chronic and infectious disease morbidity and premature mortality but published studies are limited which describe their reproductive/sexual health, mental health, substance abuse, and workplace violence situation. Prior studies are especially scant regarding U.S.–Mexico border MSFW.

Objectives and Hypothesis

The major objective of the pilot study was to …

An Evaluation Of A Community Dietetics Intervention On The Management Of Malnutrition For Healthcare Professionals, Sharon Kennelly, N. P. Kennedy, G. Flanaghan-Rughoobur, C. Glennon-Slattery, Sheila Sugrue

Articles

Background: Healthcare professionals working in the community setting have limited knowledge of the evidence-based management of malnutrition. The present study aimed to evaluate a community dietetics intervention, which included an education programme for healthcare professionals in conjunction with the introduction of a community dietetics service for patients ‘at risk’ of malnutrition. Changes in nutritional knowledge and the reported management of malnourished patients were investigated and the acceptability of the intervention was explored. Methods: An education programme, incorporating ‘Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)’ training, was implemented in eight of 10 eligible primary care practices (14 general practitioners and nine practice nurses …

Socio-Cultural Factors Influencing Male Involvement In Reproductive Health During Pregnancy, Childbirth And The Postnatal Period In Rural Districts Of Malawi, Jane Dzumbila-Namasasu

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis focuses on socio cultural factors influencing male involvement in reproductive health during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period in rural districts of Malawi. This research stems from my fourteen years of experience in designing and overseeing the implementation of reproductive health services in Malawi, which led me to question why men as partners/husbands are not considered in the design and implementation of such services. Men as partners/husbands bear witness to most of the reproductive health problems that women go through and they are in a position of power, making decisions for their families‟ welfare. In addition to men‟s …

No Free Lunch? Current Challenges Facing The National School Lunch And School Breakfast Programs, Eileen Salinsky

National Health Policy Forum

This background paper describes important characteristics of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, reviews U.S. Department of Agriculture rules regarding the nutritional content of school meals, and examines compliance with current nutrition standards. It also considers the dietary status and obesity risk of meal program participants, discusses proposed improvements to nutritional standards and meal requirements, and highlights key legislative issues.

Got Junk? The Federal Role In Regulating “Competitive” Foods, Eileen Salinsky

National Health Policy Forum

A wide variety of food and beverage items are available in schools in addition to the school meals provided through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. A long-standing source of controversy, the need for stronger federal restrictions on foods that compete with school meals is again under debate. This issue brief examines the availability and consumption of competitive foods, explores the regulation of these foods at the federal level, considers trends in state and local restrictions, and summarizes perceived barriers to improving the nutritional quality of competitive food options.

The Association Between Lead Exposure And Respiratory Health In Children, Colleen Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The substantial impact of indoor air quality and environmental hazards in the home on one’s health has long been recognized in the field of public health. This cross-sectional study investigates the risk between home based hazards, specifically lead, and respiratory health in children. The objective of this study is to examine the extent to which children testing positive for blood lead exposure are at an increased risk for having poor respiratory health. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 977 children ages 1- 6 years was obtained from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Information from the …

Examining The Association Of Fruit And Vegetable Intake And Breast And Prostate Cancer Screening, Mark Yu

Theses and Dissertations

Breast and prostate cancer incidence and mortality have been steadily decreasing. Reasons for these reductions may be related to increased rates of cancer screening and other factors such as improvements in diet, including consumption of fruits and vegetables. We wanted to determine if individuals who get screened for breast and prostate cancer are more or less likely to consume adequate servings of fruit and vegetables. A cross-sectional study using the BRFSS survey was conducted. Individuals included in this study (n=26,222), were asked about their breast or prostate cancer screening history. They were also asked about their servings per day of …

Community Voice: Taking It To The People, Guidelines For Conducting A Process Evaluation, Tiffany Mcghee

Theses and Dissertations

Background The Community Voice program is designed for African-Americans and explores key factors that can contribute to African-American infant mortality. This program was implemented in Henrico County based on Virginia Health Statistics that the White infant mortality rate average during the years of 2001-2005 was 5.3 deaths per 1,000 live births and in the same time period the infant mortality rate for African-Americans was 13.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. At the time of implementation of the program, no plans to evaluate the program had been made. Objective This evaluation was designed to develop guidelines regarding the evaluation process of …

