Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Economics Of Fixed-Dose Combination Drugs Approved In The United States, Jing Hao

Doctoral Dissertations

Patent is the most important form of intellectual property protection for new drugs. Patent extension and market exclusivity currently serve as major regulatory incentives to promote new drugs. Combination drug, or fixed-dose combination (FDC) are formulations that contain two or more active ingredients in a single pill. FDCs, especially combinations of singe drugs that are already in the market, are common strategy for brand-name drug companies to extent the patent and exclusivity life. The substitution of single drug products that soon have generic alternatives with newer, brand-name combinations lead to potential increases in pharmaceutical expenditures and raises concerns on economic …

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’ …

Impact Of Exercise During Pregnancy On Maternal Outcomes Among A High-Risk Population, Carrie Nobles

Doctoral Dissertations

Prior observational research has suggested an association between increased physical activity during pregnancy and improved maternal outcomes including a reduced risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Despite this, randomized controlled trials of prenatal exercise are sparse and only one had been conducted in a high-risk population. Therefore, we examined the association between physical activity during pregnancy and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the Behaviors Affecting Baby and You (B.A.B.Y.) Study, a randomized controlled trial of a 12-week exercise intervention among a diverse group of inactive pregnant women at high-risk for GDM. The first project examined the effect of participation …

Factors Affecting The Quality Of Services Provided To Female Survivors Of Sexual Violence In Nairobi, Kenya: Perspectives From Health Practitioners, Leso Munala

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of practitioners facing the challenges of providing services to female survivors of sexual violence in Kenya. Specifically, the study examined how health practitioners understand their experience in responding to the needs of sexual violence survivors, how they view these women, in what ways they are helping them to heal, and in what ways the health system fails to help these women. In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 health practitioners, from eight post-rape care facilities located in Nairobi, Kenya. The questions focused on the practitioners’ workload, challenges and rewards, the emotional impact of working with survivors, …

Population Modeling For Resource Allocation And Antimicrobial Stewardship, Jason Bintz

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation contains two types of population models with applications in conservation biology and epidemiology. In particular, it considers models for resource allocation and antimicrobial stewardship.

In a population model with a parabolic differential equation and density dependent growth, we study the problem of allocating resources to maximize the net benefit in the conservation of a single species while the cost of the resource allocation is minimized. The net benefit is measured in terms of maximizing population abundance and the goal of maximizing abundance is divided between the goal of maximizing the overall abundance across space and time and the …

The Relationship Between Sleep And Nutrition In Message Framing Among College Students, Abbey G. White

Doctoral Dissertations

The college years are often depicted as a time of immense change, specifically in relation to college students' level of nutrition and sleep quality. However, these health concerns not only impact college students' health but also their academic performance, mood, and as a result their future. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether technologically enhanced health messages are more effective than the traditional text format for creating healthy behavioral changes amongst college students. Secondly, the study provides the opportunity to examine previous research involving message framing, specifically, regulatory focus theory and self-efficacy, in order to provide further …

The Effects Of Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms And Changes In Anthropometry On Breast Cancer Etiology, Victoria Hart

Doctoral Dissertations

One of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk is mammographic density; however, incomplete understanding of the mechanisms relating density to risk has limited its use as a marker for breast cancer susceptibility. Hormone fluctuations during the menopausal transition may influence declines in mammographic density and may also trigger the onset of menopausal vasomotor symptoms (VMS), which have been associated with lower breast cancer risk. The effects of hormone changes on density, VMS, and breast cancer risk are complicated by external factors such as changing body mass and hormone therapy use during the menopausal transition. We evaluated the association between …