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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Description
The relationship between sleep and physical activity is an area of growing scientific interest, particularly in the context of older adults. The importance of examining long sleep duration and its influence on physical activity in this demographic becomes increasingly relevant given rising healthcare costs. This dissertation aims to investigate this intricate relationship via secondary analysis by examining the effects of moderate time-in-bed (TIB) restriction (60 minutes per night)) on various intensities of physical activity (sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous, moderate-vigorous physical activity) in older adults classified as long sleepers and average duration sleepers. It was hypothesized that moderate TIB restriction would result in differential changes in physical activity levels across various intensities, with long sleepers exhibiting increased physical activity and average sleepers displaying decreased activity, potentially influenced by alterations in TST (total sleep time) and SE (sleep efficiency). Utilizing a randomized controlled trial design, this study examined the effect of treatment changes in objectively measures activity (waist actigraphy) and subjects physical activity levels as measured by the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire . Eligible participants were long sleepers (sleeping > 9 hours per night) and average sleepers (sleeping 7-9 hours per night). Both types of sleepers were either randomized to TIB restriction or asked to maintain their average sleep patterns. Mean TIB restriction compared with baseline was 39.5 minutes in average sleepers and 52.9 minutes in long sleepers randomized to TIB restriction . Contrary to the original hypothesis, no significant effect of TIB restriction was observed across all physical activity levels in either long sleepers or average sleepers. However, a notable association was found between increased sleep efficiency (+0.09% [SD = ± 4.64%]) and light physical activity (±31 minutes [SD = ± 104.81, R=0.445, P < 0.007]) in long sleepers undergoing TIB restriction. While this study presents several methodological limitations, including its nature as a secondary analysis and the less-than-intended achievement of TIB restriction, it adds a valuable layer to the existing body of research on sleep and physical activity in older adults. The findings suggest that moderate TIB restriction may not be sufficiently impactful to change behavior in physical activity levels, thus highlighting the need for more nuanced, targeted research in this domain.
ContributorsPerry, Christopher (Author) / Youngstedt, Shawn D (Thesis advisor) / Petrov, Megan (Committee member) / Swan, Pamela (Committee member) / Buman, Matthew (Committee member) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This project was designed to evaluate a nutrition educational tool designated to educate high school dancers about the importance of nutrition through collecting feedback from dancers during focus group discussions. The nutrition educational tool was created to be easy to read and understand, while still informing on important topics such as water intake, sleep, food groups, diets, and meal prepping. After giving a presentation of the tool to a group of high school dancers, eleven students from a high school dance team completed a survey answering questions about the tool and then participated in a group discussion that asked guided questions about their perceptions of the material presented and their suggestions for edits. Results showed that overall, the participants found this tool useful, but suggested improvements include missing information on the sleep requirement section, more suggestions for dietary restrictions, and additional details about foods and meal prepping. Overall, students found this tool useful for themselves, but results were mixed about if they would use this information in the future or share it with others. Nutrition is an important topic for high school athletes, especially dancers, and should be taught in order to keep dancers healthy.
ContributorsSandnas, Courtney (Author) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Thesis director) / Grant, Shauna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
College students are a niche of young adults, characterized by abnormal sleeping habits and inactive lifestyles. Many students entering college are as young as 18 years old and graduate by 22 years old, a window of time in which their bones are still accruing mineral. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether sleep patterns and physical activity observed in college students (N= 52) 18-25 years old at Arizona State University influenced bone biomarkers, osteocalcin (OC) and N-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (NTX-1) concentrations. Students completed various dietary and health history questionnaires including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form. Students wore an actigraphy watch for 7 consecutive nights to record sleep events including total sleep time, sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset. Total sleep time had a significant, negative correlation with OC (r = -0.298, p-value =0.036) while sleep onset latency had a significant, positive correlation with NTX-1 serum concentration (r = 0.293, p-value = 0.037). Despite correlational findings, only sleep percent was found to be significant (beta coefficient = 0.271 p-value = 0.788) among all the sleep components assessed, after adjusting for gender, race, BMI and calcium intake in multivariate regression models. Physical activity alone was not associated with either bone biomarker. Physical activity*sleep onset latency interactions were significantly correlated with osteocalcin (r = 0.308, p-value =0.006) and NTX-1 (r = 0.286, p-value = 0.042) serum concentrations. Sleep percent*physical activity interactions were significantly correlated with osteocalcin (r = 0.280, p-value = 0.049) but not with NTX-1 serum concentrations. Interaction effects were no longer significant after adjusting for covariates in the regression models. While sleep percent was a significant component in the regression model for NTX-1, it was not clinically significant. Overall, sleep patterns and physical activity did not explain OC and NTX-1 serum concentrations in college students 18-25 years old. Future studies may need to consider objective physical activity devices including accelerometers to measure activity levels. At this time, college students should review sleep and physical activity recommendations to ensure optimal healthy habits are practiced.
