LAIR: Lenoir-Rhyne Academic Institutional Repository
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From the President: Thriving Together in Times of Change
Get PDFAs I sit down to reflect on the state of libraries and the challenges we face, I find myself both humbled and inspired by the resilience of our community. Libraries have always been a beacon of knowledge, a refuge for seekers of truth, and a foundation for strong, engaged communities. Yet, in recent years, the landscape in which we operate has shifted dramatically, bringing new stressors and uncertainties. From funding battles and intellectual freedom challenges to the evolving needs of our patrons, the role of libraries—and those of us who serve them—has never been more critical or complex
Enhancing School-Based Vaping Prevention Education: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Augment Adolescent Knowledge and Awareness
Get PDFBackground: Adolescent vaping is a growing health concern driven by misconceptions, youth-targeted marketing, and discreet vape designs. E-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals that can have detrimental effects on adolescent brain development.
Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to implement a school-based vaping prevention curriculum for fifth- and sixth-grade students and evaluate its impact on students’ knowledge and intentions related to vaping.
Methods: A nonrandomized controlled sample of approximately 60 fifth- and sixth-grade students completed a pre- and post-survey assessing their knowledge and attitudes toward vaping before participating in the six-lesson You and Me, Together Vape-Free curriculum. Descriptive statistics and a two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test analyzed differences between pre- and post-survey results.
Results: Improvements were observed in students’ knowledge and perceptions regarding vaping, including increased awareness of the harm and risk of addiction from occasional (Q1; p= .018, Q4; p= .004) and daily (Q2; p= .003, Q5; p= .006) use. Students’ awareness of targeted marketing strategies showed improvements in Q8–Q11 (p < .05). Post-intervention, 76.27% aimed to “stay vape-free”, 20.34% to “quit”, and 3.39% to “reduce use”.
Conclusion: The curriculum effectively increased adolescent knowledge of e-cigarette risks and marketing tactics. Supported by strong educator engagement and minimal resource use, the curriculum proved sustainable. Despite limited changes in behavioral intentions, the findings highlight the value of early, school-based education in shaping healthier attitudes toward vaping
Lenoir-Rhyne University Men’s Soccer Analysis 2023-2025
Get PDFThis paper is a summary report of the physical and physiological characteristics of Lenoir-Rhyne University men's soccer players from 2023-2025
Comparing APGAR 1 and 5 Scores by Mode of Delivery: Vaginal Delivery and Cesarean Section Delivery
Get PDFThe purpose of the study was to compare APGAR scores between modes of delivery. With rising numbers of mothers electing for cesarean sections with no required indication- it was questioned if this was the safest medical practice for the mother and the infant. The study analyzed APGAR 1 and 5 scores between vaginal and cesarean section deliveries. The study utilized baby’s sex, gestational age, mother’s age, and more in the study. The study was performed as a retrospective chart review at an acute care facility located in Western North Carolina. There were 72 total participants involved in the study evenly distributed between vaginal and cesarean section deliveries.
APGAR is a scoring system that observes the appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respirations of an infant. APGAR scores are collected immediately after birth and then again five minutes later. A high APGAR score (7-10) indicates the infant has a strong reaction to life outside of the womb. A low APGAR score (below 3) indicates immediate intervention is needed to ensure the safety and quality of life of the infant. The study did not show statistically significant findings of alpha value of 0.05, U= 787, z= -0.73, p= 0.466. However, results do show slightly higher APGAR 1 and 5 scores for infants born vaginally compared to cesarean section. The average APGAR 1 score for infants delivered vaginally was 8.02 (SD= 1.13). The average APGAR 1 score of infants delivered via cesarean section was 7.74 (SD= 1.76)
Addressing Stigma and Biases in Patient Care for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders
Get PDFBackground: Substance use disorders present significant challenges for individuals suffering from this disease, as well as for healthcare providers and systems. More than 30 million people in the world have substance use disorders but less than 15% receive any treatment (United Nations, 2019). Those who go untreated negatively impact the U.S. economy by almost $700 billion each year related to job loss, crime, and health care (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). Research has shown that health care providers have difficulty dismissing their negative judgments and allow biases to impact the care they provide to patients with substance use (Ashford et al., 2018b). Purpose: The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact an awareness intervention related to stigma in the care of patients with substance use disorders has on the attitudes of nurses and care provided. Methods: A focused intervention related to the impact of stigma and biases on the care of patients with substance use was provided to practicing nurses within a RN to BSN program. A pre- and post-intervention survey using the Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS) was completed by participants to determine if their attitudes changed. Self-reflections were written by nurses related to their experience caring for this population. Results: Statistical analysis of the pre- and post- survey statements revealed no statistically significant differences although some level of improvement was seen in most components of the post-MCRS survey. Thematic analysis of reflection responses showed neutral or positive results. Conclusion: Data analysis failed to show statistical significance; however post intervention scores improved in 72.7% of the survey responses indicating a positive change in nurses’ perceptions related to caring for patients with substance use disorders
Implementing the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) in a Community Health Clinic
Get PDFThis project aimed to improve care quality, enhance patient outcomes in the community health clinic by systematically screening for GAD and adopting structured treatment protocols. The findings will contribute to best practices for integrating mental health screening tools in primary care
Enhancing Kindergarten Readiness in socioeconomically Disadvantaged Children Through ApSeed Implementation
No full textBackground: Kindergarten readiness is essential for children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, who often enter school with lower academic and social-emotional skill levels. In North Carolina, many impoverished children are less prepared for kindergarten, which impacts their long-term academic success and overall development.
