Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Impact Of Family Health Outcomes And Work Balance On Health Services Organizations’ Workplace Attendance, Marcus Levinsky Wade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work-life balance (WLB) is employees’ ability to effectively manage between job obligations and everyday life activities involving family, health, and social life. Successful WLB has become increasingly important to healthcare administrators due to staff shortages and essentials of job performance, attendance, and satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a correlation between WLB, workplace stress, and employee workplace attendance. The two research questions were correlational; the dependent variable was workplace attendance, and the independent variables were workplace stress and WLB. The compensation theory served as the foundation for the study, in which both family …

Mothers Of Children With Disabilities: Perceptions Of Online Peer Mentoring Support, April S. Felder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a trend of increased diagnoses of childhood disabilities in the United States. Mothers who care for a child diagnosed with disabilities typically experience increased parental obligations and maternal mental health deficits that often go undiagnosed or untreated, resulting in adverse events. Researchers found that peer mentoring is an effective, nonclinical resource for addressing these mothers’ intervention needs but have not established alternative ways to increase access and delivery. The purpose of this generic, qualitative study was to explore how mothers of children with disabilities perceive online peer mentoring as an intervention resource for stress and coping. Lazarus’s …

Impact Of Family Health Outcomes And Work Balance On Health Services Organizations’ Workplace Attendance, Marcus Levinsky Wade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work-life balance (WLB) is employees’ ability to effectively manage between job obligations and everyday life activities involving family, health, and social life. Successful WLB has become increasingly important to healthcare administrators due to staff shortages and essentials of job performance, attendance, and satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a correlation between WLB, workplace stress, and employee workplace attendance. The two research questions were correlational; the dependent variable was workplace attendance, and the independent variables were workplace stress and WLB. The compensation theory served as the foundation for the study, in which both family …

Effects Of Covid-19 On Maternal And Child Health In Haiti, Abbi M. Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Haiti has a history of natural disasters that have played a part in the country’s weak infrastructure, poor quality health care, and short life expectancy. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the experiences of health care professionals providing prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum health care services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Haiti to gain an understanding of the gaps in disaster response in reproductive health care. The theoretical bases for this study were community resilience theory and reproductive justice theory. Data were collected from interviews with 10 health care professionals working in Haiti providing reproductive …

The Relationship Between Allied Health Therapy Leaders In Hospitals And Patient Satisfaction, Dickson Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAlthough allied health professions account for 60% of the health care workforce, funding to support training and leadership in the allied health fields remains nominal. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between allied health therapy leaders in hospitals and patient satisfaction. The Donabedian model was used as the theoretical framework, as it made it possible to conceptualize the underlying parts and processes that may contribute to poor quality of care for patients receiving healthcare. A quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional design was used to provide quantifiable information to ascertain whether the results …

Health Belief Effects On Preventive Health Among Hispanic Migrant And Seasonal Farmworkers, Angela M. Trawick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs) are the unhealthiest workers in the United States and experience barriers to preventive healthcare. While faced with numerous health risks, many Hispanic MSFWs may not seek preventive health services or have access to them when they need them. The purpose of this study, guided by the rural nursing theory, was to understand the beliefs/health seeking behaviors of MSFWs and how they described usage of preventive health services. Fourteen Hispanic farmworkers volunteered to do telephone or in person interviews. The codes and categories were reviewed to identify patterns and make connections between the data using Saldana’s …

Microaggression Experiences Among African American Women And Their Effects On Health In Academia, Anta'sha Moni Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racial microaggressions are brief daily negative verbal behaviors and environmental slights directed as intentional or unintentional towards minorities. These negative interactions lead minorities to feel powerless and oppressed in their environments. These adverse experiences result from stressors in their environment that negatively affect the human body by causing acute and chronic stress. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the relationship between personal, racial microaggression experiences, and their impact on health through a phenomenological approach. The critical race theory provided a framework to explore and understand how systematic discrimination experiences impacted the 17 African American faculty member participants’ health. A phenomenological …

Overeating As A Coping Response To Workplace Gender Discrimination: The Role Of Resilience And Social Support, Rosemarie Charmain Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gender discrimination in the workplace continues to be a persistent source of stress for women even after 5 decades of antidiscrimination legislation in the United States. Women are more likely than men to cope with stress by overeating, which is a risk factor for chronic illnesses and obesity. Much less is known about the protective factors that could weaken the association between perceived stress and overeating. The purpose of this quantitative study was to address this gap in the literature by examining whether resilience and social support are moderators of the overeating response for women who have experienced gender discrimination …

