School of Public Health
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1633
The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.
Note: Prior to July 1, 2007, the School of Public Health was named the College of Health & Human Performance.
Browse
232 results
Search Results
Item Trusted and Relevant Medical Knowledge: The Promise of Information Retrieval(2006-06) Silfen, EricAs the world of medicine becomes increasingly digitized, the Web has become a de facto resource for physicians to quickly glean pertinent clinical information to carry out diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.At present, physicians face the dual challenge of judging the relevance of the information and trusting its Web source.This paper proposes a trust-relevance framework for conceptualizing computer-accessed medical information resources, a set of criteria for evaluating these information resources, and descriptions of a sample of available online resources. It also presents a usable framework for evaluating information retrieval innovations and explains the different capabilities of representative information retrieval tools and applications. By demystifying the concepts associated with information resources, search engines, and retrieval tools, and presenting a reasonable view of current opportunities as well as future possibilities, the authors hope to provide guidance so physicians can more rapidly adopt innovative computer-assisted search tools for acquiring information that facilitate patient care decision-making.Item Clinical Bioinformatics(Philips Research, 2007-05) E. Z. SilfenThis article describes the emergence of the hybrid discipline of clinical bioinformatics. Specifically, it defines biomedical informatics as well as the four compositional domains of bioinformatics, imaging informatics, clinical informatics and public health informatics. Furthermore, it describes the relationship between bioinformatics, molecular medicine and clinical decision support, and offers a definition of clinical bioinformatics that arises from the integration of these domains. After establishing this background, the article discusses use cases for clinical bioinformatics, summarizes the field of clinical bioinformatics, and posits its potential for biomedicine research.Item The Effect of Variability of Practice on the Performance of the Layout Squat Vault(1989) Khayat-Mofid, Fariborz; Church, Kenneth; Physical Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)This study focuses on Schema Theory which maintains that the practice of motor skiIIs store a set of general memory of movements. This memory guides the performance of demands specifically made from the environment as well as the objective or goal of the performer. The layout squat vault was selected as the motor task to be studied, since it is a basic vault of gymnastics. The most important factor of a good vault is the angle of the hips and shoulders to the horse at the moment of contact by the hands. It was hypothesized that if Schema Theory is applicable, subjects who practice vaulting at varying heights will achieve a better angle of contact with the horse than wiII subjects who practice when the vault remains at a constant height. The investigation examined the effects of varied heights of the vault during practice to the transfer of new tasks. The study specifically studied the Schema Theory in the performance of the layout squat vault at the time of contact with the horse. Subjects were 38 females, aged 9 to 11 years, who were randomly assigned to two groups. One group practiced at a single height; the other group practiced vaulting at varying heights for 36 practice trails over a period of two days. When this was completed, three consecutive vaults were assigned at a new height for each subject of both groups. At the same time, the subjects were video-taped. Using the tape, four qualified judges scored each of the subjects. The highest and lowest scores for each vault were eliminated. The two remaining scores were averaged to produce the final score. The Students t test for the difference of means was used to determine the differences between the groups. The results showed that the high variability practice group was superior to the non variability practice group. It was concluded that Schema Theory could be applied to closed skills such as vaulting in gymnastics and that there was support for the Schema Theory.Item Meditation, Flow, and Heavy Social Alcohol Use among College Students(1992) Francis, Timothy Lewis; Iso-Ahola, Seppo; Recreation; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The basis for this study was an experiment designed to explore the effectiveness of various meditation practices and choice and combination of such, regardless of focus, in achieving more drug-free flow experiences, longer periods of meditation adherence, and decreases in heavy social alcohol use among college students. The study also examined the hypothesis that higher frequencies of reported flow in meditation were associated with lower levels of reported alcohol use and higher frequencies of post-training meditation practice, regardless of meditation focus. The interaction of several critical intervening variables not comprehensively addressed in previous studies