Digital Commons Network^™

Association Of The Use Of Combination Therapy Self-Management Of Prediabetes And Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus In Adults, Celestina Reed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes is a long-lasting chronic health condition that encompasses three types: Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes. The disease affects how the body breaks down food into energy. It is an insulin-deficient disease and causes heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. Investigators of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Diabetes Association evaluated patient treatment preferences to determine the upsurge in patient health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and optimum health. The literature revealed that patients' preferences consisted of therapies and achievable goal setting using the health belief model (HBM) framework. This quantitative research aimed to …

Services For Homeless Veterans: A Study Of Access To Benefits, Sheryl Maddox Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHomelessness among veterans in the United States is a multifaceted social and health concern that has continued to increase despite immense efforts to minimize and eliminate this issue. Numerous organizations have dedicated resources; however, many veterans do not use benefits and resources that are available to them, and homelessness remains a health and social concern. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how individual and interpersonal barriers, community factors, organizational structure, and existing policies for assistance are perceived by support staff that work with veterans with mental disorders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. …

Gestational Weight Gain, Level Of Education, And Infant Mortality Among African American Women, George Lee Amanambu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

African American (AA) women in Mississippi have a higher burden of infant mortality, especially those with low income and educational levels, as compared to other regions of the country. However, it is unknown if abnormal gestation weight gain (GWG) is contributing to this increased burden. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined the association between GWG (25-35lbs), level of education, income, and infant mortality among AA women with normal prepregnancy body weight who were between 30 to 47 years old in the state of Mississippi from 2016 to 2018. Biopsychosocial and ecosocial models were used as the theoretical foundation to design …

Factors That Determine Utilization Of The Canadian School-Based Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Programs, Diane Gloria Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world and is the known causative agent of many HPV-associated cancers in both males and females. HPV vaccination rates in Canada are significantly lower than other developed countries and this finding is poorly understood as Canadian adolescents have access to free-of-charge HPV vaccines through school-based vaccination programs. This quantitative descriptive study used an online survey to collect data from 992 eligible respondents. This study identified predisposing, enabling, and need factors characterized by the Andersen behavioral model of health services use which facilitate or impede the use of …

Fortitude, Spiritual Fortitude, And The Cancer Care Continuum In African American Breast Cancer Survivors, Karen Y. Boone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American breast cancer survivors (AABCS) struggle with physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and financial challenges. Navigating these challenges can require the use of inner resources such as fortitude and spiritual fortitude. Using Folkman and Lazarus’ transactional model of stress and coping as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to examine fortitude and spiritual fortitude as coping responses by African American women living with breast cancer and whether fortitude and spiritual fortitude were associated with phases of the cancer care continuum. A quantitative nonexperimental cross-sectional design was used for primary data collection that involved using Pretorius’ Fortitude Questionnaire …

Pharmacists’ Responses To Medication Management Following Disasters, Rellamichelle W. Tyree

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disasters, both natural and human made, can cause emerging health threats in the United States and the Caribbean. The disasters that pharmacists experienced and reported for this study included hurricanes, snowstorms, ice storms, flooding, and a pandemic. The purpose of this research was to investigate the challenges and outcomes associated with pharmacists’ medication management practices during and following disasters. This generic qualitative study focused on pharmacists’ experiences and their responses to disaster planning and medication management activities. The ecological model of disaster management was the conceptual framework used to investigate the pharmacists and their responses and actions used to address …

The Role Of Actin Associated Sptbn1 Host Factor In Hiv-1 Infection In Microglial Cells, Hannah Matheney

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a chronic illness affecting more than 32.7 million individuals worldwide. The virus infects immune cells, weakening the immune system overtime eventually leading to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if left untreated. Infection starts with a fusion step, followed by uncoating of the HIV capsid once in the cytoplasm of the cell. HIV uses host cell proteins to complete the infection process, like the actin associated factor, SPTBN1. The Hulme lab has previously shown that SPTBN1 knockdown by siRNA in microglial cells decreased HIV infection and delayed uncoating of HIV. Because fusion is prior to uncoating, it …

