Browsing by Author "Logan, Georgiana"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Expanding perspectives of fatherhood involvement: results from a national study
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Logan, Georgiana; Ross, Levi; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Background. Children who have parents that are positively involved in their upbringing have better physical, social, emotional and learning outcomes. Contemporary models of fathering acknowledge that fathers can positively contribute to a child’s upbringing in a variety of ways. The objective of this dissertation research was to identify patterns of father involvement and their correlates in a nationally representative sample of men. This research was based on Lamb and colleagues’ 3-factor framework of father involvement which includes the domains of responsibility, accessibility and engagement. The following research questions provided direction for this study; (1) What patterns of father involvement are exhibited in a nationally representative sample of men with young children (0-4 years of age)? (2) What associations exist between father involvement and sociodemographic characteristics? (3) To what extent does family planning predict father involvement? Methods. Weighted data were analyzed for a subset of fathers (i.e., men 18-44 years of age with young residential children [0 – 4 years]) from the 2013-2015 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), integrating exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, was employed to answer research question one. Weighted mixed effects logistic regression models were produced to answer research questions two and three. Results. Fit indices (e.g., χ2, CFI/TLI, and WRMR) supported a three-factor structure of father involvement. However, only the engagement domain specified by theory was found. The engagement factor structure was similar for Whites and Black fathers (manuscript 1). Age and race were significant predictors of emotional and caretaking engagement (manuscript 2). Perceived happiness about the conception of a first child was associated with caretaking and travel engagement (manuscript 3). Conclusion. Our findings expand and challenge existing views of father involvement supported by theorists and practitioners. Future research should be conducted with fathers of older children to confirm or challenge these results.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Health Behaviors and Lifestyle Interventions in African American Breast Cancer Survivors: A Review
    (Frontiers, 2019) Paxton, Raheem J.; Garner, William; Dean, Lorraine T.; Logan, Georgiana; Allen-Watts, Kristen; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of North Texas Denton; Johns Hopkins University; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Background: African American breast cancer survivors have a higher incidence of estrogen receptor negative and basal-like (e.g., triple negative) tumors, placing them at greater risk for poorer survival when compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups. While access to equitable care, late disease stage at diagnosis, tumor biology, and sociodemographic characteristics contribute to health disparities, poor lifestyle characteristics (i.e., inactivity, obesity, and poor diet) contribute equally to these disparities. Lifestyle interventions hold promise in shielding African American survivors from second cancers, comorbidities, and premature mortality, but they are often underrepresented in studies promoting positive behaviors. This review examined the available literature to document health behaviors and lifestyle intervention (i.e., obesity, physical activity, and sedentary behavior) studies in African American breast cancer survivors. Methods: We used PubMed, Academic Search Premier, and Scopus to identify cross-sectional and intervention studies examining the lifestyle behaviors of African American breast cancer survivors. Identified intervention studies were assessed for risk of bias. Other articles were identified and described to provide context for the review. Results: Our systematic review identified 226 relevant articles. The cross-sectional articles indicated poor adherence to physical activity and dietary intake and high rates of overweight and obesity. The 16 identified intervention studies indicated reasonable to modest study adherence rates (>70%), significant reductions in weight (range -1.9 to -3.6%), sedentary behavior (-18%), and dietary fat intake (range -13 to -33%) and improvements in fruit and vegetable intake (range +25 to +55%) and physical activity (range +13 to +544%). The risk of bias for most studies were rated as high (44%) or moderate (44%). Conclusions: The available literature suggests that African American breast cancer survivors adhere to interventions of various modalities and are capable of making modest to significant changes. Future studies should consider examining (a) mediators and moderators of lifestyle behaviors and interventions, (b) biological outcomes, and (c) determinants of enhanced survival in this population.