Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of A Community-Based Cervical Cancer Education Program On Perceptions And Knowledge Of Screening Among Low-Income Hispanic Women, Claudia S. Lozano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cervical cancer affects Hispanic women disproportionately in comparison to their non-Hispanic white counterparts. In 2004, the incidence rate was 12.2 per 100,000 persons among Hispanic women compared to 7.5 per 100,000 among non-Hispanic white women (U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2007). Although this form of cancer is easily diagnosed through recommended screening tests, Hispanic women are often less likely to get screened (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Research based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) examining attitudes and beliefs about cervical cancer and screening among Hispanic women has demonstrated that non-compliance with Pap smear screening was attributed …

The Association Of Dust Events With Asthma Exacerbation In The U.S.-Mexico Border Children: A Pilot Study, Monika Gaytan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background. Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic pediatric illnesses in the U.S. and a major cause of childhood disability, hospitalization, and missed schooldays. Air pollution is one of a number of known environmental triggers known to exacerbate pediatric asthma. Emerging evidence also suggests that exposure to dust aerosols associated with dust storm events may trigger asthmatic symptoms. The Paso del Norte (PDN) region is the single most dust-prone major metropolitan area in the U.S., averaging 14.5 major dust events/yr. The annual peak in dust event activity occurs during March to May where there is a 42% chance of …

The Relation Of Alcohol Expectancies To Alcohol Consumption And Alcohol-Related Problems Among College Students, Michelle Nicholle Greco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships among positive and negative alcohol expectancies and alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in a sample of Hispanic, predominantly Mexican-American, college students. It was hypothesized that positive expectancies would be positively related to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems and that negative expectancies would be negatively related to alcohol consumption and alcohol related problems. Little is known and understood about the role of positive and negative expectancies in Hispanic college students and even less is known about how expectancies relate to alcohol related problems in this population.

This study was a …

Prenatal Physical Activity Patterns And Determinants In An Urban Ecuadorian Population, Erika Gonzalez Beltran

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background & Significance. Evidence has accumulated over the past two decades suggesting that healthy pregnant women who engage in regular moderate physical activity (PA) may reduce their risk for certain adverse pregnancy and postnatal health outcomes. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans which recommends at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity aerobic PA for pregnant women. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG, 2002) recommends 30 min of moderate-intensity PA, specified as derived from recreational or leisure activities on most or all …

Project L.E.A.N.: An After-School Health And Exercise Project For Elementary School Children In El Paso, Texas, Hendrik De Heer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: After-school activities provide valuable opportunities for health promotion activities that do not interfere with the regular school day, especially in minority populations with higher rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The current study is an evaluation of an after-school health education and physical activity program conducted in nine elementary schools in 2008 in El Paso, Texas. METHODS: The intervention consisted of a 10-12 week (twice a week) after school program consisting of a pilot (with two experimental schools) and main intervention (six schools each including a control and experimental group). The main outcome variables were Body Mass Index, …