Public Health Commons^™

Stroke Prevention Through Education, Laura Lee Ballance

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis project focused on two concepts: a need for a stroke prevention program and what should be included. The problem with early identification of stroke is not formally addressed at the project site, physician’s office. A physician’s office can play a beginning key role in minimizing the risk of stroke. The purpose of this project was to explore the evidence to support the need for and to determine ideal content for a stroke prevention education program. This program focused on early detection and identification of risk factors to prevent stroke occurrence. The theoretical framework of Pender’s health promotion model aligns …

Age At Diagnosis And Lung Cancer Presentation, Marida Gingras

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States because of its lack of symptoms until late stages. It is noted that a 5-year relative survival rate can be improved by earlier cancer detection. The currently recommended age of screening by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force may not be optimal, and the recommendations are only for smokers. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between the stages of presentation of lung cancer and age at diagnosis using quantitative research. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER-18) database, 63,107 records were …

Perceptions Of Physician Influence On Healthcare Accessibility, Samuel N. Jacobs-Abbey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant portion of the U.S. population across the country has limited access to quality healthcare; however, this situation is more pronounced in rural areas. One potential solution is for healthcare practitioners to move their services to underserved rural areas to improve healthcare coverage. No previous studies have explored the perceptions of practitioners regarding their influence on healthcare access, particularly the potential impact of moving healthcare services to underserved areas. Thus, the purpose of this research was to address this gap. A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted. A sample of 24 participants was selected using purposive sampling, from the target …

The Association Between Provider Cultural Competence And Type 2 Diabetes Health Behaviors, Bernadette Joyce Mejia-Tran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Provider cultural competence is poorly understood in relation to the outcome of Type 2 diabetes patient health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between provider cultural competence and diabetes patient health behaviors. The chronic care model provided the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions were designed to determine whether 5 measures of provider cultural competence play a role in diabetes patient health behavior change. The research design of the study was a quantitative cross-sectional survey using the 2017 National Health Interview Survey. The 2,342 participants included in the study represent a national sample …

Prevention Practices And West Nile Virus Infection Among Ethnic Minorities, Texas, Bayabel Debebe Mengistu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is a major public health problem and the cause of nearly 25% of the world's economic burden of disease. While the risk factors for developing West Nile fever and West Nile disease from WNV infection have been identified, it is not known how knowledge, attitude, behavior (KAB), access to health care (AHC), and comorbidities are associated with prevention practices of WNV infection among ethnic minorities. The aim of this study was to examine the association between KAB, AHC, comorbidities, and prevention practices of WNV infection among ethnic minorities in Texas. KAB, AHC. Comorbidities were used …

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients' Sociological Resilience, Self-Determination, And Decision-Making For Life-Sustaining Treatments, Jeremy Jon Van Tress

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suffer from a rare, progressive, untreatable, and fatal neuromuscular disease. Their decision-making for life-sustaining treatments may not be fully self-deterministic. While researchers have examined resilience and self-determination in people with mental health problems and chronic illness, none have researched these variables in ALS patients from a socioecological framework. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between people with ALS socioecological resilience, self-determination, and decision-making for life-sustaining treatments. A cross-sectional concurrent mixed-methods design was used, with online surveys completed by 197 people with ALS who were solicited through the National ALS Registry. …

Area-Level Factors Linked To Obesity In African American And Caucasian Women In Michigan, Marjorie Arrey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is a major public health crisis, affecting every segment of the U.S. population. African American women have higher prevalence of obesity than all other subpopulations and are disproportionately burdened by the disease and its comorbidities. Despite this disparity, African American women are often underrepresented in obesity research. This research examined obesity-related risk factors specific to African American women compared to those for Caucasian women. The design was based on the socioecological model and social cognitive theory, both emphasizing the impact of social factors on health outcomes. The data set included only adult Michigan women from the NHANES study. Multiple …

Predicting Behavior To Engage In Fall Prevention Practices: The Role Of Interests And Basic Psychological Needs, Jan Fay Kress

