Public Health Education and Promotion Commons^™

Addressing Lapses In Medical Education In Relation To Lgbtqia+ Healthcare Disparities, Daniel Pinto, Aubrey Olson

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

As the LGBT community gains more visibility and acceptance, the individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+ have been increasing. Unfortunately for this community, healthcare disparities for LGBT individuals continue. In fact in a national online survey done with LGBTQIA+ physicians, 65% had heard discriminatory comments made towards LGBTQIA+ patients, and 34% witnessed discriminatory care given to LGBTQIA+ patients. (Bonvinci) Rose Chapman, a senior lecturer at Curtin University Nursing School, contributed this discomfort that medical professionals seem to have with LGBTQIA+ families with socioeconomic background such as religious beliefs or familiarity with the topic. (Chapman) Nevertheless, another study published by the Medical Journal …

Assessment Of The Perceived Access To Health Care By Migrant And Seasonal Farm Workers In Southern New Jersey, Karen Custodio, Xitlalichomiha O'Dell, Lori Talbot

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Migrant and seasonal farm workers (MSFW) are one of the most economically disadvantaged populations in the United States. MSFW confront numerous health challenges as a result of occupational hazards, poor living conditions, and inadequate nutrition, in addition to common health concerns like diabetes and hypertension. The objective of this study was to identify major barriers to health care for individuals working in the agriculture industry in southern New Jersey. Though there are numerous factors which impact health for migrant farmers, we hypothesized that language, financial burden, and fear from immigration status will be the most significant. Research was conducted using …

Perspective: Challenges In Use Of Adolescent Anthropometry For Understanding The Burden Of Malnutrition, Alison Tumilowicz, Ty Beal, Lynnette M. Neufeld, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

Improving nutritional status during adolescence is an opportunity to improve the lives of this generation and the next. Estimating the burden of malnutrition at a population level is fundamental to targeting interventions and measuring progress over time, and for adolescents, we usually depend on survey data and the 2007 WHO Growth Reference to do so. There is substantial risk of misguided conclusions regarding adolescent prevalence estimates, however, when underlying methodological limitations of the indicators and reference are not adequately considered. We use national prevalence estimates among girls and young women 10-22 y of age from the 2014 State of Food …

Juul Like It?, Kim Petit

Senior Honors Projects

Juul is the most prominent producer of e-cigarettes, devices that vaporize nicotine for inhalation. These devices were developed to deliver nicotine in a tobacco-free vapor as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes. The Juul, in particular among other e-cigarettes, delivers a much higher concentration of dissolved nicotine than a standard cigarette. Although many smokers use Juuls as a method of quitting cigarettes, the overwhelming majority of Juul users are 15-21 years old and have never before used cigarettes, but now have unknowingly become heavily addicted to the nicotine contents. Research has found that 63% of Juul users do not know …

The Influence Of Interpersonal Dyadic Differences On Condom Use Among Men Who Have Sex With Men, Andrew M. O'Neil

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and other STIs. Condom use is one of the most effective methods of prevention, but rates of condom use have been steadily declining among MSM. Therefore, determining what factors influence condom use decision-making among MSM is important. Interpersonal factors such as physical attractiveness, race, and age have been explored in relation to condom use. However, there is a dearth of research exploring the influence of discrepancies between casual partners in these social categories and its influence on condom use directly.

Purpose: The purpose of this …

The Effects Of A Dementia Simulation Experience On Attitudes Towards People With Dementia, Micah Huckabee

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: The neurodegenerative effects of dementia resulting in cognitive and behavioral impairments is plausibly one of the reasons for a societal stigma towards individuals with dementia. Societal stigmas are associated with decreased life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and decreased psychological well-being for stigmatized individuals. In an effort to improve attitudes towards individuals with dementia, this study utilized a dementia simulation to measure attitudinal changes after a dementia simulation. Methods: There were 33 participants in this study (13 male and 20 female) between the ages of 18 and 25. Participants completed a Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS) survey, and then they dressed in …

It's Not Easy - Impacts Of Suicide Prevention Research On Study Staff, Jason I. Chen, Ginnifer L. Mastarone, Lauren M. Denneson

