Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Early Years (5 - 10 years)'

ABSTRACT In the early years of education, the Performing Arts assume a particular significance as learning is both in and through the Arts. When appropriately managed, they are enjoyed in their own right, but also permeate other areas of the curriculum enabling greater relevance and meaning. The Performing Arts are an excellent means through which children, in their early years of schooling explore and express their feelings. Dance, drama and music are Arts disciplines through which children investigate ideas and exhibit opinions about their known and unknown world. The Performing Arts make an effective contribution to the personal and social development of children. The Performing Arts provide an interesting way for teaching young children the values which many adults believe are vital in today's society. Through the Arts children are able to develop social competencies. Participation in the Arts motivates and enhances young children's desire to learn. The Arts have an important role in inspiring and improving the w hole school environment. This research investigated the teaching of the Performing Arts in primary schools in Catholic Education in the Northern Zone of the Diocese of Ballarat. Literature on curriculum development, education in early schooling, and delivery of the arts and education is examined, as well as the impact of the implementation of the Performing Arts stream of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards. Education of pre-service teachers and the continued professional development of experienced teachers is discussed as is the role of education systems in providing this teacher education. Generalist (non-specialist) teachers from primary schools in the Northern Zone were surveyed and interviewed to establish the current situation regarding the Performing Arts in schools. Based on the literature and the data collected and analysed from the survey and interviews, a number of teaching for learning models were proposed. These models placed the child at the centre of the educational experience, linking the school to the community. The models were informed by current Government and Catholic Education policy. The various components included the current curriculum the Victorian Essential Learning Standards, the important roles played by the school, the teacher and parents. The importance of teacher education and further professional development to ensure the teacher has the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to implement a quality program was also an important aspect of the models. Findings from the research established that many teachers had basic skills in teaching the different areas of Performing Arts, but lacked confidence in their ability to do so. Therefore, in a number of schools, programs in Performing Arts were either based around the annual school concert or were non-existent. Many teachers used simple Performing Arts activities as a means to teaching knowledge and skills in other curriculum areas. As a result of the research findings and the model development, a resource to enable and assist in the teaching of the Performing Arts was developed for the teachers to implement an appropriate Performing Arts program in the early years of education.

Book Summary: This quick reference serves as an authoritative clinical guide to diagnostic treatment and monitoring recommendations for patients with mental disorders in the primary care setting. It offers fast and efficient access to evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for managing psychiatric and mental health conditions. The book guides family and adult advanced practice nurses in making clinical decisions that are supported by the best available evidence, reflecting current research and expert consensus. Additionally, researchers may use this book to identify important clinical questions where more research could be conducted to improve treatment decision making. This comprehensive text is organized by major diagnostic categories, such as anxiety disorders, with specific diagnoses organized alphabetically within each category. It supports informed practice, which increases confidence in differential diagnosis, safe and effective treatment decision making, reliable treatment monitoring and, ultimately, improved patient outcomes. Additionally, DSM-IV-TR diagnostic standard summaries and ICD-9 codes are incorporated for use in the clinical setting. It is an essential resource in everyday practice for all health care providers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Nordic hamstring strength training (NHST) program on (1) leg power, (2) vertical jump, (3) and knee proprioception measurements of 10-12 years old male basketball players. Nordic Hamstring Strength Training (NHST) group (N=16), participated in basketball training plus in Nordic hamstring strength training, while the control group (N=11) participated in basketball training only. Subjects were tested before and after 5-week training program for, vertical jump, isokinetic leg strength and knee proprioception. Each subject who agreed to participate in this investigation signed a consent form along their parent. Pre and post test differences between experimental and control group was investigated by MANOVA and paired sample t-test was used to evaluate the differences between pre and post tests of both groups. There was no significant difference in pre and post test results of NHST and control group. There were statistically significant increase in concentric quadriceps and hamstring strength, eccentric quadriceps strength, conventional H:Q strength ratio, and vertical jumping measurements in experimental group between the pre and post tests. It can be concluded that NHST program combine with basketball training has beneficial effects on the leg strength and H:Q strength ratio. These findings also suggest that hamstring exercise may be beneficial or helpful for preventing the hamstring injury occurrence and improving the physical performances such as jumping ability.

