Education Commons^™

Innovation In Health Science Education: An Experiential Learning Program, Lily Apedaile

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic disrupted health professions education on a number of different levels. Many health professions and pre-health professions students lost access to real-world clinical experience which has lead to disruptions in the healthcare workforce pipeline. At the University of Montana a diverse group of health professions educators designed an innovative experiential learning program, called Griz Health, that would allow UM students to engage in healthcare experiences while helping the campus with COVID-19 response. Because of the overwhelmingly positive response from students and community members that participated in this program, the Griz Health program was shifted from a volunteer response …

Early Detection Of Atypical Motor And Neurobehavior Of Infants At Risk Secondary To Opioid Exposure: A Prospective Study, Kara Boynewicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prenatal opioid exposure has been studied in relation to infants' medical outcomes. However, large gaps exist in the literature supporting early identification of atypical neurobehavior and motor development of infants with prenatal opioid exposure. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether prenatal opioid exposure has a negative influence on a newborn infant’s neurobehavior and motor development to aid in the early identification of potential delays. Using a prospective quasi experimental design, infants motor development using the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) and neurobehavior using the NICU Neonatal Network Scale (NNNS) was assessed on 58 infants in a …

The Effects Of The Transition From Pre-Nursing To Nursing On Mental Health, Andrew J. Davis, Paige R. Mullins, Kimberly A. Sell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mental health is an ever-growing crisis among adolescents and young adults, with suicide as second leading cause of death and the number of those negatively affected continually on the rise. Transitions are one of the major stressors prevalent among these age groups, placing individuals at risk for mental health deficits. This quantitative voluntary response comparative study assesses the transitional mental health of pre-nursing students and students in the nursing program at East Tennessee State University. Emailed to all with a declared major of pre-nursing or nursing, this study measured mental health using evidenced based assessment tools. The PHQ-9 for depression …

From Opportunity To Necessity: Development Of An Asynchronous Online Interprofessional Learning Experience, Kristen Mchenry, S. Alicia Williams, Florence M. Weierbach, Kate E. Beatty, Brian Cross

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

Incorporating interprofessional collaboration competencies into both undergraduate pre-licensure and graduate health science students poses challenges for academic health science centers. Certain student groups may have less opportunity to participate in interprofessional learning experiences due to demands of individual programs of study and conflicts in scheduling time with other disciplines. A group of interprofessional higher education faculty members created an innovative online asynchronous interprofessional experience with the primary goals of meeting accreditation standards for specific programs and providing interprofessional education (IPE) to students who were unable to participate in traditional face-to-face IPE experiences already established at the institution. This guide will …

Preserving Safety While Upholding The Integrity Of Medical Education And Practical Skills: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Teaching Human Anatomy, Anna Cowan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 placed constraints on several aspects of normal life, especially those of higher level education. While many programs moved to teaching in a strictly online format, there are some courses in which this structure was not appropriate. This study observed the outcome of the adapted course structure employed at Quillen College of Medicine during their Gross Human Anatomy course. Through a voluntary survey and multiple independent t-tests, it was demonstrated that the students who took the adapted course performed, on average, 2 points lower on each exam than previous classes. Also, this study showed that …

Fit For Population Health Service: Assessing The Change In Public Health Competencies Of Interprofessional Undergraduate Health Sciences Students, Cassity Gutierrez, Sara Johnston

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

Background. A 2012 IOM report is just one of an increasing number of recommendations to incorporate a population health approach into training of all health professionals. In light of the emphasis on and necessity for all future health professionals to possess core public health competences, a medium sized public University incorporated Introduction to Public Health as a required course in their undergraduate, interprofessional Health Sciences curriculum.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess the change in core public health competencies of undergraduate Health Sciences students who completed an Introduction to Public Health course.

Methods. The Tier 1 …

Health And Academic Achievement In College And University Students, Amber Beane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between academic achievement and health in a national sample of college students using quantitative data analysis. Specifically, the researcher analyzed the relationship between three health-promoting behaviors (physical activity, strength training, and fruit and vegetable consumption), three negative health behaviors (cigarette, e-cigarette, and opioid use) and obesity with GPA.

Cross-sectional data on student health collected from the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA-II) and completed by 426,650 college students from 650 U.S. colleges during the semesters between 2015 and 2019 formed the foundation for …

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 …

Social Support For Physical Activity For High Schoolers In Rural Appalachia, Pooja M. Shah

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study is to conduct a secondary qualitative analysis to examine parent, teacher, and high school adolescents’ perceptions of social support for physical activity (PA) for high schoolers in Southern Appalachia. Social support for PA is linked to higher rates of PA participation in adolescents. Parents, siblings, and peers provide key sources of support. Social support for PA may be even more important in under-resourced communities such as Appalachia, where geographic, economic, and environmental barriers negatively impact PA engagement. During 2013-2014, focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of adolescents (n=39), high school teachers …

Self-Perceived Coordinated School Health Coordinator Leadership Styles And Practices, Heather R. Ledbetter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School-aged children’s health needs have changed over the last several decades to the present day population of many overweight and obese children with health complications (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2015). Tennessee has implemented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) model for Coordinated School Health (CSH) in all public schools. Leading each school district’s program is a CSH Coordinator. The role of CSH Coordinators is to provide leadership to district and school administrators while effectively and efficiently implementing the CSH program (Wechsler, 2012).

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the self-perceived leadership styles and …

Do Stress Levels Differ Between First Semester Nursing Student Early In The Semester Vs. The End Of The Semester?, Alissy Heisey

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study intends to determine how stress levels change over time in nursing students in the Baccalaureate program at East Tennessee State University. The instrument utilized for this survey was the Perceived Stress Scale by Mind Garden, Inc. This survey was passed at the beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester. There was no-significant difference found between the two time spots, leading us to conclude that the level of stress perceived by nursing students is a steady factor during their school semester.