Effects Of Cultural And Lived Experiences On Health Access Of Chamorro People On Saipan, Esther Lizama Muna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than half of the population of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands had not visited their primary care provider for a year in 2016. The Chamorro people are less willing to seek or access care than other ethnic groups. This qualitative study aimed to understand the Chamorro people's access and utilization of Saipan's health care services to improve their access and, ultimately, their health. The theoretical frameworks included Penchansky and Thomas's theory of access to explore the Chamorro people of Saipan's lived experiences with availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability of health care services, as well as Spector's …

Reproductive Health Factors And Maternal Mortality Of Internally Displaced Women In Nigeria, Fatima Mahmood Jibirilla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 529,000 women die from pregnancy-related causes every year, with 99% of these maternal deaths occurring in developing countries. Each year, about 59,000 maternal deaths occur in Nigeria, with a mortality rate of 576 deaths per 100,000 births. Women constitute about half of the 33.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide. The purpose of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to explore the association between the reproductive health factors and maternal mortality of internally displaced women in Borno state, Nigeria. McCarthy and Maine’s model for determinants of maternal mortality informed this study. A secondary dataset of 400 women (age 14-49 years) …

Social Determinants Of Health And Type 2 Diabetes Among Enrollees Of California Children’S Services Program In Fresno County, California, Daniela Marie Aghadjanian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite extensive study in adults, Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been the subject of little research concerning young adults or children. Doctors believed T2D to develop only in a person’s later years until health care providers found younger individuals developing this disease. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative analysis was to determine correlations between T2D and social determinants of health in Fresno County, California, based on children and adolescents. The 2017-19 data came from the Fresno County Department of Public Health. The theoretical foundation for the study was the socio-ecological framework focusing on individuals’ traits having a bidirectional impact on …

Registered Nurses’ Perceptions Of Obesity, Elizabeth Ann Pettifor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States (U.S.) population. Obesity is a risk factor for many health problems that ultimately lead to death or disability. Nurses in the U.S have a higher-than-average rate of overweight and obesity. The purpose of this exploratory, qualitative case study was to identify and recommend areas for change in the hospital environment to assist bedside nurses in the U.S to have a healthier lifestyle. Social media was used to conduct a purposeful sampling technique and recruit 10 registered nurses working full time at the bedside in the U.S who struggle with obesity. Semi …

Primary Care Providers’ Perceptions Of Adolescent Friendly Health Services In Relationship To Adolescent Pregnancy, Jill Marie Ensminger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent research, adolescent health continues to be a public health concern. The purpose of this qualitative research was to identify the perceptions of primary care providers regarding adolescent friendly health services and the relationship to adolescent pregnancy. The theoretical and conceptual framework used for this research included the social ecological model and the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for providing adolescent friendly health services. Using a phenomenological qualitative research approach, interviews were conducted over the telephone. Data analysis included hand coding with emerging themes and subthemes in relationship to each research question. The results of the …

Exploring Ethnic And New Orleans Cultural Influences On Health Behaviors Of African American Women, Keneitra Brown-Mayfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States (U.S.), African American women suffer disproportionately due to obesity and chronic diseases. Many studies have examined the culture of African Americans and its influence on their health behaviors in order to gain knowledge to inform obesity and chronic disease prevention interventions. However, a geographical segment of the U.S. African American population shares a unique culture that had yet to be studied. This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to understand the perceptions of overweight and obese African American women living in the Greater New Orleans region about their culture’s role in the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related …

Association Between Learning Methods And Analgesic Opioid Abuse, Nicole Marie Blanchard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Opioids are an extremely addictive class of medication used to treat pain; overprescribing practices and chronic misuse has led to an epidemic that continues to grow. The opioid epidemic not only has the potential to cause injury or even death but also has a large impact on the U.S. economy. Research regarding determinants of abuse are needed to improve safeguards for opioid abuse prevention. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if learning capabilities and/or learning medium preference are correlated with analgesic opioid abuse. The social-ecological model was used to evaluate the social levels of influence for abuse …

