Digital Commons Network^™

Younger Residents Through The Looking Glass: Perceptions Of The Residential Experience Of Non-Traditionally Aged Residents Living In The Long Term Care Setting, Sara J. English

Theses and Dissertations

This embedded case study describes perceptions of the residential experience of non- traditionally aged persons (between the ages of 18-64), living in the Long Term Care (LTC) setting. Prior research identifies non-traditionally aged persons as the fastest growing group admitting to residential LTC care. Due to the complexity of need, younger residents may potentially languish in LTC for twenty, thirty, or more years. Non-traditionally aged residents currently comprise about 15% of the total residential LTC population; yet, little is known about this burgeoning group of younger persons, including how they perceive themselves as residents in LTC settings and how they …

Hiv Care Location: An Evaluation Of Single Versus Multi Facility Utilization Of Hiv/Aids Care Services And Patient Health Outcomes And Clinical Indicators In South Carolina, Melanie Gwynn

Theses and Dissertations

Background: On the HIV/AIDS care continuum, the “retention in care” metric does not distinguish between single-facility (SF) or multi-clinic utilization (MC), also described as HIV care location (or type). SF utilization is vital as it has been linked optimal clinical outcomes among People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). Published research detailing the prevalence of HIV care type and its association with health outcomes/clinical indicators, has been studied only in limited urban settings. Additionally, coinfections such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs), have yet to be evaluated as potential predictive factors for HIV care type.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used …

Susceptibility To Metabolic Disease And Individual Variations In Unfolded Protein Response In Deer Mice (Peromyscus Maniculatus), Amanda Rose Havighorst

Theses and Dissertations

The endoplasmic reticulum is the site where integral membrane and secreted proteins are synthesized and folded, and is also the site of synthesis of steroids, lipids, and other macromolecules. While ER is found in most cell types, hepatocytes in particular contain large amounts of both rough and smooth ER to facilitate their tasks, which include lipoprotein assembly and secretion, cholesterol biosynthesis, and lipid metabolism. As such, stress in the ER – and the cells’ ability to respond to it – plays a key role in disease pathogenesis. In particular, hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver, is linked to ER stress. However, …

Applying The Health Action Process Approach (Hapa) In Program Evaluation Of A Theory-Based Parental Hiv Disclosure Intervention Among Parents Living With Hiv (Plh) In China, Wendi Da

Theses and Dissertations

With prolonged lives thanks to antiretroviral therapy, parents living with HIV (PLH) face challenges regarding telling their HIV-positive status to children (i.e., parental HIV disclosure). With aims to assist PLH in making a well-planned and developmentally appropriate HIV disclosure to their uninfected children, a theory-driven intervention was conducted among 791 PLH with children aged between 6-15 years in Guangxi, China.

Guided by the stage model of the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), three critical disclosure stages were defined: 1) the pre-intention stage, in which people have not yet decided to disclose; 2) the intention stage, in which people have decided …

Mortality Assessment Of Paclitaxel-Coated Balloons: Patient-Level Meta-Analysis Of The Illumenate Clinical Program At 3 Years., William A Gray, Michael R Jaff, Sahil A Parikh, Gary M Ansel, Marianne Brodmann, Prakash Krishnan, Mahmood K Razavi, Frank Vermassen, Thomas Zeller, Roseann White, Kenneth Ouriel, Mark A Adelman, Sean P Lyden

Heart and Vascular Articles

BACKGROUND: A recent summary-level meta-analysis comprising randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of femoropopliteal paclitaxel-coated balloon and stent intervention identified excess late mortality in the paclitaxel-treated patients.

METHODS: We evaluated the safety of the Stellarex drug-coated balloon (DCB) for femoropopliteal artery disease with an independently performed meta-analysis of patient-level data from all patients in the Stellarex femoropopliteal clinical program. To compare mortality after DCB or uncoated percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), we aggregated data from 2 RCTs comprising 419 patients treated with DCB and 170 patients treated with PTA. In an additional analysis, data were aggregated from 6 poolable Stellarex DCB studies (2 …

Youth Design The Future Of Transportation For Their Community, Christian Wandeler, Steven Hart, Felipe Mercado

Mineta Transportation Institute

The complexity of a globalized world, accelerating technological advances, and rapid change challenge educational systems. Around the world the call is to develop 21st century skills with a focus on career readiness, ability for lifelong learning, and collaboration skills. The development of the foundational elements of civic engagement (civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions) of children and youth is also a dominant concern for educators and policymakers. Unfortunately, not all youth have the same opportunities to develop civic self-efficacy. However, the civic empowerment engagement gap can be closed by providing underserved students with interactive and authentic civic experiences.

