Department of Public Health and Exercise Science

Education

• PhD, Community Health Education, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, 2015
  • Dissertation: The Relationship between Long-Haul Truck Drivers' Work Organization and Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference, and Cardio-Metabolic Disease Risk

• MPA, Public Management, Appalachian State University, 2011
  • Capstone Project: Physical Activity Promotion in Urban Areas – Content Analysis of the Nine Largest Metropolitan Parks and Recreation Departments in North Carolina

• MS, Sport Studies, High Point University, 2007

• BA, Athletic Training, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, 2003

Current Teaching

• Professional Development in Public Health (PH 2400)
• Health Policy, Ethics & Law (PH 4600)

Professional Affiliations

• American Public Health Association (APHA)
• Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE)
• North Carolina Society for Public Health Education (NC SOPHE)
• North Carolina Public Health Association (NCPHA)

Research Interests

• Social determinants of health
• Occupational/Worksite health and safety
• Health disparities among rural communities
• Community-based participatory research

Selected Publications Since 2015

(*student, **community partner)

Krasniuk, S., Lemke, M.K., Hassoun, A., Hege, A., Crizzle, A.M. (2024). Improving the truck stop environment for long-haul truck drivers: A scoping review. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 185:104123. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096585642400171X

Hege, A. (2024). Adverse Childhood Experiences  and Cardiovascular Disease Risks: Implications for North Carolina and the Need for an Upstream Approach. North Carolina Medical Journal, 85(1): 37-41. https://ncmedicaljournal.com/article/91428-adverse-childhood-experiences-and-cardiovascular-disease-risks-implications-for-north-carolina-and-the-need-for-an-upstream-approach. Invited commentary. 

Lemke, M.K., Hege, A., Crizzle, A. (2023). An Agenda for Advancing Research and Prevention in Work Organization, Occupational Stress, and Mental Health and Wellbeing: The Case of Truck Drivers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(11): 6010; https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/11/6010, Special Issue: Invited Manuscript. 

Thompson, M., Schroeder Tyson, J., Hege, A. (2023). COVID-19 related Stress, Risk for Suicidal Behavior, and Protective Factors in a National Sample of College Students. Journal of  American College Health. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07448481.2023.2186140

Lemke, M., Houghtaling, B., Winkler, M., Hege, A. (2023). Rethinking efforts to improve dietary patterns among long-haul truck drivers: Transforming truck stop retail food environments through upstream change. American Journal of Health Promotion. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08901171231155050

Bauler, S., Hege, A., Davis, T., Schluth, E.*, Pruitt, C.*, Moreno, V.*, Bouldin E. (2022). Behavioral determinants for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among students, faculty, and staff at a rural public university. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 10(1): 467-479. doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2022.2074007

Hagedorn-Hatfield, R., Hood, L.B., Hege, A. (2022). A Decade of College Student Hunger: What We Know and Where We Need to Go. Frontiers in Public Health. doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.837724  

Hege, A., Lane, S., Spaulding, T., Sugg, M., Iyer, L. (2022). County-Level Social Determinants of Health and COVID-19 in Nursing Homes, United States, June 1, 2020—January 31, 2021. Public Health Reports, 137(1): 137-148. doi.org/10.1177/00333549211053666

Hagedorn, R.L., Olfert, M.D., MacNell, L., Houghtaling, B., Hood, L.B., Savoie Roskos, M.R., Goetz, J.R., Kern-Lyons, V., Knol, L.L, Mann, G.R., Esquivel, M.K., Hege, A., Walsh, J., Pearson, K., Berner, M., Soldavini, J., Anderson-Steeves, E., Spence, M., Paul, C., Waity, J.F., Wall-Bassett, E.D., Hingle, M.D., Kelly, E.B., Lillis, J.B., Coleman, P., Fontenot, M.C. (2021). College Student Sleep Quality and Mental and Physical Health are Associated with Food Insecurity in a Multi-Campus Study. Public Health Nutrition. doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021001191

Patterson, M.S., Nelon, J.L., Lemke, M.K., Sönmez, S, & Hege, A., Apostolopoulos, Y. (2021). Exploring the role of social network structure in disease risk among U.S. long-haul truck drivers in urban areas. American Journal of Health Behavior, 45(1): 174-185. doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.45.1.14

Lemke, M., Hege, A., Apostolopoulos, Y., Sönmez, S. (2021). Hours-of-service compliance and safety outcomes among long-haul truck drivers. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 76: 297-308. doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2020.11.017

Ashcraft, K.R., Hege, A., Fiske, B., Harmon, K., Glover, J., Forliti, K.* (2020). Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma and Resilience through Interprofessional Course Development. Journal of Interprofessional Care. DOI:10.1080/135618.2020.1826413

Sugg, M., Spaulding, T., Lane, S., Runkle, J., Harden, S., Hege, A., Iyer, L. (2020). Mapping Community-Level Determinants of COVID-19 Transmission in Nursing Homes: A multi-scale approach. Science of the Total Environment, 752: 141946.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141946. 

Hege, A., Bouldin, E.D., Roy, M., Bennett, M.*, Attaway, P.*, Reed-Ashcraft, K. (2020). Adverse Childhood Experiences among adults in North Carolina, USA: Influences on risk factors for poor health across the lifespan and intergenerational implications. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22): 8548.  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228548.

