Public Health Education and Promotion Commons^™

Beliefs, Costs, And Policies Influencing African American Men's Decisions On Psa Screening, Mary Frances Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the growing concerns about routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in men, little is known about the societal and economic impact of screening among the African American population. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore beliefs among African American men about PSA screening, funding for screening, and the role of the United States Preventive Service Task Force in addressing the problem. Guided by rational choice theory, data collection consisted of completion of a health beliefs survey, face-to-face interviews, field notes taken during interview, and interview audio recording. The population for the study included African American men residing …

The Lived Experience Of In-Center Hemodialysis Patients Receiving Treatment In Dekalb County, Georgia, Stacey Deniese Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is preventable and reversible in the early stages with upstream strategies; however, the number of individuals diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is increasing annually. Although researchers have documented the physiological and psychological stressors associated with hemodialysis (HD), little is known about the effects of in-center HD on the recipients in DeKalb County, Georgia. This study described the experiences of 10 African American HD patients who dialyze in DeKalb County. Using a phenomenological approach, the interviews were transcribed and then analyzed for significant quotes and recurrent themes relevant to receiving HD in DeKalb County. The health …

Impact Of Training On Kin Caregivers' Use Of Discipline Practices, Bertha Ansley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that child abuse is a serious public health issue that may warrant child welfare agency intervention and removal of children from their homes. Placement with kin caregivers is considered the least restrictive placement option by social workers. It has been recognized that kin caregivers require some type of formal parental training to prepare them to care for relative children. A large city implemented the Caring for Our Own training program as prelicensing training to prepare relatives for roles as kin caregivers. Prior to this study, no research had assessed whether this training program adequately addressed caregivers' ability …

Evaluation Of Pertussis Knowledge Within The Child Daycare Staff And Management In The El Paso, Texas, Diana Jaqueline Gomez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Child daycare centers have an enormous influence on the children's health, which is important to maintain daycare staff and management informed on how to prevent communicable diseases, such as pertussis. Bordetella pertussis (Bp), the causative agent of whooping cough, is a small gram-negative bacterium that infects the nasopharynx of humans, which are the only reservoir. Bp is a highly contagious respiratory disease, which continues to be a severe disease in infants. The disease affects all ages and is easily transmitted from person to person, through respiratory droplets. Even though there is a vaccine available for all ages there are …

Instilling Positive Beliefs About Organ Donation: An Information Processing Approach, Gerardo Jose Moreira

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The number of those seeking a kidney donation in the United States continues to increase while the number of donors is not growing at the same rate (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services USDHHS, 2010). The lack of donations is more prevalent in low health literate communities which suffer from misinformation and ultimately negative beliefs toward organ donation. Thus, it is important to understand how marketing efforts can effectively change individuals' beliefs about organ donation.

Drawing on the Self-Determination Theory and Schema Theory, I proposed that the effectiveness of health education programs, which is to motivate individuals to be …

"You're Doing Fine, Right?": Adolescent Siblings Of Substance Abusers, Cynthia E. Clarfield

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There has been a rising interest in addiction medicine and addiction treatment in both the medical and behavioral health science fields. Research suggests having a family member with a substance abuse problem has negative impacts on both physical and mental health (Orford, Copello, Velleman, & Templeton, 2010a). Despite advances toward understanding the experiences of family members affected by a loved one's addiction, the siblings of substance abusers have been largely excluded from scientific research and literature. As a result, little is known about how siblings experience the impacts of a brother or sister's addiction; even less is known about the …

Evaluation Of A Nutrition Education Program Targeting Home-Based Child Care Centers, Cassandra Nicole Urrutia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: The development of a highly obesogenic culture promoting sedentary behavior and the consumption of calorie-dense foods has led to increased levels of overweight and obesity globally. While children and adults are both at increased risk of developing obesity, the risk is even higher in minority and low socioeconomic populations. Changes in familial structure and an increase in mothers of younger children (below the age of 6) entering the workforce have created a new demand for child care services. Although some studies have researched the effectiveness of nutrition programs to increase healthy eating within the child care setting, few have …

Utilizing Historical Mosquito Surveillance Data To Investigate The Efficacy Of Municipal Fogging In Controlling Mosquito Population Density, Andrea Betina Carzoli