Access To Health Insurance And Health-Seeking Behavior In A Nigerian Suburban Community, Charles Olalekan Mensah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of access to health insurance on the healthcare-seeking behavior of the population in four suburban communities in Rivers State, Nigeria. The conceptual framework of the study is based on Anderson's behavioral model of health services use. The study looked at how access to health insurance affects the healthcare seeking behavior and the preventive care seeking behavior of the study population. Two-hundred and seventy participants were surveyed using the Health Care Access and Utilization Survey (HCAUS) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and bivariate logistic regression. Respondents …

Health Literacy And Health Beliefs With Adherence To Antihypertensive Medications In An Urban African American Cohort, Karen Ranae Dukes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans aged 40 to 65 are more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension, and adherence to prescribed antihypertensive medication regimens is important in controlling their blood pressure levels. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between health literacy and sociodemographic and clinical factors with adherence to antihypertensive medications among African American adults. The theoretical framework for this study was the health belief model. A quantitative research design was used with participants recruited from churches with African American congregations in the city of Detroit. A convenience sampling method was used to obtain a sample of 79 …

Public Health Nurses’ Perceptions Of High School Dropout Rates As A Public Health Issue, Maria Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education is one of the strongest predictors of health, and well-being. Early termination of education can lead to poorer health, shorter lifespans, and increased stress on the healthcare system. Improving overall high school graduation rates has been debated and discussed by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Ministry of Education, however, there is a paucity of research on increased graduation rates as they relate to public health in the Canadian context. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of liaison public health nurses (PHNs) who worked directly with the TDSB regarding their roles …

Program Evaluation Of The Employee Health And Wellbeing Program, Alicia Carmen Marlena Perez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health promotion and disease prevention are a focus of population health management. Without ongoing and rigorous evaluation, these programs may be in jeopardy of continuing. The purpose of this project was to conduct a descriptive population health- focused evaluation of a large-scale health system's employee health and wellbeing program. Guided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) framework for program evaluation in public health and National Center for Organization Development guidelines, a nurse-led evaluation was conducted using 5 specific data sets emphasizing organizational structure, employee health offerings, employee surveys, Pathway to Excellence survey, and program contributions. A descriptive …

Safe Chemical Handling By Agrochemical Users In Plateau State, Nigeria, Adaobi Ifeoma Ekwempu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Agrochemical use has been increasing in both developing and the developed nations. The unsafe handling and use of agrochemicals can lead to accumulation of hazardous chemicals in the body, causing adverse effects on health. This quantitative cross sectional study sought to understand the level of awareness, practices, and perceptions of safe chemical handling by agrochemical using the Theory of Planned Behavior. This study was conducted among 260 farmers in Plateau State, Nigeria. Data on background knowledge and practices of safe agrochemical handling by farmers were collected using a structured paper based, interviewer-€administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics revealed that the most practiced …

Perceptions Of Economic, Health, And Environmental Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing In Indiana, Juliana Bayowa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effects of hydraulic fracturing (HF) have become a controversial public health issue in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore community members' perceptions of economic, health, and environmental effects of HF in Gibson County, Indiana. The conceptual framework was adapted from the health belief model and was named the HF health impact belief model (HFHIBM). Data were collected from stratified purposeful non-randomly selected 32 Gibson community members, using semi structured questionnaires, complete observations, and existing documents. Stratification was based on factors influencing perception, such as, gender, race, level of education, age or technology exposure, …

Preventing Obesity And Type 2 Diabetes In Immigrant Populations, Maxwell K. Chikuta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity-related diseases have been increasing in African immigrants throughout the United States. Although research has been done to identify risk factors associated with many ethnic groups in the United States, only a few studies exist that explore obesity and type 2 diabetes diseases among Central African immigrants. The conceptual framework for this qualitative case study was social constructivism and the health belief model. The primary research question addressed the potential underlying causes for an increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes among Central African Immigrants. The secondary research questions explored how culture, illiteracy, and religion contribute to the problem of …

Cultivating Cultural Competence To Address Childhood Obesity In Ethnic Minority Youth, Tia Knight-Forbes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is an increasingly prevalent health issue, especially among children who live in high poverty, low income, and low education areas that lack needed resources and health care to promote quality of life. African American youth have a higher rate of obesity than other populations. The purpose of this project was to address an identified gap in practice by improving health care professionals' ability to provide culturally competent care to African American youth. An educational intervention framed by the Purnell model for cultural competence was developed to address the question, Will cultural competency staff education improve knowledge to prevent and …

