Browsing by Subject "Prevention"
Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item An economic exploration of prevention versus response in animal related bioterrorism decision making(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Elbakidze, LevanAnimal disease outbreaks either through deliberate terroristic act or accidental introductions present a serious economic problem. This work concentrates on the economics of choosing strategies to mitigate possible agricultural terrorism and accidental introduction events largely in the animal disease management setting. General economic issues and the economic literature related to agricultural terrorism broadly and animal disease concerns specifically are reviewed. Basic economic aspects, such as the economic consequences of outbreaks, costs and benefits of various mitigation strategies, and stochastic characteristics of the problem are discussed. A conceptual economic model is formulated to depict the animal disease outbreak related decision making process. The key element of this framework is the choice between ex ante versus ex post mitigation strategies. The decision of investing in preventative and/or responsive strategies prior to the occurrence of an event versus relying on response and recovery actions after an outbreak event needs careful consideration. Comparative statics investigations reveal that factors that affect this decision are event probability, and severity, as well as costs, benefits, and effectiveness of various mitigation strategies. A relatively simplified empirical case study is done analyzing the economic tradeoffs between and optimum levels of ex ante detection, as a form of prevention, and ex post slaughter, as a form of response. The setting chosen involves Foot and Mouth Disease management. Empirical investigation is done on the conditions under which it is economically more advantageous to invest in ex ante detection as opposed to relying just on ex post response. Results show that investment in ex ante activities becomes more advantageous as the probability and severity of an agricultural terrorism event increases, response effectiveness decreases, and costs of surveillance decrease. Also spread rate is found to play a key role in determining optimal combination of ex ante and ex post strategies with more done ex ante the faster the disease spread. Finally, an economic framework is posed for future work given availability of a more detailed epidemiologic model. Access to such a model will allow for incorporation of wider spectrum of strategies including numerous possibilities for prevention, detection, response and market recovery facilitation. The framework allows more localized options, multiple possible events and incorporation of risk aversion among other features.Item ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES ON SKIN CANCER PREVENTION IN RURAL COMMUNITIES(2013-05) Wang, Haiyan; Lyford, Conrad; Chidmi, Benaissa; Segarra, EduardoOne of the most common forms of cancer in the United States is skin cancer. Although the incidence of skin cancer is increasing annually, the distribution of skin cancer risk is not the same everywhere. Compared with urban residents, rural residents, who are typically older, less educated, and poorer than urban residents, have less access to early cancer detection programs and preventative health information. Yet almost all cases of skin cancer are preventable through appropriate protection from ultraviolet radiation. This study uses data from a project designed to prevent cancers caused by obesity, tobacco, and sunburn in rural communities. Data were collected from 382 randomly selected residents of two rural communities in Texas in 2011. The information collected included demographic characteristics, attitudes and behaviors regarding cancer prevention, general health knowledge and anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference). Ordinal logistic regression analyses and Chi-square tests were used to examine the associations of factors affecting sunscreen use and sunburn frequency. This study found that rural residents, who are Hispanic, smokers, and obese were more likely to use sunscreen. Those who are obese, unmarried, and less educated were reported more frequently getting sunburned. Knowledge derived from this study can be used to determine the need and scope of future rural skin cancer risk intervention efforts. Rural residents need further public preventive interventions to protect present and future generations from skin cancer.Item Does self-compassion serve as a protective factor against the development of suicidal ideation?(2011-05) Hess, Elaine Allison; Drum, David J.; Rude, Stephanie S.Suicide is believed to be the second leading cause of death among college students, and recent data on the prevalence of suicidal ideation on college campuses signifies the need for suicide prevention efforts. Historically prevention efforts have emphasized identifying and shepherding into specialized mental health treatment those students who are currently in a heightened state of risk. One limitation of this approach is that college mental health services find themselves stretched to capacity, with utilization rates steadily on the rise. Thus, several scholars have called for suicide prevention efforts to take a public health approach, seeking to intervene more broadly by improving the mental health of the larger population. One way of broadening these prevention efforts is to investigate factors that preserve the emotional and mental resilience of college students facing similar life stressors and distress levels. Thus, the suicidality literature has seen an increase in the investigation of these protective factors. Self-compassion emerges in the literature as a promising protective factor that may have applicability in shielding individuals from entering the continuum of suicidality.