Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Coronary Heart Disease Mortality And Long-Term Exposure To Ambient Particulate Air Pollutants In Elderly Nonsmoking California Residents, Lie Hong Chen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of long-term concentrations of ambient PM on risks of all causes, cardiopulmonary, coronary heart disease (CHD), total cancer, and any mention of nonmalignant respiratory disease (NMRD) mortality.

The health effects of long-term ambient air pollution have been studied with up to 30 years of follow-up in the AHSMOG cohort, a cohort of 6,338 nonsmoking white California adults. Monthly concentrations of ambient air pollutants [particulate matter(PMio), Ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) or particulate matter

In the AHSMOG cohort, each increment of 10 |ig/m3 in PMio in two-pollutant models …

Effects Of Acculturation On Hiv/Aids Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Asian And Pacific Islander (Api) Women, Margaret Cabotage Salud

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background. In the US women are the fastest growing group for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS. In addition, the estimated AIDS cases among female adults and adolescents, aged 13-19, increased from 7% in 1985 to approximately 26% in 2002. Most infections occur by heterosexual transmission with 53% occurring through contact with a high-risk sexual partner. While overall HIV/AIDS rates in the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community remain low, they are rising and HIV testing rates, one of the major prevention strategies for HIV, are lower than that of other populations. Furthermore, very little is known about APIs …

The Role Of Ambient Air Pollution In The Occurrence Of Emphysema, Shiva Metghalchi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Emphysema is the most common cause of death from respiratory disease in the United States. Emphysema is most common among people aged 50 and older. Those with a genetic predisposition to emphysema may experience the onset as early as their thirties or forties. Men are more likely than women to develop emphysema, but female cases are increasing as the number of female smokers rises.

In the past few years, etiological and pathogenic research has been carried out in an attempt to determine the reason for an increase in deaths and other health problems associated with air pollution, and there have …

Spirituality, Religiosity, And Weight Management In Black Women, Shené L. Bowie

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background

Obesity is a major concern in the United States and Black Americans are among those with the highest rates of overweight, obesity, and related co- morbidities. While weight loss among Black women has been studied within the context of a faith-based setting, there is little information about the relationship between spirituality, or relationship with the transcendent, and self-efficacy in the achievement and maintenance of a healthy weight.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among spirituality, self-efficacy for physical activity and healthy eating, and body composition measures among Black women over the period of participation …

Preventive Care Utilization Among Black Women : Perceived Beliefs, Benefits And Barriers To Mammography Screening, Rowandalla Y. Dunbar

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Blacks, in comparison to other racial or ethnic groups, suffer higher rates of illness and death from many preventable or treatable diseases. Despite the significantly higher rates of mortality and disease, Blacks are least likely to utilize clinical preventive care services. Black women, who are more likely to have advanced breast cancer at time of diagnosis (Chu, Lamar, & Freeman, 2003) are least likely to seek mammography screening (National Health Interview Study, 2000). Allen, Bastani, Bazargan and Leonard (2002) examined predictors of mammography screening among women 40 years old and older residing in the South Central area of Los Angeles, …

The Role Of Unrealistic Optimism In Explaining Preventive Behaviors In High Versus Low Endemic Malaria Settings In Belize, Daniel G. Handysides

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Of all the diseases an individual can encounter in the world, malaria is one of the most destructive. Simple measures like sleeping under a bednet would greatly reduce the burden (Abeku, 2007). When people estimate their risk relative to others, they are most often unrealistically optimistic, which may explain why those at risk often fail to perform behaviors, such as using a bednet that will reduce their risk. However, one study showed that people at high risk for malaria held pessimistic perceptions of their risk for the disease, but the reasons for this finding are unclear (Morrison, Ager, & …

Association Between Obesity, Depression, And Inflammation Among Seventh-Day Adventists In The Biopsychosocial Religion And Health Study, Michael Paalani

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The effects of obesity and depression on morbidity and mortality may be mediated by inflammatory processes. Homeostasis within the immune system depends on a balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine molecules, so chronic inflammatory diseases may result from cytokine dysregulation. The target population consisted of 508 Seventh Day Adventists (SDAs) who participated in the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study (BHRS), a sub-study of the Adventist Health Study-2. The study was a cross-sectional analysis of the association between obesity, depression, and inflammation after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, health behavioral, and health status variables among BHRS participants.

Obesity was assessed by body …

Emergency Department Staff Adherence To Bad News Delivery Recommendations, Kristen R. Myers

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Emergency department (ED) staff is responsible for giving bad news regarding death, diagnoses, and other traumatic losses to patients and loved ones. Individuals receiving traumatic and sudden bad news are at increased risk of serious psychological and physiological consequences of disrupted grief. Despite published recommended practices for providers to help prevent maladaptive grief responses, little research is available on actual bad news delivery practices and factors promoting or hindering adherence to recommendations, and no study specifically explored the ED context.

The study used a qualitative design to explore bad news delivery practices, awareness of recommendations, factors perceived to hinder or …

Psychosocial Factors Associated With Nicotine Dependence Among College Students : Are There Differences Between Social And Regular Smokers?, Devan Rae Romero

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background. Cigarette smoking, the primary source of tobacco used by adults 18-25, has remained stable, at around 21-25%, in the college population since 2003. Many college students report their smoking as primarily a “social” behavior, which may reflect an emerging type of smoker. Ambiguity exists in defining and categorizing smokers in the college population.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine psychosocial perceptions related to smoking among college students who currently smoke and those who do not smoke, and among different types of smokers. In addition, validation of self-reported smoking behavior with saliva cotinine was conducted in …

Stressors And Coping Mechanisms Of Married Female Physicians : A Qualitative Review, Eva Marie Starner

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Female physicians live and work in a very complex world fraught with professional demands and personal challenges. Twenty-seven married female physicians were interviewed for this study to assess demands and stressors endemic to them and to determine how they manage them. The breadth of this study looked at the demands and stressors of the female physician from the perspective of her work environment, home and family responsibilities, parenting responsibilities, and self-imposed demands in her perceived roles as a working wife and mother. Two main categories emerged during the development of grounded theory: System Challenge and System Adaptation. Additionally, work demands, …