Improving Nutrition Education And Access To Healthy Food For Low-Income Mainers, Jessica Wyn

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Many people in Androscoggin county are not able to consistently achieve a diet with the recommended food variety for improving health. Adequate nutrition for improving health outcomes requires access to healthy food at affordable prices, health literacy regarding diet and nutrition concepts, and the skills and access to equipment required to prepare and store food. A lack of resources in any one of these areas can limit a person’s ability to engage in a healthy diet, which increases their risk of developing preventable non-communicable diseases later in life.

Nutritional Support For Oncology Patients: Role For The Pcp, Annabelle S. Feist

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Adequate nutrition is a key prognostic factor in the treatment outcomes of patients with cancer diagnoses. Despite the increased morbidity and mortality of malnutrition, the importance of nutrition for oncology patients is often not well communicated and not well understood by patients. Part of this issue stems from the limited information most patient can absorb at any given doctors appointment, especially regarding their cancer. Primary care providers hold a unique position to fill this gap and have the information be heard and retained given their usual role in addressing overall health. This project compiles resources in an easily accessible and …

Associations Between Daily Wellness Behaviors And Outcomes Among Medical Students, Ankrish Milne, Alexandra Novelli, Carly Watson, Hakeem Yousef, William Copeland, Leigh Ann Holterman, Lee Rosen, Yang Bai, Azilee Curl, Samuel Pasqualoni, Stephen Kirby, Xixi Halvorson-Phelan, James Hudziak

Larner College of Medicine Fourth Year Advanced Integration Teaching/Scholarly Projects

Objective: Explore which wellness behaviors have the greatest impact on wellbeing outcomes in medical students.

Methods: A total of 213 medical students were enrolled in this study between June and September 2021. Participants completed a battery of online surveys, including demographic information, and 60-second nightly surveys on the WE-MD smartphone app, which assessed wellness-related indicators (exercise duration, sleep quality, nutrition quality, etc.) and wellbeing outcomes (mood, focus, stress, etc.).

Results: 116 participants completed >50% of nightly surveys between September 2021 and November 2021 and were included in the analysis. All wellness indicators were significantly associated with at least one wellness …

Nutritional Evaluation Of Food Bank Services In Chittenden And Addison Counties, Vermont, Caroline George, Casey Norton, Mark Pasanen Md, Patti Smith Urie

UVM AHEC

Background:

Feeding Chittenden and Addison Food Shelf are programs that alleviate hunger in Vermont utilizing the Food Access Network. This Network allows customers to select food and have it delivered to a location of their choice, with an aim of providing healthier foods while reducing barriers and stigma.

Methods:

Using nutritional standards adapted from a BMC Public Health study [1], food items delivered from March- May 2023 were scored based on category, amount of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. Scores included ‘1,’ recommended often, ‘2,’ recommended sometimes, and ‘3,’ recommended rarely. Analysis was conducted on total offerings, total orders, …

The Effects Of Processed Seaweed Supplements On Rumen Fermentation And Methane Production In Vitro, Ashley Winter Driemel

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Seaweed supplementation in ruminants is not a novel practice but has recently regained popularity due to promising nutritional benefits for the animal as well as the presence of bioactive compounds that reduce methanogenesis within the rumen. It is important to broaden our assessment of different seaweed species and identify key seaweed species that have the most efficient CH4-reducing potential, do not negatively impact rumen fermentation parameters, and are abundant enough to meet consumer demand. Chapter 1 of this thesis reviews the published literature relevant to seaweed supplementation in ruminants, with a focus on the comparison of seaweed processing methods utilized …

Accessibility Of Nutritious And Healthy Foods To Older Adults, Kristen Wright

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Food insecurity rates are high among older adults who have chronic conditions and/or are homebound. These patients have functional limitations, comorbidities limiting their mobility, and often are socially isolated or live alone, all of which impact their ability to access or make healthy meals. As food insecurity rises, so do the health care costs related to inaccessibility to healthy food, involving the increased risk or prevalence of chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. This project aimed to understand the barriers older adults face in accessing and making healthy meals, and to educate health care providers and patients on recognizing …

Trust Your Gut: Promoting Gut Health Through Updated Nutrition Education, Christina Cobb

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Physician time and nutrition education are limited, yet lifestyle changes, including healthy eating, are often the primary intervention for both preventing & managing chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. There is growing evidence of the importance of gut health & the microbiome’s link to several aspects of health, including the immune system, mental health, and metabolic syndrome. Through collaboration with two dietitians, a "promoting gut health" patient handout was created and existing nutrition handouts were updated to reflect current dietary recommendations.

