Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Population Health, Department of Public Health Sciences. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on November 8, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Submitted by Camila Andreia D Elia (camilaandreia@gmail.com) on 2016-08-30T02:46:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Camila A D'Elia (F06).pdf: 3171026 bytes, checksum: d594e757017769d84692c58d742551f3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Renata de Souza Nascimento (renata.souza@fgv.br) on 2016-08-31T16:42:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Camila A D'Elia (F06).pdf: 3171026 bytes, checksum: d594e757017769d84692c58d742551f3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-31T17:09:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Camila A D'Elia (F06).pdf: 3171026 bytes, checksum: d594e757017769d84692c58d742551f3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-15 / This thesis search to identify if schools and familiar characteristics are associates in students behavior. For that, exposure to risk factors and health protection indicators were created using the ‘Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) 2012’ from the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) data bases about 9° grade students. The twenty six indicators created approach the central themes of alimentation, health, violence, drug use, physical activities, being higher the healthier practices. The linear regression modeling were used as the data analysis. With the results analysis was possible to see that the familiar presence is essential for the student to have good school habits and healthier behaviors. The school also have a strong influence over the teenagers, so being important to students development. / O presente trabalho busca identificar se características das escolas e do ambiente familiar estão associadas a práticas e comportamentos dos alunos. Para isso foram construídos indicadores de exposição a fatores de risco e proteção à saúde utilizando dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) 2012, do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), para estudantes no 9º ano (8ª série) do ensino fundamental. Os vinte e seis indicadores criados abordam os temas centrais de alimentação, saúde, violência, uso de drogas e prática de atividades físicas, sendo crescente quanto mais saudável a prática ou comportamento. O modelo regressão linear foi utilizado como ferramenta em análise de dados. Com base nos resultados foi concluído que o papel dos pais é essencial para que o escolar tenha hábitos e comportamentos saudáveis. A escola também exerce influência sobre os adolescentes, sendo importante no desenvolvimento dos escolares.

This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between length of residence in the United States (U.S.) and dietary and physical activity acculturation, and the relationships between dietary and physical activity acculturation and weight status in 55 Chinese college students. Length of residence in the U.S. was positively associated with larger portion size, greater amount of physical activity, and change in BMI in male participants. Adoption of a Western diet was associated with weight gain. Portion size change was positively associated with BMI change. Lunch size change was positively correlated with BMI change in males while negatively correlated with BMI change in females. And dinner size change was positively correlated with BMI change in males. This study suggests that dietary acculturation is positively associated with weight gain in Chinese college students. Future interventions focusing on multi-dimensional aspects of dietary behavior change--especially portion size and meal size changes--while emphasizing the importance of changes in physical activity are needed. Such interventions may help maintain healthy weight status and prevent individuals in this population from becoming overweight or obese.

As the leading cause of death in the United States, coronary heart disease (CHD) is a growing public health problem, despite the fact that many risk factors for the disease are preventable, especially if addressed early in life. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of loss-framed versus gain-framed versus information-only health messages on both intention to attend and actual attendance at an appointment to get screened for CHD risk factors (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia). It was hypothesized that a population of young adults would be more likely to view screening for CHD risk factors as a low-risk, health-affirming behavior as opposed to a risky, illness-detecting behavior and would thus be more strongly influenced by gain-framed messages than loss-framed messages. Additional goals included the exploration of the extensively researched individual health beliefs of perceived threat (as defined by the health belief model) and health locus of control as they relate to message frames. One hundred forty-three undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either the loss-framed, gain-framed, or information-only control conditions. Framing manipulation checks revealed that participants failed to discern differences in the tone and emphasis of the experimental pamphlets. As a result, no tests of framing effects could be conducted. Sixteen (11.2%) of the 143 participants who participated in Part 1 of the experiment participated in Part 2 (i.e., attended a risk factor screening appointment). Multiple regression analysis revealed risk index, age, and powerful others health locus of control as significant predictors of screening intention. Gender was the only demographic or health related variable that was significantly related to screening outcome, such that women were more likely to get screened than men. Limitations and recommendations are discussed.

eHealth is commonly defined as health services and information provided through the Internet and related technologies. Health educators have taken advantage of Internet and social media venues to disseminate health information essential to health risk management, disease prevention, and disease management and did not have a validated theoretical model to explain their experiences. The goal of this study was to create and test an integrated model of eHealth communication specific to 18-30 year old college students based on five research questions that identified and confirmed the factors most highly correlated with the presentation of health information on Internet or social media venues that improve eHealth literacy and provoke eHealth behavioral intention among college students. A sample of over 1400 18-30 year old college students was surveyed about their general and health information related use of the Internet and social media. As a result of exploratory factor analysis and subsequent structural equation modeling, the proposed theoretical model was revised and tested for statistical power. Two revised integrative models of eHealth communication, one for Internet and one for social media, were developed and validated. The model for social media shows statistically significant paths throughout the model; however, the model for the Internet reveals that the path between two constructs and Online Health Behavior are not statistically significant and is worthy of further examination. This study has important practical implications for eHealth educators, organizations dedicated to informing the public about specific diseases or health promotion techniques, health practitioners seeking improved strategies for effective eHealth message design, and to health information professionals.

