Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

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 give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

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

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2012 - 20142

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    Exploring childhood obesity through multiple levels of influence: An examination of the social and environmental context for healthy weight among minority youth and parents
    (2014) Jones, Chandria Denise; Desmond, Sharon M; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Childhood obesity is a major public health problem disproportionately affecting low-income minority populations. Although obesity is prevalent in these communities, little is known about how social and environmental factors affect behaviors related to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight among minority youth and parents. In this dissertation, two studies were conducted on data from 14 focus groups with African American, Hispanic and Latino, and American Indian parents over the age of 18 and youth ages 11-17 across the country to better understand the multiple levels of influence affecting minority youths' ability to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. In study 1, youth and parents identified four behaviors related to healthy weight: engaging in primary prevention, taking care of your mental health, eating healthy foods, and being physically active. Several community level barriers, such as cost, time constraints, and safety, were identified, but few societal level barriers were discussed. Community and societal level facilitators (e.g. school resources, government assistance, heritage-based foods) were limited. Interestingly, youth and parents across all racial and ethnic groups experienced similar barriers and facilitators, which imply socioeconomic status, may be the important variable rather than race and ethnicity. In study 2, focus group data was examined to understand how media (e.g. television, movies, texting, social media, Internet, radio) influences behaviors related to healthy weight and explore preferred digital/ social media communication strategies. Analyses highlighted positive associations with media through information and encouragement, negative relationships between media and unhealthy behaviors, and problematic perceptions about the influence of marketing in media. Preferred digital/ social media communication strategies were discussed in terms of source, message, channel, and receivers. Participants wanted to see people who looked like them and had similar experiences. Many of the same communication strategies successful in traditional media would work for digital and social media. Community-based conversations provide first-hand knowledge about how youth and parents think and feel regarding healthy weight. Through this discourse, practitioners, researchers, and community advocates gain insight into how to develop interventions and policies that can result in long-term behavior change to improve healthy weight in minority populations.
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    Independent and joint effects of parental attitudes and special health care needs on physical activity and screen time among chlldren and adolescents in the United States
    (2012) Gingold, Janet Ann; Carter-Pokras, Olivia; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Sedentary lifestyles pose a threat to the health of children, especially those with special health care needs (SHCN). Using data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, this study examined relationships between parental attitudes and low physical activity and high screen time among 6- to 17-year-olds with and without SHCN. Perceived limitation was associated with increased likelihood of low physical activity (AOR, 1.339; 95%CI, 1.079-1.662). Parenting stress (AOR, 1.189; 95%CI, 1.052-1.344) and lack of trust (AOR, 1.243; 95%CI, 1.104-1.399) were associated with increased likelihood of high screen time. Perceived limitation modified the effect of special health care needs status on high screen time. The likelihood of combined low physical activity and high screen time was greatest among children with SHCN whose parents reported both functional limitations in the child and parenting stress (AOR, 2.659; 95%CI, 1.741-4.060). Parental attitudes and SHCN should be addressed in interventions to promote active lifestyles.