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The Experience Of Obesity, Its Treatment And Weight Loss: A Qualitative Study Of Overweight Couples, Brenda Potz Kieffer

Other Faculty of Health Theses

This study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological methodology to study obesity. The purpose was to better understand the experiences of obesity, treatment and weight loss from the perspectives of formerly obese individuals, their partners and as couples. The participants consisted of six couples mostly from rural communities. In each couple, at least one the partners had experienced weight fluctuations into the obese range and had achieved at least 50% of his or her weight loss goal. The couples participated in two semi-structured interviews, both individually and as couples. A genogram was constructed with each couple to help identify family of origin …

The Lived Experiences Of Four Overweight Hispanic Adolescent Females, Wanda Lee Rhodes

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of four overweight/obese Hispanic adolescents as individuals by utilizing Social Cognitive Theory’s (SCT) (Bandura, 1977, 1986, & 1989) reciprocal interaction of the environment, personal factors and behaviors of the participants in order to investigate the health risk behaviors of the participants as they related to overweight and obesity. Additionally, the commonalities and differences across participants were examined. Four female Hispanic adolescents whose BMI measured at the 99th percentiles for age and gender were randomly chosen from students enrolled in a junior high school physical education intervention class. Experiences of …

Evaluating The Impact Of Organic Contamination Upon The Physiology Of The Shore Crab Carcinus Maenas (L.), Awantha Dissanayake

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis has focused on answering fundamental questions regarding the 'normal' physiological ranges of the male shore crab Carcinus maenas. knowledge of the responses to environmental variables is needed before the effects of anthropogenic stress can be identified. Anthropogenic stress was imposed in the form of contamination by a ubiquitous priority pollutant of the aquatic environment (polyaromatic hydrocarbon, pyrene). The first hypothesis focused on identifying the physiological differences between juvenile and adult male shore crabs. Differences at the cellular level (cell and immune function) determined the relative contaminant sensitivity between the two ontogenetic stages, with juveniles expressing increased physiological sensitivity …

Effects Of Hyperbaric Oxygen On Oxidative Stress, Angiogenesis Factors And Endothelial Cell Injury, Jianfeng Yuan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is the administration of 100% oxygen at more than one atmosphere. It greatly improves tissue oxygenation and facilitates mechanisms of wound healing, which in turn benefits some patients with chronic wounds. A prominent fact in therapeutic HBO is the acceleration of neoangiogenesis during granulation tissue formation. Angiogenesis is a highly orchestrated event, a diverse range of cells and angiogenesis factors are involved in the process. The formation of reactive oxidative species (ROS) during HBO has been controversially considered as signalling regulator for angiogenic factors, as well as harmful originator for oxidative stress-induced cyto- and geno-toxicity in …

การออกกำลังกายเพื่อแก้ไขภาวะไขมันในเลือดสูงหรือผิดปกติ, Wichit Supamethangkura

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

No abstract provided.

Improvement Of Epidemiology Curriculum For Medical Students Of Thammasat University, Srimuang Paluangrit, Sawanee Tengrungrun

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

This survey research used both quantitative method and qualitative method for data collection. Mailed questionnaires were sent to graduated students (from academic year 2001-2005) for quantitative method. Focus group discussion was set for sixth year student at 2005 academic year and 7 staffs for in-depth interview.

As a result, response rate of mailed questionnaires was 12.5% (36 questionnaires), most of graduated students highly agreed to learning method and duration of learning. They commented that 25 items related to clinical practice were used mostly, 20 items which applied to community work were not frequently used, and 3 items about epidemiologic software …

Maternal Risk Factors Associated With Low Birth Weight In Karachi: A Case-Control Study, S A. Rizvi, J Hatcher, I Jehan, R Qureshi

Community Health Sciences

To evaluate maternal risk factors associated with low birth weight (LBW) among women aged 15-35 years, we carried out a hospital-based, case-control study on 262 cases (mothers of neonates weighing < or = 2.5 kg) and 262 controls (mothers of neonates weighing > 2.5 kg). Odds of delivering a low-birth-weight baby decreased with increase in maternal haemoglobin [odds ratio (OR): 0.701; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.62-0.79]. Odds were greater among mothers not using iron supplements during pregnancy (OR: 2.88; 95% CI: 1.83-4.54). Mothers of LBW babies had lower haemoglobin levels before delivery.

