Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Improving Access And Utilization Of Data To Support Research And Programs Intended To Eliminate Disparities And Promote Health Equity, Rosaly Correa-De-Araujo

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Numerous Federal initiatives are addressing health and health care disparities. The ultimate goal is to achieve “a nation free of disparities in health and health care.” Social determinants of health remain mostly responsible for health/health care disparities among population groups within and between countries. In the United States, there is little evidence that disparities associated with such determinants are decreasing, with only 10% of those associated with race/ethnicity and income having demonstrated improvement in recent years. A variety of data sources are available from the Federal and private sectors to support research on disparities, but no single national survey seems …

Athlete Alcohol Use And Alcohol-Related Consequences: The Role Of Drinking Motives, Michelle Pitts

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Intercollegiate athlete alcohol use, particularly in softball athletes, is higher compared to nonathletes and they experience greater alcohol-related consequences. Motivation to drink alcohol is a strong predictor of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in college students, including collegiate athletes. Drinking motives are reasons why people consume alcohol, including reasons that are specific to the context of athletics. Two dimensions underlie drinking motives: positively or negatively reinforcing motives and internal or external motives (Cox & Klinger, 1988). In this study the influence of sport-related and general drinking motives on alcohol use and negative alcohol-related consequences was examined in 721 collegiate softball …

Numerical Methods For Option Pricing Under The Two-Factor Models, Jiacheng Cai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Pricing options under multi-factor models are challenging and important problems for financial applications. In particular, the closed form solutions are not available for the American options and some European options, and the correlations between factors increase the complexity and difficulty for the formulations and implements of the numerical methods.

In this dissertation, we first introduce a general transformation to decouple correlated stochastic processes governed by a system of stochastic differential equations. Then we apply the transformation to the popular two-factor models: the two-asset model, the stochastic volatility model, and the stochastic interest rate models. Based on our new formulations, we …

Specification Of Mixed Logit Models Using An Optimization Approach, Cristian David Arteaga Sanchez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mixed logit models are a widely-used tool for studying discrete outcome problems. Modeling development entails answering three important questions that highly affect the quality of the specification: (i) what variables are considered in the analysis? (ii) what are going to be the coefficients for these variables? and (iii) what density function these coefficients will follow? The literature provides guidance; however, a strong statistical background and an ad hoc search process are required to obtain the best model specification. Knowledge of the problem context and data is required. Given a dataset including discrete outcomes and associated characteristics the problem to be …

The Impact Of Supportive Parenting On Career Confidence Of Young Adults, Salma Ettefagh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite freedoms for women in modern economies, there remains a large disparity between female graduation rates and women achieving high-ranking positions in the business world. Confidence may be one factor why women are underrepresented in the executive class.This

exploratory research investigated if supportive parenting has an effect on self-reported career confidence among undergraduates. A quantitative ANOVA analysis found that instrumental support factors (for example, money and tuition) overall were significant in predicting performance-based confidence, particularly for males. However, qualitative results showed that supportive parenting and confidence are not always correlated.

Remote Sensing Of The Environmental Impacts Of Utility-Scale Solar Energy Plants, Mohammad Masih Edalat

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Solar energy has many environmental benefits compared with fossil fuels but solar farming can have environmental impacts especially during construction and development. Thus, in order to enhance environmental sustainability, it is imperative to understand the environmental impacts of utility-scale solar energy (USSE) plants. During recent decades, remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems have become standard techniques in environmental applications. In this study, the environmental impacts of USSE plants are investigated by analyzing changes to land surface characteristics using remote sensing. The surface characteristics studied include land cover, land surface temperature, and hydrological response whereas changes are mapped by comparing …

Consumer Attitudes And Purchase Intentions Of Cruises In China, Wenjia Han

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined the impact of consumers’ attitudes towards cruises on their purchase intention of cruises. A sample of 229 past outbound travelers in China were surveyed via an online self-administered survey sent by a Chinese online survey platform named ’So Jump’. The survey used a two-part statement evaluation format to measure cruise purchase intentions and the factors that impact the intentions. Respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement, the important of the sub-factors, and the likelihood to participate in certain activities on a seven-point Likert scale. Use the theory of planned behavior as the base, the three …

How May I Impress You? A Content Analysis Of Online Impression Management Tactics Of Youtube Beauty Vloggers, Xiaoxiao Ma

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research aims at investigating how YouTube beauty vloggers utilize impression management tactics to convey the intended image in an online environment by analyzing their self-presentational behaviors. Two individual coders coded one hundred videos that top trending on YouTube, featuring some single human vloggers who used English as the primary presentation language.

