Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Koolungar Moorditj Healthy Skin Project: Elder And Community Led Resources Strengthen Aboriginal Voice For Skin Health, Bernadette M. Ricciardo, Jacinta Walton, Noel Nannup, Dale Tilbrook, Heather-Lynn Kessaris, Carol Michie, Brad Farrant, Roni Forrest, Annette Garlett, Joanne Hill, Larissa Jones, Natasha Kickett, Sally Smith, Delys Walton, Taleah Ugle, Nadia Rind, Richelle Douglas, Jodie Ingrey, Brenda Carter, Ainslie Poore, Ingrid Amgarth-Duff, Hannah Thomas, Prasad S. Kumarasinghe, Jonathan R. Carapetis, Asha C. Bowen

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

In partnership with local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, the Elder-led co-designed Koolungar Moorditj Healthy Skin project is guided by principles of reciprocity, capacity building, respect, and community involvement. Through this work, the team of Elders, community members, clinicians and research staff have gained insight into the skin health needs of urban-living Aboriginal koolungar (children); and having identified a lack of targeted and culturally appropriate health literacy and health promotion resources on moorditj (strong) skin, prioritised development of community-created healthy skin resources. Community members self-appointed to Aboriginal Community Advisory Groups (CAG) on Whadjuk (Perth) …

Life In A Time Of Covid: Retrospective Examination Of The Association Between Physical Activity And Mental Well-Being In Western Australians During And After Lockdown, Ben Piggott, Paola Chivers, Kiira Karoliina Sarasjärvi, Ranila Bhoyroo, Michelle Lambert, Lynne Millar, Caroline Bulsara, Jim Codde

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The aim of this study was to examine physical activity and sedentary behaviours during Western Australia’s COVID-19 lockdown and their association with mental well-being. Methods: Participants completed activity related questions approximately two months after a three-month lockdown (which formed part of a larger cross-sectional study from August to October 2020) as part of a 25-minute questionnaire adapted from the Western Australia Health and Well-being Surveillance system. Open-ended questions explored key issues relating to physical activity behaviours. Results: During the lockdown period, 463 participants (female, n = 347; 75.3%) reported lower number of active days (W = 4.47 p < .001), higher non-work-related screen hours per week (W = 11.8 p < .001), and higher levels of sitting time (χ2=28.4 p <. 001). Post lockdown body mass index was higher (U = 3.0 p =.003), with obese individuals reporting the highest non-work-related screen hours per week (Wald χ2= 8.9 p =.012). Inverse associations were found for mental well-being where higher lockdown scores of Kessler-10 (p =.011), Dass-21 anxiety (p =.027) and Dass-21 depression (p =.011) were associated with lower physical activity levels. A key qualitative message from participants was wanting to know how to stay healthy during lockdown. Conclusions: Lockdown was associated with lower physical activity, higher non-work-related screen time and more sitting time compared to post lockdown which also reported higher body mass index. Lower levels of mental well-being were associated with lower physical activity levels during lockdown. Given the known positive affect of physical activity on mental well-being and obesity, and the detrimental associations shown in this study, a key public health message should be considered in an attempt to maintain healthy activity behaviours in future lockdowns and similar emergency situations to promote and maintain positive well-being. Furthermore, consideration should be given to the isolation of a community due to infectious disease outbreaks and to recognise the important role physical activity plays in maintaining weight and supporting good mental health.

Urban American Indian Experiences Living With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Elin E. Kambuga, Yitza A. Arcelay-Rojas

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This qualitative interpretive study aimed to describe the experiences of 13 American Indians living in urban settings and their use of traditional healing and biomedical health services for type 2 diabetes. Urban American Indian adults living in the United States who used traditional healing and biomedical health services for type 2 diabetes were recruited for the study through purposive sampling, including snowball sampling. Thirteen participants completed semi-structured interviews. Participants reported positive experiences and barriers to traditional healing and Western biomedical services. They also discussed feelings of disorientation when diagnosed at a young age with type 2 diabetes but self-empowerment as …

Association Of Health Literacy With Demographic Features, Health-Related Behaviors, And Health Risk Indicators Among Egyptian Adults: Online Cross-Sectional Study, Rana Gamal Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

