MA, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Early-onset severe obesity (EOSO) is defined as a BMI ≥ 120% of the 95th percentile (i.e., BMI ≥ 35 kg/m 2) that affects youth ≤ 5-years of age and is associated with many serious health (e.g., Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke) and psychosocial comorbidities (e.g., depression, poorer quality of life). Children with EOSO are less responsive to weight management interventions compared to older children with less severe obesity, but research has yet to examine predictors of which children with EOSO respond best to treatment or demonstrate high rates of treatment attendance. The current study aims to identify predictors of treatment responsiveness and treatment attendance in a tertiary EOSO weight-management clinic. Participants were 230 children receiving treatment in the clinic. Information on demographics, anthropometric measurements, presence of other medical conditions (e.g., genetic/developmental conditions), treatment attendance, and food insecurity were collected as part of standard clinical care and were extracted retrospectively from the medical record. A multi-level modeling (MLM) approach was conducted to examine whether child sociodemographic factors and food insecurity predicted treatment responsiveness (i.e., change in BMI percentiles across time). A linear regression was conducted to examine whether insurance type and distance from clinic were predictors of treatment attendance. Children with higher BMI at baseline (ß = .93, p < .001) and without food insecurity (ß = .01, p = .05) demonstrated poorer treatment responsiveness. Children living farther from the clinic demonstrated poorer rates of attendance (ß = -.17, p = .01). The current study's findings identified those at greater risk for poorer treatment responsiveness and attendance. Clinicians should work with families to identify potential modifiable solutions to improve treatment responsiveness and clinic attendance.

Committee: Cathleen Stough Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kristen Jastrowski Mano Ph.D. (Committee Member); Nancy Crimmins M.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Adultification bias is the perception of Black youth as less innocent and more adult-like than their peers (Epstein, Blake & Gonzalez, 2017). This perception is based on racialized and gendered stereotypes held by the adults who view these children. Research on adultification bias thus far has shown implications of this social stereotype on the lived experiences of Black girls across public systems (e.g., education, juvenile justice). Despite the potential long-term effects that have been discussed in qualitative research, no prior study to our knowledge has examined the impact of adultification bias on the transition to adulthood. The present study sought to fill this gap in the literature through examining the psychological and behavioral consequences of experiencing adultification bias in childhood in early adulthood. To quantitatively examine the implications of adultification bias it was necessary to develop a questionnaire to measure retrospective experiences of adultification bias (Adultification Bias Scale). The first aim of this study was to examine the factor structure, validity, and reliability of this new measure. Factor analysis of the Adultification Bias Scale revealed a sound, valid measure of childhood adultification bias experiences that may continue to be used in future research building upon this phenomenon. Overall, our findings revealed that collegiate Black women overwhelmingly recall experiences of adultification bias throughout their childhood. The data revealed an association between childhood experiences of adultification bias and current internalizing symptoms in young adult Black women. Further, internalizing symptoms appeared to mediate the relationship between adultification bias experiences and risk-taking and weight-management behaviors. Limitations and implications of the current study as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.

Committee: Angela Neal-Barnett (Advisor); Josefina Grau (Committee Member); Carla Goar (Other); Kelly Cichy (Committee Member); John Updegraff (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Kinesiology

