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Activity-Rest And Skin Temperature Circadian Rhythms And Sleep Patterns In Community-Dwelling Women, Kristina L. Leyden

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore activity-rest and temperature circadian rhythms and sleep patterns in ambulatory women of reproductive, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal stages. Study aims were to (1) correlate the patterns of activity-rest with skin temperature and determine (2) lead-lag relation between activity-rest and circadian temperature rhythm, (3) stability of activity-rest patterns during work and non-work days, (4) duration of actigraphy sampling sufficient to reliably capture activity-rest patterns, and (5) sleep parameters in participating women across reproductive stages.

Design: Analysis of extant data sets.

Sample and Setting: Seven community-dwelling women, 27-to-54-years old

Methods: Participants wore an actigraph …

2015 Spring Graduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

Lindenwood University Commencement program.

2015 Spring Undergraduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

Lindenwood University Commencement program.

Temporal Structure Of Support Surface Translations Drive The Temporal Structure Of Postural Control During Standing, Troy J. Rand, Sara A. Myers, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Mukul Mukherjee

Journal Articles

A healthy biological system is characterized by a temporal structure that exhibits fractal properties and is highly complex. Unhealthy systems demonstrate lowered complexity and either greater or less predictability in the temporal structure of a time series. The purpose of this research was to determine if support surface translations with different temporal structures would affect the temporal structure of the center of pressure (COP) signal. Eight healthy young participants stood on a force platform that was translated in the anteroposterior direction for input conditions of varying complexity: white noise, pink noise, brown noise, and sine wave. Detrended fluctuation analysis was …

Depression And Spiritual Predictors Of Wellness In Family Caregivers Of Individuals With Alzheimer’S Disease, Christine Green

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the role of spirituality in family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease as a means of lessening the development of depressive symptomology arising through caregiver burden. For this study, there were 41 caregiver participants taking care of a family member with Alzheimer’s disease. The population was obtained through various divisions of the Alzheimer’s Association of the United States of America. Participants completed a basic demographic survey, the General Well-Being Schedule, the Patient Health Questionnaire- 9, and the Spiritual Experience Index. Two groups, religious and non-religious, had their mental health functioning compared. Results from the 41 surveys suggest …

Weight Management Of Diabetic Patients: Can Text Messaging Help?, Culver Randolph

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The prevalence of obesity and diabetes have steadily increased over the past three decades with projections calling for 83% of men and 72% of women becoming overweight or obese by 2020; similarly, the incidence of women with diabetes is projected to increase from 37 % to 44% (Shute, N., 2011). These drastic increases have brought about a dramatic growth of innovative disease management tools that have proven to increase patient control over their disease as well as enhance patient-practitioner correspondence. The literature provided information involving the use of text messaging to prompt the patients to increase their adherence to the …

Assessment Of Stabilization And Muscle Recruitment In Amputees Following Sit-To-Stand Transfer, Elizabeth Terran Jones

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Standing from a seated position is a task of daily living that is essential for independence relying heavily on balance and lower-extremity muscle strength and coordination (Whitney et al., 2005). With age, many once healthy individuals lose this ability and are institutionalized or find themselves reliant on others for care due to the development of balance disorders or loss of muscle mass. The majority of research present today on transitional movements affected by balance disorders, such as the sit-to-stand transition, has been focused on the elderly population. A correlation has been established between the Sit-To-Stand Test and factors such as …

Examining The Relationship Between Neurocognitive Performance And Functional Fitness Levels Among Older Adults, Kristen J. Holmes

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis was to examine the relationship between neurocognitive performance and functional fitness levels among older adults. This is important because the geriatric population is the fastest growing demographic in the United States (USDHHS, CDC & Prevention, 2012). By 2030, the older adult population is expected to double. With the cumulative health effects associated with aging and pathological disease, adults typically experience a normal decline in cognitive function termed age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) (Kramer, Colcombe, McAuley, Scalf, & Erickson, 2005; O’Brien, 1999). It is believed to be a non-progressive disorder. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), on the other …

May 2015 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Live Model Simulation: Improving Nursing Students' Attitudes And Knowledge Of Alzheimer's Disease, Teresa Maharaj

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Our country's older adult population (those 65 and older) continues to grow at unprecedented rates yet few nurses are prepared to safely and competently care for them with their challenging needs, especially those with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Research focused on teaching strategies that influenced students' preconceived attitudes and improved knowledge toward older adults with or without Alzheimer's disease (AD) is limited. This study examined whether a live-model simulation used as a teaching modality could improve student attitudes and knowledge of AD. Findings indicated that within the group of students who participated in the AD lecture and AD …

Choices Related To Maximizing Quality Of Life At End Of Life, Theresa Lynn

Dissertations

Humans, including those residing in the United States, can live in denial of their own mortality. Because of this, futile care is sometimes provided, often at great monetary expense and for little or no return in terms of quality or length of life. At least two opportunities exist for making choices regarding care at the end of life in the U.S.: completing advance directives and choosing hospice care. This dissertation consists of three studies related to this topic. The first is a quantitative study about advance directives and attitude toward death. The advance directive completion rate among adults in the …

