Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Effective Pedometer Programs: Determining The Motivational Factors Primarily Responsible For The Physical Activity Increases Being Made By Participants, Britne Engelking

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem: Adults continue to get inadequate amounts of physical activity (Flegal et al., 2010; WCRF/AICR, 2009). Pedometer programs being implemented have effectively motivated the participants to increase their physical activity outputs; however, researchers have been unable to determine the features responsible for the physical activity increases. Procedures: Participants were given pedometers to measure their physical activity outputs. The participants collected baseline data for one week. The experimental group was administered three competitive incentive interventions. Their data was compared to their baseline step data and step data collected from a control group. The data analysis was done using …

Adapting The Pprnet Trip Qi Model To Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening In Primary Care: A Feasibility Study, Katherine Attassi

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The value of using colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) as a preventative tool in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) is well established; however, mobilizing patients to participate in one of the CRCS methods remains an issue. Research to engage patients more actively in CRCS has shown that health care providers have the most influence on patient participation. This dissertation first examines the various provider-directed interventions proven to increase CRCS in the primary care setting. Next, the detailed theoretical and methodological processes are examined based on the previous research from the first article. The PPRNet TRIP QI Model was chosen based …

Understanding Underinsurance In Ohio, Meaghan Ebetino

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objectives: To determine the prevalence, predictors, and consequences of underinsurance in the state of Ohio.

Study Design: The investigators created the dependent variables Underinsured, Financial Stress, and Harder to get Health Care using the 2008 Ohio Family Health Survey (OFHS). The sample used for this study included 29,778 respondents, who were adults less than 65 years old and who were continuously insured for the past 12 months.

Results: The study categorized twenty-two percent of the sample respondents as underinsured because they were not able to obtain or delayed needed medical care because of an inability to pay in …

Pregnancy Management Strategies And Childbirth Experiences Of Internally Displaced Women In Barranquilla, Colombia, Bre Bolivar

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

This ethnographic study aims to illuminate the experiences of pregnant and new mothers in poor areas of Colombia with respect to pregnancy and childbirth. Ethnographic observations including key informant qualitative interviews were performed by the primary investigator in four different neighborhoods in and around the city of Barranquilla, Colombia, over the course of 3 months. A total of 24 women were interviewed, and additional interviews were held with Colombian medical students, religious workers and not-for-profit healthcare leaders. I seek to better understand the perspectives of these internally displaced women in terms of contraception use including the sense of necessity of …

Hiv/Aids In The Muslim-Majority Countries: Formula For Low Prevalence, Kaoru Yamaguchi

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The Muslim-majority countries long had been considered to be free of HIV/AIDS epidemic because of their strict religious and moral codes. However, the HIV prevalence rates are increasing in some Islamic states, and even more or so rapidly in a several cases that it is no longer valid to assume the Islamic religion protects its followers from the risks of contracting HIV. Contrary to the popular belief concerning the prevention of the HIV/AIDs epidemic, data collected from well-recognized international organizations such as the WHO and Freedom House indicate that democratization, strong government leadership, and wider and equal human rights for …

Relationship Between Physical Activity And Depressive Symptoms In Adolescents, Joshua Ganz

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem: Low levels of physical activity levels may have a relationship with depressive characteristics. Understanding if there is a relationship between physical activity and depressive traits in the adolescent population may contribute to effective ways to reduce depressive traits and increase physical activity. Procedure: Survey research was used to collect data about adolescents' demographic characteristics, physical activity levels, and depressive characteristics. Participants were selected from the adolescent school population. The sample was taken from a Minnesota public high school by using an entire tenth-grade population from a local school. Of the 75 students being used for sample …

Health Care Providers' Intention To Provide Culturally Competent Health Care To Somali Based Upon The Indirect Measures Of The Integrated Behavioral Model, Amanda Kaye Ciesinski

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess health care providers' intention to provide culturally competent health care to Somali based upon the constructs of the Integrated Behavioral Model by indirect measures. Using ZoomerangTM data collection systems, data were collected on a non-random and purposive sample. Every physician, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant in a non-administrative role at a rural primary care clinic located in Minnesota was recruited by email. A sample of thirty-one health care providers was used in this study. The survey was divided into four main scales based on the constructs of the Integrated Behavioral Model. …

