Public Health and Community Nursing Commons^™

What Are The Most Commonly Used Tools To Screen Depression In Hiv-Infected Gay And Bisexual Men?, Michael Isner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Gay and bisexual men infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) comprise a sizable, medically vulnerable population. Depression is the most commonly experienced mental health disorder affecting this group of people, lending itself to a host of risks associated with depression. As screening of depression in this population can be challenging, it is vital that clinicians have the best available tools and guidelines to detect depressive symptomology. This focused, comprehensive review of the literature examined current data describing the clinical instruments used to detect depressive symptoms in HIV-infected gay and bisexual men. The aim of this analysis was to seek out …

Smoking Behavior In Arab Americans: Acculturation And Health Beliefs, Roula Ghadban

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Arab Americans, a growing population in the U.S., tend to have high rates of smoking and low rates of smoking cessation. Arab Americans and their families are at a high risk for poor health outcomes related to smoking.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to better understand the smoking behaviors of Arabs in the U.S., using the two publishable manuscripts format. The first manuscript is a systematic review of the literature exploring the smoking behavior, prevalence and use among Arab Americans and examining studies addressing the effect of acculturation on this behavior. The second manuscript is a cross-sectional …

Goals Of Exclusive Breastfeeding And The Effectiveness Of Programs And Initiatives In Attaining Them, Natalie Scott

Senior Honors Theses

Over recent years, breastfeeding has gained renewed significance in research and practice. Both in the United States and around the world, especially in poor countries that do not have easy access to quality healthcare, breastfeeding has been shown to dramatically and positively affect the health and lifespan of infants. However, there is still a low prevalence of effective breastfeeding practices universally. Even with the presence of global programs and goals that are geared toward exclusive breastfeeding habits, global rates are lower than what is desired. There are various determinants of breastfeeding that factor into a woman’s decision and practice of …

Social Determinants Of Health And Disparities In Outcomes Related To Cardiovascular Health In Vulnerable Populations, Jennifer L. Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the mechanism of association between social determinants of health (SDH), particularly limited health literacy, and disparate outcomes related to cardiovascular disease in vulnerable populations. Specific aims were to 1) compare quality of life (QOL), anxiety, and depressive symptoms between genders in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) recipients; 2) examine the association between multi-morbidity burden and QOL; 3) determine whether health literacy levels independently predict CVD risk in the male prison population; 4) examine the relationship between health literacy and decisiveness regarding end of life (EOL) choices, and 5) examine SDH as predictors of …

A Systematic Review: The Prenatal And Postnatal Events Associated With Infant Mortality Rate (Imr), Ariel L. Thomas, Sarah A. Awwad, Briana E. Clark

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Infant mortality rate (IMR) is an indication of overall population health, maternal and child health, accessibility and quality of primary health care, and the availability of community resources. The current IMR in the United States is high despite advances made in the medical field. The purpose of our systematic review is to describe and critically appraise research about prenatal events, postnatal events, and increased infant mortality rate and to give nursing practice recommendations to help decrease the rate. We used CINAHL, Medline and PubMed to find 20 research articles. Overall, the research stated that going to prenatal visits had a …

Effectiveness Of School-Based Interventions Versus Family-Based Interventions In The Prevention And Treatment Of Childhood Obesity, Ashley Capestrain, Emily Montague, Meghan Frantz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Childhood obesity affects 155 million children worldwide. As prevalence increases, it is important to identify effective interventions in the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity. Obesity may result in short and long term effects linked to some of the leading causes of morbidity and early mortality. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify, review, and critically appraise evidence from studies examining the effect of family and school based interventions. This review answers the following PICO question: In children, how do family based interventions compare to school based interventions, in the prevention and treatment of obesity? Methods included literature …

The Relationship Between Alcohol Use And Familial And Social Influence In College Nursing Students, Darren C. Crooks, Kathleen A. Gillota

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

College students are a population with a high prevalence of risky consumption of alcohol and nursing students, specifically, are no exception. Yet few studies have been done on the use of alcohol in the student-nurse population. Since nursing education and practice are highly stressful, unhealthy coping strategies, such as risky alcohol consumption, are sadly common and seriously detrimental.

