Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Prevalence Of Disordered Eating Behaviors Among Sorority Versus Non-Sorority Women, Angela Lynn Guzman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Eating disorders among college women is a serious psychological problem. Disordered eating behaviors were examined and diagnosed at a mid-sized university in southeast Georgia. The target group of this study was university sororities. The purpose of this study was to examine sorority versus nonsorority women to determine if there was a higher prevalence for those involved in sororities to develop disordered eating behaviors.

Surveys were distributed to both sorority and non-sorority women to determine the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors among each group. A quantitative, quasi-experimental design was used in conjunction with the Eating Attitudes Test (Gamer & Garfmkle, 1979). …

Embryo And Gamete Development Upon Exposure To Cca Components: Cro3, Cuo, And As2o5, Nerbana Talaat-Elsebaei Mahmoud

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Production of functional gametes and healthy embryos is essential for proliferation of all vertebrates, especially humans. Many compounds have toxic effects on developing gametes and embryos among which are chromium trioxide (CrO₃), cupric oxide (CuO) and arsenic pentaoxide (As₂O₅) as a mixture (CCA) or individually. Controversy surrounding the safety of CCA-treated wood centers primarily on the toxicity of its components and the potential for these metals to be released from the wood.

The aim of this research is to test the hypothesis that CCA components have deleterious effects on embryo development, oocyte maturation and …

Instructional Influence On Clinicians’ Performance And Attitudes In Authoring Clinical Software Using Microsoft Powerpoint, Lisa Ann Berna

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The study examined the effects of instruction type on speech language pathology graduate students' (n = 10) interest, speed, and accuracy in being trained to create PowerPoint phonological awareness click-lessons. Half of the subjects (n = 5) received instruction during an in-service proceeding; while the remaining subjects (n = 5) received training via a tutorial manual written by the researcher. The clinicians involved in the study completed written questionnaires before and after reviewing click-lessons and recreating portions of a Rhyme Time program and recorded the time needed to complete ten tutorial slides in this program. Statistical analyses were completed to …

Selected Influences On The Smoking Behavior Among Female And Male College Students Of The University Of Northern Iowa, Evelyn Adom-Boateng

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study primarily, was to investigate and identify the influence of the four focus areas (media, family, peer, and psychological coping technique) on the smoking behavior among female and male college students of the University of Northern Iowa. A description of differences in the influences of the focus areas on the smoking behavior on gender was included in the study. A non-random (convenient) sample of 100 students was drawn from the various Departments and Schools from five colleges in the University (57% males and 43% females).

The Sample responded to a 44-item self-report (survey) questionnaire. Overall means …

Relationship Between The Knowledge Of Sexually Transmitted Disease And Sexual Behavior, Kong Chen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Undergraduate college students, despite widespread prevention and education efforts, still engage in sexual behaviors that place them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The hypothesis of the study was that higher levels of knowledge of STDs were associated with positive sexual behavior. Thus, sexual behavior, knowledge of STDs, and the relationship between those two aspects among 103 undergraduate students (70 women and 33 men) at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) were examined in the study.

No statistical significance was found in terms of college students' knowledge of STDs and their sexual behavior. This study showed that female students …

The Effect Of Life Stress And Coping Resources On The Occurrence And Severity Of Athletic Injuries In Female Collegiate Athletics, Susan E. Stoker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to investigate the effects of life stress and coping resources on the occurrence and severity of athletic injuries for female collegiate athletes. Subjects from the university's women's volleyball and soccer team were classified as either injured or non-injured, depending on whether injury occurred during the athletic season. A further separation of the injured players divided them according to the severity of their injuries (minor, significant, and major). The LESCA and Coping Resources section of the Stress Audit Questionnaire were used to test life stress and coping resources athletes have for dealing with stress. Psychometric data was …

Functional Hamstring:Quadriceps Ratio: Does It Differ Across Year Of Athletic Eligibility?, Scott L. Dack

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to collect descriptive functional Hamstring to Quadriceps (H:Q) ratio data, as defined by Aagaard, Simonsen, Magnusson, Larsson, and Dyhre-Poulsen (1998), and determine if differences exist in the functional H:Q ratio between Division I-AA college football athletes that are in different years of athletic eligibility. The primary research hypothesis was that there would be a statistically significant difference across the different years of eligibility. The population tested included 47 male Division I-AA college football players between the ages of 18-23. The functional H:Q ratio for extension was executed on the Biodex System 3 Pro (Shirley, …

The Effects Of The Breathe-Right Nasal Strip On Oronasal Maximum Voluntary Ventilation, Sean Michael Linck

