Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Applied Health Research and Evaluation
Committee Chair/Advisor
Joel E. Williams, PhD
Committee Member
Moonseong Heo, PhD
Committee Member
Lu Zhang, PhD
Committee Member
Rodney Joseph, PhD
Abstract
This research addresses the public health challenge of diabetes by exploring how to better predict who is at risk and how to design effective prevention programs for different groups of people. The first study (Paper 1) describes development of a predictive model to identify people at high risk for diabetes. Using multiple years of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey data, a predictive model was developed and tested. The model demonstrated that obesity is the most significant risk factor for diabetes. It also identified social and economic factors, such as income and education levels, as being strongly linked to a higher risk of the disease.
The second study (Paper 2) was conducted to investigate how the associations between key lifestyle factors and diabetes are modified by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Its major findings are that diabetes risk factors do not affect everyone equally. The study also found that women are more vulnerable to the negative effects of poor sleep and drinking than men. These findings show that generic health advice is not enough. Prevention strategies must be tailored to a person's specific demographic background to be effective.
The third study (Paper 3) examined successful physical activity programs for Black and Hispanic women, two groups generally known to be with particularly low activity levels. We found that the culturally tailored programs that are most successful for increasing physical activities.
Recommended Citation
Ankomah, Samuel, "Comprehensive Analysis of Diabetes Risk Factors and Interventions: Predictive Modeling, and Physical Activity." (2026). All Dissertations. 4202.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4202