Digital Commons Network^™

Associations Between Community Nutrition Environments And Early Care And Education Classroom Nutrition Practices, Bethany Williams, Susan B. Sisson, Bryce Lowery, Dipti Dev, Diane M. Horm, Janis Campbell, Denise Finneran, Jennifer Graef-Downard

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Poor child diet is influenced by nutrition environments surrounding schools and homes; influence of these environments on Early Care and Education (ECE) settings is not understood. The purpose of this study was to determine associations between community nutrition environments and ECE classroom nutrition practices, by ECE context [Head Starts, community-based childcare (CBCs), and family child care homes (FCCHs)].

Conclusions: Contrary to studies in residential areas and schools, nutrition environments were not related to nutrition practices in ECEs. This suggests that ECEs may serve as protective microenvironments supporting health for children more vulnerable to the health environments of their nearby residing …

Relationships Between Sports, Physical Activity Participation, And Phys-Ed Gpa: Results And Analyses From A National Sample Of Asian American Students, Howard Z. Zeng, Raymond E. Weston, Juan Battle

Publications and Research

Relationships among sports, physical activity (PA) participation, and educational outcomes have been studied in various venues, however, used a longitudinal method with a national sample of Asian-American High-School Students (AAHSS) was barely covered. This study employed the latest National High-School Longitudinal Study data (Participants, N = 950); hierarchical regression modeling and intersectionality theory examined, analyzed, and evaluated the relationships among sports, PA participation, and the outcomes on the physical education grade point average (Phys-Ed GPA). Moreover, the demographics factors impact on the participants' Phys-Ed GPA was also analyzed and evaluated. The primary results included: 1) the female students who participate …

The Medical Treatment Of Obesity: On The Page & In The Office, Shayla J. Staley

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This paper sought out the causes of weight discrimination in healthcare. Through content analysis of medical journals, the study illuminated several causes. These causes were used to create a concept matrix surrounding the medicalization of fatness that illustrated how these concepts are defined relationally, as well as how they combine to form the medical conception of the “obesity epidemic”. The concept matrix carries an indirect influence upon weight stigma that can lead to weight discrimination when fat folks seek out healthcare.

Assessing The Health Effects Of Police Violence On Black Communities In America: A Literature Review, Darian Hannig

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Police-related mortality rates are disproportionately higher among Black populations than among any other racial group in the United States. While official data on non-fatal encounters with police is lacking, current evidence suggests these encounters are more common among Black individuals and often result in signs of immediate psychological and physical damage, as well as triggering long-lasting physiological stress responses and psychological trauma among these individuals and their communities. The aim of this literature review is to assess if police interactions are associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes among Black Americans. Using scholarly electronic databases, 13 articles were analyzed …

Reconsidering Extension: Defining Urban Extension In Kentucky, Kristina D. Hains, Jeff Young, Addie Reinhard, Bryan J. Hains

Community & Leadership Development Faculty Publications

As the vast majority of the population in the United States shifts to dwelling within large population centers, it is necessary to examine the responsibility and role that Cooperative Extension has to serve urban communities. Throughout its history, the land-grant system, through Cooperative Extension, has demonstrated the ability to impact the lives of individual citizens and communities positively. Within this theoretical discussion, we illuminate Cooperative Extension’s responsibility to serve urban communities in the 21st Century and highlight essential milestones in the development of urban Extension throughout the past 100 years. Also, we explore the foundations and relevance of recently developed …

Job Satisfaction And Stressors: The Direct Support Professional's Experience, Saralynn Emery

Master's Theses

The current service system for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is provided in the form of community-based support. This support is carried out by Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who provide one-on-one services to individuals in their homes, workplaces, and communities. The current system is undergoing a turnover crisis and there is an enormous need for a quality and reliable workforce of DSPs to continue to carry out services. Previous research has explored factors that contribute to DSP burnout and ultimately turnover. By researching the DSP role from the DSP experience directly, this study examines other factors that contribute to …

Understanding Older Adults Living In Medically Underserved Areas Perspectives Regarding Type 2 Diabetes Care Received, Christopher Rogers

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Older adults with type 2 diabetes living in medically underserved areas (MUAs) have unique health and social needs that must be taken into consideration when supporting their type 2 diabetes treatment and management care. Effective treatment and management of type 2 diabetes for older adults living in MUAs requires incorporating the preferences, desires, needs, values, and goals of the person at the center of the care into his/her care plan. Shifting care to be conducive to the treatment and management goals and plans co-created with older adults living in MUAs based on their individual physical, psychological, social, and spiritual preferences, …

Program Design Features Attracting Youth In Diepsloot To Urban Agriculture: Exploring Rhiza Babuyile's Tiny Farm Agri-Program, Nyasha Frank Chibanda

Capstone Collection

The COVID-19 crisis has brought to the fore the fragility of our local, national, and regional food and economic systems. Urban Agriculture (UA) is one solution to rebuilding local food system resilience and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for the region's growing youth population. Although there is an acknowledgment of the utility of the growing number of interventions promoting youth participation in UA, research on specific program design features that attract youth participation is limited. This Capstone research aimed to determine the program design features that attract unemployed youth (18-35 years) living in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, to participate in UA.

