Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Childhood Obesity And Overweight: Causes And Implications In Preschool Children, Melissa L. Sittner

Kinesiology and Public Health

The root causes of childhood obesity and overweight are currently hot topics of research. While many causes have been discovered, researchers are still weighing them against one another while taking the lifestyles of at-risk populations into account. Some of these causes include lack of physical activity, increase in screen time, and the implications of health disparities borne of a child’s socioeconomic status. These causes and more are reviewed further and applied to the population of interest: preschool aged children in the United States, and more specifically preschool aged children of San Luis Obispo County in California. The need for multi-level …

The Role Of Relative Bmi Across Racial And Ethnic Groups: Impacts On Happiness Within The United States, Colin Knox

Honors Theses

Over the last generation, rising Body Mass Index (BMI) among Americans has had significant health and psychological impacts. My thesis uses data from over 1 million surveys from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine the role of BMI in determining individual happiness. I specifically consider whether being surrounded by others who are overweight reduces the psychological cost of being overweight. Controlling for demographic factors, I create reference groups based on an individual’s state, sex, race and age. My thesis intends to show that individuals with a BMI higher than their reference group will be less happy.

Situational And Financial Barriers To Prenatal Care In A Sample Of Low-Income, Inner-City Women, P. St Clair, V. Smeriglio, C. Alexander, F. Connell, Jennifer Niebyl

Jennifer R Niebyl

The relationship between the use of prenatal care and factors that may impede access to care was examined in a sample of low-income, inner-city women. Situational and financial barriers to care were not important correlates of utilization. In unadjusted analyses, only insurance status and employment status were associated with utilization. Of the sociodemographic characteristics studied, only parity was strongly associated with the use of prenatal care. When the apparent associations between utilization and insurance status and utilization and employment were analyzed controlling for parity, the estimated strength and statistical significance of these relationships diminished considerably. Multiparous women who were more …

Examining Universal Primary Healthcare Through Community-Based Initiatives, Donald E. Warden

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper examines enacting community-based primary healthcare programs and initiatives. It looks at the weaknesses of past attempts, the successes of current attempts, and gives insight into ways everyday citizens can change the way the world does healthcare. There are social, economic, and political barriers as to why these programs are not enacted. Since 1978, Member states of the United Nations strive towards healthcare for all. The original 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata sets the bar at achieving this goal by the year 2000. Now in the 21^st century, the world still battles inadequate healthcare. Nations continue to strive towards …

Understanding The Motivational Factors For College Students To Remain Non-Smokers, Chanler Hilley

Honors Theses

Cigarette smoking has long been recognized as a negative health behavior. Numerous studies have linked cigarette smoking to cancer, heart and circulatory problems, lung disease, and an array of other health issues, leading to lower quality of life and premature death. There is a wealth of knowledge relating to the negative outcomes of smoking behavior (USDHHS, 2010) and the factors leading to smoking behavior among adolescents (USDHHS, 2012). However, researchers have studied factors leading to nonsmoking behavior much less. The present study uses the Theory of Planned Behavior to understand the motivational factors that lead to a student's nonsmoking behavior, …

Move Montana: An Exercise Program For Children, Adolescents, And Their Families, Deanna Lynn Babb

Dissertations

Despite advances in medical science, the prevalence of obesity in the US has more than doubled in the last three decades, to over 72 million people (CDC, 2009). The purpose of this project was to pilot an exercise program that would increase physical activity in a group of adolescents and one of their parents or guardians. A convenient sample of 10 adults and eight adolescents returned surveys and exercised through the entire eight weeks (N = 18). Ten of the 18 participants (56%), six parents and four adolescents, reported increased frequency of exercise each week throughout the eight week period. …

10th Annual Symposium Of The School Of Science, Engineering And Health, Messiah College

School of Science, Engineering & Health (SEH) Symposium

Welcome to the 10th Annual Symposium of the School of Science, Engineering and Health! This symposium continues a strong tradition of annual events designed to showcase student and faculty innovation, creativity and productivity in academic departments that were formerly housed in different schools within the college. This will be the third year in which we are holding the event as the School of Science, Engineering and Health. We have maintained many customs while blending to establish new traditions. We look forward to incorporating your suggested improvements into future symposia.

