Public Health Commons^™

Environmental Factors And Breast Cancer Mortality, Joel Collazo Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breast cancer is a public health problem in the United States that impacts diverse ethnic female groups in different ways regarding incidence and mortality. Much is known about the factors increasing the risk of developing breast cancer, but little is known about those that increase the chances of dying from it, other than access to health care, screening, and appropriate treatment. This study aimed to understand the association between exposure to Environmental Protection Agency-regulated air pollutants and breast cancer mortality, including how the interaction between these air contaminants impacts the outcome of interest, considering median income, education level, and percentage …

Association Between Antidepressant Adherence And Major Depressive Disorder Complications, Philip Lisinge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite evidence that antidepressants are more effective at treating major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms, there is growing evidence that MDD management is still hampered by nonadherence to antidepressant treatment regimens. Researchers have suggested that MDD, if untreated, might lead to MDD-related complications, but other researchers have argued that adherence to antidepressants can lead to these same MDD-related complications. This quantitative cross-sectional study used primary data collected from 298 volunteers to examine the association between MDD-related complications and antidepressant adherence to clarify these diverging opinions. The study’s objective was to provide evidence to accept or reject the premise that antidepressant adherence …

Examination Of Exposure Types Association With Stigma And Impacts On Sharps Injury Reporting In Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Timothy William Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public health depends on the efficiency of work delivery among healthcare workers (HCWs) and their positive goal orientation in healthcare. Effective minimizing of needlestick and sharp injuries (NSSIs) and timely reporting are fundamental to meeting public health goals. The specific research problem addressed through this study is whether the independent variable of exposure type (needle stick injury, splash exposure injury, other sharp injuries) has an association with stigma associated with sharps injury reporting (dependent variable) among HCWs in ambulatory surgical centers. A quantitative, cross-sectional design involving secondary data analysis was used. Regression was used to analyze pre- and post-workshop survey …

Factors Associated With Intent To Quit Smoking Among U.S. Adult Smokers, Patrese Ann Nesbitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Smoking and tobacco use continue to be a public health issue for over 40 million Americans, which explains the appropriateness and abundance of smoking cessation programs throughout the United States. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the associations between independent variables of marital status, advice from a medical clinician, and use of community smoking cessation resources and the dependent variable of intent to quit smoking, controlling for race, ethnicity, gender, and age. The theory of reasoned action was used to guide the study. Data from the National Adult Tobacco Survey (N = 12,357) were analyzed using …

The Experiences Of Women In The Healthcare Profession With Alcohol Use During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amber Olsen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women have severe health risks associated with drinking alcohol long-term and excessively. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experience of women in healthcare positions regarding alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was informed by the theory of planned behavior. Semistructured interviews were used to gather information from participants based on their firsthand experiences with alcohol usage. Understanding women’s attitudes toward alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic can improve intervention. Data were analyzed using an inductive, thematic procedure. Participants associated their own use of alcohol with socialization, and all participants reported that they regarded …

Retention Of Foster Parents For At-Risk Youth In Tennessee, Marvin Amos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal legislation with the Family First Prevention Service Act (FFPSA) of 2017 required Tennessee to increase foster parent retention strategies. Tennessee does not have enough available foster homes for adolescents. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore foster parent retention in Tennessee and to inform policymakers on how to adapt policy to increase the retention. The theoretical foundation for this study was based on the policy feedback theory, to identify the policy scope in Tennessee, and the two-factor theory, to guide the data analysis in the context of employee satisfaction and retention measures. Purposive sampling techniques were …

The Experiences Of Middle-Aged Women In An Online Weight-Loss Community, Holly Fields

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The obesity epidemic continues to be a public health crisis in the United States. The number of obese middle-aged women has risen dramatically over the past few decades. Despite multiple levels of support available, not all women are receiving the support they need to reduce overweight/obesity, as evidenced by the continuing rise in obesity. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, this study examined middle-aged women's views on exercising, eating healthily, and social support in online weight-loss communities. For this study, the health belief model (HBM) and social learning theory (SLT) were used as conceptual frameworks to understand a person's behavioral intentions …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

