A series of 5 minute presentations by Dominican's undergraduate Public Health and Health Sciences seniors. Students will introduce a problem and background information, their research question on that problem, and then present on how they would answer that research question.

Health Presentations 2016 Schedule
2016
Monday, December 5th
1:50 PM

Harvest of the Month: An Evaluation

Nicole Grady, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

1:50 PM

This study evaluates the Harvest of the Month Program through the pre-and post-survey the students will be taking before and after the intervention. The intervention is a school program for 2nd graders at San Pedro Elementary School that is designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Misdiagnoses and Underdiagnoses in Mental Health Care

Allie Cadei, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

1:50 PM

The purpose of this study is to collect information about the perceptions of rape crisis center professionals regarding the current policies surrounding sexual violence crimes that victimize people over the age of 18. This research aims to gather information about effective and noneffective policies from professionals who are first responders to sexual assaults.

Rape Crisis Center Professionals' Perceptions of Sexual Violence Policy: A Qualitative Analysis

Stephanie Manieri, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

1:50 PM

The purpose of this study is to collect information about the perceptions of rape crisis center professionals regarding the current policies surrounding sexual violence crimes that victimize people over the age of 18. This research aims to gather information about effective and noneffective policies from professionals who are first responders to sexual assaults.

The Effects of Anxiety on College Students

Kaleigh Landberg, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

1:50 PM

Anxiety is a mental illness that effects a lot of college aged students. With the pressure of school, work, and a social life, it can become overwhelming at time to balance it all. I will be researching how anxiety effects college students and how they can better cope with it.

1:57 PM

Can Music Help You Manage Stress?

Jared Huey, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

1:57 PM

Undergraduate college students, unfortunately, encounter large amounts of stress, whether it be from among academic, financial, time, or health related stressors . With some sort of management tool, that can be utilized easily and often, college students will be able to manage the large amounts of stress they encounter. Music has been shown to have a number of therapeutic uses, in and out of the clinical setting. It has shown to manage anxiety, as well as pain. However, it could also be used as a means of stress management

Don't Toss The Floss

Elaine Anne B. Arciaga, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

1:57 PM

Flossing is an oral health preventative. The likelihood of an individual using dental floss/device is associated with socioeconomic status

No Puffs: Penguins go Smoke-free

Monica Sciamanna, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

1:57 PM

In partnership with the Department of Student Life, this project examines campus smoking behaviors. It will gather information regarding awareness and perceptions of current smoking policies at Dominican. Data may be used in the development of new campus smoking policies.

Physical Activity and Alzheimer’s Disease: Are they really linked?

Mathew Reyes, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

1:57 PM

Through a combination of focus groups, interviews, and a systematic literature review. My study observes the alleged linkage between regular physical activity and the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

2:04 PM

Alcohol Consumption and Exercise. Is there a Correlation?

Alex Abeyta, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:04 PM

The consumption of alcohol is common after an individual becomes 21 years old. But the consumption of alcohol is very common in years leading up to the drinking age. On college campuses it is very common to have alcohol as part of social interactions/settings. As a student athlete, I want to investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and the amount of exercise one participates in.

Environmental Influence on Hypertension in California

Corinna Louise Venturina Villar, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:04 PM

Health outcomes are not solely defined by biological factors (such as nutrition, genetics, and age) and sociological factors (such as ethnicity). The environment in which an individual lives in is equally an important predictor of an individual’s health and susceptibility of acquiring hypertension. Living in a neighborhood conducive to walking has showed relatively lower rates of hypertension than environments not. Other important factors that could be used as basis of comparison to prevalence rates of hypertension include: availability of health food outlets, type of food outlets, and amount of parks located in the area.

Hispanic Adults Perceptions on Obesity

Stephanie Hernandez, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:04 PM

This study endeavors to understand the relationship between Hispanic culture and views on obesity, using focus group discussions to elucidate these relationships. This study will address the following question does the Hispanic culture, belief affect obesity in the adult population ages (20-60) in Santa Rosa.