A Community Dietetics Intervention To Improve The Use Of Oral Nutritional Supplements In The Community Setting, Sharon Kennelly

Doctoral

Evaluation of a community dietetics intervention to improve oral nutritional supplement prescribing practices in the community. Background: Healthcare professionals working in the community do not always prescribe oral nutritional supplements (ONS) according to best practice guidelines and expenditure on ONS has increased. The aim of this study was to investigate ONS prescribing practices and to determine the impact of a community dietetics intervention on these practices and expenditure one year later. Methods: At baseline ONS prescribing practices were investigated by patient interview with a community dietitian. The intervention involved an education programme for general medical practitioners (GPs), practice nurses, nurses …

Evidence-Based Hazmat Medical Surveillance, Michael D. Jacobson

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) teams are tasked with neutralizing substances that pose a dire threat to human health. As a result, communities invest substantially in medical surveillance to protect first responders. Yet, little is known as to the actual exposures, consequent injuries, and cost-effectiveness of medical surveillance.

Objective: The purposes of this study were: 1) Determine actual HAZMAT threats. 2) In light of these threats, evaluate current regulatory requirements, recommendations and practices for their basis in evidence.

Methods: National HAZMAT data was analyzed for trends and compared with local response records from 2008 through 2011. Regulations applicable to medical surveillance …

Rights Of Ohio Mothers: Best Practices For The Pediatric Patient With A Life-Threatening Illness, Kelly Peekstok

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and review current best practices with regards to a minor’s refusal of life-sustaining medical treatment. The policies of other developed countries and states within the United States serve as a guide for developing evidence-based guidelines for Ohio healthcare professionals. Four specific cases were identified and then analyzed. The results showed that in three of the four cases, the wishes of the minor were followed. While each case contains its own set of complexities, creating a developmental guideline for healthcare organizations will ensure protection of the minor’s capacity to make autonomous decisions.

The Efficacy Of Abstinence Only Education, Jennie Watt Mcadams

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and unplanned teen pregnancies cost the United States billions of dollars every year in various forms of government aid. Why are the numbers of teenage incidences of these health indicators higher than almost every other industrialized nation? Why are the youth in the United States so far behind their peers in sexual health? This paper proposes that one cause is that government funding goes to abstinence only education curriculum which is taught in many schools across the nation. These curricula many times do not teach youth about sexual protection or health and other times contain false information. If …

Chronic Disease Prevalence Of A Refugee Population In Dayton, Oh, Sandeep Palakodeti

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Introduction: This study aimed to understand the chronic disease burden of anemia, cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, overweight/obesity, stroke, and tobacco use in the domestic as well as a refugee population. It also aimed to examine the current literature on appropriate screening for those conditions.

Methods: 348 refugee screening intake exams from Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County were analyzed for presence of the conditions stated. Screening intake recommendations from the CDC, the Minnesota Public Health Department, the Canadian Collaboration for Immigrant and Refugee Health, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services were examined and compared in order …

Analysis Of An Improved Cook Stove Intervention In Rural Guatemala, Chad Graven

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

An estimated three billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and nearly two million people die prematurely from illness attributable to indoor air pollution from solid fuel use. According to the World Health Organization, “every year, indoor air pollution is responsible for the death of 1.6 million people...one death every twenty seconds.” Various international groups, government initiatives, and communities have attempted to improve this indoor air pollution problem around the world by implementing various improved cook stove models. In July, 2011, Partners In Health (PIH) and Equipo Técnico de Educación en Salud Comunitaria (ETESC) co-directed the delivery …

The Association Of Natural Elements And Trail Use By Adults, Anna E. Greer, Julian A. Reed, Steve P. Hooker

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

We used the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities to examine the association between variations in natural elements (ie, season, weather, and temperature) and adults’ use of a rail-trail in South Carolina (2006-2009). Most (62%) of the 4,468 trail users observed were walkers; 38% were observed participating in vigorous physical activity. Adults were most often observed using the trail during the summer (32%), sunny weather (78%), and moderate temperatures (54%). When promoting trail use among adults, natural elements should be considered.