The study …

Research Trends In Amish Population Health, A Growing Literature About A Growing Rural Population, Cory Anderson, Lindsey Potts

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The Amish are an endogamous rural population experiencing rapid growth; consequently, they have attracted the attention of population health researchers and service providers. With approximately one quarter of all Amish studies publications now devoted to population health (n=246), the time is ripe to review research trends. Using bibliometric measures, we map the genealogy, influence, and configuration of Amish health publications. Amish population health research has (1) a health culture-focused core with clusters representing social science and health practice, (2) peripheral clusters addressing health conditions–mental, physical, and injury/safety–and (3) several clusters straddling both. We identify fruitful interdisciplinary studies and recommend researchers …

Right! From The Start: Improving Maternal-Child Health In The Mississippi Delta, John J. Green, Elizabeth Young Sweeney

Delta Directions: Publications

Right! From the Start (R!FTS) was created nearly ten years ago as a collaborative effort between Women and Children Health Initiatives, Inc. and the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). The immediate goal of the initiative was to raise breastfeeding rates for mothers and babies in vulnerable families, especially those with preterm and low weight births. A long-term goal was improvement of maternal and child health outcomes in a region plagued by socioeconomic and racial disparities, the Mississippi Delta. R!FTS has gone through three distinct phases of development, which are detailed in this …

Big Five Personality Traits And Political Orientation: An Inquiry Into Political Beliefs, Ian E. Phillips

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

Personality research centered on the Big Five personality traits has heavily impacted our understanding in regards to what forces orient a person on a political spectrum. Examining how personality differences interact with political orientation, this research seeks to provide information on what makes someone either more or less likely to be liberal or conservative based on their temperament. In this paper, previous personality research is synthesized into one discussion, centered on what the effects of each trait are and how they impact political orientation, the heritability of personality, and what implications there are for such research in the realm of …

Association Between Childhood Obesity And Lack Of Healthy Food Access In Urban Food Deserts, Nicholas Averell, Rushali Desai, Archana Menon, Ayushi Naik, Arpun Shah

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background

Childhood Obesity: growing epidemic affecting almost 20% of children and adolescents in the United States

● Characterized by BMI greater than 95^th percentile of their age and gender

● Often leads to chronic medical conditions: high blood pressure, Type II Diabetes and heart diseases

● Low socioeconomic status(SES), lack of healthy food access and urban neighborhood

Effects Of Sleep Duration On Falls In A West Virginia Population-Based Study, Brfss, 2018, R. Constance Wiener, Christopher Waters

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: West Virginia is a state in which most counties are rural, as well as a state with multiple health disparities among its population. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of sleep duration and falls for non-institutionalized West Virginia adults, aged 40 years and above, using the National Sleep Foundation’s definition of “may be appropriate” and “not recommended” sleep durations for specific ages.

Methods: Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2018 data concerning West Virginia residents were extracted for sleep duration and number of falls within the previous year. Data were analyzed with Chi square and …

Chronic Exercise And Memory Interference, Lisa Vogelgesang

Honors Theses

This online study examined whether chronic exercise is associated with attenuated memory interference. Sixty-three healthy, young adults completed an interference task (AB/AC-paradigm) and self-reported the number of days and minutes a day they engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. We found that proactive interference (PI), but not retroactive interference (RI), occurred but none of the exercise modalities significantly impacted PI. Future studies should evaluate whether different interference tasks display diverse sensitivities to exercise-induced changes in memory interference. Moreover, other potential modulating factors, such as the duration and intensity of the exercise should be controlled for.

