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Background and Objectives: It is estimated that over 40% of children in Ecuador are anemic. Anemia in children can influence physical and cognitive development and have lasting effects on adulthood productivity and quality of life. The objectives of this study were to: (1) evaluate the relationship of anemia and cognitive function, and (2) determine the influence of demographic factors on cognitive function. Population and Setting: The sample consisted of 175 school-aged children between 5 to 11 years old attending a school in a poverty stricken area of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Methods: A descriptive correlational cross sectional design was used to study the relationship between the level of anemia and the level of cognitive function. Other demographic factors were evaluated to determine their influence on cognitive function. Data were collected at the school using the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices to measure cognitive function and the STAT-Site MHgb Meter to measure hemoglobin levels. Results: No significant correlation was found between the level of anemia and cognitive function. Multiple regression analysis of demographic variables and cognitive function found age (Beta=0.56, t=8.6, p=0.000) and income (Beta=0.16, t=2.5, p=0.01) to be significant predictors of cognitive function. Interpretation and Conclusion: Many factors influence cognitive function and development. Additional research is needed to determine the effect of income level and related factors, such as parental time spent with the child doing homework, value placed on education in the home, education level of the parents, and quality of nutrition. Interventions to improve socioeconomic level, enhance parenting styles that foster cognitive development, and improve nutrition should be implemented.

Using a multilayered qualitative approach I draw from hermeneutical phenomenology informed by autoethnography through a case study to illuminate the culture and community of three elementary art rooms through the lens of socioeconomic status. Through my own story of having limited art education as a child from a rural working class background I simultaneously tell the story of students from three economically diverse schools in the same district. Focusing on their experiences within the space of the art room, I explore the ways children negotiate identity, notions of class, and interpret the shared district art curriculum. A rich description of each school along with interviews and conversations with children elicit important dialogue in terms of how the curriculum, in both hidden and overt ways, promotes a particular art aesthetic. Through a digestion of image, story and interviews with administrators, teachers and students this project focuses on the importance of action research and revealing one's own identity as a teacher and researcher as one attempts to unfold the multifaceted space of the art room. Front and center, this project calls for relevant and meaningful curriculum tied to the interests and lives of the children. My attempt is to tell the stories of the children I was privileged to work with for a semester. My research is intermingled with my experiences as a public school teacher for thirteen years, partnered with my own multifaceted identity as artist/child/working class/mother/student/teacher/middle class/learner.

Water treatment facilities across the United States are known for providing high-quality drinking water to their residents. However, differences in treatment methods, aging infrastructure, and outdated household plumbing may affect the quality of drinking water by the time it reaches the consumer’s tap. Palm Beach County, Florida, is an area with large socioeconomic contrasts where some families live in dilapidated structures and others reside in luxurious, gated communities. This research highlights the variation of household water quality by determining metal concentrations in tap water samples in communities of different socioeconomic status. In addition, interviews were conducted with personnel from five different Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in the study area to understand the relationship between customers and their water utility. Results indicate that effective communication strategies are needed to boost public trust and fill critical information gaps about the water treatment process. Ninety-six tap water samples were collected from households throughout eastern Palm Beach County and analyzed for different metals using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. Surveys were also administered at the same households where tap water samples were collected. Residents were asked about their perceptions of tap water and social and economic questions regarding their household characteristics. A Socioeconomic Status (SES) index was created using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to understand how perceptions of tap water quality and concentrations of metals in household tap water vary based on SES. Results provide evidence that those living in the lowest-ranking SES neighborhoods are the least satisfied with their tap water quality and consume less tap water than those living in higher SES neighborhoods. Water quality results highlighted large variations in concentrations of aluminum (Al) and thus, analyses focused specifically on how Al concentrations varied according to SES. Results from Ordinary Least Squares regression show that as socioeconomic status decreases, the concentration of Al in tap water increases. Six samples exceed the State of Florida’s Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) for Al, and five of those samples were found in the lowest-ranking SES neighborhoods (SES 1 and 2). The results of this research provide evidence that inequities in household water quality exist across eastern Palm Beach County, Florida. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The stroke rate in Virginia is above the national rate. Stroke results in poor quality health, morbidity, and mortality. This quantitative epidemiological study was conducted to investigate whether a significant association exists between stroke and (a) socioeconomic and (b) neighborhood factors among people who were admitted to Virginia hospitals between 2010 and 2015. An ecological design, including ecosocial theory, was used to examine associations between environmental factors and stroke. Data (746 census output areas) were acquired using patients' billing zip codes from the Virginia Health Information System in combination with socioeconomic and neighborhood data by Zip Code Tabulation Area from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Results of linear regression analysis showed a significant association between stroke hospitalization rate and educational attainment, per capita income, and Gini coefficient for income distribution. Also, a significant association emerged between stroke and neighborhood risk factors such as food access, Walkability Index, and population density. Findings from a one-way ANOVA showed a significant geographic difference in stroke hospitalization rate with the highest stroke rate in eastern Virginia and the lowest stroke rate in northern Virginia. Results may help stakeholders, policymakers, and public health agencies design, prioritize, and implement community-based prevention programs to reduce stroke rates in Virginia.