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression represents a leading cause of mobility disability for older adults in the U.S. Being overweight or obese is a primary modifiable risk factor. It is recognized that lifestyle intervention represents an integral component of disease management efforts. However, following primary intervention, significant weight regain and behavioral recidivism is common. The overarching purpose of this dissertation was to explore the temporal relationships between key social cognitive determinants of lifestyle behavior and determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of virtually- delivered extended care contacts for improving weight loss and behavioral maintenance. Study I: Dynamics of Self-Efficacy, Goal Commitment, and Self-Regulation was a mediation analysis of extant data from the 18-month, Collaborative Lifestyle Intervention Program in knee OA patients (CLIP-OA) trial (M [SD] age = 65.4 [7.3]; M [SD] BMI = 35.1 [6.5] kg/m2). Self-efficacy (SE), goal commitment (GC), and self-regulation (SR) for PA were measured at 6, 12, and 18-month follow-up. Path analysis using bias- corrected bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals (CI) revealed the effect of 6-month SE on 18-month SR was partially mediated by level of GC at 12 months (β = 0.053, 95% CI = 0.028, 0.085), controlling for age, explaining 32.4% of the total effect. Study I provides evidence supporting hypothesized temporal relationships among key determinants of PA adoption and adherence in overweight and obese knee OA patients. Study II: The CLIP-OA Expansion Pilot Trial was a 6-month, two-arm, randomized, controlled pilot trial examining two schedules of virtually-delivered, group- mediated cognitive behavioral (GMCB) extended care contacts in a subsample of participants from CLIP-OA (n = 32; M [SD] age = 66.2 [6.1]). Upon completing 18 months of CLIP-OA, participants were allocated to receive either traditional (i.e., monthly; TRAD; n = 16), or 2, 3-week clusters of contacts (CL (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brian Focht (Advisor); Carla Miller (Committee Member); Jeff Volek (Committee Member); Jerome D'Agostino (Committee Member) Subjects: Aging; Behavioral Sciences; Cognitive Psychology; Experiments; Health Sciences; Kinesiology; Social Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Kinesiology

Objective. To establish the feasibility and efficacy of a group-mediated cognitive behavioral (GMCB) exercise and dietary (EX+D) intervention among overweight or obese breast cancer survivors (BCaS). Methods. The Healthy New Albany: Breast Cancer study was a single arm pilot trial with 21 BSC assigned to a 6-month behavioral lifestyle intervention. The exercise component of the personalized EX+D intervention integrated a combination of supervised resistance and aerobic exercise performed twice per week. The dietary component involved counseling and education to modify dietary intake and composition. Results. Feasibly parameters yielded generally favorable recruitment, retention, and adherence rates, together with the absence of intervention-related adverse events. Effect size calculations were used to examine the potential effects that the intervention had on changes in body composition and select social cognitive outcomes at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. Meaningful changes were observed in total body mass (d=0.22), fat mass (d= 0.40), percent fat mass (d= 0.51), percent lean mass (d= 0.63), and upper body muscular strength (d= 0.95). Additional positive effects were observed in perceived competence of diet (3M: d=-0.46 and 6M d=-1.19) and improvement in perceived competence of exercise (3-Month: d=-0.16 and 6-Month: d=-.34). Furthermore, self-monitoring (d= -1.16), goal setting (d=-0.62), and reinforcement (d=-0.27) saw positive effects at 6-months. Conclusions: The GMCB LWS intervention is safe and well tolerated by overweight or obese breast cancer survivors and yielded favorable improvements in relevant objective and patient reported social cognitive outcomes among BCaS.

Committee: Brian Focht (Committee Chair); William Kraemer (Committee Member); Carl Maresh (Committee Member); Maryam Lustberg (Other) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Kinesiology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Kinesiology

Community-based behavioral and exercise interventions with in-person delivery models were challenged to find a new mode of delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic when access to in-person activities were compromised. These interventions are an essential part of chronic disease patients' self-management and health promotion efforts. One particularly prevalent chronic disease, knee osteoarthritis (knee OA), is the leading cause of functional decline in older adults and finding a safe way to deliver the intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to explore the feasibility, enablers, and barriers to virtual intervention delivery in this population. Access to community-based intervention settings for patients with knee OA remain limited even though it is well known that exercise combined with weight loss via dietary changes can provide clinically significant improvements to a patient's overall quality of life (QOL). While these meaningful results are well established, further investigation into the delivery of these interventions through online platforms and understanding the patients' perspective is still needed. By qualitatively capturing the experiences from patients who participated in the Collaborative Lifestyle Intervention Program for Knee Osteoarthritis Patients (CLIP-OA), further understanding can be explored about the feasibility and efficacy of this program to be delivered virtually via a video conferencing platform, such as Zoom, versus the established utility of in-person delivery. An especially important outcome to understand is the intervention's ability to educate patients in the application of knowledge and skills from the program and gather information about the patient's confidence to independently maintain the exercise and dietary behavior changes following cessation of the active intervention contacts. As, the pandemic disruption forced both a pause in in-person research activities and subsequent shift to alternate patient (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Sue Sutherland (Committee Member); Dr. Brian Focht (Advisor) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Health; Kinesiology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2020, Kinesiology

