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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Teachers' Perceptions Of Multimodal Literacies In Middle School Health Literacy Programs, Cynthia Darlene Jackson-Howard Jan 2015

Teachers' Perceptions Of Multimodal Literacies In Middle School Health Literacy Programs, Cynthia Darlene Jackson-Howard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health literacy, defined as the ability to understand and use health information to make informed decisions, is critical to maintaining health; however, not all U.S. states mandate strategies to improve adolescents' health literacy. Moreover, many middle school teachers are often unaware of how their roles could improve the health literacy of their students. Multimodal literacies help students to create meaning through viewing print-based resources and using digital technologies. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of multimodal literacies on adolescents' overall health literacy via the introduction of health literacy programs into the curriculum. This …

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Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, And Behaviors Of Diabetes Among Afro-Caribbeans Near Brooklyn, Sophia I. Allen Jan 2015

Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, And Behaviors Of Diabetes Among Afro-Caribbeans Near Brooklyn, Sophia I. Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Literature has found that some minority groups with diabetes have a negative perception of medical professionals when a health problem occurs. This trend is particularly problematic with the diabetes epidemic in the United States. African Americans are more than 2 times as likely to die from diabetes than are Whites, and diabetes prevalence has increased exponentially in New York City where a majority of Afro-Caribbeans live. To address this problem, a cross-sectional design was used to recruit Afro-Caribbeans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes across 7 churches to examine whether shared knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors about diabetes screening and its …

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An Exploration Of Burnout In Individuals With Type D Personality, Carla A. Kelly Jan 2015

An Exploration Of Burnout In Individuals With Type D Personality, Carla A. Kelly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are numerous physical and mental health implications associated with burnout and Type D personality (TDP). TDP is defined by the presence of specific levels of both negative affectivity and social inhibition. The purpose of this research was to examine the severity and prevalence of burnout in working adults with TDP in comparison to those without TDP. Social cognitive theory was the theoretical foundation for this study. Online surveys were used to gather responses to the Type D Scale-14 (DS14), the standard for measure for assessing TDP, and the Burnout Measure, Short Version (BMS) from 333 participants. Quantitative analyses included …

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Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Seniors Aging In Place, Magaly C. Dante Jan 2015

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Seniors Aging In Place, Magaly C. Dante

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Baby boomers are living longer, and as they age, they will need more supportive services that may include housing, mobility, nutrition, personal care, or health care. Despite the studies that have been conducted on baby boomers aging in place (choosing to stay in their home versus move to an institution), the focus has been on the old and frail and very little has been done to address the lifestyle of active (physically functioning) baby boomers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived, shared experiences of active baby boomers regarding their beliefs and attitudes about aging in …

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Ranking Small Business Resistance Criteria Toward The Affordable Care Act, Rakesh M K Gupta Jan 2015

Ranking Small Business Resistance Criteria Toward The Affordable Care Act, Rakesh M K Gupta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Following the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, politicians, media, and lobbyists rendered a number of conflicting and confusing interpretations of its merits and demerits. Such interpretations intensified the skepticism and concerns of small business enterprise (SBE) owners. The purpose of this study was to develop a representative, prioritized list of SBE owners' concerns or resistance factors. The goal was to create a useful guide for SBE owners who are seeking ways to reducing the adverse financial impact of the law. With social choice theory as the theoretical framework, 50 randomly selected SBE owners across 5 distinct …

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Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Perspective Of Technology Integration: A Qualitative Case Study, Patricia Coleman Jan 2015

Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Perspective Of Technology Integration: A Qualitative Case Study, Patricia Coleman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many studies have documented that technology integration increases summative assessment scores, yet many teachers do not integrate technology in their teaching. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the extent to which middle school mathematics educators are or are not integrating technology in a school district where summative scores were below mathematics state benchmarks. Guided by instructional constructivism and the technology acceptance model, this case study examined how teachers perceived advantages and barriers to mathematics instruction that uses technology. Five of the nine mathematics teachers at the middle school volunteered to participate in a semi-structured interview and be …

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Networking The Relationships Of Microenterprise Development In Bulgaria, Kristina Ann Harris Jan 2015

