Public Health Commons^™

Exploring Psychosocial Factors And Sexual Risk Behavior Of Men Who Have Sex With Men In The United States Military: Project Minds, Erin Jordan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at disproportionate risk for HIV infection. While many studies have examined psychosocial factors associated with HIV risk among MSM, few have focused specifically on MSM in the military. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine ways in which specific psychosocial factors are associated with sexual risk behaviors among MSM in the military.

Methods: Data were collected from 63 MSM who were active duty military personnel or veterans in the Southeastern US. Participants were recruited from geosocial mobile applications, social media platforms, and military LGBT organizations. Logistic …

"Burned Out" At Work But Satisfied With One's Job: Anatomy Of A False Paradox, Eric Laurent, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

In a recent study of 346 US neurosurgery residents Attenello et al reported that 67% of their participants suffered from burnout. The authors also found that 81% of surveyed residents were satisfied with their career. Attenello et al described their results as paradoxical. We criticize their methodology.

What’S Coming For Health Science And Policy In 2018? Global Experts Look Ahead In Their Field, Soumya Swaminathan, Robin S. Room, Louise C. Ivers, Graham Hillis, Rebecca F. Grais, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Peter Byass

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Root-Cause Analysis Of Persistently High Maternal Mortality In A Rural District Of Indonesia: Role Of Clinical Care Quality And Health Services Organizational Factors, Mohammad Afzal Mahmood, Ismi Mufidah, Steven Scroggs, Amna Rehana Siddiqui, Hafsa Raheel, Koentijo Wibdarminto, Bernardus Dirgantoro, Jorien Vercruyssen, Hayfaa A. Wahabi

Community Health Sciences

Background: Despite significant reduction in maternal mortality, there are still many regions in the world that suffer from high mortality. District Kutai Kartanegara, Indonesia, is one such region where consistently high maternal mortality was observed despite high rate of delivery by skilled birth attendants.
Method: Thirty maternal deaths were reviewed using verbal autopsy interviews, terminal event reporting, medical records' review, and Death Audit Committee reports, using a comprehensive root-cause analysis framework including Risk Identification, Signal Services, Emergency Obstetrics Care Evaluation, Quality, and 3 Delays.
Findings: The root causes were found in poor quality of care, which caused …

The Role Of Programs And Policies In Shaping The Observed School Nutrition Environment And Rural Childhood Obesity, Shadai Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood obesity is an ongoing public health concern that impacts many children in the United States. Research has shown that the prevalence of childhood obesity is higher in rural populations compared to non-rural populations. This may be attributable to differences in the school nutrition environment, particularly school meals and school wellness policy implementation. In order to design effective intervention targeted at weight management and obesity reduction, information regarding the school nutrition environment must be known. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine the school nutrition environment, particularly school lunch participation and weight outcomes between metro, non-metro and rural …

Perceived Treatment Need And Utilization For Illicit Drug And Opioid Use Disorders In Non-Metropolitan Areas, Tyrone F. Borders, Hefei Wen

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

The policy brief provides nationally representative estimates of perceived treatment need and utilization for illicit drug and prescription pain reliever use disorders among non-metropolitan and metropolitan adults ages 18-64.

Illicit Drug And Opioid Use Disorders Among Non-Metropolitan Residents, Tyrone F. Borders, Hefei Wen

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Illicit drug use disorder rates are similar across metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas and did not decline from 2011-2013 to 2014-2015 despite the implementation of major substance use treatment policies over this time period.

Weight Management Related Factors And Healthy Behaviors In Adults, Sumadhuri Pamarthi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is an ongoing global pandemic that affects more than one in three adults in the United States. Being overweight or obese also increases the risk of chronic health conditions. Weight management does not only center on immediate weight loss but also on the proper maintenance of an appropriate body weight over the years. Methods of weight management include eating a healthy diet and meeting physical activity guidelines. Such weight management practices are important to ensure that the people suffering from obesity can decrease risks of morbidity or even mortality. Nevertheless, unhealthy weight management strategies might lead to unintended health …

The Influence Of Participation In The Healthy Choices Program For Community Dwelling Individuals With Serious Mental Illness, Graciela M. Solano

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Due to the prevalence of serious mental illness, both nationally and statewide, creation of sufficient community-based services that focus on mental and physical health would help to meet a need for a comprehensive approach to mental health care treatment and quality of life (QoL). With the creation of the Healthy Choices program the principal investigator (PI) examined how participationin a community-based healthy living program affects perception of QoL in individuals with serious mental illness. The HealthyChoices program is a community-based program that assists participants with serious mental illness to make healthy lifestyle choices. Although perception of QoL has been previously …

