
Shari McMahan- California State University, San Bernardino
Shari McMahan
- California State University, San Bernardino
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60
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Introduction
Current institution
Publications
Publications (60)
The California State University launched its Graduation Initiative 2025 in January 2015 with a clear goal to increase graduation rates for our 475,000 students across all 23 campuses. The Graduation Initiative 2025 will add 100,000 more baccalaureate degree-educated citizens to California over the next ten years and begin to meet workforce demands....
Background and Purpose: Comprehensive weight management interventions with family involvement are effective in reducing obesity among children and youth. This prospective cohort study examined whether youth who participated in a clinic-based, culturally-sensitive pediatric weight management intervention experienced reductions in BMI percentile, per...
Student engagement in High Impact Practices (HIPs) has been gaining the attention of higher education leaders and researchers. When students are actively engaged in the learning process they report greater gains in learning and personal development. Students involved in HIPs show better retention, higher GPA and succeed in graduating college in a t...
The Latino population in the United States is increasing, and has high rates of overweight and obesity. Hence, innovative health education materials are needed to promote obesity prevention efforts in this population. This article discusses the conceptualization and contents of Empieza con Fuerza Tu Día (Kick Start Your Day), a comic book written i...
The Center for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles and Obesity Prevention, housed in the College of Health and Human Development, at California State University, Fullerton promotes interdisciplinary research and community outreach in areas related to children’s health and weight management. Two studies focusing on the built environment are showcase...
This study examined the association between parameters of the decision-making processes that are described in the Multi-Attribute Utility (MAU) model and actual food choices (fruit and vegetable consumption) among undergraduate students. Four hundred and six undergraduates from a large, public university in Southern California completed a pencil-an...
Recent emphasis has been placed on the effect the built environment has on physical activity levels of children. Children living in poorly planned or urban neighborhoods (areas with limited room or green space for play, lack of sidewalks and streets that do not connect) have less access to physical activity opportunities. The purpose of this articl...
Breastfeeding provides infants with more nutritional value, higher immune resistance, and lower rates of obesity later in life relative to infant formula. In order to promote breastfeeding a “telenovela” (soap opera) approach was used to educate pregnant recipients of the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program about the benefits of breastfeeding....
Obesity rates among Hispanic/Latino youth are 5-10% higher than Caucasian youth. Kick Start Your Day was a six-week intervention that was pilot tested in a low-income, predominantly Latino community. The intervention consisted of nutrition education for parents, fun physical activities for children, low glycemic breakfasts and snacks for parents an...
The purpose of this study was to determine whether early childhood students who participated in the Healthy for Life/PE4ME program experienced significant changes in their age-adjusted body mass index (BMI) percentiles, obesity-related behaviors, and identification of healthy foods and physical activities. The school-based program included nutritio...
The Center for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles and Obesity Prevention, housed in the College of Health and Human Development, at California State University Fullerton promotes interdisciplinary research and community outreach in areas related to children's health and weight management. Three research projects presented below offer a comprehensi...
The purpose of the present study is to examine lifestyle choices (i.e., dietary intake, tobacco and alcohol use, and physical activity) on subjective well-being (i.e., happiness) and quality of life. While genetic predisposition and environmental factors affect health outcomes, lifestyle characteristics such as unhealthy diet, smoking, and physical...
This cross-sectional study sought to describe an association between family history of type-2 diabetes and the awareness of risk factors, perceived threat and physical activity levels in African Americans. With a prevalence of 11.8%, African Americans remain disproportionately affected by the epidemic of diabetes. A risk factor that cannot be modif...
Background: The World Health Organization released lower Body Mass Index (BMI) cutoff points for Asian individuals to account for increased body fat percentage (BF%) and risk of obesity-related conditions at a lower body mass index. Purpose: This preliminary study: (1) explores the impact of utilizing Asian BMI standards (compared to universal stan...
The recent increase in childhood obesity has led us to investigate what mothers think about when they make a decision on what to feed their children. This book investigates a mother's decision making process when they feed their preschool age child using the Multi-Attribute Utility Model. This innovative project encompasses both qualitative and qua...
College-aged men (18-24) can easily transmit HPV, the most common type of sexually transmitted infection in the United States, but have the lowest knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer. This study utilized the Health Belief Model to assess the knowledge and perceptions of HPV and cervical cancer among college-aged men, and their intent to reduce the...
Type 2 diabetes is a serious illness affecting more than 20 million Americans; if left untreated it can lead to life threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Efforts to prevent the onset or delay the complications of diabetes are urgently needed particularly among Mexican Americans who are 1.7 times more likely t...
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are one of the most common types of sexually transmitted infections in the United States. The highest rates of HPV infection are found in adult's ages 18-28 years. This study utilizes the Health Belief Model to assess knowledge and perception of HPV infection and cervical cancer in college-age women and their i...
There are clear health conditions that disproportionately affect the Hispanic population. One hundred twenty-four (45%) Hispanic and 153 (55%) White college students completed a questionnaire on cardiovascular disease (CVD) awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of risk. Results indicated that Hispanic students rated themselves as poorer in health,...