Developing A Comprehensive Youth Obesity Initiative For The State Of Virginia, Jennifer Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The 2009 Virginia General Assembly Session unanimously voted to change the legislation governing the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation to create the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) and incorporate childhood overweight and obesity prevention and reduction in its mission. In order to successfully meet the requirements of this legislation, VFHY needed assistance developing a strategic plan for the obesity initiative and a knowledge base to draw from. A comprehensive assessment of the status of Virginia’s childhood obesity problem was conducted, including the prevalence of the illness, the barriers existing to and the benefits to obesity prevention programs, the need for …

Association Between Obesity And Depression And Anxiety Disorders: Results From The 2008 National Health Interview Survey, Monica Gaidhane

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Obesity is one of the most important medical problems in the U.S. and is considered to be an epidemic with over 30% of the population being obese. Obesity is associated with increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and a shorter life expectancy. Recent studies have shown that higher BMI levels are also significantly associated with several lifetime mental disorders such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders as well as panic attacks and panic disorders. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the extent to which higher BMI increased the likelihood of Depression, Anxiety Disorder …

Impact Of Parent’S Hiv Status On Their Uninfected Child—A Comparative Analysis Of The Child’S Healthcare Utilization, Access And Health Outcomes, Arijit Ganguli

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

With the advent of effective antiretroviral medication and increased expectancy of life span among HIV-infected individuals has lead to an increase in the at-risk population of uninfected children living with their HIV-infected parent(s). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of parent’s HIV status on their child’s access to healthcare resources, healthcare utilization and health outcomes.

This was a cross-sectional study in which the information on the children of HIV seropositive parent(s) was collected through a face-to-face interview of the HIV-infected parents having children currently residing with them. The comparative group comprising of children of HIV seronegative …

Hands On Health Symposium: Student Research And Creative Endeavors, Jessica Lynn Rogers

Kinesiology and Public Health

This paper explains the organization and planning process for the student research section of the first annual Hands on Health Symposium that was held on the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus. The event was to promote and make public awareness of healthy living. I did a write up of the sources I used, and what I did, so that the next student in charge of putting on the student section, will have a guideline.

Maternal Morbidity In The First Year After Childbirth In Mombasa Kenya; A Needs Assessment, Matthew F. Chersich, Nicole Kley, Stanley Luchters, Carol Njeru, Elodie Yard, Mary J. Othigo, Marleen Temmerman

Population Health, East Africa

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, few services specifically address the needs of women in the first year after childbirth. By assessing the health status of women in this period, key interventions to improve maternal health could be identified. There is an underutilised opportunity to include these interventions within the package of services provided for woman-child pairs attending child-health clinics.

Methods: This needs assessment entailed a cross-sectional survey with 500 women attending a child-health clinic at the provincial hospital in Mombasa, Kenya. A structured questionnaire, clinical examination, and collection of blood, urine, cervical swabs and Pap smear were done. Women's health care …

Association Of Various Reproductive Rights, Domestic Violence And Marital Rape With Depression Among Pakistani Women, Faridah A. Ali, Syed M. Israr, Badar S. Ali, Naveed Z. Janjua

Community Health Sciences

Background: Depression among women is common in developing countries. Gender inequality can contribute to women's risk for depression. Lack of reproductive and sexual rights is an important marker of gender inequality and women do not have the freedom to express their reproductive and sexual needs in many parts of the world. Therefore we designed this study to determine the association of depression with lack of various reproductive rights and domestic violence among married women in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A case-control study with 152 cases and 152 controls, which included women 15-48 years, recruited from two teaching hospitals from 1(st) June …

Evening Primrose Oil, Bryan Bayles, Richard Usatine

Public Health (Archived)

Evening primrose oil (Oenothera biennis) is a commonly used alternative therapy and a rich source of omega-6 essential fatty acids. It is best known for its use in the treatment of systemic diseases marked by chronic inflammation, such as atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis. It is often used for several women’s health conditions, including breast pain (mastalgia), menopausal and premenstrual symptoms, cervical ripening, and labor induction or augmentation. However, there is insufficient evidence to make a reliable assessment of its effectiveness for most clinical indications. The current evidence suggests that oral evening primrose oil does not provide clinically significant improvement …

Selected Barriers And Incentives For Participation In A University Wellness Program, Trever J. Ball

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Evidence supporting the benefits of worksite health promotion (WHP) programs is extensive. Research shows these programs can improve the health of participants, lower health care costs, and improve the bottom line of employers. Although the evidence of these benefits is vast, reported participation in WHP is not optimal. Little published data exists on employees' perceived incentives and barriers for participation in WHP.

