If students receive a form of sexual education, it usually occurs in their K-12 years in the United States. This education serves to prepare them for sexual activity as they transition into adulthood. The study sheds light on the importance of comprehensive and inclusive sexual education in reducing stigma and promoting healthy decision-making for all students. Our study aims to examine various factors influencing a college student's sexual health, including their sexual identity, religious affiliation, regional differences in K-12, sexual education, students' perceptions of their sexual education, and their comfort in discussing these topics with healthcare providers. A survey was conducted using responses from 200 ASU students, which collected data on their sexual behavior, and their responses were used to assess their level of sexual risk. Additionally, data was collected on topics outlined in our research questions, which explored several factors that can impact sexual health. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to analyze these correlations. The findings suggested a correlation between comprehensive sexual health education and increased positive and healthy behaviors related to sexual health. While some of our hypotheses were supported, the only statistically significant one was the impact of regional K-12 sexual health education on college students' sexual health. Overall, our study highlights the importance of implementing nationwide, comprehensive sexual education to promote healthy lifestyles and prepare adolescents with the knowledge to make informed decisions as they prepare for their transition into adulthood.

Families that are discharged from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) oftentimes need additional support which is provided by NICU follow-up home visitation programs. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused numerous programs to shift to telehealth visitation. Following the pandemic, many of those home visitation programs continue to offer telehealth support while transitioning back to in-person care. This qualitative study aims to analyze parent attitudes toward telehealth and in-person care delivery. Through analysis, 6 main themes were generated: staff support, telehealth challenges, telehealth convenience, telehealth engagement, in-person engagement, and family preferences. The hybrid participants preferred in-person visitation due to better learning and interactions, while the telehealth group leaned toward telehealth visitation for its convenience. Nevertheless, most parents desired a hybrid mode of service delivery. Both groups shared similar thoughts about the effectiveness and convenience of telehealth. Hence, telehealth is an effective method of service delivery for home visitation programs from a parent perspective. However, depending on the family and their needs, in-person services could be encouraged to further develop the learning experience and the parent-provider rapport. For a majority of families, hybrid support provides the most suitable combination of both care models.

Attendance and engagement in available parenting interventions in both research and community settings is often inconsistent. Recent research suggests that varying the delivery modality of the intervention (i.e., in-person, telehealth, or online) has the potential to increase engagement with evidence-based parenting programs. However, while it is known that both facilitator and parent characteristics also influence engagement, no study has evaluated whether those characteristics moderate the influence that modality has on engagement. Utilizing data from the randomized controlled comparative effectiveness trial of the After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools intervention, this study aimed to assess whether facilitators’ gender, military background, and competence moderated the effect of modality on parents’ engagement. Results suggested that parents were significantly more likely to have attended when they were randomized to the telehealth condition. Additionally, while there were no moderating relationships, female facilitators and facilitators who were more competent had overall higher attendance. Additionally, in the group format, facilitators with military backgrounds had higher engagement than those who did not. Understanding the effects that delivery modality and facilitators have on parental engagement is critical to continue and amplify implementation efforts in community settings.

Background: An emerging literature has found associations between food insecurity and disordered eating behaviors. This study was two-fold. First, to replicate the existing literature that food insecurity is associated with disordered eating symptoms including loss of control over eating. Second, to expand the existing literature by examining stigma control theory, which purports that experiences related to food insecurity potentially induce stigma-related shame, with disordered eating behaviors used to cope with the shame. Further, to explore if emotion coping strategies moderate associations between shame and disordered eating. Method: This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study of 582 adults with food insecurity. Participants completed a 20-minute online survey on food insecurity, shame related to food insecurity, coping strategies, and disordered eating behaviors. Analyses: Hierarchical regressions were computed where food insecurity, shame, and emotion focused coping were entered as predictor variables, followed by their interaction terms, and with disordered eating behaviors entered as outcome variables. Results: Regressions suggest that a) internalized shame partially mediated the relationship between food insecurity and global disordered eating, b) internalized shame did not mediate the relationship between food insecurity and loss of control, c) emotion focused coping did not moderate any relationship. Discussion: Internalized shame may be one mechanism in which disordered symptoms arise in food insecure populations, however emotion focused coping does not have any effect on this relationship. Results indicate that coping strategies alone may not reduce eating disorder symptoms, and internalized shame may be an important predictor of disordered eating in food insecure populations.

This qualitative study explores communication privacy management processes around disclosing a child’s Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV) status within a pediatric healthcare relationship. The pediatric healthcare relationship is a triadic one composed of providers, parents, and patients. The literature from the fields of medicine, psychology and communication was used to explore disclosing HIV status by seropositive positive adults to others and by providers and parents to HIV positive children. Data for this study was collected from a hospital-based clinic using a 3-part protocol that included transcripts and information from a 6 member focus group interview, 42 patient medical charts, and two parent interviews. Datum was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results indicate that both providers and parents consider these adolescent behavioral indicators that disclosure is necessary: question-asking about medications and the need for medical appointments, the initiation of dating and sexual behavior, cognitive maturity, and chronological age. Providers and parents negotiate when and how the disclosure will occur and the providers perceptions of the permeability of the family privacy boundaries influence the negotiations. An adolescent’s failure to properly adhere to the medication regimen and the initiation of and engagement in sexual behavior are catalysts for immediate disclosure. Finally, a clinical tool is proposed to assist providers and parents in their negotiations around disclosing the child’s HIV status.

