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The Effects Of The Implementation Of Green Carts On New Yorkers' Bmi, Ana L. Pacheco

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the Green Cart Initiative implemented by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy. The Initiative was implemented to bring fresh fruits and vegetables in a fast, cheap, and efficient way to neighborhoods considered food deserts and areas with high rates of obesity.

A Paradigm Shift In The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Practice Change In Primary Care, Patricia L. Sullivan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

An Abstract of the Scholarly Project by

Patricia Lynn Sullivan

The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Project was to determine whether participants’ knowledge of the updated guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of the obese patient with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is increased following a continuing education presentation. The increase in the knowledge of PCOS guidelines for an obese patient is documented using a pretest/ posttest method following the continuing education program which utilizes a PowerPoint presentation. PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder in women. This DNP capstone project was designed to provide a literature …

“Mexico, Public Policy And Obesity In A Global Context”, Daniela Carina Bermudez

Master's Theses

Mexico has one of the most obese populations in the world. A country known for its diversity of rich flavorful food is drowning in low nutritional food products. This thesis examines Mexico’s obesity epidemic within the larger global context of international economic trade policies, public policies and Mexico’s health policies. The key research questions are 1) why is there an obesity epidemic in Mexico? and 2) what remedies should Mexico implement to control it? This thesis contributes to a viable policy strategy for the Mexican government to control and prevent the further increase of this obesity epidemic. Reviewing both the …

Microbiota Metabolism Of Soluble Fiber Protects Against Low Grade Inflammation And Metabolic Syndrome, Jennifer Miles-Brown

Biology Dissertations

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of obesity-related metabolic abnormalities that predisposes to type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease. The dramatic increase in incidence of obesity and MetS over the last 25 years amidst relatively constant host genetics supports the role for non-genetic factors such as gut microbiota composition as an important contributor to the development of these disorders. Microbiota can interact with the host, in a manner influenced by genetics and diet that result in low-grade chronic inflammation. A critical risk factor for the pathogenesis of obesity and its related MetS involves alteration of gut microbiota composition …

Metabolic Alteration Induced By Time Restricted Feeding At Different Points In The Circadian Cycle, Laura Brooks Crone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal was to determine if a high fat diet given in a time restricted fashion can protect against obesity and inflammatory mediators. 12 week old C57BL/6 male mice were assigned to either a standard chow diet or a diet containing 45% fat. The high fat diet was provided ad libitum or in a time restricted fashion, either during the first of the second half of the active phase for 8 weeks. Time restricted meal intake reduced body mass gain, adiposity, glucose intolerance and cholesterol levels in mice fed a high fat diet. Mice fed a high fat diet, even …

Elucidating The Effects Of Metabolic State On Nanoparticle Distribution In Mice And In Vitro Uptake, Kevin James Quigley

Doctoral Dissertations

Since almost 70% of the U.S. population over 20 years old is overweight and 30% is obese, with much of the western world following suit, many patients that will potentially be administered circulating nanoparticles designed to localize to tumors and avoid non-target areas will have significant amounts of white adipose tissue (WAT), enlarged livers, and additional metabolic complications such as type 2 diabetes. However, studies on nanoparticle biodistribution and efficacy take place almost without exception in lean rodents with healthy metabolic states. In this work, I determined the biodistribution of model nanoparticles – neutral filomicelles and polystyrene spheres both carrying …

Extracellular Matrix Remodeling And The Inflammatory Response During Skeletal Muscle Regeneration In Sarcopenic Obese Mice, Lemuel Arthur Brown

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

AIM: Sarocpenic obesity is a national concern within the United States because this metabolic syndrome is tied with reduced mobility and quality of life. Both obesity and aging are associated with insulin-resistance, chronic low-grade inflammation and muscle weakness. Skeletal muscle regeneration is a process that involves the coordinated effort of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), inflammatory signaling, and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling for optimal regeneration. It has been demonstrated that obesity and aging have a reduction in muscle regeneration. It has not been examined if sarcopenic obesity will further reduce muscle mass and the regenerative process. The purpose of this study …

Effects Of Obesity In Elementary School Children After No Child Left Behind (Nclb), Victoria L. Moore

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Ever since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation became adopted into our school system, students’ physical health has suffered. Recently, the number of unhealthy children has grown. One in three children are classified as overweight or obese. This senior capstone project demonstrates the causes and effects of such an issue in regards to both physical education and nutritional education in elementary schools in the tri-county areas of Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Clara counties. The results from twenty-seven survey results and one interview suggest that most teachers feel that there is a need for daily physical education and nutritional education should …

