Digital Commons Network^™

New Strides In Patient Satisfaction For Diabetes Management: The Hoechst Marion Roussel Accord Project, Lisa Mccartney

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract available.

Psychometric Properties Of The Self-Efficacy For Exercise Questionnaire In A Diverse Sample Of Men And Women, Sarah Wilcox, Patricia A. Sharpe, Brent E. Hutto, Michelle L. Granner

Faculty Publications

Background: Self-efficacy is a consistent correlate of physical activity, but most self-efficacy measures have not been validated in diverse populations. This study examined the construct, criterion-related, and convergent validity and internal consistency of the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Questionnaire. Methods: African American and Caucasian adults (N = 1919) from two adjacent counties in South Carolina were identified through a list-assisted random digit-dialed telephone survey. Psychometric properties of the measure were assessed by gender, race, age, education, and body weight subgroups. Results: Across all subgroups, a single-factor solution explained 93 to 98% of the common variance in an exploratory factor analysis, …

Using Social Cognitive Theory To Model Health Behaviors Among Chinese Children, Yan Zhang

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study examined the usefulness of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to model fast-food intake, fruit/vegetable consumption, and regular physical activity among a group of Chinese-American children in a Southeastern Virginia urban area.

An observational cross-sectional survey research design and snowball sampling were used. The survey employed items from the Health Behavior Questionnaire, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and a 24-hour Diet Recall Form. Eighty-four children completed the self-administered survey; 54 of these were enrolled in a Chinese Weekend School. The mean age of the children was 10.5 years (range 6-18) and 43% were girls. Logistic regression models were used to …

Self-Management Strategies Mediate Self-Efficacy And Physical Activity, Amanda Birnbaum, Rod K. Dishman, Robert W. Motl, James F. Sallis, Andrea L. Dunn, Greg J. Welk, Ariane L. Yung, Carolyn C. Voorhees, Jared B. Jobe

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Self-efficacy theory proposes that girls who have confidence in their capability to be physically active will perceive fewer barriers to physical activity or be less influenced by them, be more likely to pursue perceived benefits of being physically active, and be more likely to enjoy physical activity. Self-efficacy is theorized also to influence physical activity through self-management strategies (e.g., thoughts, goals, plans, and acts) that support physical activity, but this idea has not been empirically tested.

Rural Methamphetamine Abuse: An Ethnographic Perspective, Rocky L. Sexton, Robert G. Carlson

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Stimulant Abuse In Ohio And The Rural South, Robert G. Carlson

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes the methods and findings from two NIDA-supported studies of methamphetamine (MA) abuse in rural Ohio, Kentucky, and Arkansas, conducted by researchers at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the University of Kentucky. In addition, patterns of MA abuse among young adult MDMA/ecstasy users in urban central Ohio are described. Finally, preliminary findings from the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network on trends in methamphetamine abuse in Dayton, Ohio, are presented.

Primary Prevention Healthcare Among Black American Men: Social Ecological Factors Predictive Of Prostate Cancer Early Detection Access, Virginia Diane Bush Agbonkhese Woods

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Access to healthcare requires individuals to have a place to go, a healthcare provider to see them, resources to obtain proper care, and the appropriate health services given in an appropriate timeframe. Non-Hispanic Black American men have the highest incidence rate of prostate cancer in the world, 180.6 per 100,000 (NCI, 2004). It is not clear as to why high rates persist, but higher death rates are associated with late detection. This mixed-methods ecological study was to investigate physician and Black male perceptions and practices regarding prostate cancer early detection with prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, and the digital …

Predictors Of Intention To Use Contraception, Given Alcohol Consumption, Among Women In Southeast Alaska, Donna Louise Hebbeler

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Fetal alcohol exposure is a serious public health problem and is 100% preventable. Traditionally, FASD prevention programs and research recommendations have targeted peri-conceptual or pregnant women. Another approach to the prevention of FASD involves preventing pregnancy in women who use alcohol. The purpose of this cross sectional study was to identify factors that predicted women’s intention to use contraception using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), to determine if predictors of the theoretical constructs varied in women depending on alcohol use, and to examine interactions between alcohol use and TPB constructs. Qualitative data was gathered to triangulate with the quantitative …

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 …

Relationships Between Environmental Factors And Fungi On Occupants' Perceptions Of Indoor Air Quality, Monica Rodriguez

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In recent decades, concerns about potential health effects resulting from exposure to contaminants that cause indoor air pollution have dramatically increased. The purpose of this study was to assess the indoor air quality of three buildings at Western Kentucky University and to examine and characterize indoor levels of basic comfort parameters, carbon dioxide, and fungi as well as occupants' perceptions of poor indoor air quality and the role of fungi on reported health symptoms. The three buildings included in the study were: Tate Page Hall (TPH), Jones Jagger Hall (JJH) and Science and Technology Hall (STH). Fifty-three questionnaires were completed …

Scale Development For Perceived School Climate For Girls’ Physical Activity, Amanda Birnbaum, Kelly R. Evenson, Robert W. Motl, Rod K. Dishman, Carolyn C. Voorhees, James F. Sallis, John P. Elder, Marsha Dowda

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Objectives: To test an original scale assessing perceived school climate for girls' physical activity in middle school girls. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: CFA retained 5 of 14 original items. A model with 2 correlated factors, perceptions about teachers' and boys' behaviors, respectively, fit the data well in both sixth and eighth-graders. SEM detected a positive, significant direct association of the teacher factor, but not the boy factor, with girls' self-reported physical activity. Conclusions: School climate for girls' physical activity is a measurable construct, and preliminary evidence suggests a relationship with physical activity.

