Coaching Women On The Impact Of Alcohol Intake On Mental Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review, Amy Maloney

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Alcohol intake among women has increased in recent years. Women’s bodies metabolize alcohol differently when compared to men and are at increased risk for adverse effects, both physically and mentally. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to explore the evidence related to the impact of coaching in primary care on drinking behaviors and over-all well-being of women. Four databases including PsycInfo, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL Plus with full text, and Gender Studies Database were searched using a variety of key words. Studies were included if they focused on female alcohol use and abuse, interventions specific to female alcohol …

Search For The Cause Of Vaping Associated Lung Injury In Adolescents, Alexandra E. Krueger

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In August 2019 an unexplained, exponential rise in severe respiratory illnesses in previously healthy young adults, swept across America catching the attention of medical providers. Hospital admissions for lung injury increased 10-fold over two months’ time leaving practitioners scrambling for answers. All affected patients were found to have used e-cigarettes prior to symptoms and endorsed using nicotine and marijuana vape pens. The medical community quickly began to search for the cause of these vaping associated lung injuries. Understanding the mechanism of injury is important in order to assist in educating the public about the risks associated with e-cigarettes. The aim …

Freestanding Emergency Departments: A Possible Solution To Rural Hospital Closure, Emily Steadman

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Freestanding emergency departments have become more and more common over the years and have started to pop up in many states across the country. A freestanding emergency department is a facility that provides healthcare in the form of emergency services separate from those at a hospital. FEDs can be seen as independent structures that are distinct from hospital-based emergency rooms and urgent facilities. Just as freestanding emergency departments have spread across the country in a bit of a frenzy, another prevalent issue has been sweeping the country, the closure of rural hospitals. Over the last decade rural hospitals have struggled …

A Social Review Of The Opioid Epidemic: The History, Pathophysiology, And Effects On Rural America, Holly J. Goehring

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

One of the more pressing issues in modern day health care is the nationwide heath care crisis known as the opioid epidemic. The beginning of this literature review will focus on the history of opioid use and early prescription rates, as well as the summary and definitions of the drugs involved in the current opioid epidemic. The review then shifts to the pathophysiology of addiction involving the activation of opioid receptors and opioid use disorder. The main focus of this literature review is the societal impacts of the opioid epidemic, making special reference to the economic burden and effects on …

Correlations Between Quality Of Life, Daily Sunlight, And Suicide Risk, Brittany Abeldt

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Methods: Data was collected from the archives provided by the CDC Wonder database; including The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, The North America Land Data Assimilation System, and The Web-Based Injury Statistic Query and Reporting System. The variables used were quality of life (as measured by mental health days and physical health days), suicide rates, and daily sunlight. Data was obtained for all the states in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii due to lack of available data from these states. Quality of life and suicide rate data was from 2016 and daily sunlight data was from January 1st, …

Growing Green Minds: Implementation Of A School Garden & Nutrition Program For The Freedom Area School District In Rural Wisconsin, Marissa Schuh

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

Most children in the U.S. consume too few fruits and vegetables which is putting them at risk to develop obesity and other lifestyle diseases. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that individuals should increase the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables consumed in order to prevent weight gain and other chronic diseases. Research shows that garden-based educational programs can increase children’s fruit and vegetable intake as well as change their preferences and attitudes towards eating and trying new fruits and vegetables. Incorporating a garden and nutrition curriculum into a school setting is an ideal opportunity to improve children’s …

Development And Validation Of A Mindful Food Parenting Instrument To Assess The Relationship Between Parent Food Practices And Children’S Dietary Outcomes, Su-Nui Escobar

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

American children’s diets are commonly recorded as deficient in nutrient rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Such diets often exceed amounts of unhealthy items such as added sugars and sweetened beverages. In addition, 23% of children are considered overweight or obese. Mindfulness techniques in parents have been correlated with improved dietary outcomes in children and a healthier family eating environment.