Networking The Relationships Of Microenterprise Development In Bulgaria, Kristina Ann Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The networking relationships provided by microenterprise development (MED) organizations foster sustainable and scalable Bulgarian small businesses. Some Bulgarian MED leaders lack the strategies to help sustain small businesses in Bulgaria. Guided by the actor network theory, the purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies MED leaders use to help sustain small businesses in Bulgaria. Data were collected through a semistructured focus group comprised of MED Bulgarian business leaders (n = 4) in Rhodope Mountain Region and company data consisting of financial reports, marketing presentations, and company business plan. The data analysis included using keyword frequency comparisons, coding …

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Implementing Assistive Technology Through Program Planning, Shaune Lasheane Mckinney Jan 2015

Implementing Assistive Technology Through Program Planning, Shaune Lasheane Mckinney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Special education (SPED) service providers in the military are often underprepared to use the needed assistive technology (AT) in the classroom. This concurrent mixed-method study sought to explore the attitudes, skills, and quality indicators of assistive technology (QIAT) among 19 currently employed military SPED certified multidisciplinary team members. The conceptual framework of this study was based on the professional learning community model, which holds that the team members work collaboratively to educate the families it serves. All team members completed a quantitative QIAT survey and open-ended questionnaire, and individual qualitative interviews were conducted with a subsample of 8 volunteer staff. …

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A Clinical Pathway Education Program For Pediatric Nurses, Lisa M. Scheiber-Case Jan 2015

A Clinical Pathway Education Program For Pediatric Nurses, Lisa M. Scheiber-Case

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clinical pathways have been studied to promote best practices in nursing and enhance patient satisfaction. For 10 years a pediatric orthopedic surgical team at a Midwest hospital has not had a clinical pathway to treat or standardize care for adolescents following posterior spinal fusion surgery. Pain scores and patients' length of stay were collected using a retrospective chart review. This information was used to revise preoperative education materials and develop a visual poster. The purpose of this project was to identify and develop a way to educate the pediatric nursing staff on the use of the developed educational materials, poster, …

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The Effectiveness Of Combining Simulation And Role Playing In Nursing Education, Shari Lynn Redden Jan 2015

The Effectiveness Of Combining Simulation And Role Playing In Nursing Education, Shari Lynn Redden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The profession of nursing is affected by a nursing and nursing faculty shortage that is impacting the ability to produce adequate numbers of nurse graduates to address the healthcare needs of the future. Nursing schools are increasingly using simulation and/or role-playing to supplement the decreased number of nurse faculty and clinical sites in order to be able to continue to enroll nursing school applicants. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of nursing students with role-playing and simulation and the extent to which role-playing with simulation is perceived by students as beneficial for learning within the …

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The Disparity Of Racial Diversity In Counselor Education And Supervision, Sharon Hammett Webb Jan 2015

The Disparity Of Racial Diversity In Counselor Education And Supervision, Sharon Hammett Webb

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In general, doctoral programs in counselor education and supervision (CES) have low minority enrollments. Faculty members in clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) master's degree in science (MS) programs primarily come from CES doctoral programs; therefore, faculty members do not generally reflect the diversity of the MS student population. Using the theory of planned behavior and the bioecological model, the purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which age, gender, faculty support, income, level of parents' or primary caregivers' education, and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation status predict White and racial …

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The Effects Of Financial Literacy On Patient Engagement, Melanie Meyer Jan 2015

The Effects Of Financial Literacy On Patient Engagement, Melanie Meyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care reform has caused consumers to learn more about what it means to have health insurance and its costs. Patient engagement, a critical component of health care reform, reflects provider and consumer attention to shared decision making between patient and physician. The problem addressed in this study is that although researchers have studied patient engagement, there has been insufficient exploration of the relationship between financial literacy and patient engagement, which could negatively impact health outcomes not only for patients or consumers but for society as a whole. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine if a relationship …

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Use Of Flexible Work Arrangements By Race And Ethnicity: Examining The Mediating Role Of Organizational Diversity Climate Perceptions, Imani S. Owens Jan 2015