Health literacy is recognized as a significant determinant of health. Limited health literacy is a growing issue worldwide. It has a significant role facing the rising trends of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through improving its modifiable risk factors. Therefore, studying the association between health literacy and different health-related behaviors is very important to guide both healthcare professionals and policy makers to set up the proper interventions. Our study aims to a) examine the health literacy levels among Egyptian adults, b) investigate the association of health literacy relative to socio-demographic features, health related behaviors, and self-reported health status. This is a cross-sectional …

Health Literacy In Older Adults: Determining Gaps In The Health Literacy Skills Of Older Adults In Saratoga Springs, New York And Suggestions For Effective Interventions, Elizah Jacobs

Self-Determined Majors Final Projects

This study aimed to understand the strengths and limitations of health literacy skills among older adults. The results informed a resource to improve any discovered gaps in health literacy. Participants (n=50) were selected through convenience sampling methods at the Saratoga Senior Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) was distributed to evaluate health literacy skills among older adults. Measures of means and standard deviations were used to assess strengths and limitations in health literacy skills among nine domains of the HLQ. The results informed the implementation of a resource designed to increase health literacy specifically for …

Sit Less, Move More: A National Study Of Physical-Activity Behavior And Cancer, Stella O. Nwogugu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Physical activity is associated with lower risks of cancer, the second leading cause of death among Americans. Yet, sedentary behavior is the prevailing lifestyle for about 80% of American adults. Additionally, cancer survivors remain significantly inactive, even though physical activity has been shown to decrease risk of cancer and cancer recurrence, improve tolerance of cancer therapy, and reduce mortality. This research explores the relative impact of personal agency, social support, and key demographic variables on physical-activity behavior for a national sample of adults as well as how these relationships differ for cancer survivors and their counterparts.

Methods: Using the …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

The Hearst Health Prize: The First Five Years, Alexa M. Waters, Alexis Skoufalos, Emily Frelick, Gregory Dorn, David B. Nash

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

The Hearst Health Prize is the first national annual award for excellence in population health. The prize was established "to discover, support, and showcase the work of an individual, group, organization, or institution that has successfully implemented a population health program or intervention that has made a measurable difference" in health outcomes. Now, 5 years since the award's inception, this article reflects on how submissions for the prize collectively mirror - and may even predict - changes within the field of population health. It examines how the most successful programs demonstrated genuine, measurable improvements in health outcomes and/or health behaviors. …

Knowledge And Awareness Of Vitamin D Among Pregnant Or Lactating Iraqi Refugee Women: A Call For Different Approaches In Health Education And Outreach, Someireh Amirfaiz, Ed.D.

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and lactation has negative impacts on maternal, fetal, and infant health. Low health literacy and other social determinants of health may increase the risk of deficiency among refugee women. This qualitative study used a survey and in-depth individual interviews to examine knowledge of vitamin D among ten pregnant or breastfeeding Iraqi refugee women in the United States, and sought participants’ recommendations on culture-centered and participatory health promotion strategies. All participants reported having insufficient information and understanding of vitamin D, its health benefits, and the risks of deficiency. The four primary themes that emerged from the …

The Effect Of A Health Educational Program On Sleep Related Health Outcomes, Swetha Sirigineedi

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sleep quality has effects on both physical and mental health. Because of this, sleep hygiene is an important health goal. Participation in health programs promoting healthy behaviors has helped people reach their health goals and elicited positive behavior change. Because of this, it was of interest to determine if participation in a virtual, multi-media health education program improved health and wellbeing outcomes of Arkansans. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of a 20-week behavior and health educational program on the ability of participants to achieve their health goals and improve their health behaviors related to …

Review Of Diabetes Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Katherine Ride, Samantha Burrow

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease condition globally. Type 2 diabetes in particular, has reached epidemic proportions, with the greatest burden falling on socially disadvantaged groups and Indigenous peoples.