Depression And Social Functioning : Examining Two Interpersonal Theories, Caroline B. Smith

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to test the specific predictions of two theories of depression and social functioning. One, the Social Navigation Hypothesis, is an adaptationist approach that predicts that depression functions to increase an individual’s ability to analyze and solve problems in their social system. The individual engages in behaviors such as feedback seeking in order to identify potential problems and develop solutions. In contrast, Interpersonal Theory predicts that depression is related to aversive social behaviors that can lead to rejection. Adult American participants (n=155) were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. They completed an online survey …

Validation Of The Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer As A Method To Assess Muscular Power, Emily Janssen

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Power is a strong indicator of physical fitness and functional status of older adults. The Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer is a safe, cost-effective method to measure power. The goal was to validate the Tendo as a measure of muscular power during a chair stand task. It was hypothesized that the Tendo would be a valid measure. This study was a cross-sectional, correlational study with the subjects serving as their own control. All testing took place in the Human Performance Lab at the University of Arkansas. A total of 59 college-aged students from 18 to 30 years of age volunteered. Subjects were …

Connecticut's Elderly Population: An In-Depth Analysis Of Current And Future Trends In Elder Care, With A Focus On Dementia And Cognitive Decline, Emily J. Snodgrass

Honors Scholar Theses

The aging population in Connecticut currently represents ~15% of the state’s population but is anticipated to rapidly increase over the next 20 years. My thesis is an examination of the types of interventions and programs currently available for elderly persons with memory impairment and cognitive decline, as well as the challenges associated with caring for a larger elderly population. Data collected from interviews with CT healthcare and research professionals representative of the diverse specialties of aging together with an analysis of current research literature are used to demonstrate the importance of continued research and expansion of appropriate and accessible services …

University Of Central Florida Graduate Catalog, 2015 - 2016, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Professional Baseball Players Transition From The Sport, Amy Moviel

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This phenomenological research study explored the perceptions and lived experiences of professional baseball players related to their level of preparedness for retirement from the sport. The study was guided by three research questions. The data were collected from eight professional baseball players at different stages of their career. Data collection occurred through interviews with four actively playing professional baseball players and four former professional baseball players. The findings of the study reveal that during their careers, professional baseball players typically devote exclusive focus to training and skill development in an effort to remain in the game as long as possible. …

Additional Sex Combs-Like 2 (Asxl2): A Psychological Stress-Related Gene In A Chicken Stress Model, Emily Sandra Jacobson

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chronic stress is a problem not only in terms of its psychological effects but also due to the harmful physiological changes induced in the individual. Although chronic stress is recognized as detrimental and rampant throughout society, the stress system itself remains poorly understood in terms of comprehending which genes are involved in regulating and carrying out stress-induced signals. In a previous study, 57 candidate genes in the stress pathway had been identified based on the presence of stress-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and differential expression from microarray data. The objective of this study was to investigate Additional Sex Combs-Like 2 …

A Systematic Review Of Aquatic Exercise Programs On Balance Measures In Older Adults, Shayla Diane Foster

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

There are a variety of studies performed using aquatic exercise programs to evaluate balance measures using a case-control or pretest-posttest method on healthy young populations (Geytenbeek, 2002). Balance can be defined as either static; maintenance of an upright posture and stance or dynamic; posture adaption and maintenance control of movements and stability (Rose & Clark, 2000). An aquatic exercise program will henceforth be defined as any acute or chronic exercises performed in water with the head vertically and out of the water with the main goal to increase physical activity in a low risk environment. There is minimal data that …

The Effects Of Using A Nike+ Fuelband To Measure Physical Activity In A Community Based Intervention Among Middle-Aged Adults, Rebecca Lynne Jensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Purpose: To examine the response of middle aged adults (age 39-64) to feedback from wearable activity sensors in a 6 month community based intervention. Participants (N = 139) were a convenient sample randomly assigned into the treatment (n = 100) or control (n = 39) group. Methods: All participants were surveyed about their physical activity levels during the pre, mid, and post intervention surveys. The treatment group participants were given a Nike+ FuelBand and asked to report minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity [PA] and FuelPoints daily. Results: There was a significant change in moderate and vigorous PA levels …

Survival Analysis For Truncated Data And Competing Risks, Michael Steelman

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The purpose of this project is to consider the problems of left truncation and competing risks in analyzing censored survival data, and to compare and contrast various approaches for handling these problems. The motivation for this work comes from an analysis of data from the Cache County Memory Study. Study investigators were interested in the association between early-life psychologically stressful events (e.g., parental or sibling death, or parental divorce, among others) and late-life risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). While conventional methods for censored survival data can be applied, the presence of left truncation and competing risks (i.e., other adverse events …

Relationship Of Nutritional Factors To Cognitive Decline In The Progression Of Dementia: The Cache County Dementia Progression Study, Chelsea Sanders

