Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Predictive Model For Dementia Risk In Elderly Adults With Prediabetes, Susan Elizabeth Alford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dementia is a serious public health concern in the United States, with a prevalence of 5.2 million. There is currently no effective way to prevent or cure dementia, and the precise etiology is unknown, but it appears there are multiple risk factors. Prediabetes (PD) has been identified as a risk factor although the scientific evidence is conflicting. This study is important to those at high risk for dementia and to healthcare professionals who lack substantiated dementia prevention strategies. The purpose of this case control study was to determine whether PD is associated with dementia in adults aged 65-95 years and …

The Impact Of Prostate Cancer On Survivors' Sense Of Meaning In Life, Carol Lynn Brady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that meaning in life is a universal human need, regardless of cultural identity or education. This research study investigated how the encounter with prostate cancer impacted men's sense of well-being and what they considered meaningful in life. An interpretative phenomenological research design was used because of its descriptive nature and its focus on the individual's perspective. The sample included 6 men between the ages of 18 and 65 who had been out of treatment for 1 year. Participants completed essays about their perceptions and experiences over 3 periods of time: before diagnosis, during treatment, and as survivors. …

Adolescent And Community Adult Perceptions Of Adolescent Tobacco Use, Susan M. Franko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 1964, the Surgeon General issued the first report that linked smoking cigarettes as a direct cause of emphysema, heart disease, and lung cancer. Despite this landmark publication, the primary cause of preventable deaths each year in the United States continues to be related to the use of tobacco. Regardless of decades of health education and resources available to inform society that the use of tobacco products can have deleterious effects on health, adolescents continue to experiment with them. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the influences of adolescent tobacco use. Based on the …

Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Among Secondary School Students In Nigeria, Johnson John Omale

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Oral Health Literacy Of Parents And Dental Service Use For Children Enrolled In Medicaid, Angel Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many people in the United States have untreated dental disease due to a lack of dental insurance, a lack of oral health knowledge, and a lack of priority placed on dental health. Despite an increase in dental service use by Medicaid recipients as a result of local programs, children enrolled in Medicaid often have low rates of use of dental services. Using the health literacy framework of the Paasche-Orlow and Wolf (POW) model, the purpose of this study was to explore to the relationship between oral health literacy of parents and dental service use for children enrolled in Medicaid and …

Food Safety Knowledge And Self-Reported Practices Of Food Handlers In Jamaica, Marcia Annmarie Thelwell-Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Food-borne illnesses are responsible for disease globally. One of the most important strategies for combating food-borne diseases is the training of food handlers. Using social cognition theory as a framework, the purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the mandatory training program for food handlers in a rural parish in Jamaica. A cross-sectional survey, using self-administered questionnaires, was used to assess and compare food safety knowledge and self-reported practices of food handlers trained in 2 government training programs, while using untrained food handlers as controls. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as t test, chi-square test, and ANOVA …

Correlates Of Asthma Among The Minority Population In South Bronx,New York, Veronica Chibumma Uwanaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Asthma among children has become an inherent problem in many communities in the United States, especially among the minority population. The South Bronx has a large minority population and a high prevalence of asthma. However, no study to date has explored the factors associated with this high prevalence rates in this population. Drawing from theories of social ecology and environmental health, the objective of this quantitative cross-sectional study is to investigate the correlates of asthma among children in the South Bronx by studying the sociodemographic and environmental risk factors, including parental occupation; neighborhood and housing characteristics, air quality, and poverty. …

The Burden Of Avian Influenza Viruses In Community Ponds In California, Zin Htway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emerging influenza viruses continue to challenge public health. The problem is public health science professionals have been battling emerging human influenza diseases with tactile and reactionary methods because there is a lack of knowledge and data at the human-animal interface. This research was a baseline study of the proportion of influenza A virus (IAV) in urban and rural communities in California. The population was artificial recirculating water ponds in the geographic locations of rural and urban Californian communities. Surface water samples [N = 182] were collected from artificial recirculating ponds in California. Positivity for IAV was verified by real time …

Exercise Behavior Patterns In Emerging Adulthood: An Exploration Of Predictor Variables From Self-Determination Theory And Transtheoretical Model, Chad R. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the transition from childhood to adulthood, young people establish patterns of behavior and make lifestyle choices that affect both their current and future health (NCHS, 2010). Emerging adulthood – a new conception of development for the period from the late teens through the twenties – focuses on individuals ages 18-25 who did not have a child, own a home, or have sufficient income to be fully independent (Arnett, 2000). Very little is known about social influence, motivational mediators, and motivation on exercise behavior within this developmental period. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of …

The Central Pennsylvania Affordable Care Act Project, Brandn Green

Technical Reports

We work in rural Central Pennsylvania to inform people about the Affordable Care Act and to provide application assistance for the Health Insurance Exchange. Central Pennsylvania is rural areas about 100 miles in diameter with many towns of 3,000 to 10,000 people and a few small cities. There are no navigator organizations and only one small organization—a small free clinic—is registered to sponsor individuals to become trained as Certified Assistance Counselors. -- introduction

Elucidating Perceived And Actual Cancer Risk In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Differentially Impacted By Environmental Hazards To Inform Future Public Health Interventions, Lashanta J. Rice

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, racial and ethnic minorities, economically disadvantaged and medically underserved groups bear a disproportionate amount of the cancer burden. Myriad social and environmental factors attribute to these disparities including disparate exposures to environmental pollutants, which account for two percent of all cancer deaths nationally. There is empirical evidence demonstrating risk perceptions and cancer worry are shaped by race/ethnicity and social and environmental experiences. Cancer risk perceptions among Non-Whites, especially Blacks compared to Whites is lower for various reasons. Low perceived cancer risk may explain persistent cancer disparities, since protective health behaviors are higher among persons who perceive …

Accessibility And Preferred Use Of Online Web Applications Among Wic Participants With Internet Access, Robert Bensley

Robert J Bensley

Objective: This study examined the current technology use of clients in the western Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) region and the preferences these current clients have for using new technologies to interact with WIC.

Methods: Cross-sectional convenience sample for online survey of WIC clients over 2 months in 2011.

Results: A weighted sample of 8,144 participants showed that the majority of WIC clients have access to the Internet using a computer or mobile phone. E-mail, texting, and Facebook are technologies most often used for communication. Significant differences (P < .05) existed between age groups and Facebook use, education level and technology use for education delivery, and education level and use of video chat.

Conclusions and Implications: Technologies should be considered …

Sexual Rights For Marginalized Populations, Louis Graham, Mark Padilla

Louis F Graham

“A Little On The Heavy Side”: A Qualitative Analysis Of Parents' And Grandparents' Perceptions Of Preschoolers' Body Weights, Karin Eli, Kyndal Howell, Philip Fisher, Paulina Nowicka

Karin Eli

Objectives: Parents’ difficulties in perceiving children's weight status accurately pose a barrier for family-based obesity interventions; however, the factors underlying weight misinterpretation still need to be identified. This study's objective was to examine parents and grandparents’ perceptions of preschoolers’ body sizes. Interview questions also explored perceptions of parental responsibility for childhood obesity and appropriate contexts in which to discuss preschoolers’ weights. Design: Semistructured interviews, which were videotaped, transcribed and analysed qualitatively. Setting: Eugene and the Springfield metropolitan area, Oregon, USA Participants: Families of children aged 3–5 years were recruited in February—May 2011 through advertisements about the study, published in the …

Ud Wellness Program: A Success Story, Maureen E. Schlangen

Maureen E. Schlangen