Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Obesity (4)
- Climate change (3)
- Epidemiology (3)
- Adverse childhood experiences (2)
- Cancer (2)
-
- HIV (2)
- ACEs (1)
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (1)
- Adolescents (1)
- Adult women (1)
- Advice to quit (1)
- Advice to quitTobacco smoking cessation (1)
- Aedes aegypti (1)
- Alcohol (1)
- And Community Risk Factors (1)
- Appalachia (1)
- Arrests (1)
- Arssi (1)
- Asian American (1)
- Baby-friendly (1)
- Barriers to HIV care (1)
- Basic reproduction number (1)
- Behavioral Risk Factors (1)
- Best Practices (1)
- Biomarker (1)
- Borrelia burgdorferi (1)
- Breastfeeding (1)
- Cambodia (1)
- Cardiometabolic risk (1)
- Cervical cancer (1)
Articles 1 - 23 of 23
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Species Data And Vector Modeling: Evaluating Datasets For Improved Models Of Ixodes Ricinus Tick Distribution In Europe Under A Changing Climate, Steven Jones
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
To increase capacity for monitoring and surveillance of tick-borne diseases, publicly available tick distribution and climate change datasets are required to create accurate predictive distribution models. It is difficult, however, to assess model accuracy and utility when using incomplete datasets. The more recent development of comprehensive tick databases for Europe and availability of climate change scenarios from multiple IPCC Assessment Reports allows for improved modeling efforts. Multiple tick datasets were combined and three climate change projections were compared by predicting current and future distributions of Ixodes ricinus ticks in Europe using the MaxEnt species distribution model. Overall, much of Europe …
Assessing Best Practices, Perceptions, And Barriers To Breastfeeding In The Appalachian Region, Melissa White
Assessing Best Practices, Perceptions, And Barriers To Breastfeeding In The Appalachian Region, Melissa White
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Background: Breastfeeding protects against a variety of adverse health outcomes for mothers and babies. Global best practices, known as the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), have been developed to support the initiation and exclusivity of breastfeeding during the post-delivery hospital stay. The aims of this study were to explore the literature related to the impact of the BFHI on breastfeeding disparities in the U.S.; compare the impact of exposure to these best practices on exclusive breastfeeding rates in Appalachian and non-Appalachian hospitals; and to understand knowledge, perceptions, and barriers to breastfeeding of postpartum mothers receiving care in a Northeast Tennessee OB/GYN …
Investigating The Association Between Adolescent Polysubstance Use, Crime, And Violence In The United States, Christian Nwabueze
Investigating The Association Between Adolescent Polysubstance Use, Crime, And Violence In The United States, Christian Nwabueze
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The lifetime prevalence of alcohol in the United States is 8% and lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use is about 2-3%. Substance use is common among adolescents and polysubstance use is becoming a public health threat.
The prevalence of adolescent physical dating violence was 8.2%, the prevalence of adolescent sexual violence was also 8.2% while the prevalence of dual adolescent physical and sexual violence was 2.6%. Compared to those who used only single substances, adolescents who did not use any substance were 60% less likely (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.24 – 0.74) to experience physical dating violence, 50% …
Investigation Of Factors Affecting The Hiv Continuum Of Care In Tennessee, Elaine Loudermilk
Investigation Of Factors Affecting The Hiv Continuum Of Care In Tennessee, Elaine Loudermilk
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Introduction: Factors contributing to the HIV continuum of care (HCC) for adults in Tennessee (TN) have not been studied in depth with known predictors for HIV risk, specifically adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), among low annual income or sexual minority groups [lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT)].
Methods: A mixed methods study design was used to assess factors related to the HCC. Quantitative analysis used the TN Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to examine at risk and ever tested for HIV, to (1) investigate ACEs among adults with low-income (<$25,000 annually) in 2016-2017 and (2) among LGBT in 2018. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression (MLR) analysis stratified by TN grand division were performed. Qualitative analysis included 11 interviews with persons living with HIV (PLWH) receiving care at a local clinic to evaluate surveillance questions related to ACEs and the HCC to develop a culturally appropriate survey.
