Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Hemoglobin A1c And The Diagnosis Of Diabetes And Prediabetes In Children And Adolescents, Jennifer Mcguire Hitt

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Although the American Diabetes Association (ADA) adopted the use of the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test as a method of diabetes and prediabetes diagnosis, the ADA has not developed firm guidelines concerning the use of the A1C test in children and adolescents, as research has not validated thresholds in this group. Diabetes and prediabetes are diseases influenced by multiple factors, including race and ethnicity, age, vitamin D deficiency, and body mass index (BMI). The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the A1C test compared to the gold …

Depressive Symptomatology And Perceived Social Support In Adolescents With Type 2 Diabetes, Kristiana Gay Huffman Cullum Phd, Cpnp

Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically in the pediatric population in the last decade. One of the comorbidities of diabetes is depression. In the presence of depression, diabetes may be mismanaged by patients and lead to a decline in health. Diabetes with comorbid depression may have better disease management outcomes in the presence of higher levels of social support. Defining childhood depression, which encompasses adolescence, and the subtleties of this disorder compared to the adult counterpart, was needed to better delineate important variables for this research study. There are several instruments that evaluate adolescents' perceived social support, but a fairly …

Skin Cancer Risk Perception And Sunscreen Use In Adolescent Female Soccer Athletes, Cheryl L. Butera Phd, Msn, Aprn, Fnp-Bc, Np-C, Phn

Dissertations

Over 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States. In adolescent females ages 15-19, melanoma is the second most common form of cancer. The greatest risk factor for skin cancer is ultraviolet rays from the sun. Research has shown that sunscreen use is protective of all skin cancers, especially melanoma. The purpose of this study was to obtain perceptions about risk of skin cancer and sunscreen use among 13- to 18-year-old adolescent female club soccer athletes as a basis for effective interventions to improve sunscreen use in this population. The Health Belief Model was employed …

Factors Associated With Parent Depressive Symptoms And Family Quality Of Life In Families With And Without Adolescents And Young Adults With Spina Bifida, Monique M. Ridosh

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore which context and process factors contribute to parent depressive symptoms (PDS) and family quality of life (FQOL) in families with adolescents/young adults (AYA) with and without spina bifida (SB). Secondary analysis was conducted on data (N = 209) from a multi-site cross-sectional study of adaptation in AYA with SB. Measures included: Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (Behavioral Regulation Index and Metacognition Index), FACES III (Cohesion subscale), Family APGAR, Family Inventory of Resources for Management (Family Mastery and Health subscale), a single-item measure of stress, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and The FQOL …

Practitioner’S Perspective On Barriers To Diagnosing Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome In Adolescents: A Descriptive Study, Tara L. Williams

Master of Science in Nursing Theses

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common and reversible endocrine disorder affecting as many as 3.5-5.0 million women in the United States and has serious implications for women from adolescence to beyond menopause. PCOS is characterized by oligo-amenorrhea, anovulation, clinical, biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism, or polycystic ovaries the majority which can be identified in adolescence (ages 13-18). Although the majority of these reproductive and metabolic consequences can be identified in adolescence, diagnosis of PCOS for subsequent early intervention is still not taking place as many women are not being diagnosed until their reproductive years often after seeking the cause of …

Examining General Versus Condition-Specific Health Related Quality Of Life Across Weight Categories In An Adolescent Sample, Autumn G. Dalton

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 34% of adolescents are overweight or obese which can be accompanied by physical, psychosocial, and economic consequences. Increasingly, pediatric overweight/obesity research has focused on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) as a health outcome. This study examined differences in HRQoL across weight categories in adolescents, specifically, the sensitivity of using a general versus condition-specific measure. Further, the influence of gender was explored.

Data were extracted from Wave 2 of Team Up for Healthy Living, a school-based obesity prevention program targeting adolescents in Southern Appalachia. Participants (N = 918; 50% Female; 93% Caucasian; 90% 9^th graders) completed …

Transitioning Adolescents With Type I Diabetes To Adult Care, Kathyann Kenny Marsh Phd

Dissertations

Background: Care transitions, defined as hospital discharge or movement from one healthcare setting to another, are currently a major concern for healthcare providers and policy makers alike. These care transitions are occurring in the context of increasingly fragmented care and have been known to result in hospital readmissions, adverse events, and medication errors. The adolescents' transition between pediatric and the adult care system is not only fragmented but occurs at a time when they are most vulnerable and ill equipped for change. Objectives: The purpose of this research was to conduct a feasibility study to examine if the use of …

Creating Opportunities For Personal Empowerment For Adolescent Students In A Rural High School, Sharon A. Edwards

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

BACKGROUND: With the incidence of 3% of children and 6% of adolescents diagnosed with depression, treatment appropriate for this population is needed. Provision of mental health care is limited due to barriers of access such as transportation, parental consent, and availability of services in the adolescent’s environment such as the school setting. OBJECTIVES: To decrease the depressive symptoms and increase the self-confidence perceptions of adolescents in a high school setting utilizing a cognitive-behavioral skills enhancing, seven-session intervention called COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment).

STUDY DESIGN: The project was an evidence-based nurse practitioner project utilizing pre- and …