<> This study aims to build upon existing research by examining within a college student population the relationship between suicidal ideation and possessing a self-compassionate attitude, a relationship that has yet to be examined in the literature. Further goals of this research include the following: determining if any of the six subscales of the self-compassion construct in particular convey more robust protection from developing suicidal ideation, examining the potential mediating effect of self-compassion on the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation, and investigating whether self-compassion has a differential influence on developing suicidal ideation for women as compared to men. The proposed study will use a stratified randomized case control design in which those endorsing suicidal ideation in the past month will be matched with those indicating the absence of suicidal ideation in the past month on perceived impact of recent life stress and demographic characteristics. Self-report methods will include a measure of self-compassion, depression, life events, and an item aimed at examining presence or absence of suicidal ideation during the past month. Findings from this study will contribute to an understanding of resilience factors that protect from the development of suicidality and will have implications for intervening broadly at the population level.Item Dropouts and a Dropout Recovery Program at a Suburban High-poverty High School Near a Large Urban Area(2013-12-11) Butler, Pamela WThe decision to drop out of high school is a serious problem for the individual making the decision to drop out, but it also has dramatic implications for their families, their communities, and the economic health of the greater community. As a result, the literature on the causes of dropouts is prolific. However, I find that much of this literature is focused on blaming the students and their families for dropping out of high school. Thankfully, there is also much critique of the mainstream view as to the causes of dropouts. This critique of the mainstream literature places significant blame on our schools for causing students to drop out and considers schools?rather than students?at-risk for failing our students and actually pushing students out of school before they graduate. This critical view of the mainstream viewpoint focuses on the economic, social, and personal issues that cause students to be pushed out of school before they graduate. While this study surveys the mainstream literature on the subject of dropouts, the focus of this study supports the critical approach. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to conduct an in-depth study of the students, and dropout prevention and recovery efforts in place at a high-poverty high school during the 2007 through 2013 academic years. A goal of the study was to create a profile of a dropout at the school during that time period and to begin to create a plan that will reduce the number of students who drop out of the high school as well as the other four high schools in the district. Accordingly, for this study I examined quantitative data regarding students who dropped out of a high-poverty high school in order to look for patterns in the data that may help in creating a profile of a dropout at the school. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professional staff that worked at the school and students who recently attended the school. Half of the students interviewed had not dropped out of high school and the other half chose to drop out. The purpose of the interviews was to hear the perspectives of key individuals who have personally experienced the drop out problem in hopes that their voices would further contribute to the creation of a profile of a dropout and ultimately assist with solutions to the problem. Findings support other research that shows there is no single predictor or indicator of what causes a student to dropout of high school. In fact, the data in the quantitative section about each individual dropout indicate that the dropouts possessed some or several of the typical dropout at-risk indicators such as being poor, have low-academic achievement, being previously retained, having a history of discipline problems, and having high absenteeism. While some of the students I interviewed possessed some of these same characteristics, not all did and in fact, interview data indicate that each student saw the importance of graduating and were frustrated that school and personal circumstances prevented this accomplishment. Another finding was that the adult interview data indicated traces of deficit thinking in how they were addressing the dropouts from their schools. Solutions suggested include addressing the deficit thinking, academic programming, and systems that need to be in place in order to better assist students who are at-risk for dropping out of high school.Item Energy balance and breast cancer : mechanistic studies(2010-05) Nogueira, Leticia Maciel; Hursting, Stephen D.; DeGraffenried, Linda A.; Kline, Kimberly; Otto, Glen; Sanders, Bob G.Obesity is one the few modifiable risk factors for breast cancer. Hence, an evaluation of the metabolic and cancer inhibitory effects of the obesity reversing strategies, calorie restriction (CR) and exercise, is important for breast cancer prevention. Additionally, a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the effects of these interventions on cancer will provide scientific basis for therapeutic recommendations, and facilitate the identification of therapeutic agents for breast cancer treatment in obese patients. We found that CR is more effective than exercise in reversing the metabolic and cancer enhancing effects of obesity. Even at comparable levels of adiposity, CR effects on insulin resistance, energy balance related hormones levels, and metabolic genes expression in adipose tissue were more profound than those of exercise. The mechanism by which CR influences tumor progression is thought to involve molecules that respond to energy balance changes and control cell growth, such as