Public Health Education and Promotion Commons^™

Tobacco Use, Number Of Serious Smoking Cessation Attempts, And Interest In Lung Screening In A Sample Of Adult Muslims In The United States, Omar F.S. Attarabeen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Muslims in the United States (US) exhibit higher rates of tobacco use in comparison with rest of the US population. As a result, US Muslims might be at a higher risk for negative health consequences of tobacco use such as lung cancer. Investigating factors that are associated with tobacco use, number of smoking cessation attempts, and interest in lung screening in adult US Muslims can facilitate future efforts aimed at improving health outcomes, essentially through reducing tobacco use rates and promoting preventive lung screening in this population. Therefore, the current dissertation aimed to investigate the association of Social Cognitive Theory …

Predictors Of Medical Students’ Attitudes Towards Abortion And Their Changes Overtime, Rebecca Elizabeth Morales

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

As new legislation is regularly being introduced to minimize Roe v. Wade’s protection of women’s right to choose in a medical setting, it is imperative to study what predictors may have an impact on abortion attitudes within the demographic of medical students, as well as how these predictors impact one’s willingness to provide the service in the future. The current study then, uses data collected in 2000 and 2015 from a medical school located in Virginia, and in collaboration with a research university in the state to examine what factors are associated with a willingness to provide an abortion, as …

Women's Perceptions Of Malaria In The Western Rural Areas Of Sierra Leone, Marcella Davies

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death for children and women in Sierra Leone. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of women from the rural areas of Sierra Leone regarding malaria. A purposive sample of Krio women from the western rural area, aged 21-55 years, spoke English, and had taken care of someone with malaria described their perceptions and lived experiences with the disease in face-to-face interviews. The research questions were based on the health belief model and focused on knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions about malaria prevention and treatment. Interpretative …

Geographic Variations In Antenatal Care Services In Sierra Leone, Eunice Nyambura Chege

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite antenatal care presenting opportunities to identify and monitor women at risk, use of recommended antenatal care services remains. Barriers preventing use of antenatal services vary between countries, and limited knowledge exists about the link between geographical settings and antenatal service use. The objective of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to explore geographical variations and investigate how social demographic characteristics affect use of antenatal care for women in Sierra Leone using the Andersen behavioral model. The data used were from the 2016 maternal death surveillance report of the whole counrty (N =706). Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the …

Evaluation Of Ehealth Literacy Among Non-Clinical Graduate Students; An Iranian Experience, Meisam Dastani, Masoumeh Ansari, Masoumeh Sattari

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Background and Aim: e-health literacy is the ability to search, find, understand and evaluate health information from electronic information sources and use this information to diagnose or resolve health disorders.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the e-health literacy of non-clinical graduate students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-survey research, 159 graduate students and 41 Ph.D. students were randomly selected and investigated. The data collection tool was a standard version of the e-Healths questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed by using the SPSS.22 software.

Results: The results showed that the …

Community Public-Private Partnership Leadership Synergy In Tanzania, Hawa Yatera Mshana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the public-private partnership (PPP) concept in health and social health has been politically accepted as the best pathway to improving health outcomes in many developing nations, implementation lacks leadership synergy. Lack of awareness and engagement of community leaders about PPP interventions and their benefits affect accountability and ownership of health and social care interventions. The purpose of this study was to better understand factors that could promote partnership leadership synergy to enhance ownership and accountability for community health and social welfare initiatives in Tanzania. A qualitative empirical case study design was used; diffusion of innovation and the public-private integrated …

Maternal Socioeconomic Status And Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Uptake, Shawn Lockett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are more than 79 million people in the U.S. currently infected with human papillomavirus (HPV), with an estimated 14 million new infections annually. There is a lack of knowledge about the maternal socioeconomic influences and uptake of the HPV vaccine series. Infection with HPV can cause cervical cancer in women, and there are over 11,000 cervical cancer diagnoses in the U.S. responsible for 4000 deaths annually. Vaccination coverage to prevent HPV infection does not meet the Healthy People 2020 goals of an 80% vaccination rate in the U.S. In this study, associations were tested between maternal SES variables and …

