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Effectiveness Of A Multi-Component Intervention Program For Treating Childhood Obesity, Suzy Free

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Childhood obesity is one of the most chronic childhood illness worldwide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019; World Health Organization [WHO], 2019). The prevalence of childhood obesity has been described as one of the most common chronic childhood conditions (CDC). The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to reduce the BMI scores of obese children using a multi-component intervention program that incorporates healthy eating, physical activity, and family involvement. The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice (JHNEBP) model was used to facilitate the implementation of this EBP project. The synthesis of the appraised literature established that utilizing …

Stress And Coping In Food-Insecure African Americans In Clark County, Nevada, Johanna Andrews

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

African Americans have the highest rates of food insecurity than any other racial/ethnic group in the nation as a result of poverty, low household income, unemployment, food injustice, food mirages, and racial segregation. This consistent uncertainty in food access demonstrably results in poor mental health outcomes for food-insecure African Americans. Thus, the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping provides a theoretical framework to investigate how African Americans cope with food insecurity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate processes of coping with food insecurity and determine their impact on emotional well-being for African Americans in Clark County, Nevada. A …

Oral Localization Of Scardovia Wiggsiae, Graydon Ramos Carr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Early childhood caries is one of the most prevalent diseases in the United States among children. The formation of caries is a complex, multifactorial process that is still being studied. Researchers have thought for years that Streptococcus mutans was the primary causative agent of early childhood caries. The recent discovery of a novel cariogenic pathogen, Scardovia wiggsiae and its significant contribution to the etiology of early childhood caries has led oral health researchers to re-evaluate this microorganism and its link to this disease. While there have been several projects undertaken within the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental …

The Use Of Female Permanent Contraception Among Women Desiring To Limit Childbearing In Sub-Saharan Africa: Analyses Of The Spatial Pattern And Individual- And Country-Level Determinants, Babayemi Oluwaseun Olakunde

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Female permanent contraception (FPC) is the most commonly used contraceptive method, globally. It is a convenient, safe, and cost-effective modern contraceptive method that permanently stops childbearing among women. Despite its benefits, previous reports suggest that the increasing proportion of women who desire to limit childbearing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) rely more on less effective contraceptive methods, predisposing them to unintended pregnancies and their associated consequences. This study aimed to add to the sparse body of evidence on the use of FPC and the associated determinants among women with demand for limiting childbearing in SSA. Using data from Demographic and Health …

“Disbelieving Black Women To Death”; The “Double Jeopardy”: Racism And Sexism Affects Black Women’S Access To And Quality Of Care During Pregnancy, Birth, And Postpartum, Madeline St. Clair

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This paper explores possible reasons why Black women in the United States experience a higher maternal mortality rate than their white counterparts. Using books, articles, journals, documentaries, personal experiences and stories of Black women and mothers, I argue that barriers from the societal to the individual level create health and medical disparities for Black mothers in pregnancy, during delivery, and the postpartum period. The paper concludes with a multifaceted solution and call to action.

Food Safety Risk In An Indoor Microgreen Cultivation System, Gina Marie Misra

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microgreens are immature sprouts of edible plants, sharing some similarities with sprouted seeds and petite leafy greens. Since they are most often grown in containers in buildings or greenhouses, they present a new area for food safety research at the intersection of the built environment and produce farming. Contamination by human pathogens has been extensively studied in other types of produce typically eaten raw, including sprouted seeds, which have been implicated in numerous outbreaks of salmonellosis over the last several decades. There is a paucity of knowledge about the microgreen sector of the fresh-cut industry; thus, it was determined that …

Analysis Of The Soil Lead Contamination Issue Of South Chattanooga, Tesros Cherian

Honors Theses

Childhood lead poisoning is an ongoing health threat despite actions taken by governmental bodies to remove lead from gasoline, paint, and other various household objects in which lead is found. In South Chattanooga specifically, lead has been found in the soil at such a level it is considered a public health threat, especially to children under the age of six. This situation has caused the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to name the South Chattanooga area as a Superfund site known as the Southside Chattanooga Lead Superfund site. This designation has resulted in multiple community meetings between EPA officials and Chattanooga …