The primary aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument that reflects the theoretical framework drawn from current models of mindful eating, mindful parenting and mindful food parenting. The instrument is a practical tool …

Prevalence Of Restricted Spirometry Within Two Eastern Kentucky Counties A Cross Sectional Study, Quincy Bascombe

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

Objective: This study examines the prevalence of restrictive spirometry in Eastern Kentucky and its association among men and women with various demographic and exposure (occupational and environmental) factors.

Methods: A cross sectional, cluster sample (N = 685) of participants from Letcher and Harlan Counties, aged 21 and over, answered a questionnaire focused on risk factors for respiratory health outcomes including questions on demographic, health, occupational, and environmental exposures variables. Pulmonary function tests were administered to all participants with no significant cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events within the past 30 days. Log-binomial regression was used to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) …

Analysis Of High Potency Anticholinergic Prescribing In Scottish Nursing Home Patients, Alexandra Nugent

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

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the use of two or more high-potency anticholinergic (HPA) medications between patients 65 years and older in nursing homes and in the greater community using prescribing data. Methods: This secondary data analysis of the NHS Scotland PIS databased used prescription data from a nationally representative patient-level database. Patients were included were ≥65 years old, received ≥2HPA prescriptions from 2011Q2-2012Q1(11/12), 2016Q1-2017Q2(16/17), 2018Q2-2017Q1(18/19). The principle endpoint of this study was to assess for a change in patient’s relative risk of receiving ≥2HPA prescriptions. Results: 29,301 patients were identified. From 11/12 to 16/17 all …

Policy Analysis Of California Senate Bill 1138: Mandating Plant-Based Meal Options In Hospitals And Prisons, David Morton

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

Obesity, chronic disease, and poor nutrition are prevalent in the United States while healthcare costs rise. Nutritional research advancements have suggested the healthfulness of plant-based diets. In 2018, the California state senate passed Senate Bill 1138, requiring plant-based meal options in hospitals and prisons. This paper sought to examine the context surrounding the bill, determine the appropriateness of the bill, and recommend next steps for nutritional policies in the United States. In a review of the literature, malnutrition in hospitals and prisons is highly prevalent, and state governments have already made efforts to improve their citizens’ nutrition. In this analysis, …

Analysis Of Health Survey Data To Address Topics In Environmental And Public Health, Nimish Valvi

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

Introduction: Manganese is an essential trace element that can cause adverse health effects with deficiency and in excess amounts. The purpose of this study is to determine the asscociation of blood manganese levels and the prevalence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and renal dysfunction in a general US population.

Methods: Data were used from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) of non-institutionalized US adults 20 years and older using the 2011-2012, 2013-2014, and 2015-2016 survey cycles (n=16629). Weighted multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, sex, and poverty income ratio (PIR), were used to determine the association of …

Who Infant And Young Child Feeding Indicators In Relation To Anthropometric Measurements, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Nawal Alqaoud, Majeda S. Hammoud, Faheema Alanezi, Nawal Aldalmani, Monica Subhakaran

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objective: This study aimed to report the WHO infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators from Kuwait and to investigate the associations between these indicators and anthropometric measurements.

Design: The Kuwait Nutritional Surveillance System uses observational cross-sectional approach to collects data by face-to-face interviews with mothers or child guardians using a structured questionnaire that was developed based on the WHO IYCF indicators. The weight and height of infants and young children were measured using digital scales in a standardised manner.

Setting: Vaccination centres in all governorates (provinces) of Kuwait.

