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Heart Failure In A Contemporary Biracial Cohort, Matthew Mefford Jan 2018

Heart Failure In A Contemporary Biracial Cohort, Matthew Mefford

All ETDs from UAB

Heart failure (HF) is the inability of the heart to meet the perfusion needs of the body. HF is a leading contributor to the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and remains a public health concern. Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for the prevention and management of HF. Hypertension develops earlier, is less controlled, and has a stronger association with some CVD and renal outcomes among blacks versus whites. These disparities may extend to HF. In addition, adults with HF often have complex treatment regimens due to multimorbidity, making medication adherence an issue. The goal of this dissertation was …


Psychological Well-Being And Smoking Cessation, Christopher Thorne Jan 2018

Psychological Well-Being And Smoking Cessation, Christopher Thorne

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: The substantial death toll from smoking combined with the low success rates of current treatment approaches warrants further investigation into mechanisms that promote cessation. While the role of negative affect has been studied extensively in relationship to smoking cessation, the role of psychological well-being (PWB; e.g., life satisfaction, optimism, positive affect, purpose in life, resilience) has received little attention. Treatment outcomes might improve with a better understanding of PWB’s role in smoking cessation. Methods: Relationships between smoking and PWB were examined in three studies. First, using panel data from the biennial, longitudinal Health and Retirement Study, I developed separate …


Social Factors, Public Policies, And Infant Mortality, Lauren Wallace Jan 2018

Social Factors, Public Policies, And Infant Mortality, Lauren Wallace

All ETDs from UAB

Despite consistent and substantial investments, the United States’ infant mortality rate (IMR) has not decreased significantly in the 21st century and disparities between racial and ethnic groups have increased. This study investigates the impact of social and health factors, and public policies on IMR at the state level. The research aims were to: 1) evaluate which state-level social factors and public policies were associated with state IMRs using principal component (PC) analysis; and 2) evaluate whether states cluster on their PC scores and IMRs using cluster analysis. The data used were six composite index scores based on social factor and …


Assessment Of A Peer Mentoring Program At Lawson State Community College, Teneasha Washington Jan 2018

Assessment Of A Peer Mentoring Program At Lawson State Community College, Teneasha Washington

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Colleges and universities have begun implementing mentoring programs to offset rising attrition rates; however, the literature on the benefits of these programs is limited particularly among community colleges with peer mentoring programs serving minority students. Further limiting our understanding of post-secondary peer mentoring programs is the lack of research on mentor’s as well as mentee’s perspectives on the mentoring experience. As mentors and mentees serve in a variety of capacities within the mentoring program, it is often difficult to identify outcomes that can be assessed within the mentoring program. Although the success of peer mentoring programs is directly affected …


Simulation Of Correlated Variables, Mixture Distributions, And Repeated Measures And Comparison Of Pharmacogenetic Prediction With Machine Learning Methods, Allison Cynthia Fialkowski Jan 2018

Simulation Of Correlated Variables, Mixture Distributions, And Repeated Measures And Comparison Of Pharmacogenetic Prediction With Machine Learning Methods, Allison Cynthia Fialkowski

All ETDs from UAB

Pharmacogenetics aims to improve individualized medicine by combining genetic information with clinical data when assigning drug treatments. Different diseases are often associated with different factors, each with its own distributional characteristics. For rare or complex diseases, these characteristics may not be well understood and standard analysis methods may not be appropriate. In psychiatric disorders, for example, multiple drug treatments need to be compared across small sample sizes with heterogeneous patient populations, making implementation of standard methods difficult. Simulating data that mirrors clinical data is important because it allows investigators to determine which method is best suited for data from their …


Psychosocial Job Stress And Oxidative Stress In Emergency Department Nurses, Rupkatha Bardhan Jan 2018

Psychosocial Job Stress And Oxidative Stress In Emergency Department Nurses, Rupkatha Bardhan

All ETDs from UAB

Job stress often causes work-related physical injuries and chronic exposure to such environment may lead to poor health outcomes. Job stress in recent years has grown significantly within the workforce due to performance pressure, long work hours and poor pay structures. Nurses work in the forefront to save patients’ lives. High job demand in this noble profession often leads to progressive decline in physical and mental health. There are existing reports that nurses in the United States (US) suffer from “burnout” syndrome which may also negatively affect patient care. There are very few studies that measured work-related stress in nurses …


Immunophenotype In The Molecular Epidemiology Of Breast Cancer, Michael Behring Jan 2018