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Mosquito borne diseases are the cause of many different disease syndromes and deaths in animals, both wild and domesticated, and humans of all ages and ethnicities. Though El Paso, TX is located in an arid region, mosquito populations are still rapidly growing in urban and agricultural communities and so are the mosquito borne illnesses. The most common vectors associated with mosquito borne illnesses in El Paso County are Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex tarsalis, and Aedes aegypti. Vector management is often the primary option to prevent and control outbreaks of mosquito borne illnesses and very often utilize fogging as the primary …

Evaluating The Impact Of A High School Garden In El Paso, Texas For Fruit And Vegetable Intake Using A Valid Biomarker, Patrick Vaughn Hopkins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: School gardens are an educational tool used to increase children's exposure to, and intake of, fruits and vegetables (F/V). Diets rich in F/V reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes, and can aid in weight management as a strategy to reduce obesity prevalence. Objective data of the impact of school gardens on F/V intake are lacking, as most studies have relied on dietary self-reporting to validate F/V intake. Self-reporting of dietary intake is inherently an unreliable method for assessing F/V intake. Carotenoids, a family of phytochemicals, are a reliable biomarker of dietary intake …

Influence Of Media Messages On Obesity And Health Perceptions Among African American Women, Carolyn Grant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women have the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, thus increasing their risks for chronic diseases. Their understanding of their health status and response to it could be triggered by messages in the media, yet few researchers have examined this topic with African American women. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how advertisement and editorial content in media contributed to perceptions African American women have about overweight and obesity. Following the theoretical foundation of the social cognitive theory, the research questions explored what messages study participants encountered and which messages prompted …

“An Uphill Battle”: Psychosocial Health And Self-Care Among Advocates Who Work Against Gender-Based Violence In South Carolina, Ebru Cayir

Theses and Dissertations

Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most pressing public health and human rights issues in the United States overall, and more specifically, in South Carolina (SC). SC consistently ranked among the highest in the nation in terms of female homicide rates. Non-profit organizations (NPOs) that focus their work specifically on GBV constitute an essential component of prevention and mitigation efforts in SC. Advocates who work for GBV-specific NPOs experience a wide range of psychosocial health and well-being benefits and risks due to their work. This study aimed to: 1) Identify the relationships between engaging in paid GBV-specific advocacy and …

Involvement Of Men In Responsible Parenthood In Croatia, India, And Mexico: Major Factors, Correlates, And National Policy, Salima Kasymova

Theses and Dissertations

For this research I explored the association between men's gender attitudes and their endorsement of paternity leave policies as a way to begin to understand the determinants of men’s support of paternity leave policies. In addition, in order to understand factors that influencing paternal involvement, I examined the association between men’s gender attitudes and their actual involvement in caregiving among a sub-sample of fathers. I also explored whether men's leave-taking when their child was born mediated the association between their gender attitudes and involvement in child care. Considering the importance of national policy documents for promotion men’s participation in childcare, …

Multilevel And Multisectoral Processes Of Implementing Nutritionsensitive Ideology And Programming In Ethiopia’S Development Landscape, Andrea Marie Warren

Theses and Dissertations

This research sought to understand the ways in which ideas and discourses in international development are adapted in a country context. Our particular focus was on how ideas at the international and national level become reality at the subnational and community levels. We primarily examined the sensitization of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program to nutrition across sectors and down levels of government as a way to understand how the global momentum around nutrition, particularly multisectoral or nutrition-sensitive initiatives, can be translated into action.

The first manuscript delves further into the operational realities of implementing multisectoral nutrition-sensitive programming among the neglected …

Fall Prevention In A Neurological Care Unit, Claudeth Jeffrey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient falls are an ongoing concern for health systems in the US and in the setting where this project took place. Inpatient falls affect consumers and health providers because falls often result in patient morbidity and mortality, legal risk, increased length of stay, and increased costs. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the existing fall prevention protocol at the site where this project took place and to make recommendations for an evidenced-based fall prevention protocol. The professional practice model was the conceptual model that guided the exploratory descriptive project. A review of the site's fall prevention policies and …

Socioeconomic Challenges In The Household And The Prevalence Of Comorbidity Among Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Randy Lee Perrin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most commonly diagnosed childhood neurobehavioral disorder, is increasing annually at about 5% per year. ADHD has been diagnosed in approximately 6.4 billion children in the U.S., and it is estimated that 66% of those afflicted have 1 or more comorbid conditions. Children with ADHD are often from socioeconomically challenged households. What is unclear from the literature is the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), defined as education, employment, and income and the reporting of comorbidities with ADHD. The problem is that children with ADHD from low SES households may be reporting a higher prevalence of comorbid …

