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The Role That Diet and Lifestyle Factor Plays in an Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease in Asians and Pacific Islanders
Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of mortality, often resulting in heart attacks and strokes due to obstructed blood flow to vital organs. The risk of these events is influenced by dietary choices, smoking, and physical activity. Despite preventative measures, the impact of diet and lifestyle on cardiovascular health varies across ethnic groups. This thesis aims to evaluate how variations in dietary traditions and lifestyle among Asians and Pacific Islanders contribute to increased or decreased cardiovascular disease risks compared to other racial groups. The study focuses on the dietary and lifestyle factors of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, involving 5,000 individuals aged 28-50. Participants undergo a baseline assessment, complete initial food frequency and lifestyle surveys, and are observed over five years with follow-up questionnaires. Statistical and subgroup analyses will be employed to explore the relationship between diet, lifestyle, and cardiovascular disease risk. By examining habits, cultural influences, and genetic predispositions, the research seeks to identify factors contributing to cardiovascular disease incidence rates among these populations. The findings of the thesis aims to create interventions, promoting alternative dietary habits and lifestyle modifications to decrease cardiovascular disease rates among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.https://scholar.dominican.edu/nursing-student-research-posters/1068/thumbnail.jp
Altered Stories, Altered Lives: An Exploration of Post Traumatic Growth from A Narrative Perspective with a Strengths Based Focus
Complex trauma is prevalent, underrecognized, and difficult to treat. Left untreated, the ongoing negative consequences impact individuals, families and society. Literature indicates traditional modes of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder have high attrition rates and are ineffective for approximately 30% of clients (Schouten et al., 2018). Art Therapy provides the opportunity to offer effective, well tolerated treatment for ongoing adverse consequences of trauma symptoms and recontextualization of the trauma due to the highly nonverbal nature of trauma memory (Hass-Cohen et al., 2014). A nested mixed methods design (Neubauer et al., 2019) combining arts-based research with pre and posttest survey analysis gathered detailed, phenomenological information from a single case study of a 60-year-old female trauma survivor. This study investigated her experience of trauma and movement towards post traumatic growth through the collection of data from art, participant feedback, and survey analysis. Results from this single case narrative, arts based inquiry produced improvements in several post-trauma recovery markers (Hass-Cohen et.al, 2014) including self-identified character strengths and yielded support for the significance of the fear/shame bind which is often hidden from consciousness even for clients who have undergone intensive trauma treatment. Further research using the nested mixed methods approach is needed to understand the fear/shame bind including adaptation to groups, which could provide a deeper understanding of the benefits of ongoing recovery support
Factors That Lead to the Decline of Mental Health Among Collegiate Athletes and Tools Administrators Can Use to Better Support Them
This paper is an exploration of the athletic community that uncovers how stigma, pressure to perform well, and external factors all contribute to the stagnant relationship between athletes and mental health. With stigma being a major influence in inhibiting athletes from feeling comfortable; it has led to college athletes navigating their emotional distress by themselves in order to maintain their image of being indestructible and indomitable. This vulnerable population having to struggle in silence has led to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, disordered eating, and suicidality in some college athletes. Luckily, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and a few college institutions have come up with tools to help college athletes who are struggling with their mental health. With stigma slowly losing control of the narrative, there has been a gradual change within the athletic community. At each institution, it is the responsibility of the administrators to ensure that each athlete has the best possible experience while attending their school. The tools and interventions in this paper can be the difference in maintaining a positive student-athlete experience until they graduate
Empowering Low-Income Women with Breast Cancer: Promoting Acupuncture at Community Health Fairs
https://scholar.dominican.edu/nursing-student-research-posters/1053/thumbnail.jp
Right vs. Left: Ideology and Psychological Motives in the Chinese Cultural Context
This research examines the content as well as underlying psychological motives of ideology in East Asia. Adopting a mixed methods approach utilizing data from national samples in mainland China (N = 509) and Taiwan (N = 417), qualitative content analysis and correlation analysis results reveal that in both samples: (a) overall, participants had some understanding of the left-right ideological spectrum; (b) notwithstanding, most participants placed themselves at the Center; and (c) elective affinities between epistemic motives and political ideology exhibited the most consistent association. Findings shed light on the political psychology of ideology in authoritarian regimes as well as in new democracies. Findings were also discussed in the cross-cultural psychological context. Altogether, they contribute to our understanding of the nature of ideology beyond the West, which could be a first step toward reducing political polarization and avoiding conflict
Measuring Outcomes of Occupational Therapy Facilitated in Natural Settings with Young Children
To date, there is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of Occupational Therapy (OT) services delivered outside in nature. This study explored the benefits of OT intervention in Natural Settings (NS) for children by examining development in the areas of self-regulation, social skills, sensory processing, confidence, and motor skills. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was used in this study. Researchers partnered with a local outpatient OT clinic that offers an 8-week outdoor program. Seven children and their parents were recruited and participated in the study. A modified version of the COPM and two BOT-2 subtests, along with a novel log climb measure were used to track changes among participants. Group results are presented, as well as two case vignettes that capture individual progress of two participants. Results showed that performance and satisfaction ratings, as well as scores from the balance and catching subtests from the BOT-2 generally improved from pre-test to post-test after the eight weeks. Additionally, the speed, efficiency, and quality of movement data gathered from the novel log climb generally improved by the end of the 8-week period. Overall, though there are several limitations to the study, the data showed improvement in key areas across parent reports and motor skill measures