Clinical Research and Translational Medicine
M.S.
Background: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is one of the most common chronic illnesses among young children, affecting around 23% of children 2-5 years old, leading to pain, discomfort, and poor quality of life. It is a multi-factorial disease that develops through the combined effects of bacteria, tooth morphology, fermentable carbohydrates, time, and various social factors. Several studies have investigated the associations between dental caries and non-traditional factors acquired during the first years of life including; mode of delivery, breastfeeding, and Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS). However, the literature on these associations has been inconsistent. Objective: To investigate the unadjusted and adjusted associations between the presence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and Severe-ECC (S-ECC), and three non-traditional factors: breastfeeding, mode of delivery, and ETS, among children 1-5 years old. Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed, and a sample of 112 caregiver/ child dyads was recruited from the ongoing flow of patients at Temple University Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry (TUKSoD). After consent, subjects completed a questionnaire and received a standard intra-oral examination and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Caries-risk Assessment Tool (CAT) by a student doctor. The study was approved by the Temple University Institutional Review Board (Protocol # 23885). Chi-square tests, two-sample t-tests and bivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the unadjusted associations. Two multivariable logistic models were developed for ECC and S-ECC and included demographics, overall CRA, and the three non-traditional risk factors. Results: The prevalence of ECC and S-ECC were 61% and 30%, respectively. The following variables were significant in the unadjusted analysis for both ECC and S-ECC: child’s age, maternal educational attainment, overall AAPD CAT classification, sugary snacks per day, presence of plaque on child’s teeth and ETS. Exposure to ETS was associated with an increased adjusted odds ratio for ECC (aOR=5.39 [95% CI: 1.14-25.33], P=0.033), but not for S-ECC. Furthermore, C-section birth was associated with a decreased adjusted odds ratio for both ECC and S-ECC, respectively (ECC: aOR=0.132 [95% CI: 0.02-0.72], P=0.02; S-ECC: aOR=0.141 [95% CI: 0.026-0.748], P=0.021). With inclusion of the AAPD CAT, demographics, and the three non-traditional factors, the overall model accuracy at predicting ECC was 82.2%. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: In this study of urban, predominantly African American, and low income children, ECC was found associated with two non-traditional factors, ETS and mode of delivery, suggesting that including them in CRA may improve prediction of future dental caries, and aid in the prevention and treatment of disease. Results from this study support the notion that ECC is a multi-factorial disease, and highlights the importance of adopting oral health education among caregivers.
Temple University--Theses

Personal handheld media use, in particular the smartphone has increased in the last few years. Research has highlighted the increase of smartphone use among elementary age children but there is little information about how younger children use this tool and how parents feel about using technology with preschoolers. The purpose of this study was to investigate how preschool age children use the smartphone and to further explore parents' perceptions of this popular form of technology. The current study surveyed 141 parents about their practices and beliefs regarding their preschooler's smartphone use. Results revealed that preschoolers' smartphone use is prevalent, that the smartphone is being used for various purposes, and that parents have positive as well as negative feelings about their children's use. These results support the need for future research on the role of technology in very young children's learning.

