Nutrition Commons^™

The Impact Of School-Based Education Program On Body Image In Middle School Students, Elizabeth Hendon

Honors Theses

Body dissatisfaction is an emerging public health concern and carries significant health-related consequences. These implications encompass mental health challenges, eating disorders, unhealthy weight management practices, adverse effects on self-esteem, and potential physical health consequences. Because adolescence is a critical period for healthy body image development due to age-related transitions occurring at this time, it is essential to implement an education program to promote positive body image. Educational programs focused on protective factors designed to enhance self-compassion can potentially improve body image, eating attitudes, and body satisfaction. School-based body image education programs aim to provide adolescents with the knowledge, skills, and …

Evaluating The Effect Of Garden-Based Education On Young Learners’ Preferences For And Willingness To Try Healthy Food, Sierra Gregory

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Childhood obesity in American children has tripled in the last 20 years, and 85% of current healthcare spending is linked to diet-related diseases. The consumption of highly processed foods is linked to these trends and makes up more than half of an average American youths’ diet. Reducing the consumption of highly processed foods in children’s diets can be addressed, in part, by addressing childhood neophobia (willingness to try new foods) associated with whole foods like fruits and vegetables. Influence over behavioral areas such as nutrition and in early childhood is essential to long-term sustained health, and garden-based interventions shows promise …

Improving Nutrition Screening Practice In The Hospitalized Heart Failure Patient Population, Amanda J. Bourgeois

DNP Projects

Background: Heart Failure is a disease known to affect nearly 6.5 million adults in the United States. Characterized by recurrent hospitalizations, heart failure significantly contributes to morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in the United States and worldwide. Because malnutrition is prevalent in the heart failure population, healthcare providers must perform nutritional assessments on admission to intervene in the case of malnutrition, prevent deterioration, and improve patient prognosis. Without intervention and early identification of malnutrition, heart failure hospitalizations will remain a significant problem.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an evidence-based educational program for cardiac …

Incorporation Of Nutrition Education With Medication Injection To Sustain Weight Loss, Julia Calvelo

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background: Obesity is a widespread occurrence linked to comorbidities. Weight loss and maintenance is crucial to sustain existing health conditions and reduce risk of chronic diseases.

Lack of maintained weight loss is associated with poor education on nutrition, diet, and physical activity literacy. Objective: The purpose of this quantitative experimental study is to determine the efficacy of nutrition education among medication injection to sustain weight loss throughout treatment. It aims to promote comprehension of the aspects of nutrition, dietary habits, and physical education to not only sustain weight loss, but to understand the significance of how these elements contribute to …

Identifying Youth Appeals In Alcohol Alternative Social Media Content Through Framing, Melina Oneal

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Proposed regulations for alcohol advertising prevent beverage companies from targeting people under the legal drinking age. However, similar regulations for alcohol alternative beverages are less explored, which could allow alcohol alternative products to create awareness for alcoholic beverages among youth. Alcohol alternatives beverages, including no-alcohol and low-alcohol products, are increasing in popularity and can function as compliments to alcoholic products to decrease the total alcohol volume consumed or as substitutes for alcoholic products. Framing theory can be operationalized through the Content Appealing to Youth Index, an index of content elements found in research literature to be appealing to youth, to …

Learning Documentary Film Production By Doing, Erin Lucille Grasty

Journalism

No abstract provided.

Burden Of Food Insecurity Among College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Saba Sami

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Food insecurity is lack of access to proper nutrition for an individual to obtain a healthy lifestyle. The goal of this research is to determine the frequency of food insecurity among college students at a four-year college institution during COVID-19 pandemic in association to mental and physical health status.

Methods: This study was conducted among college students using cross-sectional study method. All data were collection virtually and kept anonymous. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 28 with (p<.05), denoting significance.

Results: In the study there were a total of 98 participants who were being analyzed. All the participants were …

Eat Well, Be Well: Basic Needs Initiative's Online Hub For Nutrition Education, Misha Moseley

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Basic Needs Initiative at California State University, Monterey Bay is a department that provides students with food, housing, and wellness resources. Over half of the university's students experience food insecurity, and over 85% use non-academic resources to learn about nutrition. This project adds a dietary health section to the department’s website to increase students’ access to nutrition education. It addresses the micro-level agency problem that too few students eat a healthy, balanced diet. Unhealthy eating is a risk factor for food insecurity, so the project indirectly addresses the macro-level health problem that too many college students in California experience food …

Is Dietary Teaching Via Telehealth Effective In Lowering Hgba1c In Adult Patients With Prediabetes Or Type 2 Diabetes?, Mia Mccallum-Crawford

