Digital Commons Network^™

Mind Match: A Holistic App-Based Intervention For Post-Pandemic Adolescent Mental Health, Irene Xinyuan Hu, Hoyt King, Samara Lynch, Nyla Thomas

DC Health and Academic Prep Program (DC HAPP)

The global COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine measures had profound implications for the mental well-being of adolescents. Studies have shown that adolescents who received MRIs post-pandemic demonstrated more severe mental health problems (Gotlib et al, 2021). As of 2021, more than 36% of DC youth who have depression did not receive any mental health care (NAMI, 2021). These statistics underscore the urgent need to address the mental health challenges faced by teenagers, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds with limited access to mental health services (Mental health disparities: Diverse populations, 2017). In response to the downstream effects of COVID-19 on underrepresented …

Bugged By Bugs: A Comprehensive Guide To Pest Control, Brandon Runyon

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

This book aims to create a user-friendly guide tocommercial pest control practices covering German cockroaches, bed bugs, odorous house ants, pavement ants, brown recluse spiders, wolf spiders, house flies, and fruit flies. We will address these pests in the following locations: hotels, restaurants, apartments, and offices.

Utilizing Translational Research To Identify And Develop Effective Strategies For Operationalizing And Implementing A National Board Health And Wellness Coaching (Nbhwc) Certification Program Within The Non-Profit, Living Your Truth Empowered (Lyte), Rielly Keyser

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: This dissertation presents a comprehensive study that employs a combined formative and translational research design, alongside a mixed methods approach, to identify and develop strategies for operationalizing and implementing a National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) certification program within the nonprofit organization Living Your Truth Empowered (LYTE). The research involves evidence-based strategies identification, analysis, and strategic planning to enhance the program's launch and effectiveness, with a particular focus on serving the diverse breast cancer community.

Methods: The study begins with an extensive literature review and the examination of 32 similar programs to identify OPR and IMP strategies. …

Recent Advances In Research And Management Of Human Monkeypox Virus: An Emerging Global Health Threat, Parveen Kumar, Benu Chaudhary, Nishant Yadav, Sushma Devi, Ashutosh Pareek, Sujatha Alla, Fnu Kajal, Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, Vijay Kumar Chattu, Madan Mohan Gupta

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In 2003, the United States saw an epidemic of monkeypox that was later traced back to rodents of West Africa infected with the monkeypox virus (MPXV). Disease in the United States seemed less severe than the smallpox-like disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In this study, researchers analyzed data from Central Africa: two distinct MPXV clades were confirmed by sequencing the genomes of MPXV isolates from Western Africa, the United States, and Central Africa. By comparing open reading frames across MPXV clades, scientists can infer which virus proteins might account for the observed variation in pathogenicity in …

Adaptive Evaluation For Systems In Rapid Change Or Sustained Transition: Innovations And Applications Generated From A Community-Based Diabetes Prevention Program During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Kuhn

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Program evaluation is a key part of the life cycle of public health and prevention science projects. But in complex environments or evolving situations, existing evaluation theory faces challenges in successful practical application. Process evaluation can track changes as a program runs, but when a program operates outside of its original design, questions can arise related to fidelity of implementation and interpretation of results. Outcome evaluation often requires a closed system without changes to determine actual effects of a program, but in times of complicated change that isolation can be difficult to achieve or to work around. In practice, systems …

Disparate Access To Medical Coverage Associated With Type 2 Diabetes Care In Low-Income And Rural Communities In Georgia, Crystal Alexis Symone Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disparate access to diabetes care in rural and low-income communities among older adults has been an ongoing issue among Americans. Type 2 diabetes in low-income and rural communities has continuously burdened many residents due to age, costs of care, income, geographic location, and education levels. Researchers have demonstrated that providing resources and tools to rural and low-income communities would assist in decreasing type 2 diabetes and increase education and awareness. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study using secondary data was to examine the relationship between health insurance status and lack of access to health care resources and delay of …

Predictive Effects Of Length Of Treatment And Type Of Dialysis On African Americans’ Quality Of Life, Latoya Benjamin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals on dialysis often face challenges with the management of their health, resulting in low health-related quality of life (HRQOL), but the extent of this impact has not been fully examined. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was, having accounted for relevant demographic variables such as age, gender, family history, employment status, to examine the effects of length of time for treatment and type of dialysis on HRQOL in African American end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. This study was guided by the socioecological model. Secondary data from 2016 to 2021 was obtained from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) …