Exploring The Role Of Religious Leaders In Preventing Sickle Cell Disease In Nigeria, Grace Awe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigeria has high rates of sickle cell disease (SCD), which is attributed to the lack of awareness of the disease among the reproductive age in the country. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore the role of religious leaders in contributing to awareness and prevention of SCD in Nigeria. Religious leaders' knowledge, attitude, and prevention and awareness practices of SCD, and how they translated to the prevention of SCD through improved counseling of premarital couples, were explored. A stratified random sampling was employed in selecting a sample of 150 religious leaders from different religious affiliations. Data were collected …

Factors Influencing Alzheimer's Disease Healthcare Utilization Patterns In Puerto Rico, Carlamarie Noboa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with substantial healthcare utilization costs, resulting in a public health priority. In this study, the relationship between the demographic characteristics of age, gender, and type of health insurance; the presence of comorbidities of older Puerto Rican residents diagnosed with AD; and their healthcare utilization patterns (i.e., medical office and emergency room visits and hospital admissions) was examined using Andersen's behavioral model. Data from the 2013 Puerto Rico Health Study was used in this retrospective cohort design study. All AD cases aged -?¥ 60 years were extracted using systematic random sampling. One-way ANOVA-WELCH, Mann-Whitney U test, …

Socioeconomic Characteristics Of Farmers And Agrochemical Use In Grenada, Lindonne Marcia Glasgow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The World Health Organization classified carbaryl, glyphosate, and paraquat as hazardous to human health. In the Agriculture Health Study in the United States, health problems were associated with the use of these 3 agrochemicals 12 or more times per year. These 3 agrochemicals were commonly used in Grenada. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between the social and economic characteristics of the farmers who participated in the 2012 agriculture survey and the use of agrochemicals at frequencies that could pose health risks. Five constructs of the social cognitive theory were used as the premise …

Predictive Relationship Between Treatment Adherence, Glycated Hemoglobin And Diabetic Complications Among Jamaicans, Christian Anaba Nwaukwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient nonadherence to physicians' prescribed therapeutic regimen is the greatest challenge in the effective treatment of patients with diabetes worldwide. Scientific evidence has revealed that nonadherence to prescribed medication could result in diabetic complications such as cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers. The purpose of this study was to explore predictive relationships between levels of adherence to antidiabetic medications, patient HbA1c levels, and diabetic complications among Jamaicans, an understudied population. The research question that guided this study was: Do the patient level of adherence and HbA1c levels have any predictive relationship with the severity of diabetic complications …

Using Social Cognitive Theory To Predict Obesity Behaviors In Hispanic American Children, Augustina Anyikwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity is a growing challenge in the U.S. Hispanic American population. There is a need for evidence-based approaches to combat this problem. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) is one such approach. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which selected constructs of SCT (expectations, self-efficacy, self-efficacy in overcoming barriers and self-control) could predict five childhood obesity prevention behaviors, namely time spent on television watching, time spent on physical activities, water consumption, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and meal portion size among Hispanic American children. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was employed for this study. Data were …

Predictors Of Blood Pressure And Lipids Levels Among African Americans, Frank Lanor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans disproportionately develop cardiovascular disease risk factors including high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels in comparison to European Americans. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of diet quality and physical activity with blood pressure levels and cholesterol levels among African Americans. The social ecological model was the theoretical foundation for the study. Research questions were designed to examine the extent to which diet quality and physical activity predict blood pressure levels and cholesterol levels. The research design was quantitative cross-sectional secondary analysis of 959 participants. After controlling for demographic factors, body mass index, and …

Health Literacy And Hypertension Management In Haitian Immigrants, Suzie Jean

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient compliance and health care communication are impacted by health literacy. Poor health choices, frequent hospital visits, noncompliance with health regimens, and higher health costs are all associated with low health literacy. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether there was an association between health literacy as measured by primary language spoken in the home (Creole vs. English) and hypertension self-management as measured by regular use of medication and cutting down on foods high in salt, and whether there was an association between Haitian men, women, their education level, or level of poverty in relation to health …

Public Health Strategies For Strengthening Prehospital Injury Responses In St. Lucia, Delwin Oliver Ferguson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic injuries have steadily increased during the last two decades, affecting over 5.8 million persons annually and have become a global public health issue. Since 2008, 80% of all deaths from noncommunicable diseases and trauma, approximately 29 million occurred in developing countries. Sixteen thousand young adults worldwide have died due to traumatic injuries. Additionally, injuries account for over 15% of the global burden of diseases, with approximately 90% of these injuries occurring in developing countries like St. Lucia. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine policy gaps in prehospital traumatic injury responses and explore implementing Essential Public …