Working Together? A Situational Analysis Of Combining Prevention Efforts Targeting Obesity And Eating Disorders In Schools, Alana Ireland, Shelly Russell-Mayhew

The Qualitative Report

The serious consequences and difficulties with treatment of obesity and eating disorders have prompted many to suggest focusing on prevention. Although most often considered distinct conditions with competing needs, some have advocated for an integrated approach to the prevention of a spectrum of weight-related issues including obesity and eating disorders. Despite a strong rationale for focusing prevention on the spectrum of weight-related issues, tensions exist with regard to whether this is feasible or best practice. The current study used situational analysis to explore the tensions associated with the broader situation of preventing weight-related issues in schools. Semi-structed interviews and document …

Evaluating Silicon Foliar Sprays As A Strategy To Improve Postproduction Performance Of Potted Basil (Ocimum Basilicum L.), Joshua Tebow

Horticulture Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of the study was to evaluate foliar silicon (Si) applications for effects on the growth and performance of container-grown basil during production and resistance to postproduction wilt in retail. Basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Genovese’ L.) seedling plugs were transplanted into 10-cm diameter plastic containers with peat-based substrate and grown for 42 d in a polycarbonate greenhouse. Plants were irrigated with fertilizer solution consisting of a 17.0 nitrogen (N)-1.3 phosphorus-14.1 potassium water-soluble fertilizer dissolved in tap water at 150 mg∙L-1 N. Foliar sprays containing sodium silicate at 0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg∙L-1 Si mixed with deionized water were …

Group Living Environment Responses To Pandemic: A Case Study Of Advocates, And The Covid-19 Crises, Nicole K. Atchue

School of Professional Studies

The literature will take a deeper look in the personal lives of developmentally disabled members and their staff who experienced COVID-19 pandemic in a group living environments. The holistic approach of understanding will navigate the history of care and the level care needed as well as external factors that played a larger role in explanation for the support provided.

Internal Communications In The Time Of A Global Pandemic, Thais Gandica, Manvi Talwar, Sange Wangmu Thungon, Edgar Knyvet Diengdoh Pyrtuh, Emmanuel Kumah

School of Professional Studies

The business and organizational worlds have been in constant transformation for years. Still, 2020 changed drastically the way they function from their very inside. The COVID-19 pandemic hit all industries, and with that, all models of communication had to be reshaped so they could efficiently connect with their internal players in charge of crafting and delivering messages that would work towards a healthy and productive environment. Internal Communications played a critical role in the employee relations, brand image, and overall success of organizations, especially during the crisis. Through primary and secondary research conducted to three different organizations’ sizes, this research …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Food Insecurity And Solutions In Worcester, Massachusetts, David Sullivan

School of Professional Studies

Worcester, Massachusetts is a postindustrial city with high levels of potential that faces the persistent obstacle of food insecurity for its low-income and ethnic minority communities. This research thesis examines food insecurity in general and explores data and trends in Worcester, then combines this with conceptual frameworks which explain how socioeconomic factors play into food security. It also explains the systemic inequalities present as a result of food insecurity and critiques academic assumptions surrounding food insecurity. One of these assumptions is that food deserts on their own can explain food insecurity in Worcester and elsewhere, though it has been found …

Pernet Family Health Service, Inc.: Organizational Restructuring & Change Management Best Practices, Carly Massino

School of Professional Studies

Research exhibits that between 70-75% of change initiatives fail and a major contributor to this trend is employee resistance. Although change can bring exciting growth and innovation, it can cause employees heightened stress and worsened physical and mental health outcomes. These effects are often amplified when organizations enact multiple change initiatives at once. These worsened outcomes are often a result of feelings of distress, anxiety, powerlessness, and apprehension and unknowns such as how one’s position will be affected, how operations will change, or how one fits into the change. This topic is incredibly relevant for Pernet Family Health Service, Inc., …

Evaluation Of Weight Gain, Feed Intake, Feed Conversion And Oocyst Shedding Of Eimeria Maxima And Eimeria Acervulina In Broiler Chickens, Lauren Laverty

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the day and the time of sample collection of an

experimental challenge with Eimeria maxima (EM) and Eimeria acervulina (EA) in broiler chickens. One day old male Cobb-Vantress broiler chickens were randomly allocated to one of three groups with ten replicates (n=8 chickens/replicate). Chickens were placed in battery cages with a controlled age-appropriate environment: Group 1) Negative control (no challenge or treatment); 2) Challenge control (Eimeria challenge only); 3) Challenge + Salinomycin. Challenged chickens were orally gavaged with the mixed culture of EM/EA (10,000 sporulated EM containing 4% wild-type EA) …

Determinants Of Female Bargaining Power In Northern Mozambican Households, Sara Marilyn Gardner

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Melinda Gates stated, “If you search for poverty, you will find women who don’t have power. If you explore prosperity, you will find women who do have power and use it.” Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, women are expected to perform disproportional amounts of labor but are often ignored in household decision-making regarding social and economic matters. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) states that women in Mozambique are highly disadvantaged, relative to men, due to low levels of education, maternal health risks, restricted economic prospects, and cultural norms. This study aims to better understand the causes of female empowerment in Northern …

Race, Ethnicity, And Insurance: The Association With Opioid Use In A Pediatric Hospital Setting, Vivian Luong

