Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Risk Management Program Implementation On Worker Safety Knowledge, John C. Donnelly

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of the implementation of a risk management program tool on worker safety knowledge in a composite building material fabrication facility whose workers suffered from an increasingly high injury (incidence) rate in recent years. Risk assessment codes (RACs) and job safety analyses (JSAs) were the primary tools used to introduce workers to the concept of risk. Because employee involvement is a crucial element in JSA development. employee input was frequently solicited throughout JSA development.

The study instrument consisted of a pre-test and post-test survey, to which an experimental and control group were subjected. The instrument was …

Affective Reactions, Social Support And Willingness To Self-Disclose To Hiv Seropositive Individuals: Impact Of Sexual Orientation And Responsibility For The Infection, Susan Paige Sherburne

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

An attributional model of controllability suggests that perceptions of someone's controllability of an event lead to anger and rejection, whereas perceptions of uncontrollability lead to pity and helping. This study examined the impact of an HIV victim's sexual orientation and "responsibility" for infection on subjects' affective responses, self-disclosure to the person, social support, and liking and trust for the person. Subjects received messages from their "partner" (a confederate) stating that he had just learned he was HIV positive. The message either stated that he was heterosexual or homosexual, and that he had either only one partner or many partners. Subjects …

Identification Of Variables Influencing Women's Breast Cancer Detection, Sherri Duckworth Kemp

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the variables influencing women's breast cancer detection behavior. Using social learning theory as an organizing framework. factors influencing women's decisions to seek breast cancer detection and the respondent's personal demographics were examined for their contribution to explaining women's decisions to seek breast cancer detection.

A [convience] sample from a university medical center provided data for the study. Data were gathered with a voluntary questionnaire. A total of 25 employees from the medical center participated in the study during the winter quarter of 1994.

The findings of the study provide insight into some of the variables affecting women's …

Factors Associated With Successful Long-Term Weight Loss Maintenance In Women, Renie Del Ponte

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Abundant literature exist on interventions for weight loss documenting the existence of a weight loss maintenance problem (Wadden & Bell, 1990; Kay man et al., 1990; Wadden et al., 1989). Very few individuals are successful at maintaining their weight loss for at least two years for reasons that are not clearly understood. This retrospective study examined factors, identified in a review of the scientific literature, shown to be associated with weight loss maintenance. A screening questionnaire was presented to all female patients (n=271) entering physician offices for routine health maintenance care from February 1, 1994 through June 30, 1994. Fifty-three …

Moraxella (Branhamella) Catarrhalis: A Molecular Epidemiology Study, Lyndell R. Gill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis is the third-most-frequently isolated microorganism associated with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis in patients during their stay at the Mountain Home VA Medical Center (MHVAMC). In order to develop a practical, epidemiologically-meaningful typing method for M. (B.) catarrhalis, we tested two methods based on analysis of chromosomal DNA for typeability, reproducibility, and ability to differentiate between unrelated strains (discriminatory power, D). M. (B.) catarrhalis isolants from MHVAMC from 7/1/87-6/30/88 were grown overnight in broth and embedded in agarose. DNA was isolated by standard methods. The DNA was subjected to: (1) restriction endonuclease digestion (with either Bgl II …

Patient Satisfaction Among Users Of The After Hours Program, Helen L. Larocco

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The problem of increasing health care costs and decreasing access to health care services is a major crisis in the U.S. today. One factor contributing to the rising cost of health care is the inappropriate use of emergency rooms, (ERs). In response to escalating costs a local health care corporation implemented a telephone triage program called the After Hours Program, (AHP). The goal of the program was to reduce inappropriate utilization of emergency rooms, and to educate patients to recognize and treat specific health problems independently, i.e., home treatment.

A program evaluation was completed in which different dimensions of patient …

Effect Of Nutrition Intervention On The Outcomes Of Pregnancy: A Rural Urban Comparison, Ranjita Misra

Health Services Research Dissertations

The present study examines the effect of nutritional intervention on two outcomes of pregnancy: birth weight of the baby and gestational age. The study further examines the difference in nutritional intervention in rural and urban areas. The research method used is ex-post facto design. Data for the study is extracted from the health records and tracking sheets of women participating in the Nutrition Intervention Project in Virginia Department of Health. Path analysis and effects analysis are used to analyze the causal and direct effect of the independent variables and each of the outcome variables. A model has been developed grounded …

A Comparison Of The Utilization Of Health Services In The Presence Or Absence Of Prescriptive Drug Insurance In A Managed Care Environment, Martha Groblewski