A New Spatially-Resolved Method To Sample Biofilms From Drinking Water Fountains, Yi Liu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain, is a facility designed to provide drinking water in public space. It consists of a basin and a spout. The users need to bend down to the stream to collect or drink water. The history of water fountains can be traced back to ancient Rome. Even before potable water was provided to individual homes, water for drinking was already made available to citizens through access to public fountains. Nowadays, drinking water fountains usually exist in public places, like schools, hospitals, and libraries. Many jurisdictions in the United States require drinking fountains to …

From Fighting Wasting To Shedding Excess: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Method Study Of Obesity Among People Living With Hiv In Nigeria, John Olajide Olawepo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a global epidemic, with initial high mortality rates since the first diagnosis over three and a half decades ago. However, the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to longer, healthier lives for many people living with HIV (PLHIV). Accordingly, aging comes with associated co-morbidities like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to further understand the emergent phenomenon of obesity and overweight among PLHIV who are on treatment with ART, using Nigeria as a case study.

An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was used that involved the analysis …

The Effect Of Childhood Farm Exposure On Adult Respiratory Symptoms And Proinflammatory Cytokine Responsiveness In Agricultural Workers, Jacob C. Grothe

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Introduction: Studies have shown that the farm exposes workers and family members to countless microorganisms such as, gram-negative bacteria that possess endotoxins, which have been demonstrated to contribute to lung disease, such as asthma, in exposed workers. Results of studies of children show conflicting results regarding the development of asthma or asthma-like symptoms in response to farm exposures. European children show a “protective effect” against atopy and asthma during adolescence, while North American children show a higher prevalence of asthma or asthma-like symptoms. Also, whether this protective effect carries into adulthood is unclear. Some studies show a low prevalence of …

Characterization Of A Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Cards Toxin Mutant, Nikaash Pasnoori

Honors Scholar Theses

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a high-burden pathogen which causes mild to significant infections of the respiratory system. According to the CDC, an estimated two million cases occur yearly in the United States alone, demonstrating the widespread effect of the pathogen. In addition to being the cause of respiratory infections, M. pneumoniae has also been implicated in exacerbating pre-existing asthma conditions. These morbidities make finding a vaccine candidate a vital part of easing the healthcare burden caused by the pathogen. The current mechanism of infection is unknown, but recent evidence points to the Community Acquired Respiratory Distress Syndrome (CARDS) toxin as being …

Association Of Perfluorinated Chemicals With Endocrino-Carcinogenetic, Obesogenic And Metabolic Health And With Markers Of Chronic Inflammation And Oxidative Stress, Ogbebor Enaholo Omoike

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First, this study examined the association of perfluorinated chemicals with 1) cardio-metabolic health outcomes and 2) the association of phthalates with cardiometabolic health outcomes, and 3) cardio-metabolic health outcomes while assessing the possibility of additive interactions between perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) and phthalates. Second, association with markers of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress were explored. Finally, this study examined the association of these chemicals with estrogenic cancers- Breast cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer.

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between PFCs and the cardio-metabolic …

‘Living In A State Of Filth And Indifference To … Their Health’: Weather, Public Health And Urban Governance In Colonial George Town, Penang, Fiona Williamson, Katrina Proust

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article explores the development of public health infrastructure in George Town, Penang, before the 1930s. It argues that the extreme weather of the tropical climate led to a unique set of health challenges for George Town’s administrators, as the town grew from a small British base to a multi-cultural and thriving port. Weather and public health were (and still are) integrally connected,although the framing of this relationship has undergone significant shifts in thinking and appearance over time. One lens into this association is the situation and expression of these elements within municipal structures.During the nineteenth century, government departments were …

Health And Academic Achievement In College And University Students, Amber Beane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between academic achievement and health in a national sample of college students using quantitative data analysis. Specifically, the researcher analyzed the relationship between three health-promoting behaviors (physical activity, strength training, and fruit and vegetable consumption), three negative health behaviors (cigarette, e-cigarette, and opioid use) and obesity with GPA.

