Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Examining The Factors That Lead To Latinas Stopping Breastfeeding Across The United States, Dulce Ruelas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breastfeeding is the optimal nutrition for an infant, yet only 25.4% of women in the United States decide to breastfeed. A Latina's choice for infant feeding must be made with accurate information as breastfeeding may reduce infant mortality and decrease chronic conditions such as obesity, depression, and diabetes. The study's purpose was to examine if Latinas are influenced by suggestions to not breastfeed by family members and health care providers or by events that may have happened at the hospital. Grounded in the theory of planned behavior, this study reviewed if social influences, marital status, and maternal education link to …

Melanoma Cancer Survivors: An Online Community Perspective And Prevention Effort, Lisa Marie Chung

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMelanoma cancer is a major public health issue and has been associated with tanning and exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Minimal information is known about prevention efforts specific to survivors of melanoma cancer who participate in an online community. Surveys of this community differ from previous research of individuals through nononline research; the online community is more likely to be younger in age, comfortable seeking health information using Internet resources, and more advanced in technological capabilities. The main aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the impact of age, gender, and race on melanoma prevention efforts (health maintenance and skin …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Sickle Cell Disease Patients And Parents/Caretakers On Alternative Treatment Options For Pain Management, Elizabeth Hagan Asamoah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is marked by excruciating chronic pain, commonly known as pain crisis. SCD healthcare practitioners (HCPs) have been employing palliative care as a mainstream treatment option to manage SCD pain crises using mainly opioid analgesics for years. Due to the current opioid crisis, however, it has become imperative to explore alternative regimens to manage the pain and associated comorbidities of SCD. Thus, the goals of this study included exploring alternative treatment options for SCD pain crisis management with the intent of decreasing SCD patients’ dependency on opioid-based or related analgesics while reducing the frequency of pain crises …

Perspectives Of Physicians Mandated To Complete Cultural Competence Education, Wayne Mccarthy Boatwright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perspectives of Physicians Mandated to Complete Cultural Competence Educationby Wayne M. Boatwright

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Health Services

Walden University May 2021 Abstract Studies show that ethnic and racial disparities continue to exist in health care delivery. The economics of today’s multicultural world along with changing demographics and persistence of inequality in healthcare have challenged healthcare professionals to consider cultural competency (CC) training to assist in eliminating health disparities. The purpose of this study was to identify the perspectives of physicians who were mandated to complete CC education. …

Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus Risk Factors Among African Immigrants 20 – 45 Years Old Residing In The United States, Abu Bakar Sidique Fofanah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is highly prevalent among African Americans. Africans born abroad are a subset of the African American population in the U.S., but few studies have been conducted on this population, a gap this study aims to close. The incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes continue to rise among this population. This study explored type 2 diabetes risk factors among Africans born abroad who were 20-45 years old in the U.S. This was a retrospective and quantitative cross-sectional study involving National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 type 2 diabetes data. The total sample size was …

Cell Phone Use And Adolescent Weight Problems, Florence Kenkor Njang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOverweightinadolescenceincreasestheriskofobesityandmanyadversehealthoutcomeslaterinlife.The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectionalstudy was to investigatetheassociationbetweencell phoneuseandweightstatusinadolescents,ages14 17yearsold,livingintheUnitedStates.Thesocio-ecologicalmodel(SEM)wasusedtoexplainthelinkbetweencellphoneuseandoverweightamongadolescents.Threeresearchquestionswere used to explore(a)therelationshipbetweencellphoneuseandadolescentweightstatusaftercontrollingforage,gender,andrace;(b)the effectofcellphoneuseonoverweightandnormalweightstatusesamongadolescentsaged 14 17yearsaftercontrollingforage,gender,andphysicalactivity;and(c)themodifyingeffectofraceontherelationshipbetweencellphoneuseandadolescentoverweightaftercontrollingforageandgender.Secondary data from the2017YouthRiskBehavioralSurveillanceSystemwere analyzed usingbinarylogisticregressiontoanswer theresearchquestions.Highcellphoneusesignificantlyandpositivelypredictedoverweightinadolescentsaftercontrollingforage,gender,andrace(p<0.001).Afteraccountingforage,gender,andphysicalactivity,highcellphoneusewasasignificantpredictorofoverweight(p<0.001).Similarly,racehadasignificantmodifyingeffectonthepositiveassociationbetweenhighcelluseandoverweightamongadolescents(p<0.001).Thekeypositivesocialchange implication of this studyis the potentialtointegratehealthycellphoneusewithexistingobesitypublichealthinterventionsthatcanreduceoverweightandpositivelyimpactindividuals,families,andcommunities.