Keywords: Smartphone, digital media, mobile technology, preschool children

As of 2017, 1.8 – 2.1 million children vertically infected with HIV were living in sub-Saharan Africa, of whom an estimated 320, 000 were in South Africa. Since implementation of the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) strategy, the infection rate has reduced substantially. More recently, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommendation of early antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation for children with perinatal HIV infection has considerably decreased the immediate effects of perinatal HIV infection, including mortality and morbidity. Despite this, not much is known about the long-term outcome of continued ART on early-treated, perinatally HIV-infected children. Early HIV invasion of the developing brain is associated with neurodevelopmental delays and neurocognitive deficits including encephalopathy, slower processing speed, language impairment, lack of concentration and attentiveness, and psychomotor slowing. Alterations in the neurodevelopmental trajectories of brain morphology, including cortical thickness and folding (gyrification) and sub-cortical volumes may be related to the observed neurocognitive deficits during a critical period of brain development spanning from mid-childhood into early adolescence (age 5 -13 years). The effects may be studied using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and automated segmentation software. FreeSurfer (https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/) is a valuable tool for investigating brain morphology but was not originally designed for segmenting pediatric brains. In this study we therefore first validate the latest FreeSurfer version 6.0.0 against manual segmentation for the study of pediatric HIV. We then assessed the long-term effects of perinatal HIV infection, early ART initiation as well as clinically designed ART interruption, HIV-related encephalopathy, disease severity at ART initiation and immune health measures on the developmental trajectories of cortical thickness and folding (gyrification) over the period from 5-9 years. Study participants were 141 children (75 HIV+, 66 uninfected controls; 72 male) from the Cape Town arm of the children with HIV early antiretroviral therapy (CHER) clinical trial. HIV+ children were randomized at age 6 -12 weeks to receive either immediate limited ART for 40 or 96 weeks, to be restarted when clinical and/or immunological criteria were met, or to start ART only when they developed HIV symptoms or CD4 percentage dropped below 20% (25% in the first year) as per guidelines at the time. Uninfected controls comprised children born to HIV+ mothers (HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU)) or uninfected mothers (HIV-unexposed (HU)) and were recruited from an interlinking vaccine trial. MRI scans were performed at time points around their 5th, 7th and 9th birthdays, in accordance with protocols approved by the human research ethics committees of the Universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town and voluntary informed consent was received from either participants or their guardians. Both automated and manual methods were used to segment brain regions from high-resolution structural MRI scans. In addition, FreeSurfer was used to examine cross-sectional differences in cortical thickness and gyrification over the cortical surface at age 5. Linear mixed-effects models were used in conjunction with FreeSurfer's longitudinal processing stream to calculate and compare the annual rate of change in cortical thickness and gyrification between ages 5 and 9 in HIV+ children and controls. Results showed that automated FreeSurfer segmentation tended to overestimate volumes of all structures relative to manual segmentation, except the left caudate nucleus. Consistency and agreement between methods were highest for the putamen (Consistency: right ICC=0.89, left ICC=0.90; agreement: right ICC=0.84, left ICC=0.83) and lowest for the corpus callosum (consistency ICC=0.64, agreement ICC=0.26). There were no subcortical volume differences between HIV+ children and controls, except the globus pallidus which was smaller in HIV+ children using both manual and automated segmentation. Subsequent cross-sectional FreeSurfer analyses showed widespread regional increases in cortical thickness and decreases in gyrification at age 5 years, related to the effects of perinatal HIV-infection and early ART initiation. Clinically designed interruption led to thicker cortex in the left rostral middle frontal and right insula regions and, lower left precuneus and right superior frontal, as well as higher lateral occipital gyrification compared to HIV- controls. There were significant regional differences due to HIV severity based on CDC classification and viral burden at enrolment both in cortical thickness and gyrification compared to controls. Cortical thickness was not associated with immune health parameters, while gyrification was negatively associated with immune health measures. However, the linear rate of change of cortical thickness and gyrification from age 5 to 9 in the HIV+ children was not different from that of uninfected controls, nor was it different between controls and children on interrupted or continuous ART. Children with HIV-related encephalopathy showed a decrease in gyrification with age during this period, in contrast to controls who showed stable gyrification except in frontal regions where gyrification increased with age. Children with perinatal HIV infection display alterations in cortical development due to ART interruption and disease severity at age 5 years, despite starting ART early in life. Our results suggest that cortical gyrification is more sensitive than cortical thickness to effects of perinatal HIV infection. ART interruption and disease severity at ART initiation affect cortical morphometry development at age 5 years in a perinatally infected, early-treated pediatric cohort. However, on continued ART the cortical developmental trajectory is no different from that of uninfected controls. Any structural defects resulting from ART interruption appear to normalise by age 9, except in children with HIV-related encephalopathy, who show an altered trajectory of gyrification development.

