Background: Adolescent obesity has tripled over the last three decades and is associated with an 80 percent risk of adult obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and decreased life expectancy. Current adolescent obesity medical recommendations include bariatric surgery and appetite suppressants which lower BMI, but present serious health risks. Nutrition and exercise interventions promote health, however, meta-analysis reveal do not lower BMI. Mindful eating, a behavioral skill, reconnecting eating to satiety cues, and has potential as an anti-obesity intervention which lowers BMI, while promoting health. Study Aims: Aim 1: To determine the effect of a mindful eating intervention compared to usual diet and exercise information on BMI of obese female adolescents. Aim 2: To determine if the effect of a mindful eating intervention on BMI of obese female adolescents is sustained over time. Aim 3: To determine the feasibility of conducting a group mindful eating intervention over six weeks for obese adolescent girls in their school setting. Methods: Obesity was measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) = Weight in Pounds / Height in inches x Height in inches x 703. The sample included adolescent females aged 14-17 years with BMI>90th%. Participants were randomized to an intervention group receiving a 6 week mindful eating intervention and a comparison group receiving the usual care of nutrition and physical activity handouts. Participants' BMI was measured at baseline, immediately post intervention and at 4 week follow up assessing intervention effectiveness. Results: ANOVA results demonstrate a statistically significant difference in BMI between the experimental and comparison groups F(1,2)=22.24, p<.001. On average, the experimental group's BMI decreased 0.71, whereas the comparison group's BMI increased by 1.1 over the 6 week intervention. The experimental group's BMI continued to decline at the 4 week follow up. Attrition from the study was 38%, below the 45% set feasibility threshold. A group mindful eating intervention over six weeks for obese adolescent girls was effective in lowering BMI sustained over time is feasible. Teaching the behavioral skill of mindful eating holds great promise for combatting obesity in adolescents. Future study should include a school based intervention with a larger more diverse sample.

Introduction and Rationale: Childhood obesity is a public health epidemic in the United States. Prevention of childhood obesity is an important health concern, but there is a lack of prevention efforts focused on infancy (Birch, Anzman-Frasca, & Paul, 2012). Many health behaviors are learned in the very early childhood years (Dattilo et al., 2012), so infancy is an opportune time to begin obesity prevention efforts (Grote, Theurich, & Koletko, 2012; Paul et al., 2011). There are very few resources available to educate mothers and caregivers of infants on protective infant feeding practices to reduce obesity risk. Purpose and Objective: The purpose of this DNP project is to develop educational material about infant feeding practices as a significant modifiable risk factor for the development of childhood obesity. The educational material is directed towards pregnant women and caregivers of infants less than 12 months of age. The objective is to educate parents and caregivers about infant feeding practices and the importance of preventing excessive weight gain during the first year of life for the prevention of childhood obesity. Methods: The Information-Motivation-Behavior (IMB) Model of Health Behavior serves as a framework for the content of the educational material. The Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective serves as a guide for the design of the educational material. Results: A systematic assessment of the educational material was conducted using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), a validated evaluation tool. The educational material was revised based on the PEMAT score. The PEMAT score was calculated for the revised handout and the handout is presented as an educational tool for the prevention of childhood obesity. Conclusions: This DNP Project demonstrated childhood obesity as a current significant health problem and identified infant feeding practices as a significant modifiable risk factor for the development of childhood obesity. Due to a lack of obesity prevention efforts focused on infancy, educational material was created using the IMB model of health behavior and the Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective. The final PEMAT evaluation yielded educational material that will likely have a positive health influence on the pediatric population.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur kunskap och/eller självuppfattning påverkar individers kreditkonsumtion. För att besvara syftet genomfördes en kvalitativ innehållsanalys där 29 fall av det svenska TV-programmet Lyxfällan studerades. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt grundar sig i IMB-modellen, där utgångspunkten är att självuppfattning och kunskap har en inverkan på individers kreditkonsumtion. Studiens huvudsakliga resultat visar på att kunskap och självuppfattning är något som i hög grad har en påverkan på individers kreditkonsumtion. Resultaten visar även att individer som skuldsatt sig på grund av onödig konsumtion hade en genomgående låg kunskapsnivå. Vidare kan vi se ett mönster där lyxkonsumtion i alla observerade fall motiverades av ett idealt- eller oönskat själv. Vi kan även se en förändring i beteendet hos de individer som slutade jaga en ideal självbild genom konsumtion. / This study aims to investigate how knowledge and / or self-perception affects credit consumption. Through a qualitative content analysis we have studied 29 cases of the Swedish TV show Lyxfällan. Our theoretical approach is based on the IMB model and that selfperception and knowledge have an impact on credit consumption. We came to the conclusion that knowledge and self-perception is something that to a large extent has an impact on credit consumption. Furthermore, we could see that individuals who lend money due to unnecessary consumption had a consistently low level of knowledge. Finally, we saw a pattern where luxury consumption in all observed cases was motivated by an ideal or dreaded self. We could also see a change in the behavior of the individuals who stopped chasing an ideal self-image through consumption. (This paper is written in Swedish).