Breast cancer survivors are a unique cancer population in that they are having success in treatment but are experiencing the negative side effects that various treatments cause, whether it be soon or very long after treatment. As a result of advances in treatment, less and less breast cancer survivors are dying from of their disease. Instead, their mortality is caused by the other conditions that they become at risk for from the treatment effects. Weight gain is an example of one of these side effects that is seen in breast cancer survivors that places these individuals at risk for poor cardiovascular and metabolic health. The combination of benefits seen from engagement in physical activity and dietary behavior change could lend itself to an optimal approach to mitigate the detrimental side effects that we see, especially weight gain. The lifestyle weight management literature in breast cancer survivors has shown that physical activity can be performed safely and effectively, and the inclusion of diet aids in further improvements in weight management. With the increased knowledge and community support for breast cancer survivor programming, assessing the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a community-based lifestyle weight management intervention will assist in addressing the lack of community access that currently exists for breast cancer survivors after their treatment. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a community-based lifestyle weight management intervention in breast cancer survivors on select body composition, physical function, and quality of life outcomes during the first 3 months of the first wave of the Healthy New Albany Breast Cancer (HNABC) pilot trial. The 24-week, HNABC study is held at a community center and promotes lifestyle behavior changes through a group-mediated cognitive behavioral (GMCB) approach driven by Social Cognitive Theory, in hopes of producing meaningful results for feasibili (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brian Focht (Advisor); Maryam Lustberg (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Behaviorial Sciences; Cognitive Therapy; Health Sciences; Kinesiology; Nutrition; Oncology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Due to the high prevalence of pediatric obesity and its associated physical (e.g., diabetes, asthma, hypertension) and mental health comorbidities (e.g., depression, low quality of life), it is important to explore all factors that may influence weight management in children and adolescents. The current study explored the relationship between maternal internalizing symptoms (i.e., depressive and anxiety symptoms) and child weight and weight change (i.e., measured via BMI percentile), quality of life (health-related and obesity-specific), and maternal recognition and concern of child health and weight. Participants were 112 youth (aged 2 to 18) with obesity enrolled in a weight management program and their biological mothers. ANCOVAs revealed a trend for children of mothers with clinical-level internalizing symptoms demonstrating a greater BMI percentile at baseline (p = .07, d = .37) and a significant negative association between maternal clinical-level internalizing symptoms and child health-related quality of life via child- and parent-report (total score child-report: p < .001, d = .99; total score parent-report: p < .001, d = .80) and child obesity-specific quality of live via parent-report (total score: p < .001, d = .88). Multilevel modeling did not support the hypothesized longitudinal association between maternal internalizing symptoms and child BMI percentile change. The association between maternal internalizing symptoms and recognition and concern of child health and weight was also not supported via ANCOVAs. The current study's findings demonstrate the necessity for caregiver mental health screening for prevention and treatment efforts in pediatric obesity. Identifying and treating caregiver mental health symptoms will likely improve child quality of life and weight management efforts and may be an avenue to lower pediatric obesity rates.

Committee: Cathleen Stough Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kristen Jastrowski Mano Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jessica Woo Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Psychology

Excess weight is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in the United States. Unfortunately, overweight and obesity persist despite increased awareness of and access to weight management strategies. Recent efforts focus on identifying factors that prevent individuals from engaging in healthy and sustainable eating and exercise behaviors to facilitate weight loss. Body dissatisfaction is an established risk factor for unhealthy eating and unhealthy exercise behavior. Despite its high prevalence among overweight and obese adults, body dissatisfaction has received limited recognition as a potential barrier to weight loss. The current study was designed to 1) evaluate the relationship of body dissatisfaction to health behaviors important for weight loss (eating and exercise) and to quality of life, 2) evaluate the treatment effects of a body dissatisfaction intervention developed for adolescent females (the Body Project) among adult women attempting weight loss, and 3) evaluate the effects of the intervention on eating and exercise behavior and on adherence to behavioral recommendations for weight loss. Forty-four overweight and obese women (71% Caucasian; 37.9 ±7.6 years of age; BMI: 30.5 ± 2.9) were recruited in three cohorts from the Columbus metropolitan area. Prospective participants were screened for eligibility including self-reported body shape and weight concerns and desire for weight loss. Eligible participants completed a 90- minute baseline assessment including body dissatisfaction, internalization of the thin ideal, eating and exercise behaviors, and quality of life. At the time of baseline assessment, all participants received brief psychoeducation regarding current national guidelines for healthy weight loss. Participants were then randomized to one of two four-week treatment conditions: a control group (n=21) that engaged in daily tracking of dietary intake and physical activity; or an intervention group (n=23) that completed daily tra (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Charles Emery PhD (Advisor); Ruchika Prakash PhD (Committee Member); Tracy Tylka PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2017, Psychology

