Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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Genetic and environmental influences on associations among multiple sleep parameters, weight indicators and weight status, and effortful control in young twins

Description
Prior research has established associations between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) scores and risk for obesity in middle childhood, but it is less clear whether other objectively- and subjectively-measured sleep indicators may be associated with BMI scores, weight status (e.g., obesity), and other estimates of weight and body…

Prior research has established associations between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) scores and risk for obesity in middle childhood, but it is less clear whether other objectively- and subjectively-measured sleep indicators may be associated with BMI scores, weight status (e.g., obesity), and other estimates of weight and body fat such as waist circumference (WC) and percent body fat. Empirical studies have also demonstrated independent associations between broad self-regulation and sleep indicators and BMI scores, but no study to date has tested these factors in a model together and the extent to which associations between normative sleep problems, weight indicators, and effortful control (EC) may be explained by shared genetic or environmental influences. Data from a large longitudinal study of twins was used to test phenotypic associations between sleep problems at eight years and weight indicators at nine years, including whether EC at eight years moderates these associations. Additionally, multiple quantitative behavior genetic models were used to estimate unique and shared genetic and environmental covariances among normative sleep problems, weight indicators, and EC at eight years of age and whether additive genetic influence on weight in middle childhood differs by child weight status group. Phenotypic findings showed that greater sleep duration at eight years predicted greater decreases BMI at nine years of age for children with low levels of EC at eight years. Greater sleep midpoint variability at eight years predicted greater increases in percent body fat from eight to nine years of age for children with low EC at eight years. Behavior genetic findings showed greater environmental influences on parent-reported sleep duration and quality, as well as objective sleep midpoint variability. Similarly, associations between parent-reported sleep duration and sleep midpoint variability and other sleep indicators and EC were primarily accounted for by shared environmental factors. In contrast, there was high additive genetic influence on objective sleep quantity and quality, all weight indicators, and EC. Many of the associations between sleep indicators, sleep and weight indicators, and among weight indicators were entirely accounted for by shared additive genetic factors, suggesting that common, underlying sets of genes explain these relations.
ContributorsBreitenstein, Reagan Styles (Author) / Doane, Leah D. (Thesis advisor) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Perez La Mar, Marisol (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
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Ethnic Discrimination, Socioeconomic Status, and Health in India

Description

Significant health inequalities exist between different castes and ethnic communities in India, and identifying the roots of these inequalities is of interest to public health research and policy. Research on caste-based health inequalities in India has historically focused on general, government-defined categories, such as “Scheduled Castes,” “Scheduled Tribes,” and “Other…

Significant health inequalities exist between different castes and ethnic communities in India, and identifying the roots of these inequalities is of interest to public health research and policy. Research on caste-based health inequalities in India has historically focused on general, government-defined categories, such as “Scheduled Castes,” “Scheduled Tribes,” and “Other Backward Classes.” This method obscures the diversity of experiences, indicators of well-being, and health outcomes between castes, tribes, and other communities in the “scheduled” category. This study analyzes data on 699,686 women from 4,260 castes, tribes and communities in the 2015-2016 Demographic and Health Survey of India to: (1) examine the diversity within and overlap between general, government-defined community categories in both wealth, infant mortality, and education, and (2) analyze how infant mortality is related to community category membership and socioeconomic status (measured using highest level of education and household wealth). While there are significant differences between general, government-defined community categories (e.g., scheduled caste, backward class) in both wealth and infant mortality, the vast majority of variation between communities occurs within these categories. Moreover, when other socioeconomic factors like wealth and education are taken into account, the difference between general, government-defined categories reduces or disappears. These findings suggest that focusing on measures of education and wealth at the household level, rather than general caste categories, may more accurately target those individuals and households most at risk for poor health outcomes. Further research is needed to explain the mechanisms by which discrimination affects health in these populations, and to identify sources of resilience, which may inform more effective policies.
ContributorsClauss, Colleen (Author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2022-05