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …

Maximal Strength Training Increases Metabolic Energy Expenditure In Sedentary Adults Classified As Obese, Robert E. Anderson Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Background: Metabolic adaptations reduce resting and non-resting energy expenditure to account for approximately 120 kcal/day. Weight loss promotes greater skeletal muscle efficiency, reducing the energy cost of physical activity and is correlated with declines in skeletal muscle glucose oxidation. Maximal Strength Training (MST) has the potential to upregulate glucose utilization and may offset these metabolic adaptations. Objective: To determine if MST offsets markers of metabolic adaptation by increasing resting and non-resting energy expenditure in sedentary individuals classified as obese. Methods: Five (5) participants (2 females, 3 males), ages 18-35 years, with obesity (BMI 30–45 kg/m2) were enrolled in an 8-week …

Intestinal Helminth Infection, Anemia, Undernutrition And Academic Performance Among School Children In Northwestern Ethiopia, Abraham Degarege, Berhanu Erko, Yohannes Negash, Abebe Animut

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

This study examined the prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminth infections and their association with anemia, undernutrition, and academic performance among school children in Maksegnit, northwestern Ethiopia. A total of 1205 school children, who attended Maksegnit Number Two Elementary School between May and July 2021, participated in this study. To determine helminth infection status, two thick Kato–Katz slides were examined for each child. Hemoglobin level was measured using a HemoCue machine. Academic performance was assessed using the mean score of all subjects children have taken for the Spring 2020/2021 academic term. Out of 1205 children examined, 45.4% were infected with …

Severe Acute Respiratory Infection-Preparedness: Protocol For A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study Of Viral Respiratory Infections, Radu Postelnicu, Avantika Srivastava, Pavan K. Bhatraju, Mark M. Wurfelc, George L. Anesi, Martin Gonzalez, Adair Andrews, Karen Lutrick, Vishakha K. Kumar, Timothy M. Uyeki, Perren J. Cobb, Leopoldo N. Segal, David Brett-Major, Janice M. Liebler, Christopher J. Kratochvil, Vikramjit Mukherjee, M. Jana Broadhurst, Richard Lee, David Wyles, Jonathan E Sevransky, Laura Evans, Douglas Landsittel

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

OBJECTIVES: Respiratory virus infections cause significant morbidity and mortality ranging from mild uncomplicated acute respiratory illness to severe complications, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure, and death during epidemics and pandemics. We present a protocol to systematically study patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, due to respiratory viral pathogens to evaluate the natural history, prognostic biomarkers, and characteristics, including hospital stress, associated with clinical outcomes and severity.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING: Multicenter cohort of patients admitted to an acute care ward or ICU from at least 15 hospitals …

Characteristics Of Covid-19 Vaccine-Hesitant Ucf College Students And Potential Avenues For Increasing Vaccination Rates, Justin A. Barthel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an ongoing disaster that has devasted millions of lives. With the development of COVID-19 vaccines in late 2020, there was a potential for populations to gain artificial active immunity in order to prevent future outbreaks. However, despite successful clinical trials, millions of citizens have been hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccines (Khubchandani et al., 2021). Demographics of the most prominent US vaccine-hesitant populations consist of ethnic/racial minorities and Republicans groups (Khubchandani et al., 2021). Little information is known about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in colleges and universities. Colleges provide an elevated risk for infection through their …

The Assessment Of Emergency Preparedness Among University Students, Arliah Cox

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

University students have been an understudied population when it comes to the topic of emergency/ disaster preparedness. While there have been a few studies carried out to examine students’ perceptions of preparedness, the level of preparedness must be determined to be able to close the gap when it comes to barriers preventing them from being prepared. One hundred and eighty-seven undergraduate participants at a Midwestern university completed both online and in-person surveys in March 2022. The survey included questions regarding emergency/ disaster preparedness, perception of being prepared, and barriers which can prevent preparedness. Results showed that a lack of time …

Elucidation Of Novel And Established Campylobacter Species With Clinical And Agricultural Significance Through Phenotypic, Genotypic, And Taxonomic Investigation, Caoimhe Lynch