Results revealed that first, vloggers had engaged with all four self-presentational behavioral strategies (verbal expressions, nonverbal cues, artifactual displays, and purposive behaviors) in the seemingly amateur videos. Second, a commonly shared feature of top trending vlogs was that they were all designed with abundant and diverting content, indicating …

Social Cognition In Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Elyse Parke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which impacts behavioral outcomes, including social functioning. Children with ADHD demonstrate impairment across a number of social domains, including aggressive behavior, poor social skills, and higher rates of Oppositional Defiant Disorder compared to typically developing peers. However, the underlying neurocognitive underpinnings of these poor social outcomes are unclear. Furthermore, little is known regarding the impact of ADHD symptomatology on aspects of social cognition. Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity may differentially impact components of social cognition. Determining whether performance on social cognition tasks is predictive of social skills and problem behaviors is also an area …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of The Coach-Athlete Relationship On Athlete Mental Health, Corey Rae Phillips

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is a demand to target the mental health needs of collegiate athletes, who are

considered to be at-risk for physiological injuries, psychological disturbances, and

academic problems. Due to the dynamic nature of the coach-athlete relationship,

assessing the impact coaches have on athletes’ psychological wellbeing is imperative to

shift the way mental health is addressed within this population. The current study aims to

address the relationship between perceived problems in the coach-athlete relationship and

mental health of college students who participate in organized sport. I hypothesize that

problems in the relationship have serious implications for athletes and mental health

providers …

Can Questionnaires Capture Inner Experience? A Validation Study Of The Nevada Inner Experience Questionnaire, Stefanie Alison Moynihan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Self-report questionnaires that explore human experience sometimes produce substantially discrepant results from careful sampling-based methods such as Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES). One explanation is that questionnaires may not be inquiring about the same phenomena that sampling discovers. To investigate this, we conducted two studies. Study 1 (N =260) created the Nevada Inner Experience Questionnaire (NIEQ), designed to measure the frequency of the same five phenomena of inner experience that DES frequently finds (the “5FP”: inner speaking, inner seeing, unsymbolized thinking, feeling and sensory awareness). Study 1 explored the construct validity of the NIEQ, finding it to be reliable and psychometrically …

Value Co-Creation Propositions: A Self-Determination Theory Of Customer Acceptance, Trust And Wellbeing, Lenna V. Shulga

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the emergence of shared business models, hospitality and tourism consumers are faced with the decision to accept value propositions from various service providers, including traditional, collaborative and shared. Grounded in service-dominant logic, theory of acceptance, theory of value, self-determination theory and generational theory, this dissertation examines why consumers accept value propositions from service providers and what drives customers to collaborate with front-line employees. The research uses three studies that utilized a destination resort context with a mixed factorial equal cells experimental design. Study 1 utilized a 3 (generations) x 3 (business models) x 4 (value propositions) factorial between-within subjects …

A Program Evaluation Of The State Of Nevada's Certified Public Manager Program, Carolyn Faircloth, Pat La Putt, Diana Ritter, Shawntay Tyler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The State of Nevada Certified Public Manager (NVCPM) Program is a nationally accredited leadership development program that has been designed to prepare managers and supervisors in the public sector. A program evaluation of the NVCPM Program was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the services delivered to program participants in terms of development of leadership skills and career advancement. In addition, this evaluation examined the value that the NVCPM provides to the agencies that the participant worked for related to the implementation of the participant’s Capstone Project. This evaluation also sought to compare the NVCPM Program with other accredited programs …

Program Evaluation For The Nevada School Of The Arts, Cherie Garrity, Lisa Levine, Angela Phillips, Izack Tenorio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A program analysis and evaluation of the Nevada School of the Arts (NSA), a forty-year-old non-profit organization that provides musical education and advocates for the arts in Southern Nevada, was conducted. This paper serves as the completed report for the Nevada School of the Arts program evaluation and provides thorough analysis, findings from the graduate students’ research, observations, and recommendations for the organization to voluntarily accept.

