Public Health Education and Promotion Commons^™

‘‘We Can Wipe An Entire Culture’’: Fears And Promises Of Dna Biobanking Among Native Americans, Roberto Abadie, Kathleen Heaney

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This paper explores Native American perceptions on DNA biobanking. A qualitative study was conducted among self-declared Native Americans living off reservation in two Midwest cities. Findings demonstrate a paradox: Informants maintain strong hopes for the transformative power of gene-based research while voicing very particular social anxieties. Emerging genomic technologies elicit concerns over the potential for genetic stigmatization or discrimination based on race, preventing access to health insurance or employment. Frequently, social anxieties adopt the narrative form of conspiracy theories which portray powerful agents exploiting or abusing a disenfranchised population. We argue that while Native Americans do not have a monopoly …

Differences In Health Literacy Knowledge And Experiences Among Senior Nursing Students, Sharon S. Williamson, Joanne Chopak-Foss

Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background: Low health literacy has been identified as a significant public health problem. Also, higher expenditures due to longer hospital stays have been reported for persons with low health literacy. Nurses can assist patients with low health literacy to reduce their hospital stays and increase compliance with discharge instructions.

Methods: A quantitative, descriptive research design was employed to assess knowledge and experiences of 192 senior nursing students. These students were administered the Health Literacy Knowledge and Experiences Survey (HL-KES), a 2- part survey that included assessment of knowledge about health literacy and experience in working with populations of …

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing Attrition From A Pediatric Weight Management Intervention, Melissa Ann Kwitowski

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood obesity is a serious health problem in the United States. Numerous weight management programs attempt to address this issue. However, attrition poses significant treatment efficacy challenges. Understanding attendance and attrition from childhood obesity programs is crucial for effective and appropriate resource utilization. NOURISH+ is a community-based treatment program for parents of overweight and obese children (age 5–11 years, BMI ≥ 85th percentile). The current study investigated attrition from NOURISH+ to enhance understanding of pediatric obesity treatment retention factors. NOURISH+ participants (n=70) completed a questionnaire assessing barriers to adherence and general program feedback. Data were analyzed using frequencies, …

A Tale Of Two Diseases: Mental Illness And Hiv/Aids, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

There have been dramatic advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Whereas HIV was once a dire diagnosis, today it is treatable, and individuals who receive early and consistent treatment can expect to live a normal lifespan. Why has the scientific community made the same strides with mental illness? When I was the Legal Director of the National Association of Mental Health in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, major mental illnesses were primarily treated with powerful antipsychotics, such as haloperidol, that carried the debilitating side effects of tardive dyskinesia—involuntary movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk, and extremities. When I …

Relationship Between Modality And The Degree Of Knowledge Retention In Bioterrorism Training, Gaylon Rashun Crawford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A public health workforce must be trained to react quickly, especially in the case of terrorist attack. Political leaders and emergency management experts have often cited inadequate emergency training as a contributing factor in the public health system's failed preparations for a bioterrorist event. As a result of these failures, billions of dollars have been allocated towards correcting infrastructure deficiencies including training for public health nurses (PHNs), who are critical to a communitywide medical response. This quantitative study used Pearson's correlation and a multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the most effective modality of bioterrorism training (BTT) for PHNs working in …

School Administrator And Staff Member Perceptions Of A Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program, Sharon Lacretia Mcconnell-Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mississippi is among the states with the highest teenage pregnancy rates, and the study site is among the high schools with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the state. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify successful practices and areas for improvement in the implementation of a teenage pregnancy prevention program (TPPP) at the study site based on the perspectives of school administrators and staff members. Bandura's social cognitive theory provided a conceptual framework for considering behaviors and the social contexts in which they occur. Twelve participants were interviewed, including 3 administrators and 9 staff members. Data …

