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Factorial Validation Analysis Of The Children’S Eating Behavior Questionnaires And Association With Weight Status: The Ola Tuputupua’E Cohort Study, Wenya Tian

Public Health Theses

Background: Childhood obesity is a pressing issue requiring a reliable tool for assessing health-related eating behaviors. The Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a parent-reporting measure designed to assess multiple dimensions of children's eating behavior. This study aimed to assess CEBQ factor structure with data collected from Ola Tuputupua's Cohort and analyze the association between children's eating behavior and weight.

Methods: The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted. Multinominal logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between the CEBQ subscales with children's weight (healthy weight/overweight/obesity) as the dependent variable.

Results: The original eight-factor CEBQ …

All About Moratorium Under Section 14 Of The Insolvency And Bankruptcy Code, 2016 Including Judicial Announcements, Ibc Laws

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No abstract provided.

The Mission Of The Dexia Group, Dexia

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No abstract provided.

Memorandum To The Board Of Directors Of The Fdic Regarding Citigroup, United States: Department Of The Treasury

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No abstract provided.

Recovery Planning, Republic Of Austria: Financial Market Authority

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No abstract provided.

Kärntner Ausg Leichszah Iungs-Fonds Gebarungsbericht 2022, Carinthian Compensation Payment Fund

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No abstract provided.

Payment-In-Kind (Pik): What It Is, How It Works, Pros And Cons, Will Kenton

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No abstract provided.

Pik Debt, Thomson Reuters

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No abstract provided.

Operating Circular No. 10 Lending, Federal Reserve System: Board Of Governors

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No abstract provided.

Barriers To Help-Seeking For Minority College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jasminder Bains

Public Health Theses

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted US college student mental health, but it is unclear how racial/sexual/gender minority students have specifically been affected. Traditional barriers to help-seeking such as mental health stigma do not necessarily hold the same influence in college student populations, and there is mixed evidence on what barriers are the most significant in this population. Therefore, the present study aims to ascertain the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health outcomes of racial/sexual/gender minority college students and identify the largest barriers to care for college students.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2020-21 Healthy …

Traveler's Diarrhea? The Epidemiology Of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli In Connecticut, 2019-2022, Nicole Bramlitt

Public Health Theses

Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is known colloquially as “traveler’s diarrhea” in the United States. The state of Connecticut (CT) began collecting data about ETEC in 2019. As few clinical laboratories in CT routinely test for ETEC, it is likely that current detection and reporting methods, in conjunction with trends in healthcare-seeking behavior, only capture a small proportion of ETEC cases. Methods: Data were obtained from the CT Department of Public Health (DPH), the 2019 FoodNet Population Survey, and the 2020 US Census. The demographics of ETEC cases 2019-2022 and the 2020 CT population were compared. A multivariate analysis was …

Impact Of Sars-Cov-2 Variants On Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Nicholas Francis Guagliardi Chen

Public Health Theses

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern are defined by their increased intrinsic transmissibility and ability to evade immune recognition and neutralization, yet the relative importance of these factors in determining variant fitness in population settings is unclear. We hypothesize that as population level immunity has increased throughout the course of the pandemic, immune escape has played an increasingly important role in the emergence and sustained circulation of variants. Here, we use logistic regression models to estimate the odds of vaccine breakthrough infections for several major variants of concern in a population of Connecticut residents. We investigate the impact of immune escape on …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Suicide Ideation Among Asian American High School Students: Evidence From The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Taylor Choe

Public Health Theses

Asian American youth mental health is largely absent from the literature despite suicide being the leading cause of death among Asian American adolescents aged 14 -19 (high school-aged youth) from 2015 – 2020. This study aims to assess if Asian American students have a higher rate of suicide ideation compared to White students, what factors may account for a difference in suicide ideation rate if a difference is present, and if there are correlates of suicide ideation that are more salient among Asian American students compared to White students from the 2019 Youth Behavior Risk Survey. Despite a similar prevalence …

Short-Term Exposure To Wildfire Smoke Pm2.5 And Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression Among U.S. Veterans: A Cross-Sectional Study, Emily Goddard

Public Health Theses

Exposure to environmental pollutants can have serious consequences for mental health and well-being, leading to widespread societal impacts. With climate change leading to more frequent and severe wildfires, it is increasingly important to understand the impacts of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke, a harmful air pollutant that has been shown to impact cognitive health. Burgeoning research has focused on the impact of ambient PM2.5 on mental and neurological health, but little has focused specifically on wildfire smoke PM2.5. This study aimed to examine the relationship between short-term (prior two-week average) and long-term (average during past wildfire season, May-October) …

Pandemic-Related Posttraumatic Psychological Growth In U.S. Military Veterans: A 3-Year, Nationally Representative, Longitudinal Study, Hun Kang

