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The Political Economy Of Intimate Partner Violence And Crisis Management: An Institutional Ethnography In Rural Vermont, Anna L. Mullany Oct 2022

The Political Economy Of Intimate Partner Violence And Crisis Management: An Institutional Ethnography In Rural Vermont, Anna L. Mullany

Doctoral Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue affecting one in four women in the United States. Tasked with addressing IPV, crisis centers can significantly impact women’s health outcomes and approaches to perpetrator accountability and community education. Informed by eight months of field work at a rural crisis center and 40 in-depth interviews, this dissertation investigated how the lives of Vermont women experiencing violence and crisis center work are both shaped by larger social, political, and economic relations within capitalism. Dorothy Smith’s method of institutional ethnography provides an investigative pathway for centering survivor experiences and examining crisis center …


Elucidating Mechanisms Influencing Maternal Postpartum Health: The Protective Benefits Of Breastfeeding And Associations With Allostatic Load, Experiences Of Stress, And Resiliency, Bi-Sek J. Hsiao Jun 2022

Elucidating Mechanisms Influencing Maternal Postpartum Health: The Protective Benefits Of Breastfeeding And Associations With Allostatic Load, Experiences Of Stress, And Resiliency, Bi-Sek J. Hsiao

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has established breastfeeding as protective of maternal health, but little is known about the ways breastfeeding interacts with chronic stress pathways and interfaces with stressors such as discrimination and neighborhood deprivation, which are salient in the experiences of many marginalized communities. This research addresses these knowledge gaps through secondary analyses of prospective cohort data generated by the Community Child Health Research Network through Community Based Participatory Research processes. Analytical samples were derived from 2510 postpartum women from five regions in the U.S. who self-identified as Black, Hispanic, or White. Study 1 investigated and found an inverse association between breastfeeding …


Accelerometer-Determined Physical Behavior Metrics And Their Associations With Sarcopenia Among Oldest-Old Adults, Eric M. Eberl Oct 2021

Accelerometer-Determined Physical Behavior Metrics And Their Associations With Sarcopenia Among Oldest-Old Adults, Eric M. Eberl

Masters Theses

INTRODUCTION: Sarcopenia is a loss of muscle function and muscle mass which frequently occurs among the oldest-old adult population (aged 85+ years). The analysis of accelerometer-determined physical behavior volumes and patterns of oldest-old adults might provide novel insights into the associations with sarcopenia and its components. METHODS: A total of 145 participants in the primary sample and 87 participants in the subsample with a mean age of 88.2 (2.5) years from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study cohort provided cross-sectional data of handgrip strength, appendicular lean mass, gait speed, and accelerometry. Probable, confirmed, and severe sarcopenia were assessed based …


Tai Chi And Mindfulness Training To Improve Balance In People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Community-Based Intervention Study, Julianna Eve Jun 2021

Tai Chi And Mindfulness Training To Improve Balance In People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Community-Based Intervention Study, Julianna Eve

Doctoral Dissertations

Introduction: Tai Chi and meditation have led to improved quality of life, and reduced fatigue and depressive symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Tai Chi interventions have successfully improved balance, however the few studies evaluating meditation impact on motor skill improvement have reported conflicting results. Benefits of meditation on improving alertness and attention have been reported, but it is unknown whether these benefits might extend to physical balance. Objective: determine the impact of an 8-week Tai Chi or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention on physical balance, psychosocial wellbeing, and sensorimotor function; and whether benefits are retained after …


Improving Chinese Mothers’ Health Literacy: A Wechat Intervention, Qiong Chen Oct 2019

Improving Chinese Mothers’ Health Literacy: A Wechat Intervention, Qiong Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

The health literacy and eHealth literacy of women during the reproductive age is crucial, as it can affect their health and the health of their children. Promoting health literacy is essential to achieve mothers’ empowerment by improving access to and capacity of using health information effectively. However, functional, interactive, and critical health literacy and eHealth literacy have never been assessed among Chinese women. The first study during this dissertation assessed functional, interactive, and critical health literacy and eHealth literacy among 421 of Chinese mothers with children under 3 years old. The results revealed overall less than optimal level of health …


Predictors Of Anemia Among Hiv Patients In Uganda, Catherine Nagawa Jul 2017

Predictors Of Anemia Among Hiv Patients In Uganda, Catherine Nagawa

Masters Theses

HIV-related anemia is associated with increased risk of death. Prior studies suggest an inverse relationship between CD4 cell count and anemia, and a positive relationship between HIV-clinical stage and anemia. However, none have assessed the role of antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment combinations in these relationships. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the relationship between CD4 cell count, HIV clinical stage and anemia among 4803 Ugandan HIV-patients, and assessed the role of ART treatment combinations. We included HIV patients (> 15 years) receiving ART therapy combinations between 2010- 2015. We evaluated CD4 cell count and anemia using blood tests, …