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Suicide prevention researchers who work with individuals at high risk of suicide or are exposed to details of suicide attempts and deaths may experience negative impacts on their own well-being. This is not unlike the experiences of mental health providers, where repeated exposure to clients' difficult experiences gas long been identified as an occupational risk (Molnar et al., 2017). however, there have been few studies evaluating how exposure to details of suicide-related behavior impacts researcher well-being. This gap in the literature is worrisome, as researcher' mental health and well-being might be negatively impacted by repeated exposure to graphic details of …

How Do Neighbourhood Definitions Influence The Associations Between Built Environment And Physical Activity?, Suzanne Mavoa, Nasser Bagheri, Mohammad Javad Koohsari, Andrew T. Kaczynski, Karen E. Lamb, Koichiro Oka, David O'Sullivan, Karen Witten

Faculty Publications

Researchers investigating relationships between the neighbourhood environment and health first need to decide on the spatial extent of the neighbourhood they are interested in. This decision is an important and ongoing methodological challenge since different methods of defining and delineating neighbourhood boundaries can produce different results. This paper explores this issue in the context of a New Zealand-based study of the relationship between the built environment and multiple measures of physical activity. Geographic information systems were used to measure three built environment attributes—dwelling density, street connectivity, and neighbourhood destination accessibility—using seven different neighbourhood definitions (three administrative unit boundaries, and 500, …

The Perception Of Iron-Deficient Anemia In Bolgatanga, Ghana Among Women Of Childbearing Age, Sydney Albrecht

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Objective: To understand the perception of anemia among the women of childbearing age in Bolgatanga, Ghana, and to correlate the reasoning with the high incidence of anemia in the area.

Method: This research was a qualitative study consisting of 67 interviews over the course of the three weeks that were spent in Bolgatanga. 50 of these interviews were women of childbearing age (15-49), 6 were health professionals, and 11 were women older than the age range provided. Interviews were taken from the maternity clinics nearby as well as from women in a rural area that was a 10-minute taxi ride …

Food Pantry Evaluation And Assessment At The Dominican University Of California, Damian Cortez

Senior Theses

Food security continues to be a relevant and prevalent problem in the US that affects millions of people per year (1). In 2016, 12.3% of American households were food insecure. Although the percentage of food insecure households is experiencing a downward trend since the great recession in 2007, the current percentage is still higher than the percent of food insecure households before the recession (1).

Research shows that food insecurity is an indicator for negative health, academic, and social outcomes among elementary children leading to poor mathematical and reading performance, weight gain, and poor social development (2). The negative health …

Reducing The Risk: Psychological And Technological Approaches For Improving Handwashing Practices In The Foodservice Industry, Jeffrey Allan Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As Americans are spending greater portions of their dollar on food consumed outside the home, the foodservice industry plays more of an integral part of daily existence compared to previous generations. Given the numerous annual foodborne illness outbreaks that threaten human lives while undermining confidence in the food supply, food safety is a pertinent issue for industry stakeholders, government regulators, and consumers. Food worker handwashing reduces the risk of foodborne illness transmission, yet compliance with this simple behavior is a complex problem. This dissertation addresses, predominantly, the issue of sub-optimal handwashing practices through applying psychology and technology, including wearable computers …

Arterial Stiffness During Whole-Body Passive Heat Stress In Healthy Older Adults, Zachary J. Schlader, Yoshiyuki Okada, Stuart A. Best, Qi Fu, Craig G. Crandall

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

We tested the hypothesis that whole‐body passive heat stress reduces arterial stiffness in older adults. At preheat stress (baseline) and when core temperature was elevated by 0.6 ± 0.2°C (mild) and 1.2 ± 0.3°C (moderate), arterial stiffness was measured in eight healthy younger (26 ± 5 years) and eight healthy older (70 ± 4 years) adults in the supine position. Arterial stiffness was estimated from carotid‐to‐femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV, applanation tonometry). cfPWV was higher at baseline in older adults (8.8 ± 2.3 m/sec vs. 5.6 ± 0.9 m/sec, P < 0.01) and this difference was maintained throughout passive heat stress (P < 0.01). cfPWV did not change (P ≥ 0.49) with passive heat stress in either …

Implementing An Honors Nonprofit Internship: Hub Of Hope, Janet Wagner

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human trafficking is the term used to describe modern-day slavery, which is a global problem, but it is also present here in the United States. During this last year, I have worked with the Northwest Arkansas nonprofit Hub of HOPE. This organization, founded in 2016 by Jennifer Sorey, supports victims of human trafficking and raises awareness by educating Arkansans on the pervasiveness of human trafficking and its implications for our community. As part of my work, I completed the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training to understand how to work with human trafficking victims who are also victims of sexual assault …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Men’S Intended Bystander Behaviors In Response To A Sexual Assault Vignette, Evelyn Day

