Analyzing Differences In Mental Health Treatment Seeking Behavior In Hopkins County, Kentucky, Kathryn Olson Gross

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

Rates of mental illnesses are consistently higher in the corrections system at all levels of incarceration. However, local jails are largely unable to meet the mental health needs of their inmates. Considering that there are several barriers to treatment seeking such as stigma, transportation, or availability of services in rural areas already, the treatment seeking behavior of people in jail differs from those not in jail. The objective of this research is to understand the factors that influence treatment seeking behavior among those in jails, and how those factors differ from those not in jail. Overall people in jail had …

Drugs, Alcohol, And Their Impact On The Severity Of A Traumatic Work-Related Injury, Keisha Mcfarlane

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

Objectives

Traumatic work-related injuries result in thousands of deaths per year in the United States. It is important to determine factors that may contribute to these deaths in order to find ways to decrease the risk of injury. The study objectives were to determine if alcohol and drug (prescription and illicit) use could increase the risk of severe injuries or cause a specific mechanism of injury (being struck by or against an object, a fall, or injured as an occupant in a motor vehicle) when consumed prior to an injury.

Methods

A retrospective, facility-based, case review study of traumatic work-related …

Assessing The Tuberculosis (Tb) Screening Compliance Rates And Treatment Completion Among International Students At The University Of Kentucky, Bongiwe P. Malinga

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

Background: Tuberculosis early screening and diagnosis are cost-effective strategies for infection control. Tuberculosis elimination which is aimed for 2030 requires that both latent tuberculosis and active disease be fully treated. This study measures the tuberculosis screening rates and treatment completion rates among the international students at the University of Kentucky between 2016 and 2018.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all J1 and F1 student visa holders enrolling from 2016 fall to 2017 fall. To accommodate the nine months treatment completion, the cohort period overlapped to 2018. Data were provided by the University Health Services and the sample size …

Consultation Experience In Public Health, Zimu Li

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

Nowadays, students safe in violence area is becoming to a huge problems, from the survey- National Youth Risk Behavior Survey we find that the sexual and dating violence rate is increasing during the past few years.For the willing that we try to reduce the risk of dating and sexual violence, we are going to build some programs and publish them to the society especially the schools to protect our teenagers. As we know that the period for students from high school to the university is a very important time to build their right social norms, we start a program called …

Implementing Components Of The Cafeteria Power Plus Project And The Five-A-Day Power Plus Project With The Catch’S Go, Slow & Whoa Program To Increase Fruit And Vegetable Consumption In Community Eligibility Provision Elementary Schools In Lexington, Ky, Kayla Payton Keller

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

Poor diet quality is a leading risk factor for many chronic diseases affecting Americans today. Increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables during childhood helps to protect against chronic diseases in adulthood and overall prolonged healthier habits. Since 1988, trends in fruit consumption remain unchanged in the United States and vegetable consumption has slightly decreased. Communities living under the poverty level have a greater disparity for access to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. This proposal is given by the Lexington Fayette County Health Department (LFCHD) and combines aspects of three evidence-based programs: the 5-a-day Power Plus Project, the …

Women Identifying New Goals Of Safety (Wings) In Conflict Affected Regions Of Ukraine, Maryna Hrudii

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

According to Radio’s Liberty (Radiosvoboda) analyses of data provided by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the National Violence Hotline and the Geneva Center of Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), there were 1.85 million survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ukraine in 2014-2017, and of these, only 83,000 contacted the police. IPV and gender based violence (GBV) in Ukraine remain underreported due to the lack of law enforcement investigations, as well as due to stigma and shame. Women in conflict-ridden regions of Ukraine are at heightened risk for GBV/IPV. The project will IPV/GBV in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, where …

Reducing Infant Mortality Through The Nurse Family Partnership Home Visitation Program In Montgomery County, Alabama, Kristyn Hill

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

The mitigation of infant mortality (IM) has long been a public health effort within the United States. And although the rates have dramatically decreased with medical advancements, certain populations remain disproportionately affected. There are various factors that are thought to contribute to our IM rates and the disparities between women of varying demographics. Alabama has the highest rates of infant mortality in our county, and women of color within the state have even higher rates.