The purpose of this study was to determine perceived barriers and incentives for participation in an existing WHP program at a large land-grant university. Opinions of eligible WHP participants were collected using a web-based questionnaire (n = …

Survival Analysis With Error-Prone Time-Varying Covariates: A Risk Set Calibration Approach, Xiaomei Liao, David M. Zucker, Yi Li, Donna Spiegelman

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Fall 09 Prescriptions For Excellence Download Full Pdf

Prescriptions for Excellence in Health Care Newsletter Supplement

No abstract provided.

Hp Newsletter Sept. 09 Download Full Pdf

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (Lqas) And The Mozambique Malaria Indicator Surveys, Caitlin Biedron, Marcello Pagano, Bethany L. Hedt, Albert Kilian, Amy Ratcliffe, Samuel Mabunda, Joseph J. Valadez

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

State Medicaid Coverage Of Perinatal Services: Summary Of State Survey Findings, Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff, Alexandra M. Stewart, Marisa A Cox, Lauren Doamekpor

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Selected Comparison Of Global Health Organizations, Steven C. Mccullar

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Due to a potential, worldwide adverse impact on health, transnational dependencies, and the need for effective response, global cooperation is imperative (Buchanan & Decamp, 2006). There are more than 100 global health agencies, including the World Health Organization. As the number of organizations increases, each with their own agendas, so does the concern for lack of coherence and collaboration among organizations in the effort of disease eradication and development of health systems (Beaglehole & Bonita, 2008). The focus of this study is on comparing the effectiveness of selected global health organizations in efforts to detect a need to either establish …

A Review Of The National Physical Activity Plans Of Six Countries, Daniel B. Bornstein, Russell R. Pate, Michael Pratt

Faculty Publications

Background: Architects of the United States national physical activity plan can benefit from a thorough understanding of national physical activity plans from other nations. The purpose of this paper was to search for and analyze comprehensive national physical activity plan documents that can best inform the development of the U.S. plan. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for national physical activity plan documents, yielding 252 documents from 56 countries. After eliminating documents that were not written in English, did not address physical activity primarily, and did not meet our definition of a national physical activity plan, we were left with physical …

Tailoring Messages To Individual Differences In Monitoring- Blunting Styles To Increase Fruit And Vegetable Intake, Pamela Williams-Piehota, Amy E. Latimer, Nicole A. Katulak, Ashley Cox, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Linda Mowad, Peter Salovey

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Objective

To examine whether messages matched to individuals' monitoring-blunting coping styles (MBCS) are more effective in increasing fruit and vegetable intake than mismatched messages. MBCS refers to the tendency to either attend to and amplify, or distract oneself from and minimize threatening information.

Design/Setting

Randomly assigned messages were tailored to resonate with either monitors or blunters and delivered at baseline, 1 week, 2 months, and 3 months later. Surveys were conducted at baseline and 2 and 4 months later.

Participants

531 callers to a cancer information hotline who did not meet the 5 A Day guideline.

Intervention

A brief telephone-delivered …

A Cost Analysis Of A Physical Activity Intervention For Older Adults, Erik J. Groessl, Robert M. Kaplan, Steven N. Blair, W. Jack Rejeski, Jeffrey A. Katula, Abby C. King, Roger A. Fielding, Nancy W. Glynn, Marco Pahor

Faculty Publications

We examined the costs of a physical activity (PA) and an educational comparison intervention. 424 older adults at risk for mobility disability were randomly assigned to either condition. The PA program consisted of center-based exercise sessions 3x weekly for 8 weeks, 2x weekly for weeks 9 to 24 and weekly behavioral counseling for 10 weeks. Optional sessions were offered during maintenance weeks (25-52). The comparison intervention consisted of weekly education meetings for 24 weeks, and then monthly for 6 months. Cost analyses were conducted from the "payer's" perspective, with a 1-year time horizon. Intervention costs were estimated by tracking personnel …

Population Health: Shifting The Focus From Obesity To Healthy Weight, Alan Lyles Dr.

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.