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA fall is associated with adverse outcomes that include occupational, physical, cognitive, and psychological decline together with economic and caregiving burden. Despite the continued increase in prevalence of falls globally, most studies address the well-known risk factors of falls but exclude the behavioral risk factors associated with human actions, emotions, and everyday choices. Following the theory of self-determination and person object of interest framework, this quantitative, nonexperimental study was conducted using face-to-face and web surveys to examine the relationship between motivational, relational, and sociodemographic/medical conditions to predict engagement in fall prevention practices in a sample of 75 community dwellers, 65 …

Examining The Mortality Risk Of A Population With Mental Illness, Glorimar Ortiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals with mental illness experience increased mortality and premature death. In a sample composed of 88% decedents with mental illness who were Black, the findings from three research studies provided insight about excess and premature mortality, odds of dying by cause of death, and risk factors associated with premature mortality. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the mortality of a population group with mental illness that was served in a public mental health system (PMHS). The ecoepidemiological life course framework for health, disease, and mortality was used to link mechanisms that may influence health and longevity in …

Hiv Prevention: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Sexual Decision Making, Risk Taking, And Condoms, Jonathan D. Spencer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV is an infectious disease that continues to have new cases each year within high-risk populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). To help in the fight against new HIV infections within the MSM population, new medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are being used. The purpose of this cross-sectional online survey study was to address whether PrEP use had any relationship with (a) sexual decision-making, (b) risk-taking, and (c) condom use in the MSM population 18-64 years of age, after controlling for socioeconomic status, race, and age while using the behavioral disinhibition and risk compensation models. …

Impact Of Diet On Colorectal Cancer, Ashley Rosenberg Md, Mirinda Gromley Msph, Nicole Weighard Md, Juan Lu J Phd Mph Md

Graduate Research Posters

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosed worldwide. Modifiable risk factors such as diet have been linked to the development of CRC but results of previous research have been inconsistent. We utilized the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to determine whether the consumption of dietary variables contributed to increased diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Methods

Participants from NHANES 2015-2016 database aged 16 years or older, with available two-day dietary and CRC information were included. Study exposure included dietary consumptions (salt, cholesterol, sugar, fat, and carbohydrates); the outcome was self-reported CRC. Descriptive analysis was performed with …

Parenting Styles, Parenting Practices, And Dietary Intakes Of Preschoolers And Their Parents, Biyi Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emerging research efforts have focused on the role of parents in the development of dietary behaviors of their children. Parental influences play a particularly important role in determining the children’s weight and shaping children’s dietary behaviors, especially during early childhood. Parent-related determinants can be classified as two types—general parenting (parenting style) and specific parenting practices (e.g, food parenting practices). Examining the interactions between parental influences and preschoolers’ and their parental dietary behaviors and may reveal important insights into how parents influence children’s dietary behaviors. Therefore, the goal of this research is to examine the associations between parenting styles, food parenting …

Exploring Factors Influencing Whether Residents Participate In Square Dancing Using Social Cognitive Theory: A Cross-Sectional Survey In Chongqing, China, Feng Peng, Hongjia Yan Bs, Manoj Sharma Phd, Ying Liu Bs, Ying Lu Bs, Shijie Zhu Bs, Peiqian Li Bs, Nianyong Ren Bs, Ting Li Bs, Yong Zhao Md

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Physical inactivity is a worldwide public health problem, and it is a risk factor for several chronic diseases. Square dancing nightly may be an efficient way to promote physical activity among Chinese residents. This study aims to explore factors that affect resident participation in square dancing on the basis of social cognitive theory constructs (outcome expectations, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, self-control, and environment) that may provide a scientific basis for designing interventions to promote physical activity in the future. Forty squares near neighborhood communities in Chongqing were randomly selected. A sample of 1732 residents who came to these squares at 18:00–21:00 …

