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The Transtheoretical Model in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity

Description

Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern in the United States. For several years, many interventions have been established to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. However, these interventions have not adequately utilized existing models of behavior change, and as a result, have been unsuccessful in increasing levels of…

Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern in the United States. For several years, many interventions have been established to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. However, these interventions have not adequately utilized existing models of behavior change, and as a result, have been unsuccessful in increasing levels of physical activity and healthy dietary intake. One such model of change, the Transtheoretical Model, views behavior change as occurring through a series of stages with progression through the stages being facilitated by cognitive and behavioral processes. Within these processes the constructs of consciousness-raising, helping relationships, and self-efficacy have been shown to be most influential in changing behaviors. Thus, the objective of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of such constructs and establish a multi-faceted approach to combat this epidemic.

ContributorsWang, Janice (Author) / Broman, Tannah (Thesis director) / Hoffner, Kristin (Committee member) / Baldwin, Marjorie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)

Created2012-12

Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement: The Mind-Body Connection

Description

Children's wellbeing has been of utmost concern to society, and recently this topic has taken a particular focus in both health and achievement. As the focus shifts towards promoting a healthier and more academically successful youth, the relationship between the two warrants investigation. Specifically, the relationship between physical fitness and…

Children's wellbeing has been of utmost concern to society, and recently this topic has taken a particular focus in both health and achievement. As the focus shifts towards promoting a healthier and more academically successful youth, the relationship between the two warrants investigation. Specifically, the relationship between physical fitness and academic performance (i.e. grades) in 4th grade students was assessed. A cross-sectional design was used to assess physical fitness of children (M=9.39 years) by means of the FITNESSGRAM assessment tool. Third-quarter grades were used to measure academic performance. Relationships between the variables were determined through bivariate plots, Pearson product moment correlation analysis, independent t-tests, and a three-step regression analysis. The results show a significant relationship between students' aerobic fitness and academic performance. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggest incremental validity between aerobic fitness and academic performance, thus implying predictive value associated with increased physical fitness and academic achievement.

ContributorsMoore, Shannon (Author) / Kulinna, Pamela (Thesis director) / Hoffner, Kristin (Committee member) / Stylianou, Michalis (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)

Created2012-12

Using an Active Case Based Learning Model to Increase Scientific Interest, Understanding of and Confidence in the Process of Science in Secondary Education

Description

Many high school students demonstrate an overall lack of interest in science. Traditional teaching methodologies seem to be unsuccessful at engaging students \u2014 one explanation is that students often interpret what they learn in school as irrelevant to their personal lives. Active learning and case based learning methodologies seem to…

Many high school students demonstrate an overall lack of interest in science. Traditional teaching methodologies seem to be unsuccessful at engaging students \u2014 one explanation is that students often interpret what they learn in school as irrelevant to their personal lives. Active learning and case based learning methodologies seem to be more effective at promoting interest and understanding of scientific principles. The purpose of our research was to implement a lab with updated teaching methodologies that included an active learning and case based curriculum. The lab was implemented in two high school honors biology classes with the specific goals of: significantly increasing students' interest in science and its related fields; increasing students' self-efficacy in their ability to understand and interpret the traditional process of the scientific method; and increasing this traditional process of objectively understanding the scientific method. Our results indicated that interest in science and its related fields (p = .011), students' self-efficacy in understanding the scientific method (p = .000), and students' objective understanding of the scientific method (p = .000) statistically significantly increased after the lab was administered; however, our results may not be as meaningful as the p-values imply due to the scale of our assessment.