on meditation and substance abuse, including experimental expectancy and demand, previous alcohol use, hypnotic susceptibility, and personality was checked and controlled for in this experiment. After receiving basic meditation training, 53 subjects with drinking rates typical of heavy social alcohol users were randomly assigned to one of four meditation groups or to a control group. Three groups practiced only one of three foci--object focused, visualization, or mindfulness. The fourth group chose their meditation foci each day from any of the above three types. The fifth (control) group practiced an attention Placebo activity. Four weeks of daily diaries following meditation were used to determine the level of the dependent variables--frequency of flow and amount of alcohol use. Subjects then reported post-required meditation frequency and alcohol use through four weekly phone interviews. MANOVA, ANOVA, and zero-order correlations were employed to analyze the relationships between the variables. No one specific meditation focus nor having choice and combination of foci, was indicated to result in significantly more flow, less alcohol use, or longer mediation adherence. There was a slight indication that higher frequencies of flow were related to higher frequencies of meditation practice, but no indication that more flow was related to less alcohol use. These results should be interpreted with caution for several reasons, including the short meditation training and practice period, low reliability and validity of subject reports, and problems associated with large variations in drinking rates. Future research on these issues should refine training and testing methods so that better treatment methods can be found.Item Resting Metabolic Rates in Child-Onset and Adult Obese Women(1989) Summerfield, Liane M.; Gold, Robert; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)This study investigated differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) between obese nonobese females and between females with adult and childhood onset of obesity. Subjects were 18 healthy, Caucasian women, ages 20-38 (M=28.16), 6 from each of 3 groups: nonobese with no history of obesity (M-18.53% fat), child-onset obese (COO) (M=41.00% fat), and adult-onset obese (AOO) (M=37.8% fat). Subjects were nonsmokers, weight-stable for at least 3 months prior to the study, and not following a low-calorie diet. All obese subjects had lower-body obesity (waist/hip girth ratio < .80). Subjects underwent three measures: RMR by indirect calorimetry, residual lung volume, and hydrostatic weighing. In addition, a questionnaire elicited information about weight history, educational level, occupation, frequency of exercise, and activity level. When data from the 12 obese subjects were combined, RMR per kg body weight (RMR/BW) was significantly lower in the obese (18.47 kcal/kg/day) than the nonobese (22.94 kcal/kg/day). The obese subjects also had significantly lower RMR per kg fat mass (RMR/FM) than the nonobese. When data from COO and AOO subjects were analyzed separately, COO were found to have significantly lower RMR/FM than the nonobese. COO and AOO subjects did not differ statistically in absolute RMR, RMR/BW, RMR/FM, or RMR/FFM, although COO had lower values on all measures. Multiple regression analysis indicated that, in all groups, more of the variance in RMR was explained when the variables, FM and FFM. However, the effect of activity and exercise on explained variance in RMR was much smaller in COO women.Item Mature Humor or Immature Wit?: The Interaction Effects of Laughter Humor Production, Humor Aprreciation, and Defensive Coping Strategies on Emotional and Physical Stress Symptoms(1993) Carey, Coral Sue; Beck, Kenneth; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of humor and mirth in stress management by an adult population with the potential for high occupational stress. The primary objective was to test the efficacy of each of the humor components (laughter, humor appreciation, and humor production) in mediating the stress response while controlling for other coping strategies. Two new instruments were developed for use in this study; (1) the Emotional Coping Scale to assess laughter and humor production, (2) the Stress Mediators Inventory to measure mature coping and immature defense strategies. Over 2,000 employees of the University of Maryland College Park campus were surveyed, using random probability sampling, stratifying by the 9 EEO occupational categories, such as administration and professionals. Questionnaires were dispersed through inter-campus mail. Results from the 754 returned questionnaires were analyzed with the appropriate multivariate techniques. Males, minorities, faculty skilled crafts, service maintenance, and fellowship students were under-represented. With these limitations in mind, results suggest: (1) men scored significantly higher than women on all three components of humor, as measured by this study; (2) humor appreciation and laughter, but not humor production were significantly related to emotional stress, while only laughter was related to physical stress symptoms, such that those with higher humor scores showed lower stress scores; (3) the type of humor response (self directed, other directed, or neutral) as related to stress symptoms; (4) the interaction effect between humor variables and immature defense strategies for coping with stress did not significantly predict stress; (5) there appears to be a stress and coping profile that is significantly different for many of the 9 occupational groups, such that those with high demand and low control jobs show higher stress scores.Item Psychometric Assessment of Two New Self-Rating Depression Scales: The Correa-Barrick Depression Scale(1994) Barrick, Christina Barrett; Clearwater, Harvey E.; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)Depression is a prevalent condition that is responsive to treatment. Efforts to screen and educate the public on depression are beneficial. