Thesis Topics

Degree Program Details:

The thesis topics of Social and Behavioral Sciences students reflect a wide variety of interests. Below is a partial listing of previous thesis titles. Copies of these theses are be available in the Health Sciences library.

2008

Gwen Ambler

Qualitative evaluation of a Planned Parenthood training for HIV testing and education (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Downer

2008

Denise Albano

Cortisol response to a brief laboratory stressor in women at elevated risk for breast cancer (thesis)

Chair: McGregor

Member: Thompson

2008

Aimee Verrall

Social determinants of help-seeking behavior for hearing loss in older adults in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Gates

2008

Allison Stover

Social Functioning Among Long-term Survivors of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (thesis)

Chair: Moinpour

Member: Syrjala

2008

Emily Firman

Mapping the intersections of heterosexual gender identity and sexual behavior among indigenous peoples of Eastern Peru (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Chair: Morrison

Member: Bezruchka

2008

Katarzyna Alderman

Analysis of communication behaviors between callers with llimited English proficiency (LEP) and 9-1-1 dispatchers (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Coronado

2008

Bonnie Burlingham

Women living in a Harm Reduction Housing Project: Who are they and why do they stay or leave housing? (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Marlatt

2007

Marleyse Borchard

Marital income inequality and depression in middle-aged women (thesis)

Chair: Cheadle

Member: Rose

2007

Sarah Burnett

Evaluation of a Life-Skills Based Education HIV/AIDS Education Program in Manzini, Swaziland (thesis)

Chair: Weaver

Member: Gugerty

2007

Diana Lowry

A Community-Based Participatory Feasibility Assessment of the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency�s Comprehensive Cancer Control Path-to-Follow Workshop (thesis)

Chair: Bowen

Member: Guthrie

Member: Moinpour

2007

Yan Guo

Overweight, smoking, and quality of life among adolescents in Washington State (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Topolski

2007

DeAnn Cromp

Barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation among homeless populations (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Halperin

Member: Starks

2007

Aimee Spevak

Sexually Transmitted Infections in At-Risk Young Adults: Can mentoring make a difference? (thesis)

Chair: Manhart

Member: Hartfield

2007

Alison Pyle

Perinatal periods of risk among American Indian/Alaska Native and white populations in three Pacific Northwest states, 2000-2004: Evidence of population disparities (thesis)

Chair: Boutain

Member: Schiff

Member: Duran

2006

Sarah Pulliam

A client-centered program evaluation of an adult day health program for people living with AIDS (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Shiu-Thornton

2006

Jennie Bowen

The association between travel distance and cardiac outcomes among veterans in the VHA system (thesis)

Chair: Sales

Member: Mayer

2006

Brooke Ike

Medical Interpreter Roles (thesis)

Chair: Shiu-Thornton

Member: Pierre-Louis

Member: Senturia

2006

Gina Keppel

Young adult depression and college enrollment status (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Kinne

2006

Moira Mar-Tang

An Exploratory Study on a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) on the Quality of Life (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Marlatt

2006

Thuy Vu

Impact Evaluation of a Month-Long Direct-to-Consumer Colon Cancer Awareness Month Campaign (thesis)

Chair: Bowen

Member: Meischke

2006

Ian Maki

For better or for worse: Societal health and same-sex marriage bans (thesis)

Chair: Lafferty

Member: Fitzpatrick

Member: Patrick

2006

Yingying Zhou

Impact evaluation for China Youth Reproductive Health Project-- The effects of the life-planning skills training program. (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Mercer

2006

Lesley Steinman

An outcome evaluation of the REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Communty Health) coalition of Seattle and King County (thesis)

Chair: Cheadle

Member: Chrisman

2006

Latonya Trotter

The socioeconomic status and adiposity relationship: Does it depend on race/ethnicity or SES measure? (thesis)

Chair: Bowen

Member: Beresford

2006

Margaret Brawley

The Relationship Between Gender Norms and Expectations and the Sexual Practices of Ugandan Men (thesis)

Chair: Downer

Member: Meischke

2006

Jeffery St De Lore

HIV disclosure and subsequent sexual behaviors among men who have sex with men who meet online (thesis)

Chair: Cheadle

Member: Goldbaum

2006

Amy Adelberger

Migration trends and factors among Caribbean nurses between 1995 and 2005 in the context of a high migration region: why is the Bahamas different? (thesis)

Chair: Hagopian

Member: Sales

2006

Christoph Hanssmann

A community-based program evaluation of Verbena Health's community competency trainings (thesis)