Factors Contributing To Poor Physical Health In Incarcerated Women, Holly M. Harner Phd, Mph, Whcnp- Bc, Suzanne Riley Ba

Public Health and Nutrition Faculty work

Prisons have become the primary health care provider for some of the poorest and sickest women in the United States. By virtue of both biological sex and gender, incarcerated women have health needs different from those of their male counterparts. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to understand better women’s perceptions of how prison has affected their physical health. We conducted this investigation in a maximum- security women’s prison in the United States using focus group methodology (12 focus groups, made up of 65 women). Women described several specific prison- based factors that affected their physical health: limited and …

Food, Health And Nutrition: Where Does Chicken Fit?, Karen E. Charlton, Yasmine Probst, Linda C. Tapsell, Patrick J. Blackall

Karen E. Charlton

The link between diet and health is important, given the prevalence of diet related disease, including obesity, in the Australian population. Consumers need to be able to discriminate between foods based on the nutritional contribution of each to a healthy diet. They also need to be able to discriminate between foods in a broader context, considering issues such as food safety, how the food is produced and the environmental consequences of its production. This review outlines the position of chicken in the Australian diet from a health, consumer and environmental perspective. Chicken can contribute to a healthy eating pattern. It …

Community Health News, Georgia Southern University

Community Health Department News (2011-2018)

• Alumni Named HELI Scholars

Self-Management And Self-Management Support On Chronic Low Back Patients In Primary Care, Jennifer Kawi

Interdisciplinary Research Scholarship Day

• Chronic low back pain (CLBP) afflicts 28.5% of adults costing $100-200 billion dollars.
• In response, the Institute of Medicine (2011) strongly recommended self-management (SM) to engage patients to care for themselves adequately.
• Healthcare professionals are also urged to provide effective self-management support (SMS) to empower patient’s ability to self-manage.
• SM and SMS have shown success in improving other chronic disease outcomes; current knowledge base are insufficient in non-malignant CLBP

Reductions In Cardiovascular, Cerebrovascular, And Respiratory Mortality Following The National Irish Smoking Ban: Interruped Time-Series Analysis, Sericea Stallings-Smith, Ariana Zeka, Patrick J. Goodman, Zubair Kabir, Luke Clancy

Articles

Background:

Previous studies have shown decreases in cardiovascular mortality following the implementation of comprehensive smoking bans. It is not known whether cerebrovascular or respiratory mortality decreases post-ban. On March 29, 2004, the Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to implement a national workplace smoking ban. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of this policy on all-cause and cause-specific, non-trauma mortality.

Methods:

A time-series epidemiologic assessment was conducted, utilizing Poisson regression to examine weekly age and gender-standardized rates for 215,878 non-trauma deaths in the Irish population, ages $35 years. The study period was …

Environmental Issues For The Twenty-First Century And Their Impact On Human Health, Richard B. Philp

Richard B. Philp

This text is available from the author on CD in Word format. It deals with current environmental pollution issues, their effects on human health (e.g. the Gulf oil spill) and offers some remedies.

Community Health News, Georgia Southern University

Community Health Department News (2011-2018)

• JPHCOPH Provides Quality of Life

Advancing Occupational Therapy In Workplace Health And Wellbeing: A Scoping Review, Lynn Shaw Dr., Amanda Kollee, Helen Ren, Kayla Lofgren, Savannah Saarloos, Kirsten Slaven, Ann Bossers

Lynn Shaw

Advancing Occupational Therapy in Workplace Health and Well-being: A Scoping Review Amanda Kollee, Helen Ren, Kayla Lofgren, Savannah Saarloos, Kirsten Slaven, Ann Bossers & Lynn Shaw Background: Workplace health continues to be a goal that workers and employers desire. For instance, organizations want to adapt and find ways to accommodate the changing needs of workers as they grow older and develop chronic health conditions. Preventative strategies are required to maintain health and limit the burden on both organizations and individual workers. Occupational therapists can support workplaces to foster the personal health and well-being of workers and to develop workplace environments …

