Public Health Commons^™

Association Between Adaptive Sports Programs And Quality Of Life Among Amputee Veterans, Sean V. Seay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adaptive sports programs (ASPs) are important for enhancing the physical, psychological, and social aspects of life for amputee combat veterans while reducing the risk of depression and anger. Although the role of ASPs in improving quality of life (QoL) has been researched in relation to amputee combat veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, there has been limited examination of the role of ASPs in improving QoL among veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation Noble Eagle (OND). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of …

Mission: Fully Alive: Wellness Transformation For Life: An Introductory Guide To Kickstart The Process (Self-Guided), Dominique Gummelt

Publications

MISSION: FULLY ALIVE is not a program—it is a lifestyle, it is a choice to transform fully in sustainable ways and it is the motto at Andrews University Health & Wellness. No matter where you are in your life journey, you can benefit from embarking on this Wellness Transformation for life. Now is the time.

The Relationship Of Location And Educational Achievements To Vision Impairment In Asians, Sonali Trivedi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Introduction: Increasing incidence of vision impairment in the United States reinforces the urgent need for research and public health awareness. Eye diseases are of common concern in Asian and other ethnic groups globally. Glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, myopia, and retinitis are types of eye diseases and common causes of vision impairment in Asians. This study addressed the current gap in knowledge regarding vision impairment prevalence among Asian-Americans by geographical location and level of education. Socio-ecological theory was used as the theoretical foundation.

Method: A cross-sectional secondary dataset from U.S. Census Bureau included 3,916,947 participants' survey responses from 2011 through 2015 …

Congregational Health Promotion By African American Female Pastors In The Christian Faith, Arlene Obazee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health disparities have mostly affected African Americans who are poor, uninsured, under insured and unemployed. This population of African Americans seek spiritual solace and social counseling from their pastors, and church-based health promotion (CBHP) offers the opportunity to reach millions of the U. S. Black population. The lack of studies on female African American pastors implementing congregational health promotion activities influenced this study. This qualitative study helped in understanding the experiences, perspectives, and influences of 13 female African American Christian pastors on health-related issues within their congregation. Feminist theory and CBHP model guided this qualitative case study. Open-ended interview questions, …

Association Between Body Mass Index And Depression On Hbaic Control Among Veterans, Opokua Osei-Yeboah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and depression based upon glycated hemoglobin levels (HBA1C) among United States veterans. Based on Bandura's social cognitive theory, a cross-sectional analysis examined the association between BMI and depression on HBA1C regulation, and if the interaction between BMI and depression affects HBAIC regulation among veterans. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the multivariate associations between depression and BMI on the outcome variable of HBA1C. Linearity, normality, and homoscedasticity were assessed using normal probability plots and residual analysis. Durbin-Watson statistics were used to test for autocorrelations, and variance inflation factor was …

Asperger's Syndrome In African American Children, Suzette Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of autism in the United States is 1 in 68 children. African American children are less likely to receive advance testing to confirm the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome (AS) compared to other ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to determine if demographic factors (parental education level, family annual income, marital status of custodial parent(s), parent ethnicity, number of children in home, other children with disability, family location, mother age at time of birth, gender of child, birth status of child, adoption status and age, child order, and other disability) have any predictive relationship to AS diagnosis …

An Introduction To The Priorities Of The Michigan Cancer Consortium, Polly Hager Msn, Rn

Michigan Journal of Public Health

These "Notes from the Field" serve as an introduction to the Priorities of the Michigan Cancer Consortium (MCC). This introduction lays the groundwork for four "Notes from the Field" intended to follow, that describe the MCC's cancer control priorities and the results of collaborative efforts to address them.

Burnout Syndrome And Depression, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

In this chapter, we proposed an overview of burnout, from the introduction of the construct in the mid-1970s to the growing realization that the syndrome was better conceived of as a depressive condition. Recent studies have shown that the distinction between burnout and depression is problematic, both theoretically and empirically. The history of burnout research suggests that transdisciplinary communication and methodological standards should be strengthened to avoid the proliferation of constructs that, in fact, refer to the same phenomena. Construct proliferation, a transgression of the scientific canon of parsimony, is considered a major problem today because it undermines theory building …

Inequities In Antenatal Care, And Individual And Environmental Determinants Of Utilization At National And Sub-National Level In Pakistan: A Multilevel Analysis, Ambreen Sahito, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

Background: Nationally representative surveys are vital for gauging progress in health and planning health services. However, often marred with inadequate analysis to provide any guidance to health policy and planning. Most recent Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2012-2013 is an inclusive nationally representative investigation. Nonetheless, its published report offers limited evidence regarding antenatal care (ANC). Furthermore, after 18th constitutional amendment, policies are principally made at provincial level in Pakistan; therefore, it is imperative to have contextual evidence at sub-national level to feed programs and policies.
Methods: We analysed 7142 women with a recent birth, to assess the …