ContributorsCotten, Kathryn (Author) / Hoffner, Kristin (Thesis director) / Stout, Valerie (Committee member) / Lynskey, Jim (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)

Created2012-12

Stress, Race, and Pregnancy: A Health Disparity

Description

In Arizona black women have a preterm birth rate of 40% higher than any other women. Black women in Maricopa County have the highest incidence of low birthweight and preterm birth. Preterm birth has been linked to cerebral palsy, blindness, cognitive difficulties, and ultimately, infant mortality. Preterm birth is…

In Arizona black women have a preterm birth rate of 40% higher than any other women. Black women in Maricopa County have the highest incidence of low birthweight and preterm birth. Preterm birth has been linked to cerebral palsy, blindness, cognitive difficulties, and ultimately, infant mortality. Preterm birth is defined by the World Health Organization as delivery of an infant before 37 weeks of gestation. Low birth weight is defined as 1500g or less with extremely low birthweight being 1000g or less. Infants with low birth weight contribute disproportionately to infant mortality. Chronic, toxic stress is a heavy contributor to the racial health disparity of preterm birth and low birth weight. Chronic stress may affect preterm birth by dysregulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, altering the release of cortisol, leading to altered immune function, thus increasing infection and inflammation response (Giuregescu et. al). Studies have shown racial injustice is related to inflammatory stress response. This stress is exacerbated by the long history of injustice and neglect in healthcare due to implicit bias. Recommendations for improvement of this disparity includes cultural competency training for all healthcare professionals and mindfulness yoga training paired with Focused Support Groups for pregnant women for reducing racial stress.

ContributorsOfori, Shana (Author) / Reddy, Swapna (Thesis director) / Cox, Deborah J. (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-05

Optimize Your Resistance Training

Description

Resistance training is a modality of exercise that has grown in popularity over the past two decades, particularly for its role in improving muscular fitness by increasing muscular strength, power, and hypertrophy. Due to this increase in demand, more and more people are entering the gym for their first time…

Resistance training is a modality of exercise that has grown in popularity over the past two decades, particularly for its role in improving muscular fitness by increasing muscular strength, power, and hypertrophy. Due to this increase in demand, more and more people are entering the gym for their first time and eager to learn about the ways to get bigger and stronger as fast as possible. The aim of this summary is to provide evidence-based information that resistance trainers or fitness personnel can use to design an effective training program. In order to optimize your resistance training protocol there are three main areas to focus on: increasing volume, managing intensity, and active recovery.

ContributorsEsparza, Ryan David (Author) / Nolan, Nicole (Thesis director) / Marsit, Joseph (Committee member) / Broman, Tannah (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-05

The Effects of Yoga on Cardiovascular Measures

Description

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to compare cardiovascular responses of two different types of yoga (Vinyasa Flow and Meditative).
Methods: 9 female college students (age 18-24) were assigned to two yoga sessions, Vinyasa Flow and Meditative yoga. Each participant attended one session of each type of yoga,…

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to compare cardiovascular responses of two different types of yoga (Vinyasa Flow and Meditative).
Methods: 9 female college students (age 18-24) were assigned to two yoga sessions, Vinyasa Flow and Meditative yoga. Each participant attended one session of each type of yoga, where their cardiovascular responses were measured both pre and post yoga session. Heart rate, Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), and blood pressure were all measured.
Results: Meditative yoga showed a significant difference in the acute response of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and RPE. Vinyasa Flow yoga showed a significant difference the acute response of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and RPE. Heart rate was significantly different when comparing measurements before each yoga session. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and RPE were all significantly different when comparing acute measurements after each respective session. Significance was set to p < 0.05.
Conclusions: Overall, the hypothesis was supported that there was a difference in cardiovascular measurements. Meditative yoga was better at significantly decreasing blood pressure acutely, whereas Vinyasa Flow yoga increased blood pressure acutely. This suggests that Meditative yoga could be suggested over Vinyasa Flow yoga for certain individuals with hypertension. Differences between the yoga practices were found and the cardiovascular effects of different yoga practices can be better understood due to this research.