Healthy Living In Washington County, Colleen Mccarthy

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No abstract provided.

Cooking For Health: An Integrated Approach To Enhancing Food Agency, Rebecca Anne Nagle

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Cooking for Health: An Integrated Approach to Enhancing Food Agency

Author: Rebecca Nagle, MSN, APRN, PNP, DNP-c

Advisor: Dr Jennifer Laurent, PhD

Mentor: Dr Amy Trubek, PhD

Background: College students have poor food habits and are disproportionately affected by food insecurity. Food agency is one’s ability to provision and cook for themselves. Promotion of healthy eating and food agency for college students has shown to increase their food self-efficacy, improve health, and prevent obesity.

Purpose: Determine the effectiveness of an undergraduate class focused on cooking for health in improving student’s food agency, eating behaviors, and health.

Methods: Undergraduate students participated …

Dashing Into A Healthier Life, Megan N. Eubank

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Almost half of all US adults have hypertension (high blood pressure), which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Hypertension can be controlled through a combination of diet, exercise, and medications. The DASH diet has been proven to lower blood pressure in as little as two weeks. I created a brochure and Epic SmartPhrase that explains and simplifies the DASH diet for patients.

Family Medicine Community Project, Daniel Castro

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The goal of this project is to improve diet and nutrition literacy in the community. Though Vermont ranks low in the US in terms of obesity, it is still estimated the 60% of Vermonters are either overweight or obese. This represents an area of need in terms of improving diet and nutrition education to combat obesity, the health issues it produces, and the subsequent strain on the medical system

Nutritional Habits: Encouraging Simplicity And Consistency, Alim Esemenli

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Nutrition plays a crucial role in development of diseases that are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Unites States. However, due to reasons such as time limitations, lack of clear guidelines, and what seems like a sense of hopelessness felt by providers and patients alike upon lack of results, discussions around nutrition may lack in frequency, consistency, and/or adequacy of duration, Research shows that flexibility of mindset, as well as achievability and sustainability of nutritional goals, play a key role in achieving success in weight This project proposes a three-page document that can potentially help primary care …

Nutritional Barriers For Patients With Diabetes: A Quality Improvement Project, Emma C. Levine, Taylor D. Marquis

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The goal of this study was to look at health care providers perspectives on what the nutritional barriers patients with diabetes faced and compare that with the patient's perspectives. We also assessed patients knowledge on certain foods and if they have carbohydrates. We used this information to create a Notecard that could be given to patients.

Easily Digestible: Addressing Food Literacy With Short Educational Videos, Kalle J. Fjeld

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Food literacy is the knowledge and skills needed to select and prepare food as well as determine food intake. These skills are necessary for a healthy diet, which is a major contributing factor to chronic disease prevention and management. People with diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease can have great benefit from improving diet quality through increasing at-home food preparation and consumption of fruits and vegetables. In partnership with a Food Farmacy pilot program at Hudson Headwaters Health Network in Glens Falls, NY this project sought to use web-based food literacy education for a population of 40 patients with …

Raising Awareness About The Vermont Donor Milk Center, Rosie Friedman, Emi Eakin

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The Vermont Donor Milk Center (VDMC) is an emerging community resource that provides donated, pasteurized breast milk to new parents for their infants. Upon questioning, we identified that many providers did not know about the VDMC or how to prescribe milk. In addition, VDMC expressed that they have not been able to complete the community outreach they had initially hoped for. We chose to dedicate our project to disseminating information about VDMC to perinatal care providers in Vermont.