Health Care Professionals’ Compliance To Tracheal Suctioning Policy At A Tertiary Care Hospital, Rozina Khimani, Fauziya Ali, Salma Amin Rattani, Mohammad Sohail Awan

Department of Surgery Docs

Objective: To assess the compliance of tracheal suctioning practices against the standard guidelines of a tertiary care hospital, with regard to the participants’ professional characteristics.
Methods: Using cross sectional study design, forty health care professionals (HCPs) were assessed twice, using a quantitative structured observational design, for tracheal suctioning practices, in one of the surgical care units of the tertiary care hospital. Tracheal suctioning policy which was used as a tool, its inter-rater reliability was tested and each step showed the Kappa value of 0.65 to 1.000. Data was analyzed using epidata info version 3.5.1 and SPSS version 19.
Results: From …

Asthma-Copd Overlap: Economic Burden And Medication Adherence, Mona Nili

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In many older adults, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) coexist as “Asthma-COPD overlap” (ACO). This dissertation pursued three Aims: 1) estimate the economic burden of ACO and its contributory factors; 2) evaluate the association of ACO to “cost-related medication nonadherence” (CRN); and 3) identify adherence trajectory patterns and examine the impact of initial maintenance therapies (IMT) type (inhaled corticosteroids monotherapy (ICS) vs. fixed-dose combination of ICS and long-acting beta agonist (ICS/LABA)) on adherence trajectory patterns among older adults Medicare Beneficiaries. The first and second Aims were cross-sectional studies by using Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data. For the third …

Creating A Community-Based Protocol To Prevent Unintended Pregnancy In Homeless Women In Monongalia County, West Virginia, Jessica Eva Wukasch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: At any given time, 10% of homeless women are pregnant, about twice the rate of all U.S. women of reproductive age (5%) (Healthcare for the Homeless, 2001). According to Healthcare for the Homeless Council ([HHC], 2012), approximately “73% of pregnancies among homeless women were unintended at the time of conception.” In addition, “about 12% of homeless children are placed in foster care compared to 1% of other children” (HHC, 2012). There is an evident need to address unintended pregnancy among homeless women.

Objective: The overall objective was to create an accessible and useful community-based protocol to reduce the rate …

Evaluation Of Control Strategies For Overhead Work Using Electromyography Of Rotator Cuff Muscles, Hossein Motabar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of shoulder have a significant impact on overall health and economics in the industrialized nations. Rotator cuff is the most frequently injured region in the shoulder complex. Overhead work is considered as one of the most predominant causes of rotator cuff injuries. The workers in construction, automotive, and aerospace industries are routinely exposed to overhead exertions. Elimination of overhead work is nearly impossible due to various task and technology constraints. Therefore, appropriate intervention strategies based on the engineering and administrative controls opt to be used to prevent the hazardous impact of overhead exertions. The objective of …

Three Essays On Health Economics And Policy Evaluation, Shishir Shakya

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation consists of three essays on the U.S. Health care policy. Each paragraph below refers to the three abstracts for the three chapters in this dissertation, respectively. I provide quantitative evidence on how much Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) affects the retail opioid prescribing behaviors. Using the American Community Survey (ACS), I retrieve county-level high dimensional panel data set from 2010 to 2017. I employ three separate identification strategies: difference-in-difference, double selection post-LASSO, and spatial difference-in-difference. I compare how the retail opioid prescribing behaviors of counties, that are mandatory for prescribers to check the PDMP before prescribing controlled substances …

Integrating The Natural Healing Process For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment In Veterans Through A Healing Garden., Taiwo A. Ajibade

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 2002, several ex-service personnel brought a court case against the Ministry of Defense for the inability to identify PTSD issues at an early stage and to provide support and effective treatment (Langston et al. 2007). Also in recent times, reports have suggested that US marine and army infantry units returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan have a higher level of expected proportions of mental disorders and that about 10% of personnel are returning home are with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (Smith et al., 2008). This discovery made it pertinent to look for natural ways to assist veterans …

