Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Diagnosing The Prodromal State Of Alzheimer's Disease, Jennifer Bartkowiak

Honors Scholar Theses

Mild Cognitive Impairment- Amnestic Subtype (MCIa) is a putative prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) characterized by focal deficits in episodic verbal memory. Less is known about relative deficits in visuospatial learning, although there is ample evidence indicating involvement of the hippocampus in visuospatial learning, as well as hippocampal degeneration in early AD. The aim of this study was to better characterize the components of working memory dysfunction in people with MCIa to increase the ability to reliably diagnose this disease. Fifty-six elderly adults diagnosed with MCIa and 94 healthy elderly completed a hidden maze learning task. Results indicated similar …

The Treatment Action Campaign's First Decade: Success Achieved?, Jung Cho

Honors Scholar Theses

South Africa is known to have the largest HIV epidemic in the world with 5.7 million people currently living with HIV, according to UNAIDS. In light of the crisis, South Africa's Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has led the social movement for increased treatment access for people living with HIV through lobbying the government, multinational pharmaceutical companies, and grassroots campaigning. Since it's founding a decade ago, TAC has been highly acclaimed both regionally and internationally for its success. In order to determine the success of this social movement organization, social movement theories, such as mobilization potential, external political opportunity structure, and …

To Vaccinate, Or Not? Health Care Providers And The Hpv Controversy, Nicole Elizabeth Hanbury

Honors Scholar Theses

Gardasil® – the vaccine was first thought to be a medical breakthrough in the fight against cancer, but it quickly became plagued with controversy. Despite wide media coverage, little attention has been paid to today’s health care professionals who are ultimately responsible for prescribing the vaccine, and who may be the most knowledgeable about it. The present study seeks to expand on previous literature by investigating health care providers’ current beliefs and practices with the human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization. It is essential that more recent research be performed in order to encompass current views of the vaccine, post FDA-approval.

Data …

Assessment Of English Language Learners Seeking A Graduate Degree In Speech Language Pathology, Lisa Anne Prushko

Honors Scholar Theses

A shortage of bilingual/bicultural speech language pathologists may reflect a problem with recruitment and retention of bilingual/bicultural students. The purpose of the present study was to survey graduate training programs in speech language pathology to determine typical policies and practices concerning students who apply and are admitted as ELLs. With a growing number of ELL children needing services from a bilingual SLP, it seems that little is being done to address the issue. The problem may be with the reluctance of programs to not only accept ELL students, but there also seems to be a disinclination for any sort of …

Does Unemployment Decrease Cancer Mortality?, Benjamin Torres Galick

Economics Honors Projects

Recent research indicates that healthier lifestyles during recessions decrease the most common U.S. mortalities, but not cancer. However, they combine specific cancer mortalities with different progressions into one, possibly obscuring cancer’s link to unemployment. This paper estimates a fixed-effects regression model on unemployment and the nine most prevalent cancers between 1988 and 2002 using state-level panel data. Five cancers and total cancer are procyclical, and suggest that unemployment affects both incidence and gestation for some cancers. Consistent with the medical literature, this paper contradicts previous economic research and suggests that behavioral factors significantly impact cancer mortality.

Information Interface - Volume 37, Issue 2 - May/June 2009, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Information Interface (1976 - 2009)

News and information about Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library of interest to users. Includes articles on clinical information tools, Healthy DC, and the new GWU Historia Medicinae journal.

Mental Skills Usage Among Collegiate Track And Field Throwers, Chad A. Perry

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine how often collegiate track and field throwers use goal setting, imagery, and arousal management. The second purpose was to determine if there was a significant difference between mental skills usage in practice and competition. The Test of Performance Strategies was administered to 50 collegiate track and field throwers. First, it was hypothesized that less than 20% of the participants would use mental skills very often and that the majority would report using mental skills in either moderate or low amounts. Results indicated goal setting and relaxation in practice were the only two …

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Combat Veterans And The Effect On Their Life And Marital Satisfaction, Amy Rodriguez Alford

Graduate Theses

Various studies have been conducted within our United States military service members and their problems with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are several factors as to why a combat veteran can develop PTSD (Committee on Gulf War and Health, 2008) , PTSD could effect their life and marital satisfaction. The present study consisted of 15 married couples, in which the husband has served combat duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. The total level of PTSD symptomology was compared to each individual's life and marital satisfaction. There was no significance correlations found between the husbands' PTSD symptoms and their quality of life, …

Isp Indicators / Combined Report, Helen Hemminger Mmhs

Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Interests And Harms In Primate Research, Nathan Nobis

Experimentation Collection

The article discusses the moral issues on primate research in reference to the moral defenses by Sughrue and colleagues. It states that Sughrue and colleagues have claimed to provide equal examination of the primate stroke research's ethics. It mentions that the promise to straighten out a number of ethical arguments in favor and against primate research was not fulfilled. Several moral arguments are presented in response to Sughrue and colleagues' moral defense for animal experimentation.

