Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Sampled University Students' Perceived Risk Of Diabetes & Self-Reported Diabetes Risk Factors, Ajibike R. Shodunke

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research was to measure university students' perceived risk of diabetes and self-reported diabetes risk factors. Informed consent forms and survey questionnaires were distributed to students in randomly sampled courses (n=357), with students aged 18 to 24. Out of the 357 surveys completed, 325 surveys were used for analysis of this study. Forty-eight percent of participants between ages 18 to 24 perceived themselves at minimal risk for developing type II diabetes. Sampled participants reported a mean of 2.25 (type II) diabetes risk factors out of 18 diabetes risk factors. Additionally, there were significant differences ( …

Primary And Secondary Prevention Of Hepatitis C Virus Among Rural Appalachian People Who Use Drugs, Dustin B. Stephens

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with 3% of the global population chronically infected. Clinical impacts in the United States are projected to increase for two decades, and mortality attributed to HCV now exceeds HIV. Injection drug use (IDU) is the most common route of transmission in the developed world. Advances in treatment offer hope of mitigating HCV impacts, but substantial barriers obstruct people who inject drugs (PWID) from receiving care, particularly in medically underserved regions including Central Appalachia. This study assessed IDU paraphernalia sharing longitudinally over 24 months in a sample of …

Sex Education Background Of Students At Msu, Mankato Prior To Enrollment At The University, Natalie Mcconkey

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine what key concepts were recalled in high school sex education curricula by students at MSU. The participants in this study were MSU, students enrolled in 2013 spring semester Health and the Environment course. An electronic survey consisting of 43 questions was distributed though the survey program SurveyMonkey. The survey was sent out to 596 MSU students, and data was collected from 39 MSU, M students. Roughly, 73% of the participants reported receiving comprehensive sex education compared to 19% of participants reporting abstinence-only education in high school. The key concepts that received major …

Comment On “The Effect Of Same-Sex Marriage Laws On Different-Sex Marriage: Evidence From The Netherlands”, Alexis Dinno

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the recent Demography article titled “The Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Laws on Different-Sex Marriage: Evidence From the Netherlands,” Trandafir attempted to answer the question, Are rates of opposite sex marriage affected by legal recognition of same sex marriages? The results of his approach to statistical inference—looking for evidence of a difference in rates of opposite-sex marriage—provide an absence of evidence of such effects. However, the validity of his conclusion of no causal relationship between same-sex marriage laws and rates of opposite-sex marriage is threatened by the fact that Trandafir did not also look for equivalence in rates of opposite-sex …

Birth Control: To What Extent Do Women Report Being Informed And Involved In Decisions About Pregnancy And Birth Procedures?, Rachel Thompson, Yvette D. Miller

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Health policy, guidelines, and standards advocate giving patients comprehensive information and facilitating their involvement in health-related decision-making. Routine assessment of patient reports of these processes is needed. Our objective was to examine decision-making processes, specifically information provision and consumer involvement in decision-making, for nine pregnancy, labour, and birth procedures, as reported by maternity care consumers in Queensland, Australia.

Methods: Participants were women who had a live birth in Queensland in a specified time period and were not found to have had a baby that died since birth, who completed the extended Having a Baby in Queensland Survey, 2010 about …

Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles, Elizabeth Dugan, Frank Porell, Nina Silverstein, Ruth Palombo, Stacey Mann

Gerontology Institute Publications

The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles was created by researchers at the Gerontology Institute of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and commissioned by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

In this report, we have created a custom profile of nearly 100 healthy aging indicators for every city and town in Massachusetts including the 16 neighborhoods of Boston (367 Community Profiles). Each Community Profile is designed to help community residents, agencies, providers, and governments understand the older adults who live in their cities and towns – their ages, …

Promoting Cancer Prevention And Control In Community-Based Hiv/Aids Service Organizations: Are They Ready, John A. Guidry, Erica I. Lubetkin, Geoffrey Corner, Jennifer Lord-Bessen, Mark Kornegay, Jack E. Burkhalter

