Digital Commons Network^™

A Review Of Risk Factors, Adverse Outcomes, And Counseling Strategies Among Pregnant Individuals With Eating Disorders, Alexandra Fontaine, Emily Meale

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: Eating disorders (EDs) among women of childbearing age have become more prevalent on the global level. Identifying at-risk populations of women having EDs before, during, or after pregnancy is essential for clinicians to improve treatment and decrease the likelihood of negative maternal and/or fetal outcomes. Purpose: The purpose is to determine risk factors for women who have EDs throughout pregnancy, to identify negative pregnancy outcomes of women suffering from EDs, and to explore treatment and counseling options through the postpartum period. Methods: This literature review mainly utilizes sources from PubMed and the National Institute of Health databases. An expansive …

What Stigmas Still Exist For Weight Loss Medications?, Abdullah Panah, Philip Collins Do

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background and Hypothesis:

Medications for weight loss are becoming far more common as more tolerable formulas have come to the market with some medications offering results almost on par with bariatric surgery. However, studies show a stigma still persists around the discussion and perception around using weight loss medications. The authors of this study hypothesized that one of the biggest hurdles patients face for weight loss medications are the stigmas associated with taking these medicines and approaching the topic.

Methods:

This was a survey-based project that consisted of an anonymous, voluntary questionnaire which was provided to patients during their regular …

Evaluating The Prevalence Of Postpartum Substance Use In South Jersey, Hebba Ahmad, Joanna Petrides

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of substance use among women who experience postpartum depression. Looking at South Jersey women in particular, we aimed to compare the rates of women who began to engage in substance use after undergoing labor within the past one year who are covered by private health insurance versus those with Medicaid coverage. A retrospective chart review was performed, and although the small sample size limited our attempts at data analysis, it revealed that there is work to be done in this field. There needs to be methods in reducing the stigma …

Implementation Of A Doula-Supported Postpartum Wellness Toolkit In A Black Community-Based Maternal Wellness Program, Janice Luethje, Leslie Torres

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Objective: The objective of this project was to expand the areas of focus within a maternal wellness program at a Black community center and to evaluate the satisfaction levels of the doulas who utilized the material during postpartum home visits. The toolkit covers a range of postpartum topics in the areas of nutrition, exercise, sexual health, mindfulness, and social support as well as a postpartum mental health screening tool.

Design: This quality improvement project included three distinct phases: The pre-implementation phase, the implementation phase, and the post-implementation phase.

Setting: The project location was a Black community center in Lincoln, Nebraska. …

Female Leaders In Occupational Safety And Health: Perceived Barriers And Potential Interventions, Jacqueline Basham

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Limited research exists about the challenges women face working as leaders within the occupational safety and health (OSH) industry. This study aimed to help fill this gap by utilizing key informant interviews to qualitatively analyze what the perceptions of female safety leaders were within OSH related to barriers and interventions to sustain or increase the number of female safety leaders. Both convenience sampling and snowball sampling methods were utilized to recruit female safety leaders to participate in key informant interviews. In order to be eligible for inclusion in the study, participants needed to identify as female, be safety leaders currently …

Investigation Of The Impact Of Neighborhood Environments On Alzheimer’S Disease And Alzheimer’S Disease-Related Dementias (Ad/Adrd), Darashagam Nahal

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

There is an increased interest in understanding the impact of neighborhood environments on cognitive functioning, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD). Surprisingly, there has yet to be a comprehensive review that consolidates the findings from studies conducted in this specific field. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively investigate the influence of eight neighborhood environments on AD/ADRD. The seven key neighborhood environments that are investigated in this study include: i) socioeconomic status, ii) food environments, iii) physical activity resources, iv) social cohesion, v) crime, vi) non-crime safety, and vii) healthcare services. This research conducts a …

Assessing The Relationship Between Racism In Medicine, Medical Mistrust And Cardiovascular Disease Among Black American Adults., Osayande Agbonlahor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) persists as the leading preventable cause of death and disability among Black Americans in the United States. Structural and psychosocial factors such as racism have been highlighted as a fundamental cause of persistent cardiovascular health disparities in the U.S. This study examined the associations between racism in medicine, medical mistrust and CVD among Black Americans using the Minority Stress Theory as a theoretical framework. This study evaluates the sociodemographic differences in the quality of care received among Black Americans. Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey, 2022 and the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems …

Examining The Relationship Between Mass Incarceration, Gender Norms, And Hiv Vulnerability For Formerly-Incarcerated Black Men Who Have Sex With Men And Women., Adrienne B. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2018, Black Americans represented 42% of new HIV diagnoses, despite comprising only 13% of the population. Moreover, Black men accounted for three-quarters of new HIV cases in 2016, with Black gay/bisexual men contributing to the majority of incidence among Black Americans. Existing literature suggests that individual behavior alone cannot explain these racial inequities in HIV rates. This study aims to explore the role of the criminal legal system (CLS) as a structural determinant of health, given its historical racial implications that disproportionately affect Black Americans. Additionally, the study examines masculinity’s influence as a predictor of risky sexual behavior. This …