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the psychometric properties of two new self-rating depression scales, the Schiraldi Depression Check-up (DC) and the Correa-Barrick Depression Scale (CBDS), based upon classical test theory and comparisons to published scales: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (IDS-SR). The study was conducted on a total of 387 participants. There were two convenience samples used. Sample I was composed of 337 faculty and staff from a metropolitan comprehensive university. A subset of Sample I was composed of 203 faculty and staff. Sample II included 50 outpatients diagnosed with depression under the treatment of a board certified psychiatrist. Correlation coefficients for the DC and CBDS with the BDI were r = . 75 and r = . 71, respectively. Cronbach alpha coefficients for the DC and CBDS in the patient sample were r = .95 and r = .96, respectively. Correlation coefficients for the IDS-SR with the DC and the CBDS in the patient sample were r = .85 and r = .81, respectively. Two-week test-retest correlation coefficients in the university sample for the DC and CBDS were r = .81 and r = . 70, respectively. Factor analysis for the DC revealed a threefactor structure: "Cognitive-Emotional Disturbance," " Psychophysiological Symptoms," and "Physiological Symptoms." Factor analyses for the CBDS revealed a four-factor structure: "Cognitive-Emotional Disturbance," "General Outlook," "Physiological Symptoms," and "Sensory/Perceptual Disturbance." Discriminant analysis did not support the Depression Check-up or the Correa-Barrick Depression Scale in discriminating between the university and patient samples. There were several conclusions from this study. Findings provided preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of the Depression Check-up and the Correa-Barrick Depression Scale in measuring depression in an adult population. The findings that sensory-perceptual disturbance may be an additional variable in depression and that a single-factor structure emerged for "emotional-cognitive disturbance" was discussed as well as implications for health education theory, practice, and research.Item The relationship between ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) genotype and motor unit physiology: preliminary studies(Springer Nature, 2005-09-23) Conwit, Robin A; Ling, Shari; Roth, Stephen; Stashuk, Daniel; Hurley, Ben; Ferrell, Robert; Metter, E JeffreyCiliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is important for neuronal and muscle development, and genetic variation in the CNTF gene has been associated with muscle strength. The effect of CNTF on nerve development suggests that CNTF genotype may be associated with force production via its influence on motor unit size and firing patterns. The purpose of this study is to examine whether CNTF genotype differentially affects motor unit activation in the vastus medialis with increasing isometric force during knee extension. Sixty-nine healthy subjects were genotyped for the presence of the G and A (null) alleles in the CNTF gene (n = 57 G/G, 12 G/A). They were tested using a dynamometer during submaximal isometric knee extension contractions that were from 10–50% of their maximal strength. During the contractions, the vastus medialis was studied using surface and intramuscular electromyography with spiked triggered averaging to assess surface-detected motor unit potential (SMUP) area and mean firing rates (mFR) from identified motor units. CNTF genotyping was performed using standard PCR techniques from DNA obtained from leucocytes of whole blood samples. The CNTF G/A genotype was associated with smaller SMUP area motor units and lower mFR at higher force levels, and fewer but larger units at lower force levels than G/G homozygotes. The two groups used motor units with different size and activation characteristics with increasing force generation. While G/G subjects tended to utilize larger motor units with increasing force, G/A subjects showed relatively less increase in size by using relatively larger units at lower force levels. At higher force levels, G/A subjects were able to generate more force per motor unit size suggesting more efficient motor unit function with increasing muscle force. Differential motor unit responses were observed between CNTF genotypes at force levels utilized in daily activities.Item The relationship between unsupervised time after school and physical activity in adolescent girls(Springer Nature, 2006-07-31) Rushovich, Berenice