<p> Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death and the leading cause of premature death of women in the United States (US). It was estimated that 231,840 women were expected to develop breast cancer in the US in 2015 and approximately 40,290 women were estimated to die of the disease. Even though most breast cancers are sporadic, 5-10% of women are at an increased risk for developing breast cancer due to a hereditary risk. Too few healthcare providers are identifying women with family histories suggestive of hereditary cancer syndromes. An efficient way to identify high risk women in the primary care setting is through an easy to understand, self-administered family history risk assessment tool. The Pedigree Assessment Tool (PAT) family history questionnaire was offered to women age 18 and over at a primary care clinic in northern Louisiana. A PAT score of 8 or above prompted a cancer family history discussion by the physician or nurse practitioner and was followed by a genetic counseling referral. A total of 428 women completed the risk assessment tool during a 4 month period, 32 were high risk as evidenced by scoring 8 or higher on the PAT. Fourteen women were referred for genetic counseling. Twelve declined testing due to lack of insurance coverage, previous completion of genetic testing or felt the information would not improve their health. Six of the thirteen women completed genetic counseling and genetic testing. Lack of insurance coverage was identified as a major barrier to genetic counseling referrals. Utilization of the PAT identifies high risk women who would benefit from a genetic counseling referral. Genetic testing provides information that allows the patient and primary care provider to make informed decisions regarding surveillance protocols or prophylactic surgeries to diagnose cancer at an early stage or prevent cancer from developing.</p>

<p> The purpose of this experimental design was to analyze environmental factors influencing physical activity among low-income, minority mothers of young children participating in an intervention to increase physical activity. The women (n = 30) were randomized into experimental and control groups and were assessed at baseline and 3 months later. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews and self-report measures. </p><p> Independent samples t-tests were conducted to examine the effects of dichotomous demographic variables and group status on physical activity levels. Correlations were used to assess the effects of Daily Hassles, Self-Efficacy: Barriers, and Social Support for Exercise (both friend and family). The results did not yield any significant differences or correlations. </p><p> Further research is needed with a larger sample. This line of research is important to social work as it reflects the person-in-environment theory, which can assist in the development of exercise enhancement interventions aimed at underrepresented populations.</p>

<p> Maternal and infant mortality rates in developing countries are significantly higher than rates in developed countries with sepsis contributing to mortality. Cleanliness at birth has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a key element to reducing the risk of maternal-infant morbidity and mortality. There is evidence to support the importance of clean birth practices and use of clean delivery kits (CDKs) to promote improved maternal-infant health outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate an intervention providing CDKs and clean birth education to examine the effect on knowledge and understanding of clean birth practices among women in Grand Goave, Haiti. A total of 18 Haitian women of childbearing age were enrolled in the study. The hypothesis of the study stated that maternal education of clean birth practices and use of the CDK contributes to improved knowledge of clean birth practices. Evaluation of the intervention showed that provision of a CDK with the educational intervention was associated with improved mean scores of the pre-and post-test surveys (N=17, pre-test summary mean=6.35, post-test summary=7.71, p=0.000). The role play evaluation further indicated that there was a knowledge improvement of use of the CDK and clean birth practices. An educational intervention with use of a CDK can improve knowledge in relation to clean birth practices and use of CDKs are vital to improving maternal-infant outcomes in low resource settings.</p>

<p>"Facts and Fictions: Feminist Literary Criticism and Cultural Critique, 1968-2012" is a critical history of the unfolding of feminist literary study in the US academy. It contributes to current scholarly efforts to revisit the 1970s by reconsidering often-repeated narratives about the critical naivety of feminist literary criticism in its initial articulation. As the story now goes, many of the most prominent feminist thinkers of the period engaged in unsophisticated literary analysis by conflating lived social reality with textual representation when they read works of literature as documentary evidence of real life. As a result, the work of these "bad critics," particularly Kate Millett and Andrea Dworkin, has not been fully accounted for in literary critical terms.</p><p>This dissertation returns to Dworkin and Millett's work to argue for a different history of feminist literary criticism. Rather than dismiss their work for its conflation of fact and fiction, I pay attention to the complexity at the heart of it, yielding a new perspective on the history and persistence of the struggle to use literary texts for feminist political ends. Dworkin and Millett established the centrality of reality and representation to the feminist canon debates of "the long 1970s," the sex wars of the 1980s, and the more recent feminist turn to memoir. I read these productive periods in feminist literary criticism from 1968 to 2012 through their varied commitment to literary works.</p><p>Chapter One begins with Millett, who de-aestheticized male-authored texts to treat patriarchal literature in relation to culture and ideology. Her mode of literary interpretation was so far afield from the established methods of New Criticism that she was not understood as a literary critic. She was repudiated in the feminist literary criticism that followed her and sought sympathetic methods for reading women's writing. In that decade, the subject of Chapter Two, feminist literary critics began to judge texts on the basis of their ability to accurately depict the reality of women's experiences.</p><p>Their vision of the relationship between life and fiction shaped arguments about pornography during the sex wars of the 1980s, the subject of Chapter Three. In this context, Dworkin was feminism's "bad critic." I focus on the literary critical elements of Dworkin's theories of pornographic representation and align her with Millett as a miscategorized literary critic. In the decades following the sex wars, many of the key feminist literary critics of the founding generation (including Dworkin, Jane Gallop, Carolyn Heilbrun, and Millett) wrote memoirs that recounted, largely in experiential terms, the history this dissertation examines. Chapter Four considers the story these memoirists told about the rise and fall of feminist literary criticism. I close with an epilogue on the place of literature in a feminist critical enterprise that has shifted toward privileging theory.</p> / Dissertation

