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Publications (59)
Objective:
Individual's thought processes shape reactions to life circumstances, impacting motivation, well-being, and work performance. We examined the ability of a novel assessment and short-term coaching tool (Px-12) to favorably change thought processes.
Methods:
We used a convenience sample from 2013 to 2015 of 119 employees who completed t...
Objective:
Debates about the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs (WWPs) call for a review of the evidence for return on investment (ROI) of WWPs. We examined literature on the heterogeneity in methods used in the ROI of WWPs to show how this heterogeneity may affect conclusions and inferences about ROI.
Methods:
We conducted a scoping r...
Background:
Workplace wellness programs (WWPs) are increasingly promoted by businesses and governments as an important strategy to improve workers' overall health and well-being and to reduce health care and other organizational costs. Few studies have evaluated WWPs in small businesses to provide evidence on the potential return-on-investment (RO...
Purpose
To examine changes in organizations’ workplace health promotion (WHP) initiatives over time associated with repeated self-assessment using the Well Workplace Checklist (WWC).
Design
Well Workplace Checklist data include a convenience sample of US organizations that selected to assess their performance against quality WHP benchmarks.
Setti...
Objective:
This study explored subgroups of performance profiles measured by organizations' Well Workplace Checklist (WWC) benchmark scores and examine company characteristics associated with performance subgroups.
Methods:
The sample included 3,728 U.S. organizations that completed the WWC in 2008-2015. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to...
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to quantify the performance of organizations’ worksite health promotion (WHP) activities against the benchmarking criteria included in the Well Workplace Checklist (WWC).
Design
The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) developed a tool to assess WHP with its 100-item WWC, which represents WELCOA’s 7 performanc...
Objectives: To examine the relationship between both individual and neighborhood level characteristics and non-fasting blood glucose levels.Study design: This study used a cross sectional design using data from the Community Initiative to Eliminate Stroke Program in NC (2004-2008). A total of 12,809 adults nested within 550 census block groups from...
In 2010, the United States (US) enacted a restaurant menu labeling law. The law also applied to vending machine companies selling food. Research suggested that providing nutrition information on menus in restaurants might reduce the number of calories purchased. We tested the effect of providing nutrition information and 'healthy' designations to c...
Objectives:
This study tested whether days on campus, financial access through a meal plan, and health consciousness were associated with number of meals that college students obtained from fast food restaurants.
Participants and methods:
In April 2013, all students currently enrolled in a meal plan were invited to participate in an online surve...
Inadequate control of high systolic blood pressure in older adults has been largely attributable to poor control of overall hypertension (HTN). The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) guidelines emphasize the importance of controlling isolated systolic HTN...
Background:
Few studies have comprehensively investigated the validity of self-reported hypertension (HTN) and assessed predictors of HTN status in the stroke belt. This study evaluates validity self-reporting as a tool to screen large study populations and determine predictors of congruency between self-reported HTN and clinical measures.
Method...
Objective:
The objective of this study was to elucidate a comprehensive understanding of the pre-migration expectations and current realities of refugees resettled in the United States (U.S). Employment expectations and the current work situations experienced by African refugee populations recently resettled in Greensboro, NC are examined.
Partic...
Purpose
This study aimed to examine college student physical activity promotion.
Design
A cross-sectional approach to qualitative research was used.
Setting
Southeastern state university system.
Participants
Fourteen of 15 (93%) universities recruited were included in this study; 22 university employees participated in a semistructured interview...
Background: The US continues to accept an increasing number of French-speaking African refugees for resettlement each year. Researchers and practitioners need to understand the context surrounding the refugees' migration and identify post-migration needs in order to assist with the provision of adequate and culturally appropriate services. This pre...
Background: Refugees often have unrealistic expectations about life in the US and are disappointed when they discover the realities of their post-migration situations. The disconnect between actual living conditions and expectations may result in increased stress that can exacerbate prior or contribute to nascent mental health conditions. This comm...
Purpose: To examine the extent to which the distribution of neighborhood disadvantage accounts for the variation in blood pressure after justifying its individual-level risk factors.
Methods: Data from community screenings conducted as part of the Community Initiatives to Eliminate Stroke Project in NC (2004-2008) were used. A total of 19,261 adu...
Acute stroke is often a treatable condition; however, intervention is time dependent and typically should ensue within 3 hr from onset of symptoms. The ability of individuals to understand stroke risk factors to reduce individual risk and to recognize warning signs and symptoms of stroke as signals to initiate medical care is paramount to decreasin...
Collectively, cardiovascular diseases and stroke are the leading causes of death in the U.S. and are included among the focus areas in Healthy People 2010. Hypertension is one of the chief risk factors leading to the development of CVDs and stroke in the U.S. The Framingham Heart Study researchers found that the lifetime risk for hypertension among...