Results: Quantitative results found that among LGBT (N=262) and low-income …
$25,000>Association Of Perfluorinated Chemicals With Endocrino-Carcinogenetic, Obesogenic And Metabolic Health And With Markers Of Chronic Inflammation And Oxidative Stress, Ogbebor Enaholo Omoike
Association Of Perfluorinated Chemicals With Endocrino-Carcinogenetic, Obesogenic And Metabolic Health And With Markers Of Chronic Inflammation And Oxidative Stress, Ogbebor Enaholo Omoike
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
First, this study examined the association of perfluorinated chemicals with 1) cardio-metabolic health outcomes and 2) the association of phthalates with cardiometabolic health outcomes, and 3) cardio-metabolic health outcomes while assessing the possibility of additive interactions between perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) and phthalates. Second, association with markers of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress were explored. Finally, this study examined the association of these chemicals with estrogenic cancers- Breast cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer.
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between PFCs and the cardio-metabolic …
Heat Waves And Heat-Related Mortality In East Tennessee, Taiwo Adesoba
Heat Waves And Heat-Related Mortality In East Tennessee, Taiwo Adesoba
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Heat waves represent a public health challenge that requires multiple responses and warnings to protect vulnerable populations. Although studies have reported an increasing trend of heat wave occurrence in many areas of the world, no clear trend exists in East Tennessee. Using data from Parameter-elevated Relationships on Independent Slope Models (PRISM), CDC WONDER and the United States Census Bureau, the relationship between mortality rates and year was estimated during heat wave events between 1999 and 2010. Five heat wave definitions were tested. Overall, 2007 and 2010 stand out as the years with the highest number of heat wave days in …
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Homeless Chronicity, And Age At Onset Of Homelessness, Joseph T. Tucciarone Jr.
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Homeless Chronicity, And Age At Onset Of Homelessness, Joseph T. Tucciarone Jr.
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Childhood adversity is associated with numerous negative outcomes across multiple domains, including mental and physical health, interrelationships, and social functioning. Notably, research suggests that childhood adversity has a dose-response relationship with these outcomes; that is, greater numbers of adverse experiences in childhood are associated with worse outcomes. These outcomes overlap with many risk factors of homelessness. This study sought to address two questions: 1) Does a dose-response relationship exist between childhood adversity and chronic homelessness? 2) Does childhood adversity negatively predict the age at which homelessness first occurs? Adults experiencing homeless who are accessing homeless services in the Tri-Cities area …
The Prevalence And Context Of Adult Female Overweight And Obesity In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ifeoma Ozodiegwu
The Prevalence And Context Of Adult Female Overweight And Obesity In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ifeoma Ozodiegwu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Adult women bear a disproportionate burden of overweight and obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Precise information to understand disease distribution and assess determinants is lacking. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to: (i) analyze the prevalence of adult female overweight and obesity combined in lower-level administrative units; (ii) analyze the effect modification of educational attainment and age on the association between household wealth and adult female overweight and obesity; (iii) synthesize qualitative research evidence to describe contextual factors contributing to female overweight and obesity at different life stages. Bayesian and logistic regression models were constructed with Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data …
Hiv-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors In Two Low Resource Settings, Candice Lynn Collins
Hiv-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors In Two Low Resource Settings, Candice Lynn Collins
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Two Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) outbreaks occurred almost simultaneously in the United States (US) (2014-2015) and in Cambodia (2015). Information is lacking on HIV-related knowledge, stigmatizing attitudes, and high-risk behaviors (KAB) among the general population, which may affect the transmission of HIV and lead to outbreaks. The current study aimed to: 1) assess KAB among the general population in a high-risk county in the US, 2) analyze KAB among the general population of Cambodia, and 3) compare KAB across samples from a high-risk county in Northeast Tennessee and a province in Cambodia. Tennessee data were collected in 2017 and Cambodian …
Context, Delivery, And Providers’ Perspectives Of Family Life Education In Tn, Usa, Ruby Yadav
Context, Delivery, And Providers’ Perspectives Of Family Life Education In Tn, Usa, Ruby Yadav
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In 2015, TN had the 9th highest teen birth rate in the United States. School-based sex education programs have shown promise in curbing teen pregnancy rates. In TN public schools, sex education could be taught by teachers of subjects like biology, health education, or invited guests from ministries, or national or local nonprofit agencies. The content, rigor, and approach of sex education taught by these diverse groups of providers remains unknown. This pilot study tested a survey questionnaire and methodology, while providing information on the providers’ sex education practices and perspectives.
