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Fork It, Kylee Pipgrass

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Obesity prevalence is at an alarmingly high rate within the United States, but especially in rural areas of Kentucky. Obesity can lead to a variety of negative physical health outcomes including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some cancers. There are also mental disorders associated with obesity through mechanisms such as weight stigma and self-perception. Similar to obesity rates, prevalence and mortality associated of these health outcomes are also seen at disproportionately higher rates in rural, Appalachian Kentucky. Causes for increased obesity and obesity related consequences include some genetic factors as well as behavioral factors like physical inactivity, poor diet, stress, …

Transforming Obesity Prevention For Children (Topchild) Collaboration: Protocol For A Systematic Review With Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis Of Behavioural Interventions For The Prevention Of Early Childhood Obesity, Kylie E. Hunter, Brittany J. Johnson, Lisa Askie, Rebecca K. Golley, Louise A. Baur, Ian C. Marschner, Rachael W. Taylor, Luke Wolfenden, Charles T. Wood, Seema Mihrshahi, Alison J. Hayes, Chris Rissel, Kristy P. Robledo, Denise A. O'Connor, David Espinoza, Lukas P. Staub, Paul Chadwick, Sarah Taki, Angie Barba, Sol Libesman, Ana Maria Linares

Nursing Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Behavioural interventions in early life appear to show some effect in reducing childhood overweight and obesity. However, uncertainty remains regarding their overall effectiveness, and whether effectiveness differs among key subgroups. These evidence gaps have prompted an increase in very early childhood obesity prevention trials worldwide. Combining the individual participant data (IPD) from these trials will enhance statistical power to determine overall effectiveness and enable examination of individual and trial-level subgroups. We present a protocol for a systematic review with IPD meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of obesity prevention interventions commencing antenatally or in the first year after birth, and …

Unpacking The Behavioural Components And Delivery Features Of Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions In The Topchild Collaboration: A Systematic Review And Intervention Coding Protocol, Brittany J. Johnson, Kylie E. Hunter, Rebecca K. Golley, Paul Chadwick, Angie Barba, Mason Aberoumand, Sol Libesman, Lisa Askie, Rachael W. Taylor, Kristy P. Robledo, Seema Mihrshahi, Denise A. O'Connor, Alison J. Hayes, Luke Wolfenden, Charles T. Wood, Louise A. Baur, Chris Rissel, Lukas P. Staub, Sarah Taki, Wendy Smith, Ana Maria Linares

Nursing Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about how early (eg, commencing antenatally or in the first 12 months after birth) obesity prevention interventions seek to change behaviour and which components are or are not effective. This study aims to (1) characterise early obesity prevention interventions in terms of target behaviours, delivery features and behaviour change techniques (BCTs), (2) explore similarities and differences in BCTs used to target behaviours and (3) explore effectiveness of intervention components in preventing childhood obesity.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Annual comprehensive systematic searches will be performed in Epub Ahead of Print/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane (CENTRAL), CINAHL, PsycINFO, as well as …

Implementation Of Farmers Markets In Bell County, Kentucky, Rachael Schmetzer

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

This proposal addresses the link between food insecurity and obesity through the implementation of farmers markets in Bell County, Kentucky as a way to increase access and consumption of fruits and vegetables in this rural, low-income community.

Potential Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Complications Associated With Obesity In Adult Women In The United States., Cassidy Taylor

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to determine whether there is an association between socioeconomic factors and complications of obesity in adult women in the United States based on the national 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data.

Dependent variables were categorized as complications associated with obesity in adult, obese women. BRFSS items that referenced objective measures regarding chronic obesity-related complications included items such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and breast cancer diagnosis. Two measures relating to participants’ socioeconomic status were also used as independent variables. BRFSS items that referenced objective measures regarding socioeconomic status are educational attainment, …

Associations Of Circulating Dimethylarginines With The Metabolic Syndrome In The Framingham Offspring Study, Ibrahim Musa Yola, Carlee Moser, Meredith S. Duncan, Edzard Schwedhelm, Dorothee Atzler, Renke Maas, Juliane Hannemann, Rainer H. Böger, Ramachandran S. Vasan, Vanessa Xanthakis

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Circulating levels of the endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), are positively associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in cross-sectional investigations. It is unclear if circulating ADMA and other methylarginines are associated with incident MetS prospectively.