Angiogenic Roles Of Vegfb And Vegfr1 In Vitro And In Vivo, Jacob Cecil

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Wider Step Width On Knee Biomechanics In Obese And Healthy-Weight Participants During Stair Ascent, Derek Scott Yocum

Masters Theses

An increased likelihood of developing obesity-related knee osteoarthritis may be associated with increased peak internal knee abduction moment. Increases in step width may act to reduce this moment. This study focused on how step width influenced the knee joint during stair ascent by healthy and obese participants. Participants ascended stairs while walking at their preferred speed and under one of two step width conditions – preferred and increased. Obese participants experienced greater mediolateral and vertical ground reaction forces (GRFs), as well as increased peak knee extensor moments and push-off peak internal knee adduction moments. The findings of this study indicate …

Examining The Associations Between Depressive Symptoms, Body Mass Index, And Physical Activity Self-Efficacy In African American Mother-Child Dyads, Y'Esha Vonyae Williams

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

In recent decades the prevalence of childhood and adult depression and obesity has increased worldwide. Multiple factors influence the onset of both depression and obesity. Individual manifestations of depressive symptomatology and health-related problems associated with obesity vary; however, genetics and environmental and psychological factors have been implicated as correlates. Consequently, both disorders can ultimately interfere with individuals’ activities of daily living and decrease their quality of life. African American women are known to have a higher prevalence of obesity and more severe depressive symptoms in comparison to Caucasian women. Likewise, African American children are more obese and experience many factors …

Multi-Level Predictors Of Obesity And Diet In Multi-Ethnic Populations, Tali Elfassy

Open Access Dissertations

The obesity epidemic in the United States is a major public health issue. Poor socio-economic conditions such as poverty or living under financial stress may adversely influence health outcomes such as obesity, and often disproportionately impact ethnic minority populations. Further, individuals living in poverty are often exposed to environments that promote unhealthy diet and obesity. Such obesogenic environments are characterized by increased exposure to foods high in sodium and low in potassium which may also be independently associated with obesity. Yet these associations have not been adequately explored, especially among ethnic minority populations. The current dissertation seeks to explore: 1) …

A Behavioral Economic Analysis Of Obesity Among College Women, Holly Ann Keating

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Overweight and obesity are particularly saient concerns for adolescents and young adults, the age group with the greatest risk of weight gain each year. The present study examined differences in behavioral economic measures of food reinforcement and delay discounting among normal weight women compared to overweight and obese adult women. Effects of symptoms of depression and ethnicity were also examined. Young adult women were given a variety of questionnaires. The current study hypothesized that overweight and obese women would rate food images as being more pleasant, discount money more steeply, have higher food-related reinforcement, and higher demand for food. Overweight …

Perceived Self-Efficacy And Financial Incentives: Factors Affecting Health Behavior And Body Weight In Individuals With Overweight And Obesity, Julia Ann Simon

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Essays On Smoking, Drinking And Obesity: Evidence From A Randomized Experiment, Benjamin David Thomas Johannes Ukert

Economics Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three chapters analyzing risky health behaviors utilizing data from the Lung Health Study (LHS), a randomized smoking cessation program. The first two chapters of this dissertation analyze the effects of smoking on alcohol consumption and BMI, respectively. The third chapter studies whether and how much the objective smoking information, which is defined by clinicians, may be misreported.

The first chapter examines the effect of smoking on alcoholic beverage consumption. The epidemiology literature suggests that both behaviors affect similar brain regions and are commonly consumed together. So far, the economics literature has presented inconclusive causal evidence on …

Exploring The Obesity-Related Lifestyle Attitudes And Behaviors Of African-American Women And Afro-Caribbean Immigrant Women In Metro Atlanta, Georgia, Melany Chambers

Communication Dissertations

Background. Obesity has been associated with a number of negative health consequences (e.g., hypertension/heart disease, type-2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and respiratory illnesses). Despite health communication campaigns to reduce overweight/obesity by encouraging lifestyle changes (e.g., eating healthier foods and exercising), the rates of overweight and obesity levels have continued to rise. Studies indicate that the rate of overweight and obesity in the U.S. is highest among Blacks. Messages targeted toward “Blacks” (African-Americans) in the United States treat this segment of the population as a homogenous group and fail to account for within-group cultural differences. Cultural values and beliefs related to food, physical …

