ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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Description
The effects of a long-term combat deployment on a soldier's physical fitness are not well understood. In active duty soldiers, combat deployment reduced physical fitness compared to pre-deployment status, but no similar research has been performed on Army National Guard soldiers. This study is the first to identify physical fitness changes in Arizona National Guard (AZNG) soldiers following deployment to a combat zone and to assess the relationships between physical fitness and non-combat injuries and illness (NCII). Sixty soldiers from the Arizona National Guard (AZNG) completed a battery of physical fitness tests prior to deployment and within 1-7 days of returning from a 12-month deployment to Iraq. Pre and post-deployment measures assessed body composition (Bod Pod), muscular strength (1RM bench press, back-squat), muscular endurance (push-up, sit-up), power (Wingate cycle test), cardiorespiratory fitness (treadmill run to VO2 peak), and flexibility (sit-and-reach, trunk extension, shoulder elevation). Post deployment, medical records were reviewed by a blinded researcher and inventoried for NCII that occurred during deployment. Data were analyzed for changes between pre and post-deployment physical fitness. Relationships between fitness and utilization of medical resources for NCII were then determined. Significant declines were noted in mean cardiorespiratory fitness (-10.8%) and trunk flexibility (-6.7%). Significant improvements were seen in mean level of fat mass (-11.1%), relative strength (bench press, 10.2%, back-squat 14.2%) and muscular endurance (push-up 16.4%, sit-up 11.0%). Significant (p < 0.05) negative correlations were detected between percentage change in fat mass and gastrointestinal visits (r = -0.37); sit-and-reach and lower extremity visits (r= -0.33); shoulder elevation and upper extremity visits (r= -0.36); and cardiorespiratory fitness and back visits (r= -0.31); as well as behavioral health visits (r= -0.28). Cardiorespiratory fitness changes were grouped into tertiles. Those who lost the greatest fitness had significantly greater number of NCII visits (8.0 v 3.1 v 2.6, p = .03). These data indicate a relationship between the decline in cardiorespiratory fitness and an overall increase in utilization of medical resources. The results may provide incentive to military leaders to ensure that soldiers maintain their cardiorespiratory fitness throughout the extent of their deployment.
ContributorsWarr, Bradley (Author) / Swan, Pamela (Thesis advisor) / Lee, Chong (Committee member) / Campbell, Kathryn (Committee member) / Erickson, Steven (Committee member) / Alvar, Brent (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
This dissertation examines associations between religious affiliation, religious community context and health of women and their children in Mozambique focusing on the following issues: (1) attending prenatal consultations and delivering children in a health facility; (2) women's symptoms of STDs; and (3) under-five mortality. Estimation of random intercept Poisson regression for the outcome about attending prenatal consultations demonstrated a favorable effect of affiliation to Catholic or Mainline Protestant and Apostolic religious groups. The concentration of Zionist churches in the community had a negative influence. Random intercept logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between religion and institutional child delivery. Affiliation to Catholic or Mainline Protestant denominations as well as concentration of Catholic or Mainline Protestant churches in the community had some beneficial effect on giving birth in health clinics. The presence of Zionist churches in the community had some negative effect and that of other groups no significant influence. Random intercept logistic regression was also employed for investigating the influence of religion on women's symptoms of STDs. Belonging to the Catholic or Mainline Protestant church had some protective effect on reporting symptoms of STDs. There was no effect of religious context, except that the concentration of Other Pentecostal churches had a positive effect on reporting symptoms of SDTs. Event-history analysis was conducted for examining relationships between maternal religious affiliation with under-five mortality. Affiliation to Catholic or Mainline Protestant churches and to Apostolic denominations increased the odds of child survival, although, the influence of having a mother belonging to Catholic or Mainline Protestant churches lost statistical significance after accounting particularly for the average level of education in the community, for the period of 5 years preceding the survey date. Taken together, the results in this dissertation show some protective effect of religion that varies primarily by denominational group to which women are affiliated. They also indicate that religious community context may have some negative effect on health of women and children. The nature of the effect of religious community context varies with the type of outcome considered and the type of religious mixture in the community.
