Digital Commons Network^™

Internet Access In East Central Illinois Public K-12 Schools, Gary Thomas Grissom Ii

Masters Theses

Internet access is becoming increasingly important to the public K-12 school system. This descriptive study reports on the current state of Internet access in east central Illinois public K-12 schools. Baseline data for Internet access have been collected that can be used to measure future progress. This study determined that 84.2 percent of public schools in east central Illinois have building level Internet access. Of the schools that reported Internet access, the mean student to computer with Internet access (SIA) ratio was 65.44. The mean student to computer (SCOM) ratio was 8.27. Analysis by type of connection revealed that 20.5 …

The Effects Of Abdominal Strength Exercises And Testing On Posture In School Children, Greta L. Mcdonald, Kristin L. Nederveld

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare an abdominal strength testing method used in school systems to tests used in the physical therapy profession. Results were associated with lumbar lordosis. The study included 58 female and 5 male subjects between 10-11 years old from two school districts. Kendall’s Upper Abdominal Test, Kendall’s Lower Abdominal Test and The Presidential Physical Fimess Test were performed in random order. Lumbar lordosis was measured before and afrer abdominal testing by recording the curvature of the low back using a flexible ruler. A Chi-square analysis was used to demonstrate the association of abdominal strength …

Effects Of Education On Disease Management And Prevention Of Complications In Diabetic Patients, Debbie K. Provoast

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of two specific methods of providing diabetic education employed by two different health clinics in Northern Michigan; Clinic A, which provided an intense program of diabetic education offered through a preventive services program or Clinic B, which provided brief office-based education where patients received all education at the time of the visit.

An ex-post facto retrospective chart review was done on a total of 40 charts, 20 from each clinic for the purpose of obtaining laboratory values for glycohemoglobin, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen, at the beginning and end …

A Description Of General Self-Efficacy And Specific Self-Efficacy For Health Promoting Practices In A Disabled Population, Elizabeth M. Carrington

Masters Theses

This study examined disabled persons' self-efficacy in relationship to performance of health promoting practices. A descriptive research design in which questionnaires were administered by interview was utilized. The sample consisted of forty-four disabled adult individuals attending a vocational rehabilitation school. The General Self-Efficacy Sub-Scale (Sherer, et al, 1982) and the Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale (Becker, Stuifbergen, Oh & Hall, 1993) were administered.

Major findings related to the three research questions were: (a) this sample's Self-Rated Abilities Scores was higher than previously recorded for a comparable disabled population, (b) multiple disabilities had little impact on self-efficacy scores, (c) a …

Rural Women's Participation In Breast Self-Examination, Joni L. Erlewein

Masters Theses

A descriptive, correlation design was used to examine the relationship between the Health Belief Model (HBM) variables and breast self-examination (BSE) in a population of rural women. Champion's HBM Scale (1993) was given at a cancer screening clinic (n=127). The construct validity for this instrument was established by Champion and alpha reliability for subscales ranged from .74 to .91 in this study.

Logistical regression was performed using the HBM variables of perceived susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, barriers, health motivation, and confidence. Barriers and confidence made a significant difference in BSE performance among the subjects in this study.

Women with friend or …

Patient Participation In Decision-Making Regarding Post-Operative Ambulation: How It Affects Patient Outcomes, Martha Ann Ruble

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of patient participation in decision-making regarding post-operative ambulation on ambulation behaviors, occurrence of post operative complications, and overall satisfaction for patients undergoing bowel surgery. A convenience sample consisted of 39 subjects, aged 20-80, who underwent bowel surgery at a 300-bed medical center in a midwest metropolitan area.

An active negotiated approach to encourage patient participation in decision-making regarding post-operative ambulation was utilized for subjects in the experimental group (n = 19). It was hypothesized that subjects in the experimental group would ambulate farther and more frequently, would experience fewer post-operative …

Adolescents' Perceived Reasons For Choosing Abstinence Or The Use Or Non-Use Of A Condom During Sexual Intercourse, Susan L. Vrobel

Masters Theses

Adolescents’ perceptions of reasons for abstinence, safer sex, and unsafe sex were investigated. The study used a descriptive design, with a questionnaire administered to 82 Midwestern ninth grade students enrolled in a school health class. From a written scenario describing a couple who are sexually attracted to each other, students were asked to identify reasons the couple might choose to abstain from, or use or not use a condom if they chose to have, sexual intercourse. This study supported earlier research by Keller et al. (1996) which identified four factors perceived by adolescents as contributing to sexual behavior; social norms, …

Psychiatric Nurses' Perceptions Of Their Social Support, Elizabeth V.L. Howell

Masters Theses

This study investigated psychiatric nurses’ perceptions of their social support while working in a public psychiatric hospital. A descriptive correlational research design using a mailed self-administered questionnaire was employed for this study. Data collection and measurement of the phenomenon of perceived social support was done using the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (Norbeck, Lindsey, & Carrieri, 1995). The sample consisted of 57 registered nurses who had been employed for at least six months.