In Nigeria, childhood tuberculosis (TB), a debilitating and deadly disease, is highly prevalent and case reporting is poor due to weak health systems. Globally, children account for at least 10 percent of the TB burden, yet they remain neglected in TB prevention and control efforts. Research studies integrating family and community-centered strategies have been recommended by stakeholders to address the paucity of current local prevention and management strategies for childhood TB. This observational cross-sectional study explored the relationship between caregivers' quality of life (QOL), gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) and the incidence of TB in children aged 0-14 years. Using the abbreviated version of World Health Organization's (WHO) QOL tool, the WHOQOL-BREF, data were collected individually in a face-to-face setting from caregivers (n = 47) whose children had been diagnosed with TB in Bauchi State, Northeastern Nigeria, over a 5-year period. Data were collected in the same manner from another set of caregivers of children without TB (n = 47) within the same period and setting. Results from logistic regression indicated a statistically significant relationship (p < .001) between the caregivers' QOL and the occurrence childhood TB. However, the caregivers' gender and SES were not significantly related to the incidence of childhood TB. This finding underscores the need to identify the factors that positively impact the QOL of caregivers of childhood TB cases. It also reflects the importance of integrating QOL interventions as part of TB control programs seeking to improve childhood TB reporting. This can mitigate the disease burden in vulnerable age-groups living in resource limited settings, thereby contributing to positive social change in the society.

According to the CDC, young people, aged 15-24 years, share the greatest risk of new sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and the negative impact of alcohol and drug use. The purpose of this quantitative study, based on the theory of social-psychological problem-behavior, was to analyze the 2013 YRBSS secondary data and document if a relationship existed between race/ethnicity and youth sexual behavior, alcohol consumption, and drug use for the 13,583 survey participants. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Chi-Square were conducted to answer the research questions. Results indicated that American Indian/Alaskan Natives were most likely to report first sexual activity before 11 years old (7.5%), while Asians were most likely to report never having sex (76.6%). Race/ethnicity also impacted all other variables, such as drugs, with a mixture of results. Hispanic/Latinos were most likely to report higher alcohol consumption (15.12%) compared to Multiple Hispanic (5.12%), while, Multiple Non-Hispanic were more likely to report use of drugs before sexual activity (9.7%) compared to Hispanic Latinos (7.99%). Social change implication of the study called for developed and effective sustainable interventions to help youth with behavior, and it required full integration of race/ethnicity as prerequisites in alleviation strategy. Dissemination plans involved use of public health campaigns, school workshops, and churches to fight the negative impact on youth.

The current study sought to explore the relationship between four parent variables and children's Early Screening Inventory-Kindergarten (ESI-K) scores among families from low socioeconomic status backgrounds. The four parent variables were 1) parents' perceptions of school readiness, 2) parents' education, and 3) parents' attitudes towards their child's school, 4) the child's early development. The participants were 63 parents and their kindergarten children from three schools in Hillsborough County Florida. Results showed that parents are relatively good predictors of their children's readiness for school, with that variable alone accounting for 18% of the variance in ESI-K scores. The four variables together explained 41% of the variance in children's ESI-K scores. Implications for educators with regard to helping low-income families prepare their children for formal schooling are discussed.

The present study examined whether external (out-of-school) suspensions are applied equitably to students of different ethnic backgrounds who commit violent and nonviolent offenses. The hypotheses presented in this study were addressed through secondary analysis of disciplinary records from a large metropolitan school district in Florida. The results indicate that, for the group of 1,667 tenth grade students included in this analysis, racial equity was related to the type of offense, as well as to the student's socioeconomic status. Racial differences were found when SES was not considered, with African American students more likely to be suspended from school for status offenses and violent offenses. The same degree of racial disproportionality was not found among low SES students. However, middle and higher SES students appeared to account for much of the racial disproportionality seen in the sample, with African American students in this group more likely to be suspended for both violent and status offenses.

The inflammatory process is important in protecting the body against the invasion of pathogens, but recent research has suggested that a long-term inflammatory response may lead to chronic diseases (e.g., Black, 2003; Wu, Dorn, Donahue, Sempos, & Trevisan, 2002). Two factors that have been implicated in the inflammatory and disease processes are stress and obesity (Black, 2003). While their individual lines of research continue to grow, few researchers have attempted to integrate these factors into one model to explain their effects on inflammation. This study aimed to replicate previous findings suggesting relationships between stress, obesity and inflammation and test an integrated model of stress and obesity by examining a possible interaction between the effects of stress and obesity on inflammation. Socioeconomic Status (SES) and depression were employed to examine the association between stress and the inflammatory marker, c-reactive protein (CRP). The study utilized the data resulting from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; National Center for Health Statistics, 2006). Included in the dataset are 4998 adults (2416 males and 2582 females) ranging in age from 18 years to over 85 years (M = 47.13, SD = 20.86). A subsample (N = 589) completed the Major Depression module of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CDCI). The results indicate that body mass index, waist circumference, income, education, and depression symptoms significantly predict CRP. The data also suggest an interaction between the adiposity variables and the SES variables. This supports the hypothesis that the inflammatory effect of stress on an individual is moderated by adiposity.