Public Health Commons^™

Growing Green Minds: Implementation Of A School Garden & Nutrition Program For The Freedom Area School District In Rural Wisconsin, Marissa Schuh

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

Most children in the U.S. consume too few fruits and vegetables which is putting them at risk to develop obesity and other lifestyle diseases. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that individuals should increase the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables consumed in order to prevent weight gain and other chronic diseases. Research shows that garden-based educational programs can increase children’s fruit and vegetable intake as well as change their preferences and attitudes towards eating and trying new fruits and vegetables. Incorporating a garden and nutrition curriculum into a school setting is an ideal opportunity to improve children’s …

The Perception, Usage, And Knowledge Of Moringa Oleifera In Mare-Brignol, Haiti After Increased Education And Access, Preethashree Anbukkarasu, Phillip Saad, Nichika R. Holdrum, Chinelo Germain, Leticia Ebihara, Archi Patel

Digital Repository: Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence

No abstract provided.

Know Before You Play: Associations Between Race, Education, And Hiv Susceptibility, Anfa Mohamed Diiriye

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Black women are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States. This paper analyzes the associations between race, education, and HIV susceptibility, furthering previous research to understand if educational attainment reduces HIV susceptibility and if reduction patterns are similar for Black and White women. The CDC’s National Survey of Family Growth 2015-2017 was used to analyze associations using binary logistic and multiple regression models. HIV susceptibility was operationalized through four measures: condom use, having a partner with concurrent sexual relationships, having had an STD, and age at first sex. Black women were not found to be significantly more susceptible to …

Why Does The Importance Of Education For Health Differ Across The United States?, Blakelee R. Kemp, Jennifer Karas Montez

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The positive association between educational attainment and adult health (“the gradient”) is stronger in some areas of the United States than in others. Explanations for the geographic pattern have not been rigorously investigated. Grounded in a contextual and life-course perspective, the aim of this study is to assess childhood circumstances (e.g., childhood health, compulsory schooling laws) and adult circumstances (e.g., wealth, lifestyles, economic policies) as potential explanations. Using data on U.S.-born adults aged 50 to 59 years at baseline (n = 13,095) and followed for up to 16 years across the 1998 to 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement …

Impact Of Education On Hiv Testing Among African American Women In The United States, Florence Matimbah Mbangowah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Improved and increased human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing among African American women in the United States could facilitate early detection of the virus. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to determine if there was a significant association between HIV testing participation and education level (i.e., high school, college, post-college level) based on access to healthcare after accounting for insurance, income, employment, marital status, English language proficiency, and vision quality. The integrated theory of health behavior change, the theoretical framework used for this research, proposes that changes in health behavior can be improved by various factors such as fostering …

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 …

Association Between Obesity, Socioeconomics, Mental Illness, And Education In Native American Communities, Darrell D. Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is a profound health epidemic that adversely affects the health of all ethnicities. This growing health crisis has been found to be linked to several chronic diseases such as stroke, diabetes, and several forms of cancer. As in Native American populations, increased morbidity and mortality rates associated with obesity prevalence in minority populations has been linked to variables such as income, education, mental illness, and age. The purpose of this research was to examine the association of obesity with socioeconomic status, education, mental illness, and age in Native American populations. The theoretical framework used in this study was based …

Education To Improve Health For Rural Africa American Women With Diabetes, Monique Deidre Pendleton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes (DM) is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. Minorities like Hispanics and African Americans (AA) are at greater risk of developing DM. The prevalence and outcomes affecting diabetes are attributed to socioeconomic status, sex differences, ethnic, cultural, and religious status. Diabetes-related mortality is a major health problem in AA in rural America. The focus for this project was to identify the best evidence regarding educational counseling on lifestyle modifications that positively impact adult AA women with diabetes living in Rural America. The social-ecological theory and health belief model informed this project because these models incorporate …

Statistical Methods Useful In Clinical Simulation And Medical Education Scholarship, Zuber D. Mulla, J. Hector Aranda, Donovan Rojas, Sanja Kupesic Plavsic

Marshall Journal of Medicine

The objective of this paper is to introduce selected statistical and epidemiologic topics that are of interest to interdisciplinary teams of healthcare quality professionals, educators, technical staff, and researchers who participate in clinical simulation scholarship. Four research vignettes in the setting of a hypothetical clinical simulation training workshop are presented. The first vignette illustrates the utility of exact logistic regression when analyzing a small dataset. The second underscores the importance of using an appropriate method to account for the repeated measurement of an outcome. The third illustrates the use of the intraclass correlation coefficient to measure inter-rater reliability. The final …