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study tested if the availability of third party payment for prescriptive drugs as part of employer sponsored health insurance was associated with a change in the utilization of four types of health services in an independent practice association (IPA). The study employed the individual determinants component of the Andersen-Newman theoretical framework for health services utilization. Groups of employees in companies that offered health insurance identical in all ways except for the presence or absence of the prescriptive rider were included in the study which resulted in a population of 122 companies (89 with prescriptive rider insurance and 33 without …

Zinc Metabolism In The Streptozotocin (Stz)-Diabetes, Aizhong Fu

Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014

Hyperzincuria in diabetics has been regarded as the culprit depleting body zinc stores. Studies were designed to assess rates of 65Zn absorption and retention as a possible compensation mechanism; to assess zinc concentrations and distribution among body compartments, and to assess the kinetics of 65Zn metabolism in STZ-diabetic rats. The rates of 65Zn absorption and retention were not significantly different between STZ-diabetic and control rats. However, STZ-diabetic rats had significantly higher rates of 65Zn absorption (16.88%) and retention (34.36%) when they were "Post-fasted" than when they were "Prior-fasted" (9.04% and 18.68% respectively). These differences were also present in control rats …

Perceived Stress And Health-Promoting Behaviors In Nursing Students Using Pender's Health Promotion Model, Gail E. Dunham

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to add support to the literature that there is a relationship between the perceived stress (Student Stress Inventory) that nursing students report and their practice of health-promoting behaviors (Health Promoting Lifestyle Inventory). A convenience sample of 36 first-year associate degree nursing students was obtained. The conceptual framework used was Pender's Health Promotion Model. No relationships were found between demographic variables and perceived stress. Results indicated that subjects reported they engaged in health-promoting behaviors more than sometimes and they perceived themselves overall as slightly stressed. A negative correlation between perceived stress and health-promoting …

Effectiveness Of An Interdisciplinary Chronic Low Back Pain Program Based On Return To Work Outcome, John R. Bromfield, Deborah A. Knowles, Stacie M. Schoenberg

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Midwestern Hospital's Interdisciplinary Outpatient Chronic Low Back Pain program. Rate of return to work was selected as the outcome measure for effectiveness. For purposes of discussion, the percentage of patients who were compliant with home exercise, who were involved in a vocational rehabilitation program, and who consulted a physician since discharge were analyzed. There were 118 male and female subjects, average age of 43; who successfully completed the 8 week chronic low back pain program between 1992 and 1994. Subjects were then sent questionnaires at 1, 3, 6, …

Exercise And Dietary Habits Of High School, Health Science Students, Lorri Castro Aguilera

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Skilled Nursing Facility Based Rehabilitation Outcomes Of The Geriatric Stroke Patient, Sheila Bernadette Andrews

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Hazard Recognition And Regulation : An Asbestos Chronology, Diane A. Colson

Theses

One hundred years after it was first mined, several uses of asbestos were banned in the United States. The latency period that typifies asbestos-related diseases was but one factor in the delayed recognition of asbestos as a health hazard. Many other factors delayed the initiation of practical measures to alleviate the hazards.

Controversies surrounding exposure to asbestos continue. Epidemiological studies have answered many questions, but many others are, and may remain, unanswered. Some of the controversies surrounding exposure to asbestos are embedded in the development of the United States of America as a country. An understanding of the historical basis …

Immunisation Delay In The 0-18 Month Age Group In The Kimberley Region Of Western Australia, Anne Mahony

Theses : Honours

In two separate complementary exploratory descriptive studies the cover and timing of vaccine administration to children in the 0-18 month age group in the remote Kimberley Region of Western Australia were quantified, and reasons for delay in vaccine administration were investigated. The adapted PRECEDE model was used to guide the research and to integrate and interpret the findings. Study One: Three separate computer immunisation databases were combined to provide the first validated age-appropriate infant immunisation data in Western Australia. For the first time in WA, the timing of administration of vaccines was investigated, and for the first time in Australia, …

Does Changing Physician Behaviors Alter Physician Attitudes? An Exploration Of Innovation Diffusion Within A Mandated Situation., Phyllis Jane Johnson

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Korean Response To Public Health Clinic Programs., Won Jae Lee

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

The Supply Of Needles And Syringes To Injecting Drug Users : Attitudes And Practices Of Pharmacists In Western Australia, Heather June Newbey