Sugar Intake And The Five Personality Traits Of Millennials, Flora Gashi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sugar intake continues to be connected to an increased risk of heart diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and certain forms of cancers, depression, and schizophrenia. The purpose of the study was to examine if sugar intake is related to personality traits in the Millennial population. The health belief model was used as the theoretical framework for conducting the study. The research questions addressed in the current study were in regards to the relationships between Millennials daily sugar intake and openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. This study was a cross-sectional design in which a panel of randomly selected United States Millennials (N …

Wellness Education And Job-Related Injuries And Illnesses For Federal Employees, Eunice Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work-related injuries and illnesses may lead to absenteeism, which affects the level of productivity. The purpose of this study was to determine the success of an employee workplace training program on work-related injury and illness rates at selected federal districts within a federal organization. Newman's model, which describes internal and external factors that may have an effect on an individual's health, was the framework that guided this project. A pre-post design was used to compare data from 2 publically available data sets, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Illness and Injury and the Voice of the Employee Survey, for the …

Mindfulness Meditation Practice By Individuals With Substance Dependent Behavior, Quyen Ho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many people in the United States suffer from substance dependence, which leads to depression, anxiety, work impairment, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, crime, and health care problems. Mindfulness meditation has been applied in many aspects of mental health treatment and all belief systems. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore substance dependents' experiences related to their mindfulness meditation practice of at least 6 months and up to 3 years. A constructivist conceptual framework, which states that human beings create systems for understanding reality based on their individual beliefs, emotions, and interpretations, was used for this study. Research questions focused …

Hygiene Beliefs, Attitudes, And Practices Of Suya Producers In Nigeria, Vivian Iwar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The street food sector continues to grow in Nigeria in a largely unregulated environment. The lack of regulation poses a significant public health risk for consuming unsafe street foods such as suya. Quantitative research has revealed high levels of microbiological contamination of suya, despite qualitative findings that suggest that food handlers are knowledgeable about safe food handling practices. This discrepancy reveals a gap in understanding about what influences safe food handling practices besides knowledge. This qualitative study was therefore designed to gain a deeper understanding of the beliefs and attitudes that influence hygienic practices among suya producers. Guided by the …

Snack Food Reinforcement During Work And Non-Work Hours Among U.S. Office Workers, Sherise Larks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The current epidemic of overweight and obesity has been partly credited to a growing trend for snacking and sedentary work behaviors. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional survey was to investigate whether the difference between snack food reinforcement during work and non-work hours and work food motives predicted BMI among U. S. office workers. This study was based on the theoretical framework of the individual differences theory, in the context of the behavioral choice theory and reinforcement theory. The independent variables were food reinforcement and food motives; the dependent variable was BMI. Descriptive, correlational, and exploratory analyses were used. The …

U.S. Young Adults Stds, Risk Perception, Risk Behaviors, And Health Information Seeking, Amanda Robison-Chadwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are preventable conditions for which treatment failure (specifically in gonorrhea) is becoming problematic. U.S. young adults (20-29 years) have high rates of STD incidence and prevention of these diseases, but reaching them to provide primary prevention educations is challenging due to low perceived susceptibility to infection and lack of knowledge about how young adults seek health information. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to assess the association between perceived susceptibility to STDs, sexual risk behavior, and the acquisition of health information as it pertains to sexual health topics in young adults. The Health Belief …

Understanding Self-Management Decision Making In Heart Failure, Constance Louise Schumacher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Heart failure patients are responsible for managing fluctuations in symptoms between exacerbations by employing treatment adherence, active monitoring, and management strategies based on expert guidelines. Despite education, delayed help seeking persists among those in the need of acute medical intervention, as evidenced by high hospital admission and readmission rates. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to explore the decision making processes undertaken by heart failure, community-dwelling individuals as they experience symptom changes. Eighteen face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants who had heart failure and received self-management education from a home care agency in Southern Ontario, Canada. Data …

U.S Marine Corps Veterans' Perceptions Of Screening For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Tiffany Lawing Schweitzer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious issue for post-deployment United States Marine Corps (USMC) veterans, especially because PTSD can increase the risk of suicide. Marines are screened post-deployment, yet little is known about Marine veterans' perceptions of the PTSD screening process. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore USMC male veterans' perceptions of the Post- Deployment Health Reassessment (PDHRA). The social cognitive theory constructs of a triadic relationship among person, environment, and behavior were the framework for understanding this population's perceptions of the PDHRA and potential stigma. Two research questions focused on how people, culture, and behavior …