Many programs with goals of decreasing the IM rate within the United States have been implemented over time. In particular, home visitation programs have been …

Evaluating The Effects Of Safe Injection Facility Legalization On Fatal And Non-Fatal Overdose And Infectious Disease, Olivia M. Ramirez

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

In 2017, 70,000 lives were lost to fatal drug overdoses with approximately 46,000 of those involving the use of prescription and illicit opioids (CDC, 2018b). Unaddressed, the opioid epidemic is costing large amounts of money, lost productivity and valuable lives.

Injection drug use has also become increasingly common in the United States, as it is an efficient means of consuming opioids. Unfortunately, injecting drugs is also an efficient method of transmitting bloodborne diseases. Estimates show that in the United States, 8% of all new HIV infections in 2010 and 22% of all adults and adolescents with HIV resulted from injection …

Seasonality, Atmospheric Conditions, And Variation In Household Radon, 1990-2015, Nicholas Conley

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

_Background:

Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive gas. Indoor radon exposure is responsible for at least 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the U.S. Radon concentrations vary greatly, with atmospheric conditions as one of the major factors contributing to this variation. There is also a link between season of the year and indoor radon values, with higher readings in winter compared with summer months. Seasonality studies are necessary in order to determine the best time for radon exposure screening. The purpose was to determine if atmospheric conditions (i.e., temperature, precipitation and wind) were predictive of observed home …

The Impact Of Medication Donation Repositories: A Policy Analysis, Lacey Brinegar

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

Two major issues surround the U.S. healthcare system: waste and inaccessibility of prescription drug medication. This paper primarily examines the financial impact medication donation repositories have on individuals and the healthcare system overall. Healthcare facilities may act as repositories for donated medications to be dispensed to those otherwise unable to afford them. The specifics of each policy vary from state to state with some policies covering a wider array of acceptable donations than others. Although Kentucky enacted a policy in 2005, the state still lacks any operational programs. By analyzing the policies of multiple states, this paper elucidates the more …

Culminating Experience In The Application Of Biostatistics In Public Health: A Report On My Consultation Experiences, Samantha Kennedy

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

Executive Summary

This portfolio is a compilation of three different consulting experiences that I have had to opportunity to work with as a part of University of Kentucky’s Master of Public Health program with a concentration in biostatistics. My portfolio consists of project descriptions, notes, reports, relevant SAS code and output, and other supporting materials for the three projects I worked with. Each of the projects that I worked with were vastly different, as was my role in them. As such the supporting documents for each are very different as well, but each does have a brief description of the …

Positive Action: Implementing A Social-Emotional And Character Development Program In Marshall County, Kentucky Schools, Mallory Antel

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

Approximately 8% to 10% of children less than 5 years old experience clinically significant mental health problems, and 10–20% of all children and adolescents have a mental health problem of some type. While the prevalence of mental illness is similar between rural and urban residents, the services available differ significantly. Less than half of rural counties have a mental health facility that provides outpatient treatment for children and adolescents, resulting in children and adolescents in these areas being largely underserved. Following family homes, schools are the primary locations responsible for youth development. Research shows that well- designed, well-implemented school-based prevention …

Assessing The Implementation Of Syringe Exchange Programs In Kentucky: A Case Study, Alexandra Miller

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

Problem: There are currently 52 operating syringe exchange programs in Kentucky; a state that has 25% of the highly vulnerable counties for an HIV outbreak. The implementation process of syringe exchange programs can limit the potential for growth. The aims of this study were to identify key barriers and successes to the implementation process of syringe exchange programs in Kentucky. This was assessed by comparing various social and political factors that come into play in local communities.

Methods: The study was conducted using an exploratory case study approach. The researcher conducted interviews with three key informants at the Louisville Metro …

Exploring Methods To Increase Hiv Testing In Kentucky, Chukwudi Yagazie Mbagwu

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

This project was conducted to develop a policy proposal that would increase HIV testing after evaluating current Kentucky Law and Regulations, current health insurance laws, studies on acceptability of different HIV test, barriers to testing from both providers and patients/individuals, and factors associated with positive likelihood of HIV testing. Based on these findings a proposal was developed that would require changing Kentucky regulations on providers communicating test results to patients, change in what form HIV testing would be covered under certain insurances, develop incentives for patients to be tested and report their results to their provider (and hence increasing surveillance …

Second Hand Smoke Exposure And Memory Performance In An Appalachian Pediatric Cohort, Zaynab Al Abdali

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

Background: Smoking rates in Appalachian counties are about two times higher than in non- Appalachian counties. Apart from the detrimental effects smoking has on the smoker, exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) can have negative health effects on both adults and children. SHS exposure can result in asthma exacerbations and other respiratory difficulties, impaired neuromotor function, neurobehavioral problems, and decreased performance in school.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether SHS exposure, as measured by serum cotinine, is associated with learning and memory in children, as measured by the California Verbal Learning Test – Children's Version.