This review focuses primarily on type 2 diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which is responsible for the majority of cases of diabetes in this population. It provides general information on the social and cultural context of diabetes, and the behavioural and biomedical factors that contribute to diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

This review provides detailed information on:

• the extent of diabetes among Aboriginal and …

Social Cognitive Theory Constructs That Predict Betel Nut Chewing Among Secondary Students In The Solomon Islands, Lepani Waqatakirewa, Manoj Sharma, Hadi Danawi, Ambrose Roots Gali

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Background: After alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, areca or betel nut is the fourth most commonly abused substance in the world. The prevalence of betel nut use in the Solomon Islands is estimated at 68% in young people. Long-term use can result in detrimental health outcomes such as oral cancers and metabolic syndrome.

Methods: The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to determine whether the constructs of social cognitive theory (SCT) can predict betel nut use in Year 12 secondary students in the Solomon Islands. Five SCT constructs of expectations (outcome expectations and outcome expectancies), self-efficacy, self-efficacy to overcome barriers, …

Project Spraoi: The Implementation And Outcomes Of A Process Evaluation Of A School-Based Health Promotion Intervention, Yvonne Larrissa O’Byrne

Theses

Large multi-site school-based interventions are challenging to implement and difficult to evaluate due to the complex adaptive nature of schools as a research setting. This study focused on implementing a comprehensive process evaluation of a multicomponent primary school-based health promotion called Project Spraoi (PS), alongside intervention delivery, to aid the translation of outcomes and understand the moderating role of contextual factors on intervention delivery. PS is led by a physical activity (PA) specialist known as an Energizer and aims to improve children’s PA levels and reduce sedentary time by delivering 20 minutes extra daily moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) during …

Effectiveness Of Wechat-Group-Based Parental Health Education In Preventing Unintentional Injuries Among Children Aged 0-3: Randomized Controlled Trial In Shanghai, Yuheng Feng, Xueqi Ma, Qi Zhang, Ruo Jiang, Jun Lu, Kaiyue Chen, Huiping Wang, Qinghua Xia, Jicui Zheng, Jingwei Xia, Xiaohong Li

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Unintentional injuries to children are a major public health problem. The online social media is a potential way to implement health education for caregivers in online communities. Using WeChat, a free and popular social media service in China, this study evaluated the effectiveness of social online community-based parental health education in preventing unintentional injuries in children aged 0-3.

METHODS: We recruited 365 parents from two community health centers in Shanghai and allocated them into intervention and control groups randomly. Follow-up lasted for one year. The intervention group received and followed their WeChat group and a WeChat official account for …

Experiences Of African American Women Living With Herpes Simplex Virus 2, Cherlisa Jackson, Yitza A. Arcelay-Rojas

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

In the United States, the prevalence of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) continues to be the highest among African American women. Yet the perceived benefit of discussing sexual health, as well as recognizing a need to discuss HSV-2 with a health-care provider, is a gap in research. The purpose of this interpretive qualitative study was to understand the experiences of African American women who received an asymptomatic HSV-2 diagnosis. Semistructured interviews of seven participants were used to explore the experiences of African American women diagnosed with HSV-2, including barriers and challenges of discussing HSV-2 with health-care providers. Participants highlighted that …

Review Of Sexual Health Issues Linked With Cardiovascular Disease And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Males, Veronica Collins, Tamara J. Swann, Jane Burns, Tim Moss, Mick Adams

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

There are well established links between male sexual health conditions and chronic disease, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Erectile dysfunction (ED) and low testosterone are two sexual health conditions that are relatively common among the wider male population. However, there is a lack of data specifically about these sexual problems among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males.

One of the most important findings of research regarding the links between sexual health and chronic disease is that ED can be a risk marker for future CVD or undiagnosed T2DM. Understanding these links can lead to more holistic …

Final Culminating Project: Program Development, Erin Helms

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This 16-week capstone project was completed at Parker Place, a children’s health, and wellness center, with a focus on program development and advocacy with additional work related to leadership and administration. The overall goal of the capstone project was to determine the benefit of using an occupation-based approach to enhance health outcomes for the patients at Parker Place. The capstone student provided education about the role of occupational therapy in a non-traditional setting, created a program to help patients acquire sustainable healthy habits, developed a workshop for families struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and provided resources about picky eating …