Obesity is a major public health concern with over a third of Americans considered obese, as defined by a BMI equal to or greater than 30. Obesity is associated with risky decision making which may lead to less engagement in activities that promote weight loss, including diet and physical activity. Engagement in physical activity is associated with less risky decision making and improved executive control. However, the current literature provides limited comparisons of non-obese adults and obese, weight-loss seeking adults on tasks of decision making. The literature also includes limited evaluation of how physical fitness relates to hot decision making, or decision making under ambiguity, and cold decision making, or decision making under risk. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate differences in decision making among non-obese and obese individuals, and to evaluate the relationship of obesity, physical fitness, and decision making. Obese participants (n=50) were recruited and assessed during orientation to a university-based behavioral weight management program, and non-obese participants (n=40) were recruited from the community. All participants completed a demographics questionnaire and four computerized tasks of decision making. Study personnel calculated BMI via height and weight measurements for all participants. Data concerning body fat percentage and meters walked on a 12-minute walk test were collected from obese participants' patient files. The sample was primarily female (84.4%), and Caucasian (84.4%) with an average age of 42.9 (¿11.9) years and an average BMI of 36.3(¿13.9). Pearson correlations, analyses of variance, chi-square analyses, and the PROCESS macro in Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) version 9.2 were used to analyze data. Results provide preliminary evidence for physical fitness as a mediator in the relationship between obesity and decision making such that higher BMI is associated with a riskier decision making, as measure (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Charles Emery (Advisor); Melissa Buelow (Committee Member); Julian Thayer (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Families face many barriers related to healthy weight management, which likely contributes to the prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States. Many barriers to a healthy lifestyle within the family have been identified, yet no quantitative measure exists to examine these barriers. The present study developed a quantitative measure of parents' perceptions of barriers to healthy weight management within the family context. Parents of children between the ages of 7-17 were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 812). Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis four factors emerged: Parental Encouragement, Cost and Built Environment, Family Support and Family Time Constraints. The final 19-item measure was found to have good initial reliability and validity. Future research is needed to examine whether this measure may be used in clinical practice to identify barriers to a healthy family lifestyle in order to tailor interventions to address these barriers.

Committee: Amy Sato (Advisor); Christopher Flessner (Committee Member); Crowther Janis (Committee Member); Updegraff John (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Kinesiology

The purpose of this dissertation was to identify the biopsychosocial-relational factors among obese and severely obese individuals seeking bariatric surgery at The Ohio State University Bariatric Surgery Center, specifically the variables of interest including sociodemographics, self-efficacy, social support, goal-setting, relationships, and physical activity (PA) and diet behaviors. Patients were recruited to participate in the one-time survey at pre-surgery information sessions held bi-monthly from September, 2014 to February, 2015. Patient data were analyzed using ANOVA via IBM SPSS+, Version 22 statistical software. Overall, participants were sedentary, engaging in very little to no physical activity (16.33 METs ± 17.90), with an average body mass index (BMI) of 51.44 (range: 31-82). The majority of participants felt that they were of fair to good health (78.0%) and that their daily activity was generally limited (59.7%). In addition, they reported moderate to low scores regarding cognitive restraint toward eating, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. Participants reported overall low self-efficacy, low social support from family and friends, and a low tendency to set and keep goals related to physical activity. Moderately low levels of attachment avoidance and anxiety toward participants' significant other and closest friend were observed. These results provide researchers and clinicians with an assessment of the bariatric surgery treatment-seeking population and will serve to better inform pre-surgery education programming. Previous research with bariatric patients demonstrated a significant relationship with the variables addressed in this study as well as associations with weight loss prior to surgery and continued weight loss post-surgery. These results provide researchers and clinicians with an assessment of the bariatric surgery treatment-seeking population. The findings from this study will be used to inform intervention-based research aimed at im (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lorraine Wallace (Advisor); Keeley Pratt (Advisor); Bradley Needleman (Advisor) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Kinesiology