Sustainable Intensive Agriculture: High Technology And Environmental Benefits, Drew L. Kershen

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

A Review Of The Literature Related To Pregnant Adolescents And Their Use Of Doulas As Childbirth Support, Janet Hunter

Graduate Research Papers

According to Bachman (1993), "Childbirth is now lonelier and more psychologically stressful than in the past," especially for adolescents. Today, nurses have found themselves farther from the bedside because of the increase in technology and the way shifts are staffed. Over-crowded maternity clinics and short hospital stays have given nurses little or no time to provide health education and information to the high-risk population of pregnant teens (Bachman, 1993). The caring and nurturing touch of nurses can often be overshadowed by these changes (Herrick & Perez, 1998). Perhaps, because of the nurse's busy schedule, women rate a partner's presence as …

Encouraging Healthy Eating : An Application Of A Dissonance Paradigm, Mariel Lorenz

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate participants' food choices after completing a dissonance task disguised as a healthy eating campaign. The study sought to determine whether participants would make healthy food choices after completing tasks designed to measure healthy eating behaviors. A total of 100 students from Montclair State University were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions and then completed an intention scale designed to measure intended eating behaviors using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Azjen, 1991). Analysis showed that treatment condition had no affect on participants' food choices and did not influence participants' intentions to make healthy …

Developmental Variations In Plasma Leptin, Leptin Soluble Receptor And Their Molar Ratio In Healthy Infants, Winston Wk Koo, Mouhanad Hammami, Elaine M. Hockman

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Leptin and its soluble receptor (sOB-R) are important to regulation of body composition but there are no data on the developmental variations in these plasma variables and their relationship with body composition measurements,

Methods

Weight, length, and body composition (bone, fat and lean mass) by dual energy absorptiometry, and plasma variables were measured in healthy infants at 2, 4, 8 and 12 months.

Results

15 whites and 29 African Americans (21 males and 23 females) with mean birth weight 3357 +/- 45 (SEM) g and gestation of 39.3 +/- 0.17 weeks were studied. The overall Z score for …

Benchmarking Quality In Online Teaching And Learning: A Rubric For Course Construction And Evaluation, Mona P. Ternus, Kay L. Palmer, Debbie R. Faulk

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Online courses have many components and dimensions. Both the form (structure) and the content (expression) are situated in an overall environment. The sum of these elements results in student outcomes and learning. In order to facilitate construction and evaluate the quality of an online course, a four-part rubric was designed to reflect:

Structure (Context, Organization, and Environment)

Content (Presentation of Information)

Processes (Relationships and Interactions)

Outcomes (Mastery of Content and Course Evaluation)

This rubric was designed to provide quantitative and qualitative standardized evaluation for faculty self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and administrator evaluation. The rubric was piloted at two universities and shown …

Impact Of Combat Stress On Mental Health Outcomes: Brfss Survey Data 2006, Emily Pedneau

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: This study sought to determine the relationship between combat experience and mental health outcomes. The study sought to determine whether age was a significant factor in poor mental health outcomes. Methods: Multiple logistic regression (n = 195,048) and multiple linear regression (n = 264,154) were performed on the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Veteran status and a host of demographic and health status questions were analyzed in relation to diagnosis of anxiety or depressive disorder (multiple logistic regression) and to number of days poor mental health (multiple linear regression). Results: Diagnosis of anxiety or depression was …

Induction Of Heme Oxygenase By A Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecule, Robert Andrew Kulina

Theses and Dissertations

We have recently demonstrated that heme oxygenase is expressed in both healing wounds and in pressure ulcers. Heme oxygenase has been shown to have important cytoprotective functions in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and organ allograft survival. The cytoprotective effects of heme oxygenase are multifactorial. Besides reducing levels of pro-oxidant heme, heme oxygenase products (bilirubin, carbon monoxide, and iron) have been demonstrated to possess anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-proliferative properties. These properties make heme oxygenase an attractive therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of chronic wounds. The purpose of this study was two-fold: evaluate the effects of carbon monoxide (CO) on …

Children With Special Needs Oral Health Quality Of Life Survey, Kristin Elizabeth Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to asses the oral health quality of life of children with special health care needs. This study examined the effects of oral health conditions on general well-being and family life of these children. A secondary aim of the study was to investigate correlations between specific health care conditions, gender, and age of these children and their global ratings of oral health and well-being.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design with subjects who are members of the Virginia Care Connection for Children program, based at Virginia Commonwealth University. The oral health quality of life …