Association Between Knowledge Of Human Papillomavirus, Related Cancers, And Barriers To Information, Joycelyn Larbie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally, over 250,000 women die every year from cervical cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV). The purpose of this quantitative study was to discover the relation between sociodemographic factors of age, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, personal belief, and knowledge about HPV and related cancers. A cross-sectional design was used to determine statistical relationships. Secondary de-identified data from the Health Information National Trends Survey 2018 was accessed from the National Center Institute and was employed in the study. The study used a simple random technique to select a sample of 3,504 women. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of knowing …

Lived Experience Of Women Veterans Navigating The Veteran Healthcare System, Candance Willett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many women veterans who navigate the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system across the United States have felt that their voices have not been heard regarding their input and lived experiences concerning inclusion to the quality-of-care delivery for their health needs. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women veterans who were currently facing or had previously faced difficulty navigating the VA healthcare system. The framework used for this qualitative study was interpretive phenomenological analysis. The qualitative method used was hermeneutics which was designed by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. Semi structured interviews were of 12 …

Evaluation Of Recovery Level And Surgical Site Infection For Hip Replacement Surgeries, Misha Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare associated infections and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Existing studies have focused primarily on perioperative intervention strategies to reduce infection risks following total joint replacement (TJA) procedures. However, postoperative (post-op) SSI risk factors may account for a significant percentage of hospital readmissions due to infections at the surgical site. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between post-op recovery level and SSI among patients who underwent primary hip arthroplasty procedures. Using the social ecological model, which conceptualizes health broadly and focuses on …

Period Poverty And Life Strains: Efforts Made To Erase Stigma And To Expand Access To Menstrual Hygiene Products, Jennifer L. Brinkley, Nicole Niebuhr

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

No abstract provided.

Does Environmental Testing Of C. Difficile Predict Whether A Patient Is Positive With C. Difficile?, David Caccese

Public Health Theses

Clostridioides difficile is a major public health threat and frequent cause of healthcare-associated infections. Hospitals have struggled to control C. difficile due in part to the challenge of identifying asymptomatic C. difficile carriers and because of C. difficile’s ability to survive on environmental surfaces for long periods. Asymptomatic carriers and environmental surfaces can contribute to C. difficile transmission. Screening of all patients for C. difficile upon hospital admission is not feasible and asymptomatic patients may not be accepting of surveillance testing. Thus, this study examines whether sampling the patient’s room environment once they have been admitted can indicate a patient …

Factorial Validation Analysis Of The Children’S Eating Behavior Questionnaires And Association With Weight Status: The Ola Tuputupua’E Cohort Study, Wenya Tian

Public Health Theses

Background: Childhood obesity is a pressing issue requiring a reliable tool for assessing health-related eating behaviors. The Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a parent-reporting measure designed to assess multiple dimensions of children's eating behavior. This study aimed to assess CEBQ factor structure with data collected from Ola Tuputupua's Cohort and analyze the association between children's eating behavior and weight.

Methods: The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted. Multinominal logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between the CEBQ subscales with children's weight (healthy weight/overweight/obesity) as the dependent variable.

Results: The original eight-factor CEBQ …

The Antitrust Alternative: Promoting Public Health Through Competition, Michael Cederblom

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

No abstract provided.

For Women Of Missoula: Menstruation And Refugees, Bella M. Spencer

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Stigmatization, lack of accessible menstrual products, and an overall misconstrued sense of menstruation impact menstruators at a disproportionate rate. When delving into the literature, we found that refugee women not only faced stigmas and a lack of access to menstrual products and education, but also ran into cultural barriers and differing attitudes on menstruation. To address this issue, we formulated the idea of a menstrual drive. Instead of focusing on refugee menstruators as a whole, our focus will be the refugee population in Missoula, MT. We recognize that the stigmatization of menstruation is an ongoing global issue that affects many …

Combatting Bacterial Infections: The Efficacy Of Poly-Gamma-Glutamic Acid On The Prevention Of Nasopharyngeal Infections Among Individuals With Cleft Lip And Palate, Florence Pun

Scripps Senior Theses

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a medical condition where children are born with an unfused lip and palate. While surgery is required to fuse the lip and palate, there are other conditions that children with CLP face after surgeries, such as otitis media (OM), speech impediments, and difficulty breathing. Particularly, OM occurs frequently in individuals with CLP because the tensor veli palatini muscles cannot open the Eustachian tube frequently and ventilate the middle ear properly, even after surgery. This thesis is a research proposal to evaluate whether γ-PGA can be used in nasal washes to safely prevent nasopharyngeal infections …