Understanding First Nations Young Adults' Health Literacy, Ebony Rempel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Relative to non-First Nations, Inuit, and Metis (FNIM) Canadians, FNIM people have poorer health status. A qualitative investigation of the health literacy skill and the health information (HI) needs of young FNIM adults was conducted. Eight single mothers living on-reserve were interviewed. Data analysis generated four main themes along with the subthemes of: (1) Traditional Health (TH), (i) TH Culture Excised, and (ii) Wanting to Know More about TH; (2) HI Needs of First Nations young Mothers; (3) Access to HI, (i) Asking the Doctor / Telehealth (ii) other Female Family and Friends; (4) Online Accessibility, (i) HI Online, (ii) …

The Impact Of Volunteering On Seniors’ Health And Quality Of Life: An Assessment Of The Retired And Senior Volunteer Program, Theodore W. Mcdonald, Erica L. Chown, Jordan E. Tabb, Amy K. Schaeffer, Elsa K. M. Howard

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Past research suggests that senior citizens often face challenges related to deteriorating physical and men- tal health, and the quality of their lives may suffer as a result. Past research also suggests that volunteering can improve the health and quality of life for seniors. In the present study, 451 volunteers enrolled in the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) completed surveys including questions regarding their volunteer experiences and how these experiences have affected their health and quality of life. The results suggest that volunteering through RSVP is associated with improvements in health and quality of life across a variety of …

Australian Mental Health Consumers' Contributions To The Evaluation And Improvement Of Recoveryoriented Service Provision, Sarah L. Marshall, Lindsay G. Oades, Trevor P. Crowe

Lindsay G Oades

No abstract provided.

Area Specific Self-Esteem, Values, And Adolescent Sexual Behavior, Michael Young, Joseph Donnelly, George Denny

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

This study examined area-specific self-esteem scores by sexual behavior relative to adolescents' values concerning participation in sexual intercourse as an unmarried teenager. The sample consisted of 332 students in grades 7–12 from a Southern rural school district. Students were asked if they had ever had sexual intercourse (yes/no) and if they had participated in sexual intercourse in the last month (yes/no). Respondents also indicated on a 4-point scale their response to the statement “It is against my values to have sex as an unmarried teenager.” Data were analyzed using a 2 × 4 (behavior x values) analysis of variance for …

Impact Of Tobacco-Related Health Warning Labels Across Socioeconomic, Race And Ethnic Groups: Results From A Randomized Web-Based Experiment, Jennifer Cantrell, Donna M. Vallone, Jim Thrasher, Reebekah H. Nagler, Shari P. Feirman, Larry R. Muenz, David Y. He, Kasisomayajula Viswanath

Faculty Publications

Background: The U.S. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 requires updating of the existing textonly health warning labels on tobacco packaging with nine new warning statements accompanied by pictorial images. Survey and experimental research in the U.S. and other countries supports the effectiveness of pictorial health warning labels compared with text-only warnings for informing smokers about the risks of smoking and encouraging cessation. Yet very little research has examined differences in reactions to warning labels by race/ethnicity, education or income despite evidence that population subgroups may differ in their ability to process health information. The purpose of …

Impact Of Tobacco-Related Health Warning Labels Across Socioeconomic, Race And Ethnic Groups: Results From A Randomized Web-Based Experiment, Jennifer Cantrell, Donna M. Vallone, Jim Thrasher, Rebekah H. Nagler, Shari P. Feirman, Larry R. Muenz, David Y. He, Kasisomayajula Viswanath

Faculty Publications

Background: The U.S. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 requires updating of the existing textonly health warning labels on tobacco packaging with nine new warning statements accompanied by pictorial images. Survey and experimental research in the U.S. and other countries supports the effectiveness of pictorial health warning labels compared with text-only warnings for informing smokers about the risks of smoking and encouraging cessation. Yet very little research has examined differences in reactions to warning labels by race/ethnicity, education or income despite evidence that population subgroups may differ in their ability to process health information. The purpose of …

A Healthier Bottom Line: Distilling Best Practices In Corporate Wellness, Mark Auriemma, Cfa, Angela Cassidy, Kelly Dougherty, Despina Garalis, Pharmd, Rph, Judith Pelletier, Jennifer Springer

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) collaborated with a team from the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) from the University of Massachusetts Boston to explore ways to control health care costs. One strategy being implemented by employers to control health care costs is through “wellness programs,” employer-sponsored efforts to improve the health of employees. Members of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) and other large employers have had success in reducing their health care costs through the implementation of corporate wellness initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to define what is working in private sector wellness programs to determine whether there is …