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In recent years coaches and athletes have given attention to the Breathe-Right nasal strip (BRNS) to help improve breathing and possibly enhance exercise performance. The BRNS is placed on the outer nose and is supposed to lift and expand the flexible cartilage of the nasal valve and make it "easier to breathe." This study was conducted to determine whether the application of the BRNS will improve maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) using both nasal and oral breathing ( oronasal breathing). An MVV test is often used to simulate breathing at peak exercise and is the best indicator of overall function of …

The Effects Of Music Paired With Story Book Reading On Kindergarten And First Grade Children’S Comprehension Of Narrative Text, Karen Kay Fatka

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of music paired with story book reading on young children's comprehension of narrative text. More specifically, children's abilities to verbally retell stories, answer questions regarding explicit text based story facts, and attention levels were compared when stories were orally read or presented through audio-recorded sung versions of each story. Thirty kindergarten and first grade students who exhibited a speech and/or language impairment, had a history of a speech and/or language impairment, or were at-risk for reading difficulties participated in the study. Subjects were identified through a local university speech and …

The Evolution And Experience Of Stomal Therapy Nurses In Australia 1959-2000, Keryln Carville

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In Australia, stomal therapy nurses are registered nurses who have undertaken an educational programme in the care, counselling and rehabilitation of persons-who have, or who could potentially have, a wound, an ostomy (that is an artificial opening into a body cavity) or incontinence of bodily waste. The genesis of stomal therapy nurses in Australia as a specialty group within the broader nursing profession was in 1971, when 11 founding members established an association for registered nurses with an interest in the care of patients with stomas. However, the serendipitous event that pre-empted the formation of this special interest group, can …

Emergency Vehicle Siren Noise: A Potential For Hearing Loss, Douglas A. Riach

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this thesis was to critically investigate the noise produced by the sirens fitted to South Australian Police general patrol vehicles and calculate if this noise was of an intensity to cause noise induced hearing loss. Previous studies in Western Australia and in South Australia examined noise emissions from emergency vehicle sirens for the purpose of selecting the most suitable siren for emergency vehicles, this being the siren emitting the greatest intensity of sound. This study has researched emergency vehicle sirens from the perspective of employee exposure to siren noise. Noise levels were recorded from inside the police …

In Pursuit Of Best Practice : Benchmarking Tools And Processes For The Management Of Hazardous Substances In The Workplace, Barry Chesson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many organisations now strive to achieve excellence in various aspects of occupational health and safety. Benchmarking of the techniques and approaches of other organisations is becoming a popular way of bridging gaps and seeking to achieve high levels of performance. There exist many sources of guidance in the form of external and internal standards, regulations, codes of practice, publications by professional institutions and similar. However, there are clear shortfalls in terms of tools and processes needed to identify areas of opportunity and to overcome barriers to the efficient transfer of ideas and techniques from one enterprise to another. This is …

Big Boys Don't Cry : Understanding Barriers To Seeking Support For Mental Health Problems Among Adolescent Males, Amanda Miraudo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study explored the possible barriers encountered by adolescents in developing and achieving positive mental health. Male adolescents in Perth, Western Australia were consulted in an attempt to provide insight into the motivating and inhibiting factors influencing help-seeking as a coping strategy. Barriers to seeking help for mental health problems were investigated through the inductive process of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to obtain a more detailed understanding of help-seeking than previous studies have provided; The study found that the coping responses most frequently enacted by the adolescent males sampled included avoidance, diversion, and private resolution. Help-seeking was far …

Examination Of The Magnitude And Timing Of Hip Flexion Torque In High Degree Of Difficulty Forward Somersault Dives On The 3m Springboard, Brendon Ferrier

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

While there has been much research published on the kinematics and kinetics of forward dives from a springboard, very little has been done on the effect the timing and magnitude of hip flexion torques has on forward dives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the timing and magnitude of hip flexion torques prior to the take-off and the vertical velocity at take-off in high demand rotational forward dives. Twenty-six elite divers (14 males and 12 females) competing in the United Kingdom leg of the 2001 FINA Diving Grand Prix performed high demand rotational dives. The …

Is It 'Too Bloody Late'? : Older People's Attitudes To Physical Activity And To The Recommendations In The National Physical Activity Guidelines, Joan Jackson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Participation in physical activity confers many health benefits by reducing the risk factor for a number of lifestyle related diseases such as diabetes, colon cancer, and heart disease. Other benefits include improved mental and physical well-being. For older people the benefits are even more important; engagement in physical activity extends to such health benefits as reduction in the risk of falls and related potential injuries. However the most significant benefit to older people is that physical activity enables older people to live independently for longer and with a greater sense of well-being. This study explores, through qualitative research, older people's …

The Effects Of Dietary Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation And Resistance Training In Older Men, Andrew Lavender

