Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Cause For Question: Risk And Postmodern Panic In The Vaccine Safety Debate, Marygrace Trifilio

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the thoughts and feelings of non-vaccinating parents in America and argues that contemporary vaccine refusal results from overwhelming information saturation in the Internet age. Non-vaccinating parents express distrust of competing scientific research and call for a return to a more natural, toxin-free lifestyle.

Examining Crowdsourced Social Media Platforms And Their Association With College Students' Alcohol Consumption, Perceived Risk, And Behaviors, Danielle Gentile

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: High-risk alcohol use by U.S. college students remains a significant threat to individual health and community well-being. Newly-emerging social media platforms and apps which relay information about alcohol-related law enforcement serve as an intriguing addition to college alcohol-use environments. The purpose of this study was to examine the information delivered to users by the local social media platform @Drinking Ticket (DT), determine which types of information were then relayed to others, and clarify how this information influences alcohol use, perceived risk, and alcohol-related risk behaviors among college students. Methods: One year of DT tweets (n=854 tweets) were qualitatively coded …

Conversations About Sexuality On A Public University Campus: Exploring Perspectives From Campus Ministry Leaders And Students, Charis Rebecca Davidson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1800s, religious organizations have been a presence on public universities. However, there is limited research on the influence these organizations may have on student health communication and behaviors. Prior research on campus ministries has focused primarily on the culture of individual organizations. In this study, researchers explored the goals and experiences of USC leaders related to communication around sexuality with their students, as well as student perceptions of these messages, and how students incorporate religious messages about sexuality into their lives. The present study had four aims:

1. Assess whether students participating in campus ministries at USC differ …

Beyond The Millennium Development Goals: An Evaluation Of The War On Hiv / Aids In Kenya, Robert G. Nyaga

Theses and Dissertations

HIV/AIDS remains a threat to Kenya and other developing nations. This thesis aimed at assessing the HIV/AIDS situation in Kenya by examining the knowledge of Kenyans towards infection and spread HIV/AIDS, attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS, involvement of community opinion leaders in the HIV/AIDS campaigns, sharing of HIV/AIDS information, and government efforts to control HIV/AIDS. A sample of Kenyans (N= 103) was surveyed and asked to respond to several scales assessing each of the above items. Quantitative and qualitative methods reveal the knowledge and attitudes portrayed by Kenyans and show that, although much has been achieved, there is need …

Enhancing Parent-Child Communication And Promoting Physical Activity And Healthy Eating Through Mobile Technology: A Randomized Trial, Danielle E. Schoffman

Theses and Dissertations

Background

Although rates of pediatric and adult obesity remain high in the U.S., finding scalable and engaging ways to disseminate obesity prevention and treatment for families has been challenging. The purpose of the Motivating Families with Interactive Technology (mFIT) study was to test the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of two remotely-delivered family-based health promotion programs for improvements physical activity (PA), healthy eating, and parent-child communication and relationship quality.

Methods

Parent-child (child age 9-12 years) dyads enrolled in a 12-week mobile intervention to increase physical activity and healthy eating, which included weekly email newsletters and the use of pedometers. Dyads were …

Sustainability Of Food And Nutrition Security Policies During Presidential Transitions: Integrating Socio-Political And Nutritional Sciences, Jessica Liana Escobar-Alegría

Theses and Dissertations

Presidential transitions are uncertain periods in which relationships among power, accountability, and electoral support of a democratic process do not hold. Transitions challenge collaboration towards implementing policies contributing to food and nutrition security (FNSP). Sustaining these policies during transitions is critical for reaching long-term goals. Knowledge gaps remain on how to perform strategic multisectoral work during transitions to maximize FNSP sustainability.

This study aimed to examine what determines FNSP sustainability during presidential transitions and responded to the questions: How do policy actors define sustainability? What are the mechanisms determining policy sustainability? What are the implications of terminal logic behavior (TLB) …

The Roots Of Perspective In The American Context: News Media Discourse And Stakeholder Perspectives About The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Nicholas Younginer

Theses and Dissertations

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program serves 46 million people but is controversial. The media is positioned to influence political and public opinions about SNAP policy. This study identifies the SNAP media discourse and investigates perspectives of SNAP participants and frontline workers about the program.

I employed a mixed-methods design with two aims. Aim 1 gathered 295 articles across six news outlets, semi-inductively coding the articles for characters, assignment of responsibility, and framing of the article. I then ran chi-square tests for difference between employed frame and responsibility and employed frame and political ideology.