Data analyses consisted of reporting means, standard deviations, percentages, and range of scores for perceived social support. Results indicated emotional support (affect and affirmation) rated the highest among …

The Effect Of An Environment Modification On Fear Of Falling In Institutionalized Older Persons, Joann L. Munski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of an environmental modification on fear of falling in institutionalized older persons. A pretest-post-test experimental design was used to analyze data collected on 40 residents of a long term care facility. The subjects were randomly assigned to either experimental or control groups. Fear of falling was measured by Dayhoflf Baird, Bennett, & Backer’s Falling Questionnaire (1994). The experimental group received an environmental modification. The Pull, in their living area for six weeks while the control group did not receive any intervention. T-test and analysis of covariance were used to test …

Evaluation Of A Cardiac Home Care Program, Donna Mayo-Rosa

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a cardiac home care program in promoting self-care through supportive-educative nursing. Orem's self-care model served as the conceptual model for this study. Self-care was measured in this study by evaluating the patient's level of cardiac knowledge and functional ability.

This study was conducted at a home care agency in Midwest Michigan. A convenience sample of seven was obtained from patients admitted to a cardiac home care program following coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABO).

A descriptive design with a one group paired t-test was used to analyze the differences …

A Comparison Of Blood Cholesterol Levels And The Intake Of Dietary Trans Fatty Acids In Post-Menopausal Women, Bridget Cartwright

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between dietary trans fatty acids and levels of total serum cholesterol, high and low density lipoproteins, and the ratio of total serum cholesterol to HDL in apparently healthy post-menopausal women.

Subjects (n = 21) were current members of the Eastern Illinois University Adult Fitness Program. All were moderately active Caucasian women determined to be post-menopausal and not taking hormone replacement therapy or lipid lowering medications. Mean age of the subjects was 69.1 ± 9.1 years.

Dietary intakes were assessed with the use of a multiple day food record and personal …

Heartworm And Lungworms In Illinois' Canids And Their Possible Effect On Coyote Condition And Reproduction, David G. Gregory

Masters Theses

This study focuses on the prevalence of heartworm and lungworms in Illinois' canid species, and the effect that they may have on condition (body weight, kidney fat, marrow fat) and reproduction (placental scars) on coyote populations. A total of 1,150 coyotes (Canis latrans), 2,269 domestic dogs, 47 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and 2 gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) were examined. Prevalence of heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) averaged 17.8% in coyotes, 3.0% in domestic dogs, 2.0% in red foxes, and 0% in gray foxes. Domestic dogs not receiving any type of prophylactic treatment had a higher prevalence (12.5%) of heartworms than dogs on …

The Inter-Relatedness Of Nutrition, Menstrual Status, Lean Body Mass, And Injury Among High School Female Varsity Basketball Players, Megan Jean Pavlak, Robyn Kristina Smith, Kristie Ann Wood

Masters Theses

Basketball is one of the highest risk sports for injury, especially for the female population. Studies have been performed looking at intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may contribute to an increased injury rate among female athletes. This study focused on nutrition, menstrual status, lean body weight and injury in female high school varsity basketball athletes (n=138). Nutritional and menstrual surveys were administered to these athletes. The athletes’ body fat percentages were measured and calculated into lean body weight. Injuries were documented for one season. No clinically significant relationships were found among the variables. Descriptive data concerning nutrition, injury, menstrual status, …

Post-Pregnancy Functional Ability, Kari J. Dulaney, Dawn M. Hallwood, Kristen Z. Keeter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine perceived changes in functional ability among three groups of women: women who have never been pregnant, women six to seven weeks postpartum, and women six to eight months postpartum. Secondary to the paucity of literature pertaining to physical therapy and pregnancy, the authors chose a qualitative design for this study. Thirteen Caucasian women participated in open-ended audiotaped interviews. Audiotapes were transcribed, then data was thoroughly analyzed. Responses were organized into categories and themes discovered between different categories were outlined. The major themes impacting functional ability were psychosocial and physical in nature. Although …

Analysis Of The Skeletal Remains From The Knobloch Site, 20ae633, Allegan County, Michigan, Alexandra D. Bybee

Masters Theses

The skeletal remains of at least thirty individuals were recovered from the Knobloch site, 20AE633, Allegan County, Michigan. The site is from the Late Woodland period, a time which saw a variety of strategies for food procurement, including hunting, gathering, fishing, and agriculture. It is not known to what extent these strategies were practiced. The results of trace element analysis of skeletal samples from the Knobloch site assemblage indicate a diet reliant on hunting and gathering.

