Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Collegiate Activities That Influence Adult Physical Fitness Habits, Linda L. King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive/correlational study analyzed the perception of recent graduates regarding the effectiveness of the college environment at Milligan College in influencing adult fitness habits. Graduates were divided into five activity level groups through a self-report of physical activity. The purposes of the research were to determine if significant differences existed between the dependent variable, activity level, and the independent variables such as: (a) participation in specific college activities, (b) preferences for types of exercise, (c) social influence, (d) influence of a required freshman fitness course, and (e) environmental barriers. A profile of the student most likely to exercise after graduation …

Evaluation Of Accelerated Plethysmography As A Measure Of Health And Fitness, Angela Marie Humble

Dissertations and Theses

Plethysmography is a technique used for measuring alterations in the volume of organs or limbs. Japanese researchers have developed a relatively new application of plethysmography (accelerated plethysmography) that uses information from the pulse wave measured at the fingertip to make inferences about health and fitness status. The instrument used to collect data -- the Precaregraph (accelerated plethysmograph) -- provides an accelerated pulse waveform and APG index, a mathematical representation of the waveform. It was the purpose of this study to evaluate the validity of the Precaregraph by examining the relationship between the APG index and previously validated measures of health …

Pregnancy Outcomes: A Study Testing A Model For Predicting Health Outcomes In Pregnancy, Tamera Ann Hart-Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

There is a persistent relationship between socioeconomic status and physical health outcomes found in the literature; however the variables mediating this relationship are many, and ways that they interact with each other are complex. The goal of understanding this relationship is to decrease the disparity in health by socioeconomic status.

This study tested a biopsychosocial model proposed by David Williams (1990) to explain the relationship between socioeconomic status and physical health outcomes. The model included the following latent factors: demographics, socioeconomic status, biomedical risk, medical care, psychosocial variables, and health outcomes. The model was tested through a secondary data analysis. …

Risk Factors In Adolescents For Engaging In Sexual Behaviors, Dolores Calderon Castellano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Teenage sexuality has become a social concern, because of its impact on teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, government aid and school drop-out. In an effort to better predict risk of early sexual activity, a secondary analysis was conducted on data collected from 413, 11-14 year old students attending the 6th, 7th and 8th grade levels in Hidalgo County, in south Texas. Parent-child Communication, Children's Religiosity, Educational Goals, Educational Grades, Self-Esteem, and Congruency of Sexual Values between children and parents were used as predictor variables. Multiple regression analysis revealed Congruency of Values, Educational Goals, Educational Grades and Religion as the …

Devolpment Of A Scale To Assess Home Health Care Aides' Ability To Recognize Depression In Older Adults, Tina M. Nerney

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Depression afflicts 20% to 40% of people 65 and older. Depression in older adults is frequent and chronic. The challenge of a hospital stay and the knowledge of having a long term disability may increase the risk for a depressive episode. In today's health care environment older adults are being released from hospitals after a short length of stay and are frequently dependent on home health services for assistance with activities of daily living. Home health care aides are given the responsibility of providing these services to the older adult in the home environment and need to be aware of …

The Influence Of Low Dietary Fat Intake On Incidence And Severity Of Migraine Headache, Zuzana Bic

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Migraine headaches are a common and debilitating syndrome causing untold suffering and loss of productivity. A review of the literature indicates that there are two primary factors involved in triggering these headaches: high levels of blood lipids and high levels of free fatty acids. Under these conditions platelet aggregability is increased, which is associated with decreases in serotonin and heightened prostaglandins levels. These conditions may produce vasodilation, the most immediate precursor to migraine headache. A high fat diet is one factor that may directly affect this process. This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of dietary fat intake on …

The Effects Of A Maternal Childhood Lead-Poisoning Education Program On Knowledge, Health Beliefs, And Compliance, Sylvia Elaine Johnson

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of two educational intervention methods on participant's knowledge, health beliefs and prevention behavior as they relate to childhood lead poisoning. The two educational methods being used in the study are personal instruction by the investigator and a 12-minute video developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics on childhood lead poisoning. Information contained in both educational tools is identical. In particular, this study seeks to determine if one educational intervention was more effective than the other. The final purpose of the study is to test the Health Belief Model by examining …

Safety Guidelines For Occupational Hazards To The Reproductive System, Laverne Raquel Ogieste

Theses

Most workers are unaware of the hazards to the reproductive system that surround them in the workplace, and therefore, few if any precautions are taken to avoid unnecessary exposures. In this research, safety guidelines were developed in order to eliminate such dangers from occurring or reoccurring.

