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- All Subjects: public health
- All Subjects: Mosquito
- Creators: Buman, Matthew P
- Status: Published
Description
Hundreds of thousands of people die annually from malaria; a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium is responsible for this mortality. The Plasmodium parasite undergoes several life stages within the mosquito vector, the transition between which require passage across the lumen of the mosquito midgut. It has been observed that in about 15% of parasites that develop ookinetes in the mosquito abdomen, sporozoites never develop in the salivary glands, indicating that passage across the midgut lumen is a significant barrier in parasite development (Gamage-Mendis et al., 1993). We aim to investigate a possible correlation between passage through the midgut lumen and drug-resistance trends in Plasmodium falciparum parasites. This study contains a total of 1024 Anopheles mosquitoes: 187 Anopheles gambiae and 837 Anopheles funestus samples collected in high malaria transmission areas of Mozambique between March and June of 2016. Sanger sequencing will be used to determine the prevalence of known resistance alleles for anti-malarial drugs: chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt), multidrug resistance (pfmdr1) gene, dihydropteroate synthase (pfdhps) and dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr). We compare prevalence of resistance between abdomen and head/thorax in order to determine whether drug resistant parasites are disproportionately hindered during their passage through the midgut lumen. A statistically significant difference between resistance alleles in the two studied body sections supports the efficacy of new anti-malarial gene surveillance strategies in areas of high malaria transmission.
ContributorsPhillips, Keeley Isabella (Author) / Huijben, Silvie (Thesis director) / Gile, Gillian (Committee member) / Young, Steven (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The non-native mosquito Aedes aegypti has become a common nuisance in Maricopa county. Associated with human settlement, Ae. aegypti is known to reproduce in standing water sources both indoors and outdoors, within vessels such as tires, flowerpots, and neglected swimming pools (Jansen & Beebe, 2010). Ae. aegypti and the related Ae. albopictus are the primary vectors of the arboviral diseases chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever and dengue. Ae. aegypti tends to blood feed multiple times per gonotrophic cycle (cycle of feeding and egg laying) which, alongside a preference for human blood and close association with human habitation, contributes to an increased risk of Ae. aegypti borne virus transmission (Scott & Takken, 2012). Between 2010-2017, 153 travel-associated cases of dengue were reported in the whole of Arizona (Rivera et al., 2020); while there have been no documented locally transmitted cases of Aedes borne diseases in Maricopa county, there are no apparent reasons why local transmission can’t occur in the future via local Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected after feeding from travelling viremic hosts. Incidents of local dengue transmission in New York (Rivera et al., 2020) and Barcelona (European Center for Disease Control [ECDC], 2019) suggest that outbreaks of Aedes borne arbovirus’ can occur in regions more temperate than the current endemic range of Aedes borne diseases. Further, while the fact that Ae. aegypti eggs have a high mortality rate when exposed to cold temperatures limits the ability for Ae aegypti to establish stable breeding populations in temperate climates (Thomas, Obermayr, Fischer, Kreyling, & Beierkuhnlein, 2012), global increases in temperature will expand the possible ranges of Ae aegypti and Aedes borne diseases.
ContributorsHon, Ruiheng (Author) / Paaijmans, Krijn (Thesis director) / Bond, Angela (Committee member) / Angilletta, Michael (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Through three investigations, this dissertation examined properties of the family and early care and education center (ECEC) environments related to preschool-aged children’s cardiovascular fitness (CVF) and gross locomotor skills (GLS). Investigation one used a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize the effectiveness of school-based interventions at improving CVF, in preschool-aged children. For investigations two and three product- and process-based measures of GLS were collected from children in ECECs (n=16), using the progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER; n=144) and the CHAMPS motor skill protocol (CMSP; n=91), respectively. Investigation two and three examined family factors and ECEC factors for associations with measures of GLS, respectively.