The Effects Of Daily Ginger Tea Consumption In Reducing Period Discomfort, Kristy Valencia, Sherllie Kartika

Loma Linda University Research Reports

Background

Ginger has been known for its medicinal purposes which includes treating inflammation.⁶ Researchers have observed the effects of ginger capsules to alleviate dysmenorrhea, but few studies have investigated the use of ginger tea.^6,7,9,10,11 The effects of ginger tea on adolescent females have been studied and researchers concluded that ginger reduces menstrual discomfort.^1,2

Objective

The purpose of our study was to observe the effects of daily ginger tea consumption on menstrual discomfort in non-adolescent menstruating women.

Design

Our study was a quantitative, interventional study.

Participants/setting

Subjects were females aged 18 years and above. Participants were mostly students …

Environmental Health Program Performance And Its Relationship With Environment-Related Disease In Florida, Justin A. Gerding, Nailya O. Delellis, Antonio J. Neri, Timothy A. Dignam

Florida Public Health Review

This study used a unique approach to examine Florida county health department environmental health (EH) program performance of the 10 Essential Environmental Public Health Services (EEPHS) and its relationship with environment- related disease, described by enteric disease rates. Correlation analysis tested the association between performance of each EEPHS and five different enteric disease rates, while multivariate regression analysis further examined the relationships while considering program organizational characteristics as potential confounders. Correlation analysesrevealed cryptosporidiosis was associated with EEPHS 2 diagnose (Τb = .195, p = .027) and EEPHS 8 workforce (Τb= .234, p = .006), and salmonellosis with EEPHS 4 mobilize …

Acute And Chronic Vascular Responses To Blood Flow Restriction In The Upper Body, J. Grant Mouser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Blood flow restriction (BFR) with low load exercise increases muscular size and strength. Little is known of vascular adaptations to this training modality, and nothing was known at very low loads. These studies examined cardiovascular responses to high load (70% of one-repetition maximum (1RM)) and very low load (15%1RM) exercise, alone or at two levels of BFR. Study 1: Participants performed unilateral biceps curls using either 15%1RM with no BFR (15/00), 40% of arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) (15/40), or 80%AOP (15/80), or 70%1RM (70/00). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and blood flow (BF) were measured in the arms …

An Examination Of Socioeconomic Equity In Health Experiences In Six Latin American And Caribbean Countries, Jessica Greene, Frederico Guanais

Publications and Research

Objective: Most Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries are working toward the provision of universal health coverage, and ensuring equity is a priority for those nations. The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which adults’ socioeconomic status was related to health care experience in six LAC countries.

Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between educational attainment and seven health experience outcomes in three areas: assessment of the health system, access to care, and experience with general practitioner. For this work, we used data from an Inter-American Development Bank survey of adults in Brazil, Colombia, El …

“Krue Seumangat; Kehamilan Sehat Tanpa Anemia” Booklet Effect To Anemia Among Pregnant Women At Kota Langsa Indonesia : A Quasi Experimental Study, Putri Nahrisah

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Purpose : To assess the effect of education interventional program by previously developing ane education material (booklet of anemia and supplement reminder) upgrade dietary and iron-folic acid te intake of anemic pregnant women in province Aceh. Patients and methods: It was quasi experimental study using a pre- and posttest design, purposively applied at two municipalities having more than 40% anemic pregnancy. The intervention group (n=70) received two home visits for individual counseling session and was given the paper-based reminder, the control group (n=70) followed the usual antenatal care. The knowledge regard anemia and nutritional anemia score, average daily iron intake …

Fitting A Square Peg Into A Round Hole: Perceptions Of Appalachian Physicians On The Incorporation Of Chronic Disease Prevention Into Their Practice, Lauri Andress, Danny Scalise, Jessica G. Wright, Stephanie E. Moore

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study used a focus group in August 2017 (n = 9) to explore the perceptions of rural physicians to a state request to incorporate diabetes prevention screening into their West Virginia medical practice. Analysis of the data revealed that the participants did not think private physicians were equipped to incorporate diabetes prevention programming into their practice. Three categories emerged from the data analysis to explain the reasoning of the health practitioners on the incorporation of pre-diabetes screening and management into their practice.