Using Mini-Grants To Build Multi-Sector Partnerships In Rural Tennessee, Ginny Kidwell, Kristine Bowers, Taylor M. Dula, Randolph F. Wykoff

Journal of Appalachian Health

Rural counties in Tennessee, including those located in Appalachia, face some of the greatest health challenges in the nation. Unpublished data collated by the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health (ETSU) show that Tennessee’s 52 Appalachian counties vary dramatically from its 43 non-Appalachian counties in virtually all socioeconomic, behavioral, and health outcome metrics. Since 2011, the Tennessee Institute of Public Health (TNIPH) has actively encouraged local communities to address behavior change, enhance educational achievement, and improve economic conditions as essential components for improving health and well-being in rural Tennessee.

Effect Of Pre-Exam Absenteeism On Academic Performance Among First Year Bds Students, Sai Silesh Kumar Goothy, Srinivasa Bharath Mr, Susmitha Paladugu Ms, Avinash Prasad Yamalapalli Mr

Manipal Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences

Being away from college without a valid reason is called absenteeism. Absenteeism refers to a student’s intentional or habitual absence from work. Pre-exam absenteeism is being absent just before the examinations. Most of the students bunk classes a day prior to the examinations to cover the portion at the last minute. The present study was undertaken to observe the impact of pre-exam absenteeism on academic performance among first year BDS students. Hundred and one first-year BDS students were recruited in the present study. The students who were absent a day prior to the examination were grouped as absentees. Their internal …

Educational Reinforcements Of And Challenges To Gender Norms In Urban Sri Lanka, Ruvani Fonseka

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background:
In 2013, over half of surveyed Sri Lankan men and women expressed gender-inequitable attitudes equating masculinity with violence, and femininity with obedience to men. Gender-inequitable attitudes have been shown to be linked to gender-based violence (GBV) in multiple contexts.
The goal of this research was to identify points of intervention at which programmes and policies could cultivate gender-equitable attitudes among youth in Sri Lanka, with a goal of reducing GBV in adulthood.
Methods:
Over 9 months, the lead author interviewed 18 young adults (ages 18-30) in urban Sri Lanka to understand how their experiences influenced their gender identity, as …

Enhancing Nutrition Education For School Aged Children; A Preventive Health Measure And Quality Improvement Project, Fanny M. Powell

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Objective: The purpose of the DNP project was to improve nutritional knowledge of the adolescents at Kings Canyon Unified School District while also improving their perceived ability to choose healthy food. This project was enveloped in a larger community outreach mission utilizing a free school-based clinic for the purposes of providing sports physicals to students and health screening and physicals to the community. Additionally, nurse practitioner students engaged in a cultural immersion experience through clinical rotations in Central Valley.

Methods: Adolescent students who registered for the clinic watched a nine-minute nutrition video, created by the DNP student, while waiting …

Crumbling Foundations: The Case For Prioritizing Self-Care Among Educational Leaders, Joshua Brent Ray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a potentially dangerous disassociation between human behavior, decision-making, and ethics and the notion that these fundamental aspects of what it means to be human originate simply as the functions of an organ. A deeper knowledge of the operation and limitations of the brain suggests biological input could possess the ability to unknowingly alter human behavior and effectiveness. This study utilizes a research-based understanding of the implications of human health and self-care habits on neurological, psychological, and behavioral function to examine the current practices of educational administrators across Arkansas while exploring systemic and job-based factors within the profession that …

Impact Of Continuing Education In Reducing Perceived Challenges To Treating Patients Co-Prescribed Opioids And Benzodiazepines Among Midwest Clinicians, Kyle Stirewalt

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Goal

The goal of this Capstone project was to provide meaningful Continuing Education (CE) to clinicians in the Midwest to reduce perceived challenges to safely treating patients co-prescribed opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines

Objectives

Using continuing education, increase clinician knowledge of effective alternative non-opioid and non-benzodiazepine therapies for chronic conditions while increasing clinician comfort in tapering patients off opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines

Methods

A one-hour CE presentation was prepared with the assistance of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NeDHHS) and broadcast to clinicians in the Midwest through a live webinar in coordination with the Great Plains Quality Innovation …

