Women's Health Commons^™

Rwanda's Natural Remedies: A Fresh Look At The Fight Against Malaria, Leandre Nsabimana Ndisanze

Pomona Senior Theses

Malaria remains one of the most devastating parasitic diseases globally, disproportionately affecting sub-Saharan Africa, where Rwanda continues to face high transmission rates and rising resistance to conventional interventions. Despite decades of control efforts, the emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum and insecticide-resistant Anopheles mosquitoes threatens to reverse recent gains. This research responds to the urgent need for sustainable and culturally relevant alternatives by exploring the therapeutic potential of Rwandan traditional medicinal plants. These indigenous remedies, long used by local healers, offer an underexplored reservoir of bioactive compounds that may provide the basis for novel antimalarial drugs.

The central hypothesis of this …

Therapy-Based Strategies To Support Tummy Time In Infants Post-Hospital Discharge: A Scoping Review Protocol, Ketaki Inamdar, Sonia Khurana

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Tummy time is essential for infant development, yet many caregivers face significant challenges with adherence due to behavioral and contextual barriers. While numerous tummy time interventions exist, a limited understanding of their behavioral components hinders effective replication and implementation. This scoping review aims to identify multidisciplinary interventions used to promote tummy time in infants aged 0–12 months, evaluate their impact on adherence, developmental and health outcomes, and examine the behavior change techniques employed using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology, a comprehensive search will be conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science Core Collection, …

Exploring Dominican University Nursing Student’S Perceptions Of Economic Barriers To Accessing Essential Women’S Health Products, Annabelle E. Burke

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Access to essential feminine hygiene products, including menstrual supplies and hygiene items, is a growing economic and public health issue. Rising product prices and reliance on costly disposable products contribute to financial strain for many women. Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products, education, and hygiene facilities due to financial constraints, and it negatively affects women’s physical and mental health, particularly among students and low-income populations. Research shows that limited access to menstrual products affects dignity, sanitation, and emotional well-being and is compounded by social stigma and cultural silence surrounding menstruation (Brinkley & Niebuhr, 2023). Findings from …

Educating Nurses On Culturally Competent Intimate Partner Violence Care, Nicole Lee

Nursing | Student Research Posters

No abstract provided.

Empowering Birth: Comparing Nurse-Led Holistic And Pharmacologic Pain Relief Approaches​, Jessica C. Moore

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Childbirth is often described as one of the most meaningful experiences in a woman’s life. During this time, effective pain management is essential not only for reducing discomfort, but also for improving maternal satisfaction and minimizing unnecessary obstetric interventions. While childbirth is frequently approached as a purely physical process, it is inherently holistic, influenced by cultural, social, psychological, and emotional factors.

Growing evidence highlights the value of incorporating and educating patients and providers on non-pharmacologic strategies such as breathing techniques, massage, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, positioning ,ambulation, and continuous emotional support.

For example, a study in Sweden that found that a group …

Why A Healthy Diet Is Important For Women's Health, Halley Doster

Theses and Dissertations

Nutrition plays a critical role in women’s reproductive health, yet many women face barriers to maintaining a balanced diet. This study aimed to examine the relationship between nutritional intake and reproductive health outcomes among women of reproductive age, as well as to assess their knowledge and challenges related to healthy eating. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 50 women at a community health center and analyzed using SPSS to generate descriptive statistics and explore patterns through chi-square and regression analyses. Findings revealed that most participants had moderate to low fruit and vegetable intake, and fewer than half …

The Association Between Pain Sensitivity And Low Energy Availability, Sleep, Mental Health, And Stress In Female Endurance Athletes, Taylor R. Moler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The disruption of certain physiological functions due to low energy availability (LEA) in female endurance athletes is a prominent concern. This condition resulting from LEA has been described as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), which can include alterations in metabolism, menstrual function, bone deposition and resorption, mental well-being, and more. The goal of this study was to determine whether pain sensitivity was associated with LEA, sleep, mental health, and stress in female endurance athletes. Participants completed a demographic survey, the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), and …

