Digital Commons Network^™

Zoo Education Efficacy In The Context Of The Modern-Day Zoo: A Study Of Aza-Accredited Zoos And Education Models, Taylor L. Ruscitti

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Zoos have become a built-in component of society and play many roles. One of the roles includes being facilitators of education. Education serves to increase the positive public perception of zoos and works to continue to gain funds and support for a zoo’s overall purpose. Through a literature review and analysis, this thesis explores the modern-day context of zoos and analyzes how education can drive the zoo’s mission. The focus will be on Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) accredited zoos. While many other facilities that house an array of animals, AZA …

Doctors & Diets: The Return Of Nutrition To American Medical Education, Luke Hollingsworth

Senior Theses

The purpose of this honors graduation thesis is to analyze the role of nutrition in the prevention, management, and treatment of chronic diseases and to argue that clinical nutrition should be reintegrated into American medical education as a high priority subject. The thesis begins with a historical review of clinical nutrition beginning in the fifth century B.C. with Hippocrates in Classical Greece and ending in 21st century America. Following the historical review, five of some of the most prevalent chronic diseases in America are examined through a nutritional lens. This thesis concludes with a discussion of the outlook of American …

Standardizing Naturalistic Teaching Opportunities For Problem-Based Learning In Diabetes Education: A Quality Improvement Project, Austin Mccaslin

DNP Projects

Significance and Background:

Poor diabetes management is linked to serious long and short-term health complications. Despite this, medication adherence is a significant problem in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Management is further complicated by low socioeconomic status, even when mitigated by free healthcare, highlighting health literacy as a culprit of disparities. Evidence shows that a common barrier for adolescents is proficiency in dose determination. Carbohydrate counting is an integral skill, necessary for attaining glycemic control. At a homecare agency serving adolescents with poorly controlled diabetes by providing oversight of medication administration and education, it was noted that patients continued to …

A Phenomenological Study Examining The Experiences Of Single Parents Who Are Rearing Elementary-Aged Children Enrolled In A Public School In A Rural Community, Jenine Lavonne Cotman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of single parents who are rearing elementary-aged children enrolled in a public school in a rural community. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development was used to guide this study. Vygotsky’s theory focuses on cognitive development being fundamentally framed by social interaction. Vygotsky also believed that cognitive development is strengthened when a child is encouraged to learn within their zone of proximal development, which refers to a person’s current cognitive space that can be further developed with social interaction and help from a teacher, peer, or parent. …

Obesity And Overweight Among Children And Adolescents In The Light Of Health Education Principles, Adam Wiek, Katarzyna Tkacz, Waclaw Mozolewski, Malgorzata E. Kusmierczyk, Sylwester Rybaczek

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Pedagogical and educational institutions play an important role in health education. The proposed systemic principles should account for biological, environmental and cultural factors that determine the health of children and adolescents. Young people’s individual needs should constitute the framework of educational policy in the prevention of obesity and overweight. An analysis of health education practice in the Polish educational system indicates that the adopted measures, their practical applications and educational goals are adequate. Despite the above, the proposed systemic solutions are not always deployed or correctly implemented by the responsible institutions at various levels of local or social governance. The …

Athletics Training Programme For Children Studying In Sports Schools In Poland, Marek Fostiak, Tomasz Frolowicz, Malgorzata Pogorzelska, Joanna Klonowska

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

The resolution of any dilemmas related to the implementation of the curriculum must take into account its objectives, generally speaking, developing the readiness of students to participate independently in health-motivated, sporting and aesthetically-motivated physical activity and to take health promoting measures. This article describes the assumptions of the original modular physical education programme for the first stage of education in the aspect of track and field. The physical education programme was designed for use in classes where the number of hours of compulsory physical education classes has been extended or for work with students with special physical abilities.

Educating Elementary Students About Nutrition: An After-School Club Curriculum, Morgan Gurwell

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This creative project was created to serve as a 10-week afterschool club curriculum for 3rd-5th graders to teach them about nutrition and healthy eating patterns. The goal of the program is to help kids establish a foundation for healthy eating that they can utilize throughout their lives, potentially reducing their risk of developing chronic diseases as an adult. Information presented during the program is a representation of the key components of the USDA MyPlate and the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The curriculum aims to teach these concepts by breaking down the different food groups, reading nutrition facts labels, and …

