Digital Commons Network^™

Digital Research Cycles: How Attitudes Toward Content, Culture And Technology Affect Web Development., Edward Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been estimated that one third of the world's population does not have access to "adequate" health care. Some 1.6 billion people live in countries experiencing "concentrated" acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemics. Many countries in Africa--and other low-income countries--are in dire need of help providing adequate health care services to their citizens. They require more hands-on care from Western health workers--and training so more African health workers can eventually care for their own citizens. But these countries also need assistance acquiring and implementing both texts--the body of medical information potentially available to them--and technology--the means by which that …

A Garden-Based Nutrition Education Summer Program Positively Impacts The Fruit And Vegetable Preferences Of Inner-City High School Students, Emily K. Neustrom

LSU Master's Theses

Americans, especially low-income citizens, do not meet the daily USDA recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption. Low fruit and vegetable intake can be associated with several types of chronic diseases. The dietary patterns established at a young age often carry into adulthood, hence the need for nutrition education beginning in youth. Studies have shown that nutrition education coupled with a gardening program can impact youth's nutrition choices and snack preferences. The Summer Experience was an eight-week garden-based nutrition education program designed to teach gardening, cooking, nutrition, business and life skills for inner-city high school students in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The …

Claims Of Mistaken Identity: An Examination Of U.S. Television Food Commercials And The Adult Obesity Issue, Cristina Delgado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is one of the major public health issues in the United States, often regarded as part of a global crisis. Companies invest billions of dollars each year towards television advertising campaigns aimed at convincing audiences how their ground-breaking discovery 'battles the bulge' or somehow offers an increased health benefit. This study examined how advertisers presented health-related claims, including health and nutrient-content claims, in U.S. adult-targeted television food commercials. The claims were compared to FTC, FDA, and USDA laws, regulations, and recommendations. A content analysis of food advertising was conducted of commercials from major and cable network programs broadcast during …

The Role Of The Internet As A Tool To Aid In U.S. Adult Consumers' Weight Loss, Jaclyn Kirby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on ways the Internet can positively influence and educate U.S. Americans to become healthier and eventually lose weight. Throughout the past 30 years, the percentage of overweight and obese adults in the U.S. has increased immensely, resulting in a nationwide epidemic (American Association for Public Opinion Research, 2006; Center for Disease Control, 2006; Goodman, 2005; The Obesity Society, 2008). The research question for this thesis is the following: What are the perceptions of U.S. adult consumers regarding the positive influence the Internet has on weight loss? In order to determine the influence of the Internet on U.S. …

The Influence Of Socioeconomic And Environmental Determinants On Health And Obesity: A West Virginia Case Study, Anura Amarasinghe, Gerard D'Souza, Cheryl Brown, Hyungna Oh, Tatiana Borisova

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

A recursive system of ordered self assessed health together with BRFSS data were used to investigate health and obesity in the Appalachian state of West Virginia. Implications of unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity of lifestyle outcomes on health were investigated. Obesity was found to be an endogenous lifestyle outcome associated with impaired health status. Risk of obesity is found to increase at a decreasing rate with per capita income and age. Intervention measures which stimulate human capital development, diet-disease knowledge and careful land use planning may improve health and obesity outcomes in Appalachia in particular and rural America in general.

Project L.E.A.N.: An After-School Health And Exercise Project For Elementary School Children In El Paso, Texas, Hendrik De Heer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: After-school activities provide valuable opportunities for health promotion activities that do not interfere with the regular school day, especially in minority populations with higher rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The current study is an evaluation of an after-school health education and physical activity program conducted in nine elementary schools in 2008 in El Paso, Texas. METHODS: The intervention consisted of a 10-12 week (twice a week) after school program consisting of a pilot (with two experimental schools) and main intervention (six schools each including a control and experimental group). The main outcome variables were Body Mass Index, …

Supporting Lactation: Beyond Nutrition, Desiree' M. Bertilrud

Theses and Graduate Projects

Breastfeeding provides nutritional, health, immunological, psychological, economical and environmental benefits. Despite the abundance of scientific evidence and public health campaigns, the United States fails to meet national goals for breast feeding rates. Numerous barriers to lactation are identified and explored. However, by far, returning to work has the greatest impact on the duration of breastfeeding. Employers and organizations who support breastfeeding are the recipients of a multitude of benefits. The purpose of this project is to identify the strategic steps to establish a lactation room in an outpatient clinic setting for employees to support maternal-child relationships, foster employee satisfaction, and …