[Community Oriented Policing (Cop) Evaluation], Kaci Kerfeld, Taylor Glaser, James Koloskie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An in-depth review of the use of force policies and practices used by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) was conducted after the alarming rate of officer involved shootings was publicized by the Las Vegas Review Journal (RJ) in 2011. The 75 recommendations handed down to LVMPD after the review not only helped guide the agency towards procedural and reporting changes, but also paved a way for the agency to begin rebuilding trust in police within the community. This program evaluation focuses on the community engagement efforts put forth by the Bolden Area Command (BAC) community oriented policing (COP) …

Policy Analysys And Program Evaluation: Real Talk Youth Impact Program, Carlton Monroe, Liam Maccaul, Natalie Lorenzano, Vincentiu Anghel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Real Talk’s effectiveness on having a positive impact with at-risk youth here in Southern Nevada. Using data collected by Real Talk, the goal was to find new strategies for the program to further expand its outreach based on the impact they have made on the students that have successfully completed the program.

Defining Problematic School Absenteeism Using Nonparametric Modeling, Kyleigh Kay Skedgell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Contemporary classification models of school absenteeism often employ a multitier approach for organizing assessment and treatment strategies. Researchers have yet to agree, however, on how to objectively define problematic school absenteeism and identify demarcation points for each tier. The present study aimed to inform a multitier approach by determining the most relevant risk factors for problematic school absenteeism. The most useful targets of assessment for problematic school absenteeism are also addressed. The present study examined problematic school absenteeism defined at three distinct cutoffs: 1%, 10%, and 15% of full school days missed. The present study evaluated interactions among several youth- …

Same-Sex Focus In The Visual Attention Of Heterosexual Women: An Investigation Of Potential Explanations, Sarah C. Jones

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

When simultaneously presented with male and female erotic visual stimuli, heterosexual women have a significantly less category-specific pattern of visual attention, wherein they spend much more time viewing same sex stimuli than do men. Heterosexual men, on the other hand, have a much more category-specific pattern of visual attention, allocating nearly all of their visual attention to the female stimuli. The present study investigated several proposed explanations for women’s more diffuse visual attention patterns: that heterosexual women may find some arousal value in viewing erotic female images given their greater sexual fluidity/erotic plasticity in comparison to men, that women may …

Development And Psychometric Evaluation Of The Unfinished Business In Bereavement Scale, Kara Klingspon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bereavement is one of life's greatest challenges, but most grievers recover within approximately six months after the loss. Prolonged Grief Disorder or Complicated Grief describes the 10-20% who continue to struggle with chronic and severe symptoms such as yearning and/or longing for the deceased. Those with prolonged grief are at elevated risk for a number of detrimental physical and mental health outcomes. Unfinished business, which refers to a subjective perception that something was left undone, unsaid, or unresolved with the deceased, is one marker indicating greater risk for such symptomology. Although a common target for intervention, no empirically validated tool …

Esports Enthusiasts And Gamers: Motivations, Behaviors, And Attitudes Towards Gambling, John Lukasik

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined what the driving factors behind why people watch esports and play video games, and their views on casino gambling. This research takes into account several motivational models and theories for video game and media consumption, including the Uses and Gratifications Theory. In addition, motivations and behaviors in regards to gambling were also examined. Although there is plenty of research on gambling motivations, none looks primarily at how esports and video game enthusiasts in specific feel about gambling.

In-depth Interviews were conducted on esports and video game enthusiasts to understand what they enjoy about esports and gaming, and …

The Use Of Social Media Interactivity Between Nevada E-Government Agencies And The Public: An Analysis Of The Role And Impact Of Twitter Accounts, Jung Eun Song

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social media platforms have extended the information and communication technology (ICT) landscape in the public sector and have been used to increase e-government transparency, participation, and collaboration in the U.S. e-government. The use of social media platforms has improved a two-way communication for the interactivity with the public, which can provide insights to understand compliance with the Open Government initiative. However, many government agencies using social media have not thoroughly measured the impact of their digital interactions. Moreover, a lack of empirical studies of social media exist for improving the interactivity between governments and the public. Furthermore, scholars have not …

Pilot And Feasibility Test Of An Implementation Intention Intervention To Improve Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among Women With Low Socioeconomic Status, Michele A. Debiasse Phd, Rdn, Deborah J. Bowen Phd, Sherry L. Pagoto Phd, Joseph M. Massaro Phd, Nawfal Istfan Md, Phd, Lisa M. Quintiliani Phd, Rd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Fruit and vegetable intake (FVI), a modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases, is lower in low socioeconomic status (SES) populations. Implementation intentions (a specific type of planning that extends the Theory of Planned Behavior) has been studied to improve FVI, but not exclusively with low SES groups. Using mixed methods, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an implementation intention intervention (versus a general plan) to increase FVI in women with low SES. For the pilot randomized controlled trial, demographics, body mass index, attitude, perceived behavioral control, goal intention strength, and FVI were measured at baseline and FVI …

Addressing The Racial Disparity In Birth Outcomes: Implications For Maternal Racial Identity On Birthweight, Wanda M. Burton, Maria Hernandez-Reif, Brad Lian

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: As a widely used marker of health, birthweight has been a persistent racialized disparity with the low birthweight rate of Blacks in Alabama nearly doubling the national average. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of racial identity and acculturation on birthweight in a sample of Black women living in Alabama.

