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Exploring Gaps In Hiv Prevention: Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Awareness, Attitudes, Utilization, Coverage, Hiv Testing And Risk Perception Among Sub-Saharan African College Students In The United States
Get PDFThis dissertation focuses on increasing HIV awareness and contributing to efforts at reducing new HIV infections among Sub-Saharan African (SSA) college students. It begins with an introductory chapter one and ends in the concluding chapter five. Chapter two presents a systematic review identifying key gaps in HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) knowledge, attitudes, and utilization among Black college students in the United States (U.S). The review synthesizes findings from four studies, revealing that a third of participants demonstrated adequate PrEP knowledge, while PrEP utilization remained under-utilized at three percent. Key barriers to PrEP uptake included fear, low self-perceived HIV risk, infrequent HIV testing, and reliance on inaccurate information sources such as social media. To address these gaps, the chapter emphasizes targeted educational interventions that address both individual and structural barriers to improve PrEP awareness, attitudes, and uptake, ultimately advancing sexual health outcomes in this high-risk population. Chapter three focuses on a concept analysis review of HIV PrEP coverage among Black adults in the U.S. Based on eleven selected studies, the review identifies four distinct definitions of HIV PrEP coverage, highlighting significant racial disparities in PrEP access and utilization. Despite Black individuals being a high-priority population for HIV prevention, they continue to experience disproportionately higher rates of new infections. Through a comprehensive concept analysis, the chapter proposes a unified definition of PrEP coverage that emphasizes equitable access and identifies key attributes, antecedents, and consequences of PrEP use. The findings underscore the need for improved policies, tailored access strategies, and consistent communication to mitigate health inequities and support national HIV prevention goals. Chapter four presents a qualitative phenomenological study exploring HIV PrEP awareness, testing behaviors, and risk perception among SSA college students in the U.S., a subgroup of Black college students that has been understudied. Findings indicate that only 32.8% perceived themselves at HIV risk, 22.7% had ever tested for HIV, and 68.2% were unaware of PrEP. Themes emerging from participant experiences highlight psycho-social factors, socio-cultural influences, facilitators of PrEP awareness and testing engagement. The chapter offers a foundational perspective on improving sexual health outcomes for SSA college students in the U.S
Everyday Decision-Making Involvement Among Hispanic & Latinx Dementia Caregivers And Its Associations With Daily Anxiety And Daily Depressive Symptoms
Get PDFBackground: Hispanic and Latinx (H&L) caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience elevated caregiving burden and poorer mental health outcomes compared to caregivers from other racial and ethnic groups. Limited research has examined H&L caregivers’ involvement in everyday decision-making for persons living with dementia (PLWD), particularly how this involvement may relate to daily mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Purpose: This study examined baseline decision-making involvement (DMI), its associations with individual-level factors, and its relationship with daily anxiety and depressive symptoms in H&L ADRD caregivers. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted using data from 100 H&L caregivers enrolled in an ongoing national study. At baseline, caregivers reported their involvement in 10 decision-making domains (e.g., medical care, meals, finances), coded dichotomously (0 = no, 1 = yes). Scores were summed to create a total DMI score (range: 0–10), with higher scores indicating greater involvement. Caregivers then completed 21 days of daily surveys measuring daily anxiety and depressive symptoms. Linear regression examined associations between individual-level factors and total DMI. Linear mixed-effects models tested whether baseline DMI (total and domain-specific) were associated with daily mental health symptoms. Results: Caregivers reported high DMI at baseline (M = 7.81, SD = 2.35), with most involvement in medical decision-making (95%), meal planning (89%), and bedtime routines (81%). Male caregivers (B = -1.662, p = .013) and English-native speakers (B = -1.666, p = .034) reported lower total DMI. Traditional gender role beliefs were also negatively associated with DMI (B = -0.136, p = .029). While total DMI was not significantly associated with daily anxiety or depressive symptoms, greater involvement in financial decisions was significantly linked to increased daily anxiety symptoms (B = 0.452, p = .005) and depressive symptoms (B = 0.337, p = .017). Conclusions: Although H&L caregivers reported high overall decision-making involvement, financial decision-making involvement was uniquely associated with poor daily mental health. Findings suggest the type of involvement in PLWD decision-making may have a stronger influence on caregiver well-being than total involvement. Culturally responsive supports should target decision-specific stressors, especially financial ones, in this population