<p> Feminist artists during the second wave movement wanted to gain the same rights as men in a historically male-dominated art world, a world that was being influenced more and more by modernist ideals. It was during this precise moment that postmodernists helped transform art, in addition to the fields of literature, music, architecture, law, and philosophy. The synthesis between postmodernism and feminism helped art evolve in non-traditional ways. In this thesis, I seek to answer the question: &ldquo;How did postmodernism influence feminist artists from 1970-1982 to create the adaptation of new media?&rdquo; Evidence of this influence is seen in the evolution of new media such as performance, decorative arts, video, photography, femmage, and collage. As I examine the synthesis between postmodernism and feminist art, I will also show evidence of how second wave feminist movement influenced the evolution of postmodernism, and how the mixture of postmodern and feminist ideals influenced these women artists.</p>

<p> The success of women as athletic administrators in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has not been able to be researched because very few women have held positions in athletic departments in the NCAA Division I, II and III schools. Women in athletic administration have been a major topic, but more importantly the career development of women into the position of athletic administration has limited research applied towards it. The inequitable amount of females in NCAA Division I, II and III school&rsquo;s athletic departments has continued to be an issue. The problem is that there is not an equitable amount of female athletic directors at NCAA Division I, II and III schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions and observations of school administrators regarding the hiring practices since women have been underrepresented in athletic administrator positions at NCAA Division I, II and III schools. A multiple-case study was considered appropriate because the benefits derived from more than one case were considerable. To gain insight into why there has been an inequitable amount of female athletic administrators at NCAA Division I, II and III schools, 10 athletic administrators from three southern states in the United States have consented to be interviewed. Interviewing was continued until data saturation was reached. Now add key findings to abstract and recommendations. The findings included: (a) the preparation to become an AD was strongly consistent among all participants including their sports backgrounds, educational achievements, and work experiences (b) the knowledge, skills, and ability to serve as AD were possible due to the preparation through education and being confident with their own decision making, and (c) participants emphasized self-confidence as important when they referenced their ability to approach confidently different scenarios while serving as AD and was part of what was needed to be successful. A future qualitative study may be required to study a complete athletic conference concerning the perceptions of female ADs on hiring practices in intercollegiate athletics.</p>

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the ulama (Islamic scholars) in establishing an Islamic educational system for women in Saudi Arabia, and to determine their perceptions of women's education and employment in the kingdom. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews from men and women in Saudi Arabia who had received an Islamic education--that is, they had been educated in Islamic universities and were knowledgeable of Islamic studies and law. / Most of the ulama are supportive of women's education. They have been influential in establishing policy for the women's educational system and they supervise this system in Saudi Arabia. They also play an important role in teaching the Saudi people that Islam encourages education for females, contrary to some of the prevalent tribal beliefs. The study also identified the respondents' opinions of the academic areas that are appropriate for women to study. / Most are also supportive of women's working, but support was greater among the women respondents. All, however, insist that women work in only certain prescribed occupations and that they observe strict segregation from men in the workplace. / Among the study recommendations are that there be more exchange of ideas among muslim countries so that the views of the Saudi ulama become better known and perhaps adopted by other muslims. More vocational education is needed for women, specifically targeted to available and appropriate employment. A separate university for women should be established as the number of girls graduating from high school is increasing rapidly and they need places in higher education. Also, a special system of transportation should be developed exclusively for women as they are not allowed to drive cars in muslim countries. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-07, Section: A, page: 1848. / Major Professor: James R. Robarts. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

