Browsing by Author "Diep, Cassandra S."
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Item Living Situation and Physical Activity in the COVID-19 Pandemic Among American Private University Students(Western Kentucky University, 2022) Villarreal, Eduardo Gonzalez; Kabiri, Laura S.; Diep, Cassandra S.; Perkins, Hedi Y.; Perkins-Ball, Amanda M.; Rodriguez, Augusto X.Many university students experienced changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including potential changes in physical activity (PA) levels and living situation. As PA behaviors in young adulthood help establish life-long habits and future health outcomes, the purpose of this study was to investigate overall change in PA, as well as change in PA due to living situation, among private university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Private university students (n = 109) between 18 and 25 years of age completed an online survey that included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form. T-tests examined changes in overall time spent in PA from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the differences in MET-minute distributions between groups. Students performed significantly less activity during the COVID-19 pandemic than before (t(108) = 3.51, p = .001, d = 0.493), with 70.6% of all students meeting exercise recommendations before the pandemic and 51.4% after. Students living with vs. without a parent/guardian attained similar PA levels (t(107) = -.114, p = .910) before the pandemic (73.1% vs. 69.9%, respectively), but students living with a parent/guardian engaged in significantly less PA (t(107) = 2.04, p = .044, d = 0.475) than those living without a parent/guardian during the pandemic (37.5% vs. 57.1%, respectively). The declines in PA suggest the need for targeted interventions and education among private university students. In order to maximize the health benefits of PA, it is crucial that activity engagement return to at least pre-COVID-19 levels.Item Lower perceived stress among physically active elite private university students with higher levels of gratitude(Frontiers Media S.A., 2024) Kabiri, Laura S.; Le, Jennie; Diep, Cassandra S.; Chung, Eunbi; Wong, Jacob; Perkins-Ball, Amanda M.; Perkins, Heidi Y.; Rodriguez, Augusto X.Elite private universities have high stress levels, particularly for underrepresented populations. While physical activity and gratitude can both reduce stress, independent effects from gratitude and interaction effects between physical activity and gratitude on stress are insufficiently explored. Our study investigated these effects among undergraduates at elite private universities. Undergraduates (n = 145) completed an online survey in Fall 2022. Moderate-high physical activity levels were reported by 96.19% of the sample. No significant interaction effect between physical activity and gratitude was seen nor a significant main effect of physical activity on perceived stress. A significant main effect of gratitude on perceived stress [F (2, 99) = 16.732, < .001, ω2 = .253] was found with higher perceived stress among participants with low compared to moderate (p = .001) or high gratitude (p < .001). Gratitude exerted an independent, significant effect on perceived stress among elite university undergraduates and could be used as an additional healthy coping mechanism along with physical activity to combat stress.Item Organized Sports and Physical Activities as Sole Influencers of Fitness: The Homeschool Population(MDPI, 2019) Kabiri, Laura S.; Rodriguez, Augusto X.; Perkins-Ball, Amanda M.; Diep, Cassandra S.Homeschool children may rely solely on organized sports and physical activities to achieve recommended levels of physical activity and fitness. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in fitness levels between homeschool children who did, and did not, participate in organized sports or physical activities, and then examine relationships between hours per week in sports or physical activities and cardiorespiratory fitness as measured by portions of the FitnessGram® test battery. Organized sports/physical activity participation information was gathered on 100 children ages 10–17 years who completed tests of upper, abdominal, and cardiorespiratory fitness. The current investigation revealed that participation alone was not associated with higher levels of physical fitness as assessed by the 90° push-up test or curl-up test nor was time in participation related to cardiorespiratory fitness as assessed by the Progressive Aerobic Capacity Endurance Run (PACER). These activities alone may be insufficient for meeting physical activity recommendations and improving physical fitness. Therefore, children and adolescents educated at home may need additional opportunities to participate in unstructured daily physical activity.Item Stigma and Sociocultural Barriers Associated with Breast Cancer Screening Uptake among Asian Indian Women in the Greater Houston Area(Rice University, 2024-01-19) Ganjoo, Shonik; Somani, Soumya; Kulkarni, Shivani; Chandra, Monalisa; Shastri, Surendranath S.; Diep, Cassandra S.Breast cancer is the leading cancer in both incidence and mortality for Asian Indian women. The breast cancer screening rates for Asian Indians are also among the lowest across several racial and ethnic groups in the United States (US). However, few studies have investigated factors associated with breast cancer screening rates for Asian Indian women in the US. The objective of this study was to assess sociocultural predictors of adherence to American Cancer Society breast cancer screening g uidelines for Asian Indian women residing in the greater Houston area. We hypothesized that low knowledge of breast cancer/breast cancer screening and negative attitudes such as stigma toward breast cancer screening would be significant predictors of adherence to screening guidelines. Surveys were designed using a Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices (KAP) analysis framework and were distributed to a convenience sample of 104 India-born Asian Indian women over the age of 45. Knowledge was measured using true/false questions about breast cancer and breast cancer screening. Attitude was measured using agree/disagree statements related to perceived stigma, internalized stigma, and sociocultural barriers to breast cancer screening. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that attitude was a significant predictor of adherence to screening guidelines [OR = 0.858 (95% CI: 0.768 - 0.937); P = 0.002], but knowledge was not [OR = 1.16 (95% CI: 0.478 - 2.759); P = 0.736]. The findings from this study can guide the development of educational interventions that focus on improving health literacy and increasing breast cancer screening adherence for Asian Indian women.Item Study protocol: a lifestyle intervention for African American and Hispanic prostate cancer survivors on active surveillance and their partners(Springer Nature, 2020) Cho, Dalnim; Basen-Engquist, Karen; Acquati, Chiara; Ma, Hilary; Pettaway, Curtis; Li, Yisheng; Diep, Cassandra S.; McNeill, Lorna H.Background: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in both African American and Hispanic men. Active surveillance is a treatment option for low- or very low-risk prostate cancer survivors, and lifestyle interventions have been found to reduce the disease progression and improve the quality of life for both survivors and their partners. To date, no lifestyle interventions that specifically target African American or Hispanic men and their partners exist. This protocol describes a study that tests the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial, a lifestyle intervention developed to enhance healthy lifestyle and quality of life among African American and Hispanic men on active surveillance and their partners. Methods: A mixed-method study, including a two-arm randomized controlled trial (n = 30 dyads in the intervention arm and n = 10 dyads in the control arm) and in-depth interviews, will be conducted. Intervention arm participants will receive bi-weekly health coaching calls (a total of 12 calls based on Motivational Interviewing), as well as physical activity-specific (e.g., power point slides, print materials about physical activity, and activity trackers for self-monitoring) and nutrition-specific education (e.g., two nutrition counseling sessions from a registered dietitian, print materials about nutrition, and food intake recording for self-monitoring) over 6?months. All participants will be assessed at baseline, month 3, and month 6. Blood will be collected at baseline and month 6 from the prostate cancer survivors. Finally, in-depth interviews will be conducted with subsamples (up to n = 15 dyads in the intervention arm and up to n = 5 dyads in the control arm) at baseline and months 3 and 6 to conduct a process evaluation and further refine the intervention. Discussion: If effective, the intervention may have a higher health impact compared with a typical lifestyle intervention targeting only survivors (or partners), as it improves both survivors� (tertiary prevention) and partners� health (primary prevention). Results from this study will provide important information regarding recruiting racial/ethnic minority cancer survivors and their partners. Lessons learned from this study will be used to apply for a large-scale grant to test the impact of the dyadic intervention in a fully powered sample.