Public Health Education and Promotion Commons^™

Global School-Based Childhood Obesity Interventions: A Review, Melinda J. Ickes, Jennifer Mcmullen, Taj Haider, Manoj Sharma

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

Background: The issue of childhood overweight and obesity has become a global public health crisis. School-based interventions have been developed and implemented to combat this growing concern. The purpose of this review is to compare and contrast U.S. and international school-based obesity prevention interventions and highlight efficacious strategies.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted utilizing five relevant databases. Inclusion criteria were: (1) primary research; (2) overweight or obesity prevention interventions; (3) school-based; (4) studies published between 1 January 2002 through 31 December 2013; (5) published in the English language; (6) child-based interventions, which could include parents; and …

A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Rethinking Aids Website, Jennifer Dettmann

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

A group of scientists known as the Group for Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis created a web site title, Rethinking AIDS. The group behind the web site argues that AIDS is not a sexually transmitted disease. They even question the existence of the virus entity. My analysis is driven by the critical question: Does the web site construct a reality that affectively alters our perception of HIV-AIDS? In order to answer this question, Goodnight and Poulakos 1981 article, Conspiracy rhetoric: from pragmatism to fantasy to public discourse (Western Journal of Speech), will be utilized.

Three-Year Change In The Wellbeing Of Orphaned And Separated Children In Institutional And Family-Based Care Settings In Five Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Kathryn Whetten, Jan Ostermann, Brian W. Pence, Rachel A. Whetten, Lynne C. Messer, Sumedha Ariely, Karen O'Donnell, Augustine I. Wasonga, Vanroth Vann, Dafrosa Itemba, Misganaw Eticha, Ira Madan, Nathan M. Thielman, The Positive Outcomes For Orphans (Pofo) Research Team

Faculty Publications

Background With more than 2 million children living in group homes, or “institutions”, worldwide, the extent to which institution-based caregiving negatively affects development and wellbeing is a central question for international policymakers.

Methods A two-stage random sampling methodology identified community representative samples of 1,357 institution-dwelling orphaned and separated children (OSC) and 1,480 family-dwelling OSC aged 6–12 from 5 low and middle income countries. Data were collected from children and their primary caregivers. Survey-analytic techniques and linear mixed effects models describe child wellbeing collected at baseline and at 36 months, including physical and emotional health, growth, cognitive development and memory, and …

Nutrition Education And Community Advocacy At Marin Health And Human Services, Anna C. Allison

Master's Projects and Capstones

It would be a mistake to assume that all Marin neighborhoods look the same. The life expectancy in Ross is over 88 years. Less than 10 miles away in Hamilton Novato, the life expectancy is 75 years. That is a 13 year difference in life expectancy, roughly equivalent to the difference between living in the United States and Guyana. Marin is a small county, but it holds a great deal of variation. An effective health intervention in one neighborhood will not work in another, more importantly, there may not be the same health issue from one neighborhood to the next. …

Reducing Obesity And Obesity-Related Diseases In Richmond, California: Understanding The Importance Of Partnerships In Community-Based Health Education, Arlette Hernandez

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the United States obesity has become a major public health issue. Over the past two decades, the prevalence of obesity has doubled in adults and children. In the city of Richmond, California, adults and children are experiencing the highest rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases in comparison to other residents of West Contra Costa County. In an effort to reduce the rates of obesity in Richmond, two non-profit organizations have partnered up to provide innovative community-based health education to combat obesity and type II diabetes.

This paper will explore and summarize the 300-hour fieldwork the author experienced and completed …

County Of San Mateo Adolescent Report 2014-2015 Youth And Adults Working Together For A Healthy Future, Vanessa D. Bolton

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to highlight my fieldwork experience with the County of San Mateo Health System’s Health Policy and Planning Unit. Under the guidance of a Community Health Planner, my scope of work was within the area of school wellness, ranging from an adolescent report publication to researching breakfast in the classroom models to attending district wellness policy meetings. The San Mateo County Adolescent Report took precedence over most of the school wellness projects and initiatives because it was seeking to identify the needs of the County’s youth using evidence from various data sources and to develop …