Theses

Campylobacter spp. are well-established human, veterinary and economic pathogens, with a broad host range spanning from terrestrial and marine mammalian, avian and reptilian hosts. The scope of the study includes novel and notorious species within the genus, with reference to zoonotic agents Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli - the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis in the EU and Ireland, Campylobacter fetus that represents the most common campylobacter causing bacteraemia and two novel species isolated from pigs not described in the literature previously. C. jejuni and C. coli isolates (n = 350) recovered from broiler caecal and neck skin samples, …

‘Loob’ And ‘Labas’: Spatial Constructions Of Safety And Risk Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco, Michael L. Tan, Vincen Gregory Yu

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This article argues that local constructions of risky and safe spaces, as articulated by the notions ‘loob’ (inside) and ‘labas’ (outside), informed popular and political responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, leading to an overemphasis on staying at home and, conversely, a general avoidance or fear of outdoor spaces that was at times reinforced by public health authorities. Practices and policies related to the pandemic response rendered this binary opposition between ‘loob’ and ‘labas’ visible, from regulations concerning the use of personal protective equipment to restrictions of access to outdoor spaces. While this emergent …

Correlates Of Health-Related Quality Of Life In Primary Caregivers Of Perinatally Hiv Infected And Hiv Exposed Uninfected Adolescents At The Kenyan Coast, Patrick N. Mwangala, Derrick Ssewanyana, Paul Mwangi, Esther Chongwo, Carophine Nasambu, Vincent A. Kagonya, Gaia Scerif, Charles R. Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: Mothers and other primary caregivers play a crucial role in looking after perinatally HIV infected, and HIV exposed uninfected adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Day- to-day caregiving in the context of limited instrumen- tal support and added biomedical risk (HIV seropositivity) may expose these caregivers to adverse states of health. Unfortunately, very few studies have examined their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Our study documents the HRQoL profile, and associated factors in primary caregivers of perinatally HIV infected, perinatally HIV exposed but uninfected and HIV unexposed/uninfected adolescents aged 12–17 years at the Kenyan Coast.

Methods: This was a …

The Risk Factors For Self-Monitoring Of Blood Glucose Among Individuals Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes In Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Abdulrahman Alsuliman, Qi Zhang, Shelley Mishoe, Praveen K. Durgampudi

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Lack of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a known risk factor for controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Nevertheless, little research has been conducted on SMBG among Saudis with T2DM.

Aim: The study aimed to investigate personal and cognitive-perceptual factors for SMBG among Saudis with T2DM guided by Health Promotion Model.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 808 Saudi adults with T2DM utilizing secondary data from the Saudi Health Interview Survey for 2013.

Statistical Analysis: Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were applied to examine the risk factors for SMBG among Saudis with T2DM. …

Covid-19 Vaccine Brand Hesitancy And Other Challenges To Vaccination In The Philippines, Arianna Maever L. Amit, Veincent Christian F. Pepito, Lourdes S. Tanchanco, Manuel Dayrit

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines have been developed at a rapid and unprecedented pace to control the spread of the virus, and prevent hospitalisations and deaths. However, COVID-19 vaccine uptake is challenged by vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination sentiments, a global shortage of vaccine supply, and inequitable vaccine distribution especially among low- and middle-income countries including the Philippines. In this paper, we explored vaccination narratives and challenges experienced and observed by Filipinos during the early vaccination period. We interviewed 35 individuals from a subsample of 1,599 survey respondents 18 years and older in the Philippines. The interviews were conducted in Filipino, …

Association Between Cotinine Levels And The Semen Quality Among Male Tobacco Farmers In Sukhothai Province, Thailand, Anu Surach

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Thai traditional tobacco is one of the greatest public health problems. Tobacco leaves contains nicotine that may impacts on the quality of life of tobacco farmers. The study aimed to explore the association of work-related factors on salivary cotinine levels and semen quality among male tobacco farmers in Sukhothai Province, Thailand. This was a longitudinal study of 62 participants aged 20-40 years without reproductive disease, chronic disease, obesity, and psychiatric disease in Sukhothai Province, Thailand. Data were collected three times during processing of cultivation tobacco growing in March to May 2022. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect on individual …

Réduction Des Risques Lors Des Interventions En Espace Clos : Développement D’Une Base De Connaissances Sur La Prévention Intrinsèque Et La Protection Collective, Damien Burlet-Vienney, Yuvin Chinniah, Ali Bahloul, Andrés Felipe González Cortés, Capucine Ouellet, Abdallah Ben Mosbah