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The practice of medicine

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Prevention is a mismatch

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Social determinants of health

In the …

Development And Validation Of A Measure Assessing Blind Patients' Perceptions Of Their Healthcare Providers' Stereotype Content, Nazanin Mina Heydarian

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

People with disabilities (PWDs) constitute about 15-20% of the total population. Health disparities among PWD's are due, in part, to stereotypes about PWDs as incompetent. These stereotypes may lead some healthcare providers (HCP) to patronize PWDs, over-focus on the PWDs' impairments and potentially neglect their presenting problem. Moreover, if the PWD violates stereotypical assumptions, the HCP may actively interfere with the PWD's goals. This Dissertation focused on the blind population because this is a large, stigmatized and understudied subpopulation of PWDs. In Study 1, the content of stereotypes about blind patients in the clinical setting were examined from the patient …

Education Models For Teaching Adults About Modifying Dietary Carbohydrate And Controlling Weight, Vincient Cleamons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of diabetes and other pathophysiological conditions has been correlated with the incidence of obesity. A large portion of an adult community in the northwestern United States suffers from excessive weight that has been linked to premature mortality rates and certain forms of diabetes. Excess calories from carbohydrate have been shown to increase weight. Therefore, diets that are modified in carbohydrate and calories may help mitigate weight and obesity comorbidities. This qualitative, single case study's purpose was to explore the methods health care professionals use for teaching adults about controlling weight. Altheide and Johnson's analytic realism theory, in which …

Snac_Oshc: Exploring A Multifaceted Approach To Develop Outside Of School Hours Care As A Health Promoting Setting, Karen Forde

Theses : Honours

Background: Outside of school hours care (OSHC) services are underutilised as health promoting settings, yet are well positioned to influence health behaviours. OSHC Professionals are ideally placed to become positive influencers in this setting, although may require training to confidently perform this role.

Aim: This research trialed a multifaceted intervention strategy to increase OSHC Professional’s confidence and competencies, to support a health promoting OSHC environment with a nutrition and PA activity focus.

Design and Methods: This exploratory study adopted a mixed methods approach. The three-pronged, multifaceted intervention included: a workshop, a closed Facebook group, and a website. 19 OSHC Professionals, …

Food Allergy In Youth: A Primer For Allied Health Professionals, Philip Welch, Lauren Maziarz, Macy Mccartney, Chelsea Raker

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Many youth struggle with the physical, mental, and social burdens of food allergy. The exact cause of food allergies is unknown, but several theories exist such as the “couch potato theory”, “hygiene hypothesis”, “microflora theory”, and “alarmins” theory. This non-systematic literature review summarizes the problem of youth food allergy and provides guidance to allied health professionals.

Method: A literature search of the relevant literature from years 2000 through 2017 was conducted using PubMed with the key words “food allergy”, “youth”, and “management”.

Results: Youth with food allergy may experience anxiety, social isolation, bullying, and depression, in addition to life-threatening …

Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Associates With Myocardial Oxygen Demand And Exercise Tolerance In Postmenopausal Women, Stephen J. Carter, David R. Bryan, William H. Neumeier, Stephen P. Glasser, Gary R. Hunter

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

The functional implications of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a marker of oxidative stress, on hemodynamic parameters at rest and during physical exertion are unclear. The aims of this investigation were to examine the independent associations of TNF-α on myocardial oxygen demand at rest and during submaximal exercise, while also evaluating the association of TNF-α on exercise tolerance. Forty, postmenopausal women, provided blood samples and completed a modified-Balke protocol to measure maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max). Large artery compliance was measured by pulse contour analyses while rate-pressure product (RPP), an index of myocardial oxygen demand, was measured at rest …

Implementation Of Bedside Huddle To Improve Communication When Coordinating Care For Picu Patients With Newly Diagnosed Anterior Mediastinal Masses, Laura Mccarthy, Pam Nicklaus, Paul Sheeran, Tara Benton, Jenna Miller, Douglas C. Rivard, Melissa Gener, Susan Whitney, Keith August

Posters

No abstract provided.

Experimentally Investigating The Joint Effects Of Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior On Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Jeremiah Blough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To experimentally examine whether increasing sedentary behavior, among a young adult active population, for one week is still associated with increased depression symptomology even when allowing for a moderate engagement in physical activity (PA). Methods: Participants were confirmed as active via self-report and accelerometry during baseline and randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups. The Sedentary Intervention Group (n=19) reduced steps to less than 5000/day and were not alloto exercise for one-week; the Reduced MVPA (moderate-to-vigorous PA) Group (n=18) reduced steps to less than 5000/day but exercised for 50% of their previously reported vigorous PA for one-week; and …

Mapping Opioid Mortality Rates Across Treatment Capacity To Identify Need And Access, Garrett K. Wong, Justin R. Chang, Chase Greco, Yadunandan Pillai, Mohammad A. Shahrezaei, Melissa H. Burton, Rob Lawrence, Alan Dow

Graduate Research Posters

Background: The opioid and heroin overdose epidemic is a public health emergency in the state of Virginia, resulting in the death of more than 1,100 people in 2016. In order to overcome this epidemic, we need to match the places with the greatest need for services related to substance use disorders with the appropriate healthcare workforce.

