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Evaluating Changes In Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behaviors Associated With Hpv Following An Educational Intervention Among Women, Crystal Sheaves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Prevalence of HPV is estimated to be 10-15% Americans. HPV is recognized as the causative agent in 99.7% of all cervical cancers. In 2006, a vaccine was released to prevent specific types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Despite demonstrated vaccine safety and efficacy, vaccine rates are still low at less than 20% among women 18-26 years old. Vaccine uptake may be impacted by women's HPV knowledge and beliefs.;Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in women's knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors associated with HPV following an educational intervention study. Specifically, the study was designed to evaluate …

Impact Evaluation Of I Am Moving, I Am Learning Using The Re-Aim Framework, Ishonte Allar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Presently, there are a lack of preschool physical activity and nutrition programs documented in the literature. I am moving, I am Learning (IMIL) is a preschool physical activity and nutrition program used by many Head Start programs across the nation. The purpose of this study was to determine the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM) of IMIL in the state of Illinois.;Methods: Employing a QUAL+ quan simultaneous mixed-methods design, data were collected via a statewide agency administrator survey, classroom teacher survey, parent surveys, and program staff focus groups that occurred within a single program in Rock Island, Illinois.;Results: …

Expanding Mental Health Consultation In Early Head Start: Recommendations For Supporting Home Visitors In Increasing Parental Engagement, Samantha L. Pittenger, Tori R. Van Dyk, Alayna Schreier, Michelle Haikalis, Mary F. Flood, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Early Head Start strongly emphasizes the importance of intervening with the entire family to promote healthy child development. Parents, in particular, are recognized as their child’s most important teacher. While Early Head Start performance standards currently mandate mental health consultation to identify and intervene with child mental health problems, there is little direct focus on the role of consultation in managing parental mental health concerns. This is problematic given that a wide body of literature outlines the impact of parental mental health on engagement in home-based programs such as Early Head Start. Investigations within the home visiting field have also …

Planning Versus Action: Different Decision-Making Processes Predict Plans To Change One’S Diet Versus Actual Dietary Behavior, Marc T. Kiviniemi, Carolyn R. Brown-Kramer

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Most health decision-making models posit that deciding to engage in a health behavior involves forming a behavioral intention which then leads to actual behavior. However, behavioral intentions and actual behavior may not be functionally equivalent. Two studies examined whether decision-making factors predicting dietary behaviors were the same as or distinct from those predicting intentions. Actual dietary behavior was proximally predicted by affective associations with the behavior. By contrast, behavioral intentions were predicted by cognitive beliefs about behaviors, with no contribution of affective associations. This dissociation has implications for understanding individual regulation of health behaviors and for behavior change interventions.

Parental Self-Efficacy: Development Of A Measure To Reduce Children’S Contaminant Exposure, Lauren James

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Indoor environmental contaminants (ECs) such as lead, mold, mercury, radon, and bisphenol A (BPA) are prevalent in American homes and have dire consequences to children’s development, especially for children under six. To optimize the efficacy of programs aiming to prevent exposure to ECs, it is necessary to investigate parental factors that influence behavioral change. Parental self-efficacy is one such psychological construct which could help explain why and for whom an intervention is effective. The current study presents a measure developed to assess parental self-efficacy for preventing children from being exposed to ECs, the Parental Self-efficacy for Contaminant Exposure Prevention (PS-CEP). …

Interaction Between Helicobacter Pylori And Latent Toxoplasmosis And Demographic Variables On Cognitive Function In Young To Middle-Aged Adults, Bruce L. Brown, Shawn D. Gale, Lance D. Erickson, Dawson W. Hedges

Faculty Publications

Helicobacter pylori and latent toxoplasmosis are widespread diseases that have been associated with cognitive deficits and Alzheimer’s disease. We sought to determine whether interactions between Helicobacter pylori and latent toxoplasmosis, age, race-ethnicity, educational attainment, economic status, and general health predict cognitive function in young and middle-aged adults. To do so, we used multivariable regression and multivariate models to analyze data obtained from the United States’ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which can be weighted to represent the US population. In this sample, we found that 31.6 percent of women and 36.2 …

