...Evaluation of Interventions to Decrease the HIV/STI Risk Behaviors of African American Youth: Can We Control Future Trends? Beatrice Simiyu Capstone Project Dr. Bruce Johnson Abstract As a result of the need to recognize successful human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) interventions tailored for African American youth, a literature review of six HIV/STI randomized controlled trials interventions targeting African American youth conducted in the United States were evaluated. A comparative analysis was used; the settings, procedures and outcomes of the different interventions targeting African American youth were compared, contrasted and combined to ultimately identify trends that are likely to initiate and possibly sustain change in HIV/STI risk behaviors among African American youth who are a vulnerable group. Variables were evaluated by the various intervention impacts on reducing sexual risk behaviors by an indication of a delay in first sexual intercourse, a decline in the number of sex partners and frequency of sex, and increase in condom use and a reduction in positive STI outcomes. Outcomes were used to facilitate identification of public health strategies that might be most beneficial in targeting African American youth and pinpoint what manner current public health strategies neglects to focus on their needs. The research and practice implications of the findings imply that enhancing future HIV/STI targeting African American...
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...population as a whole as a whole susceptible to certain diseases. Preventing and reducing illness is as important as dealing with the effect. Nurses work with other healthcare professionals to address the factors that cause people to become susceptible to certain diseases and help them through a combination of educational and environmental supports for actions and conditions of living conducive to wellness. Nurses are part of the answer because they are well equipped to interact with our community in ways that encourages choices and openness to decisions that have a more positive impact on lifestyles and health outcomes`According to the American Journal of Health promotion Health Promotion “Health Promotion is the science and the art of helping people change their lifestyles to move toward an optimal health.” From my point of view it is also the process enabling people to take action in taking control over their health through educational and environmental support of others. Others believe Health promotion encompasses principles of addressing broad determinants of health by means of developing healthy public policy creating supportive environments strengthening community action, developing personal skills. As a theory Health Promotion remains an essential guide in addressing the major health challenges faced by developing countries. Nurses are the key health professional gui ding individuals, families, and community toward making the right decisions when it comes to health...
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...The condition is caused by two main risk factors (Thatcher & Wilson, 2008). Symptoms are classified under two different categories by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th ed. (DSM-5) (American Psychology Association, 2013). For individuals being treated for SUD, there are three main aspects looked at when treatment is given (Lala, 2013). Research into this disease is constantly...
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...environmental and community factors contribute to unhealthy habits, which pose a major risk for chronic health conditions. The following are chronic health conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, high cholesterol, asthma, and depression. These health consequences can lead to premature death and chronic health conditions, which reduces the quality of life. In the Atlanta area, obesity has increased over the past 10 years in which affects an individual life. Health care organizations have established health objectives to reduce the prevalence of obesity among individuals in America. What is overweight and obesity? According to National Heart and Lung Institute (2010) “the terms overweight and obesity refer to a person’s overall body weight and whether it’s too high” (What are overweight and obesity, para. 1). A person is overweight when he or she is above a weight because of muscle, bone, and fat. Obese occurs when individuals have extra body fat on them. Hospitals, community clinics, and public health care agencies utilize the body mass index (BMI) to measure overweight and obesity for adults, children, and teens. BMI is the ratio of a person’s weight to the square of his or her height (MediLexicon International Ltd, 2011). This is an assessment tool to chart trends such as overweight and obesity. Individuals are more prone to develop obesity because of his or her sedentary lifestyle. Overweight or obese he or she are at risk diseases and conditions...
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...Case Study of John Hinckley Janeen Tipton PSY/410 July 22, 2012 Dr. Johnson Case Study of John Hinckley In the field of psychology, a science evolved nearly 100 years ago, named Abnormal Psychology. This field addresses those with mental illnesses/disorders with diagnosing, treatment, and other forms of therapies such as behavioral and cognitive therapies. In order to properly diagnose an individual with any form of disorder, if one exists, it is imperative that the client divulge all feelings, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions for a proper diagnosis. There are individuals who are predisposed for certain disorders which are found at an early age, and then there are others that symptoms seem to arise later in life such as in the case of John Hinckley, who also failed at being honest about symptoms, behaviors, thoughts which due to this, proper psychiatric care could not be implemented leading to the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, a former U.S. President. John Hinckley’s Childhood John Hinckley had what is to be considered a normal childhood as that of his peers. By the age of nine years Hinckley and his family had moved twice within the same State; however the second move at nine years of age seemed hard for Hinckley as he lost some of his friends and social status (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 325). After graduating high school in 1973, he moved again to Colorado only to return in 1974 to attend college. Hinckley only...