This paper explores the self-reported consumption of alcohol in undergraduate nursing students as related to peer, familial, and social influences. Based on the Biopsychosocial Model, many different factors contribute to alcohol use. Using anonymous online survey methodology and convenience sampling, data about …

Exploring Barriers To Primary Care In The Lgbt Community, Desiree R. Price

DNP Projects

Purpose: The specific aim of this study was to identify the LGBT patient’s perspective of what factors could contribute to a more responsive primary care environment.

Methods: The study was a non-experimental, descriptive study utilizing an anonymous, internet based electronic survey. A survey/questionnaire tool, developed for the study, was disseminated among a social media site and a listserv for two organizations with strong connections to the LGBT community.

Results: Eighty-one responses were received. Participants: 60% identified as female, 95% were Caucasian, with 84% never having a Pap smear, and only 6.6% having recommended breast cancer screenings. The incidence of …

Screening For Alcohol Use/Abuse In The Primary Care Setting Using The Audit-C And Sbirt (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral To Treatment), Whitney D. Spear

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of alcohol screening in the primary care setting to detect alcohol abuse or misuse using the AUDIT-C standardized screening tool and SBIRT.

METHODS: This study design was a Quasi-Experimental intervention, one group post-test. Data was collected via retrospective chart review from the electronic medical records by the type of office visit; either new patient initial visit or annual well visit. The patient sample consisted of 25 participants for the study period of September 19^th through October 10^th, 2017.

RESULTS: There were 37 patients eligible to participate …

Use Of The Afix Model To Improve Adolescent Hpv Vaccination: A Pilot Research Study, Emily Messerli

DNP Projects

Problem: The CDC estimates one person every 20 minutes every day acquires an HPV-related cancer. Kentucky’s HPV associated cancer burden is among the highest in the nation. Adolescent HPV vaccination rates in Kentucky are far below HealthyPeople 2020 goals. Barriers are multifaceted and include provider, patient and system barriers. The AFIX model is an evidenced based quality improvement program that addresses key provider barriers. The USPSTF findings identify a gap in the literature related to AFIX methods to improve rates of adolescent vaccines.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an intervention using the AFIX …

The Use Of Magnets As Patient Appointment Reminders And Hpv Vaccination Rates, Hayden Kelley

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a patient reminder alert system implemented at a public health department in rural Indiana in an attempt to increase the facility’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates.

METHODS: This study was a secondary data analysis utilizing the Children and Hoosiers Immunization Registry Program (CHIRP) database to compare HPV vaccination rates before and after the implementation of an HPV magnet reminder program. The sample consisted of 122 adolescents; 31 patients for the pre-implementation period, July 1, 2015- June 30, 2016 and 91patients for the post-implementation period, July 1, 2016- Jan …

Workplace Violence Against Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study Of Ghanaian Nurses, Isaac Mensah Boafo, Peter Hancock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The aim of this study was to document the incidence, sources, and effects of workplace physical violence against Ghanaian nurses. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 592 nurses employed in public general hospitals in Ghana. Participants were selected using a combination of purposive and random sampling techniques. Nine percent of the participants experienced physical violence in the 12 months preceding the study. The majority of perpetrators were relatives of patients. Chi-square tests suggested significant relationships between type of hospital and workplace physical violence, and between intention to quit the nursing profession and workplace physical violence. Workplace violence had several negative effects …

A Snapshot Of Physical Activity Programs Targeting Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People In Australia, Rona Macniven, Michelle Elwell, Kathy Ride, Adrian Bauman, Justin W. Richards

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Issue addressed Participation in physical activity programs can be an effective strategy to reduce chronic disease risk factors and improve broader social outcomes. Health and social outcomes are worse among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders than non-Indigenous Australians, who represent an important group for culturally specific programs. The extent of current practice in physical activity programs is largely unknown. This study identifies such programs targeting this population group and describes their characteristics. Methods Bibliographic and Internet searches and snowball sampling identified eligible programs operating between 2012 and 2015 in Australia (phase 1). Program coordinators were contacted to verify sourced information …