Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Examining The Issue Of Compliance With Personal Protective Equipment Among Wastewater Workers Across The Southeast Region Of The United States, Tamara L. Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater workers are exposed to different occupational hazards such as chemicals, gases, viruses, and bacteria. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a significant factor that can reduce or increase the probability of an accident from hazardous exposures to chemicals and microbial contaminants. The purpose of this study was to identify wastewater worker’s beliefs and practices on wearing PPE and protections offered by PPE through the integration of the Health Belief Model (HBM). Participants were workers in the wastewater industry, which included wastewater operators, laboratory analysts, maintenance workers, wastewater collection workers, equipment operators, managers, and supervisors (n=272). The instrument was a self-administered …

Factors Associated With Continuous Improvement By Local Boards Of Health, Tran Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: The continuous improvement as applied to a local board of health (LBoH) is one of the six governance functions and focuses on activities that target LBoH’s self-improvement and improvement of local health department (LHD) it governs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the engagement level of LBoHs in continuous improvement efforts and to identify factors associated with this function. The goal was to provide insights that will inspire LBoHs to improve their continuous improvement governance function for better practices, and in turn, enhance the performance of local health departments (LHDs) for which the LBoHs serve as …

Feasibility Of Aquasolvetm Hpmc-As Lg Via Hot-Melt Extrusion: Effect Of Pressurized Co2 On Physico-Mechanical Properties, Mashan Almutairi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the current study was to investigate the processability of Aquasolve™ HPMC-AS LG via hot-melt extrusion, and to examine the effect of pressurized carbon dioxide (P-CO2) on the physico-mechanical properties of Efavirenz (EFA)-loaded extrudates (EXT). EFA is as a poorly water-soluble drug and HPMC-AS LG was chosen as a carrier for this study. To optimize the process parameters and formulations, various physical mixtures were prepared with the following composition: EFA (30-40-50% w/w) and HPMC-AS LG (70-60-50 % w/w) respectively. Physical mixtures were extruded through the co-rotating twin-screw extruder (16mm Prism Euro Lab, Thermo Fisher Scientific) utilizing a standard …

Novel Applications Of Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology, Ajinkya Moreshwar Bhagurkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hot-melt extrusion, an adaptable technology, has established its position in a wide spectrum of manufacturing operations like amorphous solid dispersions, immediate and controlled oral formulations, implants, and taste masked products. In recent years the industrial focus has shifted towards continuous manufacturing, thus melt extrusion is being explored for new applications. The aim of this research work was to investigate the novel applications of hot-melt extrusion by carrying out an in depth study to understand the interplay between the process and the product. The conventional techniques used for the preparation of ointments and nanostructured lipid carriers are multi-step and time consuming …

Facilitators And Barriers To Implementing Farm To School Programs In Rural Georgia: Perspectives Of School Nutrition Directors, Linda Baffo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Childhood obesity is a growing public health problem. In the US, over 13.7 million children are obese. Specifically in Georgia, childhood obesity among children between ages 10 – 17 is the 8^th highest in the nation. Rural Georgia has disproportionately higher rates of overweight and obesity than urban areas of Georgia. Schools are an ideal venue through which to address childhood obesity because many US children consume up to half of their daily calories at school. The aim of this research was to determine the facilitators and barriers to implementing farm to school activities from the perspective of …

Association Between Local Health Departments’ Engagement In Phab Accreditation And Budget Cuts Prevention, Ghadeer M. Albashir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The primary purpose of this study is to examine whether engagement in Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation process and its requirements are associated with budget cuts prevention for local health departments (LHDs). Methods: For this study, we performed multinomial logistic regression using the 2016 National Profile of Local Health Departments Survey conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Results: While budget did not change for a majority of LHDs in comparison with previous year (48.6%), there were 28.7% that reported budget increase, and almost a quarter of LHDs had reduced budget (23%). The multinomial …

Perceptions Of Health Professionals In Ghana On The Role Of The Community In Chronic Disease Management, Jesuseme Omoruan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of chronic disease has been on the rise in various developing countries. This study is an exploratory investigation of the perceptions of health professionals in Kumasi, Ghana on the role of the community in chronic disease management. Using the Chronic Care Model as a framework, the objective of the study was to examine the extent of community-healthcare system in chronic disease management and to explore the barriers to and facilitators of community involvement in chronic disease management. By exploring the availability of community resources that positively contribute to the management of these patients, the study fills an existing …

Baseline Postural Control Measures: An Indicator For Increased Injury Frequency Following Sports Related Concussion, Emily Belson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: An increase in acute lower extremity (LE) injuries have been observed in athletes following sports-related concussion.^{1, 2, 3} It has been suggested that lingering postural control deficits as a result of concussive injury, may play a role in the increased prevalence of injury.¹ PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between baseline postural control metrics (Root Mean Square; Peak Excursion Velocity; Sample Entropy) and acute LE injury frequency in NCAA Division I student athletes (SA) with a previous history of concussion. METHODS: Eighty-four NCAA Division I SA were selected from a single university, 42 SA with a previous history …

The Mediation Of Perfectionism And Rumination On Mindfulness And Burnout In Collegiate Athletes, Nicholas S. Mcmillen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several positive and negative sport-related experiences can occur throughout an athlete’s career, which can affect the continuation or termination of said career. Although research has associated sport participation with positive outcomes (e.g., increases in motivation, autonomy), there are also negative sport-related outcomes such as burnout (Akhrem & Gazdowska, 2016; Garcia, 2015). Specifically, burnout has been identified as a multidimensional construct that includes three dimensions. Furthermore, mindfulness has been studied to minimize the risk of experiencing burnout (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). While several studies have examined mediators between mindfulness and burnout, there has been a dearth of research on perfectionism and rumination as …

Exploring Psychosocial Factors And Sexual Risk Behavior Of Men Who Have Sex With Men In The United States Military: Project Minds, Erin Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at disproportionate risk for HIV infection. While many studies have examined psychosocial factors associated with HIV risk among MSM, few have focused specifically on MSM in the military. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine ways in which specific psychosocial factors are associated with sexual risk behaviors among MSM in the military.

Methods: Data were collected from 63 MSM who were active duty military personnel or veterans in the Southeastern US. Participants were recruited from geosocial mobile applications, social media platforms, and military LGBT organizations. Logistic …

Characteristics Associated With Local Health Departments’ Completion Of Community Health Assessment, Community Health Improvement Plan, And Strategic Planning, Abraham Deng Ater

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Local health departments engage in community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning to systematically monitor health, identify risk factors, and to set strategic priorities to improve population health outcomes. Successful completion of these three processes within the last five years is also paramount as they are required for accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board. The main purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics of local health departments that are associated with completion of community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning, and accreditation processes. This cross-sectional study drew data from the 2016 NACCHO profile of …