Hand Hygiene For Health Promotion, Phyllis Knight-Brown

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

For many years public health organizations, such as The World Health Organization (WHO) and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have stressed the need for proper hand hygiene. Proper hand hygiene requires a prescribed process to rid the hands of potentially infecting organisms by using soap and water (handwashing) or hand sanitizer (sanitizing). These processes need to be performed at critical times to promote infection prevention. Many studies have shown that hand hygiene is a learned behavior that becomes habitual over time, and behavior change mechanisms in addition to education are needed to affect a long-term change in …

Going Beyond The Science: Fostering Community Within Health Behavior Interventions For Lasting Change, Katie M. Heinrich

Health Behavior Research

This commentary discusses the author’s views and experience regarding the importance of fostering community for effective and sustainable health behavior change.

Influence Of Incentive Design And Organizational Characteristics On Wellness Participation And Health Outcomes, Jessica Grossmeier, David J. Mangen, David R. Anderson, Stefan B. Gingerich, Rebecca J. Mitchell, Mary T. Imboden, Gordon D. Kaplan, Gregg M. Gascon, Seth A. Serxner, Tony Bodak

Faculty Publications - Department of Kinesiology

Objective: To explore how changing incentive designs influence wellness participation and health outcomes.

Methods: Aggregated retrospective data were evaluated using cluster analysis to group 174 companies into incentive design types. Numerous statistical models assessed between-group differences in wellness participation, earning incentives, and over-time differences in health outcomes.

Results: Four incentive design groups based on requirements for earning incentives were identified. The groups varied in support for and participation in wellness initiatives within each company. All four design types were associated with improved low density lipoprotein (LDL)(P < 0.01), three with improved blood pressure (P < 0.001), and two with improved fasting glucose (P < 0.03). No incentive plan types were associated with improved body mass index (BMI), but designs predominantly focused on health outcomes (eg, Outcomes-Focused) exhibited a significant increase over time in BMI risk.

Conclusion: Incentive design and organizational characteristics impact population-level participation and health outcomes.

Socio-Ecological Nature Of Drowning In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Review To Inform Health Promotion Approaches, Muthia Cenderadewi, Richard Charles Franklin, Susan Devine

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Most deaths by drowning (91%) have occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Southeast Asia (35%) and Africa (20%), in proportion to total drowning deaths worldwide. Poor data collection in LMICs hinders the planning, implementation, and evaluation of prevention strategies. The objective of this study was to review the rates and risk factors of unintentional drowning in LMICs and to identify drowning prevention strategies within a socio-ecological health promotion framework. A systematic search, guided by PRISMA, was conducted on Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Informit health, PsycINFO (ProQuest), Scopus, SafetyLit, Google Scholar, and BioMed Central databases for all relevant studies …

Differences In Knowledge Acquisition, Perceived Engagement And Self-Efficacy In Latino Promotores Delivering The Heart Disease Prevention Program Su Corazόn, Su Vida, Samuel Matos-Bastidas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Su Corazόn, Su Vida (Your Heart, Your Life) is a community-based, small-group health intervention designed to empower Latinos to enhance cardiovascular disease awareness and initiate enduring lifestyle changes to improve health outcomes and quality of life. Originally developed to be delivered in weekly sessions in Spanish or English language, it addresses several heart disease risk factors including unhealthy eating habits, poor physical activity, high cholesterol, overweight, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and tobacco smoking, among others. Instructors use diverse learning and support strategies such as group discussion, role modeling, problem-solving, health action planning, and self-monitoring. Participants help each other to stay on …

A Brief Report On A Facilitated Approach To Connect Cooperative Extension Southern Region State-Level Health Specialists, Samantha M. Harden, Lisa Washburn, Alison Berg, Ninfa Pena-Purcell, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Nancy Franz

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Improving the nation’s health will require collaboration among many stakeholders and systems, including representatives from Cooperative Extension Services (CES). This paper describes the process of establishing a multistate collaboration and discusses initial outcomes of a third-party facilitated participatory planning meeting. State-level specialists with expertise and responsibilities in “health” promotion participated. Satisfaction with meeting format; feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of the proposed approach to public health impact; and general meeting feedback were collected through a survey and cultural artifacts (e.g., notes, worksheets). Preparation and attendance costs were captured. Seventeen of the 20 attendees (85%) responded to the survey and reported the …