Sleep Aid Use During Early Pregnancy And The Risk Of Birth Defects, Meredith M. Howley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation examines the validity of maternal self-reported medication exposures and then explores the associations between self-reported sleep aid use, including zolpidem specifically, and birth defects using data from three population-based case-control studies conducted within the United States. The first aim of this dissertation was to explore agreement between two sources of prescription medication use in early pregnancy: medical records and self-reported interview data from the Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD-STEPS). We observed that agreement of prescription data between self-report and medical records varies by whether the medication is used chronically or episodically. While self-reported medication information …

Maternal Exposure Of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) During Pregnancy And Wheeze In Children : The Upstate Kids Study, Faria Sharmin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a group of persistent environmental chemicals with endocrine disrupting abilities, has been associated with immunomodulation and may contribute to the etiology of asthma in young children. The need for research and additional prospective analysis clearly exists to measure the impact of the chemicals (PFAS) on child wheeze or asthma. We used newborn dried blood spots to quantify two PFAS and their associations with infant wheeze in the Upstate KIDS population.Methods: We measured, perfluoro octane - sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in 2071 singleton and 1040 twin infants born to mothers in …

Association Of Prenatal Exposure To Air Pollutants With Select Birth Defects Using The Case-Cohort Approach, Abigail Jeanne Stamm

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Annually, 3-5% of infants are born with birth defects in the United States. In New York State (NYS), air pollution, specifically ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), is detectable at levels that affect human health. Air pollution is associated with poor birth outcomes and contains components that are suspected to cause oxidative stress, which is one mechanism by which birth defects are formed.Methods: This study investigated the relationship between the development of select birth defects (oral clefts, craniosynostosis, and clubfoot) in singleton live births in NYS between 2002 and 2015 and weekly peak and average concentrations of O3 …

Electronic Cigarette Cessation Program In Caja Costarricense Del Seguro Social (Ccss)-Costa Rica: An Assessment To Guide The Future Development Of An Educational Intervention For Ccss's Health Practitioners, Jeancarlo Cordoba

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Newer tobacco products are becoming widely popular in recent years, especially among youth and young adults. New technologies, such as electronic cigarettes, focus on efficiently delivering the addictive substance nicotine into the body while simulating conventional smoking behavior without burning tobacco (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2019). Due to the addictiveness of nicotine, there is a high biological plausibility of high levels of nicotine dependence among electronic cigarette users. Consequently, there is a need for specific interventions for priority populations at risk, requiring research studies that provide evidence for future action and strategic planning purposes. The 2015 Costa Rican Ministry of …

Assessing Youth Cannabis Use In New York State: Whether Intersecting Identities Increase Current Cannabis Use, Jericho Lindee Paul Adams

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background:Cannabis use can have a multitude of health effects on developing youth, including mental health distress and other impacts on youth well-being. With the passage of the Marihuana and Taxation Act in New York State (NYS) in March of 2021, which legalized recreational cannabis use for those ages 21 and over, it is imperative to consider its potential impact on the prevalence of youth cannabis use. This concern is amplified for minority youth as previous research has observed increased prevalence of substance use for these populations. Additionally, intersecting identities between minoritized populations and differing health statuses and social experiences may …

Trajectories Of Maternal Parenting Stress And Adolescent Behavioral Symptoms In Unmarried Families : The Roles Of Family Immigration Status, Harsh Parenting, And Father’S Early Involvement, Fei Tang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

BackgroundAdolescence is a critical period for developing social and emotional wellbeing. Adolescents experience many physical and social changes, making them vulnerable to adaptive and behavioral problems. Compared to their peers in married families, adolescents in unmarried families may be at particularly elevated risk of developing internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems, identifying key risk factors in a family context could provide insights on the development of family-based interventions. Mothers are often seen as the center of the environmental context of children development, their responsiveness to children may be impacted by their economic and psychological resources, which could crucially affect the wellbeing …

Investigating The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Obesity While Considering Race, Ethnicity, Sex, And Sexual Orientation, Mariama Ceesay