METHODS: We related circulating ADMA, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), L-arginine (ARG) concentrations (measured with a validated tandem mass spectrometry assay) and the ARG/ADMA ratio to MetS and its components in 2914 (cross-sectional analysis, logistic regression; mean age 58 years, 55% women) and 1656 (prospective analysis, Cox regression; mean age 56 years, 59% women) individuals from the Framingham Offspring Study …

Screen Time Parenting Practices And Associations With Preschool Children’S Tv Viewing And Weight-Related Outcomes, Cody D. Neshteruk, Gina L. Tripicchio, Stephanie Lobaugh, Amber E. Vaughn, Courtney T. Luecking, Stephanie Mazzucca, Dianne S. Ward

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between screen time (ST) parenting practices and 2–5-year-old children’s TV viewing and weight status. Data were collected from 252 parent–child dyads enrolled in a randomized parent-focused childhood obesity prevention trial from 2009–2012. ST parenting practices were assessed at baseline using a validated parent-reported survey. Parent-reported child TV viewing and objectively measured anthropometrics were assessed at baseline, post-intervention (35 weeks), and follow-up (59 weeks). Marginal effect models were developed to test the association between baseline ST parenting practices and children’s TV viewing, BMI z-score, and waist circumference across all time points. Limiting/monitoring …

“We’Re, Like, The Most Unhealthy People In The Country”: Employing An Equity Lens To Reduce Barriers To Healthy Food Access In Rural Appalachia, Kathryn Cardarelli, Emily M. Dewitt, Rachel Gillespie, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Natalie Jones, Janet Tietyen Mullins

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Introduction

Obesity disproportionately affects rural communities, and Appalachia has some of the highest obesity rates in the nation. Successful policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) interventions to reduce obesity must reflect the circumstances of the population. We used a health equity lens to identify barriers and facilitators for healthy food access in Martin County, Kentucky, to design interventions responsive to social, cultural, and historical contexts.

Methods

We conducted 5 focus groups in Martin County, Kentucky, in fall 2019 to obtain perspectives on the local food system and gauge acceptability of PSE interventions. We used grounded theory to identify perceived barriers and …

Time Spent Exercising And Obesity: An Application Of Lewbel’S Instrumental Variables Method, Charles J. Courtemanche, Joshua C. Pinkston, Jay Stewart

Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise Working Papers

This paper examines the role physical activity plays in determining body mass using data from the American Time Use Survey. Our work is the first to address the measurement error that arises when time use during a single day—rather than average daily time use over an extended period—is used as an explanatory variable. We show that failing to account for day-to-day variation in activities results in the effects of time use on a typical day being understated. Furthermore, we account for the possibility that physical activity and body mass are jointly determined by implementing Lewbel’s instrumental variables estimator that exploits …

Cardiac Effects Of Obesity During Pregnancy In C57bl/6j Mice, Kayla Lynn Dudick

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Objective: Pregnancy requires profound cardiac and metabolic adaptation. Left ventricular (LV) mass is increased in response to pregnancy, but is not associated with cardiac damage. In contrast, obesity-mediated cardiac hypertrophy is pathological. Data from animal studies indicate dietary fatty acid composition may have a protective effect during states of extreme cardiac physiological adaptation. In contrast, aberrant cardiac metabolism is a hallmark of disease. Over a third of reproductive-age women in the United States are obese, but there is a paucity of data describing the effect of obesity on maternal cardiac adaptation to pregnancy. The objective of this study was to …

West Virginia’S Sugary Drink Tax: Examining Print Media Frames In Local News Sources, Lauri Andress, Ogaga Urhie, Christine Compton

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Framing is an important aspect of the policy process that helps the public and decision makers sort through and resolve highly charged claims about an issue. Through slight changes in the presentation of issues, a framing effect may alter public support. The way a proposed sugary drink tax is discussed in public discourse and by the media significantly influences policy acceptance. Given the public health significance of obesity and diabetes in West Virginia (WV) the study of media frames employed to represent a sugary drink tax policy is useful.