Evaluating The Epidemiological, Hormonal, And Psychosocial Sex-Based Differences In Sports-Related Concussion Outcomes, Samantha Kanny

All Dissertations

Sports-related concussions (SRCs) affect approximately 3.8 million athletes in the United States per year. A multitude of risk factors including age, sex, concussion history and prior medical conditions have been observed to significantly increase sports-related concussion symptom burden. Researchers have posited many reasons to explain sex-based differences in SRC outcomes, often categorized by biological characteristics or sociocultural factors, however, females are vastly underrepresented in sports-related concussion research, making it difficult to understand the true mechanisms underlying SRC sex-based differences. The goal of this dissertation is to help fill the current gap in knowledge on sex-based differences in sports-related concussion outcomes. …

How To Evacuate When Disaster Strikes: A Literature Review Of Hospital Evacuations, Grant Orr

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Hospitals are an essential component of any community’s infrastructure, and due to the nature of their services they are vulnerable when a disaster strikes. If a disaster is severe enough to warrant a hospital evacuation, both hospital and community leaders must decide how to proceed with the resources at their disposal. Organizations such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services offer general guidance, but specifics as to how a hospital should proceed with an evacuation are left to individual hospital leaders and emergency management teams. This capstone project will …

Examining The Impact Of Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Colorectal Cancer Screening Compliance In The United States And The Potential Of Targeted Interventions., Jessica Ware

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objectives:

Examine Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening compliance among racial and ethnic groups in the United States (US) based on the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations.

Identify targeted interventions to promote screening compliance, early diagnosis, and CRC survivorship.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized 165,878 selected participant responses from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We modeled and investigated CRC screening compliance based on the USPSTF recommendations as inclusion criteria between racial/ethnic groups in the US while adjusting for covariates using a weighted stepwise logistic regression.

Results: With covariates adjustment, Hispanics (POR 1.16 95%CI 1.04-1.29), Asian …

Assessing The Association Between Income And Breast Cancer Screening Practices, Hannah M. Zantow

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objectives

To determine how breast cancer screening practices differ between high- and low-income women aged 40-74. To determine the effects of sociodemographic factors on the relationship between income and breast cancer screening practices.

Methods

This was a cross sectional study. Survey data was obtained from women aged 40-74 who completed the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). The exposure was income. The outcome was if a woman ever received a mammogram. The final sample size was 171,111 participants. Regression models were used to assess the association between income and screening practices.

Results

There was a significant association between income and …

A Medical Perspective On Policy Prohibiting Gender-Affirming Care For Missouri Minors: A Policy Review, Hayley Lange

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act is a law enacted in August of 2023 that bans gender-affirming medical care for individuals under eighteen years old in Missouri and states any medical provider who gives medical gender-affirming care to a minor will have their professional medical license revoked. The impact of medical professionals withholding proven gender-affirming care is a clear concern for the medical community, advocates, and other care professionals.
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/="/">PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy review is to compare the content of the Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act with states with similar policies and standard-of-care …

Association Between Depression And Coronary Heart Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (Brfss), 2022, Juliana Monono

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objectives: To examine the association of depression and coronary heart disease in U.S. adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study uses the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2022 data for non-institutionalized U.S adults aged 18 and older. The exposure variable is depression, the outcome is coronary heart disease (CHD), and covariates are age, race, education, and physical activity. Performed univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses to assess the association between depression and CHD.

Results: The analytical sample size consisted of 427,217 individuals. A total of 88,841(20.7%) of the population reported having coronary heart disease, while 338,376(70.3%) reported having no …

A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Self-Reported Long Covid And Binge Drinking Amongst Covid-Positive Individuals Using The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (Brfss), 2022, Maire Kirley

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objective: Identify an association between Long COVID (exposure) and binge drinking (outcome) amongst COVID-positive individuals.

Methods: COVID-positive respondents (n=116,120) were sampled from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Univariate analysis assessed distribution of Long COVID, binge drinking, and covariates sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, income, rural/urban residency, veteran status and BMI. Bivariate analysis determined crude prevalence odds ratios (POR) between exposure, outcome, and covariates. Multivariate logistic regression determined adjusted prevalence odds ratios (aPOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for exposure, outcome and covariates.