ContributorsMahmood, Tara Nabil (Author) / Whisner, Corrie (Thesis advisor) / Dickinson, Jared (Committee member) / Petrov, Megan (Committee member) / Adams, Marc (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Nicotine and tobacco use, whether it be through cigarette smoking or other devices, creates negative health conditions in pilots. The literature that was reviewed pertained to nicotine withdrawal symptoms and their negative impact on pilot performance. There have been studies conducted in order to explore how these symptoms impact pilot performance using cigarettes as the only nicotine device and does not specify the nicotine levels or the frequency of use. This thesis extends this work to examine the relationship between the nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the nicotine behaviors of pilots. It was hypothesized that the extent of withdrawal symptoms may differ by device and by nicotine levels and frequency of use, with higher levels and more frequent use being associated with more severe withdrawal symptoms. These behaviors included the device they use to take nicotine whether it be cigarettes, vaporizers, e-cigarettes, or smokeless tobacco. The behaviors also included exploration of how nicotine levels relate to withdrawal symptoms whether the nicotine level is as low as 3mg or high as 36mg. The last relationship that was explored was that between the withdrawal symptoms presented in pilots and how often they used nicotine, whether it be often as every day or less frequent as 1-2 times a year. It was found that there is no statistical relationship between nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the nicotine habits such as device used, nicotine level used, and frequency of use.
ContributorsBartlowe, Halie Marie (Author) / Cooke, Nancy J. (Thesis advisor) / Nullmeyer, Robert (Committee member) / Wende, Anthony (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Lifestyle factors including nutrition, may play a role in the development of cognitive impairment. Previous studies based in the United States have shown that nutrient deficiencies in vitamin B-12 and folate can increase the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment in adults, while high levels of potassium increase the risk of cognitive impairment. Among the Tsimane and Moseten subsistence communities in Bolivia, there is a low prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia and related diseases, but any impacts of micronutrients on cognitive impairment have not been assessed. Using a mixed longitudinal design to estimate nutrient intake via 855 dietary recall questionnaires (24-hour) from 370 Tsimane and Moseten aged 43-85 years (mean age 62 years, 47% male), a culturally specific dementia assessment (3MSE, KIKA, neurological exam) was conducted, and individuals were diagnosed as having normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia. Logistic regressions with clustered standard errors (to account for multiple dietary questionnaires per individual) examined the association between dietary intake and cognitive impairment. Controlling for age, sex, body mass index, and education, those with higher daily caloric intake had a lower odds ratio of cognitive impairment, with every 100 additional calories associated with decreased risk (OR = 0.95, p=0.032). Higher B-12 intake was associated with lower cognitive impairment, while higher potassium intake was associated with greater cognitive impairment. The presented data indicate a correlation between diet and nutrition and cognitive impairment within a subsistence population. This observation underscores the potential tradeoffs individuals face in allocating resources towards survival versus the upkeep of cognitive faculties, reflecting broader considerations in life history strategies.