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...workplace and how companies are accommodating the obese employee and promoting healthy lifestyles. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), two thirds of Americans, age 20 and older, have enough extra pounds to face health risks (2005). Many Americans face bias and discrimination at their place of employment. Some have been told by their boss, "You're too fat" and been fired, even with good performance evaluations. Many overweight and obese individuals fear they may lose their jobs or make less than their coworkers. Some cannot get jobs, due to inequitable hiring practices. Employers can be prejudiced. They offer overweight employees lower salaries. Question If more than one-third of American adults are obese, this group of Americans Body Mass Index (BMI) above 30, per Center for Disease Control (CDC), how do we prevent discrimination against them in the work place? How do we help this group of Americans obtain gainful and fulfilling employment, as well as empower them to improve their health status? Our First Lady Michelle Obama has made obesity our countries’ number one enemy. The First Lady created “Let’s Move” as her platform for combating obesity in our country. Answer The workplace is evolving in understanding and addressing obesity in their workforce. Employers are supporting healthy lifestyle changes and are leading by example in many institutions. This includes managers who are participating in their organizations’ programs in lowing their BMI through...
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...Factors of Behavior Human behavior has been a focus of study and research for a number of years, and as the fields of sociology, psychology, and science continue to make advancements, so do the theories related to behavior. Due to the growing emphasis being placed on student achievement within academic settings, these theories have become of particular interest for those working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Several factors, including biological influences, family relationships, school environments, and cultural values impact how students conduct themselves. In an effort to reduce or eliminate the occurrences of problematic behaviors, educators, behavior management specialists, counselors, and administrators are turning to applied behavior analysis (ABA) and functional behavioral assessments to determine and address the various factors that contribute to disruptive behaviors. Biological Factors When assessing the root causes for emotional and behavioral disorders, biological determinants are often overlooked or disregarded (Johnson, 1989). However, recent research indicates that there are several biological factors related to the prevalence of ADHD and conduct disorders. Neurological deficits, chemical imbalances, and poor nutrition can have a direct impact on the choices that students make (Johnson, 1989). Environmental contexts can serve to either intensify or diminish the level of influence these factors have over behavior. Neurological...
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...modalities and active treatment for the disease. While the Obama administration has taken steps toward the elimination of these disparities through the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Implementation Plan, there is still much work to be done. This brief highlights underexplored explanations for these disparities and outlines possible solutions to begin addressing them. Oftentimes, popular culture has offered unfortunately erroneous explanations for the stark racial disparate impact of HIV/ AIDS. The mass media, for example, has suggested that black men “on the down low” infect black women by secretly sleeping with male partners, acting as a bisexual “bridge” between gay and straight communities. But public health scholars have found little support for this theory. Many may assume that black people suffer from greater HIV prevalence because they are considered less sexually responsible than whites. Yet several studies have shown that black women and black men who have sex with men—the two groups most severely impacted by HIV/AIDS—have similar numbers of sexual partners and use condoms as often as their white counterparts. Thus, behavioral risk factors, while important, cannot fully explain the racial disparity. Instead, the racial HIV gap and the racial health gap in general, is strongly correlated with the racial wealth gap, which in turn is the direct outcome of both historical and contemporary processes of segregation in housing, education, employment, and health care as well as racially...
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... 2. Definition of concepts Community psychology is all about how individuals relate to the society in which they live. Public health on the other hand is defined as being concerned with preventing disease and distress. Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals. On the other hand, community psychology is fundamentally concerned with the relationship between social systems and individual well-being in the community context. Community psychology aims to promote human welfare. Community psychology focuses on economic, environmental, political and social factors that influence the way in which people all over the world live their lives. It also focuses on social issues which contribute to, or cause, problems in various societies. In contrast to community psychology, public health incorporates environmental health, community...
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...a key model in understanding predictors of human behavior toward potential acceptance or rejection of the technology. The main aim of the paper is to provide an up-to-date, wellresearched resource of past and current references to TAMrelated literature and to identify possible directions for future TAM research. The paper presents a comprehensive concept-centric literature review of the TAM, from 1986 onwards. According to a designed methodology, 85 scientific publications have been selected and classified according to their aim and content into three categories such as (i) TAM literature reviews, (ii) development and extension of TAM, and (iii) modification and application of TAM. Despite a continuous progress in revealing new factors with significant influence on TAM’s core variables, there are still many unexplored areas of model potential application that could contribute to its predictive validity. Consequently, four possible future directions for TAM research based on the conducted literature review and analysis are identified and...