Determinants Of Usage Of Age-Appropriate Child Safety Seats In Connecticut, Giuseppina Mendillo Violano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of unintentional injury death and disability for children ages 1'15 years. Despite local, state, and federal legislative and educational efforts, children continue to be restrained improperly and thus face harm. Identifying behaviors and barriers that place child occupants at risk is crucial for implementing focused, injury-prevention programs and policies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Connecticut's child passenger safety law that was strengthened in 2005. This study involved a multifactorial approach to predicting child seat use, guided by Roger's diffusion of innovations …

Predictors Of Obesity Among Nigerian Immigrants In The United States, Olawunmi Obisesan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity has been identified as a significant risk factor for chronic diseases, contributing to health disparities in minority and vulnerable populations. Though research has identified an increased risk for obesity in the Hispanic immigrant population, there is little or no research on the heterogeneity of obesity predictors in specific immigrant populations in the United States. This study examined the predictors of obesity in the Nigerian immigrant population in the United States. Guided by the social ecological model and the segmented assimilation theory, this cross-sectional study collected primary data from 205 Nigerian immigrants in the United States using the CDC's Behavioral …

The Association Between Exhaled Nitric Oxide In Exhaled Breath Condensate And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Colin Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive and nonreversible disease, is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Detecting COPD early in the disease process will help in decreasing later stage COPD severity. Because airway inflammation is a hallmark of COPD, it has been proposed that measuring exhaled nitric oxide, a marker of inflammation, in exhaled breath condensate could prove to be an inexpensive and efficient method to detect COPD in outpatient settings. Using the hypothetico-deductive theory as a guideline, this study used secondary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007 to 2010 to …

The Association Of Maternal Health Literacy Levels And Preterm Birth, Aimee Moynihan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the CDC, each year approximately 0.06 % of the world's population dies in infancy. The March of Dimes indicated that the leading causes of infant mortality include birth defects, preterm birth, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, maternal complications of pregnancy, and respiratory distress syndrome, most of which are considered preventable with access to adequate prenatal care by mothers. The goal of this study was to examine the association between maternal health literacy levels and preterm birth. This research was based on the theoretical framework of the Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior. The hypothesis for this …

A Staff Development Program: Diabetes And Tb Education And Screening, Relyndo Manalo Salcedo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a growing body of evidence on the positive association between diabetes and tuberculosis (TB), especially in populations with low socioeconomic status. According to the CDC and the WHO, diabetes is increasingly seen as a global epidemic, one that poses a threat to global TB control. The goal of this DNP project was to develop a program to educate clinical staff on the importance of early identification of diabetic and TB patients. The logic model was chosen as the framework for this project because it allows the planner to rationally observe each stage of a project's development. The program …

Understanding Health Literacy Skills Of Patients With Cardiovascular Disease And Diabetes, Patrick J. Dunn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health literacy is the ability to understand and act on health information and is linked to health outcomes. It is unclear how health literacy skills are developed in patients with complex conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to gain perspectives of both patients and healthcare professionals on how health literacy skills were developed in patients with cardiovascular disease or diabetes. The research questions addressed how knowledge and skills were acquired, the role of digital tools, instructional strategies used by healthcare professionals, and how the instructional strategies of the healthcare professionals matched …

Preventative Strategies To Improve Birth Outcomes Among African American Women In Rhode Island, Yvonne Michele Heredia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite increased access to prenatal care, birth outcomes continue to be a major source of disparity among women in the United States. The focus on lifestyle choices and negative behaviors prior to a pregnancy to reduce adverse birth outcomes has become a well-documented strategy. The purpose of this study was to determine if preparing for a pregnancy in advance improves birth outcomes for African American women of childbearing age between the ages of 12 and 45 years in the State of Rhode Island (RI). The theoretical foundation for this study was based on Prochaska's model of change, which is also …