Immunophenotype In The Molecular Epidemiology Of Breast Cancer, Michael Behring

All ETDs from UAB

This research analyzes the underlying genomic features of breast tumors during immune response, with the overall goal of discovering markers of how tumor immunity and the known features of disease pathology relate. We aimed to 1) identify and validate somatic copy number variation and RNA expression associated with nodal metastasis; 2) construct an array-based measure of tumor infiltrating immune cells and determine its prominent clinical and transcriptional features; and 3) examine the relationship between somatic mutations within p53 and tumor immune cell infiltration status. In two sets of data, gene-level copy number variation (CNV) and RNA expression from the primary …


Interaction Between Income, Health Insurance, And Self-Rated Health: A Path Analysis., Atalie Ashley West Jan 2018

Interaction Between Income, Health Insurance, And Self-Rated Health: A Path Analysis., Atalie Ashley West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The political focus of equitable health outcomes in the United States have long centered on access to medical care. However, there is compelling evidence that access to medical care is only the bare minimum necessary to achieve health, and the true influence of health insurance on health is still unclear. Widely accepted models of health estimate that less than 20% of health outcomes can be attributed to clinical care, while greater than 50% is related to social and economic determinants of health, with income being the most consistent predictor. As a result, this study investigated whether earned income is related …


Racial/Ethnic Differences In The Treatment Of Elderly Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients, Cheryl Mokrzecky Jan 2018

Racial/Ethnic Differences In The Treatment Of Elderly Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients, Cheryl Mokrzecky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racial and ethnic disparities related to lung cancer treatments and outcomes are not fully understood but may be due to individual or institutional factors. Following established national cancer treatment guidelines may improve patients' quality of life, outcome to treatment, and facilitate the eradication of lung cancer. There are limited data on the real-world treatment of racial/ethnic groups with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) according to clinical practice guidelines, therefore this population-based cohort study examined the receipt of first line treatment for advanced or metastatic NSCLC according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) practice guidelines. The Social Cognitive Theory served …


Effects Of Micronutrients On The Status Of Hiv-Infected African American Women, Veronica Alicia Graham Jan 2018

Effects Of Micronutrients On The Status Of Hiv-Infected African American Women, Veronica Alicia Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Weight loss among HIV-infected African American women (AAW), results in the fall of the cluster of differentiation (CD4) cell count and an increase in the viral load. There are 48,126 HIV-infected AAW who reported weight loss within the first year. AAW who report more than 10% weight loss within the first year progress to AIDS due to a deficiency in micronutrients and poor linkage to care. The phenomenon that occurs with individuals living with HIV does not necessarily occur among individuals who have cancer, heart disease, or some other life-threatening illness, and this phenomenon indicates a direct threat to the …


Immunoglobulin Therapy And Primary Immunodeficient Patients' Health-Related Quality Of Life And Well-Being, Niedre Heckman Jan 2018

Immunoglobulin Therapy And Primary Immunodeficient Patients' Health-Related Quality Of Life And Well-Being, Niedre Heckman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals born with primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDD) have a dysfunctional immune system, and many are treated by lifelong injections of immunoglobulin therapy. Studies have shown that these patients have low health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and well-being (WB) and that these outcomes might be improved by the availability of therapy innovated according to preferences for fewer needle sticks or a shorter infusion time. Regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved therapies innovated per these preferences. However, there is limited data demonstrating how these innovations impact HRQOL and WB. Using the biopsychosocial model, the purpose of …


Diabetic Adult Access To Medical Care And Race And Ethnicity In Connecticut, Natacha Bertine Jerome Jan 2018

Diabetic Adult Access To Medical Care And Race And Ethnicity In Connecticut, Natacha Bertine Jerome

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes is among the leading causes of death in Connecticut. An approximate of 330,000 adults in Connecticut have diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed). Those with diabetes have almost twice the risk of premature death throughout various age groups. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether disparities exist in access to medical care due to race and ethnicity; among adults with diabetes in the state of Connecticut. Furthermore, this study used the Andersen's behavioral model framework. Survey data from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system (BRFSS) were also analyzed. The research study covered 3 years (2013 to 2015) of …


Factors Influencing Alzheimer's Disease Healthcare Utilization Patterns In Puerto Rico, Carlamarie Noboa Jan 2018