Participants: Infants and young Kuwaiti children aged 0–23 months (N 5839). …

Arsenic Exposure And Methylation Efficiency In Relation To Oxidative Stress In Semiconductor Workers, Chih-Hong Pan, Ching-Yu Lin, Ching-Huang Lai, Hueiwang Anna Jeng

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This study examined associations between oxidative stress and arsenic (As) exposure and methylation efficiency in semiconductor workers. An As-exposed group (n = 427) and a control group (n = 91) were included. The As-exposure group (n = 427) included 149 maintenance staff members and 278 production staff members representing high As exposure and low As exposure, respectively. The control group included 91 administrative staff members with no or minimal As exposure. An occupational exposure assessment was conducted to assess personal As exposure by measuring As concentrations in urine, hair, and fingernails of the subjects. Urinary As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic (MMA), and …

Assessment Of Aloe Vera For Qualitative Fit Testing Of Particulate Respirators: A Logistic Regression Approach, Anahita Fakherpour, Mehdi Jahangiri, Saeed Yousefinejad, Mozhgan Seif, Sean Banaee

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Fit testing procedure is required for filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) to ascertain an acceptable fit between the skin and facepiece sealing surface. The present study seeks to compare the efficacy of Aloe vera (A. vera) and commercial Bitrex^TM as challenge agents of qualitative fit testing of particulate respirators. An herbal solution consisting of A. vera at seven different concentrations was developed. Threshold Screening Tests (TSTs) of A. vera solutions were compared to Bitrex^TM. To do so, solutions were administered randomly on a total of 62 participants. A placebo was also tested to ensure the taste response being …

Contaminants Of Emerging Concern: Reconsidering Our Paradigm Of Water Pollution, Jonathan Gunasti

Pomona Senior Theses

In this senior thesis, I explore contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and discuss the ways in which these novel contaminants defy traditional notions of pollution. I discuss the history and “emergence” of CECs and EDCs in scientific and public spheres and outline ongoing challenges to recognizing, prioritizing, and understanding the action of these contaminants. I position EDCs within the framework of environmental injustice and health disparities and suggest that these compounds could reinforce multigenerational health inequities. Finally, I perform a pilot analysis of the EDC bisphenol A (BPA) in Mt. Baldy Creek, the Los Angeles …

Fungal Community Characterization And Machine Learning Classification Of Building Mold Status Between Pre- And Post-Remediation, Truc T. Ly

Public Health Theses

As part of a larger sampling campaign with mold inspectors across the US, samples (dust and direct mold) from 11 New York homes during pre- and post-remediation were analyzed by sequencing the interspaced transcribed region of extracted DNA and bioinformatic methods. Overarching findings from this study include: 1) pre/post- remediation fungal communities exhibit subtle differences and 2) larger degrees of fungal community differences exist between direct mold and settled dust. Mainly known as environmentally derived fungal species, Cladosporium ramotenellum and Rhodosporidium diobovatum were the two main taxa to be abundant among post-remediation samples. The thermophilic fungi, Thielavia terrestris, was higher …

Novel Hepatitis C Virus (Hcv) Community Viral Load Measures, Hcv Incidence And Prevalence, And Hcv Prevention By Methadone Maintenance, Ashly E. Jordan

Dissertations and Theses

Abstract

Introduction

The incidence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has increased in the current opioid epidemic in the United States; current estimates are that 2-3 million Americans have HCV infection. The ongoing and increasing HCV epidemic among people who use drugs (PWUD) is occurring in the context of known HCV prevention and highly efficacious and well-tolerated curative HCV treatment. The development of direct acting antivirals (DAAs) with cure rates approaching 100% dramatically changed the treatment landscape. This provides both the potential for improved individual- and population-level treatment effectiveness, and also the potential for population-level HCV ‘cure as prevention' (CasP) …

Monitoring Opioid Use In Cancer Survivors: Implementation Of Screening, Brief Intervention, And Referral To Treatment (Sbirt) In A Clinical Setting, Jennifer M. Dolly Prothro

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

Kentucky is a disparate state, ranking as one of the top states in incidence, prevalence, and mortality for both opioid use disorders (OUD) and cancer. Due to the high volume of both diseases in the state, there is a rising concern about the overlap of these two populations. Cancer and its’ treatment are known to cause chronic pain, defined as daily pain lasting 3 months or longer. Generally, chronic pain patients of any type are known to experience higher rates of opioid misuse (21-28%) and opioid dependence (8-12%) than the general population (4.1%, 0.9% respectively). The risk of OUD must …