Chair: Shiu-Thornton

Member: Bowen

2005

Beatriz Carlini

The tobacco industry's response to the COMMIT trial : an analysis of legacy tobacco documents (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Halperin

Member: Patrick

2005

Gwyneth Moya

Subsequent alcohol and/or drug exposed births in the Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Fitzpatrick

2005

Edwin Orellana

Behavioral and attitudinal risk factors for family violence in Lima, Peru (thesis)

Chair: Shiu-Thornton

Member: Harachi

2005

Marla Russo

Under the covers: A content analysis of sex and birth control in Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen magazines (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Downer

Member: Seifer

2005

Allison Bailey

Access to medical care in Eastern Pierce County, Washington (thesis)

Chair: Thompson

Member: Meischke

2005

Nadia Solehdin

Acculturation, health concerns, perceptions of HIV among Indian and Pakastani immigrant women (thesis)

Chair: Senturia

Member: Shiu-Thornton

2005

Sarah Dominis

Ten-to fourteen-year-olds' perceptions of sex and abstinence (thesis)

Chair: Senturia

Member: Meischke

2005

Hwa-Sun Diaz

The integrative approach to breast cancer treatment: A qualitative exploration at the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center (thesis)

Chair: Thompson

Member: Shiu-Thornton

2005

Laura McKinstry

Telephone notification of HIV test results: Impact in King County, Washington (thesis)

Chair: Goldbaum

Member: Meischke

2005

Christine Rutherford-Stuart

A qualitative study of occupational stress among HIV test counselors (thesis)

Chair: Shiu-Thornton

Member: Senturia

2005

Michael Sanchez

Factors influencing prostate cancer screening decisions among African-American men (thesis)

Chair: Bowen

Member: Spigner

2005

Daniel Taber

Psychosocial determinants of exercise among college students: Improving the application of social cognitive theory (thesis)

Chair: Maciejewski

Member: Meischke

2005

Lindsay White

Neurasthenia in a nationally representative sample of Asian Americans (thesis)

Chair: Maynard

Member: Takeuchi

2004

Lauren Hutchens

An analysis of the bullying prevention programs and practices of Washington State school districts (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

2004

Maile Taualii

Utilization of Urban Indian Health Programs (thesis)

Chair: Oberle

Member: Grembowski

2004

Antoinette Angulo

Condom preferences among young, heterosexual women in Lima, Peru (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Gonzales

2004

William Cann

Household income and relative risk of unintentional drowning death: Washington State, 1989-2001 (thesis)

Chair: Cheadle

Member: Cummings

2004

Catherine Christensen

Exploring communication in colorectal cancer families as a predictor of screening and channel for assistance (thesis)

Chair: Bowen

Member: Meischke

2004

Zandra Lee

Key predictive factors associated with condom use with clients among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya (thesis)

Chair: Downer

Member: Meischke

2004

Suepattra May

Breast cancer screening knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare practitioners in Senegal, West Africa (thesis)

Chair: Urban

Member: Muecke

2004

Michael Underhill

Process evaluation for the MSM HIV/STD Prevention Task Force 2002 media (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Klawitter

2004

Jessica Young

A process evaluation of the teen health center at Ballard High School (thesis)

Chair: Senturia

Member: Grembowski

2003

Catherine Gould

Lack of association between income distribution and health among Washington state counties (thesis)

Chair: Bezruchka

Member: Nicola

2003

Gwendolyn Greiner

Women living with HIV/AIDS, mental illness and substance abuse: an evaluation of HIV transmission risk practices (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Uldall

2003

Veena Arani

The feasibility of shared decision making to improve asthma outcomes (thesis)

Chair: Sullivan

Member: Spigner

2003

Ryan Deibert

Increased access to unrestricted pharmacy sales of syringes in Seattle & King County, Washington: Structural and individual-level changes, 1996 versus 2003 (thesis)

Chair: Goldbaum

Member: Spigner

2003

Wendi Johnson

HIV medication adherence checklist (thesis)

Chair: Lalonde

Member: Downer

2003

Carolina Mejia

Acceptability of the female condom among female sex workers in three regions in Peru. (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Gonzales

2002

Jennifer Kauper-Brown

How participatory action research contributes to systems change : a qualitative case study (thesis)

Chair: Senturia

Member: Thompson

2002

Jennifer Finkle-Weaver

The challenges of doing outcome evaluation in small community-based health programs : a case study of the Powerful Voices' young women's support project (thesis)

Chair: Cheadle

Member: Sohng

Member: Spigner

2002

Diane Oakes

Raised in different places: intergenerational relationships of immigrants and refugees in three Seattle communities (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Cheadle