Research on age differences in heart transplant patients has focused primarily on medical outcomes, with mixed findings regarding mortality and morbidity rates and limited research regarding age differences in psychosocial and quality of life outcomes. To gain a more complete understanding of psychosocial adjustment after heart transplant, this study examined age differences in: satisfaction with quality of life, satisfaction with social support, depressive symptoms, negative affect, symptom distress, stress related to heart transplant, overall health functioning, coping strategies, and aspects of adherence. Results indicate that older patients, compared to younger patients, report better adjustment and quality of life across numerous outcomes 5-10 years after heart transplant. These findings are consistent with previous literature examining age differences in developmental changes with emotion regulation and coping. This study hopes to contribute to the discussion of age and heart transplant, highlighting the importance of considering quality of life in addition to medical outcomes.

Syftet med studien är att ta reda på vad lärare fokuserar på vid undervisning för hållbar utveckling i No-ämnena för förskoleklass upp till årskurs 3. Avsikten är att ta reda på hur de intervjuade lärarna tolkar hållbar utveckling i läroplanen och om de undervisar för att få med de tre dimensionerna; ekologisk, social och ekonomisk hållbarhet, samt vilka svårigheter och möjligheter lärare ser med undervisning för hållbar utveckling i No-ämnena. Undersökningens resultat har framkommit utifrån semistrukturerade intervjuer av lärare som undervisar i dessa årskurser. Resultatet visar att nästan samtliga lärare i studien undervisar för hållbar utveckling, samtidigt som de får med de tre dimensionerna; ekologisk, social och ekonomisk i undervisningen. Det är bara en lärare i studien som mestadels undervisar utifrån den ekologiska hållbarheten. Den största svårigheten som framkom var att själva begreppet hållbar utveckling är för komplext för de yngre eleverna att förstå och den största möjligheten handlade om ämnesövergripande undervisning och praktiska aktiviteter, eftersom de yngre eleverna lättare förstår på det sättet.
The purpose of the study was to find out what teachers focus on when teaching for sustainable development in science for pre-school class up to third grade. I used semi-structured interviews to find out how teachers interpret sustainable development in the curriculum, if they teach to bring the three dimensions; ecological, social and economic sustainability together, and how they faced the difficulties and opportunities related to sustainable development education in science. The result showed that almost all of the teachers in the study teach for sustainable development, whilst at the same time with the three dimensions; ecological, social and economic in teaching. There was only one teacher in the study who mostly taught on the basis of ecological sustainability. The main difficulty that emerged was that the very concept of sustainable development was too complex for the younger students to understand and the main possibility was about interdisciplinary education and practical activities, because the younger students more easily understand that way.

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This research investigates how Math and Science textbooks from 4th and 5th years of Elementary School address interdisciplinary study between these two subjects. It aims to identify whether and how interdisciplinary proposals are implemented using what nowadays are inside these materials. We show theoretical aspects that bring interdisciplinary concept and reflect about the textbooks importance as a teaching support inside classroom, within a perspective that students who learn through textbook scan have different dimensions? approaches that pervade their historical and cultural nature. The methodology used was documental analysis of some selected works, as four Math and Science textbooks from 4th and 5th year of elementary school - two collections of each subject -, with also theoretical background on interdisciplinary studies for Math and Science teaching. Interdisciplinary method is a term still under construction, which deserves further studies. There are paradigmatic barriers that still make school education persisting in strict disciplinary model, fragmented and decontextualized. As research results, we bring that educational resources such as textbooks can break this actual model, but also can establish disciplinary strictness. Our textbooks analysis, those most widely distributed in 2016 at national level also showed a weak action on interdisciplinary approaches for Math and Science subjects, both in the collections of one and other contents. We also identified predominance of certain themes and few information about others, in interdisciplinary moments analyzed such as, for example, themes related to the environment. In the Teacher Manuals presented at the end of each work, we find a theoretical fragility related to interdisciplinary study, as well as a divergence of interdisciplinary approach between works by different authors, but from the same publisher. Finally, we consider interdisciplinary study must contemplate, rather than theories and terminologies, a paradigmatic transformation that respects its historical and dialectical movement, encompassing all subjects involved in the teaching-learning process: teachers, students, parents, editors and textbooks writers, textbooks evaluators, teacher trainers, among many others.