Bouldin, E.D., Vandenberg, A.*, Roy, M., Hege, A., Zwetsloot, J.J., Howard, J.S. (2020). Prevalence and Domains of Disability within and outside Appalachian North Carolina: 2013-2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Disability and Health Journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2019.100879

Roy, M., Bouldin. E.D., Bennett, M.*, Hege, A.  (2019). Adult food security and the relationship with Adverse Childhood Experiences among residents of Appalachian North Carolina. Journal of Appalachian Health, 1(3): 17-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0103.03

Hege, A., Lemke, M.K., Apostolopoulos, Y., & Sönmez, S. (2019). The Impact of Work Organization, Job Stress, and Sleep on the Health Behaviors and Outcomes of U.S. Long-Haul Truck Drivers. Health Education & Behavior, 46(4):626-636. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198119826232

Hege, A., Lemke, M.K., Apostolopoulos, Y., Whitaker, B., & Sönmez, S. (2019). Work-life conflict among U.S. long-haul truck drivers: Influences of work organization, perceived job stress, sleep, and organizational support. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(6):984. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060984

Hege, A., Lemke, M.K., Apostolopoulos, Y., & Sönmez, S. (2018). Occupational health disparities among U.S. long-haul truck drivers: the influence of work organization and sleep on cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk. PLOS ONE, 13(11): e0207322. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207322

Hege, A., Ball, L., Christiana, R.W., Wallace, C.*, Hubbard, C.*, Truesdale, D.*, Hege, J.**, Fleming, H.** (2018). Social determinants of health and the effects on quality of life and wellbeing in two rural Appalachia communities: The community members’ perspective and implications for health disparities. Family & Community Health, 41(4): 244-254. doi: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000201

Hege, A., Christiana, R.W., Battista, R., Parkhurst, H*. (2017). Active Living in Rural Appalachia: Using the Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) Tools to Explore Environmental Barriers. Preventive Medicine Reports, 8: 261-266. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.11.007

Lemke, M.K., Hege, A., Apostolopoulos, Y., Wideman, L., Sönmez, S. (2017). Work and Sleep among Transport Operators: Disparities and Implications for Safety. Journal of Transport and Health, 7: 298-309. (Corresponding author). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2017.08.006

Hege, A., Lemke, M., Apostolopoulos, Y., Perko, M., Sönmez, S., Strack, R. (2017). U.S. Long-Haul Truck Driver Work Organization and the Association with Cardiometabolic Disease Risk. Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 72(5): 303-310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2016.1242468

Apostolopoulos, Y., Lemke, M.K., Hege, A., Sang, H., Sönmez, S., Wideman, L., Oberlin, D.J.  (2016). Work and Chronic Disease: Comparison of Cardiometabolic Risk Markers Between Truck Drivers and the General U.S. Population.  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 58(11), 1098-1105. DOI: https://doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000000867

Lemke, M.K., Apostolopoulos, Y, Hege, A., Sönmez, S., Wideman, L.  (2016). Understanding the Role of Sleep Quality and Sleep Duration in Commercial Driving Safety. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 97, 79-86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.08.024

Hege, A., Perko, M., Apostolopoulos, Y., Sönmez, S., Strack, R. (2016). The Work Organization of Long-Haul Truck Drivers and the Association with Body Mass Index (BMI).  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 58(7), 712-717. DOI: doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000734

Lemke, M., Hege, A., Perko, M., Sönmez, S., Apostolopoulos, Y.  (2015). Work patterns, sleeping hours and excess weight in commercial drivers.  Occupational Medicine, 65(9), 725-731. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqv080

Hege, A., Perko, M., Johnson, A., Yu, C.H., Sönmez, S., Apostolopoulos, Y.  (2015). Surveying the impact of work hours and schedules on commercial motor vehicle driver sleep. Safety and Health at Work, 6(2), 104-113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2015.02.001

Book Chapters

Hege, A., Presnell, D.**, Reed-Ashcraft, K., Caldwell, K., Pyles, D., Bouldin, E.D., Warren, J.** (2020). Advocacy and action in Appalachia Aimed at Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Watauga Compassionate Community Initiative. In Handbook of Research on Leadership and Advocacy for Children and Families in Rural Poverty. IGI Global: Hershey PA. Link to chapter.

Hege, A., Farris, A., Dailey, A., Julian, M.** (2020). Promoting Nutritional Health, Healthy Food Systems, & Well Being of Community. In Public Health Nutrition: Rural Urban, and Global Community-Based Practice. 

Book

Barth, M., Bell, R., Grimmer, K., Thompson, K., Hege, A. Eds. (2020). Public Health Nutrition: Rural, Urban, and Global Community-Based Practice. Springer Publishing: New York, NY.

Current Projects

Understanding and addressing health disparities, social determinants of health (food security, adverse childhood experiences, etc.) and quality of life in the rural Appalachia region of North Carolina

Exploring the role of work in relation to health disparities and safety outcomes of U.S. long-haul truck drivers

Factors contributing to the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes

Food insecurity among N.C. university and college students