Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
- Keyword
-
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Public Health (199)
- Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) School of Public Health (127)
- Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) School of Public Health (32)
- Master of Science (MS) School of Public Health (21)
- Obesity (12)
-
- HIV (10)
- Adolescents (8)
- COVID-19 (8)
- Hypertension (8)
- HPV (7)
- Mortality (7)
- African American (6)
- Physical activity (6)
- Power (6)
- Cancer (5)
- Epidemiology (5)
- Left ventricular hypertrophy (5)
- Pregnancy (5)
- Sample size re-estimation (5)
- Screening (5)
- Alabama (4)
- Coronary heart disease (4)
- Heart failure (4)
- Longitudinal (4)
- Social Determinants of Health (4)
- Women (4)
- Birth outcomes (3)
- Black (3)
- Blood pressure (3)
- COPD (3)
- Publication Year
- Publication Type
Articles 121 - 150 of 417
Full-Text Articles in Public Health
Exploring The Physical And Mental Health Disparities In The Transgender Male Community In A Southern Community-Based Medical Lgbtq Organization, Karen E. Musgrove
Exploring The Physical And Mental Health Disparities In The Transgender Male Community In A Southern Community-Based Medical Lgbtq Organization, Karen E. Musgrove
All ETDs from UAB
This dissertation examined the physical and mental health disparities in the transgender male community in a Southern community-based medical LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) organization via a convergent mixed methods study design. There is a paucity of research on the transgender male community in terms of their physical and mental health care needs, services, and disparities. Quantitative data were col-lected via a chart review of 130 transgender male medical charts at the Magic City Well-ness Center (MCWC). The MCWC transgender male medical chart data were compared to three groups separately of the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) …
Genetic And Immunologic Predictors Of Genital Chlamydia Reinfection In African American Women Using Bayesian Hierarchical Models, Kristin Olson
Genetic And Immunologic Predictors Of Genital Chlamydia Reinfection In African American Women Using Bayesian Hierarchical Models, Kristin Olson
All ETDs from UAB
Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infec-tion. The burden is greatest in young, African American women. CT reinfections are common and increase risk for reproductive morbidity. Why some women are more sus-ceptible to reinfection is not well understood. Emerging evidence suggests immunologic and genetic variants may predict reinfection susceptibility. The primary goal of this dissertation is to evaluate immunologic and genetic vari-ants as predictors of CT reinfection in young, African American women using different modeling approaches, which has never been reported previously. To evaluate a much larger number of potential predictors than our sample size (a …
Pheochromocytoma: A Systematic Review Of The Diagnosis, Treatment, And Risk Factors, Brandon A. Singletary
Pheochromocytoma: A Systematic Review Of The Diagnosis, Treatment, And Risk Factors, Brandon A. Singletary
All ETDs from UAB
ABSTRACT Pheochromocytomas and extra-adrenal paragangliomas (PGLs) are forms of neuroendocrine tumors which when left untreated lead to debilitating complications of cerebral hemorrhaging, stroke, and death. Typically, the tumors present with symptoms of episodic headaches, sweating, and palpitations, however hypertension is considered one of the more predominant signs. As a result of the rarity of the disease and wide range of symptoms, there are often difficulties in screening and diagnosis to identify these tumors. While there are many case studies and results in small populations, large epidemiologic driven studies are limited. To date the majority of large-scale studies exist in countries …
Psychometric Evaluation Of A Perceived Barriers To Medication Adherence Instrument And Association Between Perceived Barriers And Patient Characteristics, Lynn Andreae
All ETDs from UAB
Medication adherence is an important component of diabetes management, yet nonadherence is common and has substantial patient and economic costs. In order to achieve meaningful improvements in medication adherence, clinicians and researchers need good ways of both identifying those at risk of nonadherence and ascertaining the specific reasons driving nonadherence in those patients. Current options for self-reported medication adherence are limited in their vulnerability to response bias, which may lead to overestimation of adherence. A measure that assesses perceived barriers to medication adherence may be a useful alternative, as it may identify patients at risk of nonadherence while reducing socially …
Hospital Charge And Ricing Transparency, Kunal N. Patel
Hospital Charge And Ricing Transparency, Kunal N. Patel
All ETDs from UAB
Hospital pricing is not uniformly disclosed to patients up-front before the delivery of healthcare. Moreover, pricing is not commonly understood by consumers and researchers, because the information was largely unavailable due to the lack of a federal policy mandate to make the information publicly available up until recently. The federal government instituted a series of regulations that initially began to take effect in 2019 in order to increase hospital pricing transparency with the aim of bending the healthcare cost curve. In this dissertation, hospital response, hospital standard charge variation, and healthcare management and policy expert opinion surrounding the implementation of …
Challenges And Promising Strategies For Maximizing Pregnant Women's Adherence And Retention In Niv Care In The Context Of Option B+ In Kenya, Anna Helova
All ETDs from UAB