2:11 PM

Children with Disabilities and their Effects on Divorce Rates

Madeline Powelson, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:11 PM

Children with disabilities such as down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, and ADHD all require special attention from parents. Previous research has shown that families who have special needs kids have an 80% risk for divorce, while other studies say these families have lower risk or no difference in divorce rates at all. I want to fill this contradictory research gap through a systematic review and in-depth interviews with professional health care workers to see how their experiences with special needs families compare to the literature.

Depression and Physical Activity Correlation in College Students

Lawrence Yu, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:11 PM

In the U.S. today there as been an increase in obesity. According to the National Institute of Health, “More than one-third of adults are considered to be obese”. Depression has also risen, according to the Journal of American College Health between 9.5% and 31.3% of college students suffer from depression. There have been past studies where a decrease in physical activity leads to an increase in depression.

Key Perceptions Guiding Parental Acceptance of Influenza Vaccination in Children >18

Brandon Yee, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:11 PM

Despite widespread availability of the influenza vaccine, current uptake of the vaccine leaves a lot to be desired. Perceptions influence parents in their acceptance and uptake of the vaccination of their children. This systematic review will investigate the positive and negative perceptions associated with vaccination uptake and also use the Health Belief Model to further understand the influence of these perceptions. By looking at the past literature, this paper will make a definitive stance to raise the acceptance and uptake of the influenza vaccination.

Should I Run With It?: The Impact of Wearable Technology on Athletic Performance

Min Sohn, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:11 PM

My project looks at the impact of running watches on running distance. My hypothesis is that wearing running watch hinders running distance performance. My participants will be Facebook running group members. For the first two weeks, they will run with their running watches as normal. The next two weeks, they will run without looking at their running watches. I will compare the running distance between those two time periods to see the impact the running watches have on distance.

2:18 PM

Gender Roles and Sports

Edsel Velasco, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:18 PM

My capstone project plans looks at the relationship between gender roles and sports. I want to know whether gender roles play a part in sports participation and performance. I will be conducting a cross-sectional study by sending out a survey to the participants through a survey monkey link see if the relationship is there.

Mind Over Body

Kiersti Saenz, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:18 PM

Body image has become a problem among people of all ages due to social media advertisements depicting people to look a certain way. This often leads to risk factors such as eating disorders, depression, or body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) which is a disorder characterized persistent and intrusive preoccupations with an imaged or slight defect of one’s appearance. The purpose of this study is to see whether a social media advertisement influences a persons perception of looking a certain way after answering a questionnaire about body image.

STD Testing in College and University Students

Jana Lyka Sarangelo, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:18 PM

The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases is continuously high among the youth population in the United States, particularly in college and university students. I will be focusing on current and previous sexual education programs and evaluating its effectiveness on encouraging young adults to seek STD testing.

Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Treatment of ADHD in Elementary School Children

Ashley Sorensen, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:18 PM

I am researching ADHD at the elementary school level, specifically the different types of treatment options available to them. I am going to be conducting semi-structured interviews with principles in this area and a parent of a child with ADHD. I am also putting together a systematic review of all the literature already on this topic.

2:25 PM

Asthma Prevalence in California

Cedrick Mark Macanas, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:25 PM

Asthma is a prevalent disease common in children between 3-17 years old. There are many contributing factors that lead to the increasing rate of reported asthma cases.

Genders Drinking Habits Among College Students

Margaret Anne DeMayo, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:25 PM

Binge drinking is a common problem found in college students, which can harm peers. The national Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a “pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 grams percent or above”. Over time, binge drinking in college caused consequences for students, such as, poor academics, and health problems. The purpose of my study is to evaluate how stress factors, such as environment and peer relationships negatively affects genders’ drinking habits in college students. I will be using a questionnaire for my primary analysis and data sets from the CDC for my secondary analysis.

How Does Teacher Support?

Sayra Soriano, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:25 PM

My project will assess the effect of teacher support on the perceived academic self efficacy of fifth graders in one or more elementary schools located in Marin County, CA. A pre and post survey will be administered to assess the impact of an intervention that will aim to increase perceived academic self efficacy in these students via the delivery of a statement of support from their teacher every day for one week.

