Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Appearance In Perceptions Of Personal Trainers 2013., Patrick R. Boerner

Master's Theses

The field of personal training in the United States is believed to have begun in the late 1970‟s and the early 1980‟s (Brooks, 2004). Today, personal training is a healthy profession that, according to the United States Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012), is expected to grow 24% (60,400 jobs) between 2010 and 2020. In comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012) predicts the average growth rate for all occupations within the U.S. to be only 14% during the same ten-year span. Rapid growth within the field of personal training has brought an increased scrutiny on …

What Men?: The Essentialist Error Of The End Of Men, Nancy E. Dowd

UF Law Faculty Publications

Many aspects of The End of Men are debatable. Among them is the critical issue of essentialism: do Rosin's claims about women withstand scrutiny when we ask, “Is this representative of all women?” While women as a group may have progressed in some domains, they have remained the same or worse in others, and some women have not progressed at all.

An even more significant shortcoming of The End of Men, however, is its essentialism about men. Rosin assumes a beginning, namely, men's prior place of power and privilege in the domains she addresses. To assume that is true of …

Resources And Relationships: Food Insecurity And Social Capital Among Middle School Students, Don Edward Willis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between food insecurity and Social capital among 5th-7th graders attending an intermediate school in Northwest Arkansas where nearly 70 percent of students participate in the free or reduced lunch program. The central research questions are: Does Social capital have a direct impact on children's food insecurity? And, does Social capital mediate the influence of negative circumstances on children's food insecurity? This study finds that Social capital does have a significant association with food insecurity, even when controlling for multiple demographic and circumstantial factors. However, there appears to be no mediation of circumstance by Social capital. …

Cooking Up A Course: Food Education At Pomona College, Christina A. Cyr

Pomona Senior Theses

Cooking skills are important but declining, with significant health, social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental implications. Food and cooking education can begin to address some of the negative effects of the cooking skills decline. This thesis makes the case for cooking classes in the education system, especially in higher education. The paper begins with a history of cooking education and skills, outlines the implications of the decline in skills, and discusses the potential for cooking education in higher education. The second part consists of a course syllabus, designed for Pomona College. The third section includes a discussion of the implementation …

Volunteer Programming Impact On Long-Term Care Facilities, Paul P. Falkowski

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this present study was to examine the direct and indirect effects between the organizational structure of a long-term care facility, the amount of volunteers at the facility, the activities in which volunteers engage while at the facility and daily average number of hours care staff spend with nursing home residents. The time care staff spends with residents has been directly linked to the quality of care provided by the facility. This time is measured by calculating nursing hours per patient and it includes only nursing staff hours.The data for this study come from the National Nursing Home …

A Comparison Of Two After School Strategies For Improving The Parenting Knowledge And Parenting Perceptions Of Preschool Families Enrolled In A Title 1 Program, Rae Ette Veronna Newman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A parent is a child's first educator in communication, social/emotional skills, motor development, and academics. As the achievement expectations placed on schools increase and the schooling population continually diversifies, the need to increase the overall parental involvement in schools and their ability to assist with academics in the home becomes more significant to ensure academic success for all children. By acquiring the fundamental parenting knowledge and skills, despite the barriers and additional disadvantages, parents can overcome daily obstacles, reduce family stress, and support developing proficient children. By encouraging positive parenting skills, parents can increase their parenting self-efficacy.

The purpose of …

A Qualitative Analysis Of 4-H Program Logic Models, Stephanie Phelan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study explores program logic in 4-H’s positive youth development (PYD) programs. The sample was drawn from programs that have engaged in planning at both county and state levels. Using a systems perspective as a guide, this study considers the bidirectional interrelationships among multiple levels of a 4-H system. Bidirectional relationships make alignment between “local” (county) and “global” (state) levels of the 4-H system important. This study utilizes content analysis to explore activities and outcomes in 12 county-level, “local,” 4-H logic models and 1 statewide, “global” 4-H logic model. Logic models were compared within “local-local” models and between “local-global” models. …

Getting Help When Needed: Food Insecurity Among College Students And The Impact Of Food Pantry Availability, Jasmine Loftin