Associations Between Sociodemographic Characteristics And Perceptions Of The Built Environment With The Frequency, Type, And Duration Of Physical Activity Among Trail Users, Andréa L. Maslow, Julian A. Reed, Anna E. Greer, Steven P. Hooker

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Introduction

Rail trails are elements of the built environment that support the Task Force on Community Preventive Services' recommendation to create, or enhance access to, places for physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and perceptions of the built environment with the frequency, type, and duration of PA among users of an urban, paved rail trail segment.

Methods

Interviewers conducted intercept surveys with 431 rail trail users and analyzed data by using logistic regression to estimate odds ratios between sociodemographic characteristics and perceptions of the built environment on the frequency, type, …

Conceptualizing Neighborhood Space: Consistency And Variation Of Associations For Neighborhood Factors And Pregnancy Health Across Multiple Neighborhood Units, Lynne C. Messer, Lisa C. Vinikoor-Imler, Barbara A. Laraia

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this research was to assess the consistency of associations between neighborhood characteristics and pregnancy-related behaviors and outcomes across four nested neighborhood boundaries using race-stratified fixed-slope random-intercept multilevel logistic models. High incivilities was associated with increased smoking, inadequate weight gain and pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), while walkability was associated with decreased smoking and PIH for white women across all neighborhood definitions. For African American women, high incivilities was associated with increased smoking and inadequate gestational weight gain, while more walkable neighborhoods appeared protective against smoking and inadequate weight gain in all but the smallest neighborhoods. Associations with neighborhood attributes …

Physical Activity, Sleep Patterns, And Health Outcomes In University Law Enforcement Officers, Nicole C. Koebke

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Research indicates that law enforcement officers (LEOs) have a higher prevalence of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) compared to the general population. Sleep deprivation and physical inactivity have been found to be related to many risk factors for CAD. This cross-sectional study examined the health status and the relationship between sleep and physical activity outcomes versus CAD risk factors among 27 University LEOs. The subjects’ health behaviors, and CAD and metabolic syndrome risk factors were described using basic statistics. Accelerometer derived sleep and physical activity outcomes were correlated to measures of health to identify potential relationships. 33% of LEOs were …

Factors Relating To Hpv Behaviors Of Female College Students, Nicole Rachael Peritore

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

This study examined the knowledge, sources of information, reasons for and against Gardasil® uptake, and possible relationships between unhealthy behaviors and vaccination for undergraduate college females at a public university. Utilizing an online survey, 2400 random students were emailed as well as recruited through online classes. The final sample size was 516 females. The study determined how many participants had been vaccinated and their rationale for or against vaccination. The majority of study participants were knowledgeable about HPV and Gardasil®. The primary sources of information about HPV and Gardasil® were doctors and television; however parents and friends were also common …

The Relationship Between Religiosity & Selected Health Behaviors Of African Americans Of The Pentecostal Faith, Caprice Jones-Agunbiade

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between religiosity and selected health behaviors of African Americans in the Pentecostal faith. A 43 question printed survey was administered to 300 adult attendees from selected Pentecostal churches. The purposive sample was obtained from the Holy Christian Church of Mankato, Brooklyn Park, and St. Paul. The printed survey focused on information about demographics such as age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education, fellowship, membership, and also health behaviors, perceived weight, weight goals, health classes desired, utilization of a community health educator and religiosity. The findings of the study indicated that high …

Birth Spacing And Family Planning Uptake In Pakistan: Evidence From Falah, Arshad Mahmood

Reproductive Health

The Population Council was the lead implementing agency for the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project in Pakistan. The project’s main objectives were to achieve a 10 percent increase in the use of moden contraceptives, to equip 80 service delivery points to provide family planning services, and to ensure birth-spacing understanding and ways to achieve it by three-quarters of the target population. The main conclusion of this research is that a sharp uptake of family planning is possible in a relatively short time, if certain investments are made to ensure better communication and greater access to quality family …