We strove to …

Std Education Among African American Women: An Educational Improvement Initiative, Marqueta V. Abraham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research reveals there is a knowledge gap facing African American women regarding sexual health education, specifically sexually transmitted diseases. The Sexually Transmitted Disease Knowledge Questionnaire (STD-KQ) was used to assess participants’ knowledge and attitudes regarding sexually transmitted diseases. The STD-KQ self-assessment was administered to African American women and utilized to develop a 45-minute education seminar to bridge the knowledge gap. After an education seminar was held, a posttest was administered to test the women’s knowledge and to determine their level of awareness. Using a paired-samples t test, the researcher found an overall increase in awareness of the types of sexually …

Health Care Access By Weight Status In The State Of Georgia, Elizabeth Pullekines, Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Obesity continues to grow in prevalence in the United States and within the state of Georgia. Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic and preventable diseases. As such, obese individuals have higher demand for health care services than non-obese individuals. In addition, the health care system can play a role in preventing obesity and other conditions caused by obesity.

Methods: This research follows the established positive relationship between health care use and access to health care services through insurance coverage. The paper analyzes how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affected insurance coverage and access to health care services …

88th Annual Georgia Public Health Association Meeting & Conference Report, Colin K. Smith, Regina Abbott, Eleanora Zhilyak, Christy Sims

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

The 88th Annual Meeting of the Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA) was held in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 11-12, 2017, with pre-conference (April 10th) and post-conference (April 12th) Executive Board meetings. As Georgia’s leading forum for public health researchers, practitioners, and students, the annual meeting of the GPHA brings together participants from across the state to explore recent developments in the field and to exchange techniques, tools, and experiences. In recent years the venue for the GPHA annual conference has been Atlanta, but in an effort to expand participation across the state the 2018 GPHA Annual Meeting and Conference is …

The Relationship Between Per Capita Income, Uninsured Rates, And Cardiovascular Mortality In Georgia Between 1994 – 2016, Monique Bethel, Mark A. Thompson, Adam E. Berman

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The association between cardiovascular mortality, per capita income and uninsured rates in Georgia have not been well described.

Methods: Cardiovascular mortality rates, per capita income and uninsured rates were obtained for the years 1994-2016, and their relationships were analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistical techniques.

Results: In bivariate analysis, a strong inverse relationship between cardiovascular mortality and per capita income (r = -0.917, p < 0.0001) was detected, while bivariate analysis detected no relationship between cardiovascular mortality and uninsured rates. Both per capita income and uninsured rates were negative predictors of cardiovascular mortality in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: Per capita income increases in Georgia were strongly correlated with reductions in cardiovascular mortality. While there was not a linear correlation of healthcare coverage status and cardiovascular mortality, it demonstrated a protective effect in …

The Impact Of Maternal Literacy Skills On Child Weight In Mozambique, Ashley Watson, Shannon Self-Brown, Iris Feinberg, Whitney Rostad

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Infant mortality is a serious public health problem. One factor that is strongly associated with infant mortality is low weight in children. The percentage of underweight children under the age of five in Mozambique was 16% in 2012. In order to reduce the number of underweight children in this country, contributing caregiver characteristics of this problem should be investigated. One potentially relevant characteristic is maternal literacy, which has been under investigated. Objective: This study aims to determine whether maternal literacy affected the weight and body-mass-index (BMI) of children ages 0 to 3 years old in Mozambique.

Methodology: A cross-sectional …

Ethical Approaches To Mandating Influenza Vaccinations For Local Health Department Workforce In Georgia, Melicent R. Miller, Maureen K. Akubu-Odero, Lashauna L. Hunt, Stephanie L. Irvin, Catherine T. Palmer, William A. Mase

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The seasonal influenza illness occurs every year in the United States during the cooler months from October to April, sometimes lasting longer. Although certain populations are more susceptible to this condition, data have shown that otherwise healthy individuals have experienced alarming rates of morbidity and mortality associated with these infections. Despite the CDC’s recommendation for influenza vaccination for all HCWs, compliance have been lagging among local health departments’ workforce. This practice arguably exposes a wide cross section of the U.S. population to the flu, while being served in these facilities. The utilitarian approach provides a framework to examine the …

The Impact And Outcomes Of Integrating Health Literacy Education Into Adult Basic Education Programs In Boston, Lorna Rivera, Marcia Hohn

Gastón Institute Publications

Background: Adult basic education (ABE) is the national system that offers educational services in English language development, reading, writing, math, technology, and communications to adults with low literacy, limited English, or both. These services range from basic levels to high school equivalency, with specialty programs in transition to community colleges and family literacy. Objective: This study sought to analyze the role of ABE in increasing health literacy among low literate and limited English populations and to identify effective models for teaching and learning about health in this setting.