Use Of Flexible Work Arrangements By Race And Ethnicity: Examining The Mediating Role Of Organizational Diversity Climate Perceptions, Imani S. Owens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study investigated whether women of color faced additional challenges in using flexible work arrangements (FWAs) when workplaces lacked an affirming diversity climate. Researchers found that use of FWAs was associated with organizational climate, race was correlated with diversity climate perception, and diversity climate perceptions were associated with organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction and retention. Limited empirical evidence existed that demonstrated that race/ethnicity predicted use of FWAs or that diversity climate mediated this relationship. This quasi-experimental study examined the hypotheses that (a) race/ethnicity predicted diversity climate perceptions, (b) race/ethnicity predicted use of FWAs, and (c) diversity climate mediated the …

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Are Associations Between Parenting Style And Academic Achievement Moderated By Ethnicity And Individualism-Collectivism?, Thiago L. De Oliveira Jan 2015

Are Associations Between Parenting Style And Academic Achievement Moderated By Ethnicity And Individualism-Collectivism?, Thiago L. De Oliveira

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have long been concerned in documenting the nature of associations between parenting styles and academic achievement in adolescents. Social learning theory has shown how domains such as individualism, collectivism, and ethnicity are associated with parent behavior. Research suggests compatibility between individualism and authoritative parenting and collectivism with authoritarian parenting styles, which could have critical implications in the relationship between parenting styles and academic achievement. Despite the robust research on parenting styles, no research has investigated the moderating roles of individualism and collectivism. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the associations between parenting style and academic achievement …

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Student Perceptions Of Biology Teachers' Interpersonal Teaching Behaviors And Student Achievement, Victor N. Madike Jan 2015

Student Perceptions Of Biology Teachers' Interpersonal Teaching Behaviors And Student Achievement, Victor N. Madike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate student-teacher interactions in undergraduate courses have been linked to poor student performance. Researchers have noted that students' perceptions of student-teacher relationships may be an important factor related to student performance. The administration of a Mid-Atlantic community college prioritized increasing undergraduate biology student performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between students' biology achievement and their perceptions of interpersonal teaching behaviors and student-teacher interactions in introductory biology courses. Leary's theory on interpersonal communication and the systems communication theory of Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson served as the theoretical foundation. The Wubbel's Likert-scale questionnaire on student-teacher interactions …

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Skype As A Scaffolding Tool For Underprepared Freshmen English Composition Students, Conswellor Denise Ogden Jan 2015

Skype As A Scaffolding Tool For Underprepared Freshmen English Composition Students, Conswellor Denise Ogden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nontraditional students enrolled in online courses tend to drop out within their first year because they do not have the basic literacy skills or essential college skills needed for success. They often need the guidance of an online instructor. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of instructors and students about the effectiveness of Skype as a scaffolding tool for increasing academic achievement for underprepared students in online remedial English composition courses through interactions with their instructor. The conceptual framework included Bruner's cultural-psychological theory of education, Vygotsky's social constructivist theory, and Siemens's connectivism theory. The study …

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Faculty Willingness To Complete Information Technology Training On Course Management Systems, Audrey S. Pereira Jan 2015

Faculty Willingness To Complete Information Technology Training On Course Management Systems, Audrey S. Pereira

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The literature suggests that information technology (IT), including Course Management Systems (CMSs), allows higher education faculty members (HEFMs) to adopt better methods for teaching and learning, and that training contributes to adoption. However, many HEFMs are unwilling to complete IT training on the CMS, contributing to low adoption rates. Yet, little is known about what influences HEFMs to complete IT training on their institution's CMS, even though CMSs are widely available. The purpose of this study was to address this gap in the literature through a quantitative, cross-sectional study of HEFM perceptions of CMS characteristics, based on Rogers' diffusion of …

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African American Male Community College Completion And Mode Of Instruction, Lisa M. Harper Jan 2015

African American Male Community College Completion And Mode Of Instruction, Lisa M. Harper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite innovative policy and pedagogical transformations, postsecondary achievement gaps continue to exist between African American males and other students. Low college credential completion rates by African American males have prevented an East Texas community college from meaningful participation in the President's 2020 postsecondary education attainment goal of increasing U.S. college graduates by 5 million. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate a hypothesized connection between the independent variable, mode of instruction, and the dependent variables, mathematics course completion and college completion by African American males. Guided by Ogbu's cultural-ecological theory of minority school performance, a chi-square test of …

