Digital Commons Network^™

Fat Shaming The Delta: How Social Issues Are Individualized Via 'Delta Obesity Talk', Amy Ulmer

Student Theses and Dissertations

Discussions of obesity in the Delta often highlight the region’s unhealthy food culture and lifestyle as explanations for what is considered an epidemic especially severe in the region. I call this discourse “Delta obesity talk” and examine it in the media and clinical literature of obesity prevention and health campaigns targeting the Lower Mississippi River Delta. I argue that by focusing on individual behavior thought to contribute to obesity and poor health, the narratives of these media outlets and public health programs direct our attention away from broader social issues contributing to ill health and onto individual fat bodies. Focusing …

Childhood Obesity And Absenteeism: Implications For School Leaders, Kyle Johnson

Leadership Education Capstones

This study explored educational leaders’ perspectives on childhood obesity and its effect on absenteeism and school performance and possible measures taken in the future to combat this. This study demonstrated the importance of leaders’ perspectives on childhood obesity and absenteeism in elementary classrooms, the nutrition education that is given to students and their families, and possible measures that should be taken in the future to combat childhood obesity in the nation’s elementary schools.

Music Therapy With Premature Infants And Their Parents In The Nicu Setting, Samantha Martin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Music therapy research with premature (or pre-term) infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) setting began over 25 years ago, and has expanded to include music therapy with premature infants, music therapy with parents of premature infants, and music therapy with both premature infants and parents combined. This literature review demonstrates the importance of continued research in this field to improve physiological, psychological, social, and behavioral health outcomes for premature infants and their parents. Current music therapy research has established the success of certain music therapy interventions, such as the Pacifier Activated Lullaby (PAL), Rhythm, Breath, Lullaby (RBL), Auditive …

Vegan In College: Simple, Affordable, Healthy Meals For Students, Haley Cedarholm

Senior Honors Projects

Vegan in College

Simple, Affordable, Healthy Meals for Students

For the entirety of my college career I have led a vegan lifestyle. Like many students, college represented the first time in my life where I experienced true independence. As I began to live by myself, I had to make food choices and overcome barriers such as lack of time, money and knowledge of nutrition. While leading a healthy vegan lifestyle can be affordable and easy, I struggled to find this balance and I knew I wasn’t alone.

Many students, vegan or not, experience the same barriers to eating healthfully that …

Essays On The Economics Of Health And Human Capital, Paloma Lopez De Mesa Moyano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores dynamics related to the formation of human capital. In the two chapters contained within, my work investigates how human capital is formed and maintained through either individual decisions or historic events. In particular, the first chapter analyzes the long-term health effects of a large-scale bombing campaign on the population of a developing country up to two generations after the event occurred; the second chapter analyzes how attending a public honors college in the U.S. affects the degree completion of students and their college quality choice. In these two different contexts, I approach the common topic of human …

The Lack Of Nutrition Education Among Student Athletes, Julia Garcia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Today, it is becoming more common to see bad health choices among student athletes. These young adults may lack knowledge about nutrition causing them to choose unhealthy eating habits which may lead to future health complications (Johannes Brug et al., 2008). In order to address this problem, more emerging adults need to be aware of the issues at hand. To address the lack of awareness in student athletes, I will provide feedback to meal choices, a nutritional deficit survey, present an educational power point, and track progress.

Beyond Borders: Accessing Healthcare For Migrant Farmworkers, Aubrey Correa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This report provides a California case study of both the national and larger global issues associated with migrant farmworker healthcare. I chose to focus on the state of California because it has long been home to the largest number of immigrants in the United States and nearly 34 percent of California’s labor force is comprised of immigrants. Furthermore, California is a perfect place to focus on migrant farmworkers specifically because of the thriving agricultural industry that is based in California, making it the number one producer and exporter of agriculture. For over 50 years, the men and women working in …

Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency And Early Childhood Health Outcomes Including Autism Development, Kelsey L. Girardelli

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is associated with a variety of adverse maternal and pediatric outcomes. Disease outcomes that have been observed in pregnant women who are vitamin D deficient include increased risk of C-section, preeclampsia, bacterial vaginosis, and gestational diabetes. In children born to deficient mothers, increased rates of childhood asthma, type 1 diabetes, low birthweight, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been observed. Although there is much evidence to support these correlations, much is yet to be understood regarding the etiology of these outcomes. This paper specifically examines the relationships between risk factors …

Nurses' Health And Professional Quality Of Life, Deborah Amason

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Translational and Clinical Research Projects

Nurse's Health and Professional Quality of Life

Abstract

This study investigated relationships between general health (GH), professional quality of life (PQL) and perceived stress (PS) of nurses at a 382-bed southeastern hospital.