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are two common conditions diagnosed in the primary care setting. Both conditions benefit from a healthy lifestyle, managing blood sugar levels, and getting diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES). Within the past two decades, the healthcare community in the US has witnessed a substantial rise in diabetes among adults. Overall, the self-management of diabetes continues to worsen nationally. The purpose of this project is to improve patients’ self-management of both Prediabetes and T2DM through nutrition and show how nutritional counseling via telehealth provided by a nurse practitioner can improve HgbA1C values over 3 …

Evaluation Of A Hands-On Cooking Class And Its Effects On Self-Efficacy In Relation To Healthy Eating In Type 2 Diabetics, Codi A. Jenshak-Gorzinski

DNP Scholarly Projects

The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is alarming and poses a great threat to U.S. national health. Chronic diabetes can lead to serious conditions such as heart attack and stroke, and can result in premature mortality (World Health Organization, 2018). Diabetes can be prevented or treated by eating a healthy diet. Cooking classes are a potential way to improve American’s knowledge of nutritional principles and help them become confident that they have the capacity to eat a healthy diet. The purpose of this DNP project was to determine if participation in cooking classes enhanced self-efficacy as it pertains to healthy …

The Process And Case Study Approach To Implementing A Nutrition-Specific Dissemination And Implementation Science Training In Appalachia, Ayron E. Walker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Introduction: Nutrition professionals face implementation challenges due to their lack of knowledge to incorporate D&I science into intervention design. To improve intervention outcomes, nutrition professionals must be trained in D&I science, which are currently absent in the field.

Aims: To identify and assess nutrition educators and practitioners perceived motivations, self-efficacy, and attitudes in using D&I science to inform the educational design and strategies of a nutrition-specific D&I curriculum for nutrition educators. Then to test feasibility of the nutrition-specific curriculum in increasing knowledge, self-efficacy, and attitudes by a case study approach, pre/post intervention design.

Methods: First, scoping review methodology involved the …

Obesity Prevention Toolkit To Combat Weight Gain Related To Sedentary Behavior And Dietary Habits In College Students: An Evidence-Based Project, Maria Amos, Martha Fuller

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

Background: Forty percent of the US population ages 20-39 are categorized as obese,

their BMI is over 30, and 35% of college age students are obese or overweight. Issues related to obesity cost the US $147 billion annually. Between 40%-50% of college students are reported to be inactive. Inactivity can lead to increased morbidity and mortality related to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal issues, and depression. Providing dietary and physical activity education and access to nutritional information promotes behavior change in young adults.

Aims of Service Change: This evidence-based project proposal aims to provide a toolkit …

Preceptorship Within Accredited Nutrition And Dietetics Programs: A Pragmatic Mixed Methods Study, Angela K. Brekken

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this pragmatic mixed-methods study was to identify the factors that impact a nutrition professional’s preceptorship decision and potential solutions to combat preceptor shortages within accredited nutrition and dietetics programs. Homan’s social exchange theory provided the theoretical framework that if perceived costs of preceptorship outweigh the perceived benefits, then the activity will cease.

Phase one of the study included an online mixed-methods questionnaire. Phase two included a qualitative focus group and interview with self-identified volunteers from phase one. Quantitative analysis through SPSS included descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (one-way ANOVA). Qualitative data for both …

Improvisation-Based Curriculum For Nutrition And Dietetics Undergraduate Students: An Examination In Alternative Education Methods, Megan Farris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Medical improvisation is the use of theatrical-based games to develop interpersonal communication skills (ICS), including those applicable to telehealth communication, among health care professionals.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing a medical improvisation-based workshop via a virtual classroom within an upper-level undergraduate nutrition and dietetics counseling course improved students’ self-assessed perceived capability of the following characteristics required as ICS for telehealth communication: becoming a better listener, becoming more observant of nonverbal communication, responding in the moment, increasing self-confidence in presenting, and becoming a better team member/collaborator. This study also considered the feasibility of using …

Caregivers' Perceptions Towards Medical Nutritional Supplements, Nancy Perez, Kathryn E Coakley, Diana Gonzales-Pacheco, Deborah Luffey, Deborah Cohen

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Children 2-5 years of age can be vulnerable to being underweight due to characteristics like selective eating. As a result, children may not be consuming essential nutrients from balanced meals and may have a reduction in the variety of foods they eat. Medical nutritional supplements are often recommended by healthcare professionals including physicians and registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs). Parents/caregivers may not research how the medical nutritional supplement benefits their child’s health and may not comprehend the meaning of the words “healthy growth”. This study investigated the attitudes and the perceptions of caregivers of children 2-5 years of age toward liquid …

Investigating Elementary School Food Programs: Impacts On Child Knowledge And Dietary Behaviours, Paige Colley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Good nutrition is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A balanced diet can promote positive health outcomes, protecting against health problems caused by nutritional deficiencies. Canada has reported poor diet quality and high rates of overweight and obesity among children. Obesity has been linked to several non-communicable diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer. Efforts to improve lifelong, healthy eating behaviours must be implemented.