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The Burqa Ban In France And Its Potential Implications On Islamic Terrorism, Ifeanyi Valentine Madu Jan 2015

The Burqa Ban In France And Its Potential Implications On Islamic Terrorism, Ifeanyi Valentine Madu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Islamic terrorism has become a global problem which has resulted in human, social, political, and economic costs. Many Islamic terrorist organizations have focused their attacks on the West and its interests. They justify these acts by making reference to policies of the West, which they believe are inimical to Islam. France, a Western country, recently introduced a law which bans the Islamic face veil (the burqa) in public places in the country. This study examined the implications of this law. The research question focused on the perceived relationship between this law and increased acts of Islamic terrorism. The theoretical construct …

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Recent Graduates' Perspective On The Efficacy Of Nursing Simulation Laboratory Experiences, Holli Sowerby Jan 2015

Recent Graduates' Perspective On The Efficacy Of Nursing Simulation Laboratory Experiences, Holli Sowerby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It has become progressively difficult to find suitable clinical placement for nursing students. To help meet this need, local schools of nursing are turning to high-fidelity simulation manikins to substitute for clinical experience. There is a lack of research that explores recently graduated nurses' perceptions about the efficacy of simulation experiences. Guided by the constructivist theory, this qualitative case study identified how recent RN graduates viewed simulation experiences and whether associate's-degree RN program graduates and bachelor's-program RN graduates viewed simulation differently. Nine recent graduates participated in individual face-to-face interviews. The data were coded and grouped into 5 major themes in …

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Effects Of Education On Victims Of Domestic Violence, Julette N. Anderson Jan 2015

Effects Of Education On Victims Of Domestic Violence, Julette N. Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this project was to improve support for victims of domestic violence. To that end, this project developed an evidence-based program to provide information about domestic violence including safe and confidential ways to seek assistance, rights as cohabiting intimate partners, and the resources available to community members. Several approaches were used to develop, validate, and plan for implementation and evaluation of this program, which was developed for 3 sites in Broward and Miami-Dade counties where the project is situated. The program logic model and the social ecological model, including the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels, were used …

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Assessment Of Vitamin D Levels And Depression Among Adults In The United States, Troy Jean-Luc Owens Jan 2015

Assessment Of Vitamin D Levels And Depression Among Adults In The United States, Troy Jean-Luc Owens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vitamin D is essential to optimizing health; vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and insulin resistance. VDD occurs when individuals do not receive sufficient oral intake or obtain adequate sun exposure. Previous researchers indicated there is a relationship between VDD and depression, while others have indicated there is no relationship. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between vitamin D levels and depression, and how this relationship might be moderated by an individual's demographic characteristics (gender, age, smoking status, or marital status). This study was a quantitative data analysis of archival data …

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Nurses Aides' Perspectives On Training, Joyce Young Jan 2015

Nurses Aides' Perspectives On Training, Joyce Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2008, the Institute of Medicine recommended increasing CNA training programs to 120 hours of training. In accordance with that change, the Pennsylvania Department of Education recommended that the Pennsylvania's CNA training program of a required 80 hours be increased to 120 hours of training. This increase was intended to improve CNA job performance and job satisfaction, as well as the quality of patient care. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to understand how Certified Nurse's Aide (CNA) graduates of 100-hours or fewer training programs in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, perceived their clinical training as related to effectively performing clinical …

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Phenomenological Inquiry On Cigarette Smoking In Adults With Serious Mental Illness, Pedro R. Gabino Jan 2015

Phenomenological Inquiry On Cigarette Smoking In Adults With Serious Mental Illness, Pedro R. Gabino

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cigarette smoking in adults with serious mental illness (SMI) has increased even when accounting for a decrease of smoking among the general population. Most of the research has focused on the prevalence, rates, and effects of smoking in adults with SMI. Little research has examined the motivations for smoking and experiences with smoking cessation among adults with SMI. Such an understanding may facilitate a reduction in smoking in this population. To address this gap in the literature, 12 adults with SMI who live in the southern Nevada area and smoke were selected through invitations distributed at a treatment facility and …

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Spirituality, Religious Coping, And Depressive Symptoms In Hospice Patients: A Terror Management Perspective, Janine Siegel Jan 2015