Methods: Black women (n=72) in West Alabama were surveyed about the birthweight of their first born child. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted.

Results: Racial identity was the only significant predictor of birthweight. Mothers with a strong racial identity reported having low birthweight …

Risk For Cardiovascular Disease In Blacks With Hiv/Aids In America: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Calvin Odhiambo, Jessica Davis, Bernard Omolo

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) related to HIV infection is becoming a major public health concern in the United Stated. Epidemiologic studies show that prolonged use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, HIV/AIDS itself, and a combination of traditional vascular risk factors increase the risk for CVD among people with HIV/AIDS. However, little is known about any racial disparities in the risk for CVD in the HIV/AIDS population. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of literature on HIV/AIDS and CVD (June 1, 2010-July 31, 2014) through MEDLINE to examine whether and how HIV-positive African Americans are disproportionately affected by CVD compared to …

The Effects Of Insurance Status On Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: A Literature Review, Anthony Fabio, Austin Murray, Michelle Mellers, Stephen Wisniewski, Michael Bell

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: To review the literature that describes the effects of insurance status on traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes among pediatric patients to understand how policies related to access to health insurance changes TBI outcomes. Method: This review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). A search of OVID Medline was conducted in May of 2016 for all years for peer-reviewed articles that included keywords related to “brain injuries” and “insurance status”. Articles were included if authors conducted a separate analysis of children aged 0 to 18. Articles were excluded if the TBI was the …

Utilizing Title Vi As A Means To Eradicate Health Discrimination, Adrian D. Samuels, Mariah L. Cole

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Health disparities among people of color are persistent and detrimental to the overall wellness of these groups. Discrimination in the provision of health care services is one of the primary causes of health disparities. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s availability as a tool to prevent discrimination and, in turn, disparities among these groups is underdocumented. The legislative intent of Title VI and the historical context of the law have been helpful in its use outside of the health care arena to prevent discrimination. This sheds light on the ways that the law can influence the health …

Social Determinants Of Health Associated With Hbv Testing And Access To Care Among Foreign-Born Persons Residing In The United States: 2009 - 2012, Kevin M. Greene, Wayne A. Duffus, Jian Xing, Hope King

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objectives: To describe how select Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are associated with the burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among foreign-born persons residing in the United States.

Methods: Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 Risk Factor Survey data to investigate the independent relationship between SDH and HBV testing and access to care.

Results: HBV infected persons with insurance were more likely to see a physician than those without. Respondents worried about money to pay rent or mortgage were more likely to report HBV infection than …

Research Information Management: How The Library Can Contribute To The Campus Conversation, Annette P. Day

Library Faculty Research

This article describes a project undertaken as part of a cross-campus strategic planning effort. The project documented current campus practices and systems in use for collecting, analyzing and reporting key research metrics. The project identified organizational issues around siloed data collection and lack of clarity on data stewards, data stakeholders, and data reporting schedules. The work highlighted to University Administration the need and importance of effective research information management (RIM) and the key role that the University Libraries can play in this area.

Creating A Virtuous Circle Of Student Engagement With The Tech Corner, Brian R. Shuck, Susan B. Wainscott, Jennifer Church-Duran, Darcy C. Del Bosque

Library Faculty Research

While many academic libraries have followed the public library lead in developing maker-spaces, not all libraries have the money or space to dedicate to such large-scale operations. This case study explores a different approach to engaging users with new technology and investigates how to support their creativity without a costly investment in space and staffing. It demonstrates not only how students can be provided a virtual space to explore technology equipment, but also how their opinions can be leveraged for growing the collection and creating training materials.

Homless Communities: The Las Vegas Strip, Sarah Werman

Honors College Theses

Homelessness is defined as having no set place to sleep. It includes those sleeping literally outside, those staying in a shelter or vehicle, and those living at a friend’s home, or in a daily, weekly, or month to month rental. The number of homeless in the United States is staggering; there were 630,840 declared homeless people in the United States in 2012 (Utah 2012), a figure that doesn’t include the less visible homeless, such as those staying with friends or in unstable rentals. This study aims to bring more attention and understanding to the homeless community on the Las Vegas …