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les espaces clos parmi les plus courants dans les milieux de travail au Québec sont les réservoirs, les cuves, les puits d’accès, les égouts, les tuyaux et les citernes. Les entrées en espace clos sont effectuées, entre autres, pour des raisons de maintenance (p. ex. : réparation, inspection, nettoyage, déblocage). Les risques pour la santé et la sécurité des travailleurs impliqués sont variés : atmosphérique, chimique, biologique, mécanique, physique ou liés à une chute ou au non-respect des principes ergonomiques. Dans le cadre de ce projet, une moyenne de 2,6 décès par an en espace clos au Québec sur la …

Recyclage Primaire Des Matières Résiduelles Électroniques Au Québec : Portrait De La Santé Et De La Sécurité Du Travail Et Appréciation Du Risque Sanitaire, Sabrina Gravel, Bouchra Bakhiyi, Joseph Zayed, Sylvie Gravel, Daniel Côté, Brigitte Roberge, Jacques Lavoie, Loïc Wingert, France Labrèche

Rapports de recherche scientifique

En raison de l’utilisation croissante de composants et d’appareils électriques et électroniques, de même que de leur durée de vie relativement courte, la quantité de matières résiduelles électroniques ne cesse d’augmenter. Conséquemment, le nombre d’entreprises spécialisées dans le recyclage électronique (e-recyclage) est en nette croissance au Québec, comme ailleurs dans le monde. Ces entreprises emploient des travailleurs qui ont pour tâche de démonter les appareils afin d’en trier les composants qui seront subséquemment valorisés ou éliminés de manière sécuritaire. Ces tâches peuvent cependant entraîner l’exposition des travailleurs à un mélange de substances potentiellement toxiques, comprenant entre autres des poussières, des …

Standardization And Dna Barcoding Of Cannabis In Thailand And Pharmacological Properties Of Cannabis-Based Thai Traditional Medicine Formula Extract (Kealomkeasan), Kanittha Nakkliang

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Cannabis sativa L. subsp. Indica (Cannabaceae) has been used as a medicinal plant in various aspects. C. sativa has been part of Thai medicine for more than three centuries and its Ingredients in herbal medicine recipe. Kealomkeasan (KLKS) remedy is one of the Thai traditional medicines, consists of seven plants with an unequal part by weight (1:2:3:4:5:20:40) as follows: Cuminum cyminum L. fruits, Nigella sativa L. seeds, Foeniculum vulgare Miller fruits, Zingiber officinale Roscoe rhizomes, Plumbago indica L. roots, Cannabis sativa L. leaves and Piper nigrum L. seeds for relief of muscle pain and anti-inflammation. Recently, medical cannabis was officially …

Mothers' Perceptions Of Their Children's Weight: Opportunity For Health Promotion In Kuwait, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Nawal Alqaoud, Reem Sharaf-Alddin, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Mothers’ perceptions of their children’s weight remain mostly unknown in oil-rich countries of the Middle East.

Aims: To compare maternal perceptions of their children’s weight with actual body weight.

Methods: We used the Kuwait nutritional surveillance data for 5 consecutive years (2015-2019) (N = 5119), which were collected through face-to-face interviews with mothers of children aged 2-5 years attending vaccination centres.

Results: Of the 5119 mothers in the study, 163 (3.18%) and 332 (6.48%) had obese or overweight children, respectively. Among 4624 mothers who had normal weight children, 1350 (29.20%) perceived their children’s weight as …

Biomarkers Of Inflammation And Oxidative Stress In The Prediction And Management Of Acute Coronary Syndrome, Udaya Ralapanawa, Sivakanesan R

Health Sciences

The assessment of patients presenting with chest pain or symptoms indicative of cardiac ischemia remains a diagnostic challenge. Many types of research have focused on the search for ideal biological markers for the rapid detection of cardiac cell injuries. Markers of inflammation and oxidative stress are the way forward. At present, the biomarker most widely used for diagnosing acute coronary syndrome is cardiac troponin though it has some limitations. Apart from cardiac troponin, several other biomarkers, especially inflammation and oxidative stress markers in acute coronary syndrome, have been investigated. However, most of them still require validation in further studies. As …