Methods: Using quantitative content analysis, this study assessed news articles—published …

An Integrative Cross-Omics Analysis Of Dna Methylation Sites Of Glucose And Insulin Homeostasis, Jun Liu, Elena Carnero-Montoro, Jenny Van Dongen, Samantha Lent, Ivana Nedeljkovic, Symen Ligthart, Pei-Chien Tsai, Tiphaine C. Martin, Pooja R. Mandaviya, Rick Jansen, Marjolein J. Peters, Liesbeth Duijts, Vincent W. V. Jaddoe, Henning Tiemeier, Janine F. Felix, Gonneke Willemsen, Eco J. C. De Geus, Audrey Y. Chu, Daniel Levy, Shih-Jen Hwang, Jan Bressler, Rahul Gondalia, Elias L. Salfati, Christian Herder, Bertha A. Hidalgo, Toshiko Tanaka, Ann Zenobia Moore, Rozenn N. Lemaitre, Min A. Jhun, Jennifer A. Smith, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Despite existing reports on differential DNA methylation in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity, our understanding of its functional relevance remains limited. Here we show the effect of differential methylation in the early phases of T2D pathology by a blood-based epigenome-wide association study of 4808 non-diabetic Europeans in the discovery phase and 11,750 individuals in the replication. We identify CpGs in LETM1, RBM20, IRS2, MAN2A2 and the 1q25.3 region associated with fasting insulin, and in FCRL6, SLAMF1, APOBEC3H and the 15q26.1 region with fasting glucose. In silico cross-omics analyses highlight the role of differential methylation …

Metabolic Syndrome And The Risk Of Breast Cancer And Subtypes By Race, Menopause And Bmi, Daniel T. Dibaba, Dejana Braithwaite, Tomi Akinyemiju

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of metabolic syndrome (MetS) with the risk of invasive breast cancer and molecular subtypes across race, menopause, and body mass index (BMI) groups. We examined the association of metabolic syndrome and its components with risk of invasive breast cancer among 94,555 female participants of the National Institute of Health-American Association of Retired Persons (NIH-AARP) Diet and Health Study, accounting for ductal carcinoma in situ as a competing risk. Cox proportional hazard regression with the Fine and Gray method was used to generate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) …

Epigenomics And Metabolomics Reveal The Mechanism Of The Apoa2-Saturated Fat Intake Interaction Affecting Obesity, Chao-Qiang Lai, Caren E. Smith, Laurence D. Parnell, Yu-Chi Lee, Dolores Corella, Paul Hopkins, Bertha A. Hidalgo, Stella Aslibekyan, Michael A. Province, Devin Absher, Donna K. Arnett, Katherine L. Tucker, Jose M. Ordovas

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: The putative functional variant −265T > C (rs5082) within the APOA2 promoter has shown consistent interactions with saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake to influence the risk of obesity.

Objective: The aim of this study was to implement an integrative approach to characterize the molecular basis of this interaction.

Design: We conducted an epigenome-wide scan on 80 participants carrying either the rs5082 CC or TT genotypes and consuming either a low-SFA (< 22 g/d) or high-SFA diet (≥ 22 g/d), matched for age, sex, BMI, and diabetes status in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS). We then validated the findings in selected participants in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) Study (n = 379) and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) (n = 243). Transcription and metabolomics analyses were conducted to determine the relation between epigenetic status, APOA2 mRNA expression, …

Epigenome-Wide Association Study Of Metabolic Syndrome In African-American Adults, Tomi Akinyemiju, Anh N. Do, Amit Patki, Stella Aslibekyan, Degui Zhi, Bertha Hidalgo, Hemant K. Tiwari, Devin Absher, Xin Geng, Donna K. Arnett, Marguerite R. Irvin

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: The high prevalence of obesity among US adults has resulted in significant increases in associated metabolic disorders such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure. Together, these disorders constitute metabolic syndrome, a clinically defined condition highly prevalent among African-Americans. Identifying epigenetic alterations associated with metabolic syndrome may provide additional information regarding etiology beyond current evidence from genome-wide association studies.