Perceptions of Stroke Survivors on Stroke Education

Samantha Bartolome, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:25 PM

This study looks into the perceptions of stroke survivors on stroke education prior to stroke. The perceptions looked at include whether or not they believe stroke-based health education is effective in reducing the severity of stroke outcomes.

2:32 PM

College Health Center Usage and Perceptions

Lyzett Solis-Chavez, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:32 PM

For my capstone project I plan to conduct original research, by creating a questionnaire and administering it to students at Dominican University using Survey Monkey. I plan to ask students about the factors that influence their decision to utilize the health center, if Dominican's discontinued health plan has affected student's health, and where students who are not using the health plan go to receive health care. I also plan on conducting in-depth interviews with student health center administrators from universities who offer comprehensive health services, like the ones offered at Dominican, to compare utilization rates and the variety of services offered.

Comparing Changes in Merchant Alcohol Advertising in Novato from 2012 to 2016

Robert Peardon, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:32 PM

My study compares two environmental scans conducted by the Novato Blue Ribbon Coalition of Novato. The focus of the study is to determine if alcohol merchants in Novato are targeting the youth through advertising and product placement.

Risk Behavior and public Awareness of Zika Virus

Murtadha Alsaihati, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:32 PM

My research project is focusing on how the zika virus spreads and what factors cause it to spread to different geographic locations. I will be giving a survey to college students from colleges in the Bay Area. I will need to contact my chosen schools and find a way to email a sample of students the survey. I will be recording the sample sizes from each school and how many surveys were not completed, partially completed, and fully completed at the end of the survey.

Sports Related Anxiety in College Athletes

Jade Castro, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:32 PM

Many athletes, at any level, experience sports related anxiety when they are very invested about their sport. Sports related anxiety is defined as anxiety that is caused by fear of not meeting expectations because they are afraid of the outcome or looking bad. Sports psychologists have agreed that athletes need to clear their minds before going into a competition in order to perform at their best. I plan on filling this research gap by having college athletes fill out a survey through survey monkey. This survey will address how internal and external factors affect an athletes performance. External pressures will include expectations from coaches, their support system and teammates. Internal pressures will include personal long and short-term goals, as well as injuries and recurring injuries.

2:39 PM

Brain Injuries in Sports

Mohammad Ali Alghamdi, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:39 PM

An injury to the brain or head must always be taken seriously as it can have dangerous consequences. It can even result in death. If you are engaged in sports or other recreational activities, there is always an increased risk of head injuries. The most common sports activities that usually result in brain injuries are basketball, baseball, football, cycling, and riding small bikes.

Effectiveness of Injury Prevention Programs

Quentin Mendoza, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:39 PM

In the sports world, injuries are a commonality, as a result athletic trainers have the job of assisting athletes in preventing those injuries that are preventable through different injury specific exercise programs. Recently it has been shown that some injury prevention programs have been creating new injuries or recreating previous injuries. The purpose of the study is to research the effectiveness of injury prevention program and whether these programs are detrimental to the athlete through a through a detailed systematic review of past research along with a serious of semi-formal interviews of multiple athlete trainers detailed systematic review of past research along with a serious of semi-formal interviews of multiple athlete trainers.

Pediatric Asthma ED Visits and Hospitalizations: Assessing SES, Air Quality due to Oil Refineries, and Tree Coverage in California

Natalie Corpuz, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:39 PM

No Abstract Available

Psychological Distress in Cancer Patients: Examining the Causes, Factors and Possible Treatments

Christian Mesina, Dominican University of California

Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University of California

2:39 PM

Due to the biomedical and molecular complications of cancer, the psychology of cancer patients is rarely talked about, although psychological factors can alter a patient’s experience when dealing with cancer. This project focuses on the prevalence of psychological stress in cancer patients and how it varies according to cancer stage and cancer treatment. In addition, this project examines the types of treatments and coping methods referred to cancer patients dealing with psychological stress.