Publications and Research

Community-based organizations (CBOs) serving persons living with HIV or AIDS face the challenge of an aging population with more chronic diseases. This study assessed cancer programming needs of AIDS service organizations (ASOs) in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut by conducting a community needs assessment. Sixty (58%) of 103 organizations completed the survey. ASOs conduct activities most related to early steps along the cancer care continuum, but they also express great interest in expanding cancer-focused programming into new areas. ASOs have resources or capacities in assisting HIV+ clients with mental health or substance abuse problems, but there exists a need …

The Associations Between Homa-Ir And Muscular Strengthening Activity In Euglycemic U.S. Adults, William Robert Boyer Ii

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Muscular strengthening activity (MSA) has been shown to be inversely associated with insulin resistance (IR). The associations between quartiles of the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and self-reported MSA in a nationally representative sample of euglycemic U.S. adults were examined.

Methods: Sample included adult participants (≥20 years of age [n=2,543]) from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). HOMA-IR was categorized into quartiles based on every 25^th percentile. No MSA was the dependent variable.

Results: Following adjustment for covariates, those with HOMA-IR values in third (p

Conclusions: Having a higher HOMA-IR value is associated …

The Determinants Of Physical Activity In Rural Women, Ages 20-44 Years, Dziyana Nazaruk

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite multiple health benefits of exercise, it is reported that only 14.7% of American women engage in the recommended amount of physical activity. Whereas the potential negative consequences of not exercising are well documented, there is a scarcity of literature that investigates the determinants of physical activity in rural women. The purpose of this concurrent transformative mixed method study was to explore the determinants of physical activity in rural women ages 20-44 years. Specific quantitative research questions addressed the relationship between the determinants of physical activity on intra- and interpersonal levels, as well as the current physical activity status of …

Preventing Childhood Obesity: A Mixed Methods Study Into The Perceptions Of African Americans In A Rural Community, Dayna S. Alexander

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Preventing childhood obesity is a global priority due to adverse health risks and financial burdens. With childhood obesity rates stabilizing it is difficult to determine which factors alone (i.e., genetic, environmental, behavioral, or demographic) increase susceptibility to childhood obesity. Parents influence childhood obesity risk factors through their parenting styles and behaviors. Social behavioral theories and public health evidence demonstrate including parents in childhood obesity efforts could assist in reducing childhood obesity rates. The objective of this study was to assess perceptions of childhood obesity among African Americans with children enrolled in a rural elementary school in the Deep South. The …

Dating Violence On Small Rural College Campuses: Are Administrator And Student Perceptions Similar?, Jean Allen Oldham

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

In recent years dating violence has become more and more prevalent on college campuses. Reports of the range of dating violence vary widely, with studies reporting from 20% to 85% of college women experiencing dating violence. However, almost all research has been conducted among urban and/or large colleges and universities, with virtually no attention to what is happening on small and/or rural college and university campuses.

When a possible 20% of college women have experienced dating violence on college campuses, there becomes a crucial need for administration at a college to have an accurate assessment of the college’s liability, and …

Predictors Of Hiv Testing Among Individuals Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder, Marie Denise Decoline

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on rates of HIV testing among individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder (BPD) is limited, while HIV infection continues to rise among BPD individuals. The problem is that BPD individuals are at high risk for HIV infection due to non-adherence to treatment for bipolar disorder and manic episodes that can lead to high-risk behaviors. The goal of the study was to examine the association between selected demographic variables, having a bipolar diagnosis, engaging in high-risk behaviors, inability to afford treatment for bipolar disorder, non-adherence to treatment for bipolar disorder, and substance abuse, and their relationship to obtaining an HIV test …

Comparison Of Body Composition Measures In Older Adult Males, Cody Smith

Honors Projects

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure created to assess population wide staistics of obesity and stratify health risk. However, there are large differences in health risk when comparing BMI with measures of body composition. BMI is not a measure of body composition. Body composition measures are used to distinguish between fat mass, fat-free mass. This percent body fat is more significantly correlated with health risk.