Methods: During a 2-year period, 90 students from three ABE programs in …

A Need For Patient-Friendly Language For Those With Low Health Literacy In Advanced Care Planning, Denisha Allicock, Addison Mickens, Tilicia Mayo-Gamble

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Work published by Georgia Southern University Press.

Mixed-Dish Recognition With Contextual Relation Networks, Lixi Deng, Jingjing Chen, Qianru Sun, Xiangnan He, Sheng Tang, Zhaoyan Ming, Yongdong Zhang, Tat-Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Mixed dish is a food category that contains different dishes mixed in one plate, and is popular in Eastern and Southeast Asia. Recognizing individual dishes in a mixed dish image is important for health related applications, e.g. calculating the nutrition values. However, most existing methods that focus on single dish classification are not applicable to mixed-dish recognition. The new challenge in recognizing mixed-dish images are the complex ingredient combination and severe overlap among different dishes. In order to tackle these problems, we propose a novel approach called contextual relation networks (CR-Nets) that encodes the implicit and explicit contextual relations among …

Pubh 9231 – Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Jian Zhang

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course is designed to introduce the student to the ever-expanding area of chronic disease epidemiology. Students will be introduced to the current status of chronic disease and control programs, methods used in chronic disease surveillance, intervention methods, and modifiable risk factors. Some of the major chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes and arthritis will be discussed in detail. Pathophysiology and clinical features of common chronic conditions will also be presented.

Chbe 9335 A – Global Health And Preparedness, Andrew Hansen

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course will focus on global public health and preparedness for domestic and global emergencies. Students will explore patterns of health and disease around the world, and compare them to public health issues in the United States. An ecological framework will be employed to illustrate the complex political, social, economic, and environmental determinants of global health inequity. Concepts from the social sciences, epidemiology, health systems, and policymaking will be incorporated. The course will emphasize issues related to humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters both globally and domestically, and the need to build public health infrastructure and preparedness to mitigate them.

Pubh 3431 – Introduction To Global Health, Kristina Harbaugh

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces the broad and growing field of global health. The course will discuss how health and illness is defined and explore the biological, cultural, social, and political forces that influence health at the global level. This is a survey course that will explore such topics as: comparative health systems, social determinants of health, health services and quality, healthcare policy, key stakeholders, and major global health initiatives. Throughout the course, an emphasis is placed on global health ethics and issues of social justice. 3 credits (3-0-3)

Pubh 3431- Introduction To Global Health, Atin Adhikari

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces you to a comprehensive and growing field of global health. The course will introduce students to the essentials of global health in well-structured, clear and easy to understand ways. This is a survey course that will focus broadly on five questions: What do people get sick, disabled and die from; why do they suffer from these conditions? Which people are most affected? Why should we care about such concerns? What can be done to address key health issues, hopefully at least cost, as fast as possible, and in sustainable ways? The course will be global in coverage …

Use Of Machine Learning Algorithms For Prediction Of Fetal Risk Using Cardiotocographic Data, Zahra Hoodbhoy, Mohammad Noman, Ayesha Shafique, Ali Nasim, Devyani Chowdhury, Babar Hasan

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: A major contributor to under-five mortality is the death of children in the 1^st month of life. Intrapartum complications are one of the major causes of perinatal mortality. Fetal cardiotocograph (CTGs) can be used as a monitoring tool to identify high-risk women during labor.
Aim: The objective of this study was to study the precision of machine learning algorithm techniques on CTG data in identifying high-risk fetuses.
Methods: CTG data of 2126 pregnant women were obtained from the University of California Irvine Machine Learning Repository. Ten different machine learning classification models were trained using CTG data. Sensitivity, precision, …

Medical Specialty Camps: A Holistic Approach To Assist In The Management Of Diabetes, Takeyra Monique Collins

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

From toddlers to adolescents, poor medical regimen and adherence occurs as youth face adversities caused by type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). This inquiry-based research sought to explore the process of promoting resilience to attain personal diabetes management through outcome-focused programming. This dissertation was structured in a three-paper format to highlight three sectors of a medical specialty camp to identify the significance of building resilience among youth with T1DM, incorporating family support, and providing service-learning opportunities for students. The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts associated with campers’ resilience from pre- to post-camp based on their participation in …

Effects Of Argumentation Prompts On Alternative Positions In Ill-Structured Problem-Solving, Chrysoula Malogianni

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Little is known about the role of prompts to help learners solve ill-structured learning problems. Instructors do not devote adequate time to formulate pedagogically useful prompts, and the usefulness of different types of prompt is unclear. The question of whether prompt variation can generate superior argumentative depth has not been resolved. This mixed-methods study, using quantitative and qualitative data collected from 32 students, examined the role of argumentative prompts in the writing of essays based on business case studies. The research questions were: Is there a significant relationship between the type of argumentative prompt and argumentative depth? Is there a …

Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation Reactions Of Lipids, Alexander Asiedu

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of lipids was investigated using 2-propanol as hydrogen donor for producing liquid hydrocarbons, e.g. jet fuels. The main sources of lipids selected in this study were waste cooking oil (WCO) and oil-laden algae-derived biofuel intermediate (BI). Two different catalysts were employed in this study, namely activated carbon and trimetallic-doped zeolite.