Thesis (MTech (Nursing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018 / Health risks are continuing to be a challenge worldwide. Globally, young people aged 15-24 are amongst the most vulnerable groups. It was revealed that between 2007 and 2010, the rate of HIV infection increased in this age group. In sub-Saharan Africa, three out of four new HIV infections are amongst girls aged 15 to 19 years of age. Young women aged 15 to 24 are twice more likely to live with HIV than men in 2019. South Africa is the country with the largest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected population in the world, with an estimated 7 million people living with HIV and 380 000 new HIV infections in 2015. University students are a very important group of young people because they are being prepared for the world of work and to assume leadership roles. However, they are the group most exposed to a range of health risks, particularly regarding sexuality and HIV/AIDS. The aim of this study was to explore potential health risk factors amongst students at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the Western Cape with regard to sexuality and HIV/AIDS. The objectives of the study were to explore the factors that may increase health risk behaviours amongst students at an HEI and to discover and describe the knowledge university students have regarding potential health risks related to sexuality and HIV/AIDS. A qualitative research design was employed. Focus group interviews were done to collect data and a thematic content analysis was employed to analyse the data. Results revealed that the university students engaged in high-risk sexual behaviours, such as transactional sex, casual sex, multiple partner sexual relationships and unprotected sex. Such behaviours lead to a high-risk of contracting STIs and HIV/AIDS. Among the factors that were found to be contributing to these risky behaviours, was the new-found freedom of being away from the supervision of parents. Peer pressure at HEIs, as well as abuse of alcohol and drugs, also contribute to risky behaviours. Recommendations were that there should be organised and measured approaches to expose both lecturers and the students to HIV/AIDS education through an integrated curriculum design. There should be teamwork amongst lecturers, support staff and students to create powerful discussions and an exchange of ideas to clarify issues regarding HIV/AIDS, sexuality and other related topics to reduce high-risk behaviours and promote solid constructive attitudes amongst the university community.

The present study set out to investigate the biopsychosocial model of illness using variables previously identified as directly impacting illness or as mediating the relationship between other variables and illness. Oral contraceptive use, stress, and negative affect were investigated as predictors of immunological competence, measured by the level of Immunoglobulin G antibodies to Epstein-Barr Virus Viral Capsid Antigen (EBV-VCA IgG).

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a curriculum guide to be made available to junior high schools in the state of Arkansas. A study of the amount of health knowledge possessed by eighth grade students in Arkansas was made to assist the investigator in the construction of the curriculum guide. The objective of the study was to determine the quality of the health education possessed by the eight grade students in Arkansas, in terms of teacher qualifications and number of hours heath education is taught per year, and compare it with students across the nation to build a suggested curriculum guide in health education. The following conclusions were reached: 1) Arkansas eight grade students are one school year behind national norms, relative through the AAHPER Cooperative Health Test results. 2) Female students scored higher than male students. 3) There is little variance between the different sizes of schools and the knowledge possessed by students in the several content areas on the AAHPER Cooperative Health Test. 5) The instruction of health education varied greatly in quality among Arkansas schools in the study. 6) Instructors teaching health education to eighth grade students in Arkansas were usually teachers not prepared to teach health education.The culminating activity of this investigation was the development of a curriculum guide from the data in the study of Arkansas students. The most widely accepted model in health education was chosen, the School Health Education Study Model. The nature of the model is such that new findings in health education do not invalidate the model.

Hematocrit, serum-iron and iron-binding capacity were used to test the iron status of a sample of fifty-six volunteer students. Subjects completed a questionnaire to examine whether a correlation exists between iron status and iron knowledge. The sample, including 20 males and 36 females, consisted of ten nutrition majors , eight biology majors, thirty-eight other majors, and eight vegetarians. The four measures revealed that a high prevalence of iron deficiency did not exist in this student population. Other findings: sex and iron status are not related; no correlation exists between iron knowledge and iron status; and vegetarians have an iron status comparable to that of non-vegetarians.

Text in English / Cervical cancer accounts for 34.6% of all the female cancers in Zimbabwe. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of female student nurses regarding cervical cancer in Zimbabwe using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical framework. The ultimate aim was to analyse female student nurses’ risk perception of contracting cervical cancer. A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive research design was used, using a structured questionnaire for data collection. One hundred and thirty-two (132) respondents were conveniently selected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 software program. The study revealed that 57.9% of the respondents perceive that they are at risk of developing cervical cancer. They believe that screening for cervical cancer is not embarrassing. Knowledge improved with increase in the level of study, there was lack of knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer link. More emphasis on cervical cancer should be put on curricula taught in undergraduate education earlier on in the programme. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)