Background: Several studies showed that GH and PQL are associated. The health, quality of life, and perceived stress of nurses was a growing concern in the hospital. Nurse leaders needed data to inform evidence-based efforts to promote nurse health and improve quality of life while reducing stress.

Design: This cross-sectional correlation study measured GH, PQL, and PS using four validated and reliable instruments: The Medical Outcomes Short Form …

College Wellness, James Rowe

COLA Research and Creativity Conference

The purpose of this study is to examine ways to increase physical fitness activity in overweight and obese college students.

The study seeks to test the effectiveness of health campaign messages that include visuals of overweight and obese students engaged in physical activity. It is hypothesized that the inclusion of weight diverse students engaged in activity will decrease both obesity public stigma and self-stigma. Moreover, the researchers hypothesize that the inclusion of efficacy statements will increase overweight and obese students’ behavioral intention to engage in physical fitness activities at the campus recreation center.

Bridging Civic Engagement To Civic Responsibility Through Short-Term, International Service-Learning Experiences: A Qualitative Analysis Of Student Reflections, Stephanie Malinenko, Justine Tutuska, Lynn Matthews

eJournal of Public Affairs

Written reflection is a tool commonly used by faculty to assess student learning in service-learning courses, which are frequently offered as short-term international experiences. This article discusses a qualitative analysis of students’ written reflections on a short-term, international service-learning project that was conducted to determine whether undergraduate students bridged their engagement to the development of civic or social responsibility. Results of the analysis revealed that students demonstrated nominal progress toward civic responsibility when not specifically prompted by assignments. Multiple themes emerged from the analysis related to students’ goals, challenges, and lessons learned. Based on the findings, the authors recommend that …

Inside Research: An Interview With Caprisse Johnson, Ginni Sisemore

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

No abstract provided.

Resource Map Of Expenditures For Tennessee Children, Annual Report To The Legislature 2018, Tennessee. Commission On Children And Youth.

Resource Map Report

No abstract provided.

Promoting Health Education And Literacy In Rural Tennessee: The Go-Packs Pilot Project, Taylor Cox, Claire Gleadhill, William Seagrave, Coty Cooper, Alantis Hunt, Kelly Mitchell, Anthony Delucia, Randy Byington

Appalachian Student Research Forum

Little Milligan Elementary School in rural Carter County, Tennessee was provided with health literacy resources in the form of health education Go-Packs––easily implementable lessons contained in a small storage tote––as part of the community project requirement of the James H. Quillen College of Medicine Rural Primary Care Track Curriculum. These Go-Packs included detailed lesson plans and accompanying materials that were designed to facilitate health education in the classrooms by providing easily deployable lessons for the teachers to utilize. Four Go-Packs were provided for hygiene, oral health, tobacco use, and nutrition that teachers used to augment instruction during teachable moments that …

Making A Case For Cardiorespiratory Fitness Surveillance Among Children And Youth, Justin J. Lang, Grant Tomkinson, Ian Janssen, Jonatan R. Ruiz, Francisco B. Ortega, Luc Léger, Mark S. Tremblay

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

We review the evidence that supports cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) as an important indicator of current and future health among school-aged children and youth, independent of physical activity levels. We discuss the merit of CRF measurement for population health surveillance and propose the development of CRF guidelines to help support regional, national, and international surveillance efforts.

Concepts Of Fitness And Wellness (Ghc), Scott Flynn, Lisa Jellum, Althea Moser, Jonathan Howard, Sharryse Henderson, Christin Collins, Amanda West, David Mathis

Nursing and Health Sciences Grants Collections

This Grants Collection for Concepts of Fitness and Wellness was created under a Round Seven ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process.

Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials:

• Linked Syllabus
• Initial Proposal
• Final Report

Eat & Tell: A Randomized Trial Of Random-Loss Incentive To Increase Dietary Self-Tracking Compliance, Palakorn Achananuparp, Ee Peng Lim, Vibhanshu Abhishek, Tianjiao Yun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A growing body of evidence has shown that incorporating behavioral economics principles into the design of financial incentive programs helps improve their cost-effectiveness, promote individuals' short-term engagement, and increase compliance in health behavior interventions. Yet, their effects on long-term engagement have not been fully examined. In study designs where repeated administration of incentives is required to ensure the regularity of behaviors, the effectiveness of subsequent incentives may decrease as a result of the law of diminishing marginal utility. In this paper, we introduce random-loss incentive-a new financial incentive based on loss aversion and unpredictability principles-to address the problem of individuals' …

Healthy Living For Obese Teens, Une Applied Nutrition Program

All Student-Created Educational Resources

This project is a handout completed for the University of New England Applied Nutrition 605 course. It is intended for use by obese adolescents, their parents, and their caretakers. Its application is to aid these obese teens in achieving health and weight loss goals by implementing healthy diet habits and increasing activity levels.

Milk Nutrition And Perceptions, Alyssa C. Katz

Honors Theses - Providence Campus

In today's society many people are making the move to become vegan and/or dairy free. According to the US National Library of Medicine, approximately 65% of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose. The rise in veganism and an increasing awareness of lactose intolerance have combined to create a non-dairy movement. This paper will address reasons people choose to cut milk out of their diet or not, and will investigate the effects and benefits of milk.

Many articles show milk to be very beneficial to the diet. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition believes that many vitamins, …

Does Journaling Encourage Healthier Choices? Analyzing Healthy Eating Behaviors Of Food Journalers, Palakorn Achananuparp, Ee Peng Lim, Vibhanshu Abhishek

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Past research has shown the benefits of food journaling in promoting mindful eating and healthier food choices. However, the links between journaling and healthy eating have not been thoroughly examined. Beyond caloric restriction, do journalers consistently and sufficiently consume healthful diets? How different are their eating habits compared to those of average consumers who tend to be less conscious about health? In this study, we analyze the healthy eating behaviors of active food journalers using data from MyFitnessPal. Surprisingly, our findings show that food journalers do not eat as healthily as they should despite their proclivity to health eating and …

Gendered Lived Experiences In Urban Cape Town: Urban Infrastructure As Equal Opportunity, Social Justice, And Crime Prevention, Becky Jacobs

Scholarly Works

The body of 19-year-old Sinoxolo Mafevuka was found in a communal toilet in the Cape Town, South African urban township of Khayelitsha. Sinoxolo had been viciously raped, strangled to death, and her body discarded, with her head under the toilet seat and her genitals displayed openly. Tragically, while Sinoxolo’s murder is a particularly brutal example, using a neighborhood toilet in many informal settlements is an incredibly dangerous activity, and there are estimates that 10.5 million South Africans do not have ready access to toilets. “Women, children and men of all ages are frequently robbed, raped, assaulted and murdered on the …

Kids Count The State Of The Child In Tennessee 2017 Policy And Issue Guide, Tennessee. Commission On Children & Youth.

The State of the Child in Tennessee

No abstract provided.

Situating Food Insecurity In A Historic Albuquerque Community: The Whorled Relationship Between Food Insecurity And Place, Janet Page-Reeves, Maurice Moffett, Molly Bleecker, Katharine Linder, Jeannie Romero, Carol Krause

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This article examines conceptualizations of the relationship between food insecurity and place. We use an ethnographically inspired and community-engaged approach to situate our analysis of fluid dynamics at work in a community with high levels of food insecurity. We propose that the relationship between place and people’s experience of food insecurity is recursive, dialectical, and “whorled.” This relationship reflects complex, interconnected, and multidimensional processes with consequences for the health of residents. Our research demonstrates the key nature of the health-place nexus by exploring how food insecurity articulates with place in unexpected ways that go beyond discussions of food, …

Challenges Of Climate Change On Human Health, Sharon P.R., S. Seethalakshmi Ph.D.