Assessing The Need And Desire For Nutritional Education, Marc Robert Hammond

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Many people suffer from health conditions that may be affected directly by diet and nutrition including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, iron deficiency anemia, obesity, coronary artery disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Education of providers and patients alike may help decrease the prevalence of these health issues and their sequalae. The St. Albans Community has slightly poorer health and nutrition when compared to the entire state of Vermont. Patients in an outpatient primary care clinic in St. Albans, VT were provided with a survey that would assess:

The patient’s confidence in their nutritional skills and knowledge

Their willingness to go to a nutrition …

The "Best Snacks Ever" Series, Catherine M. Westbom

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Vermont rates of obesity jump from 15.1% 10-17 year-old children to 27.5% in adults. In addition, studies show that keeping weight off is incredibly difficult with low success rates. Of the many factors that contribute to obesity, nutrition is among those that can be altered with great results. Taken in combination, this information speaks to the great change that can be made in targeting healthy eating habits in the youth population prior to the jump in obesity rates. This project aims to provide education to the child population in Montpelier, Vermont through the local Step 2 after-school program. A class …

Food Label Made Easy, Hanaa Shihadeh

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The use of food labels and adherence to dietary recommendations are important, especially for those with chronic diseases due to the well known relation between chronic disease and poor nutritional habits. Although food labeling has been introduced since 1994 with the aim of combating obesity and diet-related chronic disease in the USA, the rates of food label use among US adults have decreased over the past decade.

Discovering Healthy Eating Habits, Sunit K. Misra

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Children who are unsupervised after school are most likely to get involved with activities that negatively affect their outcomes as an adult. This project seeks to engage children by adding value to an after school program. These programs help build lifelong skills. More specifically this focused on nutritional health of elementary school aged children.

Bridging The Gap: Putting Nutrition Knowledge Into Practice, Monica Rodgers

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Obesity is highly prevalent and has overwhelmingly been shown to negatively impact health outcomes for patients. Poor dietary habits are an important contributor to obesity. Formal interviews with local healthcare providers and informal interviews with patients indicated a need for resources for patients who have already completed nutrition education classes or already have the knowledge they need but are unable to implement it to regularly prepare nutritious meals at home. A book of nutritious, filling recipes adapted to include many vegetables, low added sodium, and relatively inexpensive ingredients was compiled for health care professionals to provide to this target population …

Nutritional Ecology Of Aphaenogaster Ants In Response To Climate Change, Katie A. Miller

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Climate change is predicted to impact organismal nutritional ecology. Increased temperatures can directly accelerate physiological rate processes, which in turn, impact nutritional requirements. Climate change can also impact organisms indirectly by altering the quality and quantity of nutritional resources, creating the potential for nutritional mismatch between what nutrients are available in the environment and what organisms require. Investigation of organismal stoichiometry, particularly the balance of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of organisms, can help illuminate the extent to which changes in climate may impact organism nutritional ecology. Ants represent an excellent system to examine stoichiometry because they occur across a …

Promoting Health Literacy About Added Sugars, With A Focus On Patients With Limited English Proficiency, Megan Kawasaki

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Excess consumption of added sugars has been linked to the development of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The sequelae of such health conditions accrue significant public health costs - both in terms of healthcare spending as well as associated co-morbidities and mortality. Chittenden County, Vermont is home to at least 6,300 new Americans, many of whom have limited English proficiency (LEP). Although office visits can provide crucial advice regarding proper nutrition, written resources available for LEP patients are lacking. This project aimed to meet that need through development of an infographic-rich handout that both promotes healthier grocery store choices and …

Climate Change And Food Systems: Assessing Impacts And Opportunities, Meredith T. Niles, Richie Ahuja, Jimena M. Esquivel, Nelson Mango, Mil Duncan, Martin Heller, Cristina Tirado