Improving Public Health Readiness For Sea Level Rise: A New Initiative In Coastal Virginia, Steven M. Becker

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Sea level has been rising around the world, and in recent decades, the rate has been accelerating. Because rising seas have the potential to directly or indirectly affect the health of vast numbers of coastal communities and inhabitants, public health agencies and professionals—in conjunction with other fields—have a pivotal role to play in helping to protect populations, reduce and prevent health impacts, and foster resilience. This article discusses a novel effort that has been undertaken in Coastal Virginia to help prepare the next generation of public health professionals to grapple with sea level rise issues. The effort grew out of …

Wic Participation And Breastfeeding After The 2009 Wic Revision: A Propensity Score Approach, Kelin Li, Ming Wen, Megan Reynolds, Qi Zhang

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

In this study, we examined the association between participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and breastfeeding outcomes before and after the 2009 revisions. Four-thousand-three-hundred-and-eight WIC-eligible children younger than 60 months were included from the 2005-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We compared two birth cohorts with regard to their associations between WIC participation and being ever-breastfed and breastfed at 6 months. We estimated the average effect of the treatment for the treated to assess the causal effect of WIC participation on breastfeeding based on propensity score matching. The results showed that …

Evaluation Of A Web-Based Performance Program For Wildland Firefighters, José M. Peña Cueto

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Introduction: In an effort to increase work capacity and reduce occupational injury rates and mortality rates among wildland firefighters, a web-based performance program named The Black was developed. The training program was designed to provide evidence-based training specific to wildland firefighters’ needs.

Purpose: A formative and process evaluation of the program was conducted to study the user rates, and user’s attitudes and preferences regarding the program during the pilot of its first phase.

Methodology: A sequential mixed-methods design was utilized for this evaluation. Qualitative interviews were conducted with firefighters who attended an introductory seminar. Interview data was utilized by program …

Interleukin-6 And Exercise; Early Evidence Of A Novel Myokine, Brendan Hogg Mr.

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was first identified as a pleiotropic cytokine, with a host of body-wide functions. Cytokine functions are characterized by chronically elevated levels within various inflammatory states. In this regard, IL-6 is largely associated with the acute phase response to many stimuli and performs specific actions when produced from certain cell types. Accrued evidence indicates IL-6 release from skeletal muscle often includes myokine functions. Novel myokine functions are adaptive in nature, and as compared to inflammatory/cytokine roles, exhibit a transient time course. Following exercise plasma IL-6 peaks and returns to resting levels within 1-2 hours. In contrast, IL-6 is observed …

Fall Risk Behaviors And Intrinsic Risk Factors For Falls In Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Rural Older Adults, Andre Gallegos Bouweraerts

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The purpose of this study was to examine fall risk behaviors and intrinsic risk factors for falls in rural dwelling indigenous and non-indigenous older adults in California. Methods: Participants included 157 adults 60+ years of age (89 indigenous and 68 non- indigenous) and were recruited from advertisements in local newspapers, senior centers, and health clinics in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. Fall risk behaviors and intrinsic risk factors for falls were identified through administration of a demographic, fall risk, and physical activity questionnaire as well as the chair stand, functional reach, timed up and go, four-meter walk, and modified clinical …

A Single Campus Study Of The Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program, Brittany F. Hollis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sexual assault is a serious public health issue that is especially problematic on college campuses. To combat sexual violence on college campuses prevention programs have been instituted by many universities. One such prevention program, the Green Dot program, works to teach students what constitutes sexual violence and how to prevent it by increasing bystander intervention. The current study examined the effectiveness of Green Dot at a large southeastern university. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as the theoretical framework. TPB examines how efficacy, attitudes, and norms influence behavior. Students were recruited to participate in the Green Dot program …

Measurement Of Exposure To Musculoskeletal Risk Factors Among Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedics, Philippe Corbeil, André Plamondon, Angelo Tremblay, Jérôme Prairie, Dominique Larouche, Sandrine Hegg-Deloye