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sexual assault is a pervasive problem; there are myriad negative consequences associated with sexual assault victimization. Given the commonality and consequences associated with victimization, preventing sexual assault is paramount. One mechanism thought to reduce rates of sexual assault is bystander intervention, in which third parties are encouraged to intervene when witnessing sexual assault risk factors and to challenge cultural norms regarding rape and assault. Despite the benefits of bystanding, not everyone intervenes. Previous research indicates that compared with women, men are less likely to intervene. Although some men intervene, researchers’ understanding of how men bystand is limited. The goal of …

The Impact Of Parenting Style On Emerging Adult Sexual Behavior, Xavier Smith

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of parenting style on emerging adult sexual behavior by surveying undergraduate students at the University of Arkansas. A total of 306 participants were evaluated for the study (101 men; 205 women). Methods: For the summer of 2018 through the fall of 2018, the survey was active. University of Arkansas students took the online survey via Qualtrics, and they reflected on topics including familial background, perception of parents, and sexual behavior to describe the relationship between parenting style and personal sexual behavior. Results: It was found that mother autonomy support …

The Association Between Advanced Maternal Age And Short Interpregnancy Intervals On Preterm Labor, Hannah N. Burns, Kristi L. Duchanois

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality and has become a major health concern due to the increasing rates of infant deaths in the United States (WHO, 2017). Studying maternal risk factors for preterm labor provides insight to this obscure condition and can assist in the identification of high risk women, as well as facilitate appropriate pregnancy planning. Purpose: Although research can be found on interpregnancy intervals and maternal age as independent risk factors for premature labor, gaps exist within the relation of these variables. This study was done to investigate whether there is …

Crumbling Foundations: The Case For Prioritizing Self-Care Among Educational Leaders, Joshua Brent Ray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a potentially dangerous disassociation between human behavior, decision-making, and ethics and the notion that these fundamental aspects of what it means to be human originate simply as the functions of an organ. A deeper knowledge of the operation and limitations of the brain suggests biological input could possess the ability to unknowingly alter human behavior and effectiveness. This study utilizes a research-based understanding of the implications of human health and self-care habits on neurological, psychological, and behavioral function to examine the current practices of educational administrators across Arkansas while exploring systemic and job-based factors within the profession that …

Shifting Abortion Attitudes Using An Empathy-Based Media Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Study, Mary Ellen Hunt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

U.S. abortion restrictions diminish access and perpetuate a culture of hostility toward abortion seekers. Support for restrictions is high—potentially, because restriction knowledge is low and attitudes are complex. The current study focused on knowledge and support of restrictions and empathy for abortions seekers among Arkansans. The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of a video intervention intended to increase awareness of Arkansas abortion restrictions and induce empathy for abortion seekers.

Using a randomized controlled trial with pre-, post-, and follow-up design, a sample of Arkansans (N = 369) were randomly assigned to one of five video conditions--either a control or …

Uncovering The Stories Behind The Numbers : A Case Study Of Maternal Death Surveillance And Response In Goma, Democratic Republic Of Congo., Baraka Muvuka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Globally, 303 000 women die each year from preventable causes related to pregnancy, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) having the tenth highest maternal mortality rate. Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) is a surveillance-action cycle that aims to eliminate preventable maternal mortality by linking actionable data on maternal deaths with multi-level actions. While countries are increasingly adopting MDSR, there are research gaps on its implementation, outcomes, and best practices in developing countries including the DRC. This study assessed MDSR implementation in Goma Health Zone (HZ), DRC, specifically its structure, process, quality, outcomes, and influencing factors. A qualitative case …

The Shape Study : The Survey Of Health And The Perceived Environment Study., Colette Patrice Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Few studies have considered how an individual’s perception of their built environment may be a risk factor for being overweight or obese. Adolescents may be particularly vulnerable in the context of “impoverished environments”, which they may perceive to be difficult, dangerous, resource deficient, and unaesthetic. This study aids in clarifying how the built environment influences the risk of obesity among adolescents residing in a neighborhood in Louisville, KY. Objective: The overall objective was to conduct a cross-sectional epidemiologic pilot study among adolescents aged 12-17 years residing in West Louisville, Kentucky to evaluate the association between perceptions of …