Internal Population Displacement And Vaccination Completion, Malnutrition, And Respiratory Infections Among Children In The Central African Republic, Francois Xavier Batalingaya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Forced displacement in fragile and conflict-affected countries has the potential to disrupt access to basic primary healthcare services such as immunization. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between internal population displacement and vaccination completion, malnutrition, and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) while controlling for maternal characteristics of wealth index, education level, and residence status in the Central African Republic. The socioecological model underpinned this cross-sectional study that used a secondary dataset collected in 2018 – 2019 and maintained by UNICEF. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression tests were used to analyze the data. The findings of this study …

Association Between Dietary Phytoestrogen Intake And Xenoestrogen Exposure And Estrogen-Dependent Cancers, Pisita Bolsue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The role of circulating estrogens and the impact of lifetime exposure to multiple sources of exogenous estrogens as factors in carcinogenesis were not well understood. Research showed conflicting results when dietary phytoestrogen (PE) intake and xenoestrogen (XE) exposure occurred independently and when co-exposed. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between dietary PE intake and XE exposure and the development of estrogen-dependent cancers in an epidemiological context. The advanced model of the epidemiology triangle was the theoretical framework for the current study in which binary logistic regression was employed on secondary data from the 2003–2006 …

Relationship Between Childhood Trauma, ,Adverse Childhood Experiences, And Self-Management Of Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes, Deserie J. Otoole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPoorly controlled diabetes is the result of lack of self-care, which contributes to complications, ill quality in life, the rise in health care costs, and early death. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to examine the extent to which diabetes type (Type 1 and Type 2), childhood trauma, and adverse childhood experiences predict diabetes self-management (glucose management, dietary control, physical activity, health care use, total self-management). Contemporary trauma theory suggests that early childhood trauma results in negative health-related consequences in adulthood. Standard multiple regression analyses showed that (a) higher levels of physical neglect and emotional abuse predicted poorer …

The Relationship Between Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis And Race, Gender, And Age, Johnny James Mcgrew

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative correlational design using secondary data from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment was to examine the relationship between different types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), specifically, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, and race, gender, and age in the United States. This study is significant because it could assist medical personnel to focus on more personally-based STI treatments. This study could also lead to a call for more research regarding sexual health programs across the nation, individuals’ willingness to share personal information regarding STIs, and how sexual health programs could increase testing for STIs. The study …

Pancreatic Cancer: Quantitative Study Investigating The Regional Risk Factors In North Carolina, Holly Marie Myers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, killing more than 90% of individuals diagnosed within 5 years. Due to the lack of signs and symptoms, 82% of all pancreatic cancer cases are diagnosed in terminal stages. As such, the most powerful method to reducing the morbidity and mortality of pancreatic cancer is to further investigate the risk factors. According to the theoretical framework of the ecosocial theory, long-term exposure to exposures to unfavorable socioecological and environmental factors serve as a “web of causation” for adverse health outcomes. Using data from the North Carolina Department …

Maternal Occupation And Pediatric Brain Cancer In Kentucky, Mary Begley

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Pediatric brain cancer is a rare and potentially deadly diagnosis that affects children in Kentucky at a higher incidence than those nationally. Limited exposures in children early in life to warrant the development and progression of brain cancer point to the role parental exposures experienced in the period prior to conception and throughout pregnancy may play in its development. Many of these exposures may be experienced through occupation. Data on a subset of pediatric brain cancer cases in Kentucky was compared to all cases diagnosed in the state from 1995 to 2019. Survey data of the study sample was collected …

Relationship Between Maternal Language And Use Of Electronic Cigarettes In Pregnancy, Tara Halpern

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tobacco use has been a long-standing known modifiable risk factor to maternal health. Although there have been many efforts to encourage smoking cessation, use of electronic cigarettes in pregnancy has been increasing over the years. Understanding potential factors that may play a role in the increased use of electronic cigarettes is important to improve maternal and fetal health outcomes. The social ecological model provides the theoretical framework for this study. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a woman’s primary language and pregnancy health care factors (i.e., access to health care 12 months prior to pregnancy, access to …

Gender Disparities: 5 Year Survival Rates Of Elderly Colorectal Cancer Patients With Depression, Riya Joshi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractColorectal cancer (CRC) is a life-threatening health condition known to greatly affect the elderly than younger populations. CRC, if comorbid with mental condition such as depression, can seriously affect patients’ quality of life with a direct influence on the survival rate. There is a connection between depression and worsened cancer progression and survival rate of CRC, little is known on gender differences in survival rates on elderly CRC patients with pre-existing depression (PD). A socioeconomic model study was used to evaluate gender, initial diagnostic stage, and marital status (MS) at diagnosis as major independent variables and 5-years survival rate (5-YS) …