ContributorsCau, Boaventura Manuel (Author) / Agadjanian, Victor (Thesis advisor) / Hayford, Sarah (Committee member) / Yabiku, Scott (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) is a significant treatment outcome for persons with end-stage renal disease (ESRD); however, little is known about the HR-QOL of Mexican patients with ESRD. This pilot study describes relationships between demographics, sleep disorders, spirituality, mood, folk practices and dialysis modality on the HR-QOL of patients with ESRD residing in Guanajuato, Mexico. Mexican patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) and hemodialysis (HD) provided information on demographics, clinical health data including body mass index (BMI), and folk health practices. Measures included the Short Form (SF)-36 HR-QOL survey, Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Latin Spirituality Perspective Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using SAS software (V9.1). Signifi¬cance level for this pilot study was set at p<0.10. The Quality-Adjusted Life Year method was utilized to examine cost effectiveness for each dialysis modality. Demographics and clinical data showed participants (N=121) to be 59 (SD=13) years, predominantly men (55.4%), married (66.9%), Catholic (92.6%), and not currently working (78.3%). The majority were diabetic (72%) and slightly overweight (BMI M=26.1; SD=5.1). The CAPD group (n=39) demonstrated significantly lower HR-QOL scores compared to the APD (n=42) and HD (n=40) groups. Patients on HD reported higher rates and greater numbers of sleep disorders, including insomnia symptoms, non-restorative and insufficient sleep, and daytime somnolence compared to patients on CAPD and APD. Patients on CAPD reported more anxiety and depression compared to patients on HD and APD. Overall linear regression for HR-QOL found dialysis type, sleep disorders and income to be significant predictors and the model accounted for 31% of the variance. Cost analysis indicated APD as the preferred treatment because it is less costly and results in the best HR-QOL compared to the other treatment modalities. Findings provide the first SF-36 norms for Mexicans with ESRD. Sleep disorders and dialysis type greatly impinge on the HR-QOL of these patients, particularly their mental health. APD was identified as the preferred treatment based on low cost and improved HR-QOL. Results can inform clinical care and health policy for Mexican patients with ESRD.
ContributorsReynaga-Ornelas, Luxana (Author) / Baldwin, Carol M. (Thesis advisor) / Quan, Stuart F (Committee member) / Arcoleo, Kimberly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Other studies have previously demonstrated that perceived stress and maladaptive stress management can lead to harmful outcomes including depression, morbidity, and mortality. College students (especially freshmen) have more difficulty dealing with stress, which can increase their susceptibility to engage in high risk behaviors. The importance of conducting this research is to discover the effects that perceived stress levels may have on depression outcomes in college students, and to evaluate the influence of health related behaviors on this relationship. This study used a retrospective cross-sectional correlational design to examine correlations between perceived stress, physical activity, and other health behaviors on clinical and perceived depression in college students. A random sample of 20,000 students was drawn from 62,476 students enrolled at Arizona State University (ASU). Participants included 2,238 students who volunteered to take the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) in spring 2009. Supplemental questions for ASU students were developed by ASU Wellness and administered as a part of the ACHA-NCHA II. The university sent an invitation email, wherein students were directed through a hyperlink to the survey website. ACHA provided institutional survey data in an SPSS file for analysis. The data were evaluated with Spearman Rho Correlation Analysis and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. There were more female participants (n = 580) than males (n = 483), both averaged 23 years of age. Men had greater height, weight, and body mass index than females, all were significant mean differences. There were more significant correlations between health factors and having perceived depression than with having real or diagnosed depression. Logistic regression showed that out of all variables and behaviors studied, only high levels of stress, poor general health, substance use, and gender (female) resulted in significant odds in predicting that a participant would be in one of the depression categories. This research suggests that addressing these factors may be important to prevent and reduce depression among college students. This study provides empirical evidence that there is a significant relationship between perceived stress and depression among college students, and that health behaviors such as substance abuse have a negative mediating effect on this relationship.
ContributorsSkipworth, Katherine (Author) / Swan, Pamela (Thesis advisor) / Woodruff, Larry (Committee member) / Moses, Karen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Larger people generally have more muscle mass and are stronger than smaller people. Muscular strength usually decreases with age, possibly as a function of increases in body fat percentage. However, the effect of age, body fat, and lean mass on peak muscular strength or muscular fatigue is not clear. This was an observational study to determine: a) the relationship of fat mass (FM) and fat free mass (FFM) to peak knee extensor strength and fatigue in young (Y) and middle-aged (MA) women, and b) to determine differences in peak torque between Y and MA women. Participants included 132 women from two age cohorts (Y: 18-33 yrs, n = 70 and MA: 45-65 yrs, n = 62). Data from the MA cohort were collected as part of a previous study and combined with data from the Y group. Both cohorts completed physical activity questionnaires and were measured for body fat using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Both cohorts used identical procedures and machinery to assess isokinetic knee extensor peak torque (PT) at 60°/sec and to determine fatigue index (FI). FI was calculated as the percent decline of PT during 50 maximal repetitions at 240°/sec. Data were assessed for normality, and appropriate Pearson or Spearman correlations were used to compare PT and FI with body composition variables. A one-way ANOVA was used to examine differences in PT and body composition indices between age groups. In Y, FFM and FM were strongly correlated with peak torque. The correlation of FM to PT disappeared when controlling for FFM. There were no significant correlations between FFM or FM and PT in MA. PT was negatively correlated with FI in the combined groups. PT normalized for body mass and FFM were similar between age groups, but decreased with increasing size. In conclusion, PT was positively related to FFM in the combined age groups. Higher FM was not detrimental to absolute PT in Y or MA, but was detrimental to relative PT in both groups. These data suggest that perhaps FM may attenuate the normal relationship between PT and body mass.