Report Of A Curriculum Used In A Peer-Delivered Intervention To Reduce Obesity Of Adolescents In Southern Appalachia And Its Relationship To The National Health Education Standards, Diana Mozen, William Dalton, Taylor Mckeehan, Deborah Slawson

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

Adolescent obesity in Southern Appalachian is among the highest in the nation. Even though adolescent obesity is a major public health concern, effective interventions are limited. Team Up for Healthy Living is a cluster-randomized control trial developed to test the effectiveness of a cross-peer intervention with high school students focusing on healthy eating and physical activity. This instructional article describes the 8-week curriculum developed and utilized by Team Up for Healthy Living with an emphasis on the relationship to National Health Education Standards. This is important given the standards were created to promote and support health-enhancing behaviors for students all …

Vitamin D Status Of College Students: Implications For Health Leaders, Eileen M. Cress

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vitamin D deficiency is considered to be a pandemic with implications for compromised bone health and other chronic diseases. Few studies have examined vitamin D status in college-aged individuals where prevention of future health consequences is still possible. Serum vitamin D 25(OH)D status and vitamin D intake were examined in 98 college students ages 18-29 years during winter. BMI was classified as < 25and 25 or greater. Race was categorized as Caucasian or other. Overall, 69.5% had suboptimal serum vitamin D levels, <30ng/mL. Only 8 students (8.2%) met the EAR (400 IU) per day for vitamin D intake. t tests were used to determine if there were significant differences in serum vitamin D level and dietary intake based on gender, race and BMI. Significant differences were found in serum vitamin D level when compared by gender and race. Females tended to have a higher serum vitamin D level than males. Those representing minorities had lower serum vitamin D levels than Caucasians; One hundred percent of the minority students had suboptimal serum vitamin D levels. Based on these findings, dietitians should increase efforts to target college-aged individuals in educational programming related to factors affecting vitamin D synthesis, vitamin D intake, and health consequences of suboptimal vitamin D status, particularly in winter. Consideration should be given to vitamin D fortification of foods that meet the preferences of today’s consumer.

Exercise Participation During Weight Loss On A High Protein – Low Carbohydrate Diet Plan In Females Aged 15-25 Years, Margaret Mobley-Meulman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Obese adults have an increased risk for serious health conditions including high blood pressure and cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and certain cancers (National Cancer Institute, 2012). Participation in exercise can help control weight, strengthen muscles and bones, and reduce the incidence of cardiac events, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancers, osteoporotic fractures, gallbladder disease, obesity, depression, anxiety, and delay mortality …

Identifying The Behavior, Attitudes, And Knowledge Of Tobacco Use Among Students Enrolled In Orientation Courses In Six Community Colleges In The Tennessee Board Of Regents System, G. E. Boone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the behavior, attitudes, and knowledge regarding tobacco use of students enrolled in orientation courses in Tennessee community colleges. The six community colleges selected for the study were members of the Tennessee Board of Regents system that offered mandatory orientation courses. Data were collected by use of the College Tobacco Behavior, Attitude, and Knowledge Survey . A response rate of (72.5%) from 700 students was analyzed. Three research questions guided the study and 17 null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the.05 alpha level of significance. Data were analyzed by using t -tests, …

The Nature, Scope, And Consequences Of Drug And Alcohol Use Of Students Enrolled At Three Southern Appalachian Community Colleges, Jewel D. Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the nature, scope, and consequences of drug and alcohol use by students enrolled at three southern Appalachian community colleges: Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) in Virginia, Northeast State Technical Community College (NSTCC) in Tennessee, and Southwestern Community College (SCC) in North Carolina. An additional purpose was to use this information to formulate recommendations for new and improved preventive substance-abuse programs. The design for this study was descriptive research. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (CORE) was selected as the appropriate instrument for use in this study. The 23-item questionnaire was designed …

Collegiate Activities That Influence Adult Physical Fitness Habits, Linda L. King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive/correlational study analyzed the perception of recent graduates regarding the effectiveness of the college environment at Milligan College in influencing adult fitness habits. Graduates were divided into five activity level groups through a self-report of physical activity. The purposes of the research were to determine if significant differences existed between the dependent variable, activity level, and the independent variables such as: (a) participation in specific college activities, (b) preferences for types of exercise, (c) social influence, (d) influence of a required freshman fitness course, and (e) environmental barriers. A profile of the student most likely to exercise after graduation …

Southern Appalachian Settlement Schools As Early Initiators Of Integrated Services, Eloise H. Jurgens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This historical-descriptive study examined Southern Appalachian settlement schools as early initiators of integrated health and social services with education from the 1900s through the 1970s. Three schools were studied: Hindman Settlement School (KY), Pine Mountain Settlement School (KY) and Crossnore School, Inc. (NC). The purpose of the study was to determine the type and extent of services provided, the relationship of the settlement schools with their respective county public school system, and the transfer, if any, of integrated services from the settlement schools to public schools as the public schools took over educational responsibilities once offered by the settlement schools. …

A Case Study Of An Elementary School-Based Health Clinic, Sheila K. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to perform a qualitative analysis of an elementary school-based health clinic (SBHC). This situational analysis was performed to further understand the impact of accessible primary health care on an elementary school population. Data were collected through 30 participant interviews of parents, educators and medical personnel. Additional data were collected through the clinic files, and a t-test was used to compare the attendance and achievement data of clinic consumers for the clinic year against records from the previous year. The researcher presented information on the steps of SBHC development to include community campaign procedures. The …