A presente pesquisa busca investigar como livros did?ticos de Matem?tica e Ci?ncias dos 4? e 5? anos do Ensino Fundamental abordam a interdisciplinaridade entre essas duas disciplinas. Tem por objetivo identificar se e como s?o tratadas propostas interdisciplinares que se fazem presentes no conte?do desse material. Apresentamos aspectos te?ricos que tratam o conceito de interdisciplinaridade e a reflex?o relacionada ? import?ncia do livro did?tico como suporte de ensino na sala de aula, dentro de uma perspectiva que compreende o aluno que aprende por meio do livro did?tico, como um ser integrado por diferentes dimens?es que perpassam sua natureza hist?rica e cultural. A metodologia utilizada foi a da an?lise documental das obras selecionadas, ou seja, quatro livros did?ticos de Matem?tica e Ci?ncias, do 4? e 5? ano do Ensino Fundamental ? duas cole??es de cada disciplina ?, tendo por embasamento te?rico estudos referentes ? interdisciplinaridade, livro did?tico, ensino de Matem?tica e ensino de Ci?ncias. A interdisciplinaridade ? um termo ainda em constru??o, que merece maiores estudos. H? barreiras paradigm?ticas que fazem com que o ensino escolar persista em um modelo disciplinar rigoroso, fragmentado e descontextualizado. Por resultados indicamos que recursos de ensino como o livro did?tico podem tanto favorecer com um rompimento para com esse modelo, quanto firmar a rigidez disciplinar. Nossas an?lises dos livros did?ticos, aqueles mais distribu?dos no ano de 2016 a n?vel nacional, evidenciaram ainda uma fr?gil a??o em rela??o ao tratamento interdisciplinar nas disciplinas de Ci?ncias e Matem?tica, tanto nas cole??es de um quanto de outro conte?do. Identificamos tamb?m a predomin?ncia de certas tem?ticas em detrimento de outras, nos momentos interdisciplinares analisados como, por exemplo, tem?ticas ligadas ao meio ambiente. Nos Manuais do Professor que est?o presentes ao final de cada obra encontramos uma fragilidade te?rica relacionada ? interdisciplinaridade, al?m de diverg?ncia de tratamento da interdisciplinaridade entre obras de autores diferentes, mas da mesma editora. Por fim, consideramos que para ser poss?vel a interdisciplinaridade ? preciso considerar, mais que teorias e terminologias, uma transforma??o paradigm?tica, que respeite seu movimento hist?rico e dial?tico, englobando todos os sujeitos que est?o envolvidos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem escolar: professores, alunos, pais e respons?veis, gestores, editores e escritores de livros did?ticos, avaliadores dos livros did?ticos, formadores de professores, dentre muitos outros.