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...intellectual and thinking abilities called cognitive functions. (Fisher center for Alzheimer’s research foundation, 2002) Alzheimer’s is greatly known for advancing in stages, progressing from mild forgetfulness and cognitive impairment to widespread loss of mental abilities. When Alzheimer’s reaches the more advanced stages people become more dependent on others for every aspect of care. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not yet fully understood, but by getting a better understanding of the causes of Alzheimer’s can lead to more targeted treatment and ways to prevent the disease. Scientists generally agree that there is unlikely to be a single clear cause of Alzheimer’s. It is more likely the result of a combination of inter-related factors, including...
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...Autism: It’s Time to Listen 1 Autism: It’s Time to Listen. Kelly Fitzpatrick Intro to Psychology Professor Carter 07, 2012 This paper is submitted in partial fulfillment of the Associate of Science Degree in the Medical Assisting Program at Southern Technical College Autism 2 Abstract This paper will discuss what Autism is, when it is usually diagnosed and what behaviors are usually displayed by those on the spectrum. This paper will also provide information about some possible causes of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as some facts about ASD. This paper will talk about treatments and resources available to individuals diagnosed with ASD and to their families. Autism 3 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are equally common terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. ASD and Autism are characteristic of, in fluctuating degrees, difficulty in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors (Autism Speaks, 2012). Autism can be connected to intellectual disabilities, problems with motor skills development, attention deficits, sleep issues, and gastrointestinal disorders (Autism Speaks, 2012). Autism is believed to originate in early brain development. While this is believed to be true most signs of Autism do not surface until the child is 2 to 3 years old. Other than the characteristics mentioned already ASD or Autism symptoms may include difficulty...
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...project-managers with direct responsibility over the success of large-scale systems integration projects which are facing a compelling event, such as having no margin for error, being very complex or at-risk of failure. RATIONALE FOR TARGET AUDIENCE These IT project-managers are referred to as “buyers or “heavy influencers” in the case, though they may be managers, CIOs, or technical decision makers. The systems integration projects these IT heavy influencers manage can be either custom applications or a combination of that and package software implementation. These projects feature a compelling event – such as having no margin for error or having already experienced problems in finishing it – and thus they require an IT consultant that can successfully complete the project regardless of extenuating circumstances. In the context of Gartner’s segmentation of IT enterprise types (ThoughtWorks A, pg. 8), these heavy influencers would come primarily from Type A organizations, though they could also be from Type B, so long as they embrace using advanced, innovative technology. This target audience of IT heavy influencers is ideal for ThoughtWorks because – The presence of a compelling event was a consistent factor among nearly all of ThoughtWorks’ major projects to date, regardless of other factors – such as the awareness about Agile or Martin Fowler. These major clients chose ThoughtWorks because of its extremely high success rate, regardless of the project’s complexity (ThoughtWorks...
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...statistical reasoning and methods in addressing, analyzing and solving problems in public health; health care; and biomedical, clinical and populationbased research. Competencies: Upon graduation a student with an MPH should be able to… A. 1. Describe the roles biostatistics serves in the discipline of public health. A. 2. Describe basic concepts of probability, random variation and commonly used statistical probability distributions. A. 3. Describe preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical methods when assumptions are not met. A. 4. Distinguish among the different measurement scales and the implications for selection of statistical methods to be used based on these distinctions. A. 5. Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data. A. 6. Apply common statistical methods for inference. A. 7. Apply descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for answering a particular research question. A. 8. Apply basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation. A. 9. Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public health studies. A. 10. Develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences. B. COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES (URBAN AND IMMIGRANT HEALTH) {SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES} Community health sciences...
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...delinquents are more liable to become serious and violent offenders than youths whose delinquent behavior begins in the teens. Several studies indicate increased cases of violence committed by young children, which have resulted in children delinquents inflicting more deadly harm. For this reason, child delinquents represent a significant problem for the society. Several studies show that young males are associated with multitude Jihad warriors. The perpetrators are likely to be between 15 to 25 years. Adolescence brings a dramatic increase in the number of people who are willing to offend, generally between 15 and 18 years. With Jihad wars, the same factors attract young men to deviant activity can play a significant role in the attraction terrorism hold. Higher impulsivity, great confidence, and attraction to risk –taking gives a particular appeal to some young males. In addition, a desire for revenge and retribution is also a common motive for joining terrorist groups. Research indicates that most young men hold the most positive attitude towards vengeance and are likely to approve vengeful behavior. Most of the Jihads terrorists are in their teens to mid-twenties. Another significant issue is that the marriage patterns in the Muslim communities shows it is done at a young age. Preventing the juvenile from becoming delinquent, or continuous engage from delinquent...
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