Woodi Health Hub: Promoting Health Information Literacy To Students In The Atlanta University Center, Rosaline Y. Odom

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

“Health Literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” National initiatives call for improved health literacy as a means of addressing ongoing health disparities in the U.S. Low health literacy is linked to a poorer overall health status and higher risk of death among at-risk populations. Vulnerable populations include older adults, immigrant populations, minority populations and low income populations. College years are a time when young adults transition from parental control to independence and face new challenges, stressors and messages …

Planned Behavior And Congolese Physicians’ Practice: Predicting Advanced Preventive Health Services Provision, Jean-Clément Milabu Mumbusi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The provision of preventive services, health promotion, and health maintenance has become the cornerstone of primary care practice in the United States and other Western countries to prevent morbidity and premature mortality and to increase the quality and years of a healthy life. Unfortunately, the delivery of these advanced preventive health services (APHS) has been sporadic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with poor health indicators. The purpose of this cross-sectional mixed-method study was to apply Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict the intention of Congolese primary care physicians (PCPs) in the provision of APHS. Using …

Fruit And Vegetable Knowledge And Intake Within An Australian Population: The Ausdiab Study, Caroline R. Hill, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Simone Radavelli-Bagatini, Marc Sim, Richard J. Woodman, Amanda Devine, Jonathan E. Shaw, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Robin M. Daly, Joshua R. Lewis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Understanding the relationship between fruit and vegetable knowledge (FVK) and fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) is an important consideration for improved public health and successful targeting of health promotion messaging. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between FVK and FVI in Australian adults and to identify subgroups most at risk of poor knowledge. Using data from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab), we investigated associations between FVK and FVI, as well as demographic and lifestyle factors. Baseline FVK was measured using two self-reported questions. FVI …

‘A Healthy Cit’: An Investigation Into Student Health Metrics, Lifestyle Behaviours And The Predictors Of Positive Mental Health In An Irish Higher Education Setting, Andrea Bickerdike, Joan Dineen, Cian O'Neill

Publications

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are potent health promotion settings, uniquely positioned to aid societal efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). International evidence suggests that health metrics and lifestyle behaviours of higher education students are sub-optimal, yet a dearth of contemporary Irish data exists. This study aimed to examine sex differences in student lifestyle behaviours and identify significant predictors of positive mental health in an Irish HEI setting. An online questionnaire instrument distributed to all registered students (n = 11,261) gathered data regarding a multitude of health and lifestyle domains. Many items were adapted from previous Irish research. Further validated scales …

The Empower Action Model: A Framework For Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences By Promoting Health, Equity, And Well-Being Across The Life Span, Aditi Srivastav, Melissa Strompolis, Amy Moseley, Kelsay Shania Daniels

Faculty Publications

The empower action model addresses childhood adversity as a root cause of disease by building resilience across multiple levels of influence to promote health, equity, and well-being. The model builds on the current evidence around adverse childhood experiences and merges important frameworks within key areas of public health—the socio-ecological model, protective factors, race equity and inclusion, and the life course perspective. The socio-ecological model is used as the foundation for this model to highlight the multilevel approach needed for improvement in public health. Five key principles that build on the protective factors literature are developed to be applied at each …

Routines To Enhance Active Lifestyles (Real) Projects: A Pilot Program To Promote Incidental Physical Activity, Hieu Ly

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Engaging in different types of incidental physical activity of daily living (e.g., walking to school or stair climbing) could contribute to individuals leading more active lifestyles by improving their total physical activity levels and reducing rates of inactivity. Particularly, post-secondary students are highly inactive and innovative strategies are needed to encourage them to be more active. The overall purpose of this research program was to explore the use of evidence-informed and tailor-made point-of-choice prompts to promote active transportation and staircase use among university students. Study 1 employed focus groups to determine the most suitable health messages and designs to create …