The Association Between Serious Psychological Distress And Life Satisfaction Among U.S Adults With Hypertension
Get PDFPurpose: Given the observed link between psychosocial and physical health outcomes, this study investigates the association between serious psychological distress and life satisfaction among U.S adults with hypertension. Methods: A cross-sectional study using 2021 National Health Interview Survey data among U.S adults was conducted to investigate the association between serious psychological distress and hypertension and assess the role of life satisfaction in modifying this relationship. Hypertension (diagnosed, undiagnosed), serious psychological distress (≥ 13 on the Kessler 6 nonspecific distress scale), and life satisfaction (Very satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, Very dissatisfied) were self-reported by participants. Ordinal logistic regression was used to investigate relationships between hypertension, serious psychological distress and life satisfaction. Stratified analysis explored the combined effects of life satisfaction and hypertension on psychological distress, using logistic and ordinal logistic regression Results: The analysis of data represented 253,157,754 U.S adults, revealing a 31.5% prevalence of hypertension in this population. Adjusted ordinal logistic regression models demonstrate a significant association between hypertension and an increased odds of reporting each psychological distress measure, with odds ranging from (OR:1.36-1.48, 95% CI: 1.28-1.65). Hypertension was associated with decreased odds of reporting higher levels of life satisfaction (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.71-0.80). Life dissatisfaction was associated with elevated odds of overall psychological distress (OR: 16.18, 95% CI:12.29-21.28) and each individual distress measure (OR: 4.75-14.24, 95% CI: 3.98-17.36). Furthermore, hypertension exacerbated these associations among individuals reporting life dissatisfaction (OR: 1.41-1.95, 95% CI: 1.10-2.47). A statistically significant interaction between hypertension and life satisfaction was observed for the distress measure “effort” (p=0.0006), indicating a modifying effect of hypertension on the association between life satisfaction and feelings of effort. Conclusion: This study demonstrates significant associations between hypertension and distress. Notably, life dissatisfaction is a strong predictor of serious psychological distress and hypertension can exacerbate these outcomes. Further research is warranted to investigate the associations between psychosocial health and hypertension prevalence
The Effect of Sampling Approach in One-Dimensional Bayesian Optimization Processes
Get PDF2025 Spring Expo Poster Presentation Physical & Applied Scienceshttps://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/sp-expo/1052/thumbnail.jp
Comparing Extenders for Cryopreservation of Sperm from the Sea Urchin, Lytechinus variegatus
Get PDF2025 Spring Expo Poster Presentation Biological & Life Scienceshttps://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/sp-expo/1057/thumbnail.jp
Affirming Academic Use of First Languages in Second Language Learning Environments
Get PDF2025 Spring Expo Online Poster Presentation Arts & Humanitieshttps://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/sp-expo/1072/thumbnail.jp
Effects of Cariometabolic Health Intervention Through Music and Exercise (CHIME) on Resting and Exercise-Induced Cadiovscular Outcomes: A Case Series of Adults With Spinal Cord Injuries
Get PDF2025 Spring Expo Poster Presentation Educationhttps://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/sp-expo/1073/thumbnail.jp
The Influence of Religion and Spirituality on the Sexual Health of Black Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Literature Review
Get PDF2025 Spring Expo Poster Presentation Works in Progress - class projecthttps://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/sp-expo/1081/thumbnail.jp
Sisterhood as Sanctuary: The Role of Multicultural Sororities in Promoting Resilience & Health Equity
Get PDF2025 Spring Expo Poster Presentation Works in Progress - class projecthttps://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/sp-expo/1094/thumbnail.jp
À la Recherche du Temps Perdu as Poetry or Prose
Get PDF2025 Spring Expo Online Oral Presentation Arts & Humanities Works in Progress - class projecthttps://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/sp-expo/1089/thumbnail.jp