Educating Nurses To Help Promote Diabetes Self-Care Management In Primary Care, Delphine E. Ikpasaja

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes is a chronic disease that has a genetic and lifestyle component, and it affects individuals in various parts of the world. A lack of understanding of the nature of the disease has contributed to the complications experienced by patients with diabetes 2 (DM2), such as an elevated glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) and hyperglycemia. At the clinic where this project took place, patients received an initial teaching but did not get any further support or resources to manage their disease. A four sections of a 30 minutes each was the educational presentation used with staff at the clinic to help them …

Social Determinants Of Maternal And Neonatal Birth Outcomes Among Syrian Refugees In Lebanon, Mona Charbel Kiwan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Neonatal and maternal health indicators have been impacted due to Syrian refugees’ displacement in Lebanon and an increase in child marriage rates from 13% in pre-conflict Syria to 41%. Using the causal continuum framework, the retrospective cross-sectional study’s purpose was to examine whether there is a statistically significant association between adverse maternal and birth health outcomes among Syrian refugees in Lebanon and social determinants of health. The sample size drawn from UNHCR database included 48,083 maternal and 4,288 neonatal refugees admitted to the secondary health care in 2018. Pearson chi-square and binomial logistic regression results showed that employed, newcomers mothers …

Knowledge And Perceptions Of Antibiotic Resistance Stewardship Among Prehealth And Agriculture Students, Claudia Maria Da Silva Carvalho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The global threat of antibiotic resistant infection has resulted in health organizations to compile an antibiotic stewardship program, in which the education of current/future medical prescribers and farmers is central for the preservation of current and future antimicrobial treatments. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the knowledge and perceived threat of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance, as well as the perceived benefit of antibiotic stewardship, among undergraduate students in biology and agriculture at a state university in Kansas. Framed by the health belief model, a cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured online survey of 136 undergraduate …

Sociodemographic And Obstetric Predictors Of Cesarean Section In Ghana, Nana Mireku-Gyimah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increasing cesarean section (CS) rate in Ghana has severe public health implications as it results in significant maternal and child morbidity and mortality. An assessment of the factors contributing to the increasing CS rate in different settings is imperative to guide the development of interventions. The purpose of this study was to identify the sociodemographic and obstetric predictors of CS in a major referral health facility in Accra, Ghana. This research was grounded in the systems thinking approach and involved the use of a case-control design whereby 2,704 pairs of cases (delivered by CS) and controls (delivered by vaginal …

Sociodemographic And Psychosocial Factors And Wellbeing Among Adults 65 And Older In England, Dainelle Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increased number of older adults living longer parallels with the growth of public health concerns regarding the impact of sociodemographic and psychosocial factors (e.g., loneliness and social isolation) on older adults' wellbeing. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association between loneliness, social isolation, the combined model of loneliness, and social isolation on wellbeing among older adults when accounting for age, gender, ethnicity, and social support. The socioecological model (SEM) was used to evaluate the multiple levels of environmental determinants for loneliness, social isolation, and wellbeing. The target population included older adults 65 years and older …

Health Insurance Coverage, Sociodemographic Factors, And Treatment Completion For Opioid Abusers In Indiana, Ibrahim Samna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many accidental deaths have recently occurred in Indiana due to opioid overdose. The current study sought to assess the association between sociodemographic factors, health insurance, and successful treatment completion for opioids abusers in Indiana based on the existing literature gap. In this study, the dependent variables considered were treatment completion status and opioid abuse. The independent variables included health insurance coverage and sociodemographic factors of education, marital status, employment status, race, gender, and age. I measured both dependent and independent variables as categorical. A cross-sectional and quantitative research approach was used by analyzing data from the 2017-Treatment Episode Data Set …

Health Literacy Staff Education For Heart Failure Management, Ifeoma Onyeiwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease with progressive deterioration that occurs over years or decades. There is a need for individuals affected by HF to be educated regarding this complex disease. Health literacy, an integral part of health and wellness, is one's ability to understand and use health information. Ninety million adults in America have difficulty understanding and using health information, resulting in higher rates of hospitalization and use of emergency services among patients. Limited health literacy may lead to billions of dollars in avoidable healthcare costs. This DNP project addressed health literacy as it relates to medication adherence …