Panx1 And Panx3 Regulate Adipocyte Development And Fat Accumulation In Vivo, Vanessa R. Lee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The obesity epidemic is a growing concern due to its various comorbidities and associated risk factors. Pannexins 1 and 3 (Panx1 and Panx3), are members of a family of channel-forming glycoproteins that have been reported to be important in paracrine signaling and development. Panx1 and Panx3 are homologous and are regulated in many different cell types, mediating cell proliferation and differentiation. We have shown that Panx1 and Panx3 are expressed in adipocytes and adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) throughout the process of differentiation. Mice globally lacking Panx1 (Panx1 KO) have significantly greater total fat mass compared to wildtype (WT) mice under …

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Among An Ethnically Diverse Sample Of Middle School-Aged Girls, Shannon E. Chiles

Open Access Theses

Obesity is a major health concern not only for adults, but for children and adolescents as well. Fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity among children and adolescents, but few children and adolescents meet the nationally recommended amount of daily F&V consumption. Also, few studies have examined this relationship among an ethnically diverse sample. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to explore factors (parental F&V consumption and F&V self-efficacy) related to F&V consumption among 200 Middle school girls of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic descent. Multiple group path analyses were conducted. High self-efficacy …

Long-Term Supplementation With Leucine Does Not Prevent Development Of Obesity In Rats Fed A High-Fat Diet, Dameon Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Excess dietary fat consumption has been implicated in the development of obesity and diabetes. Obesity can be characterized by a disproportionate increase in fat mass compared to lean body mass. However, if muscle mass can be increased or maintained in obesity, this may facilitate weight loss by increasing the body’s overall metabolic capacity. Historically, supplementation with the branched-chain amino acid leucine has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis via the protein kinase mTORC1. Recent studies suggest that supplementation with leucine also has the potential to reduce weight gain and fat deposition in high-fat fed, obese mice. The objective of …

Deltamethrin, A Pyrethroid Insecticide, Potentiates Lipid Accumulation In 3t3-L1 Adipocytes, Tsung-Hsiu Hsieh

Masters Theses

Obesity is a growing concern in the world today. As we ponder about the many causes of this global epidemic, we are driven to look at our food and the environmental toxicants that may contribute to obesity. Deltamethrin, being a common synthetic pyrethroid used in agriculture for pest control, is the primary insecticide this study explores to connect with obesity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. To investigate the relationship between deltamethrin and adipogenesis, various concentrations were tested, 1nM, 10nM, 100nM, 1μM, and 10μM. The result indicated that higher concentration of deltamethrin had a direct impact on fat accumulation. These experiment results indicate …

The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model: An Examination Of Obesity Prevention Behavioral Change In Children Who Participated In The Afterschool Program Virginia Beach Let’S Move, Marilyn Miroshlava Bartholmae

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model (IMB) as a foundation to design childhood obesity prevention afterschool programs. This study employed a secondary analysis of pre (n=172), post (n=170), and 1-year follow-up (n=32) evaluations of the obesity prevention afterschool program Virginia Beach Let’s Move for children ages 5-11 years. Independent variables included demographic characteristics for the participating children and their parents. Dependent variables used in this study were the IMB constructs information and motivation. Motivation was measured by the attitudes of the children and information was measured by the children’s knowledge.

The …

The Interrelations Between Work Factors, Family And Work Health Climate, Work Schedule, And Individual Behaviors, Jennifer C. Buden

Master's Theses

Background: The rates of obesity in the United States continue to rise, particularly with disparities in high stress, low job control occupations such as corrections. Employers are in a unique position to improve employee health through development of Total Worker Health interventions that integrate worker safety and health promotion to improve employee health and well-being.²⁵ Understanding influences on health behaviors in the workplace such as social support, and work schedules as well as family environment, may aide in developing worksite preventive strategies with the anticipation of chronic disease reduction and weight management. Purpose: The purpose of these studies was …

Overweight And Obesity In Persons Living With Hiv: Stigma And Health, Dominica B. Hernandez

Doctoral Dissertations

Objective: Both obesity and HIV are highly stigmatized diseases; however, little is known about the psychological experience of individuals at the intersection of these two conditions. This cross-sectional study examined whether PLWH with overweight or obesity endorsed and experienced less anticipated and enacted stigma due to their weight status.