Mobile Produce Markets: A Strategy For Increasing Access To Fruits And Vegetables Among Low Income Urban Residents, Bi-Sek J. Hsiao Nov 2016

Mobile Produce Markets: A Strategy For Increasing Access To Fruits And Vegetables Among Low Income Urban Residents, Bi-Sek J. Hsiao

Masters Theses

Mobile produce markets (MPM) are a community-based strategy to improve produce access in areas with few fruits and vegetables (FV) retail options. The purpose of this thesis is to assess the functionality of MPM in low-income urban neighborhoods. This thesis includes three studies. Study 1 investigates FV availability in areas around MPM locations (n=13). We found limited fresh FV availability in stores, but high prevalence of 100% juice, and canned FV and beans. Study 2 applied questionnaire data from MPM shoppers (n=143) to assess MPM experiences. Chi Square was used to compare shopping behaviors between older (≥ 60) and younger …


The Adoption Of Harm Reduction By Abstinence Program Staff: A Qualitative Analysis, Morgan Coe Jul 2016

The Adoption Of Harm Reduction By Abstinence Program Staff: A Qualitative Analysis, Morgan Coe

Masters Theses

Opioid overdose fatalities have quadrupled in the United States since the turn of the century, and are becoming increasingly recognized as a nationwide epidemic. While naloxone (narcan) has long been the standard treatment for overdose in clinical settings, it has not been issued to opioid users or their family members in the U.S. until relatively recently. As naloxone distribution and overdose training become more widespread, they are being incorporated into more and more abstinence-oriented settings including detoxes, halfway houses, and outpatient methadone and suboxone treatment programs. This qualitative study explored whether the staff at such programs found that training their …


Impact Of A Preschool Workplace Intervention On Classroom Teachers’ Physical Activity Levels And Quality Of Life, Ogechi O. Nwaokelemeh Aug 2015

Impact Of A Preschool Workplace Intervention On Classroom Teachers’ Physical Activity Levels And Quality Of Life, Ogechi O. Nwaokelemeh

Doctoral Dissertations

PURPOSE: To examine the feasibility and efficacy of a three-month, cluster-randomized workplace PA intervention on PA levels and wellbeing measures in preschool classroom teachers. METHODS: Ten preschool centers were randomized into two groups; short-bouts of structured PA (SBS-PA, n=5) or traditional unstructured PA (TRAD-PA, n=5). The SBS-PA intervention consisted of 10-minute structured, teacher-led PA routines implemented within the classroom setting, followed by 20 minutes of unstructured playtime. The TRAD-PA intervention consisted of supervised 30-minute of unstructured free playtime. Both interventions were implemented during the morning and afternoon designated gross-motor playtime for 30 min/session, five days/week for three months. Participants’ …


Parents' Gender Ideology And Gendered Behavior As Predictors Of Children's Gender-Role Attitudes: A Longitudinal Exploration, Hillary Paul Halpern Dec 2014

Parents' Gender Ideology And Gendered Behavior As Predictors Of Children's Gender-Role Attitudes: A Longitudinal Exploration, Hillary Paul Halpern

Masters Theses

This longitudinal study examined the association between parents’ early and concurrent gender ideology and gendered behaviors and their children’s gender-role attitudes at age six. Specifically, parents' global beliefs about women's and men's "rightful" roles in society, as well as their work preferences for mothers, were considered in relation to the gender-role attitudes held by their first-graders. In addition, parents’ gendered behaviors, including their division of household and childcare tasks, division of paid work hours, and job traditionality were examined as predictors of children’s gender-role attitudes. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized parents’ early and concurrent behavior and ideology would …


Conversations With The Community: An Ethnography Of Two Case Studies Highlighting Community-Research Partnerships In Springfield, Ma, Vanessa Martinez Aug 2014

Conversations With The Community: An Ethnography Of Two Case Studies Highlighting Community-Research Partnerships In Springfield, Ma, Vanessa Martinez

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is both qualitative and collaborative. It emphasizes the participant observation and ethnographic documentation of two community-researcher partnerships on community-level health interventions in Springfield, MA. Drawing upon critical theories and reflexive methods, I explore and analyze the process of building and sustaining researcher-community partnerships in an era of limited funding. Two Springfield, MA-based projects – one on healthy cooking/eating, and the other on contingency management – serve as case studies to provide a concrete picture of the complex relationships of researcher-community collaborations. I use ethnographic storytelling to provide a multi-dimensional look at two different community-research partnerships on health disparities …