ContributorsBalasubramanian, Sophia (Author) / Trumble, Benjamin C (Thesis advisor) / Jenkins, Carrie L (Committee member) / Aronoff, Jacob E (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Cochlear implants (CIs) restore hearing to nearly one million individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss. However, with limited spectral and temporal resolution, CI users may rely heavily on top-down processing using cognitive resources for speech recognition in noise, and change the weighting of different acoustic cues for pitch-related listening tasks such as Mandarin tone recognition. While auditory training is known to improve CI users’ performance in these tasks as measured by percent correct scores, the effects of training on cue weighting, listening effort, and untrained tasks need to be better understood, in order to maximize the training benefits. This dissertation addressed these questions by training normal-hearing (NH) listeners listening to CI simulation. Study 1 examined whether Mandarin tone recognition training with enhanced amplitude envelope cues may improve tone recognition scores and increase the weighting of amplitude envelope cues over fundamental frequency (F0) contours. Compared to no training or natural-amplitude-envelope training, enhanced-amplitude-envelope training increased the benefits of amplitude envelope enhancement for tone recognition but did not increase the weighting of amplitude or F0 cues. Listeners attending more to amplitude envelope cues in the pre-test improved more in tone recognition after enhanced-amplitude-envelope training. Study 2 extended Study 1 to compare the generalization effects of tone recognition training alone, vowel recognition training alone, and combined tone and vowel recognition training. The results showed that tone recognition training did not improve vowel recognition or vice versa, although tones and vowels are always produced together in Mandarin. Only combined tone and vowel recognition training improved sentence recognition, showing that both suprasegmental (i.e., tones) and segmental cues (i.e., vowels) were essential for sentence recognition in Mandarin. Study 3 investigated the impact of phoneme recognition training on listening effort of sentence recognition in noise, as measured by a dual-task paradigm, pupillometry, and subjective ratings. It was found that phoneme recognition training improved sentence recognition in noise. The dual-task paradigm and pupillometry indicated that from pre-test to post-test, listening effort reduced in the control group without training, but remained unchanged in the training group. This suggests that training may have motivated listeners to stay focused on the challenging task of sentence recognition in noise. Overall, non-clinical measures such as cue weighting and listening effort can enrich our understanding of the training-induced perceptual and cognitive effects, and allow us to better predict and assess the training outcomes.
ContributorsKim, Seeon (Author) / Luo, Xin (Thesis advisor) / Azuma, Tamiko (Committee member) / Zhou, Yi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
This dissertation focuses on “patient work” within the context of chronic illness, with a primary focus on information work related to chronic illness and patients’ establishment of legitimacy and credibility concerning their bodily information. Patient work is the labor and tasks of managing one’s health or the health of another (such as a dependent child) and is a universal and ongoing responsibility for billions of people around the globe. Chronic illness intensifies patient work. This research employs an interdisciplinary approach, spanning health services research, science and technology studies, informatics, and human-computer interaction. Using empirical investigations on patients managing chronic kidney disease and seeking an endometriosis diagnosis, this dissertation explores information work dimensions and the quest for credibility, legitimacy, and authoritative knowledge among patients. The interdisciplinary approach deepens understanding of patient work intricacies and challenges faced by those with chronic illness. This dissertation investigates information work dimensions, emphasizing the quest for, receiving, and passing of information; including tracking, disclosing, and synthesizing health information, spotlighting physical experiences often overlooked in scholarly research. Highlighting the overlooked form of information work involving bodily experiences, the research explores how patients navigate disease management using data from their bodies. This emphasizes legitimacy and credibility built through patients' bodily experiences, deeming them experts in disease management. Examining credibility in bodily information work, especially during the diagnostic quest, this dissertation addresses challenges faced by patients in establishing credibility within professional communities. The choice of chronic illness as a case study is justified by patients' instrumental role in managing treatment and care, often overlooked by empowerment efforts. This research argues that without recognizing patient work, poorly designed systems burden patients, leading to worse health outcomes. This interdisciplinary dissertation provides a deeper understanding patient work by developing a typology of patient work, highlighting new distinct types of patient work such as the information work of bodily experiences, and validates credibility work. This work aims to bridge research gaps between disciplines, shifting healthcare systems to support unaccounted-for patient labor better. Furthermore, this research empowers patients as credible experts in their care through qualitative methods and patient narratives.