Risks For Hiv Infection Among Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Mozambique, Isabelle Casavant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) living in Sub-Saharan African countries constitute 17% of the population, yet they account for one third of all new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. To prevent HIV infections among AGYW, it is necessary to understand why they are disproportionally infected. The purpose of the dissertation was to identify risk for HIV among AGYW living in a southern district of Mozambique. The analysis was driven by the Modified Socio Ecological Model and performed using a quantitative dataset collected for the Chokwe Combination Prevention of HIV (N=3354). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess whether an …

Sex Bias In The Diagnosis Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Olga Ivan Belitchenko Ryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, disability, and cost globally and in the United States. Various sources point to women experiencing greater morbidity, increased health care resource use and higher incidence of mortality resultant from COPD. While exact causality is not fully understood, it is possible that social bias towards COPD in women impacting screening and timely diagnosis may be a contributing factor. This current investigation involved the social ecological model. In this cross-sectional secondary analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2017 data, differences in screening through use of breathing testing among 6334 …

Health Behaviors Of Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Physical Activity, And Breast Cancer Among African American Women, Nicole Ekoue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breast cancer incidence is suddenly increasing among African American women. Recent studies indicate that health behaviors are thought to confer important health benefits and have the potential to lowering breast cancer incidence. Guided by the social ecological model, the purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between health behaviors of fruit consumption, vegetable consumption, and physical activity and breast cancer after adjusting for age, body mass index, and smoker status. Social support and income level were assessed as modifiers. Using the 2012 to 2017 Health Information and National Trends Survey data, this study was conducted with …

Pharmacy Manager Strategies For Reducing Financial Losses From Adverse Drug Events By Polypharmacy Patients, Francis Rudden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Every year over 100,000 deaths occur in the U.S. from adverse drug events derived from medication errors. Medication errors account for an annual cost of $100 to $200 billion. Healthcare pharmacists lack strategies to reduce adverse drug events and medication errors from taking place. Grounded in complex adaptive system theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies to reduce advere drug events and medication errors. The participants were 5 pharmacist managers in a county in central Florida. These pharmacists were from different community pharmacies, and each had a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the …

Hiv/Sti Screening, Testing, And Prophylaxis Among Sexual Assault Survivors In U. S. Emergency Departments, Elizabeth A. Cita

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Use of HIV screening/testing and prophylaxis has been found to be low in the general emergency department (ED) population. Less is known about the use of HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening, testing, and prophylaxis among sexual assault survivors who present to EDs. The main research questions asked whether there was a relationship between race, socioeconomic status (SES), geographic region, or age, HIV/STI, treatment, and prophylaxis among sexual assault survivors that present to U.S. EDs. This study was a secondary analysis of data collected in the NHAMCS years 2010 to 2016 and included 112 geographic primary sampling units, about 480 hospitals. …

Health Priorities, Current Lifestyle Behaviors, And Barriers To A Healthy Lifestyle Among Emergency Department Nurses, Shannon C. White

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Background: Emergency nurses are tasked with managing the hectic, unpredictable, and constantly changing environment of an ED. In addition, emergency nurses have been shown to have high levels of stress, irregular meal schedules, rotating shift work, long hours, and a lack of physical activity. Furthermore, research has suggested that nurses are at an increased risk for non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease (Phiri, et al., 2014), in addition to a high prevalence of obesity (Kyle, et al., 2016).

