<p> Binge drinking has become common among adolescents. Binge drinking has many negative consequences and can lead to many health problems. The purpose of the present study was to explore the related factors persuading adolescents to binge drink. Several risk factors were examined in the study using a survey from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. Some of the risk factors examined included: parental marital status, adult supervision, missed school days, and emotional anguish. The results showed that the risk factors greatly influenced alcohol consumption among adolescents and binge drinking. The study was important to advance the literature on the subject of binge drinking among adolescents by providing greater knowledge of the potential risk factors and drinking problem.</p>

<p> The Feldenkrais Method generates a range of healthful or salutogenic outcomes, yet its contribution to the field of mind-body medicine (MBM) remains largely unexamined. The Feldenkrais Method is a form of somatic education offering both practices and theoretical perspectives for an integrated mind-body approach. Research shows that the Feldenkrais Method produces outcomes on a range of functional, psychophysical, and psychosocial measures. This thesis argues that the Feldenkrais Method is an awareness practice of value for mind-body and integrative approaches to health. </p><p> Possible mechanisms and dynamics of action of the Feldenkrais Method are presented. This thesis proposes that non- or preconscious intentionality and "know-how" can be an important aspect of healthy behavior. Somatics practices and somatic awareness can play an important role in creating an intentional arc toward health. This study supports the importance of research into the Feldenkrais Method in relation to MBM and health.</p>

<p> A college education is, for many in America, part and parcel of the American Dream, and is certainly achievable. For countless reasons, students may enroll at community colleges underprepared, unprepared, anxious, and destined for a high risk of failure. Although community colleges are higher education institutions open and accessible to all who want to pursue an education, some degree programs are selective enrollment programs, such as nursing. Considering the stringent admission criteria and rigors of an associate degree in nursing (ADN) program, few are admitted. However, due to the pending shortage of registered nurses, assistance programs to help high risk nursing students succeed in school and pass their licensure exams to become RNs are needed for the future of the profession. </p><p> The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify factors of the successful Gateway/HRNS program embedded in the community college Associate Degree in Nursing program that fostered student retention, graduation and passing of the NCLEX-RN licensure exam on the first attempt. A qualitative case study methodology was utilized for this comprehensive program evaluation of one very successful ADN nursing program in a Midwest community college. Interviews of graduates of this high risk nursing program, focus groups of faculty teaching in the program, and archival and current document analysis were used to determined program factors that have helped high risk students over the past twenty years to succeed and become licensed, employed RNs. </p><p> Findings revealed that students and faculty highly valued three components of the high risk nursing student assistance program. These components were a) a pre-nursing summer introduction to nursing component comprised of many small courses; b) a mid-curricular second summer LPN option component; and c) regularly-scheduled weekly tutoring sessions throughout the two years of the ADN program. The most valued experience, according to program graduates, was the mid-curricular LPN Option course, which is mandatory for these high risk students and optional for other nursing students. It was felt this second summer component in the assistance program helped students to integrate nursing theory coursework and clinical which provided a substantial benefit as they entered their final year of the ADN program. </p><p> As a result of this study's findings, the O'Sullivan Strive to Thrive (S2T) Model for Student Success was developed to enable community college nursing leaders to develop assistance programs for high risk nursing students. There are eight steps in the Strive to Thrive (S2T) Model, designed to help ADN leaders and faculty promote and orchestrate the successful persistence and graduation of high risk students. Also included are directions for each of the steps as well as corresponding useful forms. This model to plan and design assistance programs for high risk students can be adapted by nursing department leaders in community colleges, as well as other nursing program venues and degree programs.</p>

<p>Much of Sub-Saharan Africa lags behind the world in reproductive health. The nine villages surrounding Gorongosa are remote rural villages with very limited access to health care, and contraceptive options. A survey regarding the health of women and children in the community was created and every woman between the ages of 15, and 59 was surveyed, a total of 2438 in all. There were many sections but this thesis focuses on the results of the contraception and family planning segment. In this population only 4% of women are using any form of family planning, 8.2% state they would like to, but only 3% state a desire to become pregnant at the point of the survey. Only 17.2% can name a method of contraception, and 27% believe that temporary contraception can lead to permanent infertility. Significant associations were found between knowledge and positive beliefs about contraception and use, or a desire to use contraception, indicating there is a role for educational programs to help inform women of their options and give them the opportunity for reproductive self-determination. </p>

<p> Children with autism are at an increased risk of experiencing coping challenges in healthcare environments. Since Child Life Specialists [CLSs] seek to maximize development and coping in hospitalized children, their understandings of autism are key to intervention. To better understand CLSs' perceptions of autism, this researcher surveyed 126 CLSs using a combined qualitative and quantitative questionnaire. CLSs were expected to express both strengths-based and deficit-based perceptions of autism, with more strengths-based perceptions from CLSs with education or training in disability or access to a special educator. Overall, participants expressed more strengths-based sentiments. No differences were found among CLSs based on education or access to a special educator. However, having a relative with autism was associated with more positive feelings about autism. Additionally, participants drew from child life theory; education, training, and experience; and their understandings of autism to inform their interventions with this population. This research adds to the current literature on perceptions of disability among healthcare professionals and opens the door for future research on how those perceptions are established.</p>