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Pakistan Case Study, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi, Maqsood Sadiq, Fatima Azeem, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a case study conducted to assess the gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures on adolescent girls and boys in three districts in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. Data as well as discussions and interviews with adolescents, teachers, and parents shed light on difficulties in accessing and adjusting to remote learning, learning loss, deterioration of behaviors and health, and other effects. Based on these findings and further reflections by stakeholders on the successes and gaps of mitigation measures, the case study proposes recommendations for improved teacher training, digital access, alternative learning options, and a gendered focus in …

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Bangladesh Case Study, Eashita Haque, Natalie Wyss, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a recent study on the impacts of COVID-19 school closures in rural communities in Bangladesh. It clarifies issues of remote learning access, management, and monitoring, as well as new strains on students’ time use. It also reveals general impacts on mental and physical health, economic status, as well as gendered effects including child marriage. Based on evaluations of mitigation measures, recommendations for comprehensive policies, provision of technical, financial, and social support, and improvements in education systems emerged.

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: India Case Study, Neelanjana Pandey, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Shilpi Rampal, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a case study that assessed the gendered impact of COVID-19 school closures on education, health, well-being, and protection of adolescents in India. Based on surveys and interviews in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, findings point to the digital divide for girls as well as shared barriers to effective remote learning. Informed by the evidence, the study presents recommendations to scale up efforts to improve remote learning, reduce digital divide and strengthen teacher support, with a particular attention to addressing gendered differences.

“It Just Seems Like People Are Talking About Menopause, But Nobody Has A Solution”: A Qualitative Exploration Of Menopause Experiences And Preferences For Weight Management Among Black Women, Chelsea L. Kracht, Jessica St Romain, Julie C. Hardee, Nanette Santoro, Leanne M. Redman, Kara L. Marlatt

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Objectives: A qualitative study was performed to characterize experiences of women going through menopause, as well as to identify barriers and facilitators for participating in a lifestyle program targeting weight management during menopause. Study Design: Perimenopausal and postmenopausal Black women with a self-reported desire to lose or maintain weight during menopause participated in a total of six focus groups. Main Outcome Measures: Women were asked about their past experiences with diet, exercise, and weight management; their menopause experiences; as well as specific components and considerations for developing a lifestyle program for weight management. Thematic analysis was conducted on coded transcripts …

Applying Artificial Neural-Network Model To Predict Psychiatric Symptoms, Elaheh Allahyari, Narges Roustaei

BioMedicine

Introduction: Mental disorders result in mental disabilities and discomfort in the affected person as they affect both thinking and behavior. Therefore, more vulnerable people must first be identified to improve the psychological level of society.

Aim: This study aims to determine the importance of gender, employment, education, place of residence, and age in predicting mental disorders using artificial neural network modeling.

Methods: The pattern held between variables in this study will be identified using multilayer feed-forward back-propagation neural networks with five inputs and 10 outputs. To determine the neural network with the least sum of square errors, we evaluated the …

'Analogy-Based Comprehensive Diabetes Education' (Abcde) Improves Glycemic Control Of Diabetic Patients In An Underserved Population: Results Of A Retrospective Chart Analysis, Rajagopal V Sekhar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Diabetes is the leading global cause for blindness, kidney failure and amputations. Preventing these complications requires optimal glycemic control, and it is imperative that diabetic patients understand the fundamental concepts of diabetes care. Although patients attend formal diabetes education classes, many do not comprehend basic concepts of diabetes, and are often noncompliant with diet, exercise and medications. A novel approach termed 'analogy-based comprehensive diabetes education' (ABCDE) was developed to educate HIV-patients with diabetes about basic concepts of diabetes care. The object of this manuscript is to report the results of a retrospective chart review on the impact of ABCDE on …

Effectively Reaching The Equine Community In Kentucky, S. L. Musen, Krista L. Lea, S. Ray Smith, R. J. Coleman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Since 2009, Extension Specialists and County Extension Agents from the University of Kentucky in the Southeast United States have conducted an annual educational event; the Kentucky Equine Farm and Facilities Expo field-day. These annual field-days have provided practical, hands-on demonstrations and seminars for 135-250 members of the equine community per event. Participants have been a mix of horse owners in relation to farm size, number of horses and business vs. recreation. Many participants have not been previous consumers of Extension educational programming. One of the major draws of the Farm and Facility Expo field days has been the host sites, …

Indigenous Mexicans In New York City: Immigrant Integration, Language Use, And Identity Formation, Leslie A. Martino-Velez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As indigenous Mexican immigrants migrate, settle, and raise families in the United States, parents, particularly women, and their children increasingly have contact with community institutions, such as schools. Despite their growing numbers in U.S. schools, indigenous children, youth, and their parents are often invisible due to their ethnolinguistic identities and undocumented status. Understanding what parents do to help their children is essential to understanding the first generation's integration and their children, the second generation.