Mandated Continuing Education And The Competency Of Illinois Physical Therapists, Denise Lynn Hunter Ethington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Continuing education (CE) mandate laws are passed by states because it is in the public interest. The intent behind the passage of Illinois's CE law for physical therapists is to protect public health and safety through ensuring the competency of providers. However, studies into the impact of mandated CE on competency have been mixed. The problem addressed by this study was whether Illinois's CE law was effective in improving the competency of physical therapists and its impact on patient care. The purpose of this study was to understand what role mandated CE played in developing the competency of physical therapists …

Rural Community Health Needs Assessment Findings: Access To Care And Mental Health, Sabrina Cherry, Ayanna Robinson, Jared Jashinsky, Grace Bagwell-Adams, Michelle Elliott, Marsha Davis

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This article highlights the qualitative results from focus groups conducted as part of a Community Health Needs Assessments in two rural Georgia communities. Four 1-hr focus groups were facilitated with 32 community stakeholders. Sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis identified two primary themes: mental health and barriers to accessing health care. Focus group participants discussed mental health challenges as they related to substance abuse and suicide. Participants acknowledged barriers to access, including no health insurance, cost, eligibility gaps for government-sponsored programs, the low availability of specialty care, and poverty. Addressing mental health and access to care in …

Preferences Of Women For Web-Based Nutritional Information In Pregnancy, Rachel Ak Kennedy, Laura Mullaney, C.M.E. Reynolds, Shona Cawley, Daniel Mccartney, M.J. Turner

Articles

Objectives During pregnancy, women are increasingly turning to web-based resources for information. This study examined the use of web-based nutritional information by women during pregnancy and explored their preferences. Study design Cross-sectional observational study. Methods Women were enrolled at their convenience from a large maternity hospital. Clinical and sociodemographic details were collected and women's use of web-based resources was assessed using a detailed questionnaire. Results Of the 101 women, 41.6% were nulliparous and the mean age was 33.1 years (19–47 years). All women had internet access and only 3% did not own a smartphone. Women derived pregnancy-related nutritional information from …

Examining Preference Of Home-Based Telemental Health Among Rural Veterans, Paige Dixon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Rural veterans face significant disparities to health care that have resulted in lower physical and mental health related quality of life when compared to their urban counterparts (Weeks et al., 2006). Such disparities are further complicated by the six-fold increase in prevalence of mental health diagnoses among Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans (Seal et al., 2009). These rising rates are particularly relevant to rural veterans as they represent 41% of the overall Veteran Health Administration enrollees, but only 19% of the general population (U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs, 2012; U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Rural veterans face three …

Users' Experiences Of Wearable Activity Trackers: A Cross-Sectional Study, Carol Maher, Jillian Ryan, Christina Ambrosi, Sarah Edney

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Wearable activity trackers offer considerable promise for helping users to adopt healthier lifestyles. This study aimed to explore users’ experience of activity trackers, including usage patterns, sharing of data to social media, perceived behaviour change (physical activity, diet and sleep), and technical issues/barriers to use.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was developed and administered to Australian adults who were current or former activity tracker users. Results were analysed descriptively, with differences between current and former users and wearable brands explored using independent samples t-tests, Mann-Whitney, and chi square tests.

Results

Participants included 200 current and 37 former activity tracker …

Should School Boards Discontinue Support For High School Football?, Lewis H. Margolis, Greg Canty, Mark Halstead, John Lantos

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

A pediatrician is asked by her local school board to help them decide whether to discontinue their high school football program. She reviews the available evidence on the risks of football and finds it hopelessly contradictory. Some scholars claim that football is clearly more dangerous than other sports. Others suggest that the risks of football are comparable to other sports, such as lacrosse, ice hockey, or soccer. She finds very little data on the long-term sequelae of concussions. She sees claims that good coaching and a school culture that prioritizes the health of athletes over winning can reduce morbidity from …

Completion Characteristics Of Non-Hispanic Blacks With Tuberculosis And Hiv, Vernard Darrell Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are difficult conditions to manage, in tandem they pose even more challenges to public health programs in identifying coinfection to ensure that all TB cases are treated to completion of therapy (COT). The purpose of this study was to test variables that predicted COT among the HIV/TB coinfected population of non-Hispanic, U.S.-born Blacks alive at the time of diagnosis. Social determinants of health were the theoretical foundation used to guide the study based on data from the Report of Verified Cases of TB (RVCT) between 2009 and 2014. Relationships were tested between ethnic/racial …