Methods: Data on metabolic syndrome and DNA methylation was assessed on 614 African-Americans from the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) study. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the joint harmonized criteria, and DNA methylation was assessed using the Illumina HumanMethylation450K Bead …

Evaluation Of Barriers For Small-Scale Fruit And Vegetable Growers In Kentucky, Amanda Schroeder Hege

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The food system in the United States has witnessed significant challenges resulting in food security and safety concerns, environmental damage, economic distress, and a decline in our population’s health. While the last fifty years showed a drop in land and workforce dedicated to farming, industrialized farms are producing an overabundance of cheap corn that directly supplies inexpensive, unhealthy foods leading to American’s diets falling short of recommendations for good health, thus contributing to the obesity epidemic. This study utilizes an upstream approach to learn from farmers’ ability to grow good food that promotes healthy people, environments, and communities. Specifically, the …

Cancer-Related Risk Factors And Incidence Of Major Cancers By Race, Gender And Region; Analysis Of The Nih-Aarp Diet And Health Study, Tomi Akinyemiju, Howard Wiener, Maria Pisu

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Racial disparities in the incidence of major cancers may be attributed to differences in the prevalence of established, modifiable risk factors such as obesity, smoking, physical activity and diet.

Methods: Data from a prospective cohort of 566,398 adults aged 50–71 years, 19,677 African-American and 450,623 Whites, was analyzed. Baseline data on cancer-related risk factors such as smoking, alcohol, physical activity and dietary patterns were used to create an individual adherence score. Differences in adherence by race, gender and geographic region were assessed using descriptive statistics, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the association between adherence and …

Obesity, Metabolic Factors And Risk Of Different Histological Types Of Lung Cancer: A Mendelian Randomization Study, Robert Carreras-Torres, Mattias Johansson, Philip C. Haycock, Kaitlin H. Wade, Caroline L. Relton, Richard M. Martin, George Davey Smith, Demetrius Albanes, Melinda C. Aldrich, Angeline Andrew, Susanne M. Arnold, Heike Bickeböller, Stig E. Bojesen, Hans Brunnström, Jonas Manjer, Irene Brüske, Neil E. Caporaso, Chu Chen, David C. Christiani, Warren Jay Christian, Jennifer A. Doherty, Eric J. Duell, John K. Field, Michael P. A. Davies, Michael W. Marcus, Gary E. Goodman, Kjell Grankvist, Aage Haugen, Yun-Chul Hong, Lambertus A. Kiemeney

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background

Assessing the relationship between lung cancer and metabolic conditions is challenging because of the confounding effect of tobacco. Mendelian randomization (MR), or the use of genetic instrumental variables to assess causality, may help to identify the metabolic drivers of lung cancer.

Methods and findings

We identified genetic instruments for potential metabolic risk factors and evaluated these in relation to risk using 29,266 lung cancer cases (including 11,273 adenocarcinomas, 7,426 squamous cell and 2,664 small cell cases) and 56,450 controls. The MR risk analysis suggested a causal effect of body mass index (BMI) on lung cancer risk for two of …

Discovery And Fine-Mapping Of Adiposity Loci Using High Density Imputation Of Genome-Wide Association Studies In Individuals Of African Ancestry: African Ancestry Anthropometry Genetics Consortium, Maggie C. Y. Ng, Mariaelisa Graff, Yingchang Lu, Anne E. Justice, Poorva Mudgal, Ching-Ti Liu, Kristin Young, Lisa R. Yanek, Mary F. Feitosa, Mary K. Wojczynski, Kristin Rand, Jennifer A. Brody, Brian E. Cade, Latchezar Dimitrov, Qing Duan, Xiuqing Guo, Leslie A. Lange, Michael A. Nalls, Hayrettin Okut, Salman M. Tajuddin, Bamidele O. Tayo, Sailaja Vedantam, Jonathan P. Bradfield, Guanjie Chen, Wei-Min Chen, Alessandra Chesi, Marguerite R. Irvin, Badri Padhukasahasram, Jennifer A. Smith, Wei Zheng, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified > 300 loci associated with measures of adiposity including body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (adjusted for BMI, WHR_adjBMI), but few have been identified through screening of the African ancestry genomes. We performed large scale meta-analyses and replications in up to 52,895 individuals for BMI and up to 23,095 individuals for WHR_adjBMI from the African Ancestry Anthropometry Genetics Consortium (AAAGC) using 1000 Genomes phase 1 imputed GWAS to improve coverage of both common and low frequency variants in the low linkage disequilibrium African ancestry genomes. In the sex-combined analyses, we identified …