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The present research aims to analyze if the mathematical activities contained in Buriti Mirim's collection of textbooks of Editora Moderna, directed to Early Childhood Education, provide the construction of the number for young children. As specific objectives, we highlight the following: the book has classification, serialization and ordering activities since they are fundamental for number construction, observing how the class teacher uses this instrument and observing what strategies the children use to carry out the activities. The research was conducted in the last cycle of a private school of Early Childhood Education located in the city of São Paulo which adopts the material in question and the subjects were seven children aged five years and a teacher. We used a qualitative methodological approach and, as an instrument of data collection, we made use of participant observation. The analysis of the data was based on the proposal of content analysis of Bardin. As a theoretical reference, we will betake the following authors: Piaget (2013), Kamii (2012), Ramos (2009) to substantiate the number construction category; Barbosa (2009), Campos (2005), Campos et al. 2011), Oliveira (2010) to support the category early childhood education; Gomes and Magalhães (2012), D'Ambrosio (2005, 2012), Zorzan (2007) Skovsmose (2013) to base the category mathematics. We also analyzed some documents that rules Early Childhood Education. As a result, we find out that the book has concerns about working with children and not just records of activities. It contributes to the teaching of the National Curricular Reference Framework for Early Childhood Education (RCNEI), although many activities starts with the teacher and not with the child as the protagonist. Some activities have an end in itself. The playful is part of the universe of children and, in general, helps the development of logical-mathematical reasoning, favoring the construction of numbers. The book's activities works only as a resource for the teacher and not as an indispensable tool.
Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar si las actividades de matemáticas contenidas en la colección de libros de texto Buriti Mirim de Editora Moderna dirigidas a proporcionar el construcción de número de Educación Infantil por niños pequeños. Los objetivos específicos se indican las siguientes: El libro tiene la serialización, la clasificación y la ordenación, ya que son fundamentales para la construcción de número, observan cómo el maestro de la clase utilizando este instrumento y tenga en cuenta que los niños estrategias utilizadas para llevar a cabo las actividades. La encuesta se llevó a cabo en el último ciclo de una escuela privada de la Educación Infantil en la ciudad de Sao Paulo se adopta el material en cuestión y los sujetos eran siete niños de 5 años y un maestro. Utilizamos enfoque metodológico de carácter cualitativo y, como un instrumento de recolección de datos hace uso de la observación participante. El análisis de los datos se basó en el análisis de contenido de Bardin propuesto. Como marco teórico, utilizaremos los siguientes autores: Piaget (2013); Kamii (2012), Ramos (2009) para apoyar el número de categoría de la construcción; Barbosa (2009), Campos (2005, et al (2011) Oliveira (2010) para apoyar a la categoría de Educación Infantil; .. Gomes y Magalhães (2012) D'Ambrosio (2005, 2012) Zorzan (2007) Skovsmose (2013) de apoyar la educación de la categoría matemáticas. también se analizaron algunos de los documentos que rigen la educación en la primera infancia. como resultado, nos encontramos con que el libro plantea preocupaciones acerca de las actividades prácticas de trabajo con los niños y no sólo como registros de actividad. contribuye ayudando al maestro en los supuestos del Plan de Estudios Nacional de Referencia para la Educación Preescolar (RCNEI) aunque muchas actividades comienzan desde el maestro y no el niño como protagonista. Algunas actividades son fines en sí mismos. la parte lúdica del universo de los niños y en general ayudar en el desarrollo del razonamiento lógico matemático, favoreciendo número del edificio. las actividades del libro funciona sólo como un recurso para el profesor y no en una herramienta indispensable.