MS, Kent State University, 2015, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

This study examined the use of social networking sites (SNS) as tools for weight management in college students (n=1138), as well as the perceived credibility of these sites as information sources. An anonymous, online, self-administered questionnaire was emailed to 10,000 random students, both undergraduate and graduate, to examine their SNS use for weight management information. They also were asked about their perceived credibility of SNS as an information source, the types of weight management-related search keywords used on SNS, their posting and browsing habits, and their perceptions about social support available on SNS. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographics and total SNS usage. Fisher's exact tests were used to examine gender and age differences in SNS usage, and independent t-tests were used to examine gender differences between perceived credibility, search keywords, posting and browsing habits, and social support perceptions. Two-thirds (n=739) of participants reported using SNS to access weight management information. Female college students were more likely to be Instagram and Pinterest users (p≤0.001), while male college students were more likely to be Twitter users (p≤0.01). There were no gender differences in Facebook usage. The most frequently searched keywords on SNS pertained to healthy recipes and exercise information. Forty-six percent of participants reported that weight management information on SNS was trustworthy, and there were no gender differences in perceived credibility. There were no gender differences in posting and browsing habits and perceptions on social support.

Committee: Eun-Jeong Ha (Advisor); Natalie Caine-Bish (Committee Member); Karen Lowry Gordon (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Health Sciences; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Nutrition; Web Studies

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2014, Electrical Engineering

In this thesis, a novel software architecture called the Heterogeneous Computing Device Management Architecture (HCDMA) is introduced. The HCDMA is designed to address the growing problem of PCIe based acceleration device management. This type of architecture is ideal for computational acceleration in environments where size, weight and power need to be balanced for high performance computing solutions. The HCDMA, when coupled with an external PCIe expansion chassis, fills the need for a flexible and scalable solution to this problem. By utilizing the HCDMA with external FPGA acceleration modules, there is an observed 4.16 times improvement over the industry standard software solution for JPEG2000 image compression as well as a 2.94 times improvement over software based Image Pre-Processing algorithm tool chain.

Committee: Eric Balster Ph.D. (Advisor); Frank Scarpino Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Weber Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Engineering; Electrical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2014, Communication

This investigation conducted an initial test of motivational supportive communication in the weight management context for middle-aged and older adults. This examination was comprised of two studies. In Study 1, 28 middle-aged and older adults participated in in-depth interviews concerning their weight management experiences, and perceptions of weight management-related communication. Findings from these interviews were used to hypothesize about dimensions of weight management messages likely associated with positive weight management motivation. These dimensions included person-centeredness, dissolving misconceptions, self-worth affirmation, and call to action. Each message dimension was conceptualized as varying in level of message quality (high quality/low quality). In Study 2, 415 middle-aged and older adult participants completed a message perception study testing the utility of the four message dimensions in terms of message evaluation and motivational outcomes. Results indicated that high quality messages were generally evaluated as more effective than low quality messages. However, not all message dimensions were evaluated as equally useful in facilitating weight management motivation. The implications of this investigation in terms of theoretical contributions to the supportive communication domain are discussed. The practical contributions of this study for those who are attempting to manage their weight or help a loved one are also presented.