A Study Of Ideological Change In Reggae Music From 1971 To 1993, William H. Stanley

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to see if the reggae music that became popular in the United States was ideologically different from the reggae that originated in Jamaica. The hypothesized change was derived from a model developed by Humphrey Regis (1994, 1988) labeled “cultural domination by re-exportation”. It was determined that early reggae music and the Rastafarian religion had very similar ideologies. The change within reggae music was measured against the Rastafarian belief system.

A content analysis of twenty-five songs was undertaken. The method of doing ideological analysis of the reggae lyrics was derived from Cormack (1992). The sample …

Magical Results Of Eating And Drinking In Medieval Narrative, Deborah A. Oosterhouse

Masters Theses

One of the most famous stories in Norse literature is the tale of Sigurd, who kills the dragon Fafnir. While roasting the heart of the dragon so that his companion, Regin, may eat it, Sigurd ingests some of the blood that bums his thumb and immediately understands the speech of the birds, who advise him to eat the heart himself in order to become wiser. Sigurd is not unique in being magically influenced by a substance that he eats. Foods and beverages that have magical effects on those who ingest them are a widespread occurrence in the literature of many …

Interpreting Diet By Age, Status, And Gender And Establishing Weaning Patterns Using Trace Element Analysis On Human Remains From Umm El-Jimal, Jordan, Monica Shah

Masters Theses

The intent of this study is to learn about the dietary patterns of early fourth century occupants of a Late Antique site in northern Jordan. Bone samples of 107 individuals from two distinct cemetery· types, assumed to be status differentiated, were chemically examined for their trace element composition. Trace element analysis can potentially investigate groups of individuals to attempt to determine if gender, age, or status influenced access to food resources.

Statistical tests found that significant differences of trace element concentrations were evident in an inter-burial area study for all adults and subadults, and when examining intra-burial area males and …

Age, Status And Gender: Mortality Patterns And Mortuary Practice At Umm El-Jimal, Jordan, Melissa Cheyney

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify trends in both burial practice and mortality patterning at the Late Antique site of Umm el-Jimal in northern Jordan, through a combined emphasis on mortuary contexts and human skeletal evidence. Data were analyzed and interpreted in three main areas involving: ( 1) the demographic evaluation of biological profiles comprised of sex, age and pathology estimations; (2) life table calculations for crude mortality rates, life expectancies, probability of death and number of individuals dying in time-successive age intervals; and (3) sex-, age- and status-specific patterns in demography and burial structure. These evaluations were …

The Oncology Patient's Perception Of Support For The Use Of Alternative Therapies By Their Health Care Provider, Michelle Lynn Witkop

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if patients with cancer communicated their use of alternative therapies to their health care providers, to identify factors that influenced their decision to share (or not to share) this information with the health care provider, to describe the types of alternative therapy they were using, to identify where information on the chosen alternative therapy was obtained, and to discuss the factors that influenced their use of an alternative therapy. A convenience sample of 29 subjects from five oncology practices in northwestern lower Michigan responded to questionnaires assessing their use of alternative …

An Emg Analysis Of Five Abdominal Exercises, Teresa E. Brady

Masters Theses

The problem of this study was to compare the basic crunch, Ab Roller Plus, EZ-Krunch, and Resist-A-Ball abdominal exercises. For the Resist-A-Ball, a beginner and advanced abdominal exercise were measured. Subjects performed 5 repetitions of each of the 5 exercises and the 4th repetition of each exercise was analyzed. The dependent variables were peak EMG and time to peak EMG of the rectus abdominis; time spent in the concentric, coupling, and eccentric phases; range of motion for the low back, hip, and trunk; and EMG activity of the vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and biceps brachii. The results indicated …

Aboriginal Autonomy: The Future Of Indigenous Development In Western Australia, Matthew B. Eugster

Masters Theses

The prospects for development within the Aboriginal society of Western Australia were the focus of this study. The Primary intent of the study was to examine the causes behind an apparent lack of development within Aboriginal society. Next, the study examined possible remedies for the situation.

The study determined that the lack of development in Aboriginal society can be attributed primarily to social dysfunction ( or social dislocation). Furthermore, social dislocation could be attributed to cultural deprivation or the inability to practice one's culture. It was proposed and established that cultural and political autonomy would provide an environment more suitable …

Kanpo Consumption Among Japanese Students At Western Michigan University: Case Studies In Medical Pluralism, Joseph Paul Siuda

Masters Theses

Many societies have pluralistic medical systems in which biomedicine and alternative therapies coexist. Some anthropologists view medical pluralism adaptively, where the strengths of various therapies complement each other. Others highlight the hegemonic power of biomedicine and its tendency to suppress or co-opt alternative therapies. To understand medical pluralism, one must examine alternative therapies in particular cultural contexts.