Cross-sectional data on student health collected from the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA-II) and completed by 426,650 college students from 650 U.S. colleges during the semesters between 2015 and 2019 formed the foundation for …

Examination Of The Polymicrobial Interaction: Inhibitory Effects Of Alcaligenes Species On Members Of The Candida Species, Madelyn Whitlock

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Candida species are commonly found in the human normal flora, however they are a major cause of nosocomial infections that can be life threatening. This fungal species is an opportunistic pathogen and causes infection in individuals who are immunosuppressed. A key characteristic of Candida’svirulence is the ability to change its morphology from ovoid yeast to filamentous hyphae. Alcaligenes species are common bacteria found in the environment that rarely, if at all, cause infections in humans. It has been observed that when allowed to interact, Alcaligenes faecalis changes the morphology of Candida albicans from yeast cells to hyphal cells. When …

Comparing Heatwave Related Mortality Data From Distressed Counties To Affluent Counties In Central And Southern Central Appalachia, Miranda Taylor Pardue

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Appalachian Mountains are home to some of the most culturally rich places in the United States, but also some of the most impoverished communities as well. Several recent events support climate change across the globe. It is expected that Appalachian communities may suffer more dire consequences, as many communities lack strategies to help relieve some of the worst effects of climate change. Heatwaves are predicted to increase in duration and frequency over time, and communities that are not well prepared for the damaging effects of heatwaves can suffer unduly. This study aims to quantify the likelihood that people living …

Preferences In Information Processing, Marginalized Identity, And Non-Monogamy: Understanding Factors In Suicide-Related Behavior Among Members Of The Alternative Sexuality Community, Robert J. Cramer, Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Andrea R. Kaniuka, Corrine N. Wilsey, Annelise Mennicke, Susan Wright, Erika Montanaro, Jessamyn Bowling, Kristin E. Heron

Psychology Faculty Publications

Suicide-related behavior (SRB) is a mental health disparity experienced by the alternative sexuality community. We assessed mental health, relationship orientation, marginalized identities (i.e., sexual orientation minority, gender minority, racial minority, ethnic minority, and lower education), and preferences in information processing (PIP) as factors differentiating lifetime SRB groups. An online cross-sectional survey study was conducted in 2018. Members of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF; n = 334) took part. Bivariate analyses identified the following SRB risk factors: female and transgender/gender non-binary identity, sexual orientation minority identity, lower education, suicide attempt/death exposure, Need for Affect (NFA) Avoidance, depression, and anxiety. …

The Development Of A Suicide Prevention Program For American Indian Youth In Nebraskan Communities, Sara Donovan

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

In Nebraska and nationally, American Indian (AI) youth have higher rates of depression, suicide attempts, and suicide completions than other racial and ethnic groups. These statistics highlight the need for accessible and culturally aware behavioral health planning and support. In Nebraska, access to care by AI youth is limited by a behavioral health provider shortage and concerns of affordability, stigma, trust, cultural competence, and historical trauma. The developed culturally humble suicide prevention program for AI youth aged 19-24 to be implemented in community settings addresses an existing service gap. Strategies were developed with input from the population of focus, and …

Equivalency Testing For Two Formulations Of A Clinical Laboratory Control Material, Jessica M. Hart

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Clinical laboratory control materials are an integral part of legally-mandated and highly regulated quality control protocols in all clinical laboratories. These controls ensure accurate performance of the laboratory testing and instrumentation used to produce medical test results for millions of patients. It is of clinical and public health interest to ensure the diagnostic test results which affect so many people are regulated by the most accurate and precise controls.