The Female Brain Health And Endocrine Research In Africa Study (Fember-Africa): Identifying Endocrinological, Lifestyle, Psychosocial And Socio-Cultural Targets For Alzheimer’S Disease Prevention In Women Of African Ancestry, Chinedu Momoh, Rachel Maina, Edna Bosire, Linda Khakali, Sarah Gregory, Karen Blackmon, Thomas Thesen, Samuel Gitau, Anne Njogu, Cynthia Smith, Sylvia Mbugua, Sheila Waa, Jasmit Shah, Kendi Muchungi, Zul Merali

Brain and Mind Institute

Background The Global Dementia Action Plan 2017-2025 specifies key targets, with an emphasis on building research infrastructure and capability across the Global South. However, to date, only 0.1% of total research in Africa constitutes dementia research, the lowest volume of all LMIC regions. Several biomarker and risk models of the preclinical and prodromal stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are proposed as optimal junctures for disease prevention, yet they ignore the influence of biological sex/gender on cognitive and disease processes, despite female sex/gender constituting a major AD modifier. Similarly, the application of these models in ethno-racial and culturally diverse cohorts is …

Barriers To Postpartum Depression Treatment: Availability And Accessibility Of Maternal Behavioral Health-Inclusive Support Groups For Low-Income Populations, Radhika S. Venkatesan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The maternal health crisis is a prevalent and concerning issue in the United States. The lack of efficient availability and accessibility to health care services plays a significant role in augmenting this problem. One health care service that is often understudied is support groups, for prevalent issues like postpartum depression. Considering the socioeconomic burdens of low-income mothers, this paper analyzed the accessibility and availability of maternal health support groups across counties in Florida, with varying amounts of individuals below the federal poverty level (%BPL). Essentially, Florida counties were divided into one of four categories depending on their %BPL. A Fisher’s …

Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport: Risk Assessment In Collegiate Female Athletes Using The Reds Cat2 Tool, Kelsea Elizabeth Nunes

All Master's Theses

Context: Alterations in energy intake (EI) and high exercise energy expenditure (EEE) may increase the risk of low energy availability (LEA) in Division II female collegiate ball sport athletes. Furthermore, chronic LEA can transition to problematic LEA, leading to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the current severity and prevalence of REDs using the REDs CAT2 Tool and the Female Athlete Triad using the FAT CRA in Division II collegiate female volleyball, basketball, soccer, and rugby athletes.

Design: Cross-sectional design.

Setting: Research laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants …

The Use Of Motivational Interviewing In Preventing Dental Caries Among Young Children, Denise C. Mckinney, Melissa L. Sullivan, Futun Alkhalifah

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Dental caries is a complex, preventable disease that remains a global health burden. The burden of this disease has been shown to impact young children before the age of 6 years. Discussing dental caries prevention with the mother/caregiver(s) prior to childbirth is an ideal time to influence positive oral health behaviors. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a person-centered, goal-oriented, collaborative communication style that has been used to help individuals modify behaviors. The interrelated principles of partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation underpin the MI approach while utilizing communication skills such as asking open-ended questions, affirmation, reflective listening, and summarizing (OARS) to engage …

Frequency And Perceived Influence Of Menopausal Symptoms On Training And Performance In Female Endurance Athletes, Heather M. Hamilton, Natalie M. Yarish, Kristin E. Heron

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Menopause is associated with several negative health concerns and common menopausal symptoms. Physical activity is essential to mitigate these negative effects, but menopausal symptoms may interfere with participation in physical activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and the perceived negative effect of menopausal symptoms among female endurance athletes. Female runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes 40–60 years of age were recruited (N = 187). Participants completed an online, anonymous survey that included self-reported menopausal status; the Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS), a validated measure for assessing menopausal symptoms; and the perceived effect of menopausal symptoms on …

'I Did Not Know We Could Exercise This Small Premature Baby': Challenges Experienced By Parents While Implementing Early Intervention For Their Preterm Infants-A Qualitative Perspective, Manasa Kolibylu Raghupathy, Selim Jahangir, Sonia Khurana, Leslie Edward S. Lewis, Bhamini Krishna Rao