Reliability And Validity Of Skinfold Testers When Estimating Body Composition In Indiana High School Wrestlers: A Case Report, William Rowe Mathie Jr.

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To determine the reliability and validity of the measurements taken by skin fold testers on Indiana High School wrestlers. Design and Setting: A 2 x 3 x 3 repeated measures design was used for this study. Three independent variables were evaluated. The first independent variable was Body Composition technique (skin fold and hydrostatic weighing), the second is Tester (1 thru 3) and the third is Trial (1 thru 3). The one dependent variable was Body Fat Percentage. Subjects: Three Indiana certified skin fold measurers were recruited to be testers for this study. Twelve male high school wrestlers (age: 16.1±0.9, …

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 …

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 …

Downward Comparison As An Intervention To Lower Self-Reported Risk-Taking Behaviors, John P. Barile

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research investigated the utility of using first-person editorial-style stories as a means to lower the occurrence of self-reported risk-taking behaviors such as drunk driving and red-light running in undergraduate college students. This study assessed the frequency of risk-taking behaviors of college students before and after a three-week online intervention. Students were randomized into one of three conditions. Two risk taking treatment groups read and rated stories about a college student that had suffered a severe consequence from either drunk driving or red-light running. A third group received non-driving college stories that involved no health risk. The stories were presented …

Exploring California's Rural Health System: From The Redwood Forests To The Baja Border, Eileen Salinsky, Jessamyn Taylor

National Health Policy Forum

This three day site visit to California explored the state’s rural health system with a particular focus on the financial health of inpatient and outpatient providers and how that affects access to care. The role of telemedicine as a tool for expanding access was explored as well as the special needs of vulnerable populations such as farmworkers. Participants learned how state and federal regulation and payment policies and state budget deficits impact the viability of rural health systems.

Kids On The Move: The Effects Of A Short-Term Physical Activity Program In A Group Of Rural Elementary School Students

Florida Public Health Review

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Sex Offenders Under Sexually Violent Predator Laws: How Might Mental Health Professionals Conceptualize The Notion Of Volitional Impairment?, Cynthia Calkins Mercado, Robert F. Schopp, Brian H. Bornstein

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This paper examines the significance of the Supreme Court’s Hendricks and Crane decisions, with focus given to how mental health professionals may conceptualize the notion of volitional impairment. The Hendricks decision authorized postsentence civil commitment for sex offenders having a mental abnormality or personality disorder, rendering them likely to engage in future acts of sexual violence. In the Supreme Court’s majority opinion, Justice Thomas implied that the Kansas Act was legitimized by limiting the class of offenders eligible for this specialized form of commitment to those who are “unable to control” their dangerousness. In Crane, the Court ruled that …

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 …

The Role Of Peer Social Network Factors And Physical Activity In Adolescent Girls, Carolyn C. Voorhees, David Murray, Greg Welk, Amanda Birnbaum, Kurt M. Ribisi, Carolyn C. Johnson, Karin Allor Pfeiffer, Brit Saksvig, Jared B. Jobe

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Objective: To study the relationship between peer-related physical activity (PA) social networks and the PA of adolescent girls.

Methods: Cross-sectional, convenience sample of adolescent girls. Mixed-model linear regression analyses to identify significant correlates of self-reported PA while accounting for correlation of girls in the same school.

Results: Younger girls were more active than older girls. Most activity-related peer social network items were related to PA levels. More PA with friends was significantly related to self-reported PA in multivariate analyses.

Conclusions: Frequency of PA with friends was an important correlate of PA among the peer network variables for adolescent girls.

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 …

Are Warnings On Plastic Films Adequate?, David S. Leonard, Roger C. Jensen, Tammy Lynn

Safety Health & Industrial Hygiene

Warnings are used to inform users of hazards that may be associated with many products. Often these warnings deal with the operation of tools, appliances, and other items for which the user may have some reason at least, to look for information on the product regarding its use. Plastic film presents a serious hazard to young children. Because the film will adhere to the flesh, if it covers the airways for the child, suffocation may result. Because young children may play with them, it is important that such films be kept away from them. Warnings need to be adequate to …

Psychological Distress And Back Pain, Richard Strunk

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Chronic low back pain has become a major health problem in today's society. Low back pain disability is the most expensive benign condition in industrialized countries and is the number one cause of disability in people less than 45 years old (1). Low back pain lasting for longer than one day affects 40 percent of adults in any one-year period (2). In addition, there still is a lot uncertainty as to how structural or morphologic changes in the lumbar spine relate to a patient's clinical symptoms as seen on special imaging studies (3). Further investigations have showed this relationship to …

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 …

Ukimwi : Hiv/Aids In Kenya, Virginia Wangui Gathua

Graduate Research Papers

This manuscript points out the deficiencies school counseling programs in Kenya for children/adolescents affected/infected by HIV/AIDS. In addition, the paper is intended to inform, guide, and encourage policy makers, program developers, and school counselors as they develop school counseling interventions for the disease. The focus of the paper is limited to children/adolescents because they bear the greatest burden of HIV/ AIDS infections. The paper also provides evidence for planning and implementation of culturally and developmentally relevant, school-based counseling interventions. The paper explores the impact of HIV/AIDS on Kenyan children/adolescents infected/affected by HIV/AIDS and points out the factors that hinder prevention …

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 …

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 …