Under the current Kenyan guidelines, pregnant/postpartum women who test HIV-positive are immediately put on the lifelong antiretroviral (ART) therapy (Option B+) and are initiated into the prevention of mother-to-child (PMTCT) protocol. Gaps at each step of the PMTCT continuum undermine the positive impact of lifelong ART. Challenges at the individual, interpersonal, community, and health facility-levels contribute to these gaps. A community-based mentor mother (cMM) program tested under the Mother-Infant Visit Adherence and Treatment Engagement(MOTIVATE!) Trial (NICHD R01 R01HD080477; ClinicalTrials.gov#14-0331) is a potential approach to address these challenges. The three manuscripts comprising this dissertation used qualitative and quantitative methods with the …
Effect Of Patient-Level Characteristics On Fluoroquinolone Susceptibility, Jeffrey Alan Franks
Effect Of Patient-Level Characteristics On Fluoroquinolone Susceptibility, Jeffrey Alan Franks
All ETDs from UAB
Antimicrobial stewardship programs are becoming more widespread to combat antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of patient-level characteristics on fluoroquinolone susceptibly among five gram-negative isolates to help better their implementation. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients over the age of 18 for five gram-negative isolates (Acinetobacter species, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). We utilized Cox proportional hazards to determine the risk of patient-level characteristics, for both hospital and community-acquired infections, on fluoroquinolone resistance between 2016 and 2019. The population sample consisted of 8,285 patients receiving fluoroquinolones for at least one of the …
Impact Of Different Human Coronaviruses (Hcovs) On Pediatric Patients At A Tertiary Pediatric Hospital – Retrospective Study, Abdulsalam Alsulami
Impact Of Different Human Coronaviruses (Hcovs) On Pediatric Patients At A Tertiary Pediatric Hospital – Retrospective Study, Abdulsalam Alsulami
All ETDs from UAB
Background: Human Coronaviruses (HCoV) are important pathogens associated with respiratory disease in humans and animals. The majority of HCoVs are emerging human pathogens with 7 known types causing human disease and 5 being identified in the last 2 decades. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all encounters with known HCoV at a tertiary pediatric hospital from January 2015 until January 2018. Electronic medical records (EMRs) were reviewed for demographic data, HCoV type, viral copathogens, time to testing, admission, need for increased intensity of care (HLC), requirement for supplemental oxygen, radiographic findings suggestive lower respiratory tract disease (LRT) when available …
Marginalized Models With Heterogeneous Random Effects For Zero-Inflated Longitudinal Count Data, Steve Boateng Ampah
Marginalized Models With Heterogeneous Random Effects For Zero-Inflated Longitudinal Count Data, Steve Boateng Ampah
All ETDs from UAB
Longitudinal count data sometimes called panel data come up most often in publichealth and biomedical research, where investigators are interested in assessing the association between an identified exposure and the correlated count outcomes. It is worth mentioning most of these correlated count data exhibit over-dispersion, excess zeros and heterogeneous properties which when ignored during analysis can lead to biased estimates of covariate effects. The traditional zero-inflated count models with random effects have been developed to analyze such correlated count data, however the two sets of regression coefficients from this model, directly allow subgroup interpretations with the first set of coefficients …
Race, Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus And Vertebral Fragility Fractures: A Cross-Sectional Analysis From Nhanes, Yuchen At Xiao
Race, Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus And Vertebral Fragility Fractures: A Cross-Sectional Analysis From Nhanes, Yuchen At Xiao
All ETDs from UAB
IntroductionThis study examined the association between race and bone health, and if T2DM modifies this association in a diverse sample of adults. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examine Survey (NHANES) data. Bone health outcomes included lumbar spine BMD (lowered BMD based on T-scores <-1), and vertebral deformities, assessed via vertebral fracture assessment (VFA), including presence, number of deformities, and severity ratio of deformities. T2DM status and other demographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics were self-reported via questionnaire data. To assess if T2DM modifies the association between race and bone health outcomes, we conducted stratified analyses using logistic regression for dichotomous outcomes, Poison regression for count outcomes, and linear regression for continuous outcomes. Results Non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks have significantly less odds of being lowered BMD and osteoporosis comparing to NH-Whites in the crude model and significantly less odds of having vertebral deformities comparing to NH-White in both crude and adjusted model for non-diabetic participants. Such differences are not observed in diabetic groups. Participants in Other race group have significantly more odds of being lowered BMD comparing to NH-Whites in the adjusted model for both diabetic and non-diabetic groups. And have significantly more odds of having vertebral deformities in the diabetic group, crude and adjusted, yet the differences are not significant in non-diabetic groups. Similar results were seen in the number of deformities and total bone loss ratio. The potential modification effect of T2DM was not significant in these models. Conclusions In our national evaluation, bone health differs not only by race and ethnic group but also by T2DM status. The protective vertebral fragility effects observed among NH-Blacks was no longer present among those with diabetes. Likewise, among participants in other racial and ethnic groups, T2DM seemed to magnify the association of worse vertebral fragility. Such trends indicate a potential modifying effect of participants’ T2DM status and should be noted clinically, yet more studies are required for more precise results.