HIM 1990-2015

Although studies on food insecurity among low-income families and children are prevalent, it's rare to come upon a study specifically measuring food insecurities among college students. There are limited accesses for students to government assistance such as food stamps because of their "dependency" on their parents. Although, on paper, the student may still be a dependent, there are a myriad of instances where they are unable to receive monetary help from their parents for different circumstances. My current study is examining an understudied population of college students who use the Knights Helping Knights pantry. The Knights Helping Knights pantry is …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 40, No. 2 (June 2013)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• A HALF-CENTURY OF CALIFORNIA POVERTY - Robert G. Mogull
• THE POTENTIAL OF YOUTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS IN THREE EAST AFRICAN COUNTRIES: KENYA, TANZANIA, AND UGANDA - Njeri Kagotho, Proscovia Nabunya, Fred Ssewamala, and Vilma Ilic
• THE MASARYKS OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA: CONTRIBUTIONS IN SOCIOLOGY, SOCIAL WELFARE AND POLITICS - Rebecca L. Hegar
• SWEDEN'S PARENTAL LEAVE INSURANCE: A POLICY ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIES TO INCREASE GENDER EQUALITY - Juliana Carlson
• REMARITAL CHANCES, CHOICES, AND ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES: ISSUES OF SOCIAL AND PERSONAL WELFARE - Kevin Shafer and Todd M. Jensen
• BLACK WOMEN IN THE "BLACK METROPOLIS" OF THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY: THE CASE …

Perceptions Of The Underrepresentation Of Women In Agriculture And Motives For Movement Into The Industry, Jennifer Long

Honors Projects

In the U.S., agriculture has historically been a male-dominated industry. Women have been underrepresented in agriculture even as they have played important roles on and off the farm. In the last 25 years, however, women have been moving into agriculture and increasing their visibility in positions on and off the farm even in light of structural changes to agriculture and environmental concerns. Learning motives for moves into the industry can help supply information about the changing roles of women in agriculture and help determine whether agricultural trends follow other occupational trends. Giving a voice to women that have been underrepresented …

Lessons Learned From Training Of Promotores De Salud For Obesity And Diabetes Prevention, Erica T. Sosa, Lesli Biediger-Friedman, Zenong Yin

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Promotores de Salud are impactful in reducing health disparities for Hispanic communities. The purpose of this paper is to present the training process and fidelity of study protocol implementation using a promotora model for community-based diabetes prevention.

Methods: Five Hispanic bilingual promotores were recruited from a Community Health Worker program and received intensive 30-hour promotora training on how to recruit participants, lead group sessions, and support participants making behavior changes. Evaluation of the training included a survey and focus group to assess promotores’ feedback, a post-training knowledge test to assess knowledge acquired during the training and an observational assessment …

Inclusive Business: Using For-Profit Business Models To Address Global Poverty, Samuel James Conner

Senior Honors Theses

Due to the rise of globalization, modernization, and the Internet revolution, awareness of global poverty has expanded, making its eradication a chief goal of the global development community for the twenty-first century. Though corporations are often expected to participate in social and community development initiatives without regard for profits, this paper presents inclusive business as a way for businesses to profitably engage impoverished segments of society. Inclusive businesses seek to expand their consumer bases or strengthen their supply chains by moving into new markets among the poor that have limited access to global markets and remain largely untapped. The research …

Gender Differences In Frontal Plane Lower Extremity Kinetic Variability During Landing, Andrew Nordin

Interdisciplinary Research Scholarship Day

Investigations of human movement variability have been used as a
means of exploring neuromotor functioning, where performance variability is
thought to provide the system with flexibility and a mechanism for adaptation to
movement repetition [1,2,4,6]. Operationally, variability has been considered to
fall within optimal limits (Figure 1), while excessively high or low variability has
been implicated in injury susceptibility [1,2,4,6]. Landing has been explored
due to a high incidence of injury in athletic performance, as well as the ability
to easily control task demands through increases in landing height [3,4].
The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate changes in …

Sweetened Drink And Snacking Cues In Adolescents. A Study Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Jerry L. Grenard, Alan W. Stacy, Saul Shiffman, Amanda N. Baraldi, David P. Mackinnon, Ginger Lockhart, Yasemin Kisbu-Sakarya, Sarah Boyle Abd, Yuliyana Beleva Abd, Carol Koprowski, Susan L. Ames, Kim D. Reynolds

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

The objective of this study was to identify physical, social, and intrapersonal cues that were associated with the consumption of sweetened beverages and sweet and salty snacks among adolescents from lower SES neighborhoods. Students were recruited from high schools with a minimum level of 25% free or reduced cost lunches. Using ecological momentary assessment, participants (N=158) were trained to answer brief questionnaires on handheld PDA devices: (a) each time they ate or drank, (b) when prompted randomly, and (c) once each evening. Data were collected over 7days for each participant. Participants reported their location (e.g., school grounds, home), mood, social …

Gokids Boston Youth Fitness, Training, And Research Center, Gokids Boston, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

GoKids Boston embodies innovation and leadership in youth health through life-changing programs, groundbreaking research, exceptional training opportunities, and dedication to the community with a focus on eliminating health disparities.