Association Of Common Chronic Pain Conditions To Incident Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementias In Two Cohorts Of Older Medicare Beneficiaries, Sumaira Khalid

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Objective: The purpose of this research was to study the collective and incremental association of common non-cancer chronic pain conditions (NCPC) to risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD); to explore the potential mediating influence of mood and sleep disorders; and to assess the potential synergistic effects of NCPC’s and multimorbidity on ADRD risk. This research also aimed to study the contribution of NCPC to ADRD risk in poor, rural, underserved United States populations who suffer a disproportionate burden of ADRD risk factors. To achieve these goals, this dissertation pursued three specific aims: 1) assess the association of …

Health Outcomes Associated With Gulf War Illness, Shannon K. Barth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background:

Nearlythirty years after the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War a definitive case definition for Gulf War Illness (GWI) is lacking. The objective is to explore health outcomes associated with GWI using currently accepted classifications in order to better understand GWI by examining pre-war medical conditions as predictors of probable GWI, mortality outcomes of veterans with probable GWI, and female-specific medical conditions among women with probable GWI. Additionally, we utilize an alternative GWI case definition.

Methods:

Data come from theDepartment of Veterans Affairs (VA)1995-1997 National Health Survey of Persian Gulf War Era Veterans, a population-based survey of deployed …

Performance Study Of Five Different Cabin Air Filters In The Laboratory And On-Road Drive, Fahad Alqahtani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One of the aims of installing ventilation filters in a car is to prevent vehicle occupants from inhaling potentially harmful aerosols emanating from the environment. Vehicle cabin filters are essential in ensuring that a vehicle's air conditioning system provides clean air to its occupants. The purpose of the cabin filter is to improve air quality inside the car to provide better comfort and better protect occupants from experiencing unwanted respiratory problems. Using cabin filters in air conditioning systems is a common practice in modern vehicle manufacturing. Scientists and engineers are continually seeking new ways of improving the efficiency and effectiveness …

Green Completion As A Mitigation For Btex Exposure In Gas Flaring: Nigeria Case Study (Exposure Assessment And Cost Model), Akintunde S. Akinyemi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gas flaring is an essential part of the oil and gas industry safety and waste management procedures; however, it presents a potential exposure to BTEX compounds, a group of Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds (NMVOC), within up to a 10-mile radius of the flare point. The physical and the psychological cost of the journey to work, make employees live close to the workplace. This study examined the perceived exposure of oil and gas industry workers to possible carcinogenic emissions outside the workplace. It looked at the outcomes of the exposure to BTEX through gas flaring drawing on archival data and using …

A Phenomenological Photovoice Exploration Of Female Exercisers’ Experiences Of Their Body In Fitness Center Environments, Katherine E. Fairhurst

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For many women, the relationship with their body and exercise is complex. Exercise can have positive effects on body image, however, not all women appear to benefit positively from all types of exercise. To date, body image research has focused on exercise as an activity and less so on the context in which exercise is performed. Women frequently exercise in fitness centers as young adults which, unfortunately, is associated with body dissatisfaction. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach with Photovoice methodology, we explored young adult women’s lived body experiences while exercising in fitness centers. A purposive sample of 11 …

Injury-Related Infant Mortality In West Virginia, 2010-2014, Wilson A. Koech

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background and objective

Infant mortality in United States is high relative to other more developed nations. Therefore, there is a need to curb this trend, especially in states with high infant mortality rates. Hence, this research investigated and examined characteristics associated with injury-related infant death in West Virginia. The objective of this retrospective study was to 1) investigate maternal and infant characteristics associated with injury-related infant deaths in West Virginia, 2) examine the relationship between unintentional-injury-related infant death and rurality in West Virginia, holding other variables in the model constant, and 3) compare differences in the unintentional-injury related infant mortality …

Breaking The Chain: Evaluating The Links Between Opioid Use Disorder, Overdose, And Suicide, Amanda Nicole Stover Mph