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Cache County Memory Study at Utah State University studied longitudinal changes in memory and aging in a population-based sample of 5,092 older adults in semirural Cache County, UT. Three hundred twenty-eight participants with dementia were identified through a multi-staged screening and assessment protocol and visited semiannually for up to 8 years in the Dementia Progression Study (DPS). The current project reviews data from the first 6 years due to attrition in later years. Researchers collected information regarding the participants’ demographics, health, lifestyle (nutrition and physical activity), cognitive abilities and neuropsychiatric symptoms as well as their caregivers’ demographics, health, and …

Data Mapping On Ageing In Low- And Middle-Income Countries In Asia And The Pacific, Bussarawan Puk Teerawichitchainan, John Knodel

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Population ageing is an increasingly important demographic, social, and economic issue for researchers and policy makers throughout developing Asia prompting a need for data to monitor change and formulate evidence-based policies. There have been increasing endeavors in the Asia-Pacific region to collect information specifically related to older persons through representative surveys. These surveys are either broadly comprehensive or focus on particularly important domains, especially health. However, there is no systematic accounting of what the datasets address; to what extent different sources overlap or complement one another; how comparable they; and what data gaps remain. In addition, other data sources not …

Comparison Of Body Composition Assessment Techniques In Older Adult Females, Lauren Yacapraro

Honors Projects

Comparison of Body Composition Assessment Techniques in Older Adult Females

Introduction: As the aging population increases, the need for accurate assessment of chronic disease risk also increases. There is considerable debate over the best way to assess this risk. BMI is a weight-to-height ratio that is commonly used to assess adiposity and obesity related risk. However, it does not differentiate lean (i.e., muscle and bone) versus fat mass – the true predictors of obesity-related diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease and diabetes). This is prevalent in post-menopausal women who often experience age-related gains in fat mass and losses in lean mass.

Methods: …

Food Insecurity & Aging Adults, Kimberly Morales

Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education Conference (2015)

No abstract provided.

We Are Balanced In Ohio: What Shall Follow This Major Accomplishment?, Shahla A. Mehdizadeh

Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education Conference (2015)

No abstract provided.

Older Adults And Technology: Adoption And Acceptance Comes From Relationships And Encouragement From Younger Generations, Casey Schonhardt, Kate Magsamen-Conrad

Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education Conference (2015)

As technology progresses, older generations are being given ‘smart’ devices and are adopting these devices to keep up with daily life. Stereotypes posit that the different generational groups perspectives on each other and the digital divide prohibit older generations from adopting new technologies. At the Wood Country Center on Aging located in Bowling Green Ohio, the small group communication class of Bowling Green State University teaches tablet classes once a week to interested older adults. Classes were observed using the STAM (Senior Technology and Acceptance Model), specifically the acceptance phase, over six weeks with narrative and phenomenological research methods. Observing …

Closing The Gap Between Skipped-Generation Households And Available Resources And Services, Daniel Ruff

Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education Conference (2015)

Purpose statement (objectives) This examination seeks, • first, to sensitize gerontologists to some of the adversities and prospects faced by grandparents raising grandchildren; • second, to provide an overview of current research and theory regarding the demographic through both a phenomenological and a life-course perspective—and a more recent theoretical lens of Generational Intelligence—for inter-generational work; and • third, to suggest implications for future interventions with skipped-generation families. Descriptive narrative of the presentation Generations United reports [Family Matters: Multigenerational Families in a Volatile Economy (2011)] that more than 51.4 million Americans of all ages (about one in six) live in multi-generational …

From The Ground Up: How To Effectively Merge Research And Practice To Build Impactful Community Programs, Sara E. Stemen

Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education Conference (2015)

The purpose of this presentation is to guide those interested in working in community non-profits through the program development process. Furthermore, this presentation highlights the importance of using an evidence-based eye when building programs--bridging what has been learned in the classroom with real world, hands on experience. The presentation will focus on the presenter's academic and professional journey to being responsible for building a program from the ground up--focusing on what was learned along the way. In this presentation, participants will be walked through the process that guided the development of Delaware County's Caregiver Program. Information will be shared regarding …

Participants' Perceptions Of Factors In Preventing Falls, Jaclyn Fok

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Falls pose a serious threat to older adults, often resulting in physical, emotional, and financial consequences. The use of multifactorial fall prevention programs has provided community- dwelling older adults with strategies to decrease the risk of falling. Outcomes for these programs are measured in terms of such factors as fear of falling, balance and self-efficacy. One outcome of fall prevention programs that is less well understood is what the older adults themselves perceive as most beneficial. For this program evaluation project, five women participated in semi-structured interviews to understand which aspects of a multifactorial fall prevention program they found to …

Building A Dementia Friendly Community, Elizabeth Marvin, Marty Williman

Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education Conference (2015)

In 2007 the Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter and The Hancock County Agency on Aging began discussing ways to create a dementia friendly community. Several county agencies, businesses and organizations quickly joined in to develop mission and vision statements; coalition structure and membership; and specific goals toward creating a community that is aware, accepting, supportive and inclusive of individuals and families living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in Ohio. In 2007 and to date, there are few dementia capable community models from which to base efforts. Lessons learned, unexpected outcomes, and successes will be shared with the audience, as …