To better understand this, I conducted an ethnographic research study at a bilingual Head Start program in New York City, in East Harlem, where many undocumented …

Diabetic Care Pathway, Shalini Bansal, Kayla Brockmeyer, Nick Kieran

Physician Executive Leadership-Plus (PEL-Plus)

Presentation Outline

• The Impact of Diabetes
• Problem Statement
• Solution
• Looking to the Future

Fluid State And Diet Control In Patients With Acute Kidney Injury On Hemodialysis, Carolyn Evans-Howard

Master of Science in Nursing Theses and Projects

Prolonged hospitalization, high number of readmissions, and high mortality rates are associated with patients diagnosed with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). The purpose of this quality improvement proposal is to address the need for more education for nurses caring for these patients. If the kidneys shut down temporarily due to acute illness or medication taken, fluid and toxins will build up in the body with no way of being released. It is proposed that if dietary and fluid restrictions are followed it may help the patient recover faster. The method proposed is to have nurses learn the necessary dietary and fluid …

Antenatal Pelvic Floor Education: A Review Of The Midwifery Role In Promoting Pelvic Floor Health, Hannah L. Shir

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Nurse-midwives care for women from puberty until the end of life. As primary care providers, they are “with women” to help them reach optimal well-being, including pelvic floor outcomes. Pelvic floor health is important not only during menopause and aging but also throughout pregnancy and childbirth. This review examined the impact that prenatal education or training on pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) had on women’s pelvic floors. Methods: An integrative review was conducted after searching CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus on the terms antenatal, pregnancy, prenatal, education, attitudes, knowledge, and pelvic floor. Original works from 2015–2022 examining the effects of …

Elementary Schools’ Response To Student Wellness Needs During The Covid-19 Shutdown: A Qualitative Exploration Using The R = Mc2 Readiness Heuristic, Hannah G. Calvert, Hannah G. Lane, Michaela Mcquilkin, Julianne A. Wenner, Lindsey Turner

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2022

During spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying public health advisories forced K-12 schools throughout the United States to suspend in-person instruction. School personnel rapidly transitioned to remote provision of academic instruction and wellness services such as school meals and counseling services. The aim of this study was to investigate how schools responded to the transition to remote supports, including assessment of what readiness characteristics schools leveraged or developed to facilitate those transitions. Semi-structured interviews informed by school wellness implementation literature were conducted in the spring of 2020. Personnel (n = 50) from 39 urban and rural elementary …

Sex Differences In The Association Of Sibship Size And Position In Sibship With Lipid Profile During Adolescence: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ali H. Ziyab, Mohammad Almari, Anwar Mohammad, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Wilfried Karmaus

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background. Epidemiologic studies have reported associations of sibship size and position of the child in the sibship with multiple health outcomes, including adiposity and diabetes. However, little is known about sibling effects on lipids. Hence, this study sought to evaluate associations of the number of total, older, and younger siblings with lipid profile among adolescents. Methods. In a cross-sectional study among high school students aged 14 to 19 years, lipid levels were measured in capillary blood. Parents reported the number of siblings (total, older, and younger). Geometric means of lipids were calculated, and linear regression was used to estimate the …

Nursing Education For Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections In Intensive Care Units, Carren Sandra Mullings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) are the most acquired hospital infection in the United States. CLABSI is caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream through a central line. In the United States, CLABSI has a mortality rate of 18%, and every year 250,000 people are infected. Of these, 30,000 patients die due to CLABSI infections, hospital stays are prolonged, and hospital costs are increased. Patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) are more exposed to CLABSI because of procedures that break tissues and skin, such as the insertion of a central line. A gap in practice was identified …

Gestational Weight Gain, Level Of Education, And Infant Mortality Among African American Women, George Lee Amanambu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

African American (AA) women in Mississippi have a higher burden of infant mortality, especially those with low income and educational levels, as compared to other regions of the country. However, it is unknown if abnormal gestation weight gain (GWG) is contributing to this increased burden. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined the association between GWG (25-35lbs), level of education, income, and infant mortality among AA women with normal prepregnancy body weight who were between 30 to 47 years old in the state of Mississippi from 2016 to 2018. Biopsychosocial and ecosocial models were used as the theoretical foundation to design …

Values In Early Childhood Education (Ece): A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study Of Values For Ece Expressed In Policy Documents, Jolene Pearson, Arve Gunnestad, Sissel Mørreaunet, Sobh Chahboun

Education Faculty Publications

Purpose

This comparative study identifies core values expressed in Early Childhood Education (ECE) official policy documents from a sample of thirteen countries.