We adapted validated measures from past sex education …
An Epidemiological Study Of Obesity Among Asian Americans In California, United States, Shaoqing Gong
An Epidemiological Study Of Obesity Among Asian Americans In California, United States, Shaoqing Gong
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Obesity has reached epidemic levels in the United States (U.S.). Despite an increasing number of studies on obesity, a very few have addressed this debilitating condition among Asian American adults. The overall objective of this study is to utilize the latest cycles of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to better understand obesity and identify its correlates among Asian Americans. The study population comprised Asian American adults aged 18 years or older from the CHIS with data pooled from the 2013 and 2014 survey years. Obesity (≥27.5 kg/m2) was defined using the World Health Organization (WHO) Asian body …
Correlates Of Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Vaccine Acceptance In Appalachian Tennessee, Oluwatosin Ariyo
Correlates Of Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Vaccine Acceptance In Appalachian Tennessee, Oluwatosin Ariyo
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., where one HPV-related cancer is diagnosed every 20 minutes. The most common HPV-related cancer is cervical cancer, with an estimated incidence of 12,000 cases annually, a third of which lead to death. Cervical cancer disparately affects women of ethnic minority groups and geographically isolated regions, such as Appalachia. Tennessee ranks third highest in cervical cancer incidence in the country. Many cases of cervical cancer could be prevented through vaccination against HPV, however, vaccination rates for females in Tennessee are among the lowest in the country. This mixed-methods …
The Increasing Risk Of Vector-Borne Diseases: Mapping The Effects Of Climate Change And Human Population Density On Future Aedes Aegypti Habitats, Julie Obenauer
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the vector for four infectious diseases of global concern – Yellow Fever, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zikavirus. Previous attempts to model the expansion of the vector habitat due to global climate change have rarely included characteristics related to the human populations on which this mosquito is dependent. The purpose of this research was to determine whether the inclusion of human population density improves model performance while creating risk maps that can be used to determine where humans are most likely to be exposed to the vector in the future. The resulting model demonstrated that the inclusion …
Assessment Of Social, Dietary And Biochemical Correlates Of Cardiometabolic Risk In Pre-Adolescent Hispanic Children, Abraham Basil Alhassan
Assessment Of Social, Dietary And Biochemical Correlates Of Cardiometabolic Risk In Pre-Adolescent Hispanic Children, Abraham Basil Alhassan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Obesity, elevated blood pressure and dyslipidemia are highly prevalent in Hispanic children. Compared to their non-Hispanic White peers, Hispanic children experience higher prevalence of obesity and hypertension. The Hispanic population in Tennessee has been growing, with about a tenth of newborn babies being Hispanic. This study aimed to: 1. Examine the influence of sociodemographic factors on Hispanic children’s cardiometabolic risk; 2. Assess the relationship between food group intake and cardiometabolic risk in Hispanic children; and 3. Evaluate the efficacy of non-traditional biomarkers for detecting cardiometabolic risk in Hispanic children. Data for the study came from a larger cross-sectional pilot study …
An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Child, Family, And Community Factors And Early Childhood Oral Health And The Utilization Of Dental Health Services, Nicole Holt
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Background / Objective: Children under the age of 5 years bear a disproportionate burden of oral disease. The aim of this study is to investigate how child, family, and community determinants impact dental care utilization, and parental report of child’s oral health. Methods: Data for this study came from the 2011/2012 National Survey of Children’s Health for children aged 1 to 5 years old. Dependent variables evaluated were if the child had an oral health problem, been to a dentist in the past year, and parents description of the child’s teeth. Independent variables were selected from child, family, and community …
Assessing Adult Tobacco Smoking Cessation In Low-And-Middle Income Countries: Analysis Of The Global Adult Tobacco Survey Data, 2009 – 2012, Daniel Owusu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Smoking cessation can reduce health risk and prevent millions of tobacco-related deaths. However, cessation rates are low in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs), with only a small proportion of smokers intending to quit. Given the paucity of literature to support tobacco cessation programs in LMICs, this study aimed to: 1) identify factors associated with intention to quit smoking, 2) assess the relationship between health care provider quit advice/tobacco screening and utilization of cessation assistance, and 3) examine the relationship between home smoking rule and smoking intensity across three stages of smoking cessation (precontemplation, contemplation and preparation) in LMICs. Data were obtained …
Rural Opioid And Other Drug Use Disorder Diagnosis: Assessing Measurement Invariance And Latent Classification Of Dsm-Iv Abuse And Dependence Criteria, Billy Brooks
