Department of Public Health and Exercise Science

Adam Hege

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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 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)

  • Galphin, G.*, Hege, A., Page, A.D. (2024). Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on intimate partner violence and child maltreatment in rural northwest North Carolina. Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(3):93-98.
  • 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
  • Food insecurity among N.C. university and college students
Title: Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, Associate Professor of Public Health, PhD, Community Health Education, MPA, Public Administration, Graduate Faculty
Department: Beaver College of Health Sciences

Email address: Email me

Phone: (828) 262-7675

Office address
Leon Levine Hall 448J