Public Health Theses

Little is known about the positive psychological changes or posttraumatic growth (PTG) in response to the pandemic as the COVID-19 vaccines has become widely available. This longitudinal study aimed to characterize changes in the prevalence of pandemic-related PTG, and to identify and quantify the relative importance of PTG correlates pre-pandemic, 1- year peri-pandemic, and 2-years post-pandemic onset. A total of 2,441 U.S. military veterans completed Wave 3 assessment of the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. In the full sample, a significant decrease from peri-pandemic to 2-years post-pandemic onset was observed in overall pandemic-related PTG and four domains of …

Social Vulnerability And Viral Respiratory Infections In Connecticut (2018-2021): A Modeling Approach To Identify Salient Measures, Sarah C. Katsandres

Public Health Theses

The social vulnerability index (SVI) measure was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to characterize a community’s vulnerability level. Recently, SVI has been used to predict risk of COVID-19, in order to understand which communities may be most vulnerable. This analysis aims to understand what factors are driving the relationship between census tract-level vulnerability and risk of hospitalization with a viral respiratory pathogen. A statistical analysis and modeling study of surveillance data was conducted, analyzing the incidence of hospitalization with influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19, by census tract, in two counties in Connecticut between 2018–2021. …

Scoping Review On Gonorrhea Vaccines, Linyang Li

Public Health Theses

Gonorrhea infection is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and it is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection around the globe. Although gonorrhea infection is treatable with antibiotics, the level of antimicrobial resistance continues to increase and has become a major public health concern. As options of available treatments are reduced by the emergence of AMR, it has become urgent to develop effective vaccines against gonorrhea infection. The purpose of this scoping review is to describe existing epidemiological evidence in support of gonorrhea vaccine development, to discuss the current vaccine candidates in clinical stages, and to evaluate the theoretical impact …

Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) In Connecticut, Usa, 2017-2021, Angelo Raymond Lodato

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a common foodborne pathogen known to cause significant gastrointestinal illness in humans and often results after contact with animals and/or consumption of food that has been contaminated. STEC is a major contributor of foodborne outbreaks in the US. Understanding major contributors of infection is important to improving prevention. Methods: Cases of STEC reported in routine Connecticut FoodNet surveillance were included. Trends in demographic features, serotypes, and exposure histories were used to assess whether there was variation among cases between 2017 and 2021, and pre (2017-2019) and post (2020-2021) COVID-19 pandemic. CT respondents of …

Improving Health Equity Through Residential Electrification And Energy Efficiency: State Of Practice In The Us, Alice Lu

Public Health Theses

Improving residential building efficiency and transitioning from fossil fuels for climate alignment has been a primary focus in climate change mitigation efforts. Energy efficiency is usually achieved through tightening buildings by sealing gaps that allow conditioned air to pass through. However, early research highlighted the potential for more efficient buildings to also limit the supply of outdoor air, leading to increased indoor concentrations of various air pollutants. Tightening buildings for efficiency must therefore be accompanied by supplemental ventilation to preserve indoor air quality. However, less is known about the effects of specific indoor pollutant sources. It is hypothesized that indoor …

Barriers And Care-Seeking Behavior Towards Breast And Cervical Cancer Screening Among Migrant Women In Casablanca, Morocco, Ala Mansour

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Over the past few decades, Morocco – a transit country for entry into Europe – has gradually evolved as a place of resettlement for migrants of sub-Saharan and West African origins. To combat inequities in healthcare utilization, the Moroccan government introduced a series of reforms designed to promote breast and cervical cancer screening and regularization of migrants. To date, few studies have explored the extent to which migrant residents in the country uptake these services or their awareness of cancer signs, symptoms, and risk factors relative to their native counterparts. The purpose of this study is to therefore delineate …

Ai Fairness: Assessment For Prediction Of Agitation In Mental Health Patients At Emergency Rooms, William Pang

Public Health Theses

Machine-Learning (ML) algorithms are increasingly used to assist clinicians in decision-making. Recent studies have shown, however, that machine learn- ing algorithms might be prone to unfairness, albeit unintentional. As such, it is important to ensure that algorithms do not discriminate against certain groups. This thesis examines an in-house algorithm used to predict agitation among mental-health patients in the emergency department and addresses biases that might arise from generated predictions.

Exploring The Impact Of Psychedelic Art And Its Implication In The Field Of Medicine And Health: A Pilot Trial, Mary L. Peng

Public Health Theses

Objectives: Psychedelic art is a form of art that emerged in the 1960s during the psychedelic era, which was then characterized by visuals induced by psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin. The art form now is known for its bright colors, distorted forms, and intricate patterns, often inspired by the visual experiences people have while under the influence of psychedelic drugs, the creation of which does not necessarily involve any ingestion of psychedelic drugs. This study examines how the viewing of digitally rendered psychedelic art (experimental group) affects people’s emotional, mental, and physical states in comparison to imagery …

A Phylogeographic Analysis Of Sars-Cov-2 Variant Introduction, Kien Pham

Public Health Theses

The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is marked by continuing emergence of novel Omicron variants. However, the mechanism with which these lineages establish themselves in new geographical areas remains an understudied subject. In this research, we utilized a discrete phylogeographical analysis framework on 19,608 SARS-CoV-2 sequences of the BA.5 Omicron lineages between February and June 2022, in order to better understand how the variant emerged in different regions of the United States. We found that the earliest BA.5 introductions came from Africa, befitting the origin of the lineage. Additionally, we discovered extensive domestic transmission between the Department of Health and Human Services …