Portable Space And Interior Design For Dentists, Yu-Ping Liu

Theses and Dissertations

In the United State today, many people do not have access to adequate dental treatment, while tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease-five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. At the same time, studies show that 80% of dental illness takes place in 25% of the population, which is comprised mostly of lower socioeconomic groups. A study undertaken by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2000, concludes that poor children suffer five times as much tooth decay as their more affluent peers. Furthermore, in poor children with tooth …

Changes In Energy Expenditure With Ingestion Of High Protein, High Fat Versus High Protein, Low Fat Meals Among Underweight, Normal Weight, And Overweight Females., Amy Jo Riggs, Sareen S. Gropper, Barry D. White

Health Sciences & Kinesiology: Faculty Publications

Background: Metabolic rate is known to rise above basal levels after eating, especially following protein consumption. Yet, this postprandial rise in metabolism appears to vary among individuals. This study examined changes in energy expenditure in response to ingestion of a high protein, high fat (HPHF) meal versus an isocaloric high protein, low fat (HPLF) meal in underweight, normal weight, or overweight females (n = 21) aged 19–28 years.

Methods: Energy expenditure, measured using indirect calorimetry, was assessed before and every 30 minutes for 3.5 hours following consumption of the meals on two separate occasions. Height and weight were …

Design Of An Electrospun Type Ii Collagen Scaffold For Articular Cartilage Tissue Engineering, Catherine Pemble Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic defects in articular cartilage can lead to joint disease and disability including osteoarthritis. Because cartilage is unable to regenerate when injured, the field of tissue engineering holds promise in restoring functional tissue. In this research, type II collagen was electrospun, cross-linked, and tested as scaffolds for supporting chondrocyte growth. The mechanical, biochemical, and histological characteristics of the engineered tissue were assessed as a function of the electrospinning solution concentration (i.e. scaffold fiber diameter and pore properties) and as a function of the time in culture (evaluated at 2, 4, and 6 weeks). Fiber diameter had a linear relationship with …

Constraints On Breastfeeding Choices For Low Income Mothers, Carol Grace Hurst

Theses and Dissertations

The choice to breastfeed a baby is a woman's concern with impact reaching beyond each individual mother and child to longer term health and mental health outcomes for society. The U.S. government has made increasing breastfeeding rates one of its major public health goals for 2010. Breastfeeding is a health disparity issue with mothers who are poor, young, less educated or Black less likely to breastfeed. This project examined impacts of sexual perceptions of breastfeeding, social support, and work on breastfeeding choices made by a sample of low income mothers. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to examine potential barriers …

Invisible Green, Amanda Sauer

Theses and Dissertations

How is nature conceived today, a generation into the environmental movement? Many contemporary artists grapple with how to reconcile our inheritance of both a precarious natural world and the culture that created it. My work investigates the subtle intricacies of our relationship with nature. I use photography to develop a way of seeing that points to the often-unnoticed nature in front of us. In particular, my work recognizes and re-imagines nature's deep connections in the context of our ecologically changed world.

Cradle To Cage: Confronting The Premature Institutionalization Of The Children Of The Incarcerated, Jen Fell

Theses and Dissertations

American prisons are swollen and distended. Over 2 million Americans sit in jail or prison today. About 2/3 of the incarcerated are parents. They parent approximately 2 million children in America today who are separated from mom or dad because of incarceration. Their children suffer from poverty, inconsistency in caregivers, separation from siblings, reduced opportunity to health and education and increased risk for substance abuse, alcoholism and incarceration themselves. Children of the incarcerated are seven times more likely than their peers to become incarcerated as adults.Many of these children are unable to visit their parents. Over half the mothers in …

The Effect Of Nutrition Information On Menu Selection When Eating Food Away From Home, Rebecca Foster Hochradel

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

As the number of Americans diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, and excessive weight continues to increase, providing information to allow consumers to choose healthier foods becomes imperative. The number of consumers eating food away from home (EFAH) is rising. Although nutrition information is required on food products purchased for home use, it is not required when EFAH. How can a consumer know what is healthy if nutrition information is not provided? Policy makers and restaurateurs are in conflict regarding the provision of nutrition information on the menu. Policy makers want this information to be provided while restaurateurs say providing this …