These guidelines were developed by reviewing case studies of occupational hazards to the reproductive system, including federal laws and regulations related to safety within the workplace. The following forms were also developed in order to formulate suitable safety guidelines for occupational hazards to the reproductive system. They are: an occupational reproductive survey, a reproductive …

A Comparison Of The Levels Of Patient Staffing Ratios And Staffing Mix To The Number Of Patient Falls In An Acute Care Setting, Candice Marie Peters

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Pay-Per-Visit For Home Health Agency Nurses, Paula Beth Peoples

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Information About Primary Care Physicians Considered Most Useful By Managed Health Care Consumers, Janet Marie Webb

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The First Publicly Funded, Government Sponsored Natural Medicine Clinic : A Descriptive Case Study, Jennifer Lynne Schneider

Dissertations and Theses

The Natural Medicine Clinic (NMC) is the first publicly funded, government sponsored clinic of its kind in the United States to integrate natural medicine and conventional medicine at the public health level. The purpose of this thesis was to provide a holistic, contextually-based, in-depth, and meaningful description of the emergence and development of the NMC.

For the purposes of illuminating and understanding the formation of the NMC, a descriptive case study was chosen. The case study approach is considered an excellent strategy for describing in-depth a unique, real-life phenomenon such as the NMC, and when posing how or why research …

Coping Processes Used By Mothers Of Triplets, Susan Mullen Kaplan

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify and describe the coping processes used by mothers of triplets. Using a descriptive design, interpersonal comparisons of 92 mothers of triplets attending a national meeting of families of higher order multiples were made. Variables, in addition to sociodemographic characteristics, included coping processes, levels of depression, perceived availability of social support, and current stress levels. Coping processes were measured using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988), derived from their cognitive-phenomenological theory of stress and coping. Level of depression was measured using the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (Zung, 1965). Perceived availability …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between College Student Development And Alcohol Consumption Patterns, Laura Greer Hensley

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between college student development and alcohol consumption patterns. Student development was investigated in the domains of moral development through the use of the Defining Issues Test, identity development through the use of the Erwin Identity Scale, and intellectual development through the use of the Scale of Intellectual Development. Alcohol consumption patterns were studied in terms of binge drinking frequency according to responses on the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey. All participants were classified into one of four drinking pattern categories: Abstainers, Drinkers, Bingers, and Frequent Bingers. The study also used …

The Parents' Experience Of Living In The Hospital With Their Sick Infant : A Phenomenological Study, Anne Bourke

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essential structure of the lived experience of what it was to be a resident parent on the ward in a public hospital with a sick infant. Many studies have highlighted both benefits and problems associated with the concept of parental participation in care. The role of the parents in hospital needs to be identified and expressed by both the parents and the nurses, in order to ellucidate the needs of parents who live in with their sick infant. Eight parents were interviewed regarding their experiences of "living in" the hospital …

The Effects Of Sex Guilt And Communication On Condom Use, Renée M. Souva

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether sex guilt and communication were related to condom use. Past research has examined variables that affect condom use and has found that individuals who communicate more about sexual matters, and individuals who have low sex guilt, have been found to use condoms/contraceptives more consistently. This study examined sex guilt and communication and how they predict condom use. The participants were 80 female undergraduates recruited from psychology classes at Eastern Illinois University. Mosher's revised Sex Guilt Inventory and Catania's Health Protective Communication Scale were administered along with a question that assessed condom …