the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin decreased mammary tumor burden to levels comparable to CR. While established tumors did not display decreased mTOR activity, constitutively active mTOR was capable of overcoming some of the inhibitory effects of CR on tumor cells invasion and migration. Effects of increasing levels of CR on gene expression indicate that 30% and 40% CR, but not 20% CR, induce beneficial metabolic changes in the liver. However, 40% CR also increases apoptosis of hepatic cells which appears to be detrimental for the liver. IGF-1 infusion partially overcame the beneficial effects of CR on expression of tumor-related genes in the mammary fat pad and on mammary tumor growth. Taken together, our data show that CR, but not exercise, is able to reverse the metabolic and tumorigenic effects of obesity. Furthermore, the IGF-1 and mTOR pathways may mediate, at least in part, many of the beneficial effects of CR on metabolism and tumor progression.Item Evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence : examining the impact of delinquency prevention in schools(2013-05) Montgomery, Katherine Leigh; Franklin, CynthiaThe deleterious manifold of juvenile delinquency for victims, offenders, and the general public necessitate effective prevention strategies. Researchers have asserted that one of the most effective ways in which delinquency is prevented is through school-based intervention. Specifically, much attention has been given to identifying the most efficacious evidence-based treatments (EBTs) through an evidence-based practice (EBP) approach. Critics, however, argue that several limitations exist in the EBP process and suggest that a practice-based evidence (PBE) approach may be more sufficient to meet the needs of youth who are at-risk of delinquency. Guided by the Social Development Model, it is broadly the aim of this three-article dissertation to explore the most effective school-based delinquency prevention approaches. Drawing from the EBP approach, the first article mimics a process that practitioners are encouraged to employ. Multiple EBT websites were systematically searched for the most efficacious school-based delinquency prevention interventions. Four interventions met inclusion criteria. These interventions highlighted both strengths and limitations. Out of the limitations from the first article, the second article investigated the extent to which a PBE approach may be an alternative option for youth most at-risk of a delinquent trajectory: being male, from a lower socioeconomic urban community, and primarily minority youth. The article offers the results of a pretest/posttest design with a sustaining school-based intervention that was developed by social workers. The final article reports on the results of a randomized controlled trial that investigated the effectiveness of the first year of the XY-Zone on protective factors among youth at-risk for delinquency. The second and third article revealed promising results and provide preliminary evidence for important next steps. Additional research, with a longitudinal design and larger sample size, is needed. This dissertation suggests that both approaches can inform the other. As globalization and advanced resources continue to springboard awareness of both the problems and solutions to delinquency prevention in schools, it is likely that advancements in the EBP and PBE approaches will give way to the ever-debated research and practice gap growing much nearer than ever before.Item Omega-3 and breast cancer : the role of NF-κB and CCL20 in treating and preventing breast cancer(2015-05) Chen, Ching Hui, Ph. D.; DeGraffenried, Linda; Hursting, Stephen D; Sanders, Bob; Van Den Berg, Carla; Fabian, Carol; Jolly, ChristopherHigh intakes of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. The risk for breast cancer is three times lower in women who frequently supplement their diets with omega-3 fatty acids. In vitro experiments have studied the molecular mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids reduce breast cancer viability but much remains unclear to how omega-3 ethyl esters, a main component of omega-3 prescription and supplementation, prevent breast cancer. This study utilizes the prescription drug Lovaza® as the source of omega-3 ethyl esters and tests its efficacy in treating an array of breast cancer cell lines. One of the many purposes of this study is to identify the working pathways omega-3 ethyl esters modulate to elicit anti-cancer effects and to identify a potential biomarker that may correlate with response. Four in vitro breast cancer cell lines were utilized to comprise a diverse genetic platform for the testing of Lovaza® derived omega-3 ethyl esters. This diversity led to the identification of a potential biomarker that may be used to predict response to omega-3 ethyl esters. Among the four breast cancer cell lines, the expression and over-activation of NF-κB correlated with a favorable response. The regulation of NF-κB and its activity was one of the key mechanisms through which omega-3 ethyl esters suppressed breast cancer cell survival and viability. Future validation of this biomarker is warranted and may be useful for clinical development. In addition to the four breast cancer cell lines, a set of precancerous breast cells was utilized for the preventive study in this dissertation. This set of three human breast cell lines display characteristics of hyperplasia, Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) and invasive mammary carcinoma in vivo and characterization of these cell lines showed over expression of the CCL20 cytokine and over activation of the Wnt signaling pathway. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a form of omega-3 fatty acids, was examined in these cell lines for its efficacy to prevent breast cancer. DHA was supplemented into growth media and cells were evaluated for survival, proliferation, invasion and cytokine production. CCL20 cytokine production was reduced and ERK1/2 and AKT signaling pathway suppression played an important role in DHA mediated suppression of survival and proliferation. Additional studies determining the effect of DHA on cell invasion were also conducted.Item The relationship between self-compassion and disordered eating behaviors : body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and contingent self-worth as mediators(2011-12) Finley-Straus, Angela Danielle; Neff, Kristin; Bigler, Rebecca; Drum, Dave; Falbo, Toni; Rochlen, AaronThe concept of self-compassion has been gathering interest for researchers in recent years, as it appears to offer an array of benefits to wellbeing. This study investigated the potential role of self-compassion as a protective factor against disordered eating behaviors. It also examined the mediating roles of three potential variables: body dissatisfaction, perfectionism and contingent self-worth. Given modern representations of the female ideal, failure to achieve or adequately conform to such standards often poses psychological challenges for women and girls. Self-compassion encompasses kind, mindful self-treatment and may be an ideal protective factor against disordered eating. It has also been linked with lower body dissatisfaction, maladaptive perfectionism, and contingent self-worth. The present study found that dissatisfaction with one’s body, as well as a tendency to judge one’s personal worth based on appearance fully mediated the relationship between self-compassion and both restrained and emotional disordered eating respectively. Therefore, a self-compassionate attitude may serve as a protective factor against engaging in disordered eating vis-à-vis strengthening young women’s abilities to look at their bodies in a more compassionate and unconditionally accepting way.Item A review of common overuse injuries in runners and a proposed training program for prevention(2014-05) Sprenkel, Jessica Lynn; Farrar, Roger P.This report examines three common overuse injuries in recreational runners: patellofemoral pain syndrome, iliotibial band syndrome and plantar fasciitis. The anatomy of the knee, hip and foot is presented and discussed as it relates to each condition before exploring the mechanism of injury. A review of the literature for each injury includes various risk factors such as muscle weakness, muscle tightness and specific biomechanical factors potentially leading to injury. Recommendations for standard physical therapy exercises are included at the end of each chapter should injury occur. Finally, a preventative routine, developed with guidance from the practitioners at Sports Performance International is presented at the end of the report, taking into consideration the risk factors for overuse injury outlined previously, intended to reduce the likelihood of time being taken off due to pain or swelling.Item The Implementation of Eating Disorder Education and Prevention Programs in High Schools(2017-04-10) Green, Emalee T.; Venta, Amanda; Stoebner-May, Diane; Henderson, CraigThe purpose of this study was to examine the retrospectively-reported implementation of eating disorder education and prevention programs in high schools among college freshmen, exploring whether characteristics of the schools’ influence rates of implementation. The sample consisted of 169 first-year students from an East Texas university. The sample was 19.5% male, 78.7% female, and 1.8% other, with ages ranging from 18-19. Students participated in an online survey consisting of questions regarding demographics, exposure to education and prevention programs, and high school characteristics (i.e., size of graduating class, public or private, and location of school). Results demonstrated that few students were exposed to any eating disorder programming in high school (29.0%), with no students reporting that they were exposed to prevention programming. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the implementation of eating disorder education programs based on the size of the participant’s graduating class, whether the school was public or private, or where the school was located (public, rural, or urban areas). These results suggest that, universally, there is a lack of prevention programs being implemented in high school—a significant public health problem given existing evidence that prevention programs successfully prevent eating disorders in college and high school students.Item Towards the prevention of substance use in lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth(2012-05) Goldbach, Jeremy Thomas; Holleran, Lori K.; Pomeroy, Elizabeth; Thompson, Sanna; Rountree, Michele; Laird, Justin M.Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual youth are at increased risk for the use of substances (Moon, Fornili & O’Briant, 2007; Remafedi, 1987), including cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy (Bontempo & D’Augelli, 2002; Corliss, Rosario, Wypij, Wylie, Frazier & Austin, 2010). Currently, no interventions exist designed to meet the needs of LGB adolescents (NREPP, 2011), and little theory exists to explain substance use by LG adolescents. To begin the process of developing tailored interventions, this three-study dissertation sought to: (1) explore the perspectives of LGB youth, and identify their perspectives on unique prevention development, (2) systematically review the empirical literature on culturally based risk factors in LGB youth and to identify most relevant salient themes for testing, and (3) explore the relationship between identified minority related stressors and substance use patterns in a large sample of LGB youth. Findings indicate that LGB adolescents have unique cultural experiences not captured in current prevention programming. Additionally, five constructs from minority stress are described, and their relationship to marijuana use is explained. Future research should focus on the development of better measurement instruments for minority stress in LGB adolescents and the exploration of its impact on behavioral health outcomes.