The Lived Experiences Of Black Women With Hysterectomy For Benign Fibroids, Clarise M. Jackson-Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black women are more likely than women of any other race in the United States to undergo an abdominal hysterectomy instead of a less invasive and less damaging laparoscopic or robotic procedure for benign fibroids. Although Black women are the population most disparately affected by benign fibroids, as evidenced by higher morbidity and mortality rates due to complications, they are often excluded in clinical research. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women who decided to undergo an invasive abdominal hysterectomy for benign fibroids. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 Black women, …

Self-Efficacy Facilitated Sleep, Physical Activity, Towards Regulating Bmi Of Permanent 12-Hour Shift Registered Nurses, Veronica Brock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Shift workers with obesity-related comorbidities have reduced health and lifespan. Registered nurses (RNs) are ranked fifth among the most obese professionals in the United States, according to recent studies. Researchers have not examined the relationship between self-efficacy, physical activity, sleep, and 12-hour night shift RNs despite demonstrating that self-efficacy inspires confident health habits in the general population. For this quantitative study, the social cognitive theory was applied to study the interrelationships among the independent variables, sleep self-efficacy, self-efficacy for physical activity, and body mass index (BMI), with multiple dependent demographic variables, quality and quantity of sleep, and the level and …

Using Multi-Theory Model (Mtm) To Predict Intention To Promote Physical Activity By Primary Care Providers, Shirley Mcclendon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physical inactivity persists as a public health concern worldwide and results in more than a million deaths per year. This modifiable behavior can result in improved health when primary care providers (PCPs) communicate recommendations to patients and behavior change is supported. In this study, a quantitative cross-sectional design was used to investigate the intentions of PCPs in providing physical activity counseling, using the constructs of the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change as the theoretical framework. An anonymous 37-item electronic survey was administered to participants practicing primary care and family medicine from rural areas in the Southeastern region of …

Association Between Covid-19 Health Knowledge, Self-Efficacy And Preventive Behaviors Among Nursing Students, Josephine Miane Britanico

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Nursing students possess valuable public health knowledge to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection. They can provide health education to the public with reliable information and adequate resources. To better understand the role nursing students can take in prevention efforts, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the association between COVID-19 health knowledge, self-efficacy, and preventive behavior among undergraduate nursing students. The health belief model was the theoretical framework that guided this study. The primary research questions assessed (a) if there was a statistically significant association between COVID-19 health knowledge and preventive behavior among nursing students, …

Relationship Between Homelessness, Substance Use, Employment, Living On A Reservation And Tuberculosis Among Northern Plains Native Americans, Darla Mccloskey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Native Americans in the Northern Plains have a long history of tuberculosis (TB) infections. There is limited research on the causes of latent TB infections (LTBI) and TB in this population. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the relationship between latent TB and factors of homelessness, substance use, employment, living on a reservation, and active or latent TB among this population using the eco-social theory as the theoretical framework. Data from 146 TB cases of Native Americans living in the Northern Plains and diagnosed with TB from 1999 to 2019 were analyzed using chi-square tests that showed …

Risk Factors Influencing Poliomyelitis Seroprevalence In Polio High Risk Areas Of Afghanistan, Wasan Abdulaziz Al-Tamimi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Afghanistan is one of the remaining polio endemic countries in the world. Nearly one million children under 5 years of age have missed polio vaccination in Afghanistan from May 2018 until January 2021. This quantitative study used the socioecological model as the theoretical framework and secondary data analysis of the 2020 polio serosurvey (N = 1384) to investigate various risk factors such as gender, parental education, family origin (language/location), wealth, distance to nearest health facility, and number of polio vaccine doses on the level of antibodies (i.e., seroprevalence) against all three types of polioviruses in children of two age groups, …

Risk Factors Influencing Poliomyelitis Seroprevalence In Polio High Risk Areas Of Afghanistan, Wasan Abdulaziz Al-Tamimi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Afghanistan is one of the remaining polio endemic countries in the world. Nearly one million children under 5 years of age have missed polio vaccination in Afghanistan from May 2018 until January 2021. This quantitative study used the socioecological model as the theoretical framework and secondary data analysis of the 2020 polio serosurvey (N = 1384) to investigate various risk factors such as gender, parental education, family origin (language/location), wealth, distance to nearest health facility, and number of polio vaccine doses on the level of antibodies (i.e., seroprevalence) against all three types of polioviruses in children of two age groups, …