Formulation changes in control materials have the potential to impact laboratory quality control. In this study, data from two formulations of a hematology control were compared to assess equivalency of the …

Investigating Attitudes And Beliefs Of University Students Aged 18 To 24 Years That Influence Their Decision To Take Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Medication, Philip Danquah

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Contemporary research findings affirm that young adults aged 18 to 24 years have high prevalence of new HIV infections. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) medication is the latest strategy in HIV prevention. Rates of PrEP uptake or use have been negligible among university students aged 18 to 24 years, especially among racial and ethnic minority students.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the attitudes and beliefs that influence the uptake of PrEP medications and the HIV risk behaviors associated with the willingness to take PrEP medications among university students aged 18 to 24 years attending the University of …

Seniors And Sexual Health: A Profile Of Sexual Behaviors And Perceptions Of Sexual Risks In Southern Nevada’S Older Adult Population, Amanda Elizabeth Morgan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Older adults, 65 and older, are one of the largest growing unique population groups in the United States, comprising 15% of the population of Southern Nevada. Medical advances have allowed people to live longer, experience improved sexual health outcomes, and maintain a better quality of life. Medicare provides healthcare for most people over 65, but some people may not feel comfortable talking with their doctor or are not aware that Medicare-covered these services.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the sexual behaviors of older adults age 65 years or older in Southern Nevada, examine the protective …

An Interdisciplinary Study To Understand Treatment Seeking Behavior Among Female Survivors Of Anorexia Nervosa, Meaghan Victoria Tipton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was done to examine what psychosocial factors influence treatment seeking behavior among female survivors of eating disorders. This study uses a mixed methods survey consisting of open-ended item questions regarding treatment experience and social environment, and close-ended items to measure constructs from the Health Belief Model. Fourteen participants were recruited for this study to retrospectively detail their experiences of treatment during their eating disorder. All fourteen participants identified as Caucasian, thirteen identified as female, one identified with other gender, each with a history of medically diagnosed anorexia nervosa. The mean of age of current participants was 29.46, and …

Who And When To Screen: Multi-Round Active Screening For Network Recurrent Infectious Diseases Under Uncertainty, Han-Ching Ou, Arunesh Sinha, Sze-Chuan Suen, Andrew Perrault, Alpan Raval, Milind Tambe

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Controlling recurrent infectious diseases is a vital yet complicated problem in global health. During the long period of time from patients becoming infected to finally seeking treatment, their close contacts are exposed and vulnerable to the disease they carry. Active screening (or case finding) methods seek to actively discover undiagnosed cases by screening contacts of known infected people to reduce the spread of the disease. Existing practice of active screening methods often screen all contacts of an infected person, requiring a large budget. In cooperation with a research institute in India, we develop a model of the active screening problem …

Ubiquitination Of The Dna-Damage Checkpoint Kinase Chk1 By Traf4 Is Required For Chk1 Activation, Xinfang Yu, Wei Li, Haidan Liu, Qipan Deng, Xu Wang, Hui Hu, Zijun Y Xu-Monette, Wei Xiong, Zhongxin Lu, Ken H Young, Wei Wang, Yong Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Aberrant activation of DNA damage response (DDR) is a major cause of chemoresistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). CHK1 is upregulated in CRC and contributes to therapeutic resistance. We investigated the upstream signaling pathways governing CHK1 activation in CRC.

METHODS: We identified CHK1-binding proteins by mass spectrometry analysis. We analyzed the biologic consequences of knockout or overexpression of TRAF4 using immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence. CHK1 and TRAF4 ubiquitination was studied in vitro and in vivo. We tested the functions of TRAF4 in CHK1 phosphorylation and CRC chemoresistance by measuring cell viability and proliferation, anchorage-dependent and -independent cell growth, and mouse …

Description Of The Attitudes, Knowledge And Beliefs On Marijuana In Undergraduate Students Compared To Nursing Undergraduate Students, Maifrak Sobrino

Honors Scholar Theses

Introduction: The use of marijuana has drastically increased over the years. Not only is marijuana being used to treat personal symptoms, but some women use marijuana to manage pregnancy-related symptoms.

Objective: To discover the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of marijuana in the undergraduate student population at the University of Connecticut.

Method: A cross sectional study conducted through Qualtrics using a 15-questions survey, including 5-point Likert scale questions and 5 yes/no questions.

