Young children with developmental disabilities (< 12 years old) participate less in physical activity (PA) and experience motor skill deficits compared to young children without disabilities (Jung, Leung, Schram, & Yun, 2018; Liu, Hamilton, Davis, & ElGarhy, 2014; Whyatt & Craig, 2012). When taking account of a bi-directional relationship between...
Falls, particularly those due to slips, constitute a major health risk for older
adults. Past research has found that individuals can learn not to fall through repeated
exposure to a slipping perturbation. Slips can be unpredictable, however. The goal
of this study was to determine whether similar adaptations would occur...
Falls are a common problem among older adults, including those who are relatively healthy and living independently. Exercise has been recommended as an intervention to reduce falls by slowing and/or reversing age-related declines in balance, strength, and mobility. However, it remains unclear which types or combinations of programs are most...
Over the last 60 years, supplemental strength and conditioning for improving sport performance has gone from being nearly non-existent to a cornerstone feature of elite collegiate, amateur, and professional athletics. Concurrent with this profession-related evolution, technologies for monitoring and tracking physical performance have become more prevalent and useful. As an...
Falls caused by slips are a major health risk to older adults and place a large financial strain on the health care system. Previous research has found that individuals can learn to recover their balance after being exposed to a series of simulated slips. However, training large numbers of older...
As childhood obesity rises in the United States, so does the need for effective, sustainable physical activity interventions. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of an early morning care program as well as determine the program’s effects on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the program and...
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) engage in lesser physical activity (PA) and more time in sedentary activities as compared to those without disabilities. A subset of people with IDD who are most vulnerable to develop habits detrimental to health is the emerging adults who are transitioning from adolescence...
Health systems financing aims at providing adequate services, ensuring sufficient providers’ incentives, and protecting individuals and families from financial catastrophe. Health services are financed through government funding, taxation, out-of-pocket payments, insurance, donations and voluntary aid. Low- income countries mostly rely on out-of-pocket payments. In South East Asia region, the latter...
Evidence-based interventions (EBIs), which demonstrate efficacy in research settings, are rarely sustained when implemented in public health organizations. Rather, EBIs are often de-adopted - potentially undermining the positive benefits of the EBIs for the communities that access them. The lack of sustainability is particularly troubling among public health organizations that...
Childhood obesity and food insecurity are public health issues that often coexist, and both conditions are more prevalent among rural compared to non-rural populations. Social ecological prevention efforts are recommended, yet limited research has examined how rural family-home environments may influence obesity-preventing and -promoting behaviors. The purpose of this dissertation...