Investigation one revealed a moderate-to-large effect size for school-based interventions (n=10) increasing CVF (g=0.75; 95%CI [0.40-1.11]). Multi-level interventions (g=.79 [0.34-1.25]) were more effective than interventions focused on the individual (g=0.67 [0.12-1.22]). In investigations two and three children (78.3% Hispanic; mean ± SD age 53.2±4.5 months) completed a mean ± SD 3.7±2.3 PACER laps and 19.0±5.5 CSMP criteria. Individual and family factors associated with PACER laps included child sex (B=-0.96, p=0.03) and age (B=0.17, p<0.01), parents’ promotion of inactivity (B=0.66, p=0.08) and screen time (B=0.65, p=0.05), and parents’ concern for child’s safety during physical activity (B=-0.36, p=0.09). Child age (B=0.47, p<0.01) and parent employment (B=2.29, p=0.07) were associated with CMSP criteria. At the ECEC level, policy environment quality (B=-0.17; p=0.01) was significantly associated with number of PACER laps completed. Outdoor play environment quality (B=0.18; p=0.03), outdoor play equipment total (B=0.32; p<0.01) and screen time environment quality (B=0.60; p=0.02) were significantly associated with CMSP criteria. Researchers, ECEC teachers and policy makers should promote positive environmental changes to preschool-aged children’s family and ECEC environments, as these environments have the potential to improve CVF and GLS more than programs focused on the child alone.
Investigation one revealed a moderate-to-large effect size for school-based interventions (n=10) increasing CVF (g=0.75; 95%CI [0.40-1.11]). Multi-level interventions (g=.79 [0.34-1.25]) were more effective than interventions focused on the individual (g=0.67 [0.12-1.22]). In investigations two and three children (78.3% Hispanic; mean ± SD age 53.2±4.5 months) completed a mean ± SD 3.7±2.3 PACER laps and 19.0±5.5 CSMP criteria. Individual and family factors associated with PACER laps included child sex (B=-0.96, p=0.03) and age (B=0.17, p<0.01), parents’ promotion of inactivity (B=0.66, p=0.08) and screen time (B=0.65, p=0.05), and parents’ concern for child’s safety during physical activity (B=-0.36, p=0.09). Child age (B=0.47, p<0.01) and parent employment (B=2.29, p=0.07) were associated with CMSP criteria. At the ECEC level, policy environment quality (B=-0.17; p=0.01) was significantly associated with number of PACER laps completed. Outdoor play environment quality (B=0.18; p=0.03), outdoor play equipment total (B=0.32; p<0.01) and screen time environment quality (B=0.60; p=0.02) were significantly associated with CMSP criteria. Researchers, ECEC teachers and policy makers should promote positive environmental changes to preschool-aged children’s family and ECEC environments, as these environments have the potential to improve CVF and GLS more than programs focused on the child alone.
ContributorsSzeszulski, Jacob (Author) / Lee, Rebecca E (Thesis advisor) / Buman, Matthew P (Committee member) / Hooker, Steven P (Committee member) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Committee member) / Shaibi, Gabriel Q (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
This study aimed to identify the emotional/affective sources of discrepancies between physical activity behavior and a widely used self-perception measure of physical activity motivation. Overweight women (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m2, 18-64 years of age; N=37) were recruited from Arizona State University community through flyers and online newsletters. Participants wore a SenseWear accelerometer for 6 nights and 7 days and followed their normal patterns of daily living. Participants then completed a single lab visit and verbally responded to questions from the Behavorial Regulation Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2) while being video and audio recorded. Captured emotional responses were evaluated with facial recognition software (Noldus FaceReader). Discrepancies between BREQ-2 responses and physical activity behavior were associated with happiness and sadness emotional responses extracted from the facial recognition software using regression-based analyses. Results indicated an association between monitored physical activities and captured emotional response - specifically sadness - and that as intensity in physical activity increases, motivation increases. Associations between happiness/sadness and physical activity were not observed for all intensities of physical activity. A marginally significant association was observed for amotivation and sedentary, light-intensity physical activity, and moderate-vigorous physical activity in the sample. This study demonstrates a proof-of-concept for the integration of an empirical evaluation of happiness and sadness emotional states into the relationship between physical activity motivation and behavior.