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In order to ascertain the effects of creatine monohydrate (CrH2O) supplementation on muscle mass and strength in older males, seventeen volunteers aged between sixty and eighty years were allocated to a creatine or a placebo group. Both groups took part in a training programme of the knee flexors and extensors of one leg only, consisting of knee flexion in a standing position and knee extension in a seated position. An adjustable, weighted cuff was used to provide resistance and subjects increased their weight reps and sets at their own discretion. The creatine group supplemented their training with CrH20 starting with …

Storying The Body : Women's Narratives Through The Lens Of Breast Cancer, Janet A. Griffin

Theses : Honours

What can women's narratives contribute to our understanding of breast cancer and to feminist theories of the body? This thesis explores the meanings women construct to make sense of embodied experiences of breast cancer, and the profound experience of breast loss. Rich contextual data was elicited from in depth, guided conversations with five premenopausal women who have undergone mastectomy. Adopting feminist methodology, biographic-narrative was used to place the body at the heart of inquiry. This thesis explores the personal and theoretical meanings of mastectomy, embedded in the larger story of how these five women experience their breasts, throughout their lives. …

The Effect Of Eccentric Exercise Velocity On Selected Measures Of Muscle Function And Soreness Of The Human Elbow Flexors In Untrained Males And Females, Dale W. Chapman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Eccentric contractions, where a muscle is repeatedly lengthened while generating torque, result in decreased muscle function and muscle soreness. This study was designed to determine whether there was a difference in muscle response of the elbow flexors from untrained subjects (n = 12) between a bout of high intensity eccentric exercise at 30°•s-1 (LVE) compared to the equivalent at 210°•s-1 (HVE). Subjects performed 120 seconds of eccentric exercise of the elbow flexors using a Cybex 6000 Isokinetic Dynamometer. At 30°-s-1, a total of 30 repetitions were required whilst at 210°•s-1, 210 contractions were performed (at a 1:7 work/rest ratio). Both …

Occupational Hazards And Radiation Safety In Veterinary Practice Including Zoo Veterinary Practice In Australia, Joseph S. Jeyaretnam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis contains reviews and research on the occupational hazards of zoo veterinary practitioners in Australia. Although occupational hazards have long been recognised in the veterinary profession, little information is available on the number and magnitude of injuries to veterinarians in Australia, the United Kingdom or the United States. Apart from anecdotal accounts and some limited data, most of the available information is on occupational zoonoses, generally well recognized by veterinarians. Other occupational hazards to which veterinarians are exposed have received scant attention. The veterinary practitioner in a zoo environment has to treat a range of captive wild species which …

Fall Risk Assessment : A Prospective Investigation Of Nurses' Clinical Judgement And Risk Assessment Tools In Predicting Patient Falls In An Acute Care Setting, Helen Myers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Falls are a significant problem in acute care, hospital settings, and can have serious consequences, especially for older patients. Fall prevention has therefore been recognised as an important area for research and intervention. In order to target interventions and use resources effectively, a major strategy of many fall prevention programmes has been the development and/or use of risk assessment tools to identify patients who are at high risk of falling. Although many tools have been developed, few have been rigorously tested, and there is currently no evidence to support the clinical utility of fall risk assessment tools. There is a …

Aims, Separation And Attitudinal Factors In Mediation: An Exploratory Investigation, Darryl Frank Menaglio

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The general aim of this research was to explore issues regarding mediation in family law about which there appears to be uncertainty. Study I investigated: (a) what stakeholders (practitioners and separated spouses) believe the aims of mediation should be; (b) what they believe are the effects of the separation factors, that is, perceived mutuality (whether the decision to separate was made by one or both spouses), perceived status (whether spouses view themselves as Ieavers, lefts or neither), and the attribution and strength of blaming someone for the decision to separate on attitudes towards engaging in mediation; and (c) stakeholders' views …

Clarifying The Lower Incidence Of Birth Defects In The Midwest Of Western Australia : A Study Using Capture Re-Capture Methodology, Donna Baker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In April 2000 the Western Australian Birth Defects Registry held its 20th Anniversary Scientific Symposium to signify the first 20 years of the Birth Defects Registry in Western Australia. At the Symposium, significant trends and occurrences in birth defects within Western Australia over the past 20 years were addressed. One factor highlighted in the Registry's 1980-1999 report was that birth defects were reported less frequently in rural regions compared with metropolitan areas. Data collected from the metropolitan area is considered by the Birth Defects Registry to be the most accurate. Therefore, incidence rates of birth defects in this area arc …