Disparities In End-Of-Life Care In Children Dying Of Cancer In Alabama: A Cross Sectional Study, Elizabeth Statham Davis
Disparities In End-Of-Life Care In Children Dying Of Cancer In Alabama: A Cross Sectional Study, Elizabeth Statham Davis
All ETDs from UAB
Regional studies show that children dying of cancer receive medically intense end-of-life care but there is limited information about end-of-life care in the Deep South and limited information about hospice and palliative care involvement at EOL. We conducted a retrospective electronic medical record review of children (0-x years) that died of cancer between 2010-20199 who received cancer directed therapy at Children’s of Alabama. We collected patient clinical and sociodemographics factors, including sex, race, and area deprivation index, cancer diagnosis and treatment, palliative care and hospice involvement, location of death, and medical care in the last 30d of life, including chemotherapy …
Incorporating Spatial Structure Into Bayesian Variable Selection Using Spike-And-Slab Priors With Application To Imaging Data, Justin Leach
Incorporating Spatial Structure Into Bayesian Variable Selection Using Spike-And-Slab Priors With Application To Imaging Data, Justin Leach
All ETDs from UAB
Many applications in neuroscience, psychology, medicine, and public health require collecting and analyzing imaging data. While fine resolution images may appear continuous to the naked eye, they are in fact made up of measurements at discrete locations, either pixels in 2D or voxels in 3D. These data may be treated as the scientific outcomes of interest, or as predictors of outcomes of interest. Here, the concern is with the latter situation, which involves converting images into formats amenable to a linear modeling framework; i.e., each subject’s image is converted into a vector, and used to model the subject’s (scalar) outcome …
Life-Space And Cognitive Function By Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Cross-Sectional Analysis From The Regards Study, Emiri Matsuda
Life-Space And Cognitive Function By Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Cross-Sectional Analysis From The Regards Study, Emiri Matsuda
All ETDs from UAB
Performance on mobility assessments has been extensively linked to processing speed and executive function among older adults. However, less is known about the relationship between cognitive function and functional mobility as part of day to day life. African American individuals are at higher risk of cardiovascular complications, functional mobility, and cognitive decline compared to Whites. In addition, cardiovas-cular disease risk factors and neuropathology have been linked to impairment in several domains of cognitive function, including processing speed. The current study examined the cross-sectional association between life-space and cognitive function, specifically performance on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), a measure …
Peace. Love. Youth. (In) Yoga: Development Of A Mental Health Program Among Adolescents Living In The Inner City, Sherilyn Jonnell Garner
Peace. Love. Youth. (In) Yoga: Development Of A Mental Health Program Among Adolescents Living In The Inner City, Sherilyn Jonnell Garner
All ETDs from UAB
Adolescence is a unique developmental stage during which physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes occur simultaneously and the traumatic effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can be particularly salient for the emotional and cognitive development of adolescents as they navigate and adjust to the social environment (Blakemore & Mills, 2014). Seventy-seven percent of Black adolescents have unmet mental health needs, and only 13% of those adolescents receive services compared to 31% of White adolescents. Meeting mental health needs of Black adolescents is imperative as their mental health needs continue to grow and resources become increasingly scarce. Innovative, culturally acceptable, accessible …
Employer Sponsored Health Insurance And Children With Special Health Care Needs, Kathryn Corvey
Employer Sponsored Health Insurance And Children With Special Health Care Needs, Kathryn Corvey
All ETDs from UAB
This dissertation is composed of three papers related to children with special health care needs (CSHCN) who are covered by private health insurance, including employer sponsored health insurance. Over the past couple of decades, researchers and advocates have expressed concern about the impact that widespread changes in private insurance coverage may have on families of CSHCN. These researchers point to the rise in high deductible plans and declining generosity in the form of higher premiums and copayments in more traditional plans offered by employers. Despite this expressed concern, little research has been conducted examining how these changes in employer sponsored …
Translating Public Health Strategies To Examine Hypertensive Disorders Of Pregnancy In Alabama, Matthew Dean Moore
Translating Public Health Strategies To Examine Hypertensive Disorders Of Pregnancy In Alabama, Matthew Dean Moore
All ETDs from UAB
