Action research is a form of research with the goal of improving standards of practice. In this thesis, action research was used to address practical issues within experimental methods for hypertension research and interventions for STEM education, including through defining the problem to be addressed, implementing a solution, assessing impacts,…

Hypertension risk is influenced by low job satisfaction and work-related stress. This study explored associations between job satisfaction, stress, and hypertension among K-12 teachers in a Southwest U.S. school district, using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire -- Short Form and the Perceived Stress Scale for data collection. Twenty-three…

Introduction: The demand for patient needs surpasses the current supply of knowledgeable clinical staff such as medical assistants (MAs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and registered nurses (RNs). Healthcare has expanded to supplement this demand to include newly graduated clinicians and individuals with limited medical experience. The staff…

There is a demand for an overhaul of undergraduate nursing education curricula to better prepare students who can provide safe, quality care in an increasing complex health care system. Simulation use has provided an avenue for nurse educators to consider when deciding appropriate and reliable teaching and learning strategies to guide students…

Current research on special education teacher burnout focused on the external contextual experiences leading to burnout rather than the innermost dimensions of the cognitive processes by which special education teachers experience burnout. Therefore, the purpose of this transcendental phenomenological research study was to explore how K-12 special…

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among emerging adults in college aged 18-25 years. CVD risks that develop during this period often persist into adulthood making it an ideal time to target CVD prevention. The specific aims of this dissertation were to 1) explore perceptions…

Introduction. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to examine patterns of use of an electronic personal health record among adults diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension or hyperlipidemia. Intermediate behavioral measures (medication possession ratios) and physiological measures of metabolic control for diabetes (hemoglobinA1c),…

The general problem is Native American tribes have high prevalence rates of diabetes. The specific problem is the failure of IHS sites to adopt EHR may cause health care providers to miss critical opportunities to improve screening and triage processes that result in quality improvement. The purpose of the quantitative correlational study was to…

Understanding the implications of the significant expansion in higher education over the latter half of the 20th century remains one of the central questions of research in stratification and inequality. Attaining a college degree is associated with numerous advantages ranging from higher earnings to improved health and wellbeing. As higher…

Wellness is something that needs to be taught, encouraged, and valued within a community for it to be obtainable. Preventable health disparities attributed to lack of physical activity continue to be a burden in predominantly African-American communities. Preventative wellness programming has been shown to be successful for students, as well as…

Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority group in the United States, but they are the most underserved population in terms of access to online health information. The specific aims of this descriptive, correlational study were to examine factors associated with online health information seeking behaviors of Hispanics and to examine the…

The current state of health of the United States, including physical inactivity, dietary intake, and overall lifestyle habits is of concern for educators. Specifically, the health of the college population appears to be under-represented in health and wellness research. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a 15-week university wellness-based…