Committee: Susan Kline (Advisor); Jesse Fox (Committee Member); Brandon Van der Heide (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2005, Psychology

Pediatric obesity is a serious health condition affecting an increasing number of youth. This study uses the Family Environment Scale and the Social Support Scale for Children to examine psychosocial differences between families with a child in a weight management program and families who have withdrawn from this program prematurely. Additional variables of interest include family demographics and youth and maternal weight status. Study participants were 79 obese youth (A/zBMI = 2.4, 58% Female, 49% African American, M age = 12.5 years) and their mothers. A 46.8% attrition rate was found. No significant group differences were found in number of children living at home, maternal or child age or BMI, race, gender, or marital status of mother. Analysis of variance showed no significant group differences on psychosocial variables. Significant group differences were found in socioeconomic status (p = .002) and maternal education (p = .025). Post hoc analyses found significant differences in SES (p = .002) and maternal age (p = .006) in youth who withdrew after 1 or 2 appointments and withdrawn youth who attended more than 2 appointments. Consistent with previous literature, half of program participants withdrew prematurely, with lower SES being an important correlate of attrition. Implications of significant and insignificant findings are discussed, and recommendations for further research are made.

Committee: Janet R. Schultz Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Co-Chair); Meg Zeller Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Norman Barry Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Member) Subjects: Public Health; Social Psychology

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Allied Health Sciences : Nutrition

Background: Overweight (BMI greater than 25) and obesity (BMI greater than 30) have reached epidemic proportions in the United States, positioning obesity at the forefront of the nation's health agenda as a critical public health threat. The pregnancy and post-partum periods in women have been identified as stages which may contribute to future obesity. The diets of most Americans are high in calories, fat, and sugar, and low in nutrient dense, low-calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Diets high in vegetables and fruits are linked to reduced risk for chronic disease. Fruit and vegetables are nutrient-dense and low in calories and have recently been associated with reduced risk of major weight gain and obesity development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a dietary intervention on increasing vegetable consumption in breast-feeding (BF) and formula feeding (FF) postpartum mothers to aid in attaining a healthy weight. There was no control group in this intervention study as this study was involved in the preparatory stage for a larger study. It was expected that after completion of the program, both groups of mothers would consume more vegetables attributable in part to an increase in vegetable preference and self-efficacy in purchasing, preparing and consuming vegetables. Methods: Postpartum mothers (N=47) were recruited for a dietary intervention with focus on increasing vegetable intake to aid in attaining a healthy weight. The intervention consisted of a pre-evaluation session, nutrition education program, and a post-evaluation session. Results: BF mothers significantly increased their self-efficacy in vegetable selection, preparation and consumption (p=0.01) and FF mothers demonstrated a trend towards increasing self-efficacy (p=0.06). Both groups significantly increased intake of Total Target Vegetables (BF, p= 0.03; FF, p =0.01), Other Vegetables (BF, p= 0.05; FF, p=0.05) and All Vegetables (BF, p=0.01; FF, p=0.01), increas (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Grace Falciglia (Advisor) Subjects: Health Sciences, Nutrition

MEd, University of Cincinnati, 2002, Education : Health Promotion and Education

The prevalence of obesity in the United States had increased, with approximately one-third of American men and women considered obese (Kuczmarski, et al. 1994). Overweight and obese adults exhibited increased risk for morbidity and mortality associated with many acute and chronic medical conditions, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, gallbladder disease, respiratory disease, some types of cancer and gout (Pi-Sunyer, 1993).One of the most important and established determinants of health behavior was found to be self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships and that exisbetween weight management efforts and self-efficacy of exercise in the employees of Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, a Johnson & Johnson Company. A total of 240 employees of Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems were invited to participate. The response rate was 60%, although one survey was not evaluated because they answered that they were not physically able to exercise. Results were based on 143 participants, both male (n=23) and female (n=120). Based on the results, null hypothesis 1 was rejected. The assessment self-efficacy results were significantly related to stage of change, r = .0055 (p > .0166), expectation self-efficacy results were not significantly related to stage of change, r = .035 (p < .0166), outcome self-efficacy results were significantly related to stage of change, r = .00625 (p < .0166).Results of this study demonstrated a significant relationship between exercise assessment self-efficacy and exercise outcome self-efficacy and stage of change with weight management efforts. The relationship between exercise expectation self-efficacy and stage of change with weight management was not significant. Based on these results, health professionals should determine an individual's stage of change and tailor interventions to the stage of change to progress him or her to the next stage.