ContributorsBryant, Sarah (Author) / Buman, Matthew P (Thesis advisor) / Chisum, Jack W (Committee member) / Hekler, Eric (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Having accurate measurements of sedentary behaviors is important to understand relationships between sedentary behaviors and health outcomes and to evaluate changes in interventions and health promotion programs designed to reduce sedentary behaviors. This dissertation included three projects that examined measurement properties of wearable monitors used to measure sedentary behaviors. Project one examined the validity of three monitors: the ActiGraph GT3X+, activPAL™, and SenseWear 2. None of the monitors were equivalent with the criterion measure of oxygen uptake to estimate the energy cost of sedentary and light-intensity activities. The ActivPAL™ had the best accuracy as compared with the other monitors. In project two, the accuracy of ActiGraph GT3X+and GENEActiv cut-points used to assess sedentary behavior were compared with direct observation during free-living conditions. New vector magnitude cut-points also were developed to classify time spent in sedentary- and stationary behaviors during free-living conditions. The cut-points tested had modest overall accuracy to classify sedentary time as compared to direct observation. New ActiGraph 1-minute vector cut-points increased overall accuracy for classifying sedentary time. Project 3 examined the accuracy of the sedentary sphere by testing various arm elevation- and movement-count configurations using GENEActiv and ActiGraph GT3X+ data obtained during free-living conditions. None of the configurations were equivalent to the criterion measure of direct observation. The best configuration of the GENEActiv was: worn on the dominant wrist at 15 degrees below the horizontal plane with a cut-point <489 for each 15-second interval. The best configuration for the ActiGraph was: worn on the non-dominant wrist at 5° below the horizontal plane with a cut-point of <489 counts for each 15-second interval. Collectively, these findings indicate that the wearable monitors and methods examined in this study are limited in their ability to assess sedentary behaviors and light intensity physical activity. Additional research is needed to further understand the scope and limitations of wearable monitors and methods used to assess sedentary behaviors and light intensity physical activity.
ContributorsFlorez Pregonero, Argemiro Alberto (Author) / Ainsworth, Barbara E (Thesis advisor) / Buman, Matthew P (Committee member) / Hooker, Steven P (Committee member) / Keller, Colleen S (Committee member) / Swan, Pamela (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a theory-driven and a atheoretical reminder point-of-choice (PoC) prompt interventions on reducing workplace sedentary behavior in office workers with self-reported low usage (<4 hours per day) of their sit-stand workstations in the standing position. The design of this study was a cross-over trial including randomization into either the theory-driven or atheoertical reminder condition, after completion of a no prompt control condition. Participants (N=19) included full-time, primarily female, Caucasian, middle-aged office workers. The primary aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of these two PoC prompt conditions on reducing sedentary behaviors through the use of a Therapy Evaluation Questionnaire. The secondary aim of this study was to assess the preliminary efficacy of the two PoC prompt conditions on reducing sedentary behaviors relative to no-prompt control using the activPAL micro device. For the primary aim, descriptive means adjusted for ordering effect were computed. For the secondary aim, mixed-effects regression models were used to cluster for observations within-persons and were adjusted for age, gender, race, job-type, and ordering effects. During the no-prompt control, participants spent 267.90 ± 68.01 sitting and 170.20 ± 69.34 min/8hr workday standing. The reminder PoC prompt condition significantly increased sanding time (b[se] = 24.52 [11.09], p=0.034) while the theory-driven PoC condition significantly decreased time spent in long sitting bouts b[se] = -34.86 [16.20], p=0.036), both relative to no prompt control. No statistically significant reductions in sitting time were seen in either PoC prompt condition. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences between the two PoC prompt conditions were observed. This study provides feasibility insight in addition to objective measures of sedentary behaviors regarding the use of PoC prompt interventions in the workplace.
ContributorsLarouche, Miranda (Author) / Buman, Matthew P (Thesis advisor) / Ainsworth, Barbara E (Thesis advisor) / Huberty, Jennifer L (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) comprise of diverse communicable diseases that affect mostly the developing economies of the world, the “neglected” populations. The NTDs Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) and Soil-transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) are among the top contributors of global mortality and/or morbidity. They affect resource-limited regions (poor health-care literacy, infrastructure, etc.) and patients’ treatment behavior is irregular due to the social constraints. Through two case studies, VL in India and STH in Ghana, this work aims to: (i) identify the additional and potential hidden high-risk population and its behaviors critical for improving interventions and surveillance; (ii) develop models with those behaviors to study the role of improved control programs on diseases’ dynamics; (iii) optimize resources for treatment-related interventions.
Treatment non-adherence is a less focused (so far) but crucial factor for the hindrance in WHO’s past VL elimination goals. Moreover, treatment non-adherers, hidden from surveillance, lead to high case-underreporting. Dynamical models are developed capturing the role of treatment-related human behaviors (patients’ infectivity, treatment access and non-adherence) on VL dynamics. The results suggest that the average duration of treatment adherence must be increased from currently 10 days to 17 days for a 28-day Miltefosine treatment to eliminate VL.
