Public Health Commons^™

What's So Bad About Hooking Up? : Factors Predictive Of More Positive Perceptions Following A Hookup, Jade A. M. Spaulding

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine factors predictive of a more positive perceptions following a hookup. The participants included 188 students from Illinois State University. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, the Hookup Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Sexual Self-Esteem Inventory, religiosity questions, attitudes toward hooking up questionnaire, emotional reactions to hooking up questionnaire, and the Social Academic, Romantic, and Sexual Hooking Up Reactions Scale. The current study found that participants who reported high global self-esteem, high sexual self-esteem, and positive attitudes toward hooking up reported less regret, more positive reactions, and fewer negative reactions following a hookup.

Framed Text Messages As A Nutrition Education Intervention, Michael James O'Halloran

Theses and Dissertations

A youth’s college years is a critical period in health behavior formation, during which body mass index (BMI) and other health behaviors such as diet and physical activity are strong predictors of adult health status. Text messaging is prominent in the lives of most college-age adults. Despite this, relatively few studies have investigated the potential of utilizing a text message-based intervention to target fruit and vegetable consumption, a measure for weight management behaviors. Additionally, few studies utilizing a text message-based intervention have utilized a theory specific to the creation of behavior-motivating text messages. The gain-framed health behavior messages of Prospect …

Adult Nursing Students’ Perceptions Of Social Presence In Facilitator-Created Subject- Specific Videos In An Online Nursing Course, Jamie Anne Marcus

Theses and Dissertations

The literature established that online instruction consists of cognitive, teaching, and social presence. Studies on the element of social presence linked text-based delivery of instruction with learners’ feelings of isolation and disengagement. This research findings prompted this facilitator creation of five-to-seven-minute companion videos that aligned and complemented weekly text-based learning modules to ascertain students’ perceptions of these videos as a medium for channeling social presence.

Post-video viewing surveys yielded responses to pragmatic and emotional questions. Pragmatic questions were aimed at the visual impact of professor’s delivery of information. Emotional questions gauged the students’ feelings of connectivity with the facilitator. Triangulated …

Motivators Impacting Employment After Disability Due To Injury Or Chronic Illness, Damion B. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Unemployment caused by the need to treat and recover from a disability due to injury or chronic illness is a common phenomenon. Research illustrates that absence from work damages organizational growth, employers, and employees. Employees often experience problems with their mental and physical health that affect their social identity and function. In the context of the recognized value of employment for human health and well being, policy-makers have implemented various programs and approaches to encourage re-employment of those unemployed due to required treatment and rehabilitation. Many of the approaches are driven by financial incentives to encourage individuals to rejoin the …

The Effect Of Neighborhood Characteristics And Acculturation On Vegetable Intake Among U.S. Hispanics, Anna Victoria Mesa

Theses and Dissertations

The growing prevalence of chronic disease among the U.S. Hispanic population has drawn increasing attention to modifiable behaviors such as diet in an effort to curb the burden of disease among this population. While factors affecting dietary intake among U.S. Hispanics have been largely studied, this study broadens the scope of existing analyses from examining the role of individual-level factors, including acculturation, to also include environmental factors such as neighborhood ethnic composition. Multilevel mixed modeling was employed to test the interaction of individual acculturation with neighborhood ethnic composition to predict vegetable intake among a sample of U.S. Hispanics. Individuals who …

Body Mass Index Trajectories And The Relationship Between Stressful Life Changes And Nutrition-Related Health Outcomes Among United States Army Soldiers, Julianna Marie Jayne

Theses and Dissertations

Body mass index (BMI) has risen among members of the military, though to a lesser degree than in civilian populations. BMI as an anthropometric tool has been essential for population surveillance and documenting the obesity epidemic and its health consequences. One use for BMI in population surveillance is to model the BMI trajectories of a population over time. Many studies are available on the BMI trajectories and determinants of BMI in civilians, but few studies of this nature in military populations exist. Establishing the shape and determinants of BMI trajectories among Soldiers is critical given the importance of weight management …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Experiences And Motivations For Diabetes Self-Management In African American Men Between The Ages Of 40-85 With Type 2 Diabetes, Anthony Q. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes is a devastating disease that can affect an individual’s health and quality of life, but if managed properly, individuals with diabetes can have a good quality of life. Diabetes strikes African American men at a high rate. This study used a qualitative design to explore African American men between the ages of 40-85 with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and their definition of diabetes and motivation, their experience of living with diabetes, their self-management behaviors, their motivations for managing diabetes, and what they and healthcare providers believe motivates them to self-manage diabetes and to attend diabetes self-management education (DSME) programs. …

Intervention For Women In Costa Rica Who Are Discouraged And Have Food Insecurity And Excess Body Weight, Tatiana Martínez-Jaikel

Theses and Dissertations

ntroduction: The coexistence of food insecurity and excess body weight has been wellrecognized by researchers, and it has been documented in women, but not men. Both food insecurity and excess body weight have multiple consequences for physical and mental health. Concerns have been raised about interventions aimed to reduce food insecurity because these programs might contribute to excess body weight, particularly in adult women. Our previous in-depth qualitative research in Costa Rica showed that discouragement was the primary link in the coexistence of food insecurity and excess body weight among Costa Rican women, and that the family and existing gender …