Aim 2 collected a sample of 20 …

Development And Evaluation Of A Peer-To-Peer Intervention To Increase Self-Management Among Adult In-Center Hemodialysis Patients, Jennifer J. St Clair Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Peer-to-peer (P2P) support programs have the potential to assist ESRD patients in managing their disease and improve outcomes. Yet, there is little research examining P2P programs’ impact on psychosocial outcomes and disease management behaviors.

Methods: A 4-month P2P mentoring intervention was designed and piloted in a facility serving 249 in-center hemodialysis patients in Lynchburg, Virginia. Preceded by a social marketing effort, which included a program naming contest and participant recruitment, the intervention included: (1) mentor training, (2) pairing of mentees and mentors, (3) kick-off social mixers, (4) ongoing meetings between mentees and mentors, (5) mentor training booster, and (6) …

Cancer Health Literacy And Hospitalization In The First Five Years Following A Cancer Diagnosis, Laura A. Cartwright

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: The field of health literacy research has been focused recently on developing more accurate measurement tools and understanding the relationship between health literacy and health outcomes. Individuals with lower levels of health literacy have worse health outcomes, including hospitalization rates, compared to those with adequate health literacy. This relationship has yet to be examined in the cancer patient population, although significant relationships between health literacy and cancer knowledge, screening behavior and quality of life have been found. This study is the first to examine the relationship between health literacy and hospitalization rates in a cancer patient population, and the …

A Qualitative Study Of How Communities Think About And Act Upon Hunger In The Presence Of A Food Banking System, Eliza Miriam Fishbein

Theses and Dissertations

Hunger is often addressed by providing food directly to those experiencing symptoms of food insecurity and hunger. Even with the availability of government food assistance programs, food insecurity and hunger rates continue to rise. Many local community organizations (e.g., small food banks, faith-based organizations, schools) across the country have come together to create and implement a variety of nongovernment food programs. Although there is no evidence these programs lower food insecurity and hunger rates, community organizations appear to be strongly committed to sustaining these programs. Little is known about the basis for this commitment, i.e., “ the will to act …

Quality Over Quantity: Positive Interactions During Family Meals In Food-Insecure Households Compensate For The Negative Impacts Of Household Chaos On Child Emotional Well-Being, But Not Diet Quality, Tiara Nicόl Rosemond

Theses and Dissertations

Family meals are important family activities that have many positive nutritional and emotional benefits for children. Positive family meal experiences may provide opportunities for children to strengthen emotional bonds, leading to a sense of security and, fostering improved children’s self-regulation of healthier food intake and emotional well-being. Unfortunately, children in food insecure households experience higher amounts of chaos, lower diet quality, and worry about having enough to eat compared to children in food-secure households, all of which may affect both family meal frequency and interpersonal quality. Yet, the relationships between food insecurity, household chaos, and family meal frequency and interpersonal …

Contextualizing Multilayered Sexual Subjectivities Of Heterosexual Black Female Undergraduate Students At A Predominantly White Institution In The South, Amarachi Rossana Anakaraonye

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses an intersectional theoretical framework to examine Black college women’s sexual health by focusing on how they engage in sexual decision making within their social contexts. This qualitative study analyzed 20 individual in-depth interviews of Black female undergraduate students, ages 18-22, who attend a predominantly white institution (PWI) in the Southeastern United States. The themes that emerged from qualitative data analysis include Black female undergraduate students’ perceptions of the sexual culture of their campus and the protective strategies they employ to navigate the sexual culture in order to achieve and/or maintain physical, emotional, and social well-being. Key findings …

Implementation Processes And Impacts Of School Store Policies In South Korea, Seul Ki Choi

Theses and Dissertations

With the concern of unhealthy school food environments, the South Korean government enacted two school nutrition policies to reduce unhealthy foods in school stores. The first policy banned on soft drinks sales in school stores enacted in 2007. The second policy restricted energy-dense nutrient-poor (EDNP) food sales in school stores enacted in 2009. This study aims to examine the changes in adolescents’ food intake and foods sold in school stores due to the two policies and to understand the policy implementation processes.

The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were used to examine trends in adolescents’ energy intake from …

Social Capital And Social Networks: The Importance Of Social Ties For Health Among Residents Of Disadvantaged Communities, Stephanie Child

Theses and Dissertations

Access to social capital via social networks is important for health and may be linked with chronic disease, including obesity and hypertension. Socioeconomic status (SES) may influence access to social capital and social network characteristics, and may also moderate the relationship between social capital, social networks, and health. Yet few studies have explored relationships between social capital, social networks, and chronic disease among resource poor individuals.

Respondent-driven sampling was employed to recruit participants (n=430) from low-income communities in the US South for a household survey as part of the Greenville Healthy Neighborhoods Project. The survey collected information about participants’ SES …