Factors Influencing Alzheimer's Disease Healthcare Utilization Patterns In Puerto Rico, Carlamarie Noboa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with substantial healthcare utilization costs, resulting in a public health priority. In this study, the relationship between the demographic characteristics of age, gender, and type of health insurance; the presence of comorbidities of older Puerto Rican residents diagnosed with AD; and their healthcare utilization patterns (i.e., medical office and emergency room visits and hospital admissions) was examined using Andersen's behavioral model. Data from the 2013 Puerto Rico Health Study was used in this retrospective cohort design study. All AD cases aged -?¥ 60 years were extracted using systematic random sampling. One-way ANOVA-WELCH, Mann-Whitney U test, …


The Impact Of Transmission Mode On Hiv/Aids Medication Adherence, Lindsey Wilde Jan 2018

The Impact Of Transmission Mode On Hiv/Aids Medication Adherence, Lindsey Wilde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication adherence amongst HIV/AIDS infected individuals can be challenging for many reasons. I examined whether there was an association between mode of HIV transmission, such as sexual intercourse, mother to child, or IV drug use, and medication adherence among HIV+ individuals 18 years and older living in New York City. The theoretical base for this study was the Social Ecological Systems Theory. Logistic regression analyses were conducted on field data obtained from the New York State Medicaid Agency from 2015. Results indicated that transmission mode, age, race, and poverty level all have statistically significant associations with the dependent variable of …


Association Between Genetic Ancestry And Body Mass Index Among A Cohort Of Hispanic American Children, Sahel Hazrati Jan 2018

Association Between Genetic Ancestry And Body Mass Index Among A Cohort Of Hispanic American Children, Sahel Hazrati

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity is disproportionately higher among children from Hispanic backgrounds. Ethnicity is a social and cultural construct and does not capture true ancestral heterogeneity. Hispanic Americans have a wide variety of genetic admixture proportions of European (EUR), Native American (AMR), and African (AFR) ancestry. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the contribution of ancestral genetic composition to body mass index (BMI), and to evaluate the relationship of obesity risk factors to BMI among 154 2-year-old Hispanic American children. The theory of Evolutionary Developmental Biology was utilized to investigate the relationship between children's growth process and ancestral background. …


Racial And Cultural Etiology Of Body Satisfaction Among Obese, Young Adult Women, Deirdre Lynnett Moyer Jan 2018

Racial And Cultural Etiology Of Body Satisfaction Among Obese, Young Adult Women, Deirdre Lynnett Moyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity, a public health issue in the United States, has been linked to numerous chronic diseases. A gap exists in the literature related to racial and cultural etiology of body satisfaction for obese women. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the racial and cultural etiology of body satisfaction for obese Black women and White women residing in a rural area of the state of North Carolina. Social comparison theory provided the theoretical underpinning for this examination. The central research question was how do obese, young adult Black women and White women describe their perceptions about and …


Parental Influence On Hiv Vertical Transmission In Kenya, Hussein Abdi Nunow Jan 2018

Parental Influence On Hiv Vertical Transmission In Kenya, Hussein Abdi Nunow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mother-to-infant vertical transmission of HIV usually occurs during pregnancy, labor, delivery or breastfeeding. It is the third leading cause of transmission of HIV after sexual intercourse and blood transfusions. In 2008, 12 million women aged 15 years and above were anticipated to be living with HIV in countries within Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, the association between parental HIV knowledge, attitudes and risk reduction practices, and HIV vertical transmission in Kenya were explored. The health belief model was used to help understand and interpret the findings. For this quantitative study, data were collected via surveys from 212 participants in 3 …


A Limited Rational Choice Theory In Local Public Health Decision Making, Lona Bryan Jan 2018

A Limited Rational Choice Theory In Local Public Health Decision Making, Lona Bryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The threat and occurrence of terrorist attacks have increased in the United States since September 2011, heightening concerns for weaponized anthrax, other biological pathogens, and epidemics and pandemics. Early decisions and funding levels in local public health agencies can be the first line of defense or first point of failure; yet little is understood about how decisions are made when there are budget cuts before a biological event happens. Using Lindblom's conceptualization of limited rational choice theory, the purpose of this single case study was to understand how a local public health official made decisions after budget cuts in a …


Determinants Of Low Birth Weight In A Population-Based Sample Of Zimbabwe, Paul Nesara Jan 2018

Determinants Of Low Birth Weight In A Population-Based Sample Of Zimbabwe, Paul Nesara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low birth weight (LBW) is a major public health concern globally. Despite its negative social and economic impact on the family and community at large, it has remained relatively unexplored at population level in Zimbabwe. The purpose of the study was to establish determinants of LBW using data from the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey. The socioecological model was the conceptual framework for the study. A secondary analysis was conducted on 4,227 mother-infant dyads. Independent variables were duration of pregnancy, number of births within the past 5-year period, exposure to mass media, type of fuel used for cooking in …