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Farm Fresh Foods For Healthy Kids (F3hk): An Innovative Community Supported Agriculture Intervention To Prevent Childhood Obesity In Low-Income Families And Strengthen Local Agricultural Economies, Rebecca A. Seguin, Emily H. Morgan, Karla L. Hanson, Alice S. Ammerman, Stephanie B. Jilcott Pitts, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Florence A. Becot, Leah M. Connor, Jennifer A. Garner, Jared T. Mcguirt

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Childhood obesity persists in the United States and is associated with serious health problems. Higher rates of obesity among children from disadvantaged households may be, in part, attributable to disparities in access to healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. Community supported agriculture can improve access to and consumption of fresh produce, but the upfront payment structure, logistical barriers, and unfamiliarity with produce items may inhibit participation by low-income families. The aim of this project is to assess the impact of subsidized, or "cost-offset," community supported agriculture participation coupled with tailored nutrition education for low-income families with children. Methods/design: …

Nutrition And Exercise Resources For Clinton County, Paige M. Wood

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The obesity epidemic is a nation wide problem that has increased prevalence in Clinton County, NY when compared to the surrounding areas. Obesity leads to many co-morbid health conditions and is associated with a large increase in health care spending costs. This brochure tackles the limited resources, such as limited number of fitness centers, lack of nutrition education and an overall lower socioeconomic status, that is present in the Clinton County area. This brochure offers help in these areas through free phone applications which cover nutrition education, healthy shopping guidance, at home exercise routines, motivation, habit trackers and mindfulness exercises.

Health Care Shares: Vermont Community Wellness Through A Farm To Patient Collaboration, Lindsay S. Howe

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Food insecurity in Vermont has increased over the past decade, with nearly 85,000 Vermonters struggling to provide adequate amounts of food for their families during the past year. Families living in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont have higher rates of food insecurity than those in urban settings. Unfortunately, when families are living with or threatened with food insecurity, they often rely on cheaper, processed foods that have a longer shelf life than fresh produce. This is likely contributing to the increase in obesity and chronic health conditions such as diabetes. Programs such as Health Care Share aim to combat food …

Nutrition, Diabetes And Misconceptions, Kristen M. Dalton

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

One of the most effective ways to assist patients with diabetes is to empower them to manage their diabetes through lifestyle change. However, figuring out what to eat when you have diabetes can be very confusing. This project attempted to provide simple lifestyle changes patients could make.

Creating Dignity, Not Dependence: Community Development & Food Security Implications Of Mobile Food Vending, Mariah N. Noth

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Abstract

Despite the ostensible abundance of “cheap food” today, food insecurity remains a complex issue that impacts 12.7 percent of American households. This paper investigates the efficacy and sustainability of an innovative approach to addressing community food insecurity launched by the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf of Burlington, Vermont. Known as the Good Food Truck, this program has capitalized on the cultural trend of mobile food vending to create an inclusive space for low-income individuals to enjoy free, chef-inspired meals crafted with locally produced ingredients donated by Vermont farmers, gleaning teams, and larger entities. This operation is novel because it provides …

Health Maintenance And Goal Setting For Women Joining And Re-Joining The Workforce, Tess Barbach

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Nursing Master Project Publications

Abstract

Poverty is a major health barrier in the United States which disproportionately affects women, who earn lower wages than men and are often single mothers responsible for the care and wellbeing of their families. Chronic socioeconomic depression is a cyclic, multigenerational problem that can make it difficult for women to adequately engage in healthy behaviors such as eating well and exercising. Poor self-care practices can in turn lead to cycle of poor health outcomes across the board, including depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more. Poor health may subsequently pose a challenge for women trying to find the energy to …

Regulating Kids' Meals To Combat Childhood Obesity, Y-Lan Khuong

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Obesity is an epidemic crossing genders, ages, socioeconomic status, geography, and race/ethnicity. In Vermont, 11.3% of 10 to 17-year old are considered obese, thereby increasing risk for numerous health issues. One contributing factor is an increased tendency to eat away from home. This project aims to provide qualitative evidence regarding response to policy setting nutritional standards for kids' meals in Vermont restaurants.