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are on the rise in the United States and contribute significantly to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. The impact of such disorders is especially burdensome for women insured by Medicaid, for those who live in the South, and for those representing racial and ethnic minorities. It is evident across the aims of this dissertation that HDP remains an important public health concern to stakeholders in Alabama, its diagnosis is influenced by various maternal characteristics, and it can result in disparate severe outcomes for some populations. The first aim examines systems level decision-making in the …
Understanding Financial Hardship In Women With Breast Cancer, Courtney Williams
Understanding Financial Hardship In Women With Breast Cancer, Courtney Williams
All ETDs from UAB
Individuals with cancer are at risk of material, psychological, and behavioral financial hardship due to costly new treatments, increasing time on treatment, and longer survival. Breast cancer is an ideal environment to study financial hardship. Treatment options for metastatic breast cancer are heterogeneous due to differences in patient characteristics, disease biology, and because it has the largest number of treatment options of any metastatic cancer. In early stage breast cancer, treatment options include multimodality treatments, including surgery, radiation, and medical therapy (chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy), with the choice for each modality being dependent on the other modality decisions. Despite …
Smoke Inhalation, Lung Function, And Heart Rate In Wildland Firefighters, Jordan E. Nelson
Smoke Inhalation, Lung Function, And Heart Rate In Wildland Firefighters, Jordan E. Nelson
All ETDs from UAB
Given the close proximity to the fire front and limited use of respiratory protection, wildland firefighters are exposed to elevated levels of biomass smoke during regular occupational shifts. Due to the complex composition of biomass smoke, the relationships relating biomass smoke exposure to health outcomes has yet to be elucidated. In addition to occupational exposures, increasing intensity of wildfire events may place communities within close proximity to wildfires at risk of biomass smoke exposure. This study aimed to assess exposures to biomass smoke particles and quantify respiratory and cardiovascular health responses during active fire events using novel monitoring techniques. Personal …
Assessing Diabetes Risk Among Hispanic Populations: Development And Validation Of A Risk Score Using Readily Available Information, Lucia Juarez
All ETDs from UAB
Background: Diabetes prevalence is increasing worldwide affecting vulnerable popula-tions, in particular Hispanics living in the United States (U.S.). The burden of diabetes and its complications can be reduced by identifying those at high risk and routing them to treatment and intensive behavioral interventions. Aim: The aim of this study is to develop and validate a simple score to identify undiag-nosed diabetes among Hispanics living in the U.S. Methods: A representative sample of Hispanics living in the U.S. was used to develop and validate the score. Logistic regression was used to identify significant risk factors and model coefficients were used to …
Associations Between Dietary Fat Intake And Waist Circumference, Phonchit Teng Soukhamneut
Associations Between Dietary Fat Intake And Waist Circumference, Phonchit Teng Soukhamneut
All ETDs from UAB
The objective of this study was to assess: 1) trends in dietary fat intake from 2003-2016 2) the association between type of dietary fat intake and waist circumference (WC), 3) the association between type of dietary fat intake and body shape, and 4) whether these associations vary by sex and race/ethnicity. This secondary data analysis included 27,057 adults aged 19 to 65 from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2016. For WC, participants were categorized into high-risk (men: WC ≥ 40 in; women: WC ≥ 35 in) and low-risk (men: WC < 40 in; women: WC < 35 in). Total fat intake was categorized as high (TOTFAT ≥ 35%) and low (TOTFAT< 35%). Saturated fat intake was categorized into high (SATFAT ≥ 10%) and low (SATFAT < 10%). Unsaturated fat intake was categorized into high (UNSATFAT ≥ 25%) and low (UNSATFAT < 25%). Logistic regression was performed to assess the associations between DFI and WC and DFI and body shape, controlling for age, BMI, and total caloric intake. NHW men with high TOTFAT were found to have 1.41 (OR: 1.41, 1.19 – 1.68) times the odds of having a high-risk WC compared to men with a diet low in TOTFAT, controlling for age, BMI, and total caloric intake. NHW men with a diet high in SATFAT were at increased odds of having a high-risk WC compared to men with a diet low in SATFAT, after controlling for covariates (OR: 1.49, 1.21 -1.84). NHW men with a diet high in UNSATFAT were at increased odds of having a high-risk WC compared to men with a diet low in UNSATFAT after controlling for covariates (OR: 1.375, 1.09 – 1.74). There were no significant associations found among NWB and MA men for any type of dietary fat intake. For women, no associations were found between type of dietary fat and WC by race/ethnicity. There were no associations between DFI and body shape by race/ethnicity groups and sex. Future studies are needed to further investigate the body shape cut-off points for increased risk associated with chronic disease.