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

AbstractObesity is a chronic disease that plagues about 34% of the world population and rising (CDC,2023). Obesity develops over time due to lifestyle factors, biological factors, and the environment. Life course epidemiology approaches understanding the etiology of obesity by pinpointing how particular events in a lifetime can facilitate later life obesity. One emerging important early life factor that may influence adult obesity risk is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Rates of ACEs are higher in sexual minorities, women, and nonwhite individuals (Hughes et al., 2022). Furthermore, the rate of obesity is higher in women and nonwhite communities (CDC,2023). Knowing this information, …

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Step Towards Unfolding The Mystery, Aditi Kamlesh Bhanushali

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

AbstractBackground: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a complex disease that includes the dysregulation of the Central Nervous system. There is no exact known etiology or pathophysiology which leads to the development of ME/CFS. To understand the possible causes behind this mysterious disease, I conducted this project under the guidance of Dr. Moslehi to evaluate a range of demographic, lifestyle, and epidemiological factors and their risk in the development of ME/CFS. Methods: My project is part of a case-control study conducted by Dr. Roxana Moslehi. ME/CFS is a rare disease, so a case-control study design was …

Evaluating Spatial Relationships Between Environmental Factors And Contextual Sociodemographic Burden And Associations With Respiratory Morbidity Among Young Children: An Indicator-Based Approach, Neil Anthony Muscatiello

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The body of public health literature related to air pollution epidemiology is extensive. Similarly, the body of literature related to social epidemiology has also expanded greatly in recent years. While studies in these sub-disciplines of epidemiology sometimes seek to control for variables more commonly studied in one or the other, fewer studies report on their combined effects. Studies which do attempt to summarize how the combined air pollution burden and contextual sociodemographic burden differentially effect health outcomes beyond their individual effects could be beneficial in understanding links between the environment and certain health outcomes such as childhood asthma. The proposed …

Gestational Epigenetic Aging : Prenatal Influences And Early Life Associations, Emilia Pawlowski

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Development Origins of Health (DOHaD) evidence suggests that prenatal exposures have an important impact on offspring health throughout the life course. Environmental and psychosocial exposures during fetal development are associated with a range of health outcomes for offspring, and effects are often sex specific. One of the mechanisms which may explain differences in health outcomes is epigenetic alterations, which are the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression and can be modified during fetal development. Many studies have shown that psychosocial stress and social adversity can modulate epigenetic mechanisms and affect health. While there are several methods for measuring epigenetic alterations, …

Examining The Association Between Childhood Adversity And Later Life Cardiometabolic Diseases, Shreya Shrinivas

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ACEs stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, which are traumatic or stressful events that occur in childhood before the age of 18 (Wisner, 2022). These experiences can include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; neglect; household dysfunction, such as parental separation, domestic violence, substance abuse, or incarceration; or exposure to community violence, racism, or discrimination. Research has shown that individuals who experience ACEs are at a higher risk for developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and mental health disorders later in life (Felitti, 2002). This is because ACEs can cause toxic stress, which is chronic activation of the stress …

State Of Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) And Its Chemical Constituents With Morbidity Due To Pulmonary Diseases In An Urban City Of Southern Asia, Fatim Sannoh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Globally, air pollution has a negative impact on public health due to the continuous use of fossil fuel to power industries, industrial emissions, vehicular emissions, open burning of garbage waste and exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is linked to an increase of various diseases as well as an excess of morbidity and mortality. Although air pollution affects every nation, developing countries face unique challenges. There is a dire need to reduce air pollution in developing countries, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting that large cities in low- and middle-income countries have exceptionally high levels of air pollution. …

Antibody Profiling Of An Elderly Cohort After Sars-Cov-2 Vaccination And Infection Using Dried Blood Spots, Gianna Mirabile

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Three years after the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 remains a major public health emergency throughout the globe. Although major advancements have been made in terms of controlling the virus, such as the use of mRNA vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 infections from variants of concern (VoC) continue to persist and cause significant morbidity and mortality in vulnerable populations, including the elderly. The ability for public health entities to effectively gauge disease susceptibility across large swaths of the population is critical in deciding when to implement new vaccination recommendations. Dried blood spots (DBS) are an upcoming serological sample type being studied …