Determinants Of Disparities In The Colorectal Cancer Burden, Karen Elizabeth Callahan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality in the United States, with an estimated 140,000 new cases and 51,000 deaths expected in 2018. Like most cancers, the burden of CRC is unequally distributed among population groups. The current dissertation included two studies filling gaps in knowledge about CRC disparities. Study 1 characterized the relationship between educational attainment and CRC mortality by race/ethnicity. Six years of CRC mortality data (2012-2017) from the diverse state of California, with 30,180 deaths were analyzed. Sex-specific mortality rate ratios (MRR) stratified by race/ethnicity as well as by educational level …

Effects Of An Academic Enrichment Program On Elementary-Aged Students' Performance, Lauren E. Nieder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to develop a greater understanding of the effectiveness of enrichment programs outside of the school setting. This study was also intended to contribute to the broader understanding of the mechanism of student school-related stress, reported by parents, as it relates to student academic performance, specifically in a population which primarily consists of students and parents who are of Asian-Indian-American descent. With rising standards and intensifying pressure on students to be academically successful, it is necessary to examine the stress students experience due to their academics, as well as its effects on their academic performance. …

Essays In Applied Microeconomics, Lijuan Feng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1 studies the effect of body weight on labor market outcomes. Using longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from 1989 to 2011, and both instrumental variable and fixed effects estimation to control for the endogeneity of body weight, I examine the wage effect of BMI by gender, type of residence area, and occupation. Results from linear OLS regression show a positive relationship between body weight and income for males in both rural and urban areas and females in rural areas, while a negative one for females in urban areas. After controlling for the unobserved individual …

Development Of An Interactive Game For Education Regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections, Sherri Arrington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence rates are increasing in the United States and globally. Education has been found to be an important strategy for increasing STI testing and treatment rates among sexually active young adults. The goal of this project was to develop an interactive educational game suitable for young adults to decrease the social and economic burden of STIs. The health belief model informed the project. A moderated usability evaluation was conducted using the concurrent think-aloud technique. The participants (N = 5) were a purposive sample of professionals who played the interactive game and then completed Schnall, Cho, and …

Cultivating Cultural Competence To Address Childhood Obesity In Ethnic Minority Youth, Tia Knight-Forbes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is an increasingly prevalent health issue, especially among children who live in high poverty, low income, and low education areas that lack needed resources and health care to promote quality of life. African American youth have a higher rate of obesity than other populations. The purpose of this project was to address an identified gap in practice by improving health care professionals' ability to provide culturally competent care to African American youth. An educational intervention framed by the Purnell model for cultural competence was developed to address the question, Will cultural competency staff education improve knowledge to prevent and …

Barriers To Male Faculty In Nursing Education, Troy Jeffrey Palmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Men are underrepresented among nursing faculty, providing few role models for male students who might benefit from interaction with male faculty. Male nursing faculty may face barriers similar to those faced by women in male-dominated professions. Diehl and Dzubinski's model of gender-based barriers served as the framework for this quantitative study conducted to identify disparities between male and female nursing faculty that may prevent men from entering, continuing, and advancing in nursing education. The association between the percentage of male nursing faculty with geographic region; institution type (i.e., public, private secular, or private religious); and 4 career variables (i.e., education …

« More Than Brides Alliance (Mtba) » : Rapport D’Évaluation À Mi-Parcours Au Mali Et Au Niger, Andrea J. Melnikas, Grace Saul, Mouhamadou Gueye, Aissa Diarra, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’Alliance « Plus qu’une épouse » (More Than Brides Alliance—MTBA) a été formée, rassemblant les forces d’une équipe diversifiée, compétente pour la mise en œuvre et la recherche de programmes destinés aux adolescents. Le volet recherche de l’Alliance MTBA vise à fournir des preuves et des connaissances sur ce qui fonctionne pour retarder le mariage des enfants en Inde, au Malawi, au Mali, au Niger et au Pakistan en évaluant le programme d’intervention de l’Alliance MTBA et en examinant les facteurs spécifiques du mariage des enfants dans chaque contexte. Dans ce rapport, nous visons à évaluer les succès du programme …

Examining Early Marriage In India: Qualitative Findings, Neelanjana Pandey, Komal Saxena, Andrea J. Melnikas