Design/Approach/Methods

This study employs document analysis as well as content and thematic analysis. ECE values identified in the policy documents are categorized into three groups: political and society-related values, educational values, and individual and relational values.

Findings

Document analysis reveals the values that are common across countries and those that are more specific to just one or a few countries at most. This study discusses the characteristics of these values from the perspective of globalization. In doing so, …

Agroecology Curriculum Proposal, Emily Kuhn

Pitzer Senior Theses

The purpose of this research is to establish the viability of an Agroecology major at Pitzer College. I begin by problematizing Industrial Agriculture and making a case for Pitzer College to become a higher education leader in the global paradigm shift towards socially and ecologically just food systems. The proposed curriculum compiles pre-existing classes, objectives expanded from the EA field group, and an internship component embedded at five local land-based learning partner sites. I conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the Environmental Analysis field group as a potential host for the agroecology track, including study abroad …

Effect Of Living Arrangements On Cognitive Function In Chinese Elders: A Longitudinal Observational Study, Yanwei Lin, Qi Zhang, Tingxian Wang, Zhirong Zeng

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objective To examine how living arrangement as a social contextual factor can affect Chinese elders’ cognitive function.

Setting and participants Our sample consists of 2486 Chinese elders from two waves (2014 and 2018) of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) that was administered in 22 of China’s 31 provinces using a multi-stage, disproportionate, purposive random sampling method. The CLHLS aims to better understand the determinants of healthy longevity in China and collects extensive data on a large population of fragile elders aged 80–112 in China.

Outcome measures Cognitive function was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Living arrangement …

A Preoperative Intervention To Improve Glycemic Control In Surgical Patients With Diabetes, Kelsey L. Boyd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Perioperative hyperglycemia is reported in 20-40% of patients undergoing general surgery and is an independent risk factor for negative surgical outcomes. Patients with diabetes presenting to a local community hospital are at risk for negative surgical outcomes due to the lack of strategies to prevent perioperative hyperglycemia. This project aimed to implement and evaluate the usefulness of succinct diabetes education for preoperative total joint surgical patients with diabetes. The intervention was a nurse-led, face-to-face diabetes education session provided to total joint surgical patients with diabetes during a preoperative evaluation appointment, compared to usual care (no preoperative diabetes education). This project …

Self-Care: An Occupational Therapy Student Perspective, Isabelle Laposha, Stacy Smallfield

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Health professional students, including occupational therapy students, report increasing rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout while completing their academic programs of study. Self-care is one potential solution to this crisis, as engagement in evidence-based self-care practices has been found to improve the health and well-being of various student populations; however, the self-care practices of occupational therapy students have not been well studied. Therefore, this study explored how occupational therapy students understand and practice self-care, and how self-care correlates to perceived stress. Twenty participants engaged in a focus group and completed a 72-hour time diary. Focus group results indicated that …

Kids Count State Of The Child 2021, Tennessee. Commission On Children & Youth.

The State of the Child in Tennessee

No abstract provided.

What Works To Improve Outcomes For Kenya’S Adolescent Girls?, Population Council

Adolescents and Young People

The Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya is a study that evaluates the long-term impact of a multi-sectoral intervention targeted at adolescent girls aged 11 to 15 years from Kibera and rural Wajir. The intervention consisted of four different components: a community-based violence prevention program, an education conditional cash transfer (CCT), health-focused girls' empowerment clubs, and wealth creation for girls via financial education and savings activities. This brief looks at the impact of the two-year program in Wajir County four years after it ended.

Covid-19 And Advanced Course Enrollment: Kentucky High Schools, Jessica Thomas

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In Kentucky governments, districts, and schools made decisions about school closures and mode of learning that would impact community health as well as student achievement. Within those schools, students themselves were also making decisions that could impact their futures academically. In spring 2020, students were choosing their courses for the following year. Vast uncertainty about what the 2020/2021 school year would look like had the potential to impact those decisions. Disruptions to spring 2020 classes could also impact whether a student felt they had learned the prerequisite skills needed to pursue advanced coursework. This study found that advanced course enrollment …