The CTH reaction was between WCO and 2-propanol in a continuous flow reactor over a packed-bed activated carbon at near atmospheric pressure. Results revealed a high level of alkenes and aromatics compounds, which are not stable and are not environmentally unfriendly. To reduce these compounds in …

Examine Predictors Of Bmi Classification And Perception Of Overweght Status Of Caregivers Of Preschool Children, Beth H. Chopp

Health Services Research Dissertations

Since the 1970’s the rate of childhood obesity in the United States has tripled and now one in five school-aged children is obese (Ogden et al., 2016). The childhood obesity epidemic will have medical, social, economic implications for future generations. Risk factors for childhood obesity include genetics, food intake, and physical activity, maternal health during pregnancy, parental weight, maternal employment and sociodemographic influences. This study examined the relationship between caregiver misperception of their preschoolers’ overweight/obese weight status and possible predictors that may assist in future interventions. The study evaluated NHANES data of 1245 caregivers with a child under age five …

Global Conservation Status And Threat Patterns Of The World’S Most Prominent Forage Fishes (Teleostei, Clupeiformes), Tiffany L. Birge

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Conserving biodiversity is one of the greatest ethical responsibilities and challenges humans face. Understanding the conservation status of taxonomic groups provides a systematic way to prioritize efforts to combat biodiversity loss. The 405 species within the order Clupeiformes are the herrings, shads, sardines, anchovies, menhadens and relatives that include many of the most important marine forage fishes. These small, schooling fishes are economically, ecologically and culturally significant globally. Despite their contribution to global fisheries and our increasing reliance on these fishes for food and industrial commodities, they are generally poorly known with limited information regarding basic biology and population trends. …

Strengthening Wellness For Food Insecure Students: Altruism, Spirituality, And Academic Performance, Bridget Weikel

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Strengthening Wellness for Food Insecure Students; Altruism, Spirituality and Academic Performance is a quantitative methods study using a mediated analysis with structural equation modeling to test the extent to which wellness dimensions mediate the relationship between food insecurity and student grade point average. Student food insecurity is a growing concern at higher education institutions across the United States (Cady, 2014; Goldrick-Rab & Cook, 2011; Maroto, Snelling & Linck, 2015) with food insecurity rates ranging from 14% to 59% in recent studies (Freudenberg, Manzo, Jones, Kwan, Tsui & Gagnon, 2011; Patton-Lopez, Lopez-Cevallos, Cancel-Tirado & Vazquez, 2014). This phenomenon on college campuses …

Jicama In The Garden, Michael Greenland, Dan Drost

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes Jicama and includes recommended varieties, how to grow it in the garden, problems, insects and weeds, nutrition, harvest, and storage.

High Tunnel Strawberry Production For Late Fall Harvest, Tiffany Maughan, Brent Black, Daniel Rowley

All Current Publications

Utah State University Extension researchers have developed two systems for high tunnel strawberry production. This fact sheet details an early spring-planted, fall-harvested system.

Engaging Residents In Participatory Photomapping And Readiness Conversations To Address The Rural Obesogenic Context, Kirstin D. Jensen, Kathee Tifft, Tammy Winfield, Kathy Gunter, Grace Goc Karp, Deborah H. John

Journal of Extension

Extension engaged rural Idaho community stakeholders to assess local resources and readiness to address obesogenic contexts through use of the Extension tool HEAL MAPPS. Through participatory photomapping, focus group involvement, and a community readiness conversation, residents identified environmental resources and local efforts as supports for and barriers to healthful eating and active living. Findings indicated that the community was "vaguely aware" that rural obesity risk is a socioenvironmentally determined issue. Extension professionals using HEAL MAPPS effectively promoted new and shared knowledge of weight health resources among community members, enabled rural residents to have a voice in addressing the community context, …

Mississippi Residents' Perceptions Of Extension, Quisto Settle, Mckayla Brubaker, Alisha Hardman, Laura Downey

Journal of Extension

A representative sample of Mississippi residents were asked about their knowledge and perceptions of the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service through an online questionnaire. About half of the respondents were aware of MSU Extension, but fewer than one fifth had used MSU Extension resources. Respondents who were aware of MSU Extension had generally positive perceptions of MSU Extension's characteristics and believed those characteristics to be important. Like previous empirical and anecdotal evidence, these results support continued characterization of Extension as a "best-kept secret." There is a clear need to improve awareness of Extension and the resources it makes available …