Association Of Body Mass Index With Dna Methylation And Gene Expression In Blood Cells And Relations To Cardiometabolic Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Approach, Michael M. Mendelson, Riccardo E. Marioni, Roby Joehanes, Chunyu Liu, Åsa K. Hedman, Stella Aslibekyan, Ellen W. Demerath, Weihua Guan, Degui Zhi, Chen Yao, Tianxiao Huan, Christine Willinger, Brian Chen, Paul Courchesne, Michael Multhaup, Marguerite R. Irvin, Ariella Cohain, Eric E. Schadt, Megan L. Grove, Jan Bressler, Kari North, Johan Sundström, Stefan Gustafsson, Sonia Shah, Allan F. Mcrae, Sarah E. Harris, Jude Gibson, Paul Redmond, Janie Corley, Lee Murphy, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background

The link between DNA methylation, obesity, and adiposity-related diseases in the general population remains uncertain.

Methods and Findings

We conducted an association study of body mass index (BMI) and differential methylation for over 400,000 CpGs assayed by microarray in whole-blood-derived DNA from 3,743 participants in the Framingham Heart Study and the Lothian Birth Cohorts, with independent replication in three external cohorts of 4,055 participants. We examined variations in whole blood gene expression and conducted Mendelian randomization analyses to investigate the functional and clinical relevance of the findings. We identified novel and previously reported BMI-related differential methylation at 83 CpGs …

Smart Moves Bright Bodies: A Rural Adaptation To Combat Obesity Among African-American Teenagers In Wilcox And Lowndes Counties, Alabama, Nicole D. Fields

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Obesity is a significant problem in the United States; however, it is a burgeoning epidemic among youth in the United States. As of 2016, Alabama is the second-most obese state in the nation¹ and 16% of Alabama adolescents are obese². While obesity is a significant problem across all ethnic groups, minorities bear a disproportionate burden in Alabama: one in five African-American adolescents is obese². This disproportionate burden is demonstrated in two Alabama counties: Wilcox and Lowndes. Both counties are predominately African-American and rank in the bottom ten counties, statewide, for overall health outcomes^9,14. …

Effect Of Metformin On Body Mass Index In Adolescent Females With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Alissa Briggs, Mandakini Sadhir, Maya Todd, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is often associated with obesity, insulin resistance, irregular menstrual periods and pelvic pain. Treatment involves hormonal methods for regulation of menstrual cycle, lifestyle changes and metformin for improving insulin resistance and weight. The aim of our study was to compare changes in body mass index (BMI) of adolescent female with PCOS treated with metformin as compared to lifestyle modification only. Participants: Adolescent and young adult females aged I0-25 years diagnosed with PCOS seen for at least two visits for at least one year on the same treatment. Based on treatment plan, participants were categorized as metformin …

Promoting Healthy Eating And Physical Activity: A Qualitative Examination Of Community-Based Obesity Interventions In Rural Kentucky, Brooke F. Butterworth

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Rural Americans are medically underserved groups and are at greater risk of becoming obese than urban Americans. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the perceived causes of obesity in six counties of rural Kentucky and to determine how to customize strategies to reduce obesity in these areas. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Agents formed coalitions in each of the six counties to assess their communities’ needs and assets to inform plans for implementing evidence-based obesity interventions. Between February and August of 2015, the coalitions were convened for a total of 11 meetings. Each of the coalition …

An Evaluation Of The Screening And Management Of Childhood Overweight And Obesity In The Primary Care Setting, Diane L. Crutcher

DNP Projects

Background: Worldwide, the World Health Organization (2016) estimates that forty-two million children from two to five years of age are overweight or obese. In the United States, Kentucky ranks sixth for the highest rate of overweight youth in the nation (Partnership for Fit Kentucky, 2009). The long term consequences of overweight and obesity are early onset of adult chronic diseases as well as social and psychological issues in childhood and adulthood.