Holistic Health And Hawaii's Renewable Energy Future, Richard M. Esterle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collective efficacy, time urgency, and health literacy have been a focus of research since the 1970s. Researchers have demonstrated that these factors influence health and decision making. However, researchers have yet to establish how these factors may be connected to the achievement of policy aims that impact holistic or environmental health. This study utilized the health belief model, social cognitive theory, time urgency theory, health education and promotion theory, Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, and the Meikirch model. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if the factors of collective efficacy, perceived time urgency, perceived health literacy, ethnicity, age, …

Improving Workers' Safety And Health In The Zimbabwean Mining And Quarrying Industry, Bernard Mabika

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of effective occupational safety and health (OSH) strategies is a reason that

workplace accidents in the mining and quarrying industry remain high, making the

industry one of the riskiest operations worldwide. The purpose of this multiple case study

was to explore successful strategies mining and quarrying leaders in Zimbabwe used to

improve OSH. The key research question addressed successful strategies leaders in the

mining and quarrying industry use to improve employee occupational safety and health in

Zimbabwe. Six successful business leaders from 3 mining and quarrying mines in

Zimbabwe demonstrated an exception to unsafe practices, particularly through their

exceptional …

Emergency Department Use For Nontraumatic Dental Conditions And Adult Oral Health, Cheryl Anne Lassiter-Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nontraumatic dental-related emergency department visits has resulted in a financial burden to hospitals across the United States. This study investigated whether there is a relationship between adult preventive dental care and emergency department visits for nontraumatic dental conditions by comparing specific states. Guided by Andersen's behavioral model of health services utilization, this retrospective quantitative study also investigated associations between state-specific community water fluoridation and dental-related emergency department visits. The population of interest was adult Medicaid enrollees who visited the emergency department for non-trauma-related dental conditions in the top 5 most populous states as identified in the 2012 NHAMCS survey. These …

Strategies To Reduce Occupational Injuries And Illnesses In Government Agencies, Sandra Montgomery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite regulatory efforts of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 104 cases of nonfatal occupational illnesses and injuries (OIIs) per 10,000 full-time workers required time away from work in 2015. Although OII rates in private and public sectors are high, the rates among state and local government agencies were over 50% higher than private sector rates in 2015, especially in the healthcare industry. OIIs can lead to reduced organizational productivity and performance. Guided by the leader member exchange theory (LMXT) and risk homeostasis theory (RHT), the purpose of this single case study was to explore effective strategies that supervisors …

Health, Wellness, And Ecological Impacts Of Horse Therapy For Special Needs Children, Jennifer Suzanne Sulkowski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The benefits of horse therapy for special needs children have been documented for centuries, but direct experience and perspective from special needs children and their families involved in horse therapy are missing from the literature. The purpose of this study was to enhance understanding on the health, well-being, and ecological impacts of horse therapy for special needs children, and to demonstrate how horse therapy aligns with public health, by interviewing 8 special needs families who utilize the therapy, 8 adults who underwent horse therapy as children, and 12 ecological experts in local communities. Data were hand-coded and organized based on …

Mindfulness Meditation Practice By Individuals With Substance Dependent Behavior, Quyen Ho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many people in the United States suffer from substance dependence, which leads to depression, anxiety, work impairment, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, crime, and health care problems. Mindfulness meditation has been applied in many aspects of mental health treatment and all belief systems. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore substance dependents' experiences related to their mindfulness meditation practice of at least 6 months and up to 3 years. A constructivist conceptual framework, which states that human beings create systems for understanding reality based on their individual beliefs, emotions, and interpretations, was used for this study. Research questions focused …

The Adequacy And Perceived Impact Of Nigeria's Health Policy, Kennedy Magoma Ongwae

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

From 2004 to 2015, the health sector in Nigeria was substantially underfunded despite the existence of a federal health policy committing 15% of the national budget to health care financing. The purpose of this narrative and phenomenological study was to explore the nature and significance of economic claims made in this policy. The central research question examined the extent to which these economic claims were perceived to be realistic, attainable, and successful in meeting their intended policy objectives and impact. The study's conceptual framework combined Kingdon's ambiguity and multiple streams theory, Roe's narrative policy analysis, and Skocpol's policy feedback theory. …