Acclimation, Adaptation, Traits And Trade-Offs In Plankton Functional Type Models: Reconciling Terminology For Biology And Modelling, Kevin J. Flynn, Michael St. John, John A. Raven, David O. F. Skibinski, J. Icarus Allen, Aditee Mitra, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

We propose definitions in terminology to enhance ongoing collaborations between biologists and modellers on plankton ecology. Organism "functional type" should refer to commonality in ecology not biogeochemistry; the latter is largely an emergent property of the former, while alignment with ecology is also consistent with usage in terrestrial science. Adaptation should be confined, as in genetics, to consideration of species inter-generational change; most so-called "adaptive" plankton models are thus acclimative, modifying vital rates in response to stimuli. Trait trade-off approaches should ideally only be considered for describing intra-generational interactions; in applications between generations, and certainly between unrelated species, such concepts …

Casitas: A Location-Dependent Ecological Trap For Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus Argus, Benjamin C. Gutzler, Mark J. Butler Iv, Donald C. Behringer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Casitas are artificial shelters used by fishers to aggregate Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) for ease of capture. However, casitas may function as an ecological trap for juvenile lobsters if they are attracted to casitas and their growth or mortality is poorer compared with natural shelters. We hypothesized that juvenile lobsters may be at particular risk if attracted to casitas because they are less able than larger individuals to defend themselves, and do not forage far from shelter. We compared the nutritional condition, relative mortality, and activity of lobsters of various sizes in casitas and natural shelters in adult and …

The Effect Of Parental Size On Spermatophore Production, Egg Quality, Fertilization Success, And Larval Characteristics In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus, Mark J. Butler Iv, Alison Macdiarmid, Gaya Gnanalingam

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The average size of spiny lobsters (Decapoda; Palinuridae) has decreased worldwide over the past few decades. Market forces coupled with minimum size limits compel fishers to target the largest individuals. Males are targeted disproportionately as a consequence of sexual dimorphism in spiny lobster size (i.e. males grow larger than females) and because of protections for ovigerous females. Therefore, overexploitation of males has led to sperm limitation in several decapod populations with serious repercussions for reproductive success. In the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, little is known about the effect of reduced male size on fertilization success or the role …

A Coxiella-Like Endosymbiont Is A Potential Vitamin Source For The Lone Star Tick, Todd A. Smith, Timothy Driscoll, Joseph J. Gillespie, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Amblyomma americanum (Lone star tick) is an important disease vector in the United States. It transmits several human pathogens, including the agents of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and southern tick-associated rash illness. Blood-feeding insects (Class Insecta) depend on bacterial endosymbionts to provide vitamins and cofactors that are scarce in blood. It is unclear how this deficiency is compensated in ticks (Class Arachnida) that feed exclusively on mammalian blood. A bacterium related to Coxiella burnetii, the agent of human Q fever, has been observed previously within cells of A. americanum. Eliminating this bacterium (CLEAA, Coxiella-like endosymbiont of A. americanum) with antibiotics …

Health Check: Analyzing Trends In West Michigan 2015, Grand Valley State University

Health Check: Analyzing Trends in West Michigan

No abstract provided.

Initial Plant Growth In Sand Mine Spoil Amended With Organic Materials, Todd A. Aschenbach, Mitchell Poling

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Sand dunes in the Great Lakes Basin are ecologically and economically important. One economic value of sand dunes is sand mining. However, sand mining activities reduce soil quality which represents an impediment to reclamation efforts. Soil quality improvements followed by revegetation may be necessary for successful reclamation. This study evaluates the germination and initial growth of two legume species, wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) and Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis), and two warm-season grass species, Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), in the presence of three soil amendments (coco peat, municipal …

Academic And Non-Academic Variables As Predictors Of Nclex-Rn Success Among Traditional Associate Degree Students At Southern Adventist University, Christine Moniyung

Dissertations

Problem

The School of Nursing at Southern Adventist University offers both Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in nursing degrees. A majority of the students who sit for the NCLEX-RN are associate of science in nursing graduates. The pass rate dropped from 94.9% in 2010 to 88.8% in 2011. The pass rate went up to 93.3% in 2012, but dropped again by almost 5% in the following year, and to an all-time low of 76.5% in 2014.