Identifying Associated Risk With Exposure Ti Weapon Carrying Among Emerging Adults Living In Disadvantaged Urban Areas In Birmingham, Tolulope Aduroja
Identifying Associated Risk With Exposure Ti Weapon Carrying Among Emerging Adults Living In Disadvantaged Urban Areas In Birmingham, Tolulope Aduroja
All ETDs from UAB
IDENTIFYING ASSOCIATED RISK WITH EXPOSURE TO WEAPON CARRYING AMONG EMERGING ADULTS LIVING IN DISADVANTAGED URBAN AREAS IN BIRMINGHAM TOLULOPE ADUROJA HEALTH EDUCATION/HEALTH PROMOTION ABSTRACT Weapon carrying is a public health concern due to its association with a serious injury, disability or death, and adverse health-related outcomes. Weapon carrying among youth is associated with both intrinsic or internalizing and extrinsic or externalizing factors (Stayton, 2011). Violence in youth and young adults is the 2nd leading cause of death (homicide) in Alabama. Health behavior theories posit that health-relevant attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral skills drive subsequent actions people take to protect themselves from …
Influencing The Positive Mental Health Of Non-Kinship Foster Children: The Lived Experiences Of Foster Parents In Alabama, Sarah Catherine Tucker
Influencing The Positive Mental Health Of Non-Kinship Foster Children: The Lived Experiences Of Foster Parents In Alabama, Sarah Catherine Tucker
All ETDs from UAB
This Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) qualitative study interviewed fifteen non-kinship foster parents in Alabama to explore their lived experiences of influencing the positive mental health of their foster children. This phenomenological approach allowed for a deeper understanding of the challenges foster caregivers face when facilitating improved psychological and social well-being of their foster children. In 2015, there were 427,910 children in foster care, with 45% of these children residing in a non-kinship foster home (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System [AFCARS], 2016). Children in foster care, especially children in non-kinship care arrangements, often have significant and complex mental …
Amyloid And White Mater Hyperintensity Burden In The Stroke Belt, Emily Carol Mckinley
Amyloid And White Mater Hyperintensity Burden In The Stroke Belt, Emily Carol Mckinley
All ETDs from UAB
Several large cohort studies have found associations between residence in the Stroke Belt and cognitive impairment as well as dementia mortality; however, the rela-tionship between residence in the Stroke Belt and buildup of amyloid has not been estab-lished. The current project assessed the association between residence in the Stroke Belt and amyloid burden, amyloid accumulation, or white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in a large, national cohort of older US residents. The first study used linear regression models to examine the relationship between geographic residence and Centiloid values. Residence in the Stroke Belt at the time of baseline amyloid PET assessment was …
Bayesian Hierarchical Negative Binomial And Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Models For High-Dimensional Analyses With Applications To Human Microbiome Count Data, Amanda H. Pendegraft
Bayesian Hierarchical Negative Binomial And Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Models For High-Dimensional Analyses With Applications To Human Microbiome Count Data, Amanda H. Pendegraft
All ETDs from UAB
The human microbiome was first described as an “ecological community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our bodyspace”. These microorganisms, also known as microbes and bacteria, are known for participation in human health. For example, microbes extract energy from foods that are otherwise indigestible, synthesize vitamins and amino acids necessary for important bodily functions, and protect hosts against disease-carrying pathogens. Therefore, the pursuit of human microbiome research is important for understanding the influence of microorganisms throughout human systems. Human microbiome research is founded on advances in next-generation sequencing technology. Namely, the identification of microbes that constitute the …
Impact Of Environmental Exposures On Respiratory Health, Lawrence Rasmussen
Impact Of Environmental Exposures On Respiratory Health, Lawrence Rasmussen
All ETDs from UAB
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of COPD; similarly, individuals exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) are also vulnerable to COPD and other airway diseases; however, distinct molecular mechanisms involved in SHS-induced lung effects that result in COPD are poorly understood. Mucociliary clearance (MCC) is a primary lung defense against inhaled particulate matter and pathogens. Thus, understanding how inhaled irritants such as SHS disrupt MCC will promote improved scientific understanding and better public health initiatives to prevent respiratory illnesses. Using a variety of in vitro …