ContributorsOberg, Martha Ann (Co-author) / Wood, Emilee (Co-author) / Nolan, Nicole (Thesis director) / Hoffner, Kristin (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-05

The 8 Yoga Sutras and How They Impact the Daily Stress of College Students

Description

Yoga has become one of the most popular contemporary health approaches practiced by young adults in the United States. It is an ancient mind and body practice with origins in Indian philosophy dating to over 5,000 years ago. Yoga combines physical postures, rhythmic breathing, and meditative exercises to offer the…

Yoga has become one of the most popular contemporary health approaches practiced by young adults in the United States. It is an ancient mind and body practice with origins in Indian philosophy dating to over 5,000 years ago. Yoga combines physical postures, rhythmic breathing, and meditative exercises to offer the participants a unique, holistic mind-body experience. In this report, the Sutras first introduced by Patanjali, an ancient Indian sage, are broken down into modern definitions. Each sutra has its own unique mental and physical benefits that can be attained by college students. Yama encourages maintaining a personal moral code. Niyama allows for personal connection and self-awareness. Asana refers to the poses that are still commonly practiced today. Pranayama helps to practice deep breathing. Pratyahara offers a disconnect from the world around us. Dharana allows us to focus and hone in on one thought. Dyana promotes a continuous flow of focus in meditation. Samadhi is reaching a state of pure relaxation. All of these take time and practice, but when implemented in different aspects of daily life, college students can reduce their overall stress and anxiety to improve focus and success.

ContributorsCarlson, Sophie (Author) / Penkrot, Tonya (Thesis director) / Lisenbee, Cayle (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-12

Reducing Polypharmacy with Mobile Apps Among Mental Health Patients

Description

Polypharmacy among psychiatric patients is a concerning trend. From 2007-2010, 58.2% of women and 41.8% of men reported taking five or more prescription drugs within the last 30 days (CDC, 2014). Negative outcomes include prescription drug abuse, side effects, interactions, treatment failure, patient dissatisfaction, and lack of treatment control. The…

Polypharmacy among psychiatric patients is a concerning trend. From 2007-2010, 58.2% of women and 41.8% of men reported taking five or more prescription drugs within the last 30 days (CDC, 2014). Negative outcomes include prescription drug abuse, side effects, interactions, treatment failure, patient dissatisfaction, and lack of treatment control. The associated practice challenges have led to the following PICOT question. In persons with mental health issues receiving care at an outpatient mental health clinic, does engaging in mindfulness practice versus no mindfulness practice change polypharmacy use over a 3-month period?

The project purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of Insight Timer mobile mindfulness app at helping patients self-manage distressing symptoms and reduce polypharmacy. Over three weeks, mental health clinic nurse practitioners (NPs) voluntarily recruited patients (n=12) over age 18 using as needed prescriptions (PRNs), and agreed to use Insight Timer mobile mindfulness app for adjunct symptom management. Consenting participants downloaded the mobile app, and completed a brief questionnaire measuring PRN use at the start of app use, and PRN use at their next visit. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a 10-week mindfulness app trial did not significantly lower total PRN doses compared with pre-app dosing (Z = -.534, p = .593). Paired t-tests revealed no significant change in pre (M = 65.17, SD = 28.64) versus post (M = 67.75, SD = 20.22) OQ45 life functionality results (t(11) = -.420, p = .683) (d = .121) as a result of app use.

Clinically relevant results illustrated 83.33% of participants taking greater than nine PRN doses over the study period used the app six times or more in place of medication. High PRN users employed the app frequently in place of medication regardless of total PRN doses taken. Practice implications and sustainability recommendations include incorporating mobile app use in treatment plans for high PRN users and educating NP’s on the tangible benefits of mindfulness apps in reducing polypharmacy and easing symptom distress on an ongoing basis.
Keywords: mindfulness, mhealth, mobile apps, mobile smart phone, online, RCT, behavior change, polypharmacy.

ContributorsPierce, Albert (Author) / Guthery, Ann (Thesis advisor)

Created2019-04-29

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