Purpose: The primary outcome was to improve letter and number recognition skills, while the secondary outcome was to enhance the ability to identify primary colors and shapes, and overall improve kindergarten readiness for socioeconomically disadvantaged children in North Carolina. Method: ApSeed tablets, preloaded with interactive educational content, were distributed to children aged 3-5 at a rural pediatric Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Participants used the tablets for six months, and their progress was measured through pre- and post-intervention assessments. A paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention.
Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed in uppercase (p < .001) and lowercase letter recognition (p < .001), as well as number recognition (p < .001). Color recognition improved significantly (p = .033), while shape recognition showed one of the strongest effect sizes (p < .001).
Conclusion: The intervention effectively improved early literacy and cognitive skills, supporting the use of technology-based educational tools in preparing underserved children for kindergarten
The Family Plan: Improvement Plan for Family Planning Services at the Alexander County Health Department
No full textBackground:
Family Planning programs in the United States are implemented by local health departments and are maintained by federal Title X funding. Title X funding mandates annual reports from these local health departments and seeks to monitor the efficiency and performance of the local programs. This research aims to evaluate patient satisfaction in the family planning program at the Alexander County Health Department in coordination with the Family Planning Annual Report.
Methods:
Secondary data was collected from the Alexander County Health Department family planning Quality Improvement Plan for 2025 by the primary investigator. Survey Participants are from the Alexander County region and are at least 18 years of age. Surveys were administered and collected anonymously with no personally identifiable information. Analysis will utilize means, frequencies, and percentages.
Results:
Respondents had some understanding of family planning services, high satisfaction with services provided, and high satisfaction with the availability of the services. There is room for quality improvement.
Conclusions:
The Alexander County Health Department Family Planning Program patients are satisfied with the services provided. Quality Improvement Planning (QIP) increases understanding for services, patient satisfaction, and overall health outcomes. Patient numbers need to increase, specifically for the male population. Continued quality improvement planning is recommended for family planning services at the Alexander County Health Department
Prevalence of Smoking in Diabetic Patients
Get PDFAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2019, six percent of adults with diabetes were 65 or older were current smokers, and 51.9% of adults with diabetes who were 18 to 44 years old were current smokers. The excessive amount of smokers with diabetes has raised concern in individuals between the ages 40-65 due to the negative effects it can cause on the physical health. Previous research on the relationship between smoking and diabetes mellitus has shown no difference between genders, and the dramatic lifestyle changes that this disease requires has led to poor self-management. In addition, the continuous act of smoking can lead to hospital readmissions and comorbidities, such as foot ulcers or circulatory issues. These previous research studies experienced limitations, which caused the need for more information on diabetic smokers.
To conduct this study, a retrospective chart review was used to collect data from an acute care facility in Western North Carolina, using an Excel spreadsheet. The smoking status, gender, age, and circulatory comorbidities were collected to answer the research question. The total sample consisted of 100 participants who had a medical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. The findings of the study showed that there were more smokers (51%) than nonsmokers (49%) with diabetes. Additional findings on the data collected, indicated that there were more female smokers (N = 32) than men (N = 19), and the average number of circulatory comorbidities was 3 (SD = 1.8). These findings provide support for patient education to become the most significant factor to help reduce the prevalence of smoking in individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus
Relationship Between Time Under Anesthesia and Length of Stay in Hospital
Get PDFThe purpose of this question, “Is there a relationship between the time under anesthesia during an orthopedic surgery and the length of time post-operatively spent in the hospital?”, is to examine the impact of anesthesia on adults over the age of 18 that have undergone anesthesia during orthopedic surgery . This retrospective chart review and supporting reviews of numerous research articles assisted to acknowledge the importance of the relationship between surgical procedures on recovery time and discharge.
The findings demonstrated an inverse relationship between the time under anesthesia during an orthopedic surgery and the length of hospital stay. However, there was a statistically significant relationship between age and length of stay in the hospital. Some factors that may have skewed the results of this study include, how many surgeries were examined and the two different types of anesthesia. The conclusion of this research will potentially inspire the implementation of interventions for older adults undergoing orthopedic surgery