Centering Pregnancy And Traditional Prenatal Care: A Comparison Of Health Practices, Kaylynn Shakespear

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Centering Pregnancy is an alternative method of providing prenatal care with increased education and social support with health assessment in a group setting. This study, a cross-sectional, correlational, convenience-sample design, sought to determine the difference between women who receive prenatal care in Centering Pregnancy prenatal care and those in traditional prenatal care in regards to health behaviors. Adult pregnant women (n = 125) were surveyed from at least 28 weeks gestation. The sample comprised primarily White low-income women. Using multiple linear regression, it was determined that women in Centering Pregnancy had significantly lower index health behavior scores compared with …

Using Social Cognitive Theory To Predict Physical Activity In Inner-City African American School Children, Jeffrey J. Martin, Nate Mccaughtry

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Researchers using social cognitive theory and employing built environment constructs to predict physical activity (PA) in inner-city African American children is quite limited. Thus, the purpose of our investigation was to evaluate the ability of important social cognitive variables (e.g., self-efficacy) and built environment constructs (e.g., neighborhood hazards) to predict African American children’s PA. Children (N = 331, ages 10–14) completed questionnaires assessing social cognitive theory constructs and PA. Using multiple regression analyses we were able to account for 19% of the variance in PA. Based on standardized beta weights, the best predictors of PA were time spent outside …

Addressing The Crisis Of Orphaned And Abandoned Children In Bamako, Jennifer Campbell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The family constitutes the nucleus of life in the country of Mali. Within the family, great importance is especially placed on children. Children’s central and vital role within the family is based on their ability to contribute both economically and domestically, whether it be helping with cooking and cleaning at home or assisting with the economic activities of the family, such as farming or selling goods. It is, therefore, especially striking and shocking to see children who have no home or family within this country which places such high value on them. The problem of orphaned and abandoned children in …

Program Approach For Childheaded Households In Zambia, Samson Chama

Theses and Dissertations

Using an emergent design, this study developed a program approach for young people in the child headed households of Zambia. Phase I dealt with prior ethnography, Phase II focused on independent living services, and Phase III concerned translation to Zambia. A total of 36 participants from Richmond, consisting of 20 Richmond Department of Social Services workers and youth and 16 Africans, were recruited. Three major themes emerged: feasibility, content, and quality. Lessons learned about translational research highlight the need for uniformity in a cultural screen’s composition. This might enhance the richness of perspectives on young people. Lessons for the Department …

Health And Nutritional Need Assessment Of Hispanics In South Carolina, America Chavez-Martinez

All Dissertations

From 1990 to 2000, South Carolina's Hispanic population increased 211%. Now, states such as South Carolina have the fastest growing Hispanic population in the U.S. Hispanics have a high incidence of obesity and related chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, hypertension and heart disease, these diseases could be avoided through diet. Meanwhile, nutrition education interventions help to reduce weight and to change behaviors, leading to better health. This study used qualitative and quantitative methods to examine Hispanics health and nutritional needs to develop a cultural compatible nutrition program for this audience. The qualitative methods explored predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors …

Household Assets And Health In China: Evidence And Policy Implications, Baorong Guo, Lin Zhang, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

China’s health care reform of the 1990s has not yielded much success. The market-oriented health system has resulted in declines in fairness of health services and efficiency of investment in the health sector. Further health care reform will be required. Among many options, asset-based policy has demonstrated some potential in domestic policy development. To provide evidence to inform health policy development in China, this study focuses on effects of household assets on health in China. Specifically, the current study examines how household assets may affect health status and how assets differ from income in predicting health status. Using a random …

Healthy Habits: An Exploration Of Family Eating Choices And Practices, Stephanie Bramley

Senior Honors Projects

Before declaring myself a Human Development and Family Studies major at the end of my sophomore year, I searched for universities based upon my interest in nutrition. Since high school, I have become more health conscious and with my recent studies in human development and families, I became interested in family food choices and behaviors. Obesity is a rising epidemic in the United States and many habits, healthy or unhealthy, start with the family during childhood. I began working with Professors McCurdy and Gorman in the fall of 2007 on their Food Behavior Study, interviewing mothers with young children at …