Results: No association found between Long COVID and binge drinking (aPOR: 0.94 (95% CI: 0.87, …

Exploring The Nexus: The Influence Of Acculturation And Stress On Infant Outcomes Among Hispanic And Black/African American Adolescents, Mia I. Moreno

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Numerous studies on acculturation and acculturative stress exist; however, findings are inconsistent and overlook an exploration of differences between Hispanic and Black/African American (B/AA) adolescents’ acculturation, stress, and birth outcomes. Despite societal and cultural challenges for both minorities, Hispanic women typically have positive birth outcomes comparable to White women, but B/AA women show an increased risk for negative birth outcomes. Further, minority and adolescent childbearing women frequently receive fewer prenatal care (PNC) visits than recommended which may impact birth outcomes. Therefore, my study sought to compare Hispanic and B/AA women’s birth outcomes assessing acculturation and stress and examine the relationship …

A Content Analysis Of Tiktok Challenges In The News, Michael Jakakas

ALL - Honors Theses

Social media is a phenomenon that has drastically altered how people receive information about current events, communicate with each other, and consume entertainment. Apps such as TikTok have become widely used by many but have also faced increased scrutiny for the nature of its content including viral challenges where users will post a challenge video doing an activity that often has the potential to lead to injury. This content analysis study looks to analyze how these TikTok challenges are covered by news media by assessing how frequent news coverage of TikTok challenges is and the characteristics of such coverage. The …

Does Appearance Matter? The Relationship Of Perceived Body Size And Physical Appearance On Students' Attraction To Physical Activity At Recess, Danielle Belcher

Master's Theses

Drastic declines in recess physical activity (PA) have been observed within recent years (Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2017). Due to recess’ discretionary nature, psychosocial variables associated with PA are predictors of students’ PA levels. Recess is also a time of heightened bullying occurrences (Vaillancourt et al., 2010). Appearance-based bullying is the most common type of victimization that occurs in schools, transpiring more often in children with larger body max indexes (BMI), and possibly altering students’ physical self-perceptions. Physical self-perceptions have been shown to impact PA motivation, however, it is still unknown the extent to which appearance-based bullying, body size, …

Protocols For Enhancing The Role And Value Of Spiritual Care Resources In The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Garrett Harper

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the assessment of innovative practices in police chaplaincy. The purpose of the project intervention is to develop protocols that can guide police chaplains through an assessment process. The intervention relies on practical theology as exemplified through the ministry of chaplaincy. This ministry comprises police chaplains offering spiritual comfort to persons encountering critical incidents involving violence, accident, or other trauma-intensive events and situations. Adoption of innovations can allow police chaplains to be more effective in fulfilling many outward-focused tasks such as delivery of death notifications. I conclude that: (1) police chaplaincy is amenable to use of protocols to …

Substantial Increases In Healthcare Students’ State Empathy Scores Owing To Participation In A Single Improvisation Session, Brian D. Schwartz, Shane L. Rogers, Nicole Michels, Lon J. Van Winkle

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: To determine whether the 12-item state empathy scale could be modified reliably to measure empathy in healthcare professions students and to detect changes in their empathy owing to a single improvisation (improv) session. Methods: Three cohorts of students from two healthcare professions programs (total = 165 students) participated in an improv session. During the session, one of the researchers (BS) tasked the students with several improv activities. Participants’ self-reported state empathy scores were assessed at three time points (pre-improv, post-improv, and end of semester) using revised, in-class paper versions of the State Empathy Scale. Results: The exploratory factor analysis …

Spatial Hearing In Simulated Reverberant Classroom Environments, Gabriel Seth Evan Weeldreyer

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Spatial hearing provides access to auditory spatial cues that promote speech perception in noisy listening situations. However, reverberation degrades auditory spatial cues and limits listeners’ ability to utilize these cues for segregating target speech from competing babble. Hence, spatial unmasking—an intelligibility benefit from a spatial separation between a target and masker—is reduced in reverberant environments as compared to free field. This work tests the hypothesis that interaural decorrelation, the result of increasing reverberation, will broaden the perceived auditory source width with a cascading effect of reduced auditory spatial acuity and subsequently poorer spatial unmasking. To understand the perceptual consequences of …

A Comparative Analysis Of Hiv/Aids In France And The United States: Historical Context And Preventative Actions, Rebecca A. Liebsack

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the result of transmission of a zoonotic disease known as simian immunodeficiency virus. The pandemic has had profound social and economic consequences and continues to be present today. France and the United States’ response to the discovery of HIV will be compared and the impact that HIV/AIDS had on their countries and future responses. They had rather similar responses, however, the United States had a slower initial response compared to France. Both had similar takeaways such as aiming at improving prevention and utilizing tactics developed during the start of the pandemic like frequent testing and vaccines.

Social Influences On Quitting E-Cigarette Use: A Mixed Method Analysis, Olivia Peterson, Page Dobbs

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social Influences on Quitting E-Cigarette Use: A Mixed Method Analysis

Page Dobbs, Olivia Peterson, Erin Arthur, Jessica Seymore, Jenn Veilleux, Robert Davis, Mance Buttram, Mufazzela Tabassum

Words: 250/250

Introduction. Young adult e-cigarette users report peers as a reason for using these products; however, it is unclear how social influences are associated with attempting to quit e-cigarettes. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the relationship between social factors and quitting e-cigarettes.