Characterization Of Skeletal Muscle Performance And Morphology Following Acute And Chronic Mechanical Loading Paradigms, Brent A. Baker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Unaccustomed muscular activity (incorporating lengthening-type movements) results in skeletal muscle damage, yet effects in performance and muscle morphology from movements such as stretch-shortening contractions (which are common-type movements in daily activities) are not well characterized or quantified. Thus, determining time- and dose-dependent responses resulting from acute mechanical exposure will aid critically in understanding muscle injury kinetics and the role of repair and regeneration following this type of exposure. Furthermore, skeletal muscle mass and function declines with age and these events result in a significant impact on the aging workforce. Differentiating the response following both acute and chronic adaptive exposures in …

Inosine Ameliorates The Effects Of Hemin Induced Oxidative Stress In Broilers, Christen N. Seaman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous studies have shown that chronic treatment of broilers with hemin decreases plasma concentrations of uric acid and increases leukocyte oxidative activity (LOA) whereas the inclusion of inosine produces an inverse effect. The objective of these studies was to determine whether or not inosine could serve as a potential therapy for oxidative stress. Oxidative stress was induced in broilers by the administration of hemin. Dietary inclusion of inosine was then begun either before the onset of oxidative stress induced by hemin, or as a post treatment once oxidative stress was established. Four-week-old broilers were individually banded and divided into four …

Watercress (Nasturtium Officinale) Production Utilizing Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Flow-Through Aquaculture Effluent, Erika Nichole Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) present in flow-through aquaculture effluent can pose the risk of eutrophication to receiving streams when discharged from flow-through systems. One potential solution to prevent nutrient loading is the establishment of an integrated system that cultures green plants in the effluent. The objectives of this research were to determine watercress' (Nasturtium officinale) growth and nutrient contents in both a hydroponic controlled environment and a flow-through aquaponic production system utilizing brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) aquaculture effluent; and to evaluate various treatments to determine the best cultural conditions for watercress in the aquaponic system for optimization as …

Effects Of Ovulation Of Aged Follicles, Pregnancy Diagnosis By Ultrasonography, And Treatments During Lactation On Reproduction In Ewes, Aimee Kathryn Wurst

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ewes are polyestrous and litter-bearing seasonal breeders. Although average ovulation rates are sufficient, many ovulations do not result in live offspring and ewes normally breed only once per year. As ovulation rate increases, so does the number of ovulations not represented by live births. When ultrasonographic analysis is limited to ovarian follicles that grow from 3 to 5 mm, follicular waves can be identified in sheep. In most cases, ovulatory follicle(s) develop from the ultimate follicular wave; however, ovulatory follicles can be derived from penultimate or earlier follicular waves. The relationship between lifespan of large follicles and fertility is controversial …

The Impact Of Stress Management On Nurse Productivity And Retention, Tammi F. Milliken, Paul T. Clements, Harry J. Tillman

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Throughout the history of nursing there is a seeming legacy of personnel shortage, lack of funds, and, based on the nature of the role and related services, heightened levels of stress involved in patient care.

The future of the profession and more imminently, patient care and the health of nurses, may be significantly impacted by repeated challenges where current levels of stress and burnout are contributing to organizational problems, burnout, and attrition.

Employee stress and burn out commonly lead to myriad health-related problems that result in significant organizational consequences.

There are many methods of stress management, and sometimes the best …

Georgia Southern Magazine, Georgia Southern University

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Evaluation Of Scrap Tire-Derived Porous Rubber Tubing As A Green Membrane For Sustainable Water Filtration (Ecol-Mem Process), Ana Maria Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing population and extensive urbanization have strained resources around the world, promoting water scarcity and solid waste accumulation. Addressing the issues of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation in developing countries is challenging due to limited technological and financial resources. Therefore, it is imperative that durable, low-cost, and sustainable technologies are developed to help alleviate these problems. At the same time, the production of solid waste has increased and includes waste tires, which pose a health and environmental hazard. Although efforts have been made to develop new markets for recycled scrap tires, a vast majority are still being …

The Effectiveness And User Perception Of 3-Dimensional Digital Human Anatomy In An Online Undergraduate Anatomy Laboratory, Amy Joanne Hilbelink

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of implementing desktop 3-dimensional (3D) stereo images of human anatomy into an undergraduate human anatomy distance laboratory. User perceptions of 2D and 3D images were gathered via questionnaire in order to determine ease of use and level of satisfaction associated with the 3D software in the online learning environment. Mayer's (2001, p. 184) principles of design were used to develop the study materials that consisted of PowerPoint presentations and AVI files accessed via Blackboard. The research design employed a mixed-methods approach. Volunteers each were administered a demographic survey and …