Purpose: The objective of this gap analysis was to assess BMI screening and weight management of children ages two to five who presented for a well-child check …

Competitive Food Policy Implementation In Kentucky Schools, Paula Gisler

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

This study was designed to explore the literature on competitive food policy implementation (CFPI); examines demographic and school factors associated with CFPI; and explores the experiences of school leaders and staff in CFPI using a proposed theoretical framework to guide the research. Competitive foods are those sold in vending machines, a la carte settings, fundraisers, class parties and other venues which compete with foods offered through the national school lunch and breakfast programs. Competitive foods have traditionally been of low nutritional value and high energy density. CFPI may be effective in reducing student calorie intake and BMI. However, evaluation of …

Breastfeeding Practices Among Native Hawaiians And Pacific Islanders, Ingrid K. Adams, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Akilah Dulin Keita, Ana Maria Linares, Keiko Tanaka, Joshua R. Polanin, Annie Koempel

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Background. Breastfeeding is associated with a decreased risk of obesity in the early and adult years. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) experience high rates of obesity which is often obfuscated with aggregated data. Using disaggregated data, we examined breastfeeding practices among NHPI. Methods. Seven databases and reference lists were searched. Two independent researchers extracted relevant studies based on predetermined criteria. Nine studies met our inclusion criteria and a meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects, inverse-various weighted models. Results. Few studies disaggregated NHPI populations when examining breastfeeding practices. Most studies were cross-sectional and our search yielded no randomized or quasirandomized control …

Behavioral Modification Program To Control Obesity Among School Children In Knott County, Kentucky, Samjhana Shakya

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Childhood obesity is one of the major public health concerns in the United States (US). Obese children have a greater likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, and impaired blood glucose[7].The prevalence of obesity among children 2 to 5 years of age in Kentucky was 15.7% (US average 8.4%) and 17.6% (US average 17%) among adolescents in Kentucky being higher than the national averages [8,3].

A major goal of the Behavioral Modification Program is to promote healthy behaviors among elementary school children to control obesity by modifying eating, physical activity and screen time …

Assessment Of Obesity Management In A Primary Care Setting, Katie Diffenderfer

DNP Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current practices related to obesity in the primary care setting in University of Kentucky’s Healthcare System. The specific aims were to: 1) Determine the proportion of obese patients who had an ICD-9/10 diagnosis code for obesity, 2) Determine the proportion of obese patients who received interventions related to their obesity, 3) Determine whether obesity diagnosis and interventions varied based on patient demographics, and 4) Compare actual obesity interventions to those outlined in the clinical practice guidelines.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of male and female patients between the ages of …

Cross-Sector Partnerships And Public Health: Challenges And Opportunities With The Private Sector, Lee Johnston, Diane Finegood

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Over the past few decades, cross-sector partnerships that include the private sector have become an increasingly accepted practice in public health, particularly in efforts to address infectious disease in low and middle income countries. Now they are becoming a popular tool in efforts to reduce and prevent obesity and the epidemic of non-communicable disease. Partnering with business presents a means of acquiring resources, as well as opportunities to influence the private sector toward more healthful practices. Collaboration is a core principle of public health practice; however public-private or non-profit-private partnerships present risks and challenges that warrant specific consideration. In this …

Short-Term, High-Fat Diet Accelerates Disuse Atrophy And Protein Degradation In A Muscle-Specific Manner In Mice, Steven L. Roseno, Patrick R. Davis, Lance M. Bollinger, Jonathan J. S. Powell, Carol A. Witczak, Jeffrey J. Brault

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: A short-term high-fat diet impairs mitochondrial function and the ability of skeletal muscle to respond to growth stimuli, but it is unknown whether such a diet alters the ability to respond to atrophy signals. The purpose of this study was to determine whether rapid weigh gain induced by a high-fat (HF) diet accelerates denervation-induced muscle atrophy.

METHODS: Adult, male mice (C57BL/6) were fed a control or HF (60 % calories as fat) diet for 3 weeks (3wHF). Sciatic nerve was sectioned unilaterally for the final 5 or 14 days of the diet. Soleus and extensor digitorum longus …