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Preterm birth is a highly stressful experience for both parents and infants. Parental participation in care enhances developmental outcomes, fosters parent-infant interactions and builds parental confidence. However, low parental adherence has always been a challenge in the successful implementation of intervention programs both in the NICU and at home. It is imperative to understand parents' perspectives and view the challenges that they experience through their lens while providing early intervention to their infants born preterm. This study is aimed at identifying new parents' challenges when implementing early intervention programs for their infants during the transition from hospital to home. …

Perceptions Of The Health Care System As Mediators In The Association Between Experiences Of Discrimination, Communication From Providers, And Gaps In Mammography, Hannah Cohen-Cline

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Codon Composition In Human Oocyters Reveals Age-Associated Defects In Mrna Decay, Pavla Brachova, Lane K. Christenson, Nehemiah S. Alvarez

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Oocytes from women of advanced reproductive age exhibit diminished developmental potential, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely defined. Oocyte maturation depends on translational control of maternal mRNA synthesized during growth. We performed a computational analysis on human oocytes from women < 30 versus ≥40 years and observed that mRNA GC content correlates negatively with half-life in oocytes from young (< 30 yr) but positively with oocytes from aged (>40 yr) women. In young oocytes, longer mRNA half-life is associated with lower protein abundance, whereas in aged oocytes GC content correlates positively with protein abundance. During the GV-to-MII transition, codon composition stratifies stability: codons that support rapid translation (optimal) stabilize mRNA, while slow-translating codons (non-optimal) promote decay. With reproductive aging, GC-containing codons become more optimal and align with increased …

London's Murderous Mothers: How Charitable And Medical Advancement Influenced Infanticide Indictments During The Long 18th Century, Brandon Gamman

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Physical Activity And Hypertension Outcomes Around Menopause In Adult Women—A Secondary Analysis Of The All Of Us Research Program, Meriam F. Naguib

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hypertension significantly impacts menopausal women due to a decrease in estrogen levels. That is due to estrogen level changes, causing many metabolic alterations, one of which is increased vascular resistance, leading to hypertension. Advanced treatments are made available to help alleviate the condition; however, lifestyle modifications—especially physical activity—show a critical role in hypertension control. This thesis explored the effect of physical activity as a non-pharmacological, lifestyle intervention on hypertension in women by menopausal status (pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal). This study used a secondary analysis with a retrospective design. Physical activity was defined using the American Heart Association's (AHA) guidelines (i.e., …

Parental Sources Of Nutrition Information And Their Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors: Impact On Children's Dietary Intake In Ages 2-5 – A Cross-Sectional Study, Mara O. Fiorio

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Nutrition in early childhood is critical to long-term health outcomes and parents play a key role in shaping children’s eating habits. This study examined where U.S. parents of children aged 2–5 obtain nutrition information, source credibility, and how parental nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) relate to children’s dietary intake.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 126 parents, recruited via social media and community networks using convenience sampling. The survey assessed parental sources of nutrition information, perceived trustworthiness, nutrition knowledge, feeding attitudes and behaviors, and child dietary intake. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic characteristics and source utilization. Chi-square …

Understanding Women's Access To And Utilization Of Syringe Service Programs, Annelisa E. Swiersz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As of 2020, 138 million Americans ages 12 and over reported illicit drug use in their lifetime, with over 3 million of those people injecting drugs. There are risks for all people who use drugs, but people who inject drugs (PWID) pose specific risks such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with women who inject drugs (WWID) facing even more risks. WWID involved in sex work have a higher risk of HIV transmission and lack access to sterile injection devices and sexual and reproductive health services. To address these risks, syringe service programs (SSPs) were developed …

A Systematic Review And Narrative Synthesis Of Factors Affecting Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Willingness Among Black Women For Hiv Prevention, Alexis Sims Haynes, Christine Markham, Vanessa Schick, Robert Suchting, Nivedhitha Parthasarathy, Sumaita Choudhury, Mandy J Hill

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can significantly reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission among Black women in the United States (U.S.), a group disproportionately affected by HIV. However, PrEP uptake in this HIV-vulnerable population is low. This review analyzes the factors influencing Black women's PrEP willingness using the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations (BMVP). Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Study Design (PICOS) framework, we conducted a systematic literature search and selected 24 peer-reviewed studies on PrEP willingness. Narrative synthesis revealed a heterogeneous landscape of the determinants affecting PrEP willingness …