This dissertation investigated the impacts of school food programming on child nutrition. A Centrally Procured School Food Program (CPSFP) was implemented at 30 elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. …

Teacher Evaluation Of An Integrated Nutrition Curriculum For Mississippi Schools, Janiya A. Davis

Honors Theses

The prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled over the last four decades from 5 percent in 1978 to 18.5 percent in 2016, and according to the Mississippi Obesity Action Plan, 40.4% of Mississippi elementary school children (grades K-5) were either overweight or obese. Some reports have suggested that Mississippi’s overall obesity rate could reach 66.7% by 2030. Although the literature on best practices for the prevention of this condition is limited, some success has been achieved through the use of school-based nutrition interventions, in which children are taught how to make healthy food choices. …

Food Insecurity Among Undergraduate Students In The College Of Education At The University Of New Mexico, Qamar Hadi

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to assess factors associated with food insecurity among undergraduate students at the University of New Mexico (UNM). New Mexico has a higher estimated prevalence of adult food insecurity compared to the United States. The study design was a cross-sectional survey that collected self-reported socio-demographic data (race/ethnicity, age, living conditions, etc.) and food security status using an adapted 10-item USDA Adult Food Security Survey Module (AFSSM) from 83 undergraduate students enrolled in the UNM College of Education (COE). Data analysis was performed using Fisher’s Exact test and logistic regression. The results showed that 43% of …

Nurse Driven Enteral Nutrition Protocol For Mechanically Ventilated Patients, Deena Shewekah

DNP Projects

Introduction: Delayed enteral nutrition in critically ill patients increases the risk of complications and poor outcomes. Current evidence-based guidelines recommend initiation of enteral nutrition within 24-48 hours of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The quality improvement (QI) project aim was to examine whether enteral nutrition was initiated within 24- 48 hours of mechanical ventilation after implementation of QI intervention in order to determine practice change.

Methods: The QI protocol was introduced to the Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) at UK Chandler Hospital (UKHC) nurses via an education session. A post-education electronic survey identified the nurse’s understanding of the protocol. To identify nursing …

The Association Between The Comprehensiveness And Strength Of Written Physical Activity Wellness Policies And The Observed School Physical Activity Environment, Maggie Kringen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine if there is a relationship between physical education/activity wellness policy comprehensiveness and strength and the observed physical activity (PA) environment.
Methods: The Wellness School Assessment Tool 2.0 (WellSAT 2.0) was used to evaluate the quality of written wellness policies. The School Physical Activity and Nutrition Environment Tool (SPAN-ET) was used to evaluate the school environment. Pairwise correlations and one-way ANOVAs were used to determine if written wellness policy quality affects the school PA environment. Data are presented as mean ± SD and significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results: One significant relationship was found between WellSAT …

Parental Nutrition Health Literacy, Sheila F. Towson

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Executive Summary

Parental Nutrition Health Literacy and Children’s Health

Problem: The problem identified in the following study is that overweight and obesity is associated with comorbidities that contribute to chronic diseases such as depression, decreased academic performance, type 2 diabetes, cardiac disease and others (Allesio, 2018; Barlow & Expert Committee, 2007). Demographics reveal obesity prevalence among children and adolescents to be 18.9% in the lowest income group, 19.9% in the middle-income group, and 10.9% in the highest income group (CDC, 2018). School and home environments are especially influential in affecting school-age children’s health behaviors (Luesse, Paul, Koch, Contendo, & Marsick, …

Effects Of An Educational Intervention On Nutrition And Healthy Eating Habits In Minority Group Parents And Children Living In Arkansas, Peri Clay

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: The Hispanic population is the largest growing minority ethnic group in the United States today. Minority groups have an added struggle with obesity and have higher rates of obesity in this country than the caucasian counterparts. While minority group parents want more for their children they face many cultural and language barriers related to proper nutrition and hydration. This prevents these families from gaining adequate nutrition.

