Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Examining The Effects Of Neighborhood Factors And Geography On Racial/Ethnic Disparities In Achieving Sustained Viral Suppression, Rahel Dawit

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustained viral suppression (all viral load tests/mL in a year) decreases the risk of HIV transmission and disease progression to AIDS for people with HIV. Racial/ethnic minorities living with HIV are particularly challenged by barriers, including neighborhood factors, to maintain viral suppression. This dissertation examined the contribution of neighborhood and geographic factors on racial/ethnic disparities in achieving sustained viral suppression. A cross-sectional analysis of secondary data collected in 2017 for 6491 clients enrolled in the Miami-Dade County Ryan White Program (RWP) was conducted.

The first study examined the moderating role of neighborhood level factors on the association between race/ethnicity and …

Sociocultural Factors Associated With Hpv Vaccine Uptake Among Hispanic Female Emerging Adults, Tanjila Taskin

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States (U.S.). College students are at high risk of developing HPV-related diseases and play key roles in transmitting the infection. Fortunately, HPV-related cancers can be prevented through HPV vaccination.

A cross-sectional study was designed to collect data from convenience samples of Hispanic emerging adults from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida, and the University of Houston (UH) in Houston, Texas. Participants who were 18-26 years old, self-identified as Hispanic or Latino/a, able to read English, and enrolled in FIU or UH were included in the …

Identifying Mediators, Moderators And High-Risk Latent Classes Of Preterm Birth And Low Birth Weight Among Pregnant Women In Rural Mysore, India, Sandra Kiplagat

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the mediators, moderators, and high-risk latent classes of preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) among pregnant women in rural Mysore District, India. Secondary data analyses of a prospective cohort study conducted between 2011-2014 among 1540 women was performed to complete this dissertation.

In the first study, we examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and PTB and LBW. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to assess sociodemographic patterns of high-risk pregnant women based on education, income, marital status, primigravida status and number of children. We identified four distinct classes, Class 1 “low SES/early marriage/multigravida/1 child …

Associations Of Sociocultural Stressors With Psychological Distress And Self-Rated Health Among Hispanic Emerging Adults, Abir Rahman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adulthood (18-25 years) is a distinct period of life, characterized by a high level of instability in the matters of romantic life, work, and challenging developmental undertakings. Various events related to these developmental tasks may leave lifelong impacts on emerging adult’s identities and health across adulthood. Further, due to the unstable nature of this period, individuals in this age group are vulnerable to various mental health problems. Hispanic emerging adults may be particularly at risk of experiencing adverse health outcomes, as on top of normative developmental stressors (e.g., increased autonomy, finding employment), they are often exposed to various chronic …

Food Insecurity Is Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Cognitive Impairment, And Immune Activation In People Living With Hiv, Javier A. Tamargo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity (FI) is a socioeconomic condition characterized by inadequate access to enough food and nutrition to sustain health and wellbeing. Food insecurity is a risk factor for chronic and age-related conditions, raising concerns for the aging population of people living with HIV (PLWH), in whom food insecurity is disproportionately prevalent. PLWH are at increased risk of nutrition-related complications and chronic co-morbidities, thus food insecurity may exacerbate adverse health outcomes in this population. This study investigated whether food insecurity was associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cognitive impairment, and immune activation among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults living with and without …

Characterizing The Development And Trajectories Of Nicotine Dependence Among A Cohort Of Adolescent Waterpipe And Cigarette Smokers, Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nicotine dependence (ND) is the fundamental reason that people persist in using tobacco products, which kill more than eight million people every year globally. So far, ND research has primarily focused on cigarettes, yet for many youths worldwide, tobacco use, and addiction is maintained by means other than the cigarette including waterpipe (WP) smoking (a.k.a. hookah). It is important to better understand the WP-associated ND trajectories given its unique use features that can influence ND development such as its time-consuming preparation and consumption, intermittent use, and strong sensory and social cues. Hence, using data from 8 waves (2015-2020) of the …