Methods: PLWH (n = 671; 428 male and 196 females) were recruited from a holiday donation center in Atlanta, Georgia. Self-reports of medical history, HIV and weight stigma, body image, perceptions of weight status, and nutritional intake were collected.

Results: 26.8% were overweight (BMI >25-25.9 kg/m²) and 32.4% …

Obesity Over The Life Course: Perspectives In Health And Mortality, Noura E. Insolera

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation seeks to examine obesity in different contexts throughout the life course. Through empirical analyses, separate stages of the life course are considered: namely childhood through adolescence, young adulthood, and adulthood. By using a life course perspective, it is possible to consider longitudinal and intergenerational approaches to these questions, which will update and inform the current debates surrounding obesity.

Beginning with children, the intergenerational transmission of diet disease knowledge, socioeconomic status, and child health behaviors are considered in their associations with the outcomes of child diet in 2002, and in turn their associations with child obesity in 2007. Information …

Why Kids Are 'Lovin' It': A Q Methodology Analysis Of The Appeal Of Mcdonald's, Erica Nelson Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

The dramatic rise in childhood obesity is a major concern nationwide. Unprecedented media exposure, drastically decreased time spent interacting as a family, and the consumption of calorie-dense foods are all heated topics of discussion with ties to weight gain. In this research, possible associations are examined between media, social groups and a favorite fast-food restaurant among children: McDonald's. Q methodology was used to analyze the various factors that draw children to McDonald's. With a theoretical background in social learning theory, this study had 29 children rank-order 30 photographs depicting elements of the McDonald's experience. Pictures included the most and least …

Validity And Reliability Of A Photographic Method Of Assessing Body Composition, Elizabeth Z. Macdonald

Theses and Dissertations

The LeanScreenTM app uses photographs and touchscreen technology of an iPad or iPhone to estimate body composition using the Department of Defense (DoD) prediction equations that use cirumference measurements of the neck, abdomen, waist, and hips. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the LeanScreenTM app in 148 weight-stable adults (82 men, 66 women) who were normal weight, overweight, or obese as defined by body mass index. The percent body fat (%BF) of each subject was estimated during one visit using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometery (DXA) as the criterion measure, and three field methods: the …

Piloting A Screening Tool For Eating And Eating-Related Behavior, Michael N. Reynolds

Dissertations

Obesity is a common medical condition associated with negative health and social outcomes. Obesity has a primary malleable behavioral cause, eating more calories than are metabolized. While metabolic rate is malleable with exercise, eating can more quickly add calories than exercising can subtract them. In the past, behavioral weight-loss treatment studies relied on multi-component package interventions that have shown reliable patterns of participant weight-loss during treatment and weight-regain in follow-up. Those findings could be conceptualized as an ABA withdrawal design, eating behavior returns to baseline after the prosthetic contingencies of the treatment study are withdrawn. We must develop ways to …

The Effects Of Obesity On Resultant Knee Joint Loads For Gait And Cycling, Juan Gutierrez-Franco

Master's Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of cartilage and bone tissue and the most common form of arthritis, accounting for US$ 10.5 billion in hospital charges in 2006. Obesity (OB) has been linked to increased risk of developing knee OA due to increased knee joint loads and varus-valgus misalignment. Walking is recommended as a weight-loss activity but it may increase risk of knee OA as OB gait increases knee loads. Cycling has been proposed as an alternative weight-loss measure, however, lack of studies comparing normal weight (NW) and OB subjects in cycling and gait hinder identification of exercises that may …

Implementing The 5as Framework For Obesity Management, Jennifer C. Sassman

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) pilot project strives to improve management of obesity by increasing provider knowledge and utilization of the 5As Framework which is an effective evidence-based intervention and a behavioral counseling tool. Pre-data including BMI and waist circumference were collected over one month. An educational in-service on the 5As was held for one primary care nurse practitioner. Post data was gathered over five months. Provider knowledge on the 5As was increased however, there was not an increase in identifying obesity. The 5As was used about 10% of time with obese patients. This pilot project can be expanded …

Exploring The Effects Of Calorie Labeling Laws, Carmen Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the effects of Calorie labeling laws implemented in some counties in the United States on several health related variables. The findings show a small significant decreasing effect of the law on Limited activity and Poor health of 0.083 and 0.047 at 95% significant level respectively.