ContributorsDeWeese, Robin (Author) / Swan, Pamela (Thesis advisor) / Pabedinskas, Joana (Committee member) / Lee, Chong (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Purpose: To examine: (1) whether Non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) and Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) with diagnosed arthritis differed in self-reported physical activity (PA) levels, (2) if NHB and NHW with arthritis differed on potential correlates of PA based on the Social Ecological Model (Mcleroy et al., 1988), and (3) if PA participation varied by race/ethnicity after controlling for age, gender, education, and BMI. Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis of data collected from 2006-2008 in Chicago, IL as part of the Midwest Roybal Center for Health Promotion. Bivariate analyses were used to assess potential differences between race in meeting either ACR or ACSM PA guidelines. Comparisons by race between potential socio-demographic correlates and meeting physical activity guidelines were assessed using Chi-squares. Potential differences by race in psychosocial, arthritis, and health-related and environmental correlates were assessed using T-tests. Finally, logistic regression analyses were used to examine if race was still associated with PA after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. Results: A greater proportion of NHW (68.1% and 35.3%) than NHB (46.5% and 20.9%) met both the arthritis-specific and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendations for physical activity, respectively. NHB had significantly lower self-efficacy for exercise and reported greater impairments in physical function compared to NHW. Likewise, NHB reported more crime and less aesthetics within their neighborhood. NHW were 2.56 times more likely to meet arthritis-specific PA guidelines than NHB after controlling for age, gender, education, marital status, and BMI. In contrast, after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, age and gender were the only significant predictors of meeting ACSM PA guidelines. Discussion: There were significant differences between NHB and NHW individuals with arthritis in meeting PA guidelines. After controlling for age, gender, education, and BMI non-Hispanic White individuals were still significantly more likely to meet PA guidelines. Interventions aimed at promoting higher levels of physical activity among individuals with arthritis need to consider neighborhood aesthetics and crime when designing programs. More arthritis-specific programs are needed in close proximity to neighborhoods in an effort to promote physical activity.
ContributorsChuran, Christopher (Author) / Der Ananian, Cheryl (Thesis advisor) / Adams, Marc (Committee member) / Campbell, Kathryn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor and seventh most common cancer in human. Every year there is a significant rise in the number of patients suffering from HCC. Most clinical research has focused on HCC early detection so that there are high chances of patient's survival. Emerging advancements in functional and structural imaging techniques have provided the ability to detect microscopic changes in tumor micro environment and micro structure. The prime focus of this thesis is to validate the applicability of advanced imaging modality, Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE), for HCC diagnosis. The research was carried out on three HCC patient's data and three sets of experiments were conducted. The main focus was on quantitative aspect of MRE in conjunction with Texture Analysis, an advanced imaging processing pipeline and multi-variate analysis machine learning method for accurate HCC diagnosis. We analyzed the techniques to handle unbalanced data and evaluate the efficacy of sampling techniques. Along with this we studied different machine learning algorithms and developed models using them. Performance metrics such as Prediction Accuracy, Sensitivity and Specificity have been used for evaluation for the final developed model. We were able to identify the significant features in the dataset and also the selected classifier was robust in predicting the response class variable with high accuracy.
ContributorsBansal, Gaurav (Author) / Wu, Teresa (Thesis advisor) / Mitchell, Ross (Thesis advisor) / Li, Jing (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Spirometry is a type of pulmonary function test that measures the amount of air volume and the speed of air flow from a patient's breath in order to assess lung function. The goal of this project is to develop and validate a mobile spirometer technology based on a differential pressure sensor. The findings in this paper are used in a larger project that combines the features of a capnography device and a spirometer into a single mobile health unit known as the capno-spirometer. The following paper discusses the methods, experiments, and prototypes that were developed and tested in order to create a robust and accurate technology for all of the spirometry functions within the capno-spirometer. The differential pressure sensor is set up with one inlet measuring the pressure inside the spirometer tubing and the other inlet measuring the ambient pressure of the environment. The inlet measuring the inside of the tubing is very sensitive to its orientation and position with respect to the path of the air flow. It is found that taking a measurement from the center of the flow is 50% better than from the side wall. The sensor inlet is optimized at 37 mm from the mouthpiece inlet. The unit is calibrated by relating the maximum pressure sensor voltage signal to the peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) taken during a series of spirometry tests. In conclusion, this relationship is best represented as a quadratic function and a calibration equation is computed to provide a flow rate given a voltage change. The flow rates are used to calculate the four main spirometry parameters: PEF, FVC, FEV1, and FER. These methods are then referenced with the results from a commercial spirometer for validation. After validation, the pressure-based spirometry technology is proven to be both robust and accurate.