Awareness And Attitudes Of Young Nigerian Immigrants In The United States To Sickle Cell Screening And Premarital Genetic Testing, Timothy Atolagbe Jan 2018

Awareness And Attitudes Of Young Nigerian Immigrants In The United States To Sickle Cell Screening And Premarital Genetic Testing, Timothy Atolagbe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The carrier frequency for sickle cell anemia among Nigerians, who account for a high percentage of African immigrants in the United States, is high, according to the World Health Organization. Even though sickle cell disease contributes $2.4 billion annually to U.S. health care expenditures, ascertaining the number of affected individuals in the U.S. is difficult because sickle cell is not a reportable genetic disease. However, according to the Census Bureau, the number of African immigrants continues to grow at a steady pace among the foreign-born immigrant population in the U.S. There is a lack of research on the contribution of …


Head Start Parent Perspectives On Child Exposure To Secondhand Smoke At Home, Christiana Abani Bekie Jan 2018

Head Start Parent Perspectives On Child Exposure To Secondhand Smoke At Home, Christiana Abani Bekie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) are at risk of developing ear infections, asthma, wheezing, bronchitis, as well as retarded lung growth. Indoor smoking is the main source of children's exposure to SHS. Despite a downward trend in smoking, children from low income families, especially African American and Hispanic children, continue to be exposed to SHS at a higher rate than their wealthier counterparts. This multiple case study explored the perceptions of 15 parents of 3- to 5-year-old children currently enrolled in Head Start regarding children's exposure to SHS. This study relied on the social ecological model, the theory of …


Improving Glycemic Control In Adult With Type 2 Diabetes, Basirat Romoke Triplett Jan 2018

Improving Glycemic Control In Adult With Type 2 Diabetes, Basirat Romoke Triplett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ninety percent of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). T2DM is a complex disease that affects every organ in the body, which makes effective management of the disease imperative. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist (AACE) and American College of Endocrinology (ACE) strongly recommended early treatment initiation among the target population to delay disease progression and complications. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to examine the impact of using the T2DM management algorithm for effective management of adults with T2DM over a 3-month period. The shared experience decision-making model and the chronic care model were used …


Infant Feeding Practices In China And Ireland - Ireland Chinese Mother, Qianling Zhou, Katherine Younger, John Kearney Jan 2018

Infant Feeding Practices In China And Ireland - Ireland Chinese Mother, Qianling Zhou, Katherine Younger, John Kearney

Articles

Introduction: Migration to another country may induce changes in infant feeding practices especially where such practices differ considerably between the two countries. This study was undertaken to compare the infant feeding practices between Chinese mothers who gave birth in Ireland (CMI) with immigrant Chinese mothers who gave birth in China (CMC), and to examine the factors that influence these practices. Methods: A cross-sectional self-administrated survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 322 Chinese mothers living in Ireland. Data were obtained from mailed questionnaires. Infant feeding practices between CMC and CMI were compared by Chi-square or independent sample t-test. Binary …


Optimization Of Folic Acid Supplementation In The Prevention Of Neural Tube Defects, Shona Cawley, Daniel Mccartney, Jayne V. Woodside, Mary Rose Sweeney, Robert Mcdonnell, Anne M. Molloy, Michael J. Turner Jan 2018

Optimization Of Folic Acid Supplementation In The Prevention Of Neural Tube Defects, Shona Cawley, Daniel Mccartney, Jayne V. Woodside, Mary Rose Sweeney, Robert Mcdonnell, Anne M. Molloy, Michael J. Turner

Articles

Background We examined the relationship between timing and duration of folic acid (FA) supplementation in achieving red blood cell (RBC) folate levels in early pregnancy which are optimal (>906 nmol/l) for the prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs). Methods Clinical, FA supplementation and dietary folate details were computerized at the first antenatal visit. Maternal blood samples were analysed for RBC and serum folate. Results Of the 502 women, 98.2% (n = 493) reported taking FA. There was a positive correlation between duration of supplementation and both RBC folate (r = 0.43, P < 0.001) and serum folate (rho = 0.29, P < 0.001). The optimal RBC folate level was achieved in 80.4% (n = 46) of women who started FA 400 μg 4–8 weeks before their LMP compared with only 53.6% (n = 153) in women who started 4–8 weeks after their LMP (P < 0.001). Conclusions This study provides, for the first …