Associations Of Stress, Health Behaviors, And Obesity Among African American Immigrants, Wole David Akinsola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractObesity has been identified as a predisposing factor that poses a serious threat for the development of chronic diseases and contributes to health disparities affecting both minority and vulnerable populations. Though previous studies reported the association of stress with health status and behavior, there is little or no research on the heterogeneity of obesity predictors in specific minority populations in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of obesity among adult African American immigrant populations in the United States. Studying obesity in this population may help policymakers tailor interventions that could reduce obesity prevalence. …

Disparities In Mental Health Technology Among African Americans: Breaking Cultural Inclusion Barriers, Nyoki Cosey-Brown

DSW Capstone Projects

Mental health technology is a healthcare delivery model of the future. The engagement in virtual healthcare was intensified when traditional healthcare methods were inaccessible during the federal restrictions implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing digital apparatuses for healthcare improved the convenience, efficiency, and accessibility of various mental health services that were inoperable in past healthcare models. However, the historical constructs of stigma, discrimination, inequity, exclusion, and structural racism in mental healthcare were prevalent problems that remained present in virtual mental health platforms concerning the experiences of African-American patients and professionals who utilized the spaces.

This research explored mental health …

Biocybersecurity And Deterrence: Hypothetical Rwandan Considerations, Issah Samori, Gbadebo Odularu, Lucas Potter, Xavier-Lewis Palmer

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Digitalization and sustainability are popular words within modern disciplines as practitioners each look toward the future of their respective fields. Specifically for the African continent, which is making great strides in developmental targets, those two terms are central to core aspects of policy initiatives that may foster cooperation across its varied lands and nations. One of the underlying challenges that confront Africa is a lack of strong regional integration across socioeconomic and political programs; there is value in African regions having more regional connectedness. We assess the rate of regional integration and development in Africa and discuss how to alleviate …

Wildfires And Their Impacts On Immigrant Farmworker Women Of Childbearing Age, Rosa Gonzalez Juarez

Public Health Theses

Wildfires have been increasing in recent years due to the climate change that has been affecting the nation and across the globe. The Western part of the United States has been greatly affected, especially California. In 2022 there were 68,988 wildfires reported which consumed 7,577,183 acres nationwide, this was strikingly higher than the 10-year average (National Interagency Coordination Center Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics Annual Report 2022, 2022). The California Wildfires have been detrimental to its residents; however, they have specifically disproportionately affected the Latino population either due to the location of their homes, citizenship status or socioeconomic status (Rosenthal …

Examining Genetically Regulated Gene Expression As A Potential Biomarker For Postpartum Depression Screening, Eileen Zhu

Public Health Theses

Background: PPD is one of most common complications of pregnancy but is underdiagnosed and undertreated with less than 10% of women with PPD receiving adequate treatment. Currently, the most well-validated screening questionnaire for perinatal depression, the EPDS, produces a high false positive rate and results in a large number of unnecessary referrals. Objective: The principal emphasis of this investigation will center upon the estrogen sensitivity, which hypothesizes that individuals with a history of PPD will have differences in estrogen receptor gene (ESR1 and ESR2) mediated responses to estradiol and thus, are likely to be more sensitive to the abrupt drop …

Rational Use Of Blood And Blood Components In A Tertiary Care Hospital: A Crossectional Study., Rupali Chordia Dr, Dr Himani Shemar Dr

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Abstract:

Introduction: Blood transfusion is a life saving process and a complex phenomenon. Judicial use of blood and its components is the need of the hour. Objectives: The present study was planned with the objective to assess the appropriateness of blood transfusions in patients admitted in the hospital as per WHO guidelines. Materials and Methods: A crossectional study was conducted at tertiary care hospital for a period of one and a half years. Records of patients from blood bank were evaluated to collect data. MS Excel was used to enter the data and IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows …

Epigenetics And Social Inequalities In Asthma And Allergy, Elizabeth S. Clausing, Cassidy J. Tomlinson, Amy L. Non

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and allergy disorders, are disproportionately more common among minority racial/ethnic groups and those of low socioeconomic status. In the United States, asthma prevalence and severity are highest among Puerto Ricans (19.2%), American Indians/Alaska Natives (13%), and Black Americans (12.7%) and higher in families living below the poverty threshold than among those living above it (11% vs 8%–9%).¹ Many studies of asthma/allergy inequalities assume that genetic differences underlie racial/ethnic differences in these disorders, pointing to genetic ancestry differences between races, but most genetic variants fail to explain racial/ethnic differences and are usually studied only in …

Institute Of Public Health Newsletter- Volume5, Issue1, Institute Of Public Health (Iph)

Institute of Public Health Newsletter (IPHNL) and Other Publications

No abstract provided.