Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Springfield Menu Program, Hannah Stenger

Masters Theses

Studies have shown that many low-income and disadvantaged Americans have a poor diet quality, which increases obesity and chronic disease risk. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, education and income levels of Springfield residents are well below state averages, and racial diversity in Springfield has increased significantly over the past few decades. Springfield’s demographics increase the risk of health disparities in the community, and higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are seen in Springfield. To promote healthy eating behaviors among Springfield residents, Mason Square Health Task Force (MSHTF), a Live Well Springfield (LWS) partner, created a …

Association Of Dietary Factors With Menstrual Cycle Characteristics, Radhika Natarajan

Doctoral Dissertations

Abnormal menstrual cycle length, pattern and bleed duration are associated with reduced fecundity and increased risk of miscarriage. The menstrual cycle is governed by the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, and nutritional factors may affect menstrual characteristics by influencing the HPO axis. Identifying these factors may lead to cost effective ways to improve reproductive outcomes. In a cross-sectional analysis of 164 18- to 30-year-old women, we examined the association of adiposity, dietary fat intake and vitamin D status with menstrual cycle characteristics. Adiposity was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and fasting venous …

Gestational Diabetes, Infant Feeding Practices, And Early Indicators Of Obesity Risk In A Sample Of Mother-Infant Dyads In The U.S., Kimberly N. Doughty

Doctoral Dissertations

Research suggests that the trajectory to obesity and its associated metabolic disorders begins early in life. Prenatal exposure to maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with increased risk, while breastfeeding is associated with reduced risk. Breastfeeding may influence obesity risk by preventing rapid postnatal weight gain. Mothers with gestational diabetes may not breastfeed as intensely as healthy mothers, potentially exacerbating the risk to their infants. We conducted three distinct investigations related to gestational diabetes, breastfeeding, and infant weight gain. All used data from the U.S. Infant Feeding Practices Study II. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate associations between …

Physicochemical And Toxicological Assessment Of Antimicrobial Ε-Polylysine-Pectin Complexes, Cynthia L. Lopez Pena

Doctoral Dissertations

ε-Polylysine is an appealing FDA-approved, all natural antimicrobial biopolymer effective against a wide range of microorganisms. Its implementation is greatly limited by its strong cationic charge, which has been linked to instability in food systems, perceived astringency and bitterness, and the ability to inhibit lipid digestion. Previous studies have shown that controlled complexation of ε-polylysine with anionic pectin is able to prevent instability and astringency in simplified model food systems, while maintaining the antimicrobial character of polylysine. Isothermal titration calorimetry, micro-electrophoresis, microscopy, and turbidity analyses of the stability of electrostatic pectin-polylysine complexes in the presence of strongly anionic κ-carrageenan, and …

Live Well Springfield – A Community Transformation Movement: Evaluation Of The Live Well Springfield Website, Jesse A. Mushenko

Masters Theses

The Live Well Springfield (LWS) movement is a collaborative effort of partner organizations in Springfield, Massachusetts. The project promotes healthy living by increasing knowledge and awareness of food and physical activity. A key LWS strategy was the creation of a website to function as an information hub. In addition to local event and health information, the website features 16 narratives depicting residents practicing healthy lifestyle choices, designed to encourage community engagement. To date, there has been no evaluation of the website’s reach and effect.

A mixed methods approach, surveys and focus group discussions, was designed to collect data from people …

Dietary Patterns And Their Association With Hypertension Among Pakistani Urban Adults, Nilofer F. Safdar, Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, Lorraine Cordeiro, Tazeen H. Jafar, Nancy L. Cohen

Nutrition Department Faculty Publication Series

Hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting more than 25% of adults worldwide. In Pakistan, 33% of the adult population suffers from hypertension. Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated the critical role of dietary patterns in the causation, prevention and management of hypertension. There’s a dearth of evidence from South Asia in this regard. The present study aimed to identify the association between dietary patterns and hypertension among 4304 low income urban adults who participated in the Control of Blood Pressure and Risk Attenuation (COBRA) study in Karachi, Pakistan. Dietary information was collected by a 33- item food …