Committee: DR. BRADLEY WILSON (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Health

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, Communication

One of public health message designers' greatest struggles is to gain sufficient exposure needed for desired message effects (Hornick, 2002). Public health messages face a vast amount of competing, attention-grabbing advertisements and have a target audience that is often defensive and resistant to information attempts to change their unhealthy behaviors (Norcross & Goldfried, 1992; Slater & Flora, 1991). Furthermore, a limited amount of research on message exposure is available to guide designers on how to overcome such barriers. Seeing as America faces a major obesity epidemic that contributes to an estimated 300,000 preventable deaths per year, the present work examines health messages in the context of weight loss and management. Specifically, message characteristics are evaluated to determine whether they foster exposure to recommendations on healthful weight management. Drawing on five theoretical frameworks, the present three-session 2x2 experiment examined impacts of efficacy and exemplification, as characteristics of online weight management message, on selective exposure and change in weight related beliefs and recommended behaviors. Exposure impacts varied depending on interactions with person characteristics of at-risk individuals. Change in recommended behavior was positive and significantly higher in efficacy message groups than for any other combinations.

Committee: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick Dr. (Advisor); Michael Slater Dr. (Committee Member); Emily Moyer-Guse Dr. (Committee Member); McDonald Daniel Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Health; Health Education; Marketing; Mass Communications; Mass Media

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2011, Psychology

Obesity is a common, chronic medical condition associated with negative physical, emotional, and psychological sequelae. Past research indicates that individuals with obesity have low knowledge of the health risks of obesity, perceive high levels of weight-related stigmatization, engage in a variety of adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms, and report lower quality of life than their peers. However, prior studies have not investigated the potential importance of interactions among these factors in weight management patients. The current study aimed to identify relationships between study variables, evaluate the relationship of dispositional traits and perceived stigma with quality of life among adults seeking behavioral treatment for obesity, and evaluate the moderating influence of knowledge on quality of life. The current study included 55 patients (31% male, 76% white, mean age = 45.8, mean BMI = 47.4) beginning a 3 or 6-month weight management program consisting of weekly educational classes, a supervised, reduced-calorie meal plan, and access to exercise facilities and classes. Participants completed self-report measures at the beginning of weight management and agreed to allow investigators access to weight management medical records. Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses were used to assess relationships among study variables. Correlational analyses indicated that perceived stigma was associated with emotional and weight specific quality of life, maladaptive coping, and poorer psychological functioning but not with BMI or physical fitness. Aspects of quality of life were associated with BMI, maladaptive coping, physical fitness, and poorer psychological functioning but not knowledge. Hierarchical regression predicting physical quality of life revealed a significant interaction between repression and stigma (t=2.49, p<.05). This interaction indicates that physical quality of life is low for repressors regardless of level of perceived stigma, (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Charles Emery PhD (Advisor); Steven Beck PhD (Committee Member); Ruchika Prakash PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

MA, Kent State University, 2009, College of Education, Health, and Human Services / Department of Adult, Counseling, Health and Vocational Education

Pediatric weight management programs have been criticized for not addressing the individual needs and barriers that families face during weight management. Given that the success of such programs depends largely on the parents' capacity to support their child's weight management, perhaps treatment effectiveness could be improved by learning how parents experience their child's excess weight and by listening to what they believe could help them support their child's weight management. Additionally, the lack of focus on the emotional aspects of pediatric weight management suggests that families may benefit from the addition of mental health services to weight management programs.The purpose of this study was thus to learn how parents of overweight and obese children conceptualize and experience their child's excess weight, and to explore whether these parents think mental health professionals could contribute to pediatric weight management programs. This was accomplished by conducting open-ended interviews with ten parents of families enrolled in a nutrition and exercise education program for overweight children in Kent, Ohio, USA. Interview responses were analyzed from a phenomenological research approach. Overall, the results suggested that parents feel they need help to overcome the many challenges they face during their child's weight management. The results also demonstrated that parents agree with the inclusion of mental health assistance in weight management programs to help families cope with excess weight and address an aspect of weight management that is evidently given less attention than it deserves. Perhaps, taking the parents' experience into consideration would help pediatric weight management programs engage families in treatment, improve treatment effectiveness, and lower drop-out rates by addressing parents' weight management concerns appropriately and increasing confidence in their weight-related parenting skills.

Committee: Jason McGlothlin PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Martin Jencius PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Donna Bernert PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Families and Family Life; Health; Health Care; Mental Health; Psychology