<p> Health disparities persist for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) identified people. Disparities can be combated through health care provider training and education in cultural competence. Improved health outcomes have been noted in primary care provider cultural competence training for other special populations including people that are HIV positive, people with limited literacy or limited English proficiency, and people from different racial or ethnic backgrounds. LGBT cultural competency training can play a pivotal role in health care professionals attitude and behavior change to reduce health disparities for LGBT people.</p>

<p> An explanatory correlational study was conducted to explore whether and to what extent a relationship between hours of participation in service learning and commitment to social responsibility exists for students enrolled in pre-licensure baccalaureate-nursing programs currently participating in the Nursing Licensure Compact. The convenience sample consisted of 103 volunteer professional nursing students. The Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire (CASQ), comprised of six subscales: civic action, interpersonal and problem-solving skills, political awareness, leadership, social justice, and diversity, was the tool used to measure social responsibility. The total Cronbach's alpha for the CASQ was .914. The alternate hypotheses stated a significant relationship between the hours of participation in service learning and each of the CASQ subscales. Data analysis using a Spearman's rho correlation coefficient showed no statistically significant correlations between hours of participation in service learning and any of the CASQ subscales. The data did not support that social responsibility relates to how much time the students spend participating in service learning. This study expands the body of knowledge in nursing education by demonstrating that other factors and not time spent in service learning, may contribute to social responsibility. The notion that prolonged hours are always needed to achieve success can discourage educators from incorporating service learning in their courses. In the context of social responsibility, this study demonstrated that service learning may not require extended time to result in positive outcomes. With this information, nurse educators can plan service-learning experiences more efficiently.</p>

<p> What can the experiences of queer medical students tell us about the existence of homophobia and heteronormativity in medical environments? This thesis focuses on the experiences of queer medical students and physicians as they are enculturated into biomedical theory and practice. I begin by laying out the historical and theoretical trends in the study of sex/gender and sexuality, with a particular focus on how these trends have affected the anthropological study of sex/gender and sexuality. Next, I review the literature on queer health and medical education in order to situate the results of the research within the broader medical education and queer health disparities literatures. After detailing the methods used to gather and analyze the data that makes up this thesis, I explore my informants' experiences with their medical education and training with particular focus on medical case studies as an example of the ways that heteronormativity becomes internalized by informants in medical environments. Next, I examine the interaction between my informants' ideas about (in)visibility in medical environments, and I introduce the concept of the irrelevance narrative as a means of making sense of how informants view the role of their queerness in their practice of medicine. I conclude with a discussion of the limitations of this research and provide a list of best practices for medical education, training, and practice on queer health issues informed by the literature and my discussions with informants. </p>

<p> This study examined secondary data that originated from Kaiser Permanente's Multidimensional Chronic Pain Treatment Program and focuses on <b>&rdquo;primary social support&rdquo;</b> and its significance in predicting chronic pain outcomes. <b>Primary social support</b> refers to the support derived from the one person whom the participant feels is his/her main supporter (i.e., a spouse, friend, neighbor, etc.). This study divides <b>primary social support</b> into four subcategories: general social support (PreSS), emotional support (PreEM), instrumental support (PreIN), and <b>negative reactions</b> (PreNeg). The hypotheses in this study predict that each <b>social support subcategory</b> can predict post-treatment pain severity (PostPain). Four hundred twenty five participants from four Kaiser Permanente hospitals participated in a <b></b>Multidimensional Chronic Pain Treatment Program<b></b>. Of the 425 participants, the scores of 196 participants with moderate to severe pain and impairment were eligible for data analysis. The treatment program consisted of a 10-week, 2.5 to 3-hour structured group intervention, with the goal of improving functioning, activity levels, coping skills, and overall emotional well-being (Bertagnolli, 2001). The participants completed the <b>West Haven Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHY-MPI)</b> at both the start and end of treatment. Through hierarchical linear regression analyses, <b>negative reactions</b> were found to significantly predict an increase of post-treatment pain scores. Meanwhile, general social support, emotional support and instrumental support were not significant in predicting post-treatment pain scores. These findings may guide future research of social support within a <b>Multidimensional Chronic Pain Treatment Program</b>.</p>

The epidemic of Type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal peoples can be curbed by promoting healthy physical activity habits early in life. Purpose . To identify childhood physical activity correlates. Methods . 383 4th--6th grade Mohawk children (193 boys, 190 girls) completed questionnaires and had anthropometric measures taken during 2 serial cross-sectional surveys as part of the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (1994--1997). Physical activity was measured using the Weekly Activity Checklist. Demographics, community activities, parental variables, self-efficacy, sedentary activity, and overweight were correlates assessed using ordinal logistic regression. Results. 29.7, 33.4, and 36.8 percent were inactive, moderately active, and very active, respectively. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals [OR(95%CI)] of independent correlates for boys included year of measurement (1996 vs. 1994) [1.7(1.3,2.2)], older age [0.7(0.5,0.9)], and enrollment in school #1 [2.0(1.1,3.6)], lessons [2.8(1.3,5.9)] and summer sports [1.1(1.0,1.1]. Independent correlates for girls were year of measurement [1.5(1.1,2.1)] and parental physical activity [2.0(1.2,3.3)]. Conclusions. Parental models are stronger influences for girls' activities while community factors influence boys' activities.