An Ethnographic Investigation Of The Relevance Of Shop Floor Culture To Effective Safety Communication In An Australian Minerals Refinery, David R. Leith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many organisations which aim to achieve excellent workplace safety choose 'culture change' as the means to achieve this. They make use of employee communication media to help re-form the values, beliefs, norms and behaviours which are generally thought to comprise culture. However, culture is a complex and profound phenomenon. Successful communication between two culturally separate groups requires each to achieve an understanding of the other, no less so in workplaces than in societies composed of different cultures.Yet even employers who believe in communicating fully with their workforces find it difficult to convey viewpoints other than their own. Their communication tends …

A Comparison Between Conventional And Holistic Exercise Interventions On Physiological Function In The Elderly, Gavin R. Mccormack

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Aging is characterised by a decline in physiological function. The rate of this decline can depend on certain lifestyle factors, genetics, and the environment. Although life expectancy is slowly increasing, there is a need to reduce the time spent in debilitated, and non-independent states by elderly individuals. Preventive measures need to be implemented to reduce dependency and improve the quality of life for elderly individuals. One such preventive and remedial measure is the use of exercise and physical activity. Because limited exercise prescription exists for the elderly population, there is a need to determine the effectiveness of exercise interventions that …

Covert Violence In Nursing, Susette Bakker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There is no official avenue in nursing for the reporting of incidences of covert violence to staff and so they remain unrecorded and often stressful. This study sought to collect data from currently employed nurses concerning covert violence in their workplace, and to collate the information to obtain a valid assessment of this hidden problem. A qualitative methodology was used to report on the experiences of nurses in relation to covert violence directed at them by their peers, other health professionals, patients and patients' families. The participants were all registered nurses employed by a suburban health service. Each was given …

A Phenomenological Study Of Partners Of People With Parkinson's Disease Who Demonstrate Communication Changes, Elsie Janet Doherty

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Parkinson's disease is a common progressive neurological illness for which there is no known cure. While the cardinal signs are tremor, bradykinesia or slowness of movement, muscle rigidity and postural instability (Jahanshahi & Marsden, 1998, p.3) the patient may face an extended number of years experiencing all, or any combination of, the many other manifestations of the disease process. These manifestations include changes to various aspects of communication including loss of voice volume, diminished body language and loss of facial expression. All of these affect both verbal and non verbal communication. Given the progressive nature of Parkinson's disease the patient …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Patient's Experience Of The External Application Of Ginger, Tessa C. Therkleson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This Research Study explores the quality of the experience for the patient of the external application of ginger using a Husserllan phenomenological methodology, In this Study the phenomenon Is the patient's experience of the external application of ginger. A group of Anthroposophical Nurses in the Hawkes Bay of New Zealand personally selected seven appropriate consenting adults to receive one external application of ginger. Following their experience, the patients were asked a series of open-ended questions by the researcher, These Interviews were audio taped. The interview data have been transcribed and reduced to themes that have been explored and reflected on …

Power, Knowledge And Childbirth Practices : An Ethnographic Exploration In Bangladesh, Kaosar Afsana

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The intent of this study is to explore why and in what ways rural, poor women in Bangladesh adhere to indigenous birth practices and resist cosmopolitan obstetric care. To understand the complexities of childbirth, a multidimensional framework encompassing culture, gender, socio-economic, political economy and historical perspectives is used. I used ethnographic methods to have deeper understanding of childbirth practices predominantly from women's voices, but strengthened by multiple other voices and my observational experiences. I gathered information in Apurbabari village, the adjacent Thana Health Complex and the Medical College Hospital using in-depth interviews and participant observation, in particular.

Good Life In The Balance: A Cross-National Study Of Dutch And Australian Disability Perspectives On Euthanasia And Physician-Assisted Suicide, Erik A. Leipoldt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This is a cross-national qualitative study with the purpose of obtaining perspectives held by people with quadriplegia and leading figures in disability movements in the Netherlands and Australia on the issues of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (EPAS). A disability voice is not prominent in public debate on EPAS in Australia or the Netherlands, even though people with disabilities are often thought to be vulnerable in relation to EPAS policies. Disability perspectives are potentially valuable in illuminating issues in relation to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, because issues of dependence, independence, and individual autonomy play important roles in relation to both EPAS …

The Contribution Of Enactments To Structural Family Therapy: A Process Study, Stephanie Fellenberg

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In an era where the effectiveness of many forms of psychotherapy has been thoroughly examined, the focus of many researchers has shifted from investigating outcome to exploring therapeutic processes. Process studies serve to identify the active ingredients of therapy—that is, those interventions that bring about in-session changes. This process study examines the relationship between the use of enactments, a structural family therapy intervention, and in-session change as observed over the course of the session. Change was measured by the amount of change that occurred in the core problem dynamic, that is, the most prominent pattern of dysfunctional family …