Public Health Implications Of Metal Ash Concentrations From Prescribed Burns: A Study Of Open Jarrah Forests, John Edwards Jan 2018

Public Health Implications Of Metal Ash Concentrations From Prescribed Burns: A Study Of Open Jarrah Forests, John Edwards

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Ash is not a homogenous product. It is the solid residue of combustion and contains a complex mixture of chemical products. The fire that produces ash is non-discriminatory in that it will burn anything that is combustible. The ash residue resulting from fires varies and is dependent on its source, and burn characteristics such as the temperature of the fire. Ash comprises particles of carbon, soot and trace elements. Ash presents public health risk to people and communities, through direct and indirect ingestion, inhalation and absorption. The health effects of ash exposure are not limited to symptoms affecting the eyes, …


Parental Decision-Making In Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Meka B. Astin Jan 2018

Parental Decision-Making In Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Meka B. Astin

All ETDs from UAB

One health care trend is the growing public interest in, and use of, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Research in the United States suggests that significant numbers of children are involved in various forms of alternative medicine. The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the predictors of parental decision-making of CAM use for their child using five categories of CAM therapies: alternative medical systems, biologically- based, mind-body, manipulative, and a separate and distinct category to include all CAM medical systems. Andersen’s health care Utilization Model (HUM), which holds that health service use is a function of predisposing, enabling, needs …


Assessing The Comparative Effect Of Tocilizumab On Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using Claims Data: A Direct Comparison Among Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs, Fenglong Xie Jan 2018

Assessing The Comparative Effect Of Tocilizumab On Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using Claims Data: A Direct Comparison Among Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs, Fenglong Xie

All ETDs from UAB

ASSESSING THE COMPARATIVE EFFECT OF TOCILIZUMAB ON RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AMONG RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS USING CLAIMS DATA: A DIRECT COMPARISON AMONG BIOLOGIC DISEASEMODIFYING ANTIRHEUMATIC DRUGS FENGLONG XIE PhD-EPID ABSTRACT Tocilizumab is a humanized monoclonal anti-body against the interleukin-6 receptor and is effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [1]. Multiple studies have observed unfavorable changes in the lipid profile of tocilizumab-treated RA patients. Few studies have compared the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with tocilizumab to other biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDS). Due to limitations in existing studies, the real-world association of tocilizumab with CVD risk remains uncertain. …


Poverty Rate And Occurrence Of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors In Retail Facilities, Margolite Joseph Cesar Jan 2018

Poverty Rate And Occurrence Of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors In Retail Facilities, Margolite Joseph Cesar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the efforts of food safety regulations and rules, food contamination remains a public health concern and prevalent vehicle of pathogens. This study identifies the predictors of food risk in different types of food establishments in Miami Dade County, Florida during the period November 2014 - November 2016. Guided by the epidemiologic triangle model, this correlational study analyzed the log number of risk factor violations and failure rates controlling for US Census sociodemographic data (2010 to 2014) for the food establishment neighborhoods by using linear and logistic regression. Results indicated that most of food entity types are significant predictors of …


Strategies To Reduce Occupational Injuries And Illnesses In Government Agencies, Sandra Montgomery Jan 2018

Strategies To Reduce Occupational Injuries And Illnesses In Government Agencies, Sandra Montgomery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite regulatory efforts of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 104 cases of nonfatal occupational illnesses and injuries (OIIs) per 10,000 full-time workers required time away from work in 2015. Although OII rates in private and public sectors are high, the rates among state and local government agencies were over 50% higher than private sector rates in 2015, especially in the healthcare industry. OIIs can lead to reduced organizational productivity and performance. Guided by the leader member exchange theory (LMXT) and risk homeostasis theory (RHT), the purpose of this single case study was to explore effective strategies that supervisors …


Effect Of Socioeconomic And Neighborhood Factors On Stroke Hospitalization Rate In Virginia, Esther Musu Stephens Jan 2018

Effect Of Socioeconomic And Neighborhood Factors On Stroke Hospitalization Rate In Virginia, Esther Musu Stephens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The stroke rate in Virginia is above the national rate. Stroke results in poor quality health, morbidity, and mortality. This quantitative epidemiological study was conducted to investigate whether a significant association exists between stroke and (a) socioeconomic and (b) neighborhood factors among people who were admitted to Virginia hospitals between 2010 and 2015. An ecological design, including ecosocial theory, was used to examine associations between environmental factors and stroke. Data (746 census output areas) were acquired using patients' billing zip codes from the Virginia Health Information System in combination with socioeconomic and neighborhood data by Zip Code Tabulation Area from …