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous research has estimated that 20–30% of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) have a history of both suicide attempt and unintentional opioid overdose. In 2018, more than 1.9 million adults 18 years and older had an OUD; while 1.4 million adults attempted suicide that same year (SAMHSA, 2019). The key to understanding this relationship is examining behaviors that precede these potentially fatal behaviors. One such precursory behavior is self-injury. Self-injurious behaviors (SIB) are one of the most important risk factors for future suicide (Cavanagh et al.,2003). This study has three primary objectives. The first is to conduct a systematic …

Hepatitis B In At-Risk Groups: Three Studies To Guide Education, Testing, And Vaccination Efforts In West Virginia, Stacy Tressler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background and Objectives: For over a decade, West Virginia’s (WV) rate of acute hepatitis B has been the highest in the United States (US). In 2017, WV’s rate was 11.7 per 100,000 population, almost 12 times higher than the national rate. The increase in acute hepatitis B cases is largely due to substance misuse, including injection drug use (IDU). Hepatitis B is a vaccine preventable disease yet many at-risk adults remain unvaccinated and susceptible to infection. The objectives of our studies are to 1) describe yearly changes in acute hepatitis B incidence in WV and assess county-level impact of the …

Adherence To A Home Exercise Programme Following A Clinical Programme For Non-Acute Non-Specific Low Back Pain: An Exploratory Study, Judith L'Heureux, Marie-France Coutu, Djamal Berbiche, Christian Larivière

Études primaires

Purpose:Lack of adherence to home exercise programmes is hypothesised to partially explain the modest clinical effects seen in patients with low back pain. This study explored the association between the main biopsychosocial factors and adherence using a theory-driven approach including the fear-avoidance model, the common-sense model and the working alliance concept.

Methods: A repeated measures design was used. During and after an eight-week clinical exercise programme, 48 participants with non-acute and disabling low back pain followed a home exercise programme. Questionnaires assessed home exercise adherence and biopsychosocial factors at baseline, after the eight-week clinical programme and at the six-month follow-up. …

Comparative Performance Of The Nanoscan And The Classic Smps In Determining N95 Filtering Facepiece Efficiency Against Nanoparticles, Clothilde Brochot, Fariborz Haghighat, Ali Bahloul

Études primaires

Nanoparticles are defined as particles with at least one dimension in the range of 1–100 nm. Due to the special properties of nanoparticles, they are used in many workplaces, thus leading to occupational exposure. Filtering facepieces (FFPs) are generally used in these workplaces to reduce the exposure. Many studies have measured FFP efficiency in laboratories using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). The aim of this study was to determine whether a NanoScan could be used to measure FFP efficiency against nanoparticles in workplaces for one type of N95 FFP. The results showed that the NanoScan gave maximum penetration and …

On Site Comparison Of The Osha 42, Asset Ez4-Nco, Iso-Chek, Dan And Cip10 Methods For Measuring Toluene Diisocyanate (Tdi) At A Polyurethane Foam Factory, Simon Aubin, El Mekki Hamdi, Audrey Joly, Philippe Sarazin, Jacques Lesage, Livain Breau, Mark Spence, Sébastien Gagné

Études primaires

Because of the semi-volatile nature of diisocyanates (being airborne in both physical vapor and particulate phases), their high reactivity and low occupational exposure limits, diisocyanate exposure evaluation has been challenging for industrial hygienists and laboratories. The objective of this study was to compare the toluene diisocyanate (2,4 and 2,6 isomers, TDI) concentration measured by five methods in a flexible polyurethane foam factory using different collection or derivatization approaches. The methods used were: OSHA 42 modified (filter, 1-(2-pyridyl)piperazine) (OSHA), Asset EZ4-NCO (denuder and filter, dibutylamine) (Asset), Iso-Chek (double-filter, 9-(N-methylaminomethyl) anthracene and 1,2-methoxyphenylpiperazine), DAN (filter, 1,8-diaminonaphthalene), and CIP10 (centrifugation, 1,2-methoxyphenylpiperazine). Particle real-time …