Theses - Honors College
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2104/8111
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Browsing Theses - Honors College by Author "Abell, Troy"
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Item The Effects of Body Type on Maternal Fat Specialization During Pregnancy(2021-05-19) Tompkins, Connor; Abell, Troy; University Scholar.; Baylor University.It would be helpful to understand the anthropometric factors that influence fetal growth in order to maximize the number of infants born within the birthweight range that is least associated with morbidity and mortality (2,500-4,000 grams). Existing literature demonstrates that upper-body fat tends to fuel fetal growth, while lower body fat is stored to fuel lactation postpartum. However, there is little research into whether this phenomenon is consistent across all subgroups of women. This thesis analyzes data from a prospective cohort study that collected anthropometric data on 355 mother-infant pairs from the first prenatal visit to after delivery. These data support the hypothesis that the subgroup of women with large amounts of lower body fat and small amounts of upper-body fat is an exception to the general trend. This population was split between a Lower-Fat Only ‘Pear’ group and a ‘Non-Pear’ group according to a relative measure of fat distribution. A multiple regression analysis predicting fetal growth was run on these two groups, but BMI was replaced with a measure of lower body adiposity, thigh circumference, and a measure of upper-body adiposity, subscapular skinfold. In the ‘Pear’ subgroup, thigh circumference was significantly associated with fetal growth (b = 30.0g, p = 0.0389), while the subscapular skinfold was not (b = 2.8g, p = 0.8818). The opposite relationship was demonstrated in the ‘Non-Pear’ group. In the majority of the population, the subscapular skinfold was significantly related to fetal growth (b = 10.7g, p = 0.0009) while the thigh circumference was not (b = -1.6g, p = 0.7250). This adds nuance to the existing body of knowledge. It confirms that upper-body adiposity fuels fetal growth in the majority of women, but lower body fat fuels fetal group in the subgroup of women with large lower body fat stores and small upper-body fat stores.Item Ethnicity-Specific Modeling of Infant Mortality in the United States: 1995-2013James, Jessica; Abell, Troy; Medical Humanities.; Baylor University.; Honors College - Honors ProgramInfant mortality serves as a valuable indicator of the overall health of a nation, and the United States consistently ranks among the highest in the proportion of infant deaths when compared to other developed countries. This study aims to analyze the disparities in infant mortality between infants of African-American, Hispanic-American, and non-Hispanic European-American descent from 1995 through 2013, as mediated through sex, birthweight, and gestational age. The data were obtained from the CDC’s Linked Birth and Infant Death Data and analyzed biannually for a total of ten years studied. It was found that cumulative mortality declined from 1995 to 2013 for all groups. African-American infants consistently had a greater cumulative mortality than European-American and Hispanic-American infants; however, this disparity decreased over the eighteen years analyzed. These results indicate that while significant disparities in infant mortality still exist, they are decreasing over time as infant mortality continues to decline.Item Sex-Specific Modeling of Infant Mortality in the United States: 1995-2013Venkata, Bhaarathi; Abell, Troy; Biochemistry.; Baylor University.; Honors College - Honors ProgramInfant mortality in the United States is significantly higher compared to other developed countries. The purpose of this study is to examine infant mortality over a period of eighteen years and compare mortality trends between female and male infants while adjusting for ethnicity, birthweight, and gestational age. This study utilized NCHS’s Linked Birth/Infant Death Data, sampling biannually from 1995 through 2013 (n=40,388,319) and analyzed cumulative infant mortality, perinatal mortality, and neonatal mortality. The overall cumulative infant mortality across 1995-2013 decreased, and female infants demonstrated a lower cumulative infant mortality in comparison with male infants. Both female infant mortality and male infant mortality decreased, while the discrepancy between female and male births stayed the same over the eighteen-year period. Further research will focus on building more precise models that aid our understanding of ways to further decrease infant mortality in the U.S.