Cost-Effective Analysis Of Rotavirus Vaccination In Dhaka, Bangladesh Using A Dynamic Model Of Rotavirus Transmission, Anher Pinky

Public Health Theses

Background: Despite the global introduction of rotavirus vaccinations across countries, Rotavirus infections continue to be a

leading cause of severe, dehydrating gastroenteritis in children under the age of 5 (Crawford et al., 2017). Bangladesh

experiences an extremely high burden where rotavirus infections contribute to 6,000–14,000 deaths each year in children <5

years of age (Rahman et al., 2007). A cost-effective analysis can aid decision-makers in determining the pros and cons of

introducing a rotavirus vaccination program in limited-resource countries.

Objective: A cost-effectiveness analysis was developed to evaluate the potential benefits of introducing rotavirus vaccination.

The analysis performed aims to inform key …

“I Was Reaching Out For Help And They Did Not Help Me”: Mental Healthcare In The Carceral State, Anna Grace Preston

Public Health Theses

Background: Despite the limitations the carceral environment may impose on mental wellness, mental healthcare is increasingly becoming a carceral endeavor. Over the course of the last several decades, prisons and jails have become the de facto mental healthcare provider for thousands of incarcerated individuals. Furthermore, practices like mandated mental healthcare for supervised individuals further broaden the population experiencing mental healthcare within the criminal legal system at large. This study examines the perspectives of nine individuals who experienced mental healthcare within the carceral state, whether in prison or on parole or probation, with a special focus on how attributes of the …

Association Between Sars-Cov-2 Reinfections And Anti-S Antibody Levels At The First Omicron Wave In Salvador, Brazil, Yiran Qin

Public Health Theses

Background: SARS-CoV-2, with its high transmissibility and rapid dissemination, has caused a global public health emergency. The emergence of new variants and mutations of SARSCoV-2 spike protein antigens has led to concerns about immune escape and the potential for reinfection, even in individuals who have been previously infected or vaccinated. Brazil has been severely affected by the pandemic, especially in its densely populated slum areas. Our study aimed to evaluate the association between anti-S IgG antibody levels and subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Omicron wave in a susceptible community in Salvador, Brazil, to provide insight into the antibody level necessary …

The Undercurrents Of Disease In Armed Conflict: An Analysis Of Aggregate National Dstb And Mdr/Xdr Tb Screening & Diagnosis Trends During The 2022 War In Ukraine, Sakina Erika Reames

Public Health Theses

​​Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of death by an infectious disease worldwide after COVID-19. Extensive efforts have been made for decades to tackle this disease through bolstering healthcare systems especially in countries experiencing a disproportionate burden of TB. Ukraine is considered by the WHO to be one of the 30 high burden countries in the world with a notably high burden of MDR TB. In addition, Ukraine has the second largest HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as well as the fifth largest number of extensive drug resistant cases in the world. Ukraine has made extensive …

Developing And Using Cholera Models In Northwest Syria, Emily Rose Tobik

Public Health Theses

Researchers have utilized transmission dynamic modeling to determine interactions between hosts and pathogens in many humanitarian settings. However, modeling for the cholera outbreak in Northwest Syria (NWS) has yet to be completed. This thesis presents a path towards cholera model building in NWS by investigating the current cholera outbreak, outlining how to create a compartmental model in this region given its complexities, and determining ways potential cholera models could be utilized in NWS. Intricacies involving the region's ongoing civil war, significant internally displaced persons (IDP) population, and the February 2023 earthquake add complexities to modeling in this region. For the …

Association Of Diurnal Temperature Range With Pediatric Influenza Hospitalization Rates In The United States, 2009 – 2019, Khang Duy Tran

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Climate change may have a negative impact on respiratory illnesses, such as influenza. Diurnal temperature range (DTR), an indicator of climate change, is the difference between the maximum and minimum temperature within a day or a week. As the climate warms, global DTR decreases, though there might be regions where DTR increases instead. Previous literature conducted in non-U.S. regions found both positive and negative associations between DTR and influenza infections. A group especially vulnerable to the effects of DTR are children less than 5 years of age due to their less-developed thermoregulation capability. This study thus aimed to explore …

Neurodivergent Transgender And Gender Diverse Youth And Young Adults’ Experiences Of Dual Minority Status In Healthcare Settings In Connecticut, Mac Reutter

Public Health Theses

Introduction The co-occurrence of gender diversity and neurodiversity has received increased attention in recent years. Clinical statistics suggest that transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder than their cisgender counterparts, and that transgender and gender diverse neurodivergent (TGD-ND) individuals, particularly autistic individuals or those with ADHD, are at elevated risk of poor mental health outcomes compared to their neurotypical or cisgender counterparts. Thus, the TGD-ND population is both a notable proportion of the TGD population and a contingent of the population facing significant health disparities. A minority stress model is useful …