Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Relationship Of Child Health And Parenting Stress To Child Neurocognitive Development, Nancy Alise Farrell

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Problem. Although the United States rates high in economic resources, the neurocognitive development (NCD) of children falls behind many other developed nations. Levels of parenting stress may be linked to sociodemographic factors such as the high incidence of poverty in children or health disparities in children, which in turn may affect NCD in children. Using the data from an observational, longitudinal cohort study of a diverse population could provide information related to parenting stress, child health, and related factors to guide and support interventions with families and policies to improve child NCD. Aims. The overall aim of this study was …

Responding To The Pandemic: A Multicountry Study On Social-Political Factors And Health Outcomes Of Covid-19, Lan Yao

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Introduction. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a major global threat to human beings, which has caused devastating consequences of population health, political, and economic crises in many countries. This dissertation was composed of three research activities to study the following aims: (1) review the existing literature focusing on political factors and health outcomes of COVID-19; (2) assess the relationship between democracy and case fatality rate of COVID-19 by controlling for the effect of age, comorbidity, health expenditure, healthcare workforce, and population density; and (3) identify the trajectory pattern cases peak days, deaths peak days, and peak periods.

Methods. We accessed …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of Using Mobile Health Apps In Underserved Patients With Diabetes, Jieyu Luo

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Introduction. Diabetes mellitus is a condition with a growing morbidity and mortality burden. An estimated 30 million adults currently live with diabetes, with each individual spending over $9500 annually on medical care. The successful management of diabetes is a lifelong endeavor. This involves balancing a variety of factors including diet, medications, and glucose monitoring. It has been well established that successful control of diabetes depends largely upon patients’ daily lifestyle habits and activities. Not all patients, however, have the resources necessary for effective diabetes management. Health disparities lead to a higher rate of diabetes development in minority and poor populations. …

Assessing The Role Of Faith-Based Organizations In Health Promotion, Troylyn Braud Francis

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Objective: The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the relationship between organizational readiness (OR) and weight loss and physical activity outcomes among faith-based organizations (FBOs).

Methods: Data for this study were collected in two phases. Phase I data were based on a feasibility study and targeted African-American individuals (N = 55) who participated in an obesity prevention program. The intervention was accomplished in two stages, which included a 10-week core period followed by a 6-month maintenance period. Phase II data were based on key informant interviews that were conducted with community health leaders (CHLs) (N=6) from participating …

The Relationship Between Health Literacy And Health Outcomes: A Mixed-Methods Study Of African-American Adult Patients With Asthma, Courtnee Erin Melton

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Introduction: Asthma affects 24.6 million people in the United States, and AfricanAmericans share a disproportionate burden of the disease. African-Americans have a higher prevalence of asthma, worse asthma control, higher hospitalization rates, and higher asthma mortality rates African-Americans are also more likely to have low health literacy. Low health literacy has been linked to increased use of emergency care, increased hospitalization, decreased use of preventive services, poorer medication adherence, poorer interpretation of prescription labels, nutrition labels, and health messages, and poorer health outcomes. Consequently, health literacy is one of the modifiable individual factors that contributes to asthma disparities among African-Americans. …

The Development And Psychometric Testing Of A Hypertension Knowledge Instrument In A Vulnerable Population, Crescent Elayne Rowell

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The primary objective of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of a hypertension knowledge instrument in a vulnerable population. The secondary objective was to determine the association between hypertension knowledge and outcomes such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure and hemoglobin A1c.

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sample of 196 adults aged 18 years and older with hypertension. Item analysis was conducted to determine the reliability of the instrument. The factor structure was determined and confirmed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between …