Barriers To The Influenza Vaccination In Veterans, Zina Floyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Influenza is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 56,000 deaths annually and leading to an average of more than 200,000 hospitalizations every year. Adults 65 years of age and older account for 50% to 60% of influenza-related hospital admissions and an estimated 90% of influenza-associated deaths occur in people age 65 and older. During the 2011 to 2012 influenza season, approximately 50 % of veterans between 45 and 70 years of age refused the influenza vaccine within the metro-area outpatient Veteran Administration (VA) facility in Atlanta, Georgia. The aim of this project was to …

Relationships Between A Prenatal Nutrition Education Intervention And Maternal Nutrition In Ethiopia, Divya Lakshmi Selvakumar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Ethiopia, 17% of pregnant women ages 18-49 are malnourished and have low awareness of prenatal nutrition, which may relate to increasingly high rates of maternal and infant mortality. The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to determine the effects of a community-based prenatal nutrition education intervention program on maternal nutrition knowledge and attitudes in the Alaje district of Ethiopia. The theoretical framework was Sen's capability theory of poverty, in which opportunities can lead to well-being and promote economic development. Research questions focused on the relationships among 8 independent variables-age, income source, degree of program implementation, marital status, …

Educational Intervention: Effects On Heart Disease Risk Factor Knowledge Among African Americans, Linda M. Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Fatal coronary heart disease among African Americans is associated with a

disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Research has indicated that CVD risk factor knowledge and the prevalence of ideal CVH both persist at suboptimal levels. However, few researchers have investigated the relationship between culturally-tailored community-based heart health sessions, short-term knowledge acquisition of CVD risk factors, and the awareness of the American Heart Association's (AHA's) CVH construct. The purpose of this cross-sectional, secondary analysis study was to examine the interplay between these variables in an urban African American sample. Guided by social cognitive theory, the study analyzed …

Provider-Initiated Condom Education, Hiv, And Stds Among Older African American Women, Natasha Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Older African American (AA) women are at increased risk for HIV and STDs. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the influence of provider-initiated condom use education on condom use among unmarried, heterosexually active AA women aged 50 and over using the constructs of self-efficacy and attitudes of the health belief theoretical model. The relationships between provider education on condom use, condom use self-efficacy, condom use attitudes, and actual condom use were tested individually, and provider education on actual condom use was tested after controlling for condom use self-efficacy and attitudes among 95 study participants recruited primarily from …

Social Ecological Influences Of Wic Programming Behavior Change Of Former Wic Participants, Joyce L. Terrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Special Supplemental Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program is one of many United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) food subsidy programs that serves 8.6 million participants, deemed nutritionally at risk. WIC is designed to influence nutritional and health behaviors to a population least capable of functioning. The purpose of this study was to identify if participation in WIC's nutrition education activities and restricted use of food subsidy benefits had a post-factorial effect on their nutritional behaviors. This study provides data on Bronfenbrenner's social ecological influences and how it impacts on long-term behavioral change. A quantitative causal-comparative design utilizing a …

Maternal Depression, Infant Feeding Practices, And Weight Gain Among African American And Hispanic Women, Alphonsus Maduwuba Agbaere

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood overweight and obesity are public health concerns that have negative health consequences and affect many children. Efforts are needed to identify children who are at a higher risk of developing overweight and obesity so that early detection and treatment may be offered. The intent of this study was to investigate the differences in the effects of postpartum depression on infant feeding practices and infant weight gain between Hispanic and African American women. Data were obtained from Infant Feeding Practices Study 11, a longitudinal study involving mothers in their third trimester through infants first year of life. The overall test …

A Community Health Program To Reduce Cardiovascular Risk In Women, Xander Bacchus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among United States women. Regular aerobic exercise can significantly reduce CVD risk. This dissertation reflects one of the first studies of the efficacy of Community Health Programs (CHP) in promoting exercise among American women aged 25 to 65. Primary data used from a study involved a sample of 42 women aged 25 to 65 who attended a CVD and exercise-related CHP, while a 42-member control group merely received the CHP information in a printed form. A pretest was administered at the outset of the study, and a posttest was administered at …