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The rates of non-medical prescription drug use in the United States (U.S.) have increased dramatically in the last two decades, leading to a more than 300% increase in deaths from overdose, surpassing motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of injury deaths. In rural areas, deaths from unintentional overdose have increased by more than 250% since 1999 while urban deaths have increased at a fraction of this rate. The objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that cultural, economic, and environmental factors prevalent in rural America affect the rate of substance use disorder (SUD) in that population, and …
The Influence Of Race And Gender On Hiv Risk Behaviors In High School Students In The Southern States Of The United States, Malendie T. Gaines
The Influence Of Race And Gender On Hiv Risk Behaviors In High School Students In The Southern States Of The United States, Malendie T. Gaines
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The incidence of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is highest in the southern states of the United States (US), with adolescents in this region being one of the most affected populations in the country. A limited amount of information is available on adolescent HIV risk behaviors in the southern states, specifically focusing on race and gender. The purpose of this study was to use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Youth Risk Behaviors Survey (YRBS) for high school students in the southern states for 2011 and 2013 to examine the influence of race and gender on 1) early …
A Hierarchical Graph For Nucleotide Binding Domain 2, Samuel Kakraba
A Hierarchical Graph For Nucleotide Binding Domain 2, Samuel Kakraba
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
One of the most prevalent inherited diseases is cystic fibrosis. This disease is caused by a mutation in a membrane protein, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). CFTR is known to function as a chloride channel that regulates the viscosity of mucus that lines the ducts of a number of organs. Generally, most of the prevalent mutations of CFTR are located in one of two nucleotide binding domains, namely, the nucleotide binding domain 1 (NBD1). However, some mutations in nucleotide binding domain 2 (NBD2) can equally cause cystic fibrosis. In this work, a hierarchical graph is built for NBD2. …
Assessing The Social And Ecological Factors That Influence Childhood Overweight And Obesity, Katie Callahan
Assessing The Social And Ecological Factors That Influence Childhood Overweight And Obesity, Katie Callahan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. Currently more than 1 in 3 children aged 2-19 are overweight or obese. This is of major concern because childhood overweight and obesity leads to chronic conditions such as type II diabetes and tracks into adulthood, where more severe adverse health outcomes arise. In this study I used the premise of the social ecological model (SEM) to analyze the common levels that a child is exposed to daily; the intrapersonal level, the interpersonal level, the school level, and the community level to better …
Examining Stage At Diagnosis And Survival In Three Cancers With Definitive Screening Guidelines For Average-Risk Adults: The Role Of Marital Status, David J. Blackley
Examining Stage At Diagnosis And Survival In Three Cancers With Definitive Screening Guidelines For Average-Risk Adults: The Role Of Marital Status, David J. Blackley
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Each year there are more than 350 000 new cases and nearly 100 000 deaths attributed to colorectal, female breast, and cervical cancer in the United States. Screening tests can reduce morbidity and mortality associated with these cancers. Patient marital status has been associated with health outcomes, but no study has focused on the relationship of marriage with disease stage and survival for the 3 cancers with established screening guidance. It is critical to identify special populations that may be at risk for poor cancer outcomes.
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship of marital status with …
Mathematical Modeling, Simulation, And Time Series Analysis Of Seasonal Epidemics., Eric Shu Numfor
Mathematical Modeling, Simulation, And Time Series Analysis Of Seasonal Epidemics., Eric Shu Numfor
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Seasonal and non-seasonal Susceptible-Exposed-Infective-Recovered-Susceptible (SEIRS) models are formulated and analyzed. It is proved that the disease-free steady state of the non-seasonal model is locally asymptotically stable if Rv < 1, and disease invades if Rv > 1. For the seasonal SEIRS model, it is shown that the disease-free periodic solution is locally asymptotically stable when R̅v < 1, and I(t) is persistent with sustained oscillations when R̅v > 1. Numerical simulations indicate that the orbit representing I(t) decays when R̅v < 1 < Rv. The seasonal SEIRS model with routine and pulse vaccination is simulated, and results depict an unsustained decrease …
Preliminary Epidemiological Interpretation Of The Intrinsic And Extrinsic Factors Contributing To The Coverage And Participation Rates Of The Vaccination Program In Arssi, Ethiopia, Muchie Kidanu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Many immunization programs in developing countries arr now undergoing a period of rapid utilization. Innovative strategies, such as immunization holidays, are being tried. Political commitment and enthusiasm are high. There is a strong desire by health professionals to protect the lives of many children from the untimely death and/or disability resulting from infectious diseases preventable by vaccination.
Evaluation of an immunization program can benefit other elements of the health system, particularly those that are not amenable to objective evaluation as immunization. In this case, immunization can serve as an indicator of the overall performance of the health system. The problems …