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Le technicien ambulancier paramédical (TAP) a comme fonction principale de prodiguer les soins préhospitaliers d’urgence tout en assurant, de façon sécuritaire, le transport du bénéficiaire vers un centre hospitalier. Fondamentalement, son objectif est de réduire au minimum la mortalité et la morbidité des bénéficiaires en minimisant le temps de réponse. De nombreuses études à travers le monde, incluant le Québec, montrent que les TAP ont un taux plus élevé de lésions professionnelles et prennent leur retraite plus tôt que les autres travailleurs de la population y compris ceux du système de santé. Plusieurs TAP quittent leur emploi pour un autre …

Usefulness Of The Captia Syphilis Igg Eia Test Method And Reverse Algorithm For Detection Of Syphilis Infection In A Public Health Setting, Patricia Armour

Theses and Dissertations

Syphilis, a systemic sexually transmitted disease, is on the rise in the US, with infection rates the highest recorded since 1994 according to the CDC. Useful laboratory testing is an important diagnostic tool for determining individual syphilis infection and preventing community-wide disease spread.

The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of a specific automated treponemal test method, the Captia^TM Syphilis IgG EIA, and the syphilis reverse algorithm interpretation for detecting syphilis infection among patients seeking care in a public health clinic. The study employed a retrospective, nonexperimental descriptive correlational design with data collected between 2012-2013 from …

Xenosurveillance Reflects Traditional Sampling Techniques For The Identification Of Human Pathogens: A Comparative Study In West Africa, Joseph R. Fauver, James Weger-Lucarelli, Lawrence S. Fakoli, Kpehe Bolay, Fatorma K. Bolay, Joseph W. Diclaro, Doug E. Brackney, Brian D. Foy, Mark D. Stenglein, Gregory D. Ebel

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Novel surveillance strategies are needed to detect the rapid and continuous emergence of infectious disease agents. Ideally, new sampling strategies should be simple to implement, technologically uncomplicated, and applicable to areas where emergence events are known to occur. To this end, xenosurveillance is a technique that makes use of blood collected by hematophagous arthropods to monitor and identify vertebrate pathogens. Mosquitoes are largely ubiquitous animals that often exist in sizable populations. As well, many domestic or peridomestic species of mosquitoes will preferentially take blood-meals from humans, making them a unique and largely untapped reservoir to collect human blood.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL …

Coming Out Of "Retirement"-Predictors Of Driving Resumption Among Older Drivers, Kendra Ratnapradipa, Jing Wang, Marla Berg-Weger, Mario Schootman

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Background and Objectives: Predictors and consequences of driving cessation in older adults have been studied extensively. This study sought to establish the extent to which former drivers resume driving and identify associated factors.

Research Design and Methods: Descriptive analysis of the 2011-2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study data (Round 1:

Results: Among drivers who stopped driving during the study, 17%-28% resumed driving. Age, vehicle ownership, stroke, hospitalization, memory, and perceived transportation barriers were associated with resumption in regression analysis. In multilevel analysis stratified by baseline driving status, poor word recall (OR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.40, 0.95) and …

Chronic Care Management Services At A Clinical Medical Group, Sharon Guccione

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this project was to design a chronic care plan using the chronic care management (CCM) framework to improve health services at lower healthcare costs. The practice-focused question explored whether the operationalization of the CCM model would impact progress toward the management of chronic illness for the target population of Medicare beneficiaries with 2 or more chronic illnesses in an urban acute care agency located in the western United States. The middle-range theory, logic rational plan model, Lewin’s change theory, and the CCM’s coordination care and collaborative care concepts were used to guide the project. Data were collected …

Intimate Partner Violence And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among College Women, Crystal Bowler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 35% of women in the United States experience intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV could be linked to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that result in long-term mental health issues. Public health professionals, college counselors, and educators require information to assist in identifying college-age women who may be affected by IPV. The purpose of the study was to explore the association between the occurrence of symptoms of PTSD and IPV among college-aged women. The socioecological model was the theoretical framework for the study. A total of 199 cases were selected from National Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence Survey dataset …

Korean Immigrant Women's Perceptions Of Cervical Cancer Screening In Hawaii, Eurina Yujin Cha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority immigrant women are more likely to be diagnosed with and suffer from cervical cancer compared to other minority women in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to explore cultural health perceptions, behaviors, and barriers to cervical cancer prevention among Korean immigrant women (KIW) in Hawaii. The health belief model and the social-ecological model were used to guide the study. Data were collected using individual structured interviews with 20 KIW ages 21 to 65 who are first-generation KIW immigrant to Hawaii. Data were coded and analyzed to identify themes. Findings revealed that participants (a) prefer …