Spirituality, Religious Coping, And Depressive Symptoms In Hospice Patients: A Terror Management Perspective, Janine Siegel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Facing imminent death can be an unremitting problem for hospice patients who lack psychological support for existential concerns that contribute to depressive symptoms and suffering. According to terror management theory, spiritual and religious beliefs are a common means of coping with mortality at the end of life, and few studies have considered how hospice patients feel about their impending death. This was a quantitative, cross-sectional study that examined whether spirituality and religious coping moderated the relationship between imminent death concerns and depressive symptoms in 54 hospice patients. Participants completed a self-administered survey that included the Templer Death Anxiety scale, Brief …

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The Association Between Exhaled Nitric Oxide In Exhaled Breath Condensate And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Colin Mitchell Jan 2015

The Association Between Exhaled Nitric Oxide In Exhaled Breath Condensate And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Colin Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive and nonreversible disease, is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Detecting COPD early in the disease process will help in decreasing later stage COPD severity. Because airway inflammation is a hallmark of COPD, it has been proposed that measuring exhaled nitric oxide, a marker of inflammation, in exhaled breath condensate could prove to be an inexpensive and efficient method to detect COPD in outpatient settings. Using the hypothetico-deductive theory as a guideline, this study used secondary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007 to 2010 to …

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Technological Change And Employee Motivation In A Telecom Operations Team, Samuel Ogbonnaya Ude Jan 2015

Technological Change And Employee Motivation In A Telecom Operations Team, Samuel Ogbonnaya Ude

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some managers view innovative product development and convenient service delivery as necessary to business survival. However, unmotivated employees might negate any gains from the use of innovation. The purpose of this correlational study, grounded in diffusion of innovation theory, was to assess the relationship between creativity and support for innovation, resistance to change, and organizational commitment and employee motivation. A random sample of 81 information technology (IT) professionals from telecom service centers completed an online survey. Simultaneous multiple linear regression was the statistical technique used to analyze these data. The results indicated a poor model with low R2 to significantly …

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Relationship Between Modality And The Degree Of Knowledge Retention In Bioterrorism Training, Gaylon Rashun Crawford Jan 2015

Relationship Between Modality And The Degree Of Knowledge Retention In Bioterrorism Training, Gaylon Rashun Crawford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A public health workforce must be trained to react quickly, especially in the case of terrorist attack. Political leaders and emergency management experts have often cited inadequate emergency training as a contributing factor in the public health system's failed preparations for a bioterrorist event. As a result of these failures, billions of dollars have been allocated towards correcting infrastructure deficiencies including training for public health nurses (PHNs), who are critical to a communitywide medical response. This quantitative study used Pearson's correlation and a multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the most effective modality of bioterrorism training (BTT) for PHNs working in …

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Differences Between For-Profit And Nonprofit Hospitals: Perceived Quality And Access, Michael Ray Eiland Jan 2015

Differences Between For-Profit And Nonprofit Hospitals: Perceived Quality And Access, Michael Ray Eiland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a large body of literature addressing the issue, questions remain about whether nonprofit hospitals provide more community benefit than do for-profit hospitals. This lack of information impacts governments, hospitals, and the healthcare industry, as stakeholders attempt to generate requirements to which hospitals should adhere to maintain nonprofit status, and thus tax exemption. This study addressed this lack of information by examining U.S. hospitals through the lens of stewardship theory to determine whether nonprofits are better stewards of the public good than for-profits, and thus likely to provide higher quality and access. The study applied logistic regression to Centers for …

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Psychosocial Predictors Of Successful Bariatric Surgery, Rodney D. Grim Jan 2015

Psychosocial Predictors Of Successful Bariatric Surgery, Rodney D. Grim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is an epidemic that can lead to a wide range of physical and mental problems. When traditional weight-loss methods are not effective, bariatric surgery is a viable weight-loss option. While previous researchers have investigated the role of psychological factors in relation to obesity, few have investigated psychological factors as predictors of weight loss and complications after bariatric surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of psychological disorders/conditions (e.g., depression and abuse) in the study population, evaluate weight and psychosocial variables before and 6 months after weight-loss surgery, and identify psychosocial factors that are predictors of …

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