Trauma Informed Practices For Oakland Unite Service Providers, Maereg D. Haile

Master's Projects and Capstones

Oakland, California - a home to almost 400,000 residents - is the top five most violent cities of the nation. There are lots of factors that greatly contribute to violence including: Poverty, housing/homelessness, unemployment, food insecurity, educational attainment, substance abuse. These factors feed to greater healthy disparities and increased trauma in low-income communities – specifically in east and west Oakland. Measure Y, now called Oakland Unite, is the current violence prevention effort that is set for reauthorization in November 2014. In order for these efforts to continue, Oakland Unite has started looking at comprehensive violence prevention initiatives that includes mental …

Fieldwork Summary Report: Reducing Repeat Teenage Pregnancy Through Program Planning And Evaluation, Winnie Y. Chan

Master's Projects and Capstones

This fieldwork summary report provides a synthesis of both my overall fieldwork experience at TAPP, Felton Institute’s Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Program, and my Master of Public Health knowledge and skill sets. Since researching the huge social and economic impact that teenage pregnancy and parenting has not only on the teens and their children, but also the society at large, I strived to highlight prevention aspects to reduce repeat unwanted teenage pregnancy. So, I chose to intern at TAPP, focused my fieldwork project mainly on program development and evaluation, along with other aspects of improving wellness.

I begin this report …

Philadelphia Healthier Generation Summit, Lauren Puzen Msw,Mph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Sexual Education And Attitudes Toward Masturbation, Jannine Ray, Shelby Afflerbach

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The long-standing social stigma surrounding masturbation has led to its prohibition from being included in public school curriculum as a healthy sexual practice. Furthermore, not only is masturbation a healthy sexual practice for the individual, research has demonstrated masturbation to be helpful in treating sexual dysfunctions for couples. Therefore, if the topic of masturbation is included in comprehensive sexual education as a healthy sexual practice, it may promote sexual health among individuals both intra- and interpersonally. The present study recruited from a convenient sample from a medium sized state university in the upper Midwest. Participants completed two surveys, administered through …

Mental Health Awareness Building Via Android Application, James Faraday, Joshua Martin

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The goal of this project was to create a tool that provides students at Minnesota State University, Mankato with mental health information through a freely available smartphone application (App). Our approach used a software engineering design process that focused on who our customers are, what resources are available, and how we can best connect the two to improve student lives. We identified the stakeholders involved and worked with campus mental health professionals to help shape our App. While there is a broad range of mental health topics, we have focused on materials related to depression. The first process of the …

Developing A Community Health Worker Program In Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, Monterey Starkey

Other Graduate Research

The city of Chichigalpa, Nicaragua suffers from poor health that causes high rates of morbidity and mortality. Consequently, the people in Chichigalpa could be helped with better water solutions, nutritional status, and overall health knowledge. The people are poor and often do not have access to a doctor due to location or financial reasons. Therefore, a Community Health Program was created to train local community health workers to screen for diseases and to teach the local people preventive care, mainly focusing on water, nutrition, and CKDu. Objectives included assessing the community, recruiting community health workers, developing training curriculum, and training …

30 Days On $200: A Cooking Guide For Tasty & Healthy Eating On A Budget, Benjamin J. Slocum

Osteopathic Medicine Student Projects

Meal planning and cooking guide created to help people on food assistance and others better utilize their resources. This book contains health information, grocery shopping tips, meal planning guides, and easy instruction on cooking and the use of leftovers. With simple-to-read, image-based instruction, it teaches the basics on how to budget, plan meals, make shopping lists, and prepare food. The book assumes no prior cooking experience, and while anyone can benefit from the book regardless of income level, it makes a particular effort to demonstrate preparation for foods commonly acquired at food pantries.

The Fatherhood Factor: The Impact Of The Father-Child Relationship On The Social, Interpersonal, And Recidivism Risk Factors Of Previously Incarcerated Men, Larissa A. Maley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Of the men who return home from prison, nearly 7 out of 10 will be re-arrested and sent back within 3 years of their release (Travis, Solomon, & Waul, 2001). This trend has large- scale implications, not just for individuals, but for their families and communities as well. Clearly, understanding the factors that contribute to a man’s success or failure in staying out of prison is extremely important in constructing policy and programs to assist these at-risk individuals and communities. Of the few studies that have explored the lives of previously incarcerated men, some have found fatherhood to be a …