Examining Faith-Based Communities As Leverage Points For The Prevention Of Childhood And Adolescent Obesity, Caroline Glagola Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

Faith-based research and partnerships are becoming more popular as an approach to address the health of underserved populations including racial and ethnic minorities and rural populations. Despite growing interest in faith-health partnerships, little research is available assessing faith-based interventions as potential leverage points for the prevention of childhood and adolescent obesity and the promotion of healthy behaviors. This research aimed to examine the potential for such partnerships within the context of ongoing research partnerships in South Carolina. Specifically, the first study assessed current peer-reviewed literature to determine reporting of reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM elements) in faith-based nutrition …

Understanding The Mechanisms Linking Gendered Intrahousehold Bargaining Power And Child Nutrition In Rural Nepal, Shibani Kulkarni

Theses and Dissertations

Child undernutrition is a serious issue in Nepal as 36% of children below five years of age are chronically undernourished. Reducing child undernutrition is an important priority to prevent adverse effects through the life course that perpetuate the cycle of undernutrition and poverty.

Women’s intra-household bargaining power is an important determinant of child nutrition. Intra-household bargaining power is an individual’s relative social and economic position within the household to access and control resources, and influence decision-making. In our research, we use women’s intra-household bargaining power as a resource for care, which enables women to be exposed to nutrition information, gain …

The Effects Of The Affordable Care Act On The Receipt Of Colonoscopies Among Insured Elderly, Min Jee Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) waived deductibles and eliminated coinsurance for colonoscopies for Medicare beneficiaries beginning on January 1, 2011. This study investigated the effect of the ACA’s removing of financial barriers on the receipt of colonoscopies among insured elderly, who are predominantly covered by Medicare. Moreover, this study examined how income-related disparities in colonoscopy use have changed over the past decade and attempted to quantify various contributions to income-related disparity in the use of colonoscopies among insured elderly. Methods: Five cycles (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016) of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were utilized to …

Healthy Motivations For Moms-To-Be (Healthy Mom2b) Study: A Mobile Health Intervention Targeting Gestational Weight Gain Among U.S. Women, Alicia Anne Dahl

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Almost one-half of all pregnant women in the U.S. exceed the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) gestational weight gain (GWG) guidelines. Healthy GWG is critical for reducing adverse health outcomes associated with excessive GWG for the mother and infant. Electronic health (e-health) interventions delivered through mobile apps and websites hold potential as readily available resources for targeting health behaviors and monitoring GWG during pregnancy. The development of the Healthy Motivations for Moms-To-Be (HM2B) intervention was informed by health behavior theories, a systematic review of existing in-person and technology mediated interventions (Aim 1 of this dissertation), and results of an online …

Interpersonal Communication About Cigarette Warning Labels Among U.S. Smokers: Differences Between Latinos And Whites, Victoria Catherine Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

Pictorial health warning labels (HWLs) on cigarette packs are used worldwide to curb cigarette smoking, the leading preventable cause of death in the United States While individual-level mediators of HWLs’ effects on cessation have been thoroughly studied, interpersonal communication about HWLs has received less attention in HWL research. However, results from one study demonstrated the importance of interpersonal communication, finding that conversations about HWLs predicted quit attempts in Australia, Canada, and Mexico. That study also found that smokers in Mexico, where most smokers are Latino, reported more conversations than smokers in Australia and Canada, where most smokers are non-Latino White. …

Investigating Drug-Related Violence In Indian Country: The Lumbee Tribe Of North Carolina, Asa Alena Revels

Theses and Dissertations

Drug-related violence (DRV) impacts the over-all wellbeing of communities, with disparate health outcomes observable in many poor, minority communities. The purpose of this study was to better understand the multi-level social and environmental factors influencing elevated rates and prevention of DRV within the Lumbee, a southeastern American Indian Tribe. This was accomplished via in-depth, one-on-one interviews with 37 Lumbee Tribal Members and Key Leaders. The findings align with existing research, revealing the influence of such factors as poor socioeconomic conditions, coping strategies, broken family structures, and the influence of federal policy. Of interest was the substantial influence of the local …

The Impact Of False Positive Mammography Results On Breast Cancer Screening Intention Among Black Women, Deeonna E. Farr

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive research indicates that false-positive mammograms (FPM) have been associated with negative psychosocial and cancer-related beliefs, but only a handful of studies examine Black women’s reactions to this experience. Additionally, these studies do not investigate how organizational and provider-level factors in concert with individual patient characteristics shape Black women’s experiences and reactions to FPM results. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of organizational, provider, and individual-level factors on the processes and outcomes associated with FPM results in Black women. This study had two specific aims:

1) To describe, using a mixed methods approach, the organizational and …

Racism, Black College Students’ Mental Health, And The Efficacy Of Diversity And Inclusion Initiatives: A Case Study., Kaleea R. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Black college students who attend predominantly White institutions of higher education (PWIs) regularly encounter subtle and explicit forms of racism on campus. These daily experiences of prejudice and discriminatory behaviors can have an adverse impact on their mental health. This study examines the intersections of racism and mental health, particularly within an environment where racism is socially unacceptable. More specifically, this study uses qualitative methods to explore how Black college students who attend a predominately White institution of higher education (PWI) make meaning of their experiences with racial discrimination and its impact on their mental health, as well as their …