I place Emma Goldman's feminism at the center of her political philosophy. I argue that she made at least two distinctive contributions to anarchism. First is the argument that a consistent anarchist position must reflect both the communal and individual aspects of human nature. Second is an inclusive view of the requirements for true human emancipation. Anarchist theorists generally failed to integrate consistently into their social theories a view of human nature as both communal and individual. On the one hand, they held that human beings are autonomous sources of value, but by nature disposed to cooperate with others. On the other hand, they allowed for forms of sociopolitical organization that coerced individuals into cooperating with others. But coercion would not be necessary if human beings are naturally social. Therefore, their commitment to human sociability was inconsistent with their vision of the future organization of society. Goldman recognized that human beings have social needs: for cooperation, community, and meaningful associations with others. But she stressed that human beings have strong needs as individuals: for free expression and self-determination. Most anarchist thinkers neglected women's needs as individuals. In contrast, Goldman contended that an anarchist theory of human emancipation is incomplete if it fails to address the need to eradicate gender hierarchies, to acknowledge the intrinsic value of women, and to remove the obstacles to true freedom for women. Central among these obstacles is the socialization of women as the perfect communitarians. Contributing to this socialization are political and economic institutions, social customs, and the puritan morality that compels women to put others' needs and interests before their own. Goldman emphasized the importance of the "tyranny of public opinion" to women's subjection. Through education and social morality women are led to acquiesce in their own subjection and to internalize their own oppression. A genuinely emancipatory anarchist political philosophy must explicitly confront the internalized forces that keep women under the control of men. Like many contemporary feminists, Goldman recognized in internalized oppression one of the most profound barriers to women's emancipation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-09, Section: A, page: 2861. / Major Professor: Maria H. Morales. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

The story of Dakota Commonplace follows Alice Hundley, her husband, Rob, and son, Bobby, into a world totally new and foreign to them. Alice finds herself isolated in a South Dakota farmhouse miles from the nearest neighbor, removed from her own past and from the concerns which occupy her few acquaintances. Her new experiences violate many of her preconceptions about how to be wife and mother, how to find her place in a community, how to learn, and what she can, with any certainty, know. / Rob, a social worker, has been hired by a Sioux Tribal Council to create an educational program for Indian young people. His initial enthusiasm and sense of possibility quickly diminish in the teeth of white resistance and what he perceives as Indian resignation and indifference. Alice, although hating her isolation and sense of uselessness, gradually become acclimated. She seeks the elusive history of the place and finds it in the conflicting experience of their landlord, Anker Thordahl, the descendent of Scandinavian settlers, and Dakota Indians Dorothy Renville and Jerry Flute and their families. / Over the period of four months, Alice and Rob move in different directions, complicating the strains that loneliness and too much interdependence have placed on their marriage. Rob, unable to admit to his own sense of failure, considers leaving at the very moment Alice is growing toward a deeply felt sense of place and an attachment to the people. Out of her isolation, Alice is brought to a greater personal strength that allows her to reject both inaction and superficial solutions. She takes her first steps toward individual and significant action. / Running parallel to the narrative set in 1969 is the journal or working notes kept by Alice Hundley who, in 1992, studies and reflects upon the area, its people and history. The journal's narrative compliments the progress of the 1969 narrative. The title, Dakota Commonplace, represents the use of fragments of material in Alice's journal or commonplace book and the experiences we all hold in common. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-08, Section: A, page: 3237. / Major Professor: Sheila Taylor. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

This study was designed to provide a model for the data analysis needed to plan substance abuse prevention programs on a local level targeting poor, culturally diverse, adult women. Both this portion of the population and this method of intervention have received the least attention in the literature. / Two multivariate data analyses, multiple regression and Automatic Interaction Detection (AID), were evaluated in terms of their utility to program planners by comparing the rank orderings of the independent variables in terms of their explanatory ability and the proportion of explained variance (R$\sp2$). The sample included poor, culturally diverse women from Dade and Broward Counties, Florida recruited from local jails and detention centers, public health facilities, and publicly funded drug and alcohol treatment centers. A composite index of their multiple substance use (i.e., alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin) was examined in terms of various personal and social characteristics using the two multivariate procedures. / The rankings of the independent variables based on explanatory ability differed significantly providing empirical confirmation that substance use among women should be considered a multidimensional phenomenon with multiple pathways to abuse. The AID procedure explained a significantly higher proportion of variance suggesting that AID provided a more accurate description of the sample than did multiple regression. Further, AID imposed fewer technical demands and fewer assumptions with associated distortions. / Those factors most highly associated with substance use included having illegal activities as one's primary source of income, reproductive control, prior history of experimentation with substances, and current involvement in prostitution. It was concluded that prevention resources could most profitably be concentrated on younger population cohorts and that these adult women were in need of treatment services. Discussion included recommendations for structuring the treatment system and the implications for future substance abuse research and for the social work profession. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3676. / Major Professor: Dianne Harrison Montgomery. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.