The Impact Of The Criminalization Of Hiv Non-Disclosure On The Health And Human Rights Of “Black” Communities, Ciann L. Wilson

Psychology Faculty Publications

The criminalization of HIV non-disclosure has become a hot topic for discussion and debate amongst human rights advocates, HIV/AIDS service providers, and people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. This paper explores the inherent problems with HIV non-disclosure laws. These laws are ambiguous and pose a serious threat to public health policy and programming by obstructing the fundamental human rights of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Using a human rights framework, this paper explores the impact of non-disclosure laws on the health and rights of African, Caribbean, and Black-Canadian communities and proposes ways to address the shortcomings of HIV non-disclosure …

Decline In Health For Older Adults: Five-Year Change In 13 Key Measures Of Standardized Health, Paula Diehr

Paula Diehr

Background. The health of older adults declines over time, but there are many ways of measuring health. It is unclear whether all health measures decline at the same rate or whether some aspects of health are less sensitive to aging than others. Methods. We compared the decline in 13 measures of physical, mental, and functional health from the Cardiovascular Health Study: hospitalization, bed days, cognition, extremity strength, feelings about life as a whole, satisfaction with the purpose of life, self-rated health, depression, digit symbol substitution test, grip strength, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and gait speed. …

Intellectual Property And Public Health – A White Paper, Ryan G. Vacca, James Ming Chen, Jay Dratler Jr., Thomas Folsom, Timothy S. Hall, Yaniv Heled, Frank A. Pasquale, Elizabeth A. Reilly, Jeffery Samuels, Katherine J. Strandburg, Kara W. Swanson, Andrew W. Torrance, Katharine A. Van Tassel

Faculty Scholarship

On October 26, 2012, the University of Akron School of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property and Technology hosted its Sixth Annual IP Scholars Forum. In attendance were thirteen legal scholars with expertise and an interest in IP and public health who met to discuss problems and potential solutions at the intersection of these fields. This report summarizes this discussion by describing the problems raised, areas of agreement and disagreement between the participants, suggestions and solutions made by participants and the subsequent evaluations of these suggestions and solutions. Led by the moderator, participants at the Forum focused generally on three broad …

Life And Health Outside Prison, Tiffany Amorette Young

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the subjective understandings of formerly incarcerated individuals' experiences of health and healthcare prior to, during, and post release. The study incorporates in depth ethnographic interviews, participant observation, and life charting to formulate a holistic understanding of how incarceration has impacted the health and lives of the participants recruited for this study. All participants were incarcerated for a minimum of one year in the U.S. prison system. This interdisciplinary study contributes to the fields of sociology, criminology, and public health, and builds on the literature of race, health, and corrections in the United States.

Mental Health Research Projects: A Practical Integration Of Mental Health Into A Medical Curriculum, Judy Mullan, K M. Weston, P L. Mclennan, W C. Rich, N B. Pani

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Abstract of a paper presented at the 65th Annual National Conference of Indian Psychiatric Society, Bangalor, 10-13 Jan, 2013. Aims aJld Objectives: The University of Wollongong (UoW) graduate-entry medical course embeds research and critical analysis within the curriculum, concluding with students undertaking a regional/ nlrsl conmlUnity-based ro earch project. Students are encouraged to design a research project of interest to them and the local community. T.his Indy analyzed whether conducting research projects enhanced learning/understanding about rural/regional mental health issues amongst UoW medical students.

Changing Health Paradigms - Can The Concepts Of Wellness And Wellbeing Build Bridges In Dietary Counselling?, A T. Mcmahon, L Tapsell, P Williams

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Abstract of poster that presented at the 20th International Congress of Nutrition, Granada, September 2013.

Facilitating Better Health Care For Mental Health Consumers: Complexities Of Establishing A Partnership Program, Christopher Patterson, Alex Gagan, Sarah Watson, Angela Douglas

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Abstract of paper that presented at the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing 39th International Mental Health Nursing Conference, 22-24 October, 2013, Perth, Australia.

Facilitating Better Health Care For Mental Health Consumers Through Engagement: Complexities Of Establishing A Partnership Pilot Program Between Mental Health Professionals And University Exercise Physiology Students, Angela Douglas, Alex Gagan, Keirin Mccormack, Sarah Lisle

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Abstract of the oral presentation.