Methods: Children …

Ky Stroke Encounter Quality Improvement Project: An Evaluation Of The Differential Administration Of Tpa In Acute Ischemic Stroke, Payton Malone

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

No abstract available

Examining School Readiness, Whitney A. Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This research study was conducted to provide information on school readiness. While there is no national definition for school readiness, states and organizations have developed various definitions to highlight readiness skills that have been deemed important for kindergarteners. The early childhood developmental domains that are often cited in these individual definitions are physical (fine/gross motor), social-emotional, cognition (academics), and communication skills. By considering a holistic approach of school readiness, a child’s development is not isolated to mastering one domain to be “ready” for school.

While most states do not have a statutory school readiness definition, many have been measuring school …

Increasing Physical Activity In Middle Schoolers With Intellectual Disability Using Goal Setting And Fitness Trackers, Hannah J. Dollinger

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of goal setting and fitness trackers to increase daily step counts in adolescents with intellectual disability. An A-B-A-B withdrawal research design was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The results indicated that goal setting and fitness trackers were effective in increasing daily step counts for two out of three participants.

Targeting Food Selectivity In Young Children In A Preschool Classroom Using A Multi-Component Treatment Package, Christina Challed Hesley

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a video model, graduated exposure (i.e., touch, smell, try, eat), and positive reinforcement to first increase food exploration, and then increase consumption of non-preferred foods in young children that exhibit food selectivity in a school setting. A multiple probe design across behaviors replicated across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment package. The treatment package consisted of a video model of each target behavior (touch, smell, try, eat) and positive reinforcement which included preferred foods and materials. The results indicated that the treatment package was …

Automated Body Condition Scoring: Progression Across Lactation And Its Association With Disease And Reproduction In Dairy Cattle, Carissa Marie Truman

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Body condition scoring is a technique used to noninvasively assess fat reserves. It provides an objective estimate to describe the current and past nutritional status of the dairy cow and has been associated with increased disease risk and breeding success. Traditionally body condition scores are taken manually by visual appraisal on a 1 to 5 scale, in one-quarter increments. However, recent studies have shown the potential of automating the body condition scoring of cows using images. The first objective was to estimate the likelihood of disease development and breeding success, using odds ratios, associated with body condition score scored automatically …

Validation Of An Automated Behavior Monitoring Collar, And Evaluation Of Heat Stress On Lactating Dairy Cow Behavior With Access To A Free Choice Soaker, Lori Nicole Grinter

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Precision dairy technologies (PDT) are becoming more accessible and are therefore becoming more common on commercial dairy farms and in dairy research. Prior to any use of PDT, one should understand the precision, accuracy and bias of the device by a validations studies before interpreting the behavior measurements. Thus, the objective of the first section of my thesis is to validate ruminating, feeding and resting measurements of a behavior monitoring collar used in the second section. Precision dairy technology is used in heat stress studies to compare behavior of cows exposed to different heat stress treatments or abatement strategies. Heat …

Responses Of Bovine Pituitary Transcriptome Profiles To Consumption Of Toxic Tall Fescue And Forms Of Selenium In Vitamin-Mineral Mixes, Qing Li