Kanpo, or Japanese herbalism, has survived political and legal suppression resulting from Japan's 19th century attempts at westernization and now poses a challenge to the biomedical model of health and illness. Since the 1970's more Japanese are turning to kanpo rather than …

Childhood Health And Nutrition: An Exploration Of Enamel Hypoplasia Studies Using The Milwaukee County Institutional Grounds Cemetery, 1882-1925, Maura K. Polli

Masters Theses

The focus of this study is the dentition of a Midwestern United States historic almshouse population, the Milwaukee County Institutional Grounds cemetery (MCIG), 1882-1925. A survey of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in the anterior dentition of a subsample of this population has been conducted to demonstrate incidences of childhood stress. LEH is symptomatic of extended periods of disease or nutritional stress experienced during the formative years of tooth development.

A subsample of 140 individuals was examined for LEH. The labial surface of the anterior dentition was examined for the frequency and chronological distribution of LEH. The frequency of LEH ranges …

Impact Of Amateur Educational Video Viewing On Language Acquisition Of Preschool Children, Jennifer L. Radcliffe

Masters Theses

Child language-learning is a complex process that varies for each individual child. Researchers have found that children learn from viewing professional television programs specifically designed for children, such as Sesame Street. Professional television programming principles can be adopted to produce amateur educational videos. Video may also be a viable option to provide repetitive models to improve vocabulary acquisition within speech-language pathology. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of direct stimulation with amateur educational videos on a child's general and specific vocabulary acquisition.

A six-week experiment included an initial two-week control period, a two-week experimental period …

The Relationship Between Knowledge Of Breastfeeding And Success In Breastfeeding, Sherry M. Knoppers

Masters Theses

This correlational study examined the relationship between knowledge of breastfeeding and success in breastfeeding. A convenience sample of women attending prepared childbirth classes in a Midwestern metropolitan area was used. The women were pregnant with their first child and planning to breastfeed. Gulick’s (1981) Information on Breastfeeding Questionnaire was used to test knowledge of breastfeeding before delivery and Rentschler's (1991) Breastfeeding Experience Questionnaire was used to measure knowledge and experience.

Roy’s Theory of Adaptive Modes (Andrews & Roy, 1991) was used as a theoretical framework. This study focused on the role function mode and role transition, looking at the secondary …

A Comparison Of Postpartum Clients' And Nurses' Perceptions Of Priority Information Needs For Early Discharge, Karen E. Lincoln

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to compare the perceptions of postpartum clients and nurses as to priority information needs for early discharge. King's Theory of Goal Attainment provided the conceptual model. A convenience sample of 33 nurses and 62 clients was used for the study. A 50-item instrument by Degenhart-Leskosky (1989) was used to compare perceived maternal and infant needs.

Though the analysis of data suggested there were no significant differences between the clients' and nurses' perceptions, there were discrepancies in 14 of 50 topics, and in some mean rankings. Infant feeding appeared as top priority for both …

Women's Perceptions Of Postpartum Appointment Keeping Barriers, Carol L. Czuk

Masters Theses

An exploratory, descriptive design was used to examine women's perceptions of barriers that inhibited them from keeping their postpartum appointments. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as a theoretical framework, with special attention to the barriers dimension. A three-part survey consisting of basic demographic questions, a five point response scale for assessment of perceived barriers, and open-ended questions were used for data collection. A convenience sample of 15 women in a rural southwestern Michigan community who had not kept their postpartum appointment by the sixth week after delivery were included in the study. Data were collected by a structured …

Cancer Health Beliefs And Knowledge In Relationship To Korean American Cigarette Smoking Status, Melissa Sue George

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe health beliefs and knowledge in relationship to Korean American cigarette smoking status. The data for this study came from the Asian American Cancer Control Study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Asian American Cancer Control Survey examined the cigarette smoking status, demographic variables, cancer knowledge and beliefs, and alcohol use of 263 Korean Americans. The health belief model was the conceptual framework for the study. Chi square analysis indicated a statistically significant relationship between cigarette smoking status and gender, education, spoken English proficiency, years of residency in the United …

Measurement Of Self-Care In Patients With Cystic Fibrosis, Chrysanthe Porter Fooy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to contribute to theory regarding the self-care agency in a population of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients ≥ 11 years of age (n=30). The following research questions were addressed: (1) w hat is the level of self-care in a group of CF patients; (2) what is the relationship between self-care and the basic conditioning factors of age, gender, years since diagnosis, and severity of illness; and (3) what is the relationship between locus of control and self-care.

Baker’s Cystic Fibrosis Self-Care Practice Instrument was used to measure CF self-care. Wallston’s Multidimensional Health Locus …