Increasing Living Kidney Donation Through Advocacy And Patient Navigation, Rhiannon Deierhoi Reed
Increasing Living Kidney Donation Through Advocacy And Patient Navigation, Rhiannon Deierhoi Reed
All ETDs from UAB
As the prevalence of kidney disease continues to increase in the United States, the gap between the need for organs and available kidney donors is growing as well. Deceased donor organs alone are insufficient to meet this need, and transplant centers have turned their focus to living donation to address the shortage. However, the frequency of living kidney donation has been declining in the US since 2004. Changes in the health of the US population have been suggested as one possible explanation for the decline, but currently these assertions remain anecdotal. A second theory with more published evidence attributes the …
Examining Web-Based Lifestyle Interventions For Cancer Survivors, Victoria Williams
Examining Web-Based Lifestyle Interventions For Cancer Survivors, Victoria Williams
All ETDs from UAB
Diet, physical activity, and body weight status are important modifiable risk factors for many health outcomes among cancer survivors, including cancer recurrence. Face-to-face, print, and mailed lifestyle interventions have been used to promote behavior change in cancer survivors successfully. However, such approaches are costly and have limited reach. Web-based lifestyle interventions represent a promising solution to this public health concern. Therefore, this project involved first reviewing and identifying gaps in the existing literature in this area and then developing and pilot testing a web-based lifestyle intervention for cancer survivors. For this three-part dissertation, study 1 was a narrative review of …
Hpv And Hsv Associated Clinical Conditions Among People Living With Hiv-1 Infection, Yuanfan Ye
Hpv And Hsv Associated Clinical Conditions Among People Living With Hiv-1 Infection, Yuanfan Ye
All ETDs from UAB
This dissertation research focuses on investigating health burdens of HPV- and HSV- associated clinical conditions (CC) in people living with HIV-1 infection (PLWH) in the Southeastern United States. I designed a retrospective study using the UAB 1917 HIV Clinic Cohort. Electronic health records of PLWH attending the clinic for HIV-care between January 2006 and March 2019 were obtained and reviewed. I first examined incidence rates and trends of anogenital HPV- and HSV-associated CC. Then I adopted a new algorithm to group longitudinal CD4 cell counts based on their trajectories. I compared it with nadir and median CD4 cell counts in …
Exposure Assessment Of Ultrafine Particles And Hazardous Chemicals In Electronic Cigarettes, Oluwabunmi Magret Dada
Exposure Assessment Of Ultrafine Particles And Hazardous Chemicals In Electronic Cigarettes, Oluwabunmi Magret Dada
All ETDs from UAB
The widespread use of electronic cigarettes (e-cig) among youths and adolescents is a growing public health problem due to exposures to harmful byproducts formed during heating. These byproducts include particulate matter, benzene, and toluene. However, the mechanisms and variables governing their formation including the chemical content of e-cig liquid (e-liquid) are not fully understood. This study aimed to assess exposures to particulate matter, benzene, and toluene in e-cig vapors (e-vapors) and their coupling to e-liquid chemical content. A novel nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy method was developed to characterize e-liquids (propylene glycol, glycerol, and nicotine) and the functional content of flavorings. …
Applying Markov Processes To Model Disability In Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Anastasia Hartzes
Applying Markov Processes To Model Disability In Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Anastasia Hartzes
All ETDs from UAB
Modeling disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) is challenging due to its complexity and non-linearity, with utilized methodology having many limitations. Lack of a suitable biomarker has led to relying on statistical models to understand disease progression. Markov methodology has been limitedly applied to the clinically-assessed Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS), but not to patient-reported Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS); both measure disease progression and disability, and neither have been analyzed using the Test of Lumpability (TOL). It is common practice to aggregate these scores for computational or inferential convenience; in the case of Markov Chains (MC), combining states is referred …