For STH, children are considered as a high-risk group due to their hygiene behaviors leading to higher exposure to contamination. Hence, Ghana, a resource-limited country, currently implements a school-based Mass Drug Administration (sMDA) program only among children. School staff (adults), equally exposed to this high environmental contamination of STH, are largely ignored under the current MDA program. Cost-effective MDA policies were modeled and compared using alternative definitions of “high-risk population”. This work optimized and evaluated how MDA along with the treatment for high-risk adults makes a significant improvement in STH control under the same budget. The criticality of risk-structured modeling depends on the infectivity coefficient being substantially different for the two adult risk groups.
This dissertation pioneers in highlighting the cruciality of treatment-related risk groups for NTD-control. It provides novel approaches to quantify relevant metrics and impact of population factors. Compliance with the principles and strategies from this study would require a change in political thinking in the neglected regions in order to achieve persistent NTD-control.
Treatment non-adherence is a less focused (so far) but crucial factor for the hindrance in WHO’s past VL elimination goals. Moreover, treatment non-adherers, hidden from surveillance, lead to high case-underreporting. Dynamical models are developed capturing the role of treatment-related human behaviors (patients’ infectivity, treatment access and non-adherence) on VL dynamics. The results suggest that the average duration of treatment adherence must be increased from currently 10 days to 17 days for a 28-day Miltefosine treatment to eliminate VL.
For STH, children are considered as a high-risk group due to their hygiene behaviors leading to higher exposure to contamination. Hence, Ghana, a resource-limited country, currently implements a school-based Mass Drug Administration (sMDA) program only among children. School staff (adults), equally exposed to this high environmental contamination of STH, are largely ignored under the current MDA program. Cost-effective MDA policies were modeled and compared using alternative definitions of “high-risk population”. This work optimized and evaluated how MDA along with the treatment for high-risk adults makes a significant improvement in STH control under the same budget. The criticality of risk-structured modeling depends on the infectivity coefficient being substantially different for the two adult risk groups.
This dissertation pioneers in highlighting the cruciality of treatment-related risk groups for NTD-control. It provides novel approaches to quantify relevant metrics and impact of population factors. Compliance with the principles and strategies from this study would require a change in political thinking in the neglected regions in order to achieve persistent NTD-control.
ContributorsThakur, Mugdha (Author) / Mubayi, Anuj (Thesis advisor) / Hurtado, Ana M (Committee member) / Paaijmans, Krijn (Committee member) / Michael, Edwin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The health benefits of sufficient moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sleep arewell-supported, with established links to decreased cancer risk, cardiometabolic health, all-cause mortality, and psychiatric symptomatology—including stress-related phenomena—for those who engage in 150 min MVPA/week and get at least 7 hours sleep/night. The latter outcome has rapidly become a major public health concern as our nation grapples with the impact of prolonged COVID-19 pandemic stress, which has triggered an onslaught of depression, anxiety, and PTSD throughout the population. Thus, while strategies to decrease stress are desperately needed, many Americans fall short of the very MVPA and sleep recommendations that have been shown to increase their capacity to cope. The purpose of the present study was to explore time-varying associations of MVPA and sleep with momentary perceived stress in adults forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty remote-working adults (86.7% women; mean age 37.5 years, SD = 10.4 years) wore GENEActiv accelerometers on the wrist to capture MVPA and sleep data, and answered four Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs) per day regarding perceived stress, for fourteen days straight. Between- and within-person variations in MVPA, sleep quality rating (SQR), total sleep time (TST), and sleep efficiency (SE) were analyzed via multilevel models to determine whether certain changes in these parameters might lead to decreased perceived momentary stress. Between-person models revealed a significant negative effect of SQR on perceived stress levels the next day, beta= -.651, SE= .303, P= .04. Mean MVPA, TST, and SE were not significant inter-individual predictors of momentary stress. However, within persons, higher than normal MVPA (beta= -.005, SE= .002, P= .015), SQR (beta= -.277, SE= .071, P <.001), TST (beta= -.001, SE= .000, P = .004), and SE (beta= -.524, SE= .242, P = .031) were all associated with significant decreases in momentary stress, with individuals experiencing incremental benefits with each additional minute of MVPA and TST. In conclusion, daily fluctuations in MVPA and sleep habits correlate more strongly with momentary stress than do typical levels of these behaviors; this presents an attainable strategy for individuals to enhance their capacity to cope.