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The first goal of the current research was to determine whether gene expression profiles differed between whole pituitaries of growing beef steers grazing pastures containing high (HE) or low (LE) amounts of toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue. The global (microarray analysis) and selected targeted (RT-PCR) mRNA expression patterns of pituitaries collected from beef steers (BW = 266 ± 15.5 kg) that had been randomly assigned to undergo summer-long grazing (89 to 105 d) of either HE (0.52 ppm ergot alkaloids) or LE (< 0.03 ppm ergot alkaloids) pastures were compared. Gene expression data were subjected to one-way ANOVA. The pituitaries of HE steers had 542 differentially expressed genes, and the pattern of altered gene expression was dependent on treatment. Targeted RT-PCR analysis corroborated these findings, including decreased expression of DRD2, PRL, POU1F1, GAL, and VIP and that of POMC and PCSK1, respectively. Canonical pathway analysis (Integrated Pathway Analysis, IPA) identified HE-dependent alteration in signaling of additional pituitary-derived hormones, including growth hormone and GnRH. In conclusion, consumption of endophyte-infected tall fescue alters the pituitary transcriptome profiles of steers in a manner consistent with their negatively affected physiological parameters. The second goal of this project was to test the hypothesis that sodium selenite (ISe), SEL-PLEX (OSe), vs. a 1:1 blend (MIX) of ISe and OSe in a basal vitamin-mineral (VM) mix would differentially alter pituitary transcriptome profiles in growing beef steers (BW = 183 ± 34 kg) commonly grazing an endophyte-infected tall fescue (HE) pasture. Steers were randomly selected from herds of fall-calving cows grazing HE pasture and consuming VM mixes that contained 35 ppm Se as either ISe, OSe, or MIX forms. Steers were weaned, depleted of Se for 98 d, and subjected to summer-long common grazing of a 10.1 ha HE pasture containing 0.51 ppm ergot alkaloids. Steers were assigned (n = 8) to the same Se-form treatments on which they were raised. Selenium treatments were administered by daily top-dressing 85 g of VM mix onto 0.23 kg soyhulls, using in-pasture Calan gates. Pituitaries were collected at slaughter and changes in global (microarray) and selected (RT-PCR) mRNA expression patterns determined. The effects of Se treatment on relative gene expression were subjected to one-way ANOVA. The form of Se affected the expression of 542 annotated genes. Integrated Pathway Analysis found a canonical pathway network between prolactin and POMC/ACTH/ α-MSH synthesis-related proteins, and that mitochondrial dysfunction was a top-affected canonical pathway. Targeted RT-PCR analysis found that the relative abundance of mRNA encoding prolactin and POMC/ACTH/ α-MSH synthesis-related proteins was affected by the form of Se, as were mitochondrial dysfunction-related proteins OSe steers appeared to have a greater prolactin synthesis capacity vs. ISe steers through decreased dopamine receptor D2 signaling, whereas MIX steers had a greater prolactin synthesis capacity and release potential by increasing TRH concentrations than ISe steers. OSe steers also had a greater ACTH and α-MSH synthesis potential than ISe steers. We conclude that form of Se in VM mixes affected genes responsible for prolactin and POMC/ACTH/α-MSH synthesis, and mitochondrial function in pituitaries of growing beef steers commonly grazing an HE pasture. The third goal was to test the hypothesis that sodium selenite (ISe), SEL-PLEX (OSe), vs. a 1:1 blend (MIX) of ISe and OSe in a basal vitamin-mineral (VM) mix would differentially alter selenoprotein profiles in pituitaries and livers of growing beef steers commonly grazing an endophyte-infected tall fescue (HE) pasture (i.e., the same steers used in Goal 2). The effects of Se treatment on relative gene expression were subjected to one-way ANOVA. The mRNA content of 6 selenoproteins in the pituitary was affected by Se treatments, along with two selenoprotein P receptors, whereas the expression of two selenoproteins was altered in the liver. We conclude that the change in selenoprotein gene expression in pituitaries indicates that OSe steers have a greater potential capacity to manage against oxidative damage, maintain cellular redox balance, and have a better quality control of protein-folding in their pituitaries than ISe steers. The change in selenoprotein gene expression by the liver indicates that MIX steers have a greater redox signaling capacity and capacity to manage oxidative damage than ISe steers.

Behavioral And Physiological Adaptations Associated With Feed Intake During Transitioning Cattle To High-Grain Diets, Amanda M. Mclean

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Transitioning cattle from a high-forage to a high-concentrate diet increases the risk for ruminal acidosis and is often related to decreased feed intake, which compromises animal health and performance. Since control of feed intake and rumen motility are closely related, we hypothesized that a reduction in rumen motility may be associated with a reduction in feed intake during this transition. Computer programs were created to analyze feed disappearance and rumen pressure data for feeding behavior as well as identification and characterization of rumen contractions, respectively. This method enabled timely analysis of large datasets and removed subjectivity associated with manual analysis. …

An Appraisal Of The Effect Of Nursing Location On Weaning Weight Of Piglets And Its Dependence On The Feeding Of Essential Oils To Sows, Shannon L. Dierking

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The objective of these studies was to evaluate the effect of piglet nursing location on weaning weight, and its dependence on essential oil supplementation on sow and piglet performances.