Methods. E-cigarette users from a large southern university were recruited to take part in an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods study. First, participants (n=423) completed a cross-sectional survey about …

Effect Of Progesterone On Cognition Among College Aged Women, Katelyn Helberg

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women who have a reoccurring menstrual cycle and do not take hormonal birth control naturally experience changes in the amount of sex hormones that their body produces. These sex hormones help promote sexual development, fertility, and mood regulation, but can be hard to study due to their conflicting effects on each other. One such hormone, progesterone, is produced in different concentrations throughout the menstrual cycle to prepare the uterus for a potential pregnancy. However, it also may have secondhand effects on how well women can complete everyday tasks involving memory, attention, processing speed, and more which is what we measured …

Reframing Addiction As A Coping Response: A Needed Shift In Modern Public Health Paradigms, Anthony King

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

What are the primary risk factors that compel one person towards addiction and not another? After decades of research, there is still no clear consensus. Some experts say addiction is a brain disease; others say it is a willful act, or even an outright crime. Nevertheless, the three research studies contained within this dissertation suggest an alternative, more parsimonious public-health-centered framework for viewing addictive behavioral patterns: as a biopsychosocial coping strategy for past and present stressors. In Study 1, this idea was examined by evaluating how symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were associated with problem gambling severity, different gambling …

Effect Of Asynchronous Virtual Interviews On Ethnic Minority Matriculation Into A Doctor Of Physical Therapy Program, Conner Clark, Nanea Lagasca, Gladys Miller, Jasmine Puspos

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Methods: This study examines the impact of the use of asynchronous virtual interviews (AVIs) in the admissions process of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This research aims to examine racial and ethnic subgroup differences in AVI scores, evaluate the influence of AVIs on applicant scores in the admissions process, and assess the AVI inter-rater reliability among faculty evaluators using data from the 2019-2022 admissions cycles.

Results: Significant differences were found in AVI scores among racial and ethnic groups, with Black applicants scoring highest and Asian applicants scoring lowest. Additionally, inclusion …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Undergraduate College Students, Rebecca C. Madson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic created significant disruption across the world. These two studies provide a mixed methods approach to understanding how undergraduate college students at one university were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first, a quantitative study, examines changes in mean, median, and standard deviation of GPAs in the semesters leading up to and during the pandemic (Fall 2018 - Spring 2022). The second, a qualitative study, involves interviewing students (n = 13) who began their undergraduate college career in Fall 2019, prior to the pandemic, and graduated in Spring 2023. Findings from these studies suggest that undergraduate students performed …

Long Term Effects On Health: Analyzing The Lasting Effects Of Covid-19 On The Human Body, Kaylie Stachelski

University Honors College

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns regarding the long-term effects it can leave on an individual’s health. This abstract provides an overview of the emerging evidence of the long-term effects of COVID-19. Research indicates that COVID-19 can lead to acute or chronic health effects, affecting multiple systems in the body. The symptoms that have been known to effect quality of life in patients that have been suffering from long-haul COVID. While the full spectrum and mechanisms of long-term effects are still under investigation, understanding and addressing the long-term health consequences of COVID-19 remain critical for patient care and public …

Pcos: Comparing Inositol Supplementation To Metformin Treatment, Caitlin Liechti-Hawkins

University Honors College

The purpose of this literature review is to compare the viability of inositol versus metformin for the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The research outlines the criteria for diagnosis and the many symptoms associated with the condition. The aim is to discover if inositol should be recommended for PCOS symptoms as a replacement for metformin. It was found that safety and popularity of the two options were important factors for physicians and patients to consider before choosing a treatment. Within these scopes, adverse effects, costs, regulation, and belief of treatment were compared. Findings indicated that inositol supplementation may possibly …

A Systematic Review Of Mental Health Of Women In Fragile And Humanitarian Settings Of The Eastern Mediterranean Region, Fauziah Rabbani, Aysha Zahidie, Amna Siddiqui, Sanam Shah, Zul Merali, Khalid Saeed, Mohamed Afifi

Brain and Mind Institute

Background: The increasing emergencies and humanitarian challenges have worsened the mental health condition of women in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Aim: To assess the prevalence, determinants and interventions to address mental health among women in fragile and humanitarian settings in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Methods: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines, we reviewed 59 peer-reviewed published studies (PubMed, IMEMR) and grey literature (WHO/IRIS) from January 2001 to February 2023, focusing on women's mental health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. We then conducted a descriptive analysis of the sociodemographic characteristics.

Results: Among …