The purpose of the current research is to synthesize and analyze the available literature on the mental health of Sikh American adolescents, addressing gaps and proposing areas of further research. It assesses and compares perceptions of mental health in both Asian Indian and Sikh demographics, as the majority of Sikhs are ethnically Asian Indian. The research is also intended to supplement the current understanding of mental health in the Sikh community with a discussion on the culturally-based risk and protective factors for mental health and Western mental health care access.

This thesis aimed to create a curriculum for college students to increase their health insurance literacy and to evaluate the impact of the curriculum on participants' confidence. The curriculum for college students consisted of pre-recorded presentation slides covering six health insurance topics, pre- and post-tests, and evaluation questions. Canvas was used to house the curriculum. At the time of evaluation, a total of 12 participants had completed all aspects of the curriculum. The curriculum was evaluated through questions provided at the end of each module. It was found that participants felt the curriculum to be clear and helpful. Moreover, participants reported an increase in confidence, decreased confusion, and were interested in learning more about health insurance such as enrollment. Both the creation of a curriculum and the impact on participants' confidence was successful. At a later point in time, an analysis of the pre- and post-tests will be assessed to determine if the curriculum was effective at increasing health insurance literacy.

FCU4Health is an adaption of an evidence-based program to address the pediatric obesity epidemic in the United States. Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine program providers to understand possible cultural variation in family engagement with the program. Interviews were coded to develop a scheme that identifies themes among the coordinators’ experiences through a grounded theory approach, narrowing the scope of topics discussed to create a specific theoretical framework that integrates categories of coordinator experiences. Results showed that the prioritization of what families’ needs are and what resources/parenting modules coordinators utilize followed Maslow's hierarchy of needs, putting child health and safety at the forefront. Barriers to family engagement with the program and with coordinator recommendations are largely cross-cultural and socioeconomic in nature due to not having enough time to follow-through with work/family obligations. However, there were some specific cultural groups such as Latino multigenerational families and immigration status that did pose similar barriers across multiple families that allowed for more generalized themes for those particular cultural groups. Other individualized case studies presented by coordinators showed nuances in barriers to resource utilization between cultural groups at the familial level. In addition, multiple coordinators stated that their most successful resources in engaging families have come with resources that have collaborations with other organizations. In order to address the barriers to accessing health-related services for low-income families that are disproportionately individuals of minority cultural groups, it is vital to have cross-sector collaboration as a mindset towards finding effective and all-encompassing resources for these vulnerable individuals. The non-profit, public, and private sector each have unique strengths that can contribute to reducing health disparities for those suffering with pediatric obesity.

Since the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) crisis began in the early 1980s, there has been a significant amount of stigma attached to the disease and the virus that causes it, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). At the time, HIV/AIDS was viewed as a death sentence. A large part of the stigma came from the fact that in the early days of the crisis, AIDS patients were predominantly part of the LGBTQ+ community. With the discovery of effective antiretroviral therapies, today HIV can be thought of as a preventable, yet manageable, chronic illness, although it remains a huge public health concern (About HIV/AIDS, 2018). While the virus is now rarely viewed as a death sentence, there is still considerable stigma that surrounds people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Research shows that the shows and movies people watch can affect their attitudes on a variety of issues, and HIV is no exception. Because HIV is such a big threat to public health, and because people often adopt views they see in media, analyzing the ways shows and movies portray PLWHA is an important aspect in understanding where stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS comes from. The writers behind today's HIV+ characters on television and in movies all seemingly made an effort to decrease stigma, but they went about it in different ways, and with varying amounts of success. A common method to dispel stigma was to use the entertainment-education method (Singhal & Rogers, 1999), which in these cases means characters had discussions about topics like safe sex, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and the importance of getting tested. A few shows showed serodiscordant couples, which was also effective at fighting stigma. In contrast, by trying to be representative of PLWHA, some shows actually contributed to the stereotypes behind the stigma, or had characters be openly stigmatizing towards PLWHA. After analyzing what I found the shows and movies did well and what they did poorly, I'll analyze why it is important that shows maintained historical accuracy, and how doing so appeared to fight the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. I will also evaluate what's missing \u2014 such as which high-risk groups are not represented. Ultimately, this thesis will argue that shows and movies made in the last 12 years all aimed to decrease stigma, through a variety of techniques.

There were two primary goals of this study, the first of which was to replicate previously established curvilinear associations between school affluence and substance use, while assessing potential relations between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic success during the transition to college. The second goal of this study was to establish patterns of perceived parenting factors in order to assess predictive value of such latent profiles with respect to student outcomes relevant to wellbeing and retention in college. Results indicated that substance use was, in fact, associated in a “U-shaped,” curvilinear fashion with high school affluence. Additionally, students grouped into three primary perceived parenting profiles, characterized broadly as “authoritative,” “warm and permissive,” and “uninvolved.” While “optimal” outcomes were associated with students in the authoritative group, these latent profiles lacked predictive value. Supplemental analyses revealed differential associations of various parent factors with males and females, as well as advantaged and disadvantaged youth. Taken together, these results emphasized the importance of parenting during high school in order to promote healthy, safe habits and sufficient self-agency during the transition to college.