Result: Forty-nine non-nursing students completed the survey. Non-nursing students in comparison to the population as a whole agreed that marijuana use was okay (M = 3.959, SD = …

Caffeine’S Physiological And Psychological Effects, Cameron Shadaia

Honors College Theses

In my university honors research paper, I will not only take a look at the physiological and psychological effects of the body, but also the proper range of caffeine intake, the situational purposes for caffeine, the best and worst ways to introduce caffeine into the body, and popular beverages that are commonly used for caffeine consumption. This research paper draws upon a variety of studies in which caffeine was the topic of interest. The conclusion that is drawn upon is that caffeine can have many benefits if used in a proper dosage. Negative effects have a higher likelihood of occurring …

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire In Randomized Controlled Trials Of Treatment For Ulcerative Colitis: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Aaron Yarlas, Stephen Maher, Martha Bayliss, Andrew Lovley, Joseph C. Cappelleri, Andrew G. Bushmakin, Marco D. Dibonaventura

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: The 32-item Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ-32) is the most frequently used instrument to capture disease-specific quality of life in randomized clinical trials for ulcerative colitis. This review and meta-analysis provides the first synthesis of evidence regarding the sensitivity of IBDQ-32 total and domain scores to treatment efficacy.

Methods: A systematic literature search and risk-of-bias assessment yielded 14 articles that were included in the primary analysis. Treatments were categorized as efficacious if they met the primary efficacy endpoint (which was not the IBDQ-32); otherwise they were categorized as non-efficacious. A continuous measure of treatment efficacy was calculated for …

2020-04-25/26 Daily Unm Global Health Covid-19 Briefing, Christophe G. Lambert, Shawn Stoicu, Ingrid Hendrix, Anastasiya Nestsiarovich, Praveen Kumar, Nicolas Lauve, Ariel Hurwitz, Lauren Tagliaferro Epler, Alexandra Yingling, Samuel Anyona, Perez Olewe, Tudor I. Oprea, Cristian Bologa, Orrin Myers, Douglas J. Perkins

HSC Covid 19 Briefings

Executive Summary:

NM and Navajo Nation case reports. NM unemployment assistance. Mount Sinai experience. NYC antibody testing starts. US states reopening. US hospitals closure risk. UK universal weekly testing. Russia holiday spikes. Assessments of double-layered cloth masks. Microwave steam disinfection. N95 reuse. Ophthalmic equipment shields. Phased reopening. Inverse quarantine. Low GI endoscopy transmission. Nursing facility transmission. Predicting per-state cases. Forecasting hospital demand. Ventilator triage policies. CDC/OSHA meat processing. Antivirals and DOACs. Thrombotic ultrasound screening. Thromboembolic complications. CT findings reporting. Nasal cannulas over ventilators. Safe intubation/extubation. Convalescent plasma eligibility. Safe ultrasound. Invasive cardiac electrophysiology. Esophageal oncologic surgery. Mental health COPD. Antibody …

Global Injury Morbidity And Mortality From 1990 To 2017: Results From The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2017, Spencer L. James, Veincent Christian F. Pepito, Global Burden Of Disease Collaborators, 595 Co-Authors

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Background
Past research in population health trends has shown that injuries form a substantial burden of population health loss. Regular updates to injury burden assessments are critical. We report Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 Study estimates on morbidity and mortality for all injuries.

Methods
We reviewed results for injuries from the GBD 2017 study. GBD 2017 measured injury-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) using the Cause of Death Ensemble model. To measure non-fatal injuries, GBD 2017 modelled injury-specific incidence and converted this to prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs). YLLs and YLDs were summed to calculate …

A Study Of Addiction: The Opioid Epidemic, An Analysis At The State And County Level, Jamey Van Dyke

Undergraduate Theses

Addictive diseases such as those stemming from the use of alcohol, cocaine and opioids lead to serious negative consequences at both the individual and societal level. Over the last two decades, there has been a significant increase in opioid prescriptions and addiction. The potential for addiction is related to factors that include genetics, prescriber behavior, user behavior and characteristics, in addition to environmental and systemic determinants. One measure of the seriousness of the opioid epidemic is the number of overdose deaths. In 2017, drug overdoses killed over seventy thousand Americans, and overdose deaths are projected to increase in the future. …