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The More Than Brides Alliance (MTBA) implements the “Marriage: No Child’s Play” program (2016–20) in India, Malawi, Mali, Niger, and Pakistan. The MTBA is a holistic program that addresses early marriage through multiple strategies, including: sexual and reproductive health and rights, livelihoods, education, and prevalent community social norms around marriage. Furthermore, the program operates at multiple levels (girl, family, community, block, and district) to address individual, familial, and structural barriers to reducing child marriage in these communities. This report first looks at the legal environment in which programs operate by examining participants’ awareness of laws, acts, and programs related to …

Accelerating Action To End Child Marriage In Bangladesh—Project Brief, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Bangladesh ranks among the five countries with the highest rate of child marriage in the world. Community norms and values are among the underlying factors that support the practice of child marriage in Bangladesh. The Population Council is partnering with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to delay marriage as part of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Program to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage. This program is being implemented to generate evidence on reduction of child marriage through an adolescent skills-building program. The project works to empower girls with life-skills and livelihood and gender-awareness trainings, as well as engaging communities …

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Asset Cards [Spanish], Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

La Caja de herramientas: Fortalecimiento de habilidades del Population Council ayuda a los profesionales, los encargados de formular políticas y los defensores a crear contenido personalizado, significativo y positivo para ayudar a subpoblaciones específicas de niñas. La caja de herramientas guía a los profesionales a través de una serie de pasos que deben tomarse para definir objetivos de sentido común: qué información, habilidad o activo físico (como una tarjeta de identificación) debe tener una niña en un entorno particular para una edad en particular. Este documento consta de las tarjetas de activos que forman parte de la Caja de herramientas: …

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Asset Cards [Swahili], Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

[In Swahili] The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, engage stakeholders at different levels and with different viewpoints, and build concrete and meaningful programming for adolescent girls.

This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s Asset Cards (110), set of Age Cards (age 6 to 20), and Program Planning Worksheet (sample provided). The Age Cards are to be printed out and placed according to the instructions. The …

Um Só Currículo: Actividades Para Uma Educação Integrada Em Sexualidade, Género, Hiv E Direitos Humanos, International Sexuality And Hiv Curriculum Working Group, Nicole Haberland, Deborah Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Education on sexuality and HIV can help adolescents develop the capacity for healthy, respectful relationships and protect themselves from unwanted and unsafe sex, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. A 2015 Population Council study found that sexuality and HIV education programs that address gender and power in intimate relationships are five times more likely to be effective than programs that do not. However, most curricula still do not address these issues. "It’s All One Curriculum" provides a rationale, content, and sample activities for placing gender and rights at the center of sexuality and HIV curricula—both as stand-alone modules and integrated …

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Asset Cards [Portuguese], Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

[In Portuguese] The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, engage stakeholders at different levels and with different viewpoints, and build concrete and meaningful programming for adolescent girls.

This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s Asset Cards (110), set of Age Cards (age 6 to 20), and Program Planning Worksheet (sample provided). The Age Cards are to be printed out and placed according to the instructions. The …

More Than Brides Alliance: Midline Evaluation Report, Andrea J. Melnikas, Grace Saul, Santosh Kumar Singh, James Mkandawire, Mouhamadou Gueye, Aissa Diarra, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The More than Brides Alliance (MTBA) was formed to bringing together the strengths of a diverse team skilled in adolescent program implementation and research. The goal of the research presented in this report is to promote an evidence-based programmatic approach to delaying marriage in India, Malawi, Mali, Niger, and Pakistan by gathering detailed quantitative and qualitative information from the program areas over time to examine the impact of the present intervention and inform future strategies. This report highlights data from the midline survey on a set of outcomes approximately midway through the MTBA intervention and compares them with the same …

Court Personnel Attitudes Towards Medication-Assisted Treatment: A Statewide Survey, Barbara Andraka-Christou, Meghan Gabriel, Jody L. Madeira, Rod D. Silverman

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Background: Despite its efficacy, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is rarely available in the criminal justice system in the United States, including in problem-solving courts or diversionary settings. Previous studies have demonstrated criminal justice administrators' hostility towards MAT, especially in prisons and jails. Yet, few studies have examined attitudes among court personnel or compared beliefs among different types of personnel. Also, few studies have explored the relationship between MAT education/training and attitudes. Finally, few studies have directly compared attitudes towards methadone, oral buprenorphine, and extended-release naltrexone in the criminal justice system.

Methods: We modified a survey by Matusow et al. (2013) to …