Sickle Cell Disease Pain Burden And Quality Of Life Among Black Children In Mississippi, Laquita Nichelle Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Acute and chronic pain is a common hallmark of sickle cell disease (SCD) in children and adolescents, which can have a profound effect on their quality of life (QOL). However, this relationship is not well quantified. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between SCD pain burden and QOL among Black children ages 8-17 in Mississippi with SCD. The secondary aim was to compare children and caregiver reports of SCD pain burden and QOL with SCD. The social ecological model was used to identify personal factors that influence SCD pain burden and QOL of children with …

The Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Racial Health Disparities And The Patient-Provider Relationship, Andrea Nicole Curry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are adversely affected by health disparities due to the complexities of the patient-provider relationship. The behavioral model of health services was used as the theoretical framework to understand how individuals make healthcare utilization decisions. The purpose of the research was to evaluate how the patient-provider relationship influences inconsistent doctor visits by African American patients despite the prevalence of chronic conditions. 45 African Americans located in Shelby County, Tennessee were included in this study. A cross-sectional quantitative design was used to collect the data via an online survey. The 45 collected responses were analyzed by performing multiple linear regression, …

Using Social Cognitive Theory To Predict Counseling Behaviors In Registered Dietitians, Marianela Guerrero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity and morbid obesity affect more than 30% of Americans, which emulates the rate of smoking as the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. The prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States increased dramatically between 1980 and 2010 (16% to 36%). The integration of the social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs such as self-efficacy, self-control, environment and expectations in the study instrument allowed identifying the impact of personal, social and economic factors on Registered Dietitians (RDs) counseling behaviors with obese clients. The goal of this quantitative cross sectional study was to investigate the association …

Achieving Glycemic Control In Rural Clinics, Gayla Diane Mclaughlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States and is the main cause of chronic kidney failure, nontraumatic limb amputations, blindness, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Many patients with diabetes do not meet goals for at least 1 control measure of blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol. The purpose of the project was to implement a template for documentation--a toolkit for patient care management-to improve blood glucose and blood pressure levels in a rural health clinic in central Texas for 33 patients with diabetes during a 6- to 8-week timeframe. The practice-focused question asked whether management of …

Education Plan To Empower Wound Care Nurses For Evidence-Based Practice, Patricia Stevenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Non-healing wounds can claim thousands of lives and costs billions of dollars each year, and nurse-led wound clinics are becoming necessary to fill a gap in care for patients with wounds. Even among certified wound nurses using evidence-based clinical protocols, key considerations of care are being missed. Therefore, this project was focused on developing and validating a new biofilm education module for certified or certification eligible wound care nurses. The aim of the module was to boost clinical assessment knowledge and improve patient outcomes. Benners skill acquisition model informed the development of this project. The design of the project also …

Health Care Facilities As A Predictor Of Breast Cancer Survival Rates, Elizabeth Natalie Webster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The disparity between survival rates for Black and White women with breast cancer is well documented and has been examined in terms socioeconomics, environment, tumor type, and genetics. However, there is little examination of the role of health care facilities in cancer disparities. Health care facilities are representative of societal norms and beliefs that include location, quality of care, finance, policies, and staffing; therefore, they are a proxy for social justice and social change. The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between health care facility type; social determinants of cancer such as poverty, culture, and social justice; and …

Physical And Psychological Health Outcomes Of Pregnancy-Related Intimate Partner Violence, Darrlyn Waynette Cornelius-Averhart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health issue that transcends cultures and nationalities. Women and men have been impacted by sexual violence through rape and other types of IPV. Each year, women experience IPV before and during pregnancies and are impacted by physical and psychological outcomes as a result. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of IPV on the health outcomes of diabetes (Types 1, 2, and gestational), high blood pressure before pregnancy, and depression/anxiety among adult women before and during pregnancy. The social ecological model provided the framework for this quantitative cross-sectional study that …

Association Between Androgen Deprivation Therapy For Prostate Cancer And Alzheimer's Disease, Gina Giannantoni-Ibelli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common progressive, neurodegenerative disease and form of dementia. The hallmarks of AD are extracellular accumulation of amyloid beta protein, resulting in neuritic, senile plaques and intracellular accumulation of tau protein. AD mainly arises from imbalance of amyloid beta protein production and its clearance in the brain. Testosterone modulates production of amyloid beta protein by decreasing its accumulation. Prostate cancer remains a substantial public health challenge in the United States. While androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is an effective treatment for prostate cancer, it may be associated with cognitive impairment due to decreased levels of testosterone. …