A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar se as atividades de matemática contidas na coleção de livros didáticos Buriti Mirim da Editora Moderna, direcionados à educação infantil, proporcionam a construção do número pelas crianças pequenas. Como objetivos específicos, elencamos os seguintes: O livro possui atividades de seriação, classificação e ordenação, uma vez que são fundamentais para a construção do número; observar como a professora da classe se utiliza desse instrumento e observar que estratégias as crianças utilizam para realizar as atividades. A pesquisa foi realizada no último ciclo de uma escola privada de educação infantil localizada na cidade de São Paulo que adota o material em questão e os sujeitos foram sete crianças de 5 anos de idade e uma professora. Utilizamos abordagem metodológica de cunho qualitativo e, como instrumento de coleta de dados fizemos uso da observação participante. As análises dos dados foram pautadas na proposta de análise de conteúdo de Bardin. Como referencial teórico, recorreremos aos seguintes autores: Piaget (2013); Kamii (2012), Ramos (2009), para fundamentar a categoria construção do número; Barbosa (2009), Campos (2005), Campos et al. (2011), Oliveira (2010), para fundamentar a categoria educação infantil; Gomes e Magalhães (2012), D’Ambrosio (2005, 2012), Zorzan (2007), Skovsmose (2013), para fundamentar a categoria ensino da matemática. Também analisamos alguns documentos que regem a educação infantil. Como resultados, constatamos que o livro traz preocupações em trabalhar atividades práticas com as crianças e não somente como registros de atividades. Contribui auxiliando a professora nos pressupostos do Referencial Curricular Nacional para a Educação Infantil (RCNEI), embora muitas atividades partem do professor e não da criança como protagonista. Algumas atividades têm fim em si mesmas. O lúdico faz parte do universo das crianças e, de maneira geral, auxiliam no desenvolvimento do raciocínio lógico matemático, favorecendo a construção do número. As atividades do livro funcionam apenas como um recurso para o professor e não um instrumento indispensável.

Worldwide diarrheal disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children less than five years of age. Incidence and disease severity remain the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya has an estimated 400,000 severe diarrhea episodes and 9,500 diarrhea-related deaths per year in children. Current statistical methods for estimating etiological and exposure risk factors for moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) in children are constrained by the inability to assess a large number of parameters due to limitations of sample size, complex relationships, correlated predictors, and model assumptions of linearity. This dissertation examines machine learning statistical methods to address weaknesses associated with using traditional logistic regression models. The studies presented here investigate data from a 4-year, prospective, matched case-control study of MSD among children less than five years of age in rural Kenya from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study. The three machine learning approaches were used to examine associations with MSD and include: least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, classification trees, and random forest. A principal finding in all three studies was that machine learning methodological approaches are useful and feasible to implement in epidemiological studies. All provided additional information and understanding of the data beyond using only logistic regression models. The results from all three machine learning approaches were supported by comparable logistic regression results indicating their usefulness as epidemiological tools. This dissertation offers an exploration of methodological alternatives that should be considered more frequently in diarrheal disease epidemiology, and in public health in general.

The oldest members of the huge baby boom cohort (born 1946-1964) will be facing retirement in the next 10 years. Because of its large size, particularly in relation to the cohorts that preceded it, the baby boom cohort has distended every social institution that it has come in contact with including the housing market. Will the baby boomers also have a disproportionate impact on the retirement housing landscape? There has been a great deal of discussion and speculation about this group of pre-retirees, yet little empirical research has been conducted on the plans of aging baby boomers. The research described in the two articles that comprise Chapters III and IV addressed this need by examining the housing and locational preferences and plans of early baby boomer pre-retirees (born 1946-1954) for the first 10 years of retirement. The concept of cohort uniqueness was integral to the model tested in the two articles. The data were collected as part of a telephone survey of metropolitan and non-metropolitan Oregon and Utah residents conducted by the Western Regional Agricultural Experiment Station Committee (W-176). Statistical analyses included Chi-square tests of significance and logistic regression. Weighted data were used so that the results would be representative of the populations of the two states. In Chapter IV, "Retirement Housing and Locational Preferences of the Depression and Early Baby Boom Age Cohorts," the early baby boomers were compared with another cohort of pre-retirees, the Depression cohort (born 1930-1939). Although some significant differences were found there were also many similarities between the two cohorts (N=836). Intra-cohort differences based on gender and marital category of early baby boomers (N=476) were examined in Chapter IV, "Retirement Housing and Locational Preferences: Differences Within the Early Baby Boom Age Cohort." Planners, policy makers, developers, and builders will need to understand these inter-cohort and intra-cohort differences and similarities in order to produce acceptable retirement housing alternatives for aging baby boomers.
Graduation date: 2001