Spiritual Struggles And Self-Discrepancy, Robert Carlisle

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spiritual Struggles occur when a person's spirituality has been threatened and must be modified or changed. Researchers explain that there are three types of struggles - divine, interpersonal and intrapersonal. In this study it was proposed that religious discrepancies could lead to spiritual struggles. There are two major types of discrepancies: actual/ideal and actual/ought. Actual/ideal discrepancies exist when there is a difference between what people think they ideally should be like and what they are actually. An actual/ought discrepancy is a difference between what people think they ought to be and what they actually are. It was proposed that religious …

Asthma Severity In School-Children And The Quality Of Life Of Their Parents, Noelle S. Cerdan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background . The everyday management of a child with asthma can affect the parent's quality of life. Past studies which examined the effects of asthma characteristics of the child on parental quality of life have not reached a consensus over findings. Few studies examine parent characteristics such as mental health and sociodemographics on the quality of life of parents of asthmatic children.

Purpose . To examine the effect of asthma severity of school-children and sociodemographic characteristics onthe caregiver's quality of life. It also investigates whether agreement exists between the caregiver's perception of asthma severity and physician-diagnosed asthma severity.

Methodology . …

Women's Health And Fitness Magazines: An Accurate Portrayal?, Jennifer M. Shymansky

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study is a content analysis examining the representation of health information, particularly the leading causes of death, in cover story headlines of one year of the top women's health and fitness magazines: Prevention , Shape , Fitness , Self , Health and Women's Health. The study is grounded in social responsibility theory, a normative media theory. The findings show that women's health and fitness magazines' cover story headlines predominately discuss diet and exercise for weight loss, rather than the leading causes of death facing women. This under representation of actual societal health concerns can limit the vast readerships' health …

A Descriptive Study Examining Motivation, Goal Orientations, Coaching, And Training Habits Of Women Ultrarunners, Rhonna Zena Krouse

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Ultrarunners are people who participate in running events that exceed the 26.2 mile marathon distance. Currently, women make up approximately 20% of this population. To date, no studies have investigated female ultrarunners. The present study sought to describe these women (N = 344) by evaluating motivational factors for participation, goal orientations, training habits, and coach utilization. Motivation was measured using the Motivation for Marathoners Scale (7 point Likert scale). General health orientation (M = 4.71± 1.06) and psychological coping (M = 4.71±1.03) were the two categories most endorsed whereas social motives were least endorsed (M = …

Advance Practice Nurses Readiness To Change Assessment Methods In Parents Of Obese Children, Carolyn Leach

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The worldwide epidemic of child and adolescent overweight and obesity continues to increase at disturbing rates. Unhealthy dietary practice is one of multiple causative behaviors leading to child and adolescent overweight and obesity. This behavior can contribute to short and long-term health consequences. Parents are modulators in the development of children's dietary behavior practices. It is recommended clinical practice that pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) assess readiness to change behavior in parents of overweight or obese children. The components of the Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model (TTM) in correlation with the counseling style of Rollnick, Miller and Butler's methods of Motivational …

State Report Of Unmet Needs For Quarter 3 Fy '09 (Jan- Mar '09), Helen Hemminger Mmhs

Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Suicide Associated With Military Service, Margo R. Genderson, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Mark S. Kaplan, Michael J. Lyons

Publications and Research

Suicide rates among soldiers and veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) have been steadily growing since 2004, with sharp increases observed more recently. Suicides in the Army are a growing concern on Capitol Hill and in the media. Last month, the Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings on the growing incidence of suicides across the armed forces (Federal city digest, 2009, March 18). The Associated Press (AP) underlined the increasing suicide rates among Army personnel (Army reports sharp rise in suicides in January, 2009, Feb. 5). According to the AP, there were 64 suicides in 2004, and …

Lsuhsc Facilities Daily Update: May 2009, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates: 2009

LSUHSC Dailly Facilities Updates from May 2009.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: May 2009, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2009

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from May 8 and 22, 2009.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

The Chakra Energy System And Art Therapy: A Heuristic Study, Linda Scalise

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The chakra system, an Eastern philosophy relating to an individual’s health, energy, and consciousness, has been integrated into the healing practices of psychology, meditation, yoga, and alternative medicine. Dale (2005), Judith (1996), and Myss (1996) described the chakra energy system as focal points embedded within the human energy system that regulate all components of the self. Researchers in complementary therapies and energy medicine have long been interested in how the integration of this system affects the progression of disease, human behavior, and emotional disturbances. However, although rich in symbolism and metaphor, no literature has been found demonstrating the use of …

Using Art Therapy To Increase Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Homeless Mothers Living In A Shelter, Mandi Elizabeth Wines

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Literature reveals that homelessness is inherently a situation where desired outcomes are less likely than unfavorable outcomes, and, as such, the concepts of learned hopelessness, disempowerment, and low self-efficacy are especially relevant. Self-efficacy has been found to affect one’s motivation, performance, coping, self-esteem, emotional arousal, and behavior. Homeless women who possess a stronger sense of self-efficacy are more likely to actively engage in employment and housing searches and spend less time in temporary shelters than those with low self-efficacy.