International Review of Business and Economics

Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Climate change is adversely affecting the human health. Maximum impact of global warming and climate change will be seen on underdeveloped and developing countries like India. In Indian context the implications of climate change are broadly classified into rising sea levels, increasing CO2 levels, rising temperatures and extreme weather conditions. Climate change affects the human health in various ways. In developing countries like India, the health sector and the infrastructural facilities are very weak. The impact of the human activity on climate system is the most serious environmental …

Discovering Perspectives On Health And Well-Being From Parents And Teachers Of Preschool- Aged Children, Divya Sood, Delawnia Comer-Hagans, Dirk Anderson, Diana Basmajian, Ashley Bohlen, Michelle Grome, Irada Imanova, Kimberly Martin

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This study explores the concept of health and well-being as perceived by teachers and parents of preschool-aged children in the specific context of a child day care facility. The study also identifies the barriers parents and teachers encounter and the supports they require in promoting the health and well-being of preschool-aged children.

Method: A qualitative phenomenological research design combined with a projective technique of Photovoice was used for data collection. A total of eight participants, four teachers and four parents of preschool-aged children from a child day care facility, participated in the study.

Results: Several themes were identified related …

The Influence Of Religious Homogeneity Upon Life Expectancy: A Cross-National Comparative Analysis, Donald J. Ebel

Sociology Department Publications

Research upon health and life expectancy has focused primarily upon individual and community level analyses, with extrapolations to national level data. In this study, the unit of analysis is shifted from individual health statistics to the national level. Life expectancy data for every nation and in the world (total n=191, restricted n=138) is explored, controlling for a variety of socio-economic factors. Two hypotheses are tested which offer the explanation homogeneity in both religion (H1) and ethnicity (H2), determines differences in life expectancy between nations. The first hypothesis, that religious homogeneity supports positive health outcomes is supported. The second hypothesis, that …

Seychelles: Diabetes, Camille Myers

Global Public Health

One of the major health problems in Seychelles, a cluster of islands off the coast of Eastern Africa, is diabetes. There are many different types of diabetes, but the most common type to this region is Type 2 diabetes. At this time Seychelles, and many other countries in Africa, have about half of the adult population diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Along with the diagnosis of diabetes being a problem, people in Seychelles often go undiagnosed for a while because they are ignorant to the risks and the symptoms of the disease. Only about 50% of the population with pre-diabetic …

Health Behaviors Of Student Community Research Partners When Designing And Implementing A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention On College Campuses, Makenzie L. Barr, Sarah E. Colby, Kristin Riggsbee, Anne E. Mathews, Melissa J. Vilaro, Kendra K. Kattlemann, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Few studies work with college students as equal partners in all aspects of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and even less evaluate behaviors of those college partners. The current study aimed to examine health behaviors of students by designing and implementing a peer-led, social marketing campaign (Get Fruved) to promote healthier lifestyles on their campuses. Enrolled students (n = 376) were trained to either design and implement a health promotion intervention (Social Marketing and Environmental Interventionists; SMEI, n = 78), be peer mentors (PM; n = 205), or serve as control participants (n = 93). Students’ behaviors (dietary, activity, and stress) …

Untangling The Health Impacts Of Mexico - U.S. Migration, David Ortmeyer, Michael A. Quinn

Economics Faculty Publications

Research has found that immigrant health has a tendency to decline with time spent in the United States. Using data from the Mexican Migration Project from 2007-2014, this paper is the first to test the impact of domestic and international migration on different types of health measures. Results find cumulative U.S. migration experience has a negative impact both on self-reported and objective health measures. By contrast, the number of trips to the United States and migrations made within Mexico impact individual’s self-assessment of their health but not objective health measures. The analyses suggest that differences in self-reported versus objective health …

Hidden Hunger: Solutions For America’S Aging Populations, Manfred Eggersdorfer, Ucheoma Akobundu, Regan L. Bailey, Julie Shlisky, Amy R. Beaudreault, Gilles Bergeron, Robert B. Blancato, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Megan W. Bourassa, Filomena Gomes, Gordon Jensen, Mary Ann Johnson, Douglas Mackay, Keri Marshall, Simin Nikbin Meydani, Katherine L. Tucker

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The global population, including the United States, is experiencing a demographic shift with the proportion of older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) growing faster than any other age group. This demographic group is at higher risk for developing nutrition-related chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes as well as infections such as influenza and pneumonia. As a result, an emphasis on nutrition is instrumental for disease risk reduction. Unfortunately, inadequate nutrient status or deficiency, often termed hidden hunger, disproportionately affects older adults because of systematic healthcare, environmental, and biological challenges. This report summarizes the unique nutrition challenges facing the …