The Mississippi State Department of Education (MDE) adopted a state assessment in 2014 to measure early literacy skills for incoming kindergarten students (Mississippi Joint Legislature Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review [PEER], 2015). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of early childhood education (ECE) programs in a selected school district in the state. A quantitative research design was used to conduct the study. Specifically, this study sought to determine if there were differences in the mean scores on the Star Early Literacy baseline assessment for students who attended an ECE program and those who did not. In addition, this study sought to determine if there were differences in the mean scores on the Star Early Literacy baseline assessment for four literacy classifications (early emergent reader, late emergent reader, transitional reader, and probable reader), as well as differences for gender, race, and socioeconomic status (SES) among students who attended an ECE program and those who did not. Lastly, the study determined if there were significant differences in the mean scores on the Star Reading and Star Math end-of-year (EOY) assessments as well as differences by gender, race, and SES for students who attended an ECE program and those who did not. Existing data included Star Early Literacy baseline scores, Star Early Literacy four literacy classifications, Star Reading EOY scores and Star Math EOY scores, gender, race, and SES. The results of the study showed that students who participated in an ECE program scored statistically higher on all student academic outcomes when compared to students who did not participate in an ECE program. The results showed there were no statistically significant differences in the mean scores based on gender, race, or SES for student academic outcomes when comparing students who did and did not participate in an ECE program.

Disease burden and lifestyle patterns have changed rapidly worldwide, especially in some Asian countries over the past 2 decades. However, cross-country comparative research is limited. This study investigated the nutritional status of preschool children and childbearing women in China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan selected based on their socioeconomic status, population size, and urbanization. Nationally representative data were used from the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance Report, India National Family Health Survey, Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, the WHO repository, and the World Bank. The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity and some ratios were compared. These rates varied across these 4 countries and were associated with their economic development levels. China's economic status and prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity (11.5%) were highest; India's economic status was higher than that of Nepal and Pakistan, but had higher rates of stunting, wasting, and underweight (38.4%, 21.0%, and 35.7%, respectively) in preschool children. Pakistan had the highest prevalence of overweight/obesity among childbearing women (52.4% in all, 63.0% in urban areas). Nepal had the lowest economic status and overweight/obesity rate in preschool children (1.2%). In general, the prevalence of overweight/obesity was higher in urban than in rural areas, except among childbearing women in China. Nutritional status and health burden are heavily influenced by economic development. The double burden of malnutrition poses prioritization challenges for policymakers and public health efforts. Prevention of obesity is urgently needed, at least in higher-income countries in Asia.

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A majority of research regarding disruptive behavior disorders in youth has focused primarily upon Caucasian children and adolescents. As a result, more investigation of the unique characteristics of youth from ethnically diverse backgrounds, particularly those from Hispanic American and African American backgrounds, is needed (Balls Organista, Organista, & Kurasaki, 2003). This study investigated the relationships between several characteristics (e.g., ethnic identity, socioeconomic status, social acceptance, and emotional and behavioral symptoms) of early adolescents belonging to diverse ethnic groups. Results suggested that socioeconomic status and degree of early adolescents' social acceptance were important factors in predicting the development of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in this age group. Additionally, perceived social acceptance moderated significantly the relationships between SES and depression, anxiety, and self-concept. Considering these results, useful treatments may be developed that enhance early adolescents' abilities to assess realistically their own social skills and interact appropriately within different social spheres. Increased self-appraisals of acceptance within social situations may modify negative effects (e.g., higher reports of anxiety and depression) of extreme socioeconomic circumstances, particularly for early adolescents experiencing low-income or poverty conditions within their family and/or their community.

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<p>Smoking/tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. Despite understanding the health consequences of smoking, less is known as to how and why the effects of smoking emerge differently between countries and within populations both over time and across socioeconomic groups and geographic locales. In this thesis, we examined socioeconomic status (SES) and geography as two potential causes of variability in current rates of tobacco use and cessation in Canada and India, countries at diverse levels of economic development and epidemiological transition. The major findings were: (i) low SES, defined by education, income, and occupation, was associated with increased risk of tobacco consumption in both Canada and India, although there was variability in the strength of this association by form of tobacco use in India; (ii) in a 60-year longitudinal study, rates of smoking have fallen over time in Canada but socioeconomic gaps have widened; (iii) smoking quit rates were higher in Canada than India; although in both countries there was a positive association between SES and quitting; (iv) geographic variation in tobacco use and quit rates remained after accounting for individual socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, suggesting the importance of place in shaping patterns of tobacco use in Canada and India. Taken together, these findings indicate that tobacco use in populations is strongly patterned along socioeconomic and geographic dimensions. Future prevention and cessation programs will need explicit consideration of socioeconomic and geographic aspects of the tobacco use distribution to effectively improve the situation across all areas and groups.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

BACKGROUND. Frailty is a syndrome characterized by a decreased resistance to stressors, leading to increased vulnerability to adverse outcomes, including mortality. Multi-morbidity refers to the presence of two or more chronic diseases, and is associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes. Most of the literature in frailty is based on older people (65+ years) living in high income countries. OBJECTIVE. To compare the predictive ability of three frailty indices for all-cause and one-year mortality among high- (HIC), middle- (MIC), and low- income country (LIC) participants; and to assess the mortality risk associated with multi-morbidity. METHODS. Using data from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, we developed three indices using different definitions of frailty (one phenotypic frailty index; two cumulative deficit indices). All indices were tested for predictive ability for mortality both individually and with multi-morbidity. RESULTS. Prevalence of phenotypic frailty was greatest in LIC (8%), intermediate in MIC (7%), and lowest in HIC (4%). Multi-morbidity was most prevalent in HIC (20%), intermediate in MIC (15%), and lowest in LIC (13%). Increased frailty was associated with greater mortality risk using all frailty indices (e.g. HR (95% CI) of 2.63 (2.35-2.95) for the phenotypically frail relative to the robust). At each frailty level, mortality risk was higher within one year of baseline measurement than afterwards, and increased if it was accompanied by concurrent multi-morbidity (e.g. HR of phenotypic frailty increases from 2.27 (1.96-2.62) to 5.08 (4.34-5.95) if accompanied by multi-morbidity). CONCLUSION. All frailty indices predicted mortality. This study is unique in evaluating the prognostic ability of frailty indices in middle-aged adults across HIC, MIC, and LICs. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)