ContributorsLyons, Rachel Crosley (Author) / Buman, Matthew P (Thesis advisor) / Der Ananian, Cheryl (Committee member) / McCracken, Kasondra (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The 24-hour day is spent engaging in activities that include light-physical activity (LPA), moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary time (i.e., sitting/lying/reclining posture with energy expenditure <1.5 METs, while awake), and sleep. These behaviors are mutually exclusive and time spent in one behavior affects the time spent in another. The time among these 24-hour behaviors is also associated with cardiometabolic health outcomes, including adiposity. Assessing specific behavioral contexts and their relationship within the 24-hour day is underdeveloped, this includes recreational sedentary screen time (rSST). rSST is sedentary time with televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, inactive video games, and its relationship with other 24-hour behaviors is underdeveloped. This dissertation works evaluates the relationship between rSST and 24-hour behaviors, and adiposity in adults. The first study reviewed the existing observational and experimental evidence for rSST and its relationship with 24-hour behaviors by conducting a scoping review. From the 75 experimental and observational studies included, the evidence supported an overall positive association between rSST and non-screen sedentary behavior, an overall negative association between rSST with physical activity, and overall positive and negative associations between rSST with various sleep variables. The second study assessed the daily associations between rSST and 24-hour behaviors and how associations are influenced by age, sex, chronotype, and week- or weekend days. The findings include significant negative associations at between- and within-person levels for rSST with non-screen sedentary time, standing, LPA, MVPA, and sleep that were differentially influenced by age, chronotype, and week- or weekend day. The third study examined reallocating time between rSST and 24-hour behaviors and the associations with adiposity (i.e., body mass index, body fat percentage, and waist circumference). The results showed significant associations of replacing non-screen sedentary time with MVPA for both body fat percentage and waist circumference; and no significant associations between rSST and 24-hour behaviors for body mass index. Overall, this dissertation work provides important insights into the relationships between rSST and 24-hour behaviors and their relation to adiposity. These findings can be used to inform future intervention development targeting multiple behavior changes and improving health outcomes.
ContributorsHasanaj, Kristina (Author) / Buman, Matthew P (Thesis advisor) / Petrov, Megan E (Thesis advisor) / Sears, Dorothy D (Committee member) / Yu, Fang (Committee member) / Keadle, Sarah K (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Vector control plays an important role in the prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs). As there are no (prophylactic) drugs and/or vaccines available for many arboviral diseases (such as zika, chikungunya, Saint Louis encephalitis, Ross River virus), the frontline approach to prevent or reduce disease morbidity and mortality is through the reduction of the mosquito vector population size and/or reducing vector-human contact using insecticides. Frontline tools in malaria (an MBD caused by a parasite) control and elimination have been drugs (targeting the malaria parasite) and insecticides (targeting the vectors) through indoor residual spraying (IRS) (spraying the internal walls and sometimes the roofs of dwellings with residual insecticides to kill adult mosquito vectors), and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), while arboviral vectors are frequently targeted using outdoor fogging and space spraying (indoor or outdoor spraying of insecticides to kill adult mosquito vectors). Integrative and novel vector control efforts are urgently needed since the aforementioned tools may not be as effective against those mosquito species that are resistant to insecticides and/or have a different (or changed) behavior allowing them to avoid existing tools. In Chapters 2 and 3, I investigate mosquito vector surveillance in Arizona by (i) discussing the species composition and public health implications of the State’s mosquito fauna, and (ii) comparing the effectiveness of 4 different carbon dioxide (CO2) sources in attracting different mosquito species on the Arizona State University Tempe Campus. In Chapters 4 and 5, I investigate a novel vector control tool by (i) completing a literature review on using electric fields (EFs) to control insects, and (ii) presenting novel data on using Insulated Conductor Wires (ICWs) to generate EFs that prevent host-seeking female Aedes aegypti from entering spaces. In Chapter 6, I discuss the non-target effects of chemical malaria control on other arthropods, including other biological and mechanical infectious disease vectors. Overall, this dissertation highlights the important role that the development of novel surveillance and vector control tools could play in improved mosquito control, which ultimately will reduce disease morbidity and mortality.
ContributorsJobe, Ndey Bassin (Author) / Paaijmans, Krijn (Thesis advisor) / Cease, Arianne (Committee member) / Hall, Sharon (Committee member) / Huijben, Silvie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024