Although aspects of this problem have been studied no specific intervention models have proven effective in increasing homeless women’s self-efficacy. Literature …

Attachment Styles And Children In Foster Care: A Study Involving Art Therapy Evaluation, Abigail Johnson

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This case study explored the attachment style and perceptions of family, from the perspective of children in the foster care system, through the use of art therapy evaluative methods. The participants for this study included two half-sisters in the second and fourth grades. The Art Therapy-Projective Imagery Assessment (AT-PIA) was adapted and used to construct a well-rounded understanding of each client. Within the adapted AT-PIA, the Human Figure Drawing and the Bird’s Nest Drawing were evaluated using rating schemes. A dyad session was held with the two participants, where a Safe Place Sculpture was created. Review of the artwork revealed …

Examining Adolescent Suicide: How To Identify The Risks, Kelsey Moellering

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Applying Leadership Paradigms To Public Health Challenges

Florida Public Health Review

In the 2008 volume of the Florida Public Health Review we published some student essays in which specific leadership paradigms were applied in theory to tackle some of public health’s most challenging problems. We continue that in effort in 2009 and invite other public health students, faculty, and practitioners from around the state to contribute ideas that foster leadership skills and the development of dynamic leaders.

Creating Pathways To Participatory Research

Florida Public Health Review

Many disciplines, including Public Health, have recognized the importance of participatory research methods in creating change in communities. The ability of participatory research to create change- particularly in behaviors- is what makes it such a promising area of research in health promotion. Whereas the value of participatory research is recognized, a “disconnect” exists in that the support mechanisms for this research are not in place. In fact, many researchers are encouraged to forgo the use of participatory research methods via the policies or biases of tenure and promotion committees, funding agencies and institutional review boards. These entities may claim to …

Primary Care Use Among Hiv Positive Inpatients At An Inner City Public Hospital: The Impact Of Crack Cocaine Use, Toye H. Brewer, Lisa R. Metsch, Marsha Mullings, Gabriel Cardenas, Margaret Pereyra

Florida Public Health Review

We studied factors associated with HIV care utilization in symptomatic HIV-positive crack-using and non-using patients at a public hospital in Miami, Florida. A bedside survey conducted with 89 HIV-positive crack-users and 93 HIV-positive non-users examined health care knowledge, perceived health status, drug use, and HIV care patterns. A multi-nominal model was utilized to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of three levels of care: currently receiving care (having seen an HIV provider in the past 4 months), having dropped out of care (having seen an HIV provider at least once but not in the past 4 months), and never having …

What Floats Your Boaters? – A Commentary, Mary Martinasek

Florida Public Health Review

Florida has over one million registered boaters not including the plethora of canoes and other paddle craft for which registration is not required. Whereas wearing a seatbelt in a car is regulated by law and has become a routine practice for the majority of Floridians, wearing a personal floatation device (PFD) while boating is neither mandatory nor routine. Florida has ranked first annually among states in boating fatalities since 2003, and accounted for 10.9% of the total number of U.S. boating deaths in 2006. This commentary argues for making PFD use mandatory in an environment where the social norm is …

Applying Leadership To Facilitate Physician-Patient Communication And Promote Health In The Lesbian Community

Florida Public Health Review

Lesbian women experience health inequalities primarily related to their experiences of discrimination, homophobia, and the assumption of heterosexism. This milieu of experiences can lead to an avoidance of routine health care, screening, and non-disclosure of sexual orientation to physicians. Lesbians may participate in some health risk behaviors more than heterosexual women leading to an increase in risks for certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and HIV. Lesbians who discuss their sexual orientation and behavior with their physician report feeling more comfortable, experience better communication, and are more likely to seek routine medical care. Although the medical community has been making a shift …

Whom Can You Trust? Exploring Leadership Addressing Hiv Risk Prevention In African American Women

Florida Public Health Review

Within the last decade African American women have experienced serious increases in HIV diagnoses. Almost 40% of all newly diagnosed HIV-positive women in the United States are black women. Furthermore, black women are 23 times more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS than white women. This paper explores some of the underlying socioeconomic factors for high incidence rates of HIV among African American women—including poverty, racism, and stigma—that contribute to this health disparity and discusses current leadership approaches to addressing this problem. One common leadership approach focuses on adapting CDC intervention programs at a local level, a process that presents …

Using Leadership To Improve Community-Based Obesity Interventions

Florida Public Health Review

Obesity is an enormous health problem facing America in the 21st century. Despite great efforts, health educators have made little progress in meeting the goals laid out in Healthy People 2010. A more contextual, community- based approach is necessary to change the physical and social environment in which people live, work and play. Studies show that residents of neighborhoods that lack pedestrian-friendly features and have high crime rates are less likely to be physically active, an important point for health educators to take into account when designing interventions. Whereas professional health educators have done little in this area, exemplary grassroots …