Medical Brain Drain And Its Effect On The Nigerian Healthcare Sector, Oluwakemi Osigbesan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigeria suffers from a huge brain drain issue across different sectors, particularly in the healthcare sector. The WHO assessed that there is a current shortage of 2.8 million physicians in the world A heuristic phenomenological method was used in this study to explore the lived experiences of 12 Nigerian healthcare practitioners that migrated to the United States. The push-pull theory served as the theoretical framework that grounded this study. The central research questions for this study focused primarily on the reasons healthcare practitioners are leaving Nigeria and what the impact of those decisions have on the Nigerian healthcare sector. Qualitative …

Social/Cultural Factors In Preschool Immunizations, Mozambique, Kristine Gayle Bernabe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immunizations are scientifically proven, effective global health interventions that prevent infectious diseases and save lives. Yet, in Mozambique at the national level, less than 65% of children are fully immunized, i.e., received all the basic/routine vaccinations. The overall purpose of the doctoral study was to conduct quantitative research examining the sociocultural factors that may impact childhood immunization status in the context of the social ecological model. The study examined the relationship between child’s gender, mother’s and her husband/partner’s educational level, household wealth index, religion, ethnicity/language, urban-rural residency, and province/region with the child’s full immunization status in Mozambique. Secondary analysis of …

The Lived Experience Of African American Young Adult Men With Hiv And Self-Care Collaborative Management, Barbara A. Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfrican American young adult (AAYA) men living with HIV often lack interventions that address the influence that HIV has on their quality of life, especially their relationships. Self-care collaborative management (SCCM) concerns related to disclosure and stigmatization complicate social, psychological, and SCCM behaviors. Intervention programs addressing these concerns should be based on relevant, accurate information, but this information is lacking for AAYAs. The purpose of this research was to explore and describe the lived experiences of male AAYAs with HIV and their use of SCCM. The study method was qualitative; Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology was the design. The individual family self-management …

Diabetes Self-Management Of Adults With Diabetes In Grenada During The Covid-19, Pauline Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes self-management involves several behaviors to prevent complications and ensure a good quality of life. Several studies addressed how the COVID-19 lockdown impacted diabetes self-management practices worldwide, yet little was known about self-management experiences in Grenada and the Caribbean region. The purpose of this phenomenological and directed content analysis study was to gain insight into the lived diabetes self-management experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown in Grenada. The theory of planned behavior was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions addressed lived self-management experiences and attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control toward diabetes self-management. Semistructured interviews …

Fetal/Infant Mortality: Understanding Race And Ethnicity, Birthing Location, And Prenatal Care, Chelsea Collum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed whether race and ethnicity, birthing location, the month the mother begins prenatal care, and pregnancy risk level impact fetal/infant mortality. Infant mortality is a gauge by which the efficacy of the healthcare system and the overall health of the country is measured. The United States falls behind most other developed countries in terms of infant mortality rates. The ecological perspective was used as the theoretical framework. The study design was a cross-sectional cohort design using a sample of births and infant deaths from U.S. Vital Statistics data. Binomial logistic regression analyses were carried out to calculate odds …

Experiences In An Online Learning Community, Michelle Potthoff Wylie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Master of public health online programs have been experiencing issues with retention and problems related to inconsistent implementation of online learning communities. This basic qualitative study aimed to understand the efficacy of online programs and the perceived impact of the implantation of online learning communities. The conceptual framework for this study is Siemens’s connectivism theory supporting different types of learning in the online environment. Two research questions guided the study: (a) How do graduate students in an online Master of Public Health program perceive the efficacy of online learning communities and (b) Which components of online learning communities do graduate …

Understanding Female Somali Noncollege Graduate Immigrant’S Experiences With Cervical Cancer Screening Services, Rachel Anyu Anyu-Lainjo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHealthcare disparities exist in cervical cancer screening worldwide particularly in women of East African descent compared to non-African women. Previous research has investigated the reasons for low participation in cervical cancer screening among Blacks, minorities, and immigrant populations. Limited research has focused on immigrant women in the United States of America, specifically immigrants from Somalia who currently live in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the perception of Somali immigrant women ages 25 - 45 years who have not earned a college degree and their lived experiences with cervical cancer screening. Two conceptual frameworks …

Demographic Characteristics And Response Preparedness Of Employed Adults To Ebola Virus Disease In Monrovia, Liberia, Beth Ann Sexton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEbola virus disease (EVD) is a deadly disease with no known cure and it caused an outbreak from 2014-2016 in Western Africa. Liberia had the highest morbidity and mortality; its capital city, Monrovia, was the focus of this study. The purpose of this research was to explore the association between sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors (gender, religion, age, occupation, education, and ward) and the use of preventative hygiene measures and understanding of EVD among working Monrovian adults. This population was chosen because 97% of the Monrovian population is employed, and thus serves as a good source for future public health campaigns. …