Psychosocial Food-Related Behavior And Food Intake Of Adult Main Meal Preparers Of Food For 9-10 Year-Old Children Participating In Icook, A Five-State Childhood Obesity Pilot Prevention Study, Ashley A. Miller

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding adult outcomes of programs aimed at childhood obesity prevention is necessary because parents/caregivers are the most important influence on a child’s physical activity and eating habits. Based on the principles of the social cognitive theory, the iCook 4-H pilot study taught dyads consisting of 9-10 year-old children and their primary meal preparers cooking skills, healthy shopping and meal habits, and easy ways to incorporate physical activity as a family. The program took place in five states, Maine, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia. In each state, adult-youth dyads (n = 54) were recruited by 4-H programs and nutrition …

Assessing Health Conditions And Medication Use Among The Homeless Community In Long Beach, California, Mok Thoong Chong, Jason Yamaki, Megan Harwood, Richard D'Assalenaux, Ettie Rosenberg, Okezie Aruoma, Anupam Bishayee

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Persons experiencing homelessness are a vulnerable population and are at increased risk for morbidity and all-cause mortality compared to the general population. This study sought to evaluate medication use, regular physician visits, and identify health conditions among the homeless population of Long Beach, California.

Methods: Two "brown bag" medication review events were held at homeless shelters in the Long Beach area. Demographic information, medication use, and comorbid disease states were obtained through surveys.

Findings: Three-fourths of the cohort (95 participants) consisted of males, and the average age of participants was 48 years. Psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular disease were the …

Weekly And Holiday-Related Patterns Of Panic Attacks In Panic Disorder: A Population-Based Study, Li-Ting Kao, Sudha Xirasagar, Kuo-Hsuan Chung, Herng-Ching Lin, Shih-Ping Liu, Shiu-Dong Chung

Faculty Publications

Background: While chronobiological studies have reported seasonal variation in panic attacks (PA) episodes, information on the timing of PA by week-days may enable better understanding of the triggers of PA episodes and thereby provide pointers for suitable interventional approaches to minimize PA attacks. This study investigated weekly variation in potential PA admissions including associations with holidays using a population-based longitudinal, administrative claims-based dataset in an Asian population.

Methods: This study used ambulatory care data from the ‘‘Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. We identified 993 patients with panic disorder (PD), and they had 4228 emergency room (ER) admissions for potential PA …

Phosphorus Supplement Alters Postprandial Lipemia Of Healthy Male Subjects: A Pilot Cross-Over Trial, Jana Hazim, Sani Hlais, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Dareen Shatila, Maya Bassil, Omar Obeid

Faculty Publications

Background:

Epidemiological studies have found a U-shaped relationship between serum phosphorus and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The mechanism(s) behind such a relationship are poorly understood. Phosphorus (P) is reported to improve insulin sensitivity, which is involved in lipid metabolism, and thus we were interested in determining the impact of phosphorus ingestion on postprandial lipemia, a recognized CVD risk factor.

Findings.

A within-subject study design was conducted, whereby 8 healthy male subjects received a high fat meal (330Kcal; 69% energy from fat; 35 mg of phosphorus) with placebo or phosphorus (500 mg) in a random order. Postprandial blood samples (∼10 ml) were …

Comparative Analysis Of Family Planning Use And Attitudes In Urban Versus Rural Madagascar, Gwendolyn Cummings

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite many differences between urban and rural areas of Madagascar, large families are staples in Malagasy culture throughout. However, family planning has recently become one of the most in-demand aspects of healthcare in the country. The discrepancies between rural and urban zones are apparent in this new wave of contraceptive use and child spacing. Interviews in both Andasibe (a rural region of Madagascar) and Antananarivo (the urban capital of the country) were combined with a review of current literature on the subject, in order to distinguish the differences between the two. Ultimately it was found that socioeconomic background and preference …

Improving The Childbirth Experience: Complementarity, Communication And Education, Nyasia M. White

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and address the issues dealing with maternal health in America and see how practices of traditional medicine could help improve childbirth and concerns of mothers-to-be. Maternal death in America is increasing and some reports have suggested that women are growing fearful of giving birth in hospitals. By looking at methods used by traditional birth attendants and interviewing the traditional doctors themselves, suggestions could be made to decrease costs and the maternal mortality rate as well as better inform mothers about their health and the options available to individualize their childbirth experience. Complementary …