Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Epidemiology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Theses/Dissertations

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Epidemiology

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Epidemiology

Examining The Co-Infection Effects Of Helminths And Malaria In An Indonesian Community, Andrea Rodríguez-Sánchez Jul 2021

Examining The Co-Infection Effects Of Helminths And Malaria In An Indonesian Community, Andrea Rodríguez-Sánchez

Masters Theses

Malaria is one of the most prevalent vector-borne infectious diseases with major morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that co-occurrence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, or infection caused by parasitic worms, are associated with increased risk of malaria infection. However, studies of the association between STH and malaria, and the effect of antihelminth (deworming) treatments that are more commonly used in areas with high STH infection rates, are sparse. Therefore, we explored the relationship between STH and malaria infection in an Indonesian community (N=1997) with high prevalence of both STH and malaria …


Gestational Weight Gain, Offspring Asthma And Wheeze Phenotypes In Project Viva, Kathryn Wagner Aug 2019

Gestational Weight Gain, Offspring Asthma And Wheeze Phenotypes In Project Viva, Kathryn Wagner

Masters Theses

In the US, 8.4% of children are diagnosed with asthma by age 18, making asthma one of the most common chronic conditions among children. Additionally, 25% of children experience persistent wheezing by age 6, an indicator of childhood asthma. Both childhood asthma and persistent wheezing may be linked to inflammatory and immune mechanisms, which are associated with inadequate and excessive gestational weight gain. Studies investigating the relationship between gestational weight gain and offspring asthma and wheeze phenotypes are limited by self-reported gestational weight gain, early age at asthma and wheeze assessments, limited adjustment for potential confounders and no trimester-specific evaluations. …


Patient Sex And Physician Adherence To Treatment Guidelines For Non-Purulent Cellulitis, Rebecca Goldberg Jul 2019

Patient Sex And Physician Adherence To Treatment Guidelines For Non-Purulent Cellulitis, Rebecca Goldberg

Masters Theses

In 2015, participating US Emergency Departments (EDs) reported approximately 2.8 million visits related to skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Studies indicate that there may be disparities by patient sex in physician treatment guideline adherence rates as a result of a gender bias during physician-patient interactions; however, only two epidemiologic studies have investigated the role of patient sex in guideline adherence rates for SSTIs. These prior studies were limited in size and covariate assessment. Thus, the magnitude and direction of the effect of patient sex is uncertain, warranting further research. Therefore, we conducted a large prospective study to elucidate the …


Impacts Of Casino Gambling Availability In Plainville, Massachusetts: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Analysis, Danielle M. Venne Jul 2018

Impacts Of Casino Gambling Availability In Plainville, Massachusetts: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Analysis, Danielle M. Venne

Masters Theses

The impacts of the introduction of casino gambling in Plainville, MA and surrounding communities are of interest in developing informed policy. Problem gambling is a public health issue as associated harms include physical and mental illness, impaired relationships with one’s close social network, impacts on school or work, financial difficulties and illegal behavior. The results of surveys prior to and after the introduction of the casino were used to evaluate potential differences in the prevalence of at-risk and problem gambling, associations amongst health and gambling behavior covariates with at-risk and problem gambling status by year, and changes of covariate relationships …


Nutritional, Hormonal, And Psychological Risk Factors For Breast Cancer, Susan Nicole Boyer Brown Nov 2014

Nutritional, Hormonal, And Psychological Risk Factors For Breast Cancer, Susan Nicole Boyer Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women will develop breast cancer. To date, 30-40% of breast cancer cases can be attributed to established risk factors, which supports the need for identification of additional modifiable risk factors. Therefore, we conducted three epidemiologic studies to examine the associations between nutritional, hormonal, and psychological risk factors and breast cancer risk. In our first study, we examined the relationship between urinary melatonin levels and the risk of breast cancer in a nested-case control study within the Nurses’ Health Study II. While limited in some respects, experimental and epidemiologic evidence support the …