ContributorsMiller, Dylan (Author) / Forzani, Erica (Thesis advisor) / Trimble, Steve (Committee member) / Xian, Xiaojun (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in the United States and type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity lead to cardiovascular disease. Obese adults are more susceptible to CVD compared to their non-obese counterparts. Exercise training leads to large reductions in the risk of CVD and T2D. Recent evidence suggests high-intensity interval training (HIT) may yield similar or superior benefits in a shorter amount of time compared to traditional continuous exercise training. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of HIT to continuous (CONT) exercise training for the improvement of endothelial function, glucose control, and visceral adipose tissue. Seventeen obese men (N=9) and women (N=8) were randomized to eight weeks of either HIT (N=9, age=34 years, BMI=37.6 kg/m2) or CONT (N=8, age=34 years, BMI=34.6 kg/m2) exercise 3 days/week for 8 weeks. Endothelial function was assessed via flow-mediated dilation (FMD), glucose control was assessed via continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and visceral adipose tissue and body composition was measured with an iDXA. Incremental exercise testing was performed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. There were no changes in weight, fat mass, or visceral adipose tissue measured by the iDXA, but there was a significant reduction in body fat that did not differ by group (46±6.3 to 45.4±6.6%, P=0.025). HIT led to a significantly greater improvement in FMD compared to CONT exercise (HIT: 5.1 to 9.0%; CONT: 5.0 to 2.6%, P=0.006). Average 24-hour glucose was not improved over the whole group and there were no group x time interactions for CGM data (HIT: 103.9 to 98.2 mg/dl; CONT: 99.9 to 100.2 mg/dl, P>0.05). When statistical analysis included only the subjects who started with an average glucose at baseline > 100 mg/dl, there was a significant improvement in glucose control overall, but no group x time interaction (107.8 to 94.2 mg/dl, P=0.027). Eight weeks of HIT led to superior improvements in endothelial function and similar improvements in glucose control in obese subjects at risk for T2D and CVD. HIT was shown to have comparable or superior health benefits in this obese sample with a 36% lower total exercise time commitment.
ContributorsSawyer, Brandon J (Author) / Gaesser, Glenn A (Thesis advisor) / Shaibi, Gabriel (Committee member) / Lee, Chong (Committee member) / Swan, Pamela (Committee member) / Buman, Matthew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Purpose: Exercise interventions often result in less than predicted weight loss or even weight gain in some individuals, with over half of the weight that is lost often being regained within one year. The current study hypothesized that one year following a 12-week supervised exercise intervention, women who continued to exercise regularly but initially gained weight would lose the weight gained, reverting back to baseline with no restoration of set-point, or continue to lose weight if weight was initially lost. Conversely, those who discontinued purposeful exercise at the conclusion of the study were expected to continue to gain or regain weight. Methods: 24 women who completed the initial 12-week exercise intervention (90min/week of supervised treadmill walking at 70%VO2peak) participated in a follow-up study one year after the conclusion of the exercise intervention. Subjects underwent Dual-energy X-Ray Absorptiometry at baseline, 12-weeks, and 15 months, and filled out physical activity questionnaires at 15 months. Results: A considerable amount of heterogeneity was observed in body weight and fat mass changes among subjects, but there was no significant overall change in weight or fat mass from baseline to follow-up. 15 women were categorized as compensators and as a group gained weight (+ 0.94±3.26kg) and fat mass (+0.22±3.25kg) compared to the 9 non-compensators who lost body weight (-0.26±3.59kg) and had essentially no change in fat mass (+0.01±2.61kg) from 12-weeks to follow-up. There was a significant between group difference (p=.003) in change in fat mass from 12-weeks to follow-up between subjects who continued to regularly vigorously exercise (-2.205±3.070kg), and those who did not (+1.320±2.156kg). Additionally, energy compensation from baseline to 12-weeks and early body weight and composition changes during the intervention were moderate predictors of body weight and composition changes from baseline to follow-up. Conclusion: The main finding of this study is that following a 12-week supervised exercise intervention, women displayed a net loss of fat mass during the follow-up period if regular vigorous exercise was continued, regardless of whether they were classified as compensators or non-compensators during the initial intervention.
ContributorsCabbage, Clarissa Marie (Author) / Gaesser, Glenn (Thesis advisor) / Chisum, Jack (Committee member) / Campbell, Kathryn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013