UMD Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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2011 - 20193

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    "That Chart Ain't For Us": An Examination of Black Women's Understandings of BMI, Health, and Physical Activity
    (2019) Thompson, Tori; Jette, Shannon; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Significantly, black women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the United States, with 60% being classified as obese per the BMI (CDC, 2017). However, there is currently a lack of scholarship which examines black women’s perceptions of the BMI, and how/if those perceptions influence their attitudes toward health and physical activity. In this project, I take a Foucauldian approach to analyze data collected from eight semi-structured interviews with black women who self- identify as obese and who are physically active. Findings suggest that black women find the BMI to be irrelevant to their health and well-being, and do not attribute their engagement in physical activity to their BMI. Instead, their reasons for partaking in physical activity are due to their individual experiences understandings of health and black female identity. These results have the potential to inform healthcare policies, physician practice, and public health interventions that target communities of color.
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    COMPARISONS OF WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO AND BODY MASS INDEX AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES IN RURAL AND URBAN INDIA
    (2011) Shirey, Katherine Abigail; Sahyoun, Nadine; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    India has the highest prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the world. Anthropometric measurements (waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI)) are risk factors of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study examined associations between these anthropometric measures and T2DM among 508 urban Indians in New Delhi and 574 rural Indians in Tamil Nadu. Using a receiver operator curve (ROC) the anthropometric cutpoints most strongly associated with T2DM were determined. Bivariate correlation and the area under the ROC curve showed most significant associations between T2DM and WHR (0.90 cm, 0.86; 0.87, 0.81 urban and rural men and women, respectively) followed by WC (86 cm, 85; 86, 75) and then BMI (24 kg/m2, 21; 25, 22). Results from this study showed large variations in cutpoints between the rural and urban populations and suggest that no single cutpoint should be used in India due to large intra- and inter- regional differences within the country.
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    Acculturation and BMI among Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese Adults in Maryland
    (2011) Chen, Lu; Lee, Sunmin; Carter-Pokras, Olivia D; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Objective: To examine the relationship between acculturation and BMI among Asian Americans. Methods: Data of 847 Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese recruited for a health education program in Maryland were included. Acculturation was measured by the short version of Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA) and its individual components. Height and weight were measured by trained staff. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate the parameters of acculturation variables. Results: After adjusting for confounders, SL-ASIA (β=0.71, 95% CI: 0.15, 1.26), having education in the U.S (β=0.56, 95% CI: 0.01, 1.11), younger age of arrival (0-5 years: β=3.32, 95% CI: 1.84, 4.80, 6-10 years: β=1.55, 95% CI: 0.02, 3.07) and equal preference of Asian/American food in restaurants (β=0.92, 95% CI 0.38, 1.46) were associated with BMI. The association between acculturation and BMI was stronger among men than women, and weakest among Vietnamese. Conclusion: Acculturation is moderately associated with BMI among Asian Americans.