Methodology: In this study, 23 emergency nurses completed a 43-item survey regarding current behaviors and constructs of …

Meaningful Measurement Matters: Defining Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use To Target Cognitive Outcomes, Ashley I. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Preventable and unintended consequences of medication use occur in more than 25% of ambulatory and hospitalized patients, and nearly half of long-term care patients. Unfortunately, many medications used to treat common health conditions in older adults (such as anxiety, behavioral disturbances, incontinence, insomnia, depression, and pain) have also been linked to cognitive impairment and decline. Recently, substantial efforts to investigate medications and medication classes that may be associated with cognitive impairment and decline in older adults have been undertaken. Unfortunately, studies have used a wide variety of different tools to define “potentially inappropriate medication” (PIM) use, and no published literature …

Cardiac Effects Of Obesity During Pregnancy In C57bl/6j Mice, Kayla Lynn Dudick

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Objective: Pregnancy requires profound cardiac and metabolic adaptation. Left ventricular (LV) mass is increased in response to pregnancy, but is not associated with cardiac damage. In contrast, obesity-mediated cardiac hypertrophy is pathological. Data from animal studies indicate dietary fatty acid composition may have a protective effect during states of extreme cardiac physiological adaptation. In contrast, aberrant cardiac metabolism is a hallmark of disease. Over a third of reproductive-age women in the United States are obese, but there is a paucity of data describing the effect of obesity on maternal cardiac adaptation to pregnancy. The objective of this study was to …

Is Postural Control During Unstable Sitting A Proxy Measure For Determinants Associated With Lumbar Stability?, Christian Larivière, Richard Preuss, Daniel Ludvig, Sharon M. Henry

Études primaires

Abstract

The aim of this study was to test whether determinants associated with lumbar stability can predict performance during unstable sitting (trunk postural control - TPC). If confirmed, unstable sitting could be viewed as a proxy measure for these determinants. Wobbling chair motion was measured in 58 subjects with an inertial sensor, and six outcomes were computed (mean frequency and velocity, frequency dispersion, two variables from the sway density analysis and Lyapunov exponent - short interval) to represent TPC performance. Subjects also performed five other trunk neuromuscular tests to quantify the thickness of back and abdominal muscles and …

Know Before You Play: Associations Between Race, Education, And Hiv Susceptibility, Anfa Mohamed Diiriye

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Black women are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States. This paper analyzes the associations between race, education, and HIV susceptibility, furthering previous research to understand if educational attainment reduces HIV susceptibility and if reduction patterns are similar for Black and White women. The CDC’s National Survey of Family Growth 2015-2017 was used to analyze associations using binary logistic and multiple regression models. HIV susceptibility was operationalized through four measures: condom use, having a partner with concurrent sexual relationships, having had an STD, and age at first sex. Black women were not found to be significantly more susceptible to …

Epidemiology Of Colorectal Cancer Comorbidities And Stage At Diagnosis, Survival, And Second Primary Malignancies In Kentucky, 2003-2016, Nikita Leigh Vundi

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

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the third most common cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States.^1-3 The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 147,950 new cases of CRC and 53,200 CRC related deaths in the U.S. for the year 2020.3 Kentucky CRC incidence for 2012-2016 was the highest in the nation, and the mortality rate for years 2013-2017 was ranked 5th in the nation.^4-6 Risk factors for CRC include lifestyle factors, genetics, and disease status (comorbidities and treatment).2, 7 Diabetes has been …

What Do We Know About The Nexus Between Culture, Age, Gender And Health Literacy? Implications For Improving The Health And Well-Being Of Young Indigenous Males, Anthony Merlino, James A. Smith, Mick Adams, Jason Bonson, Richard Osborne, Barry Judd, Murray Drummond, David Aanundsen, Jesse Fleay, Benjamin Christie

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Health literacy, although diversely defined, refers to the abilities, relationships and external environments required for people to successfully promote health. Existing research suggests that health literacy is related to health inequities, including individual and community capacity to navigate health. A diverse range of factors shape health literacy abilities and environments, especially culture, gender and age. However, the nexus between these variables and their cumulative impact on health literacy development remains largely unexplored. Commentary that explores these dynamics among young Indigenous males is particularly scant. In turn, strategies to bridge health equity gaps have been obscured. This article brings together disparate …