Lowering Cholesterol: Through The Use Of Plant Sterols And Stanols, Nicole St. Jean

Senior Honors Projects

Heart disease has been the number one killer of American men and women over the past hundred years, with high blood cholesterol as a major risk factor of this disease. High Cholesterol can be a result of a number of different lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise. However, genetics and family history also play a role in the levels of cholesterol in the human body. Those who have high blood cholesterol levels are usually advised by their health professionals to consume a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol, high in fiber and to exercise frequently. However, sometimes these …

Health Of The Herd Bull, Russ Daly

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

The importance of the herd bull to the reproductive performance and profitability of cow herds that utilize natural service cannot be underestimated. Health problems in a bull may result either in decreased fertility in that bull or, in the worst case, in an infectious disease that could spread to the rest of the breeding herd, with disastrous results for herd fertility. For these reasons, the health of incoming and existing herd bulls is of utmost importance.

Predicting Physical Activity In Arab American School Children, Jeffrey J. Martin, Nate Mccaughtry, Bo Shen

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Theoretically grounded research on the determinants of Arab American children's physical activity is virtually nonexistent. Thus, the purpose of our investigation was to evaluate the ability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social cognitive theory (SCT) to predict Arab American children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Children (N = 348, ages 10–14) completed questionnaires assessing the TPB and SCT constructs as well as MVPA. Using multiple regression analyses we were able to account for 9% of the variance in MVPA. Based on standardized beta-weights, variance accounted for, and the significance of F change, we concluded that SCT variables …

The Complexity Of Re-Evaluating Antiretroviral Therapy Eligibility Guidelines For Hiv/Aids Patients In Uganda, Jennifer Klein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When I first learned that the eligibility criteria for Antiretroviral Drugs (ARVs) in Uganda is to have a CD4 cell count of 200 or below, I was shocked. Actually, I think my exact response was, “So patients must have full-blown AIDS, severely weakened immune systems, and may be on their deathbeds before they can receive the drugs?” I knew little of the subject, other than that in the United States HIV-positive patients who are on drugs may avoid many of the opportunistic infections and complications that come from delaying treatment until the CD4 count is low. My initial confusion over …

Obstetric Fistula In Mali, Chandler O’Connell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Obstetric fistula is arguably the most devastating result of childbirth complications, aside from maternal and neonatal mortality, the latter of which almost always occurs during deliveries which result in fistula. Defined as a hole in the birth canal, obstetric fistula is generally caused by prolonged obstructed labor in the absence of prompt medical intervention.20 This injury results in chronic incontinence through the vagina as well as many other secondary health consequences.33 Additionally, it is impossible to measure the extensive social and psychological burdens suffered by women because of this affliction. Despite the fact that obstetric fistula is both preventable and …

The Effectiveness Of Mentoring-Based Professional Development On Physical Education Teachers' Pedometer And Computer Efficacy And Anxiety, Jeffrey J. Martin, Nate Mccaughtry, Pamela Hodges Kulinna, Donetta Cothran, Roberta Faust

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

The purpose of our study was to examine the impact of mentoring-based professional development on physical education teachers' efficacy. Experienced mentor teachers were paired (n = 15) with inexperienced protégé teachers (n = 15) at the beginning of a yearlong intervention study. It was hypothesized that teachers would increase their efficacy to use pedometers and computers to enhance instruction, and reduce their computer anxiety. Repeated-measures ANOVAs for mentors and protégés revealed a variety of significant main effects. We found increases in computer and pedometer efficacy. A second set of repeated-measures ANOVAs based on mentors', protégés', and control groups' …

Book Review: Six Arguments For A Greener Diet, Cathy Emberton, Holly Gillespie, Meghan Glow, Melanie Burns

Faculty Research & Creative Activity until 2018 (FCS)

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Six Arguments For A Greener Diet, Cathy Emberton, Holly Gillespie, Meghan Glow, Melanie Burns

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Assessing Community Perceptions Of The Likely Impact Of A Probiotic Yogurt Project On Community Relations And Health In Mahina District, Mwanza, Tanzania, Melissa A. Whaling