Objective: The purpose was to evaluate the impact of nutrition education on obesity rates through implementation of a year long educational intervention for minority group mothers and their children through and …

Tanglewood Trail Walking And Voucher Program, Kelci Marie Mchugh

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Rural Appalachian populations have greater rates of obesity and chronic diseases attributed to lesser consumption of fruits and vegetables (F/V) and physical inactivity. Barriers to F/V consumption and physical activity include poor access and affordability. To help overcome these barriers, a community-initiated walking and farmers market F/V voucher program was implemented.

Participants were encouraged to walk (1.2 miles roundtrip) to the local farmers market to redeem a $10 voucher which could only be spent on F/V. The 16-week program (June – Sept) included 121 participants. Data was analyzed by creating two groups, low-engagers and high-engagers that differed significantly in the …

Development, Validation, And Testing Of A Self-Determination Theory Instrument Called The Motivation To Prepare Healthy Foods Questionnaire, Ariana Delong Bailey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of these studies were to validate and confirm the structure of a previously developed questionnaire that measures the psychosocial constructs defined by the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and then test this questionnaire in a nutrition education setting. The instrument, titled the Motivation to Prepare Healthy Foods Questionnaire (MPHFQ), included items that measured intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, relatedness, autonomy, and autonomy support. These studies evaluated the questionnaire’s validity and ability to measure changes in the SDT construct scores.

The MPHFQ is a previously developed and reliable instrument intended to measure adults’ intrinsic motivation and perceived competence to prepare healthy foods, …

Pink And Dude Chefs: Effectiveness Of An After-School Nutrition Knowledge And Culinary Skills Program For Middle School Students To Increase Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Alyssa S. Vaziri

Master's Theses

The rate of overweight and obesity among adolescents aged 12-19 years has more than tripled since 1980, and disproportionately impacts low-income and marginalized populations. Reduction in adolescent obesity rates may result in decreased health risks, decrease healthcare costs, and increased quality of life. Effective intervention methods for adolescent participants have incorporated nutrition knowledge and culinary skill building into afterschool programs. This study examines whether building knowledge, skills, and confidence through a culinary intervention can improve adolescent participants’ choices of healthful foods through increased fruit and vegetable intake.

Pink and Dude Chefs (PDC) is an afterschool nutrition education and culinary skills …

Integration Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine Into The Healthcare System In The United States, Nikki Lu

Global Honors Theses

Chronic diseases are a prevalent issue around the world and chronic diseases are hard to prevent due to various systemic factors in the healthcare system. This paper mainly focused on socioeconomic issues and highlighted a few systemic factors in the US healthcare system. These factors have created various health disparities, inequities among socially constructed groups, and financial expenditures in the US healthcare system. Socioeconomic factors significantly impact the health and healthcare among socially constructed groups. Additionally, in this paper there are current approaches in addressing these healthcare factors such as social determinants of health and precision medicine as well as …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

Cal Poly Farmers Picnic, Emily Anne Dale, Riley Nilsen, Jack Gavron

Agricultural Education and Communication

Agriculture can be seen as the world’s most essential industry. Many products people use daily come directly from agriculture, including the food placed on people’s tables. Knowing where that food comes from, and the overall importance of agricultural education is vital in the United States and the world. This message needs to be shared beyond the classroom: we need agriculture to survive.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “in 2012, there were 3.2 million farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers and an estimated 757,900 agricultural workers legally employed in the U.S.” (USDA, 2012). These findings concluded that less …

Teaching Heart Failure Patients A Low-Sodium Diet, Karen Faye Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a progressive medical condition affecting more than 7 million people in the United States (US) with 700,000 new cases reported annually. More than half of those treated for CHF are readmitted at least once a year. The problem addressed by this quality improvement initiative was lack of adherence to low sodium diet (LSD) among CHF patients, knowledge and skill deficit, and excessive 30-day CHF readmissions. The health belief model and the self-care deficit theory guide nurses in acquiring the skills needed to teach LSD. Twelve months of data were selected from 93 CHF readmissions from …

Reflection And Evaluation Of The “Healthy Me, Healthy Earth” After-School Program, Mary K. Sherman

Honors Theses and Capstones

The “Healthy Me, Healthy Earth” program was an eight week after-school program for first through fourth graders at the Woodman Park Elementary School in Dover, NH conducted during the Fall of 2017. The program used a cost-effective, food system-based curriculum to promote health and environmental literacy to students who participated. An interdisciplinary approach was used to assess the knowledge, attitude, and behavioral changes of the students. There was a noted improvement in comprehension of food system concepts.