2002

Christopher Saleeba

Process evaluation of QuitTobacco.org : a smoking cessation web site (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Thompson

2002

Tara McPartland

Perceived threat and knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in college-aged men: Assessing their relationship to reported intentions for behavior change (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Koutsky

2002

Larkin Strong

Sociodemographic predictors of knowledge and attitudes about cancer screening in Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in rural Washington (thesis)

Chair: Thompson

Member: Meischke

2002

Brittany Chang

Child passenger safety: Potential impact of the Washington State Booster Seat Law on childcare centers (thesis)

Chair: Rivara

Member: Bell

Member: Ebel

2002

Sharon Garrett

Help-seeking for substance use problems among homeless adolescents in Seattle, WA (thesis)

Chair: Lalonde

Member: Peterson

Member: Brewer

2002

Gary Chovnick

A process evaluation of the American Cancer Society's Speak Out! youth initiative (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Downer

2002

Erik Janson

Transgender men and their gender identity: experiences and access to health services (thesis)

Chair: Bezruchka

Member: Schroeder

2002

David Reyes

Disclosing a positive HIV diagnosis : experiences of young adult men who have sex with men (thesis)

Chair: Schroeder

Member: Spigner

2001

Elizabeth Hawkins

Alcohol problems among urban American Indian youth : the relationship between cultural identification and alcohol expectancies (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Marlatt

2001

Juanita Heimann

Self-reported occupational pesticide exposure among farmworkers in the lower Yakima Valley of Washington State (thesis)

Chair: Thompson

Member: Salazar

2001

Genevieve Herreria

Risk and protective factors influencing past month tobacco use among Filipino American youth : is acculturation a risk or a protective factor? (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Grembowski

2001

Jennifer Hrachovec

Clinical outcomes and cost-impact of a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation service compared to usual medical care (thesis)

Chair: Sullivan

Member: Smith,N

Member: Psaty

2001

Michael Kirshner

Examining the effects of targeted message on health plan choice. (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Yun

2001

David Lee

An examination of social and behavioral factors potentially affecting black men's ability to adhere to HAART (thesis)

Chair: Senturia

Member: Ryan

2001

Carolyn Stemshorn

No glove, no love: messages about contraception in teen movies (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Downer

2000

Emily Bourcier

Assessment of strategies used by primary food preparers to influence healthy eating, and the relationship to fruit, vegetable, and fat consumption by family members (thesis)

Chair: Bowen

Member: Meischke

2000

Huyen Do

Cervical cancer screening among Chinese immigrants in Seattle, Washington (thesis)

Chair: Taylor

Member: Jackson

Member: Yasui

Member: Spigner

2000

Lisa Lopez

Motives for initiating smoking cessation : a comparison of high-acculturated Hispanics, low-acculturated Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites (thesis)

Chair: Thompson

Member: Grembowski

2000

Nazleen Patel-Ejarque

Client satisfaction: an evaluation of the African American Elders Project (thesis)

Member: Grembowski

Member: Collier

Member: Spigner

2000

Letitia Reason

Female genital cutting among the Kassena-Nankana of Northern Ghana: the relationship between education and perceptions of health risk (thesis)

Chair: Senturia

Member: Leonetti

Member: Mock

1999

Christina An

The impact of home follow-up visits on health care utilization and charges among medicaid newborns (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Grembowski

Member: Temple

1999

Molly Bradshaw

Comparing urgent and less-urgent use of an emergency medical system : characteristics of E-911 medical calls within the King County EMS system (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Cheadle

1999

Sophie Godley

Facing the challenges of teen pregnancy prevention with high risk girls: a qualitative study of the Spokane Regional Health District's Your Choice, Not Chance program (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Senturia

1999

India Ornelas

Predictors of condom use among sexually active adolescents (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Goldbaum

1999

Anne Saulovich

An evaluation of the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Action Alert Network (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Thompson

1999

Kristine Wong

A community-based health survey in South Seattle, Washington : assessment of concerns, perceived risks, and knowledge about environmental pollution (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Koenig

1998

Mary Anderson

Utilizing the health belief model to predict medication adherence in adolescents with asthma (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Grembowski

1998

Gregory Breeden

Mood disorders and length of hospital stay in adult AIDS patients (thesis)

Chair: McCann

Member: Cheadle

1998

Wesley Hanson

The utilization of a behavioral questionnaire for dental caries risk assessment (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Morrison

1998

Jennifer Rasmussen

The design, implementation and evaluation of an educational workbook for primary care patients with depression (thesis)