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Pediatric opioid-related poisoning and deaths have increased by 268% between 1999 and 2016. One risk factor for these poisonings may be receiving an opioid prescription at a young age. Given the established link between legitimate opioid prescriptions and later misuse in young adulthood, research focused on identifying relationships between sociodemographic factors with opioid and non-opioid prescribing is needed to understand opioid prescribing inconsistencies and promote safe pain management. Of interest, this study examined the association between race/ethnicity and health insurance payer type with pediatric opioid and non-opioid ordering in an inpatient hospital setting. Statistical analyses were performed with cross-sectional inpatient …

The Effects Of Common Stressors On Poultry Production: A Case Study In Northern Mozambique, Grace Lehfeldt

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chicken is one of the main proteins that feeds the world. For centuries, the human race has relied on chickens to eat. Therefore, as food science becomes more relevant, the way that chickens are raised has become a science. However, this is not true in every part of the world. In Mozambique the process for raising chickens for consumption is not the same as it would be in America. This is a study of two specific “stressors” (feed and temperature) and how they impacted chicken growth and development on a live production poultry farm in Northern Mozambique. In addition, it …

Publicly Fat: Narratives Of Fatphobia, Diet Culture, And Intersectional Feminism, Jennifer S. Wilson

University Honors Program Senior Projects

In spite of recent advancements within the academic community—particularly within the discipline of Women, Gender and Sexualities—fatness is still overwhelmingly viewed as a singular issue rather than a complex site of social interrogation that impacts every aspect of our lives. Fatness is typically understood through the medical model of obesity and/or eating disorders, a piecemeal approach that unfairly problematizes fatness, allowing the dangers of fatphobia and diet culture to thrive as forms of oppression. In my thesis, I interrogate these oppressive systems as an intersectional issue using a framework based on Marie Matsuda’s “other question” in which she challenges us …

Can Small-Scale Poultry Initiatives Alleviate Food Insecurity And Increase Empowerment For Women In Economically Disadvantaged Areas?, Patrick Daniels

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the summer of 2019, I, along with 8 other students from the University of Arkansas departed the United States for the Central American country of Belize. Despite our limited knowledge of what Belize held in store for us, we were enthusiastic about the coming months. While we had different projects, we all set out with the same universal question in mind. How can we use the knowledge we have gained through education to make a positive impact on the lives of people living in an impoverished town? Some of the members of our team worked alongside local businesses to …

Description Of Job Embeddedness In Arkansas County Extension Agents, Anika Parks

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Cooperative Extension System (CES) has had a long-standing problem with the retention of its county Extension agents (CEAs), who are in charge of running various programs in over 3,000 counties within the United States. When a CEA leaves a county, voluntarily or involuntarily, the community members are left without that leader, and their needs go unmet, which was proposed to increase voluntary turnover among CEAs even further. Arkansas CES has had its problems with turnover, and studying this issue through the lens of Job Embeddedness Theory was identified as a gap in the literature.

Job Embeddedness Theory is a …

Dissolving Realities: An Endless Domestic Landscape, Hanzang Lai, Phang Lim

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis explores how the exponential growth in communication technology is changing the way we interact with the tangible and intangible spaces. The invasion of the public into the private, the collective into the domestic, the work into the leisure, and the ability to be constantly connected wirelessly have caused a dissolution of the physical domestic space. The domestic space has lost its value of privacy and intimacy and the boundary between the binaries will be no more. The gap between “the control” and “controlled” has widened and productive workers will be oppressed to be even more productive under the …

A Case Study Of Four Districts' Procedures For Identifying And Serving Culturally, Linguistically, And Economically Diverse Gifted And Talented Students In One State, Mackenzie Anderson

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

The underrepresentation of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students is a problem historically researched in gifted and talented programs. This problem largely comes from the way districts identify for giftedness as well as the programming for gifted students. Traditional methods of identification often largely exclude students due to racial or ethnic bias and harsh cut-off scores on tests. This study investigated the current identification procedures of four districts in one state. Additionally, the study addressed programming and how these districts specifically targeted underserved populations within their district. Data were collected through interviews with four District Coordinators from school districts with …

Hunger Is A Racial Issue: Closing The Gap Through Strategic Planning In After School Programs, Hannah Pipher

Senior Capstone Papers

One particular social determinant of health: food insecurity, is gaining curiosity amongst researchers, social workers, and public health experts for its role in the bio-psycho-social health of children, specifically in low-income populations (LIP’s) and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The literature demonstrates that due to historical disenfranchisement and systemic oppression, BIPOC children are three times more likely to experience this phenomenon than those in White households. BIPOC children also experience chronic health conditions related to malnutrition or unhealthy eating, higher rates of psychological distress due to the social stigmatization of food insecurity, and predicted behaviors in the classroom …