A Qualitative Study on Long-Term Adherence to Home Exercise Programs in People with Parkinson’s Disease
Exercise has been found to slow the progression of Parkinson\u27s Disease (PD) symptoms which can increase independence for daily activities and overall quality of life. In order for the benefits of exercise to continue after a program is completed, integration of the exercises into everyday life may lead to long-term adherence. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, this study investigated if increasing facilitators while decreasing barriers improves adherence to home exercise programs, leading to the establishment of exercise integrated habits in People with Parkinson’s Disease (PwPD). This study found that long-term adherence was achieved by participants. The themes related to adherence that emerged from the data include promoting participation in everyday activities, utilizing individualized support, and being held accountable. These findings may help further the comprehension for Occupational Therapy practitioners of habit formation and long-term adherence to foster engagement in meaningful occupations in PwPD
Standing genetic variation as a potential mechanism of novel cave phenotype evolution in the freshwater isopod, Asellus aquaticus
Novel phenotypes can come about through a variety of mechanisms including standing genetic variation from a founding population. Cave animals are an excellent system in which to study the evolution of novel phenotypes such as loss of pigmentation and eyes. Asellus aquaticus is a freshwater isopod crustacean found in Europe and has both a surface and a cave ecomorph which vary in multiple phenotypic traits. An orange eye phenotype was previously revealed by F2 crosses and backcrosses to the cave parent within two examined Slovenian cave populations. Complete loss of pigmentation, both in eye and body, is epistatic to the orange eye phenotype and therefore the orange eye phenotype is hidden within the cave populations. Our goal was to investigate the origin of the orange eye alleles within the Slovenian cave populations by examining A. aquaticus individuals from Slovenian and Romanian surface populations and Asellus aquaticus infernus individuals from a Romanian cave population. We found orange eye individuals present in lab raised surface populations of A. aquaticus from both Slovenia and Romania. Using a mapping approach with crosses between individuals of two surface populations, we found that the region known to be responsible for the orange eye phenotype within the two previously examined Slovenian cave populations was also responsible within both the Slovenian and the Romanian surface populations. Complementation crosses between orange eye Slovenian and orange eye Romanian surface individuals suggest that the same gene is responsible for the orange eye phenotype in both surface populations. Additionally, we observed a low frequency phenotype of eye loss in crosses generated between the two surface populations and also in the Romanian surface population. Finally, in a cave population from Romania, A. aquaticus infernus, we found that the same region is also responsible for the orange eye phenotype as the Slovenian cave populations and the Slovenian and Romanian surface populations. Therefore, we present evidence that variation present in the cave populations could originate from standing variation present in the surface populations and/or transgressive hybridization of different surface phylogenetic lineages rather than de novo mutations
An Exploration of the Occupational Needs of College Students
This paper analyzes the barriers and supports for Dominican University of California students in meeting their occupational needs and what services might be beneficial to them. To be able to answer this question, we conducted a survey using convenience sampling with twenty-seven Dominican undergraduate students, interviewed staff, and conducted a focus group with the students who participated in the survey. Our results indicated four main themes which include: occupational needs, barriers to meeting occupational needs, supports to meeting occupational needs, and services recommended. For the implications for occupational therapy, we found that OTs are beneficial in several aspects of students’ lives and can be implemented on and around the campus
The Effects of Hospital-Mandated Nurse to Patient Ratios on Patient Care
Background Nurse to patient ratios or nurse staffing is a controversial topic that is often discussed and argued in the medical field for its pros and cons. Nonetheless, the nurse to patient ratio plays a vital role on how nurses’ deliver quality care and provide safety to patients in a hospital setting. In 1999, California’s legislation passed a mandated nurse to patient ratio (AB 394) that requires all hospitals in California to have a set amount of patients a nurse can have depending on the unit the nurse works for. In 2023, California is still the only state that has passed legislation on nurse to patient ratio. Objective The primary objective of this study is to examine the correlation between nurse-to-patient ratios and patient care in a hospital setting. This thesis will evaluate whether lower nurse-to-patient ratios improves quality and safety patient care or decrease patient mortality. Also, this study will compare California’s mandated nurse to patient ratio with other states that do not have an implemented nurse to patient ratio. Method (convenience sample)
This observational research study will consist of 30 med surg patients at Kaiser Terra Linda in Marin City. The med surg patients will be observed over a 30 day time period from the admission date. Patient mortality rates, negative safety factors (falls, HAI’s, pressure ulcers due to lack of positioning), and quality of care will all be measured and collected by reviewing the patient’s chart. The statistics collected from the observation will then be compared with previous statistics at Kaiser Terra Linda and other hospitals in California. Results
The results have not yet been collected for the study, but it is expected that overall quality care will be improved and that patient mortality rates will be decreased due to the nurse to patient ratio. Conclusion The literature review discussed later in this paper concluded that the nurse to patient ratio correlates with improved quality care and decreased mortality rates. The study presented in this thesis will hopefully enhance the primary purpose that nurse to patient ratios have.https://scholar.dominican.edu/nursing-student-research-posters/1029/thumbnail.jp