This study analyzed various body composition methodologies including waist circumference at the umbilicus and at the narrowest point of the abdomen, sagittal abdominal diameter, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and air displacement plethysmography. The study’s purpose …

Taking Physical Activity To The Streets: The Popularity Of Ciclovia And Open Streets Initiatives In The Us, J. Aaron Hipp

Brown School Faculty Publications

As a way to reduce chronic diseases associated with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocates community-wide initiatives promoting physical activity. One such initiative gaining popularity in the US is the Ciclovía, or Open Streets initiative, where city streets are opened to residents for physical activity and closed to motorized traffic.1 Open Streets gained international prominence in Bogota, Colombia, and are viewed by policy makers and health and community advocates as being beneficial to social, environmental, and community health.2 The interest in initiatives is demonstrated by the increase in the number of events within and across …

Role Of Nicotine Dependence On The Relationship Between Variants In The Nicotinic Receptor Genes And Risk Of Lung Adenocarcinoma, Tung-Sung Tseng, Jong Y. Park, Jovanny Zabaleta, Sarah Moody-Thomas, Melinda S. Sothern, Ted Chen, David E. Evans, Hui-Yi Lin

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Several variations in the nicotinic receptor genes have been identified to be associated with both lung cancer risk and smoking in the genome-wide association (GWA) studies. However, the relationships among these three factors (genetic variants, nicotine dependence, and lung cancer) remain unclear. In an attempt to elucidate these relationships, we applied mediation analysis to quantify the impact of nicotine dependence on the association between the nicotinic receptor genetic variants and lung adenocarcinoma risk. We evaluated 23 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the five nicotinic receptor related genes (CHRNB3, CHRNA6, and CHRNA5/A3/B4) previously reported to be associated with lung cancer risk …

Three Dimensional Nutrition: Exploring Nourishment Of Spirit, Mind, And Body During A 28-Day Daniel Fast At Southern Adventist University, Caitlin S. Hobbs

Capstone Research Projects

A person who is living well can be said to be “making lifestyle choices with God’s help to support optimum physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and experiencing His gift of abundant life” (Tryon, 2009). All of these “dimensions” of health are interrelated, and in order for a person to truly flourish, each area must be nourished. Dietary choices can have an especially interesting impact on these dimensions. Eating healthfully is not always viewed as a joyous endeavor, but when viewed from a multi-dimensional perspective, it can become a more rewarding and intriguing pursuit.

One way to promote a nutritional …

A Profile Of Community Health Center Patients: Implications For Policy, Peter Shin, Carmen Alvarez, Jessica Sharac, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Amanda Van Vleet, Julia Paradise, Rachel Garfield

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

Community health centers are a key source of comprehensive primary care in medically underserved communities across the country, and their role is expected to grow as health coverage expands under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). To sharpen understanding of the health center patient population, this brief compares it to the overall low-income population, using data from the Health Center Patient Survey and the National Health Interview Survey,respectively. The pre-ACA profile of health center patients that emerges sets the stage for measuring change following implementation of the reform law and can inform health center policy, planning, and assessment moving forward.

Chhs December 2013 E-Newsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, Wku College Of Health & Human Services

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

Action For Dental Health Statement From The Ada, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing The Decision And Ability To Seek Health Services Among Hiv/Aids Patients In Tanzania, Savitri Grover

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Understanding the barriers to treatment for individuals with HIV/AIDS in developing countries could have a major impact on their ability to seek healthcare services. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively analyze the effect of daily activities and structural factors, which act as barriers to seeking health services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.

The study is based on the hypothesis that (1) Individuals living with HIV/AIDS who face both personal and structural barriers have poor health compared to those not facing the barriers. (2) Individuals living with HIV/AIDS demonstrate different decisions and abilities to seek health services …