Unlike most AS nursing program student populations in the nation, the majority of SAU students are young and considered traditional-age college students. …

Attitude, Subjective Norm, And Perceived Behavioral Control As Indicators For Nurse Educators’ Intention To Use Critical Thinking Teaching Strategies: A Structural Equation Model Analysis, Angerlita Yolanda Smith

Dissertations

Problem

Deficiencies in new nursing graduates’ ability to use critical thinking skills have been documented. Researchers have found that the continued use of traditional teaching methods and less student-centered approaches for critical thinking development has contributed to this problem. This particular issue has evoked much concern for institutions and organizations involved with the safe delivery of patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) the relationship between the factors educator characteristics, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control in a hypothesized model that may influence nurse educators’ intention to use instructional methods that promote critical thinking in …

Metabolic Consequences Of Long-Term Rapamycin Exposure On Common Marmoset Monkeys (Callithrix Jacchus), Corinna N. Ross, A. Salmon, R. Strong, E. Fernandez, M. Javors, A. Richardson, S. Tardif

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Rapamycin has been shown to extend lifespan in rodent models, but the effects on metabolic health and function have been widely debated in both clinical and translational trials. Prior to rapamycin being used as a treatment to extend both lifespan and healthspan in the human population, it is vital to assess the side effects of the treatment on metabolic pathways in animal model systems, including a closely related non-human primate model. In this study, we found that long-term treatment of marmoset monkeys with orally-administered encapsulated rapamycin resulted in no overall effects on body weight and only a small decrease in …

The Practice Of Self-Care Among Counseling Students, Mary Mayorga, Sabina De Vries, Elizabeth Ann Wardle

Counseling and Guidance Faculty Publications (Archived)

Self-care behavior is recognized as an important component for the helping professional who practices in the field of counseling or who is training to become a helping professional. Occupational stress and burnout in the field of counseling is of great concern. This study examined the practice of self-care among master level counseling students to determine their present level of self-care behavior and its impact on their level of stress. A survey was conducted and the results indicated that lower levels of self-care increased levels of stress among master level counseling students.

Hiv Infrastructure Study Birmingham, Alabama, Susan S. Reif, Kristen Sullivan, Carolyn Mcallaster, Miriam Berger

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Sex And Mycorrhizal Fungi On Gas Exchange In The Dioecious Salt Marsh Grass Distichlis Spicata, Kassandra Reuss-Schmidt, Todd N. Rosenstiel, Sally R. Rogers, Allie G. Simpson, Sarah M. Eppley

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Premise of research. In dioecious plant species, males and females often differ in physiology, and mycorrhizal fungal relationships are likely to influence these differences. However, few data are available on the potential role of mycorrhizal fungi in altering sex-specific physiology and population sex ratios of dioecious plant species.

Methodology. In this study, we measured leaf gas exchange in a multifactorial greenhouse experiment with and without mycorrhizal fungal additions and under field conditions in Distichlis spicata, a dioecious C4 salt marsh grass, displaying extreme spatial sex ratio variation.

Pivotal results. We found a significant interaction between gas exchange, plant sex, and …

Equity By The Numbers: Measuring Poverty, Inequality, And Injustice, Matthew D. Adler

Faculty Scholarship

Can we measure inequity? Can we arrive at a number or numbers capturing the extent to which a given society is equitable or inequitable? Sometimes such questions are answered with a “no”: equity is a qualitative, non-numerical consideration.

This Article offers a different perspective. The difficulty with equity measurement is not the impossibility of quantification, but the overabundance of possible metrics. There currently exist at least four families of equity-measurement frameworks, used by scholars and, to some extent, governments: inequality metrics (such as the Gini coefficient), poverty metrics, social-gradient metrics (such as the concentration index), and equity-regarding social welfare functions. …