Piglets that nursed anterior teat pairs had heavier weaning weights and higher gain for the lactation period. Additionally, piglet birthweight did not impact their overall teat selection and nursing location. These results provide some insight into the biological aspects of sow milk production, and implied that milk yield may vary between teat pairs along the udder line.

Supplementation of essential oils (EO) during late gestation and lactation had no effect on …

The Ecology And Behavior Of Spring Migrating Indiana Bats (Myotis Sodalis), Piper Lee Roby

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Migration of animals has been studied for decades and has included everything from large terrestrial and pelagic mammals traveling thousands of kilometers to many types of birds flying through several countries to insects going through multiple life cycles in a single migration. The migration of bats has been studied in broad terms to gather coarse information such as distance traveled, connecting summer and winter habitat, and a general understanding of timing. However, only recently have researchers begun to understand the specifics of bat migration including physiology and fine resolution behavior.

Using nine years of spring migration data collected on VHF …

Perversity As Rationality In Teacher Evaluation, Scott R. Bauries

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Rational basis review is broken. Consider a vignette: Imagine a student, Lisa, who is about to graduate high school. Lisa has already completed all of the graduation course requirements early and is spending her time during her senior year taking interesting electives and dual-enrollment college courses. The state has a statute that requires school districts to deny a diploma to any student “who, during the final year of school attendance, fails to achieve a passing score on the state-approved, end-of-course exams in the courses of Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies in which that student is then-currently enrolled.”

As …

Stop Traffic: Using Expert Witnesses To Disrupt Intersectional Vulnerability In Sex Trafficking Prosecutions, Blanche Cook

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Sex trafficking thrives on intersectional inequality and reinforcing

layers of vulnerability. Sex trafficking exists on a continuum of

sexualized violence, from microaggressive sexual harassment to

macroaggressive gang rapes, all of which create vulnerability in the

victim and perfect sovereignty in the perpetrator. Sexualized violence

performs power, as it is raced, classed, and gendered. Power not only

requires performance, but it necessitates repetitive reenactments of

domination in order to normalize its compulsive and pathological nature.

Lynchings, police shootings, gang rapes, and sex trafficking are all

performances of power on vulnerable bodies through which power

perfects itself. The same inequality that creates …

State Automatic Enrollment Iras After The Trump Election: Are They Preempted By Erisa?, Kathryn L. Moore

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

In recent years, a number of states have sought to close the retirement savings funding gap by enacting legislation mandating that employers that do not sponsor a voluntary pension plan for their employees automatically enroll their employees in a state-administered IRA program. This Article focuses on the most serious legal challenge these programs face: ERISA preemption.

The Article begins by providing an overview of the state automatic enrollment IRA programs. It then discusses a regulatory safe harbor created for these programs in 2016 and disapproved under the Congressional Review Act in 2018. It then turns to the question whether, in …

Art In The Age Of Contractual Negotiation, Christopher G. Bradley, Brian L. Frye

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This paper explores the function and purpose of the Artist’s Contrast as a legal document—but not from the perspective of legal enforceability, which is how legal effectiveness is traditionally measured. Rather this paper tells the story of a document that relies upon hallmarks of law (legal language, formality, specificity, and so on) in order to express and attempt to consolidate particular views on artists, artworks, the collectors to whom they sell, and the markets in which they sell. This powerful connection inevitably continues past the moment of sale, and the Artist’s Contract can be read as an attempt to rearrange …

A "Mere Expectancy?" What Rights Do Beneficiaries Of A Revocable Trust Have Prior To The Death Of The Settlor?, Richard C. Ausness

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Revocable trusts became a popular form of a will substitute in the 1960s and remain so to this day. If the trust is funded, the settlor typically retains the right to receive income from the trust, the right to invade the trust principal, and the right to modify the terms of the trust. In addition, the settlor may serve as trustee or may appoint a third-party trustee. At the settlor's death, the trust assets, which may also include property transferred to the trust from the settlor's probate estate by means of a pour-over provision in the will, will be distributed …