America’s work force is aging but very little is known about functional limitations (e.g., changes in vision, hearing, musculoskeletal system) and how that affects individual performance, productivity and the needs of aging workers. Four hundred eight employees at a college campus completed a web-based questionnaire. There was a significant differe...
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between academic achievement and physical fitness in California schools. Data from the academic year 2004-2005 Fitnessgram were compared to reading, mathematics and science scores on the California Standards test (CST) of 253 elementary schools in the Orange County School District. Physical...
Stability ball training (SBT) is believed to improve spinal stability (SS) and could reduce the risk of back pain in sedentary individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of SBT on SS. Twenty sedentary individuals were randomly assigned to either an experimental group that performed SBT twice per week for 10 weeks or to a cont...
Recent changes by the American Heart Association identify screening guidelines for CVD risk factors for those in their early twenties. Research on CVD has focused on adult populations 40 and over. If risk is identified at an earlier age, then preventative behaviors can be established to prevent the onset and prevalence of CVD. This study was conduc...
Small businesses offer one of the most challenging settings for the delivery of health promotion. The authors provide insights into the unique advantages and challenges associated with delivering health promotion in small worksites. Empirical and theoretical strategies and resources for meeting these challenges are offered and guidelines for delive...
By the year 2020, 20% of the U.S. population will be age 65 years or older. From a health care perspective, there is growing concern about the aging population. Little is known about the elderly and their use of alternative therapies. This study included data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS). Three-hundre...
This study post-tested the usability and effectiveness of a self-management intervention on two unique sample groups. The first group included three hundred forty-three (N=343) university students in a required Fitness/Wellness class at large University in the Midwest. The second group included one hundred thirty-seven (N= 137) employees of busines...
The economic cost for the United States from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer is estimated at $71 billion annually. Along with this trend, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. To date, all interventions related to the prevention and treatment of obesity have failed. We must find a new way to prevent th...
Currently, very little is known about computer use in college students, associated Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs) and musculoskeletal discomfort, or the impact and availability of proper workstation design education and training in this population. Given the expanding use of technology in university settings, it is important to determine how co...
This article offers an integration of two different perspectives on health promotion research and practice: one emphasizing the concept of community capacity for health improvement and the other focusing on the notion of health supportive environments. These two approaches generally have emphasized different kinds of community assets for health pro...
Wherever there is electric power, 60-hertz (60-Hz) electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) are produced. Recently, conflicting reports have been published by government agencies about adverse health effects linked to EMFs. This paper seeks to identify the demographic and job-related factors that may explain differences among experts' perception of risk...
Over the past few years several studies have raised questions about childhood cancer and exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs). Reports by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Cancer Institute concluded that there is no clear, convincing evidence that exposure to electric power lines and electric power appliances is a threat...
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of health promotion and disease prevention messages on college students' cognition and behavior. One hundred-sixty undergraduates read different health messages and answered questions to assess their intentions and reasons for engaging in health behaviors. Results indicated that there was a p...
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of health promotion and disease prevention messages on college students' cognition and behavior. One hundred-sixty undergraduates read different health messages and answered questions to assess their intentions and reasons for engaging in health behaviors. Results indicated that there was a p...
Introduction: A 2-year prospective study evaluated the effectiveness of a managerial training program to enhance corporate compliance with statewide worksite safety and health regulations. The program offered participants information about regulatory requirements and emphasized organizational and environmental strategies for reducing occupational i...
Little is known about the aging worker's psychological, social, and physiological characteristics. In this study, 447 individuals (working and retired) aged 50 and over completed the California Work and Health survey. Most of the working respondents (n = 150) were employed full-time and worked in education, health care, government, and retail trade...
The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) was developed as a model to assist in the development of effective risk communication messages, specifically messages that elicit adaptive behavioral responses. It has shown to be effective in several settings invoking clearly delineated dangers (e.g., safety belt usage, condom usage).Unfortunately, commun...
This study sought to determine what type of risk message is effective in motivating adaptive behavior change to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). High- and low-threat risk messages were administered to 251 college undergraduates, who then answered questions on their attitudes and opinions about EMFs. Two weeks later, the subjects we...
In this article the authors report the findings of a 2-year study evaluating the effectiveness of REACH OUT, a train-the-trainer program developed to assist small businesses comply with California legislation, Senate Bill 198 (1989), requiring employees to implement a worksite Injury and Illness Prevention Program. Data from a case study sample of...
The Hazard Communication Standard and various state and local laws require industrial hygienists to play an active role in risk communication for both management and employees in the industrial environment.This study identifies components that are used in the risk communication process and seeks to understand the influence of organizational and att...
Few studies have documented public perceptions of environmental health risks from exposure to overhead transmission lines. In particular, little information has been provided on the impact of worry on symptom prevalence in residents living adjacent to high voltage transmission lines. The current study assessed symptom prevalence and worry in 152 Or...
A number of epidemiologic studies indicate an association between depression and proximity to high-voltage transmission lines. These studies have been criticized, however, for using surrogate measures of electromagnetic fields and unstandardized measures of depression. In an effort to overcome these limitations, the authors administered the Center...