The NC Evaluation of Local Public Health Preparedness assessed local health department (LHD) efforts to prepare for public health disasters including bioterrorism events, natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks, mass trauma, chemical and radiation disasters. Eighty-four of 85 LHDs completed an assessment based on the CDC Local Public Health...
Collaboration among public health organizations is essential to ensuring the health of the public. Much of the day-to-day work of public health educators is done in groups or teams or in consultation with others. This study examined the extent of health educators' work in teams as a proxy for collaboration. Health educators participated in an avera...
Understanding the reasons for overweight and obesity is critical to addressing the obesity epidemic. Often the decision to lose weight is based as much on one's self-perception of being overweight as on inherent health benefits.
Examine the relationships between self-reported health and demographic factors and measured health risk status and the mi...
All-hazards preparedness was evaluated in North Carolina's 85 local health departments (LHDs).
In regional meetings, data were collected from LHD teams from North Carolina's LHDs using an instrument constructed from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's preparedness indicators and from the Local Public Health Preparedness and Response Capaci...
The purpose of this study was to provide a profile of the public health education workforce in North Carolina. A survey was administered to all practicing health educators at local health departments (LHDs) in North Carolina. The study specifically attempted to answer four questions: (1) Who functions as health educators in LHDs in North Carolina?...
This study presents a method for better understanding how practicing health educators in local health departments spend their time. The purpose of this study was to document the daily practice of health educators in the 10 areas of responsibility as defined by a competency-based framework for graduate-level health educators. The results of the curr...
Ten secondary health education state curriculum frameworks were reviewed for their inclusion of 12 mediators commonly used to prevent adolescent substance use. Specific aims of the investigation were: a) to identify the extent to which the 12 mediators were found in each framework; and b) to identify those frameworks that included Alcohol, Tobacco,...
Local health departments (LHDs) are changing service delivery mechanisms to accommodate changes in health care financing and decreased public support for governmental services. This study examined the extent to which North Carolina LHDs privatized and contracted out services and the effects on the time spent on core functions of public health and a...
The purpose of this study was to explore professional caregivers' coping strategies for dealing with the deaths of patients in residential hospices in the United States. Using the Guide to the Nation's Hospices, 1996-97, purely residential hospices were identified and invited to participate in the study. Employees at each residential hospice were a...
The lack of adequate health care for adolescents in the United States has been well documented. In rural areas the problem is exacerbated by lack of public transportation and an inadequate supply of physicians (Duncan, 1992). Such was the case in Rockingham County, North Carolina, in the spring of 1993. In order for adolescents to receive confident...
Access to primary health care for indigent citizens presents a dilemma for many communities in the United States. In response, communities have developed a variety of strategies to effectively deal with the problem. This article describes the evolution of a small free clinic into a comprehensive primary care clinic developed through the actions of...
This paper highlights some of the ethical issues that have begun to receive attention in health education. We suggest that a greater awareness of the ethical dimensions of public health policies is needed, and that health educators should play a prominent role in leading public discussions of these issues. We invoke several basic moral principles -...
This survey identified and described health characteristics of selected school principals-leaders and role models for teachers and students. A questionnaire assessing multiple areas of well-being collected data on principals' health in seven areas including attitudes, behavior, illnesses, and life experiences. Results indicated a higher-than-averag...
The health promotion/wellness movement is a relatively recent phenomenon. Health professionals continue to struggle with definitions of these constructs, implementation protocol, and evaluative strategies. As a means to address these issues, Wellness Perspectives: Research, Theory and Practice offers a three-part series. Part I will discuss the bri...
This article reviews 21 published evaluations of workplace smoking cessation programs. Its purpose is to assess the quality of these evaluations and outline recommendations that may benefit such smoking cessation efforts. Issues that should be considered during the planning and evaluation of these smoking cessation programs include research design,...
During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in societal interest in preventing disability and death in the United States by changing individual behaviors linked to the risk of contracting chronic diseases. This renewed interest in health pro motion and disease prevention has not been without its critics. Some critics have accused pr...
Describes a 79-item instrument used in the needs assessment phase of a statewide effort in drunk-driving policy development. Aggregate data were collected from 13,998 7th–12th graders during the 1983–1984 academic year. Supporting reliability data and drinking and driving patterns are provided. A multiple regression analysis of factors contributing...
This article reviews evaluations of weight loss programs at the worksite. Of the nine studies reviewed, five were behavior modification programs, three were hybrid programs, and one was a self-help program. The purpose of the report was to (a) identify evaluation studies of weight management programs conducted at the worksite; and (b) outline issue...
Examined the reliability and validity of the Primary Prevention Awareness, Attitudes and Usage Scale, a 77-item measure of alcohol and drug usage. The measure was administered to students in 36 schools with a total enrollment of over 40,000 between 1981 and 1983. Analysis of the responses indicated that the measure is both valid and reliable. Recom...