A Content Analysis Of Reddit Comments Discussing Fibroadenoma Appraisal And Decision Making, Hayley Marie Kay Stahl

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Though fibroadenomas are clinically benign in most cases, clinical research suggests that these lesions can cause diagnosis-related physical health complications and psychological distress. However, this research is limited and should be investigated further. Thus, this study aimed to explore how patients appraise their fibroadenoma diagnosis uncertainty. Additionally, this study sought to determine if a correlation existed between appraisal and decision making as well as identify the factors that influence the most common treatment decision: removal. Data was retrieved from Reddit discussions for a content analysis. These discussions were then qualitatively analyzed using codebooks associated with this study’s research questions. Findings …

Queer Survival Amidst Hiv/Aids, Covid-19 And Homelessness, Julia Young

Pitzer Senior Theses

The treatment and survival of a society's marginalized peoples reveal the true impacts of a pandemic. An analysis of homeless queer youth during the HIV/AIDS and SARS-CoV-2 crises lays bare the systemic failure of the United States government to provide equitable healthcare.

I compare the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics in queer homeless youth to demonstrate the dangers of disease moralization via a sociocultural analyses of disease stigma and responsibility politics. Utilizing syndemic theory I draw on the synergistic relationship between disease and illness to describe the unique challenges queer homeless youth face. A syndemic framework is applied to address common …

Lived Experience Of Albanian Migrants Who Became Obese After Moving To The United States, Briseida Xhelaj

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of obesity is significant in the United States, and more information is needed about the factors that increase the risk for obesity among migrant populations like Albanian Americans. The purpose of this study was to discover the lived experience of Albanian migrants who became obese after moving to the United States. This study was guided by the social ecological model. The research questions were used to examine how individual, relationship, community, and societal level factors impacted lifestyle changes and obesity for Albanian American migrants after moving to the United States. This qualitative study involved the use of a …

Attitudes Of State Public Health Laboratory Directors Towards Iso/Iec 17025 Accreditation, Christine Kilonzo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The impact of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in state public health laboratories (SPHLs) is understudied. There is a scarcity of research on SPHLs involving behavioral intent regarding ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was utilized to evaluate SPHL directors’ attitudes towards and intent to seek or maintain ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. To test the questions of whether the three constructs of the TPB, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are significant predictors of intent to seek or maintain ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, and whether there are significant differences in these constructs towards the accreditation between SPHL directors based on …

Differential Gene Expression In Cord Blood Of Infants Diagnosed With Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Analysis Of The Beam Cohort, Maria L V Dizon, Raye-Ann O Deregnier, Steven J Weiner, Michael W Varner, Dwight J Rouse, Maged M Costantine, Ronald J Wapner, John M Thorp, Sean C Blackwell, Nina K Ayala, Antonio F Saad, Steve N Caritis, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health And Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Beneficial Effects of Antenatal Magnesium clinical trial was conducted between 1997 and 2007, and demonstrated a significant reduction in cerebral palsy (CP) in preterm infants who were exposed to peripartum magnesium sulfate (MgSO4). However, the mechanism by which MgSO4 confers neuroprotection remains incompletely understood. Cord blood samples from this study were interrogated during an era when next-generation sequencing was not widely accessible and few gene expression differences or biomarkers were identified between treatment groups. Our goal was to use bulk RNA deep sequencing to identify differentially expressed genes comparing the following four groups: newborns who ultimately developed CP treated …

A Technology-Based, Mixed Methods Approach To Examining The Psychosocial Determinants Of Maternal Health Disparities, Hannah M. Ming

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Exposure to racism and discrimination in the U.S. increases Black women’s risk for experiencing maternal health disparities. Additionally, racism and discrimination affect maternal psychosocial well-being, creating evidence for a biopsychosocial relationship between racism and maternal health outcomes. However, current research does not define the psychosocial Black maternal self well. Given the dynamic relationship between racism, psychosocial well-being, and Black maternal health outcomes, research must comprehensively examine the Black maternal self. The operationalization of a comprehensive construct for Black maternal psychosocial well-being can improve understanding of the relationship between racism, psychosocial well-being, and Black maternal health outcomes.

Purpose: …