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,…

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a serious medical disease and the main cause of cardiovascular diseases and premature death worldwide. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of online mindfulness-based stress reduction (OMBSR) on systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) in…

Genetic factors, particularly, de novo variants (DNV), and an environment factor, exposure to pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), were reported to be associated with risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, how they jointly affect the severity of ASD symptom is unclear. We assessed the severity of core ASD symptoms affected by functional…

Objective: To determine differences in glucose control and cardiovascular disease risk factors following three weeks of added soda, 100% fruit juice, or water in apparently healthy, college-aged adults. Participants: Thirty-six adults (18 males; 18 females) between the ages of 18 and 30 years of age. Methods: A 3-arm randomized controlled…

Gastrointestinal disturbances (GIDs) are relatively common in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study assessed associations between maternal obesity, diabetes, preeclampsia, and asthma and likelihood of ASD with GIDs. This retrospective cohort study included 308,536 mother-child pairs of singletons born between 2001 and…

Treatment adherence is one of the milestones in the care of hypertensive patients, with new information and communication technologies as potential educational tools. This study aimed to evaluate the add-on effect of a digital cartoon educative video on the therapeutic observance of patients followed up in the General Hospital Yaoundé compared to…

Objective: To examine the association of CRF and adiposity with cardiometabolic risk factors and metabolic syndrome among emerging adults. Participants: 5681 (60.1% Men; 21 ± 1years) college students from a large university located in the northeast of the United States. Methods: Participants completed an objective health assessment that involved…

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…

Background: Health literacy (HL) and health numeracy (HN), the ability to interpret and act on quantitative health information, are important for hypertension self-management such as limiting sodium intake. We examined associations of HL, HN, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet accordance. Participants: Among 1,073 hypertensive…

Objective: Investigate whether psychosocial risk in the childhood family environment moderates the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and sleep, and the relationship between childhood SES and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in college students, two factors that are linked to future risk for cardiovascular disease.…

Objectives: To examine the discrepancy between 'told' and screened blood pressure (BP) category, and the association between body composition and told BP category. Methods: Between 08/2019-03/2020 college students (n = 1057) were asked what category they had previously been told their BP falls into prior to having their BP and body composition…

Purpose: To examine the relationship between acculturation indicators and metabolic syndrome among Hispanic adults living in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas metropolitan area. Methods: This study utilized secondary data collected from a larger 2014 study among 128 Hispanic adults living in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington. The current study…

African Americans (AAs) have higher prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension than Whites, which leads to reduced life expectancy. Barriers to achieving blood pressure control in AAs include mistrust of healthcare and poor adherence to medication and dietary recommendations. We conducted a pilot study of a church-based community health worker (CHW)…

Objective: Heightened nocturnal blood pressure (BP) may be attributed to the disruption of sleep, a condition worsened by alcohol ingestion. This study investigated the effects of acute alcohol ingestion on hemodynamics and sleep architecture in a young, healthy cohort of male. METHODS: Subjects (n = 17) underwent acute alcohol ingestion reaching…