Chair: Hedrick

Member: Von Korff

1998

Donald Sloma

Teen pregnancy and public health (thesis)

Chair: Bell

Member: Watts

1998

Christine Winters

Characteristics of people seeking alternative health care (thesis)

Chair: Cherkin

Member: Curry

1997

Amy Bonomi

Validation of the United States' version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) instrument (1997) (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Moinpour

1997

Ellen Copas

Cambodian refugee women's postpartum practices and culturally-defined illness : synthesizing interpretive and critical perspectives (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

1997

Suzanne Gillette

Women and homeless persons : an HIV/AIDS prevention education needs assessment (thesis)

Chair: Hedrick

Member: Lalonde

1997

Ann Glusker

Patterns and determinants of fetal, neonatal and infant deaths in Washington State (thesis)

Chair: Hale

Member: Grembowski

1997

Kristen Bush

A three question screen for recent heavy or problem drinking in a primary care population (thesis)

Chair: Curry

Member: Bradley

Member: Kivlahan

1997

Anna Mastroianni

Implementation of a federal policy mandate: the NIH training requirement for research ethics (thesis)

Chair: Pearlman

Member: Jonsen

1997

Shelly McKeirnan

Self-efficacy and adherence in a dietary intervention to lower plasma cholesterol (thesis)

Chair: McCann

Member: Graham

Member: Kinne

1997

Kristen Reed

Evaluating prevention programs with the results mapping evaluation tool : a case study of a youth substance abuse prevention program (thesis)

Chair: Cheadle

Member: Thompson

1997

Sheryl Vick

A process evaluation of an outpatient diabetes education program (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Collins

1996

Juliana Cyril

Risk of injury among children with chronic conditions and disabilities (thesis)

Chair: Richardson

Member: Jaffe

1996

Kristin LaCroix

'Whatever will be, will be': determinants of cancer fatalism among older low income women in Washington State (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Allen-Barash

1996

Uyen Ly

Domestic violence and Asian/Pacific Islander Americans: health services provision in King County (thesis)

Chair: Spigner

Member: Shiu-Thornton

1996

Judy Schaefer

Self-management of chronic illness (thesis)

Chair: Kinne

Member: Von Korff

1996

Ellen Smolker Lopez

The impact of partner's smoking status on the pregnant woman's motivation to quit smoking, and her perception of social support from her partner (thesis)

Chair: Curry

Member: McBride

1996

Jon Hussey

Homicide, suicide, and accident mortality among children and young adults : the role of race, education, and family disruption (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Almgren

1996

Louise Warren

Diffusion and adoption of the internet for teaching elementary school health (thesis)

Chair: Meischke

Member: Collins

1995

Anne Esacove

Frozen in the headlights : Women's responses to unwanted sexual attention (thesis)

Chair: Bell

Member: Lowenberg

1995

Grace Gu

Factors related to prenatal care services utilization in Luoping, Yunnan, China (thesis)

Chair: Kinne

Member: Lavely

1995

Nicole Sadow-Hasenberg

Veterans with multiple sclerosis in Washington State : Differences among users and non-users of the VA system (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Bird

1995

Michelle Willix

In-service training: depression in nursing home residents (thesis)

Chair: Hedrick

Member: Hoeyman

1994

Malka Appelbaum-Maizel

Popular discourse on the body : post-modern concerns about the biomedical model (thesis)

Chair: Patrick

Member: Rhodes

Member: Chrisman

1994

Eric Johnson

The cost-effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the management of osteoarthritis : a retrospective cohort study in a health maintenance organization (thesis)

Chair: Stergachis

Member: Lessler

Member: Sullivan

1994

Margaret Terp

Oral hygiene care for institutionalized people with mental retardation/developmental disabilities : a proposed research protocol and feasibility survey (thesis)

Chair: Durham

Member: Grembowski

1993

Susan Brandzel

Socioeconomic and psycho-social determinants influencing adolescent utilization of a new school-based clinic (thesis)

Chair: Grembowski

Member: Meischke

1993

Steven Preston

Lower extremity ulcers, amputation and inpatient mortality in hospitalized persons with diabetes : national population risk factors and associations (thesis)

Chair: Reiber

Member: Koepsell

1993

Mary Southgate

A study of prenatal care and low birth weight among migrant and seasonal farm workers in Oregon (thesis)

Chair: Thompson

Member: Grembowski

Member: Hickok

1992

Viktor Bovbjerg

Spouse support and dietary modification among hypercholesterolemic men (thesis)

Chair: Patrick