R; Voorhees, Carolyn C; Davis, CE; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; Pfeiffer, Karin A; Elder, John P; Going, Scott; Marino, Vivian GRising obesity and declining physical activity levels are of great concern because of the associated health risks. Many children are left unsupervised after the school day ends, but little is known about the association between unsupervised time and physical activity levels. This paper seeks to determine whether adolescent girls who are without adult supervision after school are more or less active than their peers who have a caregiver at home. A random sample of girls from 36 middle schools at 6 field sites across the U.S. was selected during the fall of the 2002–2003 school year to participate in the baseline measurement activities of the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG). Information was collected using six-day objectively measured physical activity, self-reported physical activity using a three-day recall, and socioeconomic and psychosocial measures. Complete information was available for 1422 out of a total of 1596 respondents. Categorical variables were analyzed using chi square and continuous variables were analyzed by t-tests. The four categories of time alone were compared using a mixed linear model controlling for clustering effects by study center. Girls who spent more time after school (≥2 hours per day, ≥2 days per week) without adult supervision were more active than those with adult supervision (p = 0.01). Girls alone for ≥2 hours after school, ≥2 days a week, on average accrue 7.55 minutes more moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day than do girls who are supervised (95% confidence interval ([C.I]). These results adjusted for ethnicity, parent's education, participation in the free/reduced lunch program, neighborhood resources, or available transportation. Unsupervised girls (n = 279) did less homework (53.1% vs. 63.3%), spent less time riding in a car or bus (48.0% vs. 56.6%), talked on the phone more (35.5% vs. 21.1%), and watched more television (59.9% vs. 52.6%) than supervised girls (n = 569). However, unsupervised girls also were more likely to be dancing (14.0% vs. 9.3%) and listening to music (20.8% vs. 12.0%) (p < .05). Girls in an unsupervised environment engaged in fewer structured activities and did not immediately do their homework, but they were more likely to be physically active than supervised girls. These results may have implications for parents, school, and community agencies as to how to structure activities in order to encourage teenage girls to be more physically active.Item Girls' perception of physical environmental factors and transportation: reliability and association with physical activity and active transport to school(Springer Nature, 2006-09-14) Evenson, Kelly R; Birnbaum, Amanda S; Bedimo-Rung, Ariane L; Sallis, James F; Voorhees, Carolyn C; Ring, Kimberly; Elder, John PPreliminary evidence suggests that the physical environment and transportation are associated with youth physical activity levels. Only a few studies have examined the association of physical environmental factors on walking and bicycling to school. Therefore, the purpose of this study was (1) to examine the test-retest reliability of a survey designed for youth to assess perceptions of physical environmental factors (e.g. safety, aesthetics, facilities near the home) and transportation, and (2) to describe the associations of these perceptions with both physical activity and active transport to school. Test and retest surveys, administered a median of 12 days later, were conducted with 480 sixth- and eighth-grade girls in or near six U.S. communities. The instrument consisted of 24 questions on safety and aesthetics of the perceived environment and transportation and related facilities. Additionally, girls were asked if they were aware of 14 different recreational facilities offering structured and unstructured activities, and if so, whether they would visit these facilities and the ease with which they could access them. Test-retest reliability was determined using kappa coefficients, overall and separately by grade. Associations with physical activity and active transport to school were examined using mixed model logistic regression (n = 610), adjusting for grade, race/ethnicity, and site. Item-specific reliabilities for questions assessing perceived safety and aesthetics of the neighborhood ranged from 0.31 to 0.52. Reliabilities of items assessing awareness of and interest in going to the 14 recreational facilities ranged from 0.47 to 0.64. Reliabilities of items assessing transportation ranged from 0.34 to 0.58. Some items on girls' perceptions of perceived safety, aesthetics of the environment, facilities, and transportation were important correlates of physical activity and, in some cases, active transport to school. This study provides some psychometric support for the use of the questionnaire on physical environmental factors and transportation for studying physical activity and active transport to school among adolescent girls. Further work can continue to improve reliability of these self-report items and examine their association of these factors with objectively measured physical activity.