Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Epidemiology Of Coccidioidomycosis In Missouri, Ravi Kumar Aggu Sher

Open Access Theses

Introduction. Incidence of Coccidioidomycosis has been increasing nationally, from 2,271 cases in 1998 to 17,802 cases in 2012. Missouri is not endemic to Coccidioidomycosis but the incidence has been increasing since becoming reportable in 2003. To describe epidemiology of Coccidioidomycosis in Missouri we conducted a retrospective review of surveillance data at Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services (DHSS) for the years, 2004-2013.

Methods. Data was obtained from Missouri Health Surveillance Information System (WebSurv), the statewide reporting system for notifiable diseases. All cases that were "Confirmed" were included in the study.

Results. There were a total of 93 confirmed cases …

Impact Of Healthy Lifestyle Choices On Smoking Behavior Among College Students Who Smoke Cigarettes, Mitchell Jenkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact certain healthy lifestyle choices had on smoking behavior among college students who smoke cigarettes. Even with continued reduction in prevalence, cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in America. With that in mind, it is important to continue to identify factors that relate to decreased tobacco usage. Secondary data from the American College Health Association's bi-yearly National College Health Assessment was used for this study. This assessment/survey encompasses college students' habits, behaviors, and perceptions regarding prevalent health topics. The sample for this study consisted of 14,515 college students who identified themselves as …

Physical Activity Informational Websites: Accuracy, Language Ease, And Fear Appeal, Samantha Rose Paige

Open Access Theses

Introduction. Health information is one of the most common searches on the Internet. Literature supports that, in general, health information readily available to Internet consumers is not accurate, lacks plain language for ease of understanding, and does not incorporate behavior-change theoretical frameworks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate each of these components. Method. Three keywords, "physical activity," "exercise," and "fitness," were entered into four popular search engines: Google, Bing, and Yahoo. The first 5 result pages were considered, totaling a sample of 493 websites. After exclusionary criteria, 102 websites were reviewed and analyzed with guidance from ACSM recommendations, …

The Relationship Between Perceived Discrimination And Hope For The Future, Global Self Worth And Academic Competence: In A Multi-Racial/Ethnic, Low Income Sample Of School Age Children, Grace Elisabeth Quattrocki

Open Access Theses

Objective: To examine the extent to which a change in perceived interpersonal discrimination was associated with a change in the levels of hope for the future, global self-worth and perceived academic competence among a multiracial sample of adolescents attending a four-week, summer positive youth development program. Method: We first estimated means with standard errors of continuous variables and percentages within categorical variables in our total sample, and between those returning to PALS and those who were new to PALS. We then examined the correlation between perceived interpersonal racial/ethnic discrimination and the three outcome variables at the beginning and end of …

Inspiring Change: Exercise Self-Efficacy, Dispositional Optimism, And Perceived Stress In College Seniors, Joshua M. Garrin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prohealth competencies, positive outcome expectancies, and adaptive stress appraisals have profound implications for the real-world transition of college seniors—a population for which engagement in physical activity reflects a preeminent concern. Prior studies on exercise self-efficacy (ESE), dispositional optimism (DO), perceived stress (PS), and physical activity have yielded inconclusive evidence of the emergent psychosocial challenges encountered during the final year of the college experience. Using a triadic framework of self-efficacy, attribution, and cognitive appraisal theories, this crosssectional, quantitative study was conducted using a web survey to examine (a) the impact of physical activity level on ESE, DO, and PS; (b) the …