Predictors Of Binge Drinking In High School Youths In Montgomery County, Maryland, Lum M. Fube

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Underage drinking is a major problem in the United States, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. About 43,000 deaths a year result from binge drinking in youths at a cost of $24 billion in 2010 to the U.S. economy. The purpose of this quantitative dissertation was to examine the predictors of binge drinking in high school youths in a highly racial diverse community of Montgomery County, Maryland. The social ecological model was the theoretical framework used for this study due to the presence of both personal and contextual factors that influence behavior. Using binary logistic regression to analyze data from …

Financial Strategies And Initiatives For Preventing Rural Hospital Closure, Chinue Uecker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, rural hospital closures increased 34% since 2015 due to financial reasons, affecting access to healthcare services in rural communities. For rural hospital leaders, improving the hospital's financial performance is a valuable strategic goal. This multiple case study was designed to explore strategies that rural hospital leaders implement to improve their hospital's financial performance in Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and the United States Virgin Islands. The strategic decision-making framework supported the study because top leaders make decisions that affect the organization's health and survival. Fifteen rural hospital leaders who maintain their hospital's financial stability provided hospital …

Parental Influence On Hiv Vertical Transmission In Kenya, Hussein Abdi Nunow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mother-to-infant vertical transmission of HIV usually occurs during pregnancy, labor, delivery or breastfeeding. It is the third leading cause of transmission of HIV after sexual intercourse and blood transfusions. In 2008, 12 million women aged 15 years and above were anticipated to be living with HIV in countries within Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, the association between parental HIV knowledge, attitudes and risk reduction practices, and HIV vertical transmission in Kenya were explored. The health belief model was used to help understand and interpret the findings. For this quantitative study, data were collected via surveys from 212 participants in 3 …

Relationship Between Health Literacy And End-Stage Renal Disease Among Type Ii Diabetics, Joelle M. Stolte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The progression of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) among type II diabetics is preventable, yet complications continue to plague many. Reports show that 29.1 million people (9.3%) in the United States have diabetes, and 40% of those individuals develop ESRD. Four research questions explored the relationship between ESRD, health literacy, and healthcare. Data from 2010-2015 from the National Institute of Health (NIH) was quantitatively analyzed. The conceptual framework was the revised health service utilization theory. The target population included 3939 diverse males and females between the ages of 20-75 diagnosed with type II Diabetes. Results from Chi-square, cross-tabulation, binary, and …

Intimate Partner Violence And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among College Women, Crystal Bowler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 35% of women in the United States experience intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV could be linked to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that result in long-term mental health issues. Public health professionals, college counselors, and educators require information to assist in identifying college-age women who may be affected by IPV. The purpose of the study was to explore the association between the occurrence of symptoms of PTSD and IPV among college-aged women. The socioecological model was the theoretical framework for the study. A total of 199 cases were selected from National Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence Survey dataset …

Korean Immigrant Women's Perceptions Of Cervical Cancer Screening In Hawaii, Eurina Yujin Cha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority immigrant women are more likely to be diagnosed with and suffer from cervical cancer compared to other minority women in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to explore cultural health perceptions, behaviors, and barriers to cervical cancer prevention among Korean immigrant women (KIW) in Hawaii. The health belief model and the social-ecological model were used to guide the study. Data were collected using individual structured interviews with 20 KIW ages 21 to 65 who are first-generation KIW immigrant to Hawaii. Data were coded and analyzed to identify themes. Findings revealed that participants (a) prefer …

Sickle Cell Disease Pain Burden And Quality Of Life Among Black Children In Mississippi, Laquita Nichelle Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Acute and chronic pain is a common hallmark of sickle cell disease (SCD) in children and adolescents, which can have a profound effect on their quality of life (QOL). However, this relationship is not well quantified. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between SCD pain burden and QOL among Black children ages 8-17 in Mississippi with SCD. The secondary aim was to compare children and caregiver reports of SCD pain burden and QOL with SCD. The social ecological model was used to identify personal factors that influence SCD pain burden and QOL of children with …

The Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Racial Health Disparities And The Patient-Provider Relationship, Andrea Nicole Curry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are adversely affected by health disparities due to the complexities of the patient-provider relationship. The behavioral model of health services was used as the theoretical framework to understand how individuals make healthcare utilization decisions. The purpose of the research was to evaluate how the patient-provider relationship influences inconsistent doctor visits by African American patients despite the prevalence of chronic conditions. 45 African Americans located in Shelby County, Tennessee were included in this study. A cross-sectional quantitative design was used to collect the data via an online survey. The 45 collected responses were analyzed by performing multiple linear regression, …

Holistic Health And Hawaii's Renewable Energy Future, Richard M. Esterle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collective efficacy, time urgency, and health literacy have been a focus of research since the 1970s. Researchers have demonstrated that these factors influence health and decision making. However, researchers have yet to establish how these factors may be connected to the achievement of policy aims that impact holistic or environmental health. This study utilized the health belief model, social cognitive theory, time urgency theory, health education and promotion theory, Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, and the Meikirch model. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if the factors of collective efficacy, perceived time urgency, perceived health literacy, ethnicity, age, …

A Story To Tell Among Minority Alzheimer's Patient Caregivers: A Phenomenological Study, Albertina Lashonda Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The level of burden experienced by caregivers of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease is high. Studies that examine this burden by taking into account cultural and spiritual differences are limited, particularly with regard to minority populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the burden and challenges faced by minority caregivers providing in-home care to Alzheimer's patients. Guided by social support theory, a phenomenological study design was used with semi-structured interviews of 12 caregivers to examine their perspectives on the burden and challenges they face, including their lived experiences, cultural and spiritual values, and interaction with health professionals. Thematic …

Time Banks As Aging-In-Place Initiatives, Calli Sajnani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been growing concern over how state and federal governments can support the increasing population of aging Americans and their need for long-term care. Current insurance funding models cover acute hospitalization and skilled care only, leaving unskilled care needs and homemaker services at the full expense of those in need. Time banking allows individuals to exchange or barter time for goods or services without monetary payment. There is insufficient evidence to determine if members believe time banks to be a viable alternative to support aging-in-place care needs. This phenomenological study explored time banking as a potential vehicle for nonskilled …

A Limited Rational Choice Theory In Local Public Health Decision Making, Lona Bryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The threat and occurrence of terrorist attacks have increased in the United States since September 2011, heightening concerns for weaponized anthrax, other biological pathogens, and epidemics and pandemics. Early decisions and funding levels in local public health agencies can be the first line of defense or first point of failure; yet little is understood about how decisions are made when there are budget cuts before a biological event happens. Using Lindblom's conceptualization of limited rational choice theory, the purpose of this single case study was to understand how a local public health official made decisions after budget cuts in a …

Childhood Asthma In The Midwest, Tiffany Delane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In spite of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines outlining how to diagnose, treat, and educate asthmatics, asthma morbidity and mortality rates are still mounting. Furthermore, the minority population has disproportionately higher rates of unfavorable outcomes from asthma, thereby diminishing their quality of life. The study's theoretical framework was based on the health belief model and explored associations of asthma control with self-efficacy and asthma education. Few studies focus on asthma inequity. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess relationships between asthma control, race, asthma education, and healthcare utilization amongst asthmatic children residing in the Midwest. …

Etiology Of Water Quality Perceptions And Beverage Preferences Of Black Children And Adolescents, Forkpayea K. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the etiology of water quality perceptions and beverage preferences of Black children and adolescents, which addressed a current gap in the literature on this topic. This study was guided by Festinger's social comparison theory, which supports the notion that children and adolescents' perceptions and preferences are influenced by their social network and those with whom they have a close association. In this study, children and adolescents' water quality perceptions were examined as well as the development and factors affecting those perceptions. Whether social factors such as peer or parental influence …

Waterborne Disease Reduction Using Evidence-Based Microbiology Verification In Lower Nyakach, Kenya, Richard R. Blodgett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Waterborne diseases continue to plague the poorest people in low-income countries and are estimated to cause 4,600,000 acute incidents of diarrhea resulting in over 2,000 deaths daily. A major challenge is performing microbiology tests to monitor drinking water quality. Friends of the Old (FOTO) implemented a novel strategy using evidence-based microbiology to educate communities about the relationship between contaminated water and disease. Two commercially available tests for E.coli, adapted for fieldwork, provided easily interpreted results of contamination that correlate with WHO's disease risk categories. Simple and effective household water treatment options 'solar pasteurization and/or chlorination' were provided to all 14,400 …