Seminario para optar al título de Ingeniero Comercial, Mención Administración / La creación de la supercomputadora IBM Watson se ha puesto sobre la mesa la utilización de programas que pueden analizar una gran cantidad de datos casi instantáneamente, entregando una nueva gama de herramientas para los equipos de trabajo y organizaciones en pos de mejorar su toma de decisiones estratégicas: como la selección de personal. Para esta investigación se realizó un estudio que contrastó un test de personalidad basado en las 5 grandes dimensiones de personalidad (BIG 5) con los resultados entregados por el programa de IBM para mostrar su grado de validez en un contexto cerrado y grupo acotado de participantes. Se obtuvo información de 47 estudiantes de la Facultad de Economía y Negocios de la Universidad de Chile a través de la contestación del cuestionario y el análisis psicoléxico de un ensayo personal. Los resultados muestran que: (1) La presencia de las dimensiones de Agradabilidad (A) y Neuroticismo (N) es lo que detecta con menor dificultad IBM Watson Personality Insights. (2) A pesar de las diferencias en rendimiento académico y opción de especialización, todas las dimensiones de personalidad arrojaron resultados muy similares en pesos relativos, relacionados con la cultura de la organización.

This thesis describes a set of computer program control structures which permits the application of certain structured programming techniques to the IBM/360 assembly language (ALC). The control structures are implemented by programmerdefined instructions known as macros. A history of computer software is presented, providing a basis for the emergence of structured programming. A survey of the major concepts of structured programming with special attention to control structures and their significance to structured programming follows. The macros developed in this study include DO, ENDDO, LEAVE, CASE, and ENDCASE. They provide a looping control structure, a loop-escape construct, and a selective control structure. Examples of usage are given.

The main aim of this study was to apply the Information, Motivation and Behavioural Skills (IMB) model in a school-based programme for the reduction of HIV-risk behaviour among adolescents in South Africa. The study also aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the model in improving levels of information, motivation to act upon the information, and imparting behavioural skills aimed at reducing HIV-risk behaviour in high school adolescent learners. Prior to the main study, a preliminary study was conducted to identify existing and prior intervention initiatives targeting HIV-risk behaviour within the schools in Alexandra township, Johannesburg. This was a qualitative study in which participating learners from two secondary schools reported on the HIV and AIDS education they were exposed to prior to the main study and intervention. The study sample consisted of 259 Grade 11 learners of which 123 were from School 1 (ES) and 136 from School 2 (CS). The findings from the preliminary study indicate that, while much HIV/AIDS education was done through the LoveLife campaigns, important gaps still existed in the levels of HIV/AIDS information, motivation and behavioural skills among the learners in the participating schools. The main study was quantitative in nature, and involved the same sample as the preliminary study. Data was collected with the use of a questionnaire adapted from the Teen Health Survey instrument. School 1 (ES) was the Experimental group, while School 2 (CS) was the Control group. A baseline assessment (Time 1) was conducted at both schools. This assessment was followed by a 3-week HIV/AIDS intervention programme at School 1 (ES) which focused on HIV/AIDS information, motivation and behavioural skills. A post-test (Time 2) was carried out at both schools. The intervention at School 1 (ES) was then repeated at School 2 (CS). This was followed by another post-test (Time 3) at both schools. A final test (Time 4) was done at both schools. This was followed by another post-test (Time 3) at both schools. A final test (Time 4) was done at both schools. Data was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA including univariate ANOVA and paired t-tests. The results show significant increases in information across time for both schools. However, while there was clear change, it was not directly linked to the intervention. Overall estimates for all three variables, for instance, indicate that the mean scores at School 2 (CS) rose at Time 2, despite the absence of the intervention between Times 1 and 2 at that school. The fluctuating pattern of mean scores further attests to the deviation of the mean scores from the hypothesized pattern. In some of these fluctuations, the results showed the same trend for both groups, irrespective of the difference in the timing of the intervention. It is recommended, among other things, that when applied in the South African context, the IMB model should be used along with other HIV/AIDS prevention strategies to incorporate the social, cultural, economic and other structural challenges faced by learners.

The objective of this study was to assess levels of HAART adherence and factors affecting it. An observational, analytic, cross-sectional and quantitative study using IMB model was conducted on a randomly selected 349 HIV/AIDS patients on a HAART regimen. Data collection was done by interviewing respondents using a structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics used in the study. Only 80.2% of the total sample population reported a HAART adherence rate of more than or equal to 95% in this study. The findings highlight the need for on-going educational, informational and other interventions to address the knowledge, motivation and adherence behavioural skills of patients in order to improve the current levels of HAART adherence behaviour. The study also suggested the need for research into objective measures of adherence as well as longitudinal studies on adherence behaviour because strict adherence to treatment is a long-term process and not a one-time activity. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public health)

Le but de ce travail est de construire un système transportable flexible à cout minimum pouvant aider a la réalisation d'un compilateur pour le langage de commande réseau, qui sera utilise par le réseau CYCLADES

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The objective of this study was to assess levels of HAART adherence and factors affecting it. An observational, analytic, cross-sectional and quantitative study using IMB model was conducted on a randomly selected 349 HIV/AIDS patients on a HAART regimen. Data collection was done by interviewing respondents using a structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics used in the study. Only 80.2% of the total sample population reported a HAART adherence rate of more than or equal to 95% in this study. The findings highlight the need for on-going educational, informational and other interventions to address the knowledge, motivation and adherence behavioural skills of patients in order to improve the current levels of HAART adherence behaviour. The study also suggested the need for research into objective measures of adherence as well as longitudinal studies on adherence behaviour because strict adherence to treatment is a long-term process and not a one-time activity. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public health)