Community Built Environment And Multilevel Social Determinants Of Obesity: Evidence From China Health And Nutrition Survey, Libin Zhang, Tim F. Liao, Laura L. Hayman

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is highest in wealthy countries like the United States, but is rapidly increasing in less developed countries. From 1992 to 2002, China had an increase from 14.6% to 21.8% in overweight and obesity. Social determinants of obesity in developing countries remain poorly understood. Further, these associations may vary by community built environment (BE) of developing countries.

Healthy Aging In Massachusetts: Reporting Indicators, Identifying Resources & Activating Allies, Elizabeth Dugan, Frank Porell, Nina Silverstein, Ruth Palombo, Chae Man Lee, Kristina Turk

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

In Massachusetts, a Healthy Aging Collaborative comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders has been formed for multiple purposes: information sharing around healthy aging, idea generation, partnership building and activity mapping.

The Campus Kitchen At Umass Boston, Liz Moniz

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Campus Kitchen at the University of Massachusetts Boston (CKUMB) is a part of The Campus Kitchens Project. CKP, a national network of student volunteers, works to rescue excess food to create meals for those in need. CKUMB opened in 2010 to provide meals for the Dorchester community. By taking the initiative to run a community kitchen, students develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills, along with a commitment to serve their community, that they will carry with them into future careers.

Pear Trees On Pear Avenue, Christa Ebert

Capstone and Honors Projects

Residents of the EcoVillage, an area of Cleveland, OH’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, requested fragrant fruit trees to be planted in their neighborhood. Pear Avenue, a street within the EcoVillage, was selected as a target area and mapped to determine the health of the street tree canopy and assess if fruit trees can be planted on tree lawns. Through research, other examples of public fruit were retrieved and public participation practices were analyzed.

Prisoners Of War Camps In Rochester - Were They Humane?, Ryan Mckelvie

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

In lieu of an abstract, below is the first paragraph of the paper.

After the American involvement in the Second World War, labor issues became more prevalent because so many workers from Rochester either enlisted or were drafted into the ranks of the US Army. Also, many farmers realized they could make more money off of high wage paying industrial jobs in the cities. In order to provide a sufficient amount of produce and other harvested good, prisoners of war were used for the first time as laborers to help the war effort. It was a bitter irony, being a …

A Shift In The Sector: International And National Volunteer Development Strategies In Modern Nepal, Megan Barrie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The complicated political, social, and economic landscape of Nepal marks it a country in need of development as a means to improve poor conditions within a culturally and religiously diverse country. NGOs, INGOs, and bilateral agencies have emerged in Nepal in the name of development. It has become increasingly popular to send volunteers into developing areas to meet the goals of organizations. Looking broadly at the volunteer sector in Nepal, there is such a complex nature to development as the needs of communities in which these organizations serve are changing. The various strategies that volunteer organizations use to place their …

Adding Injustice To Injury - Health Perceptions, Plurality, And Power In The Ongoing Bhopal Disaster, Ruth Markwardt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Standards of health, human rights, and development are typically defined and dictated by policymakers instead of the populations directly affected by so-called development efforts. This paper seeks to contextualize global development efforts by highlighting specific local realities among the community of Bhopal Disaster survivors in Madhya Pradesh, India. As the site of the world’s largest industrial disaster, a disaster which is not over but ongoing, Bhopal represents an important population to highlight as the disaster continues. The Political Ecology of Health model was used to highlight political and environmental influences on community health. Within Political Ecology, this study takes a …

The Impact Of Syrian Refugees On Food Security In The Northern Badia, Jesse Schaffer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The crisis in Syria has caused a massive influx of refugees into Jordan to the detriment of the Jordanian host communities. This research paper seeks to examine the direct impact of the Syrian Refugees on Jordanians’ food security. The researcher hypothesized that the large influx of refugees reduced the overall food security of Jordanian families in terms of food accessibility and availability. The methodology consisted of two major parts. First, field interviews were conducted with Jordanians in the Northern Badia and representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGO) in Amman. Second, forty-two families were surveyed in the Northern Badia about their food …