Theses : Honours

Since 1986 in Western Australia many pharmacists have been supplying needles and syringes to injecting drug users as part of the governments's harm minimisation policy to prevent the spread of HIVI AIDS and other blood-borne viruses, particularly the more recently recognised hepatitis C. This practice was technically illegal, although officially condoned, until May 1994. Adequate baseline data not was available concerning needle and syringe supply or the attitudes of pharmacists concerning this issue. In this study a mail survey of Western Australian community pharmacists was conducted to determine the proportion of pharmacists currently supplying needles and syringes to injecting drug …

A Comparative Study Of Visual Problems Between Video Display Terminal Operators In A Developed And A Developing Country, Blessing F. Adeoye

Masters Theses

The work presented in this research study examined the visual problems between Video Display Terminal (VDT) operators in a developed and a developing country. Specifically, this study compared the responses of a group of 67 VDT operators in Nigeria and the United States of America. The study addressed the following questions that have remained unanswered for many years: 1. What are the most common VDT visual hazards? 2. Are these problems the same in the USA and Nigeria? 3. Are these visual problems work related? To accomplish this research study, a survey eliciting opinions of computer operators about the visual …

Medical Nutrition Therapy In The Management Of Preterm And Low Birthweight Infants, Wendy Elizabeth Foster

Honors Theses

In the past, infants born prematurely or of low birthweight simply did not survive. Improved medical care has increased infant survival, as well as subsequent growth and development. The man technological advances in neonatology bring to the forefront countless new challenges in developing nutritional care plans able to adequately meet the needs of extremely fragile and vulnerable infants. Increased knowledge of the nutrient requirements for high-risk infants is needed, along with a clear understanding of how to administer the nutrients in a safe and effective manner.

What exactly must registered dietitians know in order to practice effectively as nutrition experts …

Does The Alcohol Behavior Of Charleston High School Students Vary According To Their Source Of Information On Alcohol?, Christy J. Rawlins

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Practice Nurses And Hepatitis B : Preventative Actions And Their Relationship To Health Beliefs, Helen Le Sueur

Theses : Honours

Hepatitis B is a major, largely undiagnosed disease in the community and nurses working in doctors' surgeries (practice nurses) undertake many clinical tasks which may expose them to the Hepatitis B virus. Using the Health Belief Model as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this correlational-descriptive study was to determine what actions are taken, by practice nurses in Western Australia to protect themselves against Hepatitis B, and to what extent their health beliefs contribute to those actions. A response rate of 59% (118) was obtained from an anonymous, confidential questionnaire sent to a random sample of 200 practice nurses in …

A Mathematical Model To Describe Haemophilus Influenzae Type B Within Western Australia, Kevin Dennis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This work is primarily aimed at determining the effect that an immunisation policy Is likely to have on the incidence of Haemophllus influenzae Type B (HIB) and systematic HIB in Western Australia. There was a significant effort made to collect data pertinent to the estimation of parameter values but since HIB has only been a notifiable disease since 1992, there was a distinct lack of relevant data available. Private communication with individual’s such as Dr Jeffrey Hanna and Dr Beryl Wild resulted in practical information being obtained that was used to estimate certain parameters. The deterministic mathematical models within the …

Organizational Slack, Efficiency, And Quality Of Care In Acute Care Hospitals, Kyung Ii Youn

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between technical efficiency and quality of care in hospitals is studied in the context of resource availability in hospital organizations. The resource availability of hospitals is conceptualized by organizational slack.

An integrated model is developed encompassing the source of organizational slack, its impact on technical efficiency and on quality of care, and its impact on the relationship between efficiency and quality. Organizational threat as an environmental factor affecting the level of slack is measured by the level of competition and regulation. Organizational slack is measured using financial and operational indicators of the hospitals. Technical efficiency is estimated by …

Nutrition Knowledge Of Illinois High School Athletic Coaches, Donall M. Hausauer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Attachment Theory And Self-Disclosure Of Hiv Status, Amy H. Grimshaw

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the influence of attachment style on self-disclosure of HIV seropositive status. Subjects were classified according to Bartholomew's model of adult attachment (i.e., secure, preoccupied, fearful, or dismissing). Steps were then taken to assess differences in the subjects' willingness to disclose their HIV seropositive status, the communication style chosen for disclosure, the subjects' perceptions of the importance of disclosing their HIV seropositive status, and the feared negative consequences of disclosure. To increase generalizability subjects were asked to assess their self-disclosure to three types of target persons: lover, same-sex friend, and opposite-sex friend. Attachment style significantly affected perceived importance …

The Implementation Of A Needleless Iv System And Its Impact In Needlestick Injuries, Renée Gadilhe Childers

Legacy ETDs

No abstract provided.