Aims: As the data about the overdose outbreak and related socioeconomic factors grow in size and complexity, data scientists have attempted to utilize big data techniques to identify communities and risk factors contributing to addiction.

Methods: Using data obtained from the …

Evaluation Of Barriers For Small-Scale Fruit And Vegetable Growers In Kentucky, Amanda Schroeder Hege

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The food system in the United States has witnessed significant challenges resulting in food security and safety concerns, environmental damage, economic distress, and a decline in our population’s health. While the last fifty years showed a drop in land and workforce dedicated to farming, industrialized farms are producing an overabundance of cheap corn that directly supplies inexpensive, unhealthy foods leading to American’s diets falling short of recommendations for good health, thus contributing to the obesity epidemic. This study utilizes an upstream approach to learn from farmers’ ability to grow good food that promotes healthy people, environments, and communities. Specifically, the …

The Relationship Between Access To Healthcare And Heart Disease Mortality In Kentucky, 2012-2014, Nima Farsi

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Cardiovascular disease is the cause for a large portion of the mortalities in the United States. Furthermore, Kentucky has one of the highest heart disease mortality rates out of all 50 U.S. States. This study hypothesized that heart disease mortality in Kentucky counties has a positive relationship with lack of accessibility to healthcare. Furthermore, this ecological study hypothesized that because there is no available usual source of a healthcare providers and ultimately a lack of accessibility to receive diagnostic/preventative services for this population, the high rate of cardiovascular disease mortality in Kentucky is dependent on access to healthcare services.

This …

Consultation Experience In Public Health, Hannah Bellamy

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The following portfolio is an overview of my consulting experience in public health. My experiences include making frequency tables, producing summary statistics, conducting Chi- Square and T-Test, and reproducing a demographics table. Working with investigators, I have conducted a power analysis for a pilot study, assisted with a study design consultation, used the Kappa coefficient to test for inter-rater reliability, presented survey results with answer distributions, and produced summary statistics for an investigator’s research poster.

Working in the Applied Statistics Laboratory and with investigators has taught me the process of consulting. It begins by meeting with an investigator and determining …

A Policy Analysis Of The Kupuna Caregivers Act: Addressing The Needs Of Working Caregivers In Hawaii, Emily S. Mccarthy

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The primary purpose of this paper was to provide a policy analysis of the Kupuna Caregivers Act that was passed at the end of 2017 in Hawaii. This legislation provides a $70 daily voucher that working caregivers can use to hire long-term care services for their elderly loved ones. This type of assistance allows caregivers to stay in the workplace, alleviates the stress of caregiving, and assists them in securing their own financial futures. The number of people over the age of 65 will double in size over the next forty years, presenting a variety of long-term care challenges in …

Gabapentin Prescribing Practices Among Physicians: Clinical Indications And Reasoning, Lili Buzsaki

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant and nerve pain medication with a variety of offlabel indications. There is at least some evidence that physicians have prescribed gabapentin to successfully treat several off-label conditions including alcohol dependence and withdrawal, brachioradial pruritus, chronic, refractory cough, diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, hiccups (singultus), hot flashes, insomnia, neuropathic pain, adjunct therapy for postoperative pain, restless legs syndrome (RLS), anxiety disorders, and uremic pruritus.

An observational cross-sectional study was used to determine the various reallife off-label uses of gabapentin and physicians’ perspectives with regard to particular advantages over other drugs and interventions, via an online survey. In addition, a …

Identifying Veterans With Opioid Use Disorder That Could Benefit From Referral For Evidence-Based Medication-Assisted Treatment, Emily Hampton

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Current treatment guideline recommendations published by the American Society of Addiction Medicine for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) include both psychotherapy and Medication- Assisted Treatment for optimal management of this chronic medical illness. Military veterans are at an increased risk for fatal outcomes related to opioid overdoses due to a higher prevalence of depression/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and self-medicated substance use compared to their civilian counterparts. Additionally, many have been diagnosed with OUD but are not being treated in accordance with current treatment recommendations.

In an effort to increase access to treatment and combat the opioid epidemic, the Lexington VA Medical …

An Ecologic Study Of Access To Acute Stroke Care, Mortality And Its Correlates In The Stroke Belt, Jeffrey E. Levy

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Importance: Stroke is leading cause of death in the United States, but quick access to treatment has been shown to result in better outcomes and improved mortality. Among the many barriers to access, geographic proximity to hospitals certified in stroke care may also play a role.

Objectives: To calculate county-level measures of accessibility to certified stroke hospitals using GIS, and to examine its relationship with county stroke mortality while controlling for other county-level potential confounders.

Methods: Ecologic study using county mortality rates and census data to recreate stroke death counts for use in traditional, and a geographically …