Fostering The Orphaned And Vulnerable Child: Exploring Identity Economics In Relation To Orphaned And Vulnerable Children In The Eastern Cape And Cape Town, South Africa, Khaliyah Yasmeen Washington

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

According to UNICEF, 3.7 million children are orphaned in South Africa (2010). Parliament enacted the Children’s Act on April 1, 2010 to grant and protect the rights orphaned or vulnerable children (OVC). The Children’s Act aims to promote the well being of children, prevent abuse or neglect, and increase options for the care of children found to be in need or care and protection (Jamieson, Mahery, and Scott 2011). Children not receiving care and protection from a parent or guardian are placed in one of three options of alternative care. One being child and youth care centers (CYCC); also known …

Assessing The Impacts Of Federal Farm Bill Programs On Rural Communities, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Curt D. Grimm, Douglas Jackson-Smith

Sociology

This report summarizes the state of scientific knowledge on the impact of federal farm and food programs on rural communities in the United States. We focus on the impacts of five specific programs of what is commonly referred to as the “farm bill.” These five include farm commodity programs; farm risk management, insurance, and disaster programs; agricultural conservation programs; food and nutrition programs; and rural development programs. Although there is extensive research on the relative merits and effectiveness of specific rural development programs and policies on rural community outcomes, the impacts of the other four main farm bill programs on …

Chiriquí, Panamá: Una Investigación Del Esfuerzo Multi-Nivel Que Aspira A Mejorar La Alimentación En Escuelas Primarias De Zonas Rurales Y Urbanas, Ni Cole Sofia Smallwood

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study aimed to discover how external organizations, teachers, and parents impact primary student health in rural and urban areas in the Chiriquí Province of Panama. The objectives were to analyze the role of the stated variables in student nutrition and to evaluate the effectiveness of the food programs implemented at the schools. With permission and help from MEDUCA I chose two urban and two rural schools in the David, Chiriquí area. I conducted semi-structured interview with four parents and five teachers in the rural area; three parents and five teachers in the urban area; and one government official. Panama …

Global Patterns In Overweight Among Children And Mothers In Less Developed Countries, Jennifer Van Hook, Claire E. Altman, Kelly Stamper Balistreri

Sociology Faculty Publications

Objective: Past research has identified increases in national income and urbanization as key drivers of the global obesity epidemic. That work further identified educational attainment and urban residence as important moderators of the effects of national income. However, such work has tended to assume that children and adults respond in the same way to these factors. In the present paper, we evaluate how the socio-economic and country-level factors associated with obesity differ between children and their mothers. Design: We modelled the associations between maternal education, country-level income and urban residence with mother's and children's weight status. Setting We analysed ninety-five …

Preserving Tradition: Analyzing The Commoditization Of Cultural Identity Through Beauty Pageants Among Ethnic Minority Groups In Kathmandu, Martha Oster-Beal

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research primarily focuses on the “cultural talent contests” enrolling contestants who are members of the numerous minority ethnic groups residing in Kathmandu. In a growing metropolis, these beauty queens are often seen as symbolic representations of collective cultural identities, and the pageants as fields of active ‘cultural production’. This author surveys the growing literature on beauty pageants and several opinions of organizers, community members and the contestants themselves to better understand how culture is produced within the contexts of pageants. The study examines how beauty pageants operate as locations of commodification and consumption in a world increasingly influenced by …

Traditional Healing In Madagascar: A Study Of A Tandroy Ombiasa And His Methods Of Healing, Haleemah Jackson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Madagascar, traditional healthcare is practiced and used by those who have no other access to healthcare or who simply cannot afford it. This form of healthcare is known throughout in the form of the Ombiasa. These men and women not only have extensive knowledge on the land around them and the healing capabilities of local plants, they are also the mediums in their communities between the spirit world that guides and the human world that is in constant need of guidance. In the Ifotoka and Morafeno region in the south of Madagascar there is a powerful and well known …

Economic Empowerment And Gender-Based Violence: A Practicum Study Of Action Against Hunger In Post-Conflict Northern Uganda, Laura Simmons-Stern

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is an exploration with Action Against Hunger (ACF) on gender-based violence and economic empowerment of women in northern Uganda. The two-decade long civil war in northern Uganda has dramatically affected the lives and livelihoods of the population, creating the situation of a basic need for livelihood enhancement. The program that is analyzed utilizes cash transfers for the most vulnerable populations in thirteen sub-counties in the region in order to address the issues of both gender-based violence and lack of reliable economic production. This project realizes the realities of the relationship between gender-based violence and livelihood enhancement and aims …