ContributorsWhitman, Samantha Alexzandria (Author) / Pine, Kathleen H (Thesis advisor) / Johnston, Erik (Thesis advisor) / Harlow, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Ensuring access to safe and affordable recreational spaces is vital for promoting well-being, especially in underserved communities facing barriers to physical activity. Shared use agreements, where school facilities are open for public use, offer a promising solution; yet limited research has examined how to maximize usage of these spaces. Framed under Social Cognitive Theory in a socioecological model, this dissertation comprises three studies contributing to this knowledge base to foster active, healthy communities. The first study was a scoping review of usage and physical activity behavior in school shared use spaces, highlighting the potential of shared use agreements to promote physical activity, especially when they included organized activities or space renovations. The study underscores the need for robust evaluations, gender- and population-sensitive interventions, and community engagement to maximize impact. The second study, adopting a pre/post, cross-sectional approach, assessed the impact of a multicomponent intervention on perceptions and usage of a school shared use path in South Phoenix (AZ). No statistically significant changes in usage were observed over time; however, access was a significant predictor of usage. Gender (female, negative) and safety perceptions (positive) were also identified as salient predictors of usage. The findings highlight the critical role of awareness (i.e., perceived access) in enhancing usage of school shared use spaces. The third study was a longitudinal natural experiment, with observational assessments of usage and related physical activity on one school shared use path over 12 months at an elementary school in South Phoenix (AZ). Moderate increases in usage over time were attributed to promotional efforts, social programming, and environmental modifications. Most users (>70%) of the path were observed walking, and were male, Hispanic, and adult. The study suggests that demographic disparities may exist. Implementing broader engagement strategies and understanding safety perceptions may facilitate more representative usage. Collectively, this dissertation provides a comprehensive evaluation of the potential of school shared use spaces to promote physical activity, while underscoring the importance of understanding complex factors influencing the usage of these spaces. Ultimately, the findings contribute knowledge to enhancing the usage of school shared use spaces, adding to the literature on their significance in promoting physical activity and community health, particularly in underserved regions.
ContributorsWilson, Kylie (Author) / Poulos, Allison (Thesis advisor) / Grimm, Kevin (Committee member) / Koskan, Alexis (Committee member) / Kulinna, Pamela Hodges (Committee member) / Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Low water intake and underhydration are public health issues that may increase risk for diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Studies suggest that high vasopressin (AVP) levels associated with low water intake may contribute to hyperglycemia. This study explored the physiological system by which AVP impairs glucose regulation through a single-blind randomized, counterbalanced, crossover design. This is a pilot and feasibility study of AVP infusion at increasing incremental rates, which was completed to determine the rate of infusion for the cross-over study. Participants completed a control and experimental trial. The experimental trial included a 3-hour AVP infusion and a 2-hour euglycemic-hyper insulinemic clamp at the end of the first hour versus control of 0.9% sodium chloride replacing AVP. In both trials, blood samples were taken every 5 minutes to measure glucose, as well as 7 other time points of insulin infusion. Two participants completed the pilot (47.5±3.5 years, 172.5 ±7.5cm, 82.5±17.7kg, 27.5±3.5 kg/m2, 5.1±0.64% HbA1c), and 3 participants completed the cross-over study (49±1.7 years, 173.7±6.7cm, 80.4±150kg, 26.5±3.2kg/m2, 5.3±0.2% HbA1c), all females. The rate of AVP infusion for the cross-over study was 12.5 mU/min. Compared to the control, the AVP trial blood glucose trended higher towards the end of the experiment, as did glucose metabolism, plasma osmolality, and plasma volume. Blood pressure was slightly higher in the AVP trial versus the saline, while plasma sodium and potassium levels did not differ. Total plasma protein seemed higher in the saline trials than in the AVP trials. This study supports the notion that increased levels of vasopressin over time may increase blood glucose. This could lead to supplementation of type 2 diabetes interventions with increased water intake.
ContributorsAcri, Emily Suzanne (Author) / Kavouras, Stavros (Thesis advisor) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Shepard, Christina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024