Digitized Theses

This qualitative study explores the perceptions of the impacts of a proposed probiotic yogurt project on community relations in the Mahina community, Mwanza, Tanzania with the following objectives: to identify participants’ perceptions of probiotic yogurt and health; to examine project needs and facilitators; and to explore perceived barriers to project implementation in the context of community relations and gender roles. In-depth interviews (n=26) were conducted with residents and the analysis was informed by the literature on concepts of health, gender and development. The results revealed participants’ conceptions and misconceptions of probiotic yogurt including a misleading popular perceptions that probiotics can …

Roman Dietetics, Monika K. Urbanski

Digitized Theses

Various sectors of Roman society ate differently. Wealthy men were virtually unrestrained in making food selections, choosing freely from all of the foods around the Mediterranean. The available array thus enabled the elite to meet and surpass the nutritional guidelines of today's World Health Organization to the extent that they may have even been subject to problems of overnutrition. The lower classes are typically assumed to have been malnourished. On the contrary, the abundance of cereals and legumes they consumed would have provided them with most essential nutrients. Lower classes would also have deliberately sought out meat and fish products …

Occupational Racial Composition And Nonfatal Work Injuries, Terceira A. Berdahl, Julia Mcquillan

Bureau of Sociological Research: Faculty Publications

Is there an association between occupational racial composition and nonfatal workplace injuries? Guided by several labor market theories (queuing, social closure, devaluation, poor market position, and human capital), we use occupational data from the U.S. Census and Dictionary of Occupational Titles combined with individual data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to answer this question. Hierarchical generalized linear models of individuals within occupations show that there is an association between occupational racial composition and workplace injuries, but this association is only statistically significant for white men in the model controlling for relevant occupational and individual level characteristics. A 10 …

Sloppy Joe, Slop, Sloppy Joe: How Usda Commodities Dumping Ruined The National School Lunch Program, J. Amy Dillard

All Faculty Scholarship

Just as the scales beneath the feet of our nation's children are reaching a tipping point, so too is the social movement of providing local, organic foods for America's schoolchildren. This is welcome news to Alice Waters and others who have long-promoted the health and lifestyle benefits of consuming whole, organic, locally grown and produced foods. Change is under way in many districts around the country; one of the most promising is the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD), which has undergone a complete overhaul of its school lunch program under the leadership of the "Renegade Lunch Lady," Chef Ann Cooper. …

Educators’ Perceptions About Resources Needed For Effective School Health In Government Schools In Pakistan, Parvez Pirzado

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Sex And The Agricultural Transition: Dental Health Among Early Agricultural Females, Misty Fields

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This project analyzed dentition from a sample (n =142) of Early Agricultural period skeletons (B.C. 1600-200 A.D.) from the site of La Playa (SON F:10:3), Sonora, Mexico. Data was collected on pathology rates for dental caries and antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) to test the hypothesis that hormone-fluctuations associated with pregnancy increase dental pathology in females. Males and females were not found to have significant differences in caries rates. However, statistically significant differences in AMTL were found with females exhibiting more tooth loss than males ( p=.022). When compared across age categories, reproductive-age females had substantial increases in AMTL compared to …

Promoting Healthy Weight In The Preschool Years: A Portfolio And Planning Guide To Address Barriers In Primary Care, Margaret Miller, Renee Campbell-Pope, Lydia Hearn

Research outputs pre 2011

The rapidly rising incidence of overweight and obesity in Australia, particularly among young children has led to an urgent need for effective prevention. Recent figures indicate that 15% of preschool children in Australia are overweight, and a further 6% are obese1,2, with rates rising steadily especially among children from lower socioeconomic groups.

Family, childcare, primary health care, early childhood education and the community are influential environments for young children3-7 with the potential to engage in an integrated approach to promote healthy weight and development of healthy eating and active lifestyle habits during the pre-school years5,8,9.

In 2006, the Child Health …

Land Use Law And Active Living: Opportunities For States To Assume A Leadership Role In Promoting And Incentivizing Local Options, Patricia E. Salkin, Amy Lavine

Scholarly Works

Obesity, asthma and nutrition are just three public health challenges facing children and adults that can be addressed through land use planning and zoning. States must take a leadership role in providing statutory authority and guidance for local governments to enact and implement laws and ordinances designed to promote active living. Land use policies, transportation policies, redevelopment policies and open space and recreation policies are key areas where reform is needed. This paper highlights existing examples from various states and offers lawmakers, policymakers and advocates options for reforming state laws to incentivize and influence local actions.